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Tagsa Uibhist suspends Doigheag respite care service

April 25, 2016

doigheag

Tagsa Uibhist has announced it is suspending the respite service offered at the charity’s Doigheag care home in Iochdar, South Uist.

Here follows a statement from the Tagsa Uibhist Board of Directors:

“Tagsa Uibhist is most disappointed to announce the suspension of the Doigheag Respite Care Service at the end of April.

“We would like to thank all our staff and members of the community who have given generously of their time and money to support us in setting up and running Doigheag.

“Our belief that we had set up a valued alternative service for folk in need of respite care was supported by the positive feedback we received from our clients and their carers.

“The suspension of the respite service has come about following changes in employment law, recent and planned increases in the National Minimum and Living Wages, and the squeeze on local authority funding that has hit the care sector particularly hard. These changes translate into a substantial increase in our costs which we can no longer cover at the rate that our clients and local authority have agreed.

“We are actively looking at alternative ways of using the excellent facilities at Doigheag for the benefit of those in need of care and support in our community. Respite Care is a vital part of the support relatives and carers need in order to be able to continue to provide care at home for the sick and elderly in our community. The need for respite care is only likely to increase in the future.

“Tagsa Uibhist is suspending rather than closing the Doigheag service in the hope that circumstances may change and this option will once again be affordable. In the meantime we are actively pursuing alternative ways of supporting carers in the community.”

Filed Under: Health, News Tagged With: Doigheag, Iochdar, South Uist, Tagsa Uibhist

‘Mittens’ wins Lovats’ feline fundraising competition

December 15, 2015

DSC_0927

Charlie Stewart with his winning drawing and ‘Mittens’ the cat.

‘Mittens’ has been chosen as the name of the Carnan Post Office cat, through a competition that has raised £250 for Sgoil an Iochdair.

Last month, Lovats Supermarket – which contains the Post Office – decided to run a competition to find a name for their lifelike model moggy and raise funds for the local school. They asked children from Sgoil an Iochdair to come up with a name for the cat and produce an accompanying drawing.

DSC_0940

Mittens is the name chosen for the Carnan Post Office cat.

“We have had lots of people thinking the cat was real and asking us for its name,” explained Donna Hogg.

“So we decided to run a competition with Sgoil an Iochdair to find a name for the cat and at the same time raise funds for the school.

“We opted for the ‘loose change’ voting system, where customers placed their change into one of four boxes [representing each finalist’s drawing] and the picture with the most amount of money at the end of the competition would be the winner.

“It’s been really well received and supported, with even customers from as far away as Barra calling in and asking to see the drawings so they could place their votes.”

DSC_0908

All the competition entrants with Donna, Bill and Dolly Hogg.

Finalists were chosen from four age categories, with their drawing displayed in Lovats Supermarket (Carnan) for the public to vote for their favourite. Archie MacPhee (Sgoil Araich an Iochdair), Archie MacPherson (P1), Niall MacDonald (P4) and Charlie Stewart (P7) were the four finalists with ‘Badger’, ‘Scooby Doo’, ‘Chrisie’ and ‘Mittens’ respectively.

Voting with loose change closed yesterday evening (14th December 2015).

This morning, Donna, Bill and Dolly Hogg visited Sgoil an Iochdair, where all the competition entrants were gathered together to see the results of the vote revealed.

An electric money counter was brought along from Carnan Post Office and each box in turn was emptied and tallied, revealing ‘Mittens’, as chosen and drawn by Charlie Stewart (P7), as the winner.

Here are the votes as cast in loose change for each name/drawing:

‘Mittens’ by Charlie Stewart (P7) – £94.34

‘Scooby Doo’ by Archie MacPherson (P1) – £90.67

‘Chrisie’ by Niall MacDonald (P4) – £32.82

‘Badger’ by Archie MacPhee (Sgoil Araich an Iochdair) – £31.16

Total raised: £254.99

All money raised will go towards Sgoil an Iochdair school funds.

DSC_0875

Charlie Stewart counting the amount of change cast for drawing of Mittens.

Royal Mail donated stationary for prizes as well as a special set of limited edition Star Wars themed postage stamps, which were presented to the winner. Vow Retail, which supplies Lovats Supermarkets, also donated stationary, which was distributed in prizes to all the children who took part.

DSC_0936

Local postmen Paul Wright and Geoff Mason with the four competition finalists – Charlie Stewart, Niall MacDonald, Archie MacPhee and Archie MacPherson. Royal Mail donated prizes for the competition, including a special set of limited edition Star Wars stamps.

Charlie Stewart’s winning drawing will be framed and displayed permanently behind the Post Office counter. All the entries will be kept in a folder, which will also be held at the Post Office for anyone who wishes to have a look.

DSC_0913

Donna, Bill and Dolly Hogg of Lovats Supermarkets distributing prizes to all the entrants.

Bill Hogg said: “We would like to say a big thank you to all the kids who took part and all our customers who very generously voted with their loose change.”

 

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Carnan, Carnan Post Office, Iochdar, Lovats Supermarket, Sgoil an Iochdair, South Uist

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