Tag: charities

Three Scottish charities share £30,000 from Scottish Power Foundation Awards

Charities across the country split prize fund awarded for work to transform communities

Three charities with bases in Scotland have been named among the winners and runners-up of this year’s ScottishPower Foundation Awards, taking home their share of a £30,000 prize fund.

The Awards celebrate benevolent work in local communities throughout the UK, with organisations judged in four categories for the Innovation Award, the Education Award, the Community Engagement Award and the Charity Champion Award, which gives special recognition to the outstanding contribution made by an exceptional employee or volunteer who exemplifies what their organisation stands for.

Winners in each category receive an additional £5,000 funding boost, with runners-up receiving £2,500.

The Education Award was won by Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland, based in Glasgow, for its work to help children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus be fully included in education and the learning experience.

The judges recognised the charity’s work to support each child individually and to tailor its support to their bespoke needs. For example, it worked with partner organisations to ensure one child who required crutches to get around was able to fully participate in sporting activities at his school.

The charity was also praised for its work to celebrate what makes the children it supports unique and ensure they all have the best possible start in life.

Donna Mackey, from The Sporting Memories Foundation Scotland, based in East Lothian, was crowned the Charity Champion for her work with isolated older people during the pandemic.

Donna mapped out bespoke exercise programmes that were originally to be carried out in person, but due to the virus had to be taken online through Zoom meetings. Donna single-handedly produced videos to encourage members to carry out physical activities at home.

As well as this, she created a new ‘Keep in Touch’ bag, which contained physical equipment to help people participate and DVDs of exercises for those who don’t have access to online video calls. The judges noted Donna’s ability to adapt to what was needed and tailor her work to individuals, putting on quizzes or catch-up chats for those who didn’t want to participate in exercise.

Lucy Abbeels, 12, from Edinburgh, was named runner-up in the Charity Champion category for raising over £6,000 for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland while receiving ongoing support from the charity herself. 

Lucy’s fundraising journey began with the Cumbernauld Victory Mile in 2012. Since then, she has completed numerous Kiltwalks – “go Team Lucy!” Even lockdown couldn’t stop her; in May, Lucy took part in the 2.6 Challenge, raising £1,000 for the charity.

Starcatchers Productions was named runner-up in the Community Engagement Award category for supporting families who are most negatively impacted by the pandemic and more likely to experience greater levels of isolation.

The charity set up a menu of digital creative play activities and helped deliver over 2,000 creative play parcels for families living in poverty.

Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee of the ScottishPower Foundation, said: “Huge congratulations to the winners and runners-up of this year’s ScottishPower Foundation Awards, who are all real beacons of light in these challenging times. We’re so proud of their achievements and pleased to further recognise their tremendous efforts to change lives for the better.

“What’s especially pleasing is the wide range of activities and support services these Awards celebrate – whether keeping older people connected, supporting disabled young people to live full and fulfilling lives, providing key support to children affected by domestic abuse, or taking a whole community approach to addressing homelessness and hardship. However, the one thing they all have in common is the incredible difference they make to the lives of others.   

“We’re honoured to recognise all our winners, runners-up and finalists who bring the values of the ScottishPower Foundation Awards to life every day.”

The awards are open to recipients of this year’s ScottishPower Foundation funding, which saw £1.2m awarded to 21 charities delivering projects across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Due to social distancing restrictions, the winners were announced on ScottishPower’s Twitter channel – @ScottishPower.

This year’s judging panel was made up of a host of experts from ScottishPower, the third sector, education and communications including Arthur McIvor, Senior Client Manager for Energy & Utility Skills; Juliet Simpson, Founder and CEO of Stripe Communications; Sheila Duncan, Human Resources Director for ScottishPower; and Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee of the ScottishPower Foundation.

The ScottishPower Foundation was established in 2013 to make a significant and lasting contribution to society, enhancing the lives of people living in communities throughout the UK. It provides funding to help support the advancement of education, environmental protection, arts and culture and citizenship. It also supports charities who aim to provide relief from poverty, disability, or other disadvantages.

The winners and runners up this year are outlined below:

Innovation Award

WINNER – Acorns Project

Based in North Tyneside and Northumberland, the Acorns Project offers a range of services to support families affected by domestic abuse such as counselling, first response and adult support services.

RUNNER-UP – Whizz-Kidz

Whizz-Kidz aims to transform the lives of disabled children across the UK, supporting them to become confident and independent young adults by providing the equipment, support, and life skills they need in order to develop their full potential.

Education Award

WINNER – Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland

Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland seeks to increase public awareness and understanding of individuals with spina bifida, hydrocephalus and allied conditions. It aims to support all those affected to identify their needs and to empower them to make informed choices and decisions.

RUNNER-UP – Bangor University (Reaching Wider North and Mid Wales Partnership)

Bangor University (Reaching Wider North and Mid Wales Partnership) works alongside primary and secondary school pupils as well as adults with no formal qualifications to increase higher education participation among lower socio-economic groups.

Community Engagement Award

WINNER – South Tyneside Churches KEY Project

South Tyneside Churches KEY Project works with young people and their families to help develop the skills they need to live independently, become good citizens, and reach their full potential.

RUNNER-UP – Starcatchers Productions Ltd

Starcatchers is Scotland’s National Arts and Early Years organisation specialising in creating performances and exploring creative activity for babies, toddlers and young children aged 0-5 and the adults who care for them.

Charity Champion Award

WINNER – Donna Mackey The Sporting Memories Foundation Scotland

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Donna sprang to action to ensure that support for the elderly participants, many of whom living with long-term conditions such as dementia and depression, would continue. Donna set up weekly Zoom session and single-handedly produced exercise videos featuring her own grandmother for the participants to follow at home. Sporting Memories Foundation tackles dementia, depression, and loneliness through the power of sports reminiscence by bringing together older adults, as well as providing social and physical activities.

