MARKDAVID Salon wins Salon Design Category at the 2021 Salon Business Awards
The Salon Business Awards 2021 held at Quaglino’s in London on 19 July 2021
Photography by DFphotography.co.uk/Danny Fitzpatrick
Credit : DFphotography.co.uk
Local salon, MARKDAVID, has won the Salon Design category in this year’s Salon Business Awards.
The glamorous awards ceremony, which took place at the decadent Quaglino’s in London, saw over 250 guests turn up in an event that brought the industry back together in the way we remember – with hugs, dancing and networking from start to finish!
Guests were greeted by a saxophonist before the awards announcement began and the MARKDAVID salon was announced as the winner of the Salon Design category.
Created by industry trade magazine Salon Business, the awards are one of the most prestigious awards in the industry and for the MARKDAVID salon to be awarded as the winner of the category amongst hundreds of entrants, is an incredible achievement.
Each entry was judged by representatives from prestigious professional hair brands including Schwarzkopf Professional, Remi Cachet, Paul Mitchell, iSalon and Unite, as well as award-winning hairdressers including Errol Douglas MBE and Guy Kremer.
Salon Business Publishing Editor Joanne Charlton said: “The SBAwards Grand Final brought the industry back together in the way we remember – with hugs, with dancing and networking from start to finish.
“We were proud to give the winners the recognition they deserve in glorious surroundings filled with friends. Each of the winners truly represent everything that’s good about our industry – dedication, hard work, creativity and togetherness.”
Mark McCarthy, Owner of the MARKDAVID salon commented: “When our salon was called out as the winner of the Design Salon category at this year’s Salon Business Awards we were absolutely thrilled!
“Last year we were awarded runner-up in the category and to win this year meant a great deal to us, having worked so hard throughout the lockdown period to expand the salon and make it even bigger and better for our clients.
“To have all of our team in London for the awards to celebrate was truly fantastic and a night to remember!”
For further information on MARKDAVID, please contact Alex Hamilton by emailing: alex@ajc93.com.
Unfortunately, we are not able to offer food, drinks or toilet facilities on site, but these can be found walking distance from the venue.
There are new, staffed public toilets 5 minutes’ walk away. We will be able to direct you to the closest establishments and Leith’s many eco-friendly businesses, including Earth and Commons’ market near the festival.
We ask you:
-Not to attend the event if you have COVID-19, have COVID-19 symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19.
-Wear a mask.
-Respect 2 meters social distancing.
We reserve the right to ask someone to leave if they don’t adhere to these rules.
The Edinburgh Climate Festival is organised by Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), The Welcoming Association, Earth in Common, the Salisbury Centre, SHRUB Coop and the Edinburgh College Students Association.
The festival is supported by Net Zero Scotland, and The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland.
The open day is a public event and photographs and films will be taken for use for marketing uses.
New government-funded clinical trial investigating best COVID-19 vaccine dose interval for pregnant women launched in England
Research shows pregnant women more likely to become seriously ill from COVID-19 and 98% of those in hospital due to COVID-19 are unvaccinated
The UK’s largest clinical trial investigating the best gap between first and second COVID-19 vaccine doses for pregnant women is being launched in England today (Tuesday 3 August).
Following 130,000 pregnant women being vaccinated in the US and no safety concerns being raised, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were recommended by the independent experts at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for pregnant women in the UK.
Almost 52,000 pregnant women in England have now been vaccinated – again, with no safety concerns reported.
Data published last week by NHS England and the University of Oxford also shows no pregnant women who have had both doses of a vaccine have been admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Only three have been admitted after having their first dose, meaning 98% of those admitted to hospital have not received a jab.
The Preg-CoV study, backed by £7.5 million of government funding and led by St George’s, University of London, will provide vital clinical trial data on the immune response to vaccination at different dose intervals – either four to six weeks or eight to 12 weeks.
This data will help determine the best dosage interval and tell us more about how the vaccine works to protect pregnant mothers and their babies against COVID-19.
Minister for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment Nadhim Zahawi said: “Pregnant women are more likely to get seriously ill from COVID-19 and we know that vaccines are safe for them and make a huge difference – in fact no pregnant woman with two jabs has required hospitalisation with COVID-19.
“This government-backed trial will provide more data about how we can best protect pregnant women and their babies, and we can use this evidence to inform future vaccination programmes. I encourage anyone who is pregnant and eligible to sign-up and contribute to research that will save lives for years to come.”
Vaccines have been given to pregnant women to protect them and their babies from diseases for years – including for whooping cough and flu.
The trial will involve over 600 pregnant women being vaccinated with either the Pfizer/BioNTech or the Moderna vaccine. They will be closely monitored by health professionals throughout their pregnancy and following the birth, with the safety of the women taking part in the trial the utmost priority.
The Preg-CoV participants will need to be between 18 and 44 years old, have no health conditions and be between 13 and 34 weeks pregnant on the day of vaccination. They will receive two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine – or one dose if they’ve already had their first – at either the shorter interval of four to six weeks, or the longer interval of eight to 12 weeks.
They will be scheduled to attend nine visits in total and will be required to complete an electronic diary between visits on any symptoms. They will also be given a 24-hour mobile number so they can contact one of the trial team at any time if they have concerns.
The scientists behind the trial will analyse blood samples from the participants and one blood sample from their newborn babies, alongside samples from breastmilk. They will use the samples to help understand more about how the vaccines are protecting these individuals from COVID-19, with initial results expected by the end of the year.
The study will open for applications from volunteers today via the study’s website, with vaccinations set to start from mid-August. Participants will also be recruited to the study by invites sent through the NHS COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry, which allows research teams to speak to suitable volunteers who have signed up to be contacted about taking part in vaccine studies.
Chief Investigator and Professor of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at St George’s, University of London, Professor Paul Heath said: “Tens of thousands of pregnant women have now been vaccinated in both the US and the UK with no safety concerns reported, but we still lack robust, prospective clinical trial data on COVID-19 vaccines in pregnant women. This includes the best schedule to use to maximally protect them against COVID-19.
“We are extremely pleased to commence the Preg-CoV trial, which aims to fill these gaps in our knowledge and will ultimately inform policy recommendations on the optimal use of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy.
The trial will be run across 13 National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) sites in England – including in London, Liverpool and Leeds. All the trial sites are working on ways of including participants from a wide variety of backgrounds and individuals from ethnic minorities are encouraged to apply.
The vaccination programme continues its phenomenal progress towards vaccinating the adult population of the UK, with over 85,336,436 vaccines administered in total – 46,872,411 first doses (88.6%) and 38,464,025 second doses (72.7%).
Further analysis from PHE and the University of Cambridge also suggests vaccines have so far prevented over 52,600 hospitalisations, an estimated 22 million infections and more than 60,000 deaths in England alone.
Dr Pat O’Brien, Vice President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “We now have robust data of nearly 200,000 women from across the US and the UK, who have received the COVID-19 vaccine with no safety concerns.
“This tells us that both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are safe in pregnancy. However, more research is needed to monitor and understand how pregnant women respond to the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We welcome this trial as the next step in further monitoring the protection provided by the vaccine, to understand the risk of any potential adverse side effects, and observe the immune response within those who are pregnant and their babies.
“We encourage all pregnant women to get vaccinated, as the protection that it provides against COVID-19 to both mother and baby outweigh the risks. We are seeing more pregnant women being admitted to hospital with COVID-19, and we know that the Delta variant is causing more pregnant women to have severe illness than previous strains of the virus.
“We hope that this research will help to gain the confidence of pregnant women that the recommendation of vaccination in pregnancy is based on robust evidence.”
Professor Nick Lemoine, Medical Director, NIHR Clinical Research Network, said: “The fact that every participant in this study receives an approved vaccine will give volunteers peace of mind that they are protected from the virus and that they can take confidence in the safety of these vaccines, and the monitoring involved in the study.
“Vaccine studies like this remain crucial for researchers to gain more information on the best intervals and methods to help protect the whole population against COVID-19.
“It is thanks to the continued dedication and commitment of volunteers that we are at this stage of research and the NIHR is very grateful for their efforts.
“The NHS COVID-19 Vaccine Research Registry continues to help us reach out to potential participants and recruit to additional studies as we keep moving forward, and we encourage interested members of the public to sign up to be contacted at nhs.uk/ResearchContact.”
The Scottish Young Carers Festival will sadly not go ahead in its usual format in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 2021 would have been the Festival’s 14th year, providing young carers with a much needed break from their caring responsibilities.Young carers provide unpaid care for a family member or a friend, who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems.
The Festival provided the opportunity for young carers to meet other young people in similar situations, share new experiences and of course, have fun! The event also provided a national celebration for young carers to share their experiences, the impact that caring has on them and to suggest changes that could make their lives better.
Carers Trust Scotland and the Scottish Government have been working with young carers and their services to continue the delivery of an online Festival, and have responded to young carers’ feedback from last year to make this year’s Festival the best it can be!
Scottish Government funding is providing over £100,000 for Carers Trust Scotland to administer a small-grant scheme to eligible young carer services. These services will be able to apply for funding to provide fun and respite to the young carers they support. The outcomes of this scheme are broad to ensure that services can take a local, tailor-made approach in supporting their young people and provide meaningful respite in a safe way.
Furthermore, Carers Trust Scotland will bring the fun to young people through our online Festival activity! On Tuesday 3 August, the Scottish Young Carers Festival 2021 webpage will launch, where young carers can access over 40 pre-recorded workshops.
These will cover a whole range of topics including Just Fun, Life Skills and Self-Care, at the request of young carers. There will be the opportunity for young carers to take part in dozens of activities including; mindfulness, magic, comedy, arts and crafts, and learning a language!
The Festival also provides young carers with an opportunity to have their voices heard. On Wednesday 4 August, Carers Trust Scotland will be hosting a “Young Carer Voice: Consultation Event” providing young carers the opportunity to discuss important issues and speak directly to key decision makers.
The event will include interactive consultation workshops, followed by a Q&A panel.
This year’s alternative Scottish Young Carers Festival takes place during a time which remains relatively challenging for unpaid carers.
Recent research undertaken by Carers Trust Scotland highlights the experiences and challenges that the pandemic has created for unpaid carers, and consequently, carer support workers and carer services.
Many unpaid carers found that they were spending more time caring, with less opportunity to get a break. Many felt the needs of the person(s) they care for had intensified, and found their responsibilities increasing as a result of other services being paused or closed. This impacted on unpaid carers’ mental and physical health.
These results highlight the need for continued support to young carers and the opportunity for meaningful respite and engagement opportunities throughout the year. Despite the cancellation of our Scottish Young Carers Festival, our small-grant scheme and online activities aim to provide fun and respite to these young people in alternative, safe ways.
Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care, Kevin Stewart MSP, said:“We know – because young carers have told us – what a difficult time they have had during the pandemic. I want to thank them again for all they have done and continue to do for their loved ones and for our communities.
“I am looking forward to taking part in the Young Carers Festival consultation event, and hearing directly from young people about their experiences and any help they need.
“We know how important it is for young carers to have a break from the routine and a chance to come together and enjoy themselves. This isn’t easy in the current circumstances, so I am delighted to see the innovative approach that has been taken to this year’s online Festival.
“Alongside the Festival, we have provided £100,000 for local young carer services to run additional fun activities for the young carers they work with.
“The Festival is not just a chance to take a break from caring, it is an opportunity to let us know what we are doing right and what we could be doing better. The Scottish Government will continue to engage directly with young carers, and listen to what they are telling us to ensure that we address their needs.”
“We are delighted to be working again with Scottish Government to deliver these new kind of Festival activities for young carers across Scotland for 2021.
“The pandemic has been difficult for a lot of young carers and many have reported taking on additional caring responsibilities, feeling isolated, and feeling disconnected to their friends and wider communities.
“Although some young carers may be disappointed that the annual Scottish Young Carers Festival can’t take place again in the usual way, the small-grant scheme provides opportunities for local young carer services to plan and deliver activities to ensure young carers still have an opportunity to get a break from caring and have fun.
“The Young Carer Voice consultation event will also give young carers across Scotland a meaningful opportunity to have their voices heard by key decision makers and discuss the issues that matter to them most.”
Police in Edinburgh are appealing for witnesses following an assault and robbery on Leith Street last Friday evening. The incident is being treated as a hate crime.
Detective Inspector Mark McGraw said: “The investigation into an assault and robbery against two men on Leith Street, Edinburgh on Friday 30 July is ongoing and being treated as a hate crime.
“We understand hate crimes can have a huge impact on those targeted, and an attack on people because of their sexual orientation, gender, race or beliefs, is not only abhorrent but will not be tolerated.
“Anyone who was in the Leith Street area of Edinburgh at around 9.20pm on Friday, 30 July, and may have information that could assist with our enquiry is urged to contact Police Scotland, quoting reference number 3663 of 30 July.”
Best Start Foods payments are increasing this month marking the achievement of another commitment for the first 100 days of the Scottish Government.
Social Security Minister (and local MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith) Ben Macpherson paid a visit to Fresh Start’s Pantry on Ferry Road Drive at lunchtime to meet staff and customers who are benefitting from the payments.
The payment supports low income families to buy healthy food for children under the age of three, and forms part of the Scottish Government’s national mission of eradicating child poverty.
Best Start Foods is part of a package of five family payments administered by Social Security Scotland. It is made every four weeks on a pre-paid card to buy healthy food including eggs, milk, fruit, vegetables and pulses. The payment is increasing to £18 from £17 during pregnancy and for any children between one and three years old. It’s also increasing to £36 from £34 for children under one.
Between December 2018 when the first payment started and 31 May 2021, £60.8 million has been paid to 179,575 families for Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods -£16.7 million of these payments were for Best Start Foods.
Social Security Minister Ben Macpherson said: “Unwarranted welfare cuts by the UK Government and the impacts of the pandemic are putting even greater pressure on family budgets.
“It’s our priority to do everything within our power to eradicate child poverty across Scotland. We committed to increasing Best Start Foods within the first 100 days of this Government and we have swiftly delivered.
“We have also delivered on our 100 day commitment to pay £100 as part of Scottish Child Payment Bridging Payments worth £520 in both 2020 and 2021. Families will now have received £200 for each eligible child this year, almost two years ahead of the planned full roll-out of Scottish Child Payment for older children.
“We are set to invest £77 million both this year and next through this measure which is expected to benefit around 145,000 children and young people in receipt of Free School Meals on the basis of low income.
“Families in Scotland now have a unique package of payments that will help them as their child grows and I encourage all families on low incomes to check what they are entitled to. There are many forms of support available to ensure every child in Scotland has the best start in life.”
Further information on all five family payment can be found by visiting:
Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline, today launches its new direct service linking the capital cities of Scotland and Wales.
To mark the launch of the new route between Edinburgh and Cardiff, Loganair’s head of revenue and sales, Donna McHugh, will fly to the Welsh capital to meet Spencer Birns, CEO at Cardiff Airport.
The service will operate up to five times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, connecting Scotland and Wales for business and leisure travellers alike.
Flights will be on Loganair’s 49-seat Embraer 145 regional jets, with prices on the 1hr 20min trip starting at £50.99 one way including all taxes and charges. All Loganair fares include a free checked baggage allowance.
The direct flights represent the last major route to be restored by Loganair and other carriers, thereby bringing back the domestic connectivity lost when Flybe collapsed in March 2020.
The Cardiff service adds to the eight others already flown from Edinburgh by Loganair, including Southampton, Newquay and the Isle of Man.
Donna McHugh, head of revenue and sales at Loganair, said: “Loganair is delighted to once again be operating the Edinburgh to Cardiff route.
“It is vital that connectivity is maintained between these two major cities and we know it will prove very popular with both our leisure and business travellers.”
Spencer Birns, CEO at Cardiff Airport said: “It’s fantastic that Loganair has re-instated such a vital and in-demand route, re-connecting the Scottish and Welsh capitals.
“Once again, customers will be able to fly with ease between Cardiff and Edinburgh, and fly from their local Airport for business travel, to visit friends and family, or to experience the vibrant city of Edinburgh and Scotland’s natural beauty.
“It is our priority to re-instate routes lost due to COVID-19 pandemic, and we are delighted that Scotland’s airline has stepped in to provide an essential service to both our business and leisure customers. We’d like to extend a warm Welsh welcome to Loganair and thank the airline for their support.”
Kate Sherry, aviation director at Edinburgh Airport said: “We’re excited to be reconnecting the capitals of Scotland and Wales, a route which will allow family members to reunite as well as enable people to enjoy a well-earned break in Edinburgh and Cardiff.
“It’s been an extremely tough period and we know people are looking forward to enjoying some time away from home, and this is further good news as the airport looks to provide those opportunities for our passengers. Loganair is a valued partner and its confidence in Edinburgh Airport is welcome now and going forward.”
A food charity is urgently appealing for volunteer drivers to provide vital support to local communities by collecting food from its warehouse and delivering it to charities.
FareShare Central and South East Scotland operated in partnership with Cyrenians, takes good quality, in-date surplus food and redistributes it to over 196 local charities and community groups supporting vulnerable people – including homeless hostels, breakfast clubs and domestic violence refuges.
This year alone the charity delivered more than 1,765 tonnes of food to create the equivalent of 4,203,441,21 meals in the region.
Volunteers are required to have a standard driving licence and will be able to deliver to a variety of local charities and community groups across Central and South East Scotland.
Lynne Collie, Cyrenians Senior Service Manager said: “We’re asking members of the public who may have a bit more time during the school summer holiday period to lend a hand and help with increased demand.
“Our volunteers have been providing a lifeline to people in the region throughout the crisis, delivering food to charities across the region. “Now, as restrictions ease, many of our fantastic volunteers are returning to work, leaving us with a shortage of drivers.
“The charities we serve are still facing an unprecedented demand and we urgently need new volunteer drivers to help us get food onto more people’s plates. We’re really hoping the community will rally round and help people in need.”
Find out more about volunteering opportunities on FareShare’s website:
Our Positive Action Team are hosting a recruitment event aimed at people from minority ethnic communities with an opportunity to hear from serving officers
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