A further £30 million of funding has been announced by the Scottish Government to help improve mental health and wellbeing in adults, children and young people.

The money will be split between two funds.

The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults has supported local community groups to deliver programmes focused on connecting people and providing peer support helping to tackle social isolation, loneliness, and mental health inequalities through activities such as sports, outdoor activities, and the arts.

And the Children and Young People’s Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund supports local authorities to deliver community-based mental health and wellbeing support for young people aged five to 24 and their families including mentoring, art-based therapies, digital services, whole-family support, counselling, and sport of physical activities.

Cowdenbeath MSP Annabelle Ewing said: “An additional £30 million for community-based mental health and wellbeing projects is very good news indeed. It will help support adults, children and young people across Scotland, including in my Cowdenbeath constituency.

“This is a funding boost which will be directed towards grassroots initiatives delivering vital programmes aimed at building resilience and addressing social isolation, through prevention and early intervention."