Day: June 15, 2014

Happy birthday CAB!

Local MP praises work of Citizen Advice service

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Mark Lazarowicz MP has pledged his support for Citizen’s Advice’s new campaign at a reception held to celebrate the charity’s 75th birthday. The Advice for the Future campaign aims to highlight the importance of free, impartial advice and get 100,000 people pledging their support.

Citizens Advice has launched the campaign as rising household bills, changes to the welfare system and a troubled jobs market mean that for many life is getting increasingly complicated. This means it’s even more important that people can access free, relevant and impartial advice to help make complex decisions.

Citizens Advice Scotland, the Scottish counterpart to Citizens Advice, opened its first bureau in September 1939 and so will also be celebrating its 75th anniversary later this year.

The North and Leith MP said: “I know from my work as a constituency MP just how valuable the service provided by Citizens Advice is to constituents: free, independent, impartial and trusted.

“The major changes to the benefit system introduced by this Government, sharply rising energy bills and the difficulty that many households have in just keeping their heads above water have left many more people turning to Citizens Advice for help.

“It has also used its first hand experience in dealing with the practical problems people face to contribute positively to debate on public policy which is why I and other Opposition MPs fought so hard against the restrictions that the Lobbying Act would have placed on charities.

“Largely run by volunteers though publicly funded, it supports the vulnerable and indeed anyone who needs advice: our society would struggle to cope without it.”

Citizens Advice celebrates its 75th anniversary this year:

• In 2013/14 the charity helped 2 million people to solve 5.5 million problems
• In 2012/13, 22,000 volunteers donated nearly 7 million hours to the service
• This amounts to a contribution of £109 million worth of volunteering hours.

PlayTalkRead campaign kicks off today

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The latest PlayTalkRead campaign, including a television advert to be shown during World Cup games, has been launched today – Father’s Day.

The PlayTalkRead campaign’s summer activity is part of the Scottish Government’s focus on the early years of children’s lives – encouraging and supporting parents and carers to play, talk and read more regularly with their little ones.

The national drive includes a new television advert themed around a message to ‘say thanks’ to parents and carers who have played, talked and read with their kids during their earliest, formative years. The ‘dad’ version of the advert will be first screened on Monday 16 June during the Germany-Portugal game.

Famous Scots, including author Ian Rankin, radio DJ Ally McCrae, chef Nick Nairn, TV presenter Michelle McManus and rugby player John Beattie are backing PlayTalkRead’s latest campaign by revealing what they would #saythanks for on Father’s Day.

Minister for Children and Young People, Aileen Campbell (pictured above) said: “Play is about having fun but it’s also fundamental to our children’s positive development. The PlayTalkRead summer campaign aims to help parents stimulate their children from birth through low-cost, fun activities. Families making special time to celebrate Father’s Day could take inspiration from the World Cup and PlayTalkRead’s new football-themed ‘30 things to do before you’re 3’ list – such as kicking a ball at the park, playing keepy-uppy in the garden or rolling a ball along the floor with your baby.

“The new advert is also a way of saying thanks to parents and carers across Scotland for investing time with their wee ones, and encouraging them to keep it up. On Father’s Day, I’d like to say thanks to my dad for encouraging me to be an active youngster and also for getting me into football – including supporting St Johnstone, who we both watched win the Scottish Cup this year! I would encourage mums and dads to get involved and share what they’d like to thank their parents for on PlayTalkRead’s Twitter or Facebook.”

This summer will see the next stage of the campaign rolled out with PlayTalkRead buses ‘Benji’ and ‘Bessie’ appearing in locations across the country, including a visit to Glasgow for the Commonwealth Games. Activity on the bus includes demonstrating easy ways for parents to bond with their children during their early years, with lots of simple and low-cost ideas that can all be done at home and easily incorporated within daily routines.

The popular PlayTalkRead website has also been revamped with more ideas, advice and information for parents, including a downloadable ‘30 Things to do Before You’re 3′ list.

People can also get involved in the #SayThanks conversation with PlayTalkRead on Twitter @PlayTalkRead or by visiting the PlayTalkRead Facebook page.

The new PlayTalkRead #saythanks ad is now available to view on the PlayTalkRead website, ahead of its first TV screening tomorrow.

www.playtalkread.org

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