SACHD - Helping Families Across Scotland

Montrose Branch

Contact:  Ivy Mackie:montrose@youngheart.info

Welcome to the Montrose and district branch of SACHD.  Our branch has been active since 1987/88. 

We are a small branch, with a core group of 5, who meet regularly, for friendly chats, suppers, and support as required.

We have become firm friends, laughed, cried and shared every level of experience connected with raising a child with a heart disorder. The strength of our friendship is such that although 2 of our core group, now live out with the area, 1 of them overseas, we all make every effort to meet up approximately every 6-8weeks.  We have a former member living in Sydney , Australia who keeps in touch and meets up with us when she is home in Scotland.  We also have several members and supporters who get involved at Christmas time, assisting with selling Christmas cards to their friends and at an annual charities card fayre the we help organise.  We are just ordinary families,trying to support families through their times of need.  All families are welcome. 

We aim to raise awareness locally of the work of SACHD, and have found being part of a support group invaluable, especially in the tough times. 

Information sharing is one of the great advantages gained from involvement in SACHD, and while we cannot advise anyone medically, we can through our experience signpost people to those equipped to give the information required.  Being part of the association has also built our confidence in being more pro active in our childrens care, by being better informed of
latest developments, thus giving us courage to ask questions and the ability to not feel so intimidated when meeting with health professionals.

We attend national committee meetings and A.G.M., and are kept abreast of new developments by doctors and others from the medical team coming along to speak to us. 

Although we have had no new members recently we would like to see new folk, to carry on the work locally, but would stress that no one is pressed to become fully fledged members if it's not for them.

We also have a great telephone network of friends, and sometimes in this busy world we live in it is all folk want, a chat and some info. That is fine too, and there is no pressure to become involved beyond the level that folk are comfortable with.  Many have used this method of support over the years.  We do also provide an opportunity for one to one visitation, if required. 

We have over the years fundraised in many different ways-sponsored activities,stalls at local fairs, selling christmas cards, compiling recipe books, selling association goods, and have also had invited speakers such as social workers, health visitors, and dentists to come and share info with us. Now that most of our children are a adults, we focus on supper nights which we believe are legendary!

Our commitment to the association, and to our own small group, has been to do what we can, when we can, and never to let each other down.  Each of us can vouch for the empathy and care that we show to each other and to children and parents locally and further afield.  We do our best to comfort, support and help find answer to the many difficult questions being a parent of a child with a heart disorder brings.

Some of our children have occasional involvement in Bravehearts, the group set up within the association specifically for young adults who've grown up with a heart disorder.  This group is now well established and very much an active part of the association, which is very Encouraging.  Our young members Stewart and Elliot are both working, and Natalie is about to start a college course in Aberdeen.

Recently we have established links with a new family in Aberdeenshire, who is trying to re-establish a branch in her area.  We feel we've made a new friend, and aim to support and encourage her and her family in this new development, and provide any help that we can.
We also have a link with the Angus Cardiac Group, and try to support each others events when possible.  They have over the years supported the association with donations, as have other individuals and organisations locally.

Us mums in Montrose continue to keep the branch going and hope that some new families will join us to take over the reigns, well we can live in hope!

Feel free to contact us, we'd love to hear from you.