Two fantastic cinema days were held in January and March 2024 in Farr Hall with financial and logistical support from Community Film Scotland. On these days we showed a kids’ film in the afternoon, and grown-ups’ movie in the evening. The kids’ films were packed, and the snacks and bean bags made for a great atmosphere. The grown-ups’ movies were reasonably attended, but we are considering options for documentaries with speakers, particular theme evenings, providing meals alongside etc. to increase numbers. There are possibilities for further funded events and training for organisers. If you are interested in becoming part of a Strathnairn Film Group, please get in touch (strathnairndevelopmentcompany@gmail.com).

Gaelic in Strathnairn events were held in late February 2024 and were very successful.
Additional funding of £3,800 has been secured from Bord na Gaidhlig for more
conversation cafes, talks on heritage and nature, bookbug sessions and approximately
40 free Gaelic classes, which are being held on Wednesday evenings in Farr Hall
(contact us via michael@strathnairndevelopment.scot and check on the SDC and Strathnairn pages on
Facebook).

Jessica Boughey, our CDO since November 2023, sadly left in May 2024 as she found a new position at the Highland Council that suited her personal circumstances and career path well. As a Board we were delighted with her initiative, commitment and support over the 6 months she spent with us, and we are sure many groups in Strathnairn have benefitted and agree. Her detailed and strategic work has contributed towards implementing our Community Action Plan and generated legacies that we build upon. Her performance assessments were very favourable, and it is with genuine regret that we said goodbye to her. We wish Jessica all the best for the future, and look forward to bringing in a new CDO or multiple part-time CDOs soon to continue this progress and community benefits.

Strathnairn Development Company is delighted to welcome our new CDO and we know she is equally looking forward to starting work with us this week.

Jessica will be meeting with groups and residents over the coming weeks to discuss the hopes and aspirations of Strathnairners, young and old, as expressed in the CAP and in various meetings and, with her excellent communication skills and commitment to listening to the community, we are sure you and we will benefit from getting to know and working with the CDO.

SDC has been asked by SSEN to post details of current weather warnings for Storm Babet.

SSEN’s current weather model shows high winds forecast across Angus, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Caithness and Orkney.  These areas could see gusts of up to 60mph, with the strongest winds currently forecast to be on Thursday afternoon.   

Heavy rain is also forecast for much of Scotland between Thursday and Saturday.

SSEN is activating its well-rehearsed contingency plans and is standing up more teams to deal with any damage to the network and subsequent faults, which may impact customers’ power supplies.

Customers on SSEN’s Priority Services Register are being proactively contacted to offer further advice and support, with calls made to those in the most vulnerable categories.  Coordination is also under way with local resilience partners to aid preparations. 

Customers are encouraged to be prepared for the possibility of disruption to supplies by: –

• saving the emergency power cut number – ‘105’ – to your phone to report any loss of supply or damage to the electricity network; and

• downloading SSEN’s Power Track app to give you details of power cuts and restoration times. You can also report power cuts and network damage through the Power Track app; and

• Going to SSEN’s website where there is a wealth of advice and information on how to deal with a power cut, or to chat live to one of SSEN’s advisors via its Webchat service.

SSEN would also like to remind people not to go near any damage to its equipment they might find and instead report it to them directly by calling 105, or via the Power Track App, and engineers will investigate as soon as possible.

Customers are also eligible for SSEN’s Priority Services Register (PSR) if they: –

• Are deaf or hard of hearing; 

• Have a disability;

• Live with children under five;

• Are blind or partially sighted;

• Have a chronic illness;

• Use medical equipment/aids reliant on electricity; and/or

• Are over 60.

To find out more about the PSR, click here or call 0800 294 3259.

SDC would add that if you have vulnerable neighbours, please check their well-being if it is safe for you to do so.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along, helped out and donated baking and money to the Farr Gala held on the 10th June 2023.

It was great to see so many people coming together to make it a great community event.

Thank you to the Strathnairn Community Benefit Fund for providing the finances that enabled the event to happen.

SDC raised £407.13 in donations which will go towards providing catering for future community events. FANS had great success with their fundraising for the school and nursery too!

The Farr Gala will be held this weekend. Here’s a wee poster that has been going up around the community.

Strathnairn Development Company have sat as a board and considered carefully and with respect the role of the Community Development Officer and significant issues pertaining to the employment of the Community Development Officer.

We have come to the difficult decision that we will not be continuing with the current Community Development Officer beyond the probationary period.
There is a consensus among the board and the reasoning has been minuted and communicated to the chairs of SCBF and SNCC.

Any queries can be directed to the board at comments@strathnairndevelopment.scot address and we will seek to provide answers in due course.