Fàilte

Welcome to the 300th issue of Loch a Tuath News! From its humble beginnings in 1997 to the full-colour, glossy 32-page magazine you see today, our journey has been a true community effort. This month, you can read about how it all started in Coinneach’s column (page 31), reprinted from the April 1998 edition.

To celebrate this milestone, we invited pupils from Sgoil a’ Bhac and Tong Primary to create artwork for our cover. We received two fantastic submissions, so this month’s issue features a special double-cover. A huge thank you to the children and staff who took part in this project.

We’re often asked, ‘How do you manage to publish every month?’ (Well, ten times a year!) The reality is that it’s a constant balance. Some months, we struggle to fill the pages, while others – like February’s issue – are overflowing with content. It all comes down to the hard work of our team, especially our correspondents, and the willingness of you, our readers, to share your stories, photos and snippets with us. Every volunteer, committee member, editor, contributor, and supporter over the past 28 years has played a role in keeping Loch a Tuath News going.

Now, 300 issues in, we’re still going strong and edging closer to our 30th anniversary in 2027. That said, we do face challenges. We’re always looking for new volunteers to join our committee or help gather news (a warm welcome to Carolyn this month, see p. X), and we’d particularly welcome someone who could assist with our website for a couple of hours a month. Another ongoing challenge is print numbers – ironically, the more copies we sell, the cheaper it becomes to produce each issue, allowing us to keep the price low for you. Please do buy a copy!

In this edition, we look ahead to the outdoor football season, bring you a report from the Inverness Half-Marathon – where several local runners took part – and share stunning photos of a humpback whale spotted in Broad Bay. We also celebrate the cross-country success of local girls, highlight our secretary Gill’s new book and reprint a fascinating 1999 article about an epic journey through Canada – timely, as a new book on the same subject is set for release. And, of course, we applaud the achievements of the young musicians who recently took part in a big competition.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to the next 300 issues!