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West Lothian Covid-19 Directory of Services
Voluntary Sector Gateway West Lothian (VSGWL) is working closely with our Third Sector colleagues and West Lothian Council to support individuals and communities during this Coronavirus crisis. We have created an online Directory of Services showcasing Organisations that are offering to help. You can add to this directory by completing this short survey. Volunteering VSGWL is continuing to receive fantastic offers of help from individuals across the local area. We are matching people to the many organisations who are offering their assistance. If you wish to volunteer, you can contact us directly: Telephone: 07712 521850 Email: vsg@vsgwl.org In addition, we are part of a national Volunteering campaign alongside Volunteer Scotland and Ready Scotland. You can also register your details to help in the community here Volunteer Scotland - register to volunteer and search for existing online volunteering opportunities On the Ready Scotland website you will find details about:
Alan Mccloskey CEO
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The RRR Fund will support local charities and grassroots organisations across Scotland to help them respond to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and recover from its impact.
In partnership with the National Emergencies Trust, Foundation Scotland is delivering the Community Response, Recovery and Resilience Fund. Launched by the Duke of Cambridge, the National Emergencies Trust is a fundraising appeal which will distribute money through several foundations which cover the UK. Foundation Scotland is the lead partner for NET in Scotland. Most immediately, Response is about providing emergency funding for local charities and grassroots organisations who are currently supporting some of Scotland’s most affected and vulnerable people. In the medium and longer term, Recovery and Resilience will be about funding a wider group of local charities and community organisations whose operations and finances have been affected so they can recover, re-establish or re-design their activities once the outbreak eases in response to community needs at that point. Grants to Community Charities and Organisations from the Response FundWe are providing immediate funding to support constituted community groups and charities that are responding to the coronavirus pandemic in their local community. Funding is available between £1,000 and £5,000– focussed on immediate community needs. We aim to turn around funding applications swiftly, and to keep our application process straightforward. If you are seeking immediate community support funding - please complete the online application Only constituted groups, with a governing document, can apply. Interested applicants are encouraged to read the fund's guidance notes. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations have a central resource where other funds can be found, including those from the government that offer funding due to loss of income, or other reasons: https://scvo.org.uk/support/covid-19 Donations to the RRR Fund in ScotlandIn addition to receiving funds from the UK-wide NET appeal on a regular basis, we continue to receive donations directly into the RRR Fund from a range of corporate and individual donors in Scotland. At this point we are not running any public appeal separate from the UK NET appeal, however if you would like to contribute directly please contact us here: development@foundationscotland.org.uk Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland are running the biggest ever volunteer recruitment campaign to help vulnerable people who have one of our conditions and are self-isolating.
This is a new role we have created due to the over break of coronavirus and we want to check in with those who need it the most. We want to reduce isolation and loneliness and we need your help please. Can you do the following, it would be much appreciated so we can help more people get through this tough time:
Here are our social media links: Details of the role can be found here and anyone who would like to register please do so online - www.chss.org.uk/kindness VHS are working to influence how the Scottish Government will shape the Supporting Communities Fund and Wellbeing Fund two of four new funds that will distribute £350 million of support to third and community sector organisations dealing with COVID-19.
There is very limited time if we are to influence how the Supporting Communities Fund and Wellbeing Fund will work, so please help by completing our short, 4 question survey. Deadline: Tuesday 31 March 2020 The other funds are the Third Sector Resilience Fund (launched 25 March) and the National Emergencies Trust. If you want to send additional information or talk to us about this, please email. The Third Sector Resilience Fund (TSRF) is now open for application and we are urging all community groups eligible to apply as soon as possible. The primary intention of the fund is to help third sector organisations to stabilise and manage cash flows over this difficult period.
To be eligible, interested organisations must be:
 Helping Matters is a volunteer led project run by Macmillan Cancer Support. Our volunteers can provide practical assistance such as essential shopping, light housework, gardening or driving a patient to an appointment or community group. Emotional support is extremely valuable, and our volunteers can provide companionship by chatting face to face or over the phone. Befriending support is often provided which may just involve being a listening ear or having a chat about topics other than cancer. Volunteering with Helping Matters is such a rewarding way to offer practical and emotional support to those who need it, making a big difference to people’s lives. Macmillan volunteer Cath tells us, “I enjoy seeing people get their confidence back. It means a lot to me that I’ve helped someone through such a difficult time.” All of our volunteers undertake a full induction programme, including Disclosure Check (PVG). All out of pocket expenses are also reimbursed. Helping Matters Volunteers are offered access to a free training programme throughout the year delivered by Macmillan professionals. During the Coronavirus crisis Helping Matters are currently only offering telephone befriending. We are still actively recruiting new volunteers, if you think that you can give someone a friendly call then please contact Kathryn Speirs on: Phone: 07801 307 086 Email: kspeirs@macmillan.org.uk  We are having problems with the divert on our telephone lines so please in meantime only use the mobile (07712305764) – any clients can call, text etc and an adviser will call them back on the same day. We are still responding to e-mail enquiries also.
In accordance with government guidance CAB West Lothian has halted their face to face service to clients which includes outreach and home visits. We will be offering telephone/e-mail advice and looking at extending web chat service and further details on this will follow. We have a meeting with WLC Advice shop to discuss advice provision and further updates on this will follow. In the meantime clients can still contact the Bureau: - Advice, Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm (effective from Thursday) Phone: 01506 432977 E-mail: enquiries@cabwestlothian.casonline.org.uk Text: 07712305764 If anyone requires any further information please contact us on 01506 436132. We are working hard to bring information relevant to the Third Sector on Coronavirus into one area on our website. You`ll find links to trusted sites like Scottish Government, DWP, West Lothian Council, NHS as well as information about volunteering during the crisis, funding and health and wellbeing resources.
We`ll continue to add appropriate links as regularly as possible. If you think there are links to sites that others in the Sector would find useful, please just get in touch and we’ll update our resource hub. Alan McCloskey CEO We need your help, as an essential service we will still be out shopping for our older people in our community and as people over the age of 70 have been advised to self-isolate we are receiving more referrals as people struggle to get help with their shopping which is essential for their health and well-being. At present we urgently need:
Volunteer shoppers Required to pick shopping and pack boxes from around 7am-11am in either Asda, Sainsbury or Morrisons in Livingston on Tues-Thursday only Volunteer Drivers (van provided) To either collect shopping lists or deliver essential shopping to our customers, 9am start in office to collect route until approximately 3pm (this depends on number of deliveries) Required Monday to Thursday Volunteer Helpers Required to go out with the driver and collect payment from our customers, again 9am start in office until approximately 3pm dependent on number of deliveries. If you can help please call the office on 01506 413013. We want to continue to ensure that older people in West Lothian receive the support they need especially at this time. Martin Lewis has created a £1m fund to help charities and social enterprises during the Covid-19 crisis. Small or local charities can apply to receive a grant of £5k - £20k for specific coronavirus poverty relief projects.
Closing date is Wed 25 March but it a very simple application process – however worth noting that that the fund is likely to be oversubscribed. As a guide – they will consider small charities to be those with a turnover of £10 million or less. Though they will consider applications from subsidaries of larger parent charities. They are especially interested in projects that directly help people affected by the effects of the virus, such as by giving access to food, toiletries, basic necessities, as well as community projects to help people in isolation. They are looking for projects that can help people now, so will welcome applications for existing projects that could be scaled up with extra money or projects that are in the process of being set up. They will accept applications from organisations other than charities - for example social enterprises or CICs. |