The UK government has launched an unprecedented repatriation effort to return 110,000 passengers affected by the failure of Monarch. Continue reading Monarch collapse: UK Government launches international repatriation plan
Category: Uncategorized
Success for Stewart Brewing at Scottish Beer Awards
Leading Scottish craft brewer, Stewart Brewing, is celebrating after winning three prizes at the second annual Scottish Beer Awards this week. Continue reading Success for Stewart Brewing at Scottish Beer Awards
Welfare reforms have fuelled homelessness, says Audit Office
The Westminster Government has not evaluated the impact of its welfare reforms on homelessness, or the impact of the mitigations that it has put in place, according to the National Audit Office. The National Audit Office, which scrutinises public spending for Parliament and is independent of government, is critical of the government’s welfare reforms and says a ‘light touch’ response to problems isn’t working. Continue reading Welfare reforms have fuelled homelessness, says Audit Office
Join Wardie Bay Beachwatch this weekend
Sunday 17th September 1.30 – 4pm
It’s the Great British Beach Clean (GBBC) this weekend (15 – 17 September) That’s the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) annual nationwide beach clean and data collection event which goes global once a year!
Wardie Bay Beachwatch is holding it’s seventh Beachwatch event of 2017 this Sunday (17th September) from 1.30 – 4pm and we want to see as many budding citizen scientists join in as possible!
Last year, in Scotland, 1,744 GBBC volunteers took part on 121 beaches around the coast. Overwhelmingly, the most found item was plastic. Plastic never goes away . It just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, known as microplastics.
MCS takes found evidence to Government, campaigning for effective legislation to better protect our marine and coastal environment.
Current campaigns include Don’t Current campaigns include ‘Don’t let go’ ,aimed at asking councils to ban the international release of balloons and lanterns; ‘Hang on to your Tackle‘, which aims to reduce litter from discarded fishing kit at popular angling site,h them and ‘Wet wipes turn nasty (when you flush them)’, calling for clearer labelling on non-degradable wipes that are clogging up our sewers and contaminating our beaches.
Furthermore, microplastics are an urgent issue globally. MCS has been successfully campaigning to ban the microbeads in all personal care products. Microplastics simply pass through filters in waste water treatment facilities, ending up as ocean pollution.
Nurdles are also a major hazard to marine and coastal life. The nurdle is the lentil-sized plastic pellet used to create all of our plastic products. Billions are manufactured each year and millions carelessly split in transit or at the factory, ending up again as marine pollution.
In Scotland, many campaigners have found a spike in nurdle numbers in the Firth of Forth. Last Friday (9th September), joined Fidra MCS and others to clean up a slick of pellets contaminating the Kinneil Nature Reserve which neighbours Grangemouth petrochemical plant.
Karen Bates, Wardie Bay Beachwatch volunteer and organiser, said: “It isn’t right that volunteers are here cleaning up after industry. How is it that there is so little accountability to stop pollution at source? Where it is clear that industry’s own backyard is polluted, why is the responsibility for clean-up not mandatory?
“If it was an oil spill they would certainly be made to compensate. More stringent legislation needs to be enforced to ensure zero loss of nurdles and microplastics into our environment. I want to see industry redesign entirely so fewer new pellets are manufactured from raw materials.
“We don’t need more single-use plastic from yet more fossil fuel. We need more responsible handling of our resources to stop threatening the balance of nature.”
Wardie Bay Beachwatch will welcome back Ben Macperson, MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, to our event on Sunday. Ben’s invaluable support on the Have You Got the Bottle? campaign calling for a Deposit Return Scheme on drinks containers helped ensure it’s success.
Anna Lagerqvist Christopherson, owner of Boda Bars, a champion of the DRS campaign and regular volunteer at Wardie Bay, will also be joining us. Not prepared to wait for action, Anna brilliantly launched her own recycling rewreward scheme across all Boda Bars.
Then on September 5th, we were all delighted to hear Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement in her 2017-18 Programme for Government that a DRS would be implemented across Scotland, ahead of the rest of the UK.
MCS Beachwatch results are vital in turning the tide on litter. They have helped influence changes to laws on the disposing of waste at sea, and resulted in investment in better sewage treatment at the coast. Local volunteers at Wardie Bay have found on average 32.6% sewage related debris (SRD) at our Beachwatch events since March 2017, finding as much as 45.2% of the total waste collected on our first survey. The Great British Beach Clean results for 2016 showed the UK figure to average 7%! The Scottish average for SRD last year was 75 items per 100m of beach surveyed, with the UK average currently at 45 items per 100m.
