Home   Sport   Article A Nairn women’s football team is back in action after returning from a break season Nairn St.Ninian WFC are delighted to make a comeback The team was forced to pull out of the Highlands and Islands league mid-way through the 2024 season due to a lack of players and injuries but has now gone through a rebuild phase to ensure the club remains viable and keeps its place in the town John McGowan was appointed as the new team manager Alex McInnes (club secretary/coach) and John Trueman and Adam Merriman also joining the coaching team The ladies hope to do the club and town proud this season but also recognise that success takes time A spokesperson said: “Building a new team doesn't happen overnight and there will be challenges and adjustments as we grow and learn with every game we play together we are already seeing positive performances and improvements in confidence “The whole team have worked hard over the winter months in preparation for this season attracting new players and sponsors to grow the club build strong foundations and create visible pathways for the future generations to come “Without volunteers and committee members giving up their time and working hard behind the scenes the team has attracted various sponsors to support them on their journey “Having new kit is a fantastic boost which has really helped bring a sense of togetherness and unity to the team knowing that we have amazing sponsors showing their support means a huge amount to the ladies,” the spokesperson continued “We are delighted to have new kit and to represent our sponsors with pride on and off the pitch it will encourage more women and girls from the community to get involved with football “A huge thanks to all of our new sponsors this season for investing and believing in our journey.” Introducing our first double bill of Tourist reports for Nairn Links parkrun Shout out and thanks to our two speedy finishers and intrepid reporters Barry and Gordon at event #006 Saturday 3 May This morning 197 people gathered in front of the war memorial at Nairn Links for this week’s parkrun It was much colder than we had grown accustomed to over recent weeks there was a noticeable breeze and spits of rain in the air the rain stayed away for the most part and we were able to enjoy the atmosphere a huge 100 were taking on the course for the first time – I suppose that’s an occupational hazard of being a newly established event over 40% achieved a personal best this morning Maybe there was something in the water the night before or I was making running into the headwind feel like much harder work than it actually was Almost a quarter (23) of the first timers were attending their first ever parkrun a testament to the core team and full justification for starting a new event in the region I hope you all enjoyed the experience and come back to complete many more events in the future we had two people along who had completed over 500 events Congratulations to Karen finished her 502nd parkrun this morning and John who notched up event number 529 Waldemar achieved an official parkrun milestone by completing his 25 event and Michael completed his 150th no parkrun would be able to go ahead without the hard work of the volunteers I would like to say a huge thank you to the 24 volunteers who came together this weekend to make today’s event possible and allow us all to enjoy our run If you would like to volunteer and support Nairn Links then get in touch via the email address on their dedicated website or through their social media channels They will be glad to hear from you and grateful for your help Gordon is certainly right about the cold breeze On this occasion a strong headwind on the exposed upper path The Run Director was Jonathan Brodie and the photographer was John Beveridge A few of our favourite photos are included below together with our usual summary Hamilton infographic In search of the perfect landscape photo to use for our website homepage This one is busier and shows more of the course well done amd hope you enjoyed yourselves despite the cold wind © parkrun Limited (Company Number: 07289574) No part of this site may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner New Nairn County manager Wayne Mackintosh admits he was surprised to be offered the job – but says it’s an honour to take it on The Wee County have named club legend Mackintosh as their new boss The Station Park outfit have been looking for a permanent manager since Ross Tokely departed in January, with Brian Macleod holding the fort on an interim basis since then. Mackintosh retired from playing at the end of the season after 16 years and 411 appearances in Nairn’s midfield across two spells He played for County from 2004 to 2017 and helped them win the North of Scotland Cup twice and R Davidson (Banchory) Highland League Cup Mackintosh then moved to Formartine United who he helped to win the Highland League Cup Evening Express Aberdeenshire Cup and Morrison Motors (Turriff) Aberdeenshire Shield He spent the 2021-22 season at Rothes and was part of their North of Scotland Cup winning squad before returning to Nairn in September 2022 and helping them win the North Cup again in November 2023 Mackintosh didn’t apply to become Nairn manager but revealed his delight at being asked to take on the job The 37-year-old said: “It came as a bit of a surprise to me I’d decided to retire from playing and I was actually looking forward to having a break “But then the club hadn’t appointed as a manager and they approached me and had a conversation about the job but when I thought about it I decided it was a really good opportunity “I’ve always thought I would like to get into coaching although I didn’t anticipate it being as Nairn first-team manager “But it’s an honour to be considered for the role I wanted to retire as a player at Nairn and now becoming manager is something I’m delighted about “I want to see the club do well so for me coming into management it probably makes it easier to be doing it with Nairn it’s a great bunch of boys so hopefully I can help them improve individually and collectively to make the club successful.” Nairn finished 13th in the Breedon Highland League this season and looking ahead to next term Mackintosh believes the squad at his disposal is capable of better He would also like County to challenge in the cup competitions next season who has also had a spell in charge of Nairn’s Under-18s side added: “I want to get the club up the table For the quality we have at the club I think we underachieved this season “We want to move up the table and I also want us to be more competitive in the cups “We went out in the first round or second round of every cup this season “So being competitive in the cups and trying to bring some silverware back to Nairn is what I’d like to do “There’s a good core of a squad at Nairn which is very competitive and if we can make a couple of additions that would only make us better “Playing alongside the boys I know there’s real quality there and hopefully we can be more competitive next season.” Comments are currently disabled as they require cookies and it appears you've opted out of cookies on this site. To participate in the conversation, please adjust your cookie preferences in order to enable comments The incident, involving a cyclist collided with a grey Polestar car, happened on the B9091 outside Nairn on Sunday. The cyclist collided with a grey Polestar car on the B9091 outside Nairn at around 8am on Sunday. Police said no medical treatment was required but the cyclist failed to provide details to the driver of the car. The cyclist is described as white, around 70-75-years-old, slim build, around 5ft 11in tall. He was last seen wearing a black waterproof jacket and trousers, florescent yellow cycle helmet and glasses. Sergeant Steven MacLennan, Nairn Police Office, said: “We are looking to speak to the cyclist involved in this incident, or anyone that knows who he may be. “Anyone with information should contact 101 quoting reference 0834 of April, 15.” STV News is now on WhatsAppGet all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Follow STV News on WhatsAppScan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country '+scriptOptions._localizedStrings.webview_notification_text+' "+scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_title+" "+scriptOptions._localizedStrings.redirect_overlay_text+" Home   News   Article A 37-year-old Inverness woman who engaged in a shoplifting spree over two months last year has been placed on a drug treatment and testing order for the next 18 months The case against Chloe McEwan, of Diriebught Court, at Inverness Sheriff Court has been deferred on multiple occasions until social workers were able to assess her as suitable for the strict anti-drug regime • More court news • More crime news beauty products all from the Co-op in Nairn between May 18 and 28 She also pleaded guilty to an earlier charge of stealing alcohol from Tesco clothing and toiletries from Asda on November 24 and failing to appear for a court hearing at Inverness Huge thanks to our visitor Katey Belt for writing our parkrun tourist's report today I was extremely excited about heading over to Nairn Links from Lossiemouth - we come up about 2 times a year and for the past couple of years Elgin parkrun has been cancelled so I've jad to miss parkrun.. now we have Nairn Links on 40 mins away and I can persuade hubby We arrived a smidge later thab I'd have liked because my son cannot seem to manage being ready to go at a set time There were lots of runners already there warming up trying to stay warm and hiding from the wind I managed to join the first timers briefing but didn't really hear much of it - people were chatting dogs barking and the wind also didn't help Thankfully I'm not fast so knew I'd be able to just follow everyone else It's a really lovely 3 lap route - not three and a bit not four and a bit which turns out to be almost 5 laps - it's all in tarmac with a couple of bumpy bits to watch out for - the route takes you put on the lower path to an out and back and then back on the higher path and round to the start Although 3 laps sounds a lot it actually didn't feel like It's quite a quick course but there are lots of "if I can get to .." sections that break it up You can see the sand and sea along the top path there's a fab play park in the middle and a lovely cafe too The loos are super handy - literally on the course and are clean joggers and walkers make the start and 22 volunteers support the event Thank you to the wonderful volunteers to provided smiles support and kind words of encouragement to everyone - even standing there in Scottish drizzle and sea breeze There were several milestones today as well but the wind kept taking the RDs voice so I didn't catch them And there were alot of tourists including us from Market Rasen Thanks Katey for a lovely report and so glad you enjoyed our scenic 3 lap course with sea views The Run Director was Judy Beveridge who was a bit overwhelmed by the large crowd of first-time visitors and hadn't quite got the hang of using the loudspeaker Over 150 parkrun tourists were welcomed including a contingent from our neighbouring Elgin (event cancelled) and many more from all over the UK Here is this week's Hamilton infographic to help with missing info 188 first-time visitors of whom an amazing 27 were taking part in their first ever parkrun an impressive 61 recorded new Personal Best (PB) times Katey is right about the wind and  this week a cold chill was  blowing from the north east On the plus side this meant running/walking downwind on the upper path which may explain all the PBs well done and huge thanks to our fabulous team of volunteers we now have our very own Nairn Links parkrun water bowl for our thirsty dog finishers A cyclist has died after being found “unresponsive” next to his bike on a rural road near Nairn The 66-year-old man was found near his Specialized bike on a single-track road in  Lethen near Nairn around 3.20pm on Monday Emergency services attended however he was pronounced dead at the scene Sergeant Douglas Scott said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased at this difficult time “There are not believed to be any other vehicles involved in the incident and our enquiries to establish the full circumstances are ongoing “If you were in the area around the time of this incident “We are also asking drivers to check dash-cam to see if there is something recorded that could help our enquiries.” Anyone who can assist is asked to call Police Scotland on 101 A Nairn paedophile sexually assaulted two girls assaulted one girl by repeatedly touching her body and squeezing her breasts between June 1 and 31 • Sign up for our free newsletters In a separate incident, Inverness Sheriff Court was told he tickled the other girl’s chest and abdomen on top of her clothing inside her underwear and touched her between August 18 and 20 the same year Sheriff Sara Matheson deferred sentencing until May 20 for background reports to be prepared and placed Powell on the Sex Offenders’ Register meantime A number of sites have been identified around Inverness and Nairn for the creation of more than 830 new homes Housebuilding firm Barratt and David Wilson Homes says the projects will create jobs and meet “growing demand” for accommodation in the Highlands with work already underway on a new coastal development in Delnies It looks out to the mouth of the Moray Firth and Black Isle and will deliver 75 affordable homes Motorists may already be aware of the construction with roadworks on the A96 Inverness to Aberdeen road causing lengthy tailbacks They are to enable the construction of a new roundabout on the route which will form the main entrance to the development site In Inverness the developers are following their Ness Castle development with a pledge to create more than 100 new homes close to the River Ness on the west side of the city It marks the first of several projects earmarked for the Highland Capital Milton of Leys has also been identified for further development with a larger 400 property development to take shape there David Palmer, managing director for Barratt and David Wilson Homes North Scotland, said: “Our plans for further expansion in Inverness will help to meet the demand for high-quality “Previously ranked as the happiest place to live in Scotland Inverness boasts easy access to breath-taking glens “With the successes of our Inverness sites Culloden West and Mains of Culduthel selling out we’ve seen an increase in employment opportunities and quality of life as people find themselves at home in rural areas “This is an exciting time for the region.” ‘Selfish cyclists and joggers’ are dangerous I read with interest your article about the partially sighted man Stuart Dow and his problems on Inverness pavements I do not have any health issues other than deafness I wear two latest technology IVHS hearing aids Hearing aids allow me to have limited face to face discussion but I hear nothing behind me which means I am suddenly surprised by a cyclist or a jogger passing me at speed There are too many selfish cyclists and joggers on our pavements It is time to prohibit cycling on the suspension bridges except for the ‘Spokes for Folks’ group Joggers should be requested to walk across the bridges I have been almost knocked off my feet by dogs running along with their owners Another hazard is crossing the Ness Bridge from Ness Walk to Huntly Street when cars remain stationary on the pedestrian crossing the Highway Code announced a new ruling for drivers turning left at a junction i.e Bishop’s Road to Ness Walk or an entrance to parking ie Glenurquhart Road and Bishop’s into the Highland Council car park They should give way to pedestrians walking in the same direction I recently spoke to two new drivers and they had not heard of this new rule A police officer confirmed that I was correct Dirty dog owners seem to be increasing in number I no longer walk as far as the Black Bridge as more and more cars travelling too fast mount the pavements coming from Shore Street and when turning left into Gilbert Street Catch up with our columnists A 74-year-old man who was attacked by a seagull in Nairn last week is calling for urgent action to control the number of birds ahead of the tourist season Gordon Ashley was walking on the town’s High Street enjoying an ice cream with his daughter last week “When most of the city centre is takeaway food places and restaurants with street bins containing the leftovers of this food this problem will only remain or get worse.” - Linda Howell I would love to have something to eat outside in Inverness but don't see the point due to the obvious dangers that seagulls cause.” - Alistair Macfarlane “Not only town centre - try parts of Smithton where people throw food out for them They swoop at you as you walk past.” - Ann Irvine “Chemical sterilisation is needed.” - Daniel Hall I work at the industrial estate opposite Sainsbury's and there are so many seagulls there They'll have young ones soon so they'll be EXTRA nasty and territorial.” - Kirsty McCallum “I had a hot pie still within paper bag taken straight from my hand from a seagull in Nairn high street Literally seconds after leaving the bakers!” - Kelly Sharkey “What about the root of the issue getting attention People dropping food everywhere and overflowing bins?” - Joni Phippin “Everyone is getting fed up trying to fend these birds off Nairn and Elgin are all getting beyond a joke A Nairn Academy pupil is urging Highland Council to reinstate support staff at his school, as he has found himself struggling after losing one-to-one support an S2 pupil diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia has written a letter to the local authority after finding himself without the support for reading and writing he was given in key lessons during his first year Highland Council is appaling for the lack of support given to children with additional needs.” - Lianne Cumming I can’t get my head around who came up with the formula to allocate additional support hours based on your postcode and entitlement to free school meals Proud of you for speaking out.” - Lynne Gray what a brave thing to do to make this public though Tom's parents and school should be very proud.” - Lisa Gordon Very brave of Tom to make this issue public Hope it gets sorted for all.” - Katrina Ashford The education system is a complete disgrace maybe they will sit up and listen to the children experiencing this first hand!” - Leni Roy “Schools are no longer assessed by points for need (ie number of kids with needs and degree of help required) but by how many kids are in families in reciept of certain benefits This is ridiculous and has led to our secondary having PSA hours cut in Inverness despite the number of kids with needs going up!” - Hannah Polson You should start a petition to have this decision raised and reversed The Highland Council are letting you and your peers down big style!!” - Alison Cummings with a dyslexic S4 in the same school with his first Nat 5 exam tomorrow where he has lost his support in classes too school have been great at supporting where they can but these children should be supported.” - Jenna Hayden a child should not have to advocate for the right for proper support to access education.” - Karen Trott Letters should be submitted to newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk Please include your address and a daytime contact number You can also tweet us: @InvCourier or leave a comment on Facebook @invernesscourier Nairn Links parkrun #005 took place on Saturday 26 April The weather was overcast with an offshore wind The sun broke through a few times just to prove Run Director Tim Cooke's point that we are the sunniest parkrun in Scotland We were joined by two celebrities from the parkrun world famous for his Scottish parkruns Facebook page and YouTube channel Dougie completed the course in 24:47 before settling himself down to pilot his drone to grab video and still shots parkrun HQ have strict rules about drone photography (as do the Civil Aviation Authority) and Dougie was careful to not overfly the course itself Our favourite shot is included below and keep an eye on Dougie's website and socials for the video shortly Debra Cassar is famous in the parkrun tourist world for travelling all over the UK to take part in a different parkrun event every Saturday Debra always travels by public transport and stays locally to spend longer at each location Debra and her running pal Harry the Haddock were super excited to celebrate their milestone 200 with us and we were honoured to be chosen Harry did not earn himself a finish token and felt deflated after finishing Debra explains that the Grimsby town mascot is a Haddock and she always brings Harry along when running near the sea Huge thanks to Debra's friend Tracey who not only handed out tokens with Lorraine today but also brought delicious cake to share afterwards in celebration of Debra's unique milestone 200 Debra and Dougie were two of 110 first time visitors 21 of whom were taking part in parkrun for the very first time 47 people recorded  new Personal Best times A total of 196 people finished the course supported by 20 wonderful volunteers Saturday 26 April  was also a parkrun celebration of walking and big shout out to our estimated 15 walkers today 5k is the same distance whether you race round in 15 minutes (our course record to date is 16:40  in event #004) or take over an hour (longest so far is  1:11:18  the record claimed by Tail Roller Judy in event #005 today) important course safety improvement works took place at set up using flour and cones to reinforce the Keep Right rule at the out and back Huge thanks to everyone for taking this on board and keeping our course safe Debra and Harry the Haddock with the Nairn Links parkrun volunteers Debra with our parkwalker Sandra whilst Harry takes a dip (out of view) The third Nairn Links parkrun took place on Saturday 12 April The weather was the best yet with bright sunshine throughout the morning supported by four magnificient marshals (Dot the AA timing team (Adele and Averil) the victorious Wanda ('Vanda') on tokens the marvellous Milne family (token support and scanning) with Teresa and Judy making up the remainder of the scanning team Dougie tried his hand managing a Funnel of adult parkrunners and found them surprisingly well-behaved Meanwhile out on the course visitor Brona got to model our newly arrived and latest design parkwalker 'Vitality Let's Walk!' vest and our Susan took her Tailwalker duties very seriously Early morning set up was carried out by Iain Times and Tokens agreed 100% and it took Iain all of 10 seconds to upload the results from the comfort of James's on the Putting Green 218 people finished the course of whom an  amazing 28 completed their first ever parkrun and an impressive 54 recorded  new Personal Best times at Nairn Links All 218 Tokens were safely returned after scanning and sorted back onto our patented parkrun Token holders ready for next week Our parkrun Ambassador Tim Cooke (who keeps a close watch to check we're behaving ourselves) was particularly impressed with the efficient timekeeping as  he recorded his first sub 22 minute time (21:59) since 2023 We think running without Belle may have explained this Well done to everyone and hope you enjoyed yourselves at Nairn Links in the sunshine A man from Nairn who possessed and distributed indecent photos of children has been jailed for 18 months Frances Ward (51) of the town’s Gordon Street was found guilty at Inverness Sheriff Court and sentenced on Thursday Ward was snared by an undercover police officer after sharing indecent images of children with the decoy seeking people with an interest in the obscene material The information was passed on to other colleagues and a search was carried out on 57-year-old Francis Ward's home in Gordon Street on March 14 last year Inverness Sheriff Court heard previously that two of the devices were seized and on analysis a total of 1251 accessible and inaccessible photographs and videos were found 313 of them were in the most serious category of obscenity Evidence was also found of the accused sending and receiving images through social media messenger platforms plus 37,105 messages sent through 1352 chat threads These involved videos of children ranging from five to 16 years old involved in penetrative activity with adult males Amateur bakers are being encouraged to get their pinnies on and take part in a Bake Off-style cake competition as part of a Nairn food and drink festival The Showstopper Cake Contest will be staged at Taste of Nairn for the fourth time as the event returns in May Competition sponsors, local bakery Makes by Megs announced ‘Scotland’ to be the theme for this year and are keen to see many bakers taking part · More Nairnshire news who co-owns the bakery with business partner Megan Mclean said: “We are delighted to be part of the Taste of Nairn event again and to continue our support of this fun cake competition Megan and I are passionate about cake and all things baked and we hope that the competition will inspire people to get creative and have a go She added: “This year we have broadened out the theme a bit there was a royal theme as the event fell in the year of the Queen’s Jubilee There were some fantastic entries — including a corgi We have also naturally had a ‘Nairn’ theme we have widened it out to the whole of Scotland “There is an adults’ and junior’s category There are a few parameters though including that the cake must be a single tier cake although there is no restriction on quantity of sponges used it must be 8” in diameter and entrants have to submit a list of named allergens.” Last year’s adult winner was Emma Willet – the “Crazy Cake Lady” from Kinloss with her stunning bandstand design whilst winner of the junior category was Suzi Mapes Her cake was inspired by Nairn ice cream outlet James’s At The Putting Green Nicola and Megan will be joined in the judging by local digital creator Ailsa Gardiner Taste of Nairn is now in its fifth year and will run from May 9-11 and a number of individual events around the town the organisation behind the event said: “We are delighted to have retained Makes by Megs as a sponsor and we thank them for their continued support We love this element of Taste of Nairn and we really look forward to seeing the cakes and of course trying them.” The title sponsor of Taste of Nairn is the Golf View Hotel and Spa and the Taste of Nairn planners are currently working on finalising the programme “Each year we make tweaks to the event programme to make sure it is fresh and offers something new,” Lucy explained The programme is coming together really well and over the three days there will be something for everyone Nairn has a fantastic food and drink offering; wonderful bistros and restaurants ice cream shops and of course the bespoke food and drink shops we have on our High Street We are so proud of our food and drink outlets Taste of Nairn is a brilliant platform to be able to shout about that.” All of the Showstopper Cake entries will be on display at the Nairn Community & Arts Centre on Saturday May 10 where a food and drink market including demonstrations and tasters is being held The winner who will take home a trophy and a ‘showstopper’ apron amongst other prizes will be announced that day You can find out