Lochaber Life #320 May 2020

At the heart of your community CoVId-19 advice Lewis’s home pasta recipe

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Name these Lochaber birds

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A ‘Chèitean

Beatha Lochabair

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May 2020 – Issue 320

Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Active Lochaber Life May 2020.indd 1

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Beatha Lochabair

contents

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uneXpeCteD mAY Well, if last month I suggested you would be confined to your home, only allowed out for certain very good reasons and not allowed to meet with friends you would have found it far fetched. Yet here we are, all following these very guidelines. What to do? Well first of all, observe them, as ultimately they exist to save lives and read the information on page five. However, staying at home can also have its positives and in this issue there are a few suggestions to help you stay active in mind and body, plus a chance to identify or research our local feathered friends. Hopefully you will be reading this Lochaber Life in print form, but depending on how restrictions develop, the printers may well have to close down and the June issue could be the first ever to appear in digital format only. This and back issues are already available online at www.obantimes.co.uk/ category/lochaber-life/ so remember to have a look. The upside of this is that you can also spend time re-reading or catching up with back issues to help pass the time. Good health – Slàinte mhath. iain

front CoVer photogrAph:

Staying safe while staying fit and having fun as Alasdair Greens and his fouryear-old daughter Amelia enjoy a game of Hopscotch, Beds, Peever (or whatever you may know it as) drawn in chalk by resourceful youngsters in Caol.

Photograph: Iain Ferguson, alba.photos

EDITORIAL Iain Ferguson Email: iainpics@ googlemail.com

ADVERTISING Andy Lambert Email: alambert@ obantimes.co.uk

PRODUCTION Kevin McCubbin Email: kmccubbin@ obantimes.co.uk

Memories of ‘Big Bertha’

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reader’s picture

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indoor activities

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Mabel’s Journey to Zambia

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thought for the Month

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15 years ago

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recipe

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Name that Lochaber Bird

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German tourist says thanks for kindness

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Where in Lochaber?

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Kilchuimen LeD lights

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Mr MacGillivray retires

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Stay fit at home

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Published by Wyvex Media Limited, 22 High Street, Fort William, Inverness-shire PH33 6AT Tel: 01397 703003 Website: www.obantimes.co.uk We hope to publish a wide range of interests and opinions. However, our contributors’ views are not necessarily our own. Material in Lochaber Life must not be reproduced without our written consent or that of the copyright owner. A statement of our terms and conditions for accepting advertisements is available on request. Published by Wyvex Media Ltd.

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COVID-19 YOU ARE NOT ALONE Iain Ferguson You may have seen the advert on television saying ‘You are not alone’ . Well, in the current situation, wherever you may be, remember – you are not alone and there are people in the community who are waiting and willing to help.

Perhaps you have noticed the green ‘tick’ and red ‘thumbs down’ signs in people’s windows which let the outside world know that you are OK or in need of help. These have been organised by various volunteer groups in different areas. Each have different instructions on what to do, but one consistent piece of advice is do not let any stranger who knocks on your door into your home and do not give them money, whoever they say they are!

Most of you will have phones and The Highland Council has a dedicated helpline you can call.

Call 0300 303 1362, listen to the message and select the ‘need help with welfare’ option.

People with specific health conditions which put them at higher risk of harm from the virus will receive letters (a shielding letter) from the NHS advising them they must self-isolate for 12 weeks to protect themselves and reduce the risk of hospital admissions.

There is also a Highland Council dedicated helpline number for people in this situation.

Call (01349) 886669 or complete a form online at www. highland.gov.uk/shielding to provide contact details and the type of support needed.

People in this position may need different types of support, which may change during the 12 weeks, so if in doubt, do not hesitate to call at any time.

If you are not sure which number to call, do not worry about it and call anyway – the people answering will know what to do and be happy to help with your enquiry.

Information gathered by the council on either line will remain

confidential and only be used to make a list of the support you need which will be acted upon from a local ‘hub’ from where your needs will be met. In Lochaber, the hub will be in Fort William.

If you are not in need of assistance, but would like to offer help to the council or any of its supporting voluntary groups, you should call 0300 303 1362 and select ‘want to offer support’.

