Caithness news review of 2024: April to June
APRIL
A supermarket car park in Thurso was so badly potholed that it was starting to resemble an “open cast mine” and posing a safety hazard to the public, councillors claimed. The deteriorating state of the Co-op car park in the town centre was highlighted among a litany of complaints presented to the Highland Council leadership. Councillors Matthew Reiss and Andrew Jarvie maintained the SNP-led administration had dealt with a number of “serious safety issues” in a “woefully inadequate” way. They suggested that the local authority was failing to comply with section one of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, requiring it to “maintain” the roads, including car parks
Surfers and spectators enjoyed “once-in-a-decade conditions” at a national competition in Caithness. There were big waves and sunny skies throughout the 2024 Scottish National Surfing Championships at Thurso East, prompting the women’s open champion Phoebe Strachan to declare: “You literally couldn’t have asked for better.”
Spending on Dounreay would amount to almost £8 billion between now and the site’s revised end date in the 2070s, it had been claimed. A spokesperson had indicated at the end of March that the cost of extending the decommissioning programme was likely to be made public in the summer. However, a worker had come forward to say that a figure for the estimated extension costs was provided to staff of NRS Dounreay on their communications app.
Plans to axe the vascular surgery service in the Highlands would be “a real worry and a concern” for patients in Caithness, according to a health campaigner. Ron Gunn, chairman of Caithness Health Action Team, said the proposal would mean longer waiting lists and patients having to travel further afield for their operations. “That would be an added stress for them,” he said.
Two wind turbines planned for a site in central Caithness had been branded “monstrosities” by nearby residents who had joined forces to form a protest group. They say the proposed Swarclett Wind Farm would be within 800 metres of some properties in the Bowertower area and would have an unacceptable impact in terms of visual impact and noise. “Proposals such as this should never see the light of day,” one resident declared, adding that the level of concern inflicted on Bowertower householders “seems inhuman”.
Guests at the launch of the new World War II heritage trail in Caithness were told how Wick was transformed in the 1940s from “a sleepy little town” into a “formidable fortress”. The Caithness At War trail was officially opened by Lord Thurso, the Lord-Lieutenant of Caithness, at an outdoor event at Wick John O’Groats Airport. Dignitaries from RAF Lossiemouth and the Vulcan site also took part in the ceremony. Forty-six information panels had been installed, 30 in and around Wick and 16 in the Sinclair’s Bay area.
Cycling charity volunteers in Thurso said their aim was “to get as many people outside in the fresh air as possible” as passengers in a three-wheeled bike. The town now had its own branch, or chapter, of Cycling Without Age – a worldwide movement seeking to give elderly or less able people access to the outdoors through trishaw rides.
The “unbelievable” shortage of indoor sports facilities in the Thurso area was having “a serious impact” on local clubs and groups. The problem was also affecting people’s “mental wellbeing, children’s social interactions and future opportunities”, according to the chairperson of Thurso Netball Club, Hannah Perriewood, who has raised the issue with MSP Maree Todd and local councillors.
MAY
Thurso was in line for a new secondary school and three primaries as part of the newly released Highland Investment Plan worth in excess of £2 billion over the next two decades.
Women’s rugby team Caithness Krakens made history by becoming the first senior side from the county to land a national trophy. They achieved a thrilling 47-27 victory over Uddingston Selkies in the final of the National Plate in Scottish Rugby’s end-of-season Silver Saturday at Murrayfield Hive in Edinburgh.
The Seafarers Memorial in Wick was described as “a perfect place of remembrance” as the town played its part in a new nationwide commemoration of those who had lost their lives while working in the fishing industry. Almost one year after it was unveiled at the town’s Braehead, the statue provided a fitting backdrop as Wick joined in the first National Fishing Remembrance Day. Ceremonies took place at fishing memorials all over the UK on Sunday, led by the Fishermen’s Mission.
The loss of the “vital” Wick mobile post office, which was to stop running later in the month, would impact on rural areas and be “sorely missed”, according to a Wick councillor. Jan McEwan described the decision as a shock. She was speaking after the Post Office confirmed the service, which visited Reiss, Latheron, Keiss, Thrumster, Mey, Auckengill, Canisbay, Mid Clyth, Berriedale, Westerdale and Pulteneytown, would cease following the resignation of the operator.
