The Eurovision Grand Final saw a 5 min peak of 11 million, average of 9.9 million and share of 63%
BBC Director of Unscripted Kate Phillips says: “What an incredible Contest! It was unforgettable, unmissable event television on a scale never seen before delivered by the BBC to viewers across the UK and millions more watching around the world.
“Sweden took home the trophy in spectacular style and 2022 winners Ukraine were at the heart of the show.
“Liverpool welcomed the world’s biggest singing competition with open arms and embraced it beyond all of our expectations.
The fact that so many millions of people tuned in reflects just how significant Eurovision has become and truly underlines the theme behind this year’s contest, United by Music. We really hope we did Ukraine proud.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service Air Ambulance is celebrating 90 years of providing vital life-saving services to some of Scotland’s most remote and rural locations.
The first air ambulance mission was on May 14 1933 when a fisherman was evacuated to Glasgow from the Isle of Islay. There were several other flights that year, and in the years that followed.
Now 90 years later and fully funded in its entirety by the Scottish Government, the Service provides air ambulance support to both urban and rural communities across Scotland, as well as supporting the ScotSTAR retrieval teams – such as SAS’s neonatal, EMRS and Paediatric Teams – and responding to 999 calls in a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) role.
A national multi-disciplinary team of paramedics, nurses, advanced practitioners, and doctors work together to provide health care to all areas of Scotland.
For the year 2022/23, air ambulance crews attended 4185 incidents – an increase compared to the previous year (2021/22) of 3,924 incidents and 3076 the year before.
Scottish Ambulance Service Chief Executive Pauline Howie said: “The Air Ambulance Service is a vital lifeline for communities across Scotland and 90s years of caring for patients across Scotland is an amazing milestone.
“I’d like to thank all those Air Ambulance staff who have served patients over these years, and all those current staff who continue to provide the very best care to patients, often in the most challenging of circumstances.
“The air ambulance network ensures the very best health care to remote and rural communities, carrying our routine transfers, attending emergencies, and assisting with paediatrics and neonates and their families.”
The service is delivered through a managed contract of two helicopters; one based in Glasgow and one in Inverness and two fixed wing aircraft; one at Aberdeen Airport and one at Glasgow Airport. In addition to the four government funded aircraft, the service is supplemented by two helicopters provided by Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA).
While the first flight took place on 14 May 1933, the Scottish Air Ambulance Service only became recognised as a public service in 1948 following the creation of the UK National Health Service. Until then, the hire of an ambulance aircraft was a private arrangement between patient and airline.
Recently, the Air Ambulance launched a re-procurement consultation, providing an opportunity for the public to help shape the future of the Air Ambulance Service. The consultation has welcomed responses from more than 1,500 patients, members of the public, healthcare professionals and stakeholders groups.
Staff profile – Stephen Lee
Stephen Lee joined the Scottish Ambulance Service in September 2004 as an Ambulance Care Assistant. He became a Paramedic in 2008, based at Paisley Ambulance Station.
He initially started at the Air Ambulance Service in 2009 before he joined the training department. Now he works as an Air Crew Paramedic on the Fixed Wing Aircraft based at Glasgow Airport, where he has been in the role for five years.
He described the air ambulance network as a “vital part” of the NHS network, and added: “Without this service remote and rural communities would not have access to the full range of hospital services.
“Myself and my colleagues provide that vital link in the service chain to ensure the health of the nation. Without this link, some remote and rural communities might not be able to continue, as the specialist care is centralised it’s important that we move people to the centres for this care to enable remote and rural communities to grow and continue to function.”
He said he attends routine transfers for patients attending clinics and planned hospital admissions, emergencies where the patient has been stabilised but require specialist care in another hospital, critical care retrievals with the adult, paediatric and neonatal teams.
He added: “My duties are to ensure the equipment in the aircraft is serviceable, to liaise with the pilots regarding any aviation problems. I also ensure the safe loading of patients, equipment and the general safety of the cabin when in flight.”
The things he enjoys most about this role are the variety from day to day, saying “hour to hour I do not know what is coming next.”
Stephen explained: “It could be a maternity job from the Islands or a repatriation to Northern Ireland the work is challenging but very rewarding – I think it’s the best job in the Service. I also enjoy meeting the rural and remote crews who do a difficult job in challenging circumstances.
“I’m also flying across some of the most beautiful countryside every day while going to work, and I do enjoy working with the pilots, who are dedicated to what we do as a team. The highlights working as an aircrew Paramedic are many, some to do with things I have seen while flying such as flying into Edinburgh and seeing the Three Bridges across the Forth or flying up the Tay to land in Perth.”
He said logistics play a large part in his role where he has to ensure the patient has a seamless journey from hospital to hospital.
He added: “We live and work in Scotland and the weather presents some challenges. We are bound by the legal limits set by the CAA, and while we can ask for some exemptions we cannot break the law.”
Following performance improvements in relation to the delivery of Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Psychological Therapies, NHS Lothian Health Board has been de-escalated to Stage 2 of NHS Board performance escalation framework.
Robust measures will remain in place to ensure NHS Lothian continues to receive support to help maintain improvements.
NHS Lothian was originally escalated to Stage 3 for mental health performance in July 2019.
The improvements to CAMHS and Psychological Therapies has resulted in a significant decrease in the number of children, young people and adults waiting to start treatment compared to the period prior to escalation.
Health Secretary Michael Matheson said: “Escalating a health board is never done lightly and, following progress to improve the provision of mental health services, care and support, I am pleased that we are now able to de-escalate NHS Lothian. This is a positive step forward.
“Staff have worked hard to support the improvement work while delivering high quality patient care. It has been a challenging time for them, as well as patients and families, and support for the Board will continue to improve services even further for patients.”
UPDATE: POLICE HAVE REPORTED THAT JAMIE HAS BEEN TRACED
MISSING Child – Jamie McEwan
POLICE are appealing for the public’s help as part of our efforts to trace a child reported missing in Edinburgh.
There are growing concerns for the 12-year-old, who lives in the Howden Hall area. .
Jamie is described as, 5 ft 5 inches tall, slim build, short fair blonde hair, Navy tracksuit, white Adidas trainers and trainers.
Jamie has been missing for some time, and concerns are growing for his welfare.
Jamie McEwan has links to the Drylaw area where he may have travelled by bus.
Anyone who may have seen Jamie or who has any information on his whereabouts is urged to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 3323 of 11/05/20223
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK
Healthy Heart Tip: Walking for Heart Health
May is National Walking Month, which encourages us to leave the car at home and find ways to incorporate more walking into our days. Walking a little each day can offer a great benefit to our overall health and wellbeing, including our heart. It is a low-impact form of exercise so most people can give it a go.
Right now is also the perfect time of year to get outside as the evenings lighten and temperatures start to warm up. Here are some ideas to help you clock up more steps this May and beyond.
Set a goal
Setting a goal and planning can really help you make walking a daily habit. A good example would be aiming to walk for twenty minutes a day, five days a week.
Plan your week every Sunday evening and schedule in your walking times to make sure they happen.
Walk with a friend
Finding a walking partner can really help you stay motivated and committed to your scheduled walks.
Another benefit of walking with a friend is you are more likely to try harder, so if you are heading out on a longer walk, walking with someone else will push you to try as hard as you can. It is also a great opportunity for catching up and checking in with a friend.
Make it fun
Get the kids involved by going on a scavenger hunt or wildlife spotting walk.
You could simply head out with the family and look out for certain colour cars, anything to add an element of fun.
Plans for how over £500,000 for park and open space lighting improvements across the city have been approved by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Culture and Communities Committee.
A prioritisation framework has been developed to identify where lighting improvements could benefit the city’s parks and open spaces for further assessment. The ranking comprises 58 sites across the city with Hailes Quarry Park considered first for developing a detailed lighting design.
In recent years, requests for park lighting have increased. This is in part due to increased numbers of people having enjoyed opportunities for exploring local parks and open spaces during the pandemic, as well as improving safety within and through parks, particularly for women and young girls who often feel most at risk at night when walking alone in or near open spaces.
The proposed framework follows an audit of the formal paths used for walking, wheeling, and cycling across city greenspaces. The endorsed priority listing will determine the order in which lighting projects in parks and open spaces will be further developed.
Through the councillors’ agreement to allocate this funding, it is hoped the new lighting in these popular areas can help reassure park users and encourage people to visit or travel through parks and open spaces.
However, there are additional considerations to be taken in parks compared to streets and roads as lighting outdoor space has to combine technical solutions with the unique features of green space environments. This can include supporting valuable habitats for wildlife, trees, historic buildings and monuments, as well as spaces for events, sport, active travel routes and traffic-free places.
Each of the proposed lighting designs must also consider improving lines of sight, proximity of entrances and exits, vegetation overgrowth, use of the space, and the importance of routes to local communities.
In order to meet the full plans, match funding will be sought to supplement the Council’s allocation.
The first 10 sites identified for improvements are:
Hailes Quarry Park (Sighthill/Gorgie)
Gyle Park (Drum Brae/Gyle)
Hunter’s Hall Park (Portobello/Craigmillar)
Ferniehill Community Park (Liberton/Gilmerton)
Roseburn Park (Corstorphine/Murrayfield)
Calton Hill (City Centre)
Princes Street Gardens (City Centre)
Harrison Park (Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart)
Leith Links (Leith
Pilrig Park (Leith Walk).
Culture and Communities Convener Councillor Val Walker, said: “In Edinburgh we’re extremely fortunate to have nearly 200 parks and open spaces to visit across the city and we want to make sure that they all remain accessible, safe, sustainable and of course open to the public for generations to come.
“Post-pandemic our parks and open spaces throughout the city have increased even further in popularity and continue be essential to modern life in the capital. They also provide havens for wildlife as well as important routes for people to move around the city by cycle and on foot.
“However, for many, these can be unwelcoming places, especially after dark, when fear of crime and concerns for personal safety are heightened. We of course recognise the community’s concerns and the need for these spaces to be safe and accessible for all users so I’m delighted that we are able to progress with illuminating existing paths in many of our parks and open spaces. We know where the first changes will be made but I hope through match funding we can roll these improvements out further across the city.
“We must also of course consider getting the right balance for needs of people and wildlife and steps will be taken to ensure the new lighting is not at the expense of biodiversity.”
Following Thursday’s approval, work will commence on the design of the first scheme for Hailes Quarry Park. Each lighting project in turn will include public engagement in the design process.
An estimated 20,000 additional people will become eligible for additional help to buy healthy foods when income thresholds are removed for Best Start Foods payments.
The Scottish Government benefit provides help to pregnant women or their partners as well as families with children aged up to three years old, so they can buy healthy food, milk or baby formula.
It is currently paid to people who receive qualifying benefits, so long as their incomes are not above set thresholds. The Scottish Government will introduce regulations that remove those thresholds increasing eligibility for Best Start Foods to around an additional 20,000 people from February 2024.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Tackling poverty and protecting people from harm is one of the Scottish Government’s three critical missions.
“Rising food prices disproportionately hurt those on the lowest incomes, so removing the threshold for qualifying benefits means around 20,000 people will now get vital help to buy healthy foods.
“Best Start Foods is one of our five family payments, including the Scottish Child Payment, which together could be worth more than £10,000 by the time a first child turns six and more than £20,000 by the time an eligible child is 16.
“As set out in our tackling child poverty plan, we will use all the resources available to provide immediate support to families, while seeking more powers to enable us to truly tackle poverty.”
Scotland’s fourth oldest public swimming bath, Warrender Swim Centre, is to reopen its doors to the public Tuesday 23rd May, having undergone a major refurbishment.
June Peebles, Chief Executive at Edinburgh Leisure said: “Edinburgh Leisure, in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, is delighted to be reopening the doors to Warrender Swim Centre, a Victorian pool loved by so many.
“We’d like to thank our customers for their patience during the somewhat longer than expected closure period. However, once inside the venue I’m sure everyone will agree it’s been worth the wait.
“Originally known as Warrender Baths, the venue has been serving the community since 1887 and this major investment will ensure Warrender Swim Centre, as it is now known, will continue to serve the community for many years to come.”
The latest major investment has been about maintaining the balance of Victorian charm and an environmentally efficient 21st century facility and, of course, improving the customer experience.
Significant changes and upgrades to Warrender Swim Centre have taken place including:
Maintenance work and repairs to the sandstone structure, windows, roof, and roof structures in keeping with the building’s listing.
Decoration throughout, including updating the changing rooms, both wet and dry, and retiling of the poolside.
Enclosing the area overlooking the pool and adding air-cooling.
New easy access, making it easier for customers to access the building and their activities, with the simple swipe of their membership card or fob.
Upgrades to the mechanical and electrical works, including improvements to the ventilation system.
New pool plant.
New boilers.
New lighting.
New air handling throughout the building including the gym.
Installation of a new sauna.
Stephanie Kelly, Manager at Warrender Swim Centre said: “We’re so excited at the prospect of welcoming customers into our lovely, refurbished swim centre.
“The renovations have taken longer than expected but as anyone who has ever renovated an older property will know, there’s usually something uncovered that requires a change of plan or often additional work, and that’s certainly been the case with Warrender.
“We know that our loyal and our new customers, and of course, Warrender Swim Club, who have such a long association with the venue, will be delighted with the extensive work that has been carried out. Team Warrender look forward to welcoming back you all back to this iconic, Victorian swimming pool.”
Cllr Val Walker, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “I’m really looking forward to Warrender Swim Centre reopening its doors, and I’m sure many users are looking forward to once again going for a swim in the beautiful surroundings of the heritage building.
“The major refurbishment has made sure some modern adjustments and improvements have been made whilst keeping the charm of the original Victorian building. I’m delighted that this investment will ensure families can continue to enjoy Warrender Swim Centre for many years to come.”
With a 25-yard pool, sauna, and a gym, Warrender is a Victorian swim centre in the heart of Bruntsfield and Marchmont. This historic venue retains many of its original features, including the original steam room’s roof in the gym, but also has the modern facilities required for an active, healthy life. The gym is in what used to be the Turkish Baths.
Join during the first week of Warrender’s re-opening from 23rd May to pay ‘No Joining Fee’ on your new membership. Additional member benefits can be enjoyed like priority bookings, free gym introduction and discounts on a range of activities. And unlike many other gyms, there is no contract and customers can freeze or cancel their membership at any time.
Edinburgh Leisure has different memberships that are flexible and affordable to fit around individuals/couples. Choose a Gym, Swim or Fitness Class package (not available at Warrender) at your local venue or sign up for Edinburgh Leisure’s most popular Full Fitness membership giving unlimited access to all their venues across the city.
Celebrating the work of resident artists and makers
Outside + In exhibition – Monday 15th to Saturday 20th May
Exciting FREE exhibition showcasing the work of Drill Hall residents
Featuring 14 artists and makers from paintings and illustration to jewellery.
Out of the Blue Drill Hall is excited to host an exhibition showcasing the work of 14 of its resident artists and makers, from painters and illustrators to jewellery makers and printers.
Organised by resident visual artist Felicity Inkpen, the exhibition, Outside + In, will run from Monday 15th to Saturday 20th May (10am to 5pm), with an opportunity to meet the artists on Wednesday 17th May from 5:30pm to 7:30pm..
The artists of the Drill Hall have collaboratively designed the exhibition, and are excited to invite the local community, family and friends to marvel at their creations.
With so many artists taking part, there really is something for everyone. Artists include abstract painter and surface pattern designer, Catherine Lazcano-Thornton. She is inspired by the love of colour and seasonal change, using acrylic paints and a combination of mixed media to create textures and marks.
Tom Duncan of Twin City Pictures will be showing his photography at the exhibition. He specialises in providing industry standard headshot and showreel material to actors, as well as creating marketing posters and social content for theatres.
The poster for the exhibition was designed by resident, and exhibition organiser, Felicity Inkpen. Practicing and exhibiting as an artist since 2012, she draws on her experience as a working research scientist to inform her contemporary works that attempt to explore and communicate all the strange ways in which the mind works.
Felicity comments: “Out of the Blue Drill Hall is such an important space within the creative community of Leith. The artists and makers within its walls work incredibly hard, and to be able to display their talents in this showcase is a joy.
“After a difficult few years, Leith feels like a very exciting place to be, creatively. I hope that anyone who is curious will come to see the exhibition, and to find out more about the creators in this space.”
Details of the Outside + In exhibition, as well as a list of participating artists and makers can be found on the Drill Hall website.
