A FLOTILLA of boats and keen anglers will be heading out to sea next weekend as the Staffin Sea Angling Competition returns.
And the popular community event will allow everybody to find out more about the transformation in the Staffin Harbour area in recent months,
The event kicks off at 12 noon on Saturday June 15. There will be prizes for the Heaviest Fish and Heaviest Catch with teas, coffees and snacks will be provided. Entry is £6 per adult and £3 per child. There will also be a raffle on the day. All proceeds will go towards Sgoil Stafainn Parent Council.
To book a place please email Staffin Harbour Manager Lachie Gillies staffinharbourmanger@gmail.com Life jackets must be worn by all participants and children must be supervised by an adult.
Meanwhile, Staffin Community Trust (SCT) has welcomed several visitors to the harbour as the site works for phase 2 of the project continues.
Lachie and SCT development officer Hugh Ross met Labour Highland and Islands MSP Rhoda Grant and the party’s Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire
candidate for the General Election, Micheal Perera, last Saturday.
SCT is working hard on a funding plan for delivering the next phase of construction works in 2025 - which would be the construction of a new slipway and breakwater - and highlighted to Mrs Grant and Mr Perera the project's economic impact in terms of supporting existing and creating new jobs and businesses in Staffin. The importance of the community-led infrastructure project to Skye and the west Highlands, given our strategic geographical location, was also discussed as was the threat to the existing slipway and breakwater through rising sea levels.
Around 20,000 tonnes of rock have now been hauled from Lealt to the new harbour hardstanding. That is one-third of the total amount rock required for the whole development. The armour rock protection to the east of the harbour is now in place as is an anti-wash out-wall to protect the area. Seven business units have been ordered for delivery later this summer.
SCT also welcomed Alison Tanner of Highland Council's community regeneration team on Wednesday (5.5.24), who had travelled from Inverness to see the work carried out to date at the harbour and Lealt Quarry.
Staffin Harbour was awarded more than £36,000 of Community Regeneration Funding via the council in 2023 while Alison also deals with the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) drawdown for the project. The RCGF is a key Scottish Government infrastructure fund and was the first grant secured by SCT in 2020. RCGF support has been vital in delivering the project's enabling works such as the electricity connection from the Columba 1400m Centre across the Garafad common grazing, opening up Lealt quarry to extract rock which made the project affordable and developing the new hardstanding.
