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ACES as the group is known locally, was set up in September 2007 by concerned residents of Woodwynd area of Kilwinning the largest housing scheme in the town.  ACES were running a number of youth projects but in March 2020 all of this had to be closed down and ACES were left to see what would unfold, we were asked to help the council deliver prescriptions as we were ‘’weel kent faces’’ in the town and silver citizens would most likely be comfortable opening their door to someone they recognised.  Read the full story here

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ACES as the group is known locally, was set up in September 2007 by concerned residents of Woodwynd area of Kilwinning the largest housing scheme in the town.

Although the Woodwynd has large areas of green space it had very little else. The Council owned Community Centre was very under used and meant many children and young people were left with nothing to do or no where to go.

ACES started by setting up programmes for children and their families to attend this included youth clubs, drop in's lunch clubs, football teams, school holiday clubs and bouncin' bairns. we then began to visit schools and delivered awareness sessions in bullying, internet safety, knife crime alcohol and drugs abuse.

In March 2020 all of this had to be closed down and ACES were left to see what would unfold, we were asked to help the council deliver prescriptions as we were ''weel kent faces'' in the town and silver citizens would most likely be comfortable opening their door to someone they recognised. It became a factor that many families would struggle during the lockdown.

The council distributed food boxes to those who qualified for free school meals, however more and more families were furloughed which meant a reduction of 20% of each income reducing the household income by 40% they didn't qualify for food boxes, we spotted this loophole and began to deliver food and essential items to these families, to gain the best produce and maximise value for money we travelled 35 miles and back to the Glasgow fruit market at 2am to buy good class one fruit and veg , then come back and packed this produce into parcels and deliver it to families ,we usually delivered approx. 250 per week, using a local butcher we also rotated the food with fresh meat and also delivered cleaning materials at the same time.

This meant families had a way to feed and keep clean during the covid-19 crisis. We are currently setting up a community pantry where families can obtain food and essential items cheaply with a weekly membership of £2 they can take home £15 of food etc. we also won the regional high street hero's award for our work in North Ayrshire.

I think Scotland needs to either signpost support or support the citizens, the safety measures being put in place seem to be for a perfect conditioned country, which is confusing to all and is often out of date before being put in place, a clear structure so everyone can understand

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Weel kent faces in Ayrshire - together, we help.

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ACES as the group is known locally, was set up in September 2007 by concerned residents of Woodwynd area of Kilwinning the largest housing scheme in the town. Although the Woodwynd has large areas of green space it had very little else.

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Michael Clark describes how
"It’s been a bizarre and thought provoking time for everyone during lockdown. As a musician all live work dried up overnight… I did a remote musical collaboration for the first time… and found that the music we’d recorded along with the clips from my phone made for a simple and hopefully positive video which I could share with people."

read more and watch the video here

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It's been a bizarre and thought provoking time for everyone during lockdown. As a musician all live work dried up overnight. I found myself trying to keep my mind occupied and at the start of lockdown I fixed up an old Raleigh racer bike which I'd found in a skip 8yrs ago. I quickly found that my daily cycles took me in and around Glasgow and I kept seeing positive messages written on walls and in windows everywhere. There have been some horrific and heart-breaking stories in the news but seeing people's courage and the positive messages around Glasgow inspires hope and made me feel proud to live here. I did a remote musical collaboration for the first time with an artist and harp player from Arran, Heather McLeod. I wanted to show a positive side to Glasgow during the lockdown and found that the music we'd recorded along with the clips from my phone made for a simple and hopefully positive video which I could share with people.

Several months into lockdown I was approached by the Annexe Community Group to play some live music in a local park. We felt people really needed a boost and a low key community event was the perfect solution.

Before lockdown I set up regular nights encouraging an inclusive and creative platform for people in the community to showcase their music and ideas. The nights were sorely missed by those who played and listened.

Our event in the park had a great response. We picked a sunny afternoon and people turned up, socially distanced and sat within their groups. It was amazing to see people out listening to live music for the first time in months. After the gig the messages of support and encouragement were brilliant.

I think everyone needed the boost and it was amazing to see people smiling and enjoying themselves.

I love how music & art can transform a situation, bringing people in the community together in a positive manner that helps us all.
Share your thoughts on Michael's activities in the comments below...
Watch more in the short video below...

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Art can bring us together - together, we help.

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It's been a bizarre and thought provoking time for everyone during lockdown. As a musician all live work dried up overnight. I found myself trying to keep my mind occupied and at the start of lockdown I fixed up an old Raleigh racer bike which I'd found in a skip 8yrs ago.

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Saima Hayat explains how
"I have always made an effort to get to know my neighbours and build a feeling of community. I think it is really important to know those around us and I think it helps us feel safe."

Read more here

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I have always made an effort to get to know my neighbours and build a feeling of community. I think it is really important to know those around us and I think it helps us feel safe. Coming from a small Pakistani population in Scotland, community means something even wider, it means being in a different city or town and bumping into someone you've met before, or have someone in common with or someone who maybe even knows someone else from the same village your grandparents came from decades before. Community is really important to help make you feel at home.

When coronavirus hit Scotland, everyone was talking about it, everyone was worried and we all wanted to feel safe. I think community took on a new and deeper meaning for lots of us.

