The lockdown and Covid 19 have been particularly difficult on many BAME, low income and isolated families here in Edinburgh.
In June 2020 ELREC started a food project to help bridge the gap between BAME people and food poverty and access to free food services such as food banks. This came about after ELREC was contacted by many community members asking for food support due to job losses, furlough, redundancies, and benefits income not being sufficient to live on for many families.
The work is all volunteer led and these include ELREC staff, board members and our other volunteers who give up their time to help us deliver this project. ELREC provides on average 25-30 food parcels per week.
The volunteers not only put the parcels together but also deliver them to anyone who is not able to collect for health or Covid reasons. We are working in partnership with Edinburgh Community Food and Fareshare to deliver this service for the community.
We are seeking donations to top up the food parcels with specific items such as meat.
PLEASE DONATE what you can and help us keep doing this important work for our community: https://gf.me/u/yw6r7s
As developers come forward with plans for Princes Street/Waverley Valley (Eh? Me neither, but Cllr Maureen Child explains below – Ed.), a proposal to prepare a new vision to conserve and manage change within Edinburgh’s historic townscape is to be considered.
Councillors on the Planning Committee will discuss a report on Wednesday (14 October). If the go ahead is given the ‘vision’ would also inform future development and management of the area and the quality of its public realm.
The guidance would sit in the context of the future City Plan 2030 as non-statutory planning guidance and complement the delivery of the Edinburgh City Centre Transformation programme (ECCT) and World Heritage Site Management Plan.
The vision, if approved, is to be developed over the next 12 months and would cover three strands:
The first strand (The Waverley Valley Conservation and Access Plan) would address issues such as preserving Edinburgh’s iconic skyline, impacts of climate change and ‘maximising the value of the gardens to enhance physical and mental wellbeing while ensuring the continued potential to accommodate events and activities‘.
The second strand (Princes Street Framework: Buildings and Uses) would review the blocks on Princes Street with a view to creating opportunities for investment, growth and jobs while also enhancing the overall lived environment of Princes Street and the Waverley Valley.
Finally, the third strand (Princes Street Public Realm Design Code) would seek to improve Princes Street’s public realm to create a more attractive, people friendly street environment for everyone to enjoy the unrivalled views to the Castle and Old Town, and to support retail and leisure.
Planning Convener Cllr Neil Gardiner said: An important reason why Edinburgh is recognised across the world as an outstanding city is because of the Waverley Valley between the Old and New Towns, with gardens and superb views.
“One impact of the coronavirus pandemic is that many of us are now questioning how we live, our priorities and how we’re going about our daily lives. The Waverley Valley Strategy, which is much needed regardless of the these changes is now even more important to help us shape Edinburgh’s unique city centre with its combination of beautiful built heritage and world-famous architecture.
“I would like our vision to be for a welcoming, relaxing and people-friendly environment. Through the ongoing City Centre Transformation, we’re making moves toward strengthening and enhancing these characteristics in the heart of Edinburgh.
“At the beginning of this year we also changed our supplementary planning guidance for retail in the city centre, recognising changing trends amongst shoppers and other people who spend time in the city centre. In connecting all of this together, we aim to put guidance in place to make sure we create a healthy balance of uses on Princes Street and in the Waverley Valley in the future.”
Cllr Maureen Child Vice Planning Convener said: “The Waverley Valley plays a defining role in establishing contrast between the medieval Old Town and Georgian New Town and this forms a key part of why the area is part of a World Heritage Site.
“The valley is a fantastic space and plays a huge part in for the city’s wellbeing, civic and cultural life. It has gardens, many listed buildings, scheduled monuments, art collections, exhibition spaces and cultural attractions.
“Its transport infrastructure including Waverley Station allows people from across Edinburgh and beyond to pass through and experience the city’s strong sense of identity and this something I hope the guidance will continue to preserve in the future.”
If preparation of a vision is approved next week, a further report will be brought to the Planning Committee early in 2021 ahead of a public consultation on the draft proposals, with the final strategy due by next autumn for approval.
Police continue to appeal for witnesses following a serious road crash on Pennywell Road on Wednesday (7 October).
Around 3.15pm a man and a woman were crossing the road at the zebra crossing near to the old Pennywell Arcade when they were struck by a silver Mercedes.
Emergency services attended and the 34-year-old woman was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where she is being treated for serious injuries.The 34-year-old man was also taken to hospital but did not require treatment.
Sergeant Peter Scott of Police Scotland’s Road Policing Unit said: “Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident and we are looking to speak to anyone who was in the vicinity of Pennywell Road on Wednesday afternoon around 15.15pm.
“We would appeal to anyone who witnessed what happened or observed a silver Mercedes on the road to please get in touch. We would also ask any motorists with dash-cams who were in the area to check their footage in case they have captured anything which could be of significance.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1904 of Wednesday 7 October 2020.”
A ground-breaking new collaboration will provide more educational opportunities for young people in areas of Edinburgh and Glasgow traditionally associated with social deprivation.
New learning centres will be established in Craigmillar and Govan, offering educational support to young people aged 7-18. The centres will provide after-school academic tuition, mentoring and programmes to enable young people achieve their ambitions.
The project is a collaboration between the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, in partnership with education charity IntoUniversity.
The initiative is based upon a shared concern for children growing up in poverty and a belief in the power of education to transform young people’s lives.
Working closely with local schools, colleges and other agencies, the centres will provide invaluable long-term support for young people, their education and their journey towards employment.
The centres will complement both universities’ widening participation activities, providing community-based support to young people on their doorstep.
A total of £2.7 million has been raised by the universities to fund the two centres for a pilot period of five years.
Professor Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, said: “We are proud to be part of this ambitious and important project. It is a major milestone in helping us unlock and nurture the potential of young people, regardless of their background.
“The impact will create a wider benefit not only for the individuals, but also for their families and communities, the universities or colleges they might attend, and for society as a whole.
“We are delighted that this new partnership with the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh is enabling IntoUniversity to serve young people in Scotland. The learning centres will use the power of education to lift young people out of poverty, opening up new worlds of possibility, said Dr Rachel Carr OBE, Co-Founder and CEO, IntoUniversity.
“We look forward to working in partnership with local schools, colleges, third sector organisations, businesses and councils, along with the Universities, to bring this project to fruition.”
IntoUniversity has carried out detailed feasibility work and consultation to ensure that the new centres will play a valuable role alongside other services for young people.
The centres will complement extensive work that both universities already do to widen access to higher education, by providing community-based support to young people on their doorstep. Through activities at the universities young people will develop their understanding of university life and awareness of the opportunities that higher education has to offer.
£2.7 million has been raised to fund the first two centres for a pilot period of 5 years. Further fundraising is underway to enable a third centre to open in Maryhill in Autumn next year.
Dr Rachel Carr OBE, Co-Founder and CEO IntoUniversity, said: “We are delighted that this new partnership with the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh is enabling IntoUniversity to serve young people in Scotland.
“Three new learning centres in Glasgow and Edinburgh will use the power of education to lift young people out of poverty, opening up new worlds of possibility. We look forward to working in partnership with local schools, colleges, third sector organisations, businesses and councils, along with the Universities, to bring this project to fruition.”
Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor University of Glasgow, said: “The University of Glasgow is a proudly international institution, but we have never forgotten that our first duty is to the city we serve. A key part of that is ensuring opportunities are available to talented young people across Glasgow, regardless of their background.
“For the university and the city to thrive, we need to be able to empower people across our communities to meet their full potential and this ground-breaking collaboration – delivered in partnership with the University of Edinburgh and IntoUniversity – represents the next step in realising that ambition, with the potential to transform the lives of some of our most disadvantaged young people.”
