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Connecting Scotland’s Phase Two is now open for a second round of applications. There are around 30 devices and connectivity packages available. The programme provides iPads, Chromebooks and support to develop digital skills for households with children, or where a child is normally resident (this includes pregnant women with no child in the household), and care leavers up 26 years old. The closing date for applications is 11am on Monday 18th January 2021.

With our partners at Stirlingshire Voluntary Enterprise (SVE) and Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface (CTSI), we’re delighted to launch the rescheduled Forth Valley Third Sector Conference on Tuesday 9th February 2021 as a way to come together, celebrate and plan for the future, with booking now open! The conference will take place entirely online, via Zoom, 9:15am – 3pm, with optional networking sessions till 4pm. Places are £10 each. Our keynote speaker will be Aileen Campbell, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Communities, who will be focusing on the theme of the conference: “People, Place and Participation”.

November is men’s mental health month, and it is important for anyone who identifies as male or a man to be able to talk about how they feel. Unfortunately, there is still a big problem with men being able to talk openly about mental health, especially in Scotland. A recent social media poll ran by…

For this year’s Power of Attorney Day, Solicitors for Older People Scotland (SOPS) shared a series of information and videos on Power of Attorney (PoA), associated myths and costs, via their Facebook page.

Volunteer Scotland is holding several online webinars in the coming months, covering topics usually included in their face to face training courses, including: Developing Volunteer Strategy (next session: Thursday 3rd December, 10am – 12pm); Volunteers Mental Wellbeing (next session: Tuesday 8th December, 2pm – 4pm); and Volunteer Induction (next session: Wednesday 16th December, 10am – 12pm). The webinars are free and will each last 2 hours, delivered online through Zoom.  

Ecclesiastical Insurance’s annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign offers nominated organisations the opportunity to win a £1,000 festive financial boost. Through Movement for Good, Ecclesiastical Insurance will give 120 different registered charities, not-for-profit organisations and community interest companies (CICs) a £1,000 donation, with 10 winners announced each weekday from Monday 7th December – Tuesday 22nd December. Nominations are now live, and people can nominate their preferred group or organisation; the deadline for nominations is Monday 21st December.

The Health and Social Care ALLIANCE Scotland (the ALLIANCE) is holding a series of online workshops on the My World My Health project, taking place in January 2021: Thursday 21st January, 1:30pm – 4pm or 5:30pm – 8pm, aimed at people from ethnic minority groups, and Monday 25th January, 10am – 12:30pm or 5:30pm – 8pm (aimed at people living in remote or rural areas, and/or people over 60 years old). My World My Health aims to shine a spotlight on things that contribute to wellbeing which are not necessarily clinical in nature. The workshops will gather people’s views on how information can be better used for health and wellbeing, and will ask how people feel about this type of data sharing, and what methods should be used.

Scottish Government has launched a new Carers’ Wellbeing campaign, which launched yesterday on Carers’ Rights Day and focuses on carers’ wellbeing and mental health throughout the festive period.

Strathcarron Hospice’s Compassionate Communities team has produced a new Autumn/Winter edition of their Activities and Encouragement booklet. The booklet is filled with puzzles, pictures, poems and colour-in pages, aiming to inspire and encourage people over the next few months, and is available as a digital pdf or in print.

Falkirk Council has established the Self-Isolation Support Team, working alongside the existing Support for People helpline to provide support to those who need to self-isolate.  The team receive daily updates from Test and Protect, of people within the Falkirk Council area who have either tested positive for COVID-19, or been identified as a close contact of a positive test. The team then contact people on the list, by phone, to check they have support in place to allow them to self-isolate correctly and to check if they are eligible for the £500 self-isolation support grant.