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³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Scotland’s Make a Difference campaign is here to provide a platform to those individuals and organisations looking to help their communities. We're here to help to amplify your message and let our listeners know what they can do to help and who to contact if they need support.

How do I get involved with Radio Scotland's Make a Difference campaign?

If you have information, experiences or stories to share then please contact makeadifference.scotland@bbc.co.uk or follow #makeadifference across ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Scotland’s social media.

How can I find out what others are doing as part of the Make a Difference campaign?

Make a Difference features will be broadcast at 2.30pm on weekdays within ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Radio Scotland’s The Afternoon Show and information and content will be available on this page.

With schools now closed we’re asking if you can help pupils and families in need of access to technology. Perhaps you received new laptops, tablets or mobiles for Christmas and/or you may have old devices you don’t need anymore?

Who to contact to donate your technology to and receive technology from in Scotland:

Weare sharing details of companies and charities who can help us achieve our aim of getting devices to pupils. Some can collect, wipe and share the laptops all in one; some can help take your devices off your hands to fix them ready for distribution. If you have something you’d like to donate – and that could be a laptop; computer; mobile phone or tablet – please get in touch with one the six organisations in Scotland working with The Restart Project. You can find their location and details if you scroll down on the following link:

More organisations will be added in the coming weeks as and when their applications have been submitted and reviewed. Please DO NOT bring donations to ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ sites as we are unable to accept them.

How organisations can apply to take part in receiving and providing the equipment:

If you are a charity, technological or data company that can help provide schools and those in need with access to the educational technology and/or the internet in Scotland and would like to participate then please contact us using this online form.

From July to September 2020, Glasgow-based social enterprise 12 Guitars will be giving away 12 guitars to 12 individuals or organisations that will benefit from receiving a guitar. They are aiming to find people from different backgrounds and locations and to get a guitar into their hands and get them playing as soon as possible. If they need tuition, they will provide this to get them started.

- 0800 12 44 222
A free, confidential phone service for older people, their carers and families in Scotland. They provide information, friendship and advice. The helpline is free to call and available Monday - Friday 9-5pm.

- 0808 808 3000
Alzheimer Scotland wants you to know that anyone living with dementia, or their family members and carers can call their Freephone Dementia Helpline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and that all their local support services and Dementia Advisors continue to operate throughout Scotland. Whether you are looking for information, emotional support, or just need to talk, you can contact them.

- 0808 801 0301
There are many women from BAME communities who feel digitally excluded because they either don’t know how to access the internet or they don’t have the means to do it. As a result, the Muslim Women’s Resource Centre has specifically designed a digital inclusion course to get women digitally connected.

Amma are asking for donations of radios, smartphones and tablets to help very isolated and vulnerable women stay connected. They are also looking for a qualified technician to PAT test donated equipment.

Artist Angus Farquhar was all set to exhibit gloriously bright coloured hessian grow bags on the disused land around Glasgow music venue SWG3 when the pandemic struck. Not wanting the grow bags or indeed seed tatties to go to waste, he shared them round neighbours all along his street and is now working with communities in Possil to get folks growing tatties!

Fiona Sinclair at Gartnavel Royal Hospital in Glasgow emailed Make a Difference to say that she’d like to thank Charlie Gorman. He’s a musician in the band and also spends a fair bit of time bringing music into hospitals. Now he’s providing Garden Serenades for patients. Fiona runs the Art in the Gart programme at Gartnavel hospital, working with all ages and all forms of acute mental illness using music, art and gardening.

A small charitable organisation in Glasgow that normally trains people up to be confident riding bikes as alternative to taking the car. Now, they’re using their community to provide a bike lending library for key workers. It’s been so successful they’re asking for bike donations from the public.

The Bike Station is an Edinburgh and Perth based charity that reclaims and recycles bikes to encourage people to cycle safely. Now they are offering free ‘Hero bikes’ to frontline staff to help them get to work safely, as well as giving time to think and decompress while cycling, improving physical and mental wellbeing. They are keen to receive ‘nearly road ready bikes’ so they can repair and get them out to heroes for free, and for organisations to perhaps donate a bike or safety equipment.

- 0800 83 85 87
Information on how we can all improve our mental health in these challenging times.
Weekdays: Monday-Thursday 6pm to 2am. Weekend: Friday 6pm-Monday 6am.

- 0808 808 7777
The helpline is open 9am-6pm, Mon-Fri and the website is where you’ll find guidance on dealing with coronavirus, links to carers centres in your area and other local organisations who can help.

Online sharing of skills and information, this website matches up people with skills and expertise and those who want to learn something new.

Scotland’s national chef Gary Maclean has provided a lockdown recipe every day since the start, now at 110 and counting! His demo has reached a global audience of over a million people.

A singing group for people with respiratory conditions like COPD, bronchitis and asthma, is providing accessible online singing exercises and songs.

- 0800 1111
The lockdown can be a testing time for vulnerable children and young people. Remember, you can contact Childline about any worries by calling 0800 1111 or visiting between 9am and midnight. Adults concerned about a child's welfare can call the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children's Helpline on 0808 800 5000, between 8am and 10pm, Monday to Friday, and between 9am and 6pm at the weekends or visit .

- 0800 028 1456Advice covers the rights of furloughed workers and the recent COVID-19-related changes to the benefit system, debt advice, information, guidance and support to people who are finding difficulty managing their finances in terms of paying credit cards, loans, rent, mortgages, council tax or are already in debt repayment plans. - 01592 359040
Self-isolation Helpline, for essential supplies: 01592 359012
The centre has transformed into a first response hub right on the frontline, offering a lifeline to local residents. They are looking for more volunteers, especially for phone befriending, and donations of food and materials for children’s activities like felt tip pens.

- 0845 600 2227
Supporting people in these extremely challenging times.

To ease the added level of separation from the world people in residential care are presently experiencing, digital consultant Kevin Mitchell founded Dear Friend, a place where children and adults can upload letters which will be sent out to care homes who sign up to it and be given to residents to read or be read to. He invites listeners to put pen to paper!

Continuing through the Covid crisis with the help of their volunteers. Find out how to get involved.

Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity and Edinburgh City Libraries have teamed up to create a Book Bus, delivering books to hundreds of children shielding at home. Fuelling the imagination for children at times of stress. Offering emergency packs, arts and crafts packs and other support services to families known to the hospital.

Since the zoo closed to visitors their animal webcams have been become popular around the world. Watch the panda, penguin, lion, tiger and koala cams live and learn from home.

Elgin Youth café has been working hard to stay connected with young people in the area, as teenagers are finding it particularly tough under lockdown.

Started in April 2020, Empty Kitchens, Full Hearts has teamed up with currently closed to provide thousands of meals to locals in need. Using food donated by supermarkets, charities and individuals, and utensils and catering equipment given by closed kitchens and restaurants, all of the meals are cooked from scratch by professional catering staff who have either lost their jobs or been on the furlough scheme and are giving their time for free, alongside an army of volunteers who do the packing and delivering.

Euan’s Guide want to make a difference to disabled people across Scotland with a new forum to help boost their spirits and share ideas.

Mark McGuire, a former GB cyclist has swapped his bike for running shoes to run a marathon a day in June. As well as inspiring people to get active during the lockdown period, he is raising funds in memory of his young friend who passed with a heart problem. He's raised over £10,000 for ''. You can follow his exploits on his Instagram.

FareShare is the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors, made up of 17 independent organisations. Together, we take good quality surplus food from right across the food industry and get it to almost 11,000 frontline charities and community groups. Since 30th March FareShare have distributed 1700 tonnes of food to 525 community groups across Scotland - 1700 tonnes of food is the equivalent food of 4 million meals.

- 0141 258 4868
A Scottish charity for amputees, or ‘Troopers’ as they call themselves, has been working flat out to ensure people who often experience social isolation don’t feel alone during this crisis. Volunteer Barbara Catterson, who lost her foot after a car accident, loves getting on the phone and averages 20 calls per day. If you or a family member is affected by amputation or limb absence, Finding Your Feet can be reached on 0141 258 4868.

Grocery delivery service for elderly and vulnerable people Dundee, Clackmannanshire, Stirling, West Lothian, the Borders, Glasgow, Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire. Looking for new volunteers. Website has advice on receiving food safely into your home.

Foundation Scotland has set up a new emergency fund for constituted groups and small charities across the country to support the most affected and vulnerable people suffering through the pandemic. Grants of between £1,000-£5,000 pounds are available and a total of over £1.3 million has been distributed to date. Foundation Scotland has designed a quick, simple application form and is operating a very fast 72-hour turnaround from applying to receiving funds.

An NHS approved app, Feeling Good, based on positive mental training for Olympic athletes, is now available to the general public for free. Feeling Good has been used widely by NHS patients for several years, and research shows good results. To support people through the Covid pandemic it is now available free for six months if you download before the end of September.

0808 802 0133
24/7 online chat and telephone helpline. According to the national Gambling charity GAMCARE, lockdown has created the perfect storm for anyone with a gambling problem. Isolation, boredom and stress have all exacerbated the issue. GAMCARE operate the National Gambling Helpline, provide treatment for problem gamblers and their families, create awareness about responsible gambling and treatment, and encourage an effective approach to responsible gambling within the gambling industry.

Cosima Neacsu, a community worker in Glasgow’s Govanhill, is helping people in the Roma community by providing accessible information about Covid 19 and government guidelines, whilst also supporting people experiencing anxiety and isolation.

Promoting physiotherapy during lockdown.

Tommy Whitelaw from Alliance Scotland is calling out to individuals and families to share art and poetry with people to "spread kindness and smiles for Carer Voices".

The Scottish Social Services Council has launched a campaign to highlight the extraordinary skill and dedication of social and care workers through the pandemic. If you’d like to share a story you can join in @SSSCnews using the hashtag #InspiringCareStories.

The Kindness ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖless Street Team Glasgow are desperately seeking donations and volunteers to help feed the homeless in Glasgow and opening a new service in Edinburgh too.

East Fife and Levenmouth Mental Health Befriending Projects, including Glenrothes, provides befriending for 12 - 18 year olds and has now moved from face to face to remote contact. The project aims to recruit, train and support volunteers who will be matched to people who are isolated due to mental health problems.

Lockdown Bobby invites us to create our very own versions of Greyfriar’s Bobby – the faithful Skye terrier who guarded his master’s Edinburgh grave for 14 years - through video workshops with sculptor Mark Coreth. In support of the which takes an innovative approach to creating community and providing sanctuary and support to participants, many of whom are amongst the most vulnerable of our citizens.

Following the tragic death of their baby son in 2010 from a rare form of cancer, Andy and Jennifer Gill set up the charity, Love Oliver, in his memory. They are committed to keeping Oliver's smile and story alive and their mission is to improve the quality of life for children and their families in Scotland diagnosed with cancer through provision of appropriate financial and practical support, and the development of new treatments through research.

The Willow Tearooms on Sauchiehall Street Glasgow re-opened after a massive renovation in 2018. Just as they were getting on their feet, lockdown came along and they had to cancel over 2,000 bookings. Now with social distancing, it’s not viable to reopen and this Charles Rennie Macintosh masterpiece is in danger of closing for good.

0800 090 2309
Marie Curie provides care and support to individuals with a terminal illness and their families. This includes nursing care in your own home, hospices, information and advice. Open 8am – 6pm Monday to Friday and 11am – 5pm Saturday to Sunday. On bank holidays open 10am – 4pm.

Mercy Corps is an international development aid organisation based in Edinburgh, who work in 40 countries around the world, many being hit much harder by Covid than the UK in the longer term. Although the number of deaths might be lower, there are massive economic problems with food prices, water supply, and jobs. They have launched a campaign Give it Up. Now we’re not able to go to the gym, pub, and restaurants, the money that people are saving is being donated to support people in countries like Syria and Pakistan with food and medicine.

Mikeys Line was set up in 2015 after a number of suicides in the Highland area, and offers a range of support to people young and old who may be experiencing anything from exam worries to loneliness and depression. They have launched a new Facebook messenger call back service - Mikeysline You Are Not Alone (YANA) and can also be contacted by text only on 07779 303303.

Founder Susan Sutherland has been providing a crucial service to new mothers who have found themselves in real financial hardship by providing them with essential baby items.

Mutual Aid Trans Edinburgh or MATE is a voluntary group that has come together to support the Queer and Trans community in the city who might be struggling during the pandemic, offering a variety of support and signposting for different areas of their lives. Chris Bee explains what’s on offer and needs for more volunteers to continue their work.

National Autistic Society, Scotland - 0808 800 4104
and
We have a wealth of resources for autistic people and families to help them through the pandemic and lock down including tips for staying safe, creating a schedule, managing anxiety and looking after your mental health as well as ideas for fun things to do indoors.

If you’re 19 or younger and fancy making a short film about life under Covid, the National Library of Scotland and Scottish Youth Film Festival are running a competition. Moving Images at NLS also provide access their amazing digital collection for a trip down memory lane at

A community hub connecting businesses and patrons in Aberdeen during Covid confusion, helping people find essential information about services and businesses that might be available, like whether a shop is open or they're operating a delivery service. If you're in Aberdeen and run a small business or you want to know what's out there.

Promoting a more inclusive society, supporting people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Paragon is an inclusive music company inspiring people with a wide range of additional support needs to create and perform their own music. They are using Stay ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Music Kits to enable young people to continue to create music together online.

Walking has become incredibly important during lockdown as often the only form of outdoor activity and fresh air helping us all stay physically and mentally well. Paths for All wants to celebrate the value of walking and encourage people to keep walking as part of their daily routines as we return to the ‘new normal’ with a forthcoming exhibition of walking stories Humans of the Walk. For those who are new to walking, there’s a podcast with Edith Bowman if you’re going out on your own, and Summer Path Days provides ideas to make the most fun out of family walks.

Play Scotland offer ‘play packs’ filled with ideas for low-cost, fun and healthy play for families with children. It’s available as an online resource, but they have also sent out 20,000 copies to families with no internet access.

- 0131 550 1557 - GetHelp@poppyscotland.org.uk
Poppyscotland provides life-changing support to the Armed Forces community. Reaching out to those who have served, those still serving, and their families at times of crisis and need by offering vital, practical advice, assistance and funding. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic Welfare Centres in Inverness and Kilmarnock have closed and home visits by our nationwide Welfare Support Service have ceased. If you need support don’t hesitate to get in touch with our welfare team.

If you live in Portobello or Joppa in Edinburgh you can get help with shopping from Porty Coronavirus Action, a group of local people helping neighbours.

For information on volunteering and safety guidelines.

- 0303 123 9999
Support available to 170,000 people living with sight loss in Scotland.
Helpline 0303 123 9999 from 8am to 8pm weekdays and from 9am to 5pm on Saturdays.

- 116 123
The Samaritans nationwide receive a call every six minutes. You don’t need to be at crisis point before you reach out. They are there, 24/7, for anyone who is struggling with worries or feeling low and needs someone to listen.

Andy Douglas in Perth founded the first not for profit gym focused on fitness for mental health and wellbeing, using a combination of exercise, mindful relaxation and peer support. They’ve been providing free classes online during lockdown, and are now launching a new APP to support communities and individuals in self-managing their mental health.

Scottish Ballet is offering bite-sized movement classes to NHS staff and care workers. Health at Hand online sessions are designed to energise at the start of the day, rejuvenate during a break, and relax at the end of a shift - something we can all benefit from if feeling a bit stressed, tired or achy! They also have special sessions for people living with Parkinsons, MS, and dementia, for the over 60s and on Fridays a popular Family Barre class with principal dancer Bethany Kingsley Garner.

Top tips on how to keep your head and find a way through the many family arguments taking place during lockdown.

Advice on how to keep an eye on our alcohol consumption during lockdown, and support to family members affected by a loved one’s drinking habits

Scottish Government helpline for vulnerable people - 0800 111 4000
For Scots who are at high risk from coronavirus and don’t have a support network at home. The service is aimed at people who are older, disabled, are pregnant, or who received a flu jab for health reasons. It will connect them to local services which can help provide food and medicine as well as emotional support. 0800 111 4000, open between 09:00 and 17:00.

As more women feel increased anxiety around self-isolation or even quarantine in a house Scottish Women's Air are making a difference to women throughout Scotland.

The community spirited Borders village of Walkerburn came up with a neat idea: a Sharing SHED. This stands for Staying Healthy and Entertained with Dignity and it’s all about making sure everyone in the village can access essential items like basic foodstuffs and toiletries and also swap books, DVDs, toys, even seedlings. It’s so popular they might have to find a bigger shed!

An Aberdeen charity who supply furniture and home goods for free to those in crisis. They need 3 or 4 portakabins, or similar, as a space to quarantine everything that is donated, in order to clean and disinfect each item before bringing it into the store. They also raise money by selling donated furniture. If you can help, or if you have furniture to donate, please email Info@somebodycaresuk.org

A music organisation that engages people living with dementia is receiving a special call out from recent graduate and soprano, Rachel Speirs, who is hosting an online concert in their aid, performing from her home in Gartmore on Friday 3rd July, 2020 at 8pm live on her . The concert is called ‘³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ’ and will be a relaxed 30 minute long recital featuring a mixture of Scottish songs, Lieder, and Opera arias.

Space and the Broomhouse Hub provide a range of services across South West Edinburgh, including for the elderly, young people and families. They would like to ask for your help to make life a bit better for the young carers they support, some as young as seven years old, who find themselves even more isolated as they often don’t have access to devices to enable online contact. If you would like to donate a tablet or laptop to help reunite a young carer with their peer support group, you can drop off or post to: Space & Broomhouse Hub, 79-89 Broomhouse Crescent, Edinburgh EH11 3RH

Faced with shutting down their weekly community football activities, the foundation decided to become a food distribution hub delivering essentials to those most in need in North Edinburgh.

- 0141 418 2614 / 07913060245
Spirit aid provide support to youngster dealing with poverty and conflict both at home and abroad.

- 01776 707778
Making a difference to cancer patients and their families in the local area by offering much needed emotional support and advice as well as offering a listening ear.

Stennhousemuir FC Warriors in the community have recruited 170 locals from the community to provide 18,000 volunteer hours to deliver meals, a free library service, a befriending service for those in isolation and plants to cheer up peoples gardens.

- 0800 1381111
Since lockdown, the national debt charity StepChange have seen a significant rise in people contacting their helpline as more and more families fall into debt due to being furloughed or having lost their jobs. Practical advice on how to take control of our debt before it becomes a bigger issue.

When Jean Nimmo Smith visited her mum’s care home to take her an ipad, she realised not everyone there had access to that technology. With the help of Scottish Care, she’s kicked off a scheme to source ipads for the elderly.

We are a conservation charity dedicated to rewilding the Scottish Highlands. We have established 44 tree planting sites and planted nearly two million trees. Volunteers committed to stay at the Dundreggan rewilding estate near Loch Ness since 23rd March to save more than 100,000 native young trees from being lost due to lockdown.

Sign up to volunteer for charities and community groups.

Volunteers Week are celebrating the huge contribution volunteers are making during the pandemic, and remembering those who have had to stay at home, by asking the public to send in poems, pictures and video 'thank you' messages.

The small borders community has responded to the crisis by setting up a Resilience Virtual Kindness Group. Spreading kindness through Food HUGS: Healthy Uncomplicated Great Scran.

Young Scot puts the word out that they’ve created a new website offering reliable, accessible information and advice on coronavirus for young people aged 11-26. They also reveal the results of the Lockdown Lowdown - a survey of what young people are most anxious about.