The Great British Food Festival is back this year at the lovely Dalkeith Country Park on the weekend of the 10th & 11th September and it promises to be a fantastic foodie weekend.
Over 75 different traders will be in attendance, amongst them artisan food producers and award winning street food stalls.
Along with wonderful food and drink producers there will be a great line up of local bands, fantastic chef demos, foodie talks, man vs food competitions and a bake stage.
Dan Maycock, one of the organisers said ‘We have got a great mix of local Scottish produce and some coming from further afield. On the hot food front you will be able to try anything from traditional hog roast to Indian and Thai dishes, so hopefully something for all tastes!’
The Chef Demo stage hosts great local chefs and Instagram stars cooking up their favourite dishes and sharing tips, with five demos taking place each day.
One of the highlights is the ‘Great British Cake Off’, where amateur bakers compete head to head in two baking categories (see www.greatbritishfoodfestival.com for details and to enter), and best of all, if you enter a cake you get free entry to the festival!
There is entertainment for all the family over the weekend, including kid’s cookery lessons, free circus skills, and live music. The perfect recipe for a fun, foodie day out for the whole family. See www.greatbritishfoodfestival.com for advanced tickets.
A not-for-profit organisation helping people to live happier and healthier lives has officially opened its refurbished office in Edinburgh city centre.
Fedcap Scotland works in the city to help people tackle health conditions, learn new skills, find new jobs and progress their careers. Across the country, its teams have been responsible for supporting more than 14,000 people in the last three years.
The newly branded and refurbished office in Edinburgh was visited by partners and employers last week. During the visit, attendees were given an insight into how Fedcap Scotland helps people overcome the barriers they face – including tackling health concerns and poverty – to realise their ambitions and reach their long-term goals.
Some 92.7% of Fedcap Scotland’s ‘customers’(Eh?- Ed.) in Edinburgh have been unemployed for more than a year, while 80.6% have been unemployed for more than two years. After receiving health and wellbeing support from the organisation, customers showed a 59% improvement, on average, in their health conditions.
The Fedcap Scotland team are also working with some of Scotland’s leading employers to help the region bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic with reliable workers.
Fedcap Scotland is currently delivering the Fair Start Scotland service in partnership with The Lennox Partnership in Edinburgh and the surrounding area, helping people to pick up new skills, confidence and experience and into suitable, sustainable jobs.
People who receive employability support from Fedcap Scotland find work on average within three months.
Stephanie Lang, Employer Relationship Manager for Capital City Partnership, said: “Capital City Partnership co-ordinates employability strategy and delivery through partnership working to tackle inequality and poverty, support job growth, and help more people into employment and skills.
“We welcome every opportunity to work in partnership with key agencies and services and are pleased to welcome Fedcap into the city as a trusted partner, already evidenced in their support of the FUSE Recruitment & Skills Hub for the St James Quarter and city centre recruiting businesses.”
Eaman Abdel-Rahman, a Fedcap Scotland participant in Fair Start Scotland said: “I was a cancer patient and I think I lost a bit of me. Fedcap’s courses helped to get me back to where I am.
“The new Fedcap Hub is like, wow! I like that very much. Shirley Ann Grey, my Personal Adviser, helped me into a DPSI translator course and a job in a local bank, giving me the confidence I need.
“Thanks to Fedcap Scotland, I have regained my confidence and got my life back.”
Brian Bell, Fedcap Chief Executive Officer, said: “You’ve seen today the passion of our people, helping participants who’ve been out of work for a long time.
“There is a real need for our service, and Fedcap is investing in its portfolio across Scotland to further improve our delivery for participants and employers.”
Fedcap has also recently opened new offices in Dumfries and Dunfermline.
For more information on how Fedcap Scotland helps communities across the country, visit www.fedcapscotland.scot
Wild West comes to Cramond care home for themed afternoon fun
MUSIC-LOVING pensioners at an Edinburgh care home were treated to a hoedown themed afternoon to celebrate the end of summer with a performance from local musicians.
The dedicated lifestyle team at Cramond Residence strapped on their cowboy boots and organised a country western party which saw the home’s residents enjoying some themed dancing, snacks and music courtesy of local guitar players.
A BBQ and some summer punch were on the menu for lunch, while activities included a conga and traditional line dancing.
Alison Newton, Operations Manager at the 74-bedroom home, said: “This was the first time we have hosted a hoedown and it will definitely not be the last! Everyone involved had an enjoyable afternoon and it was a real pleasure seeing so many happy faces.
“It was great to have local musicians playing some country classics from across the decades giving residents musical stimulation while helping them to reminisce and socialise with others.
“We have to say a massive thanks to the lifestyle team who have really pulled out all the stops with their planned activities and excursions to engage residents over the last few months.
“Residents loved taking part in some traditional country dancing and it was even great to see some attendees donning cowboy hats and plaid shirts.”
The residence creates an environment that ensures residents continue to live interesting and fulfilling lives, with their needs at the heart of all operations. Its tailored activity programme combines luxury hotel living with the reassuring feeling of being in your own home.
Alison continued: “After a turbulent few years, the team have really worked hard to come up with a jam-packed calendar of events to fully engage with residents and bring a sense of joy. To celebrate a great summer, it seemed only right to end August with a party.”
Cramond Residence offers high quality care for up to 74 residents offering a small-group living concept in nine houses, with all residents enjoying an exceptional range of amenities and activities, delicious food and bespoke care from a highly-trained team.
MSPs are asking for the public to share their views on the support that is currently available for disabled children and young people as they grow into adulthood.
The findings will be considered by the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee as part of their scrutiny of a Bill which seeks to introduce more structured support for disabled children and young people in their transition to adulthood.
The Bill has been proposed by Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP, following on from work started by Johann Lamont in the last session of Parliament.
If passed, the Bill would make three main changes to the law:
the Scottish Government would need to have a strategy explaining how they are going to improve opportunities for disabled children and young people
a Scottish Government minister would be placed in charge of improving opportunities for disabled children and young people moving into adulthood
local authorities would need to have plans for each disabled child and young person as they move into adulthood
Sue Webber MSP, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee said: “A young person’s transition to adulthood is a critical stage in their lives and our Committee wants to be sure that the right kind of support is available to help disabled children and young people as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.
“We want to hear the views of disabled children and young people, their parents and their carers on these proposals.
“We’re particularly keen to understand more about the how the support that is currently available is viewed.”
The Committee’s call for views and survey on the Bill opened on 1 September and people can share their views until 27 October 2022.
Small and medium businesses dominate Hospitality industry, making up 68% of all businesses
Northern Ireland has the highest percentage of SMEs out of any region, at 29%
SMEs make up more than 25% of all businesses in the United Kingdom
New research has revealed how important small and medium enterprises are for the British economy, as businesses that employ between one and 249 employees contribute more than £2 trillion in turnover and employ 44% of the British workforce.
The study by marketing training hub School of Marketing analysed the latest ONS and government data on the number of small and medium enterprises in 2021 to see which regions and industries are powered the most by SMEs.
Analysis of the industries revealed that the Hospitality Industry has the highest proportion of SMEs out of any industry. Out of the 200,645 businesses operating in the industry, 140,050 are small or medium-sized, which equals roughly 69.8%. The Hospitality Industry is made up of accommodation and food services including hotels and restaurants.
The industry with the second-highest percentage of SMEs is Wholesale and Retail Trade. This industry, which also includes mechanic shops that repair motor vehicles and motorcycles, has more than 500,000 businesses, and more than four in ten (43%) are small or medium-sized.
Real Estate Industry has the third-highest proportion of SMEs, with 35.4% of all enterprises having below 250 employees. The industry has 134,095 businesses operating in the UK, and 47,740 are small or medium-sized.
In fourth is the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Industry, which has more than 150,000 businesses running in the country, and roughly 50,000 (33%) are SMEs.
The industry counting the fifth-highest percentage of SMEs is Manufacturing, with 32% of the enterprises operating in this industry being small or medium-sized, which is 87,210 out of the 270,000 businesses.
The study also analysed each UK region and found that Northern Ireland has the highest proportion of SMEs in the UK. 123,705 businesses are operating in Northern Ireland, and 36,369 are small or medium enterprises, making up roughly 29.4% of all companies.
Scotland has the second-highest percentage of SMEs out of all the UK regions, with 27.7% of all businesses being SMEs. There are 342,045 companies in Scotland, and 94,746 have fewer than 250 employees.
The East Midlands is home to the third-highest proportion of SMEs, with 100,300 SMEs, making up 27.3% of the 367,400 businesses operating in the region.
North West England has the fourth-highest percentage of SMEs in the UK, with 26.7% of businesses operating in the area being small or medium-sized.
Wales is tied for fourth, as 26.7% of operating businesses in the country are SMEs. 55,373 out of the 207,390 enterprises in Wales have fewer than 250 employees.
The study also assessed the most in-demand skills for entry-level positions across a range of industries and found that Communication and Microsoft Office proficiency are the most commonly occurring skills on job adverts – both appear in 61% of the jobs that were analysed.
The third most in-demand skill is a High Attention to Detail, appearing in 44% of ads for entry-level positions. Finishing off the top five is a tie for fourth between Time-Management and Self-Motivated, both showing up on 39% of job adverts.
Commenting on the findings, Ritchie Mehta, CEO of School of Marketing said: “There are more than 1.4 million British companies which employ between one and 249 people, and combined they turn over a massive £2 trillion every year, which is 45% of total turnover from UK businesses.
“It’s essential that they are not only given the support to grow and continue making such an important contribution, but also that there is a skilled workforce able to help them deliver and adapt to the demands of an evolving economy.
“This data shows that when it comes to skills, there are some common themes that employers are looking for across a range of jobs, however in the current climate, budgets for training are likely to be cut, and the skills gap could widen.
“SME owners can take advantage of the Apprenticeship Levy scheme to bring in new staff or train current ones in digital and data-led programmes, with the vast majority of the training cost covered by the levy.”
The study was conducted by the School of Marketing, which offers leading digital and data marketing apprenticeships.
“Good businesses will fail, unless the government acts”
THE NATIONAL Chair for the Federation of Small Businesses Martin McTague has issued a stark prognosis for small businesses in the months ahead.
He warned that rising energy prices and current business rates and tax will see many businesses go under; which could have a major impact on the UK economy as 60% of the private sector workforce work for small businesses.
Speaking to GB News, Mr McTague said: “There’s a completely toxic mix, and that mix is very low cash reserves; I think the ONS figures said that that 40% of businesses are operating on less than three months worth of cash.
“You’ve got very high taxation levels, the highest for 50 years. A massive slump in demand, and then if you build into that mix the fact that energy prices for some businesses are four or five times what they were previously.
“Most businesses renew their contracts in October, and the quotes that I’ve seen from a lot of our members were alarming. In some cases their prices had gone from £23,000 a year up to £112,000 per year. One farmer I spoke to was seriously considering putting a generator on to power his operation because he couldn’t see how he could operate any other way.
“Now what we need, starting Monday I think, is a government that recognises that this is an urgent problem. And that a lot of good businesses will fail, unless they act. I think sometimes people treat it as if it’s something that you can separate out from consumer issues, whereas 60% of the private sector workforce work for SMEs. So that will be a major problem for lots of people.”
“There are three key things I think we need to do starting Monday. The first will be to reverse the National Insurance increase, that was something that almost universally all small businesses disliked.
“Then there is a serious problem with business rates, I think it’s time that the government doubled the small business rates relief, currently standing at less than £12,500 and could go up to £25,000. I think that would encourage a lot of small businesses, particularly in the North of England.
“Then cut VAT to try and encourage demand. At a time when a lot of consumers are lacking confidence, you need to give them that bit of a push to get back in the shops.”
Environmental and community campaigners have urged a top UN body to intervene in Scotland’s planning system, after repeated calls for equal rights of appeal have been ignored by the Scottish Government.
Campaigners from Planning Democracy, Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland and RSPB Scotland, have submitted a formal complaint to the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee (ACCC), a UN body tasked with upholding environmental rights.
The complaint argues that planning appeal rights in Scotland are not ‘fair’ and therefore in breach of international law on access to justice for the environment. They point to a ruling by the Committee in Northern Ireland concluding that a lack of equal rights was in breach of the Convention, and argue that similar recommendations must now be applied to Scotland to spur reform.
The appeal to the UN follows over a decade of civil society campaigning and the passage of two planning bills, both of which failed to address the issue. An amendment proposing to introduce equal rights of appeal under the 2019 Planning (Scotland) Act was voted down by SNP and Conservative MSPs.
Currently, only applicants (usually developers) enjoy appeal rights if planning permission is refused.
Members of the public and NGOs do not enjoy equivalent rights to appeal if a development is approved, even if the development will negatively impact on health and the environment, or if the decision-making process was flawed.
The only option available to affected communities and individuals is to go to court via a judicial review, which the Convention’s governing bodies have already ruled is ‘prohibitively expensive’.
Campaigners are calling for the Scottish Government to introduce legislative reforms to achieve equal rights of appeal.
Clare Symonds, Chair of Planning Democracy, said; “Giving communities rights of appeal is about justice and fairness. It should be a given that decisions that fundamentally affect our future and the environment can be contested by those who will be most affected.
“It is clear that the Aarhus Compliance Committee’s Northern Ireland ruling agrees with our perspective that for developers to have right to challenge a decision at no cost, when communities have no such privilege, is unfair and a breach of international law on environmental decision-making.
“The situation regarding appeal rights in Scotland is the same and we expect the ACCC to find in our favour and hold the Scottish Government to account.”
Benjamin Brown, Policy & Advocacy Officer at Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland, said: “As it stands, Scotland’s planning system is rigged in favour of developers.
“Through ignoring calls to introduce Equal Rights of Appeal in planning decisions, the Scottish Government has missed a vital opportunity to empower communities and protect our environment. It must now act to reform the planning process, so that communities impacted by poorly considered planning decisions can have their voices heard.
“As we work towards including the right to a healthy environment in the new Human Rights Bill, equal rights in planning cannot be forgotten.”
Mary Church, Head of Campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “It’s an absolute scandal that communities and NGOs can’t appeal against developments that harm the environment, while developers can wage a war of attrition through appeals and repeat applications if their proposal gets knocked back.
“This lack of equal rights undermines the planning system and leads to decisions that are bad for people and planet. The Scottish Government shouldn’t wait for the UN to rap its knuckles again, but should take action to level the playing field as part of its agenda to enshrine human rights in Scots Law.”
Aedan Smith, Head of Policy and Advocacy at RSPB Scotland, said: “It is essential that individuals and communities have the ability to challenge harmful decisions, especially those that would make the nature and climate emergency worse.
“We would hope that this ability would not need to be used very often, but it is important that decision makers can be held to account in a way that is fair.”
We’d like to start off by introducing you to our new members of staff. They all started work at the Heart on 2nd September, so you’ll be meeting them soon.
First of all, there’s our new full time Transition Manager, Roger Walpole. Many of you will already know Roger as he used to be a member of the HONC board.
Of course he’s had to step down as a trustee in order to be able to take on the role of an employee, but there’s no doubt he has already contributed so such to the project and is fully committed to its success.
Roger has been working with the Edinburgh University Student Association’s business development department, for the last 13 years, helping run their annual entertainments programme in many guises, but has also found time to be a treasurer and trustee with Victoria Primary School’s council and PTA.
Some of you may also know him as your local Polling Officer.
Next there’s Kimberley Thomson. Kimberley is starting with us as our part-time Heart Coordinator, so she is the face you will be meeting front of house, as she coordinates volunteers and activities.
Kim comes from a customer service background within the charity sector and will be the first point of call for visitors to our centre.
She is very much looking forward to meeting everyone and becoming a part of our community! She will also work with customers booking at our fantastic venue, giving support through the booking journey and building great lasting relationships.
Finally, there’s our Buildings and Maintenance Officer, Becc Dishon who will be taking up the part-time role of Buildings and Maintenance Officer.
Becc tells us: “My career has seen me involved in the management of the technical facilities and spaces in a number of well known Edinburgh venues for over twenty-four years.
“As well as working on productions my background includes much time spent in education, helping people young and old to see their creative potential. I enjoy being involved in the facilitation of other people’s creativity and seeing their work come alive.
“I create a lot of art myself and also enjoy writing and studying local history and anything weird. I’m part of a group who own chickens on a residential street and have a very understanding wife.”
Now you’ve met the team, look out for them if you’re attending one of our September events, all of which will take place in the Anchor Building (that’s the new one in the playground):
A series of workshops delivered by Jamie Dyer, from Art in Healthcare will be running on Tuesday 6th – Drawing and Map Making; Wednesday 7th – Experimental Film and Photography; Tuesday 13th Community Sculpture; – and Wednesday 14th – Print Making.
The events are free but due to space issues, please register at admin@heartofnewhaven.co.uk if you would like to attend.
Keep an eye on our social media and website for more details to follow of a community event highlighting some of the activities to be on offer this month.
