FIVE THINGS FOR A FRIDAY | 02 July 2021 | Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust

FIVE THINGS FOR A FRIDAY

Friday, 02 July 2021

It is sunny. It is the holidays. And I am taking a break from next Friday. I thought about fudging it and timing a post for Friday and I thought no. In communities we must adapt, mix it up a bit, face change from time to time so I am going to improvise and do Three Things For A Thursday next week.

MINI GALA

Planning is still underway for the Mini Gala, easing us back into community life just a little. I am sure we are all conscious Covid continues to be on our doorstep but working together and taking the necessary precautions I am sure we can all still have a great time. As you can imagine even a small event takes twice as long to organise with current restrictions so well done to everyone involved so far.

ONE TO ONE TIME

I finally got a chance to spend some one-to-one time with Laura and Steven, staff who have worked at the Trust for some considerable time (both over five years now!). It is great to get to know them and set the groundwork for changes we expect to help support the outcomes of the Community Action Plan. Their consistent experience is invaluable to the Trust, me and the new staff who are now on board. It is turning into a nice, productive and efficient team – despite not ever meeting in person or being in the same room together!

COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Each month I now do a report for the Community Council and update about the work of the Trust. It was a very interesting meeting with windfarm discussions, grant submissions and a robust and frank debate on the planning process. Interestingly I think I have been part of one of the few community organisations who has ever run a community wide survey on windfarms (twice!) for the Community Council to make an informed decision if they would support or reject it. That community (and Community Council) supported the windfarms, but the Local Authority rejected them despite community backing. Along with working on planning applications for a community hub, housing and pieces of artwork these experiences teach you a lot about process and planning. It is quite important to utilise (appropriate) methods of engagement to get a true picture of your community on major developments, even for your own peace of mind. In the end I am not sure how it influences a final planning decision, but the information gathered can help guide how you progress with the development.

WAIT A MINUTE MR POSTMAN

I found myself spending more time than I would like to get a simple delivery to the area! Eventually it went to the Wildside Centre. The Centre continues to receive bookings from the community, and we juggle to accommodate everyone we can and keep users safe. As we all gradually get back to some normality we hope to improve the booking process and discussed that at our staff meeting this week. It is a great learning curve one other facilities come on stream, such as Errogie Church. Keep your eye on two areas of the website, particularly after the summer holidays, which will be invaluable to you if you want to engage in activities at Wildside or groups using it. The new What’s On Section here What's On | Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust (stratherrickcommunity.org.uk) and the Clubs and Groups section here Clubs & Groups | Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust (stratherrickcommunity.org.uk)

Details of how to book the Wildside Centre is here The Wildside Centre | Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust (stratherrickcommunity.org.uk)

JOB OPPORTUNITY

Finally, this week a last reminder there is a new role available as part of our new staff team. Could you be our new Finance Officer? The deadline is Monday 5^th July so please get your application in if the role is of interest to you. Apply here Contracts for work | Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust (stratherrickcommunity.org.uk)

Tony Foster

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

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