Campaign to feature auction of signed memorabilia from Hollywood actors
Mental health charity Centred, which runs a Caithness support service for 134 people across the region, has launched a fundraising campaign to help fund the cost of refurbishment at its new facility in Wick, the Wellington Centre.
The charity hopes to enhance its offering to the community by providing new services at the Wellington Centre but needs to raise in the region of £50,000 to realise its ambitions.
The Wellington Centre is a much bigger space than the unit recently used by Centred at Wick Business Park and also features what could become a commercial kitchen.
The hope is that, once refurbished, the charity would be able to offer cookery classes as well as many other activities to bring the community together, following in the footsteps of the successful Men’s Club which is held every Friday.
Speaking about the campaign, David Brookfield, CEO of Centred, said:
“We are very excited about the possibilities at the Wellington Centre.
“There is more space inside and outside that will significantly enhance the support we can provide to our service users in Caithness and also provide opportunities for other organisations to make use of the space.
“Like every charity, we need to try and raise money to make this happen.
“We are hoping that the community of Caithness will recognise the importance of the support we provide and the potential to offer even more much needed services in an area that is often neglected by policymakers.”
Donations will go towards creating a commercial kitchen, refurbishing the bathroom and redecorating the facility.
Centred has set up a page on Crowdfunder and created a reward scheme for all donors.
Anybody who donates £10 or more will receive their name on a ‘Hall of Fame’ inside the Wellington Centre as a thank you and acknowledgement of their generosity.
An auction is also planned for fans to own a signed t-shirt from famous film stars of Harry Potter, Outlander and Glow.
Dombnall Gleeson, most famous as Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter films; Grant O Rourke, better known to Outlander fans as Rupert MacKenzie; and Gayle Rankin, star of Netflix hit Glow, all feature in the new film ‘The Incomer’ which was filmed this summer in and around Wick.
Staff and service users at Centred in Caithness are already doing their bit to raise money for the Wellington Centre.
£1,603.50 was raised from a sponsored walk and the men’s group has also completed a number of fundraising activities.
The local community has been getting involved too with monetary donations and services.
This has included individual donations from the public, to donations of much needed time and skills from tradesmen, as well as kitchen equipment and cleaning services from businesses including SGN, Ashley Ann and Tailor Maid Services.
Centred has also received £1,000 from Team Tender in Wick.
The work of Centred supports service users to achieve personal outcomes, provides opportunities for validation, connection and hope by engaging with peer supporters.
Peer Supporters have their own lived experience and can therefore relate to the mental health challenges faced by those looking for support from Centred.
The charity also delivers care at home to older members of the community across Caithness.
In 2024, Centred opened the very first Recovery College in the Highlands, known as the Discovery College and based in the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Inverness, which has been a great success, supporting around 60 people a week.
The charity aims to provide a more comprehensive model of the same Discovery College service at the Wellington Centre.
The Discovery College is a community led concept, based on a rural Canadian model which has proven to be successful in other countries around the world including Scandinavia, Australia and England.
It is designed to aid mental health recovery through the creation of a relaxed meeting point in the community with opportunities to learn and increase understanding of wellbeing and mental health.
Long term, Centred’s plans for the Wellington Centre would also enable the charity to rent out space to third parties, raising additional income and helping to create a sustainable service.
Anybody wishing to make a donation to the Wellington Centre can do so via www.crowdfunder.co.uk/centred-wick
