Category: North Edinburgh News

2/3 of Scottish workers may be suffering from poor mental health due to the pandemic, says report

The COVID-19 pandemic is feared to have had a detrimental impact on Scottish workers’ mental health, with 65% of managers saying their staff’s mental health worsened over the pandemic, according to new research by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). 

This compares to only just over half (54%) of managers saying their staff’s mental health worsened over the pandemic in Yorkshire and Humber, and 56% in London. 

A survey of 1,274 managers across England and Scotland which looked into the impact of mental health in the pandemic and employer mental health support found that the North West ranked highest overall in terms of the impact of the pandemic on workers mental health and employer support for mental health in the workplace.

The final ranking is as follows: 

  • 1.North West
  • 2. South East
  • =3. East Midlands
  • =3. West Midlands
  • =5. London
  • =5. South West
  • =7. Yorkshire and the Humber
  • =7. Scotland
  • 9. North East
  • 10. East of England 

The research also found that employers across the regions are on the whole fairing well in relation to the provision of mental health support – with the highest satisfaction with services being 8.2 out of 10 in the South East, compared to the lowest being 7.6 in the East of England.

However across the regions over at least a fifth of all managers are apprehensive about using their employers Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). 

Commenting on the regional statistics of CMI’s research, Niamh Mulholland, Executive Director of External Affairs said: “Coming back to the workplace is going to be stressful for a lot of people, who may worry about if it’s safe for them to return, what will the office be like and the commute amongst other things.

“As a result, people may need extra support from their employer and although employers are doing well overall, they may need to look at the support they currently have, in case there’s anything additional that their teams may need.

“In Stress Awareness Month, we are partnering with Kooth to ensure that these needs are highlighted and that all managers know that CMI can support them if they are worried or don’t feel able to access their Employee Assistance Programme.

“Simply visit our website managers.org.uk/StressAwareness.”  

Digitally Kind: a new report from Carnegie UK Trust

Over the past decade and particularly since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen increasing use of digital technology in service provision by third and public sector organisations.

But with this increasing use comes challenges. The development and use of these technologies often outpace the organisational structures put in place to improve delivery and protect both individuals and organisations.

Digitally Kind is devised to help bridge the gaps between digital policy, process and practice to improve outcomes, and introducing kindness as a value to underpin an organisational approach.

Based on workshops with over 40 practitioners and frontline staff, the report has been designed as a starting point to support organisations open up conversations around their use of digital in delivering services. 

Digitally Kind explores a range of technical, social and cultural considerations around the use of tech when working with individuals covering values and governance; access; safety and wellbeing; knowledge and skills; and participation.

While the project predominantly focused on the experiences of practitioners and organisations working with young people, many of the principles hold true for other sectors.

The research also highlights a short set of considerations for funders, policymakers (including regulators) and online platforms.

A plain text version of this report is also available here.

Letters: Heroes Stamp Design Competition

Dear Editor,

I hope parents will encourage their children to take part in Royal Mail’s stamp design competition, to honour the heroes of the pandemic. The competition is open to children, aged 4 to 14. Eight designs will be chosen to become stamps which will be on sale across the UK.

Children may choose to illustrate frontline workers in health or social care.

They may want to celebrate other key workers who have kept the country going, such as refuse collectors, cleaners, teachers, supermarket workers, public transport staff, delivery drivers or, indeed, postmen and postwomen.

Or they might highlight the volunteers who have helped in their local communities or raised money for charity, such as Captain Sir Tom Moore.

The competition is open until Friday 28 May. A special panel of judges will select the winners.

As with all Special Stamps, the final eight designs will be sent to The Queen before they can be printed and issued as stamps. The winners will be announced in the Autumn.

We cannot wait to see who children choose to honour on their stamp. The past year has been very difficult for everyone, so let’s show the heroes of the pandemic just how much we appreciate what they have done for us. 

Full details can be found at www.royalmail.com/stampcompetition   

Yours faithfully,

David Gold

Royal Mail
Director of External Affairs & Policy

Edinburgh charities unite to help local carers

EMMS International and VOCAL (Voice of Carers across Lothian) have announced an exciting new partnership to support Edinburgh families to access much-needed breaks from caring routines.

EMMS International is donating its Hawthorn Brae Fund to VOCAL to purchase a property to provide short breaks for unpaid carers and people with life-limiting conditions, and of limited means, living in Edinburgh.

Funding for the Hawthorn Brae breaks project originally came from Margaret Sanson (nee Laing), who left her house – Hawthorn Brae in Duddingston – in her will to the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society (later to become EMMS International).

After the house was donated it became a place of care and respite. After selling it in 1998, EMMS International used income from the fund to provide respite holidays for people with life limiting conditions living in Edinburgh.

By donating this fund to VOCAL, EMMS International will double the number of people benefiting and ensure carers and those they care for can enjoy a high-quality short break in Scotland. The donation enhances VOCAL’s existing short breaks offer to carers which includes support to create, fund and take regular short breaks.

Sebastian Fischer, Chief Executive of VOCAL said: “EMMS International and VOCAL share a vision to work globally and locally for better health and wellbeing for people with care needs and their carers. This is a great partnership to help those in greatest need and builds on the best of our traditions in Scotland.

“A big thank you to EMMS International for their generous investment which will provide more families with an opportunity to take time out, recharge their energy and support their physical and mental wellbeing.”

Dr Cathy Ratcliff, CEO of EMMS said: “We’re delighted to gift this historic Hawthorn Brae fund to VOCAL as we embark on a new partnership which will double the number of people who will benefit from much needed short breaks.”

Invisible Cities: 500 miles, 5 cities, celebrating 5 years of helping those affected by homelessness

To celebrate 5 years of Invisible Cities, the team are inviting all supporters, friends, partners and customers to take part in a virtual mile-covering challenge, whilst raising vital funds for their social enterprise  

Invisible Cities, the social enterprise operating in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester and York, trains people who have previously  experienced  homelessness to become walking tour guides of their own city.

The social enterprise is now inviting supporters, friends, customers and partners to take part in a virtual mile-covering challenge, to celebrate Invisible Cities turning 5.  

From April – July there are 4 legs (one per month) that collectively make-up 500 miles as participants virtually move between Invisible Cities locations. Participants are invited to sign up for one leg, or all 4 and the challenge is to complete the number of miles required for that leg, within the month.   

Each leg varies in distance, so there’s something for everyone, from absolute beginners to fitness enthusiasts alike. The challenge can also be enjoyed as individual or in teams of up to 6, to reach the target miles. People can also choose between walking, running, cycling and swimming when it comes to how they decide to cover the mile target.     

The purpose of Invisible Cities’ virtual fundraiser is to connect individuals with other like-minded people all over the UK to raise money for those affected by homelessness.   

Zakia Moulaoui Guery, Founder & CEO of Invisible Cities said: “After a full year of being stuck indoors, getting outside to exercise is more important for our mental health than ever before.

“As COVID-19 has had a huge impact on homelessness, we thought we’d combine the benefits of outdoor activity with the effort to help support those experiencing homelessness through the pandemic. We really don’t think we could have found a better way to celebrate our 5th birthday!”  

To be part of the latest Invisible Cities initiative participants simply need to fill the form which can be found on the social enterprise’s official website, pay the £10 entry (100% of which will support their work to help combat homelessness) and all details for the challenge will then be emailed directly to them.  

As part of the initiative, Invisible Cities will also set up a personal Go Fund Me account for all ‘challengers’ to share and collect sponsorship and much-needed encouragement from friends and family, and the team will share fun updates about history and homelessness organisations depending on the point reached on the virtual journey.  

They will also receive access to the official Invisible Cities Strava group to track miles and become part of their community as well as receiving virtual updates showing where they are on their journey.   

For more information and to register for the virtual miles-covering challenge visit:   

https://invisible-cities.org/news/2021/500-miles-5-cities-celebrating-5-years-of-invisible-cities

Morrisons supermarket launches first own-brand shampoo bars

– Part of the Nutmeg range, the bars are plastic-free and the packaging is fully recyclable –

– They last for 30 washes and cost £3 each, five times cheaper than similar branded options –

Morrisons has become the first UK supermarket to launch an own-brand range of shampoo and conditioner bars into its permanent haircare range.

The Morrisons bars, which are part of the Nutmeg range, can last up to 30 washes and cost a pocket-friendly £3 – making them five times cheaper than some other branded options available, which can cost over £15.  

They are also vegan, 100% plastic-free and packaged in fully recyclable cardboard cartons. 

Shampoo bars use less water to manufacture than traditional haircare products and are lighter to transport, so have a smaller carbon footprint than a standard shampoo bottle. An average family can use multiple shampoo and conditioner plastic bottles per month – making the shampoo bars a more eco-friendly option.

Celebrities including Holly Willoughby, Davina McCall, Lily James and Kirsten Scott Thomas are all fans of shampoo bars. 

The Nutmeg Shampoo and Conditioner Bars are formulated with a high natural origin content and include ingredients such as Organic Argan Oil, Wheat Germ Oil and Coconut Oil – renowned for their ability to cleanse and nourish, restore damaged hair and tame frizz. 

Karena Hung, Health & Beauty Development Manager at Morrisons, said: “Our customers are telling us they want more sustainable options, not only for their groceries, but for their beauty products too.

“We’re excited to launch these new shampoo and conditioner bars under our own brand, so customers can pick them up as easily as they would regular bottles of shampoo and conditioner, with their weekly shop.”

Made in Scotland, Morrisons Nutmeg Shampoo & Conditioner Bars are available in-store now for £3 each. 

A number of sustainable healthcare products are available in Morrisons Nutmeg range including organic sustainable sanitary protection, cotton buds in paper boxes, along with wooden nail and bath brushes.

Volunteer Edinburgh offers free MAP course for women

Volunteer Edinburgh are running a women only MAP (Motivation, Aspirations & Progression) programme adapted from our employability course, focusing on skills, confidence & wellbeing.

It will be a blended Zoom course in small groups over 4 weeks, from 28th April. For more information: Christine.Meldrum@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.

Looking to get into work?

Changing career?

Returning to work after a break?

Struggling to sustain existing work?

We have adapted our bespoke Employability MAP (Motivation, Aspirations, Progression) course, which is now a free blended online course which will run over four weeks.

You will have access to an online portal where you can work at your own pace, and there will be online exercises and weekly meetings in small groups of a maximum of four via Zoom™.

In the fourth week we will meet at an outdoor location and transport and refreshments will be provided.

There will be a choice of times that you can book, and you will meet with other participants and the facilitators to discuss and share.

Topics will include

  • What I’ve got going for me (assessing your skills)
  • New directions and transferrable skills
  • Confidence and Mindful Wellbeing
  • Volunteering, resilience and questions and answer session

Post course options

  • Individual one-to-one employability coaching
  • CV workshop
  • Help to secure volunteering and/or employment

If you can identify with or are curious about any of this and would like to find out more about the course or the facilitator, please contact Christine Meldrum by email at christine.meldrum@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk or alternatively you can call or text on 0131 561 8322 or 07505 446 024 for more information.

One in seven Scots suffers data poverty, says Nesta report

The pandemic has shown that access to the internet is essential for individuals and communities. Vital services such as education, social security, health and work are now online meaning data poverty affects opportunities and deepens existing inequalities.

By data poverty, we mean those individuals, households or communities who cannot afford sufficient, private and secure mobile or broadband data to meet their essential needs.

We heard of many people who were struggling to get online, but we found a lack of detailed information to quantify the scale and depth of data poverty.

This report seeks to fill that gap.

With the help of Survation, Nesta commissioned demographically representative polling of over 2,000 people in Scotland and Wales in late January 2021.

Using telephone interviews, we asked a representative sample of adults in each nation about barriers to going online and whether they were experiencing data poverty.

We then interviewed people in Wales and Scotland struggling to afford the data access they needed, adding the human story to the survey findings in a series of case studies.

This is the first study that we know of to attempt to describe the depth and extent of data poverty.

Key Findings

  • One in seven adults in Scotland and Wales are experiencing data poverty: Nearly a million adults in Scotland and Wales struggle to afford sufficient, private and secure access to the internet.
  • Data poverty widens inequalities: Not going online impedes life chances, increases social isolation, impacts on wellbeing and limits economic opportunities.
  • Connected but compromised: Individuals’ and families’ needs for data are often not adequately met. One in ten people with monthly mobile contracts regularly run out of data before the end of the month and larger households struggle to meet very high data needs.
  • Financial and data literacy compounds data poverty: Only about half of the people we spoke to felt they were able to shop around for the best data deals. People with low digital and financial literacy and weak purchasing power may not realise that better deals are available to them. Our case studies highlight the high costs of exceeding contract allowances.
data-poverty-in-scotland-and-WalesDownload

Call for Holyrood candidates to commit to protection of Scotland’s local parks and green spaces

Green space charity Fields in Trust Scotland is calling on candidates in May’s Parliamentary elections to recognise the importance of our local parks and green spaces and sign a pledge committing to protect them from development if elected.

The Parks Protector Pledge contains six key points which set out how elected policymakers can work to protect, support and champion green spaces for good, both locally and nationally. Candidates standing for election to the Scottish Parliament are invited to make a public commitment to the Pledge.

Following a year in which we have valued our local parks more than ever before, the Fields in Trust charity is calling on candidates to demonstrate support for green spaces by joining 40 members of the Westminster Parliament, representing five different parties, who signed the Parks Protector Pledge at the 2019 General Election.

Fields in Trust is also encouraging electors to ask their candidates how they will support local parks and green spaces if elected.

Fields in Trust is an independent, UK-wide charity which has been legally protecting parks and green spaces since 1925 and currently protects 297 spaces covering nearly 2,300 hectares in Scotland. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh served as President of the charity for 64 years.

Chair of Fields in Trust Scotland, Brian Samson said: “Parks and green spaces have been vital lifelines for communities across Scotland over the last twelve months; they will continue to be an essential element of our pandemic recovery.

“Yet 2.7 million people across Britain, including 318,355 people in Scotland, already live more than a ten-minute walk from a public park and this is set to increase in the next five years.

“MSP’s can play a significant role in delivering the health, wellbeing, environmental and community benefits that parks and green spaces provide, by ensuring they are protected for future generations to enjoy”.

Fields in Trust has published original research demonstrating parks and green spaces contribute to community health and wellbeing and can address multiple policy challenges, including health improvement; tackling loneliness; addressing childhood obesity; benefitting the environment and delivering volunteer opportunities.

Protecting these public assets is not something that is politically contested and by building cross-party support in championing the value of local parks, future legislative reform can protect local green spaces that matter to constituents.