summer 2025
Moray Reach Out helps adults with disabilities gain a real sense of purpose and pride
MRO NEWS
🌞 Hello, Summer! 🌞
The sunshine has arrived, and with it comes a fresh wave of excitement here at Moray Reach Out! As we step into the summer months, we’re taking a moment to celebrate all we’ve achieved so far this year , and there’s still so much more to come.
From creative projects to community adventures, our trainees and teams have been busy making magic happen behind the scenes. We can’t wait to share some wonderful stories, updates, and a few surprises along the way!
Let’s make this summer one to remember, full of warmth, laughter, and positive change.💛
Support Moray Reach Out’s Sponsorship Fund:
Help Us Change Lives
Moray Reach Out is calling on local businesses to partner with us in making a real difference in the lives of adults with disabilities. Through our growing network of social enterprises, we’ve been proud to offer meaningful work placements and skill-building opportunities to those who face challenges in life.
However, recent reductions in local authority contracts have limited the number of training placements we can offer – despite demand being higher than ever. That’s why we’ve created the MRO Sponsorship Fund – a dedicated fund to ensure individuals can continue accessing these vital opportunities.
We warmly invite local companies to support us as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility plans. By sponsoring a placement, you’ll be helping someone build confidence, learn new skills, gain a sense of purpose and pride, and experience a true sense of fulfilment and belonging.
Donations can be made through our website – no matter the size, every contribution helps us continue creating life-changing opportunities. Click here to donate today or get in touch today to find out how your business can make a lasting impact.
Upcoming Events
Moray Reach Out is excited to be part of two fantastic local events this August.
On 23rd August, we’ll be at the Portsoy Wool Festival, celebrating all things wool and craft. It’s a brilliant day full of stalls, perfect for anyone who loves handmade goods and traditional skills. Be sure to visit our stall to see our latest hand-spun art yarn and handmade products.
Then, on 31st August, we’ll be at the Buckie Classic Car Show, a much-loved community event showcasing stunning vintage and classic cars. Come along, enjoy the atmosphere and pop by our stall to say hello and enter our bottle stall.
If you’re attending either event, please do stop by. We’d love to see you and share more about the work we do!
🌼 From Bump to Birth – We Need Your Help! 🌼
We’re running a maternity clothing drive to support new mums in our community and you can make a real difference. 💛
Do you have gently used maternity clothes or pregnancy essentials tucked away? Now is the perfect time to pass them on with love. 💕
We’re looking for:
👚 Maternity wear
🧦 Cosy pyjamas
🧥 Comfy coats
🍼 Baby slings or nursing items
🛏️ Even pregnancy pillows
Please drop your donations at:
Moray Reach Out Thrift Shop
23 East Church Street, Buckie
Monday to Friday, 9.30 am to 4.00 pm
Let’s show new mums they are not alone – every item helps. 💫
Thank you for supporting our From Bump to Birth campaign! 💕
MRO Embroidery
Exciting news from Moray Reach Out Embroidery! ✨️
Our handmade hair accessories range has grown 🥳 Alongside our ever-popular scrunchies, Steven and Fiona have been busy crafting beautiful clip-on hair bows – now available in the shop for just £2 each!
They’re the perfect way to add a wee pop of colour to any outfit 😍 Pop in and have a look, we’re sure you’ll love them!
Mental Health Awareness Week
During the week of the 12th of May, we proudly celebrated Mental Health Awareness Week, with this year’s theme focusing on Community.
We asked our wonderful staff, volunteers and trainees what helps lift their mood when they’re feeling low. From chatting with loved ones to spending time outdoors, their thoughtful answers inspired a beautiful word cloud full of positivity.
To mark the occasion, our team enjoyed gardening at our Buckie head office, learned willow weaving with Martin from Naturally Useful and took part in a communications workshop aimed at supporting wellbeing in the workplace.
A big thank you to everyone who joined in and shared their ideas, a fantastic reminder of the strength we find in each other. 💚
Click here to read the full blog.
Join Us at the Buckie Community Lunch
We’re excited to announce that Moray Reach Out will now be attending the monthly Buckie Community Lunch, sharing news and raising awareness about all our amazing projects.
If you’re nearby, please do stop by our stall at the next community lunch – we’d love to say hello and tell you more about what we do! 😄
A Special Visit from Intertwine Arts
We had a very special visitor at Moray Reach Out recently, Brandy, one of the inspiring co-founders of Intertwine Arts!
Their organisation, which is based in New York, is on a beautiful mission to inspire creativity, joy and self-confidence through free-form weaving for people of all ages living with disabilities or chronic illness. 🎨🧶
At Intertwine Arts, they believe the arts should be inclusive, accessible and equitable. This is a belief we wholeheartedly share here at MRO. Their vision is to build inclusive communities of weavers, working alongside organisations like ours to champion the creative talents of those who are often underrepresented in the art world.
Brandy’s visit gave us a wonderful chance to connect over shared values – from empowering individuals through creativity to fostering confidence, connection and wellbeing through the therapeutic art of weaving. 💫
We loved learning more about Intertwine Arts and hope this is just the beginning of a beautiful friendship! 💜
Celebrating Volunteers’ Week!
During the week of the 2nd of June, we joined the UK-wide celebration to say a huge thank you to all our incredible volunteers — past and present. 💜
For over 40 years, Volunteers’ Week has highlighted the amazing difference volunteers make across the UK. Here at Moray Reach Out, we see that magic every day. Whether sharing a skill, lending a hand or simply showing up with a smile, our volunteers bring heart, joy and connection to everything we do.
Your kindness helps our trainees grow in confidence, learn new skills and feel empowered. For that, we are truly grateful.
🙏 From all of us at MRO, thank you for being part of our journey.
✨ Thinking about volunteering? We’d love to welcome more friendly faces to our team. If you’re curious or ready to get involved, just click the link to find out more and get in touch.
Douglas Ross MSP Visits MRO Recycling
In April, we were pleased to welcome Douglas Ross MSP to our MRO Recycling project in Elgin.
He spent time meeting our fantastic team and learning more about how we support adults with disabilities to build confidence and develop new skills through meaningful work.
Douglas described MRO as “an excellent organisation” and we couldn’t be prouder of our team for showing him just how much we achieve together! ♻️👏
A Special Visit from the Ambulance Crew
We had a super special visit from the amazing ambulance crew recently – made even more exciting because one of them is the lovely mum of one of our staff members! 😄
The trainees enjoyed a full tour on board the ambulance, learned all about the equipment and asked lots of great questions. As a bonus, they were gifted a sticker, teddy and sweeties 🧸🍬✨
A huge thank you to the fantastic ambulance service for taking time out of their busy day to visit us. You made it a truly memorable experience!
Recent Events
Beyond the Care Plan Conference
On 28th March, we were delighted to attend the Beyond the Care Plan conference at UHI House, hosted by the Elsie Normington Foundation with NHS Highland and UHI.
It was a brilliant day filled with inspiring talks, real-life stories, and practical workshops – all focused on creating better opportunities for people with learning disabilities and mental health challenges.
💬 Highlights included:
🔹 Insight from NHS Highland and the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities
🔹 A fantastic workshop on trainee employment by Shona Radojkovic
🔹 Meeting others passionate about inclusion and positive change
A big thank you to all involved, we left feeling truly inspired! 💙👏
Gordon Castle Highland Games
What a fantastic day! On Sunday 18th May 2025, despite a wee nip in the air, the weather stayed dry for the crowds at Gordon Castle. Moray Reach Out was right in the heart of the action.
The Highland Games is always a highlight in the local calendar, celebrating Scottish heritage, community spirit and family fun. This year was extra special as every MRO project came together at one event for the very first time. It was a brilliant achievement we’re incredibly proud of.
Huge congratulations to our team leads for making this happen. From beautiful tartan creations in our Embroidery and Upcycling shops to high-quality Scottish-themed items from the Thrift Shop, every piece was carefully chosen for the occasion, and the public absolutely loved it.
To read the full blog, click here.
Lossiefest
We were at Lossiefest on 7th June! Here’s what we had going on at our stall:
🍬 Guess How Many Sweets: Visitors tested their sweet-counting skills
🍸 Win Mermaid Gin: Many entered our raffle for a chance to win a bottle
📚 Mystery Books: We had perfect picks for little ones aged 0 to 3
🎀 Handmade Scrunchies and Button Crafts: Our unique, lovingly made items were on sale
Your support helped raise awareness for a great cause and celebrated local creativity. 💜
Thank you to everyone who stopped by and joined the fun!
Happy Retirement
We have said a fond farewell to Jack as he retires after 10 wonderful years of service with Moray Reach Out. Wishing you all the very best for your well-earned retirement, Jack – you’ll be missed! 💐
And Eileen, a much-loved member of staff at the Thrift Shop who previously helped out at Buckie Recycling, has also retired after many wonderful years with us.
Join the Moray Reach Out Family
Ready to make a positive impact? Volunteer with us or become an Ambassador! 🌟
We’re looking for Volunteers and Ambassadors to help spread the word about what Moray Reach Out does and assist us at various events throughout the year. Explore our diverse projects – Buckie Recycling, Elgin Recycling, Woodwork, Embroidery, Thrift Shop, Art Yarn, and Yarns & Crafts. 🌈
We tailor roles to your skills, interests, and availability!
Click here for more information
We sincerely hope you will consider joining us on this journey of empowerment and support.
Email info@morayreachout.org.uk to express your interest
Support us by shopping with us, volunteering or donating/fundraising.
For more info on how you can do this, contact us now on info@morayreachout.org.uk or like our Facebook page to stay updated @MorayReachOut
Click below to be re-directed to our MRO sites for more information!
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