West Lothian volunteers welcome news mental health funding set to continue

The government funding, first launched at the height of the Covid pandemic has provided around £2m to local mental health and well-being projects, supporting hundreds “through hard times in their lives.”

West Lothian’s voluntary sector is celebrating as Holyrood confirmed it will continue to back community led mental health projects beyond next year’s elections.

The government funding, first launched at the height of the Covid pandemic has provided around £2m to local mental health and well-being projects, supporting hundreds “through hard times in their lives.”

The CEO of West Lothian’s Voluntary Sector Gateway (VSG) Alan McCloskey said it was “fantastic news.”

The Scottish Government confirmed on Friday £30 million for community-led mental health and well-being projects over the next two years.

The Communities Mental Health and Well-being Fund for Adults, first launched in 2021, supports local groups in building resilience and tackling social isolation, loneliness, and mental health inequalities.

The Fund is expected to open for applications this autumn.

Over its first years, approximately 4,800 grants have been awarded to grass-roots projects that provide peer support and social connection through activities such as sport, outdoor pursuits, and the arts.

Since its inception, the Fund has invested £66 million to support groups across Scotland working with those at higher risk of poor mental health, including people experiencing socio-economic disadvantage, older people, and ethnic minority communities.

Managed in West Lothian by the VSG the fund is oversubscribed each year. West Lothian’s share of the fund is around £470,000 but the VSG has received bids totalling more than £1m each year.

Nevertheless the fund does provide vital help to the Third Sector in the county offering small grants to locally based voluntary groups.

Mr McCloskey told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “This welcome investment of around £1m for a further two years is fantastic news for small grass-roots organisations that are helping vulnerable people in need across West Lothian.

“In the previous four years of the Communities Mental Health and Well-being Fund, £2m has already been allocated to help over 150 local organisations to provide support to individuals impacted by social isolation and loneliness.”

West Calder and Harburn’s Community Development Trust is one of the organisations which has benefited from the fund in West Lothian.

Good Connections supports people in the West Calder and Polbeth areas to access activities, services and opportunities that improve their lives. It uses a Social Prescription model whereby a Well-being Link Worker offers 1-2-1 sessions to help identify what a client wants to get out of the service, what is available locally and then supports them to access those opportunities.

The project also provides activity groups where they are lacking in the area such as Walking, Yoga and Arts & Crafts for Well-being.

Matt Pearce, West Calder and Harburn Community Development Trust Manager, said: “Good Connections has received funding from the Communities Mental Health Fund for three years now and it has enabled us to support so many people during hard times in their lives. The impact has been huge.”

The project is run by West Calder & Harburn CDT and Polbeth Community Hub offering support across the communities including from our local Community Woods and Garden. It has helped hundreds of people find activities and groups to get involved in to improve their mental health and supported them to access additional services as well.

Adele Prendergast, Manager of Polbeth’s Community Hub said : “86% of people who accessed our project over the last two years have seen a meaningful improvement in their mental well-being and 100% of our regular group attendees said that the activities had had a positive effect on their mental health. They also all said they would recommend others join our groups. This is the impact funding like this has."

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