Five thousand Kiltwalkers gathered in Edinburgh today [Sunday 18 September] and fell silent across the capital before setting off to raise over £2 million for 500 hard pressed Scottish charities.
A minute’s silence was held as a mark of respect and thanks for the life of the late Monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Pipers also played in moving scenes at the 21-mile Mighty Stride, the 13-mile Big Stroll, and the four-mile Wee Wander. Those still walking later in the day observed the national one minute’s silence at 8pm.
500 charities across Scotland will benefit from the first physical Kiltwalk to take place in the capital since 2019. Out of respect for those visiting the Queen’s official residence Holyrood Palace, The Mighty Stride moved away from Holyrood Park to a new Start at Bingham Medway.
The walkers’ fundraising is topped-up by 50% by The Hunter Foundation.
Sir Tom Hunter said “I am incredibly proud of the Kiltwalk community for the respect they have shown at the death of Her Majesty the Queen whilst at the same time raising funds for 500 charities who really need it.
“We thank each and every one of our Kiltwalk heroes for their amazing endeavours for the common good.”
Football legend Graeme Souness tackled the Mighty Strike alongside Commonwealth Gold winning boxers Sean Lazzerini and Reese Lynch. The trio walked and raised money for charity, DEBRA, just one of 500 different Scottish charities.
Businesses across Scotland came together to support the Kiltwalk with the Royal Bank of Scotland and Arnold Clark:
The Hunter Foundation underwrites The Kiltwalk
Royal Bank of Scotland and Arnold Clark are headline sponsors of Kiltwalk
Johnston Carmichael is Gold sponsor
Lidl is ‘Official Supermarket Partner’ providing delicious snacks to keep energy levels high
STV Children’s Appeal is the official grant making partner so those who choose to walk for Kiltwalk will see their funds distributed via STV Children’s Appeal
Trespass supply quality uniforms for Kiltwalk’s Kiltie volunteers and staff
Bullet Express is the ‘Official Logistics Partner’
Business is booming for Scotland’s only matchmaker with the number of lonely hearts looking for love rocketing by more than 350% in the last six months.
The biggest rise in enquiries is from men aged 30-45, up by more than 520% and there is currently a waiting list of applicants.
Laura Smyth, 34, a former headhunter and recruitment consultant established the agency after realising her single friends were struggling to date and fed-up swiping right or left looking for the ideal match. There was a tradition of matchmaking in her native Ireland but Laura, who was then living in Scotland, discovered a gap in the market here.
With plenty of previous success linking the right candidate to the perfect job, she applied her career skills to the dating game and since then has been on a mission to bring dating back into the real world, taking it offline and face to face instead.
And the initiative is proving an attractive proposition for more and more singletons: turnover has tripled in the past year.
Laura has also been nominated for the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the WeDo Scottish Business Awards to be announced at a black-tie event in Edinburgh on November 5, and she’s been accepted for the RBS Accelerator programme which helps entrepreneurs scale their businesses to the next level.
“The idea has really taken off and interest is increasing incrementally month on month,“ says Laura. “People are realising that the ease of swiping and the vast choice out there online does not necessarily add up to tangible success, particularly among men.
“They account for 85% of online dating app users in the UK and one study showed they only get a match 0.6% of the time. Whereas matchmaking starts with a personal consultation, so I have a really good idea of their personality, their ideals and standards, and I will know if someone on our books will be a good match.
“Many of our clients are established business professionals. They come to us because they are seriously engaged in looking for a suitable partner and happy to invest in their love life.
“They don’t believe that their ideal person would be on an app and they are attracted to the agency because there is a greater element of safety as we vet applicants, check their photographs are truly representative and confirm their single status.
“For us – and them – it’s not about screens or algorithms, it’s about authenticity, honesty and integrity.”
Thanks to Match Made in Scotland Laura has already found success with Cupid’s arrow in her own love life – she’s engaged to a former boyfriend she re-connected with through the agency and they are planning their wedding next year.
As a result Laura, who set up Match Made in Scotland two years ago, is on a recruitment drive seeking additional potential cupids to help her keep up with demand.
Prospective matchmakers must be intuitive, kind, empathetic and work with integrity and honesty. They also need to have an extensive network of contacts, a background in business development and an entrepreneurial spirit.
“Our clients don’t have the time nor the inclination to use online dating apps,” says Laura. “This role of professional matchmaker is to make the matching process run as smoothly as possible and provide excellent customer service. It’s a fantastic opportunity for someone to help shape the future of our business and the needs of our growing client list.”
The Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) meets (via Zoom) on Thursday, 29 September at 7pm. (The screen facility will open at 18.50.)
The Agenda:
1. Andrew Field; Head of Community Empowerment and Engagement, City of Edinburgh Council:
– Community partnership planning; some thoughts on the way ahead.
2. David White; Primary Care Strategic Lead, Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership:
– The Winter Programme vaccine roll-out;
– Developments in GP service provision in the city.
3. Steve Kerr, EACC Chair.
– Preview of the EACC AGM on 24 November;
– Nominations to the EACC Members Board.
The Members Board emerges from the review of the EACC Constitution in February this year. It will work to guide EACC direction on policy issues and will look to bridge the interests of all Community Councils in a more participative, flexible and creative way than hitherto. But to do so, of course, the EACC will need your Community Council support and involvement.
In the round, then, the agenda for 29 September is a very relevant one at this time. I hope you can join us.
The meeting is open to members of the public as observers, but participation is restricted to the delegated EACC representatives of Edinburgh Community Councils. Please bring this message to the attention of your representative who will carry your Community Council vote at the 24 November AGM.
(The meeting may be recorded. Please note that by joining the meeting you are giving your consent in that regard.)
Students are being provided with helpful tips on how to enjoy the thrills of Freshers Week without blowing all the student finance.
The cash-saving experts atNetVoucherCodes.co.uk have explored money-saving ways to prepare for this new chapter of life.
It’s an exciting time for young people, exams are finished, they may have moved to a different city and now they get to broaden their horizons in the next stage of life.
But being a new student comes at a high price, from partying with friends, to learning how to manage finances in a weekly food shop.
Mitch Barnes, online consumer expert from NetVoucherCodes.co.uk said: “We wanted to offer undergraduates a peace of mind when preparing for the costly side of moving to university.
“Freshers is a time where the memories you make will last a lifetime, but we are also aware of the extortionate costs this period of fun can lead to.
“From creating a budget folder to learning how to spend less in a nightclub, there’s plenty of helpful tips to save the extra cash.”
Here areNetVoucherCodes’s top tips to enjoy freshers on a budget:
Get all the freebies
Most campuses will hold a ‘freshers fair’ for new students to find out about a variety of interests and to sign up for exclusive offers. But it also is a place to get items for free such as tote bags, pens and even shot glasses. It’s essentially a freebie fair, so get out the goodie bag and have a look around!
Pre-drinks to save cash
Bar hopping, dress-up club nights and pub crawls, all can break the bank in just a few days. It’s becoming more common to pre-drink beforehand with your friends and play some fun drinking games such as ‘Ring of Fire’ and ‘Never Have I Ever’.
Happy hour deals
It’s a great way to snap up a deal, 2 for 1 drinks, or happy hour £5.50 cocktails for two hours in the evening. Have a look for the bars across the city to find out who are offering the best deals.
Become a savvy supermarket shopper
Become a bargain hunter by looking out for brilliant deals, such as the yellow reduced labels every evening to make a late dinner, as well as shopping around at different supermarkets to compare the prices. It’ll help get the weekly food shop from £40 down to £20.
Student discount apps
Sign up for every app possible to get discounts from 10% to 50% on clothes, gadgets and even a free fast-food meal.
Create a budget folder
It’s easy to want to go and splash the student loan on anything and everything, but in the long run you don’t want to get to November and run out of cash. Get out coloured pens and label each folder from food shop to nights out to new clothes every month – it will all be worth it.
Invest in a student railcard
Whether you’re heading home every weekend or once in a blue moon, getting a student railcard will help save hundreds in the long run. The scheme typically saves around a third of transport costs and is particularly useful as petrol prices are at an all-time high.
Banking pots
Online banking can help tremendously to save on all the new expenses which you’ll be introduced to after going to university. Dividing the money into different pots and labelling each one can help you to learn how to save and prevent overspending.
Food discount codes
There’s plenty of student offers on takeaways to help knock off half the price, all you may need is a student discount app and some ID and the deal is yours. Have a look at discount codes onfast food delivery services.
Look for a part time job early
It’s not a priority for a lot of students, as the party side is usually at the forefront. However, the earlier you look for a part-time job the quicker you can save and make the most out of university life. Perhaps before moving in, get applying so that interviews can be lined up as the earliest opportunity.
Stock up early
A food shop becomes a big deal at university, it becomes part of your daily routine and that’s why it’s essential to stock up on cupboard foods early. Get bulk buying pasta, noodles and the big packs of toilet roll, so that you can save on the extra pennies every week.
Cheaper workouts
New city, new gym. Explore the different workout spaces near your university to see how they compare in price and facilities. Sometimes, university gyms may be more expensive compared to one down the road, so make sure to have a look.
Free streaming services
The amount of streaming services available increases by the minute. Most offer free trials to allow new members to join for a limited time before paying a monthly fee. During the freshers fair, there may be spokespeople for the streaming companies offering free trials which can last over six months, so make sure to keep an eye out.
Hold off the taxis
The temptation to get a taxi anywhere can break the bank, so have a look at walking, getting the bus or even a tram if your city has one. It’s important though to stay safe when walking back at night, so make sure to either walk with a group of friends or compare different taxi prices.
Don’t go into the overdraft
For lots of students it seems like an easy way to cover the expenses, but it’s extremely risky to go into your overdraft as it can impact the next month of trying to save money. If it’s a last minute resort, try not to make it a regular pattern otherwise it can get extremely expensive down the road.
To find out more about how to save during freshers week, head over to NetVoucherCodes.co.uk
People across Scotland are invited to take part in a National Moment of Reflection to mark the passing of Her Majesty The Queen and reflect on her life and legacy.
The National Moment of Reflection will take place at 8pm on Sunday 18 September, the night before the State Funeral, and will be marked by a one-minute silence across the UK.
The silence can be marked privately at home, with friends and family or at locally arranged events and vigils. Community groups, clubs and other organisations across Scotland are also encouraged to take part.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney will lead a moment of reflection outside the Scottish Government’s St Andrew’s House in Edinburgh, alongside other Ministers.
The First Minister is travelling to London on Sunday ahead of The State Funeral of Her Majesty The Queen on Monday morning. and will observe the National Moment of Reflection there.
The Books of Condolence for Her Majesty The Queen are still available to sign.
If you’re over 65, and have been invited for your vaccination at a time or place that is inconvenient to you, please contact the National Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013 to rearrange at one of our 20 other vaccination clinics across the Lothians.
Collective grief and shared loss, the psychology of national mourning
Following the sad passing of Queen Elizabeth II, many people will be grieving and feeling loss. Psychologists from the British Psychological Society (BPS) have explained the psychology behind collective grief and national mourning, and how to cope if the death of the Queen triggers emotion and grief for you.
Professor Nichola Rooney, a chartered member of the BPS, explains the idea of collective grief, but also that we will all experience it slightly differently: “Collective grief is how we describe the reaction of a group of people (usually a nation, region or community) who experience the death of a significant figure from that nation/community or experience multiple deaths.
“While many will mourn individually, what we are witnessing so clearly in the media is the expression of collective grief. For many of us the death of Queen Elizabeth II has been the first time grief had been so widely displayed and discussed at a national level, with the numerous events and rituals and constant media coverage.
“It’s important to remember however that while grief is universal and is a normal response to loss that we will all experience during our lifetime, while there are some acknowledged similar experiences and reactions to loss, grief is unique to all of us. It is determined by our relationship with the deceased, to the meaning of their loss and how it effects our life.”
As well as collective grief, for many they may be experiencing, ‘re-grief’, with the death of the Queen and the media coverage triggering grief and emotions for loved ones lost, no matter how long ago they passed.
“Talking about dying is not something that we do very well in Western cultures, so this collective grief can often be difficult to deal with,” says Professor Rooney. “It can feel overwhelming and it can also trigger feelings about our own losses and experiences of grief and exacerbate existing psychological distress.
“For some people who lost loved ones during the pandemic there may be some feelings of resentment that the death of the monarch has involved so many memorials and opportunities to express grief. During the pandemic these rituals were denied to the grieving and our unprocessed collective grief from the pandemic, has undoubtedly been touched. But for all of us, the death of Queen Elizabeth and the huge media coverage can trigger grief for loved ones who have died, no matter how long ago.
“While this is a difficult time for many, there can actually be some benefits to seeing others mourn a loss in such an open way. It can give us permission to revisit our own experiences and to express our own grief again. We can find comfort through our connection to others with the same lived experience.”
If you are struggling following the death of a loved one, or increased anxiety/feelings of loss following the Queen’s death, the following places can serve as sources of support:
Cruse Bereavement Care – offers face-to-face, telephone, email and online support for anyone who has experienced a loss.
Child Bereavement UK – provides support for anyone who has lost a child, and for children themselves who are bereaved.
