THE EXCEPTIONAL GIFT
Interested in learning about living kidney donation?
Join our free information event on Thursday 14 May, 6–8pm at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Register here:
For more information, email: Loth.LivingKidneyDonation@nhs.scot.
Small Edinburgh charities struggling with rising costs and loss of income are being encouraged to apply to the council for emergency support.
Brought forward by councillors as part of an urgent package of support for the city’s third sector, the £275,000 funding pot aims to support local organisations working to prevent and tackle poverty across Edinburgh.
Small and medium-sized charities based in the city will be able to apply for Phase two of the council’s Third Sector Resilience Fund until applications close at 1pm on Friday 4 July. Grants of up to £10,000 will be made available to support charities between September and March.
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “With funding becoming ever scarcer and more people struggling with the cost of living, we can see that many local charities are in a difficult position. We need to find a better way forward for this sector that brings so much good, and our latest funding package is part of the urgent support we’re putting in place.
“Many of the city’s small, local charities are helping those with the greatest need and I urge them to apply quickly.
“Meanwhile, we’ve asked the Edinburgh Partnership to conduct a review of how it supports and works with third sector organisations across the city, to ultimately to find long-term solutions for funding for the sector in future years.”
An information event for interested charities will be held by EVOC at 1pm on 24 June on how to apply for the fund.
An online consultation is also available to take part in, seeking ideas for making collaboration between Edinburgh’s public and third sectors simpler and more stable.
Thinking about what would happen in the future if our, or our loved ones, faculties deteriorated can be stressful and worrying. How would someone manage our affairs, access our accounts to set up the right care for us, or pay the bills? Without the right processes in place, an already very emotional situation can be made worse with often very serious consequences.
Local charity, LifeCare Edinburgh understands how daunting and complex these situations can be and will next month host a free information giving event to help debunk the complexities and help people put the right practical support in place to ensure someone trusted can quickly make decisions on behalf of a loved one if they’re not able, or no longer able, to make them themselves.
Power of Attorney is a legal document where someone – while they still have mental capacity – nominates a trusted friend or relative to look after their affairs if they later lost capacity in the event of an emergency, illness or accident.
It is not limited to people who are older or unwell, everyone needs to consider setting up a Power of Attorney at any stage of life to avoid any future complications. For example, due to having a stroke, serious accident or dementia.
Delivered in partnership with experts from Lindsay’s Legal Services team, LifeCare will host its first information giving event designed to encourage people to stop and think about what they need to put in place to help simplify the future.
Sarah van Putten, Chief Executive of LifeCare said “Unfortunately at LifeCare we are well aware of how stressful life can be when people don’t have the right documents in place. No one can predict when they may face an unforeseen illness, accident or other debilitating event that may render them incapacitated.
“As one of Edinburgh’s leading charities providing practical care support we know how emotional these situations can be at the best of times but we also know how much worse they can be when family members and loved ones are locked out of helping access the support for the people they care for.
“Relatives can’t just walk into a bank and access your money, even if it is to pay for your care. Unless you’ve a Power of Attorney, loved ones would need to apply through court, which can be long and costly.
“We understand that thinking about the future can be upsetting and frightening. Our free and informal information giving event delivered in partnership with Lindsays is designed to simplify matters; there will be no jargon and there will be plenty of time for questions and discussions and an opportunity to discuss any concerns with legal experts for free.”
LifeCare’s ‘What is Power of Attorney’ event, delivered in partnership with Lindsay’s, will take place at 2pm on Wednesday 1st May in the charity’s fully accessible community café, CafeLife at 2 Cheyne Street, EH4 1JB.
Free tea and coffee will be available along with the opportunity to find out more about LifeCare’s vital services for older people and the community overall.
The charity is encouraging people to register via Eventbrite in advance of the meeting: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lifecares-power-of-attorney-information-event-tickets-856970821797?aff=oddtdtcreator
or visit the LifeCare website https://www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk/
or call 0131 343 0940 to register interest.
The rebuilding of Trinity Academy is the biggest single investment in Trinity for very many years. It will probably hold that record for many more to come. Importantly, the plan is to redevelop the Academy as a “community school” – an asset for the whole of the community.
