Work to start on £8 million Gaelic cultural centre on Skye
The centre will include a large function hall, classrooms for language, music and heritage education, and a significant library and digital archive, with the hopes of creating 10 full-time jobs.
The Trotternish Centre will also include a cafe-restaurant and a scalable development of quality accommodation to serve not only the users of the centre, but also address the 'chronic shortage' of bed spaces in Skye.
READ MORE: Copper cables worth 'tens of thousands of pounds' stolen from 2 wind farms
The Staffin area of Trotternish is an internationally acclaimed site for dinosaur footprints and is also popular with Hollywood, with Ridley Scott's Prometheus and Macbeth, starring Michael Fassbender, shooting in the area.
However, for the island locals, Trotternish's greatest claim to fame is its success in maintaining a Gaelic-speaking community, with those involved with the centre hoping it will continue to preserve the language amongst Skye's residents.
Margaret Nicolson, chair of Ionad Thròndairnis (The Trotternish Trust), said the centre will be a great boost for the Gaelic community.
She said: 'Gaelic is still alive as a community language in this area. I can speak Gaelic to many people, every day, in the shops and in the community.
'There are people moving into the community and – although they don't speak it themselves – very often they will send their children to the Gaelic-medium schools, and so I can speak Gaelic to those children.
'This is still a Gaelic community, and the new centre will be a great boost for the language.'
Nicolson added: 'It will give the Gaelic community confidence in their language and culture.
'For visitors and new residents, it will also provide a gateway to the language and the culture, boosting their interest, offering a great opportunity to learn the language or at least explore and enjoy the culture.'
(Image: The Trotternish Trust)
The Trotternish Trust, which is leading the project, believes that the centre will play a vital role in keeping Scotland's language heritage thriving.
'The new Ionad Thròndairnis will provide a great economic boost,' Nicolson added.
'It will provide around ten new full-time jobs, which is very big in rural Skye, and further seasonal and part-time jobs.'
She continued: 'And, as a community-run trust, money will stay in the community.'
Although funding has not been fully committed, the trust believes the new centre will fit directly into Government policy, which could see the area designated an Area of Linguistic Significance, with plans for it to be operational by 2028.
Linsay Chalmers, director of communities and operations at Community Land Scotland, the lead organisation representing community landowners across Scotland, added: 'This is a great project born of a lot of hard work by a lot of people from the community.
"Supporting the rich Gaelic language and culture has always been a central part of our work with community groups. We all know the language adds significantly to the health of the communities where it is still used.
'A place like Trotternish is one of the Gaelic heartlands and it is fantastic that the community has taken the initiative to support and strengthen the language and in turn strengthen the economic and social wellbeing of the north Skye.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
New entry rules set for Brits travelling to parts of Europe
Instead of a paper stamp upon entering countries such as Spain and Italy, there will be a new digital scan. The changes will take place in Europe's Schengen zone within Europe, where passport controls have been largely eliminated at internal borders, allowing for free movement of people between member countries. This includes countries including France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and more. 🚨 Traveling to Europe after Oct 2025? The EU's new biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) is coming! 👁️ Facial scan 🖐️ Fingerprints 📍 Logged in EU database No more passport stamps! 🎥 Watch Now👉 #EuropeTravel #VisaUpdates #Immigration — Opportunities247 (@opport_247) July 24, 2025 Even if you're just transiting through a Schengen country, you'll still be registered digitally, meaning passport stamps will no longer be used. When will the change take place? From October 12, 2025, the European Union's (EU) new Entry/Exit System (EES) will begin, the UK Government's foreign travel advice states. When travelling into and out of the Schengen area, for short stays, you may need to: have your fingerprints and your photo taken answer the Schengen Border Code questions The Government website says: 'EES may take each passenger a few extra minutes to complete so be prepared to wait longer than usual at the border once the system starts." What does EES mean in Europe? The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an automated border system designed to digitally log your travel when you enter or exit the 29 Schengen countries. The EES is part of Europe's move to 'smart borders.' It's being rolled out alongside ETIAS (Europe's version of the US ESTA visa), which will become mandatory for visa-free travellers in 2026. Recommended Reading: What countries are part of the Schengen area? The Schengen Area comprises 29 European countries, that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. This includes the likes of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland and Sweden, among others. You can travel without a visa to the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
JEFF PRESTRIDGE: Why is it so difficult to get our pensions in one place?
