Love THURSO

Hello Thurso,

Life really is very anxious and uncertain at the moment. We are all feeling it. Worry for loved ones, worry for ourselves, uncertainty over what the coming days will bring. At a time when we need each other and need our community most, we are being told to isolate and distance ourselves from each other. It is really hard.

If you are struggling with the onslaught of news, please take a break from social media - curl up with a book, watch a boxset, do something to distract your mind from it. You can mute and turn off certain notifications on social media if it helps. Please also, always make sure your information is from credible sources, the best place for all and any advice are the Scottish Government and NHS websites. Do yourself the kindness of taking a break and please do yourself the kindness of following official advice on how to act at this time.

By following every bit of official advice to isolate if needed, distance ourselves from the people we see and meet, wash our hands, take care of ourselves - we are doing the kindest actions that our Thurso community have ever done. Over the past couple of years since we started the Trust and before that with Pay it Forward Thurso we have witnessed so much kindness. From strangers coming together to dig weeds on Thurso Riverside to all of you who turned up in your droves on New Year’s Day to take a dip in the freezing cold water to raise money for a public toilet! Every volunteer, every time someone needs a helping hand, someone in Thurso is prepared to step up and do it. We need you all to step up now. Not to volunteer, not to do anything that puts you out of your way or costs any money, but to step up and follow all the advice that we are being given to keep us all safe. Together as a community we can do that. Be kind to each other, the simple act of washing your hands regularly could be the kindest thing you have ever done.

Already the genius of our Thurso Community is glowing and that just demonstrates the hope and ingenuity of our community. A drive through Pentland Carvery? Amazing! Takeaway draught Guinness from the Comm? Scotty is on the case! Businesses who are really going to struggle through this pulling together and making life as normal as it can be for us all. Has anyone seen Merlin Cinema’s sign? Love to Thurso and love to you guys too in difficult times. No mention of businesses can go amiss without mentioning every single one of our amazing supermarket and grocery shop staff, what they have dealt with over the last week is unprecedented. We do need to mention of course the bulk buying, just stop, think, be kind to everyone around you and especially be kind to those staff who are on the frontline of this and are only doing their best with what they have. Thank you to every single one of them. (Hugs)

Here at Thurso Community Development Trust we are here to support our Thurso community. Working with partners we’ll be running a community support service delivering shopping, medication, providing a friendly ear to those in need. The final plans to get his process in order are coming together. We need to be mindful of everyone’s safety in doing this.

We will also be trying our very best to keep spirits up in the days ahead. Be prepared for all sorts of silliness to keep you entertained and keep our community working together. But also please be assured that you will find all the information and links we can find here on our website to keep you reliably informed. We’re in the process of completely stripping our website so you can easily find all of those links, getting you the information you need in a straightforward way rather than wading through social media.

We’ll be posting on this page all of our silliness and ideas to do at home, our Thurso Grows team have posts and information planned from crafting activities to obviously gardening and cooking. We have a few other things up our sleeves, but you will need to watch this space for more details. Of course we will also have all the relevant information should you be in need of support.

It is not business as usual for anyone, but even as we type this, the sun is setting over Thurso, the birds are singing, for the last few days the sun has been shining. Life may be different but Thurso goes on being Thurso. Our little place in North Coast Scotland that is home to our wonderful, kind community.

For all the latest reliable information please follow us on our Facebook page while we reformat the website.

For Caithness wide and Highland Council announcements please follow the Highland Council page and Caithness Councillors on Facebook who are doing an amazing job behind the scenes.