Month: November 2020

Trams: ‘Business case remains sound’

First track laid on Trams to Newhaven route

The controversial Trams to Newhaven project passed another milestone this week when the first tracks were laid in Leith – on Friday 13th.

Contractors have begun constructing the 2.91 mile line and are currently working on the sections next to Ocean Terminal and in Tower Street, Leith.

Thursday’s full council meeting approved the continued construction of the line in light of an updated Final Business Case (FBC) reflecting on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the project.

The report includes a series of scenarios, developed to stress-test the FBC, each of which demonstrate the economic case for the project remains positive, and in all but one scenario the impact on Council reserves if the project is cancelled would be greater than continuing construction.

On Friday, Council leader Cllr Adam McVey visited the site at Ocean Terminal to see work progressing.

He said: “It’s fantastic to see tracks in the ground in Leith – it’s a real milestone for this major project. We’re already beginning to see the route take shape and get an idea of just what a positive impact it will have on the local community.

“It’s particularly encouraging to know that the economic and business cases for Trams to Newhaven remain sound, despite the challenges of this year. Now we can progress with this exciting stage of the scheme safe in the knowledge that it will deliver the maximum benefits for local residents and the city as a whole.”

Despite the council facing mounting financial challenges the Trams to Newhaven project has the full backing of the Labour group, the SNP’s partners in the ‘Capital Coalition’.

Depute Leader, Labour’s Cammy Day, said: “It’s essential that we continue to invest in sustainable, clean transport and Trams to Newhaven is a key example. There is no doubt in the positive effects this scheme will have on the environment, the local economy and in encouraging development along the line.

“I’m delighted that the updated business case supports this as progress with construction continues apace.”

Work on the Trams to Newhaven project was instructed to stop on 25 March following guidance from the First Minister on COVID-19 and recommenced in June. An updated programme shows that the project is still working towards Spring 2023 for completion and is forecast to be delivered within the agreed £207.3m budget.

The council says the project’s completion will play a key role in the future growth and development of the city.

Delivering the tram line to Leith will unlock a large area of the city for housing and economic development, while providing a low-carbon, clean mode of transport to densely populated communities, they maintain.

Meanwhile rumblings persist that all is not well with the project’s finances, and Lord Hardie’s inquiry into the original Edinburgh Trams fiasco – years late, tens of millions of pounds over budget and delivering far less than was promised – rumbles on …

Find out more about Trams to Newhaven online.

Food and Drink recovery plan published

The food and drink sector is getting £5 million to help its recovery from coronavirus (COVID-19) and prepare for Brexit.

A new joint industry and government plan containing more than 50 actions has been developed to assist in stimulating demand for produce in key markets and supporting businesses to capitalise on consumer demand.  

The plan aims to mitigate and reverse the damage caused by both the pandemic and the lack of clarity regarding Brexit and aid the industry’s progression to be greener and more resilient.

It also builds on the work of the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership in delivering Ambition 2030, the shared vision for the future of Scotland’s food and drink sector. The industry is expected to contribute £3 million of private sector funding to support delivery of the plan through to 2023.

The food and drink sector has been one of the areas hardest hit by COVID-19, with industry forecasts predicting up to £3 billion in revenue lost this year alone, and the lack of clarity regarding a Brexit deal will amplify those challenges.

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “The food and drink industry is one of the true success stories of Scotland’s economy, with exports worth a record £6.7 billion in 2019. Across the country, particularly in many of our rural areas, the sector creates highly paid, highly skilled jobs and contributes directly to the public purse in taxes.

“Food and drink businesses have shown remarkable resilience and innovation in responding to the pandemic, from finding new routes to market themselves or in the actions they have taken to support their workforce and keep food on our tables. However, in addition to the many challenges presented by COVID-19, we now need to prepare for the disruption and uncertainty the end of the Brexit transition period will bring in just six weeks’ time.

“This funding commitment will enable Scotland Food & Drink and industry partners to come together to work on fairer, greener and sustainable solutions to the challenges that lie ahead. Scotland is home to much of the world’s greatest produce and we must do all we can to protect and promote it.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp-S7E0-bXs

Scotland Food & Drink CEO James Withers said: “2020 has been a year like no other. The trauma wreaked by COVID-19 has affected all of us and following that earthquake comes the next great disrupter: Brexit. But despite this volatile and uncertain world, Scotland’s food and drink sector remains resilient and full of talented and dedicated people that will help drive the recovery.

“The plan announced today brings together industry and the Scottish Government in an agreed strategy of tangible action to stimulate demand in domestic and international markets.  It also supports businesses to take advantage of opportunities, recover from COVID-19 and, as far as is possible, navigate Brexit.  

“This is a time for action and we’re delighted to have the backing of the Scottish Government and the industry for the work that will start now.”

Recovering from Coronavirus and fuelling Brexit preparation 

Scotland Food & Drink Partnership Ambition 2030

Death of Muirhouse two year old: Man arrested

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.”

20% of us already have our Christmas trees up this year

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.

NetVoucherCodes ran the same poll in 2016, and 21% of respondents put their tree up in November that year.

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!”

Twice as nice: Christmas comes early with two Which? Best Buy supermarket mince pies

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.”

Also tested:

M&S Collection Mince Pies71%£2.50 for 6
ALDI Specially selected Mince Pies68%£1.49 for 6
LIDL Deluxe All Butter Mince Pies68%£1.49 for 6
WAITROSE NO. 1 All Butter Mince Pies68% £2.50 for 6
Co-op Irresistible All-butter Mince Pies66%£2 for 6
Spar Luxury All Butter Mince Pies66%£2 for 6 

New clinical trial launched for early treatment of COVID-19

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.”

Creative Scotland: Latest Scottish Government emergency funding

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)

Napier students launch products at Scottish Design Exchange

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: G20 must work together to defeat the pandemic and protect the planet

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.