Month: October 2019

New benefit for young carers launches next week

Teenage carers in Scotland will be the first in the UK to be given financial support thanks to a new Scottish Government grant. A new benefit will open for applications on Monday, with the Scottish Government investing £600,000 to support almost 2,000 young carers in 2019/20.

The Young Carer Grant will be available for 16, 17 and 18 year olds who spend an average of 16 hours caring for someone who receives a disability benefit. Continue reading New benefit for young carers launches next week

Business Minister to deliver keynote address at Industry 4.0 conference

Craiglockhart campus exteriors in autumn sunshine

A MAJOR conference will turn the spotlight on the skills needed to drive economic growth in the 21st century.

Business Minister Jamie Hepburn MSP will deliver the keynote address at the event at Edinburgh Napier University’s Business School on Wednesday October 23. Continue reading Business Minister to deliver keynote address at Industry 4.0 conference

Victoria Crowe exhibition attracts over 40,000 visitors

Last weekend marked the closing days of what has been the most popular exhibition at Edinburgh’s City Art Centre in recent years. Victoria Crowe – 50 Years in Painting, closed on Sunday having welcomed over 40,000 visitors, from Edinburgh, UK and further afield, young and old, life long admires of Crowe’s work and those who discovered it for the first time, to celebrate the life’s work of one of the UK’s finest artists. Continue reading Victoria Crowe exhibition attracts over 40,000 visitors

Letters: It’s time to share the wealth

Dear Editor

When you consider the vast array of skills developedand used every day by working people in all walks of life; it is truly amazing.

We all rely on the skills of others in so many ways.

Sometimes we forget that it is people like us who are providing all the goods and services that we take for granted. It is the ordinary working people who, with their skill and compassion, make life possible for everyone.

It is the same 99% of the peoplewho create, clean, repair and care for us that also generate the wealth, but have little control over. The ownership of that wealth has now become the property of others.

The workers who created the wealth now find themselves with no say in how it should be invested or distributed, and low pay and unfairness continues.

The workers who created the wealth now find themselves with no say in how it should be invested or distributed and low pay and unfairness continues.

The wealth created by the 99% now belongs to the few. It is time that this historic confidence trick is challenged and all workers are awarded, and involved in, who benefits from our national wealth.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

That’s Settled, then: more support for EU citizens in Scotland

EU citizens in Scotland are to be offered additional advice and support backed by more than £20,000 from the Scottish Government. 

The Citizens’ Rights Project and a new charity Settled are joining forces thanks to this funding to help EU citizens with applications to the UK Government’s EU Settlement Scheme. Continue reading That’s Settled, then: more support for EU citizens in Scotland

CashBack’s Jamie the Unicorn sets off on his travels

Every year, YouthLink Scotland, the national agency for youth work, run a campaign to promote the CashBack for Communities Youth Work Fund and to highlight the amazing work of the funded projects.

This year, the CashBack for Communities Youth Work fund has awarded £778,595.00 to 194 projects – benefiting 14,486 young people in Scotland. Continue reading CashBack’s Jamie the Unicorn sets off on his travels

Saying ‘thank you’ to NHS staff … with a massage!

Every day, in hospital wards and clinics across NHS Lothian, the gratitude and generosity of patients and relatives is on display through cards and gifts given as a ‘thank you’ for the care provided by staff.    

Now, patients and relatives who wish to thank staff at the Western General Hospital can consider doing so with a healthy alternative to chocolate: “Massage Minutes.” Continue reading Saying ‘thank you’ to NHS staff … with a massage!

Police Scotland supports National Hate Crime Awareness Week

Police Scotland is supporting National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2019 which runs from 12 – 19 October:

As part of this week, we are raising awareness of hate crimes and encouraging people to report them. Tackling hate crime is a key priority for us. If you have been a victim of a hate crime, always report it to us. There’s lots of help and support available for you.

The official definition of hate crime is ‘any crime which is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated (wholly or partly) by malice and ill-will towards a social group’.

This means that any of us can be a victim of hate crime at any time. Hate crime can happen in many different ways. It could be someone shouting and swearing at you, threatening you or verbally abusing you. It could be offensive graffiti, being physically assaulted or receiving online abuse. So if you are targeted by a person or group of people and you think the reason you have been targeted is because of:

  • Disability
  • Race
  • Religion/Belief
  • Sexual Orientation
  • Transgender Identity

Then this is a hate crime. There is no excuse for hate crime – if you have been a victim of hate crime or have witnessed it please report it.

How to report a hate crime

Hate crimes are largely unreported to police.

Why you should report a hate crime

We want everyone living, working and visiting Scotland to feel and be safe. We recognise that hate crime has a huge impact on the quality of life of the individual, their family and friends and the wider community. It is only by reporting hate crime that we can truly tackle the issue and bring perpetrators to justice.

Police Scotland is fully committed to reviewing and investigating all reports of hate crime.

Contact Details

Call 101 for non-emergencies and general enquiries, in an emergency call 999. If you have information about a crime you can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.