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.
Scotland’s Active Nation Commissioner, local government leaders and transport experts will come together this morning to discuss how to get more children in Scotland walking to school at Living Streets Scotland’s Walking Summit.
Currently just over half of pupils (51%) travel to school in an active way – either walking, scooting or cycling – with 23 per cent being driven the whole way.
However, in schools that run WOW – the year-round walk to school initiative from Living Streets Scotland, that nearly halves, with just 12 per cent being driven the whole way to school.
The Scotland Walking Summit will look at how to engage more schools and local authorities with behaviour change initiatives, such as WOW, along with wider changes that need to be made to allow children to travel to school in healthier and more sustainable ways, including initiatives such as School Streets, play streets, and Spaces for People.
Joining Lee Craigie, Scotland’s Active Nation Commissioner, will be Councillor Anna Richardson (Glasgow City Council), Professor Alison Stenning (Newcastle University and PlayMeetStreet North Tyneside) and former UK Shadow Transport Secretary and Living Streets’ Chief Executive, Mary Creagh, amongst others.
Stuart Hay, Director, Living Streets Scotland said:“With pupils now back at school, continuing to enable families to choose healthy ways to make the journey there will be an important part of ensuring roads aren’t overwhelmed with cars.
“We know from our work with schools across Scotland that families are put off walking to school by traffic, road danger and air pollution. Our Walking Summit is chance to come together and talk about how we can remove these barriers so more families can experience the benefits and joy of walking to school.”
Programme
09:30 – 10:00: optional networking time
10:00 – 10:10: welcome and introduction
10:10 – 11:10: the joy of moving to school – with Lee Craigie, Scotland’s Active Nation Commissioner, Chris Thompson, Living Streets Scotland, Fiona Paterson, Daily Mile Nation.
11:30 – 12:25: spaces for young people – with Councillor Anna Richardson (Glasgow City Council), Janet Macdonald (Moray Council) and Professor Alison Stenning (Newcastle University).
The Jimmy Reid Foundation has released a new paper, Liberal education in a neo-liberal world: re-culturing and recalibrating, to coincide with the first day of the 2021 STUC annual congress.
Summarising the paper, Boyd, Kelly and Maitles argue: ‘Whilst there are some strong positive aspects to Scottish education and which can be improved with some relatively small alterations, the key negative factors operating within our education system — a neo-liberal agenda and inequality of attainment and achievement, stemming from too many of our population living in poverty — mean that a radical overhaul is needed’.
The authors say: ‘Neo-liberalism – the idea that choice and markets and testing can deal with the problems – has failed and, indeed, exacerbated the problems. Marketisation of education, de-skilling and lack of trust in our teachers, the growth of managerialism and the politicisation of education all need to be challenged’.
Instead, they argue that: ‘The development of well-rounded human beings, knowledgeable of values, human rights and citizenship, should be the aim of education.
‘All pupils should have the opportunity to become independent learners and creativity should be at the heart of education and this requires a radical student-centred approach. Parents, pupils/students, communities and society as a whole should have a role in designing an education system for all.’
The authors suggest the closing of the achievement gap is related to poverty and will require macro-intervention but positive attempts to tackle it should begin in Early Years education.
They say: ‘We need to intervene early, postpone the age of formal education, ensure that early years are based on play and outdoor learning and raise staffing levels and funding in our nurseries and primaries’.
They add: ‘Secondary schools should never again be in thrall to an examination system which distorts learning and teaching and institutionalises failure for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
‘Nor should internal selection in schools, supported by Universities’ ever increasing entrance requirements, be continued. Further and Higher Education need to become much more student and community focused’.
Boyd, Kelly and Maitles lay out a blueprint for radical change, putting Scottish culture and history and the decolonising of the curriculum at the core and whereby all students should have the opportunity to become independent learners with creativity being at the heart of learning.
Also part of this blueprint is that all of the sectors of education should find common cause and create a coherent system with manifest choices being presented to learners with parents, pupils/students, communities and society as a whole having a role in designing an education system for all.
Details about authors:Brian Boyd, Emeritus Professor of Education, University of Strathclyde, John Kelly, Lecturer in Business, West College Scotland, and Henry Maitles, Emeritus Professor of Education, University of West of Scotland.
Local businessman, Peter McLean, has been appointed to head up the Young Enterprise Scotland team in Edinburgh and the Lothians and drive forward the charity’s mission to give all local school children access to enterprise learning.
As Chair of the volunteer group, Pete will co-ordinate efforts to introduce more schools and more students to entrepreneurial skills development through the Young Enterprise Scotland (YES) Company Programme.
With his team of business advisers, as well as fundraising and organising events, the role includes working directly with senior school students who set up their own commercial ventures as part of the Company Programme.
Last year, more than 300 students across Scotland achieved an SCQF level six accredited qualification for the Company Programme, which is recognised by UCAS for university entry.
Many sixth formers take the experience of the Company Programme further by setting up their own businesses outside school, while for others, the skills for teamworking, communication and making ideas a reality provide them with a competitive advantage in the jobs market.
In 2019/20, the Edinburgh & Lothians Area Team helped to inspire nearly 300 students and supported 32 YES companies to go through the Company Programme.
Having taken part in the Company Programme himself while at school in Edinburgh, Pete has been involved with YES for over two decades.
A successful serial entrepreneur in his own right, he now acts as a business growth adviser with Napier University, where he helps students, staff and alumni grow and launch businesses.
Pete said: “I have been involved with Young Enterprise for over 20 years, from being part of a team at School, judging, running workshops, a local Board member and now Lothians Chair.
“I am passionate about enterprise for all at every age but especially in education and look forward to helping Young Enterprise achieve its goals.
“I launched my own food and drinks business whilst at University and grew it to 36 staff over 13 years. There were many highlights over the years, but an equal number of failures and lessons learnt.
“It is these valuable lessons that has led to my current role as Business Growth Adviser at Edinburgh Napier University. I have a passion for the start-up community and hope that in my new role with YES I can steer others down this path and achieve their goals.”
Morrisons will be giving away half a million free postcards for children to spread messages of hope this week in a nationwide initiative to help tackle loneliness within communities.
Children of Morrisons colleagues will be colouring postcards and writing messages for the supermarket to distribute to its Doorstep Delivery customers who are continuing to shield while lockdown restrictions are eased.
Morrisons Community Champions will also be working in partnership with local primary schools to give children postcards illustrated with sunflowers and positive messages that they can colour in.
The school children can post their cards to grandparents, neighbours and friends who they may not have seen recently due to lockdown or give them back to Morrisons to distribute to care homes and via its Doorstep Delivery service.
According to recent data from the Office of National Statistics, nearly half (47 percent) of adults in England reported that their wellbeing had been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Further research by Morrisons has revealed that 46 percent of Brits are feeling more isolated and alone than they normally would. Two thirds (67 per cent) said a simple act of kindness could help them feel reconnected with their community and three quarters (77 per cent) said it would positively change their entire outlook for the day.
David Potts, CEO at Morrisons, said: “Although lockdown is easing across the UK we know that many people in the community are still shielding and therefore unable to meet up with family and friends.
“Customers write to me weekly to let me know that Morrisons Doorstep Delivery service has been a lifeline to them and express their gratitude and we wanted to let them know we will continue to be here for them. We hope these messages will put a smile on people’s faces up and down the country.”
Every Morrisons store will receive 1500 postcards to give away locally.
The initiative is the latest from Morrisons which aims to make good things happen and bring hope to the nation.
Last week, Morrisons gave away 25 million sunflower seeds to customers to grow at home and launched its ‘Little Sunshine’ award – to recognise those who have gone above and beyond in their local community throughout the pandemic.
A further service change will take effect on our network from Sunday 25 April, with improved reliability and increased frequency across Edinburgh and the Lothians, as well as new direct links in West Lothian to and from the vaccination centre at Pyramids Business Park.
Teams across Lothian have been analysing travel patterns and monitoring customer demand in order to best meet the needs of those travelling with us while we continue to move through the Scottish Government’s route-map to recovery.
Key changes to the network will include:
More buses during the day on Services 3, 8, 19, 21, 43 and 47.
Increased frequency on Monday to Saturday evenings until 2200 hrs approximately on Services 7, 11, 14, 16, 22, 25 and 26, to coincide with the reopening of the hospitality sector.
Improved reliability across the network, particularly for morning journeys.
New direct links in West Lothian between the Vaccination Centre in Bathgate and Addiewell, Polbeth and West Calder.
We are also pleased to announce that Shandwick Place TravelHub will reopen from Monday 26 April between 0830 – 1730 hrs from Monday to Saturday for Ridacard customers only.
Other TravelHubs will remain closed at this time until further notice.
If you need to visit our TravelHub, please read our advice below prior to attending:
We can only have a limited number of customers in the TravelHub at any one time. When necessary we will limit the flow of people coming in to ensure that they don’t become too congested.
Follow Scottish Government advice – You must wear a face covering when visiting us, unless you are exempt.
A hand sanitising station will be available for use before you enter the TravelHub. We recommend washing or sanitising your hands thoroughly before and after you visit us at the TravelHub.
You may be asked to queue inside before a member of our team is able to assist you. To help you, we have introduced floor markings and new signage to create a safe flow throughout the Travel Hub.
Our Network timetable information is available through our app or Traveline Scotland. No printed timetables are available at this time.
If you are looking to either restart or set up a new direct debit, please visit our Shandwick Place TravelHub where our team can help you complete an application form, take your photograph and issue you with your new Ridacard. If you can, please download our application form and complete this prior to your visit. If you have previously held a Ridacard with us and still have it in your possession, please return this to the TravelHub when you visit.
If you are wearing a face covering and you are purchasing a new Ridacard, we will ask you to briefly remove your face covering for a moment whilst we take your photograph.
For Ridacards with valid products which customers have been unable to use, Lothian will extend the validity of these tickets. This extension will be equal to the difference in days between either 26 December or the last usage of the ticket thereafter; and either the date you wish to start travelling on our services again, or the expiry of the product on the card – whichever is earlier. To claim the extension, customers should take their Ridacard to Shandwick Place TravelHub where our team can help you. Your extension will start from the day you visit us. We can’t set this to start from a date in the future, so please don’t visit until you are ready to start using your Ridacard again.
Avoid using cash where possible. Please use contactless or pay by card if you can.
Please respect our Travel Advisors and be considerate of all our customers.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all customers and colleagues who’ve shown compassion, understanding and support during these incredibly challenging times.
Significant easing of restrictions across retail, hospitality and travel
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced details of the further relaxation of restrictions across Scotland.
From Monday 26 April, hospitality venues such as cafés, pubs and restaurants can reopen, along with tourist accommodation. Non-essential retail outlets and close contact services such as beauty salons can also reopen, in addition to indoor attractions and public buildings such as galleries, museums and libraries.
The First Minister confirmed that all parts of the country will move to Level 3 from Monday 26 April. The remaining travel restrictions within Scotland will be lifted and travel within the UK will be permitted for any purpose. If everyone continues to follow the rules, the First Minister said it is expected that all of Scotland will move to Level 2 on Monday 17 May.
Further changes from 26 April include:
adults on the shielding list can return to the workplace, if they cannot work from home, while children who have been shielding can return to school
non-essential work inside people’s homes – such as painting, decorating or repairing – will be permitted, subject to mitigations
non-essential informal childcare will resume
driving lessons and tests can take place, while gyms and swimming pools can reopen for individual exercise
the attendance limit for funerals and weddings – and related events such as receptions – will increase to 50
cafés, pubs and restaurants can resume full outdoor service, subject to local licensing, and serve food indoors without alcohol until 8pm
takeaways to resume normal service, with physical distancing and face masks in premises
The First Minister also announced that rapid coronavirus (COVID-19) tests will be made available to anyone in Scotland and to those planning travel to the islands.
From today, anyone planning travel to the islands next week can order a free home test kit online. The first test should be taken three days before travel and the second on the day of departure.
From Monday, lateral flow home test kits will be available to anyone in the wider population who does not have COVID-19 symptoms. They can be picked up from local walk/drive-through test sites for people to test themselves twice-weekly. Anyone in Scotland who develops COVID-19 symptoms should self-isolate and book a PCR test.
The expansion is aimed at finding cases that would otherwise go undetected, so those people can self-isolate and avoid transmitting the virus to those around them.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The changes that come into force next week have been hard earned by all of us. I know that many will be looking forward – quite rightly – to their first drink in a beer garden, to catching up with a friend in a café, or to going on holiday somewhere in Scotland.
“But even as we enjoy those moments, we still need to be careful. We must remember the virus is more infectious now than it was when bars and cafés were last open, so we must still stick to the rules. However, we are hopeful of seeing sustained progress in the weeks and months ahead.
“We are keeping island communities in Level 3 at the moment, so that we can allow travel between those communities and the rest of Scotland. If you are planning to travel to an island and do not have COVID-19 symptoms, we will encourage you to take two lateral flow tests for COVID-19 before you depart.
“This is an important way to reduce the risk of bringing COVID-19 into island communities. If you are travelling to an island next week, it is possible to get tests from today, and I would encourage you to do that.”
Light at the end of the tunnel as Edinburgh Leisure venues able to reopen
Edinburgh Leisure’s Chief Executive, June Peebles, has welcomed the First Minister’s latest announcement, which means their leisure centres can reopen again, after almost a four months’ closure.
As a charity responsible for running over 50 sports and leisure facilities across the Scottish capital and their Active Communities programme, which uses the power of physical activity and sport to tackle inequalities and combat the effects of inactivity, June Peebles is “looking forward to welcoming customers back and continuing to help local people enjoy active and healthy lives. Never before has health and wellbeing been so important.”
During lockdown, Edinburgh Leisure has continued to motivate their customers to keep active through their ‘Find Your Feel Good’ online hub, which has provided a range of home workout videos, as well as coaching activities and resources to support their customers to stay active and well.
Since November 2020 and during the closure, Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities programme has continued to work with around 450 customers per week through a blend of on-line classes and one to one sessions and ‘wellbeing’ phone calls to keep more ‘vulnerable’ customers active and well at home, safely.
Outdoor contact sports for 12–17-year-olds started back on 5 April 2021 and community access to high school sports facilities on 19 April. Edinburgh Leisure’s tennis courts and golf courses have been open since June 2020. Golf in particular, has seen an upsurge in people participating, with the uptake of their Winter Golf membership up 400%, compared to figures in 2019.
From Monday, 26 April, Edinburgh Leisure indoor venues can reopen for individual exercise. It is hoped that outdoor adult contact sport and indoor group exercise can restart on 17 May, and indoor non-contact sport from early June, as advised in the Scottish Government’s Route Map.
Just like in September 2020 when Edinburgh Leisure reopened their venues after the first lockdown, the Edinburgh Leisure experience will be different from before but customers will still receive the warm, Edinburgh Leisure welcome.
The main changes that customers will notice are:
All activities must be booked via the Edinburgh Leisure app or website.
Edinburgh Leisure continues to operate in a cashless environment, accepting contactless payments.
Safety guidance will be on display throughout the venues.
Enhanced cleaning will take place and there are additional sanitisation stations are available in the venues for use before and after each visit.
All activities are timetabled with staggered session start times to reduce congestion.
Customers must wear face coverings in communal areas, but not for their activities.
During lockdown, despite being closed, Edinburgh Leisure has continued to invest in their venues and services to enhance the customers’ experience when they return.
Some of the improvements include:
‘Easy access’ has been installed at Gracemount and Ainslie Park Leisure Centres, creating a quicker and more efficient way for customers to access their booked activities, without the need to check in at reception first. Customers simply swipe their fob or membership card when they enter a venue.
New digital technology in the form of boditrax, installed at the Royal Commonwealth Pool and MyZone at Craiglockhart Leisure Centre, will motivate customers to understand and achieve their training goals. MyZone is already available at Leith Victoria Swim Centre, Royal Commonwealth Pool, Dumbrae Leisure Centre and Ainslie Park Leisure Centre.
Their ‘Refresh’ cafes at the Royal Commonwealth Pool and The Edinburgh International Climbing Arena will also reopen on 26th April. Although they will be operating a limited menu, customers can choose to either takeaway or sit-in. For those customers sitting in, enhanced cleaning arrangements will be in place and customers will be asked to ‘check-in’ and scan the QR code in-venue to support NHS Scotland’s Test and Protect service, which can be downloaded as an app to a customer’s phone.
To help support a return to the water, some new pool products are being introduced. New relaxed swim sessions for adults will be available at Portobello Swim Centre and the Royal Commonwealth Pool. The pool will be divided width-wise into four. Two of these areas will be for anyone who wants to swim widths, and customers won’t need to get out of the pool if they want to take a break, as long as physical distancing is maintained. The other two areas will be for customers who just want to enjoy the water but not necessarily swim widths. Again, physical distancing measures will apply.
Family swims are also available.
There’s also some bookable one to one adult swim coaching at the Royal Commonwealth Pool. Suitable for beginners or those more experienced swimmers who want to improve their stroke, these sessions will help swimmers reach their goals quicker with expert coaching from an Edinburgh Leisure swim coach.
Edinburgh Leisure is keen to support swimmers with a disability to continue to swim. As all activities need to be booked in advance, a new Carer Access Card has been created, which allows carers to book a place alongside the individual they are supporting. The access card allows a carer to book into an activity alongside an Edinburgh Leisure member at no additional cost to the carer.
June Peebles, CEO of Edinburgh Leisure said: “Edinburgh Leisure is committed to ‘building back better’ to a sustainable Edinburgh Leisure and to continue making a positive impact to the citizens of Edinburgh’s health and wellbeing – as we have done for the last 23 years.
“We’re very grateful for all the support we have received throughout lockdown from customers and the City of Edinburgh Council. The positive messages we’ve received from customers have boosted our spirits no end. The benefits of being physically active are more important than ever and we remain committed to helping Edinburgh keep active and well – always.”
The City of Edinburgh Council’s Leader and Depute Leader have promised to help businesses recover safely and sustainably, as Scotland prepares for the easing of lockdown from 26 April.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “The First Minister’s update is great news for people across the Capital – I’m sure businesses will be delighted their hard work to plan for reopening will pay off after this most challenging winter.
“Many of us are already planning catch-ups with friends, a reunion with family members from across Scotland or elsewhere in the UK or a long-awaited return to the gym.
“We need to help our local economy reopen safely and sustainably and our licensing and business support teams, along with partners like Edinburgh Leisure, are working hard to make sure that happens, helping businesses to navigate the changing guidance.
“We know residents are keen to get back to their fantastic local and city centre shops, cafés, restaurants and museums and taking advantage of so much more besides that our Capital has to offer. After so many months without these luxuries this is an opportunity for residents to rediscover their Capital.
“We’ll soon be launching a campaign, along with partners, to inspire locals and, as restrictions allow, visitors, to explore all the city has to offer and to find new places to visit, shop or dine.
“While the forthcoming lifting of restrictions is very welcome, and recognises the sustained fall in COVID cases, we must not let all of our hard work and sacrifices go to waste. We still need to stick to the rules and keep to the public health guidance. Social distancing, self-isolating and getting tested when needed will still be a feature for some time to come if we are to stay on-track for the city’s long-term recovery.”
Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “With spring in full bloom, all children back to school and, now, the reopening of shops, hospitality venues and gyms, not to mention libraries and museums across the Capital, there is much to be hopeful about, and to look forward to over the coming months.
“I want to thank the many people who have been so patient and careful over the winter, helping us to keep COVID numbers down and preventing unneeded pressure on the NHS. It’s down to all of you that we’ll now be able to tentatively emerge from lockdown, and we’ll be working hard to support the many businesses who have sacrificed over recent months to get back up and running.
“However, as we look toward a brighter future, we still need to be mindful of the real risks the virus continues to pose – we’re not out of the woods quite yet. So please, let’s continue to keep observing the rules in place, keeping one another safe for a healthy and happy summer.”
Scotland is a beautiful country. Our roads are how we travel and explore it. So we know that as travel restrictions ease this Friday, individuals and families across Scotland will be excited about exploring our countryside, parks and beaches once again.
Over recent years our annual litter surveys have highlighted that our throw-away society has resulted in an increase in litter nationally and many of our roadsides are blighted by a jumble of cans, bottles, cups, crisp packets, and food wrappers, tubs and boxes, flung from the windows of passing vehicles.
As travel restrictions are lifted this weekend, it is more important than ever that we all play our part in looking after our country and our roadsides.
Catherine Gee, KSB’s Deputy Chief Executive said: “Prior to lockdown more than 50 tonnes of litter was thrown onto Scotland’s roadsides each month.
“This litter is difficult, dangerous and expensive to clean up and ruins the view for locals and visitors alike – with 91% of people believing roadside litter creates a negative impression of our country.
“During lockdown our polling indicated that 30% of people believed the overall condition of their local neighbourhoods had deteriorated.
“Over the last twelve months local authorities and road operating companies across the country have been under pressure to adapt services due to the health crisis and prioritise essential services to protect public health.
“Now, as we emerge from lockdown, we want to work with all of the main stakeholders – the road operating companies with responsibility for litter removal on the motorways about their deep cleans scheduled for this spring and summer, local authorities who have responsibility for all other roads, and retailers – about possible interventions we can support them with to raise awareness of the illegal behaviour of tossing litter from a vehicle and the impact it has on our environment.”
Litter ruins the view for locals and visitors alike. It is harmful to wildlife and environmental quality.
With our Summer Clean coming up between May 28 and June 20 we are asking people across Scotland to pledge to pick up litter, but cleaning up on the roadsides is dangerous – cleaning up is not the answer, prevention is.
Lord Brodie, Chair of the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, visited the now vacant Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh last week as part of the Inquiry’s information gathering work.
Visiting the site of the hospital more commonly known as the Sick Kids, at Sciennes, Lord Brodie met with NHS Lothian staff and was given a COVID-19 compliant tour of the wards.
This included the haematology and oncology department, paediatric intensive care unit, surgical and critical care wards and A&E. Lord Brodie also visited ‘PJ’s Loft’ to see the facilities that were available to families accompanying their children during hospital stays.
The independent Inquiry is investigating the delayed opening of the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and Department of Clinical Neurosciences (RHCYP/DCN) at Little France. As part of its work, the Inquiry wishes to establish what impact the delay had on patient care and treatment.
Public hearings are scheduled to take place from 20 September and will focus on the experiences of patients and families and how they were affected by issues at the Edinburgh hospital, as well as the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow.
A remote procedural hearing is planned for 22 June where Lord Brodie will set out details of how the autumn hearings will operate.
Lord Brodie said: “This visit was important to give context to how the hospital and its staff dealt with the delayed move to the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. As we continue our work, being able to relate to the space, layout and operation of the Sick Kids helps the Inquiry better understand the experience of staff, families and patients.
“I have said from the start, one of the priorities of this Inquiry is to understand the experiences of affected patients and their families and so this visit proved vital.
“As we prepare for our September hearings, I continue to call on anyone who has relevant experience or information in relation to the delayed opening of the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People to get in touch.
“We want to understand what went wrong, whether these issues could have been prevented and what impact they had on patient care. The witness engagement and support team is on hand to guide individuals through the process and answer any questions.
“Our investigations will inform recommendations aimed at ensuring that past mistakes don’t happen again in future NHS infrastructure projects.”
Relevant information can be shared by calling the Inquiry’s dedicated phone line on 0808 196 5000 between 8:30am and 5:00pm Monday to Friday or email:
More than 10 million people in the UK vaccinated with a second dose of a COVID-19 jag
Almost one in five adults in the UK have now received both doses
People urged to take up their second doses to maximise protection
Over 10 million people in the UK have received their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Health services across the UK have now administered a total of 43,084,487 million vaccines between 8 December and 18 April, including 32,932,448 million people with their first dose and 10,152,039 million with their second.
The milestone means over 19% of all UK adults have received both vaccines.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “Vaccines offer us the best possible protection from the virus, so it is fantastic that 10 million people have now received their second dose.
This is another remarkable milestone in our vaccination programme, which has already saved thousands of lives.
“I want to thank the brilliant staff and volunteers involved in the rollout, and urge all those who are called to keep coming forward.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This is another terrific milestone, meaning over ten million people who are the most vulnerable to COVID in the UK now have double protection from this awful virus.
“Second doses are crucial to maximising the strength and duration of your protection from COVID-19 and I’m urging everybody eligible to get their jab as soon as possible.
“This milestone is thanks to the dedication and tireless efforts of our NHS workers, volunteers, civil servants and everybody working on the frontline to save lives and stop this virus in its tracks.”
The government has already hit its target of offering everybody in cohorts 1 to 9 – those aged 50 and over, the clinically vulnerable and health and social care workers – a first dose of the vaccine by 15 April and remains on track to offer a jab to all adults by the end of July.
Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “Vaccines have already saved more than 10,000 lives and they are the best way to protect you and your loved ones from this dreadful disease.
“We want to send this virus into retreat. No matter who you are, where you live, your race or your religion, I encourage everyone to get both doses when offered and help this country return life to normal.”
All vaccines being used in the UK have undergone robust clinical trials and have met the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s strict standards of safety, effectiveness and quality. Rolling reviews are underway by the MHRA to assess the Janssen and Novavax vaccines.
The speed and breadth of the UK vaccination programme means even more people will soon develop strong protection from serious illness from COVID-19 infection, saving countless lives and significantly reducing pressure on the NHS.
Data from Public Health England’s real-world study shows the vaccines are already having a significant impact in the UK, reducing hospitalisations and deaths, saving more than 10,000 lives between December and March.
Approved vaccines are available from thousands of NHS vaccine centres, GP practices and pharmacies. Around 98% of people live within 10 miles of a vaccination centre in England and vaccinations are taking place at sites including mosques, community centres and football stadiums.
The latest UK-wide vaccination statistics are published here.
PHE’s real-world data on the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines is available here.
Through the government’s Vaccines Taskforce, the UK has secured early access to 457 million doses of eight of the most promising vaccine candidates, including:
BioNTech/Pfizer for 40 million doses
Oxford/AstraZeneca for 100 million doses
Moderna for 17 million doses
Janssen for 30 million doses
Novavax for 60 million doses
Valneva for 100 million doses
GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi Pasteur for 60 million doses
CureVac for 50 million doses
To date, the government has invested over £300 million into manufacturing a successful vaccine to enable a rapid roll out.
The UK government is committed to supporting equitable access to vaccines worldwide. The UK is the largest donor to the COVAX facility, the global mechanism to help developing countries access a coronavirus vaccine, and has committed £548 million in UK aid to help distribute 1.3 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines to 92 developing countries this year.
