Our charity recently released a new Index into the financial wellbeing of older Scots. Across the country, the results were stark, and closer to home they reveal the tough choices many in later life in the Lothian region are being forced to make.
Our data has shown that, shockingly, in the region, 22% of older people have skipped meals in the last year. Just 20% say that the State Pension is enough to cover basic living expenses.
The Scottish Government recently put forward its Programme for Government, and again, despite rising levels of pensioner poverty, there was no proposed plan to tackle this.
At Independent Age, we know urgent action is needed. A pensioner poverty strategy should include a Pension Credit awareness campaign, which is a vital source of support for older people on a low income that a significant number in the region – 18% – do not even know about.
The results of our Index show the unacceptable financial difficulties many older people in the Lothian are experiencing. This must change. Both the UK and Scottish Government must act.
Debbie Horne
Scotland Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Independent Age
Independent Age is a national charity supporting older people facing financial hardship. You can access advice on money, housing, health and care at independentage.org or through a free helpline on 0800 319 6789.
As we mark Volunteers’ Week (2–8 June 2025), I wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate the outstanding volunteers who contribute towards the work of RNID – the national charity supporting 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.
Every day, through our community activities across the UK, around 300 incredible RNID volunteers take part in a diverse range of activities.
Whether it’s offering hearing aid maintenance and advice on hearing loss and tinnitus at RNID Near You drop-in sessions – or acting as ambassadors by giving talks to local groups and organisations, raising awareness of our work. These activities simply wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of volunteers who generously give their time to support others.
Over the past year alone, RNID volunteers gave more than 16,000 hours of their time, helping us reach over 47,000 people across the UK. It’s a remarkable achievement.
That’s why this Volunteers’ Week is the perfect opportunity to recognise everything our volunteers do and say a huge ‘thank you’. Your time, passion and dedication mean the world to us and make a real difference to people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.
As a schoolboy, which was not yesterday, I undertook work experience at the National Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh in a building on Queen Street that now functions as serviced apartments
My task was to catalogue pictures relating to an event which, to my shame, I had never heard of – the Quintinhsill Rail Disaster.
Taking place on 22nd May 1915, at the height of the First World War, the event occurred at the Quintinshill signal box near Gretna Green and remains the worst rail disaster in British history. A train packed with nearly 500 members of the Leith Battalion of the Royal Scots travelling from Larbert collided with a local passenger service at Quintinshill.
Straight afterwards, a Glasgow-bound express train smashed into the wreckage at Quintinshill, setting off a devastating fire which engulfed the troop train. In total, around 226 people were killed (215 of whom were soldiers) and a further 246 people were injured.
Some bodies were never recovered, having been wholly consumed by the fire, and when the bodies of the men of the Royal Scots were returned to Leith, where they were buried together in a mass grave in Rosebank Cemetery.
As we mark the 110th anniversary of this disaster, it is heartening to see continued recognition of this event, including a new exhibition at the Drill Hall in Dalmeny Street, Leith.
This Sun Awareness Week (12-18 May) we would like to remind cat owners that it’s not only humans that need sun protection as the weather heats up, but cats too, especially those with pale or thin fur.
At Cats Protection we often take cats into our care who have been out in the sun for extended periods and have developed cancerous cells as a result. Cats with unpigmented ears or noses are susceptible to skin cancer through sun damage and we know that a third of all skin cancers that are presented in cats are due to sun exposure.
We recently treated all-white cat Gracie’s sun damaged ears which had become burned and painful, leading to the development of skin cancer.
The treatment she needed was the complete removal of her ear flaps.
Thankfully she has made an excellent recovery and has been successfully rehomed, however this could easily have been a different outcome if the cancer had developed further.
There are some simple tips that can help protect cats in the sun including:
Keeping your cat indoors when the sun is at its hottest, typically between 10am and 3pm
Speaking to a vet about a suitable sunscreen for your cat
Ensuring there is outdoor shade, such as boxes or plant pots placed close together
Providing outdoor water to avoid the risk of your cat becoming dehydrated.
Outlined in the Scottish Government’s recent Programme for Government is the Children and Young People (Care) Bill.
This legislation aims to further support The Promise, produced by the Independent Care Review in 2020, and which is Scotland’s pledge to care-experienced children and young people that they will grow up loved, safe, and respected.
As a coalition, along with others, we have been advocating for care-experienced individuals, who often face complex situations alone, to have the right to lifelong, independent advocacy. This will ensure that care-experienced individuals are aware of their rights and can make informed decisions about their lives.
With the Promise Bill now part of the legislative landscape, it is time for this fundamental right, as committed to in The Promise itself five years ago, to be enshrined in law. Too many individuals are currently missing out on the advice and support they desperately need, often when they need it most.
Scotland has an opportunity to lead the way, and the Bill provides the opportunity to deliver action on advocacy.
In May we mark Deaf Awareness Week, when we celebrate deaf culture and raise awareness about how we can make the world a more deaf-friendly place.
Everyone has big dreams, but deaf children grow up in a world that doesn’t really understand their needs. The barriers they face can often hold them back from fully realising their incredible potential. Help us change all that.
The National Deaf Children’s Society champions the rights of the UK’s 50,000 deaf children and their families. And you can do your bit too, by following some simple deaf awareness tips or even learning one or two useful signs in British Sign Language. You’ll find little bit of deaf awareness goes a long way, and you can find out all about it on our website, www.ndcs.org.uk
Please join us in our call for more support for deaf children and their families. With the right support, anything is possible for deaf children.
Simon Want,
Head of Policy and Influencing, the National Deaf Children’s Society
There are more than 50,000 deaf children in the UK; three babies are born deaf in the UK every day.
The National Deaf Children’s Society is the leading charity dedicated to creating a world without barriers for every deaf child.
We aim to make every moment count in the life of a deaf child, from the moment their deafness is identified to their first day at school and beyond, both in the UK and around the world.
We empower families to make informed choices and champion their child, offer specialist support and bring families together so they feel part of a supportive community.
For more information about the work of the National Deaf Children’s Society and to download the free My NDCS app, featuring tailored information, support and resources, please visit www.ndcs.org.uk
The May bank holidays are upon us and train stations are buzzing with travellers and day-trippers. However, for millions of people who are deaf, or have hearing loss, using public transport can be a challenging and stressful experience.
Imagine being on a platform. Passengers suddenly start leaving and you’re not sure why. Or you’re on a train that stops unexpectedly between stations, and you seem to be the only person in the carriage unaware of what’s going on. What should be a relaxing journey can quickly become an anxious and isolating experience. Deaf people often rely on fellow travellers for help.
To mark Deaf Awareness Week (5–11 May), RNID – the national charity supporting the 18 million people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus – has highlighted concerning research showing that the public are often unwilling to assist deaf people when navigating public transport. Whilst many people do want to help – they’re often held-back by uncertainty around how to communicate.
The good news is that RNID’s ‘It does matter’ campaign offers free tips and videos with basic BSL phrases to help people become more deaf-aware and confident when offering support.
This Deaf Awareness Week is the perfect time to learn how you can make a difference. Visit www.rnid.org.uk/it-does-matter
Yours sincerely,
Teri Devine, Associate Director of Inclusion, RNID
When Labour swept to power in 2024, they promised a “year of change” built on fairness, economic security, and real support for working people. Nine months on, millions of voters who believed in that vision are left wondering: where did that promise go?
Take the Winter Fuel Allowance. Labour pledged to protect pensioners, but instead, they’ve means-tested this vital support, stripping £300 a year from 10 million elderly households. For pensioners in Scotland, where fuel poverty is already a crisis, this is more than a broken promise, it’s a direct hit on dignity and security in retirement.
