Day: February 14, 2020

Edinburgh Funeral Director welcomes support payment increase

Bereaved families in Edinburgh will soon have greater financial support when planning their loved ones’ funerals, as the Scottish Government recently announced an increase to its Funeral Support Payment.

The Funeral Support Payment covers burial and cremation fees in full, however, a discretionary fund called ‘other expenses’ must cover several costs, including funeral director fees, celebrant’s fees, flowers and the cost of purchasing a coffin.

For the first time since 2003, the Funeral Support Payment for ‘other expenses’ will increase from £700 to £1000 from 1st April this year, supporting thousands of Scottish families at their time of need.

Funeral costs have been shown to have a disproportionate impact on low income consumers across the UK, with funeral costs potentially accounting for over a third of the annual expenditure of those on the lowest incomes.

Although inflationary increases to the £700 payment were scheduled to commence in Scotland from this year, the previous £700 cap equates to over £1,100 in today’s prices.

Since funeral costs have risen since 2003, the real value of the benefit for families in need has reduced by 35 per cent. In 2016, evidence was presented to a Scottish Government consultation that calculated that the benefit would need to increase to £1,500 to fully cover the costs incurred by the majority of Scottish families.

Welcoming the announcement, Edinburgh Funeral Director, Mark Porteous, Company Director at Porteous Funeral Directors, said: “There are many people in our community who rely on the Funeral Support Payment, and we are thrilled that the benefit has increased for bereaved families in Edinburgh.

“This benefit makes a real difference to bereaved families, and the increased payment will further enable them to have a dignified ceremony for a loved one. We view Funeral Support Payment funerals as a commitment to our community, and the increased payment will help keep these services viable for years to come.”

Porteous Funeral Directors has multiple locations across Edinburgh, including those that have been identified as the most deprived: Great Junction Street, Leith, Moredun and Craigour, Bingham, Magdalene and The Christians, Muirhouse, Restalrig and Lochend, Niddrie.

The Scottish Government’s announcement follows a similar commitment from Westminster to increase the funeral benefit in England and Wales from £700 to £1000. However, the Scottish Government has gone one step further in stating that the increase will be uprated, which will see the value rise year-on-year to allow for inflating funeral costs.

Gordon Swan, Director of Communications at leading funeral plan provider Golden Charter, added: “Golden Charter has been calling for an increase in Funeral Support Payments for some time, recognising that the benefit set in 2003 has gradually fallen well below the costs faced by families who have lost a love one.

“As a Scottish-based company, we know the positive impact this increase will bring to families at a very difficult time.

“We provide funeral planning services across the whole of the UK, and would like to see the Department of Work and Pensions also uprate this important benefit, extending the future security offered by that commitment to all bereaved families across the UK.”

It is anticipated that up to 5,000 Scottish families will benefit from this enhanced benefit each year.

Barratt supports three local charities

Young people and mental health are the focus of Barratt East Scotland’s latest charitable donation round.  Barratt has made donations of £1,000 each to 3 Scotland-based charities: 

·       Penumbra – a mental health charity supporting adults and young people

·       Richmond’s Hope – supporting bereaved young people aged 4-18yrs

·       Teenage Cancer Trust – providing support and treatment for young people aged 13-24 

As part of its Community Fund, the homebuilder is committed to supporting a selection of local charities, chosen by Barratt staff, within Edinburgh, Fife and the Lothians with new donations every month throughout 2019. 

Alison Condie, Managing Director, Barratt Homes East Scotland, said: “The work that Penumbra, Richmond’s Hope and Teenage Cancer Trust do is crucial to the communities in which we operate.

“We are delighted that our donations will make such a difference to people – especially children and young adults – in our local area. Every charity we support though our Community Fund initiative is chosen by our staff and the causes they support are close to our hearts.” 

Nigel Henderson, chief executive of Penumbra, said: “As a mental health charity providing support to around 1800 adults and young people across Scotland each week, we are delighted to benefit from the Barratt Homes East Community Fund.

“We have a range of projects across Scotland, supporting people who experience mental ill health to live fulfilling lives in their communities. This money will support our Recovery Fund which enables people to try out new activities and opportunities.”

Barratt Homes is committed supporting the communities in which it operates. 

For more information on Barratt Homes and the communities it operates in visit www.barratthomes.co.uk. To find out more about the incredible work being done at Penumbra, visit www.penumbra.org.uk

To learn more about the work Richmond’s Hope do to support bereaved children, visit www.richmondshope.org.uk, and to learn about Teenage Cancer Trust, visit www.teenagecancertrust.org.

Making the case for Scotland’s colleges

The principals of Scotland’s two largest colleges have highlighted the strengths and potential of the sector in a report which makes plain the economic impact of colleges in Scotland.

The Cumberford-Little Report, One Tertiary System: Agile, Collaborative, Inclusive  was commissioned by the Scottish Government to consider what more Scottish colleges can do to help improve businesses’ performance and productivity.

It was co-authored by Edinburgh College Principal and CEO Audrey Cumberford and City of Glasgow College Principal and CEO Paul Little.

The findings identify the significant economic impact colleges already have – a £3.5bn annual boost to GDP according to the latest figures – and identify how colleges support a wide range of Scottish Government national priorities, highlighting examples of best practice across Scotland.

The authors also make a series of recommendations aimed at allowing colleges to make a still greater contribution to business growth, particularly among Scotland’s huge SME and micro-business communities in an economic environment where the full challenges of Brexit are yet to become clear.

Edinburgh College Principal and Chief Executive Audrey Cumberford said: “Scotland’s colleges represent a huge national asset and so we were delighted to be asked to undertake this review to highlight the important role of our colleges.

“Whilst our findings show the significant contribution that colleges make across the country, we cannot overstate the importance of creating an environment that supports an immersive symbiotic relationship between colleges and industry.

“In the report we address the challenges and constraints, which need to be overcome to enable us to realise our full potential. Together with peers and partners, we absolutely believe our colleges can tackle the challenges – and seize the opportunities – that lie ahead for Scotland.”

City of Glasgow Principal and Chief Executive Paul Little said: “Scotland’s colleges represent a huge national asset – yet their economic impact is not widely understood, nor recognised – despite very significant government investment.

“We think colleges’ multiple roles and diverse responsibilities sometimes combine to make it difficult to describe what they’re for – so we propose a refreshed purpose for colleges that is unambiguously focused on helping businesses to grow by making sure they have access to people with the technological, vocational, and ‘meta’ skills needed in the decade ahead – and beyond.

“We also say we need a fresh approach to how colleges are funded and how their success is measured so as to incentivise a business-focussed approach. And, since colleges thrive in a system, not a hierarchy, we make clear that, building on the Government’s plans to reform the learner journey, our proposals need to be anchored in a fully connected and collaborative system of pre- and post-16 learning.”

Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science Richard Lochhead said: “Today’s publication – authored by the principals of Scotland’s two largest colleges – showcases some of the excellent work already taking place right across the country’s thriving college sector to support our learners, communities, and businesses.

“Essentially it makes plain the existing strengths and huge potential of a sector, which has an increasingly powerful impact on the Scottish economy as a whole.

“Since 2007, the Government has invested more than £8 billion in our colleges, and in last week’s draft Budget we proposed allocating over £670 million in total for resource and capital in 2020-21, underlining just what an important national role they play.

“The recommendations made in this report set out ambitions for an agile, collaborative, inclusive and dynamic college community. They include those aimed, particularly, at making an even greater contribution to Scotland’s huge SME and micro-business communities – very timely indeed, in an economic environment where the full challenges of Brexit are yet to become clear.

“We look forward to considering all the recommendations in detail, and responding in due course.”

Read The Cumberford-Little Report, One Tertiary System: Agile, Collaborative, Inclusive.

We LOVE our community!

Scottish groups receive special National Lottery 25th birthday funding to bring their great community ideas to life 

  • Scottish projects are among the lucky recipients of The National Lottery’s special 25th birthday fund
  • Minishant Social and Leisure Club in Ayrshire, Kinellar Community Hall in Aberdeenshire and Friends of Starbank Park in Edinburgh are amongst the groups spreading love in their communities and bringing people together
  • #CelebrateNationalLottery25 invited applications from anyone with a great idea to make a difference in their local community

last year’s event at Starbank Park

The National Lottery is using Valentine’s Day to reveal some of the local champions who love their community so much that they applied for a special grant to do something positive locally – and were successful.

Over 200 projects in Scotland will receive money from the fund – called #CelebrateNationalLottery25 – after they applied to the £2 million pot last December. Among them is local group Friends of Starbank Park.

The fund, which has now closed, invited applications from anyone with a great idea to make a difference in their local community. Up to £1,000 was available to them, showing that no individual or idea is too small to make a big difference and bring people together across the Scotland.

An award of £250 means that the Friends of Starbank Park will be able to organise a very special Cherry Blossom Picnic at the picturesque community park in North Edinburgh.

Graham Buckley said; “This brilliant funding from The National Lottery means that this year in May we can open up this even further by inviting groups of disadvantaged people from surrounding areas to join our annual Cherry Blossom picnic events.

“We hope that this will lead to these groups and individuals, especially the children, start using this unique park on a regular basis in the future.” 

An award of £1,000 to Minishant Social and Leisure Group means that the small village in South Ayrshire is able to host its first community gala for 20 years. 

Jackie Murray said: “This is amazing, we have little amenities here and we are extremely grateful to have received this money from The National Lottery to help us organise our Gala Day in June this year.

“As many of us who live here will remember this used to be such a highlight that everyone looked forward to each summer.  The money will be used to lease the grounds and buildings required, hire inflatables and the carriage for the king and queen.   Our Gala Day will see neighbours of all ages coming together to socialise and I can’t think of a better way to pull community spirits back together.”

In Aberdeenshire, Kinellar Community Hall receives £1,000 to organise a very special party for the local community which will celebrate the hall’s 15th birthday.

Kirsty Quin said: “What a wonderful way to celebrate our community hall’s birthday. We are having an afternoon tea party on 29 February with lots of entertainment and a performance from the local school choir.

“The hall is in the heart of our village and this event will be a very special way for the whole community to get together. Thanks so much from all the Kinellar Community Hall staff and board.”

The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Director, Neil Ritch, said: “It’s fantastic to see people’s love for their communities inspiring them to use National Lottery funding to make great things happen – we’ve been blown away by all the great ideas.

“#CelebrateNationalLottery25 is supporting a wide variety of projects across Scotland this year, all bringing people together to show the impact that small grants can make.”

Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £40 billion has been raised for good causes in the areas of arts, sport, heritage and community over the last 25 years.

#CelebrateNationalLottery25 is funded and delivered by The National lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

The #CelebrateNationalLottery25 fund marked the culmination of a major campaign by The National Lottery celebrating its impact over the past 25 years and thanking players for contributing £30 million to good causes every week.

The National Lottery Community Fund is responsible for giving out money raised by National Lottery players for good causes.  Last year it gave out over £36m of National Lottery funding to community projects across Scotland. Over 1291 projects benefitted from this, enabling people and communities to bring their ideas to life.

To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk   

Help to choose a different life

An award-winning project working to divert young people away from a life in organised crime has begun work in Edinburgh.

  • Edinburgh first part of a UK-wide roll-out for internationally recognised project diverting young people away from a life in serious organised crime
  • Former young offenders act as ‘peer mentors’ to help children escape from a life of serious organised crime
  • Analysis shows fewer than one in 10 young people reoffended after involvement in the programme
  • Run by Action for Children and funded with £4.6m from The National Lottery Community Fund, the project will target ‘high-risk’ 11-18-year-olds in Edinburgh.

Action for Children’s Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention service has been running in Glasgow since 2013. As part of a roll-out to areas across the UK, funded by £4.6 million from The National Lottery Community Fund, it will now support young people in Edinburgh on the cusp of organised crime.

The internationally recognised project uses ‘peer mentors’, many themselves former young offenders, to support young people on the cusp of organised crime. Analysis into the programme has showed that out of 49 young people supported over a year, just four offended after receiving support.

Now launching in Edinburgh, the service will offer targeted support to 11 to 18-year-olds through intensive one-to-one support, peer mentoring, education and employment training.

Since launching in Glasgow in 2013 the project has worked with more than a 150 young people. The service was created by Paul Carberry, the charity’s Director for Scotland, after he was invited to join the Scottish Government’s ‘Serious Organised Crime Task force’. There, he chairs the ‘Divert’ strand which has the objective of diverting young people from becoming involved in Serious Organised Crime and using its products.

In 2017/18, a study from Glasgow City Council showed that by diverting four ‘high risk’ young people from secure care, the project represented a saving of over half a million pounds for the council over a six-month period. (see Notes to Editors).

In November 2019 the project won the ‘Young People’s Project of the Year’ at the Herald Society award and this was followed up with the ‘Excellence’ award in December at the prestigious European Social Services Awards.

Councillor Alison Dickie, Education Vice Convener of Education, Children and Families for the City of Edinburgh Council, and one of the two elected members on the Public Protection Committee, said: “There is absolutely nothing more important than protecting our children and the success Action for Children have achieved with this project cannot be under-estimated.

“Serious organised crime has a significant impact on the lives of young people, their families and local communities. This project works by intervening early and helping vulnerable young people who risk getting dragged into a downward spiral of crime which they then can’t escape.

“It is right that Edinburgh has been chosen as the next city to benefit from the service and I’m convinced it will have a positive impact on turning some of our most vulnerable young people’s lives around. As part of this work, it is essential that we raise awareness and increase training for professionals in this area so that they can spot the signs of young people being exploited before it’s too late.

“The Council works really closely with police, schools and other partners in tackling and preventing crime and this new project will significantly build on the positive work already taking place in Edinburgh.”

Paul Carberry, Action for Children Director for Scotland and chair of the ‘Divert’ strand of the Serious Organised Crime Task Force, said: “We are very proud to be launching our Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention service to Edinburgh.

“Each year, we will be working with 80 young people in Edinburgh. Many of these young people are heavily embedded in organised crime, growing up in families where organised crime has been a generational thing. So, for them, it isn’t a quick fix, they require a prolonged period of work and have previously refused to work with other statutory services. We recognise the need to give young people alternatives, we need to get them into employment and get them the right support and help.

“We believe that the best way to do this is by example and giving young people role models who have been on the journey themselves and our ‘Peer Mentors’ are our most powerful tool.

“Since 2013, this project has worked intensively with more than 150 young people across Glasgow, diverting them away from a life in serious organised crime and into positive opportunities including education, training and employment. The role of Peer Mentors has been critical to that.

“We are proud to be now working in partnership with Edinburgh City Council, Police Scotland and the Scottish Government to deliver this ground-breaking work. When it comes to dealing with serious organised crime, Scotland is leading the way. Now, thanks to funding from The National Lottery, we are able to deliver this work in Edinburgh.”

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf MSP said: “It is essential to do everything possible to prevent children and young people being drawn into serious organised crime and to stop the cycles of lifetime offending. 

“The fact that fewer than 1 in 10 of those supported by this project went on to reoffend is testament to powerful role that peer-mentors play in encouraging young people to make positive life choices. I congratulate Action for Children, the National Lottery and other partners in extending this life-changing and potentially life-saving project to Edinburgh.”

Neil Ritch, National Lottery Community Fund Director for Scotland, said: “The Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention service is a great example of a successful service which began in Scotland and is now being replicated in other areas of the UK, thanks to £4.6 million of National Lottery funding.

“I’m delighted that Edinburgh is one of the places that will be able to benefit from this expansion which will give many more young people the opportunity to make positive life changing choices.”

The project will also be rolled out in Newcastle and Cardiff in April.

Case study:

Kieran* (19) has been supported by Action for Children’s Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention service. Life is a lot less volatile for him now, he lives with his girlfriend and has a full-time job in a kitchen. But life was very different growing up.

He grew up in a Glasgow estate, rife with drugs and drug dealing. It was almost natural for Kieran to fall into a criminal way of life. “When you live where I did, you didn’t really have a choice,” he said. “Up and down the stairs in the flats I stayed in there were people injecting into their arms. I saw that from the age of five.”

Not long out of primary school, he came to the attention of organised crime groups in the area and was given drugs to sell. “By 11, I was selling drugs and being paid in cigarettes. It started with cannabis then moved to valium and harder stuff including heroin.”

As he grew older, the nature of the crimes became more serious. “I was involved with gangs, battering people, stealing cars to order and selling drugs – it was all about making money. As I got older, if people didn’t pay us, we were sent to their door. It was out of control however, that’s what we were told to do and if we wanted money, we did it.”

Eventually, as the crimes got more serious and violent, the police became involved. Kieran knew he needed to make a break away from his criminal ties and hasn’t looked back since being referred to the Action for Children project.

“I couldn’t go back there now – the same people are still in control of that estate. It would have been a lot easier to stay where I was and making the money I was, but it was made through violence and drugs. That’s my old life and I’m glad it’s not the life I have now. It’s not the future I want for my family.”