Make sure you order and collect your prescriptions early and know what to do if you need urgent care.
Check out our festive hours and advice on our website: https://services.nhslothian.scot/rightcare/public-holidays/
If you need emergency care out with opening hours, please call NHS 24 on 111.
More than 4,600 Self Assessment customers filed their tax return on Christmas Day.
In total, 37,435 customers filed between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, suggesting that for some, festive filing is becoming as much a tradition as watching the King’s Speech (or avoiding the washing up).
Not everyone’s convinced, though. When HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) spoke to Self Assessment customers at the Manchester Christmas markets, turkey – not tax returns – was firmly on the menu. You can watch their reactions on YouTube.
The festive filing breakdown shows:
HMRC is encouraging Self Assessment customers, who have not yet filed their tax return, to visit GOV.UK to start theirs today.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Chief Customer Officer, said: “Millions of customers have already completed their tax returns and can start 2026 with one less thing to worry about.
“For anyone yet to file, don’t leave it until the last minute. Filing now means you know exactly what you owe and have time to arrange payment. Search ‘Self Assessment’ on GOV.UK to get started.”
Customers who file before 30 December may have the option of paying any tax owed through their PAYE tax code. Filing early also means more time to explore payment options if needed.
The HMRC app makes it simple to pay your Self Assessment bill and set up payment reminders. Customers can also find help online including YouTube videos, webinars and step-by-step guidance covering different sections of a tax return. For a list of all payment methods, search ‘Pay your Self Assessment tax bill’ on GOV.UK.
The new High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) PAYE digital service means thousands of Child Benefit claimants who are only in Self Assessment to pay HICBC can now opt out and can choose to pay the charge back through their tax code.
Eligible customers can call HMRC to de-register from Self Assessment before the filing deadline in a tax year. Where a tax return has already been sent, customers can choose to de-register from the following tax year. HMRC will then amend their tax code and they will be registered to pay HICBC through PAYE.
Customers do not need to include their 2025 Winter Fuel Payment, or Pension Age Winter Heating payment in Scotland, on their tax return for the 2024 to 2025 tax year as payments received in Autumn 2025 will be recovered in the 2025 to 2026 tax return, due by 31 January 2027.
HMRC urges customers to stay alert to scams. Never share your HMRC login details with anyone. Find advice on spotting scams on GOV.UK.
Strachan House Care home opened its doors to a number of people from the community to help tackle loneliness. They invited anyone who would usually dine alone to join them on Christmas day for fun, festivities and food.
Diners were treated to a tasty Christmas lunch in the home’s dining room. Guests had a chance to engage with residents, staff and visitors while enjoying their food, they even had a visit from the big man himself. The guests came from all over Edinburgh to enjoy the day with others and banish loneliness at Christmas time.
The home’s Head Chef produced a range of dishes to cover varied individual dietary needs and preferences, so diners were able to eat to their fill as they were served a beautiful Christmas Dinner that consisted of Turkey and all the trimmings.
The ‘Don’t Dine Alone’ initiative was launched by care provider Barchester Healthcare as a way to reach out to isolated or vulnerable members of their local communities.
Barchester Healthcare is also behind Barchester’s Charitable Foundation, which is a registered charity that gives grants to older people and other adults with a disability to help combat loneliness and enable people to be active and engaged in the communities where the Barchester care homes operate.
Frances Fisher General Manager at Strachan House who visited the service said: “The day was a great success. It was a great effort from my team.
“They are always keen to do more to help those who feel lonely or cut off from the rest of the community”.
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 provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.
As part of the policing operation for the Edinburgh Hogmanay Festival a temporary airspace restriction will be in place covering the city centre between 5pm on Monday, 29 December, to 1am on Tuesday, 30 December, 2025, for security and public safety.
It will be an offence for any unmanned aircraft to fly below 2000ft above sea level and within one nautical mile of Edinburgh Castle.
Restrictions include drones.
Details by NOTAM and in a Briefing Sheet BFS 076/2025 on the NATS website.
We’re evaluating all of the brilliant data you submitted in 2025 and wanted to say thanks by highlighting the 5 ways you’ve already helped us tackle the litter emergency.
You can find out more information about collecting data on the Community Litter Hub: https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/commu…/collect-data/
Home First allows you to recover at home once medical treatment is finished.
It brings together all the support needed to help with recovery and maintaining independence.
More at nhsinform.scot/home-first
Are you interested in developing or rekindling a love of reading in 2026?
Introducing Januread, an exciting opportunity for you to develop the reading habits you want in the new year.
Recently, the Reading Agency found that only 50% of UK adults are regular readers, with 35% describing themselves as ‘lapsed readers’. Whether you’re a new reader, a lapsed reader, or are just looking for a wee reading re-set, Januread can help you develop the reading habit that will help you enjoy them more often.
Why does reading matter? Reading is an easy, accessible way to do something for you. Research proves that it:
Our Januread emails will offer you plenty of reading tips and advice – not to mention some fantastic book recommendations.
Once you’ve signed up, you can expect a welcome email followed by a series of emails throughout January.
To take part or to find out more, visit
Januread: Restarting the reading habit – Scottish Book Trust
Five-star homebuilder Cruden has donated £2,500 to St John Scotland through its charitable arm, the Cruden Foundation, supporting the charity’s vital work in providing Public Access Defibrillators, CPR awareness, and patient transport services across the country.
The charity’s work helps ensure people throughout Scotland have access to life-saving equipment and support when it matters most.
Cruden’s donation will help the organisation continue expanding access to defibrillators and CPR within local communities, equipping more people with the skills and confidence needed to act in an emergency.
Fraser Lynes, CEO of Cruden, said: “This is a cause close to all of our hearts. Earlier this year, one of our assistant site managers was very thankfully saved by the use of an on-site defibrillator when suffering from cardiac arrest.
“It highlighted the importance of having lifesaving defibrillators and trained CPR providers on sites, making all the difference in an emergency.
“Supporting St John Scotland allows us to give back to the communities we build in and help ensure others have the same chance of receiving timely, life-saving support.”
Barri Millar, Chief Operating Officer of St John Scotland, said: “We are very grateful for Cruden’s generous donation. The services we provide to install and support community defibrillators across the country offer vital equipment that, in an emergency, can truly mean the difference between life and death.
“Cruden’s contribution will help us expand this essential work even further, ensuring more people have access to life-saving equipment and the confidence to use it. We are truly thankful for their support.”
The Cruden Foundation is a private charitable funder established in 1957 and is part of Cruden’s wider commitment to supporting the communities where it lives and works. To date, the Cruden Foundation has donated more than £8 million and supports over 150 charities each year, helping organisations make a meaningful difference to people’s lives throughout the country.
Scotland’s most distinctive celebration of beards, community and creativity returns to Drygate Brewery, Glasgow, on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st February 2026 for the Braw Beard Weekender – the only event of its kind in the UK.
Now in its eighth year, the beard competition is expected to welcome a full house once again, continuing a streak that has seen thousands of competitors and spectators attend since 2017 from across the UK, USA, Germany, Belgium and Norway.
On Friday 20th February, The Braw Cast Live podcast will be hosted by comedian Billy Kirkwood and Braw Beard founder John Jackson, with special guests including Jesse Leach, frontman of Grammy-nominated metal band Killswitch Engage.
Leach, who has been open about his own experiences with mental health, will discuss the importance of community, self-care and creativity.
He recently collaborated with Braw Beard on The Resilient beard oil, a limited-edition blend created by Jesse. He’ll be joined on stage by professional wrestler and actor Jack Jester, artist and author Tragic O’Hara and multi-award-winning barber Angela Dickson.
On Saturday 21st February, the Braw Beard & Moustache Championships return, featuring 13 categories ranging from Best Fake Beard to Over 12-inch Styled and Best Ginger Beard. The night will include live music from In Charge, exclusive products and the trademark camaraderie that defines the global beard community.
“It’s incredible to see how far this community has grown,” says John Jackson, founder of Braw Beard.
“What started as a small gathering to celebrate creativity and confidence has become an international family with people from around the world sharing respect, humour and a sense of belonging.”
Jesse Leach adds: “I’m honored to be part of the Braw Beard Weekender. To me the culture Braw Beard has created is not just about beards and facial hair, its about support, unity and solidarity!
“I am excited to make the journey and I am sure a good time will be had by all who attend! Grateful to be there for this event!”
The 2026 Weekender comes in the same year that Braw Beard will celebrate its 14th anniversary in October. Founded in 2012, the East Lothian company has grown into Scotland’s first and most recognised beard-care brand, known worldwide for its hand-crafted beard care products.
Proceeds from the event’s charity raffle will once again support Chris’s House Suicide Awareness Charity, a cause central to both Braw Beard and Leach’s advocacy for mental-health awareness.
With its mix of competition, conversation and compassion, the Braw Beard Weekender stands as a fixture in Scotland’s cultural calendar – part beard festival, part family reunion.
Tickets: Limited to 150 on Friday and 300 on Saturday.
Available now at www.thebrawbmc.com
Only a sustainable, multi-year funding model for Scotland’s third sector can address growing pressures on workers across the charity sector, new research has found.
The 2025 Voluntary Workforce Survey, carried out by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) – Scotland’s national membership organisation for the voluntary sector – spoke to more than 1,300 people working for charities and voluntary organisations.
Funding insecurity and uncertainty, and general funding shortages impacting on pay and resources, are all having a negative impact on staff, with representatives from across the sector warning that unless action is taken, the situation will not improve.
1 in 4 survey respondents reported being on fixed-term or temporary contracts, rising to 1 in 3 for front-line workers. This is far higher than the wider workforce where only 1 in 10 workers is on a non-permanent contract.
More than a quarter of voluntary sector workers (27%) felt it was quite or highly likely they would lose their job in the next 12 months, twice the rate reported in the wider workforce (13%).
Alongside this stress about their future, the number of staff who felt they had a good work-life balance has also dropped from 60% to 50% between 2015 and 2025.
Many respondents spoke of workloads increasing due to problems recruiting and retaining staff, often a knock-on effect of funding cuts and funding insecurity.
SCVO are calling for the Scottish Government’s own funding principles to align with SCVO’s definition of Fair Funding – developed through significant research and engagement with the voluntary sector.
This includes longer-term funding of three years or more; flexible, unrestricted core funding, which enables organisations to provide security; timely decision-making and the inclusion of inflation-based uplifts and full costs, including core operating costs in grants.
Despite the pressures facing them, workers also underlined their belief in their work, and the meaningful services they provide. 84% of respondents said that making a real difference to people and communities is one of best aspects of their work, while 87% saw their work as useful – far higher than the wider Scottish workforce.
While still generally positive, job satisfaction is down 15 percentage points from 79% in 2015 to 64% in 2025. The main factors driving this downturn in satisfaction appear to be higher workloads and stress, and most importantly funding.
SCVO Chief Executive, Anna Fowlie said: “Scotland’s voluntary sector is powered by people who care deeply about making a difference. Our workforce survey shows a strong sense of purpose among voluntary sector workers, and commitment to the work they do day in, day out.
“But it also highlights the significant strain being put on voluntary sector workers as a result of the financial pressures that have become all too familiar to the voluntary sector.
“Voluntary sector leaders will, of course, be up for the challenge of delivering rewarding, fair work. Too often this is being undermined by public sector funders. Budget cuts, short-term funding cycles, late payments, incoherent decision-making and poor communication have become all-too familiar.
“This needs to change – and our politicians know it. Ahead of the Scottish Budget and Spending Review, the Scottish Government has a real chance to create a funding landscape that is multi-year, sustainable, flexible and accessible. The people and communities served by Scotland’s dedicated voluntary sector workers deserve nothing less.”
Lucinda Godfrey, CEO of Charity Leadership Scotland, commented: “These numbers confirm what many leaders already feel: the work is vital, but the weight of it is heavy.
“At Charity Leadership Scotland, we are committed to collaborating on powerful research that assesses the wellness of Scotland’s voluntary sector and ideally leads to meaningful action to protect and support the individuals and organisations underpinning it.”
The voluntary sector in Scotland employs just over 136,000 people, meaning that 5% of Scotland’s 2.66million workers are employed in the voluntary sector.
Shauna Wright, lead officer for fair work in Unite the Union, commented: “Unite the Union stands with care and not‑for‑profit workers who have faced underfunding in their sector, resulting in higher stress levels and concerns about their future employment opportunities in an industry where they have not felt valued for the work they provide.
“Urgent action is needed to secure fair pay terms and conditions.”
