Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has called on residents in Edinburgh and the Lothians to back this years poppy appeal.
Charities across Scotland and the UK have been facing an unprecedented challenge this year in much needed fundraising efforts, with social distancing restriction limiting physical fundraising events.
The Scottish Poppy Appeal is no different as thousands of their volunteers are forced to stay at home because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The demand on Poppy Scotland’s vital, life changing services for the arms forces community is increasing rapidly and fundraising is crucial to providing these services.
This year Poppy Scotland have changed the way they are fundraising, with a number of initiatives, including donating and downloading a photo of a poppy, or a poppy to colour in and display in your window to show your support, a virtual Field of Remembrance and a pop up shop on Waverly Bridge by Princess St. Gardens.
The Poppy Appeal is Poppyscotland’s most significant fundraising initiative, aimed at generating more than £2 million, which accounts for over half of the charity’s annual income.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“This year the Scottish Poppy Appeal is different to normal, with social distancing restrictions and not being able to go out and fundraise as normal.
“Poppy Scotland have created a number of other ways that people can show their support for our armed forces community and honour those servicemen and servicewomen who have given their lives for their country.
“I would encourage residents in Edinburgh and the Lothians to donate virtually and display a poppy in their window to show their support for the armed forces this Remembrance day.”
The countdown is on to #GivingTuesday 2020 – the global day of generosity is happening on 1 December
For this extraordinary year, #GivingTuesday is encouraging people to #GiveBack2020 – be it through a charity donation, a continued commitment to a cause close to their hearts, volunteering time or simply helping a friend, neighbour or family member.
#GivingTuesday and #GiveBack2020 offers all of us a chance to head towards the end of this most challenging of years by taking a positive step and knowing that we’ve once again come together to make a difference.
The global pandemic’s repercussions are being felt by charities around the world. Research by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), the organisation leading #GivingTuesday in the UK, found that charities face a significant increase in demand for their services while more than half (53%) have suffered a drop in donations.
It is estimated that charities face a £10bn funding gap and CAF’s latest research found that without help, a quarter of charities in the UK said they would not survive a year.
The call to #GiveBack2020 is supported by JustGiving, Virgin Money Giving, PayPal and many more. It encourages people to do what they can to support good causes.
It could be donating the cost of your normal commute, giving spare change while you are Christmas shopping, rounding up your purchases and donating those extra pennies or even turning what would have been money spent on a work Christmas night out into a much-needed donation instead.
Gráinne Mathews, #GivingTuesday UK Lead at CAF said: “In this unprecedented year, we have all seen the amazing things that charities have done in the hardest and darkest of times.
“They have been there for us, our families, and our communities and have come up with new ways to help the people most in need. At CAF, we have been inspired to see so many charities striving to do more with less after fundraisers were cancelled and charity shops closed.
“This #GivingTuesday, the charities that have been there for us need us to be there for them. It is time to #GiveBack2020.”
To find out more about #GivingTuesday, and how you can get involved, visit:
As autumn continues and winter approaches, our gardens may be starting to suffer from less TLC than during the summer months.
Toro, a global leader in turf and landscape equipment and Hayter, a premium British lawnmower manufacturer, have got some great tips to keep your garden looking lush this autumn:
Time for a tidy up
Now is the perfect time to tidy up the garden and prepare it for the colder weather, while also giving the lawn, plants and soil a head start for spring. Start by raking away dead grass and leaves from the lawn so that a thick blanket isn’t created, blocking out any sunlight or air as this can damage the grass underneath and create bare patches on the lawn, requiring reseeding or resodding in the spring.
Get the job done quicker by using Toro’s Flex-Force Power System® Leaf Blower with 2.5Ah 60V battery, especially if the weather isn’t great and the temptation to leave it a day is strong. NOTE: Other excellent leaf blowers are also available!
Keep your borders clear too, as too many dead leaves can encourage snails and slugs to gather, and in turn can begin to rot many of the plants in your borders. Also consider pulling up any annual plants that have had their time, and replant with varieties that will start to flower in spring, such as wallflowers or pansies.
Next, trim the edges of your borders to finish tidying them and be sure to use the Toro Flex-Force Power System® Cordless String Trimmer with a 2.5Ah 60V battery. Battery-powered and easy to use, the Flex-Force Power System® String Trimmer is the ideal option for a quick and easy tidy up of the border edges. NOTE: Other good strimmers are available!
Don’t forget wildlife
While you may not be in the garden as much over the autumn months, don’t forget about any wildlife that may still be visiting your garden. Leave out seeds, nuts and water for birds to enjoy, which can also be lifesaving during winter when food can be much more scarce. You could also try creating bug homes and leaving out suitable leftovers for wildlife you want to encourage to visit your outdoor space.
Take care of the lawn
Give your lawn a good cut before the cold and wet weather really begins to set in. When mowing in autumn, consider raising the mower blades a little, as slightly longer grass copes better with cooler conditions. Also, be sure to keep the mower blades sharp, as a clean cut to a blade of grass will help it heal quicker and prevent disease spores from infecting the grass.
Consider using the Hayter® Osprey 46 Cordless mower to help tidy up the lawn this autumn. Part of the Hayter GreenSeries® Power System, this mower provides the same power and convenience as your petrol mower, without emitting any exhaust fumes by running on a battery. Sharing the same battery as Toro’s Flex-Force Power System® String Trimmer, both ranges provide ultimate flexibility when it comes to tending to the garden. NOTE: Other good mowers are available!
Protect your plants
Autumn is the perfect time to start prepping your plants for winter and making sure they are protected from water logging and the cold.
If you have plants that are more susceptible to the cold weather, be sure to store then in the greenhouse or even a conservatory.
For those planted in the garden, try covering them with fleece or hessian to keep their temperature up. The first frost of the year can arrive during the coming months without warning and kill off your favourite plants, so be sure to get prepared now to keep your plants healthy and safe.
Anti-Bullying Awareness Week runs from the 11-15 November 2020. In this article Need2Know Books looks at the effects that social distancing and lockdown measures have had on children as social media dependency and online screen time increases, creating more opportunities for cyberbullying.
Enhanced anxiety and stress are not the only conditions parents and caregivers need to be careful of in this world of ‘new normal.’ Arecent multidisciplinary research report found that the consequences of quarantine and social distancing measures are themselves key risk factors for mental health issues which includes cyberbullying among children.
There is no question that bullying numbers will rise in 2020 as many school’s moved classes online during the Spring and Summer months.
This Increase in online screen time has created more opportunities for cyberbullying and harassment. Unfortunately, one of the darker sides of COVID-19 is the rise of racial issues and cyberbullying among children.
Recent research has found that because the virus originated from Wuhan, China and has largely been referred to as the “Chinese virus”, this has increased bullying among children of Asian descent who are at a greater risk of racial bullying than their classmates. Bullying has largely been done through private and text messaging in a ‘virtual’ environment.
More than 1.5 billion children worldwide have been affected by school closures. As a result, children have been forced to go online for learning as well as for hobbies and social activities.
It has been reported that 82% of parents said that their children’s screen time has increased during lockdown
30% said that their children were having an extra four hours or more of non-school related screen time per day
Children, especially adolescents and teens, are spending a greater amount of time on apps such as such as Zoom, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook.
Prior to the pandemic parents have been extremely concerned about their children’s screen time and have struggled to limit this. The problem that has always faced parents is that they cannot always protect their children from cyberbullying, grooming and inappropriate messages online.
Cyberbullying in the virtual world
Despite some of the positive benefits of online learning research has found that the darker elements of school life transitioned online.
Cyberbullying has been on the rise before lockdown – some reports suggest that just 20% of bullying takes place at school now.
Cyberbullying incidents increased by 70% between March and April this year when lock down was at its peak.
The strain placed on mental health caused by being confined to the home for weeks at a time could be making matters worse.
The UK government has published guidelines online titled “Coronavirus (Covid-19): support for parents and carers to keep children safe online” which is available to view.
Tips and Advice
Have the ‘talk’ open the lines of communication between yourself and your child. Discuss what cyberbullying is and what to do when it happens.
Don’t be afraid to set guidelines and take control of what your children see and do online.
The applications used by schools all have tools for reporting abuse. Show your kids where to find the abuse reporting tools and how to fill in the forms.
Keep any evidence of inappropriate messages and report it to a school official ie. teacher, headteacher or school nurse.
Use your parental controls. Androids, Apple and Windows all have built in parental controls These allow parents to block inappropriate content, control access to apps, and limit screen time.
We enter an uncertain future with lockdown restrictions continuing into the winter months. It is important that parents find positive ways to curtail the ‘pandemic effect’ and find a balance with online screen time to help avoid cyberbullying. If you are concerned about a child’s mental welfare or notice worrying behaviour, please seek professional advice.
For more information and advice on cyberbullying visit:
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK
This year, many children are not attending school due to COVID-19 and they may be missing out on getting in some valuable steps.
Regular physical activity in children and young people is associated with improved learning, better mental health, healthier weight status and better cardiovascular fitness.
Many children are not getting enough exercise and we provide some ideas for getting your kids walking more, whether they are currently attending school or not.
Not enough time to walk?
If you tend to drive your child to school because you are short of time in the mornings, you could look at your schedule to see whether getting up earlier, or moving things around in your diary, could help. If your child is not currently attending school, you could try to squeeze in a short walk at the start of the day.
Too cold and wet to walk?
If you are put off walking because the weather is too cold or damp, try wrapping up warm and making sure you/your kids are protected from the rain with waterproof clothing, umbrellas and wellies. Younger children can have fun splashing in puddles along the way.
Kids not willing to walk?
If your kids are not willing to walk, you could start by encouraging them to walk two or three times a week and increase it gradually until they are walking every day.
Try having fun during your walks by singing songs, playing games or spotting birds and insects along the way. If your kids are old enough to walk on their own, you could motivate them by asking them to count their steps using a smartwatch or smartphone and set them daily or weekly targets.
Police Scotland officers dealt with more than 300 house gatherings over last weekend, the vast majority of which were small groups of people in houses.
More than 300 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) were issued and 24 people were arrested between Friday, 30 October, and Sunday, 1 November.
The majority of FPNs issued were to small groups from different households meeting in homes in clear breach of the regulations in place to tackle the spread of coronavirus.
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said:“Officers dealt with a significant number of calls to house gatherings over the weekend and we have been quite clear that we will enforce the law where necessary, as the public would expect us to do.
“We are not just talking about large parties. The vast majority were smaller groups of different households meeting indoors.
“House gatherings of any size cause the virus to spread and we are asking people to do the right thing and take personal responsibility.
“I fully understand the implications the current restrictions have on our daily lives, but we cannot have people twisting the rules and disregarding the law which is there to stop the spread of coronavirus and help save lives.
“Anyone clearly breaking the law should be in no doubt that they will be met with a robust response from Police Scotland.”
The judges who have selected the shortlist for ‘Scotland’s Greatest Song’ have been revealed ahead of the ten songs being unveiled on Monday 9 November.
The head judge was announced as Jackie Bird who was joined by singer and actress, Clare Grogan as well as journalist and presenter, Gordon Smart and Aarti Joshi of DF Concerts.
After hours of debate, discussion and even the odd disagreement the quartet have selected the ten songs which the public will be able to vote on from Sunday 15th November to be named as ‘Scotland’s Greatest Song’.
The winner will be announced by Ewen Cameron across the Greatest Hits Network Scotland including Forth 2, Clyde 2 and Tay 2 on St. Andrew’s Day.
The search was launched to celebrate the country’s musical heritage and head judge Jackie Bird found it tougher than expected to narrow it down to ten.
She said: “It is such a pleasure – and a pressure – to be part of the momentous challenge that is finding Scotland’s Greatest Song.
“The judges put their hearts and souls into whittling down a long list of classics to reach our top ten. With so many fabulous songs to choose from and so many people rooting for their much-loved favourites it rightly became a huge and very serious debate. I’m so glad it’s the listeners who will make the final decision.”
Clare Grogan added: “Ultimately I have loved this torturous experience! Getting to re-listen to these amazing songs and artists has been joyful and my goodness we were spoilt for choice.
“So many incredibly talented and influential musicians that Scotland continuously produces and so proud to be part of this with my fellow judges. I’ve never enjoyed fighting with people more!”
Victoria Easton-Riley, content director at Greatest Hits Radio Scotland, said: “We know that our Greatest Hits Radio Scotland listeners are as passionate about Scottish music and artists as our presenters across the network and we were delighted to have the opportunity to be part of this exciting initiative from Audio Frontier.
“Many hours are happily spent debating the relative merits of different songs and artists and I’m sure that there will be a wide range of views and opinions as to what should be on the shortlist!
“I’m looking forward to the shortlist being announced and to find out who our listeners and the general public select as ‘Scotland’s Greatest Song’.”
The project is the brainchild of Glasgow-based audio specialists Audio Frontier, which has won a funding bid for the programmes through the UK Government’s Audio Content Fund.
John McInally, of Audio Frontier, said: “Audio Frontier are delighted to work alongside the Greatest Hits Network and the Audio Content Fund to help find Scotland’s Greatest Song.
“The team of judges we have assembled, know their music inside out and I’m just glad we could pass the buck on to them to finalise the ten songs that the country has to vote for.”
On Monday 9th November a podcast launches to reveal the 10 songs shortlisted and how the judges came to the final ten. Ewen Cameron will also join the debate about the shortlist on the same day on his breakfast show ‘Ewen Cameron In The Morning’ from 6am.
On Sunday 15th November from 4pm to 7pm the judges will also come together for a special one-off show across the Greatest Hits stations in Scotland. Hosted by head judge, Jackie Bird, she will be joined by her three fellow judges to discuss their shortlist, how they came to their decisions and to play the final ten.
You can listen on AM*, online, on DAB radio, via the station app or on your Smart Speaker.
*West Sound Dumfries is on FM (and not available on DAB). Northsound 2 is a digital station and not available on AM.
Scots urged to vote for their favourite Green Flag Award park
Scotland’s treasured green spaces are going to the polls, as the vote opens to choose the UK’s top award winning parks. The People’s Choice vote allows members of the public to have their say – selecting the parks that will be crowned the top ten in the country.
Following expert-led judging, Scotland has 77 parks this year with a Green Flag Award to choose from. These include spaces managed by community groups, universities and local authorities.
The voting is open from 30 October to 25 November with winners announced on 3 December. To vote for your favourite, simply find it on the map at www.greenflagaward.org and click on the vote button.
Last year, Strathaven Park in South Lanarkshire placed in the top ten for the sixth time in seven years and was awarded the accolade of “Scotland’s favorite park”. This year, parks stretching from the Western Isles to the Scottish Borders are all in with a chance.
Jamie Ormiston, Beaches and Parks Officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful said, “Living through a pandemic has made this year particularly challenging, and it has shown us the vital role our green spaces play to our health and wellbeing.
“The Green Flag Award acknowledges the hard work that goes on to keep these important greenspaces available for us to enjoy. We encourage everyone to vote for their favourite Green Flag Awarded park and we look forward to finding out the results later this year.”
A list of Scotland’s Green Flag Award parks is attached.
