Meeting of the Parliament (Virtual) 18 February 2021
As I said, it is important that we have access to outside interests, whatever they happen to be, that we can take with us throughout our lives. The men’s sheds movement allows that to happen.
I ask the cabinet secretary what the Scottish Government is going to do to ensure that those organisations are still here, post Covid. We know that the men’s sheds movement, like many parts of the third sector, is under extreme pressure at this time because of a lack of finance. As I said at the start of my speech, we need the third sector now more than ever. The men’s sheds movement will, I hope, continue to grow and will still be there post the pandemic.
I will be interested to hear from the cabinet secretary how the Scottish Government proposes to ensure that the third sector remains vibrant, and how provision can be integrated with statutory services in order to treat people who are experiencing poor mental health.
Once again, I thank my colleague Maurice Corry for bringing the debate to chamber.
17:20