With the festive season in full swing, the time for gift giving is about to be upon us.
This December, leading vet charity PDSA is hoping people can give the gift of time and do their bit in helping the charity support those who need it most – by volunteering in one of it’s charity shops across the UK.
Jennie Pearson, Volunteering Business Partner at PDSA, said: “We’re heading into a widely celebrated time of year for generosity and giving, and we’d be forever grateful for some helping hands this holiday season. For anyone looking to give back to the community, we’d love to have you on board in our team of volunteers.
“Our volunteers are an amazing group of people who all contribute something very special to PDSA. By giving us the gift of their time, they are helping us to support pet owners in their time of need – who would otherwise struggle to cover the cost of unexpected veterinary bills should their pet fall ill or become injured. Their efforts mean we can help families stay together.”
Benefits of volunteering
“We offer a warm and supportive environment for all of our volunteers. The shops enable people to give something back to their local community, all whilst supporting a vital charity cause.
“Our shops welcome people from all walks of life within local communities, whether they are coming to the shop for a browse or to donate an item. They are great social spots for both volunteers and visitors.
“Volunteering can also help people improve their confidence while enabling them to develop and improve on their knowledge and skills.
“It can be a great way to get out of the house, especially for those who may feel isolated, and all for such a good cause.
“Our charity shops are vital to PDSA. They provide much needed funding for our 48 Pet Hospitals across the UK, so the teams can continue to help thousands of the nation’s most vulnerable pets. All of our volunteers provide an essential contribution to the charity, and every hour spared to help out goes a really long way.
“We are extremely grateful to all of the people who support PDSA because they believe in what we do. It’s the generous support from donating unwanted items, making a purchase, or volunteering in our charity shops, that goes back into helping keep people and pets together in their times of need through our Pet Hospitals.”
If you would like to make a positive difference to your own life and the lives of others by lending a hand, there are lots of volunteering roles available across PDSA’s over 100 charity shops up and down the country.
Whether you would like to help customers with their shopping, sort through donations, create eye-catching window displays or serve at the till. To find out more about volunteering, head to PDSA’s website: www.pdsa.org.uk/volunteering
CONNECTED COMMUNITIES: AS EVER, WINNERS AND LOSERS IN FUNDING PROGRAMME
Tackling the impact of poverty on children, families and communities is at the heart of a £10m three year grants fund approved by the City of Edinburgh Council yesterday (Monday 18 December).
Organisations were invited to apply for a grant of £10k minimum and £100k maximum per year to one of three funding strands – Learning Outcomes, Health and Wellbeing and Youth Work.
Eligibility criteria for programme included that organisations are based in Edinburgh, hold charitable status, and have an annual income under £2 million. Both NHS Lothian and Police Scotland also contributed funding to the awards.
Eighty nine applications were assessed with total bids totalling £16.7m over three years for an available budget of £10m. This was carried out by trained assessors before going to a moderation panel consisting of the Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council (EVOC), Lothian Association of Youth Clubs (LAYC) and an independent chair.
Sixty eight organisations had their bids approved either in full or partially with the new grants programme running from 1 April 2024 through to 31 March 2027.
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Convener for the Education, Children and Families Committee, said: “The Connected Communities Edinburgh grants programme aims to support vulnerable and disadvantaged young people and their families right across Edinburgh.
“The three different funding strands mean we can direct resources to deliver outcomes that best support those most impacted by poverty.
“This new programme is a really good example of partnership working at its best. We listened to third sector and voluntary organisations about their first-hand knowledge of what the need was in our communities and where funding should be directed.
“Getting to today’s decision has involved a lengthy and really robust assessment process and I want to thank everyone who has contributed.
£We will of course continue to monitor the progress of the funding over the coming three years to ensure the outcomes promised for our communities are being delivered.”
David Cameron will travel to Paris and Rome for talks with French President Macron, Italian Prime Minister Meloni, and foreign minister counterparts
He will call for increased coordination between allies to address the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza as well as maintaining support for Ukraine
Discussions will also focus on working together to tackle illegal migration
At a time of volatile international crises, Foreign Secretary David Cameron will visit the French and Italian capitals today (19 December) to address the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza as well as maintaining support for Ukraine over the winter period.
During the visit, the Foreign Secretary will reiterate his call for a sustainable ceasefire, leading to a sustainable peace, and for increased coordination across European allies to ensure life-saving aid can get into Gaza to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people. The Foreign Secretary will also urge continued support for Ukraine to defend itself through military, humanitarian and economic means.
Tackling illegal migration is also high on the agenda, with the UK working alongside France and Italy to stop the criminal gangs. This follows the UK signing landmark deals with the two countries that have seen small boat channel crossings drop by a third.
Foreign Secretary David Cameron said: “As we face some of the greatest challenges to international security in a lifetime, our response must be one of strength and resilience with our European allies.
“From the desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza, to Putin’s brutality in Ukraine, it is more important than ever to strengthen our alliances and make sure our voice is heard.”
In Paris, the Foreign Secretary will meet French President Emmanuel Macron, and Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to discuss maintaining support for Ukraine and finding a long-term political solution that supports Israel’s security and the rights of Palestinians to live in peace. They will also discuss how the UK and France can continue to coordinate their humanitarian responses in Gaza.
The visit will also look ahead to a milestone year for UK-France relations in 2024, which will mark 120 years since the signing of the Entente Cordiale and 80 years since the D-Day landings, two watershed moments for the two countries.
Following the Prime Minister’s visit over the weekend, the Foreign Secretary will then travel to Rome for talks with the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and to address Italian ambassadors gathered at the Italian foreign ministry for their annual Heads of Mission conference.
The Foreign Secretary will also meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, following Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s meeting with PM Meloni this weekend. Top of the agenda for the Rome programme will be boosting the two countries’ close cooperation on illegal migration.
They will welcome a new agreement between the two countries to contribute £4 million to the International Organization for Migration’s assisted voluntary returns project in Tunisia.
The joint funding will go towards providing humanitarian assistance and support for vulnerable and stranded migrants to return home safely.
Rangers footballer Connor Goldson marks the partnership between Rangers Charity Foundation and the British Heart Foundation by talking about his own heart condition, and he urges the public to support the medical research charity this Christmas by learning learn vital CPR skills.
Footballer Connor Goldson has a tattoo across his chest with the words ‘Chase your Dreams’, which is dissected by a large scar running through the middle, marking a defining moment in his life.
Aged 24 he was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm – a swelling of the large artery which passes through the abdomen which was at risk of bursting with potentially catastrophic consequences – and had to undergo surgery to repair it.
“I don’t see it anymore, it’s just part of me, part of my body,” he says. “It looks nice. I like it because it shows what I’ve been through. The only thing, obviously, with a scar, is when you are in the showers here people ask questions. I don’t mind talking about it now.”
But it has taken the six years since the operation for the Rangers star to feel more comfortable talking about the life-threatening condition which could have ended far more than just his sporting career.
When Rangers announced the British Heart Foundation as its new charity partner for the 2023/24 season, Connor felt the time was right to talk about his heart condition.
“Truthfully, I’ve never really spoken about it openly because it was a difficult time, but I also felt fortunate that I was able to continue playing, so I’ve never really wanted sympathy,” he says.
“Obviously going back to it, it was tough. My wife, Kayleigh, who was my girlfriend back then, always tells me that I need to speak about it, but I find it difficult.”
After-training showers have prompted many chats: “When new players see the scar on my chest there’s always a big reaction straight away. I was so fortunate; I was out for like 3 to 4 months and have never had a problem since,” he says.
“I see people in football who have knee operations or ankle operations, or broken legs, that are out for a lot longer., Of course, when you do your knee it’s not life threatening, the risk of mine, well I was obviously going to die …”
Specialists consider surgery when the aorta route is 50mm diameter and at Connor’s first scan his was 49mm and 50mm at the second.
“Basically, if I wanted play football, I had to have it done, there was no ifs or buts,” he says.
“I could have stopped playing right then, and it was my decision, but if I wanted to continue playing, I had to get it done. The surgeon said they had to fit a stent because it could have popped at any point.”
There were risks associated with the surgery, but these were outweighed by the risks of not having the surgery – although Connor says his only thought back then was getting back to the game.
“Nothing else mattered and all I really cared about was whether I could play football again,” he admits.
Young and fit, Connor bounced back from the operation on 30 March, and was back in preseason just four months later, in July.
“But a lot has changed since then. I got married and now I have two children, and they are the highlights for me. Looking back, football was my priority and I still love the game and I love what I do and want to continue doing it for many years, but now that I have a family and children, they are the most important things.”
Connor, now 30, has the heart rates of both his children – Caleb, five, and Connor, who will be two in February – tattooed onto each wrist, taken from the baby scans before they were born.
“It reflects what I’ve been through, and they mean everything to me. Instead of having their names, their heart rate seems a lot more appropriate,” he says.
Every time he walks onto the pitch, he kisses both wrists and his wedding finger, which is also inked with the significant date from 2021.
Connor’s condition was picked up in a random checkup scan and he believes, were he not an elite sportsperson, it would probably have remained undiagnosed.
“To be fair I always half knew that I had something,” he admits. “My dad had a heart attack when he was younger while playing football with his friends, luckily, he’s still alive, then another when he was older.
“Deep down I always knew there was something there. I remember I fainted a few times, if I got up too quickly or hadn’t eaten enough. That used to happen quite often but, on the pitch, I never felt anything.”
Despite the trauma of the diagnosis, which reduced him to tears, and the operation soon afterwards, Connor says he feels no aftereffects. His annual check-up has been fine ever since, and he says he has been able to channel his heart scare in a positive way.
He gets out his mobile phone and shows everyone the graphic picture of his heart in his wide-open chest during surgery. It’s an incredible image and an arresting reminder of exactly how the advances in medical research mean Connor is here to tell his story.
He adds: “I feel very fortunate that I still get to do my day job, very fortunate that since the operation I’ve managed to have a family and I’ve got two healthy children, so I don’t feel that it has ever harmed me in a way that means trauma is still there.
“I see it as quite a positive thing now that I’ve been fortunate to have gone though. It has made me appreciate everything that I have even more and has put life into perspective because I know it can end at any time.”
Connor is thrilled that Rangers Charity Foundation have pledged to raise £25,000 for the British Heart Foundation over the course of the season and aims to encourage people as many fans as possible to learn lifesaving CPR via the charity’s free online training tool, RevivR.
“The BHF do an amazing job and I’m happy to help in any way,” adds Connor.
“We live in a world where nobody really does anything until it happens to you. It’s only when it happens to yourself or someone you know, then you realise the importance of CPR.
“I can do CPR, maybe not perfectly but I know what to do.”
When asked about his plans for Christmas, Connor smiles: “Football, football, football.”
Training doesn’t pause on Christmas Day, but with two young children at home Connor says he’ll be up extra early to watch his boys open their presents and will be looking forward to getting back to them for a family day.
“As I get older, I’m more able to reflect on situations and now feel like I can work as hard as I can and whatever happens in the game happens. I’ll watch the game back once and after that I go home and see the kids and be a dad – and that’s the most important thing to me.”
To donate to the British Heart Foundation this festive season and give the gift that keeps on living, visit bhf.org.uk/Christmas
A leading housing and homelessness charity has claimed the Scottish Government has no plan to arrest the continued decline in social housing delivery.
Shelter Scotland made the claim last week in response to figures showing that social house building has slowed down significantly.
The numbers show the number of new social homes completed in the 12 months to September 2023 was down 2%, the number new social homes approved was down 18%, while the number of new homes started was down an alarming 29% compared to the year before.
Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said last week:“The alarming decline in the delivery of social homes shown in today’s figures reflects Scottish Government choices.
“Ministers can’t claim to be ignorant of what this means; it means that an already devastating housing emergency will get worse and continue to devastate lives.
“Local housing officers, charities, and the experts in its own working groups have repeatedly and clearly told the Scottish Government that more social homes are needed to effectively fight the housing emergency and reduce the numbers of people trapped in temporary accommodation, but their words have gone unheeded.
“Scottish Government choices made the decline shown in today’s figures grimly predictable.
“Unless we see something different in the budget the only possible conclusion we can reach is that the Scottish Government has no serious plan to tackle homelessness and end the housing emergency.”
Road Policing Officers in Edinburgh are appealing for information following a fatal road crash on the M8 yesterday (Monday, 18 December, 2023).
Around 9.10am, we received a report of a collision involving a MAN HGV and a Kia Sorento on the westbound M8, near to junction one, Hermiston Gait.
Emergency services attended and a 41-year-old woman, the driver of the Kia Sorento, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The road was closed until around 6.35pm, to allow an investigation to be carried out.
Road Policing Sergeant Jill Kirkpatrick said: “Our thoughts are with the family of the woman who died.
“Enquiries into the circumstances of this collision are ongoing, and I would ask anyone who was on the motorway at the time and may have seen the crash, to please contact us.
“I would also appeal to anyone with dash-cams or recording equipment to check their footage for anything that could assist us.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0761 of 18 December, 2023.”
South Korea’s capital will host the 19th edition of the tournament.
First time the Homeless World Cup has been held in Asia
The Homeless World Cup Foundation and The Big Issue South Korea have today announced that the 2024 Homeless World Cup will take place in Seoul, the first time the Homeless World Cup has been held in Asia since the tournament was introduced in 2003.
The Seoul 2024 Homeless World Cup, set to take place in October next year across 8-days in South Korea’s capital city, marks a significant milestone in the Homeless World Cup’s 20-year history and promises to be a once in a lifetime moment for everyone involved.
The location and dates of the tournament will be announced early in 2024 and this exciting announcement will be welcomed by nearly 70 Homeless World Cup Member Countries across the globe.
The Homeless World Cup is a world class sporting spectacle which has the power to change the lives of participants and shape attitudes towards the global issue of homelessness, using the universal language of football.
Advanced discussions are also in place for the 2025 and 2026 Homeless World Cups after the tournament made an emphatic return in July, the 2023 Sacramento Homeless World Cup, held in California’s state capitol was the first time the event had visited the US.
Mel Young, HWCF President and co-founder, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to confirm our 2024 Homeless Would Cup will be held in Seoul, South Korea and thrilled to be visiting Asia for the first time since the tournament started in 2003.
“After a highly successful tournament this year in California, we can’t wait to reconnect our global Member Countries and Homeless World Cup family again, this time in Seoul for the 19th edition of the tournament.
“Seoul is the world’s 16th largest capital city and South Korea is a wonderful place to visit with a huge football fan base and culture. There has been significant interest for some time from our partner The Big Issue South Korea to host the Homeless World Cup, so we are pleased to confirm that the Seoul, will be hosting next year’s tournament.
“Over the years we have proved that using the power of football can change lives and we remain committed to tackling and ending global homelessness. We are also engaged with several cities looking to host future editions of the Homeless World Cup which is incredibly positive and further cements the tournament as a key part of the global sporting calendar.”
Sooryul Kim, The Big Issue South Korea President, said: “We are thrilled from the bottom of our hearts to share in the passion and delight of homeless players around the world.
“We aim to raise awareness in Korean society about homelessness through the Homeless World Cup. The Korean society often perceive homelessness narrowly in terms of policy and still view housing primarily as an investment product rather than a basic right.
“By hosting the Homeless World Cup—an international festival—we hope to draw citizens’ attention to guarantee housing rights and lay the socially supporting foundation for policy changes.”
There is further excitement for the Homeless World Cup in 2024, with the release of the eagerly anticipated film The Beautiful Game.
