As a result of COVID-19, contactSCOTLAND-BSL has not been able to hold face to face awareness-raising sessions tostaff, volunteers and end-users of the service. They are keen to continue to provide these sessions, especially as demands on the service have increased, and have announced several upcoming webinars, taking place using either Zoom or Microsoft Teams, with the first on Friday 18th September at 2pm.
News & Events
Free “Protect Scotland” App Launched
The free app from NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect is now available to download through the Test and Protect website, and via the App Store and Google Play. The app has been designed to help keep Scotland safe from COVID-19. The app is the next step in stopping the spread of COVID-19, and complements existing contact tracing measures, helping Scottish Government and NHS Scotland to determine contacts that may have otherwise been missed, and allows them to alert people at risk far more quickly, so they can steps to reduce the risk of infecting others. As we see the rate of infection increase, it’s important that we all download and use the Protect Scotland app. The more of us using the app, the better it will be.
Volunteer Friendly Award Review Surveys
Volunteer Scotland is holding a review of the current Volunteer Friendly Award (VFA). They would appreciate hearing thoughts and ideas from a range of different volunteer-involving organisations and groups regarding VFA. They have created 2 surveys to gather this information: one survey for organisations and groups who have already achieved, or engaged with, the Award, and one survey for those who have not yet been involved. Each survey should take 10 – 15 minutes; the deadline for responses to both surveys is Friday 2nd October.
Volunteer Falkirk “Pop-In” Peer Support Sessions
Our team at Volunteer Falkirk would like to invite you to join our upcoming “Pop-In” remote volunteering support sessions – each session will be a space for creating, developing, adapting and troubleshooting all aspects of your volunteering programme. The first session will be held on Friday 25th September, 1pm – 3pm. Each session will be held on Zoom, with a slight difference to the format to other Zoom meetings you may have joined, to allow you to maximise your time and avoid “Zoom burnout”.
TNL Community Fund Scotland Funding Programmes Update
The National Lottery (TNL) Community Fund Scotland has announced their current funding programmes will remain open for an extra 18 – 24 months, though they will be adapted as needed. They were due to pause and redevelop their funding offer this year, as it reached the end of its 5 year cycle. By remaining open for applications, they hope they can better support the third sector through COVID-19 and recovery.