RUNNER-UP – Lucy Abbeels, Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland

Lucy has been raising money for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland since she was 4 years old, and to-date has raised over £6000 while receiving support from the charity herself. Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotlandseeks to increase public awareness and understanding of individuals with spina bifida, hydrocephalus and allied conditions. It aims to support all those affected to identify their needs and to empower them to make informed choices and decisions.

Scottish charities struggle to meet demand as donations almost halve due to Covid

  • 48% of Scottish charities reported a decrease in income this year, as a result of the pandemic
  • Almost two thirds (61%) of Scottish charities experienced an increase in demand this year, more than the UK average of 55% 
  • Almost a half (47%) of Scottish charities anticipate further demand over Christmas
  • Across the UK, homelessness/refuge charities saw an 81% increase in demand since the pandemic, followed closed by mental health service charities (77%)

According to the latest report by leading match-funding charity, the Big Give, half of Scotland’s charities would usually secure more than a quarter of their voluntary income during the Christmas period, while a staggering 22% would typically raise between 50 – 75%. 

But this year, it’s a very different story as demand will outweigh donations, as almost half (49%) expect donations this year, and over the next 12-months, to be lower than usual. 

“We run a Giving Tree at Christmas, ensuring that children who ordinarily would not get a gift do. Last year we handed out over 10,000 gifts to children in the North East of Scotland, we expect demand for this [charity service] to increase this year, as more people are pushed into poverty and having to make real choices, do we eat, do we pay bills or do we buy our children gifts.” – reported one of the Scottish charities which took part in the survey

Christmas is a critical time for charity fundraising, this year more than ever before.

The Big Give saw a 24% increase in applications for their annual match funding campaign, the Christmas Challenge, which offers the public the opportunity to have their donations matched between 1-8 December. 

This year charity income was badly impacted by Coronavirus, as high street charity shops have been closed and fundraising events cancelled. The report, in which over 1,000 UK charities were surveyed, reveals that almost half (48%) of Scottish charities reported an income decrease. 

“During Lockdown, we had to close our shops, which is our source of income, in order to support our charitable work and the foodbank …” – reported one of the charities which took part in the survey.

Christmas has always been a critical point in the year for vital fundraising, as 50% of the Scottish charities who participated in the survey said that they usually raise a quarter of their annual voluntary income in December, while 22% raise a staggering 50-75% of their income.

Donations aren’t meeting demand

During the year, almost two thirds (61%) of Scottish charities saw an increased demand in their services. And sadly, it’s only predicted to get worse, as the pandemic puts a further strain on charity resources; almost half (47%)  anticipate an increase in demand for their services during the Christmas period.

“Our foodbank remained open and we delivered food parcels to those who were isolating. The demand has grown hugely. In order to reopen we had to spend money on ensuring that our shops were safe for customers to return to and for our staff and volunteers to work in. We have reduced the amount of stock in the shops so that we can make them safe, therefore reducing our income.” – reported one of the charities which took part in the survey

Charities are using a variety of tactics to cope but thousands could close

More than one in 10 (13%) of Scottish charities have had to make staff redundancies, while over a quarter (26%) will be restructuring the charity, as preservation measures. 

In the UK, 60 of the 1,000 surveyed (6%), are considering mothballing or closing completely. Extrapolated across the sector, this could mean the closure of around 10,000 charities. Smaller charities are particularly vulnerable. 

“We are teetering on the edge of collapse if we can’t raise enough funds this Christmas.” – Reported a London-based child welfare charity

James Reed, Chairman and Chief Executive of recruitment company REED, and Trustee of The Big Give, commented: “The disruption caused by Covid-19 is hugely challenging for the charity sector. We are approaching an alarming crunch point where many worthwhile organizations might fail for lack of funds. Now, more than ever, both charities and their beneficiaries need and deserve our support. 

Reed added: “Charitable campaigns, such as The Big Give’s Christmas Challenge, provide a vital lifeline for charities and this report clearly highlights why giving this year, no matter how small your donation, is more important than ever.”

Homelessness and refuge charities, and those supporting people’s mental health are particularly vulnerable this Christmas.

While almost a third (31%) of charities across the sector in the UK have already experienced a “double whammy” of decreased voluntary income and increased demand for services since the pandemic, homelessness/refuge charities saw the greatest demand, up 81% since the pandemic hit, followed closed by mental health service charities (77%)

Tom Kerridge, Michelin-starred chef, author and TV presenter, who is backing this year’s campaign, through the charity Only a Pavement Away, commented: “Christmas highlights how important friends and family are and this year more than ever, the idea of not being able to spend it with your loved ones is sad for everyone.

“So imagine being homeless, having no close friends or family to spend it with and that sense of loneliness on what should be a day surrounded by love. This year more than ever, the plight of homeless people is so important and charity is key at this time of year.”

The net effect of Coronavirus has been a decrease in volunteering

Almost half (43%) of Scottish charities reported a decrease in volunteering since the pandemic, likely linked to the lockdown and the social distancing measures put in place. Only 13% of charities have reported an increase, despite community morale being at an all time high, the circumstances of the year has made physical support extremely difficult. 

Volunteering at Christmas is likely to be affected as well. The worst-affected sector across the UK this year is Cancer, with charities reporting an 82% reduction in income), followed by hospitals/hospices (79%), animal welfare (67%) and older people (64%). 

