TICKETS REDUCED TO £3 FOR ALL FILMS, ALL DAY, ONLY IN IMAX
OFFER VALID ACROSS ALL 27 IMAX CINEMA SITES IN THE UK & IRELAND
Cineworld, the UK’s leading cinema chain, will be holding its sixth annual IMAX Film Fest on Saturday 22nd April 2023.
To celebrate the world’s most immersive viewing experience, this exclusive one-day event will give movie buffs all across the country the opportunity to watch a film of their choice in IMAX for only £3.00 a ticket.
Cineworld is bringing back some of the biggest blockbusters from the last year including: Avatar: The Way of Water, Top Gun: Maverick, Academy Award Best Picture-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once, and residents can also exclusively catch Ponniyin Selvan: 1 on the day, one week ahead of its sequel release.
The festival will give guests the chance to experience the IMAX difference, with the clearest images on the largest screens and heart-pounding audio that puts you in the middle of the action.
Stuart Crane, VP of Film Cineworld Group, said: “We look forward to offering guests the chance to escape to other worlds in IMAX for only £3.
“Whether that’s immersing yourself with Avatar: The Way of Water or going Mach 10 and beyond with Top Gun: Maverick, the stunning images and powerful, heart-pounding audio in our IMAX auditoriums will give customers a chance to experience films to the fullest.
“There really is no better way to experience a blockbuster than with IMAX at Cineworld.”
David King, VP, Distribution EMEA & Film Development at IMAX: “We are delighted that Cineworld is hosting the IMAX film festival for the sixth year in a row to celebrate the world’s most immersive cinematic technology.
“With crystal clear life-like images and powerful audio to the highest quality, these auditoriums are made to bring the film to life and transport audiences into their favourite blockbusters – take advantage of the reduced rate while you can, you’re in for a treat!”
Tickets for this unforgettable experience can now be purchased from the Cineworld website or the Cineworld app.
Disabled people are being urged to find out if they are eligible for Scottish Government disability benefits as part of a new campaign to increase benefit take-up.
The nationwide campaign aims to raise awareness about financial support available to help with the extra costs that disabled children and adults may face.
Child Disability Payment provides financial support to help families and carers with the extra costs of caring for a disabled child or young person or a child or young person with a long-term health condition. Adult Disability Payment is available to people aged between 16 and state pension age who are disabled, have a long-term health condition or a terminal illness.
These benefits are administered by Social Security Scotland and replace the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for Children, DLA and Personal Independence Payment.
People already getting disability benefits from DWP will see their award transfer automatically and they do not need to apply separately.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Being disabled or having a long-term health condition can come with a variety of extra costs, such as paying more for accessible transport. We want to make sure that disabled children and adults get all the extra financial support they are entitled to, to ease the impact of those costs.
“This campaign is not just about raising awareness but also has an important role to play in helping to remove any stigma that people may be worried about when applying for social security. We believe social security is a human right. It is here for any of us should we need it and we want to make sure people are accessing what they are due.
“This is the first time that we are proactively promoting disability benefits as part of a national advertising campaign, including adverts on TV. We are not aware of the UK Government running a campaign on the equivalent UK benefits for over 30-years. I want to actively encourage people to check if they are eligible for Child and Adult Disability Payments and make sure they get extra financial support to help them live full and independent lives.”
The campaign features Piper, 9, who has Down’s Syndrome. Her mum Caroline Milburn, says disability benefits have helped cover extra costs as well as give Piper opportunities she’d never have had without them.
Caroline, from Edinburgh, said: “Piper is such a unique character. When she was born we were told she wouldn’t walk until she was around six, but she was walking at two. She’s so determined and knows her own mind. If she wants to do something she’ll do it.
“Disability benefit allowed me to buy her a sensory swing and a tablet that gives her access to games that help her learn. She just thinks she’s having fun but the games have taught her so much. She plays them with her five-year-old brother sitting beside her and he learns with her.
“Child Disability Payment helps cover the costs of buying Piper new clothes and duvets as she is always chewing holes in them It also allows me to send her to holiday clubs. She loves them and they’re really good for her, but they cost about £40 a week.
“Piper is such an amazing girl and she makes everyone’s lives better. Without disability benefits we’d not have been able to give her all the experiences and opportunities she’s had to learn and connect with the world.”
As a coalition of organisations that support vulnerable children and young people, many of whom have mental health problems, we would like to congratulate Humza Yousaf on becoming First Minister.
It was however disappointing that the issue of mental health featured little in the SNP leadership campaign, but now that he is in office, we would urge Mr Yousaf to focus on this vital matter.
As many will be aware, we were already experiencing a mental health emergency in Scotland, even before Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis took hold. These have worsened an already devastating situation for many children and young people, resulting in a perfect storm of challenges as demand soars.
There is no health without mental health, and already overstretched budgets are having to stretch even further to keep pace with escalating inflation. In the face of a mental health tsunami, we would urge the Scottish Government to prioritise spending on services, reversing the freeze on this year’s mental health budget and boosting the workforce.
With the resultant personal cost to those concerned and their families, as well as to the economy overall, we need to invest more, not less, in our mental health services, ensuring that our children and young people receive the high-quality care they need when they need it.
‘Bold new measures’ to combat rising levels of youth vaping to be announced this week
A new ‘illicit vapes enforcement squad’ – backed by £3 million of government funding – to be formed to enforce rules on vaping and tackle illegal sales of vapes to under-18s
Call for Evidence also launched to identify opportunities to stop children vaping
The UK Government is expected to unveil tough new measures to combat the illegal sale of vapes to under-18s as part of its plans to reduce smoking and tackle youth vaping in England.
In his speech at Policy Exchange on Tuesday 11 April, Health Minister Neil O’Brien is expected to announce a new ‘illicit vapes enforcement squad’ – backed by £3 million of government funding – to enforce the rules on vaping and tackle illicit vapes and underage sales.
Working across the country, the enforcement squad led by Trading Standards will share knowledge and intelligence across regional networks and local authorities.
It will undertake specific projects such as test purchasing in convenience stores and vape shops. It will also produce guidance to help build regulatory compliance, and will have the power to remove illegal products from shops and at our borders.
The minister is also expected to announce the launch of a Call for Evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vapes, while ensuring they remain available as a quit aid for adult smokers.
It will explore topical issues such as the marketing and promotion of vapes and the environmental impact of disposable products.
Health Minister Neil O’Brien said: “Smoking kills, so our priority is to prevent people smoking, and support them to quit. We remain committed to our ambition to be smokefree by 2030.
“However, while vaping is a preferable alternative to smoking for adults, we are concerned about the rise in youth vaping, particularly the increasing use of disposable vaping products.
“The new illicit vapes enforcement squad will work across the country and clamp down on those businesses who sell vapes to children – which is illegal – and get them hooked on nicotine. Our Call for Evidence will also allow us to get a firm understanding of the steps we can take to reduce the number of children accessing and using vapes.”
Smoking prevalence in England in 2021 was 13.0%, the lowest on record, thanks to measures such as doubling duty on cigarettes since 2010 and continued funding to local stop smoking services. In 2021-22, £68 million of funding from the public health grant was spent on stop smoking services by local authorities, and nearly 100,000 people quit with the support of a stop smoking service.
In addition, £35 million was committed to the NHS last year so that all smokers admitted to hospital will be offered NHS-funded tobacco treatment services.
Satellites is Collective’s development programme for emerging creative practitioners based in Scotland. In 2023, four creative practitioners at a pivotal point in their practice will be selected to participate in a peer development programme.
The programme includes discussions, workshops, events, retreats and public presentations of new work.
As part of our Collective Play programme, we are excited to invite emerging artists and practitioners with an interest in child-led approaches to play, nature and the outdoors to submit a proposal for our Lead Artist opportunity.
The Lead Artist will devise and deliver one year of Friday Play sessions, as well as one Play Weekend.
We are pleased to report that Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council (EVOC) has generously agreed to fund a new Community Teaching Kitchen at the Heart from their Community Health & Well-being Fund.
The almost £13,000 will pay for a total revamp of the old VPS kitchen and provide a space where community-minded groups involved with the many aspects of food growing and preparation can come together to share their skills.
This will involve a lot of work, so accept our apologies for any disruption, especially around the cafe area, as it might not be completed until after the summer.
If you tasted the food offered by Mwamba at our two Coorie-In events, then you’ll be pleased to know that they have already signified their interest in using the new kitchen once it’s ready.
In the meantime, if you or your group would like to use the space for the benefit of the community, please get in touch with admin@heartofnewhaven.co.uk
Working with us –
Age Scotland are also getting involved at the Heart. They are providing the funds for a six-month, part-time position (two days a week) for someone to help organise and run sessions at the Heart for local people living with dementia and their carers.
Applications for the position have now closed, but watch this space for more news as the successful applicant is due to start in June.
We also will be welcoming our new building maintenance officer, Ian White who joins us at the start of May to support all the activities in the Heart.
VIP visitors
The Heart has been happy to host VIP visits recently, with two local councillors, Councillor Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, Councillor Stuart Dobbin and MP Deirdre Brock being given tours of the site and an introduction to what’s been going on, bringing them right up to date with both our achievements and our future plans.
We look forward to welcoming them back again in the future.
Our reminiscence volunteers are keeping busy.
Those who undertook reminiscence training are now offering drop-in sessions at the Heart once a month, on Wednesday mornings. (Wed 12 April, Wed 10 May, Wed 14 June, Wed 12 July, all from 10.30 – 11.30 am).
It is completely free, open to everyone and all ages and there is no need to book in advance – just come along to the Heart, take a seat and start chatting!
The aim is to have a different theme each month, with different pictures and objects to get the discussion going. Do spread the word if there is anyone you know who might be interested in coming along – feel free to bring a friend.
Four Pop-up Play Cafes for carers and children aged 0-7, were held at the Heart in March, led by Froebelian Futures (https://www.froebel.ed.ac.uk/) with the support of various local organisations that support Early Years and families, including Homestart and Stepping Stones.
The aim was to gauge community response and around 200 people, adults and children, passed through the doors on each of the four days.
The feedback, which has all been very positive, is currently being evaluated and will inform our next steps. We will let you know!
Moving forward to August, DaddyDayCare will be opening their doors in the Anchor Building as well.
They are now accepting applications for places, so head to their website for all the details – daddydaycareedinburgh.com
Heritage
Meanwhile, HONC has not been neglecting the heritage side of things.
Representatives from the Heart and our partners the Victorian Schoolroom attended a consultation meeting organised by the City’s Museums Services held in the new Victoria Primary School last month.
A small but enthusiastic number of attendees put forward their ideas for working collaboratively and the representatives from the City Council will take away their ideas and work on them.
Similarly, we also attended a preliminary meeting of a new venture called the Edinburgh Local Heritage Network, also being led currently by the City’s Archives, Libraries and Museum Services.
The idea is for different heritage groups around the city to collaborate on exhibitions, events and publicity to make more locals as well as visitors aware of the many and differing heritage strands the area has to offer.
Finally, our Warm & Welcoming mornings (Wednesdays and Saturdays) are becoming popular but we really need more volunteers to help welcome and chat to visitors as well as make them a warming cup of tea or coffee.
If you think you could give a couple of hours a week, particularly on Wednesday mornings, please contact admin@heartofnewhaven.co.uk
Remember to check our website and social media pages regularly for what’s happening around the Heart.
You’ll find the latest courses being run by Ink on Mesh and our bookbinder Cass, as well as the next date for a Leith Folk Club gathering, by clicking What’s On.
By clicking on Culture & Heritage news, you’ll find an appeal for photo identification and a lovely link between the Heart and the Victorian Schoolroom when the great granddaughter of a former pupil came to visit.
P.S. Save the date:
We’ll be hosting a Family Ceilidh on 29th April, so save the date.
More details to follow on the website / social media.
Although young children are generally at low risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19, infants and young children who have underlying medical conditions are over 7 times more likely to be admitted to paediatric intensive care units.
Over one million children aged 6 months to 4 years in the US have received at least one dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine since June 2022. Data from the US showed the most common side effects reported were similar to those seen with other vaccines given in this age group, such as irritability or crying, sleepiness, and fever.
In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) first authorised use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for children aged 6 months to 4 years on 6 December 2022.
Following that authorisation, the JCVI has advised that children aged 6 months to 4 years who are in a clinical risk group should be offered the vaccine. The JCVI does not currently advise COVID-19 vaccination of children aged 6 months to 4 years who are not in a clinical risk group.
Eligible children should be offered 2 doses of the vaccine, with an interval of 8 to 12 weeks between the first and second doses.
NHS England has confirmed it will begin offering vaccinations to those eligible in England from mid-June. Parents should wait to be contacted before coming forward.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, Chair of the JCVI’s COVID-19 Committee, said: “For the vast majority of infants and children, COVID-19 causes only mild symptoms, or sometimes no symptoms.
“However, for a small group of children with pre-existing health conditions it can lead to more serious illness and, for them, vaccination is the best way to increase their protection.”
Dr Mary Ramsay, Head of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “COVID-19 is still in circulation, with thousands of new cases reported every week.
“The extra protection offered by the vaccine could be important for young children in clinical risk groups, who are at greater risk of severe illness. The virus is not going away so I would encourage all parents to bring their child forward if they are eligible. Parents should wait to be contacted by their local health professionals.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Children are at very low risk of harm from Covid. However, there are a very small number of children with health conditions which make them particularly vulnerable, and for those children we want to give parents the choice as to whether they wish to vaccinate their at risk child or not.
“I have accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on vaccinating children aged from 6 months to 4 years who are in a clinical risk group. It is a parental decision, and this advice is simply to enable parents of children with medical conditions to choose if they wish to have the protection.”
Celebrate Easter with Edinburgh Science Festival this weekend! Visit the Festival’s premier family extravaganza at City Arts Centre – featuring five floors of hand-on science workshops and activities for children between 3 and 12.
Families can explore the chemistry behind producing your own slime in Splat-tastic, delve into the world of motion in Speedy Sails, uncover the mysteries of dinosaurs which roamed the Earth millions of years ago in Dig Up a Dinosaur or perform a surgery using real-life equipment in E.R. Surgery.
PICTURES: Dorothy (4), James (1.5) and Kofi (1.5 ) getting eggsperimental with Imagination Playground, one of the City Art Centre activities.
Global immersive technology company collaborates with Teapot Trust to create cutting edge VR experience
An exciting collaboration between Edify and Teapot Trust will bring to life the transformative power of art therapy through virtual reality and a fantasy garden.
The partnership between the East Lothian charity and the immersive technology company, with headquarters in both Glasgow and Abu Dhabi, comes as Teapot Trust prepares to host a show garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Teapot Trust is a charity at the forefront of transformative mental health support that provides art therapy to children, young people and their families living with chronic conditions.
The Elsewhere Garden, designed by Scottish Swiss partnership SempleBegg, will showcase at the prestigious gardening event in May this year. The garden represents a child’s imagination as it blossoms in response to the freedom gifted by art therapy and is inspired by Willy Wonka’s factory, Oz and Wonderland.
Edify, a leading-edge tech company that builds innovative immersive technology platforms for learning and teaching is donating its time to the charity to create a virtual reality experience of the garden.
This ground-breaking technology will provide a completely new context for art therapy where children and art therapists can connect, create, and explore in a digital realm. The impact will be far reaching, enabling increased access by overcoming geographical and physical barriers.
By bringing the garden to children (like those in a ward) who cannot physically leave hospital to explore outdoors, it will help them experience the world around them in a new way while introducing vital art therapy themes like increased communication, relaxation techniques, and mental coping mechanisms.
Fergus Bruce, Senior Director at Edifysaid: “Central to Edify’s mission is making the ‘go anywhere, do anything’ superpowers of immersive technology accessible as widely as possible.
“With that in mind, we’re delighted to support the Teapot Trust and the vital work they do by ensuring that the ‘Elsewhere Garden’ can be experienced far beyond RHS Chelsea. We’ll do this by utilising both the Edify platform and the skill of our team to create a virtual experience of the actual garden which keeps its magic accessible and growing long after the event itself.”
Edify and Teapot Trust were introduced through the Scottish Tech Army, a unique volunteer community bringing together tech experts and the third sector for the benefit of people and communities.
Kirsty McIntosh of Scottish Tech Armyadded: “We are delighted to bring the Teapot Trust and Edify together.
“This is a great example of the tech for good ecosystem in action and we are excited to see how this collaboration will support the aims of the charity.”
Sarah Randall, CEO of Teapot Trust said: “The Elsewhere Garden has been created with the most incredible amount of passion, love and nurture so the ability to bring this to life in a virtual reality world to benefit thousands of children and young people who won’t experience the garden in real life is a wonderful opportunity.
“The Edify platform will enable art therapists to join and guide children in a virtual experience while also giving the potential for children within an art therapy group to interact with each other within the digital garden. This is a tremendous asset to have, which is down to the overwhelming generosity and creativity which Edify has brought to the project.”
Art therapy techniques will be incorporated into the experience, with specific plants, views, and sensations being central to art therapy exercises and themes. This safe and controlled experience will help children grow confidence to navigate tech and tech-enabled learning in a fun, playful, and imaginative immersive experience, boosting their confidence and helping them understand that they can overcome barriers in their own lives.
One in four children and young people in the UK live with the pain and stigma of chronic health conditions that cause anxiety and depression. Almost a third of those aged under 21 who take their own lives have a long-term chronic illness.
The charity’s art therapy gives children and young people a release from the burdens of chronic illness allowing them to take some control, to express and process their feelings about their diagnosis, their treatment regime, and the impact of their condition on daily life.
