Celebrating Halloween in Mactalla

Mactalla hosted a Spooky Nights Party last Friday for Halloween. 

The team worked really hard to transform Mactalla into a haunted house for the night, Saorsa prepared games and Braerannoch provided a DJ for the night. Everyone came in wonderfully creative costumes; some scary, some funny and some cute as a button (or bunny). Take a look at all of our pictures from the night in the video below. 

Exploring Our Mandate

Anthony visited the community last week to support us in updating our current Mandate.
What is a Mandate you ask? A mandate looks at the vision of L'Arche Inverness. It helps us to see our priorities for the next three years.
We invite all of our community members and friends of the community to help us update our mandate.
You could help us too if you have any ideas or suggestions. Below are some of the questions we ask when looking at our priorities for the next few years.

What has been good in 
 L'Arche Inverness ?

What has been difficult in L'Arche Inverness

What do we need to do more of?

What new things should we do to help us grow?

If you would like to help us with our mandate by offering feedback please email Holly at holly.hiles@larche.org.uk

please send this by November, 24, 2014.

Thank you,
All at L'Arche Inverness

Celebrating 40 Years of L'Arche UK

L'Arche UK Celebrates 40 Years!

 21 members of L'Arche Inverness travelled to Canterbury last weekend to take part in L'Arche UK's 40th anniversary.
L'Arche members from all around the UK met for a weekend of remembering, celebrating and giving thanks for 40 great years together.
Therese Vanier who sadly passed away a few weeks prior to the event was acknowledged for her contribution to forming the particular identity of L’Arche in the United Kingdom. 
Eileen Glass;Vice-International Leader, delivered a wonderful talk alongside readings from Ministers from around the UK. Fiona Smith; minister at Ness Bank Church in Inverness took part in the weekend and L'Arche Inverness were pleased to have her represent the community. She is pictured above. 
There were gleaming smiles all around as the sun shined throughout the pilgrimage along the cobbled streets of Canterbury.
A community gathering will be held early September to share photos from the event.
Ideas have started blossoming in Inverness as we think about celebrating 40 years of L'Arche Inverness next year.

      Therese Vanier

       Thank You For A Successful Open Day 

Thank you to those who came along to our Open Day last Friday. Look at all the generous donations we received for our raffle sale. We are touched by the amount of support from our friends and family which made it such a special day. 

 It was great to see so many familiar faces and we are pleased to have met some new friends too. 
We are well on our way to reaching our fundraising goal of attending the L'Arche Jubilee in July. 
Our grand total for the day was £551.27!
Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen. 

If you are interesting in making a donation towards our attendance of L'Arche Jubilee or would like more information on what it is please contact the  Holly at: holly.hiles@larche.org.uk
or tel: 01463239615   

We look forward to hosting another open day in the near future, until then keep checking out our blog for upcoming events.   

Our Easter Holidays

Thank you to all who attended out Easter Celebrations.
We began with the Footwashing ceremony at Ness Bank church on Maundy Thursday. Rev. Fiona Smith joined us for our feast and we are grateful for her hospitality in the church hall. Alison Francis; a volunteer and long term friend of L'Arche Inverness helped prepare for the day and we are ever so thankful.
The Stations Of The Cross followed on good Friday with Syd playing the role of Jesus. We had a gorgeous warm and sunny day for the occasion which made the walk around Braerannoch's garden all the more enjoyable. Anne Richter; an assistant in Brae, set up our prayer space very beautifully as you can see in the the picture.
Easter Sunday was a huge success and again the weather was absolutely gorgeous. We had a great turn out of friends and family and enjoyed singing, dancing and playing games. The highlight of the day was taking part in our Easter Egg hunt where little handmade Rabbits were found; kindly donated to us by the Knitting Ladies from St Mary's in Beauly.  We hope everyone Enjoyed their Easter.
 

Sad news as we say goodbye to a dear friend

It is a sad time for L'Arche Inverness as we say goodbye to our dear friend Barbara Wilson.
Barbara sadly passed away on Saturday 22nd March 2014.

Barbara had been admitted to hospital for some treatment and while it had always been our intention to welcome her back home unfortunately it was not to be the case. We are to be comforted by the fact the staff at the hospital were amazing, they looked after Barbara's every need in such a compassionate manner and welcomed family and friends at all times.

Barbara in latter days was never alone in hospital;she was surrounded by family, friends and community members day and night. Those who knew and loved her well supported her throughout the last days of her life.  

Barbara had been a member of L'Arche Inverness since 1986 and will be sadly missed by all.

Mactalla will be hosting a story telling on Tuesday 1st April at 7pm.
All those who wish to pay their respects may do so during the evening. 
The funeral will take place at the Inverness Cathedral Wednesday 2nd April at 11am. Followed by internment at Alness Cemetery at 1pm. 
A light buffet lunch will be served at Mactalla; please feel free to arrive any point after the service.  

For further information please phone main office for details.

A Warm Welcome to Anthony Kramers and Louise Redwood

 

Anthony and Louise will be visiting our houses and workshops this week. They are hear to LISTEN about how our year has been. They will offer FEEDBACK on what has been good and what has been difficult this year. They will  discuss and look at the priorities of our MANDATE. They will help us look at our hopes and plans for the future.
We are looking forward to seeing them both again and hope their stay in Inverness is enjoyable.
If you see them around the workshops or homes please offer your best Inverness Welcome so they can feel at home!
 

Advent is Here!

It is that time of year again and we are all busy preparing for Christmas!

Appologies for a quiet blog recently, we promise to keep you updated in the new year on events here at L'Arche Inverness.
The annual Family and Friends Gathering had a tremendous turn out this year. Many thanks to all those who came along for mulled wine, carols and laughter.
 Next week we will be having our Workshop Christmas lunch out at the Lochardil Hotel, bring on the Christmas Pudding!




WE HOPE YOU HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS A HAPPY NEW YEAR!


GOD BLESS

Regional Gathering Approaches Fast...

 

On Friday 24th May 2013, L'Arche Inverness is proud to host the second regional gathering for L'Arche in Scotland!!

 

The day will be held at St Columba's church in Smithton by Culloden from 9.30am - organised by Anthony Kramers and a team of willing representatives from L'Arche Inverness and Edinburgh the day is sure to be a success.

 

Accommodation has been organised in Inverness for around twenty members of L'Arche Edinburgh who will be attending on the day. At the moment we are still looking for numbers of those attending from L'Arche Inverness and for offers of people to make food for the day.

 

Lisa distributed a poster this week also looking for anyone willing to showcase a talent. Be it dancing, singing, drawing, playing an instrument ..... what ever you want please let her know by phoning Saorsa as soon as possible.

 

We hope you are as excited about attending as we are .....

REGIONAL GATHERING HERE WE COME!!

Easter Celebrations...

This year a wide range of community members from all around the community attended regular Faith Life Group meetings in order to begin preparations for Easter.

 

The group had many ideas for the Passover Meal and Foot washing, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Many people have commented on how they thought this year has been the best in a while!! Good news for all involved.

 

A big thank you to all the Faith Life Group members who helped to organise the events this year!

 

 

PASSOVER MEAL AND FOOTWASHING

 

 

EASTER SUNDAY

 

 



Marathon Success ...

Holly and Petyo with their medals

 After months of anticipation both Holly and Petyo have completed their half marathon challenge!

 

On Sunday 17th March the pair woke early and dawned their running shoes then headed to Bught Park to register for the race. Braerannoch were out in force at the end of the road next to Rosedene's where they cheered as they ran passed in a crowd of over 3,000 people. Susie made a great effort by making a brightly coloured poster stating "Holly and Petyo - You're Heroes!" which was greatly appreciated.

 

The 13.1 mile half marathon took place on a day when the Scottish weather was evident as it was extremely cold and very very wet! but nothing stopped them both.
 

2 hours and 25 minutes later they approach the finish line

MacTalla showed their support at the swing bridge which spurred them onto the finishing stretch. Running together during the race they bet their target of 2 hours 30minutes arriving at 2 hours 25 minutes over the finish line.

 



At the finish line with some of their many supporters

 

The community is so proud of both Holly and Petyo for showing such enthusiasm and raising well over £1000 which will be put towards The Workshops.

 

There is still time to donate to help them reach their £2000 target so if you wish, log onto:

 

http://www.justgiving.com/hollyrunsforlarche

 

and leave an online donation!

 

WELL DONE HOLLY AND PETYO!

Come Visit Us Soon ...

Mr Richard Wood - L'Arche Inverness Comedian

 

Hi there, I am the clown of L'Arche Inverness.

Everybody knows me as I am the wondering drip of Inverness.

Please feel free to come and see us at The Workshops in Drummond Crescent.

Thank you very much and see you soon.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Christian Name:   Richardson Woods

 

 

My Community Story by Amy

 

Myself and Gina on an outing to Fort William

In 2009, I arrived to the community of L’Arche Inverness as a young, shy but enthusiastic seventeen year old fresh from completing my higher studies.  I had worked for the retail sector of The British Red Cross for approaching two years so I wasn’t oblivious to the ups and downs that comes with working for a charity but L’Arche Inverness was something different; something I never could have imagined to be nestled away in Inverness – a real gem!

From the moment I arrived to the community I was overwhelmed by the seemingly endless streams of smiling faces and warm welcomes which was offered to me as I waited to start my new job on reception.  Although I had applied to work in the office which I knew was situated within a day service for adults with learning disabilities, I could have never anticipated the rollercoaster ride which the last three and a half years has given me.

Very quickly I was able to make use of my qualifications and establish myself within the office – I always get joy from sorting procedures/ paperwork etc which others don’t have time to face or don’t know where to begin but being in the office is much more than that.  I have always been given the opportunity to use my creative flare to make up displays and organise events which can range from 30 – 100 people at times. Kirsty who works within The Workshops is always great at helping to organise the events too – how many “office jobs” would you get the chance to prepare such amazing events/ parties for adults with learning disabilities.

I was very quickly welcomed into the community homes and was involved in the support of our ‘core members’ which was great as we were able to build meaningful and respectful relationships in no time at all. I had also had the opportunity to live in Grianan (one of our community homes) alongside my job at reception. Lilias and Fiona welcomed me to their home with open arms but like any intense family environments we definitely had our ‘arguments’ and didn’t see eye to eye in certain areas – this only brought our relationships closer.

Fiona, Myself, Mark and Derek at The Workshops

 

Having the opportunity to stay in the community houses was an invaluable experience as I now have a better grasp of the different areas of the community. Living with the girls and other assistants from around the world will be a memory I will cherish forever.  Unfortunately the strain of going between my commitments in the office and house became overwhelming as I felt I could not offer my all to both areas. I now work in the office as an Admin Officer and continue to keep up my close relationships with the core members from Saorsa and Grianan as well as Richard, Mark, Sue and Derrick which is always a pleasure!  I hardly ever go a week without visiting the houses or having some of the core members round for dinner or going to the pub for a quiet pint!

Coming to work in a community is much more than you expect. Of course there is plenty of ‘down’ moments but the ‘up’ moments far outweigh them! I have grown up so much within the community and have been blessed with knowledge, experience, friendships and a fiancé which I may have never got if I had chosen to work in any other place.

 

Are you are present or ex- assistant/ community member?

If so, please send your stories and photographs to Amy at reception@larcheinverness.com and they will be posted onto our blog!

 

Get typing and share your experience of community life here in Inverness.

Recognition for Our Homes...

In our homes it is important that we continue to follow the Charter of L'Arche and the teachings of our founder Jean Vanier but we always try to ensure that the community also understands that as a L'Arche community in the UK we are also a professional support provider and that we need to legally meet set standards of care.

We like many other professional support providers across the region, have been hugely impacted by limitations in funding due to the current economic climate we live in. However, despite the challenge to be a more “cost-conscious” support provider, we have continued to strive to provide the high quality, person-centred care which is synonymous of L'Arche.

After recent inspections by our regulator, The Care Inspectorate, all three of their residential homes received outstanding reports and were given quality grades of five in all inspection categories.

Anne Shaw, our Community Leader, would like to thank all involved in the hard work that has gone into ensuring that our homes have been recognised for the outstanding care and support provided on a day to day basis. This is a reflection of the extremely hard work that Holly and the House Leader's (Miska, Meagan and Petyo) along with Amy's Admin Support have put in over the past year to ensure that our good practices have been improved and passed onto all members of the house teams to implement at all times.


Please click on the links below to see our homes inspection reports:

BRAERANNOCH'S CARE INSPECTORATE REPORT
SAORSA'S CARE INSPECTORATE REPORT
MACTALLA'S CARE INSPECTORATE REPORT

Godly Play success ...

Everybody likes a good story…and in L’Arche we are no exception.

 

 

One of our assistants, Hilary Lacroix, is training to be a Godly Play Storyteller. She writes:

Godly Play is hard to describe, it is better understood by taking part! But at the heart of Godly Play is a story told in community.

 

A small group gather together. All are welcomed and helped to find a comfortable seat, on a chair or on the floor, if they prefer. Everyone takes time to make themselves ready. Around the room are an intriguing array of baskets, boxes and objects, containing attractive wooden and felt items, many of them handmade. These are the stories…which one will the Storyteller choose? Which one does the group need that day? A variety of things are brought into the centre of the circle.

 

 

A bag of sand appears, spread out on the floor. “This is the desert…the desert is a dangerous place…it takes courage to go into the desert, but so many important things happened to the People of God in the desert.” Small wooden figures are placed in the sand, and the story of the Exodus slowly unfolds, told by heart, using words sparingly and slowly, accompanied by hand gestures.

 

 

At the end of the story, the Storyteller looks up taking the focus from the story to the circle of people seated around the room. Everyone is invited to wonder about the story, either out loud, or silently. One or two questions are asked ‘I wonder what you liked best about this story?’, ‘I wonder what was most important in this story?’

 

 

The wondering continues as each one is invited to respond to the story in their own way – through using an array of art materials set out on the table, coming to touch the desert, hold the wooden people of God, look at a book, even to rest quietly. The atmosphere in the room is peaceful; it is a time for each person to use as their own, to explore, think, pray or relax.

After a while, the group is invited to clear away their work and come back together. A candle is lit and those who wish to pray or simply say a ‘thank you’ or express something in their heart, can do so, out loud or silently.

 

 

Finally, in L’Arche tradition, we finish by exchanging a sign of peace. People are free to go, but some wish to linger quietly, perhaps to talk or to finish some artwork for a few minutes.

We have experimented with a few of these sessions and they are proving popular especially among our Day Members, so we hope they will become a regular feature in the future.

 

For those who wish to know more www.godlyplay.org.uk

Jackie Dean's Birthday ..

It is hard for many of us to believe that Jackie Dean turned the BIG 6 - 0! last week but nevertheless it is very true.

 

MacTalla planned a lovely meal for Jackie to enjoy with her friends and those she lives with and The Workshops prepared a lovely hamper on behalf of the community to give her as a gift.

Anne, Erika and Barbara

After a brilliant idea from Anne Shaw we managed to fill the hamper with 60 things that Jackie would like in order mark her 60th birthday.

Wishing a truly charming lady another year of delight!

 

Our Shrove Tuesday Event ...

On Tuesday 12th February, The Community celebrated Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) by having a Pancake Party which was organised by The Faith Life Group alongside some help from The Workshops.

 

The Party seemed to be a great success as each house and The Snug made mountains of tasty pancakes, we had a selection of mouth-watering fillings such a jams, chocolate spread, lemon, sugar, berries, bananas and plenty of squirty cream and plenty of crafts such as 'Mardi Gras' Mask making, banner painting and a brilliant pancake tossing competition!

 

In true L'Arche style we came together to join hands to say grace before tucking in and letting the fun begin! We must note that Petyo Brodnan took the trophy for the most pancakes tossed, Brendan came 3rd place, Holly Hiles came 2nd place and Sydney Fraser came 1st place in the most stylish pancake toss.Congratulation to them all!

 

  Have a look at some of the pictures from the afternoon:

 

Waiting for the pancakes to arrive

Getting ready to add their touch to the banner

Karen and Hayley making masks

Holly with her Mardi Gras mask

The pancake competition winners

Claire and Mark from MacTalla

Lilias and Clare Gardom (ex brae assistant)

Babs, Anna and Jeong waiting to tuck in

Anna helping herself to the delicious pancakes

Karen, Sylwia, Hayley, Maria and Emma enjoying the afternoon

Erika enjoying the spread

Graham and Brendan having a good time