YOUR VIEWS: Countess Nina’s wonderful gift to Grantown
I wonder what the Countess of Seafield, who gifted the church ‘Inverallan’ to the people of Grantown would think, had she known that the community would eventually be prevented from using this glorious building because of the unsympathetic and unbending view of a planning committee.
It seems the authority is more worried about the cosmetic appearance of the roof ‘with panels’ on it than the fact they are forcing the closure of this facility due to the heating costs which can be rendered manageable in today’s world of modern technology.
Are future generations going to look at our beautiful church building left to deteriorate to be told that Highland Council’s planning committee preferred the outer beauty to the useful purposes this large and popular venue would be used for in the community?
Namely as a place of worship and all that follows from that which was the original desire of the Countess in the first place.
Please reconsider your verdict.
Fiona Wilson
Grantown.
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No time to spare
The Cairngorm Mountain people told us at this time last year they aimed to have the funicular open ‘ during the 2023/24 season.’
That aim was missed.
The retiring CEO Susan Smith said recently that it would be handed back to them by October 30.
On November 11 when I took a walk up the mountain there were extensive scaffolds still in place and work was taking place over a stretch of 24 spans.
Once the physical work is complete there is testing commissioning and licensing to complete.
I don’t think the aim is quite accurate enough yet to achieve opening on 20 December but high praise to everyone if this target is actually achieved.
Alan Searle
Aviemore.
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Precious aspen is lost for no reason by the River Spey
I was interested to read the article about the Aspen Project and particularly about the deforestration of this species.
I and doubtless many others who walk along the Spey at the Kincardine Estate have sadly noticed that one of what I suspect is one of the very vey few longstanding small copses of aspen in the Pityoulish and Kincardine area is now no longer.
It seems as though the owner of the party house called Croft Kincardine (not to be confused with the considerably older Kincardine Croft in the Street of Kincardine) decided to have this valuable patch of the trees (including the source tree) cut down at some during the summer to improve the view of the river from this house.
This house itself stands above the copse on a high bank, rather begging the question of whether it was actually necessary to cut it all down in the first place.
Whether the patch can re-generate is, I would suggest, a matter of some doubt as there seems to be a almost nothing left.
James Dunbar
Street of Kincardine
Boat of Garten.
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Nature in serious trouble without a hand in Scotland
Lord David Attenborough put it: “We are dependent on the natural world for every breath of air we take and every mouthful of food we eat.”
But nature is in trouble, with Scotland ranked as one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries.
We are asking readers to sign the Rewilding Nation Charter – a call on the Scottish Government to declare Scotland the world’s first Rewilding Nation, with a commitment to nature recovery across 30 per cent of its land and seas.
We can achieve this by restoring habitats including peatlands, native woodlands, wetlands, rivers and seas, while maintaining and benefitting productive farmland.
Rewilding offers hope for tackling the nature and climate emergencies, benefitting jobs, health, sustainable food, clean air and water, and thriving communities.
The Charter has already been signed by thousands of people from all walks of life and many diverse organisations.
On Tuesday (December 3), we will present our vision for a Rewilding Nation to the Scottish Government.
Please add your voice to the charter’s groundswell of hope by visiting www.rewild.scot/charter.
Steve Micklewright (CEO, Trees for Life) and Karen Blackport (CEO, Bright Green Nature)
Conveners of the Scottish Rewilding Alliance
c/o Trees for Life
The Park
Findhorn.
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Divert funds to homes from conservation pot
I fully agree with the recent letters to the Strathy by Jamie Williamson and Fergus Ewing MSP about climate change and the protection of capercaillie.
Since the last ice age, we have had global warming several times. Scotland is a tiny part of the world’s land mass and repairing bogs seems to be a total waste of public money that could be used on other more useful projects.
For the last 50 years empires have been built in conservation.
I have been walking our hills and glens for nearly 70 years. I have travelled along many deer fences and never seen a dead capercaillie that has collided with a fence.
In 2000 £10 million of public money was allocated to save the capercaillie.
More has been spent since. I recently found out that 20 camera traps were put out on capercaillie nests by RSPB near Forest Lodge at that time.
Result, pine marten ate the young birds on 18 nests. Nothing was made public at the time.
What I have noticed is the decline in many ground nesting birds.
In my early days there were numerous ground nesting birds.
In those far off days stalkers and game keepers were managing our wildlife including predators.
It seems to me that a lot of our wildlife has vanished since it was decided to protect our wildlife using the law which includes protecting predators. We are now not managing our wildlife and I suggest that the wildlife laws are causing many varieties of birds to decline. Ridiculous sums of public money are being wasted on conservation.
Perhaps the most important species at risk in the Highlands and Islands are young people who are leaving home because they cannot afford houses. I suggest a lot of public money should be transferred from conservation to building affordable houses.
Ray Sefton
Aviemore.
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How man angels can dance on a pin head?
Learned ecclesiastical discussants in historical times are said to have enjoyed serious arguments in which they disputed topics such as how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.
Modern questions and disputations about manmade climate changes often echo such mediaeval nonsense.
The climate sage Roy Turnbull's letter (November 21) exemplifies that with serious arguments re the practical usefulness of intermittent generation of our electric power by on and offshore fleets of windmills, to our vast financial cost and environmental damage. The UK emits about one per cent (Scotland is one-tenth of that) of the world's manmade greenhouse gases.
Meanwhile, many nations including India, China and a host of others, do not seek to curb their greenhouse gases output though it represents more than half of the global total.
That set policy enormously aids their industrial competitiveness and costs, comfort and safety of their homelife.
I recommend that Mr Turnbull and others caught up in the the climate cult reflect on these proportions.
Charles Wardrop
Perth.
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A place to do business
With the COP climate conference in Baku concluded I’d like to draw attention to something mentioned at a parliamentary Defence Committee hearing last year.
A high-ranking member of the UK armed forces was boasting about how he'd attended a previous COP and an official from a Gulf state had come up to him and questioned him about the possibility of buying British fighter jets.
This is probably still viewable on social media. Are these COPs just giant networking events?
Geoff Moore
Alness.
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But can it be eaten...?
Last week’s excellent photo and information about the fungi to be found in the Strathspey pinewoods, omits what we now really need to know.
Is it edible?
Malcolm Parkin
Kinross.
