The Remakery will support people facing mental health challenges, economic disadvantage, or social isolation, including young people at risk of exclusion. Participants will build confidence and connection through purposeful, hands-on activity, learning practical skills in woodcraft, repair and upcycling within a supportive, recovery-focused environment. Our intergenerational model pairs younger participants with older mentors, creating buddy-style relationships that reduce isolation while developing transferable skills and work-readiness. The value of this approach is that people come for the activity and stay for the connection.

The project will be delivered through our Discovery College, using the peer-led approach that has achieved strong wellbeing outcomes (91% of students report increased belonging, 89% increased hope) alongside clear progression routes from participant to volunteer to peer supporter to paid employment. The Remakery extends this model, offering a hands-on entry point for people who benefit from practical activity as part of their recovery. Partnerships with Men's Sheds and Befrienders Highland will extend reach to isolated men and older people.

Capital works include replacement of the roof with a new fully insulated structure, demolition and reconstruction of the attic section, dormer external cladding, upgraded electrical and ventilation systems, new floor coverings, decoration, and external yard works. The refurbished space will provide a dedicated workshop for practical skills training in woodcraft, repair and upcycling; a flexible space for small group sessions; a drop-in hub offering a welcoming, non-clinical entry point; first-floor learning and working space; and tea pantry and accessible toilet facilities.

This project is an extension of our Discovery College, which currently operates in Inverness and Wick. The Remakery is based in Invergordon but will also serve Alness and surrounding areas. Invergordon is identified as experiencing significant economic and multiple deprivation, ranking among the top 10 to 15% most deprived areas in Scotland. The area faces challenges related to income, employment and overall deprivation, with an unemployment rate of over 20%. Alness has similarly deep-rooted deprivation and inequality. These are communities where opportunity has contracted and where the effects of that contraction show up in people's mental health every day.

There are a small number of community services in Invergordon. The Isobel Rhind Centre provides support for adults with learning disabilities and does not serve this project's target group. The most comparable provision is a Change Mental Health resource centre, but this service does not offer activity-based support or provision for school-age young people, and is not delivered using a peer support model. For people who need something practical, social and non-clinical, the options are extremely limited.

Easter Ross is currently underserved by our own services too. Our nearest Discovery College sessions require travel to Inverness, which is difficult for people with limited income and poor access to transport. The Remakery will bring peer-led mental health support and skills training directly to a community that currently has no local equivalent.

In developing the service, we will work in collaboration with Befrienders Highland, Addictions Counselling Inverness, Men's Sheds, Help for Heroes, and Robertson's Builders. Local schools have expressed interest in referral pathways for young people at risk of exclusion. Our "Blether by the Fire" groups, developed in response to feedback about the need for male-friendly spaces, now run at full capacity with 84% male attendance, demonstrating our ability to reach groups who may not engage with traditional services. We know this need exists because we see it already.

Planning permission was originally granted in April 2022 and has since lapsed. We have resubmitted the application using the same architect plans and, as the proposal is unchanged, anticipate approval by March 2026.

We have engaged a local contractor and hold detailed architect drawings. Subject to securing funding, the project will proceed in three phases:

Phase 1 (Spring 2027): Construction and preparation, including roof and first floor replacement, reinstallation of the external staircase, and replacement of windows and doors.

Phase 2 (winter 2027/28): Dormer cladding, electrical and ventilation installation, floor coverings and decoration.

Phase 3 (early 2028): External yard works.

We aim to complete all works and launch the service by April 2028.