The Scottish Budget has been approved by Parliament, ensuring funding can be targeted towards the missions of supporting public services, growing the economy and tackling poverty.
MSPs have passed the 2024-25 Scottish Budget Bill, with spending commitments including:
£13.2 billion for frontline NHS boards, over £1.5 billion for policing and nearly £400 million to support the fire service
Over £5 billion to help create jobs, support businesses, aid the transition to net zero and fund public transport to provide viable alternatives to car use
£6.3 billion for social security benefits, £200 million to help tackle the poverty-related attainment gap and £1.5 million to cancel school meal debt
Over £14 billion for local authorities – the highest settlement yet delivered for local government
At the heart of #ScotBudget is the social contract between this government and the people of Scotland.
Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary Shona Robison said: “I am pleased that Parliament has approved our Budget, allowing us to enact our spending plans in the face of a deeply challenging financial situation.
“This is a Budget which stays true to our progressive values: investing in services, growing our economy, protecting vulnerable people and tackling the climate emergency.
“We have taken decisions which prioritise funding in the areas that have the greatest impact on the quality of life for the people of Scotland – despite the challenges caused in large part by the UK Government’s failure to invest in public services and infrastructure.
“Our block grant funding from the UK Government has fallen in real terms since 2022-23. Our capital spending power is due to contract by almost 10 per cent in real terms over five years – that’s around £1.6 billion in total, equivalent to the cost of building a large hospital.
“I have written to the Chancellor urging him to change course, using next week’s Spring Budget to increase funding for public services and infrastructure instead of cutting taxes.”
Scotland’s local government umbrella body Cosla fears the Budget will mean more misery for cash-strapped councils.
In a recent survey by marketing agency FATJOE, 3000 Brits chose their top three annoyances from a list of ten typical British problems.
The findings give us a clear look at what bothers people in the UK the most, from strict rules about queuing to how tea is made!
Queue-Jumping: The Unforgivable Breach
An astonishing 68% (2040 respondents) cited queue-jumping as one of their top three irritants. In Britain, the queue is more than a way to wait; it’s a symbol of fairness and order, making queue-jumpers public enemy number one.
Unsolicited Advice on Social Media: The Digital Irritant
Social media missteps snagged the second spot, with 63% (1890 respondents) flagging unsolicited advice as a top annoyance. It seems the British reticence for confrontation extends into the digital realm, where unasked-for opinions are unwelcome.
Public Transport Etiquette: The Communal Test
The trials of public transport etiquette were highlighted by 59% (1770 respondents), underscoring the communal desire for consideration and personal space in shared environments.
Neighbourhood Noises: Disturbing the Peace
Close behind, 55% (1650 respondents) lamented over neighbourhood noises, from late-night parties to early morning DIY projects, proving the British home is indeed one’s castle, expected to be free from invasion by sound.
Environmental Disregard: Spoiling the Landscape
Littering and environmental neglect concerned 52% (1560 respondents), a testament to the value placed on the UK’s green spaces and the collective responsibility felt towards preserving them.
Customer Service Frustrations: The Expectation of Excellence
Customer service failures vexed 49% (1470 respondents), reflecting the high standards Brits hold for service interactions, where efficiency and politeness are paramount.
Tea Making Rituals: The Proper Brew
In a nation of tea lovers, 45% (1350 respondents) were irked by improper tea-making techniques, showcasing the deep cultural roots of this daily ritual. It’s worth noting, 35% of these respondents were northern…
Weather Conversations: A Predictable Pain Point
Surprisingly, 42% (1260 respondents) expressed mild annoyance at the omnipresent weather chat, hinting at a complex relationship with one of the nation’s most enduring conversation starters.
Political Discourse: The Inescapable Topic
Political discussions, including the fatigue from constant debate and division, frustrated 38% (1140 respondents), indicating a desire for respite in a highly politicised era.
Dining Etiquette: The Social Minefield
Lastly, dining etiquette, from phone usage to bill splitting, was a concern for 35% (1050 respondents), illuminating the nuances of social conduct in public spaces.
Joe Davies, from FATJOE says: “This survey offers a clear snapshot of life in Britain, showing how much people value respect, order, and tradition.
“From the importance of queuing to how tea is made, the results explore the things that really annoy Brits. They show a society that prioritises fairness, privacy, and good manners.
“As we go about our everyday lives, it’s these common frustrations that truly reveal who we are as a nation.”
Scotland’s leading all boys boarding school, Merchiston Castle School, is opening its doors for an Information Morning on Saturday 9th of March.
Prospective families are invited to discover more about Merchiston, meet Department heads, and experience the world-class education Merchiston provide.
Held in the school’s impressive Memorial Hall, the Information Morning will be styled as a department fair offering families the chance to chat to Merchiston’s teachers, listen to students enthusing about their favourite subjects, speak to the Academic Leadership Team and find out more about what Merchiston can offer their son.
Merchiston’s Admission Team will be on hand to answer any questions parents may have and guide them through the admission process.
Wooden Spoon Edinburgh and The Scottish Thistles Clan are joining forces for a special Women’s Six Nations Pre International Lunch at The Thistle Suite, Murrayfield Stadium on the 12th April, the day before the highly anticipated Scotland vs. England Women’s Six Nations rugby match.
The fundraising lunch aims to support Wooden Spoon Charity’s mission to make a positive impact on the lives of children and young people with disabilities or facing disadvantage and also to raise funds for The Scottish Thistles Clan that exists to mentor, provide assistance to, and encourage support for past and present Scotland Women internationalists.
Guests will have the opportunity to engage with esteemed speakers during a Q & A panel, featuring influential figures from the world of sport.
The panel includes:
Judy Murray: Renowned for her contributions to tennis and as the mother of tennis champions Andy and Jamie Murray, Judy Murray has also made her mark in supporting sports development.
Donna Kennedy: With an impressive record of 115 caps, Donna Kennedy stands as Scotland’s most-capped internationalist. Her experiences on and off the field make her a compelling speaker and role model for aspiring athletes.
Sue Day: As Chief Finance Officer for the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and a former England internationalist, Sue Day is a respected figure in women’s rugby
Lee Cockburn: Former rugby international, Lee Cockburn has been a vocal advocate for the development and promotion of women’s rugby.
The event serves as a prelude to the Scotland vs. England Women’s Six Nations match, creating an exciting atmosphere for rugby enthusiasts and supporters of Wooden Spoon and The Scottish Thistles clan.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with the Scottish Thistles Clan for this fundraising lunch,” said Brian Donald, Event organiser at Wooden Spoon.
“This event not only brings rugby enthusiasts together but also enables us to raise vital funds to make a positive impact on the lives of children and young people facing adversity and to support the Scottish Thistles clan.”
Tickets cost £75 per person and includes a drinks reception and lunch. Wooden Spoon also promises an afternoon filled with inspiration and a unique insight into the journeys of our inspiring panellists.
Thales Alenia Space, a joint-venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), harness students’ curiosity for space, science and life on Mars with the launch of MARSBalloon 2024.
Led by Thales Alenia Space graduates and apprentices in the UK, MARSBalloon is a hands-on science project for primary and secondary students and shows how exciting and varied career opportunities in space, engineering and science can be – without putting on a space suit.
Students work together to create experiments to test the response of electronics, materials, plants and even food to the harsh conditions in space.
Experiments fit inside a small capsule and fly on the high altitude balloon, rising to an altitude of 30km, more than twice the height of commercial airliners where conditions are very similar to the surface of Mars – including temperatures of -50°C and pressures 1/100th that of sea level.
This year’s MARSBalloon will also have a competitive element, with prizes awarded for primary and secondary categories for Best Innovation, Best Decoration, Engineers Choice and VIP Judge’s Choice award.
The deadline for registration is 8th March 2024 with the launch of the balloon in May.
8th March: Last day for Registration. The process take five minutes and can be done here.
30th April: Deadline for experiment delivery to Thales Alenia Space
May / June: MARSBalloon launch (depending on weather conditions)
Ballymacash Primary school has already signed up. Primary teacher, Susan Brown, said: “We are so excited to be involved in such an amazing activity. The students can’t wait to start dreaming up their own experiments.
“We’re looking forward to having our very own MARSBalloon workshop in March – so watch this space to see what the children come up with!”
Drashti Shah, Thales Alenia Space Engineer and MARSBalloon Project Manager, said: “We are delighted to have launched MARSBalloon 2024. We had a record number of participants last year, flying over 200 experiments into the stratosphere, and this year we have changed the dates to allow more schools to get involved. I
“t is a fantastic fun, free of charge that really gives young student experience of deigning their own experiments and first-hand experience learning more about space, widening their future career horizons”
Drawing on over 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise and cultures, Thales Alenia Space delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science and orbital infrastructures.
Governments and private industry alike count on Thales Alenia Space to design satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth.
A joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), Thales Alenia Space also teams up with Telespazio to form the parent companies’ Space Alliance, which offers a complete range of services. Thales Alenia Space posted consolidated revenues of approximately 2.2 billion euros in 2022 and has around 8,500 employees in 10 countries with 17 sites in Europe and a plant in the US.
This year’s music programme for Edinburgh Tradfest is now on sale.
More festival events including film, storytelling, book launches and workshops will be announced at the Edinburgh Tradfest 2024 full programme launch on Wed 13 March at 10am at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. (save the date – full details to follow)
VALTOS | NORDIC FIDDLERS BLOC | THE FRETLESS | BIRDVOX | TRIPTIC | DAIMH | JULIE FOWLIS | LENA JONSSON & BRITTANY HAAS | MARTIN SIMPSON
This year’s festival programme includes a fantastic line-up of live music at the Traverse and various venues across Edinburgh, thanks to continued support from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland, and the William Grant Foundation.
Opening the Festival on Friday 3 April at the Queen’s Hall is VALTOS which has taken the trad and electronic music world by storm. The band led by Daniel Docherty and Martyn MacDonald will be joined by award-winning singer/songwriter Josie Duncan and more special guests to be announced.
Birdvox (Inge Thomson, Charlotte Printer, Jenny Sturgeon, Sarah Hayes) headline Traverse 1 on Thu 9 May.
Over the 11 days of the Festival there will be live music and workshops involving more than 100 musicians, including velvet harmonies from fresh new electro-trad band Birdvox (Inge Thomson, Charlotte Printer, Jenny Sturgeon, Sarah Hayes); Triptic formed from three members of Moishe’s Bagel (Greg Lawson, Phil Alexander and Mario Caribe), Canada’s finest fiddle quartet The Fretless joined by award-winning folk singer-songwriter Madeleine Roger; Scandi-fiddlers Nordic Fiddlers Bloc (Olav Luksengård Mjelva, Kevin Henderson and Anders Hall);Gaelic supergroup Dàimh; multi-award winning acoustic and slide guitar master Martin Simpson; raucous fiddle folk duo Lena Jonsson from Northern Sweden and Brittany Haas from Northern California; and, one of Scotland’s best loved traditional music stars Julie Fowlis who will play at the festival’s closing concert in the Assembly Rooms with special guests Laura Wilkie and Ian Carr.
There will also be soloists and new emerging musicians performing every night in Traverse 2 including LA-based singer-songwriter Alice Howe (appearing with Freebo), multi-award-winning singer/harpist/composer Rachel Newton; electrofolk fiddle player Frankie Archer who won the 2023 Christian Raphael Prize and has featured on Later…With Jools Holland; piper Malin Lewis; jazz-crossover folk duo Norman&Corrie; Simon Bradley Trio (Simon Bradley, Anna-Wendy Stevenson, Michael Bryan); virtuoso musicians Simon Thoumire and Dave Milligan; Irish fiddler and bilingual singer ClareSands; and BBC Radio Scotland’s Young Traditional Musician of the Year finalist 2024 Evie Waddell.
This year’s special commission is Everyone’s Welcome to Edinburgh curated and arranged by award-winning fiddler Robbie Greig, with new and old tunes, and songs hailing from the capital city.
Robbie will be joined for the gig by some of the most talented musicians in Scotland – Ciaran Ryan, Duncan Lyall, Hannah Rarity, Jenn Butterworth, and Signy Jakobsdottir.
Returning in 2024 is the festival’s popular Rebellious Truth lecture presented in collaboration with Celtic and Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh.
This year it will feature a talk and performance by legendary folk musician and broadcaster Archie Fisher which will be in-person andlive-streamed.
Also returning is the ETF Spotlight showcasing four of the most exciting new artists emerging in folk and traditional music today – Scots song and tunes trio ELIR , clarinet and accordion duo AnnaScott and Ciorstaidh Chaimbeul from the Isle of Skye, the freshly formed folk trio Beatha (Iona Reid, Cam Lawson and Kenneth MacFarlane), and virtuoso solo guitarist Miguel Girão.
And, finally Hands Up For Trad’s very own #WorldPlayAStrathspeyDay annual concert is back on Saturday 4May, the day when people all around the world are invited to record, video and upload themselves playing a strathspey to social media.
Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy, co-producers of Edinburgh Tradfest said: “Every year we spend the run up to Edinburgh Tradfest searching for the very best traditional musicians from across Scotland, across the world and across the generations.
“There is such a wealth of talent out there. We hope you will find some of your favourite artists represented and some future favourites to try. We can’t wait to share this year’s festival with you.”
The full programme for this year’s Edinburgh Tradfest including events at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, the Folk Film Festival, and the Edinburgh Folk Club will be launched on Wednesday 13 March and will include an unmissable line-up of talks, adult and children’s music workshops, ceilidhs, films, and storytelling thanks to continued support from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland, and the William Grant Foundation.
Edinburgh Tradfest 2024 will run from Friday 3 May – Monday 13 May. For tickets and more information visit edinburghtradfest.com
New research led by a team of scientists from Queen’s University Belfast and the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Scotland Institute in Glasgow have made a series of groundbreaking discoveries into tumour biology that may be used to deliver a more effective personalised medicine approach for patients with bowel (colorectal) cancer.
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with around 42,900 new bowel cancer cases and around 16,600 bowel cancer deaths in the UK every year, a statistic that highlights the need for new ways to treat patients with this aggressive disease.
The new study, funded by Cancer Research UK and published today in the prestigious journal Nature Genetics, used a unique and innovative approach developed in Belfast, to identify a set of previously unseen molecular patterns in tumour tissue that provides new information related to treatment response and risk of disease progression.
These remarkable results mean that clinicians and scientists can now draw more information from a patient’s tumour tissue which may lead to better treatment options.
Previously, the most common approach for identifying groups of tumours based on their biological signalling, known as molecular subtyping, used information about how active individual genes are within tumour tissue.
The subtypes identified using this method have shaped understanding of cancer development, progression and response to therapy over the last decade and served as the basis for numerous clinical trials and pre-clinical studies.
Dr Philip Dunne, Reader in Molecular Pathology from the Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research at Queen’s University Belfast and senior author of the study, explains: “While looking at patterns across individual genes has revealed remarkable insights into cancer signalling, advances in laboratory research over the last decade have shown that assessing activity in groups of closely related genes in combination can provide new understanding that isn’t apparent when using the traditional single gene approaches.”
Given the potential value of this new pathway approach, researchers from Queen’s University Belfast, the CRUK Scotland Institute, University of Zurich, University of Oxford alongside a multinational collaborative group proposed a new data-driven method for reclassification of bowel cancer, which has been published in this new groundbreaking study.
By assembling genes into biological pathways prior to the development of molecular subtypes, the team rearranged tumours into a series of new groups, based on activity across a complex network of cancer-related signalling; all of which appears to be critical in predicting how well a tumour will respond to different treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
To ensure that scientists and clinicians around the world can immediately access these data and test this new subtyping approach, the team have released a freely available classification tool that allows the Belfast-developed approach to be used on tumour samples in any research lab.
Dr Sudhir Malla, Postdoctoral Research Fellow from the Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research at Queen’s University Belfast and first author of the study commented: “By developing an unrestricted classification tool for the cancer research community, it means that researchers from around the world can reproduce our finding on data emerging from their own collections of tumour samples, to identify biological pathways that cancer cells switch on or off to control their movement, growth and response to their environment.”
Professor Owen Sansom, Director of the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in Glasgow, who co-authored the study said: “The research presented today in Nature Genetics exemplifies the value of collaborative research between scientists and clinicians.
“Studies such as this are essential to enable us to understand the complexities of a patient’s tumour and will be used in our pre-clinical laboratories to identify novel treatments specifically targeting the biological patterns we have identified.”
Dr Sam Godfrey, Research Information Lead at Cancer Research UK, said: “Cancer is perhaps the most complex disease we face, and no single treatment will ever beat it.
“Cancer Research UK is delighted to have funded this innovative research, an important step towards giving doctors the insight to see which therapy can best exploit an individual cancer’s weakness.
“Research like this could lead to better and more precise treatments for the thousands of people diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in Scotland.”
The team are now applying their new subtyping approach on tumour samples derived from clinical trials run in the UK, to build the essential clinical evidence needed before the new method can be used to make clinical decision about which treatments a patient should be offered.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have issued a record number of regional Flood Alerts and local Flood Warnings to the public this winter.
A total of 720 messages have been sent since 1st September 2023, the highest number since SEPA introduced its Floodline service in March 2011. The previous record of 714 was set over autumn and winter 2015/16.
Following a year of storms and flooding events, and with winter weather continuing, SEPA are urging as many people as possible to sign up to receive their free Flood Alerts and Warnings.
SEPA are Scotland’s national flood forecasting and warning authority. Advance notice of flooding is provided using forecast weather information from the Met Office in combination with SEPA’s own rainfall and river level observations, and advanced hydrological modelling.
When flooding impacts are forecast, regional Alerts, local Warnings or, in worst case scenarios local Severe Warnings, are issued to those signed up to receive them via phone call or text.
Pascal Lardet, Flood Warning Unit Manager at SEPA, said: “This year, Scotland has witnessed several extreme weather events.
“In October, two consecutive periods of intense and prolonged rainfall between the 6th and 9th of October and then Storm Babet between the 18th and 23rd of October.
“These events resulted in severe impacts, with extensive flooding of communities, multiple properties evacuations and impacts on infrastructures, particularly the overtopping of Brechin flood defences.
“Unsettled weather continued from November to February, with a record number of named storms affecting the whole country. The latest stormy period was only last week with significant coastal wave overtopping due to high spring tides combined with a surge, affecting the Solway Firth and the East coast in particular.
“These events should be a wake-up call of things to come due to climate change here in Scotland. Flooding remains a growing threat to our communities, which is why it is vital that those who aren’t signed up to our free Floodline service should take action now and not wait until the next storm hits.
“Receiving our messages allows communities and businesses more time to prepare and act to reduce the risk of damage and disruption. This may involve deploying flood protection products, moving vehicles from at risk areas and changing travel plans.”
SEPA are continuing to expand and improve Scotland’s flood warning service network and have recently added six local Flood Warning areas along the River Carron near Falkirk.
Approximately 1,500 properties are at risk of flooding in these areas, which were identified in Scotland’s Flood Risk Management Plans as a priority.
Members of the public and businesses can sign up to Floodline free of charge online to receive messages directly to your phone, letting you know when the area where you live, work or travel through is at risk of flooding.
Follow @SEPAFlood on X for the latest updates including our three-day Scottish Flood Forecast or visit our website for a view of all the latest flood updates and further information.
