Happy New Year 
Above is our new programme which starts on the 17th! We hope to see all our young people back next week and welcome any new faces who want to join us!
If you completed a consent form last year, you are good to go – if you haven’t, pop in and see us for a form!
Walk-in warm spaces open over winter in your local community
RoSPA: Government must extend 2023 deadline for EU Law repeal to avoid life-saving laws falling over a cliff edge
With Thursday’s adjournment debate on the Retained EU Law Bill and trading standards set to rage on, the Royal Society of the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has reiterated its calls for a delay to the proposed implementation of the Bill at the end of this year.
Under the Bill, the Government is committed to repealing or replacing over 4,000 pieces of law taken from the UK’s previous membership of the bloc by December 2023, including compulsory seatbelt usage, workplace safety legislation, toy safety regulations, the working time directive and more.
A growing list of organisations, politicians and peers have expressed concern over rushing through the Bill, saying there is not enough time to thoroughly assess, adapt or improve each law, and if essential laws are repealed on mass this year, without proper review and consultation, many lives will be lost as a result.
Errol Taylor, Chief Executive of RoSPA, says that if managed correctly, this Bill could offer an opportunity to arrive at a successful destination, but that cannot happen if the Government sticks by its current 2023 deadline, which represents a cliff edge over which will fall essential life-saving legislation.
“At RoSPA, we’re proud to say we’re world leaders in the safety field and work with UK Government to prevent accidents and the unnecessary loss of life. Consequently, the headlong rush to abolish regulations is alarming.
“While we agree that the revision and sanitation of standards could be a positive step, we need to ensure we do this sensibly and in consultation. The Bill offers a huge opportunity for health and safety professionals to lead the way in protecting and enhancing people’s lives, and we want to be at the forefront of that.
“Ultimately, the importance lies in the preservation of the aim and intention of legislation, whether that’s protecting children, drivers or the elderly – not in how we get there.”
Some of the key laws set to be abolished, include:
Sir Jonathan Jones, the former head of the Government Legal Department, said leaving a needlessly short space of time to review such a large amount of legislation, was a ‘terrible way to make law.’ [1]
This has been echoed by Chris Fox, the Liberal Democrat business spokesperson in the Lords[JA1] [JB2] [JB3] , as well as leading industry bodies like the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the Institute of Directors (IoD) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, who say that the Bill will hinder economic growth2.
TODAY IS NATIONAL POTHOLE DAY – BUT THEN, EVERY DAY IS POTHOLE DAY!
Cyclists are being warned about the worsening condition of roads across the UK – with data showing 21% of cyclists are involved in an accident because of a pothole.*
Experts from leading bicycle insurance comparison site Quotezone.co.uk warn that this figure will only increase unless the government tackles the worsening condition of UK roads.
With a long winter of bad weather ahead, cyclists will run an increased risk of accident and injury by riding over potholes if UK roads are not properly maintained.
Damaged road surfaces represent a disproportionate risk to cyclists due to the lack of protection and the proximity of motor vehicles.
Credit: Shutterstock
Spending on road maintenance has almost halved since the financial crisis just over a decade ago, and the recent cost-of-living crisis has pushed potholes further down the priority list for governments and local councils.
Even temporary pothole fixes – which involve filling the hole with a form of asphalt treatment – have decreased by almost half in some counties.
There are also claims from members of the public that councils are not properly inspecting potholes that have been reported online.
Several county councils have admitted that filling in potholes is no longer a priority as a result of the rising cost of living, with less funding for UK highways.
With the Met Office issuing weather warnings for the coming weeks, the number of potholes on UK roads is set to increase.
A combination of bad weather and lack of funding has left the UK network at crisis point with experts predicting the pothole problem may soon get out of hand.
Quotezone.co.uk are calling for councils and the government to urgently act on what is a UK-wide problem for the benefit of all road users but particularly cyclists as they are the most affected by damaged road surfaces.
Data shows that the worst pothole-affected area in the UK by far is Northumberland, with over 180,000 potholes reported over four years, followed by Cornwall and Kirklees in West Yorkshire.
Newcastle, Liverpool and Suffolk also have some of the worst potholed roads in the UK as well as Fife and Glasgow in Scotland, and Newry, Mourne & Down joined by Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon in Northern Ireland.
Lee Evans , bicycle insurance comparison expert at Quotezone.co.uk said: “Many of us who cycle in the UK have been shocked at the growing danger caused by roads strewn with potholes, and unfortunately the problem does not seem to be going away.
“21% of cyclists experiencing pothole-related accidents is a worrying number because any accident for a cyclist, can be very serious.
“With a winter of extreme weather predicted in the coming weeks and with spending on road maintenance on the decline, we could expect to see an increase in pothole-related cycling injuries. We’d encourage local authorities and the government to act now on fixing the UK’s pothole problem to help keep cyclists and all other road users safe.”
Quotezone.co.uk helps thousands of road users each year find savings on everyday household bills and essentials plus niche items such as cycling insurance, bicycle insurance, and road bike insurance
The Prime Minister is set to accelerate the UK’s diplomatic and military support to Ukraine in the weeks ahead in a bid to push Russia further back and secure a lasting peace.
A flurry of UK diplomatic activity will take place across the globe this week after the Prime Minister directed senior ministers to drive international action as we approach the first anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February.
The Prime Minister has already committed to match or exceed the UK’s defence support for Ukraine in 2023 and he instructed ministers and officials this week to ensure we are being proactive as possible across the full spectrum of our support.
UK defence and security officials believe a window has opened up where Russia is on the backfoot due to resupply issues and plummeting morale. The Prime Minister is therefore encouraging allies to deploy their planned support for 2023 as soon as possible to have maximum impact.
Sending Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine is the start of a gear change in the UK’s support. A squadron of 14 tanks will go into the country in the coming weeks after the Prime Minister told President Zelenskyy that the UK would provide additional support to aid Ukraine’s land war. Around 30 AS90s, which are large, self-propelled guns, operated by five gunners, are expected to follow. The Defence Secretary will set out further details of this support in the House of Commons on Monday.
The UK will begin training the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use the tanks and guns in the coming days, as part of wider UK efforts which have seen thousands of Ukrainian troops trained in the UK over the last six months.
The Prime Minister has tasked the Defence Secretary with bringing together European allies to ensure the surge of global military support is as strategic and coordinated as possible. The Defence Secretary will travel to Estonia and Germany this week to work with NATO allies and other international partners to this end.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Secretary will travel to the United States later this week to discuss how the UK and US can leverage our position as leading supporters of Ukraine to galvanise further international action.
He will also travel to Canada – another of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters – to discuss closer coordination on international sanctions and our coordinated effort to boost our support to Ukraine.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “As the people of Ukraine approach their second year living under relentless Russian bombardment, the Prime Minister is dedicated to ensuring Ukraine wins this war.
“Alongside his closest military advisors, he has analysed the military picture, looked at the strategic impact of the UK’s support and identified a window where he thinks the UK and its allies can have maximum impact.
“The Prime Minister is clear that a long and static war only serves Russia’s ends. That’s why he and his ministers will be speaking to our allies across the world in the days and weeks ahead to ramp up pressure on Putin and secure a better future for Ukraine.”
In the lead up to the one-year anniversary of the invasion, the Prime Minister will seek to demonstrate the UK’s power as an international catalyst with influence across NATO, the G7, the Joint Expeditionary Force and elsewhere.
He will work with partners to put Ukraine in the strongest possible place to enter future peace negotiations from a position of military, economic and diplomatic strength and secure a strong and lasting peace.
WAR
DURING the summer of 1940 I spent a few days with my sister Beattie and her husband CHarles at their home in Chipstead in Kent.
I recall very clearly witnessing the dog fights between the RAF and their Spitfires and Hurricanes and the German fighters as the air battles of what we now know as The Battle of Britain played out.
I stood and watched as the planes whirled round and round each other and the bursts of their machine gun fire could be clearly heard.
In September 1940 our house at 12 Holmshaw Road and several others were destroyed in a night air raid.
This included my grandmother’s house at number 10, the Hargreaves family at number 8, Mr and Mrs Ashleigh’s house at number 6, Mrs Woodham’s at number 4 and numbr 2, which I recall was an empty shop on the corner of the street; all these were destroyed.
In the other direction, our next door neighbours at number 14 were the Legge family, who were also made homeless that night. Jackie Legge, who was a little older than me, by strange coincidence would turn out to be the pilot of the landing craft that took me ashore in France following D Day.
Fortunately, at the time of the air raid we were sheltering in the Anderson Shelter in our back garden; thankfully there were no casualties in our family.
The next day we relocated to a different house in Byne Road, Upper Sydenham.
THE air raids and bombing around this time had a profound effect on my father, who had been badly affected by his experiences on the Somme during the First World War.
Now, with the recent loss of our home, he had a terrible reaction to the bombing. Each day before the anticipated air raids he had a compulsion to get to the safety of the deep caves at Chislehurst.
I can remember walking with him almost every day from our home in Byne Roda to Penge High Street where he would catch the 227 bus that would take hin to Chislehurst and safety. It is also worth noting that during the First World War both of his parents and three sisters had been killed in a bombing raid. Also, his brother Walter had been killed while fighting in France in 1916. Little wonder then that he had such a reaction to what must have seemed to hom a never-ending cycle of horror.
In North Africa there were battles between the 8th Army and the German Afrika Corps. My older brother Ted was at this time serving in North Africa and was reported missing.
This was an anxious time, although later we had news that he was confirmed as a Prisoner of War. He was transported from North Africa through Italy and into Germany. He would remain in captivity in Stalag 344 until the end of the war in Europe in 1945.
HELEN
IT was during this period I met Helen West, the daughter of one of my customers. Helen had dark hair and lovely brown eyes; we grradually got to speak and know each other.
Helen was a court dressmaker before the war, but of course most trades like those simply folded when the war started. Helen was then directed to work with the Co-operative Bakery, delivering bread.
This was certainly a contrast to her former work but she really enjoyed it. Initially the bread was delivered by hand cart but later on Helen had a horse and cart, so Helen and I had similar jobs for a time.
We saw each other most days: cinema going, cycling and visiting friends, etc, all of this during the times of day and night air raids.
CALL UP and MARRIAGE
In January 1942 on my 19th birthday I received my call-up papers for the Army to train as an Anti-Tank gunner at Catterick Camp in Yorkshire. During this time one or two periods of leave were granted and I would return home to see Helen.
Of course we discussed the future and the chances of survival, and we decided if possible to get married in the August of 1942. Helen and I were married on the 19th of August 1942. I was 19 and Helen just 21.
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK
Healthy Heart Tip: Beat the Winter Blues
Blue Monday takes place on the third Monday of January, which falls on Monday 16th this year. It is coined the most miserable day of the year due to various factors such as bad weather, debt following the expense of Christmas and failing to stick to those new years resolutions you may have made early January.
Winter, in general, can feel more doom and gloom than the brighter, warmer seasons. Here we share some top tips for beating the winter blues while prioritising your heart health:
Outdoor movement
It can be tempting to stay indoors during the colder months, when the weather isn’t as nice and the days are dull and uninviting, resulting in us being less active.
Getting outside even for a short time, moving, and exposing our eyes to some natural daylight (even if it isn’t very bright) can instantly lift our mood. Try going for a daily walk or run, wrap up in appropriate clothing and get your heart pumping.
Prioritise a healthy diet
A healthy diet can boost your mood, help you maintain a healthy weight and give you more energy. Concentrate on including lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrain carbohydrates such as wholewheat pasta, bread and brown rice and lean meats such as chicken and turkey.
Aim to eat two portions of fish each week, including one oily fish such as salmon, sardines, trout or mackerel. It can be helpful to opt for meals you can cook in a slow cooker, so you can prep them in the morning when your motivation is high, and they are ready when you’re tired at the end of the day.
Revisit your new year’s goals
If you have fallen off the ‘bandwagon’ with your new year’s resolutions, don’t beat yourself up about it. Creating new healthy habits and changing old, less-healthy ones takes time.
You are in a better position now than you were before you initially set your goals, as you now have some meaningful insight into what went wrong. Set your goals again and put things in place to support you where you fell off track last time.
We have a healthy tip on Setting Effective Goals here which may help.
For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at www.heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-tips.
To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/.
Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:
Responding after hearing of Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home in Seafield facing the cost crisis that is set to put it on its knees, Foysul CHoudhury MSP said: “I was very concerned of hearing the struggles that The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home (EDCH) is currently facing with the rising costs-of-living.
“CEO Lindsay Fyffe-Jardine reached out to me at the end of last year to make me aware of the significant challenges the Pet Home has been going through due the cost-of-living crisis.
“Just last November, the Pet home received next year’s annual electricity and gas costs showing an increase by 205% and 576% respectively – equating to £130K of unanticipated funding that Ms Fyffe-Jardine will desperately need to find. This is an addition to £200K needed to cover increased supplier costs.
“These increases are just unsustainable in addition to coping with the increase of pet owners having to give up their cats and dogs. Lindsay informed me that the phone calls are increasing 7 days a week and the human foodbanks they are supporting with pet food, blankets and leads will increase to 70+ – equating to supporting now 2,600 families across the Lothians, Fife, Falkirk and The Borders.
“I met Lindsay and her amazing team shortly after I got elected in 2021 when I visited the EDCH in Seafield. The Team worked tirelessly during Covid to cope with exponential rehoming when people were losing their jobs, no longer being able to afford them, people going to care homes, having to go to a homeless shelter or other owner’s hardship. This is only set to get worse.
“The energy and cost increases are just exasperating an already struggling pet home, and animal charities like EDCH do not have the option to turn the lights and heating off. They have pets who need their care and rehabilitation as well as staff who need them to care for them while they carry out their mission both on the Home’s site and right across East and Central Scotland.
“EDCH has been working to exhaustion point to avoid a major pet crisis, keeping our communities together, making sure our pets are cared for and assuring owners can keep their pets to avoid the trauma of losing their beloved pet. We all know how our pets play a central part within our family lives, they give many who would find themselves completely lonely and isolated company and a reason to live for.
“In the past months, I have raised questions to the Scottish Government regarding the impacts of the cost crisis on pet ownership and will continue to do so this year. I will be visiting one of EDCH foodbank partners in Granton, run by the Salvation Army tomorrow to raise more awareness, find out more on their needs in the year ahead and how I can support them.
“I will continue to raise awareness in 2023 of this pet crisis that is just on our doorstep and I look forward to visiting the foodbank at Granton Salvation Army and meeting Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home passionate team again.
“Our local animal shelters need our support and we need to see practical action beyond donations to ensure the survival of this 140-year old animal shelter to keep our animals safe and sheltered, and avoid painful separation from their owners.”
“If you are able to donate, EDCH have a winter appeal where donations can be made on Donate – Edinburgh Dog & Cat Home (edch.org.uk)”.
Nursing trade union Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland has paused a formal announcement of strike action in response to further talks with the Scottish government.
The decision follows a meeting with the First Minister and RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Pat Cullen today and talks this week between Scottish government, the RCN and the other trade unions currently in dispute regarding NHS pay (the GMB and Royal College of Midwives) to consider a roadmap to resolving the dispute. The Scottish government was fully aware that an announcement on RCN strike dates was imminent.
The overwhelming mandate for strike action from RCN members in Scotland has been instrumental in securing these further negotiations.
The proposal from Scottish government includes:
Scottish government would also support NHS employers to agree an extension of the RCN’s ballot mandate for strike action beyond early May if required.
Pat Cullen, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive said: “The Scottish government has shown a willingness to return to the negotiating table and to act to address the nursing workforce crisis. The pressure from you, our members, has been key to these negotiations moving forward. We need to see this process through in good faith.
“Our members in Scotland are being listened to and the First Minister is in no doubt that we will take strike action if the proposals being outlined do not deliver a significant improvement by the end of February.”
Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Director told union members: “You have said enough is enough and that was before the current pressures trying to care for patients and keep services running.
“We know it is frustrating that things are not moving more quickly but things are moving. While the Scottish government repeated their assertion that there is no more money for NHS pay in 2022/23, it was my strong mandate from you that led to the positive discussions this week and the commitment to keep negotiating.
“The Scottish government needs to do more and to take this opportunity to do the right thing, for nursing and for patients. These new pay negotiations must acknowledge the safety critical role of nursing.”
THE Edinburgh Community Climate Fund (ECCF) has officially opened to applications from local groups across the city.
The initiative is designed to support the delivery of the Council’s climate change targets together with providing learning to inform the wider approach to participatory budgeting (PB). Participatory budgeting is a way for citizens to have a direct say on how money is spent. In Edinburgh, PB has been used as an approach to distribute funding since 2010.
The Edinburgh PB Framework was approved in 2021 which included a commitment to a number of PB initiatives including the ECCF.
The ECCF provides £100,000 of one-off funding which is available for local groups to undertake projects which align with the objectives of the Edinburgh Climate Strategy and goal of becoming a net-zero city by 2030.
Groups can apply for up to £20,000 worth of funding, providing that the activities can be delivered within 12 months, do not replicate or replace a Council service, and are in line with at least one of the project’s aims.
Applications are open until midnight on 12 February. The final projects will then be shortlisted and put to a public vote. We hope to announce the results of the ECCF in mid-March.
To apply please visit the Your Voice webpage where you can download an application form.
Completed forms should be emailed to: communityplanning@edinburgh.gov.uk
For more information, please visit our Participatory Budgeting and the ECCF webpage.
There will be an in-person Application Support Drop-In at the City Chambers on 23 January between 10.00am-12 noon and 1.00pm-3.00pm.
There will also be two online information sessions on 24 January between 6.30pm-7.30pm and 26 January from 10.00am -11.00am.
For further information or to book a place at these sessions please email:
communityplanning@edinburgh.gov.uk
Council Leader Cammy Day said: “The Edinburgh Community Climate Fund is a brilliant opportunity for local groups across our fantastic capital city to make their voices heard on how this money should be spent, as we deliver on our key priorities.
“We have a bold and ambitious plan to become a net-zero city by 2030, alongside our wider Climate Strategy. Our citizens and communities should rightly be at the heart of this process. I am confident that in the ECCF projects, Edinburgh and her citizens will once again show the creativity, innovation, and care that we have so often seen over the years.
“I would also like to thank all the organisations and individuals who have contributed to the development of the ECCF.”
Criteria for the ECCF are set out below:
