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Highland BlindCraft (HBC) was founded 140 years ago as a factory to provide employment for blind children when they were ready to leave the blind school in Inverness. Today as a registered charity and social enterprise, HBC is still run on the same founding principles, although included are people with a variety of disabilities from all over the Highlands and Islands.
The business designs, manufactures and sells bespoke quality beds, mattresses and other niche products to the highest of standards. HBC also supply traditional and contemporary pine beds, headboards, bedroom and occasional furniture, pillows and mattress protectors.
Clients include the Three Chimneys, Castle Stuart, The Palace Hotel in Inverness and Achnagairn along with many more of this calibre.
HBC were also included in the Scottish Government directory to showcase the work of supported businesses across the country and they won a contract via Momentum Scotland which has been extended until April 2017.
HIE’s account management approach involves working intensively with communities or social enterprises over a sustained period of time to support and deliver sustainable growth. HBC is one of our clients.
Some of our support programmes HBC have taken part in include:
HBC aims to continue to balance sustainability with purpose – providing a supportive work environment for people with disabilities, while ensuring that they have a commercially focused and sustainable business model.
As part of the company’s development plan they are offering training for employees in IT, literacy, job coaching and interview skills to help them with moving into open employment. They would also like to carry out first aid and health and safety training in-house so they can make the training as relevant as possible.
In its full production factory in Inverness, HBC employs 19 highly skilled visually impaired and disabled people, along with 4 other able-bodied individuals.
Inverness and Nairn MSP Fergus Ewing attended the official opening of their showroom.
Find out who else we've helped and how they've benefited from our support.
The West Harris Trust were the first community company to purchase its crofting estate from the Scottish Government in 2010. Read more about their journey here.
The Shieling Project, an off-grid learning centre, that invites and encourages everyone to experience outdoor living, harnesses centuries old skills as a blueprint to a more sustainable future.
Heating a community, fighting fuel poverty and saving the planet.
Browse our knowledge library to see our latest case studies and playback training webinars and podcasts.
