Recycle, reuse, buy responsibly and have a green Christmas!

The city council is launching a campaign on Monday encouraging residents to recycle and reuse as much of their waste as they can.

The campaign links in with CEC’s campaign asking residents to have a less wasteful Christmas and help reduce their impact on the environment and follows last year’s tremendous effort when residents helped the council recycle 6,722 tonnes of waste – that’s about the same weight as 57,000 Santas – over the festive season!

CEC is also asking people to fold up their cardboard neatly before putting it in the correct recycling bin to make sure they leave enough room for all the extra recycling likely to be generated over the festive season.

If there is no room left, we’d encourage you to make an appointment at your nearest recycling centre and take any extra waste there. If that is not possible, fold it up neatly and place it next to your bin on your collection day.

If you have a large amount of any waste generated please don’t place it next to your bins but book an appointment at your local household waste recycling centre.

The council is also letting residents know there are no changes to waste and recycling collections as Christmas and New Year are on a Saturday this year so they should put their recycling and waste bins out on their usual collection days.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Environment Convener, said: “It’s really important that we all do our bit to help the environment and the festive season is a perfect opportunity to get creative and reduce waste by making delicious dishes out of leftovers, making gifts for our loved ones and reusing cards and wrapping paper as festive decorations for future years.

“Many more people are still shopping online due to the current health pandemic which means a lot of cardboard is being used. When clearing up this Christmas, please remember to fold cardboard up neatly and recycle it responsibly and I think it is also important to point out that when shopping remember that while foil and metallic wrapping paper and cards may add sparkle to your Christmas, they can’t be recycled.”

Councillor Karen Doran, Environment Vice-Convener, said: “As well us reusing, buying responsibility and locally where you can, when waste is generated, please help us push up our recycling rates by making sure you clean your plastics before they are recycled to stop contamination and put everything in the correct bin.

“Any food you haven’t turned into lovely leftovers, if you put it in your food waste bin, we turn into energy and fertiliser. Recycling one kitchen caddy of food waste can create enough energy to power a TV for five hours.

“Other fun facts we’re sharing to encourage people to recycle are six clean mince pie foil cases saves enough energy to watch up to an hour of TV and one glass bottle saves enough energy to make 14 slices of toast.

“When the fun is over and you’re taking down your tree, if you are recycling it, check which day we’re collecting trees in your street on our website, remove its base, decorations and cut it in half if it’s over 6ft before popping it neatly on the kerbside on its collection day.”

More information on how to have a green Christmas.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service launch 10-year Vision

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has launched its new, 10-year vision which deepens its pledge to improve the safety of Scotland’s communities.

In its new vision, the SFRS sets out its commitment to meeting the changing needs of communities, recognising the new and emerging challenges they face, including climate change, an aging population and the increased threat from terrorism.

The vision is underpinned by an undertaking to continue to work together with all public, third-sector and community partners for a safer Scotland and to keep a local focus on responding to the diverse needs of communities across the country.

Martin Blunden, Chief Officer of the SFRS, said: “We are a national service with national standards and practices but we absolutely recognise the need to find local solutions to local issues to effectively respond to community need.

“We want to be regarded as among the best fire and rescue services in the world, focused on meeting the shifting needs of our communities, working together to prevent and reduce the impacts of unintentional harm being at the heart of what we do.

“We believe that we will achieve this because we have a highly-skilled, experienced and talented workforce and we know we can offer more to help save lives and keep Scotland safe.”

Chief Officer Blunden added: “We created our vision in partnership through extensive engagement and consultation with our staff, our partners and the public, and we will continue to work together to achieve it. Working collaboratively – particularly with other emergency services – gives us all the best chance of meeting our ambitions.

“From early 2022, we’ll be setting out how we will achieve our vision through our next three-year strategic plan, and we will again be engaging with all stakeholders on this next step of our journey.”

Long-Term-Vision-DocumentDownload

Women’s Winter Wellbeing: online session with PCHP

All women in the area are welcome to join us next Friday 17 Dec at 10am-12pm for a special online wellbeing event.

Learn how to treat yourself in facial reflexology and Indian head massage.

Contact Sally 07518756330 or sallyfindlay@pchp.org.uk to sign up and recieve the zoom link

Whistleblowing: Council has more work to do, says review

Suzanne Tanner makes FIFTY recommendations for improvement

The findings of an independent review into the whistleblowing and wider organisational culture at the City of Edinburgh Council have been published.

The review was commissioned by councillors in October 2020, with Susanne Tanner QC appointed as independent chair. As with the inquiry into the conduct of the late Sean Bell, published last month, she has been assisted throughout by well-respected law firm, Pinsent Masons.

In her report, which councillors will consider at a meeting next Thursday (16 December), Ms Tanner QC highlights ‘considerable strides’ taken to improve the Council’s whistleblowing and organisational culture since 2014 but also finds that significant work remains to be done, setting out 50 recommendations for further improvements and positive change.

If accepted by councillors next week, Ms Tanner QC’s findings will form the basis of an action plan to be drawn up by the Chief Executive for consideration by councillors in February 2022.

The fifty recommendations are:

Chief Executive Andrew Kerr said: “I want to thank all those who took the time to contribute to the independent review. I know that, for some, this will have been extremely challenging, based on what they have been through, and I want to pay tribute to their courage in coming forward.

“I also want to thank Ms Tanner QC and the team at Pinsent Masons for their forensic approach to their work and the sensitivity and care with which they treated contributors.”

Council Leader Cllr Adam McVey said: “We owe it to our colleagues and to the public to continue to drive improvements and make sure the culture of the Council is the best it possibly can be.

“I’m grateful to the independent review team for outlining points that need further work and for setting out strong and thorough recommendations on how to sustain the positive path the Council is on. The report highlights the significant progress and improvements made to the Council’s whistleblowing culture in recent years and this should give all of us encouragement that further improvement can be achieved.

“It will take a lot of work to implement these independent, robust and constructive recommendations, but I’m confident these will be adopted in full by Councillors and delivered by the Chief Executive and wider management team to make sure the Council is in the very best position it can be to support our colleagues and deliver the best services for the people of Edinburgh.”

Depute Leader Cllr Cammy Day said: “It was crucial that our colleagues – both past and present – and others with a connection to the Council, felt empowered to come forward and share their views and we went to great lengths to ensure they were aware of the process and how to get involved.

“This resulted in a greater than expected response to Ms Tanner’s call for evidence and, ultimately, supported what is a detailed and thorough examination of our culture.

“We will now carefully consider the findings and recommendations and agree an action plan for how best to take these forward.”

Independent-Review-into-Whistleblowing-and-Organisational-CultureDownload

Will you help The Yard?

While we were celebrating our 35 Years of Play and planning our Christmas celebrations, we didnt know we had yet another challenge coming our way this year.

On the 7th of December, The Yard Edinburgh was a victim of vandalism. On Tuesday, a fire was deliberately initiated in the boardwalk, damaging the grounds, outdoors electric systems and the door of the Solar Dome.

We are devastated and currently doing our best to have affected areas repaired as soon as possible, which will be a costly process. Luckily, no one was harmed and damage was contained.

Services were suspended on Tuesday, but we reopened the following day. We are still going ahead with our Christmas celebrations as scheduled, but families will not be able to access some areas for a while which will reduce the quality of play experience we pride ourselves for at The Yard.

Despite this heartbreaking news, we are confident that we’ll come out to the other side stronger, as we always have.

Please support us today if you can and donate as much or as little as you can. Every donation will help us rise stronger and continue to be there for the families that use The Yard.

To see how you can help following the link:

https://buff.ly/3dURTRX

COSLA: Budget ‘barely allows local government to survive’

Following a full meeting of Council Leaders yesterday (Friday) COSLA said it cannot accept  the essential services provided by Scottish Local Government being once again overlooked by the Scottish Government in yesterday’s budget announcement.

COSLA described the budget as a bad deal for communities and warned that serious financial challenges in key service areas lay ahead for Scotland’s Councils.

Speaking this afternoon COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Councillor Gail Macgregor said:  “My initial feeling is one of real disappointment for our communities.  Once again Local Government has been treated as the poor relation of the public sector.

“This settlement represents £100m cut to our core Settlement, before any other pressures such as National Insurance costs,  pay or inflation are taken into account.

“We wanted a Budget for Local Government that enables people to Live Well Locally – what we have is a budget that barely allows Local Government to survive.

“We are left in a position where we do not have adequate funding to provide our range of essential services and support recovery from COVID.

“Many essential services provided by Scottish Local Government are in a fairly precarious position as a result of cuts to Councils’ core budgets and direction on spend towards Scottish Government priorities over the last few years.”

Councillor Macgregor continued:  “In terms of Council Tax- whilst we welcome the removal of the cap and the recognition that this is a local tax that should be decided locally – we cannot put the burden of a poor settlement onto hard pressed families.  That is simply not fair.“

Council Leaders were unanimous today that we need to work together, with one Local Government voice, to raise our concerns at the highest level of Scottish Government.

COSLA President Councillor Alison Evison said that it was beyond frustrating that Local Government’s ambition to enable people to Live Well Locally has been totally disregarded.

Councillor Evison added:  “Whichever way you look at it, the reality of the situation is that yet again the essential services Councils deliver have been overlooked by the Scottish Government. There is no recognition that these very services are the bedrock for additional policies and priorities which the Scottish Government wants councils to provide.

“It is beyond frustrating that the importance of Local Government’s role in enabling Communities to Live Well Locally across Scotland, has not been reflected in the Budget announcement.

“The Scottish Government has to realise that cuts to our core budget hit the most vulnerable in our communities the hardest and are damaging to our workforce.  That is why Council Leaders were unanimous today that we must fight for a fairer settlement.

“The consequences of us not doing this would be disastrous for our communities and workforce.

“It adds insult to injury the fact that the NHS in Scotland has been compensated for the increase in their National Insurance costs whilst we haven’t.  So unlike Councils in England who have also been compensated for these our costs will once again have to be taken from frontline services.”

Edinburgh-based Wemyss Malts release rare single cask whiskies

Wemyss Malts are launching six new extremely rare single cask whiskies. The six expressions from the Wemyss Malt whisky range are boldly named using the aromas and tastes of the whiskies to uniquely identify each bottling.

This wave of releases will be in a brand-new design, with each label colour coded to match the flavour category it falls under: Sweet, Spicy, Smoky, Rich, Light and Oily.

The team at Wemyss Malts believes that much of the malt whisky terminology can be difficult to decipher, even for a knowledgeable consumer.  The expressions from the Wemyss Malt whisky range are boldly named using the aromas and tastes of the whiskies to uniquely identify each bottling. The six new single casks follow this naming convention and have intriguing descriptive names to entice whisky drinkers.

In addition to their flavour led names each label is colour coded to match the flavour category it falls under: Sweet, Spicy, Smoky, Rich, Light and Oily.

This wave of releases will be in a new design, the updated packaging includes a bespoke decanter bottle, ornately illustrated labels and gift box.

Each cask has yielded only a few hundred bottles and the resulting unique whiskies are extremely rare.

Prices noted are approximate suggested retail per 750ml:

• Bananas and Cream: This light single cask is a grain whisky from Strathclyde distillery.  Distilled in 2005 and bottled in 2021. Priced at £88. Key tasting note: Sweet banana ice cream, meringue, lemon balm and iced buns.

• Clove Studded Oranges: From Speyside, Glenrothes distillery.  Distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2021, with only 187 bottles. Available only through www.wemyssmalts.com (£200). Key tasting note: Rich, deep orange flavours laced with intense cloves, dried fruits and muscovado sugar.

• Jam on Toast: This spicy single cask is from the Highland distillery of Blair Athol. Distilled in 1991 and bottled in 2021, this single malt is a majestic 30 years old.  226 bottles. This bottling is a Cask Club members’ exclusive (£300). Key tasting note: Sweet rich fruit flavours with a slight savoury edge evokes an array of rich fruits; plum and orange jam with sultanas. Complex wood spices give a peppery and spicy depth.

• Kiwi and Chilli: From Speyside, Glenrothes Distillery. Distilled in 1996, with 282 bottles (£225). Key tasting notes: Kiwi fruits with a spicy Jalapeños kick. Sweet, glazed doughnuts, shortcake and provides a cereal rich depth. Honey rich sweetness balances the zesty exotic fruit and chilli spice.

• Sweet Disposition: From Speyside, Glen Keith Distillery. Distilled in 1996 with 492 bottles (£200). Tasting notes: Light and enticingly sweet with eucalyptus honey, pear drops Moffat toffee, lime cordial and strawberry laces. Glazed doughnuts, shortcake and provides a cereal rich depth.

• Ultimate Apple Pie: This sweet single cask is from Speyside, Glen Moray distillery. Distilled in 1996 and bottled in 2021. Priced at £150. Tasting notes: Rich and stewed apple pie with allspice and sweetened short crust pastry. Zesty green grapes, candy chews and white icing. The sweetness shifts to a drier note with an effervescent, fizzy mouthfeel.

William Wemyss, Founder and Managing Director at Wemyss Malts, commented: “Winter is all about treasuring time with loved ones over the festive period, with this in mind our latest selection of single casks convey an assortment of fortifying and warming flavours.

“With this assortment of single casks from the spritely and sweet ‘Ultimate Apple Pie’ to the incredibly decadent Glenrothes aptly named “Clove Studded Oranges” and the show stopping 30 year old Blair Athol named “Jam on Toast” we truly have something to please all whisky fans.”

Four of the six bottlings will be available in selected retailers in the UK, EU and key Asian markets.

Kirsty Mackinnon, Brand Manager, Wemyss Malts, commented: “We have selected one very special bottling; a 30 year old Blair Athol named “Jam on Toast” to be an exclusive release to our Wemyss Malts Cask Club members.

“Anyone interested may join the Cask Club free via our website. Whether you are a newcomer to whisky or an experienced imbiber the Wemyss Malts Cask Club also aims to delight and enlighten with regular features and competitions.”

“Jam on Toast” joins 6 new single cask bottlings that have been released online and to selected retailers in the UK, EU and Asian markets. Four Speyside single malts, one Highland single malt, one lowland single malts and one single grain whisky make up the new release. Each cask has been selected by Isabella Wemyss, Director of Production, each bottling has a descriptive name illustrating the whisky’s character and have been bottled non-chill-filtered and in their naturally colour.

They are limited to only a few hundred bottles with suggested retail prices ranging from £88 to £300.

Full detail of these single casks can be found of the Wemyss Malts website.

Top rating for Edinburgh Napier’s sustainability credentials

Edinburgh Napier has been named as the top university in Scotland for environmental sustainability and ethics, according to the 2021 People and Planet University League.

People and Planet is the only league table of UK universities focusing on action and transparency of environmental sustainability performance, and ranks universities across a number of credentials, including carbon management, energy, waste and recycling and workers’ rights.

Edinburgh Napier achieved a 2:1 ranking – the only Scottish university to do so – and topped the league in Scotland while receiving an overall UK ranking of 43rd.

The University scored particularly highly on its carbon reduction and carbon management and saw its biggest increases in score within Education for Sustainable Development, Ethical & Investment & Banking, and Staff and Student Engagement, highlighting recognition of collective work within each of the areas.

The good news comes in the same week as the University launched its new  Environmental Sustainability Strategy, which sets out the ways in which the university community will work towards a target of Net Zero Carbon 2030 and beyond.

Jamie Pearson, Environmental Sustainability Manager at Edinburgh Napier, said: “We are incredibly proud that the work and leadership of our community has been recognised in this table. An array of students, staff and partners have led and enabled key areas of improvement in our work, including divestment, engagement and curricular development.

“We will now continue our journey at Edinburgh Napier and will meet the significant commitments made within our strategy, including the very recent publication of our new Environmental Sustainability Strategy.” 

Morrisons brings back the 15-piece Ultimate Breakfast

– The Ultimate Breakfast is back on the menu after feedback from customers –

– It has bacon, sausages, fried egg, mushrooms, tomato, black pudding, hash browns, beans and fried bread –

– Other customer favourites coming back include the Prawn Mayo Sandwich and Mini Fish & Chips –

A selection of customer favourites are making a return to the Morrisons Café menu this week, including The Ultimate Breakfast. 

The 15-piece fry up is available all day and includes three large sausages, two bacon rashers, a fried egg, two flat mushrooms, a griddled tomato half as well as two black pudding slices, two hash browns, Heinz beans and a slice of fried bread cut in half.  What’s more, it costs just £6.95.

Other winter warmers making a comeback include our Mini Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash and Sausage, Egg, Chips & Heinz beans.  The smaller café classics all cost £4.50 and are available all day. 

Our Prawn Mayonnaise Sandwich is also back by popular demand.  For an additional £1.00, customers can now add a portion of chips to their sandwich orders as well as to other main meals such as salads, pies or pizzas.

This week also sees our takeaway Afternoon Tea reduced from £12.00 to £10.00, including the festive option.  It includes a selection of sandwiches, cakes and mince pies that are served with British clotted cream – all served with proper Yorkshire Tea.

If it’s just a hot drink you’re after, then you can now order a coffee and cake for £3.00 or simply add a muffin to your drinks order for just £1.00.

In addition, kids can also eat free all day everyday when an adult meal over £4.50 is purchased.

Our Christmas menu is currently available with a wide range of breakfast and lunch options including our Christmas Turkey Lunch with all the trimmings for just £5. Succulent hand carved Morrisons Deli turkey is served with roast potatoes, creamy mash, carrots, brussel sprouts, stuffing, yorkshire pudding, pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce and gravy.

Ali Lyons, Morrisons Head of Café, said: “This week we’re bringing back by popular demand some of the items from our menu that customers have told us they are missing, particularly our 15 piece Ultimate Breakfast as well as a selection of smaller dishes. 

“We’re also making it easy to add some extras to your orders such as a portion of chips to a main meal or a cake or muffin to a hot drink.”

To help customers in the run up to Christmas, we’re also offering £5 main meals on a selected number of delicious Morrisons café dishes.

Customer favourites include our Best Beef Burger which is stacked in our The Best Brioche Bun with cheese, salad and burger or a Crispy Chicken Burger using Market Street succulent chicken.

For pie lovers there’s our Market Street Chunky Steak Pie which is served with creamy mash, mushy peas and piping hot gravy. Our Full Breakfast is also available in this offer too.

For more information on our cafés, please visit: 

https://my.morrisons.com/blog/food/new-cafe-menu/