Forth 1 and Forth 2 presenter, Cat Harvey, is joined by inspirational Scottish women this International Women’s Day (Monday 8th March), to discuss their successes, challenges and aspirations.
The women, including Judy Murray, sports presenter Eilidh Barbour and woman’s rights campaigner Talat Yaqoob, each at the top of their chosen field, all share personal experiences of breaking through the glass ceiling and stories of their own accomplishments.
The interviews, conducted by breakfast presenter Cat Harvey, one of Scotland’s top female radio talents, will be played out on Forth 1 and Forth 2 and across the Hits Radio and Greatest Hits Networks on Monday, interspersed with a playlist that will be all female artists, all day (Forth 1, 6am to midnight), including the likes of Beyonce, Amy MacDonald, Lizzo, Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Adele and Pink.
Scottish business and beauty mogul, Jamie Genevieve, shares her story on Forth 1. She discusses the ‘cookie cutter’ image of women in business and how she discovered the power of being herself and the success this has brought her.
Eilidh Barbour and Cat discuss the success of women’s football in recent years and Eilidh speaks about how she has made her own voice heard amongst her male colleagues’, while Talat Yaqoob discusses the challenges women still face in trying to break into certain industries.
Cat Harvey, presenter of Ewen & Cat At Breakfast on Forth 2, said: “It was extremely empowering speaking to these amazing women across a variety of professions about their achievements and their journey to get to where they are now.
“It’s so important that we continue to have these conversations. We have made progress in the past few years for gender equality, but it is essential that we keep pushing and challenging the status quo, and I’m proud to a play a part in making sure women’s voices are being heard.”
Listen to all the interviews as they are aired across Forth 1 and Forth 2 on International Women’s Day on Monday the 8th of March.
Keep up with all the latest news, sport, biggest hits, greatest hits on Forth 1 and Forth 2 on FM / AM, on DAB radio, online, via the Radio Forth app and on your Smart Speaker.
Full list of interviewees: Eilidh Barbour, Judy Murray, Talat Yaqoob, Dr. Punam Krishan, Dr Marie Macklin CBE, Dr. Katy Stewart (Forth 2 only) and Jamie Genevieve (Forth 1 only).
Forth 1 and Hits Radio Network Scotland will run the interviews at 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm and 11pm. Forth 2 and Greatest Hit Network Scotland will run the features at 7am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm.
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK
It’s never too late in the year to think about setting some personal targets. Research indicates that the first key step to making positive changes to our lifestyle is setting a goal.
With this in mind, here are some of the things you may consider when setting a target to improve your heart health:
Be Clear About What You Want to Achieve
Detailed, specific goals that use some sort of framework such as SMART can help us to set correspondingly clear actions on how to achieve our goal. Try and avoid goals which include statements such as ‘do your best’ and rather opt for an objective measure to assess your performance against such as ‘score above 80%’.
Be Like Goldilocks
We know that setting goals that are either too challenging or too easy will reduce your likelihood of success. Goals need to be ‘just right’ by offering a level of challenge whilst also being realistic.
Break It Down
Try to include regular check-ins to assess your progress and adjust your goal if necessary. For example, if you are looking to lose weight, you may schedule a monthly weigh-in.
Write It Down
It can be useful to commit to your goal with a pencil and paper. Interestingly, those who sign a ‘contract’ of commitment to their goal will typically improve their chances of goal achievement; this could be a post-it note on the fridge or a handwritten pledge that you keep on your desk.
Share It
Research also indicates that sharing our goal with someone else can improve accountability, and thus increase our likelihood of success.
For more tips on how to improve your heart health, visit the ‘Healthy Tips’ page on our website.
128 schools across 32 local authorities in Scotland have joined the virtual Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tours since the start of lockdown last year, with educational video content viewed over 100,000 times.
The ‘Connected’: Space tour recently hosted five days of ‘out-of-this-world’ virtual events, telling the stories of space adventures through science fact and fiction.
The digital events took place online from Monday 22 February to Friday 26 February, with schools from Aberdeen, Argyll & Bute, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, Moray, Scottish Borders, South Ayrshire and West Lothian signed up for events, reaching over 750 pupils.
The events are available to watch on demand via Scottish Book Trust’s website.
The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is supported by Scottish Friendly and organised by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing.
For over 20 years the tour has visited schools the length and breadth of the UK, bringing the world’s best authors directly in front of children in classrooms. Since covid-19 the tour has adapted to the restrictions and changing landscape and has gone fully digital to continue vital work in supporting children, reaching around 8,000 P1-S3 pupils.
