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Click on images and a larger version will open in a separate window if available. Reminder - don't forget to scroll down for other recent stories.
 Don't miss Pat Vietch's Flower Forum plant sale on the green 10am to 4pm Saturday 18th May. * * * * * Glen Urquhart Greenspace's minutes of the meeting of 18th March are available here. * * * * *  LADIES: Ascot hat competition. See 6th June in Glen's Diary. * * * * * There have been changes to the Glen Urquhart Rural Community Association - see their page for details. Also see their page or this link for the last set of minutes. * * * * * Glen Urquhart Community Council agenda for 20th May meeting now in Glen's Diary and on their page. * * * * * |
Borlum at 50 Thank goodness Duncan MacDonald-Haig doesn't do this in the peak season any more! See the latest article here. |
Girls Youth Pipe Band Falk Paulat tells us: Our girls youth pipeband Happy German Bagpipers this year in Scotland on tour 19th July - 5th August. Starting in Dundee, then at the Aberdeen Youth Festival. After the Aberdeen Youth Festival we are going to Stirling for giving a concert into the town and the Stirling Castle. Last week my girls asked me for visiting Loch Ness. We can come to Drumnadrochit evening Monday 29th July for one or two days. We are coming with 7 girls, age 7 - 14 years. Our driver and I can sleep in our minibus or in a small room. We can give for low or free cost one or two concert for the hotel or in the front outside. It is no problem to bring the girls into a room for sleeping they have sleeping bags and air mattresses there. Videos on YouTube you can see here. Falk's email Website |
 Guarana Street Drummers want to play Drumnadrochit and require camping permission. See April 12th's item for contact details if you can help. Ed. |
NEW BRIDGE IN THE COVER Margaret writes: There will be a public exhibition and drop in session at Craigmonie Centre Glen Urquhart High School (café area) 6pm to 8pm on WEDNESDAY 15TH MAY. This will be to exhibit the proposals we have for a new bridge over the river Coiltie in The Cover. The Cover is a very popular walk and it would be great to have a bridge back and to access Loch Ness A group of us have been working away and we now have plans to show the community. We have geomorphological information and options for a bridge. The stands will be manned by Francis Jones from Glen Urquhart Greenspace Bill MacDiarmid from GULUP And Cllr Margaret Davidson |
GLEN URQUHART BULLETIN The Editors of the Glenurquhart Bulletin are seeking contributions for this year's publication which is due to come out in time for Games Day on Saturday 24th August 2013. We are looking for articles and/or poems on a wide range of subjects in prose or poetry . Subjects published in the past have included local history, natural history topical matters, personalities and other historical items. Ideally they would possess a local connection (local can refer to the Great Glen and the area around including Strathglass and Invermoriston) but other subjects will certainly be welcomed. As always we would be grateful if the secretaries of all local organisations would send a report containing the year's highlights to the Bulletin. We are aware that while most organisations have their own dedicated website, we still believe that the Bulletin fulfils a useful function in that it gathers this information together and thereby helps visitors, locals and exiles alike to keep up to date with matters in the Glen. Please send your contribution to Fraser MacKenzie 01456 450512 or Una Urquhart 01456 476206  |
9th May GARDEN WASTE Margaret tells us: Following on from the very successful Garden waste collections last year, we are repeating them again and extending the service to Fort Augustus and Kiltarlity The first pick up for Drumnadrochit will be on Saturday 11th May in the car park noon to 3pm. I will be putting up posters and a putting a few flyers around. Click for poster. Let’s make it as big a success this year as last. Margaret * * * * * Like our local woodland? Why not become involved by attending the Craigmonie Woodland Association annual general meeting on 23rd May - see Glen's Diary and on their page in the right hand index. * * * * * |
