Issue #227 | Tain & District Picture Post | October 2019 by K & N Concepts Ltd - ePublishing

TAIN & DISTRICT PICTURE POST

ISSUE NO. 227

P1/Nursery New Starts Issue!

OCTOBER 2019

PRICE £1.95

Primary School and Nursery New Starts for:- Craighill, Craighill Gaelic, Knockbreck, Milton, Hilton of Cadboll, Edderton, Inver, Fearn, Tarbat Old, Dornoch, Stepping Stones, Ankerville, Tain Nursery...

THIS MONTH:

Harris was joined by Grace from the MFR Breakfast Show to complete his final 5 kilometre walk of September rounding off his 5K A DAY challenge in aid of funds for MFR Cash for Kids. Harris has walked over 150km and raised over £800.00!

SCHOOL NEW STARTS ANDREW VASS ON CLANS MARGARET URQUHART ON LONDON HOUSE (PART 3) ALEX GRAHAM FUNDRAISING NEWS OLD FILE ST. DUTHUS BOWLING CLUB TAIN AMATEUR SWIMMING CLUB BOXING, ICE HOCKEY ST. DUTHUS FOOTBALL CLUB LATEST NEWS COMMUNITY EVENTS

WELCOME TO

THE GLENMORANGIE DISTILLERY EXPERIENCE

GLENMORANGIE HOUSE

By the tranquil shores of the Dornoch Firth, amidst the golden barley fields that border the Royal Burgh of Tain, lies the Glenmorangie Distillery. Here you will find a warm Highland welcome from our select craftsmen, the Men of Tain. With skills passed down the generations, they have dedicated themselves to creating our exceptional single malt whisky for the last 175 years.

Set amongst the rolling barley fields of Easter Ross, our beloved Highland hideaway, Glenmorangie House, is more of a country house than a hotel. For over 25 years it has welcomed the world to its door, developing an international reputation for Highland hospitality along the way. The house is a magnificent reflection of everything that the word ‘Glenmorangie’ stands for – a retreat to peace and calm, a place for cherished moments.

Our tours offer an unparalleled insight into the Glenmorangie Distillery. Accompanied by our expert guides, you will journey through all stages of our award-winning whisky creation. Tain, Ross-shire IV19 1PZ, Scotland t: 01862 892477 | e: tain-shop@glenmorangie.co.uk www.glenmorangie.com

Come and see for yourself what we mean by ‘Tranquillity Restored’….we guarantee you a warm Highland welcome! Fearn, by Tain, Ross-shire IV20 1XP, Scotland t: 01862 871671 | e: relax@glenmorangie.co.uk www.theglenmorangiehouse.com

The Glenmorangie Company advocates responsible drinking. Please savour our whiskies in moderation.

EDITORIAL

IT has been with great pride that we have spent the past

month accompanying our 7 year old son Harris (pictured on the cover page) on various 5 kilometre walks as he completes his 5K a day challenge in aid of funds for MFR Cash for Kids. He has walked over 150km in that time and in doing so has managed to raise an impressive sum of over £800.00 (at the time of writing). At the end of September he was joined by Grace (of MFR’s Breakfast Show with Dan and Grace) for his final 5K of the month, and they enjoyed a lovely walk along Ness Islands. So, we begin our October issue by saying a big Well Done to Harris for being such a star in September. October is of course our annual “new starts” pictorial month. We are delighted once again to have each of our local schools and nurseries represented, including some who we missed out on last year. Thank you to all of the teachers and of course the young pupils who helped us with getting everything together. As always, orders for prints will be available via the schools during October. Remember - it doesn’t cost a thing to share your news with us, send us a story or a picture or to let us know about an event you are holding in the near future. A large part of ensuring the Picture Post can be the best community magazine it can be, is the process of gathering as much information as we can about the community itself. Please let us know your latest news by emailing info@tainpost.co.uk and we will do our best to include it in our November issue. Of course, it isn’t all about the here and now. As ever, we would love to receive your Old File contributions, as either stories, articles or simply some photographs from bygone days. Please keep us in mind!

Tain & District Branch Cats Protection Telephone: (0345) 371 2737 Email: taincats@aol.com www.tain.cats.org.uk

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NEW STARTS

Primary Schools

Craighill P1

Hilton of Cadboll P1

Edderton P1

Milton P1 4

NEW STARTS

Primary Schools

Dornoch P1

Knockbreck P1 5

NEW STARTS

Primary Schools / Nurseries

Tarbat Old (Portmahomack) P1

Inver P1

Hill of Fearn

Dornoch Nursery

Tain Nursery AM/PM 6

NEW STARTS

Nurseries

Ankerville Nursery

Craighill Gaelic Nursery

Craighill Gaelic P1

Stepping Stones AM/PM 7

HISTORY OF LONDON HOUSE A J Paterson continued his business until 1965. London House saw its first change of use when it was acquired by the Tain firm of D Thomson and Company, House Furnishers (pictured right). This firm had been founded in 1820 by David Thomson, then was taken over by William Fraser (ex-provost) and finally purchased in 1944 from him by Mr Russell Anderson. There was a carpet store where the new flats (Miller Court)are in Upper King Street and the workshop was directly opposite (now the site of a bungalow) where the cabinet making took place and included a funeral parlour. The museum archive has a receipted invoice/account from D Thomson & Coy (W M Fraser), Cabinetmakers, Upholsterers & Funeral Undertakers etc, King Street,Tain, dated Nov 1939, for the complete furnishing of Moorfarm House, occupied by R R M Macdonald, Tain, (Solicitor). By 1965, when the move to London House took place, the Anderson owned business also included shops in Invergordon and Inverness and operated with the assistance of Anderson’s three sons, Ian, Kenneth and Alasdair, with Ian Anderson in charge of the Tain shop. No doubt there will be several houses in Tain which still contain furnishings purchased from the London House

Part 3 (Post 1965)

establishment. London House’s next re-incarnation took place when it became the new premises in the mid-1990s for the Tower Bookshop, so called because its original location was at 28-30 Tower Street adjacent to the tower (pictured below). It was owned by David Robertson who also owned the D A Ross, chemist shop, following in the footsteps of his father, Allan G Robertson, well-known in the community as “Shake” – short for “Shake the Bottle” – the usual instruction on liquid medicines. Allan was the nephew of D A Ross whose first shop had been in the same location which much later housed the first Tower Bookshop. This first

Tower Bookshop was established when the chemist business in the High Street was expanded into the shop next door (but part of the ground floor of the same building) replacing an existing bookshop. The later larger London House Tower Bookshop was a good asset to Tain selling a wide range of stationery products as well as books and much missed when David decided to retire from business. A smaller bookshop was opened by another party at 1 Hartfield Street. Away from the High Street location, it was relatively shortlived. For probably the first time for at least two centuries, Tain had been left without a bookshop. London House now became the new home of The Flower Shop, originally set up at 1 Hartfield Street on the corner of Stafford Street by Sandy Macdonald and run by himself and his wife, Agnes, then later taken on by his daughter Sandra. In 2008, Sandra moved from Hartfield Street to London House and expanded her business to include greeting cards and a wide range of gifts, large and small, and creating a fine addition to Tain High Street. Unfortunately, Tain’s main street, along with most other towns, has suffered from the changes that have taken place to the way people shop, especially the increase in on-line shopping, so ten years on,

Sandra decided the time was right to concentrate on the flower side of her business and no longer required such large premises or the High Street location. The Flower Shop now operates in a building which was originally part of the Garden Centre beside the Morangie filling Station on the Morangie Road and close to Home Bargains and Lidl supermarket

“OLD FILE”

on the outskirts of town. Both the filling station and the garden centre were originally established by her father Sandy. The latest chapter in the London House story has now begun. The building has undergone yet another transformation as an “up-market” restaurant named “Green’s at London

House” (pictured left) thus preserving a link to an interesting part of Tain’s commercial history and at the same time a link to the restaurant’s previous establishments. The “Green’s” element of the name is because the proprietor, Laura Ross (now Dundas), opened her first restaurant in Tain at the local Golf Club overlooking the 18th green. When she relocated to Market Street in the centre of town, occupying the space of several refurbished market stalls in the old Market Place, the restaurant was first called “Green’s Market” but later reduced again to just “Green’s”. It became popular with locals and visitors but space was very restricted and there was no possibility of expansion so Laura took the opportunity and bold step to move to London House. And so London House continues to play a prominent part in the life of Tain and district. Margaret Urquhart

Knockbreck School Fire

1985 - Several are gathered outside as a large fire causes significant damage to Knockbreck Primary School, prompting its temporary closure for refurbishment. (Photo credit: Tain & District Museum/Kenny Mackay) 9

