Very excited to soon be welcoming our exhibitors soon to Castle Street Summer Fair, with so many skilled crafts and food makers bringing such beautiful products for shoppers to enjoy.
Open every day from Monday 7 June to Sunday 13 June – 10am to 6pm.
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion and Education at Heart Research UK
There are two main types of cholesterol, LDL, sometimes termed ‘bad’ cholesterol, and HDL, sometimes termed as ‘good cholesterol’.
The reality is that we do need some of both types of cholesterol, but the incorrect balance can be harmful. When LDL cholesterol builds up in the arteries, it can contribute to plaque formation, whilst HDL cholesterol removes harmful cholesterol from the bloodstream.
With this in mind, here are some tips for creating a healthy cholesterol profile:
Increase Fibre Intake
Fibre, particularly the type found in porridge oats and wholegrains, known as beta-glucan, helps to reduce LDL cholesterol levels.
Go Plant-Based
Diets higher in vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, and pulses are healthier for the heart than animal-derived alternatives that are high in saturated fats such as meats, cheeses and processed snacks such as biscuits.
Eat Good Fats
Unsaturated fats, particularly when swapped for saturated fats, can help to increase your HDL cholesterol levels. Excellent sources of good fats include oily fish such as salmon and mackerel, extra virgin olive oil and avocados.
Exercise Regularly
Aerobic exercise such as running or cycling will help to increase levels of HDL in the blood, especially when performed for more than 150 minutes each week.
Avoid high Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol can increase the amount of fat in the blood and lower HDL cholesterol, therefore drinking less than 14 units per week is recommended.
Help stop the spread in your community!
Blackhall Library will be open from tomorrow (Monday 7 June) until Sunday 13 June from 9am – 6pm.
Preview Draft Net Zero 2030 Strategy. Can it deliver Carbon Neutral Edinburgh by 2030? Community views
Revised Date for the event: 4.00pm – 5.30pm MONDAY 7 JUNE 202
2nd Roundtable Discussion on Climate Action
A new draft Edinburgh Net Zero 2030 Strategy was launched on Friday 4 June – for discussion by City Councillors 10am Thursday 10 June.
Preview the proposed strategy and consider what might work / what needs earlier action.
Can Edinburgh achieve ambitious “Net Zero” target by 2030?
– How can citizens and community groups best be involved?
– How can Community Councils and other groups contribute?
– What role does the Edinburgh Partnership have in this?
Book: https://nzs7june.eventbrite.co.uk
This follows the August 2020 event hosted by civil society and the city council.
See the Report at https://bit.ly/climate12aug
This interactive session will:
1. Unpack the proposed actions in the draft Sustainability Strategy
2. Provide opportunity for community led response to draft plans
3. Discuss the main chapters of Draft Strategy in Breakout Groups
4. Draft a deputation for 1 June Policy & Sustainability Committee.
Transition Edinburgh www.transitionedinburgh.org.uk
A Queen’s University Belfast research team is leading an international study on COVID-19 Antibody Response in Cystic Fibrosis (CAR-CF).
The study is to be carried out by a team of researchers from the university’s Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine (WWIEM). It will measure COVID-19 antibody levels in thousands of people with cystic fibrosis across 17 European countries and is funded by a $1.5m grant from the CF Foundation (US) over a two-year period.
The project will also run in Canada and the US, making the research the largest prospective study in cystic fibrosis (CF) to have been carried out to date.
The coronavirus pandemic has been a worrying time, but it has been particularly stressful for people with long-term conditions such as CF.
CF is a chronic condition that damages the lungs and leaves patients vulnerable to chest infections. There is currently little information about how COVID-19 has impacted people living with CF, however, they may be at particular risk from this new respiratory virus and the various strains.
Dr Damian Downey, Clinical Senior Lecturer in Respiratory Medicine from the WWIEM at Queen’s, and Director of the Northern Ireland Regional Adult CF Centre, who is leading the project, said: “Viral respiratory tract infections can be more severe in people with CF than the general population, with an increased risk of complications and a negative impact on lung function.