The council is working closely with the Highland Third Sector Interface (HTSI) in co-ordinating all offers of help. Individuals interested in helping local groups can fill in an online form to register their interest at www. covidhelp4highland.org/ volunteering.html These restrictions will not last forever, but to help end them sooner, please follow the advice and Stay Home, Stay Safe – Fuirich dhachaigh, fuirich sàbhailte. Chan eil thu nad aonar.

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In Loving Memory of LaChIe MaCINNeS 1941-2020 Loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. Well known fencer in the local area.

Loved and missed by many.

In Loving Memory of JeaN INNeS 1949 -2017 A loving wife, mum, gran and friend to many. A little tribute true and tender just to show that we remember. Time may pass and fade away but memories of you will always stay.

In Loving Memory of CaTheRINe (CaThY) YoUNG 1930 - 2020 With love we remember Cathy, a wonderful mum to Catherine, Eoughan, Alex, Jamie and Damien.

It is sad that she has gone but she will remain in our hearts forever and will be remembered with the memories she has left us. RIP.

In Loving Memory of JaCQUeLINe (JaCQUIe) SheRRY 1946 - 2020 A loving mum to Stephen and John, a wonderful gran, sister, auntie and a well loved friend to many. Taken too soon, now in the arms of the angels. May she rest in peace.

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In Loving Memory of MaRIa JeSSIe MaCLeod 1943 - 2020 A loving wife to Alistair, a wonderful mum to Caroline, Mary, Alexandra and Nicola, a much loved gran, mother in law, aunt and a well loved friend to so many. Maria will be sadly missed by all her family and friends but remembered forever for her wonderful personality and sense of humour. May she now rest in peace.

In Loving Memory of RUTh MaCMILLaN 1946 - 2020 A loving and adored wife to Anthony, a wonderful mum to Alison, a much loved gran, mother-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, auntie and a well-loved friend to so many. Ruth will be missed by all who knew her but especially her family who loved her so dearly. She will live on with the precious memories she has left behind. Forever in their hearts. X

In Loving Memory of YVoNNe CRIGhToN (Nee TUTTY) 1952 - 2020 A loving wife to Mick and mum to Jamie and Jacqueline. Wonderful mother-in-law to Neil and proud granny to Cameron and Joshua, niece to Helen, sister to Elaine, Dawn, Marcia, Sandra and the late Pauline and a much-loved auntie. Well loved friend to many and will be sadly missed by all. Together again with her parents Margaret and James Tutty. Yvonne’s family are very appreciative of all the love and support she received, especially during her illness. Forever in our hearts and thoughts.

In Loving Memory of MoNSIGNoR ThoMaS CaNoN WYNNe (FaTheR ToM) 1930 - 2020 A dedicated and well-respected parish priest for the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles for 63 years. Father Tom was ordained in St. Mary’s, Fort William in 1957 and faithfully served in many parishes over the years. In his service to the wider community amongst many other committees and groups, he was known for his work as a founder member and chairman of Lochaber Housing Association, Catholic advisor to the Highland Council Education Committee, School Chaplain, and his work with the Sisters of St.Mary of the Cross MacKillop prior to and at the time of her Canonisation.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, especially his family, but fondly remembered for his kindness and generosity, only thinking of others. RIP.

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MEMORIES OF ‘BIG BERTHA’ STIRRED BY RAILWAY MODEL ARTICLE Letter to the Editor from Gordon Clark The story of the railway (LL April) reminds me of family history. In 1928 my father, who worked for McBraynes buses, was asked to re-locate to Kinlochleven and run their new service from his base at the Tartan Hotel. The picture shows his bus parked outside the Leven Hotel.

The bus is waiting for the passengers coming over from the Oban train after alighting at Glenachullish station, then over the ferry and on to Fort William. Changed days.

This picture (below) was taken by one of the passengers travelling to Fort William and passed on to my father the bus driver at a later date. By the way, the locals called the bus Big Bertha as it was too wide for the roads.

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Find your future at West Highland College UHI It’s never too soon to make plans for your future, applications for September are open now.

