A food charity is urgently appealing for volunteer drivers to provide vital support to local communities by collecting food from its warehouse and delivering it to charities.
FareShare Central and South East Scotland operated in partnership with Cyrenians, takes good quality, in-date surplus food and redistributes it to over 196 local charities and community groups supporting vulnerable people – including homeless hostels, breakfast clubs and domestic violence refuges.
This year alone the charity delivered more than 1,765 tonnes of food to create the equivalent of 4,203,441,21 meals in the region.
Volunteers are required to have a standard driving licence and will be able to deliver to a variety of local charities and community groups across Central and South East Scotland.
Lynne Collie, Cyrenians Senior Service Manager said: “We’re asking members of the public who may have a bit more time during the school summer holiday period to lend a hand and help with increased demand.
“Our volunteers have been providing a lifeline to people in the region throughout the crisis, delivering food to charities across the region. “Now, as restrictions ease, many of our fantastic volunteers are returning to work, leaving us with a shortage of drivers.
“The charities we serve are still facing an unprecedented demand and we urgently need new volunteer drivers to help us get food onto more people’s plates. We’re really hoping the community will rally round and help people in need.”
Find out more about volunteering opportunities on FareShare’s website:
Our Positive Action Team are hosting a recruitment event aimed at people from minority ethnic communities with an opportunity to hear from serving officers
ELDERLY care home residents were treated to an exclusive music concert thanks to the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival.
With restrictions easing, Cramond Residence was delighted to welcome Jed Potts and the Hillman Hunters to perform in the garden, while residents watched from the comfort of the home’s conservatory.
The blues trio, inspired by 1950s and 1960s classic American blues, delivered a powerful performance to residents at the Edinburgh home who enjoyed dancing the afternoon away.
Fiona Alexander, Chief Organiser of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, who facilitated the performance, said: “Care homes have had it very rough over the last 18 months, so to be able to liven up the resident’s afternoon and give them something to look forward to is very special.
“A big focus of this year’s festival has been to expand past our usual performances, and connect with new audiences, hence the link up with Cramond Residence.
“I can’t speak for the residents, but the band put on an excellent performance and everyone seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.”
Started in 1978, the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival has provided a platform to showcase the very best Jazz and Blues artists from around the world and is one of the largest jazz festivals in Europe.
The 2021 festival took place between the 16th and the 25th of July and included a mixture of online and in person performances.
Athena Liakeas, Activities Coordinator at Cramond Residence, said: “There is a host of positive mental, physical and social benefits that come from music.
“Despite all of our residents having varied tastes in music, the performance seemed to go down a treat and everyone had a great time. It definitely brightened up the afternoon.”
Cramond Residence provides a combination of luxury accommodation and the highest quality of care, with all residents enjoying a wide range of amenities and activities, delicious food and bespoke care.
During lockdown, Lifestyle Coordinators led activities from The Residence Cinema, connecting to residents in their own private house lounge or in their bedrooms via smart TVs to encourage two-way communications.
A scheme to provide children in eligible pre-school settings with milk and a portion of fruit or vegetables launched yesterday (1 August).The Scottish Milk and Healthy Snack Scheme replaces the UK Nursery Milk Scheme, making more healthy produce available for more children.
All pre-schoolers who spend two hours or more a day in eligible childcare settings registered with the scheme will be entitled to a serving of fresh milk.
Unlike the UK scheme, a piece of fruit or portion of vegetables will also be offered and children who cannot drink cow’s milk for medical, ethical or religious reasons will be offered a specified non-dairy alternative.
More than 3,000 childcare settings and over 116,000 children are already signed up to the new scheme and it is anticipated that more will register to benefit in year one. The Scottish Government is expected to provide around £9 million to £12 million funding to local authorities, depending on uptake, to administer the scheme in the first year.
Eligible settings who register will receive up-front payments via their local authority.
Children’s Minister Clare Haughey said: “We know that diet impacts on children’s health and their ability to learn. This scheme not only provides eligible pre-school children in Scotland with access to excellent sources of nutrition but we hope it will set up healthy eating habits for life.
“With this expanded and improved offer, the Scottish Government has gone further than the UK scheme. Working in partnership with COSLA and other key partners, we are investing in children’s outcomes, providing increased money up-front, and offering a wider range of healthy produce while supporting our vital Scottish food and drink sector.”
COSLA Children and Young People Spokesperson Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “The provision of milk and healthy snacks to children is an important part of ensuring that they can get the best from their learning and contributes to their overall health and wellbeing.
“The scheme will provide for children at a crucial stage in their development and we have worked in partnership to ensure that as many children as possible benefit.”
Over 88% of adults have had a first dose and over 72% of adults have had both doses
Two doses provide over 90% protection against hospitalisation from the Delta variant, which is the dominant strain in the UK
All adults are eligible to get their second dose after eight weeks
More than 85 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the UK, the latest figures show, as the UK government continues to urge everyone eligible to get their vaccines as soon as possible to protect themselves and their loved ones.
A total of 85,196,986 doses have been administered in the UK, with 46,851,145 people receiving a first dose (88.6%) and 38,345,841 people receiving both doses (72.5%).
The latest data from Public Health England (PHE) and Cambridge University shows that around 60,000 deaths, 22 million infections and 52,600 hospitalisations have been prevented by vaccines up to 23 July.
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “In under eight months, health services across the UK have delivered more than 85 million doses – this is a phenomenal achievement. It has shown Britain at its best.
“From our NHS administering the jabs, to the armed forces, thousands of volunteers and civil servants, you have all played an important role in getting us to this life-saving milestone – and I want to thank you all for your tireless efforts.
“Please get both of your jabs if you haven’t already to protect yourself and your loved ones.”
Data from PHE shows COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective against hospitalisation from the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant. The analysis shows the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is 96% effective and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is 92% effective against hospitalisation after two doses.
The UK met the Prime Minister’s target ahead of schedule to vaccinate two thirds of adults in the UK with both doses and to offer a first dose to all adults by 19 July.
All adults in the UK are able to get their second doses after eight weeks. This will mean every adult has the chance to have two doses by mid-September.
Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “Our COVID-19 vaccination programme has been an enormous success and has allowed us to cautiously ease restrictions.
“Getting both doses of the vaccine is one of the most important things people can do to help build a wall of defence around yourself, your loved ones and our country.
“I urge everybody to get their jabs so we can carry on doing the things we’ve missed.”
From the end of September, people will be required to prove they’ve had both jabs to enter nightclubs and music events in England.
The UK government announced that people who have been vaccinated with both doses will not have to quarantine on their return to England from an amber list country, providing they received their second jab at least 14 days prior.
From 16 August, double vaccinated people will also no longer be legally required to self-isolate if they are identified as a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case, and will be advised to take a PCR test.
The government announced that double vaccinated frontline NHS and social care staff in England who have been told to self-isolate will be permitted to attend work in exceptional circumstances and replaced by testing mitigations.
A limited number of critical workers may also in exceptional circumstances be able to leave self-isolation to attend work if deemed a close contact and informed to do so by their employer.
The UK government secured access to more than 500 million doses of the most promising COVID-19 vaccines early on behalf of the entire UK, crown dependencies and overseas territories.
The UK’s medicine’s regulator, the MHRA, was the first in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines, allowing the rapid deployment of vaccines across the country and ensuring the UK has one of the fastest vaccination programmes in the world.
YouGov polling shows the UK continues to be one of the top nations where people are willing to have a COVID-19 vaccine or have already been vaccinated and ONS data published on 2 July shows that more than 9 in 10 (96%) adults reported positive sentiment towards the vaccine.
Vaccines are available free of charge and from thousands of vaccine centres, GP practices and pharmacies. Around 98% of people live within 10 miles of a vaccination centre in England and vaccinations are taking place at sites including mosques, community centres and football stadiums.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will give an update on the latest plans for easing restrictions in Scotland tomorrow.
The latest UK-wide vaccination statistics are published here
The ONS survey on ‘Barriers to COVID-19 vaccination’ can be found here
The YouGov data comparing uptake rates in countries around the world is available here
GMB Scotland has today advised thousands of local government cleansing workers to prioritise safety and exercise their ‘right to refuse’ requests from employers to continue working if they have been exposed to COVID-19.
It follows the Scottish Government’s announcement that double-vaccinated workers in key services, returning negative PCR tests and undertaking daily lateral flow tests, can avoid self-isolation if notified of exposure to COVID-19 by the test and trace app, and continue working if their employer’s requests meet conditions set by Ministers.
The union has over 2,300 members in cleansing and waste services across Scotland’s local government, including Glasgow, North and South Lanarkshire, and West Lothian councils, who have worked throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and the decision was taken after consultation with their workplace representatives.
GMB Scotland Senior Organiser for Public Services Drew Duffy said:“A major underlying factor in the so-called ‘pingdemic’ is the chronic understaffing in our frontline services after years of cuts, and our cleansing and waste is no different.
“But the Scottish Government’s new guidance has opened the door for employers across the country to heap more pressure on these key workers if they have been exposed to COVID-19. That’s not safe for workers, families, or communities.
“And again, some of the lowest paid are being asked to take the greatest risk in another example of how poorly they are valued by government. You cannot cut and coerce your way out of a crisis, if you want services to function then you must invest in them.
“That lesson needs to be learned, and it’s why we are advising our members to exercise their right to refuse and instead follow the general self-isolation rules if they are exposed to COVID-19.”
British households are wasting millions of pounds every year because they’ve bought fresh products which have gone bad by the time they get round to eating them.
According to one British food waste and recycling company, it doesn’t have to be that way if we avoid certain products, only buy them when needed, or just shop better.
Food waste collection company BusinessWaste.co.uk says that millennial favourite that is the avocado leads the way with its depressing habit of being too tough to eat one minute it before becomes a squishy mess the next.
“But if we change our shopping and eating habits, we can avoid this enormous waste,” says Business Waste spokesperson Mark Hall.
“And frankly, I can go without smashed avo on toast.”
Top ten of wasted food
We looked at expert research, as well as asking customers about their personal experiences, and have come up with this list of shame. These are the top ten products that British consumers are wasting the most, in listicle form:
Avocados – The trickster gods of fresh foods. The day science discovers the key to preserving avocados for more than 30 seconds, the better.
Berries – You’ve said it: “It’s nice and warm, let’s have strawberries and cream!” Then you forget about the strawberries or raspberries you’ve bought, and before you know it, they’re a brightly coloured smear at the bottom of the fridge.
Milk – Tricky devils, milk. You don’t know that two litre carton has gone off until you pour it into your tea and it comes out as lumps of yoghurt. Thanks for nothing, milk.
Meat – This one could actually kill you if you don’t pay attention. With a shelf life of only a few days, wasted beef, chicken and pork goes into the bin more frequently than you dare admit.
Bananas – The avocado’s apprentice. You buy them a bit green so that they can ripen up at home, then BANG – fit for nothing but tasty cake recipes.
Fresh fruit juice – We forget the fresh juice has a much shorter shelf life than the long-life stuff. The clue’s in the name, and so is the smell of wonky cider when you open the apple juice after it’s gone over.
Grated cheese – Why are you buying grated cheese? It goes off quicker than a block of cheddar, and you’re just making the grater in your utensil drawer sad.
Apples and pears – You buy them because it’s one of your five a day, knowing full well that they’ll actually form none of your five a day, and will end up looking like the back of your granny’s hands within a fortnight.
Carrots – Go to your fridge. Go now. There’s a carrot in the veg drawer you can bend into a full circle, isn’t there? The same goes for all vegetables, but this is a top ten, otherwise this list will reach down to the centre of the Earth. Top tip: Only buy the veg you’re going to eat
Mushrooms – The only consolation is that they’re small enough not to take up mushroom (much room!) in your bin when you throw them out.
There’s a serious side to this, says BusinessWaste.co.uk’s Mark Hall, and it’s that we’re addicted to “over-shopping” – the habit of buying everything we fancy in the so-called ‘big shop’ which many people are now stretching out to last a fortnight.
“Then we’re surprised that the chicken you’ve bought for next Sunday’s roast is smelling like the bottom of a bin,” says Hall, “And instead of just changing your dinner plans, you should be thinking why that bird’s gone off.”
Changing your shopping habits
British households waste around 4.5 million tons of food every year, or approximately 7% of the food we buy. That adds up to £700 per family, annually.
“If you don’t want that £700, I’d quite happily take it off your hands,” says Mark Hall, “but I expect you’d rather keep it through better meal planning and shopping management.”
While it may not be a suitable solution for everybody, the easiest way to prevent food wastage is to plan ahead, then shop often, shop local, and buy less as a result.
But the problem remains: We’ve got so used to anonymous internet shopping where the product is reduced to an idealised picture on a screen, we’ve lost touch with simple skills like portion sizing, and buying sufficient supplies for your family.
“If you’re not pushing that trolley around the supermarket, how do you know when you’ve bought too much?” says Hall. “Convenience is leading to massive waste, and we need to stop and take a look at our habits.”
The Farmer’s Dog has partnered with DogLost, a voluntary organisation helping stolen and missing dog owners, by launching a “missing” campaign reminiscent of the missing children milk carton campaign used in the USA in the 1980s.
The Farmer’s Dog UK, a raw dog food company, will affix stickers with the profiles of six missing dogs produced by DogLost onto their mail order boxes.
Customers are invited to take a picture of the sticker and share on their social media channels to digitally help the search for the missing dogs. The stickers will be changed at the end of each month, so in a year The Farmer’s Dog will highlight seventy-two stolen and long-term missing dogs.
Since the beginning of the pandemic the demand for four-legged friends has risen exponentially with workers and families spending more time at home and lacking social interaction. In the first six months of lockdown, it was estimated that 2m dogs were purchased within the UK.
This increase in demand has led to a rise in dog thefts, with the most sought-after breeds selling into the thousands of pounds.
DogLost, run solely by volunteers, have been overwhelmed with requests by grief-stricken owners who have reported their canine companions either lost or stolen. Penalties for dog-theft remain low so thieves are becoming more brazen with reports of dogs stolen from outside shops and even direct from owner’s gardens.
DogLost recommend the below five theft prevention tips to help safeguard against dog theft during the summer holidays:
· Microchip your dog – microchipping is now required by law. This ensures that your dog can easily be identified and returned to you if they get lost or stolen.
· Social media settings – consider making your social media accounts private as thieves can easily identify targets through these channels.
· Stay alert – beware of strangers and do not let your dog off the lead unless you are sure that they will return.
· Security – make sure your garden is secure and that any gates are locked or have an alarm. Do not leave your dog outside alone for any length of time.
· Insure your dog – and consider policies that include ‘missing pet cover’
Brian Balston, The Farmer’s Dog commented: “The Farmer’s Dog are excited to launch our “missing” campaign with DogLost, a voluntary organisation which does incredible work in returning dogs to their owners.
“We have a nationwide customer base of dedicated dog owners; we are excited to be working with DogLost and we hope that our collaboration helps dogs returned to their rightful owners.”
Justine Quirk of DogLost said: “With dog ownership in the UK at an all-time high, unfortunately so is dog theft. Last year we had 465 reported thefts and to date in 2021 we have had 254 reported stolen.
“We are delighted that The Farmer’s Dog came to us with their “missing” campaign concept which, with the benefit of social media, can only help us in our mission to reunite stolen dogs with their owners.”
