WEDNESDAY 27th APRIL from 5 – 6.30pm
Granton Community Garden on Wardieburn Road
WEDNESDAY 27th APRIL from 5 – 6.30pm
Granton Community Garden on Wardieburn Road
Tens of thousands of British Sign Language (BSL) users are anticipating a momentous day today as a Bill that will see BSL become a recognised language in Britain is expected to clear its final hurdle on the way to becoming law.
The British Sign Language Bill, a Private Member’s Bill introduced by Rosie Cooper MP last year and backed by the government, will receive its third reading in the House of Lords today before it passes into law following Royal Assent.
The BSL Act will recognise BSL as a language of England, Wales and Scotland in its own right. It is also supported by a duty on the Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to regularly report on what each relevant government department has done to promote or facilitate the use of British Sign Language in its communications with the public.
The Act further places a requirement on the DWP Secretary of State to issue guidance to departments on the promotion and facilitation of BSL. The guidance will be developed together with D/deaf BSL signers.
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work Chloe Smith MP said: “Today is a momentous day and I truly hope it will transform the lives of D/deaf people across the country.
“The BSL Bill will help remove barriers faced by the D/deaf community in daily life and is a further welcome step towards a more inclusive and accessible society.
“I am so grateful to the efforts of Rosie Cooper MP and the wonderful campaigners who have brought the BSL Bill to the point of passing into law and I’m proud to have played a small part in its journey.”
Rosie Cooper MP said: “At long last, the Deaf community will be able to say that their language is legally recognised.
“Working across party lines and with the Deaf community, I really believe we have made history by creating a mechanism for Deaf people to achieve equal access to public services. Their voices will be heard loud and clear and there will be no excuse for failing to respect BSL as a language.
“The hard work doesn’t stop here however, but the door is now open for the Deaf community make real progress fixing the injustices that they continue to face.”
David Buxton, Chair of the British Deaf Association, said: “We are extremely pleased to see the UK Parliament finally vote to recognise British Sign Language as a language of Great Britain in law today, after 19 long years of campaigning.
“Today is a historic day for the Deaf community in the UK, and an inspiration for other countries around the world where the national sign language has not yet been recognised in law.
“The British Deaf Association looks forward to working hand in hand with the government and civil servants to implement and monitor the progress of the BSL Act 2022.
“While today is a day to celebrate, we are aware that this marks the first step on a long path towards providing truly equal access to public services, information and opportunities for Deaf BSL users in Great Britain.”
Mark Atkinson, Chief Executive at RNID, said: “RNID and our supporters join with the Deaf community today to celebrate this historic moment as British Sign Language passes the final hurdle before it is legally recognised in England, Wales and Scotland.
“We’re immensely proud to have worked alongside other deaf organisations and parliamentarians to support this campaign. We look forward to the BSL Bill getting Royal Assent soon and to working with the government to make sure the BSL Act makes a real difference to the lives of Deaf people in the UK.”
The Third Reading of the BSL Bill takes place today in the House of Lords and following this it will receive Royal Assent.
The BSL Bill was first introduced on 16 June 2021 and passed through the House of Commons on 17 March 2022, receiving unanimous cross-party support.
The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work has worked closely with Labour MP Rosie Cooper and D/deaf people’s charities and organisations, such as the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and the British Deaf Association (BDA), to ensure the Bill effectively meets the needs of those who will benefit most.
Figures from the British Deaf Association suggest that 151,000 people use BSL in the UK, 87,000 of whom are D/deaf.
Plans have been announced to automatically pay the Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age Payments to parents and carers who already receive Scottish Child Payment when their children become eligible.
The change will be introduced later this year when Scottish Child Payment is extended to under-16s and increased to £25 per child, per week.
This builds on extensive work already done to make applying for the Scottish Government’s five family payments as straightforward as possible.
It includes the ability to apply for all children in a household on a single form. The form can be completed online, by phone or on paper. Parents and carers contributed to the design of the form to make sure the language was clear and easy to navigate.
As set out in the recent Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’, the introduction of automatic awards will remove the need for eligible families receiving Scottish Child Payment to reapply when their child becomes eligible for the Early Learning and School Age Payments.
This will mean less paperwork for tens of thousands of families and ensure that families automatically receive the support to which they’re entitled.
On a visit to FARE Scotland in Glasgow, Minister for Social Security, Ben Macpherson said: “Tackling child poverty is a key mission for the Scottish Government and automating payments, where we already have all of the information we need to do so, will mean parents and carers automatically getting the financial support they are eligible for paid directly to them.
“Since launching Best Start Grant in December 2018, we’ve made more than 177,000 payments, totalling £55.3 million in support, families who need it most. Automating payments, where we can, will enable us to help even more families.
“We are committed to making sure that receiving our five family payments is as straightforward as possible. Automatic awards, increasing Scottish Child Payment to £20, and again to £25 by the end of the year, and uprating eight Scottish benefits by 6% are some of the ways we are using our limited social security powers and resources to help families in need.”
Jimmy Wilson, Chief Executive of FARE Scotland, said: “There are families who aren’t aware of all the benefits to which they’re entitled so anything that can be done to make the process simpler is to be welcomed.
“It’s more important than ever that people understand the help which is there for them.
“The advantages in having automatic awards could be significant. We hope this move has a positive impact on take up rates which could help to reduce and prevent child poverty and support family wellbeing.”
New research reveals Italy’s song ‘Brividi’ by Mahmood and Blanco is the most profitable Eurovision of 2022.
A study by entertainment experts JohnSlots analysed all 40 Eurovision songs from each country available to stream via Spotify, to discover which song has generated the highest in potential royalties.
Storming in first is Italy’s ‘Brividi’ by Mahmood and Blanco; the song has taken more than 69 million streams, earning an estimated £237,439 in royalties. Italy won the annual contest three times, first in 1964 and most recently in 2021 with the song ‘Zitti e Buoni’ by Maneskin has earnt an estimated £1,017,239 from its stream count of 295 million streams, which this year’s winners could look forward to seeing.
Second with a total stream count of 11.5 million is Sweden’s entry with ‘Hold Me Closer’ performed by Cornelia Jakobs; the single’s Spotify stream adds up to a potential royalty count of £39,566. The country has taken a storming total of six wins in the contest, with Sweden’s last win in 2015.
S10’s ‘De Diepte’ earning an estimated £30,117 in royalties following more than 8.7 million streams, places Netherlands third in the ranking. The Netherlands won the second-ever Eurovision contest and continued to win four other years in the competition to date.
Representing Spain, Chanel’s single ‘SloMo’ ranks fourth, totalling streams of 7.8 million, with a potentially high royalty earning of £27,156.
Norway’s entry has gathered an estimated £19,283 in royalties following 5.6 million Spotify streams; the single ‘Give That Wolf a Banana’ by Subwoolfer takes fifth place. Having previously won three times and last took the crown in 2009 with Alexander Rybak’s ‘Fairytale”.
‘Stefania’ performed by Kalush Orchestra claims sixth in the ranking for Ukraine, from its total stream count of more than 4 million, accumulating a potential royalty earning of £13,792. Finland follows in seventh, the entry ‘Jezebel’ by The Rasmus has earnt more than 3.2 million streams, totalling £11,258 from royalties in estimation from Spotify.
Austria’s entrance this year with ‘Halo’ by artists LUM!X and Pia Maria claim eighth place with more than 2.6 million streams, has gathered potential earnings of £9,208.
Representing Germany, Malik Harris’s ‘Rockstars’ claims ninth with just under £9,000 in royalties it is estimated, has accumulated 2.6 million Spotify streams. Germany has won twice before in previous years of the contest, the last being 2010 with ‘Satellite’ by Lena Meyer-Landrut.
British singer and TikTok star, Sam Ryder, follows in tenth with the single ‘Space Man’ for the United Kingdom. Sam was selected from an internal process with TaP Music, which also manages A-list stars such as Dua Lipa and Ellie Goulding. ‘Space Man’ has an estimated royalty count of £8,921 following more than 2.5 million streams of the single.
The Most Profitable Eurovision Song of 2022 | |||||
Rank | Country | Artist | Song | Spotify Streams | (£) Pay per play on Spotify |
1 | Italy | Mahmood & Blanco | Brividi | 69,023,157 | £237,439 |
2 | Sweden | Cornelia Jakobs | Hold Me Closer | 11,502,004 | £39,566 |
3 | Netherlands | S10 | De Diepte | 8,755,103 | £30,117 |
4 | Spain | Chanel | SloMo | 7,894,204 | £27,156 |
5 | Norway | Subwoolfer | Give That Wolf a Banana | 5,605,737 | £19,283 |
6 | Ukraine | Kalush Orchestra | Stefania | 4,009,491 | £13,792 |
7 | Finland | The Rasmus | Jezebel | 3,272,948 | £11,258 |
8 | Austria | LUM!X & Pia Maria | Halo | 2,676,998 | £9,208 |
9 | Germany | Malik Harris | Rockstars | 2,616,005 | £8,999 |
10 | United Kingdom | Sam Ryder | Space Man | 2,593,327 | £8,921 |
Commenting on their findings, a spokesperson from JohnSlots said, “With Eurovision approaching next month and being held in Turin, Italy, it will be interesting to see if Italy’s song will impact the show’s results with the existing popularity taking the strongest lead in streams.
With Italy’s extensive stream count, it’s equally as insightful to see if they could expect to win for a second time running in the annual song contest. Eurovision has become a tradition for dedicated fanbases worldwide to watch the event, with it being a great source of entertainment and representation of their country for many.”
The research was conducted by JohnSlots, which is dedicated to slot games, and honest reviews of online games. Crafting a handpicked selection of online casino’s for of an enjoyable experience.
Citroën UK is showing its appreciation for the incredible work of the NHS, Teachers and Emergency Services across the UK in recent years by extending its ‘Citroën and You’ programme.
The programme, previously reserved for friends and family of Citroën employees, welcomes NHS, Teachers and Emergency Services personnel into the Citroën family and allows users to save up to an additional £1,200* on a brand-new Citroën car.
‘Citroën and You’ is available to NHS employees, Teachers and Emergency Services personnel as a fully online experience via the Citroën store. Eligible users wishing to take advantage of the ‘Citroën and You’ programme can review current offers online, configure and personalise their car, place it in their shopping basket prior to checkout and access a discount with a personalised promotional code before completing the order.
The initiative launches this week with dedicated pages already live on the Citroën UK website. The offers extend across the Citroën passenger car range†, including C4 and ë-C4 Electric, New C5 Aircross and C3 Aircross SUV.
NHS Employees: https://citroen.co.uk/citroen-and-you-for-nhs.html
Teachers: https://citroen.co.uk/citroen-and-you-for-teachers.html
Emergency Services: https://citroen.co.uk/citroen-and-you-for-emergency-services.html
Last month, Citroën UK celebrated Sign Language Week (14 to 22 March) by extending the ‘Citroën and You’ programme to welcome British Sign Language (BSL) users. Citroën has pledged to become more accessible to the UK’s more than 150,000 strong deaf community. Last year, Citroën partnered with SignLive to become the first car manufacturer to introduce its online video interpreting service for deaf and hard of hearing customers across its entire UK retailer network.
British Sign Language users: https://www.citroen.co.uk/citroen-and-you-for-bsl.html
Eurig Druce, Citroën’s UK Managing Director, said: “Over the past two years we have seen the remarkable work the NHS, Teachers and Emergency Services have provided across the UK in the face of a global pandemic.
“To show our appreciation for the work they have done and continue to do for us all, I am proud to extend ‘Citroën and You’ to all NHS employees, Teachers and Emergency Services personnel so they can save on a great new Citroën vehicle.”
‘Citroën and You’ friends and family programme is exclusively available via the online Citroën Store, which allows customers to configure their vehicle, select the finance package that best suits their needs and order their new vehicle from the comfort of their own home.
*Current offer available at time of announcement. Subject to change in the future.
†Exclusions apply. Visit https://store.citroen.co.uk/ to see all available models.
