Jet2holidays is bringing some much-needed sunshine to cheer up all those (including rain-soaked politicians!) who have had enough of the gloom and rain, by announcing savings on ALL holidays departing up to the end of August this year.
During the same week that saw Jet2holidays announced as Which? Travel Brand of the Year for the third year running, the UK’s largest tour operator has also dropped a brand-new sizzling summer sale.
The sale gives customers £50 off PER PERSON on ALL award-winning Jet2holidays that depart between today and August 31st 2024, with customers who have a MyJet2 account enjoying £60 off per person.
To sign up for a MyJet2 account, customers just need to visit:
As a result, couples can save £100 if they book a holiday due to travel between today and August via the Jet2holidays website or contact centre (£120 off for MyJet2 members) and a family of four can save £200 (£240 off for MyJet2 members).
On top of that, there are millions of Free Child Place holidays available, including during the summer holidays!
This summer represents Jet2holidays’ biggest ever summer programme, and customers can now get away from the rain and book their spot in the sunshine for even less thanks to this sizzling new sale. The offers apply across thousands of 2-5 star hotels and villas in almost 60 destinations.
In addition to these fantastic savings with Jet2holidays, holidaymakers can also save on Jet2.com flights, as the leading leisure airline is offering 10% off all flights due to travel between today and August 31st 2024 too.
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.comandJet2holidays,said: “The UK weather continues to be wet and miserable, and you can’t even make an election announcement without getting drenched, so we are making things better, not wetter, by giving people the chance to escape to the sunshine for even less.
“We are looking ahead to the busiest summer in our history and thanks to this sale, even more people can vote with their feet to get away with Which?’s Travel Brand of the Year and experience all the qualities that make us an award-winning holiday company.”
· Motorcycle group ride south from John o’ Groats dressed as 1970s stunt legend Evel Knievel for charity
· Welsh group travel through Inverness, Perth and Falkirk during Scottish leg of journey to Land’s End
· The group has already raised £25,000 for NSPCC as part of epic journey
A group of about 40 Welsh motorcycling enthusiasts rode their bikes through Scotland to raise money for the NSPCC – dressed as the 1970s bike stunt legend Evel Knievel.
The Ride Cymru group spent two days (23 & 24 May) in Scotland as part of their wider journey from John o’ Groats to Land’s End using non-motorway roads.
The group, who have done several fundraising drives in Wales before, are no strangers to Scotland. In 2017, they raised £5,000 for the NSPCC by riding to the three mainland capitals – London, Cardiff and Edinburgh – in two days.
But this latest fundraiser has smashed that record and their Justgiving page has already reached nearly £24,000.
The Welsh bikers will be joined by Maurice McDonald-Smith, from East Kilbride. Or, as he likes to be called, the “Scottish Knievel”.
He said: “I consider it a privilege to be allowed into the family of the Cymru Knievel riders who come together each year to raise money to help the children of Scotland and the rest of the UK to enjoy a better childhood.
“Last year was my first time raising money for the NSPCC and everyone I met from the charity were the nicest and kindest people – I think their commitment and dedication to keeping children safe needs to be supported.
“This is where the drive to fundraise comes from. I have been fundraising for the last 10 years for charities such as Macmillan Cancer Support, Teenage Cancer Trust and more. The engagement by the NSPCC staff and volunteers last year made raising money for them the most rewarding.”
Fiona Milne, an NSPCC Fundraiser in the north of Scotland, said: “We are so incredibly excited to have the Cymru Knievels in Scotland to raise funds for the NSPCC.
“It truly was an epic journey and we really appreciate that they have chosen us as their charitable cause. The money they will raise will help us continue our vital work keeping children safe from abuse and neglect.”
To find out more about fundraising events with the charity, visit the NSPCC website. To donate to the Ride Cymru drive, visit their Justgiving site.
The Edinburgh International Festival expands 2024 programme, including gigs from Declan McKenna, Nadine Shah and Lisa O’Neill, and keynote speaking events from Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, rapper and activist Akala,and Invisible Women author Caroline Criado Perez
Music reachesintoEdinburgh neighbourhoods and unites artists and audiences as never before. Activity includes a VR experience in a community hub in Southwest Edinburgh, a mass outdoor celebration with 250 performers of all ages at the Scottish Parliament as part of the world-first Healing Arts Scotland week and pop-up performances in Edinburgh hospitals
Scottish violinist Nicola Benedetti’s second year as Festival Director promises an exhilarating 24-day celebration of the arts in Edinburgh, featuring world-class artists spanning opera, dance, music, and theatre from August 2-25
New events have been added to the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival programme, culminating in a total of 167 performances across 24 days from the world’s leading performers in opera, dance, music and theatre.
Anchored by the theme ‘Rituals That Unite Us’, this year’s International Festival is an invitation for both artists and audiences to come together and celebrate the powerful impact live performance and collective experiences have on us all.
Three gigs are added to a dynamic contemporary music lineup this year, with Declan McKenna, Nadine Shah and Lisa O’Neill joining a stellar array of performers that include Cat Power, Jordan Rakei, Chilly Gonzales and Bat for Lashes.
Under Festival Director Nicola Benedetti’s direction, a renewed focus on dialogue and debate initiates a new series of keynote talks from leading voices calling for change: Former Prime Minister the Rt Hon Gordon Brown, rapper and activist Akala and Caroline Criado Perez, best-selling author of Invisible Women. Further information about speakers found below.
Cast additions for several International Festival staged shows include The Fifth Step, where Sean Gilder joins Jack Lowden in the world premiere play at The Lyceum from 21-25 August; and Isis Hainsworth, Paul Brennan, Ros Watt and Alison Fitzjohn join the cast of The Outrun, which also makes its world premiere in August at the Churchill Theatre from 3-25 August.
Former Scottish Opera emerging artist Shengzhi Ren takes centre stage as Oedipus, King of Thebes, in the cast of Oedipus Rex. Joining him in this promenade opera staged in the National Museum of Scotland’s Grand Gallery are Kitty Whately, Roland Wood, Callum Thorpe and Emyr Wyn Jones. Additional tickets for the production are now available.
As part of the International Festival’s ambition to become cultural convenors in neighbourhoods and healthcare settings across Edinburgh, a range of events will bring artists into new spaces across the city.
Space @ The Broomhouse Hub becomes the International Festival’s inaugural Community Connections Hub, following a city-wide call-out to community centres to engage in ongoing collaboration during festival season and throughout the year.
After interest from 22 community spaces from across the city, the first partnership with Space @ The Broomhouse Hub will see events and activities take place across the next 18 months, with an ambition to collaborate with more of these spaces in the coming years.
During August, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub hosts a free VR experience from 2024 resident orchestra the Philharmonia which runs from 19 – 24 August. This 360° experience of Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending makes its UK premiere andfeatures Festival Director Nicola Benedetti as the solo violinist. In Virtual Reality, viewers are placed right at the heart of the orchestra to experience the performance in astonishing detail.
Audiences can also experience the performance live, as part of a relaxed Family Concert on Sunday 25 August at Usher Hall. The Family Concert is also live captioned and BSL interpreted by deaf musician Paul Whittaker, who will interpret the pieces of music as well as spoken text.
The first-ever Healing Arts Scotland also launches as part of the Edinburgh International Festival this year, a week-long celebration of arts and health events highlighting the joy they bring to those who take part, and their importance to the nation’s physical, mental and social health.
It is the first ever countrywide Healing Arts Week, following previous city-wide celebrations around the world, including New York, Paris, London, Venice and Jaipur, and is led by Scottish Ballet as part of the Jameel Arts & Health Lab’s global ‘Healing Arts’ campaign, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation.
The Healing Arts Scotland Opening Celebration event takes place on Monday 19th August at the Scottish Parliament as part of Edinburgh International Festival, featuring over 250 performers and participants from across Scotland in an energetic celebration of music and dance that captures the spirit and healing power of coming together through the performing arts.
Ensembles featured include Scottish Ballet, National Youth Pipe Band, TRYST, Oi Musica and SambaYaBamba Youth Street Band.
Scottish Ballet will present a specially commissioned dance piece featuring an ensemble cast of community performers, including Scottish Ballet’s Youth Exchange company, NHS staff, Dance Base’s PRIME Elders Dance company and Dance for Parkinson’s Scotland group.
The work will be performed to the song Mackay’s Memoirs by the late Scottish Celtic fusion artist Martyn Bennett, which celebrates its 25th anniversary – it was originally commissioned for the opening of the Scottish Parliament building on 1 July 1999.
2024 International Festival artists are also performing across Edinburgh in four NHS hospitals in August. In partnership with NHS Lothian Charity: Tonic Arts, the performance series brings Festival artists into Edinburgh hospitals, creating bespoke moments of musical and creative connections.
Every Friday during August, artists will perform in hospitals including the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, delighting audiences who may not be able to experience International Festival performances in traditional venues. This is part of a year-round programme of monthly music moments in hospitals across Edinburgh and Lothian.
In another outdoor series of performances, the Usher Hall takes the festival experience from the stage to the open-air, with pop-up performances across August. Groups such as Commotion (Edinburgh Women Samba Drummers), the Edinburgh Samba School’s TESS group, Rainbow Ukes and Southside Strummers ukelele groups will light up the Usher Hall forecourt, in a series of free encounters with music makers from across the community.
Edinburgh International Festival Director, Nicola Benedetti, said: “The Edinburgh International Festival has always been proud to provide a platform for some of the most exciting voices in music, performance and thought leadership.
“Over 77 years, this original festival that started it all, has brought people of different cultures and viewpoints together to share, debate and exchange ideas through art, and this year’s no exception.
“Our inaugural Community Connections Hub, NHS Festival Fridays and the world-first Healing Arts Scotland week are a perfect example of the Festival bringing together communities and ideas in spaces and places outside of a theatre in August.
“Art has the power to transform, and I encourage everyone to seize this opportunity to come together and be thrilled, challenged, and discover something new.”
Scottish Ballet CEO/Artistic Director, Christopher Hampson said:”Healing Arts Scotland 2024 will be an inspirational week-long celebration of the huge impact the arts has on the nation’s health and well-being.
“Scottish Ballet is proud to be leading on this global outreach project in collaboration with the WHO and a host of partner organisations such as Edinburgh International Festival. I’m really excited about the largescale participation performance taking place outside Scottish Parliament – it will be a true testament to all the wonderful arts health work that happens every day across Scotland.”
Neil Hay, CEO, Space @ The Broomhouse Hub said: “The inaugural Community Connections Hub is fantastic news for Broomhouse and Southwest Edinburgh.
“This partnership will open up the Edinburgh International Festival to new audiences, allowing local people and families to enjoy cultural experiences our communities don’t normally access.
“We look forward to seeing all the exciting things the partnership will bring this summer and the coming year.”
More about the 2024 International Festival artists and speakers:
Declan McKenna, 12 August at Edinburgh Playhouse
Vibrant indie-pop protagonistDeclan McKennais set to make his dazzling Edinburgh International Festival debut at just 25.
Following his breakthrough win at Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent competition in 2015, McKenna now has three critically acclaimed albums under his belt, and will perform songs from his latest, What Happened to The Beach?
Nadine Shah, 22 August at the Queen’s Hall
Mercury Prize nominee Nadine Shahadds profound depth to the International Festival’s contemporary lineup with her powerful voice, socio-political lyrics and a unique blend of jazz, post-punk, and indie rock.
She comes to The Queen’s Hall stage after an explosive start to 2024 supporting Depeche Mode on an arena tour and the release of fifth studio album, Filthy Underneath.
Lisa O’Neill, 21 August at the Queen’s Hall
A striking voice on the Irish folk scene for the last 10 years, Lisa O’Neill brings her distinct blend of folk tradition and contemporary nuance to Edinburgh. A raconteur in the truest sense of the word, O’Neill inimitable voice is raw and loaded with emotion, as evidenced in latest record All of This Is Chance.
Her remarkable adaptation of Bob Dylan’s ‘All the Tired Horses’ soundtracked the final scene of epic TV drama Peaky Blinders.
Former Prime Minister the Rt Hon Gordon Brown, 25 August at the Festival Theatre
In a keynote speaking event, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the Rt Hon Gordon Brownimagines a world where peace and fairness are the order of the day. He explores the connections between his imagined future and the International Festival’s founding vision.
Now serving as the UN Special Envoy for Global Education and the WHO Ambassador for Global Health Financing, a passion for global access to education, healthcare and improved living standards continues to motivate everything he does.
Caroline Criado Perez, 18 August at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh
Award-winning author and activistCaroline Criado Perez’s work is centred around meaningful change. Her campaign work spans across the physical and digital realm, achieving real results from petitioning for a female historical figure on Bank of England banknotes, to getting the first statue of a woman (Millicent Fawcett) in Parliament Square, London.
Following her best-selling book Invisible Women, Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men, Criado Perez delves into her continuing research on how to leverage the transformative power of accurate data, and what it takes to create a world that works for all.
Akala, 10 August at the Festival Theatre
From activist to hip-hop artist to social entrepreneur, Akala is a true polymath with a constantly evolving career. He speaks on a wide range of topics, including race, British and African-Caribbean culture, the arts, and music and youth engagement.
Natives, Akala’s 2018 memoir-polemic, discloses what it was like for him to grow up mixed race and working class in 1980s Britain, linking his own testimony of structural racism with the history of colonialism and the British Empire’s damaging legacy. At the International Festival, Akala confronts home truths, and inspires us to challenge the status quo in a talk that embodies the need for us to unite.
All keynote events will have BSL interpretation and live captioning.
The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has welcomed the Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA) announcement of its decision to proceed with a formal market investigation into veterinary services in the domestic pet market, and continues to recognise the strength and breadth of feeling expressed by members of both the animal-owning public and the veterinary professions in the CMA’s initial review.
In particular, with no current legal powers to regulate veterinary practices (only individual vets and vet nurses), the RCVS shares the CMA’s concern that the current regulatory framework is out of date and might be preventing the market from functioning as well as it could.
Having sought modernisation of the College’s regulatory framework through new legislation for some considerable time, to include new mandatory regulation of veterinary practices, the College is now looking forward to working closely with the CMA to help effect the necessary legislative change by government.
Speaking shortly after the CMA’s announcement, RCVS President Dr Sue Paterson, commented: “As we said in March, we recognise that the large response to the CMA’s initial survey reflects an overall desire for change amongst animal owners and veterinary professionals alike to some parts of the veterinary sector, so we support the CMA’s decision now to proceed with a market investigation.
“Whilst it is not in our remit as a professional regulator to influence business structures, local markets or price levels, we do understand the CMA’s concerns over clarity of medicines supply options and pricing information and are already working to make our existing professional guidance on these issues clearer and easier for vets and vet nurses to follow.
“We are particularly keen to work with the CMA to persuade government of the urgent need to modernise the Veterinary Surgeons Act, so that we have stronger powers to regulate veterinary practices as well as individual veterinary professionals, and are calling on political parties to commit to introducing new legislation in the next parliament, ahead of the forthcoming election.
“We remain very concerned, however, about the worrying spike in abusive behaviour and harassment by some animal owners towards vets, vet nurses and practice colleagues following media reporting of the CMA’s initial findings back in March.
“We sincerely hope not to see a repeat of this behaviour towards the extremely hard-working and conscientious veterinary professionals up and down the country, over 11,000 of whom responded to the CMA’s review, and who may themselves welcome its intervention.
“In the meantime, we look forward to working closely with the CMA to bring about veterinary legislative reform to modernise our regulatory framework and, via our newly-established CMA Working Group, we will be ready to provide as much information and insight into the veterinary sector as we are able.”
Whether it’s developing skills and training to enter the workforce, investing in buildings and equipment, or providing services to fill gaps left by the public sector, the voluntary sector plays a significant part in the UK economy. However, measurement of its economic contribution is inherently complex, meaning the role it plays is often undervalued (write CIARA CRUMMEY and MAIRI SPOWAGE of FRASER of ALLANDER INSTITUTE).
There are several difficulties in measuring this economic contribution compared to methods used for the private sector. One reason for this is a lack of an adequate, recognised definition across the sector, which leads to wide variation in valuations.
Core National Accounts can be used to estimate the voluntary sector, through the Non-Profit Institutions Serving Households (NPISH) sector. However, the UK voluntary sector is much larger than the organisations that are included within NPISH, given the specific definition of this sector. Voluntary organisations are spread across sectors and industries in the National Accounts, so the use of NPISH results in significant undervaluation of the sector’s economic contribution.
It will answer questions surrounding NPISH and the National Accounts and improve measurement of the sector within the UK National Accounts framework. This project builds on previous FAI research on Scottish charities and links to other ESCoE work on National Accounts and beyond GDP.
Why does this matter?
The inability to measure the voluntary sector’s contribution to the UK economy limits its comparison to the non-voluntary sector, meaning that it may be undervalued or overlooked. Accurate measurement would allow for better recognition of the sector’s economic contribution.
This could encourage further volunteering and involvement and investment in the sector, along with better use and allocation of resources. Unleashing the potential of the voluntary sector by measuring it more accurately could also allow its inclusion in economic growth strategies to improve both regional and national economic performance.
What are the possible solutions?
Significant research has been conducted into how the voluntary sector can be measured more accurately, and what data is required to do so. Various methods have been identified to produce a variety of estimates of the size and contributions of the sector. These methods have used different definitions of the sector.
Extensive research has been conducted into the use of satellite accounts, as an extension to National Accounts, to measure both the size and impact of the voluntary sector.
National Accounts provide a single overview of all economic activity in a country through collating and presenting the output, expenditure, and income activities of a country’s economic actors; satellite accounts provide a framework that is linked to the National Accounts but allows for a more detailed focus on a certain field or aspect of the economy.
Stakeholders have highlighted that the existence of a satellite account is as important as what it includes to provide validity for the sector. They recommend that an initial satellite account should start with the simplest definitions and be improved with further additions over time. It should take a modular approach, allowing for different definitions of the sector, and should allow for comparisons with other sectors in the economy.
In 2023, Pro Bono Economics conducted an in-depth feasibility study into satellite accounts and developed a preliminary framework for its creation.
Their recommended short-term approach uses the legal status on the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) and organisation type in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) to identify organisations that are not included in NPISH but are considered to be within civil society. They suggest a modular approach where data can be broken down and compared by Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes.
They also propose an ‘intermediate approach’ to capture organisations within civil society that have been missed. They provide details on how to identify these organisations, where to access relevant data and how to select what data to include. However, they acknowledge that this ‘intermediate’ approach is still limited in measuring all aspects of the sector and highlight the need for further research on volunteering, social enterprises and growth measurements.
Whatever form a satellite account takes in the UK, it is clear from previous research that one of the biggest challenges is the delineation of the sector. Given the different views of stakeholders, it is likely that a ‘menu’ of definitions is likely to be required to ensure this product has greatest utility for users.
What issues remain?
Despite these significant recent advances, issues still remain in measuring the voluntary sector and capturing its economic contributions.
The first issue is the lack of a clear, adequate definition that is recognised and adopted across the sector. Until this is agreed, measurement methodologies and estimates will continue to differ.
NPISH in the National Accounts is also an inadequate measure of the voluntary sector. NPISH is defined as economic units that supply services on a non-commercial basis. To be considered, NPISH institutions must: provide goods and services either for free or below market prices; mainly derive their income from grants and donations; and not be controlled by the government. Therefore, NPISH does not capture all voluntary sector organisations.
As a result, using the value of the NPISH sector significantly underestimates the economic contribution of the voluntary sector. Additionally, the methodology used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to create these estimates in unclear and not publicly documented, so it cannot be critiqued or replicated in devolved countries’ national accounts.
Finally, while the Pro Bono Economics report has made great advances in the technicalities of constructing a satellite account, several questions still remain to ensure the entire sector is accurately measured.
This includes a need for further understanding on how the IDBR legal status flag is constructed and how to capture other organisations not included on the IDBR (including many small organisations).
Additional considerations include how to capture informal volunteering, data collection on sources of funding for organisations, how to identify social enterprises and how to prevent double counting across multiple data records.
A new research project
Our project aims to answer some of these questions surrounding NPISH and the National Accounts. It will focus on three elements:
Documenting ONS methodology for calculating NPISH
Interviewing data providers and users
Investigating recommendations for data on the voluntary sector used in National Accounts
1. Documenting ONS methodology for calculating NPISH
Through this project we will formally document the full methodology used to create the NPISH statistics in the National Accounts. NPISH includes charities, higher education and further education, political parties, and trade unions, and we will highlight what data is used for each of these elements.
In particular, we will focus on documenting the data process for charities, at both the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) level (who provide charity data to the ONS), and how the ONS then use this data. NCVO provide ONS with data for charities in England and Wales, collected from the Charity Commission register.
These charities undergo a ‘market test’, where charities that ‘fail’ the market test (if 50% or more of income comes from donations and legacies) remain in NPISH, and the rest are captured in the industrial market sectors of the National Accounts.
We will document and review these processes and outline recommendations for improvements on how to make NPISH more representative of charities outwith England and Wales and allow for replication in both regional and devolved National Accounts.
2. Interviewing data providers and users
We plan to interview key practitioners in the sector about their understanding of the role of data in the development of national accounts. These will include national infrastructure organisations involved in producing the data for the accounts, organisations that might use the accounts for their work understanding and campaigning about the sector, and government officials. We will identify what role they think National Accounts plays in their work and how they think it shapes understanding of the voluntary sector within society.
3. Investigating recommendations for data on the voluntary sector used in National Accounts
Following on from our interviews with providers, we will recommend improvements and investments in the data infrastructure for the voluntary sector, ensuring regulators, voluntary sector representative organisations, and statistical producers are focussed on supporting the production of appropriate and accurate statistics about the sector. We will investigate the IDBR flag recommendation underpinning the PBE recommendations for a satellite account. A better understanding of this flag will identify if it would be possible to use this flag to describe voluntary organisations across the National Accounts, including those currently considered outside the NPISH sector.
We will also analyse the data collected for charities in Scotland and Northern Ireland to identify how this can be included in UK NPISH calculations in addition to NCVO data. Finally, we will examine the sectors charities self-report into, and design a mapping methodology between different industry classification codes This will ensure greater consistency in the classifications used across charity registers.
As part of this final research stage, this ESCoE research project will support an economic student summer placement through the Economics Futures programme, hosted at the Fraser of Allander Institute.
This placement will focus on highlighting the differences in charity registers held across the UK. We will then use the data held in the charity registers in Scotland and Northern Ireland as a proxy to estimate the number of charities that are under the minimum registration requirements in England and Wales, so are not captured in their register. This same methodology will be applied to identify charities missing from UK business register data, to inform recommendations on expanding the data used for measuring the charities in NPISH.
Overall, this research will provide a review of the current National Accounts practise. Our recommendations have the potential to improve the National Accounts construction methodology and allow for more accurate measurement of NPISH in both UK, regional and devolved country’s National Accounts.
This will complement the building of a civil society satellite account, if the underpinning National Accounts are fundamentally more robust.
Frontline Hawick staff members from the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) will appear on a new series of Paramedics on Scene, which airs on Sunday.
Gregor Sharp, Colin Ferrie, both Paramedics, and Mya Pearce, Student Paramedic, feature alongside SAS’s East and North Ambulance Control Centres (ACC), and Peterhead and Oban frontline crews.
The Hawick staff said: “Our patients regularly mention to us that they like watching the real-life ambulance TV programmes, so when given the chance we therefore wanted to represent and show our working area to the rest of Scotland and also showcase the role of the Scottish university student paramedics on placement in their future working environment.”
In the episode, an ambulance crew must determine if a woman experiencing strong chest pain is having a heart attack, a woman suffers a severe allergic reaction after she’s stung by a bee and call handlers manage a scene over the phone as they guide a worried caller through chest compressions until an ambulance arrives.
Season Five of Paramedics on Scene is on BBC Scotland at 9pm on Sunday and repeated at 8pm on Tuesday. It is also available on BBC iPlayer.
The fifty-second Perth Festival of the Arts opened on Wednesday launching the city into 12 days of festivities and a diverse celebration of arts and culture.
The Festival opened with a brand new addition to its programme – a striking photographic exhibition curated by members of Perthshire Photographic Society.
The pop-up gallery in St John’s Shopping Centre showcases the work of local photographers and includes street scenes, portraits, still life and more. It runs daily (free admission) until Saturday 1 June, with 90 photographs on display.
The Festival’s opening concert on Wednesday night took the form of Mozart’s The Magic Flute in a groundbreaking production by Scots Opera Project.
Set in the confines of an asylum, the opera takes an edgier look – while packed with humour – at Mozart’s classic opera. Featuring a star cast from Scotland’s operatic scene, the story follows Tamino, a troubled patient who embarks on a surreal journey, set in motion by the mysterious Queen of the Night, portrayed as a charismatic and enigmatic figure within the asylum’s walls.
Further standing the production apart is the fact that the libretto has been translated into Scots language. The opera has a second performance this Sunday at 2.30pm at Perth Theatre.
One opening night audience member commented: “What a night in Perth Theatre! In this radical new version of The Magic Flute, Scots Opera fuse superb musicality with shades of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Marat/ Sade, Glaswegian Doric – and (fortuitously) the crisis in mental health and the NHS.This is funny, creepy, moving, affecting and there is never a dull moment. Haste ye tae Perth on Sunday!”
The Festival continues today with the return of ArTay, one of the largest exhibitions of contemporary Scottish art and an evening concert with the renowned chamber music collective, Hebrides Ensemble, who celebrate their first ever appearance at the Festival.
Over the weekend, audiences and visitors can enjoy a series of free pop-up concerts in venues throughout the city. Perthshire Brass will entertain with a family-friendly programme in the outdoor plaza of St Paul’s church, followed by Perth’s very own drumming and percussion group, Rhythm Wave.
Hot on the heels of their sell-out Calamity Jane show, Perth Amateur Operatic Society will perform a special Festival concert in St John’s Kirk on Saturday, featuring blockbuster hits to old-time musical favourites.
Into Sunday, headline star Rory Bremner joins host Fred MacAulay at Perth Concert Hall for a night of stand-up and conversation in a unique show that reflects back on Rory’s long and glittering career as Britain’s top impressionist. As the Festival continues, jazz, classical concerts, children’s shows, talks, films and book events are on the cards for Festival-goers.
Helen Band, Festival Director commented: “We’re excited to welcome thousands of people into Perth for this year’s Festival.
“With a number of shows already sold out, we’re expecting another great year of festivities in the city. We’re welcoming artists from around Europe – from Poland to Czechia – as well as promoting national and homegrown talent.”
The Festival runs until Saturday 1 June, with an additional event – Scotland Trending – on Saturday 8 June. For the full programme, visit www.perthfestival.co.uk
Edinburgh College Art Students Invite You to Celebrate ‘Contemporary Closure’ at Granton Hub!
Contemporary Art Practice (CAP) HND year 1 students are seeking closure, and you’re all invited to the party with an end-of-year exhibition.
Contemporary Closure is an art exhibition being held at granton:hub (Madelvic House), put together by first-year CAP students to celebrate the end of their first year at Edinburgh College’s Granton campus.
Join the HND CAP students on opening night, 31st May from 6pm – 9pm to help them celebrate. You’ll get to see a preview of the work and meet the next wave of contemporary artists over drinks and nibbles.
The exhibition will then run from June 1st – 6th. Times vary, with the exhibition being open 10am – 4pm over the weekend, then 2pm – 6pm on weekdays.
Gareth Hutchison, events co-ordinator, said of the event: “The amount of exciting creative talent emerging from Edinburgh College ‘s Contemporary Art Practice course at Telford Campus is astounding and needs to be presented in a public gallery.
“granton:hub is delegated to showcasing the very best of young & emerging artists in its monthly exhibitions program.
“Contemporary Closure’ exhibition at granton:hub gallery brings together a motley crew of art students. Showcasing their own unique view of modern life, through a year long period of creativity, joy, tears and sweat.
“Before this summer’s festival circus comes to Edinburgh town, why not choose to visit a public art exhibition in the heart of Granton, by some of Edinburgh’s very own home-grown-talent and support local artists embark on a journey outside the safety of the academic walls to showcase their fantastic artworks to the public.”
Contemporary Art Practice student and co-organiser of the event, Bronwen Winter Phoenix, said: “I’m so excited that we’re able to celebrate the end of our first year of CAP in such a great location! Granton is becoming quite an exciting place to be for art at the moment, so it’s fantastic to be a part of that.
“I hope people will come along to view our work – which is really varied as we all have our different styles – have a bit of a party, and see what we’ve been up to as CAP students!”
Official blurb for the exhibition
What makes closure contemporary? When it’s put together by a motley crew of contemporary art students, of course! Join us, Edinburgh College’s HND year 1 Contemporary Art Practice students for our end-of-year exhibition, where we’ll celebrate with a party, and a showcase of the recent work we’ve accomplished, on May 31st. On the night, a few of us will be available to chat about our work and experiences of CAP 1 over drinks and nibbles.
The exhibition will then run from June 1st – 6th, 10am – 4pm over the weekend, then2pm – 6pm on weekdays.
The exhibition will feature paintings, prints, sculptures, collages and more, with themes including nature, technology, rituals, the body, and mental health (for visitors with children, parental discretion should be advised).
Exclusive artists’ video screenings
On Sunday 2nd June at 2:30pm, come along to an exclusive preview showing of never-seen-before videos from some of the artists, along with a ‘Meet the Artists’ Q&A. Free prints and zines from some of our artists will be available on the day – while they last!
We are a member-driven charitable organisation that aims to elevate Granton’s profile and provide a focus for Granton’s diverse and evolving communities. granton:hub is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCO46708), and is managed by a small team of volunteers.
granton:hub is located within Madelvic House, Granton Park Ave, Edinburgh EH5 1HS.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIONS SET FOR SUMMER STRIKE ACTION
COSLA wrote to the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions with a formal pay offer for Scotland’s Local Authority workforce on Thursday – but their ‘strong, fair and credible’ offer has been firmly rebuffed by trade unions representing council workers.
Making the formal offer, COSLA said in a statement: “Following a number of very constructive SJC Steering Group negotiating meetings in recent weeks, COSLA has today (23rd May) written to the Scottish Joint Council (SJC) Trade Unions with a formal pay offer for the SJC Local Government workforce. “
This offer is for a settlement which runs for an 18-month period of 1st April 2024 to 30th September 2025. There will be a 2.2% uplift from 1st April, with a further 2% uplift taking effect from 1 October. This therefore includes a change in the settlement date to 1 October.
“This offer fully utilises the negotiating mandate provided by COSLA Leaders and is at the limit of affordability, given the severe financial constraints councils are facing in the context of a flat cash Local Government settlement.
“We believe that this is a strong, fair, and credible offer which reflects the high value council Leaders place on the Local Government workforce and the invaluable work they do every day to serve our communities.”
The May 2024 pay offer to SJC Unions explained
COSLA’s offer to SJC Trade Unions on 23rd May 2024 is detailed in the bullet points below:
A 2.2% increase from 1 April 2024
Further 2% increase from 1 October 2024
Change settlement date to 1 October
Agree to develop negotiation protocol
This offer covers 1 April 2024 – 30 September 2025.
A STRONG, FAIR and CREDIBLE OFFER? NO, SAY UNIONS …
Unite rejects outright COSLA pay offer
Union now moving “full steam ahead” for Summer strike action
Unite the union has confirmed that its representative committee for local government workers have rejected outright the COSLA pay offer.
The offer comprises 2.2 per cent effective from 1 April to 30 September, and then two per cent for a 12-month period effective from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025.
Unite rejected the offer, and the proposal to change the pay anniversary date from April to October on the basis that it is nothing but an attempt to “kick the can down the road”.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said:“COSLA has taken months to put a formal pay offer to our local government membership, and it’s a derisory one at that.”
“Unite’s representatives rightly rejected this offer outright. The fight for better jobs, pay and conditions in local government will continue. We are clear that our members shouldn’t settle for anything that doesn’t come close to meeting their demands.”
Unite has confirmed that it is actively preparing to ballot key groups of its local government membership across Scotland.
Unite will announce the details of the industrial action ballot next week as it issued a warning to COSLA and the Scottish government that the union is moving “full steam ahead” towards industrial action this summer period.
Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, added:“The pay offer doesn’t come close to meeting the aspirations of our members in local government. Unite also opposes the pay anniversary date being moved to October as nothing but a cynical attempt to kick the can down the road.”
“Politicians pretend the cost of living crisis has gone away but that just isn’t the reality for the vast majority of workers in local government who have endured years of low pay, chronic underfunding and record rates of inflation”.
“Unite is moving full steam ahead towards industrial action this summer unless COSLA makes a significantly improved pay offer.”
Pay offer to council workers is too low and should be rejected, says UNISON
Local government staff in Scotland are worth more than the pay increase they’ve been offered, UNISON said on Thursday.
The union is to consult thousands of council workers across Scotland over a pay offer which was made on Thursday, with a recommendation they vote to reject it.
UNISON is calling for an improvement to pay that fairly rewards council staff for the essential services they provide and starts to reverse years of pay cuts they have experienced.
Employer organisation Cosla has made a two-stage offer which runs for 18 months, which gives a 2.2% increase for the first six months and an additional 2% for a further 12 months of the deal, ending in September next year.
Chair of UNISON Scotland’s local government committee, Colette Hunter said: “The offer falls short of the level local government workers deserve and the union is recommending staff vote to reject it when they are consulted next week.
“Workers have seen the value of their pay fall over the past ten years, while often being asked to do even more. They provide vital services to their communities by caring for the most vulnerable, educating children, waste and recycling, and keeping people safe. Council workers need a pay rise that reflects this.”
GMB Scotland dismisses council pay offer as too late and too low
GMB Scotland has also rejected Cosla’s pay offer to council workers.
The union, one of the biggest in Scotland’s public sector, branded the offer too late and too low, and warned of looming industrial action.
GMB’s 20,000 members in Scots councils have already voted overwhelmingly in a consultative ballot to back industrial action if there was no acceptable offer and a formal ballot of care workers is already underway with more planned.
Keir Greenaway, GMB Scotland senior organiser in public services, confirmed the union’s local government committee rejected the offer at a meeting this afternoon.
He said: “The offer to Scotland’s council workers is too late and too low. The delay was unacceptable and the offer is unacceptable.
“It means council workers in Scotland being offered less than colleagues in England and Wales and it raises grave concerns about councils’ promise to pay all workers £15 an hour by 2026.
“This offer comes nowhere close to matching that commitment.
“We do not need any more empty promises and excuses. We need a pay offer that fairly reflects the crucial work being done by our members in local authorities delivering the frontline services that Scotland is built on.
“Inflation might be slowing but bills continue to rise and workers and their families are still being crushed by the cost of living.
“Our members in social care are among the lowest paid council workers delivering some of the most important frontline services.
“They deserve better than this. So do their colleagues and so does every Scot relying on them to deliver the services Scotland is built on.”
The committee has published its report “Screen time: impacts on education and wellbeing”.
There has been a 52% increase in children’s screen time between 2020 and 2022; nearly 25% of children and young people use their smartphones in a way that is consistent with a behavioural addiction.
Screen use has been found to start as early as six months of age. One in five children aged between three and four years old have their own mobile phone, increasing to one in four children by age eight and to almost all children by age 12. The amount of time those aged 5–15 years old spent online rose from an average of nine hours per week in 2009, to 15 hours per week in 2018.
As well as harms to mental and physical health, screen time can disrupt pupils’ learning both at home and in the classroom, as it can take up to 20 minutes for pupils to refocus on what they were learning after engaging in a non-academic activity such as browsing the internet or noticing a notification on their phone.
The report strongly supports the tougher guidance on keeping phones out of the classroom and breaktimes that the Department recently issued. However, the Committee heard mixed evidence on how well taken up this will be, we therefore recommend formal monitoring and evaluation of this approach by the next Government with the possibility of a statutory ban if needed.
The Committee also concludes that screen time should be minimal for younger children and better balanced with face-to-face socialisation and physical activity for older ones.
Parents need clear guidance from Government on managing children’s screen time, and in particular advice to parents of babies and young children should be revised to ensure it gives sufficient attention to face-to-face interaction and warns of the risks of screen time in reducing opportunities for this.
While the Online Safety Act 2023 will undoubtably play a role in keeping children safe from online harms, the Committee is concerned that children will not feel the full protections of the Act until implementation is completed in 2026.
79% of children have encountered violent pornography before the age of 18, with the average age that children first see pornography being 13 years old. Some 81% of girls aged 7-21 have experienced some form of threatening or upsetting behaviour, and online sexual crimes committed against children online has risen by 400% since 2013.
One in five children (19%) aged 10-15 experienced at least one type of bullying behaviour online, and out of them, around three-quarters (72%) said they experienced at least some of it at school or during school time.
It is clear that the entire system surrounding the digital age of consent and how it is verified is not fit for purpose. The Committee heard no evidence to suggest that 13 is an appropriate age for children to understand the implications of allowing platforms access to their personal data online.
Yet even with the digital age of consent currently formally set at the lowest possible level, it is widely ignored and not effectively enforced. This must change urgently. The next Government should consult on raising the age of digital consent and should recommend 16 as a more appropriate age.
The report also calls for the level of digital age of consent to be effectively enforced. The Online Safety Act 2023 allows for substantial fines or even imprisonment for executives of companies who breach its rules, and the Government should consider how this approach can be applied to social media companies who knowingly breach age verification requirements and expose children to addictive content which is not appropriate for them.
Within the first year of the new Parliament, the next Government should work alongside Ofcom to consult on additional measures regarding smartphones for children under 16 years old, including the possibility of a total ban of smartphones (internet-enabled phones) for children under 16 or parental controls installed as default on phones for under 16s.
The next Government should work with mobile phone companies and network operators to promote children’s phones, a class of phone which can be used for contact and GPS location but not access to the internet or downloading apps.
Chair of the Education Committee, Robin Walker MP, said: “Excessive screen and smartphone use has a clear negative impact on the mental and physical wellbeing of children and young people. Our inquiry heard shocking statistics on the extent of the damage being done to under-18s, particularly those who are already extremely vulnerable, such as those in care.
“Without urgent action, more children will be put in harm’s way. From exposure to pornography, to criminal gangs using online platforms to recruit children, the online world poses serious dangers.
“Parents and schools face an uphill struggle and Government must do more to help them meet this challenge. This might require radical steps, such as potentially a ban on smartphones for under-16s.
“Our report found that digital age of consent checks are not fit for purpose. We heard no evidence demonstrating that thirteen-year-olds understood the ramifications of sharing personal information online and today’s report urges the Government to increase this age to sixteen.
“It’s also clear that children require face-to-face and in-person social contact in order to thrive. Our report found that screen time is inversely associated with working memory, processing, attention levels, language skills and executive function.
“Whilst there can be some benefits from the online world and sharing information or interests with their peers, ready, unsupervised and unrestricted access to the internet leaves children vulnerable, exposing them to a world they are not equipped for. Their safeguarding and protection must be our priority.”
