Supporting the refurbishment of Penumbra’s Stornoway base

In support of essential local mental health services, NHS Western Isles has awarded £18,000 in capital grant funding to Penumbra Mental Health to refurbish their base in Stornoway.

Penumbra Mental Health is a pioneering charity that provides dedicated services for individuals experiencing mild to severe and enduring mental health challenges. The base in Stornoway serves as a vital hub to deliver in-person support for people experiencing poor mental health and wellbeing.

Penumbra works with people living with both short and long-term mental health challenges, offering personalised, recovery-focused support that promotes meaningful activity, builds resilience, fosters independence, and inspires hope. Support is delivered through one-to-one coaching with a strength-based approach. They value and advocate for the importance of peer support and use group workshops as a method of bringing people together with shared experiences to focus on specific issues impacting on wellbeing.

Urgent maintenance was required to prevent structural damage to the property. Inadequate access had become a barrier for those Penumbra aims to support, limiting the ways in which services could be delivered. The outdoor garden area was inaccessible and hazardous, representing a missed opportunity to enhance creative wellbeing activities for the community.

The refurbishment project aims to ensure safe access to the building and maximise the usability of both internal and external spaces. This will increase the availability of current services and enable the introduction of new support activities, amplifying the impact of the service and positioning the building as a valuable community asset. By developing a demand-driven community hub, the team will be better equipped to accommodate different groups of people within the premises.

The capital grant funding will allow safe access from point of entry and throughout the levels of the building, create more usable space within the building for 1:1 and group support, and reach more people in need of mental health support. will provide a resource for developing life skills, while improvements to the outdoor space will broaden the range of support activities available.

Gillian McCannon, Board Chair, NHS Western Isles, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to support the refurbishment work at Penumbra’s Stornoway base. Maintaining the condition of the building will ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all service users. The refurbishment will help Penumbra achieve the aspirations that have been set out to further enhance the support given to help improve mental health and wellbeing to the people who access this service, Penumbra plays an important role in supporting our community.”

Shaun Macaulay-Davidson, Head of Programmes, Penumbra, said: “We greatly appreciate the grant monies awarded by NHS Western Isles.  As a not-for-profit charity, every penny we receive really can make a difference to the support we can offer. We are delighted to use these funds to help open up access to our Stornoway base so that it is easier for people to come together in a and connect with mental health and wellbeing support.

He continued, “Now that the works are complete, please watch this space for a programme of Workshops on Wellbeing where we can explore topics that affect our mental wellbeing, in a safe and comfortable place at the heart of the community.”

The Bayhead base also houses the Western Isles Association for Mental Health (WIAMH), which delivers the Catch 23 service. Catch 23 works with adults experiencing mental health issues, neurodiversity and people with physical health conditions and disabilities. The refurbishment will significantly benefit their service as well, positively impacting the wider Western Isles community.

This funding was made available to NHS Western Isles as capital grant funding, separate to revenue and capital core funding allocations for patient care and NHS services/staff. NHS Western Isles understands how difficult the financial situation can be for the third sector and not for profit organisations and bids for Capital Grant funding from NHS Scotland to help support these groups.