It's all go at the Muir

08 July 2017

Muir of Ord may be a bit on the fringe of the Black Isle, but there's lots going on there, as is evident from the latest (fiftieth) edition of the excellent quarterly village magazine 'Muir Matters' – available for £1.00 from numerous outlets in the village.

'The Muir' has suffered considerable disruption and traffic delays for several months owing to the replacement of the railway bridge, but single-line traffic has been kept open throughout, and contractors George Leslie have gone out of their way to maintain good relations with the village community, with regular progress reports in the magazine and involvement with the school.  Final road works and landscaping have now been completed, and traffic is flowing freely over the new bridge.

A major event in the village earlier this year was the opening of the Muir Hub in the refurbished former Tarradale School building.  Facilities at the hub include the old school hall with a flexible seating capacity of up to 44, and an upstairs (there is a lift) coomb-ceilinged room suitable for meetings, training, social events or anything else, with a maximum capacity of 36.  For relaxation and refreshment there is Café Artysans, run by the Calman Trust, a social enterprise providing training for local young people, and Muir Movies offers film showings fortnightly throughout the year.  Other activities at the hub include singing, dancing, craft and dressmaking groups, 'Fit Fellas' over 60s men-only fitness class, an active Gardening Club and a Heritage Group.  For information or bookings at the hub email  info@muiroford.org.uk   or telephone  01463 870588.

Prominent in the latest issue is a report on the success of local business Bad Girl Bakery in taking three prizes in the 2017 Scottish Baker of the Year awards, making it one of the top three Bakery Cafes in the country.

Another new project reporting recent progress is MOO Food, a social enterprise whose vision is  "to create an inclusive hub for environmentally conscious food that sustains a healthy, empowered, low carbon community".  The organisation is hoping to develop a community food garden on a site at the Carnaclasair Recreation Ground, and its propoal to plant fruit trees at Loch a Chleibh Amenity Area has been approved.

There are articles of historical and cultural interest about the recently-discovered logbooks of Tarradale school dating from 1876, Muir of Ord in the seventies and the 2011 census; news from the current Tarradale and Mulbuie schools; a piece about Feis Rois related to its likely future use of the hub; and nature and the environment are featured in articles about dragonflies on Muir of Ord's kettle lochs and Highland gardens open to the public, one of which, House of Aigas, provides the magazine's striking front cover photograph.  A wide range of advertising obviously helps to finance production, and the Muir of Ord Communications Group and all those involved are to be congratulated on an excellent magazine.

Contacts: 
Muir Matters office, next to the library, open Tuesday mornings, 01463 872723
Email  muirmatters@outlook.com  or telephone Joan Munro on  01463 870237

The deadline for the Autumn issue is 12 August.

PM