Free family event at Museum in Chambers Street today
Today’s the day! The free event for all the family at Chambers Street Museum starts at 11am. See the link below for full programme details:
http://www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum-of-scotland/whats-on/fathers-day-family-takeover/
Meningitis B jag to be offered to all babies
The meningitis B vaccine will be introduced to the routine childhood vaccination programme in Scotland from 1 September, the Scottish Government has announced.
The vaccination will offer protection against the life-threatening strain of meningitis to all infants. The scheme, which was delayed by cost disputes, is the first national and publicly-funded programme against the deadly infection in the world.
The vaccination will be given in three doses at two, four and 12 months, with all infants in Scotland who are aged two months when the vaccine is introduced being eligible. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has also advised that when the programme starts there should be a one-off, catch-up programme for infants aged three and four months of age who will be attending for their routine vaccinations.
Additionally, in response to an increase in the number of cases of meningitis W, and based on advice from the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation, a MenACWY vaccine will be introduced to replace the MenC vaccine used in the adolescents and freshers vaccination programmes.
From 1 August that vaccine will be offered to students under the age of 25 attending university for the first time this Autumn, along with a catch-up programme for all 14 to 18 year olds.
Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “These two new vaccination programmes will offer families in Scotland extra peace of mind.
“We’re delighted to be one of the first countries in the world to introduce a nationwide MenB vaccination programme to help tackle the effects of this disease, which can be devastating for children and their families.
“The Scottish Government has been consistent in its support for the introduction of this vaccine and today’s announcement underlines our commitment to ensuring the health and wellbeing of our children.
“Around 1,200 people – mainly babies and children – get meningitis B each year in the UK, and around one in 10 die from the infection.
“I am also very pleased to see the expedited launch of the MenW vaccine prevention programme for teenagers. This vaccine also protects against MenA, MenC and MenY, making sure young people are protected at such an important time in their academic lives.”
Chief Executive of Meningitis Now, Sue Davie said: “We’re delighted to see these vaccination programmes moving forward and offering protection to new babies and young people across Scotland. Today’s announcement is a tribute to the tireless and selfless efforts of our supporters, for many of whom sadly these vaccines come too late. We are ready to support the introductions in any way we can.”
Scotland Manager of Meningitis Research Foundation, Mary Millar said: “On behalf of our Scottish members of Meningitis Research Foundation who have been affected by this deadly disease, we are delighted to welcome the MenB vaccine for babies and MenACWY vaccine for teenagers and students. These two programmes are the culmination of years of research which will spare countless families the trauma of seeing a loved one die or left seriously disabled by meningitis and septicaemia.”
One mum remembers all too well the horror of her baby contracting meningitis, and Gemma Lessells from Inverkeithing has welcomed the announcement of the immunisation programme.
She said: “My son Matthew contracted meningitis B in 2010 when he was 13 months old. He was quiet and had a temperature at 4pm. He started being sick at 6 pm and by 10 pm he was in hospital fighting for his life. He had cannulas everywhere, they were taking his blood pressure every 15 minutes. His heart rate was 210 and his temperature on admission was 40.9.
“We were incredibly lucky – Matthew survived, though has delayed expressive speech and suffered night terrors following his hospital stay. We are also in the process of discussing possible behavioural side effects with his Health Visitor, but other than that we have a gorgeous healthy happy boy with a laugh that lights up a room.
“I would not want any parent or child to go through what we did, and welcome news of the implementation of these two new vaccines in Scotland.”
Sainsburys Blackhall have just come to the end of their yearlong “Local Charity of the Year Partnership” with Muirhouse Youth Development Group.
Colleagues and customers at our Blackhall store helped to fundraise £7,050 for this good cause and would like to wish MYDG very good luck for the future.
Pictured above: Murray Dunnett, Dean Shanks, Amy Patterson and Chris Thomson. Murray and Amy have also been working with MYDG and MYadventure on the Bothy at Towford.
It is now time for Sainsburys Blackhall to decide on their next Local charity Partner of the year, and voting is now open for colleagues and customers to decide who they would like to help this year.
The three shortlisted nominations are:
Stroke Association Scotland
Pilton Youth and Children’s Project (PYCP)
Meningitis Research Foundation
Customers can vote in store at the customer service desk or on line at www.sainsburyslocalcharity.co.uk until 28 June.
Gail, Sainsbury’s
Also this Solstice weekend … :
It’s here! Edinburgh’s community gardeners take centre stage this weekend as The Power of Food Festival takes place at venues and locations across the city.
For further info visit https://poweroffoodfestival.wordpress.com/
Tuesday 23 June 3 – 6pm, Wednesday 24 June 5 – 8pm
Waterfront Avenue
TOiL aims to match last year’s record of success
Port of Leith Housing Association’s (PoLHA) training programme for young people Training Opportunities in Lothian (TOiL) has secured over £200,000 funding which will allow it to expand its services into East Lothian.
The TOiL Programme provides 18 week, paid work experience placements to young, unemployed people alongside in-house training and career guidance. Training placements are with local firms in a variety of sectors and occupations.
The increased funding will enable up to 85 young people to participate in the TOiL Programme in 2015/16. It will also support PoLHA tenants with employability issues through the continued funding of an employabilty officer post. An additional employability officer will also be recruited to take on the role of working with adults who face employment barriers due to disability or ill health.
John Murray manages the TOiL programme. He said: “We are delighted to have received this significant sum of money to continue to support young people into sustainable employment.
“In 2014/15 TOiL supported 76% of trainees into employment, modern apprenticeships or further education against a national average of 44% which is our most successful year to date. It is TOiL’s ambition to deliver a similar level of success with a greater number of individuals this year.”
Skills Development Scotland’s Employability Fund, the City of Edinburgh Council’s Improving Employability Fund and The People and Communities Fund have provided the funding.
Fire crews in unprecedented move to reach those at highest risk
Firefighters throughout Scotland will be deployed to protect vulnerable people in a nationwide ‘week of action’ aimed at preventing accidental house fires and the tragedies they cause.
The unprecedented move follows a recent appeal from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) for the public to help it reach those most likely to be killed or injured as a result of fire in the home.
Between January and May, 28 people lost their lives as a result of fires and June has so far seen two more fatalities.
People over the age of 60 accounted for almost two-thirds of those killed and, as well as age, the common factors contributing to many of the deaths were smoking, ill-health, living alone and limited mobility.
With evidence many fire tragedies could be prevented SFRS is taking the major step of sending operational crews and community firefighters to households throughout the country to offer residents advice on keeping their homes and everyone in them safe.
Ahead of the ‘Week of Action’ to protect people from fire, the service is again issuing a plea for families, friends and neighbours to take responsibility for keeping those close to them safe.
SFRS Chief Officer Alasdair Hay said: “We are totally committed to protecting the public and this significant step shows the importance we place on preventing fires from happening.
“The nationwide approach to this week of action means our personnel will be visible throughout Scotland and pro-actively contact as many people as we possibly can.
“We rely on responsible citizens and partner agency colleagues to put us in touch with individuals who may be at increased risk of experiencing a fire in their home and those strong partnerships are absolutely vital to preventing tragedies.
“As the country’s firefighters work to protect every community I would urge everyone to join Scotland’s fight against fire by ensuring anyone who might need some help gets that potentially life-saving support.”
Statistics show those aged 65 and over are more than twice as likely to die in a fire as people of other ages.
The speed with which a fire can develop and spread toxic smoke, heat and flames means those who are old, who live alone and who have issues with their health or mobility are at particular risk of being injured or killed.
Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs, Paul Wheelhouse, said: “The work of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to raise awareness of the risks of fire is very valuable and means that we are safer from the risk of fire at home than we have ever been.
“However it’s crucial not to become complacent and the recent spate of tragic fire fatalities has shown some people, particularly the elderly, immobile and those who live alone, are still at risk.
“That’s why it is so positive to see the fire service working with partners, including health authorities and the voluntary sector, to develop new ways to identify those individuals in communities who are most at risk, and to make early interventions to ensure they are protected.”
The ‘Week of Action’ will involve local senior officers calling on the support of partner agencies to reach those who they know to be at risk.
By visiting homes firefighters can help residents understand the risks and take very minor actions known to dramatically reduce the chance of a fire starting.
Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay, the SFRS director of prevention and protection, explained why their efforts also mean occupiers are less likely to be hurt or killed if a fire does happen in their home.
He said: “We often see smoke alarms in the wrong position and firefighters conducting a home fire safety visit will correct this to make sure people are protected.
“If someone is over the age of 60, lives alone or has difficulty moving around then it can take more time for them to escape in an emergency.
“They need to know not to smoke in bed, or even while feeling tired and sitting in a chair. If the person just can’t avoid doing this then we can work with partners and communities to help make them safer.
“There is a huge amount of support available but we need our partner agencies and the public to help us make sure it gets to those who need it.”
He continued: “We also want to remind people that if they hear a smoke alarm activating then they need to call 999 and report it right away.
“Many people can be reluctant to make an emergency call and assume an alarm has gone off due to something innocuous like burnt toast, but the fact is waiting to see if the alarm stops could cost someone their life.”
With an aging population – 23 per cent of the UK will be aged 65 and over by 2035 – helping older people prevent fires and stay safe is certain to remain an issue for every community.
Free home fire safety visits take around 20 minutes to complete and are conducted by local SFRS crews at a time convenient for the householder.
A popular feature of the Join Scotland’s Fight against Fire campaign, they are available by calling the freephone number 0800 073 1999, by texting ‘FIRE’ to 80800 or by filling in an online form at www.firescotland.gov.uk.
Chair of the SFRS Board Pat Watters added: “Our staff throughout Scotland work around the clock to keep people safe and there is nothing more upsetting than seeing lives needlessly lost and ruined.
“Every single one of us has a responsibility to play our part. Fire isn’t something that only happens to other people or only concerns emergency responders.
“The messages from firefighters are very clear and everyone in Scotland can play a life-saving role by thinking about fire safety and doing what they can to help protect their community.
“There isn’t a city, town or village in the country that can afford to ignore the warnings and I would urge everyone to understand the risks and join Scotland’s fight against fire.”
How do we build a more equal society?
People across Scotland are being asked to take part in a national discussion about how the country can be a fairer and more equal place to live.
Over the past eight years Scotland has had a rising employment rate, improved educational outcomes and people living healthier lives – now the Scottish Government wants to mobilise the nation to help tackle the scourge of intergenerational poverty and create fairer opportunities for all.
To reach more people and build on the community-led discussions of the Referendum and General Election, widespread, direct involvement of communities will take place the length and breadth of Scotland.
People will be invited to set out their vision of a fairer Scotland and suggest practical solutions, based on local and personal experience.
Capturing the voices of those with direct experience of poverty and exclusion will be vital. Voluntary organisations and public sectors, charities, councils, large and small businesses, trade unions will also play a pivotal role.
Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil launched the national discussion – which will take place over the summer and into autumn – in Kirkshaws Neighbourhood Centre in Coatbridge earlier today.
Mr Neil said: “Tackling inequality, along with building a prosperous and competitive economy, is at the heart of the Scottish Government’s commitment to creating a better country for all. The two go hand in hand.
“The Scottish Government’s vision is for a Scotland where people are healthier, happier and treated with respect, and where opportunities, wealth and power are spread more equally. We want to discuss issues like childcare, fair work and health and hear what people believe could be done to create a better Scotland.
“It is important that we are an open and accessible government. We want to tap into conversations many people and communities are already having throughout Scotland, rather than consult on whether or not people agree with a range of ready-made proposals.
“We recognise that it will take time to achieve our shared vision of a fair, equal and socially just Scotland. We are not looking for quick fixes or temporary measures but long lasting change that can benefit the whole nation.”
Conversations will take place across the country and online, including a series of events over the summer and autumn where people can discuss the issues that mean most to them. An action plan, with people and their priorities at its heart, will be published in the new year with milestones to the next Parliament and beyond to help us achieve our goals.
Sir Harry Burns, former Chief Medical Officer and now Professor of Global Public Health at Strathclyde University, said: “The Government has recognised that the days of doing things to communities are past. Instead, the new approach, outlined in ‘Creating a Fairer Scotland’ is about doing things with communities.
“By meeting and listening to the marginalised and excluded people of Scotland, they will hear in raw detail what it’s like to live with fear of violence, hunger, cold and addiction. If communities are genuinely involved in shaping solutions to their own problems, those solutions will be enduring and effective.”
Peter Kelly, Director of The Poverty Alliance, said: “Today’s launch holds out the potential for a new approach to the problems of social injustice in Scotland. For once, we are not being asked to comment on plans that have already been made, or to pass judgement on some blueprint after it has been developed. By entering into genuine dialogue with people across Scotland we can begin to develop lasting solutions together.”
Tressa Burke, Chief Executive of the Glasgow Disability Alliance, said: “Our 2500 disabled members are delighted that the Scottish Government is leading by example and building on the energy of the referendum by beginning powerful dialogues and relationships with communities across Scotland. This matters because disabled peoples’ lives are blighted by poverty, exclusion and inequality on a daily basis. By working together, we are confident that we can come up with necessary steps and actions to tackle barriers and achieve a fairer and more equal life for disabled people and for all Scotland’s people.”
How YOU can join the conversation:
