Tram-hit traders to unveil winter Window Wanderland

A Leith community affected by ongoing tram works will transform their windows into magical outdoor galleries this weekend.

Tomorrow (Saturday 25 January) from 5pm to 8pm, Constitution Street will become a Window Wanderland – a spectacular walking trail that gives people a chance to show off their creative talents.

The event, now in its second year, invites businesses and residents to decorate their windows with bright lights and touch of artistic flair. This year’s event is part of wider efforts to boost trade in a neighbourhood which has been hit by ongoing tram works.

On Saturday evening, Constitution Street will be transformed, with everyone invited to come and take a look.

Last year, businesses in the area formed a collective to support one other through the tram project which they fear could disrupt trade. Constitution Street has been closed to traffic since November and the project is expected to continue in the street for THREE YEARS.

As the street’s prominent statue of Robert Burns has been removed for cleaning during the tram work, the group decided to host Window Wanderland on the Bard’s birthday.

Local firm George Brown & Sons, established in Leith in 1828, has kindly offered to sponsor the event. The engineering firm will also be providing a piper to kick-start the wander down Constitution Street.

The Window Wanderland concept was developed in Bristol by set designer, Lucy Reeves Khan in 2015 and has since been held throughout the UK and internationally.

Inspired by her imagination, her community spirit and her personal experiences of isolation due to years of chronic illness, Lucy imagined her local streets alive with people viewing eye-catching scenes in the windows around her neighbourhood. She wondered if, in the dark of winter, these displays would cheer up others too.

She put on her first event in her own area. It was a huge success and the idea has since been taken up by many other communities.

To download a Constitution Street Winter Wanderland event map visit: https://www.windowwanderland.com/event/constitution-street-2020/

 

Girlguiding: February break sessions in Restalrig

GIRLGUIDING FEBRUARY BREAK SESSIONS IN RESTALRIG

Are you aged 14-18?

Looking for something to do this February break?

Do you want to try out some new activities? 

Girlguiding Edinburgh are inviting girls aged 14 -18 to join them for fun and adventure at Girlguiding Ranger sessions from 10-14 February every evening at the Ripple Project in Restalrig.

The sessions are open to all girls aged 14-18 to take part in a range of exciting and new activities such as camp skills, games, an exciting day trip, and so much more!

Girls are encouraged to attend all sessions, so if you’re looking for something different to do, or you know a girl who might be interested then go to www.girlguiding.org.uk or call 0131 226 4511.

Looking for more info? Visit us at Ocean Terminal between 7 – 10 February where we’ll be on hand to answer any questions you may have.

Constantly craving sleep? Here’s how to fight fatigue

Do you crave sleep? Do you drag yourself from your bed in the morning already looking towards the moment you can climb back under the duvet? Or does it sometimes feel as though you’re stuck in first gear and just can’t find the energy to shift up? If so, you’re not alone.

Unexplained tiredness is one of the most common reasons for people to see their GP. At any given time, one in five people feel unusually tired, and one in ten have prolonged fatigue, but it’s not always easy to understand why we feel this way and what, if anything, we can do about it; many of us simply accept tiredness as an unavoidable consequence of our busy lives and carry on regardless.

But feeling tired all the time can have an enormous impact on our quality of life – and could be an indication that there’s something medically wrong – so it’s something you shouldn’t ignore.

Fatigue can be caused by many factors and these often work in combination with each other. Jermaine Izukanne , physiologist at AXA PPP healthcare looks at the symptoms and causes of fatigue and offers up some top tips to get you firing on all cylinders this festive season.

What is fatigue?

Fatigue is a feeling of extreme tiredness. While there is a difference between physical and mental fatigue, they often occur together. Fatigue is most prevalent in individuals who are defined as middle aged (45 to 65 years); research also suggests that this demographic sleep the least [3], which doesn’t help matters!

Symptoms of fatigue

Feeling tired is a general – and obvious – symptom of fatigue, but there are others, including:

  • headache
  • dizziness
  • slowed response and reflexes
  • lack of concentration and poor decision-making ability
  • lack of motivation
  • aching and weak muscles
  • feeling moody and irritable

These symptoms can be a result of various causes, as listed below and some of these causes can work together in combination. 

Causes of fatigue 

Medical causes – fatigue is a symptom commonly seen in a variety of illnesses, including sleep apnoea, diabetes and heart disease. It can be a sign of kidney disease, hypothyroidism and anaemia; and is also an early indicator of pregnancy! So, if you are experiencing frequent or prolonged periods of tiredness or any of the symptoms described above it would be advisable to see your GP to rule out a medical cause.

Workplace and screen-related causes – work-related stress and prolonged or excessive screen time during the working day have been shown to cause feelings of fatigue [4], as well as headaches, sore eyes and other unpleasant symptoms that exacerbate that feeling of tiredness. They can also make it harder for us to sleep.

Even if your brain doesn’t go into overdrive with work worries the moment they get a shoe-in, there’s the physiological effect of looking at a screen for a large part of the day.

Numerous studies have concluded that the blue light from screens can affect the amount and quality of sleep we get, because it disrupts the body’s production of melatonin. This is the hormone that regulates our circadian rhythms and which would, in our natural state, be triggered by nightfall, helping us to feel tired and fall asleep at the end of the day.

Clocking up even more screen time, watching TV or catching up on social media when we get home ramps up the effect of a day spent working at a computer, exacerbating the problem. By way of example, in one small study, participants who spent 4 hours reading e-books before bed for 5 nights produced 55% less melatonin than participants who read print books; they also reported being more alert before bed, taking longer to fall asleep and being more tired in the morning.

Lifestyle choices – excessive consumption of caffeine, alcohol and/or drugs, lack of exercise and poor dietary choices are common causes of fatigue that can quickly lead to unhelpful cycles that amplify the effects. For example, how often do we turn to coffee to kick start our day or a glass of something in the evening to perk ourselves up, when actually both are sleep disruptors that may be contributing to our fatigue in the first place?

Similarly, heavy food and a lack of fitness aren’t the greatest foundations for getting active, and if you’re not exercising your fitness is going to decrease and you may find yourself with more sedentary time when you’re inclined to snack.

We’re not saying you should stop doing the things you enjoy, or be out training every day, just that if you’ve ruled other causes out and you’re still feeling sluggish there may be elements of your lifestyle you can tweak to help tackle your tiredness.

Stress and mental fatigue – depression and grief can place a mental strain on the mind, which can affect motivation and lead to irritability. This makes perfect sense, but what may be less obvious, and is important to bear in mind, is that it’s not just the bad stuff that takes its toll.

Positive events, such as getting married, moving house – even going on holiday – can be similarly stressful and draining, but it can be harder to accept that we may be struggling when we’re ‘supposed’ to be happy. The solution? Try to accept it, get a little perspective, delegate if you can, and focus on the destination, not the getting there.

What else can I do prevent and overcome fatigue?

The good news is that for most of us fatigue doesn’t have to be a fact of life and there are plenty of simple everyday things you can do help boost your energy and banish long-term tiredness for good.

Nutrition

Adequate nutrition is essential for a healthy lifestyle and balanced diet, and can help boost your energy. Be sure to always eat breakfast: a healthy breakfast such as rolled oats topped with banana and blueberries provides you with vitamins and minerals that stimulate the process of energy production.

Some examples of energy boosting foods include:

  • Rolled oats
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Hummus
  • Edamame
  • Chickpeas
  • Brown rice
  • Nuts and seeds (flax, chia and pumpkin seeds)

Feeling fatigued could also be the result of having an iron deficiency. Consider eating adequate amounts of iron rich foods, such as:

  • Chicken
  • Turkey
  • Beans
  • Lentils
  • Iron fortified cereals
  • Whole grains like quinoa and amaranth
  • Leafy greens
  • Baked potatoes

Ensure that you’re also drinking plenty of water to prevent dehydration, as this is known to decrease energy.

Take a look at our article for more nutrition tips to help increase your energy levels from AXA PPP healthcare registered nutritionist, Georgina Camfield.

Sleep

Sleep is arguably the most important contributing factor affecting our energy levels, but something that’s frequently sacrificed thanks to a busy lifestyle. The Sleep Council’s latest survey found that almost three quarters (74%) of people in the UK sleep for less than 7 hours a night.

Much of how you feel when you are awake is impacted by the quality of your sleep, so getting long-lasting, good quality sleep is essential for our body to rejuvenate, build muscle and grow, as well as to resynthesize hormones and maintain energy levels.

When it comes to how much sleep we need, that’s very much down to the individual, but experts typically recommend aiming for around 7-9 hours a night.

Some tips for improving sleep:

  • Avoid bright lights, especially those coming from TV’s, laptops and e-readers; as we’ve seen this restricts the release of the chemical melatonin, which helps us fell sleepy and ready for bed.
  • Set a regular time for going to sleep and waking up to help your body get into a routine.
  • Refrain from doing work tasks late at night, as they can be stressful and keep you up awake.
  • Try taking time before bed to do something you find relaxing to clear your mind, reduce stress and prepare the body for sleep.
  • Refrain from eating heavy meals late at night and foods such as chocolate, fatty or spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol, all of which can disrupt sleep.
  • Try keeping track of sleep duration and quality using a Fitbit, or sleep trackers such as Sleep Cycle, Sleep Better or Calm. These can give you a better idea of your sleep patterns and help monitor whether any changes you make to your lifestyle or your routine have the desired effect.

You can find more tips and information from our clinical experts on our sleep hub. Or take a look at this recent article, where guest author and fitness expert Shona Vertue shares her tips for a better night’s sleep.

Exercise

While it might seem ironic that, when feeling exhausted, one way to tackle this is to do more physical activity, the relationship between exercise and an increase in energy levels is a well-established one. Regularly getting active has been found to decrease fatigue, increase physical health and good strength; it can also build up your resilience to stress.

Furthermore, physical activity can help to reduce fatigue by improving your quality of sleep. The better the quality of sleep you have, the easier it is for your body to regulate the necessary processes needed for day-to-day life.

By contrast, a lack of activity can lead to weight gain and deconditioning, making it more difficult to carry out tasks that require physicality, such walking up the stairs. If this is something you struggle with, it’s really worth trying to increase your activity levels.

It may feel difficult at first, but it’s one of the most effective ways of boosting your overall health and wellbeing and the more exercise you do, the more energised you’ll feel. This is because your body will start to create more mitochondria, which are the ‘powerhouses’ of your cells; with increased mitochondria, your body can produce energy more efficiently.

Regarding mental fatigue and stress, exercise promotes the release of ‘feel good’ hormones called endorphins. This can help to create a ‘buzz’ within the body that makes you feel better about yourself, and motivated to exercise more regularly.

Some top tips for increasing your activity levels include:

  • Aim to do regular moderate intensity exercise for a minimum of 30 mins a day, five days a week
  • If time to exercise is minimal, try to fit something into your day at work e.g. a 15-minute jog/brisk walk during your lunch break
  • Set goals for yourself so that you have something to work towards and increase motivation
  • Pay attention to how your body and mind react to exercise: did you sleep better? Did you feel better the next day?

For more tips, information and inspiration to get you moving more and keep you motivated, from our team of physiologists, personal trainers and wellbeing programme managers, visit our fitness and exercise hub. 

Next steps

Fatigue affects us all at some point in our daily lives, whether it be from a long day at work, an illness or stress. And while in the short term you my feel like relaxing on the sofa with some snacks, catching up on your favourite box set, try to consider more effective ways of fighting long term fatigue, like those listed in this article, and see how it makes you feel.

It’s important to see your GP if your fatigue persists, as this could be the result of an underlying medical condition.

Finally, if you have a specific question or concern about any aspect of your or your family’s health, why not try our Ask the Expert service. Available around the clock, 365 days a year, this free information service allows you to ask the team of friendly and experienced nurses, midwives and pharmacists about any health concerns you may have. Simply submit your question online and we’ll get back to you with an answer as soon as we can – usually within a couple of hours.

For more information, please visit AXA PPP healthcare.

Brexit poses threat to future of Edinburgh Festivals, says MSP

SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald raised has concerns in The Scottish Parliament, over the threat that Brexit poses to the future of the Edinburgh Festivals.

The Edinburgh Pentlands MSP asked The Scottish Government “what impact the Tory government’s plans to impose further restrictions on EU workers coming to Scotland will have on our internationally acclaimed festivals.”

Festival organisers have previously described the visa process for performers who want to appear at Edinburgh arts festivals as “humiliating” and “Kafka-esque”.

In response to Gordon MacDonald, the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Fiona Hyslop, highlighted that the additional restrictions on people to coming to this country will affect both artists and visitors. She said that the “attitude of the UK government and its attitude towards Europe will affect how people see this country”.

Gordon MacDonald has repeatedly highlighted the “devastating” impact that the UK government’s hostile environment has had on the ability to attract international guests to Edinburgh’s festivals.

In a Members’ Debate that he led last year, he argued that since the Tory government introduced hard-line visa controls, visa applications for performers have been hit by refusals, errors and delays, with some acclaimed international writers, actors and musicians forced to cancel trips to festivals across the capital.

The SNP MSP has now written to the UK government to raise these additional concerns for the future of the capital’s festivals.

SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald, said: “The Edinburgh Festivals are world class and have enormous cultural and economic benefits, not only for our capital, but for Scotland.

“The success of the Festivals rely on the seamless flow of artists and people from across the world – something that the Tory government seem intent on preventing.

“For years now, artists have been deterred from coming here because of the UK government’s humiliating application process and their current obsession with a hard Brexit looks like it is going to make this situation worse.

“The UK government need to open their eyes to the damage they are causing to our festivals.”

Gordon MacDonald MSP’s letter to Rt Hon Baroness Nicky Morgan:

Dear Nicky,

Edinburgh Festivals – Restrictions on EU workers

As you will be aware, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world’s largest arts festival and the city is well recognised for its world-leading festival scene.

Over the last few years it has become apparent that the Festivals have experienced significant challenges due to UK government hard-line visa controls. This is an issue that has been raised by myself, Deidre Brock MP and the industry on several occasions.

However, on this occasion, I am writing to express further concern for the Festivals following the announcement by the UK government of plans to impose further restrictions on EU workers coming to the UK.

The success of the Festivals rely on the seamless flow of artists and people from across the world, and the current immigration system has already had a negative impact on the Festival’s ability to attract international artists. I’m sure you can appreciate the concerns about even further restrictions for workers entering the UK.

Can you confirm that you be attending the Scottish Government’s summit on festival visas in February 2020? Can you commit to meet industry representatives to discuss the UK government’s new plans for EU workers and how this will affect the Edinburgh festivals?

Yours sincerely,

Gordon Macdonald MSP

£1.5m Lottery boost for sports, arts and community groups

It’s a great start to the year for 219 arts, sports and community groups across Scotland, thanks to a National Lottery cash boost of £1,551,849. 

The funding comes from National Lottery Awards for All Scotland – a quick and simple way to access small National Lottery grants of between £500 and £10,000.

Five Edinburgh organisations receive awards in the latest funding round.

Leith Crops in Pots (above) received £10,000 to deliver weekly club sessions for vulnerable children, while ArtSquat, BE United, Raised Voices and The Child Brain Injusry Trust were also successful applicants.

The Linda Tremble Foundation was set up in 2014 by Colin and Anne Tremble, following the loss of their daughter, Linda, who lost her battle with Anorexia Nervosa in April 2011.

The charity will use their award of £10,000 to run support groups for people with eating disorders, as well as organising a series of information services in schools and colleges.

Co-founder and Trustee, Anne Tremble, said, “We are very grateful for this support given by National Lottery Awards for All to help us expand the range of services we provide.

“Our charity currently provides local support in Fife, Glasgow and Perth and this will allow us to expand our services to Edinburgh and Forth Valley. On behalf of everyone here and all the people we support, we cannot thank you enough.”

Thanks to an award of £3,563, Orkney Women’s Football Club will be able to discover more female stars of the future by running training sessions and taking part in competitive matches on the mainland.

Welcoming the news, Club Secretary, Annabel Bews, said, “We currently have around 60 members and this money will be a huge help to our growing club, especially our newly formed junior team.  We can now offer opportunities to more girls and women across Orkney and this is a fantastic boost for all our existing members in this coming 2020 season.”

KOR! Records is an independent record label, based in Glasgow, that gives young people with additional support needs the opportunity to create and record their own music.  An award of £9,948 means they can run a series of experimental music sessions for young people aged between 18 and 30.

Co-Director, KOR! Records, Geraldine Heaney, said, “We will now run our Friday morning sessions all the way through 2020.

“Being there week in, week out, gives us the scope to be really responsive and allows us to develop ideas whilst building trust with the young people we work with. We’re really looking forward experimenting with new styles and creating lots of great music.”

People living in Hawick will have the chance to get involved in a unique film project celebrating the town’s rich history. Local people will get the chance to learn new skills by taking part in a series of workshops.

Production Director, Rachael Disbury, said,” We’re looking forward to working with communities across Hawick to renew, revise and go on to retell the stories of our town. This funding allows us to widen access to our events and activities so more local people can get involved.”

A National Lottery Awards for All Scotland spokesperson said: “This is National Lottery money making a real impact in communities across the country.

“The 219 groups receiving funding today showcases the wide range of projects that can be funded through this programme and the difference that the smallest amounts of money can make. We wish them all the best for the year ahead as they begin to put their plans into action.” 

National Lottery Awards for All Scotland awards grants of between £300 and £10,000 to local groups.

To find out how what it could do for your community visit our website  https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/ or phone 0300 123 7110.

”People First”: Council tourism rethink?

Proposals for a new-look tourism strategy to guide Edinburgh’s visitor economy over the next 10 years have been endorsed by members of the Sustainability and Policy Committee.

Council Leader Adam McVey, who convenes the Committee, welcomed the sustainable way forward which is outlined in Edinburgh’s draft 2030 Tourism Strategy, saying it will put people at the heart of decisions made about tourism in the Capital.

Cllr McVay said: “This is a fundamental shift in policy from generating growth to managing the continued success of our tourism industry for our people, environment and sense of place. This strategy is about making the experience of tourism better for everyone – for our visitors but also the 35,000 people working in hospitality and the 500,000 people who call this city home.

“The vast majority of people who took part in the consultation process agree with the strategy’s key aims – prioritising putting people, place and environment first. It’s about fair work and a fairer and stronger footing for residents to have their say too.

“Industry should be commended for their acceptance of this ‘new normal’ and for recognising Edinburgh’s tourism success shouldn’t be taken for granted. The feedback from the sector acknowledges that the best way to create a sustainable future for tourism in the city is for all of us to work together. I’m looking forward to discussing this further at ETAG’s conference next week.”

Donald Emslie, Chair of ETAG (the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group), said: “The City of Edinburgh Council’s endorsement of the strategy is a significant milestone and their support and leadership in the development process to date has been key to ensuring that the city will continue to be recognised as an extremely successful, innovative and forward thinking exemplar of tourism development in the UK.

“The 2030 Tourism Strategy reflects this, presenting a significant step change in the approach to tourism in the city that responds to the changes, challenges and opportunities that the 2020’s will bring.

“We’re looking forward to further discussion on the strategy at the ETAG Conference, as well as hearing from Barcelona and Amsterdam on how they have created new initiatives to manage tourism success and what Edinburgh can learn from these.”

The ETAG 2020 Conference is being held in the Edinburgh Assembly Rooms on Thursday 30th January.

The city council has come in for increasing criticism for it’s stewardship of Edinburgh’s public assets. The latest of these was last night’s City for Sale public meeting, organised by Edinburgh’s civic trust The Cockburn Association.