Moray Reach Out helping adults with disabilities gain a real sense of purpose and pride
MRO NEWS
Summer is here!
With the change of Scottish weather, Summer has definitely arrived!
We have lots of exciting news and updates for you.
MRO Art Yarn – Sheep Shearing
Jon and Annie have started shearing their Shetland sheep’s fleece.
The project is now in the process of washing and skirting the fleece to get them ready for the next stages of teasing, carding and spinning.
Keep an eye on our online shop for all the new wool hanks!
MRO Online Shop
MRO Volunteers
2023 marked the 39th year of Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June). The contribution of volunteers is often unseen and unrecognised by many, visible only through the incredible impact of their volunteering, so taking the time during Volunteers’ Week to celebrate their efforts and all they contribute to our local communities, the voluntary sector and society as a whole has never been more important.
Shona Radojkovic – “A wee note to say how much Moray Reach Out appreciates YOU and all you do. Not just during Volunteers Week, but every day of every week. You give your time which is one of the most precious things a person can give another.
You make it possible for Moray Reach Out to help adults with disabilities gain a real sense of purpose and pride. Thank you for all you do.”
Community Lottery Funding
Moray Reach Out is delighted to announce they will receive £10,000 from the National Lottery Awards for All fund. The money will fund a wheelchair accessible patio area.
Before this can be achieved, significant groundworks and landscaping of the steep and currently inaccessible area to the rear of 23 East Church Street, Buckie will need to be carried out. Moray Reach Out has also successfully applied for a Social Investment Scotland Grant / Loan which will be used for the exciting garden development and to complete refurbishments on the building.
The vision is to create an accessible space which can be enjoyed by Moray Reach Out trainees, staff and volunteers but also a space we can share with other Community groups and the public on various themed open days and events. It will be a huge asset to the community.
Funds received from the Moray Chamber of Commerce Auction last year, £10,000, are also ringfenced to support the new developments.
Scottish Fire & Rescue Service
On the 12th of May 2023 MRO Recycling, Elgin, were honoured to receive a visit from the Elgin Fire Station.
Huge thanks to Craig, Gary, Craig, Iain & Richard from the Green and Amber Watch for volunteering their time and making everybody’s day!
Five firemen out of the thirty who are full-time and are based in Elgin shared their knowledge with our trainees and answered a lot of questions from our enthusiastic team.
The Trinity Masonic Lodge
We would like to say a massive thank you to all the members of The Trinity Masonic Lodge No. 148 in Elgin for donating £250 to us and three other charities: Outfit Moray, Friends of Dr Gray’s & Earthtime
Support from the local community allows us to continue to help adults with disabilities gain a real sense of purpose and pride through meaningful work placements.
UHI Moray
Moray College UHI – Level 6 Social Sciences students organised a fantastic Swap Shop during March. 
How did it work? People could come in and help themselves to items, donate items OR make a cash donation.
We would like to say a massive thank you to the Level 6 Social Sciences class from UHI Moray for the donation made to ourselves and R-evolution For Good from their highly successful swap shop in March 
The Original Factory Shop
We would like to thank The Original Factory Shop for their wonderful donation to MRO Thrift Shop and for allowing us to have a Saturday Stall on their premises to sell our Summer Raffle Tickets!
MRO Upcycling
Our amazingly talented MRO Upcycling team have been working hard to create customer orders. Click here to see what we have made so far!
Every product is handcrafted from worn out and discarded pallets and turning them into bespoke products for the home and garden.
The process involves easing the planks off the pallets and removing the old nails. Now ready for a new life, the team design, saw, sand and fix these tired pieces of wood into wonderful products.
Buying these products helps to support and maintain these opportunities.
If you would like more info, please contact jon@morayreachout.org.uk or call on 07708 660067.
