Our small grants are proving to be very popular and applications have been rolling in. We only have a limited number of grants to give.
If your organisation would like help to improve people’s health and wellbeing by addressing smoking, you can apply at:
National Museums Scotland’s exhibition Audubon’s Birds of America opens this month, please see details of the exhibition and related events below, followed by all other National Museums Scotland listings to 12 March 2022.
OPENING SOON Audubon’s Birds of America
12 Feb – 8 May 2022
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Member Preview Day, 11 Feb
Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3
Ticketed, £0-£10
This new exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland will examine the artistry and legacy of one of the world’s rarest, most coveted and biggest books.
Published as a series between 1827 and 1838, Birds of America by John James Audubon (1785-1851) was a landmark work which achieved international renown due to the epic scale of the project and the book’s spectacular, life-sized ornithological illustrations.
Audubon’s Birds of America (12 February – 8 May 2022) will showcase 46 unbound prints from National Museums Scotland’s collection, most of which have never been on display before, as well as a rare bound volume of the book, on loan from the Mitchell Library. This exhibition is a unique opportunity to see so much of Audubon’s work in one place.
Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Book now nms.ac.uk/BirdsofAmerica
NEW February Half Term
14 Feb – 17 Feb 2022
10:00 – 12:00 & 14:00 – 16:00
Grand Gallery, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Free, drop-in
Swoop into the National Museum of Scotland for some feathery February half term fun or download a hands-on activity to try at home.
Join our Learning Enabler team at their drop-in Learning Trolleys to find out the basics of birdwatching – what to take, where to look and what to look for. Or have a go at a bird chatter challenge and see if you can match the bird to its call.
Next, imagine the Grand Gallery is a garden and look up to spy six beautiful birds perched around the balcony. Can you identify all six and complete the answers on our bird watching challenge sheet?
You can also fold your own paper origami dove with the team from Burns & Beyond. These doves will later be flown alongside 2,500 others in artist Michael Pendry’s creation, to debut at St Giles’ Cathedral in March 2022.
Event supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery
Visit nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events
Spotlight On: Audubon’s Birds of America
8 Mar 2022
14:00-15:00
Auditorium, Level 1, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Free, advance booking required.
Suitable for those aged 12 and over.
Join exhibition Curator Mark Glancy and Paper Conservator Lisa Cumming as they discuss how our upcoming exhibition Audubon’s Birds of America took flight.
Discover how Birds of America, one of the world’s rarest and most coveted books, was made, and learn about the ongoing conservation work to preserve these life-size, hand-coloured prints for future generations.
Book now nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events
NEW Mindful viewing of Audubon’s Birds of America
6 March 2022
17:30-19:00
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
£15, £13 Members and Concessions
A rare chance to explore our special exhibition after hours, hosted by museum mindfulness teacher Laura Baxter. Taking time to savour pleasant experiences, such as looking at art, can increase our mental wellbeing.
This session will invite visitors to first freely browse the exhibition, then as a group focus on a single work of art within the exhibition, discovering how to enjoy the artwork and experience how to engage with it mindfully, moment by moment. Through guided mindfulness practices, participants will discover how to slow down, connect with the artwork and each other.
Part of the National Museum of Scotland’s Wellbeing Weekend.
Book Now nms.ac.uk/WellbeingWeekend
NEW The Joy of Birds
31 Mar 2022
19:30-20:30
Online
Free, with optional donation
Join David Lindo and Paul Walton for an online discussion celebrating the joy that birds bring us, the urgent threats they face, and the science and conservation work protecting them.
David Lindo, also known as The Urban Birder, is a wildlife broadcaster, nature writer and urban wildlife educationalist. He is Vice-President of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Honorary President of the Colombia Bird Fair, and was voted 7th most influential person in Wildlife by BBC Wildlife Magazine.
Paul Walton is Head of Habitats and Species for RSPB Scotland.
Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Book Now nms.ac.uk/JoyofBirds
Exhibitions & Displays
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Open 10:00–17:00 daily
Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life
1 Jul – 13 Nov 2022
Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3
Ticketed
Explore the history of anatomical study, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci to the Burke and Hare murders.
This exhibition will look at the social and medical history surrounding the practice of dissection. It will trace the relationship between anatomy, its teaching and cultural context and the bodies that were dissected. Looking at Edinburgh’s role as an international centre for medical study, the exhibition will offer insight into the links between science and crime in the early 19th century.
Sponsored by Baillie Gifford Actual Investors.
Visit nms.ac.uk/Anatomy
The Typewriter Revolution
Until 17 Apr 2022
10:00–16:30
Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3
Free entry
The typewriter’s social and technological influence is revealed in this new exhibition and looks at its role in society, arts, and popular culture. It traces the effect and evolution of typewriters across more than 100 years, from weighty early machines to modern style icons.
The impact of the typewriter has been much wider than simply speeding up the way we write. It helped revolutionise the world of work and change the lives of working women in particular. Typewriters helped them launch their own businesses at a time when female employers were rare and became a vital weapon in the fight for the vote.
Visit nms.ac.uk/Typewriters
Inspiring Walter Scott
Until 8 Jan 2023
Exhibition Gallery 4, Level 1
Free entry
On the 250th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott’s birth, experience his novels through objects that inspired him. In this small exhibition we show how Scott drew upon real historical objects for inspiration, placing objects alongside Scott’s words, and the stories in which they feature. While you view these fascinating objects, you can listen to an actor reading extracts from these tales.
In association with Walter Scott 250: Celebrating 250 Years of Scotland’s Greatest Storyteller.
Visit nms.ac.uk/walterscottexhibition
Scotland’s Climate Challenge
Until 27 Mar 2022
Exhibition Gallery 3, Level 1
Free entry
This small exhibition highlights the exciting work being carried out in Scotland to fight against climate change.
It brings together just some of the technological responses that have been developed in Scotland or that are being used here in the effort to cut carbon dioxide emissions. On show are a range of leading-edge equipment, much of it newly collected, alongside samples of natural material.
Supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Visit nms.ac.uk/ClimateChallenge
National Museum of Flight
East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF
Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 – 16:00
LAST CHANCE TO SEE LEGO® Concorde Model
Until 6 February 2022
Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 – 16:00
Free with pre-booked museum entry
Master builder Warren Elsmore and his team have created a LEGO® Big Build of the National Museum of Flight’s Concorde.
Six metres long and made of over 60,000 bricks, you can see the model on display alongside the real thing. The model is made purely from standard 2×4 LEGO bricks and took five days to build as part of our Brick Wonders exhibition in Spring 2021.
Visit nms.ac.uk/exhibitions-events
Events
National Museum of Scotland
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
Open 10:00–17:00 daily
Discovering Decorative Arts at the National Museum of Scotland
20 Jan – 24 Mar 2022
11:00 – 13:00
Dunfermline Room
£175 for 10 sessions (concessions available)
Join this short course from National Museums Scotland and the University of Edinburgh, a great way to explore our collections and their wider history with experts.
This course will introduce the magnificent decorative arts collections within the National Museum of Scotland. We will explore the historical developments of decorative arts and how they have influenced the modern methods and techniques used to create many of the beautiful objects on display in the National Museum of Scotland.
This course will be led by Karen A Clulow BA MA FSA Scot. The University of Edinburgh Short Courses are presented by the Centre for Open Learning.
Book now nms.ac.uk/DecorativeArts
NEW Wellbeing Weekend: Yoga, sketching and mindfulness
4 Mar – 6 Mar 2022
A weekend of resetting, relaxing and reflection within the inspiring architecture and galleries of the National Museum of Scotland.
As we emerge from the darkest months of the year, join us for a series of events to reset your body and uplift your mind. From relaxing yoga to mindful sketching, make the most of our unique spaces and inspiring galleries to improve and enhance your wellbeing.
The times, dates, prices and booking info for individual events across the weekend are below.
Yin Yang Flow Yoga
Friday 4 March
18:00-19:15
£15, £13 Members and Concessions
Morning Ashtanga Yoga
Saturday 5 March
08:15-09:15
£15, £13 Members and Concessions
Mindful Sunday Sketch
Sunday 6 March,
13:00-14:30 and 15:00-16:30
£10, £8 Members and Concessions
Wellbeing Trail
4-6 March
Free
See the museum in a new light using our Wellbeing Audio Trail, or pick up a paper copy in the Grand Gallery.
Book Now nms.ac.uk/WellbeingWeekend
Follow us on Twitter…twitter.com/NtlMuseumsScot
Follow us on Facebook…facebook.com/NationalMuseumsScotland
Follow us on Instagram…instagram.com/nationalmuseumsscotland/
For booking, opening times and location details, contact National Museums Scotland on 0300 123 6789
The number of people finding it hard to keep up with bills and credit commitments has doubled since the start of the pandemic according to new research from StepChange Debt Charity.
The charity has found the proportion of people struggling is now nearly one in three (30%) GB adults – 15 million people – compared to 15% (7.5m people) who say they were struggling in March 2020.
The findings are part of a new report – Falling behind to keep up: the credit safety net and problem debt – which reveals the pandemic has further entrenched the use of consumer credit to make ends meet.
The report finds 8.6 million people in financial difficulty in Britain borrowed £26 billion to cover their basic needs in the last year. This includes 3.5 million people who have used credit to pay essential bills.
The number of people resorting to credit is expected to increase as the cost-of-living crisis pushes up the price of basic household essentials.
StepChange’s research reveals a credit market that does not always work for people in financial difficulty, with two-thirds (65%) of those in difficulty having kept up with credit repayments by missing bills, borrowing from family and friends or being forced to cut back to the point of hardship.
Despite rules designed to ensure those in financial difficulty access support, fewer than one in four of those struggling with credit repayments are in contact with their bank or credit firm.
Strikingly, half of GB adults (53%) say that they would be reluctant to seek help with financial difficulty from a bank or credit firm due to concerns about credit reporting and the anxiety and stigma of talking about financial difficulty.
The report finds that rather than access help, people struggling with debt can instead experience steps that make their situation worse. Among Stepchange clients who responded to an online survey, 26% were offered further credit after they were in financial difficulty, 35% had a payment taken they could not afford and 51% had interest added to a debt.
The lack of effective early intervention to identify and provide those in financial difficulty with a safe, fair way out of unaffordable debt is causing social harms, with 6.4 million struggling GB adults saying credit has had a negative impact on their health, relationships or ability to work in the last 12 months.
The research, based on a national survey of GB adults and an online survey of StepChange clients, highlights poor practice in the credit market such as ineffective affordability checks and automatic credit limit increases that draw financially vulnerable households into unmanageable debt.
With the cost-of-living crisis now further squeezing budgets StepChange is warning that many more people are likely to use credit to pay for essentials in the coming months. Urgent action is needed to support households to meet essential costs without resorting to credit.
The Financial Conduct Authority recently announced proposals to implement a new Consumer Duty that will require firms to focus on delivering good outcomes for consumers. StepChange is calling for the FCA to ensure the Duty changes practices that are failing consumers, including:
StepChange is also calling on the Government and the FCA to do more to provide alternatives to borrowing for households that are struggling to meet unexpected expenses, through grants via the social security system and a government-supported no interest loan scheme.
StepChange Chief Executive Phil Andrew said: “The sharp rise in the number of people struggling to meet their financial commitments should raise alarm bells across Government, banks and regulators.
“We are two years into a financially damaging pandemic and going through the sharpest cost of living increase in a generation. While consumer credit can potentially play some part in helping people navigate short-term pinch points, this must not be at the cost of their long-term financial and personal wellbeing.
“For our clients, a cost-of-living crisis is not new – for years we have been seeing a steady rise in the number of households who experience debt simply through a prolonged period of not having enough income to meet their basic needs.
“However, the number of such households looks set to grow, and in the absence of public policy intervention the risk is that such households will have no other option but to turn to borrowing in the short term, which will only exacerbate and prolong their financial difficulties.
“Those responsible for the steering us through these choppy financial waters need to be attuned to the harm many credit products, made available to people on the cusp of financial difficulty, can cause.
“The new Consumer Duty is a crucial opportunity for firms to redesign products and change practices to ensure credit does not exploit financial difficulty and those in difficulty get effective help fast.
“To resist acting is to risk a rapidly escalating debt crisis, particularly among lower income households.”
On Monday (7th February), work starts on a major new cycling and walking route linking the east and west of the city (including other improvements to the area) – from Roseburn to Leith via Haymarket and West End.
The project is divided into three sections:
Section 1 – Roseburn to Haymarket
Section 2 – Haymarket to Randolph Place
Section 3 – St Andrew Square to Picardy Place
Find out more about the traffic management arrangements and works planned.
All project and roadworks information is on the city council’s website:
More than 15 million COVID-19 PCR tests have now been carried out in Scotland since testing began, nearly two years ago.
The tests, which include those carried out by NHS Scotland at the three NHS regional hubs set up around Scotland and the network of Health Board diagnostic labs, have now reached 15,092,074.
They also include the four-nations network of Lighthouse laboratories, partner laboratories and testing sites.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Reaching fifteen million tests is a major milestone and recognition of the hard work and dedication of our testing teams across the country.
“Testing has a vital role to play as restrictions are phased out and we learn to with the virus.
“It may be tempting to think as vaccinations increase and cases drop, that testing will become less important. In fact, this will only make it more important to spot and prevent new outbreaks as cases emerge. We know from our experience just how quickly one outbreak can lead to another.
“The recent changes to testing requirements and self-isolation guidance are helping to maximise testing capacity and ensure a speedier start to the process of contact tracing.
“It is crucial that individuals report their LFD test results online to enable us to understand the prevalence of COVID-19 and allows contacts of those with positive results, to rapidly receive the correct advice to prevent onward spread.
“The ability to quickly identify new outbreaks and put appropriate measures in place will remain at the heart of our strategy to help break chains of transmission.”
Three regional hubs were established last year by National Services Scotland (NSS) in Glasgow (west) at Gartnavel hospital, Foresterhill in Aberdeen (North) and Lauriston Place in Edinburgh (East) to increase capacity.
These facilities complement the testing capacity provided by the UK Government lighthouse lab network in Scotland.
They say the way to a someone’s heart is through their stomach and this Valentine’s Day, Aldi Scotland has teamed up with an up-and-coming Scottish Agony Aunt to help its shoppers discover what their purchases say about their love life.
The supermarket is encouraging shoppers to share a copy of their receipt or a list of their latest purchases via Aldi Scotland’s social channels for the chance to receive love and dating tips from Dear Ashleigh, based on what is in their shopping basket.
Dear Ashleigh, a beautician from Glasgow, has been a trusted listening ear for her clients for over 10 years, but during lockdown decided to use this experience to offer love and life advice to her online followers looking for guidance on their relationships.
Creating the perfect hybrid of Cilla Black’s ‘What’s your name, where’d you come from’, and Gillian McKeith’s ‘You are what you eat’, Aldi and Ashleigh will be playing cupid in the run up to Valentine’s Day to find what shopper’s eating and drinking habits suggest about their romantic side and to offer tips on what to look for when searching for their soul mate.
Ashleigh, online Agony Aunt, commented: “In my experience, people tell you the most about themselves subconsciously, and more often than not, it’s the small things that they themselves haven’t noticed which reveals the most.
“I’m looking forward to helping Aldi shoppers find out a bit more about themselves and where they should be looking for love.”
Graham Nicolson, Group Buying Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “We have such a varied range of products from local suppliers in our Scottish stores that often the combination of items picked up can say a lot about shopper’s likes and dislikes.
“So, to mark this Valentine’s Day we thought it would be fun to work with Ashleigh to get her opinion on what a shopping list reveals about our shopper’s love lives and offer some sage advice for our single shoppers looking for love.”
Shoppers can add romance to any menu this Valentine’s Day with Aldi Scotland’s Valentine’s Specialbuy range available from 10th February, including Love Heart Lorne sausage (£1.09, 150g), Loch Fyne Oysters (£3.99, 360g) and Loch Fyne Scottish Live Mussels (£2.99, 1kg). Customers can also pick up some award-winning gins including Eidyn Premium Scottish Gin (£19.99, 70cl).
Ashleigh will be sharing her analysis of Aldi Scotland receipts on social media on Valentine’s Day – share your latest purchases with Aldi Scotland via Facebook or Instagram for a chance of personalised dating tips from Ashleigh.
Approximately 6.9 million people over the age of 18 are smokers. Smoking harms almost all organs in the body, including your heart and blood vessels, increasing your risk of having a heart attack.
Quitting smoking can be extremely difficult, but it is an important step in reducing your risk of heart disease. We provide some tips to help you stop smoking:.
Decide when to stop and make a plan
The sooner you decide to quit smoking, the better. Choose a date within the next two weeks. If you leave it too long, you will give yourself time to change your mind.
Identify triggers that make you want to smoke and work out how you will overcome them in advance. For example, if you usually smoke during your break at work, plan to go for a walk instead.
Notify friends and family of your intention to stop smoking and ask for their support.
Manage your cravings
Cigarette cravings are intense urges to smoke and they can last for 5 minutes.
Quitting smoking requires a huge amount of willpower. When you get a craving, try to distract yourself for 5-10 minutes until it passes. You could try planning a healthy dinner or plan a route for a cycle ride or a walk.
Once the craving has passed, you can give yourself a pat on the back.
Get support
Getting support to stop smoking can increase your chances of success. You could try contacting your local Stop Smoking Services or chatting to your GP.
You could also seek advice from a friend or family member who has successfully stopped smoking, or from someone who is also trying to quit.
Perhaps consider using a stop smoking aid, such as nicotine patches, gums, lozenges or nasal sprays to help stop the cravings.
As well as reducing your risk of developing serious diseases, such as cancer and heart disease, quitting smoking can also help to improve your mental wellbeing.
Why not reduce your risk by choosing a date to quit smoking today?
For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for our weekly healthy tips at:
www.heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-tips
To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some of our Healthy Heart recipes from our website:
https://heartresearch.org.uk/heart-research-uk-recipes-2/
Or have a look through our Healthy Heart cookbook filled with recipes from top chefs, celebrities and food bloggers:
LifeCare’s monthly History Talk is about ‘Stockbridge through the archives of Historic Environment Scotland’ @HistEnvScot by Jackie Sangster.
On Tues 22nd Feb at 15:00 – 16:15 on Zoom.
If you would like to attend please contact us at alekspacula@lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk for the code.
Johnnie Walker Princes Street, the eight-floor visitor attraction in the heart of Scotland’s capital city, has today unveiled its plans for the Guinness Six Nations Championship.
Kicking off this weekend, 4 February, rugby fans can treat themselves to special match day breakfasts in the stunning rooftop 1820 Bar, be in with a chance of winning the ultimate match day experience just by visiting the ground floor retail store, snap a selfie with the Guinness Six Nations Trophy, take part in exclusive tastings and more.
Johnnie Walker is the official whisky of the Guinness Six Nations, here’s how Johnnie Walker Princes Street is celebrating:
Guinness Six Nations Breakfast Menu (available 5-6 and 26-27 February from 9.30am-12pm in the 1820 Bar)
Sausage, bacon, potato scone, black pudding, haggis, mushrooms and fried egg
Vegetarian sausage, vegetarian haggis, potato scone, spinach, mushrooms and fried egg
To book a table visit: https://bit.ly/3uq0vct
Guinness Six Nations Prize Draw (4-23 February in the ground floor retail store)
To enter, simply speak to the team in the Johnnie Walker Princes Street retail store who will guide guests through the process of entering this exclusive prize draw. Winners will be announced on 23 February on the Johnnie Walker Princes Street Instagram.
Prizes include:
Full terms and conditions can be found at: https://bit.ly/3uuadKX
Find Your Flavour Tastings (4-23 February)
Guinness Six Nations Trophy Display (22-24 February)
The Guinness Six Nations Championship Trophy will be proudly displayed at Johnnie Walker Princes Street for three days, situated in the ground floor retail space. Fans are invited to come in, snap a selfie with the trophy, and share using #JWPrincesStreet.
Journey of Flavour tours:
Johnnie Walker Princes Street’s flagship experience, the Journey of Flavour tour, continues to wow whisky lovers and novices alike. The perfect follow up to breakfast in the stunning 1820 Bar, guests are taken on a 90 minute exploration of Johnnie Walker’s search for flavour, discovering their own perfect way to enjoy whisky during this one of a kind personalised tour.
To book the Journey of Flavour visit: https://bit.ly/3L8ZOdD
A call for views into the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Bill has been launched by several Scottish Parliament Committees.
The wide-ranging Scottish Government Bill, seeks to make permanent some of the temporary, emergency legislation introduced during the pandemic, and to extend others, which are due to expire by March 2022.
The Bill covers a number of policy areas including alcohol licensing, bankruptcy, justice, education (closing establishments and continuity of education), freedom of information, and vaccinations and immunisations.
Some key proposals outlined in the Bill include:
• maintaining provisions in the UK Coronavirus Act that enable Scottish Ministers to enact measures via public health regulations for any future public health threats, in line with powers that are already in place in England and Wales;
• maintaining provisions that grant Scottish Ministers power to restrict access to educational establishments on public health grounds;
• maintaining pre-eviction protocols relating to rent arrears in the private rented sector, placing more responsibility on landlords to ensure correct procedures are followed and that tenants are fully informed of their rights;
• allowing extended time-limits for criminal proceedings to temporarily remain in place to help the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service manage the backlog of cases arising from COVID-19; and allowing cases to continue to be heard through digital and physical means.
Four Parliament Committees will analyse the Bill. The COVID-19 Recovery Committee is the lead Committee scrutinising the Bill; while the Criminal Justice Committee will consider the justice policy measures; the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee will consider the tenancy and eviction policy measures; and the Education, Children and Young People Committee will look into education related provisions.
Speaking as the inquiry was launched, Siobhian Brown MSP (above), Convener of the COVID-19 Recovery Committee, said: “This pandemic has impacted almost every aspect of our lives, from restrictions on how we live, to mass vaccinations and significant changes in how public services are delivered.
“The threat of COVID-19 meant a great number of temporary, emergency legislatives measure were introduced at speed, but with these measures due to expire in March 2022, the time is now to decide which of these in the Bill should be put in place permanently.
“We recognise the size and scope of this Bill mean a diverse range of people and organisations may wish to comment on it. That’s why respondents will have the option to complete a short survey, where they can give their views on a specific aspect of the Bill, or a longer form, more detailed option is also available.”
“The Scottish Government’s stated aim for the Bill is to support Scotland’s recovery from the pandemic but we want to make sure it does not go too far, and that any changes which are made permanent act to benefit the people of Scotland and ease pressure on the public services we all rely on.”
The Convener continued: “Given the wide-ranging nature of this proposed legislation, the Parliament was keen to ensure it was given an appropriate level of scrutiny.
“That’s why we are bringing several Committees together, who will work collaboratively and use their specific areas of expertise in order to assess the impact of this Bill as effectively as possible.”
Members of the public who wish to respond to our consultation can do so here: https://yourviews.parliament.scot/covid19/recovery-bill-survey
Stakeholder organisations can give us their views here: https://yourviews.parliament.scot/covid19/recovery-bill-detailed
The call for views closes on 25 February 2022.
