Cat lovers across the UK are being invited to nominate their furry friends for the biggest event in the feline year – the National Cat Awards.
Run by the charity Cats Protection, the annual event celebrates the nation’s most marvellous moggies, with heart-warming tales of devotion, courage and companionship.
This year’s event also features a new Cat Colleagues category to honour the feline heroes who have helped their owners adjust to working from home, or have made going to work a little easier during the pandemic.
Entries open today – Tuesday 11 January – and owners have until noon on Thursday 10 March to nominate their cat in one of four categories:
Cat Colleagues – Cats who bring joy to the workplace or make working from home a pleasure
Most Caring Cat – Cats that positively impact a person’s health or wellbeing
Furr-ever Friends – Tales of friendship between children and cats
Outstanding Rescue Cat – Fabulous felines adopted from animal charities
Helping to launch the awards, cat lover and BBC weather presenter Owain Wyn Evans said: “I’m a big fan of cats, not just because they’re such amazing animals, but also because of the incredibly positive impact they can have on people’s lives.
“It’s such an honour to be helping launch the National Cat Awards, and I really hope this national celebration of our feline friends will inspire more people to welcome a cat into their lives.”
Cats Protection’s Awards organiser Kate Bunting said: “Over the past two years, the UK’s pet cats have played an even more important role in our lives – whether it’s keeping the kids’ company during home schooling, being a companion for people living alone in lockdown or simply being there during times of uncertainty.
“From chilled out cats that provide comfort and support, to the mischievous moggies that make us smile, cats undoubtedly have a special place in the hearts and homes of millions of people. We’re thrilled to once again be hosting our National Cat Awards and are looking forward to sharing many wonderful stories of moggy marvelousness!
“We hope that by celebrating some of the UK’s most incredible cats we’ll inspire more people to consider adopting a cat in 2022.”
Winners will be selected by a panel of celebrity cat lovers before being announced at a star-studded ceremony at London’s Savoy Hotel on 4 August 2022.
The winner of the National Cat of the Year will inherit the title from Minty, a three-legged moggy from Holywell, Wales, who helped six-year-old Connor Raven cope with severe learning difficulties and medical conditions.
To nominate your cat, or for further information about the Awards, log on to www.cats.org.uk/national-cat-awards from today – Tuesday 11 January.
To find out more about adopting a cat from Cats Protection, visit:
Rollout of new All Lane Running smart motorway schemes will be paused until five years of safety data available
Current stretches of smart motorway to be further upgraded with best-in-class technology and resources
£900 million commitment to ensure drivers feel safe and confident, including extra £390 million to install additional emergency areas
The rollout of new smart motorway schemes will be paused until a full five years’ worth of safety data is available, as the Department for Transport invests £900 million to improve safety on existing All Lane Running (ALR) motorways.
In line with the Transport Committee’s most recent recommendations, the rollout of new ALR smart motorways will be paused until a full five years’ worth of safety data becomes available for schemes introduced before 2020. After this point, the Government will assess the data and make an informed decision on next steps.
Although available data shows smart motorways are comparatively the safest roads in the country in terms of fatality rates, while their rollout is paused, the UK Government will go further by ensuring current smart motorways without a permanent hard shoulder are equipped with best-in-class technology and resources to make them as safe as possible.
This will include investing £390 million to install more than 150 additional Emergency Areas so drivers have more places to stop if they get into difficulty. This will represent around a 50% increase in places to stop by 2025, giving drivers added reassurance.
The Department for Transport has welcomed the Transport Committee’s report, which endorsed its focus on further upgrading the safety of existing ALR smart motorways rather than reinstating the hard shoulder.
As concluded by the Committee, evidence suggests hard shoulders do not always provide a safe place to stop, and by reducing motorway capacity, they could put more drivers and passengers at risk of death or serious injury if they were to divert onto less safe local roads.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:“One of my first actions as Transport Secretary was to order a stocktake of smart motorways and since then, I have worked consistently to raise the bar on their safety. I am grateful to the Transport Committee and to all those who provided evidence for its work.
“While our initial data shows that smart motorways are among the safest roads in the UK, it’s crucial that we go further to ensure people feel safer using them.
“Pausing schemes yet to start construction and making multi-million-pound improvements to existing schemes will give drivers confidence and provide the data we need to inform our next steps. I want thank safety campaigners, including those who have lost loved ones, for rightly striving for higher standards on our roads. I share their concerns.”
National Highways CEO Nick Harris said:“We have listened to public concerns about smart motorways and we are fully committed to taking forward the additional measures the Transport Committee has recommended.
“While we pause those all lane running schemes yet to start construction we will complete the schemes currently in construction, we will make existing sections as safe as they can possibly be and we will step up our advice to drivers so they have all the information they need.
“We are doing this because safety is our absolute priority and we want drivers to not just be safer, but also to feel safe on our busiest roads.”
Independent road safety campaigner, Meera Naran, whose 8-year-old son Dev, died in a motorway crash on the M6 in 2018, said: “Conventional and smart motorways both have their risks and benefits. I welcome this pause in the rollout of smart motorways which will give us all a positive opportunity to assess the future of our motorway network.
“I’m encouraged by the commitment of £900 million to improve the safety of our motorways, following my campaigning since Dev died. However, I’ll continue to both challenge and work alongside the Department for Transport to ensure even more is done, including calling for legislation to be looked at for Autonomous Emergency Braking and further support for on-going driver education.”
The Government’s response to the Transport Committee builds on the significant progress already made against the Department’s 18-point Action Plan to improve smart motorway safety, announced in March 2020, including adding emergency areas and upgrading cameras to detect Red X offences.
The measures in the Stocktake and Transport Committee response represent over £900m of improvements in total, including £390m of new money for extra emergency areas, with the remainder of the funding delivering other measures such as Stopped Vehicle Detection and concrete central reservation barriers.
National Highways will also ‘ramp up’ communications so drivers have better information about how to drive on smart motorways.
While the Department for Transport will be taking forward all the recommendations set out in the Committee’s recommendations, it does not agree with the view that smart motorways were rolled out prematurely or unsafely. All ALR smart motorway schemes are, and will continue to be, subject to high standards of design, risk assessment and construction, followed by detailed monitoring and evaluation once opened to traffic.
While further data is being collected, National Highways will continue work to complete schemes that are currently in construction, which will all open with technology in place to detect stopped vehicles.
These schemes are all more than 50% completed and halting progress on them now would cause significant disruption for drivers. Design work will also continue on those schemes already being planned, so they are ready to be constructed depending on the outcome of the pause. No preparatory construction work will take place.
Also, in line with the Committee’s recommendations, National Highways will pause the conversion of Dynamic Hard Shoulder (DHS) motorways – where the hard shoulder is open at busy times – into All Lane Running motorways, while it investigates alternative ways of operating them to make things simpler for drivers. National Highways will also install technology to detect stopped vehicles on these sections.
Support for social care is to be intensified as a national priority alongside the NHS and emergency services, as staffing pressures and increased demand reflect the extent and nature of the spread and effect of Omicron.
As a result of staffing availability due to Covid, the Scottish Government and COSLA, working with local partners across the public services in Scotland, have agreed a joint approach to maximise social care support to ensure people receive the care they need, dignity and human rights are upheld, and to avoid further pressure falling on the NHS.
Some local public services report that pressure is very significant with some health and social care partnerships being asked to prioritise capacity and identify staff who can be deployed to sustain and maintain support for some of the most vulnerable people in society. This may mean some other services are temporarily paused or reduced to redeploy capacity and expertise.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “In order to protect life preserving services, and protect the vulnerable, local authorities and public services will prioritise what they deliver in the weeks ahead as a result of staffing availability due to Covid.
“That may mean some services being closed for a period or operating on reduced hours or service levels. This will free up resources to make sure we can deliver core, essential services. As soon as demands and resources allow, any affected services will resume normal operation.
“People across public services and critical national infrastructure are working hard to keep essential services going. In a lot of cases they are already being asked to be flexible to cover for absent colleagues.
“I am grateful to everyone who is helping us through this difficult period. The Third Sector has a huge amount to offer while the private sector and employers can contribute, either by releasing staff who can help in this effort, or by supporting carers leave for family and friends who might need it.
“Local public services are delivering national priorities and programmes such as testing and vaccination programmes, delivering business grants, self-isolation grants and support, and much more.
“They have played a key role throughout the pandemic in supporting vulnerable people and key workers. That partnership between local and national government is, and will remain, essential.”
COSLA President Alison Evison said: “Once again, no matter the ask, councils along with other public services will rise to the challenge in terms of providing an appropriate local response. As the sphere of government closest to our communities across Scotland, once more Local Government will play our part in the Covid response.
“Where pressures on staffing levels are identified, help and support for those most vulnerable as well as the life and limb services in our communities will be prioritised. As it has been throughout the pandemic, Health and Social Care and keeping people safe will be front and centre of local prioritisation.”
Scottish Government and Cosla Joint statement on social care support
Shelter Scotland’s Stockbridge shop has smashed fundraising records at its popular annual January launch.
The shop raised over £20,000 across the week of the launch, which saw excited shoppers snap up designed bargains, rare collectibles and beautiful antiques.
This beats the previous fundraising record of £18,600 set in 2019.
Running since 2003, the event attracts shoppers from across Edinburgh and beyond.
Peter Jew, manager of Shelter Scotland’s Stockbridge shop, said: “It’s been nearly 20 years since we held our first January event and I’m delighted that the range of exciting items we’ve been able to offer this year has proven more popular than ever.
“I’d like to thank all of our customers and doners for their generosity and for helping to keep Shelter Scotland in the struggle against homelessness.
“Too many people are denied their right to a safe, secure and affordable home and it’s Shelter Scotland’s mission to change that.
“While our January event is a big day in the calendar, we’re here all year round.
“So, if you have any unwanted Christmas gifts and or you’re just having a January clear out then feel free to donate to us and help us fight back against the housing emergency.”
Measures covering indoor events and hospitality to be reviewed in one week
Large outdoor events can resume without physical distancing or capacity limits from 00:01 on Monday 17 January, following a review of all measures in place to limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
To support the lifting of capacity limits on outdoor events, COVID certification will remain for these where more than 4,000 standing or 10,000 seated are in attendance, and all other events and venues previously covered. Organisers of all events with more than 1,000 attendees will be expected to check a minimum of 50% of attendees for certification of vaccination, exemption, or negative test.
From Monday, a person will need to show they have had a booster to be considered ‘fully vaccinated’ if their last vaccine dose was more than four months ago. The NHS Scotland COVID Status app will be updated from this Thursday and will include booster jags on the QR code for domestic settings. Updated paper and PDF certificates are already available on request from the NHS Inform website or helpline.
Cabinet will next review the state of the epidemic on Tuesday 18 January and consider whether it may be possible to lift capacity caps on indoor live events, including theatre performances and concerts, from 24 January, by which time the impact of the return to schools and workplaces following the festive period should start to show. Cabinet will also consider whether COVID certification should be required in a broader range of settings.
Local authorities will receive up to £5 million of additional support to ensure ventilation in schools and early years settings meets the latest COVID-19 safety guidance.
The funding is to improve air flow, such as adjustments to windows and doors, use of fan systems and use of air cleaning devices in line with existing safety guidance. This is in addition to Scottish Government funding of £10 million provided local authorities for ventilation and CO2 monitoring last year.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We remain in a highly challenging phase of the pandemic. Case numbers are high, and the impacts of that are severe, and the future trajectory does remain uncertain at this stage.
“But, because of the efforts we have all made, we are in a better position than I feared would be the case when additional measures were announced in December, and I do hope we are now seeing signs of improvement.
“That is allowing us to start the process from Monday of lifting the additional restrictions – and I hope that next week I will be able to confirm the further steps in that process.
“In the meantime, we can all continue to act in a way that keeps things moving in the right direction. Get fully vaccinated as soon as you can – if you haven’t done so already, please do that and do it this week. Try to limit your contacts for a further period, and prioritise the contacts that matter most to you.
“If you are meeting other people socially, test before you go, every time, as close as possible to the time you will be seeing other people and remember to record the result whether that is positive or negative, and take all the other precautions that make a difference.
“‘Living with the virus’, a phrase that we hear more and more right now, is what we all desperately want to do. Unfortunately it doesn’t mean waking up one morning soon and find that COVID has disappeared or that we no longer need to think at all about mitigating the harm it can do.
“Hopefully, we are on a path from COVID being an epidemic to it becoming endemic – in other words, existing at more manageable and consistent levels.
“These are important issues for not just government, but for all of us – so as we prepare the revised strategic framework in weeks to come, we will consult with Parliament, business organisations and other partners across society.
“Our aim is to publish the revised strategic framework within the next few weeks.”
Scottish Rugby responded:
It’s disappointing news for the arts, however:
IMPORTANT CUSTOMER UPDATE from EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
Following the Scottish Government announcement on Tuesday 11 January, in which it was confirmed that indoor seated events continue to be limited to 200, we regret to announce that the following performances scheduled to play at the Edinburgh Playhouse have been postponed:
Waitress: 18th January – 22nd January
If you have tickets to these performances, you do not need to do anything at this time. You will be contacted from your point of purchase in the next few days with next steps.
Performances from 25th January onwards are still scheduled to go ahead as planned and any changes to this will be communicated as soon as possible if restrictions should be extended by the Scottish Government.
We thank you for your continued patience and understanding during this difficult time.
Scottish Fans Ask for a 3 Day Shift
“3 days will Make a Huge Difference”
The Scottish Football Supporters Association thank the First Minister and welcome the news that the cabinet have green lighted a return of fans above the short term limit of 500 imposed on 26th December.
Next week’s Scottish Premier League card can now take place in front of full houses starting with Celtic vs Hibs on Monday 17th and it means the early winter breakdown decision by our top 12 clubs has been commercially justified.
But as it stands the clubs below the Premier League and their fans face another weekend with restricted crowds.
The SFSA are aware that there is no strict science stipulating the 17th as the key restart date and ask that the First Minister, the Sports Minister and Cabinet revisit the decision urgently on behalf of all Scotland’s smaller clubs and their fans.
We ask that the date is brought forward to 14th of January instead of the 17th.
This will allow Ayr United, Dunfermline Athletic, Caledonian Thistle, Raith Rovers, Airdrie, Dumbarton and many other smaller clubs to allow their full fan communities back on Saturday. It will also allow for the top of the table clash in the Championship between Partick Thistle and Kilmarnock to have fans in attendance.
This simple change will bring financial benefits to clubs and communities and is we have been advised low risk.
Andy Smith, Chairman of the SFSA said: “A reprieve will make a huge financial difference to many of our smaller clubs and allow all their fans back and a normal Saturday in many communities.
“Too often Scottish Football overlooks the smaller clubs and their supporters when making big decisions. This is a chance to make a statement that football in Scotland is more than just the Premier League”.
Police Scotland has released images of four men they believe may hold information which might assist in relation to a serious assault that occurred on Frederick Street around 3.20am on Friday, 4 September, 2021.
The first man is described as being Asian, 18-30-years-old, medium build, wearing a light pink coloured shirt, blue jeans and white trainers with an item of clothing tied around his waist.
The second man is described as being Asian, 18-30-years-old, tall and thin build, mid length black hair, wearing a grey t-shirt with dark coloured shirt which is open. Grey jeans and dark coloured trainers.
The third man is described as being Asian, 20-30-years-old, medium build, with long black shoulder length hair and facial hair, wearing a grey shirt carrying a grey jacket, tan coloured trousers and black shoes.
The forth man is described as being white, 18-25-years-old, medium build, wearing a short sleeved patterned shirt, jeans and dark coloured trainers with a white sole.
Detective Constable Mark Walker of Gayfield CID said: “I would urge each of these four men, or anyone who has information relating to any of these four men, depicted in the images to make contact with the Police.
“Members of the public can contact Police Scotland via the 101 non-emergency telephone number quoting incident number 0657 of 4 September, 2021 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
The world’s first gold sovereign coins to be minted using a gold and platinum alloy have been created to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, marking her incredible 70 year reign with portraits of her from across seven decades.
In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II becomes the first British monarch ever to reach a Platinum Jubilee. To celebrate this unprecedented achievement, leading coin expert Hattons of London has created a stunning series of platinum gold sovereign coins featuring celebratory portraits of the Queen at landmark moments throughout her reign.
The coins will feature portraits of Her Majesty which have never before featured on sovereign coins, including images of the Queen’s 1952 Coronation, her Silver and Diamond Jubilees, as well as a portrait of Her Majesty around the time of her becoming our longest reigning monarch in 2015.
The design on the smallest denomination in the range, the one-eighth sovereign, features the royal cypher of Elizabeth II with a celebratory garland of roses, thistles, leeks and shamrocks to represent the nations of the United Kingdom. This garlanded-cypher features on each of the other coins in the series.
Hattons of London is a leading expert in rare and exclusive coins with a vast collection which includes the Queen Victoria 200th anniversary range, featuring the first 24 carat gold twenty pound sovereign.
Hot on the heels of the company’s We Will Remember Them range, which featured the world’s first gold one-eighth sovereign to commemorate all who fought in the Second World War, the Platinum Jubilee Monarch range will also be a world first.
Managing Director Simon Mellinger explained: “We are extremely excited about this latest collection as they will be the world’s first sovereign coins ever to be minted with ‘platinum-gold’.
“The Platinum Jubilee is a momentous occasion and by using an exclusive blend of 22 carat gold enriched with 2 carats of platinum, we have created a fitting tribute to the Queen’s 70 years of service to our country, that like Her Majesty, will stand the test of time.”
While pre-orders have seen avid collectors clamouring to get their hands on the range, Mr Mellinger said there are opportunities for everyone. “Given the unique nature of the Platinum Jubilee, we’re expecting to see very high demand for the collection.
“This isn’t just for coin collectors – there’s a much wider appeal for the general public who will want them as a commemoration of this important, and maybe never-to-be repeated, anniversary,” he said.
Eight charities based in Scotland have received a £1,000 Christmas gift thanks to Ecclesiastical Insurance.The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 by members of the public as part of the specialist insurer’s annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.
The charities were nominated to win a share of £120,000 by members of the public as part of the specialist insurer’s annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.
Scottish Autism, which helps those diagnosed with autism to lead full and enriched lives and become valuable members of the community, and Health in Mind, an organisation promoting positive mental health and wellbeing through a wide range of services to support people and enable them to make a positive difference in their lives, are among the local charities set to benefit from the money following overwhelming public support in the area.
21,324 Scotland residents nominated a cause close to their hearts, with 1034 charitable causes in the area receiving votes. The 120 winning charities across the UK were picked at random from those nominated.
Thanking supporters in Scotland, Mark Hews, Group CEO at Ecclesiastical, said: “At Ecclesiastical, charitable giving is at the heart of our business. In fact, we are the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK.
“We are able to give away so much because uniquely, as a financial services group, we are owned by a charity. In these challenging times, we are delighted to be giving back to good courses once more with our annual 12 days of giving Christmas campaign.
“Having supported thousands of charities over the past four years of the campaign, we know that £1,000 can make a real difference to the incredible work that charities do. We’re looking forward to seeing how this festive financial boost will change lives for the better and we hope these donations can bring a positive start to 2022.”
A representative for Health in Mind said: “At Health in Mind, we’ve been promoting positive mental health and wellbeing in Scotland since 1982. The donation will enable us to support people taking part in local groups and activities, provide peer support for people experiencing drug or alcohol problems, pay for counselling for survivors of childhood abuse and much more to help those in need.
Thank you for helping us end the stigma surrounding mental health and telling people about our services. Talking about mental health is invaluable and makes a huge difference!”
The full list of the 120 charity winners is available to view online at:
Crosslane Residential Developments (Crosslane), part of the Crosslane Property Group, is pleased to announce proposals to deliver a new form of residential living to Edinburgh.
Plans aim to introduce a new, innovative, renting concept to local residents, referred to as residential serviced living.
Residential serviced living is a new type of fully furnished accommodation, with shared social spaces focused on creating a vibrant sense of community and all-inclusive rents, covering utilities and other living costs.
Proposed plans are for a new residential development located at Ocean Point 2, next to Ocean Terminal in Leith, just two miles from Edinburgh city centre. The scheme will comprise of 293 units providing a mix of studio, 1, 2 and 3-bed apartments with 74 of these offered at affordable intermediate rent levels.
The proposed high-quality, new development will be entirely different to other residential accommodation. The entire building is designed to be the living environment. The principle is that residents sleep in their room but ‘live’ in the building, by taking advantage of the wide range of shared communal space and facilities available, generating a real sense of community within the development.
With many young professionals currently priced out of an expensive and highly competitive apartment- based rental marketplace in Edinburgh, this new concept provides affordable, accessible accommodation for local residents.
In addition to high-quality, fully furnished studios and apartments, residents living in the new development can enjoy the opportunity of making new friends and feeling part of a collaborative community by taking advantage of social spaces throughout the building.
Large, fully fitted shared kitchen and dining rooms on each floor, onsite cinema, relaxing drawing room and well-equipped onsite gym, are just a few examples of the facilities residents can use alongside their own room and ultra-fast WiFi.
Outdoor areas such as a courtyard and terrace area with fantastic views across the Firth of Forth promote an environment for improved wellbeing and mental health. Proposals also include study and working areas with office space for new business start-ups, entrepreneurs, SMEs and home working, providing a more flexible home/work/life hub, something which has become more important as a result of the pandemic.
The location of the development is just two miles from Edinburgh city centre and will provide convenient accommodation for those working in the capital.
A large cycle storage facility will be provided to encourage residents to cycle to work, or take public transport, helping to discourage car ownership. The extension of the tram line between Edinburgh and Ocean Terminal will provide connectivity between the development and Edinburgh city centre within 20 minutes, making it the ideal affordable accommodation choice for young professionals.
The development is also likely to be attractive to those seeking to live and work within Leith itself, taking advantage of local shops, bars, restaurants and cafés.
A Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) has been submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council, and a public consultation event will be held on Thursday 10th February 2022 between 3pm and 7pm to present details of the new development and give the public the chance to provide views, ask questions and comment on proposals.
This will be held digitally via www.oceanpoint2.com with a second event planned for March.
Mark Hughes, Managing Director at Crosslane Residential Developments, said:“Crosslane Property Group is an experienced developer and operator having already delivered more than 7,000 units across 30 previous developments.
“With our new and unique ‘residential serviced living’ concept, we aim to be the leading provider of community living in the UK and Europe. We have already secured a future pipeline of 3,000 units across six schemes for our new concept and continue to grow this to work towards our goal of delivering 5,000 units by 2025.
“Our Ocean Point 2 development in Edinburgh is incredibly appealing for both Leith and Edinburgh as a whole. Residential serviced living represents an innovative housing solution at a time when rental accommodation prices in the capital are soaring, and there are serious demands on housing supply.
“This development represents a commitment to provide affordable housing with a full range of shared communal amenities. Our concept of residents sleeping in their rooms and living in the building, will ensure they enjoy a more rewarding, holistic way of life, with improved social, mental and physical health and wellbeing.
“We have received very positive feedback from key stakeholders to date and look forward to presenting full details of proposals to the public to obtain their comments as we continue to incorporate feedback into our final plans.
“We are committed to ensuring the long-term success and integration of this project into the neighbourhood and look forward to the opportunity of working with local businesses to encourage residents to shop and eat out locally within the area.”
Cyclists have priority over cars when cars turning
