Tag: NEN

Voiceover artists say: Keep Talking

Over 70 male, female and child voiceover artists have donated their voices to a specially-made radio commercial to encourage listeners to ‘keep talking’ whilst the UK is in lockdown.

“Voiceovers United” is a project created, written and produced by Voiceover Artist and award-winning Radio Commercial Producer, John Calvert. The message encourages listeners to ‘stay at home, protect the NHS, stay safe… And Keep Talking.”

John Calvert said: “Voiceovers often spend hours and hours cooped up in a small booth or room.  Most of us in the trade are perfectly used to that. But for those who aren’t so used to isolation, the long lonely lockdown could have adverse effects on mental health. We all know talking is a great way to get things off your chest and who better to promote this than voiceovers?”

Some of the UK’s leading voiceover artists have joined the project. These include X Factor voice Peter Dickson; ‘Voice of the Balls’ Alan Dedicoat; film trailer voice Redd Pepper; Big Brother Voiceover Marcus Bentley; Flash Gordon, Blackadder and Star Wars character actor Brian Blessed and many more familiar voices from the world of TV, radio, film, advertising, gaming, animation and automation. Everyone who participated, including voiceover agents, animation companies and music publishers gave their services for free.

The voiceovers were sent a script and recorded the lines in their own studios. The audio was then sent back to the studio at Airforce Radio Commercial Production in Wiltshire and seamlessly mixed together.

John Calvert added: “So many leading voices uniting for something like this has never been done before, and the response to the initiative was far beyond anything I expected.

“What we have ended up with is a very powerful, yet entertaining message. I hope everyone will feel reassurance from hearing the message, share it with others and … Keep Talking.”

Voiceover Artist Emma Clarke (voice of ‘mind the gap’ and ‘Avalon’ in the Hollywood blockbuster feature film ‘Passengers’) said: “During this unprecedented period, we’re all alone together.

“I love the idea of lone voices coming together to create a whole in this gorgeous piece of audio. It reflects what’s happening in the world – that we all have to play our part as individuals to help the whole world.

“Everyone I speak to is feeling the same – tired, scared, overwhelmed, angry, powerless… and also joyful, connected, needed, loved, hopeful. We’re all feeling the same vulnerabilities. There’s something very powerful in that shared experience and for me, that’s what this piece of audio is about.”

The Voiceovers United project is inviting radio stations across the UK to broadcast the commercial at any time they see fit. It is available to download for free on Soundcloud.

80 second version: https://soundcloud.com/airforce-co-uk/voiceovers-united-keep-talking-final-80

60 second version: https://soundcloud.com/airforce-co-uk/voiceovers-united-keep-talking-final-60

30 second version:  https://soundcloud.com/airforce-co-uk/voiceovers-united-keep-talking-30

Home Schooling: Parents worry that children will fall behind

  • Two thirds of parents say their child’s education is more important than their job during lockdown
  • Average parent can only commit 3 hours a day to home schooling
  • A third of parents worried their children will fall behind in modern subjects they don’t feel comfortable teaching

A new study has revealed that 1 in 5 UK parents will only be able to spend up to two hours each day on home schooling their children during the current school closures, leaving them worried that youngsters will miss out on learning certain subjects.

In research commissioned by BT to launch its Code a Cake online experience, it was found that on average parents of children aged 5-11 would be able to dedicate three hours a day to home schooling, despite 66% saying that their children’s education takes priority over their job.

As parents across the country find themselves thrust into juggling full time work with full time teaching for the foreseeable future, more than a third (32%) are worried that their children will fall behind in certain subjects as no one in their household is confident enough to teach them.

Of the subjects to be cut from the domestic curricula, subjects such as computer sciences – including coding – are most likely to be scrapped first as parents weren’t taught them at school: just 24% of those questioned feel comfortable teaching IT and computer science, while coding is the subject parents feel least comfortable with (only 8% do). In comparison, the subjects parents feel most comfortable teaching at home are maths (62%), English (58%) and P.E. (43%).

BT Code a Cake is a new online experience which introduces children aged 6-11 to the art of coding through a simple baking analogy, allowing parents to teach their children coding in a simple and fun way.

Kerensa Jennings, Digital Impact Director, BT, said: “With the UK facing such extraordinary hardship, BT wants Code a Cake to play a small, yet important role in inspiring and supporting parents and children at this challenging time.

“Families need more help than ever as they try to keep their kids educated and entertained at home. Our Skills for Tomorrow initiative is here to help people make the most of technology, and we want to do our bit to help children have fun and keep on learning.”

Presenter and father, Joe Swash, who has been using BT’s Code a Cake to teach his kids coding, added: “Code a Cake has been amazing for helping me keep the boys occupied at home, it’s an even bigger bonus that they’re learning a new skill, particularly something so important such as coding.

“I am quite out of my depth when it comes to teaching digital skills, so anything that can help is invaluable. It is simple, fun, and I’m sure will come in handy for lots of parents over the coming weeks.”

More on BT’s Skills for Tomorrow initiative can be found here: bt.com/skillsfortomorrow

Code a Cake is available here: bt.com/codeacake

Top tips to keep your hands in good health

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s Dermatology team has issued some top tips for the public to keep their hands healthy in response to COVID-19.

With people washing their hands more than they ever have before, many of us will experience symptoms of dermatitis, manifesting in dry, chapped, itchy and swollen skin on our hands which can be very painful.

However, following some basic and practical advice can go a long way to ensuring we are able to keep hands clean – in line with national guidance – while also maintaining good hand health along the way.

Here’s some top tips for following guidance, treating dermatitis and mitigating the chances of it occurring:

  • Wash hands regularly with soap, paying attention to areas between the fingers and around the nails, for 20 seconds. Rinse and dry thoroughly.
  • Apply moisturisers after drying your hands. These should be fragrance-free. Use a greasier moisturiser at bedtime under cotton gloves (or socks) if hands are particularly chapped.
  • Avoid any wet work if your skin is very dry or splitting.
  • Try to wear gloves for household chores.
  • Avoid unnecessary tasks that add extra stress to the hands eg. use of bleach, painting and decorating, gardening, car washing etc.
  • Mild topical steroids can be purchased over the counter from community pharmacies and can be useful if skin itchy or inflamed. Use twice a day for a week whilst adhering to good hand care rules.

Con Gillespie, lead nurse for Dermatology at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “While it’s crucial for us all to be washing our hands more often, as a result, many of us will also have experienced symptoms of dermatitis such as dry, itchy skin, rashes and swelling.

“This change occurs due to skin being irritated by cleaning products such hand sanitiser and soap, and even water. It can be quite painful if untreated so following these basic but effective tips will help minimise any irritation, and help your keep your hands healthy throughout COVID-19.”

Charity provides Emergency Supply Packs to Sick Kids’ Hospital

An Edinburgh children’s charity is providing emergency supply packs to support children and families in hospital through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) – which supports the Royal Hospital for Sick Children – has launched an emergency appeal to help families having to cope with the impact of the outbreak on top of the distress of having a sick or injured child.  

The free emergency packs contain non-perishable food products and essential items including nappies, toilet roll, tinned soup, beans and tea bags so parents and carers do not have the additional stress of shopping for their families while their child is in hospital.  

As well as emergency parcels, ECHC is working hard to continue to provide its services to the RHSC during the pandemic. The charity’s hospital shop is staying open to fuel NHS staff over the coming weeks; it has launched a telephone support service to give advice and assurance to families; play specialists continue to provide smiles and distraction while the ward playrooms are closed; and it is continuing to provide parent accommodation so families can stay close to their children during lockdown.  

Roslyn Neely, CEO of ECHC, said: “The safety of children, families and NHS staff is our immediate priority. These are unprecedented times for all of us and, just like at home, things are different at the ‘Sick Kids’. Children and families are anxious as the pandemic progresses. 

 “Right now, people may be feeling scared, stressed, isolated from family and friends or worrying how they will keep themselves and their family fed and occupied. Now imagine if you also had a child in hospital. 

“The incredible NHS staff are working round the clock to make sure every child gets exceptional care throughout the crisis and we at ECHC are doing everything we can to help to reduce fear and isolation and to comfort and support families when they need it most.   

“This is why we have launched our COVID-19 Emergency Appeal as we urgently need donations to continue to do this. Times are difficult for all of us, but if anyone would still like to give, donations could provide a family with a much-needed food pack, fund a special play session at a child’s bedside or pay for a mum and dad to stay in our parent accommodation and be close to their child at the toughest of times.”  

A donation of £10 could fund an emergency supply pack for one family, £15 could fund a special bedside play or creative session and £50 could pay for parents and carers to stay in ECHC’s parent accommodation for one week. 

Donations can be made online at https://echcharity.org/support-us/covid-19-appeal 

FCA confirms temporary financial relief for customers impacted by coronavirus

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has today confirmed a package of targeted temporary measures to help people with some of the most commonly used consumer credit products. 

Following a short consultation the FCA will be going ahead with the proposals outlined last week, which will give firms the flexibility under our rules to provide temporary financial relief to those facing payment difficulties during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Christopher Woolard, interim Chief Executive at the FCA, said: ‘We know many people are suffering financial pressures brought on as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The measures we’ve announced are designed to provide people affected with short-term financial support through what could be a very difficult time. The changes will provide support for consumers with credit cards, loans and overdrafts, facing temporary financial difficulties because of the pandemic.

‘Customers should think carefully before making use of these measures and only do so if they need immediate help. Where they can still afford to make payments, they should continue to do so.

‘We know there is still more work to be done, and we will be announcing further measures to support consumers in other parts of the credit market in the future, including in the motor finance sector next week.’

The measures include firms being expected to:

  • offer a temporary payment freeze on loans and credit cards for up to three months, for consumers negatively impacted by coronavirus
  • allow customers who are negatively impacted by coronavirus and who already have an arranged overdraft on their main personal current account, up to £500 charged at zero interest for three months
  • make sure that all overdraft customers are no worse off on price when compared to the prices they were charged before the recent overdraft pricing changes came into force
  • ensure consumers using any of these temporary payment freeze measures will not have their credit file affected

The rule changes will be in force from today and the full range of measures will apply by Tuesday 14 April 2020.

This is to allow firms time to ensure they have the appropriate level of resources available to handle customer requests. All firms will be ready to receive customer requests by 14 April, although some firms including the major banks and building societies, will be adopting the changes today.

Consumers should check firm websites or social media posts for more information, and where possible use online services to request assistance.

This will reduce the pressure on firm call centres who are experiencing a high demand in calls due to the current pandemic situation. If consumers need to get in touch by telephone please be patient and, if you can, wait until after the Easter weekend, even if your lender is offering help sooner than the 14 April 2020.

In response to the consultation, the guidance now includes clarification on which products are in scope. In particular, the FCA are confirming that the following products are covered: guarantor loans, logbook loans, home collected credit, a loan issued by Community Development Finance Institution and some loans issued by credit unions, but only where these are regulated. The guidance also applies to firms which have acquired such loans.

These measures won’t replace normal forbearance rules where these would be more suitable for a consumer in serious and immediate financial difficulty. Consumers in financial difficulty should contact the Money Advice Service (MAS) for further guidance.

The FCA will keep this guidance under review.

Police issue email scam warning

We’re aware of an email scam going around which appears as if from the Government and NHS, asking for charitable donations to help fund their efforts.

Criminals will use any opportunity they can to defraud the public out of money, often impersonating professional and legitimate organisations.

  • Don’t allow yourself to be pressured into donating money, and never make donations by cash or gift card, or send money through transfer agents such as Western Union or Moneygram.
  • Be sceptical if you receive an email, text or WhatsApp in relation to #Coronavirus, and never click on any attachments or links.
  • Never provide personal data such as your full name, address and date of birth – scammers can use this information to steal your identity.

Further information on dealing with scams and fraud is available from Trading Standards Scotland and Citizens Advice Scotland or visit: http://ow.ly/G5yg50yQ4qu

#COVID19
#ShutOutScammers

Chancellor announces £30 million boost for Scottish charities

The Scottish Secretary has welcomed a Covid-19 charity funding boost from the UK Government.

Commenting on the funding package for charities announced yesterday by the Chancellor, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “Volunteers up and down the country do a tremendous amount to support the most vulnerable in our society. That support has never been more important than in these difficult times.

“The UK Government has set out a generous funding package for charities, which means an extra £30 million for the Scottish Government. I hope they will use that to support the incredible army of volunteers working so hard across Scotland to support those in need.

“The UK Government will also match fund the money raised by the BBC’s ambitious Big Night In, which will raise funds for good causes right across the UK.

“Today’s extra UK Government allocation to the Scottish Government is in addition to the £2.7 billion we have already allocated to it to fight Covid-19. And it is on top of the £330 billion of UK Government-backed loans to support businesses and households across the UK through these challenging times.”

The Chancellor announced £750 million to support for the charity sector in response to coronavirus:

Good afternoon.

I’m joined today by Steve Powis, Medical Director of the NHS, and Angela Mclean, Deputy Government Chief Scientific Adviser.

Let me start by reminding everyone about our step-by-step action plan to defeat coronavirus.

At every step of this process, we have followed the latest scientific and medical advice.

Our goal is to slow the spread of the virus and protect the ability of the NHS to cope.

We’ve taken unprecedented action to increase NHS capacity, with more beds, more staff and more equipment on the front line.

And we have told people to stay at home, so that we can protect lives and protect the NHS.

Today’s daily figures show that:

232,708 people in the UK have now been tested for coronavirus

60,734 people have tested positive, an increase of 5,492 cases since yesterday

19,438 people have been admitted to hospital

and sadly, of those in hospital, 7,097 have now died – an increase of 938 fatalities since yesterday

Our thoughts are with the families and friends of those who have passed away.

People I’m sure will also want an update on the Prime Minister’s health. Heis receiving excellent care from the NHS team at St Thomas’s.

The latest from the hospital is that the Prime Minister remains in intensive care, where his condition is improving.

I can also tell you that he has been sitting up in bed and engaging positively with the clinical team.

The Prime Minister is not only my colleague, my boss but my friend; my thoughts are with him and his family.

The news about the PM reminds us how indiscriminate this disease is.

Nearly everyone in the country will know someone who has been affected – friends, family, neighbours, colleagues.

This is a terrible virus that respects no boundaries of status or geography or vocation.

But we are not facing it alone.

We are all taking part in a collective national effort to protect the vulnerable and each other, to secure our public services, and to save lives.

This endeavour is underpinned by an important, simple idea – that we depend on each other.

When you need it, when you fall on hard times, we will all, as one society, be there for you.

To take care of you, until you are, once again, ready to take care of yourself and others.

This idea has been central to all of our efforts to support people and businesses during this crisis.

We promised to do whatever it takes, and I am striving every day to keep that promise.

But when I say that we all depend on each other, I don’t just mean the relationship between individuals, businesses and the state.

One of our greatest strengths as a country is our civil society.

The local charities who provide so much compassion, care and community to the most vulnerable in our country.

You have not been forgotten.

British people, businesses and foundations are already doing their part to support our charity sector.

And today, we in government will do our part, as we build on our plan for the economy with a plan to support our social fabric.

There are nearly 170,000 charities in this country; and the truth is that we will not be able to match every pound of funding they would have received this year.

Charities can already use many of our existing schemes to support people and protect their staff.

All charities are eligible for the job retention scheme, and in line with medical advice, and just like any other employer…

…the right answer for many charities will be to furlough their employees..

But some charities are on the front line of fighting the coronavirus, and others provide critical services and support to vulnerable people and communities.

For them, shutting up shop at this moment would be to contravene their very purpose; their entire reason to exist.

Those charities have never been more needed than they are now; and they’ve never faced such a sudden fall in their funding.

So today I am announcing £750 million of funding for the charity sector.

£370 million of that funding will support small, local charities working with vulnerable people.

We all know who they are; those small charities in our villages, our market towns, in pockets of our cities…

…the unsung heroes looking after the vulnerable and holding together our social fabric.

In England, this support will be provided through organisations like the National Lottery Communities Fund.

And we will allocate £60 million of this funding through the Barnett formula to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The UK government will also provide £360 million directly to charities providing essential services and supporting vulnerable people, as we battle the coronavirus.

Up to £200 million of those grants will support hospices…

…with the rest going to organisations like St Johns’ Ambulance and the Citizens Advice Bureau…

…as well as charities supporting vulnerable children, victims of domestic abuse, or disabled people.

And last night the BBC announced their Big Night In charity appeal on April 23rd…

…and today I can confirm that the government will match pound for pound whatever the public decides to donate…

…starting with at least £20 million to the National Emergencies Trust appeal.

Two short weeks ago I spoke of the need for kindness, decency and the sort of neighbourliness that is at the heart of these charitable and community efforts.

The normally invisible connections between us have, in recent weeks, become more apparent.

For most of us, we spend our lives oblivious to these connections, these bonds, and how our behaviours, however small, can have a dramatic effect on others.

But these bonds are not invisible for our local charities.

For the volunteer keeping victims of domestic violence safe.

For the outreach worker helping a rough sleeper find a bed.

Or for the support worker manning the phones to help stave off the heart wrenching loneliness so many of our elderly relatives and friends will be experiencing right now.

These connections might be hard to see, but they are there, and they are strengthened by our compassion for others.

Charities embody this like no other organisation.

And their lesson is that the simplest acts have the potential to change lives.

At this time, when many are hurting and tired and confined, we need the gentleness of charities in our lives.

It gives us hope.

It makes us stronger.

And it reminds us: we depend on each other.

Thank you.

After taking questions, the Chancellor concluded:

Today was about supporting charities, who are a critical part of the social fabric of this country.

It builds on the economic plan we’ve already announced:

To protect people’s health and economic security, by supporting public services like our NHS, backing business, and protecting people’s jobs and incomes.

And I would conclude by saying this:

Our economic plan, and the plan for charities I have announced today, are built on one simple idea: that we depend on each other.

Thank you.

 

Protect your passwords, protect your business

Businesses and projects in Edinburgh are being advised to put in place stricter rules around passwords to protect staff and systems, as the country switches to home-working amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Following UK Government advice for businesses to work from home where possible, due to the rise in cases of COVID-19, the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) is warning employers how this can increase an organisation’s vulnerability to cyber-attacks.

This was demonstrated just weeks into the COVID-19 outbreak, with scammers already capitalising on fear and system frailties, and scams relating to the virus costing UK businesses nearly £970,000.

SBRC is advising businesses to quickly and easily increase their security by using password manager software and implementing a two-factor authentication.

Declan Doyle, Ethical Hacking Consultant at SBRC, said: “We’ve seen a huge increase in the number of phishing scams since the outbreak of the virus – including fraudulent emails targeting businesses about fake Government tax rebates and Coronavirus funding.

“Criminals are very smart, and as much as we can find, identify and shut down scams, the best course of action is to tell people what to look out for and give them advice to follow to minimise the risk of falling victim to these traps. Increasing your online security is one way to do this.”

Eamonn Keane, Chief Operating Officer for Cyber and Innovation at SBRC, said: “The last thing any business battling the impact of coronavirus needs right now is a crippling cyber-attack.

“The prospect of thousands of temporary home workers, potentially accessing a range of vital business servers and applications from vulnerable home internet connections, or using old or inadequate laptops or PCs, is a scary one.

“One of the easiest ways for businesses to avoid cyber-attacks is to set up a password manager to secure, store and generate passwords for your team which can be accessed across various devices.

“Attackers use different techniques beyond hacking to discover passwords, including phishing, automated guessing using the most commonly-used passwords, manual guessing and intercepting networks. Password managers and two-factor authentication can easily put a stop to a lot of these tactics.”

Andy Maclaren, Head of IT Services at SBRC partner, Consider IT, said: “Password managers typically generate a long, secure and unique password for each website a user logs into, avoiding reusing passwords across different websites.

“This way, if a particular website’s database is hacked or leaked, attackers won’t be able to use the same log in details to access all of the other services your email address has signed up to.”

Two-factor authentication asks users for their password as normal, but also asks users to provide a second piece of information such as a code sent to an email address, or a fingerprint scan on a phone.

Eamonn added: “Two-factor authentication is just another way of ‘double-checking’ you are who you’re claiming to be when you’re logging into business accounts – meaning even if someone hacks or gains access to your password, they won’t necessarily be able to access your accounts.

“At SBRC, we endeavour to maintain Scotland’s reputation as a safe place to do business, so we will do everything we can to keep our partners, members and the public as up to date as possible in these uncertain and ever-changing times.”

The Scottish Business Resilience Centre is a non-profit organisation which exists to support and help protect Scottish Businesses.

To ensure Scotland remains a safe place to live, work and do business, SBRC will be regularly sharing COVID-19 developments and advice from Scottish Government, their partners and members as they happen.

Over the coming weeks SBRC will be holding a series of 60-minute webinars aimed at helping Scottish businesses prepare and survive the human and commercial impacts of COVID-19.

SBRC maintains a unique connection to Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Scottish Government, which gives the organisation exclusive access to the latest information to advise citizens and businesses how to interact safely.

Employers can also reach SBRC by emailing enquiries@sbrcentre.co.uk.

Free pet boarding at LOVE Gorgie Farm during coronavirus crisis

LOVE Gorgie Farm is offering free small pet boarding services to aid all those pet owners who are unwell or need to be admitted into the hospital.

By taking care of the animals free of charge, the beloved urban farm intends to help to those who are unwell or have to be temporarily admitted into the hospital to focus on their health and eliminate any extra stress that having to look after pets may cause.

Although donations are welcomed, LOVE Gorgie Farm will not be charging for pet boarding services during the coronavirus crisis and owners will only have to cover food costs.

Animals eligible for these services will be rabbits and guinea pigs, rodents, reptiles caged birds and poultry.

The farm currently operates as a foodbank for the most vulnerable and delivers free breakfast every morning to the children of the community now that schools are closed.

However, its team is still working behind closed doors in maintaining the site and taking care of the animals.

Following the Government’s advice, LOVE Gorgie Farm decided to temporarily close its doors amid the coronavirus outbreak only after reopening to the public at the end of February.

Lynn Bell, CEO of LOVE Learning, the education and social care charity operating LOVE Gorgie Farm, said: “We understand how stressful it can be to feel like you are neglecting your pets when you can not give them the love and attention that they deserve. However, those feeling unwell during this pandemic must focus their energy on their health and on getting better.

“That’s why if you are sick during these critical times, we want to help take some of this stress away by providing an environment full of love and care to your pet whilst you focus on your own recovery.”

Those wanting to get in touch with the farm should contact gorgie@l-o-v-e.org.uk

The Future is Digital: Scottish Book Trust launches Future

Scottish Book Trust has launched this year’s ‘Your Stories’ national campaign, appealing for members of the public to share real life stories around the theme of future.

People all over the country are encouraged to submit, even if they have never written before.

A selection of stories will be included in a free book that will be given out during Book Week Scotland in November. Submissions can be made in English, Scots, or Gaelic in any form – story, poem, comic strip, play or letter – of up to 1,000 words.

For many of us, the future represents opportunity and gives us hope that we can make positive change for our loved ones, our communities or ourselves.

So whether you’re an activist desperate to transform tomorrow, an eternal optimist setting another target for the year ahead or just a dreamer wondering what the next chapter in your life will be, Scottish Book Trust wants your story.

For those unsure how to start, Scottish Book Trust will be running free, digital workshops with some of Scotland’s most exciting writers:

  • Not the Booker Prize awardee Kirstin Innes, whose upcoming novel Scabby Queen (Fourth Estate) will be released later this year
  • New Writer Awardee and Robert Louis Stevenson fellow Malachy Tallack, author of The Valley at the Centre of the World (Canongate)
  • Saltire Award nominated author Alison Irvine, author of This Road is Red (Luath Press)
  • Next Chapter Awardee Samina Chaudry

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: “2020 is a landmark year, and future is the perfect theme to reflect the ongoing social and cultural change happening right now.

“We want to hear your story: even if you’ve never written about yourself before. Hopes, fears, dreams – Scottish Book Trust welcomes them all.”

Alison Lang, Director of the Gaelic Books Council, said: “Everyone has a story to tell, and the Gaelic Books Council hopes that people throughout the country will take the opportunity to reflect on the theme “Future” – in verse, in prose or in any other way they choose – and that there will be plenty of Gaelic stories among this year’s submissions.”

The digital nature of the workshops will allow the writers to engage with an audience no matter their location, allowing the opportunity to be as inclusive as possible.

Given the current climate, online workshops can provide the public with a safe space to be creative, supporting positive mental health and wellbeing.

Each workshop has limited space so sign up is essential, and the writers will explore different prompts and methods for story writing. They will all also contribute their own stories about future for the book.

Visit Scottish Book Trust’s website for more information.

Poet and performer Marjorie Lotfi Gill will also provide writing prompts every Tuesday to help tackle the future theme. These will be made available through Scottish Book Trust’s website and social media.

Tam Clark, poet and writer, will provide his own interpretation of Future in Scots. Scottish Book Trust is also working in partnership with the Gaelic Books Council: author Cairistìona Stone and poet Griogar MacThòmais will provide their own stories for the campaign.

Future is open for submissions from today until Friday 5 June 2020.

Submissions can be made online or via post to:

Future, FAO Gordon Connelly, Scottish Book Trust, Sandeman House, Trunk’s Close, 55 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1SR.