Community Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund

This fund, allocated by the Scottish Government is aimed at supporting initiatives which promote mental health and wellbeing at a small scale, grassroots and community level addressing priority issues of social isolation and loneliness, suicide prevention and poverty and inequality.

With a total fund of £320,000 available, we were overwhelmed with 91 applications totalling over £1.3M in funding requests.

We are delighted to confirm the successful applicants for this fund, who will be delivering projects in their communities over the next 12-18 months.

A Positive Start - £18,117.23
To provide a safe, confidential space for people experiencing trauma and dysregulation within the community. Enhancing therapeutic services and developing peer-led support programs, addressing the increasing demand for mental health support.

Allanbank Arts - £9,523.20
Introducing a series of art courses, allowing participants the time/ space to form connections, sense of place and belonging, enjoying the benefits of art in a safe, supporting space, for those at risk of isolation through age, mental health, and or physical disability.

Borders Additional Needs Group - £17,754.80
Developing a Youth Well Being Project for ASN/Neurodivergent young people using sports as a tool to support mental health and wellbeing.

Borders Care Voice - £10,000.00
Working alongside people with lived experience, connecting to agencies and communities in co-producing mental health services, including the relaunch of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Forum; widening connections to other lived experience / voice groups and Forums and production of a new toolkit aimed at those working in statutory and third sector services that support mental health.

Borders Community Sewing Club - £2,000.00
Sewing sessions that are a social lifeline for many members with new friendships being forged and social time and trips outside the sessions.

Borders Pottery CIC - £10,000.00
Social inclusion through ceramics and crafts with introduction to pottery courses aimed at those with poor mental health, expansion of weekly mental health support group and development of a weekly crafting group.

Brighter Blainsie Village Community Group - £720.00
Lunch Time Social Drop-in sessions open to all in Blainslie and the surrounding area. Includes all age groups as well as young families, anyone with health issues or isolated due to bereavement will be welcomed.

Central Borders Citizens Advice Bureau - £9,961.44
Specifically designed advice services with clinics in local community settings to provide access to good quality money and income maximisation advice, be it welfare benefits, debt, healthcare, education, or employment support. Empathetic support provided throughout the advice journey, helping people to improve their mental health as well as their finances.

Champion Skill Share - £8,915.00
A weekly group open to anyone, with a focus on friendship, support and help to develop new skills and take part in group activities, aimed at people at risk of social isolation. Lunch is provided and friendships encouraged for social gatherings outside of the group.

Coldingham Brave Bayers CIC - £9,900.00
Wild swimming for wellbeing, with a comprehensive holistic wellness program designed as an early intervention and preventative approach in reducing mental health inequalities, addressing social isolation and fostering community resilience by integrating wild swimming, mindful movement, and environmental awareness.

Duns Fair Share - £12,826.00
A holistic and innovative approach to promoting mental health, combatting loneliness and alleviating poverty in our community. Food bank supporting the most vulnerable, Social Café and Community Larder providing a warm and welcoming place for people to meet and connect, collaborating with agencies such as the CAB and What Matters Hub to support our customers practically and emotionally.

Duns Senior Citizens Club - £1,380.00
A coach summer trip to Carlisle with a meal, some retail therapy, enjoying the scenic countryside for members many of whom don’t have their own transport.

Escape Youth Services - £9,925.93
Expansion of the Stepping Stones Project to create ‘Stepping Stones Plus’ to focus on work with the 16-21 age group. Either through 1:1 individualised support or small group work for the more vulnerable young adults. Building trusting relationships over time, reducing isolation, improving health and wellbeing and building aspirations.

Gala Fairydean Rovers Community Trust - £1,600.00
Recruiting new coaches and supporting local people with mental and physical disabilities to train and compete in para football matches, improving their health & wellbeing, providing respite for many of their carers, helping to build new friendships and reducing social isolation.

Greener Peebles - £20,000.00
Improving community connections by engaging with local groups supporting people most at risk of social isolation/loneliness to get involved in community events at the community garden. The garden activities focus on wellbeing through skill shares for outdoor seasonal gardening/crafting activities, encouraging peer support to promote wellbeing habits, whatever the weather.

Innerleithen Traquair and Walkerburn Parish Church of Scotland (ITW) - £10,836.00
Feeling Brighter Craft & Chat, crafting classes for vulnerable senior citizens in the local community who are often living on low incomes, with multiple disabilities and away from family to help them feel less lonely, included and more valued in their communities.

Inspiring life: Evie Douglas Memorial Fund - £4,500.00
Inspiring Life Day - as part of Suicide Awareness Week, organising one full day of creative workshops exploring and promoting good mental health and wellbeing. Various lead up events, bringing our community together in a safe and supportive environment. Curry and Chaat night, and a musical production at the Eastgate Theatre. Follow up events, in the form of classes/workshops to promote and encourage continuation of healthy lifestyles and community sharing and peer support.