CLASSIFIEDS AGRICULTURAL Robertsons of Tain Shore Road Tel 01862 892276 ANIMALS Tain Cat Protection Tel 0345 3712737 Email jardij@aol.com Aileen’s Pet Exercise Pet Carer & Exerciser Tel 01862 892919 ARCHITECTS Blueprint Architecture Tel 01862 892900 info@blueprintarchitecture.com ARTS & CRAFTS The Shop Around the Corner Dornoch Tel 01862 811413 BAKERS Grants Bakery High Street, Tain Tel 01862 892315 BUTCHERS Highland Prime Village Store, Post Office / Butchers Tel 01862 832061 COMPUTER SERVICES Adept Open Source Solutions Ltd Tel 08707 609467 sales@adeptopensource.co.uk www.adeptopensource.co.uk CAFE Dornoch Patisserie & Cafe 1 High Street, Dornoch Tel 01862 811148 CHIMNEY SWEEPING Highland Chimney Sweep Services Tel 07811 237105 CONFECTIONERS Sweet Celebrations Ice Cream, Sweets, Hot Food Tel 01862 894125 COPY-EDITING, PROOF READING Michael Foster Email mdf66@hotmail.co.uk ESTATE AGENTS Georgeons Property Tel 01862 892555 FILLING STATIONS Gleaner Oils Tel 01862 (Tain) Tel 01862 (Skiach) FITNESS & EXERCISE Boogie Bounce Xtreme Tain Debbie Stainke Tel 07889 630919 FRUIT & VEGETABLES Empire Foods Contact Michael on 0790 095 8665 FUNERAL SERVICES Alasdair Rhind Tel 01862 892521 (Tain) Tel 01349 853322 (Invergordon) Tel 01862 810300 (Dornoch) Mackay & Macaskill Tel 01862 810492 (Dornoch) GARAGES, TYRES & AUTO Bannerman (Tain) Ltd Shore Road, Tain Tel 01862 892480 Evelix Service Station Tall Pines Restaurant, Evelix, Dornoch Tel 01862 811131 / 810968 Mackintosh Motors Auto Services & Bodywork The Garage, Station Road, Tain Tel 01862 894045 Godsman Tyres & Exhausts Ltd Blarliath Industrial Estate, Tain Tel 01862 892448 Fax 01862 893225 GARDEN SERVICES

Patrick Vickery (Aldie Burn Plants) Tel 01862 842346 GRAPHIC DESIGN Gavin Ward Design Associates Tel 07801 190234 www.gwda.co.uk HAIRDRESSERS Hair Design 18 Geanies Street, Tain Tel 01862 892228 HOTELS & RESTAURANTS The Royal Hotel High Street, Tain Tel 01862 892013 royalhoteltain@btconnect.com The Burghfield House Hotel Cnoc-an-Lobht, Dornoch, IV25 3HN Tel 01862 811006 www.burghfieldhouse.co.uk The Trentham Hotel Poles, Dornoch Tel 01862 810551 St Duthus Hotel 2 Tower Street, Tain Tel 01862 894007 Carnegie Lodge Hotel Viewfield Road, Tain Tel 01862 894039 info@carnegiehotel.co.uk The Shandwick Inn Kildary, Invergordon Tel 01862 842250 JEWELLERS Forbes Jewellers / Tain Silver Victoria Buildings, High St, Tain Tel 01862 892343 www.maforbes.co.uk LEISURE SERVICES Tain Royal Academy Community Complex (TRACC) Hartfield Road, Tain Tel 01862 893767 METALWORK Metalwork UK Blarliath Industrial Estate, Tain Tel 01862 894123 Email info@metalworkuk.com MORTGAGE SERVICES Ewan A Forrest Financial, Mortgage & Insurance 19-21 Stafford Street, Tain Tel 01862 893561 PRINTING & REPROGRAPHICS Picture Post Printing Tel 01862 832329 info@tainpost.co.uk PLUMBING & HEATING Highland Heatsave Ltd 2 Port Street, Balintore Tel 01862 832116 Mob 07803 610838 McCue Plumbing & Heating Four Penny Paddock, Skelbo, Dornoch, IV25 3QF Tel 01862 810159 Mob 07990 783097 TAXIS Billy’s Taxis Tel 01862 731081 Tel 07523 125916 DP Taxis Tel 07999 844706 VETS Easter Ross Vets Tel 01862 893142 (Tain) Tel 01349 852204 (Invergordon) Tel 01349 884777 (Alness) WEBSITE DESIGN K & N Concepts Ltd Website & Database Design / Development Tel 07527 134574 Tel 01862 832329 niall.harkiss@kandnconcepts.co.uk

