Day: September 20, 2022

Team Scotland participates in 2022 European MMA Championships

  • 292 Athletes from 36 Nations
  • Bella Italia Efa Village, Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy
  • 27 September – 01 October 2022

The International Mixed Martial Arts Federation today announced the provisional list of national teams and athletes competing in the 2022 IMMAF European Championships, which will be broadcast live from Lignano Sabbiadoro on immaf.tv between 27 September and 01 October.

List of Athletes by Nation and by Weight Division here

Hosted by the Italian Mixed Martial Arts Federation (FIGMMA) at the Bella Italia Efa Village. This tournament will be closed to European nations. Six of the top ten senior teams of the World Amateur MMA Rankings will be in action, including Sweden, Ukraine, Ireland, Spain and Italy while Ukraine, Poland, England and Ireland all sit among the top ten junior teams.

Ukraine boasts the largest squad of the thirty-six participating nations with a team of thirty athletes set to compete, which includes world silver medalists Ivan Pasych and Andrii Stoian.

Italy will bring a squad of twenty-five athletes, with plenty of fresh faces set to represent the host nation for the first time.

Poland’s Magdalena Czaban will look to become a three-time European champion as she moves from atomweight up to strawweight for the first time in an IMMAF competition. Paulina Kontna is also expected to return after her gold medal-winning run in 2021.

A Championship Pass will be available on immaf.tv for the European Championships, providing coverage for each day of action.

Buy your subscription or Championships Pass packages to IMMAF TV here:

2022 IMMAF European Championships – immaf.tv

Holyrood Committee to visit East Lothian’s ancient woodlands

The Scottish Parliament’s Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee will visit East Lothian tomorrow (Wednesday, 21st September) to explore the issues raised in a public petition.

The Committee will visit Pressmennan Wood, just south of the village of Stenton, as part of its consideration of a petition seeking the introduction of legislation which would provide Scotland’s remaining fragments of ancient, native and semi-native woodlands and woodland floors with full legal protection following concerns that large areas are being lost or damaged each year.

Committee Convener, Jackson Carlaw MSP, Deputy Convener David Torrance MSP, Alexander Stewart MSP and Paul Sweeney MSP will join officials from the Woodland Trust to learn more about the challenges around protecting Scotland’s woodlands.

Owned by the Woodland Trust, Pressmennan Wood has been continuously wooded since the early 15th century but has seen much human intervention throughout its history.

A large part of the woodland is currently classified as Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland, with some large areas of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites.

At an earlier meeting, the Committee heard evidence from Mairi McAllan MSP, Minister for Environment and Land Reform, who indicated that the Scottish Government were undertaking work to develop the register of ancient woodlands and were looking at options to improve existing protections and enforcement measures.

Speaking ahead of the visit, the Committee’s Convener, Jackson Carlaw MSP, said: “Protecting Scotland’s native and ancient woodlands is incredibly important to supporting biodiversity and maintaining our natural environment. This petition has helped to shine a light on the challenges we need to address to ensure their long-term future.

“The Committee has heard directly from the petitioners and a range of experts who have expressed their concerns over the lack of these woodlands protection from inappropriate developments and other threats, which has resulted in large areas of ancient woodland being lost for good over recent years.

“The Citizens Participation and Public Petitions Committee’s visit to Pressmennan Wood in East Lothian alongside the Woodland Trust will help us see the issues first hand and look at what next steps the Committee can take to help protect our ancient woodlands”

Student health advice from NHS 24

During September students all over Scotland are preparing to start or resume their studies at college or university. As many students will be travelling away from home for the first time, NHS 24 wish to highlight the importance of knowing where to get the right health advice in their new area.

NHS 24’s student health campaign provides details on where to access services such as GPs, dentists, pharmacies, out of hours and urgent care in Scotland. Information on subjects such as immunisations, mental health support and Scotland’s Service Directory are also included.

Representatives from NHS 24 are also visiting numerous colleges and universities throughout Scotland through a programme of ‘health roadshows.’

Michelle Sinclair, Engagement Manager for NHS 24 explains: ‘It’s been a tough couple of years for everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic, and students have made adjustments by switching to online learning at various times during the past two academic years.

‘Attending various freshers and welcome events in person has been really brilliant to promote NHS 24’s 111 service and the health information available on NHS inform.  It really makes the difference to be able to provide advice face to face about student’s health requirements, and we get asked a huge variety of questions on a lot of different subjects.’

Dr Laura Ryan, a GP and NHS 24’s Medical Director adds: “It’s an exciting time for students and their families while they prepare to say goodbye to their loved ones to start their studies.

“Health information can quickly slide to the bottom of the ‘to do’ list when you are making plans to move to a different part of the country, but it’s really important you know when and where to access the service you need if you have a health concern.

“If you’ve moved away from your local area to go to college or university, you must register with a new local GP practice. This also includes students who have moved from elsewhere in Scotland, elsewhere in the UK, and abroad. You should also register with a local dentist.

“NHS inform has lots of information on how to access services in your area. By being prepared and following the advice in our student health campaign, this will avoid delays in accessing the care you need, should you require it.”

£150 Disability Cost of Living Payments begin this month

From today (20 September) around six million disabled people in the UK will start to receive their one-off £150 Disability Cost of Living payment

  • Six million people who are paid certain disability benefits will begin to receive a one-off payment of £150 from today
  • Payments are part of the government’s wider £37 billion support package, including the Energy Price Guarantee and cost of living payments totalling £650

Those who had confirmed payment of their disability benefit for 25 May will receive the £150 automatically, with the vast majority to be paid by early October.

The payment will help disabled people with the rising cost of living, acknowledging the higher disability-related costs they often face, such as for care and mobility needs.

The cost of living payments from the government are part of a £37 billion package of support, which will see millions of households receive at least £1,200 this year to help cover rising costs, and follows the Prime Minister’s announcement of a new Energy Price Guarantee for the next two winters saving households on average £1,000 a year on their energy bills.

Work and Pensions Secretary Chloe Smith said: “We know disabled people face additional costs and this government is listening and taking decisive action to protect the most vulnerable in our society.

“In addition to the £150 Disability Cost of Living payment, households will save an average of £1,000 a year through our new Energy Price Guarantee and the lowest-income households will receive at least £1,200 to help with the rising cost of living this year.

“This multi-billion-pound package of support reinforces our commitment to help UK households, particularly those with disability challenges, through the tough times ahead.”

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng said: “The government is providing vital support to shield the most vulnerable from rising prices caused by global economic challenges.

“From today, a one-off £150 payment will automatically land in over six million disabled peoples’ accounts. This is in addition to the decisive action we took last week to hold down energy bills over the next two years, saving the average household £1,000 a year.

“The government is standing behind people this winter, and in the longer term we are focusing on driving economic growth – the only way to permanently boost everyone’s living standards.”

Macmillan Coffee Morning at Starbank Park this Saturday

Don’t miss our Macmillan coffee morning next Saturday 24th September 10-12 noon.

Mini harvest show! Prizes for best jam/chutney/lemon curd, best sunflower, best courgette/marrow, prettiest dahlia, most quirky vegetable, best child grown product

💚
☕️
👍🏻

@StarbankPark

Leith musicians off to Prague Fringe

Two popular Leith musicians will shortly be showcasing their talents in the unlikely environment of Eastern Europe, having received, for the second time, an invitation to perform at the Prague Fringe, a festival of music, comedy and drama which is held annually in the Czech capital.

Capital-based singer-songwriters Kevin Gore and Bobby Nicholson are best known for their Gone Native show which they have  hosted for several years  as part of  the Edinburgh Fringe, performances taking place nightly in the basement of the legendary  Royal Oak  pub in  Infirmary Street .

Gore and Nicholson performed at the last Prague Festival, in March 2019 and, as well as attracting capacity audiences for their run of four sold out shows, they received excellent feedback from both attendees and professional reviewers, hence the invite to return this year.

It was a Czech tourist visiting Edinburgh three years ago who, after witnessing the show, which, according to Gore, is a musical production featuring songs largely based on social justice and Scottish history, ancient and modern, often tinged with humour,  suggested that the duo apply to perform at the Prague event and, after sending off samples of their work to the promoter, they were delighted to receive an invite.

“We’re really excited about taking the show to Prague once again” said Gore who recently recorded a tribute song for Edinburgh boxing legend Ken Buchanan which he performed at last months’s unveiling of Buchanan’s statue in the city and which forms part of the Gone Native setlist.

“We are the only musical act appearing at the festivaI. We have been receiving five star reviews from our involvement at the Edinburgh Fringe and we see this as a great opportunity to get our material out in front of a wider audience.

“We’re changing the name of the show to Gone Edinburgh for the Prague event to reflect the fact that we’re taking the show abroad. The content will be largely the same and we’re delighted to be returning to the venue which is very close to the iconic John Lennon memorial wall in the city’s  Old Town district.”

Gore and Nicholson fly to Prague this week and will perform Gone Edinburgh on six successive nights at the Café Club Misenska in the city.

Further details can be found on www.praguefringe.com

Mair Scran fir Bees in Muirhouse!

Wildflower seeding at May Court and Fidra Court

Join us for creating a bee-friendly installation of the second BEES FIR SCRAN with Artist Natalie Taylor. This time we’ll be at Fidra Court car park verge, which will be seeded with wildflower perennials, which means the installation can be enjoyed for more than just one year.

Wednesday 21 September, 11am to 3pm – Volunteers wanted to help us with some preparation work, drop in any time

Friday 23 September, 2pm to 3.30pm – Main Event: Seeding and seed bombing – All welcome, free event!

SCRAN FIR BEES is supported by The National Lottery: Together For Our Planet Fund.

Windsor Street assault: Do you know this man?

Police have released an image of a man that they wish to speak to as they believe he may have information that can assist with an investigation into a serious assault.

The incident took place around 7.20pm on Sunday, 17 July 2021, on Windsor Street, Edinburgh.  A 24-year-old man was verbally abused and assaulted by two males, and sustained facial injuries which required hospital treatment.

CCTV Image of man for Windsor Street assault

The person shown in the CCTV image, is described as a white male, slim build, 5ft 5 to 5ft 19 inches in height, between 15 and 18 years old, with light brown/blond hair. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a white logo on the front, black Nike shorts, grey trainers and was carrying a black rucksack on his back.

Officers believe that the male shown in the image may have information that could assist them and would appeal to him or anyone who recognises him to contact them.

Members of the public can contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting reference number 2274 of 21 July 2021, or if they wish to remain anonymous, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111

Charity acts to support homeless people as services close their doors on day of state funeral

‘shocked to the extreme to hear that Scotland’s homeless charities and other key providers are closing their doors at this time’

In response to the closure of frontline services and businesses for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday, Homeless Project Scotland opened an emergency Soup Kitchen which served warm food and other provisions from 8pm on Argyle Street under the ‘heilanman’s umbrella’.

This provision was in addition to the charity’s 24/7 free helpline for those at risk of homelessness or are homeless. 

Raja Rani in Bearsden and Tantrum Donuts were among the local businesses to support the project’s initiative.

Speaking on the eve of the state funeral, a spokesperson for Homeless Project Scotland said: “We appreciate that tomorrow will be an emotional day for our country, however we also must recognise that tomorrow will bring challenges for those who are vulnerable and homeless in being able to source and access warm and nutritious food, in addition to support given tomorrow’s closures of food banks and other homeless charities closing their doors at this time. 

“It is disappointing and we are shocked to the extreme to hear that throughout Scotland homeless charities and other key providers are closing their doors at this time. It must be recognised however that Homelessness does not stop tomorrow, and as such we must uphold our principles at this difficult time and ensure that nobody goes to bed with an empty stomach . 

“This is particularly going to be felt in Glasgow especially given that those who are homeless and in the city’s hotels used for accommodating the homeless will only be able to provide breakfast, consisting of a cereal bar, due to the removal of evening meals from all hotel based accommodation since May this year. 

“This service will not affect our normal Soup kitchen operations on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.“