Making it easier to get about helps to tackle social isolation
Pandemic and Brexit have had an impact on bus services
I had a really inspiring visit recently to the Village Kitchen, which works out of The Hive in Dollar, where I met with Alexandra Ostroumoff-croucher, the driving force behind it and some of the volunteers who have helped to make it such a success.
First established in 2017, the Village Kitchen is a social enterprise which focuses on supporting the elderly and vulnerable.
The organisation now has four employees and around 60 volunteers which is, in itself, a remarkable achievement and says so much about our local community.
The service they provide has recently expanded to cover the wider Forth Valley area, delivering home cooked meals to the elderly twice a week which is accompanied by a friendly chat and wellness check.
And since 2021 they have been bringing together around 25 to 30 people over the age of 65 on a Thursday to enjoy a fabulous three-course meal at The Hive.
Free transport is available for those with mobility issues and there is often live music and entertainment.
The aim of this work is to reduce loneliness and isolation, improve nutrition, mental health and wellbeing and to support older people to live independently at home for longer which is vitally important in society today.
There is increasing recognition of social isolation and loneliness as major public health issues that can have a significant impact on a person’s physical and mental wellbeing.
That’s why I welcome the Scottish Government’s £3.8million Social Isolation and Loneliness Fund which will provide vital, longerterm support for organisations and projects, like the Village Kitchen and others across Bridge of Allan, Dunblane and Clackmannanshire, working on the ground to bring people together and build connections in communities throughout the country.
Another way of tackling social isolation is making it easier and cheaper for people to get out and about, which is why I was pleased to learn that the various concessionary bus travel schemes brought in by the Scottish Government have now reached the significant stage where 100 million bus journeys are being taken each year by holders of one or other of the concessionary travel cards.
This increased investment from the Scottish Government has meant that there are 1.5 million people in Scotland who are now benefiting from a concessionary travel card with people across Stirling and Clackmannanshire and right across Scotland, taking advantage of the concessionary travel cards available, and these figures underline the SNP’S commitment to widening access to free bus travel.
Of course, we have to acknowledge that we have seen some issues locally with bus services – caused, in particular, by a shortage of drivers, and I highlighted recently in a debate in the Scottish Parliament that we have seen some local bus routes suffer as a consequence of this issue.
The reality is that the double whammy of the pandemic and Brexit have had a major impact on bus services that will not be improved overnight but I do know that companies like Mcgill’s, who operate much of our local routes, have been working hard to overcome the resulting challenges.