Strachan House care home, in Blackhall, has celebrated the launch of Carers Week in style. Carers week celebrates carers both paid and unpaid for the amazing work that they do and raises awareness of the benefits and challenges of carers nationally.
Staff began their week with a celebratory breakfast provided to all carers with something delicious to start the day. Day shift and night shift came together to celebrate each other.
Staff were then treated to a range of Holistic therapies provided by the wonderful Lisa from Positive flow therapies. Staff and residents alike were given head massages, hand massages and reflexology where they felt this would be beneficial.
Strachan House has built up a great relationship with Lisa following her support assisting the loved ones of residents during difficult times and can’t wait to utilise her services throughout the home.
General Manager, Fran Fisher said: “It is important to recognise the hard work of our staff here at Strachan House.
“The staff here work tirelessly to ensure all the residents are cared for to the highest possible standard, they take everything in their stride and deserve the very best rewards from us”.
Lisa from Positive Flow therapies provides a range of holistic therapy and believes that massage is not a luxury but Self-care.
Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals.
Strachan House provides nursing and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.
Edinburgh Dance Academy (EDA) performer Charlie Waller is about to follow in the footsteps of his elder sister after being offered a place at one of the world’s leading ballet training institutions, The Royal Ballet School in London.
The P6 pupil from Blackhall celebrates his 11th birthday later this month. From September, he will enter Year 7 at the Royal Ballet’s Lower School at White Lodge, in London’s Richmond Park.
With around 1400 people applying to join The Royal Ballet School every year, Charlie has secured one of only 10-12 places available to new Year 7 boys. He will become the only Scottish male currently at the School joining his 12-year-old sister Emily, who was invited to attend last year. The pair will also become the only Scottish siblings amongst the international student ranks.
Admission to The Royal Ballet School, which attracts the highest calibre young dancers from across the globe, is based purely on talent and potential. Its alumni include Margot Fonteyn, Anthony Dowell, Antoinette Sibley, Wayne Sleep, and Darcey Bussell. Along with a daily routine of classical ballet training, the Lower School also provides a strong focus on academic qualifications with its students studying core GCSE subjects.
A pupil of the highly-regarded EDA since the age of three, Charlie currently attends 14 classes with the Edinburgh-based school every week participating in ballet and other styles of dance. He is also a Junior Associate with Scottish Ballet and was recently cast as Young Cinders in its production of Cinders.
Commenting on his forthcoming move to London to take up his place at The Royal Ballet School, Charlie said: “I’m so excited to be going to such a great school with so many other boys and girls who love dancing.
“I’ll miss my mum and dad and especially my little brother, Arty (3), but I’m looking forward to being at school with Emily, doing ballet in a class full of boys every day and hopefully getting to perform with The Royal Ballet company at some point.”
Charlie’s mum, Morag, said: “We’re so pleased that Charlie has been given this opportunity to follow his dream of becoming a professional dancer.
“Since he was a toddler, he has always loved dance and EDA has been crucial in helping him progress to this current level. Joining The Royal Ballet School will now enable Charlie to further develop and maximise his talent.
“While it will feel very strange not having him here under our roof and we will, of course, miss him terribly, we know how much this means to him. We’re also reassured that he and Emily will be together in London.”
Julie Mitchell, Principal and Founder at EDA, said: “Charlie is a lovely boy who has been with EDA for most of his young life.
“He’s got incredible drive and real talent as a dancer so we couldn’t be more pleased about him securing a place at The Royal Ballet School.
“We are very proud of his progress to date and we look forward to seeing him further develop his dance skills through this new and exciting chapter.”
Residents and guests at Strachan House care home in Blackhallenjoyed a morning of quizzing and a classic English High tea as they hosted a virtual quiz with Goodson Lodge care centre in Trowbridge.
Residents in the Goodson Lodge Care centre were treated to irn bru, whisky and shortbread as both teams battled it out to see who would be crowned quiz master champion.
Teams from both the English and Scottish homes provided quiz questions about their country whilst the other side aimed to guess the answers with mouthfuls of their countries’ finest fare.
General Manager, Fran Fishersaid, “Our residents had a wonderful morning and were really excited to meet new people and learn lots of amazing new things.
“It’s always great to connect with others in the care industry and we hope we can continue for many years to come”.
The quiz held on Earth Day was a true celebration of community and coming together. The Scottish team took the win this year but, with this now being an annual event, we will see if the English team can make it a draw next year!
Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals.
Strachan House provides Nursing and Dementia carefor 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.
Road Policing officers are appealing for information after a pedestrian was seriously injured in a crash on South Groathill Avenue at Queensferry Road South.
The incident, which happened around 7.10am on Wednesday, 17 April, 2024, involved a red and white DAF truck and a pedestrian.
Emergency services attended and a 58-year-old woman, the pedestrian, was taken by ambulance to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Her condition has been described as critical but stable.
The road was closed for around two hours to allow for investigations to take place.
Sergeant Louise Birrell said: “Our enquiries into this collision are ongoing and we would like to ask anyone that was in the area at the time who has not already spoken to us to please get in touch.
“We would also be keen to see any dashcam or private CCTV footage from the area around the time of the crash. In particular, there was a blue BMW X2 which was stationary at the time and may have information which could assist.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0487 of 17 April.
South Groathill Avenue has re-opened following a report of a crash involving a lorry and a female pedestrian made around 7.10am this morning (Wednesday, 17 April).
Emergency services attended and a 58-year-old woman was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment to serious injuries.
Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with any information or dash cam footage is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 0487 of 17 April, 2024.
The Strachan House care home in Blackhall will be opening their doors to the local community for a day of tea and entertainment on Saturday 20th April.
Taking place between 10am and 4pm guests will be able to enjoy home-made cream cakes prepared by Paul Dow the home’s Head Chef, and will have the chance to meet the team and take a tour of the home.
Fran Fisher, General Manager at Strachan House says: “I’m excited about welcoming new visitors and existing friends of the home to our open day.
“Looking for care can be a little bit daunting, but our team here at Strachan House will do all we can to provide all of our guests with the guidance and support they may need, and answer all of their questions, big or small.
“Our open day is a great chance to enjoy some delightful entertainment in a homely and friendly setting- hope to see you all there!”
Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.
The cost-of-living crisis has put a significant strain on families during Ramadan, and people in Edinburgh have been struggling.
The food pack distribution is part of a wider initiative by the Embassy of the State of Qatar and Islamic Relief to distribute 2,000 food parcels and 10,500 cooked meals across the UK for the duration of the holy month.
Food is being delivered through 15 of Islamic Relief’s partners such as local organisations, food banks, mosques and football club foundations from London to Edinburgh. Partners include: East London Mosque, Newham community Project, Sufra, City Retreat, Himmah, Luton Foodbank, Association of Scottish Muslim – Blackhall Mosque, Give a gift, Finsbury Park Mosque, and Renaisi.
Photos of the signing of the agreement that took place earlier in March with The Embassy of the State of Qatar and IslamicRelief can be found here
Tufail Hussain, director of Islamic Relief UK stated: “Poverty in the UK has been exacerbated by years of cost-of-living crisis, and families are struggling more than ever to put food on the table. It is imperative more than ever to come together as a community and support one another.
“To alleviate the challenges people have been facing, the Embassy of Qatar and Islamic Relief is working together to reach even more struggling families here in the UK this Ramadan as we have done with the Association of Scottish Muslims at Blackhall Mosque.
“Charity is a major part of the Islamic faith, and Ramadan is the time when we see this huge outpour of support for others. We are proud to be collaborating with the Qatari embassy to help make a difference.”
Residents of Strachan House Care Home were treated to an afternoon of cocktail themed fun as we invited the local community to join us for ‘Pimm’s O Clock’
The afternoon featured a live musical performance by the talented singer Kirsty Duncan.
The Homes lounge buzzed with excitement as Kirsty took centre stage, delivering a brilliant and energetic repertoire of hit favourites spanning decades.
Residents and guests sipped on classic Pimm’s cups as their toes tapped along to the music.
General Manager at Strachan House, Fran Fisher said: “Our residents deserve moments of joy and connection,” said Fran Fisher, Home Manager at Strachan House. “Kirsty’s performance was a testament to the power of music in brightening lives.”
Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Stamford Bridge Beaumont provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care from respite care to long term stays.
Community groups across Edinburgh will be able to provide vital services and support for thousands of local people thanks to National Lottery funding announced today.
North Edinburgh projects have done particularly well in the latest round of funding. Both North Edinburgh Arts and Stepping Stones North Edinburgh are awarded six figure sums, while Muirhouse Millennium Centre, Heart of Newhaven, Blackhall Children’s Sports Committee, Ama-zing Harmonies and Granton Parish Church are among other local organisations to receive grants today.
The latest round of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund is shared amongst 384 projects across Scotland, sharing in £15,048,544.
North Edinburgh Artswill use their award of £148,821 to continue their ‘Green Projects’ programme which provides green spaces for local people to come together whilst offering a range of volunteering opportunities and arts and garden activities for people of all ages to get involved in.
Valla Moodie, Green Projects Manager, North Edinburgh Arts said: “This funding will enable us to start an exciting phase of work as we move back into our refurbished and extended building after two years in temporary venues, setting up our new Community Shed workshop and redeveloping our community garden at the back of our venue.
“This support, given to our ‘Green Projects’, will allow us to continue to offer opportunities for our local community that improve their health and well-being whilst contributing to the enrichment of their neighbourhood, building local resilience to big issues and sharing and supporting them with actions that combat climate change.”
STEPPING STONES North Edinburgh receive £132,020 through the Improving Lives programme.
The group, based at Inchgarvie Court in West Pilton, will use the funding to continue delivering their Family Wellbeing project, supporting primary school children and their families by providing individual, group and equine mental health support in North West Edinburgh.
Thanks to an award of £126,671, Deaf Action will run a digital literacy programme to help deaf people across the city develop and improve their skillset.
Support will be provided through a series of one-to-one sessions and group work covering specific topics such as word processing, scam awareness, healthcare apps and video calling software.
Lauren McAnna, Community Services Manager, Deaf Actionsaid: “Our Digital Inclusion Service will support deaf people living across Edinburgh to become digitally empowered, unlocking a world of information, resources and opportunities that will foster greater independence and help improve life outcomes.
“We will support deaf adults and older people who face significant barriers to communication and social inclusion and who are likely to be experiencing financial hardship and/or socioeconomic disadvantage.
“By supporting deaf people to overcome barriers to digital literacy they can become more connected and active citizens, have increased independence and improved wellbeing in many aspects of their lives.”
An award of £19,929 to Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland means they can continue to identify more victims of human trafficking across the city.
Joy M Gillespie, CEO, Survivors of Human Traffickingsaid: “We will be able to work with our cross-sector partners to recover more victims of human trafficking in Edinburgh and provide vital prevention information to those most at risk.
“We believe there is power in partnership and are grateful to The National Lottery Community Fund for partnering with us to help end end human trafficking in Scotland.”
Announcing the funding, Kate Still, Scotland Chair, The National Lottery Community Fundsaid: “This latest round of National Lottery funding will be distributed to groups across Edinburgh who are providing a range of essential services and support for thousands of local people, helping to make a real difference to their lives.
“As The National Lottery prepares to mark its 30th birthday later this year, today’s investment is a timely reminder of the difference that National Lottery players continue to make to communities across the country.”
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes funding on behalf of National Lottery players who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK.
The charity, Islamic Relief UK, has launched its annual Ramadan food drive for 2024, to help the UK’s vulnerable communities who have been affected by rising poverty levels and the cost-of-living crisis.
The food distribution will take places across the UK, in cities such as London, Birmingham, Leicester, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Luton and Nottingham, as the need is widespread. Islamic Relief will be working in collaboration with 18 of its local partners, such as food banks, mosques, football clubs, and local charities.
According to research undertaken by Islamic Relief, and polling company Savanta (1), over half of people in the UK are struggling more with their bills and food prices than they were a year ago, and 30% of Brits are worried about having to use a food bank in the near future. The data points that almost all people in the UK, across all strata of society, have been negatively affected by the cost-of-living crisis and are concerned about the future.
Tufail Hussain, director of Islamic Relief UK, adds: “Poverty in the UK has been exacerbated by years of the cost-of-living crisis, and families are struggling more than ever to put food on the table. It is imperative more than ever to come together as a community and support one another.”
“The research we conducted spells a worrying outlook for the UK, with no community of social group spared from the tough reality of the cost-of-living crisis. But for the already vulnerable, the homeless, refugees and asylum seekers, the poor, it is catastrophic. Now more than ever we are so grateful for the outpouring of support that allows us to provide food distributions such as this one.”
Locations and dates for the food distributions are as follows:
