Lang Road Frae Caithness Tae Raigmore

16th August 2025

At Caithness Gen'r'l the birth‐ward's runnin' bare,
Mither pats her bump and sighs into the night,
Midwives scarce as hen's teeth, nae time tae spare,
Wee bairn kicks on, unnerstaffed in flickerin’ light.

Frae Thurso toon we hit the single‐track again,
Tyre hums and engine roars through moor and brae,
Rain spatterin’ windscreen, heart drummed wi’ mortal strain, Raigmore’s miles awa’, yet help’s still far away.

Wee scunnered nurse at Caithness shakes her head,
"Projects scrapped by NHS Highland’s penny‐pinch brigade,"
Folk blether o’ closures, promises left for dead,
As hopeful souls are sent adrift in endless convoy’s shade.

Cross the Flow Country’s peat bogs, lochs mirror sullen skies,
Gaun drove o’ folk in labour, clutching blankets worn and thin,
Each bend’s a prayer, each mile a tear, frae fear nae soul can rise, Till Inverness lights glimmer—hope hidden deep within.

At last we breenge the city fringe, yet wards are chock‐a‐block, Stretcher wedged in corridor—no privacy, no ease,
Babies cradle peace ootforn, amid the ceaseless clock,
While Caithness hearts still pining for simple local peace.

And NHS Highland, ye glower in your lofty granite halls,
Cutting dreams wi’ scissor‐hand, foredooming bairn’s first cry,
Ye pledge tae care the Highlands all, yet answer nae our calls, We’re ferrying life frae home tae home beneath your silent eye.

But mither’s strength runs deeper than bureaucracy’s blight,
Her bairn’s sweet wail will pierce the coldest Highland morn,
Though roads be long and systems weak, her heart will win the fight,
And bring new life tae Caithness soil, though sorely bruised and worn.

So mark me, NHS Highland, in your ledger o’ regret,
Our land may bend, our kin may roam, but hope will aye remain,
Till Caithness Gen’r’l stands restored, no mother left unbet,
We’ll travel roads and sing our scars, and bairns will thrive again.

Inspired by the possibility of new slower speed limits on the A9

The campaign goes on with Caithness Health Action Team