Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK
Gardening for Good Health
Gardens and greenspaces have been hugely important to many people during the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, with many people finding their refuge through gardening.
Here we explore some of the health and mental wellbeing benefits of gardening:
Stress relief
Gardening is a fantastic stress reliever and can cultivate feelings of empowerment, connection, and calm. Being in touch with nature and the great outdoors can help you feel more removed from the daily stressors of life.
Work out
Gardening is exercise and working in a garden can use every major muscle group in the body. While activities such as raking and cutting the grass may be light exercise, shovelling and digging can be counted as vigorous exercise.
Grow your own
There is nothing quite like eating your own fresh home grown produce! Not only are many fruits and vegetables very easy to grow, but they are also more nutrient-dense, free of pesticides and tasty. By growing your own, you are also helping to preserve the environment.
Get the kids involved
It can sometimes be a challenge to get children to eat healthy foods and enjoy them. Growing vegetables not only teaches children valuable lessons about the work that it takes to grow them, but it can also help them to gain a keen interest in eating them too.
Work with what you have
Whether your patch is large or small, a raised bed, a community garden or window box – make the most of it by researching the best plants for your space and sunlight exposure. You can grow a range of things with very little space and maintenance, whilst still reaping the benefits.
Venture Trust is delighted to announce Donnie Campbell as our latest ambassador.
Donnie is the record holder for a complete round of all 282 Scottish Munro’s in 31 days and is one of Scotland’s top running coaches. His main sport is ultra mountain running and has won races all over the world, representing team GB at the world trail running championships and also running across the Namib desert in 9 days.
Donnie has an incredible amount of motivation, stamina and self-belief and he wants to push others to be the best they can be.
Mike Strang, Interm CEO at Venture Trust, said: “Donnie is a shining example of what hard work, motivation and self-belief can achieve. As an ex-marine turned ultra-mountain runner, Donnie is well placed to inspire the people we work with who may not have had the best start in life. We are delighted to have Donnie on board.
“Donnie’s appointment is particularly timely as we recently launched an Outdoor Therapy service which specifically provides mental health support to veterans struggling with their transitioning to civilian life and looking for new goals and aspirations.”
At Venture Trust, we work with people to gain the life skills, stability and confidence needed to reach their potential.
Through person-centred support in communities and experiential learning in the Scottish outdoors we challenge individuals to reflect on beliefs, attitudes and behaviours so they can unlock skills and learn new, more positive, ways of approaching situations.
By adapting to environments like the outdoors, people we work with increase resilience, develop understanding of how to interact others, and improve impulse control in challenging situations. We have personal development programmes for young people, those involved in criminal justice and ex-service personnel struggling with civilian life.
Donnie is an inspiration to those facing and overcoming challenging circumstances and shares the belief that we can build skills through new experiences in the outdoors and getting out of our comfort zone.
Donnie says: “My achievements are about building mental stamina as much as physical stamina; once you reach difficult circumstances, you know you have been through it before, and you can get through it again.
“The circumstances I’ve faced in life might be different, but by offering the right support and opportunities to learn out in the wild, I believe everyone working with Venture Trust has the chance to rise from their challenges and become the best version of themselves”.
Growing up in the Isle of Skye, Donnie is used to being in the countryside and surrounded by nature. He joined the Royal Marine Commando at age 17 and went to Iraq at age 18, facing many challenges at a young age. Donnie left the marines to study Sports Coaching and Development and wanted to use his enthusiasm and coaching skills to encourage other people to reach their goals.
Mike concludes: “We are really excited about working with Donnie and hope that together we can really inspire people to try new experiences, especially in the outdoors, and push themselves to achieve their goals and reach their potential”.
Greg McAllister, an employee at leading industrial software provider Asset Guardian Solutions Limited (AGSL), recently embarked on a 1,000 mile cycle from John o’Groats to Land’s End, helping the company raise over £3,000 for its corporate charity partner, SAMH (the Scottish Association for Mental Health).
Greg, an enthusiastic cyclist, decided to combine his passion with the company’s annual fundraising campaign to support SAMH and raise awareness of Scotland’s mental health and wellbeing challenge.
Greg explained: “Mental health is something that has always been there and during the last two lockdowns I have noticed how important it is to talk about it and not to shy away from it.
“With AGSL partnering with SAMH, I felt that it was a good time to set myself a goal. I have wanted to try some sort of endurance challenge for a while and during lockdown I was able to increase my running and cycling to a level that I felt I would be able to complete a multi-day challenge.
“Each day was tough, with poor weather conditions and minor injuries and so I took it slow and steady, but the fundraising campaign helped me keep focused. Luckily arriving at Lands’s End was nice and sunny to finish off! I’d like to thank Asset Guardian for the support they gave me before and during the cycle.”
Greg, who is a reigning world champion bagpiper, was backed by sponsors AGSL, McCallum Bagpipes, MG Reeds and The Rollin Drones, who helped support Greg in raising awareness of the charity and its national mental health programme.
Iain Rennie, Operations Director at AGSL said: “Everyone at AGSL is very proud of Greg and his dedication in completing this challenge. His achievement in cycling the full length of the country should not be underestimated, especially doing it solo without other riders to take some of the load.
“And of course the fundraising effort for our partner SAMH, where Greg’s contribution should help us break through our target for this year.”
Fiona Lewis, Corporate Partnerships Manager at SAMH, said: “All of us at SAMH are delighted to be Asset Guardian’s charity partner. It’s fantastic that the staff have decided to make mental health their cause.
“Greg’s achievement is incredible and we cannot thank him enough for showing SAMH and the mental health cause such tremendous support and dedication. The funds raised by Greg, and by colleagues throughout our partnership, will fund crucial mental health support for people across Scotland – a huge thank you from everyone at SAMH.”
SAMH and Scotland’s Mental Health Challenge
SAMH is Scotland’s mental health charity and provides local mental health support and accessible information. SAMH listens to what matters in each local community, and campaign nationally for the changes that make the big and little differences in life. Now more than ever, SAMH need to make change happen.
SAMH are standing up for Scotland’s mental health. It costs just £20 to run one support session with SAMH, where the charity can spend time with someone to help them in their recovery from mental ill health.
SAMH is committed to supporting Scotland’s mental health, especially during this difficult time. and have created a dedicated online information hub, providing for advice and information on protecting your mental health during these developments.
Asset Guardian Solutions Limited specialises in protecting and securing industrial process software and is an official corporate partner for SAMH.
All year round, employees strive to raise awareness of mental health by supporting the charity through fundraising campaigns. With positive mental health being part of the company’s corporate culture, it hopes to raise awareness of mental health challenges together with SAMH.
The Scottish Government has unveiled a new online learning resource to help school staff support young people’s mental health.
Staff can learn more about factors influencing mental health and wellbeing; prevention-based approaches in schools and tips on how to end mental health stigma and discrimination.
The Mental Health Foundation, Children in Scotland and training provider Digital Bricks developed the resource that is open to all school staff in primary, secondary and special schools.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing is of vital importance and this resource is a significant addition to the suite of resources that school staff can access. It will provide essential learning and knowledge on mental health and wellbeing that schools can adopt and embed across all aspects of the school environment.
“Although aimed primarily at school staff, it can also be accessed and used by anyone who wants to learn more about mental health and how to support children and young people.”
Councillor Stephen McCabe, COSLA spokesperson for Children and Young People, said: “The mental health and wellbeing of our children and young people must be a priority as we recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.
“Ensuring those working with young people, in all capacities, have access to resources that develop their understanding of, and equip them to appropriately support mental health would be crucial; I welcome this comprehensive resource providing training and information for all school staff.”
GP reveals what to do if you have post-natal depression
A third of UK mothers experience some form of post-natal depression, with 12% considering self harm
Dr. Elisabeth Rosen gives advice for those experiencing post-natal depression
30-year-old Rebecca Lockwood shares her experience with post-natal depression
The study, conducted by Livi, the digital healthcare platform, surveyed 1,000 UK mothers and found over a quarter (29%) of young mothers (aged 18-24) considered self-harming after giving birth, but they are the least likely age group to ask for support.
The main signs include persistent depression or low mood, lack of energy and lack of interest in the wider world. Problems sleeping, difficulty bonding with your baby and having disturbing thoughts can also be symptoms.
Sadly, such thoughts result in nearly one in eight (12%) new mothers considering self-harm. This is more than twice as common amongst younger parents, with the figure rising to over a quarter for mothers aged 18-24 (29%) and 25-34 (26%).
One of the best ways to address these negative feelings is to talk about them with other people. Unfortunately, however, more than one in seven (15%) say they found it difficult to talk about their post-natal depression, with one in ten (10%) calling it a taboo subject.
This could explain why so many new mothers are reluctant to admit their symptoms and ask for support (15%), despite it being a great way to alleviate the strain. Young mums (18-24) in particular feel uncomfortable asking for help with their babies (22%) and they are the least likely to seek professional advice for their depression (4%).
An often-overlooked aspect of the condition is that it is not always exclusive to the mother. Over a quarter (27%) of fathers experience depression after their baby is born and a third (33%) of those with symptoms consider self-harm2.
If you or your partner are experiencing symptoms of post-natal depression, there are a number of things you can do to help.
Dr. Elisabeth Rosen, a doctor specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology at Livi, has given her top five pieces of advice:
1) Talk to family and friends
Tell them how you’re feeling and don’t be afraid to ask for help with things like looking after the baby, so you can catch up on sleep or socialising.
2) Find local support
If you don’t have anyone to turn to – for example, if you’re a single mother with no friends or family close by – look for local support groups. A doctor should be able to help you find one in your area.
3) Rest
Try not to be a perfectionist. It doesn’t matter if your house doesn’t look immaculate, or all of the chores aren’t done. It’s more important that you catch up on sleep and rest when you can.
4) Eat healthily
Having a baby makes demands on the body, so eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly (or when you can) is crucial.
5) Seek expert help
Your doctor can refer you for a course of therapy with a psychologist. Cognitive behavioural therapy is shown to be effective in treating postnatal depression. Antidepressants may also be recommended in certain cases where depression is severe and other treatments haven’t helped.
Rebecca Lockwood, 30, experienced post-natal depression when she was 24 after the birth of her first child. She said: “For the first six weeks, I would find myself sobbing uncontrollably and feeling helpless.
“Then I would feel even worse because I was wracked with guilt. At first, I found it hard to ask for help as I was terrified that if anyone knew how I was feeling my baby would be taken away.
“Eventually I was able to admit to myself how bad I really felt and ask for help from my doctor. It started with medication for a short time and then counselling, CBT and psychotherapy over a 12-month period. This helped and left me feeling a bit better, but it wasn’t until I trained in Neuro Linguistic Programming, timeline therapy and hypnotherapy that I finally felt completely better.
“I became aware of the judgement I held towards myself and my whole perception shifted as I realised that I needed to be much kinder to myself. I understood how my mind works and why I was behaving the way I was.”
Dr. Rosen adds: “There is an expectation of women that they should feel super happy after having a baby, but many women are hesitant to admit that they don’t feel this way.
“In fact, it’s common for new parents to feel depressed, confused, frustrated, tired and disillusioned – that’s nothing to feel ashamed of. Support and treatments are available, so speak to a doctor, who can help you to work out what the best options are for you. Whatever you do, don’t suffer in silence.”
For more information and advice about post-natal depression, visit:
Since April last year, our trained Childline counsellors have delivered more than 73,000 counselling sessions with young people who were struggling with their mental and emotional health. And more than 5,000 of these counselling sessions were with children aged 11 or under, an increase of nearly a third when compared to the year before.
However, as a charity that receives 90% of our income from the public, we know this is something we have not achieved alone, and we are hugely grateful for the dedication and commitment of our supporters, which allow us to continue this work.
One way that the public can support us is through the People’s Postcode Lottery, and since 2018, players have provided crucial funding to the sum of almost £6 million to the NSPCC to help the charity keep children safe and well.
The funds have been used to support our vital services across Scotland. This includes our schools service programme, helping primary school children speak out and stay safe from abuse, and our service centre in Govan, Glasgow, providing therapeutic services to families. And, of course, Childline, which provides free and confidential counselling to children and young people in need of support.
Childline is a lifeline for many children and over the past year thousands of young people have needed it more than ever due to the challenges they have faced during the pandemic. Local lockdowns, school closures, isolation and the impact of being separated from family and friends led many children to get in touch with the service over the phone or online.
The money raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery has been invaluable in helping our frontline staff be here for children during their darkest hours.
Moving forward, as lockdown restrictions continue to ease, it remains vital that children and young people know where they can access help and support.
We can only make a difference for children together, and we simply couldn’t continue to run services like Childline without the public’s support.
The coronavirus crisis has had a huge impact on the nation’s activity levels, with 1.2 million more adults now classed as ‘inactive’ (up 2.6% to 27.1%) and less than half (44.9%) of children and young people meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines of 60 minutes a day.
The pandemic has also impacted the nation’s mental well-being, with new data from UK Coaching showing that nearly 9 in 10 coaches (87%) are concerned about the poor mental and physical health of participants. Additionally, nearly half of all coaches (47%) said one of the biggest challenges currently facing them is motivating people to return to sport and physical activity.
Coaches will be central to the nation’s restart, with research conducted by YouGov on behalf of UK Coaching revealing that 7 in 10 adults (70%) believe grassroots coaches and instructors are important in helping Britain become a fitter and more active society.
And the vital work that coaches deliver is being understood and appreciated more than ever, with over two thirds (69%) of the nation believing it is important for society to value the role that coaches and instructors play in keeping local communities active.
Yet concerns amongst coaches remain and UK Coaching, the lead charity for coaches in Britain, fear that coaches aren’t receiving the support they need in order to continue playing this vital role in communities.
With the Covid-19 pandemic causing many people to consider the need to be fitter and more active, nearly 6 in 10 (57%) of coaches surveyed are concerned about the increased cost of facilities and almost half (48%) said they needed to offer lower priced activities to enable wider access.
Access to funding and facilities also remains a barrier, with 40% of those surveyed raising concerns about the need for updated facilities in encouraging their local community to return, as well as increased access to funding for equipment (34%) and to reopen local facilities (31%).
Mark Gannon, Chief Executive at UK Coaching, said: “It is clear that the British public see coaches as fundamental to driving a more active society and value the important role they play in creating healthier and happier communities.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed many of the vulnerabilities in the health of the nation and it is now more important than ever to support people to achieve healthier lives.
“Coaches will be vital as we transition through the pandemic but in order to continue delivering great coaching, we must ensure they have all the support and tools they need. From our research we know that three areas of concern remain – the cost of entry, access to and out-of-date facilities and cost of equipment.”
The research has been released during UK Coaching Week – a national awareness week to celebrate great coaching and help the nation’s coaches to share their voice, be heard and generate the investment they need to reinvent, recover and return.
Emma Hayes, Chelsea Women’s Head Coach, is supportive of the campaign. She said: “Coaches play a fundamental role in driving people to be more active and to reap all of the positive physical and mental health benefits that this brings.
“Elite coaches get a lot of attention, but really, it’s the army of grassroots coaches in communities who are making the biggest difference. That’s why I am happy to show my support for UK Coaching Week and recognise coaching’s importance in helping Britain become a more active nation.”
Tracey Neville, Performance Operations Director at Manchester Thunder Netball and former Head Coach of England Netball, said: “It’s fantastic to read that the majority of people back grassroots coaches to get the nation back to activity, fitness and good well-being as restrictions ease.
“I know first-hand the influence that great coaches can have on your life. My own coaches instilled principles in me that have driven me to be where I am now. They are at the centre of communities and bring people together in a welcoming environment to support them to enjoy sport and physical activity. That’s why I’m supporting UK Coaching Week.”
To find out more about UK Coaching and the activity taking place this UK Coaching Week, visit www.ukcoaching.org.
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of children’s services, has called on Scotland’s political parties to make this new session of the Scottish Parliament a “Parliament for Mental Health”.
The call comes as new figures from Public Health Scotland indicate that at the end of March 2021, 2,012 children and young people had been waiting over a year for treatment from specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) provided by the NHS.
These figures are the worst on record and represent a near tripling from March 2020 (696).They also represent more than 18 per cent of those waiting for specialist treatment.
With already under-resourced and overstretched services facing overwhelming pressure due to increased demand, the SCSC has raised concerns over a potential “lost generation” of vulnerable children and young people whose mental health is being impacted by Covid-19.
Even prior to the pandemic cases of poor mental health were at unprecedented levels and there are a growing number of vulnerable children who cannot access adequate support.
While 4,089 children and young people were treated over the period January to March 2021 by CAMHS, only 72.5 per cent were seen within the Scottish Government’s waiting time target for the NHS of 18 weeks from referral to treatment (met for at least 90 per cent of patients). Only two out of 14 health boards met this target.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “These frightening statistics highlight the challenges ahead and a commitment by MSPs to focus on mental health, increasing investment in support services and intervention strategies, must be a priority for this parliament.
“We have for some time raised concerns over a potential lost generation of vulnerable children and young people, whose mental health is being impacted even further by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This is a crisis we can overcome, but it will require a similar energy and commitment to that demonstrated for Covid-19 if we are to achieve this and prevent many young people giving up on their futures.”
● Every school in Scotland is invited to bring the nation together on 18th June to take part in “Scotland Does The Daily Mile.”
● The Daily Mile Foundation is also very excited to announce Olympic athlete and teacher Eilidh Doyle as the first ambassador for Scotland Does The Daily Mile Campaign and The Daily Mile #TravelTo Tokyo.
● Elaine Wyllie, Founder of The Daily Mile says, “Getting our children active is more important than ever, and it is very encouraging to see so many schools already signed up to Scotland Does The Daily Mile. The past year has been challenging for everyone and we want to get that sense of community and comradery back. I hope you can all join us for our six week challenge which finishes with Scotland Does The Daily Mile event on the 18th June!”
● The Daily Mile currently has over 3 million children running a mile every day across 12,000 schools in 80 countries.
The Daily Mile Foundation supported by Scottish Athletics, INEOS and SAMH is to host its first national event across Scottish schools on 18th June.
Over 40% of schools in Scotland are already signed up to The Daily Mile and many more are expected to join across the country in coming weeks. The event aims to encourage children to be more active, to improve their physical, mental, social health and wellbeing.
The Daily Mile is a transformative initiative where children run, jog, wheel or walk for fifteen minutes every day. The initiative has enjoyed phenomenal success since it was started by Elaine Wyllie eight years ago when she was headteacher at a primary school in Stirling.
The Daily Mile Foundation is also pleased to announce Eilidh Doyle, Olympic medallist and Scotland’s most decorated track and field athlete is encouraging schools across Scotland to get involved. Eilidh has been nominated as the ambassador for “Scotland does the Daily Mile”. Her love for running alongside combined with expertise as a teacher is inspiring for children up and down the country.
Eilidh said, “I’m delighted to be the Ambassador for The Daily Mile in Scotland and support this project as I think it is a really positive initiative to get young people more active. As a former teacher I approve!”
“It’s fantastic to see so many schools signed up so far and I’d urge as many schools as possible to get involved. I’m excited to be endorsing this programme because I feel passionately that youngsters should be given the opportunity to be active and that hopefully starts out at primary school. Exercising with friends is so much fun and being active from a young age has many benefits.”