Kelso Orchard Tennis Club - £4,200.00
Keep Your Mind and Body Active with Tennis, a project for people aged 65+ to improve overall health and wellbeing. Weekly sessions in two care homes and one sheltered housing in Kelso along with walking tennis sessions.

Nature Unlimited - £19,977.00
Connect, Recover, Thrive in Nature, building on a very successful pilot project, a yearlong programme for people in recovery, which supports beneficiaries to form strong, positive social connections, participate in constructive, purposeful activities and enjoy the benefits of being in a therapeutic natural environment.

Newcastleton and District Community Trust - £19,647.00
Investing in Our Resilience, providing prevention programs to support/signpost/engage individuals via group activities to reduce/prevent increasing loneliness/isolation. A new pilot for social prescribing services based on lived experiences.

Nurture The Borders - £19,024.00
The Better Together Volunteer Programme Expansion will expand peer support services for perinatal women experiencing mental health challenges, particularly those in rural and disadvantaged communities. Volunteers with lived experience will provide emotional and practical support to mothers, helping improve maternal mental health and promoting stronger parent-infant bonding. The program will also offer peer support for fathers through our Dad Club, creating a whole-family approach.

Peeblesshire Foodbank - £19,780.00
Community Cafes in decentralised areas of Peeblesshire using community spaces to increase accessibility to local services like the foodbank and Citizens Advice, creating a welcoming space with refreshments where clients can access advice and support, they would normally have to travel to.

Peebles Old Parish Church - £6,923.40
Stronger Hands, Hearts & Minds, accessible, bespoke crafting classes for vulnerable senior citizens with multiple disabilities and people with dementia, taking place in their own assisted, sheltered accommodation and care home lounges. Improving social skills, mental and physical health and reduce their isolation and build a sense of belonging to a caring community.

Peer 2 Peer Mindfulness - £6,600.00
Scottish Borders Mindfulness Workshop Roadshow, taking 2-hour, free-of-charge introductory mindfulness workshop to 10 different towns across the Borders, in venues with access to outdoor space, over a period of 12 months.

QME Care (Queens House Kelso Ltd) - £8,000.00
Place & Space Dementia Support Centre, day opportunities for older adults living with dementia and respite opportunities for their carers. Offering cognitive stimulation and a range of activities such as music, crafts, and group discussions, helping to improve mental health and reduce social isolation.

Silver Sunday - £2,165.00
Silver Sunday, a national day where people come together by hosting fun and free activities for older people. This is an event at The Volunteer Hall in Duns, which provides a meal and entertainment for up to 125 people. Older people can access fun and free activities in their local community.

St Boswells OAP Social Club - £2,649.00
St Boswells OAP Away Activity Day, a full day with bus travel in the summer with a group activity, free time for members to do what they want and finished off with high tea before heading home.

St Boswells Village Hall - £4,129.00
Winter Warmups, a weekly lunchtime session providing refreshments, newspapers, and various forms of entertainment, including bingo, musical performances, readings by the local dramatic society, performances by pupils from the Village School, and talks on local history. Supporting the most vulnerable people in our community.

The General Store Selkirk - £10,000.00
Stay in Touch, a digital inclusion project to provide private space to help older people use video technology to communicate with friends and family, reducing loneliness and increasing wellbeing.

The Richmond Fellowship Scotland - £7,000.00
Burnfoot Hub Club Day trips from Hawick to allow the people who attend an opportunity to have a fun day out with friends that they can look forward to, hiring a wheelchair accessible bus to make the trip accessible to all.

Transform Arts CIC - £19,995.00
Well Good Art Sessions, a series of high quality, art for well-being courses and introductory sessions delivered partially in partnership with Health in Mind. These open to all sessions will engage a diverse range of people with an effective therapeutic activity, reducing barriers to accessing mental health support & increasing participation in the arts.

Tweed Valley Trail Therapy - £10,000.00
Tweed Valley Trail Therapy, a pilot introducing mountain biking to people with mental health diagnoses, aiming to improve their overall well-being. A non-clinical, therapeutic approach to promote self-management skills and improve participants' well-being both on the trail and in their everyday lives. Bikes will be provided, and the sessions will be led by qualified Trail Therapy Mountain Bike Leaders, with support from trained volunteers.

West Linton Enterprise Group Ltd - £250.00
A weekly drop-in cafe in the West Linton Village Centre, where people can pop in for 5 minutes or for the whole morning. A warm and welcoming place 'staffed' by Knot volunteers, during the winter months when The Knot is closed. An inclusive, friendly and supportive space where friendships are made and maintained and social interaction valued.

Whitsome Village Hall SCIO - £1,701.00
Whitsome Winter Warmer, an informal lunch club where local residents can come to the village hall for a free hot lunch and to socialise with their neighbours. Volunteer led, visiting the more frail, disabled and elderly residents to support attendance or delivering a lunch to them.