Hibernian FC takes part in ‘Challenge Poverty Week’ by ensuring no child goes hungry at Hermitage Park Primary School.
Hibernian Community Foundation are delighted to launch ‘Hibs Crunch and Munch’ with local partner school Hermitage Park Primary in an exciting initiative that will see every pupil at Hermitage Park Primary School receive a free piece of fruit every school day.
2020 has seen Hibernian Community Foundation and Hermitage Park Primary work together on a number of programmes which have supported pupils and families in the local area.
Throughout lockdown Hibs have provided weekend food parcels to pupils at home and developed digital educational resources to ensure learning can continue away from the class room. Hibs have also delivered ‘Score Goals’, an eight week project with primary 6 pupils with a focus on football, exercise and healthy eating.
Hibs Crunch and Munch will become a significant element of Hibs Class at Hermitage Park as the school aims to support pupils learning in the classroom in as many ways across a number of curriculum areas including literacy, numeracy, and wellbeing.
Hibs Crunch and Munch will also support Hibernian Football Club’s pledge to be the greenest club in Scotland as they have already identified ways in which extra resources can be shared. Over the summer Hibernian Community Foundation has saved over 2300kg of CO2 by sharing food that would otherwise go to waste.
Lisa Black, Deputy Head Teacher at Hermitage Park Primary School said: “We are proud to be a Hibernian partner school. The ‘Hibs Crunch & Munch’ is another example of how they are helping Hermitage Park Primary students thrive emotionally, socially and behaviourally.
“Hibs are helping us tackle childhood obesity, reduce playground litter and offer an opportunity for the pupils to develop social skills by sitting down together to eat the fruit.
“Hibernian Football Club has a long and proud tradition of working to support local communities and we are grateful to be supported by them”.
Charlie Bennett Hibernian Community Foundation CEO commented: ‘We’re really excited to be working with pupils and teachers at Hermitage Park and we’re pleased we can support the health and wellbeing of the pupils in this way.
“Like the school we want to ensure children in our communities are healthy and we hope the ‘Hibs Crunch and Much’ will make a significant contribution to this’.
Bill Kidd (Glasgow Anniesland) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the car parking arrangements at Ninewells Hospital, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Edinburgh Royal Infirmary during the COVID-19 pandemic response.
S5W-32056
Jeane Freeman:On 30 March 2020, the three PFI hospital car park providers at Ninewells Hospital, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Edinburgh Royal Infirmary agreed to remove car parking charges for staff, visitors and patients initially for the three months and extended further by additional three months until 30 September 2020.
The Scottish Government have now reached agreement with the three PFI hospital car park providers to extend the free car parking arrangements by a further four months until January 2021. This extension of free parking continues to support staff and remove the barriers to our staff working with the NHS during these unprecedented times.
Lothians Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said: “The extensions of free parking at PFI hospitals in Scotland until the new year is welcome news, but we need to see a long term solution to allow for free parking at all three PFI hospitals permanently.
“The lifting of parking charges shows that the removal of charges can be achieved and I will continue to work with MSPs of all parties to find a long term solution.
“This is now the second extension to the free parking charges without any clarity on what SNP Ministers are trying to achieve.
“Increasingly questions are being asked over the inability of SNP Ministers to secure a deal and whether value for Scottish taxpayers money is being achieved.”
There is no charge for parking at the Western General Hospital.
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, yesterday (Friday 25 September):
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us. Before I start this morning I want to acknowledge the dreadful news from Croydon in South London, of a police officer being shot dead.
The circumstances are obviously subject to investigation but I want to take the opportunity to convey my deepest condolences to all of the officer’s loved ones.
This is a heartbreaking reminder of the dangers police officers confront every single day on our behalf – and of the enormous debt of gratitude we owe them as a result of that.
And – especially with the Chief Constable of Police Scotland standing next to me – it is important for me to acknowledge that every day, but particularly in the wake of such upsetting and tragic news.
Let me now turn to the usual run-through of statistics for Covid today.
The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 558.
This represents 9.5% of people newly tested and takes the total number of cases to 26,518.
The full regional breakdown will be published later, but I can confirm that 255 of the cases are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 119 in Lothian and 61 in Lanarkshire.
The remaining 123 cases are across nine other health boards.
Now, today’s figures are impacted by a number of university outbreaks – and I’ll say more about that later.
But notwithstanding this I also want to stress that no one should be under the impression that the Covid threat right now is just a university problem and that there’s no need for the rest of us to take this seriously.
Transmission of Covid is increasing generally across the country – and the increase in cases started before the return of universities. So the numbers right now are impacted by universities but it doesn’t change the fact that this is a risk that all of us need to take seriously and we all need to follow the advice.
I can also confirm that 89 people are in hospital – that is an increase of four from yesterday.
11 people are in intensive care, which is one more than yesterday.
And in the past 24 hours, no deaths have been registered of a patient who first tested positive over the previous 28 days.
I want to just insert one note of caution around that. National Records of Scotland who report those figures to us suffered a power outage this morning so it is possible that we will have to modify that figure later on but based on the information I have just now no deaths were registered over the past 24 hours.
That means that the total number of deaths, under the measure used in our daily figures, remains 2,510.
That total serves once again as a reminder once again of the overall impact of this virus. As usual I want to pass on my condolences to everybody who has lost a loved one.
I’m joined today by the Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, and our Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nicola Steedman. In a few minutes, the Chief Constable will talk about new restrictions that are now in place – and how they’ll be enforced. Dr Steedman will also talk about the importance of people going for their flu jabs in the days and weeks ahead.
The main thing I want to do today is to speak to Scotland’s students – and to set out what we are asking you to do right now, to help control the spread of coronavirus.
First, though, I want to draw your attention to an announcement that was made last night.
The Scottish Government has added four additional countries to the list of those that are subject to quarantine restrictions. Those countries are Denmark, Iceland, Slovakia and Curacao.
It means that from tomorrow, people travelling to Scotland from these places must self-isolate for 14 days, upon their return.
This is another reminder of how quickly levels of the virus – in any country or area – can change. So I’ll say again, please avoid non-essential overseas travel at the moment. In fact, please think carefully about unnecessary travel anywhere right now. That advice applies – not just now – but also to any plans you might have for the October school break.
Let me turn now to the main issue I want to address today. I want to send a message directly to university students – and indeed to parents, many of whom will be worried about their children at universities just now.
I’m not a parent but I am the devoted auntie of a boy who has just started university and is living away from home for the first time so I do have some insight into the anxiety that people are feeling right now.
The government is having to make some really tough decisions right now but none of us are immune from the impact of those decisions and we understand how difficult they are for people because we have families as well.
First thing I want to say direct to students is I’m so sorry that this time in your lives is being made so tough. I feel for all of you – but especially those of you just starting university and living away from home for the first time.
This is an exciting time in your lives but I can remember from my own experience, that this is also a time of adjustment and probably a bit of homesickness too. That would be the case without Covid, but I’m sure it’s much more difficult given the circumstance you are having to deal with right now.
And I want to also be clear, because I know some of you feel like you are somehow being blamed, you don’t deserve to be facing this – no one does – and it’s not your fault.
But – and this is just as important – this won’t last forever. And the quicker we get Covid back under control, the sooner you will get to enjoy a more normal student life.
So – I know it’s difficult – but please do what’s being asked of you just now.
Because although Covid is nobody’s fault – we all have to play our part in tackling it. And there is nobody across the country that is not touched by that, there are many families who haven’t seen loved ones in care homes for a considerable period of time, there are families across the country that are not able to spend time with each other right now. Everybody is feeling the effects of this but we all have to play a part to get through what we are facing.
There’s been a lot of discussion about the Universities Scotland advice that issued last night. So let me boil it down to the basics of what it is we are asking students to do.
Firstly if you live in student or shared accommodation, please don’t have parties and don’t socialise in your accommodation with people who are not in your household group.
I know the impact of this on students is a bit harder because of your shared living arrangements but this advice is actually no different to what we are asking of the population as a whole – to stay out of each other’s houses – and it’s because we know the virus can spread easily when different households mix together indoors in domestic environments.
And secondly, but just for this weekend, we are asking students to please stay away from pubs, restaurants and cafes.
The reason for this is that there are a number of campus outbreaks across Scotland and we want to do everything we can to stop them spreading further. And staying away from hospitality this weekend is one of the ways in which students can help.
The incubation period of this virus means that the exposure people have had in the last few days means that we will see campus cases continue to rise in the days to come. But if we take steps now to limit the interaction over the next few days we can help stem that flow and make sure outbreaks don’t spread any further. So that’s the reason for that advice this weekend.
After this weekend, we’ll ask the same of you as of everyone else. Try to limit your social interactions in pubs and hospitality but when you do go, you should be in groups of no more than six from a maximum of two households.
We are also asking students to download the Protect Scotland app. It isn’t mandatory – but it is strongly encouraged, and your university can ask you to do so – because, particularly when you may not know everyone you are meeting, it is an effective way of alerting people that they have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid. In the last two weeks, more than 800 people have been notified by the app to isolate.
And lastly if you are asked to self-isolate as a student because you have tested positive or are a contact of someone who has, please follow the advice. It is really important.
In all of this, your university has a big responsibility to look after your welfare and make sure you are okay. I have spoken personally this morning to university principals, to stress their responsibilities to you – and I know this is something that they take seriously but it is also something parents will want to be assured of too.
Student services already have special arrangements in place, including 24-hour helplines, support for food deliveries, and additional mental health counsellors, for those who might need that support.
I am grateful to all of those – including the many student volunteers – who are helping to provide practical and emotional support in this way.
One final point I want to address today but we’ll say more about this over the weekend. We are aware that for some students who have been asked to self-isolate, they might be finding that situation so difficult that they want to go back to their family home to complete the period of self-isolation.
Now I’m going to be frank. That is a difficult balancing act because if you go home after you have been asked to self-isolate that will have implications for your family who may also have to self-isolate if oyu test positive. But I wanted to let you know today that we are looking at what might be possible there and it is our aim to issue some further guidance on that over the weekend.
The key point to stress is that help is there for you if you need it just now so if you need it please ask for it.
The final thing I want to say to students today is thank you. Thank you to all of you, just like everybody else across the country you are bearing a burden that I desperately wish you didn’t have to be bearing right now but you are being part of our collective effort to beat Covid back. And for that you have my thanks and deep appreciation.
Now, I’ve focussed primarily today on what is being asked of students and I think it’s important that we do focus on that today. But of course, all of us have a role in getting this virus back under control.
The regulations for the new household and hospitality restrictions come into force today. And as I said earlier, the Chief Constable will say a few words about their enforcement, shortly.
For now, I want to remind everyone of what the restrictions are.
With some limited exceptions, none of us should be visiting each other’s homes at the moment.
Outdoors or in public indoor spaces, we must not meet in groups of any more than six people from a maximum of two households. Children under 12 are not included in these limits outdoors so they can play with their friends and young people aged 12 to 17 are exempt from the two household limit they can meet outdoors in groups of up to six but all six people don’t have to be from just two households.
From today, all hospitality premises will close by 10 pm to try to reduce the amount of time people are spending in licensed premises. Beyond that, we are asking people to limit visits to and social interactions in pubs and restaurants as far as possible.
These measures are tough, I know they are tough but they are necessary if we are to keep schools open, resume more non-Covid NHS services, keep care homes safe and protect jobs.
The danger – if we don’t act now – is that the virus will continue to spread, and even more severe or longer-lasting restrictions will be required later.
So please, follow the new rules – they will make a difference.
Limit your interactions with others.
Download the Protect Scotland app.
And finally, remember FACTS –
Face coverings
Avoid crowded places.
Clean hands and hard surfaces
keep Two metres away from other households.
and Self isolate, and book a test, if you have symptoms.
I don’t underestimate how difficult this is for everybody and it is more difficult six months in than it was even when we were under strict lockdown back earlier in the year but this is essential.
I we all pull together and do the right things for ourselves and each other we will get through it more quickly than we will otherwise.
My deep thanks to everybody for all of the sacrifices that you are making and perhaps particularly today because of the issues that I have been talking about my special thanks to students at our universities.
A new walk-through coronavirus testing centre has opened in Edinburgh. The new facility is being provided by the UK Government as part of a UK-wide drive to continue to improve the accessibility of coronavirus testing for local communities.
The centre, in the Usher Hall, will offer pre-booked tests for those with coronavirus symptoms.
The new site is situated so as to be easily accessible without a car. Those being tested will be required to follow public health measures, including social distancing, not travelling by taxi or public transport, practising good personal hygiene and wearing a face covering throughout, including while travelling to and from the testing centre.
Anyone attending an appointment at a walk-through testing will be provided with guidance on getting to and from the test site safely, with additional support for vulnerable groups and people with disabilities.
Testing at the new site started yesterday at 2pm, with appointments to be made available every day.
The latest UK Government site is part of the largest network of diagnostic testing facilities created in British history, which now comprises 75 drive-through sites, 112 walk-through sites, 258 mobile units, home testing and satellite kits and network of Lighthouse laboratories.
Testing is available only for those with coronavirus symptoms – a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss or change to sense of smell or taste.
Anyone with one or more of these symptoms should book a test at NHS Inform or by calling 0800 028 2816. From the start of the pandemic, testing has been prioritised for the most vulnerable, including patients in clinical settings and care home residents, vital health and care staff and to manage outbreaks.
Anyone testing positive for the will be contacted by contact tracers to help them trace their contacts. This will help people to identify who they may have been in close contact with, protecting others from further transmission.
Close contacts of those testing positive will also hear from contact tracers, asking them to stay at home for 14 days to prevent them from unknowingly spreading the virus. They will be advised to also book at test if they develop symptoms.
Health Minister Lord Bethell said: We continue to expand testing to make sure that everyone with symptoms can get a test, with our new walk-in sites making it even easier no matter where you live.
“This new site forms part of our national testing network, which has the capacity to test more than a million people a week and is growing all the time.
“If you have symptoms of coronavirus, I urge you to book a test today and follow the advice of contact tracers if you are contacted to protect others around you and stop the spread of the virus.
“This is a national effort and we are proud to be working with a number of partners to turn this ambition into a reality and roll out additional capacity to where it is needed.”
Baroness Dido Harding, Interim Executive Chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, said: “Our new walk through sites offer communities better access to coronavirus testing, so everyone with symptoms can get a test. This new site is part of our ongoing work to expand testing across the UK to deliver 500,000 tests a day by the end of October.
“Please book a test if you have coronavirus symptoms: a new continuous cough, a high temperature and a loss or change in sense of smell or taste.
“Everybody should continue to think hands, face, space, and follow the advice of contact tracers if you are contacted – this is the only way we can return to a more normal way of life.”
UK Government minister for Scotland, Iain Stewart, said: “The UK Government is committed to helping all parts of the UK fight coronavirus. We are providing the bulk of covid testing in Scotland, and this new walk-through centre in Edinburgh comes on top of nine other testing sites across Scotland funded by the UK Government, as well as the Glasgow Lighthouse Lab.
“Testing will play a vital part over the coming months, helping to manage local outbreaks and protect livelihoods. This walk-through centre will help people in Edinburgh have easy access to a test in the city centre.
“We are pleased to be working with commercial partners and with Edinburgh’s iconic Usher Hall. These sites are not possible without the hard work of many people and I would like to thank everyone involved for their incredible efforts.”
The testing centre is being operated in partnership with Mitie and will self-administered tests.
Simon Venn, Chief Government & Strategy Officer, Mitie, said: “Our priority during the pandemic is to support the nation’s efforts to fight COVID-19 and help keep the country running.
“Testing is a critical part of the UK’s strategy to combat coronavirus and we’re proud to support the UK Government with this vital task. A big thank you to all the NHS staff, Mitie employees and other frontline heroes in Edinburgh, who are working tirelessly to keep us all safe.”
· New research reveals the nation ate more meals together as a family during lockdown which has brought them closer together
· Two in five said they talked more to their family or partner as a result and over a third said they laughed more at the dinner table
· Brits also became more mindful with 40 per cent saying they made a conscious effort to be more sustainable and food waste aware
· Hotpoint #FreshThinking campaign aims to help people maintain their new positive changes and mindful habits in ‘the new normal’
A new study has revealed that lockdown has sparked positive changes in family behaviour and habits in the kitchen, with mealtimes bringing UK families closer as they have bonded by spending more time together cooking and eating.
Proving that the kitchen really is the heart of the home, the research by Hotpoint as part of its Fresh Thinking For Forgotten Food campaign, reveals that over a third of Brits (38 per cent) have sat down to eat together more as a family during the pandemic than before lockdown.
Two in five (40 per cent) said this led them to talking more with their family or partner at mealtimes than they did previously, with 35 percent saying they felt they have laughed more together at the dinner table than before.
During lockdown, over a third (38 per cent) of those surveyed said the amount they looked forward to mealtimes as a family increased, with two in five (41 per cent) Brits cooking more meals together as a family. Over a third (36 per cent) said they rediscovered their love of cooking during the pandemic.
Almost three-quarters (74 per cent) said they felt pleased with their new habits and 90 per cent said they intended to continue.
Commenting on the research, behavioural psychologist, Jo Hemmings says: “In a time where our day-to-day lives have been turned upside down and fear and anxiety have never been far from our thoughts, it has been important to find an alternative routine that provides us with some distraction and reassurance.
“For many, both preparing family meals and sitting down and eating together as a family has provided that emotional support and been a comforting anchor in our new way of living.”
The study by appliance manufacturer Hotpoint, revealed that Brits have become more adventurous in the kitchen, with 45 per cent trying out new dishes, and almost half (49 per cent) cooking more meals from scratch.
Almost two in five (39 per cent) said they cooked more healthy meals during lockdown than before. Following the banana bread craze that swept social media, over a quarter of men (27 per cent) and two in five (40 per cent) of women said they rediscovered their love of baking.
Jo Hemmings agrees: “It’s not just the forgotten joy of sitting together, eating a home cooked meal as a family, more people have been finding a new love of cooking during the pandemic and preparing the family meal has become less of a burden and much more of a pleasure.”
Commenting on the research, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who is working on the campaign said: “This research by Hotpoint reflects exactly what happened in our home this year. We always used to eat all together at the weekends but at the beginning of lockdown we started having supper together every night as a family.
“We’ve also become much better at using leftovers and planning ahead – putting more thought into preparing food for the week, how we would turn dinners into lunch for the next day and not wasting anything.”
With fewer trips to the grocery store, almost half of those surveyed (45 per cent) said COVID-19 had made them think more about how to preserve food and organise their fridge, freezer and cupboards in a way that kept certain foods fresh for longer. Two in five (40 per cent) said they used their freezer more often during lockdown.
Nearly half (49 per cent) said they didn’t waste any food as a result of being home more and two in five Brits (40 per cent) said the lockdown has increased their efforts to be more sustainable and food waste conscious. 45 per cent turned their green fingers to growing more of their own food at home.
In an effort to reduce food waste during the pandemic, 45 per cent of Brits kept cupboards, fridges and freezers more organised than before, with two in five (41 per cent) using meal plans and only shopping for the food they needed, with over a third using leftovers as meals.
Kimberley Garner, Hotpoint Brand Manager, comments: “It’s been a dynamic and trying time, but we’re seeing that many people have embraced this period as an opportunity to reflect on the choices they make when it comes to sustainable household habits and caring for their loved ones, and as a result want to adapt their behaviour for the better.
“At Hotpoint, we are committed to supporting the public on this journey through the ‘new normal’, providing them with innovative solutions that empower more conscious choices at home, every day. With our #FreshThinking campaign, Hotpoint aims to help people continue their positive changes and conscious lifestyle choices – supporting “the way you care” at home.”
Hotpoint is committed to increasing awareness around the global issue of food waste and providing helpful tips and innovative product solutions to tackle this challenge in UK households. Now in its third year, Hotpoint’s Fresh Thinking for Forgotten Food Campaign aims to inspire everyone to enjoy great food whilst cutting back on household waste. As part of its long-term commitment to helping the public move to a zero-waste kitchen, Hotpoint has teamed up with Jamie Oliver to provide recipes, hacks and tips to help people better care for themselves and their families, as well as the environment.
The campaign also showcases the brands innovative, high performance cooking and refrigeration products that can also make a real difference when it comes to cutting back on household food waste.
Students caught up in serious Covid outbreaks in Scotland’s university cities have questioned why university halls were allowed to open. The students have been told not to visit pubs or restaurants this weekend or to return home after hundreds of students across the country tested positive for coronavirus.
Following the outbreak of positive cases of coronavirus in student accommodation in parts of Scotland, university Principals met with the Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Richard Lochhead, to discuss what further measures and messages could be emphasised to stop the spread of the virus.
Commenting after the meeting, Convener of Universities Scotland, Professor Gerry McCormac said: “University leaders share the Scottish Government’s complete commitment to keeping the student population and the wider community safe.
“We have already implemented strict measures to ensure the safety of the university environment, both for teaching and for student residences. We have seen the majority of students live up to our expectations of responsible behaviour, but a minority have not. Everyone across the nation shares the concern at seeing students in residences test positive for the virus and we will act decisively to deal with this.
“The additional actions we will take to drive down the transmission of the virus in student accommodation build on the wide-ranging measures already agreed with Scottish Government. Taken together, we are confident that these will help significantly to control the virus in student accommodation and impact on the number of positive cases; after the inevitable time-lag caused by some existing cases not yet being symptomatic.
“Our top priority to making sure that students that have tested positive and those quarantining are well-supported and ready to return to their studies. We appreciate this isn’t what students would have expected from their first few weeks at university, but it is critical that they play their part in suppressing the virus.”
The Minister for Further Education, Higher Education and Science, Richard Lochhead MSP, said: “This is a welcome package of additional actions, building on the clear guidance that is already in place, to support all students and staff adhere to the rules and stay safe as they make a welcome return to study.
“We expect everyone to comply with public health advice and, as new laws come into force tomorrow, it’s even more important institutions make every effort to ensure the rules are understood and followed – and appropriate actions are taken if not. We know that these are difficult times for many students and we are grateful to them for the sacrifices they are making to protect themselves, their fellow students and the wider community.”
Universities have agreed that:
All universities will make absolutely clear to students that there must be no parties, and no socialising outside their households – communicating and reinforcing these messages on a regular basis using our full range of media channels. Breaches will not be tolerated.
This weekend, the first of the new tighter Scottish Government guidance, we will require students to avoid all socialising outside of their households and outside of their accommodation. We will ask them not to go to bars or other hospitality venues. We will be clear that this is a necessary step at this crucial moment of managing the virus in the student population, to protect students and the wider community.
We will increase the staff presence in student accommodation, to be vigilant against any breaches of guidance and also to offer welfare and practical support to students who are experiencing isolation.
We will engage further with private providers of student accommodation, especially those with significant numbers of bedspaces, to follow our lead and strictly enforce guidance.
We will intensify our institutions’ liaison with Police Scotland, to ensure vigilance about student behaviour off-campus and in private accommodation.
We will take a strict ‘Yellow Card/Red Card’ approach to breaches of student discipline that put students and others at risk. While we first want to advise students about breaches of discipline, we will not hesitate to escalate this to disciplinary action including potential discontinuation of study.
We will commit to further agile staff responses to immediately respond to cases, to help manage the pressures on the public health authorities.
We will require all students to download the Protect Scotland app.
Taking forward these actions we will work very closely with the students’ association of each institution.
Every student who needs a test is able to get one. To further develop the testing system we will continue to work closely with the Scottish and UK Governments on the roll-out of walk-through testing centres in major centres of student population. Where these have been established, they have been a great help to having fast and accessible testing and quick action to contain the spread of the virus. We will are also in discussion with the UK and Scottish Governments about increased availability of home testing in universities.
Responding to updated guidelines for students announced last night by university principals and endorsed by the Scottish Government, Matt Crilly, NUS Scotland President, said: “The announcement by Universities Scotland, and endorsed by the Scottish Government, unfairly blames students for the spread of coronavirus and takes the unjustified step of applying different rules to students over and above the rest of the adult population.
“These measures are deeply concerning – not least to those students who rely on income from hospitality jobs. Having different rules for students makes it even more confusing to stay within guidance, which could make things less safe. And the rules show a complete disregard for students’ mental health and wellbeing. We need better.
“To protect students and communities, we’re calling for targeted support for students who are isolating, for online learning to be the default position, and for students to be given the opportunity to return home without penalty when it is safe to do so.
“The recent outbreak is extremely concerning, and like everyone we students must comply with the public health guidance. It is important to remember that students were strongly encouraged to return to campus, leaving families and support networks behind.
“Like everyone else, students are anxious. We ask the university principals and the Scottish Government to refrain from singling out students and to provide urgent clarity on these measures and their impact on students.”
Education Vice Convener Cllr Alison Dickie writes about the pressing issue of child poverty in Edinburgh:
Let’s talk about stigma, even ‘poor kids’ and how it fuels inequality.
Posh pickles and peppered crackers. Years ago, as a young family down Glasgow way, we made some kind soul feel good when they gifted us an exotic hamper. At the time, I remember thinking that it must have been worth about £50, money that could have bought the school trousers our sons needed.
This, and the wider experience of being worried about the next penny, our reliance on housing benefit, and the debt that became a problem, has given me some understanding about the complexity of poverty today.
Lockdown, and its significant impact on lives, has helped many others better understand how we can be just one life change or support network away from becoming financially vulnerable.
We live in an affluent city but there’s deep inequality, where 23% of our children live in poverty – as high as one in three in some areas. And these children and families struggle to get the smallest and most basic of items, never mind homes in this city of shocking rents and house prices. Contrary to popular opinion, 66% of these children come from families where at least one parent works.
In my own classrooms, there was the period stained skirt not to be forgotten, and the PE kit that was never coming out that wash.
And as Vice Convener of Education, I still remember the pupil who shared her family’s shame of walking through the streets to their homeless accommodation, bin bags of belongings clutched in their hands.
Pickled gifts are nice and food provision is vital, but they won’t end child poverty. And neither will a mindset that continues to see the deficit of ‘poories’ and the ‘vulnerable’, rather than the strengths that every child and their family can bring to the future of our city if we get alongside them for the long haul.
Sometimes we recreate inequality. Think of the bulging schools we deem the best, often mistaking levels of academic performance for loaded advantage, or our hesitancy to sit down, learn and work with anyone.
What too of the postcodes judged, or those loud, already empowered, voices who too heavily influence decisions? And those annual SQA results, the prominence given to them when we say we equally value the strengths and qualifications of every young person?
Next week, the Edinburgh Poverty Commission will launch its findings, and their report will inform the Council’s second Child Poverty Action Plan.
Education, in its most holistic sense, is key, from the equity framework that increasingly informs practice across our schools, to helping families find the benefits to which they are entitled through income maximisation, and the mentoring and wraparound support too.
This, and building a stigma-free environment that supports everyone, from a focus on nurture and wellbeing, to digital devices for all, and the roll out of 1140 early years places to help families back to work.
So, ‘All I am saying, is give every child a chance!’
Booking is now live for our next creative ageing event Bringing art and creativity back to care homes. Book your place here.
This event, on 30th September at 11am, will bring together community artists with colleagues in health and social care to explore how we might bring art and creativity back into care homes over the coming months.
It will be some time before artist visits to care homes can resume, but what is possible? A small number of activities led or supported by artists are now happening at a distance using online and offline approaches, and usually building on relationships between artists and care homes that existed before lockdown. What can we learn from these experiences?
This online event is part of a series of Creative Ageing events from Luminate, focusing on how we can continue to support opportunities for older people to engage with the arts.
The Scottish Government has now committed more than £350 million to support communities during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Since March, this funding has enabled councils, charities and community groups to be flexible and respond swiftly to help people impacted economically or socially, including those struggling to access food at the height of lockdown.
The package included over £120 million to tackle food insecurity, with £12.6 million making sure 175,000 children and young people were able to access free school meals over the summer holidays.
£22 million funding was made available through the Third Sector Resilience Fund, as part of £80 million allocated to third sector and community organisations. As outlined in the Programme for Government, £25 million will now be focused on a new Community and Third Sector Recovery Programme.
This will include business support and investment to help organisations adapt to new ways of working and become sustainable, as they continue to support people and communities in response to the ongoing impact of the pandemic.
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “We have now invested more than the initial £350 million communities funding we announced in March to support people through this public health crisis.
“Our funds have supported people shielding, or struggling with food insecurity, or maintaining free school meals. In addition over 14,000 jobs were safeguarded with £22 million funding through the Third Sector Resilience Fund, and funding was made available for the new Connecting Scotland project to get people online and stay connected.
“This significant funding package has been instrumental in protecting the health, welfare and wellbeing of people throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Organisations across all sectors have stepped up and worked together to ensure our communities are supported throughout this time and I want to thank them for all their efforts.
“Working collaboratively with local government, the third sector, business and communities has produced inspiring, collaborative, locally-based responses to the pandemic and we will learn from that as we continue into recovery.”
Michelle Carruthers, CEO of The Food Train charity, said: “The funding provided to Food Train allowed us to respond to a 70% increase in older people needing help to access food during the pandemic.
“Food Train has been helping more than 3,200 older people during the pandemic. The funds were used to provide temporary extra delivery vehicles, extra local staff, more shopping boxes and safety kits for the staff and volunteer teams to help keep everyone safe.
“We were also able to set up COVID-19 check-in calls, making more than 9,000 calls in five months where approximately a third of the members getting regular calls were shielding.”
Read the full text of the Cabinet Secretary’s letter to the Local Government and Communities Committee.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, is supporting the campaign to save indoor and soft play centres in Scotland. Mr Briggs has submitted a motion at the Scottish Parliament which has gained cross party support from Liberal Democrat, Labour and Independent MSPs.
Indoor and soft play areas employ hundreds of staff across Edinburgh and the Lothians, whose jobs are at risk due to closures.
Indoor play centres were due to open on the 14th September, but was postponed with 4 days’ notice. The new opening date of 5th October is looking increasingly unlikely with the rise in the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Scotland.
Thousands of pounds have been spent by indoor and soft play centres preparing for a reopening that is looking like it will not happen. The autumn and winter months are the busiest times for indoor and soft play centres, with the weather being less good.
Indoor and soft play centre campaigners have held a rally outside the Scottish Parliament yesterday (Wednesday 23rd September) to raise the profile of indoor play centres and highlight the lack of support from the SNP Ministers and the Scottish Government.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“Indoor and soft play areas have spent thousands of pounds getting themselves Covid-19 ready, to minimise the spread of transmission, and allow them to open their doors again.
“These businesses have been told at short notice that they are no longer able to reopen and many are at real risk of closure, threatening jobs and peoples livelihoods.
“If the indoor and soft play areas are being singled out to stay closed, then the Scottish Government must provide them with the necessary support to survive through to next year.
“Indoor and soft play areas are valuable in the community, allowing young children to play and interact, as well as being sociable places for parents.”
Jennifer McNaughton, manager at Pandamonium Play Centre, said:“The majority of family run soft play areas in Scotland will not survive after the announcement at the start of October if they do not receive financial support from the Scottish Government.
“Indoor and soft play centres in England, Ireland and Wales are allowed to be opened with strict guidelines and since mid-August in England.
“Why are other sectors such as night clubs and theatres allowed to open when indoor soft play areas are not, which provide cheap and cheerful unstructured play, that prevents obesity and is crucial for children’s mental health?”
