Wednesday 22 April 2026 marks national Power of Attorney Day, a campaign from Carers UK to raise awareness about power of attorney.
What is a Power of Attorney (POA)?
A Power of Attorney is a legal document giving authority to someone else to take actions or make decisions on your behalf. The document lists who can act (attorney), what they can do (powers), and when they can begin acting.
Any adult (18+ in England and Wales and Northern Ireland, and 16+ in Scotland) with the mental capacity to understand what they are signing can make a power of attorney. You do not need to be unwell or elderly – just able to make your own decisions at the time of signing.
You never know what’s around the corner. We tend to assume that close relatives will automatically be allowed to make decisions on our behalf if something happens to us, but this isn’t true. Without power of attorney, it is not certain who can take decisions on your behalf. With power of attorney in place, you can be confident that you have taken the necessary steps to make everything as clear-cut as possible.
Power of Attorney Support in Midlothian
In Midlothian, unpaid carers can get free legal advice to apply for a POA from VOCAL Midlothian. They run free monthly appointments to help carers set up a POA. Carers and the people they care for can attend these sessions to see how a POA could help for their individual needs and circumstances.
People who are not carers may wish to make their own arrangements to complete the application, either completing the forms themselves or with the support of a solicitor. Sign-off of the person’s capacity by a solicitor or GP will incur a cost for solicitor, GP services, and lodging fees. You may be able to apply forlegal aid to help with legal costs.
Resources and Further Advice
Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) – The OPG are part of the Scottish Courts & Tribunal Service. They have a role to: maintain a public register of POA/Guardianships; register POS; supervise individuals appointed to manage financial and property affairs; investigate circumstances where property or finances of an adult who lacks capacity appears to be at risk.
Mental Welfare Commission (MWC) – The MWC have duties under mental health and adults with incapacity legislation and are accountable the the Scottish Government.
Across Midlothian, ten community diners have opened their doors to offer more than just food — they’re creating places where families can connect, feel supported, and access help during challenging times.
Launched in February, the Midlothian Community Diners pilot is already making a meaningful impact. Running over six to eight weeks, the initiative provides weekly hot meals for priority families on low incomes, while also linking them to wider cost of living support.
Each diner offers a relaxed, friendly environment where families can enjoy a nutritious meal, meet others, and learn about services that can help with everyday challenges. Feedback so far highlights just how valued these spaces are — not only for the food, but for the chance to socialise, connect, and feel part of the local community.
The project comes at a crucial time. With rising food prices and increasing household costs, many families are facing difficult choices. Community diners aim to ease some of that pressure by offering affordable meals alongside access to practical advice and support.
Initially funded through the Scottish Government’s Fairer Futures Fund, Midlothian Council has now secured funding from the Child Poverty Accelerator Fund to continue the project through to 2028. Feedback from the pilot phase will now help to shape the future delivery of the project for the next two years.
Midlothian’s Annual Volunteer Satisfaction Survey is now open, and we are inviting organisations to share it with their volunteers. By taking part, your volunteers help us build a fuller and more accurate picture of the volunteering experience across Midlothian.
Survey responses are anonymous. Each volunteer involving organisation will receive its own set of results, offering valuable insights that can support reporting, strengthen funding applications, guide service development, and enhance volunteer engagement.
All you need to do is share the survey link with your volunteers and encourage them to take part. It is open to everyone, takes only a few minutes, and will remain open until Monday 4 May2026.
Every response helps shape volunteer support across Midlothian, and we will share the findings with you during Volunteers’ Week in June 2026.
This survey is carried out every year as part of our ongoing approach to strengthen the collective evaluation and impact measurement of volunteering activities in Midlothian. The aim is to understand the impacts of volunteering on volunteers, to enhance volunteer support, and help organisations better demonstrate their impact. You can find our insights from last year’s survey here.
If you would like to complete this survey in an alternative format, email us at info@mca.scot
This week we’ll be saying a fond farewell to two much-loved members of the Connect Online project as they head into retirement.
Between them, Una Paterson and Graeme Egan have supported hundreds of older people across Midlothian to build confidence with digital skills, make new friendships, and stay connected.
A combined 25 years of dedication
Una has been part of Connect Online for 12 years, organising drop‑ins across Midlothian, arranging home visits, and supporting our volunteers.
Graeme first joined the project as a volunteer and has now been working with Connect Online for 13 years. His support has been a constant presence across the project, and he has played a big role in keeping our groups going.
MCA has been incredibly lucky to have them both for so long. The impact they’ve made is genuinely hard to measure. From helping people adjust their hearing aids, to setting up grocery deliveries during tough times, to installing smart home devices for people with long-term health conditions – they’ve helped people across Midlothian with life‑changing essential digital skills.
Favourite memories from their time with Connect Online
Graeme told us that one of the things he’s enjoyed most is our annual Midlothian Volunteer Awards celebration.
“The Volunteer Awards are always inspiring – the breadth of the work, the dedication, how much volunteering there is in our community. Keeping Connect Online going during lockdown was important too. And I’ve really enjoyed meeting and supporting neurodivergent volunteers. It’s great that we can create a supportive environment.”
For Una, the highlight has always been the people.
“The volunteers and the people we’ve met over the years – hearing their life stories and seeing how far they’ve come. Some learners have gone on to become volunteers themselves, and watching their confidence grow has been invaluable.”
What they’ve learned along the way
Both Una and Graeme spoke about how much they’ve learned from the people they’ve supported.
One lesson stands out:
“You’re never too old to learn new things.”
They mentioned Margaret, one of our longstanding learners, who at 96 continues to take on new skills with enthusiasm.
As they put it:
“People’s attitude is the thing that makes the difference. If they’re keen and willing to learn, they’re unstoppable.”
Looking ahead to retirement
Una is looking forward to slowing down a little and spending more time outdoors:
“Long walks with my dog, getting back into the garden, and apparently a bit of volunteering…”
Graeme is planning to return to some old hobbies:
“I’m excited to get back into cycling again and to have more time to spend with friends and family.”
A project built on human connection
Connect Online is about using digital tools to bring people together but at its heart, it’s really about human connection.
During lockdown, when older people were especially isolated, Una and Graeme helped people learn the digital skills they needed to stay in touch with family and friends. They kept Connect Online groups running over video calls, offering support, conversation, and a much‑needed sense of normality during a difficult time.
Their work has helped bridge gaps, reduce loneliness, and make sure older people across Midlothian feel included and supported.
Thank you, Una and Graeme
Everyone at MCA, along with our volunteers, learners, and partners, would like to say a huge thank you to Una and Graeme for their years of hard work, compassion, and care.
We are thrilled to announce that the nominations for the Midlothian Volunteer Awards 2026 are officially open!
This annual event is an opportunity for us to celebrate and acknowledge the incredible contributions and achievements of our dedicated volunteers. Volunteers play a significant role in boosting the welfare of our community, and Volunteers’ Week is the perfect opportunity to celebrate them.
This year’s awards ceremony will be an unforgettable moment, celebrating the individuals who go the extra mile to make lasting and positive impacts within their community. We strongly encourage everyone to take the opportunity to nominate a volunteer they know who has made considerable impacts throughout their volunteering journey.
This year we are introducing a new award category, Uniformed Volunteer. This award wishes to acknowledge and thank all the volunteers who contribute to our community through uniformed organisations like Scouts, Youth Police Volunteers, Cadets, and many more.
We have also introduced the Dedicated Service to the Community award, combining the Service to the Community and Dedicated Service to Volunteering categories. This award wishes to acknowledge all the volunteers who contribute towards significant services, organisations and causes within their local community and is a thank you to those who donate their time to make our community the best it can be.
We value our volunteers and the profound effects their hard work leaves on Midlothian and those living in the area. We would like to thank all volunteers for their amazing work and commitments to the community, and we are eager to share their empowering stories at our awards ceremony this year.
Nominations are due to close on Monday 20th April 2026, so if you would like the opportunity to highlight someone who deserves to be acknowledged for their efforts, send in your nomination soon and help us honour those who go above and beyond for our community.
SCVO’s The Gathering event took place earlier this month, with organisations across Scotland joining to take part in various talks, workshops, and discussions to showcase the brilliant work going on and learn from each other.
During the two-day event, MCA staff took part in a variety of workshops, one of which was ‘Mind the (implementation) gap: overcoming obstacles and sharing solutions to strengthen social care’. Hosted by the Coalition of Care and Support Providers in Scotland (CCSP), this session gathered a panel of academics, politicians, and social care staff to share examples of solutions and discuss how to break the cycle of implementation failure in social care.
Strong local examples of work in Midlothian show that integration, prevention, and person-centred care work well when partnerships are adequately supported. However, insufficient funding and overstretched staff threaten the core elements that make social care fully effective, widening the gap between national ambition and on-the-ground delivery.
One of the panel members, Councillor Paul Kelly, COSLA Spokesperson for Health & Social Care, started the session with opening remarks that MCA would like to share. We believe Councillor Kelly’s remarks resonate locally, emphasising the need for genuine parity across health, social care, local government, and the voluntary sector; and for that parity to be reflected in funding decisions, governance structures, and our partnerships.
Magda Clark (left) and Councillor Kelly (right) at The Gathering.
“Good morning, everyone. It’s a privilege to join you today, and I want to begin by recognising the extraordinary work carried out by the people and organisations represented in this room. Whether you are supporting individuals directly, building resilient communities, or sustaining vital services, your contribution is central to the wellbeing of people across Scotland. Social care, and indeed Local Government, continues to rely on the commitment and compassion of those on the ground, and I want to thank you for everything you do—often in very challenging circumstances.
The theme of today’s discussion—minding the implementation gap—is one that will feel very familiar to many of you. In my roles as a Councillor and as COSLA’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson, I see every day the distance that can open up between national ambition and local reality. And I see the enormous pressure this places on the people who are trying their best to deliver support that is personalised, accessible, and rooted in dignity.
A major contributor to that gap is the sustained and damaging pressure on local government funding. Year after year, councils have faced cuts that outpace wider public sector settlements. The result is unavoidable: reduced capacity, harder choices, and genuine risks to the stability of the very services—social care, community supports, prevention, early intervention—that national policy relies on.
And of course, these pressures do not end with councils. Our voluntary and community organisations, who provide some of the most trusted, flexible and relational forms of support, feel the impact just as acutely. When local government budgets are squeezed, it often reverberates across commissioned and grant‑funded services. Organisations that communities depend on are left managing uncertainty, insecure funding cycles and rising demand—all while being asked to deliver more, earlier, and for people with increasingly complex needs.
So when we discuss the implementation gap, we must recognise that it is not caused by a lack of vision, commitment, or agreement. More often, it is the consequence of a system that is under-resourced at the very levels where delivery happens.
And this leads me to a broader point that I believe must underpin the reforms ahead: Scotland needs national government to properly reflect a true parity of esteem between health, social care, local government and our voluntary sector. We say often that social care should be valued equally to health; we say that community and preventative work is just as critical as acute care. But that parity must show up in funding decisions, in governance structures, in national conversations, and in the tone and trust that characterise our partnerships. Without that, the implementation gap will only widen. COSLA has consistently argued for greater and more sustainable funding to Local Government so that Councils can drive forward this work as anchors within their communities, in close and equal partnership with voluntary and community organisations.
In spite of all of this, we continue to see strong examples of what can be achieved when local partnerships are properly supported. Integrated teams working to keep people well at home. Community organisations preventing crisis through early support. Multidisciplinary approaches to complex care. These successes show that the direction of travel is right—they remind us that integration, prevention and person‑centred practice are not abstract ambitions; they are happening, here and now, when conditions allow.
