A two-year-old boy has died after being found seriously injured in a flat in Muirhouse Place West, local police have confirmed.
Chief Inspector David Happs, from Drylaw Police Station, said: “Around 9.30am on Saturday, 21 November, 2020, officers and emergency services were called to an address in the Muirhouse area where a two-year-old child was found seriously injured.
The wee boy, who has now been named as Julius Czapla, was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later.
“A 40-year-old man has been arrested in connection with this incident, enquiries are at an early stage and ongoing.
“We understand an incident such as this can cause distress and alarm to the local community. There will be a continued police presence in the area as we conduct enquiries.”
“Anyone with information that may assist the investigation should report this to Police on 101, quoting incident number 1010 of 21 November.”
Christmas is coming early for hundreds of British families this year as almost 1 in 5 already have their Christmas tree up, a new survey has revealed.
Data commissioned by NetVoucherCodes.co.uk shows that out of 4,566 respondents, nearly 20% already have their tree up and a further 33% will have their festive decorations up before the end of November.
After an unpredictable and chaotic year, hundreds of British households are choosing to embrace the festive spirit early.
Almost 20% already have their tree up, 12% are planning on having it up before the middle of the November, and another 21% will put it up towards the end of the month.
That means that over half of the respondents will have decorated their homes before the festive month of December even begins.
Another 39% of respondents are waiting until the first weekend of December to get in the festive spirit, and the remaining 8% will put the tree up in the final weeks running up to Christmas Day.
This means that the number of people getting their trees up in November this year has more than doubled in comparison.
A spokesperson for NetVoucherCodes.co.uk: “After the year we’ve had, people need something to lift their spirits and to look forward to, so it’s no surprise that there’s been a massive increase in people getting their trees up in November.
“Even celebs like Michelle Keegan are getting in on the early action! (Who is Michelle Keegan? – Ed.)
“It’s also a clear sign that people are well and truly done with 2020 and are keen to round off the year and put it behind them.
“Who knows what Christmas is going to look like this year, but if getting the decs up early helps families stay positive and brings some light to an otherwise dark and dreary year, then we’re all for it!”
Which? has announced that not one, but two mince pies have landed its coveted Which? Best Buy in festive food blind consumer taste tests, with both Asda and Iceland coming top.
Asda Extra Special Mince Pies (£1.75 for six/29p per pie) certainly lived up to their name this year and were awarded a 73 per cent rating, scoring well for overall flavour, texture and appearance. Which?’s panel noted the “crisp” and “buttery” pastry and the intricate design, with one panelist saying it would “lure them in”.
Iceland’s Luxury All Butter Mince Pies (£1.89 for six/31p per pie) were rated just as highly for their taste, aroma and texture, and also coming in with a rating of 73 per cent. One panelist told Which? these pies “tasted like a more expensive product”.
Tesco Finest All Butter Mince Pies (£1.75 for six/29p per pie) missed out on a Best Buy with a 72 per cent rating, as while these pies delivered and the pastry was described as “melt in the mouth” by one taster, a few panellists were not keen on the firmer filling.
M&S Collection mince pies (£2.50 for six/41p per pie) were some of the pricier pies included in the taste tests, but these had some of the best pastry on test, as well as scoring well for flavour. It received a not-too-shabby rating of 71 per cent.
When it came to the bottom of the table, Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Mince Pies (£2 for six/33p per pie) came out the worst in the taste tests with a rating of only 58 per cent. Some panelists told Which? these were “claggy” and tasted “stale” and “overcooked”.
Morrisons The Best Mince Pies (£2 for six/33p per pie) were also somewhat of a disappointment, managing a score of just 64 per cent, with more than half the panel describing these as “too dark”.
Harry Rose, Editor of Which? Magazine, said:“Nothing tastes more festive than a delicious warm and crumbly mince pie straight from the oven, and while this year Christmas might be a little different, we want to make sure that at least your mince pies don’t disappoint.”
A potential treatment for COVID-19, which has shown early promise in China and Japan, will be trialled in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Glasgow is the first area in Scotland to have access to the drug, which can be taken at home when patients are in the early stages of disease as well as by hospitalised patients.
Over 300 eligible patients with COVID-19 will be invited to join the new research study into the effectiveness of the antiviral drug, favipiravir.
The trial will target early treatment of the virus for those who test positive and must be taken within four days of a COVID-19 swab test. This treatment is intended for people with milder symptoms.
The ground-breaking research is a collaboration between NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and the University of Glasgow, funded by the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government.
The study, Glasgow Early Treatment Arm Favipiravir (GETAFIX), will assess the effectiveness of the drug to help with symptoms and reduce the time it takes to recover from COVID-19.
Favipiravir has been developed by Fujifilm Toyama Chemicals in Japan and an early study on its effectiveness has shown it to alleviate some symptoms.
Three hospitals are taking part including Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Royal Alexandra Hospital. Patients may receive treatment in hospital or as outpatients.
The antiviral treatment is taken in tablet form. Half the patients involved will receive the drug twice a day for 10 days alongside standard treatment, with the other half receiving standard treatment for comparison.
The study is organised by the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit in Glasgow and supported by the Glasgow Clinical Research Facility.
Prof Rob Jones, Director of the CRUK Clinical Trials Unit, Glasgow, and Chief Investigator of the study commented: “COVID-19 was a disease few of us had even heard of before the spring. Although hopes are high ongoing vaccine trials will help prevent infection, this trial aims to improve current treatment for those unlucky enough to contract it.
“With the GETAFIX trial, we will be rapidly looking at whether this antiviral treatment may help kill off the virus in those affected and prevent more serious complications.”
Dr Janet Scott (MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research) said: “This drug is active against many viruses, it is used already for influenza in Japan. We are able to offer it not just to patients in hospital but also for home use.
“Our hope is that it will stop mild symptoms developing into serious ones. We are targeting volunteers who are at higher risk of progressing to serious COVID19 such as those over 60 years old or with underlying health problems.”
Further awards from the Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund
Thirty further organisations across Scotland have received a total of £1.4million through the Scottish Government’s Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund.
The funding provides welcome emergency support to a range of venues and organisations covering comedy, music, nightclubs, performing arts, publishing, visual arts, as well as festivals and cultural support infrastructure.
Designed to protect jobs and support the sustainability of organisations threatened with insolvency by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, today’s news follows the announcement of £11.75million awarded to 203 organisations and venues through this fund on Thursday 5 November.
Culture Secretary, Fiona Hyslop said: “The £15 million Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund is crucial for supporting the culture sector through this pandemic, and is designed to help organisations cope with the immediate issues they are facing and to help save jobs.
“This emergency funding will be a lifeline for a wide range of organisations from craft to theatre, galleries to production companies.
“We are determined to do everything within our powers to support the culture sector and we will continue to work closely with stakeholders and Creative Scotland to provide additional help where needed.”
Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotland said: “In addition to those announced previously, these funds provide much needed emergency support to even more venues and organisations across Scotland which are experiencing significant difficulties as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Today’s announcement forms part of a broader package of support for people and organisations that we are working at pace to deliver on behalf of the Scottish Government, with more to come.”
The further 30 organisations receiving funding from the Scottish Government’s Culture Organisations and Venues Recovery Fund are:
Organisation (Trading name)
Funding Amount
Local Authority Area
Active Events
£15,000
North Ayrshire
A-Line Group
£70,000
Aberdeenshire
Alzatar Ltd (B Bar)
£65,000
City of Edinburgh
BD 2011 Ltd (Blue Dog)
£16,000
Glasgow City
Ceilidh Club
£29,917
Midlothian
Charco Press
£15,000
City of Edinburgh
Compass Gallery
£42,203
Glasgow City
Cove Park
£20,795
Argyll and Bute
Cuba Club Ltd (Club Cuba)
£37,517
City of Edinburgh
East Ayrshire Leisure
£71,000
East Ayrshire
Edinburgh Open Workshop
£30,000
City of Edinburgh
Edinburgh Science
£115,000
City of Edinburgh
Elderco (Word Up)
£104,482
Inverclyde
F4F event services Ltd.
£50,000
Fife
Flag Promotions Ltd
£15,214
Glasgow City
Great Junction Events Ltd (Old Dr Bells Baths)
£75,000
City of Edinburgh
Hemelvaart Bier Cafe Ayton Ltd
£24,000
Scottish Borders
Kelburn Arts Limited (Kelburn Garden Party)
£65,000
North Ayrshire
Panoptic Events
£15,299
Glasgow City
Red Bridge Arts
£85,000
Fife
Rogue City Productions
£26,500
City of Edinburgh
Scottish Sculpture Workshop
£36,580
Aberdeenshire
Shazam Theatre Company
£20,000
Aberdeenshire
Skye Live
£40,000
Highland
SS Press
£40,000
City of Edinburgh
The Birchvale Players
£15,746
Dumfries and Galloway
The Biscuit Factory
£50,000
City of Edinburgh
The Dovecot Foundation
£125,000
City of Edinburgh
Venue 45 Ltd (the SpaceUK)
£40,000
City of Edinburgh
West End Festival (Glasgow)
£24,000
Glasgow City
Total
£1,379,253
Updates on all emergency funds are being published regularly on this website and publicised through media and social media communications.
Image: Sparks from the iron furnace at the Scottish Sculpture Workshop’s 40th birthday celebrations (Creative Scotland)
Products will be on sale at George Street store in run-up to Christmas
Design students from Edinburgh Napier University will have their products on sale to the public in the lead-up to Christmas thanks to a link-up with a social enterprise that champions local creative talent.
The Scottish Design Exchange – which has two stores in Edinburgh and Glasgow – has offered the students the chance to create and sell their own designs – commission free – at its George Street store in the Scottish capital.
The organisation sells exquisitely designed products by artists living in Scotland. Every penny spent by its customers goes directly to those who create. This festive period, its Edinburgh store will welcome works from a number of Edinburgh Napier students.
Two students’ products are already available in the outlet – third year product design student Melissa Halliday’s range of unique totes bags and face masks printed from original acrylic prints and second year product design student Sara Kloszinska’s original illustrations inspired by nature.
They will soon be followed by work from three fourth year graphic design students – Rory Bain, Dan Brady and Yusra Quereshi.
This link-up is the latest development in the partnership between the University and the Scottish Design Exchange.
After first coming together during the Edinburgh Napier Creative City Challenge in 2017, the product sale has been led by Scottish Design Exchange’s Lynzi Leroy, with the University’s Design Society visiting the George St store, and working with Leith-based Bare Branding, as part of the research and product design phases of the project.
Lynzi Leroy of Scottish Design Exchange said: “I am delighted to be working on this project with Edinburgh Napier to help the product design and graphic design students gain experience in selling their products in a retail environment.
“It is a vital that part of their learning includes how to price their products and get customer feedback. Working with the Scottish Design Exchange team, we will help them do just that. There is no better learning process than selling or not selling a product. This teaches you how to adapt and change your design or pricing if required, before taking it to a wider market.”
Claire Bee, employer engagement partner at Edinburgh Napier, said: “Edinburgh Napier is delighted to be working in partnership with Scottish Design Exchange to showcase the creativity and talent of our students.
“The generosity of Scottish Design Exchange has given our students the unique opportunity to showcase their creativity, develop entrepreneurial skills, sell their products, and put their learning into practice.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will urge G20 leaders to take more ambitious action to defeat the pandemic and address climate change, as he attends a virtual summit this weekend.
Hosted by Saudi Arabia, the G20 Summit will bring together world leaders for two days of discussions on how to drive the global recovery from coronavirus and build back better.
At a session on ‘Overcoming the Pandemic and Restoring Growth and Jobs’ today [Saturday 21st], Boris Johnson will note the UK’s commitment to equitable global access for coronavirus vaccines and encourage others to step up and support the COVAX initiative, to ensure developing countries are not frozen out of the race for a vaccine.
On Sunday [22nd], he will welcome recent Net Zero commitments from a number of G20 countries at a session on ‘Building an Inclusive, Sustainable and Resilient Future’, and call on others to make the same pledge. Ahead of the Climate Ambition Summit co-hosted by the UK on December 12th, the Prime Minister will warn that we risk failing future generations if states do not take bold steps to reduce their emissions.
Speaking ahead of the G20, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The G20 committed in March to do ‘whatever it takes to overcome the pandemic and protect lives and livelihoods’. As we meet this weekend, we must hold ourselves to account for that promise.
“If we harness the collective ingenuity and resources of the G20, we can chart a path out of the pandemic and build a better, greener future.”
The Prime Minister is attending the G20 remotely from Downing Street on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd November. Both sessions are expected to take place in the afternoon.
– Blue Light Card holders eligible for 10% discount on their shopping – – Available to those in the Emergency Services, Care Workers and Armed Forces
Morrisons has announced it is offering those in the Emergency Services, Care Workers and Armed Forces who hold a Blue Light Card a 10% discount on their shopping in stores nationwide.
The move follows on from the 10% discount offered by Morrisons to NHS and School Staff across the country.
The Blue Light Card is a recognised national scheme which provides card holders with a range of discounts from large national retailers to local businesses including holidays, days out and insurance.
The Morrisons discount, which is valid till after Christmas, is a thank you to the thousands of key workers including Social Care Workers who have gone above and beyond their usual roles to provide care and support to the British public throughout the Coronavirus pandemic this year.
Blue Light Card holders will also be able to participate in a dedicated shopping hour alongside NHS workers and School staff from 6am-7am (Mon-Sat) before Morrisons stores open to other customers.
David Potts, Morrisons Chief Executivesaid: “Our emergency services, social care sector and armed forces have worked tirelessly this year to provide support to the many people who need it across the UK, often in exceptionally difficult circumstances.
“This discount is a thank you for all that they have done and continue to do for us all.”
Tom Dalby, CEO of Blue Light Card, commented on the partnership: “We are thrilled to partner with Morrisons in saying thank you to those who have been working on the front line during these difficult few months.
“Morrisons is a well-loved fresh food brand for many and offering a Blue Light Card discount will make a huge difference to our members. I hope that this partnership will make the Christmas food shop that little bit easier for those who go the furthest for us.”
Card holders can claim the 10% discount on their groceries by presenting their Blue Light ID card at the till in any of Morrisons 498 stores nationwide.
A 46-year-old man has been sentenced to nine years for serious sexual offences committed between 1989 and 2005 at the Edinburgh High Court yesterday.
John Hoy was found guilty in October, 2020 to carrying out a number serious sexual offences including rape.
Detectives from Police Scotland’s Public Protection Unit in Edinburgh began an investigation into Hoy after a woman came forward to report the non-recent sexual abuse he had subjected her to. He was subsequently arrested and charged on 31 October, 2018.
Detective Sergeant Alan Sharp, of Edinburgh’s Public Protection Unit, said: “Firstly, my thoughts continue to be with victims and the courage they displayed during the investigation. Hoy would have gone un-punished had it not been for them, but now he will spend time in jail.
“I would urge anyone who wishes to report sexual crime, regardless of when it happened to contact us so we can conduct a thorough investigation.”
If you have concerns or information these can be reported to Police Scotland on 101 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
John Paul Hoy, who was formerly a member of the Queen’s Balmoral Guard, was sentenced for a campaign of sexual abuse against children.
An NSPCC Scotland spokesperson said: “Hoy subjected these young girls to terrifying ordeals, and the crimes he committed against them was abhorrent. They have shown immense bravery in speaking out.
“Cases such as these show that people who experience sexual abuse will be listened to and justice can be achieved. It is so important that these girls receive the support they need to recover.
“NSPCC Scotland works to prevent abuse and neglect and anyone worried about a child or about past abuse can contact our helpline to seek advice.”
Anyone concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000, while Childline is there for young people on 0800 1111 or via www.childline.org.uk
