Day: October 16, 2020

Delivery Partners confirmed for £5 million Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers

 Fund Guidance to be published: Thursday 22 October 

Applications invited from: 12 noon, Monday 26 October 

Crafts Council & Craft Scotland, Help Musicians, Society of Authors and Visual Arts Scotland have been confirmed as partners to assist Creative Scotland in the delivery of the Scottish Government’s £5million Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers. 

Subject to confirmation, BECTU will also be partnering with Creative Scotland on the delivery of this funding. 

The specific sector expertise of these partners will help ensure the hardship funds reach as many freelancers across different creative sectors as possible, working with Creative Scotland who will deliver the funds to creative freelancers who work in the sectors not covered by the partner organisations 

Eligibility criteria for the fund will be published on Thursday 22 October followed by the fund opening for application at 12noon, Monday 26 October.  

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “Culture is vitally important to all of our lives in Scotland. This is an extremely worrying time for many people involved in culture and creative industries, particularly creative freelancers and practitioners whose work is integral not only to the economy, but to the wellbeing of individuals and communities. 

“Many continue to face uncertain futures while much of their sectors remain unable to operate, and it is important that we can offer financial support while we continue to navigate our way through the pandemic. 

“This fund will provide emergency support to creative freelancers in Scotland who are experiencing hardship as a result of the pandemic. Working closely with partners in industry to deliver this fund will help Creative Scotland ensure support reaches people as quickly as possible.” 

Iain Munro, CEO at Creative Scotland said: “There is no end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant impact it is having on Scotland’s creative sector. 

“With welcome financial support from the Scottish Government, this Hardship Fund offers much needed support for creative freelancers who have been particularly hard hit by the inability to work due to necessary restrictions. Creative Scotland is working hard with our partners to ensure this support reaches those in need as quickly as possible.” 

CraftsCouncil’s Executive Director, Rosy Greenlees OBE said: “We are delighted to partner with Craft Scotland to deliver much needed financial support to craft freelancers in Scotland.

“We know that craft professionals from curators, and educators to individual makers and businesses are struggling. Creative Scotland’s investment will offer a lifeline to ensure the Scottish craft sector remains a thriving and creative force.”

 Help Musicians’ Chief Executive, James Ainscough said: “With no end in sight to the restrictions that prevent musicians earning a living from live performance, we are delighted to see Creative Scotland providing this much needed funding for the community of Scottish musicians. 

“The team at Help Musicians are pleased to play a supporting role by administering this funding, ensuring that musicians experiencing financial hardship are given a real financial boost as quickly as possible.” 

Society of Authors Chief Executive, Nicola Solomon said: “This funding will be invaluable to the many Scottish writers, illustrators and translators who have fallen between the gaps in financial support during the health crisis. 

The grants we will now be able to distribute through the Authors’ Contingency Fund will enable some authors to keep working in spite of financial losses, others to stay afloat while dealing with their own ill health, others to fulfil caring responsibilities – and others simply to keep a roof over their heads. We are grateful for the opportunity to make a difference for Scottish authors.” 

Sarah Calmus, President of Visual Arts Scotland said: “Visual Arts Scotland are proud to be partnering with Creative Scotland to help deliver these new funds which follow on from our own Emergency Art Workers Support Fund.

“In this unprecedented period, Visual Arts Scotland are dedicated to helping the creative community and are committed to stand in solidarity through distributing funds to Visual Artists who are most in need of support at this time.” 

The Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers is one of a series of Scottish Government emergency funds for creativity and culture being administered through Creative Scotland. 

These funds have been put in place to help mitigate the immediate impacts of COVID-19 on the creative and cultural sector. There are five new emergency funds which were announced by the First Minister on Friday 28 August and which are being delivered through Creative Scotland as follows: 

  • £15million Culture Organisation and Venues Recovery Fund which opened for applications on Thursday 17 September with a deadline of Thursday 24 September. 348 applications have been received totalling over £22million. Application assessments are now taking place and decisions will be communicated early November. 
  • £5million Hardship Fund for Creative Freelancers, for which an open call for partner organisations to help us distribute this fund was launched on Friday 11 September, with a deadline of Friday 25 September.  18 Expressions of Interest were received with five organisations now selected.  The £700,000 Screen element of these Hardship Funds opened for applications on Tuesday 22 September and closed on Friday 2 October.  Assessments are taking place and decisions being communicated to applicants. 
  • £3.5million Independent Cinemas Recovery and Resilience Fund, which opened for applications on Monday 14 September with a deadline of Monday 5 October.  27 applications have been received totalling £3.55million. Assessments are taking place and decisions will be announced w/c 26 October. 
  • £3.5million additional funds for Creative Scotland’s Open Fund which is open for applications to individuals and organisations now.  The application threshold has recently been increased from £50K to £100K. 
  • £3million Youth Arts funding package comprises of at least £1.2million through the Access to Youth Arts Fund which will be open to applications until Thursday 12 November; the £700,000 Small Grants Scheme which launched onThursday 24 September and will be open to applications until Monday 2 November; £50,000 assigned to the Time to Shine Nurturing Talent Fund, and anadditional £1,050,000 allocated to support a number of targeted national and local area youth music and wider youth arts organisations. These organisations will be invited to apply for the Youth Arts Targeted Fund by Tuesday 13 October. 
  • £1.5million for the Culture Collective programme (part of the £5million Sustaining Creative Practice Fund, referred to in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government), supporting organisations employing freelance artists to work in and with communities across Scotland. More details to be announced in the coming weeks. 

Previously announced funds from the Scottish Government are: 

Updates on all emergency funds are being published regularly on the Creative Scotland website and publicised through media and social media communications. 

Ghosts needn’t be toast!

How to enjoy Halloween during lockdown 

With different parts of the country under different lockdown rules, the idea of celebrating Halloween may seem an impossibility. But Catherine Lynch of education experts PlanBee says you can keep your children spooked out – and stay within the law.

Halloween 2020 is going to be a bit different to previous years. Groups of children putting their hands into several bowls of communal sweets feels like something from another life. But we can incorporate dressing up, community spirit, an evening walk and trick or treating while observing social distancing. Here’s how…

Many communities are organising a Halloween trail for their young trick-or-treaters. Instead of knocking door to door, why not take your children on a trail, too? If you would like to take part in a Halloween trail, or organise one yourself, you could put this spooky picture from PlanBee in your window.

Parents can scan the QR code in the picture to receive a free Halloween activity pack with colouring sheets, puzzles and activities.

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Take your children on walks around your local area and see how many Halloween pictures you can spot. You could give your child the chance to pick a treat from your own selection each time they spot a picture on the Halloween treasure hunt. 

And while you’re at it, this short guide to the history of Halloween will ensure you can answer any questions your youngsters might have about the origins of this popular autumn celebration.

  • It all started with Samhain, an ancient Celtic pagan religious festival that marks the end of the harvest and the start of winter. The celebrations included lighting bonfires and wearing costumes to ward off ghosts. This festival is thought to date back to Neolithic times, pre 2500 BC. 
  • In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III decided 1st November should be a time to honour all saints. The evening before All Saints Day was known as All Hallows’ Eve, and later Halloween. All Hallows’ Eve, is a Christian religious observance that includes going to church and lighting candles on the graves of the dead. Traditionally, Christians didn’t eat meat on this day and Potato Pancakes were a popular choice of food. 
  • Over time, Halloween became the more commercial and secular celebration we have today that includes trick-or-treating, carving pumpkins, wearing costumes and eating treats.

Heineken fine should be wake-up call for Scotland, says CAMRA

The decision by the Pubs Code Adjudicator for England & Wales to fine Edinburgh-based Heineken UK’s pub arm, Star Pubs and Bars, £2 million for serious and repeated breaches of the Pubs Code should be a wake-up call for the Scottish Government. 

That’s the message from CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, which is calling on the Scottish Government and all parties in the Scottish Parliament to give their backing to the Tied Pubs (Scotland) Bill being put forward by Neil Bibby MSP. 

Licensees in Scotland are currently exempt from regulations that are in place across the rest of Great Britain which stop large pub companies from taking more than is fair or sustainable from pub profits by forcing licensees to buy their beer from them rather than on the open market. 

It means whilst Heineken’s pubs arm Star Pubs and Bars were found to be making pub tenants sell “unreasonable levels” of the company’s beer and cider brands, the Pubs Code Adjudicator can only stand up for publicans and fine pub companies for unfair practices south of the border because no legislation exists in Scotland. 

The proposed Scottish Tied Pubs legislation is due to be debated and voted on by MSPs next month and would give tied pub tenants protections in law from unfair practices from pub-owning businesses. 

