North Edinburgh News – Page 778 – The NEN

Tennis: US Open trophy drops in to Broughton Primary School

Children encouraged to give tennis a shot

The US Open trophy made a special appearance at a school in Edinburgh as part of a UK-wide trophy tour to celebrate Britain’s No.1 women’s singles player Emma Raducanu’s success at last year’s tournament.

Tennis Scotland is working alongside the LTA to deliver the US Open Trophy Tour as they aim to increase tennis participation and inspire young players to take to court across the United Kingdom and children at Broughton Primary School welcomed the trophy to their school for the Scotland leg of the tour yesterday (Friday, 13 May).

The morning’s activities included a special message for the pupils from Raducanu, followed by an on-court session delivered by an LTA Youth coach. During the trophy presentation, there were also opportunities for pupils and staff to have their pictures taken with the famous piece of silverware.

Emma is currently an ambassador for LTA Youth Schools and all the participating schools have signed up to deliver LTA Youth Schools for current pupils.

At just 18-years-old, Raducanu became the first British woman to win a Grand Slam singles title in 44 years and made tennis history when she became the first ever player to come through qualifying to win a Grand Slam title when she defeated Canada’s Leylah Fernandez 6-4 6-3 in New York.

Speaking about the tour, Emma Raducanu said, “I’m really excited to be teaming up with the LTA to take my US Open trophy on a tour of the country.

“All the schools we are taking the trophy to have played tennis as part of the LTA Youth Schools programme and my hope is that the trophy will inspire them to continue their tennis journey both inside and outside of school.”

Blane Dodds, Tennis Scotland Chief Executive, added, “The US Open trophy tour is the perfect opportunity to highlight Emma Raducanu’s incredible success and showcase the opportunities in tennis. We hope this tour will inspire younger players to keep working hard and follow in Emma’s footsteps.”

The schools part of the programme is delivered in Primary and Secondary Schools across the country, and offers free teacher training and content that has been specifically created to help address the nation’s challenge of declining physical literacy and activity among children.

The programme offers free teacher training and content that has been specifically created to help address the nation’s challenge of declining physical literacy and activity among children.

LTA Youth Schools is designed specifically for schools to support the curriculum and wider school outcomes. The programme brings together inclusive PE lesson plans, personal development resources, teacher training and much more. It’s all been designed by teachers, for teachers, and it’s all free.

For more information, click HERE.

Performing arts union Equity launches Mental Health Charter

EQUITY has published a global scoping review of 111 academic studies related to mental health and wellbeing in students and professionals within the performing arts. This landmark study was commissioned by Equity and was launched alongside a new Mental Health Charter at a panel event to mark Mental Health Awareness Week.

What’s a scoping review?

A scoping review is a type of research that aims to map the existing literature on a particular topic or research area and identify key concepts; gaps in the research; and types and sources of evidence to inform practice, policymaking, and research.

The review by Dr Lucie Clements found a clear trend for increased mental health concerns across the performing arts, although findings regarding the prevalence of mental health concern vary greatly.

Two academic papers showed depression to be twice as likely in performers than the general population – one in actors (Maxwell et al., 2015) and one in ballet dancers (Ravaldi et al., 2003).
Six percent of individuals are thought to be experiencing anxiety in any given week (McManus et al., 2016). In comparison, data for reporting anxiety symptoms includes 24% in dancers, 32% in opera singers (Thomson & Jaque, 2016b), 52% in acting students (Searl et al., 2019) 60% in actors (Brodsky, 2001), 90% of rock musicians (Raeburn, 1987).
54% of musical theatre students report a level of depression or anxiety that met the rate for diagnosis of mental disorder (Curtis, 2019).

The review identified a range of contributing factors:

A culture of unstable work, antisocial working hours, time away from home, and financial fears were the most discussed causes of stress and mental health concern in performing artists.
Many studies cited job precarity, including erratic and short employment, low pay, work over and underload, and time away from loved ones as having a significant impact.
Studies also identified that negative relationships with others in positions of power in the workplace, who were undemanding, unsupportive or authoritarian also created stress.
Many papers argued that education providers rarely provide sufficient support and students are predominantly underprepared in education for how to look after their psychological wellbeing once in the industry.
This is exacerbated by a lack of industry regulation of working conditions and mental health.

Another stark finding is that there is currently no research explicitly exploring mental health in relation to ethnically diverse performers, disabled performers, and social class.

In response to this study, our new Mental Health Charter has five key demands to improve mental health across the performing arts industry by bringing about deep-rooted structural reform.

This includes producers and engagers addressing the harmful impacts of precarious work by improving pay and work-life balance, and adopting relevant safeguards in the workplace, such as mental health risk assessments, safe spaces policies and consultation on organisational change.

Equity General Secretary Paul W Fleming says: “This landmark study confirms in concrete terms what Equity members have known for years – those working in the entertainment and performing arts industries are more likely to experience poor mental health.

“There are a range of contributing factors, but it is abundantly clear that the harmful impacts of precarious work, low pay and poor working conditions are fuelling this collective crisis.

“Equity’s new Mental Health Charter puts the responsibility back on the bosses who control the creative industries. They show that our demands for improvements in pay, condition and access to the industry aren’t just about our members’ material wellbeing, but their mental health too.”

Alice Brockway, Director of Playing Sane and Equity Member says: “Equity’s new Mental Health Charter places its demands squarely on government, education providers, producers and engagers and, aligned with current collective bargaining aims, makes it clear that decent pay, safe, secure, inclusive work are vital for maintaining positive mental health and wellbeing.

“These demands are non-negotiable, as are the rights of Equity members, and all workers, to live with freedom from economic and social instability.”

About the research and launch

The research written by Dr Lucie Clements commenced on 21 January 2022 and was completed on 05 April 2022.

Read the full report.

The research and charter was launched at a panel event chaired by Actor, writer, and well-being coach Abiola Ogunbiyi. Speakers include Dr. Lucie Clements and Juliette Burton, Comedian and Ambassador for Rethink Mental Health Illness.

More information about the event.

The World Health Organization (2004) defines mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes their own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community”.

In 2015, ArtsMinds, in collaboration with The Stage, Equity and Spotlight found that 46% of performing artists self-reported poor or average mental health. One in five of the 5,000 survey respondents was seeking help for their mental health.

The review identified a number of other factors related to mental health in the performing arts sectors. This includes:

Exposure to regular performance can exacerbate stress. This may stem from others’ opinions as well as from competition with and comparison to clothes.
Expectations to portray a range of emotions on stage may contribute to poor mental health (Pecen et al., 2018).
Actors are chronically exposed to topics such as suicide, grief, murder, and rape, which they are likely to take home after work (Burgoyne et al., 1999: Robb et al., 2018). The same may also be cause for concern in comedians (Hargrave, 2020).
COVID-19 and the associated changes in work, negative impact on finances and loss of performance opportunities have also impacted on mental health.

Mental Health Charter

Equity’s new Mental Health Charter includes the following five demands:

Producers and engagers must address the harmful impacts of precarious work by improving pay and improving work-life balance. This is central for enabling good mental health and maintaining healthy, safe workplaces.
Producers and engagers must adopt relevant safeguards in the workplace, such as mental health risk assessments, safe spaces policies and consultation on organisational change. Equal attention should be paid to the mental health needs of all performers and creative workers.
Producers and engagers must not exclude historically marginalized groups, such as ethnically diverse and LGBTQIA+ communities, from policies and practices designed for promoting safe, inclusive workplaces. These workers face multiplier effects of low pay, precarious work and discrimination upon their mental health and their welfare and rights should be championed.
Education providers must ensure that every young person undertaking education or training is inspired to expect dignity and respect in work. Young workers preparing to enter the industry should be encouraged to reject any form of abusive or discriminatory behaviour, and understand that doing so is intrinsic to maintaining good mental health.
The Government must invest in our mental health services to reverse a decade of underfunding and reform the outdated Mental Health Act.

