How the third sector is responding to the pandemic
Movement for Good awards
More than 30 charities in Scotland have received donations of £1,000 each as part of the Movement for Good awards.
The awards, set up by specialist insurer Ecclesiastical, will see a total of £1 million given to charities across the UK this summer. Members of the public were invited to nominate causes close to their hearts, with 500 awards of £1,000 available for donation.
More than a quarter of a million kind-hearted members of the public (253,879) supported the Movement for Good awards, voting for a total of 13,695 charitable causes across the UK. The 500 winning charities were picked at random from those nominated.
Data taken from the voting process has revealed that people are more likely to support a local charity than a national one during this time with causes linked to the community and health being top of the list. Nearly 30% of people have pledged support to a community charity, with health charities receiving 20% of the overall support.
Mark Hews, group chief executive at Ecclesiastical, said: “We have seen an overwhelming public response to our Movement for Good awards and would like to thank every single person who took the time to nominate a good cause. It’s clear that people care deeply about those in need, perhaps even more so at a time when charities and in turn the people and projects they support, need it the most. Indeed, from looking at the nomination data, community and healthcare organisations are understandably front of mind recently.”
Information for EU citizens
JustCitizens has written factsheets to help EU citizens better understand their rights to live, work, study and access healthcare, benefits and housing in Scotland.
In addition to existing support under the Stay in Scotland campaign, the Scottish Government commissioned JustRight Scotland, a legal centre for justice and human rights, to develop a range of factsheets for EU citizens. This guidance explains the rights of EU citizens in Scotland to vote, work and access healthcare, education, housing and benefits. These are now available in English, Polish, Romanian, Lithuanian, Spanish and Italian and can be accessed here.
In light of the devastating impacts of the current pandemic, the Scottish Government hopes that these resources will be useful for EU citizens in accessing further sources of support, and for anyone who wants to better understand the rights of EU citizens.
Funding to help museums reopen
As museums consider reopening during Phase 3 of the Scottish Government Covid-19 Plan, funding is being made available to help them keep visitors safe.
Museums and Galleries Scotland (MGS) has launched a new Covid-19 Adaptation Fund.
To ensure the safety and confidence of museum staff, volunteers and visitors the fund will enable the purchase of items such as personal protective equipment (PPE), additional cleaning equipment and products, and screens to protect front of house staff.
MGS has allocated £270K to the fund. An additional £62,720 from Art Fund brings the total funding pot to £332,720. The fund will be open to accredited and non-accredited museums and galleries in Scotland.
The fund will open for applications as soon as the Scottish Government guidelines for museums, galleries and heritage attractions guidance is published – anticipated later this month.
Hub supports those with lung conditions
The British Lung Foundation (BLF) has launched a technology for lung health hub on its website. This hub aims to empower more people with lung conditions to use technology to help manage their condition better at home.
The launch of the hub ties into the charity’s annual awareness week, Love Your Lungs Week, (22-28 June). The theme of the week this year is staying connected through digital, and the respiratory charity hopes people with lung conditions can find technology that works for them and their individual need.
The BLF started work on the hub before the Covid-19 pandemic but have seen now, more than ever, digital health is vital. As thousands of people with lung conditions have been shielding and unable to leave the house, digital health is a vital tool to help people better manage their condition through remote information and advice.
One of the main features of the BLF technology hub is an app search for people to find the right health app for their individual need. The BLF worked with ORCHA on this function, who offer independent reviews of every app using their own scoring system. There’s a range of apps to help people manage their conditions in a variety of ways; through keeping a diary of symptoms, helping to improve inhaler technique, staying fit through exercise videos and helping people learn more about their conditions.
The hub also offers a technology guide, explaining key tech terms, information on how tech can keep people connected and stories from people with lung conditions on how tech has helped them.
