It's 2012...

Happy New Year to all our friends both old and new!

Like any community, L'Arche Inverness is not unique to experiencing change but in 2011 it seemed like we had experienced more than what we could have ever expected. Stretched finances led the community to a re-structuring of the Co-ordination, Workshop and Admin teams but despite these changes which have been difficult at times, the community has experienced a lot of good in 2011 as well.

Our Candle Workshop which is led by Caroline Tulloch has grown with great success and candle sales are at the highest they've ever been! With these record sales there has also been much excitement and support from Anne MacLeod and those employed at 'Dickson's of Inverness' to name but a few. Dickson's car garage have particularly done us proud with their continuous support as they manage to purchase high quanities of candles every week to give away with every new car that they sell. Not only this but the Dickson boys - Jim, Innes, Iain, Mike and Frazer - also support the community by popping into see us and became guest judges at our annual Halloween Party! . . . Innes even gave us a welcomed donation from the money he raised from swimming Loch Ness. The community could not thank these men enough!

Last year, the Candle Workshop also adopted a young soldier called Stephen through the 'Shoe Box Appeal' and had a fantastic time drawing and writing cards for him while he was away serving in Afganistan. Unfortunately near the end of last year we received news that he was injured in Sangin while on patrol but thankfully after being flown back to the UK he managed to fully recover.

 

The Garden Workshop were granted funding by the Lottery Fund to set up a new poly-tunnel project in the grounds of Braerannoch. The poly-tunnel is going to wheelchair accessible so that service users, core members and customers can pick the herbs and plants that will be grown and sold from there once the poly-tunnel is completed which was quite an exciting project to apply for. The garden craft projects have also been a great success last year and the success is continuing on this year with their wreaths which are made with leaves. They really do look amazing and as this is written they are commencing on the new heart wreaths just in time for Valentines Day!

The houses have had a lot of excitement in 2011 but none can top the addition of Hayley Bell, a new core member to MacTalla! Hayley joined the MacTalla family early last year and since then has brought so much fun, happiness and excitement to the house. We have been lucky to welcome a young lady who is so wonderful and gifted to our community! :)

In Braerannoch, nearly all of the core members requested a bedroom swap which happened in the Christmas holidays. It created a lot of excitement for everybody and everyone seems to be happy with their new improved bedrooms.

For 2012, the community hopes to make full use of our community blog and in the lead up to June (when Holly Hiles and Tracey O'Mara will be flying to Atlanta to join other L'Arche representatives from all over the world) we will be up-dating you all on our fundraising events and totals!

As a community we look forward to keeping in touch with all the friends of the community.

Best Wishes :) 

Thirty Five!!

Just a few pictures from our recent Community Reflection Day and our 35th Anniversary Celebrations, which we held at the lovely Rose Hall of Kilravock Castle, near Cawdor. We spent the day thinking about the themes of 'Commitment and Belonging', sharing our experiences with one another in small groups. We also retold the story of L'Arche (above) - in our own inimitable way! And we travelled together through the 35 years of our Community's story, using pictures and models to map out the journey (below). The sun shone, the tea flowed and we all enjoyed being in one another's presence, away from the usual daily routine.

In the evening we welcomed a local band and special guests to join us for a wonderful ceilidh, in true Highland fashion. We danced and sang our way through the evening, stopping only to enjoy some delicious birthday cake. Not only was it 35 years of L'Arche Inverness, but also the tenth anniversary of two of our homes, MacTalla and Grianan, both opening their doors in May 2000.

Marguerite Kramers (of L'Arche Inverness then L'Arche Edinburgh) wrote to us after the evening..

 

Dear Friends, 

 

How lovely to be together with you for the evening celebrating 35 years of L'Arche Inverness at Croy. In fact Croy was the very place (well I think at the other, Granary hall) where I first met, 30 years ago now, can you believe this?...Syd, Derek Thain, Floran, Barbara. Those counting the years will know that 30 years ago neither Syd,Derek or Barbara were at L'Arche. You are right, but this weekend and ceilidh had been organized by some others, and L'Arche Inverness came along from Brae, as did others who were living at Craig Phadraig at the time. L'Arche Inverness fitted all together in one small orange minibus in those days! And a few years later, when you came to L'Arche, we sometimes said, oh yes, we first met at Croy, didn't we?

And now, back here again, 30 years have passed, many more minibuses! And how many people have flowed through the community...as we could see from the impressive time line, the photos, scrapbooks, those there, workshop and office folk, past assistants, committee, friends, families.... And dear Ian, James, and Cathol who are no longer with us, and yet so well remembered too. Thanks for bringing all those faces and names together for us on Friday. Floran, we had not seen each other for years and years, and yet we remembered each other!  

It's 2 years since I myself last came to Inverness. Thank you as ever for your welcome, Lill, Barbara and Fi for those big hugs, Susie, Gina, and many others for catching up on news, Derrick, great man with your special smile and big silent bow to honour all in those 35 years....And long may the dancing continue.

With love and thanks,

Marguerite

 

 

 

 To see more pictures of the day, check out the slideshow to the right of the blog. If you left click on the image you can view the pictures in bigger format. Enjoy!

 

Happy Easter from us all! Here are a few pictures from some of our celebrations. Easter is always a busy but very special time in the Community. On Maundy Thursday we gathered, as usual, at Ness Bank Church Hall, for our Passover Meal followed by a simple, but beautiful time of footwashing, as we followed Jesus' command for us to love and serve one another.

On Good Friday we were very blessed with beautiful weather - it was snowing in Inverness earlier in the week! We walked around the garden of Braerannoch to walk with Jesus on his journey to the cross. Syd took the role of Jesus with great dignity.

On Easter Sunday it was time to celebrate the Resurrection, agian at Braerannoch. There was some great singing followed by a mime telling the story of the road to Emmaus. Then...the games commenced! Chocolate egg hunting, egg and spoon races, throwing the 'egg' (a specially decorated rugby ball!), rolling eggs, rolling wooden 'tombstones' and more...it seemed like no-one wanted to go home! We were kept going on hot cross buns and wonderful home-made simnel cake. The sun shone and it felt like we had been all given new life after such a long, hard winter! It has been especially nice to welcome back previous assistants/friends/members, Sophia, Petyo, Baska and Ien Tchov.