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HIGHLAND CROSS 2007 CHARITIES |
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NATIONAL TRUST - CULLODEN VISITOR CENTRE
The course of British, European and World history was
changed at Culloden on the 16th April 1746. In 2007 a
contemporary visitor centre and exciting interpretive
exhibition will open at the battlefield site using
innovative technology and fresh research to help the visitor
uncover the true impact of Culloden. In addition the
National Trust for Scotland is conserving the battlefield so
that what the visitor sees today is as close as possible to
that seen by the troops on that dark day.
The three pillars of the National Trust for Scotland are
Access, Conservation and Education. At Culloden we want all
visitors, whatever their disability, to be able to
experience the historical, environmental and archaeological
significance of the battle site.
The NTS are asking Highland Cross for 3 electric powered
scooters for the centre and battlefield. The newly
constructed battlefield paths will be fully compacted and
provide sufficient space for these scooters. There will also
be access to the centre’s roof via a shallow slope which
will allow the visitor a chance to view the battlefield and
get a better understanding of the scale of the battle
without having to walk the site.
The overall project is costing £9.37m of which £7.42m has
been raised from statutory sources and remaining £1.95m
through the Trust’s fundraising team. A donation of £16k
will enable us to provide the aforementioned facilities for
visitors with restricted mobility.
Our existing facilities for visitors with disabilities
include specified parking and toilets, Braille guidebooks
and raised maps on the battlefield as well as subtitled
audio-visual programme with induction loop on request. |
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VISUAL IMPAIRMENT SERVICES
HIGHLAND
We provide advice, assessment, rehabilitation and information services to blind
and visually impaired people, their families and carers throughout the Highlands
and Western Isles (since April 2006).
Currently 1489 people are registered blind or partially sighted in Highland,
including 74 children. There are 147 registered in the Western Isles, including
7 children.
Research shows that only around one quarter of visually impaired people are
registered, highlighting a huge gap in unmet need. Many may be unaware of our
services
Blindness affects people of all ages, randomly and very individually, across the
whole community, including all other disability groups.
Registration is not needed to access our services, and we aim to be involved as
early as possible, to maximise benefit before conditions may deteriorate.
A recently developed Strategic Plan for sensory needs in Highland, demonstrates
low levels of “awareness” amongst service providers, the business community and
public, and shows that many barriers to a more “inclusive” society (physical and
attitudinal) still persist.
The provision of a multi-use vehicle will directly address a number of our aims
by supporting;
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Early intervention; facilitating attendance with demonstration facilities at
eye-clinics throughout the area.
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Rehabilitation; facilitating demonstration of mobility, IT and daily living
equipment in peoples’ home or Centre based.
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Transport to and from Centre based activities for Children and Adults.
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Awareness Training Promotions and events (including fund raising).
Hopefully making a significant difference to people affected by blindness will
inspire Highland Cross participants in 2007 to complete their challenge! |
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THE HANDY
PERSONS SCHEME
This scheme assists vulnerable members of community
throughout the District of Inverness to maintain a better
quality of life in their own homes. The service is entirely
provided by volunteers and they assist with various tasks
ranging from:
All the beneficiaries of the
scheme have to be referred and must meet 3 criteria:
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They cannot do the jobs
themselves
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They cannot afford to pay
for the work to be done
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They have no family in the
area, who can do the tasks for them
The clients are either elderly,
disabled, moving into their first tenancy, suffering from a
mental health problem or they have a disabled family member.
The area covered is very large and is based on the old
Inverness District. The boundaries are Beauly (16 miles from
Inverness), Fort Augustus (32 miles) and Nairn (16 miles).
In order to provide cover for
this large area it is essential that the scheme has access
to transport. This assists in taking volunteers out to their
jobs and also with previewing requested tasks. The
volunteers currently have a VW Transporter but it has now
seen better days and is desperately in need of replacement.
The scheme is currently funded by Highland Council for
approximately £11,000 per annum which is solely used to
cover volunteers expenses, purchase of equipment and
maintenance and fuel for a vehicle. |
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THE
ABBEYFIELD BALLACHULISH SOCIETY LIMITED
The Abbeyfield Ballachulish Society provides services for
older people in the nether Lochaber area. The registered
charity manages an 18 bed care home and twelve very
sheltered flats. Day care facilities are available to the
wider community and a variety of other services are provided
including a very popular lunch club.
The rurality of the area means that that Society has to rely
heavily on its own transport. It currently uses an 11 year
old mini bus which is at the end of its useful life and is
proving to be unreliable mechanically.
Extensive use is made of the vehicle on a daily basis. Lunch
Club members, some of whom are wheelchair bound, are
collected, and returned to their homes, residents are taken
to and from hospital and other medical appointments. The
vehicle has also been used to transport residents on various
outings which make a great deal of difference to their
quality of life. Such occasions have now had to be curtailed
due to the poor condition of the existing vehicle. The
vehicle can also only accommodate one wheelchair user.
The Society has so far raised £12,000 towards the estimated
purchase price of £30,000 for a replacement vehicle and is
now seeking funding for the balance. It would be the
intention to offer the replacement vehicle to the local
community for wider use by various groups and organisations. |
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HIGHLAND
HOSPICE
Highland Hospice is the only
hospice serving adults with incurable life-limiting disease
in the Highlands of Scotland, and is widely acknowledged as
a centre of Palliative Care expertise in the region.
The Hospice currently provides
a ten bed Inpatient Unit and a Day Hospice in Inverness.
Other healthcare and related services include physiotherapy,
occupational therapy, emotional and psychological therapies
and complementary therapies as well as home visits to
patients living in remote areas of the Highlands. The
Hospice also provides bereavement counselling for relatives,
a 24 hour telephone helpline and education and training for
other healthcare professionals.
2007 is a huge milestone for
the Hospice. We are celebrating the 20th Anniversary and
part of the celebrations involve us planning for the next 20
years to secure the future of the Hospice. We rely on the
support of the local community to provide the finance
required and the Highland Cross would play a major part in
assisting. The Highland Hospice and the Highland Cross are
two firmly established organisations and 2007 is a fantastic
opportunity to celebrate together.
Our 9 shops around the Highlands raise a net of around £250K
per annum. They are supplied with stock and serviced from
our Store in Inverness which acts as a sorting, holding and
central distribution point. Without a van it would be
impossible to run the shops as efficiently as we do. The van
is also used to move equipment to and from our successful
and profitable fundraising events. |
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