So what does a “community school” do? What ought it do? How can the project team determine the needs of the wider community? And how can you play a part in doing that?
On 13th June, Trinity Community Council will host Amanda Hatton, CEC Executive Director of Education and Children’s Services, who will answer these questions and more. Most especially yours.
Amanda’s portfolio includes education, schools, early years, lifelong learning, libraries and community centres as well as social services for adults and children so she is uniquely well placed to discuss the potentials and the needs.
We would love to have your input. Join us on Monday 13th June at 7pm in the Church Hall at Inverleith St Serf’s or from the comfort of your sofa via Zoom using this link:
Stockbridge and Inverleith Community Council are hosting this free Home Energy Scotland event at Edinburgh Academy this evening.
Find out how you can make your home more energy efficient and save money on your fuel bills.
The event starts at 7pm.
The NEAT Connections project has organised two in-person Stakeholder meetings tomorrow (Friday 29 April).
The first one from 1 to 2pm and the second one from 3 to 4pm.
These meetings will be held in the Old Kirk and Muirhouse Parish Church, 42 Pennywell Gardens, Edinburgh EH4 4PE.
That evening, we will also hold an online meeting from 19:30 to 20:30. You find the link to the Microsoft Teams meeting below.
The aim of these meetings is to inform community stakeholders about the NEAT Connections project and the upcoming engagement activities.
We hope that this information will support you to mobilise your members and the local community to join the engagement activities over the coming weeks to improve walking and cycling infrastructure and green spaces on and around Pennywell Road.
The agenda:
1. Background and aims of the NEAT Connections project
(Barry Clarke, Senior Project Manager – Active Travel, the City of Edinburgh Council)
2. Engagement activities and results so far
(Barbara Kerr, Project officer – Communities, Sustrans Scotkland)
3. Ideas for improvement
(Gert Rijsdijk, Senior Transport officer – 20 Minute Neighbourhoods, the City of Edinburgh Council)
4. Upcoming Engagement activities
5. Time for questions
Microsoft Teams meeting:
Click here to join the meeting
Gert Rijsdijk
Senior Transport Officer | 20 Minute Neighbourhoods
Businesses have the opportunity to learn about free professional training available for their staff at an information event hosted by Edinburgh College later this month.
The College is hosting the event both online and in-person at its Sighthill Campus from 8.30am with the aim of showcasing training opportunities available to SMEs and large companies through the Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF).
The information event, taking place on Thursday 24 February 2022, will see business delegates learn about the FWDF from Edinburgh College’s Business Development Advisors, as well as meeting expert lecturers who will discuss the range of subjects available to businesses and employees.
Attendees will also hear from Tracey Bork, Head of People at Lothian Buses, about her experience of applying for fully funded training with Edinburgh College.
If delegates cannot attend in person, the College is streaming the presentations and interview taking place during the event via Microsoft Teams.
A link for the live stream and joining instructions will be available soon after registering for the event. Online delegates will have the opportunity to ask questions through a Q&A function within Teams.
The College encourages anyone who intends to attend the event in person to take a lateral flow COVID-19 test before they arrive.
The Flexible Workforce Development Fund, offered by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council, facilitated by Scottish colleges, offers larger organisations and SMEs, across the private, public and third sectors, an opportunity to apply for fully funded training for their teams.
The funding provides SMEs with up to £5,000 of free training; and larger employers (those with an annual payroll bill of £3m+) with up to £15,000 of free training.
To register your attendance either in person or online, please book via the Edinburgh College website.
See the full event agenda below:
| Time | Activity |
| 8.10am | Network, coffee and morning roll. |
| 8.30am | Introduction to the College, training opportunities and funding options. |
| 8.50am | Interview with Tracey Bork, Head of People at Lothian Buses, about the client’s experience of accessing the fund through Edinburgh College. |
| 9.05am | A presentation from Edinburgh College and the Training Development team about professional training courses and management soft skills (CMI, CIPD, ILM, bespoke). |
| 9.15am | A talk on ‘Adapting to new working conditions during the pandemic’ from John Chalmers – Learning and Development Manager at Business Stream. |
| 9.35am | Networking opportunity. |
| 9.50am | Round-up and close. |
