Tag: support

Mental health festive support

Anyone who may be feeling anxious, stressed or low is being encouraged to seek support as soon as possible and not wait until the festive season is over.

They are also being reminded that mental wellbeing support is available over the festive period for anyone who may be struggling over the coming days and weeks.

Mental Wellbeing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “For some, the festive season can be a tough time. People may be on their own with no family, they may have health issues, concerns about Covid or flu or other worries affecting them. This time of year can also be the trigger for existing family tensions or anniversaries of a life-changing event.

“The rising cost of living is on everyone’s mind and many people are having to make difficult decisions about how they will pay for things. All this can have an impact on our mental health and wellbeing and lead to increased stress and anxiety.

“With the challenging times we’ve been through over the last few years, many are finding things particularly tough this year and it’s normal to feel stressed or down.

“Reaching out to others for help, whether that’s to friends and family or to services who can provide emotional support, is often the hardest step. There is help and support available throughout – please don’t wait until after the festive season to speak to somebody.”

If you need to talk to someone, you can call these free services:

On mental health and wellbeing:

  • Out of GP opening hours, telephone advice and support is available from NHS 24 via the Mental Health Hub on 111 and is open 24/7
  • Breathing Space offers free and confidential advice for people experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety, whatever the cause. They can be contacted on 0800 83 85 87, 6pm to 2am Monday to Thursday; and 6pm Friday through the weekend to 6am Monday.
  • Samaritans on116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org, for confidential emotional support if you’re in distress or despair. Open 24 hours a day.
  • There is also a range of practical resources and support on Mind to Mind

On money worries and finances:

  • Money Talk Team at Citizens Advice Scotland provides free money and debt advice for anyone living in Scotland or call your local Citizens Advice Bureau on 0800 028 1456.
  • Money Advice Scotland provides free and confidential advice to anyone with money worries.  Their team is available on 0141 572 0237 Monday – Thursday 8:30 am to 8 pm and Friday 8:30 am to 5 pm.
  • Mental Health and Money Advice provides practical advice and support for anyone experiencing issues with mental health and money.
  • Find out what help is available through the cost of living crisis support website

Letter to PM demands urgent funding parity for older victims of abuse

Hourglass have delivered an open letter to PM Rishi Sunak calling on the Government to urgently provide funding parity for older victim survivors and fund their unique 24/7 helpline

Hourglass have submitted an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed by politicians from across the political spectrum. The letter calls for the government to provide urgent financial support for the Hourglass helpline which provides 24/7 support and casework for older victim-survivors of abuse.

The open letter has been signed by MPs, Peers, MLAs, MSPs, MSs, academics, third sector leaders and other community supporters. Members of every major political party in the UK have supported this campaign, either by signing this letter or by contacting the Prime Minister directly asking the Government to support the Hourglass helpline.

Hourglass not only provides a 24/7 helpline, the only one of its kind in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but also creates tailored care plans for older victim survivors using caseworkers across the UK. The charity income plummeted in 2022 whilst cases have dramatically risen.

In 2022 the Hourglass helpline has seen a 96% increase in calls. Many of these calls are referrals from government and third sector agencies who rely on Hourglass as specialists in supporting older victims.

Despite this, government support for the helpline and casework service provided by Hourglass has declined. The charity is now bidding for funds from a Violence Against Women and Girls tender, which misses a significant swathe of its work.

Richard Robinson, Chief Executive of Hourglass, said: “The Hourglass helpline and case work service plays a critical role in supporting older people who have experienced abuse. This is a truly unique service and ensures older people can have hope during their darkest times.

“During the Conservative Party leadership campaign, the Ready for Rishi campaign promised that if elected a Rishi-led government would engage with organisations supporting victims, such as Hourglass. There has been no engagement, a string of cancelled meetings and limited understanding of challenge older people face, especially now during this financial crisis.

