Tag: Health and wellbeing

Single use vape ban comes into force

Powers to ban the sale and supply in UK

Single-use vapes will no longer be stocked or sold in Scotland under new legislation which comes into force today (Sunday 1 June).

The UK-wide ban has been introduced to prevent the environmental damage disposable vapes cause and to address health concerns associated with vaping as Scotland moves towards a tobacco-free generation by 2034.

An estimated 26 million disposable vapes were thrown away in Scotland in 2023. Of these, more than half were not recycled properly and around 10% were littered. The batteries used within disposable vapes are difficult to recycle, leak harmful waste and can cause fires in waste facilities.

Acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin said: “Scotland was the first nation in the UK to commit to taking action on single use vapes.

“It’s estimated that over half of disposable vapes are incorrectly disposed of each year in Scotland – creating a fire risk and littering our beautiful environment. They also contain nicotine which is highly addictive.

“This change to the law fulfils a Programme for Government commitment and will help tackle the threat that single-use vapes pose to our environment as well as to our public health.

“We have worked closely across the four nations to ensure a consistent approach to a ban on the sale and supply of single-use vapes and will continue to work with regulators regarding enforcement once in force.”

Moves to raise the age of sale of tobacco products and regulate the displays, flavours and packaging of reusable vapes, are being taken forward separately through the 4-nations Tobacco and Vapes Bill.  

A ban on single-use vapes was recommended in the four nation consultation ‘Creating a Smokefree Generation and Tackling Youth Vaping’ which ran in 2023.

Single-use vapes will be also be banned from the shelves of all shops in England from today ‘thanks to a Westminster government blitz on sale and supply‘.

The new crackdown makes it illegal to sell single-use vapes at corner shops and supermarkets, putting an end to their alarming rise in school playgrounds and the avalanche of rubbish flooding the nation’s streets.

The Westminster government’s announcement of its intention to ban the use of disposable vapes has already had real effects – with retailers and consumers shifting away from environmentally destructive single-use options.

New data from charity Action on Smoking and Health shows the number of vapers in Great Britain who mainly use single-use devices fell from 30% in 2024 to 24% in 2025, while the use of disposables by 18-24-year-old vapers fell from 52% in 2024 to 40% in 2025. However, usage among young vapers remains too high and with the coming ban into force tomorrow it will continue to drive these figures down further.

As part of tough enforcement measures, any rogue traders breaking the rules will be hit with a fine of £200 in the first instance, and all products will be seized. Those who show a blatant disregard for the rules and reoffend face being slapped with an unlimited fine or jail time.

Circular Economy Minister Mary Creagh said: “For too long, single-use vapes have blighted our streets as litter and hooked our children on nicotine. That ends today.

“The Government calls time on these nasty devices.”

Caroline Cerny, Deputy Chief Executive, Action on Smoking and Health said: “It’s promising to see that many people switched away from disposable vapes to re-usable products well ahead of the ban. This is particularly marked among young people, who were more likely to use disposable products due to their attractiveness, affordability, and heavy marketing.

“This new law is a step towards reducing vaping among children, while ensuring products are available to support people to quit smoking. It will be up to manufacturers and retailers to ensure customers are informed and able to reuse and recycle their products securing a real change in consumer behaviour and a reduction in environmental waste.

“If behaviour does not change then further regulations will be possible following the passage of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.”

The Government has worked closely with retailers to ensure they are ready for the ban coming into force. This includes producing clear guidance on the devices they cannot sell or supply, as well as how to deplete their stock before 1 June.

Association of Convenience Stores Chief Executive James Lowman said: “Convenience retailers have been preparing for the disposables ban for several months, adapting their ranges and training colleagues on the products that they can sell.

“We have been working with Trading Standards officers across the country to ensure they know what to look for once the ban comes into force, and support robust enforcement activity to take illegal vapes off the streets.”

Libby Peake, senior fellow and head of resources at Green Alliance, said: “Single use vapes should never have been allowed on the market. They’ve been a blight on our countryside, wasted resources needed for important uses like EV batteries and caused scores of fires at waste sites. And they’ve done all this while having a lasting impact on the health of young people, creating a new generation of nicotine addicts.

“The government should rightly be proud of taking this vital step to get rid of these polluting products and encourage people who want to quit smoking to opt for reusable and refillable options instead.”

Justin Greenaway, Commercial Manager at SWEEEP Kuusakoski, said: “We hope this ban will succeed in reducing the amount of vapes being discarded. Every vape has potential to start a fire if incorrectly disposed of.

“Logically vape unit waste will reduce as single use stops and multi-use must start but it does rely on consumers changing from a disposable mindset to refilling.”

Unrefillable and unable to be recharged, single-use vapes have been typically thrown away with general waste in black bins or littered rather than recycled, contributing to the flood of litter blighting the country.

Even when they are recycled, the process is notoriously arduous, slow and costly, with waste industry workers required to take them apart by hand. Their batteries also present a fire risk to recycling facilities and can leak harmful chemicals into the environment.

With the looming ban already encouraging users to seek alternatives, making the sale of single-use vapes illegal will now prevent these toxic products from littering the country’s streets.

The ban complements the Government’s world-leading Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which will further tackle youth vaping and safeguard children’s health.

Mental Health Foundation: Loneliness

Loneliness, especially long-term loneliness, increases the risk of mental health challenges like anxiety, depression and stress.

On the flip side, regular social interactions can help us feel less isolated and protect our mental health.

Loneliness can affect anyone. Here are some ways that can help you cope. 💜

Visit our website for more tips: https://bit.ly/4kcDalm

#MentalHealthAwarenessWeek

#ThisIsMyCommunity

ASH Scotland welcomes unanimous MSPs’ vote in favour of the Scottish Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill

ASH Scotland has welcomed the unanimous vote by MSPs in the Scottish Parliament yesterday (Thursday 29 May 2025) to pass the Scottish Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill Legislative Consent Motion (LCM).

The health charity believes this will be a positive step towards the opportunity of bringing in strong measures to drive down the use of tobacco as well as addictive, health harming nicotine products in the next generation.

Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, said: “In supporting the World Health Organization’s 2025 World No Tobacco Day campaign in Scotland, the predatory tobacco and nicotine industry’s marketing tactics must be stopped to prevent a new wave of addiction and today’s vote sends a signal that our elected representatives are rising to that challenge.

“We welcome the cross party support for the proposed robust measures in the UK Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill and the Scottish Government’s LCM to restrict the advertising and promotions of nicotine pouches and vapes to reduce their visibility and availability and protect the health of children now and of future generations.”

@scotgovhealth

#WorldNoTobaccoDay

Super Strikers at Royston Wardieburn

“Welcome to Super Strikers!

 Edinburgh and Lothians answer to toddler football!

Start at 18 months and going up to 5 years old, Super Strikers offers fun and energetic classes.

With classes at the Royston Wardieburn Community Centre every Friday!

Our sessions help your little one not only improve and learn football skills but also helps builds confidence. 

 We offer a 3 week trial for all of our classes, across 7 different venues! 

 Find out more info and how to book here – https://superstrikers.kids.

Friday football!!! ⚽️⚽️⚽️

We are Super excited to have 8 classes on today! 🥳

You can still join us in #Granton or #Morningside in the morning! Or join us in the afternoon in #Bonnyrigg👋

More info and booking here – https://superstrikers.kids

We can’t wait to see everyone! ⚽️🏆

#superstrikers

#edinburgh

#superstrikersedinburgh

#football

#preschoolfootball

#supertots

#superkickers

#friday

#toddler

#edinburghmums

#toddleractivities

#toddlerlife

#ToddlerClasses

#toddlergroup

Audit Scotland: NHS governance must be strengthened

NHS Scotland’s governance arrangements need to be strengthened to deliver the scale of reform needed across the health service.

NHS Scotland comprises 22 NHS boards, with oversight provided by the Scottish Government. A range of governance groups are in place across NHS Scotland but there are weaknesses within the scrutiny and assurance processes at the Scottish Government level. This risk could be reduced by making greater use of non-executive directors to provide more challenge.

The planning and governance of healthcare in Scotland is becoming more complex, and this limits NHS boards’ ability to drive reform. The mix of local, regional, and national partners makes decision making and accountability difficult.

A new planning framework has been introduced by the Scottish Government and new national strategies for reform are due in 2025. Dealing with this change will be challenging for boards, but it should give them more clarity and help them to work more collaboratively to deliver reform.

NHS boards use a blueprint for good governance that was produced in partnership with the Scottish Government. The blueprint has been well received but there is scope for it to be strengthened to more clearly set out how board governance should be adapted to deliver reform.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: “The delivery of NHS services must be reformed for Scotland’s health service to remain affordable and sustainable.

“NHS Scotland’s governance arrangements are key to delivering that reform, but they need to be strengthened.

“The planning of healthcare in Scotland is becoming more complex and the Scottish
Government needs to ensure lines of accountability and decision-making are clear.”

nr_250528_NHS_spotlight_on_governanceDownload





Public Health Scotland: Make sure you’re protected against measles

Cases of measles are on the rise. It’s important everyone going on your family holiday has had two doses of the MMR vaccine before travelling.

Visit

http://nhsinform.scot/MMRagainstMeasles…

to check you and your family are fully protected.

#DontLetMeasles

Study shows hearing intervention may reduce risk of falls among older adults

New paper led by ENU’s Dr Adele Goman is the first randomised control trial of this kind

Hearing interventions such as hearing aids and regular audiology appointments have been linked to a reduction in the number of falls among older adults, according to a new paper led by Dr Adele Goman of Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Health & Social Care.

This research, published today in the Lancet Public Health journal, showed that participants with hearing loss who were randomly assigned best practice hearing care reported an average of 27% fewer falls over the course of three years compared to a control group.

Falls are a leading cause of injury for older people and have rising mortality rates, while hearing loss is highly prevalent among those aged 70 and above. However, existing evidence on the effect of hearing aids on falls is mixed, and limited by the methodology of previous studies.

Goman and her colleagues analysed data from the Aging and Cognitive Health Evaluation in Elders (ACHIEVE) study, a three-year, unmasked, randomised controlled trial of adults aged 70–84 years in the USA designed to study the effect of intervention on cognitive abilities and other health outcomes, such as falls.

The ACHIEVE study was funded by the National Institute on Aging, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health.  It was conducted by a consortium of eight universities in the United States and led by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.

The 977 ACHIEVE study participants, all of whom had hearing loss, were randomly assigned to either receive a hearing intervention or to a health education control intervention. Those randomly assigned to the hearing intervention were offered regular one-to-one audiologist appointments, bilateral hearing aids, the option of additional hearing assistive devices, device use support and educational materials. The health education control intervention group received the same number of appointments with a health educator and more broad educational content on healthy aging.

For this paper, participants were asked to report the number of falls they had experienced over a period of three years. Data indicate that participants who received the hearing intervention reported an average of 27% fewer falls over the course of three years compared to a control group.

Dr Goman’s is the first known large-scale randomised control trial that has examined the effect of hearing intervention on falls.

The researchers believe the reduced number of falls among the hearing intervention group could be down to improved auditory input enhancing spatial awareness, or from having to devote less attention to processing auditory input allowing for more attention to be placed on maintaining postural control.

They are now working on a follow-up study with participants to examine the longer-term effects of hearing intervention on brain health, falls, and other health outcomes.

Dr Adele Goman said: “Hearing loss has previously been associated with a greater risk of falling among older adults, but few studies have directly investigated the connection.

“It is possible that the benefit of improved hearing may have enhanced the spatial environmental awareness of these participants, or that the lower demand on cognitive resources for hearing allowed them to focus more on their movement.

“As this is the first study of its kind, more research is needed to establish our conclusion that hearing intervention may reduce the overall average rate of falls. Our ongoing follow-up will also aim to tell us more about the effect over a longer period of time.

“We hope that these findings have the potential to inform researchers and health professionals, and address a leading cause of injury among older people.”

Clothing choices may influence where skin cancer develops

  • In Scotland, 38% of melanomas in men are found on the torso and 36% in women are found on lower limb, according to new analysis from Cancer Research UK.  
  • Melanoma skin cancer cases expected to rise again this year, with a projected 1,800 cases in Scotland in 2025. 
  • Cancer Research UK urges people to stay safe in the sun as the weather gets warmer, and to go to their doctor if they notice any unusual changes to their skin. 

New analysis by Cancer Research UK suggests that clothing choices may influence where skin cancer develops.

The latest data for Scotland (from 2018-2021) shows that 38% of melanomas in men were diagnosed on the torso (back, chest and stomach) – more than any other part of the body. This translates to around 280 cases every year.  

However, in women, the most common location is the lower limbs (from the hips to the feet) – with more than a third of cases (36%) diagnosed here – around 270 cases every year.   

The charity says people’s behaviours in the sun, like what they wear or how much sunscreen they use, could be influencing where skin cancer develops on their bodies. For example, men might be tempted to go without a shirt, while women might wear shorts or skirts as the weather gets warmer. Surface area could also be playing a role as men’s torsos are typically bigger than women’s and women’s legs take up a larger proportion of their body surface area. 

Although wearing less clothing in hot weather can help people stay cool, it also means that more skin is exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, which can damage the DNA in cells and cause skin cancer.  

In fact, 81% of melanoma cases in Scotland – that’s around 1,300 each year – are caused by overexposure to UV radiation, which is why it’s so vital to take steps to stay safe while enjoying the sun and avoid using sunbeds.** 

Fiona Osgun, head of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: “As the weather gets warmer, it’s really important to look after yourself in the sun.

“Getting sunburnt just once every couple of years can triple your risk of melanoma skin cancer, compared to never being burnt.

“And it’s not just the hot, sunny days you need to watch out for – UV rays can be strong enough to cause skin damage between mid-March and mid-October in the UK, even when it’s cloudy or cool. 

“That’s why we encourage people across Scotland to take some simple steps to stay safe. Try to stick to the shade between 11am and 3pm when the sun is strongest, wear clothes that help cover up your skin, with a hat and sunglasses, and use a sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and 4 or 5 stars. The key is to apply it generously – and remember to top it up regularly, especially if you’re sweating or in water.” 

Nearly 100 years ago, Cancer Research UK helped prove that UV radiation can cause skin cancer. Since then, the charity has learnt more about how skin cancer starts and spreads and is pioneering ways to prevent, detect and treat the disease. 

UK melanoma survival has doubled in the last 50 years and, today in Scotland, more than 9 in 10 adults diagnosed will survive their disease for five years or more. 

But rates continue to rise, with a projected 1,800 cases in Scotland in 2025 – the highest on record. Since the early 1990s, melanoma skin cancer rates have doubled in Scotland.

In women, rates have increased by almost three quarters and in men, they’ve increased by two and half times (157%).

Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said: “Improvements in skin cancer survival rates highlight the remarkable progress driven by our research. But the growing number of people diagnosed with melanoma in Scotland is still concerning, especially when we can see that rates are rising faster in men. 

“If you notice anything different on your skin like a new mole, a mole that’s changed in size, shape, or colour, or any patch of skin that looks out of the ordinary – don’t ignore it, speak to your GP. We want to beat skin cancer for everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from – early diagnosis is key and could make all the difference.” 

With the weather getting warmer, more people will head outside on high UV days, so Cancer Research UK and NIVEA Sun are – in partnership – urging the public to protect their skin and enjoy the sun safely.

When the sun is strong, they recommend three simple steps to reduce cancer risk:  

  • Spend time in the shade, especially between 11am and 3pm in the UK. 
  • Cover up with clothes, a wide-brimmed hat and UV-protection sunglasses 
  • Apply sunscreen with at least SPF 30 and 4 or 5 stars generously and regularly. 

For more tips and advice visit cruk.org/sunsafety 

MICHELLE HARRIS’ STORY 




Mum of two Michelle Harris understands the impact of a skin cancer diagnosis all too well. 

Complex needs teacher Michelle who was diagnosed with melanoma in November 2019 was on a family holiday to Finland when her husband Alistair Harris, 45, first flagged that a mole on her back had changed shape and was growing larger. Michelle had also noticed the mole had become itchy.

She visited her GP and was referred to University Hospital Monklands in Airdrie for tests which confirmed she had cancer. Breaking the news to her children Abby, 17, and Kaden, 13, was tough. 

Michelle, 38, of Motherwell said: “Cancer turns lives upside down, steals precious moments and affects far too many of us. 

“I was very matter of fact and open when I told the children I had cancer. I explained that doctors had told me it was stage 2b melanoma so they had got the cancer early. Although I had to go through an operation I was going to be okay. I just had to get on with things. It was good the NHS were there to look after me so well and my GP was fantastic.”   



Michelle had day surgery on 30 November 2019 to remove the mole as well as lymph nodes from under her arm. She recovered well but has regular check ups on other areas of her body where there are moles. 

Michelle said: “I think it’s really important to raise awareness about skin cancer. I have a lighter skin tone and I take extra care in the sun, make sure I’m covered up and I seek shade when the sun is at its strongest.” 

TODAY: Girl’s Boxing at Craigroyston

Extra-Curricular Activity Club – S1-S6 Girls Only Boxing Fitness

We have a new S1-S6 girls only Boxing Fitness class starting on Monday 26th May at Craigroyston Community High School.

The sessions will be FREE of charge and run by Kev from Blast Boxing. They will take place from 3.30pm-4.15pm every Monday in the small gym hall.

For more information or to book a space, speak to Paul Murray (Active Schools Coordinator) in the PE department, or just come along and give it a go! 

🥊