Month: October 2017

‘Abject Failures’: yet another call for halt to Universal Credit roll-out

Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman and COSLA Community Wellbeing Spokesperson Kelly Parry, have joined forces to demand a halt to the full service roll-out of Universal Credit in Scotland. In a joint letter to Secretary of State for Work and Pensions David Gauke, they raise a number of ‘abject failures’ of the new UK Government system. Continue reading ‘Abject Failures’: yet another call for halt to Universal Credit roll-out

RAF team to abseil the Forth Bridge for charity

A team of 20 RAF personnel from 612 (Reserve) Squadron at RAF Leuchars will look to complete the Forth Rail Bridge Abseil to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF’s leading welfare charity, on 15 October. The unique challenge allows entrants to abseil 165 feet from the iconic Forth Bridge – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nick, who served for 29 years in the RAF Regulars before joining the Reserves, explained: “Every year the Squadron decide what charity they would like to support, and this year we chose the RAF Benevolent Fund. Since January we have taken part in an array of events, from cycle challenges and marathons to quiz nights and super-car events, all to raise money for the Fund. So far we have raised over £5000 and we’re hoping that this event will bring even more money and awareness to the Fund so they can continue the wonderful work they do supporting the RAF family.”

Zee Fletcher, Regional Fundraiser for the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: “Nick and the team are going to incredible lengths for the RAF Benevolent Fund and we couldn’t be more grateful! The dedication they have shown is second to none. The donations from the challenge, and indeed the whole year of fundraising, will help us to continue providing support for serving personnel and veterans, whether it’s through respite care, financial top-ups or emotional support. Thank you 612 Squadron!”

October is International Walk to School Month

Families across the UK are being asked to comment on their walk to school throughout October’s International Walk to School Month to help build up a picture of our streets. Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, hopes to use the month to identify the barriers which prevent families from walking to school, with the help of their ‘Rate Your Walk’ online tool. Continue reading October is International Walk to School Month

October garden plant of the month: Viola

Vigorous autumn bloomers! 
Everything seems to change so quickly in the garden in October. The trees shed their leaves, and the summer blooms and perennials reach the end of their flowering period. But that’s not the case for violas in October. They love the somewhat lower temperatures, and keep flowering vigorously with their beautiful colours until winter comes. And then? Well then they just carry on flowering. Violas won’t be defeated by wind and weather, and create colour and atmosphere in the sombre autumn and winter months.
Viola: tenacious flowering with twice the pleasure!
It’s no surprise that the autumn viola is one of the most popular plants in the garden. In beds, containers or pots on the balcony or patio – the viola will keep flowering anywhere for months. A bit less in the winter when it’s really cold, but it’ll carry on again cheerfully in the spring. Plant breeders and growers have created beautiful varieties in a lovely range with yellow, white, pink, blue, orange and red shades. Violas with eyes, spots or faces sometimes create even greater contrast in the flower. There are large-flowered and small-flowered violas, and nowadays we are also seeing more double-flowered varieties. There are even hanging violas which look fabulous in bowls or fixed to the wall in a sack. Great names such as Holland, Aalsmeer or Swiss Giant are widely known amongst the large-flowered violas, and the Viola cornuta is very popular amongst the small-flowered varieties.
So there’s plenty of choice to brighten the garden with violas in October. The plants also combine well with other autumn plants such as Calluna, Gaultheria or Skimmia. And things get truly festive in the garden in spring if bulbs have been planted below the violas in multiple layers. The violas planted in the garden in October will then combine with the bulbs in the spring to produce an explosion of flowers. So you get twice the pleasure!
Caring for Violas
A viola is exceptionally easy to care for. Whether it’s planted in the soil or in pots or containers, it can really cope anywhere!
Violas will remain healthy and attractive by following a couple of simple tips. It’s important that they’re placed in partial shade to full sun. Plant the viola in nutrient-rich soil, and water regularly.
If the temperature is above freezing, the viola will continue to grow and flower vigorously, and will then need some extra feeding once a fortnight in order to stimulate flowering. Removing wilted flowers will also encourage the plant to flower more profusely. Once the plant has finished flowering in late spring, you can replace the violas with beautiful summer annuals.
More information about the Viola and other garden plants can be found at Thejoyofplants.co.uk.

Beyond Logarithms and Bones: Napier exhibition opens tomorrow

John Napier Painting

AN exhibition charting the life and legacy of influential 16th century mathematician John Napier opens at Edinburgh’s Central Library tomorrow (Monday 2 October).

Napier – eighth Laird of Merchiston, who lived from 1550 to 1617 – had deep interests in astronomy and religion but is best known as the inventor of logarithms, which decoded previously unexplored complexities within mathematics. He also invented a series of calculating devices, including ‘Napier’s Bones’, and made common the use of the decimal point.

The Beyond Logarithms & Bones free exhibition, one of a series of events marking the 400th anniversary of Napier’s passing, will include replica Bones as well as Napier memorabilia.

On display will be a rare Promptuary calculating machine, an extension of Napier’s Bones constructed according to Napier’s instructions, which was donated by New Zealand’s Auckland University, and a cap and feathers worn at the Clan Napier parade at this year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

The exhibition storyboards and glass cabinet display focus on four specific themes concerning John Napier’s life and legacy – Genesis, Transition, Creativity and Legacy.

The exhibition runs at the Central Library from October 2-16, and Edinburgh’s Eric Liddell Centre from October 19-31.

John Napier 400 was marked earlier this year by a memorial service featuring a new poem about Napier written by Edinburgh novelist Alexander McCall Smith, entitled A Cosmos of Numbers.

The anniversary of Napier’s passing was also commemorated with a public lecture at Edinburgh Napier University this month in which physicist and author Professor Jim Al-Khalili examined scientific advances which will shape the 21st century.

John Napier’s Merchiston Tower family home now lies at the heart of Edinburgh Napier’s Merchiston campus, home to the Schools of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, and Arts and Creative Industries.