And we are off! The clocks have gone forward, the daffodils are brightening our villages, visitors have arrived for Easter and we have the Summer to look forward to. Although it will probably be snowing when you are reading this. Welcome to the Spring edition of the Loch Torridon Community Centre Newsletter. A new season is upon us and there are plenty of activities and events going on at the Centre, here is a wee round up of what to expect.
WHATS ON – MUSIC:
We are going Ceilidh mad this year…..no excuses everyone on the dance floor……(except me)
Saturday 20th April: Ceilidh Dance
Live music, dance, and merriment courtesy of the Islands Ceilidh Band. Doors open 7.30pm, dancing from 8pm. All profits donated to MacMillian Cancer Support in memory of Alasdair (Pnut) MacDonald. Tickets on the door £10
Sunday 16th June: Celtman Ceilidh
After the swimming, cycling and running comes the drinking and dancing. Live music from RuMac as the Celtman crew and competitors join with the community to finish the main Celtman weekend in style. Doors open from 7.30pm. Free entry.
Wednesday 24th July: Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail
More dancing! Family Ceilidh with music from the talented young musicians of Feis Rois. Further details closer to the time.
Autumn: We are still working on events for later in the year
WHATS ON – CRAFTS:
Craft Markets
The popular fortnightly craft market returns on Thursday April 18th starting at 10am. A fantastic selection of local arts and crafts from these wonderful stallholders:
Sutherland Horn Craft, Prickly Fish, Amigo Crafts, Hannah Feuerstein, Sugar Croft Faerie, David Hay Woodturning, Graham Park Photography, Patterns Of Light, Ewe Brew, Highland Blooms & the Bruce Blaxter Hospice Stall to name a few.
1st – 29th April: Spring Exhibition - Etched in Sunlight
The title is inspired by a poem called Today by Billy Collins:
If ever there were a spring day so perfect,so uplifted by a warm intermittent breeze
that it made you want to throwopen all the windows in the house
and unlatch the door to the canary's cage,indeed, rip the little door from its jamb,
a day when the cool brick pathsand the garden bursting with peonies
seemed so etched in sunlightthat you felt like taking
a hammer to the glass paperweighton the living room end table,
releasing the inhabitantsfrom their snow-covered cottage
so they could walk out,holding hands and squinting
into this larger dome of blue and white,well, today is just that kind of day.
8th April 4-6pm: Please join us for an exhibition viewing, drinks and nibbles will be provided and hopefully we will be joined by some of the artists who will talk about their work.
WHATS ON – FILM NIGHTS:
This month’s film is on Saturday 6th April: Anatomy of a Fall.
Multi award winning thriller of a film in which a woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness.
The film starts at 7.30pm. The bar/doors will be open from 7pm for drinks and a natter before the film starts.
Future screenings: May 4th, June 1st & July 6th. We will circulate the details of the films nearer the time, as this gives us the best chance of securing newer film releases. We will announce the films via the Torridon mailing list and our Facebook page.
WHATS ON – EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES:
Whilst some activities are taking a summer break, there are still regular activities and classes on offer at the Centre including craft workshops, Whist and Yoga. Or why not try the Gym and get some professional one on one training from local instructor Bori Boun.
Perhaps you are passionate about something and want to start a class or activity of your own? Please get in touch to hire the hall.
For the latest information and to keep an eye on what is going on visit our website or Facebook:
Celtman
The two biggest annual events for the Centre, Celtman and Celtman Solo Point 5, are happening on 15-16th June and 22nd June respectively. We are looking for people to help with marshalling, food prep and serving, bar staff and general hands on. We can accommodate whatever time you can offer, you don’t need to commit for the whole weekend and any training needed will be provided.
The Celtman events are the Centres main income stream of the year – they help keep the lights on! We use the income raised from these two important events to help us maintain the building to the expected standards - for instance the upkeep of the fire alarm, heating and electrical safety checks etc., which cost us thousands of pounds each year. We are lucky to have other income streams to cover wages and monthly bills like electricity.
So many people who call at the centre are amazed how a small community can support such a wonderful centre and we intend to keep it that way. But we do need help with this, and we hope that members of our community will come forward to offer some of their time to help us to put on a fantastic Celtman, which ultimately benefits us all.
We realise that Celtman is a commercial event and your time is precious, but also recognise that budgets are tight for many people. We are therefore able to pay all helpers £12 per hour, which can be either claimed or forfeited and reinvested in the Centre. Who claims and who doesn’t claim is confidential. Please contact Wilma to join the team.
Supporting the Centre & Employment Opportunities
o We are a membership organisation. If you are not already a member, please consider joining for only £3 a year. A very quick and easy application form is available from Wilma via manager@lochtorridoncentre.co.uk or to pick up at the desk.
o We are looking to recruit an additional casual cleaner for 2024 and beyond. Hours are flexible. In addition, we are looking to recruit casual staff to help with events and weddings. These are fun events and offer the opportunity to support the centre whilst earning a bit of extra money. If you would like more information on these vacancies, please contact Wilma manager@lochtorridoncentre.co.uk
o We are proud to be an accredited Living Wage employer, so we pay all our team, including events staff, above the minimum wage of £11.44 with everyone receiving £12 per hour or more.
BEYOND THE CENTRE
Development Plan
o The community development plan team is working hard on options for potentially repurposing Torridon Primary School. Our consultants SKS are close to finalising their report and we will share more information about that soon.
o In the meantime, you will recall that we successfully obtained grant funding to employ a Community Development Officer, whose primary role will be to take forward the actions identified in the Development Plan. We are delighted to announce that we have successfully recruited Katie Anderson for this role. Katie is excited about moving to the area and her provisional start date is 29th April. She has many years’ experience of working in the Voluntary, Community & Social Enterprise Sector, this includes working with volunteers and liaising with funders. Katie will be employed by TDCA and work out of the Centre. I am sure she will be out and about in the community as she gets to know people. Exciting times for Katie and our community. I am sure everyone will join me in making her feel welcome
With seasonal businesses now all open and the area starting to feel busy once more, let’s hope we get some good spring weather soon. We look forward to seeing you at the centre over the coming weeks.
Mat Webster - On behalf of the Directors & Centre Team