However, they also remind us of what is at stake. Because when funding is insufficient, when staff are stretched to their limits, and when organisational partners are expected to absorb pressures without the resources to do so, we lose the very things that make social care effective: relationship‑based practice, continuity, early intervention, and time.
The Care Reform Act, passed last year, brings with it opportunities to strengthen rights and enhance people’s experience of care. But if we are serious about turning those legislative commitments into lived reality, then we must be just as serious about ensuring the capacity to deliver them. Councils and Health and Social Care Partnerships will be central to implementation, and the voluntary sector will continue to be a key partner in providing flexible and preventative support. A national vision is important—but it must be matched with investment, local flexibility and local trust.
So as we begin our discussion today, I would offer this: bridging the implementation requires national government, local government, health partners and the voluntary sector to work as genuine equals, with shared accountability and shared investment. And it requires us to protect the services—particularly community‑based and preventative ones—that give people control, choice and dignity.”
Many young people across the UK may have money waiting for them in a Child Trust Fund (CTF) and most don’t even know it. If you were born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011, there’s a chance you have savings set aside that you can now access.
What is a Child Trust Fund (CTF)?
A Child Trust Fund is a tax‑free savings account that the UK Government set up for eligible children. Every child received a voucher to open an account, and if no one used it, the government opened an account on their behalf. Now that young people are turning 18, this money is ready to be claimed.
But many haven’t claimed theirs yet. In fact, HMRC estimates that more than 750,000 young people are missing out on an average of £2,242 from unclaimed CTFs.
How to Claim Your Child Trust Fund
Checking if you have a Child Trust Fund is free, you’ll just need your National Insurance number and a few details.
Your Child Trust Fund belongs to you. People use it in all sorts of ways – saving for a first home, paying for driving lessons, helping with college costs, or simply boosting their financial security. One young person told us:
“Having my Child Trust Fund saved me from going into an overdraft at the start of university. It gave me independence and a great start to adult life.”
Whether you’re just turning 18 or already past that milestone, it’s worth taking a moment to check. It could make a real difference as you take your next steps into adult life.
If you know a young person who might benefit, please share this information with them.
This Tuesday, 10 February, is Safer Internet Day (SID) 2026 – a national online safety awareness campaign from the UK Safer Internet Centre. This year’s theme is ‘Smart tech, safe choices – exploring the safe and responsible use of AI.’
Everyone’s talking about AI, and with many children and young people using AI tools online, it’s important they have the skills and confidence to make safe choices when they are using smart technology. We’ve pulled together a selection of free resources, safety guides, learning materials, and helplines you can use or signpost to this Safer Internet Day.
Living With AI – a free and beginner-friendly online course by the Scottish AI Alliance.
TSI Learning Portal – online learning portal for third sector groups. Relevant courses include: ‘Cyber Security for Small Organisations and Charities’ & ‘Staying Safe Online’. MCA can provide a discount code for Midlothian groups to access these courses for free, contact us for more info.
The Young Women’s Movement Guide to AI – free online guidance and resource library for anyone who wants to be more informed about AI and its gendered impacts.
Resources for Youth Workers, Young People, & Families:
The start of the new year is the perfect time to make a positive change, and volunteering is a great way to do just that. The 2026 Midlothian Volunteer Recruitment Fair is the ideal event to explore what’s out there and take the first step.
The fair will take place on Thursday 26 February, from 10am to 2.30pm, at St John’s & King’s Park Church in Dalkeith. This annual event is organised by Midlothian Community Action (MCA) to promote volunteering and encourage conversations between local volunteer-involving organisations and people who want to get involved.
Volunteering can help people build skills and experience, boost their CV, and gain confidence. It’s also a great way to meet new people and feel part of the community. Young volunteers can work towards the Saltire Award, the Scottish Government’s recognition scheme for volunteers aged 12-25.
A variety of organisations from across Midlothian will be attending the event, including:
Marie Curie, VOCAL, Penicuik Storehouse, Gig Buddies with Thera Trust, Midlothian Sport & Leisure Wellbeing Team, St Joseph’s Services, Fostering Compassion, Salvation Army, Dalkeith Citizens Advice Bureau, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS), and Midlothian Sure Start – with more expected to join.
