Aird Community Trust (ACT)

Author: SH

  • Summer fun for Aird Scouts

    In mid June, twenty-one scouts from the Aird section of Kirkhill Scout Group attended an action-packed and hugely enjoyable weekend camp at the Brora Scout campsite.  Somehow, in just two days, we managed to pack in a huge range of activities including map skills, hill walking, raft building, swimming (in a chilly loch), abseiling and collecting bizarre objects for the ‘nature table’ (mainly sheep bones).  The highlight for many was the chance to abseil down a sheer rock face.  In addition, we formally welcomed and invested eight new scouts and of course enjoyed the traditional camp-fire, complete with charred marsh-mallows.

    The campsite itself is fantastic, set in a valley beside Loch Brora.  The weather was mainly dry and the midges stayed away – we did however have to take cover when a herd of cattle decided to invade the campsite.

    The weekend culminated in a raft race to an island in the loch (see photograph) in which, against all expectations, both rafts stayed afloat (unlike most of the scouts).

    The camp marked the end of a hugely successful and varied summer term in which the scouts have participated in a wide range of land and water-based activities and have worked towards achieving the Forester badge

    Thank you to Brora Scouts for organising the abseiling at the camp and to Karen Blagden and Jill Kent for helping out with transport.  And, a special thanks to Muirton Sea Scouts for hosting our canoeing sessions and to Ged Church for organising the woodland evenings.

    Helen Cowan, Assistant Scout Leader

  • Community Council elections 2011

    Elections for 153 Community Councils across the Highlands, including Kirkhill & Bunchrew, will be held in November this year. A local election, by postal vote, will take place where the number of valid nominations exceeds the maximum number of members each Community Council is allowed. The deadline for voting is 5pm on Wednesday 16 November.

    The election of Kirkhill & Bunchrew Community Council has not had to go to a vote for many years because the number of nominations has not exceeded the number of available seats, which is currently 8.

    For the first time anyone aged 16 or 17 at the time of the election is eligible to stand for election and to vote. Persons taking part in the election must be listed in the current Electoral Register for the Community Council area or, if aged 16 or 17, must have completed a voter registration application, unless their head of household has already registered them. (Registration as a Community Council voter or elector is not the same as nomination as a candidate for election.)

    Community Council voter registration forms and copies of the Highland Council’s Scheme for the
    Establishment of Community Councils (which includes a blank nomination form on the last 2 pages) can be obtained in person from any Council Service Point, or from the Council’s Service Centre (tel. 01349 886606). These
    documents can also be downloaded here.

    To be able to stand as a candidate at the election, 16 or 17 year olds must submit the completed registration form to the Election Office in Dingwall by Wednesday 31 August.

    16 or 17 year olds who just want to vote in the election have to submit their registration form by Friday 30 September.

    Nomination forms from all candidates for election must be lodged by Tuesday 4 October.

    A full election timetable is available here. More information about the Kirkhill & Bunchrew Community Council election should be provided here in due course.

     

  • Energy Efficiency Programme – July Update

    Free home insulation and other benefits

    If you own or rent your home privately, receive benefits or are aged 70 or over, then your insulation might be free. And even if you don’t own your own home, you could get other money saving offers through the Energy Assistance Package. The local Energy Saving Scotland advice centre in Inverness can check if you might be entitled to discounted energy rates and extra benefits. If so, they can help you to get them.

    The Scottish Government’s Universal Home Insulation Scheme (UHIS) may also offer you free loft and cavity wall insulation, depending on where you live. To find out if you live in a UHIS area and what UHIS can offer you, call the free phone Home Energy Hotline on 0800 512 012.

     

    Scotland plans 30% renewables target by 2020

    The Scottish government has announced revised renewable energy targets, pledging to meet 30 per cent of energy demand from renewables by 2020. Plans will also hope to deliver 500MW of community-owned renewable energy by this date.

    A new “Renewables Routemap”, outlines how the country can meet the targets and capitalise on the economic potential of Scotland’s green
    energy capacity. Previously, Scotland had planned to meet a 20 per cent renewables target by 2020, a goal that it was on track to succeed. New targets will also see the nation generate 11 per cent of heat from renewables by the end of the decade. This could be an interesting alternative to the oil and LPG heating many of us rely on in rural areas.

    If you are interested in renewable energy for your home, come along to Kirkhill primary school on the 29th October when we will have renewable energy suppliers and installers on hand to answers your questions about suitable kit.

     

    Nearly a quarter of UK households in fuel poverty

    Research published in July revealed almost one-quarter of UK households are now classed as being in fuel poverty. It reveals that 6.3 million homes in the UK now struggle to pay their energy bills signalling that fuel poverty is no longer an issue just for lower income households.

    Fuel poverty is classified as households having to pay more than ten per cent of their income towards energy bills. There are 2 ways a household can protect themselves from fuel poverty – pay the lowest possible energy prices and learning how to use less of it.

     

    Home Energy Checks.

    A simple way to find out how you can make your home more energy efficient and if you will qualify for subsidised or free insulation tops ups is to complete a Home Energy Check. These are a very simple, user friendly list of questions supplied by the Energy Saving Scotland advice centre, a Government funded team. There is a local office in Inverness which supports our Programme and they are happy to chat with residents and provide advice and information as well as the Home Energy Checks. The office can be contacted on the following free phone
    number 0800 512 012.

     

     

  • Energy Efficiency Programme – June Update

    To help raise awareness of energy efficiency issues we will be producing these monthly updates with some short snippets of helpful information.

    Energy prices on the rise again.

    If you have been following the news this month, I am sure you will have noticed how one of the large energy companies announced significant price rises. Annual gas bills will increase 19% with electricity prices rising 10%. These increases will be introduced in the autumn. There are 6 main energy suppliers in the UK and the usual practice is for one to raise prices, with the others following a short while after. Being aware of the different prices or tariffs offered by the energy suppliers and switching between them is one way to reduce energy bills and free up some money for energy efficiency activity in your home. With a reputed 300 tariffs available from the energy suppliers, making use of price comparison web sites are invaluable.

    First community electricity monitor volunteers.

    Five families in the Kirkhill and Bunchrew area have received their free monitors to help raise awareness of how electricity is used in their homes. Easy to install, these monitors show how many units of electricity are being used throughout the day and the subsequent cost. Volunteers will be reporting back on some of the changes they have made as a result of using the monitors. The monitors are supplied free for a three month period, if you would like one please give Archie a ring on 07584 297485.

    Home Energy Checks.

    A simple way to find out how you can make your home more energy efficient and if you will qualify for subsidised or free insulation tops ups is to complete a Home Energy Check.  These are a very simple, user friendly list of questions supplied by the Energy Saving Scotland advice centre, a Government funded team. There is a local office in Inverness who supports our Programme and they are happy to chat with residents and provide advice and information as well as the Home Energy Checks.  The office can be contacted on the following free phone number 0800 512 012

    Renewable Energy Fair – Date for your Diary.

    We will be organising a renewable energy fair on the 29th October to help raise awareness of renewable energy and low carbon heating solutions. Chris Ford, the head teacher of Kirkhill Primary School has kindly offered room in the school. Local renewable energy kit suppliers are being invited to attend and we hope to have a range of speakers to answer queries on domestic renewable energy systems.

  • Volunteers Get Tough On Alien Weed

    It’s feared the spread of a dangerously invasive plant from the Orient could soon threaten fragile wildlife habitats in the Moniack Gorge. Worried residents in the Clunes area grew alarmed last summer when Himalayan Balsam was discovered near water courses draining into the Moniack Burn. Also known as Policeman’s Helmet, Himalayan Balsam has already taken root in a number of local gardens and surrounding marshy areas. Indeed it was gardeners from Kew who first introduced this relative of the Busy Lizzie to the UK more than a century ago. Its pretty, pink, orchid like flowers are also attractive to pollinating insects. Alas the botanical experiment soon backfired spectacularly with its escape into the wild. Experts warn if it isn’t controlled it will soon choke native plants to oblivion and cause erosion. Nobody wants that to happen along the Moniack Burn – a designated SSSI.

    Last summer local resident Gordon Fisher – with support from Kirkhill and Bunchrew Community Trust – organised a series of work parties to attack the weed’s march of destruction. Its ability to spread is quite breathtaking. It quickly forms dense clumps up to 3 metres high. The seed heads react to the slightest disturbance and explode hundreds of seeds a distance of 7 metres. These seeds can survive two years in the ground or be transported even further through water courses. Specialists at SNH have been consulted and fully support the work already underway by the community volunteers.  However more help is needed over the coming weeks. Himalayan Balsam is an annual. In fact it is believed to be one of the fastest growing annual plants in the UK, and is also recognised by environmental agencies as one of the most destructive species of non native weed. So it has to be uprooted and destroyed before the explosive seed heads get a chance to form.  Experts advise that because the seeds only last 2-3 years the problem is very controllable – if it is tackled consistently over two or three successive seasons.  This summer’s work is being carried out under the auspices of the Trust to build on the start which was made by last year’s local volunteers

    The battle is already all but lost in some other parts of the UK. Please prevent this happening in the area feeding into the Moniack Burn. If you can spare a few hours please contact Gordon Fisher on 01463 831540 and join one of this summer’s work parties.  The good news is the roots of the mature Himalayan Balsam are easily pulled out. It isn’t toxic and doesn’t sting.

    So make new friends. Help to eradicate Himalayan Balsam. Above all SAVE OUR GORGE.

    Further Information: Royal Horticultural Society or Garden Organic

  • Crannog: Summer 2011