EDINBURGH’s bin collections will restart when the strike ends on Tuesday 30 August,the city council has announced.
In a tweet posted last night, a city council spokesperson said: ‘Bin collections will restart when the strike ends on Tuesday 30 August. We’ve developed a recovery plan and will shortly be updating our website with advice on what to do with your bins next week – watch this space.
‘Thanks for your patience.’
Talks to resolve the national bin strike will continue this week.
Community campaigners fighting to save the Silverlea woodland, wildlife and heritage site from a housing development have condemned as “Council lies” the claim that the site is a “barren” flytipping site of “low landscape value and low recreational value with few quality trees”.
A meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council development sub-committee on 10 August flouted the Council’s own policy by approving the building of 142 houses on the green belt in the Muirhouse and the Salvesens area in north-west Edinburgh.
The Save Our Silverlea Campaign describe a photo of the site produced by the Council to justify the development as “totally misleading”.
A SoS spokesperson said: “The photo showed a big pile of flytipped waste – but when a team from Save Our Silverlea visited the site days after the Council meeting, all we found was one white plastic bag and a dumped shopping trolley. The Council photo was either very old or taken elsewhere. Councillors visited the site shortly before the meeting so they should have known the photo was ‘fake news’.”
Save Our Silverlea have produced photos of the site showing massive trees and a verdant and vibrant woodland.
30-40 mature trees are to be felled to make way for the proposed scheme.
“We defy anyone – even a Councillor – to look at these magnificent trees and say this is a “barren” flytipping site. Clearly there has been some flytipping over the years – but if the site was sympathetically opened up to the community as a mini nature reserve with low impact paths and perhaps a children’s play area, then this increased footfall would act as a deterrent to flytipping.
“The Council is effectively “saving” the site by destroying it.”
Freedom of Information request
The camapigners say the city council tried to justify the destruction of dozens of mature trees by claiming they were planting 131 saplings on the narrow strip of grass known as Silverknows Park.
At the Council meeting Save Our Silverlea spokesperson Edward Murray described the real situation: “My flat overlooks Silverknowes Park and I watched them planting these saplings out in mid-February on a bitter cold day with the ground waterlogged,” he explained.
“The end result is the vast majority of these saplings never took root. They’re dead. Are we then to exchange 30-40 mature trees for row upon row of dead twigs in plastic tubes? That doesn’t strike us as a fair exchange.”
On 16 August Save Our Silverlea submitted a Freedom of Information request asking how much the Silverknowes Park Tree Plantation cost.
At the Council meeting Edward Murray described Muirhouse, where he has lived for over 30 years, as “just a dormitory for workers to sleep in before going back to work again”.
Mr Murray added: “Muirhouse is the size of a small town; it has no primary school, no park, not even a pub. It doesn’t even have a supermarket. In short, it is a deprived area. We have nothing down there. It’s one of the most deprived areas in Edinburgh.
“And now, having taken practically everything, you want to take our last green space, the Silverlea site, for development, destroying a wildlife habitat and creating congestion and pollution along the Silverknowes/Muirhouse Parkway, described by Police Scotland as ‘the second most dangerous road in Edinburgh’.”
Save our Silverlea are continuing their campaign: “As climate change threatens the future of humanity, we need to act to defend our green spaces. This land should be used for the local community – not to make £millions for greedy property developers.
“We need much more council/ social housing – build council houses on the brownfield sites where they are now building 1000s of private houses. The struggle to save our Silverlea continues.”
Dear Editor,
We would like to wish The Makaton Charity a very happy birthday. The Makaton language programme uses symbols, signs and speech to help people with communication and learning difficulties to communicate, and this Sunday 28th August, marks 50 years since the language programme first began.
It has been an honour to work with The Makaton Charity this year to create Makaton resources for NSPCC Talk PANTS. At the NSPCC, we have been supporting parents to Talk PANTS and help keep children safe from sexual abuse for nearly 10 years.
The new resources using Makaton were launched here in Scotland earlier this summer, particularly within our Inter Islands PANTS campaign, and will help keep more young people safe, by supporting children with a range of special educational needs to understand and talk about the PANTS rules.
With the help of Pantosaurus, the NSPCC’s friendly dinosaur, Talk PANTS with Makaton helps children with special educational needs to understand that their body belongs to them, and they can tell someone they trust if anything makes them feel upset or worried. The resources include a series of six short films fronted by staff and pupils.
Children with disabilities are over three times more likely to suffer abuse than their non-disabled peers and helping children with a range of needs to access our preventative messages is really important to us. We’re really grateful for the all the support from The Makaton Charity to create these resources to keep children safe.
For more information and to download the Talk PANTS with Makaton resources, visit nspcc.org.uk/pantsguides
We would like to wish all our friends at The Makaton Charity and all families who use Makaton a very happy Makaton International Awareness Day!
Mubashar Khaliq
NSPCC Local Campaigns Manager
A 54-year-old man has died following a road crash on the M8 near Edinburgh.
The incident involved a single vehicle, a black DAF HGV, which overturned a short distance west of the Hermiston Gait Roundabout about 4pm on Tuesday, 23 August.
The driver was rescued from the vehicle but was pronounced dead at the scene a short time later. His next of kin are aware.
The road was closed for around 12 hours to allow for an investigation at the scene and for recovery of the vehicle.
Sergeant Paul Ewing, of Police Scotland’s Road Policing Unit, said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man involved in this incident.
“Our enquiries to establish what led to this incident are ongoing and I would urge anyone with information to come forward.
“We would be keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident or who may have dashcam footage of the vehicle.
“Anyone with information can call 101, quoting reference 2184 of 23 August.”
A commitment to ensure the long-term growth of Gaelic and Scots is at the heart of a new public consultation launched today.
The consultation seeks views on how to raise the profile of Scots, a new strategic approach to Gaelic medium education (GME) and the creation of a Gàidhealtachd, areas with a higher percentage of Gaelic speakers. It also covers the structure and function of Bòrd Na Gàidhlig – the principal public body promoting Gaelic in Scotland.
This feedback will help develop the forthcoming Scottish Languages Bill.
The 2011 census indicated that 57,375 people spoke Gaelic and 87,100 said they had some Gaelic skills and over 1.5 million people identified themselves as Scots speakers.
Launching the consultation during a visit to the GME unit at Goodlyburn Primary in Perth, Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Gaelic and Scots are a significant part of Scotland’s culture and we want to ensure they thrive and grow.
“The situation for Gaelic speakers is an improvement on ten years ago as there are increased numbers in Gaelic medium education and more initiatives in place to support Gaelic in Scotland.
“We now need to build on what is in place and this consultation will show how we can make our measures more effective, ensuring Gaelic medium education continues to grow and provides a high quality education, that Bòrd na Gàidhlig operates effectively in the promotion of Gaelic, and consideration is given to the creation of a Gàidhealtachd.
“Scots is spoken throughout Scotland, but has never benefited from formal support through legislation and it may be time to consider this to help promote, strengthen and raise the profile of the language.”
The consultation will run until 17 November.
Exhibitions & Displays
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Open 10:00–17:00 daily
E.Coli by Luke Jerram
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Until 31 Aug 2022
Grand Gallery
Free entry
Part of the Edinburgh Art Festival programme, this 90ft long inflatable sculpture by Bristol-based Luke Jerram (above) will be suspended from the ceiling of the National Museum of Scotland’s Grand Gallery.
The E.coli is 5 million times bigger than the real bacteria. When standing next to it, does the bacteria alter our personal sense of scale? Does it look scary, beautiful, comical or alien? Will people be attracted or repelled by it?
Find out more nms.ac.uk/Ecoli
The Typewriter Revolution
Until 11 Sep 2022
Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3
Free entry
The typewriter’s social and technological influence is revealed in this exhibition and looks at its role in society, arts, and popular culture. It traces the effect and evolution of typewriters across more than 100 years, from weighty early machines to modern style icons.
The impact of the typewriter has been much wider than simply speeding up the way we write. It helped revolutionise the world of work and change the lives of working women in particular.
Typewriters helped them launch their own businesses at a time when female employers were rare and became a vital weapon in the fight for the vote.
Visit nms.ac.uk/Typewriters
Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life
Until 30 Oct 2022
Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3
Ticketed, £0-£10
Explore the history of anatomical study, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci to the Burke and Hare murders.
This exhibition looks at the social and medical history surrounding the practice of dissection. It will trace the relationship between anatomy, its teaching and cultural context and the bodies that were dissected.
Looking at Edinburgh’s role as an international centre for medical study, the exhibition will offer insight into the links between science and crime in the early 19th century.
Supported by Baillie Gifford Investment Managers.
Book now nms.ac.uk/anatomy
Bernat Klein: Design in Colour
5 Nov 2022 – 23 Apr 2023
Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3
Free entry
Marking the centenary of his birth, Bernat Klein: Design in Colour will celebrate the work of the influential émigré textile designer. Visitors will be able to explore Klein’s creative process and varied career, from providing couture fabrics for fashion designers to his influence on modernist architecture and interior design in the UK and Scandinavia
Visit nms.ac.uk/BernatKlein
Inspiring Walter Scott
Until 8 Jan 2023
Exhibition Gallery 4, Level 1
Free entry
Following the 250th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott’s birth, experience his novels through objects that inspired him. In this small exhibition we show how Scott drew upon real historical objects for inspiration, placing objects alongside Scott’s words, and the stories in which they feature. While you view these fascinating objects, you can listen to an actor reading extracts from these tales.
In association with Walter Scott 250: Celebrating 250 Years of Scotland’s Greatest Storyteller and supporting Year of Stories 2022.
Visit nms.ac.uk/walterscottexhibition
Japanese Contemporary Design
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Until 5 Mar 2023
Exhibition Gallery 3, Level 1
Free entry
From striking statement jewellery to prints and porcelain vases, this new free display considers how Japanese contemporary makers have combined innovative and traditional art, craft and design elements over the past five decades.
The star object is Hitomi Hosono’s A Large Pine Tree Pool, a sculptural porcelain bowl with complex hand-carving made and acquired in 2019.
Further highlights include Junko Mori’s intricate New Pinecone Silver Organism, and colourful body adornments by jeweller Suō Emiko’s adapted from metalworking and engraving techniques traditionally used in the making of Japanese sword fittings.
Visit nms.ac.uk/JapaneseContemporaryDesign
Events
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Open 10:00–17:00 daily
Gilded Balloon at the National Museum of Scotland
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Until 28 Aug 2022
Ticketed
Gilded Balloon are back: bringing Festival fun to the National Museum of Scotland throughout August! Bringing a colourful line-up: from science for kids to satire for grown-ups, from chat shows to live podcasts.
There’s an influencer, a ventriloquist, assorted Fringe favourites and of course a couple of Britain’s Got Talent winners.
Performers include Scottish treasures Fred MacAulay, Lynn Ferguson and Jack Docherty, alongside Paul Zerdin and assorted puppet pals, Lost Voice Guy, the one and only Chesney Hawkes and even Boris Johnson?! Plus, our own favourite – Comedy Night at the Museum where top comedians improvise a humorous look at our amazing collection.
Find out more on the Gilded Balloon website.
Audio-Described Access Evening: Anatomy
Special Exhibition Gallery 1
30 Aug 2022
17:30-19:00
£7.50 (free accompanying carer ticket available if needed)
Explore our fascinating Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life exhibition supported by an audio-described tour of key objects for those who are blind or visually impaired.
Join us after-hours for an audio-described tour of Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life led by artist Juliana Capes. Explore the history of anatomical study, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci to the Burke and Hare murders. The tour will last around 45 minutes with time to explore the exhibition independently afterwards. This event is particularly aimed at those who are blind or visually impaired.
Book now nms.ac.uk/audio-described
Hoarding Histories: Beyond the Galloway Hoard
10 Sep 2022
14:00 -16:30
Aged 14+ event
Ticketed
Join our expert panel as they discuss the process of hoarding across time and cultures.
From assembling and burying, to curating and displaying, our panel will give diverse perspectives on this fascinating practice. Presentations will include the latest research on the Galloway Hoard, hoarding in the Viking Age and Scotland’s prehistoric hoards.
Find out more nms.ac.uk/hoarding-histories
Relaxed Access Evening: Anatomy
13 Sept 2022
Special Exhibition Gallery 1
17:30 – 19:00
£7.50 (free accompanying carer ticket available if needed)
Join us for a relaxed after-hours visit to Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life for anyone who would prefer a calmer visit to the exhibition. During this opening of Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life, sounds will be lowered and light levels adjusted wherever possible to provide a more relaxed experience.
A quiet break-out space will also be available. A visual welcome guide will be provided in advance to help you prepare for your visit.
This session is primarily for, but not limited to, autistic young people and adults, adults living with dementia, adults with learning difficulties or mental health challenges or any other visitors with sensory needs or who may prefer a more relaxed experience, plus their families, friends and carers.
Book now nms.ac.uk/relaxed-access-evening
NEW Burke, Hare and The University of Edinburgh’s Anatomy School
15 Sep -1 Oct 2022
10:30 – 16:30
Seminar Room, Learning Centre, Level 4
£ 49 (concessions available)
This one-day course with The University of Edinburgh is designed to complement the National Museum of Scotland’s major new exhibition Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life.
Examine the study of anatomy within the context of 19th century Edinburgh, including the University’s role as an international centre for medical teaching. Uncover the circumstances that gave rise to the Burke and Hare murders in 1828, and consider the actions of William Burke, William and Margaret Hare, and anatomist Dr Robert Knox.
Book now nms.ac.uk/burke-hare
NEW Victorian Edinburgh
29 Sep – 8 Dec 2022
11:00 – 13:00
Seminar Room, Learning Centre Level 4
£180 for 10 sessions (concessions available)
National Museums Scotland are delighted to host a new term of University of Edinburgh Short Courses – a great way to explore our collections and their wider history with experts.
Victorian Edinburgh considers the complex challenges and changes wrought in the period 1837–1901 within Scotland’s capital city. It examines examples of the economic, social and political context in which ‘Edinburghers’ lived, and assesses their responses to the most important Scottish, British and international events.
Book now nms.ac.uk/victorian-edinburgh
National Museum of Rural Life
Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR
Open 10:00–17:00 daily
Bird Bingo
Until 30 Sep 2022
10:00-17:00
A trail around the museum
Free with museum admission and Annual Pass
Come and play Bird Bingo at the National Museum of Rural Life! Can you find all the birds hiding around the museum? Using the clues on our family trail sheet, see if you can spot different birds in our museum galleries and learn fun facts about them on your journey.
This family event is supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery
Find out more nms.ac.uk/birdbingo
Nature Track Packs
National Museum of Rural Life, Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR
Until 30 Sep 2022
10:00 – 17:00
Borrow from the ticket desk
Free with museum admission and Annual Pass
Explore more at the National Museum of Rural Life this summer with our new Nature Track Packs. Each pack contains fun ideas and activities to encourage children to engage all their senses to explore the countryside on a walk up to the farm. Nature Track Packs are available to borrow on a first come, first served basis over the summer – just ask on arrival at our ticket desk, then return the pack to the desk once your Track Pack adventure is complete.
Visit nms.ac.uk/trackpacks
NEW Tractor Tots
30 Sep – 11 Nov 2022
10:15 – 10:55
Ticketed
Running in blocks of three Friday morning sessions, Tractor Tots offers a fun, focused experience for our younger visitors, introducing them to the museum and farm, and bringing it to life through interactive creative play.
Each session will take place in a different location at the museum and working farm, and will feature handling objects from our learning boxes, singing, storytelling, rhymes, actions and sensory play to learn all about life in the countryside.
Book now nms.ac.uk/tractor-tots
National Museum of Flight
East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF
Open daily 10:00 – 16:00
Summer Satchels
Until 23 Sep 2022
10:00 – 17:00
Free with museum admission
Just ask at the desk in the Concorde Hangar.
See the National Museum of Flight in a different way this summer with our new family activity satchels. Each satchel contains all the equipment and simple instructions for five playful activities to help children explore the museum from a different perspective. The activities are designed to use outside on our spacious site.
Visit nms.ac.uk/summersatchels
NEW Operation Sabotage
29 & 30 Oct 2022
Age 14+ event
Ticketed
The year is 1942 and you are stationed at the RAF base at East Fortune. There has been an act of sabotage and one of the aircraft is unknowingly carrying live ordnance with instructions to bomb the town. Solve a series of fiendish puzzles to call off the flight and save North Berwick!
Operation Sabotage is an escape room experience for 4-8 people that lasts up to an hour. Working as a team, you must race against the clock in two Second World War-themed rooms to decipher the identity of the saboteur before it’s too late.
Book now nms.ac.uk/operation-sabotage
Online
Silent Teachers: The Story of Modern Body Donation
13 Sep 2022
19:30 – 20:30
Free, with optional donation
Inspired by our current exhibition, Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life, our expert panel will discuss the modern approach to anatomical study and body donation in this online event. In the 18th century, Edinburgh was Britain’s leading centre for medical teaching. As anatomists sought to understand the human body, the demand for bodies to dissect and study vastly outstripped legitimate supply.
As a result, grave robbing became common practice. Since then, legislation has ensured bodies used today are acquired, with proper consent, through donation. From their perspectives as exhibition curator, professor, medical student and living donor, our expert panel will discuss the modern approach to body donation and contrast the ethics, practices and beliefs of today with those from two centuries ago.
Book now nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events
Members’ Spotlight: From Table to Melting Pot – Roman Silver from Traprain Law
4 Oct 2022
18:30 -19:30
Free, booking required
In 1919, archaeologists excavating Traprain Law in East Lothian discovered a stunning hoard of buried treasure made up of over 300 fragments of Roman silver which had been cut into bullion, and were destined for melting down and recycling into new objects.
Join us and Dr Fraser Hunter, Principal Curator of Prehistoric and Roman Archaeology, as we explore more about this remarkable find and discover how recent research into the treasure has caused us to rethink how the Roman world engaged with groups beyond its frontiers, and the effects this had in the centuries that followed.
Book now nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events
NEW Ancient African Queens: New Perspectives on Black History
27 Oct 2022
19:30 – 20:30
Free, with optional donation
In the 19th and 20th centuries European and American Egyptologists appropriated ancient Egypt into an idea of ‘Western civilisation’ and set it apart from other African cultures. This historical colonial bias against Africa has ramifications on how we interpret ancient Egyptian and Sudanese collections today.
Join our panel as they discuss how reassessing 19th and 20th century colonial attitudes can bring new perspectives to fascinating aspects of ancient Egyptian culture and its place in African history.
Book now nms.ac.uk/exhibition-events
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For booking, opening times and location details, contact National Museums Scotland on 0300 123 6789
Ganesh & Cydney’s Clinic
Underbelly (Cowgate): 04-28 Aug 2022
“Something extraordinary!” – Critics Republic, ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Spreads a feel-good buzz!” – The Star (Malaysia), ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Best Director, Best Lead Performer @ Malaysian National Arts Awards
Soho Theatre Young Company
Award winning Malaysian theatre company Liver & Lung are bringing their critically acclaimed cabaret, Clinic, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at Underbelly Cowgate this summer.
Imagine if Prince and Mae West were best friends. Now throw in some glitter, filth, a dash of camp and you’re nearly there … After traveling the globe seeking the reaffirmation their lovers never gave them, Ganesh and Cydney have landed in Edinburgh, on a mission to rid the city of lovesickness.
Clinic is a new cabaret experience, that’s cliché and unconventional in equal measure. With the help of a little audience participation, some outrageously intimate anecdotes and original songs, patients are taken on a euphoric and enlightening journey towards sexual discovery and self-love.
Clinic is directed, produced and composed by Malaysian-born performer Shafeeq Shajahan (@shafeeqshajahan). He is a recent recipient of the National Malaysian Arts Award for Best Director in Musical Theatre. While he plays the role of ‘Ganesh The Great’, Natalie Durkin makes her Fringe debut as ‘Cydney Debonaire’ (@nataliedurkincomedy).
Listing information:
Show: Ganesh & Cydney’s Clinic
Dates: 04-28 August 2022
Time: 11PM
Venue: Underbelly – Cowgate
Address: 66 Cowgate, EH1 1JX
Price: £11 (£10 concessions)
Box Office:www.underbellyedinburgh.co.uk / 0131 510 0395 / www.edfringe.com
About Liver & Lung:
Liver&Lung is a critically acclaimed and award-winning international theatre company. Stylistic and spectacular, its plays, musicals and events in London, Edinburgh, and Malaysia have reached a wide audience.
Liver & Lung has won four Malaysian BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, including Best Direction for Sepet The Musical and Innovation in Musical Theatre for Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales).
The company launched Asia’s first integrated digital arts festival, in conjunction with KLDiversity, in 2021.
Instagram: @liver_and_lungTwitter: @liver_and_lung
Website: www.liverandlung.com
Please join us at our AGM tomorrow (Tuesday, 23rd August) at 12pm.
Are you interested in becoming more active in your local community and shaping the future of your Neighbourhood Centre? We are looking for local people to join our Management Committee as a Charity Trustee.
In order to be elected on to our Management Committee you must be a member of the Drylaw Telford Community Association – membership is free.
Membership forms will be available at the AGM or drop in to the centre prior to the meeting.
Microcosm Theatre Company
Is This the Real Life？
China or the UK? Where should I go? What happens after I graduate? The things you ignore during the day will often creep into your dreams.
Gripping reflections on the subconscious intermingle in this showcase of the ideologies and anxieties of a Chinese international student.
Overseas students consider these things every few seconds: the anxieties of uni life, and the dilemma of the ominous life after graduation.
Is this real life? explores cultural stereotypes, freedom, an antitheist encountering gods and Chinese allegory in an entrancing and thought-provoking play.
Chinese students Hongye Chen and GuoZhao Sun, drama students at the University of Exeter, are Microcosm. The pair of theatre-makers, and dreamers, are excited to bring their first show to the Fringe.
Listings information
Venue: theSpace on the Mile
Dates: 22-27 August 2022 (not 24)
Time: 11:30 (0hr40)
Ticket prices: £6 / concessions £3 / children £3
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / https://tickets.edfringe.com
Suitable for all ages
NHS Lothian is encouraging parents and carers to help keep children healthy over the school terms this winter by getting them vaccinated against flu. All primary and secondary school pupils are eligible for the vaccine, which is given in schools as a painless nasal spray.
Getting children vaccinated against flu reduces the chances of them missing class time and other activities due to illness and helps prevent them passing the illness to vulnerable family members.
Consent packs containing a letter, leaflet and consent form will be sent home to parents and carers of school children on return to school in August. Secondary pupils can self-consent, though they are encouraged to speak to a parent or carer first.
Letters with appointment details for children aged two to five years who are not yet at school will begin to arrive at homes from September.
Parents and carers should call the number on their child’s letter if their child has missed their appointment or needs to reschedule.
The nasal spray is a quick and painless way of delivering the flu vaccine to children and should start to provide protection within 10-14 days.
Pat Wynne, Nurse Director for NHS Lothian who is overseeing this year’s programme, said: “Getting the nasal spray flu vaccine is the best way to protect your child and those around them. The flu virus changes over time so your child needs to get the vaccine each year to help stay protected.
“Please look out for your child’s consent pack, which they will receive through school from August, and ensure that their completed consent form is returned on time if you wish them to receive the vaccine.”
Public Health Minister Maree Todd said: “Schools are back but we want to keep flu out, which is why all primary and secondary school children are being offered the free flu vaccine.
“Flu can be serious, even for healthy children, so the vaccine offers the best possible protection for your child and those around them who may be more vulnerable to flu. Getting your child vaccinated can help prevent them getting sick, from spreading flu, and requiring time off school and away from other activities.”
School children will receive the flu vaccine in school between September and December. Parents of two to five-year-olds who are not yet at school will be given information about where their child will be vaccinated in their appointment letter. In a small number of cases, the nasal spray may not be suitable, and the vaccine can be given as an injection in the arm instead.
For more information about the flu vaccine, visit NHS Inform or call 0800 030 8013.
Winter Vaccines
Scotland’s Winter Vaccine Programme will see eligible groups invited forward for vaccination against flu and/or COVID-19.
Following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the following groups will be offered both the flu and COVID-19 vaccines this year:
• aged 50 or over
• residents and staff working in a care home for older adults
• younger adults in long stay nursing and residential care settings
• frontline health and social care workers
• Those aged 5 to 49 years with an eligible health condition, including those with poorly controlled asthma
• Those aged 5 to 49 years who are:
– a household contact of someone with a weakened immune system
– an unpaid carer or a young carer (16 years or over)
– pregnant
The flu vaccine is also recommended for:
• people aged 16 to 49 years with an eligible health condition, including well controlled asthma
• children aged 6 months to 2 years with an eligible health condition
• all children aged 2 to 5 years (not yet at school)
• all primary and secondary school pupils
• nursery, primary and secondary school teachers and pupil-facing support workers in local authority and independent settings
• prison population and prison officers and support workers who deliver direct front-facing detention services.
Appointments for priority groups will be made available as the programme progresses – people in those groups should wait until they are contacted or called forward. Read the latest update from the Scottish Government here.
