My name is Ben Liddall. You may remember me through the 100 day running challenge I did at the start of 2021 to raise funds for the MyNamesDoddie campaign.
This was a great experience for me and while I have lots of plans to do more things like this again in the future I would like to pass the torch to my friend Ronan Ratcliffe who is taking on an absolutely astounding challenge, beginning at the end of May. Here is a brief description from Ronan about what he is doing.
It is really incredible what he aims to do:
“Hi there, my name is Ronan, and I’m aiming to walk 140 miles across Scotland at the start of June to raise money for the UK mental health charity ‘Samaritans.’
“The walk will take me from Fort William in the Highlands, across to Glendoll Forest, just north of Dundee. It consists of approximately 40 Munroes (any mountain in Scotland over 3,000ft) including Ben Nevis, and roughly 45,000 feet of elevation.
“I aim to start the walk on the 30th of May and be finished by the 6th or 7th of June. Along the way I will be wild camping about 50% of the time, and staying in Bothies (an unlocked shelter to be used free of charge in mountainous areas) the other half of the time. The route I am taking is almost completely remote, only passing over 2 public roads the whole time.
“If you would like to read into the backstory of why I am doing this, please read through my GoFundMe page below:
“However, if not, I would really appreciate it if you could donate some money to it, or even just share the fundraiser around. It is my goal to raise £2500 and hopefully with your help I can do that.”
The North Edinburgh community came out in force yesterday to enjoy the North Edinburgh Community Festival at West Pilton Park.
More than fifty local organisations contributed to a memorable day of music, food, arts and crafts, entertainment and information.
Local activist Willie Black, who chairs the Festival organising committee, said the hard work involved in staging the event had proved worthwhile.
“Covid has meant that it’s been a long time since our community has been able to have a party so it was great to see local folk coming out in huge numbers to enjoy themselves.
“Today has been a celebration of everything that makes North Edinburgh special and I’d like to thank each and very individual and organisation who contributed so much to making the festival such a huge success.”
A fund launched last year to tackle the social isolation, loneliness and mental health inequalities made worse by the pandemic, has been awarded a further £15 million.
The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults was launched in October last year, and has helped nearly 2,000 community projects to deliver activities and programmes in its first year.
It has supported a wide range of projects including sport, outdoor initiatives, arts and crafts and nature, and covering groups such as older people, those with a long term health conditions or disabilities, people living in rural areas and the LGBT community.
The new investment will allow the fund to continue for another year.
Speaking ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week, Mental Wellbeing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “The theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is loneliness, and we know the pandemic has brought this issue into much greater focus. The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund has supported many projects that help to make people feel less isolated.
“The fund was set up to build and develop capacity within community organisations and grass roots groups so they can support people’s mental health and wellbeing. I am pleased that so many projects benefitted in the first year.
“This investment reflects the importance we place on promoting good mental health and early intervention for those facing mental health challenges – ensuring that people can access a range of different types of support to match their needs. It will help us to continue to support a range of valuable community mental health and wellbeing projects across Scotland.”
Cowal Elderly Befrienders in Dunoon, Argyll and Bute, is one organisation which has received funding. The organisation works with men aged 65 and over to reduce social isolation in a group known to be hard to reach.
It provides befriending services designed to improve the quality of life, reduce isolation and loneliness which in turn aids the prevention of suicide. The service also helps keep older people independent and active in their communities.
Robin Miller, Project Coordinator said: “The numbers of older people we support has steadily increased and we now support over 200 each week. Many of the men we support are keen to remain as independent as possible and do not initially reach out for help – it can take weeks or months of sympathetic support to build up confidence, trust and an acceptance of outside help.
“Our work also allows older people to make a positive contribution to the work – in the small groups we work with. Our older men often support each other, thereby increasing their sense of self-worth and allowing them to actively further our aims.
“The funding we have recently received will allowed us to sustain and develop our work. Over the coming year, our Men on Board project will help us to focus more closely on older men, provide much needed support for them and provide insights into what isolated older men need, want and why this group is often viewed as ‘hard to reach’.”
Mums in the Neonatal unit in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh are to benefit from a dedicated Perinatal Mental Health Support Service which will match mothers with highly trained perinatal befrienders.
Aberlour Children’s Charity has secured funding which is enabling them to pilot an expansion of their successful Perinatal Mental Health Befriending Service with an experienced perinatal co-ordinator based at the hospital. The support will be accessible to mums with premature and unwell babies in the unit from Monday 9th May.
Three years ago, Aberlour recognised the need to support and improve the mental health of perinatal women and their children and set up a Perinatal Befriending Support Service for those who live within the East Lothian community.
The service helps mothers and mothers-to-be who are struggling with anxiety, isolation and depression in pregnancy, and after their baby is born up to the age of 12 months. It does this by matching mothers with highly-trained volunteer perinatal befrienders, who offer practical and emotional support to help tackle poor mental health and wellbeing.
Since it launched the service has supported 130 women, 134 babies and siblings and has recruited and delivered specialised perinatal befriending training to 67 befrienders in East Lothian.
