Skyecomuseum

A REVAMPED croft house scheme and new loan fund can now be accessed by Staffin residents looking to build a home or carry out major renovations. 
The Scottish Government is now welcoming applications to the new Croft House Grant Scheme after the amount of grant available were increased after reaming static for a decade. That meant a significant cut in cash terms as building costs increased significantly during the same period. In Skye, crofters can apply for up to £38,000 towards the construction of a new house or £28,000 if you are trying to renovate a dilapidated or inhabitable croft house.
Previously, the scheme used to have ...

AS STAFFIN’S urgent need for new affordable houses becomes more pressing with a rapidly declining population, local residents have the chance to make their voices heard on a crucial planning blueprint next week.
Highland Council is currently seeking comments on its draft West Highland and Islands Local Development Plan, which will shape the construction pattern in Staffin for the next decade. It is holding a drop-in session at Staffin Hall on Thursday, May 12 between 2pm and 5pm and the planning service is also ...

 A SENIOR BT official has pledged to keep the Staffin community fully informed as the company sets about the “challenging” installation of superfast broadband to the district.
It comes after the community company, North Skye Broadband, announced earlier this month, it had removed all the Staffin postcodes from its target area after BT confirmed it was aiming to reach the whole district with the service. http://staffin-trust.co.uk/audience-told-of-superfast-broadband-developments-for-staffin
Robert Thorburn, who is the BT manager in charge of the work, told the Staffin Community Trust (SCT) that the contract to deliver superfast involved ...

BILL Hayward, a popular former Staffin resident, has sadly passed away. 
Bill, who lived happily in Garafad for more than 30 years with his late wife Bunty, died on Tuesday morning (12.4) in hospital, following a short illness.
Bill was a gentleman. He and Bunty were very well thought of in their adopted community after the couple moved to Staffin in 1982. He delivered milk for the Stafainn Co-Chomunn and worked at Unipart in Portree. The couple were always together ...

A COMMUNITY company set up to try and deliver superfast broadband for Skye communities has removed Staffin from its target area, it has emerged.
BT has a major contract to deliver superfast internet speeds in Skye in 2016 but will be unable to cover the whole island. That led to the formation of the North Skye Broadband (NSB) company last year http://www.northskyebroadband.com/ which aims to provide the service to the communities that will not benefit from the BT roll out. The ...

VISITORS – and locals – in Staffin are urged to keep their dogs under control as we approach a crucial time for the district’s crofters.
Lambing is about to commence for most of the Taobh Sear and it is undoubtedly the most vital period in the crofting calendar. Walkers looking to enjoy the spectacular scenery and fresh air are warmly welcomed to Staffin but please use your common sense and respect the livestock you will encounter on foot.
People walking in Staffin’s 23 ...

STAFFIN Campsite is seeking to recruit staff for the coming visitor season. 
The popular campsite, which is the only one in the district, is looking to employ wardens, preferably a couple, to run the site. As the wardens would really need to be based at the busy campsite a small two-bedroom holiday cottage can be provided as free accommodation or a free pitch for a motorhome, caravan etc. The warden(s) would be required to carry out the usual duties and tasks.
It comes as the campsite ...

AN EARLY Easter means Staffin businesses are March-ing into the start of the 2016 season this week.
The “shoulder months” between October and Easter are getting shorter and many local businesses are still trading in the winter as more people enjoy the winter experience in Staffin, particularly when the skies are blue and the sun is out, like last week. As the clocks spring forward this weekend, the Taobh Sear is preparing for another busy season and an influx of visitors from all over ...

A SHORT film – shot from the air – of the Old Man of Storr has been narrated by a star from the smash hit TV series Downton Abbey.
If you are watching the More4 channel this weekend watch out for the Bodach on the screen with the Downton housekeeper Mrs Hughes/Carson’s dulcet tones accompanying the pictures. 
Production company True North TV used a drone to carry out filming at the Storr in February and the footage has now been made into a short ...

RESIDENTS and businesses in the Taobh Sear are being invited to express an interest in securing superfast broaband.
The North Skye Broadband company was officially launched last month and is supported by HIE and Community Broadband Scotland. It is made up of volunteers representing various communities on a steering group with a full-time project officer now in post. The company’s objective is to provide superfast broadband in the areas where BT will not reach.
In Staffin, BT is scheduled to provide a ...

GAELIC speakers in Trotternish who are fond of duileasg, partial to nettle soup or avoid food which plays havoc with their well-being are invited to take part in a new TV programme.
Researchers are looking for local residents who have a different approach to their diets – compared to the general population – to interview next month for a BBC Alba series. It may be somebody who is trying out so-called super foods as part of a health and fitness regime or a man who has had ...

AFTER a giant billboard of the Old Man of Storr was spotted in Australia last month, we asked for other pictures of Staffin sites spotted in unlikely places around the globe to be sent in.
One eagle-eyed Staffin Trust website reader e-mailed in the picture, below, which she saw near a fuel station. It is the Storr again but this time a little bit closer to home in Keighley, West Yorkshire.
With Staffin’s extensive range of scenery such as Staffin Bay, the Quiraing, the Kilt Rock, Lealt Gorge, ...

STAFFIN Community Trust has declared its interest in purchasing local authority-owned land at the Old Man of Storr.
The SCT has written to Highland Council regarding the 82-hectare site at the Storr from the A855 roadside upwards. It follows a community consultation in Staffin which strongly backed the organisation managing or purchasing the area near the hugely popular visitor landmark. SCT has also made an expression of interest to the Scottish Land Fund. 
SCT has been in productive talks with ...

A GIANT image of the Old Man of Storr is now looming over a city’s streets – more than 10,000 miles away.
While the Storr features in the holiday pictures in countries across the world with it visited by thousands of people each year, it is now also on display in all its glory in Melbourne, Australia. It is featuring in a major new advertising campaign launch by VisitScotland hence its arrival on the Melbourne skyline.
With other Staffin landmarks such as the Quiraing, the ...

THE SECOND of three planned heritage events which will record old stories from people in North East Skye, takes place in Staffin tomorrow (Saturday). 
1230 gu 3.00 feasgar; Bidh bròt, ceapairean, srùpag is sgona ann. Nach tig sibh, is nach toir sibh nàbaidh leibh?
Taigh-bìdh Chill Mhàrtainn, An Taobh Sear.Tuilleadh fios bho Sìne air 01 470 562 325
Soup and sandwiches, tea and a scone are available from the Kilmartin Restaurant 12.30 to 3pm. Everybody is welcome and the event is free of charge. ...