FIVE ST ANDREWS THINGS FOR A FRIDAY | 17 November 2023 | Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust

FIVE ST ANDREWS THINGS FOR A FRIDAY

Friday, 17 November 2023

FIVE THINGS FOR A FRIDAY

PULSE SURVEY – TIME IS RUNNING OUT…

You have until midnight 21^st November to fill our the Stratherrick and Foyers Community Trust Pulse Survey, put together in consultation with the Scottish Community Development Centre, which lets you help your community trust and the stakeholders we work with. It takes about five minutes to fill in here Taking the Pulse Community Survey 2023 (surveymonkey.co.uk)

We sent a letter to every member houshold, specific to your area, about the Pulse Survey and the projects close to you. We hope you found it useful.

ST ANDREWS CEILIDH

It’s great to see that the great Scottish tradition of having a St Andrews Ceilidh is coming back to the area for the benefit of the local Primary and Nursery School. Check it out here St Andrews Day Ceilidh! | 15 November 2023 | Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust (stratherrickcommunity.org.uk)

WINTER EVENTS

I was a little disappointed to see the Cookery Demonstration at Gorthleck Hall to produce a three course meal for a family of 4 on a £15 budget has been cancelled due to lack of interest. That strikes me as a cracking idea and a lost opportunity. However it was also nice to see a healthy number of market traders coming to the Winter Wonderland. Read more here Winter Wonderland 2023! | 15 November 2023 | Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust (stratherrickcommunity.org.uk)

JO MITCHELL AT BCC

It was great to see Jo Mitchell in post at BCC as their Community Engagement Co-Ordinator who will be working alongside Olivia Grant this year. Congratulations. This role is funded by the Community Trust and as Jo says in here introduction to the community underscores the communities commitment to the growth and well being of the community. Welcome Jo and good luck in your new role.

AGM

The Stratherrick and Foyers Community Trust AGM will be on 29^th November. Before the meeting there will be a chance to see the exhibition over a cuppa or glass of orange juice. The exhibition has been at the Stratherrick Hall, Errogie Church and the Wildside. It is about what work is going on from the Trust, Action Groups, Community Groups and volunteers to support the Community Action Plan and Place Plan. We have your questions in advance of the meeting and will answer those on the night. After the meeting there will be a small social, a glass of wine and an opportunity to chat about projects or ask any questions of the new Board. Or just catch up with each other before the Christmas rush!

I can say my understanding is only one person is retiring from the Board and everyone else will either remain or seek re-election. We have no new people coming forward for the Board this year. This will be my fourth AGM (my first I wasn’t working here but did attend) and the first with no new Directors. Only two of the original Directors were on the Board when I started my role. This is very healthy as the people around the table do reflect different community voices, community skills, community areas and age ranges but understand reaching a consensus of decision making is important. I’ve said it before – the Trust is a vehicle to make things happen. It is never the same, using the CAP and Pllace Plan as its guide, and is a true reflection of who we all are as a community.

I remember before I arrived here reading about the Wildside Centre, and a small amount of dissenting voices about it’s purchase. When I arrived I couldn’t believe how long it had been empty and what the community had achieved re-opening it. There were many hurdles (as there are with any project and never fully explained how much work that is). Now it is part of the local furniture and has been there when we needed it in it's own right and as an alternative when the Stratherrick Hall had work on it. The Wildside Centre has been a starting point for carpet bowling and pilates before getting too big and going off to the Stratherrick Hall, for Soup To Go, Spring Fairs, Youth Club, Produce Days, Mobile Library, Baby and Toddlers, Winter Wonderland, birthdays, weddings, line dancing, ceilidhs, meetings, work spaces, larders, exhibitions, meetings, Action Group meetings, hybrid meetings, success evenings, workspaces, craft groups, highland dancing, support groups, exhibitions, the Knockie Trust helping decide on grants to help during the cost of living crisis, storage (yup, I lost my ‘office’ to new shelving!) and yes, AGMs.

As we now have costed plans to improve Stratherrick Hall, supporting health and well being through BCC, ensuring the community council has support to have a strong voice, working with partners to improve pathways, completed a needs analysis with the aim to provide affordable housing, funding applications in for transport, providng after school care with parents/carers and providing support for children to enhance their skills, saving a local church from ruin and giving it a new lease of life with planning in place, proving improved access to the Loch with a slipway which now has planning, providing sports and recreational facilities for local sporting excellence at Foyers and Torness, looking after our bio diversity, heritage and educating all ages through the Forest School, getting planning for a new park at Wildside and empowered land use at Inverfarigaig.

Unkempt land and an empty building is not an inspirational view for young people to see every day. It seems the Wildside Centre was the first of many projects you want to deliver, large and small. Check out the forthcoming AGM newsletter which gives a flavour of what everyone involved has been up to.

Tony Foster

2026: February (2 stories); 3 February 📚 Mobile Library Visiting Tomorrow! 🚐✨
The Mobile Library is rolling into the area tomorrow, Wednesday 4th February, so pop along and say hello to Mark! Stop & time: • The Wildside Centre &ndash...; 3 February RSABI Fundraising Event
Don't miss out on an incredible evening of music and laughter with the talented Farmers Choir performing in Aviemore late February in aid of RSABI and SAYFC. ...; January (12 stories); 28 January Six Nations: Scotland 🆚 England LIVE at The Wildside
💘 This Valentine’s Day, find someone who loves you as much as you love rugby 🏉 We’re streaming Six Nations: Scotland 🆚 England LIVE at The Wil...; 27 January 🌳 Development of Inverfarigaig Forest School 🌳
A community member has been in touch about the possibility of setting up a Forest School within our community. With the support of the Community Trust, a short survey has...; 26 January 📚 Mobile Library Visiting Tomorrow! 🚐✨
The Mobile Library will be in the area tomorrow, Wednesday 27th January, so pop along and say hello to Mark! 📍 Stopping points & times: • Errogi...; 22 January 🔥 Free Firewood Available – Whitebridge Area 🔥
A member of our local community, has been in touch with Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust (SFCT) to let us know that he has a significant amount of larch firewood...; 21 January Large grant application from BCC for Foyers Stores Acquisition - Update
A Board meeting is taking place this evening in order for Directors of SFCT to consider the application and agree their recommendation. As the Chair of SFCT explained at ...; 20 January Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who came along to the public meeting at the Wildside last night. We had a fantastic turnout, with 110 people attending in person and 26 joining u...; 19 January Agenda for Public Meeting - Regarding the Foyers Stores Acquisition
Please find the agenda for tonight’s public meeting at the Wildside Centre regarding the proposed community acquisition of Foyers Stores. 1. Welcome &n...; 14 January Apply for our Project Coordinator role
👋 Friendly reminder! There’s still time to apply for our Project Coordinator role at Stratherrick and Foyers Community Trust ...; 8 January Notice to the Community: Change of Date for Public Meeting on Foyers Stores
Stratherrick and Foyers Community Trust (SFCT) would like to update the community regarding the previously announced public meeting relating to the proposed purchase of F...; 7 January 🌟 New Year, New Opportunities! 🌟
Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust is here to support your projects with our grants! 💡✨ 📅 Next application deadline: 21st March 2026 Learn more about ...; 6 January 🎉 Calling all community organisers! 🎉
Do you run a class, group or one-off activity in one of the local buildings? We’d love to help spread the word! 💛 Our SFCT Community Calendar is looking a ...; 6 January Mobile Library Visit Cancelled – Wednesday 7th January 2026
👋 Hello and welcome to 2026 from SFCT! 🎉 We bring news from the Mobile Library as our first update of the year. 📚 Mobile Library Visit Cancelled – Wednesday ...

News Archive

Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust,
The Wildside Centre, Whitebridge,
Inverness IV2 6UN
admin@sfctrust.org.uk
07300 562443

Mission statement: To act to enhance the quality of lives of people by engaging with the issues that matter to the community and by supporting people, at a sustainable level, to help people make things happen.

Thanks: Many thanks to our funders for making this site possible - SSE Renewables, Greencoat UK Wind, Green Highland Allt Luaidhe (228) Limited, Easter Aberchalder Partnership. Also the Trust extends its heartfelt thanks to all the community volunteers who have contributed ideas and content to the site.

Fair Work First Statement - Stratherrick and Foyers Community Trust (SFCT) is committed to advancing the Scottish Government Fair Work First Policy and the criteria as set out within the Fair Work First guidance document. We confirm that we pay our staff the Real Living Wage. We make every effort to ensure that our suppliers/contractors are offered the same Real Living Wage rate when procuring goods or services. We also confirm that we offer our staff and/or volunteers an Effective Workers Voice channel within the workplace. Our full policy can be found in ‘Our Documents’, then click on ‘Good Governance’.