Month: November 2024

Motorists urged to follow winter warnings

Motorists are being warned about winter driving hazards they need to be aware of as temperatures start to drop.

Experts from car insurance firm Quotezone.co.uk have revealed ways motorists can avoid penalty points, fines, higher insurance premiums and help keep themselves and other road users safe.

Winter is a dangerous time of year to be driving, with darker nights, awkward sunshine and icy road surfaces.

When asked about their biggest fear when driving in the winter, a recent Quotezone survey found 48% said driving in snow and icy conditions is their biggest worry.

To try to alleviate these fears, motorists are encouraged to plan ahead for the winter weather, be extra cautious and adjust their driving to meet the conditions.

Greg Wilson, car insurance expert and CEO of Quotezone.co.uk said: “Winter is probably the most challenging time of the year for drivers, as part of Road Safety Week we wanted to raise awareness of the difficulties many drivers face every day and encourage everyone to get prepared for winter.

“The Quotezone survey showed nearly half are worried about driving in snowy and icy conditions, but there are steps drivers can take to help keep them safe.  It’s important to make sure the vehicle is road worthy – especially tyres, it’s vital they are fit for purpose, fully inflated and pass the 20p tread depth test to ensure they have enough grip in treacherous conditions.

“It’s sensible to give your vehicle some TLC before setting off, especially on longer road trips over the festive season to visit friends and family, ensuring all lights are working and fluid levels are all topped up.  It can also be helpful to pack the boot with a winter survival kit, with essentials in case of an accident or breakdown.

“Road safety is paramount and something all drivers need to take seriously.  We’re proud to support road safety charity Brake and the vital work they do supporting communities throughout Great Britain – their vision is a world where we can all move in a safe and healthy way, working to stop crashes on our roads, reduce harm when a crash happens, and help every road victim get the support they need, for as long as they need it.”

Quotezone.co.uk has put together a list of five things to look out for when driving this winter:

1.Check tyres

Motorists can be fined a hefty £2,500 for each faulty tyre and receive three points on their driving licence. If the police see another tyre falling short, it doubles to £5,000 and six points. Four faulty tyres could even see the maximum 12 points, resulting in the loss of a driving licence.  Bare and worn tyres will have less grip and be treacherous in icy conditions, when you insert a 20p into the gap in the tyre tread, the rubber needs to cover the bottom line of the 20p, to ensure the tyres have enough grip.

2.Clear your windscreen before you set off

Windscreens with inhibited views can land drivers with a £1,000 fine and three points on a driving licence. So any leaves, snow, ice, mud or even condensation, needs to be fully cleared before you start driving – not having a full view of the road is incredibly dangerous.

3.Defrosting

It’s tempting to leave the engine running while the windscreen unfreezes, and the car warms up. However, if the vehicle is stolen in the meantime, many insurance companies will not cover the loss. Leaving engines running, also known as ‘idling’ is also an offence under section 42 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. This is because it’s bad for the environment as it increases the amount of dangerous gases emitted into the air from the car’s exhaust.  It’s also incredibly dangerous if done near a school so best to switch the engine off completely if waiting on the school pick-up.

4.Clean the number plate

Excess mud and grit on the roads this time of year can make your car dirty very quickly, and if the number plate isn’t clearly visible, drivers could face a fine of £1,000.  The police need visible access to your number plate at all times, for the safety of all road users.

5.Driving in a flood

Some car insurance policies include clauses advising policyholders not to drive through flooded roads, and may specifically exclude cover for any water damage to the car if the motorist goes against this advice.  It’s also extremely dangerous as the engine can stall and the vehicle can be left stranded.

It’s also sensible to pack the car with winter essentials before setting off, such as a torch, a blanket, a shovel, water and rations, a first aid kit, de-icer and a spare phone charger – to help cope with the unexpected.

Quotezone.co.uk helps drivers compare and save on all sorts of motoring products such as breakdown cover, car, motorbike and van insurance.

Social Bite Festival of Kindness seeks Edinburgh locals to help to raise donations and joy in the city

  • The Edinburgh Festival of Kindness campaign kicks off on Castle Street
  • The charity is calling for locals to rally to help hit target of providing 300,000 gifts, meals and essential items to homeless and vulnerable people this Christmas

Leading homelessness charity, Social Bite, is calling on kind-hearted Edinburgh locals of all ages to help raise 300,000 gifts, meals and essential items to donate to people experiencing homelessness this Christmas season as part of its Festival of Kindness (from Monday 25th November).

The charity’s annual campaign is returning to the city for its fifth year, as it continues its mission to help end homelessness and spread some much-needed festive joy throughout November and December. This year donations can be made to the city’s Tree of Kindness on Castle Street.

Since 2019, Edinburgh locals have contributed generously towards Social Bite’s yearly target of 300,000 gifts, essentials and Christmas meals, which went towards providing vulnerable people and people experiencing homelessness with a loving Christmas.

Homelessness has been declared as a national emergency, and food poverty is on the rise, so more people are facing a desperate winter than ever before, including families with children. This is why each year Social Bite’s Festival of Kindness aims to bring joy and comfort to those who are facing a difficult Christmas, and this year that may be needed more than ever.

As well as gifts hand delivered to the Social Bite Tree of Kindness, those looking to take part can also donate virtually. Donations of just £28 could provide someone with a hot Christmas meal, a gift, a bundle of essential items and a bed for the night.

Supporters can also choose to donate items including a pack of warm gloves for £10, or even 10 winter essential items and backpack for £250: there are so many ways to get involved and help support people who need it most at this time of year.

Founder of Social Bite, Josh Littlejohn MBE, said: “Across the UK, homelessness is increasing. Earlier this year, the Scottish government homelessness report revealed a 5% increase in homelessness applications in Edinburgh, and just recently, the city’s vulnerable took a further hit with the announcement that 1,200 affordable homes will be cut from plans due to lack of funding. That means this year, our Festival of Kindness is more important than ever. 

“The people of Edinburgh have generously supported Festival of Kindness for the past four years. This year, we’re asking them to once again demonstrate that warm-heartedness they’re famous for and donate at our Tree of Kindness or online.” 

Over and above the tree located on Edinburgh’s Castle Street, four other Trees of Kindness have been installed across the UK. Donors can bring physical gifts to the trees which will be distributed to homeless and vulnerable people in time for Christmas, including:

  • Glasgow – Vinicombe Street
  • Dundee – Union Street
  • London – the Strand, outside Charing Cross station
  • Aberdeen – outside the Bon Accord Centre

For anyone who can’t make it along to the Festival of Kindness donation points, contributions can also be made online at social-bite.co.uk/festival-of-kindness/.

The charity, in collaboration with people they support, has created a wish list of items and gifts that vulnerable people and people experiencing homelessness want most at this time of year.

These include a warm pair of gloves, a hot water bottle and a torch, good quality socks, and toys and warm clothing for children living in temporary accommodation to open on Christmas morning.

Donors can also buy a Christmas dinner, a gift, a pack of essential items and overnight emergency accommodation for £28. 

Residents at local care home enjoy firefighters visit

Residents and guests at Strachan House care home in Edinburgh enjoyed a visit from the wonderful local Fire Service.

Residents enjoyed a talk with the local firefighters and a look round the engine. Modern fire brigades around the world were created after Edinburgh led the way 200 years ago.  City authorities set up the Edinburgh Fire Engine Establishment in 1824, following a several fires – the largest of which raged for five days, killing 13 people and making hundreds homeless.

General Manager, Francis Fisher said, “Our residents had a wonderful day. We do our best to provide a wide range of activities and entertainment as part of the lifestyle enrichment programme for residents, and this was one of our favourites!”

One resident said “We all enjoyed a chat with the firemen and a look around the engine, it was very interesting.”

Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House Care Home provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for residents from respite care to long term stays.

LifeCare Edinburgh announces first Burns Day family-friendly Ceilidh

Local charity, LifeCare Edinburgh, is marking St Andrew’s Day by announcing first family friendly ceilidh.

This Burn’s Day, join LifeCare Edinburgh for dancing and delicious food at our Community Ceilidh. Enjoy music from the Gallivanters Ceilidh Band and traditional Scottish stovies. 

Everyone is welcome at this fully accessible, family friendly event at the LifeCare Centre on Cheyne Street in the heart of Stockbridge.

Date: Saturday 25th January

Time: 2-4pm 

Family ticket £28 (2 adults & 2 kids)

Adult ticket £10

Child ticket £5 (under 3’s go free)

Booking is open now via eventbrite or by calling 0131 343 0940  

We can’t wait to welcome you!

Tesco grant helps Leith pupils start their day correctly with healthy boost

Pupils at Leith Academy have received a major boost, with Tesco donating £1,500 to ensure young people have access to a healthy breakfast before they start their school day.

The Leith Academy Breakfast Cafe project was established 12 years ago to make sure pupils attending school can set themselves up for the day ahead, providing healthy breakfast snacks such as cereals, yogurts, juices and slices of toast.

To bolster the service, the school applied to Tesco’s Stronger Starts scheme, which awards funds to charities and community organisations that make a positive difference in the lives of children and young people.

The school’s application was successful, earning it the special £1,500 grant, and teacher Sheila Ralston said the money will go towards giving young people further support at the beginning of the day, allowing the school to provide food products and new kitchen equipment for the café sessions.

Sheila said: “When a child arrives at school, they sometimes haven’t been able to have access to a full, healthy breakfast, which makes focusing during school even more challenging for them.

“Our experience has shown that a breakfast club plays an integral role for pupils from all backgrounds, ensuring that every pupil has a positive start to their day.

“With a wide range of students from a variety of backgrounds, we strongly agree that no child should be hungry, so with our free breakfast café, we’re providing an opportunity for them to start the day right. Also, to prevent any food going to waste, any leftovers are also provided to our Community Fridge to provide support to further others in our community.

“With this Tesco funding, we can continue to purchase healthy food items such as cereals and yogurts to support more pupils looking to start the day in the right way. We’d like to thank everyone who voted for our school and helped us to receive this grant to further boost our breakfast café project.” 

The Stronger Starts scheme, in partnership with the Groundwork charity, aims to support many community projects and good causes in the coming years, with thousands of pounds to give away. The scheme typically gives shoppers a chance on voting for local good causes to receive a £500, £1,000 or £1,500 grant.

Claire De Silva, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “We’re delighted that we can help groups and clubs such as Leith Academy. Stronger Starts invites our customers to use their blue tokens to vote for local schemes they feel will benefit children and young people, and it’s so good to see the impact that the funding makes.”

Since Tesco launched its Community Grants programme in 2016, more than £100million has been given to more than 50,000 local schools and community groups.

Shoppers can support their local school and children’s groups by dropping the Tesco blue token they receive at checkout into the relevant voting box as they leave the store.

For further information please go to https://tescostrongerstarts.org.uk

Palace of Holyroodhouse lit up for Christmas

From today, visitors to the Palace of Holyroodhouse will see the State Apartments decorated with magnificent Christmas displays.

A highlight this year is the wood-panelled Throne Room, which has been decorated with two 12-foot-high Christmas trees and a sparkling mantle garland.

A glistening 15-foot-high Nordmann Fir tree and two decorated mantelpieces create a festive atmosphere in the storied Great Gallery, while in the Royal Dining Room visitors will see a spectacular table display.

Robison has limited room for manoeuvre in next week’s Scottish Budget

Despite increases in funding for Scotland from the UK Government’s October Budget, Scottish Government Finance Minister Shona Robison has little room for manoeuvre when she presents her Budget for 2025-26 next week (write FRASER OF ALLANDER INSTITUTE’S Joao Sousa and Mairi Spowage).

This is the headline message of the Scotland’s Budget Report 2024, published yesterday by the Fraser of Allander Institute at the University of Strathclyde.

Significant Barnett Formula consequentials have been generated by UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcements last month – £1.5bn in 2024-25 (of which £1.4bn is resource) and £3.4billion in 2025-26 (of which £2.8bn is resource).

However, the Scottish Government has said the funding provided in the 2024-25 year is already largely committed. If this is the case, the uplift for 2025-26 is under more pressure than it would appear. On the resource side, this would mean an uplift of £1.4 bn in 2024-25 being followed by an uplift of £1.4bn in 2025-26.

Public Sector Pay makes up over half of the Scottish Government’s resource budget, and therefore the decisions made on pay will have significant bearing on the overall budget position. Wage bills recur every year, thus current and future 2024-25 pay decisions will have a big impact on the overall budgetary decisions.

The fact that public sector workers are, on average, paid more in Scotland, will mean that the challenges are even more acute, given the country’s much larger public sector. The decisions on this, and on areas like social security, have put additional pressure on the Scottish Government’s budget.

Dr João Sousa, Deputy Director of the Institute, said: “As part of our report today, we have published where we think the Scottish Government are in terms of their funding position for 2024-25.

“Figuring out the funding position for 2025-26 has been much more challenging. The lack of a Medium Term Financial Strategy this year has made calculating this near impossible, but we have set out the various pressures that the budget is likely to be under.

“Health Spending, all other pay, social security and grants to local government make up £7 in every £8 the Scottish Government spends. This seriously limits their room for manoeuvre in changing the overall shape of the Budget.”

The report includes significant analysis of how Scotland spends its money to understand more about the discretionary power the Government has to prioritise its budgetary decisions.

Also included is analysis of the impact of employer National Insurance Contribution rises on the Scottish Government’s Budget, and analysis of the cost to the Scottish Government of replicating the 40% retail, hospitality and leisure relief (RHL) announced by Rachel Reeves in Scotland.

Our analysis also that although spending on reducing child poverty – stated by successive Scottish First Ministers as one of the main, if not their utmost priority – has grown significantly since 2018-19, it would not be fair to say that it has become a large part of the Scottish Budget.

It remains under 3% of all discretionary resource funding, and capital spending on child poverty reduction through the provision of affordable housing and urban regeneration has actually fallen by 13% in real terms since 2019-20.

Read the full report here.

Pupils’ cards bring festive cheer to Princes Street

A set of 12 ‘Season’s Greetings’ cards designed by Edinburgh school pupils will brighten up Princes Street, with winning designs displayed on JCDecaux digital screens from Thursday 28th November to Sunday 1st December.

Three of the young winning artists; Eshaal Ahmed (Drummond High School), Elsie Smith (Bruntsfield Primary School) and Lilia Walas (Braidburn School), joined the City of Edinburgh Council Leader, Cammy Day on Thursday to unveil their designs at a bus shelter on Princes Street.

In addition, winning card designs by Eshaal Ahmed (Drummond High School), Elsie Smith (Bruntsfield Primary School), Lily Stokes (Parsons Green Primary School), Suri Pirani Carrasco (Drummond High School) and Mark Downie (Pilrig Park School) have been selected to feature on the official festive greetings cards for the City of Edinburgh Council.

The Season’s Greetings competition is an annual event, with 2024 marking the eighth year that JCDecaux UK has offered lucky Edinburgh pupils the chance to have their designs shown on digital Out-of-Home screens on Princes Street.

Council leader Cammy Day said: “The standard of artwork in this year’s competition made it really difficult to narrow down the entries to just 12 to feature on digital screens on Princes Street.

“I want to thank the teaching staff at schools across the city who have encouraged their pupils to get involved in the competition, and congratulate the youngsters who have had their creative artworks recognised.”

Lord Provost Robert Aldridge added: “Every year I am blown away not only by the number of entries we receive to the Seasons Greetings’ competition but by the standard of creativity from children and young people across the city.

“It’s amazing for pupils and their families to see their artwork on display on Princes Street, and I know that the designs will delight shoppers this weekend.”

Mike MacLennan, New Business Development & Partnership Manager at JCDecaux UK, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this wonderful artwork competition once again, working with The City of Edinburgh Council to showcase the talent and creativity of young artists in Edinburgh.

“This annual display on digital bus shelter screens brings festive cheer to people out and about on Princes Street.”

The winning designs will be displayed on all JCDecaux digital screens on Princes Street from Thursday 28th November to Sunday 1st December.

Opens Today: Leith Creative Trail

The Heart of Newhaven will be one of the participating venues this weekend as part of the Leith Creative Trai! – a trail of Leith’s creative Markets and Open Studios.

It’s an opportunity to discover and celebrate all the artistic happenings in the vibrant nooks of Leith. Some new, some institutions, some small, some big but all full of curiosity and talent.

There are 19 participating venues over the course of the week! Check out the directory and map ⬇️⬇️ and explore all that is on offer!