Robert Nesbitt, Head of Physical Activity and Sport at SAMH said: “Over recent months children and young people have faced unprecedented challenges; with disruption to their routines, changes in their education and time away from their family and friends, which we know has affected their wellbeing and mental health.
“Now that schools have returned, physical activity is a brilliant way for children and young people to get involved and feel connected again, which is why SAMH is delighted to support The Daily Mile initiative, which encourages young people to come together to get active and in turn develop vital connections with their peers and teachers.”
The Daily Mile currently has over 3 million children running a daily mile across 12,000 schools in 80 countries but this is the first national event in Scotland of its kind. The hope is to capture the camaraderie that children have missed while schools have been closed, providing young people the opportunity to be active, have fun with their friends in this health and wellbeing initiative.
Elaine Wyllie, Founder of The Daily Mile says: “Getting our children active is more important than ever, and it is very encouraging to see so many schools already signed up to The Daily Mile in Scotland.
“The past year has been challenging for everyone and we want to get that sense of community and fun back in our schools. I hope you can all still join us for our Travel To Tokyo challenge which finishes with Scotland Does The Daily Mile event on the 18th June! There’s still plenty of time to get involved!”
“Scotland Does The Daily Mile” will also mark the finale of a six week challenge The Daily Mile #TravelToTokyo, which began on the 10th May encouraging teams of children to run, jog, or wheel the equivalent distance of Scotland to Tokyo, learning about different countries along the way, in a celebration for the upcoming events this summer.
Duke of Cambridge calls in at Spartans to talk mental health
Duke visits Spartans FC to hear about positive impact of the Heads Up ‘Mentally Healthy Football’ declaration in Scotland
Scotland’s spot-kick hero David Marshall joins Duke and other Home Nations players in zoom conversation on mental health
Mental Health League players engage in shooting drill with Duke and former Scotland international Steven Thompson
Spartans FC received a royal visitor yesterday when the Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, paid a visit to Pilton to hear about the progress made in putting mental health and wellbeing at the forefront of the game in Scotland.
The trip to Spartans was the Duke’s first stop on his visit to Scotland, and saw him meet with representatives from the Scottish FA, Breathing Space, Time to Tackle, the Hampden Sports Clinic and Bonnyrigg Rose to discuss the range of mental health initiatives running in Scottish football.
With the visit also coming on the eve of the Scottish Cup Final, the Duke met with former Scottish Cup winners Chris Iwelumo and Marvin Bartley, who previously won the Scottish Cup with tomorrow’s finalists St Johnstone and Hibs respectively.
David McPhee, Chair of the Scottish Mental Health and Wellbeing League, spoke with the Duke as they took in some action from small-sided matches featuring players from the League.
The League, which was previously run by the Scottish FA, was set up to support recovery and tackle stigma associated with mental health.
A number of the Mental Health and Wellbeing League players then helped the Duke test his shooting skills, as he took part in a friendly skills challenge with them and former Scotland striker Steven Thompson.
Scotland’s spot-kick hero David Marshall then joined the Duke and other Home Nations players in a zoom conversation to discuss changing the conversation on mental health and their experiences over the past year.
Also taking part in the catch-up ahead of UEFA EURO 2020 were Harry Kane for England, Julie Nelson for Northern Ireland, and Jess Fishlock MBE for Wales.
The plan, which supports the Royal Foundation’s Heads Up mental health campaign, aims to end the stigma around the issue in football and create an environment for people to talk openly about their mental health in the game.
The Duke learned of the success of the Scottish FA’s mental health e-learning platform, which has seen more than 9,000 players, staff, managers and officials in the Scottish football community complete mental health awareness training through the platform in less than a year.
This commitment saw governing bodies, leagues and organisations from across UK football join in recognising that mental health is as important as physical health, and pioneering a ‘team approach’ on this important issue.
