BBC ALBA has partnered with local production company, Mantra TBh, to follow life in the Port of Stornoway in a brand new series, Port Steòrnabhaigh, as work on the new Deep Water Terminal gets underway.
Giving viewers a look behind the scenes, the six-part series explores the daily workings of the main port in the Hebrides, sharing real-life stories from the beating heart of Stornoway Harbour and the bustling community found in her shelter.
Kicking off the vibrant docu-series, viewers are introduced to one of the largest construction projects the Western Isles has ever seen – Stornoway’s Deep Water Terminal – following demand from the energy, transport and cruise industries to bring larger vessels into Stornoway.
As preparation works are full steam ahead for the new port, we meet some American residents who take shelter in the harbour over the winter, before more overseas travellers are welcomed to the island-town on board a cruise ship that is safely piloted into Stornoway.
Viewers can also expect to meet some artists who make the most of the treasures washed ashore and delve into the fascinating world of archaeology along the way.
Learning more about the challenges of life in the port, later in the series, we see the harbour team spring into action to address a health issue on a boat that has docked alongside. Displaying the extraordinary commitment, skill and good humour those in the community bring to their work every single day, we keep up to date on progress at the new Deep Water Terminal and follow plans inshore as the town centre gets a face lift.
The final episode marks a historic day for the Hebrides as the first cruise ship arrives at the Deep Water Terminal, and tourists get a chance to visit some of the island’s top attractions.
Port Steòrnabhaigh premieres on BBC ALBA and BBC iPlayer on Wednesday 14 Augustat 8.30pm (in Gaelic with English subtitles), with weekly episodes available every Wednesday evening.
Next steps to address violence against women and girls, including measures to combat culturally specific forms of violence, have been unveiled.
The latest Equally Safe Delivery Plan – developed in partnership with COSLA – focuses on prevention of abuse across Scotland’s diverse communities. For the first time, this includes taking forward a specific approach to tackle honour-based abuse.
Recognising the higher risk of abuse that women and girls with learning disabilities face, it will also ensure that relevant educational settings are equipped to teach pupils about healthy relationships and improve access to support services.
Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart said: “Violence against women and girls is abhorrent and has no place in modern Scotland. Since 2021, frontline projects backed by our Delivering Equally Safe Fund have supported nearly 60,000 adults, children and young people, and we are determined to build on that progress.
“This plan sets out our sustained focus on prevention, improving support services and ensuring the justice response is robust.
“Gendered abuse can happen in any community and to ensure that it is tackled effectively and equitably for all women, we are strengthening our response to the diverse ways that violence and abuse can occur.
“That includes recognising that abusers could be extended family members rather than partners – like in some cases of honour-based violence – and ensuring tailored support is provided for vulnerable groups, including women with learning disabilities and migrants.”
COSLA ‘s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson Councillor Maureen Chalmers said: “This Delivery Plan is a road map underpinning the next phase of COSLA’s and the Scottish Government’s shared journey towards an Equally Safe Scotland for women and girls.
“We will work collaboratively over the next two years with key specialist and public sector partners, to achieve the delivery of these commitments through our collective energies. No one government, sector or service can prevent and tackle violence against women and girls alone.”
The plan was launched with a visit from Ms Stewart and Ms Chalmers to Glasgow and Clyde Rape Crisis Centre.
Director of the centre, Claudia Macdonald-Bruce said: “Every day, we see the impact that an experience of rape and sexual abuse has on women and girls. It is life-changing, life-altering and sometimes life-ending. No women or girl should have to wait for our help when they ask for it.
“I hope that today’s opportunity to see in action how our trauma-informed, survivor voice and data-led approaches to the provision and development of our specialist services for women and girls, is welcomed too as future decisions continue to be made.”
With Scotland’s new Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine programme having begun, Public Health Scotland (PHS) is encouraging those eligible to get vaccinated.
PHS’s Head of Immunisation and Vaccination, Dr Sam Ghebrehewet, joined the First Minister, John Swinney, in a visit to the vaccination clinic in the Hub Community Centre in Clydebank today.
During the visit to the clinic in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Dr Ghebrehewet and the First Minister were delighted to meet with pregnant women and older adults who are among the first to have come forward for their RSV vaccine.
RSV is a common and highly infectious respiratory virus that affects the breathing system. It is the leading cause of emergency respiratory admissions to hospital in Scotland in infants, with 1,516 children aged under one hospitalised with the virus last year.
To help protect newborns and infants, pregnant women are being offered the vaccine during antenatal appointments with their midwife from 28 weeks into their pregnancy.
There were also over 1,000 cases of RSV recorded in adults aged 75 and over in Scotland between October 2022 and September 2023, with more than half (535) having to spend time in hospital as a result.
Local health boards in Scotland have been inviting all those currently eligible by letter to come forward for their free RSV vaccine including:
Those turning 75 years old on and between 1 August 2024 and 31 July 2025.
Anyone who is aged 75 to 79 years old on 1 August 2024.
Highlighting the importance of pregnant women and older adults coming forward for the RSV vaccine, Dr Sam Ghebrehewet, Head of Immunisation and Vaccination at PHS, said: “I’m pleased to join the First Minister and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s vaccination team at Clydebank Community Centre today and see people coming forward for the RSV vaccine.
“Vaccinations have played a major role in protecting the health of people across the globe over the last 50 years. Today’s launch of the new RSV vaccination programme marks another significant step in protecting the population of Scotland against preventable diseases.
“RSV can be very serious for those who are more vulnerable, such as newborns, infants and older adults. If you’re eligible, getting vaccinated is the best and simplest thing you can do to protect yourself or your newborn baby from RSV.
“Public Health Scotland continues to work closely with all health boards to ensure as many people as possible receive their vaccine and protect themselves against the more serious complications of an RSV infection.”
Sara, a pregnant woman who received her vaccine at the clinic today, said: “I’d heard of RSV before and how serious it can be for babies.
“After I saw there was going to be a vaccine, I read up about it and decided it was the obvious thing to do to protect my baby when they are born.”
The First Minister said: “I encourage pregnant women to take up their vaccination appointments to protect their babies against the leading cause of hospitalisation in infants during the first weeks and months of life.
“Ensuring a healthy childhood is every parent’s first priority, however, it is equally important that those aged 75-79 take up their offer of this vaccine.
“We have acted quickly with partners to introduce this vaccine in time to maximise the benefit to the more vulnerable ahead of winter. This programme will reduce the numbers seriously ill or hospitalised, helping to manage the significant winter pressures on our NHS.”
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s (RBGE) project to digitise its renowned Herbarium collection has reached a significant milestone as it celebrates the digitisation of its one millionth specimen.
The digitisation project aims to bridge the gap between the collection and the public by making data visible on an accessible platform – taking an innovative approach to scientific data sharing.
In line with this commitment to empower learners and share their resources, the Garden invited the Expedition Botanics – Secondary Summer Club, a group of 15–18-year-olds with a budding passion for science, to get behind-the-scenes access to the digitisation process of the millionth specimen.
To celebrate the milestone the Herbarium, which holds an ever-growing collection of over three million specimens, RBGE has digitised a specimen of Stereocaulon vesuvianum. The specimen, which is a species of lichen*, was collected by Dr Rebecca Yahr, Lichenologist at the Garden, during an expedition up Ben Nevis to mark 250 years since the first recorded climb up the historic mountain.
The landmark expedition was part of RBGE’s contribution to the Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) project, a groundbreaking genome-sequencing programme aimed at unlocking DNA sequences of all the species in Great Britain and Ireland.
By examining plant and fungal lineages and their characteristics, the Garden works collaboratively with partner organisations, including the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oxford and the University of Edinburgh, to reflect on plants’ ancestry – plantcestry – uncovering invaluable insight into how life on Earth has evolved and how we can support global biodiversity conservation efforts.
Rebecca Yahr said: “Scotland has an important role in international conservation, particularly for lichens. Celebrating the milestone with this important specimen is an exciting opportunity for us to highlight Scotland’s unique biodiversity and extend RBGE’s mission to research and understand lichens more generally.”
The Garden’s Herbarium is home to species from 157 countries – an impressive scientific collection which was historically hard to access. The digitised platform, which showcases the rich and diverse plant lineage, now sees requests come in from across the globe from students, scientists and plant enthusiasts alike.
Closer to the community, the Garden’s Secondary Summer School had the opportunity to engage with the living collection as well as apply their learnings to the natural world. One of the lucky youngsters, 15-year-old Bernice Nwagu, was selected to digitise the millionth specimen, highlighting the Garden’s commitment to investing in future generations and sparking their curiosity in career paths within the industry.
The vibrant working collection, which traces back 350 years, is being digitised into high-resolution images that can be viewed by anyone with an internet connection. It demonstrates not only Scotland’s biodiversity but details regions around the world where RBGE has worked in partnership with local experts for generations.
Democratising access to reference collections such as the Garden’s provides scientists around the globe with an enriched understanding of the environment in their quest to conserve our fragile habitats.
Leading the digitisation project, Professor Olwen Grace, Deputy Director of Science (Collection) and Curator of the Herbarium said: “Being able to share this information with scientific communities as well as the public allows us to develop a more robust understanding of biodiversity challenges and the solutions that can help us build resilience to shifting climates.
“As biodiversity scientists, it’s both the best and worst time for us to be working. It is far easier to share and translate our work on plant lineages to produce models that demonstrate direct impacts and help us tackle problems at national and global scales; however, the acceleration of climate change means that we are in a race against time.
“At the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, we see it as our moral imperative to share this information, especially when we are facing a global biodiversity crisis.”
As part of the Garden’s commitment to building a positive future for biodiversity and providing access to the collection that represents half to two-thirds of the world’s flora, the digitisation process has followed the ‘FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship’. This has ensured the data has been standardised in terms of findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability of digital assets.
Intervention by the Scottish Government has led to the suspension of planned industrial action by council workers, including refuse collectors, this week.
The action has been suspended by all three trade unions after the Scottish Government provided £77.5 million to fund an improved pay offer.
New funding from the government enabled local authority organisation COSLA to make an offer to unions worth an overall value of 4.27%, with a rise of 5.63% being offered for the lowest paid workers.
Finance and Local Government Secretary Shona Robison said: “We value this vital workforce and I welcome the fact that members will now be able to consider this strong pay offer which was reached following a strategic intervention from the Scottish Government.
“It has paused the prospect of costly industrial action this week which would have impacted businesses and communities across Scotland.
“Our swift action to ensure this strong offer could be made has been taken against an extremely challenging financial landscape and – while fair – represents the absolute limit of affordability.
“In order to fund the offer, we will have to move money from elsewhere in the budget and reduce funding for other programmes. We are taking on significant, additional financial pressure and have been clear painful choices have had to be made to fund this pay deal.
“The offer will provide an above inflation pay increase for all and support the lowest paid. I am pleased it is now with the workforce for their close consideration and would urge members to strongly consider this significantly improved envelope.”
COSLA has welcomed news that strikes have been suspended as Unite, GMB and Unison members will be given the opportunity to have their say on the latest pay offer from COSLA.
COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann, said: “I am heartened today to hear that Unison, Unite and GMB have all agreed to take our latest strong offer to their membership for consideration and to suspend strike action while this is considered.
“Intense but constructive discussions between COSLA, Trade Unions and Scottish Government in recent weeks have resulted in additional Scottish Government funding. This has allowed us to make an improved offer without further risk to our vital council jobs and frontline services. This is a positive and welcome outcome, and I thank everyone involved for their valuable input.
“If accepted, this latest strong offer is worth an average of 4.27% across the whole workforce and would guarantee at least a 3.6% increase for all pay points. The offer directly reflects what trade unions have asked for with a greater increase for the lowest paid workers who would receive £1292 (or 5.63%). We are hopeful that this good offer, which is better than offers made to local government workers in the rest of the UK, will be accepted.
“We strongly urge all council employees who are eligible to vote to use this opportunity to accept the offer and secure a speedy settlement and pay uplift.” [
Families in Edinburgh need look no further than the city’s George Street for a fantastic family day out that won’t break the bank.
With the Fringe festival in full swing, George Street plays host to multiple venues and food vendors which can quickly add up during this busy but expensive time of year in the city.
Popular city centre restaurants, Rio Brazilian Steakhouse and Hard Rock Cafe Edinburgh have both recently launched family friendly deals with ‘kids eat free’ options at both venues.
Rio Brazilian Steakhouse Edinburgh
Families in Edinburgh can immerse themselves in the true essence of Brazilian Churrasco dining, as they experience everything Rio Brazilian Steakhouse has to offer. Expert Gaucho chefs skilfully carve a selection of non-stop meats, served right to the table, offering an unforgettable dining experience in the iconic Assembly Rooms restaurant.
Rio Brazilian Steakhouse is the ultimate family friendly restaurant, guaranteed to suit even the fussiest of eaters. Kids under eight eat free every day at Rio Edinburgh, with a fantastic selection of delicious meats, unlimited salad bar and sides available.
The restaurant has also recently introduced a new discounted price for kids aged 8-12, at just £14.95 per child.
This August, families can make the most of the festival fun and enjoy a kid’s breakfast for free at the iconic Hard Rock Cafe, situated just a stone’s throw from the popular Assembly Rooms venue. Hard Rock Cafe Edinburgh offers a menu of classic American flavours and street food bites in a fun and vibrant setting in the heart of the city.
Lil’ rockers can choose between Pancakes with hot fudge chocolate sauce, banana and fresh berries or a Kid’s Full Breakfast.
Available until Saturday 31st August, from 9am to 11am, t&c’s apply.*
*Receive one complimentary kids’ breakfast menu item with the purchase of each adult breakfast entree; limit one per child.
Offer valid from Saturday 10th August to Saturday 31st August from 9am to 11am. Available for children aged 10 years and under. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Dine-in only.
Educational practitioners and students have the chance to develop their diversity and inclusion skills with a new short course developed by Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh.
The online course Disability Confidence for Educational Practitioners will provide educators with the knowledge and confidence to effectively and sensitively discuss disability with their pupils. Participants will also develop a better understanding of how to create an inclusive environment which best supports their young learners.
The new short course is run by QMU lecturers and chartered psychologists, Drs. Siân Jones and Clare Uytman. Both have practical experience of working in inclusive education in both academia and in the classroom, and have also recently launched their own website, Toy Box Diversity Lab, a selection of free resources which aim to help practitioners enhance disability literacy.
Senior Lecturer in the Division of Psychology, Sociology and Education at QMU, Dr Siân Jones, has hemiplegia, a type of cerebral palsy, which means she is disabled.
Siân acknowledges that much has been done in schools to represent ethnicity in recent years, but she wants to support teachers to demonstrate diversity of disability in the classroom.
She said: “Growing up, there were no toys in the toybox or the shops that looked like me. If there isn’t an opportunity to play with disabled characters, or children don’t come across disabled people doing everyday things in books and films, we’re losing an opportunity to broaden the next generation’s understanding of the world and the people in it.
“Despite efforts to foster inclusion in mainstream settings, there is persistent negativity in interactions between some non-disabled children and their disabled peers. Given the significant implications of this, we have looked for ways to foster meaningful and positive interventions to reduce ableism and discrimination towards disabled children.
“When disability is portrayed more prominently, particularly in the classroom, our research shows only positive outcomes in children’s wellbeing and acceptance.”
Siân continued: “I think that disability literacy is such an important facet of teaching, and maybe one day, could even be a necessary requirement given its emphasis in the Scottish education curriculum.
“Our new professional development course will be the perfect accompaniment for those in teaching roles, helping to foster positive environments for disabled learners across the country.”
The Disability Confidence for Educational Practitioners course is entirely online and fully flexible, so participants can complete the course in their own time and at their own pace. It runs from September 2024 for six weeks and costs £150 per person. Applications must be submitted by 22nd September.
Joint Programme Leader for BSc (Hons) Psychology and Senior Lecturer at QMU, Dr. Clare Uytman, said: “Positive understanding, representation and discussion around disability is so important for achieving a more inclusive learning environment, which will help children understand the importance of these topics from an early age.
“We hope that by the end of this course, participants will be able to engage effectively with students, parents, and colleagues about disability in an empathetic manner, understand the importance of disability positive learning environments that represent diverse abilities, and be able to confidently create and monitor the effectiveness of representative teaching materials.
“It is so rewarding to see years of hard work and thorough research come together with the creation of this highly beneficial course, which we hope will be of real value to the teaching profession.”
Edinburgh residents are being asked for their views on Firework Control Zones.
The introduction of a Firework Control Zone will mean that certain fireworks will no longer be permitted to be set off in these areas, and a Citywide Firework Control Zone will mean that certain fireworks will no longer be permitted to be set off anywhere in the capital.
These Firework Control Zones will not impact organised displays, such as Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Christmas or Hogmanay.
Consultation is currently underway for the following locations:
Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker said: “Bonfire Night and broader fireworks use in the city can be an opportunity for communities to come together to celebrate and spend time together.
“However, we all remember the shocking scenes we saw in some areas of the capital last year with emergency services being attacked, and we are doing everything in our power to prevent similar occurrences this November.
“This consultation is an opportunity for everyone to share their position on the use of fireworks, and I encourage everyone to take some time to have their say before the consultation closes.”
Further information on Firework Control Zones is available on the council website. The consultation closes on Friday 23 August 2024.
Enjoy tasty food and brilliant performances from local people. Returning for its fifth year, Stories and Scran celebrates dynamic, thought-provoking work created by our Citizen participants.
Expect diverse and creative talent from Project Esperanza’s Women’s Group, WHALE Arts, the Book Festival’s own Adults Writing Group, and Citizen Collective.
And Scran Academy are back to serve up delicious, sweet treats you can enjoy during the event.
Stories and Scran runs from 8 – 9.15pm at the Book Festival’s new home at Edinburgh Futures Institute on Lauriston Place.
