North Edinburgh News – Page 2170 – The NEN

An activity for every day during Children’s Mental Health Week

With children and young people’s mental health so badly effected by lockdown and prolonged absence from school, this year’s Children’s Mental Health Week has a particular resonance.

Former primary school teacher Laura Steele of education experts PlanBee has gathered a week’s worth of fantastic FREE resources in one downloadable pack.

Parents can use them to help their children explore their mental health and give them the tools to express their thoughts and feelings.

Monday: dealing with physical sensations

Warm Fuzzies and Cold Pricklies Posters

These posters aim to help your child understand some of the physical sensations that accompany different feelings. Explore and discuss the vocabulary on each poster. You could ask children: Do you know what this word means? Have you ever felt like this? What made you feel this way? Could you add any more words to either of the posters?

Older children may find the Synonym Booklet of Emotions useful to expand their vocabulary and help them to better express themselves.

Tuesday: an emoji that fits your mood

Printable Emojis Emotion Faces Cards

Use these 16 feelings and emotions cards to develop discussion around a range of different feelings, using the questions below each emoji. If your children cannot think of an example, you could describe and explain a time when you felt this way. They could also be asked whether each of the cards represent a ‘warm fuzzy’ or a ‘cold prickly’ feeling, picking up on yesterday’s discussions.

You could then challenge your child to use the Design your own Emotion Emojis sheet to create their own versions. Encourage them to think about their personal experience of each emotion, and think carefully about the shape, colour, size and facial expression they choose.

Wednesday: that nagging feeling

Worry Monster Activity Sheets

Today’s resource focuses on a specific feeling: worry, or anxiety. Tell your child that everyone experiences this feeling sometimes, and more often than not, acknowledging and talking about the reasons why you are worried or anxious can help you to feel better. These Worry Monster Activity Sheets can help your children to voice, and then deal with, any anxieties they may have.

Thursday: take a deep breath

Calming Techniques for Kids Posters

Anger and frustration can be difficult emotions for anyone to deal with, not least children. These posters offer a range of techniques that can be used almost anywhere, in any situation. The first four posters (The Calm Down Cake, The Slow Down Star, The Slow Down Square and the Helping Hand) direct children to focus on their breathing, using an image to help them do this. Discuss and practise the techniques together, first with and then without the posters in front of them, so children realise that these strategies can be successful using only their imagination if needed.

The final poster in the pack (5…4…3…2…1), may be more suitable for older children. They are directed to use all of their senses to focus and calm the mind. They can do this for the actual environment they are in, or an imagined one, such as a park, a beach or a forest.

Friday: let’s meditate

Meditation for Kids Guide Sheet

The mental benefits of meditation are now widely recognised – for children as well as adults. Research has shown that short, regular meditation sessions can have a positive effect on children’s attention, focus, self-awareness, and their management of thoughts and feelings. This Guide Sheet is a simple, easy introduction to meditation, with step-by-step instructions to follow. Try a short session with your child. Ask them how they feel afterwards. You could try to add a session like this into your daily routine, and see what effect it has over time on your child’s emotional well-being.

Saturday: developing a growth mindset

Fixed vs Growth Mindset Poster

A person with a fixed mindset feels that they have no control over their abilities, or problems they may face. But someone with a growth mindset knows that they can improve their abilities and overcome difficulties if they persevere and are patient with themselves. Discuss these differences with your child, and look at the poster for examples of each type of mindset. What type of mindset does your child think they have, and why? Why might it be better to have a growth mindset?

Children could use the blank poster provided to write their own personal examples of statements they made when they felt they had a fixed mindset, and how they could turn this around into a growth mindset statement.

Sunday: looking on the bright side

What are you Thankful For? Discussion Cards

End the week on a positive note with this activity, where children are encouraged to think about all the different aspects of their life that they are thankful for. A blank template is included for children to record these thoughts.

The I am Lucky Because… activity sheet may be more suitable for younger children, where they are encouraged to think about and complete the sentences, ‘I am lucky because I can…’, ‘I am lucky because I am’… and ‘I am lucky because I have…’.

You can download PlanBee’s Children’s Mental Health Week Activity Pack, which includes all of the resources mentioned above, for FREE!

Shocks, Knocks and Skill Building Blocks

All round support is key to digital skills-powered recovery, says new report

Equipping people with soft skills and tackling motivational barriers can switch them onto learning new digital skills, according to a new report.

The findings come in ‘Shocks, knocks and skill building blocks’, from leading digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation, following a one-year programme of work in partnership with Accenture and Nesta.

It highlights the need for help for people to learn soft skills, such as increased confidence, better decision-making and resilience to setbacks, to lay the foundations for workers to embrace digital skills and thrive.

The impact of COVID-19 on the jobs market is visible – and with unemployment forecast to hit 2.6 million by the middle of 2021 and digital skills more important and in-demand than ever, the findings offer a proven route to employability success.

The Future Proof: Skills for Work programme was designed to build work-related digital skills for unemployed or underemployed people, helping them achieve sustained employability outcomes.

With the global pandemic shaking the employment landscape to its core, the jobs market is a very competitive space where workers are required to be both digitally skilled and adaptable. Yet whilst 82% of roles require digital skills, 52% of working age adults do not yet have them.

Working with 13 community partners and helping over 900 people, the programme focused on understanding the barriers faced by learners – and how these can be overcome to help close the digital skills gap.

As a result of the programme, which was delivered remotely in communities after lockdown hit the UK last March, 70% of participants believe their digital skills have improved while 68% believe they are better prepared for employment.

The greatest change in attitude was around resilience in the face of challenges, with 27% of learners experiencing a positive change.

The project also saw a larger number of employed and higher-educated workers engaging with Good Things Foundation’s community partners and the Future Proof programme.

The new report also:

Highlights the crucial role of hyperlocal community organisations, arguing they are best placed to help people build confidence and learn digital skills simultaneously.
Calls for a move away from a tick-list approach to skills – including digital – to one that instead accommodates natural changes and fluctuations.

Helen Milner, Chief Executive of Good Things Foundation, said: “Working with Accenture, Nesta and our community partners, Future Proof has been ahead of the curve in terms of predicting new audience demand, skills and motivations and helping people gain digital skills alongside greater confidence and broader skills.

“Remote working due to COVID-19 has changed working patterns permanently. This makes upskilling the workforce even more vital. With the UK in the grips of another national lockdown and nine million adults unable to use the internet without help, the Government needs to demonstrate a strong commitment to fix the digital divide, to support economic recovery.”

Camilla Drejer, Director of UK & Ireland Corporate Citizenship at Accenture said: “At Accenture, we recognise how critical it is to support people in building new skills. This programme is not just helping people learn the digital skills needed today but also motivating participants to commit to life-long learning and develop a confidence about the opportunities that the digital economy brings.

“Through the Future Proof programme, we are pleased to have been able to help participants understand this shift, plan for the future and take charge of their careers. We believe that it is our duty as a responsible business to focus on the value we can create and this programme is an important aspect of that.”

The full report is available to download here.

Can Do Collective elects Hazel Jane as their new Convener

The Can Do Collective – a connected community of enterprise support organisations and leaders on a mission to build a world-leading entrepreneurial, innovative and creative society – has announced the election of Hazel Jane, who is Entrepreneur Engagement Manager for Tech Nation, as their new convener.

Elected every two years, the Can Do Collective conveners’ role is to drive momentum for the Can Do Movement across Scotland, building on its reputation as a beacon globally in entrepreneurial eco-systems and supporting the growth of this powerful community of inspiring entrepreneurial leaders, who in turn deliver impact for Scotland.

Hazel Jane commented: “As an entrepreneur engagement manager for Tech Nation covering all of Scotland, my primary role is very much speaking with founders, stakeholders and government as well as liaising with my colleagues across the rest of the UK, to understand what our eco-system looks like on a UK landscape and how we can be doing better, and how we can thrive.

“It is exactly these insights and experiences that I intend to bring to the Collective so that we can continue to support our business community to thrive here.”

Founded upon a shared belief that Scotland has always been a ‘Can Do’ nation, the aim of the community today is to work together to enable entrepreneurs of all kinds to flourish and to prove that by working collaboratively they can increase the odds of success.

Hazel continued: “I am fully committed to genuinely helping with the issues that we are facing in Scotland and the rest of the UK right now.

“Brexit, in particular, has hit businesses in ways that we didn’t imagine. This is something that we, as entrepreneur support organisations will have to think about and hopefully share a lot of knowledge around.

“With regards to the pandemic, I think that there are still a lot of unknowns, and it’s really important to touch on the fact that these challenges aren’t just financial – there is an immense amount of change for business owners and entrepreneurs, who are leading their employees into a world that we don’t yet understand. Successful business recovery in a post-pandemic era is also going to require a new world of working and I hope that we will be front runners, leading by example.

“I believe that the role of the Collective is to share genuine best practise and support one another to get behind movements. For me, this is about being able to reach a huge group of companies that work to drive entrepreneurship and, supporting them with information and advice that will help to drive change and growth from within. Everything that the eco-system is doing is for the greater good of all entrepreneurship in Scotland.”

The Can Do Collective is funded by The Scottish Government and supported by a dedicated team within the independent charity Entrepreneurial Scotland Foundation. Made up of over 70 public, private and social enterprise support organisations from across all corners of Scotland, The Collective community represents 16 industry sectors.

New Town campaigners call for More Trees, please

Fettes Row & Royal Crescent Association (FRRCA) is stepping up its campaign against plans to redevelop two key sites adjoining the New Town conservation area and removing scores of trees as well as encroaching upon the community amenity of George V Park.

The city council’s Development Management Sub-committee will hold a hearing on February 17 on Ediston’s plans to demolish the old RBS IT centre on Dundas Street and build some 400 flats, offices and maybe a hotel on one of the biggest such sites in the capital.

The developer plans to remove mature trees surrounding the site, including alongside and within the nearby park which is especially enjoyed by large numbers of families with children. It recently applied to remove a further four trees on Fettes Row and severely prune others as they are considered “dangerous” in an unspecified manner.

This is on top of earlier plans to remove 84 trees on the site – and build offices/flats 5m taller and 6m closer than the current IT centre in a way that will heavily overshadow the park. The developers say they will replace trees – but there is no guarantee they will.

Separately, there are plans to demolish Centrum House at 108-116 Dundas St and replace current offices with 44 flats (and three more retail units), with the proposed building reaching as far as the footpath and removing all the current trees, with no replacements. Consultation on these plans ended on January 29.

FRRCA has launched a dedicated website, www.more-trees.info with its own blindfolded teddy bear logo and the message “more trees, lower heights” as part of its campaign to persuade the council to reject the two applications and replace them with new plans more sensitive to the world heritage nature of the area and to environmental concerns.

For further info, please contact: Judith Symes, FRRCA chair via judith.symes@gmail.com and visit our Facebook page

Online support for new teachers

Hundreds of teachers who are new in post, or working in pastoral or child protection roles, are to be offered support to manage the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education Scotland and the General Teaching Council for Scotland have partnered with social enterprise organisation KnowYouMore who will provide coaches for the new online one-to-one sessions. Sessions are already being offered to headteachers as part of a support package funded by the Scottish Government last September.

The new programme now includes support for more than 500 teachers in their first four years of post-probation to discuss any personal or professional pressures they are facing as a result of delivering remote learning.

Education Secretary John Swinney, said: “COVID-19 has placed unprecedented strain on school staff and none more so than those who have pastoral care and child protection responsibilities ensuring the emotional welfare of our children and young people as we recover from the pandemic.

“The teacher support package I announced last year will complement the existing professional training and support already taking place for staff in schools across Scotland. Teachers need to be part of a supportive online community and have the space to stop and think about issues that are causing concern.”

Gayle Gorman, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Education Scotland Chief Executive, said: “Education Scotland is fully committed to ensuring the education workforce feel supported and I’m delighted this next phase of our coaching and mentoring offer is available more widely.

“We have found that it really benefits teachers to know there is someone with a listening ear who are there for them. Our 1:1 coaching and mentoring sessions for Headteachers have proved a really popular way of supporting their wellbeing and now the offer is also open to post probation teachers, teachers new to role and those with pastoral responsibilities. I would encourage more practitioners to sign up.”

Ken Muir, Chief Executive, of the General Teaching Council for Scotland, said: “GTC Scotland is pleased to be working with our partners in education to deliver this important coaching to support hard-pressed teachers who are doing all they can to maintain quality learning in challenging circumstances.

“In addition to this coaching, GTC Scotland itself has invested heavily in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of education professionals and will continue to do so throughout the pandemic.”

£2.8m for Edinburgh business support: first come, first served

Eligible Edinburgh businesses can apply for new Discretionary Fund payments from Wednesday

Applications for £2,000 business grant payments will be open on the City of Edinburgh Council’s website from Wednesday 3 February.

This follows the approval of a recommended fund framework at Friday’s specially-convened Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee.

The framework will guide the Council in distributing £2,796,150 from the Scottish Government for discretionary business grant funding.

To date, the Council has provided financial support to over 15,000 Edinburgh businesses in response to COVID-19, with funding in excess of £156 million since March 2020.

This newly approved ‘Discretionary Grant Fund’ will aim to assist businesses that have been without financial support since the introduction of Brake Restrictions and latterly Strategic Framework Restrictions in October and November 2020. Businesses will receive one off payment of £2,000. This will equate to approximately 1,400 businesses being supported.

Applications to the fund will open on a first come, first served basis on Wednesday 3 February 2021 at 8am.

The eligibility criteria have been designed to especially support applications from suppliers to those businesses that have been forced to close, businesses operating without rateable premises, and businesses that are deemed essential but who have lost their customers due to the restrictions imposed since October 2020.

Businesses can review the required here: full eligibility criteria and mandatory evidence . Due to the limited funding available, applications will be handled on a strictly first come, first served basis.

The fund will close when 1,500 applications have been received and reopen (with advance notice) once those applications have been assessed, assuming that they do not all meet the eligibility criteria.

Councillor Kate Campbell, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “We know how important this fund is to businesses – in many instances it will be lifeline and as a committee we take that responsibility very seriously.

“It’s a finite pot of money so we’ve worked hard to make sure we get this right – targeting the fund towards the businesses that need it the most and trying to reach as many as possible.

“The fund is aimed at businesses who have been ineligible for other Scottish Government support and who’ve suffered significant losses as a result of restrictions brought in since October.

“We’ve consulted with partners like the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and the Chamber of Commerce who have been amazing at helping us to sense check our approach.

“They’ve shared their valuable knowledge and understanding of their members’ experiences to help us draft the best framework we think is possible in the circumstances. And we’ve had very useful consultations and input from other elected members.

Councillor Mandy Watt, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Vice Convener said: “We’ve taken this report to a special committee so that we can start supporting those businesses in need as soon as possible. Sadly, there will still be small enterprises facing hardship who won’t get one of these grants.

“Further government discretionary grant funding for businesses, as announced yesterday by the Finance Secretary, should be released as quickly as possible so we can give them the assistance that they desperately need.”

“From Wednesday 3 February, businesses that fit the criteria agreed today can start to apply and we hope to be able to start making the first payments within a few days of that. We must stress that businesses will be allocated funding on a first come, first served basis.”

Missing person: LORNA FOUND

Police in Edinburgh are delighted to report that 71 year old Lorna Ferguson, reported missing earlier from Pilrig Street, Edinburgh has been TRACED SAFE AND WELL In the East Lothian area.

Police are releasing a further image of 71-year-old woman, Lorna Ferguson, missing from Bathgate this morning. The image shows Lorna near Pilrig Street.

Officers are also checking a reported sighting of Lorna in Portobello Road this afternoon.

Lorna Ferguson was last seen exiting out of Pilrig Park, Edinburgh, around 11am this morning, Saturday 30 January, 2021.

She is white, around 4 ft. 10 inches in height, with a medium build, and short silver hair. She was wearing beige coloured trousers, walking boots and a green Rab puffer jacket. She was walking her dog, a brown coloured cockapoo, with a luminous yellow, extendable lead.

Lorna has dementia and her family is extremely concerned. She has never gone missing before and they just want to know she is safe and well.

Extensive enquiries are under way to locate Lorna, but efforts so face have provide unsuccessful. Officers are checking CCTV footage for any additional information which could assist in the inquiry.

Anyone who has seen or has any knowledge as to Lorna’s whereabouts is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 1733.

Five ways to make your car cosier

Motorists have been offered five ways to warm up their car during the chilly weather.

Travel experts from LeaseCar.uk are encouraging drivers to buy a pair gloves, make hot drinks or buy extra heating devices in order to brave the cold.

Many cars now come with the luxury of heated seats, or even heated steering wheels, whilst these luxuries aren’t available in every car, there are now plug-in alternatives.

However, the age-old favourite of letting the engine heat up shouldn’t be ignored, as this ensures hot air will be emitted.

A spokesperson from LeaseCar.uk said: “Being warm and comfortable whilst you’re driving is very important, being too cold can be extremely distracting.

“There are age old hacks such as warming the engine up before you set off and ensuring you’re wearing plenty of layers, and these shouldn’t be sniffed at.

“However, modern inventions such as heated seats and steering wheels provide a little more luxury and can be more effective at heating you up.”

These are LeaseCar.uk’s top tips for making cars cosy:

1. Gloves

Fingers are often the first to feel the cold, so keeping them warm in gloves is a must. Driving gloves are very common and can range in price from £20 to £200. Depending on whether you want the finest supple leather, or a basic material which will do the job, there’s a pair of gloves for you.

2. Steering wheel cover

When driving you always have to have two hands on the wheel, which means that touching a very cold steering wheel will undoubtedly make the driver feel the freeze. You can invest in a furry steering wheel cover which will feel warmer than cold plastic.

3. In-car heater

If your car heating doesn’t quite cut it, you can purchase an in-car heater. It plugs into the power socket and you can stick it onto the dashboard, allowing it to circulate heat throughout the car. If you’re someone who particularly feels the cold you can even use it at the same time as your normal heating.

4. Plug in seat warmer

If your car doesn’t come with heated seats, that doesn’t mean they’re something you can only dream of. You can buy seat covers which plug into the cigarette lighter and have a heating system in them, meaning you can enjoy a warm comfortable drive.

5. Hot drinks

Another way to warm your cold fingers and hands is to think ahead and prepare, or buy, a warm cup of coffee or tea. Perfect to wake you up during the commute but the got air it emits will also help increase the temperature of the car.

Three steps the UK Government must take now to solve the Brexit border chaos

The current trade disruption between the UK and the EU is the result of ignoring expert advice and a chaotic information campaign, which must urgently be solved in three steps, says leading London accountancy firm Blick Rothenberg.

Alex Altmann, a partner and head of the firm’s Brexit advisory group, says: “We warned about serious disruptions many months ago and advised the Government to introduce an implementation phase for businesses to cope with the new customs formalities.

“The foolishness and amateurism of the Government’s approach has created existential threats to many businesses on both sides that currently struggle to trade with each other. The disruptions must urgently be solved in three steps.

“First, the Government must temporarily relax the requirement for EU traders to have an office in the UK to import goods, and subsequently ask the EU commission to do the same. The most serious problem today is that businesses without a presence in the other market cannot import their goods without appointing a customs agent.

“ This is how the new customs rules have been designed by the UK and the EU as part of the Brexit deal. This is a serious flaw. Customs agents are rare and very expensive and the UK currently requires about 20,000 more agents to meet demand. The Government should take this step very urgently to avoid a major supply chain disaster in the weeks ahead.”

Altmann added: “Second, the Government needs to admit that their expensive Brexit information campaign has not prepared businesses well enough for the new trade relationship with the EU. The guidance provided by the UK Government contains conflicting information, not enough detail, and to some extent, wrong advice.

“This has become particularly apparent with regards to the new border situation with Northern Ireland. It has become clear that the Government’s guidance has not been drafted by trade and customs experts, which is a serious shortcoming.

“The Government must take a step back now and relax the rules for the time being, while redrafting guidance and advisory papers based on the final Brexit deal arrangements. This is the only way to overcome the misinformation and provide traders and freight carriers with the confidence they need to sell cross-border.”

Altmann, who is also a Chairman at the British Chamber of Commerce in Germany said: “ “Thirdly, there are some serious flaws in the Brexit trade deal that the Government must put high up on the agenda to clarify and potentially renegotiate with the EU.

“ One area that continues to create confusion among traders and their freight carriers is the new rules of origin provision. The Government presented the Brexit deal as a tariff and quota free agreement. This is only partly true. Tariffs still apply in the normal way for manufactured goods which contain more than 40 percent of ingredients with origins outside the UK or EU.

“There is no guidance of how businesses should calculate and document the origin analysis. This is causing major disruptions to supply chains. Again, we recommend that the new rules of origin are temporarily paused until there is sufficient guidance and expertise available to work this out.”

Search for lockdown’s walking heroes begins

National charity Living Streets is asking people to nominate local groups or individuals who have gone the extra mile to improve their community for walking this year.

Living Streets, the UK charity for everyday walking, is looking for inspiring entrants for the Charles Maher Award – Walking Champion 2021.

The award was set up in honour of Charles Maher, a campaigner and longstanding supporter of Living Streets – formerly the Pedestrians Association – and recognises an individual, group or organisation who has helped achieve a better walking environment and got people walking.

After a year which has seen streets improved so people can walk while socially distancing and seen more people walking for exercise, the charity is keen to celebrate the people who have made this possible.

Mary Creagh, Chief Executive, Living Streets said: “We know there are some dedicated people out there who work tirelessly for their local community to transform their streets into safer and more attractive places.

“We want to recognise the brilliant work they’ve done which has helped people to stay healthy, happy and connected during the pandemic.”

Individuals, local groups, organisations or local authorities can self-nominate themselves or others for the Living Streets Charles Maher Award.

Nominations close on 16 February 2021. The nomination form is on the Living Streets website: www.livingstreets.org.uk/maher

The award will be presented at Living Streets’ National Walking Summit on Thursday 18 March 2021. Full details and ticket information at www.livingstreets.org.uk/NationalWalkingSummit