MORE communities will be able to deliver programmes to improve mental health and wellbeing in adults and children thanks to a £30million funding announcement.

The money from the Scottish Government will be split between two funds to deliver community-based support and vital programmes aimed at building resilience.

MSP Keith Brown has welcomed the investment, explaining it showcases a commitment to tackling mental health inequalities.

The Clackmannanshire and Dunblane representative said: “An additional £30 million for community-based mental health and wellbeing projects is very good news indeed.

“It will help support adults, children and young people across Scotland and in my Clackmannanshire and Dunblane constituency.

“This is a funding boost which will be directed towards grass roots initiatives delivering vital programmes aimed at building resilience and addressing social isolation, through prevention and early intervention.”

The announcement means the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults, and the Children and Young People’s Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Supports, have been awarded £15 million each for 2024-25.

Launched in 2021, the fund for adults has supported grass roots community groups to deliver programmes for adults which build resilience and tackle social isolation, loneliness and mental health inequalities.

Projects focused on connecting people and providing peer support were delivered through activities such as sport, outdoor activities and the arts.

The investment is the Children and Young People’s Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund will enable local authorities to deliver community-based mental health and wellbeing support for young people aged five to 24 and their families.

This includes mentoring, art-based therapies, digital services, whole-family support, counselling, and sport of physical activities.

The fund began in 2020 to help with the mental health impact of the pandemic and its restrictions.

The additional funding means more than £65m has been made available to local authorities since then.

First Minister Humza Yousaf added: “Since 2020 the Scottish Government has invested over £100million in community-based mental health support.

“An independent evaluation published last year shows that projects for adults have lowered social isolation thereby alleviating some of the negative mental and physical health impacts from the pandemic, as well as providing support and self-help for individuals with ill mental health issues.

“More than 300 children and young people’s supports and services are in now in place across the country, and evaluation published by the Scottish Youth Parliament found that nearly three-quarters of young people agreed or strongly agreed that they received support when they needed it.”