HELP AND SUPPORT AVAILABLE IN NORTH EDINBURGH
Final 2 North Edinburgh Food Network Info UPDATED 16 APRIL v3
Tag: support
Edinburgh Charity Delivers Emergency Care Packs to Vulnerable Families Shielding at Home
An Edinburgh children’s charity is delivering emergency care
Last week, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) – which supports the Royal Hospital for Sick Children – began providing free emergency packs of food and essential items to families visiting or being discharged from the hospital.
Now, the charity has expanded this service and is delivering the free care packs to the homes of clinically
The packs contain food products and essential items including nappies, toilet roll, tinned soup, beans and tea bags to support families while they cannot leave the house to go shopping.
The charity is also in the process of developing toiletry packs and creative care packs with art supplies to help keep children entertained at home and reduce isolation.
ECHC is delivering the packs to families’ doorsteps, as well as to nursing bases where community nurses and health visitors are also helping to distribute them. The charity will keep in regular contact with the families throughout their isolation period to meet their needs if they require additional packs.
Louise Sharkey and partner Graeme have been shielding their 12-year-old son Charlie, who has a rare genetic disorder and epilepsy, and his four-year-old brother Jack at home for over three weeks.
Louise said: “During this difficult time, ECHC continues to be a well needed support that we are extremely grateful for and have relied on during many hospital admissions over the years. They are at the end of the phone should we need emotional support and are liaising closely with the palliative care team to provide support also.
“Recently a care pack was dropped off at our house by the charity containing essential supplies that can be difficult to source right now. We have been finding it hard to get deliveries from supermarkets, so we were running low on things like antibacterial hand soap, pasta, toilet rolls, baby wipes and some cereals.
“We are very lucky to have a good family support network who have been providing us with essentials should they be needed but it’s not always easy for them as they don’t live close by.
“The bag of essential supplies that came from ECHC was extremely useful as it contained extra toilet rolls and baby wipes that we use a lot with Charlie, and cereal. Jack was delighted that it contained some treats too! The charity is a lifeline for many families during hospital stays and at times like these in the community too.”
ECHC recently launched its COVID-19 Emergency Appeal to help families having to cope with the impact of the outbreak on top of the distress of having a sick or injured child.
Roslyn Neely, CEO of ECHC, said: “Right now, all families are facing the challenges of lockdown. Keeping children fed and happy, and organising shopping trips on top of everything else, becomes even more difficult if you have a sick or injured child in hospital, or if you are returning home from hospital to begin an extended period of shielding or isolation.
“The incredible NHS staff are working round the clock to make sure every child gets exceptional care throughout the crisis and we at ECHC are doing everything we can to help to reduce fear and isolation and to comfort and support families when they need it most.
“These emergency care packs have only been made possible thanks to the kindness of our supporters donating to our COVID-19 Emergency Appeal. We urgently need donations to continue to do this.
“Times are difficult for all of us, but if anyone would still like to give, donations could provide a family with a much-needed care pack, fund a special play session at a child’s bedside or pay for a mum and dad to stay in our parent accommodation and be close to their child at the toughest of times.”
To receive a care pack – Families known to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children who would like an emergency care pack are asked to contact Leigh at ECHC on 0131 668 4949 or leigh.drake@echcharity.org.
To support ECHC – A donation of £10 could fund an emergency care pack for one family, £15 could fund a special bedside play or creative session and £50 could pay for parents and carers to stay in ECHC’s parent accommodation for one week.
Donations can be made online at
Shedders show the way
Kinross & District Men’s Shed (KDMS) is producing face shields to protect key workers on the front line during the Coronavirus pandemic.
This vital piece of kit provides a barrier to stop workers from touching their face and also protection from the patient if they cough or sneeze.
KDMS is using 3D printers to make the Polylactic Acid (PLA) face shields and requests are coming in at a tremendous rate from the community. KDMS Chairman, David Connor, said: “KDMS wanted to help and one of our Shedders, Jim Forbes, started working in his shed at home to come up with a solution to meet the demand for this life-saving protective equipment.
