Open Day at the Atholl Centre, Pitlochry

A mixed day of wind and blustery showers with some sun.

I went up to Pitlochry to attend the Open Day of the Atholl Centre. This Centre was opened in 1970 and Eleanor and I first got involved with it in the mid 70's when for several years we took children from the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh for week long Adventure Holidays. Since the beginning, the Centre has had a special emphasis on providing holidays and respite for people with disabilities.

Over the last couple of years there has been a major upgrade in bedrooms to make them fully accessible and en-suite. This was a big project and involved a lot of donations and Grants from many bodies. The Open Day provided an opportunity for many people to see the finished work. We were privileged to have Mr. John Swinney (pictured) and his wife and son in attendance. Mr. Swinney is the local MSP, Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary of the Scottish Government. He spoke of how impressed he was by all that he had seen and heard about the vital work the Centre does in the local Community and beyond.

Eleanor had felt it right to stand down as a Trustee. She has served for 4 years and felt this was an appropriate time for this role to end.

If you would like to see some photos of the beautiful bedrooms and kitchen see here. If you would like to see the Centre website to find out more about the work see here.

When I got home I watched a recording of Andy Murray's match - very plucky but still not good enough to beat the No.1 player in the world!