This summer, Morrisons is letting kids eat free in its cafes all day, every day.
Throughout the summer holidays, with every adult meal over £4.50, customers can also get a kid’s meal absolutely free.
The deal is available at Morrisons cafes nationwide and will run throughout the summer holidays to help parents get more value for money during breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Salads, fish & chips, pies, burgers, and pizzas are all available for the adult meal with mac ‘n’ cheese, fish goujons, sandwich boxes and more available on the kids’ menu. Each kids’ meal also includes a piece of fruit and a drink.
Ali Lyons, Head of Cafes at Morrisons said: “We know that feeding the whole family during the summer holidays can quickly add up and so we’re pleased to be running our Kids Eat Free All Day deal.
“We recently introduced a brand-new menu and have invested heavily in coronavirus safety measures such as screens and our contactless ‘Order & Pay’ app.
“This means that whether you are popping into your local Morrison’s to do some grocery shopping or passing by one on a day-out you’ll have a safe and cost-effective option when thinking about ways to feed the children.”
Kids Eat Free All Day is currently live and will run until 5th September. The offer only applies when any one adult meal with a value of £4.50 or over is purchased.
For more information and to see the cafe menu, visit:
After a year that’s taken its toll on parents’ and children’s physical and mental health, we’re all longing for a bit of rest and relaxation.
But the school holidays can leave children’s learning brains a little too relaxed. So with the Tokyo Olympics in full flow, keep the kids’ brains sharp with these Games-themed activities from former primary school teacher Abby Milnes of education champs PlanBee:
Learn about…
… time zones
There is an eight-hour time difference between the Games and the UK. This is a great opportunity to teach your children about time differences between countries and why they exist. Challenge your children to work out what time they will need to turn on the TV if they want to watch an event live (hypothetically of course; some of the events may be broadcast in the early hours of the morning in the UK!).
Download this FREE Time Zones Map to help teach your children about Time Zones.
… measuring time
Many of the Olympic events are measured and scored against how long it takes to complete the event. Events under a minute such as the 100m sprint, 200m kayak, team sprints in cycling etc will provide suitable contexts for younger children to think about when measuring time. Older children may like to take on slightly longer events.
This PlanBee lesson may help teach your younger child about measuring time.
Challenge your child to see how many things they can do within the same time as it took an athlete to complete their event. For example, the Olympic record for running 100m was 9.63 seconds set by Usain Bolt at the 2012 Olympics. How many blocks can your child stack in this time? How many ticks can they do on a sheet of paper? After showing children how to read the amount of time on a stopwatch, get them to time each other and take it in turns to see who can beat the record in your own events.
… measuring distance
Other Olympic events such as long jump, javelin, shot put and discus are scored and measured using distance.
Using a metre ruler or measuring tape, challenge your children to take part in a long jump event. They can take a run-up, or go from a standing jump. Mark where the back of their foot landed and help your child measure how far they jumped!
… averages
Some events such as gymnastics are scored by a judges panel. Each judge gives the performance a score which is then averaged out to give a final score. Challenge your child to take individual judges scores and find the average score by adding them up and dividing the total by the number of individual scores.
… variables
“I wonder… do you run faster on grass or concrete?” Challenge your children to think about conducting simple investigations with “I wonder…?” questions like the one above. Younger children may need help with timing but they should be able to make verbal conclusions with you such as “I ran faster on the concrete”.
Older children (7+) should be encouraged to think scientifically. Is it fair if you wear sandals to run on the grass, but running shoes on the concrete? No, they should be the same. What about the distance you run?
Other things they could test:
● Do I run faster wearing trainers, or when I’m barefoot?
● Will I jump further with a run-up?
● Will I jump further with a long run-up or a short run-up?
● Does someone with longer legs jump further?
… pentathlons
What’s the difference between a triathlon, a pentathlon and a decathlon? The number of events! (This is also a perfect opportunity to look at the prefixes tri- pent- and dec- to mean three, five and ten e.g. tri-angle, tri-cycle, pent-agon etc.)