“This new research project will explore infection and vaccination rates in those with CF and link to important clinical information over time. We can then understand how COVID-19 has impacted this vulnerable population, how long the antibodies last and the risk of future infections.”
Dr Downey is the Director of the European CF Society Clinical Trials Network which involves 58 research centres in 17 countries. This network will oversee the project and the WWIEM at Queen’s University will be the central European laboratory that will analyse the research results.
After opening to the public for the first time last month following a £1.5m restoration, the National Trust for Scotland’s Gladstone’s Land at the top of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile is introducing its first ever interactive historical food tour next week (Wednesday June 9).
Food is a strong theme throughout the 500 year old townhouse which now has a coffee shop and ice cream parlour on the ground floor, inspired by the building’s long history as a place of commerce and catering.
The ‘Tables Through Time’ tour follows the lives of three women that lived and worked at Gladstone’s Land, telling the story of changing tastes in food in Edinburgh’s Old Town and the impact of trade, class and fashion on people’s diets. As well as hearing about these people, the conservation charity will also be inviting guests to sample some of the food and drink these individuals may have consumed.
Claire Grant, the National Trust for Scotland’s Operations Manager for Edinburgh said: “It’s impossible to think about Gladstone’s Land without thinking of food. It has been at the centre of Edinburgh’s spice and coffee trade, it’s been a tavern, it’s been a home.
“From the ice cream flavours served to the spices that sit in the tables in the coffee shop, we’ve taken inspiration from the flavourful history of the building, its residents and its many uses over the centuries, to create a place people will love.”
Based on specially-commissioned research from Lindsay Middleton, PhD researcher in food history at the University of Glasgow and University of Aberdeen, the tour goes from a 17th century kitchen on the first floor, an 18th/19th century draper’s on the second floor and a 20th century boarding house on the third floor.
Visitors will get to taste the likes of bannocks sweetened with fruit, sugar or honey; parlies, a type of ginger biscuit named because they were a favourite with members of the Scottish parliament; and ‘donkey tea’, toast steeped in hot water.
After the tour, visitors can try out an ice cream flavour developed especially for the property. The elderflower and lemon curd ice cream has been created using research about the flavours and tastes that would have been associated with Gladstone’s Land over the years.
Food historian Lindsay Middleton (above) said: “Historical food is something we are becoming increasingly interested in, whether it is history week on the Great British Bake Off or reading recipes in historical cookbooks and marvelling at strange ingredients and cooking techniques. Scottish food does have a rich and varied history. In the harsh climate, Scottish people have had to be creative with food.
“On the Tables Through Time tour, we look at three women who lived in Gladstone’s Land, and how food and drink figured in their lives. Considering the different foods that would have been cooked and eaten within the property throughout its history will show how food, life, and work have always been linked.”
Tickets for the tour can be booked at https://nts.cloudvenue.co.uk/tablesthroughtime
For more information about Gladstone’s Land, go to: www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/gladstones-land
Hundreds of children have been safeguarded by police enforcement as reports of online child sexual abuse increased during the last year, information released today by Police Scotland shows.
Police Scotland’s 2020-21 Quarter 4 Performance Report and Management Information showed there were a total of 1,966 child sexual abuse crimes recorded during the year, an increase of 5.9% compared to last year (1,857) and 24.9% greater than the five year average of 1,574.
The Performance Report outlines the safeguarding of 434 children through the enforcement of 649 National Online Child Abuse Prevention (NOCAP) packages between September 2020 and March this year.
NOCAP packages provide intelligence and evidence which underpins investigations carried out to identify and arrest online child abusers.
Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: “The rise in reports online child sexual abuse has continued and accelerated during this period, and the Performance Report draws attention to vital work to safeguard hundreds of children through the enforcement of National Online Child Abuse Prevention (NOCAP) packages.
“Online child sexual abuse is a national threat and tackling it is a priority for Police Scotland. The implementation of our Cyber Strategy will ensure we continue to build capacity and capability to keep people safe in the virtual space.”
The reports also provide an insight into the effect of coronavirus restrictions on the policing needs and requirements of communities during 2020-21.
Crime reports fell overall, with 6,361 fewer violent crimes reported compared to the previous year, a decrease of 10% while there were also 55 fewer road fatalities, decreasing 33% from 165 to 110.
Acquisitive crime, such as housebreakings and shoplifting, fell by 18% year on year (from 109,460 to 89,731).
Detection rates increased in a number of crime categories where reported offences had decreased, including overall violent crime (up 3.3% points) and acquisitive crime (up 0.3% points).
However reported frauds increased by 38.2% from 10,875 in 2019-20 to 15,031 during the last year, up 78.1% on the five-year average of 8,439 reported crimes.
DCC Taylor said: “The reporting year 2020-21 was truly an exceptional period, covering from just a few days after the country first entered lockdown up until the beginning of April 2021.
“While it may be years before some of the changes to how people live their lives and to the nature of crime are fully understood, this information demonstrates the significant impact coronavirus restrictions have had on reported crime, detection rates and other policing requirements during this unique time.
“Overall violent crime reduced by around 10% year on year. Year on year increases of violent crime were reported during only the months of July and August, when restrictions had been eased.
“Acquisitive crime, such as shoplifting, also declined overall by almost a fifth compared to the year before and against the five-year average.
“The number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads is down about a third on the year before.”
“While this is to be welcomed, it is important to note reductions in reported crime did not occur in every category.
“As restrictions ease, we will continue to report on changes to the policing requirements of communities and the challenge of maintaining higher detection rates in the context of reported crime which is closer to pre-pandemic levels, as well increasing demand in areas such as fraud and online child abuse.”
An NSPCC Scotland spokesperson said: “These latest figures are further evidence of the increasing risk to children posed by child sexual offenders online.
“It is right and crucial that Police Scotland is tackling these crimes as a priority, through arresting suspects and working with partners to raise awareness of the issue. But it is clear we cannot continue with the status quo, where it’s left to law enforcement to tackle child abuse but social networks fail to do enough to proactively prevent and disrupt it from happening in the first place.
“The UK Government needs to deliver on its promise to put the protection of children front and centre of the Online Safety Bill, with tech firms being held to account if they fail in their duty of care.”
The 2020-21 Q4 Performance Report will be presented to the Scottish Police Authority’s Policing Performance Committee on Tuesday, 8 June.
The Performance Report and Management information can be found by clicking here https://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/our-performance/
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has thanked volunteers who have now contributed more than 25,000 hours to help deliver the national vaccination programme.
Scotland’s NHS Boards have been supported to deliver the programme by the National Volunteer Coordination (NVC) Hub which deploys people to help at vaccination centres.
The NVC hub is operated by the British Red Cross with the support of a network of national and local voluntary sector organisations who identify and deploy suitable volunteers. It provides a central point of contact for NHS Boards and local authorities which they can use in addition to local volunteers to ensure the right resources are in place.
Among the activities the volunteers have helped with are meeting and greeting the members of the public and providing re-assurance, advice and practical assistance for those that want it.
In addition to helping at vaccination clinics, volunteers have also been involved in supporting the community testing programme, including a team of 90 volunteers delivering testing kits to around 4,000 Glasgow households.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “It is fitting that during National Volunteers’ Week we acknowledge the huge contribution made by volunteers to our vaccination roll-out. I want to thank each and every one of them for giving up their time and helping to ensure the successful roll-out of the largest vaccination programme the country has ever seen.
“The hub being coordinated by the British Red Cross helps ensure we have people in the right place at the right time to make everything run as smoothly as possible.
“It is down to the enormous efforts of our vaccination teams around the country that more than two million people in Scotland have now received both doses. I am grateful to them and all those who have taken up their offer of a vaccine.
“The vaccination programme is one of the main ways – along with restrictions and testing – that we are working to beat this virus and so it is crucial that everyone attends for their appointments when they are offered. This is equally important for those receiving appointments for their second dose as these offer longer lasting protection against COVID-19.”
British Red Cross Community Reserve Volunteer David Hardacre said: “I had never volunteered before and signed up through the Scotland Cares site. I have really enjoyed my time as a volunteer.
“It can be challenging at times hearing how difficult some folk are finding all this with Covid but it surprising what a chat and a friendly smile can do to lift their spirits. I have helped with a few things, including the vaccination clinics, which is great. You really feel part of the team, the NHS staff are so helpful and calm. I will continue to help so long as there is a need for me.”
British Red Cross Director, Scotland Marie Hayes said: “The response from the voluntary sector throughout the pandemic has been outstanding. Thousands of individuals, many of whom have never volunteered before, have turned out to support the NHS and local authorities and, importantly, their communities as we collectively act to beat the Covid virus.
“The tasks undertaken have been vary varied, some of these include; shopping and prescription collections, a friendly voice on the phone, marshalling at vaccination clinics, test kit distribution and collection etc. It has been quite remarkable to see so many come forward to help in whatever way they can.
“The endeavours of the volunteers over the past months has without doubt helped reach those most in need during this pandemic and I have no doubt these act of human kindness, great or small, will continue until we finally see an end to the current situation.”
Over 40 million people in the UK have received their first dose of a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, the latest figures show today, as the UK’s vaccination programme continues at pace.
Health services across the UK have now administered a total of 67,287,864 vaccines between 8 December and 5 June, including 40,124,229 people with first doses 76.2% and 27,160,635 people with both doses 51.6% ensuring they have the strongest possible protection against COVID-19 from a second dose.
A recent study by Public Health England (PHE) shows that 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant first identified in India. Vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease from the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant is similar after 2 doses compared to the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variant dominant in the UK, and we expect to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospitalisation and death.
The government met its target of offering a vaccine to the most vulnerable by 15 April and remains on track to offer a first dose to all adults by the end of July. NHS England has extended the offer of a vaccine to everyone over the age of 30.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “It is an astonishing achievement to deliver over 40 million first doses in just 6 months. In all 4 corners of the UK, people are stepping up when their time comes to protect themselves and the people around them.
“It seems with every day we pass another major milestone on the road back to recovery. Over three-quarters of adults have received a first dose and over half of adults have now been vaccinated with the life-saving second dose.
“I pay tribute to the tireless work of the NHS and armed forces in building this momentum – but our work is not yet done. I encourage everyone who is eligible to join the millions who have the fullest possible protection from this virus by getting their jab when the time comes.”
Last week, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) announced that Janssen’s COVID-19 vaccine was authorised for use in the UK. It is expected doses will become available later this year. The single-dose vaccine was shown to be 67% effective overall in preventing COVID-19 infection and 85% effective in preventing severe disease or hospitalisation.
To ensure people have the strongest possible protection against COVID-19, appointments for second doses have been brought forward from 12 to 8 weeks for the remaining people in the top 9 priority groups who have yet to receive both doses.
The move follows updated advice from the independent experts at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which has considered the latest available evidence and has recommended reducing the dosing interval to counter the threat of new variants of concern.
The government and its scientific experts are monitoring the evolving situation and rates of variants closely, and will not hesitate to take additional action as necessary.
Vaccines Minister, Nadhim Zahawi said: “Our vaccination programme, the biggest and most successful in NHS history, has now delivered over 40 million first doses into arms – a fantastic achievement.
“I am incredibly proud of everyone involved who have worked tirelessly to help us reach milestone after milestone. It is time to redouble our efforts on the second dose, to ensure everyone has maximum protection.
“The offer is open to everyone over the age of 30, so when you get the call, get the jab. It could save your life and protect your loved ones.”
Vaccinated people are far less likely to get COVID-19 with symptoms. Vaccinated people are even more unlikely to get serious COVID-19, to be admitted to hospital, or to die from it and there is growing evidence that vaccinated people are less likely to pass the virus to others.
UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said: “It’s fantastic for the vaccine programme to have achieved 3 such important and significant milestones in just one week, and proves we are heading in the right direction.
“The UK government is supplying vaccines for people in all parts of the United Kingdom and today’s news that 40 million people have now had their first dose underlines the scheme’s success. It’s heartening to see that so many are doing the right thing and getting their jab when eligible.”
Data from PHE’s real-world study shows the vaccines are already having a significant impact in the UK, reducing hospitalisations and deaths, saving more than 13,200 lives and preventing 39,700 hospitalisations in England.
PHE analysis also shows that individuals who receive a single dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine have approximately 80% lower risk of death against the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) coronavirus variant originating in Kent and a second dose of the vaccine can provide 85 to 90% protection against symptomatic disease. Protection against death from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine rises from approximately 80% after one dose to 97% after 2 doses against the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variant.
Data published by YouGov shows the UK continues to top the list of nations where people are willing to have a COVID-19 vaccine or have already been vaccinated.
ONS data published on 6 May found that more than 9 in 10 (93%) adults reported positive sentiment towards the vaccine.
Approved vaccines are available from thousands of NHS vaccine centres, GP practices and pharmacies. Around 98% of people live within 10 miles of a vaccination centre in England and vaccinations are taking place at sites including mosques, community centres and football stadiums.
VETERANS AND FAMILIES OF THE NORMANDY FALLEN ARE INVITED TO WITNESS LONG-AWAITED HISTORIC MOMENT.
THE ENTIRE EVENT WILL BE AVAILABLE TO WATCH LIVE ON OUR HOMEPAGE FROM 10AM ON SUNDAY 6 JUNE, WITH THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE MEMORIAL COMMENCING AT 10.30AM
Normandy Veterans, their families and relatives of the fallen will join to mark the 77th anniversary of D-Day this morning (Sunday 6 June 2021) at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Guests at the commemorative event, organised by the Normandy Memorial Trust, will watch a live broadcast of the official opening of the newly completed British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, presided over by the British Ambassador to France, Lord Edward Llewellyn, accompanied by senior French guests.
As Covid-19 restrictions prevent travel to Normandy, the Trust and the Royal British Legion are together hosting this year’s commemorations in the UK, with an event which will also include coverage of the service of Remembrance at The Bayeux Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and a Two Minute Silence at 11am.
It will be the first major commemorative event of the year at which Veterans from around the country will be invited to gather.
The British Normandy Memorial, designed by British architect Liam O’Connor, records the names of the 22,442 servicemen and women under British command who fell on D-Day and during the Battle of Normandy in the summer of 1944. Inscribed in stone, their names have never, until now, been brought together.
The official opening of the Memorial is the culmination of nearly six years of work by the Normandy Memorial Trust. Costing nearly £30 million pounds and funded both by the British government and private benefactors, the Memorial stands on a hillside overlooking “Gold Beach”, one of three beaches where British forces landed on the morning of 6 June 1944 to begin the liberation of Western Europe.
The construction of a national memorial in Normandy has been a long-held ambition of Normandy Veterans, frustrated that Britain alone among the main wartime allies did not have such a memorial.
The idea for the Memorial originated with the Trust’s Normandy Veteran Patron, George Batts MBE, Leg d’Hon (pictured above, left). It was taken up by many other Veterans, including the Trust’s Veteran Ambassador and Fundraiser, Harry Billinge, MBE, Leg d’Hon., (pictured above, right) who single-handedly raised tens of thousands of pounds in his home town of St Austell in Cornwall.
Now completed, the Memorial features the ‘D-Day Sculpture’ by British sculptor David Williams-Ellis, the D-Day Wall featuring the names of those who fell on D-Day itself and, on 160 stone columns, the names of those others who lost their lives between D-Day and the Liberation of Paris at the end of August 1944.
The site also includes a French Memorial, dedicated to the memory of French civilians who died during this time. In total, nearly 4,000 tonnes of stone have been used in the Memorial’s construction.
The Normandy Memorial Trust’s founder, the broadcaster Nicholas Witchell, said: “It is a matter of the greatest pride to the entire Trust team to have turned the dream of so many Normandy Veterans into a reality.
“This Memorial will stand as a permanent reminder to future generations of the sacrifice made by British forces in Normandy in the summer of 1944. As one of the inscriptions on the Memorial states: ‘They died so that Europe might be free.’”
The Trust’s Normandy Veteran Patron, George Batts MBE, Leg d’Hon., said: “Only those who were there on D-Day can truly know what it was like. We lost a lot of our mates on those beaches.
“Now, at long last, Britain has a fitting Memorial to them. I should like to express my deep gratitude to all those who’ve supported the Memorial and made its construction possible.”
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