Day: July 24, 2023

Summer Savings

Metro Bank Offers Tips to Make This Summer More Affordable

Everything is more expensive this year both at home and abroad. A new report[1] has just revealed that the average price of package holidays across five top destinations is up more than 30%, with the holiday costs to some of Brits’ most favoured destinations – Spain, Turkey, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus – up by nearly 12% compared to last summer. 

Whether you are planning days out, a staycation or holidaying abroad, Metro Bank has some tips to make this summer more affordable.

“Following our top tips can help keep your summer fun filled but more affordable this year,” said Metro Bank’s consumer guru Mona Patel.

“Whether you are planning days out, a staycation, or are even off abroad, there are always ways to save money.”

Metro Bank Summer Tips:

  1. Online Deals
    Whatever your plans this summer, check out sites like Wowcher.co.uk which offers deals on UK or foreign city breaks, theatre tickets and theme parks or Groupon.com for everything from afternoon tea to spa breaks – on average you can save 30% using specialist sites.
  1. House swap for a free holiday
    Sites like LoveHomeSwap allow you to swap your home with any of 10,000 worldwide properties on their site. All these sites charge a fee – LoveHomeSwap will give you a 10-day free trial with membership costs varying from £8 – £12 per month.
  1. airbnb
    If you are planning to stay with relatives or travel this summer why not airbnb your property and offset some of the costs? airbnb not only verify guests and offer insurance protection, but they also connect you to a local Superhost to guide you through the process. Typically, fees are a flat service fee of 3% of the reservation subtotal when you get paid. airbnb also collect a fee from guests when they book. In many areas Airbnb also collects and pays sales and tourism taxes automatically on your behalf. One caveat – check that your mortgage provider has no objections. Metro Bank for example lets its residential mortgage customers rent out their properties on airbnb or similar sites for 90 days without impacting the terms and conditions of their mortgage.
  1. Foreign Transactions
    Choose your credit and debit cards wisely. Always check with your card issuer what additional charges will apply on foreign card transactions before you travel so you can plan and budget accordingly. In Europe Metro Bank’s debit and credit cards have no fees at all whether withdrawing cash, or when paying by card in shops and restaurants. 
  1. Cheap Arts
    Want to see a West End show or London attraction? Sites like todaytix  or TKTS London offer same day cut price theatre or attraction tickets. There are more than 25 free museums and 10 free art galleries in London alone. Search for free activities near me to find out what is in your area.

Check out cinema offers. For example, Vue is currently staging Mini Mornings where tickets for kids’ films cost from £2.49 for both children and adults – a fraction of the normal ticket prices.

  1. Off-Peak Travel

Public transport is much cheaper if you travel off peak. In general, off-peak hours begin at 09:30 from Monday to Friday in cities and large towns and at 09:00 everywhere else.

Seven Days to Stamp Deadline – Make a ‘Card Commitment’ to boost positivity

Use expiring stamps to bring a moment of joy

It’s seven days before millions of non-barcoded Royal Mail stamps become invalid, and the UK’s Greeting Card Association is asking Brits to use one of those stamps this week to change someone’s life.

Before the 31 July expiration date, the GCA, which is proud to represent many local high street card retailers, is encouraging people this week to make a ‘card commitment’, using one of those stamps to bring the power of thoughtfulness to someone who really needs it.

“Sending and exchanging cards promotes wellbeing and mental health, lighting up the life of recipients and senders alike,” said GCA chief executive officer Amanda Fergusson.

“What’s more that simple act nurtures local independent businesses on the high streets we all love, supports local charities and organisations in the communities we care for and helps protect the Royal Mail delivery service we all treasure.

“The use of an expiring stamp next week to connect with someone who would love to know you’re in their thoughts, would be a small act that may have an incredible impact,” added Amanda.

The GCA will encourage Brits making a #Cardmitment this week to share their card-sending stories on the GCA’s Instagram site and social media feeds of its 500 members – from small high street card retailers to some of the largest publishers in a creative industry worth over £1.5bn to the UK economy.

The altruistic act of sending a card can be powerful, reducing the sender and recipient’s negativity, stress and loneliness, and promoting positive mental health.

Sending greeting cards can be a way to spread kindness and positivity, and doing so makes the sender and recipient feel connected, and better about themselves.

The suggestion marks the beginning of a significant GCA #Cardmitment campaign that, over the coming months, will highlight how powerful the simple, British act of sending a card can be to individuals, communities and society.

#Cardmitment

One week left to renew your tax credits, HMRC warns

Almost 172,000 tax credits customers have until 31 July to renew their annual claim and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is urging them to not miss out.

Customers who received a renewal pack with a red line across the first page and the words ‘reply now’ must respond to HMRC or risk having their payments stopped. Customers whose packs had a black line across the first page and the words ‘check now’ only need to update HMRC if their details have changed.

‘Reply now’ customers must tell HMRC about their current circumstances. Life changes HMRC needs to know about include:

  • Relationship changes, including marriage or separation
  • Changes to the cost of childcare
  • Your child leaves home
  • Working hours fall below 30 hours a week

The full list of changes that could affect customers’ tax credits is on GOV.UK. ‘Reply now’ customers must respond to the request for information even if there have been no changes to their circumstances.

The quickest and easiest way for customers to renew their tax credits is online at GOV.UK or via the HMRC app.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “We know tax credits offer vital financial support for our customers so it is important that you renew by the deadline on 31 July.

“It is quick and easy to renew online at GOV.UK or using the HMRC app, just search ‘manage my tax credits’ on GOV.UK.”

Help and support is available on GOV.UK for customers renewing claims and HMRC has released a video to explain how tax credits customers can use the HMRC app to view, manage and update their details.

Criminals use tax credits renewals and other deadlines in scams to attempt to trick people into sharing their banking or other personal details. Typical scam examples include emails or texts claiming an individual’s details aren’t up to date and that they risk losing out on payments that are due to them.

If a phone call, text or email is unexpected, do not give out private information or reply, and do not download attachments or click on links. 

HMRC is also warning people not to share their login details with anyone else. Visit GOV.UK for more information on how to report a scam or suspicious activity.

By the end of 2024, tax credits will be replaced by Universal Credit. Customers who receive tax credits will receive a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions telling them when to claim Universal Credit, or from the Department for Communities if they live in Northern Ireland.

It is important that customers claim by the deadline in the letter to continue receiving financial support as their tax credits will end even if they decide not to claim Universal Credit.

The government is offering Help for Households. Check GOV.UK to find out what cost of living support individuals could be eligible for.

Free Family Fun Day at Drumbrae Library

FRIDAY 28 JULY 11am – 2pm

FREE FAMILY FUN DAY AT DRUMBRAE LIBRARY

Friday 28 July, 11am to 2pm

– parkour

– VR

– sports

– music workshop

– crafts

– information stalls

– tea, coffee and snacks.

Check other free events & activities at http://edinburgh.gov.uk/warmandwelcoming

Cycling champions to be crowned at Scone Palace

Scone Palace, the Crowning site of Scottish Kings and the original home of the Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny, will now see UCI World Champions crowned as it welcomes the finish of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships Gran Fondo and Medio Fondo road races on Friday 4 August.

In an update to the previously announced routes, both races will now finish at Scone Palace, rather than their original finish on Tay Street in Perth city centre. The updated finish location follows consultation with event partners as part of ongoing event planning and development to ensure impacts are kept to a minimum across Perth city centre, while delivering a world-class event finish in a truly iconic Scottish location.

There have also been two other amendments to the routes, made to ensure the safest possible experience for riders and spectators. The Gran Fondo race through Pitlochry will now travel Southbound into Pitlochry from Garry Bridge, then turn left up Larchwood Road, right onto Strathview Terrace and left onto the A924/ West Moulin Road towards Moulin, before rejoining its original route travelling east towards Kirkmichael.

The change to the Medio Fondo race sees it take a new route in Bankfoot, travelling through the town from Prieston Road onto the B867 towards Waterloo, and turn right on the Pittensorn Road towards Murthly, before rejoining its original route on the B9099 towards Caputh.

An updated list of road closures reflecting the above changes can be seen here and the new race routes can be accessed and downloaded here.

The new finish line at Scone Palace will see both races conclude in one of Scotland’s most iconic settings. Once the ancient coronation site of Scottish Kings, the rich history and spectacular setting of Scone Palace will create a stunning backdrop for riders and spectators.

Scone is perhaps best-known as the former home of the Stone of Scone – also known as the Stone of Destiny – the red sandstone block used in early Scottish Kingship ceremonies and during the coronation of British monarchs. It was most recently used during the ceremonies for King Charles III, ahead of its return to Perthshire in 2024 as the centrepiece of a new £26.5m museum at Perth City Hall.

The UCI Gran Fondo World Championships are one of 13 UCI World Championships being brought together as part of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland from 3 – 13 August. 

Trudy Lindblade, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships CEO, said: “We thank Perth & Kinross Council and the communities across Perth and Perthshire for allowing us to bring this first-time global event to your region. 

“The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships is set to be the biggest cycling event ever held and is an opportunity to showcase Scotland as the perfect stage for major events. We look forward to welcoming thousands of riders from around the world to the region as they prepare to compete for the World Championship title on 4 August.”

Perth and Kinross Council leader Councillor Grant Laing: “The Gran Fondo will be an unforgettable event and will showcase Perth and Kinross to a worldwide audience.

“Scone Palace will make a spectacular backdrop to the finishing line and people all over the world will be able to see our stunning scenery and learn about the Stone of Destiny, which will come home next year as the centrepiece of the new Perth Museum.”

Gran Fondo (which translates as “Big Race”) is a long-distance, mass participation event that celebrates competitive cycling. The top 25 percent of riders from 27 qualifying events held around the world earned the right to compete in Scotland as part of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.

Women aged 19 to 49 and Men 19 to 59 will take part in the Gran Fondo, while qualified riders in the Women 50+ and Men 60+ age categories will complete the Medio Fondo course. 

Full details for riders, including updated routes, technical information and course maps can be found on the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships dedicated Gran Fondo website. GPS files of the route courses can be downloaded at these links: Gran Fondo, Medio Fondo, and Gran Fondo time trial. Information for spectators can be found on the main 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships website. 

Race spectators, visitors and local communities are encouraged to prepare by making travel plans ahead of the event, with more information about traffic management available on Traffic Scotland’s website.   

For those taking part in the Gran Fondo races, Sportive Breaks, the official fan and amateur participant travel and experiences provider of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, have packages on offer now offering a large selection of ideally located hotels that cater for a range of budgets.

Plus, Sportive breaks are offering VIP and hospitality throughout the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships offering participants the chance to extend their visit and experience some of the other disciplines from the best seats in the house. More information on packages can be found on the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships website.   

With something for everyone to enjoy, the 2023 UCI Cycling Worlds will feature 13 high-adrenaline, exciting UCI World Championships including Track and Para-cycling Track at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, BMX Racing at Glasgow BMX Centre, BMX Freestyle (Park and Flatland) and Trials at Glasgow Green, Indoor Cycling (artistic cycling and cycle-ball) at the Emirates Arena, Mountain Bike Cross-country, and Cross-country Marathon in Glentress Forest, Tweed Valley, Mountain Bike Downhill in Fort William and Road and Para-cycling Road across Scotland.  

Tickets are on sale from as little as £8, with concessions from £5, plus there are many free events to watch throughout the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships including the Gran Fondo and Medio Fondo road races and time trials. 

Christmas at the Botanics 2023 tickets on sale now

The illuminated trail to return with new route and magnificent new installations

The magic of the festive season is set to return to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh this winter as Christmas at the Botanics, the outdoor after-dark spectacular, opens for its seventh year.

Reimagined for 2023 with new installations from around the world and a fresh route, organisers have introduced off-peak tickets on selected evenings in November and December.

The magical, botanical trail will once again transform the Garden by illuminating one of the city’s most beautiful visitor attractions with a one-mile illuminated trail, running for six weeks from 16 November to 30 December for 37 nights.

New installations already confirmed for 2023 include:

  • Crocus has been created by leading designers of illuminated flowers, Jigantics who were behind the stunning Lilies on the Botanic Pond in 2022. This meadow of 100 crocuses, measuring in at over a metre high, will gently sway and transform through different shades of colour in time to enchanting music.
  • Pampas has been created byTILT, a French artistic studio founded in 2001 that focuses on the exploration of light and its interplay with art, architecture and space. In this installation, visitors can explore the groves of luminous pampas plants which are animated with bright colours.
  • Light a Wish has been created by OGE Group, courtesy Light Art Collection and visualises the moment the dandelion seeds disperse in the air, taking your wish with them into the world.

Other returning favourites include the magnificent Christmas Cathedral and the Inverleith House projection.

All the installations are low in energy and selected to be sympathetic to the Botanics’ environment.  

Commenting, Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Simon Milne said: “Part of the joy of the trail is for visitors to be in the Garden after dark and to experience and enjoy a new perspective on our plants and landscapes.

“The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a Scottish charity, and tickets sales from Christmas at the Botanics help to fund our international plant research, conservation work and education programmes. 

“We are more mindful than ever that the festive season can be costly, so the introduction of off-peak lower-cost tickets this year will enable event more people to join us for this fabulous show without breaking the bank.”

Tickets for this year’s show are on sale now. For further ticket information, pricing, and timings, please visit www.rbge.org.uk/christmas. Visitors are encouraged to book in advance to guarantee their preferred timeslot.

Christmas at the Botanics is one of nine illuminated trails staged across the UK by leading events promoter Raymond Gubbay Limited, a division of Sony Music. Christmas at the Botanics is presented in partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and creative producer Culture Creative.

The 2022 trail at the Botanics attracted its biggest audience last year, welcoming more than 95,000 visitors over its six-week run.

For more details visit www.rbge.org.uk/christmas and follow @mychristmastrails on Facebook and Instagram.

Edinburgh renters amongst the most dissatisfied in the UK

It is a challenging time for renters, with rental prices rocketing and demand far outweighing supply –  a recent study revealed that for every 100 rental ads in Scotland, 197 people are looking for a room to rent. 

And while renters face greater financial hurdles, they are also dealing with more problems with landlords. According to the UK Housing Ombudsman, landlords were issued a record number of complaint handling failure orders between July and September 2022, a 105% increase on the previous quarter.

With this in mind, Online Mortgage Advisor wanted to discover where in the UK and the wider world tenants are most and least satisfied with their landlords. They found that renters in both Glasgow and Edinburgh are some of the most dissatisfied in the UK, despite the implementation of rental controls in Scotland.

How did we do it?

We analysed 276,000 rent-related geotagged tweets across the UK, US, and Europe, as well as other OECD nations, using an academic tool called SentiStrength. 

SentiStrength is an AI tool which detects positive and negative sentiment levels in short pieces of text and assigns them a score from 5 (extremely positive) to -5 (extremely negative). 

SEE THE FULL STUDY HERE:

https://www.onlinemortgageadvisor.co.uk/content/rental-grievances/#home

Key findings

  • Belfast is the UK city with the highest proportion of dissatisfied renters with 43.5% of tweets analysed recorded as negative, followed by Glasgow (41.7%) and Bradford (38.7%).
  • Edinburgh came in at number 7 with 36.1%, meaning two Scottish cities appear in the top 10.
  • The UK ranked 9th overall in the list of OECD countries with 34.8% tweets deemed as negative out of those surveyed, with Sweden, Denmark and Ireland occupying the top three spots.
  • The most commonly mentioned words in negative tweets about rent were: “people”, “money” and “time”. 

Renters in Glasgow and Edinburgh amongst the most dissatisfied in the UK

Using the academic tool SentiStrength, Online Mortgage Advisor analysed 276,000 geotagged tweets related to renting to find out which cities had the least satisfied renters.

  • Belfast, is the city with the most dissatisfied renters in the country with 43.5% of all rent-related tweets being recorded as negative. 
  • Glasgow, ranks 2nd with 41.7% of tweets made by renters in the area being recorded as negative.
  • Edinburgh came in at number 7 with 36.1%. 

This means that two Scottish cities appear in the top 10 of our analysis, despite Scotland implementing a rent freeze at 0% from September 2022 until March 2023. The Scottish government then increased this to a cap of 3% in most instances from April 2023. Find the ranking below:

UK cities which are least satisfied with their rental experiences
RankCityNegative tweets (%)
1Belfast43.5%
2Glasgow41.7%
3Bradford38.7%
4Bristol38.3%
5Brighton & Hove37.4%
6Sheffield36.5%
7Edinburgh36.1%
8Nottingham35.9%
8Plymouth35.9%
10Birmingham35.2%

The most common rental grievances

We found it was ‘people’ that tenants take issue with most frequently, with 60 mentions for every 1,000 tweets. Issues range from landlords turning up unannounced to fellow tenants failing to pay their share of the rent and never taking the bins out. The second and third most commonly listed complaints referred to ‘money’ and ‘time’. 

Here are a few of the issues people have voiced on twitter:

See the full study here:

https://www.onlinemortgageadvisor.co.uk/content/rental-grievances/#home

Busy week at Blackhall Library

WEDNESDAY IS DINOSAUR DAY!

We have an extra special week coming up at Blackhall Library with our Dinosaur Day on all day Wednesday and our Open Garden Day on Saturday!

For Dino day you can book in for specific activities or just come along, there will be fun Dinosaur themed activities for children running all day!

Our Open Garden Day is being supported by our wonderful Friends of Blackhall Library group – there will be plants, books, light refreshments and other goodies for sale along with activities for children and prizes to be won!

Tomorrow: Water Safety Open Day

Looking for an action-packed day out for the whole family? Join us at Scotland’s only Water Safety Open Day, Tuesday 25th July at the Helix in Falkirk!

Water Safety Scotland, in collaboration with The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), Scottish Water, Falkirk Council, Scottish Canals, Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), is hosting a Water Safety Open Day in support of the third World Drowning Prevention Day. The event takes place at Helix Park, Falkirk on July 25, 2023, between 11am – 4pm and is free to attend.

The theme of this year’s World Drowning Prevention Day, facilitated by The World Health Organization (WHO), builds on last year’s “Do one thing” for drowning prevention and suggests a series of calls to action, namely “Do one thing, improve one thing, ask one thing” to prevent drowning.

At the Water Safety Scotland event, members of the public are invited to visit information and activity stands and watch and participate in water rescue demonstrations.

A fun programme of activities includes free facepainting, beat the goalie, cold water challenge, as well as throwline and bandaging challenges. There will be the chance to win some prizes on the day too.

The aim of the day is to raise awareness of safety in and around water and promote the water safety code and other work done by WSS. This includes water safety school resources, local approaches to water safety through Partnership Approach to Water Safety (PAWS) groups and enhanced data capture in Scotland through the Drowning and Incident Review (DIR).

Minister for Victims and Community Safety, Siobhian Brown said: “I welcome the opportunity to support the UN’s World Drowning Prevention Day. We are blessed with an abundance of natural beauty and surrounded by waterways that can appear tempting during hot weather so this family friendly event is vital to provide key safety messages to people.

“It is critically important people exercise extreme caution if venturing into open water and everyone heed all the safety advice as entering any waterway has an element of risk and can have tragic consequences.

“The Scottish Government takes the issue of water safety very seriously and we are committed to continuing to work closely with all relevant organisations to help reduce harm and raise awareness around this vital issue.”

Carlene McAvoy, Secretariat and Founder of Water Safety Scotland, said: “Supporting World Drowning Prevention Day through this public event is extremely important given the fact that on average 96 people drown in Scotland each year.

“If we can reach many people in Scotland with our water safety guidance through events such as the water safety open day, we can help to reduce the number of drownings in Scotland.

“Our event is underpinned by our key message – the Water Safety Code. We want to provide life-saving information and advice in a fun and memorable way to help people in Scotland have a positive and safe experience in and around water.”  

The Water Safety Open Day is free and open to all, and will be hosted at Helix Park, Falkirk on Monday 25 July 2023 – 11am – 4pm.

Come along, have some fun & learn all things #WaterSafety!

#DrowningPreventionDay

More info: watersafetyscotland.org.uk/about/water-safety-open-day/