Muaitheabhal Community Trust awards £25,000 to Leverburgh Care Home
Leverburgh Care Home has received a grant of £25,000 from Muaitheabhal Community Trust (MCT) towards a Service Improvement Plan that will bring solar power, a refurbished garden and growing space, and permanent housing for the home's electric Trishaw.
Donnie Morrison, Board Member of Muaitheabhal Community Trust, presents a cheque for £25,000 to Isabel Campbell, Manager of Leverburgh Care Home.
The home has provided residential care for people from across the Western Isles for over 38 years and currently supports up to 16 residents living with dementia and mobility related conditions. It employs 31 staff from Lewis and Harris and operates as a not-for-profit organisation with a Christian ethos, under the umbrella of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
The £69,545 project has three parts. Solar panels and a storage battery, supplied by OMAC of Stornoway, will reduce the home's exposure to rising electricity costs and support its long-term financial resilience. A new Polycrub and garden, including raised beds, replacement fencing, paths and lighting, will give residents year-round access to the outdoors, growing and gardening, something residents identified as a priority through activity surveys. A shipping container, supplied by Engebret's of Stornoway, will provide permanent, weatherproof housing for the home's electric Trishaw, secured jointly with Harris Community Wheel, so it can continue to be used by residents, volunteers and the wider community.
NHS Western Isles has already awarded £30,838 towards the solar and garden elements, and the home is raising further funds locally through community cafes and in-kind support. The contribution from Muaitheabhal Community Trust brings the project significantly closer to completion, which is planned by the end of 2026.
Muaitheabhal Community Trust normally focuses its funding on South Lochs, Kinloch, North Lochs and North Harris. Leverburgh Care Home falls outside these areas, but the Trust recognised the home as an exceptionally valuable organisation, providing care for elderly people from across Lewis and Harris, including from the Trust's own focus areas. The Board agreed that the home's wider contribution to the community merited support beyond its usual funding boundaries.
“This funding makes a real difference to the people who call Leverburgh Care Home home. Our residents have told us clearly that they want more time outdoors, and the new garden and Polycrub will let them grow, potter and enjoy fresh air all year round. The solar panels and battery will protect the home against rising energy costs for years to come, and housing the Trishaw properly means it will be there for residents and the wider community long into the future. We are enormously grateful to Muaitheabhal Community Trust for backing this project.”
Isabel Campbell, Manager, Leverburgh Care Home
“Leverburgh Care Home has looked after people from right across the Western Isles for nearly forty years, and it is an important local employer as well as a vital service. This project supports residents, staff and our environment all at once, from sustainable energy to a garden that will lift people's spirits and a Trishaw that gets people out and about. It is exactly the kind of community benefit the Trust exists to support, and we were delighted to hand over the cheque.”
Donnie Morrison, Board Member, Muaitheabhal Community Trust