Inverness charity seeks £30k for new boat

An Inverness-based charity is launching a fundraising drive in a bid to replace a canal boat which brings joy to local care home residents.

Seagull Trust Cruises runs trips along the Caledonian Canal, last year taking more than 1,700 passengers on its twice-daily two-hour trips, reports the Inverness Courier.

Now the charity needs to raise £30,000 to complete the purchase of a new vessel.

Regular users of the service include the Highview House care home, which has booked fortnightly trips with the crew for the past eight years.

Activities organiser at the home Ann Harris told the publication that the journeys are widely enjoyed by residents and their families.

She added: "It's very therapeutic and they love it. They look forward to it, they talk about it afterwards and it's a change. It's like freedom."

Barchester's Highview House provides "first-class" professional care for people living with dementia in its Memory Lane Community, as well as for younger people with a physical disability.