Category: North Edinburgh News

Project investigating the effects of COVID-19 on blood vessels and blood pressure receives Heart Research UK grant

A University of Glasgow project that is aiming to better understand the effects that COVID-19 infection has on blood vessels and blood pressure has received a grant of £250,000 from Heart Research UK.

Research has shown that people who are older, obese, male or those who have other medical problems including high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or chronic lung conditions, have a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and is very common with more than one quarter of adults in the UK affected.

The virus causing COVID-19 enters the body’s cells through a receptor called ACE2 which is found in the lungs, heart, blood vessels, kidneys, liver, and bowel. ACE2 is very important for maintaining many of the body’s important processes including blood pressure, inflammation, and wound healing.

COVID-19 can also cause damage to the walls of the blood vessels which makes the risk of blood clots higher and this has been seen more often in people with high blood pressure. The reasons for this are not yet known which is why we need to understand more about the links between COVID-19 and high blood pressure.

This study, which will be led by Professor Sandosh Padmanabhan, Professor of Cardiovascular Genomics and Therapeutics, aims to answer whether:

  • High blood pressure makes COVID-19 infection worse and if so, why.
  • COVID-19 infection makes high blood pressure worse and if so, why.
  • Monitoring and management of high blood pressure needs to be a greater priority during the pandemic.

The study will look at routinely collected health records for people in the West of Scotland who attended hospital or had a positive test for COVID-19 between April 2020 and April 2021. This will be compared to the records of patients who attended hospital during 2019, for another reason. They will also look in detail at a group of people with high blood pressure.

Prof Padmanabhan’s team will also study a group of people that have recovered from COVID-19 infection. They will undergo blood pressure monitoring, and tests of heart and blood vessel health. These tests will be repeated after 12 and 18 months to see if there have been any changes. They will be compared to a group of people who have not had COVID-19.

Finally, the study will look at markers in the blood (biomarkers) with the aim of identifying any which are linked with high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, or death in COVID-19.

This study will give us a better understanding of the links between COVID-19 infection and high blood pressure, and help to improve the long-term outcomes for survivors of COVID-19. Also, the findings may lead to recommendations on the monitoring and management of blood pressure during the pandemic.

Prof Padmanabhan said: “The current COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has exposed unexpected cardiovascular vulnerabilities at all stages of the disease.

“The mechanism by which the SARS-CoV-2 virus causes infection is believed to directly and indirectly affect the cardiovascular system potentially resulting in new-onset hypertension, heart failure and stroke and represents an insidious feature of long-COVID.

“The burden of hypertension as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown, but given the scale of the infection especially among the young this will be a major concern for the future. In this project, we plan to generate valuable evidence that will inform hypertension management strategies and reduce cardiovascular risk for survivors of COVID-19.”

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive of Heart Research UK, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the work of ProfessorPadmanabhan and his team, who are conducting vital research into one of the biggest medical challenges the world has ever faced.

“We have known for some time that those with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions are more susceptible to developing severe complications from COVID-19. We hope that this research will help to explain why this is the case, reduce the risk for this vulnerable group and, ultimately, help to save more lives.

“Our grants are all about helping patients. They aim to bring the latest developments to those who need them as soon as possible.

“The dedication we see from UK researchers is both encouraging and inspiring, and we at Heart Research UK are proud to be part of it.”

Eve De Haan shines a light on London’s dark and unsafe streets in urban exhibition

Neon Artist Teams with Zebra One Gallery and Reclaim These Streets for ‘Text Me When You Get Home’ charity campaign

 

Celebrated neon artist, Eve De Haan will shine a light on London’s streets and women’s safety issues, tonight (April 15), with an illuminated billboard campaign curated by Zebra One Gallery, promoting Reclaim These Streets’  ‘Text Me When You Get Home’ campaign, with all profits donated to make the UK a safer, fairer place for women.

The billboards in places including Shoreditch, Fulham,  Peckham and Dalston will display Eve’s art – an image of a  deserted street after dark, with the poignant, glowing words,  ‘Text Me When You Get Home,’ a familiar phrase which often  replaces ‘goodbye’ for women, representing how  safeguarding and safety fears have become a routine way of  life for females after dark.

As well as illuminating the dark streets, the urban exhibition  marks the start of the Reclaim These Streets movement’s  new campaign, which aims to use legislation, education and  community action to ensure no woman has to be asked to  ‘Text Me When You Get Home’ again. 

Four original prints, including the piece displayed on  billboards, will be on sale through Zebra One Gallery with  ALL profits raised going to Rosa, a grant-making charity  that funds grassroots women’s organisations to help make  the UK a fairer, safer place for women. 

Eve says: “Many of my pieces celebrate the unique strength  of women. The tragic circumstances of Sarah Everard’s  murder and similar stories of attacks and harassment  towards women around the world, shows that we still have  such a long way to go before we can feel safe.  

“I wanted to share these pieces in a public setting to show  support for women and to remind people that a message  like, ‘Text me when you get home,’ has become a part of our  everyday lives, and that shouldn’t be the case.” 

Reclaim These Streets was formed in the aftermath of Sarah  Everard’s tragic murder, with the simple idea of holding a vigil. But after the event was cancelled, more than £500,000  was donated to the cause by supporters, leading to a  partnership with charity Rosa.  

Having already testified to the Home Affairs Committee,  Reclaim These Streets are now working with cross-party MPs  on amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts  Bill to outlaw street harassment and kerb crawling.  

Jamie Klingler, one of the founders of Reclaim These Streets, says: “We are thrilled to be working with Eve. We need to  shine a light on all of the places where women are unsafe in  public spaces and Eve’s way of illustrating the plight of all  women will spark conversation and interest, which ultimately translates into change.” 

The billboards for the campaign were generously subsidised  by Brotherhood Media and are expected to remain in place  for two weeks.  

Zebra One Gallery owner and curator, Gabrielle du Plooy  adds: “As a woman, this is an issue close to my own heart.  

“I’ve lived in London my whole life and – like most women –  have had personal experiences which have made me feel  unsafe. So I’m delighted that we are able to help with such  an important campaign through our art.”  

New Spaces for People plans for Braid Road

”Thanks to our ‘try then modify’ approach, we’ve been able to tweak the design” – Cllr Karen Doran

Changes to a scheme for safer travel on Braid Road will help improve journey times and reduce intrusive traffic on nearby streets, while retaining protected space for active travel, the city council has announced.

Braid Road was one of the first Spaces for People schemes to be implemented in May 2020, when it was closed to traffic to help people walk, cycle and wheel safely to and from the Hermitage of Braid while physically distancing.

Thanks to the temporary nature of the measures, officers have since been able to amend the design to reduce an observed impact on southbound bus travel on Comiston Road, as traffic levels have increased.

As part of the new layout the city council will be reopening Braid Road one-way to southbound traffic and introducing segregated cycleways, following approval by Transport and Environment Committee in January.

They will also be installing traffic calming interventions around Midmar Drive to manage the return of intrusive traffic and protect the Meadows to Greenbank Quiet Route.

These measures will include no entry onto Braid Crescent from Comiston Road and ‘diagonal filters’ at the junction of Braid Road and Hermitage Drive, the junction of Hermitage Gardens and Cluny Drive and the junction of Braid Avenue and Cluny Drive, which will effectively remove through traffic from the affected streets. Once implemented, the changes will be monitored closely.

Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: We first introduced the closure of Braid Road to help people exercise and travel safely by foot, bike or wheelchair back in the early days of lockdown, when walking and cycling surged. 

“We’ve had some great feedback from the many families and individuals who have enjoyed using the route since then, but we’re also aware that, as traffic levels begin to rise, there has been an impact on neighbouring streets.

Thanks to our ‘try then modify’ approach, we’ve been able to tweak the design, as well as introducing traffic-calming measures on nearby streets, helping to alleviate pressure on surrounding areas while also continuing to provide a protected space for all those walking, cycling and wheeling here.”

Recent workshops with local stakeholders, involving ward councilors, community councils and the emergency services, amongst other groups, have helped us tweak the scheme further to meet the needs of community members. 

Additional changes include retaining two-way traffic on Braid Road between Braid Hills Drive and the main entrance to the Braid Hills Hotel, closing the southbound ‘slip road’ between Braid Road and Hermitage Drive to discourage southbound journeys from the Morningside Clock and pavement-widening at the south-east side of the junction of Braid Road and Hermitage Drive.

The council is currently implementing the changes, and plans to reopen Braid Road to southbound traffic by Monday (19 April). Once in place, the new layout will continue to be monitored and amendments will be made where necessary.

Find out more about the Braid Road scheme on the Council website.

Westminster committee to investigate long-term impact of pandemic on parents and families

Image representing news article

Westminster’s COVID-19 Committee is to hear the concerns of charities who have been supporting families through the pandemic.

While the pandemic has had an impact on all parents and families, the severity of that impact, and the potential long-term consequences, will vary significantly.

While there have been positives for some families in being able to spend more time together, emerging evidence suggests others are experiencing increasing mental ill health, poverty, domestic abuse and child neglect.

There are also concerns around the impact on children’s development, perhaps especially for those born in the last year.

The Committee has decided to conduct a short inquiry on this topic, and will begin by hearing from organisations working with more vulnerable and disadvantaged families about what they have observed over the last year and their concerns for the future.

Witnesses

Tuesday 20 April 2021

At 9.45am, the Committee will hear evidence from:

  • Jabeer Butt, Chief Executive, Race Equality Foundation
  • Sally Hogg, Head of Policy and Campaigning, Parent-Infant Foundation
  • David Holmes, Chief Executive, Family Action
  • Jaine Stannard, Chief Executive, School-Home Support
  • Jane Williams, CEO Founder, The Magpie Project

Themes for discussion

  • How the pandemic has affected more vulnerable and disadvantaged families.
  • What the long-term impact of the pandemic might be for parents and children.
  • What action is needed from Government to respond to these concerns.

Simply The Zest: Morrisons launches pink lemonade doughnuts for summer

Morrisons is brightening everyone’s day by launching another new flavour of its renowned doughnuts, Pink Lemonade. Featuring a delicious blend of raspberry and lemon juice, the filling is the perfect combination of sweet, tangy and refreshing; they really do pack a punch.

The new flavour has already been spotted in stores and shared widely on Instagram. Described as ‘the taste of summer’ and ‘just like pink lemonade’, the new treat is already proving hugely popular and customers can’t wait to get their hands on them.

Pink lemonade is set to be hugely popular this summer, with people having turned to old favourites over the past year. The new doughnuts will be a delicious addition to a nostalgic picnic spread, or maybe just as a snack in front of a great TV series.  

Andy Clarke, In-store Bakery Manager at Morrisons said: “We know that our customers have been loving nostalgic flavours, so it made sense to create a classic Pink Lemonade filling for our renowned doughnuts.

“The new treat offers yet another reason to be excited for spring, and a reason to share delicious food with friends and family.”

Morrisons Pink Lemonade doughnuts are available now in 400 stores nationwide, for 50p for a pack of 5.

Tuesday’s lockdown easing measures do nothing for most pubs, says licensed trade body

The relaxation of lockdown measures announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday will do little to help the vast majority of Scotland’s pubs, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association has said.

In response to the announcement the SLTA reiterated its disappointment that Scotland’s bars, restaurants and cafés will still not be able to serve alcohol indoors until the licensed hospitality industry begins to reopens to some extent later next month.

SLTA managing director Colin Wilkinson said that while his organisation welcomed the announcement by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to lift restrictions on travelling around Scotland and allow people to meet up in larger groups outdoors from Friday, it will do nothing to help the vast majority of licensed trade businesses.

“We appreciate the baby steps and the continuing need for caution but for most opening on April 26 will simply be unviable and that’s without taking into account the unpredictable Scottish weather,” he said. 

“Even many businesses with suitable facilities to serve people customers outdoors have decided to wait until May 17 when the industry will be able to open until 10.30pm indoors with alcohol permitted and, for outdoors, until 10pm.

“We are now urging the Scottish Government to consider loosening these restrictions to give our industry a fighting chance. England has reopened its hospitality industry so let’s fall into line with our colleagues south of the border.”

According to a recent industry report, only 22.9 per cent of licensed premises in Scotland have designated outdoors areas and many of these are small areas with only a few tables.

Mr Wilkinson added: “By our reckoning it will not be viable for about two-thirds of the licensed trade to reopen on April 26.”

He said that while eligible businesses may be entitled to one-off cash “restart grants” from local councils, Covid restrictions will continue into June and beyond, leading businesses further into debt.

Wilkinson added: “The typical small hospitality business has taken on between £60,000 and £90,000 in bank debt and deferred bills as of February this year just to survive Covid – and the debt is rising with every week of low or no income.”

News from the Fringe

We are pleased to announce that show registration for Fringe 2021 will open on Wednesday 05 May. 

Artists and venues will be able to register Fringe shows right up until the end of the festival. The Fringe’s world-class programme will be available to browse and book at edfringe.com, with tickets going on sale for audiences in early summer.

As Scotland navigates its roadmap out of lockdown, much is still unknown about what the Fringe will look like this August. However, a range of scenarios are being prepared for, from socially distanced live events to digital offerings. 

The Fringe Society is supporting artists and audiences to find and book work online across a range of platforms, including the brand-new Fringe Player.

This online platform aims to bring some festival magic into homes across the world, while providing a secure platform for artists, companies and venues to host their shows. The platform is available to any registered 2021 Fringe show or venue to use if they wish.

Any live performance registered as part of the 2021 Fringe will be expected to adhere to public health guidance from the Scottish Government. 

Audiences can search, browse and buy tickets to both online and in-person work through edfringe.com. More details on individual shows and Fringe 2021 will be available in early summer.

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Fringe Society, said: “We’re delighted to be able to open registration for 2021. Of course, we’re still very much in planning mode as we await further updates from the Scottish Government, but this feels like a hugely positive step in the right direction.

“Through the work being created across the various digital platforms, including the Fringe Player, artists have a brilliant opportunity to reach audiences and communities all over the world. I look forward to seeing how our Fringe creatives use these platforms in 2021 and beyond.”

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe will take place from 06 – 30 August 2021. 

British Gas doesn’t give a toss for customers or staff, says GMB

200 workers sacked in national ‘Fire and Rehire’ dispute

British Gas doesn’t give a toss for either customers or staff – and that is shown by the mass sackings of engineers who are badly needed by customers to clear huge backlog, says the GMB trade union.

British Gas went ahead with yesterday’s mass sacking of striking gas engineers who refused to submit to corporate bullying to accept a 15% cut in pay rates and other imposed changes in terms and conditions.

This coincides with British Gas suspending the sale of boiler insurance cover amid scenes of ‘van graveyards’ from the vans returned by the sacked gas engineers.

This mass sackings  were enacted as gas engineers took part on the 43rd day of strike action in the long-running, deadlocked and increasingly bitter dispute.

British Gas announced in July last year that staff in the Field staff bargaining group who refused to accept imposed 15% cuts in pay rates and other changes would be sacked.

GMB says the company bullied the rest of the staff in the Field staff bargaining group to sign terms they had overwhelmingly rejected and still don’t accept.

These GMB members at British Gas have already taken 42 days of strike action against the imposition of the 15% cuts in pay rates and other changes via “fire and rehire” notices.

In addition, a national official “lockout” dispute between British Gas and GMB will become effective from 14 April and will include further strike action and action short of a strike.

The strikes have led to a backlog of millions of customers waiting for planned service visits and hundreds of thousands having to wait for emergency repairs.

British Gas has suspended sale of the standard boiler service insurance.

Justin Bowden, GMB Regional Secretary said: “That British Gas doesn’t give a toss for either customers or staff is shown by the mass sackings of engineers it needs so badly for customer services that it has suspended the sale of boiler insurance cover.

“The ‘graveyards of vans’ returned by the sacked gas engineers shows this.

“These sacked gas engineers are badly needed by customers to clear the huge backlog of missed planned annual service visits and repairs.

“There is sadly nothing in law to stop corporate bullying by companies of their own staff to sign terms they don’t accept and sacking those who don’t submit to this bullying.

“But GMB members won’t accept the outcome of the bullying. This is why we are staging the 43rd day of strike action today. 

“I have news for Mr O’Shea. This is not the end of the dispute. As well as being in dispute with his own staff he is now in dispute with the national union GMB.

“This is why this dispute will continue and become an official national lockout dispute. There will be more strikes and action short of strikes.

“The British Gas leadership disaster reaches its low point today (April 14) with mass sackings of British Gas Engineers – in the only consistently profitable part of the company – by a management team too stupid to see the true value of a uniquely skilled and loyal workforce.

“With hundreds of thousands waiting in the backlog for service, customers have been treated as collateral and so, it seems, too will staff – as Mr O’Shea prepares to go down in history as the first major CEO to mass sack his highly skilled and qualified engineers.

“They are his most valuable asset. He will be universally condemned by politicians and public alike for doing so.

“The arrogant gamble has been lost. Any fool can start a war and, it seems, ruin a good business.

“History will not be kind to Mr O’Shea or the Centrica Board who failed to rein in him and his out-of-control leadership team.” 

A statement posted on the British Gas website yesterday said: “Unfortunately, due to strike action by some engineers on Wednesday the 14th of April, we’re only able to offer a very limited emergency service.

“During this time we’ll be prioritising our most vulnerable customers, but we’ll do our best to help everyone as quickly as we can. Thanks for understanding – we’re so sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you.”

A Centrica spokesperson said: “There is a job for everyone at the end of this process. We are changing the way we work to give our customers the service they want and protect the future of our company and 20,000 UK jobs. Today marks the end of the period for our employees to sign new contracts.

“These are highly competitive, and our changes are reasonable. Around 98% of the entire company has accepted and we hope the remaining, also sign and choose to stay. We have not cut base pay or changed our generous final salary pensions. Our gas service engineers remain some of the best paid in the sector, earning £40,000 a year minimum.

“While change is difficult, reversing our decline which has seen us lose over three million customers, cut over 15,000 jobs and seen profits halved over the last 10 years is necessary. The changes will also unlock our ability to grow jobs and hire 1000 green apprentices over the next two years.’’

Police Scotland: Taking a tough stand against antisocial youth?

Although the Meadows is not part of my policing command area, seeing the disgraceful scenes over the Easter weekend made it clear that a visible and robust police presence was required in green spaces in the north west of the city to deter this type of behaviour (writes Chief Inspector SARAH TAYLOR).

Although the Meadows is not part of my policing command area, seeing the disgraceful scenes unfold over the Easter Weekend made it clear to me that a visible and robust police presence was required in our green spaces within the North West of the city to deter this type of behaviour being replicated.

Communities living near to our own popular beauty spots such as Cramond, South Queensferry, Inverleith Park and Lauriston Castle can be reassured that targeted patrols are being conducted in these areas to ensure that every opportunity is made to disrupt and prevent such behaviours from taking place.

Officers will engage with the public, offer relevant advice if current COVID legislation is being breached and take appropriate enforcement action for any criminal offences we observe.

Please keep adhering to the existing Scottish government guidelines and help ensure the swiftest possible route out of lockdown.

You may all be aware that in the past few months we have received an increasing number of reports relating to criminality occurring on, and towards, Lothian Bus services across the city and a number of services have been temporarily suspended as a result.

Sadly, the North West has been one of the main areas where such instances have been reported. Officers have responded to incidents in Clermiston, Drumbrae and Drylaw where buses have been struck by objects.

Operation Proust aims to address these issues through joint community patrols with Lothian Buses, providing reassurance to drivers and members of the public, as well as speaking to youths about the dangers and consequences associated with this type of reckless behaviour.

We have now charged 30 young people in relation to these incidents. I would urge parents and guardians to speak to their children about the dangers associated with throwing objects at vehicles, as well as making sure they know where they are and what they are doing.

Sadly, this is not the only type of only antisocial behaviour we’ve experienced in the North West as of late.

Local residents in South Queensferry and Clermiston have been in touch to report a number of incidents of youth-related antisocial behaviour and as such we’ve carried out a range initiatives to identify those responsible, prevent further offences and divert youths away from getting involved in crime. We will share more about these initiatives and their progress via our social media channels.

Community safety remains an established priority and we continue to work with our partners including City of Edinburgh Council to combat antisocial behaviour in all its forms.

In addition to our commitment to tackling antisocial behaviour throughout the North West, we remain steadfast in our efforts to combat the harm caused by drugs within our local communities.

Over the past six weeks we have worked in partnership with relevant partners and other specialist resources across the Drylaw, Muirhouse and Pilton areas to target and disrupt those involved in drug supply.

Together, we have undertaken a range of enforcement and disruption activities that have resulted in various drug seizures being made, including the recovery of £25,000 of cannabis at one property.

The public continue to play a vital role in assisting investigations into drug crime and I would encourage anyone who has any concerns about drug-related activity, or has any information about those involved in drugs, to contact police on 101 or make an anonymous report to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

CI Sarah Taylor is Local Area Commander for North West Edinburgh.