Health and wellbeing

Helping people cope during COVID-19.

Additional support to help people look after their mental health and wellbeing during and after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Further to a statement made earlier this week by the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Loganair can confirm it is working closely with the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) to provide air ambulance capability - as the Service faces the unprecedented challenges borne by the Covid-19 outbreak.

A Loganair Twin Otter aircraft has been converted into an additional air ambulance aircraft, allowing it carry Epishuttle isolation pods for the safe carriage of Covid-19 patients by air.

At this worrying time for everyone, RSABI, the charity which supports people in Scottish agriculture, is gearing up to offer additional support to farming and crofting families.

An additional £350 million will go to those most affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell has announced.

The funding will be made available to councils, charities, businesses and community groups and designed to be flexible, cutting down on red tape to enable them to respond swiftly and according to local need for people impacted economically or through reduced contact with society, including anyone struggling to access food.

In this article, Community Action Lanarkshire tell us about a project that's encouraging active travel in rural Clydesdale. 

Communities in rural Clydesdale have been sharing their local knowledge to create a series of new local travel maps and signage to promote walking, cycling and sustainable travel.

In this article from Support in Mind you can find out about the latest meeting of the National Rural Mental Health Forum, which welcomed record numbers.

Scotland's National Rural Mental Health Forum - convened by Support in Mind Scotland - welcomed a record turnout of organisations to its latest meeting this month (February), underlining how much it has gone from from strength to strength in membership and impact since its creation in 2017.

The Highlands and Islands Connections project and local organisations recently worked together to promote and deliver a two-day Scottish Mental Health First Aid training session on the Isle of Mull. 

After discovering a lack of training to promote mental health awareness within the community, the course was made available to anyone living on the island who wanted to improve their confidence to support people in distress or suffering mental ill health.

The Scottish Government has started early engagement on the development of Scotland's fourth National Planning Framework (NPF4).

The National Planning Framework is a long term plan for development and investment across Scotland.

An upcoming Scottish Rural Action conference will kick start a 'rural movement' to make rural Scotland's voice heard.

Representatives from rural Scotland's communities, businesses and organisations are invited to attend the free event taking place from 26 to 27 February at New Lanark Visitor Centre, the renowned world heritage site.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon recently launched the Scottish Charity Awards 2020, encouraging organisations from across the country to apply. 

The annual awards are organised by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and celebrate the fantastic work that charities and community groups do every day to help those in need and raise awareness of important causes.