In response to this study, Equity has announced that it will continue to fund access to counselling services for its members through its longstanding relationship with the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM).

The excitement builds: Colour A Corgi among plans for Jubilee celebrations

More than 70,000 ‘Big Lunches’ and events planned across the country
Activities for children released including Colour a Corgi

Big screens will be set up outdoors in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff so thousands of people can come together to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next month.

Screens broadcasting the events will be placed in The Mall in London, Edinburgh’s Princes Street Gardens and in Cardiff’s Bute Park.

From street parties and ‘Big Jubilee Lunches’ happening across the UK, to London’s Trooping the Colour, Service of Thanksgiving, concert and pageant, the nation and commonwealth will come together over four days to mark The Queen’s 70-year reign.

The screens are organised by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) which today is launching an activity pack for children to help them learn about The Queen’s reign, including articles about how the country has changed in the last seven decades, opportunities to colour in a corgi or crown and bunting to decorate for street parties.

More than 70,000 Big Jubilee Lunches are planned in the four UK nations over the weekend, with an expected ten million people set to sit down with their neighbours on Sunday 5 June, to celebrate Her Majesty’s momentous jubilee.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “In less than a month we will come together as a nation and Commonwealth to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s 70-year reign. No other British monarch has reached this milestone and we will celebrate it with tradition, pomp and circumstance.

“I hope that people and communities across the country will come together to pay tribute to Her Majesty – whether that be to watch on big screens or toasting Her Majesty at a Big Jubilee Lunch with their neighbours or coming together in their local village hall.

In London, screens broadcasting the BBC’s live feed will be placed down The Mall and in St James’s Park for members of the public to watch the events taking place across the Bank Holiday weekend.

In Edinburgh, screens will be placed in Princes Street Gardens with thousands able to host picnics and watch the celebrations with a backdrop of Edinburgh Castle and entertainment provided by the Royal Marines and local performers.

The Welsh Capital is also inviting families to bring their Jubilee Picnic and enjoy an afternoon in Bute Park. The beautiful Grade I listed park in the heart of Cardiff’s city centre will provide the perfect venue for an afternoon of Jubilee celebrations as families are invited to enjoy the Jubilee Pageant on a large screen along with entertainment from the bandstand.

In Northern Ireland, a design competition will see primary school children create a ‘snapshot of Northern Ireland’, with the winning entry to be manufactured into a rug by leading company Ulster Carpets and sent to Her Majesty the Queen.

In addition, The Queen and other members of the Royal Family will receive Northern Ireland Platinum Jubilee Hampers showcasing over 50 top quality local food and drink producers, and representing the appreciation of the people of Northern Ireland for Her Majesty’s dedicated service.

Events taking place in London will be broadcast on TV networks BBC, Sky and ITV. In a further move to mark the occasion, the BBC is offering local communities a special one-off TV Licence dispensation so they can screen it on a big screen they organise themselves.

The plans will allow those celebrating with events arranged in town halls, community centres and streets to show live programmes throughout the weekend without needing to purchase a licence.

UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart said: “Watching the celebrations on the big screens the UK Government is setting up around the country is a great way for people to really get involved and soak up the atmosphere of this fabulous occasion.

“We’re looking forward to a great family-focused event in Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh where people can bring a picnic, enjoy the weekend’s festivities and raise a glass to Her Majesty to mark her 70-year reign.”

BBC Director-General Tim Davie says: “I am delighted we are helping to bring people together to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and I’m looking forward to seeing our coverage on big screens up and down the UK, as we mark this wonderful occasion.“

Can hardly wait … !

Top 10 favourite songs from the Eurovision song contest 2022

Italian entry ‘Brividi’ by Mahmood and Blanco is the most popular entry song in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, with more than 77.2 million streams
Second is Sweden’s entry ‘Hold Me Closer’ by Cornelia Jakobs, with 16 million streams
S10’s ‘De Diepte’ from the Netherlands is the third favourite, reaching more than 14.7 million streams via Spotify and YouTube

New research reveals Italy’s song ‘Brividi’ by Mahmood and Blanco is the internet’s favourite entry for Eurovision 2022.

