Along with other Third Sector Interface’s throughout Scotland, Voluntary Action Shetland distributed a 4th year of the Scottish Government Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults to support community activity until March 2026.
Shetland’s allocation for year 4 totalled £71,944.46 and with some repaid funds from a previous year, the total to allocate was £74,072.46
The overarching aim of the Fund is to:
Support community based initiatives that promote and develop good mental health and wellbeing and/or mitigate and protect against the impact of distress and mental ill health within the adult population (aged 16 or over), with a particular focus on prevention and early intervention.
Specifically, it aims to:
1. Tackle mental health inequalities through supporting a range of ‘at risk groups
2. Address priority issues of social isolation and loneliness, suicide prevention and poverty and inequality with a particular emphasis on responding to the cost of living crisis and support to those facing socio-economic disadvantage.
3. Support small ‘grass roots’ community groups and organisations to deliver such activities.
4. Provide opportunities for people to connect with each other, build trusted relationships and revitalise communities.
The Fund directly contributes to Outcome 4 of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy published in June 2023:
“Better equipped communities to support people’s mental health and wellbeing and provide opportunities to connect with others”
It also clearly supports the three key areas of focus in the Strategy:
- Promote positive mental health and wellbeing for the whole population, improving understanding and tackling stigma, inequality and discrimination;
- Prevent mental health issues occurring or escalating and tackle underlying causes, adversities and inequalities wherever possible; and
- Provide mental health and wellbeing support and care, ensuring people and communities can access the right information, skills, services and opportunities in the right place at the right time, using a person-centred approach.
18 Community Groups/Organisations Received Funding to Support Initiatives
No | Name of Organisation | Activity | Amount Awarded |
1 | Shetland Bereavement Support Service | Support costs to deliver group support in a central location to those affected by bereavement | £4000 |
2 | Relationship Scotland Shetland | Support training costs for staff – systemic family therapy and workplace mediation training | £3880.46 |
3 | OPEN | Support costs for a twice weekly drop in space for young people aged 16 to 25 years | £5000 |
4 | Shetland Link Up | Support costs to expand space to deliver activities for their service users | £5000 |
5 | Bressay Development Ltd | Support costs to run a regular social group for older people in the community to connect and engage in purposeful activities | £2475 |
6 | Mind your Head | Support costs to deliver Low Level Wellness Programme for Adults | £4000 |
7 | Shetland Care Attendant Scheme | Support costs to provide unpaid carers a break and Care Attendants staff wellbeing provision | £4000 |
8 | Shetland Community Connections | Support costs to run a weekly cuppa connections group and transport costs | £5000 |
9 | Yell Art Group | Support costs to run an Art group for adults in Yell | £2410 |
10 | Space2Face | Support costs for delivering a restorative justice programme between the offender and the people they have harmed | £5000 |
11 | Shetland Womens Aid | Support costs for providing “Own my Life and Wellbeing” programme for service users | £5000 |
12 | Scalloway Youth & Community Centre | Support costs towards running a regular adult social club through the day for older members of the community. | £5000 |
13 | SWAN Scotland | Support costs to develop a Shetland peer support group for local autistic women and non-binary people | £4120 |
14 | Ability Shetland | Support costs to provide family provision – supporting parents/carers of children with disabilities | £5000 |
15 | Menopause Shetland | Support costs towards running Menopause cafes throughout Shetland and providing 1:1 support | £5000 |
16 | Bigton Collective | Support costs to run a block of creative group work for parents of neurodivergent and/or disabled children | £4782 |
17 | Bressay Parkrun | Support transport costs for adult volunteers who organise and set up the weekly parkrun in Bressay | £530 |
18 | Sporting Memories | Support costs to run 2 local sporting memories clubs for older members of the community | £3875 |
