Pet passport changes introduced today

Taking your pet out of the country? Changes to the pet travel scheme are being introduced today by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Read guidance: pet travel: changes to the EU scheme

The pet travel scheme allows people to take their dog, cat or ferret in and out of the UK without quarantine, as long as they meet the rules of the scheme.

The changes are in line with new European regulations and are designed to improve the security of the scheme and traceability of the pet passport, whilst also clamping down on abuse of the system.

The changes include:

a new minimum age of 12 weeks before a pet can be vaccinated against rabies
new pet passports will include laminated strips and a requirement for more contact details to be provided by the vet issuing the document and certifying the veterinary treatments
a new requirement for all member states in the EU to carry out checks on their borders (the UK already checks all pets coming into the country through approved routes)
a tighter definition of non-commercial movement which will mean owners who cannot travel with a pet when they enter the EU, must do so within 5 days; owners can still authorise another person to travel with their pet, but again the pet and authorised person must travel within 5 days of each other

All pets are still required to have a microchip which confirms the animal’s identity.

Existing passports will remain valid for the lifetime of the pet or until all treatment spaces have been filled on the document.

All pet passports issued by vets from 29 December 2014 will be in the new format.

More information on travelling with your pet

Good Lord – Provost to join Loony Dookers!

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Councillor Donald Wilson is preparing to plunge into the Forth’s icy waters for charity when he takes on the New Year’s Day Loony Dook challenge in South Queensferry.

Part of the three day festival for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, the event will see over 1,000 ‘Dookers’ cheered on by 4,000 spectators start 2015 with a dip in the River Forth in the shadow of the world-famous Forth Bridges.

The Lord Provost has signed up to take part to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution RNLI, which provides a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service across the UK.

He commented: “The event is great fun and will be raising money for a fantastic charity. The South Queensferrry branch of the RNLI will receive a 10 per cent donation from each registration fee for the event this year. I’m either brave or barmy to sign up, but I’m very glad to lend my support. I wish everyone taking part the best of luck and a happy – albeit chilly – start to the New Year!”

The Loony Dook is organised by Unique Events, who produce Edinburgh’s Hogmanay on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council. Earlier this month, organisers confirmed that M&D’s, who operate Scotland’s Theme Park in Strathclyde Country Park and also run the Edinburgh’s Hogmanay carnival, will be supporting the event. It is also funded by EventScotland and Scotland’s Winter Festivals.

This year’s event has been a sell out and no more spaces are available. It will start with a Dookers’ Parade, led by the Beastie Drummers, at 1.20pm followed by the Dook itself at 1.30pm on Thursday 1st January. Spectators are welcome to cheer on the Dookers from various vantage points along the route.

Find out more at the Edinburgh’s Hogmanay website

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay programme

Where there’s a will … good news for genealogists

41 million wills can now be searched online

The wills of Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill, Alan Turing and Beatrix Potter are among millions which have been made accessible to the public through a searchable online database.

The government’s archive of 41 million wills dates back to 1858 and will enable people to find out more about their family histories, as well as researching the last wishes of some of the most influential people of the 19th and 20th century.

As a result of the innovative project carried out by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and storage and information management company Iron Mountain, people will be able to connect to history from the comfort of their own home and look up the wills of people like:

mathematician Alan Turing whose life story has been told in the film The Imitation Game
Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist author Charles Dickens
Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill
Peter Rabbit creator Beatrix Potter

Courts Minister Shailesh Vara said: “This fascinating project provides us with insights into the ordinary and extraordinary people who helped shape this country, and the rest of the world.

It is a fantastic resource not only for family historians but also for anyone with an interest in social history or famous figures. I am delighted that HMCTS are leading the way in innovation and are helping deliver a more modern and efficient public service.”

Victorian novelist Charles Dickens, creator of some of the world’s most well-known fictional characters including Christmas favourite Ebenezer Scrooge, left a handwritten will in an attractive cursive script.

The writer George Orwell, who died in 1950, insisted that all his notes, manuscripts, pamphlets, press cuttings and other documents be preserved; while the economist John Keynes, who died in 1946, wanted most of his personal papers and unpublished manuscripts to be destroyed.

Alan Turing, the mathematician and cryptologist who cracked the Enigma code died of cyanide poisoning in 1954 aged just 41. Turing left a brief will sharing his possessions equally among a cherished group of colleagues and his mother.

