North Edinburgh News – Page 1752 – The NEN

Heart Research UK Health Tip: Understanding alcohol units

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion and Education at Heart Research UK

Understanding Alcohol Units

For many people in the UK, alcohol plays a big part in their social lives. As Christmas approaches, it can be easy to get carried away with the celebrations. Drinking too much alcohol can increase your risk of heart disease.

But how much is too much and how do you know how many units of alcohol you are consuming? We provide guidance on understanding alcohol units and keeping track of how much you are drinking this Christmas.

What are alcohol units and ABV?

Alcohol units represent the quantity of pure alcohol contained within an alcoholic drink (1 unit is 10ml of pure alcohol). The number of units of alcohol in your drink depends on the size and the strength of your drink. ABV means ‘alcohol by volume’ and this is a measure of the amount of alcohol as a percentage of the total volume of a drink.

Calculating your units

You can find the ABV on the labels of cans and bottles. To calculate the number of units in a drink, multiply the ABV by the volume (in ml) and divide by 1000.

- ABV x volume (ml) ÷ 1000 = units

1 BOTTLE OF WINE	1 PINT BEER / LAGER / CIDER	1 SINGLE SPIRIT
750ml (ABV 13.5%) = 10 units	1 pint (568ml) (ABV 5.2%) = 3 units	25ml (ABV 40%) = 1 unit

The drinks you pour at home may be larger than the amount measured out in pubs. You could try using a measuring cup when pouring drinks at home so you can keep track of what you are drinking.

How much is too much?

For men and women, the maximum recommended alcohol units each week is 14, spread over 3 or more days. If you are pregnant it is recommended that you do not drink alcohol at all.

Try recording how much you are drinking over a week using a diary or alcohol tracker. Drinkaware provide assessment tools that you can use to track the amount you are drinking: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/tools

Support for your drinking

If you are worried about how much you, or someone you know, are drinking you can get support by visiting: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/

£400 million of new funding to support Scotland through Covid-19

New funding of £800 million is being guaranteed for the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to support people, businesses and public services with the ongoing impact of Covid-19.

Yesterday’s announcement increases the UK Government’s unprecedented upfront guarantee this year to at least £16.8 billion on top of funding outlined in Spring Budget 2020.

This funding can be spent on priorities such as the NHS and business support.

This means a further £400 million for the Scottish Government, £200 million for the Welsh Government and £200 million for the Northern Ireland Executive.

Any changes to devolved funding are normally confirmed towards the end of the financial year – but in July the UK Government introduced an unprecedented guarantee to provide them with funding certainty to respond to Covid-19.

Wednesday’s announcement ensures that all parts of the UK can continue their response to Covid-19 through the winter months.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury Steve Barclay MP said: “We’ve already committed unprecedented levels of support to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

“This extra funding will provide the nations with the certainty they need to plan through these difficult months.

“We remain committed to an economic recovery for the whole of the United Kingdom and will continue to work closely with the devolved administrations to support people and businesses.”

Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack said: The UK Government is committed to supporting people in all parts of the UK during this difficult time which is why today we have given £400 million extra to the Scottish Government for their Covid-19 response. This brings our total additional Covid-19 support to Scotland to £8.6 billion since Spring Budget 2020.

“This is on top of direct UK Government Covid-19 support to people and businesses in Scotland, including the furlough and self-employment schemes, business loans, VAT cuts for the hardest hit sectors and investing billions in our Plan for Jobs and our welfare safety net.

“The UK Government is also providing the bulk of Covid-19 testing in Scotland and we invested £6 billion to ensure we were the first country in the world to roll out the first vaccine.

“The strength of the Union and support offered by the UK Treasury has never been more important. Together, we will continue to get through these challenging times.”

People and businesses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also continue to benefit from the UK Government’s unprecedented £280 billion UK-wide economic response package.

This includes schemes such as the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme providing billions in support to businesses across the three regions.

Alongside this, millions of jobs in the three regions continue to be supported through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

Singing the Praises of Carers

VOCAL are delighted to have a special performance by the Phoenix Choir, Edinburgh to spread our message that Carers Are Stars!

They have produced a beautiful rendition of I Love Your Smile , introduced by VOCAL Chief Executive, Sebastian Fischer.

We are delighted to share this seasonal treat with all our carers, partners, volunteers and supporters across Edinburgh and Midlothian.

View the video on our webpage here or directly on Vimeo.

To donate to VOCAL’s work with carers, please go to our Carers Are Stars! JustGiving campaign. Thank you.

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas and New Year, from everyone at VOCAL.

Sprouts named Britain’s favourite Christmas veg for 2020!

Just when you think 2020 can’t get any stranger, a new survey has named brussel sprouts as the nation’s favourite vegetable for Christmas dinner – https://www.matalan.co.uk/christmas/christmas-day-plan

Matalan surveyed over 2,000 Brits to find out how we’re spending Christmas in 2020, looking at everything from what we’ll be wearing to what we’ll be eating. And according to their findings, the often-hated brussel sprout is the most popular vegetable for 2020, and the 5th most popular trimming overall.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the roast potato came out on top, with 65% of Brits saying their Christmas dinner would be incomplete without them, followed by gravy with 59%.

And in keeping with this weird year, 5% of Brits will be having tomato ketchup on their Christmas dinner this year!

Turkey remains the most popular meat, with 47% of Brits opting for this, followed by roast beef with 18%. Vegetarian and vegan options saw a drop in popularity this year, with a combined total of just 12%.

Finally, Matalan found that most Brits will be sitting down for their Christmas dinner between 2pm and 3pm, after speaking with family and friends over video call at 11am and cracking open the bubbly at 12pm!

Head over to the Matalan website to find out more, including what Brits will wearing for Christmas day (we’ll give you a hint, it’s comfy!) – https://www.matalan.co.uk/christmas/christmas-day-plan

ELREC: Thank You & Best Wishes

Dear Friends,

Another quarter in lockdown but I am very hopeful that it will be over soon enough. I think most of us have learnt and adapted to the situation well, but I also know it has been even hard for many. But I want to just remind us all that we are in this together and will get through it together and end up better and even more resilient than before.

As you already know many organisations, businesses and our usual way of life is still on hold in some ways however that does not mean we stop altogether. Online has become the new ‘norm’ although we can still video chat and see family online, its not the same as meeting them face to face.

ELREC has been very busy during this time with the current projects, Communities for Conservation, True Colours, Open Arms and Equalities Engagement. We have been doing much of our work online however our services continue to be open and operating in a socially distanced way.

Our Covid projects, equally informed and Food support has been very busy and well established in the communities. The first provides translated information to various communities on Covid and the lockdown to ensure everyone has equal access to the information we all need to follow. We also offer food support every Friday to around 25-30 families who are in need during these difficult times.

Finally, I want to thank the staff and all the ELREC team and volunteers for their work and efforts especially with organising our online events and delivering the food support service.

Wishing you a happy festive season and best wishes for 2021.

Please find our newsletter here.

Yours faithfully,

Foysol Choudhury MBE

Chair of Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council

23 pieces of rubbish are dropped in the UK EVERY SECOND

New data shows 23 items of rubbish are dropped in the UK every second

Shocking data has revealed the true impact of the UK’s litter crisis, with cigarettes being the most irresponsibly disposed item.

Data found by Regatta and Keep Britain Tidy shows approximately 30% of litter in the UK is smoking-related, with a staggering 244 million cigarette butts discarded as litter.

According to Keep Britain Tidy, which exists to try to eliminate litter and end waste, two million pieces of rubbish are dropped every day across the country. This means that 23 items of rubbish are dropped every second on average.

“Due to the impact of the Coronavirus, more people than ever have gone out on walks and to explore their local green spaces. The amount of litter dropped by visitors saw local people become frustrated on social media as day-trippers left piles of rubbish lying around instead of taking it home with them,” says a spokesperson for Regatta.

However, this rubbish isn’t just ruining some of the best landscapes in the UK – it’s also having a serious impact on people and the environment.

Keep Britain Tidy recently revealed that street cleaning costs taxpayers more than £1 billion every year, showing the litter crisis isn’t just costing the planet anymore, but the public too.

Meanwhile, RSPCA announced recently they receive an average of 14 calls a day about wildlife harmed by litter, and the organisation suggests that the actual number of animals affected by rubbish is likely to be much higher.

“We all enjoy the great outdoors, and more recently with lockdown easing, people have been admiring all the UK has to offer more than ever.

“We hoped that comparing the litter crisis to one of the UK’s most loved and respected landscapes, we’d be able to encourage others to be mindful of littering and to get involved with a local clean-up event,” a spokesperson for Regatta continued.

UK hit with South African variant of coronavirus

UK Health Minister Matt Hancock has released details of another mutation of the coronavirus. Two cases of the variant, which is linked to South Africa, have now been reported in the UK.

Scotland has introduced further controls on travellers to and from South Africa with immediate effect.

Mr Hancock told yesterday’s Downing Street press conference: “I want to tell you about developments on another new strain of this virus.

“Of course, the fight against this virus is a global effort. And we are constantly vigilant and looking around the world.

As part of our surveillance, and thanks to the impressive genomic capability of the South Africans, we have detected 2 cases of another new variant of coronavirus here in the UK.

“Both are contacts of cases who have travelled from South Africa over the past few weeks.

“The Chief Scientific Advisor and Chief Medical Officer and others met their South African counterparts over the last day.

“We are incredibly grateful to the South African Government for the rigour of their science, and the openness and the transparency with which they have rightly acted, as we did when we discovered the new variant here.

“This new variant is highly concerning, because it is yet more transmissible and it appeared to have mutated further than the new variant that has been discovered here.

“We have taken the following action.

“First, we are quarantining cases, and close contacts of cases, found here in the UK.

“Second, we are placing immediate restrictions on travel from South Africa.

“Finally, and most importantly, anyone in the UK who has been in South Africa in the past fortnight, and anyone who has been in close contact with anyone who has been in South Africa in the last fortnight, must quarantine immediately.

“By quarantine, I mean they must restrict all contact with any other person whatsoever.

“We will be changing the law to give this legal effect imminently.

“These measures are temporary, while we investigate this further new strain, which is currently being analysed at Porton Down.

“And I want to thank everyone involved for the seriousness with which I know they will take these instructions.”

Scottish Ministers have agreed on the basis of advice from senior clinical advisers to introduce further controls on travellers who have been in South Africa in the previous 10 days.

Regulations will require all UK nationals or residents returning to Scotland from South Africa to isolate for 10 days. This will apply to both the individual traveller and their household. Unlike travel into Scotland from other countries, there will be no exemptions to this quarantine policy.

All measures relating to South Africa will be reviewed in light of emerging evidence on the public health risks.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said: “These steps are a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of a variant strain of coronavirus which has been detected in South Africa, which we are still in the early stages of learning about, to Scotland.

“This decision has been taken on clinical advice to help further safeguard public health and keep communities safe.”

Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Gregor Smith said: “A mutated strain of the virus has been detected in South Africa with greater transmissibility between humans and it is appropriate that we err on the side of caution.

“We do not want to see transmission of this strain in this country and it is imperative that anybody who has recently travelled from South Africa, and their household, should self-isolate for 10 days and follow the guidance laid out by the Scottish Government. If needed, they should contact NHS 24.”

Work will also be undertaken to contact individuals who have recently arrived in the country from South Africa in the last 10 days who may have had a sectoral exemption to encourage them and their households of the need to isolate.

COVID: Community testing to be introduced next month

Targeted approach planned for high prevalence areas

Community testing in areas with high coronavirus (COVID-19) prevalence will begin in January, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has announced.

In a statement to Parliament on Scotland’s testing and vaccination programmes, Ms Freeman confirmed that community testing resources will be targeted at communities with high transmission rates, following successful trials in early December.

Local authorities will be asked to submit proposals for the programme in early January, which will be delivered in partnership with NHS Boards and supported with additional funding and resources, including mobile testing units and asymptomatic test sites, to provide PCR and lateral flow testing respectively.

In order to better target community testing, waste water sampling undertaken by SEPA and Scottish Water to track COVID prevalence will be expanded from 60 to around 200 tests per week throughout Scotland by the end of January, supported by £1.1 million in additional funding.

Discussions with local authorities are also underway regarding two models of school testing to be trialled in January. The first model will involve in-school testing using lateral flow devices, while the second will involve at-home sampling for PCR testing.

Ms Freeman also confirmed that a total of 56,676 people have received their first dose in the first two weeks of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, which aims to vaccinate all those on the JCVI prioritisation list by the end of Spring 2021. Once this group is complete, vaccination will start for the wider population, subject to available supplies.

The use of larger centres in heavily populated areas such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, and Lanarkshire is being investigated to supplement local and mobile solutions for those in remote and rural areas.

NHS Boards have also been asked to continue recruitment and redeployment, with the aim of securing around 1400 vaccinators and 800 support staff by the end of January.

Ms Freeman said: “I want to acknowledge the sheer effort that has been put in to enable what has been delivered already through our testing and vaccination programmes, and what we will deliver, as I have set out in Parliament today.

“Each of these programmes presents a major logistical challenges in and of themselves. Many people from different organisations and communities have come together to make them possible and I want to put on record my sincere thanks to everyone involved.

“These are incredibly tough times for everyone, at the end of what has already been an incredibly tough year, but this continued expansion of our testing and vaccination programmes will help us meet the challenge we face to drive down COVID rates in Scotland to the lowest possible level.

“Both are vital tools in our work to suppress the virus to the lowest possible level in Scotland, but they are only as important as the other measures we have including the Levels approach, enhanced support for our NHS and care sectors and critically, individuals doing the right thing by following FACTS – all of which are crucial to prevent the spread of this harmful virus through our communities.”

COVID Vaccines and Testing Programmes: Health Secretary’s statement Wednesday 23 December – gov.scot

Remember FACTS for a safer Scotland:

F – Face coverings
A – Avoid crowded places
C – Clean your hands regularly
T – Two metres distance
S – Self isolate and book a test if you have symptoms

Embracing our communities

At H&T Pawnbrokers, our teams try to support their local communities – perhaps not something you would expect from a pawnbroker!

Zoe Parry, Regional Manager said; ‘It has been a difficult year for everyone and our colleagues across the country have worked hard to identify where we can help the most.’

As part of this, we have:

Collected over 4,000 food items
Supported more than 200 families
Donated to more than 50 food banks
Collected £1,500 for The Beatson Cancer Charity in Scotland

Zoe added; ‘It is heart-warming to see how much our teams care. They have personally dropped off food, toys and festive collections to many locations some of which include Barnsley, Crewe, Derby, Edinburgh Macclesfield, Manchester, Mansfield, Stockport, Rochdale, Preston and Middlesbrough.

“We hope this goes some way to making Christmas a little brighter’.

Christmas Day 2020: Loungewear, Zoom chats, board games & winter walks

For millions of Brits, this weekend’s announcement will have meant last minute changes to Christmas plans, with 46% of Brits saying they were looking forward to spending time with their family. But just because it’s different, doesn’t mean it can’t still be festive, as people look for new ways to celebrate.

Matalan surveyed over 2,000 Brits to see how they’re planning on spending Christmas day in 2020 – https://www.matalan.co.uk/christmas/christmas-day-plan

For many people, 2020 has been the year of loungewear, and it seems this trend will be continuing over the festive season. According to Matalan’s survey, 1 in 3 Brits will be keeping comfy for Christmas, spending the big day in either pyjamas or loungewear!

And in keeping with the rest of the year, video calls will be playing a major role, as Brits turn to Zoom, Facetime and Houseparty to spend time with loved ones. According to the survey results, 11am-12pm is the time most of us will be setting aside to arrange video calls with friends and family.

Looking at the rest of the big day, 12-1pm is when Brits will enjoy their first alcoholic drink, with most sitting down to dinner between 2pm and 3pm, before heading outside for a wintery walk.

Finally, we’ll be sitting down to enjoy our favourite festive films and TV shows, or starting a new board game between 7pm and 8pm.

Head over to the Matalan website to find out more, including what Brits will be eating for Christmas dinner this year – https://www.matalan.co.uk/christmas/christmas-day-plan