Midlothian Community Action

🌟 Looking to build your skills, experience, and confidence?

Volunteering can help you:

✅ Gain practical experience for your CV
✅ Develop skills employers’ value
✅ Meet new people and grow your network
✅ Build confidence for work, education, or training

This Challenge Poverty Week, we're celebrating how volunteering can help people move closer to their goals while strengthening communities.

Find local opportunities: mca.scot/volunteering

Support Available for Funeral Costs in Scotland

If you live in Scotland and are responsible for arranging a funeral, you may be entitled to a Funeral Support Payment to help cover essential costs.

This payment can support you with:
• Burial, cremation or alkaline hydrolysis fees
• Transporting your loved one (beyond 49.7 miles)
• Travel costs for attending the funeral
• Key documents like the death certificate.

The payment amount varies depending on the situation and does not usually cover all costs.

You can apply up to 6 months after the date of death.

👉 Apply online: Funeral support - mygov.scot
📞 Social Security Scotland: 0800 182 2222

Please share this with anyone in Midlothian who may need support during a difficult time. No one should face financial stress while grieving.

📢 We're Recruiting: Business Support Intern

Looking to gain hands-on experience in administration, communications, events and community development?

Join Midlothian Community Action and develop valuable workplace skills while supporting projects that make a real difference across Midlothian.

✅ 28 hours per week
✅ Based in Dalkeith
✅ Fixed-term until 31 March 2027
✅ Experience in administration, reception, events, communications and Microsoft 365

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is organised, friendly, eager to learn and interested in supporting local communities.

📄 Full job description and application details are available here: https://goodmoves.org/vacancy/a4sP1000001zuKrIAI/business-support-intern

If you'd like to find out more about the role or have an informal chat before applying, please contact [email protected].

Please share with anyone who may be interested!

Midlothian’s Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults is now open!

Over the past five years, Midlothian’s Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults, known locally as the Sunflower Fund, has delivered significant benefits by supporting grassroots, community-led projects that promote mental wellbeing, prevent deterioration in mental health, and strengthen local resilience.

Funded initiatives have helped reduce social isolation and loneliness, improve confidence and wellbeing, increase community participation, support vulnerable and marginalised groups, and create lasting peer networks and community assets.

Visit our website (link in bio) to find out more!

We’re thrilled to receive funding to help more people get active, connect with others and celebrate the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Because of National Lottery players, we’ll be able to support and supervise young people to develop confidence, skills and experience through Volunteering as Activity Assistants in Sheltered Housing. The young volunteers will encourage older tenants to take part in low impact, inclusive physical activities, with the aim of reducing loneliness, bringing generations together and promoting positive mental and physical health for all.

🌟 Think Carer Training

Do you work in the Third Sector or public sector, manage volunteers, or volunteer yourself? Join us for Think Carer training and learn how to recognise and support unpaid carers.

📅 Monday 7 September 2026
⏰ 10.30am–12pm
📍 Midlothian Community Action, 4–6 White Hart St, Dalkeith EH22 1AE
👥 Delivered by Denise Millan & Naomi Knights from VOCAL Midlothian

The session will explore what it means to be an unpaid carer, the challenges carers face, how to identify and refer carers for support, and carers’ rights under the Carers (Scotland) Act 2016.

For volunteer managers, the training also provides valuable insight into supporting volunteers who may themselves be unpaid carers.

🎟️ Book your free place via Eventbrite by using the QR code or visiting the link- https://ThinkCarerTraining.eventbrite.co.uk