Commenting, CAMRA Chief Executive Tom Stainer said: “This announcement from the Pubs Code Adjudicator is a good and deserved outcome for Star’s tied pub tenants – but disappointingly only for those in England and Wales. 

“It isn’t fair that Star’s tenants in Scotland don’t have the same protections in law from any unfair practices like pub companies taking more than is fair or sustainable from tied licensees’ profits – or making it harder to sell a range of locally-brewed products. 

“The fact that the Adjudicator for England and Wales has felt the need to use their financial penalty powers clearly shows that pub companies need to be regulated, in law.  We are appealing to MSPs from all parties to support Neil Bibby’s Pubs Code Bill, which calls for a powerful pubs code to govern the relationship between pub companies and their tenants to ensure licensees are treated fairly. 

“The pub sector as we know it is currently under threat due to the ongoing Coronavirus crisis. Pub companies operating across Scotland need to be supporting their tied tenants through this, treating them fairly and making sure they can earn a decent living. One way the Scottish Parliament can help is by voting in favour of the Tied Pubs Bill next month.” 

Streetwear brand make their mark following Business Gateway support

Two Midlothian based entrepreneurs have successfully launched a new clothing brand following support from Business Gateway.

Launched in April 2020, MC Apparel is a fashion clothing brand created by Midlothian locals Michael Surgeon and Liam Chisholm. The team identified the opportunity and were motivated to launch their second business after their first paused trading due to COVID-19. 

Working closely with Business Gateway, MC Apparel received a variety of start-up support services including support to create a business plan, marketing and networking opportunities, as well as accessing online resources such as webinars and advertising tutorials. 

This guidance from Business Gateway ensured the team were able to adapt their business model to meet the challenges posed by the pandemic and increase margins by shifting from early drop-shipping to stock holding, this enabled  MC Apparel to improve quality control and reduce delivery timescales for customers.

Michael Surgeon, Founder of MC Apparel, said: “We gained a wide range of support from Business Gateway and this meant the process of launching our new business went smoothly.

“ The team at Business Gateway Midlothian have been very supportive during this period and the online workshops we attended were invaluable, helping us to develop a digital marketing strategy that allowed us to reach our target audiences even with the challenges of lockdown.

“I would recommend anyone who is starting out in business to get in touch with Business Gateway. They are always there when you need them and if they don’t have the answer, they can signpost you to the right person or resource.”

When COVID-19 restrictions ease, the team at MC Apparel are looking forward to organising photoshoots to showcase the clothing range and have plans to collaborate with local fashion brands to give away 20 t-shirts to support a local charity.

Annie Watt, Business Gateway Lead Officer, said: “It’s impressive to see how Michael and Liam have adapted to lockdown, identifying an opportunity to launch a new business and taking it forward. 

“They have been incredibly proactive, accessing a range of Business Gateway resources, attending workshops and arranging one-to-one sessions via Zoom to receive guidance and support on development plans.

“Recent research by Business Gateway revealed that despite the challenges, COVID-19 has not hampered peoples’ appetite to start a business, and Michael and Liam’s experience is a testament to this.

“While it is a difficult trading environment, I would encourage anyone with an idea for a new business to get in touch and see how our resources, advice and support can help get it off the ground.”

For further information about how Business Gateway can help you start your business, please visit https://www.bgateway.com/resources/help-for-start-ups-the-support-available-for-your-start-up

Morrisons goes glitter-free

Morrisons has removed glitter entirely from its own-brand ranges of greetings cards, gift wrap, seasonal items and horticulture in stores.

This means all Morrisons cards, crackers, wrapping paper, present bags, flowers, plants and wreaths are now 100 per cent glitter-free. Glitter is made from tiny particles of plastic and is an ecological hazard if it becomes dispersed on land, rivers and oceans – where it takes hundreds of years to degrade.

The move extends to non-seasonal as well as seasonal lines meaning Morrisons shoppers can shop more sustainably all year round. Soluble inks, foil and paper reliefs will instead be used to decorate Morrisons FSC certified paper cards, wrap and bags to give them a festive feel.

Morrisons has also removed all plastic toys from its Christmas crackers, which will be completely plastic-free this year.

All contents – such as games and gifts – will now be made out of paper, metal or wood and are designed to be kept and reused. The cracker shells will be made from FSC accredited cardboard and decorated with a metallic basked ink – which means they can be recycled at kerbside, along with their packaging.

In a further move to make Christmas more sustainable, Morrisons has also reduced the amount of plastic packaging on cards and decorations. The majority of Morrisons cards will come boxed in recyclable cardboard and 100 per cent of packaging on cards and decorations can be easily recycled by local authorities.

The supermarket is also introducing a wide range of ‘no plastic’ felt, hessian and wooden Christmas decorations.

The move to ban glitter and reduce plastic in Christmas ranges means that Morrisons will be removing more than 50 tonnes of plastic from its shelves during the festive period, and more across non-seasonal lines all year round.

Christine Bryce, Morrisons Home Director. said: “Every time a cracker is pulled, or a card is opened, plastics have been used…but just the once. So, we’ve taken glitter and plastic out of our festive range this year – so that our customers can enjoy their festivities without worrying about the environmental impact.

“This means that we’re now 100 per cent glitter free across all our own brand ranges which is an important step in the fight against plastic pollution.”


Morrisons glitter-free Christmas cards are in store now. Crackers, decorations, wrapping paper and gift bags will be appearing on shelves throughout October and November.

In May, Morrisons increased its target to reduce own-brand plastic packaging from 25% to 50% by 2025.

For more details on Morrisons commitments around plastic visit:  https://www.morrisons-corporate.com/cr/corporate-responsibility/.

First-ever virtual Get Online Week levels up digitally excluded UK

A national campaign to reach the 9 million people in the UK who are unable to use the internet fully returns next week – held virtually for the first time ever.

As the UK is thrown into a harsh Winter with intensifying restrictions, Get Online Week will see hyperlocal community partners assist and facilitate digital learners at hundreds of events.

For the first time in the campaign’s 15 year history, community organisations will run hundreds of life-transforming events in a variety of locations – all with no cost to the attendees. These COVID-safe events will minimise the need for in-person contact, with local support for those needing help to get online.

Pandemic restrictions show the internet is an essential skill critical for everyday life. It allows almost half of all British workers to work from home1, helps isolated people stay connected, and makes sure children can stay on track with their schooling. 4 out of 5 people polled in a recent survey say digital technology has been a vital support to them in lockdown, and 78% say the pandemic has escalated the importance of digital skills.2

However, 7.6m workers are facing redundancy or reduced hours and pay due to COVID-193, and 82% of jobs required digital skills, even before the pandemic4.

Improving the UK’s digital capability is the solution. It will reduce the devastating economic fallout of the pandemic by protecting livelihoods, in turn, it will improving the wellbeing of millions of people.

Supported by BT and the Department for Education, Get Online Week is here to help make sure that everyone in the UK has access to free, friendly and local support to improve their digital skills.

From Zoom interview masterclasses and CV workshops to online coffee mornings and Skype quizzes, events right across the UK will help people grow their essential digital skills and confidence with digital.

Get Online Week is delivered by Good Things Foundation, the UK’s leading social and digital inclusion organisation. The charity helps people develop and improve their digital skills and teaches them how to use the internet safely and confidently, so they can be happier, healthier and better off.

Helen Milner, Chief Executive at Good Things Foundation says: “Now more than ever, digital skills are critical to the wellbeing of the most vulnerable people in our society. Locked-out and locked down, they’re facing a bleak winter.

“Get Online Week will begin to transform the lives and experiences of the 9 million who lack confidence, helping them find the support and resources they need to stay connected to society and essential government services.”

Marc Allera, CEO of BT’s consumer brands says: “As our world becomes increasingly reliant on technology, having the skills and confidence to access digitally-enabled services has never been more important – whether that’s being able to message a loved one on WhatsApp, or order groceries or prescription medicines online.

“It is clear these services are a lifeline for millions of people across the UK and we have a responsibility to make sure those with lower digital skills are not left behind, especially in the face of such uncertain times. This is why we are proud to support Get Online Week 2020, so we can continue our work to ensure everyone is able to learn the skills they need to access vital services and stay connected to friends and family.”

If you’d like to take your next step to making more of the internet – or want to help someone else do so – you can find your nearest Get Online Week event at www.getonlineweek.com.

Centre for Cities analysis of latest unemployment stats

Centre for Cities has launched a new interactive online tool to track unemployment in the 63 largest cities and towns in the UK. You can explore this here.

