Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

Police issue travel warning

Drivers across Scotland are reminded to travel with caution during this evening and tomorrow morning’s rush hour.

A Met Office yellow warning for ice and snow is currently in place across almost every area of Scotland. You can check if these warnings apply to where you live and work here. Police Scotland advice remains to travel with extra caution, and to keep informed in case of any changes in weather or traffic disruption.  Continue reading Police issue travel warning

Eat Better, Feel Better: Aileen and Yogi relaunch healthy eating campaign

Sports stars have helped relaunch the Scottish Government’s Eat Better Feel Better campaign – telling primary school children about their favourite snacks and the benefits of healthy eating. Continue reading Eat Better, Feel Better: Aileen and Yogi relaunch healthy eating campaign

Co-op customers in Edinburgh help save Scotland’s animals

The Scottish SPCA is overwhelmed by the generosity of Co-op members from Edinburgh – Scotland’s animal welfare charity was delighted to receive a donation of £1,035.18 to help rescue more abused, abandoned and injured animals in Edinburgh in 2018. Continue reading Co-op customers in Edinburgh help save Scotland’s animals

Scottish Book Trust announces New Writer Award winners

Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, has supported over 90 creative individuals through the New Writers Awards since 2009. Today, Scottish Book Trust announces the 10 new awardees for this prestigious prize, which is supported by Creative Scotland.

The New Writers Awards provide a selection of talented writers who have not yet published a full length book or collection with financial support, to enable them to concentrate on developing their work, as well as professional guidance to help them move towards publication. Former awardees include Graeme Macrae Burnet, who was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2016, and authors Ciara MacLaverty, Olga Wojtas, Juliette Forrest, Kirsty Logan, Malachy Tallack and Claire Askew, who have publications out this year.

Four authors from Edinburgh have been nominated for the 2018 New Writers Awards: Aileen Ballantyne, a tutor at Edinburgh University; Nadine Aisha Jassat, a gender-based violence professional; Beth Cochrane, programme and events coordinator at Scottish Poetry Library and Anne Hughes, a software developer.

Aileen Ballantyne (above) said:

“I feel very lucky indeed to win this award – it’s a terrific opportunity. I hope to use it wisely.”

Nadine Aisha Jassat (above) said: “I am really thrilled to receive this award and have my work recognised, supported, and invested in by Scottish Book Trust. It’s an incredible honour to be selected and I would encourage future applicants to apply, apply, apply!”

Beth Cochrane said: “I cannot wait to get fully immersed in the New Writers’ programme. I’m seeing the award as a turning point: I’m finally going to get The Novel completed and sharpened, no excuses.”

Anne Hughes (above) said: “I’m thrilled, honoured and a little stunned to be a New Writers awardee this year.  Heartfelt thanks to Scottish Book Trust for this opportunity, and for the enormous encouragement it has given me as a writer.”

Each of the 10 recipients of the New Writers Award will receive a £2,000 cash award and support tailored to their needs including mentoring from writers and industry professionals, training in public relations, social media and performance, and the opportunity to showcase their work to publishers and agents. The awards also include the offer of a week-long writing retreat at Moniack Mhor. The retreat provides time, space and the freedom to create new work in idyllic surroundings.

The three judging panels reviewed over 450 submissions which included fiction and narrative non-fiction, poetry and children’s/young adult entries, before selecting the final 10. This year’s judges included Asif Khan, Director of the Scottish Poetry Library, and writers Chitra Ramaswamy, Kevin MacNeil, Cheryl Follon, Matthew Fitt, Peter MacKay and Julie Bertagna.

Sasha Thanisch, also from Edinburgh, has been granted the Callan Gordon Award, which was set up to celebrate the life of Callan Gordon, a young Scottish writer, by his family. The Callan Gordon Award generously supports an extra place for the New Writers Awards, and is open to short story writers and poets between the ages of 18 and 35.

Sasha Thanisch said: “I’m utterly overwhelmed to have this opportunity, it’s such an encouragement and I hope to use it well. I’m really grateful to Scottish Book Trust and the Gordon family and everyone who’s supported me in this.”

The Gaelic Books Council provides two additional places on the programme which will support two New Gaelic Writers each year.

The full list of the 2018 New Writers Awardees is as follows:

Poetry

Aileen Ballantyne

Rhona Warwick

Duncan Stewart Muir

Children’s and Young Adult

Anne Hughes

Fiona McKeracher

Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction

Samantha Clark

Beth Cochrane

Mary Fitzpatrick

Nadine Aisha Jassat

Eilidh McCabe

Gaelic

Alistair Paul

Calum MacKinnon

Callan Gordon Award

Sasha Thanisch

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the next batch of New Writers Awardees. Writing can be a challenging process, and the New Writers Awards provides one-on-one support for current projects, as well as guidance for the future. All of us at Scottish Book Trust look forward to the fruits of the New Writers’ efforts and the expansion of the Scottish literary scene.” 

Alan Bett, Head of Literature, Languages and Publishing, Creative Scotland, said: “The New Writers Awards develop our emerging literacy talent through tailored mentoring and training at this crucial stage in their career, and in doing so contributes to the strength of Literature in Scotland. Through winning the award, winners have often grown ever more recognisable and have taken their place amongst the ranks of Scotland’s established and celebrated authors- a list that now includes previous winners; Graeme Macrae Burnet, Kirsty Logan and Helen Sedgwick.”

The New Writers Showcase, a celebration of work by the New Writers Awardees of 2017, will be held tomorrow (18 January 2018) at The Jam House in Edinburgh. The event is an opportunity to hear some of the most exciting new talent in Scotland perform their work, as last year’s awardees mark the end of their year. More details and ticket information can be found here.

MSPs take Brexit “dismay” to House of Lords

Six senior MSPs representing three Holyrood Committees will attend House of Lords talks today on the EU (Withdrawal) Bill and Brexit. The MSPs will set out significant cross-party concerns over Clause 11 of the Bill and the lack of progress from the UK Government on amending the Bill during its Commons passage. Continue reading MSPs take Brexit “dismay” to House of Lords

First Minister calls for changes to “broken welfare state”

Universal Credit contributing to child poverty

‘Broken’ benefits system failing Scotland’s families

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has called on the new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to make urgent changes to Universal Credit (UC) as she backed warnings from Scotland’s Children’s Commissioner Bruce Adamson over the ‘disproportionate effect’ of UK Government welfare policies on young people. Continue reading First Minister calls for changes to “broken welfare state”

Branch closures: Further action considered as bankers leave committee “disappointed and frustrated”

Following a session with executives from the Royal Bank of Scotland over bank branch closures, Pete Wishart MP, Chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee, said: “The whole committee has been left disappointed and frustrated with the unsatisfactory appearance of RBS executives at the Scottish Affairs Committee. They seem to not be listening to the deep concerns from communities right across Scotland over their branch closure programme. 

“It is abundantly clear that RBS did not consult with anyone over their plan to close a third of their branches. They do not seem to appreciate just how devastating the loss of a bank can be to a local community, and quite how important easy access to banking services is to individuals and businesses.

Nor do they appear to have any intention to reconsider their position despite the views expressed by local people, or by the witnesses we heard from today – Scottish Rural Action, Unite Scotland and Scottish Chamber of Commerce. Instead they could not rule out further branch closures. 

“We should not forget that this is a company whose very survival was assured by £45 billion from the tax payer, who still own a 70% stake. Yet we were told that due to changes in “customer behaviour”, branches will close, creating savings of £9.5 million. Instead people will have to rely on internet banking in areas where connections are poor, or a mobile branch which will be available for perhaps an hour a week. 

“At a minimum, RBS needs to show greater care for their customers and show more openness in how they reach decisions that have such serious consequences for so many people. As a committee we will carefully consider what we have heard today and may take further steps.”