A group of wild swimmers decided to use their chilly hobby to support charity – by holding a coffee morning in the sea!
The group of Edinburgh sea dippers took to the waters at Portobello beach at sunrise and enjoyed some coffee and cakes while getting their daily cold water therapy.
The swimmers hope others will join them by taking part in this years World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on September 24. Although going into the sea is of course optional!
Cold water enthusiast, Lynsey Taylor Pittman said: “I lost both my mum and dad to cancer so I know how important supporting those going through something similar is.
“It was incredibly hard losing my mum when I was only 23 and my Dad just at the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Being in lockdown meant I couldn’t see anyone and that was really difficult. I was still allowed my daily exercise so that’s when I took to the sea.
“The benefits both on my physical and mental health are huge for me. Getting into the cold water shocks your system and then it begins releasing all the happy hormones. When you come out you get this euphoria and just like exercise it gets addictive. I have been doing it for 2 years now and I love that we can do it as a group again.
“Getting into the sea with others gives you a real connection and amplifies the feelings. It makes it even more special. The connection with nature and friends is exactly what we all need right now. So, get your coffee and cake and give it a go!”
Macmillan relies almost entirely on donations from the public to fund its services, and since the pandemic hit, has seen its fundraising income drop.
The charity is hoping that after 18-months of cancelled fundraising events, people across Aberdeen will sign up for its World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on September 24.
To find out more about the financial impact of cancer, or to find support please visit www.macmillan.org.uk.
The prototype construction phase is over, which means the ESTEEM house is on the way to Dubai!
The NAGOYA EXPRESS is currently carrying our 5 containers. It left London for Dubai on Sunday (12 September).
Alex MacLaren, faculty leader, said: “This sort of experience is transformative. The excitement of playing an instrumental part in a project of this size whilst studying for a degree will stay with these students forever; and inform their ambition and confidence in their future careers.
I have been delighted by the support afforded us by the university and am excited to develop other experiences like this in future years: as a learning experience, but also as an urgent mandate to transform the ‘norm’ in our construction practices. So, who knows – next stop, Solar Decathlon Europe in 2023?”
Sustainability is essential to the future comfort of people on this planet. We’re glad to have been able to work with our partners, university and course leaders to develop, innovate, and now can share that on a global stage.
We have been working on the project for over 2 and a half and with the competition starting in less than a month. We are getting the team ready and trained to showcase the innovative ideas and technologies our ESTEEM house has.
Jessica Haskett, Construction Manager, said: “This prototype experience has been the culmination of over 2 years of collaborative design work. The interdisciplinary working has allowed me to share thoughts and challenges with students that study a variety of subjects and, together, engineer some of the best solutions.
“Being hands-on with construction work is a professional opportunity – I have placed some knowledge given through academia into practicality, in a way that my courses hadn’t done previously.
“Team ESTEEM has connected me with many industry professionals and offered an opportunity that I was not able to get due to my academic placement cancellation. Managing the team on site every day is a challenge but with the support of the student team, we have ensured that nothing is insurmountable, and we continue to celebrate our pride in the project every day”
There were many challenges on the way, but we managed to accomplish the prototype and shipping stage of our project with collaboration and teamwork.
Alex explained further: “Shipping a whole house, in prefabricated components, was always going to be a major challenge.
“We were working with key sponsors and partners who have experience of this, so we used that expertise in every possible way: from advice about import/export and Customs (a very complex area now!) to strategies for container loading and the very significant haulage logistics”
We asked Alex some other questions and this is what she shared with us:
-How was working with students and recent graduates from Heriot Watt University?
This really was an experience of learning alongside the students: the logistics of deconstruction and shipping were new to me as well. There were some very tough times; changes in scheduling and unexpected challenges with freight timetable changes and container availability: and it was being part of the wider Team ESTEEM that helped to keep my spirits up, and my outlook optimistic.
“This is a really ‘can do’ team: and also, a team of hard grafters. There are 78 timber CLT panels and 43 prefabricated insulated cassettes in this build: making each one of those is a combination of focus, precision, manual labor – and of course it gets repetitive and exhausting! But that didn’t stop anyone: and the camaraderie on site was wonderful.
-What was the most exciting thing that happened during the construction?
We have one very large CLT component; it forms the upstand for our south-sloping roof and has a number of window apertures; it’s a really core part of the three-dimensional experience of the house. But it’s a fragile and complicated panel in its own way, and the lifting plan was complicated and required input and advice from structural engineers and the crane operatives. Seeing that panel rise overhead and then be bolted into position was a very big moment for all of us.
There was also something wonderful about seeing the panels squeeze into place in the containers; we’d been rehearsing a three-dimensional virtual jigsaw puzzle in our computer drawings (we called it ‘container jenga’) to ensure that we were making the most efficient packing schedule we could, reducing our carbon footprint and optimizing our operation. It worked: at times only just-!- but it was almost unbelievable to see those little 3d jigsaws in their massive, real-life scale!
-The collaboration with sponsors, logistics and organization.
My list of people ‘without whom we couldn’t have done this’ just grows and grows. This project has been an edifying reminder of how good people are. From our colleagues on site and in the factory to our sponsors overseas and around the country, people pulled out all the stops to get this project ready and get their kit to us for shipping against a very tight deadline. We’ve called in favours from all over the university and from friends and partners beyond the many logos displayed on our webpage. A massive, massive thank you to everyone involved- you know who you are!
Some team members shared their experiences of being on site:
Simon Klekot, head of HR & Recruitment: “Being involved in Construction Site gives me a different perspective of the project than doing my HR and Recruitment job. I learn so many technical aspects of engineering which I even will be able to use in the future in things like my own house refurbishment“
Srivathsan Karunanithi, Health and Safety Officer: “I had an amazing time with the prototype, and I learned a lot. With the house now being off to Dubai I feel really excited and thrilled to see that happening”
Carlos Fitzpatrick, Audiovisual: “I’ve learnt so much on this construction site. From practical skills to theoretical knowledge, simply being a part of the construction has been extremely fruitful for me and the way I think about engineering. Having just finished the first year, being able to learn a lot from older students was a great bonus”
This is the beginning of a new chapter for team ESTEEM, with the competition starting soon we are preparing and finalizing the design, planning and deliverables.
This is the second time Heriot-Watt University has participated in a Solar Decathlon Competition and it might not be the last time that we see HWU students transforming the construction industry!
Olympic medallist plans to launch three new Swim Academies in Edinburgh this Autumn
Olympic medallist turned entrepreneur Michael Jamieson is diving into a new pool of business opportunity by opening three new Edinburgh venues for his hugely over-subscribed Swimming Academies.
The Edinburgh initiative will launch on Saturday, 18 September, and each succeeding Saturday, at the University of Edinburgh pool in The Pleasance, which will accommodate 200 learners, and will be followed on 4 October by classes at the Novotel Hermiston Gate pool for adult and baby, under 3-year-olds. Shortly afterwards the Academy will launch classes at Oriam, Heriot Watt University, a 4 days a week offering in a world class sports facility.
The expansion from his successful West of Scotland operation puts the Michael Jamieson Swimming Academy (MJSA) back into the fast lane after it was hit, like all other people-facing businesses, by the last 18 months of Covid restrictions.
The Academy’s classes at the Glasgow University and Radio Clyde pools are now operating again with 400 and 300 learners respectively, and Hamilton College pool, with capacity for 600 learners, will re-open on Monday, 27th September.
Further expansion in the west will come with the opening of the Argyle Hotel pool in Glasgow for 150 learners on Friday, 1 October.
Michael, 33, who won silver at the 2012 London Olympics, said: “We have a team of over 20 teachers operating in Glasgow and Edinburgh and will be adding to this in the coming months to ensure an efficient transition to our offerings in Edinburgh.
“Pre-Covid we had 800 kids swimming weekly. We are looking to support around 1500 by the turn of the year with the addition of the new facilities. We are also rolling out an educational curriculum alongside our swim programme to support the early development of positive self-talk and early elements of emotional intelligence.
“We have had support from mental health professionals and psychologists to develop this content and it is something I believe will set us apart in the sector.”
The energetic Glaswegian has distinguished his Academy by using private and hotel pools rather than local authority facilities.
He said: “We are able to create a healthy working relationship with private facilities and share in the passion of offering value to the community. We have targeted these venues specifically to offer the best product, with the best partnership teams in the area.
“I have a fantastic relationship with the team at the University of Edinburgh and have many happy memories there. We are excited to partner with them to offer a rewarding learn-to- swim journey now and in the future.”
On the series of drowning deaths across the UK during the recent spells of warm weather, Michael believes this has emphasised to many parents just how important it is to teach children to swim from the earliest possible age.
“There have been too many tragic stories recently in Scotland. Too many kids are leaving school without basic water safety skills. Without significant investment and support, we will continue, sadly, to see the disparity in the numbers of kids unable to swim by the time they leave school.
“Swimming pools are notoriously expensive to maintain but we must find creative strategies to offer a life skill in our communities in a financially sustainable manner.”
After consolidating his Edinburgh Swim Academy initiatives, Michael plans to expand further into a wider range of fitness and healthcare businesses.
“Our immediate plans are to protect and consolidate this exciting growth phase we are in currently. We are actively looking for further venue partners in Glasgow and Edinburgh to keep up with the increasing post pandemic demand for kids’ sport.
“It’s great to see such an appetite for swimming and we are committed to spreading our valued product around Scotland. Our smaller class ratios enable us to ensure our kids have a rewarding experience, building a strong rapport with our Level 2 qualified teachers.
“We maintain a high level of in-house competency training and only employ Level 2 qualified teachers to ensure we are providing the best product in the market. The majority of our teachers are qualified in Mental Health First Aid & this is something we are passionate about continuing.
“It’s an exciting year for us and I am proud of the team we have put in place. Creating sustainable growth is the challenge, but we have the core team and support team behind us to do so.”
Participants can choose to walk where they like to celebrate someone they love
Connect with other supporters in an online group full of amazing people with a shared mission
Every penny raised in Scotland stays in Scotland to fulfil Alzheimer Scotland’s mission to ensure that nobody faces dementia alone.
An Edinburgh woman who is taking part in Alzheimer Scotland’s Memory Walk this weekend (18-19 September) is urging others to sign up and take part.
Samantha Anderson (49) from Edinburgh, plans to walk 13 miles on Saturday, September 18 in memory of her mum Pauline who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia in 2018 and passed away last year, aged 73.
Her parents were childhood sweethearts, they met when they were only six and nine and got married aged 16 and 18, so Samantha plans to walk 13 miles from Newcraighall Road to Broomhouse where they first met.
Samantha said: “It was subtle changes at first with mum and then the illness took hold of her all of a sudden.
“We had services and treatment lined up but the pandemic hit and a lot was put on hold and sadly her condition deteriorated quickly.
“I’m doing the Memory Walk because I want to give a little bit back to Alzheimer Scotland.
“The information and advice we got from them during mum’s illness was invaluable. They gave us lots of ideas for things we could do to help her such as listening to songs she liked, looking through photo albums and just making her laugh.
“I’d definitely encourage others to take part, it’s a great day out and a wonderful way to remember a loved one while raising money for a really good cause.”
Scotland’s Memory Walk takes place 18-19 September and a new fundraising platform has been launched to ensure that people taking part can feel connected and share their experience as one big community.
The idea behind Scotland’s Memory Walk is simple. People can choose where they want to walk, and with whom.
That means participants can choose somewhere that has a special meaning for them at a time that suits them over the weekend.
And with so many great places to choose from nearby such as Calton Hill or Arthur’s Seat you can create special memories with friends and family that will last a lifetime.
The distance doesn’t matter, whether it’s 1km, 5km or 500km. It might even be a lap of the garden.
Best of all, it’s free of charge for everyone who takes part, although everyone is encouraged to raise as much as they can.
Participants will have the option to create a team with friends, family or colleagues and fundraise via their own personalised Memory Walk page.
Everyone who supports the campaign will also be able to earn rewards and badges, there are also prizes and medals up for grabs this year.
Every penny raised as a result of Scotland’s Memory Walk will go directly towards the support Alzheimer Scotland offers across Scotland, including their 24-hour Freephone Dementia Helpline (0808 808 3000).
Dementia Advisor for Edinburgh, Elizabeth Campbell, said: “My role is fully funded through fundraised money and Scotland’s Memory Walk is one of the biggest fundraising events we have.
“But it’s not just about the fundraising. Scotland’s Memory Walk brings communities together, children, adults and older adults.
“Many participants have something in common; they are walking for someone they care about, a person living with dementia, a carer or in memory of a loved one.
“We hope Scotland’s Memory Walk gives people the chance to honour their loved ones and feel connected to the dementia community across the country.
“It doesn’t matter where you are, or your ability, you can take part and help us to fulfil Alzheimer Scotland’s mission to make sure nobody faces dementia alone.”
Declaration recognises Capital’s ambition of net zero emissions by 2030
Edinburgh has committed to putting food at the centre of its response to the climate emergency, after becoming a signatory to the International Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration.
Launched by the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems and Nourish Scotland, the Declaration highlights the vital role food plays in meeting cities’ net zero targets, as well as helping to reduce poverty, inequality and poor health.
And by becoming a signatory to the Declaration, the City of Edinburgh Council renews its commitment to sustainable food policies and joined up action, raising awareness of how people’s livelihoods, health and local biodiversity are all interconnected with production, manufacture, supply, consumption and disposal of food.
The Declaration aligns with Edinburgh’s existing net zero commitments, which include:
Developing and implementing integrated food policies and strategies as key tools in the fight against climate change, captured in the Edinburgh’s first food growing strategy, ‘Growing Locally’ published in April 2021
Working to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from urban and regional food systems in accordance with the Paris Agreement, Edinburgh’s net zero by 2030 target, and work with regional partners
Calling on national governments to establish supportive and enabling policy frameworks to enable city partners to take action on climate change at the pace and scale needed to tackle the climate emergency
The move follows on from the Council committing £130,000 to invest in expanding the provision of local food growing opportunities in the city earlier this year, along with a further £0.500 million to enhance Edinburgh’s parks, playparks, food growing and urban forests, with £4m of related capital investment.
Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Adam McVey said: Food systems currently account for a third of total global greenhouse gas emissions and, with COP26 being hosted in Scotland later this year, we have a unique opportunity as Scotland’s capital city to bring food systems reform to the forefront of the climate debate.
“Edinburgh’s pioneering local integrated food policies and strategies are helping to reduce the city’s impact on the environment and encouraging biodiversity.
“Through Growing Locally, our first ever food growing strategy, and our partnership with Edible Edinburgh, we’re already taking strides in increasing local food production and public awareness of the importance of sustainable food to our environment.
“This reflects our wider commitment to securing a more sustainable future for our citizens through tackling the climate emergency and working with partners towards ensuring the city of Edinburgh becomes net zero by 2030.
“We hope that signing the Declaration will help to highlight the importance of sustainable food to our environment, economy and communities across the city.”
Deputy leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, Councillor Cammy Day added: “The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the importance of community growing initiatives in reducing social isolation, and creating stronger, more connected communities as well as providing people with access to fresh, locally produced, low carbon food.
“Growing and eating local food helps to reduce emissions from food miles, helps to encourage plants and wildlife to flourish, and can support a thriving local circular economy as part of the city’s efforts to tackle poverty.
“Becoming a signatory to the Declaration on Food and Climate recognises that food systems have an important role to play in regenerating local ecosystems and ensuring everyone has access to healthy and sustainable food.”
Chair of Edible Edinburgh, Councillor George Gordon said: “Edinburgh is home to a large and vibrant food economy which employs more than 32,000 people across almost 200 city businesses.
“Our thriving local food growing projects bring people and communities together, improve biodiversity and mitigate against the effects of climate change.
“Through our partnership with Edible Edinburgh, Edinburgh has already achieved the Bronze award for being a sustainable food city and is now working towards its Silver accreditation. As part of this we’re increasing local food growing activity and the supply of locally produced food and raising public awareness of the importance of sustainable food to our environment, economy and communities.”
Edinburgh is also a Fairtrade City and, as a lead member of the Edible Edinburgh partnership, the City of Edinburgh Council is working towards developing Edinburgh as a sustainable food city.
Growing Locally, the city’s first food growing strategy, is encouraging organisations, communities and citizens to work together to increase opportunities for growing, support local food suppliers and ensure the health, wellbeing and biodiversity benefits of local food systems are shared across the city.
In the lead up to COP26, IPES-Food and Nourish Scotland along with Declaration partners will provide a platform for signatories to share best practice and insights on developing and monitoring sustainable integrated food policies.
This will be followed by a series events during COP26 on the role of local and regional governments in building sustainable food systems.
Young Scot is calling on people in Edinburgh to help celebrate Scotland’s young heroes as nominations open for the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards 2022.
Now in its sixteenth year, the annual Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of 11-26-year-olds from across the nation and the extraordinary work they do to improve their local communities and the lives of others.
The Awards highlight the triumphs of young people across a range of categories – from sport and the arts through to enterprise and volunteering – and shine a light on the invaluable contributions made by remarkable young people all across Scotland.
Nominations are now open on youngscotawards.com, with the results set to be announced on 27 April 2022 by BBC Radio 1 DJ, Gemma Cairney at a star-studded red-carpet awards ceremony hosted at Edinburgh’s International Conference Centre.
The winners will join a prestigious roll call of previous recipients including RuPaul’s Drag Race champion, Lawrence Chaney and social media star, Jamie Genevieve. Charitable duo Jack Mullen and Alfie King were crowned last year’s ‘Young Scots of the Year’ for their work in raising donations and keeping community spirit alive during the pandemic.
“Despite the challenges young people have endured over the past eighteen months, we continue to be absolutely blown away by the inspirational stories of young people from across Scotland. It’s an honour to be able to shine a spotlight on their achievements.
“If you know a young person in Edinburgh who impresses you, or someone who’s gone above and beyond to help others, then we want to hear about them. Make your nomination today!”
Jack Mullen, Young Scot of the Year 2021 winner, said:“We were both so shocked when we found out that we’d won Young Scot of the Year last year.
“We didn’t expect it at all, but it felt so rewarding to be recognised for the work we did to support our community and neighbours during lockdown.”
To nominate a young person or to find out more about the awards, please visit:
A band of 18 enthusiastic dancing volunteers joined environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful at Portobello Beach on Sunday (12 September) to rid the beach of litter and kick off the charity’s ‘Source to Sea’ week. The litter-picking crew donned their headphones, tuned-in and removed rubbish from the seaside.
They removed lots of small plastics, including cigarette butts, as well as broken glass and bits of clothing left in the sand – a common issue on popular beaches. As well as removing litter from the beach, the purpose of the litter picking party was to raise awareness of how litter left on land can make its way into the sea to pollute our oceans.
The event was organised as part of the charity’s My Beach Your Beach and Treasure your River campaigns, in partnership with Keep Porty Tidy, who go out daily to blitz litter from the beach and prom.
Treasure Your River, created by environmental charity HUBBUB and delivered by Keep Scotland Beautiful, has been targeting litter from source to sea along the River Forth this summer.
The event was also supported by Oscar’s Gelato on the Porty prom, with complimentary gelato and other refreshments offered to volunteers.
Now in its fourth year, the My Beach Your Beach campaign aims to support bathing water quality at a selection of beaches, including Portobello, Fisherrow Sands and Kinghorn Harbour beach on the east coast.
The campaign does this by promoting beach stewardship among locals and visitors and encouraging good habits that can affect bathing water quality, both at the beach and indoors.
This summer’s pre-season litter survey, carried out by Keep Porty Tidy for the My Beach Your Beach campaign, found over 110 items of litter along a sample 100m stretch of beach and prom.
The majority of this litter was drinks and food related rubbish, highlighting the need for people to bin their ‘on the go’ food packaging or take it home.
Greta Elliott, from Keep Porty Tidy, said: “The silent disco litter pick was a lot of fun and a great way to get people involved in keeping our beautiful beach clean and litter free.
“Hopefully it will help encourage others to do the right thing and make sure their rubbish ends up in the bin rather than polluting the beach.”
Georgina Massouraki, Campaigns Officer at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Beach litter is a huge environmental issue, not only blighting our communities but also washing out to sea, where it breaks down into microplastics, harming wildlife and marine ecosystems. This silent disco litter pick was a fun way to draw attention to this issue and hopefully reach a wider range of people.
“Our My Beach Your Beach campaign is designed to help improve the quality of bathing waters by asking people to bin their litter, bag and bin their dog poo and not to feed the gulls.
“We have been delighted to work with Keep Porty Tidy on the campaign in Portobello and hope that beach users will take notice and be more thoughtful about the impact they can have on the sand and sea.”
Cllr Lesley Macinnes, Environment Convener at The City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We’re proud of Edinburgh’s beautiful beaches and so we’re very grateful to the litter pickers who worked so hard at the weekend to help us to keep Porty beach clean. I love that they had fun in the process of keeping fit and entertaining visitors as they danced along the beach.
“Our cleansing teams provided them with the equipment they needed to safely remove discarded litter and we’ve made sure the waste collected has been taken away. Our teams have been extremely busy throughout the pandemic working to keep Porty and the rest of Edinburgh clean and tidy and it’s great to see the Porty community taking pride in their area and helping them out.
“I’d ask everyone visiting any of our beaches to respect our local communities and environment by using the bins provided or by taking your litter home with you.”
Police are appealing for information to help find a woman reported missing from the local area.
Leanne Reilly, 45, was reported missing from the Telford Road area around 2.10pm yesterday (Monday, 13 September). She was last seen in the Gorgie, Slateford area around 2.30pm on Sunday, 12 September.
Leanne is described as being around 5ft 6in height, of medium build, with long black hair and glasses. There is no current description of her clothing, however she is believed to be in possession of a pink suitcase.
Inspector Keith Scott said: “We are becoming increasingly concerned for Leanne’s welfare and are keen to find her as soon as possible.
“We would appeal to anyone with information on her whereabouts or anyone who has seen anyone matching her description to get in touch.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101 quoting incident 1719 of 13 September.
Scotland will host the 16th Conference of Youth (COY16), the UN’s official youth event for COP26.
The Conference of Youth is an essential part of the COP calendar, helping to prepare young people for their participation in COP. It gives young people a voice in the climate negotiations, while providing delegates from over 140 countries the chance to meet, share experiences and build skills.
The conference will result in the Statement of Youth, which is presented on behalf of young people at every COP, setting out their hopes and expectations for the climate negotiations.
Five young people from Scotland will be selected to represent the country as delegates and contribute to the Statement.
This event, which runs from 28-31 October in Glasgow, will be funded by the Scottish Government and delivered by YOUNGO – the youth constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The First Minister said:“Young people have been among the strongest voices calling for urgent global action to address climate change. They have been an inspiration and I am proud that we are playing a role in giving them a platform at the heart of COP26 in Glasgow.
“The Conference of Youth will represent young people from 140 countries around the world, including here in Scotland. It is designed by young people, for young people, so they can set out their asks of world leaders ahead of the climate negotiations.
“Through this support we are ensuring that Scotland will play its part in securing an ambitious and deliverable global deal at COP26.
“I look forward to welcoming COY16 to Glasgow and engaging with them on our shared endeavour to tackle the climate crisis, with young people at the heart of our commitment to a just transition.”
Heeta Lakhani, YOUNGO Focal Point (Global South) and Marie-Claire Graf YOUNGO Focal Point (Global North) said:“The support of the Scottish Government is proof of legitimate youth inclusion and participatory governance in the lead up to the 26th UN Climate Conference.
“The official UN Climate Change Youth Constituency, YOUNGO, and the young climate advocates globally welcome this partnership not only to deliver COY16 and our presence in COP, but also as a sign that we are heard and involved.
“The commitment and backing of the Scottish Government will surely be part of the climate movement’s history. In these challenging times, it is important that we work on shared goals together. Let’s unify for change!”
Move follows unanimous advice to ministers from the four UK Chief Medical Officers
Parental consent will be sought prior to vaccination
People aged 12 to 15 in England will be offered one dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, following advice from the four UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs), the Health and Social Care Secretary has announced. The Scottish Government is expected to make an announcement later today.
In line with the recommendation of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the government sought the views of the four UK CMOs on the wider issues that are relevant to the health of children.
The UK Government has accepted the advice of the four UK CMOs and the NHS is preparing to deliver a schools-based vaccination programme, which is the successful model used for vaccinations including for HPV and Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio (DTP), supported by GPs and community pharmacies. Invitations for vaccination will begin next week.
Parental, guardian or carer consent will be sought by vaccination healthcare staff prior to vaccination in line with existing school vaccination programmes.
Healthy school-aged children aged 12 to 15 will primarily receive their COVID-19 vaccination in their school with alternative provision for those who are home schooled, in secure services or specialist mental health settings.
Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid said: “I have accepted the recommendation from the Chief Medical Officers to expand vaccination to those aged 12 to 15 – protecting young people from catching COVID-19, reducing transmission in schools and keeping pupils in the classroom.
“I am very grateful for the expert advice I have received from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and UK Chief Medical Officers.
“Our outstanding NHS stands ready to move forward with rolling out the vaccine to this group with the same sense of urgency we’ve had at every point in our vaccination programme.”
THE CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICERS’ LETTER READS:
To: Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, HM Government Eluned Morgan AS/MS, Minister for Health and Social Services, Welsh Government Humza Yousaf MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Scottish Government Robin Swann MLA, Minister of Health Northern Ireland Executive
13 September 2021
Dear Secretary of State, Cabinet Secretary and ministers,
Universal vaccination of children and young people aged 12 to 15 years against COVID-19
Background
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) in their advice to you on 2 September 2021 on this subject said: ‘Overall, the committee is of the opinion that the benefits from vaccination are marginally greater than the potential known harms… but acknowledges that there is considerable uncertainty regarding the magnitude of the potential harms.
The margin of benefit, based primarily on a health perspective, is considered too small to support advice on a universal programme of vaccination of otherwise healthy 12 to 15-year-old children at this time…. JCVI is constituted with expertise to allow consideration of the health benefits and risks of vaccination and it is not within its remit to incorporate in-depth considerations on wider societal impacts, including educational benefits. The government may wish to seek further views on the wider societal and educational impacts from the Chief Medical Officers of the 4 nations, with representation from JCVI in these subsequent discussions.‘
You accepted this recommendation from JCVI, and wrote to us on 2 September 2021 stating “We agree with the approach suggested by JCVI, and so we are writing to request that you take forward work (drawing on experts as you see fit) to consider the matter from a broader perspective, as suggested by the JCVI.”
In doing so we have been fortunate to have been informed by the independent expertise of leaders of the clinical and public health profession from across the UK. This has included Presidents and Chairs or their representative of:
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Royal College of General Practice
Royal College of Psychiatry
Faculty of Public Health
Academy of Medical Royal Colleges representing all the other Royal Colleges and Faculties
Association of Directors of Public Health
Regional Directors of Public Health
national public health specialists
experts in data and modelling
We are very grateful to them for taking considerable time and effort to consult their own colleagues in all 4 nations at short notice to get a comprehensive view of the balance of informed medical opinion and experience across the UK.
The UK’s independent regulator of medicines and vaccines the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is in law the appropriate body to determine whether, based on risk-benefit grounds, a vaccine is safe and effective to use and so grant a licence. They have done so for children and young people aged over 12 years for two vaccines against COVID-19, those manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna. Their assessment is that benefits exceed risks on an individual basis. We take their independent opinion as read. The MHRA position on mRNA vaccines is similar to the relevant regulatory approvals granted in the same age groups in multiple other jurisdictions including but not limited to the USA, the European Union, and Canada.
The independent JCVI is the proper body to give advice on how to deploy a vaccine which has a prior favourable risk-benefit decision and authorisation from MHRA including whether it has a sufficiently large benefit to be worth deploying on a larger, population scale. Like MHRA they consider the benefits of vaccination in this age group exceed the risks (i.e. it is better to be vaccinated than not vaccinated in this age group).
They balanced the risk of COVID-19 against the risks of vaccination, including myocarditis. When forming its advice, the JCVI considered vaccine use according to clinical risk groups, thus identifying different groups according to their potential to benefit from vaccination.
For 12 to 15 year olds who do not have underlying health conditions that place them at higher risk from severe COVID-19, the JCVI considered that the size of both the risk and the benefit are at an individual level very small, and the overall advantage for vaccination, whilst present, is therefore not sufficiently large to recommend universal vaccination on their usual criteria.
They deemed the extent to which vaccination might mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on education was beyond the usual remit of the JCVI. They recognised however that given the substantial scale of the impact of COVID-19 on all children and young people, which goes beyond normal clinical benefit and risk, wider issues could, exceptionally, be relevant hence their suggestion to consult UK CMOs.
The JCVI have already recommended that children and young people aged 12 to 17 with specific underlying health conditions, and children and young people who are aged 12 years and over who are household contacts of persons who are immunocompromised are offered two doses of a vaccine, normally Pfizer BioNTech BNT162b2. They have recommended all young people 16 to 17 are offered an initial first dose of vaccine.
The UK has benefited from having data from the USA, Canada and Israel, which have already offered vaccines universally to children and young people aged 12 to 15.
The UK CMOs start from the position that the MHRA and JCVI set out on individual benefit-risk calculations for this age group, and have not revisited this. We accept that at an individual level benefit exceeds risk but this advantage is small, and we have taken the JCVI figures as the UK current position on this question.
The Chair of the JCVI Prof. Lim has been a member of our group to ensure that there is no duplication of effort or conflict between the views of UK CMOs and the JCVI. We have been fortunate to have been joined also by the lead Deputy Chief Medical Officers for vaccines Prof. Van Tam (England), Prof. Steedman (Scotland) and Dr. Chada (Northern Ireland) and the DHSC Chief Scientific Adviser, Prof. Chappell. The final advice is that of the Chief Medical Officers, but informed by independent senior clinical and public health input from across the UK.
UK CMOs have decided in their ToR that we will only consider benefits and disbenefits to those aged 12 to 15 from vaccinating this age group, including indirect benefits. Whilst there may be benefits to other age groups, these have not been considered in our advice below.
Issues of vaccine supply were not factors considered in decision making.
The UK CMOs are aware of the extensive range of non-clinical views but this UK CMOs advice is purely clinical and public health derived and has not taken issues outside their clinical and public health remit into account. There is a subsequent political process where wider societal issues may be considered by ministers in deciding how they respond to this advice.
Advice
All drugs, vaccines and surgical procedures have both risks and benefits. If the risks exceed benefits the drug, vaccine or procedure should not be advised, and a drug or vaccine will not be authorised by MHRA. If benefits exceed risks then medical practitioners may advise the drug or vaccine, but the strength of their advice will depend on the degree of benefit over risk.
At an individual level, the view of the MHRA, the JCVI and international regulators is that there is an advantage to someone aged 12 to 15 of being vaccinated over being unvaccinated. The COVID-19 Delta variant is highly infectious and very common, so the great majority of the unvaccinated will get COVID-19. In those aged 12 to 15, COVID-19 rarely, but occasionally, leads to serious illness, hospitalisation and even less commonly death. The risks of vaccination (mainly myocarditis) are also very rare. The absolute advantage to being vaccinated in this age group is therefore small (‘marginal’) in the view of the JCVI. On its own the view of the JCVI is that this advantage, whilst present, is insufficient to justify a universal offer in this age group. Accepting this advice, UK CMOs looked at wider public health benefits and risks of universal vaccination in this age group to determine if this shifts the risk-benefit either way.
Of these, the most important in this age group was impact on education. UK CMOs also considered impact on mental health and operational issues such as any possible negative impact on other vaccine programmes, noting that influenza vaccination and other immunisations of children and young people are well-established, important, and that the annual flu vaccine deployment programme commences imminently.
The UK CMOs, in common with the clinical and wider public health community, consider education one of the most important drivers of improved public health and mental health, and have laid this out in their advice to parents and teachers in a previous joint statement. Evidence from clinical and public health colleagues, general practice, child health and mental health consistently makes clear the massive impact that absent, or disrupted, face-to-face education has had on the welfare and mental health of many children and young people. This is despite remarkable efforts by parents and teachers to maintain education in the face of disruption.
The negative impact has been especially great in areas of relative deprivation which have been particularly badly affected by COVID-19. The effects of missed or disrupted education are even more apparent and enduring in these areas. The effects of disrupted education, or uncertainty, on mental health are well recognised. There can be lifelong effects on health if extended disruption to education leads to reduced life chances.
Whilst full closures of schools due to lockdowns is much less likely to be necessary in the next stages of the COVID-19 epidemic, UK CMOs expect the epidemic to continue to be prolonged and unpredictable. Local surges of infection, including in schools, should be anticipated for some time. Where they occur, they are likely to be disruptive.
Every effort should be taken to minimise school disruption in policy decisions and local actions. Vaccination, if deployed, should only be seen as an adjunct to other actions to maintain children and young people in secondary school and minimise further education disruption and therefore medium and longer term public health harm.
On balance however, UK CMOs judge that it is likely vaccination will help reduce transmission of COVID-19 in schools which are attended by children and young people aged 12 to 15 years. COVID-19 is a disease which can be very effectively transmitted by mass spreading events, especially with Delta variant. Having a significant proportion of pupils vaccinated is likely to reduce the probability of such events which are likely to cause local outbreaks in, or associated with, schools. They will also reduce the chance an individual child gets COVID-19. This means vaccination is likely to reduce (but not eliminate) education disruption.
Set against this there are operational risks that COVID-19 vaccination could interfere with other, important, vaccination programmes in schools including flu vaccines.
Overall however the view of the UK CMOs is that the additional likely benefits of reducing educational disruption, and the consequent reduction in public health harm from educational disruption, on balance provide sufficient extra advantage in addition to the marginal advantage at an individual level identified by the JCVI to recommend in favour of vaccinating this group.
They therefore recommend on public health grounds that ministers extend the offer of universal vaccination with a first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to all children and young people aged 12 to 15 not already covered by existing JCVI advice.
If ministers accept this advice, UK CMOs would want the JCVI to give a view on whether, and what, second doses to give to children and young people aged 12 to 15 once more data on second doses in this age group has accrued internationally. This will not be before the spring term.
In recommending this to ministers, UK CMOs recognise that the overwhelming benefits of vaccination for adults, where risk-benefit is very strongly in favour of vaccination for almost all groups, are not as clear-cut for children and young people aged 12 to 15. Children, young people and their parents will need to understand potential benefits, potential side effects and the balance between them.
If ministers accept this advice, issues of consent need to take this much more balanced risk-benefit into account. UK CMOs recommend that the Royal Colleges and other professional groups are consulted in how best to present the risk-benefit decisions in a way that is accessible to children and young people as well as their parents. A child-centred approach to communication and deployment of the vaccine should be the primary objective.
If ministers accept this advice, it is essential that children and young people aged 12 to 15 and their parents are supported in their decisions, whatever decisions they take, and are not stigmatised either for accepting, or not accepting, the vaccination offer. Individual choice should be respected.
Chief Medical Officer for England Prof. Christopher Whitty
Chief Medical Officer for Northern Ireland Sir Michael McBride
Chief Medical Officer for Scotland Dr. Gregor Smith
Chief Medical Officer for Wales Dr. Frank Atherton
Over four in five adults across the UK have received both COVID-19 vaccine doses, with over half of all 16 and 17 year olds coming forward for their first jab.
However COVID numbers continue to rise across the UK. 28,856 new cases were reported yesterday, with 4241 of these in Scotland. The daily Scottish figure is likely to be considerably higher due to an IT problem.
Responding to the advice from the Chief Medical Officers regarding the vaccination of all 12-15 year olds, Bruce Adamson, the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland, said: “We welcome the advice to offer the vaccine to children between the age of 12 and 15. It is important to give them that choice.
“Children and young people have a right to the best possible health, that’s not just about protection from the Covid virus itself, but also the impact on their mental health due to isolation and other factors. The pandemic has impacted their right to education, their right to play, their right to see wider family and friends which is so essential to their development. Their education has been disrupted with two long periods of school closures.
“It is important that children are supported to make informed decisions about their own health. Children of this age group have told me over the last few months that they are in favour of having the choice to be vaccinated. That is not to say that all of them had made a decision about whether they would get a vaccine, but they wanted the option to be available to them. Of course, there have been some children who are concerned about vaccination, or who told me about parental concerns. It is important that there is no stigma attached to the choices that children make about vaccination.
“It is essential that this advice is communicated directly to 12 to 15 year olds in a child-friendly way so they can understand why they are now being offered the vaccine, and can have any questions they might have answered in a way they can understand. Children have the right to access appropriate information on decisions affecting them.
“Parents and carers will play an important role in supporting the decision-making around whether a child chooses to get vaccinated so it is important that they have all of the necessary information to support that choice.”
