R-evolution For Good team make a splash for Kiltwalk at Findhorn
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FINDHORN beach-goers may have briefly glimpsed some local mermaids dancing on the sand before disappearing into the waves at the weekend.
The mermaids were in fact a team from local charitable community benefit society R-evolution For Good, which works to end child poverty, taking part in Scotland’s Virtual Kiltwalk 2021 on Sunday, April 25.
R-evolution For Good, set up last year by Moray School Bank founder Debi Weir, is both a business and charity owned by the community, with 53 community shareholders.
It delivers training and development to businesses and uses the profits to provide support services to families to help end child poverty. It also provides coaching and counselling to families.
The Findhorn dip was designed to kickstart its new project, RADAR (Responsibility and Action on Domestic Abuse), which works with local men who perpetrate domestic abuse to tackle the issues at the root, for good.
To boost project funds the team donned scaly mermaid leggings, sparkly headbands and shell-adorned "R-evolution For Good" T-shirts to perform a dance to the song "Under The Sea" before running into the waves.
Their Kiltwalk challenge has raised more than £1000 so far, which will be topped up by 50 per cent by philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter's Hunter Foundation.
Debi said: "It was a glorious day so it wasn't so bad – it was actually quite refreshing."
The RADAR project is now under way, with 14 volunteers to start training on May 22 to deliver groupwork sessions with local men.
Through its work RADAR aims to make family life safer and better for children.
Debi said: "Everything that we do at R-evolution For Good is about empowering people and ending child poverty. Poverty is interwoven with domestic abuse – they often come hand in hand.
"We want to have a service where men can come forward themselves and be supported to make change, so actually deal with the problem at root.
"It's about men taking responsibility and taking action on their behaviour, and there's a lot involved in that."
Debi added: "We're talking about early intervention – going into schools and working with boys and young men, how they should deal with anger and rage and how they should treat women, and dealing with the stuff that they see online.
"If a man has a drug problem he can go to Arrows; if a man has a drink problem he can go to Arrows or Alcoholics Anonymous; if a man has an anger issue and is perpetrating domestic abuse there is nowhere in Moray for him to get any help.
"There's nowhere for men to go to get help in the region unless they're part of the criminal justice system."
She added: "We realise not all domestic abuse is perpetrated by men, but it's the most common thread and that's where we're starting."
You can watch the team's mermaid antics here:
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