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Edinburgh North & Leith: the UK’s most pro-EU constituency

Edinburgh North & Leith constituency leads the way with more signatures than any other in the UK
Leading Scottish pro-EU organisation adds voice to calls for Brexit delay as petition passes 100,000

Scotland’s largest pro-EU campaign organisation, the European Movement in Scotland (EMis) has added its voice to calls for a two-year extension to the Brexit transition period, which culminates at the end of this year.

Urging the UK Government to focus on tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis, the call comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to meet EU institution leaders (the president of the European Council, Commission and Parliament.

Branding the refusal to extend as “highly reckless”, the demand by EMiS comes as a petition calling for such an extension passes the 100,000 threshold.

Passing this mark this requires the Petitions Committee of the Westminster Parliament to give serious consideration to whether such a delay should be debated. An Edinburgh constituency, Edinburgh North & Leith has led the charge with more signatures than any constituency in the UK.

The First Ministers of Scotland and Wales have both written to Boris Johnson, requesting an extension period and a recent Ipsos Mori poll indicates that just under two-thirds – 64% – of people in Scotland believe the UK Government should seek an extension to focus on the pandemic. This compares to 54% across the UK – still a clear majority.

Recent evidence also points to the fact that the UK’s economic output has declined by over 20% in April amid warnings of seismic job losses caused by the Covid lockdown.

The World Trade Organisation has also warned that a No Deal Brexit during an economic recession could be as deep as the Great Depression.

David Clarke, Vice-Chair of the European Movement in Scotland said: “Despite experiencing one of the largest global pandemics, Boris Johnson’s government recklessly ploughs on with a transition period due to finish at the end of this year, deaf and blind to the enormous damage a poor Brexit deal or indeed no deal will have on an already weakened UK economy.

“If it is to be anything short of an economic catastrophe, the matter of negotiating a good trading deal with the EU should be set to one side until it can be given the serious attention that it clearly now requires.

“We are urging the Prime Minister to propose a two-year extension to the Brexit transition period.

“Such an extension is vital if the UK is not to suffer an even more grievous body-blow to our economy and society from Brexit, on top of the pandemic.

“So far, Boris Johnson has adamantly rejected any extension, but he now faces a full-scale Westminster debate after a petition demanding an extension while the ravages of Covid-19 continue passed the 100,000 barrier set by the Commons.

“It is great to see a Scottish constituency, Edinburgh North & Leith, cementing its role as Britain’s most pro-EU constituency.”

Support for the ‘Left Behinds’

A Treasury Committee recommendation calling for more support for “Left behinds” who are not currently eligible for either of the Government’s Coronavirus support schemes for employees and the self-employed should be adopted without delay, say leading tax and advisory firm Blick Rothenberg.

Robert Salter, a Director at the firm, said: “There are still too many people falling through the gaps, around one million getting no support whatsoever.

“Whilst credit should be given to the Government for having developed the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS), it was always clear that these schemes were designed for ‘simplicity’ and ‘administrative ease’ rather than for fairness.

“The Treasury Committee’s push to have the Government widen these schemes to those workers who were previously left behind should be welcomed by all those who appreciate fairness and justice in the tax and benefits systems.

He added: “The Committee recommends extending Government support to groups such as those employees who started (or were due to start), employment in March 2020 or afterwards, those workers who genuinely go from short-term engagement to short-term engagement (e.g. free contract workers), Personal Service Company directors who pay themselves via dividends rather than salary and those self-employed individuals who started self-employment in 2019/20 (or in some cases part way through the 2018/19 tax year).

“They also say that the Government should manage the risk of fraud with these cases, but that it is unlikely to present a problem in most of these situations.”

He added: “Established, freelance contractors who have been working for a number of employers on a contract-by-contract basis would usually have submitted tax returns in previous years. Similarly, established directors of Personal Service Companies would have a similar tax history and would have been filing tax returns to report their dividend income in previous years. As such, many of the ‘left behinds’ are, from a Revenue data and information perspective, in exactly the same position as other individuals already eligible for CJRS and SEISS support.”

Appeal following Portobello robbery

Police are appealing for information after a 15-year-old boy was robbed in the Portobello area. The incident happened around 7pm on Sunday (14 June) on Mount Lodge Place.

The teenage boy was approached by two men, one of whom threatened him with a knife before stealing his silver and red Carrera mountain bike.

The two suspects left the scene on bikes towards Portobello High Street.

The men are described as follows:

Man 1 – late teens, 6ft 1in tall, straight black hair with fringe, tanned complexion and black bushy eye brows. He was wearing a black buff covering lower face/nose.

Man 2 – white, late teens, of skinny build and was wearing a black balaclava showing eyes only, black puffer style jacket and black joggers.

Detective Constable Christina Yeoman, of Edinburgh CID, said: “This was an appalling and traumatic experience for the victim and his friend and on this occasion no-one was seriously injured.

“Officers are carrying out extensive enquires in the area and would like to hear from anyone who may have witnessed this incident take place or any information regarding the whereabouts of the bike.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact police on 101, quoting incident 3351 of 14 June. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, if you wish to remain anonymous.

‘One Team Edinburgh’?

‘Fair, Pioneering, Welcoming and Thriving’ endorsed as Edinburgh’s city values for the next 30 years

Edinburgh’s 2050 City Vision principles of Fair, Pioneering, Welcoming and Thriving have been endorsed by the Council’s Policy and Sustainability Committee, confirming them as integral to both Edinburgh’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the city’s future.

Produced by a steering group led by Lord Provost, Frank Ross, Councillors had previously agreed that the four values were to be central to the Council’s Adaptation and Renewal Programme. The steering group is currently developing a Vision charter for businesses and organisations to sign, committing to keeping the values central to their future plans. Once finalised, the charter will be signed by the Lord Provost on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council.

In addition to the formation of an annual youth council to provide oversight on progress and delivery of the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision, the steering group will be asked to consider measures for the city’s success in meeting the Vision’s aspirations.

Council Leader, Adam McVey, said: “Our recovery plans have already embedded the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision principles to ensure we rebuild better with an eye to our future. We’ve seen partners across the City adopt these principles and will continue to reflect them in our strategy and business planning.

“It’s important to note that we are not charting a fixed journey for everyone to follow – the City Vision gives us all principles to help shape and inform our actions now and push towards a vision of what Edinburgh could and should look like in 30 years’ time.

“Building a city that is led by these values is only possible when we work together. I have every confidence that we can all come together as one Team Edinburgh to adopt and reflect these principles in the plans and strategies of businesses and organisations throughout Edinburgh and in our own lives as citizens.”

Depute Leader, Cammy Day, said: “My thanks go to our Lord Provost and all members of the steering group for the great time and effort they have put in to determining the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision. It establishes an image of Edinburgh that, should we all do our best, we can achieve in 30 years.

“There is still important work to be done and the development of a Vision charter is a crucial step towards our future, one that we are all jointly responsible for and that all organisations, partners, communities and residents need to play their part in. We look forward to the Council signing it in due course and to seeing other businesses and organisations from across Edinburgh embrace it too.”

The 2050 Edinburgh City Vision principles were shaped by over 22,000 public consultation responses from residents across the city – the largest such exercise ever undertaken by the Council. It identified four key values that people wanted Edinburgh to stand for: welcoming, thriving, fair and pioneering. These values reflect a positive ambition for the city and will underpin a long-term vision for how the Capital will mould its future.

This was North Edinburgh yesterday. Will it look any better in thirty years time?

Marcus Rashford forces holiday hunger rethink

Following a successful campaign by Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford, the UK government yesterday announced a “Covid summer school fund” is being set up to help feed children during the holidays in England.

The Scottish Government had earlier announced that their own free school meals scheme will also be extended over the summer.

Welcoming the announcement, FareShare CEO Lindsay Boswell, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Marcus Rashford for his unstinting support of FareShare – helping us get food onto the plates of over 3m vulnerable children.

“His tireless campaigning work to ensure that no child in this country should go hungry over the school summer holidays has delivered fantastic results. A move to continue funding free school meals over the summer months will be a huge relief to struggling families across the UK, many of whom have faced unimaginable strain during this crisis.

“Our network of charities are already seeing a huge increase in demand for food, and we are supplying more charities supporting children and families than ever before – so this is very welcome news.

“However, we know that even with the voucher scheme in place, the need for food will still be there, particularly as, in the event of a recession, charities and community groups providing food will need to support many more people facing financial hardship and food insecurity.

“That’s why we are calling on the public and the food industry to get behind our appeal to help to deliver more healthy, nutritious food to the food banks, community groups, activity schemes and schools supporting the UK’s most vulnerable children – not just over the summer holidays but in the months and years to come.”

The UK Government’s u-turn has been universally welcomed.

Rebecca Long Bailey MP, Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, said: “This is a welcome U-turn from the government and a victory for the 1.3 million children who were at risk of going hungry this summer.

“It is thanks to the amazing work of Marcus Rashford and campaigners that the Government has had no choice but to reverse their decision.

“The Government must now confirm that this new money will be for the direct provision of free school meals to all eligible children.”

Children eligible for free school meals will be among those who continue to be supported over the summer through a package of £27.6 million of additional funding announced by the Scottish Government yesterday.

The funding will ensure councils are able to continue the provision of free school meals during the summer holidays and other food provision to help low income families during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The latest data from local authorities shows that around 175,000 children and young people are currently receiving free school meals – or vouchers or cash payments to buy meals.

The number of children receiving free school food has risen by 53,000 since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the impact of the pandemic on family incomes and financial circumstances.

The extra funding will also enable councils to continue to support a range of people who may be facing new or continuing barriers to accessing food including due to reduced income caused if they are asked to self-isolate through contact tracing – until the end of September.

This funding is in addition to the overall package of £30 million allocated to councils in March to provide free school meals and offer food provision to key groups during lockdown.

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills John Swinney said: “These are challenging times for families and economic uncertainty has added even more pressure on parents already dealing with the stress of this dire COVID-19 crisis.

“We want to ensure families are given the same support through the summer holidays as we provide in term time in recognition of this unprecedented situation. That is why free school meals provision is essential to support families, children and young people who need some extra help at this difficult time.

“This significant additional funding will allow councils to plan for the summer and to continue the existing provision, whether that be offering nutritious free meals for children or through more direct means allowing families to get food for their families. Councils will have the flexibility to ensure they are able to use this additional funding to put in place provision that meets local needs and circumstances.

“£15 million of this funding is being made available to ensure we continue supporting the range of households who have been or may experience difficulty in accessing or affording food during the pandemic.

“We know that people are under pressure just now as they cope with the impact of COVID-19 and this funding shows we are doing all we can to help them at this difficult time. This funding is additional to the £350 million we have already made available.”

Since 24 March councils have provided the Scottish Government with data on the number of children receiving a free school meal through the provision of vouchers, direct payments, home deliveries and provision in educational or early years settings.

Individuals who are unable to access or afford food and cannot get the help they need from family, friends or neighbours are encouraged to call the national assistance helpline.

The free helpline number is 0800 111 4000, or can be contacted via a textphone on 0800 111 4114. The helpline is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm.

Callers will be put through to speak to someone at their local council. They’ll be able to advise on what types of help are available. This might include:

food, if you’re not able to get the day-to-day food you need
medication, if you’re not able to pick up the prescriptions you need
access to local social work services
emotional support
contact with local volunteer groups

BREAKTHROUGH: World first coronavirus treatment approved for NHS use

Ground-breaking coronavirus treatment approved for use across the NHS from today
Government-funded UK trial showed drug saved lives by significantly reducing risk of death in hospitalised patients who require oxygen
Government ensures drug is available across all NHS healthcare settings and across the whole of the UK with immediate effect

Thousands of lives could be saved in the UK as the government immediately authorises the NHS to use the world’s first coronavirus treatment proven to reduce the risk of death.

Dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory steriod drug, has been immediately approved to treat all UK hospitalised COVID-19 patients requiring oxygen, including those on ventilators, from today.

The drug has been proven to reduce the risk of death significantly in COVID-19 patients on ventilation by as much as 35% and patients on oxygen by 20%, reducing the total 28-day mortality rate by 17%.

Funded by the UK government, via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the Oxford University UK RECOVERY trial is the first clinical trial anywhere in the world to show a treatment provides significant impact in reducing patient mortality.

The government has taken action to secure supplies of dexamethasone in the UK, buying additional stocks ahead of time in the event of a positive trial outcome. This means there is already enough treatment for over 200,000 people from stockpiles alone.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “I’m absolutely delighted that today we can announce the world’s first successful clinical trial for a treatment for COVID-19. This astounding breakthrough is testament to the incredible work being done by our scientists behind the scenes.

“From today the standard treatment for COVID-19 will include dexamethasone, helping save thousands of lives while we deal with this terrible virus.

“Guided by the science, the UK is leading the way in the global fight against coronavirus – with the best clinical trials, the best vaccine development and the best immunology research in the world.

“I want to thank the brilliant scientists at Oxford University, the thousands of patients who took part in the study, and my own team, led by Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, who has done such a brilliant job driving this work.”

The drug has also been added to the government’s parallel export list, which bans companies from buying medicines meant for UK patients and selling them on for a higher price in another country. This will protect supply for UK patients by enforcing regulatory action on those who flout the restrictions.

Throughout the pandemic, the government has supported British research with millions of pounds of funding for clinical trials into the most promising and innovative medicines in our fight against this new virus, including £2.1 million for the RECOVERY trial.

This clinical trial is testament to the success we see when government, scientists and the NHS – including 175 NHS trusts across the whole of the UK – work together. With over 177,000 patients enrolled, it’s the largest randomised clinical trial anywhere in the world and will continue to trial other medicines, such as azithromycin and lopinavir-ritonavir.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said: “The RECOVERY trial is an outstanding example of the UK leading the world with an impressive study capable of delivering robust answers to critical questions. Although these data have not yet been peer-reviewed.

“The positive findings on dexamethasone follow the disappointing findings on hydroxychloroquine. Together these 2 results illustrate the power of properly conducted clinical trials and the inherent danger of assuming things work without robust data.

“Whilst tempting to do otherwise, it is always better to wait for the evidence. On the dexamethasone findings, this is very encouraging because the signal on reduced mortality applies to many of the patients admitted to hospitals and the drug is comparatively low priced and available worldwide.”

The UK is a world leader in global science and medicine industries. This British trial will now affect the global response to this pandemic.

This breakthrough has only been made possible through the rigour of world-class and world-leading British life-sciences. The government backed British science from the very beginning of this pandemic and today has proven that this was the right call.

The vital information collected by UK researchers will also be used by other countries to reduce mortality rates worldwide.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed the news at yesterday’s daily press briefing. He said: “I am delighted that the biggest breakthrough yet has been made by a fantastic team of scientists right here in the UK.

“I am not really qualified to announce on this drug and its effects but I will ask Sir Patrick and Professor Horby to say more in a moment.

“But I am so proud of these British scientists, backed by UK Government funding, who have led the first robust clinical trial anywhere in the world to find a coronavirus treatment proven to reduce the risk of death.

“And I am very grateful to the thousands of patients in this country who volunteered for the trials – thank you.

“This drug – dexamethasone – can now be made available across the NHS. And we have taken steps to ensure we have enough supplies, even in the event of a second peak.

“Of course, while the chances of dying from Covid-19 have been significantly reduced by this treatment, they are still far too high. So we must redouble our research efforts and we certainly will.

“But today, there is genuine cause to celebrate a great, British achievement and the benefits it will bring not just in this country but around the world.”

Letters: Thanking People’s Postcode Lottery players

Dear Editor,

I would like to thank players of People’s Postcode Lottery for their continued support as Cats Protection enters its third year of funding.

During these challenging times, Cats Protection is working flat out to keep caring for cats and the wonderful support we receive from players has never been more appreciated.

People’s Postcode Lottery players have helped us find loving new homes for thousands of cats by supporting essential cat care assistant and volunteer team leaders roles at our centres across England, Scotland and Wales, and funding our two cat behaviour posts (specialists who provide advice and support to our centres and branches). In addition, 10,000 microchips have been provided to our centres, helping to ensure that cats leave our care with a safe and permanent means of identification.

Over the coming year, players will also be supporting our important advocacy work, helping us create a better world for cats via campaigns such as Purrfect Landlords and Microchips Reunite, as well as helping to cover the overall costs of looking after cats at our centres.

Anyone wishing to find out more about the work of Cats Protection, or needing cat related advice, can visit www.cats.org.uk

Kind regards,

James Yeates
Chief Executive, Cats Protection

Heart Research UK Healthy tip – Takeaways

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

Healthier Takeaways

The number of takeaway food outlets has risen in recent years and this may have contributed to the rise in rates of obesity in the UK. Takeaway food is often cheap, convenient and tasty, but it also tends to be high in fat, salt and sugar.

Regularly consuming takeaways can have a negative impact on your heart health as well as your waistline. Swapping your usual takeaway for a healthier option may be a good way to cut down on fat, salt and sugar. We have some tips to guide you on choosing healthier takeaways.

Choose a food outlet that has healthy options on the menu

Compare the menus for takeaway food outlets and try to choose one that provides some healthier options. Some takeaway food outlets list calories on their menus and this can help you to make a healthier choice.

Choose wisely from the menu

Try to avoid foods that are deep fried, such as fish in batter, chips and fried chicken. Swap large deep-pan pizzas and pizzas with stuffed crusts for smaller pizzas. Select lower fat pizza toppings, such as mushrooms, peppers, sweetcorn, chicken and ham, rather than pepperoni or extra cheese which are both high in fat.

Keep an eye on portion size

Be careful not to buy too much food when ordering your takeaway. Instead of ordering starters, mains, sides and desserts, why not just have a main course and finish off with some fruit and yoghurt. You could share a dish or freeze a portion of your takeaway for another time to avoid eating too much.

Make your own ‘Fakeaway’ at home

Try making healthier versions of your favourite takeaway dishes at home by finding healthy recipes online. If you can’t live without your favourite takeaway dish, you could try swapping side dishes, such as chips, garlic bread, fried rice or naan bread for brown rice or wholemeal pitta bread that you prepare at home.

Think about what you drink

Rather than buying sugary drinks with your takeaway, try drinking tap water or low calorie drinks instead. If you usually have alcoholic drinks with your takeaway, try to reduce the amount you consume by having a glass of water in between each alcoholic drink and try to choose drinks that have a lower alcohol content. Not only will this reduce your calorie intake, but it may also reduce the cost.

You can find plenty more healthy tips and recipes at heartresearch.org.uk

STEM Academy: New opportunities for lockdown learning

A science education programme is turning social distancing into an opportunity for school pupils and teachers to spend their summer learning online.

The Summer STEM Academy www.stemacademyscotland.org is making workshops on a wide variety of science and engineering topics available online for free from Monday 15 June.

Led by the University of Glasgow in collaboration with Edinburgh Napier, it features 26 workshops containing videos and activities for teachers, pupils and wider school communities.

All but one involve a video introduction from an expert to a unique project which can be done at home and an explanation of the science behind it. Each of the workshops offer a worksheet to guide learners through activities and experiments such as designing racing cars and measuring the speed of sound.

Volunteers from Edinburgh Napier and the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Heriot Watt and Strathclyde have crafted workshop activities on topics including robotics, biodiversity and space colonisation.

Edinburgh Napier’s Professor Mark Huxham (above) has organised activities based on biodiversity, and there is also the use of coding to design and control robots with the computer engineering team, and the use of CAD/CAM software to design F1 cars with industry leading experts and Edinburgh Napier engineers in a schools challenge.

Representatives from organisations including the SS Explorer, BioCity UK, Heart of Midlothian FC, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Academy of Engineering have also contributed their expertise on aeronautical engineering, life sciences, sports science, climate change and the science of sound.

Teachers and students will also have the opportunity to brush up on new science teaching skills with a workshop provided by the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Connecting STEM Teachers initiative. They’ll also have the chance to design their own science teaching resources during a workshop provided by Timstar UK and the WF Education group.

Andrew Gallacher, Head of Teacher Education at Edinburgh Napier, said: “Even three months ago the idea of organising a major Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths event and placing it online would have seemed ambitious.

“However, this is exactly what we have done with the Summer STEM Academy. It represents a fantastic opportunity for pupils, teachers, academics and business innovators to explore stimulating workshops that are structured to offer blended learning and enthuse participants of all ages.

“Such is the global appetite for such an event that the organisers have now received countless information requests from many countries that include Japan, South Korea and the USA.”

The Summer STEM Academy was launched in 2018 and brought high school pupils from 13 local authorities to locations in and around Glasgow, along with registered and probationer primary and secondary teachers.

Follow-up interviews with participants found that both pupils and teachers were significantly more engaged with science, and a reduction in anxiety about both learning and teaching STEM subjects.

Dr Margaret Ritchie, of the University of Glasgow’s School of Chemistry, has organised each of the Summer STEM Academy events and led the effort to put this year’s projects online.

Dr Ritchie said: “The Summer STEM Academy programme was built from the ground up to create quality partnerships between universities, schools and businesses and find new ways for them to benefit from working together.

“It gives students the chance to see academia and industry up close, student teachers the chance to learn new methods of teaching, and academics and industry professionals the chance to reach out to younger people and shape their understanding of how science and business intersect.

“The coronavirus turned our plans for the third year of the Summer STEM Academy upside-down, but it’s also given us the opportunity to open up our workshops and reach a much bigger audience by putting them online. We also hope that it will keep participants engaged and interested in science while schools remain closed, and ensure they’re motivated to learn when schools reopen.

“Our content comes from volunteers across a broad spectrum of backgrounds, from an undergraduate student through academics to industry veterans. They’ve given us a lot of great content for school pupils and student teachers alike, and we’re really excited to make it available for them to explore over the summer.”

Edinburgh biker bride with MND celebrates lockdown wedding

Elaine Hawes (53) and Fred Aspinall (54) refused to let the Coronavirus pandemic put a stop to their big day, marrying at their home in Edinburgh on 16^th May.

Elaine, a motorcycle enthusiast, was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in November 2019 and since then her world has been turned upside down – including her dream of a big biker wedding surrounded by friends and family.

MND is a rapidly progressing terminal illness, which stops signals from the brain reaching the muscles. This may cause someone to lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, drink or breathe unaided.

Due to lockdown restrictions, the couple, who have been together since 1982, had to cancel their wedding plans but were determined to not let this stop them.

Instead, Elaine and Fred organised a small ceremony at home in a private garden.

Elaine said, “We were always going to have it on 16th May but we should have been married in the Tushie Inn followed by a reception at Honey Cottage caravan site – both places were chosen because we have a lot of friends in this area.

“Since being on lockdown, I have not been good. We are not people who sit about. We were always out and enjoying our caravan in the Scottish Borders and mixing with people. I need to be round people, and the wedding was something we were really looking forward to enjoying.

“However, due to my illness and lockdown we weren’t able to go ahead with our original plans. It took Fred over 37 years to propose, so I wasn’t going to let this stop us.”

Elaine, who is originally from Dunbar, continued: “We ended up having the wedding at home in a private park. It was a great day and all the neighbours decorated the park up for us. Thank you to my great neighbours for making it a special day and for making us a wedding cake. My brother also made a lovely floral arrangement.

“MND Scotland gave us a grant to help with the costs of our wedding and honeymoon. We’re planning on going to a disability caravan in Yorkshire but need to save a bit more as it’s more expensive to cover all my needs. I don’t know why holidays have to triple in price because of a disability – it is not right!

“We’ll also still have our wedding reception at the campsite when lockdown is over, along with the Edinburgh band ‘Big Fat Panda’ (one of our favourites) and plan to have a great time.”

Elaine first noticed something was wrong in February 2019, when she started experiencing flu-like symptoms and slurred speech. In November, Elaine was diagnosed with MND and has since been robbed of many of the things she loves to do.

“Life is changing very quickly for me and I have so much to do still. I think if I get any worse, well what is the point going on? I am not the same person I was. I am no longer able to ride my motorcycle, along with everything else I used to enjoy doing before MND. Things I will never get back. I was a very independent person and could always stand up for myself. I was very bubbly and outgoing, and loved life to the full.

“Last year I was all excited we had paid our house off and to celebrate I treated myself to a new motorcycle 650 Vulcan but then I got hit with this illness so had to sell the new motorcycle losing a lot of money. As well as motorbikes, I loved going to concerts, the theatre, nights out with the girls, dancing to live music and camping – I absolutely love the outdoors.

“I loved my job too. For 12 years I would get up at 5am every morning to go to my work as a receptionist for a Financial Company. I got to meet lots of people and communicate with clients from all over the country, and the world.

“I miss my job so much. Financially, leaving my job has been very stressful. The benefits system is really confusing and I think people with a terminal illness should get everything sorted automatically. Thankfully MND Scotland’s Welfare and Benefits Officer, Nicola Povey, was able to help get it sorted for me. That took a big weight off my shoulders.

“The most frustrating thing about it is my brain works well but I can’t communicate the way I used too. I was always witty and loved banter, but this disease has taken over my body and no one can help me. I hate not being in control.

“My husband Fred has been doing a fantastic job with me. I had a lot I wanted to do with my husband and still had places to visit, but we will try to do what we can. It won’t be the same but as long as I have Fred and Jake my Labrador with me.

“The most important thing for me now is spending as much time as possible with Fred, my brothers and my friends. I always need my friends around me, so hurry up with this lockdown – you are stopping me enjoying what we have left!

“The only way we are going to beat MND is to raise money for more research and get the drug trial up and running again soon. I had real hope in the drug trial but because of coronavirus it has been put on hold.

“I will definitely be taking part as soon as I can. We also need to raise much more awareness of the disease nationally and that’s why I am sharing my story today – to ask all of you reading to make a donation and help us find a cure!”

Craig Stockton, MND Scotland’s Chief Executive, said “On behalf of the whole team at MND Scotland I’d like to pass on my congratulations to Elaine and Fred. I’m very glad our grant has contributed to their special day and hope it’s not long before they can celebrate in the way they wished.

“For people living with MND, time with loved ones is precious. Social-isolation measures, while essential, are placing huge restrictions on the care and support many rely on every single day. Even basic companionship, like having a friend or loved one pop round to say hello.

“That’s why we launched our new services hub, to help us stay connected to families in Scotland, so no one has to go through MND alone. ‘MND Scotland Connected’ at its core provides one-to-one phone support, video support groups and emergency financial grants.

“People with MND need us more than ever, so if you’d like to help support people affected by MND during MND Action Week (15-21June), visit www.mndscotland.org.uk/imagine.”