GMB Scotland & Unite Scotland: BiFab Administration
BiFab has filed for administration this morning, following the Scottish Government’s decision to withdraw financial guarantees supporting the manufacturing of eight offshore wind turbine jackets for the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) project.
Joint Trade Union Secretaries Gary Smith and Pat Rafferty said:“BiFab’s administration exposes the myth of Scotland’s renewables revolution as well as a decade of political hypocrisy and failure, in Scotland and the rest of the UK.
“The workers and communities dependent on these yards have fought so hard for a future and everyone was hoping that 2021 would finally be the turning point.
“Shamefully the Scottish Government has buried these hopes just in time for Christmas and they have worked together with UK Government in doing so.
“A decade on from the promise of a ‘Saudi Arabia of renewables’ and 28,000 full time jobs in offshore wind manufacturing, we’ve been left with industrial ruins in Fife and Lewis.”
The joint trade unions will comment further in the coming days.
AMBULANCE service staff based in Linlithgow have relocated to Bo’ness Fire Station in a move which will benefit patients in the area.
A total of 11 Accident and Emergency staff, along with two A and E vehicles, will be housed at the fire station on Linlithgow Road from 30th November onwards.
Linlithgow Ambulance Station staff have been based at St Michael’s Hospital since 1991, and the move has been earmarked for two years, receiving funding in 2019.
The new base at Bo’ness provides modern and improved facilities for the staff, who responded to more than 6,400 emergencies in the past year.
Clair Wright, Area Service Manager West Lothian, said: “We are delighted to have moved to this new base alongside our emergency services colleagues at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and look forward to working with them and building on existing relationships.
“There is now an aspect of multi-agency working and training that can take place between both services, improving patient care. This move ensures that we continue to provide the very best care to patients in these communities, as well as being a great new base for our staff.”
David Sharp, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Local Senior Officer for Falkirk and West Lothian, is pleased to welcome Scottish Ambulance Service to the site. He said: “Sharing Bo’ness Fire Station facilities will enhance our ongoing partnership and enable us to plan, prepare and respond to emergencies in local communities.
“This is a positive step, which has been replicated in other parts of Scotland, and improves awareness of each other’s capabilities as we work jointly to protect the public by providing the highest quality of response to those that require our assistance.”
SFRS and SAS closely collaborated to ensure that the appropriate steps were taken prior to the move regarding COVID government guidelines, social distancing and infection control procedures.
FAMILIES across the nation have been encouraged to lead an active lifestyle this Christmas by walking once a day.
Scotland’s walking charity, Paths for All have highlighted the importance of a daily walk to help maintain physical and mental well-being during the winter months.
The plea comes as the charity launches its Walk Once a Day this Winter campaign, and a new online content hub for all ages to benefit from.
The hub provides a variety of ideas, activities and information designed to motivate everyone to get outdoors and get moving including nature spotting, podcast recommendations, location advice, community and festive walks and creative walking.
The winter initiative will also offer incentives to those who pledge to walk once a day through December and January.
Dr Gregor Smith, Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer, said: “Regular walking is a powerful tonic. It helps to boost our immune system and those of us able to should strive to get the benefit this winter.
“A 30-minute daily walk is one of the best ways to look after yourself and it’s something we can do from our own front door.
“During periods of physical distancing, isolation and uncertainty, many have expressed increased feelings of anxiety, stress or worry. Daily outdoor exercise, while adhering to guidelines, is an important way to improve physical and mental wellbeing.
“We would encourage those who are able to get outdoors this winter to do so, even if it is for a short walk to the shop or to school.”
Research shows that half a million older people regularly experience periods of isolation, going at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all.
Getting out for a daily walk allows interaction with neighbours, others in the community and can create a sense of connection and community belonging, even while social distancing.
“When I talk to patients on a day-to-day basis, most of them ask for advice on how to avoid getting COVID-19 or how they can improve their chances of fighting it if they do catch it.
“Walking is always one of the best things that people can do for their health, however during these times of COVID-19, it’s more vital than ever. When you go for a brisk walk, this stimulates the creation of ‘natural killer cells’ which are part of the immune system. They sit at the nasal cavity and are ready to mop up any virus including COVID-19 and kill it before it has a chance to replicate and get into the cells.
“Not only that, but walking in green space and nature has a positive impact on the brain also reduces stress and its negative impact on the immune system.”
UK-wide research by King’s College London during lockdown revealed 49% of people in the UK have felt more anxious or depressed than normal, with walking shown to be an effective method to prevent and manage mental health conditions.
Paths for All believes regular walking is key to leading a happy and healthy life – and it is important for people to continue enjoying short, local walks where it is safe and appropriate to do so, owing to the huge array of associated benefits.
Ian Findlay CBE, Chief Officer at Paths for All said: “Walking has never held such importance to our physical, social and mental health, so it is great to see walking has become more popular over the last few months.
“Surveys have shown that Scots have increased their walking during this unprecedented time more than any other part of the UK and we would encourage everyone to keep it up as we move into the winter months.
“We believe by encouraging people to walk everyday they will experience many positive physical, social and mental health benefits and in turn we will move forward from this pandemic as a healthier, greener, safer and happier nation”.
Follow the campaign over on Paths for All social media channels #WalkOnceADay.
Paths for All launched a mood-boosting podcast designed using mindfulness techniques to help people look after their mental well-being whilst getting their daily exercise during Covid-19.
Mind to Walk is freely available online on all popular podcast players or on Paths for All website at www.pathsforall.org.uk/mindtowalk
Paths for All’s focus is clear: it wants to get Scotland walking: everyone, every day, everywhere.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave this statement at last night’s coronavirus conference from Downing Street:
It is almost a year since humanity has been tormented by COVID. Across the world, economic output has plummeted and a million and a half people have died.
And all the time we have waiting and hoping for the day when the searchlights of science would pick out our invisible enemy and give us the power to stop that enemy from making us ill – and now the scientists have done it.
And they have used the virus itself to perform a kind of biological jiu-jitsu, to turn the virus on itself in the form of a vaccine from an idea that was pioneered in this country by Edward Jenner in 1796.
And today we can announce that the government has accepted the recommendation from the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for distribution across the United Kingdom.
After months of clinical trials, involving thousands of people to ensure that the vaccine meets the strictest, internationally recognised, standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
Thanks to the fantastic work of Kate Bingham and the Vaccines Task Force, we purchased more than 350 million doses of seven different vaccine candidates, and the UK was the first country in the world to pre-order supplies of this Pfizer vaccine securing 40 million doses.
Through our Winter Plan, the NHS has been preparing for the biggest programme of mass vaccination in the history of the UK and that is going to begin next week.
And in line with the advice of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation the first phase will include care home residents, health and care staff, the elderly and those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.
But there are immense logistical challenges: the vaccine must be stored at minus 70 degrees and each person needs two injections, three weeks apart.
So it will inevitably take some months before all the most vulnerable are protected, long and cold months. So it is all the more vital that as we celebrate this scientific achievement we are not carried away with over optimism – or fall into the naïve belief that the struggle is over.
Its not, we’ve got to stick to our Winter Plan, a comprehensive programme to suppress the virus, protect the NHS and the vulnerable, keep education and the economy going and use treatments, testing and vaccines to enable us to return to much closer to normal by spring.
Today in England we have ended national restrictions, opening up significant parts of the economy in doing so but also replacing them with tough tiers to keep this virus down.
And I know that those tiers will mean continued hardship for many, and it is going to continue to be tough for some sectors but until the vaccine is deployed, our plan does rely on all of us continuing to make sacrifices to protect those we love.
So please, please continue to follow the rules where you live, remember hands, face, space – and if you live in a tier 3 area where community testing will be made available, please take part in that community testing.
Together, these steps are for now the surest way to protect yourselves and those you love and by reducing the transmission of the virus, help de-escalate your area to a lower level of restrictions, as vaccines and testing, as I say, take an ever larger share of the burden.
And as we do all this, we are no longer resting on the mere hope that we can return to normal next year in the spring, but rather on the sure and certain knowledge that we will succeed: and together reclaim our lives and all the things about our lives that we love
So I want to thank the scientists and all those around the world who have taken part in the trials and got us to this stage.
‘TODAY IS GENUINELY A GOOD DAY’
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon welcomed the news at her daily media briefing from St Andrew’s House yesterday:
I want to warmly welcome the news that the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, has been authorised for supply in the UK, by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
This is not unexpected. But even so, because it confirms that a safe and effective vaccine can now be used, it is perhaps the best news than any of us have heard about the virus since the pandemic began all these months ago.
Today is genuinely a good day, we’re not at the end of this pandemic yet and of course we cannot and must not ease up in our efforts to control it, but today feels like it may well be the beginning of the end of this horrible experience. And for that reason I am sure I am far for the only one this morning who feels a lightness of heart that I haven felt in quite some time
We expect vaccines to be delivered over the course of December. And we expect that that will start to happen in the next few days.
And – if we receive the first doses of vaccine as soon as we are expecting to and there is no reason right now to doubt that – I can confirm that the first vaccines against Covid will start to be administered in Scotland on Tuesday 8 December.
That is just six days from now. So to reiterate – the first vaccines against Covid will be administered in Scotland on Tuesday 8 December.
It is of course worth remembering that everyone will require two doses of the vaccine, and that these are likely to be offered 21-28 days apart – so it is unlikely that anyone’s vaccination will be completed until early next year. But there is no doubt that being able to have this degree of confidence that we can start a vaccination programme next week is absolutely fantastic news.
We will start by vaccinating the people who will be vaccinating everyone else. We will then follow the independent advice we have received from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
They have recommended prioritising those with the greatest clinical need – including older residents in care homes, health and social care workers, and those aged over 80. Those groups will therefore be the first people we seek to vaccinate.
The authorisation which was issued today has some conditions which its important to be clear about, will make the Pfizer vaccine quite difficult to transport to some locations – especially individual houses. We are therefore in the process of planning how we can ensure that all people in priority groups can be vaccinated.
Overall, however, the high probability that vaccinations will start next week is welcome, and much-needed, good news for us all.
For all the difficulties that undoubtedly lie ahead, it should give us all real hope that the end of the pandemic for Scotland is in sight.
And it should also motivate us and I’ll come back to this point at the end, to do everything we can between now and then to keep ourselves and each other safe, including of course over the upcoming Christmas period.
Cancer Support Scotland is the latest charity working on the frontline to be awarded an Emergency Grant by breast cancer charity Walk the Walk.
Nina Barough, Walk the Walk’s Founder and Chief Executive, was so concerned about the effect COVID-19 was having on the lives of those affected by cancer, she felt Walk the Walk really had to do something to help.
The £20,000 grant from Walk the Walk will help Cancer Support Scotland sustain the equivalent of two full time counsellors and their Lead Therapist for nearly three full months. In that time, those roles alone will be able to offer at least 540 mental wellbeing support sessions to people who are struggling to cope with cancer.
The pandemic has had a devastating effect on the lives of those affected by cancer and their families. Many are shielding, isolated, have money worries, treatments postponed, all resulting in anxiety. Loneliness is another key issue and it is more crucial than ever that the mental wellbeing support provided by Cancer Support Scotland is maintained at its current level over the coming months.
From the start of the pandemic, Cancer Support Scotland have been contacting thousands of vulnerable people by phone, providing a lifeline. As the months passed, the need for support services has increased, but at the same time like other charities, their fundraising has almost ceased.
With their headquarters in Glasgow currently closed, Cancer Support Scotland are now offering digital counselling and virtual stress management courses. This is addition to a wellbeing call service and a wide range of online self-care tools to help people cope with cancer today and in the future.
Maureen Thompsonwas diagnosed with lung cancer in March and had lifesaving surgery four weeks later as Scotland was in lockdown due to Covid-19.Sheaccessed Cancer Support Scotland’s counselling service by telephone in the months after surgery.
Maureen said: “I don’t think I would have got through this without their help, I was so worried about not coming through it. I was in such a low mood when I got in touch with Cancer Support Scotland but thanks to my Counsellor Natalie, I got through my darkest days.
“Without them I wouldn’t have got where I am today. I could tell them anything that I was feeling. I am eternally grateful to Natalie for her help. Thank you to all of you.”
Nina Barough CBE, Founder and Chief Executive of Walk the Walk, said: “During these very uncertain and worrying times, the team at Cancer Support Scotland have provided a vital lifeline for those affected by cancer and their families.
“The services offered by this wonderful charity are supporting the emotional wellbeing for those with cancer, and in these times of crisis, are needed more than ever.
“Walk the Walk is delighted that this Emergency Grant will enable Cancer Support Scotland to meet the growing demand for their online services, and hope that in the not too distant future, when their centre can safely open again, this online resource will continue to offer a vital service to those that need it.”
Rob Murray, CEO Cancer Support Scotland said: “I could not be prouder of the hard work and dedication the Wellbeing Team at Cancer Support Scotland have shown throughout this pandemic.
“It has been a challenging and difficult time but we know we have been able to offer a critical service to those affected by cancer across Scotland. It is with huge thanks to Walk the Walk for gifting us an Emergency Grant that we will be able to continue supporting people across Scotland whenever they need us.”
Bringing much-needed merriment to round off a tough year for all, the twinkling trail will be one of the few festive activities happening in the capital this year thanks to its outdoor setting and a series of stringent health and safety measures to protect visitors.
These include regulated entry time slots, limited capacities, reduced dwell times, contactless ticket scanning and a one-way trail route.
Attendees must book their tickets online in advance of their visit and follow the lasted Scottish Government restrictions on travel and meeting others.
Delivering a dazzling display of lights, projections and lasers, the one mile long after-dark extravaganza will welcome back some of the Garden’s most popular installations including the Cathedral of Light and Laser Garden.
For those who are on his ‘good’ list this year, Santa Claus will make an appearance outside on the trail to greet visitors at a distance, while several new installations include a projected light show on the Garden’s modernist Front Range Glasshouses and Starfield – a display of 20 giant LED twinkling stars – are also set to be firm favourites for 2020.
In line with Scotland’s new Covid-19 local protection levels and travel restrictions, this year the trail’s success is dependent on support from the residents of the City of Edinburgh local authority area.
Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “We are calling on the people of Edinburgh to show their support by visiting Christmas at the Botanics.
“By coming to the trail not only will visitors enjoy a wonderful festive experience but also help us and our work enormously. Profits from the trail go to help finance our important and innovative plant research and conservation programmes in Scotland and around the world.
“Never has our work been more crucial as we face the interrelated challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, biodiversity loss and climate change. This has been a hugely difficult year for us all. At the Botanics, we want to end the year by creating something very special for the City and we hope everyone will come and enjoy some festive fun.”
The 2019 trail welcomed 76,000 visitors during its five-week run – and the 2020 event promises to be equally as popular.
Jonathan Marks, Chief Development Director at Raymond Gubbay, a division of Sony Music, which promotes the event, added: “Christmas at the Botanics has established itself as a truly uplifting experience that helps the capital kick off the festive season in style, and it’s never been more needed than in 2020.
“A lot of work has gone into making the trail Covid-safe so that our customers can visit with confidence. I am thrilled that the team has made it happen. The fusion of the beautiful natural setting of the Garden combined with the striking, modern art created by the lights provides a deeply atmospheric and magical setting and we can’t wait for visitors to experience it for themselves.”
Due to Covid-19 ALL tickets must be pre-booked for the trail in advance online. For ticket information, pricing and timings, please visit the website below and follow @mychristmastrails #ChristmasAtTheBotanics
Christmas at the Botanics is one of seven illuminated trails by leading events promoter Raymond Gubbay Limited, a division of Sony Music, in partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh and creative producer Culture Creative.
The report draws together findings from over 80 conversations with people across the UK during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses on how organisations and communities were adapting to meet the changing needs of the people around them, as well as the evolving relationships between different sectors.
The report reflects that at the onset of the pandemic, it was often communities who stepped up to offer essential support, such as food and checking in on isolated individuals. The report calls for more partnership working between the public and voluntary sectors and communities: investing in communities to unlock their power.
Looking to the future, the Trust considers how to maintain working together and sharing power across sectoral and professional boundaries. The report highlights actions taken in the pandemic that could be a springboard for moving towards long-held ambitions of partnership working and more people-focused and preventative public sector services.
You can read the full report here and an accessible version is available here.
A blog on the report’s key messages is also available on our website.
We would be delighted to hear your views on the ideas put forward in the report, and you can share the report with your networks over Twitter using the hashtag #COVIDConversations.
Best wishes
Sarah
Sarah Davidson Chief Executive Carnegie UK Trust
For regular updates on all of the Trust’s projects and activities click HERE to subscribe to our bi-monthly e-newsletter.
Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, has brought forward its official ‘Bring your Christmas Tree Home Day’ to Saturday 5 December as the British public get into the Christmas spirit earlier than normal.
Usually the second Saturday in December, ‘Bring your Christmas Tree Home Day’ marks the most popular time for people buying their real Christmas trees. But according to new research commissioned by Censuswide on behalf of Dobbies, almost a quarter (24%) of Brits plan on putting their Christmas tree up early.
Forty percent of those planning to put their tree up early are aiming to do this 2 to 3 weeks earlier than usual, and a quarter are planning to put theirs up a week earlier.
Notably, young adults are the keenest to up the Christmas spirit levels with over two in five (46%) of those aged 16 to 24 planning on putting their tree up early.
Dobbies has streamlined its Christmas tree varieties this year focusing on the Nordmann Fir which is grown in sustainable Scottish woodlands. The Nordmann Fir holds its needles well and has a natural, open look making it easy to decorate.
Pot grown trees, which can be planted in the garden post-Christmas, are already proving popular this year as consumers look for environmentally-friendly options.
The garden centre is also expecting high demand of its value range including the 4ft Nordmann Fir tree which is £19.99. This taps into the trend of having Christmas trees in a variety of rooms in the house, especially kids’ bedrooms.
Marcus Eyles, Horticultural Director for Dobbies, said: “Buying a Christmas tree is a festive tradition and we work year-round to make sure we’ve got the best selection.
“We know Edinburgh customers are keen to get Christmas started early this year and because of that we’ve brought forward our official ‘Bring your Christmas Tree Home Day’ by a week to make sure everyone can get the tree they want and make the most of the festive season.
“Our premium-quality, sustainably sourced trees are displayed to aid safe shopping. We have social distancing measures in place to reassure our customers and allow them to choose their Christmas tree in a safe and enjoyable way
“Customers can also pre-order their Christmas tree for home delivery by visiting dobbies.com where they will find a great range of Christmas trees to choose from.”
Marcus features on the latest edition of the Dobbies gardening podcast, giving advice on selecting a real Christmas tree, how to transport it and the optimum position in the home. The Dobbies podcast is available to listen to and download now via iTunes and Spotify https://www.dobbies.com/content/podcast.html
Survey of 2,007 nationally representative UK respondents (aged 16+) undertaken in October 2020 by Censuswide.
“PROGRESSIVE VISION TO TACKLE POVERTY IN THE FACE OF TORY CUTS”
SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has welcomed the announcement that every primary school pupil in Edinburgh will be eligible for free school meals, all year around, if the SNP is re-elected in May.
Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, set out this latest step in the drive to tackle child poverty and make Scotland the first nation in the UK to offer universal free primary school meals at the SNP annual conference at the weekend.
The SNP previously extended eligibility for a free school lunch to all P1 to P3 pupils while P4 to P7 pupils are eligible based on a range of income and benefits criteria.
Now, in the face of predictions that Westminster cuts will drive child poverty rates even higher, the expansion – estimated to cost around £230 million per year in additional expenditure – will introduce a free year-round breakfast and lunch for all primary school pupils from August 2022.
SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has put real financial pressure on families, and it’s right that the Scottish Government ensured that children in Edinburgh would continue to receive free school meals over the holidays.
“But I am happy that we are not stopping there. If the SNP is re-elected in May, every single primary school pupil in Edinburghwill be eligible for free breakfast and lunch, all year round.
“And unlike the Tories, we didn’t have to be publicly shamed and condemned into choosing to feed hungry children – that is the basic duty of any government.
“This ambitious expansion of the free school meals scheme is the next step in our battle to stop the Tories forcing more and more kids into poverty, support families, and make Scotland the best place to grow up.
“That progressive vision, underpinned by human rights, equality and wellbeing, is exactly why people in Scotland continue to put their faith in the SNP.”
Are you interested in working with local volunteers and community groups to help protect and develop a late medieval walled garden in North West Edinburgh?
The Friends of Granton Castle Walled Garden are looking for a Development Officer to coordinate plans for work in the garden and in the community over the coming year, a time when we will all hope to see a different world emerging.
£15 ph for an average of 24hpw on a self-employed basis.
Under the oversight of the Trustees, duties would include:
Developing our website, communications and social media with regular updates and monthly newsletters;
Reorganising our database to update our contacts, volunteers, members/friends and associates while ensuring GDPR compliance;
Fundraising for our strategic plan including future funding for administrator, gardener, green gym, Victorian greenhouse re-build, workshops and events, utilities etc.;
Coordinating volunteers, special interest groups and working parties, especially for gardening, workshops and events;
Strengthening links with educational and community groups and increase participation of local residents;
Updating policies: eg H & S, Safeguarding, Volunteer Induction;
Exploring feasibility of installation of electricity and water.
Hours of work will vary due to garden seasonality, events, workshops, meetings and when volunteers are available and will include some weekend working.
Formal qualifications are not essential, but experience of communicating and networking with Council and community groups, good MS Office and fund-raising skills and expertise in social media and database development, preferably within an historic, horticultural environment, required.
