A ROSS-shire hairdresser pinned her hopes on establishing a successful business when she opened up her Alness salon, Glamorous, in September with the backing of the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust.

A ROSS-shire venue simply wouldn't be able to make ends meet without a lot of help from its friends.

A ROSS-shire teenager touched by the plight of children on the other side of the world is building on her past fundraising success - with Lego!

MARGARET Paterson's stunning view from her North Kessock home across the Beauly Firth has meant she has witnessed several lifeboat rescue dramas unfold over the years.

THE story of how a scared little boy given up to a Romanian orphanage by his mother at the age of three came to be visiting a Ross-shire family more than two decades later has the raw materials for a great film.

AN Easter Ross barmaid is set to scale a local landmark in an effort to give a new charity foundation a boost with a little help from her friends.

PREDICTING the weather has never been an exact science but BBC Scotland's new main weather forecaster Gail McGrane is better qualified than most to inform the nation of which way the wind is blowing.

FRIENDS and family of a Ross-shire woman celebrating a very special birthday came from far and wide to mark the milestone with her this week.

A YOUNG Ross-shire schoolgirl has forked out money from her piggy bank to buy a carved wooden hedgehog as a gift to a nursery school in memory of a local teenager who died of cancer.

PLUCKY teachers from a Ross-shire school have endured a month of ribbing from pupils after picking up a charity challenge and laying down their razors.

KATIE Jeffs has the perfect excuse for getting up to a spot of monkey business when she's not patrolling the bookshelves - she's simply getting into character for her next role!

AN intriguing link between a Ross-shire town and a football club that spawned a World Cup winner has paved the way for a potentially tantalising hook-up.

AN industry award, a chance encounter with one of his favourite rock stars and a flit of premises has added up to a pretty eventful year to date for a Ross-shire accountant.

A ROSS-shire woman determined that she wasn't going to be "fat and forty" was praised by an Olympic champion at the weekend after turning her life around.

THE seeds were planted in May this year when I showed off some of my honeymoon snaps to Emma, the professional photographer who lives nearby.

A ROSS-shire gentleman aged 102 who missed out on coronation celebrations when he was five years old has finally been presented with a special commemorative mug to mark the occasion – 97 years late.

YOU get all sorts of visitors when you work in a newspaper office — it rather comes with the territory.

AN Easter Ross woman, who helped raise £400,000 for charity in almost 40 years of fundraising has been honoured at a UK-wide awards ceremony.

A GROUP of Zulu warriors have been making friends across Ross-shire over the past week ahead of a farewell performance in Alness at the weekend.

AN anxious Ross-shire mum watched proudly as her teenage daughter took a solo leap from an aeroplane — and then asked if she could do it again!

A BLACK Isle woman undergoing breast cancer treatment is urging people to donate their "handbags and gladrags" to support the charity which has given her hope for the future.

A YOUNG Easter Ross businessman with a passion for books had a novel idea when opportunity knocked.

AN Easter Ross designer hopes her quirky, eyebrow-raising take on binge-drinking could be the launchpad for a dazzling career in fashion.

TWO Black Isle school friends were on the crest of a wave at the weekend when they raised more than £1,300 by swimming across the Cromarty Firth.

A DYNAMIC duo of Ross-shire ministers revved up and hit the road in support of a well-respected charity which offers a potential lifeline to scores of people.

A PLUCKY Ross-shire man could be paddling his way into the record books when he sets out on a stamina-sapping challenge of a lifetime this week.

A ROSS-shire teenager has battled it out against other science-loving students to win a bursary to attend this year's British Science Festival.

A DEDICATED Dingwall volunteer who has helped thousands of people overcome their troubles through her 26-year service with the Citizens' Advice Bureau has been awarded the MBE.

PUPILS at a Ross-shire school who have set their sights on an eco-friendly accolade are celebrating some solid steps in the right direction.

YOUNG people across Ross-shire are being challenged to follow the example set by four “gold star” teenagers whose work for others has been recognised.

A ROSS-shire cyclist is preparing to get on his bike and travel across Central America in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support.

THE well-known adage, "when one door closes another opens" has served Bert Mitchell well during his long and varied life.

AN Easter Ross woman keen to repay the kindness shown her special needs daughter by a local day centre has set herself a mountain to climb — quite literally.

A BLACK Isle man who gained his second degree from the Open University last weekend has already started studying towards his third one.

A MARATHON man didn't forget his friend when deciding which good cause to plump for after his gruelling effort.

A KEEN team of savvy spellers from Invergordon Academy flew the flag for the Highlands at an event which would strike terror into the hearts of many.

AN imaginative Black Isle chef who has found the time to stage knitting nights when she's not whipping up five-course feasts has had her long hours slaving over a hot stove recognised.

FOUR shop staff from Dingwall are encouraging their customers to join them in pounding the pavements to raise a trolley-load of cash for charity.

A ROSS-shire woman who is still recovering from a serious car crash has been recognised for the work she does for a local charity.

AN Easter Ross father plans to wear his bra with pride in front of thousands of women — all in the name of charity.

A ROSS-shire gent who celebrated his 100th birthday this week believes his long healthy life is due to spending seven decades working outdoors on farms until the grand age of 84.

AN Easter Ross woman who has lost three and a half stone — twice — in three years is starting up her own slimming class in Alness to help others shed the pounds as successfully as she did.

IN a meeting they will never forget, a group of children in Ross-shire last week saw for themselves how lives have been turned around by a woman acclaimed across the globe for her remarkable work battling the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

PUPILS at an Easter Ross secondary are forging a trailblazing link with their counterparts in Ethiopia.

A SPIRITED disabled woman made a superb splash this week by swimming 50 lengths to raise charity cash in memory of her beloved brother.

A DEDICATED Ross-shire postie got a big surprise at the end of her very last round when grateful residents threw her a party to wish her a very happy retirement.

AN Easter Ross teenager is due to set off on the trip of a lifetime as part of a British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) expedition to Greenland this summer.

A FIRST class Black Isle postie who cheerfully delivers the mail come rain or shine has more reason than ever to smile this week.

A ROSS-shire woman has scooped a prestigious pan-Highland business award.

A GROUP of Black Isle youngsters will get a taste of life in the Arctic Circle later this year when they take part in an adventurous school exchange to learn the art of igloo building.

A RUNNING-mad dad from Easter Ross has been inspired by his son to face the UK's ultimate marathon challenge to raise thousands of pounds for charity.

A PAIR of intrepid trekkers are well on the way to raising a massive £10,000 for a national charity.

A TAIN teenager has scooped an apprentice of the year award against stiff opposition.

GREEN-fingered youngsters at Plockton Primary School have been recognised for their food producing skills.

A SPECIAL poem has been written in honour of a remarkable Muir of Ord woman who reached her 100th birthday in fine fettle — despite her love of fatty, salty food and sugary tea.

AN international fashion model was glad of a local craftswoman's woolly socks when she braved a notoriously remote Ross-shire route this week.

A REMARKABLE lady from Alness will celebrate her 100th birthday at a large party tomorrow (Saturday) surrounded by her huge family which includes 15 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren and 10 great great grandchildren.

THERE is little doubt that Ben Wyvis, known as the 'noble hill' in Gaelic, has a commanding presence as it sits overlooking Dingwall and Easter Ross.

A FATHER and daughter team from Easter Ross were floating on air after successfully completing a flying course.

ORPHANS in Africa are wearing the colours of Ross County, Celtic and Rangers thanks to the efforts of several Dingwall people.

MOTORCYCLIST Colin Baxter won't forget the helping hand he received from a friendly fellow biker when he got stuck in a rut during an arduous rally through Africa.

A PAIR of plucky Ross-shire fortysomethings are gearing up for the challenge of a lifetime.

AN up-and-coming designer from Ross-shire is making a big name for herself in the fashion world.

ORGANISERS of an innovative Wester Ross ceilidh scheme were this week celebrating the fruits of their labours.

A GAELIC singer with strong Ross-shire connections is determined to grab the opportunity of a lifetime "with both hands"!

COLOURFUL art with a no-nonsense message transformed the floor of a Black Isle village hall at the weekend.

MOUNTAIN rescue volunteers covering one of the most rugged and exposed parts of the country are setting their sights on a new base from which to provide their lifeline 24/7 service.

AN inspirational Ross-shire children's author, who has battled dyslexia all her life, is urging local youngsters to get their creative juices flowing.

MIKE Bates has more reason than most for relishing the prospect of Ross County's home clash with table-topping Queen of the South tomorrow (Saturday). His trip to Victoria Park has taken the ex-pat halfway around the world and will be the first County game he has been able to enjoy in more than 42 years.

THE Ross-shire Journal is to be commended for drawing public attention to the potential plight of the deer that have roamed the slopes of The Ben for generations.

OFF to London recently as sole Scottish finalist in a cookery competition was Dingwall grandmother Isobel Lewis – and she won!

A PLUCKY 12-year-old boy inspired to help injured people by watching his mother deal with her progressive disability has set himself a daunting task of swimming 500 pool lengths to raise money.

Gairloch High School chemistry teacher Dr Clare Caley jumped at the opportunity to help African youngsters and their teachers during an unforgettable work placement during her summer holiday. Swapping Wester Ross for Malawi was to be a life-changing experience.

A DINGWALL man's remarkable contribution to civic life in Ross-shire and well beyond will receive his honour tonight (Friday).

LIKE it or loathe it, there can be no doubting that television plays a major part in most of our lives, informing, entertaining and providing an endless source of office small talk.

AN Easter Ross librarian has opened another chapter on her burgeoning career as an author with the launch of her new book, Envoy of the Black Pine.

A PROFOUNDLY deaf teenager with a passion for horses has raised around £1,000 for the association which taught her to ride by undertaking an arduous eight-hour trek on her beloved pony, Cody.

A FORMER wartime Lumber Jill from Ross-shire has been recognised for her service in the Women's Timber Corps — 66 years after she first started work felling trees at the tender age of 19.

CROMARTY'S rising cycling star Magnus Davidson is already dreaming of representing Scotland at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games after being hand-picked by Lloyds TSB to join their Local Heroes initiative.

THE staff behind an Easter Ross recycling charity were this week recognised for the excellent work they do.

A gifted subscription to the Ross-shire Journal has sparked memories of the happiest days of her life for Mary Thompson of Sydenham Hill, London, who here reflects on a year with the area’s best-selling weekly newspaper.

Easter Ross teenager Lorne Rostock took time out from a stint of work experience with the Ross-shire Journal to reflect on the challenges of life in a wheelchair.

A ROSS-SHIRE distillery is set to benefit from an overhaul as part of a major investment programme worth £45million.

A ROYAL Navy veteran from Alness who served on two warships during the Malayan Emergency half a century ago has been awarded a medal in recognition of his efforts.

A MEMORIAL in tribute to a fondly-remembered Dingwall supermarket trolley attendant is due to be unveiled in the grounds of the store.

LITTLE did I know on Friday afternoon that I would be spending my weekend witnessing marriages in an inflatable church, waving a giant pirate flag, chilling out in a flavoured oxygen bar, and eating oysters and hamburgers — though not at the same time.

“I HOPE that for the rest of your lives you will remember this day.” Those were the words Dingwall Academy rector Graham Mackenzie used to welcome his wide-eyed pupils to the first assembly held in the auditorium of the shiny new £28million school.

MORE than half a century ago Janette Goodall, a nine-year-old from Fortrose, first heard about a village with the same name half a world away in New Zealand.

STRATHPEFFER this week took a first step on the journey to put itself on the public awareness map.

A LOCAL writers group has gone from strength to strength after scooping the top prize at a national competition.

A LIFELONG friendship which helped a Contin woman get through her treatment for cancer has reaped rewards for a charity to help other patients.

MOVIE makers in the process of filming the life and times of an old Ross-shire school are having their work cut out due to camera-shy former pupils and staff members.

ONE of Ross County's backroom boys got the shock of his life when he was presented with a special award at a supporters' club end of season bash last Saturday.

A TINY Wester Ross community has cottoned on to an environmentally aware scheme that aims to radically reduce dependence on plastic bags.

A DINGWALL barman is losing no opportunity in gearing up for a charity fundraising Black Isle cycle ride.

A ROSS-SHIRE man who spent the last 18 months of World War II down the mines has finally been recognised along with thousands of other Bevin Boys on the 60th anniversary of their demobilisation.

GIRLS from a Ross-shire youth group have become more streetwise after completing a self-defence training course.

THE spectacle of more than 100 pipers and drummers of the Army Cadet Force marching together will come to the streets of Dingwall next month.

A NOSTALGIC trip down memory lane is planned for former pupils and staff of an Easter Ross secondary planning an anniversary celebration this year.

A HOLLYWOOD star may never know the impact she has had on a Highland family.

OLD soldiers in Ross-shire have dropped their guard to allow women into their ranks for the first time.

DINGWALL Army Cadet Kayleigh McMurdo (15), was presented with a St John Ambulance Young First Aider of the Year Award by her commanding officer.

A FRENCH family keen on spending their summer holiday in Dingwall to learn about its Viking and Celtic connections is seeking a Ross-shire resident who is willing to let them have the run of their home in July.

A FORMER Dingwall Academy pupil has been filling his ex-rector in on a stage career that has gone from strength to strength since he left the school.

CONGRATULATIONS to regular Ross-shire Journal contributor, Alasdair Fraser, who scooped this year's Sportswriter of the Year award at the Highland Media Awards.

THE imaginative pupils of a Ross-shire school will bring their favourite storybooks to life as part of a full week of events to encourage a life-long love of reading.

A WESTER Ross beauty spot will be seen in all 27 member states of the European Union this year thanks to an eye-catching photograph snapped by an MEP.

A ROSS exile whose dream of publishing a book came true has revealed how he binned the offer when opportunity first came knocking.

A BLACK Isle lass found herself on the other side of the camera after her entry to a wildlife photography competition caught the eye of judges.

AVOCH Sea Scout leader Derek Martin has been awarded the Medal of Merit, one of the highest honours that can be bestowed on a leader.

A NEWLY-ordained Church of Scotland Inverness minister, who is following in his father's footsteps after an earlier career as a surveyor, is to take over the widespread Wester Ross charge of Lochcarron, Applecross and Torridon.

DAY trippers are being encouraged to travel along a scenic Ross-shire glen by the children who live there.

DINGWALL nurse Karen McKenzie has scooped the University of Stirling's 2007 RG Bomont award for excellence in clinical practice — after fending off competition from 320 fellow nursing students from across the Highlands, Western Isles and Central Scotland.

AN AVOCH primary school pupil has won the Ross-shire area prize in a drawing competition run by a project which teaches children how to stay safe.

A MAJOR bank has bid a fond farewell to loyal members of staff who between them have clocked up the best part of half a century serving it.

A SUCCESSFUL model from Easter Ross has proved she can cut it on both sides of the fashion industry, by scooping a respected Scottish design award.

CROMARTY will come alive at the weekend when huge projections will light up the whitewashed buildings in the Black Isle fishing village.

ECO-FRIENDLY students at an Easter Ross secondary are going the extra mile to try and save the planet.

IT IS one of the greatest mountaineering survival stories never told... until now.

UNBEARABLE heat, snakes, biting ants and wasp attacks were all things one Dingwall mum took in her stride as she faced the tough terrain of the Amazon forest, Brazil, to compete in the world-renowned JungleMarathon.

A WESTER Ross animals' champion has been recognised for her remarkable contribution to wildlife welfare.

A STUDENT exchange programme has contacted the Journal in a bid to find a home for a year for an enthusiastic youngster after his plans fell through at the last minute.

A PROMISING schoolboy inventor has been inspired by his granny to come up with an award-winning innovative mobility device to help the elderly and disabled move around indoors more easily.

A ROSS charity shop that raises cash for the Highlands' most popular local cause could face closure if more volunteers aren't found.

A DOUGHTY dozen who laced up their hiking boots for a charity fundraiser have pledged to make the event an annual affair.

A YOUNG floral designer whose business has blossomed in just two years has won a top business award and a £600 cash prize.

TAIN school pupils held a charity collection this week in memory of their inspirational classmate who died at the weekend, three years after he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

AN Alness woman, who arrived in Ross-shire without a word of English, has been short-listed for learndirect scotland's Career Changer of the Year award, to be presented next week at this year's Celebration of Learning.

ROSS-SHIRE folk are gearing up to conquer their fear of heights next month — by abseiling down Dunrobin Castle in a bid to raise money for the UK's leading children's cancer charity.

A BLACK Isle family had a double cause for celebration with the highly successful graduation of a sister and brother.

A BLACK Isle therapist has pedalled to Amsterdam and back in a bid to give seriously ill youngsters a boost through the power of music.

A MARYBURGH lass had more reason than most to celebrate when her name came first out of the hat for our great CIS Insurance Cup competition.

AN MSP whose election to Holyrood helped sway the balance of power in favour of the SNP welcomed First Minister Alex Salmond to his new office in Dingwall this week.

A WELL-known and highly distinguished Ross-shire couple have celebrated six decades together in fine style.

A TEENAGER whose mum emigrated to Australia has returned to her Wester Ross roots to build on the hospitality qualification under her belt.

FRESH from picking up their Highland Cross silverware after proving their fighting fit credentials are these Easter Ross vets who bagged the duathalon’s female team trophy.

EVERYTHING in the garden came up rosy for Fortrose woman Mary Macintosh this week after the green-fingered Black Isler was plucked first from the hat in our exclusive planters competition, run in association with Munro's Nurseries.

IN recognition of his 15 years service with Invergordon lifeboat station, Saltburn's Douglas McBay was presented with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's Silver Badge.

A WEE dram, a bowl of porridge and a smoke-free lifestyle have served Muir of Ord centenarian Tom MacIver well down the years.

FASCINATING footage of school trips enjoyed by former pupils of an Easter Ross secondary school has been unearthed and lovingly restored by a retired teacher.

IT doesn't often take two hands to hold a strawberry – but you certainly wouldn't get many of these to a punnet.

POLICE officers in Dingwall are to be offered basic foreign language courses to help them communicate with the area's increasing population of Eastern European workers, it has been revealed.

IT'S not many artists who have the benefit of using their own newsagent as an outlet for their work – but then Allison Riddell has come a long way since she sold her first painting to a friend at school.

AN extraordinary project that will see Strathpeffer become home to five four-tonne wooden sculptures is nearing completion with the larger than life artworks due to be painstakingly moved to their new home in the next few months.

A SPECIALIST Ross-shire teacher is trading the comforts of a relaxed summer holiday for the challenges of an African country with strong links to Scotland.

THE first female Lord Lieutenant to be appointed in Ross-shire this week not only stepped into the history books with her new role but also followed in the footsteps of her late father.

POIGNANT tribute was paid to a much-loved family member at a couple's special day in Strathpeffer.

A FORMER Tain man who has landed one of golf's most coveted posts this week admitted his only regret about securing the dream job was that his late father wasn't around to share the joy.

A MAN who literally helped shape the face of Dingwall had a hundred reasons to celebrate this week.

ANYONE doubting Gordon Robertson's credentials of being a man who likes a challenge need only take a quick look at his "to do" list to set them straight.

THE Queen has conferred a very special honour on her Lord Lieutenant for Ross and Cromarty, Skye and Lochalsh, Captain Roderick Stirling of Fairburn.

ROUGH demos made in bedrooms could be a thing of the past for young aspiring musicians in Dingwall.

IT’S not everyone who meets their ideal other half through volunteering, but for Mike Haycox it was just one of several life-changing moments to come from his ventures into the sector.

Ian and Isobel MacKenzie of Dingwall, pictured last Saturday as they enjoyed an evening out at the Dingwall Fire Brigade Club annual party in the National Hotel Dingwall.

A BLACK Isle writer this week revealed how a chance remark almost two decades ago changed the course of his life and inspired him to explore the largely untapped history of the town which he now calls home.

CROMARTY is set to sparkle in 2007! That’s the message coming loud and clear from the Black Isle town as it gears up for a plethora of events set to cement its reputation as one of the Highlands’ creative hubs.

WITH guitars and drumsticks at the ready it was a battle of the bands in Tain, as budding rock stars showed what they were made off.

A BLACK Isle artist whose painting has helped a charity to raise in excess of £5million was honoured this week.

WESTER Ross contestants battling for the honours in the second annual Coigach Ba’ Game had to be made of stern stuff with hailstones attending the run-up to the event.

THE official launch of Highland 2007 is taking place in Inverness tonight (Friday) but Cromarty is gearing up for its own celebrations with the arrival of a new artist in residence.

THE temperature is rising in Greenland – and for once global warning isn’t the main culprit.

THE controversial businessman who launched a failed £17million scheme to create a Highland theme park on the Black Isle a decade ago has fired a broadside at “the poverty of imagination” in Scotland – and claimed the scheme is still “alive and well”.

A WOMAN who has run a girls’ group in rural Ross-shire for 30 years may just have overseen her last Christmas production – even though she has no desire to stand down!

A NEWLY extended Ross-shire cafe was this week hailed a community “lifeline” as plans were revealed that could see it used by a host of groups.

ROSS-SHIRE wood craftsman Jackie Vass has just finished making his latest Celtic harp after months of painstaking work.

AN intimate musical tribute to a piping legend is finally released this week, bringing together some of the tunes for which he will always be remembered.

A HUGE turnout is expected today to the funeral of one of Ross-shire’s favourite sons, Johnny Bogan.

IT’S a strange fact of life that many of the visitors who come to Scotland are drawn here by their own imagination.

DINGWALL Bridge Club boasts a 48-year history and attracts players from all points of the compass to weekly games at the town's British Legion on Tuesday evenings.

TWENTY seconds is all it takes to ruin all your plans . . . 20 seconds and a gravel-strewn bend.

CATS have become the latest casualty of Ross-shire's ageing population. The often much-pampered pets are finding themselves homeless when their owners, for whom they have been loyal companions for many years, either pass away or move into nursing homes.

ULAANBAATAR was not as grim city as we had expected. This was helped by the fact that it was sunny and 24C the day we arrived.

A POIGNANT tribute to a legendary piper has been officially opened by his widow in Invergordon.

A DINGWALL hero was this week honoured for the part he played in bringing a knife-wielding thug to justice.

INVERGORDON Town Hall could become home to a new conference facility and cinema if plans to revamp the run-down building come to fruition.

A WESTER Ross beauty spot, which recently underwent a £200,000 refurbishment, has been granted a top accolade after being designated as a National Nature Reserve.

YOUNGSTERS in Invergordon are going back to nature this weekend as they take the town's trailblazing mural trail project a step further.

A POIGNANT tribute was paid this week in Wester Ross to seamen who perished whilst on duty.

A MASTER of illusion could help transform the fortunes of an Easter Ross town with some truly off the wall ideas.

AN EASTER Ross facility for young people refurbished to the tune of £60,000 will this weekend throw its doors open to the public.

A WESTER Ross pub has changed hands for a six-figure sum - and is soon set to be featured in a hush-hush TV blind date show.

ONE of the Black Isle's most beloved senior citizens, Josie Morrison, has died in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, after a short illness, aged 91.

A WESTER ROSS lass has helped achieve an amazing double for her school by becoming the top Highers results scorer in the Highlands from Ullapool High for the second year running.

CLASSIC car enthusiasts got an eyeopening glimpse behind the scenes at a Muir of Ord factory producing state-of-the-art products last week.

A LONG-SERVING Dingwall postie is enjoying a few long lie-ins this week after more than three decades of rising with the birds.

A CONON Bridge woman picked up more than she bargained for at an antiques auction when she bought a 100-year-old photo album complete with historic pictures she believes belong to a local family.

A HOST of Ross-shire talent lies at the heart of a dazzling new CD released this week - Orain nan Rosach (Songs of the Ross-shire Folk).

A ROSS-SHIRE woman has been tasked with taming the nation's top political "rottweiler".

A BLACK Isle distillery is at the heart of plans to tantalise the taste buds of the Far East.

AN AMBITIOUS Dingwall project has secured the ultimate royal seal of approval - a "generous" cash donation from the Queen.