Category: Leith

New report highlights the impact of Covid-19 on affordable credit providers

New research by Community Finance Solutions (CFS) at the University of Salford and Carnegie UK Trust has highlighted the impact that COVID-19 is having on affordable credit providers across England, Scotland and Wales. 

Fear and Loaning – The Impact of Covid-19 on affordable credit providers serving financially vulnerable customers was published yesterday.

More than 60 Credit Unions and Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) in England, Scotland and Wales took part in the study, which asked about the impact of Covid-19 on demand; lending volume; income; liquidity; viability, and confidence.

They reported a decline in the number of people seeking loans and a reduction in the size of loans being sought; a rise in the number of customers seeking payment holidays on their loans; and an increase in saving deposits.

Providers have furloughed staff and closed branches to help them deal with the impact of the pandemic. Some have adapted their business models, increasing the use of digital tools and introducing new products.

Those providers with the smallest average loan amounts (under £1,000) appear to have been most adversely affected by Covid-19, with a higher likelihood of furloughing staff, closing branches and of using government support schemes.

They are also less confident and more likely to forecast breaches of regulatory ratios or covenants and inability to meet short-term costs. These providers are the most likely to serve the most vulnerable and financially excluded.

There are likely to be a range of complex reasons behind the drop in the demand for credit. Positively, it may be because people have had support through other channels set up in response to the pandemic, such as the Job Retention Scheme or an interest free overdraft.

There have also been fewer opportunities for consumption during the crisis. Alternatively, some people may have not sought a loan from an affordable credit provider because their financial position has worsened and they may have to take other action, such as borrowing from family and friends or going without an important purchase.

There is concern that household finances will come under severe pressure as financial support interventions introduced in response to COVID-19 taper off and unemployment rises.

Affordable credit providers have a crucial role to play in supporting families through these difficult times, but this new research by the Trust and CFS shows that these providers are themselves vulnerable to the pandemic.

It will be essential that the affordable credit sector is supported to sustain and scale during this challenging period, so that it is able to support families and communities in the months ahead.

The report is available here.

Pål Vik, Director, Community Finance Solutions said: “This research report finds that the short-term effects of Covid-19 are more acutely felt by those lenders targeting low-income consumers.

“The findings underline the needs for ongoing research and data collection to inform interventions to preserve the access to affordable credit for those that need it the most.”

Sarah Davidson, Chief Executive, Carnegie UK Trust said: “Affordable credit providers have a vital role to play in helping disadvantaged communities cope with Covid-19 and rebuild resilience afterwards.

“This research highlights the need to continue to monitor the impact of the pandemic on affordable credit providers, and for the sector to receive the support that it needs to sustain and scale, ensuring that it can support those who are financially vulnerable.”

Sasha Romanovich, CEO, Fair4All Finance said: “Many more people in the UK will find themselves in vulnerable circumstances and the need for fair and affordable credit is likely to grow significantly over the coming months, not least as some high cost providers fail or withdraw from the UK market place.

“Fair4All Finance have a role as a catalyst to create a thriving and sustainable affordable credit sector, and we welcome this research.”

Michael Sheen, actor and social activist said: “It is vital that affordable lenders come through the current stage of the crisis to be able to support financially vulnerable consumers in the medium to long term.

“We need all those people with a voice – councils, housing associations, the third sector and the media – to highlight to those borrowers that often need access to small sums of money that fair credit is out there, at a fair price. ”

The Carnegie UK Trust has also recently published The 10% solution: How to make affordable credit more available to those who need it most as a short and full report.

This research examines the levels of high cost credit use and the provision of affordable credit across seven Scottish local authorities, reveals the gap between demand and appropriate supply, and puts forward a range of interventions available to local authorities that can support affordable credit providers and make a significant difference to the lives of low income individuals in their areas.

Increasing the market penetration of affordable credit providers in these seven areas to 10% of demand could save low income households nearly £5m a year.

While the research fieldwork for this report took place before the COVID-19 pandemic, it demonstrates the need for affordable credit, and the importance of supporting a resilient sector which can provide for financially vulnerable consumers in the years ahead.

Funshine on Leith!

A comedy walking tour with a difference

20th – 30th August on sale now

Sell out event has just added new dates to their programme

The only live comedy event being held in Edinburgh this August


This is a truly unique comedy event coming out of Leith, created by Leith for Leithers. It is likely to be the only live comedy event happening in Edinburgh this August.

Invisible Cities, a social enterprise supporting people who have experienced homelessness, have joined forces with Leith Comedy Festival to create ‘Funshine on Leith’ – a comedy walking tour with a difference.

Leith Comedy Festival has added new dates to their programme following the immediate sell out of the initial batch of tickets, which were released last week.

The additional dates and times for bookable tours include:

·       Thursday 20th August 5pm

·       Saturday 22nd August 12 noon and 3pm 

·       Sunday 23rd August 12 noon and 3pm

·       Thursday 27th August 5pm

·       Saturday 29th August 12 noon and 3pm

·       Sunday 30th August 12 noon and 3pm

Paul has written the tour especially for Leith Comedy Festival and during this rich, colourful walking event, he takes his guests on a journey around Leith, sharing historical curiosities, personal anecdotes and juicy details that will make your jaw drop.

Zakia Moulaoui Guery, founder of Invisible Cities says: “Paul is one of our most experienced Edinburgh guides and his work is constantly praised by 5 star reviews online from our customers.

“He designed this tour specially for Leith Comedy Festival and it is nothing but different, thought provoking, fun and a bit outrageous! For Invisible Cities, it also marks our definitive return after so many months not being able to do tours, so we are all excited to see Paul in action!”

Award-winning tour guide, Paul, who has been with Invisible Cities for two years, said: “I am excited to showcase Leith in a different way and be part of Leith Comedy Festival. After several months of not being able to do our tours.

“It’s great seeing guests again who want to learn and have a good time with us!”

Rosalind Romer, Director of Leith Comedy Festival commented: “I took my one-year-old to Paul’s Trainspotting Tour (to his horror and the bafflement of onlookers) and loved his stories about the best and worst of Leith.

“I was thinking and laughing about the stories for days afterwards, so it’s really exciting for Leith Comedy Festival to be working with Paul and Invisible Cities to create this brand new tour, based on the funny side of Leith.

“We hope it will bring a little festival magic to Edinburgh in August. We are currently the only live comedy event happening in Edinburgh in August, and creating an event that’s live, funny and legal has been a challenge. But we’ve done it.”

The tour contains strong language and adult themes, including sex and drugs. For more information and to book tickets visit: https://www.leithcomedyfest.com

We will walk 500 miles!

A team of 25 tenants from Port of Leith Housing Association’s sheltered housing developments are collectively walking 500 miles to raise money for their social activity fund.

Due to the impact of the pandemic, the tenants have not been able to hold their usual summer fayres or coffee mornings to raise funds, so they are trying something a little different this month.

Any donations received will help provide meaningful activities for our sheltered tenants including exercise classes, lunch clubs, outings and more. You may have already heard about our inventive warden call bingo!

The North Coast 500 virtual trek

Photo of a road in the Scottish Highlands.

The virtual trek around the North Coast 500 (NC500) route began on Monday 20 July, with some walkers tackling the challenge outdoors while others are count their steps indoors along the corridors.

A PoLHA spokesperson said: “We will map their journey and share progress and pictures as we travel along the majestic coastline of the stunning highlands of Scotland. Did you know 500 miles equates to one million and fifty six thousand steps? What an amazing achievement this will be for our tenants!

“We would be very grateful if you could support our walkers with this challenge by making a donation. They have a target of £1 for every mile walked – can you help them reach £500?”

Donate

Good luck to PoLHA’s walkers – and mind those midgies!

MP to lead free online funding workshop for local charities

Edinburgh North and Leith MP Deirdre Brock will take part in a virtual funding workshop, with People’s Postcode Lottery, for local charities, volunteer organisations, and community groups throughout the local area.

The session will give good causes in Ms Brock’s constituency advice on how they can apply for funds to make a difference in their community.

The live Zoom event takes place on Tuesday 11 August at 10am.

Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised £398,687 for smaller good causes and community projects in Edinburgh North and Leith. Wellspring Scotland received £13,950 to deliver mental health and well-being support work to adults, children and young people in Leith.

£17,500 went to Leith Theatre Trust’s LTYardheads project, helping people within the surrounding community access theatre through drama, acting and creativity groups.

MP Deidre Brock said: “Hundreds of thousands of pounds, raised thanks to People’s Postcode Lottery players, has already had a hugely positive impact on the places and people of Edinburgh North and Leith.

“This free virtual funding session will give good causes throughout the area the guidance they need on how to apply for funding. Funding that many good causes need now more than ever before.

“I’d strongly encourage local good causes within the community to sign up and find out more about the funding opportunities available to them.”

Community programmes advisor at People’s Postcode Lottery, Katherine Sellar, added: “The money raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery is making a huge difference in communities across the country.

“We want to do all we can to help local charities and good causes successfully apply – particularly at a time when many are losing out on essential funds. Our free virtual workshop is a useful opportunity for smaller, local charities and groups to find out about the funding available, get pointers on applying and ask us any questions.”

More than £500 million has been raised for thousands of charities and good causes, thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

To attend contact funding@postcodelottery.co.uk.

Thanks from Save Iona Street campaigners

A huge thank you again to everyone who submitted a comment on the 48-50 Iona Street planning application back in May.

As a result, the developer has made some changes to the proposal. While some of these changes are welcome, many aspects of the development remain unchanged, such as building height, density, student accommodation.

**MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC CAN COMMENT ON THE AMENDMENTS TO THE APPLICATION UNTIL FRIDAY 14 AUGUST**

Any previous comments and objections are still valid on aspects of the development that are unchanged.

As before, Save Iona street will be pulling together some notes to help those who wish to comment on the these amendments.

Visit saveionastreet.wordpress.com or email saveionastreet@outlook.com for more info.

The Mystery of the Missing Defibrillator

Police are appealing for witnesses after it was discovered that a defibrillator has been removed from its case at a premises in Leith.

This was discovered earlier this week at Constitution Street.

Sergeant Kirsty McArthur-Kerr, of the North East Community Policing Team, said: “There are several defibrillators at key locations around Edinburgh which have been funded by charities or donated for public use.

“These are a vital live saving resource and the loss of this one could have potentially fatal consequences. At the moment, we are not sure of the circumstances surrounding the defibrillator being removed from its casing, so we are appealing to the public to contact us if they have any information which may help us trace it.

“Anyone with information should contact us on 101 quoting incident number 1647 of 21 July or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Excavation of medieval graveyard begins on Constitution Street

The excavation of human remains which could date back as far as 1300 has begun on Constitution Street, as part of the Trams to Newhaven project.

Archaeologists are on-site outside South Leith Parish Church, where previous investigations have shown that in the medieval period the church’s graveyard extended across the road with graves surviving beneath the current road surface.

The team are removing any human remains that are likely to be affected by the tram works, and have so far exhumed more than ten bodies, dating from between 1300 and 1650, as well as finding the apparent remnants of the original medieval graveyard wall.

After the excavation the remains will be subject to examination and analysis that will reveal information on the origins, health, diseases and diet of the people of medieval Leith.

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: This is an extremely fascinating, essential part of the broader project to bring the tram to Newhaven, shedding some light on centuries of history here in Leith.

“It’s crucial that we conserve the remains found here, and a team of archaeologists are carrying out the painstaking job of doing this. What’s more, further examination of the excavated graves will give us an invaluable glimpse into the lives of Leithers past.”

Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “The Trams to Newhaven project is now up and running again and progressing well, as the main works get underway on Leith Walk.

“This element of the scheme is just as important as track-laying or landscaping and allows us to conserve a small piece of the area’s heritage for generations to come”.

Council Archaeologist John Lawson said: The historic port and town of Leith is one of the Scotland’s most significant urban archaeological sites with evidence of occupation going back over 900 years. 

“Although only just started, the excavations by our team from GUARD have already provided important new evidence regarding the history of the graveyard and earlier town with the discovery of what we believe are the remains of its original medieval graveyard wall.

“It is hoped that further new discoveries will be made and that we will learn important new evidence for the lives of Leith’s medieval inhabitants so that we can tell their story to modern Leithers.”

Last month, archaeologists from GUARD Archaeology Ltd, who are undertaking work on the council’s behalf under contractors Morrison Utility Services, shared images of discoveries made during initial investigations on Constitution Street. These include rare whalebones, a cannonball thought to date back to the 17th century and historic drainage.

Archaeological work began on Constitution Street in November 2019 and was stopped at the end of March, along with the wider project, to comply with Government guidance and to protect the safety of workers and residents in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

During the first phase, the team took down part of a wall surrounding Constitution Street Graveyard, dating back to 1790, ahead of excavation of the historic graveyard. Preparatory work led archaeologists to discover what appears to be a large charnel pit which may contain the remains of some burials recovered from the laying of 19th century services in Constitution Street. 

The main construction works on Leith Walk from Elm Row to Crown Place are currently underway, with traffic management involving Leith Walk being reduced to one city bound lane between London Road and Crown Place for the duration of the works.

All works, including archaeological investigations, are being carried out while maintaining physical distancing and with additional measures to protect workers’ and the public’s health in place.

Find out more about Trams to Newhaven on the project website.

British Heart Foundation shops re-open after months of lockdown

~ Leading charity says crisis could cut its income in half this year, and urges public to support Britain’s best loved charities in months ahead ~    

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is reopening the first of its shops across Scotland, as it seeks to recover from the devastating impact of the Covid-19 crisis on its income.   

The charity planned a phased reopening to ensure it could create a safe working environment for its staff and volunteers, many of whom are living with heart and circulatory diseases.  

Ten stores across Edinburgh and the Lothians will open today (Saturday 18th July) with all 76 shops in Scotland due to reopen by the end of July.

BHF shops in Lothian Road, Edinburgh and Leith, Dalry, Bathgate, Craigmillar, Dalkeith, Westside, Shandwick, Musselburgh and Stockbridge open at 10am Saturday 18th July.

As the doors reopen, the charity is urging the public to support it by donating good quality items, or by popping in to snap up a bargain. Every item donated or sold will aid the BHF in its recovery from the crisis, which it predicts will cut its net income in half this year.   

James Jopling, Head of BHF Scotland, said: “Our shops fund a huge proportion of cardiovascular research, so the reopening of doors is welcome news for our scientists, the 720,000 people living in Scotland with heart and circulatory diseases, as well as our shoppers. 

This moment was difficult to imagine just a few weeks ago, and is testament to the incredible commitment of our BHF team of colleagues and volunteers that we’ll be trading in every corner of the country within two weeks.   

“But the coronavirus crisis will unfortunately have a long-lasting and devastating impact on charities like ours, with our funding for new research falling by a shocking £50m this year alone. That’s why, not only do we need urgent help from our loyal supporters, we’re also urging the UK Government to ensure funding for vital research charities. For us, it will mean we can protect the progress we have made so far and continue to transform the lives of those with heart and circulatory diseases. It’s ultimately patients who will suffer if this doesn’t happen.

“Our charity shops run purely on the support of the public, which is why we treasure every person who shops with us or hands in a donation. Every item we sell helps fund our vital research and we are so looking forward to welcoming everyone back.”

The BHF says its shops and stores will have new measures in place to keep staff, volunteers and customers safe. This includes social distancing on the shop floor, protective equipment for staff and volunteers, and facilitating contact free collection and processing of donated items.   

In line with Government advice and to keep customers safe, all donations given to the BHF will now be rested for 72 hours before being placed on the shop floor. Customers will also be able to donate at new contact-free donation points set up at every BHF shop entrance.   

For larger donations to BHF home stores, donors will be able to book a free collection service online from Monday 27th July. All pick-ups will be contact-free. For smaller donations, the BHF has launched a new postal donation service, making it even easier to donate without hitting the high street.  

Just £16 worth of donations can support an early career scientist in carrying out an hour’s research and £25 gives a researcher an hour’s access to equipment. If donations raise £100, this would fund a DNA extraction kit to identify genes linked to heart and circulatory diseases.   

To find your local BHF shop and details on when it is reopening visit: www.bhf.org.uk/shop 

Local salon goes the extra mile ahead of re-opening tomorrow

SESH Hairdressing in Leith has gone above and beyond standard requirements to ensure the health and safety of their clients and team ahead of reopening tomorrow (Wednesday 15th July).

Following the enforced closure since March, the salon is a different space than it was pre Covid-19 and they have implemented processes to ensure safety and minimise impact on the environment.

The team supported local Edinburgh based company, Be Safe, by having branded fabric face coverings made for the team. These Breathe Easy masks will keep the salon team safe and ensure all clients remain protected. The face masks can be washed after use to minimise waste from disposable masks. In addition to this all team members will wear face shields.

The salon is known for their caring nature and going above and beyond to ensure an enjoyable experience for their clients. It was important to SESH Hairdressing to make sure the salon visit remained a luxurious experience and believed the standard issue plastic capes which are popular post Covid-19 would hinder this.

To combat this, SESH have decided to have laundry installed in the salon which means clients will still receive the soft gown they were used to prior to the closure. All gowns will be laundered after one use, and this will dramatically reduce the waste SESH dispose of. Not only is this initiative in the interest of clients, it is also in the interest of the environment.

An extension of this caring approach which is instinctive to SESH Hairdressing and Salon Owner, Simon Hill is the avoidance of any surcharges as they reopen. It is apparent lots of salons are adding a Covid-19 charge to their clients bill to cover the cost of the required PPE.

SESH Hairdressing believes this to be within their duty of care for their clients and team and therefore will not be adding any charge to their bills. Instead a small fee between £2 – £6 will be added for any additional work involved due to the overdue nature of the appointments.

In order to make the new normal easy for clients to adapt to and understand, SESH have been using their social media channels to communicate a clear visual of what clients can expect. This will continue into the salon with clearly marked ‘SESH Sanitise Stations’ throughout the salon and clear markers through the salon to ensure clients keep a safe distance and adhere to the guidelines set out by government.

Salon Owner, Simon Hill commented: “The salon reopening is long awaited and myself and the team are all so excited to get back to doing what we love. We have taken the necessary steps to make the salon as safe as possible.

“As we believe strongly in our duty of care to our clients, we have also gone the extra mile to protect the team and clients. This also led to our decision to avoid any Covid-19 surcharges as we feel it is our responsibility to safely proof the salon for their enjoyment.”

To book an appointment at the salon you can call 0131 555 0708 and visit their Instagram page @seshhairdressing.