Get egg-cited at Dalkeith Country Park

Dalkeith Country Park launches its Easter events and activity programme 1st – 16th April 2023

FREE PICTURE: Dalkeith Country Park Easter Fun Activities Launch, Tue 21/03/2023: Getting egg-cited for Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme of events – Dalkeith Country Park launches its Easter events and activity programme 1 to 16 April 2023: Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme has launched with a huge variety of family events and activities. Including egg hunting, craft workshops, Fort Douglas (playwark) adventures, Bunny Fun Runs and the very first Dalkeith Country Park Duck Race along the River Esk. Pictured chasing the Dalkeith Country Park Easter bunny are (from left) Juliette Thomson (aged seven and from North Berwick), Phoebe Watkins (aged seven), Sadie Watkins (aged four), Alexandra Thomson (aged 11) and Elijah Mitchell (aged nine). (all children pictured with parental permission). More information in accompanying Press Release, visit www.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk or from: Amy Redmond, Content & PR Executive, Dalkeith Country Park – 07920 839 344 – aredmond@dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk Photography for Dalkeith Country Park from: Colin Hattersley Photography – www.colinhattersley.com – cphattersley@gmail.com – 07974 957 388.

Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme has officially launched with a huge variety of family events & activities. Create the ultimate Easter holiday day-out filled with egg hunting, craft workshops, Fort Douglas adventures, Bunny Fun Runs and the very first Dalkeith Country Park Duck Race. 

The programme launches with the amazing Duck Race along the River Esk, kicking off the Easter holidays. Families can then head out on the Golden Egg Hunt and search The Park for prize winning eggs, or bounce on over to Fort Douglas adventure playground. Finish off the Easter extravaganza hopping off all those chocolate eggs along the 1k or 5k Bunny Fun Run.

The Fort Douglas adventure park hosts an Easter activity area. Little adventurers are invited to hop on in and take part in the scavenger hunt, down slides, along wobbly bridges and flying down zip lines to collect a chocolatey prize. Once the hunt is done, join the bunny helpers to get creative and decorate eggs to hang on the Fort Douglas Easter tree. Children should keep eyes and ears open for an extra special guest who may just hop on in to say hello. 

FREE PICTURE: Dalkeith Country Park Easter Fun Activities Launch, Tue 21/03/2023: Getting egg-cited for Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme of events – Dalkeith Country Park launches its Easter events and activity programme 1 to 16 April 2023: Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme has launched with a huge variety of family events and activities. Including egg hunting, craft workshops, Fort Douglas (playwark) adventures, Bunny Fun Runs and the very first Dalkeith Country Park Duck Race along the River Esk. Pictured with the Dalkeith Country Park Easter bunny are Sadie Watkins (aged four) with Elijah Mitchell (aged nine). (children pictured with parental permission). More information in accompanying Press Release, visit www.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk or from: Amy Redmond, Content & PR Executive, Dalkeith Country Park – 07920 839 344 – aredmond@dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk Photography for Dalkeith Country Park from: Colin Hattersley Photography – www.colinhattersley.com – cphattersley@gmail.com – 07974 957 388.

And that’s not all! Restoration Yard will play host to an abundance of workshops for both adults and children. Adults can try their hand at the art of decoupage, creating a beautiful set of six hanging decorations or their very own unique plant pot. Scotts Apothecary are running a Spring Candle Making workshop, producing bespoke hand-poured candles that pack a blissful punch. 

Easter workshops for little ones include Spring Storytelling, Easter Cookie Decorating and Easter Craft Workshops. Parents can indulge in some well-deserved ‘me-time’ in The Kitchen or The Store, while little ones enjoy the workshops. 

Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme begins on Saturday 01 April with events, activities and workshops running throughout the Easter holidays until Sunday 16 April.

FREE PICTURE: Dalkeith Country Park Easter Fun Activities Launch, Tue 21/03/2023: Getting egg-cited for Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme of events – Dalkeith Country Park launches its Easter events and activity programme 1 to 16 April 2023: Dalkeith Country Park’s Easter programme has launched with a huge variety of family events and activities. Including egg hunting, craft workshops, Fort Douglas (playwark) adventures, Bunny Fun Runs and the very first Dalkeith Country Park Duck Race along the River Esk. With the Dalkeith Country Park Easter bunny are (from left) Elijah Mitchell (aged nine), Sadie Watkins (aged four) and Alexandra Thomson (aged 11) (all children picxtured with parental permission). More information in accompanying Press Release, visit www.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk or from: Amy Redmond, Content & PR Executive, Dalkeith Country Park – 07920 839 344 – aredmond@dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk Photography for Dalkeith Country Park from: Colin Hattersley Photography – www.colinhattersley.com – cphattersley@gmail.com – 07974 957 388.

Dalkeith Country Park Easter Events Programme 

EventDate(s)Booking Link
Fort Douglas Easter Activity AreaSaturday 01 – Sunday 16 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/fort-douglas-easter-activities/ 
Dalkeith Country Park Duck RaceSaturday 01 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/duck-race/ 
Golden Egg Hunt Saturday 01 – Sunday 16 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/golden-egg-hunt/ 
Spring StorytellingSunday 02 Apr – Saturday 15 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/spring-storytelling/ 
Kids’ Easter Cookie WorkshopSunday 02 Apr – Friday 14 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/kids-easter-cookie-decorating-workshops/ 
Easter Decoration WorkshopMonday 03 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/easter-decoration-workshop/ 
Kids’ Easter Craft WorkshopTuesday 04 Apr – Tuesday 11 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/kids-easter-craft-workshops/ 
Spring Plant Pot WorkshopWednesday 05 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/spring-plant-pot-workshop/ 
Spring Candle Making WorkshopMonday 10 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/spring-candle-making-workshop/ 
Easter Bunny Fun RunSunday 16 Aprwww.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/event/easter-bunny-fun-run/ 

To book online, visit:

Easter Events Calendar – www.dalkeithcountrypark.co.uk/events/ 

The Ivy on the Square, Edinburgh – where dreams come true

Dine every day at The Ivy with a delicious, new selection of tantalising set menus and dishes for all occasions

The Ivy on the Square, Edinburgh is here to make all your dreams come true this spring.

Whether guests wish to enjoy a delightful mid-week lunch, or a meal with family, friends and loved ones, whatever the occasion, dine every day at The Ivy with something for everyone.

All Day Dreamers, launching Tuesday, 21 March

Indulge in a luxurious lunchtime experience with the All Day Dreamers set menu, brimming with dishes that dreams are made of. Diners can choose two courses for £17.95 or three courses for £22.95, plus a Champagne Dream Cocktail (£9.95), featuring a tantalising blend of Scapegrace Black gin poured over cotton candy and topped with Ivy Champagne.

Starters include a warming Creamed Cauliflower Soup, a fresh Pan-fried Scottish smoked haddock or Emilia Romagna cured coppa ham.

For mains, guests can choose from a selection of seasonal dishes including Spicy Jackfruit and Toasted Peanut Bang Bang Salad served with Mexican chayote, seasame, coriander, white mooli and shredded Chinese leaf, or chargrilled, grass-fed Rump Steak, served with thick cut chips.

The new Dream Dessert features a crispy vanilla cloud with warm chocolate brownie, vanilla ice cream, and hot yuzu caramel sauce, perfect for those guests with a sweet tooth.

Available Monday to Friday from 11:30am to 6.30pm.

Little Dreamers, launching Tuesday 21, March

For those looking for a family treat, the Little Dreamers menu is perfect for younger guests to enjoy, with all main dishes priced at £9.95.

Children can choose from Linguine Pasta with Tomato SauceGrilled Chicken Escalope with sprouting broccoli, a delicious Hamburger and Chips, and much more.

For dessert, children can create their Dream Sundae (£6.95), with vanilla ice cream, and a range of toppings to choose from including strawberries, marshmallows, honeycomb, and chocolate flakes.

Campaigners call on Scottish Government to develop national strategy to prevent child sexual abuse

Stop It Now! Scotland and NSPCC Scotland are calling on the Scottish Government to develop a national strategy to tackle child sexual abuse that focuses on prevention to make the country a safer place to grow up.

The two charities hosted an event in partnership with the Scottish Parliament this week (Wednesday, March 15) with leading experts in the field.

They discussed the devastating harms and long-lasting impact that sexual abuse can have on victims, that punishment alone will not eradicate this problem and what we can do to prevent children being abused in the first place. They also talked about the next steps we need to take to guarantee Scotland is the safest country for children to grow up.

They are urging the Scottish Government to develop a comprehensive and coordinated national approachto prevent child sexual abuse, which involves health, police, education, community safety, children’s services, social services, housing and the wider community. The child protection charities say it is vital that everyone understands what child sexual abuse is and knows how they can be part of preventing it.

A review of UK data revealed that 15 per cent of females and 5 per cent of males will experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of 16.

This means at least 80,000 children in Scotland will have been affected by this issue before they leave high school. Although this is thought to be an under-representation of the scale of the problem and the actual number of children who have experienced sexual abuse in Scotland is not known.

The charities say that to understand the numbers of children in Scotland affected and the scale of the suffering it is crucial that a prevalence survey is conducted.

Professor Elizabeth Letourneau, Director of the Moore Centre for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, School of Public Health, John Hopkins University, said: “Child sexual abuse affects about one in nine children – 12 per cent of all children – globally. Victims are at risk of immediate harms, such as fear, injury, and pregnancy, and a broad array of serious health problems can emerge and last across the lifespan.

“Only one in five cases of child sexual abuse are ever reported to the authorities. This means that we miss at least 80 per cent of cases, so punishment will never be enough if we are to effectively address this public health problem.

“I believe our failure to focus on prevention stems from a general misgiving that child sexual abuse really is not preventable. That people who are at risk of perpetrating abuse are monsters and their behaviour cannot be predicted or prevented, and they will only respond to punishment.

But we know this is not true. We already have good evidence that we can effectively prevent child sexual abuse perpetration.”

Pat Branigan, Assistant Director of NSPCC’s Together for Childhood, said: “One of the most important messages from today is that child sexual abuse is preventable and not inevitable.

“The ultimate goal is to develop a framework, based on evidence of what we know already works, which can be used to support agencies and organisations to work together and prevent child sexual abuse in communities.

“We need to create strong local partnerships between social care, schools, health, voluntary groups, the police and communities that focus on preventing people from offending, and empower and educate children and adults to recognise the signs of abuse and how they can report their concerns.

“Ultimately it will not be governments, experts or professionals who eradicate child sexual abuse, it will be individuals, families and communities.”

Stuart Allardyce, Director, Lucy Faithfull Foundation / Stop It Now! Scotland, said: “Last year we helped 7,000 people across the UK through our Helpline.  Not all were adults worried about their own sexual thoughts, feelings and behaviour, but around half of them were.

“We also had adults who were worried about another adult, or because they had found evidence their partner has been seeking out child sexual abuse material online.

“We believe that if you build prevention initiatives, people will come – professionals, protective adults, but also those who worried about the risk that they may present to children. We can no longer say that people won’t use self-help prevention resources, because the evidence is that they can and do and that prevention works.”

Childlight, based at the University of Edinburgh, also launched the first comprehensive global data repository this week, which will look at all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA), with the aim of being able to show the scale and nature of this abuse. 

Children and young people can contact Childline for free, confidential support and advice 24 hours a day online at www.childline.org.uk or on the phone on 0800 1111

Anyone with concerns about a child’s wellbeing can contact the NSPCC Helpline on help@nspcc.org.uk. The NSPCC practitioners provide free and confidential help and advice and can take appropriate steps to help keep children safe. If a child is in immediate danger, please call 999.

The NSPCC also has advice and resources for parents, carers on how to have simple, age appropriate conversations with children to help prevent sexual abuse through their Talk PANTS campaign. This helps children understand that their body belongs to them and to recognise when something is not okay and how to tell someone.

Asda release FREE recipe e-book for Mother’s Day

Introducing ‘Messy Brekkies’: the first ever Mother’s Day recipe book to show what really happens when kids take to the kitchen 

In a twist on the usual highly styled and perfect food photography, Asda’s ‘Messy Brekkies’ e-book showcases classic Mother’s Day breakfast dishes in all their perfectly imperfect glory

Waffles by Alfie, 6.jpg
  • This Mother’s Day, Asda releases the first recipe book that reveals the less-than-perfect results of kids let loose in the kitchen 
  • Asda’s ‘Messy Brekkies’ e-book includes food photography that is a far cry from the usual stylised shots – because as mums know, it’s the thought, not the presentation, that counts 
  • Asda tasked a team of budding chefs with the all-important job of recipe testing: Alice (7), Elijah (7), Alfie (6) and Grace (4) 
  • The little novices took to the kitchen to work up seven delicious recipes: from pancakes and waffles to eggy bread and scrambled eggs – getting very messy in the process
  • Asda’s Messy Brekkies e-book is available now to download free of charge at https://www.asda.com/good-living/article/asda-messy-brekkies 

Mother’s Day. The one day of the year when mums and mother figures get a lie-in and are treated to breakfast in bed, over-enthusiastically made by little hands. Whether its swimming in syrup or camouflaged by caster sugar, each messy breakfast is a labour of love and, as mum knows, it’s the thought that counts. This year, to celebrate Mother’s Day, Asda launches a unique recipe book of ‘Messy Brekkies’, showing the reality of what the mums in our lives typically get served – and the glorious mess made in the kitchen.

Set the all-important task of recipe testing, Asda appointed four children aged 4-7 to cook their Mother’s Day breakfasts in all of their perfectly imperfect glory. The adorable team, comprised of Alice (7), Elijah (7), Alfie (6) and Grace (4) rolled up their sleeves and took to the kitchen to develop a repertoire of recipes full of heart for March 19th

The seven resulting dishes include Perfectly Imperfect Pancakes, Seriously Scrambled Eggs on Toast, Warm-Your-Heart Waffles, an Eggstra-exciting Eggy Bread Sandwich, a Wonderfully Warm Croissant Sandwich, Heavenly Hot Cross Buns with Chocolate & Fresh Fruit and a Totally Tasty Pastry Plate. 

Asda’s ‘Messy Brekkies’ e-book ensures there’s something for every mum and shows that even in the age of Insta-worthy food shots and Michelin star plate arrangements, it’s really just the thought that counts when it comes to Mother’s Day.

To inspire other little cooks ahead of Mother’s Day, the ‘Messy Brekkies’ e-book is available to download from https://www.asda.com/good-living/article/asda-messy-brekkies, complete with all seven recipes and instructions for little chefs to try at home (with adult supervision, of course!). 

Alice, aged 7, Mother’s Day Recipe Tester at Asda and daughter to Kate, said: “My mummy likes eggs for breakfast, so I made Eggy Bread with Daddy’s help. I liked cracking the eggs and dipping the bread in, but it was a bit messy – my hands had stuff all over them!”

Elijah, aged 7, Mother’s Day Recipe Tester at Asda and son to Roxsanne, said: I made pancakes, because they’re mine and my mum’s favourite. My favourite bit was putting on the toppings, especially the chocolate chips…”.

As Asda spokesperson said: “When it comes to Mother’s Day, nothing beats a heartfelt gesture like homemade breakfast in bed. The outcome isn’t always pretty, but the knowledge that it’s been made with love is better than any aesthetically pleasing plate.

“When it came to appointing our Mother’s Day recipe testers we wanted to hand creative control to those who know Mum best – the kids! The dishes tested by Alice, Elijah, Alfie and Grace make use of the fantastic range of products across The Bakery at Asda and wider store and are totally delicious. 

“We hope that in reading our Messy Brekkies E-book, everyone is inspired to get in the kitchen and give these Messy Brekkies a go.”

Asda’s Messy Brekkies E-book is available now, and can be downloaded free of charge at https://www.asda.com/good-living/article/asda-messy-brekkies.

Mother’s Day Celebrations at Johnnie Walker Princes Street

Treat your mother figure to an afternoon of whisky and chocolate tasting

On Sunday, March 19, Johnnie Walker Princes Street, Edinburgh’s five-star whisky attraction, will celebrate Mother’s Day by offering guests a chance to treat the mother figures in their lives to a guided tasting of three delicious whiskies, each perfectly paired with a chocolate truffle from The Highland Chocolatier lain Burnett.

Set to take place in the ground floor retail area at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, this 45-minute experience will give lucky mother figures a taste of some of Scotland’s best whiskies, as well as some Johnnie Walker hospitality at Scotland’s visitor attraction of the year, as awarded by Whisky magazine.

The tasting will start with the velvety smooth and aromatic Dalwhinnie 15-year-old, then the delicate fruity Cardhu 15-year-old with bitter chocolate notes that pair perfectly with The Highland Chocolatier. This will be followed by a classic Johnnie Walker old fashioned with a raspberry twist. Guests will also learn about these unique drams, their distinct flavours, their history and the delicious chocolate they are paired with.

As a parting gift, all the lovely mothers on show will be presented with a mini dried bouquet to take home. 

Rob Maxwell, head of Johnnie Walker Princes Street said: “Our mother figures play such important roles in our lives, and they always deserve to be celebrated. We are really looking forward to hosting a great tasting experience that’ll live long in the memories of all the whisky-loving mums in attendance.”

A 20% discount will be offered for the bottle of each whisky from the tasting, as well as 10% off other retail purchases of up to £500 and for drinks in the bar on the day of the experience, and for up to 7 days afterwards (T&Cs apply). 

To redeem, guests must show their confirmation ticket to a member of staff at the till. 

For more information and to book an experience, please visit: 

www.johnniewalkerprincesstreet.com

Charities and Scottish Parliament host online event to improve how we prevent child sexual abuse in Scotland

  • Stop It Now! Scotland and NSPCC Scotland are today (Wednesday, March 15, 2023) hosting ‘Public Health Approaches to Preventing Child Sexual Abuse’
  • The online event will look at the evidence on preventing sexual abuse and what could be done in Scotland to better protect children before abuse begins and to help with their recovery

Stop It Now! Scotland and the NSPCC are calling on the Scottish Government to develop a national strategy to tackle child sexual abuse that focuses on prevention to make the country a safer place to grow up.

The two charities, which are today hosting an event in partnership with the Scottish Parliament, say working together to stop the abuse from happening in the first place will prevent the devastating impact it has on the mental health of children and adult survivors.

They are urging the Scottish Government to develop a comprehensive and coordinated national approachto prevent child sexual abuse, which involves health, police, education, community safety, children’s services, social services, housing and the wider community. The child protection charities say it is vital that everyone understands what child sexual abuse is and knows how they can be part of preventing it.

A review of UK data revealed that 15 per cent of females and 5 per cent of males will experience some form of sexual abuse before the age of 16. This means at least 80,000 children in Scotland will have been affected by this issue before they leave high school. Although this is thought to be an under-representation of the scale of the problem and the actual number of children who have experienced sexual abuse in Scotland is not known.

The charities say that to understand the numbers of children in Scotland affected and the scale of the suffering it is crucial that a prevalence survey is conducted.  At the event, leading experts will discuss current evidence on preventing child sexual abuse and explore the next steps needed to make Scotland the safest country for children to grow up.

Joanne Smith, NSPCC Scotland’s Policy and Public Affairs Manager, said: “Child sexual abuse has a devastating impact on people’s lives.

“The response, to date, has focused largely on bringing perpetrators to justice and providing some children with therapy and support. But we believe that as a society our focus should be on preventing child sexual abuse before it occurs, before people at risk of abusing become offenders, and before potential victims become actual victims. Understanding child sexual abuse, and what causes it, is a vital step towards developing effective prevention strategies.”

Stuart Allardyce, Director, Lucy Faithfull Foundation / Stop It Now! Scotland, said: “We are calling on the Scottish Government to carry out a dedicated prevalence survey to identify the levels of sexual offending against children in Scotland, alongside a national strategy for tackling child sexual abuse.

“We know that sexual abuse has an enormous impact on the mental health outcomes for children and adult survivors and the economic costs for the criminal justice system.

“We believe sexual harm towards children and young people could be reduced if we focused more on prevention, including therapy being offered to adults who are worried about their sexual thoughts and feelings towards children.”

Childlight, based at the University of Edinburgh, also launches the first comprehensive global data repository today, which will look at all forms of child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA), with the aim of being able to show the scale and nature of this abuse. 

The international team, made up of experienced individuals from academia, the private sector, law enforcement and non-governmental organisations, will produce an annual report, global dashboard and index with the data that can be used by tech companies, law enforcement agencies and those who work in child protection so they can take action to prevent CSEA. 

Speakers at the online event will include:

  • Professor Elizabeth Letourneau, Moore Centre for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse, School of Public Health, John Hopkins University
  • Pat Branigan, Assistant Director – Together For Childhood – NSPCC
  • Stuart Allardyce, Director, Lucy Faithfull Foundation / Stop It Now! Scotland
  • MSP Clare Haughey, Minister for Children and Young People

Children and young people can contact Childline for free, confidential support and advice 24 hours a day online at www.childline.org.uk or on the phone on 0800 1111.

Anyone with concerns about a child’s wellbeing can contact the NSPCC Helpline on help@nspcc.org.uk. The NSPCC practitioners provide free and confidential help and advice and can take appropriate steps to help keep children safe. If a child is in immediate danger, please call 999.

Big Hearts: Support for kinship carers

Kinship carers urged to check Scottish Child Payment eligibility

Kinship carers are being urged to check if they could be entitled to the Scottish Child Payment, after eligibility was expanded to include more of them last year.

The call comes at the start of Scottish Kinship Care Week, which celebrates the role of extended family or friends who care for children when they cannot remain with their birth parents.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met with a group of kinship carers yesterday at an annual big breakfast hosted by the Big Hearts Community Trust at Tynecastle Park to thank them and highlight the extra support available via the Scottish Child Payment and other Scottish social security benefits.

Big Hearts’ Kinship Care programme was launched in 2015 and offers a range of support for young people and their carers, including after school clubs, coffee mornings, and wellbeing advice.

The First Minister said: “We owe kinship carers an enormous debt of gratitude for the role they play in providing loving and secure homes for children and young people, and it’s vital they receive every penny of support they’re entitled to.

“In line with our commitment to tackling child poverty, we increased the Scottish Child Payment to £25 a week per eligible child last year, and expanded the eligibility criteria to include more kinship carers.

“We want to ensure everyone gets the financial support they are entitled to, so I’d encourage carers to check whether they’re entitled to receive the Scottish Child Payment and any other Scottish Government benefits.

“In addition to the fantastic support provided by charities like Big Hearts, there are a range of events for kinship carers taking place across the country this week, and free advice and guidance is also available from the Kinship Care Advice Service for Scotland website.”

Craig Wilson, Big Hearts’ General Manager said: “It was fantastic to welcome Scotland’s First Minister to Tynecastle Park for the start of Scottish Kinship Care Week.

“We are so proud to work with so many amazing kinship care families and for many years we’ve strived to raise the profile of kinship carers and highlight the support they can and should receive.

“There’s no doubt that today adds to that and we want kinship carers to know there is always a warm and welcoming place for them here at Big Hearts.”

UNISON: Tonight’s public meeting to discuss teaching of gender identity in schools should be cancelled

UNISON City of Edinburgh branch is calling on the council to cancel a ‘Schools and gender identity event’ to protect library staff and members of the trans community.

The event which its organisers say is “a group of concerned adults organised a public meeting in Portobello Community Centre to discuss the teaching of gender identity in schools” is due to be held at Portobello Library this evening (Tuesday 14 March) has already gathered national media attention and some community campaigners have also called for its cancellation.

UNISON City of Edinburgh branch has been in dialogue with the council to express safety-fears for library staff and local trans-individuals. UNISON argue that library staff are being placed at the centre of something that is going to impact their ability to provide a high quality public services to the local community, including the LGBT+ community.

UNISON City of Edinburgh branch is also concerned that the event indirectly endangers the wider safety of the UK trans community.  Should the event be allowed to continue, the branch will peacefully protest with other community activist protesters and would ask other who feel the same to join them.

UNISON City of Edinburgh branch secretary, Tom Conolly said: “UNISON Edinburgh city branch represent library staff across the city and we do not want to see them placed at the centre of something which could impact on their ability to deliver high quality public services.

“We are concerned that this event has been granted permission to go ahead. UNISON Edinburgh city branch is clear in its commitment to trans and non-binary members. We recognise the importance of supporting trans members in our local communities.”

UNISON City of Edinburgh branch equalities officer, Elaine Wishart said: “UNISON supports trans rights and wants to be at the forefront of promoting an inclusive debate.

“You don’t have to be trans to fight for trans rights, you can be a trans ally. The national debate is very divisive and harms trans-people who need our compassion and support. UNISON have produced many campaign materials around combatting the gender critical narrative.

“Trans rights are human rights and making sure our trans members are able to go to work, and just be themselves in the wider community free of fear, harassment and bullying is paramount.”

Edinburgh, join Mary’s Meals on a 7,000-mile journey

School feeding charity is asking people to clock up miles this April to feed hungry children  

Mary’s Meals is calling on people in Edinburgh to help feed hungry children in some of the world’s poorest countries by signing up to its new fundraising challenge, From Dalmally to Malawi. 

The charity feeds more than 2.4 million children every school day in 18 countries including Malawi, Kenya and Syria. The promise of a nutritious meal encourages children into the classroom where they can gain an education and hope for a brighter future.  

This April, people can join its virtual challenge from Dalmally, the village in the Highlands of Scotland where Mary’s Meals was founded, to Malawi, where the charity served its first life-changing school meals in 2002. 

Participants can take part in From Dalmally To Malawi in any way they choose from walking, running to swimming. The money raised by sponsorship from friends and family will help to feed desperately hungry children in school.     

Those signing up to the challenge will receive a free Mary’s Meals T-shirt and will be invited to join an exclusive From Dalmally To Malawi online community where they’ll receive inspirational video messages and stories from Mary’s Meals.  

Dan McNally, head of grassroots engagement at Mary’s Meals, says: “With Spring around the corner, April is the perfect time for setting a personal active challenge.  

“Whatever miles you pledge, taking part in From Dalmally to Malawi allows you to follow the Mary’s Meals journey while helping us to reach the next hungry child. I hope as many people as possible join our challenge this April to show the true generosity of people in Edinburgh!” 

By signing up to the challenge, people in Edinburgh will be helping children like Prisca from Malawi. Thanks to Mary’s Meals, she eats a mug of vitamin-enriched porridge every day that fills her empty stomach and gives her energy to learn.  

Prisca says: “Mary’s Meals porridge helps me to excel in my studies and realise my dream of becoming a teacher. I do not feel hungry when in class and I listen attentively during lessons.” 

To sign up to the From Dalmally to Malawi challenge, please visit: 

https://www.marysmeals.org.uk/campaigns/from-dalmally-to-malawi