The House of Hope, Scotland’s first dedicated wellbeing and support centre for people with breast cancer, has announced its first location on Gorgie Road in Edinburgh ahead of its opening in Spring 2025.
The announcement comes thanks to financial backing from early supporter The Scotto, which will fund the initial rent of the premises. The Scottish lottery, which also sponsors mental health charity SAMH and children’s cancer charity Calum’s Cabin, has generously donated £50,000 to The House of Hope.
The House of Hope’s first centre will be 490 Gorgie Road, a 3,016 ft² / 280 m² detached farmhouse-style office building located between the city centre and Edinburgh City Bypass. The property – previously home to Autism Initiatives UK’s Edinburgh office – is currently undergoing renovation and will welcome its first visitors next year.
Founded by Lisa Fleming, who was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in 2017, with husband Euan, The House of Hope will provide a supportive space for people impacted by breast cancer, as well as access to holistic therapies and wellbeing services away from the sterile hospital or clinical setting to compliment medical treatments.
The House of Hope was inspired by London’s first-ever specialised breast cancer centre, Future Dreams House, which offers support through a range of services for women affected by breast cancer, including counselling, yoga, massage, nutrition advice, and peer support groups.
Earlier this month, the centre also welcomed its first Centre Manager, Hazel McLinden, who will manage the House upon its opening in Spring and play a key part in supporting volunteers and visitors alike. Hazel brings over a decade of experience in charity sector to the role, having previously worked with Team Jak Foundation, a charity supporting children and young people with cancer and their families throughout Scotland.
Founder of The House of Hope Scotland, Lisa Fleming, said:“We are so grateful to The Scotto for committing its long-term support to The House of Hope in Scotland, as we prepare to open the doors to the centre in Gorgie next year.
“It’s so important to have a safe space that offers community and compassionate support for patients and their families following a breast cancer diagnosis, and that’s what we want The House of Hope to be – a haven away from clinical settings while still supporting medical treatment.”
Sales and Partnerships Manager of The Scotto, Marie-Claire Le Ray, said: “At The Scotto, we’re strongly committed to supporting good causes.
“Lisa is an absolutely inspirational woman and we’re proud to support The House of Hope and its vision to support those affected by breast cancer.”
A life-sized snow globe, displaying famous Scottish landmarks made from Walker’s Shortbread has been unveiled at Edinburgh Airport, bringing joy to thousands of travellers over the Christmas period.
Located opposite the main entrance to the World Duty Free store at Edinburgh airport, the snow globe will be on display until the 6 January, and forms part of a new festive pop up by Walker’s Shortbread in partnership with Avolta, that will bring the joy of shortbread to life, with a unique and immersive experience for visitors.
Travellers will be taken on a magical journey across Scotland, starting in the Scottish Highlands at Walker’s famous bakery shop in Aberlour. The original Walker’s van is shown travelling down to Edinburgh to deliver shortbread in time for Christmas, with the journey continuing past nine iconic landmarks in Scotland including Fingal’s Cave, Glenfinnan Viaduct, the Wallace Monument, The Kelpies and Greyfriars Bobby.
The eye-catching shortbread structures are designed by food artist, Prudence Staite, who has previously created models of Edinburgh Castle, Burj Khalifa, and other landmarks, entirely out of Walker’s Shortbread.
For a truly captivating immersive experience, the globe will have “snow” inside the display which is accompanied by the scent of freshly baked shortbread, helping transport visitors to Walker’s home in Aberlour. Complimentary samples of Walker’s will also be available.
Bryony Walker, Head of Commercial Strategy at Walker’s Shortbread, said:“The holiday season is a special time filled with excitement, celebration and good-will. We wanted to capture this ‘festive spirit’ and bring it to life within our first ever snow globe while also paying tribute to our Scottish roots which forms a big part of who we are as a brand.
“Above all, we wanted to create a fun and memorable experience for our shoppers to enjoy – whether that’s through tasting our shortbread, seeing the shortbread sculptures or purchasing a special gift for a loved one.”
In the spirit of giving, a personalisation station will open at the pop-up site, providing shoppers with free personalised festive sleeves to wrap purchases of Walker’s Twin Pack of Shortbread Fingers and Walker’s Festive Shortbread Tubes range. To create the special gift, all passengers must do is type their message on the provided screen and a sleeve will be printed on site.
Adding to the festive fun, Walker’s is launching a hamper giveaway where passengers can guess the amount of shortbread in the snow globe. Then by scanning a QR code they can enter their chosen number to join the giveaway, and they can also nominate a loved one to receive the hamper if they win.
Gail Taylor, Chief Commercial Officer at XAero, commented:“We love bringing an extra special twist to Christmas travel so why wouldn’t we combine snow and shortbread!?
“We know many of our passengers always look for that sweet treat as a special gift for someone, and we hope this activity also leaves them with some fun memories as well.”
Jonathan McIvor, Category Manager for Food & Confectionery for Avolta in the UK added, “We’re always looking for novel ways to bring memorable experiences to shoppers. By partnering with forward-thinking brands like Walker’s Shortbread, we can really elevate the shopping experience for our customers.
“Exciting fixtures like Walker’s snow globe will really surprise and delight travellers as they pass through Edinburgh Airport and visit our World Duty Free store.It’s a sensory display that is sure to capture the attention of everyone who passes by!”
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, has raised concerns over an increase to a record high in the number of pupils identified with additional support needs (ASN).
The figures were released today (10 December) in the Scottish Government’s annual census of pupils and teachers in publicly funded schools.1 Concerns have also been raised about a decline in the number of special schools, and the level of statutory support being offered to those with the most complex needs, meaning that thousands of children and young people are being let down overall.
The figures show that the number of pupils with ASN, such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems in 2024 has reached a record high of 284,448. This represents 40.5% of the pupil population, rising from 140,542 in 2014 (20.8% of the pupil population).2
It amounts to a more than doubling (102.4%) in numbers over the past decade.
Amounting to more than two out of five of the pupil population, this is set against a backdrop of budgetary cuts and an ongoing lack of support for those with ASN, including cuts in numbers of specialist ASN teachers and support staff.
The SCSC has called for increased resourcing to address this growing need, which is also having an impact on surging levels of classroom disruption and violence, as well as adequate training and development of staff. This includes increases in the numbers of specialist teachers, pupil support assistants, mental health professionals and educational psychologists.
The rise in the number of those with ASN, is against the background of a slump in the number of special schools, which have fallen from 145 in 2014 to 107 this year.
The SCSC has also voiced concerns over a declining number of those with complex or multiple ASN needs receiving a co-ordinated support plan (CSP).
Prepared by local authorities, CSPs are the only education plans that are legally enforceable documents. They require services such as education, health and social work to work together to give a child or young person the support they need. This provides some guarantees of entitlement to additional resources and legal redress, placing statutory duties on local authorities to review and ensure the provisions contained within it are being met.
Despite a Scottish Government promise that there would be no reduction in the proportion of pupils receiving them since their introduction in 2004, there has been a significant fall in the number of pupils with a CSP. In 2014, there were 3,128 pupils with CSPs.3 However, in 2024 this number had fallen to 1,215.4 This amounts to a drop of 61.1% and is a reduction from 2.2% to 0.4% of those with ASN.
The coalition has called for an expansion in access to CSPs, with the Scottish Government, local authorities, health and other relevant agencies collaborating more effectively to ensure that those requiring such a legal plan receive one.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “While more children and young people are being identified as having ASN, now at a record high, this is against the increasingly challenging backdrop of a lack of specialist teachers, support staff and the resources needed to support them.
“This is not only letting down thousands of children and young person, but also their fellow pupils, teachers and support staff. Increased support is critical, especially post the Covid-19 pandemic and the damaging impact this has had on many of our children and young people, exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis, all of which is hitting the poorest hardest.
“A decline in the number of special schools is also worrying, putting increased pressure on the mainstream sector, with many of those with ASN more suited to a special school environment.
“We are also concerned that despite an increase in the numbers of those with ASN, there has been a notable decline in the use of CSPs, which are legally enforceable and designed to support those with the most complex needs.
“The Scottish Government, local authorities, health and other agencies need to work in collaboration with the private and third sectors to provide the necessary resourcing and support to address the needs of children and young people with ASN. They must also work together to ensure that those who are entitled to a CSP receive one.
“With those with ASN drawn disproportionately from poorer neighbourhoods, if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap, these children and young people must get the care and support they need when they need it.”
THE SCOTCH WHISKY EXPERIENCE SECURES THREE MAJOR AWARD WINS
The Scotch Whisky Experience, an internationally renowned whisky tourism destination by Edinburgh Castle, has achieved an exceptional series of wins at three major award ceremonies: The Scottish Thistle Awards, The Scottish Whisky Awards and The World Drinks Awards.
The national Scottish Thistle Awards named The Scotch Whisky Experience Scotland’s Best Visitor Attraction. The organisers, VisitScotland, describe the award as recognising “attractions which provide world class service with an authentic, memorable Scottish experience” and commended The Scotch Whisky Experience for “helping the world fall in love with Scotland and Scotch Whisky.”
This distinction places The Scotch Whisky Experience among past honourees such as the Burrell Collection, underscoring its contribution to Scotland’s global cultural appeal.
The Scottish Whisky Awards also recognised The Scotch Whisky Experience as Tourism Destination of the Year. Completing the hat trick, on 5 December The Scotch Whisky Experience won the major category of Visitor Attraction of the year at the World Drinks Awards’ Icons of Whisky 2025.
Chief Executive Susan Morrison, said, “Each award reinforces our mission to provide an unforgettable experience for every visitor, connecting them with Scotland’s rich whisky heritage.
“I am especially grateful to the visitors, partners and our dedicated and passionate team for making all these achievements possible”.
In addition to the organisation’s recognition, Marketing Director Julie Trevisan-Hunter was named one of the Top 100 Women in Tourism, an accolade recognising leadership and influence in Scotland’s tourism and hospitality sectors.
Adding to the trophy cabinet, Annika Schneider, PA to the CEO, was named Rising Star at the regional Scottish Thistle Awards.
Chief Executive Susan Morrison also received The Scottish Whisky Awards’ Jim Swan Award, which honours lifetime contributions to the whisky industry.
James Robertson, Chair of the Scottish Whisky Awards, explained: “Susan represents a vital part of the success of Scotch whisky and that is our tourism economy. She leads a team which inspires newcomers to whisky and teaches ways to appreciate and learn about Scotch.”
Susan Morrison reflected on the evolution of whisky tourism over her career: “During my career I have seen the Scotch whisky and Scottish tourism industries come ever closer together, celebrating the best aspects of Scotland and, in my view, the best people.
“To have been part of this journey has been a true honour. The absolute icing on the cake is seeing so many people – both visitors and team members – who established their love of Scotch with us at The Scotch Whisky Experience.
“We look forward to helping visitors from around the world fall in love with Scotch whisky in 2025.”
You are welcome to join us for a Granton Heritage Walk on Saturday morning 14th December. We will leave from Granton:hub (Madelvic House, at the end of Granton Park Avenue, EH5 1HS) gathering at 10.15am for a 10.30am start, and returning to the starting point at 12 noon.
We will be following part of the Curious Edinburgh Walking Tour and going by Granton Station, Saltire Square, Caroline Park, Granton Castle Walled Garden Doocot and new mural, Forthquarter Park and the Gas Tower.
This walk is on pavements and is suitable for buggies, wheelchairs and people of all ages including those with dogs (on a lead please). Please wear suitable clothing and shoes for the weather and bring some water with you.
After the walk, participants will be invited inside Madelvic House for refreshments and to view the community consultation exhibition organised by Edinburgh College of Art as part of their ‘Heritage on the Edge’ research project. More details on this event will be available later.
The tour will have a maximum of 15 people. Headsets will be used to ensure everyone can hear the commentary.
On arrival, all particpants will receive a brochure with full details of the walk.
The Granton Walking Tour is also available in Polish and Arabic. Please contact tamsinlgrainger@gmail.com for more details.
For any specific queries about the walk please contact tamsinlgrainger@gmail.com.
Tamsin Grainger is a Paths for All walk leader.
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Housing Minister Paul McLennan visited an affordable housing development in East Lothian to highlight plans in the draft Budget for next year to increase funding for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme.
The investment could see the total budget for delivering affordable homes rise to £768 million in 2025-26 – an increase of more than £200 million compared to this year’s published budget.
Other measures in the Scottish Government’s draft Budget aimed at tackling the housing emergency include:
£4 million to support local authorities and frontline services to prevent homelessness
£2 million to transform empty properties into safe, warm, affordable homes
In addition, £1 million for registered social landlords and third sector partners will be available this year to fund work to help sustain tenancies and prevent homelessness.
Speaking during his visit to the development in Haddington, Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “Investing in safe, warm and affordable homes is key to our top priority to tackle child poverty.
“We already have a strong track record in affordable housing, having supported the delivery of 133,000 affordable homes since 2007 – this includes our £2.9 million investment in the development at Haddington. That’s 45% more per head of the population than in England and 70% more than in Wales.
“By increasing the affordable housing supply budget in 2025-26 by more than £200 million, housing providers will be able to deliver at least 8,000 properties for social and mid-market rent and low-cost home ownership.”
Councillor Andy Forrest, East Lothian Council spokesperson for Housing, said: “It was really useful to welcome the Minister to Haddington this morning to discuss East Lothian’s recently announced Affordable Housing Crisis and to emphasise the need for clarity as soon as possible on what our settlement will be so that we can continue to sustain our hugely important future housing programme.
“We welcome the announcement of more subsidy funding for affordable housing and any additional revenue for frontline services to help prevent homelessness.”
A further three youths have been arrested and charged in connection with the serious assault of a teenager in Edinburgh on Monday, 2 December, 2024.
Around 8pm, a 14-year-old boy sustained serious injuries when he was assaulted by a group of youths at Slateford Green.
Following enquiries, three male youths aged 16, 17 and 17 were due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday – Monday, 9 December.
A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
Detective Inspector Gordon Couper said: “Our enquiries are continuing to trace everyone who was involved in this unprovoked attack.
“Officers remain in the area carrying out high visibility patrols and I encourage anyone with information or concerns to speak to them.
“I would also ask anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident and may have dashcam or private CCTV footage to contact us as soon as possible.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident 2315 of 2 December, 2024.
Online marketplaces and vape producers to pay for recycling and cleaning up of household electrical waste
Online marketplaces and vape producers will soon be paying their fair share towards the cost of recycling waste electricals, from toasters to vapes and hair curlers, levelling the playing field for UK retailers, Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh has announced.
Ensuring large online retailers pay their fair share is fairer for UK businesses who already pay to cover the costs of recycling. It comes as the government delivers on its Plan for Change, and reflects a further step in the government’s mission to boost growth.
The changes will also help fund recycling services and kick-start the country on the road to a circular economy, which is a priority for the Government.
Before now, UK-based firms were shouldering the majority of costs around collection and processing of electronic waste and operating at a disadvantage. With 100,000 tonnes of household electricals binned every year, the changes will for the first time make sure the burden of these costs does not unduly fall on UK based retailers compared to their online rivals.
Waste electricals are difficult to recycle – and represent a huge drain on resources, when they are not collected separately. Valuable metals – such as copper – are chucked away needlessly, while electrical components and chemicals can pose a health and safety risk to the waste industry.
In conjunction with this government’s wider actions to tackle waste and end the throwaway society, today’s announcement will help to ensure that businesses take responsibility for the huge quantities of waste that might otherwise end up being littered or fly-tipped, and support our efforts to protect the environment.
Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said: “Electrical equipment like vapes are being sold in the UK by producers who are failing to pay their fair share when recycling and reusing of dealing with old or broken items.
“Today we’re ending this: creating a level playing field for all producers of electronics, to ensure fairness and fund the cost of the treatment of waste electricals.
“As part of our Plan for Change, we are helping UK businesses compete and grow, and we continue to get more households recycling, cracking down on waste and ending the throwaway society.”
Alex Baldock, CEO at Currys, said:“We believe that if you sell something, this comes with a commitment to help keep it working, and then to recycle it responsibly when it reaches the end of its life. We continue to do everything we can to give tech a longer life, but there are many who don’t.
“We welcome the Government’s new measures to help level the playing field for responsibility for waste, making online marketplaces do their part. Low value, low quality and unsustainable tech is piling up in landfills, and it’s good to see Government doing something to tackle that.
“We’ll continue to work with them to help ensure our industry performs its important role in helping protect our planet and be a force for good.
Scott Butler, Executive Director at Material Focus, said: “We welcome the Government’s vital new reforms to the waste electrical regulations. FastTech items such as vapes, have swamped the UK market, with half a billion items bought in the past year alone. These small, cheap and too easily thrown away items contain valuable materials such as copper, gold, and lithium which are lost forever and could instead power our tech future.
“These changes to regulations will mean that online marketplaces, many of which are selling FastTech and other electricals, must take on their producer responsibilities and contribute their share of the costs of recycling them.
“Creating a separate category for vapes also means that those who have been profiting from the boom in their sales can be held responsible for providing public takeback, communications and most importantly pay for recycling them.”
Research from Material Focus estimates that British households incorrectly throw away over 100,000 tonnes of smaller household electrical items, such as kettles and lamps, every year. In addition, an estimated 880 million unwanted items containing valuable commodities such as gold and platinum, are abandoned or ignored in the back of the UK’s cupboards and drawers.
Under the plans, online marketplaces will need to register with the Environment Agency and report data on UK sales of their overseas sellers. This data will be used to calculate the financial contribution the online marketplace will make towards the costs of collection and treatment of waste electricals that are collected by local authorities and returned to retailers. The cost of that annual registration will be subject to a consultation led by the Environment Agency.
A new category of electrical equipment for vapes will also be introduced to ensure that the costs of collecting and treating vapes fall fairly on those who produce them.
Material Focus found almost 5 million vapes are either littered or thrown away in general waste every week in the UK. Vapes are rarely designed with the end of life in mind and are difficult and time consuming to recycle, a cost that is not always being borne by those who produce them.
Acting on these important issues now will help address unfairness and deliver on our commitment to kick-start the push towards a circular economy.
UK Government action to end the throwaway society
To further deliver this, the UK Government has formed a Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising of members from industry, academia, and civil society across the UK. They will lead on the development of a Circular Economy Strategy for England, which will be published next year outlining how individual sectors can contribute to ambitions in this area.
This is alongside plans to move forward with the implementation of the deposit return scheme for drinks containers and extended producer responsibility for packaging that will end the nation’s throwaway culture and stop the avalanche of rubbish that is filling up our high streets, countryside, and oceans.
These packaging reforms will collectively support 21,000 jobs, stimulate more than £10 billion investment in recycling capability during the next decade, and drive £1 billion worth of investment opportunities in plastics infrastructure.
Discussions between the UK Government and devolved governments on other proposals from the consultation will continue. Plans for wider reforms that reflect their strategic priorities in the drive towards a circular economy across the UK will be set out next year.
Road policing officers are appealing for information following a serious crash in Edinburgh city centre.
Around 1.50pm yesterday (Sunday, 8 December, 2024), police received a report of a crash involving a 63-year-old male pedestrian and a double decker bus on George Street.
Emergency services attended and the pedestrian was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Hospital for treatment to serious injuries. There were no reports of any other injuries.
The road was closed to allow enquiries to be carried out and re-opened around 9pm.
Sergeant Jamie Humpage said: “Our enquires are ongoing to establish the full circumstances and I am appealing to anyone who witnessed the crash and hasn’t already spoken to officers to get in touch.
“I would also appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time and who may have dash cam or private CCTV which could assist to contact us.”
Anyone who can assist is asked to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1703 of Sunday, 8 December, 2024.
