Caithness news review of 2024: January to March

JANUARY

The Scottish Government was accused of treating the people of the far north “appallingly” after the £80 million Caithness health redesign was brought to a halt. Local MP Jamie Stone said he was disgusted and blamed SNP ministers for overseeing “a complete breakdown of proper responsible government”. His criticism came after Scottish health boards were told to pause any new capital projects and concentrate on essential maintenance.

Hundreds of people gathered around the traditional bonfire at Wick’s Bignold Park to celebrate New Year.

A plea was made for a meeting between residents and sport and leisure organisations next time properties in the Millbank Road area of Thurso came under threat from flooding. The suggestion has been put forward by Janet Parker, who was worried about the potential consequences whenever there was a prolonged spell of heavy rain.

A teenage boy who was facing a second life-saving operation had been praised for his “amazing” attitude after inspiring people to sign up for the Anthony Nolan stem cell register. Arran Macleod’s mother Janet said the 13-year-old was touched that people were supporting his campaign and helping to raise the target amount of £6000, which would help the charity cover the cost of processing DNA samples for 150 new donors.

Dounreay was expected to provide “significant, tangible benefits” to the area for years to come. That was the view of Trudy Morris, chief executive of Caithness Chamber of Commerce, after a report revealed the total spend at the site in 2022/23 was over £200 million. She described Dounreay as “vitally important” to the county and north Highlands, employing more than 1200 people and supporting 700 on-site contract workers along with “a network of sophisticated local supply chain businesses” involved in decommissioning.

Controversial plans for new high-voltage pylons would “destroy the Highland way of life” by industrialising the landscape, a public meeting in Caithness heard. Managers from SSEN Transmission were told that people would be discouraged from living in the area, with one local resident declaring: “What we desperately need in this area is repopulation, not depopulation.” A delegation from the transmission company attended the meeting organised by Dunbeath/ Berriedale Community Say NO to Pylons.

FEBRUARY

Caithness was approaching a “point of no return” over potholes, it had been claimed. A Highland Council roads worker warned that routes around Wick and Thurso would be reduced to little more than “dirt tracks” in years to come unless there was major investment. The employee, who asked not to be named, also said that morale among the local workforce was “at an all-time low”. He described the county’s roads as among the worst in Scotland and pointed out that some long-suffering members of the public have resorted to filling in potholes for themselves.

Highland Council leader Raymond Bremner was hoping the improvements brought about by Wick’s street design project would act as “a catalyst” to attract new businesses to the town centre. Plans for the High Street pedestrian zone and the Bridge Street/High Street junction had been developed from ideas drawn up by Sustrans Scotland. Councillor Bremner had said in the past that the project would make the area “far more appealing” and that the funding involved was ring-fenced.

NHS Highland was “committed” to the £80 million redesign of health services in Caithness despite Scottish Government funding being put on hold for at least two years, it was reported. Far north MSP Maree Todd said she had been “encouraged by the proactive steps” being taken by the health board. The SNP MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross was speaking after being given an update by NHS Highland. The redesign included community hub and care villages in Wick and Thurso, costing £55 million, and a reconfiguration of Caithness General Hospital.

An encouraging rise in passengers using Wick John O’Groats Airport was proof that local people were investing in the Aberdeen route, according to Highland Council leader Raymond Bremner. He told the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council that statistics for December showed a 22.8 per cent year-to-date increase in passenger numbers – the biggest percentage by some distance across the Highlands and Islands Airports Limited network.

Communities along the route of the proposed new pylon line through the north Highlands were “powerless” and needed strong voices in parliament to stop industrialisation of the landscape, a public meeting in Caithness heard. Far north politicians Maree Todd and Jamie Stone were told the plans by SSEN Transmission for a 400kV overhead line between Spittal, Loch Buidhe and Beauly marked “the beginning of the end for the Highlands”. There was a turnout of more than 70 for the meeting organised by Dunbeath/Berriedale Community Say NO to Pylons, a subgroup of Berriedale and Dunbeath Community Council.

The legacy of a Nobel Prize winner who came from a Wick family “remains evident to this day” – exactly a century after he was born, it was reported. Professor Allan MacLeod Cormack was honoured for his part in developing computed tomography (CT) scanning, a technology that had benefited hundreds of millions of patients worldwide. Cormack and Professor Godfrey Hounsfield jointly received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1979. Born in South Africa on February 23, 1924, Cormack became a naturalised citizen of the United States in 1966 – but never lost sight of his Caithness roots.

Flow Country regeneration could be worth hundreds of millions of pounds to the far north economy and create more than 200 jobs over the next 18 years, a report claimed. The study was commissioned by the Flow Country Partnership and North Highland Initiative, funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, to measure the economic impact and business potential of peatland restoration in Caithness and Sutherland.

A 95-page Scottish Government document on tackling depopulation had been condemned as an insult to Caithness – after it emerged that the county doesn’t get a single mention. Two local Highland councillors, Matthew Reiss and Andrew Jarvie, were also unhappy that the Addressing Depopulation Action Plan claimed A9 dualling from Perth to Inverness would “unlock the economic potential” of the region while making no reference to the 110-mile section of trunk road from Inverness to Thurso. The pair outlined a series of points in a joint letter to Scotland’s migration minister Emma Roddick, an SNP MSP for Highlands and Islands, after she launched the plan. They wrote: “We, as Caithness councillors, are incredibly disappointed that this vast and difficult-to-understand plan does not appear to contain anywhere the words ‘Caithness’, ‘Wick’ or ‘Thurso’. Is this an accidental omission?”

Vital funding from the Scottish Government for the Wick/Aberdeen air link was to remain in place, it was confirmed. A continuation of the public service obligation was announced, with Highland Council leader Raymond Bremner describing it as testament to the hard work put in by everyone involved in supporting the route.

MARCH

Politicians were being warned that Caithness could be “heading for terminal decline” unless action was taken to improve key services such as roads and healthcare. Many local people were facing “an unrelenting attack” to their “basic way of life”, according to a community council representing some 1675 residents in the north-east of the county. There were also fears over depopulation, with the number of people living in Caithness expected to fall by 18 per cent by 2040. The concerns were raised in an open letter from Dunnet and Canisbay Community Council to First Minister Humza Yousaf as well as north politicians and Highland councillors.

A weekend festival celebrating the centenary of Duncansby Head lighthouse had been hailed as “a huge success”. A three-day programme of activities at John O’Groats included talks, creative workshops, readings and a poetry walk. The centrepiece of the festival was Duncansby Light at Night, a spectacular lighting and sound installation provided by Lyth Arts Centre. Moving images of local scenes and portraits of individual members of the community were beamed onto the 11-metre-high lighthouse tower and adjacent walls.

Dounreay was “in freefall” with staff morale at “an all-time low” and “people leaving in droves”, according to staff. They accused management of presiding over “a sinking ship”, claiming matters had become worse since Dounreay joined Magnox Ltd and then became part of Nuclear Restoration Services, responsible for the site clean-up. The three main unions at Dounreay had balloted members for industrial action after a pay offer was overwhelmingly rejected. Management acknowledged “significant change” was taking place but stressed it was “committed to engaging fully with our workforce and their representatives”.

Highland Council was being urged to think again over a proposed change of use at the former Avonlea children’s home in Wick. Campaign group Encompass Caithness insisted a planning application to turn the building in West Banks Avenue into an educational facility was “premature” and had been put forward without consultation. The group suggested that engagement with stakeholders could lead to “alternative ideas” for Avonlea “which might include a respite-type facility”.

Thousands of people flocked to the highlight of the Caithness International Science Festival – its Family Fun Day. Taking place at Wick High School, it was a chance for people of all ages to get up close to the experts in a host of areas including chemistry, computers and ecology.

An intrepid Wick couple hoped to put themselves in the record books when they took to the sea for an epic challenge during the summer. Allan Lipp and Mhairi Ross were aiming to become the first mixed pair to complete an unsupported circumnavigation of the British mainland by rowing boat, raising money for two charities.

Plans to extend decommissioning work at Dounreay until the 2070s had been described as “fantastic” news for the workforce and the Caithness economy. Struan Mackie, chairman of the Dounreay Stakeholder Group, was speaking after it was confirmed that the clean-up work at the site would last for decades longer than expected. The decommissioning programme was due to reach its end state by 2033, although that target had been considered unrealistic by many. Under the new plan, the timescale had been extended by around 40 years and would guarantee “employment and investment in the Caithness and the north Sutherland area for many more decades to come”.

A Highland councillor warned that facilities at Thurso High School were “failing faster than expected”. Matthew Reiss told Scottish Government minister Emma Roddick that “specific funding is needed” following a series of problems affecting school buildings.

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.