Bield Wins £72k Funding to Support Innovative Services

Around 350 older people across Scotland are set to benefit after a leading housing and services provider landed a £72,000 funding boost.

Bield will use the funds to ensure the continued provision of a number of additional services for residents, service users and their families, including dining out experiences for people with dementia, IT projects and social activities.

By successfully securing the grant from the Scottish Government’s People and Communities Fund, Bield will be able to channel the funding towards a range of projects in their developments across the country.

Kevin Rowe, Fundraiser at Bield, said:

“We are understandably delighted to have secured this substantial funding which opens up new possibilities to enrich the lives of so many people across our developments.

“The funding is testament to the success of past initiatives, which have provided fantastic opportunities and have delivered significant improvements to the social, physical and mental well-being of hundreds of people.

“The benefits of these projects go well beyond what is plainly obvious – for every older person whose quality of life improves, family, friends and carers also stand to gain immensely.”

This is the third year running that the People and Communities has contributed to Bield, bringing the total to more than £220,000.

The fund focuses on the promotion of social inclusion and helps to fund projects that encourage communities to come together.

Minister for Housing, Kevin Stewart, said:

“I’m delighted that this new funding will ensure that older residents, care givers and their families from across Scotland will continue to enjoy and benefit from a number of innovative projects run by the care provider.

“Our People and Communities Fund enables communities and organisations to identify what matters most to them and it is vital that older people continue to have access to the support that Bield gives.”

This year the funds will support projects including the continuation of the Evening Support Service at Thornhill Court in Falkirk, ‘Bistros’ designed to provide a safe environment for people living with dementia and their families to dine out together and ‘Playlist for Life’ projects, which encourage the use of familiar music to help those with advanced dementia to communicate and reconnect with friends and family through significant songs.

Developments across the country will benefit from:

•           Evening support services at Whitehill Court in Kirkintilloch and Thornhill Court in Falkirk

•           The continuation of ‘Bield Bistros’ at Whitehill Court in Kirkintilloch, Johnny Moat Place in Prestonpans and Oakburn Park in Milngavie.

•           Weekly exercise groups in Fife

•           Two new fIT2gether projects aimed at enabling tenants and residents to make the most of new technology

•           Three new ‘Playlist for Life’ projects across the country

•           Garden improvements at Langvout Court in Biggar and

•           Potentially a new Bistro and other improvements at Bield’s developments

Bield is a registered charity which grew from humble beginnings, starting out with one housing development in Bo’ness growing into a wide range of housing and services for around 20,000 older people across 23 local authority areas.