Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has stated that it is absolutely essential that patients and visitors in Emergency Departments continue to protect themselves and others with face masks, hand washing and social distancing.
Dr Katherine Henderson said: “While restrictions have been eased, it is absolutely essential that we continue to keep everyone safe in hospital settings and in Emergency Departments. Patients and visitors must therefore expect to wear a mask and maintain social distancing.
“Emergency Departments regularly see vulnerable patients. We must do all we can to keep those patients safe, but also to ensure that these patients feel safe coming to the hospital and the Emergency Department if, and when, they need help.
“We ask patients and visitors to kindly respect and co-operate with this guidance and help to keep everyone safe. Staff will not tolerate any abuse whatsoever. They absolutely do not deserve it, but it is a sad reality that we are already hearing and seeing abusive behaviour towards staff. It is clear these measures will help protect the most vulnerable patients, so it is right that all patients and visitors follow them.
“Staff will request all patients and visitors to put a mask on when in an Emergency Department and they will not be engaging in any debate on the guidance.
“It is a matter of public health and infection prevention control to keep all our patients safe.”
Three tricky optical illusions show how images can deceive the eye
Behavioural Optometrist, Bhavin Shah, reveals the science behind optical illusions
Brits divided over a new set of head scratching images
Do the spots move for you?
Optical illusions can be hotly debated – who could forget the infamous white and gold/blue and black dress in 2015? Now a new set of images are showing again how colours and shapes can trick the eyes.
To support the launch of its new TV ad, highlighting how we all put our own unique spin on everyday things, Gala Spins has produced a series of optical illusions, designed to challenge Brits on how they see things.
These were then put to the test, with Brits polled on what they could see depending on their unique vision. Gala Spins also partnered with Bhavin Shah, Behavioural Optometrist at Central Vision Opticians, to explain how and why we see different images and colours.
1. What shape do you see?
More than seven in ten (71%) see a yellow butterfly in this image, while 29% see two faces looking at each other.
On the findings, Bhavin comments: “Many people will see the butterfly first, before zeroing in on the detail of the faces. Humans have a propensity to human faces and are always drawn to them.
“There are parts of the brain that respond specifically to faces so once we’ve seen it in the illusion, we’ll tend to see that more.”
2. Which spots move the most?
When looking at these images, different coloured spots appear to move more than others, and for some, the spots don’t move at all.
Nearly three quarters of people (71%) shown these images said that the orange spots on a purple background are moving for them. Meanwhile, over half (57%) said that the blue spots on a green background appeared to be moving.
On the other hand, only three in ten (29%) of people said that the purple spots on a blue background seemed to be in motion.
Bhavin says: “The rotating motion is caused by signal processing of the complex image, especially in parts of the retina that are just outside the central part of the vision, as well as very tiny movements of the eyes.
“The brain assumes that the eyes are stable and not-moving, therefore it has to assume that the pattern must be moving instead, so the pattern starts to move. Some people have more of these tiny eye movements than others and some are more sensitive to contrast in the pattern, so there will be some variation in the appearance of movement.”
3. What colour is the handbag?
Nearly two thirds (63%) of people see a green handbag, while 37% of participants see it as blue.
Bhavin comments: “In this case, there isn’t enough information or context about the object available, so the brain has to apply its own processing and create a reality that it feels is correct. Some people will process the colour as if its indoor lighting and others as if it’s outdoor, which is why people see different colours.”
He adds: “Most optical illusions work because our eyes take in optical information from the light and our brains have evolved to create a reality based on that information. However, there are lots of potential sources of error that can result in the brain interpreting something differently.
“The brain has lots of ways that it fills in missing information based on experience, learned visual responses and understanding of the world and context. Optical illusions occur when there isn’t enough information or context about the object, so our brain has to fill in the gaps, meaning different people see different things.”
Karina Adrian, Head of Brand Marketing and Partnerships at Gala Spins, said: “What we love about optical illusions is the uniqueness of what people see, and how they allow people to put their own spin on things.
“Different people will look at the same image and see something completely different, all because our eyes and brains interpret what they’re presented with in different ways.
“We hope that our illusions will get Brits scratching their heads and debating what the images show.”
– ‘Net Regeneration Scheme’ has seen fisherman in the South West recycle 100 tonnes of old fishing gear –
– Morrisons is the only supermarket to support a programme tackling‘ghost fishing gear’ marine litter in British waters –
Morrisons has extended its partnership with Odyssey Innovation for another year to continue tackling ‘ghost fishing gear’ and to help save British coastal wildlife and habitats.
Over the last four years Morrisons has worked with Odyssey Innovation, a company that recovers and recycles waste marine plastic, to found and run the Net Regeneration Scheme which has seen fishermen in the South West responsibly recycle 100 tonnes of waste fishing gear to date.
Morrisons is the first and only supermarket to back a scheme which aims to tackle ghost fishing gear in British waters. Working with Odyssey Innovation – and in collaboration with Exeter City Council, Plymouth University and Seafish – Morrisons has helped to install waste skips at 10 ports across the South West to help fishermen to recycle unwanted or unusable gear.
‘Ghost fishing gear’ includes any abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear, which often goes unseen. It is one of the deadliest wastes for sea wildlife, accounting for 10 per cent of global marine litter. The United Nations expects the amount of plastic in oceans to treble in the next 20 years.
Odyssey Innovation’s Net Regeneration Scheme is the only one in the UK to offer free recycling of all types of fishing nets. It includes polyethylene trawl, nylon and other plastic generated by the fishing industry.
Everything that can be recycled in the UK is done so, with specialist companies in Europe recycling problematic materials. The scheme covers the cost of transporting gear and the full recycling loop, with some plastic waste being turned into sea kayaks.
The programme also helps to reduce CO2 by putting recycled plastic back into the economy, which has a significant CO2 saving over using new virgin plastic.
Joe Prosho, Aquaculture Manager at Morrisons, said: “Morrisons is one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of fresh British fish with our own fishing business in the South West and we are determined to play our full part in cleaning up the oceans to preserve marine life and protect the planet.
“We want to continue our partnership with Odyssey Innovation by supporting the Net Regeneration Scheme to contribute to reducing old fishing gear that is a problem for so much wildlife.”
Rob Thompson, Director at Odyssey Innovation, said: “The Net Regeneration Scheme has only been made possible through collaboration and through it, we work closely with the fishing communities, conservation groups, universities and government bodies.
“Working with Morrisons on this project has been an essential part of creating a collaborative scheme that benefits everyone involved. Getting the support from a big British fish supplier to help us, and others, tackle a problem that is growing in our seas, has the added benefit of giving consumers confidence that the seafood they are consuming has been sourced in the most sustainable way.
“Discarded and unwanted fishing gear that is left in the seas can do real damage to our sea wildlife and the Net Regeneration Scheme supports the fishing industry to become the best possible custodians of the sea.”
Morrisons has committed to a 50% reduction across its own-brand primary plastic packaging by 2025. Initiatives introduced over the last 12 months will remove 9,000 tonnes of unnecessary or problematic plastic each year. Over 83% of Morrisons own-brand plastic packaging is now able to be recycled.
In 2019 Morrisons was voted the most environmentally responsible company in the UK for its work on plastics reduction at the Responsible Business Awards, run by HRH The Prince of Wales’ Business in the Community Network.
KFC is leading UK fast food chains in the welfare of chickens raised for their meat while Subway, Starbucks, Domino’s and McDonald’s fall far behind according to a new report from World Animal Protection.
‘The pecking order 2021’ ranks fast food restaurants globally on how they are performing on their commitment, ambition, and transparency on chicken welfare in their supply chains. This year’s report shows that while the hospitality market has changed profoundly since the last report due to the global pandemic – alarming trends are still rife.
“Many big brand restaurants are denying billions of birds the chance to see sunlight, grow at a healthy rate or behave naturally.”
Most of the chicken meat served by the major fast food brands comes from chickens who live in cramped and barren environments with no sunlight, and many suffering from lameness and skin lesions. Intensive farming methods also often rely on routine antibiotic use as a quick fix solution to keep stressed and sick animals alive. This over-use of antibiotics is fueling the deadly superbug crisis that kills over 700,000 people a year and rising. Not only are these chickens suffering – human health is also being jeopardized.
For the first time, in addition to the global assessment, 14 local rankings have been also created to reflect the realities in different geographies. The brands assessed are Burger King, Domino’s, KFC, McDonald’s, Nando’s, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Subway.
The UK companies in ‘The pecking order 2021’ received the highest scores meaning it places first out of the 14 countries included in the global assessment, with an average company score of 45%.
‘The pecking order’ assesses companies via publicly available information on three areas:
Commitment (corporate commitments), their policies clearly state how important the welfare of chickens is to the company;
Ambition (objectives and targets), a defined timeline that demonstrates the objectives, targets and promises a company has made to improve chicken welfare and when they will meet them; and
Transparency (performance reporting), through their performance reporting, and how clear the company is about living up to its promises on chicken welfare.
The key findings for ‘The pecking order 2021’ in the UK are:
KFC, out of all eight global brands assessed, is the clear leader of ‘The pecking order 2021’. It is the only company in Tier 1 (Leading) in the UK. This is through alignment with the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) and KFC reporting on its performance against the company’s chicken welfare standards in Western Europe.
Nando’s, Burger King and Pizza Hut also scored high points in 2021 due to signing up to the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) in the UK, and to other markets in some cases.
Starbucks and Subway both scored zero points and are right at the bottom of the ranking sitting in Tier 6 with a score of ‘Very poor’.
Domino’s sits in Tier 5 (Poor) and McDonalds in Tier 4 (Getting Started) these are the last remaining fast food companies in the ranking that have not committed to the BCC.
Despite moving up one tier, from ‘Poor’ to ‘Getting started’, McDonald’s, unlike many of its competitors, is still unwilling to sign up to the BCC in any market globally. The company has some standards that align with the commitment.
Burger King, Nando’s and Pizza Hut – have aligned with the BCC in the UK since the previous assessment. They are starting to demonstrate a serious intention to improve chicken welfare in this market. As a result, Burger King and Pizza Hut – have moved up two tiers, and Nando’s has moved up one tier. This is encouraging as it will improve the lives of millions of chickens. World Animal Protection urges other companies featured in the UK – Starbucks, Subway, McDonald’s and Domino’s – to follow suit soon.
Jonty Whittleton, Global Campaign Head at World Animal Protection says:“Many big brand restaurants are denying billions of birds the chance to see sunlight, grow at a healthy rate or behave naturally. COVID-19 has taught us that the welfare of animals and human health is interlinked – there should be no business as usual. Commercial motives are driving cruelty and suffering, and this needs to end.
“KFC once again has shown leadership in the UK and Europe since they signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment in 2019, which will improve the lives of millions of chickens. But it is disappointing that companies such as Starbucks, Subway, McDonald’s and Dominos are refusing to change for the better.
“As more people take an active interest in the ethics of their food, more companies are willing to act. Now is the time for real change to happen, and companies that fail to move with the demands of the market are not only causing misery to millions of animals but are also risking their reputation.”
World Animal Protection is calling on these global companies to lead and ensure that any chickens that are being served at their restaurants are guaranteed a life worth living.
Ozone is Business of the Year at annual celebration of innovation and enterprise
A clothing venture which has sustainability embedded into its entire business process was the big winner at the annual Bright Red Sparks awards.
An underwear designer, a social enterprise and a business driving energy efficiency in rented housing were also among those honoured at the event, which showcases innovative products and services developed by start-ups, spinouts and entrepreneurs.
An initiative of Edinburgh Napier’s Bright Red Triangle enterprise hub, the awards saw students, staff and alumni within five years of graduation compete across five categories for business coaching and more than £20,000 in cash prizes.
Ozone, founded by Edinburgh Napier Business School student James Bruce (above), won first prize in the Business of the Year category.
Its colourful apparel is developed with sustainability in mind, from initial resources to final products. This includes the sustainable sourcing of materials, carbon offsetting, fully compostable and recyclable packaging, and an ethically accredited supply chain.
Shortlisted enterprises across all five categories were assessed for everything from the viability of their ideas and clarity of planning to potential for growth. Business of the Year this year replaced the Going for Growth category, with 11 successful applicants participating in an intensive accelerator programme of three three-day sprints over a seven-week period.
Each participant in the category received £1000, with judges Lindsey McArthur, Relationship Manager at Santander Universities UK, and Dr Rosemary Allford, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Edinburgh Napier, deciding how to split a further prize pool of £7000 following an online pitching session.
Bright Red Sparks Awards 2021 winners
Business of the Year (£11,000 plus £7000 prize pool)
The big award for businesses or rigorously tested business ideas with global growth potential went to James Bruce’s Ozone, which scooped £3000 from the prize pool, as well as the £1000 which went to all 11 ventures which successfully applied to participate in the category.
The judges made further prize pool awards to second prize winner Matthew Porter’s skate equipment enterprise Ogle Skate (£2000) (above) and joint third prize winners Kat Kuritcina and Jason Shields’ Top Trend Blend Coffee and Dr Abdelfateh Kerrouche’s Autonomous Robot for collecting data from underwater surveys. (£1000 each from the prize pool)
Bright Ideas (£1000)
Product design graduate Kat Pohorecka came top in this category for exciting early-stage business ideas within one year of trading. She created Mude – a brand of underwear for insulin pump users. The collection of six nude-coloured bodysuits allow women affected by type 1 diabetes to wear an insulin pump with any type of clothing.
Business for Good (£1000)
School of Computing graduate Viana Maya won the category for businesses that have an environmental or social purpose at their core. Viana is the founder of pRESPECT – a social enterprise empowering minority ethic and other marginalised people through tailored personal and professional development, so they may gain sustainable and progressive employment.
Freelancer of the Year (£1000)
School of Engineering graduate Adam Al-khateb came top in the category for individuals who are self-employed, consistently develop themselves, and have ambitious plans for their freelance career.
His AAL Property Solutions was founded in September 2020, and its mission is to drive energy efficiency in the private rented housing sector and support customers throughout the lettings process. It offers fast, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions to an energyinefficient sector with increasing regulation and responsibility.
Enterprising Educators (£1000)
Maggie Anderson, who has worked at the University for more than 20 years, won the category forEdinburgh Napier staff who get students involved in enterprise activities.
She has been a driving force in developing the University Short course programme, an innovative suite of modules designed to introduce entrepreneurship and innovation to the leaders of the Ministry of Defence from across the UK, using a variety of learning and teaching approaches. The prize money goes towards the winning programme.
Nick Fannin, Head of Enterprise at Edinburgh Napier, said: “Bright Red Sparks shines a light on all of the enterprising students, staff, and alumni from Edinburgh Napier University and recognises their hard work, determination, and outstanding achievements.
“This year we wanted to provide more guided support for as many entrepreneurs as possible, and so we put them through three deep-dive bootcamps to find our Business of the Year.
“The remaining four categories saw impressive early-stage business ideas, ambitious freelancers, social entrepreneurs, and our very own Edinburgh Napier educators who support our students to develop their enterprise skills.
“We couldn’t have done it without the amazing support from Santander Universities. From all of us at Edinburgh Napier and our entrepreneurs, thank you.”
Lindsey McArthur, Relationship Manager, Santander Universities UK, said: “Through the Universities programme, Santander is committed to supporting entrepreneurs and student start-ups.
“We have supported the Bright Red Triangle at Edinburgh Napier for a number of years and I am always impressed by the standard of the businesses taking part as well as the commitment, passion and hard work demonstrated by the students involved.
“A huge well done to the winners this year, a fantastic achievement. I look forward to hearing updates as your businesses grow and wish you all the very best for the future.”
Edinburgh charities Streetwork and Edinburgh Food Project have welcomed donations totalling £10,000 from Amazon Development Centre Scotland.
Streetwork, a service provided by Simon Community Scotland, has been offering care and guidance to those who are experiencing homeless or at risk of homelessness in Edinburgh for 25 years.
The charity provides expert advice and compassionate support, working to connect people to the services they need. The mission of the charity is to enable a life off the streets, showing dignity and respect to everyone.
The charity works with City of Edinburgh Council, so staff have direct links to accommodation that is available immediately. The charity also offers a 24-hour freephone line that provides information for anyone who needs it.
Edinburgh Food Project operates eight foodbanks across the northwest, central and east of Edinburgh. The charity also offers a range of support to people including housing and benefits advice, a money advice service and a mental health and wellbeing project.
Edinburgh Food Project’s mission is to provide emergency support to people in crisis whilst also addressing the underlying causes of food poverty.
Commenting on the donation, Graeme Smith, Managing Director at Amazon Development Centre Scotland, said: “We are pleased to support Streetwork and Edinburgh Food Project with these donations.
“We understand how difficult the last year has been for people at risk of hunger and homelessness and these charities have gone above and beyond to support the Edinburgh community.”
Lorraine McGrath, Chief Executive, with Simon Community Scotland added: “We want to say a big thank you to the Amazon team for this donation. It means a lot to us to have this support at this time.
“COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the community and the demand for our services have rocketed. This donation will give our staff and volunteers a boost so we can continue to help those experiencing the most extreme impacts of homelessness including rough sleeping in Edinburgh.”
Angus Robertson, MSP for Edinburgh Central, said: “I welcome Amazon’s donation to Streetwork and Edinburgh Food Project, two important charities making a positive impact in the city.”
Amazon Development Centre Scotland has been based in Edinburgh since 2004 and is responsible for devising and growing innovations that bring new levels of choice and convenience to hundreds of millions of customers around the world.
It houses teams of leading engineers, scientists, designers and product managers who work on everything from interactive user interface design to large-scale distributed systems and machine learning.
Community donations are one of a number of ways in which Amazon is supporting communities across the UK during COVID-19.
Throughout the pandemic Amazon has provided disadvantaged students with free online STEM resources and supported virtual classrooms with no-cost resources from AWS and Amazon Future Engineer.
The company has also teamed up with charity partner Magic Breakfast to deliver more than four million healthy breakfasts to children at risk of hunger in disadvantaged areas around the UK.
For more information on how Amazon is supporting the UK during COVID-19, click here.
Healthcare company, Enertor, has announced its support for the exceptional work of the Regional Infectious Diseases Unit and staff at the Western General Hospital in NHS Lothian. As part of the Save the Nation’s Soles campaign, Enertor wishes to give thanks to all those who have and continue to work hard on their feet throughout Covid-19.
Through the month of July, for every 5 pairs of protective insoles purchased at Enertor, 1 pair will be donated to the hospital staff. A presentation will then take place in August.
The Western General Hospital is the second group to receive thanks from the UK insole manufacturer. Through June, and the efforts of communities across the UK, 500 pairs of gifted Enertor insoles were secured for the District Nurses across Braintree, Witham and Halstead, Essex. A presentation is planned next week, to deliver the 500 insoles to the key workers.
“Every single one of our staff, from nurses to doctors, porters to therapists, receptionists to pharmacists have been working tirelessly, often in excess of 12 hour shifts to ensure their patients’ health and wellbeing. Our ward nurses can log over 20,000 steps in just one shift so you can imagine how tired their feet feel.
“We are incredibly touched by the support of Enertor and excited to receive the gifted insoles in August for our team. It’s so important we keep our staff on their feet and injury free. We know these insoles will help to keep our staff mobile, aid their posture and generally reduce the stress on their bodies.
“We are a real team at WGH and we want to show our appreciation in any way we can for their continued efforts at this incredibly tough time.”
Over a single day our feet can support hundreds of tons, with just one step exerting a force twice our body weight. Imagine the stress on the bodies of our health care professionals and community services through the pandemic.
In order to send thanks, Enertor needs your help …
The company are calling on local communities to nominate groups of people they’d like to thank – be it volunteers or key workers, hospital staff to Covid test and vaccination centre volunteers, postal staff emergency services to school teachers – groups who you think are making a huge difference with their efforts day in, day out.
Nick Beresford, CEO of Enertor says: “When the local community nominated the RIDU at Western General Hospital, we were thrilled, as we couldn’t think of more worthy recipients. They have been at the front line of this terrible pandemic, putting themselves at risk and we would really like to thank them for all their tireless and wonderful work.
“This campaign has been created to recognise the many extraordinary people across the country that have and are still spending a huge amount of time on their feet as key workers, volunteering, delivering, cleaning, caring and many other important roles through the pandemic.
“We all know how debilitating lower limb and foot pain can be – 90% of impact comes through our feet with little realisation of the damage this can do to the body. Now more than ever, injury prevention is becoming crucial, in helping to keep our key workers and community heroes healthy and mobile.
“We will come through this crisis, but the only way through is together and so we wanted to do our bit to support and send our thanks for their continued efforts and devotion to saving the nation.
“Our insoles are trusted by podiatrists, the NHS and the British Army. They help all kinds of foot and leg injuries and pain such as stress fractures, Achilles tendinopathy, plantar fasciitis and shin splints.”
HOW CAN YOU SHOW YOUR SUPPORT?
To give thanks to your local heroes and heroines, visit
to nominate your chosen group and learn more about the vital role insoles can play in keeping you safe, mobile and injury free.
The nominated organisation must comprise over 50 people and each nomination will require the name of the group, a named contact to receive the donation if chosen and a short reason as to their hard work and deserving of the protective insoles. Each month, one chosen organisation will be presented with their donation.
Enertor PX1 insoles offer the first shock-absorbing technology specifically developed for protecting the feet and body from ground forces. Transmitting impact forces horizontally through the insole, shockwaves are greatly reduced through the leg.
The shoe inserts also help to improve lower limb alignment, reduce fatigue and reduce tibia and femur rotation and the stress this puts on joints. 91% of foot pain sufferers reported an improvement in the level of pain and 75% confirm that our insoles healed their plantar fasciitis.
Trusted by podiatrists, the NHS and British Army, the PX1 insole boasts flexibility, comfort, durability and energy returning properties, priced at just £34.99
Edinburgh-based charities, ACE IT Scotland and the Edinburgh Remakery, are collaborating to end digital poverty and prevent chronic loneliness amongst older generations across Edinburgh through a partnership that benefits both people and planet.
ACE IT Scotland provides IT coaching for over 50s throughout Edinburgh, many of whom have struggled with increasing loneliness and isolation without easy access to digital devices throughout the pandemic and beyond.
The Edinburgh Remakery is an environmental social enterprise which tackles waste by providing ways for people and businesses to donate their second hand IT equipment for repair and refurbishment, and by teaching repair and reuse skills through workshops and training opportunities.
By working together, ACE IT Scotland and the Edinburgh Remakery are able to deliver free laptops into the hands of Edinburgh’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, providing them with a means to stay connected whilst stopping reusable goods from going to waste.
Fifty second hand laptops are to be refurbished by technicians at the Edinburgh Remakery to be distributed to ACE IT learners.
“The Edinburgh Remakery is delighted to be partnering with ACE IT to enhance our laptop gifting service”, said Edinburgh Remakery CEO Elaine Brown.
“We know that with their help we are targeting people who will really benefit from receiving our free refurbished laptops, delivering the gift of connectivity. Through this partnership we can help people in our communities facing digital isolation and also help the planet by diverting laptops from landfill.”
The first gifted laptop of this new partnership was given to 78 year-old Michael Egan from Restalrig earlier this month.
He said: “Technology has been a lifesaver for me during the pandemic – it’s saved me from going crazy. I’m going to use the laptop to make more music and write some good songs.”
Michael is now working on a CD to raise funds for the NHS, a project partially funded by the Port of Leith Housing Association where he lives.
The Edinburgh Remakery was this month named one of the top 100 UK Social Enterprises in the NatWest Business #SE100 Index for the second year running.
The Remakery set up its IT Gifting Service in response to the increased need for digital access amongst low income families and individuals when lockdown began. In the past 12 months they have gifted 241 free IT kits to people in need through this project.
ACE IT Scotland also saw a drastic increase in the need for their digital support services at this time as significant and essential services were moved online. As a result, ACE IT opened a helpline to replace their in-person one-to-one sessions and successfully updated a number of workshops to be delivered online, including Scams Awareness and Work Wise Women, an IT course for women over 50 wanting to get back into the workplace.
“At ACE IT Scotland we are determined to tackle digital exclusion amongst older people in Edinburgh”, said Iain Couper, ACE IT Scotland Manager. “We have seen a rise in demand for our coaching services over the past 18 months where the inability to get online has disadvantaged many older people around the city like never before.
“Now we are thrilled to be partnering with the Edinburgh Remakery to provide support and guidance to use free laptop PCs to our learners to help more people get connected. These refurbished devices will have a real practical impact and will help us to further reduce the digital divide and alleviate social isolation.” –
Although restrictions are easing, digital exclusion remains a major barrier for so many older people as healthcare services and information remain primarily online.
ACE IT will provide every learner who receives a refurbished device with tailored one-to-one coaching with their trained volunteers.
If you are over 50 and wish to receive IT coaching and devices from ACE IT Scotland, contact Katie Innes at katie@aceit.org.uk or call the ACE IT helpline on 07737 738551.
If you are a business or individual with electronic devices you would like to donate to the Edinburgh Remakery, you can visit their website for more details:
Now that Covid-19 restrictions are easing, you may be thinking about re-starting services and face-to-face volunteering activities. Lateral Flow Devices (LFDs) are one of the measures you can put in place to help you resume services safely and with confidence (writes Volunteer Edinburgh Chief Officer PAUL WILSON).
Volunteer Edinburgh is a “distribution centre” for LFDs for small or local voluntary organisations or community groups.
If you would like some testing kits to distribute to your staff, volunteers or service users these are available for collection from the Volunteer Edinburgh office at 222 Leith Walk between 10am and 4pm, Monday to Friday.
While we are not operating an appointment system for collection it would be much appreciated if you could call us on 0131 225 0630 to let us know roughly what time you will be coming: as we only have limited staff in the office this will ensure that someone is available to help you when you arrive.
For information on how to use the LFDs please see the Scottish Government guidance HERE and for information on testing, vaccinations and self-isolation support please click HERE.
