Two police officers on the island  of Barra have received commendations for their professionalism and bravery shown during a firearms incident in Barra in December 2009.

 PCs Michael Gallie and Blair McMaster were presented with Force commendations by the Chief Constable Ian Latimer and the convenor of the Northern Joint Police Board, Norman MacLeod, at a ceremony in Castlebay Community Hall last week.  The two officers were recognised for their actions during an incident on the island  on 16th December 2009.

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Elgol Primary School on Skye has been given an excellent report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education following a recent visit.

The school was visited in May – when the school role stood at 19 pupils – and was found to offer children stimulating learning experiences with staff who work together to create a positive learning environment.

Pensioners in Lochalsh have been told they will have to fork out themselves if they want to save a lunch club threatened by local authority budget cuts, writes Keith MacKenzie.

In a move described as “crass”  Highland Council have told those who regularly attend the Kyle lunch club that they can no longer provide a driver or assistant to transport the club’s 18 or so members, who come from various parts of Lochalsh.

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A delighted Liz Fenwick with Eilidh and Sam Nicolson with Sheigra, both winners from the horse and pony section

Saturday’s fine weather ensured there was a healthy crowd of around 1,000 at the annual Skye Agricultural Show held at King George V Park in Portree.

Organisers were pleased to report an increase in the number of entries in the livestock categories, and there was a good spread of prizewinners on the day.

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BON VOYAGE: Past and present pupils at Raasay Primary School prepare to join ferry crew members and local residents on the last sailing out of Suisinish pier on the island. A new £12 million terminal at Churchton Bay opened on Tuesday.

Islanders on Raasay this week celebrated the opening of a new £12 million ferry terminal.

Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, was joined by pupils from Raasay Primary School on Tuesday in unveiling a plaque to mark the completion of the terminal at Churchton Bay, which provides a sheltered facility for the Caledonian MacBrayne car ferry ‘Loch Striven’,  and overnight berthage.

The news that a £2 million contract for the construction of “one of the world’s most advanced tidal turbines” has been secured for the Arnish fabrication yard near Stornoway was warmly welcomed this week.

The order was won by the yard’s tenants, Fife-based Burntisland Fabrication. However, the 20 employees who were recently paid off from the yard will not reap any benefit from the new work, as the company made it clear the order will only sustain the current workforce of 40 up until May next year.

A third of the workforce at the Arnish fabrication yard near Stornoway have been laid off, the Free Press has learned, amid increasing concern over what lies in store for the key island facility.

Burntisland Fabrications, the yard’s tenants, have no immediate orders on the horizon for Arnish and there is only around four weeks of work left, though the company remain optimistic about the future.

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Deb Bradley staged yet another stunning performance at the games, winning the Best Local Athlete and also did well in the open events

The presence of two giants at this year’s Isle of Skye Highland Games may have dissuaded others from entering, but there was no such problem in the piping competitions.

Patients being treated in the new room at Western Isles Hospital

A new facility has opened at the Western Isles Hospital in Storno­way dedicated to administering chemotherpay treatment.

Based in the special wards, the new room will offer a larger and more comfortable space for cancer patients. It opened for the first time last month.

Interim nurse director/chief operating officer Nigel Hobson said: “This development is part of the current refurbishment programme within the hospital and demonstrates good progress. The new chemotherapy area is an excellent example of a patient-focused development which will benefit service users and enable us to treat more patients at the same time."

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Deb Bradley yet again retained his best local athlete crown, winning five events and going on to further success in the Open events. A highlight for the crowd, estimated at over 4,000, was the performance of the Isle of Skye Pipe Band, who merged for the day with their counterparts from Batavourm in Holland.

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Staff at Gaeltec, the medical equipment factory in Dunvegan, busy at work this week. The firm, which has been in business for close to 40 years, was saved from closure earlier this summer, and the new parent company — Hertfordshire-based Digitimer — have now announced plans to recruit extra staff. The three new technicians will help meet the “increased business” the company has managed to attract since its relaunch in June, Digitimer sales and marketing manager Joe Smale told the Free Press this week. Pictured in the factory in Dunvegan are Calum Campbell, Philippa MacRae, Syd Johnson, Roddy MacIntosh and Andy Watson.

Gaeltec, the Skye-based medical equipment firm saved from bankruptcy just two months ago, have announced plans for expansion.

The company, bought by Hertfordshire-based Digitimer and relaunched as Gaeltec Devices Limited in June, are recruiting three new production technicians, which will take the workforce at the Dunvegan factory to 11.