The Scottish Ambulance Service welcomed two groups of trainees from the Ambulance Service of the University Hospital of Northern Norway to Edinburgh City Station recently.
The groups were given a tour by Team Leader Donna Edwards and attended presentations from Kevin Scott from the National Risk and Resilience Department (NRRD) and Andrew Nisbet, who spoke about the Advanced Practice in Urgent and Primary Care team.
As of 31 March, 13,080 young carers had received our Young Carer Grant.
The payment is worth over £400 and can be applied for annually when carers are aged 16, 17, 18 and 19 – a little something for those who give a lot
Read the full publication:
Could you or someone you know or work with benefit from joining one of our well being groups?
Please note due to operating model we are unable to register group members with a dementia diagnosis or personal care needs.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Do you want to lose weight, run a marathon, declutter your home, spend less time on your phone, learn to speak a new language or whatever your goal may be, we’re running a new group that will support you with achieving your goals.
Goal Getters is for anyone who wants to build better habits, start something new, and/or see something through. Join the weekly group to stay motivated, connect with others, and achieve together.
When: Fridays, 5.30pm – 6.30pm
Where: North Edinburgh Arts
You are welcome to attend with children/babies.
For more information, please contact: Laurie at Laurence_Bell@proton.me
Welcome to a new year of WOW – the walk to school challenge 
The theme for 2026/27 is Walk the Senses, which celebrates what we hear, see, smell, taste or feel as we walk and wheel to school 
On average, WOW schools see 18% more walking and wheeling to school and 58% fewer car journeys. Plus, it takes only five minutes a day to run!
Join more than 2,000 schools across the UK already taking part.
Start your WOW journey today 
https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/wow
POLICE are appealing for information after a woman was robbed of her car in Edinburgh yesterday (Tuesday, 12 May, 2026).
Around 3.20pm, the 22-year-old woman was parking her white Peugeot 208 at the rear of the Scotmid store at Morvenside Close, Wester Hailes. As she was sitting in her car, a man approached, threatened her with a knife and demanded her keys.
A member of the public came to assist the woman as she got out the car. The suspect managed to enter the car and another man who had been standing nearby got into the passenger side. They drove off.
The two suspects are described as white and of gaunt appearance. One was aged 30-40 years with a scruffy blonde beard. He was wearing a black tracksuit and baseball cap. The second man was wearing a navy tracksuit and a black balaclava.
Detective Inspector Robert Wallace said: “This was a very frightening experience for this woman who was simply trying to go to the shops when she was targeted. Thankfully, she was uninjured.
“We are continuing significant enquiries to trace the two men responsible. This includes gathering and viewing CCTV footage from in and around the area.
“This is a busy area and I am confident that there were people nearby who haven’t yet spoken to police. I urge them to please get in touch.
“I also ask anyone with personal footage or dash-cam to review their footage and come forward if it holds anything relevant.”
Information should be passed to Police Scotland through 101 quoting incident number 2051 of Tuesday, 12 May, 2026.
Queen Margaret University (QMU) will welcome local residents and the wider public to its annual Community Open Day on Saturday 30 May, inviting people to explore the campus, enjoy its facilities and take part in a fun, family-friendly afternoon.
Running from 12 noon to 3pm, the free event will feature a wide range of activities for all ages, including drumming workshops, bug hunting, den building, Therapets, face painting, and creative sessions celebrating books and music. Attractions such as a bouncy castle and the Cycling Without Age group from Musselburgh will add to a lively programme designed to offer something for everyone.
This year, the University is also delighted to host a landscape art competition run by Musselburgh Creates. Artists of all ages are invited to capture the University’s distinctive campus setting.
Taking place across the grounds from 11am – 3pm the competition offers a lovely, creative focal point for the day, with participants encouraged to respond to QMU’s architecture, landscaped gardens and natural surroundings. Anyone who would like to participate in the competition should register at 10am and bring their own materials and equipment (no need to book in advance).
Beyond the activities, the Community Open Day aims to showcase the facilities and services QMU makes available to the local community. While children enjoy the entertainment on offer, adults can explore the University’s range of spaces for hire, including meeting rooms, conference facilities, the Sports and Fitness Centre, and Maggie’s Bar and Café.
In addition to its specialist teaching facilities, QMU offers a wide variety of spaces suitable for community events and meetings. These range from small meeting rooms to an attractive conference suite with break-out spaces overlooking the pond, as well as a large lecture theatre seating up to 250 people. The University is keen for local residents, community groups and organisations to benefit from its flexible learning and social spaces.
Lynn Barclay Commercial Manager at Queen Margaret University, said: “Our gardens, Sports and Fitness Centre and Students’ Union bar are already well used by the community, but we want to ensure more people are aware of the full range of spaces and facilities available to local groups and organisations.
“We can support anything from seminars and conferences to voluntary group meetings, AGMs and corporate dinners. With everything from small classrooms and a piano bar to a conference suite overlooking the pond and large lecture theatres accommodating 150 to 250 people, we have something to suit almost every need.
QMU’s Community Open Day takes place on Saturday 30 May, from 12 noon to 3pm. Booking is not required for this free event.
Organisations involved in delivering activities on the day include: Cycling Without Age Musselburgh; Mansfield School of Music; Therapets East Lothian; Scottish Book Trust; Bouncy Castle Man; Event Buddies Scotland; East Lothian Council Arts Service; Seeds of Disruption SCIO; and Musselburgh Creates.
See more details on the landscape art competition by Musselburgh Creates at landscape event.
We are excited to share we have two free creative workshops starting TOMORROW (Thursday)!
~ Ceramics course
Come along and learn how to hand-build with clay.
This 6-week course is free and offered to a small group.
We only have a few spaces remaining – please let us know if you would like to join by emailing us at hello@pchp.org.uk
~ Banner making workshop
Get inspired by nature and make a botanical banner to celebrate the historic Victorian Palm House at RBGE.
This free workshop is in collaboration with @The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Only 2 spaces left for this one! And no need to commit to future dates.
Both workshops are open to all.
Looking forward to having you join us – but let us know fast! 
The finalists for this year’s Scottish Charity Awards have been revealed.
Run annually by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), the Scottish Charity Awards celebrate the best of Scotland’s voluntary sector.
This year’s shortlist includes 35 individuals and organisations from charities and voluntary groups across the country.
A judging panel will determine the winners under nine distinct categories following a rigorous shortlisting process.
Winners will be announced on 11 June 2026 in a celebratory awards ceremony hosted by broadcaster Sally Magnusson at the Raddison Blu in Glasgow.
Anna Fowlie, Chief Executive, SCVO said: “Across Scotland and beyond, voluntary organisations are making an extraordinary difference, and the breadth and depth of their impact never fail to inspire. Our 2026 finalists epitomise this.
“Our voluntary sector is truly essential to Scottish society – we see the positive impact organisation and individuals make in communities across the country every single day.
“Best of luck to all of our finalists, and I look forward to celebrating with them in June as we highlight the phenomenal work each and every one of them contributes to.”
The full shortlist for 2026 is:
Campaign of the Year
Volunteer of the Year
Climate Impact
Employee of the Year
Partnership of the Year
Trustee of the Year
Charity of the Year <£100k
Charity of the Year £100K – £500K
Charity of the Year >£500k
The King’s Speech – the second under this Labour government – is expected to unveil over 35 bills and draft bills ‘facing up to the big challenges our country faces and put the UK on a stronger, fairer path that unlocks hope for people across Britain’. But will it be Starmer’s last?
A stronger, fairer country that can weather the storm of global shocks and restore hope will be the focus of the new legislation set out in The King’s Speech today [13 May].
The King’s Speech – the second under this government – is expected to unveil over 35 bills and draft bills facing up to the big challenges our country faces and put the UK on a stronger, fairer path that unlocks hope for people across Britain.
The package of bills is targeted at strengthening the UK’s foundations through measures to bolster economic, energy, national security.
This includes laws to restore order and control to the immigration system, strengthen our public services and reform the state to support a more active government that is on the side of British people.
Under fire Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “The British people expect the Government to get on with the job of changing our country for the better.
“Cutting the cost of living, bringing down hospital waiting lists and keeping our country safe in an increasingly dangerous world.
“Britain stands at a pivotal moment: to press ahead with a plan to build a stronger, fairer country or turn back to the chaos and instability of the past.
“My government will deliver on the promise of change for the British people.”
The government’s first session of Parliament delivered 50 government bills, including the Children and Wellbeing Act, Employment Rights Act, the Great British Energy Act, the Renters’ Rights Act and the Planning and Infrastructure Act.
The legislation passed delivered on core promises made to the British public – making our country safer, stronger and fairer through landmark laws to drive change. That includes help for parents with everyday school costs, stronger rights for victims and survivors, creating the first smoke-free generation to help people live healthier lives, tougher police powers to crack down on antisocial behaviour, and giving communities a say in the decisions that affect them.
This second session will deliver change to our communities.
The world today is more volatile and dangerous than at any point in recent history. A war on two fronts – in the Middle East and in Ukraine – threatens living standards. The government’s economic plan has put the UK in a better position to weather these storms.
We will rebuild our economy to make us more resilient – and the King’s Speech will drive forward this progress through more protections for small businesses, reforms to regulation to drive growth and innovation, and changes to give businesses the confidence to invest and grow.
Delivering on the government’s manifesto commitment to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU, new laws will deliver more trade, more opportunity for young people and help to reduce the cost of living.
We need to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster with clean, homegrown power we control and electrification of our wider economy. The King’s Speech is expected to unveil the Energy Independence Bill which will give government more power to tackle the affordability crisis and speed up the delivery of clean energy technologies and vital grid infrastructure.
Building on the progress already made to restore order and control to our borders, legislation will be brought forwards to deliver a firm but fair immigration system that restores control and earns public trust.
Bills will also be introduced to meet the evolving threats facing the UK head on, strengthening our defences and keeping pace with modern technologies from cyber-attacks to new powers to counter state threats so we can better disrupt the sharing of extreme content online.
As the Prime Minister set out earlier this week, the King’s Speech will also set out legislation to protect the UK’s steelmaking capacity by giving government options to nationalise British Steel, so that necessary action can be taken if needed while we continue to rebuild the steel sector.
Ending the opportunity crisis requires an active state that can deliver on the government’s commitment to fight for every child. The King’s Speech is expected to include legislation to deliver government’s landmark reforms to transform the school system so that all children get access to an inclusive, high quality mainstream education, and parents don’t have to battle a system just to get their kids the support they deserve.
Removing barriers to opportunity and helping people get on in life is at the heart of the government’s drive to reverse the decline felt across the country. Laws to deliver the manifesto commitment to put an end to the unfair and outdated leasehold system will give people more control over how they live in their own homes and provide stronger rights for homeowners.
Landmark public service reforms in the NHS, police and special education needs will also strengthen our country. This government is reversing the decline and neglect of our NHS so that it’s built to support people at every stage of their life, as well as preventing them from getting sick in the first place.
A new Bill is expected to be brought forward to accelerate the reform needed to strip back bureaucracy, improve patient care and support early intervention. Legislation to protect much needed social housing stock and better protect domestic abuse survivors will also be included, making sure families have safe, secure, affordable homes to live in.
The new legislation comes alongside the government’s action to ease the cost of living crisis for working people, remove barriers to growth, create more highly paid jobs and equip people with the skills and routes to get on in life.
That includes rolling out free breakfast clubs and supporting parents with free childcare, freezing rail fares, capping the price of bus journeys, and fixing the broken welfare system by tackling the disincentives that pushed too many people away from work and investing £2.5 billion in a youth employment package that will support almost one million young people and help deliver up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
Meanwhile, following yesterday’s turmoil:
The King has been pleased to approve the following appointments:
Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, Jess Phillips MP, Alex Davies-Jones MP and Dr Zubir Ahmed MP have left the Government.
AND THIS MORNING, A STATEMENT FROM LABOUR AFFILIATED UNIONS:
Labour’s affiliated unions have been clear that Labour cannot continue on its current path.
Whilst we recognise progress has been made, such as aspects of the Employment Rights Act and the increase in the minimum wage, the results at the election last week were devastating.
Labour is not doing enough to deliver the change that working people voted for at the General Election.
Our focus is on the fundamental change of direction on economic policy and political strategy that unions have been clear is needed, and not on the personalities and unfolding political drama in Westminster.
It’s clear that the Prime Minister will not lead Labour into the next election, and at some stage a plan will have to be put in place for the election of a new Leader.
This is a point where the future of the Party we founded will be debated and determined, and we are working closely as unions to shape a shared vision on policy, political strategy and economic policy that will re-orient Labour back to working people, so Labour do what it was elected to do: govern in the interests of workers.
