WATCH: Search for daisy stones launched in Inverness to highlight Haven Appeal's crowdfunding campaign which is supported by Scotland's Commonwealth Games silver medallist in judo Stephanie Inglis
Hundreds of stones featuring hand-painted daisies have been placed around Inverness to highlight a charity fundraising campaign.
The Haven Appeal aims to raise £4 million to develop a centre at Smithton for children and young people with severe and complex needs.
Anyone spotting the stones – which have been painted by local youngsters – is invited to take a picture and post it on social media and donate to the cause.
The quirky awareness-raising campaign has been launched alongside a £1.6 million crowdfunding campaign specifically for specialist play facilities at the proposed centre.
The online campaign was launched at a dinner and Question of Sport quiz which raised £12,000.
The event, held at the Kingsmills Hotel, was attended by former international judo star and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Stephanie Inglis.
She told the audience that online donations saved her life after she received serious head injuries in a motorbike accident in Vietnam.
An accompanying short film, Creating Smiles, also had its first screening at the event.
The Haven Appeal was launched by the Elsie Normington Foundation whose founder was delighted by the success of the fundraising dinner.
"It is also about raising the profile of the charity and to have local people getting involved and doing their own fundraisers and building up the momentum," she said.
The proposed Haven Centre will be the first fully-integrated facility of its kind in Scotland.
A brownfield site has been identified in Murray Road for the project. It was previously occupied by the Culloden Court Nursing Home but has been derelict since the building was destroyed by a fire in October 2010.
The complex will include three two-bedroomed respite houses, a community cafe, specialist indoor and outdoor play centres, office and meeting spaces and a community garden.
For more information, visit www.havenappeal.org.uk, or to donate online go to www.gofundme.com/the-haven-appeal. People can also donate £5 by texting Haven001 to 70970, or £10 by texting Haven001 to 70191.
