A shopkeeper from Edinburgh who raised money for her local community during the Covid-19 pandemic has been chosen by the Presiding Officer as her local hero who will attend Saturday’s opening ceremony of the Scottish Parliament.
Linda Williams set up the coronavirus hardship fund at the Premier Broadway Convenience Store in Oxgangs. Having raised over £10,000 to help her local community, it helped hundreds of locals pay for essentials such as utility bills and food.
Linda will join other local heroes, selected by MSPs across the country, at the event on Saturday 2 October. Those selected have made an extraordinary contribution to their communities either locally or nationally.
Alison Johnstone MSP, Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament said:“Our local heroes initiative is all about celebrating people from across Scotland for their contributions to their communities throughout the pandemic and beyond.
“The many actions and achievements of those nominated are truly inspiring. So many of our local heroes have put others before themselves, for the good of others.
“I am proud the Scottish Parliament will recognise people like Linda and that our local heroes will play a part in our 2021 opening ceremony.”
Linda Williams said:“I am very happy to have been nominated, although I certainly wasn’t looking for any thanks or recognition.
“It has been such a hard 18 months for everyone, and I think we played a small part in making life a bit easier for our customers and neighbours by setting up a free same day delivery service and starting a hardship fund to help those who slipped through the cracks of the financial help that was available.
“Our community rose to the occasion magnificently; people were incredibly generous with their donations, and the whole experience became a shining light of hope during a hard time.”
Brand new campaign from Soil Association Food for Life
A brand new campaign from the Soil Association aims to tackle food insecurity and loneliness, starting this World Food Day on 16th October.
Anyone can take part in Cook and Share Month and hundreds of events are expected to take place across the UK. From Edinburgh to Inverclyde, people will be cooking and, you guessed it, sharing food in their local communities between 16th October and 16th November 2021.
Preparing and eating food is a great way to bring down barriers, so the organisers are encouraging people from all walks of life to take part.
Community groups, schools, children’s centres, faith groups and more will be getting busy in the kitchen and making food to share with each other, and with their local area, both remotely and in person where it’s safe to do so.
Need funding? Grants of £150 are available to help people get their cooking events off the ground, provided by Food for Life Get Togethers (FFLGT), a Soil Association programme funded by the National Lottery.
More details are below.
So why should we share our food?
Research has revealed that the more often people eat with others the more likely they are to feel happy and satisfied with their lives. Yet this year we have seen loneliness rise, exacerbating social problems that were already there.
The Office of National Statistics has published a report saying that loneliness in adults has increased during the pandemic by almost a third. From October 2020 to February 2021, results from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) showed that 7.2% of the adult population (about 3.7 million adults) felt lonely ‘often’ or ‘always’. This is an increase of 1.1 million people since the first UK lockdown in 2020.
Many people have become more isolated as a result of social distancing measures, which can have negative effects on mental and physical wellbeing. Holding a Food for Life ‘Get Together’ is a tried and tested way for people to connect with others in their local communities, through good food, safely.
In a recent survey of Get Together organisers, nearly 90% either agreed or strongly agreed that their activities created new friendships or developed friendships. More than 90% of Get Together organisers also agreed or strongly agreed that these activities supported people’s health and wellbeing.
Helen Browning, CEO of the Soil Association says:“The month is about using the power of great food to bring us together. At the Soil Association, we know that food has got to be good for us, and good for nature and the climate too.
“It has never been more important to create meaningful connections. We have seen over the past year that feeling connected to others is absolutely essential to good health and wellbeing. Food is one of our best ways to unite across barriers – whether that’s the garden fence, cultural or generational divides.”
Dale Cranshaw, Head of Food for Life Get Togethers adds: “Half of the UK population feel that Britain is more divided than ever before. To build stronger communities that can stand up to some of the urgent health, climate and nature crises of our time we need to get together.
“Cooking and sharing food is one of the best tools you have to bring people from different backgrounds or generations together. If you want to bring your community together you can do something about it this month by cooking, and sharing food that’s good for people and planet with your community.”
There are a range of resources available, helping organisers to cook easy, healthy recipes from scratch. Choose your favourite, from an Eritrean Daal to a simple, home-made bread roll.
An important part of Cook and Share month is helping people to cook from scratch, which has health benefits and often has a lower carbon footprint than alternative ultra-processed foods.
After a year of isolation and worry, it is more important than ever that we connect with the people around us. Whether you’re dishing up daal, sharing a sarnie or passing round the pasta, food is a great way to break down barriers and bring people together.
One of Scotland’s leading housing providers has launched an initiative to celebrate its community for their acts of kindness.
Housing and care provider, Bield, has launched a platform to recognise individuals going above and beyond in the community, naming the award – ‘You are one of a Kind’.
Running until March 2022, customers, owners, service users, staff and members of the local community will have the chance every month to nominate their local heroes or heroines who have gone out of their way to lend a helping hand.
At the end of each month, a board of judges will select a Bield customer along with a Bield staff member or volunteer to receive the One of a Kind Award and a £50 voucher.
This comes as Bield is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is looking to get as many people as possible involved in the milestone.
Chief Executive of Bield, Dr Lynne Douglas said: “Many things can go unnoticed as people go about their day to day life and this award gives us the perfect opportunity to recognise all the little things that make a big difference to individuals and their communities – especially in the current climate.
“The community at Bield has rallied together throughout the pandemic so we are really excited to launch this initiative and give those people a platform to share their amazing efforts.
“Our first series of nominations have started to come through and the stories so far have been incredible – it is wonderful to see individuals supporting each other.
“The Bield community is truly one of a kind and we felt this award will help showcase and celebrate the amazing people we interact with on a daily basis.”
This award further amplifies the importance the provider has put on kindness, last year it was added to its core values, building on the ethos staff and customers live by.
Customers, staff and volunteers can cast vote here:
Bield is a registered charity which grew from humble beginnings, starting out with one housing development in Bo’ness which has gone on to become a major provider of housing and care services for around 20,000 older people across 22 local authority areas.
To find out more about Bield and its developments, visit www.bield.co.uk or follow on Facebook @bieldhousingandcare and Twitter @BieldScotland.
Wester Hailes will feature in a new exhibition called ‘What if…?/Scotland’ opening in V&A Dundee on 22 May which will explore the relationship communities have with their built environment.
The project, commissioned by the Scotland + Venice partnership, is the creation of Edinburgh-based 7N architects together with Architecture and Design Scotland, Scotland’s design agency, and a number of local partners. Initially started in 2019 it paired five local people from Wester Hailes with five architects and designers to discuss how they would improve the spaces where they live and what their hopes, wishes and aspirations for the future are.
The designer responded to the wishes of the people by proposing a way to make the hopes a reality – asking What if…?/. The process was filmed by film maker Basharat Khan.
The exhibition of the wishes, alongside the films, were initially prepared for the Scotland + Venice exhibition for the 17th International Architecture Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2020 – the world’s leading architecture exhibition.
However, with the 2020 exhibition postponed and uncertainty around travel in 2021 due to the on-going Covid-19 pandemic, the organisers were able to adapt the exhibition to premiere at V&A Dundee.
Connecting Wester Hailes
In Wester Hailes one of the key topics was around connections; connecting communities within the area and providing spaces for human connections.
Emily Stevenson and Eoghan Howard discussed with Katie Hay from 7N how a footbridge across the Union Canal would provide a connection to green spaces which would enhance the lives of locals.
Several groups discussed the derelict garage as a potential location for a community meeting place and how it was once an important part of the community and had the potential to be so again.
Leah Black from WHALE Arts, who hosted the workshops, said: ““It feels like a lifetime ago that Eoghan and I introduced a small group of local residents from Wester Hailes – Eunice, Emily, Bahiya, Ili, Chuks and Louize to the architects working on What If…? Scotland.
“We were delighted at WHALE Arts to play a part in making these introductions, however the success of this project was contingent on the generosity, open-mindedness and creativity of the group of local people who are passionate about improvements to the local area.
“The project was timely for us as we were working with Wester Hailes Community Trust, Ian Gilzean and partners on the beginnings of a Local Place Plan for Wester Hailes.
“This work on the LPP has continued to develop throughout 2020 and 2021 and we are thrilled at the notion of being able to incorporate some of these inspiring ideas into the long-term regeneration of Wester Hailes.”
Wester Hailes is one of five communities taking part in the project alongside Elgin, Annan, Paisley and Lerwick. Dundee will be added in time for the opening at the V&A.
As well as themes individual to the local communities there were many overarching themes of regeneration of lost and iconic buildings, the issues of closed shops in High Streets, community spirit, pride in local areas and how to create a meeting space that’s accessible to everyone.
In addition to the five films there will be an interactive installation called the Cloud of Dreams, where anyone attending the exhibition can submit their wish for their place.
Ewan Anderson of 7N Architects said: “When we first met with these communities in late 2019, who could have foreseen how much our lives would change?
“It’s interesting that even prior to a year in lockdown, community and spaces to gather and meet were of common importance throughout Scotland.
“I’m delighted we have found a home for the exhibition as it is important that these stories are told. And how fitting that this exhibition examining our places and how design affects them will be presented at Scotland’s first Design Museum V&A Dundee.”
Exhibition dates: Sat 22 May – Sun 21 Nov 2021 – Free museum entry.
Scots have revealed that their local communities are growing closer, and have become more important after a year spent closer to home, however the pandemic has left society itself more divided.
The findings are revealed in PwC’s latest Future of Government research, Rethinking Levelling-Up, which also shows that Scots back the UK Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda. Affordable housing, better paying jobs, skills development and vibrant high streets are seen as the key priorities for the recovery.
While 36% of Scots polled for the research said their local community has become more important to them, and 39% agree that the pandemic brought their community together, a greater number (43%) feel that it has increased social divisions.
The survey found that 51% of Scots believe inequality exists between London and other parts of the UK. Additionally, 47% said there was inequality between the four UK nations – though this was lower than reported from those polled in both Wales (50%) and Northern Ireland (58%).
Further to this, 30% of Scots said there was inequality between urban and rural areas and 34% between cities and towns.
The increased sense of community during the pandemic is reflected in where the Scottish public believe the UK Government should prioritise spending.
Better quality and more affordable housing is the top priority among Scots, with 76% of those surveyed saying it should top any Government’s spending agenda.
Behind this, 53% said helping people get access to better paying jobs was a priority, followed by investment in upskilling (47%), investing in high streets and town centres (46%), providing a better safety net for those most in need (40%) and investment in public services (39%).
The findings from Scotland largely reflect the overall picture across the UK, where the top four priorities are the same.
The survey also found that more than half of those surveyed in Scotland (60%) said they would recommend their area as a place to live, with just 11% saying they were unlikely to do so.
A similar number (61%) said their area was a good place to bring up a family, with 13% saying the opposite. The recommendation figure drops sharply however, when asked if Scotland was a good place to start a business – with 28% saying they were unlikely to recommend this.
Stewart Wilson, Government and Public Sector leader, PwC Scotland commented: “The pandemic has made enormous changes to the way we live and with the public spending more time closer to home they are clearly feeling more connected to their neighbours and local communities.
“This makes it clear that the levelling up agenda needs to be reset around local targeted investment and building community resilience to ensure the recovery is delivered fairly across the UK.
“The ‘levelling up’ agenda will need to take into account perceived inequalities across the country, and focus on areas where the public feel their lives can be improved – such as more affordable housing, better jobs and upskilling for the future. Government and private sector must collaborate to ensure society and communities move in the same direction at the same pace.”
Opportunities to build on trust
Over half of respondents nationwide (47%) hold the central government responsible for reducing geographical inequality. However, fewer than one in ten of our respondents trust that central government ‘listens to people like me’ or ‘takes my needs into account when making decisions’.
People feel greater connections with third sector community groups and charities and local government, with 29% and 25% feeling that community groups and charities respectively listen to ‘people like me’.
In Scotland, just 36% of those polled said their local community had been treated fairly by the UK Government during the pandemic, compared to more than half (53%) who said they’d been treated fairly by their employer.
During the pandemic the role of business has been under the spotlight, and business emerges with an opportunity to play a greater role in improving opportunity, social mobility and equality in the places where they operate.
Over half of respondents (55%) feel they have been treated fairly by their employers during the pandemic and 38% see businesses as most responsible for good jobs. Some 43% of respondents trust business to act to deliver a fair recovery, compared to 38% that trust central government and 40% that trust local government.
Thousands of Edinburgh citizens who have given up their time to volunteer and support their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic have been honoured by Lord Provost Frank Ross.
This was after it was announced they are all Inspiring Volunteer Award-winners 2020.
Edinburgh’s Inspiring Volunteer Awards, now in its fourteenth year, reflects the huge range of organisations and individuals who give their time freely to work with the city’s vibrant charity and non-profit sectors.
Volunteers within community projects received award certificates earlier in the year but until now the winner of Volunteer of the Year had yet to be announced.
It was decided that this year a different approach was needed and, in recognition of those many thousands of citizens who have assisted others during the coronavirus crisis, that ‘the Citizens of Edinburgh’ should receive the Volunteer of the Year award.
The updated Roll of Honour plaque naming the Citizens of Edinburgh as the joint winners was unveiled during a special virtual meeting between the Lord Provost, Deputy Lord Provost Joan Griffiths and Paul Wilson, Chief Officer of Volunteer Edinburgh as they paid tribute to the volunteering efforts in 2020.
Edinburgh routinely benefits from around 30% of our residents giving up their time to assist their fellow citizens. During the pandemic, the commitment from volunteers remained and interest in volunteering in the Capital has grown by more than 200%.
Lord Provost Frank Ross said: “Edinburgh has always had a thriving voluntary and community sector with thousands of volunteers helping people throughout the city and giving their valuable skills and time to worthy causes every year.
“In my role as Volunteer Champion I have the privilege of meeting many who go out of their way to help others and I’ve been truly humbled this year by how brilliantly our city has come together to respond to the pandemic. Every single person giving their time, skills and commitment to help others is a vital part of Edinburgh’s resilience and a symbol of how we’ll move forward.
“Choosing my Inspiring Volunteer of the Year is always a virtually impossible task and for 2020, in such difficult times, with so many more people giving their time for others, the Deputy Lord Provost and I, with the assistance of Paul, agreed that we needed to take a different approach.
“That’s why we’re awarding the Citizens of Edinburgh our Inspiring Volunteers of the Year, to recognise and thank the many thousands of citizens who have gone the extra mile help others during the coronavirus crisis. My sincerest thanks to you all for the help, time, care and consideration which has been so freely given, you have truly done Edinburgh proud.
Deputy Lord Provost Joan Griffiths said: “In recognition of how many people have helped others, be they family, friends, neighbours or strangers, countless people have benefitted from this assistance, and I was honoured to unveil the Lord Provost’s Inspiring Volunteer of the Year 2020 entry for the Citizens of Edinburgh.
“The entire city is united in our gratitude to the legions of volunteers who have, and who I hope will continue to, help looking after our most vulnerable citizens throughout this pandemic and going forward as we return to normality.”
Paul Wilson, Chief Officer of Volunteer Edinburgh, added: “Edinburgh has always been a city of volunteers with many thousands of people giving their time, energy and commitment every single day. However, this year it has been inspiring to see how many people wanted to support their communities.
“Whether that was informally by being a good neighbour, joining one of the brilliant mutual aid groups that sprung up during lockdown or volunteering more formally, I am confident that the city could not have gotten through the past 10 months without them all. I can’t think of a more fitting Inspiring Volunteer of the Year 2020, than the people of our city who made and continue to make such a huge difference.”
The Inspiring Volunteer Awards plaque in the City Chambers is part of the city’s civic heritage, which will be seen by the public for many years to come.
A decision was reached last week on the Iona Street development by the council’s Development Management Sub-Committee and unfortunately it has been approved to go ahead.
This is obviously disappointing news for many of us but it’s worth remembering that together we have made a difference. While many of the broader changes we were calling for have not been recognised, some aspects of the development have been changed as a result of all of our efforts.
A huge thank you for your support over the past year. Our local community feels stronger as a result of the campaign.
Here at Screen Education Edinburgh (SEE) we’re putting together a new free filmmaking programme for the people of North Edinburgh. In order to deliver something that meets the needs of those living and working in the area we have drawn up a short survey and would like to hear from locals of all ages.
The North Edinburgh filmmaking programme will engage local people to learn all the skills of filmmaking to create work that shines a light on, and celebrates, life in the area.
To help shape this we are looking to gather as much information from as many people as possible, whether they work for a local organisation, are in education, or a local resident, we want to hear from people about their life in the community as well as their future aspirations, not only for themselves, but also for their families and the community.
The link to our survey is below. We would be extremely grateful if you could complete this if you’re interested in taking part in the programme, and please circulate to those you are engaged with through your work in the community and feel free to share on social media.
It will stay live until 5pm Monday 10th August.
If you would also like to find out more about the programme or have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch and we can chat further by video or telephone call.
The Carnegie UK Trust has been exploring how the COVID 19 pandemic has affected the relationships between government, public services and citizens.
As attention starts to shift to how we can “Build Back Better”, we have taken the opportunity to update our influential 2014 Routemap to an Enabling State with some guiding principles for recovery.
We began our work to define and describe the Enabling State after the last great economic shock, observing the perfect storm of ageing populations, climate change and austerity policies.
We found that in the face of these challenges, governments across the UK (local, devolved and UK) were engaged in a process of transformation – a slow moving paradigm shift away from a top-down, ‘one size fits all’ approach, to a more agile model that supports people and communities to achieve positive change for themselves, and thereby to improve their own wellbeing.
We have continued to observe this process of transformation over the ensuing years, noting a varied picture in terms of commitment and pace in the different jurisdictions where we work.
However, the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift in many places, with the immediate responses from public services and from communities demonstrating that there is a different way of working together.
We articulate here the seven steps that public services should take as they move into recovery mode. We believe that these steps could ‘bank’ positive changes in relationships where these have occurred, and accelerate progress towards an enabling state model.
I do hope that you find this framing helpful. To let us know your thoughts, please email Hannah@CarnegieUK.org or join the debate online by tagging @CarnegieUKTrust #EnablingState – we would be pleased to hear from you.
The UK public feel that any sense of ‘community togetherness’ that has been built during the coronavirus crisis will disperse as soon as it is over says a new study commissioned by the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues at the University of Birmingham .
A poll undertaken by Populus of 2,088 adults in the UK found that older generations and women have felt a stronger sense of community togetherness recently, compared with younger generations and men, who have not felt this to the same degree.
Conversely, there was the opposite generational gap identified in terms of those who agreed that community togetherness would disappear after the crisis is over, with those aged 45-64 being most negative (61%), compared with less than half of those aged 18-24 (46%).
This suggests that there has been a marked generational divide in how people have responded to the crisis. This is highlighted further in responses from 18-24 year olds to the valuing of health of older generations today over longer-term economic prosperity. Younger people disagreed with this statement in larger numbers (13%) than those aged over 45 (9%).
The importance of character in times of crisis was highlighted, as 68% of the British public valued ‘being compassionate/caring’ in their top 3 most valued character strengths seen in those around them – an identical figure to a preliminary poll conducted in April 2020; they also valued it the most in terms of personal well-being (25%). Yet, concerns over the lack of community spirit were further emphasised.
Findings showed that less than a quarter of the British public have given their time to benefit others during the crisis. Of those who have, 18-24 year olds and those aged 55-64 have volunteered the most, with women volunteering more than men, and the East Midlands and South East being the areas of the country where people have volunteered the most.
There was a decline in the value placed on the civic character strengths of ‘being of service’ and ‘having community awareness’ in the people around us, compared to the April 2020 poll. Instead, the British public placed greater value on ‘being resilient’; this is suggestive that the public mood has moved to one of self-preservation over community togetherness.
Commenting on the findings, Aidan Thompson, Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Jubilee Centre, said; ‘Strengths of character have helped everyone to negotiate a path through these uncertain and unprecedented times.
“This poll reflects the continued importance of character in how we treat those around us and those we look up to. Good character development benefits both the individual and the community, so whilst notions of ‘community togetherness’ may seem as though they are dwindling, continuing to provide opportunities to serve the public good are essential to cultivate a character-full society.’
Other notable findings include:
Good judgement is valued more by older generations than younger ones as important to one’s wellbeing;
Older people have felt a stronger notion of community togetherness during the crisis than younger people, but were more likely to agree that it would disappear once the crisis is over;
The public value having ‘good judgement’ (71%) and ‘being wise’ (40%) in senior leaders and politicians in greater numbers than in the first poll;
A large majority (71%) of the public support following government lockdown guidelines as an expression of civic duty, though only 56% of 18-24 year olds agreed, compared with 87% of those over 65 years.
