Monday 28th November is a public holiday for NHS Lothian.
This is in lieu of the local September public holiday, postponed for the national bank holiday for the Queen’s funeral. Please collect your prescription before the weekend.
If you need urgent help over the weekend, call NHS 24 on 111.
The countdown to Black Friday is now on and as shoppers in Edinburgh prepare to seek out this year’s best deals, St James Quarter has revealed the unmissable discounts that will be on offer across its exciting selection of retailers.
Available throughout Black Friday weekend (from 25th – 28th November) and beyond, St James Quarter will play host to the biggest and best offers from top retailers including up to 40% off the latest fashion items at Zara (selected lines on 25th November), up to 20% off the hottest makeup, skincare and fragrance at H Beauty (between 25th – 28th November) and 50% off Neom’s ‘Night in with Neom’ Box for those who want to indulge in a little self-care (until 30th November).
For more information about all of the latest Black Friday deals on offer at St James Quarter click here.
Shoppers can also enjoy the Black Friday feeling with live entertainment between 2pm – 6pm on Friday and Saturday from The Quarter’s very own resident DJs, Fi and Mairi Buchanan, who will be filling the Galleria with sounds of the best-known Christmas classics.
Guests can shop til they drop before taking a moment to refresh with The Quarter’s impressive dining and leisure destinations including Ka Pao, The Alchemist, Lane7, Everyman Cinema and Tortilla which are open until late. The Quarter also recently welcomed back lively Alpine Village, Bar Hütte, to St James Square where visitors can enjoy a festive drink and singsong in one of its Cosy Karaoke Hüttes until 2nd January.
Nick Peel, Managing Director at St James Quarter, said: “Black Friday marks the beginning of the festive shopping season and following the opening of some really exciting retailers this year, we expect there to be a real buzz at St James Quarter this weekend as our guests seek out the best deals and take advantage of our hospitality offering.
“November has already been a strong month for us in terms of footfall, but at a time when we know saving money is important to our guests, we’re looking forward to a busy but no doubt successful day of deal-hunting, with plenty more festive activity still to come before the end of 2022.”
With so many great deals on offer, nobody wants to be restricted by how many bags they can carry, and St James Quarter has the perfect solution with its handsfree shopping service, Dropit, which allows shoppers to drop bags at Guest Services for later collection or, have them delivered straight to their door (for guests who live in Scotland).
For those looking for a more relaxed approach to Black Friday, the St James Quarter website offers Crowd Checker, which provides shoppers with live capacity updates to help guests find quieter times to visit.
The Quarter also has a 1,600 space car park, which offers all day and overnight parking, allowing more convenience for shoppers travelling by car.
During the festive period, selected retailers at St James Quarter will also be extending their opening hours on certain days.
Road Policing officers in Edinburgh are appealing for information following a serious crash involving a pedestrian, which took place on Calder Road.
The incident happened around 7.35am this morning (Thursday, 24 November) involving a white Ford Transit van and a 19-year-old woman.
The woman was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. The male driver of the van was uninjured.
The road was closed until around 11.45am as an investigation was carried out. Further enquiries into the incident remain ongoing and officers are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
Sergeant Jill Kirkpatrick, from the Edinburgh Road Policing Team, said: “If you witnessed this incident, have any potential dashcam footage, or were in the area and have any information which may assist our enquiries, please call police on 101, quoting incident 0489 of 24 November, 2022.”
By Sakshi Jain (INSA member and graduate from University of Glasgow)
The Consulate General of India (CGI) in Edinburgh, in partnership with INSA (Indian National Student Association), organised a Welcome event for new Indian Students in Scotland over the weekend; here is a report from an INSA UK member.
Consul General of India Mr Bijay Selvaraj hosted a welcome event at his office in the capital city of Scotland, in collaboration with INSA with its mission of “Creating a home away from home” for new students who have stepped into Scotland. The programme was joined by Indian students from various levels and subjects of study from major Scottish universities. “Unity in Diversity” was at full display at the event, as these students represented various states and languages of India.
The event started with a brief introduction of INSA and their mission by Mr Kishore Dattu, head of INSA North. He highlighted the work that INSA has undertaken to support Indian students in UK, the prominent role they had played during the pandemic, and encouraged people to get involved to help fellow students from the Indian community.
Miss Sakshi Jain, founding member of INSA chapter at University of Glasgow, shared her experience of being a member of INSA and how it has enabled her to help fellow Indian students at her university and fulfil INSA’s crucial motto of contributing back to the Indian community.
Rt Honourable Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh Robert Aldridge was the chief guest of this evening, who highlighted how Edinburgh is open for all international students. He expressed how he had something in common with all the students present in the hall since he was once an international student.
He emphasized the importance of having a support network and suggested more student to get involved with INSA. He also shed light in Scotland’s and India’s common heritage and the link between India and Edinburgh.
Mr. Karan Patil gave a very inspiring speech to the students who attended the event. His words – “Work towards creating a solution for a social problem. Make sure your solution reaches the entire world.” made quite an impression on the audience.
Professor Pankaj’s words – “I believe that a diverse classroom, a classroom which has students from all nationalities enriches both research and education”, resonated deeply throughout the room. He also shared valuable insights into India and Scotland’s continued partnership to improve education, culture, and industry.
His Excellency Shri Bijay Selvaraj, Consulate General of India in Edinburgh, made the keynote address, expressing his support for Indian students across the United Kingdom, particularly in Scotland. He underlined the significance of adhering to safety standards and being responsible while in the United Kingdom. He also extended a warm welcome to all of the students and assured them of his assistance in their time of need.
Mr. Puneet Dwivedi offered the vote of thanks. He expressed his gratitude to the Consulate General of India and all the dignitaries in the room for hosting the event and sharing their valuable knowledge and experience with the Indian students.
The students also had the opportunity to network and enjoy a delicious Indian dinner organised by the Consulate General.
The event was anchored by Miss Krithika Iyer, who is a student at University of Glasgow.
Miss Sakshi Jain
Holding on to small moments of joy and positivity is going to be particularly important this winter, with the cost of living and energy crises likely to continue making things difficult for people across the UK.
Psychologists from the British Psychological Society have given their advice and tips for finding the light this winter when things are feeling tough.
“We often see a rise in people feeling down or struggling as winter hits, particularly after the clocks go back, making our evenings darker, and as the cold weather begins to bite”, says Dr Joan Harvey, a chartered member of the BPS.
“This year we have more stresses and challenges than normal, with the cost of living crisis causing incredibly difficult decisions for people as they struggle with soaring prices. Increased stress in the run up to Christmas is normal, and this year even more so with budgets stretched and many re-assessing their plans.
“We hear a lot about Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which people sometimes experience during the winter months, and this year we might expect to see more people struggling with a combination of SAD and cost of living induced stress and worry,” adds Dr Harvey.
“There are things that we can do to manage our mental health this winter. While these tips will not tackle the incredibly difficult challenges and choices they have to make, I hope they will serve to help a few people.”
The busiest time of year for shopping is fast approaching and there are many deals to be had. However, it’s important to keep ourselves safe from hackers and scammers that target online shoppers.
Online safety expert Chris Bluvshtein at VPNOverview.com gives his top ten tips for keeping yourself safe while shopping online during the holidays.
Stick to websites you know
You might be tempted by a Google link promising an amazing deal but before you click, look at the name. If it’s not something you recognise, don’t go there. Hackers can use similar names to high-street brands to trick you into giving up your data so double check the site is the one you know. Google also tells you if you’ve visited the site before so it’s worth taking your time and checking for those details.
Check the URL bar
Every website should have a valid security certificate and you can tell by the little padlock icon next to the URL. If a website doesn’t have one of these then don’t give your bank details or valuable information.
Check your bank statements
You might not even be aware of your details being stolen until it’s too late, but by making it a habit to check your account and statements you’ll be able to catch any suspicious activity early on. Your bank will have information on any time limits they have for fraudulent purchases, so be sure to keep an eye on your statements.
Use a password manager
The safest thing you can do is use a unique, randomised password for all your accounts. But instead of writing those down on post-it notes or in notebooks, use a password manager to keep them all in one place. Password managers lock your information behind a master password and many of them autofill the website logins for you, keeping you safe from keylogger attacks.
Don’t shop on public Wi-Fi
You might be tempted to hop onto your favourite shopping site while having a coffee at your local cafe, but that public wi-fi connection is extremely dangerous to use. Public Wi-Fi rarely has safety protocols such as passwords in place and hackers can piggyback and steal unsecured banking details and sensitive information without you knowing.
Use mobile payments
Apps like Apple Pay and Google Pay can protect your banking details so if a website accepts them, it’s best to use them instead of your debit card.
Use a credit card
If something is high value, don’t use your debit card to pay for it. Consumer law in the UK means that you could get refunds or claim your money back if your card is stolen. Credit cards also have more protections than debit cards.
Set up a temporary bank account
By opening an online only bank account such as Revolut or Monzo, you can control the amount of money you have access to with transfers from your usual account. This way, even if your details are compromised, the hacker can’t do anything to your real bank account.
Use a VPN
A VPN protects your data from prying eyes. Everything you send is encrypted so even if a hacker can see you on a network, they won’t be able to access your sensitive information. VPNs connect you to a remote server and hide your IP, using one along with any of our other tips can make your online shopping super secure.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is!
Be careful with any adverts for amazing deals. You might never get the item or there could be hidden dangers. This old saying still rings true with online shopping.
Dear Editor,
With the winter nights drawing in, there’s no doubt that Christmas is fast approaching. In the North Pole, Santa and his elves are busy getting ready to give every child a magical Christmas.
Santa is once again expecting to receive millions of letters from children around the world with endless lists of what they’d like to receive in their stockings when the big day arrives.
To ensure children living with a vision impairment in the UK get a reply from Santa, he has teamed up with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to make his letters available in accessible formats, including audio and large print.
This year, Santa’s friends at card company Hallmark have also helped him write replies in braille so every child with a vision impairment can read their letter independently.
Last year, the elves sent more than 1,400 letters from Santa to blind and partially sighted children across the UK, helping them experience the same magic of Christmas as sighted children.
If you know a child who has a vision impairment and who would love to receive a letter from Santa, please send their Christmas letter to: Santa Claus, RNIB, Northminster House, Northminster, Peterborough, PE1 1YN.
Santa can receive letters through his email address. Email santa@rnib.org.uk by Tuesday 20 December for an email response with a large print attachment.
Letters can also be requested through RNIB’s website at www.rnib.org.uk/santa. Postal letters and website requests need to be sent by Friday 2 December.
On behalf of Santa, his elves and all at RNIB, we wish you a Merry Christmas!
Michael Owen
SUNDAY 27th NOVEMBER at 5pm
ALL WELCOME!
The city council’s Transport and Environment Convener has condemned anti-social behaviour towards Lothian Buses employees.
Councillor Scott Arthur’s comments follow an open letter from Sarah Boyd, managing director of Lothian Buses, which acknowledges an increase in abusive behaviour towards drivers and other customer-facing people, as well as frontline workers around the city.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, responded to Sarah Boyd’s letter, saying: “It’s extremely disappointing to hear that Lothian Buses’ employees are having to endure abusive and anti-social behaviour.
“These keyworkers work hard to provide a trusted, essential service for the city and it’s appalling that they’re having to put up with this kind of treatment.
“We’ve pulled through an exceptionally challenging few years together, as a city, and I’m grateful for the indispensable role Lothian Buses played during the pandemic. We should not forget that drivers faced unknown risks everyday getting keyworkers to work.
“The current Europe-wide driver shortage means all bus companies face huge challenges in maintaining their network, but I know the vast majority of people in Edinburgh understand this and will continue to support Lothian Buses by reinforcing a zero tolerance stance on anti-social behaviour.”
Visit Lothian Buses website for information on services.
Environmental campaigners say we should resist the shopping frenzy this Black Friday for the sake of the planet.
Tomorrow (Friday 25 November), retail giants like Amazon will be slashing their prices in an attempt to boost their sales – but campaigners are asking people to consider the costs to the environment before they make unnecessary purchases this year.
Surveys have shown that huge numbers of people regret the purchases that are made in the rush of the sales, and that they find it a stressful experience. Smaller retailers with more sustainable, local, personal services find they can’t compete with the artificially low prices of retail giants. Last year, 85% of independent retailers opted out of Black Friday.
Kim Pratt, circular economy campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “Changing our culture of consumption is an essential part of tackling the climate crisis. Saying no to phoney Black Friday deals is an important way in which we, as more informed consumers, can take back power.
“Big retailers pressurise people to buy more in an effort to boost their sales. This drive towards consuming more means that even more resources are extracted from nature, generating climate-wrecking emissions.
“To really tackle over-consumption, governments need to hold big business to account. The Scottish Government is bringing in a circular economy law next year which must force producers and retailers to accept responsibility for their planet destroying single-use products, and to make reuse and recycling cheaper and easier for people.”
The Scottish Government consulted on a new circular economy law earlier this year. A draft of the bill is expected in early 2023. Scotland’s material use is more than double the sustainable limit, and 82% of Scotland’s carbon footprint comes from the products and services we buy.
