Community News

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News and Events in the RCV project area communities. Also check out our schools section. Forthcoming community meetings involving RoWAN  are listed in the diary section.

For meeting minutes, information & articles click here and then access your community folder

Alness

‘Recycling Blooms in West Alness’

Raising the profile of recycling has been a real focus throughout November, for the 9-11 yr olds Youth Group at Alness West End Community Centre. Working with Ross-shire Waste Action Network (RoWAN) and local artists Gina Bates and Vicky Stonebridge, the group has been busy for 4 weeks making Christmas gifts and designing and building an impressive 3 x 5 metre mural, all made from recycled materials. The mural depicts local wildlife and scenery and includes a stag created using old carpet, an eagle cut from aluminium cans and a tree made of egg boxes, corks and crisp bags. An unusual and amazing piece of original artwork.

The dedicated group of 15 youngsters doubled the time they attended youth club each week to make sure everything was finished in time for their Christmas Fair on
1 December. At the Fair, members of the youth group sold the gifts they’d made, ran a competition using waste materials - ‘Guess the number of bottle tops inside the plastic bottle’ - and helped RoWAN look after photo sessions with their renowned ‘Waste Warrior’, who last made an appearance at the Alness Academy Highland Games. The Christmas Fair was, as always, a great success and money raised from ‘recycling’ activities will go to youth club funds.

This is just the latest project in the newly refurbished Community Centre’s efforts to support waste awareness in the neighbourhood. Since the new recycling banks were installed near the Centre in September, the youth group has also designed colourful signage advertising the recycling point with the help of  artist Dougie Brown, which has now been mounted in pride of place high up on the building.

Caroline Eccles of RoWAN commented: “Raising awareness of waste issues through art is just one way of capturing the interest and imagination of young people. The children in Alness are very lucky to have youth leaders who give so much of their time, energy and enthusiasm – never mind put up with the mess! Congratulations to the Youth Group on a great project”.

Garve to Ullapool

'Ullapool's Cottoned On' Launch on Friday 14th December

RoWAN has helped Ullapool successfully launch their 'Ullapool's Cottoned On' initiative to reduce plastic bag use. Plastic bags litter the countryside, kill wildlife and waste the world’s resources. Ullapool’s residents and traders have decided to tackle this problem, in conjuction with Ross-shire Waste Action Network (RoWAN) and the Ullapool Tourism and Business Association. All households in Ullapool have been supplied with cloth bags and shops are putting incentives to discourage plastic bag use such as a token charge to a charity tin for each bag used. Many shops are using paper or degradable/biodegradable plastic bags which are, on balance, less harmful to the environment - though it's always better to reuse bags! Find the story at the BBC news. 

Check Ullapool tourism and business association events for more information

Conon Bridge & Maryburgh


Lochcarron to Achnasheen


We have built a new plastics collection point and piloting collection of plastics and cardboard in the village.  See schools news.