People enjoying a Christmas garden festive treat at an Inverness hotel will also be helping a local charity develop its services.
Every weekend throughout December, the Glen Mhor Hotel and Waterside Restaurant will be opening the garden on the banks of the River Ness.
Outdoor heaters and blankets will help keep out the cold while tucking into mulled wine, cakes and confectionery. Children’s activities will also include a chance to decorate their own gingerbread, dip marshmallows and take part in a Santa drawing competition.
The Christmas garden will be open from noon until 9pm and the hotel is donating £1 from every glass of mulled wine sold to Birchwood Highland which it also supports through various other initiatives.
Information on the menus will describe the work of Birchwood and where they money will go.
The charity works with people over 16 experiencing mental ill-health to help them live independently. It is creating a new service in Easter Ross offering accommodation, social care support and formal and informal skills development for people leaving care.
Claire Bellshaw, the hotel’s sales and events executive, said: “Glen Mhor Hotel made the decision to hold a Christmas Garden this year, to provide the local community with some festive cheer and an opportunity to see our loved ones in a safe environment.
“We chose to partner with Birchwood Highland as a local charity to give back to the community in which we live. This year more than ever it has become evident how important it is to look after our mental health and support one another through these difficult times.”
John Cairns, Birchwood Highland’s fundraising and communications manager, said: “To have that kind of support from the Glen Mhor is absolutely brilliant. We hope we will be working together on other projects to raise money and the profile of the work Birchwood is doing.
“We hope people will see the value of this kind of work, especially with the way things are just now.”
