The next Catch Up with a Cop at Stockbridge Market will be held today – Sunday 30th June, from 1100 hours.
This 3 -weekly surgery is a chance to speak to your beat officer, report crimes/issues/intel, or obtain advice. People are also welcome to bring children along to meet a police officer and ask us questions.
It’s been a useful resource so far this year for many people, and the North West Community Policing Team would like to thank Stockbridge Market for hosting them.
This Carers Week (10th – 14th June) local charity LifeCare Edinburgh is highlighting the support offered to unpaid carers every week of the year
Are you an unpaid carer? Do you support another adult – friend or relative – due to their age, illness or disability? Then this could be for you!
LifeCare Edinburgh understands how important it is for unpaid carers to get a well-deserved break. The charity offers a range of respite services such as their registered day clubs, outreach care, help at home and meals on wheels services. The charity also offers a fantastic range of free drop-in activities designed for unpaid carers to relax, do something for them and meet others in a similar position.
Join LifeCare to try a new activity or get back to something you love. All unpaid carer activity sessions take place in the LifeCare Hub on Cheyne Street and run through the week at different days and times.
Why not pop along to Zumba on a Monday 6pm, Watercolours on a Tuesday at 11am, Painting and Sculpture for Beginners on a Thursday at 11am or Yoga on Sunday at 5pm? Everyone that joins a class receives a voucher for a free tea or coffee in the charity’s community café CafeLife based within the hub.
Thanks to these activities, carers report feeling supported, connected, valued, refreshed and overall they feel better equipped to continue in their caring role. One carer recently told us “I feel like myself again”
All activities are drop-in, no need to book, and are completely free thanks to funding from The Short Break Fund and LNER Community Fund. You’re welcome to bring along the person you care for.
To find out more drop in to the hub on Cheyne Street, call 0131 343 0940, email enquiries@lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk or visit www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk.
We can’t wait to welcome you!
Jonathan Erskine, LifeCare Trustee, is taking part in the Great North Swim to raise vital funds for LifeCare.
Jonathan’s dad has used LifeCare’s services for many years, which inspired him to get involved.
Jonathan said “I will be taking part in the 2 mile swim on Lake Windermere, and I hope that every stroke will contribute to making a difference in the lives of older people in Edinburgh.”
The Arla Great North Swim is a weekend-long celebration of open-water swimming taking place over 7-9thJune. Participants choose from six different open water distances, to suit all ages, abilities and level of experience. Distances range from 250m to a 10k.
Jonathan has opted for the 2 mile distance which is the equivalent of 125 lengths of a 25m pool.
To wish Jonathan luck and to help raise vital funds, take a look at his fundraising page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/jonathan-erskine-1710754938989
City of Edinburgh Music School Fauré Celebration
Join these talented musicians for a magical evening at Stockbridge Church to celebrate the music of the renowned composer Gabriel Fauré.
Get ready to be swept away by the beautiful melodies and harmonies of this French composer’s timeless pieces. This in-person event promises to be a night filled with enchanting music and wonderful company.
Tuesday 11th June
7pm – 9.30pm
Stockbridge Church, Saxe Coburg Street, Edinburgh.
Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre, has revealed the community and charity groups across the UK that will receive support to help transform, restore or start their indoor or outdoor green spaces this year, including Silvermills for little dobbies Stockbridge and Newtongrange Community Garden in Midlothian for the Edinburgh store.
Over 660 groups applied to Dobbies Community Gardens when it opened in March. Each Dobbies store selected their local project to support from the nominations that were made. Nominated projects from Edinburgh and the Lothians were invited along to the in-store Grow How session on Saturday 4 May when the winners were unveiled.
Silvermills and Newtongrange Community Garden will now receive a one-on-one session with Dobbies’ colleagues in the Stockbridge little dobbies and Edinburgh store to kick-start the activity, and the team will support the winning group right the way through their project. In addition to receiving products, tools and plants, there will be volunteer hours allocated to help bring the project to fruition and keep their outdoor space blooming.
