Listen to wise Dr Owl: know your opening times

PEOPLE across Scotland are being encouraged to Be Health-Wise This Winter and know when their GP surgery is open over the festive holidays.

Dr Owl – the wise and memorable character from the campaign – is advising people to be aware that GP surgeries will be open on Wednesday 24 December, before closing for four days – Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December. They will then reopen on Monday 29 December.

GP surgeries will then follow normal opening hours until closing again on Thursday 1 January, re-opening again on Monday 5 January.

As well as knowing the holiday opening and closure times of your local GP, people are also being urged to make sure they have cold and flu remedies to treat common winter ailments and to plan ahead for any required repeat prescriptions.

Professor George Crooks, Medical Director of NHS 24, said: “Many GP surgeries will be closed for four days over Christmas and again at New Year, so it is essential that everyone is prepared and knows exactly when their local services are available and how to access them.”

He added: “If you are unlucky enough to get a cough, cold or flu, buying over the counter medicine, staying at home and keeping warm will make you feel much better. And remember that many pharmacies will be open over the festive period. Your local pharmacist is a good source of information and you don’t need an appointment to speak to them.”

The national Be Health-Wise this Winter campaign is supported by NHS Scotland in partnership with NHS 24, the Scottish Ambulance Service and all 14 Scottish Health Boards.

Many GPs will be working hard throughout the festive period supporting local Out of Hours services and the Be Health-Wise This Winter campaign has the backing of the British Medical Association (BMA) in Scotland.

General advice and information on how to stay healthy this winter can be found at www.nhsinform.co.uk/winter or contact NHS inform on 0800 22 44 88.

Check you have cold and flu remedies

Many children and adults pick up common winter ailments such as a cold or flu-like illness. These can often be effectively treated at home with readily available medicine. Parents are reminded to restock their medicine cabinet with remedies suitable for children.

Use your local pharmacy

Your local pharmacy is an accessible resource for you and your family. Your pharmacist can offer health and medicines advice or help you if you have run out of any regularly prescribed medicine. You can also collect medicines to treat a range of minor ailments or illnesses.

Make sure you have enough of your repeat prescriptions. If not, only order what you need and pick it up in plenty of time.

If you, or someone you care for, require medicines regularly, check that you have enough and if you need more remember to order and collect repeat prescriptions in good time to ensure you or your family have enough medicine to last over the Christmas holiday period. Remember, only order what you need.

Know when your GP surgery and local pharmacy will be open

Your local GP surgery will be open on Wednesday December 24 and will then reopen on Monday 29 December. This means there are four days when it is closed – Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December.

GP surgeries will then follow normal opening hours until closing again on Thursday 1 January, re-opening again on Monday 5 January.

We’re no’ playin’ your game!

Community groups unite to oppose council cuts

Community groups, local organisations and concerned individuals have united to protest against imminent council cuts. The say the council’s budget proposals will hit the poorest people hardest and have written to local councillors urging them to support the fight against slashing local services.

Last week’s hastily convened meeting at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre was organised by Women’s International Group and was attended by more than twenty local people – community councillors, management committee members, health service workers and local staff were all there. No councillors were present at the meeting.

WIG’s Anna Hutchison explained that the Women’s International Group had attended a Budget Challenge meeting and were unhappy about the way the consultation exercise was conducted – no-one attended to explain what was being proposed or to answer questions, and the Challenge was being presented as a fait accompli – ‘these are your only options’.

The group also felt it was wrong that local people were being asked to take part in a process to cut services that would pit one area or service off against another, so decided to call a public meeting to gauge the views of the wider community.

“It’s not for us to do the councillors’ work for them”, she said. “We elect councillors to set budgets and run the city. We expect them to listen to us and to protect our precious local services.”

The Council faces a considerable budget challenge. Between 2015 and 2018, the Council’s annual budget will remain around £950 million but the council expects the cost of providing services to be £1.01 billion.

The council says it must make savings of £67 million over the next three years ‘to make sure we can provide the services that are important to the people of Edinburgh’.

