New road named after ‘brilliant’ emergency doctor

Staff at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh have paid tribute to a “brilliant” former colleague by naming a road on the hospital campus after him.

Colleagues have honoured the late Dr Robin Gordon Mitchell by naming the new road “Robin Mitchell Way”. Continue reading New road named after ‘brilliant’ emergency doctor

West Pilton & West Granton Community Council meets tomorrow

TUESDAY 3rd DECEMBER

7pm at WEST PILTON NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRE

West Pilton & West Granton Community Council meets tomorrow night for the first ‘normal’ business meeting since the Autum community council elections.

See below for Tuesday’s Agenda

Continue reading West Pilton & West Granton Community Council meets tomorrow

Festive Pines: December Garden Plants of the Month

Not just for the festive season, but beautiful all year round: the spruce and fir tree help create a variety-filled patio and garden.
Spruce (Picea) and fir tree (Abies) are the real stars in December, but don’t overlook what they can offer during the rest of the year in terms of greenery and interesting points of focus in the garden.

Continue reading Festive Pines: December Garden Plants of the Month

Charities to support more women and families

Third-sector organisations are set to increase the availability of services for mums at risk of poor mental health during and after pregnancy.

A grant of £225,000 has been allocated to 11 organisations as part of a £1 million investment in perinatal mental health services for mums and families announced by the Health Secretary Jeane Freeman in August.

All the organisations will also be offered additional perinatal mental health training for staff.

Mental Health Minister Clare Haughey said: “Mental illness during and after pregnancy is common, affecting one in five women. We want all mums to get the best possible support, and working with third sector partners is one way we can widen access to services and advice.

“Charities provide an invaluable service by offering peer-to-peer support and counselling and helping to build confidence to help make the leap into parenthood and family life a bit easier.  

“We are investing £50 million to improve perinatal and infant mental health services and it is vital that women, young children and families are able to access services in the right place at the right time.”

List of third-sector organisations receiving funding:

Barnardo’s £29,044
Home Start Glasgow South £22,421
Aberlour £41,346
Amma Birth Companions £9,000
Home Start Glasgow North £6,791
CrossReach £17,998 plus an additional £25,000 to provide training to other organisations
Quarriers £6,051
Midlothian Sure Start £11,457
MindMosaic Counselling and Therapy £6,950
PND The Borders £13,000
Inspiring Scotland £34,000

The Scottish Government invited applications for third sector organisations who provide perinatal and infant mental health support services to apply for funding, with the focus on sustaining their existing service.

The aim of the fund is to sustain current provision and develop a national approach to non-clinical interventions for women, partners and families – to meet the needs of those 11,000 women and families who might benefit for additional support.

The projects must fulfil the following outcomes:

  • Women/primary caregivers who use the service experience improved mental wellbeing.
  • Women/primary caregivers experience improved confidence and satisfaction with parenting and the parent/infant relationship.
  • Family/partner engagement in supporting women and developing the parent/infant relationship is improved.
  • Woman/primary caregivers have access to further help, information and support and are referred to NHS or other services as appropriate.

 

 

Spring events for the Scottish social calendar in aid of Heart of Scotland Appeal

The Balmoral and Archerfield have announced that tickets are now on sale for a new golfing challenge and an unmissable charity dinner in support of the Heart Research UK’s Heart of Scotland appeal.  Continue reading Spring events for the Scottish social calendar in aid of Heart of Scotland Appeal

Stay safe shopping online

13 Ways to Stay Safe when Online Shopping 

Security advice to help protect British shoppers against cyber-crime has been released, as an increasing number shun the high street in favour of buying online.

Internet shopping specialists from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk have revealed their 13 top tips to help UK consumers stay safe when shopping on the web, after it was revealed that nearly 3,000 high street stores shut in the first half of 2019.

From using a credit card and keeping software up to date, to writing down complicated passwords and making up answers to security questions, online shoppers could avoid becoming a cyber criminal’s next victim by following the guidance.

A spokesperson for NetVoucherCodes.co.uk said: “Many people find shopping online so much more convenient than visiting high street stores – you’ve got all of the world’s goods and services at your fingertips.

“But browsing the web can be a security minefield for consumers – a computer virus, hacker or fraud could be just one click away.

“So to help Brits shop online with greater peace of mind, we’ve revealed the different measures you can take to stay safe when buying something on the internet.”