Starring Bill Nighy and Michael Ward, the film follows a team of English homeless footballers, led by their coach Mal (Bill Nighy), who travel from London to Rome to compete in The Homeless World Cup.
At the last minute they decide to bring with them a talented striker Vinny (Michael Ward), but he must confront his own issues and once-promising past, in order to help the team win the Homeless World Cup and move on with his own life. The film will be released globally on Netflix in Spring 2024.
An estimated 100m people are homeless worldwide.
As many as 1 billion people lack adequate housing. The characteristics and causes of homelessness around the world are complex and varied. Homeless people experience social exclusion and stigmatisation, economic hardship and poverty, and physical and mental health problems.
The Homeless World Cup exists to help end this crisis in all its forms.
COSLA Vice President Councillor Steven Heddle has sent a strong warning to the Scottish Government that any Council Tax Freeze must be fully funded.
COSLA’s message is a response to comments made to the media by Deputy First Minister Shona Robison on Sunday.
Councillor Heddle said: “There were a few things in the comments made by the Deputy First Minister yesterday (Sunday) that I am uncomfortable with on behalf of COSLA, our member councils and the communities that we represent.
“Firstly, the Deputy First Minister cannot decide or unilaterally say that the ‘Council Tax freeze to stay’- it’s up to 32 individual council to decide if they have a council tax freeze or not, not her government.
“Secondly, unless it is funded with additional money for each council that allows them to fund their planned Council Tax increases, then it is not fully funded, and it will be our service users who will suffer as a consequence.
“The funding for the freeze needs to be transparently additional and consolidated into our Budgets for future years.”
“The DFM also mentioned the ‘Changing shape of public sector workforce’. Local Government’s workforce has already changed shape drastically. Between 2006 and 2018, the Local Government workforce reduced by 15% (35,000 FTE) before Scottish Government policies such as Early Learning and Childcare added staff back in from 2019.
“The Scottish Government workforce has nearly doubled since 2006; staffing in non-departmental bodies has also doubled and in Scottish Government agencies, staffing has grown by 15%. These increases have added more than 7,000 FTE staff in just over 15 years.
“The Verity House Agreement was designed to ensure positive working between Scottish Local Government and The Scottish Government, and a focus on better outcomes and person-centred services.
“The VHA has three priorities – to tackle poverty, particularly child poverty; to transform our economy through a just transition to deliver net zero, recognising climate change as one of the biggest threats to communities across Scotland; and deliver sustainable person-centred public services.
Local Government will be unable to contribute to these if underfunded.
“COSLA knows that Scottish Government is under pressure financially around this Budget. However, the Council Tax freeze came out of the blue and has serious financial implications.
“And any suggestions that Local Government’s workforce needs cut further will have serious consequences for communities.”
“Scandal of child poverty in a rich country must end”
Scottish child payment must rise to £30 to protect lower income families who don’t benefit from proposed council tax freeze.
Campaigners at the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland are calling for tax and spending decisions to do more to prioritise hard up families ahead of tomorrow’s Scottish budget.
With the proposed £300 million council tax freeze set to benefit better off households they say the very least that is needed to protect lower income families is a £58 million investment to raise the Scottish child payment to £30 per week. CPAG were one of over 150 signatories to a letter sent to the First Minister Humza Yousaf last month urging him to deliver the increase.
The Scottish child payment, which currently provides a vital £25 per week extra support for children in lower income families, must by law be uprated in line with inflation.
However during the SNP leadership campaign the First Minister said he wanted to see it rise to £30 in his first Budget. In a pre-Budget briefing sent to all MSPs the campaigners say this is the “minimum extra investment that is needed to support lower income families and demonstrate the First Minister is genuinely ‘shifting the dial’ on child poverty.”
The group have also joined over sixty other groups today to call on all Scotland’s political leaders to build a fair tax consensus that can provide the social investment needed for ‘a more equitable, resilient, and prosperous Scotland’. They say the Scottish Budget must be a ‘pivotal moment for fundamental change.’
Speaking ahead of today’s budget statement John Dickie, Director of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said; “Struggling families desperately need a budget that will provide immediate support as well as help meet statutory child poverty targets.