Silvermills is a local community group that plans to rejuvenate an unused area of Stockbridge with colourful flowers and plants to brighten the space and create a place for the neighbourhood to come together.
Newtongrange Community Garden hopes to use Dobbies’ expertise and support to expand the garden and provide more accessible beds to the growing area to make the garden more inclusive for those looking to grow fruit and vegetables.
The group’s aim is to help those in the local area suffering from food poverty and improve social isolation by bringing people together.
Recent research* from Dobbies by Censuswide found that 71% of Brits say being close to nature helps them relax, highlighting the importance of initiatives like Dobbies Community Gardens to help green spaces thrive.
Dobbies’ colleagues are passionate about gardens and plants, championing garden living all year round to create experiences that bring people and communities together.
Nick Anderson, Dobbies’ Operations Director, is thrilled with the response to Dobbies Community Gardens. He explained: “We are really pleased to have had so many community groups get in touch looking for support with their green spaces.
“The Stockbridge little dobbies and Edinburgh store had the responsibility of picking a community group to back this year, choosing Silvermills and Newtongrange Community Garden as its winners.
“We’re looking forward to seeing these outdoor green spaces flourish over the year.”
For more information about Dobbies work in the community and to see this year’s Dobbies Community Gardens’ winners, visit dobbies.com/community-gardens
*The research was conducted by Censuswide with 2007 natrep consumers in UK 16+ between 22 March-25 March 2024. Censuswide abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society, which is based on the ESOMAR principles and are members of The British Polling Council.
A disabled girl’s campaign that secured £2 million of funding to improve support for disabled kids in Scotland has been nominated for a national award.
Eilish Cowan (5) and her dad Lawrence (39) from Dunfermline launched the Our Kids Won’t Wait Campaign alongside Edinburgh disabled children’s charity The Yard in September 2023, with a call for the Scottish Government to reverse a 76% real terms cut to the amount of funding the charity received per family supported.
They successfully convinced politicians, including the then First Minister, Humza Yousaf, to back the move and invest further in growing The Yard’s reach. The investment means in particular that the charity can improve its service in Tayside and open up a new centre in the West of Scotland.
The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Charity Awards are the charity’s version of the Oscars. Eilish, who has a rare genetic condition affecting her TUBA1A gene, struggles to walk and has a learning disability, is nominated in the Campaign of the Year category.
The family are calling for people to get behind the campaign and vote for them to win at https://scvo.scot/scottish-charity-awards .
Eilish’s dad Lawrence Cowan, said, “We’re so proud of our wee girl. We hope that this nomination is something she can look back on and feel proud about.
“Eilish’s genetic condition means she struggles with things we all take for granted like walking or talking and she has a learning disability. But just like any other wee girl she deserves love and a place to feel like she belongs.
“The Yard provides a place for disabled children like Eilish to have fun, make friends and be proud of who they are. We need to expand the great work of The Yard right across Scotland so we were delighted when the First Minister visited and announced the extra funding.
“To be able to say that Eilish contributed to growing the Yard’s work and opening up more opportunities for disabled children to be celebrated makes my wife and I so emotional and proud.
“But to win we need your votes! So please get behind Eilish’s campaign.”
Eilish added, “I’m proud. I love The Yard. Vote for me!”
Celine Sinclair, CEO of The Yard said, “Thanks to this campaign we are now in a position to grow the work of the Yard.
“The funding from the Scottish Government will mean that we can make real improvements to our service in Tayside and open a new service in the West of Scotland. A huge thank you to Lawrence, Eilish and all of our families who rallied behind the campaign. It makes a huge difference.”
The Yard works with children and young people with additional support needs through adventure play sessions in Dundee, Edinburgh and Kirkcaldy.
