Charity launches new Customer Service Guide for bars and restaurants during National Braille Week
Sight Scotland has joined forces with Swanston Brasserie in Edinburgh to urge more restaurants and venues to ‘open their doors’ to the vision impaired.
The charity has produced a free Customer Service guide aimed at the hospitality industry, which gives simple advice and tips on what venues can do to improve the visitor experience for the vision impaired.
The new Sight Scotland campaign has been inspired by Swanston Brasserie, situated about five miles south of Edinburgh City Centre, which has become one of the first restaurants in Scotland to place accessibility for the visionary impaired at the top of its priority list.
The pioneering Edinburgh eatery has made changes to its layout, ensuring that a person with vision impairment is made to feel as welcome and comfortable as possible from the moment they step in the front door to the moment they leave. Swanston has assessed all its signage, has introduced braille and large print menus, has an audio menu for its website and has produced its own printed VI training guide for all its staff to follow.
The restaurant has also created an accessibility tab on its website, which shows users exactly what to expect when they arrive, with a step by step walk through of the venue, ensuring there are no unexpected surprises on arrival.
Swanston enlisted the help of Marie O’Donnell, who works for Sight Scotland as a rehabilitation and mobility officer, who has been blind since birth, to give advice on what accessibility changes were needed, and to assist with staff training so they know exactly how to welcome and serve a person with vision impairment.
Sam Lockhart, who is Marketing Manager at Swanston Brasserie, comments: “I am very passionate about this due to my Great Grandfather who was blind, he lived until he was 102 and there was literally nothing he could not do. We want to improve the visitor experience for everyone, and make people with vision impairment, or any disability, feel as welcome and comfortable as possible.
“As a society we need to work on education, and improve our understanding that everyone is different, but these differences should not prevent anyone from doing things they enjoy. I very much believe that we should try and give 100% to everyone.
“Unfortunately, most people with a VI have anxiety; they don’t like new places and they don’t like surprises. This is why it is so important for them to know a venue is accessible and that the staff are friendly and aware of what assistance they may require. People with a VI spend their life planning, so if they find a restaurant or venue which suits their needs, and where they are well looked after, it stands to reason that they will return.
“Marie O’Donnell from Sight Scotland was a great help to us and gave us lots of advice on what people with a VI require and what changes we needed to make. There was so much she explained to us that you just wouldn’t think about, it really was quite an eye opener!
“Marie also helped train our staff and helped us with our new VI training guide. As a business we are determined to do everything we can to be as inclusive as possible and we want to help show everyone that just because you have vision impairment that life does not need to stop.”
Sam adds: “I want to stress that this has not been a financial burden and most of the changes we have made are small and easy to implement.
“I would fully recommend that other restaurants and venues take advantage of the Sight Scotland Customer Service guide and together we can all open our doors to the vision impaired.”
Gillian McDonald, Director of Operations at Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, adds: “We are really hoping more restaurants and venues follow Swanston’s Brasserie’s lead and open their doors to the vision impaired.
“Small, easy changes can make such a huge difference to someone with a VI, and this is why we are launching our restaurant accessibility campaign.”
National Braille Week was launched by Sight Scotland to raise awareness of Braille. It takes place during the second week of October every year to shine a spotlight on the tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired.
For more information or to request a copy of Sight Scotland’s Customer Service Guide on accessibility for restaurants and venues please visit: sightscotland.org.uk
The government has launched a public consultation on youth vaping as part of measures to clamp down on vapes being promoted to children
Launch of public consultation following Prime Minister’s historic proposals to create first smokefree generation and crack down on youth vaping
Teenagers, parents, teachers, medical professionals, academic experts and others have eight weeks to submit views on government plans and to share experiences
The government is committed to clamping down on vapes being promoted to children while ensuring adults who want to quit smoking remain supported
People of all ages are being invited to take part in a public consultation seeking views on plans to crack down on youth vaping by reducing the appeal, affordability and availability of vapes to our children.
The consultation launched today (Thursday 12 October) is open to anyone, of any age, in the UK and includes proposals to restrict child-friendly flavours and bright coloured packaging. People have eight weeks to share their experiences and opinions and help shape future policy on vaping and smoking.
Last week, the Prime Minister unveiled plans to introduce a new law to stop children who turn 14 this year or younger from ever legally being sold cigarettes, in a bid to create the first ‘smokefree generation’. Smoking is the UK’s biggest preventable killer – causing around 1 in 4 cancer deaths and 64,000 in England alone – costing the economy and wider society £17 billion each year.
He also set out the government’s concerns about the worrying rise in vaping among children, with youth vaping tripling in the last three years and one in five children having now used a vape. Vaping is rightly used by adults as a tool to quit smoking, but the health advice is clear – if you don’t smoke, don’t vape and children should never vape.
Views on these proposals are now being sought from everyone, including the public, the retail sector, clinicians and medical professionals, public health stakeholders, academic experts, employers and trade unions.
The consultation has generated widespread support right across the four corners of the UK, with the Welsh government, Scottish government, and the Northern Ireland Department of Health all giving it their backing and agreeing to a joint consultation.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Last week I promised to create the first smokefree generation and I am wasting no time to deliver on that promise.
“Our ambitious plans will reverse the worrying rise in youth vaping while protecting our children from the dangerous long-term effects of smoking as quickly as possible.”
Proposals being consulted on include:
Making it an offence for anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 to be sold tobacco products
Restricting the flavours and descriptions of vapes so that vape flavours are no longer targeted at children – we want to ensure this is done in a way that continues to support adult smokers to switch
Regulating point of sale displays in retail outlets so that vapes are kept out of sight from children and away from products that appeal to them, such as sweets
Regulating vape packaging and product presentation, ensuring that neither the device nor its packaging is targeted to children
Considering restricting the sale of disposable vapes, which are clearly linked to the rise in vaping in children. These products are not only attractive to children but also incredibly harmful to the environment
Exploring further restrictions for non-nicotine vapes and other nicotine consumer products such as nicotine pouches
Exploring whether increasing the price of vapes will reduce the number of young people using them
Introducing new powers for local authorities to issue on-the-spot fines (Fixed Penalty Notices) to enforce age of sale legislation of tobacco products and vapes
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “There has been a surge in vaping amongst children, which is why we’re taking action to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes. Vapes should never be used by children and we’re committed to reversing this trend.
“We also need to take bold action to protect future generations from the harms of smoking addiction, which damages health at every stage of life and costs the economy billions.
These proposals build on previous initiatives to crack down on vapes becoming commonplace in classrooms while recognising them as an effective quit tool for smokers and central to the ambition for England to be Smokefree by 2030. A UCL study estimated that swapping to vaping is already helping 50,000 to 70,000 smokers in England quit each year– saving thousands of lives.”
Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England said: “Smoking causes cancers, heart and lung disease, stroke, stillbirth and dementia. Ensuring people do not become addicted to smoking, and helping them overcome addiction to stop smoking are two the best interventions for health.
“Vaping is less dangerous than smoking but still has risks and can cause addiction. Vaping can be useful for smokers to quit, but should not be marketed to non-smokers and marketing them to children is utterly unacceptable.”
Selling vapes to children is already illegal, but it is clear from recent statistics that vapes are too often targeted at children with the promotion of cheap, colourful and sweet flavours commonplace. This is despite the addictive nature of nicotine and the long term harms of vapes being unknown. Nicotine vapes in particular can be highly addictive and withdrawal causes anxiety, trouble concentrating and headaches.
Recent figures show the number of children using vapes in the past three years has tripled, with 20.5% of children aged between 11 and 17 having tried vaping in 2023, according to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
Similar trends are reflected globally, including in Canada and New Zealand. Use amongst younger children is also rising, with 9% of 11- to 15-year-olds reportedly using vapes, according to a 2021 survey by NHS Digital.
Scottish Government Health Secretary Michael Matheson said: “We have already committed to a tobacco-free Scotland by 2034 and we welcome the opportunity to take part in this UK-wide consultation on creating a smoke-free generation.
“Scotland has a range of world-leading tobacco control measures – we were the first country in the UK to introduce a ban on smoking in indoor public places in March 2006. As a result, smoking rates are at an all-time low. We continue to be ambitious and have more work to do to create a tobacco free Scotland, and I look forward to the refreshed tobacco action plan being published shortly.
“We will continue to work with the UK Government and other devolved administrations on joint approaches where appropriate.”
Welsh Government Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing Lynne Neagle said: “We want to take all actions possible to stop young people from starting smoking in the first place and from vapes being use by and targeted at children.
“We have decided to consult jointly on these proposals as we believe they will be stronger if undertaken on a four nations basis. I therefore encourage anyone with an interest in tobacco or vaping to take part in the consultation and share their views on how we can best protect children and young people from these products.”
Permanent Secretary at Northern Ireland’s Department of Health Peter May said: “Northern Ireland’s Department of Health has agreed that NI will be included in the public consultation, to help inform future decision making.“
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation said: “Following the Government’s very welcome signal that it intends to take decisive action to ensure future generations are smoke free, we are pleased to see it also consult about vaping.
“This is an important opportunity to ensure that regulations around vaping are effective, and that any actions carry the confidence of the public.
Sarah Woolnough, Chief Executive at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “We welcome today’s consultation on vaping announced by the government. It is clear we must urgently act to stop children accessing vapes.
“Disposable vapes at their current pocket money prices, with cartoons and bubble-gum flavour options, are far too attractive and easy for children to access. We also want to see restrictions on the marketing of vapes and on flavours so that they do not target children.
“If you’re a smoker and you want to quit tobacco, vaping can be a helpful way to give up smoking. But for children and those who don’t smoke, starting to vape isn’t a good idea, especially if you have a lung condition.”
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of health charity ASH, said: “Ground-breaking legislation to protect the next generation from smoking and vaping is needed, wanted and workable.
“This consultation will ensure all voices are heard and the balance is struck between protecting children while still helping adult smokers quit. However, consultation must be followed rapidly by legislation to be passed in this parliamentary session.
“There is no time to waste, every day hundreds of children start smoking for the first time, two thirds of whom will go on to become daily addicted smokers.”
Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said: “We’re pleased that the UK Government’s consultation into youth vaping and smoking has launched. Preventing young people from taking up vaping is an area that needs stronger regulation, and we look forward to responding.
“But it’s important to remember that based on current evidence, vaping is far less harmful than smoking cigarettes, and can help people to quit. The government is right to consider how any changes will impact people who use e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool.”
Dr Jeanette Dickson, Chair of Council of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said: “The Academy welcomes the consultation on smoking and vaping.
“Smoking causes death and disability across all ages due to premature birth, heart disease, lung cancer and dementia. Eradicating smoking can only benefit the health of the population.”
The introduction of cheap and accessible disposable vape products is also causing major environmental harm. Latest figures from Material Focus show 5 million disposable vapes are thrown away each week, a rapid increase from 1.3 million last year and is equivalent to the lithium batteries of 5,000 electric vehicles.
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “The scale of the waste created by disposable vapes in the UK is shocking – industry research shows nearly 5 million single-use vapes are thrown away every week.
“Not only will the Prime Minister’s historic proposals to crack down on cheap and accessible disposable vapes help create the first smoke-free generation, but they will be of major benefit to the environment by tackling a particularly problematic waste stream.”
The new plans are backed by concrete evidence following the department’s youth vaping call for evidence. This received 441 responses, with the majority (324) coming from individual respondents and 117 coming from organisations.
Concerned parents and carers, education professionals and charities echoed the Prime Minister’s concerns about underage use and availability of often counterfeit or illicit products – frequently displaying cartoons.
Parents told us more children are trying vapes than ever before because of the cheap price of disposable options, diverse range of flavours and marketing which makes vapes look more like sweets than a smoking alternative.
Visitors with additional support needs can enjoy the wonder of Scotland’s sensational illuminated trail Wondrous Woods during a dedicated inclusive evening next month.
The magical event at Gosford House in East Lothian on November 15 is being sponsored by Edinburgh investment managers Walter Scott & Partners through the company’s Giving Group.
The spectacle, at the magnificent country estate near Longniddry, has been specially adapted to be suitable for those with additional support needs (ASN) including autism and other sensory processing disorders.
The dedicated event will provide a relaxed evening with lighting and effects that can be enjoyed by those who experience sensory overload. It also features the delightful Wondrous Woods mascot Woody the Owl.
Designed and produced by the team at GC Live and delivered by technical partners, 21CC Group, the glorious lighting journey takes visitors through the winding mystical pathways of Wondrous Woods, starting at Gosford’s enchanting Lily Pond and Ice House.
Guests then follow the 1.5km route of fabulous lighting trails which meander through ancient private woodlands and unseen gardens, past the Boat House and through the natural beauty of the landscape.
All along the way are wonderful subdued sound and lighting installations, culminating in the stunning sight of Gosford House illuminated in all its glory. Visitors can then relax and join Woody in the Hay Field at Woody’s Nest for food and a browse in the Woody Shop.
Geoff Crow, Director of 21CC Group said: “We are thrilled to be taking this magical lighting event to Gosford House and very appreciative of the support from Walter Scott & Partners for this special night.
“The trail is breathtaking so we’re really excited about welcoming all our visitors back to Wondrous Woods and delighted to be able to provide another really special occasion for anyone with additional support needs.”
Dennis Wyles, Client Investment Manager at Walter Scott Giving Group, says:“As we’re based in Edinburgh we love to give something back to the community and like to focus on projects that can really make an impact.
“Wondrous Woods is a truly magical event and to be able to help visitors, who may not ordinarily have been able to attend something as awe-inspiring as this, is really meaningful.”
Wondrous Woods runs over Friday, Saturday and Sunday sessions from October 27 to November 19, including a special run during the last week, where sessions are extended to run from Thursday to Sunday.
The ASN evening will be held on Wednesday the 15th of November.
UPDATE: A 32-year-old will be subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal following attempted robberies in Edinburgh.
The incidents happened on Tuesday, 10 October, 2023, at St Mary’s Street, Market Street, Jeffrey Street and the High Street.
The man is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.
Detective Sergeant Steven Dick said: “We would like to thank the public for their assistance with our enquiries.”
Detectives are appealing for witnesses to contact them following a series of attempted robberies in the city centre.Four crimes have been reported but officers believe a further two incidents, one in Market Street and one in the Royal Mile, were not reported to police.
The reported incidents occurred between 6pm and 7pm on Tuesday, 10 October, 2023, at St Mary’s Street, Market Street, Jeffrey Street and the High Street. They all involved a man threatening members of the public and attempting to obtain money from them.
The man is described as white, around 5 ft. 8 – 5ft. 10 inches in height, with a medium build and brown, unkempt hair. He has dark facial hair with a beard and moustache.
He was wearing a dark jacket, grey-coloured jogging trousers and dark shoes. The man spoke with a local accent.
Detective Sergeant Steven Dick said: “We believe other people were approached by this man near to the train station at Market Street and the Royal Mile at the junction with Jeffrey Street and I would ask them to contact us to report the circumstances.
“We are in the process of checking CCTV footage from the relevant areas but if anyone has any information about this man, please get in touch with us.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 3049 of 10 October 2023. Alternatively, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
Scottish Young Musicians, Scotland’s leading festival of music competitions, is returning for 2024 to give young people across the country the chance to compete for the titles of Solo Performer of the Year, Ensemble of the Year and Brass Ensemble of the Year.
Participation in this career-enhancing competition has been offered to every Local Authority in the country as well as independent schools, in the hope that more young people than ever before will take up the opportunity to perform and take part.
In only 2 years, Scottish Young Musicians has become the largest and most important national music competition in Scottish schools, with 30 local authorities participating in the 2023 competition in May, representing around 99% of the school population.
The competitions give young people a life-changing and unforgettable experience, as well as the confidence to continue to compete at the highest level and to do so across all socio-economic backgrounds, providing an opportunity which would otherwise not have existed.
Scottish Young Musicians 2023.
New for 2024, Scottish Young Musicians are proud to offer support for a Junior Competition taking place in Primary Schools, with the local authorities taking part focussing on finding the best junior talent in their area, and giving the country’s youngest musicians experience in performing in front of an audience and competing with their peers.
Parents and pupils can find out more through their school music teacher.
Back to find its third ever champion, Solo Performer of the Year is open to all young musicians who go to school in Scotland, whatever age or standard.
Each local authority will select a regional finalist, with all of them hosting local and regional heats across different schools to decide who will represent their area at the National Final. Musicians can enter through their school music teachers and a finalist will also be selected from Scotland’s independent schools.
The National Final will take place at theRoyal Conservatoire of Scotland on Sunday 26 May 2024.
Ensemble of the Year, which is open to instruments of all disciplines, and Brass Ensemble of the Year are online competitions which will see school and local ensembles compete to win a chance to perform in a prime slot at the National Final.
Ensemble of the Year is open to ensembles of 3 to 16 players of any genre or grouping of instruments who play together regularly in a formal group from a school or recognised music organisation.
Brass Ensemble of the Year is open to ensembles of 3 to 12 players who play together regularly in a formal group from a school or recognised music organisation. For both competitions, all members must be school students in Scotland, but there is no minimum age or standard.
One ensemble in each category will be selected to represent each local authority, recognised music organisation, and Scotland’s independent schools, and each local authority and group are encouraged to have their own competitions to select their final entry.
The chosen video entries will then be submitted for judging by a panel of esteemed adjudicators, who will watch the videos together and provide feedback in the form of a voiceover.
The deadline for entries is 31st March 2024.
The winners of the Solo Performer of the Year, the Open Ensemble competition and Brass Ensemble of the Year will all receive a stunning trophy designed by Alexander Stoddart, the King’s Sculptor in Ordinary in Scotland.
The aluminium figure depicts the Maid of Morven, a figure from Ossianic poetry that has inspired composers throughout history. Solo finalists will also have a chance to win amazing career-changing prizes including cash to spend on developing music skills, a hand-crafted trophy, coaching, recording sessions, meet-and-greets with Scotland’s top music institutions and more.
The winning Ensembles of the Year will receive a cash prize to further their musical experiences, and an all-expenses paid trip to play a prime slot at the Solo Performer of the Year National Final.
**Pics free to use**
Emily Barron, 16-year old clarinettist from St Columba’s School, Kilmacolm wins Scottish Young Musicians Solo Performer of the Year 2023.
Last year’s Solo Performer of the Year final, which was adjudicated by judges including Sarah Ayoub of the Ayoub Sisters and Ross Leighton from the band Fatherson, was won by 16-year-old clarinettist Emily Barron from St. Columba’s School in Kilmacolm, who received £1,000 to spend on furthering her musical career, and a package of opportunities provided by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland including a coaching session, participation in a masterclass and a studio recording session.
Scottish Young Muscians, Glasgow, 2022
Ben Dickinson French Horn En Foret – Bozza
East Renfrewshire
The career-enhancing competition also offers prizes from Scottish Opera, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, The Cumnock Tryst and more, and is supported by high-profile figures and organisations from across Scotland’s music industry.
Participants in the 2023 competition reported benefits including new connections with other young people, increased mental wellbeing, increased musical skill and increased confidence. Finalists also said they benefitted from the fact that Scottish Young Musicians is raising the profile of music-making opportunities outside of a school setting and on a more national level.
As part of a focus on bringing the competitions’ benefits to areas of deprivation, Scottish Young Musicians proudly partners with Awards for Young Musicians to provide support ranging from £200 to £2000 to musicians from families of limited financial resources.
Alan Kerr, Chair of Scottish Young Musicians, said: “I am proud to say that Scottish Young Musicians has become an integral part of Scotland’s youth music calendar, providing more opportunities to young people in Scotland than ever before.
“Last year the SYM oversaw competitions in 269 secondary schools, 31 regional finals and a National Final held in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Scottish Young Muscians, Glasgow, 2022
“We’re excited to build on the success of the last two competitions and keep the momentum going for 2024, with the hope that more musicians than ever before will take part in schools and at a regional level, enabling us to have the broadest possible representation of musical skill on stage at the National Final in May 2024.
“SYM is not just about producing great music, it’s about offering the life-skills and benefits that performing music in public can bring to students. We’re also delighted to introduce junior competitions at a local level, and look forward to helping our youngest musicians reach their full potential.”
Edinburgh-based leading sustainable clothing brand, Unfolded, is hosting the first ever Unfolded and Friends pop up event at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh on Sunday (15th October).
The free event is open to all and runs from 11am-4pm at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh’s Greyfriars Hall (entrance from The Royal Mile via Cowgatehead). Alongside Unfolded will be other fantastic sustainable Scottish brands including Seilich Botanicals, Voxblock, Natural Sparkle and Scents of the Wild.
In the past 18 months Unfolded has grown to a community of over 100k+ women across the UK, turned down three Dragons on Dragons Den and attracted wide acclaim for their affordable approach to sustainable fashion from media such as This Morning, Lorraine and Glamour magazine.
The event gives shoppers the chance to preview, try and buy the brand new Unfolded collection, shop the brands first ever discounted sample sale, enjoy a free drink, meet the founders and discover a range of other fabulous Scottish sustainable focused brands.
Hosted within Virgin Hotels Edinburgh’s beautifully restored Greyfriars Hall, a Gothic church with vaulted ceilings, it’s the perfect spot to experience a piece of classic Edinburgh while perusing the very best sustainable products Scotland has to offer.
Unfolded is a local business well on its way to achieving a big mission – to change the way people shop and make the fashion industry more sustainable.
Did you know that 30% of new clothes made this year will never be sold – that’s estimated to be a staggering 26 billion items of new clothing that is destined to go straight to landfill?
Unfolded is challenging the industry by creating clothes without the waste and using the savings to create positive impact in the world. They do this by:
Designing clothes in collaboration with Unfolded shoppers to ensure the only clothes created are ones that people actually want to buy
Production doesn’t start till orders start being placed, allowing us to match supply and demand
Clothes are delivered direct from our factories to our customers within 4-6 weeks – removing logistics wastage
Making clothes in this way actually delivers cost savings and these are used to:
Offer sustainable yet affordable clothes
Pay garment workers better wages
Create long term change by funding children in India to learn to read and write (our clothes are manufactured in India).
Since launch eighteen months ago, Unfolded has already supported over 5,000 children in education.
Cally Russell, co-founder of Unfolded explains more:“Unfolded is all about community and creating positive change by working together.
” This is why we decided to host Unfolded and Friends and can’t wait to meet people in person at Virgin Hotels Edinburgh on Sunday. Over the past 18 months our collaborative approach to sustainable fashion has started to change this industry and we look forward to more Edinburgh locals discovering there is another way to shop this weekend”.
Mafalda Albuquerque, General Manager, Virgin Hotels Edinburgh said:“Virgin Hotels Edinburgh is a strong supporter of small, Scottish businesses.
“Our very own Curiosity Shop, delivered in partnership with Virgin Startup, features local sustainable brands and is extremely popular with our guests and so we know there will be huge excitement for the Unfolded and Friends market.
“We look forward to welcoming Unfolded into Greyfriars Hall to give guests and locals the chance to browse its incredible collection of sustainable products. In keeping with chic Virgin style, the pieces aren’t just fabulous but good for the planet too.”
After London the popup market tour will be heading to Oxford Street in London and then Manchester before the end of the year.
Find out more about the Unfolded and Friends Pop Up Event here:
Autumn is here and as the October school holidays have started, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding working families to give their childcare budget a treat this Halloween by opening a Tax-Free Childcare account.
Parents can use Tax-Free Childcare to help with childcare costs for school holiday clubs, breakfast or after school clubs, childminders or nurseries. It provides working families with up to £2,000 a year per child off their childcare bills for children up to the age of 11, or £4,000 a year up to the age of 16 if their child has a disability.
For every £8 paid into a Tax-Free Childcare account, families automatically receive a top up from the UK Government of £2. Using the tax-free top up, families can save up to £500 every 3 months for each child or £1,000 if their child is disabled.
Opening a Tax-Free Childcare account is quick and easy and can be done at any time of the year. Families who have not yet signed up should check their eligibility and apply online today.
It takes around 20 minutes to open an account and money can be deposited at any time. The money can be used straight away or left in the account and used whenever it is needed. Any unused money can be withdrawn at any time.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “Families need plenty of childcare options when the weather turns cold and wet and days get shorter.
“We would urge parents to ensure they’re taking advantage of all opportunities available – whether it’s sending their child to wraparound school club or a holiday club during the half term break. Tax-Free Childcare provides financial help that fits your family – to support your childcare needs and save you money. Search ‘Tax-Free Childcare’ on GOV.UK to get started.”
It takes around 20 minutes to open an account and money can be deposited at any time. The money can be used straight away or left in the account and used whenever it is needed. Any unused money can be withdrawn at any time.
Road policing officers are appealing for information following a crash involving four cars on the A71, near to Calder Junction in Edinburgh.
The incident happened around 7.30am on Tuesday, 10 October, 2023.
Emergency services attended and the 53-year-old male driver of an orange Ford Ranger was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
The road was closed for collision investigation and reopened at 10.40am.
Sergeant Paul Ewing, of the East Road Policing Unit, said: “Our investigation to establish the full circumstances of this collision is ongoing and I would urge anyone who can help to come forward.
“We would like to speak to anyone who may have dashcam footage or who saw the orange vehicle on the road prior to the crash.
“Anyone who can help is asked to call 101, quoting reference 0555 of 10 October.”
Eight projects supporting people with neurological conditions are receiving a total of almost £440,000 to enable them to enhance and expand the services they provide.
NHS Lothian is one of the recipients. They have been awarded £58,763 to fund a Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) clinical network for NHS Lothian.
The project will establish an FND network which will: create an integrated clinical network for people with FND; provide education, training and support to health professionals involved in FND; and to provide a relapse service for people with to ensure a consistent point of contact for patients.
The Scottish Government funding is the fourth round of awards made as part of a five-year action plan to improve support for people living with neurological conditions.
A joint initiative by the Care Inspectorate and NHS Ayrshire & Arran is one of the successful bids – £35,000 will be used to develop a national care network for care at home staff who would use it to share their experiences of looking after people with different neurological conditions and how best to meet their needs.
Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health Jenni Minto said: “One million people in Scotland live with a neurological condition which is why we are committed to the neurological action plan as it supports various organisations to help these people to live well and on their own terms regardless of where they stay.
“The Framework contains £4.5 million investment over five years, and this latest allocation of funding will benefit a wide range of projects helping those living with a number of conditions including cerebral palsy, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, and Functional Neurological Disorder.
“All of these innovative projects seek to ensure seamless access to high-quality and co-ordinated health, social care and third sector support in the right place at the right time.”
Care Inspectorate Allied Health Professional Consultant Heather Edwards said: “We are delighted to have been awarded funding to establish a neurological care network for people experiencing care at home.
“This collaboration in Ayrshire and Arran will provide a co-ordinated approach to enable opportunities for shared discussions and learning for staff across health and social care and importantly with people and their families”
UPDATE: Around 2.55pm on Wednesday, 11 October, 2023, the body of a man was discovered next to an industrial estate in Newhailes Road, Musselburgh.
Formal identification is still to take place, however the next of kin of missing man Martin Sinnett, 70, has been informed.
Police officers were in Musselburgh yesterday to stop and speak to motorists two weeks on from when missing man Martin Sinnett, 70, was last seen.
The last confirmed sighting of Martin was around 9.20am on Tuesday, 26 September, in Newhailes Road, Musselburgh, where he was seen walking south away from the Shell petrol station at the junction with Edinburgh Road.
Shortly before this sighting, he was seen around 8.45am on North High Street.
Martin is believed to have walked to the Musselburgh area from Edinburgh, having been sighted outside a motorbike training centre in Seafield Road around 6.45am.
Inspector Colin Fordyce said yesterday: “We are becoming increasingly concerned for Martin’s welfare, particularly given his age and the length of time he has now been missing.
“Officers will be stopping motorists this morning, exactly two weeks on from when Martin was last seen, in a bid to glean any information which could lead to tracing him.
“We are looking to speak to people who take this route through Musselburgh regularly and asking them to cast their minds back to the morning of Tuesday, 26 September, to consider whether they may have seen Martin in the area or have dash-cam footage.
“We would also urge people to continue to check any outbuildings and garden sheds in case Martin has sought shelter somewhere.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0708 of 26 September.