“Increasing the Scottish child payment to £30 is a cost-effective investment that would provide much needed financial support to the lower income families who get little if any benefit from the proposed council tax freeze.
“It would make a substantive impact and demonstrate the First Minister is genuine in his desire to ‘shift the dial’ on child poverty.”
Recognizing the challenging fiscal backdrop Mr Dickie added: “Difficult budget choices will be needed. But the right choice is to prioritise tax and spending decisions that will help end the poverty that still blights the lives of tens of thousands of children across Scotland.
“We are a wealthy country and we need all our political leaders to work together to harness that wealth to end the scandal of child poverty in a rich country once and for all.”
Child Poverty Action Group is calling for a Scottish Budget that:
• Increases the Scottish child payment at the very least to £30 per week from April 2024, as committed by the First Minister in his leadership campaign. This investment is supported by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner and over 150 trade unions, faith groups, children’s charities and community organisations from across Scotland. • Ensures sufficient resources are harnessed and allocated to fund the wider measures (including on childcare, employment and housing) set out in the statutory child poverty delivery plan – Best Start, Bright Futures. • Provides additional cash payments to families impacted by the two-child limit and the under 25 penalty in universal credit. • Invests in childcare so not only can the actions in Best Start, Bright Futures be delivered, but every parent can access the childcare they need, when they need it. • Is bold in using tax powers in a progressive way to ensure sufficient resources are available to fully deliver on the actions that are needed to tackle child poverty.
As Christmas approaches vet charity PDSA has issued a chocolate warning for all pet owners, after a 13-year-old dog decided Christmas would come early, tucking into an entire gift-wrapped selection box.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Max, was discovered by his stunned owners next to the Christmas tree, with scraps of wrapping paper and the remains of what was a gift-wrapped selection box.
Having had Max since he was a puppy, he had never shown interest in presents under the tree, or tried to get his paws on chocolate, so his family was in total shock to find he’d ripped open a present from under the tree, and eaten not only all six packets of chocolate in the selection box, but some of the box itself and the wrapping paper!
Max’s loving owner, Stacey, said: “Max is the light of our lives, he’s definitely a real character, but after all these years we never imagined he’d open up a gift from under the tree!
“We know chocolate can be really bad for dogs, so I immediately searched online to find out the total grams, to see how bad it was. I then called the vets, who told me I needed to bring Max in straight away.”
Across it’s 48 Pet Hospitals, PDSA sees a 35% increase in a medication used to treat poisonings around Christmas, which is likely linked to the abundance of dangerous food in the home such as chocolates and mince pies.
PDSA Vet Nurse Shauna Walsh said: “The seriousness of chocolate poisoning depends on how much your pet has eaten, how big they are, and the cocoa content of the chocolate – the darker the chocolate the more toxic it is for your pet.”
Thankfully for Max, it didn’t take long for him to perk up again after being treated with fluids, charcoal and medication to induce vomiting. He was soon able to head home to fully recover, and enjoy the rest of the festive season with his family.
The most severe cases of chocolate poisoning in pets can lead to heart failure, coma and even death. Although this is rare this is why it’s really important to keep chocolate safely away from any curious pets. Especially during celebrations like Christmas when there’s likely more chocolate than usual in the house.
Symptoms of chocolate poisoning usually appear within two to four hours, but can take up to 12 hours. In severe cases, toxicity can cause:
Fast breathing or panting
Shaking, trembling and tremors
High temperature (fever)
Seizures
A fast heart rate
High blood pressure
It’s also important to be aware of mild symptoms too:
Hyperactivity
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Signs of abdominal discomfort/pain
If you think your pet could have ingested some chocolate, don’t wait for chocolate poisoning symptoms to appear, keep the packaging and call your vet immediately.
Thousands of people could suffer a devastating loss because they can’t afford their pets veterinary treatment, together this Christmas we can save pets’ lives. For more information on how you can help PDSA keep people and pets together this visit:
