Do you remember we had an Easter Drawing competition? Well we were so impressed by ALL your eye-catching, creative and imaginative entries that we decided to have a SUMMER DRAWING COMPETITION!
We want to know what summer means to you? Ice cream? Football at the park? Swimming? Movies? Daydreaming in the garden? Trips to the seaside? Sunny sandpits? Waterfights? Fun times with your family and friends? Long walks with the dog?
Looking forward to seeing all your entries pouring in from Monday onwards!
PLEASE ASK FOR YOUR ENTRY SHEET AT THE DESK or bring in your drawing from home but remember to add your name, phone number and age on the back! :0)
Rats are not just a nuisance; they can cause significant damage to your property and pose health risks to you and your family.
Home expert Neil Mckenzie from Halton Stairlifts understands the importance of maintaining a safe and comfortable home environment. One effective way to keep rats at bay is by using natural repellents, including certain plants.
Here’s how you can protect your home from rats using natural methods:
Why Rats are a Problem
Rats are notorious for gnawing on electrical wires, insulation, and structural elements of your home. They can also contaminate food and spread diseases. Preventing an infestation is much easier and safer than dealing with one after it has occurred.
Plants that Repel Rats
Certain plants have natural properties that repel rats. Incorporating these plants into your garden and around your home can be an effective and eco-friendly way to deter these pests.
Mint: Rats dislike the strong scent of mint. Planting peppermint or spearmint around your home can help keep them away. You can also use dried mint leaves or essential oil in areas where rats are a problem.
Lavender: Known for its pleasant aroma to humans, lavender is disliked by rats. Plant it in your garden or use dried lavender sachets inside your home.
Daffodils: These beautiful flowers are toxic to rats and other rodents. Planting daffodils around the perimeter of your property can act as a natural deterrent.
Garlic: The strong smell of garlic is another scent that rats find unpleasant. Planting garlic in your garden or placing cloves in areas where rats are a problem can be effective.
Catnip: While catnip attracts cats, it deters rats. Planting catnip in your garden can create a natural rat repellent.
Additional Tips to Keep Rats Away
In addition to planting natural repellents, here are some additional tips to keep rats out of your property:
Seal Entry Points: Inspect your home for any gaps, cracks, or holes that rats could use to enter. Seal these entry points with steel wool, caulk, or metal mesh.
Keep Your Home Clean: Ensure your home, especially the kitchen, is clean and free of food crumbs. Store food in airtight containers to avoid attracting rats.
Remove Clutter: Rats love to hide in cluttered areas. Keep your home and garden tidy to reduce potential hiding spots.
Regular Maintenance: Regularly check for signs of rat activity, such as droppings or gnaw marks, and take immediate action if you notice any.
Proper Waste Management: Keep rubbish bins tightly sealed and dispose regularly to avoid attracting rats to your property.
Neil Mckenzie, home & garden expert from Halton Stairlifts says: “Keeping rats out of your property is crucial for maintaining a safe and healthy home environment.
“By using natural repellents like mint, lavender, daffodils, garlic, and catnip, along with following good maintenance practices, you can effectively deter rats. At Halton Stairlifts, we believe in the importance of proactive home care.”
Schools in Scotland are being warned to take precautions amid fears of a spike in crime over the summer holidays.
As many schools across the country close their doors for the summer holidays, specialist insurer Ecclesiastical says schools will be an attractive target for criminals over the coming months.
Ecclesiastical is encouraging Scotland residents who live near local schools to be vigilant this summer and report any unusual or suspicious activity they notice on school grounds.
Ecclesiastical reports schools have been targeted over the summer months including vandalism, arson, break-ins, smashed windows, theft of lead from roofs and stolen laptops.
Amid the high cost of living and more facing economic hardship, there are worries there will be a rise in criminal activity.
Laura Carter, customer segment director at Ecclesiastical Insurance, said: “Schools are more vulnerable during the summer holidays when school buildings are closed and largely unoccupied, tempting opportunists.
“With the high cost of living and more facing economic hardship, it is more important than ever that schools take steps to protect their premises from offenders. There are a number of measures schools can take to better secure school property and assets, which would ideally be a combination of both physical and electronic protection.
“Fencing around the perimeter can often offer a good first line of defence against unwanted visitors, while CCTV can act as a visual deterrent for those not wanting to be caught on camera. Vigilance from the local community can be a huge help. We urge those who live near schools to be vigilant this summer and report any unusual or suspicious activity they notice on school grounds.”
How to protect schools in Scotland this summer
Ensure CCTV systems have remote 24/7 monitoring services. Monitoring and alerting the police is far more effective than tracing criminals after a crime has taken place.
Install remotely monitored intruder alarms and change alarm security codes and passwords on a regular basis.
Install security lighting systems that have motion sensors to detect body movements.
Restrict access to school premises. Well-designed perimeter security such as walls, fences and electric security gates, and anti-climb paint help to prevent people from getting onto school sites.
Restrict vehicular access to the school site. Locate any designated parking as far from the school building as possible. The further thieves have to travel on foot the greater the risk of detection.
Use security marking systems such as SmartWater which can help with successful prosecution of thieves.
Ask the local community near your school to be vigilant and report any unusual or suspicious activity they notice on school grounds.
Inform neighbourhood watch schemes / police liaison officers of planned work over the holidays as thieves might pose as contractors.
Seek advice. Specialist insurers can offer advice and expertise to help schools manage security risks. Insurers can offer a combination of onsite and remote risk management services including security assessments and advice, alongside broader property protection and building valuation services.
Ecclesiastical Insurance offers a range of risk management support and guidance to help schools manage the risks they face.
For more information, visit the Ecclesiastical website for education risk guidance here.
BBC ALBA is set to air the upcoming home qualifier match for the UEFA Women’s European Championship 2025 as Scotland Women’s National Team (SWNT) face Serbia on Tuesday 16 July.
Broadcasting live from Partick Thistle’s Wyre Stadium at Firhill, the match kicks-off at 6.00pm GMT, with commentary from BBC Spòrs reporters Derek Mackay and Alex O’Henley, alongside former Rangers captain, Clare Gemmell.
English commentary will also be available via the ‘Red Button’ with regular broadcaster Stuart Mitchell, and former SWNT player Joelle Murray.
Pedro Martinez Losa’s side enter the latest EURO 2025 qualifying game having drawn 0-0 with Serbia during their first head-to-head in Leskovac in April.
SWNT have so far secured victories over Slovakia, and back-to-back home and away wins over Israel.
Fiona MacKenzie, BBC ALBA commissioning editor, said: “Scotland have delivered an impressive performance during the opening matches of the EURO 2025 qualifiers. After drawing 0-0 with Serbia during April’s away match, we’re expecting this match to bring great excitement to BBC ALBA viewers.”
Scotland are currently sitting at the top of Group B2 with 10 points, followed by Serbia, Slovakia and Israel. With 51 teams competing across three leagues, there are no automatic qualification places available for Scotland but there is the opportunity to earn a play-off spot, as well as the chance of promotion for group winners.
Watch live or on demand on BBC ALBA and BBC iPlayer:
Could you spare an hour on Sat 20th July to chat about bread?!
Some Edinburgh University researchers are currently recruiting for a focus group, and will pay £20 (generic shopping voucher). Please email the address on the poster if you’re interested..
You may know that we’re doing various experiments with grain growing and have been running Granton Garden Bakery since 2019. We’re interested in your views on bread, whatever they are!
The Veterans Comedy Club is heading to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a run of shows from sell-out stand-up comedians who are bonded by a unique camaraderie born from their past.
The Veterans Comedy Club, a newly formed community interest company (CIC), is a group of Armed Forces veterans who have completed the Royal British Legion’s ‘Recovery Through Comedy’ initiative. This programme sought to build resilience and confidence in Armed Forces veterans who had faced serious adversity, such as being physically injured through their service, or as sufferers of PTSD.
This was achieved through a stand-up comedy training programme, where the veterans, under the tutelage of comedy superstar Janice Connolly (also known for her award-winning comedy character Mrs Barbara Nice), morphed their personal experiences into stand-up comedy routines.
The culmination of the course was a three-day run of sell-out shows at last year’s Fringe at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, where disabled veterans make Remembrance symbols all year round.
Inspired by their personal transformation, the veterans founded The Veterans Comedy Club with the aim of producing more courses like the one that changed their lives. To raise awareness, they are returning to the Edinburgh Fringe for five more shows this year. From 13-15 August, they will once again be performing at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, which is situated on Logie Green Road in Edinburgh.
Commenting on this announcement, Director of The Veterans Comedy Club, Jane Britton, said:“We are thrilled to be returning to the Edinburgh Fringe this year for a string of performances. This is an opportunity for our comedians to continue their self-growth, and to raise awareness of the transformative qualities of stand-up comedy.
“The support from Fringe-goers last year was phenomenal, and we hope that by waiving any ticket cost, we can command similar audience sizes to last year. Through our great new show, we also aim to gain support for our aims as a CIC and raise funds through donations.
“But what’s most important is that we get the message out there, that stand-up comedy can have an inspirational impact on the mental and physical wellbeing of veterans, their families, and anyone else who may have experienced some level of trauma.
“We are a new and small organisation with the aim of making a big difference. We hope that the tremendous Scottish public will join us for an hour of laughter and camaraderie that we genuinely don’t believe you will find elsewhere.”
Charlie Pelling, Manager of Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, and a former officer in the Royal Tank Regiment, commented:“We are delighted to be welcoming the newly formed Veterans Comedy Club to Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory. I was in awe of the wit and humour of last year’s shows, and we are excited to catch up with the comedians and hear their new material.
“At Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory, we work hard throughout the year to provide Scotland and large parts of the rest of the UK with Wreaths and other Remembrance symbols, and to manufacture all items for the Scottish Poppy Appeal come November. But we always enjoy hosting events for key partners, especially those who are on a journey to make a difference.
“We look forward to welcoming members of the public to these shows and to continuing our close relationship with The Veterans Comedy Club.”
A Search and Recovery Dog, who specialised in searching for the bodies of missing people underwater, has been awarded a prestigious PDSA Medal posthumously for his unwavering devotion to duty and service to society following an impressive 11-year career.
Springer Spaniel Barra, who sadly died earlier this year aged 14, has become the 43rd recipient of the PDSA Order of Merit*, the equivalent of the animals’ OBE.
Alongside his handler Iain Marshall, (57), Barra helped locate missing people on waterways across the UK – and was often requested personally by families who were desperate to find their loved ones.
Thanks to Barra’s incredible work, many families have been reunited with the bodies of their loved ones and have been able to lay them to rest.
Award reaction
Commenting on the award, Jan McLoughlin, Director General at PDSA, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be honouring Barra posthumously with the PDSA Order of Merit.
“Barra’s outstanding devotion to duty and service to society was demonstrated time and time again throughout his decade-long career, and his exceptional skills went above and beyond that of normal companionship, making him a very worthy recipient of the PDSA Order of Merit.
“Awarding the PDSA Order of Merit to Barra posthumously is a fitting tribute to his lifetime of dedication and hard work.”
Barra’s owner, Iain, added: “I am absolutely over the moon that Barra has received the PDSA Order of Merit posthumously.
“We never did any of this for recognition in the form of awards or medals, we did it to help families who needed us but none the less, we are delighted to see Barra’s commitment to search and recovery being recognised by PDSA in this way.
“Barra was an incredible Search and Rescue Dog but also a loving and important member of our family – we had an incredible bond and I miss him every day.”
Barra’s story
As a volunteer coastguard in Scotland, Iain Marshall was moved by the amount of incidents taking place on the River Clyde and wanted to do something to help some of the families affected.
English Springer Spaniel Barra was born in Wales on 15 March 2010 as part of a litter from a local Police Dog. Iain saw the post online and travelled to Wales to meet him.
In 2011, after less than a year of training with Mick Swindells of Search Dogs UK, and Dave Jones of International Rescue Training Centre Wales, Barra qualified as Scotland’s first underwater sniffer dog.
Upon qualifying, the Springer Spaniel moved to his forever home in Luss, Scotland with Iain where his career began.
A year later, Iain recruited his second Springer Spaniel Eriskay in the same way and the trio made up voluntary organisation K9 Search and Recovery.
Barra worked all over the UK, including on many high-profile national investigations where desperate families personally requested him to come on board due to his esteemed reputation.
One significant example of Barra’s inspirational work is when he found the body of a missing person in the River Clyde in 2013. A 30-year-old male had been missing for three and a half weeks but had sadly passed away. Barra helped to locate him, enabling his family to come to terms with his death and allowing them to hold a funeral to celebrate his life.
After an incredible 11-year career, Barra retired in 2022 due to mobility issues and sadly, after two years enjoying retirement, Barra passed away in May 2024.
Iain shared the news on the K9 Search and Recovery Scotland’s Facebook page adding: “Barra devoted his entire life to helping others right up to the age of 13 years, which is remarkable. Barra and I had a special bond and I can’t imagine life without him.”
PDSA’s Animal Awards Programme
PDSA’s Animal Awards Programme was instituted in 1943 by the charity’s founder, Maria Dickin. She believed that if animals were recognised for their heroic actions, it would help to raise their status in society and ensure better treatment. The charity continues this legacy today with the world’s leading Animal Awards Programme.
The PDSA Order of Merit is one of four awards available. It recognises animals who display outstanding devotion above and beyond normal companionship, and animal acts that symbolise their special relationship with humans.
“By awarding animals with the PDSA Order of Merit, we hope to ensure that extraordinary animal contributions to society can be formally recognised and honoured, however and wherever they occur,” Jan added.
To date, the charity has awarded the PDSA Order of Merit to 43 animals, including 12 horses and 31 dogs including Barra.
A new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland explores Scotland’s critical position on the frontline of the Cold War. Cold War Scotland (13 Jul 2024 – 26 Jan 2025), features dozens of objects on display for the first time, including secret intelligence training documents and a map of central Scotland marked to highlight targets under threat of nuclear attack.
Scotland’s unique geography and topography provided a useful base for NATO military preparations and research during the Cold War, a 40-year nuclear stand-off between the USA and the Soviet Union following the end of the Second World War. Opening this Saturday, 13 June, the exhibition tells the stories of the Scots at the centre of this global conflict.
For the first time visitors will see an Ordnance Survey map of Scotland hand-painted to highlight areas that were expected to be affected in the event of a nuclear attack, particularly major cities, military bases and dockyards.
Created in the 1980s, it is colour coded to indicate the point of explosion and scale of the impact across the central belt and beyond. Atomic power brought jobs and investment to some of the country’s most remote areas, but as global tensions mounted this threat of attack or nuclear disaster became part of everyday life. Cold War Scotland explores both the visible and invisible legacies of the war in Scotland.
The impact of the war still lingers in Scottish politics, culture and memory. Scots played an active role in the global conflict as soldiers, for example, within intelligence services and as part of voluntary civil defences.
2HX4YA3 Britain’s Women Learn Atom Defence — Wearing anti-gas boots and headphones, Pamela Preston of the KVS probes and area with a Geiger monitor for supposed deadly radioactivity. A three-girl team drawn from the Red cross, the Women’s voluntary service and the red cross took part in a demonstration of atomic defence techniques at Winchester. England, Feb 18, The display was given by naval personnel from the Atomic defense school, HMS Phoenix, and was organized by the Hampshire civil defense corps. August 01, 1952. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).
The exhibition also draws on Scotland’s rich history of Cold War-era protest and activism. Firsthand accounts include a young mother who decorated her daughter’s pram with Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) badges.
A rattle made from an old laundry detergent bottle emblazoned with the CND logo was given to them during the Peace Marches of the early 1980s and is on display in the exhibition.
The exhibition also reveals the physical remains of the Cold War; the ruined bases, forgotten bunkers and decommissioned nuclear power stations still evident across the Scottish landscape.
This infrastructure became part of the fabric of local communities, none more so than the US-controlled listening and monitoring station at RAF Edzell in Angus, now commemorated with its own bespoke tartan.
Dr Meredith Greiling, Principal Curator of Technology at National Museums Scotland, said: “From nuclear submarines to lively peace protests and observation stations perpetually monitoring for devastating attack, the Cold War permeated every aspect of life in Scotland for decades.
“This conflict is so often remembered on a global scale, but this thought-provoking exhibition will offer a Scottish perspective of the period, allowing Scots from all walks of life to tell their remarkable stories for the first time.”
Further highlights of the exhibition include artwork from Glasgow’s 1951 Exhibition of Industrial Power and a toy nuclear power station, operated by steam and hot to the touch when played with.
Both these examples highlight the spirit of optimism, progress and modernity associated with atomic energy in postwar Britain. In contrast, a Geiger counter used by farmers in East Ayrshire to test for radiation in sheep following the Chernobyl Disaster illustrates the enduring but unseen impact of the Cold War on Scotland’s landscape.
The exhibition will be supported by a book and programme of events including curator tours and talks. Cold War Scotland is an output of Materialising the Cold War, a collaborative research project between National Museums Scotland and the University of Stirling.
The project explores how the Cold War heritage is represented and how museums can adapt to tell this story in future. Materialising the Cold War is funded by a major grant from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Cold War Scotland is part of Edinburgh Art Festival, taking place between 9 – 25 August 2024.
Cold War Scotland is part of Edinburgh Art Festival, taking place between 9-25 August 2024.
Pub and bar licensing hours extended tonight after England reach the final of the UEFA European Football Championship
TONIGHT (Sunday 14 July), pubs and bars across England and Wales can keep their doors open until 1am as England bid to become champions of Europe, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has confirmed.
Following the Three Lions’ emphatic (Eh? – Never a penalty! – Ed.) semi-final win on Wednesday night, the team is set to go head to head with Spain in the final of the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship.
The heavyweight clash will kick off at 8pm, with fans up and down the country coming together to show their support.
Pub licensing hours can be relaxed to mark occasions of “exceptional national significance”, meaning pubs and bars will be able to stay open for an extra 2 hours tonight.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “We’re so proud of Gareth Southgate and the England team. It’s right that we can all come together tomorrow to enjoy the match and—do we dare to dream?!—hopefully celebrate an England victory.
“I want to pay special thanks to the police officers and first responders who will be working across communities to keep us safe.
“I look forward to getting behind all our brilliant players, who bring so much pride to our country, and I want to wish the team the best of luck. Let’s bring it home.”
As well as bringing fans together for longer, tomorrow night’s extension is due to be a welcomed boost to the hospitality industry.
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: “As with the semi-finals, pubs will be licensed to stay open until 1am on Sunday night and thanks to the Home Office for making the changes to the licensing rules for allowing this to happen.
“The changes give fans even more time to enjoy the game, support our pubs and hopefully celebrate football finally coming home.
“Fans have shown us resoundingly this tournament that there is no better place to watch our teams and soak up the atmosphere than the great British pub. This Sunday the BBPA urges everyone to get down their local, support our pubs and get behind the boys. Come on England!”
UK Hospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said: “The Euros have provided a huge boost for hospitality businesses this summer, as fans pack pubs, bars and fan zones to come together and cheer on the home nations.
The extended licensing hours for the final will allow venues and fans to take advantage of the occasion, and hopefully celebrate an historic England win.”
IN THE INTEREST OF BALANCE IT’S ONLY FAIR TO SAY THAT NOT EVERYONE IN THE BRITISH ISLES IS LOOKING FORWARD TO ‘AN HISTORIC ENGLAND WIN’:
MAY the best – and not just the luckiest – team win tonight! – Ed.
