Day: June 1, 2022

Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: 10 party games

As the country gets ready to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years of service, gaming experts Solitaired share their pick of games to make your street party or family gathering fit for a royal over the bank holiday weekend.

  1. Royal Guess Who?

Both players start with a board each, filled with royal family members face-up, and select a mystery character card, of which only they can see. Players take turns asking yes or no questions in order to guess which mystery card their opponent has, for example, did they marry a royal? Are they wearing glasses? Do they have children? Those that do not apply are flipped face-down, leaving the remaining characters face-up. Once a player thinks they know which card their opponent has, they have one chance to guess who it is. If a player guesses the card incorrectly, they lose.

  1. Ibble Dibble

As seen in The Crown. It’s typically a drinking game, but if there are children, the rule can be changed so that players perform a forfeit instead of drinking. Players form a circle and are assigned a number. Players are known as “ibble-dibble”, followed by their number. Traditionally a bottle cork is blackened, but a marker or face paint can also be used to make a mark on the player, known as a “dibble-ibble”. 

The rules are simple, whoever’s turn it is must identify themselves by their number, for example, saying the number of black marks on their face, before calling on the next player of choice, identified by their assigned number, followed by how many marks are on their face. For example the first round would go something like: “Number one ibble-dibble with no dibble-ibbles calling number five ibble-dibble with no dibble-ibbles.” Player number five would go next. Players that hesitate or mess up the sentence must apply a black mark to their face and drink (or perform a forfeit). The longer the game goes on, the harder it gets! The winner is the player with the least amount of marks at the end.

  1. Charades

Parlour games have been a tradition of the royal family since Queen Victoria’s era, and the Queen is known to love a game of charades. Players write down a film, book, song, play, TV show, or phrase which are then put into a hat. Players are split into two teams and individually, players take an item from the hat, which must then be acted out silently for their team to guess. The player who is trying to act can use hand signals and miming to try and lead their team to the answer.

  1. Royal Rules

Deal a deck of cards out equally to players; whoever has a Queen card gets to make a rule that all the guests must follow for the day. Any rule-breakers must take a drink or do a forfeit.

  1. Football

As the country’s favourite sport, football has a long history associated with England, and the royal family are reportedly fans of the game too. The Queen had apparently revealed to Buckingham Palace staff that her favourite team is West Ham. Prince Charles once shared his support for Burnley. Prince William has been President of the Football Association (FA) since 2006 and has supported Aston Villa since age 11. Kate is allegedly a Chelsea supporter, according to an eight-year-old fan who revealed the information after speaking with the Duchess of Cambridge. Prince George has also been spotted cheering enthusiastically at football matches with his parents and playing for his school team. The royal family hosts an annual football match at Sandringham against household staff. Families organising a kickabout over the jubilee weekend can do so with the royal seal of approval.

  1. Monopoly

It is known that the royal family used to enjoy playing a game of monopoly, before the Queen banned it from being played at family events after it got out of hand. Just because the game is now banned from royal functions, it doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy playing, if you are still on speaking terms after the last time you played.

  1. Royal bake-off

Host your own ‘Great British Bake Off’ style competition with easy to bake royal-themed treats that kids can get involved with. Assign a panel of impartial and hungry judges. The winner with the best bake is crowned King or Queen of baking.

  1. Wacky royal portrait

Dial up the creativity with an unconventional royal portrait. Starting with a blank piece of paper, players have five minutes to collect unconventional materials found in the house/garden. Without using pens and pencils, create a royal portrait fit for a Queen.

  1. Castle building

Enough to bring the inner child out of any adult, and a great way of having fun with the kids while engaging their creative side. Build a castle hideout using items around the home (blankets, cardboard boxes, chairs etc.), and enjoy your own DIY royal residence.

  1. Craft a crown competition

Put your arts and craft skills to the test by using craft materials such as paper, pens, glitter etc. to make and decorate the best paper crown. It’s a group activity that lets kids add their own personality to their crown.

Crown templates are available for free online. 

You can also put a royal twist on these family party games:

  • Pin the crown on the queen
  • Pass the crown (pass the parcel)
  • Who Am I?
  • Royal quiz
  • Treasure hunt
  • Sleeping corgis (sleeping lions)
  • Musical thrones
  • Bingo
  • Jubilee fancy dress
  • The chocolate game (knife and fork)

Solitaired is a website where users can play over 500 games for free. 

Healthy Heart Tip: Understanding Dietary Fats

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

A small quantity of fat is an important part of a healthy diet, but not all fats are the same. Saturated and trans fats can raise ‘bad’ cholesterol in your blood, increasing your risk of heart disease.

Here are some tips to help you manage the amount and type of fat in your diet:

Choose products with a lower total fat content

All fats are high in energy and too much can lead to weight gain. By reading the fat content on food labels you can choose products that are lower in fat. For example, you could switch from cheddar cheese (34g fat per 100g) to low-fat cheese spread (11g fat per 100g) or cottage cheese (5g per 100g).

Switch from saturated and trans fats to unsaturated fat

Foods high in saturated fat include fatty meats, hard cheeses, coconut oil, palm oil, butter, ghee, lard and cream. Trans fat is present in hard margarine, fried food, biscuits, cakes and pastries.

Saturated and trans fats can increase the ‘bad’ cholesterol in your body, increasing your risk of heart disease. Look after your heart by switching to unsaturated fats, such as oily fish such (e.g. salmon, mackerel and sardines), rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, olive oil, unsalted nuts, seeds and avocados.

Find healthier cooking methods

If you fry your food, why not try baking, grilling, boiling or steaming instead? Rather than roasting potatoes in fat, switch to boiled new potatoes or a baked potato. Cut away visible fat from fatty meats, such as bacon and lamb. Use a small amount of unsaturated oil for cooking, such as rapeseed oil, rather than butter, ghee, lard or goose fat.

By cutting down on the amount of fat in your diet and switching from saturated or trans fats to unsaturated fats, you will take an important step towards reducing your risk of heart disease.

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/.

Emergency: New report shows 13,000 staffed beds required across the NHS

  • Of 25,000 beds taken out of active service across the UK since 2010, 4,227 have been lost in Scotland

A new report by The Royal College of Emergency Medicine ‘Beds in the NHS’ shows that 13,000 staffed beds are required in the NHS across the UK to drive meaningful change and improvement.

Meaningful change and improvement would constitute a significant improvement in A&E waiting times, ambulance response times, ambulance handover delays, and a return to safe bed occupancy levels.

The report details that since 2010/2011 the NHS has lost almost 25,000 beds across the United Kingdom, and since then the health service and its staff have faced accumulating pressures resulting in a sharp increase in long-waiting times, ambulance handover delays, delayed ambulance response times, cancelled elective care operations, and unsafe bed occupancy levels. This has also had severe consequences on mental health care provision.

The College has stated that the current crisis is both a patient safety crisis and a workforce crisis. The fall in bed numbers and deteriorating metrics have a real terms impact on patient care. The health service is not functioning as it should, the challenging circumstances mean that staff are unable to provide the quick and effective high-quality care they are trained to provide. Patients are distressed by long-waiting times, as are staff who face increasing levels of burnout, exhaustion, and moral injury.

Dr Adrian Boyle, Vice President of The Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said:

“The Urgent and Emergency Care system is in crisis. The situation is dire and demands meaningful action. Ultimately, there are widespread staffing shortages leading to a shortage of staffed beds in the system. Our latest report “Beds in the NHS” shows that 13,000 staffed beds are required in the NHS across the UK to drive actual change and meaningful improvement.

“Since 2010/11 the NHS has lost 25,000 beds across the UK, as a result bed occupancy has risen, ambulance response times have risen, A&E waiting times have increased, cancelled elective care operations have increased. All evidenced by the fall in four-hour performance, the increase in 12 hour waits, the increase in delayed ambulance response times and rise in ambulance handover delays.

“In April 2022 in England, 24,000 patients were delayed by 12 hours or more (from decision to admit to admission), in April in Scotland, 4,000 patients faced a 12 hour wait (from time of arrival), in Wales, 11,000 patients faced a 12 hour wait (from time of arrival), and in March 2022 in Northern Ireland, 8,581 patients faced a 12 hour wait (from time of arrival).

“These numbers are grim; they should shock all health and political leaders. These numbers translate to real patient harm and a serious patient safety crisis. The health service is not functioning as it should and the UK government must take the steps to prevent further deterioration in performance and drive meaningful improvement, especially ahead of next winter.”

RCEM-Acute-Insight-Series-BedsDownload

Scotland leads the way on university students from deprived areas

Widening access an “unambiguous success”

Scotland continues to “set the pace” when it comes to students from deprived areas getting into university, the Commissioner for Fair Access has said.

The Commissioner’s latest annual report said the Scottish Government’s approach has been an “unambiguous success” and that “all the fair access indicators are flashing green”, despite the impact of COVID-19. It marks Sir Peter Scott’s last report as Commissioner for Fair Access before stepping down.

A record 16.7% of students from Scotland’s most deprived 20% of communities were entrants on full-time first-year degree courses in 2020/21, an increase of  545 students compared with the previous year. This represents an increase of around 1,550 entrants (39%), during Sir Peter’s time as Commissioner.

Higher Education minister Jamie Hepburn said: “The Commissioner for Fair Access makes it clear that Scotland continues to set the pace in the UK in terms of fair access to higher education, with a record number of Scottish students from deprived areas enrolling in university for the first time.

“I would like to thank Sir Peter Scott for his contribution as Scotland’s first Fair Access Commissioner and pay tribute to the lasting legacy he will leave.  We will consider the recommendations of the report carefully.

“While excellent progress has been made by our institutions, we cannot let up on the momentum in the face of the challenges that lie ahead.

“We believe every young person should have the opportunity to reach their full potential, no matter their circumstances.”

Maintaining the Momentum Towards Fair Access 

Knowledge is Power: invitation

Dear all,

Scottish Community Development Centre and the Poverty Alliance would like to invite you to attend an online shared learning and celebratory event with community groups supported by the Knowledge is Power programme to design and carry out their own community-led action research – where the community decides on the issue to be researched, designs and carries out the research, and makes use of the results.

The session should be relevant to anyone interested in this approach, including community and voluntary organisations, funders, academics and public sector organisations.

The event will be held using Zoom on Thursday 16th June from 1.30-3.30pm. 

Sign up for the event at https://www.knowledgeispower.scot/news/knowledge-is-power-meeting-wtexa.

Knowledge is Power is a programme from Scottish Community Development Centre and The Poverty Alliance to support community-led action research.

It has been jointly funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and the Scottish Government with additional contributions from the Corra Foundation and Inspiring Scotland.

The two-year programme has supported community organisations across Scotland to develop their own evidence to influence change in their communities – and to take forward actions for improvement.

As Knowledge is Power website has also been developed, featuring a toolkit for groups wanting to carry out their own research as well as examples of where groups have been supported to do this.

Participants at this informal event will hear from community groups who have carried out their own research over the past 2 years. There are some important messages to share, including the benefits community-led action research brings to individuals, groups and services as well as the challenges faced, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kind regards

The Knowledge is Power team

Buy Now

www.knowledgeispower.scot

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Former wireworks riverside development is now on the market

A NEW release of apartments has been launched at a modern riverside development in Musselburgh. 

Dundas Estates has brought to market a range of high-spec one to three bedroom apartments at The Wireworks, the long-anticipated £35 million reimagining of the former Brunton Wireworks site on the tree-lined banks of the River Esk. 

Offering a choice of sleek high-spec apartments and penthouses the project, designed by Michael Laird Architects, has seen early buyer interest from a broad range of backgrounds, including downsizers and first time buyers. 

Private parking provision is available as well as lift-access to all floors. Most apartments offer balcony space or ground floor private garden areas, with open plan interiors providing the flexibility and space to work, relax and entertain from home.

The current availability ranges in price from £186,995 to £339,995 with apartments from 517sqf to 1,055sqf in size.

The developer acquired the land through a partnership with Tesco, East Lothian Council and NHS Lothian, after receiving planning permission to regenerate the former site and neighbouring land in 2008.

Craig Fairfoull, Head of Sales and Marketing at Dundas Estates, said: “Given how close we are to the town centre, we’re aware that this development is quite unlike anything ever built here before.

“Early interest is predominantly local, so it’s great to be able to meet a demand that has been unmet for a while. Ultimately, we want to build homes that make people feel great.”

To ensure it builds a welcoming integrated community, Dundas Estates has recently launched a Musselburgh community fund which will offer five businesses, charities and community initiatives in the local area funding.

This is part of their pledge to deliver lasting benefits to the local area, and is separate to its Section 75 contributions of £400,000 towards local schooling and infrastructure.

Of the available properties, plot 34 is a one-bedroom home featuring open plan living, with a Juliette balcony on the market for £186,995. Plot 26, a three bedroom apartment covers 1055sqf with a large open plan living area, en suite and family bathroom and balcony accessed from the living area.

The 140 home development will have the capacity to store 140 bicycles in internal and external bikes stores. Electric car charging facilities will be available throughout the development.

Dundas Estates has a mission to create homes that make people feel great. Headquartered in Livingston and proudly Scottish, it has a track record of building well-designed homes that are higher spec than a vast majority of competitor properties.

The developer is focused on building welcoming, integrated communities, and making the journey of buying a home more straightforward, inspiring and fun.

To learn more about The Wireworks, visit: 

https://www.dundas.co.uk/developments/the-wireworks

Scotch Malt Whisky Society salute Jubilee with platinum punk pairings

Victorious, punk, and glorious! The world’s most entertaining whisky club have launched a special bottling paired with whisky-flavoured ice cream ‘Bohemian Raspberry’ for the Platinum Jubilee, with alternative Punk Afternoon Tea experiences at Members Rooms throughout June

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) are saluting the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with the launch of a special bottling ‘One Fancies a Sherry’ available to members on Monday, 30th May.

The ever-playful whisky club will be hosting Punk Afternoon Tea experiences in their UK Members Rooms throughout June where the limited-edition whisky-flavoured ice cream ‘Bohemian Raspberry’ will be available for only £10.

‘One fancies a Sherry’ Cask No 108.58 is bottled specifically for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend. ‘One fancies a Sherry’ falls under the Society flavour profile Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits, available to members at £72.90 at: smws.com.

SMWS are hosting Platinum Punk Pairings at UK Members Rooms through June, including events at Edinburgh’s Kaleidoscope Bar which won Global Whisky Bar of the Year 2022 at the recent Whisky Magazine awards. 

Commenting on the celebration Helen Stewart, Head of Membership said: “The Society is all about having fun, and this felt like the perfect opportunity to show the world our playful side.

“The release emphasises what we stand for at the Society – unconventional, playful experiences for people who really love whisky. We wish The Queen the very best on her Platinum Jubilee and hope she can relax with a wee dram over the weekend.”  

Begin a discovery of flavour with the Society now at smws.com.

*FULLL TASTING NOTES 

Cask No 108.58 ‘One Fancies a Sherry’

Age: 13 Years

ABV: 55.0%

Distilled Date: 4 August 2008

Flavour Profile: Deep, Rich & Dried Fruits

Speyside

Tasting notes:

On the nose we discovered “two sides of a coin”. One being dark chocolate cherry liqueurs while, flipping it over, there was a funky scent of roasted beetroot and goat cheese tart.

Massive on the palate, a creamy spicy jalapeno jam next to toasted, flaked almonds and a coffee bitterness in the finish. Diluted, an apple and cinnamon turnover, prune juice and on the other side, mushroom pie and tar.

While to taste, hoisin sauce, ginger cake and glace cherries.

After 11 years in an ex-bourbon hogshead, we transferred this whisky into a first fill barrique from a privately owned small bodegas, now in its 9th generation, that focuses exclusively on the Pedro Ximenez grape.

Volunteers Week: “I volunteer to make a difference” – Richard, RNIB Scotland

To mark Volunteers Week this week [June 1-7], Richard Asher from Leith has spoken about being a volunteer for sight loss charity RNIB Scotland.

Richard (29) is part of the Edinburgh-based charity’s Technology for Life team, advising blind and partially sighted people on the accessibility features now built-in to new technology that can help maximise their independence.

Such features include software that reads text as speech, enlarges the size of fonts, and adjusts background colour contrast.

“In my volunteering role, I help customers with technical devices like iPads or mobiles,” explains Richard, who studied IT at Edinburgh College. “They bring these into RNIB Scotland and can either have issues with them and need something looked into, such as their settings, or I can teach them how to first use their devices.

“I volunteer because I want to make a difference in people’s lives. It is vital to make that difference, just seeing someone happy at the end of it and seeing that they are confidently using their devices. A person can get the most out of their time with me in learning. Or, if they come up with a problem, that problem is sorted for them.

“Some people have been born without sight, and they might have an older device or might not have had a device before. I train them with the accessibility features and how they can use the phone.

“Other people may have lost their sight in later life, having known how to use a phone. And now they’re saying, ‘Oh my goodness, what will I do? I depend on this phone; I use this every day.’ So, we focus on training them to use their phone differently.

“I’m a firm believer that anyone can use a phone. It’s just about finding the right way. There is sight loss in my own family, so this volunteer role is important to me, and that’s what we focus on here – making them independent in using these devices.

“The important thing for me is someone’s walking out, feeling they have gained from it, and they’re happy.”

Players of the People’s Postcode Lottery support the running of the RNIB Connect groups, which provide a supportive online space where people with sight loss can use technology to connect and share experiences.

* www.rnib.org.uk/scotland