Rural Community Gateway

The Highland Voluntary Sector 2007 event held in Inshes Church in Inverness on Friday 23rd November had all this and more! The aim of the event, organised by SCVO and the Highland Voluntary Sector, was to celebrate the vital role that the voluntary sector play in the Highland region.

Delegates were treated to a couple of performances organised by the Scottish Highlands and Islands and Moray Chinese Association (SHIMCA). Monica-Lee MacPherson and Carolanne Mainland performed a beautiful ribbon dance, and Carolanne then went on to perform the impressive Tai Chi 32 step straight sword form.

Musical entertainment came from local young musician Moteh Parrot, from the band  the Soundtrack, who impressed with an original song. Moteh has benefited from the Highland Alternative Music project based in Dingwall, one of the projects highlighted on the day.

Main speakers included Willie Roe Chair of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Alison Magee from the Big Lottery Fund, Councillor John Finnie and SCVO’s John Ferguson.

Delegates were also given a range of informative material in their packs and were able to take a look at a wide range of exhibitions during the lunch break.

Highland Compact

Ali Cairns, Rural Development Manager and Ross Lindsay from the Scottish Government’s Third Sector team discussed the creation of a Highland Compact. If you want to keep up to date with the development of the Compact sign up for the Highland Voluntary Sector Forum mailings by contacting Ali Cairns on 01463 251 721 or email Alison.cairns@scvo.org.uk.

Inspiring short presentations

But it was the short presentations from a range of Highland voluntary groups that inspired, entertained and moved delegates. They were all so good that they all deserve a mention. So here are a few words about each great presentation.

Katrina McNab from the Pulteneytown Peoples Project in Wick talked about this excellent community regeneration project, including their successes the Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum’s Peoples Award this year.

Alan Michael from Contact the Elderly told us how the organisation helps over 400 older people in the area, with 30 friendship groups and over 200 volunteers. If you would be interested in volunteering take a look at the Contact the Elderly website.

Sarah Wilson from Skye and Lochalsh Young Carers was aided by Eleanor, a young carer, who showed the audience some of the resources the project has produced, including a poetry book. Skye and Lochalsh Young Carers help 60 young carers between the ages of five and eighteen. Four of their young carers have received a Red Cross Humanitarian Award.

John Sinclair, who played keyboards for Ozzie Osbourne for many years, talked about Rock School. Young people get together for three days to learn about song writing, recording, performance and then put on a concert at the end. Rock School is a great opportunity for young people to improve their skills, but more importantly, it is a great motivator, increasing confidence and self-esteem. If you want to know more contact liverockschool@hotmail.co.uk.

Sheena Munro from Highland Community Care Forum (HCCF) talked briefly about the organisation’s use of DVDs to get the message of their users and carers across to a larger audience before showing a DVD about HCCF and their work. For more information see the HCCF website.

Andy Rinning from Highland Alternative Music talked about this Dingwall-based project which gives young musicians a place to record their own demo, learn new skills, develop their own material and prepare for performance under the guidance of experienced project leaders.  If you want to know more  go to the Gateway article Your Project – Highland Alternative Music.

The Scottish Highlands and Islands and Moray Chinese Association (SHIMCA) is the first ethnic minority group in the North of Scotland with a constitution. Monica Lee-MacPherson told delegates that their ultimate goal is to become self-sustaining.

Calum Munro from the Highland Children's Forum talked about the Are we there yet? Project, which is the largest longitudinal study of children’s views ever undertaken in Highland. 250  young people are consulted three times a year about what is it like to group up in Highland and about accessing services. For more info see their website.

Sheila Fletcher from the Community Transport Association talked about the role of community transport in Highland. Sheila showed the audience some great photos of the transport in action, taking people to the shops or hospital appointments, helping people to enjoy the Cairngorms National Park and more. She congratulated the volunteers who have achieved these projects.

The newly opened Boat of Garten Community Hall is a great new community building. Anna Barton said that the hall allows activities to go on that the community wants and told the audience about some of these. They would like to turn the hall into a social enterprise. You can read Sandra Hogg’s report on the opening of the hall on the Village Halls website.

Ann Darlington from NCH Scotland introduced a moving PowerPoint presentation, made by a volunteer on NCH Scotland’s mentoring project, which addresses the hopes and fears of foster parents.

Graeme Mochrie from Befrienders Highland  talked about the amazing change that can happen in someone because of a six month friendship with a befriender. Distance befriending is as effective as face to face and does not require a big commitment. If you are interested go to the Befrienders Highland website.

Bradley Caroll from JobConnect at Badaguish talked about the common themes of getting people together to have a bit of banter and giving a people a reason to get out of bed. Bradley supports people with learning disabilities to get involved with various supporting sporting events for example setting up water stations and helping at the finishing line.

A wonderful celebration

With great people, exhibitions, presentations and networking, the Highland Voluntary Sector 2007 event was a wonderful celebration of the successes and achievements of the voluntary sector in Highland, highlighting the great work that is done to change people’s lives for the better.

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