THE FIRST release of apartments at an anticipated development in the centre of Musselburgh will launch to market next week.
May 2nd will see Dundas Estates launch the first phase of one, two and three-bedroom apartments at its 140-home Wireworks development on the banks of the picturesque River Esk.
With reservations being taken by property specialists Rettie & Co., prices range from £184,995 to £339,995, catering for a variety of different buyers.
Situated just off of Mall Avenue, the development is near to a wide range of community amenities, high-street shops and cafes, the development has excellent bus and car connections to Edinburgh and East Lothian – offering capital convenience and relaxed living for buyers.
Head of Sales and Marketing at Dundas Estates, Craig Fairfoull, said: “The Wireworks is one of our most exciting projects to date, regenerating a massive area of vacant land that was a real eye-sore on the local community into beautiful, high spec apartments to help quell demand in the area.
“Musselburgh has many positive attributes that has understandably led to it becoming a highly sought-after area to live.
“The development will appeal to a range of buyers, from first timers to retirees and we’ve already seen high levels of interest.
“Given the popularity of the development so far, we would like to urge interested buyers to get in touch as soon as possible so they don’t miss out on securing their dream home.”
Situated on the East Coast near Edinburgh, the ‘Honest Toun’ is quickly becoming a popular destination for those looking to relocate from the Capital, due to its value for money and proximity to the city centre.
A recent report by property experts Rettie & Co. show the EH21 region, where Musselburgh is located, has experienced a strong recovery in the wake of lockdown restrictions being lifted mid-2020, with sales exceeding £24million in March 2021, more than £18m above pre pandemic levels.
Despite increasing popularity, 90% of homes in the area sold for under £400,000, with apartments concentrated at under £160,000, more than £100,000 less than the average flat in the capital.
Craig said: “Some of the properties have their own private balconies, whilst some have their own private gardens, making them the ideal place to relax and enjoy what Musselburgh has to offer.”
Based on the site of Brunton Wireworks, the Wireworks will boast a large central landscaped area central reflective of its picturesque tree-lined surroundings, as well as stylish, open-plan living.
Homes at the development will benefit from luxury fitted kitchens with SMEG appliances, luxury Roca sanitaryware in all bathrooms and ensuites, hive controllable, high efficiency gas thermal heating and high spec-thermal insulation as well as generous in-built storage, on-site parking, bike storage and EV charging provision
Dundas Estates, through a partnership with Tesco, East Lothian Council and NHS Lothian, acquired the site after receiving planning permission to regenerate the former Brunton Wireworks site and neighbouring land in 2008.
The Livingston-based firm is also committing up to £400,000 in section 75 contributions, which will be invested into local schooling and infrastructure and building 11 affordable homes to help meet rising demand in the area.
To learn more about Dundas Estates’ Wireworks development visit:
https://www.dundas.co.uk/developments/the-wireworks, call 0131 243 3858 or email: thewireworks@rettie.co.uk
6pm via MICROSOFT TEAMS
FORTH Neighbourhood Network will meet online tomorrow evening at 6pm.
AGENDA
For further information please contact Elaine Lennon, North West Lifelong Learning Development Officer, telephone 529 5270, email Elaine.Lennon@edinburgh.gov.uk
Scottish Book Trust has unveiled a new initiative to support writers based in Scotland whose debut, full-length work in poetry, fiction or creative non-fiction was published after December 2019 and impacted by the pandemic. Debut Lab is funded by, and a collaboration with, Creative Scotland.
Delivered remotely through a series of seven live-on-Zoom workshops and a range of additional online resources, Debut Lab will support writers affected by the pandemic during this transitional stage in their careers.
Workshops will include networking, marketing, author events and funding opportunities, and will be led by industry professionals including Mairi Oliver, owner of Lighthouse Bookshop, and writers Maisie Chan and Helen Sedgwick, as well as Creative Scotland’s Literature Team and Scottish Book Trust staff.
Nine writers based in Edinburgh have been selected for Debut Lab, including:
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: “Scottish Book Trust is pleased to support eighteen authors through our new initiative, Debut Lab.