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Winners of the Silver Award for Scotch Pie Competition High Street Tain (01862) 892315

INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING WITH YOUR LOCAL FOOTBALL CLUB? St. Duthus FC are looking for weekend volunteers to help with matchday duties such as: Raffle sales Matchday set up Pitch care Kit and equipment care If interested, please get in touch with the committee of St. Duthus FC via email on committee@ stduthusfc.co.uk or call Niall on 01862 894123 / 01862 832329

The new NORTH OF SCOTLAND FOOTBALL ANNUAL 2019-20 Researched and compiled by NIALL HARKISS This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Annual includes: - Every appearance and every goal for every player to have kicked a ball in the Scottish Highland Football League and North Caledonian Football League during the 2018-19 season. - Full list of fixtures, team profiles and confirmed squad lists for all Highland League teams for 2019-20, as well as team profiles and fixtures for the North Caledonian League. - Results and scorers for all Highland League and North Caledonian League fixtures played in 2018-19. - Scottish Cup team lineups for all matches involving Highland League or North Caledonian League teams in 2018-19. - Cup Final photographs and lineups from the 2018-19 season. - A review of youth and development football across the SHFL North and East regions, Aberdeenshire FA and North of Scotland FA. - ...and more! Visit www.tainpost.co.uk/annual.php to order! Use your debit or credit card to buy via Paypal. Within UK only.

DEREK LOUDEN will be holding a surgery in

TAIN SERVICE POINT on Friday 25th October 2019 10:00am to 12:00 noon 13

FUNDRAISING Another successful Macmillan Coffee Morning was held at Balnagore, Fearn in September. Carole Ross said: “All the family would like to thank everyone who supported us on our seventh year doing the coffee morning. We raised over £2,200 on the day and we are still getting more money in. We extend our special thanks to the local businesses and everyone who donated to our raffle, baking stall etc.”

visited Saint Duthus School on Friday 27th to present the very deserving staff and pupils of Saint Duthus with the impressive sum raised of £1,130. Well done to all! On Thursday 19th September, Tain Whist raised £50.00 for Alzheimer Scotland. The winners on the day were: Gents: 1st - Graham Ross, 2nd - David Hannah, consolation Andrew Buchan Ladies: 1st - Ann Raffan, 2nd - Jean Lockhart, consolation Margo Anderson. The next whist will be held on 17th October at the Dementia Resource Centre. All welcome. Inver Hall Committee held a coffee morning on September 14th in aid of funds for development of the village hall. With tea and cakes also made available, the morning was also an opportunity for Inver residents to view proposed plans to improve the hall. An impressive total of £235.62 was raised on the day.

On Sunday 8th September a group of colleagues from Tesco in Tain took on the challenge of walking from Tesco Dingwall to Tain to raise money for Saint Duthus School, while also collecting donations at the shop entrance also. Leighanne Skinner and Jonathan Davies

The Rotary Club of Tain & Easter Ross held a BBQ at Dornoch Firth Caravan Park on September 13th, with music provided by Alistair, Evelyn, Emma and Shanna aka “The Edderton Hillbillies”. A sum of £620 was rasied over the evening in aid of funding a trip to youth leadership (RYLA) camp for one local young person. Details of how to to apply for this opportunity can be found in this magazine. 14

THROUGH THE LENS

with Mark Janes LRPS Issue #22 - Seasons of Mist and Mellow Fruitfulness

Nature provides us with a wonderful bounty at this time of year. As I write this we have been making plum jam, storing apples and picking blackberries. Delicious! But, of course, the bounty of fruits and berries this time of year makes for great photography also. The nice thing about photographing autumn fruits is that you can do it whatever the weather, and whatever your favourite style of photography. Walking the dog? Make sure you take your camera, or even your phone. Hedgerows along lanes and even parks are a great source of wild berries, rosehips, hazel-nuts, etc. Rained in on a miserable day? What about setting up a still-life shot based around a bowl of blackberries, plums or apples. Walking through the woods? Don’t forget about fungi; another classic but sometimes for-gotten signature of autumn. Techniques for Fruit and Berry Photography When out and about, the challenge when photographing along hedgerows is to avoid a dis-tracting background, so that the viewer’s attention is solely on your subject. Here are three ways to achieve this: 1.) Use shallow focus to blur the background. Set your camera to Aperture Priority mode and select the widest aperture you can. Zoom in as far as your lens allows, even if this means standing back to get all the fruit in the shot. This should give you a nice blurry background, making the fruit stand out almost in 3D. 2.) Change your viewpoint so the fruit is photographed against the sky. You might have to over-ride your camera’s automatic exposure to do this, otherwise the fruit will

