Tag: death

Police appeal for information following death on Leith Street

POLICE LAUNCH MAJOR INCIDENT PUBLIC PORTAL

https://mipp.police.uk/operation/SCOT23S24-PO1

Police are appealing for information following the death of a 30-year-old man in Edinburgh last night.

Around 7.45pm on Friday, 2 June, 2023, officers were called to a report of a disturbance on Leith Street near to the junction with Greenside Row.

Emergency services attended and the victim was taken by ambulance to Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where he died a short time later.

His death is being treated as unexplained and a post mortem examination will take place in due course.

His relatives are aware and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

Extensive enquiries carried out have revealed a number of people were involved in the disturbance and a 41-year-old man was also taken to hospital for treatment.

A 46-year-old woman has been arrested in connection with a minor assault.

Detective Chief Inspector John Morrison said: “Our thoughts are very much with the man’s family and friends at this very difficult time.

“Our enquiries are ongoing and officers will be in the area working on this investigation.

“The area would have been busy at the time of the incident and we are encouraging anyone who may have seen or heard a disturbance to get in touch.

“I am also keen to speak to anyone with any CCTV, dashcam or any other footage that they think would assist the enquiry.

“We will have a continued police presence in the area and anyone with any concerns can approach these officers.”

Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101 quoting incident number 4094 of 2 June, 2023.

Alternatively, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given completely anonymously.

UPDATE: POLICE SET UP ONLINE PORTAL

Officers investigating the death of a 30-year-old man in Edinburgh have set up an online portal for members of the public to submit information.

Extensive enquiries are continuing and we have set up a link to our Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) that allows members of the public to send information directly to officers.

The MIPP can be accessed here: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)


Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101 quoting incident number 4094 of 2 June, 2023.

Alternatively, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given completely anonymously.

Fringe 2022: How To Be A Better Human at Summerhall

‘Some Hedgehogs are Absolute Dickheads’

What does a 70-year-old man pulling dead rats out of gutters have to do with becoming a better human? Chris Singleton has the answer in his spoken word comedy show ‘How to be a Better Human’ at Summerhall this month.

“I lost my dad to bowel cancer in 2019,” says Chris. “And a few months later my wife left me.  So I did what anyone would do, and wrote a comedy about it.”

‘How to Be a Better Human’ is a spoken word comedy about grief, loss and self-acceptance. Set up as a Ted Talk, it features powerpoint comedy, animation and original music.

“I wanted to explore the lightness and humour in death and divorce,” continues Chris. “How we can lose everything and still find the strength to rebuild. How it helped me become better at empathising, connecting and understanding.”

His debut show has received glowing reviews on tour across the North, with many comments about how the show shifts between laughter and sadness.

“Death is something we’re all going to experience – that’s one thing we can be absolutely sure of. So why don’t we talk about it more? I’m hoping this show will spark conversation and understanding around the subjects of death and grief.”

To find out how growing a beard can be the best decision of your life, and why some hedgehogs are absolute dickheads, catch How to be a Better Human this month.

How to be a Better Human is on every day at 6pm until Saturday 28th August (excluding Monday 15th & Monday 22nd)

Summerhall, Red Lecture Theatre

Arthur’s Seat death: Man charged

Police have confirmed that a man has been charged in connection with the suspicious death of a woman in Holyrood Park.

Police and emergency services were called to Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park at around 9pm on Thursday, 2 September, 2021. A 31-year-old woman died at the scene a short time later and her death is being treated as suspicious.

She can be named as Fawziyah Javed from Pudsey, West Yorkshire.

A 27-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident and has now been charged. He is expected to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, 6 September, 2021.

Detective Inspector Bob Williamson said: “Fawziyah’s family ask for their privacy to be respected during this extremely difficult time.“I’d like to thank the officers and partners who attended the scene on Thursday evening and have assisted with our ongoing enquiries.”

Demystifying Death Week

Demystifying Death Week, 10 – 16 May, is about giving people knowledge, skills & opportunities to plan & support each other through death, dying, loss & care.

@StColumbas will be taking part in the Week’s activities.

St Columba’s Hospice Care is pleased to be supporting Demystifying Death Week (10-16 May), shining a light on death, dying and bereavement in Scotland.

Demystifying Death Week is about giving people knowledge, skills and opportunities to plan and support each other through death, dying, loss and care. Here in Scotland, the Week is organised by Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief as part of the Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care (SPPC) and it runs in parallel to Dying Matters week in England.

“If people know a bit more about death and dying, they’re in a better position to take control of their own situation, support others, make plans and have informed decisions about what they’d want when the time comes,” said Rebecca Patterson, Director of Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief.

At St Columba’s, our Supportive Care and Compassionate Communities teams and wider Hospice community will be engaging with Demystifying Death Week through supporting and taking part in the programme of activities. We wanted to share these with you in case you would like to sign up for any of the events too.

Here are some of the workshops and webinars available:

Unexpected Consequences: A Webinar on Bereavement: Tuesday 11 May, 13:30 to 15:15

Topics:

  • People dying at home during Covid (Dr Jan Savinc, Napier University)
  • How disenfranchised grief has been affected by Covid-19 (Paul Parsons, Adult Bereavement Coordinator for St Christopher’s Hospice)
  • Digital Accessibility and the impact on grief (Donna Hastings, Child and Families Worker for St Columba’s Hospice Care, Edinburgh)

Find out more

Loss & the Creative Arts: Music, Poetry & other Arts as Expression of Grief: Thursday 13 May 2021, 13:00 to 15:00

This is an event for Dying Matters Week, chaired by Professor Lynne Gabriel and Dr John Wilson of York St John University Counselling and Mental Health Centre, who will introduce the work of (in alphabetical order):

  • Laura Fitton, Nursing sister and published poet who works with Covid19 on the NHS front line
  • Kev Fitzpatrick, singer songwriter,
  • Sioux Hill, bereaved by Covid, singer with the Alone Together Choir
  • Mick Jenkinson. singer songwriter and published poet
  • Liam Meyer NHS worker and founder of the Alone Together Choir, as seen on BBC News
  • Sarah Villeneau, ceramicist whose work is both beautiful and macabre

The event will be of interest to those who are grieving and anyone who works with death, dying, bereavement and grief, including counsellors, bereavement supporters and volunteers who are interested in working more creatively. The event will include a question and answer session.

Find out more

You may also be interested in accesssing a series of free webinars offered by Child Bereavement UK for professionals working with children and young people in Scotland:

Access free webinars

Find out more about Demystifying Death Week via the Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief website here:

Access information

Please find more info on our website: https://stcolumbashospice.org.uk/news/

Scotmid Funerals donates £10K to two Edinburgh charities

THOUSANDS OF SCOTS TO BENEFIT FROM BOOSTED BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT FOLLOWING £10K DOUBLE DONATION FROM SCOTMID FUNERALS

Two Edinburgh-headquartered charities that provide services and support for the bereaved across Scotland, have received a welcome boost following a donation from a Scottish funeral care provider – to the sum of £10,000.

Scotmid Funerals, part of the Scotmid Cooperative which exists to serve the communities in which it operates, made the donations as part of its Covid Community Fund, which has seen more than 300 organisations benefit from financial support since lockdown began earlier in the year.

Cruse Scotland, which offers support for around 5000 bereaved people every year, via a helpline and one to one counselling sessions, has received a £7500 donation from Scotmid Funerals which will be used to support the many people who have found themselves grieving in isolation or not being able to attend funerals due to lockdown.

The funding will go towards the cost of running Cruse Scotland’s helpline and one-to-one services, which are available to everyone who has faced the passing of a loved one, regardless of the cause of death, anyone who is bereaved in lockdown or has been affected by the impact of the pandemic.

Keith Robertson, chief executive of Cruse Scotland, welcomed the donation. He said: “The helpline is a compassionate listening service that offers people guidance about grief, reassurance that their feelings are normal and information on how to access further support.

“We have found that during lockdown, calls are more complex as people are grieving in isolation, they may not have attended funerals and many more are feeling anxious about Covid-19.

“The generous donation from Scotmid Funerals will help us to ensure that anyone who is grieving, wherever they are, will be able to access the help and support they need to get through a very difficult period of their lives.  

The Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care (SPPC), which works to enable communities and individuals to support each other during hard times, has received a £2500 donation from Scotmid Funerals in the wake of Covid-19, which has resulted in many people finding themselves either experiencing declining health, without the usual family support or grieving the loss of a loved one in isolation.

The funding will go towards Good Life, Good Death, Good Grief (GLGDGG), a Scotland-wide alliance set up in 2011 which works collectively to raise awareness on ways to cope with dying, death and bereavement. 

Mark Hazelwood, chief executive of the SPPC, welcomed the donation. He said: “Declining health, death and bereavement affects everyone at some point.  Our work is about ensuring that people are as well prepared as they can be and can get the care and support they need during those hard times. other. 

“We are really delighted to receive this generous donation from Scotmid Funerals.  It will help us to continue our work which we know can make a big difference for people during a very difficult period of their lives.” 

James Blackburn, head of funerals for Scotmid Funerals, said: “End of life care and looking after those who are bereaved are both areas which need to be managed sensitively and compassionately.

“Our donations to both charities will help ensure that anyone who needs support in end of life care or to cope with the loss of a loved one, will be able to get it. It will help make sure that nobody feels that they need to go through this by themselves – and that can often be the first step in the healing process.

“I am delighted that we are able to make these contributions and help make a little difference to people across Scotland.”

BPS advice on supporting each other at work following the death of a colleague

Grief at any time is difficult and painful and even under normal circumstances the death of a colleague can be challenging and represent a significant loss.

The realities of Covid-19 means that there are additional challenges for people mourning the death of a colleague due to the lack of access to support from friends, family and colleagues.

The British Psychological Society’s Covid-19 bereavement task force has launched a new document, ‘Supporting each other following the death of a colleague’, to help people understand their feelings and reaction if they do lose a colleague during this time.

Professor Nichola Rooney, chair of the task force, said: “Sadly, many people have been bereaved during the Covid-19 pandemic, with some grieving the death of a colleague.

“We spend a lot of time at work and often form close bonds with people we work with, so losing a colleague at a time when we may not have our usual support networks can be particularly difficult.”

The booklet gives advice on how to cope with returning to work following the death of a colleague and encourages employees to take advantage of the support that is available to them and allowing for the fact that work may be affected by the grieving process.

It encourages people to take the opportunity to consider marking the death through a memorial at either at work or at home, if that is someone’s current workplace, but also to plan for other remembrance activities in the future once the current crisis abates.

The guidance is part of a suite of resources produced by the BPS’s Covid-19 bereavement task force, aimed at helping people manage their grief during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Supporting each other following the death of a colleague

Supporting each other through loss and bereavement

The British Psychological Society has published a document on helping one another to cope with death and grief, at a time when many people are experiencing the loss of a friend or family member due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

It has also released two videos, offering advice on using technology to speak to loved ones who are ill and planning your digital legacy.

Losing a loved one under any circumstances is one of the most difficult emotional experiences that we go through, and it can be even tougher at a time when we have to self-isolate and socially distance from friends and family.

The leaflet ‘Supporting yourself and others: coping with death and grief during the Covid-19 pandemic’ explains the thoughts and feelings that people are likely to experience after a loved one dies, and the changes in behaviour that may result.

It discusses how people can cope with bereavement, acknowledging that everyone deals with loss in their own way, and gives tips on what can help, including:

  • Using digital technology to keep in touch with friends and family
  • Allowing themselves time and space to grieve
  • Not rushing into decisions about possessions and personal effects
  • Trying to stick to a healthy diet and engage in some form of exercise

Straightforward advice is also available for people who are supporting a loved one through their grief.

Measures to contain the spread of Coronavirus mean that many people are unable to say goodbye in person, so the BPS has also produced a video explaining how we can use technology to talk to ill loved ones who we are unable to visit.

It launches alongside a video on digital legacy planning, as many of us store practically important and sentimentally valuable information using technological devices.

If important material is stored on password-protected devices, it’s important for people to make sure that their families are able to access material should the worst happen.

Dr Elaine Kasket, a counselling psychologist and member of the BPS’s Covid-19 bereavement task force that has produced all three resources, presents both videos.

Supporting yourself and others

Death in Service: paramedic dies of coronavirus

A paramedic has died from Covid-19, the Scottish Ambulance Service has confirmed. The staff member has not been named.

Pauline Howie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “It is with very great sadness to report the news that one of our dear colleagues from the Scottish Ambulance Service has tragically passed away after contracting COVID-19.

“The staff member, a Paramedic in the West Region, sadly passed away in hospital on Saturday (May 2). On behalf of everyone at SAS, I would like to offer my heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to the family. Our focus will be on supporting them during this very difficult time.

“I would also like to thank our NHS Scotland colleagues for the compassionate care they have shown our friend during their illness.

“I know there will be many people within the Service who will be affected by this very tragic news and we are working to support our staff. ”

Out of respect for the family, no further details will be provided at this stage.

Restalrig Death: Can You Help?

Police in Edinburgh are continuing to appeal for information following the death of an elderly woman in Restalrig last week.

Margaret Grant, aged 79, died in hospital following a disturbance and assault at a property in Restalrig Circus around 6.50pm on Friday, 24 January. Her death is being investigated as suspicious and an image of Margaret has now been released.

A week since Margaret died, both uniformed and plain clothes officers will be speaking to people in the Restalrig area.

In particular, officers are seeking information on a man who entered Margaret’s property and stole from her before leaving on foot. Indications are that he may have targeted Margaret’s address.

The suspect is described as white, aged between 20 and 30-years-old, about 5ft 6ins tall with combed long black hair and a Scottish accent. He was wearing a black top which may have had white lower sleeves, and dark trousers.

Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Houliston, from the Major Investigation Team in Edinburgh, said: “Officers are following a positive line of enquiry but we are still working to establish the full circumstances of what happened and our thoughts remain with Margaret’s family. They have asked for privacy at this difficult time.

“Anyone who may have seen anything in the Restalrig Circus area around the time of this disturbance, however insignificant they may think it was, should get in touch. Likewise if anyone has dash-cam footage that might help with our investigation, please call us.”

Those with information should call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 3175 of Friday, 24 January, or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Life, Death and Lilies installation returns

Project to stimulate more open discussion about dying is rolled out to four sites

A MEMORIAL Garden project aimed at stimulating more open discussion about death and dying is returning to Edinburgh – and expanding into a series of events across eastern Scotland. Continue reading Life, Death and Lilies installation returns