The creator of Winnie the Pooh, A. A. Milne, who died in 1956, left a share of future royalties and copyright to his favourite London club and Westminster School, while the creator of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter, left a long and generous will that reflected her passion for natural science and conservation.

Phil Greenwood, Commercial Director at Iron Mountain said: “The completion of this phase of our work with HMCTS marks a significant milestone in a project to help deliver services online.

“The size of the archive is both humbling and impressive. Every will among the 41 million is a precious historical document that can provide remarkable insight into generations of lives lived and lost. The wills offer us a unique glimpse of individuals in their roles as father or mother, friend or colleague. The online availability of the wills is a welcome opportunity for anyone wishing to add detail to their family history.

“It gives the general public, here and overseas, the chance to get closer to their ancestors. The ease of access enabled by technology is matched by careful preservation of the original paper records. These are and will remain in trust for future generations in a secure, temperature-controlled environment.”

The availability of the database of 41 million wills follows the first stage of opening up the archive when soldiers’ wills were made available in 2013.

Since then there have been more than 2 million searches of the site showing people’s considerable interest in family history. The latest phase in the programme means that people can now request a specific will online and receive an electronic copy within 10 working days.

Creating the wills archive is part of ongoing work to transform HMCTS to make it a modern, efficient, digital service which is easy for the public to access.

Members of the public can order scanned copies of the wills for a fee of £10

Giving Scotland’s children the best start

Breast’s best: New Year summit to promote breastfeeding

Health, local authority and third sector partners will come together in the new year to kick off a year-long commitment to actively promote breastfeeding and support more women to breastfeed for longer.

The Breastfeeding Summit, to be held on Tuesday 24 February in Edinburgh, will examine what can be done to increase breastfeeding rates, which have remained relatively static across Scotland over the last decade.

Latest figures show 48.4 per cent of babies were breastfed at the first visit (around 10 days) in 2013/14. This compared with 44.4 per cent in 2004/05. The figures show a trend towards mixed feeding, where the baby is fed both breast and formula milk, and a decline by the 6-8 week review.

Leading experts will share the latest evidence on the benefits of breastfeeding, review what is working well, and identify key national and local actions to drive up rates and remove any barriers that exist.

The event will also explore ways to further support the increasing rates of breastfeeding in the most deprived areas, helping to reduce health inequalities.

While rates are increasing in mothers from disadvantaged backgrounds – up by 7.2 over the last nine years – there remains a clear association between breastfeeding and deprivation: mothers in most affluent areas are nearly three times as likely to exclusively breastfeed at 6-8 weeks compared with those in the most deprived areas.

Minister for Public Health, Maureen Watt, said: “This Summit will give us the chance to explore new ways to drive up breastfeeding rates. It’s an opportunity to bring experts together to discuss how we can support more mothers to decide to breastfeed for longer.

“Breastfeeding has major health benefits, in the short and longer term, for both mother and baby. That is why the Scottish Government continues to promote it as the best source of nutrition for babies.

“We know it is important to understand the factors which influence a mother’s infant feeding decision and develop effective strategies to encourage more women to breastfeed. Research shows that women who know about the health benefits of breastfeeding are more likely to start, therefore it’s essential that in the antenatal period the health benefits of breastfeeding are discussed and explained to all women.”

Promoting and supporting breastfeeding is a key component of Scottish Government’s Framework for Maternal and Infant Nutrition and there is strong evidence that breastfeeding in infancy has a protective effect against many childhood illnesses.

Breastfed infants are likely to have a reduced risk of infection, particularly those affecting the ear, respiratory tract and gastro-intestinal tract. This protective effect is particularly marked in low birth weight infants. Other probable benefits include improved cognitive and psychological development, and a reduced risk of childhood obesity. There is also evidence that women who breastfed have lower risks of breast cancer, epithelial ovarian cancer and hip fracture later in life.

The Breastfeeding Summit will take place at Murrayfield Stadium on Tuesday 24 February. Further details available at http://bookings.shscevents.co.uk/all/2994

Job experts out and about to spread work message

Jobcentre staff are getting out and about and taking work support direct to jobseekers as part of a new blitz targeting unusual locations –from football clubs to prisons and homeless shelters.

Employment numbers have reached a record 30.8 million and the number of people on the main out-of-work benefits is the lowest it’s been for a quarter of a century and now Jobcentre Plus Work Coaches – the government’s ‘army of jobs experts’ – are heading out to meet the public in children’s centres, youth hubs, homeless shelters, and rural work clubs to offer targeted support to people who need it most.

This more direct approach to helping jobseekers back to work has also seen roaming Work Coaches partnering up with professional football clubs, including Arsenal, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur, to set up schemes that help young people build confidence and skills to prepare them to find work.

And they are setting up shop in prisons across the country to help prisoners who are soon to leave custody prepare for a new life away from crime and in work.

New figures released last week show that an average of 1,500 more people were in work every day over the last year and the number of people on the main out-of-work benefits is down by more than 850,000 to under 4 million – the lowest it has been since 1990.

Employment Minister Esther McVey said: “Our hardworking Jobcentre Plus staff have made a huge contribution to Britain’s jobs success this year. By doing things differently, and getting out to where jobseekers are, they’re helping thousands into work every day.

“We have broken record after record in 2014 – with huge falls in youth and long-term unemployment and the highest number of women in work on record.

“This new approach is working. What we can see at the end of the year is that our welfare reforms are ensuring that people have the skills and opportunities to move into work.

“But behind these record figures there are countless stories of individual hard work and determination – stories of people turning their lives around, of families who are now feeling more secure over the Christmas period with a regular wage, and of young people escaping unemployment and building a career.”

Specialist Work Coaches are based in prisons across the country where they can help parolees sign up to Jobseeker’s Allowance up to 6 weeks before they are released. Once they sign up, they are automatically placed on to the Work Programme to help them build up skills and experience.

The Work Programme is designed to get the hardest to help jobseekers back into work and has now helped 368,000 long-term unemployed claimants find sustainable work.

Jobcentre Plus staff have also helped budding entrepreneurs to set up more than 60,000 new businesses through the government’s New Enterprise Allowance scheme, which helps jobseekers, lone parents and people on sickness benefits, with a good idea, to start up their own business.

Since 2011, more than 360,000 people of all ages have taken up opportunities through employer-led sector-based work academies, or work experience placements through Jobcentre Plus, to give them a job taster and a guaranteed job interview.

In Bootle, Merseyside, Jobcentre Plus has staff working from the local Youth Hub to provide guidance and advice to young people in the area and to offer chances to gain skills and experience through Sector-based Work Academies – which are employer-led training courses that lead to a guaranteed job interview.

And in Scotland, Stranraer Jobcentre Plus staff have established weekly work clubs in rural areas to provide help on budgeting, mock interviews, CVs and cover letters, and job applications.

Have you been supported into work this year? Has Jobcentre Plus helped you start your own business? Get in touch!

Police appeal following New Town assault and robbery

Police are appealing for witnesses after six men on mopeds assaulted a 19-year-old man and stole his bag and pedal cycle.

The incident took place on Sunday at around 2am on St Vincent Place at Fettes Row. The victim had been followed from Howe Street by six males who were on four mopeds.

When he fell from his bike he was assaulted and his bike and bag were taken. The victim was assisted by a female passerby after the suspects had fled and police are now appealing for her to come forward.

The bike is a Cove make mountain bike style and ‘Stiffie’ model, which is blue with yellow forks, orange pedals and green bars.

The first suspect is described as white, 16 yrs old, skinny build, 5ft 2in to 5ft 5in, long black hair, pale complexion, wearing dark grey hoodie, light grey jogging bottoms and white trainers.

The other five suspects are described as youths in grey hoodies with hoods pulled tight around their faces. Three of the scooters were a dark and the other one was red.

Detective Constable Alison Wyllie said: “We are appealing for witnesses to the incident, which began on Howe Street leading to the suspects following the victim onto Abercrombie Place towards Fettes Row and St Vincent Place.

“Anyone who may see this bike, which is quite distinctive, should contact the police.

“We are particularly appealing to a lady who was in the area at the time and who assisted the victim following the attack to come forward, along with anyone who saw this group of males on the mopeds around the time of the incident.”

Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Tradewatch to tackle sales of stolen goods

Partnership approach crackdown on stolen goods sales

Police in Edinburgh have launched ‘Tradewatch’, a partnership campaign with the city’s second-hand retailers to help tackle thieves’ attempts to sell on stolen goods.

As part of the new scheme, all stores in the Capital have committed to sharing information in relation to individuals attempting to sell on stolen goods.

A process has been agreed between the management from each business to alert one another as soon as anyone attempts to sell any tems, which are suspected of being stolen.

Police will also be contacted and will progress any information received to identify offenders and seize the stolen property.

Tradewatch was developed as a result of the continued engagement and dialogue between second-hand retailers and Edinburgh Division’s Search and Recovery Team.

To further assist the stores, each will be provided with a SmartWater Technology Ltd UV lamp, which can be used to examine any goods brought into the store and establish whether they have been stolen.

Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Houston said: “Those responsible for acquisitive crime will often attempt to sell on stolen goods for profit and regularly attempt to utilise second-hand retailers to dispose of valuable items.

“However, we have an excellent and long-standing relationship with these businesses in Edinburgh and staff regularly assist our Search and Recovery Team in reuniting stolen property with its rightful owner as well as helping us identify those responsible for the thefts.

“With the launch of ‘Tradewatch’, these premises will instantly and readily share information on any suspicious customers so that items that have been acquired illegally are not bought and sold within their stores.

“I would like to thank our second-hand retailer partners for their assistance and co-operation in helping to create this campaign.”

Chief Inspector Richard Horan said: “Tackling housebreaking and robbery is a priority across the city and the ‘Tradewatch’ initiative is yet another tool in our armoury to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice.

“We continue to target and pursue those who steal through ongoing enforcement activity and partnership campaigns. The public also play a vital role in assisting us prevent these crimes, and making life difficult for criminals, by taking simple steps to safeguard their belongings.

“I would urge members of our communities to ensure their homes are always appropriately secured and that any items of value are stored safely out of public view. Details of the type of valuables within your property should never be disclosed to anyone you do not know or trust.

“Please remember that sheds, garages and other outbuilding are extensions of your home and should also be secured at all times.

“Our partnership with SmartWater Technology Ltd continues within the Capital and hundreds of homes have been issued with the unique chemical solutions to mark their property. However, additional home security measures such as alarms and motion-activated lighting should also be considered where possible. Your local community policing teams will be delighted to offer free crime prevention advice.”

David Patrick, CEO of Cash Converters UK, the UK’s largest second-hand retailer, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the police and a part of the new Tradewatch scheme as we are committed to tackling the issue of stolen goods in our stores.

“We have a zero tolerance policy towards stolen goods and a number of processes in place to deter criminals.

Anyone looking to sell an item to Cash Converters must present two forms of ID along with proof of address as per regulations set out by the Financial Conduct Authority. In addition they have to be photographed and sign an agreement confirming they are the legal owner of the goods.

We have a strong working relationship with Edinburgh Police and, as part of the Tradewatch scheme, are committed to sharing information with other businesses to help prevent crime and put a stop to stolen goods coming through our doors.”

Records reveal story of Leither who signed up on Boxing Day

Archivists uncover the story of Leith volunteer

A hundred years ago today a young Leith butcher took the ‘King’s shilling’ and volunteered to join the British Army, pledging to play his part in the ‘war to end all wars’.

Scotland’s national archivists this week unearthed John Claperton’s registration certificate, issued on Boxing Day 1914 by the Army Recruiting Office then based in Cockburn Street, Edinburgh.

The discovery of the certificate, ‘of a man who is willing to serve his King and Country as a Soldier for the War’ prompted record keepers at National Records of Scotland to find out more about John’s First World War story.

By 13 January 1915, John, a 20 year-old butcher, had formally enlisted in the Army and went on to serve in the 9th Battalion, Royal Scots Regiment, then in the 12th Machine Gun Corps.

John was one of more than 650,000 Scots who served in the First World War, leaving his parents, George and Mary Clapperton and their Dalmeny Street home behind him.

After three years stationed in Kilmarnock and Grantham, Private John Warnock Clapperton was sent on active service to France, where he was badly wounded and left with no option but to have his right arm amputated in the field hospital.

The operation prevented John from completing his duties overseas and forced his return across the Channel, to hospitals in Reading and later in Edinburgh where he underwent further treatment. John’s devastating injury in the field may have saved his life.

In February 1919 John Warnock Clapperton was discharged from both the Edinburgh War Hospital at Bangour and the Armed Forces.

Unlike more than 100,000 Scots who never returned, John survived the Great War and returned to Leith where he later married Catherine Martin in 1941. John died in 1966, aged 71.

Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said: “The First World War claimed the lives of more than 100,000 Scots and left many more, like Private John Clapperton, injured or disabled. No home, workplace or community was left untouched by the brutal effects of that war, leaving John’s family, and families across Scotland with no option but to come to terms with the devastating consequences.

“John’s is a story that will be familiar to many whose fathers, grandfathers, uncles and brothers went off to battle a century ago. Through the work of the Scottish Commemorations Panel, from 2014 to 2019 the Scottish Government is encouraging people of all ages across Scotland to recognise the significant and broad impact the First World War had on our nation and its people, and to reflect on its lasting social and civic legacy.

“John’s registration certificate has given us an interesting insight into the life of a young Scot whose wartime Christmas a 100 years ago would have been quite different to ours today.

“The document is one of millions proudly preserved in our national archive by National Records of Scotland. Its discovery demonstrates the rich heritage of Scotland’s people and shows how powerfully archives connect us directly to people and events in our past.”

Crumbs! Huge public response to homeless meals appeal

Hundreds of homeless people in Edinburgh will enjoy Christmas dinner today – and meals for months to come – thanks to the generosity of ‘ordinary’ people from all over the world.

Josh Littlejohn, co-founder of social enterprise sandwich shop Social Bite, said he has been ‘blown away’ by the public’s response to a social media appeal.

Social Bite teamed up with the Itison.com deal site and asked people to make a £5 donation, and the response was immediate – within hours of the promotion going online 7000 vouchers had been sold!

Josh and partner Alice Thomson had hoped to raise enough to pay for 800 meals but public response to the appeal was incredible – Social Bite received enough pledges for 35,000 plates of turkey!

That fantastic public response means they will be able to feed homeless people all next year at their Edinburgh and Glasgow shops.

Social Bite gives 100% of its profits to charity and recruits people from homeless backgrounds. They have two premises in Edinburgh (Rose Street and Shandwick Place), one in Glasgow and plan to open in Aberdeen and Dundee next year.

Mr Littlejohn said the reaction on Twitter and Facebook had been ‘amazing’ with donations coming from all over the world – people from as far afield as Romania, Nepal and the United States contributed to the appeal.

He told the BBC: “Nicola Sturgeon bought one. Michelle Mone put a thing on her Twitter about how she bought one and then someone said ‘I’ll buy a hundred Christmas dinners if I can take you out for dinner’, and she said ‘If you buy 200 it’s a deal.’

“Two other guys chipped in and said ‘I’ll buy 200 to take you out’, so I think she’s got three dinner dates but she helped us sell 600 dinners! It just shows Christmas spirit is alive and well.”

For further information about Social Bite go to:

www.Social-bite.co.uk

Christmas Day, one hundred years ago

‘I saw a sight I shall remember to my dying day’

You will hardly credit what I am going to tell you: but thousands of our men will be writing home today telling the same strange and wonderful story. Listen.

Last night as I sat in my little dugout, writing, my chum came bursting in upon me with: ‘Bob! Hark at ‘em!’ And I listened. From the German trenches came the sound of music and singing. My chum continued: ‘They’ve got Christmas trees all along the top of their trenches! Never saw such a sight!’

I got up to investigate. Climbing the parapet, I saw a sight which I shall remember to my dying day. Right along the whole of the line were hung paper lanterns and illuminations of every description, many of them in such positions as to suggest that they were hung upon Christmas trees.

And as I stood in wonder a rousing song came over to us; at first the words were indistinguishable , then, as the song was repeated again and again, we realized that we were listening to ‘The Watch on the Rhine.’ Our boys answered with a cheer, while a neighbouring regiment sang lustily the National Anthem.

Some were for shooting the lights away, but almost at the first shot there came a shout in really good English, ‘Stop shooting!’ Then began a series of answering shouts from trench to trench. It was incredible. ‘Hallo! Hallo! You English we wish to speak.’ And everyone began to speak at once. Some were rational, others the reverse of complimentary. Eventually some sort of order obtained, and lo! A party of our men got out from the trenches and invited the Germans to meet them halfway and talk.

And there in the searchlight they stood, Englishman and German, chatting and smoking cigarettes together midway between the lines. A rousing cheer went up from friend and foe alike. The group was too far away from me to hear what was being said, but presently we heard a cheery ‘Good Night. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all’, with which the parties returned to their respective trenches.

After this we remained the whole night through, singing with the enemy song for song.

Sergeant A Lovell, 3 Rifle Brigade
Christmas Day 1914