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New Achmelvich beach car park and public toilets now open

Ahead of Easter, the new Achmelvich beach car park and public amenities are now open.
Achmelvich beach facilities have undergone a remarkable £1.1m upgrade and transformation of facilities that include an extensive 70 space car park, designated blue badge spaces, new toilet facilities with an accessible toilet, baby changing facility and two outdoor cold-water showers, cycle rack, recycling bins and new signage and interpretation.

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ULLAPOOL AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES UHS DUKE of EDINBURGH AWARD THANKS YOU!

7 am on the first day of the Easter school holidays -1°, I sat on a hilltop watching the sunrise with an amazing group of kids (well they’re asleep). The previous evening spent with the kids laughing and joking and enjoying ourselves after a long day walk knowing that two days are still ahead. It has been amazing. As the kids start to rise, no complaints or moaning about the temperature just exclamations of amazement at the beauty of the surroundings that they’re in. Being a beautiful day it was very busy on the hill and the kids merrily chatted to passers-by who then kindly complimented on what a wonderful group of young people they were.

This is what the Duke of Edinburgh award is all about. This group of kids who are undertaking their gold practice expedition just weeks before they take on final exams but still 100% committed to the adventure ahead of them looking forward to travelling to the Lake District in the summer to complete the assessment expedition.
The journey of exploration that the Duke of Edinburgh award allows the kids to go on gives them a great sense of ownership as well as achievement which are all valuable skills for them going forward in life.
Last September we launched a fundraising campaign to raise money to ensure that the Gold students were able to go to the Lake District to complete the Gold assessment expedition which is a significant achievement and should be celebrated by doing something special.

In a twist of fate halfway through the campaign we were hit with the unforeseen circumstances of needing to replace almost all of our stores of expensive equipment due to new regulations.
However, our local community as always stepped up. Not only have we managed to raise the funds for the gold expedition, we have also managed to replace enough equipment to continue to run the award safely.
I cannot put into words how overwhelmed I was by the response from Ullapool and the surrounding community. There are a few that must have individual shout outs due to their extreme generosity; as always Ullapool Harbour Trust was fantastic as was Ullapool Community Benefit Fund in giving us large chunks of funding. We also received significant funding from Tina Thomson – Ullapool Trading and her family, Rob Hicks and the Arch Inn, The Rotary, The Golf Club, Lodge St Martin and the Macphail Management committee. We were also fortunate that this drive fell at the same time as being in for the Tesco’s blue tokens which we are very pleased to say that we received £1500 of funding.
All of these fantastic donations as well as money raised at various community events and private donations from individuals have made a significant impact towards our ability to continue running the award at the high school.
So, I echo the title, thank you so much Ullapool and surrounding community, you have enabled many young people for years to come be able to take part in an activity that will change their lives.   It is down to your generosity and sense of togetherness that allows events and activities like this to happen, and I could not be prouder to be part of this community.
Thank you all – Jemma Middleton- D of E Coordinator, UHS.

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Young Eco-Champions in the Scottish Highlands Awarded Funding to Save the Sea

Ullapool Sea Savers, a youth-led marine conservation group based in the remote North-West Highlands of Scotland, has been awarded funding through the Young Gamechangers Fund (YGF), a £4.5 million partnership supporting 100 youth-led projects across the UK.
Founded and run entirely by young people aged 7 to 17, the Ullapool Sea Savers are on a mission to protect their local marine environment around the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area. From launching grassroots campaigns like the Drain Campaign to using boats to explore and protect the coast, their work tackles both environmental challenges and youth mental health, all powered by passion, creativity, and community support.

“We can’t wait to get started with using that money to help save the seas. People protect what they love – and we show people what there is to love about the sea. Lots of new kids have just joined our group and this money is going to make a huge difference in making it possible for them to make their ideas happen.” – Abbie (12 years old), Lead grant applicant, Ullapool Sea Savers

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