Back in March of this year, as reported by your News and Views, the Highlands and Islands Minister, Calum MacDonald announced a cash injection of £250,000 into the Merkinch area by way of the government’s social inclusion partnership scheme (SIPS). In recent months there has been a number of proposals and activities put forward by the Merkinch Partnership Committee on how best the finance should be spent

The appointment of a Programme Manager has been given the go ahead. Ivor Soutar, currently community education worker at the Merkinch Community Centre will take up the new post on 1st September 1999.

His new part-time role will involve liaison with the Youth Development Worker, still to be appointed, and members of the local community.

Proposals put forward which have highest priority include: a numeracy and literacy programme and a "Back to School" programme, the aims of which will be to improve the level of skills and employment and training opportunities for young people in Merkinch, as well as hopefully reducing the extent and period that young people are excluded from school. It is also hoped that within the Partnership Programme a project will be set up that will deal specifically with young tenants. It aims, through frequent home visits and regular communication with young Merkinch tenants to assist in identifying what kind of support they may require. The outcome of this will to be to reduce the amount of young tenants in the area from leaving.

There are a number of other projects and proposals that are currently under consideration and include: the development of a community safety strategy and the implementation of that strategy. The partnership are also looking into a police community link through the installation of premises which may be used as a base for our local community bobby. Your News and Views will keep you up to date on future developments. If you have any views or ideas on how or what the SIPS money would be best spent on, let us know at the News and Views.