A decade of care at Kalisgarth

Westray’s Kalisgarth Care Centre will celebrate its 10 year anniversary next week.

The centre is the only facility that provides care for older adults in Orkney’s North Isles.

It has five flats that cater for single people or couples, as well as two additional houses on the premises which were built in 2013.

Friends of Kalisgarth are organising a celebration on Monday, September 28, to mark the date with a social gathering that includes food, music and a chance for the public to view the facilities.

A united service organised by the Baptist and Church of Scotland congregations will also celebrate ten years of caring on the morning of Sunday, September 27.

June Harcus, chairperson of Friends of Kalisgarth, said: “Kalisgarth opened its doors in 2005, marking the transformation from cherished ideas to solid reality for everyone who had campaigned long and hard for extra care housing and support to be available locally within the Westray community.

“It is a wonderful place for people to get cared for as well as the community on Westray. The building is a well-used facility — from children coming to visit and sing to the residents to church services being carried out.

“The centre has been a complete godsend to the island as it allows older people that need extra care to stay close to their loved ones and that is not something that can be taken for granted.

“The staff are incredible and I just can’t praise it enough.”

North Isles Councillor Stephen Hagan who opened the facility ten years ago, added: “Kalisgarth is a wonderful facility for Westray that has succeeded through sheer determination and community involvement.

“Not only does it provide a high level of care for its residents, it also employs about twenty people locally and has allowed more young couples to stay on the island.

“We are very fortunate to have a facility that continues to accommodate so many people on Westray.”