Nothing is straightforward when it comes to pensions. Complexity rules. It's one of the reasons more than 40 per cent of working age people are not saving enough for retirement. Many just don't understand the myriad rules governing pension contributions, permitted tax breaks and how funds at retirement can be turned into hard cash. As a result, they desist from long-term saving when they should be embracing it. This complexity extends to when people attempt to put their pension affairs in good order. Long gone are the days when people retired after working all their life for one employer. Now, unlike our parents who had one works pension to see them through retirement, we have a mishmash of pensions – some good, others not fit for purpose. Some we may have forgotten about or struggle to track down. Research by financial services company Hargreaves Lansdown shows more than one in five people have lost track of pensions accumulated over a lifetime of work. To address this, consumer groups have repeatedly called for the setting up of an online dashboard, allowing people to see in one place key details on all of the pension plans they have accumulated over their working life. Such a dashboard would be a game-changer, allowing people to piece together their pension jigsaw – and enable them to make better choices when saving and at the point of retirement. Yet despite promises by previous governments to get it off the ground, it has yet to see the light of day. Although a quango called the Pensions Dashboards Programme has been tasked with delivering the scheme, the project trundles on at a snail's pace. Pensions minister Emma Reynolds says the Government is committed to getting a dashboard over the line. But I doubt it will be fully operational before the next General Election in 2029. In light of such slow progress, Labour should listen to those calling for new rules governing pension switches. Pension switching and consolidation of plans makes great sense for many savers, giving them greater control over their long-term finances and the opportunity to benefit from lower fund fees. It's not for everyone. Some older pensions can include valuable benefits that would be lost if transferred to another provider. Yet overall, it is good for consumers and should be hiccup-free. Sadly, it isn't. Many providers make life difficult for want-away customers by dragging out transfers over many weeks and sometimes months. Scandalous. PensionBee, a relatively new pension kid on the block, wants the Government to introduce a ten-day pension switching guarantee, backed by law. It would be similar to the seven-day current account switching service (CASS) launched 12 years ago to stop banks dilly-dallying on account transfer requests. CASS's data indicates that of the 11.9 million current account switches completed since 2013, 99.6 per cent have been within the required seven working days. PensionBee's Lisa Picardo says pension switching delays 'have real opportunity costs – hampering engagement, costing people real money, limiting their choices and undermining trust in the whole pensions system'. To prompt change, PensionBee has set up a petition calling for 'faster, electronic pension transfers'. Bafflingly, there's no specific mention of the ten-day switching guarantee, nor the compensation savers should (must) get if the guarantee is breached. And the petition's title – 'legislate to mandate offer of electronic pension transfers and higher standards' – reads like it has been dreamt up by an actuary who has spent too much time immersed in the complexities of pensions. I can only assume there is method in the madness. As I said at the start, nothing is straightforward when it comes to pensions. Find the petition at Cashless tills have invaded our shops Paying for goods with cash at a supermarket should be a given. But many stores are rapidly turning invasive self-checkout services into near cashless zones. Think 1963 horror film The Day Of The Triffids, about an invasion of carnivorous plants. For example, at Marks & Spencer's store at London Paddington (the railway station I commute into and from five days a week), there are only a handful among the phalanx of self-checkout terminals that now accept cash. Debra Morrison, chief executive of charity CLASP, based in my home town of Wokingham in Berkshire, is a passionate advocate for cash. CLASP provides invaluable support to people with learning difficulties, encouraging them to express themselves, participate in a wide range of events, and live more independently. Its work is enlightening. Debra says cash is vital for most CLASP members who need to budget carefully and don't use credit and debit cards. It is also key for the elderly and others who eschew other payment methods. Debra is backing an petition – find it online at – calling for an end to the discrimination of cash users at self-service checkouts. Financial inclusion is an imperative. I urge you to sign the petition. Shame on Barclays for axeing ANOTHER service I hadn't heard of Barclays' 'sterling home service' until a neighbour of my partner mentioned it a few days ago. The service, introduced during the 2020 lockdown, enables people to order cash and have it delivered to their home rather than trundle off in search of a cash machine or a Barclays branch still open (good luck there). It has been a godsend for Edna who was 90 a couple of weeks ago and is not as mobile as she once was. It has enabled her to pay cash for at-home care, food deliveries and other needs besides. Sadly for Edna and other elderly people, Barclays is withdrawing the service on October 9. It says it was only meant to be temporary – and given it is now only used by a 'very small number of customers' (its words, not mine), it must be given the chop. The bank says the Ednas of this world can still get cash in other ways: via an ATM, getting cashback at a retailer or by asking for an 'authorised user' to be added to their account who can get cash out for them. Interestingly, it didn't mention the other option: withdrawing cash over the counter at a local Barclays branch. I draw two conclusions from this. Either Barclays feels it has shut so many branches (1,236 since 2015) that such an option is not worth mentioning. In Edna's case, the local Barclays in Wokingham, Berkshire, shut two years ago – and is now an ugly, empty shell. Or, that the days of permitted big cash withdrawals over the counter at Barclays' branches are drawing to an end. PS: There is worrying evidence that banks and retailers are turning their backs on cheques. If you have had difficulties banking a cheque or making a payment by cheque, email me at
