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The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Orkney farmer leaves £470k to agricultural charity in will
The remainder was gifted in his will to several charities involved in supporting people with cancer. Charlie, who was 82 when he passed away in November 2023, was born and brought up in Holm. As a young man he ventured away from [[Orkney]] and was employed as a stockman in Perthshire for the estate of Sir Torquil Munro, where he worked with the famous Lindertis Aberdeen-Angus herd. Read More: He was very well respected in this stockman role - where he kindled an enduring love of the Aberdeen-Angus breed – and it was while he was in Perthshire that he was encouraged to save and put some money aside for the future. He started pension and investment plans from a young age and went on to work in Aberdeenshire in plant and machinery for a period. When he returned to Orkney years later in the 1970s, he was employed at Weddell, just a few miles from where he was born, and in time he had enough savings to buy the farm. Charlie farmed there on his own account, adding to his farming enterprise with the purchase of some additional land over the years and continuing to run Aberdeen-Angus cows on the property. He travelled to Australia at one point to visit Aberdeen-Angus farmers there, and won a number of show cups in his own right, which he later donated to the local agricultural society. Executor Steven Metcalf and RSABI Chief Executive Officer Carol McLaren (Image: RSABI) RSABI Chief Executive Officer Carol McLaren recently spent time in Orkney learning more about his background and how he came to leave this incredible legacy to the charity from executor Steven Metcalf and other friends. Ms McLaren said: 'This legacy means a huge amount to RSABI and it was a great privilege to be able to learn more about Charlie's life and how he came to choose to support the work we do, to help people during tough times in farming and crofting, in this incredible way. 'It was humbling to visit the area where Charlie was born and later farmed, and to pay respects at his grave, on behalf of all the team at RSABI. We are extremely grateful to Charlie for recognising the value of the work we do and choosing to kindly gift a significant part of his lifetime savings to support the charity. 'We are committed to ensuring many people facing dark times receive our support, helped by the funds he has so kindly entrusted us with.' In recent months RSABI has delivered a number of initiatives in Orkney. Following two Mental Health First Aid training courses in Kirkwall, the charity brought the Jim Smith #KeepTalking show to Orkney at the start of 2025, followed by a Planning for the Future roadshow date this spring. This summer, RSABI is attending both Dounby and County shows and is bringing its Health Hut to the Orkney Mart sale on August 11.
Irish Independent
05-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
HSE's Glanmire mental health plan a ‘move back to the dark ages'
Liam Quaide, mental health spokesperson for the Social Democrats and a psychologist himself, called the €64m plan 'a move back to the dark ages of service provision.' 'St. Stephen's is a fine location for an elective hospital and acute mental health admissions - it is not a suitable place for people to live over a period of years, and in some cases, for the rest of their lives,' Deputy Quaide said. St. Stephen's Hospital is located close to the village of Glanmire, about seven kilometres from Cork city. Originally opened as a TB hospital in 1954, it now primarily provides mental health services. The HSE has said the new development would consist of five bungalows and wouldn't be institutional in design. Deputy Quaide believes that centralising residential placements in St. Stephen's will disconnect people from their communities. 'It is entirely at odds with the progressive trend that has been core to every mental health policy since Planning for the Future in the 1980s of supporting people with severe mental health difficulties to integrate in their communities. 'It will lock in vast amounts of public money to a centralised, isolated service that should be spent on community-integrated settings in towns such as Cobh and Clonakilty, where currently none exist.' The East Cork TD pointed out that the land around St. Stephen's is zoned for agricultural and light industry use and the nearest shop – a service station – is 1.7 km away with no footpath for the first kilometre. The nearest grocery store is in Riverstown, which is a 40-minute walk from the hospital. 'There are no community amenities within walking distance of St. Stephen's and no plans to develop any. These residents typically do not drive, and some have mobility issues,' he said. 'When I joined the North Cork mental health services as a psychologist in 2013, the Rehabilitation and Recovery team in that region was helping many long-stay patients of St. Stephen's Hospital to re-integrate back into their communities in residences in Fermoy, Mallow and Kanturk. "That North Cork team is an exemplar of the direction we need to take towards progressive service development. This proposal is entirely at odds with that trend.' Deputy Quaide has called on the HSE to redirect the funding to smaller scale community-integrated residences.
