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New Community Director Angie Adamson starts in Inverness

The Community in Inverness was delighted to welcome their new Community Director Angie Adamson, who will be taking over from Robin Sykes as of Friday the 27th of June 2008.

Angie has previously spent 10 years in the L'Arche Liverpool Community in a number of different Roles. She has a wide experience of not only working with L'Arche but also within the Learning Disabilities field.

Angie says" i feel really excited to join the community here in Inverness. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone within the community and also continuing to build on the many partnerships that L'Arche Inverness has in the wider community of Inverness as well as the Highlands"

Robin Sykes is leaving to become the Director of a L'Arche community in the south west of France near Agen which is called L'Arche en Agenais,

Robin says" I've really loved being here in Inverness for the last 5 years. I'm married to a Lovely French lady and so it was time to take her home again. where we will be living is close to her family home. Angie's a great girl and she'll bring her many gifts to the Community. we'll really miss the community here in Inverness but we know its in great hands! We wish Angie and the community all the very best for the future and look forward to coming back to visit Inverness in a year or so"

L'Arche Inverness goes on Pilgrimage to Iona!

On the 17th of May, 48 people from our community went on a community Pilgrimage to the island of Iona, of the west coast of Scotland. We had some very Special guests with us! we Had Bishop Mark Strange, the Bishop of Elgin,Moryshire and Caithness as well as John Coleman and his Family over from L'arche in Australia.

We had a fantastic week together as a community, with the theme of our Pilgramage, "on the road with Saint Columba".

all throughout the week we had many planned activities such as small groups meeting to share together, we had boat trips to Staffa and the surrounding Islands as well as fabulous whether the whol week!

JOHN COLEMAN IS COMING BACK TO INVERNESS!!!

A Night of Songs and Stories with John Coleman & Friends

A singer/songwriter in the acoustic folk tradition and a member of L’Arche Tasmania for almost 20 Years, John will be joined by
L’Arche Inverness to share songs and stories that
celebrate the life-transforming gift of relationships.

Many of John’s original songs are inspired by his experience of community life and the spirituality of L’Arche, have received awards - including the Australian Folk Federation Song-writing award. They have been sung and are loved throughout the world
From the Pacific Swell to the Heart of the Highlands, and beyond.

Venue: Culduthel Christian Centre, Culduthel Ave, Inverness
When: Wednesday 14th May, 7:30pm (Doors open at 7:00pm)
Tickets: £5, £4 Concessions, £1.50 under 12s
Contact inverness@larche.org.uk , T. 01463 239615Find out more @ http://larcheinvernessnews.blogspot.com/

BACK AGAIN TO SLOVAKIA!

At the end of November, several members of our community journeyed to Slovakia to share about L'Arche Inverness. Community Director Robin Sykes travelled with long-time community member Syd Fraser to Slovakia, where they were welcomed by Houses' Co-ordinator and genuine Slovak Peter Drozd.

The main purpose of the visit by the Inverness delegation was to share stories and wisdom about living and working alongside adults with learning disabilities with the students at the Catholic University in Ruzomberok, Slovakia. Robin, Syd and Peter made their presentation to three large groups of young people, most of them students of social work.
The highlights of the presentations included Robin reminiscing about his adventures as a first year assistant, Syd sharing about how his life changed when he came to L'Arche Inverness 25 years ago, and Peter's colourful translations.

While in Ruzomberok, the L'Arche Invernessians also embraced opportunities to strenghten ties with the administration and professors at the Catholic University.

Five of our former assistants were originally recruited from this university, and they are all now back in Ruzomberok continuing their studies. It was a wonderful reunion of L'Ache Invernessians past and present, and everyone enjoyed catching up with Miska Pavlusova, Anka Bodnarova, Vlado Pallo, Petyo Brodnan and Renata Janigova.

The Scottish visitors took the opportunity to sight-see and try traditional Slovak food. All in all, it was a delightful and productive trip; the relationships established and deepened between members of the University and L'Arche Inverness will undoubtedly bear fruit well into the

future.

Running for L'Arche - transforming the Highlands mile by mile

Loch Ness Marathon 2007

Loch Ness Marathon 2007

CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO BE TAKEN TO AN ALBUM OF RACE IMAGES

Can you imagine how it must feel to have achieved a personal best, to have risen to a challenge and overcome any doubts, even fears that you might not make it? Pretty wonderful, acording to the fabulous, fleet-footed friends and members of L'Arche Inverness Community who put their best feet forward and ran the course of the 5K, 10K and Marathon races on Sunday 7th October in the Loch Ness Marathon and Festival of Running.

So many of us are in awe of the magnificent gestures of personal commitment, dedication and sheer hard training that brought in 12 runners, smiling (often through the pain) from the sheer joy of having completed what started out several months ago as an idea that by getting a bit fitter they might each raise some money towards the Working Together ~ Transforming Lives appeal that is helping us to pay for the building and development of our new Workshop Resource Centre.

Perhaps the lure of running through what must be one of the most scenic race courses in the whole of the world (ok, we're a little biased!), or the anticipation of the fantastic race day atmosphere as an international family of runners descends on the loch side was enough to attract Alison, David, Donna, Dorota, Findlay, Holly, Janet, Martha, Peter, Rachel, Simon and Thomas to take part, but only their personal determination and promise to run for L'Arche, whatever it takes can finally have brought them triumphant to the finish line on the day!

Race times

Alison Hendry - 5K 36 minutes
Janet, Findlay, Martha and Rachel Spence - 5K well done all
Donna McCracken and Dorota Pazdzior - 10K 1hr 12 minutes
Simon spence - 10K 53 minutes
Peter Drozd - Marathon 4hrs 56 minutes
Holly Hiles and David Holdsworth - Marathon 5hrs 10 minutes
Thomas Lacroix - Marathon 4hrs 3 minutes

WELL DONE EVERYONE! We are all so proud of you and your commitment means so much to us all.

It is still possible to make an online donation in appreciation of our runners' efforts and in support of our new workshop resource centre appeal. CLICK HERE to donate now.

Celebrating 25 Years of Working together at L'Arche Inverness Workshops!

L'Arche Workshop 25th Anniversary

CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO BE TAKEN TO AN ALBUM OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE CELEBRATIONS

On Friday October 5th we raised our glasses and celebrated 25 years of woodworking, gardening, craft creating, tea-breaking and working together in our workshops here at Drummond Crescent, with speeches by Syd and Cait taking us down memory lane, some singing and a slap up meal followed by a HUGE cake made by the Recreation & Retirement Group. Cathol's eyes lit up when he saw all the ice cream laid out in front of him! The community gathered along with all those who are connected to the workshops. It was such a mild and sunny day so we enjoyed our celebration on the deck at the back of the workshop.