National Breathing Space Day (1st February) takes place annually to raise awareness of the confidential support the mental health phone service provides for anyone feeling low or stressed.
The theme for the day is ‘You Matter, We Care’ and Breathing Space is delighted that an increasing number of organisations are actively promoting that message through the Breathing Space Bench Project
Over the last year, a range of organisations have teamed up with Breathing Space to encourage Scots to take some time out for their mental health with a moment to sit and reflect or share their feelings, by installing the special benches.
Breathing Space Benches are now sited in locations as varied as Inchinnan Church, Musselburgh Golf Club, Lanarkshire parks, colleges across Borders, Fife, Dundee and Angus and at Strathclyde University.
The Breathing Space Bench Project is aimed at creating welcoming spaces – encouraging people to sit and take some breathing space, to share a bit of time for listening and talking, or by reaching out and showing kindness and compassion.
This has been especially important at a time when the usual ways of meeting up for a chat have been limited.
Tony McLaren, Breathing Space National Coordinator, said: “It’s certainly been a challenging for year everyone, including our own staff who have continued to offer a compassionate listening service while working in new ways and in new office environments to safeguard against the pandemic.
It’s inspiring to see how many organisations are committed to supporting people to stay mentally healthy through taking time to listen and share. They are doing a doing a tremendous job in taking forward this mental wellbeing agenda, offering a place to connect and reflect, and showing that we shouldn’t be afraid to talk about how we are feeling.
“If anyone who is struggling and needs a listening ear, and wants to take a chat beyond the bench, our advisors at Breathing Space are available in the evenings and at the weekends on 0800 83 85 87 or through web chat, to listen and offer information and advice. If you’re worried or feeling down, please get in touch for some ‘breathing space’”
Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care, Kevin Stewart MSP said: “Looking after our mental health and wellbeing is just as important as looking after our physical health.
“That message is especially relevant at the moment, given the continuing challenges which we all face in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Breathing Space is a free service providing vital out-of-hours support to people across Scotland who are feeling low, stressed or anxious. I’m delighted to highlight the help available and to support Breathing Space Day.
“I would urge anyone who is experiencing low mood, anxiety or distress in their lives to get in touch with the service through the helpline; through NHS24 on 111; or by looking at the range of helpful advice on the Breathing Space website.”
The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, founded by rugby legend Doddie Weir, has donated £50,000 to charity MND Scotland and £100,000 to the MND Association, to support people living with motor neurone disease (MND).
Doddie, who first shared his MND diagnosis in June 2017, has pledged to help others with the rapidly progressing terminal illness, as well as funding for research into finding a cure.
Since 2018, the Foundation has committed annual funding to MND Scotland and the MND Association, to help the charities provide vital support to people who are currently affected by MND.
This new cash boost takes the Foundation’s total donations to MND Scotland and the MND Association to £430,000 and £770,000, respectively. The funds will be used by both organisations to help ease some the financial burden that comes with a diagnosis of MND, through their grant programmes.
These programmes aim to help reduce some of the extra costs that come with living with MND. The grants can be used in various ways, for instance; to help with costs towards home adaptations, such as ramps and stairlifts, for specialist equipment to live life more independently, and for respite activities for carers and families.
Jill Douglas, CEO of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, said: “We recognise the challenges faced by people who are given this terrible diagnosis and the impact it has on them and their families.
“We speak to people every day who need support and we are committed to doing all we can to help. We are delighted to work with the two MND charities, MND Association and MND Scotland who have the experience and expertise to make sure our grants reach the people who need them most.”
Rachel Maitland, MND Scotland’s Chief Executive, said:“A diagnosis of MND can put an enormous financial strain on people living with the disease, and our grants programme can be life-changing for those affected in Scotland.
“We thank the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation for this very generous donation and for the Foundation’s continued support over the years.
“These funds help MND Scotland provide essential financial support when people need it the most, and by continuing to work together we can make life a little easier for people living with MND right now.”
Sally Light, Chief Executive of the MND Association for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, said:“MND will only be defeated through collaboration and partnership, and so we are delighted our care grants partnership with the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation will be entering its fifth year.
“While we are working hard to find a cure for this devastating disease, it is vital we can provide tangible support right now to those living with and affected by MND.
“Our comprehensive grant programme is there to help people living with MND and their families in a number of ways, which can make a real difference when they are desperately in need of support.
“We are incredibly grateful to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and know that this generous donation will help so many people in the MND community.”
Prize-winning SMEs to take the stage at Scotland’s national innovation summit
The Summit announces new keynote speaker, Mari-Anne Chiromo, Entrepreneur and Business Growth & Effectiveness Specialist
Three of Scotland’s most innovative SMEs have secured a global audience spot at the CAN DO Innovation Summit after entering a competition to appear on the events #SMEstage.
The successful candidates; FC Laboratories Ltd, Cheemia ReSET and Danu Robotics Ltd, will join a host of world-class speakers, addressing an audience of over 800 investors, academics, entrepreneurs and innovators at the third-annual event held virtually on 23rd February 2022.
The competition, open to all small and medium sized Scottish businesses, required applicants to submit a short video demonstrating how their business drives innovation that is creating solutions to society’s biggest challenges.
The three winners were chosen from a wide variety of high-quality submissions and will now claim their prize spot on the Summit’s SME stage and will also benefit from two days of support from an Innovation Specialist at Scottish Enterprise worth £2K to help take their idea to the next level.
This year’s virtual CAN DO Innovation Summit will connect start-ups and SMEs with leading innovators, entrepreneurs, and academics from across the globe to explore new opportunities that marry purpose and profitability. It will feature a speaker line-up of over 40 multi-sector SMEs and a range of innovation support agencies across 12 industry-led panel sessions.
Keynotes, panel discussions and live Q&A sessions will run throughout the day covering practical insights on how people power, combined with the right tech, as well as sustainable and inclusive business practices can accelerate and enable a smoother digital transformation journey for businesses.
Mari-Anne Chiromo, Entrepreneur and Business Growth & Effectiveness Specialist at Apple is the latest name to join the selection of world class keynotes speaking at the event.
Further speaker highlights on the day include:
Kate Forbes MSP, Scottish Government
Wade Davis, Feminist, Former NFL Player and Educator on gender, race, and orientation equality (consulted with Netflix, Google and Viacom)
Gayemarie Brown, Forbes Top 25 Futurist, plus many more.
Delegates from a range of sectors – from fintech and health to manufacturing and the creative industries – have already signed up to this year’s event looking to expand their networks, learn about progressive workplace cultures and business models, and make connections for innovative project collaborations.
Dr Laura Bell of the CAN DO Innovation Summit, said:“Recent social and economic changes have created unprecedented challenges for SMEs and we would encourage them to attend the CAN DO Innovation Summit to be part of our vision of making Scotland a world-leading entrepreneurial nation.
“This virtual focal point for business will help SMEs adopt new technologies, build progressive working cultures and access the right support for innovation-led recovery and growth. We have a wide selection of world-leading speakers lined up for the event, as well as interactive sessions which can benefit SMEs across all sectors.
“I’d like to thank our panel of judges for selecting three excellent winners to take their well-earned place in the spotlight at the summit on the #SMEstage. We look forward to welcoming many more SMEs on 23 February.”
The #SMEstage competition winners were selected by an independent panel of judges made up of Evelyn McDonald, CEO at Scottish EDGE, Enoch Adeyemi, CEO at Black Professionals Scotland and Colin Meager, Innovation Team Lead, Scottish Enterprise.
FC Laboratories Ltd, Cheemia ReSET and Danu Robotics Ltd will appear at the Summit at 4pm to showcase how they are building innovation into their daily practices.
Colin Meager said: “It’s inspiring to see that, despite the economic and societal challenges we are facing, there are a wealth of entrepreneurs and businesses in Scotland using digital transformation to develop new business models and more innovative products and services.
“Winning the competition will give these businesses access to useful connections and support as well as linking them into invaluable practical support from Scottish Enterprise.”
Early Bird rates are available for a limited time. If you’re keen to attend the Summit but the cost would prevent you from attending, visit the CAN DO Innovation website for info on how to get access.
For more information on the event and to register, please visit:
The next stage in the plan to introduce a Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in Edinburgh is expected to be approved by committee this week.
A finalised scheme was brought to October’s Transport and Environment Committee, when it was agreed that further analysis would be carried out on the LEZ’s role in reducing greenhouse gases, in particular carbon emissions, before final approval.
On Thursday (27 January) committee members will consider a report outlining analysis by SEPA via the National Modelling Framework. This notes that, while the LEZ will take significant steps towards tackling poor air quality caused by harmful NO2 and PM emissions, there are limits to how much the fossil-fuelled vehicles that are allowed within the zone will reduce carbon emissions.
