Struggled to find funding as running costs crisis stalks the third sector
Charity Listen Well Scotland is to close after struggling to secure sustainable funding.
However it has announced it will be transferring its services to another organisation to continue much of its previous work and service provision.
The group has asked Change Mental Health to provide a home for the delivery of its services across the country as it announced its closure.
Listen Well Scotland has been providing listening training and services to communities across Scotland since 2013.
However following funding problems, it has reached out to Change Mental Health to incorporate their CPD accredited training and listening services, along with their personnel and registered volunteers.
Linda Harding, chair of Listen Well Scotland, said: “We are so passionate about making sure the great work of Listen Well Scotland continues. Change Mental Health is the perfect home for this vitally important work.
“Their values of integrity, leadership and compassion are a perfect fit, along with their commitment of making sure that everyone gets the support they need, when they need and in a way which works best for them – which is exactly what Listen Well Scotland is all about.
“This new phase ensures that our work and services will live on within Change Mental Health.”
Both charities say they have worked hard to ensure that a challenge becomes an opportunity.
It allows Listen Well Scotland to become part of a larger national charity with the aim that more people will benefit from listening training and have access to listening services to create a positive impact on Scotland’s mental resilience and wellbeing.
Nick Ward, CEO at Change Mental Health, said: “These are challenging times for charities of all sizes and we are pleased to be able to step in and offer a new home for Listen Well Scotland’s vital services. Together, I know we can do greater work than either of us could have done alone. In times like these, the third sector must work together to ensure a continuity of support where we can.
“We welcome Listen Well Scotland into the Change Mental Health family and reconfirm our commitment to making sure that no one needs to face mental illness alone.”
