Friday, 18 February 2022

VOLUNTEERING YOUR TIME

When the winter sets in and snow is on the ground the last thing on your mind is probably volunteering.  Particularly after Covid, when you want to re-engage with your family and friends.  Trusts all over are finding community activity going back to pre-covid levels very slow.  But it is returning with green shoots of activity happening here and there.  We are preparing for kicking off our Community Action Plan Groups in March and we are asking you to share your skills with us at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SFCSkillsSurvey - go to the website, see our end of February countdown and fill out the survey before then.  For our part we have been speaking to other organisations who can support the work.  Those conversations have been very fruitful with an incredibly positive view of what we hope to achieve – some even wishing they could live here as it sounds quite exciting!

ERROGIE CHURCH VOLUNTEER DAY

Following the consultation last week (thanks to everyone who popped by) the Errogie Team are having a Volunteer Day to clear the area outside and inside the Church.  Details here Volunteer Day at Errogie Church | 17 February 2022 | Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust (stratherrickcommunity.org.uk)

WILDSIDE VOLUNTEERING

It is great to see some roots of recovery at the Wildside Centre with more bookings and volunteer led groups starting up.  The intention was never to run top-down events but allow for the community to discover the venue for themselves and experiment with activity of interest to them or explore ideas planned for buildings we aim to open later on.  We have a few things to iron out for the Spring, tidy up inside and outside after building the new pathway, repair the Marquee after it faced the ravages of the winter.  Buildings like Errogie or the Sports Facilities at Riverside Field will have their own purpose and feel, which is why the recent consultation was so important, and all will be distinct to their own area when complete. 

VOLUNTEERING THROUGH TOUGH TIMES

You might think we are coming out of the woods with restrictions being lifted.  I do not know about you but more people seem to have Covid than during the lockdowns!  More than that the cost of living is rising with fuel, petrol, food all reaching epic proportions. Of course people in the Highlands face tough conditions all year round and have built a resilience to it.  I was pleased to be invited to Soup 2 Go’s first birthday in the Wildside mid-March, just one of the activities that support people locally.  So much so I have invited all our staff to come along.  This will be the first time we are all in the room together – some staff I have not yet met in person!  It is an opportunity to plan the next year and discuss how we intend to meet the financial challenges everyone will face as well as our Community Action Plan.

VOLUNTEERING FOR EVENTS 2022

We have had a chance to discuss events for 2022 this week.  A Highland Games, Jubilee celebrations and a continuing Craft and Farmers Market are all on the table.  There is also Winter Wonderland at the end of the year, possibly the return of fireworks in November and support for other community group events throughout the year.  Just as the Summer Fair last year it is a chance for people to reconnect and meet friends (and make new ones).  To discuss and spark new ideas.  To volunteer and achieve something with a beginning and an end. 

Tony Foster

Trust Manager

2025

February (12 stories)

22 February 📣 ** TODAY ** 📣 - Forest School Meeting

Interested in the future of the Forest School building? From 2pm   Come and speak to us about your thoughts for the Forest School and wider opportunities fo...

21 February Congratulations to Whitebridge Hotel

Whitebridge Hotel are finalists in the National Hotels of the Year - Scotland awards!   The ceremony takes place in Glasgow on the 26th February at The Cr...

19 February 📣 Youth Club returns this Thursday 📣

Youth club is for anyone in P7 to S6 ✅ After a bit of a break, we are delighted to say that Youth Club is back!! ⭐ Important info ⭐ Date - Thursday 20th Februa...

19 February Communications 2025!

We are making a some improvements in the way we share important information with the community in 2025. The SFCT Board and communications team have made the dec...

13 February Mailing List Update

We hope you received your copy of the February newsletter and enjoyed reading through it. The team are busy updating our mailing list and we understand that there may ...

12 February Next Sat 22nd February

Next Sat 22nd February   Inverfarigaig Forest School, Farigaig Forestry Carpark IV2 6XR - From 2pm   Come and speak to us about your thoughts fo...

11 February ⚠️ Update regarding the upcoming works taking place at The Wildside Centre ⚠️

We can now confirm that the scheduled works on upgrading the toilet facilities in the Wildside Centre is starting this Thursday – 13th February.   The Wi...

11 February 🙌 JOIN OUR TEAM 🙌

We are currently recruiting a part-time (30 hours per week) Community Action Plan Project Officer to join our small team, based in the Wildside Centre in Whitebridge, on ...

8 February 📢 THE DAY IS FINALLY HERE 📢

Later today the Pathways Group are hosting their Community Engagement event at the Wildside Centre from 13.30pm.   For the past year, the Pathways Group has be...

6 February Errogie Church Statement

As you will be aware, an announcement was made by the Trust in mid December 2024 that we were unfortunately unable to host three events that were due to take place at Err...

6 February Wildside Wednesday Success!

🙌THANK YOU 🙌 We want to say a big thank you to those of you who popped along to our first Wildside Wednesday event yesterday! It was great to see you all 😃  ...

5 February !! WILDSIDE WEDNESDAY - TODAY !!

Join us TODAY at the Wildside Centre, between 9.30am – 12.30pm where the first Wildside Wednesday of 2025 will take place.  You can shop local, with local p...

January (22 stories)

31 January !! Next Saturday !!

On the 8th Feb The Pathways Group host their Community Engagement Day at the Wildside Centre from 13.30pm.   The group have setup a dedicated Facebook event pa...

30 January Refurbishments to toilets in The Wildside Centre

Following many months of work behind the scenes we are pleased to be able to share with you that work on upgrading the ladies toilets and creating a larger disabled toile...

30 January Fancy a sing song with Monadhliath?

The Monadhliath Choir invites all singers to a charity singing event on the 27.04.2025 at Stratherrick Public Hall. If you would be interested in join...

29 January February Newsletter

We are pleased to share that our Feb newsletter should be making its way through your door next week! 🙌   Please look out for the white envelope addressed to ...

25 January Do you use Instagram?

Did you know that Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust are on Instagram? If you too have an account, why not give our page a follow. We’re keen to build up ...

24 January Foyers Community Fire Station

🚒 Foyers Community Fire Station 🚒   Foyers Community Fire station has a competent crew of 7 personnel, but we are in real need of new recruits, to keep the s...

23 January Wildside Wednesday is returning!

Join us on the 5th February at the Wildside Centre, between 9.30am – 12.30pm.   Here is your chance to shop local, with local produce from Lyne Mhor Crof...

22 January Loch Ness Luvvies - Traditional Burns Supper

This Friday, 24th Jan the Loch Ness Luvvies are hosting their very own Traditional Burns Supper at Stratherrick Hall, Gorthleck at 7.30pm. Tickets are £20 per he...

22 January Timings have been announced!

As you may have recently seen, The Pathways Group are running a Community Engagement event on the 8th February from 1pm at The Wildside Centre. In our previous post, t...

21 January ** Mobile Library Update **

Mark, our local librarian has kindly sent over a full list of dates when he will be stopping in the area. You can find the full list here: https://www.stratherrickcommuni...

20 January Invitation to tender - Health & Safety Consultant required

We are looking for an experienced Health & Safety professional to carry out a comprehensive survey on Errogie Church to ensure that the building is fully compliant fo...

19 January Send in your dates for the Community Calendar!

Did you know we have an online Community Calendar? If not, you can find it here: https://www.stratherrickcommunity.org.uk/calendar/   We would love to inclu...

18 January What's the next step?

For the past year, the Pathways Group has been working hard to promote the local path network, paths that lead through rich landscapes, historical sites, and biodiversity...

15 January Community Engagement Day - 8th Feb

Over the last month you may have noticed that the Pathways Group are holding a Community Engagement Day on the 8th February. You can find out all about the event by follo...

14 January Mobile Library Update

Below you will find a list of updated Dates/Times where you can visit the Mobile Library at The Wildside Centre.   We will add these dates to the Online Commu...

14 January Indoor Carpet Bowls makes it return as of today!

** TODAY ** Indoor Carpet Bowls makes it return as of today! The group return to their weekly session after the Xmas break. Please note: The group will now ...

10 January Community Engagement Event - 8th Feb

The Pathways Group invites you to a community event that explores the potential development of a pathways based app. This is your opportunity to help shape an app which w...

9 January Deadline for Jan/Feb Newsletter Content!

The deadline to send in any content for the Jan/Feb Newsletter is Friday the 17th of January 2025. Please email marketingofficer@sfctrust.org.uk with your articles inclu...

9 January Send us in your photos from the Winter Festival

A HUGE thank you to those of you who have already uploaded photos to our shared community photo gallery during the festival.   If you have any wintery snaps th...

8 January Reverse Advent Calendar Success!

Santa's little helpers would like to thank everyone who contributed in any way to the overwhelming success of this project. The generosity shown by our community was ...

8 January ** MOBILE LIBRARY VISIT TODAY CANCELLED **

Sadly, due to the current road conditions, Mark who drives the local ‘Mobile Library’ will NOT be stopping at Wildside today. All books will be renewed, and h...

7 January Welcome Back

Hello, we hope you had a relaxing time during the festivities. As it’s now time to get back to work, we thought it would be a good idea to update our online communi...