rules and enter via this link. A Nairn charity was 'delighted' to unveil a new social gathering area at the Links. The new terraced seating area and footpaths are an important milestone for Team Hamish after years of hard work to bring forward their plans to revitalise the area. This is the major part of Phase 2 for the charity’s plans has become a landmark for locals and visitors alike Team Hamish was founded in memory of Hamish Hey who sadly lost his life to cancer when he was only eight years-old and this project was first designed by his father this is a wonderful tribute to their memory She said: “We are absolutely delighted with it It’s in a wonderful location and I think it will be really well used and appreciated we couldn’t have achieved it without the support we had from the local community and then he put so much effort into making it a reality.” The area was completed over the Easter weekend and has been welcomed by many online and on site “We’ve already had so much good feedback,” Liz added the new path makes a lovely surface for prams and wheelchairs The project was given planning permission in 2023 and has required an increasing fundraising effort due to soaring costs Some fundraising is still needed — the designs for a number of picnic tables and benches are ready and have been created in partnership with various community groups however the money raised so far was sufficient only for the main part of the project “We wanted for the community to be involved as much as possible,” Liz continued “Now we are looking to raise funds for the last step of the project We’d welcome anyone who may want to sponsor some of the tables Anyone wishing to donate to the charity can find more information at teamhamish.org A footballer has stepped into management after announcing his retirement at the end of last season Wayne Mackintosh is the new boss at Highland League side Nairn County signing a two-year deal to take charge at Station Park The club legend played at Nairn for 13 years before returning to the club after spells at Formartine United and Rothes The 37-year-old enjoyed a 21-year career in north football "I spent the vast majority of my career here and I have always had a strong affiliation with the club so it is an honour to take on this role,” Mackintosh said in a club statement "I am aware how well the club is organised and the infrastructure that is already in place here We have come off the back of a difficult season and the aim now is to make sure we improve on that to push towards our objective of becoming a top Highland League team and being in the mix for silverware in future years and that challenge really excites me "I know the squad well having been back at the club as a player for the last two-and-a-half years It is now my job to make sure they deliver on the pitch and I cannot wait to get started Nairn County is in my blood and I can assure the fans that I will give it my all to put a winning team on the park and bring success to the club." Recently appointed Nairn chairman Kevin Reid added: “I obviously inherited the situation where the manager's post had been vacant since January and straight away so I am delighted he has accepted and I would like to thank our Director of Football for all of his hard work in making this appointment happen he is respected throughout the Nairn community and respected throughout the Highland League and most importantly he knows what it takes to win at this level I am really excited about the prospect of working with Wayne and seeing what he can bring to the role." He added: "I am keen for us as a club to grow our own talent and this is also a reward for all of Wayne's hard work down the years with our youth teams developing himself as a coach we have all pledged to give Wayne as much support as we can and I would ask the supporters to get behind the new Manager with positivity as we now look ahead to a new beginning next season with optimism "I would also like to put on record my thanks to everyone who applied for the position or expressed an interest We received a large volume of candidates and I wish all them the best for the future." Mackintosh came through County’s youth ranks to make his first team debut in March 2004 winning two North Cups and one Highland League Cup with the club He won both trophies again with Formartine and Rothes then lifted the North Cup for a fourth time back at Nairn in 2023 He made a total of 411 appearances in a County shirt Welcome to bdonline.co.uk. This site uses cookies. Read our policy By Ben Tosland2025-02-17T05:00:00+00:00 Ben Tosland reviews the 70th-anniversary reissue of Outrage Ian Nairn’s seminal critique of Britain’s built environment exploring its lasting relevance. Gareth Gardner provides contemporary images that capture twenty-first-century subtopia Subtopia on the March: the morning after the battle with pockets of field pattern awaiting mopping up The whole country is beginning to look like this as all development follows the same pattern of a careless romp of dispersal across the countryside a pattern which is wasteful and dreary in itself and utterly impracticable in a small and crowded country The effect of several agents of Subtopia acting in concert Yet singly the eye may try to take them for granted – a fault which this section is attempting to counteract by abstracting them and showing them next to their counterparts in the next county Ian Nairn became an assistant production editor at The Architectural Review He was angry about the condition of the built environment in Britain and the sprawl of cities eating into the confines of the countryside This anger translated into an entire ‘incendiary’ issue of The Review published in 1955 under the editorship of Hubert de Cronin Hastings Re-released in February 2025 by Notting Hill Editions for its 70th anniversary it is complete with an erudite introduction by the cultural commentator Travis Elborough Outrage is best known for its ‘Route Map’ section with each page representing ‘strides of 25 miles’ between Southampton and Carlisle The aim was to ‘present a typical cross-section of the country – of the countryside’ and it was complete with Gordon Cullen’s illustrations and Nairn’s own photographs taken with the Architectural Press’s office Leica camera The point Nairn made was that of liminality visual planning was about definition between places But the edge of the town had become rusticated These places between places were now subtopian – Nairn’s own portmanteau – and lacked genius loci He had studied maths at university and later became an RAF pilot officer from where he had uninterrupted views of the country’s network of fields he wrote architectural articles for the Eastern Daily Press he honed his mastery of the English language often noted by those who have written biographies of this oddity of architectural criticism The sad story of his later life is well known too Described by Owen Hatherley as ‘gawky and fat’ such descriptions are often coupled with tales of a dozen pints of beer a day in the St George’s Tavern Days of filming were cut short for Nairn Across Britain so that he could hurry to the nearest boozer before driving on to the next town Nairn worked with Nikolaus Pevsner on The Buildings of England volumes for his home county of Surrey and then for Sussex Pevsner used the caption of Nairn’s portrait on the dust jacket of the Sussex edition to summarise their working relationship by stating: “He found the journeys for The Buildings of England immensely interesting and rewarding the mountain of correspondence and detailed checking that must follow them rather less so embody a more personal and less correct view of architecture than was possible within the framework of The Buildings of England.” Elborough’s introductory observations tie Nairn into a context of landscape and Englishness He shows that Nairn was not out of sync with contemporary authors such as Nan Fairbrother and Richard Mabey and that he was a contrast to architecturally trained critics such as Reyner Banham Hoskins had just published The Making of the English Landscape (1954) and there was a general sect of society that was nostalgic for the landscapes In a Venn diagram of the architectural establishment – in which he did not quite fit – and landscape historians usually focused on subjective visual planning caused division by disparaging planners and architects alike there is an implication that his writing remains relevant Those in the architectural profession might question whether he was ever relevant Nairn asserted that greater density in city centres would ensure the countryside’s survival He predicated this on the presumption planners had made that England was of an ‘unlimited size’ And while he was concerned with the romance of old England such strategic thinking is not out of place in a society today grappling with the climate crisis specifically in a section on Anti-Urbanism he stated: “The leaders of planning – a long way up from the insides of the local offices that reject modern houses as being out of tone with the amenities of the (speculative semi-det) district – recognise the futility of it but they have backed the wrong horse; decrying increased urban densities in the heart of the town when that is the only thing likely to save us and proposing new and expanded towns when the UK is so small that they will very soon run together.” His comment on the smallness of the United Kingdom recalls Nairn his almost (at times) petty critique expanded to the muddle of street furniture cluttered vestiges of former military bases and the ubiquity of the suburbs and semi-dets that ran out of London on the Edgware Road making the end of Southampton share the appearance of the beginning of Carlisle continues to lurk in the background of culture and the built environment today was a tainted middle ground – neither urban nor rural The anger with which this notion was presented has influenced polemical cultural commentators since including Jonathan Meades and Owen Hatherley; Nairn has also been compared to the late Gavin Stamp The premise of subtopia continues to influence others Iain Sinclair has trekked the route of the M25 while the photographer Gareth Gardner continues his long-standing interest and is about to set off to chronicle the outer reaches of Southampton and Carlisle with his camera but the distinction between the urban and rural remains relevant in today’s arguments for sustainable >> Also read: Review | Modern Buildings in London by Ian Nairn Outrage by Ian Nairn first published in 1955 reprinted with an introduction by Travis Elborough by Notting Hill Editions in 2025 Ben Tosland is an Associate at Montagu Evans in the Historic Environment and Townscape team. He is a part-time lecturer at New York University (London). His book Who Are Godwin and Hopwood? was published in 2024 by Birkhäuser Ben Tosland considers how a new publication sheds light on the layered political cultural and climatic contexts behind Africa’s modernist legacy The Design Museum’s latest exhibition explores a century of swimwear revealing how our relationship with water has shaped everything from fashion to public space As SANAA’s Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa prepare to receive the Royal Gold Medal Ben Flatman talks to them about their working relationship the changing nature of construction in Japan and their evolving approach to conflict resolution  As urgent demands for reuse and sustainability transform the priorities of contemporary architecture Mary Richardson explores how conservation architect Donald Insall Associates – long champions of repair and adaptation – is building on its pioneering legacy to meet the needs of a changing world  Tom Lowe speaks to the practice’s director about why the overlooked parts of public infrastructure deserve a fresh perspective Site powered by Webvision Cloud Firefighters are tackling an underground fire below a street in Nairn Two local fire crews have been at the scene for over an hour after smoke was spotted billowing from beneath an access pit on Church Street near Specsavers at the junction with the High Street Parts of the High Street and Church Street are cordoned off MORE NAIRNSHIRE NEWS HERE A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said efforts to extinguish the flames were continuing He said: “We were alerted to reports of a fire at the location at 11.12 am today and remain in attendance The smoke was coming from a self-contained access pit.” It is understood there has been no evacuation of buildings nearby although the SFRS spokesman could not confirm this A 74-year-old man who was attacked by a seagull in Nairn last week is calling for urgent action to control the number of birds ahead of the tourist season Gordon Ashley, a Nairn resident was walking on the High Street towards St Ninian’s Church when a large seagull swooped low above them He said: “We ducked away and continued along the road only for the seagull to launch a second attack as we neared the hairdressers We ducked beside the shop fronts and evaded the attack “As we moved further up the road to St Ninian’s Church the roadway widens at Academy Square A car stopped at the Zebra crossing to allow us to cross in safety “As we crossed the road the seagull swooped lower this time and caught us both off guard My daughter crouched beside the memorial as I stumbled over the kerbstone and fell heavily to my knees Mr Ashley said he had badly grazed his knees and hands as a result “I am 74 years of age and consider myself to be fairly fit and agile for my age,” he said but angry that a pleasant walk along Nairn High Street on a sunny spring afternoon should end so abruptly.” He raised concerns that the “invasion of seagulls” may create more serious issues as the tourist season approaches and children are not yet laughing and giggling as they enjoy our town for their holidays “In a few weeks time our businesses will be hoping for a bumper few months over the summer period.” Concerns were raised since last summer as Inverness-headquartered government agency NatureScot introduced new guidance for seagull egg removal which has seen a significant drop in the number of licenses allowed to remove the eggs from the rooftops before they hatch they are already seeing a rise in the number of seagulls sitting on the town centre’s roofs “The gull problem is Nairn has been around for years and since Nairn BID has had a position in the town from 2018 we have worked hard to manage the population,” she said we were slowly making progress by adopting a year-on-year gull management programme It was a lengthy and time-consuming process She said that one of the measures that NatureScot suggested as an alternative was to install seagull scarers “The seagulls don’t pay a blind bit of notice to them and we have actually had to remove a couple of them or reposition them as they are reflecting light into people’s properties,” she explained “The gentleman who was attacked also contacted ourselves and we are very sorry that he faced this ordeal There are children at the local primary schools who for years have not been able to eat their playtime snacks outside “NatureScot have basically decided to reinterpret the legislation without that being changed “One thing they have asked is whether we can prove that the birds nesting on a particular roof are the ones responsible for people’s injuries a spokesperson for NatureScot said: “We understand that gulls can sometimes cause problems in our towns and cities Where gulls are causing a risk to public health and safety we aim to respond swiftly to support targeted and effective solutions This can include issuing same-day licences in cases where elderly or vulnerable people face risks to their health or safety We are also developing area-based licences to tackle health and safety concerns in specific areas with a particular focus on where vulnerable people are affected “The evidence is clear that gull populations are facing significant and serious declines NatureScot has a duty to balance the conservation and protection of species with public interests such as safeguarding people from health and safety risks An area-based licence with local authorities will allow us to better manage and reduce any impacts on gull conservation compared to the cumulative effects of individual applications we need to find ways to live with gulls and other wildlife We will be working closely with local authorities to develop long-term coordinated and collaborative plans with a focus on preventative measures changes to behaviour and guidance for local authority staff Licensed control can be part of this mix when there is a risk to public health and safety but to work long-term it must be backed with other measures.” They pointed to the latest Seabirds Count census and the latest Scottish Biodiversity Indicator for Seabirds showed that all five species of gull that breed in Scotland continue to decline with numbers down by between 44 per cent and 75 per cent depending on species great black-backed gull and herring gull are now all red-listed species of Conservation Concern in the UK while lesser black-backed gull and black-headed gull are amber listed The declines are attributed to factors such as changes in food availability and land use with some species also suffering losses because of recent devastating outbreaks of avian flu A timeline for dualling of the A96 between Inverness and Nairn will take at least a year to be published This was confirmed by Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop in response to Parliamentary Questions submitted by Highland Labour MSP Rhoda Grant last week Explaining the timeline the response read: “It is fundamental that contracting authorities allow sufficient time to properly consider the range of procurement routes available for any given project “This is important to ensure that the chosen procurement option generates sufficient competition to maximise value for money delivers against the objectives of the intervention and complies with all statutory and regulatory requirements “Consideration will be given to the feasibility and attractiveness of combining with adjacent schemes to form larger contracts or splitting the scheme and delivering through smaller contracts Responding to that Ms Grant said: “I am shocked and horrified that the Scottish Government are taking this long to publish a timetable of works for the Inverness to Nairn dualling and Nairn Bypass And referring to the meeting organised by The Inverness Courier which brought Ms Hyslop and transport officials face to face with the public in Nairn last May she added: “The Cabinet Secretary heard the strength of feeling when she visited Nairn for the public meeting yet it appears that they are still dragging their feet They are doing this with many projects across the country and the A96 dualling is no different.” She also expressed her support for the ongoing petition published on the Scottish Parlament’s website in December She said: “The Inverness Courier have worked diligently to ensure this issue is not forgotten about and I am supportive of their petition to have the timetable published before Easter 2025 these Parliamentary Questions suggest that is unlikely “We must therefore redouble our efforts to keep this development at the forefront and push for progress." Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing was also furious on learning about current timings for the project “The Scottish Government say they won’t even produce a plan for the next 12 months - yet they’ve had the full four years of this session of Parliament “They have spent £90 million on the A96 and not one metre of tarmac has been laid “How that is even possible is a mystery beyond my ken.” According to a recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by Neil Alexander - leader of the Scottish Lib Dems in Moray - revealed that Ms Hyslop knew of the plans to hold a further public consultation on the A96 which would have delayed works to the Nairn bypass Mr Alexander said: "The people of Nairn have been let down by politicians on this issue for too long "The findings in the Freedom of Information requests are shocking “I was at the meeting when the Transport Secretary came to Nairn during the General Election campaign and promised good news soon on the bypass but now we know that even then the SNP government planned to delay the vital works on the Nairn bypass with another public consultation.” A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We are committed to delivering the A96 Dualling Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) scheme and the publication of the Made Orders for the scheme in March was a strong sign of our commitment to build this key project “We have confirmed through the Programme for Government which is specifically a Programme for the next year until September that we will commence the final stage of the process for acquisition of land required for the scheme and progress work to determine the most suitable procurement option – thereafter a timetable for progress can then be set in line with available budgets “This is a complex exercise which looks at a number of factors including how the project can be delivered most efficiently by industry whilst minimising disruption to road users It is fundamental that contracting authorities allow sufficient time to properly consider the range of procurement routes available for any given project “The Cabinet Secretary has given a commitment to update Parliament when this work has concluded.” An acclaimed young tenor from Nairn is set to return to his hometown for a special recital this month (April 19) Performing alongside celebrated pianist Anna Tilbrook Glen Cunningham will bring on stage My Heart’s in the Highlands a personal and heartfelt journey through music connected to Scotland the performance will involve Scottish music new and old · More Nairnshire news · Subscribe to our newsletter A Music Nairn spokesperson said: “A highlight of the programme is a newly commissioned work by fellow Highlander Stuart MacRae setting five poems by Robert Louis Stevenson which features music from Cunningham’s album My Heart’s in the Highlands released on Delphian Records also includes Schumann’s settings of Robert Burns’ poetry showcasing the Scottish bard’s influence on the world of lieder alongside arrangements of Burns’ songs by Scottish composers “It promises to be an extraordinary evening of world-class music celebrating Scotland’s rich musical heritage through the artistry of two internationally renowned performers.” who graduated with first-class honours from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland before completing his master’s and postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music’s Opera Studio His credits include roles at the Opéra national du Rhin and appearances with Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Scottish Opera His performance as the title role in Albert Herring at the Lammermuir Festival with Scottish Opera last year was described by a critic from The Times as “the finest performance I’ve seen in an opera all year.” Leading pianist Ms Tilbrook is renowned for her exceptional work in song recitals and chamber music April 19 at 7.30pm at the Nairn Community & Arts Centre — tickets can be purchased through the centre online (www.nairncc.co.uk) A Nairn teenager was told by a sheriff to stop getting drunk and into trouble with the police a 19-year-old groundsworker of Anne Crescent appeared before Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald and admitted resisting arrest after officers were called to deal with two men fighting in Inverness Railway Station on September 27 last year Inverness Sheriff Court heard that when police arrived at the disturbance rail staff were restraining one of the men on the ground until police took over But fiscal depute Victoria Silver said: "The accused was intoxicated and irate and was told to calm down He refused and was hostile towards the officers who said his client admitted previous convictions said: "When he takes too much drink his offences occur." Sheriff Macdonald ordered Beats to carry out 90 hours of unpaid community work as an alternative to a fine and told him: "Stop getting drunk and behaving badly." A13-year-old pupil who lives near Forres is urging Highland Council to reinstate support staff at his school as he found himself struggling after losing one-to-one support Tom Rhind, who is an S2 pupil at Nairn Academy and diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia has written a letter to the local authority in January after finding himself without the support for reading and writing he was given in key lessons during his first year This comes after Highland Council changed the way it allocates resources for additional support needs (ASN) — whereas in the past this was based on pupils individual needs it is now based on an algorithm based on school rolls whether a child receives a clothing or footwear grant and the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation Although the new allocation system was passed in February 2023 its effects have started being felt at the start of this academic year with students and parent councils raising concerns on the effectiveness — and fairness — of the system whose letter was backed by the Parent Council at Nairn Academy said: “I have written to Highland Council to ask them to bring back the people who were supporting me “I don’t understand why they will only give help depending on how many pupils have a free school meal or uniform I have two conditions which I have had to see doctors nurses and specialists for and they are not linked to needing a school uniform or where I live “When I started at Nairn I was given help in some lessons I cannot read or write quickly enough to keep up at the end of June 2024 Tom learned that his help was being pulled and three PSA posts at Nairn were axed and I was worried about how I would manage I have felt angry and I don’t think I am learning very much “Sometimes I have had to leave the classroom because I cannot manage “My teachers are doing a good a job at trying to help but they cannot give me the full attention I need to do well as the classes have so many other pupils.” as parents of a child who has got a dyslexia and ADHD diagnosis “Tom has returned to school in August 2024 and found himself with no support because he does not fit within the new criteria that Highland Council has put in place It doesn’t make any sense that you ca create a criteria like that - if you’ve got a child that has got two diagnosis they should be allocated some kind of support and the school have absolutely been amazing in putting in place what they can - changing things delivering material to Tom in a different way to try and help with that She said that towards the end of last year she and her husband noticed that Tom was starting to “unravel” and they are concerned that this will continue if support isn’t brought back “Other parents are feeling the same as we are and we’d really like for someone to come and explain to us how this new model was come up with “Schools are struggling with lack of resources and removing away support has compounded it and teachers have to do more within the classroom I dare to say that’s the same for staff at school as well.” Tom’s plea was backed by Nairn Academy’s Parent Council who also wrote to the council calling for the