Youth Group is back! Starting today – Thursday 4th February.
Please contact Fiona for the joining details: youthwork@ccchub.online
#Youthwork#youngpeople#highschool#youthclub#Corstorphine#CommunityCentre
Also started this week:
People eligible for the free flu vaccine are being urged to take up the offer to protect themselves and others and help the NHS avoid additional pressure over the winter period.
This year the vaccine is being offered to more people than ever to address the additional risk posed by coronavirus (COVID-19). In order to vaccinate more people safely, where you go to get your vaccine may be different from previous years and may not be at a GP surgery.
New walk-in or drive-through centres have been set up in many areas within local facilities, such as town halls and community hubs, along with outreach programmes for the sole purpose of delivering the free flu jab. They will provide a safe alternative to GP surgeries for many adults who are eligible and have received, or will receive, a letter in the coming weeks, to book a vaccination appointment.
GP practices will continue to play an important role – particularly for the most vulnerable members of the community.
As in previous years, local health teams will be deployed to primary schools to offer the vaccination to all primary school aged children.
For those living in and working in care homes, along with those receiving care at home and the elderly, local NHS Boards are making arrangements for vaccinations to take place in the home.
Vaccination for the different groups will be staggered with those most at risk being prioritised. So far, invitations have been sent to two of those groups, parents of those aged 2-5 years and those aged 65 and over, inviting them to make an appointment.
From October, further letters will be sent to priority groups including:
From December, those aged 55 to 64 (by 31 March 2021) who would not usually be eligible will also be offered the flu vaccine.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nicola Steedman (above) said: “This year, more than ever, it is important that you receive your flu vaccine if you are eligible.
“The way the flu vaccine is administered will be a little different for many people, given COVID-19 restrictions, and it may not be at a GP practice for some.
“Some people may be worried about the risks of going out to get their vaccination, but getting your flu vaccine is one of the most important reasons for leaving your home and strict infection prevention and control measures will be in place to protect you. The vaccine is safe and it’s the best way to help protect you from flu this winter. It only takes a few minutes to be vaccinated, and it helps to provide protection from flu for around a year.
“Flu is serious and with COVID-19 still circulating in the community there is increased risk to life if you are ill with both viruses simultaneously, therefore we all need to play our part to keep ourselves as healthy as possible over the winter months. Flu vaccination is a big part of that.”
Everyone who is eligible for a free flu jab will be contacted in writing in the coming weeks with details of how to make an appointment. These letters will not all be sent out at the same time and instead will be staggered to ensure those most at clinical risk are prioritised.
People will receive a letter asking them to book an appointment at a venue which may be at their local pharmacy, attending a local walk through centre, by visiting a GP practice or nearby mobile unit or with a district nurse.
More information on eligibility and how to make an appointment in your area is available at nhsinform.scot/flu – or call 0800 22 44 88 where an NHS24 call handler will be able to direct you.
The flu vaccination programme will run from early October through to February next year.
Funding for 31 third sector projects in social care has been extended to March 2022 with the announcement of an additional £2.9 million of Scottish Government backing.
Edinburgh projects include MECOPP, Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living and Thistle Foundation Health and Wellbeing.
Scottish Government’s ‘Support in the Right Direction’ programme was initially funded until March 2021, with funding partner Inspiring Scotland. The programme helps organisations who provide information, advice and advocacy to people accessing and managing their social care across Scotland.
The 12-month extension will enable project staff to continue their vital work helping people and carers navigate their way through the social care system, make the most of the ‘self-directed support’ options available to them, and access the support and care they need in their community.
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport Jeane Freeman said: “I am very pleased to be able to extend funding for Inspiring Scotland to manage these projects for an additional 12 months.
“The programme has consistently demonstrated the benefits of ensuring supported people have practical information and advocacy to live their lives.
“Independent advice and advocacy, plus support to make connections in their community, relieves stress and anxiety and helps people and carers maximise their choices and control over their arrangements, which is key to Scotland’s social care system.
“I am grateful to Inspiring Scotland and the individual projects for continuing this vital work and providing additional support to our social care sector.”
Inspiring Scotland Chief Executive Celia Tennant added: “We’re very pleased that all 31 Support in the Right Direction projects will receive funding for a further 12 months.
“This announcement recognises the importance of independent support for people, as part of local health and social care delivery, and provides some stability for these essential charities.”
The Support in the Right Direction programme is managed on behalf of Scottish Government by Inspiring Scotland.
Click here for Details of the funded projects
DADS in LOCKDOWN ‘Human after all’
A new UK-wide poll conducted by retailer Menkind sheds light on how government-imposed lockdown measures have been impacting dads and their relationships with their children over the past couple of months.
Despite several challenges, many families are coming together, with dads not only spending more time at home with their children but also enjoying an improved relationship, making pleasant discoveries, teaching their children but also learning from them.
Challenging period a positive impact on father-children relationship
According to the poll, conducted between 14 and 19 May 2020, almost two thirds of dads (60%) have been spending more time with their kids than before, which contributed to strengthening the family bond significantly.
A third of dads say their relationship with their kids improved and that the isolation period brought them closer together.
There are, however, those who were less fortunate: a quarter of UK dads were forced to spend less time with their kids, as they are either empty nesters, their child is in the care of the other parent, or they were required to work long hours during the quarantine. Nevertheless, dads didn’t let physical distance stop them – 1 in 10 dads spent more time with their kids virtually, either by phone or video call.
Games, gardening, films and baking to keep sane
With more time on their hands, dads engaged in the simple pleasure of family activities as a means to overcome the difficulties of spending prolonged time inside: 2 in 5 played board games and computer games with the kids, the same number did gardening, over a third of dads took on DIY projects, while 1 in 10 fathers used sharing life stories with the kids for this purpose.
Among the lockdown activities dads engaged more in, over half admitted they were baking and cooking more than before, close to half said they exercised together with the family more, while a big proportion were playing more with the kids: 2 in 5 played more with toys, on par with dads who played video games, while almost half played board games, puzzles or other traditional games.
It was not all fun and games though, as half of dads say they helped out with coursework/homework more than before, as well as engaged in learning and educational activities.
Health, wellbeing and education as top challenges
The positive effects on the family bond didn’t come without difficulties. The top three challenges for fathers during lockdown with the kids were keeping the kids busy and engaged, the challenges of homeschooling and getting kids to spend less time on their phones/tablets.
Health and wellbeing challenges were also on the list, with a third of dads concerned about kids getting enough exercise and a fifth with cooking varied meals during the isolation period. Emotional wellbeing was a focus, with a quarter of respondents listing “giving each other space” as a challenge.
Dads more in tune with their emotions
When asked about the most important lessons learned from their kids during family quarantine, close to half of dads confessed that they want to spend more time with the kids moving forward, while two thirds want to be more supportive of them when they need it, and the same number said they learned to be less impatient from their kids.
Challenging male stereotypes, 1 in 14 dads said they learned to be more in tune with their feminine side. A significant number, 1 in 4, admitted they learned “that it’s okay to fail” and 1 in 5 confessed that “relationships take work”.
Lockdown funny moments were abundant
The lockdown didn’t come without its funny moments, with many dads experiencing their fair share of comical family situations. Among the most popular funny moments were kids crashing Zoom work calls on several occasions, pets crashing work calls, or dads themselves being the ones crashing their kids school/hobby Zoom classes.
The survey also collected some hilarious anecdotes from dads. While some dads admitted to “countless pranks pulled on each other” with the family and “passing air when online”, others found creative ways to cope with the quarantine: “I had a bit of a melt down and locked myself in our loft, my daughter and wife found this hilarious. Little do they know I have a chocolate stash up there.”
Commenting on the new survey findings, Fred Prego, Marketing Director at Menkind, said: “As kids we grow up with this idealised view of our dads as superheroes, which somehow fades away as we grow older and understand they are human, after all.
“These last few months have seen dads reclaim that superhero role as they’ve been spending more time at home with the family, forming closer bonds, getting more involved in their children’s education, activities and spare time.
“Despite the challenges of lockdown, it’s reassuring to see that most dads have cherished spending quality time with their kids to the point of wanting to be closer to them moving forward – being a father myself, I’m among them.”
To read more about the experiences and challenges UK dads faced during lockdown, please visit: www.menkind.co.uk/blog/
Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, will host online celebrations this year for Bookbug Week, which runs from Monday 18 May – Sunday 24 May.
As the Bookbug programme has been running since 2010, the charity will mark the ten year milestone with #HappyBirthdayBookbug, encouraging families across Scotland to send Bookbug their birthday wishes.
Bookbug Week is an annual celebration of Scotland’s national book-gifting programme and Song and Rhyme Sessions. There will be many ways for families to join in the fun at home, such as a daily drawalong with Bookbug’s creator Debi Gliori, to learn how to draw Bookbug and friends.
There will also be a special film with Debi, which explains how she created Bookbug ten years ago.
The popular live Bookbug Session on Facebook will run on Friday 22 May at 10am, for everyone to join in and sing happy birthday to Bookbug.
The first live Bookbug Session was a great success with over 20,000 views. For those that cannot join the live session, there will be an option to watch later, or the option of acelebratory Bookbug Session for families to try at home themselves.
Scottish Book Trust’s home activities hub will be packed with more themed ideas to try at home, from making a party hat to colouring in sheets of Bookbug.
All through the week, there will also be competitions on the charity’s website and social media. Scottish Book Trust will also be asking for families’ memories of their child’s Bookbug Bags and Bookbug Sessions with their little ones.
As always, families can access Bookbug’s Song and Rhyme library, via Scottish Book Trust’s website, or on the free Bookbug app.
Building on the increasing demand for modern nursery rhymes, Scottish Book Trust commissioned Sprog Rock to develop a brand new birthday song, which will launch on Wednesday 20 May.
The new song was created through interactive nursery workshops earlier this year with Bucklyvie Nursery in Glasgow. The song centres around the theme of being ten years old, with nursery children contributing their imaginative thoughts about what that age means to them.
Minister for Children and Young People, Maree Todd said: “I am delighted that we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Bookbug programme in Scotland.
“To date, Bookbug has provided well over 6 million books to children and helped families across Scotland to take part in Bookbug activities and enjoy precious moments of reading, story-telling and singing together.
“We know these are challenging times for families so it is heartening to see that the Bookbug online sessions are proving to be such a success. I am also pleased to see that this year’s celebrations will be packed with themed activity ideas for families to try at home.
“I would like to thank Scottish Book Trust and everyone involved in delivering this wonderful programme and I hope that many families can join in the exciting virtual events and resources during the Bookbug week.”
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Scottish Book Trust is looking forward to celebrating Bookbug’s tenth birthday with families across Scotland through our website, social media channels and Bookbug app.
“We are extremely proud of the impact that the Bookbug programme has made in the last decade: from delivering free bags of books, to bringing communities together through Bookbug Sessions, to working with families at home who need our support to get started sharing stories and songs together.
“We’d like to thank all our colleagues from libraries, health, education, social care and the third sector for building Bookbug with us – it truly is a national partnership that shows how much we value books, and value children. We look forward to receiving everyone’s birthday messages for Bookbug and hope that families can join us to celebrate.”
Funded by the Scottish Government and Creative Scotland, Bookbug is Scottish Book Trust’s Early Years Programme.
The Bookbug programme encourages mums, dads and carers to sing and share stories with their children from birth. It gives every child in Scotland four free bags of books in their first 5 years, gifting over 885,000 books every year.
Bookbug also runs regular free story, song and rhyme events in libraries, shopping centres and other community venues which attracted audiences of over 720,000 parents and children in 2018-19.
Happy Birthday, Bookbug!
Newly released film Sulphur and White, which depicts a man’s journey from childhood abuse to eventual healing, is lauded by Edinburgh campaigner as the drama is screened in the city.
Ruth Moss, who lives in Edinburgh and is an honorary member of the NSPCC Council, praised the film after watching it and meeting David Tait, whose story of trauma to eventual healing is portrayed through the deeply personal screen drama.
The brutally honest yet inspiring film, which shows the impact of child sexual abuse on David’s life, is being screened at Vue Cinema, Edinburgh Omni Centre, on Tuesday (March 17), with 20% of ticket sales going to the children’s charity.
The film about David, an NSPCC ambassador and fundraiser, was directed by BAFTA and Emmy Award nominee Julian Jarrold and written by Susie Farrell. Actors starring in the film include Mark Stanley, Emily Beecham, Dougray Scott and Anna Friel.
Ruth, who met David at the film’s premiere in Glasgow, said: “David spent many years with this as a hidden secret, and I really hope this film encourages people that have gone through similar dreadful experiences to realise that there’s no better time to speak out, even if it’s been a long time since that experience took place.
“This film is powerful, it has impact and it provides a real message. It’s a film that everyone should watch and will come out feeling different from when they went in.”
David, who has raised more than £1.5 million for the children’s charity, said: “I backed Sulphur and White being made because I wanted people to understand the reality of child sexual abuse and the collateral damage it can cause. I also wanted to show people that there is redemption and a future.
“I’m hoping the film will encourage people with hidden pasts to talk about their own problems and it will give them comfort going forward.
“The NSPCC and Childline is such an incredibly important resource for children these days – that they can reach out for help and there is someone there to listen to them and support them.”
Last year, over 500 children and young people in Scotland contacted Childline about sexual abuse. During the same period, Police Scotland recorded more than 5,000 sexual offences against children.
Matt Forde, national head of service for NSPCC Scotland, said: “It is so important that people feel that if they speak out they will be listened to and believed, however much time has passed since the abuse happened.
“We hope that David’s story will give people the courage to do so, and that they will receive the support they need.
“We are also extremely grateful for David’s incredible support and fundraising feats for the charity.”
Since leaving his role as a city trader, David has raised money for the children’s charity by climbing Mount Everest on five occasions and was the first person to complete the North-South traverse. He was awarded an MBE by The Queen for his services to children.
He continues to be a significant figure for the NSPCC, speaking personally about his experiences to raise awareness and champion its work at events throughout of the UK.
Mark Stanley, who plays David on screen, said: “I hope that people watching Sulphur and White will gain some of the insight and understanding that I got from playing this part about the profound impact of child sexual abuse.”
Sulphur and White in Vue Cinema, Edinburgh Omni Centre on Tuesday (March 17) at 7.30pm. https://www.myvue.com/cinema/edinburgh-omni-centre/film/sulphur-and-white/times
We believe young people are the experts in their own lives. We also believe young people can play an active role in our communities.
Ecas has a new service for physically disabled young people ages 18 to 30 living in Edinburgh and Lothian.
We will work with you to identify goals and plans based on your unique circumstances. By meeting at a pace that suits you, we will support you to identify your own solutions, navigate opportunities available, and realise your potential.
How it works:
More detail is available in this overview.
Enquire and make a referral:
Saturday 15th June 10am – 3pm
Summer Fair to fundraise for our Tanzania 2020 trip! 🇹🇿
Stalls will include hot food 🌭, face painting 🎨, cake and candy 🍰, tombola 🎟, clothes rail 👗, jewellery💍, henna painting 🖍, nail painting💅🏼, games🥇 etc.
Fun for all the family! 👨👩👧👦
Be sure to share the event, come along and bring as many friends as you can! 👍🏼
More than 7,000 children from low income families will have access to healthy and nutritious food during the Christmas school holidays, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said this morning. Continue reading Tackling food insecurity during school holidays
Ben Macpherson SNP MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith showed his support for the work of Corra Foundation when they shared their groundbreaking Everyone Has a Story report at a reception in the Scottish Parliament on 6th December. Continue reading Ben Macpherson supports Corra Foundation report
