 The final item of business this evening is a member's business debate on motion 6215, in the name of Bill Kidd, on co-op, SAMH, Mind and Inspires Together's Through Tough Times report. The debate will be concluded without any questions being put. I would invite any members wishing to participate to press the request to speak buttons now or as soon as possible, and I call on Bill Kidd to open the debate around about seven minutes. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer, and thank you to all of my colleagues for joining me for this important debate on mental health, resilience and community. The idea for this debate was sparked by the co-op, SAMH, Mind and Inspires joint report on mental health and community resilience during the pandemic, entitled Together Through Tough Times. This report was championed by Jude Deacon and Sarah Greene from SAMH, who laced with the co-op and saw the idea for this report become a reality. The Together Through Tough Times report looked at two different social demographic groups situated across four areas in the UK. The first group surveyed was young people aged 16 to 24, and the second group was people who have recently been bereaved. Through the lens of analysis, the Together Through Tough Times researchers compared four areas in the UK, including Yoker in my constituency. Those four areas shared various social outcomes that all had higher than expected wellbeing in their communities, despite high levels of deprivation. In those areas, people tend to face social difficulties such as higher rates of poverty, crime and employment. We know from SAMH's work that there are strong links between poverty and depression, yet, despite that, the four areas all experience strong community resilience and good mental wellbeing. The researchers sought to find out what were the shared characteristics of those areas, what made the people living in those areas, many of whom were facing significant pressures in life continue to thrive. The answer was community and belonging. Whether it is a pandemic, bereavement, moving to a new town or city or a breakdown in family relationships or friendships, we can all face times when our community and sense of belonging is taken away from us and our mental health suffers as a result. It is often in those moments that we need support the most. In those moments, so many have found crucial mental health support and community in SAMH. The universal need for community and belonging is why we are all here today, debating the Together Through Tough Times report. Specifically, the report found that community hubs are collaborative voluntary sector options for informal and formal mental health support and belonging and identity are the building blocks of resilience. I think that something that was clear to all MSPs throughout the pandemic was the vital role of community groups and charities in getting people through those incredibly isolating years. There are a few local community groups and organisations based in Annie's land that I would also like to highlight. They have done fantastic work locally, especially during the pandemic. DRC Generations has notably supported families already connected with their organisation through extremely difficult circumstances. That included bereavement and the tragedy of suicide. They provided real community to affected families during the darkest of times. Men Matter Scotland is another local group doing incredible work. They support men who may have struggled with low mental health, depression and suicidal thoughts. Based in Annie's land, they created a peer support network, which does exactly what the Together Through Tough Times report talks about providing formal support and creating space for long-lasting friendships to be forged. SAMH has published statistics on the rates of suicide in Scotland since the start of 2020. They found that men are three times more likely to commit suicide. That issue needs to be taken seriously. Peer support networks like Men Matter and the SAMH wellbeing programmes are vital. As the saying goes, a brother is born for a time of adversity and a friend loves at all times. Brotherhood is essential, especially in the face of those statistics. We cannot underestimate the power of friendship and having someone to talk to. There are, of course, so many local and national charities that do that fantastic work. Another charity that springs to mind is Safe Families. They bring support, hope and belonging to families facing acute difficulties. I am sure that my colleagues across the chamber will mention other examples of community action. The Together Through Tough Times report reinforces this message of community increasing our resilience and capacity to weather periods of crisis and isolation. Community hubs create opportunity for intervention with people who could otherwise develop poor mental health. I was pleased to host SAMH's evening reception in the Scottish Parliament last night. We heard some tremendous stories of people overcoming significant mental health challenges as a result of receiving SAMH's mental health support. This has included Theresa, who had not felt able to leave her house for 30 years. When she started going to SAMH's wellbeing support cafe, she was welcomed by smiles, met genuine friends and felt capable and able to keep coming back. She is taking strides and overcoming this issue and has seen her confidence increase and made many friends along the way. She is now inspiring so many others to reach out for support. SAMH's work and the work of local community organisations is transforming lives. What is so great about the Together Through Tough Times report is that the findings are being implemented. The co-op with its members and customers raised a sum of £8 million. This money is now going to SAMH's mind and inspire to implement targeted and effective mental health provisions. We all have mental health, and it is important to know how to look after ourselves and reach out for support when we need it. I would encourage all those who are here and others listening to consider old friends that you have not heard from in a while to check in and see how they are doing, to be hospitable and invite people over, to be generous and help your friends or community in some way. Whether that is giving your time, gifts or simply a listening ear, it could be a small act of helping a friend, maybe building furniture or helping with DIY around the house or with a garden. Those may all sound like simple examples, but that is the beauty of it. Helping someone, even yourself, can be the simple step of picking up the phone or going along to that community event that you have heard about. We are designed for community and real friendships, where we help to carry each other's burdens. No one is an exception to that, and no one should ever feel alone. Thank you very much, Mr Kid. We now move to the open debate. I call for Sue Webber to be followed by Stephanie Gallahan for around four minutes, Ms Webber. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and I genuinely want to thank Bill Kid for bringing this debate to the chamber today to celebrate the partnership between the co-op SamH Mind and Inspire. In 2021, the co-op and its charity partners published the Together Two Tough Times report, which identified the characteristics of resilient communities, how that strengthens mental health and how to promote and encourage community resilience. The co-op then went on to deliver an amazing fundraising effort for its charity partners, raising £8 million, which will fund SamH Mind and Inspire to deliver mental health support in 50 local communities reaching an estimated 10,000 people across Scotland. If you did not know how to donate to that, all you had to do was to get your co-op card, and every time you bought something and signed up to that partnership online, every penny that you spent in the co-op then contributed to that charity fundraising. In October, I was invited to attend a recognition event that SamH hosted at their SamH Redhall Wald Garden in south-west Edinburgh that thanked co-op colleagues for all their work that they have done throughout this national charity partnership, from fundraising to supporting and promoting their local SamH co-op funded projects. The local SamH co-op funded project in Edinburgh is their community link worker service for children and young people who are referred to CAMHS but have not been taken on. The SamH Redhall Wald Garden project works to improve mental health and wellbeing through gardening and a variety of outdoor tasks. The team offers a supportive environment for learning skills in IT, horticulture being more active, spending time in nature and working alongside others for their specialist support. While I was there, and they let me take Alfie along as well, I met one of the workers involved, specifically in doing the outreach into schools and how valuable it has been. I was pleased to learn that some of the high schools, including Cury and Ballerno high school in my area, are involved in this. It was a real fascinating visit and I learned a lot about this specific SamH project and the orchards and all the growing that is going on there was quite something. It was a very beautiful and relaxing environment to be in, which is so key to your mental health as well. There are lots of other super initiatives across Edinburgh as well. Yesterday, in fact, I met with support in Mind Scotland who run a super service in Edinburgh called the Stafford Centre down on Broton Street. The Stafford Centre has been supporting people with their mental health in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas for over 30 years. It is a community resource for people experiencing mental ill health with the aim of helping people to manage their mental health, gain greater self-confidence and become more integrated within their community. They offer counselling, welfare rights, a veterans community cafe, carers support project, support to men experiencing traumatic stress disorder and group activities. What is really, really key there is that is a self-referral service. You do not need to access any GP to access that service and support. The Together Through Tough Times report recognises that these protective factors are those that build resilience. Talking about mental wellbeing, the existence of community hubs such as this where people can access informal support and the development of strong and collaborative community and voluntary sectors where people can build lasting friendships. Volunteering is key to that and I know that through sport and all sorts of local initiatives that you can take part in. The Stafford Centre is a fantastic example of how communities can strengthen an individual's mental wellbeing and make a community far more resilient to tackling and managing poor mental health. We know that we are not going to hide away from this that the Covid pandemic has had a very negative impact on our population's mental health and many of us, perhaps in this chamber too. While that has raised public awareness and increased the conversations that are taking place about mental illness, we all recognise that there is still a lot of work to be done. The services and opportunities that charities like SamH support in mind, inspire and mind undertake are absolutely vital and I want to thank all the members for taking time to speak on this subject today. Thank you. I thank Bill Kidd for bringing this important debate to the chamber tonight and for sponsoring the fantastic event led by SamH last night. From me to a very special shout-out to last night's powerful speakers, Linda and Trisa, who brilliantly expressed how SamH helped to achieve dreams that had previously seemed way way out of reach for them. I do not envy my colleague Kevin Stewart, who had to follow Linda's speech, but he gave it his best anyway. It is getting darker and colder, the cost of loving is biting and the news is full of doom and gloom and never has it been more vital to openly discuss mental health in this chamber. Times are tough and we face significant challenges, but identifying opportunities to build resilient, vibrant and connected communities in Scotland matters now more than ever before. The Together Through Tough Times report found that more than two in every 10 Scots described their current mental health as poor. For 16 to 24-year-olds, that rises to just under one in three and that is a really scary figure. We also know that the pandemic led to one in four people feeling isolated from their communities and that 36 per cent of people feel they lack the support or the tools to cope with the stress, pressure and difficult circumstances. With that in mind, perhaps we could all make a point on checking in with someone tonight that might be struggling, a colleague, a friend or a family member, because taking that time to ask how they are can make a really big difference, as the report says. Presiding Officer, it is hard. The SamH and Co-op report confirms that social connections improve emotional wellbeing and mental and physical health. Connected communities are resilient communities and the saying that it takes a village to raise a child is rooted in that understanding. We flourish as human beings in close-knit communities where we feel valued and included. The report notes that helping others can go a long way to improving our mental wellbeing too, and that is something that we can all relate to, because making someone else smile lifts their own spirits too. Importantly, the report identified four crucial factors that build individual and community resilience. Firstly, we need community hubs and voluntary sector networks. Secondly, we need open and supportive community spaces, for it is comfortable to talk openly about mental health and wellbeing. Thirdly, we need opportunities to actively participate and connect with other people. Finally, we need a sense of shared identity and belonging. It is absolutely key. It is also important to be mindful that the research identified some groups that need special attention, including ethnic minorities, are new to the area and are living in poverty, and are children and young people too. I hope that we will have further opportunities to explore that in future debates. While Lanarkshire has some of the highest areas of deprivation in Scotland, we have also developed resilient community networks in response to the post-industrial, economic and social deprivation that we have faced. There are too many fantastic local projects to highlight them all tonight, but I will mention a couple. There is the Food for Thought Café run by Lanarkshire Association for Mental Health in neighbouring Wisha. It is a community space that provides informal support with mental health, exactly the kind of open environment that is discussed in the report, and many who access that support also make donations to help the café to provide free meals for others in need, so they are paying it forward. Another brilliant example is Thorniwood Community Council, and it does tons locally from food parcels, fund days, litter pics and charity events, and it has now got a Covid memorial garden for the member-in-love ones and support locals with bereavement care. That was another focus of the SAMH report, but it goes beyond local boundaries too. Last month, I went along to the Macmillan coffee morning event where it raised over £900 for cancer support. I could say so much more, but I am over time, so let me close by applauding the fundraising efforts of the co-op in SAMH. Raising £8 million is a huge, huge achievement to be proud of, and I look forward to hearing about the future success of the 50 mental wellbeing projects that this money is going to fund. I would also like to thank Bill Kidd for bringing the vital issue of mental health to the chamber for debate this evening, and indeed to SAMH and all the other organisations who support our mental health in Scotland. I would also like to take the opportunity to put on record my thanks to the work of SAMH co-op, MIND and Inspire, for their hard work in producing this excellent Together Through Tough Times report. I struggle to think of anything more important than the mental health and wellbeing of everyone who lives here in Scotland, and I also struggle to think of a more important duty that we carry as legislators in this Parliament than the responsibility to speak up and support the most vulnerable people across our society. I think that in our current context of the aftermath of the pandemic, coupled with the current pressures that people are facing as a result of the soaring cost of living, the importance of mental health awareness and the fight against stigma has never been more acutely in focus. I think that that is why this is such a timely and important report that we are discussing. I know that many people felt that sense of importance last night at the reception that was hosted in this Parliament. The circumstances that have brought about this focus are continuing to bring challenges, hardship and losses in communities. We have a unique opportunity to confront the issues associated with mental health and wellbeing head-on in the way that we have never had before. I recognise, as I am sure all colleagues did, so much in the report about communities in my own life and in my own region. I think of the amazing resilience of communities across West Scotland, some of whom are in the lower quartiles of the index of multiple deprivation. I think of the power of bereavement groups, for example, in local churches, which have run for many years and have done that really important and formal work of supporting people when they lose a loved one. I think of the work of the community support and checking groups that I saw in my own community throughout Covid and the work of people coming together and checking in on one another at difficult times. I was also thinking about the excellent work done by football clubs such as Greenock Morton and St Myrn—not two teams that you often hear in a positive line in the same sentence—but for their work, I think, on supporting particularly young men in communities to speak out and have a sense of ownership of the place where they live and the place that they care about and to talk about how they feel and what is going on in their