Category: Uncategorized

Drive-in Movies off to a flyer!

PIC: Lloyd Smith

Edinburgh International Film Festival and Unique Events, organisers of Edinburgh’s brand new Drive In Movies event, have hailed the opening weekend a huge success.

Over 4,000 people flocked to Edinburgh Airport to experience a 4-day outdoor cinema extravaganza, supported by Edinburgh Live, for people of all ages which included family favourites, all-time classics and thrilling blockbusters.

PIC: Lloyd Smith

Tickets for the next Drive-in Movies (24 – 27 September) are now on sale at edinburghdrivein.co.uk with another packed programme of cinema classics including Back to the Future, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Mamma Mia! Rocketman, Toy Story and Mean Girls, among others.

The opening weekend of Drive-in Movies saw thousands of people from Edinburgh and Lothians enjoying a fantastic outdoor cinematic experience in the comfort of their own vehicles and in the unique surroundings of Edinburgh Airport.

Strictly following the health and safety regulations and the Scottish Government’s advice, Drive-in Movies offered a safe and fun environment for people of all ages to experience what was the first post-lockdown outdoor event for many.

A top-notch selection of films was shown on a state of the art 100sqm LED screen, one of the largest mobile screens in the world with the audio broadcast straight to cars, for audiences to control the soundtrack.

Audiences sang along to Sunshine on Leith and Grease, shed a tear at Up, fell in love during William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet and enjoyed the planes landing and taking off nearby which was a particular treat at the screenings of Con Air and Airplane!

Prior to each film, audiences had a chance to sample some of the best fish and chips in the country from seafood specialists Alandas and those not behind the wheel, Edinburgh-based award-winning brewery’s Cold Town Beer.

Nairn’s Oatcakes distributed their ever-so-popular Oat Bars as a special treat for families who came to see Up and Mary Poppins Returns. Popular Edinburgh DJ Stewart Calverto became Captain Calverto as he warmed up the crowds with car disco and quizzes with spot prizes.

PIC: Lloyd Smith

Audiences took to social media to share their views of the event:

‘Great afternoon at #Edinburghdrivein @EdinburghAirpo1 Brilliantly presented by @UniqueEventsltd and @edfilmfest’

‘Had an epic time tonight at seeing alien at #EdinburghDriveIn, great set up’

‘brilliant night out at #EdinburghDriveIn’

‘Dreamy night at the drive-in. Thank you for the brilliant escape @edfilmfest @UniqueEventsltd’

Drive-in Movies’ opening weekend. Credit Lloyd Smith.

Drive-in Movies continues during the last weekend of every month for the rest of the year. September dates are confirmed as 24 to 27 September and the organisers are now pleased to reveal first titles for the event, an exciting selection of cult films and blockbusters: Back to the Future (1985) with some of the most recognisable lines and the inimitable Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, Big Trouble in Little China with Kurt Russell (1986), John Hughes’ Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), all-time family favourite Toy Story (1995), teen comedy classic Mean Girls (2004), Drive (2011) with Ryan Gosling, and more recent hits, a homage to ABBA featuring Meryl Streep, Mamma Mia! (2008), Spike Lee’s Blackkklansman (2018), Incredibles 2 (2018) and Elton John’s biopic, Rocketman (2019).

Tickets are on sale now at edinburghdrivein.co.uk

SCHEDULE

Thursday 24 September

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (15, 1986) 10:00pm

Friday 25 September

INCREDIBLES 2 (PG, 2018) 2:00pm

FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (12A, 1987) (CAPTIONED) 6:00pm

DRIVE (18, 2011) 10:00pm

Saturday 26 September

TOY STORY (PG, 1995) 10:30am

MAMMA MIA! (PG, 2008) (CAPTIONED) 2:00pm

BACK TO THE FUTURE (PG, 1985) (CAPTIONED) 6:00pm

BLACKKKLANSMAN (15, 2018) 10:00pm

Sunday 27 September

MARY POPPINS (U, 1964) 10:00am

MEAN GIRLS (12, 2004) 2:00pm

to be announced 6:00pm

ROCKETMAN (15, 2019) 10:00pm

Tickets available now at www.edinburghdrivein.co.uk priced from £27.50 – £35.00 (+ booking fee) per vehicle for up to 5 persons.

How are communities responding to Covid-19?

Public Health Scotland would like to understand more about how communities have responded to the impact of Covid-19 on the way we live our lives, right now and in the next few months, and how local community groups and organisations have supported this.