In the first week of lockdown, a few of us on the same street set up a neighbours Whatsapp group, this was the first time many of us had properly spoken to one another, beyond the occasional "hello, how are you?" Or wave as we went about our normal daily lives. A little letter was put through the doors of everyone (probably about 40 doors) to give them a mobile number to send their details to if they wanted to be added to the group. For those who were older or didn't have Whatsapp, they were asked to write down their number for us to check-in with them. Every single door responded, and for the first time we were all chatting about more than the weather.

We have been sharing information as lockdown measures ease, sharing extra food we had when there wasn't enough pasta in the shops, some of us have been sharing recipes, but mostly we have been checking in with each other, and been there to make each other feel a bit safer.

In my area there are lots of elderly people who all of a sudden were unable to go out, or get the things they normally would. They were our main concern. We didn't want them to feel alone or go without the things they needed. Those of us who could, would check in on them, once I went round the doors and dropped them all off a treat of chocolate to make them smile! We checked if they needed medicines, groceries or just a chat.

It has been really lovely to see how our neighbours have come together and how we all wanted to help each other, I hope coronavirus is over soon, but that our community sticks together like this for a long time.
Leave a comment below to tell us what you think Scotland can learn from this...

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I have always made an effort to get to know my neighbours and build a feeling of community. I think it is really important to know those around us and I think it helps us feel safe.

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Annexe Communities is a leading charity and community enterprise with over 16 years' experience of delivering highly successful health and wellbeing initiatives to the socially disadvantaged in west Glasgow, see how they responded to COVID-19.

Watch the video here

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Annexe Communities, based in Partick, supports people with poor mental and physical health, the elderly and isolated, carers and their families, and local organisations who need help to expand and have impact to more people in their area.

This video shows how Annexe Communities responded to COVID-19.
This content was originally shared on the Corra Foundation website. Click here to read more on their website Leave a comment to tell us what you think Scotland can learn from this... .
Click here to find out more about Annexe Communities.

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Wellbeing on your doorstep - together, we help.

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Annexe Communities, based in Partick, supports people with poor mental and physical health, the elderly and isolated, carers and their families, and local organisations who need help to expand and have impact to more people in their area. This video shows how Annexe Communities responded to COVID-19.

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Roots responded to the crisis by distributing more than 12,000 boxes to households across Renfrewshire who weren’t able to access food. This included the elderly, folk who were shielding, front line workers and vulnerable families.

Watch the video here

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Roots responded to the crisis by distributing more than 12,000 boxes of food and supplies to households across Renfrewshire who weren't able to access food. This included the elderly, people who were shielding, front line workers and vulnerable families.

Click here to read more about Roots of Linwood.
This content was originally shared on the Corra Foundation website. Click here to Are you inspired by this? Leave a comment below to tell us what you think Scotland can learn from this... read more on their website.

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Roots responded to the crisis by distributing more than 12,000 boxes of food and supplies to households across Renfrewshire who weren't able to access food. This included the elderly, people who were shielding, front line workers and vulnerable families. Click here to read more about Roots of Linwood.

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Community conversations in Carbrain, Cumbernauld, Glasgow, UK

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Community conversations in Carbrain, Cumbernauld, Glasgow, UK

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Corra Foundation Community Co-ordinator, Shazia Riaz, and local community members Frances Parks, Maureen Hascoet de Cuestas and William Holmer share what has inspired them to get involved in their community, their experience of the local responses to the coronavirus and their hopes for the future.
Watch the video here

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Corra Foundation Community Co-ordinator, Shazia Riaz, and local community members Frances Parks, Maureen Hascoet de Cuestas and William Holmer share what has inspired them to get involved in their community, their experience of the local responses to the coronavirus and their hopes for the future.

Carbrain is one of the nine communities Corra works alongside as part of the People in Place programme. Click here to find out more about People in Place and the nine communities in Scotland the programme supports.
This content was originally shared on the Corra Foundation website. Click here to Has this inspired you? What do you think Scotland could do to take action on their activities and hopes? Tell us in the comments below... read more on their website.

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Huge thank you to Corra Foundation Community Co-ordinator Shazia Riaz and community members Frances Parks, Maureen Hascoet de Cuestas and William Holmer for sharing what inspired them to get involved in their community, the local response to coronavirus and their hopes for what's next.

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WhatsApp groups strengthening community Aberdeen, UK

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WhatsApp groups strengthening community Aberdeen, UK

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Lindsay from Aberdeen used What's App to give focus to the community and the opportunity to offer help and to be helped.

"I believe it has improved the sense of community on our street which I know will continue to go from strength to strength."

Read Lindsay's story here

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My name is Lindsay and I've lived on our street in Aberdeen for 11 years. I was a physiotherapist at ARI but now work with my husband in our family business and am a mum to teenage twins.

We live on a residential street in the Midstocket area of Aberdeen. Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is only across the road so some of our neighbours are associated with the hospital and we were so worried about everyone - we didn't know what was going to happen.

Many of the homes have families with young children, but there are also a few retired folk on the street. When lockdown happened in March and the fear and panic buying started I thought we would need a street chat group so anyone needing help with anything could ask in the group.

Many of the neighbours offered to do shopping, pick up prescriptions or run errands and generally shared good wishes and supportive messages - it was really nice to see people willing to help out where they could.

