GMB members have put their own lives in danger to keep the country moving and the company afloat during this pandemic
Gas workers are to be balloted for strike action after covid heroes were offered a pin badge to say thank you for their work during the pandemic.
If it goes ahead, the industrial action will affect Air Products sites in Basingstoke, Bardon, Bargeddie, Stoke and Walkden in January.
GMB members are angry that despite huge profits approaching £100 million over the past two years, the Company are imposing a pay increase. [1] rather than negotiate further.
Meanwhile the drivers and bay operators, who have worked throughout the pandemic, have been offered a pin and £240 as a thankyou gesture.
A recent consultative ballot saw an 82% of drivers and 90% of bay operators say they would take industrial action.
The strike ballot opens on December 14 and closes on December 29.
Eamon O’Hearn, GMB National Officer, said: “Our members are angry, and rightly so. They’ve put their own lives in danger to keep the country moving and the company afloat during this pandemic.
“These members also deliver more profit, and cost less, than anyone else in the Company. Now they’ve been offered a thank you badge, a couple of hundred quid and a paltry pay rise for their efforts. It’s insulting.
“We urge the company to get round the table, renegotiate and avoid this damaging industrial action.”
Win a royal tea with Emma Corrin & Josh O’Connor from ‘The Crown’ alongside items and experiences donated by Vanessa Kirby, Taylor Swift & many more
War Child UK have launched a series of exclusive prize draws with a range of unique celebrity items & experiences up for grabs to support their Torn From Home appeal, aimed at helping children affected by war in Afghanistan.
For just a £5 donation to War Child, the public will be able to enter a prize draw to win one of the many incredible items and experiences including:
The chance for you and a friend to have high tea with Emma Corrin and Josh O’Connor who play Prince Charles and Princess Diana in The Crown
Once in a lifetime chance for you and up to 3 friends to have lunch with Vanessa Kirby, as well as a private screening of her highly anticipated upcoming film, Pieces of a Woman
A signed t-shirt and vinyl copy of chart-topper Mabel’s incredible debut album ‘High Expectations’
A vinyl copy of War Child’s landmark record Help! Recently re-issued on special edition vinyl in celebration of the album’s 25th Anniversary – signed by the legendary, Paul Weller
A Tom Misch signed vinyl bundle featuring the ever popular ‘What Kinda Music’, ‘Geography’ and ‘Beat Tape 2’
A poster signed by critically acclaimed singer songwriter Celeste, from her very first headline show at Mirth, Marvel & Maud
A signed 12×12” test press by British rock band Enter Shikari of their album The Last Spark: Live At Ancienne Belgique, Brussels – one of only 20 copies made for the public
A signed ‘The Vaccines Make Me Feel Good’ T-shirt originally worn on stage by Justin Young
A signed double LP of Taylor Swift’s more recent album, Folklore.
Prize draws runs until 17th December2020 at warchildwintershop.com, where for every three entries you will get a fourth free.
In addition to the prize draws, the War Child Winter Shop is also offering a range of bespoke creations from their friends across the arts and creative industries, meaning that the public can also get their hands on the likes of a specially designed jumper by designer Bella Freud, an Anthony Burrill shopper bag, and limited prints by renowned artists Rose Stallard, Adam Bridgland, Joe Cruz, Fee Greening and Supermundane.
Every prize draw entry, charity gift and donation made via the War Child Winter Shop website, is eligible for UK Aid match funding, meaning that for every £1 raised before 18 February 2021, the UK government will double this and help raise vital funds for the charity’s work in reuniting Children in Afghanistan with their families.
In Afghanistan, thousands of children, some as young as eight, are forced to leave home in search of work after decades of war have destroyed their family’s livelihoods.
War Child is on hand at the border working to provide emotional and psychosocial support from children before safely getting them home. The funds from this appeal will help reunite families and provide solutions to those problems that drove families and their children to embark on this perilous journey in the first place.
Vanessa Kirby,War Child UK ambassador said “I am really excited about being able to offer this prize to support this truly worthy appeal for this amazing charity.
“Until the 18th February, all your entries and all your donations will be matched by the UK government, helping keep families in Afghanistan together, and giving children real hope for a safer and more secure future”
Rob Williams, CEO of War Child UKsaid: “We are truly grateful to all of our incredible supporters for their generosity – we have some remarkable prizes available and feel very fortunate to be able to share those with the public.
“We are also very fortunate to have the support of the UK government through Aid Match, which will help funds raised from our Torn From Home appeal have an even greater impact on our work in Afghanistan, and to the lives of the children and families we are supporting there”
For more information, to enter a prize draw, or purchase gifts visit warchildwintershop.com/
To mark Human Rights Day tomorrow (Thursday 10th December), composer Max Richter’s groundbreaking recording project VOICES, inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, will be broadcast for the first time on BBC Radio 3 and 35 international radio stations in Europe, the US, Australia and beyond, in collaboration with the European Broadcasting Union.
Max Richter and his creative partner Yulia Mahr will also participate in a global Q&A with the United Nations to mark the day.
Also on 10th December, Decca Records will release a brand new EP featuring four international language narrations of ‘All Human Beings’ (the opening part of VOICES) in French, German, Spanish, Dutch and English.
At the heart of VOICES is a profound sense of global community, born out of Richter and Mahr’s career-long stance that creativity can play an activist role in our world. The album provides a place to think about the questions facing us through the prism of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In a time of dramatic global change, VOICES offers a musical message of hope.
Richter and Mahr invited people around the world to be part of the piece, crowd-sourcing readings of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to be interwoven into the work, which features an ‘upside-down’ orchestra. They received hundreds of submissions in over 70 languages. These readings form the aural landscape that the music flows through: they are the VOICES of the title.
Max Richter and Yulia Mahr say, “We are thrilled to have this opportunity to present VOICES once more. In these strange and challenging times it is more important than ever to keep the music playing and the message of the Universal Declaration alive. Thinking back now to the premiere of VOICES in February feels like visiting another world. In these strange and anxious times it is a great privilege to be able to mark Human Rights day by presenting the work again, in spite of the pandemic.”
HUMAN RIGHTS DAY
Human Rights Day is an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of human rights in rebuilding the world we want, with global solidarity, interconnectedness and shared humanity.
As part of Human Rights Day 2020, Max Richter and Yulia Mahr will collaborate with the UN to amplify the message of the Declaration of Human Rights. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will host a Q&A with Richter and Mahr to discuss VOICES, as part of their digital Human Rights Day events and Mahr’s breathtaking video of ‘All Human Beings’ will also be shown on the OHCHR website.
The powerful themes of humanitarianism running through VOICES were informed by Yulia’s own upbringing.
She explains, “I was born in Hungary at a time when it was a Communist country. I have such vivid memories of our street, where the buildings were still peppered with bullet holes from the revolution in 56, and where some were still in ruins from World War Two.
In those days each person was allocated a certain predetermined amount of living space, so every flat would contain multiple generations or sometimes even different families. I lived with my great grandfather, my grandmother, aunts, father and mother in three rooms.
My grandmother had fled persecution by the Nazis to the safety of Chile for 20 years – and so in the confines of our flat I was raised on stories of escape, persecution, community and hope. My grandmother remained a humanitarian throughout her life – helping refugees and being part of an international movement towards peace.
In the end my own convoluted story saw my mother and I replicating the large scale migrations of the 20th century and I arrived in the UK aged eight – lonely, confused and desperate for security.
While I could rarely see my grandmother after that – her spirit has never left me and it is this spirit that informed the conception and writing of VOICES.”
INTERNATIONAL NARRATIONS OF ‘ALL HUMAN BEINGS’
The voice of Eleanor Roosevelt, who served as the first chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights and played an instrumental role in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be heard at the start of ‘All Human Beings’, the opening track of VOICES.
Richter incorporates Roosevelt’s 1949 preamble reading of the Declaration into the piece alongside a narrator to convey a sense of youth and the future. On the album the narrator is acclaimed actor Kiki Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk, The Old Guard).
To mark Human Rights Day, Decca Records will release an exclusive EP of five new versions of ‘All Human Beings’ featuring multiple language narrations performed by acclaimed global artists.
Actor Nina Hoss (Yella, Homeland) reads in German, Iranian-born actor Golshifteh Farahani (Extraction, Paterson, About Elly) in French, author Marieke Lucas Rijneveld (winner of the 2020 International Booker prize or The Discomfort of Evening) in Dutch and María Valverde (Cracks, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Broken Horses) in Spanish. Olivier Award-winning actor Sheila Atim MBE, who will also perform in the BBC Radio 3 broadcast, narrates the new English version.
Richter says, “When I started thinking about how to present the Declaration, I came across a recording of Eleanor Roosevelt from 1949 reading the preamble. She’s so fundamental to the writing of the Declaration, it was really important to start with her.
“The narrators bring a sense of youth and potential in that performance because the Declaration is really about the future; it’s about the world we haven’t made yet. While the past is fixed, the future is yet unwritten, and the Declaration sets out an uplifting vision of a better and fairer world that is within our reach if we choose it. VOICES is a musical space to reconnect with these inspiring principles.”
BBC RADIO 3 AND GLOBAL EBU BROADCAST
The momentous global broadcast of VOICES will be recorded at BBC’s Maida Vale studios, presented by Elizabeth Alker. It will be presented in a new version for a 24-piece ensemble including strings, 4-member choir, electronics, solo soprano and narrator.
The BBC Radio 3 broadcast of VOICES features violinist Viktoria Mullova as soloist, soprano Grace Davidson, members of London-based vocal ensemble Tenebrae, the Max Richter ensemble – with Richter himself on keyboards and electronics – and Sheila Atim as the narrator.
36 European Broadcasting Union-associated radio stations in 34 countries will join the unique broadcast of VOICES, providing listeners across the globe with a renewed moment of hope and a moment of reflection in unprecedented times.
Max Richter and Yulia Mahr conclude, “We are thrilled about the partnership with the UN Human Rights Office, and the collaboration with BBC Radio 3 and the EBU which have made it possible to perform VOICES once more.
“In this challenging time in human history, the text of the Declaration is more important than ever.”
Looking for that truly special Christmas gift? Your search may be over!
Writing the Times is an anthology created by local people during the first months of the coronavirus pandemic.
Over six weeks when the pandemic was at it’s height, the North Edinburgh Arts Writers worked with editor Stephanie Knight through Zoom sessions and emails to create stories based on the themes Fables for the Future, Stories to be Shared and Tales to be Told
Hopeful, reflective, poignant and comical, the writers share their thoughts recorded during these unprecedented times.
Something to look back on when the pandemic becomes a distant memory, Writing the Times would make a unique Christmas gift for friends and family.
Writing the Times is now available at North Edinburgh Arts, priced only £5. For further information email: admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk
Young Scot is calling on people in Edinburgh to nominate the most inspirational young people in their lives and communities for the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards 2021.
Now in its fifteenth year, the Awards recognises outstanding 11-26-year-olds from all backgrounds who are making a difference. The Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards 2021 are the most high-profile awards that highlight the contributions made by young people to all aspects of our communities – from sport and the arts, through to enterprise and volunteering.
Nominations are now open on youngscotawards.com, through until 14 February 2021.
Winners will be announced in April 2021 during a live online ceremony that will be broadcast live on Young Scot’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/YoungScotTV
The new Sunday Mail Young Scot Award 2021 winners will join a prestigious roll call of previous recipients including Sir Andy Murray, Olympian Laura Muir, and top vlogger Jamie Genevieve.
Recent winners include actor, Ncuti Gatwa from Neftlix’s Sex Education, singer-songwriter Be Charlotte and, overall winners, the phenomenal team behind the Scottish Youth Climate Strike.
Louise Macdonald OBE, Chief Executive, Young Scot, said: “The Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards is a way for us to celebrate the achievements of Scotland’s young people who’ve given so much to our communities recently.
“If you know a young person in Edinburgh who impresses you, or someone who’s gone above and beyond to help others, then we want to hear about them. Make your nomination today!”
Esther Silverton, Young Scot of the Year 2020 winner, on behalf of the Scottish Youth Climate Strikers, said:“It was an honour to win the Sunday Mail Young Scot Award, there are so many people that do so many amazing things and fully deserve to get recognition for what they do.
“I’m hugely grateful and I hope that this shows everyone that you can fight for what you believe in because everyone has the power to help change the world.”
The 2021 awards will be made possible thanks to the generous support of its sponsors, with Skills Development Scotland returning as the sponsor of the Enhancing Education Award and Solace Scotland backing the Unsung Hero category once again.
sportscotland is also set to return as the sponsor of the Sport Award while the British Council Scotland has been announced as sponsor of the new International Award, marking its first year as an official partner.
To nominate a young person or to find out more about the awards, please visit: youngscotawards.com
Cyrenians FareShare depot based in Leith, have distributed 1,300 tonnes of food to beneficiaries across the South East of Scotland, creating over 3.1 million meals, since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic in March.
The Edinburgh based charity tackle the causes and consequences of homelessness, of which food poverty is a large part.
Cyrenians FareShare Service Manager Lynne Collie said, “Since the beginning of covid-19 we have seen an increased demand for access to food in a quick, dignified manner.
“At the height of the pandemic we were supporting over 200 Community Food Members – all of whom are organisations in their own right, serving their local community.
“Our model is two-fold; we prevent unnecessary food waste by working with large supermarkets and food networks to prevent surplus food being sent to waste, whilst helping organisations like Empty Kitchens and Eildon Housing Association to redirect funds into essential frontline work by providing nutritious food at low costs.
“At the beginning of the pandemic the Scottish Government, in partnership with FareShare UK, purchased food in bulk to distribute throughout our network allowing us to really step up our operation. We were in a unique position to provide additional support over the past 9 months because of that network; we were already connected to thousands of individuals who were likely to be even further impacted by the negative effects of covid-19.”
Head of Service Neil Hay added, “The logistics were the most difficult aspect – with an increase in stock we had to consider storage options, staff rotations, physical distancing measures – all of which impacted how we usually operate.
“We’re based in a small warehouse on Jane Street, with a team of volunteer drivers and a handful of staff.
“We have been fortunate to have received additional volunteer support from Edinburgh University over the past few months, helping us to keep our teams safe while continuing to support as many people as we can.”
Cyrenians FareShare Team are still supporting 156 community food members across the South East of Scotland. Demand continues to grow, with 3.1 million meals distributed already this year compared to 1 million the previous year, they need your support more than ever.
To find out more, or donate to support their work, visit www.cyrenians.scot
Universities will stagger the return of undergraduate students to campuses over at least six weeks, within a package of measures to minimise the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19).
With only very limited exceptions, undergraduates should initially plan to restart their studies at home and only return to campuses and term-time accommodation when notified to do so by their universities.
When students return to term-time accommodation, they will be offered lateral flow COVID-19 testing, similar to that offered ahead of Christmas. All students are being asked to restrict their social interaction for a fortnight before they return to university and for the same period after they get there. College students – who largely do not move away from home to go to education – should return as planned, in line with the protection level for the area their college is in at that time.
Other student measures for Term 2 include:
any student who has remained in university and other accommodation during the holiday, can continue to do so, whilst observing the relevant levels restrictions
universities and other student accommodation providers should plan for how best to manage shared accommodation in ways that reduce the risk of transmission of the virus between students and between households, drawing on lessons learned from the autumn term
universities and providers should offer additional support for any students who may have to self-isolate upon their return
Further and Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead said: “The Scottish Government, our colleges and our universities have a shared priority to ensure transmission of the coronavirus is minimised for the safety of all in our community.
“We also wish to see students have a positive educational experience in the coming spring term, including a blend of digital and in-person provision.
“The spread of the virus is, however, uncertain and prevalence is stubbornly high in some areas. So we are proposing these arrangements for the forthcoming term to ensure a safe return to college and university for students, staff and wider communities, building on the positive work done by colleges and universities based on the experience of the first term.”
Scottish Government guidance on colleges and universities will be made available to reflect these arrangements including key dates and how this will be kept under review.
At the start of 2020 there was a gathering momentum to conversations about the role of kindness and compassion in health and social care in Scotland. When COVID-19 happened, the healthcare system entered a period of rapid transformation in which many of the previously insurmountable ‘barriers’ to kindness appeared to fall away. In this context, it felt important to capture what was happening.
The courage to be kind draws on a series of reflective conversations, conducted between April and September 2020 with five medics working in different parts of NHS Scotland.
The conversations reflected on what can be achieved when there is a common purpose, and when work is underpinned by relationships and collaboration. But alongside the opportunities presented by changes in practice and a renewed focus on wellbeing, there was concern that these may be lost amidst a focus on remobilising and ‘getting back to normal’.
The voices in this report offer a particular perspective. But the depth of reflection, and the clear message about the need to ease some of the pressure in the system in order to ensure the wellbeing of staff and patients is one that resonates with many other conversations and is relevant and urgent right across the health service.
At the end of a year that has demanded so much from our health service, we hope that this report adds to our collective understanding of the impact of COVID-19.
As we look to develop this work, we would really value your thoughts and reflections, which you can share withben.thurman@carnegieuk.org or by joining the debate on twitter @CarnegieUKTrust.
Police are aware of incidents of Sextortion in the Edinburgh area. They encourage anyone experiencing this to contact them:
Many people use webcams for business, gaming or to enhance their online chat experience but sometimes people you meet online aren’t always who they say they are.
Sextortion is a type of cyber-enabled extortion which involves the threat of sharing sexual information, images or clips to extort money from you, whether images actually exist or not.
The extortion often takes place when the unknown person (offender) persuades you (the victim) to remove your clothes in front of your webcam and/or perform sexual acts.
You believe this to be a private act – but it is not. The offender, unbeknown to you (the victim) is recording everything that you do.
Very soon afterwards the offender will threaten you. They may demand money and threaten to share the images or videos with your friends on social media, or share publicly.
What can YOU do to reduce the likelihood of it happening?
Be sensible when using the internet. Only activate your camera when you want to. Make sure it is ‘off’ at all times when not required. Never allow yourself to be duped into activity that you will later regret.
If using video chat apps, be alert to the fact that ‘contacts’ are not always who they say they are. If you allow a relationship to develop be guarded if unusual requests are made of you.
If you use online chat rooms looking for a person to chat with – be careful about any relationship that you form and in particular if you are asked to transfer to a different chat platform.
Some online chat rooms have a visual contact facility so if you are looking for a person to chat with and allow a relationship to form – be guarded on what you say and do.
Relationships are quick to develop. End any that you are not comfortable with – stay in control of what you do.
If you make a mistake, you have doubts or you need support or advice – contact the Police or a support agency immediately.
REMEMBER – what goes on the internet stays on the internet – forever.
What to do if you’re a victim of sextortion
Do NOT panic. You have already taken the first big step by recognising you are the ‘victim’ in this and that you may require support to help you through this difficult time. The Police will take your case seriously, will deal with it in confidence, and you will not be judged
Do NOT pay. Although some victims who have paid what the offenders have demanded and hear no more about it, many others who have paid have then continued to receive further and often increasing demands. In some cases, even when the demands have been met the offenders will still go on to post the videos or images anyway
Do NOT communicate further with the offenders. Obtain screen shots of any communication, preserve evidence. Make a note of all details provided by the offenders, for example; the Skype name (particularly the Skype ID), the Facebook URL; the Western Union or MoneyGram Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN); any photos/videos that were sent, etc. Be aware that the scammer’s Skype name is different to their Skype ID, and it’s the ID details that police will need. To get that, right click on their profile, select ‘View Profile’ and then look for the name shown in blue rather than the one above it in black. It’ll be next to the word ’Skype’ and will have no spaces in it.
Deactivate your social media account and use the online reporting process to report the matter to the platform to have any video blocked and to set up an alert in case the video resurfaces. Deactivating the Facebook account rather than shutting it down will ensure data is preserved and will assist law enforcement in obtaining evidence. The account can also be reactivated at any time ensuring online memories are not lost forever
Report the matter to the Police and your online service provider. If the blackmail is occurring through a social network, also alert the administrator.
Remember that you’re the victim of organised criminals – you’re not alone and confidential support is available. You can get through this.
Further help and support
If this has happened to you and you’re under 18 please talk to an adult that you trust. It may feel like there is no way out, but there are professionals who can help you. Whether you are a concerned Parent, a worried friend or a child or young person who has been affected by online sexual abuse you can report your concerns to CEOP.
If you have already reported your concern to your local statutory service, including children’s social services or the police, you do not need to make a report to CEOP. Further information available HERE.
Additional information, help and support available from:
PAPYRUS provides confidential advice and support and works to prevent young suicide in the UK.
Samaritans to talk any time you like in your own way and off the record
A leading charity has raised concerns over an apparent Scottish Government u-turn which sees unpaid carers now no longer included in the “first-wave” of COVID-19 vaccinations.
The concern has been raised by Kindred, an advocacy organisation supporting parents of children with complex needs, which has warned of the impact on these children if their parents contract the virus and are unable to provide care.
The charity had made the vaccine call in a letter to Health Cabinet Secretary, Jeane Freeman MSP, on 11th November on the back of a report it published highlighting the “devastating” impact of the pandemic lockdown on families of children with exceptional health needs.
On 4th December, it all became clear in a “Vaccine stakeholder note” from the Scottish Government Directorate for Mental Health and Social Care that “carers and their families are not included in the prioritisation list.”
Director of the charity, Sophie Pilgrim, has written to the Cabinet Secretary on the back of this apparent u-turn on her earlier commitment (letter available on request), noting:
“At this time of national crisis, it seems we are prepared to ignore the plight of our most vulnerable children. These children, with shorter lives, have lost out on therapy, education and social opportunities. Their parents, on whom they are totally dependent, are exhausted to the point of burnout.
“In Scotland, we pride ourselves in aspiring to be the ‘best country in the world for children to grow up’. We should dare to be different and stand up for our children who are most in need. I urge you to include unpaid carers amongst the first to receive the vaccine.”
The repeated call comes on the back of a survey undertaken of the parents of children with complex health needs.1
The results show that:
93 percent of these families experienced an impact on their ability to meet their children’s medical and care needs due to the pandemic; 63 percent said that the impact of the pandemic on their ability to provide care was ‘big’ or ‘severe’.
Two out of every three parents who took part in the survey said sleep deprivation was one of the main factors that impacted their ability to care for their children. It was the norm for these parents to get an average of five hours of broken sleep per night. Kindred has called for an urgent need to investigate the provision of overnight respite care across Scotland.
Over a third of parents received no respite care before the pandemic and this dropped to 60 per cent after the start of the pandemic. This highlights the importance of schools in supporting parents and giving them a break from caring. Almost all the children attended special school with access to therapy, and the expertise of Additional Support for Learning staff. There is no doubt that schools are preventing crisis and family breakdown where a child has high care needs.
Sophie Pilgrim, Director of Kindred, commented: “This apparent u-turn by the Scottish Government is deeply devastating news for the families of children with complex needs and life limiting conditions.
“At this time of national crisis, it seems we are prepared to ignore the plight of our most vulnerable children. These children, with shorter lives, have lost out on therapy, education and social opportunities. Their parents, on whom they are totally dependent, are exhausted to the point of burnout and simply cannot afford to get sick.
“In Scotland, we pride ourselves in aspiring to be the ‘best country in the world for children to grow up’. We should dare to be different and stand up for our children who are most in need.”
Alex Davey, from East Lothian, is fulltime carer to her six-year-old son, Benjamin, who has complex medical needs including tube-feeding, epilepsy and overnight ventilation.
“My key concern as Benjamin’s mother is that my husband and myself contract Covid-19, rendering us incapable of meeting his complex care needs, potentially for a long period of time.
“Early access to the vaccine is therefore imperative to ensure that families like ours can be sure that they can continue to care for their child.
“One can therefore only imagine our joy when we heard that unpaid carers would be among the first wave to receive the vaccine. We cheered, we celebrated, we called each other up and cried tears of pure relief. We were no longer overlooked.
“In fact, we are not just overlooked, we were cruelly misled and our hopes were built up, only to be dashed.
“We cannot understand why the Scottish Government has reneged on its commitment and we would urge it to do the honourable thing and honour the original commitment made.”
