Friends of the Bradbury Centre coffee morning will mark 25th anniversary
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Bonar Bridge’s Bradbury Centre is gearing up for its 25th anniversary with a fundraising coffee morning this Saturday, writes Peter Newman.
The Bradbury Centre is the only day care provider in central and west Sutherland and was established to provide respite and care for people with learning disabilities or over 60 years of age.
Organised by the Friends of the Bradbury Centre, the coffee morning will feature a raffle and high-end prizes from renowned local businesses such as Balblair, Clynelish and Glenmorangie distilleries and wool suppler Kincraig Fabrics.
Recalling how the unit came into existence, Bradbury Centre, Lorraine Askew, said: "A group of the community got together and decided that they would fundraise for a centre.
"They started around early 1997 and raised most of the money but ended up applying to the Bradbury Fund in Shanghai for the final £90,000. That fund no longer gives to Scotland but that is how the centre got its name."
Mrs Askew said there had been a lot of change over the last 25 years.
"In the beginning, it was assessed day care with day care workers from social work," she recalled. "We then began running a lunch club which initially served just 12 people but then expanded and expanded. Now, we do everything – we run the centre as a wellbeing centre.
"People come to interact with other people and it is now almost like a social club. We have our own transport which is really important because people in this area are so spaced out geographically and transport is a big issue.
"Our main aim is to help people live in their own homes and in their communities for longer. There are so many more needs now.”
As part of the 25th anniversary celebrations, the Bradbury Centre has already refurbished the weathervane which sits atop the centre and depicts founding member Colonel Sir Allan Gilmour and his trusty Labrador, Toddy.
The coffee morning runs between 10am and noon on Saturday, August 26. The event is £5 for adults and £2.50 for children.
