‘A significant cut to lottery funding, coupled with increased demand from people affected by welfare cuts and unemployment would represent a perfect storm for many Scottish charities’ – SallyAnn Kelly, Aberlour Trust. Continue reading Devastation: charities fear impact of slashed Lottery funding
Tag: charities
It’s in the bag: carrier bag charge raises £6.7m for good causes
‘Staggering’: Scotland’s single use carrier bag usage has dropped by 650 million – more than 80% – since charge was introduced
Scotland’s Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead has announced that retailers across Scotland have witnessed a staggering reduction in the number of single use carrier bags handed out since the 5p charge came into effect 12 months ago.
Data from major grocery retailers indicate a reduction in bag use of around 80 per cent since 20 October 2014 – equivalent to at least 650 million fewer bags being handed out annually compared to previous years – with funds of around £6.7 million being donated to good causes as a result of the charge.
Boots, one of Scotland’s Carrier Bag Commitment signatories, has reported an estimated 80 per cent reduction in carrier bag use in Scotland. The Cabinet Secretary was at its store in Aberdeen to speak to shoppers about their experiences of the change so far.
Mr Lochhead said: “The 5p charge has been a major success with the number of single use bags down by a staggering 650 million, and with nearly £7m raised for good causes.
“Previously statistics showed that people in Scotland used more than 800 million new single-use carrier bags every single year – more per head than anywhere else in the UK.
“I thank Scotland for embracing this policy and showing we’re serious about tackling litter, reducing waste and creating a cleaner, greener environment for everyone to enjoy.
“It’s now becoming second nature to shoppers to reuse their carrier bags and hopefully to think more about our impact on the environment. I am confident that Scotland is going to go from strength to strength in its bid to tidy up our streets and beaches, where litter has been a highly visible problem in the past.”
Iain Gulland, Chief Executive, Zero Waste Scotland, said: “With retailers in Scotland reporting a reduction of 80% in the use of single use carrier bags, it’s evident that Scottish shoppers have embraced a new shopping habit. It’s not always easy to change our habits, but Scotland is proving it has this in the bag.
“Many organisations have already agreed to donate money raised by the 5p charge to good causes, by signing up to Scotland’s Carrier Bag Commitment. Other retailers across the country are now being urged to follow suit.”
Nationwide retailers that signed up to Scotland’s Carrier Bag Commitment – an agreement to disclose information on the charge, and donations made, to a central publicly available portal – are reporting that various charities up and down the country have also benefited from funds raised by the charge, with at least £6.7 million being donated to good causes.
Morrisons, the Co-operative and Waitrose have indicated a reduction of 80 per cent, with Asda reporting a drop of 90 per cent. Sainsburys have seen 100 per cent reduction of single use carrier bags as they no longer offer them to shoppers.
Stephen Watkins, head of customer experience North & East Scotland at Boots UK, added: “We want to help our customers care for the environment while making a difference in their local communities. We’ve seen a really positive effect in our stores in Scotland since the introduction of the charge in 2014, with an estimated reduction of around 80 per cent in carrier bag usage. We’ve also been able to offer significant support to Macmillan Cancer Support and the important work that they do for those affected by cancer in Scotland.
“From 5 October 2015 we are donating the net proceeds of the sale of these bags to BBC Children In Need. Together with our customers we can help make a difference to our environment and support community projects across Scotland the rest of the UK.”
Student events raise £20,000 for charities
Edinburgh College Events students are commended at top industry awards
Edinburgh College students who raised thousands of pounds for charity have been honoured at the Scottish events industry’s top awards ceremony for showing they can stage events of professional standard.
Two teams each picked up commendations in the Best Student Event Award category at the Scottish Event Awards in Glasgow on Wednesday. The students received their commendations for the fundraising events they organised as part of their course work for BA (Hons) Events Management.
Along with other student groups from Edinburgh College’s Events Management courses, they helped raised a total of £20,000 for a range of charities last year.
One of the commended teams organised a fashion show featuring people with dementia as models to raise funds for Alzheimer Scotland. Service users, carers, staff and volunteers at the charity’s Fife Dementia Resource Centre in Kirkcaldy took to the catwalk as models at the event, which raised more than £700 for the charity.
The second team organised a sell-out mini fringe festival at the Voodoo Rooms, featuring musical acts and a magician. The team raised £2,200 for Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland.
The students learned of their success at the Scottish Event Awards ceremony at Glasgow’s Grand Central Hotel.
Edinburgh College principal Annette Bruton said: “The students on our Events Management courses make a fantastic contribution to charities and raised more than £20,000 altogether last year. These commendations are testament to the hard work and professionalism the students put into organising their events, as well as the support they receive from their lecturers. I’m sure that this recognition is just the first step towards successful careers in the events industry.”
The Edinburgh College Events team and College Community department were also shortlisted in the Best Educational Event category for an event held to engage local schools, particularly head teachers, and increase opportunities for young people.
The college won in this category last year for its Graphic Design Industry Night, a one-night event that showcased graduates’ award winning design work, and celebrated the college’s close ties with industry.
The Scottish Event Awards honour the best events of various types across a range of sectors. They are run by magazine and marketing website The Drum.
Scotland responds to humanitarian crisis
‘we as a nation have to step up and respond in a way that matches the scale of this tragedy’ – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
An operational taskforce is to be established to co-ordinate Scotland’s practical response to the humanitarian refugee crisis following yesterday’s Edinburgh summit convened by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
The First Minister said Scotland stands ready to welcome refugees, as she confirmed that the task force would urgently engage organisations across Scotland to establish capacity in a range of matters such as housing, health services, language support, transport and social services.
The First Minister announced that Europe and International Development Minister Humza Yousaf will chair the group, which will also examine how Scotland can harness the goodwill of the public in Scotland with many of the humanitarian organisations already reporting a huge number of offers of practical help from individuals and groups across the country.
Ms Sturgeon said that yesterday’s summit had been positive and productive with people who have sought sanctuary in Scotland invited to give their own personal testimonies about the practicalities of settling in a new country.
She also confirmed that the discussions would be summarised and sent to the Prime Minister as part of a positive offer of support from Scotland as the UK responds to the migration crisis.
The First Minister said: “I want, as First Minister, to ensure that Scotland is playing its part in dealing with this humanitarian crisis. Today’s summit was a positive and productive first step with a sense that we as a nation have to step up and respond in a way that matches the scale of this tragedy.
“Scotland already has well established structures in place for integrating those who come here seeking asylum and we stand ready to welcome our fair share of people fleeing persecution. However, if we are to do this, there is no doubt that we do require a proper, co-ordinated approach.
“Today’s summit was focused on looking at some of the practical issues involved and I have now established a task force to co-ordinate Scotland’s response, working with local authorities, public agencies and third sector organisations to ensure that any refugees that come to Scotland will be able to integrate successfully. As a first step, I expect the task force to examine capacity in a range of services in Scotland, including housing, health and social services.
“The task force will also have a hugely important role in harnessing the many, many expressions of goodwill and offers of help from the public in Scotland, providing a focal point for that activity and ensuring that the wider Scottish community is able to play its part in welcoming people to our country.”
Ms Sturgeon went on: “During the talks today there was real clarity expressed around the UK Government’s need to play a part in a co-ordinated European response to the problem and agree to take a fair and proportionate share of refugees.
“We want to work constructively with the UK government and I welcome the additional steps that the Prime Minister has set out but there has to be much more detail given – for example we still don’t know how many refugees he is talking about or whether these are just refugees from Syrian camps or those in Europe.
“There are not any easy solutions to this, but all of us have a responsibility as human beings to recognise the extent of this humanitarian crisis and resolve together to do something about it. If we all play our part then the totality of that response might just have a chance of dealing effectively with the problem.”
Circle website’s ‘scot’ to change!
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What?
Our website will change from www.circlescotland.org to www.circle.scot and emails will change to firstname.lastname@circle.scot
Why?
We know that there is sometimes confusion with regard to the name of our organisation, due to our website and email addresses. The name of our organisation is Circle (not Circle Scotland). By changing our website and email addresses to circle.scot, our branding will be more consistent and recognisable.
When?
The change will be made on Thursday 2 April. There may be some disruption to the website and emails over that weekend. Following that, there will be a changeover period whereby the current website address will be redirected to the new one. Similarly, emails will be redirected from the old email addresses for a period of time, after which the old email addresses will become obsolete.
Family matters: extensions for innovative family support projects
An extra £2.5 million in government funding to help charities and other groups support families going through relationship breakdown has been announced today (8 March 2015) by Steve Webb, Minister with responsibility for child maintenance.
Scotland’s Family Decision Making Service partnership is one of sixteen trial Innovation Fund projects to have been providing tailored support across the country helping separated parents work together for the benefit of their children since 2013. The new funding means they will now be extended until September.
Projects include specialist support to teenage parents working with their children’s grandparents, face-to-face services for separated parents caught up in long-term disputes, and tailored help for Muslim families who are experiencing relationship breakdown.
Minister for Child Maintenance Steve Webb said: “Family breakdown can be difficult for everyone involved, but the evidence shows that children stand a much better chance of getting on in life when their parents are working together.
“This funding will allow these projects to continue their excellent work by helping parents to put aside their differences for their children’s sake.
“We are starting to see some very encouraging results from these projects which will be invaluable when it comes to designing future services and are proving priceless for the families being helped.”
Children 1st’s Family Decision Making Service (Scotland) has worked with more than 1500 individuals since it’s launch.
This bespoke service provides support to parents 365 days a year over the telephone or through live webchat. It draws upon the expertise of three organisations: Children 1st, Scottish Child Law Centre and One Parent Families Scotland.
Assistant director Linda Jardine said: “This extra funding is good news for separated and separating families in Scotland.
“Children cope better with family break-up if their parents work together on the decisions which affect them, and through the Family Decision Making service parents are able to draw on the combined expertise of three partners to help them to do this.
“So far the service, which is unique in Scotland, has worked with more than 1,500 individuals to make sure that, whatever difficulties the adults may be experiencing, their children remain the focus.”
Part of the DWP’s work on relationship support, the projects were originally set up to work alongside the new Child Maintenance Service, which is taking a fresh approach to tackling the issue of family breakdown.
More than 6 out of 10 separated parents using the new Child Maintenance Service are now choosing to make their own financial arrangements rather than relying on the state to collect and pay maintenance on their behalf.
At the heart of the reforms lies the principle that children have a much better start in life when both parents work together across a range of issues including contact, schooling and finances – even if they have separated.
The third party organisations delivering the projects were encouraged to come up with new and innovative ways of delivering the support.
Each of the projects is unique in the type of support that they offer, which can be delivered through face-to-face sessions, over the telephone and online.
Some of the projects target specific groups, such as teenage parents, people on low incomes and families with diverse cultural background. Practical guidance is also offered on a range of matters including legal advice.
A total of £10 million was set aside to fund the various projects when they were introduced in 2013. The results from the projects will be used to design future government services.
The Innovation fund projects are:
Howells: Working Together for Children (South Yorkshire)
Family Lives (Leicester, Waltham Forest, Gloucestershire)
Resolution: Family Matters (Doncaster, Wakefield, Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Retford)
Sills and Betteridge: Moving Forward (Lincolnshire)
Mediation Now: Changing Lives (Hampshire and Portsmouth)
Spurgeons: Supporting separated teenagers (West Midlands and Warwickshire)
Changing Futures North East: Moving On (Teeside, Sunderland and County Durham)
Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships: Parents In Dispute (London)
Children 1st: Family Decision Making Service (Scotland)
Pinnacle People: Families Together (Bristol)
Malachi Family Support Services (Birmingham and West Midlands)
One plus One: Splitting Up? Put Kids First (nationwide)
National Family Mediation: At Court Mediation (Hereford and Worcester, West Yorkshire and Berkshire)
Family Matters Mediate: Listening to Children Matters (Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire)
Clear out those unwanted clothes
A Spring clean could support charities
£2.4 billion worth of unworn and unwanted clothing is lining Scotland’s wardrobes and could instead be used to help vulnerable people across the country, according to housing charity Shelter.
They say the average household has up to £1,000 worth of clothes that have not been worn for at least a year, most often because they no longer fit.
Shelter is encouraging people across Scotland to rummage through wardrobes, drawers, cupboards and attics and donate any unwanted items to one of their shops to help support the fight against bad housing and homelessness.
Last year 36,457 households made homeless applications to their local council in Scotland. Meanwhile, 150,500 households are currently on waiting lists for a home of their own.
Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “The total cost of unworn clothes is a staggering £2.4 billion in Scotland. Even a very small fraction of that could help Shelter Scotland to continue our fight against bad housing and homelessness.
“It costs just £10 for one of our expert advisors to help a family or individual at risk of losing their home – we can raise that money by selling an unwanted jumper or pair shoes. £45 is enough to train an advisor to protect children at risk, and that money could be raised from selling an unwanted winter coat that’s taking up space in someone’s wardrobe.
“We hope that the people of Scotland will continue to support us, because without their help and generosity our fight to end bad housing and homelessness would be so much harder.”
Research by WRAP shows that the annual footprints of a household’s new and existing clothing are equivalent to the weight of over 100 pairs of jeans or the water needed to fill over 1,000 bathtubs.
WRAP says that extending the average life of clothes by just three months, such as donating them to charity, would lead to a 5-10% reduction in each of the carbon, water and waste footprints.
It is estimated that £140 million worth (350,000 tonnes) of used clothing goes to landfill in the UK every year – clothes which Shelter Scotland says could be donated to charity.
Graeme Brown added: “We’ve all got clothes we no longer wear or need. If every person in Scotland donated just one item to a Shelter Scotland shop it would make a world of difference. Shelter Scotland believes that everybody deserves a home. Our work won’t stop until there’s a home for everyone.”
STV Appeal cash for Young Carers
Edinburgh Young Carers Project receives £2,000 from STV Appeal 2014.
Edinburgh Young Carers Project (EYCP) was established in 1994 and is the main provider of services to assist young carers to cope with the stress and complexities of their family situation. The project aims to increase awareness of young carers and ensure they get support through EYCP, schools or in their local communities.
EYCP supports around 150 young carers annually between the ages of five and 20. The project aims to improve the quality of life of a young carer through helping them maintain a balance between the responsibilities of being a carer and their own needs for time and space for their own personal development through their childhood and adolescence.
The STV Appeal is committed to making a difference in the lives of children and young people living in poverty in Scotland. Across the country, 220,000 children live in poverty and figures from the Campaign to End Child Poverty show that in Edinburgh it’s actually 21.1% of children – more than one in five. Edinburgh Young Carers is one of the projects the STV Appeal is supporting in Edinburgh.
Margaret Murphy, CEO of Edinburgh Young Carers, said: “Young carers often give up a lot through taking on roles and responsibilities caring for a family member and we seek to provide them with understanding, time off and a chance to be the children they are to develop their social skills and to have fun.
“The generous donation from the STV Appeal will be used to support the 1:1 work EYCP provides for young carers who have difficult caring situations, or who are experiencing a particularly difficult period in their lives. We have found that providing this individual support makes a big difference in helping them to cope.”
Since launch in 2011, the STV Appeal has raised over £8.2 million with 297 big and small grants distributed to projects across all 32 local authority areas in Scotland, providing much needed support to over 37,000 children. The money raised is distributed to provide practical help like food and warm clothes; create opportunities for training and employability; and enable social and emotional support for those who need it most.
Rob Woodward, STV CEO and trustee of the STV Appeal, said: “The money donated to the STV Appeal remains in Scotland and will help bring about a positive change to the lives of vulnerable children and young people on our doorstep. With the help of the extraordinary fundraising efforts taking place in communities across the country we have raised an incredible £2.6m in 2014 allowing us to make grants to 297 projects. We are extremely grateful to everyone who supported this year’s Appeal.”
The STV Appeal 2015 is now well underway with an exciting line-up of fundraising activities planned for the year ahead.
STV Appeal supports Fresh Start
North Edinburgh based community project Fresh Start has received £2,000 from the STV Appeal 2014.
Based on Ferry Road Drive, Fresh Start is an Edinburgh charity that helps people who have been homeless by providing starter packs of essential household items. For many people who have been homeless and have lost everything, the packs provide a real lifeline in the early days of a new tenancy. Last year the charity created 10,973 packs to help over 2000 new households, helping to make a huge difference to the quality of people’s lives in their new home. The grant from the STV Appeal will be used to help Fresh Start increase the number of packs it produces and delivers in 2015.
Keith Robertson, managing director at Fresh Start, said: “These packs help to relieve the financial burden and initial stress that many new tenants face, especially when providing for households with children.”
Sir Tom Hunter, trustee of the STV Appeal, said: “Yet again the people of Scotland have cast their vote – end child poverty. Through the STV Appeal we are attempting to deliver sustainable solutions to do just that. It is simply unacceptable in modern Scotland to still have young people debilitated by poverty, through this project and many more the people of Scotland are doing their level best to combat poverty.”
This year’s STV Appeal is now well underway with an exciting line-up of fundraising activities planned for 2015.
Influencing your Parliament
Scottish Parliament Community Conference this month
Local people keen to have their voice heard by their MSP and the Scottish Parliament can discover how to run a social media campaign, secure media stories on the issues that affect them, petition the Parliament and even hold their own Holyrood event, by attending a conference at Dumfries’ Easterbrook Hall on Saturday 21 February.
At the Scottish Parliament Communities Conference, local MSPs Elaine Murray and Alex Fergusson will share expert advice on how to help your MSP help you, with interactive workshops run throughout the day, led by MSPs and the Scottish Parliament’s expert staff.
Engagement can result in a wide range of actions, including parliamentary debate, changes to law and policy direction.
Alex Fergusson, MSP for Galloway and West Dumfries said: “When an issue matters, and when it is within Holyrood’s power to help, engaging with MSPs and the Scottish Parliament can be a direct way for individuals, community groups and organisations to be heard.”
He went on: “We want to make sure that people from across Dumfries and Galloway know how to engage with us, their local MSPs, and to know that the Scottish Parliament belongs to them. The conference is all about helping make sure their voice is heard. I hope to meet many people from across the South West who feel strongly about an issue, so I can share a range of ways the Scottish Parliament can help make a positive difference to people’s lives in their local community, or even throughout Scotland.”
Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire said: ““We’re looking forward to meeting as many local community organisations, charities, social enterprises, tenants and residents groups, local campaign organisations, volunteers and youth groups as possible. But we also want to hear from individuals with an important issue to share. Only by hearing from people who have perhaps never been involved with the Parliament or politics before can we continue to raise the profile of a wide variety of important issues and give the people of Dumfries and Galloway a voice.”
In addition to Ms Murray and Mr Ferguson, other MSPs leading workshops on the day include Chic Brodie, MSP for South Scotland; John Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland; Graeme Pearson, MSP for South Scotland and Aileen McLeod, Minister for Environment, Climate Change & Land Reform.
Joyce Harkness is a campaigner and social enterprise manager from Hightae near Lochmaben. She said: “It’s great news that the Communities Conference is coming to Dumfries. I would encourage anyone who wants to kick-start getting their voice heard at the Scottish Parliament to come to Easterbrook Hall on the 21st.
“I’ve attended Scottish Parliament community workshops in the past and they’ve been invaluable. When I was campaigning for better rural transport for older people across Dumfries and Galloway, working with the Parliament really helped get our issues raised in a positive way. The MSPs and Parliamentary staff really listen and have great ideas and practical advice that’s specially tailored to your campaign. The sheer range of ways you can engage with Parliament can be a real eye-opener.”