Then there’s the closure of Grangemouth Refinery, Scotland’s largest industrial site. While Labour’s manifesto talked up industrial renewal, the reality has been the loss of thousands of skilled jobs and a blow to local communities. Promised “Just Transition” funding has stalled, and the government’s silence is deafening.
Small businesses, too, are feeling the squeeze. Labour’s hike in employer National Insurance contributions, hits small shops and local employers hardest. Big chains can pass on costs, but for independent bakers and butchers, this could be the final straw. This isn’t “backing British or Scottish business”, it’s making survival harder for the backbone of our communities.
Labour has refused to tax extreme wealth or impose windfall taxes on energy giants. Meanwhile, households face rising bills, not the £300 cut Labour promised. Their much-touted energy plan has faltered, and green levies are pushing costs even higher, especially painful in Scotland’s long, cold winters.
Welfare cuts are another blow. The government’s own figures show that recent changes will push 250,000 more people, including 50,000 children into poverty. Universal Credit health payments are frozen, and support for the sick and disabled is being slashed. This is austerity by another name, and it’s hitting the most vulnerable hardest.
Perhaps most telling is Labour’s decision to pour billions into defence, aiming for the highest military spending since the Cold War, while cutting £15 billion from public services. For Scotland, where Labour refuses to devolve full fiscal powers or reverse Tory-era cuts, the sense of betrayal is acute. Many now feel Labour is more interested in appeasing the centre than standing up for the people who put them in office.
This isn’t the change we were promised. It’s a retreat into old, failed policies that deepen inequality and erode trust. The working class deserves more than slogans and spin. It’s time for Labour to remember who they serve – and for all of us to hold them to account.
We urge voters and the media to hold this government to account. The working class deserves more than empty slogans and reheated Thatcherism.
Yours sincerely,
Dhruva Kumar
Former Glasgow South MP Candidate
Depute Convenor, Media Officer, Alba Party Glasgow
While we welcome the publication of the NHS Scotland Operational Improvement Plan (1st April 2025), we need greater clarity as to how the government is going to meet its target of no one waiting for over 52 weeks by this time next year.
Orthopaedics – mostly hip and knee surgery – accounts for a third of all NHS waits for treatment in Scotland. The latest figures show 12,000 waits of over a year for orthopaedic surgery. In each of the last two years, this figure has come down by an average of 4 per cent. The government is now promising to make that 100 per cent. This is welcome, but we are wary.
Surgeries such as joint replacements can be transformative, allowing people with arthritis to get back to regular life, while at the same time stopping a decline in their physical and mental health.
The public, including those with arthritis, has lost confidence in how waiting times are being tackled – multiple commitments simply haven’t been met – and unless this latest promise is delivered in full, the only 0 per cent we’ll be looking at is trust in the government.
We fully expect the Scottish Government to keep this promise to the millions of people living with arthritis and musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions in Scotland and will continue to hold them to account regarding this.
Every 26 minutes, one of us is diagnosed with lymphoma. As the only charity in the UK dedicated to this type of blood cancer, we are asking people to support our mission to raise awareness about lymphoma, its symptoms and the support we provide – so we can help more people affected by lymphoma, sooner.
Our recent lymphoma patient survey revealed that a third of respondents did not receive a correct first diagnosis. This needs to change. With your help, we can raise awareness about the symptoms of lymphoma through sharing our information resources with health professionals, and the wider public and encourage people to ask the question – ‘could it be lymphoma?’.
This increased awareness will, in turn, help make sure people get the right diagnosis at the right time, are treated effectively and get the support they need at every step.
Furthermore, your support could help someone who has just been diagnosed with lymphoma, is going through treatment or is caring for a loved one living with the condition.
Your donation will help us provide people with the vital information and support they need to help them through their lymphoma diagnosis and treatment.
Your support today, whether a single donation or a regular gift, could help people affected by lymphoma now – and drive improvements for lymphoma diagnosis, treatment and care in the future.
