Local trail group gets an injection of fresh energy
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Plans to create a world class walking route have taken a step forward for the John O'Groats Trail group with the appointment of four new trustees.
Friends of the John O'Groats Trail chair Jay Wilson said: "It is a time of renewal after a very tough period. We have made a lot of progress in the last four-and-a-half years since we were founded. It is always good to get an injection of fresh energy from new people. It will mean a lot to us."
The latest recruits are all active members of the community – Simon Cottam, of Scrabster, Ian Ellis of Castletown, local businessman Andrew Mowat, and retired Dounreay engineer John Whitfield.
Mr Cottam, who works at Dounreay, is a director of the John O'Groats Brewery and a keen walker, while Mr Ellis is the founder of the North Coast Trail. Seaview Hotel owner, Mr Mowat is also a director of the John O'Groats Brewery as well as a member of the John O'Groats Develpment Trust, and Mr Whitfield who lives in Sutherland, owns the Culgower House B&B and is a member of the Helmsdale Community Council.
The group chair explained that they were presently working alongside other groups and volunteers to help get each section of the trail developed.
"We are looking at several new funding applications," said Mr Wilson. "Our primary goal is to get a development officer, who will hopefully become a permanent member of staff.
"We need to raise our game from a small charity to something bigger, the region deserves a trail built to world class standards that anybody can use."
He stressed that the group would like to have a trail on par with the Great Glen Way or the West Highland Way. They hope to encourage communities to build paths north and south of their own areas or towns which could be linked up along the coast.
"It is a long way off, but that is the goal," Mr Wilson said. "We are always looking for more board members."