come out as a silhouette against a perfectly exposed sky! 3.) Choose some fruit that is lit by the sun, but is against a background that is in shadow. This will cause the limited dynamic range of your camera to throw the background into darkness, causing the fruit to stand out. For still-life shots you can use all the above techniques, but you have much more control over how you set up the shot. Arrange a table in front of a window and shoot from the side, so your fruit is side-lit. Put the camera on a tripod or steady it in some other way, as the light indoors is much lower than outside, so you’ll be working with slower shutter speeds. Try putting a large piece of coloured card or fabric behind the bowl of fruit to provide a non-distracting background. Experiment with different colours to see which ones complement the colours in the fruit. Think about the container for the fruit. Some-thing rustic with texture makes for a more interesting shot than just a plain white bowl. For both indoor and outdoor shots, if your camera has different picture-styles, select one like “Vivid” or “Landscape”. This will increase the saturation of the colours, creating a luscious, warm atmosphere to your shots. I would love to see some of your Autumn fruit and berry photography! Feel free to email me a couple of your best shots at the address below, and I’ll offer them up to the Picture Post for publication. Don’t delay though; those lovely berries won’t last for ever! Did you like this article? Why not email me and let me know what you’d like to see covered in future issues. markjanesphotographer@gmail.com.

HIGHLAND CLANS, THEIR PLACE IN HISTORY Were they brave, glamorous, and cultured, or poor, barbaric and corrupt? What is the real story of the Highland Clans? Do they deserve their heroic reputation? How do we rate Chieftainship? Was it just a dictatorship? Or was it enlightened for the times they lived in? Can we overcome the negative images of chiefs created by the Clearances? The Clearances happened, after all, at a time of change when the Clan System was already in its deaththroes. Can we remove the filters created by Southern visitors and ministers of around the time of Culloden and see our forebears in a more sympathetic light? Undoubtedly, if we look back through the long history of Highland Life, we can find many examples of barbaric behaviours which were admired and approved of by the Clan leaders. One chief of the Camerons used to proudly tell how he had grappled with a Cromwellian soldier and bitten his throat out. A chief of the Macgregors thought nothing of stealing cattle and sheep from his neighbouring Clans. One day some of his clansmen cut the head of a Lord Drummond they caught out hunting. They then placed the head on his sister’s table and stuffed the mouth with cheese. It was not exactly a decent way of thanking the poor woman for her Highland hospitality. Yet such behaviour may have been infrequent. A few examples over 1500 years do not make a strong case against our forebears. More telling are the criticisms voiced by Visitors to the Highlands in the 1730’s, the last era of Clanship before the failure of the Jacobites in 1746 brought the old way of life to an end. Edward Burt for example was very critical of the way chiefs could use the power of Heritable Jurisdictions to make quick legal decisions and judge his Clan. It meant his Clansmen’s life and death depended on the whims of an over-

powerful tyrant. Burt wrote, “The heritable power of Pit and Gallows, as they call it, which is exercised by some within their proper district, is I think, too much for any particular subject to be entrusted with.” He went on to write about one Chief’s abuse of his power. “I have heard say of him, that a Highlander of a neighbouring Clan being brought before him, he declared before he had even seen the accused, that his very name should hang him.” Yet although Chiefs had indeed very great powers over their Clansmen, it should also be remembered that Chiefs were seen by all as fathers of their Clans.At times of distress when the fiery cross would be sent round to warn the Clan of danger of attack or some other impending disaster Chiefs would act in a fatherly way so as to protect their Clan. If part of a Clan faced starvation because of a poor harvest the Chief would have food sent to rescue the stricken population. Chiefs were also entrusted with the role of keeping the proud traditions of their Clan alive. This meant their own education was centred on the ethos of the Clan. They listened to the Clan Bards telling the old stories of past heroics and of generous Ancestors who had shown mercy and kindness to the poor and distressed. They encouraged young men of talent to take up the bagpipes and other instruments. Highland Games, feasts and hunting for game were all ways that the whole Clan community would be involved by their Chief in a shared Culture. Nowadays we often think of the Clans as being highly trained fighting machines, their legends and stories according to this view, were passed on simply to help keep the barbaric attitudes alive. This view that the Clans were essentially a band of fighting men has been overstated. In the case of my family the Vass Clan,

the legend of the Clan as being great fighting men centred on Loch Slin castle in Easter Ross is of course a pleasing one. However, some clues about the family suggest that many of them were actually quite peaceful people. David Alston, in his book ‘Ross and Cromarty a Historical Guide’ suggested that the name was common among the monks of Fearn Abbey. Moreover, the Clan spent much of its time as a sept of either the Clan Ross or the Clan Munro, so clearly it succeeded in living peaceably with its neighbours. Throughout History many chiefs seem to have been perplexed by outbreaks of dynastic feuds and Civil Wars. The idea that they all embraced these opportunities for warfare and fame is wrong. In 1411, when Donald Macdonald, Lord of the Isles assembled an army of 10,000 men and invaded the north of Scotland to assert his claim to the earldom of Ross, the northern Clans united together and reluctantly went to war. Although the Rosses and Mackays were defeated by Lord Macdonald at Dingwall, they seem to have deflected the invader away from their lands. After sacking Inverness, Macdonald took his army across to Aberdeenshire and went to his doom at the famous battle of Harlaw. The traumatic memories of that dreadful battle lived on for long afterwards in Highland folk-tales, and the song about the Red Harlaw tells us how Macdonald was struck down by the personal intervention of lord Forbes. The song goes; “The first blow that Lord Forbes struck, his sword it formed an L. The second blow Lord Forbes struck, the great Macdonald fell.Wi a duram do and a dree and a drum and a dura ma du da dray.” Possibly it was the wilder Clans who gave Clan history its reputation for barbarity.This is a question I shall explore in a follow-up article dealing with Cameron of Lochiel and the Jacobite Risng of 1745. What light

STOCKISTS Where you can buy the TDPP

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does the story of the Jacobites and their relationship with Bonnie Prince Charlie cast on Clan life? A very famous twentieth century Communist â&#x20AC;&#x201C;John Maclean developed his faith in Communism from studying the legends of the Highland Clans. The image of Clan life as being very community based, and inspired by its traditions impressed him, and inspired him to believe that humans could live in the kind of highly caring society with its

redistribution of income which he saw as being ideal. Some time during the Twentieth Century this valuing of Community spirit and equality was replaced by a valuing of Democracy. Nowadays the essential value in our Society is Democracy. Democracy therefore has to be valued, reinterpreted and reconsidered so that we continue to evolve with an awareness of its importance as a modern Tradition. It seems that Clans were successful in kindling a

spirit of community. The fact that in modern times we sense that Clan life had many of the imperfections associated with despotic societies, namely complacency and lawlessness, should not cause us to disparage their achievements, but instead use our awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the Clan system to gain perspective on the importance of democracy.

Andrew Vass

NOSTALGIA

with Alex Graham

NOSTALGIA

with Alex Graham

ANNOUNCEMENTS / NOTICES

Tain Amateur Swimmng Club wishes to to thank ASDA, as well as everyone who voted for them using their Green Tokens. Sean McIvor, ASDA Community Champion came poolside to present them with a £500 chegue which was very gratefully received and will be used to buy more training kit for their team.

WANTED: SENIOR PUPIL FOR LEADERSHIP CAMP JULY 2020 Tain and Easter Ross Rotary would like to offer a senior pupil (S5/6) the opportunity to attend a RYLA Camp. RYLA stands for ‘Rotary Youth Leadership Awards’ and is a programme which helps develop leadership skills and confidence in young people. Rotary hosted a BBQ at Dornoch Firth Caravan Park recently specifically to raise funds to sponsor a young person to attend the camp. Thanks to the generosity of friends, neighbours and other Rotarians we raised more than £600, almost certainly enough to send a young person to RYLA at no cost to themselves or their family. What are the benefits? Connect with leaders in your community and around the world to: Build communication and problem-solving skills Discover strategies for becoming a dynamic leader in your school or community Learn from community leaders, inspirational speakers, and peer mentors Unlock your potential to turn motivation into action Have fun and form lasting friendships Do you know anyone who would benefit from this opportunity? Perhaps you are that young person. Please get in touch to find out how to apply - you can contact us through our Facebook page or by phoning Will or Carol Anne at Dornoch Firth Caravan Park on 01862 892292.

JUNIOR TENNIS On Saturday, 17th August, we held the Junior Youngsters Members Club Tournament which consisted of Boys Singles, Girls Singles and Mixed Doubles. Fortunately, the weather was decent for us and the competition was fierce, and mature from such very young players which bodes well for the future. The results were: Boys Singles Winner - Archie Macleod. Runner-up - Rory Skinner 3rd Place - Evan Stewart. Girls Singles Winner - Cuba Nicolson Runner-up - Cora MacAngus. 3rd Place - Minnie Nicolson. Mixed Doubles Winners - Rory Skinner & Cora MacAngus. Runners-up - Evan Stewart and Cuba Nicolson. 3rd Place - Archie Macleod and Minnie Nicolson.

BOWLING

Well done so far to Lynsey Harkiss who has completed 648 lengths of her Sink or Swim fundraising challenge in aid of SANDS by swimming the length of the English Channel at her local swimming pool. Only 1,122 to go! Congratulations to Frank Small, Charlie Sutherland and Brian Swanson winning the St. Duthus Bowling Club Open Triples today in an all-St. Duthus final and semi finals. The runners up were Iris Corbett, Neil and Wilson Corbett.

Donations can be made via www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ lynsey-harkiss

SWIMMING

Tain Amateur Swimming Club PB’s. Medals: Bronze 100m breast. Alison Wood (11-12) - 7 swims, 6 PB’s. Medals: Gold 50m fly, 50m back, 100m IM (Mixed); Silver 50m free, 100m free, 200m IM (Mixed); Bronze 50m breast. Claire Wood (15+) - 4 swims, 4 PB’s. Maree Wood (15+) - 6 swims, 6 PB’s. Medals: Gold 100m back, 100m breast, 100m fly; Silver 100m free plus £25 for finishing 2nd in the Individual Skins Event. -------A great day was had by our swimmers competing in The Highland Disability Swim Meet in Inverness on Tuesday 24th September. (Pictured below) The results were as follows: Tammy Neef: gold in 50m free, 50m breast, 50m back, 50m fly Louie Macleod: gold in 50m free, 50m breast, 50m back Grace Hannah: gold in 50m free, 50m breast, 50m back, 50m fly Eilidh Fisher: gold in 50m free and 50m back, silver in 50m breast and 50m fly. Lots of good personal bests in amongst all the medals. Well done again to Team TASC!

Team Tain enjoyed two fantastic days at the Highland Swim Team Meet in Inverness at the end of August. The whole team were on fire, achieving a total of 39 personal bests out across 43 swims. A brilliant achievement for all involved, and for the coaches and officials, Viv, Jane, Jonathan, Ayleen and Jamie - a vote of thanks to all. RESULTS: Lewis Austin (13-14) - 5 swims, 5 PBs. Medals: Gold 100m fly, 100m breast, 100m back; Bronze 100m free. Olivia Mackinnon (11-12) - 6 swims, 5 PB’s. Eleanor Ross (13-14) - 7 swims, 5 PB’s. Medals: Gold 400m IM, 200m breast; Silver 100m Breast, 200m back. Sophie Skinner (13-14) - 8 swims, 8

Finally, congratulations go to our Coach Jon Wood who has passed his Level 1 Judging qualification. Well done from everyone at TASC!

COMMUNITY EVENTS TODDLER & BABY GROUPS Seaboard Mother and Toddler Group Seaboard Hall 10-12

FRIDAY OCTOBER 4TH The Mystery of the Man with Six Heads - Speaker event held at Carnegie Hall, Portmahomack - ‘The Mystery of the Man with Six Heads’ with Cecily Spall, hosted by Tarbat Discovery Centre and Tain Field Club. From 7.30pm. SATURDAY OCTOBER 5TH Prize Bingo - An afternoon of family fun at the Balintore Pavilion (Scout Hut) from 2pm to 4pm. £1 entry incl. teas. £5 for bingo books. TUESDAY OCTOBER 8TH Field Club Lecture - “Costa Rica” - A Brief Encounter with Fay Wilkinson and Pat Rae. Hosted by Tain & District Field Club at Tain Parish Church Hall from 7.30pm. Adults £2 Children £1. New members welcome. THURSDAY OCTOBER 10TH RVS Tain Over 60s AGM & Music - Tain Over 60s Club meets at 2pm in the Duthac Centre. New members welcome. A varied and interesting programme of events, activities and outings is provided during the Autumn,Winter and Spring months. Contact Margaret Nic for further information - 01862 893207. SATURDAY OCTOBER 12TH Comedy Night - The Teuchter’s Comedy Club will be appearing at the Inver Village Hall. Doors open at 7.30pm. Fully Licensed Bar. Tickets are £10 each. For tickets please get in touch with Paul (07789 315726) or Niall (07772 327000) Football Match - St. Duthus vs Invergordon in the North Caledonian League. Kick off 2.30pm at Grant Park (by the Links) Macmillan Coffee Morning - Held at Inver Village Hall from 10.30am to 12.30pm. Everyone welcome. THURSDAY OCTOBER 17TH Whist - Tain Whist to be held at the Dementia Resource Centre, Victoria Road, Tain, from 7pm. £2 per player. All welcome. THURSDAY OCTOBER 24TH Bingo - Tain Over 60s Club Bingo - Information available from Margaret Nic 01862 893207. FRIDAY OCTOBER 25TH Edderton Village Hall Party - Country & Western themed barn party from 7.30pm. Dress code - country and western. B.Y.O.B This event is free but we will be holding a raffle with proceeds going to the hall, raffle donations will be greatly appreciated. Open to all past and present residents of Edderton. SATURDAY OCTOBER 26TH Football Match - St. Duthus vs Bunillidh Thistle in the North Caledonian League. Kick off 2pm at Grant Park (by the Links). SUNDAY OCTOBER 27TH Texas Golf Scramble - Tain Golf Club host a fundraising scramble in aid of funds for St. Duthus Fc. £50 per team, bookings via the club or St. Duthus Fc facebook page. SATURDAY NOVEMBER 2ND Inver Bonfire Night - Bonfire and Fireworks Display arranged by Inver Hall Committee from 6.30pm. Sparklers and refreshments on in the hall. Donations welcome on the night. FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8TH Tain Bonfire & Firework Display - From 7pm at Tain Links. Hot food and Herchers’ fun fair arranged by Tain Gala Association.

Gaelic Playgroup Tain Free Church Hall Thursday 10-11.30

Little Rascals Tain Parish Church Tuesday 10-11.30

Portmahomack Toddler Group Carnegie Hall Fridays 9.30-11.30

Inver Toddler Group Inver Community Hall Thursday 10-12

Book Bug Sessions Tain Library Wednesdays 11-11.30

Youth Cafe Parent and Toddler Tain Youth Cafe Wednesday 10-11.30

Adventure Fridays Facebook - Various Outdoor Locations Fridays 9.45

Portmahomack Toddler Group Carnegie Hall Fridays 9.30-11.30

Baby Stay and Play Tain Youth Cafe (upstairs) Friday 10.30-12

Please send your Old File photos via post to our address below or scanned via email to info@tainpost.co.uk Tain & District Picture Post Wyvis View, Main Road, Fearn IV20 1TG

ST. DUTHUS FOOTBALL CLUB St. Duthus have made a good start to the new North Caledonian League season. They kicked things off on August 31st with an impressive 4-1 win at home to Bunillidh Thistle in the Jock Mackay Cup first round. The Saints’ midfield ran the show on the day, with Cammy Mackintosh netting two headed goals in 23rd and 37th minute, before Jake Lockett gave them a comfortable 3-0 lead at half time. Andreas Broomfield added a late fourth to complete the scoring. A fortnight later, they met Halkirk United in the second round and they brushed aside their Caithness opponents with a familiar scoreline of 4-1. Jon Campbell was the star player, opening the scoring on 13th minutes and running the Anglers ragged. Ben Bruce and Mikey Rae scored within a minute of each other to make it 3-0 before a controversial penalty incident allowed United a consolation before the interval. Getting on the end of a neat Campbell lay-off, Cammy Mackintosh made it 4-1 with just under twenty minutes left. The win sent Saints into the semifinal of the Jock Mackay Memorial Cup, setting up a meeting with Inverness Athletic on October 5th at the Inverness Royal Academy Sports Centre.