ABOUT the Skye and Lochalsh Mental Health Association

Our mission is to help those in Skye and Lochalsh suffering from mental ill health.

We are an independent local charity without affiliation to any larger organisation. We have 30 years experience providing support and a unique model of service that's developed to suit the needs of our local community. Our grass roots decision making means we can respond to local need rather than implement plans and policies designed in Inverness or Edinburgh.

Living with a mental health problem is difficult for anybody, but even harder in a remote and rural area like ours. Our “local” psychiatric hospital is 120 miles from Portree and many services and facilities that are standard in urban areas are simply not available here. In this context SLMHA aims to provide a one-stop shop for supporting adults affected by their mental health.

Our services are very informal and not at all like the stereotype of a mental health centre. Mental ill health is hard to talk about and causes a lot of isolation. We’re all about giving people a place where they feel included and accepted. Currently supporting around 120 people, we’re a lifeline for our members, who often talk about the service like a family and as a vital component in their recovery journey. We have a long track record of careful management of scarce resources, making us one of very few local services offering more now than we were before the funding cuts that accompanied the recession.

Most of our funding is through a service delivery contract with NHS Highland. We cooperate closely with NHS mental health staff and regularly undertake joint projects with them. We also seek charitable grants to fund support over and above the requirements of our contract. Over the years we've been supported by many of the leading grant makers in Scotland and the UK, including the Peoples’ Health Trust, the Robertson Trust. the Tudor Trust, the Henry Smith Charity, the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland, the J Paul Getty Jnr Charitable Trust, the AB Charitable Trust and more.

Skye and Lochalsh Mental Health Association is a registered Scottish charity (number SC021154) and a company limited by guarantee (number SC185967). We are  user led organisation which anyone who lives in Skye and Lochalsh is able to join.

   A building is by itself nothing. It’s the people involved who make it what it is