A new law giving children equal protection from assault comes into force in Scotland on Saturday.
Children in Scotland will have the same protection from assault as adults when the Children (Equal Protection from Assault) Act 2019 legislation comes in to force on Saturday (7 November 2020).
NSPCC Scotland, alongside other organisations from civic society and families across Scotland, campaigned for many years to make this happen. They called for an archaic defence, which allowed adults charged with assaulting a child to claim ‘reasonable chastisement’ or ‘justifiable assault’, to be removed from Scots law.
Joanna Barrett, NSPCC Scotland policy and public affairs officer, said: “This new law, finally gives children in Scotland their rightful protection against assault and the same safeguards as adults.
“By making this common sense move to get rid of the outdated defence of ‘justifiable assault’, we will be joining more than 50 other countries around the world in taking measures to protect the most vulnerable members of society.
“This law sets out in clear terms that physical punishment should no longer be part of childhood in Scotland and it marks a momentous step in making it a country where children’s rights are truly recognised, respected and fulfilled.”
The Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Act 2019 removes the outdated defence of “reasonable chastisement” from the physical assault of children, giving them the same legal protections everyone else already has.
The legislation, brought forward by John Finnie MSP and supported by Scottish Ministers, was passed by the Scottish Parliament in October 2019.
Children’s Minister Maree Todd said: “I’m very pleased that Scotland has become the first part of the UK to legislate to ensure that children, without exception, have the same protection from assault as adults.
“This outdated defence has no place in a modern Scotland. It can never be reasonable to strike a child. The removal of this defence reaffirms that we want this country to be the best place in the world for children to grow up so that they feel loved, safe, respected and can realise their full potential.
“We have worked in partnership with organisations including children’s charities, Social Work Scotland and Police Scotland on implementation of this Act. As part of this, we will continue to promote positive parenting and build on the support we already offer to children and families.”
Chancellor statement to the house – Furlough extension
Statement, as delivered by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in Westminter on 5 November 2020:
Mr Speaker,
On Monday, the Prime Minister set out the action we need to take between now and the start of December to control the spread of coronavirus.
In response, we’re providing significant extra support to protect jobs and livelihoods in every region and nation of the United Kingdom:
An extension to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme;
More generous support to the self-employed and paying that support more quickly;
Cash grants of up to £3,000 per month for businesses which are closed, worth over £1 billion every month;
£1.6 billion for English councils to support their local economy and local healthcare response;
Longer to apply for our loan schemes and the Future Fund;
The chance to top-up Bounce Back Loans;
And an extension to the mortgage payment holidays.
All on top of more than £200 billion of fiscal support since March.
This statement follows the Bank of England’s monetary policy decisions earlier today, meaning all economic and monetary institutions are playing their part.
As you would expect, the Governor and I are in constant communication as the situation evolves.
Our responses are carefully designed to complement each other and provide certainty and support to people and businesses across the UK. The Bank’s forecasts this morning show economic activity is supported by our substantial fiscal and monetary policy action.
And the IMF just last week described the UK’s economic plan as “aggressive”, “unprecedented”, successful in “holding down” unemployment and business failures and “one of the best examples of coordinated action globally”.
Mr Speaker,
Our highest priority remains the same: to protect jobs and livelihoods.
That’s why we’ve already decided to extend the Job Retention Scheme to December.
But people and businesses will want to know what comes next; how long we plan to keep the scheme open, and on what terms.
They want certainty.
The government’s intention is for the new health restrictions to remain only until the start of December.
But, as we saw from the first lockdown, the economic effects are much longer lasting for businesses and areas than the duration of any restrictions.
And as the Bank of England have said this morning, “the economic recovery has slowed”, and the economic risks are “skewed to the downside”.
Given this significant uncertainty, a worsening economic backdrop, and the need to give people and businesses security through the winter, I believe it is right to go further.
