Why not join us on a family-friendly Led Ride to the Royal Botanic Gardens?
Marvel at one of the finest botanical gardens in the world. 
Ride departs Meadows at 11am, Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre at 11:30am, returning for 3pm at Drylaw and 3:30pm at Meadows. 
Brand new multi-million pound campus in Livingston opens its doors
ONE of Scotland’s largest centres of performing arts is putting its best foot forward as it ushers in the new era of students with the opening of its brand new campus.
The newly renovated 30,000 sq ft campus in Livingston marks a significant expansion for the MGA Academy of Performing Arts.
This expansion will enable the academy to triple its student enrolment and broaden its educational offerings to include 11 BA degrees and two post-graduate Master’s degrees, while also providing accommodations for 18 state-of-the-art studios.
The new campus, based in the former tax office in Almondvale, Livingston, received a multi-million pound investment and will feature one of Scotlandâs largest sprung dance floor which spans 347 sq ft.
Established in 2015 to address a demand for an innovative performing arts academy outside of London, MGA has produced a wealth of talented graduates who have appeared on stage and screen in major productions, including Disneyâs Descendants, Wicked, Gossip Girl, Six! The Musical, Outlander and Frozen.
Giles Auckland Lewis, Chief Executive of The MGA Academy, said: âItâs a very exciting time for the academy as we open the doors of our brand new campus. There has been a great buzz with new and returning students as they explore all the exceptional facilities.
âBeing part of this chapter of the academyâs story has been incredibly rewarding, and as weâre now located almost exactly half way between Edinburgh and Glasgow itâs much more convenient for students and staff.
âWeâve worked hard to ensure the new campus can offer our talented students the opportunity to advance their skills in singing, dance and acting and achieve their full potential within the industry.â
Included in the new campus is seven rehearsal studios for acting and musical theatre, seven fully sprung dance studios, four singing rooms and a TV production suite. Other features include a student welfare and physiotherapy room, a learning resource centre and library, IT suites, study areas and a cafe and social areas, as well as 130 parking spaces.
The MGA Academy’s Balgreen campus will continue to be an integral part of the academy’s facilities, serving as a central hub for junior age groups.
Mr Auckland-Lewis added: âThe new campus in Livingston is truly state of the art, weâre in a great position to continue to develop our reputation as a leading international competitor to the world’s most successful arts education institutions.
âThe platform weâre providing for aspiring performers allows them to remain in Scotland while studying at a level equivalent to other prestigious UK colleges. We also now have the ability to attract even more students and world class tutors from across the world.â
The MGA Academy is approved by the Scottish Qualifications Agency, the Imperial Society for the Teachers of Dance, and is Scotland’s only fully accredited college with the UK’s Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre.
Learn more about The MGA Academy and how to enrol for courses here:
A sod cutting ceremony has been held to mark the beginning of the delivery of 100 new social homes for Sanctuary Scotland in South Queensferry.
The properties are part of Lovell Partnershipsâ The Crossings at Bridgewater Village development, which will bring around 400 homes to the area.
The Crossings will be a mixed-tenure development of 398 homes and 14 commercial units, delivered in partnership by Lovell Partnerships, Sanctuary Scotland, Sigma Capital, the Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council
Development of the new site is expected to deliver around 200 jobs, directly by Lovell and through the supply chain. Many of the new roles will be for apprentices, including joiners and bricklayers.
Lovell is proud to support the local community everywhere they build and, in addition to creating jobs, has invested nearly ÂŁ7million in local business.
The sod cutting ceremony took place on Scottish Housing Day, which this year focuses on housing as a career. It was attended by City of Edinburgh Council Housing Convenor, Councillor Jane Meagher.
The development is set to boost housing stock in the area, with several impressive views of the historic bridges crossing the Forth.
Those properties not earmarked for Sanctuary Scotland will be rented by Sigma Capital or sold on the open market by Lovell Homes.
The Crossings will include active travel infrastructure and measures such as rain gardens and green/blue infrastructure that work with the water cycle to promote the health of the site and proper water management.
The homes will also be environmentally sustainable, using solar panels and energy efficient boilers.
The Crossings will be a 20-minute neighbourhood, meaning that residents will be able to have most of their daily needs met within a short walk or cycle.
Sarah Freel, Head of Partnerships at Lovell, said: âWe are particularly proud to be working with Sanctuary Scotland to provide social housing at this development, which will go towards achieving the Scottish Governmentâs target of building 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.
âWith views of the historic Forth bridges and great access to amenities, this development is certain to be one of Edinburghâs most desirable neighbourhoods.
âTodayâs sod-cutting ceremony marks the start of this exciting new community, which will become home to many families over the coming years.â
Gillian Lavety, Sanctuaryâs Development Director for Scotland, commented: âAs a leading national housing association, weâre committed to ensuring local people have access to affordable, good-quality homes.
âThe Crossings at Bridgewater Village is an exciting development that will make a real difference, and weâre delighted to be working with our partners to help meet the established need for more affordable homes in the area.â
Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, Councillor Jane Meagher said: âToday marks Scottish Housing Day and it is important to use this opportunity to reflect on this hugely important sector, not just here in Edinburgh but across the country.
âIt was fantastic to be able to mark the day by attending the ceremony to see the start of construction of one hundred social rented homes here in South Queensferry.
âThis exciting start represents an important step forward in the areaâs development and will help to alleviate some of the critical pressures that face the Edinburghâs housing sector.â
Sherlock Holmes has returned to keep a watchful eye over Picardy Place, as his newly refurbished statue is unveiled.
Marking the nearby birthplace of the super sleuthâs creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the life-sized bronze sculpture was removed in 2018 while Trams to Newhaven works were carried out. It has been renovated by Black Isle Bronze in Nairn.
On Wednesday, 13 September, Conan Doyleâs relative and creator of the Sherlock Homes Tartan, Tania Henzell, helped to unveil the statue in position on the newly redeveloped Picardy Place island, which will open to the public next week.
The island includes new pedestrian routes and cycleways, ârain gardensâ and trees and shrubs, which will be planted on the island in October, during planting season.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “Sherlockâs return has been the finishing touch for Picardy Place island â Iâm pleased to welcome him back to his creatorâs birthplace, taking pride of place in this transformed public space.
“For so long this area has been disused and unloved, so itâs wonderful to see it brought back to life. Not only will it link walking and cycling routes to and from the city centre, but will provide a spot to relax, meet up and enjoy some of the fascinating cultural artefacts on display.”
Tania Henzell added: “I am pleased to see that Sherlock Holmes has returned to the new location, Picardy Place island, to keep a watchful eye in the heart of Edinburgh. Many of his followers have asked where he had gone; to the north of Scotland to solve a long running case, I replied!
The Holmes statue was sculpted by Gerald Ogilvie Laing and was originally installed near 11 Picardy Place, where Conan Doyle was born, which has since been demolished.
The reconstruction of Picardy Place has been delivered as part of the Growth Accelerator Model Agreement for the St James Quarter development.
Commenting on Sherlockâs return, Barry Young of The Sherlock Holmes Society of Scotland said: “It’s wonderful to see Conan Doyle’s most famous creation back in the heart of the capital.
“We understand that in his absence Holmes has met the head lama in Tibet, travelled through Persia and sorted out a spot of trouble with the Statue of Liberty, the results of which he has communicated to the foreign office.
“He now retakes his rightful place in Picardy Place, overseeing the teeming metropolis and ready to undertake the investigation of whatever mysterious domestic issues might be puzzling the authorities.”
City Archaeologist John Lawson said: “We are delighted to see this statue back in place, now due to the creation of this new island we were now able to place closer to the original birth place of Arthur Conan Doyle.“
RNIDâs STACY WORBOYS writes about her time at the second Edinburgh Deaf Festival (11-20 August 2023) and the community she found there as a deaf person:
âThis year was the first year that I have been back to Edinburgh since before the pandemic, so I thought Iâd make the most of it and visit during the second Edinburgh Deaf Festival.
A little bit about me â I have been deaf since birth, diagnosed when I was 4, but grown up in a hearing family, attending mainstream schools with support and equipment and not learning sign language. There was only one other deaf person (that I know of) when I was at secondary school.
I relied entirely on lip reading and my chunky radio aid linked, to my hearing aids, to understand speech. My mum tried to get us enrolled on a family British Sign Language (BSL) course, but they were too expensive, and we couldnât afford them.
When I was 18, I moved from the outskirts of Sheffield to Cardiff for university and, after attending a volunteering fayre, started volunteering with RNID on their information stalls and campaigns.
This is where I started to meet other deaf people and learn more about sign language. It wasnât until I left university and started working that I started learning BSL.
After passing my Level 1, I felt confident to start signing with other deaf people, so began going to deaf clubs and joined different events in the deaf community to meet new people. In the last eight years, I have worked my way all the way up to Level 6 and now use BSL regularly to communicate with friends and work colleagues.
Growing up, I used to love going to the cinema and theatre, but I always struggled to understand what was happening. I relied entirely on the visual aspect of film and theatre and the occasional chance to lip read what someone was saying.
I still love going but I cannot manage without captions or BSL interpreters.
So, I jumped at the chance to attend a week full of performances and events that were done entirely in BSL, with voiceover provided for any hearing attendees and captions for deaf people who didnât use BSL.
For the first time, I was surrounded entirely by BSL users from different walks of life. A truly different experience and one that I will remember for a long time.
For the last 6 years, I have been developing my knowledge of BSL, deaf culture and deaf identity â including finding my own deaf identity.
I was lucky enough to meet a great group of deaf people, who welcomed me into the local deaf clubs and were patient with me, as I practiced my BSL and learnt about different parts of their culture.
Many people shared their experiences of education, work and social lives with me and made me more aware of the barriers that people with profound deafness have.
In a normal week, I spend time with deaf friends around three times a week. At work, I rely on lip reading and speech-to-text reporters for catch-ups and meetings.
When in Edinburgh, I was surrounded by deaf people every day and it was such a different experience.
It was so nice to see deaf people all packed into a room chatting away before the show, and then continuing the conversation afterwards.
It has always been said that deaf people are the last to leave, and almost everyone stuck around, so I knew that was true!
I was fully emerged in the culture for the first time. For one week, I really embraced and accepted my own deaf identity, knowing that there were people in the room who shared similar experiences.
Everyone had a different story to tell, and no-oneâs experience was the same. Being deaf doesnât mean that you cannot hear anything, it is a spectrum. There were people in Edinburgh with similar levels of deafness to myself. This is something that I have struggled with in my local deaf community, because there arenât many people with my level of deafness.
At the festival, there was a complete range of performances and events that I was able to attend. This included stand-up comedy shows with John Smith, Gavin Lilley and Elf Lyons and Duffy, to dance, comedy, magic and drag shows. There were also BSL tours of the Edinburgh Castle and Botanical Gardens, and â my absolute favourite â a good old fashioned pub quiz!
My personal highlight was just getting to spend time with like-minded individuals and loving life in a different city for seven days.
I really am glad that I made the decision to go to Edinburghâs Deaf Festival and I am already looking forward to going back in 2024.â
POLICE in Midlothian have charged two men and seized a significant quantity of controlled drugs following an intelligence-led operation.
On Tuesday, 12 September, 2023, officers attended a property in the Danderhall area suspected of being involved in the production and supply of illegal drugs.
Seized from within the address were items believed to be involved in the production of diazepam, including a pill press, along with approximately 900,000 tablets.
A range of other substances, including powders currently undergoing further forensic testing, were also recovered.
It is anticipated that the items recovered had an estimated street value of over ÂŁ1 million.
Two men, aged 42 and 60, were arrested at the scene and have since been charged. Both are due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today (Thursday, 14 September, 2023.)
Detective Chief Inspector Bryan Burns said: âOfficers discovered a sophisticated criminal enterprise believed to have been producing vast amounts of illegal drugs with a significant quantity, and mechanisms to produce more, successfully seized.
âOur officers are removing drugs from communities right across Scotland day in, day out. In addition we will continue to do everything in our powers to strip those responsible of their criminal assets using the Proceeds of Crime Act, so they do not benefit from criminal activity.
âThis operation underlines our commitment to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the countryâs Serious Organised Crime Strategy.â
The 2023 programme for this yearâs Scottish International Storytelling Festival (SISF) explores our Right To Be Human,and celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Just as Scotlandâs consultation on a new Human Rights Bill draws to a close, storytellers, musicians and artists will join together in venues across the country to embrace this milestone with tales of human courage and creativity, spoken with powerful words.
During this yearâs festival (13-29 October) there will be stories told about the impacts of war, gender inequality, censorship; ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious prejudices; and other threats and challenges on our human rights as a global nation.
New this year is the Festivalâs first podcast series Another Story – six weekly episodes themed around our right to be human starting from 12 September;and Art of the Storyteller – in-person, weekend workshops led by Festival Director Donald Smith with various professional storytellers, where budding storytellers can learn to improve their storytelling skills and better connect with their audience.
Opening this yearâs Festival will be storyteller Gauri Raje with Tales of Exile and Sanctuary(Fri 13 Oct) sharing stories from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, India and the horn of Africa, woven together to question the beauty and horrors of exile from across the world.
Other events exploring and celebrating our universal human rights include new commissions:
â Wave Riders (Sat 14 Oct) with storyteller Jan Bee Brown and musician Renzo Spiteri sharing the sagas of Viking pioneers who forged better ways to live in peace.
â Letters to Jackie (Sun 15 Oct) returns with agony aunts Bea Ferguson, Heather Yule and Maria Whatton on hand with old tales to answer the problems of today.
â Joyfully Grimm: Reimagining a Queer Adolescence (Mon 16 Oct) with James Stedman who takes a heartfelt and slightly irreverent look at Section 28, and the joy with which LGBTQIA+ people have always existed in both stories and real life.
â The Voice Shall Always Remain (Tue 17 Oct) told through the traditional âpardeh-khaniâ technique (narration through curtains), Iranian storyteller Zahra Afsah and Syrian storyteller Khloud Ereksousi explore how Iranian women find their freedom in their own voices and talents.
â Don Quixote Rides Again (Wed 18 Oct) a spellbinding comical experience with Spanish storyteller InĂŠs Ălvarez Villa and flamenco musician Danielo Olivera challenging prejudice, showing compassion, and embracing our true selves.
â Stories of healing told through the Norse tales of Odin, Gullveig and Mimir in Odinâs Eye and The Art of Seeing with Alice Fernbank (Sat 21 Oct) followed by Shadow Walking covering dark tales of jealousy, destruction and vanity with Ruth Kirkpatrick and Peter Chand.
â The story of Orpheus and Eurydice gets a Scottish twist in Orpheus | Orfeo (Sun 22 Oct) told by Daniel Serridge, Heather Cartwright and Neil Wood (harp).
â Fire from the Woods (Thu 26 Oct) with storyteller Daiva IvanauskaitÄ and musician Gaynor Barradell exploringthe silence between generations, how sometimes fathers are silent while children grow up without stories and our right to know about our ancestors.
â The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse (Sat 14 Oct) – a multisensory adventure suitable for children with additional needs with illustrator Kate Leiper and storyteller Ailie Finlay.
Also appearing in this yearâs programme are some of the nationâs favourite storytellers in our Collective Treasures strand which gathers memories, experiences and values together in tales to celebrate our common humanity.
Highlights include:
â Scots Character (Thu 19 Oct) with James Spence which tours the range of Scots tale and tongue including some dour, thrawn, stoic, droll and outrageous personal memories.
â Gillian Paterson and Nicola Wright take a whirlwind trip through womenâs history in The Girlâs Own Survival Guide to History (Sat 21 Oct) with female pirates, raucous rebels and top tips on learning how to avoid being called a witch.
â Shonaleigh Cumbers dips into her own Jewish and British storytelling traditions in A Garment for the Moon (Sun 22Oct).
â Berit Alette Mienna and musician Ăistein Hanssen share the deep roots of the Sami culture and the threats it faces, in Northern Treasures (Wed 25 & Sat 28 Oct).
â Prolific writer and political activist Italo Calvinoâs centenary is celebrated with a Scots-Italian garland of stories from Anne Hunter, Donald Smith and Simone Caffari (Mon 16 Oct).
â Tradition bearer Allan MacDonald and musician Aidan OâRourke present tales from the John Francis Campbellâscollection in Sgeul â Mighty and Magic ( Fri 20 & Wed 25 Oct).
â Dr Valentina Bold and storyteller Amanda Edmiston present excerpts from Mike Bolamâs film Up the Middle Roadwith live storytelling and a discussion around the stigma of mental health (Tue 17 Oct).
For younger audiences and families looking for some fantastic activities during their October school holidays there are craft and storytelling sessions, story walks in the Royal Botanic Garden Garden Edinburgh including Rewilding Cinderella: An Eco-Storytelling Concert (Sun 15 Oct) weaving together stories from all over the world about the ash-child told by the Storytelling Choir which includes storytellers Gauri Raje, Kestrel Morton, Laura Sampson, Wendy Shearer, Joanna Gilar and Fleur Hemmings.
Poetry from Tunde Balogun, music from Heulwen Williams and artistic enchantments by Hannah Battershell; and stories about trees, animals and bugs in Once There Was A Bug (Sun 15 Oct).
Walks through the cobbled streets of Edinburgh with Macastory (Sat 21 Oct) where the characters of Deacon Brodie and Aggie the Fish Wife come to life; the Egyptian tale of Isis and Osiris (Sat 14 Oct) is retold by Fergus McNicol with belly dancing from Moyra Banks; and a Kamishibai Workshop (Thu 19 Oct) with renowned storyteller, harpist and Urasenke Japanese Tea Master Mio Shudo.
At the end of the day, as darkness begins to fall, audiences can gather at the Netherbow Theatre for a relaxed evening of stories and music in our Open Hearth sessions featuring storytellers and musicians from around the world (Fri 13, Wed 24 & Sun 29 Oct).
Plus, there are special events including Anna Conomos-Wedlockâs The Promise, where stories inspired by the oral testimonies of Asia Minor refugees, draw on the meaning of homeland, displacement, memory and friendship, with music and song by Rebecca VuÄetiÄ (Fri 27 Oct); The Displaced Heart (Mon 23 Oct) an exquisite storytelling and music performance, combining English, Punjabi, and Irish songs accompanied by guitar and sitar; and Songs & Stories of the Fianna (Fri 20 Oct) supported by Bòrd na GĂ idhligâs Colmcille fund; and two events presented by Deaf Action and originally performed at Edinburgh Deaf Festival earlier this year: Visual Fun With Sports (Sat 21 Oct) by Petre Dobre & Craig McCulloch and Red Aphrodite (Thu 19 Oct) by Amy Murray.
Our popular online workshop strand Global Lab returns this year and during Week One (16-19 Oct) the festival will look at our planetâs eco-system and how ecological passion drives twenty-first century storytelling.
In association with Earth Charter International each day Festival Director Donald Smith will invite storytellers from all corners of our planet to perform stories of human messiness, healing, hope and connections with nature.
In Week Two the workshop theme is Shared Lives (23-26 Oct) and our focus returns to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the importance of valuing dignity, respect, equality and compassion in our lives.
Go Local also returns this year, with new voices from more regions in Scotland including North and South Lanarkshire coming together to share stories and songs. From Shetland to Dumfries and Galloway, there will be tales of battles, adventure, love and friendship shared by the fireside through October and November, with many of the festivalâs commissions also going on tour.
Alongside these events, this yearâs Festival Exhibition hosted at the Scottish Storytelling Centre will be TALK â a series of portraits taken by Edinburgh-based photographer Graham Williams, exploring the subject of menâs mental health as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival .
Looking ahead to this yearâs event, Scottish International Storytelling Festival Director, Donald Smith said: âAll over the world human and environmental rights are under threat. But against that there is an activist and creative tide building towards a different future.
“The Storytelling Festival is part of that wave.â
Minister for Culture Christina McKelvie said: âRight to be Human is inspired by the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and could not be more timely.
“During the coming parliamentary year, the Scottish Government will introduce an ambitious new Human Rights Bill for Scotland. This will be a significant milestone in Scotlandâs human rights journey, building on past work to embed a human rights culture across Scotland.
âThis yearâs Scottish International Storytelling Festival, supported by ÂŁ120,000 of Scottish Government Festivals Expo funding, celebrates and explores all aspects of our common humanity in a challenging world.â
Catriona Hawksworth, Traditional Arts Officer at Creative Scotland, said: âTelling stories is part of being human and why events like the Scottish International Storytelling Festival are so important.
“The âRight To Be Humanâ project in particular, supported by the Scottish Governmentâs Festivals EXPO fund, provides opportunities for Scottish storytellers to present their work on an internationally recognised platform, reflecting human rights issues and the human experience across the world and increasing their national and international reach.
“Including podcasts, music, childrenâs stories, Scots language, global voices and Greek myth â the festival has something for everyone to recognise and enjoy.â
The Scottish International Storytelling Festival will take place Friday 13 – Sunday 29 October.
Tickets to each event cost a maximum of ÂŁ10, with family events costing just ÂŁ5 per ticket. For those planning on attending multiple events, the Festival Pass offers discounted tickets to many live festival events, online and at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, as well as a discount at the Scottish Storytelling Centreâs bookshop and Haggis Box CafĂŠ.
To purchase tickets and browse the full programme, visit sisf.org.uk.
A Holyrood Committee has published a new report highlighting the challenges in supporting culture to thrive within communities across Scotland.
The report from the Parliamentâs Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee found that while progress has been made in implementing a place-based approach to culture, there are still âseveral significant challengesâ facing local and national government that need to be addressed to ârealise the ambitionsâ of the Scottish Governmentâs culture strategy.
The Committee concluded that the âcross-cuttingâ nature of the challenges facing Scotlandâs culture sector requires âa whole-system approachâ across different levels of government.
During the inquiry the Committee gathered evidence on best practice and barriers to cultural participation within different communities across Scotland, with visits to Wester Hailes and Craigmillar , Dumfries, and Orkney.
Members also heard from a wide range of stakeholders, many of which agreed on the importance of cultural work being grounded in local communities, as outlined in the Scottish Government’s culture strategy.
The report’s findings outline the need for âmuch greater prioritisation in practiceâ being placed on community-led culture, which it says should be âat the heartâ of the sector.
It also suggests the potential of existing community empowerment mechanisms, which could be used to improve place-based cultural delivery at the local level.
The Committee also noted that the funding of community-based cultural organisations and projects, local government cultural services, and of publicly owned community spaces where cultural activity can take place have all been put under pressure.
The financial constraints within the current economic environment are identified as posing a âsignificant challengeâ to the successful implementation of place-based cultural policies, with the Committee calling on the Scottish Government to set out how it will âaccelerate the implementation of innovative approaches to the funding of the culture sectorâ, an issue it will pursue further through its forthcoming pre-budget scrutiny.
The Committee also raised its concerns that some cultural and community assets were said to be becoming âless available, less affordable, and at risk of closureâ, recognising that âthe loss of community spaces is likely to impact on the access to culture for those communitiesâ.
The report urges the Scottish Government to address these challenges and incorporate the Committeeâs findings and recommendations into the forthcoming refresh of the Culture Strategy Action Plan and Budget 2024-25.
Commenting on the report, Committee Convener, Clare Adamson MSP said: “Through our work on this inquiry, we have seen first-hand the positive impact of place-based cultural work in communities across Scotland.
âSupport for community-led culture can help enrich the cultural landscape and further empower local communities, particularly those which face the greatest barriers to participating in cultural life.
âHowever, the Committeeâs report has clearly demonstrated that while progress has been made, there are significant challenges facing both national and local government in delivering Scotlandâs ambitions for a place-based approach to culture.
“We urge the Scottish Government to take our findings and recommendations on board as it refines its forthcoming Culture Strategy Action Plan and its Budget for 2024-25 to ensure that culture can thrive in our local communities.â
Local government umbrella body COSLA has tabled an improved offer to unions in an attempt to avert school strikes.
Commenting on a revised offer which was sent to the Trade Unions yesterday (Wednesday) COSLAâs Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann said: âThe reality of the situation is that as employers, Council Leaders have now made a strong offer even stronger.
âCouncil Leaders have listened to the workforce and then acted on what they heard by adding additional Council funds to get us to the position today where a revised offer can be made.
âWe have also secured additional baseline funding from Scottish Government of ÂŁ94 million, which will be built into the Scottish Governmentâs funding for Councils from next year, that ensures the viability and sustainability of this offer.
âThis is an extremely strong offer which not only compares well to other sectors, but recognises the cost-of-living pressures on our workforce and which would mean the lowest paid would see a 21% increase in their pay over a two-year period.
âCouncils value their workforce and this offer will support those workers during a cost of living crisis, whilst also protecting vital jobs and services. We hope that our Trade Union colleagues will give their membership the chance to consider this strong offer.â
Commenting on Coslaâs revised pay offer which was sent to unions last night, UNISON Scotland’s head of local government, Johanna Baxter said: “âUNISON Scotlandâs local government committee will hold an emergency meeting first thing tomorrow (today, Thursday) and will go through the detail of Coslaâs revised offer and consider our position. UNISON will do everything we can to find a solution â we do not want to see mass school closures.
âHowever, we need to be convinced that this is a substantially improved offer. UNISON members in schools have voted in unprecedented numbers to take action and we have a mandate to call over 21,000 school staff out on strike over this – our members have clearly had enough. COSLA and the Scottish government need to make sure these workers are properly rewarded for their commitment and hard work.â
More than three quarters of Scotlandâs schools face closure later this month in a dispute over pay, as UNISON announces strike dates. If it goes ahead the action will affect primary and secondary schools in 24 local authorities, with 76% of Scotlandâs schools affected (1,868 schools).
UNISON, Scotlandâs largest local government union, says more than 21,000 members will take part in the action over three days from Tuesday, 26 to Thursday, 28 September.
UNISON Scotlandâs head of local government, Johanna Baxter said last week: âGoing on strike is always a last resort â our members want to be in schools supporting children not on picket lines outside them.
“But they have been left with no option. Local government workers overwhelmingly rejected COSLAâs below-inflation pay offer back in March and despite our repeated representations no improvement has been forthcoming.
“A real-terms pay cut in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis is a cut our members simply cannot afford. This is not a highly-paid workforce â three quarters of local government workers earn less than the average Scottish wage.
“All they want is to be paid fairly for the vital work they do supporting Scotlandâs communities â COSLA and the Scottish Government need to get back round the table and work with us to deliver that.â
Chair of UNISON Scotlandâs local government committee, Mark Ferguson said last week: âOur members are steadfast in their resolve to fight for fair pay. COSLAâs offer falls short of UNISONâs pay claim, it is also less than the offer made to the lowest paid local government staff south of the border.
“No-one wants to see schools close but COSLA need to come back with a significantly improved pay offer very soon if strike action is to be avoided. We remain committed to engaging in negotiations with COSLA and the Scottish Government at any point to try to resolve this dispute.â
COSLA has now came back with that new offer – but will this ‘even stronger’ offer be enough to avert looming industrial action?
2pm: UNISON HAS REJECTED LATEST PAY OFFER – STRIKES GO AHEAD
Those are the opening words of Judith, the u3aâs laughter yoga expert at one of her exhilarating online classes. Laughter Yoga is just one of the exciting subjects that u3a members can take part in when they join.
u3a is for those who no longer work full time and have the desire to learn new things, have fun and make new friends.
From 16th to 24th of September groups across the UK will showcase the exciting activities during u3a Week with taster sessions and online talks from high-profile guests, including positive ageing influencer Carl Honore, to give potential new members a taste of the enjoyment that can be had from joining u3a.
Judith lives in Edinburgh but runs an online laughter yoga group where members can take part from the comfort of their own homes. Itâs open to anyone who joins u3a and would like to put a spring in their step and start the day with a burst of positivity.
The group has been running for 11 years and is going from strength-to-strength. Judith says: âLaughter is the best medicine. Itâs not about ridicule, itâs playful, uncomplicated, joyful laughter.
âIt is a safe space where we can laugh without inhibitions for as long as we like.
âWe laugh every day for about 10-15 minutes, and it encourages a positive outlook and helps you deal with the stress and challenges of life.
âWhen we laugh the body sends messages to the brain which releases endorphins, and we feel wonderful without even trying. It sends out happy hormones which make you feel good all day.â
Laughter yoga is just one of the many hundreds of interest groups whose members across the UK that are gearing up for all sorts of events to let communities know what their u3as have on offer during u3a Week.
There will be concerts, alfresco wine tasting, market stalls and picnic plus much more.
By joining u3a you can try everything from Egyptology to creative writing and sea shanties for an average of less than ÂŁ20 per year. You can watch a short film about Hayling u3a’s Island Shanty group.
For information on what your local u3a, visit www.u3a.org.uk
