The Fliperz

Fun

Page…

page 11

The Merkinch community newsletter, entirely written, produced and printed in the Merkinch, and delivered by volunteers.

July 2018

Community

Centre

News…

Page 2 & 5

Merkinch

Arts & Crafts

News...

Pages 6 & 7

Volume 24 Issue 6

Merkinch Primary School Campus Plans Welcomed

Inside

this

month:

Merkinch

Partnership

News...

page 3

THE BIG LUNCH GOES DOWN A TREAT

The Big Lunch was held in Merkinch Community Centre (pictured right) hosted by the Inverness Christian Fellowship who provided a splendid array of food. The Big Lunch is Lottery funded in support of the Eden Projects Communities annual 'Get Together for Neighbours' campaign. More on page 5...

Highland Council have revealed plans for the refurbishment and modernisation of Merkinch Primary School on Telford Road. Their intention is to create a 'campus' which will provide new buildings and amenities including 16 classrooms, a nursery, a sports hall, a pitch and a games area, designed to support children from nursery through to primary 7. The original Victorian listed building on Telford Road will house the main school dining area as well as a family centre. The design of the new buildings will also compliment the existing main building. The school has been suffering from overcrowding over the last few years which has meant that some classes are having to use portable buildings. Councillors and the local community have welcomed the new development.

Pictured above: The MCC Drama Group entertained the Friendship Club with their skit “Fairies over 40”. Lots of laughs were had as it was enjoyed by all. See page 5 for more Community Centre news...

2 News & Views

Useful Contacts & Helplines

Got a contact you think we should include? Contact News &

Views on 240085

AGE UK - 0800 055 6112

ADDICTIONS COUNSELLING - Alcohol, drugs, gambling etc -

108 Church Street - 220995

BINS, broken glass, drugs, needles, bulky furniture and other items for special uplift (Environmental Health) - 01349 886603

CHILDLINE - 0800 1111. Free confidential advice 24 hours a day.

CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU - Appointments, 237664

COMMUNITY CENTRE - 239563

CRIMESTOPPERS - 0800 555111

DENTAL HELPLINE - 0845 644 2271

DOG WARDEN - 01349 886603

DRUGLINE SCOTLAND - 0800 776600 Free advice on drugs 24 hours.

FLIPERZ Day Care Nursery / Out of School Club - 234232

FOR THE RIGHT REASONS - 237969

GAS/ELECTRIC Freephone -

0800 111 999

NEW START - 715615 or 223524

NHS 24 (out of hours medical advice/GP Service) - 111

MERKINCH NEWS & VIEWS - 240085

MERKINCH PARTNERSHIP - 718989

MERKINCH PRIMARY SCHOOL - 232962

MERKINCH WORK CLUB - 718989

MIKEY'S LINE - text 07779 303 303 (7pm Friday - 7am Monday)

POLICE - confidential line 101. Genuine emergencies still 999.

RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLING - 712888

ROAD TO RECOVERY - Ian Polworth, Madras Street Mission - 715809

SAMARITANS - 67a Tomnahurich St - 713456 (local rate) or 116 123 (FREE)

SMOKELINE - 0800 84 84 84

SOCIAL CARE, Emergency - 08456 014813 (out of hours)

TRADING STANDARDS - 0845 600 4222 or 228700

UNIVERSAL CREDIT HELPLINE (FREE) - 0800 328 9344

VICTIM SUPPORT - 258834

WOMEN’S AID, Inverness - Confidential support - 220719

YOUR LOCAL COUNCILLORS -

Janet Campbell 226598;

Richard Laird, 07557 566552;

Bet McAllister 710558

A six week cooking course was held for adults with learning disabilities in partnership with Health and Happiness. A big thanks goes to Maureen Hutchison, the volunteer tutor. The event was very successful with the young men learning to develop new independence skills.

The Rainbow Singers had a wonderful coffee morning and raised £287 for the HAVEN 200 Appeal. It was a very happy occasion and several members sang solos while lots of volunteers helped to make it all happen!

We need help on the following routes/areas. Each route takes approximately 1 to 2 hours per month to complete.

Please call in at Merkinch Technology & Training Centre, 14 Grant Street or ring 240085 if you can help. Thank you.

Grant Street Telford Court Kilmuir Road

Kilmuir Court Lochalsh Road Abbey Court

Maclennan Crescent Pumpgate Road Lower Kessock Street

Rosehaugh Road Kessock Avenue Mill Court

Abban Street Anderson Street Cameron Square

Cameron Road Carse Road Glendoe Terrace

3 July 2018

Merkinch Work Club Are you unemployed and looking to get back into work?

Do you need help with getting online to look for work, doing a CV or applying for jobs?

You can get help with all your job search activities at Merkinch Work Club. We are based at the Old Welfare Hall at 30 Grant Street and provide a range of free advice and support at our weekly Work Club sessions, such as:

Producing and updating a CV Writing cover letters Free access to a computer and mobile phone Free access to the internet Completing job applications Online job search, registering on job websites Basic computer skills Navigating the internet and using e-mail Interview skills Short training courses Referral to other training and information services.

If you need help with any of the above come along to Merkinch Work Club at 30 Grant Street.

Monday to Friday - 9.30am to 4.30pm No need to make an appointment, just drop in.

For more information contact Anne on:

01463 718989 or 07872 014520

Hosted by the Bike Shed Coffee Shop, organised by Merkinch Partnership

Friday 6th July 12.00pm until 2.00pm

Live Music Free sandwiches, cakes, waffles and coffee. Open to the residents of Merkinch.

All welcome! Come along and meet your neighbours in the community!

Indoor

4 News & Views

INVERNESS TRINITY

CHURCH of SCOTLAND

“We aim to be a welcoming fellowship, proclaiming in worship the gospel of Jesus Christ, ready to serve with

compassion the needs of the community.”

Your Parish Church

Rev Fraser Turner

Sunday Services 11.00am (Kidzone & Crèche during the Morning Service)

Induction Loop System

Girls’ Brigade meets Mondays 6.30pm Boys’ Brigade meets Fridays 6.00pm

All Welcome

The Church Halls are available for children’s parties.

We also collect scrap metal free of charge. White goods

such as washing machines are acceptable but not fridges or freezers.

Anyone interested can contact us via the Church Facebook

page, by email:

invernesstrinitychurch@yahoo.co.uk or by phoning the Church Office and leaving a message

on 221490.

(www.trinityinverness.org.uk) Inverness Trinity Church of Scotland

is a registered Scottish Charity (SC015432)

Alastair Stewart & Son

Memorials Ltd

Granite Memorials at KEEN prices.

Additional inscriptions in

any cemetery.

For a colour brochure ring

12-14 Carsegate Road North,

Inverness, IV3 8DU

01463 710178

Inverness City Amateur Boxing Club

Merkinch Welfare Hall

Inverness City Boxer Ali Macleod is taking a year out in Africa, teaching English to children of Botswana (shaded area on map). In his spare time, he is also organising boxing classes for the local kids. Pictured above and right: Ali takes the children through their paces.

Boxing Club

Opening Times & Prices

Boys and Girls aged 5 years to 9 years: Monday, Wednesday & Friday 5.00pm till 6.00pm

£3.00

Boys and Girls aged 10 years to 14 years: Monday to Friday 5.30pm till 6.30pm

£3.00

Senior Male and Female: Monday to Friday 6.00pm till 7.30pm

£4.00

Ladies: Monday, Wednesday & Friday 6.00pm till 7.00pm

£4.00

Open to All: Saturday and Sunday 10.00am till 12.00pm

Adults £4.00, Kids £3.00

Coronation Park Inverness IV3 8AD

Tel: 01463 239563

Looking for something to do

AND make some new friends?

We are looking for volunteers.

If you are interested,

pop in and see us!

Going the Distance for Africa

5

Merkinch Community Centre News

July 2018

BIG FREE LUNCH AT MERKINCH COMMUNITY CENTRE This was the second year that the Inverness Christian Fellowship provided a free lunch for the community and the afternoon was a great success! Around 130 people attended and everyone enjoyed the chat and sumptuous buffet provided. They were also entertained by Mr & Mrs Bubbles pictured in the background below. Thank you to all who made the afternoon such a success. We are now looking forward to next year!

6 News & Views

Arts in Merkinch, as one of it’s final activities, took part in an event in Edinburgh on Sunday 10th June. The PROCESSIONS event happened simultaneously in Edinburgh, London, Cardiff and Dublin in order to mark and celebrate 100 years of some women in the UK getting the vote for the first time. Thousands of women took part in this jubilant celebration which also made recognition of the distances still to go in terms of equality. Arts in Merkinch were commissioned by organising group Artichoke, to create a banner which they could bring to the Edinburgh event and which somehow represented the women involved in making it. Artist Heidi Soos was chosen to lead on the project which brought together women from the sewing group Common Threads run by Highland Multicultural Friends and women from Merkinch’s Blazing Needles group. The resulting banner included images that told of our Highland location, the diversity of our backgrounds and the words that we wished to be represented by including a BSL interpretation of the word fairness, to include our hearing impaired seamstresses. The design integrated sewing, knitting, crochet and felting as well as a beautifully pair of stag antlers carved for us by Merkinch Men’s Shed member George Smith and doweling and metal banner poles constructed by Scott Sloss. The whole project was a truly collaborative community project and it was a joy to be a part of it. Of the over 20 people involved in the creation of the banner less than half of them were able to manage the trip to Edinburgh but all were pleased to have contributed to the project.

Images - Top left / bottom left: Gathering at the Meadows for the start of the day. Top right: A view of PROCESSION from Princes Street. Bottom right: The Highland banner group reaching the end of the procession underneath Arthur’s Seat.

Above: PROCESSIONS as seen from the Mound.

Raising the Banner for Women at PROCESSIONS

7 July 2018

A group of friendly women (gents are welcome also)

meet every Tuesday at the Bike Shed to knit, crochet

and sew any type of needle work.

We are a sociable group and new members are

always welcome! If you like to learn

we can help.

Drop in and have a chat over a cup of coffee or tea.

per session

New opening hours are:

Every Tuesday 1.30pm - 3.30pm

at the Bike Shed

Sunday 1st July

This is not a tutor lead class, it is for pure enjoyment.

Come along and join us for a peaceful, relaxing afternoon creating your own masterpiece.

This month the theme is ROCKS. You don't have to follow the theme though and you are free to paint what you wish.

Let your imagination run wild!

THE ART ROOM

entry fee

2.00pm - 5.00pm

It was with a heavy heart that friends and colleagues bid a sad farewell to Arts in Merkinch Arts Coordinator Catherine MacNeil. Friends gathered at the Bike Shed to wish her well for the future and presented Catherine with flowers and a voucher for a well deserved spa day.

A Fond Farewell to Catherine

The Coffee House Crafting crowd

Do you enjoy crafting? Then come along and join our friendly group exchanging ideas and skills

in a creative, relaxed atmosphere.

We meet weekly at:

The Bike Shed 10.30am till 12.30pm

Why not take along your own project?

per session

A place where

men of all ages

can come

together to

make things,

share common

interests and

learn new

skills.

If you're at a loose end, why not come along

and see what we're about?

We will be in the Sea Scouts

Hut at Muirtown Basin every

Sunday from 2.00pm until

4.00pm.

See you there!

8 News & Views

07779 303 303

Text to Talk

The Hive Project opened in December 2017 and is an ambitious project to provide a safe haven/drop-in centre for those suffering with Mental Health issues in Inverness and the Highlands. The project is based on a successful model of safe havens in the UK, and is something Inverness desperately needs. The Hive will be a place where you can come, out of normal hours, to talk to a professional, a volunteer or to others who know what you are going through, or simply a place to feel safe & welcome. The Hive Project is open every night (except Tuesday) from 6.00pm to 10.00pm (11.00pm Friday & Saturday). No appointment is necessary...No judging...No pressure...Just a warm welcome and a listening ear. We are based at 19 Academy Street, Inverness IV1 1JN.

9

Smoky Bacon & Tomato Spaghetti

Ingredients

400g spaghetti

1 tablespoon olive oil

120g smoked streaky bacon, sliced thinly

1 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

Grated parmesan, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the spaghetti following pack instructions.

2. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the bacon for 3 to 4 mins until just starting to crisp. Stir in the onion and cook for another 3 to 4 mins, then add the garlic and smoked paprika, and cook for 1 min more.

3. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, bring to the boil and bubble for about 5 mins until thickened, stirring every so often to stop it catching on the bottom.

4. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Serve with parmesan.

100 patients failed to attend appointments in the month of May.

Fairfield Medical Practice

Attendance Notice

37 patients failed to attend appointments in May and time wasted was 16 hours.

Abban Street Dental Clinic

Attendance Notice

St Michael & All Angels Scottish Episcopal Church, Abban Street

Sunday Services during July 9.45am

Weekday Mass on Tuesday 10.00am

Teas & Coffees in the Church Hall

Tuesday mornings 10.30am - 11.30am

Drop in for a cuppa and a blether.

ALL WELCOME

Priest: Revd Canon Dr John Cuthbert

Web: www.stmichaelschurchinverness.org

For information on Christenings, Weddings and other ceremonies or events

Tel: 01463 233797

Prep: 10 mins Time to cook: 20 mins Serves: 4

July 2018

Special Offer throughout July

Please note: This voucher must be presented to be eligible.

One ticket per person.

FREE VOUCHER

Any drink for just £1.00

Opening Hours

Mon, Wed, Thu & Fri

10.00am to 3.30pm

10 News & Views

Pictured left are three lucky Inverness boxers who will be heading off to train in the United States! They will spend one week in Hollywood under coach Freddie Roach (pictured right), who trains a host of world champions. Then they move on to Las Vegas for the second week to train at the famous Mayweather Gym (pictured below). We will have more about their amazing journey in next month's issue of News & Views.

Going Transatlantic for a Taste of Stateside Training

We offer FREE computer training opportunities for the unemployed, school

leavers, the retired and people working 16 hours or less a week.

Our courses are Lottery funded by Awards for All Scotland

Call us on 01463 240085 or pop into our office on Grant Street to enquire.

Merkinch Technology & Training Centre

11

Fliperz Availability

We currently have childcare spaces available for children aged 2-5 in the Nursery and also for children aged 5-12 in our Out of School Club. If you are interested in bringing your little one along to join our Fliperz Fun then please pop in or call Stacey for more information.

We have private and funded places available. Tel 01463 234232 or email stacey@merkinch.org.uk

Prices are as follows:

Full Day £25.00 (8.30 a.m. - 5.30 p.m.)

Half Day £15.00 (am or pm) and Full Week £115.00

Out of School Club £9.00 per session

This is a brilliantly fun experiment for kids - so brilliant that you may find yourself playing with it too!

You only need four things:

a CD

a push-up water bottle top

a balloon

superglue

Next, follow the steps below to construct your hovercraft:

1. Superglue the water bottle top to the CD right over its centre opening to make a valve. If you don't have a push-up water bottle top you can always use one from an old bottle of dishwashing detergent.

2. After the glue is dry and with the valve in the closed position, blow up the balloon and fix it over the valve in the middle of the CD.

3. Place the hovercraft on a hard and flat floor (not carpet), let go of the balloon and pull the bottle valve to the open position. Watch it hover over the floor as the air escapes from the balloon through the valve.

Have fun!

Make a Balloon

Hovercraft

July 2018

First of all we would just like to say a huge Thank You to Tesco on Tomnahurich Street as they are supporting us yet again. Recently, they helped to raise funds for our kitchen project and now they are helping to improve our outdoor space with the help of Travis Perkins, as well as helping to paint and freshen up the inside of the building. These are really good improvements for Fliperz and with the 1140 hours project just ahead of us this is improving quality learning outcomes for children in Merkinch, which we are very excited to be a part of. In the meantime, the children in the nursery have shown an interest in magical creators and been using their imaginations to create princesses, fairies, elves, dragons and lots more. Pictured below is just some of their work. The Out of School Club are pleased it is the end of term and are hoping the weather stays nice for them over the holidays. We are ending the term at the OOSC with a BBQ and garden party.

Holiday Club will be available at Fliperz over the summer too. Just get in touch with Stacey to find out more details by phoning us on 01463 234232.

New staff member

We are pleased to welcome Tracy Ferguson who has joined our team at Fliperz. She is also one of our parents. She is looking to start her SVQ in Childcare later on this year.

Summer Sun Safety

As the weather is getting warmer, please can you ensure that your child brings a LABELLED bottle of sun protection cream to nursery or club, and a sunhat. These can stay in the building and be available to apply if the weather is hot. Roll on the sunshine! Thank You!

12 News & Views

Compiled and produced by Merkinch Enterprise, 14 Grant Street Inverness IV3 8BL - Tel: 01463 240085 Accepted as a charity by the Inland Revenue and a company limited by guarantee.

Registered in Scotland No. SC138569. Registered as a Charity in Scotland No. SC020326. VAT registration No. 735348522.