Here is the NetVoucherCodes.co.uk advice:

1. Use a credit card 

If you purchase online using a debit card and it turns out to be a scam there’s usually no way to retrieve your money, but fraudulent charges must be reimbursed by credit card companies.

Check your statements regularly, just in case a purchase you didn’t make gets through the card provider’s safety net and you need to dispute it. This could also help if a purchase is shows up different to what you ordered, damaged or doesn’t arrive at all.

2. Make up security answers

When creating an account with online shopping sites, you might be asked to set up password reset security questions to confirm your identity.

Rather than entering the real town you were born in or mother’s maiden name, enter false answers and write them down if you can’t remember. This makes it much harder for cyber criminals who might be trying to gather information on you.

3. Only fill out required fields

Don’t offer up any more personal information that is necessary to complete an online purchase.

The required fields are usually starred or highlighted when checking out – it’s usually wise to leave the rest blank.

4. Never save information

Allowing even the most reputable of websites to store your payment or address information is unnecessary.

Don’t say yes when your browser suggests saving any passwords either and always log out when you’ve finished shopping.

5. Change passwords often

Regularly change between complicated, hard to guess, alphanumeric passwords that also contain symbols, even if you have to write them all down somewhere secure at home. Keep them different for each site you use too.

Using the same, simple but memorable password for every website for years, such as a pet’s name, is asking for trouble when online shopping.

6. Look for security indicators 

A web address (or URL) that begins with ‘HTTPS’ are secure – those without the ‘S’, ‘HTTP’, may not be.

Other signs of shopping site security to look out for could include a closed padlock or complete key, possibly green, alongside the URL, next to the search bar or elsewhere around the screen.

7. Avoid public Wi-Fi

Entering personal information such as credit card details, passwords or home address while using free public Wi-Fi hotspots is dangerous as your data won’t be protected by encryption and could vulnerable to hackers.

8. Update your computer

Using an older version of a popular internet browser, operating system or anti-virus software on your computer means that you’ll be missing out on important security updates, which could leave you exposed when browsing the web.

9. Be extra careful on mobiles

Most mobile phones won’t have the same level of anti-virus protection as laptop or desktop computers so extra vigilance is required, particularly around shortened mobile-friendly URLs.

Mobile devices are also more likely to be stolen, so make sure any payment details are passcode or fingerprint protected.

10. Avoid email links

Rather than clicking on potentially suspect links to shopping sites that you see on social media, other websites or in emails, search for the website yourself.

This helps to make sure you browse the authentic site. If you’re getting a lot of spam emails, consider setting up a dedicated online shopping only email address.

11. Leave badly designed websites

If a shopping site appears to be out of date, has a strange URL, comes with lots of pop ups, or is dominated by cheap, irrelevant or overseas adverts, the page could be dodgy and worth exiting before it’s too late.

12. Research and read reviews

When considering spending on a new site that you haven’t used before, it can be useful to browse forums and social media to see what experience others have had of shopping there.

If you can find a real physical address and verifiable contact details for the company you intend to make a purchase from, they’re probably legitimate.

 13. Trust your instincts 

Just as you would when shopping on the high street, if you feel like a website is requesting too much personal information or could harm your computer with viruses, close it.

If in any doubt, stick to shopping with sites you know and trust. Remember, if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Creative projects across Scotland share in over £927,000 of National Lottery funding

A GOVANHILL-based community space dedicated to DIY publishing, a community theatre project telling the stories of daily life in coastal communities, and the 38th edition of New Writing Scotland are among the 41 awards made in the latest round of National Lottery funding through Creative Scotland’s Open Project Fund. Continue reading Creative projects across Scotland share in over £927,000 of National Lottery funding

Travel and safety advice ahead of Ibrox clash

Rangers v Hearts – Sunday, 1 December

Police Scotland is advising football supporters to plan their travel ahead of Sunday’s Scottish Premiership match between Rangers and Hearts.

There will be a road closure, westbound, on Paisley Road West from Dumbreck Road to Helen Street. Diversions will be in place.

Superintendent Craig Smith said: “As safety is a priority for Police Scotland, supporters are being asked to allow plenty of time to reach the match due to road closures and diversions.

“Officers will be carrying out high-visibility patrols to help ensure that everyone gets to and from the match safely and we would also ask supporters to behave responsibly whilst travelling and in and around the stadium in Glasgow.”