Having a new perinatal co-ordinator based at the hospital means that more mums from all over the Lothians and other health boards will be given additional emotional and practical support when they need it most. The co-ordinator will build positive relationships, provide an emotional listening ear and when necessary signpost to appropriate services within the mums’ own communities.
Katy Ruggeri, Associate Director of Midwifery, Maternity, Gynaecology and Neonatal services at NHS Lothian, said: “We are thrilled that a Perinatal Mental Health Co-ordinator has been appointed and we welcome this innovative service from Aberlour.
“Mums who have babies in the Neonatal unit can be very fragile and having a dedicated Perinatal Co-ordinator who fully understands the challenges mums can face by providing additional support will be invaluable.”
Emma Cashmore-Gordon, Service Manager for Aberlour Perinatal Mental Health service said: “Having worked with women through their perinatal period for the past three years in East Lothian, we know what a difference our service makes to them as well as the lives of their families.
“We are so pleased that we can take this to the next level and provide support to mums throughout the whole of the Lothian region.
“This development is however a pilot, and we are seeking vital external funding to ensure continuity of our service to provide crucial support to families and secure employment for our staff. Any suggestions or assistance that can be given to help secure funding will be greatly appreciated.”
One mum who has received support from the service, said: “It’s a lifeline. Someone to listen to my crazy chat and have crazy normal chat with me!!!
“I’d be lost without my befriender. She is incredible, she juggles so much yet still has the time to speak with me and help me. She is amazing and she gets me through this difficult time.”
For more information about the service please contact Emma Cashmore Gordon, Service Manager, by calling 01875 632055 or email her at: enquiries@aberlour.org.uk .
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK
Thursday 28th of April 2022 was Britain’s ‘On Your Feet’ day. This is a national awareness day to promote the benefits of sitting less and moving more.
Cutting down on the amount of time we sit can help to reduce your risk of developing heart disease, becoming overweight or obese and developing diabetes.
Here are a few tips on how to reduce sitting time:
Small changes
Think of one or two small changes you could make to help you to move more throughout the day. For example, try taking regular breaks from your computer, use the stairs more often, or stand during phone calls and presentations. If you work at a desk, you may even consider improving your setup by investing in a standing desk!
Keeping children active
Only 20-23% of children meet the physical activity guidelines of one hour per day so we should try to encourage children to exercise daily. On days off, aim to get outside and play some games in the garden, visit the local park, or go for a family bike ride instead of spending too much time on the couch.
Walk for a Healthier Heart
Making walking a more important part of our everyday life means taking positive steps towards a healthier heart and body.
Walking is free, requires no specialised equipment, can be done by all ages and abilities and fits in any lifestyle. Compete with friends, family and colleagues by logging your steps, miles or walking routes over the week.
The North Edinburgh Community Festival is THIS SATURDAY!
Saturday 7th May from 12noon to 6pm.
The main stage will be jam-packed from 12noon!
Make sure you catch your favourite act:
12.00pm – Fischy Music 12.50pm – Pulse of the Place 1.15pm – Ama-zing Harmonies 1.35pm – Granton Youth MixTape 2.00pm – Big Fish Little Fish Scotland 2.45pm – Tinderbox Hub 3.10pm – Broughton High School 3.35pm – Yer Local Bams 4.10pm – City of Edinburgh Music School Jazz Quartet 4.35pm – DJ Dynamite 5.00pm – Tinderbox Collective & Guests
Plus Children and Families marquee with lots of workshops
the Open Space area with lots of activities for young and old,
sport activities if you’re feeling energetic,
52 + stalls with local organisations providing information and activities,
food vans offering complimentary food and festival delights,
a sit down Community Lunch inside the WPNC.
Oh and don’t forget the UNDER THE SEA PARADE, from Millennium Centre to the Park!
“Once again, the figures show the worst performance since records began, meaning record numbers of patients facing extremely long waits. March 2022 also saw the highest number of attendances since September 2021.
“There are immense pressures on our health system. Patient safety is compromised, staff are burnt out, ambulance services are severely struggling, and Emergency Departments are dangerously over-crowded.
“During this difficult time, we commend all staff in our Emergency Departments for their resilience and hard work. These are unprecedented and extremely challenging circumstances, a result of a broken health system in dire crisis. We know morale is very low right now, and we know the challenges in providing effective care, but frontline staff across all grades continue to do their very best to keep patients safe.
“Opening 1,000 beds in the health system in Scotland and addressing the staffing crisis in social care is urgently needed to begin to tackle the current situation and to move patients appropriately and timeously through the system. This is an unsustainable situation, month-on-month performance deteriorates, and patients are coming to harm as staff face severe moral injury.”
Spending cut of £874 per pupil identified with ASN since 2012/13
‘Postcode lottery’ of spending between local authorities on ASN
Near doubling in the number of pupils with ASN since 2012
Cut in the number of ASN teachers
An alliance of leading providers of children’s services, the Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), has called for greater resourcing to support children and young people with additional support needs (ASN), such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems.
The call, which comes in advance of tomorrow’s local council elections (Thursday (5th May), comes as new figures contained in a parliamentary answer to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, reveal that spend per pupil with ASN has slumped dramatically.
This comes against a backdrop of the number of pupils with ASN increasing and the number of specialist teachers supporting them dropping to a new low.
SCSC is calling on incoming town hall administrations to put the needs of vulnerable children and young people at the very heart of policy and funding commitments.
The figures highlight that average spend per pupil on additional support for learning by councils in Scotland (primary, secondary and special education) has fallen from £4,276 in 2012/13 to £3,402 in 2020/21 (in cash terms). This amounts to an overall cut in spending of £874 per pupil, representing a 20.4% drop.
Spend per pupil ranges from £2,210 in the Scottish Borders to £5,901 in the Shetland Islands, pointing to a ‘postcode lottery’ in spend across local councils (see Notes to Editors for figures per local authority).
This fall is against the backdrop of a 92.2 per cent increase since 2012 in the number of pupils identified with ASN, from 118,011 to 226,838 in 2020, amounting to 108,827 individuals. Those with ASNcurrently represent just under a third of all pupils (32.3 per cent).
Between 2012 and 2020 the number of full-time equivalent ASN teachers (publicly funded primary, secondary, special and centrally employed) has fallen from 3,389 to all-time low of 2,860, a decrease of 529 teachers, representing a cut in numbers of 15.6 per cent.
Against the background of Covid-19 and its disproportionate impact on those with ASN, the SCSC has called for greater resourcing from both the Scottish Government and councils to ensure that those with ASN in Scotland’s schools receive the care and support they need.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need, when they need it, especially as we come out of the current Covid-19 crisis.This is also key if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap as we know that those with ASN are disproportionately drawn from poorer neighbourhoods.
“Given this, it is disappointing to note cuts in spending to those with ASN and we would urge Scotland’s newly elected councils to put the needs of vulnerable children and young people at the very heart of policy and funding commitments.
“Councils and the Scottish Government must work together to provide the necessary resourcing to address the needs of those children and young people with ASN, who represent some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society.”
Table 4 – Additional support for learning spending per pupil (£, cash terms)
2020/21
Aberdeen City
3,196
Aberdeenshire
2,392
Angus
3,024
Argyll & Bute
3,833
City of Edinburgh
3,093
Clackmannanshire
4,344
Dumfries & Galloway
3,226
Dundee City
2,274
East Ayrshire
4,432
East Dunbartonshire
4,500
East Lothian
3,865
East Renfrewshire
2,785
Falkirk
3,798
Fife
2,794
Glasgow City
4,133
Highland
3,062
Inverclyde
3,722
Midlothian
4,100
Moray
3,110
Na h-Eileanan Siar
5,757
North Ayrshire
2,379
North Lanarkshire
5,490
Orkney Islands
4,540
Perth & Kinross
3,023
Renfrewshire
3,477
Scottish Borders
2,210
Shetland Islands
5,901
South Ayrshire
4,868
South Lanarkshire
3,505
Stirling
3,374
West Dunbartonshire
3,589
West Lothian
2,700
All Local Authorities
3,402
Sources:
1. Local Financial Returns – Education (LFR 01) statistical return provided by local authorities to the Scottish Government.
2. Pupil Census – 2020 school statistics collected by Scottish Government
A CHARITY is offering a £200 grant to former coal miners to help them cope with the rise in fuel costs in 2022.
CISWO – the coal mining charity – has launched the scheme to provide some support towards combatting the huge hike in the energy price cap which came into effect in April.
The one-off grant will be available to former coal miners, or their partners or widows, who are identified as being particularly vulnerable due to being on a low income, live in their own home and are responsible for paying for energy costs.
It is also only available to those former mineworkers who have ten years’ service in the industry or those whose last place of work was in the industry. Only one grant is available per household.
The price rises will see millions of people having to pay around £700 more each year to heat their homes.
And with former miners often suffering from health issues, poor mobility and managing on low incomes, they may be disproportionately impacted by the changes.
Nicola Didlock, Chief Executive at CISWO, said: “We are very aware that many of our beneficiaries are vulnerable and susceptible to the cold, especially those on low incomes and trying to cope with ill-health, mobility issues and older properties to maintain.
“We want to ensure that those individuals are identified and supported to keep warm and healthy, particularly during the colder months as the energy price rise begins to impact those most affected.”
CISWO’s Personal Welfare team will be identifying people in need and supporting them to get the help they are entitled to. As well as the CISWO grant, they will help people to obtain other financial aid and subsidies from the government.
The team will also be on hand to provide information about other support on offer from CISWO for former coal miners and their dependants, including:
Confidential home visiting service
Advocacy, information, advice and guidance
Emotional support
Benefit applications
Access to mobility equipment
Reducing loneliness and isolation
Access to holidays and convalescence
For more information about claiming the £200 CISWO grant, visit:
main stage
