Lothian MSP Miles Briggs has called for former Powderhall railway line to be made a green corridor.
The City of Edinburgh Council has confirmed it is carrying out a feasibility study for the former railway line to be converted to a green corridor.
The former Powderhall railway line is not one of the initial four routes included to be made into a green corridor by the city council in phase 1 of the recent Edinburgh Strategic Sustainable Transport Study.
Network Rail have the railway line is still classed as operational railway, because the track that leads there is still connected to the wider rail network.
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs, has said that a green corridor would be the optimal use for the old railway line, as Edinburgh moves towards a carbon neutral city.
Hesaid:“Across Edinburgh our old disused rail lines have become more significant during the pandemic and well utilised by the public. They have provided important walking, cycling and exercise spaces.
“This is a great opportunity to create a safe green space to connect Powderhall to Meadowbank and beyond. “I’ve been campaigning for the railway line, at the Powderhall former waste disposal site to Meadowbank, to become our latest urban green corridor.”
– Shorthorn beef is renowned for its rich flavour and tender meat –
– The supermarket has revealed its most popular pies, with Chunky Steak coming out on top –
In a supermarket first, Morrisons has launched The Best Shorthorn Steak Pie in time for British Pie Week (1st – 7thMarch). Renowned for its rich flavour and tender, marbled meat, the British Shorthorn beef brisket takes ‘steak pie’ to a whole new level.
The famed, home-grown meat is cooked up with smoked bacon, rich red wine gravy and all-butter shortcrust pastry. The first pre-packed pie in Morrisons ‘The Best’ range, it’s perfect for a quick, yet luxurious dinner at home.
Morrisons was the first supermarket to launch a Shorthorn Beef brand in 2016, developing a range based around the top-quality meat which is characterised by marbling; making for great taste and tenderness. What’s more, Shorthorn farmers have excellent standards of animal welfare, traceability and nutrition to produce consistent quality.
In honour of British Pie Week, Morrisons has also revealed the most popular flavours at its Pie Counter. Top of the savoury list is Chunky Steak, closely followed by the Scotch Pie. Winner of the sweet crown was the Bramley Apple Pie.
Morrisons most popular Pie Counter pies:
1. Bramley Apple
2. Chunky Steak
3. Scotch Pie
4. Steak & Ale
5. Chicken & Gravy
Featuring in the Dine in for Two meal deal, the tasty main can be enjoyed as part of the £12 offer; a fraction of the price of other supermarkets.
Steven Halford, Pie Buyer at Morrisons comments: “We’re really passionate about pies at Morrisons and love working with quality, British producers to create our own-brand range.
“The new Shorthorn Beef Pie is a prime example of this, and with our customers clearly fans of beef-based pies we hope it proves even more popular.”
Morrisons has also introduced a range of deals on own-brand and branded pies. Offers include the Morrisons Family Pies (£2 down from £3) and Hollands Pies in selected stores only (50p down from £1.10).
Morrisons The Best Shorthorn Steak Pie is available now in stores and online for £5, or as part of the Dine in for Two meal deal (1 Main, 1 Side, 1 Dessert and 1 Drink for £12).
Sixteen frontline charities have formed a new partnership to encourage those with long-term health conditions and their carers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Sixteen charities will work together to help save lives through the vaccine roll out
Those with underlying health conditions and adult carers in cohort 6 encouraged to take up the jab
Organisations will help promote access to important advice and information on vaccines
Organisations including The British Heart Foundation, Macmillan Cancer Support and Mencap are joining with the government and NHS to promote vaccine uptake among those the charities support every day.
Since 15 February those in cohort 6 – people with certain underlying health conditions and their carers – have been receiving invites from their GP practice to come forward for life saving vaccinations to protect them from COVID-19.
Working with the government on the UK’s largest ever medical deployment, the charities will use the combined strength of their networks to reassure people with long-term health conditions about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The incredible success of our vaccination programme has only been possible by working in partnership with the NHS, health and care professionals, local partners and our volunteers.
“Having the support of the charities who work every day to support the very people we are reaching out to in cohort 6 is a great boost for the rollout which continues to show what we can achieve when we pull together as one.
“Their help, encouragement and links with communities next in line for the jab will help make sure everyone can get access to the life-saving protection the vaccine provides and help protect those with underlying conditions and their carers.”
The organisations which have signed up so far to become members of the coalition are:
African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT)
Asthma UK
British Heart Foundation
British Liver Trust
British Lung Foundation
Cancer Research UK
Carers UK
Diabetes UK
Epilepsy Action
Kidney Care UK
Lupus UK
MacMillan Cancer Support
Mencap
MS Society
Sickle Cell Society
Terrence Higgins Trust
These charities support those included in priority vaccination categories, including cohort 6 which covers individuals aged 16 to 64 with certain long-term conditions identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation as being at higher clinical risk from COVID-19.
These conditions include chronic respiratory, heart, kidney, liver disease and neurological conditions, including MS and epilepsy, vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, immunosuppression, asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen, morbid obesity, severe mental illness, as well as sickle cell, lupus and those on GP learning disability registers.
Following the government meeting its target of offering a first dose vaccine to the top four priority groups by 15 February, all those in cohort 6 are now eligible to get the jab and should be receiving their invitation for their first dose.
Minister for Vaccines, Nadhim Zahawi, said: “The vaccine is our way out of this pandemic and offers the chance to protect yourself and others – that’s why it’s vital that people get their jab when called to come forward.
“The rollout is a truly UK wide effort which is why having the support of these fantastic and trusted charities as we work to ensure everyone eligible gets their vaccine is so important.
“I would like to thank them all for backing this life-saving campaign and offering their expertise and assistance to support the largest medical deployment in British history.”
Cohort 6 also includes carers who are eligible for a carer’s allowance, or those who are the sole or primary carer of an elderly or disabled person who is at increased risk of COVID-19 mortality and therefore clinically vulnerable.
The charities will support the campaign by sharing content across their channels, including a new campaign video featuring people in cohort 6 getting their jab, and putting forward both those who represent the charities and those the charities work with to encourage others to take up the vaccine.
Chris Askew OBE, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, said: “We are incredibly proud to be working with other leading voices in the charity sector to encourage people to get their COVID-19 vaccine.
“People with diabetes have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill if they develop coronavirus.
“For people living with diabetes, the best protection against coronavirus is to get the vaccine and take whichever vaccine you are offered.”
People in group 6 who are at higher clinical risk from coronavirus and have not already been contacted will be invited for a vaccine by their local GP team.
Co-Founder and Chief Executive of ACLT, Orin Lewis, said: “The ACLT feels compelled to ensure we do all we can to guarantee any decisions made regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, is done with knowledge of the verified facts and the science behind the vaccine.
“Far too many lives have already been lost, however now there is a real opportunity for positive change especially on behalf of patients with immunosuppression systems linked to stem cell, blood and organ related disorders.
“We feel extremely passionately people should seriously consider protecting themselves, their loved ones and society at large.
When they do make that decision, they need to ensure it’s an informed one based upon verified facts and not myths, fears and taboos.”
Sixteen charities have already joined the campaign and more are welcome to help boost the vaccine drive and save lives.
Radical changes need to be made to the planning and recruitment of social care workers in Edinburgh to offset an impending care crisis.
With the role and value of social care at unprecedented levels owing to the pandemic, Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership [HSCP] is being urged to look at digital workforce mapping technology to support the care of the region’s most vulnerable citizens.
The call is being made by innovative care workforce specialist Netli who has developed a range of solutions – working in consultation with multiple industry organisations – to resolve the serious challenges faced in Edinburgh.
Netli has provided Edinburgh HSCP with a detailed proposal offering to support the provision of local care services and is seeking talks with senior officers and department heads to outline the plan in more detail.
The move follows a call in an Independent Review for a National Care Service to be formed, which also underlined the importance of better workforce planning and development to reduce the impact of ever-worsening recruitment and retention problems.
It is estimated that 36,000 people in Scotland do not have access to the care they need. Care UK estimates over 1.4 million people across the UK currently have unmet care needs, with delayed discharges due to the lack of social care costing the NHS more than £500 every minute.
Stephen Wilson, CEO and co-founder of Netli, said that as the sector is not growing fast enough – due to inherent difficulties with recruiting and retaining staff – it is unable to keep up with the increasing demand for care services caused by an ageing population. A care crisis is not just looming, but is happening right now.
Stephen said: “People are already being denied vital care – but that position is only going to get worse if we don’t change the failed ways of the past and look to digital technology to sort out this workforce problem.”
Netli’s solution involves collating workforce data from care providers and making this available to HSCPs like Edinburgh HSCP in real-time. This would offer detailed information to help HSCPs with current and future workforce planning, identifying risks and threats within the industry, comparing and benchmarking against regional and national data, and identifying the necessary supports for care providers.
Stephen Wilson, CEO and co-founder of Netli, said: “Our proposal will enable HSCPs like Edinburgh HSCP, and those across the country, to gather and access valuable data which will help them to understand how to better manage the planning, recruitment and retention of social care staff.
“For example if we can monitor what impact Brexit, Covid or a closure of an individual care provider will have, it means you can react and impose a solution before serious damage is done.
“Having continual access to real-time workforce data, combined with the other integrated workforce tools we have devised, will help to attract applicants to the care sector, improve staff retention and mitigate the risk of provider failure, lost revenue and unmet needs.”
Around 206,000 people work in social care in Scotland, but the Scottish Social Services Council predicts the social care workforce must grow by 2.2% each year.
However, the sector had around 14,000 vacancies and growth has stalled at just 1.2%. It comes as the Scottish Government acknowledges that “recruitment and retention of staff working in the social services sector has long been seen as key to improving service provision, standards and outcomes”.
Stephen said: “The facts speak for themselves: we need to radically improve the way we manage and process recruitment in the social care sector.
“But, crucially, as well as the pandemic shining a new light on the importance of good social care, it has also provided a platform to showcase a career in social care like never before.
“The new respect and value that social care now has should act as a trigger to encourage people in say, retail, hospitality or travel who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic, to take up new roles in social care.
“So when the UK opens up post-Covid, social care can be a key sector to support the economic recovery of the nation. “
Netli plans to contact all HSCPs in Scotland – as well as consulting with the Scottish Government – with the aim of securing country-wide support and take-up of its services. They also want to speak to care providers who can become ambassadors to press for change with local authorities.
Stephen added: “We believe we can play a key role in helping HSCPs and Scottish Government to ensure the continuous provision of consistent and uninterrupted care in communities across the country.
“Every person employed into the care sector will positively impact the lives of at least three people in need of support. This year, Netli wants to help at least 10,000 people to gain employment in the care sector who, in turn, will support 30,000 people.
“But if we secure the wide scale take-up from local authorities, and from those in Scotland, that we are looking for, we could see 100,000 jobs being created.”
Netli’s proposal to Edinburgh HSCP – titled ‘The Continuous Provision of Consistent and Uninterrupted Care’ – consists of three integrated solutions to cover the entire lifecycle of the care workforce:
CareJob.co – a job board specific to vacancies in care, developed to increase recruitment into the sector;
Workforce – an end-to-end recruitment and HR system built specifically to speed up and improve the recruitment and retention process for care providers; and
Workforce Portal – a database of available care workers, giving care providers 24/7 access to a permanent pool of staff to reduce the risk of staff shortage.
The company, which rebranded to Netli from its previous name Novacare in preparation for its planned expansion this year, has developed its product offering over the last five years in direct response to the care industry’s demands for bespoke support and solutions.
A new initiative co-funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and supported by the New Statesman and Daily Mirror aims to increase opportunities for aspiring writers and journalists from under-represented backgrounds.
A WRITING CHANCE is a UK-wide programme, delivered by New Writing North and literature organisations nationally, with research from Northumbria University. It is looking for fresh perspectives and great stories from people whose voices have historically not been heard in publishing and the media.
Through mentoring with established writers and journalists, bursaries, insight days, broadcast and publication with by-lines, A Writing Chance seeks to prise open a persistently elitist industry to encourage access for all.
A Writing Chance is a positive intervention, designed to discover new talent, support new writers from under-represented backgrounds to break into the creative industries, and empower publishers and editors to make space for a broader range of perspectives.
Who gets to write for the British media we all read?
The media may be one of the most competitive industries to break into, but it isn’t a meritocracy. For many new writers, progress does not always correspond to their talent and those with huge potential are often held back by a range of barriers.
A London-centric industry; unpaid and low-paid internships; the casualisation of jobs; and a reliance on personal contacts make finding work in the media far more difficult for people from working-class and lower income backgrounds. What’s more, people from these backgrounds often face intersecting challenges due to historic under-representation in the media, including but not limited to ethnicity, disability, sexuality, gender identity, age and religious beliefs.
47% of authors and writers are from the most privileged social starting points, contrasting with only 10% from working-class backgrounds. Office for National Statistics’ Labour Force Survey, 2014
12.6% of those working in publishing come from working-class social origins, compared with a third of the population as a whole. Cultural Capital: Arts Graduates, Spatial Inequality, and London’s Impact on Cultural Labor Markets, 2017
Newspaper columnists, who significantly shape the national conversation, draw from a particularly small pool, with 44% attending independent school (compared with 7% of the population) and 33% coming through the independent school to Oxbridge ‘pipeline’ alone (compared with less than 1% of the population who attend Oxbridge). Sutton Trust, Elitist Britain 2019
Just 0.2% of British journalists are Black (compared to 3% of the population) and 0.4% of British journalists are Muslim (compared to nearly 5% of the population). City University, 2016
Husna Mortuza, Deputy Director of Advocacy and Public Engagement, Joseph Rowntree Foundation said:“We are delighted to support ‘A Writing Chance’. This powerful project will bring new voices to the public, and address inclusivity in our media and publishing industries head on.
“Far too often, talented storytellers from working-class backgrounds have found it difficult to break into the industry whether through lack of support, networks or space to develop their craft. This project aims to better understand the many barriers that budding writers from under-represented groups face, and to create opportunities for more non-fiction and creative writers to be part of the industry.
“Hearing a diverse range of voices from across society matters, and both writers and readers will benefit from a widening of the lens. I look forward to reading some new work and fresh perspectives on the year we’ve just lived: Life in 2020-2021.”
Alison Phillips, Editor-in-Chief of the Mirror, said:“At the Mirror we understand the power of having a voice and holding people accountable.
“Ensuring that everyone has access to that power will only make the national conversation that much more interesting and effective. I can’t wait to see the new talent this project uncovers.”
Jason Cowley, Editor of the New Statesman, said:“For too long the world of journalism has favoured a privileged minority. The New Statesman, which thrives on discovering new voices, is delighted to lend its support to this vital scheme to redress the balance.”
A Writing Chance is now open for application until 26 March 2021. A group of ten new and aspiring writers of journalism, fiction and creative non-fiction will be selected for the programme, which includes the opportunity to have work published in the New Statesman or Daily Mirror (in print or online), or broadcast as part of a new podcast series.
The City of Edinburgh Council and Corstorphine Cougars RFC is celebrating a £50,000.00 funding boost from SUEZ Communities Trust and the FCC Communities Foundation for a rugby pitch drainage project at Union Park.
Corstorphine Cougars Rugby Club lease two rugby pitches from the City of Edinburgh Council at Union Park in Carrick Knowe.
One of the pitches is floodlit to facilitate evening training sessions. The growth in playing numbers in recent years has meant that the pitch is regularly in demand 7 days a week.
The club’s success, notably in recruiting primary and secondary schoolchildren (girls and boys) and senior women players, has been undermined by poor drainage effectively making it unusable for long periods during the winter months.
This funding will enable the installation of an environmentally sustainable drainage solution (SuDS) at the park. The project is planned to be completed in late March by Groundwater Dynamics using their patented EGRP technology.
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, Culture and Communities Vice Convener welcomed the news: “As a Council we are committed to promoting and supporting access to sport and physical wellbeing and this is a fantastic result for Union Park.
“I look forward to seeing work get underway to install the environmentally sustainable draining solution and seeing the pitches being enjoyed all year round.
“We will continue to work with sports clubs across the capital to look at how we can best manage facilities.”
Stewart Pilkington, Corstorphine Cougars RFC President, said: “We’ve been very successful in growing the club in the last few years.
“This project will be a game changer in improving the club’s training and playing facilities as we push forward with our development plans and continue to encourage participation in rugby in the west of Edinburgh. We are very grateful to each of the funders for their valuable contributions.”
SUEZ Communities Trust and FCC Communities Foundation each contributed £25,000 through the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund to the £65,000 project.
Funding from the City of Edinburgh Council’s North West Locality Community Grants Fund, the Scottish Rugby Union, Friends of Scottish Rugby and the rugby club itself made up the balance.
Starting a new working life and career during a global pandemic has been a huge challenge for thousands of young people across Scotland. Last August at Barratt East Scotland, four new apprentices started as part of the housebuilder’s regional 11-person brickwork team.
Alan Turnbull, 24 from Edinburgh, had previously been working as a labourer with a local contractor. After the promise of an apprenticeship fell through, Alan decided to take the leap and apply for one with Barratt. “I’m someone who wants to be proud of the work they do and be able to show something for it, so the opportunity of working for a big company like Barratt really tempted me.”
Ciaran Grieg, 17, did a multi-skills course at college and enjoyed the bricklaying aspect, so decided to look for opportunities in the construction industry. “It just happened that Barratt was building a new site across from where I stayed and were looking for bricklayers, I really lucked out. I’d also heard lots about their apprenticeship programme so decided to go for it.”
Seven months in, they’re now working at a number of Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes developments across the east of Scotland helping build a range of two, three and four-bedroom homes.
Both Alan and Ciaran were surprised about how hands-on their experience has been so far and can already see the positive impact their role has around the wider teams. Alan said: “Because I’ve done well, I’ve been able to be a lot more involved than I would have usually, that’s meant building a lot more and allowing the other tradesmen to do their tasks easier and quicker.”
Although construction has been able to continue with enhanced safety measures under government restrictions, Barratt has adapted its apprenticeship programme using tools that haven’t always been traditional in the housebuilding sector.
Ray Gibson, brickwork manager at Barratt East Scotland, looks after the apprentices in his department: “The apprentices have done really well so far despite the different circumstances.
“Because face-to-face classes in colleges are currently on hold, we’ve often adapted the way we work with them. Through a WhatsApp group, I have given them weekly challenges, where they upload pictures and short video clips of what they have been doing.
“These challenges put them in squads who then take the apprentices under their wing, giving them as much training and opportunity with practical experience as possible. Social distancing has made it difficult for the apprentices to learn from other teams, as we’ve had to place them in smaller squads. So these chat groups have worked well to bring them together and form a sense of camaraderie.”
Both Alan and Ciaran said a highlight of the job were the teams they were put in. “Although it’s been odd with social distancing and not being able to mix with the whole site, working with my team has been a highlight. We have a great laugh and it makes learning on the job a lot easier,” said Alan.
