With a September opening in its sights, the Filmhouse has launched a fundraising campaign to support its return. It is asking people to donate £40, the cost of an annual membership, to raise the £60,000 needed to secure its future.
Filmhouse has undertaken a survey of its members and regular attenders to understand the many complex issues and concerns that they would have in returning, but which has also unlocked a huge outpouring of support for it.
Juliet Tweedie, Head of Development for Filmhouse said: “We have all been so touched by the outpouring of love and support for Filmhouse since we closed our doors in March.
“The last three months have been very challenging. We have been very lucky to be able to access support from Creative Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, Scottish Government and the UK Government through the furlough scheme.
“Even with this support to help with the immediate financial strain, we anticipate that as well as a reduction in admissions when we do re-open, due to constraints on capacity in the building and changing habits of customers, we will have to invest hard cash into making the building safe and navigable for our customers and staff.
“We need your help to secure our future, so that we can continue our work as Scotland’s leading independent cinema and a hugely active charity in the city. We are a vital part of our community, and we don’t want to give up any of it.
“We recognise that this is a time of uncertainty, and other charities may be approaching you for help. We are so grateful for any donations, however large or small, and thank you for thinking of us.”
Filmhouse isn’t just a cinema. It is a charity and a community hub for film lovers across Edinburgh and the Lothians. As Scotland’s largest independent cinema, it screens over 850 wonderful films, seasons and special programmes to 200,000 people every year.
Its film education programme is attended by over 10,000 school children each year, and it seeks to inspire young film lovers through its Young Programmers initiative. Its Senior Selections programme brings together older audiences at risk of isolation.
And its Café Bar is a much-loved community space, where its famous nachos and chickpea curry have been keeping the city well-fed for over 20 years! It supports cultural programmes and partners throughout the city, and is proud to have over 5,000 members.
Independent cinemas across the UK are facing a huge challenge to reopen. Despite recent government announcements around the reopening of cinemas and the projected Phase 3 return in Scotland, the recent survey by the Independent Cinema Office found that the challenges of social distancing measures and the need for significantly reduced audience sizes means that reopening may not be viable for many.
The city council is leading on a project to develop a new vision for the Capital’s green spaces which will ensure their ongoing enhancement, protection and care – and they want your views.
The Thriving Green Spaces project will shape an ambitious new vision for Edinburgh’s natural environment and produce a 30-year strategy and action plan to deliver that vision.
The next stage for the project team is to ask residents and visitors how they use our parks and green spaces and, importantly, what their aspirations are for them. Launched yesterday, the team have three short, interactive surveys for anyone who lives or works in Edinburgh.
These surveys have been developed with the help of a number of masters students from the Landscape and Wellbeing programme at the University of Edinburgh, one of the partners working with the Council on this project.
The project has been made possible by a £899,500 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) and the Natural Trust (NT), who have joined together to provide funding to local authorities to enable them to develop bold and innovative financial and management solutions for their green spaces against a backdrop of financial uncertainty.
Alongside the Council, bid partners are: Greenspace Scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust, University of Edinburgh and the Edinburgh Green Spaces Forum (the umbrella group for Edinburgh’s friends of parks groups).
City of Edinburgh Council Parks Leader and Project Champion, Amy McNeese Mechan, said:“Edinburgh is already a wonderfully green city – the UK’s greenest, in fact – and we want to ensure it remains that way for generations to come.
“Thanks to this much-sought-after funding we’ve been able to get to work on our approach to this challenge. I’m excited that we are ready to launch this stage of the project and open dialogue with the public, together with our partners, to explore what it means to be a thriving green city.
“The data gathered in these surveys will be key information which we will use to inform the new 30-year strategy for the Capital’s parks and greenspaces. It will determine how we change and adapt the ways in which we manage our outdoor spaces, to make sure that they continue to play an active role in delivering benefits in areas such as health and wellbeing, active travel, biodiversity, recreation and social cohesion.
“I would encourage everyone to learn more about the project through the website and share your views in our surveys.”
Dave Gorman, Director of Social Responsibility and Sustainability at University of Edinburgh, said:“The Covid19 emergency has demonstrated in the most tangible way possible the vital importance of nature and green space for everyone’s health and wellbeing.
“We are delighted to support this ground-breaking project as it moves into its public dialogue phase. I’m particularly pleased to see that our students and staff are supporting the work and urge people to take the chance to give their views.”
Simon Bell and Catharine Ward Thompson, of the OPENspace Research Centre at University of Edinburgh, said:“We are very pleased that we can contribute, especially to the three surveys being launched today which are also part of research being carried out by masters students on our Landscape and Wellbeing programme.
“We want to help ensure that the health and well-being of the citizens of Edinburgh and those who work and visit here can be promoted through the provision of the best green and blue spaces the city can offer in the long term.”
John Kerr of Edinburgh Green Spaces Forum said: “There is an army of volunteers across the city who work alongside the Council to support our parks, green spaces and cemeteries.
“They are passionate about our green spaces, and now, as more people begin to realise how important these green spaces are to the health and wellbeing of all our residents and visitors, they look forward to this project creating a sustainable long term environment for managing and supporting our green spaces into the future.”
Today Finance Secretary @KateForbesMSP launched a report which sets out the principles we believe the UK Government should follow to kick-start the economy and reduce inequalities following the #coronavirus pandemic.
A UK-wide £80 billion stimulus package should be created to regenerate the economy and reduce inequalities following the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a new Scottish Government report proposes.
The package could finance a temporary reduction in VAT and move the tourism and hospitality industries onto a reduced VAT rate of five per cent.
A two pence cut in employers’ National Insurance Contributions to reduce the cost of hiring staff is also recommended in the report, entitled COVID-19: UK Fiscal Path – A New Approach.
Other action it proposes the UK Government should take to kick-start the economy includes:
introduce a jobs guarantee scheme for young people and extend sector-specific employment and business support schemes
create a National Debt Plan to help business and household budgets recover from the effects of the pandemic
adopt new fiscal rules which prioritise economic stimulus over deficit reduction in times of crisis
accelerate major investment in low‑carbon initiatives, energy efficiency and digital infrastructure
extend Scotland’s financial powers to allow it to shape its own response to the pandemic
The report was launched yesterday by Finance Secretary Kate Forbes.
Ms Forbes said: “We are emerging from the biggest economic shock of our lifetimes. It has hit the most vulnerable in our society disproportionately and presents challenges that the Scottish Government does not currently have the powers to meet.
“The UK Government’s fiscal policies are still key in determining our budget, so today we set out the principles we believe it should follow to ensure we emerge with a fairer, greener economy that values wellbeing alongside growth.
“This report recommends bold, practical steps which would provide an immediate boost to our economy, protect existing jobs and deliver new ones. It tackles public debt, employment and proposes measures to further support business. Crucially, it avoids any return to austerity. Economic stimulus must be prioritised over deficit reduction until the recovery has fully taken hold.
“Germany has already adopted a similar-size stimulus package, representing four per cent of GDP, and the UK Government needs to be similarly positive, proactive and ambitious.
“Action is needed now. If the UK Government is not prepared to respond then Scotland must have the additional financial powers required to secure a sustainable economic recovery.
“Without those powers we will be at a severe disadvantage to other nations. It would be like trying to chart our way to recovery with one hand tied behind our back.”
One hundred offenders have been arrested in the past six months and 180 children have been protected as a result of Police Scotland investigations into online child abuse.
Officers from Police Scotland’s Internet Investigations Unit have prepared over 350 National Online Child Abuse Prevention (NOCAP) packages since January.
NOCAP packages provide intelligence and evidence which underpins investigations carried out by both Police Scotland’s National Child Abuse Investigations Unit and local policing divisions to identify and apprehend online child abusers.
Assistant Chief Constable Duncan Sloan, Major Crime and Public Protection lead for Police Scotland, said: “Online child sexual abuse is a national threat with advancements in technology, online functions and platforms giving predators ever evolving opportunity to target children. “Behind every downloaded image, every attempt to groom or to extort, is a child being victimised by a faceless predator.
“As today’s figures show, predators are not anonymous. Every action leaves a trace, and we will work with our partners, nationally and internationally, to track you down.“You will be caught and you risk losing everything.
“Tackling online child abuse is a priority. We draw on specialist resources from across our organisation to gather intelligence, to carry out digital forensic examinations and to support our investigations.
“And we will continue to improve our response: investing resources, using the latest technologies and taking action to identify and apprehend those who pose a threat to our children.”
Police Scotland works with a wide range of partners, nationally and internationally, and from all sectors including law enforcement agencies, internet service providers and third sector organisations, to identify perpetrators, to tackle the threat and to build safer online communities.
Guidance maps out full reopening of Scottish campuses.
New guidance has been published to help Scotland’s colleges and universities prepare for a safe and phased return to campus.
The guidance has been developed in partnership with colleges, universities, the Scottish Funding Council, trades unions and student bodies.
Institutions are planning for a phased return with a blended model of remote and limited on-campus learning in Phase 3 of the Scottish Government’s route map.
Essential preparations can already take place, while on-campus university research and home moves for student accommodation can resume from 29 June, 2020.
Further and Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead said: “Scotland’s colleges and universities are working hard to ensure the safest possible environment for staff and students returning to campus.
“This guidance will support institutions to do that by setting out clear expectations and practical approaches to public health and health and safety, including physical distancing.
“Throughout the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, Scotland’s colleges and universities have been at the forefront of supporting the country, most visibly in supporting the NHS and social care sectors.
“That has included thousands of students joining the health and social care workforce, the contribution of staff, equipment and resources to COVID-19 testing capacity, and the refocusing of existing research capacity to address the pandemic across medical, engineering and other disciplines – as well as community efforts to support the most vulnerable members of society.
“The flexibility colleges and universities have shown so far has demonstrated that they are well-equipped to provide a safe environment for staff and students while supporting their students in their studies and ensuring the highest quality of learning and teaching.”
STATEMENT TO PARLIAMENT: Last night Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock announced local measures to deal with the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Leicester.
Mr Speaker, with permission, I would like to make a statement on local action to tackle coronavirus.
The impact of coronavirus has been deeply felt.
And yet thanks to the extraordinary action that this country has taken, it is now in decline at a national level.
The number of positive new cases is now below 1,000 a day and the number of recorded deaths yesterday is 25.
I am pleased to report there were no deaths in Scotland for the fourth consecutive day and that there is currently nobody in intensive care with coronavirus in Northern Ireland.
So we have been able, carefully, to ease the national restrictions.
And alongside the easing of these national restrictions, we have increasingly taken local action.
In May, we shut Weston Hospital to new admissions after a cluster of cases there.
Earlier this month, we closed 2 GP surgeries in Enfield and a meat processing factory in Kirklees.
And the Welsh Government has closed factories in Anglesey and Wrexham.
We have put in place a system to tie together local and national action, based on insight provided by the Joint Biosecurity Centre, working closely with Public Health England and the NHS.
Analysis is based on 3 levels of spread.
Individual cases are identified and managed by NHS Test and Trace.
When many cases are found in 1 setting, be it a care home for instance, a factory, or a hospital, that is classified as a cluster, and that will be dealt with largely by the local Director of Public Health, who has statutory powers to close individual organisations.
When Public Health England or the new JBC identifies clusters that are linked to one another, that is defined as an outbreak and a range of local and national actions may be needed.
Decisions are taken through our Local Action Committee Command structure. It works as follows.
If PHE or the JBC spots a problem that needs attention or the local Director of Public Health reports up a problem through the Regional Health Protection Teams, then the outbreak is assessed at the daily Local Action Committee Bronze meeting.
Issues of concern are raised to the Local Action Committee Silver meeting, which is chaired by the Chief Medical Officer.
And problems requiring ministerial attention are then raised to the Local Action Committee Gold meeting.
Yesterday, I chaired an emergency Local Action Committee Gold meeting specifically to deal with the outbreak in Leicester. Unfortunately, while cases in most parts of the country have fallen since the peak, in Leicester they have continued to rise.
The 7-day infection rate in Leicester is 135 cases per 100,000 people, which is 3 times higher than the next highest city.
Leicester accounts for around 10% of all positive cases in the country over the past week.
And admissions to hospital are between 6 and 10 per day rather than around 1 a day at other trusts.
Over the past fortnight, we have already taken action to protect people in Leicester.
We deployed 4 mobile testing units and extra capacity at the regional test site.
We provided thousands of home testing kits and extra public health capacity to boost the local team.
This afternoon, I held a further meeting with local leaders, with Public Health England, the JBC, the Local Resilience Forum and my clinical advisers, followed by a meeting of the cross-government Covid Operations Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister.
We have agreed further measures to tackle the outbreak in Leicester.
First, in addition to the mobile testing units that I mentioned earlier, we will send further testing capability, including opening a walk-in centre.
Anyone in Leicester with symptoms must come forward for a test.
Second, we will give extra funding to Leicester and Leicestershire councils to support them to enhance their communications and ensure those communications are translated into all locally relevant languages.
Third, through the councils, we will ensure support is available for those who have to self-isolate.
Fourth, we will work with the workplaces that have seen clusters of cases to implement more stringently the COVID-secure workplaces.
Given the growing outbreak in Leicester, we cannot recommend that the easing of the national lockdown, set to take place on the 4 July, happens in Leicester.
Having taken clinical advice on the actions necessary, and discussed them with the local team in Leicester and Leicestershire, we have made some difficult but important decisions.
We have decided that from tomorrow non-essential retail will have to close.
And, as children have been particularly impacted by this outbreak, schools will also need to close from Thursday, staying open for vulnerable children and children of critical workers as they did throughout
Unfortunately, the clinical advice is that the relaxation of shielding measures due on the 6 July cannot now take place in Leicester.
We recommend to people in Leicester, stay at home as much as you can and we recommend against all but essential travel to, from and within Leicester.
We will monitor closely adherence to social distancing rules and will take further steps if that is what’s necessary.
The more people following the rules, the faster we will get control of this virus and get Leicester back to normal.
We will keep all of these local measures under review and we will not keep them in place any longer than is necessary.
We will review whether we can release any measures in 2 weeks’ time.
These Leicester-specific measures will apply not just to the city of Leicester, but also to the surrounding conurbation, including for example, Oadby, Birstall and Glenfield.
I know that this is a worrying time for people living in Leicester and I want you to know that you have our full support.
We do not take these decisions lightly, but with the interests of the people of Leicester in our hearts.
I want everyone in Leicester to know that we have taken every one of these decisions to protect them from this terrible virus. We must control this virus. We must keep people safe.
These actions are also profoundly in the national interest too because it’s in everyone’s interests that we control the virus as locally as possible.
Local action like this is an important tool in our armoury to deal with outbreaks while we get the country back on its feet.
Mr Speaker, we said that we do whatever it takes to defeat this virus.
And we said that local action would be an increasingly important part of our plan.
The virus thrives on social contact, and we know that reducing social contact controls its spread.
So precise and targeted actions like these will give the virus nowhere to hide and help us defeat this invisible killer.
It is with regret that Leith Theatre announces that, in light of the widespread disruption to cultural life caused by Covid-19, it has made the difficult decision to remain closed to the public until next Spring.
In a building already suffering the effects of years of neglect, and after weeks of scenario planning and calculating financial risk, it must, like so many other theatres and venues across the country, stay shut to remain a viable business in the longer term.
The colder months of the year are much more challenging in this still establishing business, with a quieter programme and with some parts of the theatre still without heating. The Spring and Summer programmes have been lost, and the current landscape is all so uncertain.
With so many unknowns, to risk re-opening to what would be reduced and socially distant audiences, is a risk simply too high to take and one that could potentially sound the death knell for this unique venue which sits proudly in the heart of Leith.
It is a decision that has not been taken lightly, but one which recognizes that temporary closure is necessary to protect the building and business for the future.
Most of the staff at Leith Theatre were furloughed as part of the Government Support scheme since the Theatre closed its doors in March. This longer term closure does mean that staff employment is affected and the theatre is in touch with its small team to discuss what that means directly.
However, the closure also brings an opportunity for Leith Theatre; it is with huge thanks to its funders; the Architectural Heritage Fund, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and most recently, Theatres At Risk, that it is able to conserve its limited resources and invest this time in prioritising its strategic next steps and planning for refreshed doors opening once more.
Lynn Morrison, Exec Director of Leith Theatre Trust, said: “The sector is facing incredible challenges and for our small dedicated staff team who have worked tirelessly to bring this venue to back to its feet, it is the hardest thing to see the building closed and the Leith family unable to return.
“We have to use this opportunity to build a stronger platform for the venue’s future. We are a Theatre at Risk and a business start-up, and we have major refurbishment and construction needs.
“Our committed funding and Government COVID support has granted us this time to review our future business development. We hope we can also explore future fundraising possibilities and consider if further building regeneration works are possible.
“We cannot wait to welcome everyone back through our doors but in the meantime we will keep supporting the community in any way we can”
Since shutdown, Leith Theatre has continued to provide a community lifeline, acting as a collection point for the North East Edinburgh Foodbank, collecting stationery for pupils in partnership with a local primary school and also pipelining fabric and materials for making masks for an Edinburgh craft collective. The doors were also re-opened to support NHS blood banks.
Leith Theatre has already seen periods of closure in its rich history and one day this temporary shutting will join the rest as mere notes in its timeline.
CAMRA’s Cheers for Choice campaign calls on pub companies to allow landlords to sell local beers from small and independent breweries.
Every pub across Scotland should be allowed to stock and sell beer and cider from small, local and independent brewers and cider producers, to help them recover post lockdown.
That’s the message from CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, as they launch their new ‘Cheers for Choice’ campaign this week.
As pubs prepare for reopening next month, CAMRA’s members across Scotland are signing petitions to pub company bosses urging them to allow all landlords to stock local brews.
Current beer ties mean that most pub tenants are restricted in what they can sell in their pubs and are often banned from putting on the products they know their customers want to drink.
The campaign wants pub companies’ beer tie arrangements to be relaxed as pubs reopen following the coronavirus lockdown, so that all parts of the industry can pull together and support each other.
A recent survey of 21,000 beer drinkers and pub goers across the UK carried out by CAMRA found that 68% of people are less likely to go to a pub if it isn’t selling local and independent beer and cider.
MSPs are also being urged to support the Tied Pubs Bill being put forward in the Scottish Parliament by Labour MSP Neil Bibby. The legislation would give tied pub tenants protections in law, including a right to be able to sell guest beers in their pubs.
Commenting, CAMRA Director for Scotland Sarah Crawford said:“Relaxing restrictions for tied pub tenants is the right thing to do – making sure all parts of the industry, no matter how small, are supported in the recovery from COVID-19 and are able to thrive in the weeks and months ahead.
“Allowing small and independent brewers and cider producers are able to sell into all pubs will also improve consumer choice and allow pub goers to support local brewing businesses.
“It also makes business sense, with 68% of pub-goers saying they would be less likely to go back to a pub if it doesn’t have a range of brews from small and independent producers.
“That’s why we are encouraging pub companies to relax restrictions on what beers can be sold when pubs reopen, as well as urging all MSPs to vote in favour of the Tied Pubs Bill later in the year so all landlords can have a legal right to serve guest beers from local and independent breweries.”
Labour MSP for the West of Scotland Neil Bibby MSP said:“I agree with CAMRA that restrictions on tied pubs should be relaxed to help brewers into the sector and allow more consumer choice for pub-goers.
“This is a critical time for pubs and brewers in Scotland. They need all the help they can get. One way the Scottish Parliament can help is through tied pub reform. It’s time to stop the big PubCos extracting profits from Scotland and support Scottish publicans who want to invest in their businesses and provide more choice to customers.”
Holyrood’s Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee has launched an inquiry into how Scotland can ensure that a green, just and resilient recovery is central in our response to the social and economic challenges of the COVID-19 health crisis.
The inquiry will focus on identifying the principles, opportunities, key actions for change, immediate priorities, leadership and governance needed to underpin an effective green recovery, as well as the potential barriers to implementation.
The Committee has issued a call for views to help inform its inquiry over the coming weeks.
Gillian Martin MSP (above), Convener of the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee, said: “The global pandemic has been responsible for creating immediate challenges across almost every aspect of modern day living.
“But pre-COVID-19, we already faced the biggest and most immediate challenge of all – Climate Change. We have proven that, as a nation, we can adapt our behaviours and thinking for the greater good, so it makes complete sense that within this mindset, we grab the opportunity to change our habits and thinking to bring us out of this crisis in a green and sustainable way.
“A reframed pathway will help us meet our climate change targets for 2030, 2040 and 2045 at the same time as creating a stronger, cleaner and more resilient economy.”
“If you have views on how we should progress from here, our Committee would love to hear from you. You may be an environmental expert; belong to a third sector organisation or campaign group; local authority or non-departmental public body or be a member of the public. All of your views are important and help us reach the conclusions we take to the Scottish Parliament.”
The Committee would particularly welcome views on the following questions –
Do the principles of sustainable development* (Webpage Annex A) and those proposed by the UK Committee on Climate Change**, provide a comprehensive framework for guiding an effective green recovery in Scotland?
What are the key barriers to delivering a green recovery (within your sector and / or community)?
What key policies, actions and immediate priorities are needed to deliver a green recovery (within your sector and / or community)?
How should the 2021/22 Budget support a green and sustainable recovery and avoid locking in carbon?
What funding is needed to deliver a green and sustainable recovery?
The closing date for responses is Friday 7 August 2020.
The recovery and renewal of health services is to be informed by the work of a new advisory group which meets for the first time today.
The Mobilisation Recovery Group, led by Health Secretary Jeane Freeman, will work to balance the safe resumption of some health care services that were paused during the initial response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency, while retaining capacity in NHS Scotland to deal with the virus.
The group will advise on the next steps for safe and effective service delivery, as informed by the ‘Re-mobilise, Recover, Re-design framework for NHS Scotland’ plan, and will consider its implications for the full range of services. This includes emergency care, diagnostics, cancer services, scheduled care, mental health, social, primary and community care.
Ms Freeman said: “Throughout this pandemic NHS Scotland has remained open, continuing to provide emergency, urgent, cancer and maternity care, support for social care as well as maintaining COVID-19 capacity and resilience.
“Our response has and will continue to be informed by expert advice. As we begin to resume some paused NHS services safely, carefully and in a series of stages, this expert advisory group will help us balance patient and staff safety and NHS Scotland’s ability to respond to the virus.
“This is not a straightforward task and it will take time. The advice of the Mobilisation Recovery Group will be key as we continue to plan how the NHS and its planning partners can safely and effectively respond to the extraordinary demands of COVID-19, both now and in the future.
“The group will help us plan for the next steps, taking into account the whole health and care system, involving primary and community care, as well as engagement with clinical partners, service delivery partners, local authorities and patients. I look forward to its contribution.
“The safety of patients and staff will continue to be our priority and I want to reassure you that we are taking these precautions so that we can safely offer the right care, at the right time, in the right place.”
The Mobilisation Recovery group consists of representatives from around 30 expert and key stakeholders groups, including but not limited to COSLA, the Royal College of Nursing, the British Medical Association, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and Faculties, Alliance Scotland, the Care Inspectorate, Scottish Social Services Council and Adult Social Care Standing Committee.
