Perthfm News 19/11/10

Mountain Rescue National Conference

This weekend will see Aberfeldy host mountain rescue teams and partner agencies from across Scotland as they attend the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland’s national conference sponsored by the Order of St John. This is the first time that the conference has been held in the Perthshire area, with the theme this year focussing on partnership working. Workshops will include Tayside Fire and Rescue, Tayside Police Search and Rescue Unit and local civilian volunteers from Tayside Mountain Rescue Team demonstrating how they can work together and enhance their collective strengths. Superintendent David Tonks, Co-ordinator for Mountain Rescue in Tayside, said, "I am pleased to see this conference coming to Tayside. The local rescue services including Fire, Police and civilian volunteers from Tayside Mountain Rescue Team work well together, which makes it an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how this combination can be very effective".

Dementia Drop-ins

Residents of Strathmore are being invited to come along to drop-in information sessions to learn more about a new local service for people living with dementia and their families. The new service which, has been developed by NHS Tayside in association with Perth & Kinross Council, will see locally based integrated, multi-disciplinary teams providing a single point of contact for Strathmore residents who need to access services, reducing the need for inappropriate admission to hospitals or care homes. A series of drop-in sessions are currently underway where staff from the Strathmore Dementia Services will be on hand to chat to local people about the improvements. The remaining sessions will take place at Kinloch Hall, Meigle on Monday, 22 November from 1.30 - 3pm, and at Guildtown Village Hall on Tuesday, 23 November from 1.30 - 3pm.

Care Village Propsal

Detailed plans to convert Perth's former Station Hotel into a "five-star care village" have been place with the local authority planning department.
The current owners, Supportico, have ambitious plans for the building, which include housing, and services for the elderly and a "centre of excellence" for retirement care. The hotel's ballroom and conference rooms would be preserved and would hose activities such as concerts, tea dances, arts and painting. The landscaped gardens would also be retained as the developers feel this is a unique feature for a town centre facility.