ÀBAN
Àban offers positive outdoor adventures for
children and families in need. We are a stable presence where
many traditional community institutions have been eroded. Our
doors are open to all without the need for prior experience or
booking online.
We aim to:
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Improve confidence as youngsters get
ready for the world of work
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Integrate healthy outdoor activities as
part of daily life
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Help the next generation to enjoy and
protect our natural world
Our work is focussed in Merkinch and South
Kessock. Our approach is local, simple and cost-effective. In
less than 2 years we have established:
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Scotland’s only independent open Duke of
Edinburgh’s Award group, incl. 10 full scholarships
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An outdoor group for Young Adult Carers
run in partnership with Connecting Carers
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An “Adventure Nurture” programme run with
the Guidance Department at Inverness High School, supporting
12 of their most vulnerable S1 pupils
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A free kit library for those who want to
get outdoors but lack the necessary equipment.
We are a charity which stands on our own two
feet as well as seeking grant funding. We generate revenue
through our holiday camps, climbing programmes and the Kessock
Ferry Swim. This event has its own Community Partner Programme,
spreading the benefit of the event throughout our community.
We now plan to expand our youth programmes. Whilst we start with
adventures close to home, our participants soon want to spread
their wings. With funding from the Highland Cross we can use a
vehicle to access adventures further from home.
Cameron House
Cameron House is a residential Care Home for
up to 30 people who are living with Dementia. The application
for Highland Cross funding is to replace the existing minibus –
originally gifted by Highland Cross in 2008.
Primarily, the minibus is a means of enabling our residents to
leave the unit for outings. This will involve many of the
following:
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Going out for runs/picnics where we can
look for new lambs or dolphins
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Going out shopping and for coffee
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Ensuring that residents are able to stay
in touch with former community contact they had prior to
admission
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Enabling residents to attend faith events
such as services, Mass, Social events in the Church
communities etc.
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Facilitating trips home where that is
appropriate
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Enabling residents to attend events that
they would have enjoyed prior to admission and that were
important to them in the past
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Allowing us to attend events that are run
in the local schools/nurseries where we have contact.
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Enabling us to attend a Dementia Singing
Group run in a local hotel.
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Enabling us to take part in the Seagull
Trust boat trips.
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Providing the opportunity for our Men to
spend time away from the unit which is predominantly female.
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Supporting family members to to be part
of the resident’s life by attending events with them.
In addition to the more recreational purposes
listed above, the minibus has also been invaluable in enabling
residents to attend appointments as wheelchair access taxis are
not always available especially for morning or afternoon
appointments.
Highland Hospice
As the only hospice serving adults across the
Highlands, our palliative and end of life care services have
been a vital source of comfort and support for our patients,
their families and our communities since 1987.
Our care increases quality of life by reducing pain and
suffering, enabling our patients and their families to make the
most of the precious time they have left together. Our
rehabilitation and wellbeing team offers tailored support to
meet the unique needs of those with progressive, life-shortening
conditions.
Working with our communities, we provide home care in a number
of locations, allowing people to live at home for longer; our
befriending team tackles the loneliness and isolation which
often accompanies deteriorating health; and our social work and
bereavement services help children and adults to cope both
during their loved one’s illness and following their death.
Our services are offered freely to everyone who needs them but
they are also costly to deliver. We’re hugely grateful to
receive an annual grant from the NHS, but we must still raise
more than 75% of our income, mostly through fundraising and
retail, to continue delivering our care.
The grant from the Highland Cross would have a considerable
impact on our retail provision. By replacing our current van, we
can continue to transport donated goods between our shops to
ensure that each shop has a high level of quality stock. This
maximises profitability and increases net income to support the
delivery of vital Hospice services.
Caberfeidh Horizons
Caberfeidh Horizons was set up to address the
needs of adults challenged by learning difficulties. Seventeen
years later, we now support a wider population, meeting the
needs of social isolation in a rural area where adult services
are scarce.
We employ 2 trainers, 3 staff members, have 11 trainees and 50+
volunteers who help run our Community Hub and our retail shops
selling second-hand goods. These shops provide our income. The
resale of goods helps people in our community who are facing
hardship and promotes recycling. We also have a foodshare/foodwaste
operation.
As an additional vehicle, a van with five passenger seats and
cargo space would bring many benefits including increasing the
number of people we can transport and the activities we offer.
All our trainees could be transported to the same activity or,
more importantly, they could choose their activity - something
which they may never have had. The van space would allow us to
pick up/ deliver larger pieces of furniture which can be
upcycled in our trainee-led workshop and help with collecting
donations and house clearances.
We work in the community offering a warm space to meet, hot
lunches and Cosy Boxes (warm clothing, hot water bottles etc)
for those facing increasing financial difficulty. The van would
allow us to deliver food and goods and enable the housebound to
access our services.
We will continue to help as many people as possible with the
resources available. This vehicle would enable us to do even
more.
Partnerships for Wellbeing
We are delighted to be one of the nominated charities for this
year’s Highland Cross event. The Cross has been an important
part of the evolution of our community transport Service since
we were established in 2004. Twice before the efforts of
participants and the generosity of those who donate have allowed
us to purchase cars that enable our volunteers to take elderly
and vulnerable adults to health care and day care appointments
across the city. We’re much more than a taxi service, because
our volunteer drivers take the time to ensure that their
passengers get safely from their homes to their destinations and
back again. Many of our clients lack the confidence to or
mobility to use regular public transport and our service allows
them a degree of independence and the ability to the help they
need to remain living in their own homes and communities many
years before they might otherwise have to move into long term
residential or nursing care.
This year, we hope to replace our ageing cars so that our entire
three vehicles can accommodate wheelchair users. We know there
is a dearth of such transport and have been told there are just
nine wheelchair accessible taxis in the city. As a result, many
elderly people feel as if they have remained in lockdown long
after the rest of us were able to begin enjoying the post Covid
freedoms we used to take for granted.
The support of Highland Cross will, hopefully, enable us to
replace one of our ageing cars with a brand new vehicle which
will be in service for many years to come.”
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