North Wales Live
8 hours ago
- North Wales Live
State Pension age rise for some people to start next year - here's what you need to know
The State Pension age is due to begin its rise from 66 to 67 next year, with the increase expected to be fully implemented for all men and women across the UK by 2028. This planned alteration to the official retirement age has been in legislation since 2014, with an additional increase from 67 to 68 scheduled to take place between 2044 and 2046. The Pensions Act 2014 expedited the increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 by eight years. The UK Government also altered the method of phasing in the increase in State Pension age, meaning that instead of reaching State Pension age on a specific date, individuals born between March 6 1961 and April 5 1977 will be eligible to claim the State Pension once they turn 67. It's crucial to be aware of these impending changes now, particularly if you have a retirement plan in place. All those affected by alterations to their State Pension age will receive a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) well in advance. Under the Pensions Act 2007, the State Pension age for both men and women will rise from 67 to 68 between 2044 and 2046. The Pensions Act 2014 mandates a regular review of the State Pension age, at least once every five years. This review will be centred around the concept that individuals should be able to spend a certain proportion of their adult life receiving a State Pension, reports the Daily Record. A review of the planned rise to 68 is due before the end of this decade and had originally been scheduled by the then Conservative government to take place two years after the general election - which would have been 2026. Any review of the State Pension age will take into account life expectancy along with a range of other factors relevant to setting the State Pension age. After the review has reported, the UK Government may then choose to bring forward changes to the State Pension age. However, any proposals would have to go through Parliament before becoming law. Check your State Pension age online Your State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension. It may be different to the age you can get a workplace or personal pension. Anyone of any age can use the online tool at to check their State Pension age, which can be an essential part of planning your retirement. You can use the State Pension age tool to check: When you will reach State Pension age Your Pension Credit qualifying age When you will be eligible for free bus travel - this is at age 60 in Scotland Check your State Pension age online here. Boosting State Pension payments HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) recently announced more than 10,000 payments worth £12.5 million have been made by people through the new digital service to boost State Pensions since it launched last year. However, anyone keen to maximise their retirement income through the contributory benefit has just a few weeks left to fill any gaps in their National Insurance (NI) records going back as far as 2006. Usually people can only pay voluntary contributions for the past six tax years, and after the April 5 deadline this year the normal six-tax year time limit will apply. In 2023, the previous government extended the deadline to pay voluntary NI contributions to April 5, 2025 for those affected by new State Pension transitional arrangements, covering the tax years running from April 6, 2006 to April 5, 2018. The extended deadline has allowed people more time to consider what is right for them and make their contributions. Men born after April 6, 1951 and women born after April 6, 1953 are eligible to make voluntary NI contributions to boost their New State Pension. Some people may be entitled to NI credits rather than needing to pay contributions, so they will need to check and consider what is right for them. People can find out more about making voluntary contributions on here. People of working age can also check their State Pension forecast on here. Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at Bestinvest by Evelyn Partners, the online investment platform, said: 'People typically need at least 10 qualifying years of NI (national insurance) contributions to receive any state pension at all and at least 35 years to receive the full new State Pension - though they don't need to be consecutive years. 'Plugging gaps can be quite an expensive process, so it is important to assess whether you actually need to buy back any missing years. This will depend on how many more years you plan to work, and whether you are eligible for NI tax credits, which fill the gaps, such as those who have been sick, were unemployed or took time out to raise a family or care for elderly relations. 'Plugging gaps in your record is relatively straightforward since the Government rolled out its new NI payments services in April last year - a State Pension forecast tool that has been checked by 3.7m since its launch.' She continued: 'People simply need to log into their personal tax account or the HMRC app to not only view any payment gaps but also check if they can plug those gaps directly through the Government's digital channels. 'A short survey assesses the person's suitability to pay online with those eligible to pay directly given a series of options to plug any gaps depending on when someone wants to stop working. 'Calculating whether to top up can be confusing though and ultimately there is no point paying for more years than you need because you won't get that money back.' Ms Haine added: 'People who might need to top up include those that took a career break as well as low earners or expatriates living and working abroad.
