On 15th April 2016, 23 people launched a project to help protect others. We obtained the loan of a vehicle, designed a logo on the back of a napkin and used a lot of donated money from the volunteers to start the project.
We sat underneath a bridge at King Stables Road and offered a drop-in service on a converted bus, on occasions being able to walk or attend calls using our own cars.
This was done all with the aim of helping others and reducing the pressure on the emergency services.Fast forward six years, we now have a fleet of 5 vehicles, a team of 140 registered volunteers, an agreed amount of regular funding, have delivered copious amounts of training, wear a standardised 4 piece uniform and employ 1 paid member of staff.
Most importantly, we have safeguarded thousands of people from harm, eased the workload of the Scottish Ambulance Service and Edinburgh Police Division, reduced the number of people attending at A&E and have on at least 2 occasions, contributed to saving peoples lives.
The demand on our service has increased dramatically, now dealing with double figured jobs almost every night we’re operational.
We thrive in being able to relieve the workload of the Police and Ambulance Service, by providing the services we do and although he would argue otherwise, the success is primarily down to the hard work and perseverance of our charities director Neil, who was fought tirelessly to keep us going through challenging times. All of the team are extremely grateful for his contribution.
As we celebrate our 6 year anniversary weekends, we would like to say a wholehearted thank you to everyone that’s made our success and development possible, in both the past and present times.
Road policing officers are appealing for information following a one car fatal road crash on the A70 near Balerno.
The incident happened around 7.05am on Saturday (16 April), and involved a black VW Passat.
Emergency services attended and the driver, a 58-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. His family are aware.
Sergeant Nicola Young said: “Our thoughts are very much with the family of the man who died and our investigation to establish the full circumstances is ongoing.
“We are appealing to anyone who may have seen the vehicle before the crash or who has dash-cam footage that might help with our enquiries to get in touch.”
If you can help please contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0771 of Saturday, 16 April, 2022.
TOUGH new internet laws to protect young people, uphold free speech and make sure there are no safe spaces for criminals online return to Parliament for their second reading this week.
Online safety legislation protecting children will be debated in the Commons
Comes as new plans to support vulnerable people and fight falsities online are launched
Funding boost will help people’s critical thinking online through a new expert Media Literacy Taskforce alongside proposals to pay for training for teachers and library workers
MPs will debate the government’s groundbreaking Online Safety Bill which requires social media platforms, search engines and other apps and websites allowing people to post content to improve the way they protect their users.
Ofcom, the regulator, will have the power to fine companies failing to comply with the laws up to ten per cent of their annual global turnover, force them to improve their practices and block non-compliant sites. Crucially, the laws have strong measures to safeguard children from harmful content such as pornography and child sexual abuse.
Ahead of Tuesday’s debate, the government is launching the next phase of its Online Media Literacy Strategy. It aims to help vulnerable and ‘hard-to-reach’ people, such as those who are digitally excluded or from lower socio-economic backgrounds, navigate the internet safely and teach them to spot falsities online.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will spend £2.5 million to advance the plan through the next year including on training, research and providing expert advice.
This includes a new Media Literacy Taskforce featuring experts from a range of disciplines and a boost to the Media Literacy Fund, which gives teachers and local service providers the skills they need to teach people to improve their critical thinking of what they see online.
Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “The time has come to properly protect people online and this week MPs will debate the most important legislation in the internet age.
“Our groundbreaking Online Safety Bill will make the UK the safest place to surf the web. It has been significantly strengthened following a lengthy period of engagement with people in politics, wider society and industry.
“We want to arm everyone with the skills to navigate the internet safely, so today we’re also announcing a funding boost and plans for experts to join forces with the government to help people spot dodgy information online.
Thinking critically online has never been more important. There was a rise in misinformation and disinformation on social media and other online platforms during the global pandemic and the Kremlin continues to use disinformation to target UK and international audiences to justify its actions in Ukraine.
Ofcom research shows adults are often overconfident in their ability to detect disinformation and only 32 per cent of children aged 12 to 17 know how to use online flagging or reporting functions.
Forty per cent of adult internet users do not have the skills to assess online content critically and children up to the age of 15 are particularly vulnerable.
A new Media Literacy Taskforce with 18 experts from a range of relevant organisations, including Meta, TikTok, Google, Twitter, Ofcom and the Telegraph as well as universities and charities, will work with the government as part of its strategy to tackle disinformation and help hard-to-reach and vulnerable groups in society think about what they see on the web, including improving their ability to protect their data and privacy.
The taskforce will look at new ways to identify and reach people most in need of education. This could include working through local authorities or coordinating support offered by local services to roll out training.
The Media Literacy Fund will expand a pilot ‘Train the Trainer’ programme which ran last year to give teachers, library workers and youth workers more skills to help boost people’s critical thinking skills.
New research will be commissioned to understand the root causes of poor media literacy and on the effectiveness of different methods which aim to build people’s resilience to misinformation and disinformation.
The fund will have a broader scope including a focus on improving media literacy provision for people who are particularly vulnerable online – such as children or people suffering with mental health issues.
Since it launched in July 2021, the Online Media Literacy Strategy has provided £256,000 in grant funding to five organisations to adapt media literacy resources for teachers working with disabled children, run a successful awareness campaign to promote Safer Internet Day and empower LGBTQ+ young people with tools to deal with online abuse.
Nick Poole, Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) said: “Media literacy is the key to helping people lead healthier, happier and safer lives online, particularly the most vulnerable and hardest-to-reach in our society.
“As a member of the DCMS Media Literacy Taskforce, I welcome the breadth and ambition of this new Action Plan, which demonstrates the government’s commitment to this important agenda. As librarians and information professionals, we look forward to playing our part in bringing it to fruition.”
Will Gardner OBE, CEO of Childnet International and a Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre said: “Media literacy is a core part of Childnet’s work with children, young people, parents and carers, and we fully support the Media Literacy focus and work of the DCMS. This work has never been as important as it is now.
“There is a great deal of work being done in this space in the UK. The government is playing an important role in helping to identify where there are gaps and where focus or learning is needed, and then supporting responses to that.
“As part of the UK Safer Internet Centre, in February 2022 we worked closely with the DCMS in helping to promote the Safer Internet Day campaign to LGBTQ+ young people. We fully support the continued focus of the Action Plan, including ensuring that ‘hard-to-reach’ groups are supported as well as those who are particularly vulnerable online.”
Two men have been arrested following an attempted murder in Westside Plaza, Wester Hailes.
A 45-year-old man was hit by a car in Westside Plaza last Thursday (14 April).
Two men, both aged 28, have been arrested and charged in connection with this incident and they are due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow (Tuesday 19 April).
A report will be forwarded to the Procurator Fiscal.
We all love a good bargain, and often these can be found through second-hand items and purchased both online and in-person. While these items are often fine, some may face problems when buying them, particularly if they are purchased online.
Selling experts from second-hand retailer for-sale.co.uk have revealed six red flags you should look out for when buying used items to avoid disappointment, or worse fraud:
The seller asks for payment outside of the app or website:
Many resale sites and apps have security measures for making payments such as the option of a refund if an item doesn’t arrive, however these usually only work through the site itself.
If a seller is pressuring you to make the payment outside of the app, there is a chance that the person is scamming you, and you should avoid them.
The seller is selling a lot at once:
If there’s an item you’re interested in and the seller is also selling a lot of other items at the same time, this may be a red flag.
You should especially watch out for this if all the items they are selling are high value – few people are selling a laptop, a games console, a designer bag, and a phone all at the same time.
If an account on a selling site seems suspicious, avoid it.
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is:
If the item you are interested in is in high demand, consistently sold-out on online retailers, or is priced far below the market price, it is likely a scam.
Follow your gut: if something about the purchase doesn’t feel right, don’t go through with it.
The listing isn’t on a trusted website:
Many reputable selling sites will have in place measures to help protect buyers against scams.
Sites such as Depop and Poshmark authenticate designer items to avoid scams, and some encourage in-person sales to prevent people from selling items which don’t exist.
If you find an item for sale on a site that you don’t recognise or that doesn’t have a lot of positive reviews, it may be best avoiding it.
The seller is asking for money before giving you the item:
Although unavoidable in some cases, such as purchases made over Depop and eBay, if you are purchasing an item from a local seller, you shouldn’t pay until the item is yours.
If you’re collecting an item you’ve purchased online, don’t pay the seller until the item is in your hands and you can be sure it’s not a scam.
Selling items which don’t exist online is a common way for scammers to take your money, and there often isn’t a way of confirming the seller’s identity, meaning that you likely won’t get the money back. To avoid this, pay the seller after you receive the item, wherever this may be possible.
When buying electronic devices, ensure they work:
If an item you’re buying needs to be plugged in, don’t buy it until you’ve tried it. Again, this may be difficult in situations where the item is being sold online, but if the purchase is being made face-to-face, check that it works before buying. If you don’t, you risk being stuck with a broken item that the seller likely won’t accept a refund on.
Mobile use while cycling should be banned, says peer
A new call from Baroness McIntosh of Pickering has highlighted a loophole where cyclists can still legally use mobiles while in the saddle – even though motorists cannot.
The former MP wants a law change so cyclists are prosecuted for the offence of using a phone – the same as car drivers. Presently there is no specific offence for a cyclist using a phone, but a minister pointed out cyclists can be prosecuted for careless or dangerous cycling with fines of up to £2,500.
The peer says she has recent personal experience of being in danger from a cyclist using a mobile. She claims a cyclist was on the wrong side of the road using their mobile phone with one hand, while she was attempting to cross over to the Houses of Parliament.
The Baroness’ plea follows Highway Code changes in January that introduced a ‘hierarchy of road users’ ranking the most vulnerable to harm, such as cyclists and pedestrians, and placing the greatest responsibility on car drivers for the safety of other road users – giving cyclists greater priority over vehicles at zebra crossings and junctions.
Lady McIntosh also asks why the code’s Rule 149 to ‘exercise proper control of your vehicle at all times’ bans mobile phone use yet does not apply to cyclists and e-scooter users. A further law banning handheld mobile use for car drivers came into effect on 25 March.
A leading cycling and motoring insurance comparison website, Quotezone.co.uk, hopes the new law on using mobile phones will come into effect equally across all road users.
Greg Wilson, Founder of Quotezone.co.uk comments: “It makes sense to review mobile phone use for all road users given the zero tolerance approach to motorists brought into effect at the end of March. We should embrace any and all efforts to make our roads safer and using a phone while cycling can be particularly dangerous.
“If the phone is there to act as a bike computer it should be attached safely with a hands-free product such as a quad lock or bike-specific phone case but even then, with the rise in the volume of potholes over the course of the pandemic, cyclists need their full attention to cope with the unexpected
“Cyclist and bicycle insurance can help protect the bike riders and other road users by safeguarding their finances from claims, covering medical expenses, personal liability, theft and damage to property but it can’t keep people out of harm’s way. We need to respect the new changes to the highway code and look out for more vulnerable road users, this new law should help take that further.
“Bicycle insurance isn’t a legal requirement at present like car insurance is, but it should be something every cyclist has before hitting the saddle and it isn’t expensive, especially when using a comparison site to compare providers. For those with a bicycle under £1,000 it can even be added to their home insurance as a specified item.”
The Scottish Ambulance Service is actively engaged with NHS Boards, Health & Social Care Partnerships, GP practices and other key stakeholders to support the effective delivery of high-quality care.
As a result, we believe we have enormous potential to play a significantly enhanced role in the future of health and social care provision, by working collaboratively with the public and stakeholders around how we plan and provide safe, effective and person-centred health and care for the people of Scotland.
In 2019, we actively consulted with staff and the public to get input into the development of our 2030 Strategy. However, soon afterwards, we had to pause the development of the strategy to allow us to focus on our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, taking account of the new post-pandemic landscape, we must consider how we develop our strategy to respond to Scotland’s Health & Social Care priorities to help address the root cause of the challenges we face on a day-to-day basis.
Are you ready for our next big event? We certainly are!
Celebrate RE’BEL-TANE with us on April 30th! We have a number of exciting family friendly activities lined up for you, head to our website (link in bio) to take a closer look at what you can expect.
We are also super excited to have our beloved Hingabootery Café back open and running again which means we will be able to cater to all your coffee, tea and ice cream needs
Competition launched to find the messiest student accommodation in the UK
Students across the UK have been sharing amusing pictures of the mess and destruction they have created in their student flats, with the images showing chaotic bedrooms, broken furniture and kitchen nightmares.
It’s part of a competition launched to find the UK’s messiest student accommodation by home and contents insurance provider, SO-SURE, with the winning students receiving a £200 voucher to spend on Just Eat, so they can celebrate over a takeaway guaranteed to cure any hangover.
The competition ends on Monday 25th April at 12pm (UK time) and people can enter here.
We all know students have a reputation for prioritising a night out over a tidy flat, so it maybe isn’t a surprise we already have some pretty shocking frontrunners.
1. Sarah, Brighton University
Sarah shared this photo of a kitchen after what looks like a fairly messy night out. We are not sure who landed washing up duties, but it can’t have been much fun on a hangover!
2. Josh, Cardiff University
Josh says this is a photo of his mates’ room in their student flat. This has to be one of the messiest bedrooms we have ever seen, maybe it’s time to invest in a bin? It’s not much, but it’s a start.
3. Cassie, Bournemouth University
You almost have to admire the chaos here, it’s like a work of art. Cassie shared this photo from her student accommodation in Bournemouth, we don’t know who the room belongs to, only that they are the ‘messiest gal’.
, we would like to say a wholehearted thank you to everyone that’s made our success and development possible, in both the past and present times
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Are you ready for our next big event? We certainly are!
