Happy School Holidays to all the pupils and teachers!
Whether you’re plotting your stops for the North Coast 500 or working out a driving route for an island hopping adventure, make sure you’re planning a safe staycation.
Roads may be busier than usual with more road users who are unfamiliar with the area:
Plan extra time for your journey Pay attention to speed limits & other road users Follow local COVID-19 restrictions
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http://ow.ly/Tcg450FihHK
A new coin to commemorate the life of His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, has been unveiled by the Chancellor today.
The special edition £5 coin features an original portrait of The Duke to celebrate his remarkable life. The coin’s design was approved by The Duke before his death in April this year and is being launched on Armed Forces Day 2021.
The Royal Mint will also make a £50,000 donation to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award to support its important community work in the UK and internationally.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “This coin is a fitting tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh, who moved and inspired so many people around the world with his decades of service both to the nation and Her Majesty The Queen.
“I’m proud to unveil the coin on Armed Forces Day, considering his distinguished naval career and unwavering dedication to our Monarch and to his Royal duties, and it is only right that he and the Queen are depicted together on both sides of it.”
Anne Jessopp, Chief Executive of The Royal Mint, said: “Since the passing of The Duke of Edinburgh in April, many have commented that he led a life well lived. He was the longest serving consort in British history, and patron or president to over 750 organisations – including The Royal Mint Advisory Committee.
“The Royal Mint has marked significant Royal events for centuries and is honoured to unveil an original new coin which celebrates the life and legacy of a remarkable man. It feels fitting that this coin – which was personally approved by the Prince – will also support the work of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards. The Awards have benefited millions of young people since they were formed in 1956, and are perhaps Prince Philip’s greatest legacy.”
Ruth Marvel, CEO of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards said: “This wonderful tribute will help us build on The Duke of Edinburgh’s legacy so more young people can start their DofE Award journey and develop the skills, resilience and self-belief they will need to successfully navigate the challenges of adult life.”
The coin will be available from the Royal Mint website today, as well as post offices around the United Kingdom and special stockists across the Commonwealth and worldwide.
The design was personally approved by The Duke of Edinburgh in 2008 and drawn by the acclaimed artist Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS.
The Duke of Edinburgh was the longest serving consort in British history, and for decades provided steadfast support to Her Majesty The Queen and The Royal Family.
Consultation on the details of a licensing scheme for short term lets will take place over seven weeks this summer.
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison has announced the publication of a draft licensing order for consultation, ahead of laying the final legislation at the Scottish Parliament in September.
Stakeholders will now have until 13 August to comment on the licensing order and the draft business and regulatory impact assessment.
Draft guidance documents have also been published to explain how the legislation would work in practice.
Ms Robison said: “Regulation of short term lets is vital if we are to balance the needs and concerns of our communities with wider economic and tourism interests.
“Short-term lets can offer people a flexible and cheaper travel option and have contributed positively to our tourism industry and local economies across the country.
“However, we know that in certain areas, particularly tourist hot spots, high numbers of short-term lets can cause problems for neighbours and make it harder for people to find homes to live in.
“By allowing local authorities appropriate regulatory powers through a licensing scheme, we can ensure that short term lets are safe and address issues faced by local residents and communities.
“It will allow local authorities to understand more fully what is happening in their areas and assist with the effective handling of complaints.”
Under the proposed legislation, local authorities will have until 1 October 2022 to establish a licensing scheme, with all short-term lets to be licensed by 1 April 2024. Existing hosts and operators must apply for a licence by 1 April 2023.
The Scottish Government previously withdrew the Licensing Order from the Scottish Parliament in February. This was to allow for draft guidance to be developed with input from the stakeholder working group.
Ms Robison added: “We want to get this legislation absolutely right. A stakeholder working group was established earlier this year to develop guidance on the licensing scheme that was clear, comprehensive and easy to understand.
“As part of this, the Scottish Government also set out to allay any unfounded concerns and actively explore solutions to any real issues, with a view to making any necessary adjustments to the Licensing Order.
“Stakeholder working group members have helpfully made a range of suggestions for adjustments to the Licensing Order, as well as providing very significant contributions to drafting the guidance.”
The consultation runs until Friday 13 August 2021.
The consultation paper on draft licensing legislation for short-term lets in Scotland and supporting documents can be found here: gov.scot/publications/short-term-lets/.
A RESTORED Edinburgh landmark has landed its latest happy buyers, a couple who have snapped up a two-bedroom, ground floor apartment.
First time buyers Mark Love and Leon Macmillan had been renting for five years in Quartermile before they set out to find a home in their favourite area of Edinburgh, Bruntsfield.
After hearing about the transformation of the former Boroughmuir High School from a colleague, the couple found their dream home in a south-facing apartment with a main door access from the landscaped courtyard.
Mark, a product development director, said: “I’m originally from Glasgow and Leon grew up in Leith, and in 2015 we agreed we’d rent for a little while and wait for something to come on the market that we both liked.
“Nothing had really come up that we loved but as soon as we saw Boroughmuir, there was no doubt in our minds that we’d go for it. We spend a lot of time in Bruntsfield at the weekends, but we never really passed the old Boroughmuir High School so we didn’t know it was being converted into apartments.
“We had originally wanted a one-bedroom apartment but through discussion and seeing the homes in the flesh, we realised this is going to be our home for some time so we decided to go for a two-bedroom apartment.
“We had this affinity with Bruntsfield and had always said we didn’t want a fixer-upper, we’d prefer newbuilds or newly renovated homes so this ticked a huge box for us. It’s this amazing grand building in the heart of Bruntsfield – a pristine new home with a historic building around it, it’s really the best of both worlds.”
Mark and Leon chose a ground floor apartment with four large windows looking out from the front of the building, with a second bedroom that many residents have converted into home offices, overlooking the resident’s courtyard.
The couple has praised the team at CALA for their consistent communication while buying a home during a pandemic.
Mark added: “They say buying a home is one of the most stressful things you can do but to be honest it was amazingly stress-free. We can’t fault CALA at all, they were great from the outset.
“I think that’s probably what made it a lot easier, the constant communication from the Sales Consultants, they kept in touch about deadlines and guided us through the process. There was never a need to chase them, we were kept fully informed throughout.”
Nestled in the heart of Bruntsfield, Boroughmuir is a collection of one, two and three bedroom apartments. Most of the homes have elevated ceiling heights, with some up to seven metres, innovative mezzanine levels and carefully retained original features. .
Boroughmuir is regarded as one of the Scottish capital’s most prized school buildings, constructed pre-WWI between 1911 and 1914. The Grade B-listed building is the innovative creation of renowned architect John Alexander Carfrae and was notably one of the first in Edinburgh to utilise a steel frame for architecture.
The development’s location in Bruntsfield means it is surrounded by plenty of bars, restaurants, and independent shops, and only a short distance from Haymarket and the greenery of The Meadows.
Each of the apartments comes with lift access, allocated parking with access to electric vehicle charging points, access to a private residents’ courtyard and a ten year NHBC warranty.
For further information on Boroughmuir, or to book an appointment for a tour of the show apartment, please visit:
https://www.cala.co.uk/homes-for-sale/east-of-scotland/boroughmuir/
Greg McAllister, an employee at leading industrial software provider Asset Guardian Solutions Limited (AGSL), recently embarked on a 1,000 mile cycle from John o’Groats to Land’s End, helping the company raise over £3,000 for its corporate charity partner, SAMH (the Scottish Association for Mental Health).
Greg, an enthusiastic cyclist, decided to combine his passion with the company’s annual fundraising campaign to support SAMH and raise awareness of Scotland’s mental health and wellbeing challenge.
Greg explained: “Mental health is something that has always been there and during the last two lockdowns I have noticed how important it is to talk about it and not to shy away from it.
“With AGSL partnering with SAMH, I felt that it was a good time to set myself a goal. I have wanted to try some sort of endurance challenge for a while and during lockdown I was able to increase my running and cycling to a level that I felt I would be able to complete a multi-day challenge.
“Each day was tough, with poor weather conditions and minor injuries and so I took it slow and steady, but the fundraising campaign helped me keep focused. Luckily arriving at Lands’s End was nice and sunny to finish off! I’d like to thank Asset Guardian for the support they gave me before and during the cycle.”
Greg, who is a reigning world champion bagpiper, was backed by sponsors AGSL, McCallum Bagpipes, MG Reeds and The Rollin Drones, who helped support Greg in raising awareness of the charity and its national mental health programme.
Iain Rennie, Operations Director at AGSL said: “Everyone at AGSL is very proud of Greg and his dedication in completing this challenge. His achievement in cycling the full length of the country should not be underestimated, especially doing it solo without other riders to take some of the load.
“And of course the fundraising effort for our partner SAMH, where Greg’s contribution should help us break through our target for this year.”
Fiona Lewis, Corporate Partnerships Manager at SAMH, said: “All of us at SAMH are delighted to be Asset Guardian’s charity partner. It’s fantastic that the staff have decided to make mental health their cause.
“Greg’s achievement is incredible and we cannot thank him enough for showing SAMH and the mental health cause such tremendous support and dedication. The funds raised by Greg, and by colleagues throughout our partnership, will fund crucial mental health support for people across Scotland – a huge thank you from everyone at SAMH.”
SAMH and Scotland’s Mental Health Challenge
SAMH is Scotland’s mental health charity and provides local mental health support and accessible information. SAMH listens to what matters in each local community, and campaign nationally for the changes that make the big and little differences in life. Now more than ever, SAMH need to make change happen.
SAMH are standing up for Scotland’s mental health. It costs just £20 to run one support session with SAMH, where the charity can spend time with someone to help them in their recovery from mental ill health.
SAMH is committed to supporting Scotland’s mental health, especially during this difficult time. and have created a dedicated online information hub, providing for advice and information on protecting your mental health during these developments.
Visit www.samh.org.uk/coronavirus.
For more information on SAMH, please visit www.samh.org.uk.
Asset Guardian Solutions Limited specialises in protecting and securing industrial process software and is an official corporate partner for SAMH.
All year round, employees strive to raise awareness of mental health by supporting the charity through fundraising campaigns. With positive mental health being part of the company’s corporate culture, it hopes to raise awareness of mental health challenges together with SAMH.
For more information on AGSL, please visit www.assetguardian.com.
The 33rd Edinburgh Science Festival – the world’s first science festival and still Europe’s biggest – kicks off its hybrid 2021 edition tomorrow with a theme of One World: Science Connects Us and Cirrus Logic as its Headline Sponsor.
Featuring over 220 in-person exhibitions & installations and a wide range of walks, tours and trails (mainly outdoors), it is a perfect opportunity for people to safely get some live science this summer.
Its ambitious digital programme of talks, workshops and downloadable resources for people of all ages means that this year’s Festival truly connects sci-curious people around the globe. And with over 80% of its overall programme free it has something for everyone, from fun family activities to though-provoking discussions.
Exploring science of all sorts – from the depths of the oceans via Pale Blue Dot at the National Museum of Scotland which celebrates Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 2021 to the vastness of space and everything in between – the Festival’s fantastic live interactive events in and around Edinburgh turn the city into a science playground and kick-start a wider summer of science offerings from many of Festival’s partners.
Programming for the Planet as Scotland prepares for COP26 and celebrating women in STEM are two key focuses of the 2021 Festival.
The Festival champions and leads the way to gender balance in science events with 60% of the participants in this year’s Festival women.
The ambitious online programme is packed with inspiring speakers such as young climate activist Maya-Rose Craig, environmentalist and explorer Sacha Dench and sustainable food author Annie Bell, among many others.
Artists Shona Hardie and Kelly Wilson bring us a Women in STEM Street Art Trail and the team at Bright Side Studios deliver Elemental a new multimedia experience on the theory of the elements.
And in a year that couldn’t pass without some focus on the pandemic, the 2021 Edinburgh Medal is awarded to Prof. Heidi Larson for her work on vaccine confidence.
To explore the full Festival offer – just bursting with ideas – visit: www.sciencefestival.co.uk.
Festival Director Amanda Tyndall said: “At heart we are deliverers of inspirational live experiences, and we are delighted that – while it won’t look quite the same as in a normal year – we are back in the live game, with a focus on getting out and about, connecting safely with science this summer and having some much-needed fun.”
Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “This year’s Science Festival offers online and in person experiences that will connect audiences to an excellent line-up of speakers and events highlighting the urgency of taking action to combat the climate crisis. I urge everyone to get involved.”
Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s Director of Events said: “Now that the industry is taking its tentative steps back towards live events, EventScotland is delighted to be supporting Edinburgh Science Festival as it kicks off this weekend, complementing their digital programme with fantastic in-person elements that are sure to educate and entertain budding scientists and casual spectators alike.”
A funding programme to promote the sale of local produce in convenience stores across Scotland is underway.
The Go Local initiative, funded by the Scottish Government, will see at least 21 grants paid to convenience store operators, allowing increased sales of fresh, healthy, locally sourced products to customers.
The overall fund of £190,000 will be used to develop retail space in shops and the appointment of a dedicated specialist with extensive retail and sourcing experience to maximise consumer choice and available display space.
The Go Local programme, administered by the Scottish Grocers Federation (SGF), is now in its second year after an evaluation of the pilot phase showed the success of the initiative had far exceeded expectations.
Industry leadership organisation, Scotland Food &Drink will assist the project with local sourcing support.
A study found stores participating in the Go Local initiative each added an average of 30 square meters of added space, allowing a 34% increase in the number of local products stocked.
Outlets who took part in the project also saw a 40% increase in sales of local produce, while it is estimated additional local economic benefits were in excess of £157,000 per store.
Rural Affairs Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon said: “This funding comes at an important time and will help food and drink producers be part of our sustainable recovery and overcome the challenges presented by Brexit and the pandemic.
“We know that consumers are increasingly interested in where their food comes from and are looking for high welfare and production standards.
“A diverse and successful convenience store sector is ideally placed to give customers the greater choice of locally-produced, healthy produce they are looking for, while at the same time helping to achieve our net zero targets by reducing food miles.
“These grants and the specialist expertise on offer underlines our commitment to supporting this important sector and I would not only urge store operators to apply for funding, but for customers to continue supporting their local shops.”
SGF chief executive Dr Pete Cheema OBE said: “We are delighted the Scottish Government has continued its investment in the Go Local project, enabling convenience retailers to increase their range of local products.
“The sector has punched above its weight during these difficult times and the fact is it local shops who have made the difference.
“The results we have seen already have been impressive with a clear local multiplier effect, which benefits retailers and Scottish manufacturers, while demonstrating that convenience stores can also play a crucial role in the recovery and regrowth of Scotland’s food and drink industry.”
Hibernian FC have underlined their continuing commitment to developing players by agreeing a strategic partnership with fellow city club Civil Service Strollers.
The Lowland League side, who play their home games at Christie Gillies Park in North Edinburgh, have huge ambitions to develop both at youth and senior level, and discussions between Hibs and Strollers have led to a mutually beneficial link being forged.
This follows Hibs’ similar partnerships with English Premier League side Brighton, Scottish League Two outfit Stenhousemuir, and USL Championship team Charleston Battery over in the United States.
Hibernian Sporting Director Graeme Mathie explained: “This strategic partnership is another key step in our Player Pathway model.
“We have utilised the loan system as part of our player development strategy for some time now and are convinced that early exposure to men’s football is key to the transition of young players from the Academy into the professional game.
“Civil Service Strollers have been an excellent partner for us for a number of seasons now and we are delighted to formalise the relationship at this time.”
Talented younger players like Jayden Fairley, Jack Brydon and Callum Yeats – who made a move to Queen’s Park this week – have all progressed from playing with Civil Service Strollers into the football league with Stenhousemuir, and the hope is that more Hibernian players can be offered similar opportunities in the near future.
Graeme added that Strollers head coach Gary Jardine will be a huge asset to the partnership moving forward: “He has taken a number of Hibernian young players on loan both from his time coaching Edinburgh City, and over the last number of years with Civil Service Strollers.
“Gary has shown a willingness and desire to play young players and all Hibernian players he has worked with over the years have been far better equipped for the demands of professional football having spent time working with him.
“We have spent a considerable amount of time and effort developing our strategic partnerships over the last 12 months and it would be great to see a young player’s journey progress from Civil Service to Stenhousemuir, to Charleston Battery, to the Hibernian First Team to Brighton in the EPL in coming years.”
Keith Stewart, Civil Service Strollers club secretary, said: “Civil Service Strollers are delighted to have the opportunity to work alongside Hibernian and to have a part in a players progress to better themselves.
“We have always embraced the need for improvement and this partnership is a win-win for the clubs, young players and the future of our game.
“We would like to thank our manager Gary Jardine, Hibernian’s Graeme Mathie and the development team for their hard work setting this up and giving us the chance to work with such talented players.”
Civil Service Strollers continue their pre-season preparations with a home friendly against Dunfermline Athletic on Saturday.
An additional grant is now available for taxi and private hire vehicle owners/operators.
This is in addition to the two £1,500 grants (over £12m Scottish Government funding) and further payments of £1,000 (just over £4.4m of the Council’s Edinburgh Discretionary Business Support Fund) the council has allocated to each taxi and private hire driver since the start of the pandemic last March.
Vehicle owners and operators can apply for a grant of up to £10,000 each, dependent on the number of vehicles their companies operate.
Cllr Catherine Fullerton, Convenor of Regulatory Committee, said: “We’re delighted the Scottish Government has responded so positively to our requests for further support for the taxi and private hire industry.
“We know all businesses have had such difficult time over the last 16 months and it was great to see drivers initially receive a £1,500 grant in April from the Scottish Government totalling over £6m.
“We were delighted to be able to make additional payments of £1,000 each from our Discretionary Business Support Fund, totalling just over £4.4m. We also welcomed the extension of the Scottish Government funding allowing us to pay out a further £1,500 again to all drivers last week.
“I would encourage vehicle owners and operators to apply for this welcome further funding via our website.“
Open this weekend – vaccine clinics for anyone over 40 – 1st doses, 2nd for those at least 8 weeks since first AZ vaccine at Pennywell All Care, Conan Doyle Practice, Sighthill Practice – just turn up you do not need to be registered with a GP.
