That little encouragement was what transformed her life and the change is thanks, in part, to an umbrella body that continues to help one of the Highland Capital's most deprived areas shed its negative image.

Merkinch Partnership, based in Grant Street, has ploughed almost £30,000 into the "Escape" group over the last two years and it is viewed as one of the scheme's success stories.

"When I first started walking there was lots of things happening in my life and I didn't know where to turn," said Ms Williamson, who is one of 10 members, also raising money to cover expenses.

"I came here and met a brilliant lot of girls and it switched my life around. It took me from a low right up to where I am today."

Walking helps her to clear her head and the members, who have become her friends, always cheer her up. She has also surpassed her own expectations by twice trekking up Scotland's highest mountain, Ben Nevis, and has climbed Snowdon in north Wales.

Ms Williamson, who recently moved to Telford Gardens, hopes to do a leadership course with the group and aims to climb in the French Alps next year — dreams she would not have had without the support of the partnership.

"Merkinch now offers so much for people. It's unbelievable," she said. "We've got a lot of things happening in Merkinch that do not happen anywhere else in Inverness and the partnership has helped a lot."

The partnership, which is run out of the Merkinch Development Ventures office by its only member of staff Anne Sutherland, has a cast of advisors and board of residents which meet regularly throughout the year.

It keeps others updated through the "shaping the future" development plan as it tries to meet its vision of improving the quality of life in Merkinch by investment in economic growth, the environment and young people, to build confidence and harness the skills of the community.

"Probably not everyone has heard of the Merkinch Partnership because the population here is quite fluid," said Ms Sutherland, who is also secretary of Merkinch Community Council.

"There are a lot of issues here and a lot of people who don't get involved in projects for one reason or another, so we can't engage with everybody but I think the main thing is that the community has been involved from the start with where the funding should go."

She explained the partnership was separate to similar schemes nearby, such as Merkinch Enterprise, which is a community business providing training in areas such as information technology, and MP33, which centres around young people.

The partnership acts as a link between local people and the delivery of community regeneration funds passed down from the Scottish Government through Communities Scotland and from partnership group, the Wellbeing Alliance, with an investment increase each year.

Despite putting almost £665,000 into the area since 2005, there has been no indication from the new SNP administration on whether it will continue — something which has caused concern, but not stopped the group making plans and spending this year's £353,000 budget.

"It is a lot of money and maybe not everyone will agree with how the partnership has spent it, but it's very hard to keep everyone happy and the way we have decided is to allocate it to lots and lots of different projects," reflected Ms Sutherland.

Areas of investment include putting £125,000 into a state-of-the-art theatre at the community centre, £35,000 into the successful Ness Soaps charitable business and £5480 into the Black Bridge Bike Project, which has helped a group of 12 to 18-year-old boys learn skills in mechanics.

Smaller projects such as the community garden at the Corbett Centre continue to offer opportunities for people such as the members of Escape who have their own patch to contribute and plans are set to get underway to improve sports facilities from next month.

Anne Sutherland, Merkinch Partnership officer (left), is pictured with councillor Peter Corbett and Betty Williamson. Alasdair Allen

"It's fantastic to hear what people get out of it and we don't often get that chance," Ms Sutherland said.

"It is nice when they sit down and say it has made a difference to their life. The partnership and the regeneration funding is all about changing things for the better by giving people opportunities, building their confidence and improving their lives."

Before the partnership was introduced the area received urban aid and cash from Social Inclusion Partnership Community Planning, which strictly catered for 16 to 24-year-olds. But agencies outwith the area decided what was best for the community and where money was allocated.

It was a system that had been improved on, according to Highland councillor Peter Corbett, who is the chairman of the partnership.

"The partnership is a direct way of empowering the community to decide what they would like to do with the money.

"Also, it encourages them to come up with projects and set up organisations and groups," he commented, adding that the council acted as an administrative partner.

"These groups who are doing things they would never have thought of doing years ago and it makes them feel better about themselves."

The Independent councillor for Inverness Central accepted the area has its share of social problems.

"At the end of the day we are not a drink agency or a drug agency," he said. "But we are a group that will certainly assist people to improve their lives and we would want to encourage people who maybe have these issues to be helped by joining this or that group or project as it can turn it around and give them something to focus on instead of the issues they have dealt with in the past."

However, fellow ward councillor Donnie Kerr would like to see the partnership shift its focus to address the roots of social problems.

The SNP member, who lives in Merkinch, said concerns about drink and drugs continued to plague the area.

"There is perhaps too much concentration on the environment and not enough on the social environment," he commented, suggesting the area was not improving as much as it should given the level of investment it had received.

"There are one or two positives but I also think we have to look at the real crux of the problems here and a lot of them stem back to alcohol or drug abuse, so I think we have to really pour in as much as we can there."

* Merkinch Partnership will celebrate the work it has done since its inception at an invitation only event at Merkinch Community Centre on 5th October. Around 90 representatives from all the projects which have received funding are set to attend with the day including workshops and a motivational speaker.

andrew.dixon@inverness-courier.co.uk

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