Day: May 24, 2021

Team PB: Ex-MP Tom Watson joins health programme with David Lloyd Clubs

  • David Lloyd Clubs kicks-off Team PB
  • Six-week post-lockdown recovery programme now live!
  • Former MP, author and trainee Personal Trainer Tom Watson included in the team

The UK’s leading health and fitness group David Lloyd Clubs, alongside psychologist Dr Jessamy Hibbard and nutritionist Jenna Hope, have launched Team PB – a six-week programme to motivate, encourage and support people to realise their health goals, specifically with the Coronavirus pandemic and its physical and mental effects in mind.

Six volunteers from across the country, including former leading politician, author and trainee Personal Trainer Tom Watson, will take part in the programme and will share their stories, challenges and achievements via David Lloyd Clubs Instagram channel, Facebook and  website.

Members of Team PB have all been significantly impacted by the pandemic in some way and are all dealing with various mental well-being, nutritional and physical challenges brought on by the crisis.

Meet the members: 

  • Tom, 54 from Bewdley, who over the last few years famously lost 7 stone and reversed his diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, hit a brick wall when it came to his health in the third lockdown.  He wants to get back to his health journey with the help of Team PB.
  • John, 41 from Manchester feels completely burnt out as a result of the pandemic and hopes that Team PB will help put him back on track to leading a healthy lifestyle so his physical and mental health can improve.
  • Eva, 59 from North London has found that the lockdowns had a huge impact on her activity levels and with a big birthday approaching wants to improve her physical wellbeing
  • Michelle, 32 from Southampton is a mother of three and had Covid in December 2020. She is still recovering and experiences a lot of post-exercise exhaustion despite being a healthy and fit person. She’s joined Team PB so she can reach her potential.
  •  Rachael, 44 from Derby has found she has struggled with anxiety over the past year and hope being part of Team PB will help her get back into exercising to improve her mental and physical health 
  • Jack, 27 from North London was an asymptomatic sufferer of COVID-19 during the early stages of the pandemic, and after finding it incredibly hard to breathe during exercise, gave up exercising altogether. With Team PB’s help, he wants to work towards building a stronger and healthier physique and growing my confidence. 

Expert support comes in the form of David Lloyd Clubs fitness trainers, plus Psychologist Dr Jessamy Hibbard and nutritionist Jenna Hope. 

Tom Watson, commenting on his inclusion in Team PB, said: “I have been on a life-changing health journey these last four years.  Learning about the importance of good physical and mental health and putting what I’ve learnt into practice has been quite literally life-saving for me.

“When the pandemic hit, like so many, I tried my best to keep active and keep positive and found exercise helped with this. I took regular runs with the DL Run Club and completed online classes at home. 

“By the time the country reached the third lockdown, I had hit a brick wall, and my health took a bit of a nosedive. I know this has been a common occurrence for so many – not having access to a gym and the motivation that comes with access to good facilities and trainers like those at David Lloyd Clubs has impacted my physical and mental health.   

“I’m delighted to be part of the David Lloyd Clubs Team PB project. I’ve already noticed a difference in working with Sophie Lammas, my trainer at the club in Bromsgrove, over these past couple of weeks and feel excited to be part of such a positive initiative. I hope that as a team, we can share our experiences to give others the confidence to reset their health journeys after the pandemic lockdown.”

Commenting on the role that diet plays in positive physical and mental wellbeing and her role as the Team PB nutritionist, Jenna Hope says: “It’s no secret that so many of us have struggled with our diet during lockdown, reaching for unhealthy snacks and drinks to combat feelings of boredom, anxiety and loneliness meaning we’ve piled on the pounds.

“The pandemic has highlighted the importance of optimising nutrition to support our wellbeing, but many don’t realise the significant link between nutrition and mental health as well.  I am looking forward to showing how an improve diet will boost the wellbeing of everyone, not just those affected by weight gain.” 

Taking a ‘360’ approach to health and fitness, the six-week programme will start with an assessment with Dr Jessamy and nutritionist Jenna Hope to understand how members have been affected by the pandemic, to understand what has been holding them back in the past and to identify any barriers or bad habits which will.

Alongside a session with one of David Lloyd Personal Trainers, an in-depth and tailored support package will be created. They will have three one to one PT sessions a week for six weeks with regular Zoom meetings with Dr Jessamy and Jenna Hope to ensure they are equipped with the tools and support to help create healthy life-long habits.

Dr Jessamy commented: “The mind and body are intimately connected and so the two should go hand in hand with any transformational fitness programme. 

“Exercise is great support for mental health, increasing self-esteem, energy levels and endorphins, improving body image, motivation, mental functioning and sleep, and boosting morale. Beating those ‘I can’t’ thoughts and seeing what your body is capable of is incredibly empowering.”

“The success of a programme such as this requires motivation, resilience and good habits applied consistently, so that will be our start point. I will give our team an individual psychological assessment so they can think about how best to approach this challenge and understand what has been holding them back and feel more empowered to tackle their issues head on. I can’t wait to see them develop in confidence as they start to see the results.”

Jenna Hope continued: “A nutrient rich diet is pivotal for supporting optimal physical and mental wellbeing and should be the start point for anyone starting a fitness programme. 

“But nutrition is a complex and very personal thing – what is right for me, may not be right for you, and without the right diet fueling your physical programme, you won’t achieve your best results.  I am delighted to be a part of David Lloyd’s Team PB; throughout the six weeks I’ll be providing bespoke nutrition and meal advice to help support the team to live the healthiest versions of themselves.”

Lucy Day, head of gym at David Lloyd Clubs comments: “The pandemic has really brought home to millions just how important health and wellbeing is. So many people have been negatively affected both physically and mentally, and we know that more people than ever will be wanting to invest in themselves and commit to being healthier and happier. 

“What sets our Team PB campaign apart, however, is it takes a truly ‘360’ approach to fitness and wellbeing, underpinned by expert psychological and nutritional support. It will identify any bad habits and motivational blockers, offering expert tailored advice throughout, which will give our team positive and sustainable results to improve their wellbeing for years to come. 

“We hope to change the lives of these members, ensuring that they become the very best versions of themselves and in turn inspire others to go on their own journeys to becoming healthier and happier.”           

For further information please visit https://www.davidlloyd.co.uk/news/team-pb .

You can also follow the members progress and find support and information to help you on your own health journey post pandemic by visiting: 

https://blog.davidlloyd.co.uk/.

Data science scholarships on offer to bright minds in Scotland

EXPLORE Data Science Academy (EDSA) is investing up to £250,000 in the strongest and highest achieving graduates in Scotland by offering as many as 40 free scholarships for its six- month online data science courses.

Applications are open now until the 6th June 2021.

EDSA is inviting top graduates that have excelled in their studies and consistently performed well academically to apply and expand their knowledge in Data Science. The EDSA has trained over 1000 young data scientists in South Africa since 2017 and has a graduate employment rate of over 90% at above average starting salaries.

Its courses were recently recognised by Amazon Web Services (AWS), which has partnered with EDSA to offer data science learning to young Africans. 

“We believe that our data science course formula, which includes self-study, team challenges, real world problem solving, and world class facilitators, can produce similar results in the UK,” said Shaun Dippnall, CEO of EDSA.

“The higher education system is not producing a sufficient number of work-ready graduates. Our courses are designed to ensure that our students, once graduated, have both the technical and practical skills needed in the workplace,” Dippnall adds.

On completion, the EDSA will assist graduates to find employment through its network.

Skills shortages

A recent survey found that 73% of UK firms believe they lack the talent to complete AI and data science initiatives. EXPLORE Data Science Academy is bridging that gap by offering a suite of comprehensive online courses including Data Science, Data Engineering, Data Analytics, and Business Intelligence, that deliver specialist training in a real-world environment.

Dippnall believes this is an ideal opportunity for highly talented Britons to top up their skills and embark on an exciting career in one of the most sought-after careers at no cost.

“As data becomes the currency of modern business, the race to become data-driven has seen organisations investing heavily in core analytics skills, but lack of support, funding and time available for upskilling are cited as current challenges within the UK data science community,” Dippnall says.

Real world problem solving

EDSA’s courses are practical and deal with real-world problems in business.  “The innovative design of our learning platforms and the passion of our scientist facilitators equip EXPLORE students to do great things.  Facilitators are experienced in tackling real-world problems and skilfully mentor learners throughout the programme,” he adds.

While the EXPLORE Data Science Academy is new to the UK, its consultancy division EXPLORE AI has been delivering artificial intelligence solutions for Britain’s largest water utility supplier, Thames Water, as part of a project to monitor the supply and demand on its network. There are more than 70 data scientists from EXPLORE AI working for Thames Water, many of which graduated from EDSA.

“The Thames Water success story validates EDSA’s decision to expand out of the South African context and take its place on the world stage. We are excited about our entry into the UK market and I encourage exceptional graduates to apply.   This could well be the gateway for 40 such candidates to embark on a thrilling and rewarding career – at no cost.  What have you got to lose?” concludes Dippnall.

Data Science Course details

Learners will gain an overview of Data Science and Machine Learning – the skills required to be a data scientist.  In the Fundamentals phase they learn how to clean, analyse and visualise data as well as how to effectively communicate the findings. During Machine Learning, students solve real-world problems by building regression, classification and unsupervised learning algorithms in Python. This involves data exploration insight building, improving and communicating models from a raw and unstructured dataset.

Topics Covered:

Data Science Fundamentals

  • SQL – Create and query a SQL database to extract valuable information
  • Python Programming – Create Python functions to process and analyse datasets
  • Visualisation – Building dynamic and interactive dashboards using Power BI

Machine Learning

  • Regression – Learn about linear regression, variable selection, feature engineering, regularisation, decision trees, parametric methods, ensemble methods and bootstrapping. Build regression models and test the results of forecasts.
  • Classification – Learn about logistic regression, natural language processing, decision trees, support vectors, neural networks, ensemble methods and hyperparameter tuning. Build and optimise classification models to improve the accuracy of predictions.
  • Unsupervised Learning – Learn to apply unsupervised techniques, clustering, dimensionality reduction and recommendation systems to gather insight and derive patterns from unstructured data

Have what it takes to be a data scientist?

To apply for a free slot in this world class data science course, applicants must go to https://explore-datascience.net/ and undertake an aptitude test to qualify for selection. 

The scholarship application window is open now until and the 6th June.

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCkwnPur7jA for more information about EDSA’s courses.

Unstopper your Bank Holiday with Buck & Birch’s bottled cocktails

Delicious hand-crafted cocktails, inspired by nature, delivered direct to your door 

Wild foragers, Buck & Birch, are bringing you the epitome in thirst-quenching treats this Bank Holiday weekend. 

With the pubs back in full-swing and the sun guaranteed to (well, fingers crossed!) make an appearance, you can be sure of one thing – no free seats to be had at your local. To avoid disappointment, we suggest you remove the queues, the lukewarm pints and the sticky tables and instead enjoy one of Buck & Birch’s bottled cocktails, delivered straight to your door.

Each hand-crafted drink is individually bottled and can be ordered online, giving customers a true taste of the wilderness from the comfort (and peace) of their back gardens.

Purchased individually for £8, with 2 servings per bottle, or bought as part of signature gift pack combining all three flavours for £24, there is surely a tempting tipple to tickle your tastebuds. For those ready to completely let go of the last year, there is also the option to purchase an ‘Adventurer Pack’ containing all five cocktails (£40).

All available to buy from their website www.aelderelixir.com  

To start us off, is the incredibly popular Thornstar Martini– a new wild twist on the classic Pornstar martini. The combination of Amarosa, woodruff vodka, hawthorn syrup and sea buckthorn results in a tasty tropical treat. The ingredients may all be from Scotland, but this little number will transport you straight to a Caribbean paradise.

Next up is the The Aelder Sour, known for its rich, dark and fruity flavours. The cocktail combines their award-winning elderberry liqueur and Aelder elixir, with whisky and citrus. Smooth as silk, casually complex and with a gentle whisky glow.

Then we have The Amarosa Old Fashioned which blends aromatic rose-hip rum liqueur with dark rum and wild bitters, creating a delicious twist on this classic cocktail. With hints of juicy green apple, honey, herbs and a spiced vanilla and molasses finish, this is the perfect end of evening drink.

And who could forget the almighty Espresso Martana? This cocktail packs a powerful punch. Sweet, smooth and indulgent, Ana liqueur is combined with the finest birch vodka and coffee resulting in a delightfully sweet espresso martini laced with notes of butter caramel and toasted nuts. 

Then there’s The Atkinson, which has been cleverly crafted from all things rowan. Bitter sweet notes of almond and vanilla combine beautifully with a touch of red currant sharpness for a cocktail perfect as a dessert substitute. Great served with an afternoon tea – the drinkable equivalent to a lovely slice of Battenberg.

Last but certainly not least, we have The Dandy Lion. Perhaps the most fitting for Bank Holiday with its beautifully light and refreshing taste. Dandelion wine, birch caramel vodka, and sweet dandelion jam are combined with apple juice and a touch of citrus for the perfect summer sipper – a drop of golden sunshine in a glass.

To view and purchase the full selection of their bottled cocktails, visit www.aelderelixir.com

Scottish electric car grant take-up slow but gaining ground

Scottish uptake for electric car home charging grants has fallen behind English regions, according to figures from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles.

The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme’s (EVHS) demand across Scotland amounted to 410 grants per 100,000 homes last year, lower than any rate in England barring London.

It was not all bad news though, with almost 3,000 Scottish electric vehicle owners taking advantage of the scheme in 2020, a 45% increase on 2019, and the highest number since the scheme was launched in 2014.

The EVHS provides 75% of the cost of installing electric vehicle charging devices at domestic properties.

Across the country, over 42,000 grants for home charging devices were made last year, worth nearly £17m, which was over a quarter of the value of grants made since EVHS started.

The figures are hot on the heels of last week’s news, showing new electric vehicle registrations rocketed in 2020, hitting 87% growth for alternative fuel vehicles. Total vehicle registrations dropped 27% during 2020, with diesel vehicles being particularly badly hit, down 51%.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in November that wholly powered petrol and diesel cars will no longer be sold in the UK from 2030 as part of the ‘green industrial revolution’ to tackle climate change.

Johnson says the government plans to ‘invest more than £2.8 billion in electric vehicles, lacing the land with charging points’.

Greg Wilson, Quotezone.co.uk’s Founder says: “Easy access to recharging points is crucial to meeting the government’s ambitious targets for electric vehicle use, but there is much work to do to meet these government plans. Research suggests that an investment of £16.7bn is needed on the public charging infrastructure alone – excluding local grid network updates.”

“While grant funding take-up for charging devices shot up last year, it will need to increase even more in order to ensure that more than two million new vehicles sold each year can access electric charging points as the 2030 deadline draws closer.”

“Scottish electric vehicle showrooms and car owners might be disappointed with the latest figures but we have to note local factors such as the region’s rural character, the proportion of tenancy properties and access to off-street parking could all affect the practicalities of going green.”  

Recommended by 97% of reviewers, Quotezone.co.uk helps around 3 million users every year, with over 400 insurance brands across 60 different products including electric car insurance.

AGM invite from Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

Dear Friend of Granton Castle Walled Garden,

We will be holding our AGM via Zoom on Wednesday 26th May from 5:30 – 6.30pm.

It is open to everyone who would like an update on the progress of the charity.

If you would like to attend, please email grantongarden@gmail.com and we will send you the Zoom link the day before. 

If you would like to have a say in what goes on and be able to vote, we would ask you to become a member, which is free and can be done by filling out the attached form (below) and returning it to us via email, post or in-person. 

Membership-Form-FGCWGDownload

We look forward to seeing you if you can make it!

All the best,

Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden 

Website grantoncastlewalledgarden.wordpress.com/ 

Postal Address:

Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden

c/o Social Bite Village, 23 West Shore Road

Edinburgh, EH5 1QB.

More than 300,000 Scottish adults have never had their eyes tested

  • More than 300,000 Scottish adults have never had their eyes tested
  • More than three quarters (78 per cent) of Scottish adults say their eye health is very important to them
  • Worryingly, a fifth (19 per cent) believe no diseases can be spotted during eye exams
  • Scottish adults are willing to pay more for the most advanced technology in their eye exams
  • Survey commissioned by Dunfermline-based retinal imaging tech experts, Optos

Thousands of adults (355,840[1]) in Scotland have never had their eyes tested by an optician – potentially putting their vision at risk.

The survey of Scottish adults was commissioned by retinal imaging technology experts, Optos. It revealed that more than three quarters (78 per cent) of people in Scotland considered their eye health as very important to them. In Edinburgh, this increased to more than 80 per cent while in Glasgow, this figure dropped to 74 per cent.

Despite caring about the health of their eyes, the pandemic had prevented two-fifths (40 per cent) from attending appointments. Half (50 per cent) of those surveyed said it was because they worried about how safe it was to attend, while 24 per cent said there were no appointments available and 15 per cent were shielding or self-isolating.

Gareth Steer, VP of European Sales at Optos said: “Over the past year, we’ve all been spending more time at home and in front of screens. From working at a laptop or sitting watching TV, there are increasing concerns around eye health and a rise in cases of eye strain.

“Sight loss prevention charity, Fight for Sight, recently found that more than a third[2] of people felt their eyesight had worsened since the start of the pandemic. 

“We want people across Scotland to know that opticians using advanced retinal imaging technology are able to carry out their appointments in a safe way and will be able to identify any potential problems early, reducing the risk of eye disease and protecting eyesight.”

Encouragingly, people in Scotland do see the value in having the best eye exam possible and value expert advice. More than two thirds (64 per cent) state that they want the reassurance that potential issues are found early.

Opticians were considered the number one authority on eye health. Almost three quarters (72 per cent) said that they always follow the advice of their optician, above GPs (57 per cent), nurses (40 per cent) and pharmacists (35 per cent).

Six in 10 (63 per cent) said they would pay more for an eye exam that uses more advanced imaging technology because their eye health is so important to them.

Despite this, more than half (54 per cent) do not realise signs of diabetes are visible in a retinal eye exam, 49 per cent do not realise certain cancers can be detected, while 19 per cent don’t believe any eye diseases can be found in a retinal eye exam at all.

Gareth Steer added: “Advanced imaging technology is proven to support opticians in spotting potential vision and life-altering issues early. This includes diabetes, certain cancers, high blood pressure and detached retinas.

“A big part of this is education. We need to be more aware of the importance of eye care and attending eye appointments, even if you don’t think you have any issues. Advanced retinal imaging technology means opticians can carry out a very detailed exam quickly and from a safe distance.

“At Optos, we’re doing all we can to help raise awareness around the benefits of regular eye care examinations. The survey clearly shows that eye health is very important to people across Scotland so it’s essential we all make our vision a priority and ensure we find problems and treat them early.”

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival is back!

The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival is back, from 25 May – 6 June.

This year’s hybrid Festival consists of a digital programme (available to watch 25 May-6 June) and a mostly outdoor programme presented over the Festival’s two weekends (29-30 May and 5-6 June). 

The Digital Programme includes a mixture of streamed performances which you can watch at any time during the Festival and innovative digital interactions presented live over Zoom (book now).

Family Encounters programme presents FREE innovative performances and activities mostly outdoor. 

Events will take place in the stunning Royal Botanic Garden (book now), as well as in site-specific venues (book now).

You can find out what to expect at this year’s Festival here.

TUC: Employers are “massively under-reporting” Covid deaths

  • Employers claim just 2.5% of working-age Covid deaths are from exposure to Coronavirus at work 
  • System for reporting workplace deaths and infections is “letting bad bosses off the hook”, says TUC 
  • Under-reporting has badly undermined health and safety regulation and enforcement during the pandemic 

The number of people who have died from exposure to Covid at work is being “massively under-reported” by employers, according to a new TUC report published yesterday (Sunday). 

The report highlights a huge discrepancy between Covid work-related deaths reported by employers and data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Public Health England. 

Between April 2020 and April 2021 the ONS reported that 15,263 people of working age died from Covid.  But according to reports filed by employers just 387 (2.5 per cent) of these deaths came from workers contracting Covid at work. 

The union body says this under-reporting has badly undermined health and safety regulation enforcement during the pandemic with employers less likely to face action from regulators for putting staff at risk. 

Under-reporting in at-risk sectors 

The TUC’s report shows that in sectors with high numbers of deaths during the pandemic –  like food production and transport – only a small fraction of deaths have been reported as work-related by employers. 

Figures from the ONS show that between March 2020 and December 2020 more than 600 people working in the transport sector died.  

But according to reports filed by employers (over the longer period of April 2020 to April 2021) just 10 deaths in the transport sector were work-related. 

And figures from the ONS show that 63 food production workers died between March 2020 and December 2020. 

But according to data supplied by employers (over the longer period of April 2020 to April 2021) just three of these deaths were the result of work. 

The TUC believes the true number of work-related deaths in these and other sectors are much higher, especially considering the high number of breaches of safety protocols we have seen during the pandemic and the high numbers of outbreaks.  

Reporting system “letting bad bosses off the hook” 

Employers are required by law to report deaths, injuries and illnesses that take place at work or in connection with work.   

This is done through a mechanism called RIDDOR (The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013) which logs work-related deaths, illnesses and injuries for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). 

But under the current reporting system employers are given “free rein” to decide whether a Covid-19 diagnosis is the result of occupational exposure or from exposure outside of work premises. 

The TUC says this loophole has led to employers not reporting the true scale of Covid work-related deaths and infections to the HSE, despite this information being vital to containing the spread of the virus. 

Enforcement crisis 

The TUC says that for the HSE to do its job effectively it must possess an accurate and up-to-date picture of where and when work-related deaths and infections are taking place. 

But during the pandemic it has only been provided with very partial information from employers.  

This has prevented the HSE from carrying out potentially urgent inspections and ensuring employers take the necessary action to keep workers and the public safe, says the report. 

TUC analysis shows that just 1 in 218 workplaces has been inspected by the HSE (between March 2020 and April 2021) and not one single employer has been prosecuted for putting staff at risk.  

The union body says this “crisis of regulation and enforcement” has allowed bad bosses to get away with flagrant labour rights abuses – adding that the pandemic has highlighted Britain’s enforcement system’s long-standing deficiencies. 

New approach needed to health and safety 

As well as calling for improvements in the way work-related delated deaths and infections are reported, the union body says government must reverse cuts to the HSE of the past decade, which it says left the country “under-prepared and vulnerable” to the pandemic.  

The last ten years has seen real term cuts of 50 per cent to the HSE budget, on top of local authority budgets being slashed.  

There has also been a dramatic decline in inspections. There were 27 per cent fewer HSE inspections carried out in the UK in 2019 than 2011, amounting to a fall of over 5,700 a year. 

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Everybody deserves to be safe at work. But this pandemic has exposed a crisis in health and safety regulation and enforcement. 

“Employers have massively under-reported Covid work-related deaths and infections. This has made it much harder for regulators to track where outbreaks are happening and allowed bad bosses to get away with flagrant labour rights abuses. 

“It’s staggering that not a single employer has been prosecuted for putting workers at risk of contracting Covid-19.  

“The government must fix the deficiencies in how workplace deaths, illnesses and injuries are reported. The current system is letting bosses off the hook. 

“And ministers must fund enforcement bodies properly so they can recruit and train qualified workplace inspectors, inspect more workplaces, and prosecute companies who don’t keep their workers safe.”

A copy of the report can be found at: https://www.tuc.org.uk/sites/default/files/2021-05/Underreporting%20of%20RIDDOR%20report%20-%20May%2021.pdf.