Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Dornoch has been shortlisted for The Great British High Street Awards!

Vote for DORNOCH in the Great British High Street Awards!

We are delighted to announce that Dornoch has been shortlisted in the Rising Star category of the Great British High Street Awards!

Dornoch's application has been made to celebrate the various initiatives over the last three years of community, business, private and public partnership to attract more visitors to our Highland village, and to ensure a warm welcome once here.

The aim is to encourage longer stays in Dornoch, especially out of season, by promoting events and activities through the new Visitor Centre, on social media and via visitdornoch.com.

email-signature-2

This year’s competition saw a record 900 entries across all 14 categories, including the new categories for individuals and shops. Now the shortlist has been drawn up and the public has the chance to vote directly for their best-loved high street online.
DACIC now invite people to vote in support of Dornoch's bid at thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk from 18th October to 18th November, during which time everyone will be entitled to cast one vote per person per day.

If Dornoch wins, not only will they get a share of prize pot worth £100,000, but they’ll win expert training from Google’s digital taskforce for shops, bars and restaurants and a trip to Twitter UK’s London office to further boost their social media skills. High Streets Minister Andrew Percy said: “Our high streets are the life and soul of towns, villages and cities across the country and the record number of competition entries, this year is proof of their continued importance to local life. “From North London to Northumberland, great work is underway to adapt the high street to the needs of modern life. “I want to wish all who’ve entered the very best of luck.”

The Great British High Street Competition 2016 celebrates the great work that is being done to revive, adapt and diversify the nation’s high streets. It is one of a number of initiatives to help champion high streets as the cornerstones of the community. The Government is helping local business communities adapt to the changing face of high streets, with a £6.7 billion package of business rates support, to cut the rates for 900,000 businesses – with 600,000 now paying none at all. The second Great British High Street competition last year saw 230 entries and attracted over 200,000 public votes, with Bishy Road in York, a former finalist, crowned Britain’s best. Bishy Road found that winning not only boosted town pride, but also had a tangible economic impact with retailers reporting increased footfall.

Joan Bishop, Chair of DACIC, says "Our success in Dornoch is due to the support  of the whole community.  But to win this national award we now need everyone to vote daily. Help us make sure our small town packs a big punch!"

Alongside the public’s votes, shortlisted towns will also be inspected by the judging panel – made up of industry leaders from across retail, property and business – including British Land, the Post Office and Holland and Barratt.

To go online to cast your vote, visit the Great British High Street website and follow @TheGBHighSt on Twitter. Voting closes on November 18th. (Don't forget that everyone can vote once a day!)

gbhs-awards-2016-small

 

Learn More Here: Dornoch has been shortlisted for The Great British High Street Awards!


Dornoch has been shortlisted for The Great British High Street Awards! posted first on http://visitdornoch.blogspot.co.uk

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

What’s on at Dornoch Whisky Festival- Charles MacLean

 

We are delighted to welcome Charles to the Dornoch Whisky Festival and you can be assured of some entertaining and informative company over the weekend! Charles Maclean was trained in 'the sensory evaluation of potable spirits' by the Scotch Whisky Research Institute in 1992 and has presented numerous tastings and talks in the U.K. and abroad for whisky companies, corporations, universities and clubs, and on radio and TV. He is a member of the Judging Panel (Spirits) of the International Wines & Spirits Competition, and was runner-up as 'Communicator of the Year' in the 2003 IWSC Awards.

See below to find out what events Charles will be attending!

Friday 28 October

The Dornoch Whisky Festival opens this year on the 28 October at 5pm with a tasting at Balblair run by well known whisky writer and taster, Charles MacLean. He starred in the film 'The Angel's Share', based at Balblair Distillery. You are invited to take part is the unique opening event with Charles leading a welcome tasting prior to the viewing Angel's Share! See the Angel's Share trailer here. This exclusive event is limited to 16 places. Booking in advance is essential. The costs is £80 per person, which includes transport from Dornoch.

After the tasting and film, Charles will be hosting a dinner at Links House in Dornoch. This has now sold out but there are other venues around the town who are holding opening night dinners including the Royal Dornoch Golf Club and the Dornoch Castle Hotel.

Saturday 29

On Saturday 29, Charles will be attending the Gala Tasting event at the Dornoch Castle. He will be drawing the tombola for the Chocolate and Whisky Paring Masterclass and be around all afternoon to chat to the attendees and join in with the fun! Charles has described the Gala Whisky Tasting as a 'rolling party'! See Charles talk about the Gala Tasting here and come along and join in the fun!

After the Gala Tasting, Charles will be doing a Taste of the Highlands masterclass at the newly opened Carnegie Whisky Cellars in the old Courthouse building.  The atmospheric tasting room is housed in the 200 year old original court record vault - complete with steel security door and Caithness slab flooring. 16 places are available at this exclusive event, at £150 per person

For all of the above events and more: www.dornochwhiskyfestival.com

Start planning your weekend now!

whiskyfestivalprogramme

Source Here: What’s on at Dornoch Whisky Festival- Charles MacLean


What’s on at Dornoch Whisky Festival- Charles MacLean posted first on http://visitdornoch.blogspot.co.uk

Halloween and Bonfire Night events!

The summer season may be drawing to an end but it doesn’t mean that everything stops in Dornoch. We are really excited for Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night so keep reading to find out what's on in and around Dornoch!

Halloween Craft workshop
History links is running a craft workshop on Friday 14th October. Open to all School children.
P1-P5 at 10.30am and P5- P7 at 1.30pm. £1.50 each,
To book ring Lynne at Historylinks (01862) 811275

Hallowe'en Party for Kids
We bet your child has a great costume this Hallowe’en, so make sure they show it off at the Hallowe’en Party for Kids on Friday 28th October between 6:15pm—9:15pm at the Dornoch Social Club. They’ll be a disco for all the little witches and wizards!

Live Music at The Dornoch Inn
You can’t say hello to the Hallowe’en weekend without some live music so join us on Friday 28th October at The Dornoch Inn with live music from The Black Rock Ceilidh Band. For more information:

The Trentham Hotel Hallowe’en Party
To get into the Hallowe’en spirit of things, head along to the Trentham Hotel on Saturday 29th October at 9pm where they’ll be hosting their annual Hallowe’en party! Guaranteed good fun but if you need more information call: 01862 810551

Spooky Halloween Walks at Timespan and Brora Heritage
If you’re feeling very brave, then join in on this walk at the Timespan Museum on Monday 24th October at 6:30pm with storyteller Lorna Jappy. Or if that’s too scary for a school night, Brora Heritage Centre is also doing a spooky walk on Friday 28th October at 6:30pm to 7:30pm. It will include a short walk around the Heritage Park, with Lorna Jappy and her scary ghost stories – both events are suitable for all ages.

Dornoch Bonfire Night
Remember, remember the 5th of November and remember that Dornoch will be hosting its annual Bonfire Night at the Meadows Park! They’ll be fireworks, sideshows and refreshments from 6:30pm until 8pm. If you need some more details just call: 01862 811263

 

 

Original Post Here: Halloween and Bonfire Night events!


Halloween and Bonfire Night events! posted first on http://visitdornoch.blogspot.co.uk

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Looking for accommodation for the Whisky Festival?

Our accommodation providers are offering some great deals over the Whisky Festival.

See the link below and get your accommodation booked!

http://www.visitdornoch.com/late-availability

 

Read More Here: Looking for accommodation for the Whisky Festival?


Looking for accommodation for the Whisky Festival? posted first on http://visitdornoch.blogspot.co.uk

Monday, October 3, 2016

What’s on in Dornoch this October?

The October holidays are nearly upon us! There is so much happening in and around Dornoch for children and adults alike this autumn! A knitting festival, arts festival, harvest dinner, live music, cinema, guitar festival, ballet, a food festival and plays and much more! Come and visit us this October and get involved!

See here and here for a full programme of what's happening.

For Article & More News Go Here: What’s on in Dornoch this October?


What’s on in Dornoch this October? posted first on http://visitdornoch.blogspot.co.uk