News and Events
Lochaber Housing Support Team has moved
On Wednesday 18th August Lochaber Housing Support team moved to:
Flat 5, Meall na Mara
Alma Road
Fort William
PH33 6HD
They will keep the existing phone number, 01397 704723, but there is currently a delay in the installation of a new land line.
This also means that the team has no broadband connection or email service, so if you need to get in touch with them please use their mobile numbers:
Shona MacGillivray: 07793 257208
Johnan Cameron: 07921 022510
Team members: 07793 257209, 07736 888676
Updated 26th August 2010
Dinner and RHYTHMNREEL at the New Drumossie Hotel
Tickets are now on sale for this event on Friday 10th September 2010!
Find out more and buy tickets ...
Sapphire climbed highest peak in aid of Birchwood
Sapphire, an 18 month old mixed breed dog scaled Britain's highest mountain in support of Birchwood Highland's Caithness Support Services.
The public spirited Sapphire (who belongs to one of the people supported by the charity) climbed Ben Nevis on Friday 6th August 2010.
Andrea McIntosh, a member of Birchwood's Caithness team accompanied Sapphire and her owner on the climb (Andrea's the one on the left, surrounded by mist). The team hopes to use the money raised to take Birchwood's service users on independence building and recovery boosting trips to locations outwith Caithness. Andrea says, "I wanted to raise money for the people we support so that we can do activities that would not otherwise be available and to promote recovery".
Sapphire's owner said, "It's something I have wanted to achieve since living in the Highlands".
Any donations will be gratefully received and can be made at http://www.birchwoodhighland.org.uk/Donate.htm
Puppet project for Inverness and Easter Ross
Birchwood Highland has been awarded funding from 'see me' to fund a puppet project in Easter Ross and Inverness. see me is Scotland's national campaign to end the stigma and discrimination of mental ill-health.
The project combines puppetry skills, personal stories and creative expression to produce 'Can you see me?', a puppet show about experiences of mental ill-health and recovery.
Puppets have universal appeal, conveying sensitive and emotional stories in interesting and often humorous ways to people of all ages. This makes them an ideal medium for positively responding to challenging issues.The puppet making workshops will draw on personal strengths and experiences, to produce various characters.
The projects and puppet shows will also be filmed and screened in community venues during the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival from 1st to 24th October, and will also be available as a training resource.
The programme is being developed by Zenwing Puppets team Karrie Marshall and Chris King, along with film-maker Ally Macleod.
The project will run during the first 3 weeks of August and 4 weeks in September as follows:
Invergordon Arts Centre, Tuesdays 1-5pm: August 3rd, August 10th August 17th, August 31st, September 7th, September 14th, September 21st.
Spectrum Centre Inverness, Wednesdays 1-5pm: August 4th, August 11th, August 18th, September 1st, September 8th, September 15th, September 22nd.
Highland Cross, 19th June 2010
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Birchwood Highland was fortunate to be selected as one of the charities associated with the 2010 Highland Cross.
It is hoped that our allocation of the funds raised will help us to upgrade single rooms and install a new shower facility at the Recovery Centre in Inverness.
The photo shows Birchwood Highland volunteer marshals at the finishing line at Beauly.
Scottish Mental Health Co-operative
Birchwood Highland is a member of the recently formed Scottish Mental Health Co-operative.
New leaflets
Birchwood Highland has produced two new leaflets in May.
One is about WRAP - Wellness Recovery Action Plan - and is aimed at anyone interested in planning and managing their wellbeing, even if they have never experienced mental illness.
Click here or on the image opposite to download a copy (PDF file).
The other leaflet is called Paying for Support, and contains guidance for people who need support in their own homes.
It explains Self-directed Support (also known as Direct Payments), a system which gives individuals money to arrange their own support, instead of Social Work Services arranging or providing the services that individuals have been assessed as needing. It is an option for people who would like more flexibility, choice and control over their care so that they can live more independently, and is arranged through Social Work Services.
The leaflet also describes how you can purchase support privately from Birchwood Highland.
Click here or on the image opposite to download a copy.
Congratulations, Fiona!
Congratulations to Fiona Macritchie of Johnston Carmichael Inverness for finishing in 289th place (women's category) in this year's London Marathon. Fiona made a brilliant effort and completed the Marathon in 3:20:56 - almost 10 minutes quicker than her 2009 run. Thanks, Fiona, for choosing Birchwood Highland as your charity!
Outdoor skills project at Abriachan
Birchwood Highland has teamed up with Forestry Commission Scotland to provide a group of service users with the experience of living in the outdoors, learning basic skills needed for survival in the open, and caring for the environment.
The location for this is Abriachan Forest, south of Inverness, in a spectacular setting 
high above Loch Ness.
Thanks to Barry for permission to use his photos. Barry is building an impressive photographic record of the activities, some of which took place during late coverings of snow.
Recovery Centre's spring garden
Last year service users at the Recovery Centre did a fantastic job of building a greenhouse from recycled plastic bottles. Already this year it's being used to bring on seedlings for planting out later.
The photo opposite shows Damian, a service user at the Recovery Centre, tending kale and leek seedlings.
'Working in the garden has made me get fitter, built my strength up, and it's pleasing to see the work that we've done. All the boulders have been moved. We have done all the major work; digging, building, pick-axing and now it's the case of waiting for everything to grow and continually do weeding. We have planted raspberry bushes, gooseberry bushes and a thornless blackberry bush. We also have seed potatoes and leek and kale seedlings in the greenhouse.'
The other photo shows some of the preparation that has been going on outside. We look forward to seeing (and perhaps tasting?) the produce later in the season!
Care Commission awards Birchwood highest grades
In their assessment of Birchwood Highland's Housing Support Service on 4th December 2009, the Care Commission awarded Grade Six markings, the highest available, in all the aspects they looked at.
Birchwood Highland Recovery Centre, assessed in September 2009, also achieved Grade Sixes.
For more information about the Care Commission's grading system, please visit our Quality Care Standards page.