A TOTAL of 41 community projects across Dumfries and Galloway – including several in Wigtownshire – have received a share of £440,157 to help tackle mental health and wellbeing.
They were successful in the latest round of funding from the Scottish Government’s Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, administered by Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway (TSDG).
Its ambition is to support initiatives that promote mental health and wellbeing at a small scale, grass roots, community level to those aged 16 and over and to tackle social isolation and loneliness; suicide prevention; and poverty and inequality.
Successful applicants included charity A Listening Ear, who received £8900 for their befriending service. The funds will be put towards in-person initiatives to reduce loneliness including one-to-ones, home visits, group meet-ups, care home visits, hospital befriending, and a ‘No-One Dies Alone’ service.
The Galloway Action Team also received a grant worth £9616 to secure and increase the hours of two part-time posts within the team and provides them with additional training in First Aid for Mental Health.
Elsewhere, Isle Futures were awarded £9989 for their ‘Isle Be There’ project, which aims to support those facing social isolation and mental health issues in Isle of Whithorn. The project expands on ‘Isle Buddies’, offering transport for community meetups, arts and crafts, workshops, and a men’s social group.
Other groups who also benefitted from the funding scheme included: Buittle Quest who received £2868; Home-Start Wigtownshire who were given £9439 for their ‘Mums in Mind’ group; equine charity Horses4Help were given a £9603.17 grant for their 16+ Equi Learning programme; Kirkmabreck Community Council were awarded £1000 for Creetown Action For Food; Machars Churches Basics Food Bank were given £5962; Newton Stewart Initiative were awarded £4726 for their Happy Daze group and Wigtownshire and Stewartry Partnership were awarded £9612 for their Thursday and Friday groups.
Commenting on the latest funding awards, Alan Webb, TSDG’s chief executive officer, said: “This latest round of funding demonstrates the range of local, community-led work that helps improve mental health and wellbeing across Dumfries and Galloway and I’m delighted again that we have been able to manage this investment across our region on behalf of the Scottish Government.
“This round brings the total investment in local organisations to just over £2.6 million over all four rounds. We also look forward to bringing a further round of investment to the area in the next financial year.”
