A Gurn from Nurn - News, opinion and pictures from sunny Nairnshire - keep in touch, bookmark the Gurn
Friday, March 24, 2023
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Sunday, March 12, 2023
From the Gurn's gardening correspondent - "Looking around the town, it is pleasing to report that the colourful displays of flowers are already appearing along the roadsides."
There might be deep snow across the Pennines and stranded motorists on the M62. But spring officially arrives at the beginning of March. And here in Nairn the sun is shining, and the Gurn's gardening correspondent has stirred from long hibernation. Looking around the town, it is pleasing to report that the colourful displays of flowers are already appearing along the roadsides. The volunteers of Keeping Nairnshire Colourful have spent many hours digging and planting crocus bulbs in several locations - and then making sure that zealous contractors and Council machines carefully navigate around the sites.
Now the results are visible for the folk of Nairn and anyone passing through the town to see and enjoy. The purple flowers beside the A96 on the way out towards Inverness are looking good. At Moss-side Road two areas of white blooms have appeared. Beech Avenue has yellow crocuses, and the cemetery field led by the Grantown Road has a multi-coloured display. In the shade by the hospital car park flowers are just beginning to appear. The areas alongside the A96 towards Sainsburys at Balmakeith have fared less well: as that area was left to go wild, the bulbs have been fighting a losing battle under the bigger tougher plants that have been allowed to flourish there. And in the little leisure parkie between James' kiosk and the swimming pool, most of the bulbs planted by KNC a year or two seem to have been wiped out or mown to destruction although a few snowdrops survive in the sheltered area under the trees.
Most people probably don't pause to think how all these colourful displays came to be there. So it is perhaps worth a brief thank you to the enthusiasts of Keeping Nairnshire Colourful who put in many hours of work throughout the year for no reward other than the knowledge that they are making our town just a bit more attractive for everyone to enjoy.
And it's not over yet. Another few weeks and the golden yellow daffodils will be appearing, and perhaps - like Wordsworth - we will all see them "fluttering and dancing in the breeze".
Now the results are visible for the folk of Nairn and anyone passing through the town to see and enjoy. The purple flowers beside the A96 on the way out towards Inverness are looking good. At Moss-side Road two areas of white blooms have appeared. Beech Avenue has yellow crocuses, and the cemetery field led by the Grantown Road has a multi-coloured display. In the shade by the hospital car park flowers are just beginning to appear. The areas alongside the A96 towards Sainsburys at Balmakeith have fared less well: as that area was left to go wild, the bulbs have been fighting a losing battle under the bigger tougher plants that have been allowed to flourish there. And in the little leisure parkie between James' kiosk and the swimming pool, most of the bulbs planted by KNC a year or two seem to have been wiped out or mown to destruction although a few snowdrops survive in the sheltered area under the trees.
Most people probably don't pause to think how all these colourful displays came to be there. So it is perhaps worth a brief thank you to the enthusiasts of Keeping Nairnshire Colourful who put in many hours of work throughout the year for no reward other than the knowledge that they are making our town just a bit more attractive for everyone to enjoy.
And it's not over yet. Another few weeks and the golden yellow daffodils will be appearing, and perhaps - like Wordsworth - we will all see them "fluttering and dancing in the breeze".
A gallery of images below showing the various displays around town.
Saturday, March 11, 2023
Feasability study for a 'Nairn Wastebusters'
Press release from Highland Council:
A tender in respect of a Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle Feasibility Study for Nairn has just been issued to the market on the Public Contracts Scotland website.
The Highland Council is seeking a consultancy organisation to undertake a feasibility study into the proposed idea of a further Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle Pathfinder project, to be located within the Nairn waste recycling centre.
The study will assess the practicality and viability of the venture and identify any potential opportunities or issues. Upon conclusion, the final report will provide a basis for a business development case for the site based on the recommendations.
The study will act as a Pathfinder model for the Nairn Recycling Centre site, while the feasibility study should also provide a second more general view and consideration to the potential application of this model at a number of other suitable sites across Highland.
Chairman of the Nairnshire Area Committee, Councillor Michael Green, commented: “The Feasibility Study will look wider than just waste strategy and will consider wider implications locally for the model, including, but not limited to, local employment opportunities, green job development, contributions to net zero commitments and developing reuse/recycle concepts.
He continued: “This is an exciting proposal for Nairn and could play an important role in ensuring that items are reused until the end of their useful life, decrease manufacturing needs and ultimately significantly reduce the amount of material deposited into landfills”.
The feasibility study is being co-funded funded by Highland Council and Highlands & Islands Enterprise.