Month: December 2019

National Express saves Christmas amid rail chaos

  • National Express is the only national public transport network operating on Christmas Day
  • The busiest days for travel over the festive period are Friday 20th December, Monday 23rd December and Friday 27th December with over 90k passengers on these days alone
  • RMT strikes and a whopping 386 rail engineering projects have led travellers to turn to coach

National Express is stepping in to save Christmas for thousands of Brits who are preparing to spend the festive period with their loved ones.

The UK’s largest coach operator is the only national public transport network operating on Christmas Day. They have already increased capacity with an additional 30,000 seats added to services to meet demand over the festive period (20th December – 2nd January) while the rail network continues to let people down.

Advance coach ticket sales indicate that Friday 20th December aka “Frantic Friday”, Monday 23rd December and Friday 27th December are set to be the busiest days to travel over the festive period, with more than 90,000 people choosing coach to get to where they need to be.

With trains not running on Christmas Day, limited services on Boxing Day, South Western Railways strikes ongoing for the remainder of the month, and a whopping 386 engineering projects planned for the festive period; National Express has come to the rescue for UK travellers.

Chris Hardy, Managing Director of National Express UK Coach, said: “National Express is the reliable choice for travellers, not just at Christmas but all year round.

“With so much rail disruption over Christmas and New Year, we’re stepping up once again to get people where they need to be by adding extra services as and where required.”

National Express customers benefit from a guaranteed seat (no standing), air conditioning, access to films, TV and magazines through a complimentary onboard entertainment app, as well as power sockets and free WiFi.

For more information visit www.nationalexpress.com.

Skint! Council finances ‘unsustainable’

Most of Scotland’s 32 councils are increasingly relying on money from reserves to keep up with demand for services and balance their budgets. A report from the Accounts Commission, Scotland’s national watchdog for local government, says the financial pressures are likely to get worse. Continue reading Skint! Council finances ‘unsustainable’

Childline prepares to support children through their darkest hours this Christmas

  • Actor and Ambassador for Childline Natalie Dormer joined a night shift
  • NSPCC ‘Light For Every Childhood’ Christmas Appeal shines a light on children needing help in December
  • Hundreds of children in Scotland contact Childline over festive period

Childline is preparing to help hundreds of young people in Scotland across the festive period – day and night – including many struggling to cope with mental health problems.

In 2018/19 the NSPCC service delivered 7,157 counselling sessions across the 12-day period over Christmas and New Year, with nearly 400 sessions being held with children and teenagers in Scotland.

Childline in Glasgow is one of three service bases across the UK that answers calls and contacts throughout the night, and will be during this Christmas period.

Almost 900 of the sessions held with children across the UK over the festive period last year were between midnight and 7am.

And more than half of those seeking support through the night were struggling with mental health issues, self-harm and in the worst cases, suicidal thoughts and feelings.

Helping to shine a light on all the children and young people contacting Childline this Christmas during the darkest hours – and the volunteers who will be supporting them – is Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer.

The actor and ambassador for Childline who recently visited the service at night, said: “The calls that came in, to be quite honest, sideswiped me. Within the first 25 minutes there were two suicide calls with counsellors helping the young people through the reoccurring thoughts that were haunting them.”

More than a hundred children and young people across the UK received counselling for suicidal thoughts and feelings between midnight and 7am during the 12-day period last Christmas and New Year.

Childline is the only service available to children and young people, whatever their worry, 24/7 throughout the Christmas holidays.

One 13-year-old girl who contacted Childline during the night said: “I feel really down tonight. I have a counsellor who I see regularly and who I would usually go to for support but I will not be able to get hold of them because it is the Christmas holidays.

“I was told I could speak to someone at Childline. I have anxiety and find it difficult to cope and have tried to kill myself before. I don’t want to live but don’t want to upset my family.”

Due to demand and a shortage of resources, Childline is only able to help two in every three children that contact them in December and during the rest of the year.

In response, the NSPCC Christmas Appeal ‘Light for Every Childhood’ is calling for donations and more volunteers so Childline can be there around the clock for every child and young person.

Dame Esther Rantzen, Childline founder and President, said: “Christmas is the time of year we think about children, and most of them are happy, excited and loved.

“But many of the young people that contact Childline are unhappy, abused and neglected. One of them told me: ‘Christmas is like looking through a window, seeing happy families warm and loved while you are standing outside in the dark and cold.’

“For some young people, Christmas can be the hardest time of year, when their problems feel magnified, making them even more isolated than ever. At Childline we must be there for every young person that needs us. But to achieve this we urgently need the public’s help, which is why it is vital they support the NSPCC Christmas Appeal ‘Light for Every Childhood’.”

Just £4 pays for Childline to answer a call with a child in need of support, to donate visit the NSPCC website.

View the full film of Natalie Dormer joining one of Childline’s night shifts.