Tag: mental health

£1m to tackle social isolation and loneliness in Scotland

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.

Burnt Chef survey finds 40% of hospitality staff struggled with mental health over last year

The Burnt Chef Project rolled out a hospitality survey to explore issues around staffing within the hospitality sector looking to ascertain why people had left the industry within the last 12 months.

The vast majority of the 2,143 UK based respondents (84%) are still working within the industry: 45% of them were chefs and most (75%) had been furloughed during the pandemic.

“40% of respondents have struggled with their mental health over the past 12 months”

The survey, which was launched in June and rolled out via Peopleful and Umbrella Insights, found that nearly a third of those not currently working within the sector are planning to return within the year, with 10% in the next six months.

However, there are challenges the industry faces which are impacting those who work within it and must be addressed before the industry can become a sustainable career choice for many.

Work-life balance is the most frequently mentioned barrier to working in the sector and most commonly cited reason for leaving.

Sadly, hospitality doesn’t currently come highly recommended with one in five planning on leaving in the next 12 months and around a third (37%) is on the fence.

When asked what changes would improve recruitment and retention in hospitality, the majority said, ”feeling valued’.

Unsociable and unpredictable hours – which are inherent in the trade – were a barrier to one in five, whilst salary and stressful working environments were also frequently cited barriers (one third). Only 4% of those asked highlighted job security as a concern. 

The Burnt Chef Project Ambassador, Benjamin Souza-Morse, Owner of The Salutation Inn said: “Things have to change to ensure the survival of the industry, sadly it’s all too often seen as normal practice to work 80 hours a week with no respite.

“It’s not feasible for people to work all hours under the sun and still perform to the best of their abilities, we wouldn’t expect other industries to work two weeks in one. I am constantly adapting my business to try and meet its commercial needs but more importantly the needs of our team, we look closely at: maximum hours, consecutive days off, weekends off, competitive pay rates, free staff food, staff trips.

“These are just some of the things which attract and retain staff and we will be working closely with The Burnt Chef Project to ensure that we are an employer of choice, who focus on the mental health and well-being of our staff.

“If businesses recognised the needs of their team, the whole sector could produce a better balanced, desirable profession to work in.” 

Not surprisingly, 40% of respondents have struggled with their mental health over the past 12 months, with around 1 in 6 reporting it has been ‘not good’.

General Managers are seemingly those finding the pressures impacting their mental health the most with 42% reporting a decline in the overall level of mental well-being since reopening. However, 60% of individuals report feeling ‘okay’ or ‘better’ about working in the industry, showing there is a large proportion of the workforce keen to stay. 

Kris Hall, Founder of The Burnt Chef Project said, “We’re seeing it all over the media, and we’re hearing it first-hand in the trade. The industry is facing a severe employment crisis right now, but what our survey has shown is that there is a way out of this. Hospitality 2.0 if you like, whereby we support our employees and give them a sustainable career choice.

“There are achievable, mid-term solutions which can be implemented within the workplace to put the industry on the path to success. Training for managers to understand effective communication, performance reviews to encourage and inspire, and mental health awareness training to understand stress and its impact on team members.

“Yes, we’re facing a challenge, but we’re also faced with a huge opportunity to make a better environment within the industry. The impact of COVID-19 has been detrimental to the industry, but now is the time to knuckle down and invest in the business and primarily the people who are working in it.

“We are already working on innovative tools, resources and support services to aid businesses in tackling some of the issues raised from our data.”

For anyone looking for advice or wishing to implement mental health training within their organisation, please contact info@theburntchef.co.uk for details.

New charity aims to tackle legacy of grief from Covid-19

Apart of Me, the design-led company that supports young people and their families through the heartbreak of grief via a mobile App, has received a double-boost as it seeks to help those suffering loss from the pandemic.

Firstly, their application to become a charity was not just approved, but fast-tracked by the Charity Commission. The Commission acknowledged both the importance of the serviceto children and young people affected by grief and the time-sensitive nature of the work given the legacy of loss caused by Covid-19.

In a second piece of good news for the charity, it was announced today that they had been named winners in the London Mayoral Resilience Fund, a scheme set up by Mayor Sadiq Khan to help the capital city bounce back against Coronavirus. 

Apart of Me has been appointed to run projects to help young people in London bereaved due to coronavirus. The charity’s aim is to apply the same clinical approach and methods they use in their award-winning App to help young people combat their grief.

Apart of Me launched in 2018 as an innovative app-based adventure game that helps bereaved children use their mobile phones or tablets to help cope with the grief and confusion caused by the loss of a loved one.

“When we launched Apart of Me a couple of years ago, little did we know how badly it would be needed today, with so many children and young people left grieving for loved ones as a result of Covid-19,” said Louis Weinstock, the child psychologist who co-founded the organisation with tech entrepreneur Ben Page in 2018.

“Whilst all the talk at the moment is of our desire to return to normality, millions of children around the world have lost parents, grandparents and care-givers from this pandemic. They need our support.”

Acknowledging their new charitable status, Weinstock said, “Charity means ‘compassion’. Having our registration expedited by the Charity Commission not only confirms the urgency of our mission, but it will also allow us to fundraise and accelerate towards our goal of helping every grieving young person transform their grief into compassion.” 

