Teaming up to fight breast cancer

Scotland’s Health Secretary Shona Robison endorsed a new partnership between MoonWalk organisers breast cancer charity Walk the Walk, Paths for All and Young Scot earlier today.

The three groups have united to encourage Scots not only to get fit but also to raise both money and awareness in the fight against cancer.

Nina Barough CBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Walk the Walk said: “I am thrilled that in this the 10th Anniversary year of The MoonWalk Scotland, these two wonderful organisations Paths for All and Young Scot are uniting with us to help encourage people of all ages in Scotland to get fit and at the same time raising money and awareness in the fight against breast cancer.

“To have the continued support of The Health Secretary, Shona Robison, is such a fantastic endorsement of the difference that Walk the Walk is continuing to make in Scotland both in keeping people active and by the grants that we make to improve the lives of those living with cancer.”

Ian Findlay, Chief Officer of Paths for All said: “We’re delighted to partner with Walk the Walk to promote this amazing event which unites people in walking for a brilliant cause. It is great to work with Walk the Walk to raise funds, but also to highlight the importance of being active for our health. Indeed, 30 minutes of daily physical activity, such as walking can reduce your risk of developing breast cancer and is a gentle way for those in recovery to stay active.

“It is brilliant to see the The MoonWalk have shorter walks such as The New Moon, so that more people can take part in this fabulous event. Look out for the Paths for All team enjoying the fun on the night!”

David McNeill, Entitlements and Rewards Director at Young Scot, said: “Hundreds of young people and their families are affected by breast cancer every year and we know it’s a topic that many hold close to their hearts. We are delighted to be involved in the 10th Anniversary event and support and encourage young people to participate in The MoonWalk Scotland by offering Young Scot Reward points. It’s a great way to meet other people, have fun, and enjoy the health benefits of walking – we wish everyone the best of luck!”

This year’s MoonWalk takes place on Saturday 13 June at Inverleith Park, when thousands of women, men and children will walk through the streets of Edinburgh at Midnight, with those aged 13 and over wearing Walk the Walk’s trademark brightly decorated bras.

To date, The MoonWalk Scotland has raised almost £18 million, with most of the money raised staying in Scotland to help improve the lives of people with cancer.

Walk the Walk has made grants in Scotland to Maggie’s Cancer Care Centres in Glasgow, Larbert and Airdrie, for Scalp Cooling machines in hospitals throughout Scotland and to the Breast Cancer Institute in Edinburgh (renovation of Ward 6, a new theatre and renovation of the Mammography Unit).

The theme for this year’s event is ‘Mad Hatter’s Midnight Tea Party’ and four walking distances are available: New Moon (6.55 miles), Half Moon (13.1 miles), Full Moon (26.2 miles) and Over The Moon (52.4 miles).

For more information and for entry fees go to www.walkthewalk.org/moonwalkscotland

Pictured: (L-R) Paths for All’s Frances Bain, Health Minister Shona Robison MSP, Sally Orr from Walk the Walk and Young Scot’s Ashton Vickers .

Fidra Court explosives: man pleads guilty

Man admits Fidra and Persevere Courts explosives offences

An Edinburgh man has admitted possessing explosive substances after a significant number of items were found in two properties in the north of the city last year.

Faris Al-Khori, (62), today pleaded guilty under the Explosive Substances Act 1883, Section 4, following the recovery of material from two flats in Fidra Court and Persevere Court (below) last April. He will be sentenced at a later date.

The items were discovered following a fire in a communal area of Fidra Court on Friday 18 April. Both flat complexes were evacuated whilst suspect items were recovered by army explosives experts.

Detective Superintendent David Gordon, who led the investigation said: “This was a significant and complex inquiry for Police Scotland, working with our partners from the outset to safely deal with the volatile items that were being stored, and to seek to establish Al-Khori’s motives for keeping them.

“Extensive inquiries both nationally and internationally were carried out, which did not identify any link to terrorism or extremism. We are satisfied there is no immediate threat to the community.

“Counter terrorism is one of Police Scotland’s highest priorities, and whilst Al-Khori has no such known links we will always treat all information received with the utmost importance where any risk to the public is identified. Members of the public can call 101 or the anti terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321. We welcome the conviction at the High Court today and await sentencing.”

Service 29 at the double!

Customer demand drives bus service upgrades

Increased frequencies in the evening and at weekends plus extra capacity are just some of the changes being introduced by Lothian Buses at the end of March. Local service improvements include the 29 becoming a double decker and there will be increased frequencies for 23 and 27 on Saturdays – you’ll get one every twelve minutes.

Services have been reviewed in response to customer feedback and passenger demand, resulting in a range of improvements that aim to maintain high satisfaction rates.

Sarah Boyd, Head of Operations, said: “Our changes reflect our continued commitment to our customers at a time when more and more people are relying on public transport to travel around our city. Our research has shown that the vast majority of our passengers will benefit from these changes and will see an improved service as a result. We will continue to monitor all our services to ensure we are providing the best possible transport network for the people of Edinburgh.”

Service 5 will see its frequency increased with buses now running every 10 minutes Monday to Friday during the daytime.

Service 7 will run 24/7, with increased frequency during the day Monday to Friday and in the evening Monday to Saturday. New service N7 will be introduced running hourly each night.

Sunday services doubled in frequency with services 8 and 21 to run every 15 minutes daytime and service 47 to run every 30 minutes daytime.

Services 11 and 16 will have Sunday frequencies increased to every 12 minutes daytime and every 15 minutes in the evening. Additionally service N11 is extended to Ocean Terminal, meaning both services now run 24/7 on their full routes.

Service 15 will have a revised route and timetable to create a quicker and more direct service from Penicuik.

Services 23 & 27 will have Saturday daytime frequencies increased to every 12 minutes.

Service 29 is converted to double-deck to provide more capacity. All Monday to Friday peak journeys will operate to Gorebridge with Mayfield no longer being served.

Service 37 will see alterations in Midlothian. On Monday to Friday alternate daytime journeys will terminate at Easter Bush and will not serve Penicuik. Journeys which continue to Penicuik Deanburn will additionally serve Roslin. Roslin will now have a significantly enhanced bus service with service 37 and N37 providing a full 24/7 service. On Saturdays and Sunday service 37 will continue to run every 20 minutes during the day, with all buses running to Penicuik Deanburn via Roslin.

Service 40 has been altered to serve Auchendinny ensuring local links to Penicuik and Loanhead are retained following the withdrawal of service 15 from the village.

Service 41 will be increased at busy times to provide an alternative to service 43, which is withdrawn due to insufficient passenger numbers. Service 43 operated between Barnton and Waterloo Place, which is also covered by the service 41.

Following customer feedback service 63 will be re-routed to serve Hermiston Gait Retail Park instead of South Gyle Crescent. The Monday to Friday frequency is increased to every 40 minutes with later journeys introduced. On Saturday and Sunday earlier and later journeys will be introduced.

Following requests from passengers service 104 will now serve The Jewel instead of Brunstane.

Service 113 is increased in frequency Monday to Saturday with buses now running every 30 minutes during the day. This will provide more capacity along the route and provide more direct journeys for Tranent following the withdrawal of service 44 from the town.

Nightbus services are also improving, notably:

Service N3 – better links to Eskbank through the night on all days of the week.
Service N7 – new route introduced from the Royal Infirmary to Ocean Terminal via Newhaven. This will run hourly each night, following the daytime route of Service 7.
Service N11 – route extended from Leith Street to Ocean Terminal serving Pilrig, Bonnington Toll and Newhaven.
Service N37 – serving Roslin on all days of the week, providing the village with a full 24/7 service.

Lothian Buses will have street teams promoting the service improvements starting on Saturday 14 March at Penicuik Centre between 9am and 2pm. Following this event staff will be travelling on buses in the Midlothian and Tranent areas in the two weeks leading up to the change to assist passengers with any questions.

The company reported last May that it had its best year ever in 2013 with a net profit of £8.5m, an increase of 7.8% on the previous year. It also announced it would pay a dividend of nearly £3.3m to local authority shareholders.

In December Lothian Buses announced bus passengers were up from 115.4 million to 118.4 million in 2014.

Last year the company also invested £15m in 65 new low emission and ultra-low emission buses that will significantly impact on improving the city’s air quality and lower carbon emissions.

Full details of the schedule changes are available at www.lothianbuses.com.

Early learning and childcare funding to DOUBLE

‘Education is not just part of our sense of ourselves, it’s the key to a better future for young people growing up in Scotland today’ – First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

Funding for free nursery places delivering early learning and childcare will double over the term of the next Parliament, increasing opportunities for families and giving children the best start in life, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has pledged.

In a speech on education at the David Hume Institute in Edinburgh, Ms Sturgeon laid out the Scottish Government’s ambition to see every child have the educational opportunities that she herself benefitted from.

During her address, the First Minister set out the contribution education makes to tackling inequality and growing the economy, focusing on the importance of all children, no matter their background, having the best opportunities through early learning and childcare, strong school education and wider access to higher education.

In a move she described as ‘one of the best investments any government can possibly make’, Ms Sturgeon confirmed that free early learning and childcare provision would rise to 30 hours per week, matching the time children spend each week in primary school, by the end of the next Parliament.

Committing to funding this expansion, she pledged that by 2019/20 annual revenue spend on early learning and childcare will have increased from an anticipated £439 million this year to around £880 million.

The First Minister said: “Today I want to highlight some of the areas where we can and must do better. In particular, I want to focus on how inequality in attainment – starting in the very early years, and persisting into adulthood – is weakening our society, holding back our economy, and constraining the life chances of too many of our fellow citizens.

“Early Learning and childcare promotes opportunity twice over. It enables parents to enter the workforce now and provide a better standard of living for their children, and it helps all children to make the most of their potential later in life. It’s one of the best investments any government can possibly make.

“In my view, it is central to any enlightened view of what modern Scotland should look like and that is why it is such a driving priority of my government. That’s why I can confirm today my intention that spending on early learning and care will double over the course of the next parliament.

“That’s in addition to the extra capital spending we will provide. The great capital investment project of this parliament is the Queensferry Crossing. If I am re-elected as First Minister next year, I intend that the great infrastructure project of the next parliament will be perhaps less visible, but arguably even more transformational.

“It will be the investment in care and learning facilities needed to ensure our early years provision matches our primary school provision. These facilities will create a bridge to a better future for children and families across the country.”

Addressing the need to widen access to university Ms Sturgeon said: “When I became First Minister, I set out the clear ambition that a child born today in one of our most deprived communities should, by the time he or she leaves school, have the same chance of going to university as a child born in one of our least deprived communities.

“And let me stress that – the same chance. Not just a better chance than they have today. But the same chance as anyone else. In other words, where you are born and brought up and your parents’ circumstances will not be the driver of how likely you are to go to university.

“But to ensure we’re doing everything we can, as early as we can, we are establishing a Commission on Widening Access. The Commission will propose milestones, measure progress, and identify improvements. It will be central to ensuring that our ambition of equal access within a generation becomes a reality.

“It is part of a far broader approach to post-school learning. After all, the key test we need to apply is not whether learning takes place in college, at work or in university. It’s whether the learning is relevant, engaging and widens people’s opportunities.

“So since 2007 we’ve focused colleges on promoting skills which help people to work, and which support economic growth. The number of students gaining recognised qualifications has increased by a third in the last 5 years.”

Ms Sturgeon concluded: “So from supporting mothers in the early stages of pregnancy, to helping people gain their first experience of work, this government is committed to promoting opportunities and reducing inequalities. That’s not something that Government, schools, colleges and universities can do on our own – although our role is hugely important. It’s got to be part of a shared endeavour.

“I want Scotland to be a land of opportunity – a country where every individual, regardless of background or race or gender, gets the chance to fulfil his or her potential. Can that be achieved? Yes, I believe it can and education is the key.

“The removal of obstructions to education, and the opening up of new opportunities, has been the focus of many of the major initiatives of my first 100 days. It is a subject which will receive sustained attention for as long as my government holds office. Because education is not just part of our sense of ourselves, it’s the key to a better future for young people growing up in Scotland today. And it is at the heart of the fairer, more prosperous Scotland, that all of us seek to build.”

Shedding some light on community concerns

Inverleith councillor Lesley Hinds has asked officers to carry out an urgent appraisal of new street lights following complaints from local residents.

Councillor Hinds chairs the city council’s Transport, Infrastructure and Environment Commitee, which has responsibility for street lighting. She said last night: ““Following a very successful pilot project in 2012, the Council is replacing street lights across the city with new, more energy-efficient and more environmentally friendly lighting. In particular, this will result in brighter and clearer lighting throughout the night.

“A number of residents have been in touch regarding lighting in certain streets and, having now visited them myself, I have asked officers to carry out an appraisal and report back as soon as possible.”

Forth councillor Cammy Day – who is also the city’s community safety ‘champion’ – also discussed ‘some concerns’ with the lighting team yesterday.

Many North Edinburgh residents have expressed anger over the brightness and quality of new ‘eco-lights’ installed across the area over the last week. They believe the lighting makes the streets unsafe and could result in more crime and antisocial behaviour.

However the city council says the lighting project will achieve:

Reduced energy costs. Energy costs are expected to double in the next decade. The use of modern lighting equipment will greatly assist in reducing the impact of increasing energy costs.
Improved environmental performance. This new equipment is more energy efficient and lamps have a longer life span.
Provide continuous lighting throughout the night. A number of local authorities have been switching off lights for periods of time during the night to save energy. The City of Edinburgh Council is not currently considering this option.
Compliance with EU directives.
Brighter and clearer lighting. White lights improve colour recognition and improves images captured on CCTV at night. They also allow clothing colours and car registration numbers to be more easily identified.

The council also cites an October 2012 pilot project undertaken in the Gilmerton and Saughton Mains areas of the city: 271 lights were changed and the results from consultation with local households achieved around 90% satisfaction levels.