Funds approved by Highland Council’s Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh Committee will help Gairloch’s local newspaper purchase much-needed new printing equipment.
Today (Monday 3 November) councillors backed a Community Regeneration Fund application of £38,466.10 for the Gairloch and District Times.
The volunteer-led community interest company keeps locals informed and up-to-date through its fortnightly newspaper.
The investment will improve the reliability and efficiency of operations while helping to reduce ongoing costs.
Existing equipment has become increasingly expensive to maintain and presented a risk to the continued efficient production of the newspaper.
Committee co-chair Cllr Liz Kraft said: “The Gairloch and District Times is the only print medium dedicated to providing local news, public notices, events and other essential updates for residents and visitors to Gairloch and surrounding communities
“It’s an important vehicle to maintain community cohesion and inclusion and is vital for keeping local people informed about the area.
“We are really pleased to be able to help this volunteer-led team continue its important work.”
First established in 1978 the Gairloch and District Times is a much-loved local institution, which currently sells around 550 printed copies each edition, with a further 350 subscribing online. 900 are signed up to receive free Wester Ross round-up newsletters sent by email each month.
Douglas Gibson, Chair of the Gairloch and District Times, said: “The committee, volunteers and readers of the Gairloch and District Times are immensely grateful to Highland Council for this generous award through the Community Regeneration Fund.
“This funding will help secure the future of a much-valued local publication, ensuring that readers across Wester Ross and beyond can continue to enjoy a newspaper produced through the dedication of our volunteer team and editors. It will also allow us to develop and improve the publication for many years to come.”
Community Regeneration Funding is currently derived from the Highland Coastal Communities Fund (HCCF) - a Scottish Government Funding stream to support economic regeneration and sustainable development in Highland.
Area Committees are awarded devolved allocations of HCCF funds according to an approved formula, and decision making on which projects should receive funding sits with elected members.
Approval of the application for the Gairloch and District Times leaves £297,980.95 remaining in the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh CRF budget for the remainder of 2026-27.
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At Monday’s meeting the councillors also learned that the committee will get £25,362 to allocate as a result of income derived from six invitation to pay car parks in the ward.
During 2025-26 the car parks delivered the following local shares:
- Latheron, Ullapool £11,828
- Dornie Hall £1,384
- Gairloch Harbour £1,821
- Kyle, Upper £2,379
- Little Gruinard £1,022
- Plockton Village £6,926
The total gross income from the car parks was £83,691. After costs of £32,967 were deducted a figure of £50,724 was left to be split 50/50 between central Highland Council funds, and the local area committee.
Co-chair of the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh committee, Cllr Biz Campbell, said: “This much-welcome income stream is a boost for communities across the ward, and is thanks to car park users responding to our appeal to make a voluntary contribution to park.
“These funds are now a very welcome addition to the ward budget and we continue to encourage local groups to identify community projects which could benefit from a share of this money.”
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Members were also updated on area activity from The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, while the winter service plan for 2026-27 was also discussed.
This year the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh area will be served by 13 frontline gritting vehicles and five footpath tactors.
There are eight depots in operation in the ward at Silverbridge; Ullapool; Achiltibuie; Gairloch; Applecross; Lochcarron; Ardelve and Glenelg.
The full meeting reports can be accessed at this link: https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/5420/wester-ross-strathpeffer-and-lochalsh-committee