The service offers creative and inclusive play experiences in a well-supported environment, alongside wraparound support for the whole family, with a varied programme of drop-in, respite and transition youth clubs, early years, specialist sessions with schools, family play sessions, plus inclusive play and disability training.
Foysol Choudhury MSP, Co-Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Volunteering, has today raised alarm bells over Scottish Government proposals to replace the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) membership fee waiver, for volunteers in Qualifying Voluntary Organisations (QVOs), with a fee discount.
MSP Choudhury, who visited LifeCare Edinburgh last month, raised alarm bells over this proposal, which he said would hugely impact organisations such as LifeCare Edinburgh who carry out vital work and rely on volunteers to be able to deliver their services.
Following his visit to LifeCare Edinburgh, Mr Choudhury lodged a motion at the Scottish Parliament on Recognising LifeCare Edinburgh’s Contributions to Community Wellbeing. For these essential contributions to continue, however, Mr Choudhury says the Scottish Government must listen to the pleas of integral third sector organisations.
Mr Choudhury said: “LifeCare Edinburgh has worked tirelessly for 80 years providing uplifting, positive and practical support for older people, such as through day clubs, support with household tasks and home care, which allow older service users to thrive in their own homes and community.
“LifeCare Edinburgh and many other organisations foster community wellbeing, both by providing volunteering opportunities and by running essential services using volunteers.
“They therefore rely on the goodwill of volunteers being easily accepted by the system, such as via the PVG fee waiver system which allows volunteers to be easily and freely accredited for volunteering opportunities with vulnerable groups.
“The proposal to remove this fee waiver and replace it with a fee discount will, therefore, mean more barriers to volunteering, especially for those from economically deprived backgrounds, which will have a knock-on effect in terms of decreased wellbeing for volunteers and decreased services available to be run for the community.”
Sarah van Putten, LifeCare Edinburgh CEO, said: “LifeCare strongly opposes the Scottish Government’s proposals to remove the current fee waiver for volunteers and replace this with a fee discount.
“The price of a PVG application, even at the subsidised rate, is not inconsiderable, particularly for those from economically deprived backgrounds.
“The proposed changes would create a further barrier at a time where the cost-of-living crisis is already limiting access to volunteering. Adopting the proposed changes would worsen this problem and further exclude marginalised and disadvantaged communities throughout Scotland.
“The only way volunteer-involving organisations could conceivably help to mitigate this barrier would be to reimburse the cost of the PVG application back to volunteers. However, the cost of even subsidised membership applications is a substantial burden for charities to bear – particularly for organisations like LifeCare who have been significantly impacted by funding cuts, increasing demand rising costs.
“These changes will inevitably force a decline in the number of volunteering opportunities organisations are able to support in the future.
“This will ultimately have an adverse impact on all those who benefit from volunteer-supported services across Scotland, and of course the volunteers themselves whose health and wellbeing benefits through the hugely rewarding experience volunteering can bring.”
Mr Choudhury, following his visit to LifeCare Edinburgh and the submission of his motion recognising their work, is joining LifeCare Edinburgh in highlighting concern over these PVG proposals.
Mr Choudhury says he will, as Co-Convener of the Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Volunteering, continue to pursue this matter with the responsible Minister.
LifeCare Edinburgh has been awarded a significant funding boost of over £75,000 from the ScottishPower Foundation. The funding will go towards its vital Help at Home and Meals on Wheels services, enabling the charity to reach over 200 local older people living on a low income with free support.
Twenty charities across England, Scotland and Wales have been awarded funding totalling almost £1.2 million for projects tackling a range of issues, from cost-of-living support, to promoting diversity and inclusion and raising awareness of the ongoing climate and biodiversity crises.
Sarah van Putten, Chief Executive of LifeCare said: “The funding from The ScottishPower Foundation will make a significant difference to the lives of hundreds of local older people.
“At LifeCare, we believe everyone should be enabled to thrive in their own home and be active within their community. Over 75% of the people we help live alone and without LifeCare, many older people would be left critically isolated.
