Month: January 2022

New independent advocacy service for disabled people opens

Disabled people are now able to access a new advocacy service to get help applying for Scottish social security benefits. 

The support is available to disabled people applying for any of Social Security Scotland’s current and future benefits including Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment.

It also covers advocacy support for disabled people to access payments for families with children, people who need help to pay for a funeral, carers and young people entering the workplace.

This service will be delivered by the charity VoiceAbility and is entirely independent of the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland. 

The Scottish Government has committed up to £20.4 million over the next four years to the provision of the new Independent Advocacy Service. 

To enable them to deliver this service, VoiceAbility will create up to 100 new advocacy jobs across the country over the next four years, with a head office and dedicated training centre in Glasgow. 

Minister for Social Security Ben Macpherson said: “Accessing social security is a human right and we have an obligation to do what we can to make sure disabled people are able to get the help they need to access financial support they are entitled to. 

“This is why we are investing in an independent and free advocacy service for disabled people who need support to engage with us. This new service will help disabled people be aware of their rights, express themselves and feel understood when applying for Scottish social security benefits. 

“The service, which is unique to Scotland, is just one of the ways that we’ve responded to what people have told us they want from our new social security system. It is all part of our work to make sure people applying for benefits have a positive experience and find it straightforward and simple no matter what their individual circumstances are.  

“Our system is designed to adapt to an individual’s needs rather than expecting them to adapt to access it and we start from a position of trust. I am delighted this new independent service is available to disabled people, it highlights how we are ensuring our social security system is based on dignity, fairness and respect.”

Chief Executive of VoiceAbility Jonathan Senker said: “We are proud to have established a new base in Scotland to provide this Independent Advocacy Service. Our team of skilled advocates will cover the length and breadth of Scotland to provide bespoke support to disabled people to apply for benefits from Social Security Scotland. 

“The advocacy we provide will support disabled people to make sure their voices are heard when it matters most and will mean that more people know and understand their rights when applying for Social Security Scotland benefits. We are excited about the difference this service will make to disabled people.”

  • VoiceAbility is a charity with 40 years’ experience in delivering independent advocacy services
  • the service will provide free and independent advocacy to anyone who identifies as disabled and requires support to communicate. This may include people with a sensory disability, mental health condition or learning disability
  • people can access this support by contacting VoiceAbility directly for free on 0300 303 1660 or by visiting voiceability.org
  • people can also access this support by calling Social Security Scotland for free on 0800 182 2222 and asking to be referred to the Independent Advocacy Service.

Dirty Old Town

FoE Scotland: Pollution rebounds to illegal levels in 2021

Scotland breached legal air quality limits in 2021 after a historic low in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Hope Street in Glasgow recorded an annual average above the legal limit for diesel pollution, while many streets across Scotland saw pollution spike back up despite Covid-19 restrictions like working from home continuing through the year and the country being in lockdown for the first few months. 

Friends of the Earth Scotland analysed official air pollution data for 2021, looking at two toxic pollutants which are primarily produced by transport. Legal air quality standards came into force in 2010, yet have been broken every single year since except 2020. 

As traffic levels increased through 2021, air pollution rose correspondingly. While Hope Street in Glasgow once again breached legal air quality limits for nitrogen dioxide, other streets such as Salamander Street in Edinburgh and Atholl Street in Perth experienced increases in particulate pollution.

Campaigners say this data shows governments and councils have not done enough to reduce car traffic. Measures such as Spaces for People – brought in during lockdown to ease social distancing and create temporary cycle lanes and pedestrian spaces – were soon ripped out by councils like Edinburgh while other councils, such as Falkirk largely ignored the funding.

Air pollution kills 2,500 people in Scotland each year and puts the population at risk of serious health conditions, like asthma, heart attacks, and strokes. It’s especially harmful to children, the elderly, and people living in poverty or made vulnerable from other health conditions.

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Dirtiest streets for Nitrogen Dioxide 

The European Ambient Air Quality Directive set a limit for Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) of 40 micrograms per cubic metre. The deadline for this limit to have been met was 2010.

Location  / NO2 Nitrogen Dioxide Annual mean (µg/m3)

Glasgow Hope Street 45.411

Dundee Lochee Road 31.840

Falkirk West Bridge Street 31.219

Perth Atholl Street 31.077

Dundee Seagate 30.136

Edinburgh Queensferry Road 29.625

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Dirtiest streets for fine particles (PM10)

The Scottish annual statutory standard for particulate matter (PM10) is 18 micrograms per cubic metre. 

Location PM10 annual mean (µg/m3)

Edinburgh Salamander St 15.439

Perth Atholl Street 14

Glasgow Kerbside 13.138

Fife Cupar 12.955

Aberdeen Wellington Road 12.314

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Friends of the Earth Scotland’s transport campaigner, Gavin Thomson, said: “Scotland once again has illegal air quality in 2021, which is shocking but not surprising given the lack of political action on the issue. 

“2020 was an outlier for obvious reasons and we witnessed unprecedented changes to all areas of public life. But for traffic emissions, it was back to business as usual in 2021. From the evidence we have, virtually every street in Scotland experienced higher levels of pollution in 2021 than the previous year.

“Air pollution from transport is responsible for thousands of premature deaths in Scotland every year, and causes serious heart and lung issues. The growing evidence base showing the links between air pollution and vulnerability to Covid-19 is only the latest reason why we have to act to protect public health.

“The Low Emission Zones being introduced will not restrict private cars until summer 2024. Meanwhile, with pollution spiking in Perth, we should be asking why only four cities in Scotland are introducing LEZs. 

“The temporary improvements in air quality in 2020 arrived at an enormous cost to our communities and societies. There was no intention or concerted political action to reduce emissions, which is why the falls were not maintained when restriction eased.

“We need a just transition for transport, including taking control of our public transport to run comprehensive services that serve passengers not profit, and more options for safe walking and cycling, to improve the air we breathe permanently.”

Felicity Neyme runs the Clean Air & Active Travel group at Davidson’s Mains primary school in Edinburgh. The group works to make routes to school safer and actively campaigns in the community for measures to monitor and improve air quality.

She said: “These days we all know about the dangers of smoking and even plastic in waterways but I am concerned about the lack of awareness amongst parents and grandparents about the impact of air pollution on children’s lungs. 

“I regularly see cars idling at pick-up and drop-off whilst collecting the children they love, dearly ignorant of the fact that they are complicit in creating dangerous levels of pollution around school. We need publicly available data on air quality at schools, safer routes to school so parents don’t feel they have to drive and we need stricter regulation banning vehicles near school.”

Paul Wilson, 47, social care worker based in Ayrshire, said: “I’ve had serious asthma since I was a young child, and have been admitted to hospital over 50 times throughout my life. I have the condition in good control now through medication and lifestyle, but air pollution is something that can be really hard to avoid. 

“I live in a small village in Ayrshire now, but when I lived in Glasgow I had far more attacks. Whenever I’m in the city now I’m aware of my chest being tighter, and I make sure to avoid certain streets like Hope Street in the city centre which are especially polluted.

“I always take my inhaler when I’m going through too. I’m incredibly aware of what affects my asthma because I have to be, but some people don’t realise what’s causing it to get worse when it’s something invisible like air pollution, and it must be very hard for people who can’t avoid these really polluted areas because of work or where they live. 

“Tackling air pollution will obviously make a huge difference for asthma sufferers like me, but it’s also affecting everyone’s health so I think it needs to be prioritised more than it is currently.”

Caitlin Smyth, 24, a nurse based in Paisley said: “I’m really concerned about the damage done to people’s health from air pollution. Things like engine idling outside hospitals and schools needs to become a thing of the past. Your car fumes might be harming someone who is vulnerable. 

“That air quality is getting worse, year-on-year, is shameful. We need to make our towns and cities safer and healthier. I’d like to see a big focus on public transport, but also we need to stop cars running their engines for no reason.”

Scotland leads way in switch to green motoring

Scotland is at the forefront of the country’s switch to greener motoring according to new figures from the Department for Transport.

The figures reveal that from 1 October 2021 to 1 January, Scotland had the highest ratio of publicly accessible rapid charging points for electric vehicles with 12.9 devices per 100,000 residents.

Following Scotland are the South East and North East with 8.6 devices per 100,000 population. The average across all regions was 7.7 per 100,000.

After London with 102 charging devices per 100,000 residents, Scotland had the best accessibility to public (non-rapid) charging points with 52 for every 100,000. The national average is 42 devices per 100,000.

Nationwide, new charging points for public use went up by 9% in the three months to 1 January. There are now 2,448 more available charging devices across the country. Publicly accessible rapid charging devices increased by 233, a 5% rise over the same time period.

This brings the total of publicly accessible charging points nationwide to 28,375, of which 5156 are rapid charging devices.

Greg Wilson, founder of www.quotezone.co.uk’s comments: “It’s likely that Scottish drivers, like those across other parts of the country, are nervous that the 2030 deadline for car dealerships to cease selling new fossil fuel vehicles isn’t that far off and that the infrastructure to charge electric vehicles isn’t ready.

“But this boost in activity in the last three months in Scotland, building on an already established upward trend, is reassuring. 

“Let’s hope this pace continues so that Scottish drivers feel the electric option is a valid one, and that barriers to the green motoring revolution such as ‘range fear’ are a thing of the past, with a wide and evenly distributed network of rapid charge and electric charging facilities.”

Tanya Sinclair, Policy Director UK & Ireland at ChargePoint, said: “We welcome the Scottish government’s commitment over the next four years to invest in charging points across the country.

“The investment goes further than just a cash boost and is specifically designed to attract private investment in EV charging, which is what makes this investment really positive for the EV charging sector. In contrast, funds in England are channelled to local authorities who are resource constrained and shouldn’t be expected to provide EV charging on top of the essential services we rely on them for.

“To increase the overall adoption of EVs in the UK, we would encourage the other devolved nations to follow Scotland’s lead to help increase the amount of chargers. The government has earmarked money to solve the issue of rural charging infrastructure but it has not yet been spent.

“Along with this funding, the UK government must also drive the installation of charging stations, as it is vital that chargers are easily accessible throughout the country, not just big cities.

“As well as  increased investment in on-street electric car charging, the government must also focus on helping key charging locations such as workplaces electrify in a cost effective manner.

“This needs to be  done quickly but correctly – it’s not just about needing a large concentration of charging stations but the speed, location, ease of use and incentives need to be carefully considered.“

Recommended by 97% of reviewers, Quotezone.co.uk helps around 3 million users every year, with over 400 insurance brands across 60 different products including electric car insurance -recommended by 97% of reviewers.

Letters: Pet-friendly renting

Dear Editor,

During the pandemic, many of us have benefited from the companionship, fun and comfort that comes from owning a cat. However, for many people in Scotland who rent rather than own their own home, cat ownership isn’t an option.

Blanket ‘no-pet’ policies and limited cat-friendly rented homes can make it difficult for some people to ever experience the pleasure of owning a cat. In other cases, owners are placed in the heartbreaking situation of having to rehome a much-loved cat if they need to move and can’t find another pet-friendly rental.

Cats Protection has been working to help more renters experience the joy cat ownership, and we need the help of cat lovers in Scotland. The Scottish Government is currently consulting on proposals to allow tenants to keep pets in rented accommodation, potentially giving responsible renters greater rights to cat ownership. We need your help to back these proposals and send a message that renters in Scotland deserve the chance to have a cat.

You can add your support for the proposals by using Cats Protection’s simple online form – it takes only a couple of minutes to complete.

Find out more by visiting: www.cats.org.uk/scottish-renters

Alice Palombo

Advocacy & Government Relations Officer (Scotland), Cats Protection

NHS Lothian launches vaccination clinics for 5-11-year-old children

Children in Lothian at risk from COVID-19, along with children living with an immunosuppressed person, are now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccination.

Launched yesterday, dedicated clinics especially designed for to cater for children will operate across the region.  They will be open between 8.30am – 4.30pm, seven days a week, for pre-booked appointments only.

Jane McNulty, Director of Nursing for Primary and Community Care, NHS Lothian, said: “We are delighted to offer these clinics to the youngest people in our community.

“These clinics will be operated by specially trained paediatric vaccinators in a clinical environment, which will allow children, parents and guardians to discuss the vaccination process in a calm environment.”

The vaccination will first be offered to children with a higher COVID-19 risk factor and children living in the household of an immunosuppressed person, it will then be offered to the wider child population in due course.

Those eligible for the vaccination will receive a letter from NHS Lothian in the coming days with details about how to book an appointment through the National Vaccination Helpline. Parents and guardian do not need to actively contact NHS Lothian to arrange an appointment.

The clinics are opening their doors following the publication and government acceptance of the advice of the UK’s four Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) to offer two doses of the Pfizer childhood COVID-19 vaccine.

All children will receive two doses eight weeks apart. A third primary dose is also being offered to children aged 5-11 years with a severely weakened immune system. The third primary dose will be offered from 8 weeks after the second dose.

Ms McNulty added: “We recognise that parents and guardians may have questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccination and we encourage them to visit the pages on NHS Inform where there is a range of information available.

“Alongside this, our paediatric vaccinators are one hand to answer any questions people may have when they attend their child’s vaccination appointment.

“Vaccination remains critically important in the continued fight against COVID-19 and we welcome the further expansion of the vaccination programme across Lothian.”

Established vaccination clinics for over 12s will continue to operate separately from these clinics, with NHS Lothian still encouraging all over 12s to get any outstanding vaccinations.

Over 18s can receive their 1st, 2nd and booster vaccinations at all drop-in clinics. Those aged 12-17 can also attend for their second dose if it has been at least 12 weeks since their first dose and they have not tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 12 weeks.

More information on the 5-11 vaccination programme is available on NHS Inform:

https://www.nhsinform.scot/covid-19-vaccine/the-vaccines/vaccinating-children-aged-5-to-11-years/

Information on clinic locations and opening times for over 12s is also available on NHS Lothian’s website:

https://www.nhslothian.scot/Coronavirus/Vaccine/Pages/Drop-in-Clinics.aspx

Council to invest £2.6m in Smart CCTV

“Edinburgh has big ambitions in becoming a world-leading Smart City“

The City of Edinburgh Council is to revolutionise security and surveillance across the capital with a £2.6million investment in the build and management of Edinburgh’s new CCTV Control Centre.

This forms part of the Council’s vision to create a Smart City Operation Facility, providing a holistic view of the city by utilising the latest technology to drive operational efficiencies, improve security and analyse trends.

The new Control Centre will see the provision of high-definition CCTV cameras, expanded security coverage, and the introduction of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence that can provide situational awareness and predict and alert new and existing threats.

The Council has partnered with North, the UK’s leading IoT service and solution provider, to lead on this transformational project which is set for completion in September this year (2022).

The project will see North intelligently integrate the security system with traffic and transportation platforms to enhance the management of city operations. It will improve efficiency, quickly identify and address issues, provide simple and rapid retrieval of footage, and integrate with remote security systems that are currently not connected to the existing Control Room.

The new system will allow for better city planning and will be able to provide a richer view of how people interact with the urban environment – whether on foot, bicycle or vehicle.

With the support of North’s expertise, the Council will have a true smart city platform which will have the ability to allow future integration with other smart technologies such as air quality sensors, smart parking applications, flood sensors to detect water levels, and intelligent camera analytics to monitor low emission zones.

Community engagement has also been factored into the project with North providing apprenticeship opportunities, work experience placements and volunteer schemes to support the delivery of the contract, including working with local communities and organisations.

The City of Edinburgh Council Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Edinburgh has big ambitions in becoming a world-leading Smart City – a digitally inclusive, data-rich and sustainable city with services that are easily accessible by all of our residents no matter where they are in the city, or what their circumstances are.

“We’re looking to deliver a more digitally-enabled proactive service to help make everyone’s lives in our Scottish Capital better and so we can continue our work towards ending poverty, meeting our net zero targets and improving wellbeing for all. 

With this Smart City partnership with North we’re looking to make transformative differences to the way we manage our city – gathering real-time intelligence to improve safety on our streets, manage services more effectively and better serve the wellbeing of our residents.

Through North, alongside our other partners, we believe we’ve found a strong partnership that will deliver on our world-leading vision, changing the way we provide our services to all, while improving our communities.

Scott McEwan, Chief Commercial Officer at North, said: “The implementation of IoT technology within our security offering has the power to truly transform the lives of citizens, revolutionising the ways in which we work and ensuring that the environments we live and work in are safe and healthy.

“CCTV is not only vital for crime detection, but also for preventing offences from happening and through the implementation of these transformative systems, the City of Edinburgh Council will have the ability to access data which will bring together essential and critical services to create safer communities and allow better informed decisions to be made that improve services across Edinburgh.

“We are thrilled to be working with the City of Edinburgh Council to help them achieve their Smart City objectives with intelligent data-driven solutions.”

The City Operations Capability project is jointly funded by the City of Edinburgh Council and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programme known as ‘Scotland’s 8th City – the Smart City‘. 

Edinburgh is one of the seven Scottish cities collaboratively working toward becoming a world leading Smart City. Supported by the Scottish Cities Alliance, a partnership of Scotland’s seven city local authorities and the Scottish Government, £48.2 million, including £20.3 million of ERDF support, is being invested in the ‘Scotland’s 8th City – the Smart City’ Programme.

This latest project with North also forms part of Edinburgh’s 2050 City Vision strategy, to become ‘the’ world leading Smart City, using technology to make day to day life simpler, greener and more connected while reducing carbon emissions to coincide with the Capital’s net zero carbon by 2030 ambitions.

Further disruption expected: Storm Corrie is on it’s way

A meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) – chaired by the First Minister and attended by a number of Ministers – was held yesterday to ensure appropriate measures are in place to deal with the impacts of Storm Malik and Storm Corrie.

Following Saturday’s Amber weather warning and the disruption caused as a result of Storm Malik, a further Amber Warning for the North of Scotland and a Yellow Weather Warning for the rest of the country is in place for Storm Corrie, which is expected to bring more very strong winds across Scotland, particularly the Western Isles, Highlands, Grampian and Tayside areas, through Sunday evening and into Monday morning .

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “On behalf of the Scottish Government, I would like to offer sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of the lady who died in Aberdeen this morning.

“Damage has been widespread across the country but the intensity of the impact is being felt very much in the northeast of Scotland. SSEN have engineers out across the area and will continue to assess the damage caused to their network and the extent of repairs needed.

“We know that power has already been restored to more than 33,000 homes, but an estimated 53,000 customers remain without supply and unfortunately we think about 20,000 of these will probably still be off supply overnight. As Storm Malik will be followed shortly by Storm Corrie, disruption could last for a number of days.

“Local resilience partnerships are working to put in  place welfare support for individuals who have lost power and there are many leisure centres in Aberdeenshire which are providing support for people. Some school catering facilities are also available and power companies have commissioned mobile catering companies.

“The Scottish Government’s resilience committee will continue to monitor the situation overnight and into tomorrow, and keep Ministers fully updated.

“We will remain in close contact with local authorities and the emergency services to ensure people in the affected areas receive the latest information, advice and support where needed.”

UPDATE 19:03pm

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has chaired a further meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) to co-ordinate the response to Storm Malik and Storm Corrie.

An amber warning is in place for Storm Corrie covering the Western Isles, Highlands, Grampian and Tayside until 6am tomorrow and gusts of 60mph to 80mph will be widespread, with 90 mph gusts in exposed western areas.

Gusts of between 60mph and 70mph are likely across the rest of the country, where a Yellow warning remains in place until noon tomorrow and there is potential for property damage.

Of the 98,000 households that lost power as a result of Storm Malik, all but 7,500 are expected to be reconnected tonight after additional engineers were drafted in. However, for the remainder – mainly in Aberdeenshire – disruption could last until Tuesday.

Rail travel has been disrupted today with all services on the Inverness – Aberdeen and the Far North lines cancelled, while ScotRail stopped all services from 18:00 for safety purposes. It is expected most will resume tomorrow morning.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Storm Malik caused significant damage on Saturday and Storm Corrie threatens to be similarly disruptive tonight. I urge everyone to heed the warnings, don’t travel unless you have to and stay safe. Remember, a Yellow warning does mean there are likely to be dangers.

“The power companies have drafted in a large number of additional engineers and are making significant inroads into reconnecting customers. However, we need to be aware that the arrival of Storm Corrie could hamper these efforts and add further problems.

“For those who will unfortunately not have power tonight, support with alternative accommodation is available to anyone who needs it. Special arrangements remain in place for vulnerable customers and local resilience partnerships continue to work with councils to provide welfare support.

“Rail services have been significantly impacted this weekend and will halt overnight. Whilst our expectation is that services will resume as soon as possible on Monday, people should check the ScotRail and Traffic Scotland channels for travel updates before leaving home.

“Safety is our number one priority. Ministers are being kept updated and will take further action as necessary. In the meantime I thank all those who are working in difficult conditions to keep people safe and maintain our lifeline services.”

Background

Follow @metoffice for any updates to the weather warnings in place.

Edinburgh Napier supports Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2022

Academics and employers outline the benefits of “earn while you learn” GA scheme

October 2021 Grads – Gradutte Apprentice group. These graduates are the first cohort on the Graduate Apprentice prgramme to graduate.

EDINBURGH Napier today pledged its support for Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2022 – and underlined the value of apprenticeships to the country’s people, business and economy.

Employers also spoke of the benefits of our Graduate Apprenticeships initiative, which produced its first graduates from the University last October.

Graduate Apprenticeships (GA) offer high quality work-based learning to strengthen the skills people and businesses need.  Available to businesses of any size in Scotland, they provide a route for new and existing staff to get a fully funded university degree while in a paid job.  There is no maximum age limit and learning costs are funded by Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for the full duration of the course.

Last Autumn saw Edinburgh Napier’s first intake complete their degrees four years after the University began offering Graduate Apprenticeships.

Twenty-nine students graduated from the School of Computing under the scheme, with their degrees including BSc (Hons) IT Management for Business, BSc (Hons) Software Development and BEng (Hons) Cyber Security.

This year’s #ScotAppWeek22 (March 7 – 11) theme is Apprenticeships Work, with the aim of highlighting how apprenticeships are providing the skills employers need now and for the future.

Developed in partnership with employers, apprenticeships continue to adapt to respond to industry needs.

Scottish Apprenticeships work by providing thousands of opportunities to get a job, get paid and get qualified across Scotland every year. 

Benefits of Graduate Apprenticeships to business include:

  • Business can attract new, emerging talent through cost-effective recruitment
  • Professional development opportunities for talented and motivated existing employees
  • No learning costs to the employer or the apprentice
  • Improved staff productivity, morale and retention
  • Apprentices bring new ideas by applying their learning in the workplace
  • Graduate Apprentices learn from leading academics and industry experts
  • An excellent way for Apprenticeship Levy paying businesses to recover their investment

On the benefits Graduate Apprenticeships bring to business, Terence Mallon, Project Manager at civil engineers Roadbridge and former Edinburgh Napier student, said: “There is a major skills shortage within construction, particularly in project delivery. Through work-based learning, apprentices know what they are heading into after graduation.

“They realise the risks and rewards, having been nurtured in the workplace for four years, and therefore develop the knowledge and core skills to cope with the demands of project delivery.”

Edinburgh Napier is one of Scotland’s leading learning providers of Graduate Apprenticeships.  Our #ApprenticeshipsWork by giving our students the skills employers need now and for the future. 

Graduate Apprenticeships are offered across a range of subjects in the School of Computing, Business School and School of Engineering and the Built Environment. When our School of Computing cohort graduated last October, they picked up honours degrees at the Usher Hall, but by then they had also amassed up to four years’ work experience, developing skills and knowledge that are essential to their job role.

Professor Sally Smith, Head of Graduate Apprenticeships at Edinburgh Napier, said: “We wholeheartedly agree that #ApprenticeshipsWork so are committed to offering Graduate Apprenticeship places for 2022. Our graduates show how effective they are both for employers with a need for new skills and for individual apprentices.

“More than ever, apprenticeships will prove crucial to Scotland’s economic recovery. Our apprenticeships appeal to school and college leavers including Foundation Apprentices, Modern Apprentices and existing employees. With our apprentices putting their skills to use immediately, both they and their employers benefit from day one.”

Scottish Apprenticeship Week is a time to show that Graduate Apprenticeships provide opportunities that work for everyone. From 7-11 March Edinburgh Napier University is supporting #ScotAppWeek22 to demonstrate that #ApprenticeshipsWork by supporting learners, employers and Scotland’s economic renewal.

For more information on Graduate Apprenticeships at Edinburgh Napier University, visit www.napier.ac.uk/apprenticeships or email ga@napier.ac.uk. 

Share your stories and get involved in #ScotAppWeek22 by visiting apprenticeships.scot/scotappweek.

Healthy Heart Tips: Establishing positive eating habits for children

Childhood is a particularly important period for forming positive behaviours related to nutrition. Children who learn and practise positive eating habits from an early age are likely to make healthy choices when they grow up.

Here we explore some ways to help promote positive eating behaviours:

Stick to regular meal and snack times

  • A regular eating pattern forms the basis of a healthy, balanced diet.
  • Children love routine. Providing three meals, and two or three snacks a day is ideal for children.
  • Keeping mealtimes regular creates predictability and encourages a healthy appetite.

Set a good example

  • In the long term, children and young adults are most likely to learn from how we behave rather than what we tell them. The more we can be a role model about healthy eating habits the better!
  • Set an example to your child by showing them how you make healthy choices and how you practice positive eating habits; this could be something as simple as choosing to eat a wide variety of foods, or by ensuring you drink plenty of water.

Eat together at the table

  • Wherever possible allow your children to eat with you. Family mealtimes offer an excellent opportunity to teach children good eating patterns as well as a time to connect and talk to each other.
  • Make the meal table relaxed and enjoyable, free of pressure or tension and minimise distractions by turning off the television and keeping phones away.

Get them involved!

  • Children love to get involved in new things, so why not get them to help in the kitchen? Cooking with kids and getting them involved in the meal preparation process may encourage them to try new healthy foods.
  • Small children could be responsible for setting the table, any mixing or stirring and washing fruit and vegetables. Older children could get involved with preparing the shopping list, chopping, and peeling!

We hope this has given you some ideas to try with your family!

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at www.heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-tips

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/