The Scottish Highlander Photo Archive (SHPA) marks one year since the publication of their photobook Vintage Vehicles in Inverness and the Highlands with a donation to Mikeysline.

The printing costs were generously donated by car sales company Dicksons of Inverness, of 28-34 Carsegate Road, Inverness, with the agreement that any surplus profits would be donated to local grassroots mental health charity Mikeysline. A donation of £500 was made earlier this week, following a year of sales of the book which is available at Dicksons’ showroom, and in the Victorian Market Sweet Shop.

To mark the sale of the book, and the donation, Mikeysline staff CEO Emily Stokes and Fundraising Manager Katie Melville joined Dicksons Director of Sales Jim Mackenzie and Adrian Harvey of the SHPA for a photograph at the showroom. Dicksons of Inverness donated the “Mikeyslinemobile” Kia Rio at the beginning of 2022, and since it hit the road Mikeysline have been able to reach 3000 more people for support, information sessions, and workshops and collaborations in schools and businesses right across the Highlands and Moray. Only due to the generosity of Dicksons has Mikeysline been able to develop their network, from Caithness to the Isle of Skye to Elgin, and beyond.

This generous support from the SHPA and Dicksons of Inverness to Mikeysline was particularly appropriate given the longstanding support Dicksons has provided for the charity, but also because the photobook was populated using prints collected from the Andrew Paterson Studio which operated in the heart of Inverness from 1895 – 1980, and which has since become Mikeysline’s Hive and headquarters at 19 Academy Street, Inverness.

Mikeysline provides text-based support via a range of platforms during evenings and weekends for people across the Highlands and Moray struggling with their mental health. Or at risk of self-harm and suicide. The charity also provides appointment and drop-in one-to-one in-person support, as well as collaborating with schools and workforces to provide mental health awareness sessions and workshops.

Emily Stokes, Chief Executive Officer of Mikeysline, said: “We knew that having a dedicated car within the charity would be a game changer in enabling us to expand our offer of support and services further and we are so grateful for the support from Dicksons in enabling us to affordably reach more distant locations from our main base in Inverness, whilst increase our visibility due to our car’s branding. It is amazing to be able to reflect on the additional number of people reached since w received the car earlier this year. We are also so grateful for the support from Adrian Harvey and Dicksons in helping to promote Mikeysline and raise funds through the photobook Vintage Vehicles In Inverness and the Highlands, which is made all the more special through our joint connection with SHPA through our Inverness Hive at 19 Academy Street.”

Adrian Harvey of the Scottish Highlander Photo Archive, said: “SHPA were very pleased when Dicksons came forward to collaborate with us and cover the publishing costs of our book which was published a year ago. The agreement to donate surplus profits to Mikeysline was also ideal for us, as the Andrew Paterson Studio operated for 85 years until 1980 in what is now Mikeysline’s Hive. The book’s forward was written by Jim Mackenzie of Dicksons, and is available at Dicksons’ showroom and in the Sweet Shop in the Victorian Market for sale. Our work is also available to view on scottishhighlanderphotoarchive.co.uk, and on Facebook where we have 4 dedicated pages.”

Jim Mackenzie, Director of Sales for Dicksons of Inverness, said: “I was approached by Mikey’s uncle Ron Williamson nearly 7 years ago to help him as he set up Mikeysline. I’ve been keen to involve Dicksons and find ways and means to support such an important cause ever since, and we were delighted to present them with the car at the start of this year, which I’m pleased has been a game-changer for their growth. Adrian and I know each other through Teclan, the marketing agency who provide Dicksons’ website support, and we were delighted to offer to fund the publication of the SHPA’s book in exchange for a Mikeysline donation. We sell the book in our showroom and it is a great conversation piece with clients.”