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A NORTH coast care home, which is shortly set to close permanently due to staffing difficulties, held a dual celebration on May 6.
Caladh Sona care home at Talmine marked not just the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, but also nearly 50 years of providing an excellent standard of care.
Former staff members at the six-bed unit, which is operated by NHS Highland, attended the event as did members of the Caladh Sona Action Group.
Opened in July 1975, Caladh Sona initially consisted of four sheltered houses and four temporary care beds.
The first warden appointed was Bessie Mackay, who was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1990 in recognition of her outstanding service to the community. Ms Mackay was assisted in the early days by Sheena Mackay, who is currently a resident at Caladh Sona.
The Caladh Sona Action Group was formed in 2006 in opposition to a move to downgrade the facility to a sheltered housing complex. That threat was averted and the group has since campaigned for a new build to replace the ageing facility.
Plans for a new £10.5 million North Coast Health and Social Care Hub in Tongue to replace both Caladh Sona and its sister care facility at Melvich, known as Sinclair Court, are well advanced and hopes are high it will open in 2026.
However, it was thought Caladh Sona would remain operational until the new hub came on stream, but NHS Highland announced in April that the facility was to close permanently within three months because the staffing situation had become acute.
At the gathering, Caladh Sona Action Group secretary Marion Milligan said current staff had gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure shifts were covered.
“The availability of affordable housing has long been an issue in attracting people to move into the area and take up vacant posts,” she said.
“The whole community came together to promote adverts for posts and to offer or suggest accommodation for newly appointed staff. We were aware that new staff members had indeed been appointed recently and we remained optimistic that closure would be averted.”
She added: “It is so sad that Sheena, who was born and brought up in Melness is now faced with leaving the area in the next few days as a result of the planned closure.”
Caladh Sona Action Group chairwoman Ngaire Mingham thanked staff for the “care and compassion” shown through the years to residents and for the pastoral care of residents’ relatives and friends.
She also acknowledged the extreme efforts that staff had made to try to keep Caladh Sona open until the new hub was built.
“We expect NHS Highland to reward these efforts by offering these skilled staff jobs in the local area, thus ensuring they are retained and able to take up posts in the new care home when it opens,” she said.
“I am confident that the hard work being undertaken by other organisations in our community will come to fruition and the housing and childcare issues which have undoubtedly affected staff recruitment, will be addressed.”
Bessie Mackay’s sister Angela Mackay has also paid tribute to the care given by staff at Caladh Sona, saying it had been “second to none”.
She said: “All the staff are so kind, my sister could not have been better cared for.”
Entertainment at the event was provided by Jane Mackay from Melness, accompanied by her son Kerr. A former care worker, Jane was responsible for training many of the staff currently working at Caladh Sona. After she retired, she continued to be involved in the life of the home, playing and singing at every party.
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to Caladh Sona, Jane was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Joanie Mackay-Shanks.
Conservation and tourism organisation Wildland, which is owned by Danish entrepreneur and north Sutherland landowner Anders Holch Povlsen. is part-funding the construction of a new hub.
Wildland’s director of built development Joe Dunn said: “We continue to work closely with NHS Highland and Highland Council to progress the design for the new care home at Tongue. We are committed to providing a first-class facility which will provide a much needed health care service to the people of north Sutherland.”