Community Resilience Briefing – 9 September 2022

Welcome to The Highland Council’s fortnightly briefing for groups with an interest in local community resilience. 

Death of her Majesty the Queen – Following the announcement of the death of Her Majesty the Queen, The Highland Council has released this statement. This also includes information on local gardens of remembrance or books of condolence (see link).

Covid related information 

• Scottish Government Covid-19 Guidance   
  
• NHS Inform Covid data   
  
• NHS Inform Covid information and guidance   
  
• NHS Highland local vaccination information – this includes information on the winter Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Flu vaccination programme which is now underway.
  

Funding  

SCVO is a key source of funding information for the third sector https://scvo.scot/funding. Funds that may be of interest include:

• Your Police, You Decide Caithness
  The priorities for this participatory budgeting fundare improving safety and wellbeing (including mental health) and tackling poverty and inequality. Next deadline: 24 Oct 2022.
  
• Highland Council – Village Halls Grant
  Provides revenue grants to encourage community use of village halls. Applications can be submitted at any time.
  
• Highland Council – Ward Discretionary Fund
  Any reasonable applications, usually from community groups and organisations will be considered. Applications can be submitted at any time.
  

• Discover Digital Inclusion and Participation Grants
  The ALLIANCE has a new funding opportunity for voluntary sector and community organisations through their Discover Digital programme. There are two different grants available (up to £3,000 and up to £15,000), for organisations doing work on promoting health and wellbeing through digital tools and services. Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday 14 September. Find out more and make an application .
  
• Community Learning & Development Digital Device Fund
  If your organisation delivers community learning and development services in Scotland, then you could be eligible to apply for up to £15,000 to purchase digital devices that can be used by learners to support their development. Applications close at 12pm on Friday 16 September. For full fund criteria and to apply, visit our SCVO grantmaking portal
  

Welfare, poverty reduction and resilience

• Adult Disability Payment – Social Security Scotland are providing support for extra costs for people with a disability or long-term health condition. 
  
• Trellis Community Food Growing Networking Event – 30^th September, Badenoch & Strathspey Community Hospital, Aviemore 10 am – 3.30 pm
  This event would suit any Community Food Growing projects, whether established or in the initial stages of set-up.  The last Trellis event was a great opportunity to meet with groups and organisations who have an interest in CFG and the mental/health benefits of growing food.
  
• How to Plan for National Power Outages (NPO) – Attached is details from The Scottish Business Resilience Centre who are hosting a free event on 5^th October 12:00-2:00pm about preparing a business for a National Power Outage.
  
• Practical Cyber Resilience Skills – Cyber Scotland are hosting two free online workshops to learn about cyber security, earning a certificate at the end and a practical cyber security badge. The events are:

Wednesday 14 September 10:00-12:00 – Tools for staying safe online
Wednesday 21 September 10:00-12:00 – Tools for Resilience and Recovery

• Monthly Threat Update – The City of London Police have released the latest information on fraud and cyber dependent crime. Reports of scams have been increasing continually, with some of the current most common scams involving football tickets, fake holiday giveaways, and amazon gift cards. Attached is the full document with more information.
  

Mental Health and Wellbeing  

• NHS Highland Mental Wellbeing – a collection of resources and signposts to help people of all ages to look after their own mental wellbeing.
  
• Cost of living crisis and your mental health
  Many people are feeling the strain as the cost of living continues to increase.  This resource provides information on how you can maintain your mental wellbeing at this time, alongside information on how to manage your money as bills rise.
  

Emergency Planning 

• Met Office Weather Ready https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/weatherready 
  
• Floodline Scotland https://floodlinescotland.org.uk/ 
  
• Ready Scotland – preparing for emergencies https://ready.scot/
  

Other

• Energy Cost Calculator – Allows you to calculate the running costs of any electrical items using a range of tariffs.
  
• free digital checkup service – SCVO have created a tool to review your digital capability and get advice on your next steps regarding leadership, equipment, content, resilience and more.
  
• Opportunity to Join the University of the Highlands & Islands (UHI) Foundation –
  Foundation is the name of our external network, who come together in an up to 120-person strong membership, four times a year, providing the vital link between UHI and our communities. The collective role of Foundation is to act as a custodian of our articles of association, shape the university’s future, champion UHI, and jointly drive positive change for the region. You can find more information here Governance – Foundation (uhi.ac.uk) . You can contact Dr Jen Vanderhoven for further information at jen.vanderhoven@uhi.ac.uk
  
  We are looking for new members from across our stakeholder groups, and the region to join – Community, businesses, government and policy makers, future students and schools, alumni and donors. If you would like to join UHI Foundation, please take a look at the commitment we look for from our members, on the website and then complete our online application form .

Douglas Crawford
Business Analyst

Community Support and Engagement

Highland Council