The Chancellor is expected to announce a new, £150 million fund to help thousands of small and medium sized enterprises in Scotland in tomorrow’s budget – building on the Government’s commitment to level up opportunities across the UK.
The fund will be delivered through the British Business Bank, working closely with local partners, and will help Scottish SMEs to invest and grow. It will build on the success of existing funds in other parts of the UK, which have been shown to support the creation of high-paying high productivity jobs and the upskilling of existing workforces.
Similar existing funds in England and Northern Ireland typically provide loans or invest in local companies – this can be recent start-ups looking to borrow smaller amounts to kickstart activity or established SMEs looking for larger investments to grow their business. Details on how businesses in Scotland can access the fund will be outlined in due course.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “This fund will help thousands of small businesses in Scotland to make ideas a reality and grow their companies . I’m always impressed by the innovation and determination of SMEs and the UK government will continue to support businesses across the UK.”
Since the start of the pandemic the UK Government has spent £352 billion right across the UK on support measures. In Scotland this included protecting more than 900,000 jobs through the furlough scheme, £294 million in self-employment support, help for businesses and the procurement of vaccines.
In addition to the £150 million for Scotland, Wales will benefit from £130 million for a new fund and the British Business Bank will receive an additional £70 million to build on existing programmes in Northern Ireland.
The STV Children’s Appeal 2021 will air on STV at 8:30pm on Friday 29 October
Lorraine hosts from performing arts charity CentreStage’s new Kilmarnock HQ
The Appeal – which is celebrating its 10th birthday – supports the 1 in 4 children affected by poverty in Scotland
The STV Children’s Appeal has announced that its annual TV fundraising event will return for 2021 on Friday (29 October), with long-term host Lorraine Kelly back at the helm as the charity appeal celebrates its tenth birthday.
Viewers can expect The STV Children’s Appeal 2021 to look a little different from previous shows as, for the first time, it will be hosted at Kilmarnock-based performing arts academy CentreStage – a charity with a close, enduring relationship with the Appeal.
CentreStage’s recent move to new headquarters on the site of the former Kilmarnock Academy “wouldn’t have happened” without the support of the STV Children’s Appeal, according to the charity’s founder, Fiona McKenzie.
Friday’s show will see Lorraine meeting some of the many people who benefit from CentreStage’s activities and discovering why it has proven a lifeline for the local community. The show will also feature a rousing live performance from the 60-strong CentreStage Choir, made up of local people from all backgrounds, circumstances and abilities.
Elsewhere, The STV Children’s Appeal 2021 will put the spotlight on some of the community heroes up and down the country who have raised thousands for the Appeal in its tenth year – with one young musical duo set to receive a huge surprise from Simon Cowell in response to their impressive fundraising work.
BBC Radio 1’s Jordan North will take part in a special edition of Celebrity Catchphrase, while First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also chats to Lorraine about the importance of the Appeal and why she continues to be “delighted to support it”.
STV is also set to air a one-off documentary tonight Tuesday 26 October focused on how the Covid pandemic has impacted youth mental health across Scotland.
Where’s Your Head At? – presented by Andrea Brymer – will share the stories of young people who have been particularly affected by the mental health crisis. Earlier this year, the STV Children’s Appeal distributed £152,000 to charities supporting the mental wellbeing of Scotland’s young people.
Lorraine Kelly said:“This year’s STV Children’s Appeal show is going to be extra special, as we’re broadcasting direct from one of the amazing charities that the Appeal has supported over the last 10 years.
“Being in the heart of a community that really benefits from the unwavering generosity of the Scottish people year after year makes the show even more authentic, and reminds us all why the work of the Appeal to tackle child poverty continues to be so important 10 years on.”
Paul Mathieson, CentreStage CEO, said:“It’s a pleasure to welcome the STV Children’s Appeal to CentreStage and to host this year’s show. Our long-standing relationship with the Appeal has allowed us to provide significant support and opportunities to so many children and families across our local communities.
“On behalf of the full team at CentreStage, I would like to say a massive thank you to everyone involved.”
The STV Children’s Appeal 2021 airs on STV at 8:30pm on Friday 29 October. Viewers can donate £10 to the STV Children’s Appeal by texting TEN to 70607 (standard network rates apply).
Humza Yousaf: “This winter is likely to be the most challenging in the history of the NHS”
The Scottish Government is investing an additional £10 million to help patients avoid a hospital stay wherever possible – and to prevent delayed discharge for inpatients.
This is part of a range of actions included in the £300 million winter package of funding to health and social care services, and outlined in the health and social care winter plan, to take the pressure off hospitals and frontline staff.
Two new programmes – Interface Care and Discharge without Delay – will support NHS Boards to explore alternatives to hospital inpatient care where appropriate, and improve the discharge process for those who do need to be admitted to hospital.
Interface Care, backed by an additional £6 million this financial year, will deliver safe, high-quality care as an alternative to hospital admission, or will support early hospital discharge. The programme will be implemented by early winter.
Discharge without Delay, supported with a further £4 million, will improve pathways through hospital settings, reducing inpatient length of stay and building bed capacity. Working with patients, families and/or carers, it will ensure patients are treated in their home where appropriate.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “This winter is likely to be the most challenging in the history of the NHS, and it’s important we take urgent action to ensure our hospitals and emergency frontline staff are not overwhelmed. That’s why these actions to improve the discharge process, and redirect patients who don’t need to be in hospital, are so important.
“I am confident that through our collective investment in people, capacity and systems to deliver the right care in the right setting, we can improve outcomes for those of us who need to use our health and social care services.”
The Scottish Government has invested more than £80 million this year to support the reduction in waiting times for people having elective procedures, which has been impacted by the pandemic. To minimise delays for those patients waiting on urgent hospital treatment within four weeks, including cancer patients, extra capacity is being provided through private hospitals over the winter period.
Discharge without Delay launches this month, with four early adopter sites to test the approach, with the aim of rolling the programme out nationally across all sites over the next 10 weeks.
The Interface Care Programme launched this month in two pathfinder sites – NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Tayside. Roll out across all boards is planned over the winter.
Elderly residents transformed their care home into a Bavarian Steinhaus for an Oktoberfest celebration to remember – with the help from a local brewery.
Edinburgh-based brewer Pilot provided Cramond Residence with a selection of beers to sample during the Oktoberfest celebration which helped create a truly authentic experience.
The home marked the celebration across three days with a variety of German-related activities, including an Oktoberfest party, beer tasting, a lesson on the history of the festival and themed arts and crafts.
Residents made decorations which were used to transform the cinema room ahead of the party and many even got involved in the set up to make sure everything looked authentic.
Christian Daraio, Client Liaison Manager at Cramond Residence, said: “Thanks to Pilot, we were able to organise a truly unique experience for our residents that many wouldn’t have the opportunity to do otherwise.
“The celebration went down really well last year with both staff and residents keen to do it again. This year we wanted to do it bigger and better before so it was great to have Pilot on board.
“As we approach the winter months it’s nice to do something a bit different and bring everyone in the home together.
“I’m not sure if we will be able to beat this year’s event when it comes around again but at least we’ve made it one to remember!”
Pilot supplied the home with a variety of samples including Leith Lager, Mochaccino Stout and two more of its locally brewed beverages.
Director/Co-Founder at Pilot, Matt Johnson, said: “It’s great to hear the sample experience went down well with residents.
“We selected a diverse range of beer styles to provide participants with a mix of different flavour profiles; some of which may have been new to them, but we hope that others might have sparked some nostalgia too.”
The Oktoberfest festivities were part of the wider programme of activities on offer at Cramond Residences to keep residents stimulated and enjoying their later years. Other activities include trips for afternoon tea, story sessions with other residents and tailored physiotherapy sessions.
With capacity to house 74 residents, in nine small living concepts, the home provides luxury accommodation alongside care unmatched in quality. It offers a number of amenities including gardens, a beauty salon and cinema room.
People aged 60 to 69 and adults aged 16 and over with underlying health conditions have begun to receive invitations for their flu and COVID-19 booster vaccinations through the post.
Appointments for this group will take place at a local community clinic and will run from late October and throughout November.
Currently, as per JCVI advice, we are vaccinating people in the highest risk groups for both flu and COVID-19 including those who are aged 70 years and over, people in older adult care homes, those who are on the Highest Risk List and frontline health and social care workers.
In addition we are delivering flu vaccinations to children under 2 years old who have underlying health conditions, preschool children aged 2-5, all school pupils, pregnant women and all NHS healthcare workers.
The winter flu and COVID-19 vaccination programme is working together to reduce the risks for both types of illness. Wherever possible, those eligible for the booster jab will receive both the flu vaccine and COVID-19 boosters on the same day. This is safe and effective to do.
More than 1.5 million COVID-19 and flu vaccinations have been administered since September 6.
For those in the underlying health conditions group, the type of health condition will guide whether they will be given a flu jab, the COVID-19 booster, or both vaccines.
Details on who is eligible for these vaccinations and when they can expect an invitation are available on NHS Inform.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “For those eligible for the COVID-19 boosters, appointments can only take place six months (24 weeks) after your second dose. As such, it may take several weeks before you receive your invitation letter. We remain on track with Scotland’s booster programme prioritising those at the highest risk for both COVID-19 and flu.
“We started this as soon as possible following the JCVI advice – that the booster dose should be offered no earlier than six months after completion of the primary vaccine course. It is important to note that many people in the original early priority cohorts of the initial vaccination programme had already had a 6 month gap prior to this JCVI advice.
“In addition to delivering the COVID-19 vaccine boosters, this year we are offering a record number of free flu vaccines to help protect the people of Scotland. It is the biggest ever flu vaccination programme in Scotland reaching over 4 million people.
“Appointments for both vaccines are being scheduled based on clinical need and age and it will take until the middle of January for everyone to be offered their vaccines. Boosters will be offered to many of the groups who routinely have the flu vaccine to protect people from both illnesses. To support this, we are ensuring those most vulnerable are vaccinated first.
“But I would like to stress: everyone who is eligible will be offered a vaccination. If you haven’t received your appointment letter yet, please be patient. You do not have to do anything now – you will be contacted, notifying you of your appointment.
“The flu virus changes every year, so you need to get the vaccine every year to stay protected. The vaccine cannot give you flu, but it can help stop you catching it, or suffering severe symptoms. The COVID-19 vaccine does not offer any protection from flu, you need to get the separate flu vaccine.
“Flu can be extremely serious and is very infectious. With COVID-19 still circulating in the community we can best protect those most at risk as well as ease pressure on our National Health Service and social care services by encouraging everyone eligible to get vaccinated against flu.”
Scottish Labour said: “This is more proof that the SNP are failing to protect the most vulnerable this winter: They’ve shifted goalposts for booster jabs.
“Many will now have to wait at least another month for a third jag. Cases are spiralling and we need faster action from the Government.”
To find out more about vaccine eligibility and when you will be invited visit:
nhsinform.scot/fluandcovid19vaccsguide
For more information about the flu vaccine, visit:
nhsinform.scot/fluvaccine
For more information about the COVID-19 booster visit:
Police are appealing for information after a serious road crash in Edinburgh on Sunday (24 October).
Around 4.15pm on Sunday afternoon, a road crash took place on Seafield Road involving a Nissan Juke and a Volvo V40.
Emergency services attended and the 85 year-old female driver of the Volvo, her 87-year-old male passenger, and the 32-year-old male driver of the Nissan were all taken by Ambulance to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Hospital staff describe the condition of the 87-year-old man as critical, the condition of the 85-year-old woman as serious but stable, and the 32-year-old man as serious but stable.
Sergeant Iain McIntyre of the Divisional Road Policing Unit at Dalkeith is appealing for any witnesses to the crash, or anyone with dash-cam footage to contact 101 quoting reference number 2518 of 24 October.
The UK’s lowest-paid workers will receive a pay rise next year as the National Living Wage increases from £8.91 to £9.50 an hour – an extra £1000 a year for a full-time worker.
From 1 April, young people and apprentices will also see their wages boosted as the National Minimum Wage for people aged 21-22 goes up to £9.18 an hour and Apprentice Rate increases to £4.81 an hour.
This builds on the government’s continued action to support people with the cost of living including through the £500 million Household Support Fund, Energy Price Cap, Seasonal Cold Weather Payments and Warm Homes Discount, and keeps the government on track to meet its target to end low pay by 2024-25.
MILLIONS of the UK’s lowest paid workers will benefit from a pay rise next year, as the UK government takes further action to help the country’s poorest households.
The Chancellor is expected to confirm at Wednesday’s Budget and Spending Review that the National Living Wage will increase from £8.91 to £9.50 an hour – a 59p an hour boost which means a full-time worker on the National Living Wage will see a pay rise of more than £1,000 a year.
The National Living Wage was introduced in 2016 and sets the minimum hourly pay a person over the age of 23 can earn when working.
Rishi Sunak is also set to announce a wage rise for young people under the age of 23. For those aged 21-22 the National Minimum Wage rate increases to £9.18 an hour, up from £8.36 – a 82p increase.
With apprenticeships a key part of our Plan for Jobs, the minimum hourly wage for an apprentice will also see a boost next year, with an 18 year old apprentice in an industry like construction seeing their minimum hourly pay increase by nearly 12%, going from £4.30 to £4.81 an hour.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:“This is a government that is on the side of working people. This wage boost ensures we’re making work pay and keeps us on track to meet our target to end low pay by the end of this Parliament.”
By introducing these changes, which are broadly consistent with previous increases, the government accepts all recommendations made by the Low Pay Commission – an independent advisory board which brings together economists, employer and employee representatives.
“The government remains committed to meeting its ambitious target of a National Living Wage of two-thirds of median earnings and expanding it to include workers over the age of 21 by 2024, provided economic conditions allow.
Since 2010, this government has continuously supported working people on the lowest wages – doubling personal tax thresholds, doubling free childcare for eligible working parents – worth up to £5,000 per child per year. It has also expanded Free School Meals to all five to seven-year-olds – saving families £400 a year.
This builds on recent action to support the lowest earners in the winter months, through measures like the £500 million Household Support Fund to help families with their food and utility costs, the Energy Price Cap, Seasonal Cold Weather Payments, and the Warm Homes Discount to ensure low-income households can keep their homes warm over the winter period.
As we enter the next stage of the Plan for Jobs, an extra £500m will also be invested to give people the skills and support they need to find good work as we build back better from the pandemic.
National Cholesterol Month: The benefits of a healthy diet
October is National Cholesterol Month. Cholesterol is a fatty substance which is needed in the cells of your body. Too much cholesterol in your blood can lead to a build-up in your arteries and this increases your risk of having a heart attack.
We provide simple dietary tips to help you keep your cholesterol levels in check.
Eat foods that are high in fibre
A diet that is high in fibre will reduce your risk of heart disease and help to keep your cholesterol healthy. Eat a minimum of five portions of fruit and veg each day and choose wholegrain versions of bread, pasta and rice.
Oats for breakfast
Oats contain a type of soluble fibre known as beta-glucan, which can lower your cholesterol. As the weather gets cooler, you could start your day with a bowl of porridge with healthy toppings such as mixed berries, chopped apple or banana and a sprinkling of toasted chopped nuts, seeds or cinnamon.
Eat healthier fats
Saturated fats can contribute to high cholesterol and these fats tend to come from animal sources (e.g. fatty meats, cheeses, cream and butter). Coconut oil is also high in saturated fats. Swapping saturated fats for unsaturated fats, such as oily fish (e.g. salmon and mackerel), extra virgin olive oil, rapeseed oil and avocados, can help to increase your levels of good cholesterol.
To help keep your heart healthy, why not try out some heart healthy recipes from our website:
