Val McDermid has officially reopened the revamped CafeLife community cafe on Cheyne Street. Dubbed the Queen of Crime, the author has sold over 17 million books to date across the globe and is translated into more than 40 languages. Val met with café customers and fans to sign copies of her books brought along on the day.
CafeLife is run by renowned local charity LifeCare Edinburgh and all proceeds from café sales go towards the organisation’s vital care services for older people living across Edinburgh.
Val said: “Every community should have a resource like CafeLife. We’re lucky to have it. The LifeCare centre, and all the vital services provided by the charity, help support serious issues such as isolation and loneliness.
“I’m proud to be supporting LifeCare in its important work.”
The pandemic forced the café to close its doors to its loyal sit-in customers in March 2020. The closure was a real loss to the area as CafeLife is the only fully-accessible community café around, offering good value food and drink appealing to all generations and with lots of space for buggies and wheelchairs.
Opened nearly ten years ago, the team took the opportunity to upgrade the café through the covid-closure. The charity secured emergency funding to revamp CafeLife’s interiors and the kitchen team have spent time creating a new and improved menu to appeal to all tastes and dietary needs.
CaféLife will be running a series of promotions throughout the coming months to celebrate the reopening and to welcome everyone back.
· £4.25 million research grant has been awarded that seeks that seeks to discover meaningful MND treatments within years, not decades
· Grant awarded by charities LifeArc, MND Association, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and MND Scotland, together with government research organisations Medical Research Council (MRC) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)
· Funding awarded to researchers from King’s College London, University of Sheffield, University of Liverpool, University College London, University of Oxford and University of Edinburgh to establish a new UK-wide motor neuron disease (MND) research partnership to address problems hindering progress
· Funding is a springboard for the MND community to develop plans for further ambitious and large-scale research projects, attract significant investment for MND, and encourage more centres to join the scientific mission to find treatments and ultimately a cure for MND
· Generosity and fundraising efforts of charity supporters have played a big part in making this partnership a reality.
Global MND Awareness Day: A group of charities and government research organisations has awarded £4.25 million to MND experts at six UK universities to kick start collaborative efforts to end motor neuron disease (MND).
This new ‘MND Collaborative Partnership’ brings together people living with MND, charities LifeArc, MND Association, MND Scotland and My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, government bodies Medical Research Council (MRC) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR),with researchers from King’s College London, University of Sheffield, University of Liverpool, University College London, University of Oxford and University of Edinburgh.
The partnership team will work together to find solutions to address problems currently hindering MND research and seeks to discover meaningful treatments within years, not decades.
Members of this new UK-wide MND research partnership will work together and pool their expertise over three years to:
coordinate research effort and deliver maximum impact for people with MND
develop better tests to measure MND progression and that allow doctors to compare different drugs
improve MND registers so doctors can collect detailed, high-quality data about the disease, and understand which patients are most likely to respond to a particular drug and therefore recommend them for the trials most likely to benefit them
support people to take part in clinical trials more easily
develop more robust lab tests and models of disease to enable scientists to test theories about the disease and a pipeline of potential therapeutic agents that could ultimately be used as MND treatments.
They will also launch a major new study involving 1,000 people with MND from across the UK to better understand disease progression and how people respond to new and existing treatments.
MND (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease affecting the brain and spinal cord. People progressively lose nearly all voluntary movement and need complex care, and around half of those diagnosed die within two years.
Six people are diagnosed with MND every day in the UK and the condition affects around 330,000 across the world. One person in every 300 will develop MND. The only licensed drug for MND in the UK has a modest effect on extending life – but no treatments are available that can substantially modify disease or cure the condition.
Professor Ammar Al-Chalabi, co-director of the research programme and Professor of Neurology and Complex Disease Genetics at King’s College London and Director of King’s MND Care and Research Centresaid: “Our goal is to discover meaningful MND treatments within years, not decades. This landmark funding will bring the UK’s major MND research centres together for the first time in a coordinated national effort to find a cure.
“We now have a much better understanding of MND, so we must take this opportunity to accelerate development of new treatments and work together to move this knowledge into the clinic and help people affected by this devastating disease.”
Dr Catriona Crombie of LifeArc, the charity which has coordinated efforts from all funders to deliver this landmark MND Collaborative Partnership, said: “Over recent years, scientists have made great progress in MND, and this has opened up several promising avenues that could ultimately make a difference to patients.
“But there are some barriers hindering progress. For the first time, the MND community – that’s patients, funders, scientists and doctors – have come together to work out the problems and plan a way forward. As funders we are really excited at what this exceptional group of people could achieve for those affected with MND.”
David Setters, who is living with MND and has been involved in shaping the partnership said:“We welcome this collaboration, which paves the way for the £50 million government investment promised in November 2021, focused on making the first meaningful treatments for MND available within years, instead of decades.
“It brings real hope to those of us living with MND to see our leading neuroscientists and charities coming together in this way. The prospect of easier access to clinical trials and the most promising therapies being fast-tracked gives us a much-needed boost and brings a real sense of purpose to the community.”
Professor Christopher McDermott, one of the co-directors of the research programme and Professor of Translational Neurology at the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)said: “We believe that by combining and coordinating our expertise, we will be more effective than if we work on projects in isolation.
“This partnership will provide the infrastructure to attract additional MND funding and enable further MND centres and researchers to join forces in the national effort to find effective treatments for MND. The partnership is the first step towards our goal to establish a national MND institute.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:“Motor neuron disease has a devastating impact on those who are diagnosed, their families and loved ones – but there is hope.
“This new partnership is a highly ambitious approach which will drive progress in MND research and, backed by £1 million of government funding, will bring the MND research community together to work on speeding up the development of new treatments.The collaboration across government, charities, researchers, industry and people with MND and their families will take us one step closer to one day achieving a world free from MND.”
The Partnership was formed in 2021 to coordinate and pool funding for research into MND to speed up progress and help research to move towards the clinic and ultimately reach patients faster.
Funding for the MND Collaborative Partnership research grant totals £4.25 million and contributions are as follows: LifeArc (£1 million), MND Association (£1 million), My Name’5 Doddie Foundation (£1 million), MND Scotland (£250,000), Medical Research Council (MRC) (£500,000) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) (£500,000).
Police are continuing to investigate an assault with intent to rob in the Trinity area. The incident took place at around 7.30pm on Sunday, 2 January, 2022 near the junction of South Trinity Road with Ferry Road.
A 13-year-old boy was walking with a friend on South Trinity Road when he was subjected to an attack.
As part of their investigations, officers are eager to trace the males shown in CCTV images who they believe may be able to assist with the investigation.
The males in the images are described as being in their mid-to-late teens and wearing dark coloured jogging bottoms and hooded tops or tracksuits.
In particular, officers are keen to speak to one of the males who is shown wearing a distinctive pink headband or hood. He is described as being aged 14 to 16 years old, Asian and about 5ft tall.
Officers would ask that any members of the public who recognise the males in the images or have any other information to contact them at the earliest opportunity.
Detective Constable William Doughty of Corstorphine CID said: “This incident left the victim understandably shaken and we are asking for the help of the public to identify those shown in the images as we believe that they may be able to assist with our enquiries.
“Anyone with information that can help our investigation, or who recognises anyone in the images, is urged to contact us or Crimestoppers as soon as possible.”
Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2640 of 2nd January 2022, or report this anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
New online tool will show how the take home pay of 30 million people will be boosted by July tax cut.
Workers across the UK will be able to go online, input their salary and see how much they could save thanks to the tax cut which comes in on 6th July.
New Financial Support and Benefits Checker Tool will also help people find the government support they’re eligible for.
The UK Government has launched a new online tool to show how the take home pay of 30 million ‘hard-working Brits’ will be boosted by the imminent £6 billion National Insurance tax cut.
With the historic tax cut just weeks away, the online checker will use salary information to give employees personalised estimates of how much they could save because of the government’s changes.
The cut, which will see the point at which people start paying National Insurance rise to £12,570, is worth up to £330 and seven in ten workers will pay less National Insurance even after accounting for the Health and Social Care Levy.
Rishi Sunak, Chancellor of the Exchequer said: “With our historic £6 billion National Insurance tax cut just weeks away, this new tool will show hard-working Brits how much more of their pay will be going directly into their pocket.
“This tax cut, combined with £400 off energy bills and direct payments of £1,200 to 8 million families, will help shield people from rising prices.”
Alongside this tool, the government has also launched a new Financial Support and Benefits Checker Tool. It enables people to answer 10 simple questions to find out what support they might be eligible for by cross-checking against 25 individual benefits and support offers.
This should help people find out what support they may be eligible for that they may currently not be accessing and is part of the government’s drive to help people manage the increased cost of living.
Both tools will be hosted on the government’s gov.uk Cost of Living page.
The new online tax tool will give personalised estimates for employees paid monthly through the PAYE system of how the tax cut, which comes into effect from 6 July, will boost take home pay. This will help people budget during this challenging time by seeing how much they will be saving in tax.
Everyone who pays National Insurance will see a tax cut, and the tool will show that employee earning up to £51,000 will see this cut more than offset the impact of the Health and Social Care Levy. This means the majority of working people will see a boost to their take home pay.
The tax cut is part of the biggest net cut to personal taxes in a quarter of a century, which was announced by the Chancellor earlier this year, and includes a cut to the basic rate of income tax of 1 percentage point from April 2024. This is the first cut to the basic rate of income tax in 16 years, benefiting 30 million taxpayers by £175 on average.
This tax cut comes on top of the £1,200 in direct payments the Government will provide for the most vulnerable people in the country and universal support worth £400 as a discount on energy bills from October.
This takes total Government support to £37 billion this year, helping tens of millions of people across the country from rising cost of living triggered by Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine.
With the nights turning warmer, sweating during sleep can be a source of major discomfort and prevent you from having a good nights sleep.
Sleep expert Andrea Strand from Eachnight Mattresses explains why you sweat during sleep and how to prevent and treat it.
Why do I sweat during my sleep?
Sweating during sleep is a common occurrence and happens for mainly two reasons. The first is your environment. Whilst it’s enjoyable to snuggle under a heavy blanket or wear warm pyjamas, these things can often lead to waking up in the middle of the night covered in sweat. Another reason is underlying medical issues.
The Mayo Clinic have listed numerous factors that can contribute to those unwanted night sweats, including hormone disorders, sleep apnea, anxiety and viral infections to name but a few.
Is there an optimum temperature to sleep in to keep me cool?
For an improved sleeping environment, the ideal temperature to turn your thermostat to is between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius. Additionally, adding a cooling mattress topper or switching to a lighter and more breathable bedding with moisture-wicking material can vastly cool down your bed.
If this is not cool enough for you, you can always place a cool pack under your pillow to lower your body temperature and stop the sweating.
Are there any lifestyle changes I can make that could prevent sweating during the night?
Yes, there are! Avoid eating a large meal at least two to three hours before sleeping. This means your digestive system won’t be working after your fall asleep, allowing your body to rest more. Avoiding spicy foods and caffeine at night can also be a great way to beat the night-time sweats.
Caffeine is a stimulant and can increase your heart rate, leading to a raise in blood pressure which can activate sweat glands.
When should I be concerned about night sweats?
If your night sweats get to the point that you begin to experience daytime fatigue as a result of lost sleep from sweating, it’s time to see a doctor.
If you have been sweating consistently for two weeks or more with no signs of it getting better, that’s also when you should consider seeking professional help.
Can stress lead to sweating at night?
Yes, it can. Whether it is stress due to recurring bad dreams, or general anxiety, stress is a hormonal issue which can lead to sweating.
Doing activities such as yoga and meditation before bedtime is a great way to reduce stress and calm the mind, however if stress persists, seek professional help.
The UK’s go-to online car buying service, webuyanycar, has confirmed the opening of a new branch in Leith.
The new pod branch is now opens in the carpark of Leith’s Asda supermarket, providing better access for local customers and meeting increasing demand from motorists looking for a fast and simple way to sell their car.
The new branch is fully self-sustainable, running off solar power, and will have an entirely paperless sales process.
Richard Evans, Head of Technical Services at webuyanycar, said: “Our latest opening in Leith is testament to the continued growth of webuyanycar and our support for customers in the surrounding areas, who we have been buying many thousands of cars from over the years.
“We aim to provide our customers with even more local branches in the area, saving time, hassle and making the whole process even more convenient.”
Webuyanycar today runs more than 500 local branches nationwide, where its experts finalise purchases from car owners who have secured a free, no obligation valuation for their motor via the webuyanycar website in less than 30 seconds.
Headquartered in Manchester, the automotive firm is one of the most recognised and celebrated British brands, employing over 800 members of staff.
Richard added: “We are continuing to grow and put customers back in the driving seat, as more and more motorists realise they can negotiate a better deal by not part-exchanging. Our new Leith branch will be open five days a week and will offer instant bank transfers to motorists, saving valuable time.”
For further information and to get an instant online valuation, visit:
The gala has been a feature of the historic mining village for over 85 years and organisers kept the tradition alive during lockdowns by crowning the Gala Queen in a private family ceremony at Duntarvie Castle.
The events take place from Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 June, with the highlight being on the final day featuring the crowning of the 2022 Gala Queen followed by a parade around Winchburgh with over 250 children, the community growers, Winchburgh Wombles, the football club, bands and many more.
The event has been supported by Winchburgh Developments Ltd. Penny Lochhead, Community Engagement Manager, said: “We are delighted to be the main supporters for this year’s Winchburgh Children’s Gala.
“It has been great to support and take part in the return of this event and it is exciting to have the community come together for a week of celebrations, as it continues to expand and grow.”
Yvonne Ledgerwood, Winchburgh Children’s Gala Volunteer Committee Member, said:“We are delighted to be able to bring back the Winchburgh Children’s Gala to the village.
“It has been fantastic to see the local community and businesses come together in preparation for the gala and we are looking forward to a week of celebrations to mark this occasion.
“We would like to thank Winchburgh Developments Ltd for their continued support and for helping us make this year’s gala a celebration to remember.”
Latest round of Cashback for Communities funding opens
Community projects are set to receive up to £20 million over the next three years to continue supporting young people and communities most affected by crime.
Since the programme began in 2008, Cashback for Communities has taken funds recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act and provided crucial support to around 1.3 million young people across all local authorities.
Cashback has funded a wide variety of projects over the past 14 years including sports, arts, youth work and employability which provide extensive opportunities to raise the ambition and aspirations of young people.
The latest phase of funding will guide those most at risk of being impacted by crime, to more positive destinations while also helping young people to improve their physical and mental health.
Justice Secretary Keith Brown said: “Young people growing up in Scotland deserve to have an equal chance of success, no matter their background or circumstances and CashBack plays an important role in providing young people with the tools they need to reach their full potential.
“The valuable feedback from young people who have benefitted from the programme helped inform this latest round of funding. Participants reported that improving their mental health and wellbeing was a key priority for them due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which also links to our Vision for Justice in Scotland.
“This funding of up to £20 million will deliver a range of activities for young people between the ages of 10-25 and boosts the total funding made available to almost £130 million since the Programme began in 2008.”
Lauriston Castle will reopen its doors to the public this Saturday (25 June) with a weekend of activity for families.
Although the grounds and Mimi’s café have been open to the public, the Castle itself has remained closed. Visitors will once again be able to step inside the 400-year-old building and visit its collections.
In addition to the regular Edwardian themed tour, the team will host a brand-new fun family castle tour for the opening weekend where visitors can learn all about its history.
Costumed volunteers from Edinburgh Living History will be on hand to entertain visitors with stories from past-times and, in the gardens, there will be family art and storytelling activities with some special garden trails. Garden volunteers will be at the Castle main door with a plant sale and will be able to show visitors all the new work achieved in the gardens.
Councillor Val Walker, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “It’s fantastic that Lauriston Castle will be fully open to visitors from next weekend. With the summer holidays almost upon us, many families might be wondering how best to fill their (hopefully sunny) days.
“To mark the reopening a special programme of events promises fun for all the family and a great opportunity to explore the 400-year-old Castle and it’s beautiful grounds. This is the first of many fun weekends I’m sure will be held and I would encourage everyone to visit this incredible castle by the sea.”
Twenty five MSPs joined Cats Protection at a parliamentary reception in Holyrood to discuss the charity’s work across Scotland to improve feline welfare including through its campaigning work.
The event, on 16 June, was sponsored by Mark Ruskell MSP and held to highlight ways that politicians can help support Scotland’s 685,000 pet cats and their owners.
Among the work discussed was Cats Protection’s campaign to encourage more landlords to allow tenants to keep pet cats, and its calls for compulsory microchipping of pet cats in Scotland.
Cats Protection’s Advocacy & Government Relations Officer for Scotland Alice Palombo said: “It was wonderful to welcome so many MSPs who were keen to find out how they can support cats and the people who care about them.
“Scotland is a nation of cat lovers, with 20% of households owning one, so their welfare is important to a huge number of people. While Scotland already has some strong legislation in place to protect cats, there is always more that can be done, such as banning snares and introducing fireworks licensing. We were pleased to discuss these priorities with so many MSPs as part of our work to help cats in Scotland.”
Cats Protection, the UK’s leading feline welfare charity, has a Scottish network of 24 volunteer-run branches, four adoption centres, and nine charity shops which also offer advice on cat care. In 2021, the charity rehomed 2,500 cats in Scotland and helped neuter 10,500 cats and microchip 1,600 cats.
To find out more about the charity’s campaigning work, please visit:
