Background
The VisitScotland ScotSpirit Holiday Voucher Scheme is funded by Scottish Government and forms part of the Scottish tourism pandemic recovery programme. The new scheme will enable low-income families, unpaid carers and disadvantaged young people to enjoy a 2-3-night subsidised break or day out in Scotland. The scheme offers a contribution towards a holiday stay in hotels, campsites, bed and breakfasts or day visit activities in Scotland from October 2021 to December 2022.
The ScotSpirit Holiday Voucher Scheme is focused on supporting individuals and families who have been particularly adversely affected by the impact of the pandemic, while at the same time providing financial support to the Scottish tourism sector.
Due to pandemic restrictions, we know that many unpaid carers have been left without access to their normal support services. Many will have struggled due to extended periods of isolation and the lack of any meaningful breaks. For this reason, it has been decided that unpaid carers will be one of the key target groups.
What is being offered
The ScotSpirit Holiday Voucher Scheme will enable a minimum of 2,500 unpaid carers across Scotland to have a short overnight break, or to have a break at a day visitor attraction.
How the funding is being administered
Shared Care Scotland will assist VisitScotland with the management of the ScotSpirit Holiday Voucher Scheme for unpaid carers and we will be working with local partners to plan for the administration and delivery of the Holiday Voucher Scheme across Scotland.
During August, we will be inviting Carers Centres to become local delivery partners and will work with those organisations to develop systems and processes to administer the local scheme. A list of delivery partners will be published on our website in September.
Timeline
- AUGUST: VisitScotland will launch the Holiday Voucher Scheme to tourism businesses and the first phase will involve recruiting businesses to the scheme before opening up for applications (click here to see launch press release)
- AUGUST: Shared Care Scotland will invite local carers centres (currently managing Time to Live funding) to be delivery partners to manage the Holiday Voucher Scheme in their local area. Between August-September, Shared Care Scotland will support delivery partners to put in place the necessary arrangements to be able to open the scheme to applications from carers in their area
- OCTOBER: We expect local delivery partners will be ready to open for applications from carers
- OCTOBER >: Further work by Shared Care Scotland to identify, recruit and support local delivery partners in those areas that are not signed up in phase 1.
How to apply for a ScotSpirit break
For further information on how to apply, please refer to the Carers Centre in your local authority area. NOTE: opening date for applications may differ across each area. Areas in green have informed us they are open or soon to open:
| Aberdeen City | Aberdeen Carers Support Service | https://carers.quarriers.org.uk/services/aberdeen-carers-support-service/ |
| Aberdeenshire | Aberdeenshire Carers Support Service | https://www.quarriers.org.uk/services/aberdeenshire-adult-carers/ |
| Angus | Angus Carers | https://www.anguscarers.org.uk/ |
| Argyll & Bute | Argyll & Bute Carers Network | https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/social-care-and-health/respite-and-short-breaks |
| Clackmannanshire | Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre | http://centralcarers.org/ |
| Dumfries & Galloway | Carers Centre Project for Dumfries and Galloway Ltd | http://www.dgalcarers.co.uk/ |
| Dundee City | Dundee Carers Centre | https://dundeecarerscentre.org.uk/ |
| East Ayrshire | East Ayrshire Carers Centre | https://www.eastayrshirecarers.org.uk/ |
| East Dunbartonshire | Carers Link East Dunbartonshire | https://carerslink.org.uk/ |
| East Lothian | Carers of East Lothian | https://coel.org.uk/ |
| East Renfrewshire | East Renfrewshire Carers Centre | https://www.eastrenfrewshirecarers.co.uk/ |
| Edinburgh City | VOCAL Edinburgh Hub | https://www.vocal.org.uk/ |
| Eilean Siar | Western Isles Community Care Forum | https://www.wiccf.co.uk/ |
| Falkirk | Falkirk & Clackmannanshire Carers Centre | http://centralcarers.org/ |
| Fife | Fife Carers Centre | https://www.fifecarerscentre.org/ |
| Glasgow | Glasgow Association for Mental Health | https://www.gamh.org.uk/ |
| Highland | Highland Community Care Forum | https://connectingcarers.org.uk/ |
| Inverclyde | Inverclyde Carers Centre | https://www.inverclydecarerscentre.org.uk/ |
| Midlothian | VOCAL Midlothian Hub | https://www.vocal.org.uk/ |
| Moray | Quarriers Carer Support Moray | https://www.quarriers.org.uk/services/adult-carer-support-service-moray/ |
| North Lanarkshire | Lanarkshire Carers | https://lanarkshirecarers.org.uk/ |
| Orkney Islands | Crossroads Care Orkney | https://crossroadsorkney.co.uk/ |
| Perth & Kinross | PKAVS Carers Hub | https://www.pkavs.org.uk/Carers-Hub |
| Renfrewshire | Renfrewshire Carers Centre | https://renfrewshirecarers.org.uk/ |
| Scottish Borders | Borders Carers Centre | https://www.borderscarerscentre.co.uk/ |
| South Ayrshire | Unity Enterprise – South Ayrshire Carers Centre | https://www.unity-enterprise.com/ |
| South Lanarkshire | Lanarkshire Carers | https://lanarkshirecarers.org.uk/ |
| Stirling | Stirling Carers Centre | https://www.stirlingcarers.co.uk/ |
| West Dunbartonshire | Carers of West Dunbartonshire | https://www.carerswd.org/ |
| West Lothian | Carers of West Lothian | https://carers-westlothian.com/ |
| North Ayrshire | Unity Enterprise – North Ayrshire Carers Centre | https://www.unity-enterprise.com/ |