FRIDAY 17th NOVEMBER from 5 – 7pm
Join our Plant Swap in collaboration with Granton Goes Greener!
Bring your beautiful plants, cuttings, or gardening tools, and let’s exchange them with fellow plant enthusiasts. If you don’t have anything to bring – just come and join us anyway! There’s always something for everyone to bring back home.
This event is completely FREE, and everyone is welcome! No bookings needed.
Carol from Shelter Scotland advises Families and Pregnant Women around any housing issues but mainly damp and mould, and overcrowding.
She will be here at PCHP on the first and third Fridays of November and December from 10am until 12pm. Come along to meet her if these issues are affecting you!
We’re SO DELIGHTED to announce that, as part of Book Week Scotland, we have an author event with queen of crime LIN ANDERSON!
Lin Anderson’s books are some of our most borrowed titles so we know there are many, many Anderson fans in the Drumbrae (and Edinburgh) library community.
Tickets are free but places are limited and so booking is essential – get your ticket while you still can!
One of NHS Lothian’s healthcare heroes was celebrated at this year’s Scottish Health Awards 2023, scooping the Care for Mental Health Award.
Claire Bashford, who works in the Mental Health Team at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Major Trauma unit was named the winner of the Care for Mental Health Award.
Described as providing invaluable care through her training and support, Claire is known to support patients long after their initial injuries as her dedication to helping recovery is second to none.
As well as leading the Mental Health Team as part of the Major Trauma Service during the Covid pandemic, Claire developed an initiative for patients in Critical Care which is still used to this day. She is said to have ‘established a support network for staff and ensure co-ordinated, exceptional care is always available’.
Run by the Daily Record and in partnership with NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government, the annual awards celebrate the NHS staff, support workers, volunteers and specialist teams who go above and beyond to provide exceptional care and support to patients and their families.
Patients, families, work colleagues and members of the public were invited to nominate a local hero across one of the sixteen award categories with over 900 nominations and 51 finalists named.
David Dick, editor in chief of Daily Record and Sunday Mail, said: “Congratulations to Claire for winning the Care for Mental Health Award. With over 900 nominations, the judging panel had a difficult task in picking the winner for each category this year.
“Every winner should be extremely proud of their hard work and dedication in making a difference to their patients, families and communities. It’s with their support that we are able to celebrate 75 years of our National Health Service as a country and it is an honour for us to continue running these awards.”
Winners were named at an awards ceremony at the O2 Academy in Edinburgh on 2 November.
For more information visit https://scottishhealthawards.com
– Prices will be locked at new price until 31st December –
– Morrisons is investing over £4 million in these new price reductions –
Morrisons is cutting the price of 58 popular festive items and is committing to keeping the prices low until the end of the year. The cuts are being made well in advance of December 25th so that customers can stock up and spread the cost of their Christmas grocery shopping.
Key festive items such as stuffing, roast potatoes, cranberry sauce and tin foil have been cut in Morrisons latest wave of price activity – its tenth of the year.
Morrisons is investing over £4 million to cut the price of the products by an average of almost 20 per cent from current prices. The items have all been chosen because they were particularly popular at Christmas last year – with an average uplift in sales of over 90 per cent throughout the festive period.
The total price of all 58 items in Morrisons festive basket is nearly two pounds cheaper than the same basket of items would have cost in Christmas 2022, despite the significant inflation over the last year.
The cuts cover Christmas dinner must-haves and trimmings as well as drinks and nibbles including Bucks Fizz, tonic and peanuts. Festive hosts can also stock up on kitchen essentials such as kitchen foil and napkins while key ingredients needed to create seasonal bakes have also been cut such as mincemeat, sultanas and pastry – as well as cream.
These lower festive prices introduced in Morrisons supermarkets and online this week are on top of further 62 price cuts made last week on items such as chicken wings & drumsticks, frozen chips, bread and smoked fish. Those prices will be held for at least eight weeks and form part of the commitment Morrisons has upheld since January to always have over 1,000 prices lowered and locked each week.
Rachel Eyre, Morrisons Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, said: “We know that Christmas is an expensive time of year and that our customers are having to make tough choices about what to put in their baskets.
“We are working hard to help them when it comes to their festive grocery shopping and want to protect them from rising costs so despite the significant inflation we have seen over the last twelve months, our basket of 58 festive items is cheaper than it was in 2022.”
| KEY DEALS ON CHRISTMAS FAVOURITES | WAS | NOW |
| Morrisons Cocktail Prawns 300g | £4.30 | £3.59 |
| Morrisons Raspberry Sherry Trifle 900g | £4.00 | £2.99 |
| Winter Warmer Mulled Wine 75cl | £3.00 | £2.50 |
| Morrisons Cranberry Sauce 200g | £1.09 | £0.59 |
| Morrisons Mincemeat 822g | £2.79 | £2.15 |
| Morrisons Dry Roasted Peanuts 450g | £2.50 | £1.59 |
| Morrisons Yorkshire Wensleydale with Cranberries 200g | £2.19 | £1.99 |
| Morrisons Kitchen Foil 300 mm wide 10 Metres | £1.80 | £1.45 |
| Morrisons Sage & Onion Stuffing 170g | £0.75 | £0.49 |
| Morrisons Potatoes 1kg | £1.25 | £0.95 |
| Harveys Bristol Cream 1l | £12.00 | £10.00 |
| Morrisons Bucks Fizz | £3.00 | £2.50 |
The Scottish Parliament’s Finance and Public Administration Committee is not convinced the Scottish Government is carrying out enough long-term financial planning to ensure Scotland’s fiscal sustainability.
On the Scottish Government’s public service reform programme, the committee says it has no overall strategic purpose with limited oversight and direction from government.
Finance and Public Administration Committee Convener Kenneth Gibson MSP said: “As the Scottish Budget approaches, we’ve seen little evidence to suggest a shift away from the Scottish Government’s short-term approach towards financial planning; an approach hampered by reliance on one year UK financial settlements.
“We therefore strongly recommend that the Scottish Government produces a full response to the Scottish Fiscal Commission’s sustainability report, setting out the actions it will take to address the longer-term challenges ahead.
“We are also concerned that the UK Government’s decision not to inflation proof capital funding available to Scottish Ministers will mean a 16% reduction in 2028-29 compared to this financial year, at a time when governments need to invest in infrastructure to stimulate economic growth.
“The creation of a Scottish Government advisory group on taxation is welcome. Given the financial challenges ahead, it is imperative that their work to create a clear taxation strategy for Scotland proceeds at pace.”
On the government’s public service reform programme, Mr Gibson said: “We are concerned that the focus of the government’s reform programme has changed multiple times since May 2022, as have the timescales for publishing further detail on what it will entail.
“Given the financial challenges facing the Scottish Budget, this represents a missed opportunity to be further along the path to delivering more effective and sustainable public services.
“The recommendations in our report aim to bring much-needed impetus, focus and direction to the Scottish Government’s reform programme.”
Read the full report:
Pre-Budget 2024-25 Report on the Sustainability of Scotland’s Finances
Comfort Zone exhibition at Granton Hub!
Comfort Zone by Cerys Scorey features a series of new paintings inspired by, and displayed alongside the sketchbooks that Cerys carries with her in day to day life.
Opening night is on the 24th of Nov and the 25th and 26th is from 10-4.
Scottish Labour’s Sarah Boyack MSP has today lodged her final proposal for her Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Members’ Bill.
Despite ’empty promises’ for action from the SNP-led Scottish Government to legislate in this area there have been no tangible results to date.
As a result Sarah Boyack MSP has taken the initiative and pursued this issue as a Members Bill.
The lodging of the members’ bill follows an extensive consultation process which confirmed overwhelming support from stakeholders and constituents for all aspects of Ms Boyack’s Bill.
Scottish Labour’s Sarah Boyack explained: “Over 100 organisations called for this action in the run up to the 2021 elections. My Members’ Bill will end short-termism in the Scottish Government, and commit to the long-term thinking and action that has Wellbeing and Sustainable Development at its heart.
“Successive Programmes for Government have promised a bill of this nature, but as always its warm words and little action from the SNP.
“After a long and comprehensive consultation process it is clear that there is overwhelming support for action and a new Future Generations Commissioner and I encourage all members to support my bill now that it has been lodged”.
Also commenting Sarah Davidson, Chief Executive of Carnegie UK, said: “New wellbeing laws in Scotland would help to hardwire long-term thinking into our political and governmental decision-making.
“Backed by a new Future Generations Commissioner, the legal framework would help our decision-makers to look toward the horizon as well as deal with current emergencies.
“We’d urge MSPs from across the political spectrum to back these moves to help us to tackle the biggest challenges of our time.”
Following extensive police enquiries, a 45-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with two robberies and an attempted robbery in the Colinton area of Edinburgh.
The incidents took place at premises on Bridge Road, Colinton Road and Ashley Terrace, between Saturday, 7 October, and Sunday, 8 October, 2023.
The man is expected to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today (Tuesday, 7 November, 2023).
Detective Constable Peter Lyons said: “We’d like to thank the public for their assistance with our enquiries following our earlier appeal.”
Actions to help improve the lives of British Sign Language (BSL) users have been published as part of ongoing work to make Scotland the best place to live, work and visit for people that use the language.
The BSL National Plan 2023-29 has made 45 commitments aimed at tackling barriers faced by BSL users by embedding the language across health, education, transport, culture and employment.
Commitments made include:
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “BSL is a vibrant language which is of significant importance to the lives of many people.
“This plan lays out our ambition to make Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to visit and live in. These 45 commitments will improve access to vital services and provide more opportunities for BSL users to contribute further to Scotland’s economy, culture and communities.
“The BSL community should be at heart of our decision making process in this area, which is why we will also establish a BSL National Plan Implementation Advisory Group, to ensure that the views of the community are properly represented.”
Philip Gerrard, CEO at Deaf Action, said: “I welcome the publication of the new National BSL Plan for Scotland.
“It was a pleasure to be part of the consultation process that led to the new plan, which demonstrates the continued commitment of the Scottish Government to improving the experiences of BSL users who live, work, visit and learn in Scotland.
“I now urge all agencies with responsibilities under this plan to meaningfully engage with it – there is much to do.”
