Round One awards in the Scottish Borders
This first year of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund was launched in 2021. (Awards listed alphabetically)
A Positive Start – Self Discovery for Recovery – Emotional First Aid – £81,240
The New Project aims to complement and work alongside an existing project. Self Discovery for Recovery seeks funding to recruit and train two new lived-experience practitioners who will support the delivery of Emotional First Aid Toolkits to both individuals seeking support and groups of people to include staff of local businesses. The creation of emotional first aid toolkits aims to empower people to become more self reliant, thus allowing more people to live independently and healthily in their own homes.
At Birkhill House – Natural Dye Garden & Dyeing Programme – £10,639
The proposed project is the establishment of a natural dye garden on approximately one acre of land at Birkhill House CIC. They intend to run the project in conjunction with the Scottish Borders Rape Crisis Centre and foresee that it will be delivered in two distinct parts – Part 1: Planning, planting and establishment of a natural dye garden and Part 2: A series of classes in natural dyeing. Once the garden is established and producing the foliage, flowers and roots necessary for the dye processes, they will offer classes provided by natural dye experts and fibre artisans.
Border Samaritans – Border Samaritans Recruitment Drive – £810
Border Samaritans is a volunteer-led organisation. All interested volunteers go through rigorous interviews to become a prospective volunteer, then two sets of national training provided by qualified trainers before they are able to speak to callers themselves. This process takes some months to achieve. The demand on Samaritans was great during the pandemic and they are looking to fund a recruitment drive to attract additional volunteers.
Borders Additional Needs Group – Additional Support Needs Family Liaison support – £51,143
The project aims to work across the Scottish Borders and work directly with families of additional needs children and youths within the Branching Out project, providing a bespoke support plan that will help them manage the changes in all their lives. The Family Outreach Service will offer families holistic impartial support. Outreach will be used as a means of reaching out to and supporting families, making them aware of activities, support, advice, and information, which can help them manage the challenges and connection with other support services.
Borders Carers Centre – Me First – £15,000
Expansion of the ‘Me First’ project – a free counselling service for Carers caring for someone living with dementia to include all Carers in need of support to improve and maintain their mental health and well-being and to rebuild resilience to cope with on-going challenges and demands of the caring role.
Borders Disability Sport – Border’s Activities for All – £3000
This project is to implement and deliver a new sporting opportunities programme for adults who have a disability to participate in discrete and structured sessions in various locations across the Scottish Borders throughout the whole year. This will give participants the chance to try new sports, meet new people and share the experience with their family, friends and care providers. These sessions will be open to all within an inclusive and supportive environment.
Borders Shed Network – Borders Community Engagement Volunteer Coordinator Sheds – £30,362
This funding will be used to employ a Borders Community Engagement Volunteer Coordinator to support and develop the Men’s and Community Shed movement. One of the key objectives of Men’s Sheds is to reduce social isolation and enhance physical and mental wellbeing.
Brothers of Charity Scotland – Working Together Wellbeing advisor – £39,674
This project is to employ a wellbeing advisor to work alongside people with lived experiences of learning disabilities to design and deliver a range of mental health and wellbeing focused workshop sessions. These will be given in small groups, which would be made available to people in the local area.
A main aim would be to give more information, understanding and coping skills to people with learning disabilities and autism, about some of the topics that impact their daily lives, wellbeing and mental health.
Burnfoot Community Futures – Burnfoot Community Options – £48,700
This project will develop and deliver a comprehensive and holistic programme of activities aimed at supporting the mental health and wellbeing of the Burnfoot community, developing partnerships, building capacity, and enabling a holistic activities programme focused on mental health and wellbeing. Plans include working with community ambassadors and volunteers to offer a chance to take part in social and confidence-building activities based on food, and which builds community to such a level that they have the confidence to build their own lives and work to their own priorities.
Cheviot Youth – Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Support Service – £17,939
This project offers group work and one-to-one sessions for those suffering with mental ill health or who may benefit from emotional support, with a focus on the provision of services at tiers two and three of CAMHS tier guidance. The service works with a range of difficulties from general anxiety and disruptive behaviour to self-harm, eating disorders, and suicidality.
ClubSport Borders – Headstrong – Wellbeing for Sport – £36,380
This new partnership project will be responsible for delivering a series of workshops to local adult clubs and football teams with the aim of embedding mental health, wellbeing, and suicide awareness into the culture of the sports clubs through training. This will be delivered in two different approaches; one football specific and the other targeting the rest of the affiliated clubs.
Cockburnspath and Cove Community Council – MENU to Mental Health for U – £31,835
MENU to Wellness Project explores the wider determinates of health. It is anticipated that this Menu will appeal to all residents of Cockburnspath and Cove from the age of 16 years. Its premise is based on social prescribing and self-referral. In order to deliver this plethora of options, partnership working with public, private, and third sector organisations (in particular those ‘homegrown’ in Cockburnspath) will faciltate a ‘person-centered’ approach.
Cyrenians – OPAL (Older People, Active Lives) in the Borders – £99,725
‘OPAL in the Borders’ is a prevention project targeted at people aged 60 plus living in Eildon properties across the Borders. They will develop a relationship-based activity programme, which specifically addresses social isolation and loneliness by building local connections, personal resilience and a much-needed sense of community.
Duns Senior Citizens Club – Garden Centre Bus Trip, Afternoon Tea and Shopping – £500
This event will involve taking elderly residents on a free day out to the garden centre to enjoy some lunch. This event will improve the wellbeing of residents, reduce social isolation, and increase friendship circles.
Eastgate Theatre and Arts Centre – Life in the Balance – £20,850
This project is designed to extend two specific and complementary strands of activity based around creative participation, which has become a distinctive feature of the Eastgate Theatre’s work within the local community. Participants will be enabled to manage and improve their own mental health through creative processes that encourage them to explore feelings, share ideas, and find new ways of expressing themselves both physically and orally, They will be supported to develop a high quality performance piece that builds each individual’s confidence, reflects their shared experiences, and establishes new connections with family, friends and the wider community.
Eat Sleep Ride – ESR Wellbeing – £60,000
This funding will support a dedicated Wellbeing Co-ordinator role to support adult beneficiaries and co-ordinate targeted packages of activity and support based on individual needs, helping make a real difference to the wellbeing of adults across the Scottish Borders. Activities will tackle social isolation, dis-engagement with statutory services, loneliness, and ill health. The post will create opportunities for the community to come together to connect, learn, and re-build their lives. It will provide one-to-one support for all adult beneficiaries and be the first point of call to address specific wellbeing needs. At the heart of this wellbeing offer will be the provision of Equine Facilitated Learning (EFL) and training opportunities.
Eildon West Youth Hub – TD1 First Steps: Introduction Group – £16,456
This new programme, TD1 First Steps, for new mums, or mums to be up to age 25, will work with identified young people that have anxieties, concerns, and barriers to participating in programmes and/or groups as a consequence of becoming pregnant during lockdown. The programme will continue to build attachment, routines and developmental play and learning opportunities between mum and baby, but will also focus on providing information, support and advice towards the issues and barriers that the young mums and families are facing, supporting removal of those barriers through participation and learning in the programme and relevant external referrals to other support agencies and wider local voluntary organisations.
Eyemouth and District Community Trust – The Ways to – Project – £48,905
The Ways to Project is a holistic initiative to meet the needs of Eyemouth. This will include nutrition, social, financial, environmental, physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual.
Families Outside – Supporting children and families affected by imprisonment in the Scottish Borders – £15,000
Funding for a Regional Family Support Co-ordinator (RFSC) in the Scottish Borders. Through a helpline, they provide support and information for families across the whole of the Scottish Borders, with a RFSC picking up referrals from the helpline, local authority Criminal Justice Social Work service, schools and prisons etc. to work with families in the community. Ultimately, they focus on the importance of strengthening relationships, building resilience, and reducing stress. These in turn increase opportunities for families to overcome disadvantages brought about by familial imprisonment and increases their confidence to engage as active members of their communities.
FirstLight Trust – When Secondary Trauma Comes Home – £5000
The project will train FirstLight Trust support staff and café hub assistants to understand/deal with the effects of secondary trauma. They will then run psycho education support groups on a one-to-one basis, as well as remotely for those who have to shield or live outside Hawick. Support staff will learn about secondary trauma, its impact and how to support those who suffer. The workshops will be created by a qualified trauma therapist who has worked with veterans and their families for years. Staff will be better able to help individuals live independently and identify barriers to support and enable easier access to ongoing advice and support as a key outcome.
Hawick Congregational Community Church – Phoenix Project – £5670
The Phoenix Project reaches out through two new small weekly social groups, The Blether Club and the Hope Club, as an expansion of a current service, to help to reduce their loneliness and isolation, providing opportunities to enjoy social interaction, companionship, help to reconnect with community after months of isolation, signposting people to access support and opportunities, and encouraging them to link in again to wider community. Some will be disadvantaged by location (rural without transport for example) coping with poverty and disadvantage, (being cold for example as unable to heat the home) suffering dislocation from family or friends due to mental illness, or feeling confused.
Health in Mind – Health in Mind, Social Prescribing – £66,000
The funding will provide up to 12 weeks of Social Prescribing with a focus on arts, green, and activity-based support to people living in the Scottish Borders aged 16 and over who are struggling with their mental health and wellbeing, who are isolated and who would like to see a change in their lives.
Horse Time – Horse Time Workshop Programmes – £30,000
Horse Time provides opportunities for beneficiaries to access the appropriate and effective therapeutic interventions that are essential to overcome trauma, adverse life experiences, and mental health difficulties, in order to facilitate a sustainable recovery.
Inspiring Life Evie Douglas Memorial Fund – Inspiring Life Day, The Eastgate Theatre and lead-up events in the Peebles community – £2000
Inspiring Life Day and the lead up events will offer free creative workshops and activities, information stalls, dance and musical performances and group discussions to address physical health, mental health and wellbeing.
Instinctively Wild CIC – Branching Out: Selkirk (participants come from within the other postcodes listed below) – £8167
Branching Out is an evidence-based programme developed by Scottish Forestry and will be delivered across the region on a weekly basis. Branching Out enabled participants to feel comfortable outdoors and some of the high quality outdoor learning opportunities includes creating fires, shelters and campfire cooking. As well as time to socialise, the project also includes confidence and team-building tasks, environmental art, identifying trees, birds and insects, etc. Physical activity is increased through walks and other exercise.
Interest Link Borders – New Learning Disabilities Befriending Groups 2022 – £35,851
This project will offer four new adult befriending groups in Duns, Kelso, Hawick and Peebles benefitting 28 members with learning disabilities (aged 20-65) and their families/support networks and a similar number of volunteers.
Kelso Writers – Creative Writing for Wellbeing – £540
The project will provide a series of 12 online creative writing workshops plus two physical workshops, allowing participants to meet in person. The workshops will cover various aspects of creative writing including short stories, life writing, and poetry. The workshops will be led by experienced writers from Kelso Writers and will be participative. Workshop topics will include: The Writing Process; Life Writing; Creating Characters; Use of Dialogue; Theme and Plot; Structure and Pace; Endings and Titles; Poetry; Editing and Presentation.
Nature Unlimited – Volunteer for Wellbeing – £24,951
Nature Unlimited supports wellbeing, resilience and community through nature and human connection, in woodlands across the Scottish Borders. They work with people of all ages, particularly those who experience disadvantage, such as poor mental health, social isolation, low resilience and chaotic lives. Wellbeing programmes are run for adults and whilst the main focus of the project is to improve wellbeing and increase resilience through positive social connections, they will also increase bio-diversity in the woodland in which they are based, by planting native trees, creating glades to encourage wild flower growth, constructing and erecting bird boxes etc.
Newcastleton and District Community Trust – Happy, Healthy Copshaw – £21,020
The funding will enhance and expand the reach of a Community Outreach service by providing new activity and extended services. These activities have been planned with the NHS Borders ‘Six ways to be well’ (Nurture, Be active, Belong, Be kind, Enjoy and Learn, Be aware) in mind. It is the aspiration that through these activities they can forge and strengthen links with the community to support Newcastleton and District residents mental health and wellbeing.
Nurture the Borders – The Village – £12,238
The Village project will create a COVID secure environment to bring together some of the most vulnerable and affected individuals in the community. The project seeks to provide a dedicated space for women (and their partners) who are struggling with their mental health to come together and access support during the perinatal period (pregnancy until baby is two). Through this space ‘The Village’, they aim to develop a hub of activity to support the organisation’s work, giving all new mums and families a safe space to access specialist support, peer support, information and services.
Peebles CAN – Growing Community Wellbeing – £45,740
‘Growing Community Wellbeing’ is an expansion of current community growing services which have a significant impact on improving wellbeing. It also features a new partnership which will bring awareness of mental health and behaviours for wellbeing into popular skill-sharing sessions. They will recruit volunteers from the at-risk categories to participate in ongoing activities and support new recruits with a new befriending programme to help at-risk people feel welcomed and supported while volunteering.
Peebles Community Trust – Cycling Without Age Peebles – £10,500
This project is an expansion of the current delivery of Cycling Without Age Peebles (CWAP). Currently CWAP has one Trishaw that takes users with reduced walking abilities for outings supported by trained Trishaw pilots and who can access the vehicle independently. This funding will allow the purchase of a Van Raam, wheelchair specific trishaw, which will allow them to start working with wheelchair bound people.
Peebles Old Parish Church of Scotland – Grand Hands – £5760
This project will deliver creativity crafting classes to reduce the isolation and loneliness caused by age, poverty, poor health, and the pandemic. Over the last year, elderly people in residential living have suffered from isolation. Many residents are still too anxious to leave their flats. People have deteriorated physically (with muscle wastage and ill health), mentally (with increased dementia), socially (with increased anxiety).
Quarriers – Quarriers Resilience for Wellbeing Service Community Supports – £43,726
The funding will provide staff capacity to work with youth leaders to help them understand the challenges they are facing, which will allow for targeted input to be delivered to support them in managing these difficulties. The organisations will include; the Scottish Rugby Union, Scottish Football Association, Live Borders and other uniformed youth organisations such as the Scouts. A key goal of this project is for youth leaders to be able to support the mental health of young people within their organisation and create a positive culture for mental health, normalising mental health support while tackling the stigma and challenging discrimination.
Recovery Coaching Scotland – Scottish Borders Peer Development Programme – £34,400
Self Coaching and a Trauma Course will be run in the community. The training will assist people to move forward with their lives, gaining both confidence and skills. This sense of confidence will drive self-motivation and (for some) enhance employability skills, which will in turn, enable them to live confidently in their own homes and improve health outcomes.
Riddell Fiddles – Music Where You Are: A Scottish Borders ‘Pop-up Music’ Plan – £5000
Riddell Fiddles wants to use the expertise and local knowledge built up over 20 years of working locally to allow 10 monthly musical drop ins (cafe type events in local easily accessed venues) across selected areas of the Scottish Borders. Using experienced musicians, an inclusive musical experience will be given to listeners, whilst encouraging (but not insisting) participation and responding (tune type, genre and tempo) to preference.
Scottish Borders LGBT Equality – Cafe Polari – £9000
Café Polari is a drop-in café where people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, intersex and other non-conforming identities and their friends can meet in a safe, welcoming, supportive and non-alcoholic environment. A space where people can chat, make connections, gain information and signposting. Cafe Polari is aimed primarily at those who are 40 plus, who for a variety of reasons feel socially isolated.
Survivors Unite – Safe Oaks – £80,000
Funding will provide new and extend the reach of existing support services to survivors of sexual abuse through one-to-one and peer group support sessions.
Transform Arts – Creativity For Change: Transform Arts CIC and Health in Mind – £21,649
A series of art and craft courses delivered by Transform Arts CIC and supported by Health in Mind: a charity promoting positive mental health and well-being. Participants could be experiencing a range of wellbeing or mental health issues as well as possible other life/health issues such as poverty or disability. Seven courses, will be delivered and a mini celebratory exhibition at the end of each course will share the range of creative achievements within the community, bringing vibrancy to the locations, generating interest in the arts and raising awareness of the services of Health in Mind.
YouthBorders – Trusted Connections: Supporting Young Adults Emotional Health and Wellbeing through community-based youth work – £28,215
Funding for a Development Worker who would work as part of the YouthBorders staff team, supporting, engaging and connecting with a network to further collaboration and networking in the community-based youth work sector with a specific focus on organisations providing emotional health and wellbeing support to young adults aged 16-25 years. They aim to strengthen the community through improved connection with others – promoting peer support, joint learning, and reducing isolation. Volunteers, young adult leaders, trainees, paid staff and service users will be brought together through the establishment of a 16-25 Voluntary and Community Services Network.