Community gathering in Inverness to thank essential workers for efforts during the coronavirus pandemic
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A community gathering to thank essential workers will be held tomorrow.
It is being organised by St Columba Church of Scotland and will take place in its field in Dores Road, Inverness.
The event will include crafts, music, Out of the Box puppeteers and a service of thanks with people also invited to bring along their own picnic.
It will start at 11am and is aimed at people of faith, different faiths, or no faith.
Invitations have gone out to a range of workers including NHS staff, shop workers, emergency services, council workers, transport workers, funeral directors, postal staff and care workers.
But Rev Fiona Morrison, an interim minister attached to St Columba, Dores and Boleskine, said anyone is welcome to come along.
"We are all so grateful for what essential workers have done through the Covid-19 pandemic," she said.
"They have been extraordinary. We want to acknowledge what they have done and to thank them and show the community really does care and how grateful we are.
"We are also asking essential workers to come in their uniforms so we can identify them."
Pre-pandemic, the church – which recently achieved full status – worshipped at Drummond School as it does not have a building yet.
"We have a field and so we thought we would have an outdoor community gathering," Miss Morrison said.
"We also thought it would encourage people who don’t have a faith and don’t feel comfortable going into a building to come along."
A short service would be followed by the picnic.
"It will be a short and sweet and very sincere gathering to say thank you for all that they have done," she said.
"We want it to be fun and for people to come along and be relaxed."
