40 cross-party MSPs have signed a letter written by Liam McArthur MSP (pictured and available to read rather more easily at his official site here) sent to the Deputy First Minister John Swinney asking him to rethink the decision not to award core and development funding to the Scottish Men’s Sheds Association in last month's draft budget.
"The Men’s Shed movement has been a tremendous success over recent years with the number of Sheds and ‘Shedders’ across the country continuing to grow," said Liam McArthur. "This has been mirrored in Orkney where the success of the first men's shed has now led to plans being taken forward in Sanday and most recently Westray. I know from the experience in Orkney how rewarding it has been in providing men a place to gather, work and relax. Indeed, as it has been demonstrated across the world, these facilities can make a tangible difference in efforts to tackle loneliness, social isolation and mental ill health.
"It is therefore difficult to understand why Scottish Ministers are planning to withdraw funding to the men's sheds movement altogether. Against a backdrop of soaring demand for mental health services, now more than ever we need to redouble our commitment to this invaluable public health movement.
"The Men's Shed movement has long enjoyed strong cross-party support and I'm delighted to bring this together once again in a united message of support for the SMSA. Hopefully this will prompt the Scottish Government to rethink its proposed cut and continue providing the modest level of funding that helps do so much good in Orkney and communities across Scotland."
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