Health and wellbeing

RSABI, the charity supporting people in Scottish agriculture, has appointed two new Trustees to its board.

Rebecca Dawes, who works for Jane Craigie Marketing and is a director and co-founder of the Rural Youth Project has joined the board along with Stephen Young, Head of Policy at Scottish Land & Estates. Both Ms Dawes and Mr Young also have a background in farming.

The University of Glasgow has launched a new study aimed at understanding how social relationships relate to health and wellbeing in Scotland - and they need help from Highland residents.

More than 500 additional mental health workers have been recruited over the past three years in a drive to expand the workforce and improve access to treatment.

RSABI is among eight charities to receive a welcome funding boost from the NFU Mutual Charitable Trust.

The Charitable Trust has recently donated £80,000 to RSABI, the charity providing emotional, practical and financial support to people in the Scottish agricultural industry.

Find out about some current rural development jobs and vacancies in rural areas.

Senior National Development Officer - Scottish Community Safety Network 

Scene & Herd created the OnFARM podcast because they wanted to share a positive and accurate picture of rural life in Scotland. Over the last year, they have told numerous stories about how businesses have thrived, how individuals have triumphed over adversity, how rural Scotland showcases both talent and tenacity and how science and farming are working together to solve serious challenges.

Bird keepers in Scotland are reminded to maximise biosecurity and keep their flocks housed after avian influenza (H5N1) was confirmed in a flock of approximately 14,000 mixed gamebirds on a gamebird rearing premises in Leven, Glenrothes.

Laboratory results of samples taken from the flock have identified the strain as highly pathogenic in poultry. In order to limit the further spread of disease, appropriate restrictions have been imposed on the premises.

RSABI has appointed Chris McVey as its new Welfare Manager, replacing Mags Granger who retires at the end of March.

Chris will head up RSABI’s Welfare team which delivers emotional, practical and financial support to people in Scottish agriculture.

A project which helps people struggling to heat their homes has become the first to receive a share of a £7 million fund to tackle fuel poverty this winter.

Communities across the country are to benefit from fast-tracked funding to help tackle climate change and deliver Scotland’s green recovery from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

A total of 279 projects will be funded through the Community Climate Asset Fund, helping to deliver electric bikes, food growing equipment and glazing to improve energy efficiency.

The successful recipients of the Fund include: