A new fund has been established to help tackle the impact of social isolation, loneliness and the mental health inequalities made worse by the pandemic. The £15 million Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund aims to support adult community-based initiatives across Scotland.
Grass roots community groups and organisations will be able to benefit from the funds to deliver activities and programmes to people to re-connect and revitalise communities building on examples of good practice which have emerged throughout the pandemic.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Kevin Stewart launched the fund at Saheliya in Edinburgh, a specialist mental health and well-being support organisation for black and minority ethnic women and girls.
Mr Stewart said: “This funding reflects the importance we place on promoting good mental health and early intervention for those in distress and will help develop a culture of mental wellbeing and prevention within local communities.
“It is vital now, more than ever as we start to re-open society that we support the mental health and wellbeing of individuals. I am very keen that this benefits communities across all of Scotland.
“I was pleased to be able to visit Saheliya this morning and meet some of the people involved with running and the project, and some of the people they help.”
A range of charity-support bodies and social enterprises, known as third sector interfaces, will manage the fund in partnership with local integrated health authorities and other partners including Community Planning Partnerships and local authority mental health leads.
The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund is part of the wider £120 million Recovery and Renewal Fund announced in February 2021 to ensure delivery of the commitments set out in the Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan in response to the mental health need arising from the pandemic.
Brand new campaign from Soil Association Food for Life
A brand new campaign from the Soil Association aims to tackle food insecurity and loneliness, starting this World Food Day on 16th October.
Anyone can take part in Cook and Share Month and hundreds of events are expected to take place across the UK. From Edinburgh to Inverclyde, people will be cooking and, you guessed it, sharing food in their local communities between 16th October and 16th November 2021.
Preparing and eating food is a great way to bring down barriers, so the organisers are encouraging people from all walks of life to take part.
Community groups, schools, children’s centres, faith groups and more will be getting busy in the kitchen and making food to share with each other, and with their local area, both remotely and in person where it’s safe to do so.
Need funding? Grants of £150 are available to help people get their cooking events off the ground, provided by Food for Life Get Togethers (FFLGT), a Soil Association programme funded by the National Lottery.
More details are below.
So why should we share our food?
Research has revealed that the more often people eat with others the more likely they are to feel happy and satisfied with their lives. Yet this year we have seen loneliness rise, exacerbating social problems that were already there.
The Office of National Statistics has published a report saying that loneliness in adults has increased during the pandemic by almost a third. From October 2020 to February 2021, results from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) showed that 7.2% of the adult population (about 3.7 million adults) felt lonely ‘often’ or ‘always’. This is an increase of 1.1 million people since the first UK lockdown in 2020.
Many people have become more isolated as a result of social distancing measures, which can have negative effects on mental and physical wellbeing. Holding a Food for Life ‘Get Together’ is a tried and tested way for people to connect with others in their local communities, through good food, safely.
In a recent survey of Get Together organisers, nearly 90% either agreed or strongly agreed that their activities created new friendships or developed friendships. More than 90% of Get Together organisers also agreed or strongly agreed that these activities supported people’s health and wellbeing.
Helen Browning, CEO of the Soil Association says:“The month is about using the power of great food to bring us together. At the Soil Association, we know that food has got to be good for us, and good for nature and the climate too.
“It has never been more important to create meaningful connections. We have seen over the past year that feeling connected to others is absolutely essential to good health and wellbeing. Food is one of our best ways to unite across barriers – whether that’s the garden fence, cultural or generational divides.”
Dale Cranshaw, Head of Food for Life Get Togethers adds: “Half of the UK population feel that Britain is more divided than ever before. To build stronger communities that can stand up to some of the urgent health, climate and nature crises of our time we need to get together.
“Cooking and sharing food is one of the best tools you have to bring people from different backgrounds or generations together. If you want to bring your community together you can do something about it this month by cooking, and sharing food that’s good for people and planet with your community.”
There are a range of resources available, helping organisers to cook easy, healthy recipes from scratch. Choose your favourite, from an Eritrean Daal to a simple, home-made bread roll.
An important part of Cook and Share month is helping people to cook from scratch, which has health benefits and often has a lower carbon footprint than alternative ultra-processed foods.
After a year of isolation and worry, it is more important than ever that we connect with the people around us. Whether you’re dishing up daal, sharing a sarnie or passing round the pasta, food is a great way to break down barriers and bring people together.
Cats Protection has welcomed ground-breaking new laws on animal welfare in Scotland but said more still needed to be done to help cats.
The charity says new licensing regulations which come into force today will help to stamp out rogue cat breeders who put profit before the welfare of kittens and cats.
