Nominated by: Health in Mind
We were particularly inspired by your kind, devoted and selflessness in helping others, leading by example in overcoming any barriers including organising and facilitating a Ukrainians support group.
Nominated by: VM Connect Online
We were inspired by your involvement in supporting and promoting ‘Connect Online’ a new digital skills group running at Pathhead Community Café. A real advocate of technology reaching out to others to encourage participation and building upon the success of the project through delivery in other areas.
Nominated by: Midlothian Council CLLE and Midlothian Sure Start
We were inspired by the work that IMPACT have been carrying out to improve the wellbeing of our community members. Through the development and introduction of adult wellbeing programmes they have brought members of the community together, enabling them to obtain new skills, establish new friendships and most importantly providing the opportunity for individuals to secure a trusted support network that is there long after they have finished the programme. Feedback from attendees has clearly been very positive and we are delighted to award Lee, Shona and Claire this years Outstanding New Volunteer award.
Nominated by: Active Schools
We particularly admire your significant commitment through your role as an Active Schools volunteer delivering sport/exercise sessions within community schools and recognise your dedication in volunteering to provide extra-curricular opportunities.
Nominated by: Rosewell & District Community Council
We recognise your dedication to the planning, delivery and maintenance of local wildflower events, several wildflower border areas, sourcing seeds and getting others involved. Not to mention your creative and innovative ways to develop workshops.
Nominated by: Volunteer Midlothian
We particularly admire your commitment towards supporting residents at Crystalmount Sheltered Housing and your ability to vary your approach whilst building rapport with residents, ensuring positive engagement and fun for all.
Nominated by: Rosewell Development Trust
We recognise your dedication, enthusiasm and creativity through your role in hosting of the Arts and Crafts for young children and your all-round support as a volunteer with Chatter and Clatter.
Nominated by: Food Facts Friends
We highly value your involvement in supporting Food Facts Friends demonstrating real dedication to activities to improve the lives of others.
Nominated by: Homelink
We particularly admire your commitment towards improving the lives of others through your role as a befriender with Home Link Family Support offering both emotional and practical support, enabling others to grow in confidence.
The awards take place every year during Volunteers’ Week (from the 1-7th June) and are a great opportunity to promote some of the fabulous volunteering projects that exist in Midlothian.
Over on our awards webpage, find out more about the categories for 2023 and how you can help recognise the amazing efforts of volunteers in Midlothian.
Midlothian council are facing a projected budget gap for 2023/24 is £14.481 million rising to a projected £26.575 million by 2027/28. The current proposal of budget cuts includes; the removal of staffing at libraries and secondary school libraries, end of funding grants to community transport and dial-a-ride service by Handicabs Lothian and Lothian Community Transport, and a 100% cut to large and small grants funding for the third sector. The loss of third sector services will have a devastating impact on communities and particularly on the vulnerable, elderly and youngest residents. This also occurs at a time of the cost-of-living crisis where many people are facing poverty with increasing food and energy bills.
The Midlothian TSI and its third sector partners are launching a campaign to #CareDontCut to prevent cuts and start an open dialogue with Midlothian councillors and the decision making process. The councillors will meet on the 31st January at 11am (watch here) to discuss the proposed cuts and then there will be community engagement until the 21st February where they will make their final decision. If you are interested in lobbying your local MP and MSP then please find a link to the open letter signed by us and third sector partners which you can also sign and send out.
Get in touch with natalie.thomson@mvacvs.org.uk to get involved or more information.
Dear Councillors,
We are writing to you as representatives of the third sector in Midlothian who are deeply concerned by the impact of the proposed cuts which will affect our most vulnerable, youngest, and oldest residents of Midlothian, and cause significant job losses to the third sector and a reduction of services.
We recognise the difficult task you have in making cuts that no-one wants to see happen, and we are aware that many of Midlothian’s current difficulties arise from a lack of recognition of our status as the fastest growing local authority. However, we feel that it is important that councillors are aware of the impact of the saving proposals.
Many of the proposals in the paper will have a negative impact on the funding of third sector organisations. Our organisations were not well-funded to begin with, and have been badly impacted by the combined effect of Covid, Brexit, inflation and the recent rise in utility prices. Further cuts to their budgets could lead to the closure of key, long-established organisations.
Much of the work funded through the Grants Programme is preventative, and its removal will lead to increased costs for the Council and other community planning partners, for example, through a rise in isolation leading to increased calls on GPs and other health services, children being less able to cope at school, or an increase in anti-social behaviour.
There are a number of proposed actions in the paper that suggest that the community could get more involved, yet at the same time the budget that could have supported this has been cut. Most volunteers only volunteer for a few hours a week, meaning that every full-time post that is lost would need ten to twelve volunteers to replace it. There are costs attached to coordinating this number of volunteers.
Many older and disabled people are unable to get to third sector activities without the support of our community transport providers. If these cuts are made, the lives of our most vulnerable citizens will be hugely restricted.
In light of the comments above, we call on council members to undertake the following actions:
· Reconsider the 100% cuts proposed to the Third Sector Grants programme. We are in the process of compiling how many people this cut would affect; with 40% of the response received so far organisations are reporting that over 7000 vulnerable clients would be impacted.
· Recognise that children and young people’s organisations will be particularly badly affected by the accumulation of cuts to both the Grants programme and commissioning budgets.
· Institute transitional arrangements for commissioned services so that they do not stop abruptly on the 1st April. This would allow third sector employers to undertake the redundancy process as set out by law, and in line with the Scottish Government’s Fair Work criteria. It would also allow time for discussions about how clients continue to receive support.
· Once the paper has been approved, undertake meaningful engagement that goes beyond just a survey, to ensure that the needs of people who struggle to complete surveys is also met, for example people with learning difficulties, people with mental health issues and people with literacy issues.
We include two key quotes from our most recent third sector forum which highlight the difficulties they face:
“If community places and libraries are closed or not staffed adequately as safe places then vulnerable people and disabled people become more isolated, isolated means more physical illness, physical illness means more hospital appointments or mental illness leading to increased rates of suicide.” Graham Thomson, Co-chair, Forward Mid
“With a cumulative cuts to our service and the potential of losing our service level agreement, we are facing the potential of at least 40% cuts, which would mean the loss of 2 family learning centers with 18 staff and potentially therapeutic services which has a direct impact of children and families. This could mean redundancies of between 18 – 60 staff as early as Mar ’23.” Cheryl Brown, CEO, Midlothian Sure Start
Yours sincerely,
Lesley Kelly, Chief Executive, Midlothian Voluntary Action and Volunteer Midlothian
Alasdair Mathers, Penicuik Alliance, Penicuik Youth Band and Penicuik Silver Band
Brian Christie, Pathhead & District Community Association
Dave Evans, Chief Executive, MYPAS
Emma Diffley, Chair, Tynewater Parent Council
Eric Johnstone, Graham Thomson and Marlene Gill, Forward Mid
Ian Purves and Janice Burns, Midlothian Foodbank
Jan-Bert van den Berg, Director, Artlink
Jill Bunyan, Development Worker, MFIN
Jim Hiddlestone, Chair, Roslin Village Group
Julie Podet, Manager, Dalkeith Citizens Advice Bureau
Linda Cuthbert, Service Manager, Play Therapy Base
Lucy Holyrood, Senior Recovery Services Manager, Cyrenians
Dr Neil Heydon-Dumbleton, Pathhead Men’s Café & Community Councillor
Pat Bowie, Chairperson, Newtongrange Development Trust
Paula Swanston, Manager, Home Link Family Support
Play Midlothian
Robert Scott, Manager, Rosewell Development Trust
Scott MacFarlane, Chief Executive Officer, Penicuik YMCA
Sharon Hill, Manager, Mayfield and Easthouses Development Trust
Yvonne Hay, Committee Member, Beeslack Allstars
Volunteer Midlothian is hosting a Volunteer Recruitment Fair on Thursday 9th February from 10.30 -16.30 in St John’s and Kings Park Church in Dalkeith (opposite the Morrison’s retail store).
Local and national volunteer involving organisations will be there promoting their volunteering opportunities including Rec Cross, Sure Start, NHS, Alzheimer Scotland, Penicuik Storehouse, Gorebridge Beacon, Scouts and more.
The event is an ideal opportunity to meet organisations and find out more about what volunteering has to offer. There will be a warm welcome at the door by Volunteer Midlothian. Free tea, coffee and cake, fresh soup and bread with an area to sit, take time and browse information for visiting adults. For children we have an arts and crafts table.
Midlothian Provost is due to visit and chat to stall holders in her capacity as ‘Midlothian Volunteer Champion’.
There are many reasons why we promote volunteering, it’s a great way to meet new people, get involved, get busy, learn new skills, pass on experience, help improve your own and others’ mental and physical health, help the environment, boost your CV and more.
At times when we do so much online, promoting volunteering with an in-person recruitment event is a great way to connect with people and to build relationships between organisations and potential volunteers on the spot.
This is the first recruitment fair since the pandemic but it is intended to resume as an annual event from now on. It is held in February to inspire people to get involved as part of their New Year Resolutions.
If you are thinking about volunteering but not quite sure where to begin, then this event is perfect for you! Come along and find out how you can develop your skills and make a difference in your local area. For more information call 0131 660 1216.
Volunteer Midlothian are excited to launch into 2023 with the delivery of two eight-week projects thanks to funding from Tyne & Esk Rural Communities Development Fund.
Both short projects will focus on involving volunteers to bring people together, reduce social isolation and improve the health and wellbeing of all involved.