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs welcomed the initiative. He said:“This is an excellent imitative between Edinburgh and Glasgow University to improve access to higher education for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Being from a less affluent background can put up barriers for young students to go on to further education and I am pleased that this partnership is looking to even the scales.
“The grading fiasco last academic year, where pupils from less affluent backgrounds were marked down by a greater extent than pupils form more affluent backgrounds, highlights the need to improve access to higher education.
“I fully support this new partnership between Edinburgh and Glasgow University, and will support it in whatever way I can.”
Police are appealing for information after a car was found crashed in Burns Street, Leith, at around 9.25am on Friday (9 October) with the keys in the ignition and the engine still running.
The silver Vauxhall Astra had been seen earlier, around 9am, by officers on patrol in Easter Road. When they asked the driver to stop after noticing a defect on the vehicle, it did not and they followed it along Restalrig Road towards the junction with East Hermitage Place where it accelerated away.
Around 9.25am, the same officers came across the same Vauxhall Astra which had collided with the drainpipe of a building in Burns Street. They searched the area but there was no trace of the driver.
Sergeant Jill Kirkpatrick, of the Road Policing Unit based in Edinburgh, said: “We are appealing for anyone walking or driving in the Leith area at the time who may have seen this car being driven, possibly at speed, to get in touch.
“The car may have been driven along a number of streets between Easter Road and Burns Street. These include Brunswick Road, Leith Links, Albion Road, Albion Place, Hawkhill Avenue, Lochend Road, Sleigh Drive, Lochend Drive and Restalrig Road.
“In particular, anyone with dash-cam footage that may show the car is asked to contact us. If you can help please call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0724 of 9 October, 2020, or make a call anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
AS coronavirus restrictions tighten, charity Children 1st is making sure that parents and carers can always get the support they need through their Parentline service.
Children 1st Parentline helps families with emotional, financial and practical support, over the phone and online. Throughout the pandemic Children 1st have helped families come together, deal with stress and cope through the continued changes to everyday life.
Families can also be put in touch with Children 1st Money Advisors, who help parents and carers deal with money worries and take control of their finances.
Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive, Children 1st said: “Parents and carers are telling us that they feel like they’re at the end of their tether. After so long living with restrictions, they’re exhausted. Many families are struggling to make ends meet and are looking for support to keep the lights on and put food on the table.
“We want families to know they don’t need to go through this alone. Children 1st Parentline is here. Our staff and volunteers give confidential, non-judgemental support over the phone or online. You can call free on 08000 28 22 33 or start a webchat at children1st.org.uk/parentline”
One parent who reached out to Parentline said: “I would have been in a totally different place if it hadn’t been for these conversations.
“No one seems to be there to support the people who are supporting the children. I was really struggling. It’s fine talking to friends and family, but they aren’t in your shoes.”
Another parent said: “It feels really good just to be heard and not feel judged.”
Children 1st Parentline is open seven days a week, from 9am-9pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 12 midday Saturday and Sunday.
If your family are struggling get in touch by calling free on 08000 28 22 33 or visit children1st.org.uk/parentline to start a webchat.
Star studded line-up includes Love Island’s Dani Dyer, presenter Nadia Sawalha and foodie blogger Katie Pix
Some of Britain’s best celebrity cooks and TV personalities are set to take part in an online festival to encourage the nation to fall in love with seafood.
Launching on 12 October, the week-long festival called the Love Seafood Social, will feature household names including Love Island’s Dani Dyer and Celebrity MasterChef winners Nadia Sawalha and John Partridge.
Hosted by Love Seafood, the new consumer brand from Seafish – the public body supporting the UK seafood industry, the festival is designed to get more people in the UK eating seafood.
Focused around a programme of cook-alongs and seafood “how to’s,” the festival aims to remove the barriers that prevent people from buying and cooking seafood at home, making it simple and accessible for everyone to enjoy.
As part of the programme, TV personality Dani Dyer, will be following the humble fish fillet from sea to plate, chatting to the passionate people working behind the scenes at Osbourne Bros in Leigh-On-Sea.
There will also be various opportunities to cook-along live with well-loved names including Celebrity MasterChef winners, Nadia Sawalha and EastEnders’ John Partridge, as well as Instagram foodie Katie Pix and food blogger At Dad’s Table .
To kick-off the Love Seafood Social, Nadia Sawalha will host the first of five cook-alongs on Monday 12 October.
Since winning Celebrity Masterchef in 2007, Nadia has become recognised for her talents in the kitchen, releasing two best-selling cookbooks. A champion for fresh fish and delicious family-friendly meals, Nadia will demonstrate one of her go-to seafood dishes for feeding her family of four.
She said: “We love Seafood in my house and I can’t wait to show you lucky lot my favourite go to recipe! My husband loves, loves, loves fish but before I met him I hardly ever ate it. Over the years I’ve grown to love fish too and now cook it at least twice a week.
“I love how versatile and quick to cook it is and I’m chuffed to bits to be part of this campaign to get more people to experience the joys of seafood in the way me and my family do!”
Rounding off the week’s activities on Friday 16 October, Dani Dyer said: “I absolutely love eating seafood but it’s hard to know where to start when there are so many different types! I can’t wait to learn more about how our delicious seafood gets to our plates and take people on that journey with me.
“Hopefully I’ll pick up some top tips along the way for cooking seafood at home. With starting my own family, it’s never been a better time for me to learn more about the food we eat.”
Eastenders’ John Partridge is also part of the star-studded line-up and will be showing off his fish pie recipe from his debut cookbook ‘There’s No Place Like Home’ on Wednesday 14 September.
John said: “I’ve always found seafood such a comforting food and nothing gives you a warm hug quite like a classic British fish pie. I’m all about enjoyable cooking and delicious food and I always find myself turning to seafood when I want to make something simple and tasty.
“My fish pie is the perfect family meal, I like to serve it straight out the oven in the middle of the table with a serving spoon and let the food speak for itself!”
Food broadcasters and experts are also taking part in the festivities, with Nigel Barden and CJ Jackson demonstrating simple, but delicious seafood recipes to feed the whole family. The Cod’s Scallops, the UK’s number one fish and chip shop, also feature, demonstrating how people can cook the nation’s favourite takeaway at home.
Greg Smith, Head of Marketing at Seafish, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have support from Dani, Nadia, John and everyone else who is taking part in the Love Seafood Social.
“As an island nation, we have a deep relationship with the sea around us, but in recent years, our eating habits have sometimes overlooked the wonderful variety of seafood available in Britain. Love Seafood aims to turn the tide on that pattern with the support of our wonderful celebrity cooks, chefs, influencers and amazing seafood businesses.”
Love Seafood will replace the popular Fish is the Dish brand but will continue to offer recipes inspiration and nutritional information.
An invitation from the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to take part in a consultation on MPs’ pay:
Today IPSA is publishing a consultation on how MPs’ pay should be updated.
IPSA have a statutory duty under the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009 to review MPs’ pay in the first year of each parliament. We decided after consulting in 2012, 2013 and 2015 that the best way to update MPs’ pay periodically was to link it to a transparent, external benchmark, and that the most appropriate benchmark was a measure of earnings.
This consultation proposes to retain that approach, using the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Average Weekly Earnings figure reflecting changes in public sector earnings for the period ahead.
Richard Lloyd, IPSA’s Interim Chair, said: “IPSA is responsible for setting MP’s pay and pensions. We act independently of parliament and have a statutory duty to review MPs’ pay in the first year of each parliament.
“We carried out a major review of MPs’ pay with consultations in 2012, 2013 and 2015, and technical adjustments in 2018. Given the huge economic uncertainties arising from the coronavirus pandemic, we do not think it is right to depart from this approach now.”
The consultation will close on 6 November 2020 and we expect to make a decision in December 2020.
To take part in the consultation please click the links below.
– Online event hosted by Greenpeace Edinburgh Local Group –
TUESDAY 13 OCTOBER at 7pm online
Transport accounts for around one third of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, with the vast majority coming from road transport – cars, vans and HGVs.
For the UK to achieve its 2050 target net zero target, we need a transport revolution in the UK – replacing petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans with electric vehicles accompanied by massive investment in walking, cycling and public transport.
We are pleased to welcome David Somervell from Transition Edinburgh and Suzanne Forup (Head of Development for Cycling UK in Scotland), to talk about the current situation and the future of transport in Edinburgh. Our special guest, Ian Murray (MP for Edinburgh South) will also be in attendance and present at the event.
Coronavirus has majorly impacted on the way we get about. Some key upcoming decisions by the Government will have long-lasting effects on the future of transport in Edinburgh.
This event will be a chance to learn about current transport campaigns in Edinburgh, how this maps against the national context, and how to take action to help achieve a sustainable transport future in the UK.
Agenda:
5 mins Hello and welcome
10 mins Greenpeace Speaker presentation on the national transport context
10 mins Presentation by David Somervell from Transition Edinburgh
10 mins Presentation by Suzane Forup from Cycling UK
10 mins Presentation by Ian Murray (Labour MP for Edinburgh South)
– Number rises to 92 per cent for people aged 20-29 –
– Highest level of medication for mental health dispensed in June –
The UK’s biggest online pharmacy has revealed a 61 per cent rise in the number of NHS prescriptions it has dispensed for medication intended to treat mental health conditions since lockdown began. This number is produced when comparing repeat prescriptions dispensed from March to July 2020 with the same period last year.
The data comes as Pharmacy2U reveals the latest trends in its dispensing data, focusing on prescriptions for mental health conditions.
It also reveals that the highest level of items dispensed came three months into lockdown, with week commencing 1st June seeing over 185,000 medicines delivered to people’s homes as lockdown measures began to ease.
There was a 92 per cent increase in mental health medication dispensed to 20-29 year-olds between March – July this year compared with 2019, followed by a 70 per cent increase to those aged 70-79.
In its role as a national provider of vital NHS services, Pharmacy2U monitors trends and works with the NHS and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in the interests of improving NHS provision, reducing medicines waste, and supporting the appropriate prescribing and dispensing of medications across the country.
Since the beginning of March, the South West saw the highest percentage increase (90 per cent) for items intended for mental health issues compared with last year, followed by the South East (67 per cent increase) and the East of England (59 per cent increase). Greater London saw orders up 54 per cent on the same period in 2019.
Data from Pharmacy2U revealed that it has dispensed over 4.6 million items of medication and saved over 2 Million trips outside for potentially vulnerable people since March, helping hundreds of thousands of people get vital medicines and helping to ease the strain on the NHS and frontline services.
Phil Day, Superintendent Pharmacist at Pharmacy2U comments: “The last few months have been unlike anything we’ve ever experienced in our lifetime, and it has been particularly challenging and worrying for the most vulnerable who still need access to their repeat medicines to manage ongoing conditions.
“With the prescribing of mental health medications under the microscope at a national level, our responsibility to patients and the NHS is at the heart of all we do. All medication we dispense is requested by the patient and approved by the patients’ GP, who we work with closely to identify any over or under prescribing.
“This helps our patients keep the right amount of medication for their needs, and improves their adherence to their courses of treatment, whilst also preventing over-prescribing and the associated increased costs to the NHS.
“Our state-of-the-art dispensing facility uses the latest technology and industry leading clinical accuracy measures, to help hundreds of thousands of people in need get their medicines safely and, in some part, ease the strain on our partners and friends in the NHS and frontline services.”
