BE PART OF IT
With the support of the people of the Forres area and our funders, the Leanchoil Trust is working to bring this amazing property back into service for the community.
The Project
Our vision is that Leanchoil will become a micro health & wellbeing ‘village’, helping people to live healthier, happier and longer lives, and becoming a trailblazer for re-purposing large redundant hospital buildings for community benefit across the UK.
The Leanchoil Project resulted from the community’s determination to save Leanchoil Cottage Hospital, which NHS Grampian shut down in 2018.
Guided by our community the Trust is developing plans to re-purpose this historic building as a hub for wellbeing and education while saving its heritage.
Our partnerships with Hanover Scotland, Robertson Property and the Scottish Ambulance Service are key and we are working with them and others including:
- Moray Growth Deal – STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) and Housing Mix Projects
- Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre – Rural Centre of Excellence
- 3rd Sector wellbeing organisations
- Health & Social Care Moray
- Forres GPs
Before work begins, ownership must be transferred from NHS Grampian through a Community Asset Transfer (CAT) to ensure Leanchoil benefits the wider community. We are in the final stages of the process with NHS Grampian and you can learn more about the CAT here.
The Leanchoil Centre and Grounds
While all this is going on we have been busy building the vision for this amazing site, exploring a range of facilities and services that could be incorporated in the Leanchoil Centre. Research conducted by Social Value Lab for the trust demonstrates the considerable savings that could be achieved through the Leanchoil project by bringing some health services back in to the community and by supporting people to improve their own health and wellbeing.
We want to create an inspiring place that respects its importance to local people whilst offering state-of-the-art facilities to support the community.
- Cafe with employment and volunteer opportunities
- STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) exploration rooms for early years and the community
- A high-tech immersive classroom for training and learning
- Indoor activities and classes for wellbeing
- Dietary, physio, occupational therapy and other services
- Space for third sector (charity), veterans and community groups
- Forest School nursery and outdoor learning
- Outdoor projects for physical and mental wellbeing
- Space for the Scottish Ambulance Service team
The Cost
There’s a lot of work to be done to bring the interior, which has deteriorated since closure, up to standard. The estimated cost of the plans is £5 million. This is a staggering amount of money but with community backing the Trust is confident this can be raised through grants, donations and public support.
As you can see, the interior has deteriorated since the hospital’s closure.
In May 2024 The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded us £93,650 to develop our plans ahead of submitting a Delivery stage application for £1.37m towards the project costs. LDN Architects Ltd is developing the designs and plans for the main hospital building and maternity wing and the aim is to submit the planning application in July 2025.
Your Support
You, our community, are vital to successfully bringing Leanchoil back into use and will benefit from all it will offer. You can support the project through donations, sponsorship, fundraising and becoming a member of the Trust, all of which will show fund-givers that we have your backing.