In Penicuik, the first project will see Transform Activity Sessions restart and further develop in Heinsberg House Sheltered Housing, where young volunteers (14-24 years old) will be supported to deliver social activities for the older people living there. The sessions were delivered prior to Christmas and had the dual benefit of young volunteers gaining confidence and self-esteem, as well as developing new skills and experience to help pave the way for positive future progression. The older people regained the confidence to make use of their communal lounge following Covid restrictions, enhancing their social contact with others within the Sheltered Housing, as well as the young people from their local community.
Our second project, new for the Pathhead area, will engage our Connect Online volunteers with I.T. skills in its delivery. The volunteers will help share their knowledge and support older people to use technology effectively. This group project aims to provide a lasting legacy enabling older participants to confidently access services such as GPs, shopping and price comparison sites online; and will also allow them to engage with community activism, for example, by linking into the Midlothian Older People’s Assembly.
With January being a particularly difficult month for many, Volunteer Midlothian are delighted to start the year by offering these exciting projects, highlighting the value volunteering can bring to both the volunteer, and those impacted by the services volunteers provide. We can’t wait to further develop the fun, social connections, empowerment and sense of belonging the projects aim to provide. For further information, to become a volunteer or to join as a participant contact Karen.
Funded by Scottish Ministers in conjunction with East Lothian Council, as the Lead Partner for the Local Action Group.
Anam Cara is a charity run by women, for women, in East and Midlothian. They offer a programme of workshops aimed at empowering and supporting women to improve their wellbeing by learning how to develop better self-care and coping mechanisms. Anam Cara is motivated by its three core values of compassion, courage and connection, which run through all of the projects and activities that the organisation provides.
Anam Cara helps women who are at risk of slipping through the net of other services that can help them, therefore missing out on the support they need. This can include women in unpaid caring roles, those with substance use issues or other health and wellbeing issues that they need additional support to deal with. Their approach is forward thinking and non-judgemental, with a focus on prevention, harm reduction and early intervention to support the mental health needs of women, particularly those from more vulnerable or deprived communities. As such, Anam Cara was well placed to receive a grant in Year 1 of the Midlothian Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund.
The organisation successfully obtained £8,456 from the Fund to put towards salary and equipment costs for peer support activities with women, including monthly meet-ups and extended one-to-one support that had initially taken root during the first lockdown. In Autumn 2022, we checked in with Marion and Karyn from Anam Cara to see how their projects were developing.
Every woman who comes to Anam Cara is invited to take a 4-week wellbeing course consisting of live workshops plus access to around 70 online short videos covering a wide range of topics. The videos were a more recent addition aimed at reducing barriers to participation due to information retention difficulties and poor attention span among some participants. They have proved very useful for practicing wellbeing skills in short bursts and have allowed participants much greater flexibility in their uptake of Anam Cara’s services.
“The online wellbeing videos are like a medicine cabinet of information. They give you the chance to develop and revisit these skills and keep on top of your mental health.”
Karyn, lead volunteer with Anam Cara and Midlothian Volunteer of the Year 2022.
Women are also encouraged to repeat the course 1-2 years after initially completing it, because Anam Cara know how useful it is to receive support over a longer period, as life evolves and different challenges come to the fore. They understand that someone may come back to Anam Cara and learn something new, not only due to personal circumstances but because the course itself is constantly being reviewed and improved.
The community orientated focus of the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund links particularly well to Anam Cara’s core value of connection. The grant enabled Anam Cara to develop their Sanctuary drop-in service, where women needing a sense of connection and togetherness with other women have a safe and welcoming space to meet. The Sanctuary offers refresher workshops for women who have already completed Anam Cara’s main programme of workshops, allowing them another chance to practice the mindfulness and wellbeing techniques they learned initially. This is especially important as the programme relies on continued engagement in order to be most effective.
Within the Sanctuary, there are a variety of activities on offer including aromatherapy, holistic healing work, dance classes and more. Each of these activities is centred around improving and preserving good mental health and aims to give women the social connection they need to develop a sense of belonging. Feedback from participants has shown that attending workshops helps women to feel less isolated and alone, whilst also encouraging them to be self-sufficient and self-sustaining when looking after their mental health. Women coming to workshops show positive differences in their outlook even from week one.
Maria, the founder of Anam Cara, believes that this is a result of the organisation’s services being comparatively unique, in that they allow women to gather and support each other in ways that derive from a place of personal experience. There is a very low drop-out rate at Anam Cara, suggesting that its services are not only empowering and inspiring, but effective. Women are learning to reflect on their mental processes, how their minds work, and why they behave the ways they do. They are learning to respond to unhealthy behaviours with better choices, enabling them to move forward and make significant changes in their lives.
