Funding award to improve post-pandemic mental wellbeing in north-west Sutherland
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A community group in north-west Sutherland has secured funding to offer a variety of wellbeing and healing regimes for people living in the local area.
Scourie Community Development Company (SCDC) has been awarded a grant from charity Support In Mind to help meet their aims of improving the mental wellbeing of people in their community as they begin to recover from the pandemic.
Funded by the Scottish Government, the Support in Mind Scotland fund is part of a larger community engagement project, working directly with people in local communities to raise awareness, identify need and work collectively to develop creative local solutions to address local needs.
The grant scheme is designed to fund creative local ideas that develop as communities work together to protect and support the people most excluded as we recover from Covid.
Helen Houston, development manager at SCDC said: “We are delighted to receive the award from Support In Mind. It is a positive step forward that the Scottish Government have recognised the unique challenges faced by people living in remote rural communities when trying to access wellbeing services.
"Scourie and its neighbouring communities are in an NHS Highland red zone, thus there is an acknowledgement from the NHS that accessing services is challenging for local people.
"Scourie Community Development Company has been offering free counselling services to local people since May 2020, and earlier this year Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy was added to the offering."
The funds from Support In Mind will provide the opportunity for people to participate in a Healing Recovery Retreat weekend.
The weekend will support people recovering from stress, anxiety or trauma and is being run at Oldshoremore Retreats by Angela Johnson.
People living in Assynt, Scourie, Kinlochbervie or Durness are encouraged to contact helen@scouriedevelopment.scot to receive an application form.
