Day: August 27, 2023

A fifth of Scottish parents have been reduced to tears by the school morning routine

  • Nearly a fifth of parents in Scotland have been reduced to tears whilst getting their children ready for school
  • Almost half don’t feel like good parents during the morning routine
  • Over a third of parents feel anxious about the morning routine
  • 42% regularly argue with their child when getting ready for school

New research reveals the strain the morning routine and school run are having on families in Scotland.

The study found that, on average, parents feel stressed at least two mornings a week, whilst 10% report feeling this way every day. 38% report that their children also get stressed during the morning routine.

Running late, getting children out of bed, and children being slow at getting ready are the three biggest contributors to stress, according to Scottish parents.

The research, which was carried out amongst UK parents by leading name label manufacturer, MyNametags.com, found that mothers in Scotland are more likely to be negatively impacted than fathers.

This could be because mums take responsibility for the majority of the morning tasks, according to the results of the survey. Mothers were responsible for making breakfast in 86% of the families researched, alongside packing their child’s lunch box (93%) and school bag (88%), ensuring they are in the correct school uniform (89%), and taking their child to school (68%).

As a result of the stress of the morning routine, nearly a fifth (19%) of parents in Scotland say they have been reduced to tears, nearly half often don’t feel like good parents, and more than a third (36%) feel anxious about it.

This is impacting the whole family, with 42% admitting they argue with their child during the morning routine and 34% saying their child has gone to school upset. This is causing nearly a third of parents (30%) to worry that the morning routine is damaging their relationship with their child.

Some Scottish parents are even considering taking extreme action to minimise the strain of the morning routine, with 19% admitting to being tempted to homeschool their child permanently to avoid it altogether.

Despite the pressure of getting children ready to leave the house in the morning, the research found that the journey itself is more positive. The majority (69%) of parents agree that the journey to school is an opportunity to spend quality time with their child and three quarters (76%) say their child enjoys the journey to school.

The results also suggest that the way families spend their morning has an impact on their experiences. Families who walk to school together are most likely to enjoy the journey, whilst those who eat breakfast together are 39% more likely to have a positive morning.

Lars B Andersen, Managing Director of MyNametags.com, comments: “At My Nametags, our work is centred around making parents’ lives easier, so we’re always interested to explore the pressures facing modern families. As a parent myself, I know first-hand how the school run can impact family dynamics, both positively and negatively.

“It’s saddening to see that so many families struggle with the pressure of the morning routine. However, our research shows that parents are not alone in feeling stressed or overwhelmed – I can definitely relate to that and so can many other parents across the country.

“It’s also heartening to see that the precious time parents get to spend with their children during the journey to school is generally a positive experience, offering an opportunity for families to reconnect after a hectic start to the day.

“I hope the research brings comfort to parents across the UK and reminds them that, whatever their morning routine, we’re all in it together.”

Find out more about the impact of the morning routine on family dynamics.

Healthy Heart Tip: Healthy Bank Holiday

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Healthy Bank Holiday

Breakfast

Always start the day with a good breakfast as this sets the tone for the day and encourages you to choose healthy options at other mealtimes.

Consuming a breakfast rich in protein will help keep you fuller for longer and a portion of wholegrain carbohydrate will give you the energy you need to power your morning.

Why not try scrambled egg and avocado on wholegrain toast or fresh fruit with low-fat yoghurt and low-sugar granola?

Choose healthier drinks

Consuming too much alcohol can have a negative impact on your heart, but the good news is there are so many healthier and delicious, alcohol-free drinks available nowadays.

A simple soda water with fresh lemon is delightful, or you could try a gut-loving kombucha or simply choose alcohol free versions of the alcoholic beverages you usually consume. These drinks generally contain fewer calories than normal soft drinks and alcoholic tipples and won’t leave you with a fuzzy head the following day.