Fun, educational video content and live events for home learning and in the classroom have to-date reached an audience of over 100,000 through the Scottish Book Trust social media, Home Activities Hub and On Demand library.
Carol Ann Neil, teacher at Bridge of Allan Primary School said:“Having the opportunity to engage with the Space Explorers event reignited the children’s enthusiasm for reading as individuals and as a class team to share stories during the pandemic.”
The Connected: Space tour featured a diverse mix of book events, including: illustrator and graphic designer Matt Carr, creator of Rocketmole; author and astronomer Dr Sheila Kanani and author Libby Jackson, one of the UK’s foremost space experts and author of book Space Explorers.
P5-7 pupils had the opportunity to meet Dr Alastair Bruce, Dynamic Earth’s very own resident Astronomer. Joined by Alastair Chisholm, author of Orion Lost, pupils took the role of captain and decided the fate of their own space mission.
The previous tour, Connected: Polar, is now available to watch via Scottish Book Trust’s On Demand library hub. Events include Sarah Airreiss and British Antarctic Survey, live from the Antarctic and Shackleton’s Journey with William Grill and RRS Discovery, Dundee.
The next virtual Connected tour: Continents, will take place from Monday 22 March – Friday 25 March.
Pupils will have the chance to join events and meet authors live from different parts of the world including Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North and South America.
From celebrating different cultures and languages, to exploring about mythology and magic to drawing manga, the Connected: Continents, tour is jam-packed with fun events for all the family. Schools can find out more and sign up via Scottish Book Trust’s website. Events will be available to watch later via Scottish Book Trust’s On Demand Library.
Kevin Brown, Head of PR at Scottish Friendly, said:“As soon as the pandemic hit and schools were closed, our number one priority was to provide educational and exciting content to help children, teachers and parents with engaging video content that can be viewed either via live social media streams or at a time of their choosing.”
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said:“Scottish Book Trust is delighted to bring the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour virtually into classrooms and homes across Scotland.
“Since the pandemic started a year ago, it has been more important than ever to provide young people with engaging and exciting content.
“The Connected tours aim to transport pupils to new worlds through author events, offering opportunities to spark their creativity and imagination. The feedback from schools and families has been fantastic, and our On Demand library allows anyone to watch the tour, at any time, and no matter their location.”
Scotland’s vaccination programme has now delivered second doses of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine to more than half of care home residents.
In total, 17,258 care home residents (58% of residents in older adult care homes and 54% of residents in all care homes) have received the second dose which offers longer lasting protection.
Supplies of vaccines were specifically deployed in order that second doses could be delivered on time to these cohorts, who are among those at greatest risk from coronavirus (COVID-19).
For the population as a whole 1,743,869 have received their first dose, and 114,081 have been given their second dose. Invitations are now being issued to all groups in phase one of the roll-out and subject to supply, the programme remains on track to offer first doses to all over 50 year olds, unpaid carers and those with particular underlying health conditions by the middle of April.
Heath Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “I am pleased to see that more than half of care home residents have received their second doses, giving them longer lasting protection.
“I want to thank all those who have taken up their offer of a vaccination – the high take up in these settings has contributed to a reduction in outbreaks of the virus in care homes.
“Alongside other protections in place, vaccination has also helped to enable the resumption of indoor visiting, reuniting families with their loved ones.
“Scotland’s COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to deliver at pace, which is down to the enormous efforts of our vaccination teams and I want to thank everyone who is working tirelessly to make this a success.
“The vaccination programme is one of three key ways we are working to beat this virus, along with our expanded testing programme to identify cases and break chains of transmission and the important lockdown restrictions everyone in Scotland must follow. All these measures work to greatest effect when they work together.”
Marking International Women’s Day 2021 curators from Museums & Galleries Edinburgh have taken the opportunity to shine a spotlight on a selection of fascinating women from Edinburgh’s past.
Running from 8th – 12th March the series profiles five pioneering women whose lives are reflected in the city’s history collections.
They include; Ella Morrison Millar (1869-1959) (above) Edinburgh’s first female Town Councillor chosen by chosen by History Curator, Victoria Garrington, Nannie (Agnes Henderson) Brown (1866 -1943), a prominent Edinburgh-born suffragist chosen by History Curator, Anna MacQuarrie; Lileen Hardy (1872-1947) who opened the St. Saviour’s Child Garden in 1906 in the Canongate chosen by Museum of Childhood Curator, Lyn Stevens; Helen Monro Turner (1901-1977) who founded the studio glass department at Edinburgh College of Art chosen by Applied Art Curator, Helen Edwards; and Ena Thomson (1907-1989) who served as an Air Raid Warden in Edinburgh’s Air Raid Precaution corps, or ARP during WWII chosen by Collections Care Officer, Gwen Thomas.
The story of each woman is explored and showcased using linked objects from the collection which include: a studio portrait of Nannie Brown, a pair of Ella Morrison Miller’s gold leather purchased from Edinburgh’s well-known department store Darlings in the 1930’s and WWII ARP identification papers for Ena Thomson.
These objects and many others have been unearthed as part of the ongoing Auld Reekie Retold inventory project which is working to connect Edinburgh’s people to its collections.
From the 8th March, the curators will reveal full details of each woman’s story alongside the items from the collection which connects their own unique history, providing compelling insight into our city’s history from just a few of the women who helped shape the Edinburgh we know today.
The series – which is introduced by Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, Vice Convenor of Culture & Communities – will be shared online via the Museums & Galleries Edinburgh social media channels and website between 8th-12th March.
The series is accompanied by a fascinating programme of free digital lectures and family events including:
Scots Women who Chose to Challenge with Jackie Sangster. a Learning Manager at Historic Environment Scotland,
Aunts: In Fact & Fiction with Ruthanne Baxter, Museums Manager and Prescribe Culture Lead at the University of Edinburgh,
An (Almost) A to Z of Modern Scottish Women Artists with Alice Strang, Senior Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Galleries of Scotland.
Look Outside, a family craft event inspired by the work of artist Kate Downie. and
Votes for Women – The Keystone to Liberty, a digital performance from Edinburgh Living History.
Commenting on the series, Councillor McNeese-Mechan said: “It is fascinating to learn about how our collections both preserve and mirror the work of women in Edinburgh’s civic and cultural life.
“This series shines a light on five women who made significant contributions to our city’s history but who sadly are far from well known.
“I hope the stories of these wonderful women will inspire you and I look forward to more discoveries from the Auld Reekie Retold project.”
Helen Edwards, Applied Art Curator with Museums & Galleries Edinburgh, said: “Working on the Auld Reekie Retold project has given us the opportunity to research some of the hidden histories behind our collections.
“It’s been fascinating looking into some of the stories of the pioneering women from Edinburgh, and International Women’s day is a real chance to get their stories out to a wider audience and let their voices be heard.”
Police are looking for ‘the person you least suspect’ after linking two attacks on young women in the South West of Edinburgh over five years ago.
On Thursday, 27 August, 2015, a 19-year-old woman got off a bus in Lanark Road West shortly after midnight.
A man approached her in the Newmills Road area and claimed he had a knife. He then led her to a nearby field, where she was raped.
Just over three weeks before on Wednesday, 5 August, 2015, a 21-year-old woman was grabbed from behind and sexually assaulted in Craiglockhart Quadrant.
She got off a bus in Colinton Road shortly before the attack around 10.30pm. The man responsible had not been on either bus.
DNA advancements have enabled investigators to establish that both attacks were carried out by the same person. Police have a full DNA profile for the man responsible but need the public’s help to find him.
Detectives are asking people to think back to August, 2015. At that time, Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe was taking place. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s theme was East Meets West and marked the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
Detective Inspector Jon Pleasance of Edinburgh Police Division said: “We believe we’re looking for the person you’d least suspect; someone whose community wouldn’t think is responsible for such horrific offences.
“We’re asking everyone, please think back to the summer of 2015. Was there someone in your life – a friend, family member or colleague – acting different? Was their behaviour around this time at all unusual for them?
“Don’t dismiss your concerns, no matter how small they seem. We have a full DNA profile of the person responsible and so can quickly and completely rule people out. Help us find who did this.”
Those with information can contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0770 of 1 March, 2021, or pass tips anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The Scottish Liberal Democrat spring conference has today backed a package of proposals to “fix overwhelmed mental health services for good”.
As part of the party’s call to put recovery first, the seven-point plan will:
Increase the number of training places for psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, especially those specialising in CAMHS;
Add counsellors to NHS workforce planning so their skills can help more people;
Expand the trained counselling workforce through new bursaries and training routes to widen access;
Fully resource mental health services through a target for them to receive 15% of future health spend increases;
Make every health service contact count through enhanced signposting to existing counsellors and third sector resources;
Provide new community services that young people can access with their families;
Restart and ramp up mental health first aid training with a new aspiration that every workplace should benefit.
Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: “It’s time for Scotland to put the recovery first and fix our overwhelmed mental health services for good.
“That means increasing the number of training places for psychiatrists and psychologists. We need to dramatically expand the number of counsellors and get the health service to help them tackle mental health problems in communities, schools and workplaces.
“The Scottish Government’s mental health strategy was years late and short on ambition. Even before the pandemic struck we had a record number of children waiting over a year for help.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats have consistently championed our national mental health. Already this year our research has shown the toll it is taking. We’ve led Parliament in declaring a crisis and secured £120 million more for services next year. But it needs the full weight of our proposals and a government that will put recovery first to fix this for good.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat mental health spokesperson Rebecca Bell said: “This election is about putting the recovery first and that can only happen if we put both physical health and mental health at the core of the recovery.
“Far too often mental health services are reliant on third sector provision with only a short- term funding commitment from the government. Meanwhile the Scottish Government cancelled training for mental health first-aiders during the pandemic despite similar courses continuing to run elsewhere in the UK.
“These first-aiders can make all the difference, for example, someone to talk to at work when they start feeling unwell, before problems get worse. At the same time 1 in 8 specialist positions in child and adolescent mental health are unfilled, with young people in long queues waiting for treatment whilst they and their families are desperate for help.
“It’s time for a radical change. Scotland needs this realistic investment in order to achieve the long-term solutions we require to emerge from this crisis. You shouldn’t have to wait years for mental health support, any more than you should for cancer or a broken leg.
“These proposals from Scottish Liberal Democrats demonstrate our commitment to making Scotland a mental health world leader.”
Asked to depict a scientist, too many children draw a white man with ‘mad professor’ hair. Former primary school teacher ABBY HARPER of education resource experts PlanBee says why not show them that science and technology has always been the domain of brilliant, creative women?
10 women trailblazers in science
Mary Anning: geology rocks
Anning was a palaeontologist and a fossil collector. She was born in 1799 in Lyme Regis, Dorset. She collected fossils with her father. When he died, Mary sold them to help her mother pay off debts.
Among the fossils Anning discovered were:
● A 5.2 meter-long skeleton of an Ichthyosaur, the first to be found.
● A Plesiosaurus skeleton initially considered too good to be genuine.
An interesting fact about Mary Anning
Even though she found lots of fossils and was an expert in the subject, she was often not credited with her finds. Women were not allowed to be members of the Geological Society of London until 1904, 57 years after she died.
Anning is now starting to get the recognition she deserves: a statue of her is to be erected in Lyme Regis after a successful campaign by 13-year-old local teenager Evie Swire, and a film about the life of Anning, ‘Ammonite’, starring Kate Winslet, is due out later this year.
Ada Lovelace: switched-on programmer
The daughter of poet Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke, Lovelace was born in 1815 in London. She became interested in Charles Babbage’s machines, which were designed to calculate mathematical tables mechanically, removing the errors that can appear when calculations are done by humans. Although Babbage’s machines were never built, Lovelace’s notes are an important part of early computer programs.
An interesting fact about Ada Lovelace
She has a computer programming language named after her: Ada.
Marie Curie: prized Nobel laureate
Marie Curie was a Polish-born physicist and chemist. She is well known for working with her husband Pierre as they discovered the radioactive elements Polonium and Radium. In 1903 Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize for her involvement in research on radiation. In 1911, she became the first person to win a second Nobel Prize, this time for her work towards the discovery of Polonium and Radium.
It is believed she died from the effects of long-term radiation exposure.
An interesting fact about Marie Curie
One of Curie’s daughters, Irène Joliot-Curie, also won a joint Nobel Prize in Chemistry with her husband – for their discovery of artificial radioactivity.
Rosalind Franklin: DNA discoverer
Franklin was an English chemist whose work was essential to understand the complex structure of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the molecule in the cells of all living things that contains the genetic code. The code can determine things like skin, hair and eye colour as well as other traits which we inherit from our parents.
Franklin took the first X-ray picture showing that the DNA molecule was shaped like a double helix. This photo was used by other scientists to discover the structure of DNA, without clearly naming her as a contributor.
The work that led to the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1962 – but the award went three men, and Franklin’s work went unacknowledged.
An interesting fact about Rosalind Franklin
Australian astronomer John Broughton discovered an asteroid and named it ‘9241 Rosfraklin’ in tribute to Franklin.
Jane Goodall: primate pioneer
Born in London, Dame Jane Goodall is considered the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees and is best known for her life-long study of chimpanzees and their social interactions in Tanzania.
Through hours and hours of careful watching, sketching and note-taking, Goodall was one of the first to observe a chimpanzee using tools to fish termites from their mounds. She was also one of the first to observe chimpanzees hunting for meat and gnawing on animal bones, debunking the theory that chimps were herbivores.
An interesting fact about Jane Goodall
Instead of numbering the chimpanzees as was the custom at the time, Goodall named the chimps. David Greybeard was one of the first she named. Others included Gigi, Mr McGregor, Goliath, Flo and Frodo who eventually kicked Goodall out of the troop when he became the leader.
Mae C. Jemison: out of this world
Mae Carol Jemison became the first black woman to travel into space in 1992.
Born in the US, Jemison graduated from university with a degree in chemical engineering before earning her medical degree. Jemison was part of the 1992 STS-47 mission during which she orbited the Earth 127 times! She was in space for almost 200 hours during which she conducted experiments on the effects of weightlessness on herself and the crew.
An interesting fact about Mae C. Jemison
Jemison is a huge Star Trek fan. Whilst she was in space, she would often open communications by saying “Hailing frequencies open” which is a quote from the show. She even appeared on an episode of Star Trek in 1993.
Maggie Aderin-Pocock: star quality
Maggie Aderin-Pocock was born in north London in 1968. She is a space scientist and has a passion for sharing and educating both adults and children about space and other areas of science.
She co-presents “The Sky at Night” as well as appearing on many children’s TV shows too!
An interesting fact about Maggie Aderin-Pocock
Aderin-Pocock was diagnosed with dyslexia at age eight. She struggled at school but was passionate about science.
Mary Somerville: astronomical achiever
Somerville was a Scottish scientist who studied mathematics and astronomy. She was jointly admitted as the first female member of the Royal Astronomical Society. Her work focused on the sun’s radiation effects on Earth’s substances and many have agreed that her later works and books lead to the discovery of the planet Neptune.
She was passionate about supporting women in education and fighting for their civil rights. At one point she was Ada Lovelace’s tutor and friend.
An interesting fact about Mary Somerville
She features on the new Scottish £10 note.
Sarah Gilbert: Covid vaccine hero
Sarah Gilbert is a British vaccinologist and professor of vaccinology at Oxford University. She specialises in the development of flu vaccines and has been working on new ways to create vaccines for over 10 years. During the 2020 COVID19 pandemic, she co-developed a much-needed vaccine with the Oxford Vaccine Group.
An interesting fact about Sarah Gilbert
Gilbert would often work from very early in the morning (4am) to late at night.
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson: medical marvel
Elizabeth Garret Anderson was the first woman in Britain to qualify as a physician and a surgeon. Born in London, Garret was initially taught by her mother, as there was no school nearby. When she was sent to boarding school at age 13, Garrett was upset by the lack of science and mathematics at her all-girl boarding school.
It is said that Garrett was inspired by an entry in the English Woman’s Journal which talked about the first female doctor in the US, Elisabeth Blackwell. This spurred Garret into meeting with Blackwell and opening up the path to medical careers for women
Through private study, Anderson obtained a certificate in anatomy and physiology. She finally obtained her licence to practise medicine in 1865.
An interesting fact about Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Garrett was not allowed to work in a hospital, so in 1865 she opened her own practice in London.
New 1% NHS pay offer is “a real terms pay cut” and “hammer blow to morale”, says union body
All key workers deserve a decent pay rise, says TUC
The TUC has released new analysis which shows how major groups of NHS workers will be much worse off in real terms in 2021-22 than in 2010.
The analysis shows that following the government’s decision to offer NHS staff a pay rise of just 1% in 2021-22, nurses’ pay will be down as much as £2,500 in real terms compared to a decade ago.
The picture is bleak for many other NHS staff too:
Porters’ pay will be down by up to £850
Maternity care assistants’ pay will be down by up to £2,100
Paramedics’ pay will be down by up to £3,330
Real terms pay loss since 2010
Occupation
Pay 2010
Pay 2010 in 20-21 prices (CPI)
Agenda for change 2020-21 pay
Pay 2021-22 (1% proposed increase)
Real terms pay loss 2010-2021
Porters
£16,753
£20,383
£19,337
£19,530
-£852
Medical secretaries
£18,577
£22,602
£21,142
£21,353
-£1,249
Nursery Nurse
£21,798
£26,521
£24,157
£24,399
-£2,122
Maternity Care Assistants
Speech and Language Therapy Assistants
Team coordinators
Nurses
£27,534
£33,500
£30,615
£30,921
-£2,579
Community nurses
Radiographer Specialist
£34,189
£41,597
£37,890
£38,269
-£3,328
Paramedic
Source: TUC analysis of NHS Agenda for Change Pay scales
The TUC analysis also reveals that NHS workers across many occupations and pay bands will suffer a real-terms pay cut in 2021-22.
