Inverness mental health charity is back in action
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
YOU could be forgiven for walking past the Hive in Academy Street and not realising it is there.
The drop-in centre, which is run by Inverness mental health charity Mikeysline, offers support to those affected by mental ill health and suicide.
Donna Smith, the charity’s chairwoman, said they had been open for about a month following the lockdown closure.
She said the anonymous appearance of the Hive could be an advantage and added: “It is up an alleyway but once you know it is there it is really obvious.”
The charity now has three ambassadors for the cause including the Hollywood film star Karen Gillan, who is originally from Inverness. Mrs Smith said: “Karen has been involved for quite some time now and we got her to agree to be an ambassador – she’s put us on a global stage.
“It’s nice to know that a little charity from Inverness is being talked about in Hollywood.”
The other ambassadors are Invergordon strongman Luke Slottman and Scott Boyd, who is a former Ross County FC defender.
Mrs Smith said the staff were all keen to get the centre back open, following its temporary closure, and added: “They found it difficult not to be able to provide the face-to-face chats.
“We’ve had to change a little bit how we do things and we need to control the numbers at the Hive.”
She said they had introduced an appointment system and there were a range of new procedures now in place so they can provide their service.
Emily Stokes, the service manager, said their text line had been three times busier during lockdown and she expected that would continue.