“As our schemes require face-to-face contact with volunteers, approximately two-thirds of our current volunteers have been unable to volunteer over this period. Our greatest need at present is for new volunteers without underlying health conditions who will be able to volunteer and meet the increasing demand for our services.” – reported Open Homes Nottingham, who provide accommodation for homeless 16 – 25-year-olds

Smaller charities are hardest hit

The decrease in income has hit smaller charities hardest, with the smallest (income under £100k) reporting an average decrease of around half (51%) of their total income. With those charitable cause sectors experiencing the largest drops in income so far, being Armed Forces/veterans causes, sports/recreation, cancer and older people.

Some areas have been worse affected than others, with charities in the South West (76%), East Midlands (69%) and Wales (69%) reporting the greatest reduction in income.

The report was compiled following a survey of 1,011 UK charities was conducted as part of research for the Big Give Christmas Challenge, the UK’s largest online match funding campaign. Since 2008, the Big Give has raised over £135m for charities through match funding. At a critical time for the sector, the 2020 campaign will support over 750 charities across a broad range of sectors, geographies and size.

A number of Scottish charities are participating in the campaign including:

Alzheimer Scotland – Action On Dementia,

Children 1st

Haemophilia Scotland

Simpsons Special Care Babies

Horseback Uk

Aberdeen Cyrenians

This year, the Big Give Christmas Challenge has been endorsed by more than 20 celebrities, including Jo Brand, Sue Perkins, Sir Michael Palin, Tom Kerridge and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, to name a few, all of whom feature in the campaign’s official video – https://youtu.be/nTO-NsK__Gc 

For further information on the Big Give Christmas Challenge, or to donate, visit:   theBigGive.org.uk

Aldi is donating food to charities in Edinburgh and the Lothians over Christmas

Here’s how to apply …

Aldi is once again embracing the season of goodwill by calling on charities, community groups and food banks in Edinburgh and the Lothians to register now to receive surplus food donations this Christmas Eve.  

Last Christmas, Aldi donated nearly 48,000 meals to good causes throughout Scotland, and expects to increase this number for Christmas 2020. The meals will support those in need at a time when more households are experiencing financial hardship and food insecurity as a result of the pandemic.  

Thanks to Aldi’s successful partnership with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to food banks and charities, all of Aldi’s 92 Scottish stores now donate surplus food seven days a week, all year round.  

Christmas provides an opportunity for even more charities to benefit from the initiative, and any charities and community groups in Edinburgh and the Lothians with the resource to help can get in touch to register for a festive food donation from Britain’s fifth largest supermarket.  

Charities will be paired with local Aldi stores and can collect fresh and chilled food products that are near the end of their shelf life – including fruit, vegetables, fresh meat, fish and bread – ahead of stores closing on Christmas Eve.  

Luke Peech, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “Our Christmas food donations scheme plays a big role in supporting those in need during the festive period and is something we are very passionate about. This is our fourth year running the initiative and we look forward to working with local charities in Edinburgh and the Lothians once again.  

“Last year we were able to help thousands of people across Scotland, and this year we’re hoping to extend this even further in what has been a challenging year for so many.”  

Steve Butterworth from Neighbourly, added: “Sadly, charities and local causes are expecting record demand for their services this Christmas because of the pandemic and its impact on communities up and down the country. 

“We’re sure there are lots more groups out there that could put the food to good use, so we’d encourage them to get in touch.” 

Organisations do not need to be a registered charity to apply but must: 

  • Have a level two hygiene certificate gained in the last two years 
  • Be able to transport and store chilled food products after collecting them on Christmas Eve at 5pm 

Those interested in working with Aldi this Christmas should contact Neighbourly at aldichristmas@neighbourly before 7th December 2020. 

Letters: Creating a step change in the health of the nation

Scottish charities call to cut deaths from our biggest killers

Dear Editor,

Heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lung disease and diabetes are responsible for around two thirds of all deaths in Scotland – around 39,000 every year – and are among the world’s biggest killers. And yet sadly deaths from these conditions are often preventable. The burden of these diseases on families and on our society cannot be underestimated.

This week, as a global campaign takes place raising awareness of the impact of these non-communicable diseases (NCDs), we have come together – representing ten of Scotland’s leading health charities – to call for action.

We believe many of these deaths and lost healthy years of life are preventable through addressing modifiable and societal risk factors. Official statistics estimate that each year around 14,000 deaths in Scotland could be prevented through public health interventions.

As a collective, we have set out a series of priorities to tackle three of the biggest risk factors that affect people today – tobacco use, alcohol consumption and unhealthy diets – to improve the health of everyone in Scotland.

Evidence shows the environment around us heavily influences whether we smoke, the amount of alcohol we drink and what we eat. The visibility of products on our high streets and the way they are marketed all contribute to Scotland having one of the lowest healthy life expectancies in Western Europe.

This is particularly true in our most deprived communities where levels of smoking, harmful alcohol use and overweight and obesity are often at their highest. Research shows us that this is in part due to the higher presence of outlets in these areas selling alcohol, tobacco and unhealthy food and drink. We must act now to ensure that the healthy choice is an easy choice for everyone in Scotland.

Covid-19 has also provided a wake-up call on these issues. We are becoming aware of possible links between smoking, alcohol intake and obesity on the severity of Covid-19 infections, highlighting the need to take action now more than ever as we continue to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scotland has been a pioneer in public health. It was the first country in the UK to ban smoking in enclosed public spaces and the first in the world to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol.

In this week of awareness, we are calling on all political parties to place the prevention of Scotland’s biggest killers as a priority and to give a strong commitment, ahead of next year’s Scottish Parliamentary elections, to work with us to create a step change in the health of the nation.

