FIVE THINGS FOR A FRIDAY | 03 September 2021 | Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust

FIVE THINGS FOR A FRIDAY

Friday, 03 September 2021

THE OWL HAS LANDED!

Life, as we have known it, will not be the same again. Not just because of Covid but because we have embraced technology 12 years faster than predicted because of the epidemic. In recognition of that, and the geographical spread of people across the area, the Trust has invested in technology to have hybrid meetings. You can meet in person (as our Board did this week) but you can also ‘call in’ from your living room and participate in the meeting if you so wish. The ‘Owl’ means we can hear you if not in the room, the big screen means those in the room can see you without their own computer in front of them and when someone speaks in the room the ‘Owl’ means those out of the room can see and hear you and the reactions of people around them too!

This facility is available to all groups to have their meetings at the Wildside as restrictions lift and means as CAP projects develop groups and volunteers can engage with others from their living room or workspace. As with all things it takes a bit of getting used to, put is plug and play with your laptop and a Zoom/Teams link. It works. We tried it. The only downside is those at home couldn’t enjoy the cookies and burnt pizza we had to enjoy as we talked together for the first time in a while!

SAVE THE DATE

24^TH November will be the Trust AGM. It will be ‘hybrid’, depending on how things go, so some people should be able to attend in person or from your home if you wish.

MEETING IN PERSON

This week I met Frank Ellam for the first time in person. Despite being in touch for over eight months (and ironically living only seven or so miles from me) we finally met at the Board meeting at Wildside on Wednesday. Track and Trace was in place, hand sanitizers, masks on as we walked around the building, windows open but we finally did it. There was a real sense of ‘togetherness’ and humour that’s been lost over the last eighteen months. Oh, and we got some things done too, which is a bonus.

CATCH UP

The nature of working in communities there is a real flurry of activity from September to December, then January to March/April. A few projects are starting to gain momentum again which is great news and those who have been on holiday are back at their desks and answering questions which seem to have been sitting there for a while. We have had a handful of people asking what is happening with this and that and a whole host of announcements will be coming soon. Keep your eye on the website. One such announcement is that about Foyers Toilets, much to the delight of several people who have worked on this project for a long time. The Trust and the Community Council working together has delivered this successful outcome, so well done to all involved. Funding Success For Falls of Foyers Toilets | 02 September 2021 | Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust (stratherrickcommunity.org.uk)

CANCELLED

Despite all this activity it is worth noting that Covid has not gone away and you should still stay safe. As a reminder of that please note the Gorthleck Village Meeting, scheduled for Monday 6^th September, has been cancelled due to the rising cases in the Highlands. Hopefully it will be rescheduled soon

Tony Foster

Trust Manager

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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’.