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News

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• ‍‍Highland Community Lottery: Play Highland Community Lottery and support your community with a fundraising lottery.  At least 60% from each ticket sold goes to support Highland, and there’s a chance to win the £25,000 jackpot every week.

• Upcoming PVG Changes: Changes are coming to the PVG Scheme and you need to make sure you are aware of them. Following the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 there are changes due to come into effect from the 1st of April 2025. For more information on these changes and how you can learn more,click here.

• Highland Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Group Newsletter Spring 2025: please see attached newsletter for information on handling stress, Highlife Highland activities and a range of other information.

• Network Rail’s £11.5m track refurbishment on Far North Line: From 8-30 June, Network Rail will refurbish almost five miles of track between Brora and Helmsdale, replacing old or worn components and ensuring that the rails, sleepers and ballast are fit for purpose. There will be further work on the track between Invergordon and Fearn, as well as other vital work to inspect bridges and culverts, clear lineside drainage, and ditches, and repair the surfaces of level crossings. During the work, Dalchalm level crossing (to the north of Brora) will be closed, and vehicles will need to use the A9 as a diversionary route.

• The Highland Good Food Podcast is a place for us to explore the big topics around local sustainable food together. A space for to hear from inspiring and progressive doers and thinkers. The latest episode asks What is the Future for Community Composting in the Highlands?

• Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) is Scotland’s youth employment strategy to better prepare young people for the world of work. 21 Regional Groups have been set up across Scotland to connect employers with education. DYW North Highland plays a key role in delivering this youth employment strategy in the North Highlands, ensuring young people develop the skills and knowledge to understand and succeed in the world of work. Since 2015 DYW North Highland has played a significant role in ensuring young people have a work relevant education experience. The initiative is available to all young people in education aged 24 and under. Working in partnership with employers to inspire confidence, enable relevant employability skills and support access to workplace opportunities to develop lifelong career skills. For more information, click here.

• Armed Forces Covenant: The Armed Forces Covenant is everyone’s business. In Highland we want to ensure there is a wide awareness and understanding across our Highland Communities of what the Covenant means, barriers that may be faced by our Armed Forces families and the support available. Education, Health and Housing are inextricably linked, so these teams have worked together to co-produce a comprehensive resource to help support awareness and understanding.

• MCR Pathways – Share an Hour. Change a Life: MCR Pathways is a mentoring charity supporting young people in the Highlands, who face challenges in life, or are finding school difficult to deal with. We’re looking for mentors to spend just one hour a week at Nairn Academy, helping young people build confidence and reach their potential. No experience required and all are welcome. To sign up, click hereor email duncan.fraser@mcrpathways.org.

• Green Health Week 2025, May 3^rd-11^th: Think Health Think Nature have organised their annual Green Health Week between 3rd May - 11th May 2025. This year it’s all about encouraging opportunities for all to access nature in safe and inclusive ways. Opportunities can be found here.

• Planet Youth April Newsletter: A fantastic newsletter from Planet Youth with information on training opportunities, social media and adolescence and events taking place across Highland.

• NHS Highland Key Stakeholder Update: Weekly update from NHS Highland. This week’s update includes information on Sutherland Care at Home. Further information can be found in the document attached.

• Renewable Energy Mapping Tool: This tool will enable those with an interest in understanding the location and type of renewable energy projects within Highland to discover not only what already exists on the ground but also the stage that any projects may be at within the planning process. The tool provides key information for each development in a single click with an easy link into the planning case file where further detailed information is required.

• Autism and Neurodiversity North Scotland: Creating opportunities for autistic and neurodivergent people, and their networks, to realise their full potential and transform the world we live in. Click here for more information, including the latest news across the group.

• Points can Mean Prizes for More Active Travel: HITRANS are working with BetterPoints on the HItravel BetterPoints rewards programme to reward people across the Highlands, Argyll and Bute, Moray, Orkney, and the Western Isles for walking, cycling and taking public transport. Anyone who lives, works or studies in those areas can download the free BetterPoints app and each sustainable journey they take earns them points, which they can spend on local businesses or donate to charity. To find out more, click here.

• Red Chair Highland are launching a joint project with Ofcom looking at delivering media literacy and news production training to adults living in areas of economic disadvantage in the HIghland Region. This will help inform Ofcom's approach to tackling misinformation and disinformation in the media. We will be running eleven 4 week courses in different locations over the next 2 years. The first course will be held in collaboration with Flip of the Coin CIC and will be delivered at The Field in Alness, commencing on May 22nd. The second course will be held at Dingwall Men's Shed, commencing in July, dates to be confirmed.  If an organisation is interested in having Red Chair Highland deliver this course to their location, contact kirsty@redchairhighland.scot

• BT Consultation on Public Payphones Removal: BT has launched a consultation on the removal of 110 public payphones in Highland which they state are no longer needed.  Details of the payphones being considered for closure are set out in the list at this link. The Highland Council is encouraging members of the public to look at BT’s proposals and to comment, giving as much information as possible. BT has indicated that they have assessed the 110 payphones using the criteria in Ofcom’s Review of the telephony universal service obligation. BT’s consultation is open until 15 July 2025.

• Free Period Products are available in Highland to everyone who needs them. They can be accessed at our community locations, through a home delivery service and are also available to pupils in schools. For more information and how to access products, click here.

• Fort William Town Centre Masterplan: A Design Team Response to Community feedback on the Fort William Town Centre Masterplans has been compiled and is now available as a standalone report on the Fort William 2040 webpage which can be found here.

• NHS Highland:  A new online platform has been launched to encourage people across Highland, Argyll and Bute to engage directly with NHS Highland.  The NHS Highland Engagement Hub is a one-stop shop for engagement, to let us know about the topics people would like to hear more about, become involved in and stay updated on.  We are asking for your help in designing the engagement hub, to help us make sure it is a welcoming and easy to use space and that people from all our communities choose to engage with.  At NHS Highland we know we need the insight and experience of people who use our services in order to learn and improve: Tell us what you think.

Funding Opportunities

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• The Robertson Trust provide funding to third-sector organisations that help people and communities in Scotland living with poverty and trauma. Information on who and what they fund, useful links and resources and FAQs can be found here.

• HTSI produce a monthly Funding Bulletin for their members, which details current funding opportunities in Highland. They can provide workshops for staff or volunteers in Highland’s third sector, to address some of the challenges they’re aware of when it comes to applying for funds. They also distribute funds to third sector organisations on behalf of agencies in the public sector, find out more information here: HTSI Funding.

• April Funding Finder: The latest Funding Finder from the Highlands and Islands Climate Hub details currently open funding avenues tailored to their members. These funds support climate action of both mitigation and adaption measures. To see the full list of open funds, click here.

• Community Led Local Development Fund: HTSI and Highland & Islands Climate Hub (HICH) are working in partnership with The Highland Council Community Regeneration Fund (CRF) to deliver two small grants programmes for third sector organisations. For more information on the funds, click here.  Applications must be submitted by 30 May at 4.00pm. Projects must be completed by end of December 2025.

• Community Link Worker Third Sector Remote and Rural Fund: HTSI are about to open a new fund, courtesy of NHS Highland. Third sector organisations are encouraged to apply for up to £10,000 to be spent between 2025 and 2027, to increase capacity to accept referrals from Community Link Workers or create new activities for referral. £75,420 will be awarded, with priority focused on remote and rural GP Cluster areas. This fund will be
  open for applications on 21 April 2025. You can find more information on the fund here.

• Cares Funding: The Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) supports communities to engage with, participate in and benefit from the energy transition to net zero emissions. CARES is managed by Local Energy Scotland and offers a range of financial support to local energy projects. More information on the fund can be found here.

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Training

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• NHS Highland Health Improvement Team: offers the following Mental Health and Wellbeing training to any interested staff or partners: All training is delivered online via Microsoft teams.  Courses coming up include Introduction to mental health & wellbeing: Informed Level; Supporting a person at risk of distress or crisis; Suicide Intervention & Prevention Training (SIPP). For more information on the training available, click here.

• HTSI produce regular updates on upcoming events and training opportunities across Highlands for members, e-mails are delivered direct to your inbox.  To become a member, click here.

• Scottish Mental Health First Aid: This is a 2-day course aimed at anyone interested in increasing their knowledge and understanding of mental health issues. The course will equip you to become a mental health first aider. This course is intended to support people to recognise someone in distress, understand how to respond and signpost people on for help and support where required. It is not intended to diagnose or treat individuals. For further information, including dates and locations please see attached flyer.

• Alcohol Brief Intervention: Alcohol Brief Interventions (ABI’s) take the form of a short, non-judgemental conversation and may include person centred information and advice on how to reduce alcohol consumption. The course is for anyone who might benefit from being able to help others to make an informed choice about their alcohol use. Priority areas are primary care and A&E. ABI delivery is also encouraged in wider settings, such as housing, criminal justice, fire service and voluntary groups. Further information, including training dates, can be found in the flyer attached.

• Adult Learning in Scotland: Introduces learners to the policy contexts, theories and methods that support the effective planning and delivery of community-based learning. Details including dates, times and location are yet to be confirmed and will be selected based on the needs and availability of the participants. The training will be made up of weekly half-day sessions over 15 weeks. To find out more or to register your interest, contact roisin.irvine@highland.gov.uk.

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To read more, select the Community Briefing linked below.