Third Sector Award

Highland Cross was delighted that the Community of Highland Cross - the supporting organisations, volunteers and sponsors who actually make the day happen - was awarded the Community Initiative Award 2016 by the Highland Third Sector Interface.  The Interface is the co-ordinating body for charities and social enterprises in Highland.  The Highland Cross Organisers assembled a small representative group to go to Strathpeffer on the 25th August 2016 to collect the Award.

The photograph shows Drew Hendry MP with:  Fiona Kennedy from Athnamulloch Waterpoint, Elizabeth Christie the Administration Organiser, James Dunbar OBE the CEO of New Start Highland representing charities, James Campbell of R & F Campbell Ltd who leads our haulage fleet, Jonathan Wotherspoon representing landowners and others who support the route, Keith Pratt our Safety Net Organiser who also represented the volunteers from Scouting, Andy Beaton Leader of Dundonell MRT representing all the teams who support us, James MacKenzie from Beauly Community, Neil Gauld from PDG Helicopters and Scott Hay from Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Graham MacLean
The sudden death of Graham MacLean after a short illness will come as a shock to many who knew him as an influential figure in the first 20 years of Highland Cross.

Graham was a member of the small Fire Brigade group that launched the Midsummer Madathon in 1983 and in becoming our treasurer until he retired in 2002.  As our “Iron Chancellor” his contribution and time given to the growing years of “the Cross” was immense, readily recognised and appreciated by his successor, John Fraser.

Graham played a key role at critical moments for the event; when it became an “open” event taking the administration into our own homes (thus saving the public purse) and later when we secured charity status as a private company. He was also instrumental in transforming nominated charities from happy recipients to being actively involved by providing essential manpower to the safety and welfare network for the event.

At every Highland Cross weekend, his was a large and bantering presence responsible for the bike loading and entrants’ buses before working his way from Morvich along the course to overseeing the finish arrangements in Beauly Square and prize giving. His wife, Sandra, was ever present at the medal presentation while son Andrew did sterling work on bike loading duties.

I will remember him as a valued colleague, a good companion on our Highland Cross journey.

Gerry Grant

Congratulations!
Highland Cross is delighted to send its congratulations to two charities that are part of our Community for their achievements in the recently released Care Commission Annual Inspection results.

Crossroads Care Skye and Lochalsh
Crossroads Care Skye and Lochalsh have been awarded the highest inspection grades for the fifth year running! Crossroads operates as a respite care service giving vital support to individuals and families caring for loved ones in their homes.  The charity is led by a small board of local trustees and the Skye and Lochalsh community are strongly supportive of Crossroads work and fundraising initiatives. Highland Cross was delighted to part fund the outfitting of their new shop premises in Portree from the Smaller Grants Scheme. Profits from the shop help fund the charity’s vital work.

Volunteers from Crossroads, led by Service Co-ordinator Jenny Millington, have staffed the water point at Glenlicht House in previous years. “Lucky 2 be here” another Skye based charity and another previous beneficiary of the Cross covered the site this year.

Birchwood Highland
Staff and service users at local mental health charity Birchwood Highland are celebrating great results from two visits by the Care Inspectorate, to the Inverness Support Service, the Lochaber Support Service and the Easter Ross Support Service, the Care Inspectorate awarded all three services the top rating ‘Excellent’.  The services provide housing support and care at home to individuals across the region.  The same grade was awarded to Birchwood Highland’s Recovery Centre after another unannounced inspection of the 23-bedroomed facility in Inverness, where individuals are supported by a dedicated team of nurses and support workers.

Birchwood Highland are nominated as a major beneficiary from Highland Cross 2016 and volunteers from the charity were working in the Finish Area in Beauly Square on the 18th June.

The Community of the Cross – Making the day happen
These two examples show the quality of the causes that Highland Cross is honoured to support. Volunteers from twenty charities supported by Highland Cross this year or through previous fundraising were working to make the day happen and to bring in essential funds for Highland causes. They were supported by local communities across the route, individual volunteers from Highland Cross, its commercial and organisational partners. These wonderful folk create a unique community of interested people, intent on generating as much benefit as possible and pushing the £4.1m raised over the past 33 years yet further.

