GOVERNMENT ministers have u-turned on the decision to cut funding for one of Scotland’s largest men’s mental health charities after reports it was on the verge of collapsing.
The Scottish Men’s Shed Association (SMSA) had previously said they were months away from ceasing to exist due to funding being axed and with no alternative have been provided.
However, Shirley-Anne Somerville, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, said in Holyrood that the Scottish Government plan to restore funding to the “important national organisation”.
She told MSPs that the Scottish Government plans to establish financial support for the charity, which has 10,000 members across the country, to avoid any future uncertainty.
READ MORE: Scottish mental health charity months away from collapsing as funding scrapped
She said: “The Scottish Government has provided £795,000 worth of funding to the Scottish Men’s Shed Association since 2016, supporting the movement to grow from five sheds to 200 across Scotland.
“We understand it's a very challenging time for small organisations, the that the SMSA are working to secure funding from charity donors and from the private sector.
“Given this, I can confirm today that we will work with the organisation to identify and to provide the funding for this financial year to ensure that we support them in the months ahead to develop broad, sustainable support for this important national organisation.
“And we hope this will help to avoid future uncertainty and assist local sheds to flourish.”
SMSA was founded over 20 years ago and aims to tackle social isolation among men.
The charity aims to establish grassroots communities in shared spaces with the goal of sharing experiences, and skills and forming companionship.
With 200 sheds which act as community spaces across Scotland, SMSA is one of the largest men’s mental health charities in the country.
Responding to the Scottish Government's announcement of additional funding for the Scottish Men's Sheds Association, SNP MSP Bob Doris said: “Scottish Men’s Shed Association is vital to combating poor male mental health and social isolation, and with further Scottish Government support this work will continue and expand.
“With £795,000 worth of funding from the SNP Scottish Government since 2016, SMSA has grown from five to 200 sheds across Scotland, and I hope this funding supports further growth.
“I am delighted that this SNP government has continued to listen to these organisations as we continue to do all we can to improve the mental health and wellbeing of everyone in Scotland.”
Fears were sparked when the charity’s chief executive, Jason Schroeder, told The Sunday Post that SMSA was on the cusp of closure due to lack of funding.
He said: “We’ve got enough funding for about nine or 10 months and then we’ll be looking at winding up.
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“That will mean the more than 200 groups lose all their support and all the new groups that are starting will have no support.
“We’ll be celebrating our 10th anniversary in October – hopefully we’ll be celebrating rather than closing.
“The truth is that the impact of us closing would be felt throughout the sector and in communities across Scotland.”
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