Very Honoured - speaking - Woodlands 25th Forget Me Not Ball

Hi 

With great thanks to my friend Wendy Burgess for the kind invite to speak at the  Woodlands 25th anniversary Forget Me Not Ball

I am so very honoured to be asked and look forward to the event 

You can read more  about Woodlands from Wendy Below and how to get involved / arttend 

Tommy 

WOODLANDS 25TH FORGET ME NOT FUNDRAISING BALL

Alzheimer Scotland – Woodlands Day Care – Inverness

I’ve worked in the care industry for the past 27 years (what a frightening thought, where have all the years gone…….) I have also supported family members and cared for my own mum who had dementia.

Anyway 25 years ago when I moved to Inverness to work in the local council day centre, I got to spend 2 days as part of my induction in the newly opened Dementia specific Day Centre called “Woodlands” I really enjoyed it and said then I would love to work here. Little did I think then, that not only would I realise my dream but also be fortunate enough to be the Service Manager for the Inverness Service and have the pleasure to lead an exceptionally talented, hardworking dedicated team who make a real difference in the lives of people living with dementia and their carer’s.

Woodlands is a purpose built dementia specific day care, open 6 days a week for up to 13 people each day and weekly supports up to 76 people  living with dementia and their families in Inverness.It is run by Alzheimer Scotland, Scotland’s leading charity for dementia. Alzheimer Scotland’s main aim is that nobody goes through dementia alone.

Woodlands is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year in February and we hope to raise enough funds to improve the now dated environment we provide day care in. The furniture, carpets, dining tables and chairs are all showing their age, which are the originals from 25 years ago and badly need replaced. Our minibus is also coming to the end of its useful life and no longer fit for purpose. The hope is to raise enough money this year from the Ball and other fundraising activities to make £25,000 to enable us to undertake the refurbishments.

The Alzheimer Scotland Fundraising Forget me Not Ball will be the event of 2016. Guests will gather at The Drumossie Hotel, Inverness on Friday 26th February for a welcome drink, 3 course dinner and the ultimate highland knees up with the Anne Dickson band. As well as be entertained by our after dinner speaker, Mr Tommy Whitelaw. We will also be holding an auction and raffle on the evening.

I’ve known about Tommy since he started his letters tour 5 years ago but only had the pleasure to meet him late 2014 at a Care Inspectorate Conference; we have met a few times since then andbecame friends on Social Media, so I could think of nobody else better to join us at the Ball as our after dinner speaker. We are very fortunate that he has agreed to join us at the Ball and help us on the night.