Founders of Highland Cross honoured

Everyone who is associated with Highland Cross in any way will have been pleased to hear the news that in Saturday’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List, Gerry Grant and Calum Munro were awarded MBEs.  As many of you will know, Gerry and Calum were co-founders of Highland Cross back in 1983 and both have been involved over the 34 years of running the event.  In recent years, Calum has been principal co-ordinator while Gerry is one of the three independent panellists who choose the charities to be supported each year.

Each has given tens of thousands of hours of their time voluntarily over the period.  Many charities, competitors and volunteers have benefited from their input and are proud to be associated with the event.  Highland Cross would not be in existence without these two gentlemen coming up with the idea and we congratulate them on receiving their deserved awards.

J.F.

Highland Children's Unit about to go operational

Calum Munro represented Highland Cross at the preview of the new Highland Children's Unit on 25th April. The Unit officially receives patients on 9th May and a large group of funders and supporters of the project gathered to be shown round.

The facilities are extremely impressive and look nothing like a standard NHS facility. Great effort has gone into making them as child and young person friendly as possible with enhanced facilities for parents/carers to be with seriously ill children.

The £40,000 of Highland Cross funding from the 2012 event will be combined with the funds raised this year to pay for the fitting out of the High Dependency Unit (HDU) a key area of the new Unit. The attached photograph shows the Nurse's Station in the HDU and gives a taste of the decoration and quality of finish in the whole unit.  Another wonderful example of what the wonderful folk of the Community of Highland Cross have achieved for the wider Highland Community!

Highland Cross congratulates Calman Trust on their latest venture

Over the years Highland Cross has been proud to support Calman Trust in their work with Highland young people. Your fund raising has purchased machines for their work wear enterprise and a refrigerated vehicle for their outside catering business and they are our caterers of choice for our annual celebration and gift evening. The attached link takes you to an article about their latest venture, running the staff canteen for SSE's HQ in Inverness.  Yet another high quality organisation that forms part of the Community of Highland Cross!

 
http://thirdforcenews.org.uk/tfn-news/social-enterprise-to-run-sse-staff-canteen

Angus MacKenzie OBE, CA

It is with great sadness that I must inform the Community of Highland Cross of the sudden death of Angus MacKenzie.

Angus came into the Community of Highland Cross through his involvement with Highland Riding for the Disabled - only one of many charities that benefitted from his commitment and acumen.  With him he brought his colleagues and staff from his accountancy firm MacKenzie Kerr and beyond his retirement Angus was a loyal supporter of the Cross and his colleagues became the very backbone of the administration and financial aspects of the Cross which they have remained through the intervening decades.  Angus's nephew John Fraser, our current treasurer, has strengthened the link to the Cross.  Angus was a keen shooter and for many years combined his duties at the Start Registration tables with discharging his 12 bore to start folk on their way.  Angus's funeral was a testament to a life of service to his community and marked the passing of a man who was the very epitome of a Highland Gentleman.

Calum Munro, Co Founder and Organising Secretary, Highland Cross

Alex Brett

It is with deep sadness that Highland Cross has to inform its community of the tragic death of one of our stalwart participants – Alex Brett from Dingwall.  Alex had completed 28 Crosses and took part as a member of the “The Three Amigos” team. A trio that had regularly won team prizes over the years.   A true Highland gentleman and committed outdoorsman he died after a fall on Liathach in the Torridon area.

Calum receives a deserved award

Everyone associated with Highland Cross was very pleased to hear that at the Highland Third Sector Awards 2015 held recently, our Co-founder and Organising Secretary of Highland Cross, Calum Munro was given an Outstanding Achievement Award.  This award was in recognition of his outstanding achievements within the Third Sector in Highland and the positive contribution that he has made to our community.  Among other achievements, this reflects his huge contribution to Highland Cross over 33 years and how his hard work, his organisation and his enthusiasm has benefited so many different charitable organisations within the Highland community.

Calum received a lovely plaque and scroll which were handed over by Mr John Finnie, MSP.