Challenge your children to come up with their own events for a family tri, pent or decathlon! They don’t have to be Olympic events, just a number of events that an athlete will be timed to complete. They don’t even have to be sport related: Who will be the fastest person to put on their socks? Who will be the overall winner?
… drawing figures
Do you have a budding artist in the ranks? Why not challenge them to draw their favourite athlete from the Olympics. Up the challenge by asking them to draw the figure in motion as they complete their event.
Having held the Games before in 1964, Tokyo already had venues to host different Olympic events. The newly built National Stadium was finished in November 2019. Challenge your child to investigate its design, including the different ways it has been designed to be eco-friendly.
Work together to create your own model of an Olympic stadium, making sure there’s enough room for a track and spectators.
… map skills
Some of the cycling events in the Olympic Games require a set route to be planned out over a certain area. Print out a map of your local area and identify where you are and any areas they are not allowed to go to. Together, plan out a cycling route for your own Olympic cycling event. You could repeat the route several times to try and beat your personal best!
Beware: If you are riding on roads, make sure your child can ride confidently on them and is aware of safety rules.
… clothing design
Take a look at the designs for the athletes’ kits. How is the country represented in the design? What functionality does there need to be? This could link nicely with investigating the different countries’ flags.
Young people looking to enter the workforce are to benefit from £70 million of investment from the Scottish Government.
The Young Person’s Guarantee aims to protect people from the economic impact of COVID-19 by offering every 16-24 year old in Scotland the opportunity of a job, apprenticeship, further or higher education, training programme or volunteering.
The announcement meets four of the commitments for the first 100 days of this government, and comes as a new report highlights the progress of the Young Person’s Guarantee.
Since it was officially launched in November 2020 funding has been committed to create up to 18,000 training, job and apprenticeship opportunities for young people.
The £70 million of investment includes:
£45 million for local partnerships to provide training, employer recruitment incentives, and mental health interventions for young people
£13.5 million for Colleges, Universities and the Scottish Funding Council to provide industry-focussed courses supporting up to 5,000 young people and employment support for 500 recent graduates
£10 million for the roll-out of new school coordinators and enhanced school provision to support young people access education, work and training
£1.5 million to increase places on volunteering and third sector programmes
During a visit to Young Movers, a youth charity based in Glasgow, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We know that young people have been badly affected by the pandemic and we are determined to do everything we can to support them.
“The Young Person’s Guarantee is a vital part of that support which aims to give all young people the chance to succeed despite the economic impacts of COVID-19.
“This investment of £70 million, which meets four of our 100 days commitments, will also ensure employers continue to benefit from the fresh talent and new perspectives that young people bring to workplaces across Scotland.”
Sandy Begbie, Chair of the Young Person’s Guarantee Implementation Group, said: “Inclusion was at the core of the Young Person’s Guarantee so I am particularly pleased by the increased opportunities created for young people who are furthest from the workplace.
“None of this could have been achieved without employers being engaged and I am delighted we have almost 100 employers and business groups signed up supporting the scheme.
“Our young people, who have been disproportionately impacted as a result of the pandemic, are an asset to Scotland and it has never been more important that we deliver against the Young Person’s Guarantee.”
All young people resident in Scotland under the age of 22 will be eligible for free bus travel from 31 January next year.
The Scottish Government has confirmed the timetable for the roll out of the scheme, delivered in partnership with the Improvement Service, the National Entitlement Card Programme Office and Young Scot.
Legislative changes to allow the scheme to be extended from its original commitment to provide free travel for under-19s will be introduced to the Scottish Parliament this summer.
Approximately 930,000 young people will join the third of Scotland’s population who already benefit from free bus travel through the Older and Disabled Persons Free Bus scheme.
Minister for Transport, Graeme Dey said: “It’s crucial to embed more sustainable travel behaviour from a young age if we are to achieve our world-leading goal of reducing the number of kilometres travelled by car by 20% by 2030 and reaching net zero emissions by 2045.
“We also know that young people have been disproportionately impacted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, so it’s never been more important that we support them to achieve their fullest potential. Reducing barriers created by transport costs is one really positive action we can take.
“Our National Transport Strategy commits to a fairer, greener transport system which will reduce inequalities and take action to protect our climate. I’m really pleased to be taking decisive action on both of those points by setting out this timetable to provide free bus travel for all under-22s living in Scotland.”
Dr Sarah Gadsden, Chief Executive of The Improvement Service said: “The Improvement Service is committed to providing better life chances for all children and young people. It’s a commitment fully reflected in our strategic priorities. We’re honoured to be a delivery partner for the Young Persons’ Travel Scheme.
“Together with the National Entitlement Card Programme Office, we’re moving at pace to the support the scheme’s roll out, drawing on our experience and expertise from managing the National Entitlement Card Scheme for over 15 years.
“We’re placing our assets at the disposal of the Young Persons’ Travel Scheme, enhancing them to make the application process as easy as possible, both online and when using traditional channels, and to reduce the administrative burdens on Councils.”
Kirsten Urquhart, Interim Chief Executive of Young Scot said: “Young people often tell us about the positive impact free travel would have on their lives. For some, it’ll help them to travel to work or take part in learning. For others, it’ll improve their wellbeing by making it easier to socialise and to meet with their friends and family.
“Free travel that is accessed easily by the Young Scot National Entitlement Card will open doors for young people – helping them to explore opportunities that many would previously not have had the financial means or confidence to take part in.”
Lorna Slater, the Scottish Green MSP for Lothian has welcomed the news that young people will be able to travel for free on the bus from January, thanks to the Scottish Greens!
The measure, secured by the Scottish Greens in budget negotiations, means anyone aged 21 or under will be able to travel across Scotland for free on the bus with a concessionary travel card from 31 January 2022.
The scheme had been delayed by COVID-19 and a shortage of silicone, vital in the manufacture of the concessionary cards.
Green MSP Lorna Slater said: “Free bus travel for young people in Lothian is not only a transformational policy in terms of family budgets, it will open up opportunities for young people, and can help shift people out of cars, aiding efforts to tackle the climate emergency.
“What’s more, as we recover from the pandemic, this policy will be vital in encouraging people back onto public transport safely to ensure we see a green recovery.
“The Scottish Greens believe public transport should be free at the point of use and serve all our communities, and in January we will see a major step forward to this aim.”
£5 million to help families be there for children in hospital
A new fund has been launched to help families with the costs of visiting and providing essential care for their children in hospital.
The Young Patients Family Fund will support the parents and siblings of young inpatients by covering expenses for travel, food and overnight accommodation where necessary.
Initial investment of £5 million has been set aside for the fund, although actual spend will depend on demand.
Public Health Minister Maree Todd launched the fund at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh, where she met with Deborah Robertson whose 10-year-old son Zak is an inpatient receiving treatment for Cystic Fibrosis.
Ms Todd said: “When a hospital stay is necessary, families want to focus on the health and wellbeing of their child, without the worry of the financial costs around being there for them.
“This fund will provide support when it is most needed, and is an extension of our Neonatal Expenses Fund, which covers costs for the parents of sick or premature newborn babies.
“The Young Patients Family Fund extends the support to cover the families of all inpatients from birth up to the age of 18.”
Associate Director of Policy, Influencing and Voice at the charity Young Lives vs Cancer Helen Gravestock said: “When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the whole family’s world turns upside down.
“Parents often have to stop working, children can be taken out of school and suddenly they have to travel miles for life-saving treatment. The last thing they should be worrying about is how to afford the petrol to be by their child’s bedside.
“On average, families spend an extra £600 every month while their child is having cancer treatment.
“The Young Patients Family Fund will be very much welcomed by children and young people with cancer and their families. Young Lives vs Cancer looks forward to working with colleagues in Scotland to ensure that all eligible families can benefit from it.”
NHS Lothian’s Service Director for Women’s and Children’s Services Allister Short, said: “When a child or young person requires a stay in hospital, it can be a really challenging time for them and their family, and anything that helps to reduce this stress is a really welcome step.
“This new fund really will make a big difference for families not just here in Lothian, but across Scotland.”
Bliss Scotland Chief Executive, Caroline Lee-Davey, said: “This new fund will now mean that parents of premature and sick babies who need hospital care once their neonatal treatment is over will continue to be supported throughout their hospital journey.
“We will continue to work with the Scottish Government to ensure the Fund meets the needs of families and will keep campaigning for the other UK nations to introduce similar support for families with a baby in neonatal care.”
From 26 July Social Security Scotland will introduce its next new benefit – Child Disability Payment.
Child Disability Payment provides extra money to help with the costs of caring for a child with a disability or ill-health condition. Child Disability Payment will replace Disability Living Allowance for children in Scotland, which is currently delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions.
People can apply if they are a parent or main carer of a child who:
is aged between 3 months and 16 years old
has lived with a disability or long term health condition for 3 months or more and it is expected to continue for at least 6 months
does not already receive Disability Living Allowance for children from Department for Work and Pensions.
We are initially launching the new Child Disability Payment as a pilot in 3 local authority areas, ahead of national roll out in autumn 2021.
These areas are:
Perth and Kinross
Dundee City
Western Isles.
The pilot will open for new applications only. Families in these areas who already get Disability Living Allowance for children don’t need to apply. We will contact them in advance of when it is time to transfer over to Child Disability Payment and let them know when Social Security Scotland will start to make their payments.
People in the 3 pilot areas can apply for Child Disability Payment through mygov.scot or by calling 0800 182 2222 from Monday 26 July.
The Child Disability Payment pilot will also see the start of the new guidance for applications under special rules for terminal illness. Further information and guidance from the Chief Medical Officer can be found online here.
We would also be grateful for your help to spread the message and to enable this we have created a number of resources. The new marketing materials for Child Disability Payment include social media images and leaflets that can be found here.
We are also keen to reassure people who already get Disability Living Allowance for children that they do not need to do anything. We will write to them ahead of transferring them to Child Disability Payment, which will be paid through Social Security Scotland. They will not need to re-apply – they will be transferred automatically. The amount they are paid, when they are paid and where they are paid to will all stay the same once they have transferred.
If you need any materials in alternative formats or have feedback on what would work well to tell people about this new payment, we would love to hear from you.
You can request print orders or provide feedback by emailing:
Respiratory infections in young children have begun to rise out of season, following low infection levels in response to COVID-19 restrictions and good infection control measures that have been in place.
Parents are being encouraged to look out for symptoms of severe infection in at-risk children, including a high temperature of 37.8°C or above (fever), a dry and persistent cough, difficulty feeding, rapid or noisy breathing (wheezing).
The NHS is preparing for a rise in children needing treatment.
Through the Respiratory DataMart surveillance system, positivity of samples tested for RSV has increased over the last 5 consecutive weeks and now stands at 8.9%.
Health chiefs in England are encouraging parents to be aware of the signs of respiratory illnesses in young children, as data from Public Health England (PHE) shows cases are starting to rise in parts of the country.
Respiratory illnesses, including colds and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are very common in young children and we see them every year.
Last winter, due to the various restrictions in place to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), there were far fewer infections in younger people. This means many will not have developed immunity and so we may see more cases this year than in a typical season. For the majority of children, these illnesses will not be serious and they will soon recover following rest and plenty of fluids.
RSV is a very common virus and almost all children are infected with it by the time they are 2 years old. In older children and adults, RSV may cause a cough or cold.
However, some children under 2, especially those born prematurely or with a heart condition, can suffer more serious consequences from these common infections such as bronchiolitis, an inflammatory infection of the lower airways – which can make it hard to breathe.
The early symptoms of bronchiolitis are similar to those of a common cold but can develop over a few days into a high temperature of 37.8°C or above (fever), a dry and persistent cough, difficulty feeding, rapid or noisy breathing (wheezing).
Most cases of bronchiolitis are not serious and clear up within 2 to 3 weeks, but you should contact your GP or call NHS 111 if:
you are worried about your child
your child has taken less than half their usual amount during the last 2 or 3 feeds, or they have had a dry nappy for 12 hours or more
your child has a persistent high temperature of 37.8C or above
While still at low numbers, respiratory infections in young children are expected to rise this summer and as we go into the winter months.
Health Minister Lord Bethell said: “I remember the long nights in hospital when my 8 week old daughter fought off RSV. The image of her tiny body plugged into those machines and gasping for air will not leave me. I would not wish those moments for anyone.
“I urge all parents and carers to be alert to the signs of RSV, particularly amongst young children. It’s a nasty bug, so watch out for it.”
Dr Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at PHE, said: “This winter, we expect levels of common seasonal illnesses such as cold and flu to increase as people mix more and given that fewer people will have built up natural immunity during the pandemic.
“Children under 2 are at a particular risk of severe infections from common seasonal illnesses. If a child under 2 is suffering from a cold, keep a close eye on their symptoms and make sure to contact your doctor if they get a high temperature, become breathless or have difficulty feeding.
“It’s important that we carry on with good hygiene habits that we’ve become used to during the pandemic, in order to protect ourselves and those around us. This means washing your hands regularly, using a tissue to catch coughs or sneezes and washing your hands afterwards, and staying away from others if you feel unwell.”
Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “For most children these illnesses won’t be serious and they will soon bounce back but if you do need medical help for your child, especially if they are under 2, please do come forward for the care you need.
“The NHS has detailed plans in place for a wide range of scenarios ahead of winter and will continue to adapt them as needed, in line with the guidance from PHE.”
NHS England began planning for the potential rise in paediatric respiratory infections in April 2021, with paediatric units bringing forward their usual winter planning, escalation and emergency processes which will support an increased capacity in terms of beds, workforce and ward supplies.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: First Minister’s statement – 20 July 2021
Good afternoon everyone. As you can see I am joined today by Dr Nicola Steedman, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer and she will answer questions with me shortly.
Firstly, though, an update on the current state of the pandemic, starting with a summary of today’s statistics.
1,604 positive cases were reported yesterday – 9.2% of all of tests carried out. That takes the total number of confirmed cases now to 332,455.
There are 529 people now receiving hospital treatment – which is 7 fewer than yesterday and 47 people are in intensive care, that is 2 more than yesterday.
Sadly, a further 13 deaths were reported in the past 24 hours, which means that the total number of deaths registered, under the daily definition, is now 7,813.
As always, my condolences are with everyone who has suffered bereavement.
Now, although case numbers remain high – and I’ll cover the implications of that shortly – they are very much right now on a downward path.
To illustrate that point – in the 7 days up to 2 July, there were an average of 3,305 new cases being reported each day but, in the 7 days to 16 July, that had fallen to an average of 2,112 new cases a day.
So that amounts to a decline in the past two weeks of more than 1/3 – and that is very encouraging. Because of that, we were able to go ahead yesterday with the move to level 0.
But as I said a moment ago, case numbers – though they are definitely falling – do remain higher than we should be comfortable with.
Covid as we know is highly infectious – indeed, Delta is significantly more transmissible than previous variants of the virus.
And although vaccination is weakening the link between Covid cases and serious illness, the virus is still potentially dangerous.
And, of course, long Covid is affecting many, including those in younger age groups.
All of this means that vigilance and care remain really important. Restrictions were eased yesterday as part of a gradual process – but restrictions were not abandoned yesterday.
Important measures and mitigations do remain in place – and we continue to ask people across the country and I do so again today to treat the threat that Covid poses seriously at this stage.
I’ll emphasise that point in more detail towards the end of my remarks, but before then I’ll touch briefly on some other issues.
The first of those is vaccination.
As of this morning, 3,984,433 people had received their first dose of vaccine.
That’s an increase of 2,483 since yesterday. As you can see were are getting to the end of first doses.
In addition to that, 16,340 people had a second dose yesterday and that means the total number of second doses is now 2,995,086.
All adults have now been offered first dose appointments – indeed that has happened earlier than we had initially anticipated.
And as of now, around 90% of all adults in the population have actually taken up the opportunity and had the first jag administered.
Also, more than 2/3 of all adults have had the second dose as well – and that proportion will continue to rise on a daily basis, as the programme of second doses continues.
Remember the clinical advice is that – in order to maximise the protection and the longevity of the protection of the vaccine – we should leave 8 weeks between first and second doses.
I think it’s important to say that the level of uptake achieved so far is quite remarkable by the standard of any previous vaccination programme. And it actually exceeds what we dared hoped for when this programme started back at the turn of the year. That said, we want to see uptake levels increase further, we want to get as close to 100% uptake as it is possible to do.
To put it bluntly, each and every single person who gets jagged helps us take a step back to normality. And of course the converse of that is true, for as long as there remains a proportion of eligible people who have not had the vaccine that leaves us with a vulnerability against the virus.
So we must keep at it.
Although around 90% of all adults have taken up the offer of the first dose, so far amongst 30 – 39 year olds that is only 81% and in the 18 – 29 year old age group it is 70%.
So I want to stress again today and we will keep stressing this that if you are 18 or over, and if you haven’t yet had a first dose, then you can still get it. In fact, we really, really want you to get the first dose of vaccine.
You can access that by registering online, through NHS inform but remember you don’t have to register – you’re also able to simply turn up at one of the drop-in vaccination centres that are now operational across all mainland health board areas.
Covid is – and this is something we should always be thankful for – is less of a threat to younger people than to older people – but that doesn’t mean it poses no threat at all to young people.
Some young people do need hospital care when they get the virus, some young people will even end up in intensive care and of course, as we know, young people can get long Covid which we still don’t fully understand the implications of.
Vaccination will help protect you from those risks– but it will also help you protect other people.
So please – get vaccinated as soon as you possibly can. If you know somebody in a younger age group in your own family that hasn’t had the vaccine yet, please encourage them to do so. There’s lots of information on the NHS Inform website, not just about how to get the vaccine but about the vaccine itself. It is a safe vaccine so please get it or encourage those you know who haven’t done so already to get it.
It’s the single most important thing any of us can do right now to give protection to ourselves but also protect others and of course to help all of us collectively get back to more normality.
Obviously, we want to extend the protection of the vaccine as far as we can.
To that end, the advice yesterday from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on the vaccination of 12 to 17 year olds is important and I want to spend just a couple of minutes talking about that.
At this stage – given that it considers the risk of 12 to 17 year olds falling seriously ill from Covid to be very low – the JCVI is not recommending that we vaccinate all young people in that 12 to 17 year olds age group.
Now, the Scottish Government has always followed the advice of the JCVI – for good reason. You’ll have heard me talk about that before in different contexts including recently that eight week interval between first and second doses.
But I am acutely aware that some other countries are vaccinating younger teenagers and I certainly consider it to be extremely important that this is not ruled out here.
So to that end, the Chief Medical Officer is writing to the JCVI asking that the benefit of vaccinating all 12-17 year olds is kept under close and ongoing review – and that it takes account of all available data from countries already doing this.I think that it is really important if there is a benefit to be got from vaccinating younger teenagers then it’s really important that we make sure younger people don’t lose out on that.
In the meantime though and most immediately, we intend to get on with implementing what the JCVI is recommending – and it is recommending that vaccine should be offered to specific groups of 12 to 17 year olds.
Vaccination is already available to 16 and 17 year olds at higher risk of falling seriously ill and they will continue to be eligible.
But in addition, the JCVI is advising that 12 to 15 year olds should be eligible for vaccination if they have Down’s Syndrome; severe neuro-disabilities; or underlying conditions that mean their immune systems are suppressed.
In addition, it advises vaccination for 12 to 15 year olds with severe learning disabilities; with profound and multiple learning disabilities; or who are on the learning disability register.
Finally, vaccination is recommended for 12 to 17 year olds who are household contacts of people with suppressed immune systems. And in that latter case that is less about the protection of the young person and more about the protection of somebody they may live with.
We will shortly provide details of our operational plans to vaccinate these groups of young people as quickly as possible.
And of course in light of what I said earlier about this advice being kept under review, we will make sure that we are prepared to go further as soon as that is recommended. If indeed that is recommended.
The final point on vaccination I want to stress is that if you are currently 17 years old but if you are due to turn 18 on or before 31 October this year, you are now eligible for vaccination as part of this year’s programme.
You can self-register again through the portal on NHS Inform or go to a drop in centre.
So, I want to just emphasise this point today, if you or indeed if you know somebody in this category, if you are due to turn 18 before the end of October, register for an appointment or go to a drop-in centre, and get your vaccination as soon as possible.
Finally, today, I want to return briefly to the need for all of us to continue to treat this virus seriously and follow all of the rules and advice still in place.
We did take a further very welcome step back to normality yesterday with the next step in what is a careful and gradual easing of restrictions.
Full details of what that means are on the Government’s website.
These rules are more relaxed, considerably more relaxed than the ones we’ve all had to live with in the first part of the year.
But – as I mentioned at the start – case levels are still high and Covid is still dangerous.
So I want to comment more today on the things – in addition of course to that vital imperative of vaccination – that it is important for us still to do so that we are individually and collectively reducing the risk.
Because of vaccination, we are undoubtedly in a much better position than we were last year, or even at the start of this year. But we can’t abandon caution altogether or at least we will be foolish if we do that. We all still have a role to play, in helping to protect ourselves and each other.
Firstly, although the limits have increased slightly as of yesterday, the limit on the number of friends and family who can meet together – 8 people from 4 households indoors and 15 from 15 households outdoors – is still really important because that limits the number of households the virus might spread to as the result of one social occasion.
Face coverings also remain important – and a really good way for all of us to help protect each other – and of course they continue to be a legal requirement in certain settings here in Scotland and indeed that requirement to wear face coverings in some settings is likely to remain in force for some time to come.
Also, please test yourself regularly, particularly if you are planning to visit somebody, or go to an event or perhaps if you’re planning to spend a few days on holiday in a different part of the country.
Free lateral flow tests can be obtained through NHS inform. You can get them sent to you by post but you can also collect them from testing centres and local pharmacies.
Remember If you test positive through one of these devices – or indeed if you have symptoms of the virus – then you should self-isolate, and book a PCR test as quickly as possible.
And, lastly, because it remains really important, please keep following all the basic hygiene measures.
Meet other people outdoors as much as possible and particularly while the weather is as good as it is right now. It’s a really good opportunity to stay outdoors and minimise the risk of transmission that bit more.
As I said a moment ago, stick to the limits on group sizes, and if you are meeting indoors, open windows and keep rooms well ventilated.
And please remember physical distancing, hand-washing, face coverings as I’ve just said – all of these measures are as important now as they have been throughout.
And if all of us do these things, then I hope we will see cases continue to fall in the days and weeks to come and if that happens then that creates the conditions we hope for a further easing of the remaining restrictions over the next few weeks.
My thanks again to everybody for all of your cooperation and all of the sacrifices you continue to make. It doesn’t get any easier but it remains really important so my thanks to everyone.
Edinburgh Leisure’s three soft play centres, Clambers at the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Scrambles at the EICA and Tumbles at Portobello will finally be reopening their doors to customers today, Monday, 19 July 2021.
Bookings for members went live at 9pm on Tuesday, 13 July and for non-members on Wednesday, 14 July.
Claire Rusack, Leisure Manager at the Royal Commonwealth Pool and Clambers said: “It’s been such a long time coming after an extended lock-down, which meant that we weren’t able to open as originally planned on 7th June, but we’re delighted that we can finally welcome back our youngest of customers and their parents and carers to let off some steam.
“So, for anyone with little ones who need to burn off some energy, make sure you’re not disappointed by pre-booking in advance for any sessions you want to attend via the Edinburgh Leisure app or website. And if you think you might be a regular customer, you might want to consider buying one of our soft-play memberships.”
Due to COVID-19 restrictions Edinburgh Leisure has had to adapt their offering with pre-booking done via the Edinburgh Leisure app or website only for all visits, either 8 days in advance for members or 7 days for non-members. No parties or special events can be booked at this stage.
All three venues will follow the same daily opening times from 9.30am-5pm, Monday to Sunday, with five pre-bookable slots of 60-minutes each to accommodate deep cleaning between each. At the start of each month, the frames will be treated with a 30-day virus protection.
Adults will book a table for a maximum of six people, which will include adults, children, and babies.
Adults can remove face coverings while seated at the table but will be required to wear them at all other times, especially when moving around the space. A café service will be available throughout all sessions. However, we are running a restricted menu at this time.
To adhere to Government guidelines, there will be no adults or staff allowed in the frames.
However, adults can enter the frame to support a child with additional support needs. All adults entering the frame or walking around the soft play area must wear a face covering. Space in baby areas where adults are present, will be limited, due to physical distancing.
Currently, frame capacity has been reduced to 40% of normal operating capacity, and ball pools and modular items have been removed.
The cost of a 60-minute session is: free for 0-6 months; £4.40 for 6 months – 2 years; and £6.80 for children 3 years and over.
And for regular soft-play attendees, there is an option to buy a membership, offering great value.
A monthly membership costs £16.70 for one child; £28.00 for two children; £33.80 for three children; and £39.50 for four children, which can be used at any of the three Edinburgh Leisure soft play centres across the city.
The Edinburgh Leisure app can be downloaded from the Google and App stores.
The Scottish Government has set to support 6,821 school children in Edinburgh with £698,000 of support to buy school clothes through the School Clothing Grant.
The School Clothing Grant was increased this month by the Scottish Government and provides families with primary school children with £120 per child and £150 per child in secondary school.
The support helps families pay for school clothes and shoes.
SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald said: “The SNP Scottish Government has already helped a significant number of families in Edinburgh with buying school clothes and shoes, and applications are still open for eligible families to apply for the start of the new school year.
“Meeting the costs of buying school clothes can be very challenging for thousands of families across Scotland and the SNP Scottish Government has introduced the School Clothing Grant to ensure every child in Scotland doesn’t miss out.
“Being in a uniform not only breaks stigma in school but gets young people in the right mindset for learning.
“This is another demonstration of our tale of two governments – one in Edinburgh building a social security system built on dignity, fairness and respect, in stark contrast to the one in Westminster preparing to cut Universal Credit which could plunge 20,000 children in Scotland into poverty.”
The number of children and young people estimated will benefit from the minimum school clothing grant, broken down by local authority area, is provided within the following table:
Local Authority
Estimated number of children and young people (in each LA area)
Aberdeen City
3,471
Aberdeenshire
3,376
Angus
2,473
Argyll and Bute
1,463
Clackmannanshire
1,349
Dumfries and Galloway
3,374
Dundee City
6,045
East Ayrshire
4,167
East Dunbartonshire
2,014
East Lothian
1,682
East Renfrewshire
1,714
Edinburgh, City of
6,821
Eilean Siar (Western Isles)
416
Falkirk
4,678
Fife
11,882
Glasgow City
28,464
Highland
4,333
Inverclyde
3,114
Midlothian
2,018
Moray
1,434
North Ayrshire
5,186
North Lanarkshire
10,234
Orkney Islands
227
Perth and Kinross
1,850
Renfrewshire
5,498
Scottish Borders
2,220
Shetland Islands
309
South Ayrshire
2,926
South Lanarkshire
10,622
Stirling
1,692
West Dunbartonshire
3,530
West Lothian
6,498
SCOTLAND
145,080
The funding allocation of the £11.8 million in additional funding for the school clothing grant, broken down by local authority area, is provided within the following table:
