At the time of writing its 5 months to Christmas. Hang on we haven’t had Summer yet! Must be going to be an Indian Summer this year……Lets all keep our fingers crossed.
The weather may be….a little changeable….and the area a fair bit quieter than the last couple of years, but the Centre is still busy and footfall through the Wee Whistle Stop Café continues to help to increase sales in the gallery. Please call by to check out our new artists and enjoy the great food and drinks available. Google reviews are outstanding and help attract more people, which in turn generates more commission for the centre and income for our local artists.
This latest newsletter hopefully provides you all with an update on what the team have been working on and information about what’s happening at the Centre.
Movie nights are continuing with a healthy number of people at most showings and good feedback on the films shown so far. The next movie nights are on 20th August and 17th September. It would be great if everyone can help spread the word locally about our cinema - so please tell your friends and family. Or perhaps you own / clean a holiday let – could you display a wee poster to help promote the cinema to visitors? Please contact Wilma who will add you to our mailing list.
A great night is in prospect on Friday 12th August when Beluga Lagoon perform an intimate acoustic set. This event is postponed from 2021 (and previously 2020) and is already sold out. Keep a close eye on our Facebook page and the Visit Torridon mailing list emails, we hope to be able to share some exciting news about another gig very soon.
Craft markets will continue every other Thursday until mid-October – more details on the website.
Pilates and Yoga classes are popular, if you would like to join the groups, please visit our website for contact information https://www.lochtorridoncentre.co.uk/sports-fitness
Comings, Goings & Vacancies
Our gallery manager Meryl Bulaon has recently resigned but we have been lucky to quicky recruit Hannah Feuerstein as her replacement. Big thanks to Meryl for all her hard work to help make the Gallery a great success.
Steve Schnabel has decided not to continue as our Treasurer. Steve was also very involved with the gallery and tirelessly supportive of the centre so will be much missed. Our new treasurer is Karen Starr who has already settled into her role and brings with her many years’ experience in bookkeeping roles. Big thanks to Steve for all his hard work and enthusiasm over many years.
David Acou is our new cleaner and caretaker (replacing Meryl). Thanks to David for stepping in at short notice to ensure we are looking good over the busy summer period. We are also looking to recruit an additional cleaner to support David, if you are interested, please get in touch with Wilma.
Welcome to Hannah, Karen & David who will work with Wilma to keep the centre running smoothly.
We are looking to recruit a number of 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, please contact Wilma manager@lochtorridoncentre.co.uk
Supporting the Centre
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. Members are able to have their say about what we do and vote at our AGM (to be held in November).
Can you help? Want to get involved? We are looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our team of Directors. Please contact our Chair Kevin Wood on 07836 750892.
Beyond the Centre
Thanks to Paul and James of NTS for strimming the walking trails up behind the centre. This is a lovely walk to the viewpoint with a variety of paths, plus plenty of benches to rest on and soak up the thrilling landscape of Upper Loch Torridon.
Last September we wished postie Janet Ford a happy retirement but, in the March 2022 newsletter, forgot to send the same wishes to our other postie, John Wilkins, who has also retired. Apologies to John and thanks for all your years of service to the community. Enjoy your retirement.
Plans are advancing for finalising the design of the new NTS visitor centre. Hopefully everyone took the chance to see the proposed designs when they were displayed in the hall. From the six on display, two have been chosen to be developed further, before the final decision is taken by NTS.
A number of the TDCA team continue to work with SCDC (Scottish Community Development Centre) and other organisations/individuals (COW Trust, Community Council) on a Community Development Plan. This is being created following the community survey which was carried out in late 2021. If all goes to plan there will be an open day in Autumn for everyone to see the plan and provide further feedback before it is finalised.
We hope you are all keeping well and enjoy what’s left of the longer days before the year begins to turn once more. Looking forward to seeing you at the Community Centre or ‘oot and aboot’ this August.
Mat Webster - On behalf of the Directors & Centre Team
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