09.03.2023
Could Active Play be the route to better health?
Being physically active is one of the most important things people can do to improve their physical and mental health. It can help prevent a range of non-communicable diseases, those associated with unhealthy behaviour such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and improves mental health and cognitive functioning, among other benefits. However, the new Step Up!
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20.06.2022
Key Themes from Peer Support for Dads
Monday 20th June marks International Father’s Mental Health Awareness Day. Earlier this year, the Inspiring Scotland PIMH team alongside Scottish Government hosted an online event: Perinatal Peer Support Scotland. The aim of the session was to recognise the contribution of peer support workers; showcase good practice and highlight the role of peer support and how
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25.02.2022
Thrive Outdoors Blog Series: Case Studies- the children’s experience
This month for the sixth instalment of our Botanics Blog series we hear from the two nurseries taking part in the pilot- Outdoor Nursery Edinburgh (ONE) and Edzell. Both nurseries share their own case study on a child’s experience of ‘The Wee Garden’. Hearing about the difference this outdoor space has made to each
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21.01.2022
Thrive Outdoors Blog Series: Sharing learning from the Wee Garden
This month for the fifth instalment of our Botanics Blog series we hear from Caroline Walsh an Early Years Outdoor Learning Officer at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Caroline shares her experience of the project so far and the key learnings along the way! I came into this exciting research project full of ideas. I had a vision
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06.01.2022
Promoting healthy and resilient island communities
People living on Scottish islands will benefit from community-led wellness initiatives designed to support them to live healthier lifestyles as funding has now been allocated for the Scottish Government’s Healthy Islands Fund. The Healthy Islands Fund will help to deliver these initiatives with just over £1.3 million of Scottish Government funding from the wider £30
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17.12.2021
Thrive Outdoors blog series: researching the magic of the Botanics’ Wee Garden
This month for the fourth instalment of our Botanics Blog we spoke with Selvarani Selvaraja, a medical doctor from Malaysia, currently pursuing MSc Education (Early Childhood and Froebel) at The University of Edinburgh. Selvarani has been involved in this project as part of the research team, led by Dr. Lynn McNair, Head of Cowgate Under Fives Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland, and a Lecturer in
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25.11.2021
Marking 16 days of activism
Today marks the beginning of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. 16 days is an annual international campaign which starts on the 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. Inspiring Scotland are Programme manager of Delivering Equally Safe, the Scottish Government’s
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19.11.2021
Thrive Outdoors Blog Series: Nurseries experience so far
This month for the third installment of our Botanics Blog we caught up with Edzell Nursery and Outdoor Nursery Edinburgh (ONE), the two nurseries involved in the project, to see how the experience has been so far. Edzell Nursery is based within a church hall at Goldenacre very close to the Botanic Gardens. Being based
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09.11.2021
Creative Communities Programme Case Studies
We are sharing a number of case studies from our charity partners projects who were or currently are part of the Creative Communities Programme. These case studies highlight the brilliant work of our charity partners and the impact these projects had on their local communities. Each project had to pivot during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read More28.10.2021
A day in the life of… Thrive Outdoors Fund Manager
Welcome to our first ever ‘Day in the Life Of’ feature, in which Thrive Outdoors Fund Manager, Melodie Crumlin, talks about her first six weeks with Inspiring Scotland What has a typical day looked like for you? The work itself has varied from day to day. Some days have been spent connecting with the wider
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15.10.2021
Thrive Outdoors Blog Series: Bringing Outdoor ELC to the Botanics
Blog 1 This week sees the start of an exciting collaboration between the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), Inspiring Scotland’s Thrive Outdoors team, the University of Edinburgh and two Edinburgh-based Early Learning and Childcare settings; Edzell Nursery and Outdoor Nursery Edinburgh (ONE). Over the next six months the partners will undertake research as groups of
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15.10.2021
Creating resilient and sustainable islands
People living in Scotland’s island-based communities will benefit from new funding for projects designed to support employment, community resilience and health and wellbeing. Through the £2 million Island Communities Fund, 29 successful community groups and businesses across 23 islands have been awarded grants of up to £150,000 each. Projects focus on developing sustainable economic activities
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06.11.2020
Accessing the right kind of help can transform the lives of new parents
Pregnancy, birth and caring for a new baby can involve some of the most rewarding experiences in life. Yet being a new parent can also be difficult and isolating for mothers and families.
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04.11.2020
The Potential of our Relationships
Link Up worker Hannah Kirby reflects on Hilary Cottam’s book ‘Radical Help’ and the parallels with Inspiring Scotland’s community development and wellbeing programme.
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21.10.2020
The importance of engaging Scotland’s girls in Active Play
To celebrate Scottish woman and girls in sport week 2020 we decided to interview Anne- Marie, who is involved in the running of the Active Play programme at voluntary organisation FARE Scotland, on the importance of engaging girls in Active play. FARE Scotland (Family Action in Rogerfield and Easterhouse) is a voluntary organisation working within
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22.07.2020
We start with hope
We must take this moment to reappraise and reimagine how our systems of support for the most vulnerable should operate in future, writes Andrew Magowan. How we shape and control the world around us is the primary means by which we develop and express our place and role in this world. If we are unable
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02.07.2020
Our Future Now – The Need to Act
Alongside trusted charities and investors, we are committed to supporting young people as they navigate the challenges of the post COVID-19 job market, writes Inspiring Scotland Chief Executive Celia Tennant. After 10 years of sustained effort from across government, business, and civil society in Scotland, youth unemployment reached a record low of 6.9% in July
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02.07.2020
Where should our future classrooms be?
In this collaborative blog, Rachel Cowper of Thrive Outdoors and Central Scotland Green Network Trust’s Deryck Irving present the case for moving classroom teaching outside post-COVID-19. The response to the current pandemic has meant the introduction of new behaviours to many aspects of our day-to-day lives. The process of easing lockdown will require changed behaviours
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11.06.2020
National Carers Week: raising awareness of hidden carers is more important than ever
Inspiring Scotland supports East Ayrshire Carers Centre (EACC) to work with young people with a caring role at home. This guest blog is from EACC Co-Chief Executive Officer Fiona Robson. It’s National Carers Week, and the theme this year is to “Make Carers Visible”. The irony of our current situation is not lost on us
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26.05.2020
Scottish Tech Army: free digital help & advice during COVID-19
Entrepreneur Peter Jaco, co-founder of the Scottish Tech Army explains how his volunteer force of technologist can help charities and public sector organisations with any coronavirus-related challenges they might be facing – free of charge. When Alistair Forbes and I launched the Scottish Tech Army (STA) on 28 April, we had no idea it would
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22.05.2020
Nurturing the ‘new normal’ through outdoor learning and play
As we move out of lockdown, embracing our outside spaces can help society recover and build resilience for the future, writes Thrive Outdoors Programme Manager Rachel Cowper. The online algorithms must be getting to know my reading habits of late, because I have come across many articles over the last few days discussing what the
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12.02.2020
How your professional expertise can make a difference
Did you know that Inspiring Scotland’s specialist volunteer opportunities enable you to use your skills and expertise for the greater good? Specialist Volunteer Executive Elaine Crichton explains how you can make a difference. Traditional volunteering roles aren’t for everyone – whilst many of us want to share our time and skills with charities and other
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29.11.2019
Playing outside helps children to have a stake in their communities
By Jill Fraser, Community Play Performance Advisor Community is an old and deeply human idea. It is about sharing; people sharing experiences, sharing places and sharing hopes. We gain a sense of community early in our lives. For children, playing is intrinsically linked to a burgeoning sense of belonging to a bigger group of people
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20.11.2019
Beyond play: community play charities are a vital support for struggling families
By Jill Fraser, Community Play Performance Advisor Inspiring Scotland exists to address poverty and disadvantage. The role of Play Rangers, our community play programme, in this work isn’t self-evident. Yet giving children the opportunity to play outside, in their own neighbourhood, can reveal the damaging effects and true extent of child poverty in Scotland and
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19.11.2019
People are at the heart of sustainable charities
All charities have the people they serve at the heart of everything they do, writes Performance Advisor Kirsty Gilchrist. It is a core principle of our sector. But people are also at the heart of how they do it. Without the energy, compassion and expertise of staff, charities could not do the extraordinary work they
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