 BREAKING (AND ENTERING) NEWS Micki Cameron reports "the theft of many specialist tools including: Bosch router; Makita biscuit jointer; DeWalt orbital sander; Bosch screwdriver/drill. "Also battery packs and spare battery packs for the power tools." Many hand tools also gone. These are specialist tools and if it was an opportunistic thief they probably don't know the specialist value of the items which they have taken. If anyone has any idea where they are please contact the website or the police. Ed |
3rd May  There is a new summer menu at the Loch Ness Lodge Hotel. They tell us: "The Loch Ness Lodge has a brand new A La Carte summer menu now available in the Library Garden Restaurant and Pibroch Bar. "Our head chef Colin MacLennan has once again excelled himself and a true Highland feast awaits you. "Evening meals are served from 6.30-9pm daily. "Go on, treat yourself with our reasonable prices and outstanding cuisine." * * * * * There is an appeal by HEART to sponsor Neva's ride on 1st June. See the 1st May Borlum at 50 article. * * * * * Glenurquhart Primary School Summer Fair Saturday 8th June, 2-4pm in the school playground. Calling all local businesses! Would you like to be represented at our school’s summer fair? We are offering tables for businesses for £10 and the donation of a raffle prize. All profits will be your own to take home. Activities at the fair will include Side Show Alley, the Sports Field and Makeover Corner. Teas, coffees, hot pancakes and a baking stall are also covered. If you are interested please phone Corinne on 01456 476258 in the evenings. * * * * * David Nichol advises: I thought the community should know of a possible hacker, that I have just been made aware of: Simon Ashton simon25@hotmail.co.uk Do not open any email from this source. * * * * * Launch of HEART at Borlum farm on 19th May - see Glen's Diary. * * * * * Reminder that the deadline for the BID questionnaire has been extended to Friday 10th May. See the item with the blue BUSINESS NEWS heading in the block below this if you've forgotten or missed it. If you have a tourism business in the area, this could cost you money and increase your business so make sure you have your say. * * * * * |
1st May BORLUM AT 50 
Some more great stories, pictures and memories from Borlum in their fourth nostalgic look at life at the Riding Stables. The image above shows Beccy, Thinny, Fatty and Daniel with Loch Ness in the distance. Another beautifully constructed article. CLICK THIS LINK |
27th April On Tuesday 30th April the Glen Urquhart Community Council are holding a drop-in session for the Local Plan 3.30pm to 8pm at the Craigmonie Centre. See Glen's Diary. * * * * * The Glen Urquhart Community Council minutes for 19th March can be seen on their page and here. * * * * * The Scottish Episcopal Church St Ninian’s Glenurquart Ascension Day  9th May - see Glen's Diary * * * * * |
20th April IMPORTANT Chamber News for Members  Notice Board In order that the notice board in the VIC Car Park may get a pre season update any member wishing to place or replace an advert in the notice board please hand them in to Robert Cockburn at Drumnadrochit Post Office / Shop - preparation to be as shown here. Brochures Our brochure sub committee are already working hard to prepare a new brochure which will be ready early next year - in the mean time we have sufficient stocks of the existing brochure to last until then and any member requiring a top up of supplies should let us know and we shall ensure you get a further supply. AGM We would take this opportunity to give advance notice of this year's AGM which will be held in the Blairbeg Hall at 7.30 pm on Monday 3rd June 2013. |
19th April There is a lot of news this week and it has filled more than four columns so do scroll down to ensure you haven't missed anything. * * * * * New jobs and free ads on the site this week so check them out. * * * * * Agenda now out for the Glen Urquhart Community Council meeting on the 22nd April. Click this link. * * * * * The GLEN URQUHART HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY have announced a QUIZ NIGHT with CHEESE and WINE for Friday 26th. April. 7.30pm in Blairbeg Hall. Entry £1, also a Raffle. See Glen's Diary. * * * * * Iain MacDiarmid writes: "This is a picture [click to enlarge] of an American Mink I took at the Cover. I spotted this little critter on the far bank of the River Enrick searching every nook and cranny for native wildlife to slaughter. 
"It does look quite cute, but they are a serious menace and I think I would rather see it as a coat!" * * * * * The Drumnadrochit Medical Practice PUBLIC HOLIDAY on MONDAY 6TH MAY 2013 THE SURGERY WILL BE OPEN FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY ON MONDAY MORNING PRESCRIPTIONS WILL NOT BE PROCESSED ON THE MONDAY * * * * * |
 Loch Ness & Inverness Tourism Business Improvement District A Tourism Business Improvement District (T BID) is being proposed for Loch Ness & Inverness (excluding the Inverness city centre BID area) to capitalise on the benefits of both areas working together as one destination. Destination Loch Ness is fully supportive of this development and is leading the initiative. To develop the proposed T BID it is necessary to first undertake extensive consultation with all the tourism businesses that may be included in it. After the consultation is complete, a T BID Business Plan will be developed and circulated. As part of the consultation process, a Questionnaire is being sent out to over 700 tourism businesses in the Loch Ness & Inverness area to help the T BID Steering Group better understand the issues affecting businesses locally. Your views are very important and DLN would appreciate if you would take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire and return the questionnaire by Friday May 3rd in the stamp addressed envelope provided or alternatively complete it online HERE where you will also find more information on the proposed T BID. |
Muththettuwegama School  "Josie and Fraser Mackenzie have just returned from Sri Lanka where they visited Muththettuwegama School so that Josie could unveil the plaque officially opening the library which was paid for by donations to mark her retirement from Glen Urquhart High School in December 2011. A total of £6,507 had been raised.  "The building has been in use since January 2013 and houses a library and also a resource area . Since the building has opened local donors in Sri Lanka have provided four computers. Josie was welcomed by the school band and after the plaque was unveiled all the pupils took part in a concert in her honour.  Links with the school will be maintained and staff at our local library and at the High School will continue to fundraise for the project. There is a need for more books in Sinhala and for additional shelving, ideally glass fronted as dust is a problem in what is a particularly dry area of Sri Lanka." |
 Fran Davidson writes: "Just over a week to go to our first Craft fair! "The response has been fantastic and we have over 30 stall holders from the Loch Ness area and beyond. I’ve just done a dry run of the layout of the venue and there will be sales in both the main theatre and the canteen area, a sales & display area by the Café Bar, plus plant sales & and Aricula display in the Courtyard (fingers crossed for dry weather!). You’ll even be able to try the Bagpipes! "Thanks to those who said that they will help on the day – but more willing hands always welcome! Even if you can’t stay the whole day to greet the public, help with enquiries, sell raffle tickets, sell the library books, etc… just let me know if you can make it. "Please make sure as many people know about the event as possible through word of mouth , via your social media & email networks, etc. We need a good turn out to ensure that the stall holders get support (and sales)." Just copy and paste the section below into your email or Facebook page. Loch Ness Spring Craft Fair Craigmonie Centre, Glen Urquhart High School, Drumnadrochit, IV63 6XA SATURDAY APRIL 20th 2013 Doors open 11am-4pm Handmade woolwork, knitted and felted items, quilts and textiles, papercrafts, photography, paintings, candles, gift items for all pockets, bags, scarves, jewellery, plants and more! Plus a range of excellent quality ex-library craft and cookery books on sale. Free entry to the public for more info. email Fran Davidson 
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12th April SOMETHING FOR THE COMMUNITY TO THINK ABOUT Hello from Guarana Street Drummers. FREE DRUMMING PERFORMANCE & WORKSHOPS FOR YOU & YOUR AUDIENCE We are very much hoping you can help us our with our SCOTTISH DRUM TOUR 2013. We are a group of around 20 Adults and Children Samba Style Drummers from Aberdeen Celebraing our 10th year we have set ourselves a challenge to drum in as many locations containing the word Drum in the nameplace, raising funds for Clan Cancer Support along our way by means of busking buckets and sponsorships. Our Fee is usually £500 providing 2/3 performances for any audience followed by FREE Workshops for all ages and abilities to join in and having a go. This works particularly well at Galas, Festivals and open days proving very popular with children. We can have you drumming a tune in around 20minutes. We would be delighted to provide an afternoon entertainment TOTALLY WAIVING OUR FEE in exchange for permission to drum on your location with our busking buckets. We started our tour in Easter Sunday where Drum Castle, Aberdeenshire took up our free offer, We happily performed 3 sets with 9 busy workshops on audience demand, entertaining a crowd of around 400. We freely Drummed at Sundrum Caravan Park, Ayrshire where the children were very keen to join in. We will also be attending the Belladrum Music Festival for the 7th year running. We are hoping you may have such an event or indeed any other near hand events you might like to suggest to us. We’ll consider anywhere where there’s an audience we can perform to. I really hope you can help us out as I’m keen to add your locations to our list , certainly as you have Urquhart Castle it is a major location and we would love to have this as a big marker within our tour i.e., end or halfway point pending your availability throughout the calendar year of course. Angie Hughes Guarana Drummers on Tour 2013 secretary - designer - high player email angie.hughes@ajl.co.uk |
 Who is 80 on 14th April? NESSIE! It is 80 years since Mrs Aldie Mackay had her famous Nessie sighting which brought the monster to the attention of the world. On 6th April a symposium took place in Edinburgh at the Counting House. Around eighty people attended, too. Gordon Rutter of Fortean introduced the speakers and the first was local resident Adrian Shine, who spent about forty minutes on the natural history of Loch Ness and how it can influence the Loch Ness story through wave effects, mirages and the loch's unique steep sided, flat bottomed profile. He also showed how a lack of understanding of sonar could allow misleading depths to appear on the screens of some sonar machines. [Adrian Shine's booklet is available at the Loch Ness Centre.] This was followed by Roland Watson who gave an interesting talk on the folklore prior to 1933 and how that might have influenced perceptions. He looked at St Columba's sightings, the water horse, kelpie and others. After an excellent buffet lunch, yours truly gave an illustrated talk on the period from 1972 to present day, majoring on the fakery and misleading evidence of Dr Rines, explaining in detail why it was so poor and unreliable and then dealing with the Loch Ness project's sonar work from 1981 onwards. How their results were critically explored by themselves to remove any that were ambiguous or misleading. This left the loch with unexplained contacts which could still be evidence of "something" in the loch. [Tony's book is no longer available at the post office stores, but Loch Ness Gifts and the Great Glen Pharmacy still have a supply in the village.] Next David Martin-Jones gave a talk on Nessie in the movie industry, showing clips from the Secret of the Loch from the thirties and exploring how the emphasis of the films changed as the century proceeded and the subject became more international. Charles Paxton of St Andrews University then gave a talk on the statistical analysis of sightings at the loch. What sounded as if it might be a talk that could send you to sleep, it was actually a lively affair and enjoyed by all. The final speaker was Gordon Rutter himself who discussed the Nessie photographs and was particularly critical of the deliberate fakes such as the recent 'Edwards' image. [See the news item in the archive for 23rd August 2012 to see the storyline on that.] Finally there was a panel of experts answering questions from the floor. Over all the general impression was one of concern that if there is a monster in the loch that it is just a big fish. Some seem happy with that conclusion, but plesiosaur believers will never accept it. As Adrian Shine said, "You can't kill myths with science", so that maybe how it should be left for now. |
11th April Soirbheas reports: As our community will probably be aware, the Girvan family's Corrimony wind farm is now operational and the community have a substantial stake in it via the community company Soirbheas. As a result of the community participation in this project Soirbheas will be able to invest around £100,000 per year into community projects. Soirbheas have now appointed Donna Green as our Community Development Officer and she will be helping to progress community groups proposals and projects. A further small (5 turbine) wind-farm development is now being proposed by a local land-owner near to Corrimony Energy's site. The community are being offered a similar substantial stake in this development too. A meeting is now being called to consult with the communities concerned and to provide more information. Soirbheas wish to make clear that they are a community company and are therefore neutral as regards this (or any other projects). It is for the community to decide if they want to back this project or not. Having successfully completed the community stake in the Corrimony project, Soirbheas have the expertise and would be willing to manage the stake in this new proposal on behalf of the community (if the community should decide to back this new project). However, there has to also be a clear mandate from the community that they wish Soirbheas to do so. This initial meeting is therefore an important one as it will shape how things develop (or not) and views are likely to be polarised. The 'silent majority' need to heard to ensure the community's interests are fully represented. Click this link to see the poster and meeting details. |
11th April Click to enlarge Borlum at 50! Some more great stories, pictures and memories from Borlum in their third nostalgic article to celebrate their fifty years of the Highland Riding Centre. The image above is of Sir Douglas and Lady Bader. This is a well written and entertaining piece. CLICK THIS LINK |
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Editor: Tony Harmsworth