support to be reinstated A spokesperson for the Nairn Parent Council explained: “We cannot just sit back and watch as our children are left to fend for themselves “We are deeply concerned regarding the recent changes and have written to Highland Council to ask them to explain to us how this decision was reached “It is ludicrous to think that additional support will be decided on school roll clothing/footwear grant and rurality as opposed to the actual needs of the children Living in poverty has no causal link to diagnosable additional needs and disabilities “To ignore this fact and set the formula for ASN funding and staffing on a criteria that has zero link to the number of actual ASN pupils in a school can only be detrimental to the education of some of our most vulnerable pupils and how could this happen without any consultation with pupils’ parents or carers for schools?” The spokesperson added: “Funding should be based on the reality of their actual needs and abilities Tom is just one young person at the school who has had his in person support withdrawn and it’s put him and others in a position where they are not being included in classwork and are being discriminated against because of their additional need.” whose 14-year-old son is in S3 at the Academy added: “My son has recently done some assessments at the school which he has no one-to-one support for “He used to have a scribe and would sit the tests in a separate room which is quiet and when that was happening this is not happening due to the lack of ASN support and his confidence is taking a knock.” She added: “The staff and the teachers have been great and they are communicating with me but ultimately there is no one-to-one support for him and I really worry that if things do not change with the Highland Council ASN provision but only because he has been failed by a ridiculous system.” Parents in the region voiced their concerns at the start of this academic year fearing of the impact of the new system on vulnerable children This follows the backlash at staffing cuts that preceded the changes to the allocation model This is part of an ongoing struggle to fund services for neurodivergent children across the Highlands and Scotland According to a report published in February by Audit Scotland 40 per cent of pupils across the country were recorded as receiving additional support for learning (ASL) in 2024 the number of pupils receiving support has grown by 768 per cent A Highland Council spokesperson said that they are unable to comment on individual matters and that Nairn Academy staff “will follow up on the concerns raised with families” They said: “The ASL allocation process has been in use since February 2023 when it was agreed by the Education Committee The total allocation to Associate Schools Group is calculated using a staffing standard which involves a weighting based on the school roll Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 1-3 and rurality “Head Teachers have the ability to make adjustments at individual school level to enable the opportunity for professional flexibility and local circumstances to be addressed There are no plans to change the staffing standard in the coming session but additional resource has been identified in this year’s Council budget to further enhance ASL staffing across the Local Authority.” If you want to share your views or experience about this topic you can get in touch at federica.stefani@hnmedia.co.uk By Niamh Leonard-Bedwell2025-04-15T14:11:00+01:00 Caramelised Biscuit Moments will hit Sainsbury’s this month launching what it claims is a “first-to-market” gluten-free caramelised biscuit.  The NPD, called Caramelised Biscuit Moments, is made from wholegrain oats, and claimed to contain 35% less sugar than standard gluten-free biscuits with a “light and crunchy texture perfect for dunking” Available in 170g retail (rsp: £2.20) and 21g foodservice packs, they were developed to fill a “gap in free-from for an enhanced sweet biscuit range between standard and premium”, Nairn’s marketing director Kevin Butterworth told The Grocer Nairn’s had surveyed 2.5k free-from shoppers and gathered “a huge amount of insight” into their needs from the category Nairn’s has also added Snaks (rsp: £2.20/125g) “moreish crackers” aimed at 18 to 34-year-olds Snaks will roll into Sainsbury’s this month Also made with wholegrain oats, Snaks built on the “success” of Mini Cheese Bakes Both products will hit Sainsbury’s stores this month, with Caramelised Biscuit Moments also rolling into Asda in May and we continue to be seen as the brand leader bringing new products to the category,” said Nairn’s “We have seen a big shift in terms of how savoury biscuits are eaten with consumers using them less for topping and more for snacking,” it added It comes as the Edinburgh-based oatcake maker is making concerted efforts to boost its appeal to a new generation of shoppers Nairn’s managing director Colin Dingwall told The Herald last month that the brand’s Marmite & Cheese Oatcakes had proven particularly successful at luring younger consumers to the brand Sign in to comment on this article Learn moreExplore related questionsDiscover more about the topics that matter most Browse our suggested questions or ask your own to find out more BILLY BREMNER MEMORIAL JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN It moves on before we can debate anything that might change our future for the better Already it’s Scottish Cup semis and then the next rounds of the 3 European tournaments will fly in too on our TVs even with the ‘international’ selects that clubs prefer to home grown talent And for now it’s easier for the media to talk about Barry and his coaching team’s employment prospects than to properly review what will make it better for Rangers and us all into the future And meanwhile in the full sight of us all our clubs are easy ‘business’ targets because of the collective landbank that they sit on that is worth a fortune Donald Trump style for my new flat development idea in central Nairn the top countries will want their B teams playing too just like the plans that still simmer for our own wee patch of turf He didn’t add that such a 64 expansion would give all his members a starting berth and a share in the income including Venezuela who have never graced a World Cup Soon we’ll find out if it is the start of the same kind of Fifa stitch up that recently saw Saudi voted through without a vote Not everyone in the football world is in favour Uefa’s Sandy Ceferin doesn’t want it and thinks it’s a ‘bad idea’ He might be right or he might be wrong but coming from a man whose organisation has recently agreed that there will be 5 places for English clubs in next year’s Champions League when some countries have none  I’d say he’s also caught up in the self-interested rush for money After a year of quite cynical ‘Swiss-stalling’ the Asian Football Confederation is finally running out of patience with Infantino’s labyrinthine political machinery after an official complaint about the treatment of one of their members Shaik Salman bin Ibrahim Al  Khalifa the AFC president said “this issue has dragged on far too long We demand that the relevant authorities in Fifa study the file and make clear decisions We stand with the Palestinian football family and all those affected by the ongoing conflict and we stress the need for accountability” With the Fifa annual congress in Paraguay coming in May this will be a hard one for Gianni to avoid But I’d bet a nice bottle of wine that he will That’s because our game isn’t good at anything that needs medium to long term thinking and genuine investment This week Rangers bowed out to a very good Athletic Club de Bilbao side who have a policy of playing local Basque-area players Why is there no fuss being made that our lack of talent coming through confirms several hard truisms Our game is not good at future planning and for complex reasons lives for the proverbial ‘today’ Because nobody is responsible for player development at the right level nothing game-changing ever gets done Clubs are systematically unable to produce the talent they desire and instead field peripatetic ‘mercenaries’ who are only here because they can’t get something better And along the way countless bright eyed kids are burnt by our broken system and many are lost to the game We need to engineer a fast evolution and someone needs to take ownership “I have concerns because it looks like the same people in new packaging” I’ve been told it’s nothing to do with football all just about land and development values and it worries me how many of our clubs are sitting on valuable tracts of potential real estate that in Victorian times was worthless I fully appreciate how difficult it is for both the SFA and the SPFL to both negotiate and protect our game from the shenanigans that are perpetrated daily to our clubs and communities under current company laws but feel we need some big thinking on our grounds We need to avoid carpet bagging of core community assets even if my Nairn flats get blocked What if all our grounds were somehow held in trust by the SFA/SPFL and could only be disposed of with the blessing and support of the trust Football clubs are sitting on so much valuable land that companies who are set up to carpetbag the assets just can’t go wrong In the meantime get your name down off-plan for an executive flat at Smith Station Park I care about football beyond the short term stuff that keeps the chattering journos chattering and try to see the bigger picture and I know it is appreciated by many of you Alison Krauss & Union Station : paper airplane Bluegrass meets contemporary music with a truly exceptional vocalist an amazing band and an album that is like a deep warm bath on a wild wet and windy night On first listen it sounds like you already know it intimately while it transports you to new places you’ve already visited One cleverer critic than me said “Collectively they venture into down-tempo chords where others fear to tread and the result grabs you” The soul of this music comes from an evolutionary Appalachian mix of the Scots-Irish tradition meeting African-American blues and jazz Posted in: Andy’s Sting in the Tale, Latest News A controversial plan to build several industrial units on land near the A96 to the east side of Nairn is set to go in front of councillors Highland Council’s south planning applications committee will decide on Wednesday whether to give the green light to the bid to erect seven industrial units on land near the Balmakeith Industrial Estate with planners recommending the application is granted However the move by developer Space MGM, an Inverness-based company, has sparked debate among the local community. While some members of the public have welcomed the proposal as providing what they say is much-needed space for smaller businesses to operate from saying it would lead to the loss of a designated green space More Nairnshire news A public consultation which closed in January saw 21 public comments submitted 12 in support of the plans and nine against the development Objections have also been raised by Nairn River Community Council and by the council’s own flood management team - though the latter was withdrawn in January The report by the area planning manager in favour of granting approval states: “The proposal would provide a relatively modestly sized extension to the existing industrial and business estate at Balmakeith on the eastern side of the town taking advantage of the already established connectivity to the A96 “Although the detail of the layout and buildings has not been presented in this application the indicative layout suggests that the units would be relatively modest in size and would be suitable for small businesses and cater for an existing demand for this within the area This would therefore help to sustain and consolidate existing businesses and provide opportunities for new businesses to develop from.” It also states that the overall nature and scale of the proposal is considered to be compatible with the surrounding area and according to placemaking priorities set out in the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan 2 (IMFLDP2) - particularly given its “close functional relationship” to Balmakeith Industrial Estate the development would strengthen the local economy and “increase local employment opportunities by supporting suitable new sites to enable further growth” while acknowledging that the land has “localised value as a green space” as set out in the Nairnshire Local Place Plan recently published by Nairn Improvement Community Enterprise (NICE) the site does not have any associated statutory natural heritage designations “Although identified as being part of the local green network in IMFLDP2 this does not preclude development of the site,” the report states “Development of the site for industrial and business use will impact on this space and result in a loss of some trees although sufficient space remains to provide an opportunity to enhance biodiversity through new and additional tree planting.” It also states that the overall level of additional noise would be limited due to the location of the site which is next to the busy A96 and in close proximity to the industrial estate The position of the planner is to recommend granting the application with a number of conditions among which are the submission of a detailed layout of the site and details of the design and external appearance of the proposed development along with a landscaping and maintenance plan plus details of access and parking arrangements foul and surface water drainage arrangements The proposed access for vehicles is also required to remain private whilst the developer is asked to undertake upgrading works of the existing footway at the site Other requirements are aimed at the protection of biodiversity and trees on the site Works are well under way for a project seeking to revitalise a part of Nairn Links with a new social gathering area Spades are in the ground for Phase 2 of the effort by local charity Team Hamish to spruce up the Links, which will see a new terraced seating area near the putting green on Marine Road as well as new linking footpaths and benches added This comes at a particularly poignant time as February 20 marked the eight anniversary since the loss of young boy Hamish said they are delighted to finally see the project starting to take shape after many years of planning and fundraising He said: “We are so delighted to finally actually get on site after being so long in the pipeline and I'm so pleased with how it's going so far as well “The response from the community has been so positive - because it is a community project I am so pleased it’s having such an impact so far.” The planning application for the project was given in 2023 however due to rising costs for building the new infrastructure plans had to be put on hold However enough money was raised in order to get a first part started and the implementation of the new facilities will come in stages Mr Hey has called for the help of the local community in order to take the project to its final completion On a post on Facebook he wrote: “We would really appreciate your great ideas and contributions to help us achieve our goal brings us one step closer to completing this wonderful project Thank you so much for your continued support and dedication to making our Community a better place.” This project follows the successful opening of the Splashpad which has become a popular landmark at the Links Works for this first stage are expected to be completed in April A Nairn family is honouring the memory of their daughter by launching an event to raise funds for charity and awareness on baby loss Amelia’s Treasure Quest is set to take place over the next school summer holidays and will mark five years from her death caused by a rare condition The initiative will raise money for Held in Our Hearts whose support has been vital for Amelia’s mum she found herself struggling before getting help from the charity · More Nairnshire News too far into my grieving process,” she said and that's where it's good having somebody else that you can lean on.” It was 2019 when she and her husband Matt discovered that they were pregnant she was advised to speak with a consultant “It was at that meeting that we found out that I was actually quite ill,” Cora explained So we didn't know what was wrong with Amelia at the time she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia — a serious pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine usually occurring after 20 weeks of pregnancy — and was hospitalized for some time “We were told there was a 90 per cent chance that she would pass away I felt that she had actually passed away,” she said but told herself that it was because she was still so small after four nurses tried to find a heartbeat and obviously we were told that her heart had stopped Cora and Matt have welcomed their son Benjamin (3) and daughter Hope (1) and although pregnancy was a very stressful time after what happened to Amelia “It’s been about processing it all again,” said Cora “It’s something we couldn’t do during lockdown Everything went slower and much faster at the same time.” She said that she was able to have valuable support at an early stage from another baby loss charity her and her husband had each other and had to “muddle through” that time a friend recommended she got in touch with Held in Our Hearts She's helped ground me a little bit this year with just how I've been feeling coming up to Amelia's fifth birthday and maybe take a wee bit of the pressure away from the fact that I should have been dropping a five-year-old off to school but actually I am not.” Cora and Matt are organising a treasure hunt open to children of all ages and families we're going to hide pirates around Nairn – and the pirates actually represent other still-born babies from parents I have met since I have had Amelia I am hoping we might be able to share a bit about them too “Miscarriage and stillbirth are still such taboo subjects it's still something that a lot of people don't really want to talk about It's like finding the balance to still want to talk about them but not wanting to burden anybody else in a sense.” Amelia's Treasure Quest — which is sponsored by Kinwell Pharmacy in Nairn — will take place over the school summer holidays from July 4 with the last day to complete the quest being August 19 but for people to be able to come and do it in their own time “I also didn't want to be the centre of everything and be the host as much “With a lot of the parents that we've met since and they're playing together…which is nice to know that they've kind of To take part the quest — whose winners will get a voucher of choice — people can pay the entry fee through the dedicated Just Giving page, with proceeds going to Held in Our Hearts with treasure quest materials to be sent via email on July 3 is also set to host a launch event for the initiative More information on how to take part and donate, can be found on Amelia's Treasure Quest group on Facebook or by contacting Cora at cora-leigh-04@hotmail.com and which them to be represented through one of the pirates A Highland museum has made a special appearance on ‘The Repair Shop on the Road’ Nairn Museum was the focus of a special episode of the BBC spin-off series featured host Dominic Chiesa (‘Dom’) and Inverness restoration expert Richard Fraser as they uncovered a remarkable piece of history The pair discovered unique WWII-era artwork painted directly onto the attic walls by Polish soldiers who were stationed at the museum These precious artworks were at risk of being lost forever due to the deteriorating roof and the threat of collapse Founded in 1860, Nairn Museum is based in Viewfield House The independent museum – which preserves explores and brings to life the heritage of Nairn and Nairnshire – closed in September 2024 for essential building maintenance The museum announced the “exciting news” of its appearance a few hours before the programme aired A Facebook post read: “We originally applied for conservation work on two stunning dresses from our collection but when a fabric conservator couldn’t be found in time the team suggested tackling something equally fascinating—the Second World War graffiti in our attic!” The museum explained how the attic is in “desperate need” of repair The Highland Council is doing some minor roof work however much-needed major works are not currently planned Staff at the museum hope that tonight’s visibility will help them persuade decision makers to invest in the building Tonight’s episode showed Dom and Inverness plastering expert Richard Fraser trying to preserve art painted by Polish soldiers on the walls of the attic of Nairn Museum during WWII They were welcomed by museum curator Annie MacDonald She took the restauration workers to the attic to see the unique artwork Ms MacDonald showed them a picture of flowers and a second painting of a woman which she hoped it was “someone’s sweetheart.” She said: “They were drawn in 1945 by Polish soldiers who stayed here – I hope we can display them to the public; that’s my dream “I think they’re very intimate and very delicate and it’s a story not many people know and one I know the Polish community really cares about.” Former museum manager Jenny Rose-Miller explained the artworks are “very much part of the local history” She said: “I was first aware of these in 2002 when I was museum manager and we had a visit from one of the Polish soldiers that was here and he was thrilled to see that the sketches were still here on the walls.” Mr Fraser needed to cut the plaster to safely retrieve the paintings He explained that there was “risk” involved in the operation as he said they could “crack” the plaster in the process he successfully managed to remove them with Dom’s help and then transported the artworks to his Nairn workshop for further restauration they were welcomed by volunteers who could not wait to see the paintings off the wall Ms MacDonald concluded: “It’s absolutely amazing “I wasn’t expecting to see them as complete as they are; it’s beautiful.” A “powerhouse” country vocalist is set to tour Scotland — with their only Highland date set to be hosted in Nairn After four successful UK tours and a string of sold-out shows Hannah Anders will be bringing a full-band experience to the Nairn Community and Arts Centre after selling out intimate venues throughout the north of Scotland “The fans here don’t just listen — they feel the music Sign up to receive our free email newsletters Known for her signature blend of high-energy country and rock-infused grit her performances have been a success amidst Scottish fans Anders is also celebrated for her ability to deliver powerful “Country music has deep roots in storytelling and nowhere do audiences appreciate a great story like Scotland,” Anders added “It’s been incredible to watch the country music scene here explode and I’m honoured to be part of that movement.” The tour will include performances of brand new songs set for release later this year you won’t find a more welcoming group of friends and fans to join for an evening of country music,” Anders said “The sense of community at these shows is something truly special.” April 18 are available at www.hannahanders.com/tour The 66-year-old man was discovered unresponsive next to his bike near Nairn. The 66-year-old man was discovered unresponsive next to his Specialized bike on the part of the road, which is known locally as Raspberry Hill, near Nairn at around 3.20pm. Emergency services attended however he was pronounced dead at the scene. Sergeant Douglas Scott said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the deceased at this difficult time. “There are not believed to be any other vehicles involved in the incident and our enquiries to establish the full circumstances are ongoing. “If you were in the area around the time of this incident, please get in touch with officers. Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1956 of April 7. A 39-year-old woman has been charged with wasting police time following reports of a sexual assault and robbery in Nairn An investigation was launched by police last month after an alleged attack on the riverside footpath between Church Road and Jubilee Bridge in broad daylight The reports claimed a woman had been sexually assaulted by a man while a woman stole her purse on Monday The incident prompted serious safety fears within the community, with local representatives calling for improved safety measures such as CCTV. This evening, however, police confirmed a 39-year-old woman has been charged with wasting police time The woman is due to appear at Inverness Sheriff Court at a later date Detective Chief Inspector Ross Hamill said inquiries have provided no evidence proving a sexual crime or robbery occurred He thanked the public for their cooperation and assistance he said: “I would like to thank the public for coming forward following the appeals for information “We are aware of the impact this incident has had on the local community and would like to reassure the public that officers have carried out extensive enquiries to establish the full circumstances “All lines of enquiry have now been completed following a comprehensive investigation “We are content that no sexual crime or robbery has occurred.” He added: “Police Scotland takes all reports of violence and sexual crime extremely seriously “Anyone who has been a victim of sexual crime can always contact police we take every report seriously and will investigate thoroughly.” Police are investigating a crash involving a car and a bicycle in Nairn A cyclist collided with a grey Polestar car on the B9091 just outside the town around 8am on Sunday There was no requirement for medical treatment he failed to provide his details to the driver of the car He was wearing a black waterproof jacket and trousers florescent yellow cycle helmet and glasses Sergeant Steven MacLennan, Nairn Police Office said: “We are looking to speak to the cyclist involved in this incident “Anyone with information should contact 101 quoting reference 0834 of April 15.” A nightclub reveller was told he is lucky his victim was alive after he pushed her to the ground and she was knocked unconscious when her head struck the kerb Inverness Sheriff Court heard that 24-year-old Poasa Nawacalevu was upset after hearing racial comments in the nightspot and his victim had gone out to Nairn's High Street to comfort him on June 2 Sheriff Gary Aitken was told by fiscal depute Victoria Silver that Nawacalevu had gone outside after drinking with his victim in the premises and she found him agitated and attempted to give him a hug "He then grabbed both her arms and pushed her forcefully to the ground where she hit her head against the kerb,” she said “She got up and attempted to hug him again and he threw her to the ground again.” Ms Silver added: “She attended Raigmore where she received a CT scan and was in hospital for a number of hours as she was told she was knocked out for some time.” Inverness pleaded guilty to the assault and was fined a total of £760 Sheriff Aitken said: “You are extremely lucky your friend is not dead through your foolish actions.” Nawacalevu’s solicitor David Patterson said: “He recalls hearing racial comments in the club and was agitated because of that A father of four who suspected his partner of infidelity stormed out of the house only to be locked out on his return in the early hours Inverness Sheriff Court heard that 47 year old Garth Green of Stewart Street was banging on windows and kicked the front door in an attempt to gain entry which resulted in his partner calling the police Fiscal depute Sophie Marshall told Sheriff Robert Frazer that the woman was fearful that Green would break the windows Court news Crime news Green admitted behaving in a threatening or abusive manner at their house on September 15 Defence solicitor Rory Gowans told Inverness Sheriff Court: "The background to this is the break-up and ultimate end of a relationship which lasted 20 years "He had been drinking too much and dabbling with substances He accepts the relationship is now over and is going to move on." Sheriff Frazer deferred sentence until March 6 for Ms Marshall to obtain information about Green's former partner's attitude to a non harassment order being imposed A new chapter is starting for a long-established Nairn business Pat Fraser Radio & TV announced a change at the helm after owner Laurie Fraser decided to retire Pat Fraser Radio & TV has been a well-known presence on the High Street for almost seven decades The new owners are keen to uphold the continuity of the services and products supplied to the customers & community owner of Boiler and Valve Engineering Ltd and his business partner in this new venture Paul Tomlinson are excited to get started a time-served Electrician and experienced Electrical manager Andrew and Paul are delighted to start this business venture together and make it a continued success The business officially changed hands yesterday (Monday March 3) and has retained all employees and services Pat Fraser Electrical will still be your white goods supplier and trusted electrical contractor With the same friendly staff there to help you every time you call or come into the store Laurie’s father Pat founded the business in 1956 It was an early start for Laurie in the business when he started by rolling out drums of cable at the age of two or three he then spent several years working away overseas returning in 1982 and qualifying as an electrician “We've dealt with virtually everything across the board - wind turbines Throughout the many challenges thrown at small local businesses over the last decades - the pandemic and increasing growth of online sales - Pat Fraser has remained a landmark in Nairn’s business landscape with loyal customers spanning across generations Laurie said that the time felt right to retire Plans to give the shop a new direction with new owners was a “natural progression” for the business I felt the business needed a lift - you need to have a big refresh every few years “I wish the two gentlemen who are taking it on all the best Whilst Paul has been working in the business he has met many customers who have been very positive about keeping Pat Fraser's where it is People like knowing that if they have any electrical work or if they have any white goods or small appliances that they need replaced or repaired and it’s clear to see that the success of Pat Fraser is down to its people Growing the existing team’s skill sets is a focus of the new owners they all bring a great positive attitude and embrace the new ownership Whilst retaining the grassroots of the company Paul and Andrew will look to develop into new commercial This will enable the company to provide sustainable employment for local people Plans for a brand new clubhouse for a local bowling club are now under consultation Nairn Bowling Club has lodged plans with Highland Council to build new facilities at the east end of the Farmers’ Showfield - which is currently owned by Nairnshire Farming Society. The application is looking into the creation of a new clubhouse This comes after a very successful year for the Albert Street-based club has prompted the requirement for bigger facilities The design statement says: “The vision is not to provide a closed facility the building will provide facilities that will be open to the whole community This will add to the vitality of the town and create use beyond simply bowling Previous attempts to develop the site have not been successful and have not been in step with the town thinking at the time “The proposal is based on a holistic approach to what works for this site and the wider context.” A two-storey clubhouse will host a carpet bowl space a creche and locker rooms on the ground floor and a large function room on the first floor with a kitchen allowing for catering events as well as a meeting room for smaller events said they have spent several years developing this project He said: “We fully understand that the "farmers' show field" holds a special place in the hearts of the Nairn community Our proposal aims to preserve this valued space by retaining it as a sporting and community hub that will serve the people of Nairn for generations to come “It will also provide funding through the sale of the area of ground to support the Nairnshire Farmers Society to develop their new location for the further benefit of the community “Our current facility at Albert Street no longer meets modern requirements for space As one of Scotland's top three most-played sports lawn bowls is a vital part of community life and we are committed to ensuring its future by providing modern accessible facilities designed to accommodate today’s lifestyles our vision embraces the creation of a multi-purpose venue that other small community groups Our proposal has received enthusiastic backing from Bowls Scotland alongside numerous letters of support from local organizations “We are keen to collaborate with local residents and the wider community to create a facility that meets the town’s needs and supports its growth we can ensure that this project benefits Nairn now and in the future.” A consultation is now running and will be open to comments until February 10 on the Highland Council’s website Anyone interested to provide a comment can also email eplanning@highland.gov.uk or post the to ePlanning IV3 5NX - quoting the application number 24/04986/FUL Although there have been no formal objections to the plans at the time of writing some concerns were raised on the impact of the new building on surrounding properties - with a post on Facebook group Nairn Rocks attracting more than 200 comments in support or against the application Highland Council’s transport planning team has also requested further information before they can approve or object the application A proposal to merge Nairn’s two community councils into one has divided opinion in the community concerns were raised about the process used to propose the merger Member Joan Noble said: “We’ve got two very enthusiastic and very hard-working community councils which could be forcibly merged She also worried about the size of the resulting community council which would serve around 10,000 residents.“How can one organisation speak for the entire Nairn with one voice?” she asked the largest community council in Highland by population is Thurso with just more than 7000 people represented Others at the meeting argued any proposals for change should be initiated by community councils themselves rather than Highland Council but one member of the public said he was for a merger believing being able to offer “one concerted view for the whole of Nairn” would carry more weight Others suggested seeking feedback and engaging with constituents would be a positive approach to the review Nairnshire and Cawdor councillor Barbara Jarvie said she will keep an open mind after hearing arguments on both sides She said: “Community councils are for the community - and it’s important that everyone gets a voice on this decision “I think it’s good that it’s not a short-timed consultation - it needs the time and space for conversations in different areas.” saying one community council would have a more powerful voice while also benefitting from pooling resources the merger in 2015 of Nairn West and Nairn Suburban Community Councils has been a resounding success.” NRCC will discuss the proposal at its next meeting A Highland Council spokesman said: “Community councils are created under the terms of the Scheme of Establishment The review of the scheme which is currently under way is one way in which to review the boundaries of community councils – this includes changes of boundaries creating two new community councils from one existing one or a merger of community councils “The review of the scheme is a formal statutory consultation which is set out in the Local Government Act It will comprise of two formal consultation periods where the public have the opportunity to provide their views Only following this will a decision be taken whether to amend the scheme in terms of any boundary changes If this was to include the merger of two community councils they would then be formally merged from the agreed date of the revised scheme implementation and election to the new Community Council would take place “The procedure followed is therefore correct and in line with the council’s Scheme of Establishment and the Local Government Act “The current proposal for a merger between the two Nairn Community Councils came forward during the pre-consultation period which is why it has been included in the current scheme review “A decision will only be taken following the two periods of public consultation and will take place at a Special Meeting of the Council in September 2025.” Addressing the size of the resulting community council they said: “There is no definition on the maximum or minimum size of a community souncil This varies considerably across Highland and Scotland.” The review will also see important changes for the other community councils in Nairnshire as it proposes to incorporate the area represented by East Nairnshire Community Council - which has been in abeyance since 2022 - between the existing Cawdor and West Nairnshire (CWNCC) and Auldearn community councils said there are no real objections to this change She said: “This suggestion would enable the residents within that area to at last have some local representation again Whilst this would mean an increase in the workload of the current CWNCC members it may also lead to more residents willing to volunteer CWNCC currently has one membership vacancy “The final decision obviously lies with the Highland Council and further details are needed outlining how this would be administered by both Cawdor and West Nairnshire CC and Auldearn CC who would be incorporating the area east of the A939 We will have to await their notification.” Almost 200 runners and walkers gathered at the Links in Nairn this morning for the town’s first-ever Parkrun. After months of work behind the scenes by the team of directors and volunteers the event was hailed a success by organisers and will become a weekly regular community event going forward Volunteer Jonathan Brodie said it was a wonderful morning and that the hope is to help tackle social isolation in Nairn · More Nairnshire news He said: “We were delighted to see so many people complete their first ever parkrun and we hope to see many more in the weeks ahead A group of almost 25 volunteers helped run the first edition of the event — which will return each Saturday morning to the area at 9.30am Mr Brodie said this was a real team effort and they are hoping for more volunteers to join the group to make its success consistent in the future “We are hoping volunteering at parkrun in Nairn can be a tool for combating social isolation in the community and look forward to linking with the local GP practice to expand the parkrun prescribing initiative into Nairn too “Volunteering is really good fun and all the training needed will be provided on the day.” The initiative was a few months in the making after and has come a long way after a first attempt to test waters for appetite for this event in the local community “Getting setup has been in many ways pushing against an open door,” Mr Brodie explained “We've had great support and encouragement from the community Iain and Tim have worked together as a great team to pull it all together “The Highland Council have been fab and really encouraging and we got permission for the event last summer The limiting factor has been obtaining funding but we hoped to raise support from local businesses which wasn't available ultimately “The grant from Davidson Trust and subsequently from Haventus were brilliant and it was great to have support from Nairn Road Runners in being able to apply to Haventus and receive the grant “Local parkrun teams in Elgin and Inverness (as well as Aviemore and Thurso) have been brilliant in giving our volunteers opportunity to gain experience as well as providing support and encouragement too It's been a real learning experience for the team all in and I'm really proud of us for this achievement Parkrun participant Donald Wilson said it was a great start to the Nairn Links event He said: “The weather was good and nearly 200 participants of all ages and some four legged friends made good pace setters who will be looking for volunteers to make up a roster for future runs.” Anyone wishing to get involved in volunteering can do so by contacting nairnlinks@parkrun.com or find more information on the parkrun at www.parkrun.org.uk/nairnlinks Nairn 10k is set to see one of its biggest ever entries of runners when the annual event takes place on Sunday afternoon Organisers are reporting that over 310 runners have already entered to take part in the event with entries still being taken Runners from across the UK are set to travel to Nairn to compete in this year’s race as the popularity of the