Every year, the team of veterans at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory hand-make five million poppies to be handed out during the annual Scottish Poppy Appeal. It is safe to assume that the vast majority of these stay in the country, but wouldn’t it be interesting to know how far the Scottish poppy can travel? Continue reading Scottish Poppies Take Flight Across the Globe
A NEW study will assess whether tiny molecules found in the immune systems of humans can be used to combat the potentially deadly dengue virus. Continue reading £395k study to identify new dengue treatments
Sir Tom Hunter was joined by Scotland football team manager Alex McLeish yesterday to announce that those who took part in this year’s Royal Bank of Scotland Kiltwalks raised a record-breaking £5 million for Scottish charities. Continue reading Big Win: Kiltwalk scores £5 million for Scottish charities in 2018
SCOTTISH Ballet dancers surprised children and young people at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC) as they were revealed behind a living advent calendar door this Christmas.
Dressed in full costume, Scottish Ballet dancers who are performing Cinderella at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre met those who are spending their festive period in hospital this year.
The event was a continuation of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity’s (ECHC) ‘Big Christmas Door Appeal’ – a campaign that is seeing a different calendar door open each day at the RHSC, with something exciting behind each.
Following the reveal, Scottish Ballet dancers Aisling Brangan, Araminta Wraith, Grace Horler and James Hobley toured the hospital with the children, taking pictures and giving pro tips to young aspiring dancers.
Fiona O’Sullivan, Arts Programme Manager at ECHC, said: “The continued support from Scottish Ballet means so much to us and to the patients in the hospital.
“Whenever the dancers come to visit, all the children’s faces light up when they see them in their costumes – it really is such a treat for us all.
“Our Big Christmas Door Appeal is all about providing festive fun and joy for the children who will be spending time in hospital over Christmas, so that they can be a child first and patient second.”
Chris Hampson, CEO and Artistic Director at Scottish Ballet said: “Once again we are delighted to be visiting the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, whilst Scottish Ballet perform Cinderella in Edinburgh this December.
“At Scottish Ballet, we believe that dance is for everyone, and we are thrilled to be able to bring a taste of the magic of the production to those in hospital over this festive period.”
The cast have visited the children in the hospital for the last three years at Christmas time – bringing festive cheer to patients and their families.
ECHC believe that nothing should get in the way of being a child and exist to transform the experiences of children and young people in hospital.
The charity works to make sure that children and young people’s lives are less interrupted by illness. It distributes around £1.5 million per year in support of the work of the RHSC and other children’s healthcare settings across Scotland.
Scottish Ballet’s production of Cinderella is currently on a national tour, visiting Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Inverness and Newcastle from 8 December 2018 – 2 February 2019.
For information on how your business can sponsor a door, volunteer or raise money, please contact Amy Ford on 0131 668 4949 or amy.ford@echcharity.org.
A NURSE is encouraging people to plan ahead for the festive period to help friends and relatives living with dementia. Continue reading Make this a Dementia-friendly Christmas
Lindsay & Gilmour have pledged their ongoing support for the life-changing work of homelessness charity Cyrenians with the donation of winter ‘Crash Packs’ containing essential toiletries for those who may find themselves homeless over the coming months. Continue reading Lindsay & Gilmour support Cyrenians with delivery of winter ‘Crash Packs’
Scotland has become one of the first countries in the world to develop a national strategy to deal with the serious problem of social isolation.
To kick start the strategy, Minister for Older People and Equalities, Christina McKelvie said the strategy would be backed by £1 million over the next two years to support and expand innovative projects and approaches to bring people together.
Improvements to health and social care, more accessible transport and investment in digital connectivity will all help to create a Scotland where individuals and communities are more connected.
Actions within the strategy include:
Launching the strategy at Bridgend Farmhouse, a community-owned charitable organisation in south Edinburgh which provides space for learning, eating and exercising, Ms McKelvie said: “One in ten people in Scotland report often feeling lonely.
“In today’s fast paced world, with technological advancements, people can sometimes feel overwhelmed and unable to cope with rapid changes in society. This can lead to people withdrawing and losing touch with friends and family.
“People often feel afraid to admit they are lonely or isolated yet these feelings can affect anyone at any age, or stage, or walk of life. It is known that social isolation and loneliness can have a significant impact on a person’s physical and mental wellbeing which is why we are tackling this issue with a preventative approach allowing loneliness and social isolation to be treated as a public health issue.
“This is just the beginning of work we are doing to tackle loneliness but we can’t do it alone. It is the responsibility of all of us as individuals and communities, and within the public sector, local authorities and businesses to reach out with kindness and build a country where all of us feel welcome within our communities and valued as an important part of society.”
A Connected Scotland: Tackling social isolation and loneliness
Conservative Health spokesman Miles Briggs MSP has welcomed the announcement.
Charities such as Vintage Vibes, based in Edinburgh, and Craigshill Good Neighbourhood Network, based in West Lothian, do exceptional work tackling social isolation and loneliness in Lothian.
Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative Lothian MSP, said: “Social isolation and loneliness is very prevalent across Edinburgh and the Lothian’s and it can affect anyone, but is particularly common amongst elderly people.
“The Scottish Conservative Loneliness Action Plan puts forward practical measures to tackle loneliness and social isolation.
“Loneliness can have a serious impact on peoples mental health, so steps to bring people together are incredibly important.
“Whilst many of us will be spending Christmas with friends and family, not everyone is so fortunate.
“I encourage everyone to think about what they can do to help, whether it is a visiting an elderly friend, calling in on an older neighbour who lives alone or inviting an older person round for a coffee or meal over the Christmas period.”
It’s also been welcomed by services charity Poppyscotland. Poppyscotland Chief Executive Mark Bibbey said: “Social isolation has been reported to affect at least 15 per cent of the Scottish ex-Service community and we need to break the stigma that surrounds this topic.
“We must then build the required practical support for our Armed Forces community to become more connected, and finally align policy, strategy, funding and resources so that our Armed Forces community receives the support they need and so rightly deserve.
“We welcome the new strategy and are particularly pleased to see that a number of aspects of our Break, Build and Align campaign have been included. We would like to thank the Scottish Government and a range of MSPs who have helped ensure the voices of veterans and members of our Armed Forces community have been heard, and that their specific needs have been recognised within the final strategy.”
A National Implementation Board is now to be established by the Scottish Government and Poppyscotland has expressed their interest in being involved and supporting the implementation of the strategy.
Police have confirmed the identity of a man who died in Muirhouse in the early hours of Monday morning. Roddy Loughton, who was 26, died following an incident at a property in Muirhouse Terrace. Continue reading Muirhouse murder: victim named
