Turkey Trot 2023 - A Nairn tradition enjoys a bit of winter sunshine

Video! Getting in the sea! @NairnCounty go for a Christams dook in aid of @Mikeysline1 and @teamhamishnairn

 

Getting in the sea! @NairnCounty go for a Christams dook in aid of @Mikeysline1 and @teamhamishnairn

Well done County players and fans that took part. Over on the Links there was still a good covering of snow. Great to see the team and club spirit on display despite the weather. Looking forward to the rest of the season and some more cracking football. If you can, get yourself along to Station Park in 2024 - fixture list here.

 

Stunning Solstice colour in the early evening skies today as nacreuos clouds show up inbetween the heavy showers - videos

Mrs Gurnmeister was having a wander around Facebook this afternoon and was reading an article on the hugely popular Highlands and Islands Weather pages urging their readers to keep an eye out for nacreous clouds. She happened to glance out of the window and saw that it was happening right here in Nairn. I get ordered to get a couple of camera cards sorted etc and to follow her down the garden. Here's the results. Still images to follow. What a super display for the Winter Solstice.

 

 

2,004,709 free bus journeys by young people in the Highlands

 Mr and Mrs Gurnmeister live the bus pass dream too, being over sixty and quite often go somewhere for a coffee and a bit of shopping. Has the time come to go the whole way and make all bus journies free in Scotland - if we want to get people out of their cars the would this be a good thing to do? 

Anyway, here's a press release from the Scottish Green MSP Ariane Burgess

"Free bus travel for everyone under 22 will have a huge impact for young people travelling in the Highlands over Christmas, says Ariane Burgess, the Scottish Green MSP for the Highlands & Islands.

Since the scheme was launched in January 2022, young people in The Highlands have taken 2,004,709 free journeys, using their free bus pass which allows them to travel anywhere in Scotland.

Scotland is the only country in the UK to offer free bus travel for all young people, which was introduced following negotiations between the Scottish Greens and the Scottish Government.

An incredible 700,000 young people across Scotland have been able to take over 100 million free bus journeys in total.

Ariane Burgess, the Scottish Green MSP for the Highlands & Islands said: “This can be an expensive time of year for young people and their families, making free bus travel even more vital. 

“It will allow young people to visit their family and friends, and is opening up our community and our country. It’s a big boost for our environment, and will be cutting our emissions and reducing the numbers of cars on the road.

“Every free bus journey means more money in people’s pockets, which will be hugely welcome for families who are being hit with bigger bills and extra costs over winter. But free bus travel is not just for Christmas, it is supporting families across the Highlands all year round.

“It is one of the proudest and most positive achievements of devolution, and I am delighted that it has been delivered with Scottish Greens in government.

“I want every young person to have the same fantastic benefits and opportunities. I am delighted that so many young people have already signed up and encourage all of those who have yet to do so to visit Freebus.scot and register for their card today.”

New Nairn Academy planning application lodged

 Highland Council Press Release:

A planning application has been submitted for the erection of a replacement secondary school, car parking, sports pitches and demolition of the existing Nairn Academy.

Balfour Beatty has been appointed as the design and build contractor and Reiach And Hall Architects are the Council’s agents working in conjunction with the Council's in-house Property teams to deliver the project.

A replacement school building for Nairn Academy was included in Phase 2 of the Scottish Government's Learning Estate Investment Programme announced in December 2020, and funding for the project is included in the reprofiled capital programme approved by Council in January 2021.

The planning application for the replacement Nairn Academy can be viewed on the Council’s online eplanning website at: https://wam.highland.gov.uk/wam/ (external link) by putting 23/05756/FUL in the search where public comment can be made.

More information about the project can be found on the Council’s website at this link (external link).

The new building is programmed to be operational from August 2026 with the demolition of the existing building and external works to follow.

A roundabout for the entrance to Ardersier Port (the old McDermotts yard) on the B9092 Nairn to Ardersier

Councillor Paul Oldham in his latest newsletter brings us a wealth of information about what the Highland Council have been up to; "£108 million of cuts to come over three years," for instance. You can read his latest news letter here. 

Via a couple of paragraphs and a couple of links he shows us what is planned for the top of the road on the B9092 and for Ardersier Port in general if all goes well. 

Mnay readers will remember the days of the shifts clocking on and off at McDermotts and the large volumes of traffic that generated. It will be interesting to see how many jobs are created at the port but if we see similar volumes of traffic coming and going in the future it is hard to see how the A96 as it is presently constituted  could cope without further long delays. Paul does say: "They also want to build a roundabout on the A96 at junction with the road down to the port but that will come later." 

Of course in an ideal world there would be access to an all singing and dancing Nairn Bypass where the later roundabout might go making access to the Port a lot simpler. We do seem to be back in the realms of people suggesting that a by-pass will never be seen in their lifetime however. Last week in Holyrood Fergus Ewing asked the Deputy First Minister: "By what year will the contstruction of the Nairn by-pass be completed? He got a long answer talking about commintments etc but he didn't get a definite year date in response. 

We live in interesting times and if you walk alongside the A96 on some of these still frosty days you get a good whiff of exhaust fumes in the air. A by-pass would be a really good thing to have.