“Being a debut author is daunting enough, but the pandemic and following lockdown made it incredibly difficult for authors to promote their work.
“We hope to shine a light on this fantastic range of books, from children’s novels to collections of poetry. Our thanks to Creative Scotland for making this possible and allowing us to give essential support to this cohort.”
Katalina Watt, Literature Officer at Creative Scotland said: ““Creative Scotland is so pleased to be working with Scottish Book Trust on this vital initiative for debut authors impacted by the pandemic.
“Through a series of live online workshops and additional resources led and facilitated by industry professionals, Debut Lab will highlight the wonderful variety of works and support these authors in the next exciting steps of their author journeys.”
Thursday 28th April 11am – 1pm at Edinburgh College Granton Campus
Detectives investigating the murder of Alistair Wilson at his home in Nairn in 2004 are appealing for information about a local planning application they believe may be significant to the enquiry.
Mr Wilson had objected to a large decking area outside the Havelock Hotel, opposite his home in Crescent Road, shortly before he was shot dead on his doorstep.
Detectives recently travelled to Canada to interview a key witness regarding this planning application and are appealing for the public’s help to gather more information.
Officers from Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team, which is carrying out the investigation, can also confirm they now believe the answer to Alistair’s murder lies within his personal life and is not connected to his employment with the Bank of Scotland.
Detective Superintendent Graeme Mackie said: “Shortly before his murder, Alistair had objected to the building of a large decking area within the car park of the Havelock Hotel, directly opposite the family home which he said was responsible for increased noise and litter in the area.
“The decking was built in the summer of 2004 and subject to a retrospective planning application at the time of the murder.
“While we cannot rule out any scenario, we believe this could be significant to our enquiries and I am asking anyone with information about this issue to please come forward and speak with officers.
“Alistair did not disclose his disapproval regarding the decking to many people, however we understand that his formal objection was sent by the Local Authority to the Havelock Hotel on the Thursday before his murder and knowledge of his objections became public before his murder on the Sunday, which may be significant.
“I would also appeal to anyone who was involved in the building of the decking area at the Havelock Hotel in 2004 to come forward.
“Through significant enquiries being carried out we believe the answer to Alistair’s murder lies within his personal life and not in his role with the bank.
“Someone locally will have that piece of information that could be crucial to catching his killer and providing answers for his family.”
Anyone who believes they can assist police is asked to contact 101 quoting incident 515 of 4 March 2022 and Operation Sorn or you can e-mail a dedicated inbox at SCDHOLMESAberdeen@scotland.pnn.police.uk
Last month Police Scotland issued an appeal for information about two men seen with a handgun on a beach near the town a month before the fatal shooting.
Following recent appeals for information, a witness has reported seeing two men, one aged in their 20s and the other between 40 and 60 years old on East Beach, Nairn.
The witness has said the younger man was in possession of a handgun.
Detective Superintendent Mackie said: “We have been very clear that time is no barrier to justice and I hope these recent appeals will further reassure the public that we are determined to bring Alistair’s killer to justice.
“I would like to thank the local community for the positive response to our recent appeals for information.”
Following a recent review of witness accounts, further analysis of timings from the night in question and investigative developments, officers altered the description of the man they want to trace in connection with Alistair’s murder.
Detectives believe the man who shot Alistair on his doorstep to have been aged between 20 and 40-years-old at the time. This would mean he is now aged in his mid-30s to almost 60 years old.
He was approximately 5ft 7in tall and was wearing a baseball cap and jacket.
Previous appeals described the gunman as being between 30 and 40-years-old.
Mr Wilson was shot around 7pm on Sunday, 28 November 2004 after a man called at the family’s home on Crescent Road, Nairn, spoke to his wife Veronica who answered the door and asked for her husband by name.
Mr Wilson went downstairs to speak to the man and was handed a blue envelope with the word “Paul” on it. He went inside briefly and then returned to the door for a second time when he was fatally shot.
Anyone who believes they can assist police is asked to contact 101 quoting incident 515 of 4 March 2022 and Operation Sorn or you can e-mail a dedicated inbox at SCDHOLMESAberdeen@scotland.pnn.police.uk