Crack your Easter childcare costs with tax-free top ups 

With the Easter school holidays nearly here, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding families in Scotland not to miss out on UK Government help to pay for childcare. 

Tax-Free Childcare can pay for any approved childcare for children aged 11 or under, or 16 if the child has a disability. More than 26,000 families in Scotland used the scheme in December 2022.

Working families, where each parent or carer earns up to £100,000 can use it, meaning for every £8 paid into an online account they will receive an additional £2 from the government. This means parents and carers can receive up to £500 every 3 months (£2,000 a year for each child), or £1,000 (£4,000 a year for each child) if their child is disabled.  

Whether children go to nursery, a childminder, attend breakfast, after school or holiday clubs, as well as out of school activities, Tax-Free Childcare could be used.

Opening a Tax-Free Childcare account is quick and easy and can be done at any time of the year. Families who have not yet signed up should check their eligibility and apply online today.

Victoria Atkins, Financial Secretary to The Treasury, said:  “Tax-Free Childcare provides extra help with childcare costs which could make all the difference to working families and make childcare expenses more manageable.

“I would urge families to go online today to find out how it can help you.”  

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:  “Childcare is so important for working families, especially during school holiday time. Tax-Free Childcare provides financial support when it’s needed the most.

“Search ‘Tax-Free Childcare’ on GOV.UK to find out how it could help you.”  

A Tax-Free Childcare account can be opened online in just 20 minutes. Money can be deposited at any time to be used straight away, or whenever it is needed.

Unused money in the account can be withdrawn at any time. Go to GOV.UK to register and get started.  

Families could be eligible for Tax-Free Childcare if they:    

·         have a child or children aged 11 or under. They stop being eligible on 1 September after their 11th birthday. If their child has a disability, they can receive support until 1 September after their 16th birthday  

·         earn, or expect to earn, at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week, on average  

·         each earn no more than £100,000 per annum  

·         do not receive tax credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers .  

A full list of the eligibility criteria is available on GOV.UK.  

The UK Government is offering help for households. Check GOV.UK to find out what cost of living support, including help with childcare costs, families could be eligible for.  

Royal Bank of Scotland & Code First Girls partner to offer displaced Ukrainian women opportunities in Coding & Software Engineering 

Royal Bank of Scotland has partnered with Code First Girls, the largest provider of free coding courses and linked employment opportunities for women in the UK, to launch a bespoke recruitment drive for displaced female Ukrainians.

The programme is a first-of-its-kind in Scotland and will provide valuable career opportunities for displaced women in coding and software engineering. 

Opportunities for up to 60 women will be available from Wednesday, 22nd March with recruitment centres taking place at the Ukrainian Community Centre, Royal Terrace Edinburgh as well as the Leith Ukrainian refugee accommodation aboard the MS Victoria cruise liner.  

The programme will provide training and skills development over an initial 8 week period, with the opportunity for trainees to study for a full Code First Girls degree and secure permanent roles with Royal Bank of Scotland. 

The partnership with Code First Girls is an extension of Royal Bank’s commitment to helping displaced Ukrainians. The war in Ukraine has created an urgent need to support thousands of displaced families and individuals.

Throughout the past year, the bank has partnered with Edinburgh City Council and the Scottish Government to open a Welcome Centre within their headquarters. To date, the site has distributed over 10,000 welcome packs and will typically see up to 2000 children’s toothbrushes, 4,000 books and 2,000 sanitary packs handed out in one month alone. 

Code First Girls is dedicated to reducing the gender diversity gap in tech globally by giving more women the opportunity to learn new skills and pursue great careers in tech. To date, they have delivered £75 million worth of free technology education in the UK and have provided free education and employment opportunities for more than 110,000 women. 

Wincie Wong, Head of Workforce Technical Capability, Digital X at Royal Bank of Scotland said: “As a bank we recognise that we have a unique opportunity to utilise our resources and influence real change to improve lives in Scotland.  

“Our latest partnership with Code First Girls allows us to continue our commitment to helping displaced Ukrainians and empowering women in their careers. Through the programme, we will provide bespoke coding and software engineering as well as opportunities to gain work experience and be supported into employment. 

“We’re a relationship bank in a digital world and we recognise the need to continually attract and retain a talented and diverse technology workforce. Building Scotland’s coding and software engineering sector will be vital to reach our full potential as a nation and we can’t wait to see what our inaugural group will achieve”. 

Anna Brailsford, CEO of Code First Girls, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Royal Bank to offer this new opportunity for displaced Ukrainian women to learn new skills and embark on a career path in coding and software engineering. 

“We believe that by empowering women in technology, we can help to build a more diverse and inclusive industry that is better equipped to meet the demands of today and innovate for the future.”

Film addressing stigma of mental health in Scotland’s Armed Forces community premiered at Holyrood

‘These people are going to bend over backwards to get you to the point where you can stand straight and walk down the road with a bit of pride in yourself again’

On Tuesday (March 21), Glasgow’s Helping Heroes (GHH) of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity held an event – sponsored by Paul Sweeney MSP – in the Scottish Parliament.

The event celebrated the unique holistic service GHH, which a two-year long independent service evaluation, funded by the Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) and conducted by the University of Stirling, identified as “vital” and “life changing” to Glasgow’s Armed Forces community.

The report found that GHH produced a Social Return On Investment (SROI) of £6.63 for every £1 spent during the evaluation period.

As the evaluation was conducted during the Covid pandemic, and included the multiple lockdowns where several of the measures in SROI generation such as employment and housing were effectively shut for all of society, the researchers estimate that in “normal circumstances” the SROI for GHH would exceed £11 for every £1 spent.

During the evening, guests heard from Paul Sweeney MSP, Chairman of SSAFA Sir Gary Coward, GHH’s Manager Rachel Tribble, and FiMT’s Chief Executive Tom McBarnett.

The highlight of the evening, however, was the launch of short film, Courage, which addresses the stigma surrounding mental health challenges for Armed Forces personnel.

The film focuses on the strength it takes to seek help and also how once a person walks through the door at GHH, they will find a team that will, as one of the beneficiaries says in the film says:

“These people are going to bend over backwards to get you to the point where you can stand straight and walk down the road with a bit of pride in yourself again.”

The film features two GHH beneficiaries, Patrick, and Joe, who were among the guests at Holyrood as well as Alan, their GHH peer support worker. Once the film ended and the audience erupted into applause, Alan was heard to say to both men how proud he was of them. The bond between them was palpable.

More than 65 guests were in attendance and the evening was hailed a success.

Project unlocks Scotland’s missing millions

Foundation Scotland’s release of over £2.3 million from dormant trusts is the “tip of the iceberg” windfall for communities 

Trusts formed over a century ago to help boys with the surname Stewart, supply pensions to women of good character or provide medical assistance pre-NHS will now be used to fund current day needs thanks to a partnership project that has already unlocked over £2.3 million from lost and forgotten charitable accounts.

Foundation Scotland has revealed they have identified nearly 300 dormant charitable trusts through the project run in collaboration with The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR). Charitable trusts typically provide public benefit by making grants or donations to other charities, voluntary groups or individuals as laid out in their original constitution.

Launched in May 2021, Scotland’s Revitalising Trusts Project was set up to identify charitable trusts that appear to be inactive and support them to reactivate.  For a trust to be classed as inactive, they either had no income or expenditure or donated less than 30% of their total income over the last five years. 

There are different reasons why a trust can lie dormant.  It can be difficult to recruit new trustees, find time to run the charity or as times change, it can be impossible to identify beneficiaries befitting the original deeds of the trust. 

Foundation Scotland has over 25 years’ experience distributing funds which provide long-term benefit for communities.  As part of this national project, they are supporting trustees to release inactive funds so that they can be redistributed to good causes across Scotland.

Alternatively, Foundation Scotland will support trustees to breathe new life into the charity, for example by changing their charitable purpose to help address new needs in local communities.

Among the funds was The Ronnie Williamson Trust, formed by Mrs Betty Williamson in 2005 in memory of her husband, Ronnie, a Royal Marine Commando, businessman, and long-standing elder and member of Palmerston Place Church in Edinburgh. 

The original purposes of the Trust were outlined as supporting voluntary project work of young people from the age of 16 to 21 who were members or adherents of Palmerston Place Church. Unfortunately, this very specific remit proved difficult to fulfil and the Trust had not made an award for over eight years.

The Trust had therefore fallen into years of inactivity because the deed prevented the Trustees from altering the purposes rendering the Trust stuck. The Trustees worked with Foundation Scotland to ‘revitalise’ the trust.

The Trust now has new wider purposes in place – extending the upper age limit to 25 and increasing the catchment of the church membership to now include other Church congregations in the North and West of the City.  

Gregor Innes, Trustee said: “The support we’ve received from Foundation Scotland will prove life-changing for local young people who have the desire to make a difference to others locally, nationally or globally. 

“It was a frustration that we had funds that could be helping others sitting in the bank – but due to the original limited scope we had not been in a position to attract and help young people with voluntary projects. 

“The Ronnie Williamson Trust was created to encourage young people to make a difference to others and I am confident he and his late wife will be happy with the changes that we have now made to make sure we can fulfil the original wishes. 

“Foundation Scotland guided us through the process easily, and thanks to their invaluable support we have increased the age limit so we can help those up to the age of 25, and we can support young people from other linked congregations.

“The other massive benefit to us has been their support to help us bring new people onto the board. With three new Trustees already in place we are excitedly looking ahead to relaunching and publicising the Trust in the coming months. We look forward to receiving applications from local young people in the future to help them to make a difference in voluntary work which will have a positive educational, religious, medical, or societal impact.” 

Steff Bell, Revitalising Trust Project Advisor at Foundation Scotland said: “In the current climate it’s more important than ever that charitable funds are being put to good use.

“Communities the length and breadth of the country suffered through covid and now they are struggling with the cost of living crisis. It’s good to know that we’ve been able to assist in reactivating these funds and putting them to good use, when they’re needed most.  

“We’re delighted that we’ve already unlocked over £2.3 million for good causes across Scotland but we know this is just the tip of the iceberg.  We are making great progress; overall, the trustees we have approached have received the offer of support positively, with several indicating that the trustees had been stuck for a number of years, unable to find appropriate support to distribute the funds.  

“We will continue to work collaboratively with more trustees, alongside OSCR, to help these trusts maximise their funds and reach for public good.  We know trustees want to make a real and positive difference to those who need it most. If you think your charity could benefit from support to spend its funds, please do get in touch with us and we’ll help you work out the best next steps for your charity.”

Steve Kent, Policy Manager at OSCR said: “We are delighted to be collaborating with Foundation Scotland on this important Project and to see our joint effort to reach out to inactive trusts starting to bear fruit.

“We want public trust in charities to remain strong and never more so than in the present challenging times. It is vital that every pound of charitable funds is seen to be working hard for good causes but, even with best intentions, it is sometimes a challenge for trustees to make that happen.

“This Project is an excellent example of what can be achieved by offering trustees a little support and encouragement at the right time.”

For more information about the project visit:

https://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/revitalise-trust

£50m to improve Scotland’s play parks

Children will have access to high quality play areas, which will remain free of charge, as a result of new investment.

The Scottish Government and COSLA have agreed £50 million in funding to local authorities over the next three years for the refurbishment of children’s play parks.

Play parks identified for refurbishment by local authorities are expected to be revamped thanks to the additional funding.

Children’s Minister Clare Haughey visited Figgate Park with pupils from Duddingston Primary School yesterday. She said: “Playing outdoors has huge benefits for children’s physical and mental wellbeing, and play parks ensure children can access high quality safe environments free of charge as families grapple with the cost of living crisis.

“This funding will support local communities to take forward their plans to improve play parks for children in their area.”

£15,000 grants available for Healthy Heart community projects across UK

Community groups that are helping local people look after their hearts can now apply for a grant of up to £15,000 from national charity Heart Research UK. Grants will be awarded in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England.

The grants are available for new and effective projects working with adults to promote healthy hearts with the aim to reduce the risk of heart disease in their community.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the world’s biggest killers, and the Healthy Heart grants aim to work preventatively within communities that may be marginalised or not have much access to health resources.

Projects should deliver health initiatives mainly focusing on one or more risk factors for heart disease, such as nutrition and healthy eating, physical activity, smoking, or alcohol.

The grants are available to registered charities with an annual income of less than £1m.

Opening dates for applications for each region will be staggered, with Wales being the first to open on the 30th of March with a closing date of the 27th of April.

Since 2001, Heart Research UK has awarded over 300 community grants, directly benefiting the hearts of over 70,000 individuals and countless wider community and family members across all regions of the UK.

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive at Heart Research UK, said: “We’ve seen amazing results from our Healthy Heart Grants over the years and are thrilled to be able to continue to award these in 2023.

“We know it’s a challenge to try and change your life for the better when it comes to things like eating and exercising, and through these grants we’ve seen what a massive impact grassroot community projects can have in providing resources, knowledge and tools and motivating people to look after their hearts.

“We’re now looking for new and innovative projects that really will have an impact, especially if they aim to improve the health of at risk or hard to reach communities.”

To see the full list of opening and closing dates for applications, please visit:

https://heartresearch.org.uk/healthy-heart-grants/.

Cyclone Freddy: UK provides life-saving support to Malawi

The UK is providing an emergency package of assistance comprising: a team of emergency medical personnel, a team with international search and rescue expertise (ISAR), specialist boats, and urgently needed emergency relief items such as shelter materials and water filters.

This is in addition to the immediate support the UK provided to the Malawi Government at the Emergency Operations Centre in Blantyre when the cyclone hit. This included food assistance, staff and vehicles to help Government and the UN launch emergency operations.

The UK ISAR team will be supporting Malawian counterparts; the team is bringing lightweight, nimble boats and a drone team to help in the search for survivors of the floods. These boats will be gifted to the Malawian Government for future emergency use when the UK ISAR team departs.

The Emergency Medical Team (EMT) will support hospitals in southern Malawi to treat the victims of Cyclone Freddy. They will also join with an existing cholera-focussed UK EMT to help reduce the risk of the ongoing cholera outbreak getting worse, following the floods.

Shelter and water filters will provide emergency shelter to approximately 3,000 people and allow up to 12,750 of those affected by floods, to access clean water and protect themselves from disease.

The UK International Search and Rescue advance party arrived in Malawi on Friday, 17 March. An additional Emergency Medical Team arrived in Blantyre on 18 March. The main UK International Search and Rescue team arrived through Kamuzu International Airport.

Acting British High Commissioner to Malawi, Sophia Willitts-King, said: “The UK is saddened by the tragic loss of life caused by Cyclone Freddy due to the extreme rainfall and unprecedented flooding in Southern Malawi. We stand side by side with Malawi in responding to this crisis.

“The UK’s rapid support will help Malawi with its search and rescue efforts. The additional medical capacity will help Malawi’s hospitals save lives. We are providing temporary shelter to give families protection from the weather.

“We are also investing in equipment that will help people access clean water and sanitation facilities. This support is vital to prevent the spread of deadly diseases, including cholera.”

Cyclone Freddy made landfall in Mozambique on 11 March and Malawi on 12 March. The flooding has already displaced 19,000 people. Malawi was hit particularly hard with what would have previously been judged as a 1-in-20 a year weather event.

While the wider picture remains unclear due to lack of access, landslides on the hillsides around Blantyre and severe flooding throughout Southern Malawi has resulted in over 326 deaths, 832 injured, and 282 missing, with the displacement of over 40,702 homes (approximately 183,159 people), as of 17 March. The flood waters are predicted to peak at the beginning of next week.

The UK ISAR deployed through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, following a request for assistance from Malawi. The team is on permanent standby to mobilise and assist when requested by disaster-affected countries. It always deploys as an official UK government team once a request has been made for assistance.

The UK ISAR is self-sufficient and provides its own food, water, shelter, sanitation, communications and all necessary equipment to undertake search and rescue operations for up to 14 days. This is to ensure no additional burden is placed upon a country already suffering demands on its resources, following a sudden onset disaster.

The UK ISAR was established in 1993 and has 30 years of experience deploying internationally to such disasters historically. The team is made up of 14 fire and rescue services.

£400,000 storm aid for Malawi from Scotland

Emergency relief funding following record-breaking storm

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has pledged £400,000 of financial support to Malawi to assist with emergency relief efforts in the wake of Tropical Cyclone Freddy.

The funding was confirmed in a letter to Malawian President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, and the First Minister also expressed the sincere condolences of the people of Scotland, following the tragic loss of life.

As of Monday 20 March, 499 people in the country have been killed and more than 508,244 people displaced as a result of the storm, which is the longest lasting and highest energy tropical cyclone ever recorded. A state of disaster in the Southern Region of Malawi has also been declared.

The storm’s impact comes as Malawi faces what the UN has described as the deadliest cholera outbreak in its recorded history. In January, the Scottish Government provided more than £236,000 to aid the Malawian Government’s outbreak response. 

The letter reads:

Your Excellency,

It is with great sadness that I find myself writing on this occasion. Please accept the sincere condolences of the people of Scotland, and the Scottish Government, following the tragic loss of life and displacement of people as a result of Tropical Cyclone Freddy.

It is heart wrenching to see the death, injury, and substantial damage to thousands of people’s homes and livelihoods, all at a time when Malawi is already facing a severe cholera outbreak.

I want to confirm today that we will pledge £400,000 to support emergency flood relief in Malawi. We are discussing with partners working on the ground already as to the most effective way that we can provide that support for those most in need and will engage Malawian Department of Disaster Management as we develop the projects.

Our thoughts are with all those affected by Tropical Storm Freddy, the people of Malawi at this difficult time and with your government in your response.

Nicola Sturgeon

Amazon Bathgate team shares joy of Red Nose Day

The team from Amazon in Bathgate shared laughs on site last week to raise awareness and funds for Comic Relief in the run-up to Red Nose Day on 17th March.

Comic Relief was founded in 1985 by the scriptwriter Richard Curtis and comedian Sir Lenny Henry. The charity funds and partners with organisations who support people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and tackle issues such as homelessness, mental health problems and food poverty in the UK and around the world. Every year, the charity hosts a nationwide fundraising campaign called Red Nose Day.

Amazon is the new, exclusive home of the new Red Nose, created by legendary designer Sir Jony Ive. Made almost entirely from plant-based materials, the Red Nose starts as a tiny, flat crescent and springs into a beautiful honeycomb-paper sphere. With every Red Nose bought, supporters are helping people through the toughest times of their lives as 100% of all profits go directly to Comic Relief.

Colleagues at the sortation centre in Bathgate took part in a week-long series of activities in the lead up to Red Nose Day 2023 (17th March). Events included a village-themed party with games such as go kart racing, wooden ring toss and darts, with the aim of raising awareness of the work of Comic Relief.

The team also donated £1,000 to Ponies Help Children to boost a local cause whose focus is in keeping with Comic Relief’s objectives.

Throughout the week, Amazon employees were encouraged to snap photos of themselves wearing Red Noses in a virtual photobooth, with £1 donated to Comic Relief for every picture taken.

Speaking on the activities on site, Gary Reid, Site Leader of Amazon in Bathgate, said: “Delivering Red Noses is just one of the ways our team is supporting Comic Relief this year.

“We’ve had so much fun getting together and helping to support the remarkable work Comic Relief does through our fundraising efforts. We are also pleased to donate £1,000 to Ponies Help Children to boost those working to help people struggling in their community.”

Gary Reid, from Amazon in Bathgate who took part in the activities, added: “I loved having a laugh with the team here in Bathgate in the lead up to Red Nose Day.

“Whether it was through a virtual photobooth or wooden ring toss, we had a lot of fun together raising awareness and funds for the many causes the charity supports.”

Samir Patel, CEO of Comic Relief, said: “Ever since we first created the Red Nose in 1988, it has always been a way of showing people how even the smallest of things can make a huge difference.

“We know times are difficult right now, but millions of people across the UK and around the world need our support. If we all come together and do what we can, like buy a Red Nose, we can make real change happen.

“We are hugely grateful to all Amazon colleagues and customers who are able to support this year’s Red Nose Day. Together we can be there for people going through the toughest times of their lives.”

Since November 2022, Amazon has donated £1.8 million as part of its support to Comic Relief and its employees up and down the country have been taking part in weird and wonderful fundraising activities, helping to raise even more money for Red Nose Day.

To read more about Amazon’s partnership with Comic Relief visit:

https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/news/company-news/amazon-is-the-new-home-of-comic-reliefs-iconic-red-nose.