Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Funding Recipients
In 2021, the Scottish Government launched a new Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, with £15 million of funding allocated to support adults’ mental health and wellbeing in communities across Scotland.
Over £230,000 was awarded to 17 groups and organisations across East Renfrewshire in the first year of the funding with over £230,000 awarded to 31 groups and organisations in the second year. Below you will find more information on all successful grant recipients.
2021/22
Alzheimer Scotland East Renfrewshire groups and activities deliver therapeutic benefits and give people living with dementia and their carers the opportunity to stay connected with peers and within their local community. The funding will help to expand the current delivery of community activities and allow them to reach the wider and more remote areas of East Renfrewshire that currently have little or no provision. Alzheimer’s Scotland work closely with many families who will directly benefit from this funding and who will have the opportunity to participate in activities.
Barrhead Housing Association will engage the local community in areas of health improvement and behaviour change to serve a need for community-level interventions relating to wellbeing and physical health, providing the services of an Exercise and Behaviour Change specialist, developing peer support groups and holding a community cooking initiative as well as a regular meal club.
Barrhead Men’s Shed sought funding to purchase two air filter units for their woodshop. They provide woodworking facilities for their members, and airborne wood dust particles can be a threat to the participant’s health and comfort.
“The previous methods of reducing airborne wood dust particles are no longer adequate, and so the new filters will be a major improvement”.
Cosgrove Care were awarded funding to provide weekly wellbeing sessions for adults with learning disabilities. This is to create connections for people who have been shielding and the clinically vulnerable during the previous lockdowns.
In addition, Cosgrove Care will support a local volunteer who has started a fortnightly session in Glasgow Maccabi for older people with a range of needs. The sessions, called the Cosgrove Care Coffee Hub, will focus on older people within the Jewish Community who have been isolated and disconnected during the lockdown.
Cultivating mindfulness offers a mental wellbeing service to support young people age 12-25, and an adult carer project by delivering accessible mindfulness, compassion and wellbeing programmes and 1:1 support that nourish the whole person.
The programme aims to enhance each person’s mental, emotional, physical health and wholeness to live healthier, happier, more productive and meaningful lives.
Dunterlie Arts and Crafts group have regulars that meet each week to focus on a project and work towards creating something. It is as described by Lynn (the facilitator) as “therapy without the title”. Making art is the reason that people come to the club, but talking to others, being socially included and leaving with a sense of achievement is ultimately what makes members come back each week.
Dunterlie Food Share aims to provide a free bag of shopping, 52 weeks a year, with 3 meals included in each bag. The award from this fund will allow them to continue.
The Funding will allow ERCAB to lead on a project targeting people experiencing mental health problems in the community to prevent them from experiencing disadvantages.
The project will involve holistic advice, representation and advocacy services (welfare rights and financial inclusion) and will be accessible through all CAB services in East Renfrewshire.
The “Cricket 4 ALL” project is all about getting people out in a safe space where they can meet, share stories, build confidence and enjoy a social game of cricket. They aim to bring communities together, listen, and help signpost those who need help to local services. They are particularly keen to help carers and those who have had challenging times during Covid.
Include me 2 aims to create the “Connect Club” for adults to socialise during the day and create a safe space for those who feel unsafe to socialise in the evenings. This will be an opportunity for them to talk, play games, perform at karaoke, raffles, bingo and more. The clubs will be based in Giffnock and Neilston.
Inspired by other community litter picking initiatives in Scotland, this group will use their funding to make litter picking in Neilston and Uplawmoor more accessible and easier for people to do individually, in their own time. New equipment for the community will encourage more people to participate and work together to keep our environment clean and litter-free.
Mearns Kirk Helping Hands aim to reduce loneliness and isolation and improve health and wellbeing by bringing on a full-time project manager to take on existing activities, and work with their volunteers to develop new responses as the impact of the pandemic becomes clearer. Therefore, increasing the number of isolated, particularly isolated older people who can access their support.
The local charity currently provides a wide range of volunteering opportunities, a befriending project for aged 65+, a friendship club, a Blether and Brew group, a Men’s Breakfast Club, a lunch and social club for people living with dementia, a bereavement support group and IT development activities.
OFF-Grid community’s project “Good in The Wood” will facilitate a series of sessions to support Family First Parents/carers in East Renfrewshire.
The project will consist of two groups of 2-hour Mental Health & Wellbeing group sessions per week over 8 weeks. These groups are for parents who live within Thornliebank or the surrounding area. The group has one or more of the following indicators, but all attendees will have been identified as needing support with their mental health: BAME, Social Isolation Parent of a child with additional support needs, Food Poverty/security. These sessions will incorporate ‘Learn to play outdoors’ parent training, working to meet Family First objectives of enabling & upskilling parents. The bespoke sessions will empower the participants with the knowledge and skills to access the outdoors with their children confidently and safely into the future – in turn opening new opportunities for Nature connection independently.
The project seeks to create a Recovery College with a team of people within student services that support the student on their recovery journey. The model also works by bringing in different tutors and courses not currently delivered in East Renfrewshire. This would include courses that focus on strengths and develop strong coping strategies alongside self-management skills, i.e. From Trauma to Recovery & WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Planning).
At the heart of the Autistic Collective’s Community & Mental Health Fund project are peer support and a better understanding of autism across all sectors. The project will be delivered via Autistic/Neurodivergent-led online training and upskilling for Autistic/Neurodivergent people, carers, and professionals alike, in addition to peer support carers’ sessions. The project will be produced in partnership with East Renfrewshire Carers Centre.
WASLER sought funding to increase support hours to address the complex and interrelated needs of women with experience of domestic abuse and poor mental health.
They seek to develop wellbeing focused services that support positive mental health at all levels. They will provide specialist domestic abuse support along with a range of holistic and therapeutic supports that promote mental health wellness for all women in their service. This will support longer-term recovery and safer futures for women and children affected by domestic abuse.
WASLER also sought funding for equipment, resources and running costs for group work activities – arts and crafts materials, yoga mats, travel expenses and venue hire. They would also like to offer gym memberships and wellbeing retreats.
The current staff member is a holistic therapist, licensed yoga instructor and senior practitioner in mental health and addictions. Increased support hours will also ensure that all women contacting the service receive immediate support.
Young Enterprise Scotland is in the heart of Rouken Glen Park, where they advocate #Enterpriseforall.
Glen Growers is an exciting project that unites young and older local community members to share valuable gardening knowledge and skills and nurture mutual respect.
The funding will allow them to update ageing gardening tools and much-needed equipment; repair their poly tunnels; update growing areas; provide safe storage for our participants equipment so that they are independent and feel a sense of belonging when visiting the site; and install an arbour where participants can sit and take time to reflect, even when it’s raining!
2022/23
To engage the local community in areas of health improvement and behaviour change to serve an already identified need for community level interventions relating to Mental, Wellbeing and Physical health.
Abhinaya SCIO is seeking to provide learning opportunities and a safe space for all women to meet, overcome social isolation & loneliness, increase confidence in socialising & speaking in English for those using English as another language. develop friendship and get active. This will be achieved by delivering a wider range of weekly dance classes at various venues in East Renfrewshire.
The club wish to re-render the outside of their club huts which serve each dam. They are currently in a state of disrepair due to the harsh environment they are exposed to. There is an ingress of rain water due to the damaged render which has an adverse effect on the buildings.
To train a small team of 5-10 volunteers in Mental Health First Aid, who will be available to support those who access our Warm and Welcome space, and to signpost on as appropriate.
One of their coaches is a firefighter and has seen a significant rise in the mental health of colleagues within the service. The club is seeking funding to organise a Boxing, Banter and Brew session each Tuesday morning. The idea is for like minded people to get together to exercise and simply chat about the issues they are facing within their service and life.
The club was set-up in the light of lock down easing where many young people had become socially isolated or began to engage in nuisance behaviour within their communities. The club was set up to allow a safe space where young people can begin to re-engage and build their confidence. For those who have been engaging in anti-social behaviour, the youth club provides a structured environment where they can engage in youth work activities and be challenged on their attitudes and behaviours allowing for positive change to be made personally and within the community.
We would like to offer a Weekly Wednesday Club for seniors that are aged 60 and over that will enable them to connect and build relationships with familiar or new faces. The club will offer a familiar place and friendly face to have a chat with other seniors and make friends including various activities that will contribute towards improving each individuals mental wellbeing and physical health.
Our project will offer adult carers who are struggling with anxiety, stress, being overwhelmed, depression or fatigue early and preventative mindfulness interventions to improve mental wellbeing and physical health.
Learn traditional, modern and sustainable art and crafting methods.
ERCAB through this funding stream have offered a specialist advice service (RESPONSE PROJECT), for anyone who lives within the East Renfrewshire area whose mental health issues mean they require additional support.
We are applying for funding to purchase expedition and team-building equipment. This equipment is not for one off use and will be able to support young people like ourselves to complete their Duke of Edinburgh award for years to come. This funding will allow the GOLDs of 2022/23 to leave a legacy which will not only minimise financial outlay by families in the future but also provide the opportunity and the equipment for young people to enjoy, learn and succeed in this programme.
This year ERA will be building a structure consisting of a polycrub and small meeting space & disabled changing/toilet at The Waterworks area in Barrhead, G78 1DT. Our regular groups are focussed on our Young People with ASN which obviously helps their parents/caregivers. This new project will allow us to spend some time focussing on the positive aspects that outdoor projects can bring to those parents/caregivers too.
We are looking to provide activities for carers in a range of ways: Quarterly visits to a Health and Wellbeing Centre where carers can enjoy and participate in therapeutic sessions. Provide monthly badminton sessions for carers to engage and participate in. Monthly coffee mornings for carers to meet with others in a similar situation. Wellbeing sessions to help support the autistic children of parent carers who are struggling attending school and have stress/anxiety in coping with day to day life.
An intergenerational one–off event (which will hopefully lead to the start–up of new connections in the community) to help build relationship between older and young people in the community of Newton Mearns and surrounding areas.
The Fairweather drop in group are a group of the over 50s with many members coming from the minority ethnic community on the outskirts of Glasgow.
The group offers social activities, educational trips, and a lunch club one day a week from the local community centre. The group helps to address the social isolation that may occur in older people.
Our local Regional Family Support Coordinator (RFSC) will provide tailored one-to-one support – including practical and emotional advice, guidance and advocacy – for affected adults across the region. She will also facilitate access to local groupwork activities and valuable peer support networks.
Funding towards salary costs to maintain a full time Project Manager for one year.
A free weekend lunch service aimed at tackling food/fuel poverty and isolation in the local community. Running for 2 hours on a Saturday afternoon we aim to provide a warm safe space where people can relax and not have to worry about having to feed/heat/entertain themselves or their families.
Providing a free-to-access baby bank, where people who are in financial difficulty or experiencing poverty can come and access much needed baby items like nappies, wipes, formula, toiletries etc.
We are seeking funding to provide transport for our helpers as we are currently paying for our own transport to get to and from the local shops to get the shopping for them.
A grant will provide vital additional resources for our Communities Team to increase reach and improve the mental wellbeing of more people living with dementia, their families and carers in East Renfrewshire. We want to develop and expand the Help Point network within East Renfrewshire to help us reach these people, especially those caring for a loved one living with dementia and those from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Rule Breakers is a social group for young people age 17+ with Additional Support Needs, it leads on from Monday night group which is an ASN group for young people under 16. We offer a safe space for young people to meet up and socialise, along with activities to support their social, emotional and economic wellbeing, we make sure they can access in-formal learning and recreation to build on soft skills and skills for life
To organise a large scale Information/signposting events with entertainment and lunch provided. A number of organisations will attend allowing people access to vital information in once place, this will include money advice, Social work, Housing, Carers advice, Social Care support, Community activities, Mental Health Services, legal advice and many more
To fund an exercise expert to deliver a low impact exercise class in our sheltered housing complex on a weekly basis.
To introduce keep-fit classes to the area. To introduce an afternoon Line Dancing class, an early evening Belly Dancing class followed by a Body Balance (pilates/yoga) type class. The second initiative would bring the local community together to explore, develop and share their creative skills.
To further establish, and build on the existing work of The Autistic Collective and to enable to provide Autistic-led training and support to:
• Carers
• Autistic People
• Black, Brown, Asian and Ethnic Minority families
• Staff and volunteers that provide services specific to Autistic people and their carers
• Universal services that Autistic people and their families access
To offer groups/services 4 days a week, supported by our volunteers and if successful, some paid sessional support and expertise. They aspire to offer groups to the most vulnerable in our community, those who have been impacted by Covid, and also those who now find themselves seriously affected by the cost of living crises. To offer a range of groups/sessions and supports and a warm space that will offer the opportunities to garner resilience and promote and support the foundations of good mental health.
To put the money towards purchasing new kits to wear during matches, boosting team morale due to the identity of being part of, and belonging to, a team. Furthermore, to purchase warm, waterproof jackets for the substitutes on a match day and purchase new training equipment, such as running poles and ladders, to improve the quality of the training sessions and in turn making our players fitter and healthier.
This project will support the WIRE group to work towards becoming self managed/constituted, whilst continuing to provide access to social support and therapeutic activity. The WiRe would open out the opportunities where speakers come to the wider female population of East Renfrewshire, who perhaps can’t attend weekly but would want to know about in terms of particular topics
To fund 25 support hours to deliver a range of specialist domestic abuse services.
• One to one support
• Groupwork activities
• Proactive outreach support to very vulnerable women
• MARAC ( Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference) & IDDA ( Independent Domestic Abuse Advocate ) support
• Advocacy
• Signposting to further / additional support
• Crisis intervention/ duty & helpline support
• We also require funding for group work resources and expenses.
To develop new indoor and outdoor wellbeing spaces in our ‘Square Go’ community start-up village for young entrepreneurs.