RESCHEDULED TALK:
Thursday 8th October 6.45 – 8pm via Zoom
Madelvic History Group talks: Trams and Trains
Day: October 6, 2020
Dreams to Reality: Heart of Newhaven latest
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
Concern over COVID outbreaks in two Lothian care homes
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.”
Updated guidance for parent and baby groups
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.”
Coronavirus (COVID-19): organised activities for children
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
Western General group is local litter picking hub
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.”
Further detail of these hubs can be found here on the Clean Up Scotland website: https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/local-environmental-quality/clean-up-scotland/clean-up-scotland-map/
Autism: Supporting and celebrating different minds
£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.”
Protecting Scotland’s Future: the Government’s Programme for Scotland 2019 – 20 committed to develop an online autism support service to help people live positively with autism, while reducing the demand for services through CAMHS, Psychological Therapies and other public services.
Find out more about the campaign at http://differentminds.scot.
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.
‘Simple but far-reaching’: RNIB launches Holyrood manifesto
National sight loss charity RNIB Scotland is calling on all political parties to build on the greater social cohesiveness that the coronavirus crisis has engendered.
Launching its manifesto for next year’s Scottish Parliament elections, the charity’s director James Adams said: “The next Scottish Parliament will convene in a changed world. A world forced to re-evaluate things previously taken for granted, in which everyone has been made more aware of how dependent we are on each other.
“‘A Vision for the 2020s’ sets out simple but far-reaching steps that can create a more inclusive Scotland for blind and partially sighted people. Let’s seize this opportunity.”
The manifesto is calling on the next Scottish Government to launch a new campaign to emphasise the importance of regular eye examinations in preventing sight loss. Over 178,000 people in Scotland currently live with significant sight loss but this could potentially double if steps aren’t taken to contain it.
The manifesto also wants Ministers to report annually on the attainment figures for blind and partially sighted school pupils and train more specialist teachers as a matter of urgency. It highlights that only one in four blind and partially sighted adults are currently in paid employment.
‘Shared spaces’ schemes – where pedestrians and vehicles occupy the same level area – should be scrapped, the manifesto says, and a nationwide ban on pavement parking and advertising boards implemented.
People with sight loss claiming the new disability benefits devolved to Scotland should not have to undergo periodic reassessed if there is no realistic prospect of their condition improving. Any benefits awarded should cover the, often significant, additional costs of living with a visual impairment.
The manifesto is also calling for all public information to be available in accessible formats such as braille, large-print and audio, and for alternative voting methods to ensure people can cast their ballot independently and in secret.
Mr Adams said: “We want a health service that prevents avoidable sight loss and helps people come to terms with it when it isn’t.
“Education that helps every child reach their full potential, and employers who better understand what people with sight loss are capable of.
“Information that’s always available in alternative formats and public transport that’s always accessible.
“And we want our streets and thoroughfares to allow pedestrians to walk safely and without obstacles.
“Today’s coronavirus crisis has exacerbated many of the problems blind and partially sighted people face. But it’s brought to the fore, too, some of the best instincts of our society. That generosity of spirit can be the spur for a new deal for people with sight loss and other disabilities.
“Let’s make that one lasting legacy of the parliamentary term ahead.”
EVOC Round Table events
We are holding a series of ‘Round table’ events in partnership with Third Sector Strategy Group (TSSG) and would like to invite you to attend and contribute to what we believe will be informative and actionable sessions.
Our first event will take place on Wednesday 14th October (10.00am – 11.30am)
‘People’s Story’
Using information from the Poverty Commission, Food Fund Work and the Mind the Craic report as a basis for the discussions, we will discuss and highlight the experience of inequality and the urgent need first, coming up with some ideas about how these could be addressed.
To book a place at this session visit here
Our second event will take place on Wednesday 28th October (9.30am – 11.00am)
‘An Urban Commons’
This session will focus on how we increase participation, create purposeful partnerships, and continue to develop community wealth building.
To book a place at this session visit here
As a reminder: our AGM will take place on Tuesday 3rd November 2020. More details to follow.
All sessions will take place virtually, we would invite you to book your place asap!
https://www.evoc.org.uk/childen-and-young-people/evoc-round-table-events-book-your-place-now/
Stockbridge and McDonald Road among libraries to reopen today
The first phase of reopening Edinburgh’s libraries will see six branches opening today (Tuesday 6 October).
The six branches are:
Initially at least, services will be restricted. As you might expect, numbers within buildings will be limited and social distancing measures will be in place. Face coverings are mandatory in Libraries.
From Tuesday 6 October you can:
- return your books
- pick up Hey Girls sanitary products
You will have to book a slot to:
- browse and borrow books
- use a public computer
- apply for a National Entitlement Card (bus pass)
- collect hearing aid batteries
You can make your booking online here.
Or by phoning one of the six branches above.
Read our reopening frequently asked questions for further details of how services will work in our reopened libraries.
We appreciate your support and look forward to welcoming you back!
Culture and Communities Convener Cllr Donald Wilson said: “It’s a really positive step forward that these six libraries are opening to the public ahead of schedule as they are invaluable resources for our local communities.
“This phased reopening, which will also see community access to sports facilities in secondary schools start up again next month, is an important step in our plans for a phased reopening of community assets across the city.
“Libraries are a vital requirement in any democratic society, giving access to knowledge and literature, helping to bridge the digital divide and also centres for strengthening local communities.”
Culture and Communities Vice Convener Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan said: “We really appreciate everyone’s support and patience as we gradually reopen our libraries, welcoming people back into their local spaces.
“Although services will be limited initially due to current restrictions, with an online booking service for some such as browsing and borrowing, I’m sure everyone will fully appreciate that our top priority remains the health of our residents and library colleagues.
“This cautious approach demonstrates our commitment and recognition of the importance of public libraries in this, the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature.”