From the outset the goal for Apart of Me was to combine bereavement-counseling techniques with 3D animation and gaming developments to create an app-based game that could help children and young people find a path through grief to compassion. Since then, the app has been downloaded nearly 100,000 times, receiving critical acclaim from clinical leaders and those who have used it.

Henry, who was 18 when his father died of cancer, describes the impact the game had on him. “Apart of Me was my guiding light in the dark when I felt incredibly alone, lost and confused. It helped me to understand what I was going through and took the loneliness of the whole experience away.”

A worldwide focus on mental health in recent years has seen established game developers attempt to tackle the concepts of anxiety and self-worth head-on. 

Apart of Me have been pioneers in this field with Louis and Ben collaborating with 126 skilled volunteers around the world to build their app, which was highlighted as a best-in-class app for safe and accessible support by Good Thinking, London’s Digital Mental Wellbeing Service (backed by the London Mayor’s office, Public Health England, London councils, the NHS and ThriveLDN). 

Louis’ work has previously been acknowledged by the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, under the Government’s ‘Points of Light’ scheme.

In a personal letter to Louis, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “I know you do this with no thought of praise or reward, but allow me to offer my own recognition of how you have created innovative, accessible grief counselling which has supported thousands of young people in the UK and abroad.”

Research highlights challenges for Scotland’s unpaid carers and carer support workers during pandemic

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Carers Trust Scotland today is releasing research about the experiences of the pandemic among unpaid carers and carer service support workers across Scotland. More than 500 participants shared the challenges of caring, and supporting unpaid carers, throughout the pandemic.

The pandemic has been difficult for unpaid carers, with 90% of respondents stating they are spending more time caring and 82% saying they have had no respite since the beginning of the pandemic.

With lockdowns and restrictions, many unpaid carers have been unable to share the responsibilities with family and friends and many services have had to pause or reduce their input.

These challenges also impact those carer service workers supporting unpaid carers. As other services paused, 76% of carer support workers that participated found their workload increased. 65% say that their job role has changed, as delivery of support moved online.

Carer support workers highlighted the emotionally demanding calls from unpaid carers, and the challenges of taking these calls in a home working environment without the support of colleagues that you would have in an office.

Hannah Martin, Research and Engagement Officer for Carers Trust Scotland, said: “The pandemic has been a very challenging time for both unpaid carers and carer support workers.

“The challenges unpaid carers have faced, have directly impacted those supporting them. Through the lived experience of unpaid carers and carer support workers, this research illuminates those challenges throughout this unprecedented time.”

In addition to providing an evidence base of experiences, the research puts forward recommendations and suggestions to support carer services and staff as they move out of the crisis phase of the pandemic. This includes recognising and valuing the incredible contribution of unpaid carers, and carer support workers over the pandemic period.

World-leading researcher on unpaid carers’ rights and Carers Trust Ambassador, Professor Saul Becker, said: “During the pandemic, unpaid carers of all ages, have been spending more time caring and more people than ever before have taken on unpaid caring responsibilities while statutory and other support services have been reduced or not available.

“This has also added additional pressures on carer support services that have had to adapt their practices quickly and provide holistic support to unpaid carers during very challenging circumstances.

“I welcome this COVID-19 in Scotland impact report on unpaid carers and carer service workers and believe every effort should be made to support the implementation of the report recommendations and suggestions, which could further improve the lives of unpaid carers and recognise and value the vital role of carer support services.”

Mental Wellbeing and Social Care Minister Kevin Stewart, said: “Carers, and the services that support them have done a remarkable job in very difficult circumstances over this past year during the pandemic. I want to thank them for all their hard work and effort.

“During the pandemic, we have invested an additional £1.9 million in extra carer support via carer organisations. The Scottish Government continues to work closely with the Carers Trust and national care organisations to ensure that carers continue to receive the support and the services they rely on. We will continue to do so as we move into a new phase of the pandemic and society starts to open up.

“The Scottish Government is committed to establishing a National Care Service by the end of this parliament to oversee the delivery care, invest in better terms and conditions for the workforce and provide better support for unpaid carers.”

Young Scot Youth Loneliness Panel calls for action in new report

The Youth Loneliness Panel has worked in collaboration with Young Scot, funded by the Co-op Foundation, as part of a two-year project focused on raising awareness of and tackling Youth Loneliness.

The Panel focused on developing a set of recommendations and actions of what needs to happen to ensure youth loneliness is being addressed in Scotland at a strategic level, ensuring consistency and sustainability locally and nationally.

They developed a survey to gather insights and experiences from young people on what the main issues are around loneliness and what needs to be implemented to support any young people who are experiencing loneliness.

This report details the findings of the survey and the recommendations made by the Youth Loneliness Panel based on these results:

YS_Loneliness_Report_2021_BDownload

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tips: Gardening for Good Health

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.

Happy gardening! You can find lots more tips, recipes and health advice at https://heartresearch.org.uk/

Scottish Munro record holder, Donnie Campbell, joins Venture Trust as new ambassador

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 cycles length of Britain for Scotland’s mental health

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.

Visit www.samh.org.uk/coronavirus. 

For more information on SAMH, please visit www.samh.org.uk.

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.

For more information on AGSL, please visit www.assetguardian.com.