NSPCC Scotland is launching a new Community Fundraising Group in Musselburgh, Portobello and East Edinburgh. We are seeking enthusiastic and creative volunteers to play a crucial role in raising vital funds for our services such as Childline and Speak Out, Stay Safe.
We will only need volunteers for one to two hours a month, and we offer a flexible arrangement designed to fit around work, family and social life. Key activities include engaging with neighbours, local organisations and businesses to spread awareness, organise small-scale events or campaigns, and inspire donations that ensure our services remain free for those who need them most.
Participants will receive comprehensive support, including practical fundraising advice, promotional materials and ongoing guidance from our dedicated Community Fundraising Team. Beyond the personal reward of helping to keep children safe, volunteers gain valuable experience in communication, organisation and leadership, all while connecting with like-minded individuals who are passionate about making a difference.
If you would like to play your part in protecting young people and have a couple of spare hours each month, we’d love to hear from you. If interested, contact me via email at arlene.main@nspcc.org.uk or call 07891 598 086. Together, we can fight for every childhood and create safer communities for all.
The Scottish Parliament’s Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, has paid tribute to former Presiding Officer and MSP, Rt Hon Sir George Reid, following his death in the early hours of Tuesday 12 August.
The Rt Hon Sir George Reid served as Deputy Presiding Officer from 1999 to 2003, and then as Presiding Officer from 2003 to 2007. He was elected as MSP for the Mid Scotland and Fife region from 1999 to 2003 and then for the Ochil constituency from 2003 to 2007.
During his time as Presiding Officer, he oversaw the completion of the new Scottish Parliament building, opening in 2004. He was also MP for Clackmannan and East Stirlingshire from 1974 to 1979.
A Book of Condolence has been opened and flags at the Scottish Parliament lowered as a mark of respect.
On his passing, the Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, said:“On behalf of all at the Scottish Parliament, I express our deepest sadness at the death of our second Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Sir George Reid.
“He’ll be remembered not only for bringing the Holyrood construction project to completion, but for building confidence and ambition in our young Parliament.
“A proud son of Clackmannanshire and an internationalist by outlook, he was determined to put Holyrood on the map at home and abroad, and very much succeeded. By the time he left office, Holyrood was established at the centre of public life in Scotland and over a million people had visited to see for themselves the new Parliament in action.
“The story of devolution and the early years of our Parliament will remember George fondly and with gratitude. My deepest condolences to Daphne, his daughter and grandchildren and his many friends and colleagues. Sir George was welcoming and supportive to me, in Holyrood and outwith. He will be very much missed.
“Flags at Holyrood have been lowered as a mark of respect.”
We are excited to share a delicious community meal with you tomorrow. We do our best to have a variety of options, including vegetarian and often a delicious pudding.
What’s on the menu tomorrow:
Herby veg medley soup
Roast ham, honey roast veg and potatoes, Yorkshire puddings and mustard sauce
Sage and onion stuffing veggie alternative for the above
Sticky toffee pudding
Please check the board or ask our volunteers about allergens.
And just a heads-up, our food is served until it runs out!
We are hosting a tech donation box from The Edinburgh Remakery here at Stockbridge Library until October.
Donate your old unwanted tech to help fight digital exclusion and e Waste. All donations are securely wiped, repaired and reused when possible or responsibly recycled when necessary.
**A little warning : items must be able to fit into the donation slot on the box!**
Edinburgh-based charity, Care for Carers has received £5,000 in funding thanks to votes from Scotmid members.
Scotmid lets members vote for local causes with their membership cards. Care for Carers received the most support in the East.
The Community Listening Project, Pennypit Trust, Canongate Youth, Door in the Wall, and Croft Street Hub each received £1000.
Founded in 1989, Care for Carers is a voluntary organisation that supports unpaid carers of all ages and circumstances.
The charity provides emotional and practical help, from one-to-one guidance to information and signposting, as well as opportunities for carers to take time for themselves. These services enable carers to step away from their caring role, connect with others in similar situations, and recharge.
Ruth MacLennan, CEO, Care for Carers, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have been chosen by Scotmid Members for the Member Choice Award.
“This funding means we can do even more for the carers we support, including being able to offer vital respite opportunities – it will make such a difference to us to have this award.”
The Member Choice Awards complement Scotmid’s ongoing community grants and donations, which together benefit more than 1,000 organisations annually. These include youth clubs, mental health charities, food banks, and environmental programmes.
The next Member Choice Awards cycle, ending in November 2025, has shortlisted the following good causes from the east region: The Larder, Spark, Seagull Trust, Gorebridge Community Care, Forever Young Club, and Kirkliston Community Conservation Volunteers/Waste Not Want Not Community Fridge.
The Welfare Experiences project is a ground-breaking international study comparing how people experience benefits in Estonia, Hungary, Norway, Spain, and the UK.It looks at how policies shape those experiences and, more importantly, what needs to change.
Inclusion Scotland is proud to be a co-production partner, bringing disabled people’s lived experience in Scotland into the spotlight. In 2024, we ran focus groups with our members about claiming Universal Credit.
This report shares what they told us. These are real stories that we aim to use to push for a fairer, more respectful benefits system.
The Welfare Experiences project is an ambitious, innovative project comparing the experience of receiving benefits in five different countries: Estonia, Hungary, Norway, Spain and the UK.
The project will be one of the first international comparisons of the experiences of individuals receiving public benefits. We are looking at the nature of these experiences, how different policies affect them, and their impacts – with the aim of making welfare systems work better.
The project runs from 2023-28 and is both mixed-methods and coproduced – find out more by looking at the Work Packages page, which explains what we are doing.
Our pan-European team includes eight different research organisations and seven organisations that work with people with lived experience of claiming – you can find out more about the Team here.
The WelfareExperiences project receives €3m of funding from the UK Research & Innovation Guarantee [EP/Y024621/1], having been selected by the European Research Council.
The seventh annual Big Brain Tumour Benefit has raised £15,203 adding to the previously raised amount of £700,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity.
9 acts performed for the Big Brain Tumour Benefit: Ivo Graham, David O’Doherty, Michelle Wolf, Abandoman, Celya AB, Emmanuel Sonubi, Garry Starr, Ahir Shah and Bella Hull.
Underbelly today announces the 7th Annual Big Brain Tumour Benefit has raised £15,203 for The Brain Tumour Charity, the world’s leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally.
A stand-out in Underbelly’s 25th Anniversary programme, the one-off show hosted by Ivo Graham featured performances from O’Doherty, Michelle Wolf, Celya AB, Emmanuel Sonubi, Garry Starr, Ahir Shah, Bella Hull and Abandoman in his only Fringe performance of 2025. 100% of profits (ticket income less box office commissions and other costs related to the event) from this promotional venture will be donated to The Brain Tumour Charity.
The Big Brain Tumour Benefit was created by Underbelly in 2017 following the diagnosis of an aggressive and rare form of brain cancer called Ependymoma in Alfie Bartlam, the son of Underbelly’s co-founder Ed Bartlam. At the end of August in 2019, Alfie sadly died, aged 7.
Ed Bartlam, Underbelly’s co-founder said: “I’d like to extend a massive thank you to everyone who performed in, and attended Underbelly’s 7th annual Big Brain Tumour Benefit last night.
“It makes me immensely proud that together we have raised more than £15,000 with donations going to a specific research project to find new treatments for some of the most aggressive forms of paediatric brain tumours.
“Our goal is to raise £1.5 million for this project through a series of special fundraising events such as Underbelly’s Big Brain Tumour Benefit. Together we can continue to raise vital funds for research and awareness so that nobody’s life expectancy is dictated by their tumour.”
Sally King, Corporate Partnerships Manager at The Brain Tumour Charity, said: “We’re thrilled that this year’s Big Brain Tumour Benefit has raised over £15,000 and want to thank everyone for their incredible support and generosity.
“This event is a true highlight of Edinburgh Fringe 2025 – uniting us in comedy to raise awareness and vital funds – and we are hugely grateful to the team at Underbelly for their unwavering commitment to helping us defeat brain tumours.”
Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children and adults under 40. They shorten life expectancy by an average of 27 years, the most of any cancer. Despite this, brain tumour research is underfunded compared to many other cancers.
Research into brain tumours is severely underfunded in the UK and yet represents the biggest cancer killer for under 40s. Around 500 children and young people in the UK are diagnosed each year but diagnosis times of childhood brain tumours are longer in the UK than in many other countries.
The Brain Tumour Charity is committed to improving the lives of everyone affected by a brain tumour diagnosis.
To find out more about the vital work that they do and to get help from their support services, please visit www.thebraintumrcharity.org or call their Information and support line on 0808 800 0004.
Further donations to the fund are welcome by visiting the link here:
Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan published
Pic Greg Macvean 27/06/2024
Isle of May
Measures such as eradicating non-native invasive predators on seabird islands and restoring seagrass meadows and kelp forests to help increase food supplies are just some of the actions set out today to protect Scotland’s seabirds.
Scotland’s coastline and waters are of global importance to seabirds but almost two thirds of Scotland’s species have declined over the last 20 years.
The Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan sets out a range of steps to stop the decline, improve resilience to environmental factors and protect these iconic animals. Including:
enhancing food availability by improving conditions for prey and minimising bycatch and tackling marine litter
providing safe nesting areas by eradicating non-native invasive predators such as brown rats and American mink
undertaking key research and monitoring of Scottish seabirds to understand how to build resilience and reduce mortality rates
working in partnership with local and international communities, marine and coastal sectors, and environmental organisations to tackle issues on a global scale
The action plan was developed in partnership with NatureScot, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and British Trust for Ornithology.
Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action Gillian Martin said: “The climate crisis, invasive non-native species, marine litter and access to food are contributing to declining seabird numbers around the world.
“Publishing the Scottish Seabird Conservation Action Plan today marks a vital step forward in protecting some of our most iconic and vulnerable marine species and sets out actions to collectively tackle pressures affecting seabirds.
“I’m confident that with concerted effort and shared responsibility, we can stop the declines we are seeing in our seabird populations and increase their resilience to a changing climate to secure their future.
Pic Greg Macvean 07/07/2021 – Bass Rock landing
“As top predators, seabirds are indicators of the health of marine ecosystems, playing a crucial role in maintaining balance within marine food webs. Seabirds also have a significant role in the economy supporting a thriving tourism industry that is vital to local economies, particularly in rural and island communities.
“Only by working together can we ensure that Scotland remains a global stronghold for seabirds for the benefit of us all, now and in the future.”
NatureScot Chair Colin Galbraith said: “Scotland is a crucial area for internationally important populations of seabirds to breed and forage. The latest research shows many seabird populations are in decline.
“This new Action Plan will help these vulnerable seabird populations recover and will help the overall wellbeing of the marine environment on which they depend. Having healthy seas is important, and can safeguard livelihoods and food, whilst tackling the urgent issues of nature loss and the climate impacts.”
Scottish Seabird Centre CEO Harry Huyton said: “From the great gannet colonies on St Kilda and Bass Rock, to the puffin burrows that crowd the grassy slopes of Unst and the Isle of May, Scotland is blessed with extraordinary seabird populations.
“Many are of international importance, yet most seabird species in Scotland are in decline, and urgent, transformative action is needed to save them.
“The ambition and actions set out in the new Seabird Action Plan are exactly what’s needed, but it’s critical that they are now delivered with urgency and fully embedded across Government.”
President Macron, Prime Minister Starmer and Chancellor Merz today co-chaired a virtual meeting of a grouping of ‘Coalition of the Willing’ leaders yesterday
President Macron, Prime Minister Starmer and Chancellor Merz co-chaired a virtual meeting of a grouping of ‘Coalition of the Willing’ Leaders and with the participation of President Zelenskyy and Vice-President Vance, ahead of President Trump’s meeting with President Putin in Alaska.
Leaders welcomed President Trump’s efforts to stop the killing in Ukraine, end Russia’s war of aggression, and achieve just and lasting peace. They welcomed the open discussions with President Trump earlier that day.
They were clear that the path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine.
It was necessary to continue an approach that combined active diplomacy, support to Ukraine and pressure on Russia. A diplomatic solution must protect Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.
They also reiterated that:
First, meaningful negotiations can only take place in the context of a ceasefire or a lasting and significant cessation of hostilities.
Second, sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia’s war economy should be strengthened if Russia does not agree to a ceasefire in Alaska.
Third, international borders must not be changed by force.
Fourth, Ukraine must have robust and credible security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role, including through plans by those willing to deploy a reassurance force once hostilities have ceased. No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia could not have a veto against Ukraine‘s pathway to EU and NATO.
They confirmed they would continue to cooperate closely with President Trump and with the United States of America, and with President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine, for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
