To celebrate National Tea Day (21st April), an expert at Yorkshire Tea has revealed the four steps to making the perfect cup of tea.
Tea is still the nation’s favourite hot drink, with over 100,000,000 cups being drunk in the UK every single day of the year.
To help people celebrate this National Tea Day properly, Katie Kippax, tea buyer at Yorkshire Tea, the UK’s #1 brew, has shared the secrets to making the perfect brew, including the exact time you need to leave the teabag in your mug.
Katie says: “Everyone makes tea differently, but there are some general rules to getting it right. So, if you want to impress the tea lovers in your life, here are some expert tips from the team at Yorkshire Tea for making a proper brew.”
1) Only use fresh water – “The oxygen in water helps to bring out the flavour in your tea, so make sure to use fresh water and only boil it once to keep the O2 level up.”
2) Warm up your mug – “Tea likes hot water just off the boil, so don’t wait around when your kettle has finished. It’s important to keep the temperature up, and a chilly teapot or mug can cool things down. Consider warming them with a little hot water before making your tea to help the flavour to develop.”
3) Brew for at least four minutes – “Tea also needs time to unlock all its flavour, so leave the teabag brewing for around four to five minutes to do its thing. Trust us, it really makes a difference. It might seem like a long time, but it is worth the investment!”
4) Squeeze gently and only once – “Before removing the tea bag, gently squidge it against the side of the mug. Make sure you only do this once and gently or else your brew will taste bitter.”
Katie adds: “However you make your brew, we raise our mugs to you all this National Tea Day!”
Scots with disabilities and health conditions are being urged to check if they’re eligible for financial support worth up to £5,740 a year. The advice comes from the UK’s largest community of unpaid carers ahead of the benefit being made available across Scotland next week.
Pension Age Disability Payment – a benefit aimed at helping disabled people above retirement age cover care costs – is replacing Attendance Allowance in Scotland, with applications opening nationwide tomorrow – Tuesday 22nd April.
Pension Age Disability Payment rates also increased this month, but Scots are at risk of missing out.
Whilst those already claiming Attendance Allowance will automatically be transferred to the new support, an estimated 1 million people are missing out on the outgoing benefit. This puts Scots amongst this group at risk of losing out on Pension Age Disability Payment, too.
The care experts at Mobilise aim to raise awareness of the disability benefit and the difference it could make for Scots missing out, if they check they are eligible and apply.
What is the Pension Age Disability Payment?
Almost half (45%) of people above retirement age in the UK have some form of disability. Pension Age Disability Payment aims to help these individuals cover the cost of care.
The monthly payment is split into two rates, depending on the level of care which is required. Both rates increased on 7th April:
The lower rate (for those who require either day or night care) increased from £72.65 to £73.90 a week – £3,842.80 a year, in total
The higher rate (for those who require both day and night care, and those who are terminally ill) increased from £108.55 to £110.40 a week – £5,740.80 a year, in total
Who is eligible for Pension Age Disability Payment?
To be eligible for Pension Age Disability Payments, you must meet certain criteria, including:
Be of state pension age (66) or over
Have a disability or health condition (you can still apply if you’re waiting for, or do not have, a diagnosis)
Have required care for at least six months (you can also apply before this point, as payments will begin six months from when successful applicants’ care needs started)
If you live in a care home and your care is funded by the local authority, you are unlikely to be eligible. However, if your care is privately funded, you may still apply.
How to apply for Pension Age Disability Payment
From 22nd April, anyone who believes they are eligible for Pension Age Disability Payment can apply – either online using myaccount or via the post. Postal applications can be started by calling Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222. There is a separate fast-track application process for those who are terminally ill.
If you already receive Attendance Allowance you do not need to apply as you will automatically be moved to Pension Age Disability Payments.
There are two parts to the application form. You will need certain information to hand to complete each part and must submit these within 2 weeks and 8 weeks respectively, or contact Social Security Scotland if you need more time.
Details about the information required is available here. A loved one or carer can also help you complete the application form.
What support is available for carers?
It’s not just people that need care who are eligible for support. If you look after a loved one, you could also be entitled to help from the Government.
Carer Support Payment is the main benefit available to carers living in Scotland, and comes in the form of monthly payments. As with Pension Age Disability Payments, the rate increased this month. From April, Carer Support Payments are rising from £81.90 to £83.30 a week – £4331.60 a year, in total.
To be eligible for Carer Support Payment, you must meet a number of requirements. You can check if you’re eligible using Mobilise’s free claim checker tool. If you’re entitled to Carer Support Payment, you can apply online, by phone, by post, or in-person. See the Scottish Government’s website for full details.
For more guidance on the financial support available to people with care needs and unpaid carers, care experts are on hand to help via the Mobilise website.
Over the last 9 months we have been piloting our Repairmongery programme in Leith supported by Leith Chooses. This programme offered repair services for broken household items, plus was a great research opportunity to see if this service would be something we could sustain long term as we asked everyone who visited what they would be willing to pay.
At ETL we believe that products should last longer and so when broken, they should be repaired. And thus the Repairmongery was born!
In total we had 7 open days in the last 9 months where people living and working in Leith could drop off their broken items. We received 88 items (of which 8 items were not broken in the first place !!) but from the 80 broken items our repair technician was able to repair a whopping 73%
As for how much people were willing to pay for a repair, an interesting thing we learned was that this was more heavily influenced by the financial or sentimental value of the item rather than by the amount of work needed to repair it. Overall, it seems people were eager to have items repaired rather than having to dispose of them and buy replacements.
Whilst our Leith Repairmongery has come to an end, the Repairmongery in Portobello and Craigmillar supported by Action Porty is still running for one last intake day on Friday 25th April this week.
We’ll be sending out a feedback form to collect your feedback in the coming month and help us reflect on these two pilots.
Staff and residents at Barchester’s Strachan House care home in Blackhall celebrated Easter with a whole host of different activities including an Easter egg hunt, Easter bonnet competition, egg and spoon race and a bunny colouring competition!
Residents at Strachan House enjoyed an eggs-tensive range of Easter activities, from designing and showcasing Easter bonnets to cheering on the unit staff for the egg and spoon race! Residents also tucked in to a delicious Easter meal of a roast dinner prepared by the home’s head chef Paul.
General Manager, Fran Fisher said: “As always, we’ve all been looking forward to Easter. It’s such a lovely time of year – the residents loved designing all of the colourful Easter eggs, and had a great time during the Easter egg hunt with family and friends. It’s really been an eggs-cellent few days!”
Marion, resident at Strachan House said: “It has been so lovely to spend time with our families this Easter, though like every Easter, I think I’ve eaten too much chocolate! It was so wonderful to see everyone go to so much effort.
“I really enjoyed the whole day; the bonnet competition was hilarious!”
Strachan House Care Home’s varied life enrichment programme keeps residents active, and provides a daily choice of engaging physical, mental and spiritual activities tailored to residents’ interests and abilities.
Strachan House Care Home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering high-quality care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides Residential, Nursing, Dementia, and Respite care for short and long-term stays.
UK fighter jets have intercepted two Russian aircraft flying close to NATO airspace
UK fighter jets intercepted two Russian aircraft flying close to NATO airspace as part of the UK’s contribution to NATO’s enhanced Air Policing in the region, the Ministry of Defence has announced.
Two RAF Typhoons were scrambled from Malbork Air Base in Poland on Tuesday (April 15) to intercept a Russian Ilyushin Il-20M “Coot-A” intelligence aircraft over the Baltic Sea.
Whilst on Thursday (17 April) another two Typhoons scrambled from the base, to intercept an unknown aircraft leaving Kaliningrad air space and close to NATO airspace.
The intercepts mark the RAF’s first scramble as part of Operation CHESSMAN and come just weeks after the aircraft arrived in eastern Poland to begin their deployment alongside Sweden in defence of NATO’s Eastern Flank.
It follows the Prime Minister’s historic commitment to increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP, recognising the critical importance of military readiness in an era of heightened global uncertainty.
Keeping the country safe is the Government’s first priority and foundation of its Plan for Change. The work of the Royal Air Force is critical to the security and stability of the UK, supporting the delivery of the Government’s five missions.
Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard said: “The UK is unshakeable in its commitment to NATO. With Russian aggression growing and security threats on the rise, we are stepping up to reassure our Allies, deter adversaries and protect our national security through our Plan for Change.
“This mission shows our ability to operate side by side with NATO’s newest member Sweden and to defend the Alliance’s airspace wherever and whenever needed, keeping us safe at home and strong abroad.”
The UK’s deployment of six Typhoon jets and nearly 200 personnel from 140 Expeditionary Air Wing is the UK’s latest contribution to NATO’s air policing efforts, following successful operations in Romania and Iceland last year.
It also represents a landmark in NATO integration with RAF jets from RAF Lossiemouth operating alongside Swedish Gripens – the first time Sweden has contributed fighter aircraft to another Ally’s air policing since joining NATO in 2024.
The intercepts come after the Defence Secretary’s visit to NATO last week where he reaffirmed the UK’s unshakeable commitment to the alliance and co-led a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in which more than 50 nations pledged a total of £21 billion of support to Ukraine.
The Typhoon programme supports more than 20,000 jobs across all regions of the UK every year, which is defending our security whilst creating jobs back home.
The RAF’s Quick Reaction Alert forces, based at RAF Coningsby, Lossiemouth, and Brize Norton, remain ready to protect UK airspace around the clock, while deployed operations like Op CHESSMAN ensure that British airpower is defending the Alliance wherever it is most needed.
First Minister John Swinney will convene a meeting to examine the resilience of Scotland’s democracy.
Political, faith and community leaders will be brought together to assess the robustness of Scotland’s democratic system by examining root causes that might undermine shared values – now and in the future.
The gathering will be held on Wednesday (23 April) when the First Minister hopes to find agreement on a set of principles that can strengthen and protect the country’s democratic foundations.
The discussion will be centred on four key themes, each moderated by a civic leader:
Combating inequality and discrimination.
Tackling disinformation and ensuring a trusted media environment.
Enhancing trust in politics and boosting the accountability of political leaders and democratic institutions.
Strengthening vigilance to electoral interference and encouraging more active democratic participation.
The First Minister said: “Government has a clear role to play in protecting the health of our democracy.
“Across the world, we can see democratic systems under pressure, with fundamental principles being challenged and, in some cases, actively undermined. Scotland is not immune, so we must ensure we are prepared.
“As First Minister, I want to bring people together to help shape our response to these threats, and make sure we work together to protect and strengthen the democratic values that underpin who we are as Scots.
“Bringing together political, faith and community leaders will enable a discussion about key issues such as tackling misinformation, strengthening trust in politics, combating electoral interference, and ensuring Scotland’s democracy delivers equality.
“It will provide the initial foundation that will ensure Scotland has united leadership on values and principles that can help guide us in this age of uncertainty.”
The Conservatives say they will not be attending the session, saying the meeting is nothing more than a talking shop. Reform UK, who do not currently have any Holyrood MSPs, have not been invited to participate in the discussion.
