Join us for the NHS Facilities Information Event, where you can meet some of the hiring managers from various departments.
The event will be held on Wednesday 6 December 2023 and is your chance to discover a range of roles available within NHS Facilities.
We look forward to seeing you there. Please note you must have tickets for the event as we are limited to how many people we can accommodate at each session.
You can book your place here:
Members of the Scottish Parliament’s Net Zero, Energy & Transport Committee have visited Leith based businesses and social enterprises to learn more about the different ways in which businesses are evolving and adapting to help accelerate Scotland’s transition to a circular economy.
The visits form part of the Committee’s scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy Bill, as Parliament seeks to make sure the Bill encourages a new approach to the use and consumption of materials in a way that will ultimately help Scotland achieve it net zero goals.
Committee Members, Deputy Convener Ben Macpherson MSP (delegation lead) and Douglas Lumsden MSP began the visit at local refill shop WeighToGo, where Members looked back to a time before single use plastics and saw a simple and convenient solution to sustainable living.
Members then continued their research at the Edinburgh Remakery – a social enterprise which encourages regenerative practises linked to upcycling and the reuse of products. The visit ended at the Edinburgh Tool Library which offers the public access to all sorts of tools by promoting a ‘why buy when you can share’ ethos.
Following the visit Deputy Convener Ben Macpherson MSP, said: “Throughout our scrutiny of this Bill, we’re keen to understand each stage of the waste hierarchy – and what’s preventing reusing, recycling and recovering products and materials.
“It was great to hear more about the environmental benefits these organisations in Leith have generated, by offering more sustainable products and services for consumers. They’ve also helped social cohesion by bringing people together to share ideas and lived experiences, as well as learn new skills.”
“We want this Bill to support and drive change to reduce waste. Our thanks to all the hosting organisations for the invaluable insights they have shared.”
The Committee has also issued the video as a tweet – https://twitter.com/SP_NetZero/status/1726899661078716688
The Circular Economy (Scotland) Bill was introduced on 13 June 2023. More information on the Bill can be found here.
DFM calls for Autumn Statement funding to support key missions
The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement must deliver more funding for public services, net zero and cost of living support instead of cutting taxes, Deputy First Minister Shona Robison has urged.
Ahead of the Scottish Budget next month, the Deputy First Minister called for the Chancellor to provide a funding settlement to support the Scottish Government’s key missions of equality, opportunity and community.
Ms Robison, who is also Finance Secretary, is urging the Chancellor to:
The Deputy First Minister said: “The UK faces a combination of low growth and high interest rates. The Autumn Statement must learn the lessons from last year’s ‘mini budget’ – it must not compound these problems with ill-timed tax breaks which would place even greater pressure on the public finances.
“The Scottish Government is using the levers available to us to support people through this difficult time. However, it is important that the UK Government uses its full range of reserved powers to address these challenges. With many families continuing to struggle with the cost of living, the Chancellor must not use this statement to cut benefits.
“The Autumn Statement provides an important opportunity for the UK Government to support us to deliver the investment and services that Scotland needs, to demonstrate its commitment to net zero, and to help people and businesses with the economic challenges they face.”
Aye, I’m sure Jeremy Hunt will be hanging on to her every word! -Ed.
Hundreds of households and businesses affected by the impact of Storm Babet will benefit from additional funding from the Scottish Government to help with recovery.
Impacted local authorities will be allocated additional funding to enable them to provide flat rate grants of:
This exceptional additional funding was discussed and agreed during the first formal meeting of the Storm Babet Ministerial Taskforce held today. Grants will be administered by local authorities; further information on when and how to access will be made available in due course.
Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Màiri McAllan said: “Storm Babet was a highly unusual weather event with severe impacts, and communities continue to suffer. Our thoughts are with all those dealing with the aftermath. We have been clear that Scotland’s response to and recovery from Storm Babet would be collaborative endeavour.
“That’s why we have been working with local authorities and those directly affected by the severe impact of Storm Babet to determine where the Scottish Government can provide additional support to local partners.
“Given the unprecedented scale of damage and impact caused by Storm Babet we have concluded that additional funding is required to support households and businesses.