For example, an experienced nurse or midwife (NHS band 5) will a face an annual real-terms pay cut of up to £153 in 2021-22 as a result of the planned 1% increase.
Unions have described the latest pay offer to NHS workers as an insult to their hard work and dedication during the pandemic.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Our brilliant NHS workers have put their lives on their line to get Britain through this pandemic.
“It’s time we cared for them the way they have cared for us.
“That means giving them the decent pay rise they deserve – not a pathetic 1% increase. After years of real-terms pay cuts the government’s latest offer is a hammer blow to staff morale.
“This boils down to political choices. Ministers have chosen to spend hundreds of millions on outsourcing our failed test and trace system and on dodgy PPE contracts. But they have chosen not to find the money to give nurses, paramedics and other NHS workers fair pay.
“Boosting pay for NHS key workers will help our local businesses and high streets recover faster – because their customers will have more cash to spend. And that will help other workers get a pay rise too.”
BACKLASH
Four major unions – the BMA, the Royal College of Nursing, the Royal College of Midwives and UNISON – have written an open letter to the Chancellor, expressing their dismay at the 1% pay offer made to health workers.
In the letter they ask him to reconsider the recommendation, made to the NHS pay review bodies yesterday, that NHS staff receive a 1% pay rise.
The letter goes on to say: “The proposal of a 1% pay offer, not announced from the despatch box but smuggled out quietly in the days afterwards, fails the test of both honesty and fails to provide staff who have been on the very frontline of the pandemic the fair pay deal they need.
“Our members are the doctors, nurses, midwives, porters, healthcare assistants and more, already exhausted and distressed, who are also expected to go on caring for the millions of patients on waiting lists, coping with a huge backlog of treatment as well as caring for those with COVID-19.”
The unions make clear that the Government should demonstrate that it recognises the contribution of the hundreds of thousands of workers who have literally kept the country alive for the past year and call upon the Chancellor to, “make the right choice”.
With nine weeks to go until the Scottish Parliament Election, Edinburgh’s citizens are being urged to think about how they are going to vote.
People living in the capital will join voters across the country to elect MSPs to represent them at Holyrood on Thursday, 6 May.
While most people who registered to vote in the last UK Parliamentary General Election will still be eligible to take part in the Scottish Parliament Election in May, first time voters or anyone who has since moved house will need to make sure they are registered.
On polling day there will be additional hygiene and distancing measures at polling places to keep voters and staff safe. These include a fresh pencil for each voter, protective screens for polling staff, one-way systems in some venues and limits to the number of voters in polling places at any time.
If voters do not want to go to a polling place to vote they have the option of voting by post. Anyone can apply for a postal vote and this should be done as soon as possible.
Andrew Kerr, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council and Returning Officer for the Edinburgh constituencies and the Lothian Region, said: “We have experienced a real enthusiasm for taking part in the democratic process in this city over recent years and we want this to continue for the forthcoming Scottish Parliament Election.
“We’re encouraging people to think now about the way they vote and make sure they’re registered in plenty of time. Polling places will be safe places to vote but you may want to consider using a postal vote.
“More postal votes would help us reduce the impact of social distancing measures and any hesitancy among voters who don’t want to attend polling stations or risk queuing. We would also suggest you apply now to make sure the application can be processed in plenty of time.
“Anyone unsure about how to register, where to vote or how to vote by post can find more information on the Council website.”
Voters have a range of options for casting their ballot – in person, by post or by appointing someone they trust to vote in their place, known as a proxy vote. For those who choose to vote in person, polling stations will be following all public health guidance on 6 May.
The deadline to register to vote is midnight Monday 19 April, to apply for a postal vote the deadline is 5pm on Tuesday 6 April, and for a proxy vote the deadline is 5pm on Tuesday 27 April.
Find out more about voter registration and the election, including the safety measures we’re taking to ensure polling stations are safe and covid secure, on the Council’s website.
Those who were looking to vote in new local councillors will have to wait, though – the local government elections won’t be held until 5th May 2022.
