The communities of Hoy and Walls have a new resource centre opening today, 19th of September. The Hoy and Walls Daily Living Aids Resource Centre will enable access to daily living aids, that help people with certain medical or age-related issues to remain independent and in their own homes for as long as possible. At the moment that service is at Selbro, out at Hatston, Kirkwall. This new centre will be at Longhope.

Denize Lace is the Well-being Co-ordinator for Hoy and Walls. She said:

” My primary role has been to work with the local community addressing concerns previously raised, this includes increasing access to existing health care services, identify gaps in the current provision of services, and encouraging the development of new initiatives by community groups to meet these gaps.”

“One initiative that I have been working on demonstrates how island communities are able to work collaboratively for the benefit of the community. “

“I aim to replicate the Selbro service on Hoy and Walls. With support from the occupational therapist department and funding from the GP practice (the Patient Bequest Fund) Hoy and Walls will now have their own Daily Living Aids Resource Centre and Loan Library.

“Based in the Hoy and Walls health centre this resource will raise awareness of and give access to small aids equipment similar to those available at Selbro in Kirkwall, provide general information to carers, friends, families or interested parties, inform residents as where to purchase some of the smaller, more readily available items and signpost residents to other organisations for example Occupational Therapy, sensory impairment services, Telecare, Orkney care and repair and the Orkney Disability Forum where required.

“This initiative demonstrates how island communities are able to work collaboratively for the benefit of the community as a whole.”

The ‘Enhancing well-being within our island communities’ project has been running in the Isles since March 2019 (funded by the Aspiring Communities Fund), providing a Well-being Co-ordinator for each participating Isle, through the Islands’ Development Trusts (Island of Hoy, Shapinsay, Sanday, Stronsay and Rousay, Egilsay and Wyre).The project aims to facilitate access to activities and services designed to enhance health and wellbeing.