The Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) has received a £10,000 donation from Scotmid Co-op to support its information service.
The service, which provides a phone and email signposting service for people seeking mental health information and support in Scotland, has seen increased demand since the pandemic began last year. The donation will help the charity to expand its existing call and online service provisions.
Fiona Lewis, corporate partnerships manager at SAMH, said: “Many of us have found our mental health and wellbeing affected during the pandemic. Add to that, the number of people who were seeking support before the coronavirus emerged and it’s clear that mental health support has never been more important. Scotmid’s generous donation will help us ensure that the SAMH Information Service continues to play a crucial role in supporting Scotland’s mental health, now and in the future. A big thank you to everyone at Scotmid.”
With research revealing that almost half (43%) of people with mental health problems in Scotland feel like they have not received the correct care or treatment because of the pandemic, SAMH says donations are important to help the third sector increase the capacity and availability of mental health services.
Andy Simm, director at Scotmid, said: “With more people calling mental health support lines than ever before, it’s vital that we do what we can to provide support to services such as SAMH. It is our hope that more people will be able to access and receive the information and support they need.”
The SAMH Information Service is open 9am-6pm, Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays).
Call 0344 800 0550, email info@samh.org.uk or visit samh.org.uk/seekingsupport