“This is in addition to our long-standing annual funding of £42 million and the additional £150 million for flood risk management and £12 million for coastal change adaptation over the course of this parliament, and sits alongside the Bellwin Scheme, Scottish Welfare Fund, and additional funds to farming businesses and organisations. Our Taskforce will continue to oversee these matters and support local partners.
Leader of Angus Council, Cllr Beth Whiteside said: “We welcome these discussions with Ministers and have the reassurance that they are fully aware of the scale of impact across Angus.
“Recovery will be a lengthy process as we support people and communities to rebuild their lives and businesses from the unprecedented flooding and we will need ongoing support for years to come to rebuild our infrastructure and take action to protect Angus from such devastating flooding in the future.”
Work to assess and identify the damage caused by the exceptional level of rain caused by Storm Babet has been ongoing in partnership between local and national government.
Existing support which can be accessed as a result of adverse weather events includes:
The Bellwin Scheme has been activated; however, given the scale of damage endured Scottish Ministers have today agreed an extension period of eligible costs from two months from the date of the incident, to four months from the date of the incident, to further support local authorities with the cost of recovery.
The Scottish Government has already pledged support for the repair of damaged flood banks, in addition to providing an additional £50,000 to the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI) to help bolster the charity’s Flooding Crisis Fund supporting those affected by recent adverse weather in the agricultural sector.
As part of the rail industry and British Transport Police’s continued commitment to make sure every passenger feels safe when travelling by train, an immersive virtual reality (VR) experience is coming to Edinburgh today – Thursday 16th November.
The event is aimed at tackling all forms of sexual harassment by educating people to recognise how these situations occur for passengers and empower them to intervene safely and report perpetrators.
Sexual harassment is a real and far-reaching issue in society with seven in ten (71%) women in the UK having experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space, the latest survey commissioned by UN Women UK finds.
The short VR film shows how small actions, such as asking the victim if they want to swap seats or distracting the perpetrator with a question, can prevent further escalation in the moment.
Following a successful initial launch of this innovative VR film earlier this year at London Waterloo station, Rail Delivery Group (RDG) together with British Transport Police (BTP) and local train operators are inviting people in Edinburgh to try the immersive VR experience in their local station.
Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive of Rail Delivery Group said: “As an industry we are actively tackling all forms of sexual harassment and are committed to making our passengers feel safe when onboard.
“By showcasing the ground-breaking VR experience in stations across the country we’re to equipping people with tips on how to safely intervene in situations as a bystander without putting themselves in harm’s way.
“Whether you see it or experience it, we ask everyone to report anything that makes you uncomfortable to British Transport Police by texting 61016 or using the Railway Guardian app.
“Passengers using Britain’s railways have a right to feel safe and confident to call out these behaviours without fear.”
Joanne Maguire, ScotRail Chief Operating Officer, said: “Everyone has the right to go about their day in peace without fear of harassment or abuse. ScotRail works very closely with British Transport Police and Network Rail to ensure that Scotland’s Railway is a safe environment for our customers and our staff.
“To assist us in tackling unacceptable behaviour, it’s important for anyone who witnesses it to report those responsible so that they can be brought to justice. This VR experience plays an important role in helping bystanders identify inappropriate behaviour when it takes place.”
Further events will be held in various cities in Great Britain over the coming weeks and months.
How to report
By reporting all incidents that occur, bystanders can help British Transport Police to identify perpetrators and reduce potential harm for others in the future.
To report an incident, contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or using the Railway Guardian app. In an emergency, always call 999.
To watch the full VR film, visit the National Rail YouTube channel here.
POLICE have recently received a number of reports of youths throwing objects at buses in the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh. This behaviour is extremely dangerous and has the potential to cause serious injury.
Lothian Buses provide an essential public service. Removing damaged buses from service and diverting public transport from the area has a negative impact on the local community.
Police Scotland will continue to work in partnership with Lothian Buses to prevent crime and anti-social behaviour and identify those responsible.
If you see or know of anyone engaging in this reckless behaviour, please contact police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.
Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
POLICE are appealing for information following a fatal crash on Gorgie Road yesterday (Tuesday 14 November 2023).
The incident took place around 1.05pm, involving an HGV and a pedestrian.
The pedestrian, a 62-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sergeant Jill Kirkpatrick, from the Edinburgh Road Policing Unit, said: “At this time, our thoughts are very much with the family and friends of the man who died.
“We are carrying out enquiries to establish the full circumstances of this incident and would appeal to anyone who was in the Gorgie Road or Calder Road area around the time of the crash to please come forward.
“If you have any information, or potential dashcam footage, which could assist our enquiries, please call police on 101, quoting incident 1457 of 14 November.”
SOCIAL Security Scotland are making essential improvements to their IT systems, which means some online services will unfortunately be unavailable at certain times this week:
Our Telephony and Webchat service will close early at 4:30pm on 17 November.
Online applications for the following benefits will be unavailable from Friday 17 November at 5:00pm until Monday 20 November at 8am:
Our document upload service will also be unavailable during this time, meaning that supporting information for applications cannot be uploaded between 17 November and 20 November. However we encourage members of the public and stakeholders to send supporting information by post during this period.
People applying for benefits are still able to fill out a PDF application form and post it to us.We are continually looking to improve our IT systems to make applying for benefits as easy as possible. This means we do occasionally have to have downtime on our systems to allow us to make improvements.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
We will return to full service at 8am on Monday 20 November when clients will be able use our Telephony and Webchat service, make online applications and upload supporting information as normal.
3rd DECEMBER from 10.30am – 12.00pm
It’s beginning to look at lot like Christmas!!
This is our Christmas fundraiser for Starbank Park this year.
Limited places for our Festive Wreath workshop. 
Experience a festive feast like no other this year from family-run Craigies Farm in South Queensferry. Fourth generation farmer and owner John Sinclair promises a selection of high-quality, locally grown produce alongside largely Scottish-sourced food and drink items for a greener Christmas celebration this year.
Craigies is committed to reducing food miles by growing their own produce or sourcing from local suppliers as much as possible. The Sinclair family raises their own pork and lamb on the farm, guaranteeing the highest standards of quality and provenance. Highland beef comes from the neighbouring Dalmeny Estate, just a stone’s throw away. To guarantee freshness, all meat is prepared by Craigies highly-skilled on-site artisan butchers.
Customers can shop an array of delicious vegetables including potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower and carrots – all cultivated on Craigies Farm. Buy them loose or oven-ready as Christmas sides with options like traditional roast potatoes and maple-roasted root vegetables. You’ll find homegrown ingredients in the popular Craigies range of homemade condiments, including windfall apple chutney, red onion marmalade and festive spiced cranberry sauce.
Satisfying sweet tooths, Craigies have a mouthwatering selection of home-baked goods with traditional Christmas cake, indulgent chocolate yule log, and mince pies all on offer.
Craigies Farm Shop proudly stocks a range of products from local Scottish producers such as Ramsay of Carluke bacon, Mellis artisan cheeses, and Cairn O’Mohr craft wine.
For the main event, this year Craigies has opted to stock free-range, organically reared turkeys from fellow family-run farm, Northumberland Poultry.
Striving to locate the best in poultry as close to Scotland as possible has not been easy due to widespread shortages, but Craigies are confident their turkeys from the North East are the very best in quality and taste.
Lastly, in addition to its wide range of delectable food and drink, Craigies Little Farmers on-site toyshop stocks a menagerie of wonderful toys and unique gifts like high-quality Bruder farm toys, Orange Tree wooden toys, and adorable Keel cuddly toys.
Key deadlines:
Christmas orders can be made up until Sunday 10th December for delivery up till 24th December, or customers can book for click & collect for a convenient festive shopping experience.
John Sinclair, owner of Craigies Farm, commented: “At Craigies our focus is always on quality. We want to give our customers the very best produce for a memorable Christmas. We raise our own meat and grow our own veg where possible, and only choose suppliers that are as committed to quality as we are.
“We’re thrilled to be offering our own pork and lamb as well as beef from our neighbours. With a focus on quality and provenance, we’re confident that a Craigies Christmas offers the very best for festive feasting this year!”