“The Prime Minister now needs to honour his campaign promise by working with Hourglass to ensure the only UK helpline supporting older victims of abuse can continue to provide a 24/7 service and doesn’t downsize drastically.”

Baroness Ritchie, Hourglass Patron, said: “The Government need to support older victims of abuse. In an ageing society, services like the Hourglass Helpline play a vital role.

“I urge the Prime Minister to answer the call of this open letter and provide adequate funding for the Hourglass Helpline.”

open-letter-signatures-20.12.2022Download

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to donate by visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10.

Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS.

If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460

Cancer charity receives donation from Amazon

A cancer charity headquartered in Edinburgh has received a £6,000 donation following nominations of support from employees at Amazon Development Centre Scotland in Edinburgh. 

The donation was made to Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Caring Centres Trust, a charity that offers a support service to cancer patients and their families, during any stage of their treatment. 

The charity provides a range of workshops, one-to-one and group support to help people change the way people live with cancer. Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Caring Centres Trust is based in Glasgow but has operations across the UK. 

This donation from Amazon will go towards supporting people with cancer along with their friends and family. The donation can help to provide 2 full days of support at Maggie’s. 

Speaking on the donation, Oliver Masting, Director at Amazon Development Centre, Scotland, said: “The Maggie Keswick Cancer Caring Centres Trust provides free support and advice for families across Scotland and around the UK who are living with cancer.

“Its services are a lifeline for many families in our community and we wanted to support their impactful work with this donation. We hope it helps the staff and volunteers at the charity’s sites around the UK to continue helping those most in need.”

Amy Robertson, Centre Fundraiser from Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Centres Trust, added: “Thank you to the team at Amazon Development Centre Scotland for their support and recognition.

“It is donations like this that help us continue to help patients and families in need.”

Kaukab Stewart MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, where the Maggie Keswick Jencks Cancer Centres Trust is located, commented. ‘This is a generous and very welcome donation to a hugely important charity which does such valuable caring work from its base in Glasgow Kelvin.

“Well done to the team at Amazon Development Centre Scotland.’

Community donations are one of several ways in which Amazon supports the communities in and around its operating locations across the UK.

Amazon provides students, teachers and parents with free computer science and STEM education programmes and has teamed up with charity partner Magic Breakfast to deliver more than six million healthy breakfasts to children at risk of hunger in disadvantaged areas of the country.

Supporting families with cost of school

Budget sets out £4.85 billion investment in Education and Skills

A range of measures to help children, parents and carers with costs around school have been set out in the Scottish Government’s budget. These include expansion of free school meals in primary schools, holiday food provision and investment to ensure the school clothing grant national minimum of £120 for primary pupils and £150 for secondary pupils.

The spending plans for 2023-24 allocates £4.85 billion of funding across the education and skills portfolio, including measures to address the cost of living crisis.

New investment will see free school meals expanded to primary six and seven pupils in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment – the next step in Scottish Government plans to deliver universal free school meals in primary schools.

It also includes £22 million of continued support to provide meals during the school holidays to children who need them most, along with £200 million for the Scottish Attainment Challenge.

In addition, the budget allocates £50 million of funding to continue to support the Whole Family Wellbeing programme of activity, a key pillar of The Promise, to support families to thrive.

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “I am committed to improving the life chances of all Scotland’s children, young people and learners. The measures set out in these spending plans are driven by our ambition to enable everybody to reach their full potential.

“We know the toll that the cost of living crisis has taken on families and households across Scotland and investment is being made in a range of important measures which will help mitigate the impact of this.

“The expansion of free school meals in primary schools continues, providing a benefit in kind of around £400 per child for families, while the ongoing investment in the school clothing grant and access to digital devices will help those who need it most.

“Our ongoing commitment to free university tuition means that, unlike elsewhere in the UK, Scottish domiciled students do not incur additional debt of up to £27,750, and average student loan debt in Scotland remains the lowest in the UK.

“In Scotland we also have the most teachers-per-pupil, along with the highest per-pupil education spend anywhere in the UK. We will continue to provide local authorities with funding of £145.5 million per year to support the teaching workforce, as part of the overall local government settlement of £13.2 billion.

“Our commitment to closing the poverty related-attainment gap remains paramount and that is why we will invest a further £200 million next year in the Scottish Attainment Challenge – as part of our £1 billion commitment in this Parliament.”

The measures set out in the budget to help reduce the cost of school include:

  • Providing more than £13 million to uprate the School Clothing Grant in line with inflation.
  • Investing an additional £16 million resource and £80 million capital to fund the expansion of Free School Meals for all Primary 6 and 7 pupils in receipt of the Scottish Child Payment, as the next step in fulfilling the commitment to universal provision in primary schools
  • Continuing to invest £22 million to provide meals during school holidays to the children who need them most.
  • Maintaining subsidy arrangements for the provision of milk and working with partners on a phased approach to the delivery of a universal milk scheme, aligned to the expansion of free school meals.
  • Investing £20 million towards the commitment to ensure every school-aged child, over the lifetime of the parliament, has access to a digital device to support their learning
  • Investment of nearly £2 billion towards Scotland’s universities and colleges to support delivery of high-quality education and training. This includes a cash increase of £20 million in the Higher Education resource budget compared to 2022-23, and a cash increase of £33.7 million in the Further Education resource and capital budget.

The Scottish budget for 2023-24 was published on Thursday 15 December.

The Engine Yard hosts festive celebration in support of North East Edinburgh Food Bank

Helping to spread some festive cheer, leading social enterprise, Places for People hosted a fabulous Christmas event at The Engine Yard in Edinburgh last week to continue its support of the NE Edinburgh Food Bank run by the Trussell Trust.

 This is one of seven food banks operated across North-West, Central and East Edinburgh, which in total provided 1,059 meals in September 2022.  Over half a ton of food was donated (worth approximately £2,500) along with £200 in cash thanks to the generosity of The Engine Yard residents, the Places for People developments’ team and on-site subcontractors. 

This generous donation will help the foodbank to provide emergency food parcels to individuals, families and children who are most in need during the festive period.

Residents from The Engine Yard flocked next door to Grace Church, along with colleagues from Port of Leith Housing Association, Scottish Futures Trust, RMG and Greg Reed Group CEO for Places for People where they enjoyed a selection of tasty seasonal treats from the delicious Embo Deli.

Revellers meandered through Christmas-inspired craft stalls and residents got into the festive spirit by sporting their favourite Christmas jumpers for the chance of winning a prize.  

Kevin Bunyan, Senior Site Manager at The Engine Yard, for Places for People comments: “I would like to express my special thanks to the Grace Church and our Sales Team for organising a fun afternoon where food and drink were given out to local residents who have also kindly donated to the food bank this year.

“The Engine Yard has supported the Edinburgh NE Foodbank for many years, with donations from Places for People and our onsite sub-contractors.”

Alison Roxburgh General Manager of the NE Edinburgh Food Bank comments: “I would like to thank the Places for People team and the subcontractors at The Engine Yard for their generosity and support once again this year.

“My thanks also go to everybody involved in promoting the Food Bank Christmas Appeal 2022 to ensure its success at a time when it is most needed.”

Enjoying a prime position close to Edinburgh’s city centre and once a historic tram depot on Leith Walk, The Engine Yard forms part of a superb regeneration story and is fast becoming the city’s newest destination to reside in.

Boasting rich industrial architecture, with tram sheds, a chimney, a boundary wall and gables, the area is now being sensitively restored to create a unique development of 377 homes that elegantly combines old and new in one place.

For more information about The Engine Yard, please visit:

 www.placesforpeople.co.uk/find-a-home/homes-to-buy or call 07919 381278.

Money worries? Local help available

WORRIED about your energy bills?

