Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

Royston Wardieburn AGM

TUESDAY 25th OCTOBER from 2 – 3pm

We would like to invite you on our Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Royston Wardieburn Community Education Centre Management Committee on Tuesday, 25 October 2022, 2 pm – 3 pm

Venue: Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, 11 Pilton Drive North, Edinburgh EH5 1NF

We would like to extend this invitation to the centre users, local community groups and organisation who use this community facilities on regular basis at the centre.

We are looking for people to join the Management Committee who can bring new skills and expertise; therefore, all North Edinburgh residents are welcome.

Tea coffee and refreshment will be provided.

This is a public event, no registration is required to attend. For any further information, please contact us via email: rwccmc@yahoo.com

Please find attached the agenda and minutes of last year AGM.

Looking forward to see you at the AGM on 25th October,

Kind regards

MIZAN RAHMAN

Chair, RWCC Management Committee

RWCC_AGM_Minutes_16November2021Download

Chair, RWCC Management Committee

RWCC-AGM-2022-agendaDownload

Scotland’s top councillors unveiled

5th annual Cllr Awards held in Dundee showcases the best of local government

LGIU Scotland and CCLA are proud to unveil the winners of the 2022 Cllr Awards, the only national awards to celebrate the vital work of local councillors across Scotland.

This evening, the Awards ceremony took place at Caird Hall with hosts Dundee City Council along with special guests and speakers, including Ben Macpherson MSP (Minister for Social Security and Local Government) and Cllr Steven Heddle (COSLA Vice President). The ceremony was also streamed live on YouTube. 

The top prize of the night for Community Champion went to Cllr David Macdonald of East Renfrewshire Council. Cllr Connor McManus of Midlothian Council walked away as the Young Councillor of the Year (below) and Cllr Maureen Chalmers of South Lanarkshire Council claimed the Resilience and Recovery Award.

Bailie Malcolm Cunning of Glasgow City Council was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for his service (in memoriam). And, all leaders across Scotland were showcased and recognised for their remarkable contributions to local government over the last two years. The full list of winners is included below.

Running for the 5th year, the Cllr Awards are a hugely important way to champion what councillors do locally as their work can, all too often, go unrecognised.

Competition was particularly tight this year with nearly 100 nominations received. The winners were selected by a group of judges that included senior councillors and leading stakeholders from across the sector. A link to re-watch the Awards is available HERE.

This year’s Awards were made possible thanks to the generous support of founding partners CCLA.

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU Scotland said: “We are incredibly proud to unveil the winners of this year’s Cllr Awards. During some of the most turbulent and challenging years in recent history, these councillors truly showcase the best of local government across Scotland. 

And while awards and accolades aren’t the reason councillors put themselves forward and enter local politics, their incredible service is, so often, a thankless task. That is why these Cllr Awards are so important. One day a year to say thank you to our elected members for their remarkable efforts.

“I would like to extend a huge congratulations to all of tonight’s Cllr Awards winners. We thank you for your service and look forward to hearing about your continued accomplishments in the future.”

Heather Lamont, Director of Client Investments at CCLA, said: “For the last five years, CCLA and LGIU Scotland have thoroughly enjoyed raising the profile of the best of local government across Scotland and beyond. Councillors and council leaders have delivered in so many unimaginable ways for communities and we want to shout about it!

“The Cllr Awards are all about councillors. Their achievements are often hidden in plain sight and often go unrecognised. CCLA is honoured to stand alongside these outstanding councillors and thank them for their hard work and dedication to our communities.

“Why? Because at CCLA we believe healthy investment markets depend upon healthy communities – economically, socially and environmentally. In that we all have common purpose.”

Portobello woman backs campaign to dispel myths about blindness

A Portobello woman who has been visually impaired since childhood is backing a nationwide campaign by charity RNIB to challenge outdated perceptions and give a voice to some of the hopes and frustrations of blind and partially sighted people.

Sue Marshall (78) was partially sighted in childhood due to the condition Keritecious and became totally blind at 17.

“The strangest thing I’ve found is that when you tell sighted people that can’t see at all they still think you must be able to see something,” she says. “And friends have told me a similar stories. One even took her glass-eyes out and said right, do you understand now!

“I think, in general though, the public are very helpful and kind to the visually impaired. Where I think things haven’t improved is in the workplace. If you’re higher up the chain it seems to be okay, but getting on the first rung of the employment ladder is still difficult.”

RNIB’s ‘See the Person, Not the Sight Loss’ campaign is being launched on World Sight Day today with an emotive short film about Ava, a fictional teenage girl who is coming to terms with losing her sight.

We see the impact this has on many areas of her life, from education to relationships. Most crucially, the film demonstrates how sight loss can impact on mental as well as physical health. With the help of RNIB, Ava’s friends, family and teachers offer their support, while a RNIB Eye Care Liaison Officer counsels her post-diagnosis. Ava starts to find her feet again, accepting her condition and regaining confidence.

David Aldwinckle, director of insight that will run in cinemas, television and online customer voice at RNIB, said: “As someone who’s lived with sight loss for forty years, these findings really resonated with me emotionally.

“When people are diagnosed with sight loss, we know that they often experience a range of emotions including shock, anger and anxiety, and that these can be particularly acute for a young person.

“That’s one of the reasons why we’ve made it a core part of our mission to improve understanding of sight loss. At RNIB, blind and partially sighted people often tell us that they wish other people had a better understanding of what it means to be living with a vision impairment, and we know that by making sometimes small changes to their behaviour, people can help to create a more equitable world for anyone affected by sight loss.

“I’m excited by the launch of our important campaign and with the authenticity of our film, which captures the range of feelings that people go through – the fear, the sense of anxiety, the anger and denial. But really importantly it captures the fact that we also have desire, passion, ambition, skills, abilities, to live full lives and contribute to the world around us just like everybody else.”

In portraying the character of Ava, lead actor Eli London drew upon personal experiences of sight loss, having had retinoblastoma in childhood resulting in monocular vision.

Eli said: “This short film is going to have a tangible, deep impact for a lot of people. Following a young woman, a student, a gamer, through a sight loss journey is overtly a different approach to media that has covered this story before, but it’s important, and necessary. We exist, and it’s been a pleasure to bring her story to screen, to give someone out there their truest representation.”

The two-minute ‘See the Person, Not the Sight Loss’ film is online and in cinemas, along with a 60-second version which has aired on prime-time television, with a 30-second version running throughout the rest of the four-week campaign period. The full three-and-a-half-minute film is available to view online also.

During tomorrow night’s episode of ‘Gogglebox’ on Channel 4 the cast will watch the campaign film, opening up the conversation about sight loss to the whole nation.

The campaign has been supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery through the Postcode Care Trust and other partners.

You can watch the full film here and the 60 second version here.

For more information visit  www.rnib.org.uk/our-campaigns/see-the-person

Being asked whether their guide-dog can read bus-numbers, how they look after their children, know whether their house is clean and tidy, or even when they have their period, are some of the questions blind and partially sighted people have put to them.

RNIB asked what they wished sighted people would stop doing:

  • Asking ‘How many fingers am I are holding up?’
  • Assuming that because I can’t see properly, I can’t hear either.
  • Making hurtful comments such as ‘I couldn’t cope if I was in your shoes’.
  • Leaving a room or meeting without saying goodbye.
  • Directing questions to my guide dog, family or friend instead of me.
  • Asking ‘Would you rather be deaf or blind?’
  • Assuming I need help without asking.
  • Assuming I would only date or marry another blind person.
  • Parking cars on pavements.

What do you wish sighted people knew about sight loss?

  • That sight loss is a spectrum, and everyone’s experience is individual.
  • It’s tiring! The level of fatigue you feel from the extra concentration you are using all the time.
  • It is deeply offensive to say, ‘I don’t look blind’.
  • The fact that I’m blind, doesn’t mean I can’t do it, it just means it takes me a little bit longer or I do it a bit differently.
  • How nerve-wracking it can be to cope in public environments that are low or brightly lit, cluttered, noisy or busy.
  • How much flippant and disrespectful comments can hurt.

1.3 million winter vaccines delivered

Most vulnerable protected against COVID-19 and flu

Over a million vaccines have been delivered to protect against the latest strains of flu and COVID-19 in the latest efforts to relieve winter pressure on the NHS.

Frontline healthcare staff and the country’s most vulnerable have been immunised at speed – with 80.2% of all care home residents being fully vaccinated since the rollout began in September.

The next groups in line for their vaccines – over 65s and those at high-risk – are receiving a scheduled appointment and 50-64 year olds will soon be invited to book an appointment. Anyone who has missed an appointment can reschedule through the NHS Inform online booking portal.

The COVID-19 vaccine is being given at the same time as the flu jab where possible, and so far 94% of those invited have had both at the same appointment. Over two million Scots will be offered both vaccines over the next three months – a pace that aims to maintain Scotland’s place as a leading nation on vaccine uptake.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “This impressive uptake is testament to the frontline staff who got us through the pandemic and continue to protect our population and NHS from the threats that winter brings.

“Scotland remains steadfast in the effort to protect everyone – continuing the huge success of the vaccination programme since it was first rolled out in December 2020.

“COVID-19 has not gone away and I call on everyone to take up the offer of a booster as soon as their invitation arrives to protect themselves, their families and the NHS.”

1,369,270 COVID-19 and flu vaccines have been delivered since the winter vaccine programme launched.

Both new bivalent vaccines, which target Omicron and the original variant of COVID-19, are being deployed alongside existing vaccines, though the vaccination individuals receive will depend on age and vaccine availability.

Both the current and new bivalent vaccines provide good protection from severe illness and hospitalisation from known COVID-19 variants.

Rearrange or opt-out of your vaccination appointment | NHS inform

Winter vaccines | NHS inform

“Grans Eat Free” this October holiday at Mclarens on the Corner

This October Half-Term Break, McLarens on the Corner in Morningside is introducing a limited offer to celebrate grandparents with a “Grans Eat Free” deal throughout the October holidays.

The family-friendly restaurant that believes in serving up sumptuous food, delicious cocktails, and a whole lot of love has created the offer as a thank you to the grandparents that will be home with the kids while they’re off from school.

Grandparents are beloved for spoiling their grandchildren with love, affection, and all the treats mum usually doesn’t allow. It’s time that they get spoiled in return! Signature Group has decided to turn the tables, and instead of having kids eat free this half-term holiday, we’re giving the free meal to Gran.

The deal was created to acknowledge the unsung heroes at the heads of our families that rarely get a day devoted to treating them with the same care that they exhibit each day.

Including anything from a bacon cheeseburger for lunch to blackened salmon for dinner, grandparents can choose the entrée that suits their appetite for no charge for two weeks in October. Now, the kids can start pooling together their pocket money and get ready to pick up the bill for their meal, because this meal is on them.

The limited offer will be available on weekdays between 10th and 21st October. One grandparent can receive a free main course per visit when they dine with their grandkids. Kids must also order a main dish from the children’s menu or main a la carte menu. Free main excludes steak. 

Multi-agency exercise in Edinburgh

Police Scotland is taking part in a multi-agency exercise in Edinburgh to test the response to a major incident.

The simulated exercise will take place from Monday 17 October to Thursday 20 October 2022.

It’s one of many pre-planned exercises that provides training and experience working with other agencies.

Exercises happen regularly at various levels with other emergency services and organisations. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the last exercise of a similar scale held in Scotland was October 2017.

This exercise will test the multi-agency response to a major incident involving hazardous materials.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams, head of Operational Support, said: “This is one of many pre-planned exercises and not in response to any specific threat.

“The public should rightly expect Police Scotland to practice and strengthen our response to a major incident alongside other organisations.

“We are part of a well-established multi-agency training programme that provides valuable training and learning.

“It’s important for exercises to be as realistic as possible however they are always planned proportionately in controlled settings and there will be limited disruption to people living nearby.”