Cats Protection’s Advocacy & Government Relations Officer for Scotland Alice Palombo said: “These new licensing laws have come at a time when we need them the most.
“Over the past 18 months of the pandemic, a combination of increased demand for kittens and restrictions on household visiting has created the perfect conditions for unscrupulous breeders to flourish.
“We’ve heard countless stories of how people have been duped into buying underage, poorly kittens which either haven’t survived or have needed costly veterinary care. It’s not just the kittens that suffer – behind closed doors there are many female cats forced to have litter after litter in poor welfare conditions.”
Under the new licensing laws, anyone breeding three or more litters of kittens in any 12-month period must be licensed, and female cats will be limited to having a maximum of two litters within a year.
Breeders will also be banned from breeding cats with extreme traits which can lead to health conditions, such as the Scottish Fold.
Erin Macqueen, 22, from Glasgow, had a devastating experience in March 2021 when the kitten she purchased for £250 turned out to be just five weeks old. The tiny kitten, named Frankie, died just a few weeks later from a condition believed to be related to its poor start in life.
Erin explained: “Frankie had been advertised as a male 12-week-old kitten. When I took Frankie to the vets, I was told she was actually a girl, and was in fact only five weeks old.
“Alarm bells had rung when the seller delivered her to me – she wasn’t even in a cat carrier, the seller just had her tucked under her coat. I could see straight away that Frankie was tiny, but by that point it’s just too heart-breaking to say no. I didn’t know what I’d be sending her back to.”
After becoming unwell, Frankie was diagnosed with untreatable Feline Infectious Peritonitis and had to be put to sleep, causing huge emotional distress to Erin and leaving her with a £750 vet bill.
She said: “It was the vet’s opinion that she developed this as a result of being bred in poor conditions, probably among many other cats and kittens.
“With the benefit of hindsight, I can see that Frankie had probably been one of many kittens just bred and sold to make a quick profit. In her last days of life, she suffered greatly, and it was a very stressful and emotional time.”
With the new laws coming into force today, Cats Protection is now launching its Time is Meow campaign to ask the Scottish Government to go further to help protect cats.
The five-point action plan details what is needed to continue to ensure cats are better protected in Scotland, including the introduction of compulsory microchipping for pet cats, a ban on snares, encouraging landlords to allow renters to own cats, inclusion of animal welfare in the National Curriculum and further work to tackle unscrupulous cat breeding.
Alice added: “Scotland is leading the way in the UK when it comes to regulating cat breeding and animal rescues. As well as these new licensing laws, Scotland also has strict laws on air gun licensing which helps protect cats from the random attacks we see in Wales and England.
“This is all great news, but there is always more to be done and we want to see Scotland go further.
“Our Time is Meow cat welfare action plan includes issues which will benefit people as well as cats – in particular, encouraging landlords to allow their tenants to own a cat. At a time when we’re all spending more time at home, pet ownership is vitally important to our wellbeing and for helping tackle loneliness.”
AN EDINBURGH housing development has been awarded iPads to keep elderly customers connected with loved ones throughout the pandemic, thanks to a Scottish Government initiative.
Castlebrae Glebe, which is run and operated by Bield, received 12 iPads from Connecting Scotland which is a project established in response to the Covid-19 pandemic to connect individuals who may have otherwise been isolated.
The programme has kept individuals across the country connected virtually when it has not been possible to meet in person and has also supported digital skill development.
Sharon Tomany, Development Manager at Castlebrae Glebe in Craigmillar applied for the programme in February after hearing about the initiative designed for individuals who don’t have the confidence, kit or connectivity at home in a bid to reduce digital exclusion.
“The project has been an amazing opportunity to help customers become more digitally connected and keep in contact with loved ones throughout a period which could have been extremely isolating.
“Everyone at the development has benefited from the donation in some way. One aspect that we didn’t appreciate would have such a big impact was that our customers now feel closer to the local community.
“Previously they may not have seen the communication from local businesses online or been able to get involved with local groups activities.
“The iPads have enabled customers to listen to music, watch videos, read the news and shop online – simple things that they didn’t necessarily have access to before.”
Customers have been supported by staff to set the iPads up and understand how to use the device safely.
Sharon added: “The feedback from friends and families has been very positive and many have expressed their delight about being able to get in touch with their loved ones at any point and actually have video calls, which is much better than talking over the phone.
“We know that many elderly people often battle loneliness and this has heightened throughout the pandemic, so it is especially rewarding to know that we have changed that for our customers by even just a little bit.”
