June 2019 Update
The summer season at the Old School, Inverasdale has had a tremendous start. In May we welcomed three times as many people to the Old Schoolhouse Tearoom and exhibitions as against the same period last year!
“A Land Fit for Heroes” has proved interesting, enjoyable and moving for so many of our visitors. One visitor said “We came and had excellent tea and cake at the School last week, and spent some time enjoying your exhibitions. I think you've done a grand job of displaying the Museum posters in the context of your own stories.”
The ‘School Exhibition’ continues to attract interest, not just from those who have connections. A visitor who spent quite some time in the school exhibition recently, particularly admired the gallery of photographs and the story told by these and the School Registers.
If you’re visiting the area come along and have tea, coffee and home-baking on a Wednesday or Friday afternoon from 2.00 pm until 4.30 pm, enjoy our exhibitions and browse the local arts and crafts on display.
About Us
We are a registered charity in a remote rural community with a group of volunteers who have worked hard since 2015 to bring the old Inverasdale Primary School into community ownership as a Community Centre. Wester Loch Ewe Trust was set up in March 2015 to be the legal body for asset transfer and at the end of November 2018 we achieved ownership of the School.
Wester Loch Ewe Trust is developing the Old School to create a Community Centre serving the series of scattered crofting settlements which stretch for 9 miles along the isolated west coast of Loch Ewe. Our location is very disadvantaged, having no local services and no public transport. The nearest shop is 9 miles away from Cove, the furthest settlement, and it is a 100-mile round trip to the nearest supermarket. The Old School is the only building for this community, where isolation is a common issue facing residents of the settlements along this coast of Loch Ewe.
We aim to sustain community spirit and good health amongst local residents in our remote location. We offer opportunities to make friends, learn new skills and improve wellbeing for all who come here.
WHAT WE DO is run a variety of activities with the aim of reducing isolation, improving wellbeing and offering learning opportunities in our local community. Our activities include a weekly “drop-in” session where local residents can socialize; there are volunteering opportunities in our tearoom; we provide meeting spaces for local community groups and hold functions in honour of specific events (for example, a Remembrance Day lunch). The Old School is also a central resource hub in case of local emergencies, with a defibrillator and many volunteers trained in skills such as first aid.
OUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE are to grow and thrive, supporting local volunteering as a way of bringing people together. We aim to link up with external stakeholders to provide activities at the centre, with everything from arts and crafts groups to advice services and groups offering mobility support services for our older local residents. We would also like to establish a fortnightly lunch club for older people, introduce themed meals in winter, and run other regular social activities. We also wish to become an established delivery point for online supermarket shopping as a service to our local residents.
April 2019 Update
Our volunteers have been busy getting ready for the summer season, our first under community ownership! We are open on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2.00 pm until 4.00 pm from 1st May until the end of October.
Come along and enjoy our Tearoom:
“A really wonderful place at which you can have a lovely afternoon tea experience with nice china and superb cakes - a real celebration of Scottish baking.” (Facebook comment)
Browse local arts and crafts as well as artisan produce made within a mile of the Old School.
This year you can see updated free exhibitions centered around the ‘History of Inverasdale School’, the Wester Loch Ewe area, and Gairloch Heritage Museum have kindly loaned ‘A Land Fit for Heroes’.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Old Schoolhouse Tearoom
If you are in the Poolewe area, come and visit us at the Old Schoolhouse Tearoom, open Wednesdays and Fridays 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm.
We have delicious home baking, including a gluten-free choice. There are displays of local arts, crafts and produce and 2 free exhibitions.
One exhibition room shows the history of Inverasdale School through photographs and artefacts. There is a small dedicated area where young children can draw, colour and play. The other room shows Wester Loch Ewe in the Past. The exhibitions are updated for each summer season.
If you come to see us and enjoy your visit, please leave a comment in our Guest Book, or our Facebook Page.
Good News - Big Lottery Support!
On 12th December 2018 the Big Lottery Community Led Medium Fund awarded WLET a grant of £116,465. The award gives £50,000 of capital toward the building renovation – for our first ever kitchen, toilet refurbishment and upgrading of access to the building. The rest is revenue spending which will allow us to employ a project development manager part time for 2.5 years as well as employing an admin support assistant for 10 hours a week for 3 years!
Wester Loch Ewe Trust is enormously grateful to the Big Lottery for this grant and to the National Lottery players who made it possible!
Celebration of Community Ownership 8th December
On Saturday evening we held a very enjoyable gathering in Inverasdale School in celebration of community ownership! A significant milestone!
Thank you to all who came along to join us during that evening.
We toasted the school, thanked all who have been so supportive since we began working in 2012 to stage the weekend of Celebration of the School in the Community in June 2013, and enjoyed ourselves!
Privacy Notice
WESTER LOCH EWE TRUST
PRIVACY NOTICE
This privacy notice lets you know what happens to any personal data that you give to us, or any that we may collect from you or about you. WLET is committed to protecting your privacy and personal data as required under the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 (GDPR).
What is Personal Data
For the purposes of GDPR this is any information which relates to a real, living individual from which that individual (or data subject) can or could be identified. Typical identifiers include: a name, identification number, address or other location data, an online identifier such as email address, ‘cookies’ or an IP address (the unique identifying code used by a specific computer or other device to access the internet). Other things which could allow you to be identified include: genetic make-up (your DNA), health, economic circumstance or social, cultural, religious or political identity.
Why WLET holds your Personal Data
As part of the process of operation in line with the aims of WLET we are required to hold certain data to:
· Administer membership records.
· Manage our employees and volunteers.
· Maintain our own accounts and records.
· Deliver our services as a community centre.
· Contact members of the community, record information from visitors and partners to gain opinions of current services with the aim of making informed improvements and developments.
Sharing personal data
WLET will ensure your personal data is treated as strictly confidential. Only on legitimate and necessary legal requirements will data be shared.
Data Retention Periods
Your data will only be kept for as long as is legally required to fulfil WLET’s duties under Health & Safety, Employment Law, Funders requirements, Financial regulations and constitutional requirements.
Your Rights
· The right to be informed – At the time of collection of personal data WLET will inform you of the reason for collection, how long it will be retained and you will be provided with information on your rights in relation to that information.
· The right of access – You can request to access their information both verbally and in writing
· The right to rectification – You can request to rectify information WLET holds on you both verbally or in writing and WLET will ensure this is complied with within one calendar month from the receipt of the request.
· The right to erasure – if there is no legitimate or legal reason for WLET to retain personal information, you have a right to request, verbally or in writing, that it is erased. WLET will ensure this is complied with within one calendar month from the receipt of the request.
· The right to restrict processing – if you have a particular reason for WLET not to use your personal data then you can ask for it to have restricted use, verbally and in writing, and WLET will ensure this is complied with within one calendar month from the receipt of the request.
· The right to data portability – You have the right to request for your data to be securely transfer to another data controller.
· The right to object to the use of personal data – WLET will reply to any objection within one calendar month of the receipt of an objection.
· Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling – You have the right to object to WLET carrying out either of these processes and in the unlikely event of such processes being carried out, to be informed of such processes.
· WLET has no plans to transfer any data held outside of the EU. Any personal data that is transferred to countries or territories outside the EU then WLET has a responsibility to provide you with details of how data will be protected, together with details of how to obtain copies of the relevant safeguards.
· The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioners Office:
The Information Commissioner's Office - Scotland
45 Melville Street
Edinburgh
EH3 7HL
Telephone: 0303 123 1115
Email:
Safe Storage of your personal data
· Any information given in paper format or electronically is securely stored on WLET premises and/or registered office or address of legitimate office bearer/employee of WLET.
· WLET has regular cyber security checks.
WLET has strong security covering our systems which is regularly checked.
· Where we have contracts with external suppliers their responsibility to adhere to our policies and the law are clearly identified.
· All WLET work Laptops, tablets and mobile phones are encrypted to stop any unauthorised access, particularly if they are lost or stolen.
How your data will be disposed of
WLET will keep personal data until the agreed retention period for the information is reached and then it is deleted or safely destroyed. WLET carries out regular checks to ensure that we do not keep information for longer than we need it.
If you require any further clarification then please email us at
Success!
Wester Loch Ewe Trust is delighted to announce that, on behalf of the community, it took formal ownership of the Inverasdale School building and grounds on Thursday 29th November, 2018.
The road to ownership has been long and somewhat tortuous but we’ve reached our first milestone! Thanks to everyone who has supported our efforts over the last 6 years from the planning of the 2013 celebration of the School through to the present time.
A community celebration will take place in Inverasdale School next Saturday evening, 8th December from 7.30 pm. We hope to see you there!
November 2018 Update
As we have done for many years, we hosted a very well attended soup lunch after the Service of Remembrance held at the Russian Arctic Convoy memorial at Cove. It was a bitingly raw day and, as you can see from the pictures, everyone enjoyed the home-made soups, sandwiches and cakes!
Find Us
We're easy to find: from Poolewe take the Inverasdale road (B8057) for 5 miles and you'll be there. 
Look for the school building pictured here and you’ve arrived. You’ll find a parking area opposite the school.
If you're using sat nav, enter our postcode IV22 2LR.
The picture at the top of this page is the wonderful view from the front of the school building!
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