“I really enjoyed the experience of meeting new people and I’ve managed to make a fair few friends during the apprenticeship,” added Ciaran.
Different from previous years, the interview process saw each applicant in a group setting, to get a better insight on their ability to work well with others, as well as having to carry out a demonstration of their own individual skills.
“By establishing them in a squad, we hope that by the time they finish their placements they stay with Barratt. I’m pretty confident that this will be true for the apprentices in their third and fourth years and I’d like to think that those in their first years want to move into management,” said Ray.
When asked about his future plans, Ciaran said: “My aim for the next few years is to keep improving my skills and hopefully stay with Barratt.
“If I had to give one piece of advice to someone starting, it’s to go for it. It’s been great learning on the job and from people around me with years of experience. But also, don’t get too cheeky and respect your elders.”
Apprenticeships are an integral part of Barratt Homes, as they recognise the importance of developing and retaining a budding workforce, offering career opportunities in the areas that they build in, while addressing the current skills shortage.
Available to people who have just left school or college and are looking for a new challenge, apprenticeships are also open to those who have already started working towards a career in housebuilding.
Barratt East Scotland will be recruiting eight apprentices in September of this year and January 2022.
A total of 26 new starts will form part of Barratt Developments Scotland’s 2021 intake, in a number of positions across the business, from Sales and Land graduates as part of their ASPIRE Graduate Programme, to bricklayer and carpenter trade apprentices.
14 projects based in Edinburgh have received funding in the latest round of Open Fund awards from Creative Scotland.
They are among 58 projects across Scotland which are sharing over £1.6 million of National Lottery and Scottish Government funding.
These funds are supporting creative people, projects and organisations across Scotland to adapt and respond to the current changing circumstances brought about by Covid-19 and helping to sustain creative development at this challenging time.
Among the work supported in Edinburgh is Building Bridges, a major new programme from Artlink Edinburgh and the Lothians that will make connections with and for people with complex disabilities, addressing their experience of isolation and marginalisation, which has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis.
The programme will be centred on art reaching people in their homes and communities as part of newly established creative networks, with cultural productions that create exciting challenges for a diverse group of artists.
Jan-Bert van den Berg, Director, Artlink Edinburgh and the Lothians, said: “Artlink are very pleased to receive this major support from Creative Scotland at such a challenging time.
“The experience of the pandemic has had a devastating impact on people with complex disabilities and their carers. The Building Bridges programme will continue to build on the incredibly inventive work that artists have supported over the last 11 months and strengthen the growth of creative community involvement.”
Edinburgh-based Neo Productions will develop a new play with music, written by Neo Vilakazi, about black American anti-slavery hero, Frederick Douglass.
Born in 1818, Douglass became an eminent human rights leader and the first Black citizen to hold high rank in the U.S. government. To an American audience, Douglass is perhaps the most famous fugitive from slavery, but in Britain and Scotland in particular, he is less well known, despite the fact he achieved great celebrity status in the mid-19th century, including while on a two year speaking tour of Great Britain and Ireland.
Neo Vilakazisaid: “I’m delighted to be given the opportunity by Creative Scotland to bring to life the story of Frederick Douglass’ time in Scotland, at a point where Scottish history is being closely re-examined to find BAME voices that have been suppressed in the past.
“We hope that telling this story will shine a light not only on Mr Douglass’s time in Scotland but will contribute to making Scotland a much more tolerant place for all who live in it.”
Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotlandsaid: “As we face ongoing challenges resulting from Covid-19, the Open Fund supports Scotland’s arts and creative community to continue to innovate and engage with people across the country.
“These awards also help enable individual artists, creative practitioners and organisations to develop and present new work, and sustain creative development.
“Thanks to the generosity of National Lottery players, who raise £30 million for good causes across the UK every week, and funding from the Scottish Government, these awards are helping to sustain the great value that creativity brings to our lives.”
The fund has no deadlines, and full eligibility criteria and application guidance can be found on the Creative Scotland website.
Image credit: Work from the Art Games project Artlink Edinburgh and the Lothians have been running in St John’s Hospital, Livingston with artist Vanessa Lawrence and The Collective Matter range produced by KMAdotcom.
RECORD BREAKER: AUTISM INITIATIVES’ BIGGEST FUNDRAISER TO DATE
With more than 1,400 people pledging to ‘Walk for Autism’ in 2021, Autism Initiatives’ annual fundraising campaign has hit its biggest milestone in its four-year history.
Walkers across the UK and Ireland have raised a monumental £100,000 in the past five weeks, with hopes to double that amount before the challenge takes place next month.
Officially starting on March 26, walkers will undertake 10,000 steps a day for eight days, ending on World Autism Awareness Day.
Walkers can fundraise from the moment they sign up, with famous faces such as Bridgerton actor Simon Lennon and strongman competitor Tom Stoltman supporting the campaign.
Head of Enterprise at Autism Initiatives Jon Gordon said: “We were delighted to reach over 1,000 signups for our fourth annual Walk for Autism campaign but it’s the money raised that really does make a difference to the lives of so many people across the UK and Ireland.
To have exceeded our target with over £100,000 raised so far is just brilliant and we can’t thank our walkers enough for their dedication this year. It is so inspiring to see people rising to the challenge and doing something so positive in the midst of the pandemic.
“We’ve seen evidence of comradery and friendship from walkers across the UK and Ireland each with a different story to tell, and all joined by something personal that has inspired them to participate. Although we’re overwhelmed and incredibly grateful for contributions this year, we just know that there is more to be done to make the biggest impact possible when it comes to supporting autistic people.”
The campaign will officially end on World Autism Awareness Day (April 2), an internationally recognised day that occurs every year encouraging individuals and organisations to take measures to raise awareness about autism throughout the world.
Jon said: “World Autism Awareness Day is an incredibly important day to us, and to our walkers, but we aim to help raise awareness of autism and provide support where it’s needed around the clock, every day of the year.
“Money raised from the campaign will support a range of projects by Autism Initiatives which improve the quality of life of both autistic adults and children.”
Walk for Autism is a fundraising campaign led by charity Autism Initiatives Group (registered charity number 1170634) who have been working to improve the lives of autistic people and their families across the UK and Ireland for almost 50 years.
Three youths have been charged in relation to recent antisocial behaviour and damage on and around buses and trams in Edinburgh.
A 12-year-old boy and two 13-year-old boys were identified and traced by officers in the South West of the city and have been charged with a number of offences including smashing a bus window, throwing excrement at a member of staff and an offence under the Edinburgh Tram Act 2006.
These incidents took place between 5 February and 15 February in the Westside Plaza and between Edinburgh Park and Balgreen Tram Stops.
Sergeant Scott Walker from Wester Hailes Community Policing Team said: “During the past few weeks we’ve received a number of reports of antisocial behaviour at bus and tram stops as well as damage being caused to buses and trams.
“A dedicated team of officers carried out enquiries to identify those who were responsible, during which they spoke to numerous witnesses and viewed CCTV footage.
“We’re pleased to report that three youths have been charged with five offences, and so far in an effort to prevent an escalation in unacceptable and dangerous behaviour, fifteen other youths have been spoken to in the presence of a parent or carer.
“I’d like to thank the public for their help in these enquiries and continued support, and would also like to reassure the residents of Edinburgh and those who use public transport that we will continue to tackle this kind of behaviour.
“This is a city wide issue that we face and our work continues across the division with similar initiatives. Local Community Policing Teams are working hard to identify those responsible in order to educate them on the potentially dangerous consequences of their actions when targeting public transport.”
Anyone wishing to report a crime should contact officers via 101, or in an emergency and when a crime is in progress, always call 999. Alternatively a report can be made anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