MRO Embroidery
From all of us at Moray Reach Out we would like to say thank you so much to all the staff at Poundland and Pep & Co, in Elgin, and their customers who kindly donated an extraordinary amount of craft items for our trainees in our MRO Embroidery project ☺️
MRO Embroidery trainees also had a wonderful time getting a toured guide of Elgin Cathedral in April (we got very lucky with the sunshine 🌞)
MRO Yarns & Crafts
We have these gorgeous Aloe Vera plants and pots for sale here at our Yarns & Crafts shop in Buckie – they would make a great addition to any home!
They have been made by our trainees, with the support of our staff and volunteers!
Large pots are £3.50
Small Pots are £2.99
Events
Gordon Castle – Highland Games
The 2023 Highland Games and Country Fair, Sunday 21st May 2023, brought a fantastic and diverse selection of local traders who offered their products to thousands of guests and we were one of them!
It was a fantastic day and we loved meeting new people whilst sharing information on our charity and the great work that we do.
DYW Job Fair
Moray Reach Out joined DYW Moray’s Jobs Fair on the 31st of May which had over 35 employers across different sectors, all of who are currently recruiting or will be recruiting in the near future. The event was open to all ages and anyone looking for a job, apprenticeship and even a change of career 🛠️🙌
In total, across the 2-hour event, they had OVER 400 attendees speak to employers to learn more about what is available on their doorstep.
The DYW Moray team (and ourselves) were blown away by the number of attendees and we can’t thank everyone enough for coming down to visit 😆👏
Highland Wool Festival
We joined many other wool and textile enthusiasts at the Highland Wool Festival at the Strathpeffer Pavilion! We love showing of the products made by our staff, trainees and volunteers. It was a fantastic day.
Upcoming Events
RAF Lossiemouth Friends & Families Day – LossieFest
Following the success of the Friends and Families Day last year, where more than 2000 people from the community attended, they are planning to rebrand the event under LossieFest, Saturday 22 July 23.
Megan and Anna from our team will be there with a stall, so make sure to come along to them!
MRO Coffee Morning
We will be holding a Coffee Morning of the 5th of August from 9.30AM till 11.30AM.
If you are only free on weekends, this is the perfect time to check out our Yarns & Crafts and Thrift Shop as it will be on a Saturday!
You will also be able to see our talented MRO Art Yarn staff demonstrating some of the different stages that we follow to create our wool.
Our Summer Raffle winners will also be drawn, so if you cannot make it – make sure to keep an eye on your phone, as we will call you if you win a prize!
Donations during our Coffee Morning would be much appreciated.
Summer Raffle
After the successful raffle last Spring, which raised £1851, we are going to be holding another raffle that will be drawn during our coffee morning of the 5th of August. This will help us raise funds for our garden project. In particular, phase II of our eco-conservation garden development.
Phase I was very successful and we have developed an area to wash and dry fleece for our spinning project as well as a wheelchair accessible area for our staff, volunteers, and trainees. Plans for Phase II are to make the remainder of the gardens accessible and safe.
The long-term goal is to create a space where we can welcome the public on any open days we hold. This will allow us to create a new gardening project which will expand the type of work experience we can provide. This is where you can help by donating a raffle prize or experience for our Summer Draw or purchasing tickets.
Thank you to everyone so far who has donated to our Summer Raffle 😄
The tickets are now on sale in our Buckie and Elgin shops and also online!
£1 per ticket or £5 per book! 😍
The Raffle will be drawn on the 5th of August during our coffee morning! 🥳
Prizes Include:
2 x nights at Hideaway Under the Stars
Whisky’s and Wine
£50 Meal Voucher at Royal Oak, Cullen
Children’s Prizes
2 x Nights at Speyside Garden Pods
Waterstone Books
£45 Voucher at MK Nailland
& Many More!
Click here to buy tickets online!
All of our projects continue to do great work for the environment. Our trainees are very proud to be part of such projects, re-use and recycling being the main elements of the reduce, re-use and recycle mantra.
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
