Feeling overwhelmed? Starting college or uni can be both exciting and stressful. Remember you don’t have to face any worries alone – help is available.
Here’s what you need to know:
On Campus Support – Many unis or colleges offer in-house mental health services. Search the ‘Think Positive Hub’ to see what’s available near you.
NHS inform – Explore guides and resources:
Mental health guides to help issues such as anxiety, phobias, and sleep problems.
Tips on boosting your mental wellbeing
Info on where to find the right support
Free mental health apps to help with sleep, stress, and anxiety.
Need to talk? Reach out to Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87 or webchat. Experienced advisors are available to listen and offer information and advice.
Open weekdays 6pm–2am & weekends 6pm Fri–6am Mon
Urgent help?
Contact your GP to access urgent mental health support. If the GP is closed, NHS 24’s Mental Health Hub is available on 111. Specially trained advisers are ready to help and connect you with the right support.
Need more info? Check out our student health tips at #NHSinform.
Demand for Neurodiversity Support Continues to Rise
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Salvesen Mindroom Centre, a charity that has transformed the lives of more than 30,000 neurodivergent children, young people, and their families since its founding in 2000.
The milestone comes as the charity’s latest impact report reveals a 294% increase in demand for its services over the past five years, highlighting a critical and growing need for accessible support.
Co-founded by Robin and Sophie Dow and inspired by their daughter Annie, who lives with a rare chromosome deletion, Salvesen Mindroom Centre was built on a foundation of lived experience.
For a quarter of a century, the charity has delivered vital programs, advocacy, and support — from aiding families in crisis to training leaders to build more inclusive workplaces.
“Mindroom was founded on lived experience, and 25 years later, its mission is more urgent than ever,” said Alan Thornburrow, CEO of Salvesen Mindroom Centre. “Neurodivergent children are today’s young people and tomorrow’s workforce.
“The work we do is all about shaping a fairer, more inclusive future.”
The charity’s 2024 impact report, available for download on their website, also reveals the growing pressures on families and the support system:
Families face waiting lists of up to 24 months for assessments.
The number of families seeking mental health support grew by 62% from 2023 to 2024.
Neurodivergent young people are more likely to experience bullying, anxiety, and exclusion than their peers.
“Behind every statistic is a real person and a system under pressure,” Alan Thornburrow added.
“Since I joined in 2022, we’ve worked to scale our impact and think of our mission as a revolution. We want to continue transforming lives for the next 25 years and beyond.”
Beyond its direct services, the charity has also trained more than 7,500 leaders in business, education, and public services, and has played a significant role in advancing neurodiversity as a national priority in Scotland and beyond.
As Mindroom marks 25 years of impact, the message is clear: the need has never been greater, nor has the opportunity. Every child supported, every family empowered, and every leader trained moves us closer to a society where neurodivergent people can thrive.
Lasting change is only possible when we stand together.
To download the latest Impact Report created by Mindroom (2024), please visit: 2024 Impact Report
“In poems I tried to understand what was happening to my body and to communicate that lived experience to others”
Researcher partners with leading disability charity after PhD thesis shows poetry can help describe medical condition
A researcher who found that poetry can help explain a complex medical condition that affects thousands of people in Scotland has teamed up with a national charity to enable more people to benefit from her findings.
Dr Georgi Gill, from Fife, spent six years exploring how writing poems could help people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) understand their condition better themselves, and more easily explain it to others.
Now Georgi, who has MS herself, chose National Poetry Day (Thursday 2 October) to discuss the potential implications of her research as well as announce two new initiatives she’s launching, one in collaboration with MS Society Scotland, to bring the benefits of poetry to more people impacted by neurological conditions.
Georgi, who lives near Kirkcaldy and was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in 2003 at the age of 28, said: “When I first turned my pen to poetry, it felt like the only writing option remaining to me.
!My vague ambitions of being a novelist had fallen by the wayside as had my full-time career in school teaching and penchant for night clubbing in high heels; all casualties of the dizziness, brain fog and physical fatigue that have frequently interrupted my life since I was diagnosed with MS.
“I remember looking at brain scans in my neurologist’s office, scans that I couldn’t understand or interpret. To me, the white patches of inflammation and scarring were moth holes in my brain. Ideas, lesson plans, mental shopping lists, the witty comment I was about to make frequently slipped through these holes and were lost. Eventually I acknowledged, with some burning resentment, that I wasn’t going to be writing the next great novel any time soon.
“Poems, on the other hand, could be very short. They didn’t need to tell a complicated story with multiple characters. From my previous encounters in literature classes, poems didn’t even have to make sense!”
Georgi “grudgingly” signed up for a poetry writing class and within weeks she was hooked. Before long she had completed a Master of Arts in Poetry Writing and released her first poetry collection, ‘Limbo’ (Blue Diode, 2021).
She continued: “Poetry offered a distraction from some of the realities and limitations of my life. Yet it wasn’t just an escape – I was also tentatively using poems as a way to explore my feelings and frustrations about the ways that MS had derailed my life plans.
!In poems, I tried to understand what was happening to my body and to communicate that lived experience to others. I started to wonder whether writing poems about their lives with MS could offer similar benefits to others with the condition.”
More than 17,000 people in Scotland live with MS. That’s about one in every 300 people, which is one of the highest rates of MS in the world. Yet research carried out on behalf of the MS Society earlier this year suggests just a fraction of adults in Scotland can demonstrate a thorough understanding of the condition*.
Georgi’s poetry was the starting point for her PhD research at the University of Edinburgh and, in the middle of the 2020 UK Covid lockdown, she found herself hosting a series of online workshops for people living with MS. Participants were encouraged to use verse as a tool for exploring their shared condition and explaining it to others. They benefited from social interactions within the groups and some experienced enhanced self-esteem from taking part in the shared creative activities.
“We shared our lives with one another and the aspects that made us feel uncomfortable or isolated from other people,” Georgi continued. “There was a lot of laughter as we recognised our own experiences in others’ poetry and also, on occasion, a few tears.
“These workshops and the resulting poems created opportunities for people with MS to be heard and understood and, importantly, to build creative communities together. Participants also reported positive outcomes from sharing these poems with a small number of their family, friends and carers. For some participants, an old hobby was revitalised, while for others a valuable new creative practice was found.”
Having seen and experienced the benefits of poetry writing, and keen to share those positives with others, Georgi is launching the following initiatives:
· In October, Georgi will publish ‘poeMS: an anthology by people living with multiple sclerosis’. Available as a free e-book through the University of Edinburgh, the anthology brings together poems written by participants in her original study, providing unique insights into their lives with MS. A limited number of print editions will be given to neurologists and charities working to support people with MS.
· The ‘Poems on my mind’ project will then bring her poetry workshops to new audiences and people with a range of neurological conditions including MS, Parkinson’s and motor neuron disease. Initially, Georgi will train staff and volunteers from MS Society Scotland to establish and deliver the workshops. Members of the MS community throughout Scotland will then be given the opportunity to explore and communicate their health experiences through poems.
Georgi will undertake both pieces of work though the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH), based at the University of Edinburgh where she completed her PhD in Health in Social Science in 2025.
IASH Director, Professor Lesley McAra, said: “We’re delighted to be supporting this fascinating and timely project.
“Poetry helps us look at the world in new ways, and Georgi’s work in the community promises to bring those vital insights to a wide audience.”
Georgi believes that in addition to helping participants understand their own MS, and explain their condition to those close to them, her workshops could also be beneficial in helping medical and other professionals better understand an individual’s symptoms.
Looking ahead to the two upcoming projects, she added: “I’m excited: excited to share the original participants’ poems, which brought illumination and inspiration to readers and writers alike in the first project.
“Excited also to read the new poems that will be written by people joining MS Society Scotland’s ‘Poems on my mind’ groups. My own life with MS continues to shift and change, but poetry is a welcome constant.”
MS damages the protective coating around nerves in the brain and spinal cord, and can impact how people move, think and feel. The MS Society is the UK’s leading charity for people affected by MS, offering support, funding research, and campaigning to improve the lives of everyone impacted by the condition.
Jo Anderson, Director for Scotland at the MS Society,said: “We’re excited to be working with Georgi on the ‘Poems on my mind’project. Georgi’s research shows there are many ways poetry can benefit the MS community, and we’re pleased to be part of the team bringing those benefits to even more people.
“MS symptoms are different for everyone, and many are invisible. As well as supporting people to explore their own MS, the poetry workshops could lead to friends, relatives, carers, and professionals also gaining a greater understanding of the condition and how it impacts those around them.”
In March, the MS Society revealed the results of a survey conducted, in partnership with Opinium Research, to find out how well people understood MS. Of the 500 adults surveyed in Scotland, although more than 90% had heard of MS, only 12% of those were able to correctly identify whether a series of statements they were shown about the condition were true or false.
When MS Society Scotland revealed the survey results, it stressed that if a person with MS is surrounded by family, friends, or colleagues who don’t fully understand the impact it can have, it makes living with an already difficult condition even harder.
The charity pledged to continue working to increase people’s understanding of MS; the poetry project being undertaken in partnership with Georgi will contribute towards this commitment.
· A link to download the free e-book, ‘poeMS: an anthology by people living with multiple sclerosis’, will be posted on MS Society Scotland on Facebook, @mssocietyscot on X, and @iashedinburgh.bsky.social on Bluesky as soon as it’s live.
· Read Dr Georgi Gill’s PhD thesis, ‘poeMS: an exploration of poetry as a way to communicate lived experiences of multiple sclerosis’, here:
WORLD CEREBRAL PALSY DAY – MONDAY 6th OCTOBER 2025
Launching for World Cerebral Palsy Day, ‘More Than Palsy’ – created by DUDE Milan in collaboration with award-winning Scottish poet Jack Hunter – highlights the fighting spirit of people living with cerebral palsy.
It is thought that between 17-50 million people globally live with cerebral palsy, and it remains an underrepresented and neglected disability. 1 in 400 births in Scotland result in a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. To raise global awareness of the condition and drive donations, Italian charity Fight the Stroke, in partnership with Cerebral Palsy Scotland, has launched the campaign More Than Palsy.
Launched in advance of World Cerebral Palsy Day on 6 October, More Than Palsy was created by DUDE Milan in collaboration with Scottish actor, playwright and cerebral palsy advocate Jack Hunter, who is living with cerebral palsy himself.
Inspired by Hunter’s slam poem –“You’ve Got to be Ballsy to have Cerebral Palsy” – the campaign paints an authentic picture of the challenges faced by the cerebral palsy community through their own stories: a stark reminder that life with cerebral palsy is not for the weak – it takes strength to be a disabled person in a non-disabled world.
At the heart of the campaign is a two-minute documentary-style film which powerfully conveys the small yet incessant challenges that make up the daily life of a person with cerebral palsy – from the physical frustration at tying one’s shoelaces or trying to use a tampon, to the mental hardship of being bullied.
Raw, powerful and bold, the film aims to both inspire people who have been living with cerebral palsy for years, as well inform future new parents about the existence of this condition and the support that cerebral palsy organisations can offer.
Cerebral Palsy Scotland are the only dedicated cerebral palsy charity in Scotland. Their specialist physiotherapy, speech and language, and psychological therapy services make an incredible difference to the lives of the people they work with.
Meningitis Now is marking World Meningitis Day today (Sunday 5th October) with an urgent call for awareness and action, as new figures reveal a concerning rise in meningococcal disease (IMD) across England.
The latest statistics show there were 380 cases of IMD in 2024/25, compared to 341 in 2023/24 which is an 11% year-on-year increase.
The figures disclosed in the latest quarterly release from UKHSA also reveal that cases of MenB, the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in the UK, have also risen by 13%. There were 314 cases compared to 301 in the previous year.
Increases in MenB have been recorded in several age groups, including a 20% increase in cases among 15–19-year-olds (from 52 cases to 65), a 17% increase among babies under 1 year old (from 29 cases to 35), a 17% increase among 25 to 44-year-olds (from 38 cases to 46) and a 19% increase among 45–64-year-olds (from 34 cases to 42).
Dr Tom Nutt, Chief Executive of Meningitis Now, said, “These figures are worrying. Meningitis can affect anyone at any time, but these increases among teenagers, young adults, and babies – some of the most vulnerable groups – show just how vital it is to stay vigilant.
“Early recognition saves lives, but prevention through vaccines remains the most effective way to protect against this devastating disease.”
Meningitis Now is urging people to familiarise themselves with the signs and symptoms of meningitis, and to check whether they and their loved ones are up to date with vaccinations, including the MenACWY jab.
Meningitis can be fatal within hours of infection. One in ten people who contract bacterial meningitis will die, leaving their families coping with the heartbreak of losing a loved one. Between 30% and 50% of those who survive bacterial meningitis will be left with long-term after-effects, including hearing loss, acquired brain injury, epilepsy, chronic pain, vision problems and amputations.
Meningitis Now provides one-to-one support, grants, and a free nurse lead helpline to make sure no family faces the impact of meningitis alone.
Earlier this year Meningitis Now launched a campaign to tackle cases of MenB among young people.
The charity says there are effective, life-saving vaccines against MenB, but they are not currently offered to teens, who are at increased risk of the disease. Meningitis Now’s campaign called “No Plan B for MenB” sets out the changes it would like to see, including:
• The MenB vaccination to be given to all those at most risk of disease.
• A MenB booster programme to protect adolescents from 2030.
• Availability of the MenB vaccination on the high street at a fair price.
Dr Nutt added, “World Meningitis Day is a powerful reminder that we cannot be complacent. While there has been a drop in meningitis cases over the past decade, these new figures underline why our work, raising awareness, supporting families, and pushing for prevention is as important as ever.”
The charity and its supporters are joining forces with other organisations to raise awareness of the disease this Sunday 5th of October and is encouraging people to light a candle at 8.30pm, in memory of those who have been affected by meningitis, as part of a global initiative.
Meningitis Now is the UK’s leading meningitis charity, founded 39 years ago by families who had experienced the heartbreak of losing a loved one to the disease.
The charity is the only organisation in the UK dedicated to fighting meningitis on three fronts:
Awareness: Equipping the public with the knowledge to recognise meningitis quickly and ensuring more people are protected through vaccination campaigns.
Support: Providing practical, emotional, and financial support to individuals and families whose lives have been changed by meningitis, helping them rebuild their futures.
Research: Funding pioneering projects to understand the disease better, improve diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately move closer to a world free from meningitis.
POLICE Scotland: Today marks ten years the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland (DSDAS) launched.
The scheme provides a formal way of sharing information about a partner’s abusive past, with a potential victim.
Today marks ten years the Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland (DSDAS) launched. The scheme provides a formal way of sharing information about a partner's abusive past, with a potential victim. Find out more ➡️https://t.co/OhvClqPPyT DSDAS form ➡️ https://t.co/g8fH5otJkTpic.twitter.com/fKEzfjsiP7
The Disclosure Scheme for Domestic Abuse Scotland (DSDAS) is a way to find information about whether a person has an abusive past. This information can be used to prevent someone from experiencing domestic abuse in the future.
You can make a DSDAS application if you:
think you might be at risk of domestic abuse
are worried someone you know might be at risk of domestic abuse
We’ll only make a disclosure after we’ve considered all factors. We’ll assess the threat carefully, and we’ll decide if we need to share information to prevent a person from experiencing domestic abuse.
We may also speak to other agencies to help us make sure a disclosure is the right option.
If you’re making the application on behalf of someone else, we cannot make the disclosure to you. We can only make a disclosure to the person who is at risk to support and help protect them.
The police will act immediately if they think you or someone else needs to be protected from harm.
How to apply:
There are a few ways to apply for a domestic abuse disclosure. You can:
“If you don’t look for it, you could miss it”: pavement studs across the UK transform into nipples for October as Breast Cancer UK urges everyone to check their breasts via creative campaign
This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, British pavements are bearing all. Pavement studs across London, Manchester and Edinburgh, which often go unnoticed, are being transformed into nipples as part of a bold conversation-starting initiative from Breast Cancer UK.
Designed to stop people in their tracks, the charity is taking its plea for cancer prevention to the streets (quite literally) in a nationwide ode to the importance of early detection.
Breast cancer is estimated to affect 1 in 7 women in the UK in their lifetime, yet studies tell us that at least 30% of these cases could be prevented. Breast Cancer UK is dedicated to prevention, empowering people with the knowledge and tools to reduce their risk, and is championing early detection as a lifesaving step through its new ‘Street Nipples’ campaign.
The attention-grabbing breast stencils that can be spotted across England and Scotland are created with reverse clean graffiti, a technique that uses pressure washers rather than paint to ensure an eco-friendly, chemical-free finish.
Though the head-turning art will disappear naturally over time, the message will continue to resonate long after the artworks have faded away: If you don’t look for it; you could miss it.
An interactive map of the nipple artworks is available here, helping people track down the designs, of which there are 20 in London, 15 in Manchester, and 15 in Edinburgh.
Those who spot and share a snap on social media using #StreetNipples, tagging @breastcanceruk and giving the account a follow will also be entered into a prize draw to win a selection of Breast Cancer UK merch.
Thalie Martini, CEO of Breast Cancer UK, stresses that awareness means empowerment: “We know that at least 30% of breast cancer cases are preventable, but for those that are not, it’s vital to know the signs.
“We are concerned that many women in the UK are forgetting to check what’s right in front of them. That’s why this Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are taking to the streets to urge women to take their health, quite literally, into their own hands.”
Breast Cancer UK knows that changes to lifestyle and environment could help significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer, which is why the charity continues to empower individuals through education, research and advocacy.
These small but powerful changes include having a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, doing regular physical activity, limiting alcohol intake, and reducing your exposure to harmful chemicals.
Whilst prevention is the focus of the charity, it recognises that preventative measures aren’t always enough, and catching breast cancer early through self-examination is critical.
This is why Breast Cancer UK stresses the urgency of recognising when something’s not right. Catching breast cancer early can save lives, but too often, signs go unnoticed – just like the street studs that are being transformed.
Breast Cancer UK’s ‘Street Nipple’ artworks can be spotted across London, Manchester and Edinburgh from 1st October to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month until they naturally fade.
Legislation to transform homelessness prevention and improve standards in rented housing has been passed by the Scottish Parliament.
The Housing (Scotland) Bill will place a duty on certain public bodies to prevent people from losing their homes by asking about their housing situation and taking action.
The Bill will also broaden Ministers’ powers to implement ‘Awaab’s Law’, which will ensure landlords promptly address issues that are hazardous to tenants’ health, starting with damp and mould.
The legal measure was named after Awaab Ishak who died in 2020 after being exposed to mould in his home in Rochdale in north west England. The law will now be implemented in Scotland’s rented sector from March 2026, subject to Parliament’s agreement.
Other measures in the Bill include giving Ministers the power to implement a system of long-term rent controls, keeping rent affordable for tenants.
Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “Passing the Housing (Scotland) Bill is a landmark moment for how we prevent homelessness in Scotland.
“Whilst we already have some of the strongest homelessness rights of any country, we will now go even further to a create a gold-standard homelessness prevention system.
“Passing this groundbreaking legislation, coupled with the Housing Emergency Action Plan published earlier this month, shows just how serious we are about tackling Scotland’s housing crisis.
“Families across Scotland will have the confidence that their rented home will be free from damp and mould as we take forward work to implement ‘Awaab’s Law’. We will now work at pace to lay regulations to implement these protections from March.
“Scotland has already led the way in protecting tenants and providing strong rights when people are homeless and now the Housing Bill will revolutionise homelessness prevention and ensure rents are kept affordable.”
Maeve McGoldrick, head of policy and communications for Crisis Scotland, said: “Today’s vote marks a landmark moment in Scotland’s journey towards ending homelessness.
“We already have strong rights in place for people experiencing homelessness, but as we see from our frontline services, we need to do far more to prevent people losing their home in the first place. That means allowing people entering a housing crisis to get help earlier, so they can get support before it is too late.
“At Crisis we have been calling for new protections to stop people being forced from their homes for years. These new changes, contained in the Housing Bill, hold the potential to create a truly world-leading homelessness system, where everyone has a safe, secure place to live.”
Campaigners Living Rent said: “MSPs voted to pass the Housing bill and with it, rent controls. This bill wouldn’t exist without the work of Living Rent members.
“It caps rent increases between tenancies, clamps down on disrepair, and strengthens joint tenancy rights.”
The Scottish Greens also welcomed the decision: “40 years ago Margaret Thatcher abolished rent controls in Scotland.
“The Scottish Parliament just passed a Bill introduced by the Scottish Greens, which will allow them once more! This will keep rents affordable and offer safety and stability to renters.”
Graham Crocket, National Estate Agency Director at Aberdein Considine, has reacted to the passing of the new Housing (Scotland) Bill 2025.
The Bill empowers local councils to designate ‘Rent Control Areas’, capping rent increases to inflation plus 1%, and introduces stricter eviction rules while mandating rent history disclosures.
Grahamsaid: “The implementation of the Housing (Scotland) Bill 2025 is a turning point for landlords, property buyers and the wider property market. While the government frames this Bill as a step towards fairness and affordability, the ripple effects could be profound.
“With rent controls, enhanced tenant protections and new transparency requirements becoming law, landlords and investors will need to carefully reassess their positions, while first-time buyers could be among those best placed to benefit.
“For landlords, especially those operating in high-demand urban areas, the Bill represents a tightening of margins and a loss of flexibility. The prospect of capped rent growth and longer notice periods may prompt a sell-off of rental housing stock, particularly for older flats and tenements. This shift could flood the second-hand market with properties previously held for investment.
“If this happens, first-time buyers could find themselves with more choice and negotiating power than before. In cities like Glasgow and Aberdeen, where affordability ratios are more favourable, the impact could be especially pronounced. Entry-level homes may see a softening in price, giving new buyers a foothold in markets that have long felt out of reach.
“The Bill’s full impact will depend on how councils implement rent control zones and how landlords respond. For now, the market is watching, and first-time buyers may be wise to do more than just watch.”
Aberdein Considine has produced a short city-by-city forecast on the expected impact of the Housing (Scotland) Bill:
Glasgow: With an average house price of £191,000 and strong rental demand, Glasgow is likely to see moderate investor exits. Flats in areas like Dennistoun and Southside may enter the market, softening prices and improving access for first-time buyers.
Edinburgh: Scotland’s capital faces a declared housing emergency and high property values. Rent controls could be rolled out aggressively, prompting landlord exits in Leith and Southside. However, strong demand may keep prices buoyant, limiting gains for new buyers.
Aberdeen: Long subdued by oil sector volatility, Aberdeen’s market is already cool. The bill may accelerate existing trends, with modest price declines and increased affordability for buyers seeking value.
Stirling: Affordable and well-connected, Stirling could attract buyers priced out of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Investor exits near the university and city centre may boost supply of housing stock, stabilising prices and enhancing accessibility.
Perth: With a quieter market and rural appeal, Perth may see slower changes. However, increased listings of older rental stock could gently ease prices, especially for flats and terraced homes.
Aberdein Considine is an award-winning law firm with 21 offices and more than 450 staff across Scotland and the north of England. The firm is also Scotland’s largest solicitor estate agent with a national network of high street branches, including in the key cities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth and Stirling.
The walks are designed for people who have experienced loss in the past two years, and are gentle, creative strolls designed especially for those navigating grief.
Together, we’ll explore the local landscape through art-making, reflection, and connection.
Facilitated by Caledonia Funeral Aid’s Emma Ritchie and St Columba’s Hospice’s community artist Isla Macleod, you will be warmly welcomed to share space with others who understand and find comfort in nature and community.
Feeling overwhelmed? Starting college or uni can be both exciting and stressful. Remember you don’t have to face any worries alone – help is available. 
On Campus Support – Many unis or colleges offer in-house mental health services. Search the ‘Think Positive Hub’ to see what’s available near you.
NHS inform – Explore guides and resources:
Need to talk? Reach out to Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87 or webchat. Experienced advisors are available to listen and offer information and advice.
Urgent help?
