Skyecomuseum

STAFFIN Community Trust (SCT) will hold its 2017 AGM and an EGM later this month. 
SCT has had another busy year progressing its various projects and an update will be provided on all aspects of its work. The EGM will consider a resolution to make changes to the existing SCT’s articles, which includes a proposal to allow Staffin residents over the age of 16 to become members. The age limit is currently set at 18.


There will also ...

A STAFFIN man’s work in finding, protecting and preserving dinosaur and fossil bones and footprints has been recognised by one of the world’s leading societies in the field.  
Dugie Ross from Ellishadder, who has had a lifelong interest in fossils and runs the Staffin Museum, has received the Mary Anning Award from the Palaeontological Association (PA).
Palaeontology is the branch of science concerned with fossil animals and plants. The award was open to all those who are not professionally ...

A HISTORIC decision on whether Staffin Community Trust (SCT) gets the green light to purchase land at one of the island’s most popular landmarks, the Old Man of Storr, is looming.
SCT will find out within the next fortnight if its bid to buy roadside ground at the Storr will be approved by the owner, Highland Council. SCT plans to build a new off-road car park, public toilets and provide interpretation/local business information at the site in a major development, which ...

MORE than 3,000 lambs were sold in Portree this week – and Staffin stock led the way in one of the biggest days of the crofting calendar.
Crofters from several Staffin townships were at the annual Skye lamb sale with their stock to discover what returns they would be making in the ring. It is one of the key economically important dates of the season and quality livestock from Trotternish did well.
Dingwall and Highland Marts Ltd sold 3,239 store lambs ...

THE views of residents in Staffin and Trotternish on a proposed new designation to help protect fossils – including the hugely popular dinosaur footprints in An Corran – are being sought by a government agency.
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has proposed that a “Nature Conservation Order” (NCO) to protect fossils finds is introduced. It comes after police investigated an alleged attempt by a campervan driver to make casts of the footprints, which are 165 million years old, last Christmas.
There was ...

A REVAMPED programme of classes – which includes exercise based on a night out – are now running at the Staffin Gym.
Instructors Sam Crowe and Anna MacDonald lead a range of classes at the community gym for five days in the week, between Monday and Saturday. 
One of the new classes is Club Hiit (High Intensity Interval Training) which mixes up a night club dance floor with exercise. Don’t let the name put you off as everybody can go at their own pace and there is ...

BILINGUAL WALK EXPLORING PLANTS ON A CROFT 
EVENT DETAILS

Dihaoine 18 August, 2pm – 4pm
A bilingual walk in Staffin with Caroline Dear and Sìne Ghilleasbuig, exploring plants in Gaelic and English.
Meet firstly at Columba 1400, Staffin, at 1400 hours
Cuairt is Còmhradh  /  Srùpag is Cèic
Walk and conversation / Tea and cake
Free of charge
Contact Iseabail to book a place or for further information
iseabail@aros.co.uk or 01478613649
Tha fàilte romhaibh
All welcome
Please bring waterproof clothing ...

COMETH the hour, cometh the Staffin Women…
Turn off the World Athletics Championships.
The real athletes will converge at The Lump on Wednesday afternoon for the sporting spectacle of the year – the Staffin Ladies heading into tug o’war battle at the Games. 
The legendary Staffin Ladies – the island’s most successful tug o’war team of all time, having won the crown on 11 occasions, are psychologically and physically ready to once again take on all comers in the Portree arena.
Team captain Maggie ...

WHILE tourism currently grabs most of the headlines in news reports about Skye and is Trotternish’s main economic driver in 2017, it was not always so.
Back in the 1950s, men in Staffin, Kilmuir and Uig were employed in the diatomite industry, which also attracted significant press attention given the product’s versatility and fact it was a major employer in the post war period.
Loch Cuithir in Lealt, Staffin, was found to have a deposit called diatomite, a clay-like floury grey substance, known in Gaelic ...

Àrainneachd, Cànan is Dualchas, a ten-day course on the relationship between Gaelic and the Environment, is underway in Staffin this week, writes Angus Murray. The course gives Gaelic speakers a unique opportunity to explore the outdoor environment and learn more about it from the perspective of the Gael, often directly from the people of Staffin. The first week has involved learning about ‘Cladach, Croit is Coille’ or Shoreline, Croft and Woodland. The second week will follow with ‘Croit, Coille, Monadh ...

A SCOTTISH Government minister learned about the potential of the Storr Project on a visit to Staffin this week and an innovative community-led solution to the road safety and sanitation issues at the busy site.
MSP Humza Yousaf, the Minister for Transport and Islands, met representatives of Staffin Community Trust (SCT) on a visit to north-east Skye earlier this week. 
The government has recently introduced the Islands (Scotland) Bill in the Scottish Parliament and the Minister discussed the potential benefits of the proposed legislation ...

A TALENTED Perthshire sheepdog handler, who is one of Scotland’s in form competitors, has reigned supreme in Staffin.
Peter Martin, from Glenlyon, and his dog Jen beat almost 70 other competitors from all over the UK, Europe and North America last Friday in Ellishadder.
The annual Staffin Sheepdog Trials, which is part of the Hebridean Circuit, featured a top-class line up of handlers and dogs. It was a long but enjoyable day for judge Ian MacKay, of Leanach Farm, Culloden, who ...

A KEY staff appointment has been made by Staffin Community Trust (SCT) as it prepares to deliver a major heritage project. 
Angus Murray is the new programme manager for the Skye Ecomuseum II.
Angus, who previously worked for Museum and Tasglann nan Eilean in the Western Isles, will manage a wide-ranging activities programme for the project. It includes a new curriculum resource to be developed for Skye primary schools, children’s craft and storytelling events, health walks for older residents, archaeology/wildlife ...

A GARDEN designed and created by Staffin schoolchildren has beaten off competition from all over Scotland to receive a national award.
The efforts of P4-7 pupils in creating a “pallet garden” has won the respect of judges at Scotland’s premier gardening event. It was a real achievement for Stafffin Primary School to have even made the shortlist as the pupils were up against hundreds of other schools. 
A pallet garden is an innovative way of recycling old wooden pallets into ...

STAFFIN and Kilmuir pupils performed to a high standard at the 2017 Skye Provincial Mòd.
The youngsters from Bun Sgoil Stafainn and Bun Sgoil Cille Mhoire  were among the medalists at the annual event in Portree, which is often seen as an excellent chance for the pupils to hone their talent and use it as a springboard and vital warm up for the Royal National Mod in October. The Clann Throndairnis Choir, pupils from both Staffin and Kilmuir under the ...