Even during this challenging time, our staff and students continue to work remotely using virtual platforms, serving our communities, delivering lessons and supporting our students.

SOCIAL CARE • EARLY EDUCATION • ART & DESIGN COMPUTING • ADMINISTRATION • CONSTRUCTION MARITIME & SHIPPING • OUTDOOR ADVENTURE COUNTRYSIDE SKILLS • AND LOTS MORE

Visit www.whc.uhi.ac.uk or call 01397 874000

West Highland College UHI is a company limited by guarantee (SC153921) with charitable status (SC024193)

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KEEPING AN ACTIVE MIND Iain Ferguson / Tanya Ross We should now be well into the lockdown period and hopefully nearing the point when life can return to some sort of normality. Apart from staying safe and following directions to ensure that the whole community is protected, we should all try to keep our minds active.

Those with young children will probably be kept going with school work, making sure the youngsters have plenty to do and not falling behind in their education. However, it is also a fantastic time for families to spend together and the opportunity to enjoy doing things with each other that may not be possible during the usual school and work times.

Speaking for myself, with grown up children, I do often look back and regret sitting in front of the computer at home doing work I can’t even remember now, while the ‘wee ones’ were in another room, playing or even watching television – family moments lost forever!

To make this enforced stay at home with the family time as positive an experience as possible, special thank you to Inverlochy Primary teacher, Tanya Ross who has put together a number of activities, mainly to help the children, but which all ages can join in.

In fact, you don’t even need

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children, or another person for some of them to have a go and keep an active mind in these challenging times.

Literacy Nursery Rhyme Challenge Transform a nursery rhyme by

changing the rhyming partner word for another word. e.g.

Row, row, row your boat gently to the bay. If you see a pirate ship, run, run, run away! This could be changed to Row, row, row your boat gently to the

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In fact you don’t even need children, or another person for some of them to have a go and keep an active mind in these challenging times.

bay. If you see a pirate ship, hide behind some hay! Or Row, row, row your boat gently to the bay. If you see a pirate ship, run fast the other way!

True and False Meanings Write two definitions for a word – one should give a true definition and one should give a false definition. Ask a partner to guess which meaning is true! hunt Choose a set of words and then hunt for those words in texts such as newspapers, leaflets, story books etc.

Words Within Words Choose a large words and try to find smaller words within it. E.g. using the word ‘practising’ , you could find –

‘act’, ‘sing’, ‘in’ and ‘is’. Set a time limit, say 10 minutes, for you to find as many as possible using all your spelling words.

Word Challenge Get someone to write down sets of three letters and then try to incorporate those letters into the biggest word possible! E.g. TLY could by enthusiastically.

Challenges Undertake construction challenges and these can be linked to measure.

Using just yesterday’s newspaper and only Sellotape to help, can you create a bridge that spans a river of 20cm?

Using building blocks/wood/ Lego, can you build a castle big enough to house three action figures/Barbies? The door needs to be 12cm tall and 7cm wide.

Can you design a floating device to carry one Barbie or other toy figure across the river (bath)?

HeaLtH & WeLLBeiNG Nature walks (if permitted) where by children come up with a list of what they’d like to find first and then tick it off during their walk.

I ran a walking club last session and they loved doing a walking scavenger hunt/ bingo. I’d give each pair or pupil a different set of items to find and they’d tick them off on the walk. Whoever found their items first won!

FaMiLy GaMeS Charades Guess Who I am Modelling/drawing in similar way to Pictionary In addition to these, why not try simple to make old favourites such as Noughts and Crosses, Battleships, making paper planes and seeing whose will go furthest, board games and jigsaws if you have any. Stay safe, stay in and stay well!

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03/04/2020 14:04:34

McLellans are here for you, when you need us the most.

The COVID-19 outbreak has many of us worried and concerned about trends we have seen from other countries. We hope and pray that we will be somewhat protected here in The Highlands. McLellans Funeral Directors is extremely well established to handle all aspects of funeral care in these challenging times, as indeed we have been doing since 1923. In order to keep our customers, employees, families, and our community safe we are in the main, making funeral arrangements by phone and we remain committed to providing the very best quality of care. We will safeguard bereaved families from any additional worries at present, and in future.