So we can announce today that the furlough scheme will not be extended for one month – it will be extended until the end of March. The government will continue to help pay people’s wages, up to 80% of the normal amount.
All employers will have to pay for hours not worked is the cost of Employer NICs and pension contributions.
We’ll review the policy in January to decide whether economic circumstances are improving enough to ask employers to contribute more.
Of course, as the furlough itself is now being extended to the end of March, the original purpose of the Job Retention Bonus to incentivise employers to keep people in work until the end of January – obviously falls away.
Instead, we will redeploy a retention incentive at the appropriate time.
And for self-employed people, I can confirm the next income support grant which covers the period November to January, will now increase to 80% of average profits, up to £7,500.
Mr Speaker,
I also want to reassure the people of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The furlough scheme was designed and delivered by the Government of the United Kingdom on behalf of all the people of the United Kingdom – wherever they live.
That has been the case since March; it is the case now; and will remain the case until next March.
It is a demonstration of the strength of the Union – and an undeniable truth of this crisis – we have only been able to provide this level of economic support because we are a United Kingdom.
And I can announce today that the upfront guaranteed funding for the devolved administrations is increasing from £14 billion to £16 billion. This Treasury is, has been, and will always be, the Treasury for the whole of the United Kingdom.
Mr Speaker,
I know that people watching at home will have been frustrated by the changes the government has brought in during the past few weeks. I have had to make rapid adjustments to our economic plans as the spread of the virus has accelerated.
So I’d like to take this opportunity to explain how and why this has happened.
During the summer, as we began slowly unlocking it was our hope the country would continue to be economically open, albeit with local restrictions being put in place as and when needed.
We knew there would likely be a resurgence in the spread of the virus, but with increased NHS capacity and Test and Trace, our belief was we would be able to stay ahead of the virus.
On this basis we designed an economic approach which continued providing wage support to people, incentivised businesses to retain staff beyond the end of the furlough scheme and created new job creation and training schemes, such as Kickstart.
All built to support an economy that was broadly open but operating with restrictions and overall lower demand.
At the time this approach was not Government acting alone. Our proposals secured wide ranging support, from the TUC to the CBI.
It was their hope, as it was ours, that the public health situation would allow us to keep businesses and workplaces open.
The virus however, continued to spread. Localised restrictions were having an impact, and so we intensified this approach and added further areas.
As these restrictions intensified, the economic impact, particularly on industries such as the hospitality sector, was significant.
So in response, we altered our approach to wage support, making it much more generous to employers and in turn protecting jobs.
We also introduced a range of grants to businesses, whether open or closed, to help them meet their fixed costs.
And additional funding for local authorities to respond to specific local economic challenges.
But again, the virus continued to spread, but more quickly.
And so we arrive at last week, when the government’s scientific and medical advisers presented data which showed that R is greater than 1 in all parts of the UK, that the NHS was at risk of being overwhelmed in a matter of weeks and the likely resultant loss of life that would accompany such an event.
The only viable solution left to protect our NHS was the re-imposition of temporary significant enhanced restrictions in England, in addition to those in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
And so, given these changed public health restrictions and the economic trauma they would cause in job losses and business closures I felt it best to extend the furlough scheme, rather than transition at that precise moment to the new Job Support Scheme.
Now political opponents have chosen to attack the government for trying to keep the economy functioning and to make sure the support we provide encourages people to keep working.
And they will now, no doubt, criticise the government on the basis we have had to change our approach.
But to anyone in the real world, that’s just the thing that you have to do when circumstances change.
We all hope for the best, but make sure we plan for any eventuality.
We can reintroduce the furlough now only because we kept the system on which it is based operational, because there was always the possibility that we would be back in this situation.
I’ll leave it to the people of this country to decide whether they believe the Government is trying its best to support people through an unprecedented crisis.
To decide whether it is a good or bad thing to alter our economic plans as the health restrictions we face change.
What I know is that the support we are providing will protect millions of jobs.
What I know is that it is never wrong to convey confidence in this country and our economy through our words and action.
And what I know is today’s announcement will give people and businesses up and down our country immense comfort over what will be a difficult winter.
And I commend this Statement to the House.
PM Boris Johnson later gave a statement at the coronavirus press conference:
Good evening everyone,
Across the whole United Kingdom, people are engaged in a huge joint effort to put the coronavirus back in its box. Throughout the pandemic, this government has done whatever it takes to protect lives and livelihoods – in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We have put in place an unprecedented package of economic support, protecting the wages and jobs of millions of people.
We have built the largest testing capacity in Europe, with 32 million tests conducted so far and over half a million tests now available every day across the UK.
We have ensured that, as we head into winter, the NHS has at its disposal over 30,000 ventilators and billions of items of Personal Protective Equipment, most of it now manufactured here in the UK.
Across the whole of the UK, we have a shared goal – to suppress the virus, ensure the NHS is not overwhelmed, and in doing so to save lives.
The UK Government and the devolved administrations are working together on a joint approach to the Christmas period, because all of us want to ensure families can come together wherever they live.
The challenges we face are significant across the U.K.
The average number of new cases each day is now 22,398, that’s up from 9,716 a month earlier.
There are now 12,320 patients in hospital, up from 2,602 a month earlier.
1,142 patients are now in mechanical ventilation beds, up from 369 a month earlier.
Sadly 492 deaths were reported yesterday. The weekly average number of deaths each day is now 295, up from 53 a month earlier.
That’s why new restrictions are in place in each part of the UK.
In England, from today, we are once again asking you to stay at home.
As I explained on Saturday you can only leave home for specific reasons: for work if you can’t work from home, for education, and for essential activities and emergencies.
The full rules, all of the details, are available at gov.uk/coronavirus and on the NHS Covid-19 app – please log on to see what you can and can’t do.
I know how tough this is:
For staff in the NHS and care homes, who are facing a tough winter on the frontline.
For families, who can’t meet in the way they would want to.
For businesses, forced to shut just as you are getting back on their feet.
I know many of you are anxious, weary and quite frankly fed up with the very mention of this virus
But I want to assure you this is not a repeat of the spring.
Schools, universities and nurseries are all staying open.
And these measures though they are tough are time-limited.
The advice I have received suggests that four weeks is enough for these measures to make a real impact.
So these rules will expire, and on 2 December we plan to move back to a tiered approach.
There is light at the end of the tunnel.
We have better treatments and techniques to take care of those in hospital, thanks largely to the ingenuity of British scientists.
Rapid testing is being rolled out on a massive scale – with city-wide testing starting tomorrow in Liverpool.
I am hugely grateful to the people of Liverpool for their participation in this pilot. I hope that by working together, we can get that great city on top of the virus.
More broadly, there is also the very real chance of safe and effective vaccines.
So taking those things together, these scientific advances can show us the way ahead.
And in the meantime, the government will continue to support people affected by these new restrictions.
As you know, we have protected almost 10 million jobs through furlough, and as the Chancellor announced earlier today, we are now extending the scheme through to March.
We are also extending our support for the self-employed, so that the next payment increases to 80 per cent of average profits.
We’re providing cash grants for businesses who are closed, worth more than £1 billion every month.
We are giving £1.1 billion to Local Authorities in England to support businesses.
And a further £2 billion of funding is guaranteed for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
As we face these challenges together, we must look after those in most need.
As of September we have helped over 29,000 rough sleepers off the streets, two thirds of whom are now in settled accommodation.
Today we’re announcing a further £15 million to help councils offer safe accommodation for people who are sleeping rough or at risk of becoming homeless. This programme will help areas that need additional support most during the restrictions and throughout the winter.
These are difficult times.
And while it pains me to have to ask once again for so many to give up so much, I know that, together, we can get through this.
So please, for the next four weeks, stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.