Before we set up the chat group, I only knew a few of my most immediate neighbours but the chat group grew very quickly and everyone invited those they knew. It's been live for over eight months now and still going strong.

No one really needs help with shopping anymore, but residents use it to offer plants, or other items for free. They share information about local events or anything unusual they've seen on the street. We've even had a Peregrine Falcon and fox spotting!

It gave focus to the community and the opportunity to offer help and be helped as we went through the restrictions and anxiety together.

I believe it has improved the sense of community on our street which I know will continue to go from strength to strength. I hope we can organise a big street party once we can celebrate the end of the need for restrictions. Thank you!

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Whatsapp groups strengthening community - together, we help.

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My name is Lindsay and I've lived on our street in Aberdeen for 11 years. I was a physiotherapist at ARI but now work with my husband in our family business and am a mum to teenage twins. We live on a residential street in the Midstocket area of Aberdeen.

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puzzle challenge to help friends and families Aberdeen, UK

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puzzle challenge to help friends and families Aberdeen, UK

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Gareth, an A&E Consultant in Aberdeen, tells us about the orienteering puzzle challenge he and his children organised for their community during the pandemic...

Watch the video and download the puzzle pack here

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Puzzle hunt for friends and families - together, we help.

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Gareth, an A&E Consultant from Aberdeen, shares how he organised an orienteering puzzle hunt with his children for his community during the pandemic, and shares "communities came together"

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Bob’s story- street gigs and kindness Scotland, UK

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Bob’s story- street gigs and kindness Scotland, UK

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Bob from Graigour, who was shielding, shared with us some words and images about how he helped and what he learnt through this. In this video we hear more about kindness, people, and music.
Watch the video here

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Bob from Graigour, who was shielding, shared with us some words and images about how he helped and what he learnt through this. In this video we hear more about kindness, people, and music.

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Bob's story- music and kindness - together, we help.

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Bob from Graigour, who was shielding, shared with us some words and images about how he helped and what he learnt through this. In this video we hear more about kindness, people, and music.

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Fernhill, Rutherglen, Glasgow, South Lanarkshire, UK

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Fernhill: a story from Kirstin:L South Lanarkshire, UK

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Fernhill: a story from Kirstin:L South Lanarkshire, UK

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I had recently formed a new group with some other local parents called The Ohana Club. Ohana means family. We had successfully launched our pilot community cinema project in February and had an upcoming trip to five sisters zoo all planned and booked for local families at the start of April. We, like many community groups, were planning holiday programmes and trying to source and secure funding to deliver our ambitious plans.

Read more here

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I had recently formed a new group with some other local parents called The Ohana Club. Ohana means family. We had successfully launched our pilot community cinema project in February and had an upcoming trip to five sisters zoo all planned and booked for local families at the start of April. We, like many community groups, were planning holiday programmes and trying to source and secure funding to deliver our ambitious plans.
At the start
We went through a period of confusion. We had to shelf our plans and figure out how to respond in a way that would benefit the community. Emergency response isn't what the group was set up to do but given the vast number of contacts the group had managed to make in the short time since it began it became difficult to ignore the stories of people in the area struggling. As a group we reached out to local families and attempted to understand what issues people faced and tried to identify solutions and ideas to help people.
Along the way
We were able to secure funding from the Scottish Government Supporting Communities Fund to help local families. We are using the money to provide three key areas of support to local families, these are

This vital support provided to families has been well received with one local parent saying,

"I like that it's a supermarket voucher rather than a bag of food every week cause I don't want everybody to know I'm getting help."

In an ideal world...
Obviously, in an ideal world we wouldn't be facing Coronavirus, but in a world where we face these issues we have identified a few key things we feel would benefit the community.

The importance of community space
We feel having some kind of accessible space within the community where activity could be coordinated from, would not only make it easier for us as a group to deliver this vital support, but it would also mean we would be able to reach more people and broaden the type of support we could deliver.

We know not all families have the ability to get online so having access to a physical space would enable the creation of a drop box system that would let people communicate their needs offline and access support like their more connected peers.
What I have learned
I know from doing community work in Fernhill over the past few years that stigma around poverty is a massive issue, but I didn't think people would still feel this this because I felt like we are all in the same boat when it comes to coronavirus. But I've learned we actually aren't. With lockdown, we are all in our own little boats and some boats have more supplies than others. So we are all experiencing rough seas right now, it's just that some of our boats aren't really equipped to weather the storm on our own.
Looking to the future...
We are currently providing a much needed financial buffer for families that emergency and direct support isn't.

What I am interested in?

I'm interested in bringing people together, building networks and connections and strengthening the bonds between families in my community. I just look forward to getting back to some kind of normal that will let that happen, so we can come back from this stronger and closer than ever before.
This content was originally shared on the Corra Foundation website. Click here to Has this story inspired you? What do you think Scotland could learn from this? Share your thoughts in the comments below... read more on their website.

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I had recently formed a new group with some other local parents called The Ohana Club. Ohana means family. We had successfully launched our pilot community cinema project in February and had an upcoming trip to five sisters zoo all planned and booked for local families at the start of April.

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Zoe, aged 8, shares a poem about COVID-19.

Read more here

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This content was originally shared on the Corra Foundation website. Click here to Has this poem inspired you? What do you think Scotland could learn from this? Share your thoughts in the comments below... read more on their website.

