Round five in Dumfries and Galloway
Successful applicants in the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund round five:
Annan and District Day Centre: Sustaining services, supporting individuals – 1 year project – £12,000
The Sustaining Services, Supporting Individuals project protects and expands essential support for people attending the day centre with mobility, sensory, cardiovascular and mental health challenges. It provides affordable hot meals as well as wellbeing activities that build confidence and reduce loneliness. The project also signposts people to key services, offers respite for carers and maintains accessible transport in areas with no bus routes.
Bipolar Scotland: Owning Your Journey: Living well with Bipolar – 2 year project – £19,488
The Owning Your Journey: Living Well with Bipolar programme supports adults across Dumfries and Galloway with free, accessible, peer‑led mental health support. It provides online self‑management training, monthly in‑person and online peer groups. The project reduces stigma and isolation, strengthens resilience and supports long‑term self‑management.
Castle Douglas Community Information Technology Centre: Digital Art – 1 year project – £7,365.60
The project delivers popular small‑group digital art classes, teaching participants to create artwork using iPads. Each two‑hour session runs weekly over six‑week blocks, with six courses offered throughout the year at Castle Douglas Community Centre. The classes provide full guidance, refreshments and a welcoming environment.
Chariots of Fire Equestrian Centre Community Interest Company: People and Pony Connection Programme – 1 year project – £9,648
The People and Pony Connection Programme provides small‑group driving sessions for people with additional needs who benefit from short, focused activities. The programme supports individuals with a wide range of physical, neurological and sensory conditions who benefit greatly from therapeutic contact with ponies.
Creation Mill CIC: Mending Minds Project – 2 year project – £11,100
The Mending Minds Project delivers a two‑year mental health initiative in rural Langholm using creative textile practices to support expression, connection and emotional healing. It offers monthly stitching and textile‑based workshops, direct access to counselling and one‑to‑one support and community events that reduce stigma and build resilience.
DGOWL: Branching Out – 1 year project – £20,000
The Branching Out programme provides weekly half‑day woodland sessions for adults aged 16 and over in Dumfries and Galloway. Up to 12 participants per session take part in activities including gentle movement, achievable outdoor tasks, shared food and quiet reflection. The programme helps isolated adults restore routine, wellbeing and hope through nature‑based early intervention.
Down’s Syndrome Scotland: Family Support Service – 2 year project – £12,647.64
The Family Support Service delivers support for people with Down’s syndrome, their families and carers. It provides information, advice and crisis support, helps families understand their entitlements and guides them through complex systems such as healthcare and education. It hosts informal “Grab a cuppa” sessions that build peer support and allow participants to share practical knowledge.
Dumfries and Galloway Carers Centre: Carers Specialist Welfare Benefits Maximisation Project – 2 year project – £36,321
The project offers a specialist welfare and benefits support service for Carers across Dumfries and Galloway, delivered in partnership with Citizens Advice Service. It funds a dedicated adviser with expertise in Carer entitlements, offering early, direct access through the Carers Centre and local Carer organisations. The service improves financial stability, reduces waiting times and provides seamless referrals to wider support such as debt or housing advice.
Dumfries and Galloway Hard of Hearing Group: Helping you Hear at Home – 2 year project – £20,000
The Helping you Hear at Home project provides home visits across Dumfries and Galloway to housebound people suffering from hearing loss. Fully trained volunteers are able to maintain hearing aids, offer practical advice and provide companionship, helping reduce isolation and prevent mental health decline. They also visit almost all local care homes every four months, ensuring residents have functioning hearing aids thus improving communication, independence and quality of life.
Dumfries Mens Shed: Dumfries Mens shed – 2 year project – £18,000
The project delivers a wide range of wellbeing activities including digital skills sessions, music groups, gardening activities and warm‑hub café, offering low‑cost nutritious meals and free fruit. Expanded craft spaces, workshops and training in food hygiene, first aid and fire safety help members build transferable skills. Open days and targeted outreach aim to widen participation and support more people facing poverty and poor mental health.
Dumfries Table Tennis Club: DTTC – Serving the Community – 2 year project – £7,537.60
Dumfries Table Tennis Club delivers a two‑year wellbeing programme, offering free, inclusive table‑tennis activities for adults across Dumfries. Qualified coaches and trained volunteers provide taster sessions, weekly beginners’ drop‑ins and targeted sessions for women and over‑50s. A dedicated Serving the Disabled Community strand supports disabled participants through group sessions and links to existing disability classes.
Early Years Scotland: Early Years Scotland Bump & Beyond – 2 year project – £59,549
The Bump and Beyond programme strengthens the mental health, confidence and resilience of parents and carers with children aged 0–2. Delivered in local community venues, it offers six‑week programmes combining baby massage, baby yoga, play‑and‑learn activities and a welcoming Baby Café space. Parents benefit from bonding support, wellbeing activities, peer connection and access to partner services.
Families Outside: Supporting individuals affected by imprisonment in Dumfries and Galloway – 2 year project – £15,543
The project supports individuals affected by the imprisonment of a partner or family member. It provides confidential 1‑to‑1 community‑based support and a weekday helpline offering information, guidance and signposting. The Regional Family Support Coordinator delivers flexible assistance with issues such as housing, finances and family relationships, helping beneficiaries manage stress, loneliness and isolation.
Home-Start Wigtownshire: Tweenies Family Group Project – 2 year project – £47,410
The Tweenies Family Group supports parents and caregivers across Wigtownshire, strengthening confidence, wellbeing and early parent–child bonding. It delivers five weekly sessions in three locations, offering structured play, early learning activities and specialist advice on health, finance and education. The project provides resilience‑building and life‑skills support, as well as developing peer networks that reduce isolation.
Kirkcolm Community Trust: Kirkcolm Fitness – 1 year project – £8,277.90
The Welcome Wednesday project provides the residents of Kirkcolm regular, inclusive activities which support physical and mental health. By offereing weekly outings, creative workshops, yoga and meditation, it aims to develop skills, encourage relaxation and build confidence.
Kirkcudbright Development Trust: Yoga for Wellbeing Project – 2 year project – £20,000
This project expands the successful Yoga for Wellbeing course, run by KDT last year, into three distinct strands:- a mat‑based programme focused on breathwork, meditation and stress reduction; a chair‑based course building strength, balance and confidence, and quarterly restorative retreat mornings for unpaid carers.
LGBT Youth Scotland: LGBT Youth Wellbeing Support – 1 year project – £9,999
The project provides specialised mental health and wellbeing support for LGBTQ+ people aged 16–25 across Dumfries and Galloway. Through youth groups and 1:1 coaching, it offers the region’s only LGBTQ+specific safe spaces, helping young people explore mental health topics, build resilience and develop self‑management skills.
LIFT D&G CIC: Nana’s Park and Caravan Breaks – 1 year project – £35,000
LIFT’s Nana’s Park and Caravan Breaks provides two caravans offering free respite breaks for families facing hardship or caring responsibilities. As well as this it runs a community garden that promotes mental wellbeing and hosts educational activities which build skills and reduce isolation. The garden also provides access to free organic food.
Lothlorien Community (Rokpa Trust): Outreach Coordination – 2 year project – £19,400
The Outreach Nature Connection Project expands access to therapeutic nature‑based support at Lothlorien for people with mental health needs. It funds individual and group therapeutic days, ensuring inclusion for those unable to afford services due lack of transport or low income. Participants benefit from social connection, healthy communal lunches and meaningful time in nature.
Make 2nds Count: Supporting secondary breast cancer patients in Dumfries – 2 year project – £4,728
Make 2nds Count delivers a monthly peer‑support group in Dumfries for people living with incurable secondary breast cancer. The Tea and Chat sessions, hosted by a volunteer with lived experience, provide a trusting space for informal conversation, shared understanding and ongoing emotional support.
Moniaive Initiative: Moniaive Growing Together – 2 year project – £19,950
The Glencairn Health and Wellbeing Project maintains its existing Repair Café, drop‑ins, table tennis and community‑garden activities while expanding outdoor provision through a new climate‑smart growing space. A polytunnel, raised beds and learning areas enable year‑round food growing, sustainability workshops and intergenerational learning.
Newstart Recycle: Free Essential Goods, Clothing, Baby and Mobility Equipment Support – 1 year project – £10,000
This funding enables the organisation to continue providing free essential goods, support and volunteering opportunities to people experiencing hardship in the local community. It works with women and young people escaping violence and supports individuals facing homelessness, disability, addiction or poverty. It also provides volunteering placements for people with learning needs and ensures dignity, inclusion and practical assistance for displaced people and families in crisis.
Paragon Ensemble Ltd: Turn It Up – 2 year project – £19,996
Turn It Up is a two‑year arts and wellbeing programme for adults with support needs prioritising those facing barriers such as disability, rural isolation or poor mental health. The programme delivers 30 music, movement and visual‑arts workshops across the region. Sessions build confidence, self‑expression and social connection, culminating in life affirming public performances.
Relationships Scotland Dumfries and Galloway: Your space – 2 year project – £47,400
The project removes financial barriers to counselling by offering free support to vulnerable and low‑income individuals across the region. The organisation provides flexible sessions face‑to‑face, via telephone and online, delivered from multiple community venues to maximise accessibility. By expanding digital capacity and community locations, the project ensures early mental‑health intervention, reduces inequalities and helps prevent people reaching crisis point.
SHAX: Everything deserves a second chance – 2 year project – £11,520
The project offers twice monthly workshops where participants can upcycle donated SHAX items, promoting sustainability and creative reuse. The programme supports wellbeing through hands‑on activities and learning.
South Machars Community Centre: The Nourish Project – 1 year project – £9,202
The Nourish Project delivers a year‑long community food and wellbeing programme that reduces isolation, improves mental health and supports low‑income households across the South Machars. It offers monthly Cook and Eat Together sessions and practical workshops on affordable cooking, nutrition, food preservation and waste reduction. Through shared meals, education and collaboration with local partners, the project strengthens resilience, promotes healthy eating and provides a pathway from crisis support to long‑term wellbeing.
South West Recovery Cafe: South West Recovery Cafe – 2 year project – £18,420
This project delivers monthly recovery cafés in North West Dumfries, Dumfries Town Centre and Annan, led by volunteers with lived experience of addiction and supported by part‑time staff. It welcomes 25–45 attendees and provides a WhatsApp group for ongoing support. The cafés offer a non‑judgemental space where people share meals, build positive peer relationships and hear speakers share stories of practical guidance and hope.
The Depot Supporting Refugees in Dumfries and Galloway: Welcome and Orientation Programme – 2 year project – £20,000
The Depot delivers a structured Welcome and Orientation Programme for New Scots arriving in Dumfries and Galloway. It delivers a rolling series of six weekly sessions covering life in Scotland, health services, law and policing, transport, community expectations and employment. Sessions are interactive, accessible in multiple languages and provide clear, accurate information to support integration and positive community relations.
The First Base Agency: The First Base ‘Kettle Parcel’ Project – 2 year project – £10,000
The Kettle Parcel Project provides emergency food parcels for people experiencing homelessness in Dumfries and Galloway, who have no access to cooking facilities. Working closely with the Homeless Department, the project supplies weekly parcels to offices in Dumfries and Annan and monthly deliveries to supported accommodation. Each parcel contains items that require only boiling water and no refrigeration, ensuring safe, practical nutrition.
The Food Train: Older Peoples Lunch Project and Pop up Cafe – 2 year project – £46,815.07
The Older Peoples Lunch Project and Pop up Cafe supports older people in Dumfries by providing homemade meals, friendship and a welcoming community space. Each week, the café offers a warm social environment where regular attendees connect and build relationships. The service also delivers hot and cold meals to housebound individuals and hosts group lunches in sheltered housing.
The Furniture Project (Stranraer) Ltd: The Pink Frog – 2 year project – £45,000
The Pink Frog Programme, delivered by The Furniture Project (Stranraer), provides holistic support for adults aged 16–64 who face barriers to wellbeing and employment. It offers daily group activities such as cooking, gardening, bike repair, creative arts and peer mentoring to build confidence, reduce isolation and strengthen community connections.
The Veterans Garden Dumfries: Veterans garden project – 2 year project – £22,000
The Veterans Garden Dumfries provides a wide range of activities that support general and mental health. It offers educational activity groups, talking sessions and breakfast clubs to reduce isolation and build connections. Through therapeutic gardening, caring for chickens and growing vegetables, the garden creates a supportive space where veterans and community members can connect, learn and heal together.
The Whithorn Trust: Craft Your Wellness – 2 year project – £66,379.48
The project delivers two years of craft and skills programmes, offering 24 weeks of activities annually across six workshops including boatbuilding, green woodworking, DIY, upcycling, film‑making, stained glass and blacksmithing. Building on successful pilots, it engages diverse groups and encourages crossover between interests. It is able to support up to 15 participants per class in its upgraded workshops; providing new skills and pathways towards education or employment.
Think Differently Dumfries and Galloway: Think Differently Dumfries and Galloway – 2 year project – £19,983
This project develops Think Differently into a regional hub offering peer‑led support for neurodivergent adults. It provides monthly in‑person and online groups, regional gatherings and a moderated online community that reduces isolation and builds confidence. The project trains neurodivergent volunteers as facilitators and leaders and strengthens partnerships to improve local systems.
Victim Support Scotland: ASB Support Service – 1 year project – £10,000
This project strengthens Victim Support Scotland’s capacity to support victims across Dumfries and Galloway. It provides tailored one‑to‑one emotional and practical support, including safety planning and access to emergency assistance. A peer‑support pilot is designed to build resilience and social connection, while cordinated region‑wide delivery ensures timely, trauma‑informed support and stronger community responses to ASB.
Wigtownshire Wellbeing and Cancer: Wigtownshire Wellbeing and Cancer – 2 year project – £46,815.06
The project increases capacity for Wigtownshire Wellbeing and Cancer, allowing wider access to services for people and families affected by cancer. The funding allows WWAC to recruit and train new volunteers, strengthen peer‑support and expand drop‑in groups. Volunteers lead community outreach and awareness events, while enhanced information resources support people at all stages of the cancer journey.
YWCA Scotland (aka The Young Women’s Movement): Young Women Thrive – 1 year project – £10,000
The Young Women’s Movement delivers quarterly Young Women Thrive workshops in Dumfries and Galloway, creating safe, wellbeing‑focused spaces for 60 young women to build confidence, share experiences and develop skills. The programme reduces barriers by providing travel and childcare support and involves young women volunteers in planning and delivery.