competition is continuing to grow with chairman Kevin Reid saying preparations are going well He said the event could be on course for a record number of entries saying that competitive running is enjoying a boost with the amount of people taking part in events He said: “We have had over 310 entries so far It is the most runners that we have had in recent years and could be one of the highest entries that we have ever had “We are seeing the number of people coming out to run post covid increasing and there seems to be a big upturn in most of the running events “The majority of entries are coming from the Highlands but we have also seen entries from England taking part this year too.” Both last year’s men’s and women’s winners James Wilson from Moray Road Runners and Caitlyn Heggie from Inverness Harriers are set to return on Sunday to defend their titles Wilson won the title for the first time in 31 minutes and 57 seconds He was 32 seconds ahead of James Tole of Metro Aberdeen in second place who finished in 32:29 with Shaun Cumming of Highland Hill Runners third in a time of 32:36 Halina Rees of Highland Hill Runners took the silver medal with a time of 36:25 with 2023 champion Jenny Bannerman of Inverness Harriers in third place in a time of 37:14 The event has a new sponsor with Haventus and as well as a major running competition Reid says it is great for the Nairn economy “It is a fantastic event for the town and the only real issue we have to deal with is the road closures But we are always given a good deal to organise that.” “There is always a great turnout to watch the race as well and the club is always well supported.” The race takes place at 2.30pm on Sunday and starts and finishes on the Nairn High Street which itself is closed to cars for the race The rest of the course is a fast open course which leaves the town and winds its way back in with few turns in it and has a fast finish down to the main High Street where it finishes under the Town Clock A limited number of entries for Sunday’s Nairn 10k are still available at racebest.com A drink-driver who agreed to give a woman a lift home sped off from police at 128mph after they tried to stop him on the A96 for driving his Mercedes at excessive speed Inverness Sheriff Court heard that officers later tracked down 32-year-old Sam Hutcheon Nairn to a field outside the town after he crashed into it through bushes and extensively damaged his vehicle Sheriff Neil Wilson was told by fiscal depute Shamiela Ghafar that Hutcheon ignored "desperate pleas to stop" from his passenger when he escaped from the police near Gollanfield in the early hours of December 27 last year The prosecutor added that Hutcheon had put his arm on the woman to keep her in place as he accelerated away from the patrol car who decided it was too dangerous to give chase Hutcheon only slowed down as police drew up beside him cheekily admitting he was twice the drink-drive limit before driving on to a verge and accelerating away After finding the wrecked car in the field Hutcheon was breath tested and it transpired he was three times the legal limit at 65mcgs of alcohol when the limit is 22mcgs drink-driving and failing to stop for police Defence solicitor Duncan Henderson said: "This was a poor piece of driving and he apologises Sheriff Wilson ordered Hutcheon to carry out 200 hours of unpaid community work as an alternative to prison and banned him from driving for two years He must sit the extended driving test of competence before he gets his licence back Sheriff Wilson told him: "This could have been much worse It was a deliberate course of action by you to get away from the police." A Nairn man was snared by an undercover police officer after sharing indecent images of children with the decoy seeking people with an interest in the obscene material Fiscal depute Emily Hood told Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald that on the contents of the warrant being read out What you are looking for is on the tablet on the bedside table." Inverness Sheriff Court heard that two of the devices were seized and on analysis Ms Hood added: "Evidence was also found of the accused sending and receiving images through social media messenger platforms "These involved videos of children ranging from five to 16 years old involved in penetrative activity with adult males "The total number of inaccessible files across the devices is 540 images and 341 videos and the number of unique inaccessible files is 257 images and 302 videos The total video runtime is six hours and 12 minutes." Defence solicitor David Patterson reserved his comments until a background report had been prepared on his client who will re-appear for sentence on April 1 downloading and distributing indecent images was immediately placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register Sheriff Macdonald also asked for Ward to be assessed for the Moving Forward to Change programme She told him: "It is a programme for people like you who like watching horrific images of children being abused." A teenager who brought a knife to a shop to “protect himself” has been sentenced to unpaid work Staff at the Co-op in Nairn were alarmed when a knife dropped out of a customer's clothing as he bent down to grab a plastic bag Inverness Sheriff Court heard that 19-year-old Ossian MacLellan picked the blade up and placed it up his sleeve before leaving Fiscal depute Sophie Marshall told Sheriff Robert Frazer: "He apologised to staff saying: 'I have to protect myself.' “Police were informed and he was found with a group of youths "He then made off on foot after being approached by the police but he was later arrested." MacLellan previously admitted possessing a knife in a public place namely the Co-op in the town's High Street on April 20 last year and sentence was deferred for a background report MacLellan appeared before Sheriff Neil Wilson for sentencing who was told by defence agent Willie Young: "There was a period when he was associating with negative peer influences “When he attempted to disassociate himself from them he was subjected to a variety of threats Ordering MacLellan to carry out 150 hours of unpaid community work the sheriff told him: "This is your second similar offence The Transport Secretary will be asked when the Scottish Government will be able to provide a detailed timetable for the dualling of the A96 between Inverness and Nairn. On Wednesday, the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee members agreed to write to Fiona Hyslop asking for clarification on the delivery of the project This comes after Ms Hyslop gave evidence in front of the committee concerning the Inverness Courier’s petition calling for a timeline on works for the scheme to be published by Easter 2025 CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION The call for further clarification was issued by Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing, who is also a member of the committee — and a campaigner for the dualling scheme During the meeting Mr Ewing said that Ms Hyslop’s evidence at the start of April “raised more questions than provided answers” and that he suggested writing her to seek clarity on a number of issues what progress the Scottish Government is making to develop a detailed timeline for the dualling of the A96 between Inverness and Nairn and the construction of a bypass for Nairn given that the acquisition of the land is now about to take place or is about to be completed whether the expected statement on the decision on the use of the Mutual Investment Model (MIM) contracts for the remaining sections of the A9 will also include an update on the use of MIM as a procurement option for dualling the A96 between Inverness and Nairn or if the cabinet secretary expects that there will be separate parliamentary statements saying that the Auditor General has expressed criticism of it as it may not be attractive to our civil engineering contractors operating here due to the large scale of the works to be carried out is there not a risk that there will be no willling contractors ready to do the work because they have much other potentially more lucrative work to do in pump storage “Why will they not use framework contracts as is used in Scottish Water and also SSEN for its major works?” Funding for the scheme was also involved in another request of information He said: “The capital budget this year is over £6billion and it is to be expected that it would be of that order for the next 10 years the combined cost of the commitments on the A96 and the A9 would be far less than one tenth 10 of that “So why can't we use the existing capital budget and design and build options “Because it does seem that if the highlands are to be attributed the priority that I believe they should be given then there is more than enough money for the Highlands to have these investments in these roads given the likely scale of the capital budget historically and going forward.” The committee approved the questions suggested by Mr Ewing A basement fire that brought the centre of Nairn to a standstill earlier today is now extinguished Firefighters using breathing apparatus and jet reel and main hoses fought to control the flames at a building on Church Street BREAKING: Underground fire closes Nairn streets The alarm was raised just after 11 am this morning after smoke was seen billowing outside the building from underground It took two Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crews almost two hours to bring the blaze under control with nearby buildings evacuated and parts of the two streets cordoned off as a precaution An SFRS spokeswoman said: “We discovered a fire within the basement of a building and surrounding buildings were evacuated “Breathing apparatus was used but nobody was found to be present in the area of the building affected “We were able to leave the scene by 13:03 hours.” Nairn sea swimmers have been embracing a new challenge for 2025 Local dippers are coming together at Nairn beach to swim under each full moon of the year which started with the Wolf Moon on January 12 Swimmers arrived at the cold beach to overcast skies and by the time they got to the water the moon made its appearance revealing the “most incredible sight” The most recent full moon was the Snow Moon which stayed hidden behind the clouds but had almost 40 wild swimmers in attendance including groups the Buckie Selkies some of the Highland Otters This year’s moon challenge is being coordinated by Kirstin Grant through her business KG Scotland She started up in July 2024 to support others who wanted to get into open-water swimming. Kirstin said: “As an open water swimmer myself I would always get asked questions like ‘are you not scared?’ ‘what do you need?’ I created a session that teaches people about the risks and the benefits of cold water immersion including the kit we use “Once we have covered all the theory we then hit the beach for the practical and participants get to try cold water dipping in a safe and supported environment “Following the session they are given signposting to other opportunities with the hope of them continuing on with their own cold water journey “The moon dips are an example of the signposted swims Not only on the uptake but also on the reported benefits from participants.” which means if someone feels that cold water immersion could benefit them they can contact medical professionals in Nairn Medical professionals will then submit a referral on the patient’s behalf which goes to Kirstin and she will get in touch to provide either a 1:1 or a group session She said: “February was just as beautiful and although the moon stayed hidden behind the clouds we couldn't miss the feeling of the Snow Moon's energy and the excitement of dipping in the dark “The experience was shared far and wide and we were joined by other local swimming groups such as the Buckie Selkies Highland Otters and dippers who travelled as far as Muir of Ord to join us Swimmer Kemi Gordon who attended said of the full moon bathing: “It’s up there with one of the best experiences I’ve ever done Another swimmer Nikki McClenaghan added: “What a gorgeous sight of colour and smiling faces!” Kirstin concluded: “The social connection from wild swimming is incredible and I’ve seen so many new friendships and swim groups form; all through the power of cold water.” The next moon-lit dip is the Worm Moon on March 14 Homes in Nairn remain without power this evening following an underground fire Fire crews were sent to the town’s Church Street shortly after 11am to a fire within a basement SSE has confirmed the fire was contained within a metal box where their underground cables are jointed The fire led to a power cut in the area affecting 25 homes and businesses across 12 postcodes Engineers have been working around the clock to restore power to eight properties in the area They estimate the work will be complete by 7pm a spokesperson from SSEN Distribution said: “We’d like to thank our customers in Nairn town centre for their patience as our teams work hard to restore their power following a fault on our local underground cable network this morning We’re doing all we can to get the power back on as quickly and as safely as possible and we expect the remaining 8 supplies to be restored by early evening.” Firefighters remained at the scene until 3.30pm work to restore power in the area is ongoing a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 11.12am on Wednesday 22nd January to reports of fire affecting the basement of a dwelling on Church Street “Operations Control initially mobilised two appliances to the scene Crews left the scene at 3.30pm after ensuring the area was made safe There were no reports of any casualties.”