This website uses cookies for anonymised analytics and for account authentication. See our privacy and cookies policies for more information.





The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

Daily coronavirus roundup for third sector Tuesday 19 May

This feature is almost 4 years old
 

The third sector's reaction to the ongoing pandemic #NeverMoreNeeded

Charities unite to bring food aid to many

British Red Cross has partnered with FareShare, the UK’s biggest food charity, to continue to get emergency food parcels to vulnerable people across the UK during the coronavirus pandemic and its aftermath. Working together, they will use FareShare’s food redistribution warehouses and UK-wide network of 11,000 frontline charities and the Red Cross’s crisis response volunteers, equipment, space and resources to significantly increase the amount of food distributed to those in need. With one in eight people in the UK already struggling to access food, and an estimated 10 million already in or facing financial hardship, the need for food will only become more acute over the coming weeks and months. Demand for FareShare’s food has soared since lockdown measures began, and the amount of food it has delivered to frontline charities has increased by 90% during this time. To help get more food out to date, the charity has secured nine additional warehouse units across the UK. The two charities will work together to source food and create a delivery service that will see British Red Cross community reserve volunteers packing and delivering food parcels from local distribution hubs onto the doorsteps of vulnerable people. This will help those who urgently need food during the crisis, and in the difficult months that follow, when many more people are expected to be under increased financial strain and at serious risk of going hungry. Almost 1,400 Red Cross community reserve volunteers have signed up to sort, pack and deliver food to charities at FareShare’s 24 regional warehouses, with many already having competed their first shifts. Lindsay Boswell, FareShare Chief Executive, said: “The pandemic presents a challenge like nothing we have ever seen before. Demand for our service has never been higher and we know this will only continue to rise as the effects of coronavirus impact the economy.”

New guide shows how to put safety first

A new resource has been released to support community organisations to carry out their vital work safely during the Covid-19 outbreak. The free, online resource, developed by Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) and Public Health Scotland, features a range of practical information and advice, such as: How to safely promote an organisation’s services; keeping volunteers safe and fit to provide services; and how to get help with complex care needs. The advice helps those providing services to think how they could break the chains of potential infection from the store to the door. Mick Doyle, head of programme at SCDC, said: “Community groups are feeding and providing social support for thousands of households in some form of isolation because of the virus or the economic hardship it has caused. Most have never done anything like this before. We think this resource will help people think through the issues and provide practical advice to make what they do as safe as possible as the crisis continues.” Communities and public services working together to make social distancing and self-isolation work is key to how Scotland can beat this crisis, and a great example of vital partnership working.

Talent show goes online

A virtual talent show Sunday night Social – Live will be held to help fundraising efforts of the charity Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland (SBH Scotland). The charity estimates it will lose up to £400,000 this year in fundraising and this is an effort to replace some of its revenue. Sunday Night Social – Live will be held on 7 June 2020. And you can now register to take part if you are aged 16 and over, and if you have a talent to show off. That can be singing, dancing, acrobatics or comedy. The finalists will be shown on the night and then viewers can vote by text for their favourite acts donating £1 to the charity while they do so. Edward Reid will compere the event. He was a finalist in Britain’s Got Talent so knows all about the pressures of talent shows. The co-host is West End star, John Mclarnon, who will also entertain. Deborah Roe, fundraising director at SBH Scotland said: “The cancellation of fundraising events across the country has had a devastating impact on the third sector. At SBH Scotland we receive little statutory support and the challenge ahead of us is incredibly difficult.” Those who wish to enter should film their performance using a camera or smartphone, and email a link to download their film to talent@sbhscotland.org.uk before 29 May. Entrants must be over 16 years old.

Walk the walk – with the wounded

Walking With The Wounded the military charity has recently launched its new Op-Regen volunteering project. Providing a vital platform for ex-military personnel and their families to reintegrate back into society, Op-Regen will also have a meaningful impact on the communities and environment where they reside. As part of the project, Walking With The Wounded is working with the Global Production Squad (GPS), providing ex-servicemen and women to work on the front lines to assist those affected by covid-19. Using the skills they acquired in the military – planning, logistics, coordination and communication – the ex-army involved with the project will work alongside local businesses, councils, schools and individuals to regenerate their communities: empowering them to regain their independence, thrive and contribute in our communities. Walking With The Wounded CEO, Ed Parker said: “As an organisation, WWTW puts ex-military at the heart of everything we do. Sometimes leaving your military brothers and sisters behind can feel like being a lion who has lost his pride in more ways than one. But, when we are able to return them to their pride and purpose, ex-military more often than not regain their ambition and drive. Many will find new purpose through employment, but volunteering can also be an effective means of meeting new people, reducing social isolation and discovering activities that increase wellbeing and may lead to employment opportunities.”

Veterans drink a cup of kindness

One of Scotland’s oldest Veterans housing charities has called on all its tenants and others to ‘share a cup of kindness’ in a nod to the Scottish anthem, Auld Lang Syne. Singing Auld Lang Syne at a variety of events is an integral part of Scottish culture and internationally too, and of course it originates in Scotland. The charity has launched a postcard campaign called #cupofkindness by sending out postcards by email or personalised printed postcards by mail. These will invite others to share a cup of kindness, or do something for someone else, or ask for help if they need it. The song is usually sung to mark the end of an occasion when people share time together and then offer one another the hand of friendship as they go on their way home, hoping that they might meet again. During the period of continued lockdown and social distancing, people cannot meet together in person but can nonetheless share the essence of the celebrated anthem. Kevin Gray, Chief Executive of Veterans Housing Scotland said: “Veterans Housing Scotland is proud of its Scottish history and identity and, in looking for ways to communicate with our tenants across Scotland during the Covid-19 crisis, we are asking them to ‘Share a Cup of Kindness’, which speaks to the current situation facing not just Scotland but the world right now.”