Hampden pitch invasion: Furious Rangers call for independent investigation

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Investigations into the aftermath of Hibs Scottish Cup victory at Hampden on Saturday are ongoing and police are appealing for the support of spectators to help their inquiries. Continue reading Hampden pitch invasion: Furious Rangers call for independent investigation

Mental health an ‘absolute priority’ for Scottish Government

Minister speaks about the importance of new role

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Commenting on her new role as Mental Health Minister at the end of Mental Health Awareness Week, Maureen Watt said:

“I am extremely proud to be appointed as Scotland’s first dedicated Mental Health Minister, and the first in the UK. Starting my new position during Mental Health Awareness Week makes it particularly special for me – a reminder of what an important role it is.

“Mental Health is an absolute priority of this government, demonstrated by the fact that we have committed an additional £150 million to improve mental health services. Some of that has already been invested in innovation; improving access to child and adolescent mental health services and psychological therapies; and primary care. I look forward to announcing more details of how the remainder will be spent in the coming weeks and months. Later this year we will be publishing a ten year strategy to improve mental health and services – I see this as the centrepiece of this Government’s focus on improving Mental Health.

“We are currently working on the development of the next Strategy, and over the last few months we have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders including people who use services, service providers and professional bodies. The Scottish Association for Mental Health and Voices of Experience also hosted engagement events and the Strategy will be informed by all of the comments and input that we have received.

“I want us to focus more on prevention and early intervention. By addressing mental health problems as early as possible, we can prevent people from becoming more distressed, and improve access to services when needed by reducing pressure on the NHS.

“We need to think about new and innovative ways to improve mental health. That means looking for approaches that go beyond traditional health settings. It will also mean taking advantage of the well-known links between physical health and mental wellbeing. If we can get people more active, the benefits are enormous. We want to tackle the 15-20 year difference in life expectancy for people living with serious mental illness.

“Around 90 per cent of mental health problems are dealt with in primary care settings, so this will be a priority area for us. Part of the £150 million will be used to fund new ways of responding to these issues in and around GP surgeries.

“In recent years we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of people accessing mental health services. If that means more people are prepared to ask for help rather than suffer in silence, that should be welcomed. NHS boards are seeing more people than ever before, but I’m clear that more work needs to be done to meet the waiting time standards we have set.

“Finally I want to say something about the stigma which still exists around mental health. It is completely wrong that people with mental health issues suffer discrimination and stigma. Sadly too many still do.

“The Scottish Government, in collaboration with Comic Relief, funds the See Me initiative to help address this, and they do valuable work. But the truth is that each and every one of us has it within our power to do our bit to end this stigma, and to be more understanding of people who have mental health problems.”

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MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK STATEMENT

This Mental Health Awareness Week See Me we are calling on everyone to start talking more about mental health and to be there for each other.

Mental health is part of everyone’s day to day life, it affects all of us, but there is still a stigma around it.

To tackle this properly people need to understand that it is okay not to be okay, however it is not okay for anyone to suffer alone in silence.

You don’t have to be an expert to speak about mental health, just asking someone if they are okay can be a powerful thing.

We need to change the culture around mental health so people with mental health problems to feel confident enough to talk, without the fear that they will be stigmatised and discriminated against.

No one should ever be made to feel ashamed or embarrassed to tell anyone that they experience mental health problems.

For move information visit

https://www.seemescotland.org/

June dates for Childcare Academy info sessions

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We have more dates in place for our Childcare Academy Information Sessions:

Wednesday 1st June @ 1.30pm

Thursday 23rd June @ 1.30pm

If you would like to book a place to come along and hear more about the Academy, ask any questions and take away an application pack, please do not hesitate to contact me on the number below or Barbara Webster on 0131 311 6926.

Audrey O’Neill, Training Administrator

North Edinburgh Childcare

18b Ferry Road Avenue, Edinburgh EH4 4BL

Tel: 0131 311 6931

Follow us on Twitter @NEChildcare

Like our Training Services on Facebook @https://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Edinburgh-Childcare-Training-Services/664092880377307

Forth Neighbourhood Partnership meets on Wednesday

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Forth Neighbourhood Partnership meets on Wednesday 25 May at 7pm in the North Local Office on West Pilton Gardens. Continue reading Forth Neighbourhood Partnership meets on Wednesday

Coming soon: Tales From The Hanging Captain

TALES FROM THE HANGING CAPTAIN

16 – 18 JUNE

An exuberant theatre production – made in Leith for the people of Leith – and beyond!

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Following on from the hugely successful production of Persevere, part of Out of the Blue’s Gretna 100 Project, this new play Tales From The Hanging Captain sees Active Inquiry and Strange Town join forces again to explore the history of Leith docks. Continue reading Coming soon: Tales From The Hanging Captain

Two face court following ‘significant’ drugs haul

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A ‘significant amount’ of Class A and B drugs have been recovered in Leith following an intelligence led operation.

Officers from the Edinburgh division proactive unit executed separate warrants on Thursday at addresses in Great Junction Street and Pilrig Heights. A subsequent search resulted in the seizure of a substantial amount of cocaine, heroin and cannabis worth an estimated street value of £66,500. Continue reading Two face court following ‘significant’ drugs haul

And they’re off!

Fundraiser for youth group’s Leadership Academy

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MYDG are hosting a race night on Friday 10th June at Leith Dockers club 7pm start, in aid of our leadership academy. We are hoping to raise funds for their final year end trip as some of the group are moving on. Continue reading And they’re off!