People across Scotland are being encouraged to include health as part of their festive preparations so that seasonal illnesses can be managed well at home. It is hoped that by following the tips and advice in the ‘Healthy Know How’ campaign the public will enjoy the festivities without having to seek health advice unless it is urgent or an emergency.
Humza Yousaf, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care launched the ‘Healthy Know How’ winter campaign at NHS 24’s newest contact centre in Hillington, Glasgow.
Meeting staff at NHS 24, Mr Yousaf said healthy know how can help us stay well this winter: “Nobody wants to be unwell, especially over the festive holidays, and these few simple steps can help everyone manage common illnesses and avoid the need to interrupt the festivities with a trip to the pharmacy or GP.
“This is going to be the most challenging winter for our health service, and a lot of the ailments for which people access out-of-hours care can be easily managed at home. NHS 24’s 111 service is always busy over the holiday period, but roughly a third of calls to 111 result in safe, self-care advice at home.
“If this campaign can encourage people to care for common seasonal conditions at home, that will leave our frontline services free to help those with more serious conditions.
“By taking a few simple steps we can all do our bit to help support our health services this winter.”
Healthy know how tips to keep well this winter include:
Know how to be prepared for common illnesses and ensure that medicines are to hand, at home.
Know how to check symptoms if you do become unwell. NHS inform’s symptom checkers can give you all the health advice you need online and help you to get the right care, in the right place.
Details on the Healthy Know How campaign and the full range of winter health advice can be found here – www.nhsinform.scot/winter
Cabinet Secretary for Health launches NHS Scotland’s winter campaign
People across Scotland are being encouraged to include health as part of their festive preparations so that seasonal illnesses can be managed well at home. It is hoped that by following the tips and advice in the ‘Healthy Know How’ campaign the public will enjoy the festivities without having to seek health advice unless it is urgent or an emergency.
Humza Yousaf, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care launched the ‘Healthy Know How’ winter campaign at NHS 24’s newest contact centre in Hillington, Glasgow.
L/R
Pic Peter Devlin
Paul Duke: No Ruined Stone 26 November 2022 – 19 February 2023 City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DE Free Admission
This November, the City Art Centre opens a new exhibition of street photography by the artist Paul Duke depicting contemporary life in the Muirhouse area of Edinburgh.
Paul Duke: No Ruined Stone features 38 large-scale black and white photographs documenting the built environment and residents of Muirhouse. It is accompanied by a short film by Julian Ward, in which Paul Duke talks about his work and the experience of creating the series.
This is the first time No Ruined Stone has been displayed as a full-scale exhibition, bringing the photographs back to the artist’s home city.
Paul Duke grew up in Muirhouse, in the north of Edinburgh, between the mid-1960s and early 1980s. He attended the local Craigroyston High School, where his teachers inspired him to consider art as a possible future career. Drawn to photography, he enrolled at Napier College (now Edinburgh Napier University), before gaining a place to study at the Royal College of Art in London. From here, he established himself as a lens-based artist.
In 2015 Duke returned to Muirhouse to develop No Ruined Stone. This series was conceived as the second part of a photographic trilogy by Duke which examines the social climate in modern-day Scotland. It takes its name from the poetry of the Scots writer Hugh MacDiarmid. For No Ruined Stone, the artist spent time meeting local people and talking with them; reconnecting with his roots and exploring how the Muirhouse community had changed since his own upbringing there.
The exhibition at the City Art Centre presents a selection of 38 photographs from No Ruined Stone. It features views of homes and other architectural structures, surrounded by elements of the natural world. Portraits of local residents punctuate the otherwise unpopulated setting, giving a sense of the community’s identity – something that is too often misrepresented in popular culture and elsewhere.
Duke’s understated yet powerful images depict Muirhouse at a time of significant urban regeneration and social flux. While raising issues around social inequality and poverty, No Ruined Stone is underpinned by a message of human resilience, strength of character, and ultimately, hope.
Paul Duke said: “When I started work on No Ruined Stone in 2015, my greatest wish was to create a narrative that gave voice to the residents of Muirhouse – to challenge misrepresentation by portraying the community and local environment with honesty, fairness and dignity.
“I wanted to offer personal insight and in doing so, address pressing questions around social injustice. With millions of people up and down the land dealing with the cost of living crisis, I believe that these photographs have taken on new meaning and are now more relevant than ever.
Curator Dr Helen Scott said: It’s been a real privilege to work with Paul Duke on bringing this exhibition to the City Art Centre.
“No Ruined Stone is an important body of work that is both hard-hitting and reflective, socially-engaged and highly personal. There is heart and truth in these photographs, and the images linger with you long after you’ve seen them.
Councillor Val Walker, Convener of Culture and Communities, said: “We are delighted to present Edinburgh’s own Paul Duke: No Ruined Stone at the City Art Centre.
“His wonderful photographs will be on display for the first time as a full-scale exhibition and I’m sure visitors will be captivated by the series on contemporary life in the Muirhouse area of the Capital and the changes in the community.
“The aim of our City Art Centre is to champion historic and contemporary Scottish visual and applied arts, so I’m delighted that we can display Paul’s work in his home city.”
The exhibition is accompanied by the publication Paul Duke: No Ruined Stone (Hartmann Books, 2018).
Paul Duke: No Ruined Stone opens on Saturday 26 November 2022, and runs until 19 February 2023. Admission is free.
Climate campaigners have welcomed yesterday’s council decision to pass a motion calling on the £8 billion Lothian Pension Fund to end its investments in fossil fuel companies that are driving the climate crisis.
The motion, tabled by SNP councillors Vicky Nicolson and Marco Biagi, and seconded by Adam McVey (SNP), calls on the Lothian Pension Fund to protect the long-term interests of its members by removing its investments from fossil fuel companies that are not shifting their business toward renewable energy.
Last month, East Lothian councillors voted unanimously in favour of ending the Lothian Pension Fund’s fossil fuel investments.
The Lothian Pension Fund, administered by The City of Edinburgh Council, invests an estimated £229 million in fossil fuel companies which are driving climate breakdown, including BP, Shell, ExxonMobil and Equinor.
Oil giant Equinor is currently planning to develop the Rosebank oilfield to the west of Shetland – the largest undeveloped oil and gas field in the UK which contains over 500 million barrels of oil.
Eva Gallova, Divest Lothian campaigner from Edinburgh, said: “Edinburgh councillors, having rightly declared a climate emergency in 2019 and committed to becoming a net zero city by 2030, today acted on these promises and showed their constituents that these were not just empty words.
“Divesting the Lothian Pension Fund from fossil fuels would cut the Council’s ties with an industry hell-bent on stymying climate action and taking us on a path which can only lead to more death & destruction.
“The members of the Lothian Pension Fund, especially the younger members, should have prospects for a future worth retiring into and this will not be possible if our councils continue investing in companies like BP, Shell and Equinor that are planning massive expansions in their climate-wrecking oil and gas production. It’s time for the Lothian Pension Fund to protect pensions and the planet by ending its investments in fossil fuels.”
Sally Clark, divestment campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “It is very encouraging that City of Edinburgh councillors have voted to support ending the Lothian Pension Fund’s investments in planet-wrecking fossil fuels.
“With the UN Secretary General warning last week at COP27 that we need to massively invest in renewables and end our addiction to fossil fuels in order to keep global temperature rises below 1.5 degrees, it has never been more urgent for councils to break their ties with the coal, oil and gas companies that are on course to trigger climate catastrophe with their expansion plans.
“We now need the Lothian Pension Fund to listen to councillors and invest in climate solutions like social housing and renewable energy that will protect pensions and benefit communities here in Scotland and around the world.”
The Lothian Pension Fund is the second largest local government pension scheme in Scotland and administers the pension funds of over 92,000 members from four local authorities in the Lothians. The pension fund also manages the pensions of 90 employers, including Scottish Water, Edinburgh Napier University, VisitScotland and Heriot-Watt University.
The motion from City of Edinburgh councillors comes as part of a global push to divest money from fossil fuels.
To date, 1,552 institutions worth $40.50 trillion have committed to divest, including the Welsh Parliament, the London Boroughs of Islington and Lambeth, Cardiff Council, and 100 UK universities including Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Average uplift of 7.5% the highest offer in the UK
A ‘best and final offer’ has been made to NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) workers following pay negotiations with trade unions and employers.
The record high pay offer, the best in the UK, will ensure that these front line workers will receive pay rises ranging from £2,205 to £2,751, which is a further improvement on the existing offer for staff in Bands 5-8A. For the lowest paid this represents an uplift of 11.3%, and delivers an average uplift of 7.5%.
This increased offer was made after constructive negotiations between the Scottish Government and NHS unions. In a final offer made to trade unions, the new deal is worth an additional £515 million in 2022-23 and now includes a package of progressive measures to promote staff and patient safety, support long-term workforce sustainability and to recognise the breadth of skills and experience of NHS Scotland staff.
The settlement ensures that NHS staff would remain the best paid anywhere in the UK. It gives all frontline NHS Scotland AfC staff in bands 1-7 a pay premium of between £1,149 and £2,834 over their counterparts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Agenda for Change pay offer for 2022-23 will deliver the most progressive package of terms and conditions reform in over 40 years. The deal will benefit more than 160,000 employees including nurses, paramedics, allied health professionals and healthcare support staff.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We have engaged tirelessly with trade union representatives over recent weeks, leaving no stone unturned to reach an offer which responds to the key concerns of staff across the service.
“This best and final pay offer of over half a billion pounds underlines our commitment to supporting our fantastic NHS staff. A newly qualified nurse would see a pay rise of 8.7%, and experienced nurses and would get uplifts of between £2,450 and £2,751.
“We are making this offer at a time of extraordinary financial challenges to the Scottish Government.
“We have made the best offer possible to get money into the pockets of hard working staff and to avoid industrial action, in what is already going to be an incredibly challenging winter. If the offer is agreed this pay uplift will also be backdated to April.
“Finally, I would urge the UK Government to get back to the negotiating table with the unions. This settlement has been shaped by the unions’ constructive approach and I hope it is backed by their members.”
BACKGROUND
The new offer also includes a review into reducing the working week to 36 hours, a commitment to review the job descriptions of Band 5 roles and ensuring protected learning time for specific groups, such as staff on agreed learning and development schemes.
TABLE
Band
points
Scottish 2022/23 rates
Proposed increase
% this represents
Hourly rate
Band 1
1
£21,692
£2,205
11.32%
£11.09
Band 2
1
£21,814
£2,205
11.24%
£11.16
2
£23,820
£2,205
10.20%
£12.18
Band 3
1
£23,914
£2,205
10.16%
£12.23
2
£25,808
£2,205
9.34%
£13.20
Band 4
1
£25,914
£2,205
9.30%
£13.25
2
£28,187
£2,205
8.49%
£14.42
Band 5
1
£28,384
£2,280
8.73%
£14.52
2
£30,329
£2,280
8.13%
£15.51
3
£35,365
£2,450
7.44%
£18.09
Band 6
1
£35,522
£2,450
7.41%
£18.17
2
£37,087
£2,450
7.07%
£18.97
3
£43,286
£2,550
6.26%
£22.14
Band 7
1
£43,422
£2,550
6.24%
£22.21
2
£45,080
£2,550
6.00%
£23.06
3
£50,506
£2,660
5.56%
£25.83
Band 8A
1
£53,513
£2,548
5.00%
£27.37
2
£57,767
£2,751
5.00%
£29.54
Band 8B
1
£63,530
£2,205
3.60%
£32.49
2
£68,223
£2,205
3.34%
£34.89
Band 8C
1
£75,711
£2,205
3.00%
£38.72
2
£81,426
£2,205
2.78%
£41.65
Band 8D
1
£90,590
£2,205
2.49%
£46.33
2
£94,629
£2,205
2.39%
£48.40
Band 9
1
£107,840
£2,205
2.09%
£55.15
2
£112,673
£2,205
2.00%
£57.63
RCN Scotland Board members will, in the coming days, be considering the details of a revised NHS pay offer from Scottish government.
The pay offer was made today (24 November) following negotiations between the RCN and other health trade unions and the Scottish government.
The RCN paused a formal announcement on strike action in Scotland while negotiations took place this week.
Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Director, said: “As always it is our members who will decide what happens next in relation to the pay offer. The first step in that process is for our board to review the detail of the offer.
“That will happen in the next few days. The revised offer still does not meet our members’ expectations, which is disappointing, but the Scottish government is saying this is their best offer.
“We will update members once that process has taken place.
“I appreciate it may be frustrating for our members in Scotland, the majority of whom voted very strongly in favour of taking strike action. It was that mandate that encouraged the Scottish government to re-open negotiations. It is right that RCN Scotland Board members consider the offer in the usual way.”
Barclays report suggests 72% of people living in Scotland will do most or all of their Christmas shopping on Black Friday
34% surge in Black Friday shopping scams last year
72% of people living in Scotland will do most or all of their Christmas shopping on Black Friday
44% of people living in Scotland will do most or all of their Black Friday shopping online
56% of people living in Scotland say they plan to spend between £100 and £400 online shopping this Black Friday
After last year’s Black Friday sales, there was a 34 per cent surge in reported purchase scams, according to new Barclays data.
Victims lost on average £1,072 to purchase scams during the seasonal shopping period.
New data from Barclays suggests that 72% of people living in Scotland are likely to do all or most of their Christmas shopping on Black Friday with 56% saying they will spend between £100 and £400 on the day.
The figures also reveal that 36% of people living in Scotland will be relying on Black Friday sales more than previous years as they are looking to make savings wherever they can and 31% feel pressure to make purchases as quickly as possible to make sure they get the best deals.
A further 44% plan to do most or all of their Black Friday shopping online this year.
However, the number of reported purchase scams after Black Friday and Cyber Monday across the UK last year rose by 34 per cent, with an average of £1,072 lost to scammers.
Barclays data also shows that the proportion of scams taking place on tech platforms, such as purchase/auctions sites, social media, or dating apps, has increased by 71% since the beginning of 2021. Currently 77% of all scams take place on these platforms, but at the beginning of 2021 it was just 45%.
With the average Brit expected to spend over £200 on shopping during Black Friday this year, Barclays is urging shoppers to take extra care when purchasing things online throughout the sales season.
The Bank’s findings reveal that worryingly, many consumers are changing their normal behaviour on Black Friday when searching for the best deals. Almost a third (32%) across the UK feel pressured to make a purchase as quickly as possible to make sure they get the best deal.
One in five (19%) said they were more likely to take note of a “too good to be true” deal, and a further 17% admitted to shopping on sites they haven’t heard of before if they have particularly good deals or sales.
Ross Martin, Head of Digital Safety at Barclays, said: “Whilst Black Friday is a great way for Brits to save money ahead of the Christmas season, it is important to stay vigilant when making purchases.
“This year more than ever, people will be looking for the best bargains, which could lead them right into the hands of scammers, who will be advertising false offers to lure victims in.
“Just remember – ignore any pressure that is being put on you – and if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Barclays is urging buyers to follow these four steps this Black Friday:
Do your due diligence: Research and read reviews to check the site and the seller are genuine.
View the item: If you can, view the item in person first to make sure it exists, especially if it’s a big purchase, like a smartphone or even a car.
Get a second opinion: Always speak to someone you trust for a second opinion, whether it’s a friend, family member, or your bank.
Be wary of unlikely offers: Many purchase scams offer huge discounts that you wouldn’t normally find at retailers you would normally trust. Remember, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
For more information, and tips to stay alert from the latest scams, please visit: www.barclays.co.uk/scams/.
Victims will be better protected from abusers who share intimate images without their consent, under a raft of changes to the law announced today (25 November 2022).
new offences to be created in crackdown on abusers who share intimate images without consent
changes will strengthen law and deliver on Prime Minister’s pledge to outlaw ‘downblousing’
comprehensive package of measures to modernise legislation following Law Commission review
Under a planned amendment to the Online Safety Bill, people who share so-called ‘deepfakes’ – explicit images or videos which have been manipulated to look like someone without their consent – will be among those to be specifically criminalised for the first time and face potential time behind bars.
The Westminster government will also bring forward a package of additional laws to tackle a range of abusive behaviour including the installation of equipment, such as hidden cameras, to take or record images of someone without their consent.
These will cover so-called ‘downblousing’ – where photos are taken down a woman’s top without consent – allowing police and prosecutors to pursue such cases more effectively.
This will deliver on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s pledge to criminalise the practice, in line with previous measures this government has taken to outlaw ‘upskirting’.
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab, said: “We must do more to protect women and girls, from people who take or manipulate intimate photos in order to hound or humiliate them.
“Our changes will give police and prosecutors the powers they need to bring these cowards to justice and safeguard women and girls from such vile abuse.
Today’s announcement builds on the campaign of Dame Maria Miller MP, as well as recommendations from the Law Commission, to introduce reforms to the laws covering the abuse of images.
The amendment to the Online Safety Bill will broaden the scope of current intimate image offences, so that more perpetrators will face prosecution and potentially time in jail.
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, said: “I welcome these moves by the government which aim to make victims and survivors safer online, on the streets and in their own homes.
“I am pleased to see this commitment in the Online Safety Bill, and hope to see it continue its progression through Parliament at the earliest opportunity.”
Around 1 in 14 adults in England and Wales have experienced a threat to share intimate images, with more than 28,000 reports of disclosing private sexual images without consent recorded by police between April 2015 and December 2021.
The package of reforms follows growing global concerns around the abuse of new technology, including the increased prevalence of deepfakes. These typically involve the use of editing software to make and share fake images or videos of a person without their consent, which are often pornographic in nature. A website that virtually strips women naked received 38 million hits in the first 8 months of 2021.
The government will take forward several of the Law Commission’s recommendations to ensure legislation keeps pace with technology and can effectively tackle emerging forms of abuse.
This includes:
Repealing and replacing current legislation with new offences to simplify the law and make it easier to prosecute cases. This includes a new base offence of sharing an intimate image without consent and 2 more serious offences based on intent to cause humiliation, alarm, or distress and for obtaining sexual gratification.
Creation of 2 specific offences for threatening to share and installing equipment to enable images to be taken.
Criminalising the non-consensual sharing of manufactured intimate images (more commonly known as deepfakes).
The move builds on government action in recent years to better protect victims and bring more offenders to justice, including making ‘upskirting’ and ‘breastfeeding voyeurism’ specific criminal offences, extending ‘revenge porn’ laws to capture threats to share such images, and using the Online Safety Bill to create an offence specifically targeting ‘cyberflashing’.
Ruth Davison, CEO of Refuge, said: “Refuge welcomes these reforms and is pleased to see progress in tackling abuse perpetrated via technology. As the only frontline service with a specialist tech abuse team, Refuge is uniquely placed to support survivors who experience this form of abuse.
“We campaigned successfully for threatening to share intimate images with intent to cause distress to be made a crime, via the Domestic Abuse Act, and these reforms will further ensure police and law enforcement agencies rightly investigate and prosecute these serious offences.
“Tech abuse can take many forms, and Refuge hopes that these changes will signal the start of a much broader conversation on the need for strengthening the response to online abuse and harm.”
DCMS Secretary of State Michelle Donelan said: “Through the Online Safety Bill, I am ensuring that tech firms will have to stop illegal content and protect children on their platforms, but we will also upgrade criminal law to prevent appalling offences like cyberflashing.
“With these latest additions to the Bill, our laws will go even further to shield women and children, who are disproportionately affected, from this horrendous abuse once and for all.
“The government will bring forward the wider package of changes as soon as parliamentary time allows and will announce further details in due course.”
Monday 28th November is a public holiday for NHS Lothian.
This is in lieu of the local September public holiday, postponed for the national bank holiday for the Queen’s funeral. Please collect your prescription before the weekend.
If you need urgent help over the weekend, call NHS 24 on 111.
The countdown to Black Friday is now on and as shoppers in Edinburgh prepare to seek out this year’s best deals, St James Quarter has revealed the unmissable discounts that will be on offer across its exciting selection of retailers.
Available throughout Black Friday weekend (from 25th – 28th November) and beyond, St James Quarter will play host to the biggest and best offers from top retailers including up to 40% off the latest fashion items at Zara (selected lines on 25th November), up to 20% off the hottest makeup, skincare and fragrance at H Beauty (between 25th – 28th November) and 50% off Neom’s ‘Night in with Neom’ Box for those who want to indulge in a little self-care (until 30th November).
For more information about all of the latest Black Friday deals on offer at St James Quarter click here.
Shoppers can also enjoy the Black Friday feeling with live entertainment between 2pm – 6pm on Friday and Saturday from The Quarter’s very own resident DJs, Fi and Mairi Buchanan, who will be filling the Galleria with sounds of the best-known Christmas classics.
Guests can shop til they drop before taking a moment to refresh with The Quarter’s impressive dining and leisure destinations including Ka Pao, The Alchemist, Lane7, Everyman Cinema and Tortilla which are open until late. The Quarter also recently welcomed back lively Alpine Village, Bar Hütte, to St James Square where visitors can enjoy a festive drink and singsong in one of its Cosy Karaoke Hüttes until 2nd January.
Nick Peel, Managing Director at St James Quarter, said: “Black Friday marks the beginning of the festive shopping season and following the opening of some really exciting retailers this year, we expect there to be a real buzz at St James Quarter this weekend as our guests seek out the best deals and take advantage of our hospitality offering.
“November has already been a strong month for us in terms of footfall, but at a time when we know saving money is important to our guests, we’re looking forward to a busy but no doubt successful day of deal-hunting, with plenty more festive activity still to come before the end of 2022.”
With so many great deals on offer, nobody wants to be restricted by how many bags they can carry, and St James Quarter has the perfect solution with its handsfree shopping service, Dropit, which allows shoppers to drop bags at Guest Services for later collection or, have them delivered straight to their door (for guests who live in Scotland).
For those looking for a more relaxed approach to Black Friday, the St James Quarter website offers Crowd Checker, which provides shoppers with live capacity updates to help guests find quieter times to visit.
The Quarter also has a 1,600 space car park, which offers all day and overnight parking, allowing more convenience for shoppers travelling by car.
During the festive period, selected retailers at St James Quarter will also be extending their opening hours on certain days.
Road Policing officers in Edinburgh are appealing for information following a serious crash involving a pedestrian, which took place on Calder Road.
The incident happened around 7.35am this morning (Thursday, 24 November) involving a white Ford Transit van and a 19-year-old woman.
The woman was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh with serious, but not life-threatening injuries. The male driver of the van was uninjured.
The road was closed until around 11.45am as an investigation was carried out. Further enquiries into the incident remain ongoing and officers are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
Sergeant Jill Kirkpatrick, from the Edinburgh Road Policing Team, said: “If you witnessed this incident, have any potential dashcam footage, or were in the area and have any information which may assist our enquiries, please call police on 101, quoting incident 0489 of 24 November, 2022.”
Indian Student Welcome Event hosted byConsulate General of India along with Indian National Student’s Association (UK).
By Sakshi Jain (INSA member and graduate from University of Glasgow)
The Consulate General of India (CGI) in Edinburgh, in partnership with INSA (Indian National Student Association), organised a Welcome event for new Indian Students in Scotland over the weekend; here is a report from an INSA UK member.
Consul General of India Mr Bijay Selvaraj hosted a welcome event at his office in the capital city of Scotland, in collaboration with INSA with its mission of “Creating a home away from home” for new students who have stepped into Scotland. The programme was joined by Indian students from various levels and subjects of study from major Scottish universities. “Unity in Diversity” was at full display at the event, as these students represented various states and languages of India.
The event started with a brief introduction of INSA and their mission by Mr Kishore Dattu, head of INSA North. He highlighted the work that INSA has undertaken to support Indian students in UK, the prominent role they had played during the pandemic, and encouraged people to get involved to help fellow students from the Indian community.
Miss Sakshi Jain, founding member of INSA chapter at University of Glasgow, shared her experience of being a member of INSA and how it has enabled her to help fellow Indian students at her university and fulfil INSA’s crucial motto of contributing back to the Indian community.
Rt Honourable Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh Robert Aldridge was the chief guest of this evening, who highlighted how Edinburgh is open for all international students. He expressed how he had something in common with all the students present in the hall since he was once an international student.
He emphasized the importance of having a support network and suggested more student to get involved with INSA. He also shed light in Scotland’s and India’s common heritage and the link between India and Edinburgh.
Mr. Karan Patil gave a very inspiring speech to the students who attended the event. His words – “Work towards creating a solution for a social problem. Make sure your solution reaches the entire world.” made quite an impression on the audience.
Professor Pankaj’s words – “I believe that a diverse classroom, a classroom which has students from all nationalities enriches both research and education”, resonated deeply throughout the room. He also shared valuable insights into India and Scotland’s continued partnership to improve education, culture, and industry.
His Excellency Shri Bijay Selvaraj, Consulate General of India in Edinburgh, made the keynote address, expressing his support for Indian students across the United Kingdom, particularly in Scotland. He underlined the significance of adhering to safety standards and being responsible while in the United Kingdom. He also extended a warm welcome to all of the students and assured them of his assistance in their time of need.
Mr. Puneet Dwivedi offered the vote of thanks. He expressed his gratitude to the Consulate General of India and all the dignitaries in the room for hosting the event and sharing their valuable knowledge and experience with the Indian students.
The students also had the opportunity to network and enjoy a delicious Indian dinner organised by the Consulate General.
The event was anchored by Miss Krithika Iyer, who is a student at University of Glasgow.
