How the sector is responding to the pandemic

Young carers losing out

Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament have been consulting with young carers/young adult carers during lockdown. A significant and recurring issue raised is that some are still not getting access to supermarkets during protected hours set aside for vulnerable groups. A number of carers are also struggling to get access to online shopping or difficulty meeting the minimum expenditure for online shopping. To tackle this issue, MSYPs have created a campaign: #Supermarkets4Change. It aims to raise awareness of young and young adults carers with supermarkets and to include these young people in the protected hours set aside for vulnerable groups. To achieve this, MSYPs have written to their local supermarkets on behalf of their constituents. They are also sharing a template letter and encouraging other young people to use this with their own local supermarkets.

Wheelchair challenge

A woman, who was born with spina bifida, has completed 26km in her wheelchair as part of the nation-wide 2.6 Charity Challenge. Dr Margo Whiteford CBE set out to do 1000 laps of her garden to help raise money for specialist charity Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland (SBH Scotland), an organisation which she has chaired for over 20 years. The 60-year-old retired medic, a former Scots Woman of the Year (SWOTY) winner, has helped raise more than £2million for charity during her life. She was diagnosed with the complex condition at birth but, despite being paralysed from the waist down, Margo has taken on some of the toughest sporting challenges in the country. In 2009 she crossed the finish line at The London Marathon which she completed with honorary SBH Scotland patron, Gordon Ramsay, on her 50th birthday. Margo’s latest charitable pursuit has been inspired by the 2.6 Challenge, launched in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent cancellation of thousands of fundraising events across the country. The impact on the charity sector has been devastating and SBH Scotland is expected to lose as much as £400,000 in fundraising by the end of the year.

One million is up for grabs

Specialist insurer Ecclesiastical is giving away another £1million to charities with the return of its Movement for Good awards. Last year saw 98,000 people around the UK support the movement, with over 7,000 charitable causes up and down the country receiving votes. This year 500 more charities will each receive £1,000 during the first phase of the campaign, which launches today. A second phase of giving will happen later this summer. Members of the public are once again being encouraged to nominate a cause close to their hearts for a potential £1,000 award to help make a difference. The nomination process is open until 24 May. Winners will be drawn at random and the more times a charity is nominated the more chance it has of being selected. You can vote and nominate your favourite charity online

Praise for handyman service

Queens Cross Housing Association’s handyman team has been praised for its hard work during lockdown. Since March, it has shifted some 32 tonnes of bulk items from North Glasgow streets and even saved a cat from starvation. Maintenance manager, Jim Williams said the team had been doing "a great job". He added: "The handyperson team provide one of those services that often fly under everyone’s radar. It’s only at times like these that people get to see the real value of what they do. They have worked non-stop since the lockdown alongside our estate caretakers to provide our residents with a clean and safe environment and ensuring common areas are kept free from bulk items. People are spending more time at home but a big clear out indoors means a lot more items end up on the street. If we don’t remove them then it just doesn’t get done. They’re doing a great job in difficult circumstances. "On the team's strangest mission he said: "One of the more unusual requests meant a cat was saved from starvation.”

Artists get creative during lockdown

Hard-working teams at charities are ensuring the vulnerable in South West Edinburgh are looked after during lockdown. Wester Hailes’ community arts charity Whale Arts has cooked 370 meals and 106 art packs in four weeks for residents since the building temporarily closed due to the coronavirus lockdown. Staff and freelance artists have adapted usual arts activities and the Friday Community meal that are usually based in the building during weekdays, through providing online arts classes, activities and friendship calls. From drumming over the phone to stitching bags apart – staff, artists and volunteers ensure there is something for everyone. Leah Black, chief executive at Whale Arts said: “All this work is only possible through the brilliant work of the team here at Whale Arts and the fantastic collaborations that are happening within Wester Hailes between organisations and voluntary groups. I’m really hoping that through this crisis we can maintain some of the brilliant networks and positivity. Thanks to support from a range of funders including Foundation Scotland.”