“Anam Cara was my only open door. It has strengthened my wellbeing, opened mental pathways, and helped me to develop a safety net to support and protect me. Women here are learning to embrace life and learn tools for their future. It is so important for women to have an option like this that doesn’t just involve hospitals or medication but focusses on togetherness and wellbeing as well.”
Karyn
Moving forward, Anam Cara would like to develop a service focussing specifically on women in later life. Maria had noticed that women in the 45+ age group were going through major life changes, often stepping into unpaid caring roles for elderly parents, whilst dealing with the stress of family life, menopause and sometimes finding themselves using alcohol or other substances to cope – sometimes also working into their 60s or even 70’s. Addressing this unique set of challenges alongside older women is a key future goal for Anam Cara.
Anam Cara are also looking to expand their bank of volunteers to accommodate the increasing need for befriending calls, and to potentially offer the Sanctuary up to women to run themselves as an independent project for users of the service. It all sounds really priomising and we can’t wait to see how Anam Cara develops this work in future. It’s fantastic to see that alongside the other grants they receive, the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund has enabled continued development of this valuable local organisation for women in Midlothian.
MAEDT is a community development trust dedicated to creating opportunities and improving outcomes for the local community of Mayfield and Easthouses. A key value of the Trust is to work towards alleviating poverty. With that goal in mind, MAEDT runs a wide range of different projects that share one key thing in common: the creation of long-term solutions for local people.
MAEDT has been running since 2007 and new projects are continuously being introduced, including the Community Food Pantry which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary. As well as the pantry, MAEDT runs and hosts projects including a school uniform bank, debt and energy clinics, drop-in sessions with the local Citizens Advice Bureau, employability support, a men’s mental health group, a kinship carers group and a ‘wheelbeing’ hub for bicycle repairs and socialising. Central to these groups and projects is MAEDT’s pavilion, community garden and café, where a hub of different activities take place on a daily basis, come rain or shine.
Over the last 2 years, MAEDT saw how the pandemic increased unemployment and food bank referrals in the Mayfield and Easthouses area. Wanting to focus on reducing food poverty and improving people’s access to healthy food, MAEDT introduced a community food pantry. ‘The Pantry’ is a shop where food items are marked as either 1 or 2 credits each, and shoppers can buy 10 credits for £3.50. In addition to the credits, members are offered free fresh fruit and vegetables, sanitary products and bakery items.
To shop at the Pantry, individuals must become members. This free requirement helps to create a sense of equality among staff and users, so that people can be open about what they need and when they need it. The get-to-know-you membership model has helped people to feel comfortable in sharing personal stories about their mental health, challenges within their home life and stressors they are experiencing. It has become a hub where trust between local people can grow.
The Pantry helps to remove the stigma associated with accessing free and discounted food, providing resources that are much needed in a dignified and empowering way. Rather than feeling shame about not being able to afford food or cook from scratch with it, members are encouraged to broaden their cooking knowledge, introduce new flavours and be imaginative with healthy ingredients. Additionally, buying more affordable food from The Pantry means that members can put money towards other essentials such as energy bills, making this a service that helps in more ways than one.
The outside space at MAEDT’s ‘Pavilion’ hub underpins a lot of their work. Gardening activities act as vehicles for volunteering, community payback and rehabilitation. Using the garden in these ways is a non-stigmatising option for people belonging to vulnerable groups and can help them to better manage their own wellbeing. Moreover, the garden offers a safe space for people to improve their mental health by making connections with others, their community, and with nature. Local women Sharon Hill, who is also the manager at MAEDT, explained to us that individuals volunteering together at the Pavilion learn to bring out skills in one another, for example using maths to plot out a garden project, or conversation skills to engage with other volunteers who may find socialising difficult.
“All of our volunteers offer something unique; a skill, knowledge or vulnerability that can help bring out something in another person.“
Sharon Hill, MAEDT Manager.
Part of the grant that MAEDT received from the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund was used to pay for MAEDT’s Enterprise Development Worker, so that the Pavillion could open more often. The funding also paid for a structure in the garden called a Polycrub, as well as a pergola, making the expansion of gardening projects for volunteers possible.
MAEDT is always looking to the future and thinking about what the community in Mayfield and Easthouses will need next. Aside from the impending cost of living crisis and responding to what looks set to be a difficult winter, ideas for upcoming projects include a sensory park, an electronic rickshaw, and collaboration with partner organisations to embed the pantry model in other areas. For other places in Midlothian to set up their own pantry initiative, a large, centralised project would need to be organised to ensure that food is being dispersed equally. Sharon’s idea would be to use MEADT’s Pavilion as the central location for donations, and to use it as a network hub for distribution.
Reaching this point has taken several years of hard work from MAEDT volunteers and those who work for the organisation in a paid capacity, but it certainly seems as though all the hard work has been worth it. We applaud the team for their worthwhile efforts, and we look forward to supporting the Trust with its ongoing development in the years ahead.