Find out about help you can get to heat your home more efficiently and reduce your heating bills at: http://homeenergyscotland.org

You can find local support and advice at:

http://edinburgh.gov.uk/costofliving

Granton Information Centre

Advice on welfare rights, housing, rent arrears, debt and money.

Call 0131 551 2459 or 0131 552 0458

Email info@gic.org.uk

Edinburgh’s Welcome Centre supports over 500 people facing homelessness this winter

The City of Edinburgh Council and national homelessness charity Bethany Christian Trust are operating a Welcome Centre this winter.

The Centre is providing accommodation of last resort, tailored support and positive move on options for people who would otherwise be sleeping on the streets. Since opening in October, it has already supported and accommodated over 500 people and will continue to operate over Christmas until May 2023.

Founded by Bethany Christian Trust in partnership with the Council, and supported by the Scottish Government, the Welcome Centre was pioneered in 2020 in an emergency response to the outbreak of Covid-19, providing en-suite rooms as a deliberate move away from congregate shelter provision, and has since helped to establish a new model of tailored support for people rough sleeping.

The Welcome Centre takes an innovative and person-centred approach, providing 24 hour tailored support for individuals all in one place. Guests receive their own en-suite room and 3 meals a day, including a hot evening meal prepared by volunteers.

They are also able to work with dedicated staff and visiting professional services with support to access longer term accommodation as well as on site assistance with mental health, addiction, wellbeing, health needs and accessing benefits.

Councillor Jane Meagher, the Council’s Convener of Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, said: “When temperatures drop to this extent it’s more important than ever that we do all that we can to support anyone who may be at risk.

“With Bethany we’re operating a Welcome Centre this winter to provide an additional 65 beds for people with wrap around support, and demand for this service this winter has already been high.

“We’re also offering street-based outreach seven days a week through our partners to anyone we see rough sleeping and this involves checking in with people three times a night, specialist pharmacy and mental health services available on street and supporting people directly into Rapid Access Accommodation. 

“The rise in homelessness we’re witnessing in Edinburgh is deeply concerning and the Council has a campaign to spread awareness of the support which exists for people who are struggling financially. We need to prevent more people from becoming homeless as far as we possibly can.”

Commenting on the increase in demand for the service, Alasdair Bennett, Chief Executive at Bethany Christian Trust said: “The Welcome Centre provides emergency en-suite accommodation of last resort for anyone who would otherwise be sleeping rough in Edinburgh. 

“We have accomodated over 500 different people with the majority staying less than seven nights as they are assisted to rapidly move on to more appropriate accommodation. The centre is a place of warm welcome, hospitality and intensive support, tailored to the individual and involving multiple health, housing and charitable partners to respond to individual needs. 

“We are seeing an increase in the number of people attending and being referred for this crisis intervention, even prior to the colder weather coming in, and we are working with all partners to find alternative options when there are no available bed spaces at the Centre. With a focus on rapidly re-accommodating people, new bedrooms become available at a rate of about 50 each week, or 7 a day, in order to support individuals in crisis that night.

“Even when we are full we are able to provide food, warm clothing and access to support here at the Welcome Centre, so we encourage anyone who is at risk of rough sleeping that night to come and we will do all that we can to support them, including linking them up with partner agencies and local authority housing options.”

Relying on the financial support of the general public, local churches, trusts, businesses, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government, the Welcome Centre shows what can be possible when the people of Edinburgh come together to create change.

With a large professional staff team, over 1,000 Bethany volunteers and more than 20 visiting partner services, the Welcome Centre saw remarkable success in 2021 – 2022 in helping people recover from the crisis of homelessness and move on to a more stable situation.

The service accommodated and supported over 860 individuals who had fallen into homelessness because of a wide range of circumstances as well as those rough sleeping, with 97% of known outcomes positive.

Bethany’s Buy a Bed campaign, which is vital in enabling the service, is also in place again this year and gift vouchers can be purchased in Bethany Shops and online: 

https://www.bethanychristiantrust.com/support-work/buy-a-bed/.

Hearts players spread festive cheer at New Sick Kids hospital

Children, families and NHS staff at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) were treated to a special Christmas surprise when players from Heart of Midlothian FC came to visit. 

Captain Craig Gordon and the first team squad spread lots of festive joy when they made their way around the hospital, meeting and speaking with some of their biggest fans on the wards and handing out Christmas goodies.

The annual visit is organised by NHS Lothian and Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC). This is the first time the Hearts players have been able to visit the hospital in person since 2019 due to Covid, making the occasion even more memorable.

Craig said: “This is an important day in our calendar and we are delighted to be able to visit everyone in person once again.

“Christmas is a special time of year but, unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to spend it at home, happy and healthy with family and friends.

“That it why this visit is really meaningful, because it affords us the chance to give something back and to, hopefully, put some smiles on some faces and spread some Christmas cheer.”

ECHC runs a programme of daily fun activities throughout December to make sure no one spending the season in hospital misses out on the magic of Christmas. So far, children and their families have been entertained by Santa abseiling into the building, a silent disco around the wards and a live pipe band, with plenty more still to come.

Pippa Johnston, Director at ECHC, said: “The Hearts team’s visit to the hospital always provides a real boost to children, families and staff so it is marvellous to be able to welcome them back in person. Some of the children are avid Hearts supporters so really enjoy the opportunity to meet and take photos with their favourite players and get some Hearts goodies too.

“Every year, together with our friends at NHS Lothian, ECHC works hard to make time spent in hospital a little bit brighter. We rely solely on donations and kindness to be able to do this, so we are enormously grateful to Hearts for taking time out of their busy schedule to visit those facing a hospital stay this Christmas.” 

To find out more about ECHC’s Redirected Letters to Santa Christmas appeal and to donate, visit www.echcharity.org/donate 

Conifox: Help children’s Christmas dreams come true

Lothian gift initiative inundated with demand 

Edinburgh’s Conifox Adventure Park is appealing to families to spread the festive joy to those who need a helping hand making children’s Christmas dreams come true this year. 

The family-focused business has once again partnered with Lothian-based charity Kids Love Clothes, which has seen soaring demand for its annual Christmas gift bags. 

Conifox is donating 200 toys through its own Christmas Toy Appeal and is urging its generous visitors to share in the spirit of Christmas by boosting the effort further with the gift of a new toy for children aged between 0 and 12.   

Deborah Gammell, of Conifox, says: “Kids Love Clothes always does an amazing job with their Christmas Gift Bags – last year they provided upwards of 400 bags to local children, and we’re delighted to support them again. This year is a challenge for everyone, and families are particularly affected by the cost-of-living crisis. 

“We know Kids Love Clothes have been inundated with referrals and we want to help them deliver as many gifts as possible. We are confident our Conifox customers will play their part in helping to make this Christmas a special time for all local children.” 

To get involved, visitors simply need to drop their new toys off to the Big Toy Box at Conifox’s Activity Centre. Donations made must be in their original packaging and no bigger than the average board game.  

Kids Love Clothes will package the toys and each child will receive a gift bag containing age-appropriate toys to light up their faces this Christmas.  

Working via referrals from health visitors, schools, nurseries and social workers, Kids Love Clothes provides a whole wardrobe of clothes for children throughout the year. At Christmas time, they utilise this network to understand what local families would benefit from gift bags of toys. The Christmas Toy initiative strives to ensure no child in need misses out during this festive season.  

Fiona Shapcott, Kids Love Clothes founder says: “The reaction of supporters, such as Conifox, has been overwhelming, showing such generosity and kindness. We put a post-up saying we were struggling with a certain age group and within days received an incredible amount of donations  ordered from our Amazon Wishlist.  

“We have a short window to get the Christmas gift bags out to the organisations in time for them to be able to get them to their families, so it is full-on operation, and we cannot express enough thanks to everyone who donates. It truly does make Christmas morning for every family we can help.” 

Please note Conifox are also a drop off point for good quality second-hand children’s clothes. The collection bin for clothes can be found in the forward car park, outside The Fetching Fox. 

Conifox Adventure Park, at Kirkliston on the outskirts of Edinburgh, is currently running its Christmas Experience with a host of festive attractions. It is open until December 24 and will be delighted to accept toy donations until then. 

To find out more and to book tickets, visit the Conifox Adventure Park Facebook page @conifoxadventurepark or www.conifox.co.uk.  

For more information on Kids Love Clothes visit:

https://www.kidsloveclothes.co.uk/about/ 

Edinburgh welcomes Kyiv delegation

The City of Edinburgh Council has welcomed a delegation of representatives from Kyiv City Council.

During a three-day visit where they exchanged views with the Lord Provost and Council Leader on Ukrainian and Scottish culture, the current situation in Kyiv and Edinburgh’s response to the crisis, members thanked the city for welcoming Ukrainians fleeing from war. 

The delegation included Viktoriia Mukha, Maryna Ratova and Serhii Anzhyiak from the Culture and Tourism departments.

During the trip, the group were provided with a tour of the City Chambers, Assembly Rooms and the Usher Hall. They discussed the possibility of hosting a joint art exhibition in Edinburgh in 2023 to highlight the culture, architecture, and beauty of the city of Kyiv which has been devastated this year during Russian strikes.

The delegation also met with members of the Scottish Government, Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Usher Hall, Assembly Rooms, the Council’s Culture and Tourism teams and the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain Edinburgh (AUGB Edinburgh) during the visit.

Viktoriia Mukha, member of Kyiv City Council’s Culture and Tourism department, said: “Our cities have been twinned for over 30 years and despite the distance between Edinburgh and Kyiv, we have found our cities to be very similar sharing common values. Both are steeped in history, boast UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and have acted as hubs for science, culture, music and education.

“Over these last 10 very difficult months, thanks to the people in this city, Edinburgh is now a home from home for so many Ukrainians. It has been reassuring to see first-hand the support which is in place for people, and we are very grateful for Edinburgh’s response, which has been incredible. Thank you for helping our displaced people find a home.

“As a member of the culture and tourism department, we have also enjoyed seeing incredible venues during our visit, like the Usher Hall and the Assembly Rooms. There is a lot of work we hope to achieve together, to keep Kyiv in people’s hearts and minds and to build on our cultural ties even further in the New Year.”

The Rt Hon Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge, said: “The courage of the Ukrainian people this year has been incredible, and it was my honour to welcome members of Kyiv City Council to see our city – the place where so many Ukrainians and people from Kyiv now call home.

“As twin cities we have a long working relationship and Edinburgh and Kyiv have many similarities. Early in the crisis we answered the city’s call to ship over sandbags, to help the City Council to protect monuments and other artworks. Since then, we have remained in close contact. We have donated further sandbags and deliveries of food during Kyiv’s time of need, and we are of course supporting thousands of people who have come to Scotland to seek safety.

“It is heart-breaking how this beautiful Capital city has been shattered, but it is clear to the world that despite the devastation the city has experienced the spirit of Kyiv’s people is unbreakable. As a result of this visit, I hope we can work together on an exhibition to highlight the lasting strength and beauty of Kyiv and its people.”

City of Edinburgh Council Leader, Cammy Day, said: “I’m so proud of the way our residents, our volunteers and everyone around Edinburgh has opened their doors and their hearts to people from Ukraine this year.

“It’s been an incredible effort to receive more than 10,000 people safely through our Welcome Hub, and I’m pleased to have been able to meet delegates from our twin city Kyiv to reassure them of all the support we have in in place.

“During their stay we’ve been able to discuss some ideas for how we can continue to work with Kyiv, building on the cultural ties we have and which we’re strengthening.”