MCA’s Volunteer Support Officer, Sarah Bain, said about the fair, “There’s a volunteering opportunity for everyone, and this event helps people find the one that’s right for them. Every year, I’m inspired by how many step forward to make a difference”.
The fair is open to everyone and there’s no need to book. Drop-in anytime between 10am-2.30pm on Thursday 26 February at St John’s & Kings Park Church, Dalkeith, EH22 1HJ.
Download the poster below to help us spread the word!
As we get ready to close the office for the holidays, we’ve been looking back at everything that’s happened this year – and wow, it’s been busy!
We started the year with a bang, officially becoming Midlothian Community Action (MCA) after merging in April. It was a big step, but it means we can combine expertise to even better support Midlothian’s third sector.
It’s hard to summarise everything we’ve been up to but we’ve pulled together some highlights from the past year.
Transform Project
In Transform‘s community garden, several major improvements are underway, including a new stumpery and a beautifully handcrafted bench, potting table, and compost bays, made by inmates at HMP Saughton. Our old benches have been generously repaired by the Dalkeith’s Men Shed, and we’ve had fun creating new bird boxes – thanks to the team at Jewsons, who kindly donated the wood.
Our volunteer-led Mad Hatter’s Tea Party was a huge success, earning young organisers a 25-hour Saltire Award. Speaking of which, one of our young volunteers hit an incredible milestone of 500 hours, receiving a certificate signed by John Swinney!
Transform also launched an after-school board games club at Hawthornden Primary, where young volunteers help run sessions and support younger pupils. And our SQA students continue to excel in Volunteering Skills and have been instrumental in restoring garden pathways and making the space more welcoming.
It’s been a busy and rewarding year and we are so grateful to everyone – volunteers, mentors, partners, and the wider community who have supported Transform in 2025.
The Grassy Riggs have had a very eventful year, from Connect Online sessions, visits from our local Community Police Officers, and Dalkeith Fire Brigade. Their knitting and crochet group supported a range of causes, from local hospitals & schools to knitting for Ukraine. They ended the year with their biggest project to date, putting together 50 care bags for Street Work Edinburgh, a homeless prevention project.
Midlothian Climate Action Network (MCAN)
Our colleagues at the Midlothian Climate Action Hub have been keeping busy too, with the launch of their themed circles focusing on Biodiversity, Energy & Heat, Reuse & Repair, and Food.
They’ve also been out at plenty of events, from conservation learning days to local community meals. And are already hard at work planning activities for 2026!
Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund
Now in it’s fifth year, the Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund supports Midlothian organisations to deliver activities that improve mental health & wellbeing, benefitting an estimated 1 in 25 residents.
This year, MCA is part of the first multi-year pilot, distributing £300k across three grant streams. Two funding panels supported scoring of the 58 applications and resulted in 7 large, 16 small, and 5 micro projects awarded funding. We are very pleased with the commitment of the scoring panel and the improved quality of applications. We wish all the successful recipients all the very best in setting up their activities and provisions.
Third Sector Summit
This year, we also lead on and organised two Third Sector Summits. The Third Sector Summits, established in 2018, were designed to strengthen equal partnership, support collaboration, and improve outcomes for people in Midlothian.
Held twice a year, they bring together third sector practitioners and Midlothian Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP) to share practice, build relationships, and explore joint solutions. The use of Mentimeter at our recent Autumn Third Sector Summit, has enabled effective data collection and the creation of an action plan based on the feedback gathered.
Happy Holidays from MCA!
The end-of-year celebrations at MCA have been jam-packed, starting in November with our Conversation Café group going on a trip to Holyrood House in Edinburgh. Our Volunteer Hub had a festive makeover, hosting a cheerful holiday party for all of our volunteers.
So suffice to say, we’ll be taking a much needed break for the holidays – our office closes at 3pm on Thursday 18 December and will re-open on Monday 5 January 2026. Until then, have a wonderful new year and we’ll see you in 2026!
Midlothian Older People’s Assembly and Midlothian Health and Social Care Partnership welcome you to our Winter eNewsletter for older people. Full of positive advice, local organisations, groups and local resources to promote an informed, connected, resourced, and healthy winter season.
Here we offer some examples of the diversity of local organisations and groups working with older people and communities to promote good health, informed citizens, connectedness and well being.
Older people play an integral part in strengthening the social fabric of our communities; as workers, carers, volunteers, activists and connectors. We hope this newsletter may assist wellbeing in Winter for some of our Older citizens living in Midlothian.
View and download the newsletter by clicking the link below:
For many Winter is the most challenging season of the year – from trying to keep warm to navigating icy pavements. Forward Mid have released their 2025 Winter Newsletter, full of information on what support is available for disabled people and people with long term conditions living in Midlothian this Winter.
Inside you’ll find out about local organisations that can give you practical help – from saving money on your energy bills to keeping your home safe. There are tips on how you can look after your own physical and mental health as well as how you can help yourself and your neighbours, with an extensive list of emergency contact numbers.
Perhaps the most challenging aspect of Winter is keeping in contact with people regularly and safely, feeling the warmth that a good conversation can have. Bad weather can put paid to physically meeting people but inside Forward Mid’s newsletter you’ll find options to help overcome this barrier.
On behalf of everyone at Forward Mid, we wish you a healthy and safe winter. Be as active as you can be. Keep connected. Keep talking. Take advantage of the support that is available. Take care of yourself and others where possible.
Download a PDF of Forward Mid’s Winter Newsletter here:
Over the past few years, we’ve all noticed that storms seem to be happening more often and with greater force. Scientists tell us that changes in the climate are contributing to this increase, so it’s more important than ever to be prepared.
Before a Storm
You will usually get a warning that a storm is on its way. Take steps to prepare yourself and your property, including:
Secure loose objects such as ladders, garden furniture or anything else that could be blown into windows or cause danger.
Check the weather forecast and keep up-to-date with the latest weather warnings.
Check in on those around you who might need additional support.
Park vehicles in a garage if available.
If chimney stacks are tall and in poor condition, move beds away from areas directly below them in case the chimney collapses into the house.
Prepare an emergency kit with a torch, spare batteries, warm blankets, bottled water, and any essential medication.
Charge your mobile phone in case of power cuts – see box below.
If you have a Carer Emergency Plan, ensure that it is up-to-date and includes planning for extreme weather conditions. Contact VOCAL Carer Centre for more information or to complete a Carer Emergency Plan.
Stay informed. You can pick up a Severe Weather leaflet from your local Midlothian library. Ready Scotland and the MET Office are both good sources of information.
During a Storm
Keep up-to-date with the latest weather warnings, flood advice and road conditions, and follow any travel advice from Police Scotland.
Take care driving on exposed routes such as bridges, coastal routes or high open roads. Delay your journey or find alternative routes if necessary.
Don’t go outside to repair damage while the storm is in progress.
If you lose power, call 105 – it’s free of charge and will put you through to your local network operator who can help and advise you.
If possible, enter and leave your house through doors on the sheltered side of the building, closing them behind you.
After a Storm
Be careful not to touch any electrical/ telephone cables that have been blown down or are still hanging. Call 105 to report damage to electricity power lines and substations that could put someone in danger. If there’s a serious immediate risk, phone the emergency services.
Check in on those around you who might need additional support in an emergency.
Support any neighbours who may need additional help in making arrangements for repairs. Be mindful that some neighbours may not have access to the internet and may need extra help in arranging repairs.
Landlines
Many households are moving from traditional copper landlines to new digital phone services. Unlike the old system, digital phones may not work if there’s a power cut, which often happens in storms. If you rely on a landline, check with your phone provider about back-up options – for example, a battery unit – and keep a charged mobile phone handy just in case.
You might also want to charge a power bank. A power bank is a portable battery designed to recharge electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and other gadgets when you don’t have access to a wall charger. It stores electrical energy and acts as an external backup battery If you’d like to talk to someone about using a power bank, come to one of our Connect Online digital skills drop-ins.
SP Energy Networks Priority Services Register
SP Energy Networks keep electricity flowing to homes and businesses throughout Central and Southern Scotland. They maintain a Priority Services Register so that they can contact their most vulnerable customers if they do experience a power cut. It’s free to join and there are no additional charges associated with this service.
A simple conversation can save a life – and this Befriending Week, we’re celebrating the volunteers who make those life-changing connections possible across Midlothian.
Befriending Week is an annual campaign during the first week of November to celebrate befriending, highlighting the positive impact it has on individuals and communities.
72% of member organisations report increased demand for befriending services.
Over 7,400 people are currently waiting to be matched with a befriender.
21,024 volunteer befrienders deliver more than 1.6 million hours of support annually.
Midlothian’s Connect Befriending Project
We at Connect Befriending, support volunteers to create meaningful connections that brighten older peoples’ days. We provide ongoing training, opportunities for learning, and one-on-one support so our befrienders can feel confident and enjoy the connection they create.
This week we want to say a massive thank you to all the people and organisations that have made this project possible, especially our fantastic volunteer befrienders. Our Connect Befriending Project Coordinator, Sam Dyce, explains,
“We know how incredibly impactful a befriender can be for isolated older people. It’s a real privilege to provide a service that not only helps people get the enjoyment of meeting new people, but where we can help volunteers develop as they support their community.”
Befriending is not only beneficial to our service users but also had huge positive impacts on our volunteers themselves. We asked one of our Connect Befriending volunteers, Martin, to share his experience:
“I enjoy it because you can see a real difference in people lives. A positive difference. People can feel isolated, and 2-3 hours may not seem like a lot of time but to some people this can be something of a highlight in the week. Especially if they are largely confined to their home. This is the main benefit I think as a befriender I provide.
But also, of course, we provide some respite for the main carer. These people have a very difficult job and even a few hours here and there can let them go out or do things they need to do. Personally, I find it a real privilege that people we visit let you into their lives, sharing their family and life story with you. And I would really recommend it to anyone thinking of volunteering.”
As communities across Scotland prepare to march for a fairer future, Midlothian is getting creative. On Thursday 23 October, local residents, community groups, and campaigners are invited to join Midlothian Community Action at One Dalkeith for a banner-making session ahead of the Scotland Demands Better march in Edinburgh.
Hosted in partnership with Midlothian Climate Action Network, the event – titled Midlothian Demands Better – is a chance to come together, share ideas, and make banners that reflect the local issues we care about most. Whether it’s housing, transport, wages, or public services, we’ll be exploring what “better” means for Midlothian.
Materials will be provided, and attendees are encouraged to bring cardboard or reusable items to keep things sustainable. There’ll be tea and biscuits, – and plenty of space to chat, create, and connect.
Better jobs for everyone who needs one, with fair conditions and wages that pay the bills.
Better investment for life’s essentials, like affordable homes, good public transport, a thriving natural environment and strong public services.
Better social security so that all of us have a foundation for the future.
Change for the better happens when people stand together and demand it. Scotland needs that change. Too many are struggling to afford life’s essentials. Too many are going hungry, living in cold homes, or working jobs that don’t pay the bills. This march is about standing together to say: we deserve better.
The march will assemble from 10am at the Scottish Parliament, proceeding along the Royal Mile to George IV Bridge and concluding at The Meadows with a rally involving music, speeches, stalls and workshops.
Midlothian’s Voice Matters
The banner-making session is part of a wider effort to ensure Midlothian’s voice is heard. What would “better” look like here? What are the local demands we want to amplify?
Whether you’re a volunteer, staff member, activist, or simply curious, everyone is welcome. Come along, get creative, and help us make sure Midlothian has strong representation at the Scotland Demands Better march.