There will be an increased presence of emergency services and military vehicles in Edinburgh during the exercise days.

The exercise is being organised by the Scottish Multi-Agency Resilience Training and Exercise Unit (SMARTEU). Other agencies involved in this particular exercise include NHS Lothian, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council.

Simple first aid tips that could save a life

A 2021 study conducted by The British Heart Foundation revealed that 38% of people in the UK have never undertaken CPR training. For every minute that a person in cardiac arrest doesn’t receive CPR and defibrillation, their chance of survival drops by 10%.

With this in mind, education experts at Skillstg.com have outlined the basic first aid a person should know in case of an emergency. The study details how to differentiate between a heart attack and cardiac arrest, perform CPR, use a defibrillator, and put someone in the recovery position. Acting quickly and confidently using this simple guide could save a stranger or a loved one’s life.

What is CPR?

CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) is a procedure in which a person’s chest is pressed rhythmically to artificially maintain a liveable heart rate and blood circulation during cardiac arrest.

What is the difference between cardiac arrest and a heart attack?

It is important to note that cardiac arrest and a heart attack differ. A heart attack is a condition where the heart muscle suddenly becomes starved of oxygen and nutrients due to a blockage in one of the coronary arteries. A person having a heart attack may feel pain, pressure and burning in their chest and is usually conscious at the time. In this case, you should immediately call 999 and sit the person down to rest while you wait for an ambulance.

A cardiac arrest is when a person’s heart stops pumping blood around the body, usually due to a heart attack. The brain is starved of oxygen, and the person becomes unconscious. In this instance, you should call 999 immediately and perform CPR to keep the person alive whilst waiting for an ambulance. If the heart cannot pump itself, you must assist.

How to spot symptoms of cardiac arrest?

First of all, it is important to be able to identify when someone is in cardiac arrest. If any of the below symptoms are present, then you should immediately begin to perform CPR:

  • The person is unconscious or not responding
  • The skin is pale, cool, and clammy
  • They are not breathing, or breathing appears to be abnormal, high-pitched or gasping
  • The body is limp and unresponsive
  • Lips and fingernails appear blue-ish

How to perform CPR on an adult

  1. If you spot an unconscious person who appears not to be breathing properly, or at all, shake them at the shoulders and ask if they are okay. Call 999 and immediately start performing CPR. If someone else is nearby, shout for them to find a public access defibrillator (PAD). Put your phone on loudspeaker as soon as you have dialled 999, this will allow you to perform CPR whilst asking for help. Do not leave the patient to look for a defibrillator; the ambulance will bring one when they arrive.
  1. Give chest compressions
  • Kneel next to the person
  • Place the heel of one hand in the centre of the chest. Place your other hand on the top of the first. Interlock your fingers.
  • Keeping your arms straight, use the heel of your hand to push down on the breastbone firmly and smoothly so that the chest pushes down 5-6cm, and release to allow the chest to rise back up.
  • Do this at a rate of 100-120 chest compressions per minute. The rhythm of ‘Staying Alive’ by the Bee Gees is the perfect beat to push to.
  1. Keep performing CPR until help arrives
  • You must keep going until the ambulance and paramedics arrive to take over, or until the person begins to breath normally and demonstrates signs of life. If the patient opens their eyes, starts coughing, speaking, and breathing normally, you can stop.
  • If there is no sign of improvement to the person’s condition, and you are becoming tired, try and shout for someone nearby to help and take turns with the CPR. If there is a helper, you can swap every one-to-two minutes with minimal disruption to chest compressions.
  1. Use a defibrillator
  • If a helper returns with a defibrillator, request that it be switched on while you continue to perform CPR. The helper must remove or cut away clothing so that the bare chest is accessible. Any perspiration should also be wiped away. A voice will begin giving instructions from the defibrillator.
  • To apply the pads, first remove the backing paper. In the spaces indicated, place the pads in the appropriate places. The first pad should be placed on top of the person’s collarbone to the right. The second pad should be placed on the top of the person’s armpit to the left.
  • The defibrillator will examine the heart’s rhythm. Stop CPR and make sure no one else is handling the patient. It will then provide a series of visual and verbal indicators that must be followed.
  • If a shock is required, tell any other people around you to stand back. The defibrillator will tell you when it is time to press the shock button. You may then be advised to carry on with CPR if no further shocks are required.
  1. Recovery position – if they become responsive
  • Put the person in the recovery position if they begin to open their eyes, cough, talk and begin breathing normally. The recovery position ensures that the airways are kept clear and open; it also ensures fluids and vomit won’t cause them to choke.
  • Extend the nearest arm to you out at a right angle to the person’s body with the palm facing upwards.
  • Take the other arm and fold it so that the back of their hand rests on their cheek. Hold this hand while carefully rolling the person onto their side. The extended arm will ensure you don’t roll too far, and the bent arm will be supporting the head.
  • Bend their top leg so that their knee is at a right angle.
  • Open the airway by tilting their head gently back and lifting their chin. At this point, you can check that nothing is blocking their airway.
  • Stay with the person until help arrives

A representative from Skillstg.com commented on the study: “Currently, nine in ten people with cardiac arrest outside the hospital die.

“CPR is an essential skill that can improve these odds by saving lives. If CPR is performed in the first few minutes of someone going into cardiac arrest, the person’s chance of survival is doubled.”

Skills Training Group are the UK’s leading first aid training, electrical and heating courses for adults, contractors & companies alike.

Date set for King’s Coronation

Buckingham Palace is pleased to announce that the Coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday 6th May, 2023.

The Coronation Ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort.

The Coronation will ‘reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry‘.

Further details will be announced in due course.

Heart of Newhaven: October update

Welcome to your October Newsletter

And apologies if it seems a long one: it’s just an indicator of how much is happening!

Well, we’re open for business! All right, perhaps not fully open, but we have held our first public events in the Anchor Building and they’ve been great successes. We will build on them as we approach opening in the old Victoria Building.

Enliven was a taster event supported by the Edinburgh Wellbeing PACT, held on Saturday 24th September to allow members of the community to see what HONC and some of their partners will be offering once the whole of the Heart is open. Over 100 visitors of all ages came through the Heart’s gate to investigate.

Some of our Partners demonstrated their wares, including Ink on Mesh with screen printing and the Victorian Schoolroom with Victorian crafts and toys inside and gird and cleek races in the playground, while Men’s Shed showed off their new workshop in the Creel Building. The Newhaven Community Choir and Men’s Shed members contributed to some musical offerings.

Hannah Watt, the Learning Community teacher for the Trinity Academy cluster was also on hand to help youngsters make their own keyrings while the planters in the playground were refreshed as volunteers leant a hand with new planting.

“The weather was very kind, the biscuits all eaten and all of the partners and volunteers felt that the day had been a success and worthwhile,” reports Community Projects Coordinator and Trustee Norma Johnston.

Calling all volunteers, registered or not

Have you already volunteered to help out in some way?
Please note that we have revamped our call for volunteers on the website where there is now an updated form. If you have already volunteered you will be contacted by our Volunteer Coordinator Bryan with a link to the new form. After all, you may have moved away or found other things to do with your time since you first contacted us. If so, please let us know so that we can take you off the list.

If you would like to volunteer now, then please go to the website and follow the links. We are currently looking in particular for volunteers to help with DIY skills such as painting & decorating, pulling up carpets, cleaning windows, upholstery, as well as minute takers for sub-group meetings.
Please go to:

Volunteer Here

We are also planning a volunteer meeting some time in November so that you can meet each other. If you’re registered, you will be contacted with the details. Hope you can make it!

If you can’t volunteer your time, you may be able to contribute in kind.
Are there any local businesses out there who feel they could sponsor us in any way or contribute practical necessities?

Please contact our Transition Manager Roger Walpole at: roger.walpole@heartofnewhaven.co.uk

Photographs by Andrew Perry www.andrewperry.co.uk