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This content was originally shared on the Corra Foundation website. Click here to Has this poem inspired you? What do you think Scotland could learn from this? Share your thoughts in the comments below... read more on their website .

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Health and Wellness in Lanarkshire, Lanark, UK

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Health and Wellness in Lanarkshire, Lanark, UK

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Ayeshah the Health and Wellness Hub in Lanarkshire shares how they helped during COVID-19. "My first thoughts are around a more joined up approach between statutory services and the third sector services for community benefit."

Watch the video here

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My first thoughts are around a more joined up approach between statutory services and the third sector services for community benefit.

We responded immediately to need in our local communities and it took local authority weeks to months to respond properly. There wasn't a recognition or financial resources given to us to continue and complement statutory services and if there was, more people would have received a much more effective support service. The statutory sector doesn't seem to have a full understanding of the third sector and I think this is where the difficulty lies.

Lessons learned from this should be that a partnership approach would work well in meeting need. If statutory sector could recognise firstly the work we have done during Covid-19 and entrust us going forward through e.g. providing contracts, we could provide a service that was effective and efficient at meeting need at a local level, get better engagement of services and do it on a shoe string in comparison to statutory services which also have long waiting lists etc and engagement levels at a community level are not as good as ours.

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Health and Wellness in Lanarkshire - together, we help.

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My first thoughts are around a more joined up approach between statutory services and the third sector services for community benefit. We responded immediately to need in our local communities and it took local authority weeks to months to respond properly.

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a lockdown stitch journal: comfort in creativity Scotland, UK

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a lockdown stitch journal: comfort in creativity Scotland, UK

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Learn about Karen’s lockdown journal and how she stitched creativity into her life during COVID-19.   Find out more here

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Below you can read Karen's thoughts and advice on finding comfort in creativity... share the joy!
How it has helped me

1. I can look back over the past six months and remember things that I would probably never have thought much about otherwise.

2. Hand-sewing is easy to pick up and put down - can spend as long or as little time as you like. Great whether you're agitated, weary - or just need to busy your hands whilst watching TV.

3. Sometimes small projects are all you feel like focusing on - so working on a page at a time is ideal.

4. Challenges my imagination.

5. Problem-solving in a small way; how to interpret something with the skills I have.

My advice to you

1. You can be as ambitious or as restrained as you like in terms of design.

2. And maybe you will only want to record one or two special memories, or perhaps share the project with a friend or family member.

3. It's a great way of using scraps of material, but it has to be said that cotton is nice to work with, and doesn't shrivel under the iron!

4. If you're using cheap embroidery thread, steam-iron your work under a tea-towel in case you cook the thread!

Has Karen's story inspired you to get creative? What do you think Scotland could learn from this? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below...

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a lockdown stitch journal: comfort in creativity - together, we help.

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Below you can read Karen's thoughts and advice on finding comfort in creativity... share the joy! How it has helped me I can look back over the past six months and remember things that I would probably never have thought much about otherwise.

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and the award goes to…Loanhead, Scotland, UK

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and the award goes to…Loanhead, Scotland, UK

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Brothers Adil Bashir and Asif Bashir won the ‘Best Post Office in Scotland’ when hundreds of customers voted for them for going ‘the extra mile’!

Working even harder during these times, even while they were fasting at Ramadan, their focus was “to help others in times of need. To be selfless, to give [and] to look after [our] neighbours and communities.”
Read the blog post here   or see the full story on the Corra Foundation Website

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Brothers Adil Bashir and Asif Bashir won the 'Best Post Office in Scotland' when hundreds of customers voted for them for going 'the extra mile'!

Working even harder during these times, even while they were fasting at Ramadan, their focus was "to help others in times of need. To be selfless, to give [and] to look after [our] neighbours and communities."
This content was originally shared on the Corra Foundation website. Click here to Has this story inspired you? What do you think Scotland could learn from this? Share your thoughts in the comments below... read more on their website.

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and the award goes to... - together, we help.

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Brothers Adil Bashir and Asif Bashir won the 'Best Post Office in Scotland' when hundreds of customers voted for them for going 'the extra mile'! Working even harder during these times, even while they were fasting at Ramadan, their focus was "to help others in times of need.

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Emily, from Aberdeen, shares her videos on how she helped during the pandemic. As she was shielding and furloughed, Emily decided to fundraise for the Archie Foundation through a bake sale with a difference! Delivered by lowering a rope from her balcony she raised over £3000 for the charity. Watch her videos here.

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Emily, from Aberdeen, shares her videos on how she helped during the pandemic. As she was shielding and furloughed, Emily decided to fundraise for the Archie Foundation through a bake sale with a difference! Delivered by lowering a rope from her balcony she raised over £3000 for the charity. Watch her videos here.

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Emily, from Aberdeen, shares her videos on how she helped during the pandemic. As she was shielding and furloughed, Emily decided to fundraise for the Archie Foundation through a bake sale with a difference! Delivered by lowering a rope from her balcony she raised over £3000 for the charity.

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young people are strong, capable and will create change Govan, Glasgow

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young people are strong, capable and will create change Govan, Glasgow

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Ethan McInally from Govan shares his experience of supporting youth action in his community through food support and socially distanced football. He tells us “young people are strong, capable and we will create change”

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They also got the chance to have a game of football and kick about with their mates and to create new friendship with young people from different areas creating one big youth force were they can all stick by and support one another. We had over 100 young people sign up for this club and an average of 30 young people attending each session.

We kept a careful eye on Government restrictions and adhered to the guidance including having a robust track & trace procedure. I also completed a COVID -19 online training course to ensure the sessions ran smoothly.

During the pandemic I also supported Govan Youth Information Project to hand out packed lunches to young people in our community for 16 weeks. We distributed 8400 packed lunches including a host of other things such as sanitary products, Easter Eggs, and Arts & Craft packs.
The reason why I done this throughout this pandemic was to give back to my community at a time when we all needed each other more than ever. To come together as one, to support each other in dark times in the hope of seeing that light at the end of the tunnel sooner rather than later.
I think what Scotland could learn from this is listen to our youth more, give us more opportunities to show our abilities and what we are capable of and can achieve. To the young people who stepped in as student doctors and nurses, young carers and helped in shop floors and in foodbank a massive well done to you all. Youth social action is the way forward and young people taking action on matters important to them to show we are strong, we are capable and we will create change.

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Young people are strong - together, we help.

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They also got the chance to have a game of football and kick about with their mates and to create new friendship with young people from different areas creating one big youth force were they can all stick by and support one another.

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collective responsibility and empowering communities: Darkwood Crew, Paisley, UK

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collective responsibility and empowering communities: Darkwood Crew, Paisley, UK

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Darkwood Crew in Ferguslie Park supported their community during COVID-19; Terry tells us “our communities hold the solutions to many of our larger global problems including the pandemic, climate change and collective well being. Collective responsibility and empowering communities is vital to any suggested well being recovery.”  Watch Terry's video here

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Terry tells us "I think the main thing Scotland could learn from Darkwood Crew is that our communities hold the solutions to many of our larger global problems including the pandemic, climate change and collective well being. Collective responsibility and empowering communities is vital to any suggested well being recovery."

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Collective responsibility - together, we help.

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Terry tells us "I think the main thing Scotland could learn from Darkwood Crew is that our communities hold the solutions to many of our larger global problems including the pandemic, climate change and collective well being. Collective responsibility and empowering communities is vital to any suggested well being recovery."

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"For the first time people forgot their labels ..Catholic , Protestant , Muslim, English, Scottish , Pakistani etc and became one multi-cultural community to support each other during the fight to reduce the transmission of  the Coronavirus."
Read how Mazhar Rehman a fabric supplier worked with volunteer and professional sewers to create PPE

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What I noticed most during the start of the pandemic was the how most thought it wouldn't affect us as it was so far away. However, having taken too easy to the myth that it wouldn't affect us exploded - lockdowns, job losses, we were in crisis mode.

However, this is really about how after a long while, I witnessed people from all walks of life coming together. We all had a common enemy: Corona and we needed to defeat it.

During lockdown my small fabric business was suffering as I couldn't see customers and shops were closing and so forth. My wife also was still undergoing cancer treatment so we were extra careful, had to shield and isolate. I too was also managing my own concerns as a disproportionate number of people dying from COVID 19 were from black and minority ethnic communities and had huge concern for myself and my families wellbeing.

When I started hearing about PPE shortages, NHS in trouble etc out of the blue of my customers Rule 42 called and asked if I had any cotton fabric to donate as they were making scrubs. Thinking nothing of it I was happy to donate the fabric. After our conversation I came to realise that various machinists, alterations shops had shared to make NHS scrubs scrub bags, gowns, masks under various names Julies alterations, Angelic Threads, Nifty Home Sewers, for the love of scrub bags, Dawn interiors and various independent machinists.

One by one I donated fabrics to each company and am currently still donating. We found a common bond between people, a community spirit. Machinists from all backgrounds/persuasions were showing for free and the fabric was sourced and distributed for free. A whole supply chain working as things developed, they could work as the supply increased. I made a decision to offer fabric cheaper as I did not want to profit from the lockdown. The machinist groups I supported got some funding to scale up and to help them I sourced and supplied them with fabric for free and also cheaper than anyone else.

I did and will do whatever I can, thousands of masks were bought, hundreds of scrubs, bags and masks were made. It showed what can be done when people and communities came together in adversity to help. One thing I did which I was pleased with was getting groups to work together, rather than by themselves, this meant that resources were shared and very little wasted.

As my company was mentioned in forums and groups I was asked to supply individual machinists with fabric, delivering to their home whilst observing social distancing and wearing PPE with heavily subsidised prices. Even now in November Angelic Threads are still making masks for free and I'm still supplying them with masks and fabric for free. I worked with a Kilt maker in Glasgow, dropping fabric off to them and they would use their machines to cut them off into masks or scrub bags. We are still all working together, I'm still putting posters up in Asian shops to raise awareness, I'm still donating fabric as much as I can for free. I wasn't really aware of it until a customer asked for it.

I found for the first time people forgot their labels ..Catholic , Protestant , Muslim, English, Scottish , Pakistani etc and became one multi-cultural community to support each other during the fight to reduce the transmission of the Coronavirus. People helped each other making masks, scrubs, delivering them ...

What we can learn; all the communities have special skills and when we combine them together we can help. Sewing and using old pillowcases and duvets to make scrubs and bags, driving across the country to drop off cut fabrics for machinists in Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh, Glasgow and some parts of England to make various PPE. We provided the fabrics and elastic, threads to make various items, and in doing so, people came together from all walks of life, trying to help in whatever way they, and we, could.

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from crisis to community - together, we help.

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For the first time people forgot their labels ..Catholic , Protestant , Muslim, English, Scottish , Pakistani etc and became one multi-cultural community to support each other during the fight to reduce the transmission of the Coronavirus. People helped each other making masks, scrubs, delivering t

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communities have huge resources, but need support. Milton, Glasgow, UK

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communities have huge resources, but need support. Milton, Glasgow, UK

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Parish Minister Christopher Rowe from Milton shares a video of how he helped during the pandemic, and what Scotland can learn going forward. "What I think Scotland can learn from all this -that communities have huge resourcefulness and goodwill which often only needs to be encouraged to come out, but also that communities like Milton have very limited resources, so the help of funders/government is vital" Watch Christopher's video here

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What I think Scotland can learn from all this -that communities have huge resourcefulness and goodwill which often only needs to be encouraged to come out, but also that communities like Milton have very limited resources, so the help of funders/government is vital. Much of the food was funded from government, many referrals came from SCVO helplines, the church hall is requiring major investment that is beyond the resources of a small congregation and even a large denomination (which is in dire financial and membership straits and is totally dependent on the voluntary contributions of its mainly elderly members).

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Communities have goodwill; but need support - together, we help.

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What I think Scotland can learn from all this -that communities have huge resourcefulness and goodwill which often only needs to be encouraged to come out, but also that communities like Milton have very limited resources, so the help of funders/government is vital.

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Leanne from Glasgow City Parents Group tells us how she organised uniform recycling during the pandemic, and the support they are looking for going forward.   Read more here

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My name is Leanne McGuire and I'm the Chair of Glasgow City Parents Group. I felt this year many families may find themselves in a position they have never been in before, worrying about how to afford school uniforms if their income had been drastically affected by Covid-19. I wanted to make it easy and discreet for families to access the support they needed and give them one less thing to worry about.

I approached two local organisations that I knew were already providing similar services but on a smaller scale. Thankfully, they agreed to get involved. We set up the service in a matter of days and started to promote it across the city via social media.

The service relied on donations, so there was an appeal to wash, fold and bag up donations of school uniform, jackets, blazers and footwear, with many donations being dropped off at my front door. All donated items were quarantined for 72 hours in line with infection control guidelines. The response from Glasgow was fantastic!

Since Glasgow schools were closed, families were unable to access uniform from school run uniform rails and so this service provided a discrete and supportive alternative access point. Families emailed me their request. I didn't ask anyone about their financial or employment situation. If someone emailed asking for help, that was enough.

During the four weeks the service was running, we received almost 400 requests from families. With uniform packages averaging around 12 uniform items per child, we reused over 4000 uniform items.

We gathered feedback on the service and asked families if they would be comfortable sharing further detail about their request. This information has now been used by me and one of our partners to submit a report to Glasgow City Council asking them if they would consider supporting this as an ongoing service rather than a Covid19 response only. We have yet to take it to the committee but we are hopeful this is not the end of a worthwhile service that not only eases the financial burden for families but promotes the reuse of school uniforms and reduces our city's clothing waste.
What can we learn from you going forward?
Reusing school uniform should not have a stigma to it. It should be promoted as a good thing to do to help our environment. It should be promoted and encouraged more throughout Scotland to reduce the stigma from families who choose to use a recycled school uniform.

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School uniforms in Glasgow - together, we help.

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I felt this year many families may find themselves in a position they have never been in before, worrying about how to afford school uniforms if their income had been drastically affected by Covid-19.

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Christina started the lockdown library in her neighbourhood in Leith. "I set up a small local library which gave me something positive to work on over the months we were stuck at home self isolating as a family member is in the high risk shielding category. It also gave me a way of getting hold of fresh books to read when I could not get to charity shops or the local council library as I would usually do, and also to help the local community at the same time."  Read more here

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I started the library on April 25, putting tubs of books along the pavement outside our garden every day, weather permitting, and people can donate books, swap for others, and return them after reading. Soon, others started having clear outs and giving away various unwanted items such as toys, musical instruments, paint and other DIY goods, as well as fresh milk and food. This had really built up a strong sense of community during these uncertain times. Over the months the library has expanded to include jigsaws, CDs and DVDs.

It has also really helped me by giving me confidence to talk to more neighbours and to get outdoors, both of which I found difficult in the past due to my Aspergers.

To combat the reduced opportunities to put the library outdoors over the winter because of poor weather and reduced daylight hours, I have recently set up a local library page on Facebook so people can see photos of what is available and select books from the virtual library shelves.

To date there have been very few problems other than having to remove fallen flower heads and leaves from bushes overhanging the boxes of books and I am looking forward to keeping this venture going for the foreseeable future.
Christina has helped her local community and herself, keeping everyone in the neighbourhood engaged during Covid-19 and building opportunities for interaction. Has her story inspired you to help in your community? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below...

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lockdown leads to library launch - together, we help.

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I started the library on April 25, putting tubs of books along the pavement outside our garden every day, weather permitting, and people can donate books, swap for others, and return them after reading. Soon, others started having clear outs and giving away various unwanted items such as toys, musical instruments, paint and other DIY goods, as well as fresh milk and food.

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distributing shopping, medicines and hot meals in the Scottish Borders. Innerleithen, Scottish Borders, UK

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distributing shopping, medicines and hot meals in the Scottish Borders. Innerleithen, Scottish Borders, UK

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This is Jamie’s story of volunteering — distributing shopping, medicines and hot meals in the Scottish Borders — during Covid19. Read more here

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volunteering in the community
I volunteered to be a community resilience volunteer which was set up by the Scottish Borders Council (the local authority that oversees Innerleithen where I live) at the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Requests for assistance from service users came to a central co-ordinator at the Innerleithen Community Council and who allocated these requests to volunteers like me. Once the service user who had requested assistance had the volunteer's name and contact details they tended to return to the same volunteer for future requests for help. The service users did this as it saved them having to go through the central co-ordinator again and once you they got to know the volunteer and saw they did a good job for them they felt they could trust them with future requests for assistance.

The assistance I provided covered things like delivering newspapers, food and medicines but also other tasks such as helping someone fix a lawnmower and tidying up a family member's grave and placing flowers on it.

I was quite busy supporting these activities from March to early June but after that, requests fell away quite sharply although I still deliver daily newspapers for two families. This was mainly due to the relaxing of restrictions on movement and that those vulnerable service users who had been asked to shield themselves through staying at home by the Scottish Government were no longer required to do this.

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distributing shopping, medicines and hot meals in the Scottish Borders - together, we help.

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volunteering in the community I volunteered to be a community resilience volunteer which was set up by the Scottish Borders Council (the local authority that oversees Innerleithen where I live) at the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak. Requests for assistance from service users came to a central co-ordinator at the Innerleithen Community Council and who allocated these requests to volunteers like me.

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Helping in Milton, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

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Helping in Milton, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

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Linda, from 'Love Milton', shares her experience of how she helped during the pandemic. "I thought, I want to be able to help people here…. Anybody that could help, did…. I've been on my own a long long time, for myself it's to get out and about and meet people.”  Watch Linda's video here

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Linda, from Love Milton, shares her experience of how she helped during the pandemic. "I thought, I want to be able to help people here.... Anybody that could help, did.... I've been on my own a long long time, for myself it's to get out and about and meet people."

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Linda, from Love Milton, shares her experience of how she helped during the pandemic. "I thought, I want to be able to help people here.... Anybody that could help, did.... I've been on my own a long long time, for myself it's to get out and about and meet people."

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'LGBTQ Voices'  encouraging connection and conversation in the LGBTQ community. Dumfries, UK

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'LGBTQ Voices'  encouraging connection and conversation in the LGBTQ community. Dumfries, UK

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Jenna Macrory is from Dumfries but studies music at Newcastle University and is a guitarist in a band. Through touring, she has become interested in the different ways she is treated from one location to the next.

Jenna tells us about starting a project and campaign — a place and a language for the LGBTQ community to come together online — as a way to bring a voice to and connect this community. Read her story...

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Jenna Macrory is from Dumfries but studies music at Newcastle University and is a guitarist in a band. Through touring, she has become interested in the different ways she is treated from one location to the next. Jenna tells us about starting a project and campaign - a place and a language for the LGBTQ community to come together online - as a way to bring a voice to and connect this community. Read her story... by Jenna Macrory
As lockdown restrictions have progressed over the year we have seen conversation change. Many of us lack the interactions we used to receive from colleagues or only speak in person with whomever we have embarked upon lockdown with. These limited people we are able to see (if any) do not necessarily share the same views as us. All of these factors have contributed to conversational spaces moving away from the physical interactions to open up for a new format of online conversational spaces that reconnects people during a time when we need it most.

Receiving abuse is a feeling all too familiar to most LGBTQ people. LGBTQ voices began as a project viewing hate speech as the start of an unsolicited conversation (online and offline). But I have built an online space for the LGBTQ community to express their thoughts in conversation in a productive way.

The world of online dating is one of these new online conversation spaces that is often overlooked. Apps such as Tinder serve as direct links to the local LGBTQ community. Online dating apps are one of very few places that LGBTQ people can directly and instantly connect with each other resulting in Tinder becoming a space for our conversation about hate speech as unsolicited conversation. Tinder provocationsis at the forefront of these interactions with my community. These provocations are thought provoking questions loaded onto a Tinder account. These provoking questions are aimed at highlighting experiences and issues unique to the LGBTQ community, allowing these voices to be heard.
These digital conversation spaces are more important than ever, particularly in rural communities such as Dumfries and Galloway. Spaces for celebrating LGBTQ identity are scarce enough as is but with Covid-19 restrictions we see people completely cut off from communities of like minded individuals leaving behind an unheard population.
The responses to the Tinder provocations developed into talking points for an LGBTQ podcast. The podcast serves as an opportunity to delve further into issues highlighted through the provocations while providing a public platform for these points. (This podcast will be launched later in 2020.)

Although listening to the community has been my central focus, the legacy of this project is intended for a different group. LGBTQ voices is for the cisgender heterosexual population. It is a way to reveal these issues not just as LGBTQ issues but as human issues. There is an illusion that because you cannot relate to someone else's experience it strips them of what you consider to be human, they become a blank canvas for abuse. I hope that through sharing in experiences one person might reconsider before shouting hate speech. Realising that LGBTQ people are as human as anyone else is the intended outcome for this project.
Jenna has helped a community to make connections in a time of great isolation and uncertainty, giving people a voice and to help process what they might be experiencing. This aims to bring awareness to the LGBTQ as well as cisgender heteronormative communities. Has her story inspired you to reach out to your community in an innovative way? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below...

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encouraging connection and conversation in the LGBTQ community - together, we help.

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Jenna Macrory is from Dumfries but studies music at Newcastle University and is a guitarist in a band. Through touring, she has become interested in the different ways she is treated from one location to the next.

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Joe's Half Marathon - for Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK

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Joe's Half Marathon - for Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Aberdeen, UK

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12 year old Joe, from Aberdeen decided to run a half marathon in his back garden to raise funds for Aberdeen Hospitals’ ITU during the pandemic. Here, he shares his video and what he learnt (and what Scotland can learn) going forward. He says “It taught me how important the NHS is to everyone is Scotland, and we must always do our best to protect it”  Watch Joe's story here

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12 year old Joe, from Aberdeen decided to run a half marathon in his back garden to raise funds for Aberdeen Hospitals' ITU during the pandemic. Here, he shares his video and what he learnt (and what Scotland can learn) going forward. He says "It taught me how important the NHS is to everyone is Scotland, and we must always do our best to protect it"

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Joe's half marathon - together, we help.

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12 year old Joe, from Aberdeen decided to run a half marathon in his back garden to raise funds for Aberdeen Hospitals' ITU during the pandemic. Here, he shares his video and what he learnt (and what Scotland can learn) going forward.

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North East Glasgow Framework for Dialogue Group (FFD) Red Road, Glasgow

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North East Glasgow Framework for Dialogue Group (FFD) Red Road, Glasgow

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North East Glasgow Framework for Dialogue Group (FFD) is a community group which provides support and advice to asylum seekers and refugees.

North East Glasgow Framework group:
Adnan Ibrahim

This group was formed in 2002. It is a constituted group and managed by a group of management committee members elected at the Annual General Meeting. We support our members by a community worker from Glasgow City Council and through funding we get from different funding bodies.

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Adnan Ibrahim

North East Glasgow Framework for Dialogue Group (FFD) is a community group which provides support and advice to asylum seekers and refugees.

This group was formed in 2002. It is a constituted group and managed by a group of management committee members elected at the Annual General Meeting. We support our members by a community worker from Glasgow City Council and through funding we get from different funding bodies.

Before the Coronavirus pandemic, we held meetings every month to share information and to raise any concerns. Also, we brought in speakers to talk about services or issues relating to asylum seekers and refugees. Furthermore, we organised activities for our members for example trips, visits and trainings.

We have many representations in different networks to voice out and share our needs. Our aims are to achieve with keeping our members up to date with changes to processes and legislations relating to people who are seeking asylum or who are refugees.

We also make sure that our members are aware of and know how to access services and engaging with services providers to influence and to improve services. New people who come to this country might not socialise with others due to language barriers, so we aim to reduce isolation and promote social integration.

My work with North East Glasgow Framework for Dialogue Group as a volunteer chairperson was to provide support to our members who are asylum seekers and refugees as much as I can during the Covid-19. I applied to many different funding bodies for funds to support our members. Using these funds we received, I managed to deliver four different projects. Firstly, with our activities being reduced we are delivering a telephone service two times a week between 11-3 pm. This activity will create an opportunity for our members to speak with a volunteer and address issues but also be supported to make contacts with other agencies. Secondly, have volunteers helping our elderly with groceries and shopping and medicine drops. By doing this our community members will not feel isolated and forgotten. We also support our community members with top up vouchers to overcome the digital poverty. By doing this we hope to overcome the impact on people's mental health created by Covid-19. Provision of top up vouchers will enable our community members to stay in touch with one another and take part in online activities organised by our community group.

Moreover, we planned to deliver online activities to increase social interactions in order to support mental health issues. This activity is delivered once a week by our volunteers. With the schools being back to normal we feel that this service will focus on working with adults who have been affected by Covid-19. We think that this activity will be significant to our community member's interaction and wellbeing. Lastly, we make regular weekly deliveries which include basic food, toiletries and sanitary products to our members.

I feel that everything we are doing it has helped our members cope well with the Coronavirus situation especially of those who are not allowed to work because of their immigration status. My motivation was from the Management Committee to help the community who are struggling financially. Especially those who are struggling financially such as asylum seekers and refugees.

Going forward I think that nationally the government should focus on people's mental health and provide services to help with this. Many people are being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic emotionally and financially and this should not be ignored as it might create other problems in our society. Especially with asylum seekers and refugees as they have suffered mental and physical problems and had fled their country.

Also, still struggling to get their rights due to the immigration process. The government should give more support to this category of people and the Home Office should deal with them as normal human beings. Scottish communities, NGOs and other groups should give more help and support and work together with these local communities like BAME to make them integrate with the society and give access to the services as new Scots.

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community action to support asylum seekers and refugees - together, we help.

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Adnan Ibrahim North East Glasgow Framework for Dialogue Group (FFD) is a community group which provides support and advice to asylum seekers and refugees. This group was formed in 2002. It is a constituted group and managed by a group of management committee members elected at the Annual General Meeting.