Schools Out for Summer with Forth 1

Forth 1 DJs, Callum Gallacher and Boogie, are celebrating the end of what has been an unusual school term with the ultimate Schools Out for Summer parties.

There’s no doubt that the Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we learn, work and socialise, but the Forth 1 DJs are refusing to let it change the way we see in the school summer holidays while raising funds for Cash for Kids.

Pupils and listeners across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk will be treated to playlists curated especially by DJ Callum Gallacher and Boogie In the Morning DJ, Boogie, to get the summer vibes started as schools across Scotland break up for the end of term.

Last night, with so many young people across the country unable to mark the occasion with friends and teachers, pupils had the chance to join Callum Gallacher’s Summer Prom – and the partying continues today with Boogie’s Summer Party via Facebook Live from 3pm.

Listeners are encouraged to tune in to the special shows to hear their favourite summer tunes and the biggest hits, while at the same time having the chance to give shout outs to their friends, school mates and teachers. There will also be an opportunity to donate to Cash For Kids.

Callum Gallacher hosted a School Prom with guest mixes from Friday night GBXperience DJ, George Bowie and Saturday Night Anthems presenter, Garry Spence, from 7pm, for pupils across the country who are finishing up for the summer with no school prom.

Photograph by Martin Shields Tel 07572 457000 www.martinshields.com © Martin Shields

Callum said: “It’s particularly hard for pupils who are finishing up their school careers, knowing that it’s unlikely they’ll have the chance to say a proper goodbye at the end of this very unusual school term.

“There’ll be no shirt signing, no ties on heads, no school prom – we feel for them – so we want to make sure we give them a great night.”

Following the School Prom, listeners can join Boogie on Facebook Live from 3pm today. Boogie In The Morning presenter, Boogie, said: “The last day of school was always the most fun, so we want to make sure pupils across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk aren’t missing out.

“There’s no denying that lockdown has been tough for many young people and at Forth 1 we are trying to bring some sense of normality to our listeners with music, a laugh and a fair bit of daftness! I’m really looking forward to this continuing with our end of term Summer Party!” 

Join Boogie from 3pm on Facebook Live today. Get in touch with  via the Forth 1 Facebook page with your song requests and shout outs to your friends, school and teachers. Find out more about the Schools Out For Summer party here.

Listen to Forth 1 on FM, DAB radio, online, via our app & on your Smart Speaker.

All donations to the Cash for Kids Appeal welcome. Text FORTH TO 70905 or donate online at https://planetradio.co.uk/forth/cashforkids/.

100% of donations will go to help vulnerable and disadvantaged children across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk.

Concerns over playpark openings

Jon Dalton, Board Member of the The Register of Play Inspectors International (RPII), said: “While we are pleased that the Scottish Government have announced the date for the re-opening of outdoor playgrounds in Scotland on Monday (29th June), we are aware that some owners and operators of playground facilities have halted safety inspections of playgrounds altogether during the lockdown period.

“The Register of Play Inspectors International (RPII) is calling for all playground owners in Scotland to make sure they have carried out an in-depth inspection prior to the re-opening of any facility and ensure that all inspection schedules are brought fully up to date.

“The RPII is expecting playgrounds to be very heavily used during the Scottish summer holidays and the eagerness of the public to start using them again, so it is vital that playgrounds are thoroughly inspected to ensure a satisfactory level of safety is in place.

“Owners and operators of playground facilities also have a responsibility to open playgrounds safely and remove any temporary barriers that may have been put up during lockdown which may also be hazardous.”

The RPII is providing the following guidance for families that plan to visit a playground safely:

1.     If the playground facility you visit has not yet officially been opened, please do not attempt to use, or access the equipment or area.

2.     Do not remove any temporary barriers to the playground or plastic fencing or unravel any swing seats or cables that may have been secured to put them out of use – this must be done safely by the owner or operator of the facility.

3.     Follow the current social distance guidelines when visiting and encourage your children to do the same.

4.     If the playground is busy, consider coming back at a later time. Talk to your children about this possibility before visiting.

5.     Wash your and your children’s  hands before and after visiting. Take hand sanitiser with you and consider taking a bottle of water for if your children’s hands get covered in mud. Ensure your children are using hand sanitiser frequently.

6.     Follow and adhere to all current government advice in addition to the above guidance.

Keep Scotland Beautiful launches new online summer education programme

Environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful, launches new online summer education programme.

Ten brand new interactive online learning courses will be available for young people across Scotland during the month of July. These exciting new online learning programmes have been developed to provide a fun and enjoyable way for young people to continue their environmental learning during the summer holidays.

The courses cover a range of topics and environmental activities which encourage young people and families to explore the world around them and to think how to protect and improve the places they love. Included are courses on Eco-Schools, heritage, food and the environment and climate change, as well as other environmental topics.

Each course consists of a combination of online learning and practical, fun activities, and all those who complete a course will be rewarded with a certificate of involvement.

Registration is now open for each course and the full list, more information and details about how to take part, can be found at: https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/learning

Daniel Barrie, Education and Learning Manager, said: “Following the huge demand for our online environmental education programme during lockdown from both educators and young people, we have developed a series of exciting and interactive courses for children to take part in during the summer holidays.

“These courses will provide a fun and engaging way for young people and their families to explore some important environmental issues, such as climate change and sustainable food, and the work completed can contribute towards their school’s next Eco-Schools Green Flag award. We have something exciting available for all ages – from nursery through to S6.”

As well as the online summer courses, Keep Scotland Beautiful will also be providing environmental education support to educators once blended learning begins in August. This will build on the existing partnership with E-Sgoil and will include a range of online learning activities for pupils coupled with professional learning for staff.

Covers Come Off Face Mask Success Story

A business started by a stay-at-home Edinburgh dad is set to establish itself as the UK’s premier supplier of face masks – as well supporting NHS charities and the community through a unique give-back initiative.

In just three weeks, Screen & Shield has had more than 600 orders from individuals, businesses and community groups from around the UK and a new supply of 10,000 custom #sasMASKs is being produced to keep up with demand.

Hass Peymani set up Screen & Shield after becoming alarmed at the poor quality and unavailability of face masks for his family as he faced lockdown with a pregnant wife and his dad in a high-risk category.

Hass, who had previously set up a hugely successful global video business that saw him work with likes of football icon Neymar and pop superstar Katie Perry, spent 10 weeks exhaustively researching the market before launching his #sasMASK brand from home, in the midst of national lockdown.    

Unlike many of the masks on the market right now, the #sasMASK is manufactured in Europe and complies with the latest material and layering guidelines for non medical-grade face coverings. 

The #sasMASK has not only been designed to be washable, comfortable and affordable, but also comes in more than 30 designs; with this range due to double in size in the coming weeks.              

And, with the wearing of face masks now compulsory on public transport in Scotland, Screen & Shield is expecting orders to continue to surge.

Hass, 40, said: “I am totally confident our business supplies the best face mask for public use in the UK.

“Not only are they high quality, three-layered and affordable, but as the wearing of masks becomes commonplace, the range of designs allows people to make a choice that matches their own individuality.

“But a fundamental aim of the #sasMASK brand was to create a business model that also benefited charities that support frontline workers and community groups. It seemed to me that – in a health crisis – anyone who was selling masks should be giving back to the community, and especially to those hardest hit.

“I set up Screen & Shield so that 10% of all online sales go to NHS-related charities. But any participating community groups/charities/influencers buying masks for their network also receive 10% of the sales value – as well as their members also receiving a 10% discount. No one else has offered a scheme to support communities like this.        

“Along with local and national charities, we’ve had the likes of a cheerleading squad, a group of redundant BA staff, a nursery group and a community centre in Somerset all sign up to our community programme. They understand their community will likely buy face masks at some point, so by working with us they get excellent quality masks at a discounted price and can also generate funds to put back into their community.

“As we continue to grow the company, I want to generate lots of money for those affected by the pandemic as well as providing a comforting level of protection at the same time.”

Screen & Shield can work flexibly with businesses of all sizes, providing small orders for the likes of cafes and shops which are set to re-open, to providing bulk orders with large firms, and offer custom branding to any and all.  Business customers can also benefit from the ‘Team Vouchers’ system, which provides      pre-paid voucher codes so staff can choose their own designs.

Hass had been looking after his four-year-old son Otto as a stay-at-home dad and living with his parents while his home in Musselburgh was being renovated when lockdown kicked in.

He added: “During week one of lockdown, we discussed as a family if we needed to wear face masks. With my dad in a high-risk category and my wife Louise pregnant, we decided we did. I started shopping for good-quality masks that didn’t compromise the medical PPE supply chain. However, this turned out to be much trickier than I had expected.

“The face masks available at that time seemed to be distributed by untrustworthy-looking websites, looked to be of poor quality, took weeks – if not months – to arrive and were extortionately priced.

“I realised that I couldn’t be the only person facing this problem, so I decided to stop moaning and take action – and from their #sasMASK was born.”

Screen & Shield is largely operating as an e-commerce business, using its website https://screenandshield.co.uk/ and social media to drive awareness and sales, particularly facebook.com/screenandshield/. From its fledgling start, the business is already approaching 1,000     Followers/Likes and 13,000 people have viewed its launch video.

Hass, who was exploring his next business venture when Coronavirus struck, had previously co-founded Volcano City, which provided video production, live streams and platform infrastructure for clients across Europe, Asia and Latin America. The businesses became one of Europe’s leading poker live streaming companies, which led to Hass interviewing a range of celebrities such as Neymar, Boris Becker and Rafa Nadal.

For more information on Screen & Shield – go to: https://screenandshield.co.uk/

More funding for councils

Almost £258 million of additional funding for vital local services, such as food provision for those in need, education and social care, has been approved by the Scottish Parliament.

The provision of a further £72 million is being agreed with COSLA and will be subject to Parliamentary approval in due course. This will bring the total additional funding provided to help Scotland’s local authorities combat coronavirus (COVID-19) to almost £330 million.

This extra funding is on top of the local government finance settlement of £11.4 billion, which already provided an increase of £589.4 million (5.8%) compared to the previous year.

To prevent local authorities experiencing cash flow problems the Scottish Government is providing £455 million in weekly advanced payments to councils until Parliamentary approval is secured. Councils received an additional £150 million in May, £255 million in June, and will receive £50 million in July.

Public Finance Minister Ben Macpherson said: “We have taken exceptional measures in every area of government as we deal with the challenges of COVID-19 – and that is particularly clear in our support for local services.

“To date, Scotland’s councils have received £405 million in advanced payments this financial year, and by the end of July this will have risen to £455 million.

“The Scottish Government has also relaxed current guidance on some of the education grants to allow additional resource to be diverted to the COVID-19 response.

“We will continue to work with COSLA and local authorities, as well as pressing the UK Government for urgent additional funding and flexibility for our partners in local government.”

Salt water solution to reduce coronavirus progression?

A simple salt water solution may help to reduce the early symptoms and progression of Covid-19, University of Edinburgh research suggests.

This new study builds on a trial, published in 2019, designed to identify a low cost and easily accessible intervention against the common cold.

It found that participants who gargled and cleared their nose with a salt water solution reported fewer coughs and less congestion. Gargling also cut the length of their cold by almost two days.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh say the sea salt may work by boosting cells’ antiviral defence that kicks in when they are affected by a cold.

The team has re-examined the data and discovered the same benefits were also experienced by those participants who were infected with one of the four common coronaviruses known to cause colds.

Researchers now aim to investigate whether the same solution will benefit those who are experiencing symptoms of the new strain of coronavirus, which causes Covid-19.

The study is recruiting adults in Scotland with Covid-19 symptoms or a confirmed case of Covid-19. Those who join the trial will be asked to follow government advice on hygiene and self-isolation, with one group asked to gargle and clear their nose with salt water.

The study is funded by BREATHE – the Health Data Research Hub for Respiratory Health.

The original pilot study – known as the Edinburgh and Lothians Viral Intervention Study, or ELVIS – recruited healthy adults within two days of them contracting an upper respiratory tract infection – commonly known as a cold.

The participants were divided into two groups with one group asked to gargle and rinse their nasal passages with a salt solution as they felt necessary. The other group dealt with the cold the way they normally would do.

All participants kept a diary of their symptoms for up to two weeks. Self-collected swabs were also tested to measure the amount of cold virus in their nose.

Those who did nasal irrigation and gargling with the salty solution had a shorter cold, were less likely to pass it on to their family, had faster viral clearance and were less likely to use medicines from a pharmacy.

Professor Aziz Sheikh, Director of the University’s Usher Institute, said: “We are now moving to trial our salt water intervention in those with suspected or confirmed Covid-19, and hope it will prove to be a useful measure to reduce the impact and spread of the infection.

“It only requires salt, water and some understanding of procedure, so should, if found to be effective, be easy – and inexpensive – to implement widely.”

To find out more about the study and to take part, please go to https://www.ed.ac.uk/usher/elvis-covid-19.