Category: North Edinburgh News

Healthy Heart Tip: National No Smoking Day

Wednesday 9th March marks National No Smoking Day in the UK.

Nicotine drives up blood pressure and heart rate, putting immediate and long-term strain on your heart and arteries. The carbon monoxide in cigarettes means less life-giving oxygen for all your tissues, including your heart.

This is harmful to your health and can reduce your life expectancy whether you smoke a lot or a little.

If you would like to add more healthy years to your life, then why not look through our tips on how to quit smoking today.

Find YOUR Incentive


Most smokers know that smoking is bad for their health, but it can be incredibly difficult to quit.

Hard-hitting warnings are proven to help smokers ditch the habit. Whether it’s a shocking image on a cigarette packet, a hole in your wallet, or a noticeable decline in your fitness, try to stay focused on the reasons why you want to quit to keep yourself motivated.

Seek Support


Getting support to stop smoking can increase your chances of success. You could try contacting your local Stop Smoking Services or chatting to your GP. You could also seek advice from a friend or family member who has successfully stopped smoking.

Tackle the cravings


Cigarette cravings are intense urges to smoke and they can last for 5 minutes. Quitting smoking requires a huge amount of willpower. When you get a craving, try to distract yourself for 5-10 minutes until it passes.

You could try planning a healthy dinner or plan a route for a walk. Once the craving has passed, give yourself a pat on the back!

Whatever your reason for wanting to stop smoking, make a plan that works for you and remember that help is available. If you don’t succeed on your first attempt to quit, keep trying! Good luck!

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at: www.heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-tips

To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website: https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/

Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:

https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-cookbook/

IWD: new Central Library mural celebrating Edinburgh women

To mark International Women’s Day 2022 we’re inviting residents and students from selected high schools, to help us create a brand-new mural for Central Library.

The mural will display portraits of an array of influential Edinburgh women, past and present. Inspired by a similar project that has been running in America since 2016 called ‘Work in Progress’, we’ll display the finished mural as part of an exhibition in the Central Library.

We’d like to invite you to get involved in creating the stencils of the nominated figures. Please join us at one of the three stencilling workshops at Central Library on 12, 19 and 26 March.

Book your place at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/edinburgh-reads-1650684470 

To kick off the celebration and project, we’ve got a very special discussion with local author Sara Sheridan, who talks about her favourite trailblazing Edinburgh women.

Sign up to our blog, Tales of One City, to watch the video:

 :https://talesofonecity.wordpress.com/2022/03/08/public-mural-project-to-celebrate-women-of-edinburgh/

Keep your eyes peeled for updates on social media!

#InternationalWomensDay22

#BreakTheBias

Scotland’s youngest petitioner to give evidence to MSPs this morning

The Scottish Parliament’s youngest petitioner, 7-year-old Callum Isted, will give evidence to MSPs on the Citizens Participation and Public Petitions Committee this morning.

Callum, who is a pupil at Dedridge Primary School in Livingston, submitted a petition to the Committee calling on the Scottish Government to replace disposable water bottles in Scotland’s primary schools with a sustainable, reusable option.

At it’s meeting today (Wednesday 9 March), the Committee will hear about the success Callum had in raising money to buy reusable water bottles for his own school and what action he would like to see taken on the issue.

Convener of the Committee, Jackson Carlaw MSP said: “Creating a public petition lets the Parliament know about the issues that are most important to people across Scotland.

“At 7 years old Callum is our youngest ever petitioner and he’s already campaigned for – and brought about – positive change in his own school.

“Now he wants to see that change extend across the whole of Scotland. I look forward to hearing more from him today and what he hopes we can do to help his campaign achieve wider success.”

Callum’s petition was also raised with the First Minister last week, when the Convener’s Group questioned her on issues around Covid-19 recovery and net zero.

Callum said: “I am going to Parliament on 9th March 2022. I am going to ask the Committee for two things:

  • to give every primary school pupil in Scotland a Klean Kanteen;
  • 2 to fix the broken taps in schools so that we can use the bottles properly.

“I am feeling confident and excited to be able to speak to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee and maybe Nicola Sturgeon.”

The meeting will be broadcast live at 09.30 am and the Committee will also consider a number of other petitions including taking evidence on protecting Scotland’s native woodland.

Scotland’s ‘contented, resilient and growing Capital’?

Latest Edinburgh by Numbers published

Edinburgh residents are some of the most content in the UK, according to the 15th annual Edinburgh by Numbers report compiled for … the city council!

When polled last year, Capital citizens scored higher than average for personal wellbeing – including life satisfaction and feeling happy.

Alongside evidence of a highly educated and more active workforce than other major UK cities and above average wages, the latest data also points to Edinburgh’s resilience during the pandemic as one of the UK’s most economically productive cities.

But the city is growing rapidly, with Edinburgh’s population projected to grow by 58,946 to 586,566 by 2043.

Some of the key findings, as recorded in 2021, include:

  • Edinburgh scores highly for life satisfaction (7.48), feelings of happiness (7.26) and worth (7.71); but higher anxiety than has been recorded in previous years (3.6 vs. 2.99 pre-pandemic)
  • Edinburgh has an impressive 35 ‘Green Flag’ parks – not only the greatest number of any other city featured in the data, but more than double that of the nearest comparative city Birmingham (15)
  • Edinburgh has an economically active (79%) highly skilled (42.7%) workforce, with lower unemployment levels than the national average (4.4% vs 4.7%)
  • A higher percentage of the city’s workforce is educated to a degree level or above against other major UK cities (62.1%) and the average wage is £15.64 an hour, which is at least £1 higher than other major UK cities
  • In the ten years to 2020, Edinburgh’s population grew by 12.3% from an estimated 469,930 to an estimated 527,620 people; in the same period Scotland grew by 3.9%. 

Commenting, Council Leader Adam McVey said: Considering most of these numbers cover the pandemic they paint a picture of an extremely resilient and positive city. We’re one of the happiest cities in the country and our economy, which has endured so much, remains strong. 

“Edinburgh is still growing at a rate of three times the national average, highlighting the need to continue to invest in public transport and more affordable housing. Our residential population has increased by more than 10% in a decade and is predicted that this will continue.

“We need to manage this level of growth, both in terms of the impact on our frontline services like schools, housing and transport, and the impact on our environment.

“While we’re at the forefront of tackling these changes, the magnitude of the challenge ahead of us means we need to maximise efforts to plan for the future.

“That’s one of the reasons the £1bn Council Budget we set aims to drive forward our net zero ambitions, tackle the cost of living crisis head on and spend millions on the future health of our communities.

“The investment we’re making now will prove vital as we prepare for what will be a period rapid growth and regeneration.”

Cammy Day, Depute Leader, said: “A sense of optimism shines through the latest Edinburgh By Numbers and there is evidence of the resilience we’ve seen our residents and City display over the last couple of years.

“It’s heartening that of the people polled, most said they remain satisfied with life in the Capital and all of the work we’re doing to support businesses through Covid and create a fairer and more sustainable economy will also help the city. 

“That’s not to say that we don’t need to remain ambitious. While we’ve always been a hugely successful city, competing on the global stage economically and culturally, we still have some way to go before this success if fair and equal.

“By outlining £1.1m to address poverty in our Budget we’ve demonstrated our commitment to closing the poverty gap and we need businesses and other organisations to do their part.

“We’re progressing our Living Wage ambitions, and we’ll continue to focus our efforts on boosting employment opportunities and encouraging others to follow suit and help those who face barriers.”

For the full findings, visit  Edinburgh by Numbers.

International Women’s Day Charity Employability Programme

Edinburgh Women’s Aid’s, (EWA), has launched its first International Women’s Day campaign, running from the 8th – 15th March, to help raise funds for its Work 4 Women, (W4W), programme which provides survivors of domestic abuse with employability skills, with all funds raised doubled by the online match funding platform, The Big Give.

Women who have experienced domestic abuse often have specific challenges to employability. They may have been kept from developing skills by their perpetrator, their confidence may have been impacted by the abuse and their path back to work may be consistently interrupted by homelessness, legal complications or continued abuse.

In partnership with Shakti Women’s Aid, EWA provides employability support through its W4W programme that focusses on the needs of women who have survived domestic abuse to help increase their self-esteem, give them financial independence and rebuild their lives free from abuse.

The programme covers areas including CV writing, mock interviews, job search help, personal development workshops, peer support groups and through links with various businesses, provides opportunities to job shadow and internships.

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is Break The Bias. The aim is to celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness against bias and take action for equality, which ties in with the W4W programme.

The EWA International Women’s Day campaign is designed to appeal to people to help raise funds which will enable the charity to continue running the employability programme and help more survivors of domestic abuse find work.

The Big Give, which is an online match funding platform, has confirmed it will double all funds raised throughout the campaign. For more information and to donate from the 8th – 15th March check out Empowerment through Employment (thebiggive.org.uk)

Linda Rodgers, CEO at Edinburgh Women’s Aid, said: “Our employability programme, W4W, is one of the essential services we provide for women who have experienced domestic abuse.

“It provides practical and emotional skills that can help increase their ability to attain employment and help alleviate social deprivation and make a lasting difference to their life chances and also their children’s, which is why we are appealing to people to help us raise funds so that we can continue to empower women through employment.

“We are delighted that The Big Give has guaranteed they will double all the funds we raise which will help us even more to double our impact in W4W programme.”

Cross-border purchasing unlikely to affect alcohol consumption

A study published yesterday by Public Health Scotland (PHS) examined the extent to which people might be travelling outside Scotland to purchase alcohol at a lower price, since the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing in Scotland. 

 The findings indicate that minimal cross-border purchasing occurs, and this is unlikely to be happening on a scale that would significantly affect alcohol consumption at a population level or impact the intended outcomes and aims of MUP.

Interviews with retailers indicated that households in close proximity to the border made most use of cross-border purchasing, reflecting established shopping habits. None of the retailers had knowledge of people from Scotland appearing to travel to England to buy large quantities of alcohol. Analysis shows that substantial bulk purchasing would be needed for individuals to make significant savings whether purchasing in-person or online, once travel and delivery costs are taken into account.

The research also shows that licensing near the border did not display a shift from Scotland to England following the introduction of MUP legislation. Analysis of off-trade alcohol sales data in the combined areas of North East and North West England in the 12 months following implementation of MUP showed a small increase (1.14%).

When a panel of over 1,000 Scottish adults was asked whether they have travelled to another part of the UK for the sole purpose of buying alcohol only 3% responded that they had done so.

Helen Chung Patterson, Public Health Intelligence Adviser at Public Health Scotland said: “The research published today shows that while cross-border purchasing does happen, the extent is small relative to the purchasing behaviours of Scotland’s population as a whole. 

“A key strength of this report is that it enables us to build up a picture of cross-border alcohol-purchasing behaviours from several perspectives. We have examined data on retail sales and alcohol licencing near the border, drawn on qualitative interviews with retailers, gathered customer survey data and explored the factors affecting in-person and online cross-border purchases. When several different methods produce broadly similar results, as is the case with the report published today, this increases confidence in the findings.”

Further evidence may arise on cross-border purchasing at a later date (both from within and out-with Public Health Scotland’s portfolio on MUP evaluation), for example as part of the study on Drinking at Harmful Levels, which is due to be published by PHS later this year.

Letter: Look beyond the label this Scottish Apprenticeship Week

Dear Editor

This week marks Scottish Apprenticeship Week (7th – 11th March), a fantastic opportunity to shine a light on the vital role apprenticeships play in supporting people, employers and the economy.

It serves to celebrate the opportunities Modern Apprenticeships offer everyone, no matter their background and for every business no matter its size or sector.

The rewards of getting young people who are disabled or care experienced into work are well worth it. They bring passion, skills, dedication and drive to the workplace.

Recruiting a Modern Apprentice enables employers to fill the skills gaps that exist within their current workforce, as apprentices begin to learn sector specific skills from day one, developing specialist knowledge that will positively affect the bottom line.

However, as always, we can do more and support for businesses and other employers is key as it is they who clearly make the vital difference.

As we mark Scottish Apprenticeship Week, we would urge Scotland’s employers to look beyond the label and take on a Modern Apprentice who may have an additional need, taking advantage of the excellent skills offered by many of these young people.

Yours faithfully 

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Kenny Graham, Falkland House School

Lynn Bell, LOVE Learning

Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius

Niall Kelly, Young Foundations

4 Queen Street

Edinburgh EH2 1JE

Tel: 0131 603 8996

Just Go: Lorna Slater calls for Russian diplomat to consider his position

Lothian MSP Lorna Slater has written to the Consul General of Russia in Edinburgh, Andrey Yakovlev, urging him to consider his position and the damage that Putin’s war has inflicted. 

Her letter condemns the war that Russian forces have inflicted and supports calls from the Scottish Government for all Russian diplomats to be expelled from the country.

In the letter, Lorna Slater writes: “Like my colleagues in the Scottish Greens, and the Scottish Government, I condemn this attack on Ukraine’s sovereignty. It is an immoral and illegal war, and we reject it in the strongest possible terms.

“Every day that it continues will see more misery, more atrocities and more deaths.”

She goes on to outline some of the steps being taken by the Scottish Government: “I am proud that the Scottish Government is contributing £4 million of humanitarian aid, as well as medical equipment and supplies to Ukraine. The First Minister has sought urgent advice on the “maximum possible action” that the Scottish Government can take against individuals and organisations that are linked to Vladimir Putin’s government and have assets and connections in Scotland.”

Ms Slater concludes: “You are a representative of Putin’s regime in Scotland. You may not be responsible for what is happening, but you are a figurehead for the Kremlin. The Scottish Government has called for all Russian diplomats to be expelled from the country, and, as a statement of solidarity with people in Ukraine, I support this position.

“I hope that you understand the anger and distress that the immoral, illegal and totally unjustified invasion has caused in Ukraine and beyond. I urge you to consider your position and the crisis that has been inflicted on Ukraine.”

Lorna Slater’s letter in full:

Russian-Consulate-LetterDownload

Overarching drug and alcohol plan needed, says spending watchdog

Drug and alcohol services in Scotland are complex and a clear plan is needed to improve people’s lives and increase transparency around spending, says public spending watchdog Audit Scotland.

Drug-related deaths have been rising steeply since 2013. A record 1,339 people lost their lives to drugs in 2020 – the highest rate in Europe. Alcohol deaths have been decreasing since the early 2000s, but rose by 16 per cent in 2020, when there were 1,190 deaths. 

Alcohol and drug partnerships (ADPs) are charged with helping people at the local level. But how services are delivered remains complicated and lines of accountability are not always clear.

Overall funding for ADPs fell over the last few years before returning to 2015 levels by April 2021, but with no real terms increase. The Scottish Government has also provided additional investment for new initiatives, including a drug deaths taskforce and new evidence-based treatments and standards. But it is too early to gauge their effectiveness.  

Spending remains difficult to track, including how money is distributed and what it is achieving. For example, in September 2021 the Scottish Government committed to invest £250m to reduce drug deaths – £50m for the next five years.

But details of how much of the £50m will be spent on each local area, or how the funding will be distributed, have not been published. More widely, data gaps around drug and alcohol referrals, waiting times and outcomes persist. And there is a considerable time lag in public reporting.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: “We’ve recently seen more drive and leadership around drug and alcohol misuse from the Scottish Government. But it’s still hard to see what impact policy is having on people living in the most deprived areas, where long-standing inequalities remain.

“Drug and alcohol data is not good enough, and there is a lack of transparency about how money is being spent and allocated. The Scottish Government needs to set out an integrated plan, with clear measures showing how extra spending is being used to reduce the tragic loss of life we’ve seen over the last decade.”

briefing_220308_drugs_alcoholDownload

William Moyes, Chair of the Accounts Commission, said: “Delivery of drug and alcohol services in Scotland is complex and difficult to navigate, with many organisations working across different sectors. What we need to see now is clearer accountability across all partners.

“In the longer term, more focus is needed on the root causes of drug and alcohol dependency and breaking the cycle of harm stretching down generations and across communities.”