The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

15 May 2009

 

We have awarded the Caithness Chamber of Commerce £120,000 to boost business development in Caithness and North Sutherland.

The funding, which will be administered over 3 years, will be used to support the Chamber of Commerce's work in raising the profile of businesses in Caithness.

The Chamber of Commerce was recently awarded funding from Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) to appoint a Chief Executive with the aim of supporting the business sector to focus on reducing the community's dependence on Dounreay.

With site closure scheduled for 2025 and jobs decreasing as this date draws closer, it is vital that the community in Caithness continue to work towards a sustainable future.

The NDA, a member of the Caithness and Sutherland Regeneration Partnership, is fully committed to supporting this transition and has already committed to spend over £10 million on various projects throughout the community, including the North Highland Regeneration Fund, Caithness Horizons, Wick Harbour and the National Nuclear Archive.

This latest award to the Chamber of Commerce will fund one full time post to support the Chamber's Chief Executive, Trudy Morris. The post will be responsible for promoting and operating a marketing and mentoring programme for local business and working with the Chief Executive on a range of programmes and events to support the business community. 

Caithness Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive, Trudy Morris, said:
"This award is great news for Caithness. A vibrant Chamber will have a significant positive impact on businesses throughout Caithness. It will not only help to safeguard existing jobs and help create new jobs for Dounreay workers, but will also be key in attracting new businesses to the area."

Eann Sinclair, Programme Manager for the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Programme, said:
"I'm pleased to see this most recent funding award to the Chamber of Commerce, as strengthening the Chamber is one of the key projects in the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership's action plan. It is another good example of the agencies working together to help deliver different elements of the plan to further diversify and build the local economy."

Randall Bargelt, the NDA's Regional Director, said:
"Although the safe decommissioning of Dounreay is our main priority, we are very aware of the impact this will have on the local community. We are working hard to minimise this impact through the identification and support of projects which we believe will have a long-lasting impact. The Chamber of Commerce is an excellent example of this, and we look forward to partnering with all interested groups to take forward the Caithness & North Sutherland Partnership initiatives."

The NDA will officially hand over the cheque for £40,000 to the Chamber of Commerce this week and the additional £80,000 will be disbursed over the following two years.

Previous Investment

2005
July North Highland Regeneration Fund - £500k

2006
July - Caithness Horizons - £100k July - Halkirk Community Sports Foundation - £5k

2007
Feb - Pulteneytown Peoples Project - £38k
Feb - Caithness International Science Festival - £10k
Nov - Caithness International Science Festival - £10k
Dec - Scrabster Harbour Trust - £10k
Dec - North Highland Regeneration Fund - £500k

2008
Jan - Wick Harbour - £315k
Sept - Caithness Archaeology Trust - £60k
Sept - Caithness Horizons - £26k
Nov - Caithness International Science Festival - £10k

2009
Mar - North Highland Regeneration Fund - £500k
May - Caithness Chamber of Commerce - £120k

NDA has also committed £8m for the National Nuclear Archive to be built in Wick.