Hi Tech First
The historic Royal burgh of Dornoch is to pioneer a project to make details of its heritage available to the public via the latest computer technology. It is expected to be the first town in Scotland to have its centuries old public records scanned on to CD-ROM to allow people the opportunity to consult them in their place of origin. Eight CDs carrying 27 volumes of Dornoch Town Council minutes from 1729 to 1975 should be available for public examination at Dornoch Library by Easter. Highland Council archivist Bob Steward, who is co-ordinating the project, revealed this facility would be extended to other Dornoch records and other areas if the experiment was successful.
Award for Effort
A project to restore a listed Victorian railway station in the Highlands back to its former glory was presented with a prestigious award. Aviemore Railway Station has been commended by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland, in its award scheme this year. The work, which was funded by Moray Badenoch and Strathspey, Railtrack and the Strathspey Steam Railway Company among others, was completed two years ago. Chairman David Orchraton said: "This is an excellent example of a scheme using public and private funding to achieve an outstanding and attractive result. "A new lease of life has been given to an old building and this kind of conservation is also a small scale regeneration for the local community. "I am also pleased that there has been detailed thought about the future maintenance and upkeep of the station which I hope will keep its future secure."
Plan for Knoydart
A new business plan was presented to inhabitants of Knoydart Estate recently, just a year after the historic buyout by the community. The owners of the 17,500 acre estate celebrated a year in charge in March after the takeover from debt ridden former owner Knoydart Peninsula Ltd. Bernie Evemy, the secretary of the community association and one of the directors of the Knoydart Foundation, said the past year had allowed members of the community to be more at ease after a number of problems. "It has been hard work but we are laying the foundations for the future," he said. "One of the main differences is that people are much more secure now because we did not know what to expect when the takeover was going on. People have found the have become more involved in the community as everyone is a member of this committee and that committee. "The past twelve months have been spent identifying which way to go forward and the new business plan was presented to the community recently."
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Popular Highlands
The number of people living in the Highlands is expected to rise slightly over the next 16 years, while the population of Scotland is forecast to fall. The breakdown of population projections for the regions, released by the Registrar General recently, show that 208,3000 lived in the Highlands in 1998 and that is forecast to go up by 196 to 208,496 by 2016. But the country's population is due to drop from the 1998 figure of 5.12 million to 5.08 million in 2016. A Highlands and Islands Enterprise spokesman said: "What it shows is the whole of Scotland is showing a population decrease while the Highlands is showing a population increase of 0.1 per cent. That is still a decent performance, given the national trend."
Major Boost for Inverness
Hotels and businesses in Inverness are expecting a mini boost next spring after the Scottish Labour Party announced recently it would be holding its annual conference in the town. The event is expected to generate a lot of money for the area, which is already enjoying a boom in the conference tourism sector. The Law Society of Scotland chose the Highland Capital as the venue for its annual gathering in April ahead of Gleneagles, and the Scottish National Party will also be holding its conference in September in Eden Court. Norman Lauritson, chairman of the Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board, welcomed the announcement. "It is excellent news that the Scottish Labour Party has chosen Inverness for its annual conference," he said. "It shows a genuine desire to spread business to more rural destinations. "March is good timing as it is a quieter month in the tourist season. "We are keen to continue having Eden Court as a major conference venue because it brings people in to use the hotels and services offered by the town."
Lost Skills
Shetland could lose its traditional knitting skills unless more young people move into the industry, it has been warned. Having survived the slow death of the Scottish knitwear industry, Shetland heads into an uncertain future due to a lack in interest among young people. Lorna Graham of the Shetland Knitwear Trades Association says young blood is urgently needed to revitalise an industry that employs 150 people plus another 1000 home knitters and is worth more that £5 million to the Shetland economy. She said: "Shetland has a lot of opportunities for young people and the knitwear industry is not what people see as a way forward for them. We would like to encourage a lot more younger people into the industry, as we are losing a lot of the skills, because younger people are not learning them."
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