You can see here some key statistics from the newly released data today covering the period up to September 2020:

  • The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits has increased by 1.4 million since March and now stands at 2.7 million people.
  • Birmingham has overtaken Blackpool as the place with the highest unemployment rate in the country. Almost one in ten adults in the city are claiming unemployment related benefits.
  • Slough, Luton, London and Crawley remain the places that have had the largest increases in people claiming unemployment-related benefits since the March lockdown.
  • Slough, Luton and Crawley have also all had the largest increases in unemployment in the past month.
  • While also slowing down, the number of young people claiming unemployment-related benefits is rising at a faster rate than the number of adults overall.
  • Half of large cities and towns have seen no change or decrease in claimant count compared to last month.
Percentage point change in unemployment claims March – September 2020
HIGHESTLOWEST
RankPlacePercentage point changeRankPlacePercentage point change
1Slough5.61York2.3
2Luton5.42Exeter2.4
3Crawley5.13Oxford2.6
4London4.84Swansea2.6
5Bradford4.45Cambridge2.7
6Northampton4.36Preston2.7
7Brighton4.27Warrington2.8
8Birmingham4.18Mansfield2.9
9Liverpool4.19Barnsley2.9
10Blackpool4.110Belfast3
Percentage point change in unemployment claims August – September 2020
HIGHESTLOWEST
RankPlacePercentage point changeRankPlacePercentage point change
1Crawley0.51Blackpool-0.3
2Slough0.32Mansfield-0.1
3London0.23Barnsley-0.1
4Derby0.24Exeter-0.1
5Bradford0.25Doncaster-0.1
6Coventry0.26Preston0.0
7Aberdeen0.27Portsmouth0.0
8Birmingham0.28Glasgow0.0
9Oxford0.19Swindon0.0
10Brighton0.110Edinburgh0.0
Overall unemployment claimant count rate, September 2020
HIGHESTLOWEST
RankPlacePercentage RankPlacePercentage 
1Birmingham9.81York3.6
2Hull9.72Exeter4.2
3Blackpool9.53Cambridge4.3
4Bradford9.54Oxford4.6
5Liverpool8.95Oxford4.6
6Luton8.76Reading5.1
7Slough8.57Edinburgh5.1
8Sunderland8.38Warrington5.4
9Middlesbrough8.39Preston5.4
10Blackburn8.210Norwich5.6

Further analysis of this data by Centre for Cities Senior Analyst Elena Magrini can be read here.

All of our work on unemployment and the labour market can be read here.

Letters: Black Cat Day

Dear Editor,

Cat lovers have a lot to celebrate this Black Cat Day (27 October) with Cats Protection’s news that black and black-and-white cats are no longer overlooked as they once were.

Since we created the awareness day in 2010 to highlight that black cats took longer to rehome than other cats, they now spend 11 days less on average in care than before, prior to moving to their new loving homes.

Around 65,000 black or black-and-white cats have been homed through our adoption centres in the decade since the campaign started, a remarkable 44% of all cats homed through our centres during that time.

We would like to thank readers for their support and for helping us make a real difference. Not only do these cats now spend less time in our care, but each year thousands celebrate the day and engage with our #BlackCatDay hashtag on social media.

Throughout the campaign, Cats Protection has explored reasons why black cats might be less popular, working to change perceptions and buck the rehoming trend. These included black cats being seen as unlucky or not photogenic in selfies.

We would love to invite readers to celebrate and showcase their black cat knowledge by hosting a quiz for friends and family while also raising vital funds for their local branch or centre.

More details about the quiz and Black Cat Day can be found at www.cats.org.uk/black-cats 

Yours faithfully,

James Yeates

CEO, Cats Protection

Scottish Parliament consultation: Increasing tenant protection

Holyrood’s Local Government and Communities Committee is seeking views on a new Bill which aims to increase private tenants’ protection by limiting rent increases and allowing them to seek a “fair” rent. 

The Fair Rents (Scotland) Bill, a Member’s Bill from Pauline McNeill MSP, would prevent a landlord of a private residential tenancy from increasing rent in any year by more than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) plus 1%.

The Bill seeks to provide greater protections for private tenants by allowing them to apply at any time to a Rent Officer for a ‘fair open market rent’ to be set for a property. In deciding the application, the Officer would take into account matters like whether the property has poor energy efficiency or is in a bad condition.

The Bill would also make private landlords enter more detailed information about their property in the Scottish Landlord Register, including the monthly rent charged.


Local Government and Communities Committee Convener James Dornan MSP said: “The proportion of households in private rented housing now stands at just under 15%.

“As the private rented sector in Scotland has grown over the last couple of decades there have been various reforms to tighten the regulation of landlords and give tenants more rights. But the stated ambition behind this Bill is to change the balance of power further. It would cap rent increases to 1% plus CPI and to allow tenants more scope to challenge rents.

“We are keen to hear views about whether this further change is necessary and whether the provisions in the Bill are workable and will have the intended impact.

“We also want to find out what the financial impact of this Bill would be upon private tenants, landlords, the wider rented sector and others, and we welcome the opportunity to hear views on this proposed legislation.”

The cap on rent rises imposed by the Bill and the right to seek a “fair open market rent” apply to holders of ‘Private Residential Tenancies’ which have been the standard type of tenancy since 2017. The Bill will not impact rent-a-room agreements where the lodger rents in the owner’s home.

The Committee’s call for view closes on 7 December and you can give your views here: https://yourviews.parliament.scot/lgc/fair-rents-bill

Portobello community embraces My Beach,Your Beach campaign

A summer of learning, celebrating and caring for Portobello Beach has come to a close, as environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful reports on its My Beach, Your Beach campaign.

Launched in mid-July, just as we were easing out of lockdown, the campaign aimed to help improve water quality at six of Scotland’s well-loved beaches through targeted interventions to encourage better attitudes and behaviours.

Now, as we look to the autumn and winter, it is heartening to see that despite 57% of people thinking dog poo is an issue and 35% believing litter is an issue at Portobello Beach, 66% of those surveyed in the area have said they are willing to pick up litter when visiting the beach to leave it cleaner than they found it.

The successful campaign raised awareness of the potential impact on bathing water quality by dog fouling and encouraging gulls by feeding and leaving litter.

The third year of the My Beach Your Beach campaign was a little bit different – extending it to two more great beaches, Irvine and Troon – and also taking community engagement online in the face of lockdown measures, to encourage those who live locally to get involved and celebrate their beach.

Campaign messaging appeared on the bins along the promenade, encouraging people to dispose of waste responsibly.

This was supported by anthe interactive online programme aiming to celebrate and engage people with their local beach, through information about local environment, landscape and heritage, quizzes, photo galleries and a virtual ‘Doggy Ambassador’ competition, reaching nearly 10,000 people.

 Although impact monitoring was not possible this year, 90% of locals surveyed had seen at least one campaign message and 83% said that they would like to see more campaign activity like this in the future. Last year, the campaign achieved a 53% reduction in litter as compared to the previous year and a 40% reduction in dog poo too.

Paul Wallace, Campaigns and Innovation Manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “We know that, in many cases, people only need a small nudge to do the right thing and take better care of their local environment.

“This summer, our local neighbourhoods became even more precious to many of us.  For those #LuckyToLiveHere by the beach, the unprecedented pressures of more people taking holidays and day trips in Scotland, consuming more single-use items and take-away food and using limited services, such as toilets and bins, were felt.

“We’re grateful to both council staff and members of local community groups like Keep Porty Tidy, Friends of Porty Prom and Portobello Timebank for working to keep the beach clean for everyone to enjoy and are delighted to find that, following following this summer’s campaign, over 60% of people from communities locally have shown an interest in picking up litter at Portobello beach when they visit, to leave it cleaner than they found it.

“Cleaner sands can lead to cleaner seas – a win, win for our beach environments and communities.”

Cllr Lesley Macinnes, city council Environment Convener, said: “Our beaches and other open spaces have been so important for people to enjoy in recent months as we’ve all had to adapt to the coronavirus restrictions.

“It’s really important then that we look after them and keep them clean and tidy for everyone to enjoy. This campaign has been really helpful in supporting the hard work of our waste services department getting across that message and celebrating Portobello.”  

The campaign, funded by the Scottish Government and supported by SEPA, was led by Keep Scotland Beautiful alongside its Upstream Battle and Clean Up Scotland campaigns and annual Beach Awards.

All six of the beaches selected for this campaign have faced challenges in improving the quality of their bathing water as measured by SEPA, and research confirms a significant link between behaviour on the land and the cleanliness of the local seawater.

Find out more about Portobello Beach by visiting its campaign web page at www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/mybeachyourbeach/