Day: October 26, 2016

Johnstone concern over missed tooth decay targets

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Alison Johnstone MSP, Health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, has expressed concern at statistics showing that half of Primary One children in deprived communities have tooth decay.

The NHS report concludes that “clear health inequalities persist, and reducing dental health inequality must remain a priority.”

The main finding is that in the most deprived communities 55 per cent of P1 children have no obvious tooth decay. The national target is 60 per cent. In the least deprived communities, 82 per cent have no decay.

Alison Johnstone MSP said: “Poor dental health among children in less well-off communities is a tragedy and we must do more to turn this around. Getting children into good habits to look after their teeth is vital and there are good schemes in operation across Scotland, but we need to see greater effort to support parents, carers, school staff and communities.

“On top of that, there are steps that we can take to reduce the income inequality that contributes to poor health outcomes. I’ve already persuaded Scottish Ministers to roll-out the Healthier Wealthier Children project which boosts the incomes of vulnerable families. We can go much further by improving wages and using tax powers to put more money in the pockets of those who need it most.”

National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) Report 2016:
https://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Dental-Care/Publications/2016-10-25/2016-10-25-NDIP-Summary.pdf

I, Daniel Blake anger spills out of the cinema

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    Campaigners across Scotland are calling on the Scottish Government to do everything in their power to eradicate the draconian elements in the UK Welfare provision. The opportunity  arises as elements of the Welfare Budget are transferred to the Scottish Parliament.
    ‘I Daniel Blake’ shows the impact of the UK Government’s attack on welfare provision. It depicts the disrespect and de-humanisation and the creation of a blame culture on those who find themselves relying
    on welfare provision.
    Following previews of the film across Edinburgh at Friday 21 st October’s opening night over 50 community campaigners pledged to take their distress and anger at the demonisation of those who need benefits to the Parliament.
    Campaigners, organisations and Unions will be outside the Scottish Parliament at 1pm tomorrow (Thursday 27 October) after First Minister’s Question Time.
    We will be asking all MSPs to sign a large ‘I Daniel Blake’ poster to show their support for a radical change to the welfare system in Scotland.
    A meeting is being arranged for Saturday 26th November to mobilise all parts of Scotland to pressure their MSPs to maximise the opportunity that any transfer of welfare provision to the Scottish Parliament allows.
    Community groups throughout the east of Scotland will be holding showings of the film when the DVD becomes available in January to continue the mobilisation.
    Willie Black – Action against Austerity 

Continue reading I, Daniel Blake anger spills out of the cinema

Award for ‘remarkable’ Forth Road Bridge repair

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Used by over 24 million vehicles a year, the repair of Scotland’s longest bridge has been crowned the overall winner of the 2016 Saltire Society Civil Engineering Awards. Established in 1981, the Awards are a much coveted accolade from the Saltire Society and the Institution of Civil Engineers Scotland, recognising excellence and innovation in civil engineering.  Continue reading Award for ‘remarkable’ Forth Road Bridge repair

Secondary schoolgirls inspired to get active

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An innovative project to encourage girls at city high schools to become more active is being launched by the City of Edinburgh Council today.

The first ‘Girls Day Out’ conference has been organised by the Council’s Active Schools team and aims to inspire, encourage and support girls to become more active, raise the profile of successful girls and their achievements and educate girls on the power of sport.

The event, which has been organised in partnership with Youth Scotland and sportscotland, will involve more than 150 girls from S1 to S5 year groups across the city who will gather at Wester Hailes Education Centre, from 10am until 2pm.

It will be an interactive, fun packed day where the girls will hear from inspiring female role-models and learn about the power of sport.  The day will be made up of a number of workshops including nutrition, a mental wellbeing and alternative physical activity sessions including jump rope, trampolining and PiYo (cross between Pilates and Yoga).

Partners Youth Scotland, who will support the delivery of some of the workshops on the day, have also funded for the girls who attend the conference to be put through the Dynamic Youth Awards which is a peer-assessed awards recognising the contributions and achievements of young people in the 10+ age group.

Councillor Cathy Fullerton, Vice Convener for Education, Children & Families at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Often girls give up sport when they start at high school so ‘Girls Day Out’ is a great way to encourage them to become more active and discover the different and fun ways to achieve this.

“I am sure that the great programme of activities at Wester Hailes today will show the girls the benefits of taking part in PE, sport and physical activity.”

Stewart Harris, Chief Executive, sportscotland, said: “Our aim with Active Girls is to work with our partners to increase participation in PE, sport and physical activity amongst girls and young women. ‘Girls Day Out’ is a terrific way for schools, clubs and hubs to showcase the opportunities available both locally and nationally.

“The Active Schools team here in Edinburgh has put together a very comprehensive and innovative programme to highlight the benefits of an active lifestyle in a fun and interactive way.  I’m sure it will be a great success.”