Drop the guilt

Bank holidays are usually a time when families and friends meet up to enjoy some quality time together. Often this includes an abundance of less healthy food and drink options to tempt us.

Avoid over-indulging, by giving yourself permission to enjoy a moderate amount of food and drinks that are higher in sugar, salt, fat or alcohol, and enjoy it without feeling guilty.

If you are planning a BBQ this weekend, you might want to check out our Healthy Tip on BBQs. 

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for weekly healthy tips at:

www.heartresearch.org.uk/health-tips.

Organisers CICV celebrate another successful Green Home Festival

Clearer messaging is needed to help the public and ‘myth-bust’ the journey to net zero

Scotland’s second Green Home Festival has been hailed another resounding success – but its organisers have also insisted that government and industry must work closer together to deliver clearer guidance and “myth-bust” the misinformation around low-carbon living.

More than 500delegates signed up for the five-day renewables jamboree organised by the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV), enjoying a week of practical assistance and advice to help homeowners on Scotland’s journey to becoming a net zero nation.

The festival, held from 14-18 August as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, saw packed houses for 11 shows on a range of renewables topics, including preparing for a heat pump, taking a fabric first approach and converting churches into low-carbon social housing.

Co-organiser Gordon Nelson, Scotland Director of the Federation of Master Builders, said: “The Green Home Festival again served as a clear demonstration of the public’s growing demand and enthusiasm for sustainable technologies and it was extremely satisfying to see full houses for most of our events.

“It was particularly encouraging to see so many homeowners and community groups attending, engaging and asking questions, and good to see senior industry representatives sharing ideas to help spread the message that low-carbon living is possible if we want it.

“Such enthusiasm shows that there IS appetite for information on green living across the board from all quarters and it’s important we now keep up this dialogue and continue the momentum – we simply can’t afford to stand still.”

However, co-organiser Fiona Hodgson, CEO of plumbing and heating association SNIPEF, warned: “Discussions at the festival showed that there is still a significant degree of confusion and misinformation around the costs and benefits of low-carbon technologies, much of which hinders people from making informed decisions about sustainable living. 

“It’s therefore vital for the government and the construction and energy sectors to work collaboratively to create a more consistent and cohesive messaging strategy to counter and myth-bust this misinformation.

“By showcasing the benefits of sustainable living and explaining the significance of the low-carbon transition, we can help engage and inform the public, fostering a more sustainable future for all. It is time to leverage the momentum from the Green Home Festival to create lasting, impactful change – something we at the CICV intend to carry forward.”

The festival was launched on Monday 14 August by Minister for Housing Paul McLennan, who told guests: “Events such as the Green Home Festival can play a huge part in increasing understanding of the changes we need to see in our building stock and of zero emissions heating systems in Scotland.”

Scotland’s Home of the Year judge Anna Campbell-Jones also took centre stage on the opening day to discuss how to make kitchens more eco-friendly, with contributions from Scottish Water, SNIPEF and Scotland’s largest construction trade association, SELECT.

Other sessions which drew crowds to the Scottish HQ of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in central Edinburgh included shows on garden rooms and offices, options for hybrid heating, community heat networks and powering the home of the future.

As well as CICV members, guest speakers included representatives from Built Environment – Smarter Transformation, Home Energy Scotland, Page\Park architects, the University of Edinburgh, Worcester Bosch and Edinburgh Napier University.

John McKinney, co-organiser of the Green Home Festival and Secretary of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, said: “In addition to offering the public practical advice, the festival reinforced the importance of seeking out the right industry professionals and accredited contractors who are members of relevant trade associations.

“We were keen to get across the message that competent, trusted tradesmen will deliver quality advice and projects – be it for a greener kitchen, a new heating system or a garden office – which was received well by delegates throughout the week.”

Organisers have now made many of the festival presentations available to download online, with the webinar free to watch again online as the CICV continues to gather feedback and draft plans for the 2024 event.

Alan Wilson, Managing Director of SELECT and Chair of the CICV, said: “The second Green Home Festival built on the firm foundations laid down last year to deliver a wider variety of shows to even bigger and more enthusiastic audiences.

“We are grateful to Mr McLennan and Anna Campbell-Jones for attending, showing their commitment and helping raise the profile of renewable technology and low-carbon living. We now hope to harness this enthusiasm and make the 2024 event even more of a success.”

The festival is the latest in a string of practical and constructive initiatives launched by the CICV since its creation at the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

Made up of 28 trade associations, professional services bodies and companies, it has maintained a steady supply of information and practical advice to the sector as well as carrying out surveys, producing animations and posters, hosting webinars and maintaining close dialogue with government.

Holyrood’s Finance Committee to hear from North Coast people about Scotland’s Budget challenges

MSPs from the Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee will visit Largs next week (Wednesday 30 August) to hear from local people about Scotland’s Budget challenges.

The visit is part of a parliamentary inquiry into the sustainability of Scotland’s finances.

It follows the Scottish Government’s forecast that public spending in Scotland is set to outstrip income expected by £1 billion in 2024/25, rising to £1.9 billion in 2027-28.

This means the government is forecasting that it will not have sufficient money to fund the spending it currently wishes to make.

The politicians are meeting with local people, organisations and businesses to hear their views on what the Scottish Government’s priorities should be in its 2024-25 budget.

Their views will help inform the committee’s scrutiny of the government’s budget in the autumn.

Finance and Public Administration Committee Convener Kenneth Gibson MSP said: “The focus of our work this year is how the budget for 2024-25 and beyond will ensure Scotland’s finances are sustainable in both the short and longer-term.

“It is an incredibly important subject matter given the forecast budget pressures and longer-term demographic challenges in Scotland.

“Coming to Largs and talking to North Coast people – including businesses, third sector bodies and residents – will enable us to hear different views of the impact of the Scottish Government’s tax and spending decisions.

“And that matters because the budget and the long-term sustainability of Scotland’s finances will affect everyone in the country.

“I am delighted that we will also meet the following day in Seamill to discuss our committee’s work programme for the forthcoming parliamentary year.”

Participants will be asked to give views on:

  • what should the Scottish Government’s priorities be for its budget in 2024-25, given the challenges that Scotland faces next year, and in the years ahead? 

Police appeal following fatal crash on Stevenson Drive

POLICE are appealing for information following a fatal crash in Edinburgh.

Emergency services were called to Stevenson Drive in the Balgreen area around 3.30pm yesterday (Saturday, 26 August, 2023) after a crash involving a car and a 70-year-old female pedestrian.

The pedestrian was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where she died a short time later.

The 23-year-old driver of the car, a black Mercedes C-Class, was arrested in connection with a road traffic offence.

The road was closed while crash investigations were carried out and reopened around 9.50pm.

Officers are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

Police Sergeant Jill Kirkpatrick said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the woman who died at this very difficult time. We will continue to support them as our enquiries progress.

“I’m appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time and saw what happened to get in touch. Drivers with dashcam footage of Stevenson Drive in the time leading up to the crash are urged to review it and bring anything of significance to our attention.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police via 101 quoting reference 2403 of 26 August, 2023.

Read more – https://ow.ly/Xn9450PEKhE

Tomorrow: Knit & Natter!

We’re so pleased to welcome our lovely ladies back for another term of Knit and Natter!

If you’re interested in learning a new skill or want to work on your own craft project in a relaxed space and enjoy chatting with other women, why not drop-in and give it a go?

Hope to see you tomorrow!

#belonging

#community#learn

#give

#womensupportingwomen

Royston Wardieburn Community Centre

The NEN North Edinburgh News

Granton Community Page

Police: Operation Soteria

POLICE officers in North East Edinburgh policing teams have been working to tackle motorcycle thefts with the activity carried under Operation Soteria, the capital’s well established, city-wide approach.

Chief Inspector Kieran Dougal, North East Edinburgh Local Area Commander, said: “Operation Soteria is our overarching response to motorcycle thefts and my Initiative Team, Response and Community officers in North East Edinburgh have been working hard and continuing their efforts to identify offenders, prevent and deter incidents, and provide community reassurance.

“Road safety and tackling acquisitive crime remains a priority in Edinburgh as a whole and such behaviour will not be tolerated.

“Partnership working is key, and our Prevention, Interventions and Partnerships team are also working with partners to raise awareness and share crime prevention and security advice.

“During the summer so far in North East Edinburgh my officers have made eight arrests, libelled 30 charges, executing numerous warrants and recovered over £400,000 in stolen vehicles.

He added: “We will continue to work to ensure offenders are dealt with robustly. To allow us to target our activities, we encourage communities to report incidents via 101, and should anyone have information as to the identity of those placing communities at risk, this can be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

#OperationSoteria

One City Trust turns twenty

A celebratory reception to mark the One City Trust’s (OCT) 20th Anniversary was held at the City Chambers on Friday.

The event, hosted by the Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh and President of the One City Trust, Robert Aldridge, showcased the work of the Trust in the past two decades, and looked ahead to the challenges of the future.

The Trust was established in 2003 in response to the One City report of the Lord Provost’s Commission on Social Exclusion. It engages the idea of a ‘community foundation’ to give people and organisations a means to reach across the divides of the city and support those who are excluded from the community.

A permanent endowment was established with a donation from the City of Edinburgh Council, which the Trust has added to over the years, and continues to build.

In 2012 with the creation of the ‘Lord Provost’s Rapid Action Fund’ the Trust acquired the ability to raise funds specifically for the purpose of administering grants to projects and organisations across the city. 

The evening began with an exhibition of the Trust’s archive, showcasing historic documents, photos, and other objects. This was followed by speeches and roundtable discussions focussed on the Trust’s work since 2003 in the context of the two poverty commissions which have reported on the situation in Edinburgh.

The celebratory reception concluded events with a keynote speech from the Lord Provost and President of the OCT, followed by a short film on the Trust’s work and a musical accompaniment.

The One City Trust is seeking donations to continue its work fighting poverty, inequality, and social exclusion in Edinburgh. Donations can be made online via the Trust’s webpage.  

The Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh and President of the One City Trust, Robert Aldridge said: “I am immensely proud of the work that the One City Trust has undertaken in the last twenty years.

“To date, we have delivered over £1.3m of grants to 265 projects across the Capital whilst promoting community benefits and social value amongst our city’s business and private sector community.

“I have no doubt that these efforts have made a positive difference to the lives of our residents. Over the years we have been able to support organisations doing truly amazing work across our communities.

“From Edinburgh Interfaith Association breaking down cultural barriers, to Fresh Start Pantry providing low-cost nutritious and healthy food to tackle holiday hunger for vulnerable families during school holidays, to the Edinburgh School Uniform Bank making sure our schoolchildren are properly clothed, I continue to be inspired by the ways in which the Capital’s community groups look out for one another in these difficult times. This truly reflects the very best qualities of the individuals who make up our city.

“Unfortunately, we still face major challenges in the areas of poverty, inequality, and social exclusion across the city. The pandemic also cast these into sharp light and made us consider how we could reach and help our citizens in different ways.

“Now, perhaps more than ever, the One City Trust and the organisations it supports are key to supporting our communities as we move forward. I would encourage anyone reading this to consider the ways that they can contribute whether that be through donations, community benefit partnerships, volunteering or spreading the word of the Trust and its affiliates.

“As Lord Provost my duty is first and foremost to the people of Edinburgh and I am committed to helping them in any way that I am able. I look forward to seeing the One City Trust continue its work in the next twenty years and beyond, and it is my sincere hope that we will be able to make a strong and lasting difference for our most vulnerable residents.”

Irvine Welsh, celebrated Edinburgh author, and Ambassador of the One City Trust said: “I’ve been involved with the One City Trust for almost two decades. Edinburgh and the wider world have undergone significant changes in this period, resulting in poverty, inequality, and social exclusion becoming even more acute. 

“Edinburgh is a city blighted by geographical inequality, great wealth and abject poverty coexisting side by side. This wealth and international acclaim that the city commands does not translate to many communities who have been left behind in an era characterised by public austerity and private profit, and at the expense of key public services. This tale of two cities that is played out not just in Edinburgh but across the country. 

“This is obviously something that is in dire need of rebalancing. In the meantime, ventures like the One City Trust continue to strive to offer a way for individuals in adverse socioeconomic conditions to find a way to express themselves through arts and culture. This in turn can give them the confidence to articulate their individual needs, those of their communities and consequently inspire them to go about meeting them.

“I am proud to support the One City Trust and I hope that in the next twenty years it will continue to inspire people to question the world we find ourselves in, and to take the necessary action to fight poverty, inequality and social exclusion here in the capital of Scotland.”

Sir Ian Rankin, celebrated Edinburgh author, and Ambassador of the One City Trust said: “It has been an honour as well as a pleasure to have been associated with One City Trust for the past twenty years. 

“It continues to do valuable work in Edinburgh’s local and underprivileged communities – here’s to the next twenty years!”

Life Means Life: PM announces new plans to keep society’s most depraved killers behind bars for life

Society’s most depraved killers will face life behind bars with no chance of being released, under tough plans announced by the Prime Minister.

Making sure that life means life, judges will be required to hand down mandatory whole life orders to the monsters who commit the most horrific types of murder.

In the latest move to protect the public from the most dangerous offenders, this will place a legal expectation on judges to hand down whole life orders, except in extremely limited circumstances.

By putting this on a legal footing, judges will have greater confidence to hand out whole life orders without a risk of challenge in the Courts of Appeal.

This will mean the depraved killers who carry out vile crimes will be in no doubt that they will be in prison for the rest of their lives.

For the first time, whole life orders will also be the default sentence for any sexually motivated murders. This could have been applied in the recent tragic cases of Zara Aleena and Sabina Nessa, putting their horrific killers in prison for their whole lives.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: I have shared the public’s horror at the cruelty of crimes we have seen recently. People rightly expect that in the most serious cases, there should be a guarantee that life will mean life. They expect honesty in sentencing.

“By bringing in mandatory whole life orders for the heinous criminals who commit the most horrific types of murder, we will make sure they never walk free.”

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk KC, said: “A whole life order will now be the expectation for murderers where the killing involves sexual or sadistic conduct.

“This important law change will ensure that the worst of the worst can now expect to spend the rest of their lives in prison.”

The announcement builds on the UK Government’s work to cut crime and build stronger communities, with violent crime down by 46 percent since 2010 and neighbourhood crime by 51 percent.

Since 2019, over 20,000 new police officers have been recruited and 100,000 knives taken off our streets. The Government has also launched a new Anti-Social Behaviour Plan to clamp down on crimes that can terrorise communities for good.

The Westminster Government is also making sure the worst offenders face the toughest possible punishment for their crimes.

Serious violent and sexual offenders now serve at least two-thirds of their sentence behind bars, ending halfway release, and the average custodial sentence length is longer across the board meaning that criminals are spending more time in prison.

The Government has also ended the automatic early release of terrorists through the Terrorist Offenders Act 2020 and introduced a 14-year minimum jail term for the most dangerous terrorist offenders through the Counter Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021.

The Government is also committed to looking at changing the law to make sure that people who commit the most horrific crimes face their victims in court and hear first-hand the impact that their crimes have had on them and their families and loved ones.

The Government will legislate for the changes announced today in due course.

No comment yet from the Scottish legal establishment.