A spending plan that aimed to raise £2 billion for major investments across the Highlands, including a new Thurso High School, had been approved. Councillors backed the Highland Investment Plan, which the local authority said would be worth £2 billion over the next 20 years.
The prospect of a return of nuclear power generation to Caithness had been welcomed. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack confirmed that he had asked the UK energy minister to plan for a new nuclear site north of the border as part of a UK-wide strategy. Dounreay had been touted as among the possible locations for a small modular reactor, a series of 10 power stations that Rolls-Royce was planning to build by 2035. Struan Mackie, the Thurso and Northwest Caithness councillor who is also chairman of the Dounreay Stakeholder Group, said a change of Scottish Government in 2026 could mean finally having “a grown-up conversation” about nuclear power.
A ferry master “almost certainly fell asleep” before the vessel ran aground on Swona, a marine accident investigation had concluded. The report also criticised Pentland Ferries for routinely sailing too close to land, leaving little margin for error.
JUNE
Churchgoers in Halkirk said it would be “unthinkable” for the village to be deprived of its place of worship. They had been told that the Church of Scotland was likely to close the 138-year-old building and were campaigning to save it – describing it as a “central pillar ” of the community that was “financially secure”. A petition had been launched.
As many as 300 football fans from Caithness were heading to Germany to support Scotland in the Euro 2024 finals. That was the estimate made by Tartan Army stalwart Martin Nicolson, who was on his fourth road trip to support the national men’s team in a major tournament. Eight supporters from Thurso-based Top Joe’s Tartan Army set off in Martin’s motorhome, customised with Scotland flags and Tartan Army slogans.
Onshore connections and plans for a new substation in Caithness that would link to a massive offshore wind farm had been given outline approval by councillors. The works for the West of Orkney Wind Farm include proposed cable landfalls on the north Caithness coast, a substation at Spittal and 25km of underground cables. The project to develop 125 turbines on fixed foundations with a blade height of up to 360m was aiming to begin construction in 2027 with the first electricity generated in 2029, subject to permissions. It was being progressed by a joint venture comprising Corio Generation, TotalEnergies and Renewable Infrastructure Development Group.
A crowd estimated at 1000 turned out in Thurso for a memorial rugby match that helped raise thousands of pounds for mental health and wellbeing charities. The annual event was held in memory of a former Caithness player, Alexander Mill, who died on his farm at Achscrabster three years previously. It had expanded to cover two days of social and sporting activities, the focal point being the annual Come Ashore Cup match involving over-35s from Caithness and Orkney. A grand auction brought in £9500, with the overall fundraising total to be announced later. The money was being divided between Farmstrong Scotland and Befriending Caithness.
Wick RNLI Harbour Day was hailed as “great for the town” as crowds turned out in force at the most important fundraising event of the year for the local lifeboat crew. Murray Lamont, chairman of the Wick lifeboat management group, praised all those who played a part in the occasion, from the RNLI team to volunteers from other community groups and representatives of the emergency services. “There must be a couple of thousand,” Mr Lamont said. “The harbour is an attraction to visitors anyway, but when you see a crowd like that it just lifts everybody.”
Turbine parts for the Camster II wind farm had been making their way through the streets of Wick, including where a stone cottage was recently demolished in order to widen the road to allow for the deliveries.
Highland Council was being challenged to set out how it intended to tackle the “disastrous” state of Caithness roads. It followed national media coverage of the campaign led by Caithness Roads Recovery (CRR) highlighting what it called a “patchwork quilt of neglect” in the county. For more than three years CRR had been putting pressure on the local authority and the Scottish Government for a fully funded programme of repairs.
Thurso was at the heart of ambitious proposals unveiled by Highland Council aimed at boosting investment in roads, schools, housing and other services – as well as generating money from renewables.
Residents at Achalone say they felt helpless in the face of an onslaught of applications for renewable energy projects that one said would dominate his children’s lives as they were growing up. Dan Burnand said the situation had caused anxiety for him and his family, as well as for other residents around Spittal.
Tartan Army piper Bob Bell confirmed that he – and his precious set of bagpipes – emerged unscathed from the Munich mishap that became a social media sensation. Bob, from Thurso, took a tumble while playing a rousing tune in a bar packed with Scotland supporters attending the Euro 2024 football tournament in Germany. The resultant video clip – showing the 37-year-old losing his balance on a bench seat, falling backwards, disappearing out of sight, then picking himself up and continuing where he left off – went viral and made news headlines at home and abroad.
