Barclay’s COVID-19 cash gives £250,000 boost to healthcare staff

After one of the most challenging years in memory, hard-pressed staff at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have been given a very special gift to round off 2021 … a much-needed spot of R&R!

Banking giant Barclays has donated £250,000 to the health board as part of its efforts to help people and communities most impacted by COVID-19, and the money is to be spent on our network of Staff Rest and Recuperation Hubs.

These much-loved spaces help those who work within NHSGGC to recharge and recover from the stresses of their job. They are places to chat to colleagues, eat, exercise or just out your feet up in peace and quiet.

In addition, each hub provides psychological support to help staff cope with the challenges of their job.

Anne MacPherson, Director of Human Resources and Organisational Development at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “We would like to thank Barclays for their generous donation, and we are delighted that it is being put to such good use.

“COVID-19 has touched every one of us in some way and our staff have been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic to support our patients and their loved ones, our colleagues and, ultimately, our local communities, so to be recognised in this way is very welcome.

“This donation will make a real difference to NHSGGC and our workforce, and it is a lovely way to round off such a challenging year.”

The donation came after NHSGGC was named as a charity partner for the bank’s £100 million Community Aid Package – a funding scheme to help those most in need in the UK, the Americans, Asia and Europe. In the UK the money will go towards meeting the needs of low-income families, those facing financial hardship, isolated elderly people, NHS staff and key workers.

Scott Stewart, Head of Barclays Scotland, said: “This crisis has had an unprecedented impact across the UK and we know this is an incredibly challenging time for many across Glasgow and surrounding area. By reaching those most in need of support, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has played a vital role in this crisis to date, and will continue do so.

“As a proud member of our community, and with a growing presence in Glasgow where we are investing in a new home for Barclays in Scotland, we are doing everything we can for our customers, clients and colleagues, and we hope that our partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde will allow many others to access the help they need as this crisis develops.”

  • The Barclays £100m COVID-19 Community Aid Package is supporting charities that are helping vulnerable people impacted by COVID-19, and the associated social and economic hardship caused by the crisis.
  • Alongside matching colleague donations and fundraising efforts, Barclays is partnering with a number of charities in the UK, Americas, Asia and Europe, delivering help where it is needed most.
  • You can find the latest list of charity partners here.

Edinburgh College New Year Plans

The College closed for the festive break on Friday 18 December and staff will return to working from home on Wednesday 6 January. During the festive break, all campuses will be closed and staff will be taking a well-deserved break.

Plans for January 2021

The Scottish Government announced that all of mainland Scotland will move into protection level 4 from Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December), initially for a three-week period. This is expected to remain in place until at least Monday 18 January 2021.

To best protect the Edinburgh College community, online classes are planned to resume during the week commencing Monday 11 January. It is important that nobody comes onto any of our campuses unless they are told to do so.

Students are encouraged to use Wednesday 6 – Friday 8 January to re-engage with our online learning platforms, access student support services, and prepare for the new term.

We will provide more information for staff and students on plans for the start of term in the new year. Please continue to check our channels for updates.

Staying safe during the festive period

It’s important that we all take extra care to mitigate the risk of transmission of COVID-19 over the festive period.

We must all follow the latest advice and guidance provided by the Scottish Government on keeping safe during this time.

Find out more information about protection level 4 rules.

Looking after our wellbeing during the festive period

We know that this time of year can be difficult for some, please remember that you can access support during the festive break.

The SilverCloud mental health and wellbeing platform is available to all staff and students and offers a wide-range of self-help programmes for people who may need support during this time. You can access it here.

Click here for a list of a list of external organisations you can contact for various levels of support during the festive period.

Staying informed

Please continue to check our College Communications channels including College emails, the MyEC app, Edinburgh College website and social media for the latest updates from the College – in case the situation changes. We may also contact you via your personal email or text message for any urgent updates.

Still time to apply for Walled Garden development officer post

Granton Castle Walled Garden Development Officer (one year)

N.B. REVISED CLOSING DATE 8/1/2021

Are you interested in working with local volunteers and community groups to help protect and develop a late medieval walled garden in North West Edinburgh?

The Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden are looking for a Development Officer to coordinate plans for work in the garden and in the community over the coming year, a time when we will all hope to see a different world emerging.

£15 ph for an average of 24hpw on a self-employed basis.

Under the oversight of the Trustees, duties would include:

Developing our website, communications and social media with regular updates and monthly newsletters;

Reorganising our database to update our contacts, volunteers, members/friends and associates while ensuring GDPR compliance;

Fundraising for our strategic plan including future funding for administrator, gardener, green gym, Victorian greenhouse re-build, workshops and events, utilities etc.;

Coordinating volunteers, special interest groups and working parties, especially for gardening, workshops and events;

Strengthening links with educational and community groups and increase participation of local residents;Updating policies: eg H & S, Safeguarding, Volunteer Induction;

Exploring feasibility of installation of electricity and water.

Hours of work will vary due to garden seasonality, events, workshops, meetings and when volunteers are available and will include some weekend working.

Formal qualifications are not essential, but experience of communicating and networking with Council and community groups, good MS Office and fund-raising skills and expertise in social media and database development, preferably within an historic, horticultural environment, required.

Interviews will be held in January 2021 to start in March 2021.

For more information please see https://www.facebook.com/GrantonCastleGarden/

If interested, apply with CV and names and email addresses of 2 referees to:

grantongarden@gmail.com

OR

Chair, Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden,

23 West Shore Road, Edinburgh, EH5 1QB.

CLOSING DATE: Friday, 8th January

Stolen motorbikes: Police appeal for information

Police Scotland is appealing for information after two motorbikes were stolen from Houston Industrial Estate in Livingston.

The bikes were stolen during break-ins to business units in Muir Place between 6pm and 6.30pm on Wednesday, 30 December, 2020.

Detective Constable Sam Plastow of Livingston CID said : “Two KTM 450 SX-F motorbikes were stolen worth a five figure sum. One motorbike is orange and grey with the lettering ‘LAURIS’ on the front and side. The second motorbike is orange with ‘METAL MULISHA’ and ‘ROCKSTAR ENERGY’ stickers on the front and side.

“It is believed that a white van may have been used to carry one of the motorbikes away from the business units and the other being pushed away.  

“Enquiries into this incident are currently ongoing. However, if anyone was in the area around the time of this incident and saw anything that may assist this investigation we are keen for them to get in contact as soon as possible.

“I would also urge anyone who has seen motorbikes matching the description or has noticed them being advertised for sale, or has any information about the location of the bikes to make us aware.

“Police Scotland can be contacted on 101 quoting incident 2772 of Wednesday, 30 December 2020, or anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Slight drop in COVID numbers

Scottish numbers: 2 January 2021

Summary

  • 2,137 new cases of COVID-19 reported yesterday (Satuday)
  • 21,451 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results – 10.8% of these were positive

During 1 to 4 January, daily updates will be published to provide the latest data on the number of new cases of COVID-19 and the test positivity rate. During this period (1 to 4 January) there will be no updates to the remaining statistics – you can access the latest available data in the sections below and in the trends excel file. Following the next holiday weekend, we will update on Tuesday 5 January – we will provide the latest daily data for that day and the previous 4 days.

Local area data

  • Public Health Scotland’s interactive dashboard now provides a map showing the number of cases in local areas, as well as trends for local authorities and NHS boards