The study by entertainment experts JohnSlots analysed all 40 Eurovision songs from each country based on how much they had been played on Spotify and YouTube, to discover which song has generated the highest stream count this year.

Storming in first is Italy’s ‘Brividi’ by Mahmood and Blanco; the song has been played more than 77 million times on Spotify and YouTube. Italy has won the annual contest three times, first in 1964 and most recently in 2021 with the song ‘Zitti e Buoni’ by Maneskin. This track has seen more than 300 million streams on Spotify, which this year’s winners will hope they can replicate.

Second with a total stream count of 16.8 million is Sweden’s entry with ‘Hold Me Closer’ performed by Cornelia Jakobs. The country has taken a storming total of six wins in the contest, with its last win in 2015.

S10’s ‘De Diepte’ has gained a sum of 14.7 million streams – 2.8 million from YouTube and 11.9 million from Spotify – placing Netherlands third in the ranking. The Netherlands won the second-ever Eurovision contest and have racked up four more wins since.

Representing Spain, Chanel’s single ‘SloMo’ ranks fourth, with a combined stream count of 10.8 million.

‘Stefania’ performed by Kalush Orchestra, claims fifth in the ranking for Ukraine, from its total stream count of more than 8.9 million plays.

Norway’s entry has gathered 6.8 million via Spotify and 618,000 views on YouTube, totalling 7.4 million in streams; the single ‘Give That Wolf a Banana’ by Subwoolfer takes sixth place.

Austria’s entrance this year with ‘Halo’ by artists LUM!X and Pia Maria claim seventh place with more than 7.2 million streams.

Representing the United Kingdom, Sam Ryder’s ‘Space Man’ has a sum of 5.8 million plays. Sam was selected from an internal process with TaP Music, which also manages A-list stars such as Dua Lipa and Ellie Goulding. With a win count of five from the UK, the country hasn’t won for more than two decades.

Malik Harris’s ‘Rockstars’ claims ninth, having accumulated 4.4 million streams. Germany has won twice before in previous years of the contest, the last being 2010 with ‘Satellite’ by Lena Meyer-Landrut.

Finland follows in tenth, the entry ‘Jezebel’ by The Rasmus has gained more than four million streams .

The favourite Eurovision song of 2022
Rank	Country	Artist	Song	Spotify streams	YouTube plays	Total Listens
1	Italy	Mahmood & Blanco	Brividi	75,975,566	1,226,438	77,202,004
2	Sweden	Cornelia Jakobs	Hold Me Closer	15,074,571	1,804,558	16,879,129
3	Netherlands	S10	De Diepte	11,910,235	2,868,311	14,778,546
4	Spain	Chanel	SloMo	9,448,460	1,362,667	10,811,127
5	Ukraine	Kalush Orchestra	Stefania	5,363,922	3,601,829	8,965,751
6	Norway	Subwoolfer	Give That Wolf a Banana	6,802,424	618,372	7,420,796
7	Austria	LUM!X & Pia Maria	Halo	4,193,160	3,050,754	7,243,914
8	United Kingdom	Sam Ryder	Space Man	3,688,338	1,999,882	5,688,220
9	Germany	Malik Harris	Rockstars	4,051,151	381,903	4,433,054
10	Finland	The Rasmus	Jezebel

HMRC: Almost 66,500 file their Self Assessment on 6 April

Nearly 66,500 customers filed their 2021 to 2022 tax return on the first day of the new tax year – 6 April 2022 – HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has confirmed.

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of ‘early-bird’ customers filing their completed Self Assessment tax returns at the start of the new tax year – almost 30,000 more customers filed their returns on 6 April this year, compared to 2018 – and HMRC is encouraging others to change their filing habits and do it as soon as they can.

Customers have been able to file their 2021 to 2022 Self Assessment tax return since 6 April. And while many wait until nearer the annual filing deadline on 31 January, for some it is an opportunity to beat the last-minute rush and get it done as soon as they can, while they have the relevant information to hand.

Customers can file their tax return online. It is the quickest way to complete a Self Assessment return and it does not need to be finished in one go, as customers can access their return online anytime and save their progress until it is completed and ready to submit.

Customers who file their tax return early could benefit from:

· receiving a tax refund on any overpaid tax from the 2021 to 2022 tax year sooner. Once a customer has filed their tax return, they can check if a repayment is due via their Personal Tax Account

· managing their tax bill via direct debit. Customers can use the Budget Payment Plan service to set up weekly or monthly direct debit payments to spread the cost of any tax owed. The Self Assessment tax payment deadline for balancing payments remains unchanged – 31 January 2023

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “You don’t need to wait for the January rush to send us your tax return. More and more people are getting theirs out of the way early – search ‘Self Assessment’ on GOV.UK to get started.”

HMRC has updated the Self Assessment guide to help customers navigate through the tax return process. It includes helpful information on:

· how to get help with your tax return

· what to do when declaring furlough payments, Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grants or other COVID-19 support measures

· what information you need before you can start completing your tax return

· help with paying your Self Assessment tax bill

· what to do if you have overpaid tax and are due a refund

Earnings and payments received during the pandemic will need to be reported on the tax return meaning customers must declare any grants or payments from the COVID-19 support schemes received between 6 April 2021 and 5 April 2022 as these are taxable, including:

Self-Employment Income Support Scheme
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme

other COVID-19 grants and support payments
any coronavirus payments incorrectly claimed

The Self Assessment deadline to file a return and pay any tax owed for the 2021 to 2022 tax year is 31 January 2023.

Lettuce Celebrate! Great value, healthy lunch options to feed the whole family

Aldi Scotland’s experts have curated a selection of recipes to feed the family on a budget

Leading value supermarket, Aldi Scotland, has revealed a selection of healthy and budget-friendly lunch options all ranging between £4 and £8.

Whether you’re working from home, in the office, or packing up lunchboxes to go, Aldi Scotland’s three delicious low-cost lunch options are the perfect mid-day meal, and are all made using the finest, locally sourced ingredients.

With Aldi’s generous portion sizes, each meal can feed up to a family of four, with options to stretch the ingredients across recipes to make the most of what is in the fridge and reduce food waste.

Mediterranean style salad with sweet potato and chicken – £4.41

With one sweet potato containing 400% of your daily required Vitamin A, low in calories and fat, while also being high in fibre, this superfood offers a nutritional yet comforting mid-week meal that is budget-friendly at only 99p per bag at Aldi Scotland.

Chop the sweet potatoes into chunks and cook in the oven alongside tomatoes, onions, and diced Scottish Chicken Breast Fillets (£1.85) for a Mediterranean style lunch packed full of goodness. Toss in some iceberg lettuce and season with salt and pepper to ignite the flavours.

Nature’s Pick Sweet Potatoes – 1kg – 99p
Nature’s Glen Scottish Chicken Breast Fillets – 300g – £1.85
Nature’s Pick Iceberg Lettuce – 46p
Everyday Essentials Cherry Tomatoes – 250g – 48p
Everyday Essentials Red Onions – 1kg – 63p

Baked potato with ham and veg medley, plus a fruity dessert – £7.65

Pick up a four pack of Nature’s Pick Medium Baking Potatoes for only 42p for the perfect base, which will complement a variety of delicious and interchangeable toppings. For this recipe, Aldi Scotland suggests creating a medley of Nature’s Glen Ayrshire Cured Cooked Ham (£1.69), cherry tomatoes (48p) and red onions (63p). Top with a sprinkling of Glen Lochy Scottish Mature Cheddar (£1.89) this will become a firm family favourite for only £5.11.

Looking to bulk it out for hungry mouths? Add a dollop of Rowan Glen’s Greek Style Natural Yoghurt (55p) to your topping mixture and use the left-over yoghurt for an after-lunch snack piled with Aldi Scotland’s Nature’s Pick Fresh Scottish Strawberries for only £1.99 taking your final total for lunch and dessert to just £7.65.

Nature’s Pick Medium Baking Potatoes – 4 pack – 42p
Nature’s Glen Ayrshire Cured Cooked Ham – 125g – £1.69
Everyday Essentials Cherry Tomatoes – 250g – 48p
Everyday Essentials Red Onions – 1kg – 63p
Glen Lochy Scottish Mature Cheddar – 400g – £1.89
Rowan Glen’s Greek Style Natural Yoghurt – 150g – 55p
Nature’s Pick Fresh Scottish Strawberries – 400g – £1.99

Chicken BLT – £5.92

Even the healthiest eaters need some carbs now and again – so why not treat your family, and your wallet, to a classic fan favourite – a chicken BLT sandwich for only £5.92 with enough ingredients to feed six people.

Finely slice Aldi Scotland’s Scottish Chicken Breast Fillets (£1.85) and Specially Selected Scottish Bacon (£1.99,240g), mix in a splash of mayonnaise (59p), before loading up Authentic Scottish Bakeries Wholemeal Rolls (55p) with a layer of iceberg lettuce (46p) and some cherry tomatoes (48p).

At Aldi Scotland salads can be as cheap and delicious as they are good for you, so make sure to use your leftovers wisely – chop up your remaining iceberg lettuce and throw on what’s left of the bacon, chicken and tomatoes for a quick and easy salad, offering another meal for four at no additional cost. Top tip: cut the remaining rolls into squares, drizzle with oil and salt and bake for home-made salad crouton for some extra crunch.

Nature’s Glen Scottish Chicken Breast Fillets – 300g – £1.85
Specially Selected Scottish Bacon – £1.99 – 240g
Nature’s Pick Iceberg Lettuce – 46p
Everyday Essentials Cherry Tomatoes – 250g – 48p
Authentic Scottish Bakeries Wholemeal Rolls – 6 pack – 55p
Bramwell’s Mayonnaise – 500ml – 59p

Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “With the cost of a weekly shop more important that ever, we are delighted to work with local producers to offer such a wide range of healthy weekly meal solutions that all the family can enjoy. Our customers don’t have to compromise quality for value when they chose to shop with us.”

You can find your nearest Aldi store here.

Aldi currently works with over 90 Scottish suppliers, stocking 450 Scottish products and are constantly looking to bring more of what Scotland’s vibrant food and drink industry has to offer to their customers.

Expansion to Hospital at Home

£3.6 million to expand services

A further £3.6 million is being made available to support the expansion of Hospital at Home services, with the aim of doubling current capacity by the end of 2022.

The purpose of the service is to reduce hospital admissions for elderly patients by providing treatments in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.

The service enables people to receive treatments that would otherwise require them to be admitted to hospital, such as an intravenous drip or oxygen supply. It also provides access to hospital tests under the care of a consultant in their own home.

Evidence shows that those benefitting from the service are more likely to avoid hospital or care home stays for up to six months after a period of acute illness. For older patients, it means being able to stay at home longer without losing their independence and this has contributed to overall improvements in patient satisfaction. It also helps alleviate pressure on hospital beds.

The Scottish Government’s total investment in these services is now £8.1 million since 2020.

As well as Hospital at Home, the Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Treatment scheme and Respiratory Community Response Teams now offer more than 600 virtual beds to treat patients for conditions that would traditionally need hospitalisation, an increase of more than a third from 440 virtual beds at the start of January 2022.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf announced the further funding on a visit to NHS Forth Valley’s Hospital at Home service. He said: “Hospital at Home is one of the many ways we are providing more care in the community and reducing pressure on hospitals.

“From the success of the scheme so far, we can see that there is a real benefit to treating people at home where possible.

“We know that frail patients tend to occupy hospital beds for a longer period of time and that is why we are expanding the scheme. In reducing the number of prolonged hospital stays, we will free up more hospital beds.

“With additional funding, all health boards can apply for money to either develop or expand their services with the aim of doubling the capacity of Hospital at Home by the end of the this year.”

Dr Sarah Henderson, Consultant Geriatrician for NHS Forth Valley’s Hospital at Home Team, said: “Developing this important service has enabled us to provide the same high standard of clinical care and treatment patients would receive in hospital without the need for them to leave their own home.

“We know from feedback how much local patients have valued being able to stay in familiar, comfortable surroundings without the anxiety and disruption often associated with an admission to hospital. This is also less stressful for family and friends who know that their loved one is getting all the medical care and attention they require at home.”

Helen Sammels from Alloa has been supported twice by the Hospital at Home team when she required treatment for a respiratory condition.

She said: “I am sure I got better, quicker by being able to stay at home. It really made a difference being in my own surroundings, but I still got the care, services and tests I required. The Hospital at Home team were great, and I feel really grateful for all the treatment and support they provided.

“I also have a little dog and I didn’t want to leave her so being able to stay at home with her was very important to me and fortunately with the support of the Hospital at Home team I was able to do this.”

Queen’s ‘inspirational’ faith inspires free children’s book

The Church of England and Thy Kingdom Come prayer movement are giving away up to 500,000 FREE story books to children, in honour of The Queen’s faithful reign
The book is inspired by the Queen’s dedicated service to the country for 70 years, and her Christian faith

The Queen’s commitment to the country and her Christian faith has inspired a free story book, which will be distributed to half a million children in honour of Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee.

The book, which is based on faithfulness, honours The Queen’s 70 steadfast years on the throne and is being issued by The Church of England and Thy Kingdom Come, The Archbishop of Canterbury’s global prayer movement. 450,000 of the books have already been requested and given away.

The free story, Queen CJ and the Bouncy Castle, is a product of The Cheeky Pandas – a children’s cartoon series featuring contributions from stars including CBeebies’ Gemma Hunt, and Archbishop Justin Welby.

In the book, a little panda who owns a bouncy castle and doesn’t want to share it with her friends, learns that a good ruler is faithful to her people and serves her country through the ups and downs – just like Queen Elizabeth II.

Alongside the book, there will also be a special ‘Royal’ themed Cheeky Pandas episode by the makers of CBBC’s Andy and the Band and CBeebies’ The Baby Club, with voiceovers from Gemma Hunt, and free activity packs (including a widget version for children with additional needs), assembly plans and music videos to use in homes, schools, and churches.

Cartoon episodes will also be available in BSL.

Pete James, the creator of the Cheeky Pandas said: “It is an honour to partner with Thy Kingdom Come and the Church of England this year to create these resources to nurture young children’s faith in a fun way, in celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.”

You can order the free books here on The Cheeky Pandas website, as well as other free Jubilee resources.

There is also an extended version of The Cheeky Pandas free Jubilee book, available for purchase.

Four Edinburgh charities welcome donations from Amazon

Four charities based in Edinburgh have received donations totalling £14,000 from Amazon Development Centre Scotland.

Edinburgh Refugee Sponsorship Circle and Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC) received £5,000 each, and The Yard and Four Square Scotland each received £2,000.

The charities received the donations following nominations for support from employees at Amazon Development Centre Scotland in Edinburgh and the company’s Head Office in London.

Formed in 2020 with the goal of making Edinburgh a safe place for refugees and asylum seekers to live, Edinburgh Refugee Sponsorship Circle organises safe pathways for families fleeing conflict zones and helps them secure a new life in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council works to combat inequality and discrimination. The charity promotes equality of opportunity and good relations between people in Edinburgh and across the region.

Four Square Scotland supports people impacted by homelessness in Edinburgh. The charity provides accommodation, advice, support and learning and employability training for homeless and vulnerable people.

The Yard has been involved with the Edinburgh community for more than 35 years, supporting disabled children and young people, and their families, through adventure play.

Speaking on the donations, Oliver Masting, Managing Director at Amazon Development Centre Scotland, said: “Edinburgh has been a happy home to Amazon for many years and we’re proud to be a part of the community in the city.

“We’re passionate about supporting great organisations in our community with donations and it’s great to lend a helping hand to these four important charities.”

Jane Devine, Chief Executive from Four Square Scotland added: “It’s fantastic to get this support from Amazon Development Centre Scotland.

“On behalf of all the staff and volunteers at Four Square Scotland, I’d like to say a big thank you to the Amazon teams in Edinburgh and London for their kind support.”

Angus Robertson MSP added: “Each of these charities provide huge support and excellent services to so many in Edinburgh and beyond. They are thoroughly deserving of these donations and I thank Amazon Development Centre employees for their nominations.”

The charities received the donations as part of Amazon’s programme to support the communities around its operating locations across the UK.

Community donations are one of a number of ways in which Amazon is supporting communities across the UK during COVID-19.

Throughout the pandemic Amazon has provided disadvantaged students with online STEM courses and supported virtual classrooms with no-cost resources from AWS and Amazon Future Engineer.

The company has also teamed up with charity partner Magic Breakfast to deliver more than five million healthy breakfasts to disadvantaged families around the UK.

For more information on how Amazon is supporting the UK during COVID-19, click here.

Tennis Scotland provides advantage to youngsters in deprived communities

New partnership programme with UK charity

Tennis Scotland has partnered with ‘Rackets Cubed’ to enhance the lives of school children in deprived areas of the nation through an innovative tennis programme which aims to support fulfilment of academic potential whilst improving physical and mental wellbeing.

Rackets Cubed, a UK-registered charity currently operating South of the border, delivers integrated programmes comprising of racket sports, STEM education and nutritious meals as part of its weekly activities.

Founded in 2016, the organisation has a vision of ensuring that primary pupils perform to the best of their ability by benefiting from participation in sport, enhanced extracurricular lessons and an introduction to healthy eating: driven by evidence that active children perform better in school, whilst a healthy diet has been proven to have a positive impact on classroom behaviour.

Research suggests that children in disadvantaged areas are less likely to participate in physical activity outside of school, subsequently leading to issues such as low self-esteem and obesity which can impact their academic achievements and overall wellbeing.

Designed to provide stability and project sport as a positive vehicle for change in communities, Tennis Scotland launched pilot sessions of the Rackets Cubed programme in Glasgow yesterday, with pupils at St Paul’s Primary School in Shettleston alongside students at Antonine and Camstradden primary schools in Drumchapel, the first to benefit from the initiative.

The Drumchapel programme will see students continue their development outside of official school hours at Drumchapel Tennis Club; a facility that has been selected as an ‘aspirational’ venue to host the sessions, aiming to increase youngsters’ confidence in joining and participating in activities at local community clubs.

Capitalising on increased interest in tennis and substantial growth of club memberships in recent years, the governing body also plans to roll out the programme over the next 12 months to continue increasing the provision of tennis activities to underrepresented groups, having already engaged around 350 youngsters from socially deprived areas last year through the LTA SERVES initiative.

Blane Dodds, Chief Executive of Tennis Scotland, said: “Tennis Scotland’s mission is to Open tennis up, and this exciting programme will enable us to take tennis to more disadvantaged communities and use tennis the vehicle to raise wellbeing and attainment of young people.

“Over the last couple of years during the covid pandemic, many children have been less active and missed out on education. This exciting programme is a great opportunity to increase children’s physical activity, wellbeing and support extra education and nutrition resulting in a positive impact on the children.”

Geoff Newton CEO of Rackets Cubed: “Rackets Cubed is delighted to be partnering with Tennis Scotland to offer opportunities to young children from disadvantaged backgrounds to learn a new skill, and help open up tennis to a wider audience.

“Combined with additional tuition in a STEM subject, and a nutritious meal, all in an ‘aspirational’ location, we are delighted to launch the first programmes in Glasgow and look forward to working closely with Tennis Scotland to develop many more.”