Month: August 2023

Back to School: 87% of parents in Edinburgh are spending less on themselves to save for school uniform

The back-to-school period can be a stressful time for parents and carers, and the current cost-of-living crisis is only set to add to this stress.

Looking to understand the situation parents face this month, UK affordable footwear retailer, Wynsors, has used the rate of inflation to estimate that families face paying 20% more for school uniform than they did back in 2018.

With that in mind, Wynsors has carried out a new survey of more than 1,000 UK parents to understand exactly how much this increased cost of school uniform is affecting their finances.

The results do not paint a positive picture for households across Edinburgh:

  • Over 3 in 5 parents (70%) in Edinburgh agree that the cost of buying school uniform and supplies puts a strain on their household budget.
  • Nearly half of parents in Edinburgh (45%) agree that abolishing school uniforms would help to save money.
  • 76% of parents in Edinburgh do not receive any financial support with the cost of new school uniform, and are the least likely to receive any financial help from family members.

With parents spending an estimated £230.40 on average to buy a full set of new school uniform in 2023, households across Edinburgh are having to make cutbacks elsewhere to afford the cost.

More than 3 in 4 parents in Edinburgh (87%) are spending less on new things for themselves (such as clothing) so they can stretch their household budget to cover the cost of buying new school uniform, the highest when compared with other cities in the UK, and 1 in 4 (26%) only buy school supplies and uniform when discounted to do so.

Adam Foster, Retail Director from Wynsors, comments: “As highlighted by this research, the back-to-school period is often a stressful time, but as the UK’s most affordable family footwear retailer, we want to take the stress out of the shopping experience by making school uniform accessible to all.

“From our low prices to our friendly in-store staff, we pride ourselves on helping parents over the last 50 years to get their kids equipped and ready for school.”

The full study, including more information on parents’ attitudes to school uniform and tips for saving money on the back-to-school shop, can be found on-site here: 

https://www.wynsors.com/blog/true-cost-of-school-uniform/

Kimpton Charlotte Square launches free exhibition

Local artists work on display during the Edinburgh Festival

The award-winning five-star Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel is celebrating this year’s Edinburgh Festival by launching a new exhibition in partnership with &Gallery.

As the city welcomes visitors from around the globe for the world-famous Edinburgh Festival which celebrate arts and culture, the design-led hotel has unveiled a free art exhibition showcasing work from two local artists, Anna Somerville and Emily Moore.

Passionate about paint, mark making and colour, Anna Somerville creates expressive, painterly landscapes that conjure up hazy memories of places that she has visited. Her pieces on display at Kimpton Charlotte Square include ‘Highland Scape’, ‘Rapolano Neon Scape’ and ‘Tuscan Scape’.

Emily Moore’s paintings focus on the stark facades of modern tower blocks, inspired in part by a trip to Berlin, and latterly, places closer to home. The sharp lines of these modernist forms are overlaid with intricate patterns of leaves and tree branches.

Established in 2017, &Gallery is a contemporary visual art gallery located in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town and the well-known art gallery district. &Gallery curates a specialist programme of solo exhibitions of represented artists along with curated group shows.

Its emphasis is on abstract and minimal painting, drawing and sculpture, by artists at various stages of their career who are located in Scotland, as well as throughout the UK and worldwide.

Both artists are graduates from Edinburgh College of Art and regularly exhibit with &Gallery. The new exhibition will be displayed throughout the ground floor of the hotel including the lobby, The Garden as well as the bar and restaurant area. All work is available to purchase through the &Gallery.

Avril Nicol, owner of &Gallery said: “We have really enjoyed collaborating with the Kimpton for our exhibition taking place during the renowned Edinburgh Festival and following months. I

“t was a pleasure curating a selection of work to compliment Charlotte Square’s unique interior, and a great opportunity to highlight the work of two talented local artists.”

Kieran Quinn, general manager at Kimpton Charlotte Square said: “The Edinburgh Festival is a time for the world to celebrate our city, its culture, and the arts.

“It’s important for us to make the most of this special time, giving local artists access to our guests and ensuring our guests are surrounded by wonderful talent.”

Guests and members of the public are invited to see Emily and Anna’s work on display at Kimpton Charlotte Square from today (Monday 14 August) until November.

For artwork purchasing queries, please contact: info@andgallery.co.uk

RAF Typhoon jets intercept Russian bombers flying north of Scotland

Royal Air Force (RAF) pilots launched Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) Typhoon fighters to intercept two Russian long-range maritime patrol bombers yesterday as they transited north of the Shetland Islands within NATO’s northern air policing area.

The Typhoon jets launched from RAF Lossiemouth, one of the RAF’s two QRA stations, where RAF fighters are constantly available to respond to threats at a moment’s notice in order to defend UK airspace.

The Russian Tu-142 Bear-F and Tu-142 Bear-J maritime patrol aircraft, used for reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare, were monitored by RAF Typhoons in international airspace as they passed north of the UK.

Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey, said: “RAF crews at Lossiemouth maintain a constant watch over UK airspace and are always ready to take action at a moment’s notice to keep our country safe.

“Pilots launched in their Typhoon jets to intercept two Russian long-range bombers this morning, monitoring them as they passed north of the Shetland Islands, ready to counter any potential threat to UK territory.”

A Voyager tanker was also scrambled and remained airborne for the duration of the mission to offer air-to-air refueling, ensuring the Typhoons could remain in the air for the extended period necessary to complete their mission.

The lead RAF Typhoon pilot said: “It’s really satisfying to know we’ve been able to make a successful intercept, maintaining the integrity of UK and NATO airspace.

“When the alarm for a scramble happened in the early hours of the morning, the adrenaline kicked in. Working in tandem with ground control operators, and with air-to-air refueling from an RAF Voyager, we were able to stay on task until the mission was complete, and the target aircraft departed the UK’s area of interest.”

RAF Typhoons are scrambled during these incidents to secure and safeguard the skies of the UK. RAF pilots from Lossiemouth recently completed a four-month deployment to lead NATO’s air policing mission in Estonia, where more than 50 air intercepts of this kind were carried out.

Russian military aircraft entering the UK Flight Information Region, the UK’s controlled zone of international airspace, can pose a hazard to other aircraft. These Russian aircraft often do not talk to air traffic control or ‘squawk’, broadcasting a code ensuring they are visible to other air users and air traffic controllers on the ground.

The Typhoons and Voyager subsequently returned to their base and the aircraft have been refueled to remain ready to respond to any future potential threats.

National Trust for Scotland secures £1 million funding to aid conservation work

Scotland’s largest conservation charity, the National Trust for Scotland, has been awarded £1,062,000 from Historic Environment Scotland’s (HES) Partnership Fund to allow it to conduct vital conservation work across its built heritage properties, while gaining a deeper understanding of the structures and their requirements.

With over 100 places across Scotland, through the support of the funding the charity will undertake a programme of conservation maintenance at numerous sites around the country, utilise technology to delve more deeply into its built structures, and invest in further training and skills development.  

This will include a variety of work throughout Scotland – from thatch repairs at Culloden, through to repairing glasshouses and garden structures, property maintenance, structure repair works, such as the tower at the House of the Binns, repairs to garden walls and structures, and more.

The funding will cover works up to a value of £75,000, focussing on the most urgent repairs and conservation of the Trust’s buildings, and will contribute to larger projects, for instance, the conservation of inset carved stonework at Fyvie Castle. 

Over the past year, the buildings team at the Trust has undertaken a range of work to conserve and protect its built heritage, in part funded through a £250,000 Annual Repair Grant secured from HES last year.

This included replacing the lead flat roof covering on the House of the Binns, as part of a wider project team working to reopen the property to the public earlier this year, for the first time since before the Covid 19 pandemic; an investment of over £100,000 in a number of projects at Falkland Palace to restore the stunning Renaissance building’s stonework and undertake decorative conservation work; careful conservation of 17th century painted ceilings at Crathes Castle; and limewashing the exterior of Balnain House.

The buildings team not only focus on the castles, houses and palaces in the Trust’s care, but also the built structures in the many gardens it looks after.

In the last year the charity has invested over £57,000 in a major refurbishment of the large glasshouse at Malleny Garden, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, with further investment planned through the Partnership Fund grant to restore the second glasshouse within the grounds.  

The Partnership Fund will also provide support for a training programme that the National Trust for Scotland will deliver to upskill members of staff across the Trust, providing a wider understanding of how the team can contribute to the conservation and maintenance of the charity’s buildings.

Sarah MacKinnon, Head of Building Conservation at the National Trust for Scotland, (above, left)said: “As set out in the Trust’s 10-year strategy, Nature, Beauty and Heritage for Everyone, we are committed to the conservation, repair and maintenance of our historic buildings.

“Through funding from organisations like HES we can continue to carry out the vital work we do and invest the time, care and expertise required in our buildings. Looking after over 100 places throughout the country means there’s no shortage of work to be done to care for and preserve the assets in our care.

“We are incredibly grateful to our supporters, donors, volunteers and members, who allow us to carry out our vital work and ensure we can continue to safeguard some of Scotland’s most important and valued historic buildings for generations to come.”

Susan O’Connor, Head of Grants at HES, (above, right)said: “I am delighted that our Partnership Fund will help to support the Trust’s ambitions.

“Scotland is home to a vast amount of heritage assets – from castles and palaces to historic houses – which are hugely important to communities up and down the country. We welcome the Trust’s efforts to explore new ways to understand and care for these places and I very much look forward to seeing the work unfold as the project progresses.”

For more information on the National Trust for Scotland, please visit:

 www.nts.org.uk.

More than 3,500 online grooming crimes against children recorded by Police Scotland while safety laws discussed

  • NSPCC urges tech companies and MPs to back Online Safety Bill following new research on scale of online grooming
  • Primary school children targeted in more than half of online grooming crimes in Scotland since social media regulation was first demanded

More than 3,500 online grooming crimes have been recorded by Police Scotland while children have been waiting for online safety laws, new figures published by the NSPCC reveal today.

Data from Police Scotland shows 593 Communicating Indecently with a Child offences were recorded last year (2022/23).

The new research shows that in Scotland, 1,873 offences took place against primary school children, with under-13s making up more than half of victims.

The new analysis of the scale of child sexual abuse taking place on social media comes ahead of MPs and Lords making final decisions on the Online Safety Bill next month.

The NSPCC first called for social media regulation to protect children from sexual abuse in 2017 and has been campaigning for robust legislation ever since.

The charity said the number of offences is likely to be far higher than those known to police. In response, they are urging politicians on all sides to support the Bill in its final stages and pass this vital legislation.

Aoife (19) from East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, was exploited online when she was 15 by an adult male who pretended to be a teenager.

The man convinced her to send him images of herself and blackmailed her with these to control her behaviour. When his demands became increasingly intense and frightening, Aoife plucked up the courage to tell her mum and teachers, who helped them to report it to the police.

Aoife said: “When I found out I’d been talking to an older man I was petrified. I remember it was 3am and I was sitting in my room, just shaking. I felt like I was the only person in the world and started crying.

“I wanted my mum, and while she was just in the room next door I thought I couldn’t tell her because it’s so embarrassing, but all I wanted was a hug from her.”

A draft Online Safety Bill was published over two years ago but regulation was first promised by Government in 2018 following the NSPCC’s call for action and the launch of its Wild West Web campaign.

The charity has been campaigning for strong legislation ever since, working closely with survivors, Government, Parliamentarians, and other civil society groups to ensure it effectively tackles the way social media and gaming sites contribute to child sexual abuse.

The legislation will mean tech companies have a legal duty of care for young users and must assess their products for child abuse risks and put mitigations in place to protect children.

It will give the regulator Ofcom powers to address significant abuse taking place in private messaging and require companies to put safeguards in place to identify and disrupt abuse in end-to-end encrypted environments.

The NSPCC said these measures are vital to effectively protect children from the most insidious abuse and recent polling shows they are backed by more than seven in ten voters.

Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive said: “Today’s research highlights the sheer scale of child abuse happening on social media and the human cost of fundamentally unsafe products.

“The number of offences must serve as a reminder of why the Online Safety Bill is so important and why the ground-breaking protections it will give children are desperately needed.

“We’re pleased the Government has listened and strengthened the legislation so companies must tackle how their sites contribute to child sexual abuse in a tough but proportionate way, including in private messaging.

“It’s now up to tech firms, including those highlighted by these stark figures today, to make sure their current sites and future services do not put children at unacceptable risk of abuse.”

As well as winning the commitment to legislate, the NSPCC has helped shape significant gains for children in the Online Safety Bill as it has passed through Parliament, including:

  • Senior tech bosses will be held criminally liable for significant failures that put children at risk of sexual abuse and other harm.
  • Girls will be given specific protections as Ofcom will produce guidance on tackling Violence Against Women and Girls for companies to follow.
  • Companies will have to crack down on so-called tribute pages and breadcrumbing that use legal but often stolen images of children and child accounts to form networks of offenders to facilitate child sexual abuse.
  • Sites will have to consider how grooming pathways travel across various social media apps and games and work together to prevent abuse spreading across different platforms.

The NSPCC is still seeking assurances that the legislation will effectively regulate AI and immersive technology and wants an online child safety advocacy body specifically to speak with and for children as part of the day-to-day regulatory regime. They argue that this will help spot emerging risks and fight for the interests and safety of children before tragedies arise.

The charity are asking campaigners to reach out to MPs with personal messages about why they should act to make the online world safer for children and pass a robust Online Safety Bill in the coming weeks.

TONY DELAHOY

‘Old soldiers never die, they simply fade away’

I am so sad to report that NEN’s dear old friend TONY DELAHOY has passed away.

Tony died ‘peaceful and calm’ at his Silverknowes home at 12:35am yesterday. He was 100.

Family will be in touch with details of funeral arrangements when they have them, and NEN will run a celebration of a remarkable life at that point.

Redbraes Community Garden Open Day

SUNDAY 3rd SEPTEMBER 11am – 3.30pm

Redbraes Community Garden (off Bonnington Road, just North of Leith Walk) is having an open day on Sunday 3rd September.

Lots of fun and inspiration on offer, including a skillshare workshop for any aspiring, budding or flourishing community gardener. All free!

Come and have discover this hidden haven of peace and tranquillity.

All eyes on Edinburgh’s FilmG event

Aspiring filmmakers gathered in Edinburgh last week at an engagement event for FilmG, the long-running Gaelic short film competition.

Young Edinburgh Gaelic speakers mingled alongside the FilmG team and seasoned creatives from various backgrounds, with former FilmG winners Lachlan Peel, Euan MacDonald and Màiri MacLennan all in attendance.

The event helped spread the word about this year’s competition, paving the way for potential collaborations. A follow-up event in Inverness later in the same week further extended FilmG’s presence across Scotland.

This year’s competition theme, “Mo Shealladh” (My Point of View), sparked interesting and creative ideas amongst attendees as signature branding decorated the city centre venue The Hanover Tap.

FilmG will accept short films (up to five minutes in duration) up until the deadline of 8 December 2023.

To find out more about the rules, the categories and the prize money, visit: www.filmg.co.uk or contact the FilmG team at filmg@astarmedia.scot.
 Sùil air Tachartas FilmG ann an Dùn Èideann 

Thàinig filmeadairean còmhla ann an Dùn Èideann an t-seachdain a chaidh aig tachartas FilmG, an fharpais film goirid Ghàidhlig a tha air a bhith ann o chionn fhada.
 
Thàinig Gàidheil òga Dhùn Èideann còmhla ri sgioba FilmG agus chuir iad eòlas air daoine cruthachail bho dhiofar chùl-raoin, le Lachlan Peel, Euan Dòmhnallach agus Màiri NicIllinnein a bhuannaich FilmG uile an làthair.
 
Chuidich an tachartas le bhith a’ sgaoileadh fios mu fharpais na bliadhna-sa, a’ fuasgladh na slighe airson co-obrachadh a dh’fhaodadh a bhith ann. Leudaich tachartas ann an Inbhir Nis nas fhaide air adhart san t-seachdain buaidh FilmG air feadh na h-Alba
 
Bhrosnaich cuspair farpais na bliadhna-sa, “Mo Shealladh”, beachdan inntinneach is cruthachail am measg an luchd-frithealaidh, agus rinn suaicheantas FilmG sgeadachadh air an àite ann am meadhan a’ bhaile The Hanover Tap.
 
Gabhaidh FilmG filmichean (suas ri còig mionaidean a dh’fhaid) chun a’ cheann-latha, 8 Dùbhlachd 2023. Airson tuilleadh fiosrachaidh mu na riaghailtean, na roinnean agus an t-airgead duais, tadhail air www.filmg.co.uk no cuir fios gu sgioba FilmG aig filmg@astarmedia.scot.


Royston Wardieburn AGM: Support your local Community Centre!

Tuesday 29th August 6pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre

Our AGM is coming up on 29th August and we are looking for people to join our Management Committee

Whatever skill set you have, you could play a vital role in supporting our Community Centre.

Are you good with computers?

Do you enjoying crafting?

How are you with plants?

Come along and share your skills/knowledge!

Tuesday 29th August 6pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre

First Minister visits Tattoo

First Minister Humza Yousaf attended The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on Saturday night (12 August 2023) to watch the spectacular Show for the very first time.

Seated in the Royal Gallery, Mr Yousaf was entertained by over 800 performers from across the globe and witnessed the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade burst to life with the sounds and colour of the exceptional Tattoo cast.

This year’s Show, entitled Stories, is a celebration of sagas, myths, and legends, transporting audiences on a journey of ideas – from the earliest campfire stories through to the world stage and showcasing an international cast telling tales that connect us through our unique and shared military and cultural heritages.

The Tattoo runs until 26 August 2023.

Tickets can be purchased at edintattoo.co.uk, on the phone on 0131 225 1188 or in person at the Tattoo Box Office at 1 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh.