Services for Older People Project Visit

As part of our Scottish National Rural Network work we are holding a Services for Older People Project Visit to Community Care Assynt this week. The project visit is free and includes overnight accommodation and a networking dinner the evening before at the Inver Lodge Hotel. We have a people carrier leaving Inverness at 2.30pm that would be able to take another couple of people up to Lochinver.

Project visits normally have around 8-10 attendees who are working towards similar goals, but may be at different stages of their project. They are informal and we have had a really good response to previous events. As you probably know the Assynt Centre is a fantastic project, and this is a chance to find out more and hear from those working and volunteering for Community Care Assynt.

The project visit was fully booked, however earlier this week a couple of people pulled out. The hotel is already paid for, and I’d really like to be able to offer these spaces to other people. It is, of course, very short notice but if you can think of anyone who may be interested I’d be grateful if you could pass on the information.

More details about the visit can be found here: www.ruralgateway.org.uk/en/node/7282

Signpost offices closed for the day

Signpost's offices in Inverness and Nairn will be closed for the day tomorrow (21/5/13), opening as usual come Wednesday.

Cantraybridge College, OPEN DAY 2013

Saturday 8th June
10am to 4pm

Local Information Stalls, Local Produce, Grand Raffle, Crafts and Baking, Kids Activities..

..Nick Martin's CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL

Following the great success of our first Open Day last year, we are staging our second Open Day on Saturday 8th June 2013. We were thrilled to have the support of so many people in our community and this year we aim to put on another wonderful day.

Please come and join us to see the brilliant work our young people do and visit the fabulous environment we all work in every day. Meet some of the animals you might expect at a rural skills college and also some you wouldn’t, courtesy of our amazing friend – Nick Martin - and his equally amazing exotic animals. There will be an opportunity to buy Cantraybridge products made by our students, home-baking and of course a chance to win some amazing prizes in our Grand Raffle!

Cantray Square, Croy, Inverness, IV2 5PP
admin@cantraybridge.co.uk
01667 493500
www.cantraybridge.co.uk

Are you a disabled person or a
person with a long term
condition who lives in Scotland?

Do you know you have access to a
free counselling service?

Would you like to talk to a counsellor
who understands about living with a
long term condition and about
disability?

Contact us ICiL rights & choices  
0808 801 0362  yourcall@hushmail.com
www.lothiancil.org.uk

The Big Lift:
For all the British families who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan.

Ben Greer completed six tours in Afghanistan, serving as a Chinook helicopter crewman. During these tours he and his colleagues were tasked with providing civilian and military casualty evacuation from the front line, as part of the Immediate Response Team [IRT].
As a result of this service in Afghanistan, Ben knows only too well the awful price paid by so many brave men and women to secure the safe lifestyle which British citizens so regularly take for granted. To date, 441 British service personnel have lost their lives in this conflict, and Ben is undertaking The Big Lift [www.thebiglift.co.uk] to honour each and every one of those individuals and show support for their families.
The Big Lift is a national fundraising and awareness event which is seeing Ben walk 4.41 miles in each of 100 towns and cities the length and breadth of the U.K., one mile for each member of British service personnel killed in the Afghanistan conflict. He is wearing a backpack weighing 100 kilos [220lbs] to reflect the weight of an injured serviceman or woman being carried from the front line.
 “Though the aspiration is to raise in excess of £100,000 over the course of the event, it is more important to create a focal point for the British public to join in and show their support for the families. The events are nationwide, so people all over the UK can participate and express their own support”, said Ben. “This series of events is not pro-war, not political and not religious. It is just pro those who have gone a little further to allow us to live the lives that we do.”
He added:          “Every mile has a name!”
To date Ben has carried his load for over 140 miles in 30 locations.  There are 70 more to go culminating in the final mile from the Cenotaph to Buckingham Palace on 21^st July where he hopes he will be joined by supporters from across the country.
Members of the public can support Ben and his team in many ways – walk a mile with him, make a donation or just “like” the event on Facebook.   Follow him on Twitter @thebiglife2013 or even take control of one of the events to come. So far Ben has raised over £ 8,000 and details of his progress and forthcoming walks can be found at the event website: www.thebiglift.co.uk
The money raised by The Big Lift will be donated to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, the RAF Benevolent fund, The Royal Navy and Marines Charity, SSAFA and Help for Heroes, where the funds will be used to help those who have lost loved ones to rebuild their lives.
ENDS
Note to editors: for further information please contact
Ben Greer, M: 07970 934537,         Amy Gibson M: 07500 561043, 
Don Greer  01478 612574          E: theteam@the biglift.co.uk

SLIDING DOORS Making It Local

WHAT IS SLIDING DOORS?
Sliding Doors is an interactive workshop for Health and Social Care Professionals working with older people (across all sectors) in the Highlands.
We aim to inform, engage and excite you, using drama to promote understanding towards the Impact of Integration, the RCOP (Reshaping Care for Older People) programme and the need for change.

For more information about Sliding Doors, please visit:
www.valochaber.org/sliding-doors

Where & When?
Dingwall
12.30-16.30 | Wed 22nd May 2013
Highland Theological College
Wick
12.30-16.30 | Wed 29th May 2013
Wick Assembly Rooms
Skye
12.30-16.30 | Wed 5th June 2013
Kyleakin Village Hall

Attendance & Booking
Attendance is free and open to all health and social care professionals working across all sectors.
Please call 01397 706 044 or emial admin@valochaber.org to reserve your place for this innovative course today.

Voluntary Action Lochaber
www.valochaber.org
01397 706 044

UHI Management School business seminars

UHI Management School business seminars

Following on from the success of our first business seminar series "Business Lunches with UHI" which
took place during last winter and was attended by over 120 delegates, we now invite you to join our
second series which is being held in association with Business Gateway Highland and Enterprise
Europe.

All seminars will be hosted from the University of the Highlands and Islands Executive Office, Ness
Walk, Inverness, IV3 5SQ from 12.30 p.m. and will last no more than one hour (including lunch).
Attendees have the option to attend from that address or join by video-conference (via partner college
premises, their own desktop or other video-conference suites).

The seminars being held on 31st May and 7th June will be webcast

Attendance at all seminars is FREE and lunch will be provided to those attending at UHI's Ness Walk
headquarters in Inverness.


Friday 17th May
How to sack your father (and other
pressing issues in family businesses)
First in the series of business seminars, we welcome Susan Hoyle, a taxation specialist with Wright Johnstone and Mackenzie LLP.

Friday 31st May
Making good news travel - a Highland Opportunity delivered
Second seminar in the series features Nathalie Agnew, Managing Director of Muckle Media, a full service PR and marketing agency.


Friday 7th June
How to take a Highland business to the world
Third in the series, we welcome Donnie MacLean, Managing Director of The MacLean Electrical Group.

Wednesday 12th June
How do you make a social enterprise sustainable in hard times?
The final seminar in the series features Lee McGrath, General Manager of ReBOOT, a Moray based Computer Recycling Social Enterprise.


For further information or to make a booking please contact
Fiona Ryan, University of the Highlands and Islands Management School Officer
fiona.ryan@uhi.ac.uk 01463-279347
www.managementschool.uhi.ac.uk/

Adult Learners’ Week, Inverness College

Adult Learners’ Week

18^th – 24^th May 2013

Learning Trail

Tuition will be offered in an exciting range of opportunities throughout the week

A Treasure Hunt will be incorporated into the Learning Trail with a valuable prize for the winner

Organisations involved include Highland Libraries, Highland Archive Centre, Inverness College, Merkinch Enterprise, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery & the Workers Educational Association

Join in and try something different

It’s all FREE!

Celebration of Learning

and Prize-giving Ceremony

Thursday 23^rd May

6 pm – 8 pm

Inverness College, Longman Building

From 6 pm a Learning Fair with stalls from different organistations will show the opportunities they can offer.  The Presentation Ceremony will begin at 7 pm.

Light refreshments will be available

A leaflet giving detailed information about the week’s activities can be obtained from the Highland Adult Literacies Office, telephone 01463 251277, or from any of the partners listed above. It can also be viewed on the HALP website www.halweb.co.uk. 

...a different kind of Family Day Out

DYING TO KNOW?

.....a different kind of Family Day Out

Saturday MAY 25^th 11.30am – 4pm

NAIRN COMMUNITY CENTRE

INFORMATION.....INSPIRATION.....

SOMETHING FOR ALL AGES

FREE ENTRY            Soups, teas, home baking

Practical, legal, financial and medical preparations for illness and death

Don’t leave it too late and don’t leave it to someone else

FREE ADVICE AND INFORMATION from local businesses and organisations.

EXPERT TALKS – “Wills, Power of Attorneys and other legal questions”; “Anticipating Your Care”; “Work of a Soul Midwife”; “D-Day File – Where do I start?”; “Finances – What options are there?”; “Children – truth or protection?”

Try a Wicker Coffin...Death Cafe...Celtic Spiral Drawing...Dreamcatcher making...Tree of Life...Before I Die Wall...legacy letter writing...and more.

https://www.facebook.com/events/560004397367883/

More information: Nairn Citizens Advice Bureau, 6 High Street 01667 456677 or bureau@nairncab.casonline.org.uk

Latest production from the Flying Starts Flea Circus “Life is Flea-ting”

Organised by Nairn Citizens Advice Bureau and NHS, with support from Highland Council

What’s on at the DRC! Dementia Resource Centre

What’s on at the DRC!
Dementia Resource Centre, Unit 2 Strothers Lane, IV1 4ND
01463 711707

Cafe Connect, Dementia Cafe
Thursday 9th May
Thursday 13th June
1 –3pm
Anybody who has Dementia or cares for somebody with Dementia. 
A relaxed, safe atmosphere for people to meet others in a 
similar situation.
Contact: Geraldine Ditta, Dementia Advisor, 01463 516 004, gditta@alzscot.org

Inverness Football Memories Group
Wednesday 22nd May
Tuesday 4th June
2-4pm
A football reminiscence group for those with memory problems. Share your memories as a player or a fan!
Contact: Kenny Wright, Dementia Link Worker, 07788 286 254, kwright@alzscot.org

The DRC Dulcet Tones
Thursday 2nd May
Thursday 23rd May
10.45am -12pm
A musical group for people with Dementia.
Come and sing along!
Contact: Jo Sykes, Community Activities Coordinator, 01463 711707, jsykes@alzscot.org

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
Thursday 6th June 2 - 4pm
Thursday 13th June 11am - 2pm
Thursday 20th June 11am - 1pm
Thursday 27th June 11am - 1pm
A photography group run by people with
Dementia, for people with Dementia. Some light walking will be involved in this course and participants are required to sign up for all four sessions.
Contact: Jo Sykes, Community Activities Coordinator, 01463 711707, jsykes@alzscot.org

PERSONALITY DISORDER DAY SERVICE

OPEN DAY
FRIDAY 17TH MAY 2013

Come and find out about the new 
PERSONALITY DISORDER DAY SERVICE
Friday 17th May 2013
At the TAG Unit, Rowans, New Craigs, IV3 8NP

Drop in any time between 10am and 4.15pm
for an informal chat or to see one of our short presentations on the Day Service, which is due to open it's doors on June 7th 2013

10.15 a.m. & 2.00 p.m. Alison & Dave’s Journey: Personal Testimonies of living with personality disorder and living with someone who has a personality disorder

11.00 a.m. & 2.30 p.m. From a Vision to a Reality: Working in Partnership with Service Users to develop a personality disorder day service for people in the Highlands (Sarah Roy, Specialist Practitioner in Personality Disorder, Mag’s & Margo)

12 p.m. Showing of DVD’s – Personality Disorder

12.30 p.m. & 3.15 p.m. A phased based approach to treatment of Personality Disorder (Tim Agnew, Consultant Psychiatrist)

Live Music &
Refreshments will be available throughout the day

For further information please contact Nicola McLachlan, PDS Secretary:
Email: nicola.mclachlan@nhs.net
Telephone: 01463 253644

Climate Challenge Fund grants: applications invited now

Climate Challenge Fund (CCF) grants up to £150,000/yr from the Scottish Government could provide funds and support for your community group to reduce their community’s carbon footprint, save money and improve facilities.

CCF grants have funded community owned buildings to install energy efficient measures and community group projects to provide local energy efficiency advice. They have also funded community growing spaces and local projects to help people move away from their cars towards lower carbon transport alternatives.

13 projects received a total of £2.1 million of funding at the latest Climate Challenge Fund Grant Panel and applications are invited for presentation to the CCF Grant Panel in 2013 and 2014 with the next draft application deadline in July 2013.

Additional support to help disadvantaged communities and ethnic minority communities to get their CCF applications off the ground is available through Development grants of £750.

Projects led by young people to reduce the carbon footprint of their community are also supported; the Junior Climate Challenge Fund (JCCF) offers young people £750 Development grants to develop a full JCCF grant application where they could secure funding of up to £150,000 per year.

All groups applying for CCF funding can count on support from a Development Officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful, who manage the fund on behalf of the Scottish Government. Keep Scotland Beautiful is the independent charity which campaigns, acts and educates on a range of local, national and global environmental issues which affect people’s quality of life.  It is committed to making Scotland clean and green, today and tomorrow.

For information or to apply for a grant please see www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/ccf  call a Development Officer on 01786 468 779, email ccfenquiries@ksbscotland.org.uk or come and speak to a Development Officer at one of the Spring events they are attending.

Social Enterprise learning journeys in H&I

Sometimes it’s good to get away and reflect on new opportunities and possibilities, which might get hidden in everyday life and work. We have three short social enterprise programmes in H&I, each with overnight accommodation available at no cost.

Preparing for the Procurement Process – Kirkwall – May 13 & 14

Understanding Social Enterprise – Ullapool – May 20 & 21

Understanding Social Enterprise – Knoydart – June 10 & 11

All welcome, whether local or at the other end of H&I, and no past experience necessary. More details and application forms from kate@theacademy-ssea.org or 01463 238088. As always, places are limited.