With a little light starting to appear at the end of the lockdown tunnel, it’s time for this week’s #ICYMI. There continues to be lots of good news which keeps us hopeful — here are some of the stories we’ve been talking about this week.

Connecting the community: Being able to keep in touch with family digitally when we can’t meet up with them has been a godsend for our team during lockdown. So, when one of our clients, CMAL, reached out to local care homes to generously donate four refurbished laptops so that their residents at the Bagatelle and Glenfield care homes could keep in contact via video call with their much missed family members, we got all the feels. In a time that is difficult for everyone, we love seeing how businesses are providing support for the communities in which they are based. Read more here.

Join Marley in the garden: The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has launched an online resource to keep children entertained while schools remain closed. Marley’s School of Garden Magic has been created in honour of Marley, the Botanics’ very own black cat who — even while the Garden is closed — is exploring all of the beautiful collections. The activities align with the Scottish curriculum and take children on an adventure to learn more about plants and how to care for them in a fun and interactive way. From creating snail art to learning about dandelions, there is an activity to keep every child entertained. Join Marley on his adventure here.

Supporting business in a pandemic: Once in a lifetime. That’s how this pandemic has been described and the impact on businesses up and down the country has the potential to be catastrophic. However, we have seen support not only from the government, but also the banking sector to help to ensure businesses survive. Our client, Virgin Money, has been one of many banks providing Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS). From garden centres to premium water providers, organisations large and small have been able to quickly gain access to funds to adapt the business or provide cash flow. More information on the businesses that have been provided support here.

And finally: We’ll be raising a glass (or two) to Captain Tom Morgan who has been awarded with a knighthood after raising a whopping £32 million for NHS charities after completing 100 laps of his garden last month. Cheers Tom!

We’ll be back next week for more #ICYMI. Stay safe and see you then.