PM Boris Johnson’s latest statement

Good afternoon everyone

Thank you for coming, and thank you to Robert Jenrick, the Communities Secretary, and Dr Jenny Harries, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer.

I want again to thank everyone in the country today for the huge effort that we are collectively making.

I want to thank the amazing workers in the NHS, everybody working in social care, in every sector, in food distribution, transport, you name it – absolutely everyone who is keeping this country going today.

And I want to thank everyone who is being forced to do something differently today.

Everyone who didn’t visit their mum for Mother’s Day but Facetimed them, Skyped them, rang them instead.

Thank you for your restraint and for what you did.

Everyone who was forced to close a pub or a restaurant or a gym or any other business that could have done fantastic businesses on a great day like this.

Thank you for your sacrifice, I know how tough it must be.

And I can tell you again that this government will be standing behind you – behind British business, behind British workers, employees, self-employed – throughout this crisis.

And the reason we are taking these unprecedented steps to prop up businesses, support businesses and support our economy and these preventative measures is because we have to slow the spread of the disease and to save thousands of lives.

Today we have come to the stage of our plan that I advertised at the outset, when we first set out the plan of the UK government.

When we have to take special steps to protect the particularly vulnerable.

I said the moment would come where we needed to shield those with serious conditions. There are probably about 1.5 million in all.

And in a minute Robert Jenrick will set out the plan in detail.

But this shielding will do more than any other single measure that we are setting out to save life. That is what we want to do.

Also to reduce infection and to slow the spread of the disease.

We have to do more to make sure that the existing measures that we are taking are having the effect that we want.

So it is crucial that people understand tomorrow that the schools are closed.

And tomorrow you should not send your child to school unless you have been identified as a key worker.

And more generally in the view of the way people have responded over the last few days to the measures we have set out I want to say a bit more about how we interact outdoors.

Of course I want people to be able to go to the parks and open spaces and to enjoy themselves – it is crucial for health and mental and physical wellbeing.

But please follow the advice and don’t think that fresh air in itself automatically provides some immunity.

You have to stay two metres apart; you have to follow the social distancing advice.

And even if you think you are personally invulnerable, there are plenty of people you can infect and whose lives will then be put at risk.

And I say this now – on Sunday evening – take this advice seriously, follow it, because it is absolutely crucial.

And as I have said throughout this process we will keep the implementation of these measures under constant review and, yes of course, we will bring forward further measures if we think that is necessary.

Always remember that in following this advice- and I know how difficult that is – that each and every one of us.

You are doing your bit in following this advice to slow the spread of this disease.

The more we collectively slow the spread, the more time we give the NHS to prepare, the more lives we will save, the faster we will get through this.

And always remember – we will get through this, and we will beat it together.

Earlier yesterday, Boris Johnson told the nation:

Today is Mother’s Day. It is a day when we celebrate the sacrifice and the effort of those who gave us life, and across the country I know that millions of people will have been preparing to do something special; not just a card, not just flowers. I know that everyone’s strongest instinct is to go and see their mothers in person, to have a meal together, to show them how much you love them.

But I am afraid that this Mothering Sunday the single best present that we can give – we who owe our mothers so much – is to spare them the risk of catching a very dangerous disease.

The sad news is that means staying away. This time the best thing is to ring her, video call her, Skype her, but to avoid any unnecessary physical contact or proximity. And why? Because if your mother is elderly or vulnerable, then I am afraid all the statistics show that she is much more likely to die from coronavirus, or Covid-19. We cannot disguise or sugar coat the threat.

The numbers are very stark, and they are accelerating. We are only a matter of weeks – two or three – behind Italy. The Italians have a superb health care system. And yet their doctors and nurses have been completely overwhelmed by the demand.

The Italian death toll is already in the thousands and climbing.

Unless we act together, unless we make the heroic and collective national effort to slow the spread – then it is all too likely that our own NHS will be similarly overwhelmed. That is why this country has taken the steps that it has, in imposing restrictions never seen before either in peace or war.

We have closed the schools, the pubs, the bars, the restaurants, the gyms, and we are asking people to stay and work at home if they possibly can. In order to help businesses and workers through the crisis, we have come up with unprecedented packages of support.

All of this is putting our country, and our society, under enormous strain. But already this crisis is also bringing out the best in us all – in the army of volunteers that has sprung up to help the vulnerable, in the millions of acts of kindness; in the work of all the people who are continuing to provide essential services, from transport workers to supermarket staff to health and social care workers.

Yes, this disease is forcing us apart – at least physically. But this epidemic is also the crucible in which we are already forging new bonds of togetherness and altruism and sharing.

This country will be changed by coronavirus, but there is every reason to think we will come through it stronger and better than ever before.

And the more effectively we follow the medical advice, the faster we will bounce back to health – medically and economically.

So this Mothering Sunday let’s all do everything we can to show our respect and love to those who gave us life – and minimise the risk to their own lives. Bit by bit, day by day, we are all helping to delay the spread of the disease, and to give our amazing NHS staff the time to prepare for the peak. So let’s follow the advice, stay home this Mothering Sunday. Send her your love by phone or skype.

Let’s stay at home, protect our NHS, and together we will save literally thousands of lives.

Parent Club support for parents and families

Advice for parents and carers on managing the impact of Covid-19 on their child’s learning and family life is now available.

Following school closures, a new hub of information has been created on parentclub.scot covering health information, advice on how to talk about Covid-19 and ideas on helping children through this time.

In addition; councils and headteachers can also advise parents and carers on the continued provision of education and childcare for key workers.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “This is the biggest challenge of our lives and my priority is to ensure the health and wellbeing of children and young people, and as far as possible, to minimise disruption to learning.

“My message for parents and carers is clear – you are not alone and we are here to help you. We do not expect you to be teachers or set up a classroom, but there are ways you can support your child or children at home which will help their continued wellbeing and learning.

“Our Parent Club website offers valuable tips for families on managing the impact of Covid-19 and ways to support children through this uncertain period.

“I would also highlight the excellent advice already provided by many organisations like Young Scot or Children 1st that talk directly to young people about their concerns.”

Morrisons introduces NHS Hour

Many NHS workers have said that they are struggling to buy the products they need at the beginning or the end of their shift, as supermarkets have seen unprecedented demand.

So we’re responding by introducing an NHS hour at all our stores at the beginning of every day, Monday to Saturday, so NHS workers can shop for groceries for themselves and their families.

This will be from 7am to 8am and a Morrisons colleague will be on the door to let staff with an NHS badge in.

Our new opening hours for all our other customers are 8am to 8pm, Monday to Saturday. On Sundays we’ll be open as usual.

We promise to play our part in feeding the nation – it’s more than our job.  

David Potts, 

Chief Executive, Morrisons

Another update from Sainbury’s

A further update from Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Mike Coupe:

We are continuing to work around the clock to feed the nation in these challenging times.

Many of you have written to me in the past 24 hours to tell me that you like the idea of priority shopping for NHS workers and for elderly and disabled customers, but that these should be at different times.

We have therefore decided to allow NHS and social care workers to shop in our supermarkets for half an hour before they open each day. So anyone with NHS ID will be able to shop from 07.30-08.00 every day from Monday to Saturday.

We’re delighted to be able to offer priority shopping to all the hard-working NHS staff across the country who are working so hard to keep us all safe and well.

In addition to this, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, all our supermarkets will dedicate 08.00-09.00 to serving elderly customers, disabled customers and carers.

Many of you have also asked me about priority online delivery slots for elderly, disabled and vulnerable customers.

We have been able to identify a number of customers as elderly and vulnerable based on the information they have given us previously. These details would include date of birth and if you have ever used our vulnerable customer helpline. For all of these customers, we will email you today (Sunday) with information on when slots will become available.

If you do not receive an email and you consider yourself to be vulnerable, please visit our Groceries Online website on Monday for information on how to contact us.

We are also working as quickly as possible on an option for people to register themselves as disabled and vulnerable on their online shopping accounts.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to get in touch with me and share your feedback – it’s because of you that we are making these changes and we will continue to listen, learn and adapt during this uncertain time.

Best wishes

Mike

Update from Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Mike Coupe

I wanted to write to you again to update you on the steps we are taking to make sure everyone has access to food and essential items. I’m also sharing more information about how we are supporting our colleagues in these challenging times and how you can help.

An increasing number of you have told me that you’re not always able to get the items that you need when you need them. We are working with our suppliers to get even more stock of essential items and we are adding warehouse capacity on a daily basis.

You will have seen that we put restrictions in place this week to ensure that more products are on shelf for longer.

From Monday 23rd March, we are consolidating our opening hours and all our supermarkets will be open from 8am to 8pm, Monday-Saturday, including those with an Argos store. Sunday opening, Sainsbury’s Local and petrol station opening times will stay the same.

This means we can focus our store colleagues’ time on keeping shelves stocked and serving our customers well during the times that most of you are already shopping.

Last Thursday, we set aside an hour for elderly and vulnerable shoppers in our supermarkets. Many of you have told me how much you appreciated this and that you would like this to become a regular event. Some of you also said we should extend this to members of our hardworking NHS and Social Care workers. And we will be doing just that.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, all our supermarkets will dedicate 8am – 9am to serving elderly, disabled and vulnerable customers, as well as NHS and Social Care workers.

They will just need to show us their pass or ID when they visit. Some of you fed back that you couldn’t find what you wanted during that hour, so we will try our best to have essential items on shelf for these customers.

We will be working to keep our shelves well stocked and would encourage customers to arrive throughout the hour to prevent queues forming and to help everyone keep a safe distance.

Hundreds of you have written to me to thank our amazing colleagues who are working around the clock to serve our customers. A number of you have also shared your concerns for the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues.

I want you to know that we are doing all we can to support everyone who works in our business.

We have committed to paying all colleagues who are unwell or need to self-isolate for the full period of fourteen days. We have also committed to paying vulnerable and elderly colleagues in full if the government decides they should isolate for 12 weeks.

We hope this will go some way to helping our teams through this uncertain time and we are looking at other ways to thank our colleagues for their extraordinary efforts.

To keep our colleagues safe, I need to ask again for your help. Please do your best to stand one metre away from colleagues in our stores where you can. And we would prefer you to pay with card rather than cash at our tills.

Please also treat our colleagues and other customers with kindness and respect. These are unprecedented circumstances and our colleagues are being asked to come to work every day while so many others are being asked to stay at home.

We all need them to keep coming to work to feed the nation – a small thank you goes a really long way.

I hope you will join us in looking out for each other and the communities that we serve.

Best wishes

Mike

Dogs Trust releases Coronavirus response plans

  • Dogs Trust Glasgow and West Calder will move to appointment-only system from 5pm on Friday 20th March
  • The Uddingston and West Lothian based centres will be closed to walk-in members of the public during this time
  • Charity is no longer taking charity shop goods at rehoming centres or shops to limit unnecessary contact and will advise when receiving new stock again.

Dogs Trust in Scotland has announced temporary changes to its activities following Government advice to limit non-essential contact.  

The UK’s largest dog welfare charity, which has 20 rehoming centres across the UK, has outlined plans to protect the health and wellbeing of its staff and visitors, whilst continuing to carry out the essential work of caring for and rehoming dogs.

Dogs Trust Glasgow and West Calder will move to an appointment-only system for potential adopters from 5pm on Friday 20th March and all centres will be closed to walk-in members of the general public until further notice.

The charity will also run appointments for people who wish to give up their dog for any reason. People who have a current reservation or are due to collect their new family member will not be affected and can contact their local centre by phone if they have any questions.

The charity is also postponing all non-essential community events and has suspended Dog School training classes, including those based at the rehoming centre, for the time being. Those wishing to donate any pre-loved items to the charity are asked not to bring donations to the Glasgow or West Calder rehoming centres, or their nearest Dogs Trust charity shop in person, until further notice.

The charity’s staff will be limiting all unnecessary social interaction, practising  frequent hand washing with soap and sanitiser, and visitors will be asked to wash their hands or use hand sanitiser before and during their visit.

Catherine Gillie, Regional Manager at Dogs Trust, said: “The health and wellbeing of our staff and our local communities is of paramount importance to us. We will continue to monitor and follow advice from the Government and are doing what we can to limit non-essential travel and contact. 

“We need to continue our essential work of caring for and rehoming as many dogs as we can in a way that aims to protect everyone involved in the process. That’s why we will be closing our centres to walk-in members of the public from Saturday but continuing to offer people opportunities to adopt a dog by appointment only.

“If you feel unwell or are experiencing any symptoms, or if you or a family member are self–isolating, we ask that you please don’t attend your appointment but call us so we can work out the next steps for you.

“Everyone can keep up to date with all of our latest news via our website and social media platforms which we will keep updated regularly.”

Members of the public wishing to book an appointment can call the contact centre on 0207 837 0006.

BBC unveils children’s iPlayer experience

Families and children can now easily discover a wide range of entertaining and educational shows and films, with the launch of a new children’s experience on BBC iPlayer.

Rolling out on internet-connected TVs, it brings together the best from CBBC and CBeebies, and other suitable BBC programming, all in one place.

When selecting who’s watching iPlayer, there’s now a monster shaped ‘children’ button, which opens a treasure trove of viewing – from hit shows like Hey Duggee and Bing to David Walliams classics such as The Boy In The Dress, Gangsta Granny and Mr Stink – which return to iPlayer.

Children can easily find something to watch thanks to more ‘child-friendly’ categories, that let them pick and browse between Trending, Drama, Funny and Cartoons – as well as giving easy access to the CBeebies and CBBC channels.

The children’s experience has been designed to give confidence to parents and carers that kids are watching suitable shows – with content curated from across CBeebies, CBBC and other suitable BBC programmes and brands.

To make the service even more special, it has been given a distinctive, bright and bold design – helping children understand that this is a dedicated experience just for them.

Alice Webb, Director BBC Children’s and Education, says: “Keeping children informed, educated and entertained at home during these unprecedented times is going to be even more important than ever.

“Whether it’s being a number detective with the Numberblocks, going on a global adventure with Go Jetters, or learning about the planet’s deadliest animals with Deadly 60 – this new experience gives children of all ages a place to go to do that.

“We can’t promise solving the sibling tiffs over what to watch – but we can make it even easier to bring families and kids an incredible choice of shows and films on iPlayer. Children and parents can be assured the BBC will be for them during these challenging times.”

Dan Taylor-Watt, Director of Product, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, says: “We know more and more iPlayer viewing is happening on the biggest screen in the home.

“We’re now making that experience even better for children – so they have a safe place to enjoy their favourite shows, discover new ones – and learn more, especially at the moment. And over time, this experience will get even better, with recommendations increasingly tailored to them – making sure they get the best kids experience possible.”

Crime, justice and Covid-19

Scotland’s Lord Advocate and the Chief Constable of Police Scotland have set clear priorities for the investigation and prosecution of crime as measures to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak come in to force.

In a joint statement, Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC and Chief Constable Iain Livingstone QPM stress their commitment to keeping people safe from harm and dealing effectively with those who break the law.

To support the public health guidance new arrangements for court business are being put in place aimed at significantly reducing social contact. Justice system partners have agreed measures that ensure the prioritisation of essential casework while maintaining public safety and protecting public health.

The police will continue to deal effectively with criminality, and to report cases to the procurator fiscal in the usual way. Prosecutors will continue to process cases in accordance with the Scottish Prosecution Code. In order to minimise the need for attendance at court, steps are being taken to reduce substantially the number of trials.

There will be a focus on cases where the accused is in custody. In addition, there may be some non-custody trials where witnesses are available, with those likely to be limited to cases relating to domestic abuse, sexual offending and violence.

Steps will be taken, so far as possible, within existing rules, to minimise the need for attendance at court. In other cases, trials will be deferred until after the current situation is over.

In addition, there will be revised, rigorous guidelines, focused on public safety, for the police to apply in the liberation of an arrested person pending further investigation or action.

This situation is evolving and work is being done across the criminal justice system and Scottish Government to enable the effective administration of justice to continue.

It is appreciated that uncertainty over court proceedings can have a serious impact on those affected by crime and further information for witnesses, victims and those accused of crime is available on the COPFS website.

Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC said: “My firm commitment, now as always, is to keeping the public safe from harm and maintaining the rule of law.

“Scotland’s prosecution service is working with justice partners on a system-wide response to the challenges of the coming months which are unprecedented in modern times.

“That response will be focused on public safety and on maintaining the fair and effective administration of justice within the constraints of health guidance.

“The police and prosecutors will continue to respond effectively, robustly and fairly to criminality at all levels. We are working with the courts and with Scottish Government on a range of measures which will respond to the demands posed by the present circumstances.”

Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said: “Scotland, like the rest of the world, is dealing with unprecedented challenges and demands as we respond to the coronavirus outbreak.

“The Police Service of Scotland is working closely with the Crown Office and the wider justice system to protect people from crime and the threat of Covid-19, while also upholding people’s human rights.

“My priority is, as always, to ensure the people of Scotland are protected and policed effectively.

“Those breaking the law will be dealt with appropriately to ensure the public is kept safe from risk and harm through rigorous conditions for release and, where necessary, holding people in custody for court.

“These measures allow us to carry out our duties in the most effective way during this critical period.

“Our officers and staff are working around the clock to support the magnificent work of health professionals and, crucially, our fellow citizens as we all face the difficult days ahead together.

“I am confident that by working together we can respond to this outbreak and keep our communities safe.”

Further detailed information on this is available on the COPFS and SCTS websites.

Further information

Custody cases will continue to be called in court where there is a concern about public safety and COPFS is recommending that the accused be remanded in custody.

With the restricted courtroom activity reserved for essential trials, emphasis will be placed on judicial case management and proactive engagement between prosecution and defence agents to enable cases to be resolved, where possible, without the need for a trial and witnesses being called. Where a trial is necessary, all efforts will be made to minimise the need for attendance at court.

Cases that are already in progress will run to the conclusion of the trial, if practical to do so.

Which? calls for mandatory transfer scam protections

Which? is calling for vital fraud protections to be made mandatory, as the consumer champion reveals more than £1 BILLION is estimated to have been lost to bank transfer scams in just three years.

With measures set to come in that should significantly reduce the amount of money lost to this type of fraud, Which? is also raising concerns that some banks are not committed to introducing the protections on time, or even at all.

Which? analysed bank transfer fraud statistics since the start of 2017, a few months after it first highlighted the threat from these devastating scams with a super-complaint.

The projected total lost since then, based on current trends, now stands at a staggering £1.1 billion, according to the research.

During that period, the sums lost to this type of scam, also known as authorised push payment (APP) fraud, have risen rapidly, while the payments regulator and banks have been slow to introduce much-needed protections for consumers.

According to Which?’s projections, £97 million could have already have been lost in the first three months of this year alone.

Alarmingly, analysis suggests that almost a third of the total losses since 2017, equating to £320 million, could have been prevented if a simple system of checking names on bank transfers had been in place during that period.

This important measure – known as confirmation of payee (CoP) – is finally due to be introduced by most of the UK’s major banks by the end of March.

CoP ensures that a check is made on whether or not the name a customer enters when making a payment matches the account details it is being sent to. It helps to stop fraudsters from posing as trusted organisations such as a bank or solicitor and tricking people into making payments to them.

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has only directed the six biggest banking groups to sign up by 31st March, but Which? believes all banks must join the scheme in order for it to be effective.

The consumer champion asked all banks when they planned to introduce Confirmation of Payee.

Of the banks that have been directed to sign up, RBS Group (including Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest and Ulster Bank) and HSBC (including First Direct) were unable to confirm a specific date when asked if they would be ready by the regulator’s deadline.

On the other hand, Lloyds Banking Group is ahead of the pack, implementing CoP from 2 March 2020 for Bank of Scotland customers, before rolling it out to Halifax and Lloyds customers throughout the rest of this month.

Of the banks that haven’t been directed to sign up by the regulator, several have said that they plan to deliver the system by the end of the year.

However, Metro Bank told Which? that it has no current plans to implement CoP at all – despite this being a requirement of the voluntary industry code on APP scams launched in May 2019, which Metro Bank signed up to.

It did not elaborate on why it is does not intend to introduce CoP, but says the voluntary code gives customers significantly increased protection against authorised push payment scams.

Metro Bank said: “We take our customers’ security extremely seriously and have a range of safeguards in place to help defend them against fraud, which we constantly review and update in light of increasingly sophisticated tactics from fraudsters.

“We have no plans to implement Confirmation of Payee currently, but can reassure our customers that they will continue to be protected. Metro Bank is a voluntary signatory of the Contingent Reimbursement Model Code, giving customers significantly increased protection against authorised push payment scams.”

Amid concerning reports of banks failing to follow the code’s rules around reimbursing blameless APP scam victims, Which? is concerned that a voluntary approach to ensuring victims are treated fairly is no longer viable.

The next set of UK Finance figures on bank transfer scams is due for release in the coming days. It should show an increase in the amount of money being reimbursed to victims of bank transfer fraud, as banks signed up to the code begin implementing the greater protections it offers.

Which? believes the code and CoP should be made mandatory and that the government must consider directing the PSR to ensure all banks are signed up. The consumer champion is also encouraging all consumers to put pressure on their bank to sign up to both the code and CoP.

Gareth Shaw, Head of Money at Which?, said: “The UK has been in the grip of a fraud crisis for years, but new security measures offered by the banking industry should finally give people better protection against increasingly sophisticated fraudsters.

“At the end of this month, we should get a true sense of how well the industry is tackling the issue. It is vital for all banks to commit to basic name-check security, and the whole industry should sign up and follow through on the protections offered by the scams code.

“If the banks fall short of making these commitments themselves, these initiatives must be made mandatory by the government.”

A message from STV

People and businesses across the country are now profoundly impacted by the coronavirus and we recognise the vital role that public service broadcasters like STV will play through this extended period of disruption.

We are a free to air, universally available and highly trusted source of news, entertainment and information and we will use our privileged place in your life to have a positive impact now and in the longer term:

For you, our viewers

We will do everything we can to maintain our service and keep our shows on air across all genres, in particular to ensure you are informed with trusted news about the crisis both on TV and online, as well as providing you with much needed entertainment.

Our news service

Our dedicated team of journalists continue to collect and broadcast news content across Scotland, providing the most locally focused news service, together with dedicated Holyrood and Westminster coverage.

Our current affairs programme, Scotland Tonight, will offer additional coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and now has a 7.30pm peaktime slot on Thursday evenings in addition to Monday to Wednesdays at 10.40pm

Our broadcast schedule

We will deliver a comprehensive range of new programmes. Our schedule largely relies on pre-recorded shows like The Chase and Tenable in the afternoons and 9pm dramas like Liar and Belgravia.

It was also announced that Coronation Street and Emmerdale – the two most popular programmes in Scotland – will continue to run for the coming months, albeit on a reduced schedule pattern of 8 episodes per week from Monday 30th March as the production teams implement new health advice.

While The Voice UK knock out stages continue this weekend, it has also been announced that the live semi-final and final have been postponed on 28th March and 4th April and we aim to replace them with Voice specials.

In addition the production teams are working hard to maintain the Britain’s Got Talent live shows when they return later this spring. Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway will still air this weekend, without a live studio audience for the first time.

Across drama, entertainment and factual entertainment you still have a huge range of new and returning shows to look forward to, including the dramas Liar, Belgravia and Quiz, as well as entertainment from Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow, Gordon, Gino & Fred’s Road Trip and the return of the Britain’s Got Talent auditions next month.

STV Player

With thousands of hours of content, the STV Player is the home of the STV schedule online and much more. It is also now universally available across Scotland following its recent launch on the Sky platform and on Apple TV, alongside over 30 other platforms and connected devices.

There are currently over 50 box sets for you to choose from on the Player across drama, entertainment and factual, with something for everyone.

You can catch up on the latest big dramas, like Flesh and Blood, McDonald & Dodds, Vera, Cold Feet and Endeavour.

We have also added over 1000 hours of exclusive Player-only content like drama series Rake, Janet King, The Last Enemy, The Code, Deep Water, The Slap, Acceptable Risk and Hamish Macbeth.

And there’s a chance to remember classic STV dramas like Taggart, Rebus, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Take the High Road. Beyond drama there are great factual titles, including hours of Scottish scenery, documentaries and true crime, including titles like Grand Tours of Scotland, Cold Justice, Unveiled, Changing Faces, and Street Hospital.

More new content for the STV Player will be announced soon.

STV Children’s Appeal

No one will be hit harder by the coronavirus than our most vulnerable communities. We have therefore granted emergency funding of £400,000 from monies raised during the 2019 STV Children’s Appeal to FareShare, who will redistribute food to communities across Scotland.

We are actively seeking to work collaboratively with other charities to ensure that funding gets to those who need it most right now, and will be adapting our future STV Children’s Appeal fundraising activities in 2020 to ensure we focus on the most pressing causes during this crisis.

Looking ahead

These are hugely challenging times for everyone but my fantastic colleagues at STV are committed to delivering the best possible service for viewers, partners and our local communities over the coming months, and I would like to thank them for their professionalism and dedication.

We’ll continue to work together with industry, commercial partners, government and you our viewers to entertain, inform and provide vital support where we can across Scotland.

Simon Pitts

Chief Executive Officer, STV