North Edinburgh News – Page 2003 – The NEN

Grounded pilot signs up to work for Mobile Testing Units

A commercial airline pilot who found himself unemployed as a result of the pandemic is now helping to fight Covid by working at one of the Scottish Ambulance Service’s Mobile Testing Units (MTUs).

Marcus Spinks, who has twenty-five years’ experience as a pilot and over 10,000 flying hours, is a Senior Operative at the Mobile Testing Unit at Altens in Aberdeen, one of 42 units run by the Service to ensure communities across Scotland have access to testing.

Marcus says: “I was introduced to the idea of the MTUs by a former colleague who knew I was looking for employment. After looking into the role, I thought by joining the MTUs I would be able to use my transferable skills in a positive way. This would give me the opportunity to do my part in the fight against the pandemic.”

After completing his pilot training in 1995, Marcus flew as a commercial pilot on Highland and Islands and UK domestic routes, and then across Europe – following in the footsteps of father, who was also a pilot. Marcus qualified as a Captain in 2008, and in 2013 he switched to fly within the Oil and Gas industry for Eastern Airways from Aberdeen.

In 2019, Marcus relocated to Dublin to work as a commercial pilot again, where he flew across UK and Europe for Cityjet. But in March 2020, when travel was halted around the globe following the pandemic, Marcus found himself grounded.

“Unfortunately, due to the dramatic downturn in aviation travel, the company I was employed with made the entire base redundant. This was a great shame as I was really enjoying the new opportunity I had been given by moving to Dublin.”

While he was forced to give up his dream job, Marcus has found that working at the MTU provides different challenges and job satisfaction.

“It’s great to see when you have made a different to someone’s day. Some people do arrive feeling apprehensive, nervous and distressed to a certain level. It’s great to be able to help them with their test by making them feel at ease and reassured they have nothing to worry about and they leave the MTU feeling much happier.

“The good comradeship with my fellow team members as it has brought people from many different environments together.”

While Marcus enjoys the challenges of working for the MTUs, he still hopes that he will be able to fly again, once the travel industry is on track for recovery.

He says: “Aviation has given me some fantastic experiences, I’ve worked within great teams and made good friends in many countries. I’ve been very lucky to see some spectacular views from my office window.”

Find out more about Mobile Testing Units (scottishambulance.com)

Ten budding dramatists, all thanks to u3a online playwriting course

TEN new plays are deep in the throes of being rehearsed, each play crafted by a debutant dramatist who signed up for a ten-week ‘Write that play!’, course set up by u3a.

All but one of this Online Across Scotland (OAS) u3a group had never written a play before. But on Wednesday (26 May), they, plus their families and friends, will be able to watch professional actors perform live extracts from these novel works, on Zoom!

The budding talents of each new dramatist have been fostered by Richard Peoples, assisted by Laure Paterson, of Citadel Arts.

As the author of 30 staged plays, alongside his acting and directing skills, Richard has relished leading this new venture.

Richard said: “The pandemic presented u3a with a huge logistical challenge. Our members could not travel or meet face to face for months. So, Online Across Scotland u3a was initiated as an additional learning and social tool.

“Members of my group are from various parts of Scotland. Going online let us interact, despite lockdowns. We could arrange performances of the plays, which are at an early stage of development, thanks to a joint venture between OAS u3a and Citadel Arts.

“This Edinburgh-based theatre group has provided funding for pre-publicity and to pay the actors. It’s been an interesting and successful experiment in running a playwriting course aimed mainly at novice playwrights. We plan to run it again from September.”

The ‘Write that play!’ group members live in Edinburgh, Renfrewshire, Lanarkshire, Fife, Argyll, Perthshire and the Borders.

The themes of the ten new plays range from family relationships and social care to crime and pornography.

Millions of football boots to find new homes in new environmental awareness campaign

A new ‘Football Rebooted’ campaign has been launched today by the UK’s leading smart energy supplier, Utilita, and former England and Premier League goalkeeper, David James MBE.

The campaign has been created to help the nation recycle at least one million pairs of ‘pre-played’ football boots and astro boots, saving families a small fortune, as well as 136,000 tonnes of carbon – the same as taking 7,000 cars off the road for a year, or turning the energy off in one million medium-sized houses for a week.

The ‘donate and claim’ campaign, enables anyone with spare football boots or astro boots to request a freepost ‘boot bag’ to donate their boots, after which their boots will appear at one of many claim stations that will pop up in parks, training grounds, and at some of the UK’s largest football clubs.

