More than 90,000 primary school pupils will be entitled to new free school meal support in term time.
The Scottish Government and local authority partners have reached agreement to introduce universal free school lunches for primary 4 and 5 children and targeted support during school holidays for all eligible primary and secondary children and young people.
The £28 million commitment will deliver free school lunches during term time for P4 children by August 2021 and to P5 children by January 2022
A further £21.75 million will provide targeted free school meal support during school holidays in 2021-22. This will start in July for around 145,000 primary and secondary children and young people from low income households.
Councils will determine what approach in school holidays meets local needs and circumstances, which may include the provision of direct payments, vouchers or food parcels.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Free school meals are a vital support to thousands of children and young people across the country – ensuring that children have access to a free, healthy and nutritious meal every day they are in school and are ready to engage in learning.
“The provision of £49.75 million in new funding to local authorities demonstrates our support for the health and wellbeing of children and young people and our commitment to reduce the impact of poverty on thousands of families across the country.”
Councillor Stephen McCabe of COSLA said: “Councils across Scotland have long been committed to delivering healthy free school meals – to eligible children and young people.
“We are pleased that, in partnership with Scottish Government, this commitment can be further expanded upon by providing free school meals to all Primary 4s in August 2021 and Primary 5s in the later part of the academic year.
“Local authorities will continue to work hard to ensure that children and young people have access to healthy and nourishing meals so that they are fully able to learn, play, and engage with their peers and communities.”
Detectives are appealing for information following an attempted murder which occurred in the Fort Kinnaird area of Edinburgh on Thursday (3 June).
Around 5pm a group of four men were standing at Fort Kinnaird when they were approached by two men on a motorcycle.
A short chase took place and one of the men was stopped nearby on Whitehill Road, where the pillion passenger on the bike assaulted him with a bladed weapon.
The two suspects then made off along Whitehill Road.
The 31-year-old victim was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh with serious injuries, where he remains in a critical but stable condition.
The suspects are described as follows – driver dressed in all black clothing with a black helmet while the passenger was wearing a jacket with a red body and grey sleeves, with a dark cap and a snood/ dark face covering. They were travelling on a distinctive off road/trials/scrambler bike which was mainly blue in colour, with red and white livery.
Detective Inspector Clark Martin from Gayfield CID said: “We believe this incident was targeted towards the group of men standing at Fort Kinnaird and the victim has been left with extremely serious injuries.
“I am appealing for anyone who witnessed what happened, or noticed the suspects in the area, to please come forward.
“The motorcycle they were using was very distinctive and I would also urge anyone who thinks they may have seen it in the Edinburgh area on Thursday to pass this information on to the police.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland through 101, quoting incident number 2632 of Thursday, 3 June. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
UTILITA GETS ‘UP FRONT’ TO CELEBRATE HIBERNIAN FC’sPRO-PLANET APPROACH TO FOOTBALL
Utilita– the UK’s only energy company created to help households use less energy – has officially announced this week that it will become the front of shirt sponsor as part of its two-year principal partner agreement with one of the UK’s greenest football clubs, Hibernian F.C.
The deal follows a successful partnership between Utilita and Hibernian F.C. during the 2020 and 2021 season, which saw the energy company’s logo on the back of shirt. Now in the fifth year of their long-term partnership, Utilita will feature in prime position on the front of the club’s home and away shirts and third kit strips, which are soon to be unveiled.
Both Utilita and Hibernian F.C. share many common values, with the two biggest being pro-planet and pro-local community.
Over the past few seasons, Utilita has been working with the club to make a difference within the local area, most recently donating significant sums to the Community Foundation’s “Famous Five a Day Campaign” – which provides food parcels to families who need them – and donating match passes to local schools.
Utilita also has offices and an exclusive high street Energy Hub in the buzzing port district of Leith.
Opened just two years ago, the hugely successful Energy Hub is a first-of-its-kind in Scotland, offering face-to-face customer service, energy efficiency advice and technology, access to interactive kid-friendly energy efficiency apps, and a dedicated community space that is open for the public to book and use from Monday to Saturday. Locals can also purchase Hibernian F.C. merchandise in-store.
Central to the partnership will be Utilita’s industry award-winning Energy High 5 movement –helping households to avoid the five habits that waste energy, enabling households to save up to £163 per year, while helping the planet. Everyone can take part and start saving today, at www.utilita.co.uk/energyhigh5 .
Greg McEwan, Hibernian F.C.’s Interim Chief Executive, commented on the support from Utilita: “The front of shirt sponsor needs to be just right, and must share the same values as our club.
“Therefore, I am delighted that we have exactly that in our partnership with Utilita, which is pro-planet and pro-community – it’s great to see an energy company with such high moral standards.
“The team at Utilita are passionate and want to make a difference, not only in terms of reducing energy bills, but in the local community too.”
Jem Maidment, Utilita’s Chief Marketing Officer, said: “We couldn’t be prouder to be Hibernian F.C.’s principal partner after what has already been a hugely successful four seasons with the club.
“As the greenest club in Scotland – and the third greenest club in the UK – we share many common values and we’re chuffed of the support they’ve given us in backing Energy High 5, a campaign which encourages people to cut down their energy usage with five free and easy-to-follow tips – saving both their pocket and the planet!
“We’re excited to see what next season brings as Hibs take on European opposition.”
The partnership announcement follows Utilita’s newly launched Football Rebooted campaign with environmentalist and former goalkeeper, David James MBE, which encourages people to donate and claim pre-played football boots and all-weather football trainers, to save families a small fortune, as well as 136,000 tonnes of carbon – the same as taking 7,000 cars off the road for a year, or turning the energy off in one million medium-sized houses for a week. Over 500 pairs of boots were donated in the first 48-hours of the campaign launching.
Football Rebooted is designed to put an aspirational spin on a mechanic that will get good boots through to families struggling to afford new ones, after Utilita’s State of Play report revealed that out of the 74 percent of families who had been impacted financially by the pandemic, 18 percent won’t be able to send their kids back to grassroots football as they can’t afford boots and other items such as goalie gloves and shin pads.
Founded in 2003, Utilita is one of the nation’s fastest-growing independent energy suppliers – currently powering more than 800,000 UK customers. It’s established itself as a hugely-recognisable brand within British football, having supplied power to a number of iconic stadiums while partnering with over 20 clubs.
£20 million fund for local authorities to establish model sites
Local authorities can now apply to a new fund which will help to provide more and better accommodation for Gypsy/Traveller communities.
This funding will help to build experience and skills in Gypsy/Traveller site development by focusing on demonstration projects which establish examples of model sites.
Improving accommodation and sites is a key part of Scotland’s first long-term national housing strategy, as well as part of the Scottish Government and COSLA’s joint Gypsy/Traveller Action Plan.
Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie said: “It is vital that we improve the accommodation and sites for the Gypsy/Traveller community. This £20 million funding will be focused initially on the development of demonstration projects to establish model sites, and builds on £2 million funding provided in 2020-21 for immediate improvements to all sites.
“We are working in partnership with members of the Gypsy/Traveller community and local authorities to develop a design guide for sites. It will set the standard for new accommodation and ensure our Housing 2040 principles, such as accessibility and energy efficiency, are factored in to planning.”
Councillor Kelly Parry, COSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, said: “The creation of a new funding programme over the next five years for Gypsy/Traveller accommodation is a fantastic step forward for our communities. This money will help to build homes that are fit for the future and is going to show what is possible in the design of modern sites.
“Combined with local investment from councils, the fund will make a meaningful difference to the quality of accommodation that is available and the initial projects will blaze the trail for more developments over time.”
A brand new Krispy Kreme Hotlight Store will open its’ doors at new Edinburgh city centre development St James Quarter, when it opens for the first time on 24th June 2021.
The Hotlight Store is only the third concept store to open in Scotland alongside the Edinburgh Hermiston Gait and Braehead stores and only the second to open in Edinburgh since the first opening back in 2013.
Krispy Kreme’s renowned Hotlight gives you the opportunity to enjoy the magic of a freshly made Original Glazed doughnut Hot fresh off the line – whenever you see the ‘Hot Now’ sign lit up at a Hotlight concept store. When it’s on, it’s on!
What’s more – the Edinburgh St James Quarter store will offer six Hotlight hours a day – double the usual Hotlight hours. The store will of course also be adhering to all social distancing and lockdown restrictions.
The Krispy Kreme store will provide 25 new jobs for residents of Edinburgh, who will join 9 internal transfers.
In addition on the opening day, Krispy Kreme will have a limited number of goody bags available with exclusive Krispy Kreme merchandise as well as some exciting giveaways.
Krispy Kreme’s CEO Richard Cheshire said: “We are really excited to be opening our first Krispy Kreme store in Edinburgh City centre partnering with St James Quarter.
“We can’t wait to create more smiles and bring the magic of our iconic Hot Original Glazed doughnuts, fresh off the line, to our fans in Edinburgh.”
National charity Heart Research UK is to fund three new research projects to investigate how COVID-19 affects the heart and circulatory system – an investment of over half a million pounds.
Research has shown that people with cardiovascular conditions, including high blood pressure, have a higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.
COVID-19 can also cause ‘new’ damage to the heart and blood vessels in people who have no pre-existing disease.
Heart Research UK’s new grant scheme was designed to fund pioneering research to investigate these links and improve outcomes for patients suffering from COVID-19 who may have underlying cardiovascular problems.
The grants have been awarded to Newcastle University, the University of Dundee and University of Glasgow.
The University of Dundee project, led by Professor Faisel Khan (above), Professor of Cardiovascular Sciences, will study whether inflammation in the body caused by COVID-19 contributes to long-term damage to the blood vessels. For more on this grant, click here.
The project at the Newcastle University, which will be led by Professor Ioakim Spyridopoulos (below), Professor of Cardiovascular Gerontology, will investigate long-term inflammation of the heart in COVID-19 patients.
It is hoped that the findings will guide immune-therapies to prevent heart inflammation and therefore reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications in patients recovering from COVID-19. For more on this grant, click here.
The project at the University of Glasgow, led by Professor Sandosh Padmanabhan (above, left)), Professor of Cardiovascular Genomics and Therapeutics, is aiming to answer whether:
High blood pressure makes COVID-19 infection worse and if so, why.
COVID-19 infection makes high blood pressure worse and if so, why.
Monitoring and management of high blood pressure needs to be a greater priority during the pandemic.
Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive of Heart Research UK, said: “We have known for some time that people with pre-existing heart problems are more susceptible to suffering severe consequences from COVID-19, as well as the virus being able to damage the heart itself.
“However, there is a gap in the research here, and Heart Research UK is very proud to be funding three cutting edge projects that are aiming to help us better understand the most pressing medical challenge in a generation.
“The research we fund has one aim – to benefit patients as soon as possible. We are hopeful that these projects will help to bring about tangible improvements in the way we care for those with COVID-19 and cardiovascular issues.”
Drugs, gun and knife crime perceived as bigger threats to teenagers than driving despite global stats to the contrary
AA Charitable Trust Rural Young Drivers campaign teams up with Bauer and adam&eveDDB in one-off radio show, Caitlin’s Hour, to highlight the seven in ten fatal young driver crashes happen on rural roads
Caitlin’s Hour, on Hits Radio and Kerrang! Radio, will celebrate the life of Caitlin Huddleston who died in a rural road crash at just 18
Interactive crash map shows riskiest rural routes for young drivers
36 billboards nationwide to showcase campaign to drivers including one near site of Caitlin’s crash
Eight in ten drivers (86%) underestimate the risk driving poses to teenagers, with just one in six (14%) saying they believe it is the greatest threat to their safety.
New research* from the AA Charitable Trust shows that while the perceived risk of driving has not changed significantly (11% in 2008; 15% in 2013; 17% in 2018; 14% in 2021), the perception of drugs being the greatest threat to teenagers’ safety has risen from 31% to 39% since 2008.
Yet globally,road crashes are the leading cause of death among teenagers. The latest UK statistics** show 2,223 17-to-19-year-olds were killed or seriously injured in road crashes. And research from the AA Charitable Trust Young Rural Drivers campaign shows rural roads in particular pose a particular danger.
Key aims of the campaign include raising awareness that 71% of fatal crashes involving young drivers occur on rural roads.
Overall, the research shows young drivers (aged 17-to-24) are over-represented in rural crashes by 9%, relative to all roads, with the over-representation highest for those aged 17 (27%) and decreasing with every subsequent year.
Young drivers were also shown to face a higher risk of death (2%) or serious injury (15.2%) when involved in a crash on a rural road compared to an urban road (0.6%; 11.3%).
Edmund King OBE, AA Charitable Trust director, said: “Road crashes are the single biggest killer of teenagers across the world, yet the general perception is that the inside of a car is a relatively safe place for them to be.
“Understanding how, when and where young people are involved in crashes is vitally important to being able to improve their safety.
“Our latest research takes an in-depth look at rural roads and the particular and significant risks they pose to young drivers.
“It is heart-breaking to hear about young people who have died in crashes, but we hope that by celebrating Caitlin’s life in a special radio show, we will be able to raise awareness of the dangers rural roads pose to young drivers.”
Caitlin was just 18 when she died in the crash on July 14th, 2017. She was a passenger in the car, driven by her friend, who was also her brother’s girlfriend, Skye, who also lost her life.
Caitlin, Skye and another friend, were driving to a local Italian restaurant for dinner when Skye lost control of the car on a bend and collided with a van. Neither driver was speeding, but the road was wet, and the coroner said Skye was inexperienced and driving too fast for the conditions. The third occupant of the car and van driver were both severely injured in the crash.
Caitlin’s mother, Sharron Huddleston, has campaigned for road safety for young and novice drivers and their passengers since losing Caitlin.
She said she was not aware at the time of the crash that rural roads were especially dangerous. In fact, just a few months before the crash she was concerned about Caitlin travelling with friends on a motorway journey. Sadly, she didn’t think there was a need to be concerned about the journey the girls were making on the evening of the crash, as the girls were just travelling on local roads.
Sharron Huddleston said: “We are honoured that the AA Trust has chosen Caitlin to be the symbol of their rural roads campaign. I hope the ‘Caitlin’s Hour’ radio broadcast and campaign will highlight to young newly qualified drivers and their parents, the dangers of driving on rural roads after passing their driving test and of the fragility of life too.
“I know Caitlin would want me to raise awareness in her memory, to try to help stop what happened to her, happening to any other young innocent people. This is what we are trying to do through ‘Caitlin’s Campaign’.
“’Caitlin’s Hour’ will let us honour and reflect on her all too short life”.
– July, August, October and November most concerning months for crashes involving young drivers on rural roads.
– Proportion of crashes involving young drivers which are on Sundays is 9% higher on rural roads than on urban roads.
– Single vehicle collisions account for 27% of all young driver crashes on rural roads compared to 16% for drivers of all ages.
– Substance impairment attributed to a young driver in 9% of young driver rural road crashes on Sundays compared to an average of 4% on other days.
Call to action:
– New drivers to get more experience driving on rural roads before going out alone.
– Need graduated learning with a logbook for driving lessons to cover driving on all types of road, at different times of the day, and in different weather conditions.
– Greater emphasis on rural roads in theory and practical driving test.
– Campaign to raise awareness amongst drivers and parents of the dangers.
– Interactive map to be used as a Think! educational resource for schools.
– Raise awareness that those growing up in rural areas are more at risk on the roads than their urban counterparts.
Dementia is a fact of life for thousands of Scots and their families – but what does it actually feel like to suffer from the disease?
That’s what some staff at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre tried to discover, as part of Dementia Awareness Week.
The aim of Dementia Awareness week (3-9th June 2019) is to encourage people and organisations to help in raising awareness of the disease and the impact it has on people and those around them.
At the Beatson, staff have been doing their bit too.
Nicky Donnelly, Cancer Clinical Educator said: “ To mark Dementia Awareness Week myself and a colleague wore the Dementia simulation suits and went on a walk round of the building to engage with staff about how it felt to be wearing this resource.
The Dementia Simulation suit helps to simulate ageing and impairs the movement of those wearing it, simulating some of the typical difficulties that people experience in older age, showing you how tiring it is not to be able to move fully, stopping you being able to freely move your joints, making it difficult to feel and move your hands and fingers and grip things.
Nicky added: “It also has a back piece that gives you a curvature of the spine so you can’t stand up and googles that give you a yellowing vision to replicate loss of sight and peripheral vision, typically associated with cataracts, while ear plugs can impair your hearing and awareness of your surroundings.”
“Our experience of wearing the suit was quite revealing as you truly appreciate the cognitive changes that people with Dementia experience; it really highlights the impact on people with this condition that without the suit you wouldn’t be able to understand.
“The wider staff enjoyed the experience of seeing us in the suits they were very engaged in asking vital questions of the Care of the Older Person Nurse who has been instrumental in raising awareness of the issues people with Dementia face.”
Welcome to your June Newsletter, which seems to be mostly about money.
While we wait for the decision on our Scottish Land Fund application for the necessary funds to buy the Victoria School site, expected now in July, the board has been busy organising and collaborating on various projects, all of which have secured much-needed funding.
Architect-led community workshops
Top of the list comes the £8,000 grant from the Lottery Fund’s Awards for All. This is contributing to the architect-led community workshops which we hope to announce later in the summer. These aim to bring community users together with our chosen architects to discuss how to use the building flexibly for the benefit of all. Planning Aid Scotland will be facilitating the workshops to ensure that this helps create a truly effective, multi-generational and age-friendly environment that meets the needs of the community.
It is heartening to know that the National Lottery looks favourably on our project, as shown by the comment from the National Lottery Community Fund, Scotland Chair, Kate Still.
“In these unprecedented times,” she says, “it’s heartening to see the way Scottish communities are coming together to provide each other with support. I would like to congratulate the Heart of Newhaven Community on their award which is testament to the incredible efforts of their staff and volunteers. National Lottery players can be proud to know that the money they raise is making such a difference.”
Pots of Newhaven Kindness
Another project to benefit from funding, this time £150 from Food for Life, is the Pots of Newhaven Kindness, run in collaboration with Victoria Primary school and Pilmeny Development Project.
Once again, it is all about bringing the generations together, with children sowing and decorating pots with edible plants and flowers and then gifting them to the elderly. The project aims not only to teach youngsters where food comes from but also to create lasting relationships between them and the elderly or isolated within the community.
30 pots were created with the children paired up with the recipients, half going out to elderly residents within the Newhaven community and the other half remaining with the children at Victoria Primary School. Once the Heart is established, it is hoped to arrange regular, celebratory get-togethers between the children and the recipients, all around the theme of food.
Mental Health Awareness Day
Finally, there has been another award, this time for £500 from Edinburgh’s Thrive Arts Programme, to go towards the Heart’s contribution to Mental Health awareness. This once again will be an inter-generational project, in collaboration with Men of Leith’s Shed, Pilmeny Development Project and local artist Johnathan Elders.
Friendship benches will be designed and created with help from the Men’s Shed while Johnathan will help local children draw up designs to decorate them. The finished products will be ready by World Mental Health Day in October and placed in the school playground.
Men’s shed find actively working in the local community improves men’s mental health. Older people have lost confidence in going out of their homes. Younger people have also struggled with isolation from friends and those of all ages outside restricted ‘bubbles’.
The benches will be safe places to talk to each other and they will remain as a lasting legacy to be enjoyed over the years to come by people of all generations visiting The Heart.
Does money make the world go round? Well it certainly helps!
Remember to keep updated between newsletters by visiting our website and various social media platforms and remember you can aways get in touch with the board if you have ideas to suggest or help you can offer.
Poppyscotland, the leading Armed Forces charity, is marking Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June) by celebrating the contributions made by its army of volunteers, and inspiring others to get involved too.
The annual Poppy Appeal is Scotland’s largest fundraising campaign and the money it raises provides life-changing support for the Armed Forces community. This year will mark the centenary of the Scottish Poppy Appeal and the range of services it enables Poppyscotland to provide is as vital today as it was in 1921.
The Appeal is only possible thanks to the dedication of hundreds of volunteers and as planning gets underway for the 2021 Appeal, Poppyscotland needs new Scottish Poppy Appeal Organisers in Edinburgh.
The charity’s Head of Fundraising Gordon Michie said: “By volunteering for Poppyscotland, you will be helping us transform the lives of veterans, those currently serving, and their families. Our Armed Forces community needs our support now more than ever.
“This Volunteers’ Week, we’re asking individuals, businesses, groups of friends, or community associations that have good organisational skills to step forward and lead this year’s Appeal in Edinburgh. Our volunteers are at the heart of everything we do – without their vital support, we simply wouldn’t be able to deliver the Scottish Poppy Appeal.”
Scottish Poppy Appeal Organiser volunteers are crucial in helping raise funds for the charity’s welfare services, with demand expected to grow in the aftermath of the pandemic. As well as helping to make a difference to people’s lives, volunteering is also an opportunity to meet new people, gain new skills and experience, and get involved in the local community.
To find out more about becoming a Scottish Poppy Appeal Organiser for Edinburgh, or other opportunities to get involved throughout the year, contact Ian Jackson, Volunteer Development Officer at Poppyscotland, on 0131 550 1559, email volunteer@poppyscotland.org.uk or visit www.poppyscotland.org.uk/volunteer
