St James Quarter has released a brand-new video taking viewers ‘Behind the Quarter’, with the team at Edinburgh’s game changing development exploring one of the most significant city centre transformations currently underway in the UK.
The video contains exclusive never-before-seen footage of inside St James Quarter, featuring a special behind the scenes sneak peek of the stunning shopping galleria which will host over 80 brands and an enticing mix of restaurant and bars.
The video dives into the history of the site and showcases what is to come for Edinburgh’s new retail-led district.
The first episode of the Behind the Quarter series features Martin Perry, Director of Development, Nick Peel, Managing Director and Rochelle Burgess, Marketing Director at St James Quarter.
“We spent really the first two years demolishing and then excavating down to the lowest level and then the next two and a half years building back up.” – Martin Perry
“When I look at the quality of the work, it is a cathedral in a world heritage site.” – Nick Peel
“We aren’t a shopping centre, we’re creating this new district.” – Rochelle Weir
The team discuss the St James Quarter journey so far – from concept to construction, details of the new brands opening next month, and share their thoughts on how the new lifestyle district is set to transform and enhance the city.
The STUC has called on the UK and Scottish Governments to condemn the action of the Israeli Government in occupied East Jerusalem, including forced relocation through the demolition of Palestinian homes in Sheikh Jarrah to create new settlements.
Pointing to the criticism of the actions from the United Nations, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “The whole world is watching events in Israel and Palestine. Most of the world is clear that the actions of the Israeli state are both wrong and a breach of human rights.
“It is time for our governments, and political leaders, to speak out. The historic Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank and its encouragement of illegal and often violent settler activity is a disgrace.
“We have an international duty both to our Palestinian trade union sisters and brothers, and to peace and justice more generally, to offer solidarity and campaign against the repressive actions of the Israeli state.”
Expert judges announce the winners of ten categories in first walking awards
A Fife charity worker who runs a walking group to help migrants boost their health, social life and spoken English has been named as the first-ever overall champion of the Scottish Walking Awards.
The panel of expert judges were wowed by Magdalena Augustyn-Lygas’ successful coordination of Sole Sisters community health walk project, run by Fife Migrants Forum.
Magdalena scooped the Community Walking Champion and Overall Champion titles, following more than 160 entries being submitted to ten categories earlier this spring.
Nominations included everything from businesses, councils, land managers and housing associations to the journalists, staff and local volunteers who are inspiring others to step out.
Lee Craigie, who is Scotland’s Active Nation Commissioner and chaired the judging panel, said: “Magdalena, and the wider Sole Sisters project, champion the impact that walking can have on health, social connection and wellbeing in all that they do.
“We were incredibly impressed by Magdalena’s focus on ensuring the benefits of walking reach a truly diverse audience, and keeping it going during the pandemic.”
The Sole Sisters project brings together women from the migrant and local community through walks in Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline, providing regular health walks and conversation cafes, enabling participants to make social connections and build confidence speaking English.
During the pandemic, Magdalena has worked tirelessly to keep the project going, organising online workshops and group activities wherever restrictions allowed. Recently, she has supported the Scottish Health Walk Network to translate Paths for All’s health walk advice into nine new languages to reach even more people across Scotland.
Magdalena (top, left) said: “I am delighted to win this award, for the work we have done through the Sole Sisters walking group.
“The project has been really important for reducing barriers to walking for migrant women, increasing cultural understanding and reducing isolation, and increasing physical and mental wellbeing.
“While it has been challenging to keep the work going during the pandemic, we are so pleased with what the project has been able to achieve. Sole Sisters is not only about walking, but also about building strong, lasting relationships within the community.”
As well as Overall Champion, ten other outstanding individuals, companies and projects were named as category winners for their efforts to support people to walk more:
Public Sector Walking Champion: #DGMilesforSmiles in Dumfries & Galloway. This walking project has received excellent community buy-in and built links with schools.
Business Walking Champion: Milngavie Business Improvement District in East Dunbartonshire. This project brought together business, council and community representatives to develop and promote walking throughout the town.
Walking Research / Innovation: Out There Award across Scotland. Ramblers Scotland’s free award helps 18 to 26-year-olds kick-start their journey into the outdoors, while learning skills, meeting friends and getting active.
Most Improved Walking Place: Auchmountain Glen Project in Inverclyde. This volunteer-led project delivered significant improvements for walkers, such as installing walkways while tackling antisocial behaviour to transform a former ‘no go area’ into a community asset.
Land Manager Walking Champion: Alcan Aluminium (UK) Ltd in Fife. The company has given significant support to communities to develop accessible routes near its lochs and land that encourage walking and wheeling.
Walking Champion in Education: Cara McBrearty, Active Schools Co-ordinator in North Lanarkshire. She has helped teenage girls get walking with her initial project at one school now rolled out to another ten schools,- with S6 girls trained to offer peer support as walk leaders.
Healthcare Professional Walking Champion: Dr. Katie Walter in the Highlands. She campaigns and advocates for improved walking across the Highlands and beyond, regularly engages politicians, fellow health professionals and press.
Social Housing Association Walking Champion: Cassiltoun Housing Association in Glasgow. The association has worked hard with its community to enhance the physical environment and encourage people to walk and use the greenspace.
Media / Online Walking Champion: Ross Cunningham in Fife. He has had great success using his Mountains Mend Minds social media platform to help people improve their mental health through hillwalking, in particular supporting men who can be reluctant to discuss such issues.
Craig McLaren, chair of the National Walking Strategy Delivery Forum, said: “The range of projects nominated for the first Scottish Walking Awards shows that there is fantastic work happening all over Scotland, with community projects at the heart of a movement to get people walking.
“Projects like these are vital for keeping our communities active and connected and we were so pleased to see so many worthwhile nominations and winners.”
The Scottish Walking Awards are organised by Paths for All, Ramblers Scotland, and Living Streets, in conjunction with the National Walking Strategy Delivery Forum.
The winners are announced as part of National Walking Month.
Nicola Sturgeon expected to announce lockdown easing in Scotland later today
Planned easements at Step 3 of the Roadmap to go ahead from 17 May in England
Infection rates and hospital admissions continue to decrease
Prime Minister praises efforts of the public but continues to urge caution
The Roadmap is on track and planned Step 3 easements will go ahead in England on 17 May, the Prime Minister has confirmed. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is expected to announce further easing of lockdown restrictions in Scotland later today.
The data shows that the government’s “four tests” for easing restrictions have been met. Infection rates are at their lowest level since September, while hospital admissions and patients in hospital continue to decrease – with levels now similar to July last year.
Hospital admissions and cases of severe illness also remain in line with modelling provided by scientific experts for the Roadmap.
From the 17 May, the majority of the indoor and remaining outdoor economy can reopen, and gathering limits will increase indoors and outdoors. Guidance for close contact between friends and family will be updated, with people exercising their own personal judgement in line with the risks.
The Stay in the UK restriction will be lifted and people will be able to travel to green list countries, if they permit inbound travel.
The Prime Minister continued to urge caution. The aim of the Roadmap is to be cautious but irreversible and unlocking too fast, too soon, risks a resurgence of the virus.
The assessment to move to Step 3 was based on four tests:
The vaccine deployment programme continues successfully
Evidence shows vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated
Infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS
Our assessment of the risks is not fundamentally changed by new Variants of Concern
As set out in the Roadmap, 4 weeks is needed to fully understand the impact of each step. The Government also committed to provide a further weeks’ notice to businesses.
From Monday 17 May indoor hospitality can reopen and indoor entertainment can resume, including cinemas, museums, and children’s play areas.
Up to 6 people or 2 households will be able to meet indoors and up to 30 people outdoors.
All remaining outdoor entertainment can reopen, such as outdoor cinemas and performances. Some larger events will be able to take place, including conferences, theatre and concert performances, and sports events. Restrictions on the number of attendees will remain as set out in the Roadmap.
Guidance on meeting family and friends will be updated. The public can make informed, personal decisions on close contact, such as hugging, with their friends and family. Close contact continues to carry a risk of catching or spreading COVID-19, and people must consider the risk to themselves and to others. COVID-secure rules remain for the workplace and businesses, such as in shops and hospitality.
The Transport Secretary has already confirmed that international travel can begin to safely reopen in England from 17 May, allowing people to go on foreign holidays to ‘green’ list countries.
Strict border control measures will remain in place, including pre-departure tests and a PCR test on or before day two of their arrival back in the UK.
Face coverings will no longer be needed in classrooms or for students in communal areas in secondary schools and colleges. Twice weekly home testing will remain to control infection rates.
All remaining university students will be eligible to return to in-person teaching and learning from May 17, and should get tested twice a week upon return.
Up to 30 people will now be able to attend weddings, receptions, and commemorative events including wakes, as well as standalone life-cycle events. These can take place outdoors or at any indoor Covid secure venue that is permitted to open. The number of people able to attend a funeral will be determined by the number that can be safely accommodated in the venue with social distancing in place.
30 people will be able to attend a support group or parent and child group. The limit will not apply to children under 5.
Organised adult sport and exercise classes can resume indoors and saunas and steam rooms may reopen.
Care homes residents will be able to have up to five named visitors, with two visitors able to attend at once provided they are tested and follow infection control measures. Residents will also have greater freedoms to leave their home without having to isolate on their return.
The successful vaccination rollout continues, with over 35 million people receiving at least one dose, and nearly 18 million receiving both doses. One quarter of all adults have now received the strongest protection available.
The latest data shows that the estimated reduction in symptomatic disease is 60% and hospitalisations 80% for one dose of the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine for people aged 80 and over. Data published by PHE today estimates that for the over 80s, two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalisation by 93%.
Step 4 is due to take place in England no earlier than 21 June. Further detail on Step 4 will be set out at the end of the month.
Nicola Sturgeon will make a statement later today. She is expected to confirm that Scotland’s Covid rules will be relaxed further next week.
Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI) and Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (CMC) have launched their report Green Shoots – Sowing The Seeds Of The New UK Cannabis Industry with a new assessment of the size of the UK consumer cannabidiol (CBD) market.
The sector is now estimated to generate £690 million in annual sales for 2021. This figure surpasses predictions made in the seminal market sizing study undertaken by the CMC in 2019 which estimated the market would be worth £526 million in 2021.
The report concludes that the UK now has the most evolved regulatory framework in the world for CBD, and other consumer cannabis extracts, citing recent interventions by the Foods Standards Agency – to regulate products as dietary supplements, and by the Home Office – to consider what are safe and tolerable levels of THC contained in products.
However, the report calls for more government intervention and investment to ensure that the UK optimises what it describes as ‘Britain’s quiet cannabis revolution’.
The report claims that, due to domestic restrictions on hemp cultivation and processing in the UK, the bulk of the profits for this industry are going overseas. This is because UK farmers must destroy the parts of the hemp crop which lucrative CBD is extracted from.
The report argues that the market represents a key growth sector for the UK and it is time for the government to adopt a proactive strategy to seize opportunities in the cannabinoids sector.
The report makes 20 recommendations drawing on a submission recently made to a new governmental Taskforce on Innovation, Growth and Regulatory Reform, established by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in February, to stimulate post-COVID economic growth.
The report authors call for:
A dedicated agency to licence and oversee the industry
A new centre of excellence to fund, synthesise and promulgate the best new clinical evidence to boost the UK’s nascent medicinal cannabis market
Urgent reform of licensing policy to steer and harness the emerging scientific evidence across the whole spectrum: from agri-science and plant genetics, to novel synthetics, new therapies and clinical trials.
Steve Moore – Co-Founder and Strategic Counsel to the CMC and ACI, said: “With new government support the accidental consumer cannabis revolution that has allowed CBD to become available on every high street in the UK could become permanent, nurturing hundreds of new businesses, thousands of jobs and billions of pounds in exports.
“It’s hard to imagine there many more industries that could benefit almost immediately from the proposals set out in our report.”
Paul Birch, Co-Founder of the CMC and ACI, added: “The size of this cannabinoid sector is now impossible to ignore. Today’s report reveals that sales of CBD products up to the year end of April 2021 are valued at £690m, almost a third higher than our last projection in 2019.
“Almost without notice and certainly by accident rather than design, the UK has improbably become the world’s second largest consumer cannabinoids market.”
Scottish entrepreneurs invest DigitalBoost Development Grant to help businesses
Scottish entrepreneurs Lee Fitzpatrick and Jake Murray have joined forces to create a digital enterprise with a difference. Funded with the support of the DigitalBoost Development Grant, Hink is on a mission to help businesses solve real problems, in a post-pandemic era, using the power of creative thinking.
With the capabilities of supporting business owners and organisations of any size, across any industry, using a diverse mix of creative exercises and business tools, the Hink approach replaces open discussions and brainstorming with a structured process that leads to more ideas, clearer decisions, and better outcomes.
Lee Fitzpatrick, Co-Founder of Hink, said: “2020 was a year of significant change, where even the smallest challenges have become difficult to navigate.
“We’ve been inspired by the resilient approach taken by business leaders and their teams during this period. Our workshops have been designed to facilitate the clear and creative thinking that is required, right now.”
Hink’s workshops include Quick Fire Decision Making, Lightning Sprint, Lego Serious Play, and Design Sprint 2.0, provide an unbiased environment for teams to safely express and explore. Using creative problem-solving techniques to ensure that their workshops are interactive, and goal orientated, their aim is to deliver value and clarity for everybody involved.
Lee continues: “We believe that matching the right person with the right problem, is the key to a successful workshop outcome. That’s why we’re growing a network of workshoppers from across the globe to help solve your business challenges.
“From culture and team building to brand positioning and product development, there’s no business problem we can’t solve thanks to our diverse team of Hinkers.”
Funded by The Scottish Government in conjunction with Business Gateway, the £10m DigitalBoost Development Grant was launched in 2020, to help businesses do more online and support the Scottish Economy in these challenging times.
The grant was open to all businesses across Scotland who were looking to enhance their service or organisation using digital technology, platforms, and innovation.
Effective decision making and creative problem solving can accelerate the growth of businesses and the team at Hink are dedicated to facilitating growth and change that will ultimately contribute to better business and a better world.
Currently, all Hink workshops will be delivered remotely via Zoom through interactive software facilitating an engaging environment, however, the long-term plan is to bring businesses together physically in an inspiring and engaging environment, when it is safe to do so.
Hink is currently offering free 45-minute support sessions for all businesses across Scotland, providing them with the opportunity to discuss their challenges, meet experienced workshoppers, and explore workshop solutions.
People across Scotland are being encouraged to ask questions about their care and treatment so they can understand what is being recommended for them.
The campaign, ‘It’s OK to Ask’ is designed to support patients and healthcare professionals in creating positive conversations about care and treatment.
NHS 24’s Head of Pharmacy, Dr John McAnaw says: “It’s happened to us all – you come out of a healthcare appointment realising the questions you forgot to ask, or worrying over the questions you wanted to ask but didn’t.
“This new campaign encourages a little bit of forward planning around what you’d like to know about your care from your healthcare professional.
“Before an appointment or discussion, take some time to think about what you’d like to know about your treatment. Some handy questions are:
What are the benefits of my treatment?
What are the risks of my treatment? Are there other treatments I can try?
What if I do nothing?
“These kind of questions can help you feel more involved in decisions about your care, and give you confidence in following your healthcare plan.
“Your healthcare professional is happy to answer any questions you might have, as they know it’s better to have patients who are content and informed about their next steps, and simply by being more involved, you’ll be able to make better decisions for you about your own care.”
The campaign is supported by NHS Scotland and is supported by a radio and digital campaign.
… despite more than half admitting to breaking the 70mph limit
= Drivers prefer average speed cameras to fixed position ones
= 36% don’t stick to 20mph-limits
More than half of drivers (56%) admit to breaking the speed limit on motorways with a third (34%) of those confessing to having travelled at speeds in excess of 80mph, research from an RAC reveals.
Three per cent say their fastest speed on a motorway was over 100mph while 4% believe their top speed was 91-100mph. While the vast majority – two-thirds (66%) – state their highest speed on a motorway was 71-80mph, a quarter (27%) claim to have driven at 81-90mph.
When asked why they broke the speed limit on a motorway, most drivers (39%) said they were simply following the example set by other motorists, although three-in-10 (31%) say it was because they thought it was safe to travel faster than 70mph.
Other common reasons for speeding on a motorway were: nothing else being on the road (28%); the speed limit being inappropriate (27%) and feeling pressure from other drivers behind (26%).
In terms of what form of speed enforcement drivers think is best for ensuring speed limit compliance on high speed roads where the speed limit is 60mph and 70mph, 58% of the 3,000-plus motorists surveyed for the RAC Report on Motoring said they favoured ‘average speed cameras’ which measure speeds between cameras rather than at a single, fixed location like traditional speed cameras.
Nearly a fifth (18%) felt fixed position cameras are most effective while 12% said it was mobile speed traps, with a similar proportion not offering an opinion.
While average speed cameras are used on a number of A-roads, on motorways they are currently only used in sections of roadworks. More than half of drivers (54%), however, said they would like to see them used in general motorway conditions enforcing the 70mph-limit. Only a quarter (26%) disagreed with this idea, with 18% unsure.
Average speed cameras were also preferred by the majority of drivers for use on 40-50mph limit roads with 46% saying this, compared to 29% for fixed position cameras. On 20-30mph limit roads however, fixed position cameras came out top with 43% of drivers saying they were best and a quarter (25%) opting for average speed cameras, only just ahead of police officers operating mobile speed traps (21%).
While compliance on roads with lower speed limits is far better than the 54% who admit to exceeding the 70mph-limit, an alarming four-in-10 (39%) still admit to frequently disobeying 20mph limits. This rises to a third (33%) on 60mph country roads – statistically some of our least safe roads – and to 36% on 30mph urban roads.
Very worryingly, 11% of limit-breakers claim to have driven above 40mph in a 30mph zone while 10% have exceeded 30mph in a 20mph zone. In the case of the latter, 45% of those who speed at least occasionally say this is because they believe the limit is ‘inappropriate’ for the area or stretch of road in question.
RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: “Despite more than half of drivers admitting to regularly exceeding the 70-mph speed limit, road safety statistics clearly show that motorways are our safest roads.
“With so many motorists admitting to driving much faster than they should on the motorway, it was interesting to see such strong support for average speed cameras to be used more widely to enforce the 70-mph limit as opposed to just in roadworks, as is currently the case.
“We believe drivers see these cameras as being very effective at reducing speeds over longer distances and controlling traffic flow as well as being fairer than fixed position ones as they aren’t instantly punished for a momentary transgression.
“Our research shows speed limit compliance on all types of road has improved on previous years, but as our study was carried out during the pandemic we suspect this has partly been brought about by the reduction in the number of journeys carried out for the purposes of commuting – or for other business purposes – where drivers feel greater time pressure and may be more tempted to break the law by speeding.”
Forth & Inverleith Voluntary Sector Forum reconvenes tomorrow (Tuesday 11 May) at 1pm via Zoom.
For information on how to join the meeting contact Kate Barrett, EVOC Community Planning Development Worker on 0131 555 9100 or email: kate.barrett@evoc.org.uk
Jim Paterson, the Glasgow born Marine Executive Consultant for Mercy Ships has announced that the Global Mercy ™ has now completed final deep water sea trials.
The Scot, who has served for more than 33 years with the charity described this as being one of the final milestones in the countdown towards the hospital ship’s delivery, equipping, maiden voyage and launch into service to sub-Saharan Africa by 2022.
Deep-water trials are designed to test the vessel during extended sailing time to ensure that all systems are fully operational and in line with strict standards and specifications. Tests include areas engine performance and fuel consumption, navigation and radio equipment, emergency systems, speed tests, maneuverability, engine, and thruster tests as well as safety evaluations.
Paterson, who studied Marine Engineering at Glasgow Caledonian University, said: “These deep-water trials represent a critical checklist before delivery of our new purpose-built ship to become the platform for service it is designed to be.
“Trials systematically test operational aspects by putting the vessel through paces for a week at sea. I am pleased to say that the Global Mercy successfully passed every test,” he continued, “We are then left with some finishing touches in the interior, particularly the hospital area before we take delivery”.
Rob Corley, Chief Operations Officer, confirmed that after Mercy Ships takes final delivery of the vessel, the ship will make its maiden voyage to Belgium as a guest of the Port of Antwerp.
While docked, the Global Mercy will complete several months of final outfitting and crewing. This includes installation of medical equipment and IT systems as well as stocking the vessel with supplies through the Mercy Ships European Distribution Center in the Netherlands.
The visit to Europe will culminate in a final send-off from Rotterdam for the ship’s first voyage to Africa. Mercy Ships also plans to hold an Africa commissioning event for the arrival of the Global Mercy in Dakar in early 2022, at the start of the ship’s first field service in Senegal.
The purpose-designed hospital decks represent the unique heart of the ship, consisting of six operating theatres and hospital wards for 200 patients, laboratory, general outpatient, ophthalmology and dental clinics.
The ship has space for up to 950 persons in port including 641 crew, comprised of volunteers from around the globe. The Global Mercy will be especially equipped with first-class training facilities to allow Mercy Ships to contribute to the sustainable support of essential surgical and related skills for local healthcare professionals when docked.
Mercy Ships expects to more than double the charity’s current impact with both life-changing surgeries and training of healthcare professionals during the anticipated 50-year lifespan of the vessel.
The Global Mercy represents an international collaboration. With an overall length of 174-meters, a beam of 28.6 meters, and a Gross Tonnage of 37,000, the ship is a tailored Passenger Ship-class vessel.
As the first of its kind, the ship has undergone construction at Tianjin Xingang Shipyard, with project management by Stena RoRo AB of Gothenburg, Sweden, and construction design by Deltamarin of Turku, Finland.
The French ship brokerage company Barry Rogliano Salles (BRS) was instrumental in helping negotiate the contract. The new ship is classed by Lloyd’s Register in the UK who was in attendance to witness these important tests. It is flagged by Malta and will initially serve within Africa.
As the world’s largest purpose-built civilian hospital ship, the Global Mercy has received wide attention from all over the world from the very beginning of its construction in 2015.
The Global Mercy has a design draft of 6.15 meters and a service speed of 12 knots.
The new vessel is the first ship built from design to implementation by the charity as all previous ships were adapted from other purposes.
The Global Mercy will join the current Mercy Ship, Africa Mercy in service to sub-Saharan and Central Africa.