OUR LARGE & EXPERIENCED FUNERAL TEAM WILL LOOK AFTER YOU Our business is staffed by an experienced team of eight people, six of whom live locally in Lochaber and the other two live in Badenoch. We are the leading funeral business in Lochaber and also the oldest.

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WE OFFER A WELCOMING FUNERAL HOME ON DUDLEY RoaD

Families have the option to use our two gathering rooms for viewing, and this can occur out with business hours if more convenient. Our facility may also be booked for small memorial services. At the present time, we do need to impose a strict restriction on numbers to comply with all mandates and guidelines.

DIRECT CREMATION OPTION

This is a simple, dignified and very cost effective option which can include viewing in one of our gathering rooms. This may be a more appropriate option, given the current restrictions on churches, gravesides and gatherings. Please call us to discuss how this differs from a standard cremation.

SIMPLE GRAVESIDE BURIAL OPTION

This is the new normal for burials until restrictions on churches, gatherings, social distancing are reviewed and relaxed. We are working with clergy and officiants to video or voice record the ceremony for absent friends and family.

FUNERAL CARS

Our Hearse will continue to be in service. However in compliance with Government and NHS directives regarding social distancing, family cars and limousines cannot be used at this time for funerals.

WHAT CAN YOU DO? Cards and flowers to families are a lovely gesture for many of you who will not be able to attend a funeral. Give a bereaved family a wee phone call, an email or a card. That’s more supportive now than ever before.

Families will really miss your support at churches, crematoria and gravesides but will be so uplifted by your kind messages.

Many families are proposing to have a memorial service or celebration of life event in the future. This will allow others to pay their respects when a gathering for this purpose is safe and permitted.

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MabeL’S ZaMbIa JoURNeY To heLP YoUNG MoTheRS. Iain Ferguson Now teenage mums in Zambia also have reason to thank her for sharing information as she demonstrated a variety of new skills such as biscuit baking, card making and sewing as part of a project run by United Church of Zambia in Kanyama – a poverty stricken township near the African nation’s capital, Lusaka.

Mabel recently spent a week visiting the “Journeying Together” project which supports 100 girls and their children to help young mothers produce goods that they can sell to support themselves.

Apart from being session clerk of Duncansburgh MacIntosh Parish Church in Fort William, Mabel is also a member of the Church of Scotland Guild, which nationally have raised £45,000 to assist the project.

One of the aims is to build confidence in the girls, challenge

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Mabel Wallace is well know locally for her knowledge and friendliness in offering advice at the Fort William Citizens Advice Bureau.

social injustice, and ensure they are given the opportunity to return to school to finish their education or be provided with vocational training.

As part of a group of 10 people, Mabel said it was wonderful experience to see the project in Zambia first-hand, although at times it was a bit of a an emotional rollercoaster as they listened to hopes and ambitions expressed by the young people.

She said: “We were given a great welcome by the young women who walked from 60-90 minutes away to get to the project where they are given training on nutrition, parenting and sex education.

“They are very resourceful and we worked alongside them, baking biscuits, making scrunchies,

and a few other things, which they could then hopefully sell at markets.”

Members of the party and the Guild in general feel that they now better understand the lives of the girls, the challenges that they face and the opportunities they are missing out on because local society thinks they should leave school and that is it.

Mabel said: “We are proud to support this project as it is making such a positive difference to the lives of these young Mothers. Throughout the week there were tears, laughter and joy, but we also saw that what is being done is helping to ensure that their lives are not over and they can be whatever they want to be with the right support and encouragement.”

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92-year-old lady to tell her she could no longer attend a church service.

“I never thought it The would come to that” phrase was her response. ‘unprecedented times’ She remembers the has been used a lot recently. Last Second World War when people flocked to churches in war time, year when that fairly new word for prayer and to listen to God’s ‘Brexit’ was forever in the news, word for guidance. cartoonist Matt amused me with a drawing of two politicians Local ministers have sent out chatting. One was saying “I’d written guidance so Christians really like to live in precedented can pray sensitively and read times”. Political leaders are now their Bibles at home. Some can using war time language to access IT worship and broadcast explain the battle against an services. But is that enough? illness.

