Day: November 13, 2024

LifeCare wins Community Engagement Award at ScottishPower Foundation 10th anniversary charity celebration

The milestone year saw inspiring charities awarded additional funding for their vital projects including Stockbridge-based charity, Lifecare Edinburgh

At the 10th Anniversary ScottishPower Foundation Awards, LifeCare Edinburgh took home the Community Engagement Award for its outstanding Community Care for Everyone project.

This recognition comes with a £10,000 funding boost, which will be used to help the charity continue to fight the pressures caused by the cost of living crisis as well as bring new activities to its service users.

This dedicated service delivers significant, life-changing benefits to the growing population of older people living on low incomes. This includes the CafeLife where people in the community can meet, eat, chat, and feel a sense of belonging.

By providing practical help within the home, companionship, and hot, freshly-cooked meals, LifeCare Edinburgh is making a profound impact on both the physical health and mental wellbeing of over 200 vulnerable older individuals. This support ensures that these individuals feel secure, connected, and enabled to thrive in their own homes and communities.

Lifecare Edinburgh’s Ian McRae also came runner-up in the Charity Champion category for his work over the past six years, providing support to clients with dementia. His commitment and empathy shine through his work, including helping introduce new clients, supporting existing ones, and easing the reintegration of clients post-pandemic.

Ian’s personal experience with dementia in his family helps drive his passion, leading him to create a handbook, “The Importance of Memory,” to help others.

His efforts have been instrumental in raising awareness for LifeCare, and his warmth and understanding make him a beloved figure among clients, staff, and volunteers.

This award has also come with an additional £5,000 which the charity looks to put towards training new volunteers up to the incredible standards Ian has set.

Sarah van Putten, Chief Executive, LifeCare Edinburgh, said: “We are so grateful to have been honoured with this award and are excited for what this means for our service users. LifeCare Edinburgh provides vital support and to be able to do what we do is so vital to the population of Edinburgh.

“A huge congratulations must also be given to Ian who consistently has gone over and above, impressing us with his commitment, understanding, empathy and support.

“We send our thanks to the ScottishPower Foundation for its continued support through this project, and we cannot wait to put this funding to use.”

Melanie Hill, Executive Officer, and Trustee at the ScottishPower Foundation, said: “A heartfelt congratulations to all our winners at this year’s ScottishPower Foundation Awards. This milestone year is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the incredible work these charities do in our communities.

“Choosing this year’s winners was an immense challenge, given the outstanding quality of nominations we received. The dedication and passion demonstrated by LifeCare Edinburgh truly embodies the spirit of the ScottishPower Foundation Awards. Their unwavering commitment to making a positive difference in people’s lives is inspirational.

“It brings us real joy to celebrate with such highly deserving charities. The additional funding they receive will undoubtedly help them advance their impactful projects even further.

“Once again, a massive congratulations to all our winners. Their phenomenal work continues to make a significant difference, and we are excited to see what they achieve next.”

Further details on the winners and runners-up are available on the ScottishPower Foundation website: scottishpowerfoundation.com.

UK ‘shows international leadership in tackling climate crisis’

UK government announces new climate goals at COP29, including reducing emissions by 81% by 2035, as Prime Minister calls on other countries to bring forward ambitious targets

  • New UK target to reduce emissions by 81% by 2035 at COP29 in Azerbaijan
  • targets support government’s clean energy superpower mission to give Britain more security, deliver jobs and economic growth
  • Prime Minister calls for others to come forward with ambitious targets

Tackling the climate crisis is essential to our national energy security, economic growth, and our efforts to protect current and future generations, the UK government said as it unveils the UK’s new climate goals at the COP29 Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.  

Yesterday’s announcement will strengthen the UK’s position as a place for investment in the technologies and jobs that are driving growth across the world.   

There are 640,000 green jobs in the UK, growing at a rate 4 times faster than overall UK employment.

To support the industry the government has announced a significant investment programme in homegrown British energy – including renewables, carbon capture and storage, nuclear and hydrogen.  

The UK’s reliance on fossil fuels has also been felt by every family and business in the last few years with the worst cost of living crisis in memory, driven by energy price spikes from international gas markets. 

That’s why the government’s mission is to tackle the climate crisis in a way that makes the British people better off by investing in clean homegrown power and unlocking thousands of jobs, having already seen £34.8 billion of private investment into the UK’s clean energy industries since July.   

This ambitious and pragmatic new target supports the UK’s mission for growth, helping to attract further investment and jobs in low carbon technologies such as solar and wind, electric vehicles and batteries. 

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “The only way to protect current generations is by making Britain a clean energy superpower, and the only way to protect future generations is by tackling the climate crisis.   

“Britain is back in the business of climate leadership, with an ambitious new target that will protect our environment, deliver energy security and restore our global climate reputation.  

“We will cut emissions across the country, delivering for our environment and ending our exposure to spiking fossil fuel markets.”

This ambitious and pragmatic new target – in line with the recommendation from the Climate Change Committee and previously legislated and legally-binding Carbon Budgets for the same period.

The target forms what is called the UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC): commitments that countries make to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate climate change. It is aligned to 1.5C.

The UK has called for other countries to match the UK’s ambition to address the urgency of climate change, following stark warnings from the United Nations that the world is way off track to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C.

Since July the government has:   

  • lifted the ban on onshore wind in England
  • delivered a record number of clean energy projects through its renewables auction
  • consented unprecedented amounts of nationally significant solar – 2GW – more than the last 14 years combined
  • launched Great British Energy backed by £8.3 billion to speed up the deployment of clean technologies 
  • fired the starting gun on the UK’s carbon capture, usage and storage industry, with funding agreed for 2 clusters in Teesside and the North West

Globally, the costs of renewables continue to fall, with solar and wind now cheaper than existing coal and gas power plants in most of the world.  

Recent analysis from the International Energy Agency found that in 2023 for every $1 spent on fossil fuels, $1.7 was spent on clean energy. Global energy investment is set to be over $3 trillion in 2024, with $2 trillion of this on clean energy technologies and infrastructure.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s National Statement at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan yesterday:

The United Kingdom is determined to stand alongside those countries on the frontline of the climate crisis today…

And to seize the opportunities of tomorrow.

Because action on climate now is the route towards economic growth…

Energy security…

Better jobs….

And national security in the long term. 

To deliver on the Paris Agreement…

And keep 1.5 degrees within reach.

In the first 100 days of my government…

We launched Great British Energy – to create clean British power…

We created a National Wealth Fund – to invest in the green industries and jobs of the future…

We scrapped the ban on onshore wind…

Committed to no new North Sea oil and gas licences….

And closed the UK’s final coal power plant at the end of September – becoming the first G7 economy to phase out coal power.

In line with the international agreement at COP28 to transition from fossil fuels…

and the UK’s ambitious goal to be the first major economy to deliver clean power by 2030. 

Today I can confirm – three months ahead of deadline…

The UK’s 2035 international target –

Our nationally determined contribution –

to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions by at least 81% on 1990 levels….

Aligned with 1.5 degrees. 

And we urge all Parties –

To come forward with ambitious targets of their own…

As we all agreed at the last COP.

We will work in partnership…

to support other countries to develop their own commitments…

And transition through our forthcoming Global Clean Power Alliance – 

And finance will be its first focus. 

We will honour the commitment made by the previous government…

to provide £11.6 billion in of climate finance between April 2021 and March 2026….

But we must use public finance as a multiplier…

To unlock much more private investment…

And reform our international financial institutions. 

Today we launch the new CIF Capital Market Mechanism, listed on the London Stock Exchange…

With the potential to mobilise up to $75 billion…

in additional climate capital for developing countries over the next decade.

Putting the UK’s role as a global financial centre…

at the service of driving the green finance and green energy transitions.

Climate action is at the heart of this government’s mission for the protection and prosperity of Britain and the world. 

Writ large across our domestic and international priorities…

We are taking the urgent action needed – to protect our planet and its people.