A group aiming to convert a Black Isle landmark into a respite centre will submit final plans by the end of this month. The Raddery House Ltd (RHL) project wants to create a free community hub. It will help families of children with cancer and other conditions.
It also aims to provide indoor and outdoor facilities for people with dementia and a meeting place with café on the seven-acre campus. The group is holding an ‘open gates’ event this Saturday and Sunday. It will allow local people to view the plans for the Black Isle Rural Community Hub (BIRCH).
Raddery: What happens next? want to secure Raddery House and woods from Highland Council via a community asset transfer with a decision expected in September. If the bid does not succeed it is feared the property will be sold for commercial use. The building once housed Raddery School, a therapeutic centre for children with special needs.
It was founded in 1978 by David Dean who was principal. The school closed in 2000 and the site has been unused since 2017, falling into disrepair. Mr Dean worked there until 1995.
He when he and his wife Valery visited last year, their first visit in nearly 28 years. He said the RHL plans were “very exciting” and in line with the thinking at the time Raddery was opened as a school. An inclusive support hub RHS chair Bev Smith says the group’s focus is to “establish an inclusive support hub”.
They want to “fill gaps in provision and helping people thrive in these challenging t.