Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

Bread Ahead to launch The Future Bakers Project on World Baking Day

Landmark initiative to teach 1,000,000 young people to bake for free

On World Baking Day (17 May), much-loved London bakery and baking school Bread Ahead will officially launch The Future Bakers Project, a bold long-term initiative designed to teach one million children and young adults to bake for free over the next decade.

Rooted in the belief that baking is more than a recipe – it is confidence, creativity, wellbeing and an essential life skill – the programme combines in-person workshops, downloadable recipe content, and a national digital learning platform, making baking education accessible to young people everywhere.

The initiative is led by baker and founder Matthew Jones, who began Bread Ahead in 2013 from a small Borough Market stall and has since grown it into an internationally recognised bakery brand.

A day of baking, creativity and community at Borough Market

The launch event at Bread Ahead Borough will bring together families, young bakers, partners and the wider community for a full day of free workshops, live baking experiences and interactive learning, alongside downloadable sessions for those joining from home.

Launch Day Schedule – Sunday 17 May 2026

10:00–10:30 – Opening address: Matthew Jones

10:30–11:30 – Scones & Jam Family Workshop
A hands-on friends and family influencer led baking session

11:45–12:45 – THE BIG BAKE OFF: Freestyle Focaccia
A landmark community bake featuring Bread Ahead’s signature long focaccias, prepared and topped by all the young Future Bakers in attendance.

13:00–14:00 – Top Secret Cookie Workshop
A themed children’s bake-along making intergalactic “blue cookies”, with downloadable recipe packs and an online version available.

14:15–15:15 – Scones & Jam Public Baking Workshop
A major collaborative baking session bringing together partners, guest bakers and young participants.

15:15–16:00 – Closing celebration

Throughout the day, visitors can explore interactive partner stalls, Future Bakers information points, and live baking demonstrations, as well as take part in our Junior Bakers competition – where one lucky winner attending launch day will see their chosen bake featured on the Bread Ahead menu for a day. There will also be opportunities to sign up for upcoming workshops and digital sessions.

A national baking movement

The Future Bakers Project is a long-term initiative dedicated to teaching 1,000,000 young people to bake over the next decade, combining hands-on learning with accessible digital education.

The programme will be delivered through three core pillars:

  • London Flagship Workshops – weekly children’s baking sessions available at Bread Ahead Borough Market (on Mondays) and Wembley (on Tuesdays). Get in touch with futurebakers@breadahead.com  to book in your workshop.
  • Digital Learning Platform – Future Bakers webpage featuring downloadable recipes and content, links to lessons and resources.
  • Community & Partner-Led Activity – working with schools, youth organisations, charities and cultural institutions across the UK and internationally.

The Future Bakers webpage will go live on Friday 1st May 2026, providing full programme information, booking access and downloadable resources for families, schools and young bakers.

Partners helping shape the future of baking

The initiative is supported by leading organisations committed to creativity, education and youth wellbeing, including:

Clarence Court  / Disney  / Marriage’s Flour

Together, these partners will help deliver themed baking experiences, educational content and ingredient-led learning opportunities both in person and online.

A future built on confidence, creativity and possibility

The Future Bakers Project aims to reach:

  • 100,000 young people by 2028
  • 500,000 by 2032
  • 1,000,000 by 2036

But beyond the numbers lies a deeper ambition – to spark a generation who see baking not just as a skill, but as a source of confidence, imagination and connection.

  • A generation who know their hands can create something that matters.
  • A generation confident in their knowledge and real-world life skills.
  • A generation determined to succeed, achieve and never give up.
  • A generation responsible, resilient, and ready to shape the future.

Get involved

Parents, schools, teachers and youth organisations are invited to take part from launch:

  • Download recipes and activity packs
  • Book children’s baking workshops
  • Register schools and youth groups
  • Explore online learning content

For enquiries, partnerships or bookings please email futurebakers@breadahead.com

A final word

“Back in 2013, it started with a single market stall in Borough Market and a simple belief – that baking brings people together. What has grown since is a community built around sharing real life skills, confidence and creativity with the next generation.

“The Future Bakers Project is about passing that on – opening the kitchen to young people everywhere and showing them what they are truly capable of. Because when you learn to bake, you don’t just learn recipes, you learn resilience, independence and joy. This is your kitchen, your moment – your chance to rise.” — Matthew Jones

Public Health Scotland: Latest RADAR report published

PUBLIC Health Scotland has published the latest Rapid Action Drug Alerts and Response (RADAR) report, which presents changes on drug trends, harms and use of services in Scotland to inform immediate and short-term actions that reduce drug harms.

View the full report:

https://publichealthscotland.scot/…/rapid-action-drug…

Accident deaths up 8%

MPs debate national accident prevention strategy after rise in deaths  

  • Accidental deaths have risen by 8% in a single year 
  • Accidents cost the UK a minimum of £12 billion a year in a combination of NHS treatment and lost economic productivity 
  • Sir Andrew Mitchell MP led the debate, highlighting that 23,000 people die a year due to preventable accidents 

MPs across the political spectrum are supporting the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)’s call for the government to introduce a National Accident Prevention Strategy, following a Westminster Hall debate on rising accidental deaths in the UK.  

The debate, led by Sir Andrew Mitchell MP, focused on figures from RoSPA’s Annual Review of Accidents showing accidental deaths have risen by 8% in a single year, with more than 23,000 people now killed annually in preventable accidents across the UK.  

MPs from across the House, including Lee Pitcher, Sarah Olney, Jim Shannon and Greg Smith, highlighted the growing human and economic cost of accidents and and pressed the government to adopt a more coordinated approach to prevention. 

Alongside being one of the leading causes of preventable death, accidents place increasing pressure on public services.

Nearly 900,000 people – the equivalent of the entire population of Devon – are admitted to hospital due to accidents every year, costing the NHS at least £6 billion in direct treatment costs. The UK economy loses another £6 billion due to lost working days and productivity, while accidents also remove people from the workforce and drive up the benefits bill.  

Despite this, responsibility for accident prevention remains spread across multiple government departments and agencies, including transport, product safety and workplace safety, with no overarching national strategy to align efforts or track progress. 

The Westminster Hall debate follows growing concern that while prevention strategies exist for issues such as road traffic collisions or workplace injuries, there is no overarching framework to keep people safe across all aspects of their lives. 

Rebecca Hickman, chief executive of RoSPA, said: “Accidents are often treated as isolated events, but the data tells a different story.

“Rising death rates show this is a systemic issue that requires national leadership, clearer accountability and a long-term approach to prevention.” 

Sir Andrew Mitchell MP said: “The burden extends across the economy. When people are injured, they are often unable to work- sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently.

“Families lose income; employers lose skilled workers; productivity falls. The country loses millions of working days each year due to accident-related absence. The combined cost to UK business is now estimated at about £6 billion every year. 

“Taken together, this represents a hidden but substantial cost to the country—to our health service, economy and public finances. The truth is that we can do better. Indeed, we have done better before.

“We know what works: safer homes, stronger product standards, effective public awareness campaigns, improved design of public spaces, better data collection, and co-ordinated action across Government and local agencies.” 

Fettes announce appointment of new Chair of Governors

John Edward, Head of Operations at the Scottish Council on Global Affairs, succeeds Rt Hon Lady Morag Wise after five years at the helm

Fettes College has announced the appointment of a new Chair of Governors as it embarks upon a fresh era of leadership.

John Edward, Head of Operations at the Scottish Council on Global Affairs, will step into the leading role having served on the independent school’s board for the past two years.

An experienced figure in the education sector, Edward was previously Chief Executive of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) for 13 years where he also sat on the Advisory Boards of the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme and the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

He is a graduate of both University of St Andrews and University of Glasgow, was previously Head of the European Parliament’s Office in Scotland and worked in Brussels for Scotland House and the European Policy Centre. He is also a board member of the Association of Governing Bodies of Independent Schools (AGBIS), and a member of the Scottish Commission on School Reform.

Edward’s appointment will be effective from 05 June 2026, where he will succeed The Rt Hon Lady Morag Wise who has served as Chair for the previous five years. His arrival will come shortly before Richard Girvan commences as the next Head of Fettes in September, succeeding Helen Harrison.

Commenting on his appointment, John Edward said: “Lady Wise has chaired Fettes through some of the greatest challenges the school, and the independent education sector, has faced in 150 years.

2The Fettes community and Governing Board have been very fortunate to call on her counsel and leadership, and I am grateful to the Governing Board’s trust in me as I take up this role.

“I firmly believe in the importance of sound and independent governance, and I am committed to do all I can to support the new Head, staff, pupils, families and wider Fettes community as we lead our ground-breaking and modern school forward with the development, wellbeing and joy of young people at its heart.”

The Rt Hon Lady Morag Wise said: “We are extremely fortunate that John has so readily accepted the role of Chair of the Governing Body.

2I have greatly enjoyed working with him over the last couple of years and his considerable and very pertinent experience of the education sector and indeed global context has been, and will continue to prove, invaluable in steering Fettes forward in the future.”

Helen Harrison, Head of Fettes College, added: “On behalf of the school, I would like to take this opportunity to record my personal thanks to Lady Wise for everything she has done for Fettes during her time as Chair.

“She has been a constant presence and an outstanding Chair. Her wise counsel and willingness to make herself available at short notice has benefitted the school and everyone in our community in ways too numerous to mention.

“As she steps down from this role, we are delighted she will continue as a Governor until the end of her eight-year tenure in July and extend our heartfelt thanks and best wishes for the future. We look forward to staying in close contact with her in the years to come.

“In the meantime, I am absolutely delighted at the appointment of John Edward as Chair. The combination of John as Chair and Richard Girvan as Head will be a powerful and dynamic duo for Fettes moving forward.” 

North Edinburgh Connections drop-in event at Muirhouse Millennium Centre

TUESDAY 6 MAY from 12 – 6pm

‼NORTH EDINBURGH CONNECTIONS DROP-IN EVENT‼

A reminder that the first drop-in event for this consultation takes place tomorrow (Tuesday 5 May 12pm – 6pm) at Muirhouse Millennium Centre.

You’ll be able to find out more and share your views on proposals to improve roads, pavements and public spaces along West Granton Road, Pennywell Road Ferry Road for active travel.

Further drop-in events will take place on Saturday 16 May 11am – 5.30pm at North Edinburgh Community Festival and on Thursday 28 May 1pm-7pm at North Edinburgh Arts

https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/…/north-edinburgh-connections

TUC: Reflections on the General Strike, 100 years on

This year’s May Day celebrations have an added historical resonance for trade unionists (writes TUC General Secretary PAUL NOWAK). Monday 4 May marks the centenary of the start of the General Strike – a momentous event in British industrial and political history.

But what is its real legacy? How did it shape trade unions in the decades after? And a century on, what are its lessons for today’s movement?  

I’ve just had the pleasure of addressing a fascinating event run by the Institute of Historical Research alongside US academic Jonathan Schneer, author of a brilliant new book on the General Strike: Nine Days in May. It was a great opportunity to take a step back from my day-to-day work and think about the immense historical forces that have shaped the modern trade union movement. 

Reflecting on the General Strike

I have two personal connections to the events of 1926. Firstly, as the current General Secretary of the TUC – an organisation of which I am immensely proud – I have a keen sense of our heritage. No organisation can claim to be infallible and the TUC is no exception, but for nearly 160 years we have advanced the cause of labour and bent the arc of history towards social and economic justice. And I am ambitious that we continue to do so in the future. 

Secondly, I have a strong affinity with one of the key players in the General Strike, the acting TUC General Secretary Walter Citrine. He grew up just a couple of miles from where I was born and still live in Birkenhead. 

And while not a household name, I believe he was one of the most consequential figures in the modern trade union movement, shaping the TUC as we know it today, playing a key role in the effort to defeat fascism, and building international trade unionism. 

The scale of solidarity during the strike

While the General Strike ended in defeat for the trade union movement, it remains one of the greatest acts of solidarity in British history. Three million workers answered the TUC General Council’s call to stop work, with two thirds selflessly walking out in support of miners whose jobs, terms and conditions were being slashed. This unprecedented working-class mobilisation shook the establishment to its core. 

Some have argued the defeat was rooted in the TUC’s failure to properly prepare for the strike and prosecute it with a view to bringing down the government. But I think it is fair to posit that the leadership of the TUC, our unions and – more importantly – the three million workers who answered the call to action were motivated by a desire to bring ministers and mine owners back to the negotiating table. 

Their goal was to win a fair deal for the miners, not overthrow the government or usurp parliamentary democracy. The General Strike was a moment of solidarity, not revolution. 

How the government responded in 1926

Of course, this distinction mattered not one bit to prime minister Stanley Baldwin. His government’s aim was simple: outright victory. And that’s why ministers deployed every instrument of state power at their disposal to crush the strikers – not just the civil service, local authorities, police and volunteer strike breakers, but the armed forces too. 

Despite this, the TUC ran an incredible operation from our offices in Eccleston Square, bringing the UK economy to a virtual standstill. But as Jonathan Schneer’s new book makes clear, the government executed its response with the same ruthlessness as Margaret Thatcher did during the miners’ strike of 1984-85. In both instances, the question was not so much “who runs Britain?”, but “who is Britain run for”. And in both instances, the answer was clear: not its workers. 

Trade union recovery after the General Strike

For all the General Strike was a devastating setback for unions, this retrenchment proved temporary. From a low of less than 3.7 million in 1929, our membership grew steadily for the next half century, reaching a peak of nearly 13 million in 1979. This owed much to the reshaping of the TUC by Citrine, learning the lessons from 1926, as well as our role in the war and the fight against fascism. And it was proof of our resilience in the face of periodic political hostility. It was growth fuelled by the very same solidarity that drove the 1926 strike.  

The role of the TUC in the modern movement

For me, the events of 1926 pose some fundamental questions about the TUC itself. We have always been more than the General Secretary, the staff of the organisation and our physical premises. Instead, we are the collective embodiment of our 47 affiliates and 5.3 million members, a vibrant federation of sovereign unions. And for us to be truly effective, each union has a responsibility to its own members, but also to the wider movement. Solidarity will always be a two-way street: something we should expect to give as well as receive. 

And that matters just as much in 2026 as it did a century ago. Unlike our forebears, we currently enjoy a much more positive political climate.

Labour’s Employment Rights Act is not just the biggest upgrade to our rights in a generation – it’s also a huge opportunity for us to rebuild our movement.

Let’s seize it. 

“We didn’t want our children to miss out like I did”

DEAF AWARENESS WEEK: Family share their story to highlight early signs of deafness

A Stirling family is sharing their experience of childhood hearing loss to highlight the early signs of deafness and show how vital it is for deaf children to receive the right support, at the right time. 

Keiran and Mya Meiklejohn, who live with their three children, are supporting the National Deaf Children’s Society’s campaign throughout Deaf Awareness Week (4–10 May), which focuses on helping families and professionals recognise the signs of deafness early and access vital support. 

Keiran has moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing loss himself, but says his experience growing up, when his deafness was identified late and support was limited, has been very different from that of his children. 

“Looking back, I realise there were huge gaps in what I experienced as a child,” says Keiran. “I was there, but I wasn’t really hearing or taking part. We didn’t want that for our children.” 

Two of the couple’s children are deaf. Their son Finlay, aged nine, has mild hearing loss in one ear, and their daughter Hollie, aged six, has mild to moderate bilateral hearing loss across the speech range. Both passed their newborn hearing screening, but their hearing loss was identified later through follow-up screening carried out by NHS Forth Valley. 

Because of Keiran’s own hearing loss, the family was more aware of what to look out for, but the process was still daunting. 

“As a parent, you’re always asking yourself whether something is just a phase or something you should act on,” says Keiran. “Having clear information about the signs of deafness made all the difference in helping us feel confident taking the next steps.” 

Finlay’s hearing loss is monitored with support at school, including small adjustments when needed. Hollie hearing loss was supported early with hearing technology, and she received hearing aids around the time she started nursery. 

“I find the word ‘mild’ misleading,” Keiran says. “It can sound like it doesn’t really matter but the impact can be huge without the right support. Getting help early has changed everything for Hollie.” 

Hollie now wears her hearing aids confidently, choosing the colour of her ear moulds herself and proudly explains to classmates why she wears them. She is supported by a Teacher of the Deaf, who provide deaf children and their families with specialist support, as well as speech and language therapy, and her parents say she is thriving both socially and academically. 

The family believe early support and positive representation have been key. 

“Hearing loss is just part of our everyday life,” says Keiran. “We talk openly, we adapt how we communicate, and our children advocate for themselves. That confidence comes from being supported early and understood.” 

Deaf Awareness Week is an annual event celebrating British deaf culture, community and history, while raising awareness of deafness and hearing loss. This year the National Deaf Children’s Society is empowering families and professionals with clear, accessible information and practical guidance. 

The charity says the family’s experience highlights why early awareness is so important. Deafness can affect children in different ways, and the signs aren’t always obvious or consistent. Some children may struggle in noisy environments, miss speech, rely on watching others closely, or become tired or withdrawn – signs that can easily be misunderstood or overlooked. 

During Deaf Awareness Week, the charity is sharing practical guidance, real family experiences and expert advice to help reduce anxiety for families who may be noticing changes and waiting for answers.  

As part of the campaign, the charity is also releasing a five‑part video series by Sarah Adedeji, a deaf audiologist and content creator. The videos explain how to spot early signs of deafness, what happens at audiology appointments, and how families can feel more confident while waiting for support.  

Michael Heggie, head of policy and influencing in Scotland at the National Deaf Children’s Society, said: “Across Scotland, families often tell us they noticed small changes in their children but weren’t sure what they were seeing or whether it was something to act on. Hearing loss isn’t always obvious, and labels like ‘mild’ can give a false sense of reassurance. 

“Deaf Awareness Week is about making those early signs easier to recognise and letting families know they’re not on their own. With clear information, the right support and early identification, deaf children can grow up confident, resilient and able to communicate fully.” 

Families across Scotland are encouraged to take part in Deaf Awareness Week by ordering free deaf awareness resources, sharing information with nurseries and schools, and getting involved in local community events aimed at reducing isolation and building understanding. 

For more information about Deaf Awareness Week, the early signs of deafness, or free advice and support, visit the National Deaf Children’s Society website. or contact the charity’s free Helpline. 

Tomorrow: Free Community Lunch at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

We have a delicious menu planned for Monday’s Community Lunch!

Come along 11:30am – 12:30pm for some tasty spaghetti bolognese (made with fresh tomatoes and basil saved by Tummies Not Trash) and apple pie for dessert.

Our Community Lunch is free for everyone, and you can sit in or take away.

We also have our breakfast cafe running until 10:30am with hot breakfast rolls and hot drinks too!