Interested in writing about art? Discuss the visual art at Hidden Door, share ideas on writing and have your review published on our website.
We’re running a free writing workshop where you’ll learn about the practice of reviewing artworks. Explore the site as a group then create your own piece of writing which will be featured on our website.The event is open to anyone with a keen interest in contemporary visual art and critical writing, and are looking to develop their writing skills in a supportive and discursive environment.
With Child Safety Week coming up, NICEIC – the UK’s leading body for certified electrical contractors – is reminding parents about the importance of having appropriate measures in place to ensure electrical safety in the home for the whole family.
Child Safety Week takes place from Monday 6 to Sunday 12 June 2022, with this year’s theme designed to make sure busy families have the ‘safety in mind’ that really matters, especially when under pressure.
‘Safety in mind’ places a focus on the array of dangers that youngsters face both inside and outside of the home, covering areas such as choking hazards, swallowing button batteries, fire safety and walking near busy roads.
In support, NICEIC says that there will be a proportion of the nation’s families who are unaware of the dangers that can exist around the home; whilst for others, they may be aware but too busy to keep up with simple maintenance and vital periodic checks.
Paul Collins, Head of Technical Services at NICEIC, comments: “We can all fall victim to having endless to-do lists, especially when it comes to the upkeep of one’s home. But when it comes to home safety, there are simple checks and measures which we would encourage parents to move up to the very top of their “must do” list in order to safeguard their children in and around the home.
“In terms of using electrical equipment safely in the home, it’s about taking sensible precautions; for example, keeping electrical cords out of reach, keeping appliances off when not in use and never leaving a child unattended when using a device still connected to the mains. Obviously, water and electrics don’t mix; so all drinks should be kept away from anything electrical and children must be dried thoroughly before being exposed to any light switches or nearby devices.”
With the digital age coming into its own and children seeking entertainment via tablets, phones and consoles, NICEIC urges parents not to overlook the potential risks around using these types of electrical devices. All of these need to be plugged into an electrical socket at some point or another and it’s important to always ensure that the socket or an adapter is not overloaded, as this can increase the risk of a fire in the home.
Paul continues: “Parents must not forget the hazards outside of the home too. The garden poses particular electrical safety risks thanks to the added potential for water and electricity to mix – especially with children dipping in and out of paddling pools.
“When using electrical equipment outside, it’s important to make sure all electrical appliances are using a residual current device (RCD). An RCD is a safety device that automatically turns off electricity if a fault has been discovered. This will help protect children and all family members against the dangers of electrocution and fire which can be caused by earth faults.
“Another important tip that may be surprising to parents is to not rely on plug socket covers. Regular sockets, that comply with British safety standards, have a built in protection mechanism already and socket covers will not prevent electric shock if the installation is not safe.”
Crucially, NICEIC recommends that any electrical work in the home should be conducted by a qualified, certified professional, such as those listed with the NICEIC, as even the seemingly simplest of jobs can be incredibly dangerous if not installed properly.
If parents are unsure about any areas of electrical safety inside or outside of the home, a wealth of information is available from Electrical Safety First, the UK’s leading charity on electrical safety.
Parents can also contact their local NICEIC certified electrical contractor for help and advice. Local NICEIC certified contractors can be searched for by visiting NICEIC.com.
Child Safety Week 2022 – safety in mind
The Children’s Burns Trust is once again partnering with the Child Accident Prevention Trust for Child Safety Week 2022.
Child Safety Week is an annual community education campaign run by the Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT), acting as a catalyst for thousands of safety conversations and activities UK-wide. CAPT’s aim is to help families build confidence and skills in managing risks to children’s safety, and for all children to have the freedom to grow and learn, safe from serious harm.
This year’s Child Safety Week runs from Monday 6th June to Sunday 12th June 2022 and the theme is ‘safety in mind’.
The Children’s Burns Trust, whose work is focused on three core areas – prevention being one – understand first-hand how raising awareness of the dangers everyday items can pose to children really does help reduce the number of burns and scalds that occur each year.
This year, as part of Child Safety Week 2022, Children’s Burns Trust and CAPT are joining forces on a dedicated day during the week-long event to focus on raising awareness of the risks that lead to children being burned – specifically those relating to hot drink spills.
Instagram Live Event
On Thursday 9th June, the charity will be enhancing the Child Safety Week programme with an Instagram Live event on the subject of burn prevention and first aid.
The free online event, which begins at 1pm on Instagram Live, is aimed at parents, carers, grandparents, childcare professionals, teachers, health and social care professionals, and anyone with an interest in child safety.
Expert speakers, including specialists from NHS Burns Services, will share with the Instagram Live audience how they can prevent an injury from happening and the right First Aid to administer if an accident does occur.
To join the Instagram Live on Thursday 9th June at 1pm simply follow @ChildrensBurnsTrust and @CAPT_Charity on Instagram for updates and to watch on the day.
Rev Moira McDonald will formally join her Majesty’s Household as a Chaplain-in-Ordinary today (6th of June).
The minister of Corstorphine Old Parish Church in Edinburgh said she was “shocked” and “surprised” to be appointed to the prestigious role which dates back to the 15th century.
It is today largely a ceremonial honour with members of the Chapel Royal taking part in formal state occasions and conducting services at significant national events.
Ms McDonald said she was caught unaware when Rev Professor David Fergusson, Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland, asked her to consider taking on the role.
“When he phoned me and began talking to me about his role as Dean of the Chapel Royal and the duties of chaplains to the Royal Household, I assumed he was phoning to put a few names before me and to ask if I could recommend one or another,” she explained.
“So, when he then asked me if I would allow my name to go forward, I was shocked and surprised to say the least.
“My thought was that if someone had felt confident enough in me to put my name forward then I should say yes.”
Ms McDonald grew up in Renfrew in the west of Scotland and was called to ministry when she was 22, first serving in East Lothian before taking up her current role in Edinburgh.
“The things of life where I thought I would be out of my depth have been the happiest and most fulfilling times I could have asked for,” she said.
“So here is another call – or a nudge – to do something that feels daunting.
“But that the few people whose counsel I’ve sought have all said ‘go for it’ says to me that I should stop worrying about being out of my comfort zone, and enjoy the adventure.”
There are 10 chaplains to the Queen in Scotland and each normally holds office until the age of 70.
The chaplains, along with a physician, a surgeon, an apothecary, a sculptor, an astronomer, an historiographer and some others form part of Her Majesty’s household.
The Queen is also served by her two domestic Royal Chaplains, the ministers of Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh and Crathie Kirk near Balmoral Castle.
All chaplains are all personally chosen by the Queen and are people in whom she has placed her trust.
Professor Fergusson said: “I’m very pleased indeed to receive the announcement of the Queen’s appointment of Rev Moira McDonald to the Chapel Royal.
“As a parish minister in west Edinburgh for many years, she has served her congregation and presbytery with distinction.
“Moira will have much to contribute to the work of the Chapel Royal with her proven skills as a pastor and communicator, and I look forward to working with her.
“I am sure that her congregation at Corstorphine Old will be equally delighted by this news.”
Ms McDonald studied English Literature at the University of Dundee then worked at the University of London for two years as an ecumenical assistant chaplain.
She met her husband Ian there and they conducted a long-distance romance for three years while she studied divinity at New College in Edinburgh before getting married in 1995.
The minister did her probation at Cramond Kirk in Edinburgh under the supervision of Very Rev Dr Russell Barr, who later asked her to become one of his chaplains during his year as Moderator of the General Assembly in 2016-17.
Ms McDonald said: “Ian and I moved to the East Lothian mining village of Wallyford on the same day Tony and Cherie Blair moved into 10 Downing Street and I was ordained and inducted into St Clement’s and St Ninian’s Parish Church.
“Our son Ben was born in 2001 and in 2005 we moved to Corstorphine Old Parish in Edinburgh, the city where our daughter Sophie was born in 2009.
“The Old Parish has a mixed and busy life, involving two primary schools and one secondary school, it is a place with lots of history and a strong community and it is a pleasure to serve the people here.
“The Old Parish church itself, founded in 1429, is a special place to gather and share and worship and support one another as we muddle through life and celebrate God in our midst.”
When not being kept busy with parish ministry Ms McDonald enjoys gardening and learning to play the piano, and as her daughter is about to take Spanish at school she has also started learning the language thanks to Duolingo.
She confesses that so far she is only able to say ‘Juan eats apples’!
The minister added: “As a family we enjoy travel and walking, going to the cinema and theatre and when I start fussing around people, my family simply gives me a good book and I’ll be quiet for hours.”
UK military veterans, along with friends and family members, were joined by staff of the charity Scottish Veterans Residences (SVR) and other guests to celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee over the weekend thanks to a generous grant from the National Lottery Community Fund.
Held at the SVR-run Whitefoord House in Edinburgh, veterans and guests enjoyed live music and a barbeque which featured the official Jubilee pudding prepared by one of the charity’s chefs, Nigel Richards-Clark. The event was the first major community gathering at the residence since the Covid pandemic.
Joining the celebrations were members of the Association of Wrens and Royal Naval Association Edinburgh Branches, which also sponsored a Queen’s Jubilee tree-planting ceremony held in the residence’s garden last month.
The event at Whitefoord coincided with other Jubilee celebrations at SVR’s residences in Dundee and Glasgow, supported by a £9,900 grant from the National Lottery Community Fund.
TODAY IS D-DAY
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II.
A special mention then to my dear old friend, Normandy veteran TONY DELAHOY.
Road Policing officers are appealing for information following a fatal road crash on the A1 near to Macmerry, East Lothian. The incident happened shortly after midnight on Sunday, 5 June, 2022, and involved a taxi and a pedestrian.
Emergency services attended and the 28-year-old pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. His family have been informed. The driver of the car was not injured.
Sergeant Barry Sommerville said: “Our thoughts are very much with the man who died.
“Our enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances and I am appealing for anyone who may have seen anything that could assist us to get in touch.
“I would also appeal to anyone who was in the area around the time and who has a dashcam to check their footage.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101 quoting incident 0026 of 5 June, 2022.
Leading Scottish social enterprise, Scran Academy, has embarked on The Big Scran Care Tour, a six-month tour of more than 100 social care sites across Edinburgh to deliver a token of ‘foodwill’ to as many as 4500 health and social care workers across the city, in celebration of their hard work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
The youth charity based in North Edinburgh is delighted to be teaming up with Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership and Edinburgh City Council’s Thrive Edinburgh for The Big Scran Care Tour.
The essential funding has enabled Scran’s young people and staff to prepare and deliver either Scran Munchy Boxes, a Scran Lunch Table, or hot meals from the Scran Van to workers at 73 GP surgeries and 30 social care sites across the city, with more sites being scheduled.
Working with Scran Academy’s innovative business model, the Big Scran Care Tour is being co-designed and enabled with a team of inspiring young people at its heart. All the young people engaged have faced poverty-related barriers or life challenges such as care-experienced, risk of homelessness, poor mental health, disengaged from mainstream school or unemployment.
Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership Staff Wellbeing Group decided to use some of the funding allocated by The Scottish Government to engage Scran Academy to provide celebratory treat meals and snack boxes delivered on-site to GP practices, health centres, community hospitals and community care services to say a huge thank you to staff for their commitment, dedication and hard work during the pandemic.
Dr Linda Irvine Fitzpatrick, the staff wellbeing lead for the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “Thrive Edinburgh has a long-standing partnership with Scran Academy. They have an exceptional model that is a win win for all involved, and by partnering with them, all we’ve done is extend it to a win win win!
“It’s fantastic to be able to use our staff wellbeing fund in a way that delivers benefits to all, and we’re already receiving fantastic feedback and thanks from all colleagues who have been visited by the Scran team so far.”
This pioneering programme of events will see young people empowered with the skills and confidence to lead in the hospitality industry, fostering huge social return as well as promoting staff wellbeing.
Will Bain, Scran Academy Catering Manager, said: “The Big Scran Care Tour is such an exciting programme for the young people we work with. They get involved in everything, helping us to plan, cook, deliver and evaluate the whole thing, so each event on the tour is something they really get behind.
“It’s such a big confidence and skills boost – and when they meet the healthcare staff and get great feedback, they know they’ve achieved something meaningful.”
Faye (15), a Scran Academy attendee, said: “I like working on the van and it makes me feel happy that I am doing it to say a big thank you to all the hardworking doctors and nurses”
Kacey (15), a Scran Academy attendee, added: “I think it’s really good that we get to talk to all the healthcare staff when we serve them. I think we do a really good job.”
UK Ivory Act enforces a ‘near total’ ban on elephant ivory sales
UK’s Ivory Act comes into force to ensure protection for world’s elephants
The near total ban on elephant ivory sales is one of the toughest of its kind
Key manifesto commitment as part of a wider UK drive on international conservation
A near total ban on the import, export and dealing of items containing elephant ivory comes into force today (6th June), putting the UK at the forefront of global conservation efforts.
Elephants are commonly targeted for their ivory tusks and the demand for ivory is known to contribute to poaching, driving a decline in elephant populations. The ban will ensure vital protection for the world’s elephants by putting a stop to the UK trade in ivory.
The ban covers ivory items of all ages, not only those produced after a certain date, allowing only a narrowly defined set of exemptions. As a result, it will now be illegal to deal in ivory items unless they have been registered or have an exemption certificate.
The number of elephants free in the wild has declined by almost a third, with the savanna elephant population plummeting by around 30 percent – equal to 144,000 elephants – across 15 African countries between 2007 and 2014. It’s estimated around 20,000 are also still being slaughtered annually because of the global demand for ivory.
The UK’s world-leading Ivory Act is one of the toughest bans on elephant ivory sales in the world, with some of the strongest enforcement measures. Those found guilty of breaching the ban will face tough new penalties including an unlimited fine or up to five years in jail.
Animal Welfare Minister Lord Goldsmith said: “The world-leading Ivory Act coming into force represents a landmark moment in securing the survival of elephants across the globe for future generations.
“Thousands of elephants are unnecessarily and cruelly targeted for their ivory every year for financial gain. As one of the toughest bans of its kind, we are sending a clear message the commercial trade of elephant ivory is totally unacceptable.
“The UK has long led the way in conservation and our ban shows continued global leadership in doing all we can to protect the world’s most endangered species.”
Dr Mark Jones, Head of Policy at Born Free: “Born Free has long campaigned for an end to all trade in ivory, so we are pleased to finally welcome the UK’s Ivory Act.
“Its implementation must now be sufficiently robust to ensure only items that genuinely meet the exemption criteria can be traded in future, and that any transgressions are dealt with promptly and severely”.
International Fund for Animal Welfare UK director James Sawyer said: “Today is a good day for elephants. With as many as 20,000 elephants a year poached for ivory, this ban could not have come a moment too soon. IFAW believes ivory should only be valued on a live elephant and the overwhelming public support for banning the trade shows the majority of people feel the same.
“Legal ivory markets have long provided a smokescreen for illegal trade, putting endangered elephants in further jeopardy. Ivory trading in the UK has now rightly been consigned to the history books and everyone who has played a part in this important conservation victory should be proud.”
The ban coming into force will now close domestic ivory markets, representing a step forward in leading global efforts to protect the elephants after delays due unsuccessful legal challenges.
The UK Government is pushing for a global species abundance target to be agreed at this year’s Conference on Biological Diversity and has contributed £3.98 million through the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund to projects around the world that protect elephants from poaching and illegal trade to benefit wildlife, local communities, the economy and protect global security.
The Government launched the digital ivory service earlier this year allowing those who own ivory to register or apply for an exemption certificate. People will only need to register or certify items for the purposes of dealing in exempt items containing ivory. Those who own but are not planning to sell their ivory items do not need to register or certify them.
The Government is also considering extending the Ivory Act to other ivory-bearing species and will publish the response to the consultation later this year.
WITH some parts ofthe country in full-on celebration mode for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, spare a thought for the people who are going to be clearing up after all those street parties.
One British waste and recycling company has been crunching the numbers, and expects the country to get through enough beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks for the empties to stretch right around the planet.
And according to waste collection company Divert.co.uk, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, with enormous amounts of rubbish and food waste being generated over the long Bank Holiday weekend.
“This is one of the most extraordinary events in this country’s recent history,” says Divert.co.uk spokesperson Mark Hall, “and it’s right that we forget our troubles for a few days to party hard for the Queen’s jubilee.
“But that means Britain’s rubbish collectors are going to be working as hard as ever to keep the streets clean for the Queen – so try to make our jobs easier if you can!”
Jubilee recycling – by numbers
If the last two major royal events (the marriages of William and Kate, and Harry and Meghan) and the Euro 2020 football finals are anything to go by, then Brits are set to consume record amounts of booze and party food.
During just one football match during last year’s Euro finals (England’s 4-0 win over Ukraine), it’s estimated that 23,000,000 pints of beer were drunk in British homes alone.
To put that in perspective, those 23m pints in tins and bottles laid end-to-end would have reached from London to the North Pole.
And that’s before we factor in the wine drinkers. Retailers estimated some 4,000,000 bottles of bubbly alone were sunk during Harry and Meghan’s wedding, so it’s safe to say that the grand total for all wines would be in the ballpark of 10 million.
Laid end-to-end, those empties would reach from London to Istanbul.
And those estimates were based on events which lasted for single days. With the Jubilee holiday set to last for four days (and subtracting a small proportion for Sunday’s expected rain), Divert.co.uk expects those levels of waste to be easily beaten.
Then there’s the soft drinks for the millions of kids and non-drinkers who will also be celebrating.
That being the case, we fully expect that Britain’s empties will stretch 40,000 kilometres (24,000 miles), which is the circumference of the world.
“All we ask is that you recycle all your empties sensibly. We want this party to be as green as possible”, says Divert.co.uk’s Mark Hall.
Dealing with the Jubilee rubbish mountain
The Jubilee celebration isn’t all about drinking ourselves silly – there’ll also be street parties and picnics and home barbecues marking the Queen’s amazing 70 year reign.
That means there’ll be no end of food waste, food wrappers, and mile upon mile of plastic jubilee flag bunting.
Food wastage is likely to surpass that seen over the average Christmas week, Divert.co.uk’s Mark Hall fears. That’s over seven million tonnes of food.
“There’s only so much coronation chicken and roast swan you can eat”, he says, “So buy sensibly, and make sure you recycle your waste food sensibly.”
As for more festive waste: One company specialising in party supplies says that they were in danger of running out of Union Flag bunting, plastic table cloths, hats, fancy dress outfits, and other favours.
While – unsurprisingly – there’s not a great deal of official data on the sales of flag bunting and other ephemera, Divert.co.uk expects that the amount of bunting going into bins next week could easily rival the 40,000 kilometres of empty bottles and cans.
“And the trouble with that it that much of it is single use plastic,” says Mark Hall. “And that means dumping millions of Union Flags in landfill. Hardly the patriotic image that we want to see.”
Why not, then, keep hold of your used bunting and flags for the next big British celebration to come along, Divert.co.uk suggests.
“There’s the World Cup coming up later this year, and you never know … !” says Mark.
