A strange sponsored walk is planned from Fort William to Inverness – with strings attached.
Puppets are going to walk 80 miles from Fort William to Inverness.
Karrie Marshall and Chris King of Creativity in Care are undertaking the bizarre sponsored walk along the Great Glen Way with animal marionettes.
Their aim is to raise funds towards delivering creative programmes using puppets in care homes throughout the Highlands. These successful programmes, designed to increase positive interactions and improve well-being, actively involve people living in care homes, their families, carers and staff, co-artists and other puppeteers.
The puppets, with Karrie and Chris at the controls, will begin their journey from Fort William on Saturday April 26, and there is an open invitation for anyone to join them at 2pm, outside the West Highland Museum to wave them on their way.
Karrie said: “The puppets will be a cat chasing a bird when we start off at Fort William, but we might be joined by a puppet dog at Fort Augustus which will chase the cat.
“Wind will be a problem if it gets blowy. We also find that dogs can be a problem. Some run away from the puppets, but other want to chase and play with them.”
Caroline Gunn, manager at the Telford Centre, said: “We are all really looking forward to the visit. Having attended Care in Creativity awareness days in the past, I was very moved by what stimulation and enjoyment can be provided by the puppets.”
A short journey, to get the puppets warmed up, will take them to Neptune Steps on the Caledonian Canal. They then intend arriving in Fort Augustus on Tuesday, April 29, and visiting the Telford Centre residents the next day.
Friday, May 2, will see the puppets at Drumnadrochit, Abriachan on May 3 when, during the afternoon, Karrie hopes to give a talk aimed at families, carers and interested members of the public on her book Puppetry in Dementia Care about the importance of using different approaches to connect with people living with dementia. The puppets will end their journey on Sunday, May 4, and members of the public are invited to come and see them and walk the last few yards from Ness Islands pedestrian bridge at 2pm to Inverness Castle.
To sponsor the walk please visit creativityincare.org and hit the donate button or send cheques to Creativity in Care CIC, Suite 333, No 24 Station Square, Inverness, IV1 1LD.