A CHARITY which began life in Buckie returned to
its roots when it opened
its new Moray HQ in the town. Last Friday saw Moray Reach Out (MRO) formally unveil its new base in the former Cruickshank’s store on the town’s East Church Street with an open day, which included the group’s brief AGM. Founded in Buckie in 1996 by the parents and
carers of adults with learning disabilities, the charity has gone on to provide training opportunities to people with a range of such conditions through the
likes of Waste Watchers and Yarns and Crafts, formerly Buckie Yarns in the town and other sites throughout Moray. In addition to finding out what the new facility has to offer, there was a chance to hear about training and volunteering opportunities as well as signing up to be a friend of MRO.
Opening the event was MRO chairman Terry Murphy, who was delighted with the response to the open day. “It’s been non-stop since we opened the doors, all very encouraging,” he told the Advertiser. “There’s been a lot of interest in the spinning workshops – it’s not something you often hear of – and also
in recycling plastics, which is a big thing at the moment. “The thrift shop upstairs has also attracted a lot of interest. “It’s amazing we managed to get this place, it’s perfect for what we want. The important thing is that it suits the trainees down to the
ground as they’re our main focus, it’s all about them.” Looking ahead, Mr Murphy saw a very bright future for MRO. He continued: “One of the things I’m keen to do is raise the profile of Moray Reach Out and having a premises likes this makes a
big statement, it helps people see the organisation as a whole. “It’ll take time to get things perfect – for example, we want to put in a lift and redo the toilets – but it’s a good start in a great location in the centre of town right opposite a bus stop. “Having this space will also allow us to invite other community groups in to hold workshops and broaden what we can offer the trainees. All of our projects are based around things they can do. What they get out of it is amazing. “We’ve come a long way since 1996 – the future’s definitely bright for Moray Reach Out.” Returning to their roots was something that was on the cards for MRO from December last year, the first stage in the process being a public consultation seeking people’s opinion not only on the proposed purchase of a building in the town but what sort of services they would like to see provided. Ninety-nine per cent of the 400 respondents were in favour of the move. The new MRO HQ will house Yarns and Crafts, a thrift shop, a brand new spinning project with plans to provide workshops for the public.
Garden