LifeCare Edinburgh has received £1,000 from Arnold Clark’s Community Fund to help the charity deliver its essential care to hundreds of older people living across the North of the city.
The renowned local charity offers registered care, outreach activities and help at home services for older people. Established in 1941, the organisation supports elderly clients suffering with dementia, mobility issues, those experiencing isolation and loneliness, food poverty, mental health problems and offers dedicated support for carers.
LifeCare’s vital services have not stopped through the pandemic. Since March 2020, the charity has supported over 770 elderly individuals with vital positive support designed to protect and maintain the physical and mental health needs of some of the most isolated older members of the community.
The committed team has worked tirelessly to safely deliver essential care, practical help and companionship activities to ensure older people received the support they needed to stay well. The charity also launched several important new initiatives, such as their hugely successful meals on wheels service, specifically designed to help support the most isolated and vulnerable.
Margaret Stewart, Care Service Manager at LifeCare said: “Throughout LifeCare, we have worked tirelessly to ensure no client in need went without our dedicated support and contact.
“We have delivered over 7,500 hours of registered care through the crisis to date, over 10,000 hours of help within the home, made over 4,300 calls to carers most in need and served up over 10,000 hot nutritious meals to doorsteps.
“We simply could not deliver this vital care without the generous support from our funders. A huge thank you to Arnold Clark for this recent award which will help us to continue to care for those who need our help.”
Chief Executive and Group Managing Director Eddie Hawthorne said: “The Arnold Clark Community Fund is here to connect us with our local communities, and we’re delighted that we’ve been able to help LifeCare with this grant.
“The past year has been challenging for so many of us, which is why it’s important that organisations like LifeCare, who work so hard improve the lives of others, continue to get the support they need.
“We hope this grant will make a difference and help them continue to provide essential care to the elderly living in Edinburgh.”
Drylaw Parish Church has just installed an external defibrillator at the front door of the church for community use.
As you probably know you do not need any training or prior information to be able to use this; instructions are on the unit itself, indicating that anyone wanting to use it should phone 999 and then are given the code to open the unit.
The unit is on the left hand side of the front door, and is bright yellow.
This installation is part of an Edinburgh-wide church project, initiated by the Church of Scotland and now extending to other denominations and other faith traditions.
It reflects the churches’ commitment to support health and well-being. This is in conjunction with St John’s Ambulance Defibs across the city of Edinburgh.
Here in Drylaw Parish Church we are seeking to support health in other ways as well. We are just starting to offer contributions towards mental health, in partnership with Pilton Community Health Project. See below a flyer with information about that:
Capacitar, an internationally used way to support people enabling them to support themselves. This is running on Mondays lunchtimes at 12.30pm and is open to anyone, professionals and local people, who might appreciate 45 minutes of body/mind relaxation and reflection.
In time, we hope this could become a hybrid group, allowing local people to do this in person in the church building. People can refer themselves, simply emailing for the link as indicated.
Respiratory infections in young children have begun to rise out of season, following low infection levels in response to COVID-19 restrictions and good infection control measures that have been in place.
Parents are being encouraged to look out for symptoms of severe infection in at-risk children, including a high temperature of 37.8°C or above (fever), a dry and persistent cough, difficulty feeding, rapid or noisy breathing (wheezing).
The NHS is preparing for a rise in children needing treatment.
Through the Respiratory DataMart surveillance system, positivity of samples tested for RSV has increased over the last 5 consecutive weeks and now stands at 8.9%.
Health chiefs in England are encouraging parents to be aware of the signs of respiratory illnesses in young children, as data from Public Health England (PHE) shows cases are starting to rise in parts of the country.
Respiratory illnesses, including colds and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are very common in young children and we see them every year.
Last winter, due to the various restrictions in place to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), there were far fewer infections in younger people. This means many will not have developed immunity and so we may see more cases this year than in a typical season. For the majority of children, these illnesses will not be serious and they will soon recover following rest and plenty of fluids.
RSV is a very common virus and almost all children are infected with it by the time they are 2 years old. In older children and adults, RSV may cause a cough or cold.
However, some children under 2, especially those born prematurely or with a heart condition, can suffer more serious consequences from these common infections such as bronchiolitis, an inflammatory infection of the lower airways – which can make it hard to breathe.
The early symptoms of bronchiolitis are similar to those of a common cold but can develop over a few days into a high temperature of 37.8°C or above (fever), a dry and persistent cough, difficulty feeding, rapid or noisy breathing (wheezing).
Most cases of bronchiolitis are not serious and clear up within 2 to 3 weeks, but you should contact your GP or call NHS 111 if:
you are worried about your child
your child has taken less than half their usual amount during the last 2 or 3 feeds, or they have had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more
your child has a persistent high temperature of 37.8C or above
While still at low numbers, respiratory infections in young children are expected to rise this summer and as we go into the winter months.
Health Minister Lord Bethell said: “I remember the long nights in hospital when my 8 week old daughter fought off RSV. The image of her tiny body plugged into those machines and gasping for air will not leave me. I would not wish those moments for anyone.
“I urge all parents and carers to be alert to the signs of RSV, particularly amongst young children. It’s a nasty bug, so watch out for it.”
Dr Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at PHE, said: “This winter, we expect levels of common seasonal illnesses such as cold and flu to increase as people mix more and given that fewer people will have built up natural immunity during the pandemic.
“Children under 2 are at a particular risk of severe infections from common seasonal illnesses. If a child under 2 is suffering from a cold, keep a close eye on their symptoms and make sure to contact your doctor if they get a high temperature, become breathless or have difficulty feeding.
“It’s important that we carry on with good hygiene habits that we’ve become used to during the pandemic, in order to protect ourselves and those around us. This means washing your hands regularly, using a tissue to catch coughs or sneezes and washing your hands afterwards, and staying away from others if you feel unwell.”
Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “For most children these illnesses won’t be serious and they will soon bounce back but if you do need medical help for your child, especially if they are under 2, please do come forward for the care you need.
“The NHS has detailed plans in place for a wide range of scenarios ahead of winter and will continue to adapt them as needed, in line with the guidance from PHE.”
NHS England began planning for the potential rise in paediatric respiratory infections in April 2021, with paediatric units bringing forward their usual winter planning, escalation and emergency processes which will support an increased capacity in terms of beds, workforce and ward supplies.
‘It is essential that lifeline services and critical national infrastructure are maintained‘ – FM NICOLA STURGEON
Changes are being made to self-isolation rules for close contacts of COVID cases to allow essential staff in critical roles to return to work to maintain lifeline services and critical national infrastructure.
It will be possible to apply to exempt those who work in critical roles where staff shortages are in danger of putting essential services, such as health and social care, transport and the provision of food supplies at risk.
Exemption will only be granted in respect of members of staff who voluntarily agree not to self isolate, and the employers’ duty of care to all their employees must be respected.
Strict conditions will apply – staff must be double-vaccinated and in receipt of their second dose at least two weeks previously. They will also require to have a negative PCR test and to agree to undertake daily lateral flow tests.
Applications may be made via the Scottish Government website.
Exemptions will be made on a temporary basis and last only for as long as there is an immediate risk to business or service continuity.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “It is essential that lifeline services and critical national infrastructure are maintained and we are implementing these changes now – ahead of possible changes to self-isolation rules for close contacts that may apply more generally in future – to ensure staff shortages do not put key services at risk.
“We have seen significant staff shortages in a small number of organisations in recent days and we have worked with them to protect services. Applications for exemptions are being considered from today and we will consider applications as they come in.
“Clinical evidence tells us we can safely and effectively release some critical staff from self-isolation, with appropriate safeguards. However, this is a very limited change at this stage, to be applied on a case by case basis and only where absolutely necessary.
“We will not allow key services to be threatened by staff shortages but equally we must continue to protect public health.”
GMB Scotland: THINK AGAIN!
Responding to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement , GMB Scotland Secretary Louise Gilmour said: “The decision taken by the Scottish Government to introduce exemptions for critical workers from self-isolation guidance has been driven by resource, not by what’s safe for the workers or their families.
“It’s not frontline workers following COVID precautions that threatens to put key services at risk, but the cuts, underfunding and understaffing of these services that means we don’t have the capacity we need to respond in times of crisis.
“Whether it’s in the NHS, our social care sector or in our supermarkets, the story is the same: it’s low paid, exhausted and predominantly women workers who have to make sacrifices as a result of the failure of those at the top to plan and invest.
“GMB is urging the Scottish Government to rethink their decision to gamble with the lives of our key workers, before it’s too late.”
A new report exploring how youth work responded to the needs of young people during the Covid-19 pandemic reveals the importance of youth work’s role in closing the attainment gap going forward.
The report identified that disruption to youth work services exacerbated the impact of the pandemic on young people’s learning, achievement and wellbeing.
The youth work sector’s ability to adapt to changing guidelines to create new safe spaces had an overwhelmingly positive influence on young people’s resilience during the pandemic, with 83% of young people reporting that youth work had been important or very important to them over the past year.
Scotland makes international pledge to help deliver the Paris Agreement
With 100 days until COP26 comes to Glasgow, Scotland has set out how it will help meet the global goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
The indicative Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) published today (23 July) outlines Scotland’s contribution to preventing warming of more than 1.5 degrees.
Scotland is understood to be the first government that is not a formal party to the Paris Agreement to publish an indicative NDC.
While only parties to the Paris Agreement may submit NDCs, the Scottish Government committed to publishing an indicative NDC as an sign of Scotland’s commitment to joining and leading the international effort on tackling climate change. Its publication was a 100 day commitment for the government.
The indicative NDC reflects Scotland’s distinctive framework of statutory emissions reduction targets, in particular our world-leading 2030 target to reduce emissions of all major greenhouse gases by at least 75%. It also sets out our approach to achieving these ambitious targets, with a commitment to deliver a just transition at its heart.
Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport Michael Matheson said:“With COP26 coming to Glasgow, Scotland has a unique opportunity to show leadership on climate action on the international stage.
“I’m proud to publish this pledge, setting out how Scotland is contributing to the global aims of the Paris Agreement. By highlighting our own action, we hope to inspire others to raise their ambition.
“COP26 represents the world’s best chance – and possibly one of our last chances – to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. We are working hard with our delivery partners to make sure the event is safe and secure and to create a platform for agreeing decisive climate action.”
As part of the climate agreement negotiated in Paris in 2015, signatories must publish NDCs – plans that set out their action to contribute to the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees ( with “further efforts” to limit it to no more than 1.5 degrees).
While taking centre stage at November’s international event is something to look forward to, the Scottish Government has pressing local issues to deal with before then. The number of Covid cases in Scotland remains worryingly high and 22 deaths were recorded yesterday – the highest figure for four months.
The Lord Provost has wished all those born or based in the Capital the very best for the Tokyo Olympic games which open today (Friday 23 July).
Team Edinburgh includes rowers Katherine Douglas, Harry Leask, Polly Swan, Karen Bennett and Lucy Hope as well as Bradley Forbes-Cryans going for gold in the canoe slalom. In the pool will be divers Grace Reid and James Heatly, as well as swimmers Lucy Hope and Cassie Wild.
Ross McCann will compete in the GB Rugby Sevens team, while Sarah Addlington will battle for Team GB in judo. On the track, Joshua Kerr will compete in the 1500m and shooting star Seonaid McIntosh will be gunning for a gold medal this weekend.
Lord Provost Frank Ross, said: “As Lord Provost and on behalf of the people of Edinburgh, I would like to congratulate all the athletes on their selection to represent Team GB at the forthcoming Olympic Games. They are fantastic ambassadors for the City.
“In taking part in the Games they are representing extraordinary dedication and determination in their sports and are an inspiration for sporting fans throughout the Capital. Edinburgh has impressive representation with athletes born, based or training and studying in the Capital and I’m sure residents will join me in cheering them on as they go for gold. I wish you all the very best for Tokyo 2020.”
Scran Academy is celebrating after being shortlisted for a leading UK industry Award. This week, Scran was announced as a Finalist in the Apprenticeship and Skills category of the Public Sector Catering Awards and the recognition will see the youth-led organisation appear at the Ceremony in London later this year.
Scran Academy’s initial focus was to use the innovative food social enterprise to help young people from North Edinburgh to overcome their learning and life barriers and lead more meaningful lives.
Scran’s community-based school uses food to support learners disengaged from mainstream school to access qualifications and work. Despite being less than four years old, they have grown and scaled their impact to support thousands of people throughout the pandemic and city wide.
This includes the creation of the youth-led Scran Café based at the Comely Bank NHS Centre, which creates a welcoming, relaxing and safe haven for as many as 100 frontline NHS workers and clinical trainees on a daily basis.
Last year Scran also launched the Scran Van, a food truck that provides free healthy food to children and families across the city to combat hunger and increase positive youth activities.
All of these food initiatives puts employability skills, job opportunities and personal development for youth at the heart of what they do.
This award nomination comes as this ground-breaking social venture seeks to empower hundreds more young people with the skills and confidence to lead in the hospitality industry.
At the same time the programme will take a significant bite out of the poverty-related barriers, life challenges and injustices the young people face on a daily basis – being care-experienced, disengaged from mainstream school, at risk of homelessness, unemployed or suffering from poor mental health.
Nominee and Founder of Scran Academy and social entrepreneur, John Loughton BEM, said: “This nomination is a real vote of confidence in our community work and a recognition in the power of food to change lives.
“Will Bain and his team work magic at Scran to ensure food is positive for all people, not just those that can afford it. At Scran we do hand-ups, not just hand-outs and young people go on to change their own lives once they realise people believe in them.
“Scran’s story shows is that if we support local community organisations that are run with passion and authenticity, we can develop creative solutions to social inequality. It also shows that unlike the stereotypes so often in the media, young people make a real and positive contribution to society and your postcode does not have to be your destiny.”
The award-winning Grid Iron Theatre Company is pleased to announce further details for its hugely anticipated outdoor, site-specific staging of Doppler, an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Norwegian author Erlend Loe.
The world premiere will take place in the woods of Newhailes House on the outskirts of Musselburgh between 8th and 23rd of August (no shows on 10th, 17th and 19th) with previews on 6th and 7th.
Tickets go on sale today at 12 noon on edfringe.com.
The show will be staged in front of a small number of people to allow for social distancing and therefore audiences are encouraged to book early to avoid disappointment. Tickets for Doppler will be released in batches to coincide with the changes in Covid-19-related restrictions with further ticket release announcements taking place on Grid Iron’s social media.
I am a man of my time. A failed man of my time. Or just a man of a failed time. Depending on how you look at it.
Doppler had everything. He thought. Wife, two kids, 23 hour working week, time to ride his bicycle. Until the accident. Now he lives in the forest with an elk… Doppler is a funny and subversive fable about existence, consumerism and trying to live life in isolation when nobody will leave you alone.
Adapted and directed by Ben Harrison from the translation by Don Bartlett and Don Shaw,with dramaturgy by Eszter Marsalko, Doppler is produced by Judith Doherty with a cast that includes Keith Fleming, known for his role of Lesley in Outlander, in the eponymous role with Grid Iron-regular Sean Hay and Chloe-Ann Tylor known to wider audiences from Citizen Theatre’s Trainspotting portraying all the remaining characters.
The Company is also working with several talented freelancers, including Fergus Dunnetwho is producing the puppets for the show, Nik Paget-Tomlinson on music and foley, David Pollock on music and Becky Minto who is responsible for design.
Judith Doherty, Grid Iron’s Chief Executive and Co-Artistic Director said: “Doppler is back and this time he is LIVE! We are beyond excited to finally be able to confirm the details for the world premiere of Doppler. It has truly been a roller-coaster of a ride and we are so delighted to now be on terra firma and able to welcome our audience in person.
“We also want to say a massive thank you National Trust for Scotland for hosting Doppler and to all the wonderful staff and volunteers at Newhailes House and Gardens. We look forward to welcoming our audiences to the beautiful, shady woodland of Newhailes on the 6th August!”
Doppler was originally planned to be performed at Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2020 but had to pivot to a digital sharing in light of the Covid-19 related restrictions.
With only a few days of outdoor filming achieved due to Storm Francis, the Company decided to instead produce a documentary film charting the story of the show and its production, Doppler – The Story so Far, which was released for free in March 2020 and watched by almost 10,000 people worldwide. You can watch the documentary on the Company’s website.
Grid Iron, one of Creative Scotland’s Regularly Funded Organisations, is grateful to be one of a group of 15 shows and five venues awarded first ever Fringe Artist and Venue Recovery Fund.
This generous support goes toward presenting a BSL-interpreted sharing of Doppler which will take place on Saturday, 14th August at 2pm and on Saturday, 21st August at 6pm.
Tickets starting from £8 are on sale at 12pm on Thursday, 22 July via edfringe.com.
Dates, times, prices:
• Aug 6-7 14:00 – £8.00
• Aug 8-9,11-16,18,20-23 14:00 – £15.00 (£8.00 concession)
• Aug 14-15,18,20-22 18:00 – £15.00 (£8.00 concession)
Running time: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Age recommendation: 14+
#DopplerShow
Facebook and Twitter: @GridIronTheatre
Grid Iron Theatre Company
Grid Iron are an Edinburgh-based theatre company who, following their incorporation in 1995 and their first show Clearance at the Traverse, Edinburgh, swiftly gained a reputation for creating high-quality, high profile shows.
The Company went on to specialise in presenting shows in unusual locations. They are a new writing company who work in challenging sites that lend themselves especially well to Grid Iron’s taut production style. Occasionally they create work for the stage or use theatre buildings in a site-specific, promenade manner.
In 1997 Grid Iron produced their first full-scale site-specific production, The Bloody Chamber, their adaptation of Angela Carter’s Bluebeard fairytale, which they presented in famously haunted underground vaults beneath Edinburgh’s historic Royal Mile.
It was the company’s first appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and, by the opening night, the show had sold out for its entire three-week run. Awards: Herald Angel for Outstanding Contribution and Achievement in Theatre and Total Theatre Nominations for Best Newcomers and Best Design.
