Heriot’s Rugby Club at Goldeacre is delighted to announce their first ever pre-match lunch for a Women’s rugby fixture.
There has been a lot of interest in Women in Sport of late and Heriot’s Rugby Club are seeing the rewards to this, with sponsors such as Golden Acre Foods, Shoosmiths and Modern Standard Coffee identifying the Blues Women as a team they wish to support.
The first pre-match lunch takes place on Sunday 21st November 2021 from 11.30am prior to the Heriot’s Blues Women V Stirling RFC game, kick off is 2pm. This is going to be an exciting day for all involved.
Heriot’s Rugby Club invite anyone interested in taking part in the lunch to book tickets via their website https://bit.ly/3vHCj44 – cost is £25 per head and includes a 3-course set lunch followed by tea/coffee & mints.
The Blues Women’s games are free to spectators, so anyone wishing to watch the game, please come along to Goldenacre any time from 1pm onwards.
Rhona Hume, Director of Women’s Rugby at Heriot’s Rugby Club said, “We are incredibly excited to be hosting this pre-match lunch, with Ellen Dickson, Scotland Women’s Team Manager, as guest speaker, this shows the growth in women’s rugby in Scotland, and I am so grateful for Iain ‘The Bear’ Milne’s support in pulling this together.”
A statement calling for the role of women and girls to be advanced in addressing climate change has been launched at COP26, jointly-sponsored by the Scottish Government and UN Women.
The Glasgow Women’s Leadership Statement on Gender Equality and Climate Change commits to further strengthening efforts to support women and girls to lead on addressing climate change at community, national, and international level.
It recognises that women and girls are often disproportionately affected by climate change and face greater risks and burdens from its impacts, particularly in situations of poverty.
Drafted in cooperation with UN Women, the statement was launched following a panel discussion convened by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, which included Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, President of Tanzania Samia Suluhu Hassan, and Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas.
The statement will remain open for signatures from today until the 66th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women, to be held in March 2022 with a focus on women’s empowerment in the context of climate change, the environment and disaster risk reduction.
The panel discussed gendered impacts of climate change and the importance of women and girls’ leadership in addressing these.
The First Minister said: “I am delighted to convene the Glasgow Women’s Leadership Initiative with UN Women, to put gender equality and climate change at the very forefront of COP26.
“One of the great injustices of the climate crisis is that the people and countries who are worst affected are those who have contributed least to its causes. That includes women and girls, with girls more likely to be taken out of school, and women less able to find alternative forms of work as a result of climate impacts.
“The Glasgow statement recognises that the leadership of women and girls is essential to ensure global efforts to tackle climate change succeed. With strong partnerships between governments, businesses, and civil society we can enable more women and girls to lead on the solutions we need to address climate impacts and promote gender equality.
“I am determined that Scotland will lead on progressing this at home and internationally where we can, and I call on all leaders to join me in signing up to the statement.”
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said: “We can only achieve our collective goal and responsibility of reducing emissions to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius if women and girls are part of the response.
“Today’s statement is a powerful tool in sustaining the growing momentum of women’s and girls’ leadership and innovation in climate action. I call on women leaders to make concrete commitments by signing it.”
Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas said: “Empowerment of women and girls is a priority for Estonia also in our UN work. We need to recognize at the highest political level that especially in fragile and conflict-affected settings women and girls are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change.”
Scotland’s rainforest will be restored and expanded as a natural solution to the climate emergency, Environment Minister Mairi McAllan announced yesterday.
The west of Scotland is home to one of the most important remaining rainforest sites in Europe, with its rich diversity of species making it internationally important. Supporting the restoration and expansion of this site will be a key part of a £500 million investment in Scotland’s natural economy.
The Scottish Government is engaging with the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforests, comprising a diverse group of organisations and public sector bodies, to determine how best to fulfil these commitments.
Ms McAllan said: “Scotland is home to its own Atlantic rainforest boasting a variety of rare species and habitats. We want to protect and expand this precious environment and we have committed to do so in the life of this Parliament.
“I welcome the Glasgow Declaration’s strategic vision which recognises that forests and woodlands have a crucial role in reversing the effects of climate change and nature loss. As an active global citizen, Scotland is playing its role with world-leading ambitions in reaching Net Zero by 2045, five years before the rest of the UK.
“Our forests and woodlands are an important net carbon sink, absorbing around 6.2 million tonnes of CO2 every year – equivalent to almost 10% of Scotland’s gross greenhouse gas emissions. As world leaders commit to end deforestation by 2030, we are planting 80% of the UK’s trees and making bold commitments like this to protect and enhance Scotland’s own temperate rainforest.
“Our ambitions do not stop there. We have increased our new woodland creation targets from 12,000 hectares a year to 18,000 hectares by 2024/5. By then, we will be planting 36 million new trees every year in Scotland.”
Ms McAllan spoke at the RSPB’s Glasgow to Globe living exhibition at Glasgow Botanic Gardens yesterday to welcome the Glasgow Declaration and highlight Scotland’s efforts to protect and restore Scotland’s woodlands.
The Scottish Government is committed to investing £500 million in Scotland’s natural economy. Actions include expanding the nature restoration fund, supporting the creation of a new national park and local nature networks, protecting and restoring Scotland’s Atlantic rainforest and ancient woodlands, and investing more in the restoration of peatland and expansion of woodlands
Forests and woodlands are part of the global solution. The Scottish Government would urge all nations to make best use of these precious natural resources to keep the 1.5 C temperature target in sight.
The latest Emergency Department performance figures for Scotland published by the Scottish Government yesterday for September 2021 show a deterioration in performance for the fifth consecutive month. The data show the worst four-hour performance on record and both the highest number of 12-hour and eight-hour stays since records began.
In September 2021 there were 113,998 attendances to major Emergency Departments across Scotland, the number of attendances dropped by 3,500 patients (3%) compared to the previous month, August 2021.
Despite the slight decrease in attendances data show that four-hour performance reached a new record low, with 73.8% of patients being seen within four-hours, this is 1.5 percentage points lower than the previous month, August 2021. It is the second time in 2021 that performance has fallen below 75%.
In September 2021 1,840 patients spent 12-hours or more in a major Emergency Department, this is an increase of 31.5% compared to the previous month, August 2021. This number increased for the fifth consecutive month and is once again the highest number of 12-hour stays since records began.
Data also show that 6,413 patients spent eight hours or more in a major Emergency Department. This is an increase of 20%, equal to over 1,000 patients. The number of patients delayed by eight-hours or more increased for the fifth consecutive month and once again this is the highest number of eight-hour stays since records began.
Dr John Thomson, Vice President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland, said: “The consistent fall in performance is seriously worrying. What we are seeing: ambulance handover delays; dangerous crowding; long stays; put patient safety at risk and can lead to harm or avoidable deaths.
“The problem is poor flow throughout the hospital and exit block, this will not be resolved in the Emergency Department, it is a system-wide problem and requires system-wide solutions and collaboration.
“Boards must safely expand capacity where possible, provided doctors and nurses and other healthcare workers are available to staff the beds. Same-day emergency care can help to reduce unplanned hospital admissions, maximising the delivery of this service may alleviate some pressures.
“Discharge to assess, ensuring that patients can be discharged in a safe and timely way where they have the support they need to recover in the community, can help free up beds to increase flow throughout the hospital.
“Lastly, it is vital that adequate support and resources are given to social and community care so vulnerable patients do not face successive trips to the Emergency Department or hospital.
“Clear communication between Clinical Leads and senior Board management about the reality of ambulance handover delays; dangerous crowding; and long stays is also vital. Stating the threat these practices pose to patient safety and both reporting and escalating incidents as they occur should guide leadership to take swift action.
“It is a very difficult time, and we are preparing for a gruelling winter. The past five months of performance figures suggest that more deterioration is set to come. In Emergency Medicine we must continue to work towards collaborative solutions and work with other departments, specialties, and management.
“But we continue to call on the Scottish government to set out a long-term workforce plan. In Emergency Medicine (EM) in Scotland there is a vital need to both recruit new and retain existing staff, we need at least 113 EM consultants along with sufficient numbers of both junior and supporting staff and nurses.”
Today’s statistics revealed the worst weekly and monthly A&E statistics since records began.
The statistics show that only 65.6% of attendances at A&E services in NHS Lothian were seen and resulted in a subsequent admission, transfer or discharge within 4 hours for the week ending on the 24th of October.
This is lower than the previous record low of 66.3% recorded in week ending 12th September. Furthermore, 508 patients in NHS Lothian waited more than 8 hours, with 240 not being seen for 12 hours.
Scottish Labour MSP Foysol Choudhury said: “A&E services in the Lothians are in crisis, with the situation rapidly deteriorating with every passing week.’’
“Hard-pressed frontline staff have been sounding the alarm for months, but the Health Secretary has spectacularly failed to take action. Patients in the Lothians are being put in danger thanks to the SNP’s catastrophic failure to support A&E services.
‘’The Health Secretary is without a workable plan, so we have a health service in freefall. Action must be taken now. Our NHS deserves better’’
Edinburgh’s residents and businesses are being urged to follow the lead of the city’s young people in taking action on climate change by joining the Council’s new Net Zero Challenge.
The challenge aims to encourage citizen action across the city and comes as COP26 climate talks get underway in Scotland.
Pupils at St Peter’s RC Primary school to the south of the city centre are growing produce in the school vegetable garden for use in meals and snacks, as part of the school-wide approach to support the city’s 2030 net zero target.
Pumpkins grown in the school’s vegetable garden have been used to make pumpkin muffins, apples have been turned into chutney, and other seasonal produce such as leeks and potatoes for soup. Food recycling is commonplace at the school with waste turned into compost for the vegetable garden to nurture new crops.
Pupils also turn non-recyclable plastic items such as crisp packets and snack wrappers into ‘ecobricks’. After washing the wrappers, the pupils cut them into small pieces and stuff them tightly into used bottles. The ecobricks are collected and can be joined together to make furniture and in structures for gardens and play parks.
Inspired by the pupils actions the City of Edinburgh Council is calling on people of all ages, and businesses, to follow their example and take part in the Net Zero Challenge and highlight through social media what they are doing to cut their carbon emissions using the #MyClimateAction hashtag.
Edinburgh residents and businesses are being encouraged to measure their carbon footprint to discover where they can take climate action in their personal life, with advice and support on hand at NetZeroEdinburgh.org
Participants taking up the Net Zero Challenge can visit NetZeroEdinburgh.org which features ideas on how residents and business can make a difference – such as:
calculating your carbon footprint
looking at the way you heat and power your home to make it more energy efficient
choosing public transport or trips by foot or bike
thinking about what you buy and where you buy it from to make things last.
Council leader Adam McVey said: “Edinburgh’s young people are strongly advocating for change and explaining why we need to tackle climate change to secure their future. We know our residents and businesses understand the need to change to get to net-zero.
“Awareness of climate change and the impacts on our city has never been higher, but we know from recent climate consultations that some people are still unsure of where they can start taking action.
“Measuring your carbon footprint is free and easy to do. And it lets you know the areas of life where you can make the biggest impact on your personal emissions.
“With COP26 taking place in Scotland, this is the perfect opportunity for all of us across our Capital to work together and take steps to cut our emissions. By all working together we can make a difference and hit net-zero by 2030 and secure the future of our children and grandchildren.”
Depute Leader Cammy Day added: “Hitting Edinburgh’s net zero target by 2030 is something that everyone who lives and works in the city will need to play their part in. That’s why it’s really it’s great to see the pupil’s at St Peter’s leading the way on climate action within their school as small changes do add up as we all do something different.
“That’s why we’ve launched the Net Zero Challenge as a quick and easy way to find out how you can help make a difference and create a cleaner, greener city.
“Because we all have a responsibility to act now and play our part in protecting our city for generations to come.”
Teacher Catherine McCabe, who helps lead St Peter’s sustainable activities, said: “Taking steps to be more sustainable and cutting our carbon footprint has become part of daily life at school.
“Whether it’s growing food in our vegetable garden, making compost from food waste or turning crisp wrappers into building blocks that can be used in making furniture, the kids are so involved in playing their part, from nursery and as they move through the school.
“It’s really inspiring to see the children getting so hands-on at this age and developing such good habits they can carry through their lives and, along the way, inspire others in the city to do their bit to take action on climate change.”
Chancellor to set out plans for UK to be the world’s first net zero aligned financial centre, calling for other countries to follow suit
Over $130 trillion – 40% of the world’s financial assets – will now be aligned with the climate goals in the Paris Agreement, thanks to climate commitments from financial services firms
New UK climate finance projects funded from the UK’s international climate finance commitment will help developing countries to fund green growth and adapt to the changing climate
The Chancellor will set out the UK’s plans to become the world’s first net zero aligned financial centre and welcome “historic” climate commitments from private companies covering $130 trillion of financial assets as he hosts Finance Day at COP26 today (3 November 2021).
These commitments will help to create a huge pool of cash that could fund our net zero transition, including the move away from coal, the shift to electric cars, and the planting of more trees.
Convening the largest ever meeting of finance leaders on climate change, Rishi Sunak will set out the UK’s “responsibility to lead the way” and unveil a fresh push to decarbonise our world-leading financial centre.
Under the proposals, there will be new requirements for UK financial institutions and listed companies to publish net zero transition plans that detail how they will adapt and decarbonise as the UK moves towards to a net zero economy by 2050.
To guard against greenwashing, a science-based ‘gold standard’ for transition plans will be drawn up by a new Transition Plan Taskforce, composed of industry and academic leaders, regulators, and civil society groups.
In his opening keynote at Finance Day, Mr Sunak will hail the progress made to “rewire the entire global financial system for net zero” under the UK’s leadership of COP and reveal that over $130 trillion – around 40% of the world’s financial assets – is now being aligned with the climate goals in the Paris Agreement, including limiting global warming to 1.5C.
These commitments come from over 450 firms from all parts of the financial industry, based in 45 countries across six continents, and have been delivered through the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ), which was launched by the UK to harness the power of the financial sector in the transition to net zero.
The UK has also worked as chair of the G7, and in partnership with other G20 countries, to ensure all economic and financial decisions take the risks of climate change into account. The UK has convened over 30 advanced and developing countries from across 6 continents and representing over 70% of global GDP to back the creation of a new global climate reporting standards by the IFRS Foundation to give investors the information they need to fund net zero.
Celebrating this progress, the Chancellor will urge financial firms to “mobilise private finance quickly and at scale” and call on governments to enact bold climate policies to take advantage of these enormous financial resources.
Reiterating the importance the UK COP Presidency has placed on getting finance to the most vulnerable countries, Mr Sunak will also highlight that the $100 billion climate finance target will be met by 2023 and urge developed countries to boost their support to developing countries – including by helping them tap into the trillions of dollars committed to net zero by the private sector.
The UK will seek to address barriers to finance faced by developing countries with a series of new green initiatives funded from its international climate finance (ICF) commitment, including £100 million to respond to recommendations from the UK co-chaired Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance to make it faster and easier for developing countries to access finance for their climate plans.
In total, the UK will spend £576 million on a package of initiatives to mobilise finance into emerging markets and developing economies, including £66 million to expand the UK’s MOBILIST programme, which helps to develop new investment products which can be listed on public markets and attract different types of investors.
And in a further advance towards the $100 billion goal, the Chancellor will announce the launch of an innovative new financing mechanism – the Climate Investment Funds’ Capital Markets Mechanism (CCMM) – that will boost investment into clean energy like solar and wind power in developing countries.
The UK is already the biggest donor to the multilateral Climate Investment Funds, having contributed £2.5 billion, and will now give the returns from its investments (known as reflows) to CCMM. This new fund will use reflows to help it issue green bonds worth billions of pounds in the City of London – the world’s leading green finance centre – and could leverage an extra $30-70 billion from other sources for specific clean energy projects.
Janine Hirt, Chief Executive Officer, Innovate Finance said:“As the voice of UK FinTech, we passionately support the development of the UK as the first net zero aligned financial centre.
“Net Zero transition will be driven by finance and capital markets and it will be enabled by technology and data. As a leading global centre for financial services and for financial technology and innovation, the UK can and should lead the way in rewiring the entire global financial system for net zero.”
Dr Ben Caldecott, Director, UK Centre for Greening Finance and Investment (CGFI) Chief said:“This is huge. The world’s largest international financial centre will become the world’s first net zero-aligned financial centre.
“This is underpinned by world-leading regulation and the economy-wide adoption of net zero transition plans. This will spur demand for green finance and accelerate decarbonisation, not just in the UK but wherever UK firms do business.
“This will make a real difference and means the UK financial services sector will play an even larger role in providing the capital and financial services required to deliver net zero globally.”
“The UK Centre for Greening Finance and Investment is excited to act as the secretariat, together with E3G, for the new Transition Plan Taskforce to develop a ‘gold standard’ for transition plans and associated cutting edge metrics.
“We are the UK’s national centre established to accelerate the adoption and use of climate and environmental data and analytics by financial institutions internationally.”
Julie Page, Chief Executive Officer, AON said:“We welcome and support the Chancellor’s plans for the UK to be the world’s first net zero aligned financial centre.
“All industries have an important role in helping to achieve this goal and through Aon’s own 2030 net-zero commitment, we will contribute to this historical commitment and help lead the way towards a net zero economy.”
Dr Rhian-Mari Thomas OBE, Chief Executive, Green Finance Institute said:“Today marks the day that green finance has reached a point of critical momentum. The amount of capital committed to the transition to net zero has reached unprecedented levels.
“The task before us now is to come together in radical collaboration to unlock investment opportunities at speed and scale so we can channel this wall of capital into real economy outcomes that not only positions the UK as the world’s first net zero financial centre but also delivers a just and resilient net-zero global economy”
Kay Swinburne, Vice Chair of Financial Services, KPMG UK said:“This announcement will provide the financial services industry with a valuable set of unified metrics to measure progress towards decarbonisation and it is brave to put a gold standard in place for all companies raising funding.
“We’re pleased to see the UK lead by example by not only establishing the GFANZ initiative, but also expanding private sector commitments and supporting a science based approach to reporting standards.”
James Alexander, Chief Executive, UK Sustainable Investment and Finance Association (UKSIF) said:“We warmly welcome the Chancellor’s ambition to make the UK the world’s first net-zero aligned financial services centre.
“As the first major economy to legislate to cut emissions to net zero by 2050, this is a natural step in the UK’s climate leadership journey and recognises the central role of the sustainable finance sector in addressing the climate crisis.
“UKSIF and our members look forward to actively engaging in these next steps, particularly helping to build a shared definition of a good quality transition plan and more broadly a net-zero finance sector.
“Government and regulators should work closely with the financial services industry to identify the policies and actions required to progress our sector towards this world-leading ambition.”
Investing to tackle climate change
The crucial role of private investment in efforts to achieve net zero will be set out by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon later today (Wednesday) as part of Finance Day at COP26.
The First Minister will join the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at the opening session of a Green Investment Showcase to detail how private investors can help drive the green industries of the future.
The First Minister will emphasise Scotland’s role as a world leader in sustainable industries and highlight the associated investment opportunities that exist, including through Scotland’s Green Investment Portfolio – now valued at £2 billion and which is expected to reach £3 billion in 2022.
The Showcase, hosted by Scottish Enterprise, will be attended by international and UK-based institutional investors, along with climate and clean tech companies seeking investment.
The First Minister said: “COP26 provides what is possibly our best chance to advance the societal and economic change that is demanded by the climate emergency, delivering lasting action towards net zero and a climate-resilient future.
“By grasping the opportunities provided by green industries and supply chains, we can create the good green jobs of the future and secure a just transition away from fossil fuels.
“The role of private capital is fundamental to achieving this and governments must do what they can to channel investment into areas supporting transformational change.
“Through our Green Investment Portfolio, which is already valued at £2 billion, the Scottish Government highlights a range of exciting, commercially assessed investment propositions to investors and showcases businesses in Scotland as world leaders in innovative green industries of the future.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, said: “COP26 is a landmark moment in the fight against climate change. We need to take bold action now or we will face catastrophic consequences in the years to come.
“Climate action and economic growth must go hand in hand – in London I’m investing in green technology which generates good quality jobs, for Londoners and across the UK. Turning the tide on climate change will require record investment and coordinated action from everyone – cities, businesses, governments and communities.
“That’s why I am committed to working with the Scottish Government in pioneering green investment and I’m proud to announce that I will be committing over £30 million in additional funding in London which will help encourage up to £150 million of private investment in low carbon projects and create jobs that will help achieve our 2030 net zero target.”
The British Dental Association has warned the Scottish Government plans to revert to pre-COVID models of care risks sparking a flight of dentists from the NHS, with potentially devastating consequences for patient access across Scotland.
In October Cabinet Secretary Humza Yousaf wrote to all NHS dental teams that all emergency support will be withdrawn by 1 April 2022. Since the first lockdown NHS practices have operated under a COVID support package, reflecting pandemic pressures and tight infection control restrictions that continue to limit capacity across the service.
According to a new survey of dentists in Scotland [1]:
80% of dentists estimate their practices will reduce their NHS commitment should the Scottish Government withdraw emergency support and return to pre-COVID models of care. Over a third (38%) of dentists indicate they are now likely to change career or seek early retirement in the next 12 months should the policy be taken forward. 15% say they are likely to practice dentistry outside of Scotland, and 1 in 10 estimate their practice is likely to cease operations.
Half of dentists report that they are operating at less than 50% of pre-COVID capacity. While the Scottish Government has offered a support package to boost capacity, many practices are unwilling to commit to a broken NHS model. Over 30% say they have not applied, andamong those half (50%) say they are now unable to commit to the NHS long-term. Support for ventilation costs requires a minimum 3 year commitment to the NHS.
9 in 10 of dentists (89%) estimate the removal of emergency funding will have a high impact on the short-medium term sustainability of their practices.
BDA Scotland have warned from the outset that a return to a ‘business as usual model’ – low margin and high volume – will put practices under unsustainable financial pressure and will likely lead to closures or movement to the private sector. Practices are facing an unprecedented backlog, with recent data from Public Health Scotland indicating that the number of treatments delivered in the year to March 2021 was less than 25% of those delivered in the previous 12-month period, corresponding to over 3.5 million appointments lost as a result of the pandemic.
NHS dental care free at the point of use remains a centrepiece SNP policy. BDA Scotland has said the Scottish Government must change course to achieve that goal, develop an interim funding package to support dentists and their teams as they work through the backlog, and begin work on a new, sustainable model for delivering care.
David McColl, Chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee said:“Free NHS dentistry for all is a worthy ambition. Rather than exploring ways to actually achieve that goal the Scottish Government has blindly headed down a road that could destroy this service.
“COVID has slashed our capacity, yet emergency support will end. Yes, Ministers have offered some support, but with small print many practices simply could not sign up to in good conscience.
“Dentists are unwilling to be shackled to a corpse. When aid hinges on committing to an NHS model that is now frankly unsustainable it is unsurprising take up appears so modest.
“We doubt Humza Yousaf wants to be remembered as the man who killed NHS dentistry in Scotland. Without a willingness to reflect on choices made in recent weeks that risks being his legacy.”
A Fife church that provided school children with tablets to help with online learning has received £1,500 prize money in a national competition.
The Good News church competition was launched by specialist insurer Ecclesiastical to shine a light on churches’ bright ideas and success stories, community heroes and ingenuity in the face of adversity.
St Luke the Evangelist Church in Auchmuty, Glenrothes was chosen as the regional winner for Scotland – earning themselves £1,500 to support the church’s work in the community.
The church, led by former teacher Father Gerry Dillon, provided computers and tablets to local pupils to take part in online learning during the UK-wide lockdown.
Father Gerry Dillon, Priest of St Luke the Evangelist, Glenrothes and St Finnian’s, Lochgelly, said: “We are delighted to win and very grateful to Ecclesiastical for the award which we’ll be putting towards our AV equipment.
“The AV system will widen access to our community space(s), and to the community groups and services working with people and within our community. It will also make it possible for us to partner with global projects and initiatives who can broaden individual and community horizons.
“This scheme not only helped us partner with the local school to support the learning of children through digital devices, but also to develop parents’ literacy, numeracy and digital skills – which has been an unexpected benefit of this initiative.
“Going forward St Luke’s will continue to be an additional space in the community that will be of use for the ongoing well-being of the whole community, as well as developing nurturing opportunities, especially with local schools and youth groups.”
St Luke’s will now join four other churches in the national final where they can win a further £6,000 as overall winner – bringing the total winnings to £7,500.
Helen Richards, church director at Ecclesiastical, said: “Congratulations to St Luke the Evangelist Church, our regional winner for Scotland. Their efforts to support local pupils who were without access to computers or devices needed for online learning during the pandemic really impressed our judging panel.
“Despite the challenges that the pandemic has brought with it, churches have remained a beacon of hope to the communities they are based in.
“That’s why this year’s theme for our church competition is ‘Good News’! We wanted to help shine a light on those unsung heroes in our communities and the new initiatives that churches have come up with to help those most in need – spreading the ‘Good News’ far and wide.”
Members of the public will be able to vote for their favourite shortlisted church to help decide the overall national winner, who will receive a further £6,000.
