Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

City craftsmen set new benchmark

Craftsmen celebrate their addition to the Ness riverside fittings and fixtures.
Craftsmen celebrate their addition to the Ness riverside fittings and fixtures.

A new addition to riverside fixtures in Inverness has been celebrated, demonstrating the talents of a local charity.

The craftsmanship of seasoned woodworkers was commissioned by Crown and City Centre Community Council to add a sturdy and stylish wooden bench to the steadily growing features along the riverbank.

After several years of angst over the selection of various other proposed Ness-side installations including a controversial tilting pier, the latest addition was unveiled yesterday without a fuss.

The hard-wearing African teak seat was created by members of the city charity Men’s Shed which was established three years ago to help tackle loneliness.

Big enough to seat four adults, it has been given pride of place overlooking the river beside the city’s Mercure Hotel.

The wave-effect bench cost just over £2,000 and was supported by Highland Council grants. Others could follow.

Trying it for comfort, Community council chairwoman Pat Hayden said: “We chose this to give something back to the city.

“We watched what was happening with the project on the riverside and saw that slate seats were going to be installed, which is nice to sit on on a hot day but they’ve got no backs.

“We approached Men’s Shed because we thought the work should be done locally. These are skilled craftsmen who are retired and have all the skills. And they’re a local charity.

“We just want to add to the ambiance of the riverside. We hope, all being well, if this is a success we’ll do another one.”

Bench designer, and a committee member of the charity, Dave Henry said: “The wave effect mirrors the Ness on a rough day.

“We’re delighted to be involved with this project. It will be here for a long time and we really appreciate that.”

The charity, which offers a range of activities including keep-fit and photography, has built similar examples for the elderly but regards the riverside bench as its most prestigious commission yet.