“A place of warmth, safety, and compassion, where loved ones are cared for with kindness and dignity,” is the verdict of Maree Todd, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross as well as the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport of Scotland, regarding Bonar Bridge’s Bradbury Centre.
The Friends of the Bradbury Centre are organising a ‘A Summer Garden Tea’ held at the Sutherland facility to celebrate the changing seasons, as well as help raise funds for the vital Sutherland lifeline service, based in Bonar Bridge.
Taking place on 3rd May between 11-13:00 at the Centre, visitors will be able to enjoy homemade baking, teas and coffees as well as taking part in a raffle and plant sale.
The Bradbury Centre is a Health and Wellbeing centre, part funded by the NHS, which began as a lunch club for senior citizens and has expanded over the last 27 years to become a vital service for people with dementia and other complex needs and provides respite for their families.
However, as a real living wage employer, the Bradbury Centre has seen costs rise significantly plus the UK Labour government’s National Insurance increase.
In addition, the unexpected closure of applications to the local SSE wind farm fund means an important source of potential funding is currently unavailable.
The Friends of the Bradbury Centre are a fund-raising group made up of supporters of the Centre, many of whom have first-hand experience of family members being helped by the Centre.
The Friends’ aim is ensuring that events and fund-raising activities take place to help secure the future of the Bradbury Centre.
Maree Todd, MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross as well as the Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport of Scotland said:
“The Bradbury Centre is an essential service, providing respite care for people living with dementia and other complex needs.
“For many, it’s not just about a break — the Centre is a place of warmth, safety, and compassion, where loved ones are cared for with kindness and dignity.
“As the only day care facility of its kind in Sutherland, it is a lifeline for families — but like so many vital community services, it’s facing financial pressure due to the increase in employers’ national insurance contributions.
“That’s why it would be fantastic to see a strong community turnout on the 3rd of May for the Summer Garden Tea.
“It’s an opportunity to come together, enjoy some tea and home baking, and raise some funds for a service that means so much to so many.”
Tickets for the event are £5 for adults, £2.50 for children and raffle tickets are £1 a strip or 20p a ticket.
Personal Experience:
Rebecca Machin, Secretary of the Friends of the Bradbury Centre
I first became involved with the Bradbury Centre when my partner’s mother moved in with us. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia, the deterioration was swift and textbook – a runaway train of failing memory. We were caring the best we could while working full time.
But soon, the broken sleep, the repetitive comforting of a confused person who can not remember that they have been comforted and the mind-bending logistics of trying to soothe someone who can no longer remember why they are distressed, began to feel overwhelming.
Our wonderful local GP suggested the Bradbury Centre. We’d never heard of it. Lorraine and Lippy met us, assessed our loved one and decided which days would be best for her. We trialled it: luckily my work allowed flexibility in start times which meant I could get her there and overcome some of the transport hurdles.
We now knew there would be a cheery smile, a friendly face and a place of safety. It might seem from the outside like it is only a few hours a week: I can only tell you truthfully that, until you have experienced it, regaining those few hours and being able to rely on and trust that someone as vulnerable as my mother in law was by that stage, was a freedom like purest mountain air.
That’s a personal story and not everyone’s experiences are the same: but one in three of us are going to develop dementia. Hopefully, all of us are going to experience old age. And, at the moment, for those of us in Sutherland, the Bradbury Centre is not AN option. It is THE option: the only day care facility for the whole of our area.
If our story tells you anything it is this: you cannot do it on your own. You cannot care for others if you can’t care for yourself. The Bradbury Centre is the lifeline which keeps our fragile rural communities on the tracks, keeps families together and is vital if we are to remain the caring communities we would all like to live in.
