December 2021 – Page 22 – The NEN

At Last: Patrick finally receives Apprentice of the Year award!

A young Midlothian electrician has finally been recognised for his exceptional talent in the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB) Apprentice of the Year awards, sponsored by Edmundson Electrical.

After a year’s delay due to lockdown, Patrick Henderson was presented with the 2020 award in a special ceremony with his employer, Atalian Servest AMK in Loanhead.

Fiona Harper, The Secretary of the SJIB, said: “The SJIB Apprentice of the Year awards, sponsored by Edmundson Electrical, celebrate the best new talent in our industry, and Patrick has demonstrated excellent skill and dedication.

“We were disappointed that we were forced to postpone the 2020 ceremony, but we are equally delighted that Patrick has now been recognised for his exceptional talent.”

Derek Allen, Scottish Regional Director of Edmundson Electrical, added: “Patrick should be rightfully proud of this achievement and his employer and college lecturers should also be praised for continuing to help develop the talent of tomorrow.”

As well as receiving a trophy and certificate, Patrick also received £500 from the SJIB and £500 from Edmundson Electrical.

The 23-year-old – who successfully completed his studies at Forth Valley College in Falkirk – said: “When I started my apprenticeship, it didn’t even cross my mind that I’d win an award like this. I just saw it as a job but it turns out I was good at it!

“It does feel strange to actually receive the award now because I’ve qualified, but I’m happy to finally get my hands on it! A lot of the credit goes to the training I got at college, plus all the support from Atalian Servest AMK and my colleagues.

“I enjoy the challenges the job brings and want to go as far as I can in my career. I’m currently doing my HNC in electrical engineering and am really pleased this is the path I followed; I feel like I’ve made the right choice.”

Atalian Servest AMK Director Mike Stark said: “We’re all so proud that Patrick’s finally been given this award and he absolutely deserves it.

“From day one, he knew what he wanted to do and what his end goal was. When he started, he pretty much said he wanted my job and that’s what I wanted to hear – it shows his approach to things.

“We have a great dedication to our apprentices and like to take them on a journey from day one to when they complete their apprenticeship. But we can only do so much – the remainder is down to the application and commitment of the apprentice.”

Patrick was presented with his award at the same time as the 2021 apprentice of the year, Cameron Wood, 21, who works for JS Hardie Electrical Ltd in Lauder, Berwickshire, after completing his studies at Borders College in Galashiels.

Mike added: “I’ve got so much respect for what the SJIB and Edmundson are doing to recognise the achievements of electrical apprentices like Patrick and Cameron despite COVID-19. They deserve it.”

Founded in 1969 by electrical trade association SELECT and Unite the Union, the SJIB’s duties include regulating between employers and employees, providing benefits for people engaged in the industry, and stimulating industry progress.

In addition, it has oversight of employment, skills and proficiency, health and safety competence, wages and welfare benefits across the electrical industry in Scotland.

Edmundson Electrical is an electrical wholesaler that serves Scotland from more than 37 locations. Its customer base includes electrical contractors and engineers, industrial companies, facilities management, government agencies and local authorities.

Almost half a million explicitly antisemitic tweets per year

The Woolf Institute estimate there to be nearly two antisemitic tweets for every Jewish person in the UK

Analysis of data by the Woolf Institute, a global leader on interfaith relations, is presented in a new report by the Antisemitism Policy Trust and the Community Security Trust, which marks the end of an 18-month research programme to study the extent and nature of antisemitism online.

The report presents an estimate of the level of antisemitism on Twitter in the UK and based on research methods used, Woolf Institute analysis concludes there are between 100 and 1,350 explicitly antisemitic tweets every day in the UK.

The findings estimate that there are up to 495,000 explicitly antisemitic tweets per year made viewable for UK users (tweets in English by and available to UK users). Given the size of the UK’s Jewish population at around 290,000 people, the report calculates there to be nearly two antisemitic tweets annually for every Jewish person in the UK.

The Antisemitism Policy Trust, supported by the Community Security Trust, commissioned the Woolf Institute to explore anti-Jewish hatred on Google, Instagram and Twitter, and this publication represents the third and final instalment of that project.

The two previous reports found that Google’s public facing Safesearch facility has no impact on the amount of antisemitic content that is returned when people search for jokes about Jews.

Antisemitism is also extensive on Instagram, associated with a “chaotic” trolling phenomenon on the platform, and demonstrates strong links to conspiracy theories and anti-Israel attitudes.

Danny Stone MBE, Chief Executive, Antisemitism Policy Trust, says: “Policies to deal with online abuse aren’t worth the paper they’re written on if companies cannot effectively enforce them.

“This new report makes it crystal clear that Twitter’s systems for discovering and acting against anti-Jewish racism still aren’t good enough. As the Government considers new internet safety laws, I hope this report will weigh heavily on Minister’s minds.”

Dr. Dave Rich, Director of Policy, Community Security Trust, says: “It has long been known that social media is the engine of modern antisemitism, and it increasingly features in the antisemitic incidents that are reported to CST.

“This new research not only demonstrates how widespread this is, but also shows exactly how the social media companies are failing to control the problem of anti-Jewish hatred on their platforms.”

Commenting on the overall findings, Dr Julian Hargreaves, Director of Research at the Woolf Institute, who has led the project, said: “Taken together, this series identifies and underlines that antisemitism persists on major social media platforms, and that either the tools for addressing it are not fit-for-purpose, or the public policies professed by the world’s leading social media giants are at best, poorly enforced and at worst, are completely ineffectual.

“Our reports identify that the systems – be they Safesearch, algorithms, or automated moderation are not doing their job. If antisemitism online and within our societies is to be effectively tackled and reduced, we will need platforms, in this instance acting as agents of harm, to better understand and to act upon what the evidence is clearly telling them.”

Using social media data analysis tools, the team were able to identify biographical and geographical characteristics of Twitter users posting tweets which matched the antisemitism research terms.

The top 10 geographical locations were London, Manchester, Redcar, Liverpool, Glasgow, Brighton, north-west Leicestershire, Oxford, Birmingham, and Edinburgh.

APT-Twitter-Report-2021-Draft-3 Download

The full report on Twitter is available at https://antisemitism.org.uk/research-reports/

The Google and Instagram reports are available at: https://antisemitism.org.uk/research-reports/

For more information on the Woolf Institute visit: https://www.woolf.cam.ac.uk

For information about the Antisemitism Policy Trust visit: https://antisemitism.org.uk

For information about the Community Security Trust visit https://cst.org.uk

Omicron variant: Social care staff urged to get Covid booster

Support available to ensure care workers can get vaccines and boosters

Care home staff and those working in social care are being urged to get the booster vaccine in the fight against the spread of Omicron variant.

Scottish Government financial support is available for adult care providers who incur additional costs if employees are vaccinated in working time – so staff can do so without losing earnings or having to take annual leave.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf thanked staff for their efforts but said the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 made it more important than ever that care workers get their COVID-19 booster vaccinations, test themselves regularly and maintain infection prevention measures.

Rates of uptake of the booster vaccine are currently lower among social care staff, with 47.7% of frontline social care workers and 54.8% of care home staff having had their booster, than they are in other sectors such as frontline healthcare workers (72%).

Mr Yousaf said: “I want to thank everyone working in social care who has taken up the offer of vaccination, and has had a booster jag. But I want to encourage every single social care worker to get themselves vaccinated.

“Even if you’ve been double-vaccinated, we know your immunity against COVID-19 wanes over time. Getting your booster is even more important with the emergence of the Omicron variant. Please do so as soon as possible.

“I’m very grateful to all our social care workers for their continued resilience and ongoing commitment during what I know continues to be a very difficult time. I know staff are likely to be feeling particularly fatigued after more than 20 months of the pandemic and I want to thank you all for supporting each other and working together as we continue to navigate through this.

“However we know that the rate of take up among those working in care homes and social care is not as high as in other sectors. It is crucial, especially for those working with some of our most vulnerable citizens, that you get your booster if you have not already done so.

“Getting vaccinated is vital in protecting you, those you care for, and your friends and family.”

An online booking portal for health and social care workers can be accessed at: www.nhsinform.scot/campaigns/vaccinations-for-health-and-social-care-workers

Healthy Heart Tip: Keep moving this Christmas!

After sitting down to enjoy Christmas dinner, many of us head straight to the sofa to spend the remainder of Christmas Day watching TV, playing board games, snacking or taking a nap.

It is estimated that the average person in the UK consumes two to three times their recommended calorie intake on Christmas day, so why not get off the sofa, get moving and burn off some extra calories this Christmas?

Get on your bike

In 2020, there was an increase in bicycle sales. If you own a bike, why not get out for a Christmas Day cycle and make the most of the roads being quieter than usual. If your kids got bikes for Christmas, why not join them for a cycle around your local area.

Walk the dog

Dog ownership also increased in 2020. If you or your family have a dog, try not to miss out on your usual walk on Christmas Day. If you normally do two walks, try to stick to the plan and don’t skip one of them. You could even increase the distance of your walk to burn off a few extra calories on Christmas Day.

Dance the day away

Dance floors may have been out of bounds in 2020 due to COVID-19, but don’t let this stop you from getting your groove on! Why not put on your favourite tunes and dance around the kitchen as you prepare Christmas dinner. You could put your favourite 2021 music videos on and get your household dancing in the living room after dinner.

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website:

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/

Research grant for Edinburgh project investigating new drug which could prevent injury to the heart after heart attack

A research project at the University of Edinburgh, led by Professor Gillian Gray, has been awarded £88,000 by Heart Research UK. Prof Gray’s team has discovered that a drug originally developed to treat obesity and diabetes also promotes repair of the heart after a heart attack and reduces the development of heart failure.

Now the team will use ‘mass spectrometry imaging’ (MSI) to look in more detail at the effects of the drug on the heart muscle.

Heart attacks occur when the blood flow to the heart is interrupted, causing damage that can weaken the heart and lead to heart failure. The new drug that has been discovered acts early after heart attack to prevent the spread of injury in the heart muscle and therefore has the potential to benefit many patients.

As obese and diabetic people are at higher risk of heart attack, the combined actions of the drug on the heart, fat and insulin make it particularly appealing.

The drug has already undergone safety tests in volunteers, so could now rapidly progress to human trials. However, the research team will first need to show that this new drug offers benefits over existing drugs used to treat heart failure.

To do this, the team will use MSI to further investigate the effects the drug has on the heart. It is anticipated that this will provide unique evidence that the biochemical pathways in the heart muscle affected by the drug are distinct from those affected by drugs already used to treat heart failure.

MSI uses a laser to collect samples from slices of tissues. Levels of substances in the body like cortisol and cholesterol breakdown products, that we expect to change after a heart attack and in response to the drug, can be measured in each spot targeted by the laser. This information can then be used to build a map of where they are found.

The MSI group, led by collaborator Professor Ruth Andrew, have already used this technique to visualise and measure activity of the enzyme targeted by the drug in the brain, liver and kidney.

They will prepare thin sections of heart muscle and use the laser to capture samples from injured areas and compare these to samples from healthy areas. MSI has enormous potential for helping to understand biochemical pathways in the heart but has never been systematically applied to heart tissue before.

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive of Heart Research UK, said: “We’re very happy to be able to award one of our Novel and Emerging Technologies Grants to Professor Gray and her team.

“This project will generate novel MSI data from heart tissue which will provide vital information on how the drug affects the heart, and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

You can read more about and apply for Heart Research UK’s Research Grants here.

150 groups challenge the PM to secure our Human Rights Act

Yesterday, on global Human Rights Day, as the UK attends the international Summit for Democracy and the Justice Secretary vows to “overhaul” our protections, over 150 groups across the UK challenged the Prime Minister to secure our Human Rights Act.

As the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, attended President Biden’s Summit for Democracy, over 150 groups issued an open letter challenging him to secure our Human Rights Act and safeguard human rights and democratic accountability here at home.

The organisations include those working with children, carers, people with learning disabilities and mental ill-health, women experiencing violence, migrants, older people, and groups campaigning for LGBTQ+ rights, fair trials, access to justice, decent housing and against racial discrimination and to increase the UK’s democratic accountability.

In our work up and down the country, we see the everyday ways our Human Rights Act helps people across the UK to live more dignified and equal lives; ordinary people whose voices are rarely considered by those in power.

The loud calls to tamper with our Human Rights Act, often by those in government with the responsibility to uphold our protections, does little to reassure civil society groups, and the many people we each support and represent.

As parliamentarians quizzed the Justice Secretary Dominic Raab on the government’s human rights priorities, the Minister doubled down on his intention to publish plans to change our law imminently, despite not yet having published the report of the Independent Review of the Human Rights Act.

This atmosphere of hostility towards human rights and legal accountability in the UK cannot continue. The organisations are calling on the Prime Minister, and leaders of all political parties to “move from the romanticisation of being human rights pioneers in 1948 and commit to our Human Rights Act protections being a part of everyone’s life, every day, today and tomorrow.”

Sanchita Hosali, Director of the British Institute of Human Rights, the organisation coordinating the letter, said: “As the UK enthusiastically participates in President Biden’s Summit for Democracy, it is time for our Prime Minister to also turn the lens inwards. The hostile environment towards human rights and accountability cannot continue; if we are a nation that values democracy, we must also value the checks on power.”

“At BIHR whether we are working with doctors and nurses, children and parents, teachers or prison officers, women surviving abuse, people with learning disabilities and many others; what we see every single day is the real value and meaning of our Human Rights Act for people across the UK.”

“Rather than hyperbole and rhetoric bordering on dog whistle politicking, we need a government that is willing to stand up for Our Human Rights Act, our way to hold them to account. As we all work hard to mitigate the impact of the pandemic – a crisis in which our Human Rights Act has provided vital protections – we stand with over 150 other organisations calling for a world in which our political leaders move from the romanticisation of being human rights pioneers in 1948 and commit to our rights being a part of everyone’s life, every day, today and tomorrow. It is a challenge we urge Mr Johnson to take on.”

The letter reads:

“Dear Prime Minister and Political Leaders

Every year on 10 December, the world marks Human Rights Day, commemorating the day when, in 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, recognising the dignity and equal rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

This is the foundation of our Human Rights Act; this is why it matters. Our law here at home, setting out each person’s protections, and the responsibilities of government and those with public power to realise that vision of the UDHR; for us all to live in equal dignity.

Our politicians often proudly recall the UK’s role in setting down human rights law in the aftermath of World War II, standing shoulder to shoulder with nations to affirm our commitment to ensuring that human rights should be protected by the rule of law, that a common understanding of these rights should be shared by every person and part of society.

Now, in the midst of this modern era global crisis, human rights must inform both our responses to the pandemic and our recovery from it. No one has escaped the impact of this virus. And sadly, we have witnessed the disproportionate and discriminatory effects of Covid-19 and government measures among too many, including among black and minoritized communities, for disabled people, and people who live in care homes, alongside significant educational impacts for children and young people, deepening poverty, increased reporting of domestic abuse, and even more difficulty accessing justice.

There is much more than we cannot do justice to in such a short space, but which has been documented by parliamentary committee inquiries and research from our national human rights institutions, academics and across civil society. If recovery is to be resilient and just it must be focused on upholding our human rights.

And yet, here in the UK, rather than renewed commitment to upholding rights we face a hostile environment for human rights. Rather than addressing the inequalities fuelled and exacerbated by the pandemic, we are facing a political climate filled with threats to “overhaul” the very protections we all need upheld. The loud calls to tamper with our Human Rights Act, by those with the very responsibility to uphold them, does little to reassure us, and the many people we support and represent.

Human Rights Day should be an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of human rights in rebuilding the world we want. We call on the UK Government, and all political leaders, to share our commitment to universal human rights, as set out in our Human Rights Act.

As civil society groups working hard to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, we want a world in which our political leaders move from the romanticisation of being human rights pioneers in 1948 and commit to our Human Rights Act protections being a part of everyone’s life, every day, today and tomorrow.”

Recycle, reuse, buy responsibly and have a green Christmas!

The city council is launching a campaign on Monday encouraging residents to recycle and reuse as much of their waste as they can.

The campaign links in with CEC’s campaign asking residents to have a less wasteful Christmas and help reduce their impact on the environment and follows last year’s tremendous effort when residents helped the council recycle 6,722 tonnes of waste – that’s about the same weight as 57,000 Santas – over the festive season!

CEC is also asking people to fold up their cardboard neatly before putting it in the correct recycling bin to make sure they leave enough room for all the extra recycling likely to be generated over the festive season.

If there is no room left, we’d encourage you to make an appointment at your nearest recycling centre and take any extra waste there. If that is not possible, fold it up neatly and place it next to your bin on your collection day.

If you have a large amount of any waste generated please don’t place it next to your bins but book an appointment at your local household waste recycling centre.

The council is also letting residents know there are no changes to waste and recycling collections as Christmas and New Year are on a Saturday this year so they should put their recycling and waste bins out on their usual collection days.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Environment Convener, said: “It’s really important that we all do our bit to help the environment and the festive season is a perfect opportunity to get creative and reduce waste by making delicious dishes out of leftovers, making gifts for our loved ones and reusing cards and wrapping paper as festive decorations for future years.

“Many more people are still shopping online due to the current health pandemic which means a lot of cardboard is being used. When clearing up this Christmas, please remember to fold cardboard up neatly and recycle it responsibly and I think it is also important to point out that when shopping remember that while foil and metallic wrapping paper and cards may add sparkle to your Christmas, they can’t be recycled.”

Councillor Karen Doran, Environment Vice-Convener, said: “As well us reusing, buying responsibility and locally where you can, when waste is generated, please help us push up our recycling rates by making sure you clean your plastics before they are recycled to stop contamination and put everything in the correct bin.

“Any food you haven’t turned into lovely leftovers, if you put it in your food waste bin, we turn into energy and fertiliser. Recycling one kitchen caddy of food waste can create enough energy to power a TV for five hours.

“Other fun facts we’re sharing to encourage people to recycle are six clean mince pie foil cases saves enough energy to watch up to an hour of TV and one glass bottle saves enough energy to make 14 slices of toast.

“When the fun is over and you’re taking down your tree, if you are recycling it, check which day we’re collecting trees in your street on our website, remove its base, decorations and cut it in half if it’s over 6ft before popping it neatly on the kerbside on its collection day.”

More information on how to have a green Christmas.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service launch 10-year Vision

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has launched its new, 10-year vision which deepens its pledge to improve the safety of Scotland’s communities.

In its new vision, the SFRS sets out its commitment to meeting the changing needs of communities, recognising the new and emerging challenges they face, including climate change, an aging population and the increased threat from terrorism.

The vision is underpinned by an undertaking to continue to work together with all public, third-sector and community partners for a safer Scotland and to keep a local focus on responding to the diverse needs of communities across the country.

Martin Blunden, Chief Officer of the SFRS, said: “We are a national service with national standards and practices but we absolutely recognise the need to find local solutions to local issues to effectively respond to community need.

“We want to be regarded as among the best fire and rescue services in the world, focused on meeting the shifting needs of our communities, working together to prevent and reduce the impacts of unintentional harm being at the heart of what we do.

“We believe that we will achieve this because we have a highly-skilled, experienced and talented workforce and we know we can offer more to help save lives and keep Scotland safe.”

Chief Officer Blunden added: “We created our vision in partnership through extensive engagement and consultation with our staff, our partners and the public, and we will continue to work together to achieve it. Working collaboratively – particularly with other emergency services – gives us all the best chance of meeting our ambitions.

“From early 2022, we’ll be setting out how we will achieve our vision through our next three-year strategic plan, and we will again be engaging with all stakeholders on this next step of our journey.”

Long-Term-Vision-Document Download