The Discovery College, the Highlands’ pioneering walk-in mental health, addiction and wellbeing peer led recovery college, is celebrating a double success at the 2026 Highland Third Sector Interface Awards.
The community-led initiative which provides free, face-to-face mental health and addiction peer support in Inverness and Wick, won the Community Initiative Award, while Discovery College Manager Sue Lyons received the Outstanding Achievement Award in recognition of her contribution to the Third Sector.
The awards were presented at the Highland Third Sector Interface (HTSI) annual awards ceremony at Strathpeffer Pavilion on Friday, 4th September.
Discovery College was developed and launched in Inverness city centre in 2023 by Centred Scotland, the largest mental health and wellbeing charity in the Scottish Highlands. Due to its success, the initiative was subsequently expanded to Wick in Caithness in 2025. The first service of its kind in the Highlands, it was designed and developed alongside people with lived experience of mental health and addiction.
Today, Discovery College receives more than 140 visits every week, providing people with accessible support before they reach crisis point.
There are no appointments or waiting lists. Anyone aged 18 or over experiencing mental health or addiction challenges can walk in during opening hours, receive face-to-face peer support and stay for as long as they need.
A service shaped by the people who use it
The Community Initiative Award recognises initiatives designed and delivered by communities that can demonstrate tangible and evidenced benefits for the people they support. Discovery College grew out of community and was co-developed through a lived experience group and a strategy group, with people who had personal experience of mental health and addiction leading the design and development of the initiative.
Today, that commitment to co-production continues as Discovery College enters its next phase. The new phase will develop a Recovery Roadmap to support people into and through their journey of recovery with a greater focus on connection, hope and belonging. It will also offer new volunteer opportunities for the wider community. To allow the Discovery College to grow and attract new funding, Centred Scotland will begin the transition to set up the initiative as a subsidiary of Centred Scotland as a standalone charity.
These changes have been a result of the engagement, conversations, and co-development carried out by the team of dedicated staff.
Today, that commitment to co-production continues today, and support available at Discovery College is shaped by the needs and wishes of the people who use the service.
Its team includes peer support workers with lived experience who create a welcoming, non-clinical environment built around trust and understanding. As well as providing practical guidance and learning opportunities, the team works with other local organisations to connect visitors with appropriate support.
The results demonstrate the impact the approach is having
95% of first-time visitors say they feel welcomed and safe, while 86% return to the service, demonstrating continued engagement and trust.
Among returning visitors, 38% report a significant improvement in their wellbeing, moving from below-average to high wellbeing scores.
Discovery College is also helping tackle social isolation. Every visitor reports making a connection with a trained peer support worker with lived experience, while 55% make connections with other visitors, helping people develop their own support networks and resilience.
Recognition for outstanding leadership
The evening also brought individual recognition for Discovery College Manager Sue Lyons, who received the Outstanding Achievement Award 2026.
The award recognises an individual who has made an outstanding and sustained contribution to society through their Third Sector activity. Sue has spent much of her adult life working and volunteering within the Third Sector, supporting a wide variety of charities, voluntary groups and communities. Over the years, she has played an important role in helping sustain a number of services, charities and voluntary groups across the Highlands.
Today, Sue is a passionate advocate for rural communities, lived experience and peer-led support. Drawing on national and international approaches, her work is helping develop new ways of providing mental health support across the Highlands and beyond.
Demand demonstrates need for accessible support
David Brookfield, CEO of Centred, said, “The Discovery College has transformed access to mental health and wellbeing support by providing an early intervention peer support service that people trust, return to and benefit from. Since opening, demand has continued to grow, with up to 30 visitors each day accessing drop-in support. That demonstrates the clear need for an accessible, community-based service where people can get help before reaching crisis point.
“We are absolutely thrilled that Discovery College has been recognised with the Community Initiative Award, and that Sue’s commitment and leadership have been recognised with the Outstanding Achievement Award. These awards are also recognition of our staff, peer support workers, partners and, importantly, the people with lived experience who have helped shape Discovery College from the very beginning.”
By providing free, non-clinical peer support before crisis point, Discovery College aims to help people build confidence, improve their wellbeing and become more connected with their communities, while also helping reduce pressure on statutory mental health services.