Apprenticeship Opportunity

Norscot Truck & Van Ltd are recruiting a Parts Advisor Apprentice.

The role offers a varied workload where you will be working with both customers and workshop staff, improving sales and providing excellent customer service.

If you have a keen interest in the heavy vehicle industry and good communication skills, both verbal and written, apply here.

Closing date is Monday 31st May.

Northern Alliance Children’s Events

The Northern Alliance are holding a series of events over the 17-19 May to support and promote children’s participation.

There are a number of bite-sized sessions delivered by experts, professionals and young people that will highlight examples of practice and local stories.

For more details of the programme and how to sign up, click here

Welfare Guide

A new welfare guide has been published by the Council to highlight to people across the Highlands the range of financial support and guidance which is available to them. The guide brings together a wide range of relevant financial advice with the aim of assisting those who are struggling to make ends meet.

Topics covered include:

  • How Pension Credit can provide top-up payments and maximise income for pensioners;
  • Additional entitlements which are available to those in receipt of Pension Credit;
  • Information on Best Start Grants and Best Start Foods;
  • Financial support for individuals who are required to self-isolate following a positive result for COVID (or because they have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive);
  • Grants which are available to young carers. The welfare guide can be viewed on Highland Council’s website.

Bottle Bank Online Consultation Results

The final results of the online consultation regarding the siting of the Balintore bottle bank are as follows:

Total responses: 81

Leave the bottle bank at the harbour: 37 (45.68% of respondents)

Move the bottle bank up to the top football pitch: 39 (48.15% of respondents)

Other: 5
– Seaboard Hall: 2
– Remove altogether: 2
– Leave at harbour: 1

We will discuss this at the next BHCC meeting on 8th June. If you want to have your say, please come along. Meeting details here.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2021

A new service that signposts both individuals and communities to trusted services of mental health support has been launched during Mental Health Awareness Week.

Mental Health Awareness Week – Monday 10-16 May sets to raise awareness and encourage people to ask for help.  This week is a great opportunity for reflection, to talk and to support one another during a mentally testing period in our lives.

The new signposting support service – launched by The Highland Community Planning Partnership’s Mental Health Delivery Group in which The Highland Council is a key partner – aims to raise awareness of where people can get help in a crisis and how to develop skills and confidence to allow more open and frequent conversations about mental health.

Councillor Linda Munro, Chair of Highland Council’s Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Committee said: “This year’s Mental Health Awareness theme of ‘nature’ is a fitting focus as we begin to recover from lockdown.  Connecting with nature can help us to feel calm and bring a bit more perspective to things and while it can’t solve all problems it can promote positive emotions.

“Studies indicate that a substantial number of UK adults experience improved mental health by being immersed in nature and while that’s true it’s also true many people do not live within easy access of green, leafy spaces but we do all live under the same sky with fresh winds to blow away the cobwebs, pictures to be found in billowing cloud formations and starry skies that go on forever.  All of these we have and everyone should have equal access to the best mental health advice and support available.”

She added: “By supporting and recognising Mental Health Awareness Week, we are able to increase our understanding of Mental Health and its impact on our lives. Now more than ever many more people are experiencing additional stresses and uncertainty because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means many of us across the region are likely to be feeling the effects of reduced Mental Health for the first time.  It is vitally important that people know where to access reliable resources that can offer reassurance and help keep people safe in time of crisis or when their mental health and wellbeing requires support.”

The Highland Partnership Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery group have developed resources which primarily signposts individuals and communities to trusted sources of support for mental health and wellbeing including: where to get help in a crisis; resources/weblinks to support our mental wellbeing; and learning tools to build skills and confidence in conversations about mental health and suicide prevention.

For further information, please visit https://www.highlandcpp.org.uk/publications-and-reports.html 

Further information on connecting with nature for mental health and wellbeing as part of Green Health Week is available at: https://www.thinkhealththinknature.scot/greenhealthweek/