The Haven Centre

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The Haven Centre We exist to promote services and support to children and adults with learning disabilities in Highland We need your help to raise £4 million for this project.

Elsie Normington Foundation plans to build a specialist play centre, respite wing, community coffee shop and some supported housing for children and young adults with learning disabilities in Inverness. You can donate by visiting www.gofundme.com/the-haven-appeal

Young people need relevant facilities and services while parents need to be supported appropriately in their caring role. There are 1679 children with additional needs in school and 722 children who are registered disabled in Highland.

06/11/2026

Our lovely music therapist Karen 😊🎶🎧🎵

For some families, The Haven Centre makes it possible to stay together here in the Highlands 💙At our recent third birthd...
03/11/2026

For some families, The Haven Centre makes it possible to stay together here in the Highlands 💙

At our recent third birthday celebration, our Service and Operations Lead, Hannah Whillis, shared the difference our Haven Suites and specialist Play Centre are making to families.

With our accessible suites now booked most nights, we’re helping young people enjoy short breaks, build independence and stay close to home with carers they know and trust.

Hannah also shared moving stories of families playing together, including an older brother who was able to physically play alongside his younger brother, who uses a wheelchair, for the first time.

Accessible play facilities, including our ball pit, make those shared experiences possible here at The Haven Centre.

Time together that every family should have the chance to enjoy.

A big thank you to the BIG SPRING SING! 🎶💙Back in May, the wonderful BIG SPRING SING raised an incredible £1,800 for The...
02/11/2026

A big thank you to the BIG SPRING SING! 🎶💙

Back in May, the wonderful BIG SPRING SING raised an incredible £1,800 for The Haven Centre, with the help of the fantastic Singing for Pleasure Songbirds and Rainbows choirs!

Thanks to their generosity, we've been able to purchase some lovely new beanbags for our Play Centre, giving children and young people even more comfortable spaces to relax, unwind and enjoy their time with us.

It's lovely to see money raised in our community making a real difference here at The Haven Centre.

A huge thank you to everyone who sang, organised, supported and donated. You've helped make our Play Centre an even more welcoming space for the children and young people who visit us! ❤️

The garden swings have been getting plenty of love recently! 💙We loved seeing this young visitor having such a brilliant...
31/10/2026

The garden swings have been getting plenty of love recently! 💙

We loved seeing this young visitor having such a brilliant time on the swings in our garden play space. Sometimes, a bit of fresh air and the freedom to play is all you need! 🌿

Our outdoor space is an important part of The Haven Centre, giving children and young people with additional support needs the chance to play, explore and enjoy time outdoors in a safe, welcoming environment

If you’re visiting The Haven Cafe with a young person with additional support needs and would like to access the outdoor play area during your visit, just ask a member of the team at the café counter

There’s plenty to enjoy both indoors and outdoors at The Haven Centre, and we’d love to welcome you along!

Our Haven Café is about so much more than coffee and cake! ☕💙It's a place where people can build confidence, develop new...
30/10/2026

Our Haven Café is about so much more than coffee and cake! ☕💙

It's a place where people can build confidence, develop new skills and take important steps towards employment.

At our recent third birthday celebration, our Café Manager Erin shared some wonderful stories, from Kyle and Lexi moving from volunteering into paid employment to Stefan growing in confidence through his placement with ENABLE.

And there's Finlay, who has recently started a year's paid work placement with us, supported by the Hero Fund and ENABLE. As his dad Charlie put it, it's far more than a job. It's a wonderful addition to his life. ❤️

A huge thank you to our incredible café volunteers, who give an average of 165 hours every month to help keep our doors open to the community!

Every coffee, lunch or sweet treat helps us create more opportunities like these.

Our café is open to everyone, so why not pop in and see us? 💙

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30/10/2026

Thank you to MFR for coming along to our third birthday celebrations and helping us share what The Haven Centre means to the people who use it 💙

That sense of belonging is such an important part of what we want people to find here.

We hope this video helps more people discover what’s here at The Haven Centre. If you have any questions about our spaces or coming along, please get in touch, we’d be happy to chat.

📞 07561 858301

We’ve got some lovely news to share 💙Lexi Duncan first came to The Haven Cafe through a practical course at Culloden Aca...
29/10/2026

We’ve got some lovely news to share 💙

Lexi Duncan first came to The Haven Cafe through a practical course at Culloden Academy School. After leaving school, she stayed with us as a volunteer, building her skills in the kitchen, serving customers and getting to know our regulars

This autumn, she secured a paid role as a kitchen aide in the care sector!

Lexi told us: “I'm so thankful to The Haven Café for training me and helping me gain confidence, and enabling me to be able to go on and apply for a paid role.”

It’s been lovely having Lexi as part of the Café team and seeing her confidence grow. Congratulations on the new job, Lexi, we’re so pleased for you! 🥰

Read her story here:
https://havencentre.org/stories/from-school-volunteer-to-paid-employment-lexis-story/

28/10/2026

Three years of The Haven Centre! 💙

Last night, we brought together the people who have helped make The Haven Centre what it is today, from families and volunteers to trustees, supporters and our wonderful team.

It was a special evening reflecting on how far we've come since Elsie's original vision in 2012, sharing the stories that make this place so important and looking ahead to what's next.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate, to everyone who has supported us along the way and, of course, to our Haven Café team for putting on such a fantastic spread!

As we continue this next chapter under The Haven Centre name, our purpose remains the same: creating opportunities, connections and a place where everyone feels they belong.

💙 Read more about the evening and our journey so far: https://havencentre.org/three-years-of-the-haven-centre-celebrating-our-community-and-the-journey-ahead/

A very special thank you for a donation of £21,000! 💙Thanks to an incredibly generous donation of £21,000 from a long-st...
23/10/2026

A very special thank you for a donation of £21,000! 💙

Thanks to an incredibly generous donation of £21,000 from a long-standing supporter of The Haven Centre, we've been able to introduce some fantastic new sensory equipment to our Play Centre!

From brand new sensory items to a ball pit and cleaner, these additions are already bringing hours of fun, excitement and enjoyment to the children and young people who visit us.

Our supporter has kindly chosen to remain anonymous, but we couldn't let such a wonderful act of generosity go unrecognised.

It's support like this that helps us continue making The Haven Centre a place where children and young people with additional support needs can play, explore and enjoy experiences designed for them.

From everyone at The Haven Centre, thank you! Your kindness is already making such a difference 💙

This lovely family were on October holiday in Inverness and searched where to play thats fully accessible , we were so d...
23/10/2026

This lovely family were on October holiday in Inverness and searched where to play thats fully accessible , we were so delighted they found the Haven to be the perfect fit for all the family together . 💝

Address

Murray Road Smithton Inverness
Inverness
IV27YU

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+447706148333

Website

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