The Scotland Euro 2024 Men’s Squad surprised patients at the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC), Glasgow this afternoon with an unexpected meet and greet, ahead of jetting off to Germany next week.
There were squeals of excitement and joy throughout the hospital as Captain, Andrew Robertson, led the team of Scotland’s best male footballers and coaches to visit patients and their families on the wards.
The UEFA Euro 2024 tournament kicks off on Friday 14th June, with Scotland playing Germany in the tournament’s opening match. Having noted the incredible work of the RHC staff and the care that they provide for children from across the country, the squad visited to give thanks to the hospital – and, of course, to drum up excitement among their youngest supporters.
Scotland Team Captain, Andy Robertson said: “It was a privilege for us to visit the Royal Hospital for Children and see the dedicated work of the staff up close.
“We have a squad of players from different backgrounds, at different ages and stages, but the vast majority will have a personal story to tell about loved ones who have benefited from the care and expertise on offer from RHC or somewhere similar.
“It was impossible not to be moved by the kids we met, especially as the father of young children myself. They’re all facing into their own difficult, varied challenges but, in every case, their resilience shines through and it’s reassuring to know they’re being looked after as well as they are by hospital staff, and the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, who are doing everything they can for them.
“We are not short on motivation for the Euros, but it meant a lot to hear how excited they all are to watch the games and follow our progress. They won’t be far from our thoughts when we’re in Germany.”
The RHC and the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity work hard throughout the year to bring experiences to patients and their families that extend ‘further than the medicine’ – including visits like these.
Mandy Meechan, Chief Nurse at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow explained: “We can’t believe how lucky we have been to have the Scotland team visit us today.
“We thank them from the bottom of our hearts for the smiles they created today, and we hope they take that energy and have great success in Germany. We pride ourselves on our person-centred care, and this visit has inspired hope, strength and tenacity in the kids and their families. It was just what we all needed”.
Kirsteen Watson from Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity added: “We are so grateful to the squad for visiting the children’s hospital today.
“The children felt like VIPs when they realised that the players had taken time away from the training pitch to pay them a special visit, and many have made memories that will last a lifetime.
“There was a sense of unity, hope and positivity during the visit, which can truly transform the hospital experience for children and young people. I’d like to thank our donors and volunteers who help to create moments like this all year round by supporting our hospital play programme.”
Around 7.25pm on Wednesday, 29 May, 2024 two bodies were recovered from Stob Coire Nan Lochan, Glencoe.
They have now been identified as father and son, Tom Parry, 49, and Richie Parry, 12, from Cheshire.
Gemma Parry has released the following statement:
“Tom was a caring and loving father to his children and a loving husband to me, his wife Gemma. Richie was an energetic, loving boy who loved his quizzes, maths, and sports. He always cared for others as well no matter what”.
“We would like to take this chance to thank the Scottish and Cheshire police as well as the mountain rescue service along with all the other emergency services involved in finding Richie and Tom”.
“We would also like to say to the press to give me and my family some privacy during this time of grieving”.
“We would also like to thank to thank the community of Alsager and all of our family friends who have helped us and supported us throughout this time”.
“Tom and Richie will be sadly missed and never forgotten”.
There are no suspicious circumstances and their deaths are being treated as the result of a fall. A report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
Inspector Katy Duncan said: “Our thoughts remain with the Parry family at what is a very difficult time for them.
“We would like to thank everyone who responded to our appeal, to all emergency services and Mountain Rescue volunteers.”
Water quality information at your fingertips as Scotland’s bathing waters season begins
98% of Scotland’s designated bathing waters meet water quality standards.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are encouraging visitors to “check the weather, check the water” via SEPA’s bathing waters website before heading to one of the country’s designated bathing waters this season.
Scotland has 89 designated bathing waters around the country, from Dunnet in Caithness to Brighouse Bay in Kirkcudbright, and 98% will meet or exceed the Sufficient classification for 2024, with 84% achieving the higher standards of Excellent or Good.
Last year Scotland started the season with the highest number of bathing waters ever, after the designation of Wardie Bay in Edinburgh and the re-designation of Fisherrow Sands in East Lothian. In 2024 the country starts with the best water quality on record as both begin the season rated as ‘Good’.
The season begins on the 1st of June and runs until the 15th of September. During this time, SEPA’s specialist teams will be checking the water by collecting and analysing around 1,500 water samples from all designated bathing waters. These provide regular water quality information which is published on online.
The results also form part of the four-year rolling data set that determines the classification for each bathing water every season.
SEPA’s website and electronic messaging signs, which operate at 30 bathing waters, are updated at 10am every day with real-time water quality predictions. Although generally of a high quality, the bathing waters can be affected by heavy rain and results can be accessed at sepa.org.uk/checkthewater so people can check before they travel.
SEPA can also make people aware of any abnormal pollution events that may impact water quality via this page, as well as using the network of electronic signs and physical signs posted by local authorities and other partners at all other beaches.
Check the weather
While sunny weather always draws more people to bathing waters, it’s important to not just check the weather on the day you go. It is recommended that users do not bathe for one to two days after heavy rain – and beaches with SEPA electronic signs will warn against bathing when poor water is predicted.
Our climate impacts on water quality, and heavy rain can wash contaminants off both rural and urban land and can cause overflows from sewage systems. These overflows prevent systems being overwhelmed with rainwater and backing up into homes and businesses.
Altogether the combination of water quality predictions and information about abnormal pollution events shared by SEPA, plus awareness of recent rainfall events and the potential impact allows people to check the water at any bathing water they plan to visit to make an informed decision whether to bathe or enjoy on-land activities.
Ruth Stidson, SEPA’s Principal Scientist for bathing waters, said: “Scotland has the highest ever number of designated bathing waters, with the best water quality since 2015, when tighter standards first came into force.
“We know there’s many physical and mental health benefits of being outdoors and beaches can offer great spaces for that. They are regularly used by coastal communities, as well as by groups for water-based activities. Scotland has a mixture of urban and rural bathing waters, and many are accessible by walking or public transport, often making them a budget-friendly option. Visitors often plan a whole day around being at the water, which can also benefit local economies.
“We encourage everyone planning to visit our beautiful bathing waters this summer to check the weather, check the water before they leave for their day out and ensure they have the best information possible to enjoy their time in our stunning Scottish environment.”
Mairi McAllan, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy said: “We now have the highest number of designated Bathing Water sites ever, with 98% of Scotland’s bathing waters currently achieving the bathing water quality standards and 84% being rated “good” or “excellent”.
“However, we are not complacent and we continue to work closely with SEPA and Scottish Water to monitor and improve water quality on our designated beaches and in our designated lochs.
“We want to ensure that as many people as possible are able to continue to safely enjoy them throughout this summer and beyond and I would encourage everyone to make use of SEPA’s resources and information to help make an informed decision about where and when to bathe.”
Protecting and improving water quality
SEPA’s monitoring data provides crucial evidence to drive investment and improvement in both rural and urban areas. We regulate and work with businesses, farmers and land managers across the country protect and improve water quality. This approach will continue to deliver real progress in the coming years for the future of our water environment.
Communities and visitors can help to protect our water environment, including beaches and bathing waters.
Visitors are encouraged to bag and bin dog poo, bin litter or take it away, and avoid feeding gulls as that can attract them to areas in higher numbers.
Every year Scottish Water teams deal with around 36,000 blockages, costing customers about £7 million annually, and around 80% of those are caused by people flushing the wrong items down the toilet – particularly wet wipes – or pouring fats, oil and grease down the sink. These meld to cause blockages in the sewer system and can contribute to spills of pollution into the environment.
Professor Simon Parsons, Director of Environment, Planning and Assurance at Scottish Water said: “We would echo SEPA’s call for people to check the weather and the water before swimming at a designated bathing water.
“Scottish Water is committed to continuing to support the protection and improvement of Scotland’s rivers and coastal waters and we are very pleased that almost all bathing waters meet or exceed the “sufficient” classification and that 84% are “excellent” or “good”.
“We check almost 500 of our assets before and during the bathing season to ensure they are delivering the level of service we expect.
“We look forward to playing our part in ensuring bathing waters become destinations for people to enjoy Scotland’s fantastic coastal waters.
“Scottish Water has invested £2.7 billion in improving and maintaining the country’s public drainage system and infrastructure over more than the past decade to help improve our waters.
“Our Improving Urban Waters Routemap, which supports the national River Basin Management Plan objectives (92% good water quality by 2027), commits us to additional investment of up to £500m to further improve water quality.”
New research from Carwow reveals almost half (45%) of Scottish motorists don’t know where the current Low Emission Zones (LEZ) are operating, while almost 1 in 4 (24%) aren’t sure if their own vehicle is LEZ compliant
More than half (55%) of Scots also think now is the wrong time to introduce new LEZs and 59% think there are ‘better ways’ to combat air pollution
However, most are in support of LEZs, think EVs are the future and would buy a cleaner vehicle if they could afford to switch
Carwow is supporting motorists with a series of new tools to help motorists check if their car is LEZ / CAZ compliant
Ahead of the launch of three new Low Emission Zones (LEZ) inAberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh,* new data from Carwow reveals almost a third (30%) of Scottish motorists are not sure they understand LEZ rules.
Carwow’s survey also reveals that only half (55%) of drivers in Scotland are confident they know where the current zones are operating while almost one in four (24%) are not sure if their own vehicle is LEZ compliant or not.
Even in the cities where the LEZs are due to be introduced, understanding is low; in Dundee, for example, 29% of drivers are not sure if they know how LEZs work, rising to 33% in Edinburgh and 34% in Aberdeen while four in ten drivers in Aberdeen (44%) and Dundee (42%) – and half in Edinburgh (50%) – are not sure where the current zones are.
Furthermore, a quarter of drivers in all three cities worryingly do not know if the car they are driving is LEZ compliant, despite the fact the charging rules are coming into force in the coming weeks.
Broad support for Low Emission Zones but ‘now is not the time’
Carwow’s figures show that while the majority (52%) of Scottish drivers are in support of LEZs and think electric vehicles (EVs) are the future, most (53%) think now is the ‘wrong time’ to introduce new LEZ or expand current ones, rising to 56% of drivers in Aberdeen.
However, the data suggests that this lack of support for the imminent introduction of new LEZs is driven by cost rather than willingness; most (54%) Scottish drivers say they’d like to own an EV in the future – and 61% would switch now if they could – but can’t afford to.
In fact, of those Scots who currently own a non-LEZ compliant vehicle, a third (33%) say they cannot afford to upgrade, rising to almost one in four (37%) drivers in Dundee.
Sally Foote, Chief Commercial Officer – Sell my Car at Carwow said:“There are two clear issues that have come to light here; firstly, that more needs to be done to educate and inform drivers about LEZs, and secondly, it is cost and not lack of willing that is preventing drivers from making the switch to cleaner vehicles such as EVs and hybrids.
“We therefore need to tackle the lack of understanding amongst motorists about Low Emission Zones in Scotland – where the current ones are, where the new ones will be and which cars are compliant, because, without better knowledge, millions of drivers are at risk of being fined.
“There is also much more that needs to be done in terms of affordability. Most drivers want to do what they can to drive more cleanly – in fact, most want to own an EV – but it is just not economically viable at the moment.
“At Carwow, we are working hard to help drivers navigate LEZ; our new range of new tools can help drivers understand LEZs and check if their cars are LEZ compliant, giving motorists confidence to drive in areas and on roads without fear of charges or fines.”
Carwow has a range of tools available to help motorists who drive in any CAZ or LEZ across the country check if their vehicle is compliant:
In September 2023, Azerbaijan retook the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Recognised internationally as part of Azerbaijan, until recently much of it was under Armenian control as the Republic of Artsakh.
Armenia had captured the territory during a war in the early 1990s. After Azerbaijan’s recapture of the enclave, most of its Armenian-majority population fled, and are now living in Armenia.
In this latest instalment of BBC ALBA’s European current affairs programme Eòrpa, Annabel Maclennan meets several of those displaced, as well as representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Governments who are currently involved in talks to formally set their respective borders.
Scottish Government External Affairs Secretary, Angus Robertson MSP, also sheds lights on Scotland’s connection to this decades-old conflict. Mr Robertson facilitated talks in Edinburgh and Moray between the two sides in 2003, and sees a role for Scotland in helping resolve tensions today.
He said: “If it comes to the Scottish Government which can help in the hosting of events, academics and experts who could share their expertise, and NGOs who have expertise on the ground in different parts of the world and have been involved in peace and reconciliation processes elsewhere.
“If we recognise that we have all of these resources here, these are things that we can offer to places like the South Causasus. So when the time is right for them, if they want, it’s up to them. If they want to come here, they would be very welcome.”
Viktorya Balayan’s husband, Sevak, was killed when defending Nagorno-Karabakh. She was left to tell her daughter, Maria (six), that her father would not be coming home. She said: “I sat her and explained to her that Sevak had died and he is a star now, and he will always be with her, he sees her from the above and is very proud of her.
“One time we noticed that Maria couldn’t be found anywhere. We found her on the balcony, speaking to the stars: “Mom, look, Dad is the biggest star.”, I said, “Yes, he is the biggest star.”
Elin Suleymanov is Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom. He says those who fled Nagorno-Karabakh are welcome to return: “Of course, anybody who can come, who wants to come back, can come back.
“But they need to prove that if they want to be citizens of Azerbaijan.”
Reporter Annabel Maclennan reflects on her time covering this issue, on those she met, and why what happens in Nagorno Karabakh and the Southern Caucasus matters.
She comments: “The tragic human stories and powerful testimonies we heard in Armenia left me in no doubt that this is a situation to which we should be paying attention.
“That, coupled with the current situation in neighbouring Georgia, as well as the wider geo-political situation of the Southern Caucasus, bordering Russia, Turkey and Iran, highlights the significance of this conflict and the importance of peace in the region.”
Eòrpa is BBC ALBA’s flagship current affairs programme, covering a range of domestic and European stories, ranging from the impact of fires and flooding in Greece, to gender-based violence in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
The new series of Eòrpa will premiere on BBC ALBA and BBC iPlayer weekly, on Wednesday evenings at 9pm (in Gaelic with English subtitles).
The report finds that, despite the Home Office committing significant sums of money to the Rwanda partnership and its large accommodation sites, there is little to show for the money spent so far.
Questions also remain as to what will happen to the more than 50,000 people left in limbo by the system – people who are living in the UK, with no ability to claim asylum, who are officially “pending relocation”.
On asylum accommodation, the report welcomes Government’s progress in closing asylum hotels in communities.
However, the report finds the Home Office’s assessment of the requirements for setting up alternative accommodation in large sites fell woefully short of reality and risked wasting taxpayers’ money, while the new sites will not house anywhere near as many people as initially expected, exacerbating existing accommodation issues.
Jonathan Erskine, LifeCare Trustee, is taking part in the Great North Swim to raise vital funds for LifeCare.
Jonathan’s dad has used LifeCare’s services for many years, which inspired him to get involved.
Jonathan said “I will be taking part in the 2 mile swim on Lake Windermere, and I hope that every stroke will contribute to making a difference in the lives of older people in Edinburgh.”
The Arla Great North Swim is a weekend-long celebration of open-water swimming taking place over 7-9thJune. Participants choose from six different open water distances, to suit all ages, abilities and level of experience. Distances range from 250m to a 10k.
Jonathan has opted for the 2 mile distance which is the equivalent of 125 lengths of a 25m pool.
To wish Jonathan luck and to help raise vital funds, take a look at his fundraising page:
Traditional storyteller Claire McNicol will be coming to Sighthill Primary School, Edinburgh to work with pupils, after the school was selected as one of ten schools across Scotland to receive fully-funded author residencies from Scottish Book Trust.
The Live Literature School Residencies Programme, now in its ninth year is funded by the Walter Scott Giving Group and delivered by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing.
Claire McNicol is an experienced traditional storyteller and singer born in Ulster and living in Edinburgh. She combines storytelling with a career in social work supporting vulnerable children and their families.
Over fourteen sessions, Claire will help boost confidence in pupils and to recognise the value of their own voice through telling stories. The residencies are designed to inspire a lifelong love of reading and writing amongst pupils, as well as giving professional writers the opportunity to build relationships with the school and work together on a creative project.
Claire McNicol said:‘Thanks to the support of the Live Literature School Residency I am delighted to be appointed to work with Sighthill Primary School.
“I visited the school as part of Scottish Book Week and worked with the infant classes. This residency will afford me the opportunity to work across the whole school community nurturing children’s development through story and song.
‘The aim of the residency is to catalyse confidence in each and every child that they have something important to say and that their voices matter and need to be heard both in spoken word and in writing.’
Marc Lambert, Chief Executive of Scottish Book Trust, said: ‘Well done to the ten schools across Scotland that have been selected for the Live Literature School Residencies Programme.
“It’s an incredibly valuable programme as it allows authors to build relationships with a school over time, and to inspire pupils to develop a love of writing and creative expression.
‘These creative projects also offer the chance to engage with the local community, while promoting reading and writing cultures. We are grateful to our funders the Walter Scott Giving Group for making this programme available to all schools.’
Schools across the country were invited to apply to the programme which brings professional authors into the classroom to inspire and engage pupils. Each school taking part in the programme will receive 14 fully-funded residency sessions carried out by an author.
The residencies will run across the 2024-25 school year and finish by May 2025. The Walter Scott Giving Group has funded the Live Literature School Residencies Programme for the past nine years. As well as an author residency, schools will receive a resources grant of £500.
From Monday, our school day timings will change slightly and this is detailed below.
We will no longer have tutor and pupils will start lessons at 8.30am. Break time will be 10.10-10.30am and lunch time will be 1.00-1.40pm. School still finishes at 3.20pm.
Thank you to all our parents and carers for supporting this and helping to ensure pupils are on time for school
A new multi-year, above inflation pay strategy for the Scottish public sector will provide certainty for the workforce while improving public services for the people of Scotland, Finance Secretary Shona Robison has said.
The 2024-25 Public Sector Pay Policy sets out a framework for workers to receive an average 9.3% uplift over three years – providing above inflation protection from forecast inflation rates of 5.7%.
Finance and Local Government Secretary Shona Robison said the framework can be used to take forward negotiations on pay and non-pay elements relevant to individual sectors and workforces.
Ms Robison said: “The most valuable and important asset of public services is their workforces. Our approach to public sector pay in recent years means that people in key public sector roles in Scotland are now paid 6% more on average than in the rest of the UK demonstrating that we have supported public sector workers during the cost-of-living crisis.
“This new above inflation multi-year framework offers public sector workers certainty and a considerable degree of pay restoration when set against expected inflation forecasts up to 2027.
“It also continues our journey to build the Scottish economy and create the prosperity necessary to support people in Scotland – underlining our commitment to strong public services. Scotland thrives when the organisations that support the people of Scotland thrive, and it is my belief this new pay policy will support workers to achieve exactly that.
“The Scottish Government operates on an effectively fixed budget, limiting what can be delivered through pay policy. We have set out a fair framework within the limits of our budget. A change to UK spending plans would be required to increase spending on public services and public service workers.”
