Tag: appeal

Please bear with us: Lothian Buses chief issues public appeal

This is an appeal to all of our customers, and all who want to see Lothian Buses thrive again.

As a society we’ve gone from standing on doorsteps, applauding key workers and paying tribute to their efforts, to a much less tolerant approach.  It’s present wherever you look – in shops, restaurants, and most definitely on buses.  It seems many people are less patient, less accepting and much less forgiving.

I know that our service isn’t always delivering for our customers as it should be right now and I’m sorry.  It’s definitely not how we as a company want it to be and I know we still have work to do to get it right. I know how frustrating it is to wait at a bus stop only for the bus not to turn up or to watch the street tracker increase the number of minutes’ wait when it should be counting down.

Please be assured that Lothian Buses is doing everything possible to get back to operating the reliable bus services that the people of Edinburgh expect and need.

To our customers… Please see our people as human beings – people who are at their place of work and are deserving of your respect and courtesy.  Our drivers and other customer-facing people are seeing a huge increase in abusive behaviour. 

It’s abhorrent and completely unacceptable. If you are frustrated with our service and feel that we have let you down, please remember that it’s not the fault of any individual colleague.  They are doing their very best in incredibly difficult circumstances.

And to our colleagues… I am truly sorry that your working day looks as it does just now.  I know that you are the people who have remained loyal to Lothian Buses and continue to come to work in very difficult circumstances. 

Please know that we are doing everything possible to recruit the drivers we need and to retain the ones we have.  We are running an extensive recruitment campaign, we’ve evolved our training programme, we are adding new benefits to our employment offering, and we are working hard to modernise rotas so that we can offer a better work/life balance.

We are slowly turning a corner with driver shortages, and we will get back to being a service that customers can rely on.

And in the meantime…

Please bear with us, and with our people.

Sarah Boyd

Managing Director, Lothian Buses

Windsor Street assault: Do you know this man?

Police have released an image of a man that they wish to speak to as they believe he may have information that can assist with an investigation into a serious assault.

The incident took place around 7.20pm on Sunday, 17 July 2021, on Windsor Street, Edinburgh.  A 24-year-old man was verbally abused and assaulted by two males, and sustained facial injuries which required hospital treatment.

CCTV Image of man for Windsor Street assault

The person shown in the CCTV image, is described as a white male, slim build, 5ft 5 to 5ft 19 inches in height, between 15 and 18 years old, with light brown/blond hair. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a white logo on the front, black Nike shorts, grey trainers and was carrying a black rucksack on his back.

Officers believe that the male shown in the image may have information that could assist them and would appeal to him or anyone who recognises him to contact them.

Members of the public can contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting reference number 2274 of 21 July 2021, or if they wish to remain anonymous, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111

Police appeal: Do you know this man?

POLICE have released images of a man they believe may have information that can assist their ongoing enquiries into an attempted robbery. The incident occurred at around 1.50 am on Monday, 1 November 2021, on Gayfield Place.

Officers believe that the man shown in the images may have information that could assist them and would appeal to him or anyone who recognises him to contact them.

The man shown in the images is described as aged 20-30 years of age, around 5 foot 8 inches tall, with dark hair and was wearing a black and white jacket, black jeans and dark shoes and carrying a rucksack at the time.

Detective Constable Claire Riley, of Gayfield CID, said: “This was a frightening experience for the victim and our inquiries have been ongoing. I would urge the male in the images or anyone with information relating to him to contact police as soon as possible.”

Members of the public can contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting reference number 0298 of 1 November 2021, or if they wish to remain anonymous, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Craigroyston FC 2009s looking for more players

Craigroyston FC are looking for players born in 2009 to join our squad.

Craigroyston plays in SERYFA | South East Region Youth Football Association in division 4 were looking for players who are committed and a good team players

We train on Mondays and Thursdays 6.30pm-8pm and have games on Sundays around 11am.

Hourglass: Time’s running out

Millions of older people at risk of abuse unless Helpline receives urgent funding

Millions of older people could be at risk of abuse unless urgent funding is found for the UK’s only helpline dedicated to helping those affected by abuse.

Hourglass, the only charity in the UK dedicated to ending the abuse of older people, has a free 24/7 helpline available to anyone concerned about an older person at harm from abuse, whether that’s at home or within the care industry.

Hourglass is calling on the UK Government to help underpin the helpline and help appoint more Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs) who specialise in the abuse of older people.

Shortly before she died, the charity’s founder Baroness Greengross wrote to Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging the Government to give adequate financial support so the Hourglass helpline can survive.

There has been no response from the Prime Minister, the Home Office or anyone else in Government, despite calls from various MPs and Peers across the political spectrum for them to do so.

The Hourglass helpline currently receives more than 12,000 calls every year, but the charity will have to start significantly reducing its services to society’s most vulnerable older people, unless the Government approves funding by September. The charity predicts that by October this life changing service will need to downsize dramatically.

A report published by Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) recently found that 67% of directors are seeing the number of domestic abuse and safeguarding cases rising. This is further evidence that abuse of older people is a growing problem and further funding and support is vital to ensure older people age safely.

Every year, a million more new older people experience abuse and the charity’s services provide a vital lifeline for those in need.

To survive, the charity needs £1.2 million a year to continue. Unfortunately, current UK Government funding only covers the helpline from 5pm to 9am. To enable the helpline to be available 24/7, Hourglass has been forced to run on its reserves.

Richard Robinson, CEO of Hourglass, said: “Every single year, around 2.5 million older people are effected by abuse. This could be physical, emotional, financial or sexual abuse or neglect and discrimination in the UK.

“The services we provide are a real lifeline to those in need, but without urgent funding, it will be impossible to carry on at our current levels.

“The consequences of leaving vulnerable elderly people to fend for themselves are usually too terrifying to contemplate. However, this is becoming a tragic reality as we battle to keep providing the helpline so many of them will come to rely on.

“Out of respect to Baroness Greengross, who championed the rights of older people for so many years, and to the millions of older people at risk of abuse, the government now need to take action and provide adequate funding for this service.”

The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to make a donation by visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10. Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS.

If you would like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.

Have you seen Douglas?

Police are appealing for the public’s help as part of our efforts to trace Douglas Bramley, who has been reported missing in Edinburgh.

There are growing concerns for the 33-year-old, who lives in Edinburgh area and was last seen near the Grange area around 9pm on Sunday, 10 July.

Douglas is described as white, 6ft in height, slim build, with short dark brown hair and facial stubble. He is wearing jeans and a black T shirt.

Anyone who may have seen Douglas, or who has any information on his whereabouts, is urged to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 2234 of 11 July

Letters: Mary’s Meals appeal

Dear Editor,  

Today, more than 64 million primary school-age children miss out on an education around the world because of poverty. 

Leaving a gift in your will, no matter how small, is an incredibly generous way you can help us bring hope to those desperately hungry children who often need to work or beg for food in order to survive. 

With the promise of a daily meal in a place of education, Mary’s Meals is attracting hungry children into the classroom giving them the energy to learn how to read and write. 

For children like 13-year-old Ballah from Liberia – who used to skip school – Mary’s Meals fills his empty stomach and is allowing him to gain a precious education so he can follow his dreams of becoming a doctor.  

“Food is important,” he says. “Most days, I don’t eat breakfast and I feel so hungry I can barely study. After eating Mary’s Meals, I feel active. 

“When I qualify as a doctor, I’d like to stay in Liberia and teach others how to do the same.” 

With a gift in your will, you can help us keep our promise to more than 2.2 million children in some of the world’s poorest communities who rely on our nutritious meals and will be giving children like Ballah the chance of a brighter future. 

If you would like more information about leaving a gift in your will, please visit www.marysmeals.org.uk/will 

Lori Cobley,

Partnership Manager at Mary’s Meals 

Police: Firearms Surrender appeal

Firearms and ammunition can be surrendered at police stations across Scotland as part of a UK-wide firearms surrender campaign.

Running from Thursday 12 May until Sunday 29 May, people in possession of firearms and ammunition, for which they do not hold a valid certificate, will be able to surrender these to police.

In addition to being able to hand in firearms and ammunition, the public will be able to hand over replica firearms, air weapons, BB guns, imitation firearms, component parts and other ballistic items.

The public can hand firearms and weapons to any police station, however are asked where possible to attend at designated locations across Scotland.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: “The purpose of the firearms surrender campaign is to remove firearms from criminal availability and therefore reduce the risk of harm to the public and our communities.

“People will be able to surrender unlicensed weapons and ammunition to a number of dedicated police stations throughout Scotland and I would encourage people to do so.”

Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans Keith Brown said: “I would encourage anyone in possession of an unneeded or unlicensed firearm or air weapon to safely hand it over to police at one of their designated police stations.

“Firearm offences remain at historically low levels in Scotland, but by removing unwanted weapons this important campaign by Police Scotland will help keep our communities safe and prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands.”

Dedicated stations for the surrender are:

EAST

Edinburgh Division

St Leonards

Fife Division

Levenmouth

Kirkcaldy

Dunfermline

Forth Valley Division

Stirling Randolphfield

Falkirk

Lothians and Scottish Borders

Dalkeith

Galashiels

Haddington

Livingstone

NORTH

Highland and Islands Division

Burnett Road

Dingwall

Fort William

Kirkwall

Lerwick

Nairn

Portree

Stornoway

Wick

North East Division

Banchory

Elgin

Ellon

Inverurie

Kittybrewster

Mintlaw

Stonehaven

Tayside Division

Dundee

Forfar

Perth

WEST

Argyll and West Dumbartonshire Division

Campbeltown

Clydebank

Dumbarton

Dunoon

Islay

Lochilphead

Oban

Rothesay

Ayrshire Division

Ayr

Irvine

Kilmarnock

Lamlash

Dumfries and Galloway Division

Annan

Castle Douglas

Dumfries HQ

Lockerbie

Loreburn, Dumfries

Newton Stewart

Stranraer

Sanquhar

Greater Glasgow Division

Aitkenhead Road

Govan

Kirkintilloch

London Road

Lanarkshire Division

Hamilton

Motherwell

Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Division

Greenock

Paisley

Letters: Ending veterans’ homelessness for good

Dear Editor

We’ve seen a dramatic rise in the number of homeless veterans seeking help since the pandemic. With the rising cost of living crisis, we know the situation is going to get worse. 

Too often former members of the Armed Forces miss out on housing support because they aren’t identified as a veteran. As leading voices in the veterans housing sector, we’ve joined the No Homeless Veterans [www.nohomelessveterans.org.uk] campaign to urge local authorities to do more.

It’s vital that when someone needs help with housing, they are asked whether they’ve served in the Forces. If they have, this should be recorded. Once identified, they can be directed towards support that’s available.

Many, particularly in Scotland, already do, but all local authorities across the UK should be identifying veterans quickly. There is no need for them to be sofa surfing, bouncing from hostel to hostel, or sleeping on the streets. Our heroes deserve better and it’s inexcusable to leave them out in the cold.

Yours sincerely

Richard Gammage, CEO, Stoll

Andrew Lord MBE, CEO, Alabaré

Bernard Stonestreet, Executive Secretary/Founder, East Sussex Veterans Hub

Tim Stockings, CEO, Haig Housing

Sheena MacKay, Case Manager, Help for Heroes

Steve Bentham-Bates, CEO, Help 4 Homeless Veterans

Moira Bayne, CEO, Housing Options Scotland

Colonel (Ret’d) Tony Gauvain, Chair/CEO, PTSD Resolution

Emrys Rogers, Head of Housing & Assurance, Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund

Mark Shields, Head of Community Support, Royal Air Forces Association

Brigadier (Ret’d) Martin Nadin OBE, Chief Executive, Scottish Veterans Residences

Ronan’s Walk Across Scotland

Hello all,                                                                                                                                    

My name is Ben Liddall. You may remember me through the 100 day running challenge I did at the start of 2021 to raise funds for the MyNamesDoddie campaign.

This was a great experience for me and while I have lots of plans to do more things like this again in the future I would like to pass the torch to my friend Ronan Ratcliffe who is taking on an absolutely astounding challenge, beginning at the end of May. Here is a brief description from Ronan about what he is doing.

It is really incredible what he aims to do: 

                                                                                                                                                             “Hi there, my name is Ronan, and I’m aiming to walk 140 miles across Scotland at the start of June to raise money for the UK mental health charity ‘Samaritans.’

“The walk will take me from Fort William in the Highlands, across to Glendoll Forest, just north of Dundee. It consists of approximately 40 Munroes (any mountain in Scotland over 3,000ft) including Ben Nevis, and roughly 45,000 feet of elevation.

“I aim to start the walk on the 30th of May and be finished by the 6th or 7th of June. Along the way I will be wild camping about 50% of the time, and staying in Bothies (an unlocked shelter to be used free of charge in mountainous areas) the other half of the time. The route I am taking is almost completely remote, only passing over 2 public roads the whole time.

“If you would like to read into the backstory of why I am doing this, please read through my GoFundMe page below:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/mental-health-awareness-walk-across-scotland

“However, if not, I would really appreciate it if you could donate some money to it, or even just share the fundraiser around. It is my goal to raise £2500 and hopefully with your help I can do that.” 

Thank you very much,

RONAN RATCLIFFE