Carry On Christmas

  • Cabinet meets to discuss Omicron crisis – but agrees to DO NOTHING until more data is available
  • Scotland will urge caution and encourage vaccination – but will NOT enforce tougher guidelines before Christmas

The UK Government met yesterday to discuss the gathering Omicron crisis – but decided to DO NOTHING following their two-hour meeting.

PM Boris Johnson said the situation will be monitored ‘hour by hour’.

91,743 Covid cases were reported across the UK yesterday – the second highest daily total on record – and this figure is expected to rise steeply over the coming days as Omicron becomes the dominant variant.

The UK public has already voted with it’s feet, with many choosing to stay away from busy venues. This has created a new crisis for the beleaguered hospitality industry …

Weekend hospitality sales plummet by 40%

New figures, from industry body UKHospitality, show December set to be a disaster for a sector which had much riding on this key period and hopes for a better 2022 already lie in tatters.

Over half (54%) of venues were down more than 40% in revenue last weekend, with one in five businesses reporting a crushing sales drop of more than 60%. On top of these bleak trading figures, 88% of operators say they feel negative about the potential of New Year’s Eve trading and four in five operators have already experienced cancellations for bookings in what was already set to be a quiet Q1 next year.

A separate survey, for the Tourism Alliance, showed that a third of pubs, bars and restaurants have no cash reserves and 10% of pubs and 14% of restaurants are therefore very likely to fail, with consequent job losses.

Without any form of Government support a further 40% are at risk of failure. Accommodation businesses are only slightly more resilient with 22% reporting no cash reserves – 47% with less than 2 months’ worth – with 26% at risk of failure in the next year without further support.

UKHospitality Chief Executive, Kate Nicholls, said: “Hospitality operators desperately want to keep their doors open and trade their way to recovery, particularly during the Christmas period, which is not only key for balance sheets but for the communities and people our businesses serve.

“However, these catastrophic figures clearly show that trading levels are now so low that without Government support many businesses will not survive into the New Year and jobs will be lost. Cancellations have annihilated cash reserves.

“The industry urgently needs grants for short-term business survival and an extension to business rates relief and the lower VAT rate to secure longer term survival and planning.

“It is also crucial that the Government lets the industry know as soon as possible if measures are to be imposed and what they might be, to allow for as much damage limitation as possible.”

Scottish Licensed Trade Association managing director Colin Wilkinson said: “Of course, we all want to do what we can to stop the spread of the virus and the licensed hospitality sector has gone to enormous effort and invested millions of pounds in mitigation measures and will continue to do so for as long as it can.

“The shutdown of the licensed hospitality industry, effectively by stealth, puts most businesses in an even worse scenario than last Christmas when there was some finance available via Government grants and the furlough scheme was in place.

 “Whilst the restrictions that we feared have not yet been imposed, there still remains a great deal of uncertainty for our industry which was beginning to recover, albeit slowly, and looking forward to reasonably good prospects during the key festive trading period.

“We have not been ordered to close our doors yet but many have no choice when so many bookings have been cancelled.

“Last week’s call from Public Health Scotland not to have festive parties – endorsed the next day by the First Minister – killed Christmas and, I fear, will kill some businesses who will not survive without financial support. Our industry desperately needs additional aid to save it – and it needs it now.

“Our industry desperately needs additional aid to save it – and needs it NOW.

“I cannot stress how serious the situation is – many of our members are in dire straits. There will be no happy Christmas for those who are worried about the future and face the prospect of making staff redundant or, worse, pulling down the shutters.

“It is not only operators who are affected by Government interventions – staff and those in the supply chain are also being dragged into the horrendous situation we are still in without any other restrictions looming on the horizon.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already confirmed that no further restrictions will be introduced in Scotland before Christmas.

The Scottish Cabinet will meet this morning and any further changes to post-Christmas Covid restrictions will be announced to Parliament this afternoon.

Ye’ll huv hud yer Hogmanany, then?

White Christmas run cancelled

A STATEMENT from EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE

We regret to inform you that we & the producers of White Christmas have had to make the very difficult decision to cancel all remaining dates of the musical.

If you’ve tickets to an affected performance your point of purchase will contact direct with refund details.

On behalf of the producers, company and crew of the show as well as the entire venue team, thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time – your continued support is much appreciated.

Festive mental health with NHS 24

As we look ahead to another festive season impacted by the COVID19 pandemic, NHS 24 are encouraging people to put mental health first.

Lots of people are feeling anxious and unsure of where to turn for a bit of support so here is advice from the team behind NHS inform and the 111 service:

Clear Your Head web site

It’s natural to not feel yourself at times, and for anyone feeling that way, the Clear Your Head web site has simple tips for anyone feeling down, as well as guides on what to do to support others. clearyourhead.scot

NHSinform.scot

Anyone in Scotland with a digital device and having problems with anger or stress, having trouble sleeping, or struggling to cope with challenging situations, can find support by answering a few simple questions through this guide, nhsinform.scot/get-help-with-your-mental-wellbeing

During the summer of 2021 hundreds of visitors to NHSinform were directed to seek immediate telephone help while thousands more went on to self-directed care online using SilverCloud, a website with courses to improve mental wellbeing based on cognitive behavioural therapy.

An extensive range of mental wellbeing resources is available at

www.nhsinform.scot/mental-wellbeing

NHSinform also has a number of resources for users of British Sign Language that cover mental health issues at www.nhsinform.scot/BSL

editorial@ardrossanherald.co.uk

Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87

Answering almost 9,000 calls a month, the Breathing Space service continues to grow and evolve with the web chat service now offering online support.

Callers contact Breathing Space for a wide range of reasons, including relationship issues, stress, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. However, over the last year the service has seen an increase in issues such as bereavement, work and money worries, and loneliness.

Breathing Space’s trained advisors ensure that each call is treated with patience and respect, knowing that it can often be the first time that a caller has contacted the service or talked about a problem.

111

For those experiencing mental distress the 111 Mental Health Hub is available 24 hours a day, 7 days of the week by calling 111 and following the telephone prompts. Anyone may call. There is no upper or lower age limit.

The most common reasons for calling include thinking about suicide, anxieties, low mood, psychosis, and self-harm. Where necessary, clinical support is offered and callers may be referred to local support services, community mental health teams, or exceptionally, emergency services. This team can also help with medication issues.

ScottishPower donates £10,000 to LifeCare in lieu of Christmas Party

LifeCare Edinburgh grateful for boost to help support local older people through another difficult winter 

LifeCare Edinburgh has received £10,000 from ScottishPower in lieu of the energy company’s annual Christmas party.  This significant donation will help the charity deliver its safe and essential care to hundreds of local older people struggling to cope through another difficult winter.

Set-up in 1941, LifeCare Edinburgh has supported older people living across the city for over 80-years. The organisation supports around 1,000 individuals annually including those suffering with dementia, mobility issues, those experiencing isolation and loneliness, food poverty, mental health problems and offers dedicated support for carers.  Services include day centres, registered outreach, help at home, hot meal delivery, companionship and community engagement activities.  

LifeCare’s vital services have not stopped through the pandemic. The committed team has worked tirelessly to safely deliver essential care, practical help and companionship activities to ensure older people received the support they needed to stay physically and mentally well. 

The charity also launched several important new initiatives, such as their hugely successful meals on wheels service, specifically designed to help support the most isolated and vulnerable. 

Sue Freeth, Chief Executive at LifeCare, (above) said: “A huge thank you to everyone at ScottishPower for their generous support in lieu of their Christmas party.  LifeCare is an established and trusted charity that has delivered vital services for local older people for 80 years. 

“We deliver essential care and practical support to people who simply couldn’t survive without it.   Operating across the city, we enable older people to remain living independent full healthy lives and enjoy the ‘zest in life’ in their later years. 

“We are presently receiving unprecedented referrals and this wonderful donation of £10,000 will make a significant difference to the people we support.  We are very grateful to the ScottishPower team for choosing LifeCare.”

Sheila Duncan, ScottishPower HR Director, said: “Covid-19 continues to impact lives across the board with some groups in society experiencing greater challenges than most of us could imagine. Following the positive feedback from last year’s donations, we are delighted and extremely proud to be able to donate our festive budget again to 15 charities including LifeCare Edinburgh. 

“These donations will make a huge difference to these charities and help make a bigger impact in our communities. Thank you to all of the ScottishPower employees who voted and thanks to the Employee Networks who got actively involved this year”.

LifeCare Edinburgh is a registered charity and relies on the support of its funders.  The charity is currently experiencing unprecedented levels of referrals.

Visit https://www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk/ to make a donation to enable the charity to provide essential care this winter.

Maison Sport reports 200% growth in customer base

  • Huge boost for UK travel tech business indicates increasing consumer confidence 
  • Business announces plans to target Italian ski tourism market 

Ski instructor marketplace, Maison Sport has reported a 200 per cent rise in customers compared to previous seasons, raising confidence that ski tourism is set for a strong recovery despite recent covid developments. 

The Edinburgh-based company, founded by three ex-British ski team members which connects its customers directly with the best independent ski and snowboard instructors, has also announced plans to target the Italian market for the first time.  

Maison Sport says it is currently averaging £100k a week of new bookings, up from its pre-pandemic level of £30k a week at the same time in 2019. The company has also doubled the number of instructors on its books compared to the 2019/2020 season to 1300 and has reported a 30 per cent rise in customer spending for this time of year, all pointing to growing post-Covid confidence in the recovery of the European ski tourism market.  

This latest news follows Maison Sport’s successful fundraise in May where the company secured £1.25million in external investment from both individual investors and a crowdfunding campaign.     

Founded in 2016 by former ski champion brothers Nick and Olly Robinson and fellow ex-British Ski Team member Aaron Tipping, the company now boasts the third largest selection of instructors in comparison to any ski school in the world.  

Over the past year, Maison Sport grew its team to 20 people and also opened a new, larger head office in Edinburgh. With its innovative platform continuing to grow, overcoming the significant challenges facing the global travel industry, the company plans further expansion into Asia and South America over the course of 2022.  

Maison Sport has proven to be a game changer for independent ski and snowboard instructors who can significantly increase their earnings using the platform. The marketplace has surpassed 34,000 hours of lessons taught in 364 ski resorts across Europe.  

Founder and CEO, Nick Robinson said: “The significant growth in our customer numbers underline both the success in developing our business model and the rising consumer confidence in the resurgence of the ski tourism market.

“Even though the recent identification of the new Omicron variant may disrupt some travel plans people are obviously keen to get back on the slopes and our instructors are ready and waiting. 

“Despite the difficulties posed by Covid-19, this latest development follows a pivotal year for the business where we secured significant investment, grew our base of instructors, and entered new markets.     

“This progress continues with our expansion into Italy, where we’re already seeing impressive numbers of customers signing up to our platform. Italian customers, who’ve have typically had to book ski or snowboard lessons last minute, are now benefitting from our platform which allows them to source the best instructors and book them in advance of their ski holiday.”  

Energy boss slams Bulb’s ‘free energy’ scheme

Every UK household will have to pay extra on their energy bills in 2022 – just to pick up the tab for more than £130m of FREE energy given out by Britain’s biggest energy failure.

That’s according to Bill Bullen, Founder and CEO of Utilita Energy, who has slammed Bulb’s strategy of giving new customers a £50 free energy credit – and another £50 to friends who referred them – in a bid to drive growth.

He says that Bulb’s “irresponsible approach” to lure in customers from rival suppliers will slap £5 on every domestic energy bill next year – at an estimated total cost of £132m1.

Just days after Ofgem revealed its action plan for improved financial resilience in the sector – effectively a ‘stress test’ for incumbents and new entrants – Bill Bullen is calling for the regulator to review the use of ‘free energy’ referral schemes too. 

 “It is not the fault of Bulb’s customers, but the reality is everyone else will end up paying for Bulb’s irresponsible approach,” he says. 

Bulb has lost tens of millions of pounds since 2015 and is now being run by Government consultants to save it from collapse. Taxpayers are funding this to the tune of an estimated £2bn already. 

Mr Bullen believes the firm’s referral strategy is partly to blame and, worse still, says it encouraged behaviour at odds with the nation’s net zero ambitions.

“Telling customers that energy is free, cheap, or selling it ‘below cost’ is not only unsustainable and irresponsible, but by doing so it encourages consumers to be frivolous with energy. Right now, most homes in the UK waste around 20% of the energy they pay for. This cannot continue.

“To enable consumers to make the right choices for their pocket and the planet, I am calling for the industry regulator to require suppliers to show their value proposition, whereby each supplier presents what value it can offer to the consumer, as an energy partner. This would result in households using and paying less and would give the UK a chance of hitting its 2050 net zero target.”

Omicron: Boosting Protection

COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters are being prioritised over the flu vaccine to help protect as many people from coronavirus as quickly as possible.

If you are eligible for the flu vaccine, you may not receive it until the new year.

More information ➡️http://www.gov.scot/…/steps-to-accelerate-booster…

Scotland’s October House Price Index from Walker Fraser Steele

Headlines:

  • Average house price in Scotland up by 11.4% over last 12 months
  • Monthly growth rates starting to soften
  • 31 of 32 Local Authorities have rising average prices over year to end October
  • Scotland again outperforming England, Wales & NI
  • £750k+ house sales double that of Jan – Oct 2020

Alan Penman, Business Development Manager at Walker Fraser Steele, comments: “The continued story of Scotland’s successful year for higher priced properties continues.

“The average house price in Scotland has increased by some £21,800 over the last 12 months but our data shows there have been 872 sales over £750k (the point at which the highest rate of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) is applied) during the first ten months of 2021.

“We expect up to 30 additional sales in October 2021, not yet recorded by the Registers of Scotland and so not included in the above total. This would mean sales of these higher-value properties to the end of October 2021 would likely be double in number to those of the first ten months of 2020.

“What we are seeing is the impact of the cut in LBTT earlier in the year, the continuation of low interest rates and cheaper mortgage finance, and the desire of many purchasers during the pandemic to buy bigger properties in the race for space. These factors have meant higher-end properties have played a significant part in the overall growth figure.

“Sales volumes from May to October 2021 are only slightly ahead of previous years, and suggest that the market has now returned to pre-pandemic transaction levels. Nevertheless, the continuing strong performance in October means Scotland had the highest annual rate of house price growth of the four home nations with annual growth at 11.4%, followed by Northern Ireland at 10% (Ulster University Index), Wales at 9.6% and England, without Wales, at 3.9%.”

Commentary: John Tindale, Acadata Senior Housing Analyst

The October housing market:

Scotland’s October housing market is starting to show some signs of slowing in terms of price growth, but it’s necessary to look quite hard for the evidence. We provide four possible indicators:-

Firstly, we can point to an actual reduction in the average house price in October, with the value now standing at £212,551 – but this is only £70 lower than the previous month. However, it does bring to an end a three-month run from July to September 2021, in which average prices rose by an overall £11,000.

Secondly, we can show that in October only some 90 homes in Scotland were sold at a price in excess of £750k, compared to 120 in September. Nevertheless, we could point out that – if we looked at the monthly totals prior to October 2020, ie one year earlier – then 90 sales in a single month having a value over £750k would have set a new record at that time.

Thirdly, the average house price in both Edinburgh and Glasgow fell in October, with the two cities collectively accounting for approximately 25% of all property sales in Scotland. But we could also point out that the same happened in both October 2017 and October 2019, with Scotland’s average house price for those two years showing continued positive growth.

Lastly, and perhaps the most compelling argument is that England and Wales have seen their house price growth start to fall. Figure 1 below compares Scotland’s annual rate of growth, which was at 11.4% in October, with that of England and Wales combined, where rates have fallen to 4.1%. In fact, eight of the nine regions in England saw their annual rates of growth fall in October. (For a comparative Table go to Figure 4 and follow the link.)

In October, Scotland had the highest annual rate of house price growth of the four United Kingdom countries, at 11.4%, with Northern Ireland in second place at 10% (Ulster University Index), followed by Wales at 9.6% and England, without Wales, at 3.9%. England has started to see a reduction in the number of high-value detached properties being sold – perhaps due to a shortage in the level of available stock – resulting in average prices beginning to fall.

Walker-Fraser-Steele-Acadata-House-Price-Index-Scotland-October-2021-003Download

Christmas and New Year library opening hours

Libraries will close at 5pm on Friday 24 December for Christmas and reopen on Wednesday 29 December.

Our libraries will then close again at 5pm on Friday 31 December for Hogmanay and reopen on Wednesday 5 January.

Visit the Your Library website for full details about which of our libraries have reopened, services available, opening hours and which services require an advance booking.

And don’t forget, you can download ebooks, audiobooks, magazines and newspapers throughout the holidays from Your Library online.

Very best wishes to everyone for the festive season!

Mary’s Meals: Mum’s the word for Christmas dinner in Scotland

  • School feeding charity Mary’s Meals asked 2,000 people across the UK who they would most like to cook Christmas dinner for them.
  • Almost half chose a family member over a celebrity chef, with the majority choosing their mum.
  • In the Scotland dads got the thumbs down in the festive kitchen!
  • Mary’s Meals is asking people to help feed hungry children by joining its virtual Christmas dinner.

A new survey by Mary’s Meals has revealed that people would rather have their Christmas dinner cooked by their mum than a celebrity chef.

The global school feeding charity asked 2,000 people who they would prefer to serve up their festive feast. It found that:

  • Almost half (46%) of respondents chose a family member rather than a famous chef – such as Jamie Oliver, Delia Smith, Gordon Ramsay and Nigella Lawson.
  • One in three people (36%) said they would prefer their mum to cook their Christmas dinner over other family members.
  • Just 1% of respondents in Scotland said they would like their dad to prepare the Christmas dinner!

Scotland’s National Chef Gary Maclean responds: “Despite being a professional chef myself, I’m not surprised most people chose their mum to make their Christmas dinner. Us chefs are all well and good but nothing beats a home-cooked festive feast.”

“I love the idea of Mary’s Meals Big Family Christmas – and I’m going to set a place for my late father-in-law Davie, who would love that their virtual seat at the table will feed a hungry child in school for an entire year.”

Mary’s Meals serves more than two million children with a nutritious meal every school day in 19 of the world’s poorest countries, including Malawi, South Sudan and Haiti. The promise of a good meal attracts children to the classroom, giving them the energy and opportunity to learn, and the chance of a brighter future.

Each December the charity holds a virtual Christmas dinner, Big Family Christmas, to raise funds to feed even more hungry children. Last year, nearly 9,000 people around the world took part in the fundraiser.

Emma Hutton, head of grassroots engagement at Mary’s Meals, says: “Tis the season to be jolly, and it seems nothing makes us jollier than a home-cooked Christmas meal. At Mary’s Meals, we want to spread that joy to as many of the world’s most impoverished children as possible.

“Setting a place at our virtual table is a great way to give a truly life-changing gift, especially as each place set this Christmas will feed two children for an entire year thanks to our Double The Love campaign. I look forward to seeing as many names at the table as possible as we celebrate our Big Family Christmas!”

In return for a donation of just £15.90, enough to feed a child with Mary’s Meals for a whole school year, people can take part in the Big Family Christmas. Donors will receive a certificate to print at home and their name, or the name of a loved one, will appear on the charity’s virtual dinner table alongside names from across the world.

Donations made to Mary’s Meals before 31 January 2022 will be matched by a group of generous supporters, up to £1.6 million, thanks to the Double The Love campaign, meaning that each place set at the online Christmas table will feed two hungry children.

To find out more, please visit marysmeals.org.uk/Christmas

Reaching children in Malawi

Mary’s Meals typically serves a mug of porridge to more than one million children in Malawi every school day.

This includes children like 14-year-old Yasimini, who is one of five girls. Her two older sisters were married young, but Yasimini was able to continue with her studies because of Mary’s Meals.

She says: “I work very hard in class so I can fulfill my dream of becoming a nurse. I don’t want to end up getting married early like my sisters.

“Mary’s Meals is very important because when I am attending classes I am strong and attentive and I can pay attention to what the teacher is teaching. This will help me to do well in my studies.”