Spicy food fans can now buy a range of curry kits that come with a health warning – as they contain some of the world’s hottest chillies, including the fiery Carolina Reaper.
Spice kit brand Spicentice.com have developed three new curry kits that could be the hottest available in the UK.
The Carolina Reaper pepper is the hottest in the world, measuring at a staggering 2.2 million Scoville units. To compare, jalapenos are around 8,000 Scoville units.
Spicentice’s Carolina Reaper Curry contains 4g of the pepper, making up 17% of the kit. The chilli has been finely ground into the spice kit to add a real sting and long-lasting burn that hot food fans will love.
Naga ‘Ghost’ chillies also deal a spicy blow as they measure 750,000 Scoville units.
The tamest curry in the bunch is the Vindaloo, made with Habanero chillies that sit at 350,000 on the Scoville scale. Habaneros are the most common chillies used in hot curries.
The fiery trio can be purchased individually or as a set for £12 – the perfect gift for curry lovers and spicy food fans.
Each kit contains a step-by-step recipe card and shopping list, allowing customers to serve up four portions per packet.
Ketan Varu, co-founder of Spicentice.com said: “We’ve been tinkering with these kits for a while now, trying to get the balance of flavour and heat just right, and we think we’ve finally cracked it.
“Whilst most of our kits appeal to the masses and honour a variety of family favourites, this new range has been developed with the real hot heads in mind.
“Most supermarket curries and kits are around 20,000-30,000 Scoville units, so the Carolina Reaper Curry is off the thermometer scale. Even the Phaal and Vindaloo contain peppers that are as much as 37 times hotter!
“The gift set will make the perfect present for spice fans. If they think they can handle a spicy curry, they need to have a go at making these!”
The curry kits use 100% natural ingredients and are suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
Each kit contains a step-by-step recipe card and shopping list, allowing you to cook up the curries which will serve four people.
Arusha Gallery proudly opens the doors to a new online store, presenting a bespoke and exclusive curated selection of publications, limited edition prints and art objects for purchase.
The new online store reflects the continued development of Arusha Gallery since opening its main premises in Edinburgh’s New Town in 2013.
The acclaimed contemporary art gallery runs an annual programme of exhibitions, events and fairs, both nationally and internationally, with regular collaborations with guest artists, curators, festivals and institutions.
Offered in addition to work presented physically in the main gallery, the new online store provides audiences the opportunity to own exclusive and limited-edition items from a range of acclaimed artists represented by the gallery, alongside an exciting number of contemporary makers and designers. By no means simply an extension of the physical gallery, the online platform allows both artists and the curators to share a wider breadth of work, indeed some of their own favourite pieces.
Featured artists and makers will rotate throughout the year, those included in the opening offer include; a limited-edition Charlotte Keates Monograph ahead of her 2021 solo show, A Constant Hum which is available to pre-order for 2021 – with the limited edition including first ever hand finished print.
A striking series of gouache on Yupo paper works by Edinburgh based painter Jacob Littlejohn, each work reflecting the artist’s remarkable eye for composition and a surety of concept.
An exclusive range of candlesticks and candelabras, each one unique and hand-built by Blue Firth at Dohm Ceramics, the Nottingham based studio whose design practice works with brands and collectives whose focus is on intuitive design, sustainability and care.
Painter and printmaker, Plum Cloutman has created a series of etchings on watercolour paper, each featuring the sharp and deliberate lines the artist uses to differentiate pools of soft colour characteristics of the scenes she paints. The online store also features a small number of limited editions, lavishly illustrated publications which accompanied shows (Linger Awhile, 2018 and Beasts, 2020) at Arusha Gallery by one of Scotland’s most distinctive artists, Helen Flockhart.
Agnieszka Prendota, Creative Director at Arusha Gallery said: “We are delighted to announce the launch of the Arusha Gallery online store and hope that our customers and clients enjoy browsing through it as much as we enjoyed curating it.
“Home to an eclectic mix of publications, objet d’art and limited edition prints, the store is not simply an extension of the gallery proper, but rather a new platform from which we can shine a spotlight on a further selection of makers, artists and art forms.”
Eighteen students at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have been awarded a bursary of up to £1,000 to help them continue with their studies.
The Going Further Bursary scheme, which was set up by the SRUC Trust in 2013, recognises students’ achievements and their future potential.
Students’ learning journeys and life experiences – including ill-health prior to or while at SRUC, registered carer status or being care experienced – are also considered.
Out of the 50 who applied, 18 students studying a range of courses at SRUC’s six campuses across Scotland were awarded a bursary this year to support them at a transitional stage of their learning.
Among the bursary winners was Anthony Boyce, 39, from Kilmarnock, who graduated with an HNC in Countryside and Environmental Management from the Riverside campus in Ayr this year and is now doing an HND. He was awarded £1,000 split over two payments.
Anthony, a keen fisherman who has a congenital deformity of his right arm and hand, said: “It makes being a student that little bit easier, as it will go towards bills like paying for broadband which enables me to access classes and study material.
“I chose to continue my studies with SRUC because the course offers a wide range of subjects which increase my knowledge and skill sets.
“I would like to work for SEPA, or work in an aquatic environment role, as I have previous experience in Fishery Management.”
Alana Docherty, 25, from Glasgow, who gained an HNC in Animal Care from SRUC’s Oatridge campus in West Lothian and has now progressed to studying for a BSc in Applied Animal Science at the King’s Buildings campus in Edinburgh, was also awarded £1,000.
Alana, who is a carer for her mother, said: “I decided to see if I would be lucky enough to be offered a bursary, and I was which I am really happy about. It means a lot to me as it will help me progress further in my studies.”
Jack Ferguson, 20, from Penicuik, was awarded £1,000 to help him continue with his Applied Animal Science degree at the King’s Buildings campus.
Jack, who was raised by his paternal grandmother, said: “This bursary primarily allows me to buy books or equipment for my laptop which I use a lot for my classes and at home for studying.
“It also gives me a sense of freedom, as growing up I never had much. It helps me realise I am my own person and if I need or want something for my studies, I don’t need to worry about asking. It doesn’t just help me financially, but also emotionally.”
Aldi has teamed up with three renowned Scottish chefs to inspire people to try an exceptional range of Scotch Galloway Beef joints this Christmas.
Tender and full of flavour, Galloway beef is rarely available in supermarkets and Aldi’s trio of joints offer incredible value for money.
Aldi’s Scotch Galloway Beef Sirloin Joint (£14.99 per kg), Scotch Galloway Beef Rump Joint (£8.99 per kg), and Scotch Galloway Beef Joint wrapped in Ayrshire bacon (950g, £10.99) will make the perfect centrepiece for your festive meal.
The supermarket has partnered with chefs from across Scotland to show customers how to re-create restaurant quality festive feasts using each of the joints from the comfort of their own home.
Each joint will be showcased in three video recipe guides created by renowned chefs Chris Walker, owner of the Selkirk Arms Hotel in Kirkcudbright, 2019 Masterchef finalist, Jilly McCord, and Craig Wilson, owner of Eat on the Green in Aberdeenshire, that will premiere on Aldi Scotland’s Facebook page this weekend.
Based in Dumfries & Galloway – the home of the Galloway breed – chef Chris Walker has developed a recipe using the Scotch Galloway Beef Sirloin Joint, which he serves with a hazelnut, mushroom and mustard crust and a mushroom and Port wine jus.
He commented:“Galloway Beef is the ancient native breed of my local area, so it was very exciting to be asked to help promote these fantastic quality Scotch Galloway Beef joints.
“One of the things that makes Galloway Beef stand out is its depth of flavour and tenderness. So I’ve developed a recipe that locks all those juices and flavour inside the joint, coating it in a stuffing-style crust that creates a mellow, festive accompaniment to the dish.
“Galloway has a reputation for being one of Scotland’s best kept secrets, and the beautiful flavour of Galloway Beef is also a hidden gem. I’m delighted that we can now share that local secret with the rest of Scotland, in the hope that everyone will appreciate the texture, the taste and the very special nature of Galloway Beef this Christmas.”
Travelling north, Masterchef finalist Jilly McCord has created a winter warming dish with the flavours of a classic Boeuf Bourguignon paired with the delicious Scotch Galloway Beef Joint wrapped in Ayrshire bacon – a real Auld Alliance. Served whole and beautifully pink in the middle, this dish is enjoyed with creamy mashed potatoes and lashings of the beautifully rich sauce.
Finally, the trio is rounded off with Aberdeenshire’s Craig Wilson, aka The Kilted Chef. Craig has developed a recipe using Aldi’s Scotch Galloway Beef Rump Joint, which he roasts with rapeseed oil, fresh thyme, sea salt, cracked black pepper and Orkney Brewery’s Clootie Dumpling Ale (or any Innes & Gunn beer) for a scrumptious festive centre piece.
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland said:“We’re thrilled to be able to offer our customers these three fantastic cuts of one of the finest types of beef Scotland has to offer at our everyday amazing prices.
“Scotch Galloway Beef is of the highest quality and enjoyed in restaurants around the world, and we wanted to show our customers exactly how some of Scotland’s top chefs would cook it this Christmas.
“Chris, Jilly and Craig have created three deliciously indulgent recipes that our customers can easily follow at home using quality produce stocked in our 96 Scottish stores.”
Aldi is the biggest retailer of Scottish origin beef* and regularly tops NFU Scotland’s ‘shelf watch’ surveys, which means customers are guaranteed to find the highest quality, locally sourced meat all year round at Aldi stores in Scotland.
Dorothy Goldie, Breed Secretary of Galloway Cattle Society, said: “By championing the Galloway breed over Christmas Aldi is providing people with an opportunity to experience the rich flavour of one of Scotland’s oldest and most environmentally sustainable native breeds.
“We are absolutely delighted to be working with Aldi and Scotbeef, and we’re looking forward to knowing that Galloway Beef will be the centrepiece of festive dinners across Scotland.”
The Scotch Galloway Beef Sirloin Joint, Scotch Galloway Beef Rump Joint and Scotch Galloway Beef Joint wrapped in Ayrshire bacon, which was recently commended at the Christmas Quality Food Awards 2020, will be available from Aldi stores in Scotland from 19th December.
In a small bowl, mix together crushed hazelnuts, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic, French mustard and olive oil to make a paste, add finely chopped mushrooms and blitz in a blender
In a large oven-proof skillet, sear the beef joint in a dry pan over high heat until golden all over. This does several things; it adds colour and flavour to the outside of the meat by crisping it up. Secondly it helps seal in the moisture.
Let it cool slightly and cover evenly all over with crust mixture using French mustard as a base to allow the crust to stick to the joint. Transfer back to the skillet. Leave whilst you prep the potatoes
PREP THE ROAST POTATOES – 10 MINUTES
Peel 1kg Maris Piper potatoes and cut each into 4 even-sized pieces if they are medium size, 2-3 if smaller (5cm pieces).
Drop the potatoes into a large pan and pour in enough water to barely cover them.
Add salt, then wait for the water to boil. As soon as the water reaches a full rolling boil, lower the heat, put your timer on and simmer the potatoes uncovered, reasonably vigorously, for 2 mins.
Meanwhile, put 100g duck or goose fat or 100ml olive oil into a roasting tray and place in the oven at 180
Drain the potatoes in a colander then shake back and forth a few times to fluff up the outsides.
Sprinkle with 2 tsp flour and give another shake or two so they are evenly and thinly coated.
BEEF & BLANCHED POTATOES INTO THE OVEN FOR ROASTING – 1 HR 10 MINS
Carefully put the Galloway Beef joint into a roasting tray and Bake in a 325°F (180°C) oven for 40 minutes covered in tin foil and then a further 10 minutes without the tin foil to crisp up the crust.
Roast the potatoes for 15 mins, then take them out of the oven and turn them over.
Roast for another 15 mins and turn them over again. Put them back in the oven for another 10-20 mins, or however long it takes to get them really crisp and golden. The colouring will be uneven, which is what you want.
Remove the beef joint from heat and transfer the roast to a cutting board cover with foil for at least 20 minutes while you make the sauce.
MAKE THE SAUCE – 15 MINUTES
Heat 20g butter over medium high heat with any pan juices, add the 100ml of port and reduce, add the button mushrooms and cook until softened and starting to colour, about 5 minutes then add 500ml of beef stock.
Add a bay leaf and let sauce reduce and thicken slightly, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Thicken with cornflour if needed. Leave in a saucepan until ready to serve
PREP THE CARROTS – 15 MINUTES
Peel the carrots and remove both ends. Slice the carrots diagonally into 2-inch-long batons or carrot sticks. Just remember to use the same cut for all the carrots, and keep them to about the same size so they cook evenly
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
Add the carrots and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots start to soften, about 5 minutes
Stir in the orange juice and maple syrup. Cook until the liquid reduces to a glaze, about 15 minutes, while stirring occasionally to coat all the carrots.
Taste and season carrots with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Serve immediately.
PREP THE CABBAGE – 5 MINUTES
Remove all the tough outer leaves from the cabbage.
Cut the cabbage into four, remove the stalk and then cut each quarter into fine shreds, working across the grain.
Put 2 or 3 tablespoons of water into a wide saucepan, together with the butter and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, add the cabbage and toss over a high heat, then cover the saucepan and cook for a few minutes.
Toss again and add some salt, freshly ground pepper and the knob of butter.
BRING THE WHOLE DISH TOGETHER & PLATE – 5 MINUTES
Re heat your saucepan of gravy
Carve the Beef and plate
Add your roast potatoes, cabbage and carrots and ladle the gravy on top and serve immediately.
Pot Roast Beef a la Bourguignon with creamy mashed potatoes
by Jilly McCord
This is a great warming dish with the flavours of the French classic Boeuf Bourguignon paired with delicious Scottish Beef – a real Auld Alliance. The joint of Galloway Beef will remain whole and beautifully pink in the middle. Slice and serve with creamy mashed potatoes and lashings of the beautiful rich sauce. Add some green beans on the side for a bit of colour.
For the Pot Roasted Beef
Prep time – 15 minutes
Total cooking time (including resting) – 1hour 15minutes
Take a large cast iron pan and heat the oil until very hot. Sear the beef joint – browning on all sides. Remove from the pan and keep aside.
Now sauté the finely chopped onion and celery until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for around a minute before adding the tomato puree and herbs. Cook gently in the pan for 2 minutes, then up the heat and add the red wine and de-glaze the pan. Simmer the wine and reduce by around a third. The add the beef stock dissolved in around 500ml of water. Place the lid on the sauce and cook in the oven for around 30 minutes. At the same time, place the potatoes in the oven to bake.
Now chop the streaky bacon into lardons, peel the shallots and wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth to ensure they are clean. Take a frying pan and heat to a high temperature. Fry the bacon until the fat has rendered and it is becoming quite crispy. Add the shallots and the mushrooms to the pan and colour on all sides.
Remove the sauce from the oven and place the beef roasting joint and the fried shallot mixture around the side of the casserole. The liquid should come around half of the way up the roasting joint. Remove the lid from the cast iron dish and place back in the oven to cook the meat. This should, take around 45 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 55C for medium. Once the beef is cooked, remove the joint from the sauce and wrap in foil to rest for around 15 minutes (keep the sauce warm on the hob or in the oven).
Creamy Mashed Potatoes
Total cooking time – 1hour 15mins
1 kg Maris Piper potatoes
150g butter
150ml warm milk
Bake the potatoes in the oven for an hour until very soft. Scoop out the flesh and put through a potato ricer or mash with a masher until smooth. Place the mash in a pan and gradually add the butter and warm milk, whisking all the time until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
To Serve
Once the beef has rested, slice the whole joint into thin slices and place on top of the sauce. Finish with a little chopped parsley and serve with the creamy mashed potatoes and some green vegetables. I chose fine French green beans which are also available in Aldi stores.
Boozy beer beef with honey and chilli glazed root vegetables
by Craig Wilson, Eat on the Green
Ingredients:
300ml The Orkney Brewery Clootie Dumpling Ale (or any Innes & Gunn beer)
1 Galloway rump of beef
300 ml Beef stock (using Aldi Beef Stock melts)
5g Fresh thyme
1 clove of fresh garlic
3 tbsp Aldi Scottish rapeseed oil
600g Rainbow carrots
400g Parsnips
1 Red onion
1 Fresh chilli
1tsp Chilli flakes
1 tbsp Honey
Good grind of cracked black pepper
15g sea salt
Method
Get a large roasting tray, place the beef in the tray.
Crush the garlic and place in a bowl with the rapeseed oil, fresh thyme, sea salt, cracked black pepper and 3 tbsp of the beer. Mix together then rub all over the beef joint.
Place into the oven at 220 degrees Celsius fan for 15 mins
For the vegetables, roughly chop the parsnips, red onion and carrots.
Once the meat takes on a good colour, remove from the oven and scatter the vegetables around the meat, add the beef stock and the rest of the beer into the tray.
Cover with foil, reduce the heat of the oven to 200 degrees fan and put beef back in for around 1 hour.
Once ready, take out of the oven, remove the foil and take the vegetables out and put into another tray. Add the honey, the fresh chilli and the chilli flakes then put back into the oven at 200deg fan for 15 minutes.
Wrap the beef in foil and place onto a board and leave to rest. Pour the juices from the tray into a pan and reduce by 50% on a high heat, for a delicious, flavoursome gravy.
Carve the beef and serve with the vegetables, to finish pour over the lovely, flavoursome gravy.
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) have published their their 2019 – 2020 Annual Report. This report is the final annual report of our 2017-2020 strategy and sets out our achievements against our four strategic outcomes.
SSSC Chief Executive, Lorraine Gray said: ‘This year has seen a focus on concluding the final Register parts, support workers in care at home and housing support. We now have 216,000 entries on our Register. We continue to work hard to improve our customer’s experience to serve our expanded Register by developing our online registration platform MySSSC.
‘Our achievements in 2019-20 in support of a safe and skilled workforce include publishing revised Standards in Social Work Education and piloting new approaches to a supported year for newly qualified social workers. These will improve the learning experience of the workforce and protect the people who use social services. We also laid the foundation for the final part of the registration phase which would see all groups set out in legislation registered by 30 September 2020.
‘Although this report is for our work in 2019-2020, we can’t help but reflect on the impact of COVID-19 on this sector and the people they care for and support. The pandemic has highlighted the passion and dedication of people working across social care, social work and early years and also concerns with the way our society values both the work that they do and the people they support. We await the outcome of the review of adult social care in the new year and will continue to work with our partners across the UK to influence the discussions on the future for this sector.
‘Our staff worked tirelessly throughout the year to make sure that people who use services can count on skilled and safe people to provide support and care. As an organisation our business transformation continued throughout 2019-2020 and allowed us to immediately offer the same service to our registrants from our kitchen tables and spare rooms the minute we went into lockdown in March.’
Highlights from our 2019-2020 Annual Report:
In December 2019 we reached the milestone for our final group, support workers in care at home and housing support services to submit their applications for registration. During 2019-2020 the number of registrations and renewals granted increased in line with our forecast, with 77,507 applications registered, and 13,219 renewals processed.
We continue to focus on the learning and development of the social service workforce. During 2019-2020 we assessed 678 qualifications for registration. Our Open Badges web platform continues to be a success with 5,342 Open Badges awarded during 2019-2020 compared with 4,000 in 2018-2019.
We received 4,122 fitness to practise referrals in 2019-2020 compared to 3,617 the previous year. This increase reflects the rapid expansion to the Register over the period. We launched a dedicated case management system to manage fitness to practise referrals. We recruited more staff to our intake and engagement team and designed new processes to complete preliminary investigations before opening a case, allowing us to close 1,848 concerns at the screening stage.
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion and Education at Heart Research UK
TIPS FOR A HEALTHIER CHRISTMAS
Christmas is a time when we can be tempted to overindulge, but it is possible to enjoy the festive period without it impacting on our health and waistline. Wherever you are spending Christmas this year, we can help you make it a healthy and happy one.
Don’t let food become the main focus this Christmas. Instead of spending days in the kitchen baking cakes, biscuits and puddings, why not invest your time in preparing fun games to play on Christmas day, decorating the house, getting in touch with people who are spending Christmas alone or planning a Christmas Day walk.
Instead of buying gifts that are high in calories, such as chocolates, jams, sweets, biscuits and alcohol, choose non-edible gifts instead. How about buying the kids things that will get them active, such as a football, skipping rope, skateboard, bike, hula hoop or trampoline.
It can be difficult to avoid the consumerism that has taken over Christmas and you can easily buy too much food and drink for the festive season. Having too much can encourage overindulgence and lead to unnecessary waste. Try to be realistic about how much people will eat and drink and avoid overdoing it when you are shopping and cooking. This will also help you to save on your shopping bill!
Watch your alcohol consumption at Christmas. It is fine to enjoy a drink, but try not to have too much. Alcoholic drinks can be high in calories, which can lead to weight-gain. During the Christmas period, it can be tempting to start drinking earlier in the day, which can result in you drinking more. Try to plan in advance how much you will drink and try to stay off the alcohol until later in the day. You can get support with your drinking by visiting the Drinkaware website: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/tools/self-assessment
Try not to spend too long sitting in front of the TV this Christmas. Wrap up warm and head out for a brisk walk to burn off some calories and get your heart rate up. Why not get out in the fresh air with any new outdoor gifts, such as a football, frisbee or bike.
Look after your mental health this Christmas. Christmas can be a time of stress, anxiety and loneliness for many people. This year, people may struggle more with mental health problems due to the pandemic. Mind provides information and support for people experiencing mental health issues https://www.mind.org.uk/
National Express will be running extra coach services on its UK-wide network in the run up to Christmas to ensure people can get home safely during the festive season (18 December 2020 – 4 January 2021).
The UK’s largest coach operator will be increasing the frequency of over 35 routes, introducing 13 new direct services and adding more locations to its timetable – starting from 18 December and running every day, including Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Supported by the Department for Transport, they will initially be doubling the mileage of the network, making nearly 250,000 seats available over the festive period*; and will further increase the number in response to demand – all with covid-secure measures in place.
Tickets are on sale now with more availability being released as soon as possible. Customers are being advised to plan their journey and book in advance as demand has been strong.
Chris Hardy, managing director of National Express Coach: “Trains won’t be running on Christmas Day and there are limited services on others, plus the planned engineering works on the railways.
“We’re happy to step up to help the UK public get home safely this Christmas, when it’s more important than ever.
“This is also good news for the network of local coach companies who operate services on our behalf, at the end of what has been a challenging year.”
Increased frequency routes:
Bristol<>London
South Coast<>Heathrow
Manchester <>London
Birmingham<>Manchester
East Mids<>Heathrow
Sheffield <>London
Cardiff<>London
Bath<>London
Halifax <>London
Birmingham<>London
Aberystwyth<>London
Leeds <>London
London<>Dover
North-West<>London
Thanet<>London
Brighton<>London
Leicester<>London
Birmingham<>Heathrow
Southampton<>London
Gloucester<>London
Birmingham<>Bradford
Bournemouth<>London
Nottingham<>London
South Wales<>Heathrow
Bristol<>Birmingham
Yorkshire<>London
Liverpool<>London
Coventry<>London
Norwich <>London
Birmingham<>Nottingham
Nottingham<>Bradford
Plymouth <>London
Swansea <>London
Birmingham<>Leicester
Portsmouth<>London
North Devon<>London
Haverford West<>London
New direct services:
Tyneside<>London
Teeside<>London
Hull<>London
Edinburgh<>London
Glasgow<>London
London<>York (via Leeds)
South Wales<>Birmingham
Cambridge<>London
Birmingham<>Hull
Cornwall<>London
Leeds<>Manchester
Leed<>Manchester<>Liverpool
East Mids<>West Yorkshire
New locations on festive timetable:
Hull
Peterborough
Cambridge
Chester
Sunderland
Newquay
Penzance
Falmouth
Lincoln
Swindon
Weston-super-Mare
Truro
All National Express coaches have significant covid-secure measures in place including enhanced cleaning, reduced capacity, wearing of face coverings, temperature screening and additional air conditioning filters.
Anyone who has tested positive for Covid-19 so is unable to travel, can request a full refund or amend their ticket. Passengers who no longer wish to or are unable to travel as planned will also be eligible for a free ticket amendment*.
Fort Kinnaird has installed a giant giving box to help give back to those most impacted by the pandemic in the local community.
Located outside Tony Macaroni, visitors can use contactless payment to easily donate £3, £5 or £10 to Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids Mission Christmas campaign. The giving box will flash in response and say a special thank you following any donation it receives.
Cash for Kids Mission Christmas supports underprivileged children in Edinburgh, from birth right up to the age of 18, by ensuring they wake up to a gift on Christmas morning.
The campaign is a lifeline to families living in poverty, for who Christmas is a luxury they just can’t afford. While it won’t change their circumstances, it helps to make Christmas Day feel that little more special in a year that has been especially hard for them.
Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said:“This festive season, it seems only right to focus on supporting the people and charities who are going above and beyond to help the people most in need in our community.
“We’ve designed the Giving Box to allow our shoppers to choose the amount they want to donate and have used a contactless payment option to ensure our customers feel as safe as possible. We hope our customers will enjoy reversing the role of Santa and giving back to this amazing initiative that helps make a real difference to children and families across Edinburgh and the Lothians.”
The centre has also launched a competition to reward someone who has gone out of their way to support the local community this year with £250 to spend on themselves at Fort Kinnaird as a small ‘thank you’ for all their hard work.
Victoria Hendry, Charity Manager of Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids Mission, said: “We’re absolutely delighted that Fort Kinnaird have selected Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids as their charity partner this Christmas. The Giving Box is a fantastic, innovative way of fundraising and we are thrilled to be involved.
“Our Mission Christmas campaign sees thousands of applications for disadvantaged children living across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife & Falkirk. At this time of year we appreciate the support from corporates and local businesses but this year more so than ever as we face the challenges of Covid. We thank the colleagues at British Land and Fort Kinnaird for their on-going support and look forward to seeing how successful the Giving Box is this winter.”
Throughout December Fort Kinnaird’s core opening hours will be from 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm on Saturday, and 10am – 6pm on Sunday. Many retailers will be offering extended opening hours which can be viewed on individual shop’s websites. Free parking is available as usual and shoppers are being encouraged to visit outside of peak times if they can.
Artisan Real Estate commits to further investment in the Capital with homes designed for ‘Post-Covid Living’
‘Ambitious’ proposals for 126 new energy-efficient homes on the site of a former care home in Corstorphine have been given the go ahead by the City of Edinburgh Council.
Artisan Real Estate’s Rowanbank Gardens site brings together a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments on the site of the former Gylemuir Care Home, overlooking Gyle Park, close to the main A8 access route into the city. The development has been heralded as a blueprint for post-Covid living, bringing together smart energy-efficient design geared to achieving low to zero carbon ratings whilst responding to the rapidly changing requirements of home buyers and the wider community following lockdown.
Apartments have been designed around an internal courtyard garden filled with fruit trees and communal planting and growing beds, as well as a children’s play park, a natural woodland area and formal lawns.
The homes are designed for open-plan living with most having easy access to a private courtyard or large balcony overlooking the gardens, while innovations such as green roofs ensure benefits of surface water retention, improved insulation and ecology.
Welcoming the planning approval, Artisan’s Regional Sales Team Leader, Christie Turner, said: “This is part of a £90 million investment commitment to raise the standards of sustainable living at prime city centre brownfield sites across Edinburgh.
“Rowanbank Gardens is a significant planning application providing much-needed new homes in a popular and accessible part of the city. The site is ideally located between a large public open space and a major retail park, with superb transport links in and out of the city.
“At its heart is a sustainable design which reflects the demands of modern life, with buildings designed to minimise carbon footprint and maximise daylight. Significant emphasis is placed on the quality of internal space and light to create enjoyable home-working environments, whilst accessible gardens and landscaping promote health and well-being by making nature and well-designed outdoor space integral to the day-to-day living experience.
“The site fits in well with Artisan’s approach of regenerating brownfield sites with good public transport links and is well set to meet the Council’s stated requirement for well designed, high density living whilst providing spacious communal areas and well-established public transport links ensuring low car ownership. There are also all-electric charging points for the provided car parking, City Car Club membership and generous secure cycle parking.”
She added: “The planning application follows a period of consultation with local people and community groups earlier this year, and we received a lot of feedback which we incorporated into our final proposal.
“There has been strong interest in the development from Corstorphine residents, many of whom wanted to downsize and stay in the area and from families looking for more space. We are now looking forward to getting on site and progressing with the development, continuing with our ongoing investment to get the city living again following lockdown.”
Artisan is perhaps best known in Scotland for large-scale urban regeneration projects like the award-winning New Waverley at the heart of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town.
Its Queen Elizabeth House office development, now a flagship UK Government hub, was recently awarded the Innovation Award at the 2020 British Council Offices Awards, recognising the building design which includes a variety of low-energy techniques.
The developer is now applying the same values, resource and design philosophy to its residential developments which is quickly setting it apart from other major homebuilders in Scotland.
Other city projects include Canonmills Garden comprising 180 luxury apartments and colony properties overlooking the Water of Leith in Canonmills, to the north of the city centre, with the first phase dues for completion in spring 2021.
On behalf of the City of Edinburgh, I extend my heartfelt and warm wishes this Christmas to the citizens of Edinburgh.
Christmas is traditionally an occasion for getting together with friends, family and loved ones and celebrating. This year we have to do this in different ways – either in our “Christmas bubbles” or by fully embracing technology that will allow us to be together even when we can’t gather in person.
Undoubtably, it is disappointing that we’ll be missing out on many of our customs this year, but there are still many things to be thankful for – our family and friends, our NHS, those who work tirelessly to keep us safe and provide vital services and, of course, science and vaccines.
It has been an unsettling and uncertain time for us all and I send my deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones this year, and my best wishes to all who are currently fighting the virus.
We know the coronavirus pandemic has had far-reaching consequences beyond the spread of the disease and efforts to quarantine it. As we prepare to enter a new year, please know that the Council remains focussed on how we respond to the ongoing pandemic. We’re doing everything we can to keep services running and residents informed and supported. We will continue to explore further ways to support businesses as we hopefully see a return to normal.
Like other cities and towns across the world this has been an incredibly difficult year for Edinburgh. The pandemic brought with it widespread, unexpected and sudden change which affected every resident. We’ve faced dark days, but we’ve faced them together, as one city. I’d like to thank every household and business across Edinburgh for following the rules. Let’s keep going and keep the case numbers down.
As Lord Provost, I’ve always been proud to represent our diverse and vibrant city. I’ve never been prouder than this year. The pandemic has brought out the very best in our community. This city has adapted and come together in our battle to beat the virus. In my role I have had the privilege of meeting (mostly virtually) many exceptional people as well as organisations who have worked tirelessly to support residents who have been disadvantaged and vulnerable throughout the pandemic.
On behalf of the city I would like to acknowledge and thank the outstanding commitment and care demonstrated by our NHS and emergency services, by all those working in schools caring for our children and their futures, by Council staff who ensure our services are maintained, and by all those reaching out to help the vulnerable members of our community.
As 2020 comes to a close and the roll out of the vaccine has begun, we can look more positively towards 2021. But please don’t stop, please keep following the guidance: wear face coverings, avoid crowded places, clean your hands regularly, keep a two-metre distance and self-isolate and book a test if you have symptoms.
All my best wishes for a merry Christmas and a happier new year.
