News and Events
Spring silliness in Whin Park!
Whin Park, Inverness is the location for our Easter Egg Hunt!
The fun will start at 10 am on Easter Sunday 4th April, and continue until all the eggs are found.
(Pssst! The Easter Bunny has stolen all the eggs and hidden them, so please help us find them!)
Entry is free, though donations are gratefully accepted.
There's a short entry form to complete.
The Easter Egg Hunt is open to children with an adult, and familes.
Just follow the clues, find your token hidden in the park, then claim your egg!*
All donations go to support local mental health charity Birchwood Highland.
Eggs have been kindly donated by Tesco's local Community Champion.
*eggs vary in size and value.
Mental Health Action Week, 4th - 11th April 2010
Each year the Mental Health Foundation uses Mental Health Action Week to raise awareness of mental health issues across the country. This year's topic is focusing on loneliness and a new report on loneliness and mental health will be available from 6 April.
To accompany the loneliness report, the Mental Health Foundation has put together a selection of Good Mental Health Packs full of useful information for those interested in promoting good mental health.
For more information, please visit the Mental Health Foundation Website at www.mentalhealth.org.uk
Care Commission awards Birchwood highest grades
In their assessment of Birchwood Highland's Housing Support Service on 4th December 2009, the Care Commission awarded 6 Grade Six markings, the highest available.
Birchwood Highland Recovery Centre, assessed in September 2009, also achieved 6 Grade Sixes.
For more information about the Care Commission's grading system, please visit our Quality Care Standards page.
Fighting mental illness stigma
Earlier this year Tom Palmer and Donnie Duncanson, mental health nurses based in Edinburgh, completed a cycle run from Lands End to John O'Groats. Their aim was to raise awareness of the stigma often attached to mental illness, and to raise funds for charities, including Birchwood Highland.
Donnie said, "The one thing we found (on our journey) was that people seemed less willing to donate money to a mental health charity and that underlines the reasons for us doing it. It is something that is not talked about. If you are raising money for a cancer charity or even the SSPCA people can immediately relate to that because there is no stigma attached. That has spurred us on to continue trying to raise awareness".
To mark Scottish Mental Health Awareness Week in October 2009, Birchwood Highland hosted a photo competition and exhibition run by see me, Scotland's anti-stigma mental health campaign.
This year's theme was 'Be there. Be yourself'.
The picture opposite shows one of the winning entries from the Caithness exhibition, titled 'Phil on the hill'.