Health and wellbeing

A £25 million fund to improve ventilation in business premises and reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission will open for applications next week.

Small and medium-sized businesses such as restaurants, bars and gyms will be able to claim back costs of up to £2,500 to undertake work such as the installation of carbon dioxide monitors and remedial improvement work to windows and vents.

"You're on Mute" - a series of films from rural communities documenting the impact of Covid-19 on mental health and wellbeing, resilience and community.

At a time when people in Scotland and around the world were living with restrictions, three small communities - in East Lothian, West Lochaber and Perth & Kinross - took part in a ‘Winter Lockdown Project’.

The Promise Partnership – A Good Childhood is an investment of circa £3.25m from the Scottish Government.

The grant is intended to deliver change in-line with Scotland’s commitment to #KeepThePromise and ensure children and young people grow up loved, safe and respected.

Measures to limit spread of the disease.

Following confirmation of avian influenza (H5N1) among a flock of kept birds in the Angus constituency, laboratory results have identified the strain as highly pathogenic in poultry.

£41 million Winter Support Fund for low income households.

The Winter Support Fund will help those on low incomes, children and people at risk of homelessness against a backdrop of rising living and fuel costs.

The Connecting Scotland Programme  is now inviting ‘fast track’ applications from organisations working with people at risk of social isolation and loneliness, who can deliver devices in November and December.

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 12th November.

Social enterprise, community enterprise and Third Sector organisations are increasingly viewed as an important source of economic growth, a vital source of support for vulnerable communities and a critical path of the reform of public services in Scotland. One area this was highlighted in during the pandemic was in the use of food banks throughout Scotland with some enterprises reporting a 10-fold increase in demand.

The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, has announced grant funding of £150,000 to Support in Mind Scotland. 

The funding will promote mental health recovery in Scotland’s rural communities through community engagement and support approaches.