Assynt Centre Open Day 26th August 2010

15th August 2010

Members of the public are being invited by The Highland Council and Community Care Assynt to an Open Day at the Assynt Centre in Lochinver on Thursday 26 August.

The aim of the Open Day - which is from 11am to 3pm - is to celebrate both the centre's past and its exciting future under the auspices of Community Care Assynt.

The Assynt Centre provided care for older people in the Assynt area with a respite bed service, day care and a lunch club. Many will remember the centre with great affection when it provided a small number of residential places. However, in the current economic climate, Highland Council decided it could no longer continue to run the Centre, and its closure was confirmed in February of this year.

The Assynt Community once again stepped up to the mark though, and put together a business plan to run local services themselves. They negotiated with the landlord Trust Housing to take over the building, and with financial backing from the Highland Council, Community Care Assynt will provide a wide range of services for older people.

Community Care Assynt is a community business created by the Assynt Centre Action Group and supported by the 040 Project and the local community. O4O: Older People for Older People is an EU Northern Periphery Programme funded project, helping older people help themselves in remote, rural and peripheral communities.

Bob Silverwood, Area Community Care Manager for Highland Council Social Work Service welcomed the development and was particularly impressed by the community spirit and commitment displayed by all.

David Slator, Chairman of Community Care Assynt said: "From the moment the Assynt Centre came under threat of closure the community rallied behind the Assynt Centre Action Group and supported us, initially in our efforts to keep the centre open, and once closure became definite our work to set up a community company, Community Care Assynt, to run the centre. We have received invaluable support and help in this from Kate Stephen of the 040 project."

He added: "Part of developing this project has also been to form a working relation ship with Highland Council's Social Work Service. They have allowed us to develop our ideas about how we will run the Assynt Centre as a lunch club for the elderly and drop in centre open to all in our community, and given us financial backing to do this. Under community management we hope to be able to offer a more flexible and inclusive service, responding to the particular needs of our remote community.

The Assynt Centre will be opening it doors under community management on September 1st and we are all very excited about this, and the chance we now have of developing the service."

The Assynt Centre, is on Kirk Road, Lochinver IV27 4LT tel: 01571 844465