Local charity Inspire PTL is marking ten years since moving from their previous base in Stoneywood Church on Bankhead Road to their purpose-built headquarters on the city’s Beach Boulevard. On October 7 the charity will celebrate a decade of success in the building, which has provided the ideal base for growth.
The Beach Boulevard base was constructed following a huge fundraising effort and thoughtful planning process in order to ensure that the building was fit for the future of the North-east learning disability charity. The multi-million-pound project was championed by CEO at the time the late Catriona McPhee, with the works made possible by securing funding from many sources including individuals, local businesses, the Big Lottery Fund and Communities Scotland. Cited to be the first centre of excellence for people with learning disabilities in Scotland, it was opened by Simon Weston and Alex Salmond.
The property, which consists of popular eatery Café Coast, meeting rooms and two floors of offices, has provided the ideal set up for the charity. Social enterprise Café Coast has provided volunteering opportunities for many people with learning disabilities to gain real life experience in a working café, as well as a valuable revenue stream. Café Coast and Meeting Rooms has also played host to many Inspire PTL fundraising events over the past decade. With Inspire occupying the top floor, the middle floor has provided rental offices to a number of fellow third sector organisations.
Inspire CEO Linda Gray said: “The ten-year anniversary has given us an opportunity to reflect on how the building has helped Inspire to grow over the past decade, and reminisce about the many fundraising events, training courses and working days past.
As we look forward to Inspire’s thirtieth anniversary in 2018, I am convinced that our Beach Boulevard building will remain the ideal base as we move forward into our fourth decade and beyond.”
