Highland life through the eyes of a young person
This week, we welcomed Thurso High School S6 Business student by Kerys Helliwell to gain some work experience with us at Caithness Chamber of Commerce. We used the opportunity to ask Kerys about her experiences of Highland Life as a young person, it’s been a while since any of us were classed as young! Below is her account of Highland Life so far, we’re so pleased so see that she hopes to remain in the North Highlands to live, work and study.
I am a 17-year-old who is currently studying National 5 and Higher Education in my sixth year at Thurso High School. I have been brought up in Caithness all my life and when I leave school in May, I fully intend on staying to live in Thurso.
As a young girl, I was involved in many out of school activities, one being Highland Dancing in which I did for around 9 years. Throughout my experience of Highland Dancing, I was given loads of amazing opportunities. In 2014, I was given the chance to go to Paris with my dance school (and family came along too). This was one of the most awarding things I’ve ever done as I took part in a dance parade in Disney Land Paris where we were also shown behind the scenes of the park. Whilst we were there, we also took part two different competitions where myself, and several other dancers from my school took back outstanding awards to Caithness.
Throughout my teenage years, in High School I loved to play Netball. When I was 13, I was asked to be part of the Highland Netball Team which I travelled to Inverness for once a month. This was an amazing opportunity and experience for me as it allowed me to develop new skills and meet new people. This then developed into me becoming a netball coach at Pennyland Primary school in which I gained a Highland Young Ambassador Award.
Now that I am leaving school in a few months I must decide what I want to do in the future. Due to the number of opportunities that is now available in Caithness I do plan on staying to live here. This is because I know that I will never be stuck for choice as North Highland College UHI offer so many different opportunities to all age groups who might be interested in any industry. Not only that, but there are always up-to-date job vacancies in different industries throughout Caithness, which is assuring as it allows me to know that there will always be something for me.
Unfortunately, I do have friends who are planning on moving down South for University. However, we are lucky to have an airport on our doorstep which will be opening again soon, meaning that I can travel to my friends quickly and efficiently. By having an airport in Caithness, it also allows more people to travel to work (both North and South) but in a more ideal way.
My Dad works offshore and by having an airport it means that he doesn’t have to take his car to Aberdeen and instead, he can leave it with my mum.
