A law firm from Edinburgh is aiming to raise vital funds for nine of the UK’s best loved charities, after signing up for Will Aid, the annual charity will writing campaign.
Gibson Kerr has signed up to the scheme, which runs throughout November, for the 13th year in a row.
The firm has raised £5,688 for the nine charities involved since it joined the scheme. This year it raised a total of £280.
Rhian Mackay from the firm said: “We are very excited to be involved in the Will Aid campaign again this year.
“It gives us an excellent opportunity to reach people in our community who do not have a will and help them to protect their loved ones for the future.
“It also means we can raise funds for nine incredible charities which make a huge difference to people in need both here in the UK and around the world.”
The Will Aid scheme takes place across the country during November and supports ActionAid, Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, Sightsavers, SCIAF (Scotland) and Trocaire (N. Ireland).
Thanks to the generosity of solicitors like Gibson Kerr, the campaign has raised more than £21 million for these charities since it launched 31 years ago.
Following the COVID-19 pandemic, charities are in need of donations now more than ever.
Campaign director Peter de Vena Franks said: “One in three people die in the UK without making a will, often leaving confusion and chaos behind along with the sadness of losing a loved one.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly made people reflect on the fragility of life and reinforced the importance of having a professionally-written will in place.
“Will Aid encourages people to prepare this vital piece of paperwork at the same time as making a difference by raising money for charity.
“We are thrilled that Gibson Kerr has joined this year’s campaign. They have contributed a great deal to our fundraising efforts in the past and I know they will continue to work with us in future.”
Law firms across the country are being asked to sign up and pledge a portion of their time to write basic wills, putting duty before profit and instead asking clients to make a voluntary donation.
The suggested voluntary donation for a basic Will Aid will is £100 for a single will and £180 for a pair of mirror wills. Donations support the vital work of the nine partner charities.
Any additional work to the will can be charged separately and is paid to the law firm.
Will Aid solicitors will be following the most up-to-date government health advice to ensure that face-to-face meetings remain safe. Many firms will be able to write wills at a distance via a phone or online consultations. Some firms will only be offering their services remotely. Participating firms can be contacted directly for more information.
For more information about how to sign up or how to make an appointment to write a will visit www.willaid.org.uk/solicitors.
Where have the past two years gone? On 4th October 2018 in Victory Primary School there were lots of ideas on what the Community could do here once the children moved to their new school, then still in the planning stages.
We were warned that our dreams would take time and effort and there were delays. The new school building, first scheduled to be opened last August, will be completed one day despite, like so much else, being affected by Covid 19. We are working steadily on ways to promote a better normal as soon as we can. More on that next time.
Meanwhile the Heart of Newhaven Community with our iconic logo is steadily growing with people like you keen to support our programme of ideas.
This update comes hard on the heels of one you may have just received about Membership of our SCIO – Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. It’s a bit technical, so I’ll try to explain.
We registered the Heart of Newhaven Community SCIO SC049919, as the first step to qualify for the Community Asset Transfer of Victoria Primary School.
Our SCIO constitution allows different categories of membership and the letter sent recently showed which one we think fits you as you register, as I hope you will.
Depending on which category you fall into, membership will give you a vote at meetings and so enable you to have your say in deciding what happens.
The “Asset” (the whole of the current school site) to be “Transferred” will belong to the Charity on behalf of the whole community: so the name Heart of Newhaven Community is apt.
But it’s not just a place. The beating pulse of the whole community already exists in people – YOU! – living human beings. A really good way to help create what the name shows is to register on the form you’ve hopefully been sent.
If you have any questions about membership, haven’t had a letter, or think you received the wrong one, then you can find out more HERE on the website. If you’re still in doubt, please feel free to contact me directly at chair@heartofnewhaven.co.uk and I’ll try to help.
But you will also continue to receive this more general Mailchimp email at least every month unless you unsubscribe if you no longer want to be bothered. Surely not! This is how you can keep up to date.
I hope the next one will be more exciting but we are definitely not just dreaming the time away and the next two years should be very impressive.
Rodney Matthews Chair and Vision Facilitator, The Heart of Newhaven Community
Less than four in ten parents* actively sought to understand a sports club’s safeguarding procedures before allowing their child to join
Some sports clubs are also not providing parents with information about their safeguarding procedures
Scottish Athletics, Scottish Gymnastics and Netball Scotland join together in supporting NSPCC and Children 1st’s Parents In Sport Week (October 5-11)
KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE IN SPORT
A group of Scottish governing sporting bodies has backed a joint NSPCC and Children 1st campaign to raise awareness of safeguarding standards in sports clubs and improve safety measures.
Scottish Gymnastics, Scottish Athletics, and Netball Scotland have all pledged their support to Parents In Sport Week, an NSPCC event that runs each year.
New research found less than four in ten parents* actively sought to understand the safeguarding procedures of their local sports/ leisure clubs before signing their child up to take part in practice sessions, matches and competitions.
An online YouGov survey*, conducted on behalf of the NSPCC showed that 38% of parents across the UK actively tried to find out whether basic safety measures were in place before allowing their child to join a club.
Further cause for concern is that 38% of parents* said they had either never received or could not recall whether they had been sent any information about safeguarding measures by their child’s sports/ leisure club once they were a member.
Tackling these issues and encouraging positive parental involvement in youth sports is the aim of the NSPCC and Children 1st’s ‘Parents In Sport Week’, which launches today (Oct 5).
The three Scottish sporting bodies are supporting the annual event, which also calls on parents to make ‘The Sports Parents Promise’ – an online commitment which helps them choose a safer club for their children.
‘The Sports Parents Promise’ also encourages parents to be a positive influence when watching their child’s games from the side lines.
Doc McKelvey, CEO of Scottish Gymnastics, said: “We fully support Parents in Sport week as they play an important part in sport whether taking their child to a club or supporting them through their competitive journey.
“We are committed to providing a safe, healthy, and positive environment for children and young people to enjoy gymnastics and encourage parents and carers to ask ten key questions to find out about the safeguarding procedures in their club.”
Colin Hutchison, Head of Development at Scottish Gymnastics, said: “Scottish Athletics is delighted to support NSPCC Scotland’s ‘Parents in Sports Week’.
“Parents and guardians play a vital role in supporting the development of young people in sport and providing a safe, fun environment for them to learn. We would urge all parents with children in sport to make the Sports Parents Promise.”
Claire Nelson, CEO of Netball Scotland and the Strathclyde Sirens, said: “We have been proud partners of NSPCC Scotland for the past four years and we are delighted to again support the Sports Parents Promise.
“This is a great initiative, and we would urge anyone whose children are involved in sports to sign up. Positive support and involvement from parents helps to build strong and lasting relationships between them and their children.”
Michelle North, Director of the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit, said: “Sport is a huge part of childhood with many young people spending countless happy hours practicing and playing and making new friends.
“Checking on a club’s safeguarding procedures before signing up will give parents the peace of mind that their child is in a safe and secure environment.
“That’s why we’re encouraging parents and sports clubs across the country to make our Sports Parents Promise, because it’s essential that everyone plays their part in protecting children and help make every sporting experience a positive one.”
Every sports club and activity provider should have a welfare or safeguarding officer as well as a safeguarding policy and the NSPCC is encouraging every parent to find out who to contact in their children’s sport if they have any questions or concerns.
To keep up to date with the latest news from the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit, follow @TheCPSU on Twitter. To support the NSPCC’s Parents In Sport week on social media, follow the campaign using #ParentsInSportWeek2020.
To celebrate Financial Planning Week 2020 (5-11 October 2020) and World Financial Planning Day (7 October 2020), wealth manager Charles Stanley is offering free one-hour consultations with a financial planner.
Advisers in the Edinburgh office will be on hand to help people understand how they can achieve financial wellbeing and identify what steps they need to take to help reach their future goals.
With the market and future so uncertain due to the Covid pandemic, many people are looking at their financial situation as their circumstances are changing, but planning finances can appear daunting and getting it wrong could be very costly.
Anyone with questions around areas such as retirement, savings and investments or estate planning and inheritance, might benefit from getting an outside expert view.
Sam Cowan, Financial Planner at Charles Stanley says: “Many people think that only very wealthy people need advice, but nothing could be further from the truth. Anyone planning for life milestones such as buying a home, planning for retirement or saving for their children’s university education can benefit.
“There have been a number of tax and pension changes over the last year which can be complex which means people often miss out on available options and getting advice can really pay off and make a difference to your financial future.”
To book a video or telephone appointment for a free one-hour, introductory meeting call 0203 553 7384, email or fill in the form through our website. Appointments are limited and are allocated on a first come first served basis.
Top 10 reasons to see a financial planner:
Retirement: Avoid common retirement planning traps and get help in making crucial decisions such as whether it’s better to buy an annuity and how to get the best deal or if it’s better to draw money from your pension without buying an annuity to secure your future income. Some people may be considering, or forced to consider, early retirement and need help in putting their affairs in place.
Pension planning: many people are notputting enough aside to ensure the retirement they ideally want, while others want help in transferring their pensions from one scheme to another and consolidating them.
3. Inheritance: whether you have inherited a sum of money and want to make the most of it, or if you want to plan ahead for passing on your estate to make sure your loved ones get as much of your hard-earned money as possible, it is worth getting advice. The sooner you start planning, the more options you have to minimise the amount of inheritance tax that might be due, such as looking at trusts or lifetime gifts and annual exemptions. Similarly, if the main or sole earner in your household has passed away you may need help in sorting out your financial affairs.
4. Children’s savings: saving little and often from an early age can build into a substantial nest egg by the time your children leave school. Explore the most tax-efficient options of saving, from JISA’s to pensions, and whether cash or stocks and shares solutions are the most appropriate for your needs.
5. Preparing for life milestones: whether you are looking at buying your first home, changing career, starting a family, paying for your child’s education or planning for retirement, it’s important to make sure you are financially prepared. Take time to set goals and think about what your priorities are to put the best savings scheme in place for your life ambitions.
6. Succession planning: having a succession plan in place is crucial to safeguard a continued smooth running of your business or estate. Transferring a business to a new owner can have significant tax implications, so it’s important to understand how the funds from the sale of your company may tie into your own personal wealth objectives.
7. Tax-efficiency: tax rules are complex and there are a number of tax allowances and exemptions to be aware of, to ensure you are not paying more tax than you should be. From Capital Gains Tax (CGT) and Inheritance Tax (IHT) to Charitable Giving and tax-efficient saving, there many ways to make sure you are taking advantage of all the legitimate tax breaks you are entitled to.
8. Long-term care planning: with the onus increasingly on the individual to meet some or all of the expense of long-term care should it be needed, there are a number of options to consider, from covering the costs from savings and investments or taking a Deferred Payment Agreement (DPA) with the local authority to equity release or taking out an immediate care annuity. By planning early, you can ensure you are prepared.
9. Divorce: going through a divorce is a stressful transition and a financial planner can be invaluable when it comes to cataloguing assets and advising on potential distribution, as well as other important factors, to ensure you are in the best possible financial position going forward.
10. Lifestyle protection: make sure your family is protected and reduce the burden of life-changing events by arranging flexible protection policies to provide peace of mind such as life insurance, critical illness cover and income protection.
How to choose a financial planner
Get a recommendation: speak to family and friends and see if they can recommend anyone.
Check qualifications and expertise
Get references: speak to existing clients and check if they advise any clients in a similar situation to you.
How do they charge? Make sure you get a breakdown of their charges and that you fully understand what you are getting for your money.
The psychology of money: can the financial planner work out a financial life plan for you and create a vision for the future with a related financial plan?
Meet them: make sure you feel they understand you and what you are trying to achieve. Establishing a relationship with a financial planner you can trust is critical to achieving your goals. Make the most of free consultations.
Do the understanding test: make sure they explain everything clearly and don’t use jargon. If you can explain their advice to a family friend, and if they understand it and can sense check it for you, then that’s a good way of checking that advice is sound.
What do you really, really want? be clear about the advice you are looking for and what you hope to gain from the meeting and make sure they can offer it and are focused.
Check they are regulated: they should be authorised by the FCA so check they are on its Register.
Two Lothian care homes are under investigation by NHS Lothian following significant coronavirus outbreaks.
53 cases have been reported in Redmill Care home in Broxburn while 29 people have tested positive for the virus in Millford House Care Home in Duddingston.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“My thoughts are with the families and loved ones who have died from this cruel virus at these care homes.
“Since the start of the covid-19 outbreak care homes have been by far where the highest proportion of deaths have been, with residents at higher risk to Covid-19 and living under the same roof.
“SNP Ministers have failed to introduce effective infection prevention measures comprehensively across all care homes, which has left residents at greater risk.”
800 new cases of Covid-19 have been reported across Scotland in the last 24 hours. Of these, 164 are in Lothian.
Local MSP Neil Findlay said: “I am very concerned about the situation at Redmill care home in Whitburn (above) where there is an outbreak of Covid 19 – the company and Scottish Govt must be transparent about the situation and advise families and staff about the situation.
“Families are very appreciative of the efforts of staff at the home who are very worried about their wellbeing and that of all their residents.”
The number of adults allowed to attend parent and baby groups has been increased, subject to certain conditions, following the publication of updated public health advice.
When all children in a group are less than 12 months old, and other health and safety criteria are met, groups will now allow up to ten adults to be present at one time. Where children are over 12 months, the maximum number of adults allowed will remain five.
Announcing the updated guidance, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We understand the vital importance of parent and baby groups, especially for supporting mental health and wellbeing in the early months after having a baby. That is particularly important just now, as we know the pandemic has the potential to increase stress and anxiety for new mothers.
“We are also, however, trying to keep an extremely infectious virus from spreading and protect the health of families and the wider community.
“I hope that this updated guidance will help us to strike the correct balance. No one wants restrictions in place a moment longer than needed, but until then we are all having to accept circumstances that we would not normally ever want to.”
Subject to content of the guidance and the following conditions being met, the maximum number of adults who can attend has been set to 10:
o where all children in the group are less than 12 months old
o where the space allows for appropriate physical distancing
o where face coverings must be worn at all times by anyone, except when sitting down
o where the service provider meets all the health and safety criteria and can comply with any specific conditions set out by the venue provider at all times
o where the duration of the activity is kept to a minimum and other blended delivery options are considered including use of outside space and digital delivery
o where group attendees and facilitators, as far as possible, are kept consistent and do not change regularly
A woman killed following a crash on the M8 has been named as Lynda Mudd from Chapelhall, Airdrie.
Officers received a report of a one car crash involving a red Vauxhall Corsa around 4.05am on Friday, 2 October, close to junction 5 on the M8 eastbound.
Nobody was in the car when road policing officers arrived to move the vehicle which was damaged and in a dangerous position on the motorway. Reports were then received of a woman seen on the westbound carriageway near the Shotts off-slip at junction 5.
The woman died at the scene and she was identified as the driver and sole occupant of the Vauxhall Corsa, 51-year-old Lynda Mudd.
The M8 was closed in both directions between junction 4 and junction 5 from 6am until 9.40pm on Friday to allow investigation work to be carried out.
Chief Inspector Darren Faulds, of Road Policing, said: “This is a distressing incident and our enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.
“Lynda was hit by a vehicle around the time she was seen on the westbound carriageway just after 4.05am near the Shotts off-slip.
“Various drivers have contacted us already who were travelling on the road at that time and I would encourage anyone else who hasn’t to please get in touch. We’re trying to build a picture of what happened.
“This is a complex investigation and we would like to thank the public for their patience on Friday while the road remained closed for over 15 hours.
“Anyone who has any information about this incident, was travelling on the M8 near Shotts around 4.05am on Friday or has dashcam footage from that area, please contact us.”
Those with information should contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 0355 of 2 October 2020.
As part of its commitment to supporting local communities to tackle local litter issues, environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful is creating 20 new litter picking hubs across Scotland by providing free litter picking equipment that will be available for individuals and groups to borrow, following strict social distancing and safety guidance.
In Edinburgh, the Sustainability Committee at the Western General Hospital will receive a kit, making the group the first hub in the Edinburgh area.
You can contact the local hub by email at ECRF.sustainability@ed.ac.uk
The 20 community groups from across the country are the second collection of litter picking hubs established in Scotland, following eleven created last month.
Through these hubs, Keep Scotland Beautiful is striving to empower communities who are frustrated by litter which worsened during lockdown and over the summer.
Polling commissioned by Keep Scotland Beautiful in June shows that 30% of people think that litter has got worse in their local area during lockdown.
Barry Fisher, Chief Executive at Keep Scotland Beautiful, commented: “During lockdown, many of us spent time enjoying our local parks and green spaces.
“Lockdown showed us how important these areas are to our health and well-being. Unfortunately, a minority of people have behaved in an irresponsible and selfish manner, dropping their rubbish, leaving it for others to clean up and spoiling our beautiful country.
By using the litter picking hubs, people will be able to tackle litter in the areas they care about and help Clean Up Scotland.”
The funding for these Helping Hands litter kits has been provided by Zero Waste Scotland, and will see kits containing ten litter pickers, gloves, bag hoops and hi vis vests to allow people to take part in either individual or two household litter picks.
The community groups will also be able to access posters and social media content to help encourage people to look after their local places and keep Scotland beautiful.
Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said:“Litter has no place in a circular economy. Discarding resources like plastic, metal and glass not only blights our communities, it also wastes valuable materials that should be being kept in use for as long as possible.
“Whether it has been our local streets, parks, woodland, countryside or coastline, recent months have highlighted how valuable our environment is to so many of us and why it needs to be kept that way.
“It is a shame these are needed, but the litter picking hubs will give communities the opportunity to tackle the nuisance of litter and ensure the areas they love can continue to look their best.”
£250,000 funding to support new service for people with autism.
A new national support service will help children and adults diagnosed with autism to understand and embrace their identity.
The service will provide online support on a range of issues, offer practical help and connect autistic people and their families with peers.
Backed by £250,000 Scottish Government funding, the pilot National Post Diagnostic Support Programme will be led by Scottish Autism, in partnership with the National Autistic Society, Autism Initiatives and Autistic People’s Organisations.
A new awareness campaign, which aims to challenge stigma and myths to give the general public a clearer understanding of autism, is also being launched.
Speaking at the national Scottish Strategy for Autism’s annual conference, held virtually this year, Mental Health Minister Clare Haughey said: “We know that the restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have been particularly hard for autistic people and their families, with normal routines changed dramatically.
“This new programme will allow autistic people across Scotland to access vital support, building on the excellent services already provided by third sector organisations, which have been well adapted to continue throughout the pandemic.
“We also know that there is sadly still a stigma associated with autism, and that’s why we today we are also launching our ‘Different minds. One Scotland’ campaign.
“Crucially, the campaign has been developed with autistic people. It aims to help the public understand autism, to be more accepting of the different qualities and attributes of autistic people.”
Autistic spokesperson Jasmine said: “The way I view the world is shaped by me being autistic, and my experiences have been shaped by me being autistic.
“I want to ensure that there is at least one autistic child who feels a little bit less alone – a little bit less like the world is against them – then I’d feel like the campaign has accomplished everything it set out to.”
Charlene Tait, Deputy CEO at Scottish Autism said: “The delivery of a national post diagnostic service is a much needed and welcome step forward in Scotland. This new service brings the collective knowledge and experience of several charity partners that will work collaboratively to provide a wide range of information and support for autistic people of all ages and their families.
“This new service will focus on ensuring families are better informed and empowered after a diagnosis whilst also supporting autistic individuals to embrace their identity and widen their peer group.”
A Scottish Government omnibus survey from September 2020 found that just 42% of people feel they have a good understanding of autism, over half (50.75%) think that autism is a mental health condition. In addition, 86% of respondents feel that there is value in learning from autistic people.
