Tranquility in mind for new garden space

A garden aimed at boosting the recovery of adults who have experienced mental ill health was officially opened during a special event and Macmillan coffee morning.

Several dozen people attended the opening of Companas Cottage garden in Alness High Street amid sunny weather that helped to show the garden off in all its glory.

Sally Mackintosh, a senior project worker based at Companas Cottage with Support In Mind Scotland, said: "We had more than 35 people attending.

"The Support in Mind Scotland area manager Bruce Armstrong spoke about how inspired he has been by the hard work and skills of the service users, especially John, who have worked so hard on transforming the garden for all to enjoy.

"Councillor Carolyn Wilson performed the ribbon cutting for us and praised John and other service users for all their immensely hard work in turning the garden from an overgrown tangle into a peaceful and beautiful space.

"The Macmillan coffee morning went extremely well, with everyone munching their way through their body weight in cakes and pastries and we have sent £85 to Macmillan as a result."

Companas Cottage is a resource centre for adults recovering from mental ill health and offers a range of self-management and recovery focused courses, educational programmes, activities and social opportunities. It works to improve confidence and coping skills so that those with mental ill health can manage it more easily and move on to lead fulfilling lives.

The centre’s clients not only wanted to transform the garden into a tranquil place that will benefit large numbers of people, they also wanted to do something to boost Macmillan. She said: "While one in three people will require professional help with their mental health in their lifetime, our clients also appreciate that life is not all about mental health.

"All have, in some way, had their lives affected by cancer and so wanted to raise funds for Macmillan while celebrating the garden."