The Shedders have really stepped up and there is a team of around 12-15 of us involved in taking and recording orders, administration, printing, assembly, quality checks and delivery. More and more Shedders are becoming involved each day to lend a helping hand to this cause.
“Orders are coming in thick and fast from NHS workers, carers, testing hubs, postal workers and shop workers across Ayrshire, Perthshire, Fife, Forth Valley and Clackmannanshire. We had to set up a business model quickly and efficiently to get this right. Everything is done safely from our homes and we communicate through phone and video calls.
“We have fulfilled over 100 orders so far and now have an order for 100 more. We have been receiving photographs and video calls from the key workers when they have received their face shields and it makes everything that we are doing worthwhile.”
Jim Forbes, 81, said: “I had a vision to do this and researched face shields online and came up with a quality product – quick to produce, washable/reusable and light – consisting of four simple parts: the shield’s top frame; standard A4 acetate sheet protector screen; bottom support; and elastic to keep the shield firmly on the face. An advantage of the design is the bridge between the forehead and the face plate which greatly reduces breath aerosol mist (possibly infected) from entering the users’ eyes.
“This 3D printed version needs no tools to assemble except for a pair of scissors to trim the face plate. For Shedders with no access to a 3D printer, we also developed a second product where no tools are required other than scissors.
“Every single item is checked and the shield comes with an instruction leaflet for the end user. We initially had our one Shed 3D printer and my machine but now Culture Perth & Kinross has dedicated their five printers bringing us up to seven solely dedicated to this task.
“A local lady in Powmill who has been printing hundreds of shields has also bought herself another one and offered that second printer to help us if she has any free space. We are now able to produce an output of 40-50 shields per day.
“When it comes to delivery, there is obviously no contact. The order is simply placed in our gardens when we are notified that the person is on their way to collect.”
Shedders have been creating the products at home but are running low on supplies and have set up a Go Fund Me page to pay for much-needed supplies. The Shed has already raised over £2,000 towards materials to date.
KDMS has created assembly instructions, spreadsheets, instruction leaflet and 3D Printer files (STL files and G-codes) that it is happy to share with other Sheds interested in becoming involved to help with their orders or wishing to replicate the model in their local area.
Shedders of Scotland – it’s over to you!
One Year No Beer steps up to support frontline workers
Local Edinburgh start up, One Year No Beer, has sacrificed salaries to ensure a free service to support NHS staff, frontline support workers, all key workers, the unemployed and anyone who needs additional help in taking a break from alcohol during this challenging time.
The bold decision follows reports that confirm alcohol sales in the UK are up 22% in March.
Ruari Fairbairns, founder and CEO of One Year No Beer, said: “We are currently experiencing the worst global pandemic of our lifetime, which has caused two-thirds, if not more, of adults across the UK to experience anxiety.
“The major problem here is that people are using alcohol as a coping mechanism and this is probably the worst thing that they could do because it is a depressant. We want to help people to look after their mental health and live a better life.”
The brand’s plea follows a recent statement from a World Health Organisation (WHO) expert who warned that alcohol is an “unhelpful coping strategy” for the possible stress and isolation of coronavirus lockdown.
Fairbairns continued: “The NHS is under increased pressure and this is only set to worsen in the next few weeks as we hit the peak, so in addition to this, the last thing we want people to do is incur any other alcohol-related health issues resulting in an urgent trip to hospital.
“Reducing your alcohol intake and making positive decisions about your health are both great ways to help keep the NHS safe and protect others, all from the safety of your home.”
Recent research has also revealed that there has been a huge rise in mental health calls, as well asGP’s highlighting an increase in domestic violence and according to step counters, steps are down 50-100% inEurope, suggesting that as a result of COVID-19, people are exercising less and drinking more.
Professor Kevin Moore, one of London’s leading liver specialists with more than 35 years of experience comments: “There is so much positive research and work going on right now in the fight against COVID-19, but it’s vital that people don’t overlook the hugely negative impact that alcohol could have during these challenging times.
“It is well known that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to liver disease and various cancers. What is less well known is that people who drink excess alcohol are more likely to develop pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
“That makes it almost certain that if you drink too much alcohol, you are more likely to develop COVID-19 and complications. Further since, alcohol impairs your immune system, if you develop COVID-19 infection, the chronic use of alcohol will impair your ability to recover from infection.”
Passionate about transforming the world’s relationship with alcohol, One Year No Beer will offer its 28-day intervention programme free for all support staff, all key workers, all unemployed and anyone else who needs additional help during these challenging times.
The digital network, which has been designed to transform behaviour and support mental health, will also include full access to the Challenge Group community, offering daily support as well as online meetings.
Fairbairns concludes: “We are giving away our 28-day challenge for free over the coming weeks because we genuinely believe that this is the right thing to do.
“We strongly believe that NOW, during this pandemic, is more important than ever to look after ourselves and one of the ways we can do this is by reducing our alcohol intake.
“Like most businesses right now, we are having to adjust to the current situation. Our team is working tirelessly to deliver this offering and I feel so grateful that all of our staff have agreed to take a salary sacrifice so that together, we can continue to support everyone in this time of need.”
For more information visit and to get your 28-day challenge for free, visit https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/
Extra support for people affected by drug and alcohol use
Extra support for people affected by alcohol and drug use during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been announced by the Minister for Public Health Joe FitzPatrick.
Funding of £166,000 from the Scottish Government will support:
• a programme to increase access to naloxone in new settings, including investment in kits to add to the existing outlets for naloxone supply
• increased capacity within the Know the Score helpline and webchat service
• a COVID-19 publicity campaign signposting support for alcohol and drug users during the pandemic
• funding to link people with others in recovery through the Scottish Recovery Consortium
Help will also be available for those affected by another’s alcohol and drug use through the Supporting Families Fund. This includes a discretionary emergency fund for families, online wellbeing activities, family meals, wellbeing packs and counselling support.
Mr FitzPatrick said: “Responding to the coronavirus pandemic is one of the biggest challenges of our lifetime and it will disrupt so many lives like never before. Protecting and supporting everyone during these unprecedented times is our priority.
“We’ve worked closely with organisations on the frontline to create this package of measures to ensure we continue to support those affected by alcohol and drug use.
“By working together and observing the latest guidance, we can all play our part in keeping everyone safe.”
North Edinburgh community effort gets support to the vulnerable
North Edinburgh groups work together to support vulnerable residents
It started with a meeting called by local activist Willie Black at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on 18 March. That initial discussion got the ball rolling, lit the fuse. From there, there were email from Spartans’ chief exec Douglas Samuel, quickly followed by another from local Lifelong Learning Development Officer Allan Hosey. A community campaign was building …
The idea? To coordinate a local community response to the unprecendented challenges posed to vulnerable people by the coronavirus.
Despite years of funding cuts, North Edinburgh retains a wealth of voluntary sector organisations able to adapt to changing circumstances, so who better to take on this major logistical challenge?
While individual community groups initially started their own support schemes for local folk through Muirhouse Millennium and Drylaw Neigbourhood Centres, pooling resources and sharing information offered a unique opportunity to devise and deliver a bespoke plan to ensure that North Edinburgh’s most vulnerable residents would not go hungry or be without basic essential supplies.
That was mid-March and three weeks later, following a regular series of Zoom meetings, hundreds of local people are seeing the benefit of local organisations working together in partnership.
A co-ordinated community response to the greatest public health emergency of our lives is now fully operational and is constantly being fine tuned as new information becomes available.
Hundreds of hot food, sandwiches and essential supplies pack deliveries are now being distributed from community hubs to all who need them on a daily basis, provided by project staff and a dedicated team of community volunteers.
Reflecting on progress so far, Spartans’ Dougie Samuel said: “It’s been great to be able to play our part in a wider community effort to help and support local families.
“The Academy has become a hub for the collection and redistribution of daily lunches and weekly food parcels for members of our community. In a true ‘bottom-up approach’ numerous community partners have come together to provide a co-ordinated support over these past few weeks.
“I’m super proud of the way in which numerous organisations, many of whom who did not have close day-to-day relationships previously, are pulling together as one.”
Among the community organisations involved in the sexily titled (!) North Edinburgh Cov-id 19 Foodshare Group are: Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, Drylaw Rainbow Club Daycare Centre, Fresh Start, Granton Community Gardeners, LIFT, Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre, North Edinburgh Arts, Pilton Community Health Project, Pilton Equalities Project (PEP), SCRAN Academy and The Spartans Community Football Academy. There may be more and apologies if I’ve missed you!
Local politicians and community councillors are also taking a leading role and community organisations like Granton Information Centre continue to provide advice and support for vulnerable people during these anxious times.
Willie Black, who continues to chair the foodshare group’s regular Zoom meetings, said: “Local People and organisations are working flat out and this has been a huge community effort.
“The biggest challenge facing us now is that of capacity. We need the politicians to get us the resources we need to keep the momentum going, because there’s no doubt the demand will increase in the days and weeks ahead.
“In particular we urgently need additional kitchen capacity and accessible community space for storage.
“News of additional government funding is very welcome and it’s key that this gets down to grassroots level as quickly as possible to enable this vital initiative to continue.”
The next Zoom meeting will take place on Thursday.
At the outset of the lockdown, social enterprise SCRAN Academy, based at Fet Lor Youth Club on Crewe Road South, launched a crowdfunding appeal to raise £12,000 to provide hot meals for those who need them.
Deliveries commenced on 20 March.
SCRAN’s John Loughton explained in the appeal: “We have had every bit of earned income and work cancelled since covid19 was announced, as well as having to sadly cancel supporting our young people face to face. This has been tough. But it’s right.
“Despite this, our charity staff and volunteers, working with others, responded in less than 24 hours and have now applied our catering and community experience into creating a supply chain where we are delivering a FREE, HEALTHY and SAFE meal every day to people across North Edinburgh and Leith (initially).
“We hope to help, love and support those most vulnerable to follow advice, reduce stress and stay home. Please help us support the OAPs, frail, struggling families, those with health conditions all access one wee crucial lifeline at this stage.
“Our direct partners include Prep Table Scotland, Pilton Equalities Project (PEP), Fet Lor Youth Club, Ryvoan Trust, Muirhouse Millenium Centre and many others including support from EdinburghCatering Co., ArtFe, EdinFoodSocial and many more locals.
“We’re delivering over 1,500 meals per week, your help will guarantee us at least £1000 a week over lockdown. Roughly £12 will feed 1 pensioner everyday for a week.
“The local community, MPs, MSPs, the NHS and others are supportive and we are taking stringent industry-level measures to maximise safety and hygiene.”
The total raised so far stands at £7500.
Wide range of support for families, says council
We’ve put in place a wide range of much-needed support for families of children with additional support needs during the Coronavirus pandemic, says the city council.
This is clearly a very worrying time for everyone in Edinburgh but even more so for those families with children who have complex needs and require additional support.
Our teams from across Children’s Services have worked tirelessly to put in place a series of measures across the city. These include:
- Residential respite care at our own Seaview Centre and third sector partners Action for Children and Barnardo’s Caern targeting families most in need
- Day care in two special school hubs for children of key workers and to provide respite to some families with children with complex needs
- Our Additional Support for Learning service is taking a small number of children outdoors for activities as these children would struggle in a hub school due to their vulnerabilities.
- We’re engaging with third sector providers to develop more bespoke one to one services for children with additional support needs to give families respite
- The All of Us campaign with the NSPCC provides support and advice with parenting or the worries about family life and where to turn to if there are concerns about a child
- Some families with children with disabilities/complex needs have been unable to get online supermarket deliveries as they cannot shop with their children due to their complex needs (i.e. ASD) so our staff are shopping and delivering supplies to them
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Now more than ever we have to ensure there is continued support for children with additional support needs and their families during this pandemic.
We’ve put in place a series of initiatives to do just that and thanks must go to our hard-working staff and third sector partners who are providing these vital services.
Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Our teams have been identifying families and contacting them in person which means those in the greatest need are benefiting from the wide range of services available.
In many cases it involves targeted one to one support which is crucial in supporting families and preventing the need for crisis respite.”
Coronavirus food fund: support to put meals on tables
Families unable to access food as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak will get support from local authorities with £30 million of new investment from the Scottish Government Food Fund.
The funding will support those most in need including families with children who are eligible for free school meals, older people, those with long-term health conditions and pregnant women.
Councils will have flexibility to use this additional resource in ways that best meet emerging local needs and circumstances, working with community groups and businesses to support home delivery, provide financial help and meet dietary requirements.
Allocations include more than £4.7 million for Glasgow, £1.65 million for Edinurgh and £2.2 million for Fife.
The funding, one part of the £350 million Communities Fund, will be distributed to councils across Scotland by COSLA.
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “This pandemic is impacting on all our lives but for some it is more than a disruption, it is severely restricting their ability to access food for themselves and their families.
“It is vital that we work together to ensure the most vulnerable people in our communities receive the support they need.
“Local authorities are uniquely placed to respond swiftly in partnership with community groups and organisations to help those struggling.
“We know that free school meals are vital for families across the country and an important way of ensuring their children receive the nutritious food they need. That is why it is so important that support continues while schools remain closed.
“This fund will help ensure the most vulnerable people in our society during this outbreak receive support. The guidance shared with local authorities today supports local thinking about how funding can best be targeted and deployed.”
COSLA Children and Young People spokesperson Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “Access to food is a current and vital concern for many people in our communities. Councils are committed to working flexibly, ensuring local access for those who are vulnerable or isolating and to maintain access to free school meals for entitled families.
“Local Authorities will continue to work with and for local people to ensure provision that is right for them. We welcome the food fund guidance produced by Scottish Government that supports this local decision making.”
COSLA Resources spokesperson Councillor Gail Macgregor said: “As a result of Covid-19, greater numbers of people are at risk of food insecurity. Councils are facing additional challenges in ensuring food reaches those most in need.
“In these challenging times, we welcome the Scottish Government’s announcement of additional funding.”
Edinburgh’s council leaders have also welcomed news of the Scottish Government’s Food Fund, which will provide Edinburgh with an additional £1.651 million to help feed the city’s most at-risk residents.
Council leader Cllr Adam Mcvey said: “No one should be left feeling hungry and without enough food because they’re self-isolating. We’re here to help our most vulnerable residents through this difficult time and we’ll do everything in our power to support them.
“Already, we’ve been delivering food parcels to those in our care and thousands of families who might be struggling while schools are closed. The £1.65 million we’ll receive from the Scottish Government as part of their Coronavirus Food Fund is hugely welcome and will allow us to build on this work, as long as there is a local need.”
Depute Leader, Cammy Day, added: “There has been an incredible response from local communities working together to reduce the risk of food poverty and while there is no shortage of food overall, it’s increasingly difficult for people who can’t leave their homes to get the supplies they need.
“One of the actions we’ve already taken is to provide additional cash support to eligible families with school children. We now need to work hard over the coming days to identify how to best use this additional funding to support Edinburgh’s residents, working closely with local communities and charities, who are already supporting vulnerable people with essential basic food supplies.”
The £350 million Communities Fund was first announced by Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell on 18 March 2020.
Since it was announced, over £100 million of new support has been delivered to local authorities to assist their efforts. This includes £50 million in hardship funding, £22 million to bolster the Scottish Welfare Fund and £30 million from the Food Fund.
The guidance shared with local authorities outlines seven key principles to support local thinking about how funding can best be targeted and deployed.
People worried about food during the COVID-19 crisis should contact their local authority for further information on the help and support available to them.
NET sends further £5million to front line charities
The National Emergencies Trust has announced a further £5m of funding will be distributed to front line charities today helping those most impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. This is possible thanks to the generosity of the UK public, major charitable trusts and corporate donations.
So far, around half of the £16m total pledged to the Coronavirus Appeal has been given out (£7.5m in total), following an initial allocation of almost £2.5m a week after the appeal launched. Further distributions will be made in the coming days, to continue to support the most vulnerable in society.
The money will be distributed through UK Community Foundations to 46 local community foundations across the country.
Major businesses and charitable trusts across the UK, as well as the British public, have generously donated to the appeal, including corporate donors such as BT, Tesco, HSBC, M&S and National Grid.
The appeal is responding to the needs of local communities across the UK and allocating money to community foundations based on local factors such as levels of deprivation and demographics in each region.
Local Distribution
A snapshot of some of the local groups already benefitting from the appeal include:
Horncastle Food Bank
Horncastle Food Bank in Lincolnshire which has seen a 300% increase in demand for food and hygiene parcels. The group has also stepped in to help combat child poverty, by providing food for those children no longer receiving free school meals and are now also distributing hot meals for vulnerable people currently in isolation.
ASD Helping Hands
ASD Helping Hands helps those caring for children and young adults with autism, supporting over 1,300 families in Norfolk. Since the outbreak, the organisation has launched a web and phone-based advice and listening service to continue to support the mental wellbeing of families during this stressful time.
Musical Memories
Social enterprise Musical Memories saw its 5th anniversary Big Sing concert for more than 150 older people in the community cancelled due to the outbreak. However, the social enterprise hasn’t been deterred and is now hosting live music online sessions every day for older people across rural Yorkshire to help fight loneliness and isolation. Funding will provide recording equipment to facilitate ever more creative and engaging remote concerts.
NET Coronavirus Appeal
The National Emergencies Trust’s Coronavirus Appeal was launched in partnership with the British Red Cross and with the support of the Duke of Cambridge.
Anyone can make a donation and further donations can be made by clicking the below button.
This week celebrity supporters including Miranda Hart, Joe Lycett and Kate Thornton have shared video messages on their social media urging the public to get behind the appeal.
John Herriman, CEO of the National Emergencies Trust, said: “It is fantastic that good causes across the UK are already seeing the benefits of the public’s support and the overwhelming generosity of our corporate donors. It’s vital that we are able to offer support to these groups as soon as we can.
“Our work may have started but there is still much more to do. We’re asking the public to get behind the appeal and make contribution if possible, or to spread the word to help raise awareness.
“Everyone who donates can be confident their money is reaching those in need quickly and making an instant difference to the most vulnerable in our communities at this difficult time. We need to come together more than ever and I’m heartened the British public are rising to the challenge.”
Rosemary Macdonald, Interim CEO of UK Community Foundations, said: “Working closely with our network of 46 community foundations, we’re seeing unprecedented demand for support from those in need across our society.
“We’re working to make sure that donations reach communities quickly and in response to particular needs, so that we are properly supporting the most vulnerable as best we can.”
Big Hearts: Gorgie charity opens new helplines
Big Hearts, the charity of Heart of Midlothian FC, is shifting their activity to focus on phone and online support, through new dedicated helplines launched today.
Over the past two weeks the Big Hearts’ team of nine staff has been working on alternative ways to maintain their vital work to local groups at a high risk of loneliness, poor mental health, complex family backgrounds and food poverty.
The new Big Hearts helplines are designed to provide regular support over the phone and use digital means to address people’s urgent needs – whilst ensuring the safety of all staff, volunteers and beneficiaries.
Based at Tynecastle Stadium, the charity supports more than 150 vulnerable adults and children on a weekly basis, through a range of programmes including the Kinship Care after school club, The Changing Room project and Football Memories for over 65s.
Craig Wilson, Big Hearts General Manager said: “On 13 March we decided to suspend all our face to face activity to ensure everyone’s safety. Our staff team has been working remotely, completing hundreds of calls to families, isolated adults and older people to assess their immediate needs and offer some guidance and support.
“After a couple of weeks working in this new setting, we are delighted to announce a new series of landline numbers that people can call for a confidential chat and some targeted support.”
Kinship Care Helpline: 0131 603 4927
Advice on parenting strategies, peer support & service referrals for local kinship care families.
The Changing Room at Hearts: 0131 603 4929
Mental health support, wellbeing info and regular peer support in partnership with SAMH.
Community Helpline: 0131 603 4928
Social connection & advice for beneficiaries and volunteers at risk of loneliness & poverty.