“Our services help people to keep well in both body and mind; delivering fresh, hot and nutritious meals to doorsteps with a smile and a chat, providing help with practical tasks when things are getting more difficult to manage, and offering companionship activities to keep people connected.
“With a rapidly growing older population we are struggling to cope with demand for care coupled with the rising costs of service delivery. None of our services are fully funded and we rely on our fundraising to sustain our life-affirming services.
“Thanks to this support we will be enabled to offer our meals on wheels service for free to those that need it and open our Help at Home service for free for those on low incomes for the first time. We are all extremely grateful.”
Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee at the ScottishPower Foundation, said: “Projects like LifeCare’s free Help at Home and Meals on Wheels services are a prime example of how the ScottishPower Foundation’s support is helping to create a better future.
“With this year’s projects providing vital support set to aid vulnerable people, communities, and natural ecosystems across the nation, it’s important for us to recognise and boost the incredible work of these charities.”
For more information about LifeCare’s services and activities visit:
https://www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk/
For a full list of the 2024 ScottishPower Foundation funded projects, go to www.scottishpowerfoundation.com
Thinking about what would happen in the future if our, or our loved ones, faculties deteriorated can be stressful and worrying. How would someone manage our affairs, access our accounts to set up the right care for us, or pay the bills? Without the right processes in place, an already very emotional situation can be made worse with often very serious consequences.
Local charity, LifeCare Edinburgh understands how daunting and complex these situations can be and will next month host a free information giving event to help debunk the complexities and help people put the right practical support in place to ensure someone trusted can quickly make decisions on behalf of a loved one if they’re not able, or no longer able, to make them themselves.
Power of Attorney is a legal document where someone – while they still have mental capacity – nominates a trusted friend or relative to look after their affairs if they later lost capacity in the event of an emergency, illness or accident.
It is not limited to people who are older or unwell, everyone needs to consider setting up a Power of Attorney at any stage of life to avoid any future complications. For example, due to having a stroke, serious accident or dementia.
Delivered in partnership with experts from Lindsay’s Legal Services team, LifeCare will host its first information giving event designed to encourage people to stop and think about what they need to put in place to help simplify the future.
Sarah van Putten, Chief Executive of LifeCare said “Unfortunately at LifeCare we are well aware of how stressful life can be when people don’t have the right documents in place. No one can predict when they may face an unforeseen illness, accident or other debilitating event that may render them incapacitated.
“As one of Edinburgh’s leading charities providing practical care support we know how emotional these situations can be at the best of times but we also know how much worse they can be when family members and loved ones are locked out of helping access the support for the people they care for.
“Relatives can’t just walk into a bank and access your money, even if it is to pay for your care. Unless you’ve a Power of Attorney, loved ones would need to apply through court, which can be long and costly.
“We understand that thinking about the future can be upsetting and frightening. Our free and informal information giving event delivered in partnership with Lindsays is designed to simplify matters; there will be no jargon and there will be plenty of time for questions and discussions and an opportunity to discuss any concerns with legal experts for free.”
LifeCare’s ‘What is Power of Attorney’ event, delivered in partnership with Lindsay’s, will take place at 2pm on Wednesday 1st May in the charity’s fully accessible community café, CafeLife at 2 Cheyne Street, EH4 1JB.
Free tea and coffee will be available along with the opportunity to find out more about LifeCare’s vital services for older people and the community overall.
The charity is encouraging people to register via Eventbrite in advance of the meeting: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lifecares-power-of-attorney-information-event-tickets-856970821797?aff=oddtdtcreator
or visit the LifeCare website https://www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk/
or call 0131 343 0940 to register interest.
Enjoy lots of fun spring activities, including a bake sale, face painting, art exhibition featuring artwork from our unpaid carers classes, and our pop up play for under 5s for your littles to enjoy!
This event is free thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.
All welcome, just drop by!
Free thanks to @TNLComFundScot