Yours sincerely,

Alison Douglas, Chief Executive, Alcohol Focus Scotland
Shelia Duffy, Chief Executive, ASH Scotland
Lorraine Tulloch, Programme Lead, Obesity Action Scotland
Lindsay Paterson, Interim Director, SHAAP
Joseph Carter, Head of the Devolved Nations, Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, Chief Executive, British Heart Foundation
Michelle Mitchell OBE, Chief Executive, Cancer Research UK
Andrea Cail, Scotland Director, Stroke Association
Angela Mitchell, National Director, Diabetes Scotland

The majority of Scots don’t have a will, poll reveals

Almost 58% of people in Scotland do not have a will, a new survey has revealed.

A poll carried out by will-writing campaign Will Aid found that nationally 56% of the population did not have paperwork protecting their loved ones in the event of their death.

But the statistics demonstrated that in Scotland the problem was even greater.

Peter de Vena Franks, campaign director for Will Aid, said: “It can be very difficult for some people to have conversations about death and dying but with this comes a sense of peace because you are making important decisions that can protect your loved ones when you die.

“The last year has shown us how fragile life can be and the survey has revealed just how much of an impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the mindset of people. We have all had to learn lessons about how to protect ourselves better – with handwashing, mask-wearing and social distancing. A will is just an extension to this.

The study showed that coronavirus had prompted more than 55% of Britons to confront the inevitability of death and think about ways to protect their loved ones after they are gone by either writing a will or reviewing their existing will.

Fifteen per cent of those interviewed said they had written a will or made changes to their will this year as a result of the pandemic. A further 35% said they were actively looking to get a will drawn up this year or make changes to their existing paperwork as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Mr de Vena Franks said: “Will Aid provides the perfect opportunity for people to get their paperwork in order. Not only does it bring peace of mind, it also directly helps to fund the life-saving work of nine of the UK’s best-loved charities.”

Will Aid runs for the month of November. Solicitors volunteer their time to charity to write wills for members of the public. Instead of paying the usual fee for the will, the recipient is asked to make a voluntary donation to Will Aid.

The suggested voluntary donation for a basic Will Aid will is £100 for a single will and £180 for a pair of mirror wills.

Will Aid raises money for nine of the UK’s best-loved charities: ActionAid, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save The Children, Sightsavers, Age UK, SCIAF (Scotland) and Trocaire (Northern Ireland).

Mr de Vena Franks said: “There are still so many people in the UK who do not have a will and this does need to be addressed. After all, a will is the best way for a person to make an active choice about inheritance and estates, not to mention make decisions on the guardianship of underage children.”

According to the research, 56% of adults don’t have a will in the UK. More than half of all parents with children under the age of 18 also have no will which means, in the event of their death, a court would make decisions on the guardianship of their children.

Of those interviewed, twice as many people would make a will as a result of a health scare than they would as a result of having a child.

Those who wish to book an appointment with a solicitor to make a will in November can do so from September onwards via our website or by calling us on 0300 0309 558.

Will Aid solicitors will be following the most up-to-date government health advice to ensure that face-to-face meetings remain safe. Many firms will be able to write wills at a distance via a phone or online consultations. Some firms will only be offering their services remotely. Participating firms can be contacted directly for more information.

For more information www.willaid.co.uk.

Volunteering Matters: The Massive Get Together

For the first time, 10 UK charities are uniting to respond against the impact that COVID-19 is having on the charity sector by staging The Massive Get Together – an online charity event comprising of celebrity entertainment, performance, prize draws and lots of laughs, in a bid to raise £500,000! 

This special collaborative, relaxed, and fun variety event, the brainchild of one of the UK’s leading charities Volunteering Matters, will be hosted live from London by TV and radio presenters Gaby Roslin and Amanda Byram. 

Streaming live and online on Thursday 17th September at 20:00 to an anticipated audience of more than 20,000, these 10 incredible charities are inviting us to ‘take the night off’ and relax with them to enjoy their fun online event which promises to have ‘something for everyone’ – including no 1 hits, comedy, and surprise special guest appearances. 

UK charities are facing over £12bn1 loss in income due to the COVID-19 restrictions as critical funding and crucial fundraising events ceased overnight. This means that the UK voluntary sector is expected to face a colossal funding shortfall by the end of the year. 

Chief Executive of Volunteering Matters and Founder of the Massive Get Together Paul Reddish said: “This year the nations’ charities have been critical to so many. They’ve been at the heart of much of the COVID-19 response – from delivering food to supporting those most isolated in every community throughout the UK.

“Their staff and volunteers continue to provide these vital services, such as end of life care and key support for the vulnerable, despite of the ongoing conditions created by this pandemic.”

Charities have seen demand rise, and the sector is expecting to see over £12bn loss over the course of 2020. One in 10 charities2 are at risk of closure if things continue as they are. Charities and organisations that do manage to survive will face major constrictions and capabilities to operate the way they once did. Even with the gentle easing of restrictions, large scale fundraising events will not be able to function for many months to come.” 

The unique aspect of this campaign is the cooperation and unity of all 10 charities who have seamlessly united together for a common goal of responding to the ongoing challenges and impact COVID-19 is having on their sector.

In the face of coronavirus, charities are #NeverMoreNeeded for the essential support they provide in crisis and beyond, and how they shape our society for the better. 

Paul continued: “We thought if leading members of the charity sector could come together and join forces, then collectively we could unite and help each other respond on mass to the impact of COVID-19. That’s the thinking behind the Massive Get Together – When charities unite, to entertain us all.”

https://www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/news/charities-are-facing-a-124bn-shortfall-in-income-for-the-year/

2 https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/news/one-in-ten-charities-at-risk-of-closure-within-six-months-due-to-coronavirus.html 

The Massive Get Together will provide an evening of entertainment and variety, surprise and intrigue, whilst fundamentally facilitating valuable fundraising for the 10 amazing charities involved – Marie Curie, The Children’s Trust, FareShare, St John Ambulance, Royal Voluntary Service, Love Your Neighbour, Crisis , The Conservation Volunteers, Thames Hospice and Volunteering Matters. 

For just £10 audiences will be supporting all 10 incredible UK charities, making a positive difference within action against homelessness and hunger, protecting the vulnerable, connecting communities, supporting end of life care and volunteer provision, as well as helping emergency and crisis response services. 

Tickets for The Massive Get Together go live today – people can access the event by donating just £10 to help 10 charities at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-massive-get-together. 

The Massive Get Together online event will be hosted live from London by TV & radio broadcasters Gaby Roslin and Amanda Byram.

Gaby Roslin said “The Massive Get Together is a really unique online event, with charities coming together to put on a fabulous variety show. The past few months have been challenging for everyone, and this evening will offer entertainment that people can enjoy from the comfort of their own home, whilst raising much-needed money for 10 vital charities.

“I’m grateful to have the opportunity to present The Massive Get Together with Amanda, and do my bit to help these charities, who have all been affected by the impact of COVID-19.” 

Amanda Byram said “We find ourselves living in extraordinary times and I think it’s incredible that charities are coming together in this way to support each other. It is such a feel-good event and I am so honoured to be a part of it and also over the moon to be working with the wonderful Gaby for this very special online evening.”

Walk the Walk to provide emergency grants for frontline cancer services

Walk the Walk’s supporters have continued to fundraise through the 2.6 challenge and its own virtual MoonWalk Celebration Road Trip

Grant-making charity Walk the Walk is stepping in with emergency grants to support frontline cancer charities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The charity’s Founder and Chief Executive Nina Barough is so concerned about the effect on the lives of cancer patients during the past three months, she felt Walk the Walk really had to do something to try and help.

Walk the Walk’s own fundraising has been massively affected by the pandemic, with the postponement of its events, including The MoonWalk Scotland and The MoonWalk London, where millions of pounds would normally be raised in one night. However Walk the Walk’s supporters have continued to fundraise through the 2.6 challenge and its own virtual “MoonWalk Celebration Road Trip”, raising almost £100,000.

Nina and the charity are very excited to announce they will be making ‘Emergency Grants’ to the value of £20,000 each month to frontline cancer charities, until the end of the year.

The grants will only be made to organisations which are involved in delivering services and support directly to cancer patients. Even a few thousand pounds could make a huge difference in keeping services running at this time.

The effects of the pandemic have been enormous for those diagnosed with cancer. Cancer surgery has fallen to around 60 % of expected levels and 6,000 fewer cancer patients than expected are receiving chemotherapy*. Many people are also being forced to go through treatment on their own. Loneliness is one of the key issues for which frontline cancer charities provide support.

Local cancer services and helplines are being overwhelmed and many having little or no funding coming in, due to their normal sources of fundraising having stopped.

Nina Barough CBE, Walk the Walk’s Founder and Chief Executive said; “After working passionately for the last 23 years to raise money to improve the lives of those living with cancer and for research into breast cancer, it is distressing to see the situation that many cancer patients have found themselves in.

“I really felt that we should do something no matter what and came up with the idea of providing emergency grants. The main aim of these grants is to give charities funding to get them through the next few months, and hopefully allow them some breathing space, so that they can support those who really need it”.

*Cancer Research UK, June 2020

Give us our money!

UK Government pressed on £10 million gap

Tens of millions of pounds of lifeline funding has been fast-tracked to charities by the Scottish Government since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis – despite delays in clarity over Barnett consequentials, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell has said.

Highlighting the key role the third sector has played in delivering vital support during the pandemic, Ms Campbell urged the UK Government to be clear in its support for vital services, by indicating when a £10 million shortfall in funding would be resolved.

In April, £35 million of consequentials was earmarked for the Scottish Government in respect of charity support direct grants, but this was later amended by the Treasury to £25 million.

Ms Campbell said: “Charities and third sector organisations have worked tirelessly throughout the COVID-19 crisis to ensure food, essential supplies and other vital services reach those most in need in our communities, as donation streams and other funding routes dried up overnight.

“Now more than ever these organisations deserve clarity.

“Had we not acted quickly at the start of the crisis to ensure tens of millions in funding reached the frontline, many organisations would not have been able to provide the level of service they have delivered in communities across Scotland, and that would have been hugely damaging to the people who rely on them.

“The Finance Secretary has already written to the UK Government seeking clarity on this funding (below). A fortnight on and we are still in the dark over this £10 million shortfall, undermining the Scottish budget at a critical time.”

kate forbes letter

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes wrote to the UK Chief Secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay on 22 May to raise the Scottish Government’s concerns (above).

Charities across Scotland receive funding from the Scottish Government, directly and via local authorities, through a £350 million package of emergency funding to help those most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, including:

  • the £50m Wellbeing Fund
  • the £40m Supporting Communities Fund
  • the £25m Third Sector Resilience Fund

Charities with property overheads can apply for the £10,000 Small Business Grant Scheme, expected to result in an additional £31 million in support.

 

Grave concerns over low income familes: charities write to First Minister

‘Families that were already more likely to experience poverty – such as lone parent families – are being particularly impacted, and are being pulled deeper into poverty.’

Dear First Minister,

As a broad coalition of national organisations, community groups, academics, trade unions and faith groups who share a concern for the wellbeing of families across the country, we are writing to you today to express our grave concern.

The coronavirus crisis is putting low income families under financial strain which risks long term consequences for Scotland’s children.

We have all welcomed your government’s commitment to ending child poverty, the leadership that you have shown in setting the 2030 child poverty targets, and the continued prioritisation of the Scottish Child Payment as a key policy supporting these ambitions.

It is vital that the coronavirus crisis does not undermine these goals. That is why we have also warmly welcomed the significant support already provided by the Scottish Government in response to the crisis, including through the Wellbeing Fund and additional investment in the Scottish Welfare Fund.

We have appreciated the opportunities many of us have had to engage with your Ministers and officials to help inform your government’s response.

However, despite this support, and uplifts to UK benefits, families across Scotland are struggling to stay afloat.

Families that were already more likely to experience poverty – such as lone parent families – are being particularly impacted, and are being pulled deeper into poverty.

This is particularly true as women are more likely to be experiencing poverty, have disproportionate responsibility for caring for children and account for 91% of lone parents. Women’s poverty is inextricably interlinked with child poverty.

It is clear that progress on tackling child poverty is being put at huge risk.

An out of work family with two children is still being left with an income 20% below the poverty line, a poverty line that in itself is well below the income the general public believe is needed for a minimum socially acceptable standard of living.

The families that many of our organisations work with are reporting increased financial stress and associated anxiety, loneliness, and more complex mental health problems. The charitable hardship funds many of us operate have come under massively increased pressure, with, for example, a 1400% increase in demand for Aberlour’s Urgent Assistance Fund.

In the face of this increased hardship our organisations continue to call for the UK Government to take action to ensure that UK social security system protects people from poverty.

However, we believe that where any level of government can do more to loosen the grip of poverty then it must.

We therefore believe that the time has come to build on the existing investments made by your government and the emergency provision provided by children’s charities and others, and provide a direct financial boost to all low income families. The £10 per week Scottish Child Payment will be a vital lifeline, but will not start to be delivered until next year. Families need a lifeline now to help them weather this storm.

We call on you to use every tool at your government’s disposal to deliver an emergency package of financial support to all low income families – a package we believe should amount to at least the equivalent of £10 per week per child.

Options for delivering such an emergency package that we have identified include the following:

  • Using Best Start legislation and payment systems to introduce new or increased payments of Best Start Grants.
  • Investing further in the Scottish Welfare Fund to provide a new coronavirus crisis grant for all low income families, whilst retaining and boosting the capacity of the existing Fund to support all those facing income crisis.
  • Increasing School Clothing Grant payments.
  • Topping up benefits that go to families to help with the costs of raising children – many organisations have called on the UK Government to increase child benefit, the child element of Universal Credit, and child tax credit in response to the crisis. The Scottish Government also has the powers to top up UK benefits.
  • Using local government powers to provide payments to advance the wellbeing of children, for example under s22 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 or via financial support under the power in s20 of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003.  These could be used to provide equivalent financial support, particularly to families with no recourse to public funds.

Additional targeted support could include:

  • Increase the value of Best Start Foods.
  • Providing a crisis grant for families awaiting their first Universal Credit payment.
  • To support families impacted by the two-child limit, by making additional direct payments to families affected. Larger families were at increased risk of poverty even before the current COVID-19 crisis.
  • To further increase the Discretionary Housing Payment budget, and direct local authorities to target additional funds towards those affected by the benefit cap. By increasing the DHP budget, those households impacted by the benefit cap can receive the additional support they need.

We understand that to identify the most effective delivery option, judgements will need to be made based on organisational capacity within local authorities and Social Security Scotland, and the ability to engage and work with UK agencies. It may well be that a combination of the options is needed to deliver this quickly.

Whatever approach is taken the overriding priority must be to use the powers and structures available in Scotland to give an immediate cash boost to all low income families to support them through the current crisis.

This will be an essential foundation on which to build the full package of financial, practical and emotional support needed to protect children’s wellbeing as we transition from the crisis to recovery, in line with the principles in your government’s Covid-19 Framework for Decision Making.

We are keen to work with you constructively to find practical and effective ways of achieving this, and look forward to your response.

Yours sincerely,

SallyAnn Kelly, CEO Aberlour

Paul Carberry, Director for Scotland, Action for Children

Martin Crewe, Director, Barnardo’s Scotland

John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland

Jackie Brock, Chief Executive, Children in Scotland

Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive, Children 1st

Satwat Rehman, Chief Executive, OPFS

Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland

Peter Kelly, Director, The Poverty Alliance

Claire Telfer, Head of Scotland, Save the Children

Tracey McFall, CEO, Partners in Advocacy

Dr Neil Henery, Director, Camphill Scotland

Clare Cable, Chief Executive and Nurse Director, Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland

Alistair Brown, National Director, Scottish Association of Social Work

Justina Murray, CEO, Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs

Ewan Aitken, Chief Executive, Cyrenians

Martin Dorchester, Chief Executive, Includem

Janis McDonald, Chief Officer, deafscotland

Professor Ian Welsh OBE, Chief Executive, Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE)

Prof Morag Treanor, Heriot-Watt University

Nancy Loucks, CEO, Families Outside

Matt Forde, National Head of Service, NSPCC Scotland

Ella Simpson, Chief Executive, EVOC

Duncan Dunlop, CEO, Who Cares? Scotland

Jimmy Wilson, CEO, FARE Scotland

Dr Anne Mullin, Chair, the Deep End Group Scotland

Craig Samuel, NAWRA representative Scotland

Jo Derrick, CEO, Staf

Dr Hayley Bennett, Social Policy Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh

Prof Adrian Sinfield, University of Edinburgh

Claire Burns, Director, CELCIS

David Thomson, Destiny Church

Dr Hartwig Pautz, Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences at the University of the West of Scotland and co-lead of the UWS-Oxfam Partnership

Mike J Kirby, Scottish Secretary, UNISON

Professor Mhairi Mackenzie, Professor of Public Policy, University of Glasgow

Nick Bailey, Professor of Urban Studies, University of Glasgow

Graeme McAlister, Chief Executive, Scottish Childminding Association

Colin Flinn, Chief Executive, Royal Caledonian Education Trust

Mark O’Donnell, Chief Executive, Royal Blind

Douglas Guest, Acting Director for Scotland, Home-Start UK Scotland   

Billy Watson, Chief Executive, Scottish Association for Mental Health

  Alan Thornburrow, Director, Business in the Community Scotland

Juliet Harris, Director, Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights)

Bernard Harris, Professor of Social Policy, University of Strathclyde

Janet Haugh, Chief Executive, Ypeople

Cath Morrison, Chief Executive, The Lilias Graham Trust

Dr Mhairi Crawford, Chief Executive, LGBT Youth Scotland

Pat Rafferty, Scottish Secretary, Unite the Union

Professor Stephen Sinclair, Co-Director, Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit, Glasgow Caledonian University 

Professor John McKendrick, Co-Director, Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit, Glasgow Caledonian University

Professor Sharon Wright, Professor of Social Policy, University of Glasgow

Hugh Foy, Director of Programmes and Partnerships, UK Region Xaverian Missionaries

Professor Chik Collins, Rector (Vice Chancellor) of the University of the Faroe Islands

Shaben Begum, Director, Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance

Dr David Walsh, Public Health Programme Manager, Glasgow Centre for Population Health

Emma Revie, Chief Executive, The Trussell Trust

Professor Steve Turner, Scottish Officer, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

Kate Wimpress, Chair, SURF – Scotland’s Regeneration Forum

Angela Moohan, Chief Executive Officer, The Larder West Lothian

Nathan Sparling, Chief Executive, HIV Scotland

Neil Mathers, Chief Executive, Children’s University Scotland

Steven McCluskey, Chairperson, Bikes for Refugees

Margo Uprichard, CEO, The Louise Project

Clare Simpson, Manager, Parenting across Scotland

Ron Culley, Chief Executive, Quarriers

Jane Brumpton, Chief Executive, Early Years Scotland.

Hazel Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Cornerstone

Anne F.Meikle, Convenor, Scottish Women’s Budget Group

Larry Flanagan, General Secretary, EIS

Douglas Hamilton, former Chair of the Poverty and Inequality Commission

Emily Beardsmore, CEO, Light Up Learning

Virginia Radcliffe, CEO, Licketyspit

Roz Foyer, General Secretary Designate, STUC

Marie Ward, Chief Executive Officer, Cranhill Development Trust

Ian Bruce, Chief Executive, Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector (GCVS)

Jacqui Hardie, Executive Strategic Manager, Fife Gingerbread

Professor Mike Danson, Chair, CBINS (Citizen’s Basic Income Network Scotland)

Shona Blakeley, Executive Director, Women’s Fund for Scotland

Emma Jackson, National Director Scotland, Christians Against Poverty

Sharon Colvin, CEO, 3D Drumchapel

Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary, NASUWT

Maragret Nakityo, Secretary, Afreshe

Traci Kirkland, Head of Charity, Govan Community Project

Rachel Sutherland, Bureau Manager, East & Central Sutherland Citizens Advice Bureau

Bishop Nolan, President, Justice and Peace Scotland

Jim McCormick, Associate Director for Scotland, Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Russell Gunson, Director, IPPR Scotland

Frazer Scott, CEO, Energy Action Scotland

Anna Ritchie Allan, Executive Director, Close the Gap

Tim Frew, Chief Executive, YouthLink Scotland

Shruti Jain, Chair, Saheliya 

Marguerite Hunter Blair, Chief Executive, Play Scotland

Linda Tuthill, CEO, The Action Group

Rami Okasha, Chief Executive, CHAS

Irene Audain MBE, Chief Executive, Scottish Out of School Care Network

Rachel Adamson, Co-Director, Zero Tolerance

Dr Marsha Scott, Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Women’s Aid

Dave Liddell, Chief Executive Officer, Scottish Drugs Forum

Sharon McAulay, Project Manager, STAR Project

Danny Collins, National President, Society of St Vincent de Paul (Scotland)

Emma Ritch, Executive Director, Engender

Care Homes: Time for Action is NOW

What started as a sense of unease about the extent to which care homes are getting the Government help they need is turning rapidly to anger and real alarm (writes Age UK charity director CAROLINE ABRAHAMS).

Some 400,000 older people live in care homes in this country and the vast majority are vulnerable by any definition; most have dementia or other forms of cognitive decline, often in combination with serious long term physical health problems like diabetes and heart disease.

Existing problems

Even before the coronavirus crisis hit there were big worries about financial resilience and the capacity to deliver consistently good care across the care home sector. Although care homes are by no means all the same some problems are common to most: difficulty in recruiting and retaining enough good, trained staff being near or at the top of the list, leading to under-staffing and over reliance on expensive agency workers.

For those care homes that take any State funded clients there have also been big and growing problems making ends meet while delivering decent quality, since the State is an exceptionally mean paymaster, in apparent denial about just how much this costs.

Meanwhile, we have somehow got ourselves into a position in which care homes are operated for the most part by many small private providers on the one hand, and a number of corporate chains on the other, with the owners of the latter often based abroad and involved in complex financial arrangements, as a result of which it can be hard to see where accountability lies and what priority is really being placed on delivering good care to a highly vulnerable group as opposed to turning a buck.

From bad to worse

Then coronavirus arrived. Given how unwell most care home residents already are and the fact they are clustered together, plus the deficits in the care home workforce, it was always going to be very important to make sure everything reasonable was done and done quickly to help care homes keep the virus out and, if and when it got in, fight it effectively so it infected as few older people and staff as possible.

However, a month or so into this crisis now it is becoming apparent that many care home are struggling: in particular, they can’t get enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to keep staff and residents safe and they can’t get tests to see who has got the virus and who hasn’t.

In some cases it seems they are being told that it is their job to provide end of life care for residents who are sadly dying from the virus, without enough back up support from GP and community based palliative care services, and without the possibility of these older people being admitted to hospital.

Where are the funds?

In addition, while local authorities have been given extra funding from central Government to support social care, some care home providers are complaining they are yet to pass it onto them, while meanwhile their costs are rising due to an increased reliance on agency staff due to significant numbers of their usual staff being off sick or self-isolating, plus the rise in the national minimum wage.

That’s not the end of it though: tragically, the need to protect residents led to a ban on families visiting, though recently rescinded in exceptional circumstances such as when someone is dying: however, without there being enough PPE it is hard to see how this can really work. And finally, although it is quite clear that the virus has affected significant numbers of care homes and some residents are sadly dying, we do not know how many because official figures are not being collected.

A let down

In short, it’s a mess and one that means care home residents, their families and staff are all being badly let down. It would not be an exaggeration that some are paying with their lives. Why has this tragedy come about? Probably in part because there is simply not enough PPE and testing period, and what there is has gone to the NHS first, understandably. An additional problem is that the care home sector is so fragmented that delivering any kind of national response is very hard.

In addition, there was seemingly a degree of hesitation over the question of what responsibility the Government actually bears for this sector, given that it is largely privately rather than State owned.

Tragically, it seems all too easy for the care home sector to fall between two stools: neither genuinely in the community on the one hand, nor in the NHS on the other. This is not a new problem: for many years for example, some care homes have found it hard to get good GP support for their residents, despite the latter’s obvious vulnerability – something the NHS was in the process of addressing when the virus hit through its ‘Enhanced Care in Care Homes’ initiative. The fact this was even needed though shows up the strategic problem, which is, at heart, attitudinal as well as structural.

Care homes need support

In the short term it is imperative that the Governments acts now to give care homes the practical – testing and PPE – support they and their staff and residents are entitled to expect.

In some cases it may be appropriate for residents to stay where they are without being admitted in hospital but this should not be a blanket decision, nor should care homes be left to manage without proper GP and community health service support.

Action is needed to ensure the money that is supposed to support care homes actually does reach the front line – and more of it may be needed too. And a system is required to count the numbers who are sadly dying in care homes, to demonstrate they really do matter and to aid planning both now and in future.

Longer term the clear implication is that never again can we leave vulnerable older people, and the workers caring for them, so exposed as they have been to coronavirus. The care home sector – social care more generally – is too fragmented for what is in reality an essential public service on which hundreds of thousands of people depend.

The State’s responsibility must be made clear and this and future governments must accept it – but that’s for tomorrow. Today is first and foremost about saving lives.

CHARITIES wrote to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care yesterday. Their letter said:

Dear Secretary of State,

We are writing together as charity and care sector leaders on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of our most vulnerable people reliant on social care and the hundreds dying in care homes, supported by an army of incredible, often low paid and undervalued care workers who are not trained to deal with death on this scale.

We appreciate the time you and your Ministers have given us this week in seeking to determine a plan for social care during coronavirus. Like you, our priority is keeping people safe in the face of this terrible pandemic.

We are appalled by the devastation which coronavirus is causing in the care system and we have all been inundated with desperate calls from the people we support, so we are demanding a comprehensive care package to support social care through the pandemic.

As a first step we urgently need testing and protective equipment made available to care homes – as we’re seeing people in them being abandoned to the worst that coronavirus can do. Instead of being allowed hospital care, to see their loved ones and to have the reassurance that testing allows; and for the staff who care for them to have even the most basic of PPE, they are told they cannot go to hospital, routinely asked to sign Do Not Resuscitate orders, and cut off from their families when they need them most.

A lack of protective equipment means staff are putting their own lives at risk while also carrying the virus to highly vulnerable groups. Care professionals that have this equipment are using it in line with the guidelines – there’s just not enough getting through to the frontline. Care England estimates that there have been nearly a thousand deaths already, yet deaths from coronavirus in care homes are not being officially recorded or published, social care is the neglected frontline.

Older people’s lives are not worth less. Care home staff are not second class carers. The Government must step in and make it clear that no-one will be abandoned to this virus simply because of their age, condition or where they live.

A comprehensive care package must include:

  • PPE equipment readily available to care homes. Without it, all residents’ lives are at risk
  • Care home staff, and people being discharged from hospital into care homes, given priority testing, alongside critical NHS staff
  • Support to ensure contact can be maintained between care home residents and their families
  • Good palliative and end-of-life care for people dying in the care system
  • A daily update on coronavirus deaths in the care system, just like deaths in the NHS, so that as a society we can understand the scale of the challenge we face.

We know how hard you and your colleagues in Government are working to protect the country from the worst effects of the pandemic. We would like to reiterate our offer to provide support to develop the strategy for social care at this time of crisis. We will continue to do all that we can to make sure families reliant on social care get the protection that they need.

With best wishes,

Kate Lee, CEO Alzheimer’s Society

Matthew Reed, Chief Executive, Marie Curie

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director, Age UK

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive, Care England

Deborah Alsina MBE, Chief Executive, Independent Age

Figures released this morning by the Office of National Statistics show that 217 coronavirus related deaths were recorded in care homes in the week ending 3rd April – a tenfold rise on the week before – Ed.