life. All of that support is important. Those sorts of examples were highlighted in the report very clearly. It is clear that there is an opportunity here to focus in on some of those more informal structures and give them the support that they need. I am sure that the Government will want to try and seize the moment with partners and indeed do what is needed, because we are told time and again that mental health and suicide are priority issues for the Government. However, I think that we have to reflect that Scotland has high rates of suicide and that when we look at children and young people, we know that many vulnerable children and young people are struggling and waiting a long time to access mental health. Indeed, some of the recommendations in the report focus particularly on access to camps. We must ensure that work, such as that highlighted in the report, is well supported and that groups have the funding that they need to be able to thrive. The issue of support for third sector groups is something that I have mentioned in this chamber a number of times. As we continue to go through the cost of living crisis, we need to see a dedicated effort to support those groups. In an excellent piece of research that was published by SAMH last year during the pandemic—I am going to quote from it because I thought that it was very important—people reported failing like a burden and felt anxious about adding to the pressure of the health service by asking for help and support. It is clear that we need to move towards the system of reformed referrals and triage services to operate no wrong-door approaches. That might be through your local community group rather than more formal services. It could mean that referrals to mental health support could come from a range of sources and that pathways support and accessible and adaptable services would depend on each of us as an individual and what we need. We do want to see more resilient communities. In drawing to your close, I believe that focusing on what is outlined in this report and reforming how we go about delivering services, we can ensure that no one is rejected from support and that every referral is signposted to the right service so that everyone has the right care in the right place at the right time. I was very pleased to be able to attend Bill Kidd's reception last night. The contributions from people with lived experience in particular were very striking. I was glad to hear from the minister, Kevin Stewart, about how important it is to him that policy on mental health comes from exactly that lived experience. Not just important, he said, vital. As someone with that lived experience, I am very reassured to have a minister responsible for mental health who understands the value in asking people who know best where the work needs done. I thank Bill Kidd for giving me the opportunity last night to speak with Sam H, CME and others who attended and for bringing the debate here this evening. I was very interested to read the report that £8 million is an astonishing amount to have raised for mental health through co-ops, and I congratulate them on their campaign. I was also delighted to hear from Sam H's Jo Anderson last night that the co-op that raised the largest amount was in my region, Stornoway, where the store raised £40,000 despite the town only having a population of 4,800. So a massive well done to everyone in Stornoway who supported those incredible efforts. Covid was very difficult for so many of us, and I often say that the pandemic, particularly living through the lockdowns, was a trauma in itself. It also brought other traumas such as bereavements. I lost my mother to the virus. If there is any positive to have come from all that, it has to be the community reaction to the crisis. Across the country, groups formed and carried out just incredible work helping people, recognising that neighbours might need help getting messages, reaching out and showing support with signs and windows or singing and clapping out of them. I have no doubt that there are currently adverse mental health effects caused by the pandemic and that there are long-term ones that we do not fully understand yet. The work that Sam H is doing in improving and solidifying community resilience was needed pre-pandemic, no doubt, but it is very well timed now. People want to come together and they are more aware than ever that the world is a very strange place and you just do not know what national or international events might happen and change your everyday life. That is a hard thing to accept, particularly for many who are neurodivergent. It can take a long time to get back to normal or form a new normal. I hear from people, particularly young and disabled people in the Highlands and Islands, about the acute anxiety that they are suffering now and how that is stopping them from doing the things that they like. Something that centred a mental health charity in Inverness has looked into in their latest report. Those people need care and support, often from health professionals but more so from their community. Anyone else who has gone through masses of CBT and mindfulness therapies will have had Maslow's hierarchy of needs drilled into their brain as well. We need safety and belonging before we can develop self-esteem and self-actualisation. I had the pleasure of visiting Cromarty Firth Men's shed earlier this year, a little community all on its own in the woods. Within minutes I had been offered a standing invitation to future parties in a bacon role. Those community-led, community-run projects mean so much to so many. We all have mental health and resilient communities go a long way in supporting and creating good mental health. I have been thinking since my own debate on mental health stigma last week about the community that is this place and how we also have a responsibility to each other to support mental wellbeing and resilience in politics. If you need an example, I would look to Bill Kidd, who always seems to be quietly carrying out little acts of kindness. That job can be all-consuming, and while we can disagree, sometimes fundamentally and completely, we should lead by example and perhaps be a bit inspired by Sam H, Semi and others, and look out for colleagues as we would for our constituents. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I am grateful to all members for their participation in that important debate today. I would like to thank Bill Kidd for focusing attention on the important insights from the Together Through Tough Times report. Bill, in his speech, talked about helping others. As Emma Roddick has just highlighted, Bill is very well known for a cheery smile and also for many of us, dropping off chocolate and biscuits at various points as an act of kindness. Beyond that, his acts of kindness are very much recognised in the communities that he represents. I was at Men Matter Scotland, which Mr Kidd mentioned in his speech a couple of weeks ago. I am pride of place in one of the rooms there. I think that communities recognise that Bill spends a huge amount of his time helping others. I would also like to say that I was pleased to attend the parliamentary reception last night hosted by Bill Kidd on behalf of Sam H following the publication of the report. We have already heard about the moving testimony that we have heard last night from those with lived experience, reinforcing the importance of placing people and communities at the heart of everything that we do. I think that Stephanie Callaghan was absolutely right to point out that Linda's speech last night was better than mine, because she spoke from the heart about her experience and there is nothing like that. The best bit of all was when she told us all that she went off script. That was straight from the heart. We heard from Teresa, who could not be with us but was on video last night, and Bill Kidd again spoke about her situation. However, the thing that caught me most last night, a lump in my throat, was when on that video Teresa said, I have conquered the world, because those differences meant that much to her. It was that important. We continue to live through unprecedented times and we cannot underestimate the cumulative effects that Covid-19, the conflict in Ukraine and the current cost of living have on our mental wellbeing. The role of communities in supporting people's wellbeing is more important than ever. I welcome the contribution that the report makes to our understanding around that. The findings underline how communities can strengthen mental wellbeing by creating spaces to talk and access support. The reception last night also celebrated the excellent work that has grown out of the partnership between the co-op, SAMH, Mind and Inspire. It shows us how partnerships such as those can develop community resilience. It also reflects our own commitment to build capacity within community organisations to support mental health and wellbeing, particularly in those groups that are most at risk. In 2021, the Government launched our community's mental health and wellbeing fund for adults to improve community mental wellbeing and tackle loneliness and isolation. We provided £21 million during the first year of the fund and we are keen to ensure that people with a lived experience and communities themselves shaped how funding was spent. We achieved that through a network of 32 local partnership groups led by the third sector interfaces. To date, those partnerships have distributed funding to approximately 1,800 community projects across Scotland. That has benefited a diverse range of initiatives, including those that are focused on sport, exercise, nature, social spaces, art and therapeutic approaches. A key theme is connecting people and providing community spaces to come together with others. It also has a particular focus on socio-economic deprivation. I have been fortunate to visit a number of those projects. I met users of the West Lothian 50 plus network, which do great work to tackle social isolation among older people. I also met users of wellbeing works in Dundee and heard about their many activities and their fantastic community toolkit programme that provides a free library of equipment that people can borrow and use. This year, we have invested a further £15 million to continue that important community work, strengthening the emphasis on supporting people through the cost crisis and addressing mental health inequalities. Already, we are supporting broke not broken in Perth and Kinross, which helps people facing socio-economic disadvantage and those who are experiencing isolation, stress and anxiety through cooking classes and baby and women's groups to name just a few. Our focus goes beyond adults because we have the community, mental health and wellbeing support and services framework, which provides £50 million to local authorities to fund community mental health-based services for children, young people and their families. That funding is flexible for council. Councils and they implement supports that meet their local priorities and enable them to make services available to children and young people for whom CAMHS is not suitable or for those who are awaiting treatment. There are 230 of those new enhanced community-based supports right across our country operating in every single council area, and they have helped over 38,000 children, young people and their parents and carers since the first half of 2022. That is more than double the number that accessed the support in the second half of 2021. I could go on for hours talking about the good work that is going on across Scotland, but I know that you will not allow that. However, let me finish on this. Today's debate has highlighted the pivotal role that communities play in supporting good mental health and wellbeing. I am very grateful for all the contributions from members today, and I am grateful for all the thoughtful contributions. I am grateful to the co-op, to Sam H, mind and inspire for this insightful report, and we will continue to build the essential partnerships that are needed to protect our mental health and nurture thriving communities for all. That concludes the debate, and I close this meeting of Parliament.