We are looking for examples in two areas: 

  • Firstly, how communities have adapted to the challenge of how we get around – has the way you travel changed as a result of Covid-19? Perhaps by walking, wheeling and cycling more, or as a result of changes to public and community transport services. What impact has this had?
     
  • Secondly, we are looking for examples of how communities and organisations have used their local areas differently by adapting streets and spaces, for example for children’s outdoor play or for leisure and relaxation, or how they have used or changed existing spaces for example parks, areas with trees or grass.

If you have examples to share you can submit your information and we will be in touch with you.

Did your community group or local project receive copies of the COVID Food Group August newsletter? If not, don’t worry – a few are still available!

Email northedinnews@gmail.com to arrange delivery.

Heart Research UK Healthy Tip: Eatwell guide

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

Using the Eatwell Guide to plan your meals

A healthy, well-balanced diet is important for managing your weight and preventing serious health problems, including heart disease. The Eatwell guide is a visual tool that represents government guidelines on healthy eating.
In this Healthy Tip, we give you some tips for planning a healthy, well-balanced diet using the Eatwell Guide.

What is the Eatwell Guide?

The Eatwell Guide shows the proportions of different types of food that make up a healthy diet. This is represented as a plate, which is divided into five food groups.

The Eatwell Guide is appropriate for most people, but it should not be used in meal-planning for very young children.

It is not essential to achieve this balance with every meal, but it is good to try to get the proportions right over a day or longer. Try to consume a variety of foods from each of the food groups to ensure you consume a range of nutrients.

Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables should make up over a third of the foods in your diet as they are a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. However, most people do not eat enough.

Fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced fruit and vegetables all count.

Fruit juice and/or smoothies should be limited to around 150ml a day due to their high sugar and low fibre content. Try adding fruit to breakfast cereals and increase the amount of veg or salad in your lunches and evening meals.

Potato, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates

Starchy foods, such as pasta, rice, bread, breakfast cereals and potatoes provide us with energy and essential nutrients. These starchy foods should make up just over a third of your diet.

Choose wholegrain versions, such as wholemeal pasta, brown rice, wholemeal bread and wholegrain breakfast cereals.

You can also try to leave the skin on potatoes for extra fibre. Get your day off to a good start with a bowl of wholegrain cereal or a slice of wholemeal toast with some fruit.

Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins

Try to include beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat or other protein with most meals.
These foods are a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Try to choose a lean cut of meat, such as chicken without the skin, as it is lower in saturated fat.

If you eat fish, aim to have two portions every week, including a portion of oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel or sardines as these contain the essential fatty acids that are good for your heart.

Oils and spreads

Try to choose unsaturated oils and spreads, such as rapeseed, vegetable, olive and sunflower oils. Try to cut down on butter, hard margarine, coconut oil and animal fats as these are all high in saturated fat, which can increase your risk of heart disease. When cooking fatty meats, such as bacon, cut away as much of the fat as possible. All fats are high in calories (energy) and should be consumed in small amounts.

Dairy and alternatives

Try to include some dairy or a dairy alternative with each meal. Products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt are a good source of protein as well as some vitamins. They are also a key source of calcium which is vital when it comes to keeping your bones strong. Choose lower fat and sugar dairy products where possible. This includes reduced fat cheese or fat-free and sugar-free yoghurt.

High fat, salt and sugar foods

Foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar should be consumed in small amount.
These foods, which can be eaten as an occasional treat, include chocolate, cakes, biscuits, sugary soft drinks, butter and ice cream.

Water, lower fat milk, sugar-free drinks.

Aim to drink around six to eight glasses of fluid every day. Water, lower fat milk and low sugar/sugar free drinks (including tea and coffee) all count. Fruit juice and smoothies can also count towards our fluid consumption. However, they can be high in sugar and low in fibre, so we should drink no more 150ml of these in a day.

You can find more healthy tips, recipes and advice at heartresearch.org.uk.

Remember these retro racing games? This is what they could be worth now

Motoring experts from LeaseCar.uk have researched nine retro racing games from the 80s and 90s and revealed how much they could be worth now.

Many of the games are worth just shy of £100 – with one classic fetching as much as £1,700!

Can you remember these retro racing games?

This is what they could be worth now

Racing fans and gamers have been told to check their attics for retro driving game favourites that could be worth as much as £1700 now.

Motoring experts from LeaseCar.uk   have researched and revealed nine classic racing games from the 80s and 90s that could fetch a pretty penny on the resale market.

Collectors and enthusiasts are willing to pay serious money for copies of their favourite racing games of yesteryear.

From Mario Kart and Stunt Racer to Spy Hunter and Top Gear, nostalgia seekers will shell out hundreds – and sometimes thousands – of pounds to experience a blast from the past.

A spokesperson for  LeaseCar.uk  said: “If you’re around 25 or older, chances are you’ll remember at least a few of these pioneering games of yesteryear.

“And if you’re lucky enough to have a copy tucked away somewhere, you could be sitting on a significant cash cow.

“The prices we’ve listed below relate to pristine, sealed copies, but even used copies can fetch a fair sum.”

Here are nine retro racing games and what they’re worth now:

1. F-Zero on Super Nintendo

(Image credit: https://medium.com/j-king-s-labratory-project/nintendo-should-make-another-f-zero-game-47383d6dba15)

Factory sealed copies of futuristic racing game F-Zero can fetch around £50-£60 on average, which is a good deal more than it would have cost to buy when it was released in 1991.

2. Rock ‘n’ Roll Racing on Gameboy Advance

(Image credit: https://lutris.net/games/rock-n-roll-racing/)

If you happen to have a sealed copy of Rock ‘n’ Roll Racing for Gameboy Advance, you could resell it for about £90-£100.

3. Ivan ‘Ironman’ Stewart’s Super Off Road on Nintendo NES

(Image credit: https://thegamesdb.net/game.php?id=2794)

In this game, up to three players compete against each other or the computer in racing around several top-view indoor off-road truck tracks of varying difficulty. The resell value can be as much as £60-£70 now.

4. Top Gear on Super Nintendo

(Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear_(video_game)#/media/File:SNES_Top_Gear_cover_art.jpg)

In this Super Nintendo classic, players could choose between four cars to face 32 challenging courses in locations around the world. If you’re lucky enough to have a copy stored away, it could be worth as much as £85-£90.

5. Rad Racer on Nintendo NES

(Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rad_Racer#/media/File:Rad_racer_box_front.jpg)

In this game, originally released in Japan as ‘Highway Star’, players drive a Ferrari 328 or a generic Formula One racing machine through a racecourse. It’s one of the most profitable games on the list, worth up to £210-£220 for pristine, sealed copies.

6. Spy Hunter on Nintendo NES

(Image credit: https://www.mobygames.com/game/nes/spy-hunter/cover-art/gameCoverId,120902/)

Drawing inspiration from the James Bond films, the object of Spy Hunter is to drive down roads in the technologically advanced “interceptor” car and destroy various enemy vehicles with a variety of onboard weapons. The potential resale value for this one is massive – up to £370-£380!

7. Stunt Racer 64 on Nintendo 64

(Image credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stunt_Racer_64#/media/File:Stuntracer64.jpg)

New and sealed copies of this Nintendo classic fetch a whopping £1650-£1750, but even used copies are worth around £600!

8. Mario Kart 64 on Nintendo 64

(Image credit: https://n64today.com/2017/11/26/mario-kart-64-review/)

Another Nintendo 64 family favourite, the original Mario Kart game is now worth as much as £310-£320!

9. Outrun on Sega Genesis

(Image credit: http://segascrutiny.blogspot.com/2011/01/genesis-game-reviews-outrun.html)

Known for its pioneering hardware and graphics, nonlinear gameplay, and selectable soundtrack, sealed copies of Outrun are now worth around £95-£100.

Same Again?

Sober Scots’ drinking habits since lockdown

Scots are the most likely in the UK to be drinking same or less since before lockdown was imposed

Lockdown was predicted to cause a sharp rise in alcohol consumption and binge-drinking but most UK drinkers (65%) actually drank the same, less or stopped drinking altogether during lockdown compared to previously.

In the weeks following the reopening of the hospitality sector, this trend has continued. Brits are continuing to drink in moderation, but more and more are choosing to do so at the pub.

Scotland is no exception to this trend and, though Scottish pubs only recently reopened their doors, close to a third (30%) of Scots have returned to the pub at least once.

Scots continue to drink in moderation despite the reopening of pubs

The latest YouGov survey commissioned by the Portman Group (2,296 UK adults, 12-13 August) shows that the moderate majority continues to prevail in the UK, even with the much-celebrated reopening of pubs. 

In fact, of those who drink alcohol, even more people are drinking the same, less, or have cut out alcohol altogether, than during lockdown. These figures have now increased from 65% in May 2020 to 88% in August. This shows an ongoing trend of people drinking less during this unprecedented time and supports data by Nielsen which showed that in the 17-week period covering lockdown to 11 July 2020 Brits consumed almost 1.3bn litres of alcohol during the UK’s lockdown period, almost half the 2bn litres consumed in the same period last year.

The survey data for Scotland shows that:

  • 92% of Scottish drinkers are drinking the same (59%), less (27.5%) or have cut alcohol out altogether (6%) since the hospitality sector reopened compared to before lockdown.
  • Scots are the most likely in the UK to be drinking the same, less or have stopped compared to drinkers in England (85%), Wales (88%) and Northern Ireland (89%).
  • Concerningly 5% of Scottish drinkers said they were drinking more since the hospitality sector reopened than before lockdown. We encourage anyone concerned about their own, or another persons’, drinking to visit Drinkaware or the NHS online for free advice and guidance.
  • The moderate majority of Scottish drinkers (69%) continue to drink responsibly, within the Chief Medical Officer guidelines of 14 units per week. Weekly intakes remain similar to before lockdown.
  • Scottish drinkers are also slightly more moderate than their English (66%) and Welsh (68%) counterparts in terms of remaining within the guidelines.

More than a quarter of Scottish pubgoers return to their local

While many of us continue to drink at home, a great number of Scots have resumed much loved habits of gathering at their local pub. Pubs have put in place diligent social distancing measures to ensure that communities can revisit pubs while feeling safe and secure. Scots are responding well to the ‘new normal’ with almost three quarters (76%) saying social distancing has not deterred them from a return to the pub.

It’s not just drinkers who have been making the most of the pubs reopening; pubs have long been a happy and inclusive environment for all members of the community.

The recent period has seen Scots making a cautious return to many much-loved venues outside of just hospitality, including shops and beauty salons, and it seems that, despite one in eight (12%) feeling the pinch after months of furlough or even job losses, we are still setting aside time and money to return to our favourite institutions, something that has been made clear with the popularity of August’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

Pubs in Scotland opened their doors once again on 15 July. Despite this, close to a third (30%) of Scottish adults have made their way back to the pub, slightly higher than Northern Ireland (26%) but lower than Wales (37%) and England (42%).

Speaking about the results of the survey, John Timothy, CEO of the Portman Group, the social responsibility and regulatory body for alcohol in the UK, commented: “During the course of the COVID-19 crisis there has been a fear that many people would turn to alcohol and that misuse would increase.

“Yet Scots are showing continued moderation both at home and, happily, now back at the pub. It’s great to see people supporting their community pubs while drinking sensibly and maintaining social distancing.”

Commenting on the results in Scotland, Douglas Meikle, Head of Alcohol Policy at the Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership, said: “It’s encouraging that so many Scots continue to drink within the CMOs’ guidelines of 14 units a week, in spite of the unprecedented nature of lockdown, with many deciding to drink less.

“As things get back to being more normal it will be important to continue that trend and encourage those who want to go back to our pubs and bars that they can do so safely”.

Eggs-ercise! Morrisons trains hens to produce the tastiest eggs

  • Morrisons have teamed up with industry experts to create a programme to give Hens the best training at the finest facilities –
  • Investment into fastest growing protein industry will raise awareness about an industry that needs additional investment –
  • Brits consume 36 million eggs a day with each person eating an average of 197 eggs a year –

Morrisons is investing in British farming by teaming up with the ‘British Egg Academy’ to create a hen training programme. The tailored “training” plan aims to produce the fittest chickens and the best eggs.

Hens lay more eggs when they are active. Students of the academy will learn how to develop exercise routines to create the healthiest environment possible to keep their hens happy. Students will learn everything there is to know about producing elite hens and the best eggs; including the right amounts of feed and water needed, the amount of necessary light exposure and even how to create calming environments to give them time to relax and put their claws up. 

The hens will be given all the exercises that they need to produce the best eggs. They will be given access to trees – that they use to play hide and seek in, footballs and other toys – that they are encouraged to play with, and perches at various levels within in their houses – so they are able to jump, climb and fly on a daily basis. For the hens that need downtime after their training, dust baths will be available out in the range.  

Young people have consumed more eggs in recent years, making the egg industry the fastest growing protein industry in the UK. Last year, Brits consumed over 13 billion eggs, that’s a whopping 36 million eggs a day, and 197 eggs per year per person. 