Premium pairs of the ‘most wanted’ retro boots and former and current players’ boots and other items will also be in the mix, giving anyone a chance to come along and grab a pair to be proud of.

The campaign is strategically designed to put an aspirational spin on a mechanic that will get good boots through to families struggling to afford new ones, after Utilita’s State of Play report revealed that out of the 74 percent of families who had been impacted financially by the pandemic, 18 percent won’t be able to send their kids back to grassroots football as they can’t afford boots and other items such as goalie gloves and shin pads.

Campaign ambassador and keen environmentalist, David James, and the Utilita team held focus groups with families, which revealed the barriers to boots finding new homes – the biggest being pride.

The donate and claim mechanic avoids families needing to accept charity from people they know, and makes claiming a new pair an aspirational activity, whereby people are impacting the environment, too.

Campaign ambassador, David James MBE, comments on why the campaign is so important: “Right now, there are millions of pairs of football boots that people have grown out of or replaced, and we need to make sure they don’t end up in landfill.

“Getting these boots replayed through Utilita’s Football Rebooted campaign will not only save players a few quid but will also act as an important reminder about the power of upcycling and reusing items that still have a lot of life left in them.”

https://twitter.com/i/status/1396005495866118144

Bill Bullen, founder of Utilita – the only energy company created to help households use and waste less energy – explained why Utilita has created the Football Rebooted campaign: “Most consumers are becoming more thoughtful about how their choices impact the environment, but sometimes life gets in the way of making the right choice. That’s why we have created Football Rebooted, which makes recycling football boots with plenty of life left in them, really easy.

“The campaign has been shaped by grassroots football players, coaches and parents, so uses carbon-saving examples that really resonate with this audience – home energy usage and taking cars off the road. It’s been incredibly encouraging to see football players as young as six years old talk passionately about the importance of protecting the environment.”

Premier League and EFL clubs across the UK, including Portsmouth, Southampton, Derby County and Leeds United, have already signed up to donate the football boots worn by their academy players, while first-team players have also donated their own boots in the interests of the environment.

As part of the new campaign, schools can request boots be sent to them for children who they identify as needing football boots to enable them to play in or outside of school.

English Schools’ FA (ESFA) Chairman, Phil Harding, said: “The last 12 months have been very difficult for families, teams, players and schools alike and, as the National Governing Body for Schools’ Football, the ESFA welcome any campaign to help ensure children have every opportunity to take part in a sport that they are passionate about, but that is also so beneficial for both their physical and mental health.

“The Football Rebooted campaign not only has a great environmental message but is also working towards helping children to be active, participate and enjoy school sport.”

Find out more information about the campaign at www.footballrebooted.co.uk.

Vaccines are ‘highly effective’ against Indian variant

New study shows that 2 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against the B.1.617.2 variant first identified in India

Vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease from the B.1.617.2 variant is similar after 2 doses compared to the B.1.1.7 (Kent) variant dominant in the UK, and Public Health England expect to see even higher levels of effectiveness against hospitalisation and death.

The study found that, for the period from 5 April to 16 May:

the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was 88% effective against symptomatic disease from the B.1.617.2 variant 2 weeks after the second dose, compared to 93% effectiveness against the B.1.1.7 variant
2 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine were 60% effective against symptomatic disease from the B.1.617.2 variant compared to 66% effectiveness against the B.1.1.7 variant
both vaccines were 33% effective against symptomatic disease from B.1.617.2, 3 weeks after the first dose compared to around 50% effectiveness against the B.1.1.7 variant

The analysis included data for all age groups from 5 April to cover the period since the B.1.617.2 variant emerged. It included 1,054 people confirmed as having the B.1.617.2 variant through genomic sequencing, including participants of several ethnicities. Data published on Thursday 20 May for vaccine effectiveness covered the period since December for those aged over 65.

The difference in effectiveness between the vaccines after 2 doses may be explained by the fact that rollout of second doses of AstraZeneca was later than for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and other data on antibody profiles show it takes longer to reach maximum effectiveness with the AstraZeneca vaccine.

As with other variants, even higher levels of effectiveness are expected against hospitalisation and death. There are currently insufficient cases and follow-up periods to estimate vaccine effectiveness against severe outcomes from the B.1.617.2 variant. PHE will continue to evaluate this over the coming weeks.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: This new evidence is groundbreaking – and proves just how valuable our COVID-19 vaccination programme is in protecting the people we love.

“We can now be confident that over 20 million people – more than 1 in 3 – have significant protection against this new variant, and that number is growing by the hundreds of thousands every single day as more and more people get that vital second dose. I want to thank the scientists and clinicians who have been working around the clock to produce this research.

“It’s clear how important the second dose is to secure the strongest possible protection against COVID-19 and its variants – and I urge everyone to book in their jab when offered.”

Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at PHE, said: “This study provides reassurance that 2 doses of either vaccine offer high levels of protection against symptomatic disease from the B.1.617.2 variant.

“We expect the vaccines to be even more effective at preventing hospitalisation and death, so it is vital to get both doses to gain maximum protection against all existing and emerging variants.”

Minister for COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment Nadhim Zahawi said: Almost every day we get more and more encouraging evidence about the difference our COVID-19 vaccines are making to people’s lives – with 13,000 lives saved and 39,100 hospitalisations prevented overall.

“Today’s data is astounding and a true reflection of just how important it is to get both your jabs when offered.

“I encourage all those offered an appointment to get their jab booked in as soon as possible and take full advantage of the high levels of protection the vaccines bring.”

Scottish aid wings it’s way to India

Scotland is sending life-saving oxygen and ventilation equipment to India as part of a UK-wide effort to support it in its fight against coronavirus (COVID-19).

Following an initial offer of various types of equipment, the Indian High Commission has accepted 100 oxygen concentrators and 40 continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) ventilators.

The Indian Government urgently requires these units as its healthcare system is under extreme pressure. The devices can be used in hospitals, ICU wards or other locations and are ideally suited to treat COVID-19 patients when there are constraints on medical gas infrastructure supply.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “The coronavirus situation in India is a human tragedy. We are working with the other UK nations to help tackle the crisis by providing equipment that can be used immediately to save lives.

“Solidarity with other countries remains of key importance throughout this global pandemic and we will continue to make contributions within the international community, while tackling COVID-19 here in Scotland.

“There are a number of ways to donate to the response effort, including the British Asian Trust’s ‘Oxygen for India’ Emergency Appeal, and the Disasters Emergency Committee, which has extended its Coronavirus Appeal to include India.”

https://youtu.be/HSCJNvOIzQI

Launch of Lowland Hall Mass Vaccination Centre at Ingliston

This week NHS Lothian launched their biggest COVID-19 vaccination centre so far in a bid to deliver more lifesaving vaccinations. The first of thousands of patients have begun streaming through the Lowland Hall at the Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston.

Vaccination teams opened the doors to the huge centre which has 50 vaccination stations with the potential to increase, if required.By opening Lowland Hall, we will be able to more than triple our current capacity.

We will deliver 18,000 vaccines every day as the numbers of patients eligible for the jab increases in line with the population mix in Lothian.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Lowland Hall.

Have you seen Zakiyya?

UPDATE: Police have confirmed that 13-year-old Zakiyya Haider has been TRACED safe and well. Police thank the public for their assistance.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Police are appealing for the help of the public to trace a 13 year old girl reported missing from her home in the Corstorphine area of the city.

Zakiyya Haider was last seen around 5pm last night (Friday 21 May) when she left home.

She is described as 5ft 5ins tall, of slim build with long dark hair and brown eyes. When last seen she was wearing all black clothing.

Inspector Keith Forrester said: “Zakiyya’s mum and sister are growing very concerned for her, therefore I would ask anyone who may know where she is to get in touch. Likewise if she sees this appeal please call your family or Police Scotland to let us know you are safe.

“Anyone who has information that may help us find Zakiyya is asked to call Police Scotland quoting incident 4104 of 21 May 2021”.

Rocket crash highlights need for Space Tugs

Frightening events like the Chinese rocket which crashed back to Earth illustrate the need for action on ‘space junk’ before a disaster happens, the head of Scottish rocket company Skyrora has said.

Volodymyr Levykin said the uncontrolled re-entry of the remains of the 18-tonne Chinese Long March 5b missile – which plunged into the sea just west of the Maldives last Sunday – should not be happening.

Volodymyr, Chief Executive Officer of Edinburgh-based Skyrora which aims to launch its first rocket next year, said the incident underlines the value of the firm’s work in developing a ‘space tug’ which can play a crucial role in clearing redundant satellites and other so-called space junk.

Volodymyr said: “The world had to watch and hold its breath to see where the debris from the Chinese Long March-5b vehicle would hit the Earth. But events like this shouldn’t be happening.

“There are around 34,000 objects above 10cm in size in Earth’s orbit that would be considered space junk – 3000 of which are redundant satellites. Moving at around 10km per second, these objects could seriously damage operational satellites or even the International Space Station.

“It’s vital that something is done to address the situation before disaster strikes – and we’re faced with the loss of crucial services, or worse still, loss of life.”

Volodymyr said the situation has heightened the demand for a vehicle that can make multiple stops and functions in space without the need for multiple launches.

He added: “Orbital Transfer Vehicles, such as Skyrora’s space tug, are on hand to help safely de-orbit space debris or transport it to a disposal orbit. With the capability of re-firing its engine multiple times and so manoeuvring once in orbit, a tug can complete several missions after deploying an initial payload.

“By integrating them as part of the rocket’s third stage, we can effectively deploy a vehicle as part of every launch, creating an orbital fleet of ‘space tugs’ ready to be called upon when required.

“Every launch, regardless of who is behind it or where it’s launching from, should now include some sort of space tug to make sure these uncontrolled re-entries are a thing of the past.

“It’s not only about helping the planet or clearing up the mess orbiting it but about protecting the crucial infrastructure that’s taken decades and trillions of dollars to build, which could effectively be wiped out in an instant.”

Skyrora has already successfully completed tests on a space tug model – at its engine development facility in Fife – which involved a full mission duration static fire test (450 second burn over three firings) of the upper (or third) stage of their orbital-class vehicle, Skyrora XL.

The development is a key part of Skyrora’s mission to place space sustainability as a crucial element in its planning and company vision. It has also developed a new way of launching satellites without damaging the environment as well as creating an eco-friendly fuel that ensures the UK has the most environmentally friendly space industry in the world.

The Edinburgh-based company recently secured €3M funding from the European Space Agency, which will be used to complete Skyrora’s XL programme to deliver consistent orbital launches from the UK.

Skyrora XL is a 23-metre, 56-tonne, three-stage rocket capable of carrying up to 315kg into orbit. The vehicle is on course to be test launched in 2022 from a UK spaceport and the project is set to generate 170 high-skilled jobs.

Public toilets set to re-open

Public toilets at six popular hotspots in and around Edinburgh are set to reopen from Monday for the first time since the pandemic began.

Final operational and safety checks are being carried out to bring the toilets at the following locations back into use in the week beginning Monday 31 May subject to approval from group leaders on the Council:

Bath Street, Portobello
Hamilton Place, Stockbridge
Lauriston Castle
Harlaw Visitor Centre
West Princes Street Gardens
Winter Gardens, Saughton Park

At the same time as finalising plans to reopen the above existing toilets, Council officers are hard at work making final arrangements to safely install new temporary toilets in three locations as early as possible next month.

The use of £450,000 from COVID funding for these temporary toilets was approved by the Council last month.

The new facilities will be in place until the end of September and are likely to be sited in premier parks with especially high footfall. Each location will include male and female toilets as well as an accessible toilet. Though temporary in nature, the toilets need to be connected to key services (sewer, water and electricity), so they need to be installed close to existing facilities.

Separately, Pentland Hills Regional Park has applied for external funding via NatureScot’s Better Places Green Recovery Fund to install temporary toilets at Threipmuir, Bonaly and Harlaw.

And it is hoped the Council’s remaining permanent public toilets (namely Colinton, Castle Terrace, Castle Hill, Taylor Gardens, High Street South Queensferry and Nicolson Square) will be reopened in late June or early July, in line with public health guidance.

Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “Taken all together there will soon be 12 more places to safely spend a penny when you’re spending time enjoying our beautiful parks, beaches and green spaces across Edinburgh. It’s fantastic that we’ll shortly be able to reopen several permanent public toilets again, as well as bring new temporary facilities to key hotspots.

“We want everyone to be able to relax and make the most of our wonderful outdoor spaces so having these toilets open will be extremely welcome I’m sure. And work’s continuing so that we can get all our permanent toilet facilities operational again as soon as possible over the summer, in line with public health guidance.

Environment Vice Convener Councillor Karen Doran said: “It’s great to know you don’t need to worry about being caught short when visiting our most popular outdoor destinations thanks to the new temporary toilets and our reopening of six key permanent facilities.

“With summer around the corner, we want to make sure our beautiful ‘great outdoors’ stays as beautiful and accessible as possible, so everyone can benefit.”

At last month’s Transport and Environment Committee, Councillors approved a plan for new and improved permanent public toilets across the Capital, following a review of existing provision.

On the basis that funding can be identified, the plan is to build new permanent public toilets in popular parks such as Inverleith and to upgrade existing facilities in premier parks to meet modern hygiene standards.

Eilidh Doyle joins thousands of primary school children to run Scotland’s first National Daily Mile

18th JUNE: Scotland Does The Daily Mile

● Every school in Scotland is invited to bring the nation together on 18th June to take part in “Scotland Does The Daily Mile.”

● The Daily Mile Foundation is also very excited to announce Olympic athlete and teacher Eilidh Doyle as the first ambassador for Scotland Does The Daily Mile Campaign and The Daily Mile #TravelTo Tokyo.

● Elaine Wyllie, Founder of The Daily Mile says, “Getting our children active is more important than ever, and it is very encouraging to see so many schools already signed up to Scotland Does The Daily Mile. The past year has been challenging for everyone and we want to get that sense of community and comradery back. I hope you can all join us for our six week challenge which finishes with Scotland Does The Daily Mile event on the 18th June!”

● The Daily Mile currently has over 3 million children running a mile every day across 12,000 schools in 80 countries.

The Daily Mile Foundation supported by Scottish Athletics, INEOS and SAMH is to host its first national event across Scottish schools on 18^th June.

Over 40% of schools in Scotland are already signed up to The Daily Mile and many more are expected to join across the country in coming weeks. The event aims to encourage children to be more active, to improve their physical, mental, social health and wellbeing.

The Daily Mile is a transformative initiative where children run, jog, wheel or walk for fifteen minutes every day. The initiative has enjoyed phenomenal success since it was started by Elaine Wyllie eight years ago when she was headteacher at a primary school in Stirling.

The Daily Mile Foundation is also pleased to announce Eilidh Doyle, Olympic medallist and Scotland’s most decorated track and field athlete is encouraging schools across Scotland to get involved. Eilidh has been nominated as the ambassador for “Scotland does the Daily Mile”. Her love for running alongside combined with expertise as a teacher is inspiring for children up and down the country.

Eilidh said, “I’m delighted to be the Ambassador for The Daily Mile in Scotland and support this project as I think it is a really positive initiative to get young people more active. As a former teacher I approve!”

“It’s fantastic to see so many schools signed up so far and I’d urge as many schools as possible to get involved. I’m excited to be endorsing this programme because I feel passionately that youngsters should be given the opportunity to be active and that hopefully starts out at primary school. Exercising with friends is so much fun and being active from a young age has many benefits.”

Robert Nesbitt, Head of Physical Activity and Sport at SAMH said: “Over recent months children and young people have faced unprecedented challenges; with disruption to their routines, changes in their education and time away from their family and friends, which we know has affected their wellbeing and mental health.

“Now that schools have returned, physical activity is a brilliant way for children and young people to get involved and feel connected again, which is why SAMH is delighted to support The Daily Mile initiative, which encourages young people to come together to get active and in turn develop vital connections with their peers and teachers.”

The Daily Mile currently has over 3 million children running a daily mile across 12,000 schools in 80 countries but this is the first national event in Scotland of its kind. The hope is to capture the camaraderie that children have missed while schools have been closed, providing young people the opportunity to be active, have fun with their friends in this health and wellbeing initiative.

Elaine Wyllie, Founder of The Daily Mile says: “Getting our children active is more important than ever, and it is very encouraging to see so many schools already signed up to The Daily Mile in Scotland.

“The past year has been challenging for everyone and we want to get that sense of community and fun back in our schools. I hope you can all still join us for our Travel To Tokyo challenge which finishes with Scotland Does The Daily Mile event on the 18th June! There’s still plenty of time to get involved!”

“Scotland Does The Daily Mile” will also mark the finale of a six week challenge The Daily Mile #TravelToTokyo, which began on the 10^th May encouraging teams of children to run, jog, or wheel the equivalent distance of Scotland to Tokyo, learning about different countries along the way, in a celebration for the upcoming events this summer.

Schools can register for free here.

* SAMH is the Scottish Association for Mental Health

For more information on The Daily Mile itself, please visit: https://thedailymile.co.uk/