For more information on the Connecting Scotland programme, visit:
Bield use technology to deliver a wide range of specialised housing and care services for around 20,000 older people across 23 local authority areas and is working towards becoming the first fully digitally connected housing association in Scotland.
Bield’s new strategy for property development provides housing solutions – with greater choice and flexibility – to address the needs of the current generation of older people and the next.
To find out more about us and our developments, visit:
First round of £10 million funding for groups affected by pandemic
Projects supporting carers and disabled people are among nine initiatives that are set to share £1 million to tackle loneliness and isolation as a result of the pandemic.
It comes as part of a £10 million commitment to support a new five-year social isolation and loneliness plan, and marks the delivery of a commitment for the first 100 days of this government.
The funding was announced by Minister for Equalities and Older People Christina McKelvie on a visit to meet members of the Glasgow Disability Alliance, which is receiving money for initiatives including one-to-one counselling and online courses designed to help disabled people stay connected.
Other organisations to benefit include Youthlink, which will receive funding to help young people, and Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, which will use the additional money for its Kindness Caller programme.
Ms McKelvie said: “Research has shown that loneliness and social isolation have increased for some during the pandemic, and we know this has disproportionately affected young people, carers and those with disabilities.
“Whether by providing access to counselling, learning opportunities or just a friendly voice to talk to over the phone, this new funding will help ensure people can stay connected and get the support they need.
“Social isolation and loneliness can affect anyone and can have a harmful effect on people’s health and wellbeing. That is why we are developing a new five-year plan and we will invest £10 million across this parliament.”
Tressa Burke, Glasgow Disability Alliance Chief Executive, said: “We welcome this funding to mitigate brutal inequalities supercharged by the pandemic on disabled people.
“Our member survey and engagement revealed that 82% worry about social isolation and loneliness, 60% face digital exclusion, 80% don’t know where to turn to for help and 90% are worried about physical and mental health.
“The funding enables us to provide vital lifelines, programmes and support including digital coaching, wellbeing support and access to online activities which build confidence, connections and ensure the ongoing contributions of disabled people.”
Tim Frew, YouthLink Scotland Chief Executive, said: “We are not all in the same boat in the storm. The evidence is that this pandemic has been particularly tough on the wellbeing of young people in some of our most marginalised and disenfranchised communities.
“This disproportionate impact must be addressed, to ensure every young person has the opportunity to thrive.
“The youth work sector welcomes this fund from the Scottish Government, which will help to identify young people who have been coping with multiple challenges, such as young carers, and develop projects and programmes to meet their needs.”
The organisations to receive funding are:
Age Scotland
Befriending Networks
British Red Cross
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland
Glasgow Disability Alliance
Homestart
Intercultural Youth Scotland
MECOPP
Youthlink Scotland
Within the first 100 days of this government Ministers committed to start work to develop a new five-year social isolation and loneliness plan backed by £10 million over five years focused on reconnecting people as Scotland comes out of the pandemic and tackling loneliness head on.
This is in addition to the more than £6 million investment to promote equality, social isolation and loneliness, and to promote digital inclusion through the Scottish Government’s winter package of support.
The Scottish Government also invested £4.3 million to tackle social isolation and loneliness through digital inclusion via the Connecting Scotland programme.
Morrisons will be giving away half a million free postcards for children to spread messages of hope this week in a nationwide initiative to help tackle loneliness within communities.
Children of Morrisons colleagues will be colouring postcards and writing messages for the supermarket to distribute to its Doorstep Delivery customers who are continuing to shield while lockdown restrictions are eased.
Morrisons Community Champions will also be working in partnership with local primary schools to give children postcards illustrated with sunflowers and positive messages that they can colour in.
The school children can post their cards to grandparents, neighbours and friends who they may not have seen recently due to lockdown or give them back to Morrisons to distribute to care homes and via its Doorstep Delivery service.
According to recent data from the Office of National Statistics, nearly half (47 percent) of adults in England reported that their wellbeing had been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Further research by Morrisons has revealed that 46 percent of Brits are feeling more isolated and alone than they normally would. Two thirds (67 per cent) said a simple act of kindness could help them feel reconnected with their community and three quarters (77 per cent) said it would positively change their entire outlook for the day.
David Potts, CEO at Morrisons, said: “Although lockdown is easing across the UK we know that many people in the community are still shielding and therefore unable to meet up with family and friends.
“Customers write to me weekly to let me know that Morrisons Doorstep Delivery service has been a lifeline to them and express their gratitude and we wanted to let them know we will continue to be here for them. We hope these messages will put a smile on people’s faces up and down the country.”
Every Morrisons store will receive 1500 postcards to give away locally.
The initiative is the latest from Morrisons which aims to make good things happen and bring hope to the nation.
Last week, Morrisons gave away 25 million sunflower seeds to customers to grow at home and launched its ‘Little Sunshine’ award – to recognise those who have gone above and beyond in their local community throughout the pandemic.
I learned this morning of the deaths of two local people who were discovered at home by their neighbours last week. Both were older, and both lived alone.
Voluntary organisations have been doing a sterling job during the pandemic, maintaining contact with some of the most vulnerable members of the community and making sure they have food and other essentials and are able to stay warm.
Community organisations can only reach out to those people they know about, however; their members or client group. There may be many more vulnerable people out there who are not active in local groups, some of whom have no family support. Suffering quietly. Alone.
What can we do to help?
AGE CONCERN offers the following advice:
Saying hello seems like such a small thing. But 1.9 million older people often feel ignored or invisible. A smile and a wave could make a huge difference to those people.
We all feel awkward sometimes, so it’s totally understandable that you might not want to stop and have a conversation. Never underestimate the power of a quick ‘good morning’ though.
How else can I support an older neighbour?
It’s easy to forget that older people sometimes just want someone to pass the time of day with.
Even a small act can make a big difference. Knock on your neighbour’s door and ask them if they need anything. You could:
invite them round for a cup of tea and a slice of cake
drive them to a medical appointment
pick up some shopping for them
ask if they have anything that needs taking to the tip
offer to sweep up leaves or salt an icy front step
offer a mince pie and mulled wine at Christmas.
A word of caution
Do make sure you’ve introduced yourself properly first, telling them who you are and where you live.
Not everyone wants to be friendly with their neighbours, so try to judge the mood when you first approach them.
Once you’ve got that good rapport with your neighbour, it’ll be much easier to do something nice for them.
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT HELPLINE
The Scottish Government has set up a helpline for vulnerable or isolated people who do not have family or community support but need assistance.
If you, or someone you know, needs help call the Scottish Government helpline on 0800 111 4000. The helpline is open from 9am-5pm.
LOCAL COMMUNITY HELPLINE
A coalition of North Edinburgh voluntary sector organisations has set up a community helpline for local people.
Advice and support is available on 0131 356 0220 from 9 – 4pm Monday – Thursday and from 9 – 3pm on Fridays.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service worker has spoken of the plight of an elderly woman forced to live in her kitchen to stay warm – as she underlines the need to look out for the vulnerable this Christmas.
Louise Dalton is member of the Service’s dedicated Community Action Team, tasked with providing free Home Fire Safety Visits and advice to some of Scotland’s most vulnerable and isolated people.
And she is urging communities to get in contact if they know of a relative, friend or neighbour who may be in need of assistance. Louise said: “I don’t think people truly understand the effect of social isolation.
“I will never, ever forget an elderly woman who was living near Glasgow city centre; she had limited mobility and had moved everything into her kitchen.
“Her bed was in there; she spent all day sitting on a wooden dining chair and had a small electric heater because her gas had been shut off. She had a small portable stove that she made dinner on and at night she crawled over the table to get into her bed.
“She had no one: no friends or family, no one to make sure she was eating, bathing, or staying warm.
“It was a horrible situation for anyone to be living in, but there were also massive fire risks there and we supported her to start getting the help she needed from ourselves and our partners.”
During Lockdown, Louise has been working from home as part of a multi-agency helpline team which includes staff from SFRS and Glasgow City Council.
They have made more than 11,000 calls to vulnerable people across Glasgow to help ensure they continue to get the support they need, including vital medical prescriptions.
She has also been part of a nationwide partnership between SFRS and the SPFL Trust, delivering thousands of Christmas hampers to isolated and vulnerable people under the Festive Friends campaign launched by the trust earlier this month.
Louise believes communities can also play their part by calling 0800 0731 999 to signpost the SFRS to any other vulnerable people, on their behalf and with their permission, who may be vulnerable to fire or other risks – anywhere in Scotland.
She said: “Social isolation, fuel poverty, mental health issues can all affect anyone of any age and background so it’s been great that we’ve been able to keep working together but we still can’t reach everyone.
“That’s why we’re asking people to help us – help us make sure no-one is alone this Christmas and that they get the long-term support that they need to stay safe.”
Almost £6 million in funding will provide friendship and human connection to people at risk of social isolation and loneliness over the winter months.
Part of the Scottish Government’s £100 million winter package to support people, the funding will ensure services such as wellbeing calls, befriending support, advice and volunteering are maintained and extended over winter.
Through the Connecting Scotland programme, an extra £4.3 million will help 5,000 older people to get online, and around 200 families to maintain contact with a loved one in prison custody, through digital devices and internet access.
More than £1.6 million will go to organisations providing key helplines, for groups such as older people and victims of domestic abuse. Over £900,000 will go to various other projects across Scotland supporting people of all ages affected by social isolation and loneliness.
Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie said: “Living through an extended period of not spending time with our friends and loved ones has been painful for everyone, but extremely damaging for some and we know that many people will find the upcoming festive period particularly hard.
“The events of this year have reaffirmed our commitment to tackling social isolation and loneliness as a serious public health issue.
“That’s why part of our Winter Plan for Social Protection will have a specific focus on addressing this across society. In particular among older people, disabled people, the young LGBTI community, care-leavers, and women and girls at risk from violence and abuse.
The charity Generations Working Together will receive £76,200 to continue connecting care home residents with their families and younger people in the community.
Chief Executive Officer Alison Clyde said: “We provide support and training to care home staff to ensure residents are connected with loved ones, as well as young people from the local community.
“Participants share their skills and life experiences, learn together whilst making new friends and most importantly have fun. This also helps to break down intergenerational barriers – vital in tackling ageism and reducing loneliness and isolation.”
Shared Care Scotland will receive £80,000 for its Time to Live grant scheme for unpaid carers.
Chief Executive Don Williamson said: “Ongoing restrictions continue to have a significant impact on carers, many of whom are unable to access their usual forms of support.
“Accessing a short break through a Time to Live grant can make a huge difference to a carer’s health and wellbeing, helping them recharge their batteries and sustaining them through the winter months.”
YouthLink Scotland will receive £150,000 to allocate small grants to local grassroots youth work.
Chief Executive Officer Tim Frew said: “Some young adults face uncertainty around their future job prospects and struggle to cope with the restrictions. This funding will enable us to direct youth work support to where it is needed the most, boosting young people’s interaction with others and promoting positive mental wellbeing.”
In addition to the £5.91 million from the winter support package, the Scottish Government has also provided £1.16 million funding over the course of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to organisations who tackle isolation and loneliness through local projects, intergenerational learning and phone helplines.
Our National Assistance Helpline, connected to all Local Authorities, remains in place to support people and provide advice when they need it.
In addition to those mentioned above, organisations to receive funding include: Befriending Networks (£100,000), BEMIS/Ethnic Minority Resilience Network (£100,00), Scottish Mens’ Sheds Association (£100,000), Chest Heart Stroke Scotland (£75,000), Glasgow Disability Alliance and other national disability organisations (£120,000).
Lifecare Edinburgh Limitedreceives £79,990 to continue its Vintage Vibes service across the city for the next two years.
Andrew Ainsworth, Service Co-ordinator, Vintage Vibes, said: “Vintage Vibes tackles isolation and loneliness in over 60s (VIPs) across Edinburgh through one to one friendships with local volunteers, based on shared interests.
“Edinburgh is the loneliest city in the UK for older people – something we know has only been exacerbated through the current pandemic. This grant will allow us to continue to support our current VIPs and many more over the next couple of years as we move through and beyond COVID-19.
“We know what a difference their friendships make to our VIPs – one VIP, Norma told us that for her ‘it’s essential to have something like Vintage Vibes’. Thank you to The National Lottery Community Fund and to all National Lottery players for making it possible for us to continue to make a difference to our VIPs.”
Thistle Health and Wellbeing receives £120,000 to deliver a programme which will support people who have been severely impacted by long term physical and mental health conditions. The support will also help clients who are living with the longer term effects of COVIVD-19, including Post Viral Fatigue Syndrome.
The project will help many more people like Rafit Khan, aged 41, from Edinburgh.
Rafit said: ““I met different people which has made me feel good about myself, more confident to approach people. I think groups like this are very beneficial for people with mental or physical problems or with chronic illness. It gives them skills/tools to manage it throughout their life.”
Welcoming the funding, Mark Hoolahan, CEO, Thistle Health and Wellbeing, said: “We are delighted to receive this funding from The National Lottery Community Fund. The grant will enable Thistle to support more people living with long term health conditions to live a life free of isolation and loneliness.
“Thistle supports people to feel more in control, ensuring that a health crisis does not become a life crisis, and so this funding will have a significant positive impact on the wellbeing of people in Edinburgh and the Lothians.”
National Lottery players raise £30 million every week for good causes in the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund in Scotland is currently focusing its funding on those projects that supporting organisations and communities to respond to the challenge of COVID-19.