As well as creating tastier eggs, the academy will increase awareness about the job opportunities available in an industry worth over £1 billion to the UK economy, and improve training opportunities for those who are looking to help feed Britain with the best British eggs.   

Sophie Throup, Head of Agriculture at Morrisons said: “We want to produce some of the healthiest, fittest and happiest hens in the UK.

“We are always looking at ways to continually improve our egg quality and this Academy will help achieve that goal, whilst giving our students insights into how to crack the industry for generations to come.”

Bill Meredith, Principal at Bishop Burton College’s Principal said: “The college is delighted to be working with Morrisons and poultry farmers to provide opportunities for those seeking rewarding careers in the egg industry.

“Our commitment is to provide the skills needed to maintain the highest possible welfare standards – happy hens are us!”

The British Egg Academy will be based at Bishop Burton College and the course will start in January 2021. Applications to the course will close in December 2020. 

For more information, visit: https://www.morrisons-farming.com/backing-british/british-egg-academy/

Lottery cash to keep capital’s theatres afloat

Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest theatre charity, has received £168,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support its three venues – Festival Theatre, King’s Theatre and The Studio, through this period of closure.

This vital funding, which will help maintain the iconic buildings in a safe condition, has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players.

This funding from the Heritage Emergency Fund will go towards covering essential costs such as electricity, gas, IT, insurance and maintenance of the theatres whilst they are closed. It will also go towards a small element of staff salaries for those who are responsible for ensuring the venues are secure and maintained whilst closed, and who will plan how we can adapt our venues to safely reopen our venues when we are allowed to do so.

At least 90% of Capital Theatres’ income is generated from ticket sales and trading income, meaning that the sudden closure meant an immediate loss of the two main sources of income.

To date Capital Theatres has refunded 52,900 tickets with a value of over £2.5m. The postponement of the panto until 2021 will result in a further £2.3m loss of income. 

It is currently campaigning to receive emergency support to the same level as other publicly supported theatres which would allow Capital Theatres to play its part in the renewal solution for Edinburgh and Scotland.

Beyond its 3 key venues the organisation provides local community health and wellbeing benefits through an extensive programme currently adapted to run virtually, delivers a key element of Edinburgh’s year-round cultural offer for local citizens and retains 230 jobs in the city’s cultural sector.

Kate Smith, Director of Development at Capital Theatres said: “Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest theatre charity, is responsible for the Festival Theatre, King’s Theatre and the Studio. When we closed our venues in March due to Covid-19 we saw a 90% reduction in our income from loss of ticket sales. 

“This vital funding from the Heritage Emergency Fund will help maintain our buildings in a safe condition. On behalf of everyone at Capital Theatres we would like to thank National Lottery Players.”

The funding, made possible by National Lottery players, was awarded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund. £50million was made available to provide emergency funding for those most in need across the heritage sector.

The UK-wide fund aimed to address both immediate emergency actions and help organisations to start thinking about recovery.

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, supporting economic regeneration and benefiting our personal wellbeing. All of these things are going to be even more important as we emerge from this current crisis.

“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are pleased to be able to lend our support to organisations such as Capital Theatres during this uncertain time.”

Like Capital Theatres, other charities and organisations across the UK that have been affected by the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus outbreak are being given access to a comprehensive package of support of up to £600 million of repurposed money from The National Lottery.

This money is supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and span the arts, community, charity, heritage, education, environment and sports sectors.

Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised every week for good causes, including heritage of local and national importance. By playing The National Lottery, people up and down the country are making an amazing contribution to the nationwide-response to combatting the impact of COVID-19 on local communities across the UK.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund is now closed for applications.

To find out more about how The National Heritage Emergency Fund is supporting the sector at this time please visit: 

https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/responding-coronavirus-covid-19

To find out more about the National Lottery Good Causes, visit: 

www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/coronavirus-pandemic-response

SSSC shares more inspiring care stories

An emotional film of a care home resident singing with his daughter on a video call during lockdown is just one of the new Inspiring Care Stories published by Scottish Social Services Council yesterday.

The story from the Crossreach St Margaret’s care home in Polmont shows how staff supported residents and families to keep in touch when face-to-face visits couldn’t take place and just how much it meant to the gentleman and his family is clear from watching the film.

blob:https://www.facebook.com/bc7ea24c-db09-4627-9952-b9425066206d

This is the second phase of our Inspiring Care Stories campaign which show how the social service workforce has faced and dealt with the challenges of COVID-19 and gone the extra mile to support people using services and each other.

The latest stories feature a number from workers who have had amazing support from colleagues and highlight just how important that’s been in delivering the best possible levels of care.

We’ve published 18 new stories from lots of different areas including:

  • Fife
  • Lossiemouth
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Edinburgh
  • Stornoway
  • Dumfries and Galloway
  • Glasgow.

The stories are the latest from 70 we’ve gathered from all types of social services right across Scotland.

All the stories published so far are in our new online Inspiring Care Stories resource www.sssc.uk.com/inspiringcarestories and we’ll publish more in September.

Get involved and share your story

We’re highlighting Inspiring Care Stories on social media all week and want everyone in social services to get involved by sharing their own stories on social media to raise the profile of their #lifechangingwork and that care is delivered by a skilled, trusted and confident workforce that is #SSSCregistered.

Services and care workers can add to the stories by:

Read the Inspiring Care Stories here. 

School staff urge Government to introduce COVID testing at work as safety fears mount

BREAKING NEWS: Secondary school pupils to wear face coverings from Monday

GMB has this morning (Tuesday 25 August) called on the Scottish Government to bring forward a COVID testing regime for every school across Scotland, after a survey of its members found that two-thirds of support staff in schools and nurseries do not feel safe at work.

The union has written to the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education John Swinney MSP, urging him to follow the interventions made in the social care sector by giving workers the opportunity to access COVID testing in their workplace.

Following a survey conducted between Thursday 20th and Monday 24th August of over 1,400 members employed in support staff roles, including cleaners, janitors, caterers and pupil support assistants, the union learned that:

  • The vast majority (96 per cent) believe regular testing should be offered at work;
  • Two-thirds (63 per cent) do not feel safe at their work;
  • Over one-fifth (23 per cent) have confirmed a suspected or positive case of COVID at work; and
  • Just under half (46 per cent) would not know what to do if there was a suspect or confirmed case of COVID at their work.

The results are published against the backdrop of increasing concerns over COVID 19 infection and transmission in Scotland’s schools.

GMB Scotland Organiser Helen Meldrum said: “Over a week since the return of Scotland’s schools, it’s clear that many support staff do not feel safe at their work and overwhelming majority of them want to be able to access a COVID test at work.

“If support staff need to book a test, they must absorb the financial costs and time implications to do so, and for a chronically low-paid workforce with many employed on multiple contracts across multiple workplaces, that’s just not credible.

“The failure over the summer months to listen to the voices of school support staff echoes what we witnessed in care earlier this year, and in this case the political focus has been on teachers and pupils while support staff have been forgotten.

“You cannot have a safe return to full-time education if a significant chunk of the workforce needed do not feel sufficiently safe, valued or heard by our decision-makers, and that’s why we urged the Deputy First Minister to intervene now.”

A school in Dundee has been closed with pupils and staff asked to self-isolate after it was linked to 27 new cases in the city.

JUST ANNOUNCED:

Scottish secondary school pupils will have to wear face coverings in corridors and communal areas from next Monday, Education Secretary John Swinney has confirmed.

SNP Ministers ‘hurting Edinburgh’s tourist industry recovery’

Scottish Government officials tried to block a tourism campaign to encourage visitors from the rest of the UK to come to Scotland, according to the Daily Mail.

Emails between Visit Scotland and the Scottish Government show that government officials altered a press release removing references to England and Northern Ireland. However, Visit Scotland highlighted the pressure they were receiving from the tourism industry to target tourists from the rest of the UK.

The tourism body say they have still not extended the campaign to the rest of the UK due to Scottish Government guidance.

Figures from Scottish Enterprise show that UK based tourists made up 77% of overnight tourism trips in Scotland in 2018.

A recent study by the University of Edinburgh Business School said that UK visitors are most interested and able to afford visits to Scotland and should be targeted, according to The Times.

Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “Tourism is a key part of Edinburgh’s economy and decisions by SNP Ministers are actively hurting the capitals economic recovery.

“English, Welsh and Irish tourists are welcome to Edinburgh, despite the SNPs nationalist agenda.

“Local coronavirus guidelines must still be followed, but sending this message to the rest of the UK about visiting Scotland is not helpful.

“With international free movement being limited for the foreseeable future, tourism from other parts of the UK will be more important than ever for getting Edinburgh and the South East of Scotland’s economy back on track.

“It is vital that we protect and global reputation of Edinburgh as an inclusive and welcoming city – that fundamentally starts with our brothers and sister in other parts of Britain.”