Teresa Dunlop, co-ordinator at Riverside House, confirmed they had made an application to the Trust in support of three specific projects. The first application was seeking funds to buy a new laptop/tablet for use in the communal lounge for tenants to contact their friends and family.

Teresa explained: “It would go a long way to help ease the feeling of isolation some of our tenants are feeling right now during lockdown.”

The second project is to buy new plants for the raised beds in the gardens at Riverside.

Teresa added: “Our gardening project has lots of benefits for the tenants, some of whom really miss their gardens. As well as the tactile and sensory benefits involved in this project, it can also be done while social distancing and promotes positive mental health and wellbeing.”

The third project is to help restart the very successful Film Club at Riverside and renew the annual Motion Picture Licence fee.

Teresa said: “The Film Club was set up in 2018 by tenants to get together for a ‘Saturday Night at the Movies’ in the communal lounge. Due to the pandemic the club sadly had to stop, but there is great support for it to restart and the licence fee costs £327.70 to renew. If restarted, we could go back to collecting admission charges to help fund the licence in the future.”

Agnes Bell, care services manager at Eildon, added. “We were absolutely overwhelmed when we learned the Charitable Trust would be donating £1500 which will be an enormous help towards funding all three projects at Riverside - all of which will enhance the lives of our tenants at this difficult time. Not only that - a further £1500 has been donated to our tenants at Dovecot Court.”

Rev. Haisley Moore, chair, Residents’ Committee at Dovecot Court, said: “We are very grateful for the funds donated by the Peeblesshire Charitable Trust which will make a huge difference and bring beneficial amenities for all our residents. After our enforced isolation, we are all looking forward to getting into our Communal Garden again for happy social events such as Our Potato Growing Competition earlier provided; no longer able bodied ourselves, this generous Funding will help give our weary-looking Garden the Kiss-of -Life and make our fund-supported social events even more attractive & inviting.”

Sir Hew Strachan, Lord Lieutenant of Tweeddale and the chair of the Charitable Trust, said: “The Peeblesshire Charitable Trust exists to help the elderly, the medically needy and vulnerable within the county, and to do so specifically through the institutions which support them. The best way we can do that is to give money to bodies which are not paid for by government or for activities which central or local government cannot fund.

“In 2020-21 we have focused particularly on care homes and assisted housing, in recognition not least of the sense of isolation which the Covid-19 lockdown may have imposed on them. We were delighted to be able to assist both Riverside House and Dovecot Court, as well as Peeblesshire’s care homes.’