Instead, the wider objectives of the LEZ scheme will help facilitate the Council’s actions toward achieving a net zero city. These include decarbonising transport and encouraging a shift away from private car use towards more sustainable choices of public transport or walking, wheeling and cycling.
It is recommended to proceed with the scheme with no changes to the boundary or grace period, meaning an LEZ would be introduced in the city centre this spring, with enforcement to begin in 2024.
A separate Air Quality Annual Progress report to committee shows a continued decline in air pollution across the city. As a result, one of Edinburgh’s five Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) declared for breaches of national NO2 objectives – Inverleith Row – is set to be revoked, after three consecutive years of compliance, which is a sign of progress.
There are, however, still areas of concern, especially the Central AQMA, though modelling predicts that actions such as introducing an LEZ will have a positive impact.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “The LEZ put forward for approval in October followed several years of planning, modelling and analysis, in line with national frameworks, as well as consideration of feedback received through a major public consultation.
“Additional work carried out since then to assess the scheme’s impact on carbon emissions, as well as the proposed boundaries and grace period, demonstrates that these proposals are appropriate for the city.
“The LEZ, alongside a range of ambitious projects to improve air quality, will encourage cleaner transport and support active travel, and is key to achieving cleaner air for everyone.”
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “It’s really encouraging to see a consistent fall in harmful air pollutants across the city, so much so that we’ll soon be able to revoke the Inverleith Row AQMA.
“Of course, there’s still work to be done and we’re confident that the LEZ, paired with companies committing to cleaner fleets, improved signalling and modal shift away from private car journeys, amongst other measures, will see the picture improve even further.”
Edinburgh’s city centre LEZ would apply to all motor vehicles, except motorcycles and mopeds, and with a two-year grace period.
An evidence-led approach was taken when developing the LEZ, adhering to the National Low Emission Framework and based on detailed traffic and air quality modelling and data. October’s proposals followed a major, 12-week consultation with the public.
The city centre boundary was selected based on various factors, including the expected limited impact of a larger zone and predictions that an alternative city centre zone would have longer lasting negative impacts on air quality at its boundary.
Once the LEZ is in place, vehicles must meet a minimum emissions standard to enter the zone freely, and those that don’t will be considered non-compliant and subject to penalties.
Penalty charges are set nationally at £60 for non-compliant vehicles (though halved if paid within 30 days), with the penalty rate roughly doubling for subsequent contraventions to a maximum level depending on the vehicle.
Morrisons is helping customers celebrate Burns Night on the 25th January, with a selection of Scottish staples, a special bouquet and deals on bottles to raise a dram.
Highlights include:
Glayva Liqueur – £12 down from £18 in Scotland until 25th Jan
UK government to review and remove train announcements that add unnecessary noise and disruption to journeys
the Department for Transport will ensure train operating companies retain important safety messages and work with accessibility groups so that passengers receive the necessary information
announcement follows the publication of the government’s Plan for Rail, which puts passengers back at the heart of the railways
Quieter train journeys are set to become the norm after the government announced it will identify and remove repetitive and unnecessary onboard announcements on trains in England.
The changes mean that passengers will no longer be bombarded with unnecessary ‘tannoy spam’ that distracts from important safety-critical messaging.
Working closely with the Rail Delivery Group, passenger groups including Transport Focus, and train operators, the Department for Transport (DfT) will identify how the vast number of announcements can be cut or reduced while maintaining vital obligations to ensure train travel remains accessible for all. Messages that play a safety critical role, or that ensure the railways are accessible for all, will remain.
The review will take place over the course of this year, with redundant messages identified and starting to be removed in the coming months.
Banal announcements set to be culled include self-evident instructions, such as having your ticket ready when leaving the station and contradictory calls for passengers to keep volume levels low while onboard announcements blare out. There will also be new curbs on the maximum frequency at which remaining announcements will be heard.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Train passengers are all too often plagued by an endless torrent of repeated and unnecessary announcements.
“In line with the passenger improvements, we are rolling out with our Plan for Rail we want to see improvements to the railways for those who use them day in day out.
“That’s why I’m calling for a bonfire of the banalities to bring down the number of announcements passengers are forced to sit through and make their journey that little bit more peaceful.”
As passengers come back to the railways, DfT will continue to ensure journeys are more comfortable to all users and that passengers continue to receive the important information they need about their journey.
Officials will work with accessibility groups to ensure that access for all is maintained.
The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, launched last year, ‘puts passengers at the heart of the railway’. To improve the comfort and enjoyment of train travel, customer service will be modernised and upgraded across all stations and, on trains, focused on providing passengers with better communication and a more personalised service.
Anthony Smith, Chief Executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said: “Passengers will welcome a review intended to cut out unnecessary announcements.
“Transport Focus looks forward to helping with the review so passengers get the information they want, including those with additional accessibility needs.
Jacqueline Starr, CEO of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We know people want the most relevant and timely messages on their journeys and to help with this, train operators are continuing their work to improve customer information, including cutting unnecessary onboard announcements.
“We’re also going further by asking customers what they want to know and using their responses to plan more useful and consistent announcements across the network, helping people have a better experience travelling by train.”
With the revelations that staff inside Downing Street held two staff parties with alcohol and music the night before Prince Philip’s funeral last April – and while social contact remained banned – health and wellness store Eden’s Gate wanted to ascertain the hardest working Prime Ministers of all time.
Using Hansard, they looked into how many spoken parliamentary contributions each PM has made, as well as how many weeks they held office, and ranked them to reveal the hardest working Prime Minister of the 20th and 21st century.
Key points:
Boris Johnson is the hardest working prime minister, making an average of 12.8 contributions in parliament per week.
James Callaghan and Theresa May come second and third, with an average of 11.3 and 6 contributions per week respectively.
The Labour party is the hardest working party overall, with average weekly contributions per PM of 4.8 compared to the Conservative party’s 4.
Tony Blair only made one contribution per week on average, making him the least hard-working Prime Minister of the past decade.
Full data can be found below.
Tyler Woodward, CEO of Health and Wellness store Eden’s Gate, said: “It comes as no surprise to me that Boris Johnson has been named hardest working PM in terms of parliamentary contributions. After all, he has been in office throughout Brexit and a worldwide health crisis!
“I’d suggest he makes sure to make time for himself and ensure he’s sleeping and eating well to avoid burnout.”
Past Prime Ministers
Spoken parliamentary contributions
Weeks in office
Av. Contributions per week
Boris Johnson
1,405
109
12.8
James Callaghan
1,821
161
11.3
Theresa May
960
158
6
Gordon Brown
853
150
5.7
Harold Wilson
2,326
405
5.7
Sir Edward Heath
1,067
193
5.5
Harold Macmillan
1,293
353
3.6
Sir Anthony Eden
328
92
3.6
David Cameron
684
322
2.1
Sir John Major KG CH
668
335
2
Baroness Margaret Thatcher
1,019
603
1.7
Sir Winston Churchill
696
451
1.5
Neville Chamberlain
179
159
1.1
Tony Blair
510
530
1
Stanley Baldwin
198
377
0.5
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
35
122
0.3
Clement Attlee
0
326
0
James Ramsay MacDonald
1
354
0
Andrew Bonar Law
0
–
0
David Lloyd George
0
–
0
Herbert Henry Asquith
0
–
0
Arthur James Balfour
0
–
0
Robert Gascoyne-Cecil
0
–
0
Methodology: Eden’s Gate used Hansard to find the number of spoken parliamentary contributions each prime minister made whilst in office. They then divided this by how many weeks each prime minister spent in office to get the average number of contributions each PM made per week. They then ranked these in order to find the most and least hard working prime ministers of the 20th and 21st century.
Over 30 public and school libraries across Scotland have been awarded Scottish Government funding to deliver a range of innovative projects including initiatives to tackle climate change and promote sustainable development – but none of them are in Edinburgh.
The Public Library Improvement Fund and the School Library Improvement Fund are annual awards set up by the Scottish Government and administered by the Scottish Library and Information Council. This year nearly £400,000 has been awarded through the two funds.
Sustainable projects backed by the Public Library Improvement Fund include East Renfrewshire Culture and Leisure’s The Root Cause Project, which received £14,240 to transform an outdoor space at Thornliebank library into a sustainable community allotment and multi-functional space.
Funds for school libraries were awarded to projects championing anti-racism and anti-discrimination.
These included Prestwick Academy Library and Ayr Academy Library’s project Read Woke Primaries to curate a wider range of contemporary fiction written by, and about, people from minority groups.
Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “Libraries play a key role in our communities and our schools and projects funded through these awards will help to improve the services they can offer.
“Promoting sustainability is integral to our Net Zero ambitions to tackle climate change and our public libraries are an important focal point for conversations and taking action.
“And as part of our wider approach to creating anti-racist environments in school, it is great to see school libraries engaging our young people on the importance of belonging, inclusion and social justice.”
Pamela Tulloch, Chief Executive at the Scottish Library and Information Council, said: “As we begin to rebuild our society following the pandemic, school and public libraries are an essential part of the recovery process to ensure our future social and economic well-being.
“We’re particularly proud to provide funding awards to projects that promote sustainable development in public libraries and champion anti-racism and anti-discrimination across school libraries as examples of how libraries can make a valuable contribution to Scotland’s social fabric.”
The total amount for projects from the two funds comes to £398,142.
South Ayrshire Libraries Jock Tamson’s BairnsAmount Awarded: £9,200
South Ayrshire LibrariesClimate for ChangeAmount Awarded: £26,610
Stirling Libraries in partnership with Stirling University Making a Difference – Amount Awarded: £46,568
West Dunbartonshire Libraries Towards a Sustainable Future – Amount Awarded: £21,435
West Lothian Libraries in partnership with Heriot Watt University Eco-Ableism – Amount Awarded: £6,000 Total: £198,657
School Library Improvement Fund awards
Aberdeen School: Dyce AcademyProject: Hear a Story / Tell a Story – Award: £4,000
School(s): Aberdeen City Libraries / Harlaw Academy with Holocaust Educational Trust Erika’s suitcase – Award: £8,000
Angus School: Arbroath Academy plus othersProject: OPEN – a book, your eyes, your world – Award: £1,630
Borders School: Arbroath Academy plus othersProject: OPEN – a book, your eyes, your world – Award: £1,630
School: Eyemouth High Project: Get Woke – Award: £8,150
Dumfries and Galloway School: North-West Community Campus NWCC Project: Bringing Diversity, Racial Equality to the NWCC Young adult Book Group – Award: £8,150
East Lothian School: Musselburgh Grammar Project Award: Digital Storybag – Award: £4,900
School: Lethams Mains Primary with EL Council – Project Award: The Borrowers Bus – Award: £9,000
Falkirk School: Bonnybridge Primary – Project: Bonnybooks: For a’ Jock Tamson’s Bairns – Award: £24,940
Fife School: Bell Baxter ClusterProject: Racial Equality Transition ProjectAward: £9,000
School: Carleton PrimaryProject: The Same Page – connecting families to promote diversity and equality. – Award: £5,500
Glasgow S -Award: £11,120School: Barmulloch Primary & ALNProject: Digital and Family Learning HubAward: £13,000School: Lourdes SecondaryProject: Inclusive Storytelling for Healthy Minds – Award: £15,870
Moray School: Forres Academy Project: Equality, Inclusion, Diversity, and a Mentally Healthy School – Award: £3,750
North Ayrshire School: Auchenharvie cluster and Strathclyde UniProject: Keep the Heid’n’Read Even Mair! – Award: £16,400
Perth and Kinross School: Breadalbane Community Library/Breadalbane AcademyProject: Read It Racism – Award: £4,220
South Ayrshire School(s): Prestwick Academy Library and Ayr Academy Library (in collaboration with 9 primary school libraries)Project: Read Woke Primaries – Award: £44,000
South Lanarkshire Schools: St Andrew’s and St Bride’s HighProject: Equal Voices using anti-racist and diverse texts in extra-curricular group discussion – Award: £5,125 Total: £199,485
Rollout of new All Lane Running smart motorway schemes will be paused until five years of safety data available
Current stretches of smart motorway to be further upgraded with best-in-class technology and resources
£900 million commitment to ensure drivers feel safe and confident, including extra £390 million to install additional emergency areas
The rollout of new smart motorway schemes will be paused until a full five years’ worth of safety data is available, as the Department for Transport invests £900 million to improve safety on existing All Lane Running (ALR) motorways.
In line with the Transport Committee’s most recent recommendations, the rollout of new ALR smart motorways will be paused until a full five years’ worth of safety data becomes available for schemes introduced before 2020. After this point, the Government will assess the data and make an informed decision on next steps.
Although available data shows smart motorways are comparatively the safest roads in the country in terms of fatality rates, while their rollout is paused, the UK Government will go further by ensuring current smart motorways without a permanent hard shoulder are equipped with best-in-class technology and resources to make them as safe as possible.
This will include investing £390 million to install more than 150 additional Emergency Areas so drivers have more places to stop if they get into difficulty. This will represent around a 50% increase in places to stop by 2025, giving drivers added reassurance.
The Department for Transport has welcomed the Transport Committee’s report, which endorsed its focus on further upgrading the safety of existing ALR smart motorways rather than reinstating the hard shoulder.
As concluded by the Committee, evidence suggests hard shoulders do not always provide a safe place to stop, and by reducing motorway capacity, they could put more drivers and passengers at risk of death or serious injury if they were to divert onto less safe local roads.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:“One of my first actions as Transport Secretary was to order a stocktake of smart motorways and since then, I have worked consistently to raise the bar on their safety. I am grateful to the Transport Committee and to all those who provided evidence for its work.
“While our initial data shows that smart motorways are among the safest roads in the UK, it’s crucial that we go further to ensure people feel safer using them.
“Pausing schemes yet to start construction and making multi-million-pound improvements to existing schemes will give drivers confidence and provide the data we need to inform our next steps. I want thank safety campaigners, including those who have lost loved ones, for rightly striving for higher standards on our roads. I share their concerns.”
National Highways CEO Nick Harris said:“We have listened to public concerns about smart motorways and we are fully committed to taking forward the additional measures the Transport Committee has recommended.
“While we pause those all lane running schemes yet to start construction we will complete the schemes currently in construction, we will make existing sections as safe as they can possibly be and we will step up our advice to drivers so they have all the information they need.
“We are doing this because safety is our absolute priority and we want drivers to not just be safer, but also to feel safe on our busiest roads.”
Independent road safety campaigner, Meera Naran, whose 8-year-old son Dev, died in a motorway crash on the M6 in 2018, said: “Conventional and smart motorways both have their risks and benefits. I welcome this pause in the rollout of smart motorways which will give us all a positive opportunity to assess the future of our motorway network.
“I’m encouraged by the commitment of £900 million to improve the safety of our motorways, following my campaigning since Dev died. However, I’ll continue to both challenge and work alongside the Department for Transport to ensure even more is done, including calling for legislation to be looked at for Autonomous Emergency Braking and further support for on-going driver education.”
The Government’s response to the Transport Committee builds on the significant progress already made against the Department’s 18-point Action Plan to improve smart motorway safety, announced in March 2020, including adding emergency areas and upgrading cameras to detect Red X offences.
The measures in the Stocktake and Transport Committee response represent over £900m of improvements in total, including £390m of new money for extra emergency areas, with the remainder of the funding delivering other measures such as Stopped Vehicle Detection and concrete central reservation barriers.
National Highways will also ‘ramp up’ communications so drivers have better information about how to drive on smart motorways.
While the Department for Transport will be taking forward all the recommendations set out in the Committee’s recommendations, it does not agree with the view that smart motorways were rolled out prematurely or unsafely. All ALR smart motorway schemes are, and will continue to be, subject to high standards of design, risk assessment and construction, followed by detailed monitoring and evaluation once opened to traffic.
While further data is being collected, National Highways will continue work to complete schemes that are currently in construction, which will all open with technology in place to detect stopped vehicles.
These schemes are all more than 50% completed and halting progress on them now would cause significant disruption for drivers. Design work will also continue on those schemes already being planned, so they are ready to be constructed depending on the outcome of the pause. No preparatory construction work will take place.
Also, in line with the Committee’s recommendations, National Highways will pause the conversion of Dynamic Hard Shoulder (DHS) motorways – where the hard shoulder is open at busy times – into All Lane Running motorways, while it investigates alternative ways of operating them to make things simpler for drivers. National Highways will also install technology to detect stopped vehicles on these sections.
Shelter Scotland’s Stockbridge shop has smashed fundraising records at its popular annual January launch.
The shop raised over £20,000 across the week of the launch, which saw excited shoppers snap up designed bargains, rare collectibles and beautiful antiques.
This beats the previous fundraising record of £18,600 set in 2019.
Running since 2003, the event attracts shoppers from across Edinburgh and beyond.
Peter Jew, manager of Shelter Scotland’s Stockbridge shop, said: “It’s been nearly 20 years since we held our first January event and I’m delighted that the range of exciting items we’ve been able to offer this year has proven more popular than ever.
“I’d like to thank all of our customers and doners for their generosity and for helping to keep Shelter Scotland in the struggle against homelessness.
“Too many people are denied their right to a safe, secure and affordable home and it’s Shelter Scotland’s mission to change that.
“While our January event is a big day in the calendar, we’re here all year round.
“So, if you have any unwanted Christmas gifts and or you’re just having a January clear out then feel free to donate to us and help us fight back against the housing emergency.”
