Category: North Edinburgh News

Recycle those Christmas cards at Sainsbury’s

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Post-Christmas clean up? Don’t throw your old Christmas cards out with the rest of your household rubbish – recycle them at Sainsbury’s Blackhall!

Sainsbury’s is providing local residents with a solution to make use of their Christmas cards this year. The store has a Christmas card recycling bin in place and residents can bring in their cards until 15 January.

Sainsbury’s is making a donation to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) based on the volume of cards collected.

Sainsbury’s are trying to do their bit for the environment by helping customers tackle post-Christmas waste and impact on landfill by: 

  • Making a donation to Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) from Christmas card recycling in 500 stores including Blackhall
  • Providing a safe way for customers to dispose of post-Christmas batteries – over 21 million batteries recycled by Sainsbury’s in the past year from in-store collections
  • Offering recycling facilities at over 300 stores including Blackhall  to help customers reduce waste to landfill and support hassle free post-Christmas clear outs – Sainsbury’s has collected over 9 million items of clothing in 11 months!

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New cash for empty homes

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New funding could bring more than 400 empty homes back into use for communities across Scotland, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said this week. Seventeen housing associations, councils and house builders submitted successful bids for the Scottish Government’s Empty Homes Loans Fund.

The fund will help private owners renovate empty homes in exchange for them being made available as affordable housing for at least five years. There are around 25,000 empty homes across Scotland that are classed as long-term empty located in urban, rural and island communities.

Ms Sturgeon said: “Empty homes are a blight on many communities across Scotland. Standing empty these properties are no use to anyone. Renovated, they could provide much needed new homes for hundreds of people. That is why more needs to be done to make better use of these existing assets.

“Bringing empty homes back into use makes sense because it is a cost-effective way of increasing the supply of housing available to families across Scotland’s communities. “The Empty Homes Loan Fund, and wider work being taken forward by Councils as a result of the Shelter Scotland-led Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, can help significantly reduce the number of wasted, empty homes across Scotland.”

Kristen Hubert, coordinator of the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, which is hosted by Shelter Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government, said: “It is pleasing and highly encouraging that so many worthy projects have been given the go ahead. Having an incentive like a loan to offer owners of empty homes is a key part of getting people to engage with our growing network of Empty Homes Officers and make positive choices about their properties.  We will work with the successful bidders to help them make the most of their projects. We look forward with excitement to seeing so many empty homes that previously caused issues for their communities coming back to life as affordable housing.”

COSLA’s housing spokeperson Councillor Harry McGuigan said: “The fund is a welcome contribution to Scotland’s overall housing stock, and will greatly assist local government’s empty home officers on making real progress locally in relieving housing pressure.

“Encouraging owners to bring housing stock back to the affordable rental market will make a valuable contribution in tackling homelessness, directly and indirectly, and remove what can be neighbourhood blight.”

Here in Edinburgh, the City Council announced that it was setting up an empty homes task force back in September, working with other organisations on initiatives to bring more housing into use. Edinburgh’s share of the new housing cash is £750,000, which will now bring 70 empty homes back into use.

Welcoming the announcement Councillor Cammy Day, the city council’s Housing Leader, said: “Setting up  an empty homes task force  was one of the first commitments delivered by  the capital coalition following the  elections in May. I’m delighted that Link Housing Association, a key  member of the task force, has been successful in securing this funding. This underlines the  co-operative approach we are taking to  addressing the housing and other challenges that the city faces. We will  continue working with Link  and other partners in the task force on reducing the number of empty homes in the  city.”

No rest for animal rescue centre over Christmas

Animal Care Assistant Antonio Dalessio with Cuthbert

The Scottish SPCA’s Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre had a staggering 156 animals in its care this Christmas Day. It was business as usual for dedicated staff at the Balerno-based  centre, which is open to the public all year round.

Centre Manager Diane Stewart said, “It’s a sad reality that there are  lots of animals without loving homes to call their own this Christmas time. Thanks to our staff, no animal here spent Christmas Day alone and they all got a wee treat from Santa too. It’s simply not an option for us to close over the holidays as the animals here rely on us and they don’t have anywhere else to go.

“We’ll be here for all the animals in our care throughout Christmas and  New Year, ensuring they’re fed, watered and exercised every day as usual. There is also the task of washing down the kennels, cleaning out the catteries and other enclosures and ensuring animals receive any necessary vet treatment. We’ll also continue to take in abandoned, neglected, injured and
unwanted animals who have been rescued by our inspectors and animal rescue officers.”

“Although we aren’t rehoming young animals between 20 December and 3  January to prevent them being taken on by someone who wants a new pet  for Christmas and hasn’t fully thought through their decision, they can be reserved and there are lots of other pets in our care ready to find their forever homes right now. People are very welcome to pop in to the centre if they think they could offer one of our animals a second chance at happiness.”

The Scottish SPCA’s Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre is open 10am-4pm, seven days a week.

Statistics to smile about

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More children in Scotland have brighter smiles, with 67 per cent of primary one children having no obvious sign of tooth decay.

The latest figures from the National Dental Inspection Programme, show that for the first time all NHS boards have met the Scottish Government target for 60 per cent of primary ones to have no obvious signs of tooth decay – an overall improvement across Scotland of 3% since 2009/10.

Minister for Public Health, Michael Matheson said: “It is fantastic news that record numbers of primary one children have no obvious signs of decay, and for the first time, all 14 NHS Boards have exceeded the target – that 60 per cent should have no obvious signs of decay.

“This tremendous progress is the result of our significant investment in children’s dentistry over recent years. It is also tribute to our work with the British Dental Association and the commitment of Scottish dentists, nursery and school staff and parents to deliver the Childsmile programme. However it is extremely important that we continue this work as we know that the best way to improve the nations dental health is in childhood.”

To ensure this progress continues Scotland’s Chief Dental Officer, Margie Taylor, shares some dental health tips as children eat their Christmas selection boxes and sweets. Ms Taylor  is encouraging parents to teach their children the importance of good dental hygiene from a young age and keep sweets until mealtimes as much as possible.

She said: “I know that a selection box can put a smile on the face of most children but it’s important that parents keep those smiles healthy. Children develop their oral health habits, good or bad, at a very young age. So it is important that parents remember their healthful habits and practices throughout the festive season to ensure that their children enjoy a lifetime of beautiful smiles.

“I would advise parents to keep sugary snacks to mealtimes in order to help protect against from decay and to avoid all sweet during the last hour before bedtime. Children over three should then brush their teeth with a pea-sized blob of toothpaste – brushing all surfaces of the teeth and gums, working on two teeth at a time. Children under three should only have a smear of toothpaste on their brush.”

Dental Hygienist Helping Girl Brush Teeth

The twelve days of a greener Christmas

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As festive celebrations take place across the country, Scots are being encouraged to spread seasonal goodwill by making greener choices this Christmas …

More waste is produced at Christmas than at any other time of year.  It’s estimated Scotland uses over 30,000 km of wrapping paper – enough to stretch from Scotland to Australia and back again. And millions of glass bottles and cans will be disposed of – all of which can be recycled.

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead believes that people across the country can play their part in making Scotland a cleaner, greener, place to live simply by taking small steps to reduce waste and adopt a greener lifestyle.

He said: “The festive season is a fantastic time to have fun, relax and enjoy quality time with the family. While Scots across the country are doing just that, it’s also important that we take a minute to think about the impact of our choices on the environment. By simply making a few greener choices this Christmas time, we can all play a part protecting Scotland’s stunning beauty and natural resources.

“Simple greener choices are all that’s needed – from reusing or recycling our wrapping paper and packaging, to planning meals and using up leftover food. If more people do these things, it can make a real difference, reducing the impact on the environment and saving money too, which will benefit families and communities all across Scotland.

“We are committed to creating a greener, cleaner Scotland now and for the future. If we all do our bit to reduce, reuse and recycle this festive season, we can work together to achieve this.”

There are lots of things we can all do to have make the festive season greener.  To help you get started, the Scottish Government’s Greener Together campaign has put a new twist on some old favourites.

The 12 tips for a greener Christmas time are:

1. Greener Christmas cards Recycle your festive greetings cards or get creative reusing them for festive family fun or even preparing greetings cards or gift labels for next year which can help to reduce your Christmas waste this year and next.

2. Add a touch of nature to decorate your home Use nature’s resources to dream up the perfect natural decorations this festive season – have a fun day out with the family to collect evergreen wreaths, pine cones and seed pods to make your home festive.  Decorations can be made from organic materials including cinnamon sticks, wood and dried fruit like orange slices or reusing last year’s Christmas cards.

3. Recycle your Christmas tree Why not give your artificial Christmas tree and decorations another go next season and if you’re using a real tree take it to a collection point for composting? If your real tree has roots it can be planted in your garden after Christmas and dug up for display again the next year.

4. Save Energy Remember to turn off your Christmas tree lights, and any appliances that are on standby, when you go to bed or if you’re out. Simply switching the lights off and even turning the heating down by one degree helps saves money and the environment.

5. Use rechargeable batteries New gifts at Christmas often mean a lot of batteries. Batteries contain toxic chemicals and must be recycled properly.  Many shops now have battery recycling points, as do some town halls, schools and libraries – look out for the Be Positive signs to find out where you can recycle batteries. As an alternative, use rechargeable batteries or try the new AA size USB rechargeable batteries. By opening the cap and plugging into a USB connector, you can recharge them pretty much anywhere.

6. Give unwanted gifts a new life Rather than binning any unwanted presents or items you no longer need after Christmas, pass them on to be reused or recycle them. Charity shops will be happy to take good quality items off your hands and you can freecycle too. If they aren’t in good enough shape to be passed on, why not see if you can recycle them?

7. Eat in season Scotland produces a huge variety of foods throughout the year, so it’s always better to choose flavoursome, in season food – especially at Christmas time.  Give your local producers a boost by buying the best of Scotland’s natural larder this festive season. For wholesome winter soups and stews, choose an in season ingredient and find a recipe that puts it to good use at:

8. Reduce food waste You can make the food you buy for Christmas go further with some simple menu planning and careful storage to keep food fresher for longer. It’s always best to cook only the amount you and your family will eat. Why not use our recipe finder to work out how to use up those Christmas leftovers?

9. Recycle food waste or consider using a composting bin Using a food recycling service (food waste collections, provided by local authorities are already available in some towns and cities, and will be coming to others soon) keeps food and drink that is thrown away out of landfill, and helps reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gases. You can also compost food waste such as banana skins, tea bags or apple cores in your garden.

10. Reuse wrapping paper You can unwrap presents carefully and reuse the paper next year. And when it comes to presents we all know that kids often prefer to play with the packaging instead of the actual toy – so why not make the most of it and create a den, pretend car or even Santa’s sleigh to have fun with. Go to www.playtalkread.org for more fun-time ideas.

11. Use the car less Plan your trips this festive season – write lists to prevent going back and forward for forgotten items, use the bus if you can or walk to local shops. Why not involve the kids in the spreading the festive season cheer? Take them out for a walk and get them to deliver local thank you cards in person, cutting down on vehicle use.

12.  Charity shop and vintage chic You don’t have to break the bank to look stylish at Christmas time. Look out for classic outfits in your local vintage or charity shop. You can often find unique items tucked away at an affordable price. By mixing and matching, you can put together a statement outfit which will make your wardrobe dazzle this festive season.

One Christmas, a long long time ago …

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You will hardly credit what I am going to tell you: but thousands of our men will be writing home today telling the same strange and wonderful story. Listen.

Last night as I sat in my little dugout, writing, my chum came bursting in upon me with: ‘Bob! Hark at ‘em!’ And I listened. From the German trenches came the sound of music and singing. My chum continued: ‘They’ve got Christmas trees all along the top of their trenches! Never saw such a sight!’

I got up to investigate. Climbing the parapet, I saw a sight which I shall remember to my dying day. Right along the whole of the line were hung paper lanterns and illuminations of every description, many of them in such positions as to suggest that they were hung upon Christmas trees. And as I stood in wonder a rousing song came over to us; at first the words were indistinguishable , then, as the song was repeated again  and again, we realized that we were listening to ‘The Watch on the Rhine.’ Our boys answered with a cheer, while a neighbouring regiment sang lustily the National Anthem.

Some were for shooting the lights away, but almost at the first shot there came a shout in really good English, ‘Stop shooting!’ Then began a series of answering shouts from trench to trench. It was incredible. ‘Hallo! Hallo! You English we wish to speak.’ And everyone began to speak at once. Some were rational, others the reverse of complimentary. Eventually some sort of order obtained, and lo! A party of our men got out from the trenches and invited the Germans to meet them halfway and talk.

And there in the searchlight they stood, Englishman and German, chatting and smoking cigarettes together midway between the lines. A rousing cheer went up from friend and foe alike. The group was too far away from me to hear what was being said, but presently we heard a cheery ‘Good Night. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all’, with which the parties returned to their respective trenches.

After this we remained the whole night through, singing with the enemy song for song.

Sergeant A Lovell, 3 Rifle Brigade

Christmas Day 1914

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Check your GP opening times

With Christmas upon us, NHS Scotland is now reminding the public of the GP surgery closures over New Year:

While GP practices re-open on Thursday after the Christmas break, the NHS Scotland Be Ready for Winter campaign advises people to be aware that many GP surgeries and pharmacies will be closed for two days again at the New Year (Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd January) .

NHS 24’s Medical Director Professor George Crooks, explained: “While NHS Scotland staff have been very busy over the Christmas period, it is important that people remember there is another period of GP practices’ closures over Hogmanay. It’s important that people know the opening times of their local pharmacy too and make use of the next couple of days to re-stock with simple home remedies to ensure they can look after themselves and their family if needed.

“Knowing you have remedies at home to help if a winter illness does strike can make all the difference and if your symptoms worsen while your GP surgery is closed, you should contact NHS 24”

Many GPs will be working hard throughout the festive period supporting local Out of Hours services and Be Ready for Winter has the backing of the British Medical Association (BMA) in Scotland and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Scotland. Dr John Gillies, Chair of the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland, said: “Cold and flu bugs are most prevalent between January and March. Be prepared by stocking your medicine cabinet with suitable over the counter remedies. If you are in a vulnerable group make sure you have requested a flu vaccine from your practice. Remember that your local general practice will not be closed for very long, but if you do need out of hours advice you can look at NHS inform online or contact NHS 24.”

General advice and information on how to stay healthy this winter can be found at www.nhsinform.co.uk or contact NHS inform on 0800 22 44 88. Winter health advice is also available through the NHSScotland digital TV channel, or follow NHS 24 on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates and tips.

The four key steps that Be Ready for Winter is recommending everyone take in preparation for their health this winter are:

Restock your winter medicine cabinet

Many children and adults pick up common winter ailments such as a cold or flu-like illness. These can often be effectively treated at home with readily available medicine. Parents are reminded to restock their medicine cabinet with remedies suitable for children.

Use your local pharmacy

Your local pharmacy is an accessible resource for you and your family. Your pharmacist can offer advice or help if you have run out of any prescribed medication. You can also collect medicine for minor ailments or illnesses.

Make sure you have repeat prescriptions.

If you or someone you care for requires medicines regularly, make sure you order and collect repeat prescriptions in good time to ensure you or your family have enough medicine to last over the Christmas holiday period.

Know when your GP surgery will be open

Your local doctor’s surgery will be open on Monday 31st December and closed for two days on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd January 2013.

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A Christmas Tale

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Santa was confused. “This isn’t the Pennywell I know. There used to be hundreds of happy boys and girls running around here – now the houses are boarded up and the streets are empty.”

Donkey, Santa’s special adviser, smiled. “Don’t worry, Santa, I know where the children are,” he said. “Times change. I remember many, many years ago – before there were any shops or houses, this area was all farmland. Fields stretched for miles, as far as the eye could see. This area was only built up around seventy or eighty years ago, but those houses were well past their best. Houses will be built here again and the children will come back to their new homes. As I say, times change – maybe one day it will revert back to farmland again. But this is Pennywell, Christmas 2012.”

Santa was relieved. “Thank goodness for that, I thought I was lost!” he said.

Donkey laughed. “I suppose you’re not getting any younger, Santa. You need all the help you can get. Guess what I’m getting you for Christmas?”

Santa shook his head.

“Sat Nav!” said Donkey, very pleased with himself.

“A sat nav? Why would I need a sat nav? I have a perfectly good team of reindeer who take me everywhere I have to go – it’s never been a problem, it’s worked for hundreds of years!” Santa spluttered.

“Calm down, Santa – watch your blood pressure! You know money is tight everywhere just now? Double dip recession and all that? We’re all in this together, remember? So maybe it’s time to downsize, cut back on your expenditure a bit? Reindeer are expensive to maintain and run and there are far more economical ways of getting around. Oh, and they stink!”

Santa paused, then replied: “They stink? Yes, well, that would be the exhaust emissions! I fed them Brussels sprout stew today – perhaps I need to look at that particular bio-fuel and come up with something more environmentally friendly! But replace the reindeer? Never! Call me old fashioned – you always do, anyway – but the reindeer are here to stay. Can you imagine how disappointed the children would be if they saw me flashing across the night sky in some new-fangled eco-vehicle? You can keep your economic forecasts and spreadsheets, but I’m keeping my reindeer. Balance the books by all means, but you can’t put a value on a child’s happy face at Christmas time – it’s priceless!”

Donkey thought long and hard. “You have a point, Santa. Perhaps there are other economies we could make. I shall work up some options and will present these to you in a Power Point presentation early in the New Year – and the reindeer will NOT be included in any cost-saving calculations. Perhaps we could even put it out to consultation or sound out some focus groups. Whatever, the traditional Christmas mode of transport will remain – you have my word.”

Donkey looked at his watch and continued: “Time marches on and we have presents to deliver. From Aaron to Zoe, I know where all the Pennywell children are living just now – I have a list in my Blackberry. They will be asleep, dreaming of a visit from Santa …”

“You are indeed a wise donkey!” said Santa. “We won’t let those children down – let’s deliver those presents. Ho! Ho! Ho!”

With that they were off – Santa, donkey, reindeer and sleigh flying high above Muirhouse …

“Donkey, are you jealous of the reindeer just because they have magnificent antlers and you only have big floppy ears?”

“Certainly not. They may have magnificent antlers, but my personal hygiene is impeccable and I don’t stink. And I have an iPad.”

And Santa’s jolly laugh rang out and echoed across the night sky …

Merry Christmas!SantasDonkey