"So you're back," you say. "What happened?"
A lot. Anne writes: "I was in the middle of writing September's post when I was called to provide emergency care for my brother in the States. I returned when he was allowed to drive again but soon after I got home he took ill again and much to our shock passed away." As our main communications person Anne's absence for several weeks left a big gap. However she had already completed her main remit: to raise enough money so all the ground floor alterations could take place - an incredible success story - so the trustees had already confirmed her contract was to end when she had to disappear to the States. So we'll be saying farewell at our Christmas meal next week and she'll leave to begin a new chapter. We'll all miss her at the Centre and wish her well for the future. Here is her final blog:
Art therapy in full swing |
All set to make seed bombs in the garden |
Anne manned an Atholl Centre stall at the Wellbeing launch event in Perth too - both to promote our new conference room and to advertise our accessible residential facilities for group holidays & conferences and for personal & family short breaks. It was a great opportunity to talk to other caring charities & organisations and quite a few new people showed interest in what we have to offer. A new group who have had their first meeting here as a result of Wellbeing outreach is called Care after Cancer.
Enchanted Forest |
Dima hard at work |
WA soup lunch is meeting right up till Christmas but has had to have a few of their lunches in the church over the last few weeks as the build began work on the dining room. Other community groups have already stopped for the holidays. We received a lovely card and chocolates from the Autism support group. "Thank you for being so lovely & helpful." they said. Pacer (mental health craft group) said a sad goodbye as they have been offered a free NHS room for their meetings. We'll miss you and your creativity! Destiny (Plus Pitlochry) have started tidying up the veg plot for the winter with plans for fresh outreach to therapeutic gardeners in the New Year. Art class met today in the newly floored dining room even though the painter & AV people were working away in the other side of the room!
Our Blysthwood shoebox Chrsitmas tree |
The build is reaching its conclusion slowly but surely. The new conference room will be finished by Christmas😊 - the AV has just been fitted, the partition is due to arrive on Monday and the carpet will go down next week. Work will begin on giving the corridor & foyer a face-lift next week too. The outside work however will not be finished until after the New Year,
A big thank you to everyone who has put so much work in to getting this finished and to our funders who made it all possible - from drawing up the plans, tendering & getting permissions through to the build itself:
Installing the new AV |
LEADER Scottish & European Funding, the Community Innovation Fund, the Goodnews Scotland Health Trust, the Northwood Charitable Trust, the Gannochy Trust, the Rank Foundation, Santander, the Robert Barr Trust, The Tay Charitable Trust, the Garfield Weston Foundation, Kola's Trust, the Jimmy Cairncross Trust, the Thomson Trust, the Fargher Noble Trust, the Tillyloss Trust, the Alexander Moncur Trust, Miss ME Swinton Paterson's Charitable Trust, the James T. Howatt Trust, the Enchanted Forest Community Fund, the Burrows Charitable Trust and of course all our supporters - individuals, churches and community groups - who have donated to our building fund over the past couple of years and during our crowdfunding campaign last year.
Above all we praise God. What a wonderful provider we have! May He empower us to serve others and change lives for the better well into the future.
Here's a video to wish you all a wonderful Christmas. God bless & keep you now and in the New Year.
Iain, Anne, Wilma & Chris