Netherthird Community Centre mental health rooms open

Today, August 19, the Netherthird Initiative for Community Empowerment (NICE) team officially opened the extension to the community centre, which has been in the pipeline for almost four years.

After realising the centre was in need of an extension, the team also banded together to realise that more could be done to tackle the tragically rising suicide rates in young people in the area.

Work began on the new extension last July, to double the size of the main hall already in the centre.

The new extension looks great

Any youngsters in the area who are struggling with their mental health, or who is feeling lonely, can now get in touch with the centre and they can reieve specialist treatment in the new rooms.

The extension will also lend itself to larger weddings, birthdays, enegagement parties and any other kind of gathering.

To start off the celebrations, there was a brilliant piping performance from EPIC East Ayrshire Pipe Band Academy.

Joining the brilliant team at NICE for the officially opening, were local councillors, politicians, funding supports and volunteers who have made this wonderful day come to life.

A delighted Maggie Campbell, NICE chairperson, said: "We listened to the people in our community who said we need a bigger hall.

"We found it difficult to achieve the funding at first, but when it finally fell together, we were over the moon.

"Lots of money came in from losts of different people to help us achieve this, so thank you very much to them."

A full house at the opening

Maggie added: "We built these care rooms because we have a heartbreakingly high rate of suicides in this small community, which is totally devastating.

"We are going to work with loads of mental health professionals to try and change this.

"We worked with Youth Intervention to ensure the rooms had a welcoming feel about them."

Maggie paid a special tribute to one of the young people in the area who sadly lost their lives, Murray Harkness.

Murray died on October 7, 2018.

Maggie continued: "We want to dedicate the rooms to Murray Harkeness and to all the young people who have been taken away from us too early.

"We plan to purchase this property in the future and bring it into community ownership, which would give us access to further funding streams.

"We're grateful to have achieved this stage of funding, and we'll look to apply for more funding in the future.

"Once again, thanks to everyone who made this happen."