Results from the British Chamber of Commerce’s Quarterly Recruitment Outlook, in partnership with Totaljobs, reveal the impact Coronavirus has had on the jobs market, with the two organisations calling for further action from government to protect businesses and jobs.
29% of businesses expect to decrease the size of their workforce in the next three months
28% decreased size of workforce in Q2 but 66% kept their workforce constant, reinforcing the success of the Job Retention Scheme
The two organisations call for a cut in employer National Insurance Contributions to protect businesses and jobs.
The leading business organisation’s landmark survey, which serves as a barometer of the UK labour market, received 7,400 responses and is the largest of its kind in the UK.
Fieldwork was done prior to the Chancellor’s Summer Statement which announced the Job Retention Bonus, Kickstart Scheme and an Apprenticeship Recovery programme, among other things.
Redundancies expected
29% of businesses expect to decrease the size of their workforce in the next three months before the government’s Job Retention Scheme ends, the highest on record.59% will keep headcount the same and just 12% will look to increase the size of their workforce.
The news comes as businesses across the UK economy announced significant redundancies. The survey found that over the next three months:
18% of micro firms (with fewer than 10 employees) expect their workforce to decrease.
41% of small and medium firms (with 10 to 249 employees) expect their workforce to decrease.
41% of large firms (with over 250 employees) expect their workforce to decrease.
The survey reinforced data from the BCC’s Quarterly Economic Survey of the challenging environment business communities across the UK are facing, with record falls in key indicators of business activity, including domestic and export sales, cashflow and investment.
Recruitment
The percentage of businesses attempting to recruit in the previous quarter fell to 25%, the lowest level on record. Of the firms that attempted to recruit, 65% faced recruitment difficulties, particularly for skilled manual/technical or managerial roles.
Success of the Job Retention Scheme
While 28% of respondents decreased their workforce in Q2, two in three firms kept staffing levels constant. This reflects data on the success of the Job Retention Scheme, with the BCC’s Business Impacts Tracker indicating that around 70%of businesses had furloughed a portion of their staff.
Beginnings of recovery?
As lockdown lifts, Totaljobs have seen a 30% month-on-month increase in the number of jobs being advertised on their website for June, with the largest volume posted in IT (20k), logistics (12k) and social care (9k).
There were also month on month increases in sectors benefiting from lockdown easing like retail (+51%), travel (+47%) and hospitality (+23%). Skilled trades also started to see growth compared with previous weeks, with jobs advertised increasing by57%.
Unsurprisingly, applications per vacancy were up across all sectors, reflecting continued rises in candidate activity on the Totaljobs site.
Further action needed
The two organisations have called on the government for further action to limit the damage to the UK labour market, including reducing the overall cost of employment, through a temporary cut in employer National Insurance Contributions and support to upskill and reskill employees as businesses adapt to change.
BCC Co-Executive Director Hannah Essex said:“Our research demonstrates the Chancellor’s focus on protecting, supporting and creating jobs is exactly what’s needed to drive the UK’s economic recovery in the coming months.
“Many businesses are suffering from an historic cash crunch and reduced demand, meaning firms will still face tough decisions despite welcome interventions made in the Summer Statement.
“The government should consider additional support for employers before the Autumn Budget to reduce the overall cost of employment and prevent substantial redundancies.Measures could include a temporary cut in employer National Insurance Contributions and support to upskill and reskill employees as businesses adapt to change.”
Totaljobs CEO Jon Wilson said:“The latest figures from the Quarterly Recruitment Outlook make stark reading, especially when compared to what we had grown accustomed to in previous years. It is clear that business confidence is low, with many being forced to make difficult decisions when it comes to their workforce.
“However, the Chancellor’s summer statement outlined a number of measures that will not only support jobs but help create new roles in the economy and give confidence to businesses trying to plan for the future. The interim cuts in stamp duty and VAT should give the hard-hit housing and hospitality sectors a much-needed boost.
“It’s clear that moving forward, adaptability remains paramount for businesses and people, with upskilling, reskilling and utilising transferable skills all key factors during this recovery period.
“To protect jobs and further ease the burden facing businesses, we join the British Chambers of Commerce in their call for a cut in employer National Insurance. We also urge the Chancellor to continue to consider the needs of the sectors and demographics most impacted by Covid-19, to protect people’s livelihoods and help the jobs market and wider economy pick up.”
Commenting on the latest employment figures published today (Thursday), which show around 650,000 fewer paid employees since before the pandemic, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “There’s a national disaster unfolding, with vacancies at an all-time low and more jobs lost every day, but ministers are watching from the side-lines, instead of saving jobs with targeted support for the hardest-hit sectors like retail, manufacturing and aviation.
“The more people we have in work, the faster we will work our way out of recession. If the government doesn’t go all out to protect and create jobs, the economic crisis will be longer and harder.
“We can create jobs by fast-tracking infrastructure projects. This would speed up the delivery of faster broadband, more childcare, green technology, modern transport and housing. And it would create over a million jobs across the UK.”
You can view the full QRO report at the link below:
But Ryanair says it’s just ‘another baseless survey of two men and a dog’
People are suffering serious financial and emotional distress as they struggle to claim refunds for flights and holidays cancelled due to coronavirus, a damning dossier of more than 14,000 refund complaints compiled by Which? has revealed – but a Ryanair spokespersoncalled the Which? report ‘yet another baseless survey of two men and a dog’.
The complaints – which have been passed onto the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) as part of its review of how airlines have handled cancellations and refunds in recent months – are collectively worth more than £5.6 million and detail the significant toll that delayed and denied refunds are taking on customers’ lives.
The findings come as Which?’s campaign, ‘Refund Us. Reform Travel.’, demands that airlines urgently refund any passengers still owed money for cancelled flights and holidays.
Under the Denied Boarding Regulations, if a UK or EU airline (or an airline flying from an airport in the UK or EU) cancels your flight, you should be refunded within seven days.
Package holidays are protected by the Package Travel Regulations, which entitle you to a full refund within 14 days if your holiday is cancelled. However, many of the biggest carriers have been openly breaking the law amid an unprecedented volume of cancellations caused by the pandemic.
Since asking affected passengers to report their airline to the CAA through its online tool on 22 May, the consumer champion has received and submitted over 14,000 reports in just under six weeks, of which over 12,600 have been analysed to establish trends in the data.
Those who reported to Which? that they had been denied a refund are out of pocket by an average of £446.40, and have collectively spent a total of 52,000 hours – almost six years – trying to chase their airline for the money they are due.
Collectively, the 12,602 people whose reports were analysed told Which? they were owed £5.63 million in refunds. These reports provide a snapshot of the scale of the problem, with the industry’s own estimates from April this year suggesting that up to £7 billion of consumers’ money is owed in refunds.
The most reported airline was Ryanair, accounting for four in 10 (44%) of the complaints made to Which?, with passengers reporting a combined total of £1.15 million owed. Half of those (50%) reported spending more than five hours of their time trying to contact the airline for a refund.
Despite being the third largest operator flying out of the UK, behind EasyJet and British Airways, Ryanair owes over £400,000 more than the two market leading airlines, with its £1.15 million total equating to one in every five pounds that was reported to Which?.
Easyjet was the next most complained about airline, accounting for one in seven (14%) complaints. Customers told Which? they were collectively owed more than £663,000 in refunds, with three in 10 (29%) telling Which? they are yet to receive a response from the airline with regards to a refund.
Virgin Atlantic was the third most complained about, with seven per cent of complaints saying the customer was waiting for a refund from the airline. Over £915,000 is collectively owed to Virgin Atlantic customers who complained to Which?, with the average refund amounting to £1,031.61.
Three in 10 (29%) customers who reported Virgin Atlantic to Which? told the consumer champion they had spent over five hours trying to claim a refund, while a further three in 10 (31%) had spent over 10 hours.
Tui and Etihad customers spent the most time chasing a refund, with four in 10 (both Tui and Etihad – 39%) spending over 10 hours contacting their airline to ask for their money back.
Additionally, nearly half (45%) of Tui customers who made a report to Which? told the consumer champion they had not received a response from the company at the time of submitting their report.
Airlines have cited huge volumes of refunds and limited staff available to process them as an explanation for the delays in refunding customers, however a number of airlines have done a significantly better job of returning money to their customers in a shorter time frame while operating under similar circumstances.
A Which? survey of airline customers in May who had had flights cancelled found that four in 10 (39%) BA customers surveyed had received their money back within the legal time frame, while three in 10 (29%) Jet2 customers who responded were refunded within the seven day window. This was in comparison to only five per cent of Ryanair customers telling Which? they received a refund within the legal time frame, and one in seven (14%) Easyjet customers.
Which? also invited people to report the impact that being denied a refund on their lives has had, as the pandemic has left hundreds of thousands of households in difficult financial circumstances and worried about their health and that of their loved ones.
Lynn Fox, 42, was made redundant in March after her employer went into administration, before her self-employed husband was left without work due to the pandemic.
They had remortgaged their house in January to pay for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday with Virgin Holidays to Florida costing £6,700. But when Virgin cancelled the holiday, Lynn was unable to contact the company and requests for a refund went unanswered.
Both Lynn and her husband have been relying on Universal Credit and told Which? that without the money they were owed, they feared they may struggle to pay their mortgage for the next year. However, after Which? contacted Virgin about her story, she received an email saying her refund is now being processed.
In response to Lynn’s experience, a Virgin Holidays spokesperson said:“Virgin Holidays understands the difficulties that the Covid-19 crisis poses to our customers with upcoming travel plans, and we are offering as much flexibility as possible for those whose trips are affected.
“Our absolute focus remains on supporting all of our loyal customers, whether that’s to amend, rebook or cancel plans. As a direct result of the Covid-19 crisis and the global travel restrictions imposed, Virgin Holidays has had to make significant holiday cancellations and we continue to be inundated with an unprecedented volume of refund requests, while working through a backlog, and unfortunately these are taking longer than usual to be processed.
“Our customer centre and finance teams have been working from home with limited infrastructure, so in order to accelerate the process, we have boosted the size of the team handling refunds. These additional staff are receiving training to use the required systems, which is increasing our capacity to process refunds.
“We would reassure all Virgin Holidays customers that if they’ve requested a refund, it will be repaid in full, and the work to process refunds is our priority. Payments are being prioritised based on how long the customer has been waiting for their refund, working in order from March 2020 onwards.
“We are committed to completing each refund at the earliest opportunity, but we would assure customers that payment will be processed within an absolute maximum of 120 days, from the date the refund is requested. We are making every effort to reduce this timeframe wherever possible in these extraordinary circumstances and thank all of our customers for their patience.”
Which? also heard from Laura McAdam, 26, who needed to fly back to her family home after losing her job and worrying about becoming homeless.
Laura told Which? she suffers from severe depression and anxiety, and that she eventually stopped chasing Easyjet after spending approximately 12 hours trying to get a refund, as the distress was taking a toll on her on top of everything else going on in her life.
Laura said Easyjet only gave her the option of rebooking or accepting a credit note, and that all her emails to the airline went ignored. She told Which? the £120 – which she is still waiting to be refunded – would make a huge difference to her given how little money she has to live on.
However, after being contacted by Which?, Easyjet said it has contacted Laura to apologise for the inconvenience caused and asked for her refund to be processed immediately.
Alisya Boyraz, 22, and her partner were due to relocate from the UK to China for work in February, having quit their jobs and arranged to move out of their home in January.
However, after Emirates cancelled their flight in March they had to postpone their move – losing their jobs, the apartment they had secured in China, and a significant amount of their savings in the process. They are now also out of pocket by over £1,080 for their cancelled flight, as the travel agent she booked with, Travel2Be, has not refunded them yet.
Alisya told Which? that their Chinese visas have now expired meaning if they do not make it to China, they will have lost a further £1,300 spent on legal fees for the move. They are now having to rely on friends and family for somewhere to live, and that her partner is still out of work, months on from the flight being cancelled.
Alisya said the money owed to them would make a significant difference to their lives while her partner is out of work, and would help cover some of the money lost as a result of their move being postponed.
Which? believes the stories it has already submitted clearly make the case for tough action against airlines that continue to flout the law. But as international travel begins to resume from the UK, Which? is calling on people to continue to submit their complaints to pass on to the CAA to ensure the regulator does not let travel companies return to normal with no consequences for their actions over this period.
The CAA must now take urgent enforcement action against airlines that are failing to pay refunds, rather than continuing to let them get away with illegally withholding customers’ money given the huge financial and emotional toll it is having on thousands of people’s lives.
Which? also believes the serious problems people have faced in recent months have demonstrated that major reforms to the travel industry are necessary. The consumer champion will set out in the coming months steps that the government should take in order to restore consumer trust in the travel sector.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “We are hearing from thousands of passengers who are still waiting for refunds months after flights and holidays were cancelled.
These people are often in desperate circumstances of their own and have told us the stress of being left out of pocket has significantly impacted on their emotional wellbeing and their finances.
“As a first step to restoring lost trust in the travel industry, it’s important that lawbreaking companies are not let off the hook for their actions during this period. The regulator must act swiftly on this evidence and take strong action against those airlines that have repeatedly been exposed for flouting the rules.”
An Etihad spokesperson said:While every effort is being made to process refunds, there have been occasions where it took longer to handle requests. This has been due to the extremely high number of calls and claims received.
“In addition to offering full refunds, we also introduced a generous travel credit option for use against future travel. Extra resources were also brought in to ease the situation, resulting in considerably improved service levels.
“We regret any inconvenience or distress faced by our customers and we thank them for their continued patience and understanding.
An Easyjet spokesperson said:“As the UK’s largest airline, easyJet carries more passengers than other airlines which means we have also had to make more cancellations during this period.
“Throughout this Covid period, we’ve continued to offer our customers a refund option, in addition to free changes or a voucher. We’ve also ensured that the refund request is easy and straightforward, via a dedicated refund webform online. All of these entitlements can be accessed through our online Covid Help Hub.
“We are processing refunds for customers and aim to do so in less than 28 days. But in these unprecedented times, the volume of cancellations compounded by local lockdown restrictions leading to reduced staffing levels in our customer contact centres, means that processing of refunds is taking longer than usual. To help our customers, we have invested extra resources into the call centre to help reduce our queue as quickly as possible.”
A Ryanair spokesperson said:“This is yet another baseless survey of two men and a dog from Which?.
“Ryanair has already processed over €500m in refunds and vouchers since mid-March, which is over 40% of Ryanair’s total backlog of Covid cancellations in March, April, May & June.
“The process time for cash refunds is taking longer due to unprecedented volumes and the fact that we have fewer staff available due to social distancing measures.”
A Tui spokesperson said:“We remain sorry for the delay to customers and have apologised to customers directly who were particularly impacted by the delays during the height of lockdown.
“The world closed around us, retail stores closed and teams had to work from home; we simply couldn’t keep up with the volume of customers we had to help. In total we’ve cancelled holidays for nearly 1.5 million customers.
“We worked day and night to resolve this by building new systems to support retail customers digitally and set up 1000 Retail Advisers to work from home so they could manage cancellations remotely. Once our new systems were built customers were able to request refunds online.
“Since we’ve made these changes, our phone lines have an average call waiting time of 15 minutes, online forms are actioned in real time and customers are refunded within 14 days.
“We really appreciate the continued patience and understanding of our customers.”
In response to the CAA data analysis, Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said:“Virgin Atlantic understands the difficulties that the Covid-19 crisis poses to our customers with upcoming travel plans, and we are offering as much flexibility as possible for those whose trips are affected.
“We’re helping customers with upcoming travel plans to rebook on an alternative date free-of-charge, with the option to change their destination, all the way until 30 September 2022.
“As a direct result of the crisis and global travel restrictions, we have had to make significant cancellations to our flying programme, with a selection of core routes recommencing from 20 July 2020.
To provide immediate peace of mind, where a flight is cancelled, we’re automatically providing a customer credit equal to the value of the trip. This credit can be used to rebook on alternative dates, allowing for a destination change and name change, for travel all the way until 30 September 2022.
“If the rebooked travel date occurs before 30 November 2020, we’ll also waive any potential fare difference. This process gives customers the flexibility and time to decide their future travel plans with Virgin Atlantic when they are ready to do so.
“Our absolute focus remains on supporting all of our loyal customers, whether that’s to amend, rebook or cancel plans during the Covid-19 crisis. We continue to be inundated with an unprecedented volume of refund requests, while working through a backlog, and unfortunately these are taking longer than usual to be processed.
“Our customer centre and finance teams are working from home with limited infrastructure, so in order to accelerate the process, we have boosted the size of the team handling refunds. These additional staff are receiving training to use the required systems, which is increasing our capacity to process refunds.
“We would reassure all customers that if they’ve eligibly requested a refund, it will be repaid in full, and the work to process refunds is our priority. Payments are being prioritised based on how long the customer has been waiting for their refund, working in order from March 2020 onwards.
“We are committed to completing each refund at the earliest opportunity, but we would assure customers that payment will be processed within an absolute maximum of 120 days, from the date the refund is requested. We are making every effort to reduce this timeframe wherever possible in these extraordinary circumstances and thank all of our customers for their patience.
It was with great sadness that, in April this year, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of Edinburgh Art Festival was cancelled.
Now, as Edinburgh begins to emerge from lockdown and we reflect on a period of unprecedented global change and upheaval, Edinburgh Art Festival have invited ten artists from previous festival editions, to mark the dates of what would have been their 2020 festival (30 July – 30 August).
Ruth Ewan; Ellie Harrison; Tam Joseph; Calvin Z Laing; Peter Liversidge; Tamara MacArthur; Rosalind Nashashibi; Rae-Yen Song; Shannon Te Ao; and Hanna Tuulikki will each present work as part of this August offering.
Combining archival presentations chosen for their resonance in relation to the current context (local and global), alongside specially conceived responses, the selection includes online screenings and live performances, available via the festival website from the 30th July as well as a small number of projects appearing in public sites around the city.
The selection is informed by and seeks to reflect on the profound personal and societal impacts of this global pandemic – as we look to find new ways of communicating and being together; to confront the urgent inequalities in our society; and to imagine new futures.
Above all, the festival is guided by a desire to connect with artists and audiences, as we look forward with optimism to returning next year: 29 Jul to 29 Aug 2021.
Online and Around the City
Ruth Ewan revisits her Sympathetic Magick (2018) project, where she invited magicians to consider how they might use their magic to change the world; with an online presentation of her short film, Worker’s Song Storydeck (devised with magician Billy Reid), and a special poster series devised with magician Ian Saville, calling upon all of us to join together in a ‘mass action for the radical transformation of society’.
Artist and activist Ellie Harrison (2012 and 2014 festival programmes) presents an up-to-date version of her graph showing the Tonnes of carbon produced by the personal transportation of a ‘professional artist’ at a city centre poster site.
Created through the meticulous analysis of the 3,988 journeys she has made over the last 17 years, Harrison makes connections between literal and social mobility and highlights the consequences of our travel choices for our climate, which have come into focus in all our lives during lockdown.
Tam Joseph re-presents The hand made map of the world, first presented as a billboard in the 2014 festival.
Transforming and subverting the ‘World Political Map’, Joseph playfully renames familiar landmasses (America becomes China; United Kingdom becomes Cuba) to lay bare the destructive quest for territorial control which has dominated geopolitics over the centuries, and critique the supposed ideological neutrality of maps.
Sited on The Meadows, Joseph is drawn to the history of this green space, which in 1886 hosted the International Exhibition of Art, Industry and Science.
Calvin Laing (whose degree show film Calvin and Metro, featured in our 2012 programme) revisits the neighbourhood of his childhood, to present a new online performance Calvin and Jogging.
Reflecting on how lockdown for many has resulted in a return to the family home and memories, as well as taking up reactive activities, the artist explores themes of nostalgia, and the disintegration of public and private space.
Peter Liversidgerevisits his 2013 festival commission Flags for Edinburgh which invited buildings across the city to fly a white flag that reads HELLO.
As we emerge from an extended period of isolation, and look to find new ways to be together, Liversidge invites organisations and communities across Edinburgh, alongside partner August Edinburgh festivals to send a collective greeting to each other and the wider world; with HELLOs flying from rooftops across the city, including libraries, hotels, galleries, museums, consulates, schools and community parks.
Following on from her 2019 Art Late performance at Dovecot Studios, Tamara MacArthur creates a new online performance investigating our desire for closeness and contemporary methods devised to simulate human contact in a time of social distancing.
For It’s All Over But the Dreaming, the artist will perform live from an elaborate theatrical set built in her studio, holding close a hand-made life-size doll, to explore themes of loneliness, yearning and futility in relation to the enforced isolation we have experienced since Coronavirus.
Rosalind Nashashibi shares an online presentation of her two-part film commissioned for the 2019 edition of the festival, following a group of individuals coming together in preparation for an experimental journey into space, to explore the importance of storytelling and love in the building and sustaining of community.
Rae-Yen Song expands on a project for the 2018 festival, to add to an ongoing familial collaboration, Song Dynasty. Presented both online and as a poster at a site in the city chosen for its special connection to the artist’s family, the work draws on autobiography and fantasy to speak broadly and politically about foreignness and the position of the Other, archiving a modern myth that settles and lives through virtual, imagined and public spaces.
Shannon Te Ao’s two screen video installation With the sun aglow, I have my pensive moods, commissioned for the 2017 festival edition, is a poetic meditation on themes of love, grief, sickness and healing.
Taking its title from a tribal lament composed by Te Rohu (daughter of Tūwharetoa chief, Mananui Te Heu Heu), Te Ao counterposes cinematic references, using footage shot at a number of locations within Te Ao’s tribal lands including some of the farm lands which directly encircle the urupa (familial burial grounds) of Te Ao’s family.
Hanna Tuulikki’s Sing Sign: a close duet, commissioned for the 2015 edition, reflects on that innate human desire to communicate and connect, a vocal and gestural suite devised for the historic ‘closes’ of Edinburgh – the small alleyways that lead off either side of the Royal Mile. Tuulikki also presents a special live performance of an extract from the work on-line, with her collaborator Daniel Padden – looking to the performative possibilities of the digital technology which has become such a critical tool for us all in recent months.
This series of responses has been made possible thanks to the support of The Scottish Government Expo Fundand EventScotland, part of VisitScotland’s Events Directorate.
The festival’s online offering also includes a free art activity series DIY Art – specially designed by artists, inviting children and their parent/carer to get creative at home.
Support for artists in the early stages of their career
Despite the cancellation of the festival this year, we are delighted to confirm that Platform, the festival’s annual showcase supporting artists in the early stages of their careers to make and present new work, returns with a physical exhibition in the Autumn.
Selected from an open call by artist Ruth Ewan, and curator Sophia Hao, (Cooper Gallery, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design), four artists based in Scotland – Rabindranath Bhose, Mark Bleakley, Rhona Jack and Susannah Stark have been selected to take part, with further details being released later in the coming weeks.
Platform: 2020 is made possible thanks to the PLACE Programme, a partnership between Edinburgh Festivals, Scottish Government, City of Edinburgh Council and Creative Scotland.
Black Lives Matter Mural Trail
Edinburgh Art Festival are pleased to also support the Black Lives Matter Mural Trail – a new public trail of artworks by Scottish BAME artists in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, led by creative producer Wezi Mhura. More details will be announced on the festival website shortly.
Galleries start to reopen
As we emerge from lockdown, festival partners are busy making plans to reopen their galleries, studios and production spaces across the city. For further details, click here.
Sorcha Carey, Director, Edinburgh Art Festival said:“It is hard to imagine an Edinburgh without festivals this Summer. We, along with our colleagues in the August festivals, will miss welcoming artists to the city this year and the opportunity to engage with audiences from Edinburgh and around the world – not least because, at a time of such significant global change, art offers a vitally important space for collective reflection, and to imagine new possibilities.
“I would like to thank all the artists who have so generously agreed to contribute a response to our August offering, and have risen creatively to the challenges of presenting work despite the ongoing restrictions.
“We very much look forward to being back next year, and in the meantime we are sending a hello from Edinburgh to friends across the city and around the world.”
Edinburgh Art Festival returns next year from 29 Jul to 29 Aug 2021 – as always working closely with the festival’s partner galleries, and alongside the extended network of August festivals, to celebrate the work of artists with audiences and communities across the city.
Jeshreena now has an MBA as well as a beautiful son!
BUSINESS student Jeshreena Palakkal had a good excuse for failing to turn up for a crucial exam – she had just given birth!
Jeshreena was due to sit the test as part of her MBA in Leadership Practice at Edinburgh Napier University.
However, she had to change her plans after the exam was scheduled for the day she was due to become a mum.
In the event, the heavily-pregnant student felt feverish and her unborn baby’s pulse was high so medics at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary decided to bring him into the world by emergency C-section 10 days early.
And by the time classmates were sweating it out in the exam room, Jeshreena was already getting to know her new son.
Baby Elan recovered well from his premature birth in April 2018 and is enjoying good health. And now, more than two years on, his mother is celebrating becoming a graduate.
Jeshreena, 25, originally from Kerala, south-west India, but now living in Leith, said: “I couldn’t believe it. I only had one exam in the whole year, and it turned out to be the day my baby was due.
“Fortunately I was able to delay the exam until the following April, and I was also able to secure extra time to complete written assignments. It has been hard but I have finally made it to the end of my degree journey and I also have a lovely little boy.
“I feel so proud of myself for getting to graduation and also extremely lucky to have had the opportunity to study here and meet such wonderful people. I am planning to stay in Edinburgh.”
Jeshreena found out she was pregnant just days after getting a visa to come to Edinburgh Napier to study for her Masters after taking her first degree in India.
Her husband Hashim persuaded her she should not give up on her academic dream and they came to Scotland together, Jeshreena battling through morning sickness, giving birth then postnatal depression while safety adviser Hashim – who has since then began his own MBA course at Edinburgh Napier – worked night and day to support them.
Jeshreena said: “There were times when I was in extreme pain due to my C-section stitches but I didn’t rest even for a day, with housework and university assignments to do as well as looking after the baby.
“There were days when I had a feeding baby in one hand and with the other I was typing out an assignment on my laptop, but I finally did it with the support of my husband and my wonderful tutors.”
Dr Paul Langford, lecturer in financial services at Edinburgh Napier, said: “Jeshreena has shown admirable resilience in overcoming the obstacles in her way to graduation – gaining her MBA Leadership Practice is an impressive achievement and we wish her well in her future career!”
Following the announcement that the Edinburgh Festival Fringe will not be going ahead as planned in 2020, the Fringe Society has unveiled alternative digital plans taking place this summer, complementing a variety of activities planned by Fringe artists and venues.
Under hugely difficult circumstances, creatives from across the Fringe landscape willbe bringing versions of their work to life digitally, many for the very first time. From livestreamed performances to nostalgic throwbacks and community-focused events and support sessions, the spirit of the Fringe will live on in the work of thousands of Fringe artists and venues, and the Fringe Society will help audiences navigate them through a central listings service on edfringe.com.
Alongside this, we will be running a series of digital activities, including virtual shows, a festival-wide crowdfunding campaign, artist-facing workshops, a new online arts industry platform and a virtual Fringe Central, so thereare still plenty of ways to #MakeYourFringe in 2020.
We have also unveiled the artwork for the Fringe programme cover that never was. Designed by celebrated contemporary artist Butcher Billy, the campaign is based on the theme of ‘the heroes of the Fringe’. Full details on the artwork and the Society’s diverse programme of activity can be found below.
Commenting on the launch of this year’s digital Fringe activity, Shona McCarthy, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Chief Executive, said:“It’s hard to imagine a summer without the Fringe.
“The explosion of creativity and community that the festival brings every year is unparalleled, and whilst we may not be able to provide a stage in Edinburgh in quite the same way this year, it feels hugely important that the spirit of this brilliant festival is kept alive.
“Little did we know way back in autumn, when we first started talking about this year’s programme artwork, how prescient the superhero theme would be today. We’re happy to be able to shine a spotlight on some of our Fringe heroes now, as we rally round to support the people that make your Fringe. On the other side of this, we’ll need them more than ever.
“The impact of Covid-19 has been devastating for the countless artists, audiences, venues, workers and small businesses that make this festival happen every year. The FringeMakers crowdfunding campaign is designed to support them, while the Fringe on a Friday live show and the Fringe Pick n Mix website aim to bring some much-needed joy to our devoted audiences both here in Scotland and all over the world.”
Professor Sir Tim O’Shea, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Chair, added:“It’s been an extraordinarily difficult year and we still have real work to do to secure the future of the wider Fringe ecosystem.
“The partnership with Crowdfunder is an important step towards helping venues and artists raise vital funds that we know are needed to keep the Fringe alive.
“At its core the Fringe Society exists to support artists and we’re pleased to be able to offer so many different opportunities for arts professionals during this difficult time, from our online artist development programme, Fringe Central, to our dedicated Fringe Marketplace arts industry platform.
“We’re incredibly grateful to all the partners, funders and supporters who have helped us to deliver this. Their support is invaluable during what has been a difficult time for the Fringe and the wider arts sector.”
Helen Page, Group Brand and Marketing Director at Virgin Money, said:“We’re proud to support the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society at what is an incredibly difficult time for the creative industries.
“Creating this brand-new digital Fringe is innovative and enables the community to come together at a time when social connections are needed more than ever. We look forward to joining the virtual shows and recreating the Fringe spirit at home this year.”
A spokesperson for Johnnie Walker said:“The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is such a vital part of the life and culture of the city for residents and visitors alike, and we are pleased to make our contribution along with other partners to keeping the spirit of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe alive during these challenging times.
“We will miss the incredible excitement, colour and vibrancy the Fringe brings to Edinburgh this summer, but it is wonderful to see the creativity and innovation of the virtual programme. We wish our friends at the Fringe the very best.”
New Carers Trust Scotland survey shows pandemic’s dramatic impact on wider wellbeing of young carers in Scotland:
45% of young carers and 68% of young adult carers in Scotland say their mental health is worse as a result of Coronavirus.
71% of young carers and 85% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey were more worried about the future since coronavirus.
51% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey are spending more money due to coronavirus.
58% of young carers in Scotland who responded to the survey say their education is suffering as a result of Coronavirus.
42% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey say they are unable to take a break from caring as a result of Coronavirus.
“[Coronavirus] has made me more anxious, lost, unconnected, unsure and very sad that we can’t hug our dad, nanna, aunts/uncles, cousins and friends. Future so uncertain.” – 15-year-old female carer in Scotland
The results of a new Carers Trust Scotland survey, published yesterday, point to a steep decline in the mental health and wellbeing of young people across Scotland who provide unpaid care at home for family members or friends.
The survey is the first of its kind to provide a base of evidence for how worries relating to Coronavirus and increased isolation caused by the lockdown has affected the mental health and wellbeing of Scotland’s young people with caring responsibilities.
It is part of a larger Carers Trust survey of young carers from across the UK. Young carers aged 12 to 17 and young adult carers aged 18 to 25 responded to the survey.
Coronavirus increases caring hours and pressures on young carers
Even before the outbreak of Coronavirus, young carers and young adult carers were all too often spending significant amounts of time caring for a relative in addition to the time they needed to spend on education, work and time for themselves.
Coronavirus has significantly increased those pressures. The survey found that 10.6% of young carers in Scotland who responded to the survey said that they had seen the number of hours they spend caring per week increase by 30 hours.
A similar proportion of young adult carers reported the same increase in caring hours per week.
Most disturbing of all, 6.4% of young carers and 10.59% of young adult carers who responded to the survey, said that they are now spending over 90 hours a week caring for a family member or friend.
When asked what difference Coronavirus had made to them, 58% of young carers in Scotland said their education was suffering and 45% said their mental health had worsened. Asked the same question, 68% of young adult carers said their mental health had become worse and 42% said they had been unable to take a break from caring.
Responding to findings published today, Director of Scotland and Northern Ireland at Carers Trust, Louise Morgan, said:“This is the first snapshot of how Coronavirus is affecting thousands of young people with caring responsibilities across Scotland.
“And the results are extremely concerning. It’s clear that the pandemic has made what was already a very worrying picture for young carers in Scotland far, far worse. That’s why we are calling for more support and more services to ensure that young people with caring responsibilities get the support they need.”
Other key findings from the survey:
69% of young carers and 76% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey felt less able to stay in touch with friends since coronavirus.
74% of young carers and 73% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey said they are feeling less connected to others since coronavirus.
69% of young carers and 76% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey said they are feeling more stressedsince coronavirus.
59% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey are struggling to look after themselves.
56% of young adult carers in Scotland who responded to the survey are feeling overwhelmed by the pressures they are facing now.
See below a series of quotes from young carers and young adult carers in Scotland on how they have been affected by Coronavirus:
The voices of young carers in Scotland
All the responses below were given in response to the following question in the Carers Trust survey: “What difference has coronavirus made to your life as a young carer or young adult carer?”
“It’s made it harder. I don’t get any respite, no time away or family support.” 12-year-old female carer in Scotland
“Coronavirus has made it harder to get a break from my caring role and has made me feel more unsafe at home” 14 year-old-female carer in Scotland
“Has made me more anxious, lost, unconnected, unsure and very sad that we can’t hug our dad, nanna, aunts/uncles, cousins and friends. Future so uncertain.” 15-year-old female carer in Scotland
“I’m stressed with having to care and take care of myself as well as struggling to sleep” 17-year-old male carer in Scotland
“I feel as if it has made it more difficult to care for my father as I have been unable to take care of myself properly” 18-year-old male carer in Scotland
“The difference now is that I can’t get out of the house for a day and we can’t afford to do or get anything. We are just getting by with only making 80% of our wages. It’s a lot harder to keep on top of the rent and we spend more money on alcohol and cigarettes which makes it harder to afford electricity and some foods.
It’s harder to eat fresh and healthy because we can’t afford it at the moment. I have gained a lot of weight since lockdown and it really affects my mental health. Everyone in my household including myself are sick of constantly seeing each other and cabin fever is really bad as well.” – 19-year-old female carer in Scotland
“I have no help or support whatsoever now – I’m caring 24/7 and I’m exhausted and mentally drained. My young carers service is closing before lockdown ends so I now won’t have any support and I don’t know how I’m going to cope” 22-year-old female carer in Scotland
“It has made my caring role more pronounced/taken away other outlets of my life such as study. It has made me feel more isolated from my friends who don’t have caring responsibilities.” 24-year-old female carer in Scotland
Updated guidance on managing the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has been published.
As restrictions ease, the way Scotland deals with COVID-19 is now shifting from containing the virus nationally through lockdown to monitoring and responding to localised outbreaks wherever and whenever they occur.
COVID-19: Surveillance and Responsesets out how existing planning arrangements and guidance will be applied to continue to suppress the virus at a national and local level including the timely and co-ordinated sharing of data between key organisations including local health professionals, local authorities and other local responders.
The publication is accompanied by updated Public Health Scotland guidance on the management of public health incidents to reflect the new COVID-19 legislation.
NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect programme will continue to play a significant role in the ability to monitor the ongoing impact of COVID-19 within communities across Scotland.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “As we move into the next phase on easing lockdown restrictions we know that our response to the pandemic also needs to adapt. Monitoring the virus and taking action to suppress transmission is increasingly important.
“Scotland has a world class public health system and our surveillance and response approach, along with NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect programme and local resilience services, will enable us to respond rapidly and collaboratively to any incident or outbreak at a local, regional and a national level.
“Of course, we all need to continue to play our part to reduce the risk of the virus spreading through physical distancing, good hand and respiratory hygiene and the appropriate use of face coverings.
“Though the transmission of the virus in the community is now at much lower levels, we must still ensure that where clusters of cases develop, we find them and act quickly to prevent further spread.
“The rapid and targeted response to the cluster in Dumfries and Galloway by services at both a local and national level demonstrated that Scotland has a well developed and tested approach to the management of public health outbreaks.
“We must all remain vigilant and our surveillance and response approach will ensure that we are ready to react to what lies ahead.”
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK
Healthy picnics
July is National Picnic month and this is a good time to get outdoors to celebrate the warm weather and enjoy some tasty food with friends and family. An outdoor picnic can provide the perfect setting for some fun activities to get your heart pumping.
Make your picnic a healthy one by following our healthy tips:
Choose a location for your picnic
Plan your picnic in a relaxing spot where you can include a brisk walk or some fun activities, such as a game of frisbee or rounders. Getting plenty of physical activity can help to keep your heart healthy.
Avoid too much fat, salt and sugar
A diet that includes too much salt, fat and sugar is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Instead of taking crisps, salted nuts, sausage rolls, cakes, chocolate and sugary drinks on your picnic, choose healthier options, such as unsalted nuts, lean meat (e.g. chicken breast), fresh fruit and veg, low-fat and low-sugar yoghurts and sugar-free drinks or water.
Switch to wholegrain
Wholegrain foods are a good source of nutrients, including fibre, which is good for your heart. Try switching from white bread to wholemeal bread for your sandwiches or wholemeal pita or wraps. Salads can include wholemeal pasta or brown rice to increase your fibre intake.
Pack in the fruit and veg
Pack raw veg sticks, such as carrots celery, peppers, cucumber and sugar snap peas to have with healthy dips, such as low-fat hummus or tzatziki. For a healthy dessert, you could try making a fresh fruit salad or fruit skewers served with low-fat and low-sugar yoghurt.
Find healthy and delicious recipes for your picnic
There are plenty of healthy picnic recipes available online, such as the BBC Good Food Healthy Picnic Recipes:
Edinburgh Napier honorary graduates and alumni create tribute videos
TV presenter and journalist Lorraine Kelly has sent a special message of congratulations to more than 2000 new Edinburgh Napier University graduates.
The six graduation ceremonies due to be held at the Usher Hall at the start of July were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, Lorraine and other proud honorary graduates and alumni of the University have created video messages to pay tribute to the Class of 2020 and highlight their achievements.
Lorraine, who started her career as a local newspaper reporter in East Kilbride before progressing to national television and fronting a series of programmes for ITV, received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University in 2018.
Two years earlier, Lorraine, who herself trained as a journalist at the then Napier College, was at the Usher Hall to see her daughter Rosie Smith graduate from the University with a BA (Hons) in journalism.
In her video, shared on the University’s social media platforms, Lorraine told the 2150 new graduates: “Congratulations to every single one of you.
“I will never forget my daughter’s graduation. It was such a special day, and I am lucky enough to be an honorary graduate as well so I know what a big deal this is.
“You have worked so, so hard, and I am really proud of you, and I wish you all the very best for the future. Huge congratulations to the Edinburgh Napier University Class of 2020!”
Other well-known faces who will offer congratulations by video this week include chef Tom Kitchin, TV weather presenter Carol Kirkwood, former Disney executive Duncan Wardle and political journalist Brian Taylor.
Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal at Edinburgh Napier, and University Chancellor David Eustace also appeared in a short film that looked at what it means to be an Edinburgh Napier graduate and a member of the University’s alumni community.
Professor Nolan told the graduating students: “Achieving your degree is fantastic for everybody at any time. To have done so under such particularly difficult and challenging circumstances makes it even more special.
“You will remain in my mind as a very special cohort – the cohort of 2020.”
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has launched a Coronavirus Appeal to raise funds to help the most vulnerable communities in the world fleeing from conflict and instability who now face the new deadly threat of Covid-19.
The DEC Appeal aims to protect people from the virus in the world’s five most fragile states, plus Afghanistan, the most fragile state in Asia, and the world’s largest refugee camp, in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
The UK-wide appeal is being driven by urgent humanitarian need – but also by “good sense”, Alexander Matheou, British Red Cross, Executive Director of International told journalists at the appeal’s press launch yesterday.“We’re not safe until we’re all safe,” he said. “The world is interconnected. We need to help each other in this time of need.”
Saleh Saeed, DEC Chief Executive, opened the virtual press conference and said that countries such as Yemen, Syria, Somalia and South Sudan have been weakened by years of war and instability and now face a “new, deadly, silent threat”.
In Yemen – where 50% of health services have been destroyed – the World Health Organization says 1 in 4 people who are contracting Covid-19 are dying. Here, the people face a “crisis on top of a crisis”, Oxfam’s Yemen Country Director Muhsin Siddiquey said.
He said Aisha, a young woman in northern Yemen, told his colleagues: “The coronavirus gives us two very cruel choices: to stay home and die from hunger or go out and die from disease.”
It is the first time that the DEC has launched an appeal for a disaster that has simultaneously affected both the UK and internationally.
The DEC, which appeals for funds in response to overseas humanitarian crises, will help the most vulnerable people in six fragile states: Yemen and Syria; Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo; and Afghanistan, where a total of 24 million displaced people live in crowded temporary shelter.
The appeal also includes the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, which are one and a half times the population density of New York City – but with nothing like the equivalent health facilities or sanitation.
Saeed was joined by panellists from some of the DEC’s 14 member charities, including Action Against Hunger, ActionAid and Oxfam. Speakers included Dr Louisa Baxter, currently in Dhaka, Bangladesh, en route to Cox’s Bazar as part of the Save the Children Emergency Health Unit.
Saeed said: “Here in the UK, we’ve witnessed great suffering and made unprecedented sacrifices to protect each other and save lives. We have seen too the tireless dedication of staff in our amazing NHS.
“But, imagine living in one of the world’s most fragile states – where there is no NHS – and no other safety nets for the very poorest and most vulnerable.
“Families who have been forced to flee conflict, drought and floods – living in crowded refugee and displacement camps – with little access to clean water, medical care or enough food – now face a new, deadly and silent threat: Covid-19.”
Matheou said there was a triple “hit” creating the biggest humanitarian crises in the world today: pre-existing vulnerability exacerbated by the pandemic; the health impact of the virus itself; and new crises being caused by the secondary economic and social impact of the pandemic.
He said: “People who were already food insecure now face a major hunger crisis. People who were already poor have lost the little income they had. People who were dependent on aid are no longer getting that aid. People who were already at risk of domestic violence are now locked down with the people who threatened them.”
Speaking from Nairobi, Ahmed Khalif, Country Director, Action Against Hunger Somalia said that Somalia – which had already experienced severe droughts, flooding, conflict and locust infestation – was “one step” away from famine. He added that Covid-19 is creating “a perfect storm”, a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions that we have never seen before.
High rates of severe malnutrition, low access to basic services, and weak health systems, already formed a deadly combination in Somalia – and now they face Covid-19. He said his field teams were hearing of far higher cases in the camps than official figures suggested.
Farah Kabir, Country Director, ActionAid Bangladesh, said she was worried that coronavirus would spread like wildfire in the crowded Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, with lack of clean running water, and difficulties with social distancing.
The camps are one and a half times more densely populated than New York City, without any multi-story buildings. It is also in the middle of the monsoon season and it is raining heavily most days causing regular landslides, which could increase transmission of the virus.
She said that people are very fearful because they do not have access to accurate information and many are not coming forward to be tested – they worry they will be deported somewhere like an isolated and flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, where other refugees have been taken.
“All of us need to come together to support Rohingya refugees, because, if they are not safe, the host communities in Cox’s Bazar will not be safe and all of Bangladesh will not be safe.”
Siddiquey said there was also under reporting and lack of testing facilities in Yemen, so while official figures showed 1,500 cases and 425 deaths, in fact the UK Government estimates there might be as many as 1 million Covid-19 cases.
He painted a picture of living conditions which were incredibly difficult to employ handwashing and social distancing.
He said: “20 million need water and hygiene assistance – with no clean water how can they be expected to keep hands clean? In one camp in southern Yemen in February I saw as many as 7 families members living in a tiny tent 3 x 4 metres – social distancing is not an option for most people.”
The press conference also heard from UK doctor Louisa Baxter, Senior Humanitarian Health Lead at Save the Children, who thanked the DEC for launched the much-needed appeal.
She said that Save the Children was working in Cox’s Bazar to ensure water points are in the right place and that cloth masks are distributed.
Louisa Baxter added: “What Coronavirus has done for me as a doctor is to remind me how terribly and wonderfully interconnected we are, and has exposed the fault lines that the most vulnerable walk every day, the marginalised, those living in conflict, those with food insecurity.”
She said the aid workers were currently trying to understand how the Rohingya community want to be taken care of, “how they want to live, and, when we can’t provide any further care, how they want to die.”
“We have a moment now to remember who we are to each other. And to remember what a child needs in New York or London, they also need in Congo or Afghanistan.”
Saeed paid tribute to the frontline workers in the seven places. “Thanks to all the frontline aid workers and frontline health workers in those countries who are obviously putting themselves at risk in order to save and protect lives.”
The 14 DEC member charities are already present and working in refugee and displacement camps, despite the many challenges presented by the pandemic. But they urgently need more funds to scale up their operations and save lives.
The BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky will be broadcasting appeals in support of DEC fundraising.
Every pound donated by the UK public will be matched by the UK government through its Aid Match scheme up to the value of £5 million. This support will double the impact of the public’s own donations and will ensure that charities working on the ground can reach more of the world’s most vulnerable people as they face the coronavirus pandemic.
To make a donation to the DEC Coronavirus Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk call the 24-hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900, or send a cheque. To donate £10 text SUPPORT to 70150. Texts cost £10 and the whole £10 goes to the DEC CORONAVIRUS APPEAL. You must be 16 or over and please ask the bill payer’s permission. For full terms and conditions and more information go to www.dec.org.uk
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