The apostle Paul did not think so. He, too, uses battle language One of the really when telling early Christians to unprecedented circumstances let others know about God’s of the COVID-19 situation truth. “ If I come to you and ALL struck me when I phoned a

I do is pray privately to God, what are you going to get from that?....If the trumpet call can’t be distinguished, will anyone show up for battle?...Since you are so eager to participate in what God is doing, why don’t you concentrate on doing what helps everyone in the church.”

I would encourage Christians to pray sensitively, as this can help any situation more than we’ll ever know in this life. We have been encouraged by acts of kindness from chats across the fence to offers of help. To paraphrase St Paul’s message , ‘help everyone in your neighbourhood who needs it’, and perhaps this will be the really unprecedented legacy of a horrible virus.

A whole range of healthy eating foods for pupils of Glencoe Primary School.

Photograph: Iain Ferguson, The Write Image

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Food Lochaber – Local Food for Local People

We all depend on our food supplies, and our gratitude to the workers who risk their lives to deliver them can’t be underestimated. Right now food and where it’s coming from could hardly be more important, from the eight largest supermarket chains who represent 90 per cent of the UK market, to those who pick, process and prepare what we eat, the system is being tested during this pandemic.

Perhaps we are all now beginning to value the key role played by those involved in food production and retail, the true cost of which has until now been borne by an unsustainable global system which depends on fragile ‘just in time’ logistics and the exploitation of seasonal migrant workers. One theme that emerged from the IPCC

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reports is that where we find inequality we see exploitation translated from the way we treat each other to the natural environment.

The drive for cheap food commodities pushes the food production system into damaging the land on which future productivity depends.

This damage is not factored in to the true cost of food, but rather is passed on to us all in the form of low wages, animal cruelty, pollution, poor public health, the climate and ecological emergency, depletion of fish stocks, and soil degradation.

Now is the time to start the food revolution that builds local networks and keeps food miles low. The new growing season is well underway and Food Lochaber will be re-opening for orders on April

23, so you can enjoy tasty inseason vegetables grown with organic principles, sustainable free-range meat from animals raised with love, and handmade treats.

All Food Lochaber produce is grown in Lochaber by local crofters and small-scale producers using sustainable methods and organic principles, using natural fertilisers such as seaweed, leaf mould, wood ash and lime. Our food is grown in Lochaber, keeping in mind the quality we want to feed our families and yours. Find out more at www.foodlochaber. org and order online www. foodlochaber.org Find out more and order on online at www.foodlochaber.org

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With funding from Cycling Scotland, LEG is improving the cycling infrastructure in Glen Nevis and promoting the use of electric bikes in Lochaber and Glen Nevis to help everyone to enjoy the outdoors, get active, improve their health, and reduce car emissions.

The Glen Nevis cycling project is providing desperately needed cycling infrastructure in the Glen, in the form of a bike shelter and bike racks to encourage cycling. The first bike rack was

installed at Steall Falls car park in February.

Two more bikes racks will be installed in Braveheart and the North Face car parks, and a bike shelter will be installed in the Lower Falls car park later this year. The project is also funding a new shed for the Bike Kitchen, which DMD Construction started building in March. This is now on hold, for obvious reasons, but we look forward to seeing it completed, and will be holding a Bike Kitchen shed opening later this year. The shed will be the home for our

new Bike Tool Library, which will have bike tools available for people to borrow free of charge, and it will be a great space for people to repair their bikes.

As the climate and ecological crisis deepens we need to significantly reduce our carbon emissions, and this project along with the new summer Glen Nevis bus service, which will now be starting in 2021, will make it easier to hop on your bike or get on the bus, instead of getting in your car.

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Delivering All Aspects Of Civil Engineering.

New Build & Extension Groundworks Sewers & Septic Tanks Concrete & Steel Work Kerbing & Paving Works Bell Mouths & Access Roads

Tar Surfaced Driveways & Car Parks Cable & Water Pipe Tracks Retaining Walls Excavation Works Excavators For Hire With Operator

www.gordongeorgeconstruction.co.uk | tel. 01397 700115 Mob. 07528 801393 | info@gordongeorgeconstruction.co.uk

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• INGREDIENTS • Hot dogs Onion

LEWIS’S PASTA

Peppers

A RECIPE MADE AT HOME BY LEWIS MACKINNON , P7 BUN SGOIL GHAIDHLIG LOCH ABAR

Pepper

Garlic Olive Oil Stock pots Tomato paste Dried Basil Passata Pasta Salt Cheese.

• METHOD • Chop the vegetables and hot dogs.

Get a big pot, add olive oil and heat.

Add the vegetable and hot dog pieces, cook until soft.

Take off the heat Add the dried basil and tomato paste, stir together and add two stock pots Leave to cook for 10 minutes.

Cook the pasta in boiling water with salt.

Once pasta is cooked, drain it.

Mix the pasta and sauce together.

Put the mixture into an oven dish and sprinkle with cheese.

Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

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CArrY on nAture – BIRDS OF LOCHABER 3

Iain Ferguson We are very lucky that most of us live in an area of wide open spaces and beautiful scenery.

Even during this difficult period when almost everyone is housebound and following Government guidelines on getting out for ‘exercise’ just once a day still means that there is little chance of coming into close proximity 4 with anyone.

However, while people are forced

to follow a more structured existence due to a viral threat, nature still goes about its business, uninterrupted by the event. Birds are mating, tadpoles are growing, flowers are blooming and perhaps even the whole planet is feeling the better of reduced human intervention.

If you do venture out you may well experience heightened awareness of the natural wonders all around and if you are unable to leave the house, hopefully you will have a window through which to observe the wider world.

In March, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) www.rspb.org.uk asked people to do a Breakfast Birdwatch survey of garden birds between 8am and 9am each weekday.

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This was to take advantage of the fact that many who would normally be heading for work around these times will actually be remaining at home.

The organised survey may be over (look online to check), but watching the birds could still be an entertaining pastime, even a learning experience if you don’t know already know the names of the different species – and it

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9 doesn’t really matter what time of the day you choose.

To add a little extra interest to potential bird watchers of all ages, can I ask you to have a look at these numbered pictures of our feathered friends (well, maybe there is one who doesn’t fall into that category, but certainly shares the feeder with them) and drop me an email telling me their names.

8 and one person may be lucky enough to receive a gift to help with future identification.

Email your list of ‘Birds

of Lochaber’ to iainpics@ googlemail.com. Have fun, good luck and I hope to hear from you.

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Most have featured in Lochaber Life at some time over the years and all are ‘frequent flyers’ to local gardens and open areas right across the area.

Take up the challenge, email me your answers by Friday May

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New builds or conversions Alterations & extensions Preparation of feu plans Preparation of “as existing drawings�

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03/04/2020 14:04:47

GERMAN TOURIST PRAISES HELP AFTER GLEN ETIVE ACCIDENT Iain Ferguson A German visitor has praised the kindness of local people who came to her assistance when she lost her motor home and pet dog in an unfortunate accident.

Fifty-three year-old zoo keeper Carla Greszies from Reddinghausen, 100km north of Cologne, had walked just a few feet from her vehicle in Glen Etive to take a picture when it it rolled backwards, falling 20 feet into the storm swollen river, with her pet dog, Holly, still inside.

Glencoe Mountain Rescue team and the Coastguard, braved the torrent to search for the dog, but were unable to get inside the submerged vehicle due to the force of the water. The vehicle could not be recovered until the next day, when the body of her dog was found. Most of her possessions, including passport, were located but her clothes were soaked and her electronic devices ruined.

Carla said: “I love coming to Scotland and I really want to move here. Everyone has been so good to me, from stopping

at the accident to comfort me, giving me somewhere to stay, providing clothes, toiletries and even large cases to help me return to Germany”.

“I am so devastated by the loss of Holly and would like especially to thank Mr Stevenson, who owns the Recovery Company and came immediately to help me find her. Unfortunately he could not get my van out until the next day, but when he did, his priority was finding Holly and to bring her out to me. He was so kind and asked if I would like to bury her on ground at his home in Spean Bridge where his own dogs lie. We did this and I was able to say a tearful goodbye.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone. With such caring from so many people now I know I definitely want to live in Scotland!”

Her association with Lochaber started when she found a Harry Potter-painted rock and left a message on the ‘Lochaber Rocks’ facebook page. Since then she has stayed in touch with Leah Whyte and her family, who invited her into their home in Caol. Leah also used social media to ask for people to look for Holly in case she had been swept out the van, as well as appealing for items for Carla, who had no more than the clothes she stood up in.

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A yacht lies on a beach, but where? Photograph by Roger Boswell LAST mONTH: Grass football pitch in Kinlochleven.

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03/04/2020 14:04:51

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Lightbulb moment for Fort Augustus pupils Fort Augustus pupils came up with a bright idea to encourage their local community to be more environmentally friendly while also saving money on their lighting.

First year and Primary 7 pupils from Kilchuimen Academy and Primary School have been distributing LED light bulbs free of charge to people living in the Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston area after their plan earned them a total of £1,800 in funding.

The switched on pupils received £1,500 in the Falck Renewables Sustainable Communities Awards, with a further £300 from the Fort Augustus and Glenmoriston Community Company, who also nominated them for the Falck Award.

‘Mr MacGillivray’ Retires Iain Ferguson “Today is a very sad day for us here at Lundavra School, but it is a very happy one for our Mr MacGillivray. We are saying goodbye but wishing him

lots of happiness in the next chapter of his life.”

he retired after 28 years as their janitor and previously of Upper Achintore Primary.

This message written by pupils of Lundavra was only one Well known and highly of many accolades received by thought of by generations of Ewan MacGillivray on the day pupils, Ewan was a great friend to the children and staff, always ready to help with great caring and enthusiasm. He was also at the centre of many school activities, coaching various sports teams, travelling with the pupils to events and just generally always being there when needed.

The whole school and many of the parents who knew him from their own time at school turned out to present him with many gifts and wish him a happy retirement.

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EXERCISES AT HOME Wolfhouse Gym If you were a regular gym goer before the COVID-19 outbreak it is likely that you are going to feel a little bit lost without your normal range of gym equipment.

You might also feel worried about losing the muscle mass or fitness you had built up thus far. Please do not fret!

Studies show that training periodically (ie. taking up to three-week breaks occasionally) has a minimum impact on your muscle growth and tensile strength. REFERENCE: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pubmed/23053130 MOTIVATION for working out at home! Yes, this can be tricky.

Especially with distractions such as social media and video streaming sites. My top tip: allocate 30 minutes of your day to “home workout”.

Write an itinerary for yourself if you need that extra structure!

During this allotted 30 minutes, switch off your mobile or turn it to aeroplane mode so that you do not get interrupted or distracted. Remember, you are likely to be awake and in your house for up to 15 hours per day so 30 minutes is nothing!

There are plenty of sources online where you can find home workouts which require little or no equipment. But here are a couple of examples of my favourite ones: Warm up before your home

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workout! Before you start your circuit, it is best to make sure you are warmed up and all joints are feeling mobile.

Try this…

3 rounds at a good steady pace: 20 high knee sprints (on the spot and get your arms moving!)

5 burpees 20 mountain climbers If you have a skipping rope try this – 30 seconds skipping : 10 seconds rest for 4 rounds.

BEGINNER WORKOUT (Not a regular gym goer as such, but enjoys exercise) Complete 10 rounds of the following exercises and reps: 5 Burpees 20 Mountain Climbers 5 Squat Jumps

20 High Knee Sprints 5 Reverse Lunges (each leg) 20 Side Raises (holding a tin of beans or small bottle of water in each hand) *you might need a pen and paper to tally up your rounds!

INTERMEDIATE WORKOUT (New to the gym and/or exercises classes but proficient in a lot of movements) As many rounds and reps as possible of the following exercises in 8 minutes: 20 Reverse Lunges (holding small dumbbells/kettlebells/ bottles of water/ tins of beans 10 Sit-ups 5 Push-ups *set a timer on your watch/ clock or phone *keep moving without rest for the full 8 minutes

| may 2020

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03/04/2020 14:04:55

Mamore Chimney Sweeping Institute of Chimney Sweeps registered Sweeping of all solid fuel appliances Fully insured, Clean and Reliable CCTV Surveys & Inspection reports Sweeping certificates issued We sweep using RODTECH uk Power Sweeping Technology Approved contractor

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• New Memorials • Additional Inscriptions • Cleaning & Renovations • Work carried out in all areas

Tel / Fax: 01369 702162 Email: info@stokesmemorials.co.uk or fraserdownie.43@gmail.com

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A letter to our clients

W

e are in very unsettling times where our lives are so different to the way we once knew them. For some of us having our pets by our side is one of the few constants we have. For people living alone they may be the only thing that can give physical comfort.

It is also a time where some of us can spend more time with our pets and build an even stronger bond of friendship. For farmers and crofters it is a very busy time of year with lambings and calvings and they may find they need their vet more than they do at any other time of the year.

We want to reassure you that while we must change the way that we look after the pets, horses and farm animals across Lochaber we are still here to help. Human health is paramount in this situation and we have had to institute protocols in order to support the government’s strategy regarding social distancing. This means that we cannot offer all the services we normally would but we are trying to provide as many other solutions as we can. We urge you that if there is anything at all you are concerned about regarding your animal’s health please phone.

We have been urged by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons that we must only see emergencies at the practice. However we have special new rules for this time period only whereby we may dispense, where appropriate, some prescription drugs after a video consultation. After we receive a call regarding a sick pet, unless it appears to be an immediate life threatening emergency, we will book a video

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consultation with a vet. The vet may decide to dispense a medication based on the video consulation or may decide that you should bring your pet to the surgery.

Unfortunately all vaccines and neuterings are cancelled for now. Annual boosters can go overdue by three months and still be considered to put pets at a very low risk. Royal College of Veterinary Surgeon guidelines at the moment are to only vaccinate puppies if they are in a very high risk area where outbreak of life threatening disease could occur if vast numbers are left unvaccinated. We are not in a high risk area therefore unfortunately we cannot warrant vaccinating puppies. However we urge you, if you have a puppy, to call us to arrange for a nurse to give you health advice on other aspects of having a young puppy. Otherwise we recommend that you keep your puppy in the confines of your own garden but try to introduce it to the sights and sounds of the streets etc in other ways if possible. You might have to get creative! Kittens should be kept inside until we are able to vaccinate and neuter.

Bear in mind that the advice we receive as to whether we can

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start vaccinating again could change at any time so please telephone us or watch our facebook for up to date information.

We are able to arrange to dispense medications for pets on long-term drugs as usual and also flea/tick/wormers. Please give us at least three days to prepare these as we are receiving a high call volume in this regard and we have had to reduce staff in order to follow government guidelines on social distancing. We are able to arrange pick up of drugs or can post out. We can also order food as usual for pick up.

We are operating a locked door system as are many businesses. Please always call ahead so we can arrange when is the best time for you to come then phone on arrival so that we can open the door. We won’t be able to allow clients into the building but if you are picking up medications we can then leave outside for you and take payment over the phone with a card. If we ask you to bring your pet then we have procedures where we will collect him/her at the door and take inside for examination. If in the sad event that your pet needs to be euthanased we have a special arrangement where the procedure can be

performed out at your car and continuing to maintain appropriate social distance.

We know how difficult it could be to be separated from your pet in those final moments.

Routine equine work is not possible at the moment but we are still able to attend sick horses. We can still do most farm animal work provided two metres distance is maintained. This is because the government has stipulated that it is paramount that the human food chain is not interrupted.

We do not know how long we will have to maintain these rules but please follow us on Facebook to see any new changes. We hope, during this time, that if you have any queries at all that you call us as normal to discuss. We have slightly adjusted our routine opening hours for the time being.

9am-4pm Monday to Friday 9am-12noon Saturday Out of hours emergency available as usual.

Looking forward to seeing all your puppies and kittens at the end of all of this! In the mean time enjoy exercising your dogs and spending time at home with your pets.

Best Wishes All the Team at Crown Vets Fort William

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