SATURDAY 6th APRIL from 2 – 4pm
Join us at The LifeCare Centre, 2 Cheyne Street, for an afternoon of guilt free shopping on Saturday 6th of April between 2pm and 4pm at our Community Clothes Swap Event!
To register your interest call 0131 343 0940 or email:
Do you or your group use community transport in Edinburgh? Do you want to use community transport, but can’t get access? Are you struggling to get people to your group or activity?
Join us for an event where we’re bringing together the city’s top five community transport operators, City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Health & Social Care representatives to talk about how we move vulnerable and disabled people around the city.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect and shape the future of community transport in Edinburgh!
Tuesday 26 March, 9:30am – 1pm
Norton Park Conference Centre
Register: https://bit.ly/49O4OjJ
Today, the NHS is launching a new national campaign to find the ‘missing millions’ who have undiagnosed high blood pressure.
High blood pressure, often described as a ‘silent killer’, affects an estimated 32 per cent of adults. As the condition rarely has any symptoms, approximately three in 10 of these remain undiagnosed, equating to 4.2 million people in England.
The public are today being warned that there are often ‘no clues’ about who might have high blood pressure – the only way to know is to have a simple test.
With the NHS announcing an additional 2.5 million blood pressure checks in community pharmacies over this year and next, those aged 40 years and over are now being urged to get a free blood pressure test at a participating pharmacy. The procedure is quick, non-invasive and you don’t need to book in advance.
This comes as new survey data reveals widespread misconceptions about the condition among those at risk.
Despite the majority of high blood pressure cases being asymptomatic, only one in 14 respondents (7 per cent) thought the condition has no symptoms. The survey also revealed one in six (17 per cent) of those surveyed have been put off having a blood pressure check because they don’t feel unhealthy or stressed.
Health Minister Andrea Leadsom said: “Millions of adults in England unknowingly have high blood pressure, without experiencing any symptoms. As part of our Pharmacy First programme, the NHS has expanded its pharmacy offering to include 2.5 million more blood pressure checks within local pharmacies.
“Knowing if you have a healthy blood pressure is so important and this new drive will help to prevent the potentially fatal consequences of untreated high blood pressure. I urge people to go to their local pharmacy today to get their blood pressure checked. It could be a lifesaving trip.”
Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and vascular dementia.
However, the survey of over 2,000 adults aged 40 and over revealed worrying numbers who don’t know the potentially fatal effects of high blood pressure – with four in 10 (41 per cent) unaware that, if left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease, and over a fifth (22 per cent) being unaware that it can cause strokes and heart attacks.
To encourage more over 40s to come forward for potentially life-saving blood pressure checks, new advertising features a fictional detective struggling to solve the mystery of high blood pressure, due to a lack of ‘clues’ and ‘insufficient evidence’.
The campaign is being backed by Graeme Souness, TV pundit and former footballer, who is affected by high blood pressure and had a heart attack, and Gloria Hunniford, TV presenter and broadcaster, whose dad and husband have suffered strokes.
The pair appear alongside other patients affected by the condition, and pharmacist Deepak Bilakhia, in a mock police line-up to demonstrate how any of us could be unknowingly walking around with the condition.
Gloria Hunniford said: “This campaign is very close to my heart – both my husband and my father sadly suffered from a number of strokes due to high blood pressure, so I know from personal experience just how important it is to get your blood pressure checked, even if you feel healthy.
“That’s why I’m so pleased to hear that pharmacies offer free, quick blood pressure checks for people aged 40 and over – thankfully, this really will save lives.”
Graeme Souness said: “It’s so important to get your blood pressure checked – in my experience, high blood pressure doesn’t only affect the ‘usual suspects’, it can and does affect anyone so you could be at risk without knowing it.
“I’ve had high blood pressure for years but have been able to manage it with a routine of healthy eating, regular fitness and regular blood pressure checks.”
It is hoped that the campaign will urge those at risk to prioritise getting their blood pressure checked, even if they have no symptoms – after the survey revealed that blood pressure checks are low on the list of people’s annual priorities.
The majority of those at risk currently prioritise annual tasks such as getting their car MOT’d (56 per cent), getting their boiler serviced (55 per cent) or renewing insurances (60 per cent), above checking their blood pressure (43 per cent) – despite its life saving potential.
Meanwhile two in five (44 per cent) were not aware they could get a free blood pressure check at a pharmacy, with even more being unaware that they do not need an appointment (59 per cent).
Chief Medical Officer for England Sir Professor Chris Whitty said: “High blood pressure usually has no symptoms but can lead to serious health consequences such as a fatal heart attack, a stroke, kidney disease and vascular dementia.
“The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get a simple, non-invasive blood pressure test. Even if you are diagnosed, the good news is that it’s usually easily treatable.
“Getting your blood pressure checked at a local pharmacy is free, quick and you don’t even need an appointment, so please go for a check today – it could save your life.
Helen Williams, Pharmacist and National Clinical Director for CVD Prevention, NHS England said: “It can be easy to dismiss the risks of stroke and heart attack associated with high blood pressure, especially as it often has no signs or symptoms so I would encourage everyone over the age 40 to know their blood pressure numbers.
“With thousands of pharmacies across the country now offering free blood pressure checks with healthy living advice, it’s a quick, easy and convenient way to keep on top of your cardiovascular health at a time and place that suits you.”
Deepak Bilakhia, a Nottingham based community pharmacist, said: “Campaigns like this are so important because high blood pressure can be a silent killer and really can affect anyone, including those with no symptoms at all.
“Too many people are unaware that pharmacies offer this kind of service, without needing to book an appointment.
“So, if you’re 40 and over and haven’t had a check in the last 6 months, don’t put it off any longer.
“Checking your blood pressure at a local pharmacy is so simple to do but could save your life – and your pharmacist is here to help.”
Find a pharmacy that offers free blood pressure checks near you by searching “pharmacy blood pressure check” or visiting the NHS website here.
Any women who have not claimed back the cost of private mesh removal arranged before 3 June 2022 are being encouraged to do so ahead of the planned closure of the Transvaginal Mesh Removal Reimbursement Scheme.
As announced in the parliament in October 2023, the scheme for women to claim back the cost of private mesh removal surgery will close to new applications at the end of March. The Scheme was due to close in December 2023 but the Scottish Government extended to give women a final chance to apply.
Women’s Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “Many women who have been impacted by complications after having had transvaginal mesh implanted have experienced immense pain and suffering.
“It is important that women who are eligible to apply to the Transvaginal Mesh Removal Reimbursement Scheme are not left out of pocket, which is why the Scottish Government extended the scheme. I would urge any women who thinks she may be eligible for reimbursement to apply before 31 March.”
The vet charity for pets in need, PDSA, says the pet obesity crisis needs ‘urgent attention’ as vet teams estimate around half of UK pets are overweight – equating to around 5 million dogs and 4.7 million cats.
It comes as the charity, alongside its partner Royal Canin, visits Crufts in a bid to tackle the growing pet obesity crisis head on through its ‘Big Weigh In’ campaign.
PDSA, in partnership with Royal Canin, is inviting pet owners to book free weight checks at participating vet practices nationwide throughout February and March. There are more than 500 vet practices signed up and pet owners can find their local participating practice and book their free appointment here: pdsa.org.uk/WeighUp
“We’re all guilty of over-indulging at times, but worryingly, 36% of dog owners admit to regularly giving their pet leftovers*,” explains PDSA Vet Nurse Nina Downing.
“And while a tasty treat now and then, when considered amidst the rest of their food intake, won’t harm your pet, regularly overfeeding them could lead to serious health problems.
“Since our PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report launched over a decade ago, overweight and obese pets have always been an issue but almost half of veterinary professionals (49%) say they’ve seen an increase in pet obesity in the last two years. And a quarter say obesity is one of the top five welfare issues in dogs.
“But with more and more people owning a pet these days, especially dogs, we’re now at a point where it needs urgent attention before it gets even worse.”
British savers are set for a boost off the back of the brand-new ISA and National Savings & Investments (NS&I) product the Chancellor outlined at Spring Budget.
The new ‘UK Individual Savings Account’ will give savers an extra £5,000 of tax-free investments that must be invested in UK firms – while the British Savings Bonds product will increase opportunities for people to save for the longer term, whilst encouraging retail demand for government financing. Taken together they will foster cultures of saving and investing in the UK.
The UK ISA will ensure that savers will be able to benefit from the growth of UK businesses. This is part of a number of measures the government is taking, building on Mansion House and Autumn Statement 2023 announcements, to strengthen the UK’s capital markets, boost savings, increase pension fund transparency, and facilitate investment in UK companies.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: “This boost for British savers also unlocks long-term investment for Britain. We are sticking to our plan to get the economy growing, and it is right that this growth is fuelled by British innovation and enterprise in the areas where our country does it best.”
The Chancellor’s approach to create a new ISA allowance to invest in the UK will avoid disrupting people’s existing portfolios while rightly incentivising those that want to back Britain and save beyond the standard £20,000 limit.
This includes investment in those burgeoning small and medium enterprises in the high-growth sectors of the future in which Britain holds comparative advantage over its European neighbours, like digital technology – including being a clear artificial intelligence superpower in the west – and the life sciences – with the largest sector in Europe.
Meanwhile, the British Savings Bonds, a three-year savings product offered through NS&I, will go on sale in early April and will be available to consumers across the UK, with a minimum investment of £500 and maximum of £1 million. Consumers will benefit from an interest rate fixed for three years that is in line with NS&I’s requirement to balance the interests of savers, taxpayers and the broader financial services sector.
The timing will coincide with the further cuts to National Insurance for 29 million working people – putting over £900 a year back into the average worker’s pocket when combined with the cuts to Employee and Self-Employed National Insurance announced at Autumn Statement.
These represent personal tax cuts worth £20 billion, reduce the effective personal tax rate for a median earner to its lowest level since 1975, and represent the next step towards the government’s long term ambition to end the unfairness that means if you get your income for having a job you pay two types of tax, but if you get it from others sources you only pay one.
We’re celebrating all things sweet this Easter with our very own Charity Cake Sale! 
We’re on the lookout for local contributors & donors, so if you fancy yourself as the next Mary Berry 
or Paul Hollywood 
LET US KNOW!
We welcome all SWEET DONATIONS 
We can help with ideas, recipes, kitchen space, and, where we have available, some supplies.
Drop us a message, or pop in for a coffee and chat if you’d like to support us and get involved.
If you’d just like to donate, please drop off by deadline 3pm Thursday 28th March.
We may even have a wee Best Cake competition! 
ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GRANTON SALVATION ARMY SERVICES.
As with recent fiscal events, this was a Budget where the main announcements were trailed well in advance (writes the team at FRASER of ALLANDER INSTITUTE).
The Chancellor confirmed a 2p cut to National Insurance Contributions to both employees and self-employed – a move which costs £10 billion a year and reduces taxes paid by the median Scottish employee by £342 a year.
Source: ONS, FAI calculations
But taxes as a share of national income are still going up from year from 2024-25 onwards – just by less than in the November forecast and by less than before accounting for the Chancellor’s measures. The tax-to-GDP ratio is forecast by the OBR to hit 37.1% by 2028-29, coming just under the 1948 record-high of 37.2%. This is partly because the Chancellor has used also done some targeted tax increases such as the abolition of the ‘non-doms’ regime and a new excise duty on vaping.
More broadly, however, the trajectory of the tax-to-GDP ratio is driven by the threshold freeze, which the Chancellor has left unchanged despite cutting the headline rate of NICs. These ‘stealth’ tax increases put together raise £41 billion – nearly double the amount that the Autumn Statement and Budget measures reduce taxes by. There will be 3.7 million more people brought into paying income tax than would if the personal allowance had been indexed with inflation – a 10% increase in taxpayers.
Source: OBR
So sure, taxes won’t go up by as much as they would have done, but are still going up pretty strongly. Is that a tax cut? You decide.
Inflation has receded more quickly than expected. It should drop below the UK’s 2% target later this year.
The OBR expects inflation to slow to an average of 2.2% this year and 1.5% in 2025 before gradually returning to target at the end of the forecast period. The lower inflation forecast is driven by expected significant drops in global energy prices and weaker domestically generated inflation.
Source: OBR
Lower inflation helps the UK’s growth prospects and a faster recovery in living standards from last year’s record decline.
Real household disposable income (that is, how much money households have to spend on average after taxes and benefits) is now forecast to return to pre-pandemic levels in the next year – two years earlier than previously forecast.
While the financial year 2022-23 remains the most significant year-on-year decline in living standards since the 1950s, the OBR now anticipated average annual growth of around 1 percent in living standards over the forecast period.
Source: OBR
This faster recovery in living standards is thanks to the reversal of the negative impact on terms of trade caused by the rise in imported energy prices, and lower inflation than expected.
Importantly for the Chancellor, the measures outlined in this Budget provide a boost to household incomes, with the reduction in the main rates of national insurance contributions alone expected to provide a direct boost of 0.5%.
This is good news for people across the country, even if it is a relatively small increase after half a decade of stagnation.
But it’s not all good news…
One of the most pessimistic parts of the OBR’s publication is the decline in the participation rate over the forecast period.
Recent data suggests that the increase in economic inactivity after the pandemic is lasting longer than expected. Although policies like childcare expansion and welfare reform are expected to increase labour supply, the impact is offset by the ‘fiscal drag’ from frozen personal tax thresholds.
As a result, the labour participation rate is projected to decline from its pre-pandemic peak of 64.3% to 62.8% by 2028.
Source: OBR
This means that the share of people not in the labour force is expected to shrink further rather than recovering. This is not exactly brilliant news for the PM’s plan to get people ‘back to work’ and one of the drivers of medium-term economic growth.
The Chancellor made much of wanting to grow GDP per person, a better metric of how well the economy is doing than just GDP, which includes population growth – but the forecasts by the OBR are not particularly optimistic in that regard, and have been downgraded since November.
Source: OBR
Before measures, the Chancellor already had limited headroom (£12.2bn) against his self-imposed fiscal rule of debt falling in the final year of the forecast. This is virtually wiped out by the measures in this Budget, especially after accounting for the freezing of fuel duty which we expect will continue to happen as it has in every year since 2011.
In that case, headroom would be £4.5bn against what is already a very loose fiscal rule. Such a small amount of headroom is essentially zero – even a small downward movement in the economy would mean the rule being broken.
And even the meeting of the fiscal rule in the OBR’s central forecast is predicated on what are generally held to be implausible future spending plans. There were rumours that RDEL and CDEL allocations would be squeezed further into the next Parliament – and while that hasn’t proved to be the case, the plans are pretty restrictive already, and they have been made worse still by a larger population than previously projected.
Resource spending is forecast to grow by only 2% across the whole forecast; capital, meanwhile, is projected to be cut by 8% in real terms over the next 5 years. It’s hard to see how this can be sustained throughout the next Parliament – no wonder the OBR Chair labelled them a ‘work of fiction’.
Source: OBR, FAI analysis
Barnett consequentials have been announced of £295m in 2024-25, largely due to higher spending on the NHS in England (£237m) and a larger settlement for English local government (£48m), with the latter already committed to partially pay for the council tax freeze. There is nothing additional on capital apart from small amounts from 2025-26 (less than £80m a year).
As is now customary, we have produced a handy table to guide you through the different decisions and whether or not they apply in Scotland – and if they are devolved, what the Barnett consequentials are.
Source: OBR, HM Treasury, FAI analysis
The Scottish Budget featured a number of difficult decisions by the Scottish Government, with a particularly tough settlement on the capital side. In many ways, this remains the case – there have been no changes in CDEL allocations for the coming year, with all the consequentials coming on the resource side.
Nevertheless, and as expressed in paragraphs 1.60 and 1.61 of the Treasury’s guide on Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, the Scottish Government would be allowed to move these resource consequentials (or indeed other resource allocations) into the capital budget – just not the other way around. We’ll see whether it decides to do that for any of the additional funds.
Free tree giveaway at the garden this coming Friday, 15th!
Tree Time Edinburgh are giving away young trees (10-50 cm tall).
They have a mix of seven native species available including Alder, Silver Birch, Downy Birch, Hazel, Wild Cherry and Rowan. The trees come in small paper bags with information about the species and guidance for planting.
Visit the garden between 10 am and 2 pm to secure your free tree. Staff from Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust will be at hand to answer your questions. 
More info here: https://www.tree-time.com/free-trees/
#grantoncastlewalledgarden#grantoncastle#grantoncommunity#Granton#gardening#freetrees#freegardentrees#nativetrees#edinburghandlothiansgreenspacestrust#treetime
Mercy Cuthbertson from North Tyneside is a six-year-old girl who has enjoyed a very special experience day in Edinburgh after Newcastle-based train operator Lumo learned of her passion for the company’s bright blue trains.
Mercy is bravely fighting an aggressive paediatric brain tumour. Her parents Lorraine and Paul have already raised more than £113,000 towards a target of £120,000 for some life-saving trials abroad.
Open access train operator Lumo contacted Mercy’s parents offering a special VIP day trip to Edinburgh where the family were invited to an exclusive performance at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in the city’s Royal Mile followed by a visit to Edinburgh Castle.
Richard Salkeld, Head of Communications and Partnerships at Lumo, said: “When we heard about Mercy’s story and her love of our trains, we began to create a truly memorable experience for her and her parents.
“We teamed up with Imaginate: The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, the Scottish Storytelling Centre and Edinburgh Castle to help organise what was a very special action-packed visit to Edinburgh.
“As a company proudly based in Newcastle, we’re committed to supporting the communities on our route so today has been a joy to help make happen for Mercy.”
As part of the visit Mercy was invited into the driver’s cab after they arrived at Edinburgh Waverley where she posed for photographs with some of the onboard team from Lumo.
Lorraine Cuthbertson, Mercy’s mother, said: “Today has been incredible. We’ve been made to feel so welcome and enjoyed some magnificent magical moments that we’ll never forget. Mercy loved her visit to the driver’s cab on the train and meeting the unicorn at the Scottish Storytelling Centre.”
The whirlwind visit to Edinburgh was Mercy’s first time travelling on the all-electric Lumo train. She posed with a specially made giant ticket as a memento of her day before boarding at Newcastle on Friday morning.
Paul Cuthbertson, Mercy’s father, said: “She’s had a brilliant day and has been treated like royalty. It’s been so special, and I think everyone had a tear in her eye when she reached out and stroked the unicorn who she named Twinkle. Thanks to everyone who helped make today so unforgettable.”
Mercy’s fundraising campaign continues to receive generous support from people in the North East but has also received donations from around the world as her parents work tirelessly to raise funds in a bid to do all they can to help Mercy.
For anyone wishing to donate to Mercy’s campaign, they can visit here.