Karen said: “Inspiring work is being done to encourage behaviour change and to promote the circular economy. We can all refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle and make sure we only put the 3Ps down the loo – but we need industry to step up before all life suffers further feedback.
“It’s been brilliant seeing all the volunteers prepared to make a difference at Wardie Bay over recent months, helping to spread the word on the need for better recycling and waste management. By acting locally, hopefully we can help to create change and then be part of that sea change on a national and even global scale.”
Anyone wanting to take part in the beach clean at Wardie Bay can find out more by contacting Karen Bates, emailwardiebaybeachwatch@gmail.com or you can sign up at: www.mcsuk.org/beachwatch/beach/wardie–bay/event/2017–09–17 .
You can also find us on facebook @WardieBayBeachwatch and twitter @wardiebaybeach
Parkinson’s UK salutes Scottish Great North Run fundraisers
Runners from Scotland were among over 300 people who took on the Great North Run for Parkinson’s UK on Sunday, raising thousands of pounds for the charity. Continue reading Parkinson’s UK salutes Scottish Great North Run fundraisers
Nuisance calls: enough’s enough
A £50,000 fund to install call-blocking technology for those most at risk from nuisance calls has been announced by Economy Secretary Keith Brown. The fund is one element of a national Nuisance Calls Action Plan, launched to raise awareness and empower people to protect themselves from scam callers. Continue reading Nuisance calls: enough’s enough
Health and Social Care: engagement must be more than a tick box exercise
Engaging with the public and stakeholders must not be a ‘tick box’ exercise for Health and social care Integration Authorities (IAs), says the Scottish Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee. Continue reading Health and Social Care: engagement must be more than a tick box exercise
Science Minister visits Blackhall Primary
A science programme focused on igniting a passion for science in primary school pupils has been expanded to ten local authority areas across Scotland. Science Minister Shirley Ann Somerville called in to Blackhall Primary School last week to see RAiSE at work in the classroom. Continue reading Science Minister visits Blackhall Primary
Scottish Youth Theatre opens registration for 2018
Fresh from a sold out performance by their first ever National Ensemble last month, Scottish Youth Theatre have opened registrations for the 2018 company.
The successful applicants will form the second ever Scottish Youth Theatre National Ensemble. 2018 is the year of young people, and the company are keen to find the best Scotland has to offer, so they will be travelling to Edinburgh to audition aspiring performers from the area.
The National Ensemble is a year’s commitment and is open to anyone aged 16 – 25 who lives, works, studies or has family in Scotland. Auditions and membership of the Ensemble is free and entry is based purely on ability.
Once recruited, Ensemble members will attend monthly development weekends led by top theatre practitioners taking place across Scotland. This will culminate in a flagship performance in August which will be devised and performed by the company.
When asked what qualities are required in potential members, SYT’s Artistic Director Mary McCluskey explained: “We are looking for creative, enthusiastic and dedicated young people. Individuals who display the potential are the ones who will most benefit from everything the Ensemble has to offer. As the Ensemble is a collaborative experience, those with an interest in theatre-making in all its forms, including writing, directing and performing are encouraged to apply.
“The Ensemble is an amazing opportunity for anyone who wants to study or pursue a career in theatre and performance. Our current Ensemble has worked with a range of practitioners including Frantic Assembly and BAFTA winner Kate Dickie. 2018 will see similar opportunities in the build up to the main production which will be a central part of SYT’s contribution to the Year of Young People”.
Ensemble 2017 member Stephen Quinn (23) from Falkirk is keen to recommend the Ensemble experience. Stephen said: “The opportunity to work with like-minded peers and with professionals is not one to be passed up. Scottish Youth Theatre cares about giving those with talent and drive the skills and knowledge they’ll need to become versatile, accomplished performers. Working with them is an opportunity you should definitely not miss out on.”
Auditions will be held on 14 & 15 October at Edinburgh Palette in The Drawing Room.
Those interested in being part of the Ensemble should register for an audition by Friday 22 September at www.scottishyouththeatre.org
Young Muslims face ‘enormous social mobilty challenge’
Young Muslims living in the UK face an enormous social mobility challenge and are being held back from reaching their full potential at every stage of their lives, a report by the Social Mobility Commission (SMC) has found. Continue reading Young Muslims face ‘enormous social mobilty challenge’