Granton and District community councillor Dave Macnab told the meeting: “I’ve been struck by the fact that this budget consultation is almost like a game of Monopoly – except this time you are dealing with real people and real services. This is no game and I think people are sleepwalking into this process. What these abstract proposals mean in reality is cuts on an unimaginable scale”.

He went on: “I am quite disturbed – officials seem to be accepting that this is the way it must be. I would ask: what happens if we say ‘NO’?”

West Granton West Pilton community councillor Willie Black said that recent problems of antisocial behaviour in the area could be traced directly to poverty and unemployment – and that austerity measures, slashed budgets and cuts in local services would make an already bad situation much worse.

He also questioned the council’s figures, suggesting that the scale of cuts is much deeper – not £67 million but £142 million over the next three years.

Willie Black said it was vital that communities combined to fight the cuts being imposed upon them – ‘cuts that are being inflicted on us through no fault of our own, and yet the poor are the people who get the blame’. He said: “Alliances are being formed – we’ve got to put all our energies into a collective effort to challenge these cuts.

“And we’ve got to ask the councillors: in the war against the poor, where do you stand?”

The meeting was then thrown open for debate and discussion. Among the points raised during a passionate and enthusiastic session:

It is unclear what the £67 m in the Council’s budget leaflet represents. It looks like the savings to be made over 3 years is significantly higher than £67m – this needs to be clarified.
There are a number of headings in the Council’s budget paper termed ‘Other’. These sections involve huge sums of money but there is no explanation as to what this relates to. This needs to be broken down so that we can see what it includes.
The savings identified are very confusing – it isn’t clear what they relate to – this should be explained better in a way that lay people can understand
It is impossible to make an informed decision based on this information
The language used excludes people – it is gobbledygook!
The language used attempts to disguise the fact that ‘savings’ are actually cuts – people need to be aware of this.
The Council are asking the citizens of Edinburgh to approve their cuts – this is not
It is disgusting that elected members are not here – they always have excuses for not turning up to important local meetings. Councillors are elected to represent their constituents – we vote for them to do a job on our behalf and they get paid to do it.
Communities are being expected to identify which services they want to cut – this is unacceptable
The consultation is a sham – the decisions have already been made. The same thing happened with the consultation on the closure of Royston Primary School – they didn’t listen to the community then. The facts they presented to local people were proved to be complete nonsense. Can we trust them on the figures we have been presented with this time round?
Councillors and senior officials never put their hands up and admit their mistakes (ie the trams, Royston Primary School, Craigroyston High School)
Community councillors are sent huge amounts of information from the Council – it is impossible to read through it all and often to understand because of the language used. This makes it very difficult for community councillors to present this information in a meaningful way to the wider community
The Council has already sub-contracted services out to private firms (someone received a letter re their single person discount – it was sent from a firm in Derbyshire). This is privatisation by the back door
It is accepted that the Council needs more cash to fund local services and that the council tax freeze isn’t helping the situation. The Council tax needs to be changed to make it more progressive so that the better off pay more.
We are constantly told that events like the Festival and the Hogmanay celebrations are a good investment as they bring extra cash into the city but we never actually see the figures and we don’t see the benefits in our communities. This income should be audited and it should be set aside for local services. There needs to be better transparency in the Council’s financial systems.
Education should be a priority – libraries and community centres are often a starting point for learning – they provide safe spaces in the community for children, young people and adults
Libraries and community centres are fantastic local facilities and provide a great service to all the community.
CLD workers are an important resource in local communities.
If jobs go it won’t be the folk who are high up the tree who go
There have been many examples of serious mismanagement at the Council – the trams project is only The Council are now considering extending the tram line to Leith and paying for another feasibility study. This is a complete waste of public money. Edinburgh has become a laughing-stock around the world because of this fiasco.
Many local organisations refused to display the leaflet publicising this meeting because they said it was political. Some workers are worried that the Council will cut their grants if they are seen to be publicising this kind of event. This position needs to be clarified by the Council.

Impact of cuts

Cuts in local services will result in more crime and anti-social behaviour – this is a false economy as it costs more money to deal with the consequences of crime.
Services for children and young people helps to keep them away from crime – it is more effective to prevent problems from happening in the first place. Cuts in funding to projects who work with hard to reach young people will be a disaster for young people and the wider community. Youth projects are trying to build trust and relationships with young people which can help to steer them away from crime.
Many kids haven’t had a chance in life. Services such as Panmuir House are the last chance saloon for kids who do get into trouble. Close it down and then what happens?
Cuts in services and closures will affect the health and well-being of local people – research shows that going to libraries and museums, taking part in groups and activities improves health – cuts in services will result in more illness and will put more pressure on the system
Cuts in jobs means public sector workers are being asked to take on more responsibilities – this puts people under stress and can lead to them going off sick. They then get pulled up by management and put under more pressure to return to work – this adds to the stress factor.
Workers in the public sector are scared to go off sick these days despite the fact that they have valid sick lines– there has been a change in management culture in public services in recent years (examples given about situation in the NHS)
The next generation in this community will end up even more disadvantaged because of the impact of the cuts
People are already struggling without more cuts to basic services. Many people do not have enough to survive on once the bills are paid. Benefit sanctions are being used to penalize people for minor things (being late for an interview). People are having to go without money and food and having to rely on food banks and support from local services.
High levels of unemployment and poverty in the past resulted in an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour. Many people moved out of the area and this had a negative affect on the people who were left. This is likely to happen again if we don’t have services in place to support people.

The meeting came up with a number of ideas about what the council could do to address budget difficulties:

Introduce a ‘tourist tax’ to bring cash into the city – this could be used to subsidise local services
Introduce a hotel levy during the Festival and the Christmas and New Year Celebrations
Raise the council tax – the Council has the power to do this. They will need to ensure that this does not penalize poorer people.
Reduce expenditure on things like taxi-fares, council lunches, official visits abroad and the like – this is unnecessary expenditure.
Find other ways of making savings that don’t involve cutting services or sacking workers who provide front line services
Dig out the last feasibility study on extending the tram line to Leith – this will save £1/2m.

The meeting agreed to write to local politicians and to forge links with other groups across the city. The North Edinburgh anti-cuts campaigners also plan to meet early in the New Year to discuss sending a deputation to the city council’s budget meeting in February.

If you want to have your say:

Take the budget challenge

But hurry – last day for submissions is tomorrow

Friday 19 December

Background reports:

Budget_proposals_2015_2016_updated_28.10.14

Item_7.3___2015_18_Revenue_and_Capital_Budget_Framework

Roll up, roll up for the penny tenement opera

And it’s not even a penny, it’s free!

What is the 1d Tenement Opera?

The 1d Tenement Opera is a story based on the lives of people who have lived in a tenement in Edinburgh over two centuries. The tenement eventually became part of Edinburgh Corporation’s Slum Clearance Programme, some of the tenements were sold for just 1d (a penny), and in 1959 one of the last tenements collapsed and a little boy was killed.

Local people told stories of being in the bath and the end of the room falling away, others spoke of desperately trying to save their babies and children as the floor boards started to slope away from under them. This was known as the Penny Tenement collapse.

The 1d Tenement Opera is devised with the local people of North Edinburgh, some of whose families had been living in the city centre before the Slum Clearance Programme.

North Edinburgh Theatre project is delighted to be working with the following artists for this project: designer Ali Maclaurin, musical director Lynda Peachey, dancer and choreographer Monica de Ioanni, and dramaturg Lynne Clark. Stephanie Knight is the project director.North Edinburgh Theatre Project history:

The North Edinburgh Theatre project was developed in 2011 after research into the requirements of local people. The main finding of this research was that local people wanted to make theatre again, after a history of using theatre and other art forms to create work which highlights their community and its needs and aspirations. In November 2011 North Edinburgh Theatre project developed Yes We CanCan – a Cabaret of Resistance which was the cementing of the project.

Since then, North Edinburgh Theatre project has participated in a number of performances including Theatre Uncut in 2012 & 2013 and the project regularly offers Sharing-of-Work and Work-in-Progress events. The opportunity to develop 1d Tenement Opera through the support of the People’s Health Trust is an exciting and important development for North Edinburgh. It supports the participants’ aspirations and hard work for well-being and full creative lives, making strong contributions to their own communities as well as participating in the North Edinburgh Theatre project.

Performance Information:

15 16 17 January at 7pm

Tickets: FREE (donations very welcome)

Contact Box Office to reserve tickets:

0131 315 2151 admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk

M ore information here.

MP calls for fair deal for bmi staff

Debate raises pensions puzzle

Edinburgh North & Leith MP Mark Lazarowicz MP led a debate in Parliament today to call for pensions justice for bmi staff.

A number of bmi staff – some of whom are Edinburgh-based – saw their pensions significantly reduced after takeovers first by Lufthansa, then by IAG, the group that includes British Airways.

Lufthansa is paying compensation to members of the bmi pension fund but it is to be subject to tax and National Insurance by HMRC. One constituent lost out substantially because of this and contacted the North & Leith MP: their discussion resulted in today’s Westminster debate.

Speaking after the debate, Mr Lazarowicz said: Longstanding staff, some of them based here in Edinburgh, have seen their pensions cut significantly and are now losing out again as the compensation is taxed by HMRC.

“The Government has said it has no choice but to apply the tax rules but it is the Government itself and Parliament that decide what the tax rules are.

“This is a matter of justice and has much wider implications for pensions: if a perfectly solvent company takes over another solvent company with pension liabilities, how is it possible for both companies to be freed of responsibility for those pension liabilities?

“The Government should act to allow bmi staff to receive the compensation in full – employee pensions built up over years should not be wiped away amidst commercial wheeling and dealing.”

When bmi was sold to Lufthansa in 2009 there was no obligation on it to fund the pension scheme although it was prepared to continue to do so to a limited degree. When Lufthansa then sold bmi to IAG in 2012, the pension fund was excluded from the deal.

At that point it entered the public Pension Protection Fund which does not pay all of the pension entitlement built up where staff have not yet reached retirement and some staff have lost as much as 50% of their entitlement even after the Lufthansa compensation.

In the case of Equitable Life, the Government decided to pay compensation tax-free to those members who lost out and in another taxation issue, improvements to listed buildings, it set up a fund to compensate for the imposition of VAT.

Students design CD cover for local band

ICONIC: Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon — ICONIC: Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon

Talented Edinburgh College Art and Design students have teamed up with city band The Valkarys to design CD covers, with the winning entry to be announced tomorrow.

The students, who are currently studying for their National Diploma Art and Design, were given three weeks to design eye-catching CD cover designs to represent The Valkarys’ music. More than 60 students were involved, each working on an individual design.

The doors open at 7:30pm tomorrow night at La Belle Angèle, 11 Hastie’s Close, off Guthrie Street, Edinburgh. The Valkarys will be performing followed by the announcement of the winning design.

Tom Gilzean to receive Edinburgh Award

‘Inspiring ‘ 94 year old has raised over £100,000 for charity

Edinburgh war veteran and charity worker Thomas Gilzean has been named as the eighth person to receive the much-coveted Edinburgh Award.

The former Royal Engineer has been selected to receive the accolade from a shortlist of 25 nominations cast by the Edinburgh public. He will receive the title and an engraved Loving Cup at a ceremony at the City Chambers early next year.

Mr Gilzean, who was presented with the British Empire Medal by the Lord Provost in 2013, can regularly be found fundraising in his trademark tartan trousers along Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. He has raised more than £100,000 for local causes, and continues to dedicate his time fundraising at the age of 94.

His handprints will be immortalised on a flagstone in the City Chambers quadrangle alongside those of previous recipients Ian Rankin, JK Rowling, George Kerr, Sir Chris Hoy, Professor Peter Higgs, Elizabeth Blackadder and Professor Richard Demarco.

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, Councillor Donald Wilson, said: “The Edinburgh Award enables the people of Edinburgh to pay a lasting tribute to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the city. To date, the accolade has been given to people who have contributed to the arts, literature, sport and science – but local charitable work deserves to be held in just as high regard.

“Tom Gilzean is an inspiring man who devotes his life to raising fantastic amounts of money for charity, and we are extremely fortunate in this city to have people like him who so selflessly give up their time for the good of their community.

“It gives me great pleasure to announce Tom as the eighth person to be presented with the Edinburgh Award. Having received more nominations than any other individual, he is a local champion for the people of Edinburgh.”

Party season survival guide

Well, the party season’s now in full swing so here are some seasonal tips from the British Dietetic Association – although I fear they may have come too late for some …!

The LBD (little black dress) and LBT (little black trouser) Guide to Getting the Christmas Parties Started

Okay ladies and gentlemen! Your Christmas clobber has been hanging up in the wardrobe for weeks, party invites have come in aplenty, and now it’s party time!

How do you ensure you don’t overdo it and run the risk of piling on the pounds? After all, the average person may eat an estimated 500 additional calories every day over the Christmas season, resulting in a possible weight gain of 5lb.

The British Dietetic Association (BDA) lists the top five tips to enjoying the festive party merriness while maintaining a healthy balance and a healthy body.

The BDA, founded in 1936, is the professional association for dietitians in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is the nation’s largest organisation of food and nutrition professionals with over 7,500 members. The BDA is also an active trade union.

Eat before!

You make the decision whether to fill up on food of your choice, or run the risk of a limited choice at the buffet table, usually consisting of fat-filled stodgy offerings like quiche, sausage rolls, pastries and deep fried samosas.

Try eating something healthy and filling before you make your grand entrance, such as hearty vegetable and bean soup, hummus with oatcakes, fresh fruit and a yogurt-based smoothie. Also, you won’t be drinking on an empty stomach or have to worry about embarrassing spillages down your party clothes.

Walk this way!

If you are travelling by car, why not park a little further away and walk the extra distance (if safe to do so of course). Not only will that walk be a good source of exercise and burn some calories, it will also get your blood supply coursing which will make you more alert and energetic for the festive fun ahead – and bring a glow to your cheeks.

In addition, if you drive, you won’t be tempted by those calorific alcoholic drinks (see below), but watch the calories too in those soft drinks.

Drink, but think!

The latest Christmas chart offerings are blasting around the room (between the regular spinning of Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas), but take it easy and don’t get carried away. Those brightly-coloured cocktails are often full of sugar, cream and hangover favourites, ‘congeners’ (mostly found in darker spirits like whisky and rum).

If you are going to drink alcohol try sticking to a refreshing white wine spritzer (less alcohol and fewer calories) and alternate your alcoholic drink with a glass of water, low calorie soft drinks or unsweetened fruit juice mixed with fizzy water. If you do want to indulge in cocktail hour with your friends, you could go for the good old fashioned Screwdriver (vodka and unsweetened orange juice) or a Sea Breeze (vodka and cranberry juice).

Festive Foods!

If you do decide to eat at the party, go for the more healthy options, such as skinless chicken, salads without dressing, veggie crudités with hummus. Try to avoid creamy dips, mayo-loaded salads and fried foods, and the pastry offerings that will be in abundance. Step away from temptation, visit only once and use a small dessert sized plate

I bet you look good on the dance floor!

Get those feet moving and throw some shapes on the dance floor and boogie the night away to Slade, Shakin’ Stevens, The Pogues (featuring Kirsty McColl) and, undoubtedly, more Mariah Carey. Dancing is a great way of burning calories and it is also the perfect distraction from drinking and eating more. Just remember to drink lots of water throughout the night to maintain your disco dancing powers.

Sian Porter, consultant Dietitian and Spokesperson for the BDA commented:

“For many of us, Christmas time is the one time of the year we get all our friends together in one place for a night, or nights, of fun and celebration and we can all get a bit carried away and, actually, why not, we’ve all worked hard throughout the year!

“All too often we can over do the eating and drinking, meaning the party clothes that look absolutely fabulous on, on December 1st can become a little snug, shall we say, by the time we get to New Year’s Eve party on the 31st.

“It’s not about being a party pooper, it’s all about having fun and making choices. We can choose to go all out and gorge on all the food and drink we clap eyes on, or we can choose to pace ourselves and use portion control. Either way, the British Dietetic Association wants to wish everybody a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 2015!”

Also, might be prudent to avoid office photocopiers – and that really funny text message you were going to send to your boss ..? Perhaps best not, eh!

Christmas with a conscience

Festive Fair Trade plea

International Development Minister Humza Yousaf has urged shoppers in Scotland to opt for a Christmas with a conscience this year.

Mr Yousaf officially opened the Ethical Christmas Fair at Ocean Terminal yesterday. The Minister met Fairtrade stockists from across Scotland and producers of fairly traded and ethically sourced goods from Kenya and Bali.

With what’s expected to be Scotland’s busiest shopping weekend looming, Mr Yousaf took his opportunity to stock up on festive Fair Trade gifts, and encouraged Scots shoppers to spend some of their Christmas budget this year on fairly traded gifts, decorations, food, cards, candles or stocking-fillers.

The Fair Trade movement ensures producers in developing countries are paid a fair price for their work, helping them and their families out of poverty and supporting them to participate in global markets without fear of exploitation. Scotland was declared one of the world’s first Fair Trade nations in February 2013.

Mr Yousaf said: “A recent survey suggested the average Scot will spend almost £420 this year on Christmas gifts. Meanwhile in third world countries, some of the world’s poorest, most vulnerable people are living in poverty and struggling to provide basic food and shelter for themselves and their families.

“So with what is expected to be this year’s busiest shopping weekend just a couple of days away, I am asking the people of Scotland to consider spending even just a small portion of their gift budget on fairly traded items this year.

“It’s plain to see at this Christmas market that there is now an extensive range of ethical and fairly traded goods with more than 4,500 certified Fairtrade products bearing the blue and green mark available. So why not fill a stocking with some Fair Trade chocolate, coffee, olive oil or wonderful handicrafts?

“Just by buying one of them, you can do your bit to address poverty and help to protect less fortunate families and communities around the world this Christmas.”

Martin Rhodes, Director of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum, said: “By buying Fair Trade gifts at Christmas, people here in Scotland are showing their commitment to a fair deal for farmers, workers and producers across the globe.”

The Ethical Christmas Fair, now in its eighth year, brings together exhibitors from across the globe. This year’s Christmas Fair will be held at Ocean Terminal until 3 January 2015.

For details of Fair Trade stockists in Scotland, visit: http://www.scottishfairtradeforum.org.uk/fair-trade-in-scotland/fair-trade-suppliers.html

For more about the Scottish Fair Trade Forum, visit: http://www.sftf.org.uk/

The garden by candlelight at North Edinburgh Arts

A seasonal invite from North Edinburh Arts

TODAY at 3:45pm

Enjoy watching and joining in with the creation of our alternative Christmas tree sculpture with artist in residence, Natalie Taylor. We are using recycled pieces of kilt and a willow structure to create our eco-friendly tree this year.

As dusk draws in, prepare to see the NEA garden in a whole new (candle) light as we create a magical twilight with glowing glass jars galore.

Mince pies and (non-alcoholic) mulled wine will be served, just to make sure you leave with that festive feeling!

Please join us to celebrate the end of a wonderful term at NEA!

North Edinburgh Arts

New homes in Newhaven

Port of Leith welcomes new homes

The second development built solely for mid market rent (MMR) by Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA), and its subsidiary company Persevere Developments Limited (PDL), has welcomed new residents.

Eight households have moved in to a block of new, high-quality properties in Flaxmill Place, Newhaven.

The £956,000 development, compromising two bedroom properties, is part of a larger scheme currently being built by Barratt East Scotland which already accommodates eight flats for social rent for Port of Leith Housing Association.

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of Port of Leith Housing Association, said: “High quality, energy efficient and affordable homes is what we passionately believe in and being able to deliver. We are extremely pleased to have completed these homes and welcome eight new households.”

The development was funded by a combination of private finance raised by PoLHA and a Government grant allocated by the City of Edinburgh Council.

PoLHA has built the mid market rent homes on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary company Persevere Developments Ltd (PDL) which was set up in 2011 to enable the Association to offer a wider variety of affordable housing in future.

PoLHA owns over 2700 properties throughout Leith and the wider North Edinburgh area and has plans to deliver 400 more new affordable homes over the next few years through the Association and its subsidiary Persevere Developments Limited.