Tag: North Edinburgh News

WhatsApp groups set up as communities pull together

“Street level” messenger groups are springing up across the UK as communities forge new relationships to help each other through the Coronavirus self-isolation crisis.

Messenger apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are being conscripted to connect whole streets worried about how to survive self-isolation and loneliness.

Young and old are uniting to help those without and those needing help and support at their time of need.

“A neighbour set up a group and we now have 10 of 12 houses on the street subscribed”, explains Jonathan Ratcliffe, who lives on Windermere Avenue in  Menston, Yorkshire.

Ratcliffe, who is currently running national office agency Offices.co.uk from home, has been in self-isolation since Monday juggling work and family life.

“We haven’t been to the shops this week, life is testing let’s say! John down the road asked on WhatsApp if anyone needed anything, and 30 minutes later we had bread, bananas and paracetamol – it really helps morale”, explained Jonathan.

Being able to draw on neighbours for help and social interaction is going to become a hallmark of the efforts needed to get the country through the next 12 weeks.

“No one knows where this is going and who might need help. We have a 10-week-old baby with a heart condition, and so we are being extra careful”, added Jonathan. “My neighbours help now will be paid back twice over when we are out of isolation– it’s lovely knowing that there is support on our doorstep should we need it”.

Other groups have sprung up locally in Menston supporting streets and even whole estates.

One such group has been set up covering Menston’s Moorfield Avenue by resident David Williams.

“We are in the process of setting up a WhatsApp group to cover our street,” David explained. “We started by dropping a note through everyone’s door, so they knew who to text to join the group. 

“We are then identifying those who need to self-isolate and pairing them up with people who can help out so people can self-organise as much as possible but also stay in touch as things develop.”

Zoe Edwards, who lives in the centre of the village, added: “We have done similar on our road although tricky when some people don’t use or have WhatsApp. We are trying to keep in touch with those people separately”.

The Windermere Avenue group: 10 houses have joined out of 12

  • 18 people have joined the group
  • Age ranges from 38 to 75
  • One house currently in self-isolation

Resident Alison Wilson in Menston is using the platform to forward-plan a big party to celebrate the community spirit locally in Menston: “Once this is over, we need a massive big street/village party to cheer ourselves up and thank everyone for their kindness and community spirit”.

“Creating support groups now is really important. Being able to ask for help should you need it is going to be a lifeline for many people, young and old – the love and support I’ve seen on our street for neighbours has been humbling”, concluded Jonathan.

Update from Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Mike Coupe

I wanted to write to you again to update you on the steps we are taking to make sure everyone has access to food and essential items. I’m also sharing more information about how we are supporting our colleagues in these challenging times and how you can help.

An increasing number of you have told me that you’re not always able to get the items that you need when you need them. We are working with our suppliers to get even more stock of essential items and we are adding warehouse capacity on a daily basis.

You will have seen that we put restrictions in place this week to ensure that more products are on shelf for longer.

From Monday 23rd March, we are consolidating our opening hours and all our supermarkets will be open from 8am to 8pm, Monday-Saturday, including those with an Argos store. Sunday opening, Sainsbury’s Local and petrol station opening times will stay the same.

This means we can focus our store colleagues’ time on keeping shelves stocked and serving our customers well during the times that most of you are already shopping.

Last Thursday, we set aside an hour for elderly and vulnerable shoppers in our supermarkets. Many of you have told me how much you appreciated this and that you would like this to become a regular event. Some of you also said we should extend this to members of our hardworking NHS and Social Care workers. And we will be doing just that.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, all our supermarkets will dedicate 8am – 9am to serving elderly, disabled and vulnerable customers, as well as NHS and Social Care workers.

They will just need to show us their pass or ID when they visit. Some of you fed back that you couldn’t find what you wanted during that hour, so we will try our best to have essential items on shelf for these customers.

We will be working to keep our shelves well stocked and would encourage customers to arrive throughout the hour to prevent queues forming and to help everyone keep a safe distance.

Hundreds of you have written to me to thank our amazing colleagues who are working around the clock to serve our customers. A number of you have also shared your concerns for the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues.

I want you to know that we are doing all we can to support everyone who works in our business.

We have committed to paying all colleagues who are unwell or need to self-isolate for the full period of fourteen days. We have also committed to paying vulnerable and elderly colleagues in full if the government decides they should isolate for 12 weeks.

We hope this will go some way to helping our teams through this uncertain time and we are looking at other ways to thank our colleagues for their extraordinary efforts.

To keep our colleagues safe, I need to ask again for your help. Please do your best to stand one metre away from colleagues in our stores where you can. And we would prefer you to pay with card rather than cash at our tills.

Please also treat our colleagues and other customers with kindness and respect. These are unprecedented circumstances and our colleagues are being asked to come to work every day while so many others are being asked to stay at home.

We all need them to keep coming to work to feed the nation – a small thank you goes a really long way.

I hope you will join us in looking out for each other and the communities that we serve.

Best wishes

Mike

BBC unveils children’s iPlayer experience

Families and children can now easily discover a wide range of entertaining and educational shows and films, with the launch of a new children’s experience on BBC iPlayer.

Rolling out on internet-connected TVs, it brings together the best from CBBC and CBeebies, and other suitable BBC programming, all in one place.

When selecting who’s watching iPlayer, there’s now a monster shaped ‘children’ button, which opens a treasure trove of viewing – from hit shows like Hey Duggee and Bing to David Walliams classics such as The Boy In The Dress, Gangsta Granny and Mr Stink – which return to iPlayer.

Children can easily find something to watch thanks to more ‘child-friendly’ categories, that let them pick and browse between Trending, Drama, Funny and Cartoons – as well as giving easy access to the CBeebies and CBBC channels.

The children’s experience has been designed to give confidence to parents and carers that kids are watching suitable shows – with content curated from across CBeebies, CBBC and other suitable BBC programmes and brands.

To make the service even more special, it has been given a distinctive, bright and bold design – helping children understand that this is a dedicated experience just for them.

Alice Webb, Director BBC Children’s and Education, says: “Keeping children informed, educated and entertained at home during these unprecedented times is going to be even more important than ever.

“Whether it’s being a number detective with the Numberblocks, going on a global adventure with Go Jetters, or learning about the planet’s deadliest animals with Deadly 60 – this new experience gives children of all ages a place to go to do that.

“We can’t promise solving the sibling tiffs over what to watch – but we can make it even easier to bring families and kids an incredible choice of shows and films on iPlayer. Children and parents can be assured the BBC will be for them during these challenging times.”

Dan Taylor-Watt, Director of Product, BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, says: “We know more and more iPlayer viewing is happening on the biggest screen in the home.

“We’re now making that experience even better for children – so they have a safe place to enjoy their favourite shows, discover new ones – and learn more, especially at the moment. And over time, this experience will get even better, with recommendations increasingly tailored to them – making sure they get the best kids experience possible.”

Inspiring Volunteer Awards: still time to nominate

Only 1 week to go until the Nominations deadline of 27 March
Nominations for this year’s Inspiring Volunteer Awards ceremony are closing soon …
This ceremony reflects the exceptional range of organisations and individuals working in the city’s vibrant charity and non-profit sectors.
The Rt. Hon Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh will honour some of the dedicated volunteers who give their time, energy and commitment to the people of Edinburgh at a special awards ceremony on Wednesday 3 June 2020 at the City Chambers.
If you know an individual, team or project that has exceeded expectations and deserves recognition, nominate them for an Inspiring Volunteer Award! Or check out the Ian McInnes Award or the one off 2020 Impact Award for something a little bit different and unique.
To nominate and for more information please visit voled.in/nominations
or contact me via email for any additional queries at events@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk
Jason McCann
Events Coordinator

Blue box collections binned

Residents self-isolating due to Coronavirus symptoms in their household are being urged to dispose of their waste as carefully as possible to keep Edinburgh’s bin crews safe.

The advice comes as part of an update from Transport and Environment Convener Lesley Macinnes on how the Council is adapting in the context of the pandemic to deliver core services such as waste management, roadworks and parking to keep the city working as best it can.

Another waste-related update is the suspension of kerbside glass (blue box) collections from Monday 23 March until further notice to free up collection crews. Communal glass bins used in flatted and tenement areas will continue to be serviced, but should only be used by those properties.

Cllr Macinnes, who went to visit a waste collection crew out and about emptying kerbside bins, said: “These are extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances and inevitably there’s already a strain on our ability to keep core services going at usual levels.

“We’re doing our very best, though, and we’re appealing to residents to bear with us as we adapt our resources to the fast-changing and increasingly challenging situation.

“We regret that we’ve had to suspend kerbside glass collections from next week onwards. If you don’t have any space to store them, please help us out by taking any glass bottles or jars to one of our Household Waste Recycling Centres if you’re able to, or offer to do the same for your neighbour. We are all in this together, so we’ll get through it together.

“If you or someone in your household is self isolating due to Coronavirus symptoms, please make sure you are scrupulous when putting out your waste so that our bin crews on the front line aren’t needlessly exposed to the virus.

“We’ve got clear guidance on our website on what to do, and we’ll keep our pages updated for residents to access the latest advice and service information.

“Having met three of our ‘frontline heroes’ in person while they collected bins in west Edinburgh, I’m so impressed by the dedication and commitment they and their colleagues are showing in this extremely challenging and uncertain time – huge thanks to them all, you’re doing Edinburgh proud.”

ADVICE FOR SAFE WASTE DISPOSAL

This advice is aimed at people with symptoms that may be caused by Coronavirus, and do not require hospital treatment, who must remain at home until they are well, and those living in households with someone who shows symptoms that may be caused by Coronavirus:

  • Personal waste (such as tissues) and disposable cleaning cloths should be stored securely in a disposable bag and then placed inside another bag
  • Tie it securely and keep it separate from other waste
  • Place it aside for 72 hours and then put it carefully in your grey/black non recyclable waste bin (grey wheelie bins or black-lidded communal waste bins)
  • Other household waste can be disposed of as normal
  • When cleaning you should use your usual household products, like detergents and bleach, as these will be very effective at getting rid of the virus on surfaces. Clean frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, handrails, remote controls and table tops. This is particularly important if you have an older or vulnerable person in the house.

INFO ON OTHER SERVICES

Parking 

Residents will be given a dispensation to park in Pay and Display spaces within their permit zones to make it as easy as possible to park near their homes while working from home or self isolating. The Council has also instructed its parking contractor to pay special attention to yellow lines and loading areas so that access for food and essential goods deliveries is protected.

Roadworks

Road defect repairs and capital resurfacing projects are proceeding as normal at present. The situation is being kept under review.

Public Transport

Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses are keeping their customers up to date with information and service changes online and via their social media channels. Both companies have announced that they are moving to a reduced service from Sunday (trams) and Monday (buses).

Cllr Macinnes added: “We fully support the actions Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses are taking given the hugely difficult circumstances we all find ourselves in and I welcome their commitment to providing vital public transport connections for residents who rely on their services.

Working from home with kids: Coping with the pressure

As more of us turn to self-isolation, the burden of work and home schooling is becoming a scary reality. We explore some coping strategies to help home workers cope with what might be the most challenging period of life so far …

In Norway parents have been told to home school their kids for 2 months. They have a set workload to teach and submissions must be submitted each day at 2pm. It might not come to that, but how do you even begin to cope with work pressure and home-schooling deadlines like that?

“Our kids were off school yesterday both with dry coughs, therefore we are in self-isolation for the near future from today. The reality of home schooling whilst trying to keep on working is very daunting indeed”, explained Jonathan Ratcliffe of Offices.co.uk

Working from home is tough. Home schooling is very tough. So, if you must combine the two for a long period of time, how are you going to cope?

You are going to have to plan well, get organised and work to a strict timetable if you want to get everything done. Equally, you’ll need to have a proper split between work, school, fun and rest.

“The first thing you need to do is lower your expectations of what you are going to achieve, both with work and schooling. If you try to do too much the experience is going to be highly stressful”, Ratcliffe adds.

  • Lower your expectations of what you will achieve with work
  • Simplify your day into a set routine
  • Don’t try and achieve too much
  • Pause and try and appreciate moments with your kids

Here are 10 tips on how to survive:

START EARLY AT THE SAME TIME EACH DAY: Routine is important for good sleep and mental health, for both you and your kids. School starts at a set time, so make sure you are ready and stick to the timetable.

GET DRESSED PROPERLY LIKE TEACHER AND STUDENT: Getting showered and dressed is important to divide sleep and school.

CREATE SPACES FOR DIFFERENT ACTVITIES: You might set up a teaching room (kitchen), quiet room (spare bedroom) and a play area (living room)

STRUCTURE YOUR DAY LIKE A SCHOOL DAY: Teaching time, activity time, play time and lunch time – just like their normal school routine

MAKE A PLAN WITH YOUR KIDS: At the start of the day ask them what they want to do (within reason) so they feel involved

TURN OFF YOUR PHONE: How are your kids meant to feel involved if you are checking emails?

SET ASIDE BREAKS FOR TV, IPAD AND EXERCISE: Use these times to schedule work emails or calls

TAKE EXERCISE: Depending on where you live, if you have a garden or not – try and get some fresh air, this also allows you some headspace

FINISH AT A SET TIME, BEDTIME AT A SET TIME: By getting a routine drilled in early on, you can try and get the kids to sleep at a sensible time, thereby giving yourself some space to work if you need to

DON’T BE TEMPTED TO HIT THE WINE: If you can, evening time will be the only real time you can realistically work. If you drink your concentration will be poor, sleep poor and you’ll wake in a grumpy mood. Try and keep drinking to a minimum.

“We are heading into unchartered territory here and no one knows what life will look like at the end. It’s important to realise that time with your kids is a gift, don’t try and do too much – hopefully we can all stay relatively positive through this difficult time”, concludes Ratcliffe.

£1.5m National Lottery boost for Scottish Groups

Over 220 arts, sports and community groups across Scotland are sharing in a National Lottery cash boost of £1,570,035 announced today.

 The funding comes from National Lottery Awards for All Scotland – a quick and simple way to access small National Lottery grants of between £500 and £10,000.

Three Edinburgh-based organisations received funding in the latest round. Citadel Arts Group receives £5620 to produce a new play, ‘Beyond The Ash Tide’, about coping with loss and bereavement, and there’s £9900 for Indian Arts Connection, who plan to produce a festival showcasing the best of British talent in the field of classical music and dance.

Finally, Scottish Child Law Centre is awarded ££5929 to stage their annual conference, which this year focuses on teh rights of children and yong people with additional support needs.

Thanks to an award of £6,552, the Amputee Football Association Scotland will be able to appoint a Development Officer who will with both the senior and junior teams over the next 12 months as they prepare to take part in major events in Scotland and Poland.

Ashley Reid, Founder and CEO, Amputee Football Association Scotland, said: ‘This is an enormously exciting year for amputee football in Scotland.

“Not only will we host the nation’s first ever junior residential ever junior residential football camp, but we will see our Scotland squad compete for the first time in the Amputee Football European Championships in Krakow in September.

“Neither of these life-changing events would be possible without the support of The National Lottery, which has given us the means to grow the game of amputee football in Scotland from grassroots to international level.”

Dundee City Disability Sport will use their award of £7,500 to run training sessions for all of their coaches which will help them deliver a wider range of sporting activities for people with physical, learning and sensory disabilities across the city.

Stuart Gray, Chairperson, Dundee City Disability Sport, said: ‘On behalf of everyone we would like to express our gratitude to National Lottery players for this wonderful award.

“This funding means we can work with our member clubs to develop new programmes, support coach education and buy much needed equipment.”

An award of £9,790 means that Elgin Amateur Athletic Club can celebrate their 50th birthday in style by taking their athletes to training camps in athletic venues across Scotland to use their facilities.

The club will also be able to organise a series of events later in the year for the wider community to join in the celebrations.

Scott Hamilton, Head Coach and Chair, Elgin Amateur Athletic Club, said: We have nearly 100 members with 40 competing regularly at a high level.  These camps will provide them with the skills and experience they need to take it to the next level.

“This funding is essential for us and now we are looking forward to the year ahead and to celebrating our half century as a club with lots of excitement and hope for the future.”

 A National Lottery Awards for All Scotland spokesperson said: “This is National Lottery money making a real impact in communities across the country.

“The variety and scope of the 222 groups receiving funding today showcases the wide range of projects that can be funded through this programme and the difference that the smallest amounts of money can make.”

National Lottery Awards for All Scotland awards grants of between £300 and £10,000 to local groups.

To find out how what it could do for your community visit our website  https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/ or phone 0300 123 7110.

Not-for-profit lender marks record year

Not-for-profit lender DSL Business Finance had a record year in 2019, providing funding of £4.5 million to small and medium sized businesses and social enterprises in Scotland, up from £3.1m in 2018.

The Glasgow-headquartered alternative finance provider supports enterprise in Scotland by offering loans of up to £50,000* to organisations that would not generally be able to access traditional sources of funding.

DSL has increased its loan book dramatically in the last five years – in 2015 it provided total funding of £917,502. Its funding gives a major boost to the Scottish economy by supporting entrepreneurs, start-ups and growing businesses.

Between January and December 2019, DSL gave 207 loans to 173 enterprises and the average loan size was £21,616. This funding created 233 new jobs and maintained 1,012 existing positions.

DSL loans also led to further injections of funding, totalling £1.8m from the private sector and £318,150 from the public sector last year.

One business benefiting from DSL funding is the Nether Bow Café and Bistro on Edinburgh’s High Street, run by husband and wife team Levent and Filiz Celik who have more than 17 years of combined experience in the hospitality trade.

They had always wanted to run their own business and in April 2018 the opportunity arose to take over the coffee house they were working in and develop it as a café and bistro.

DSL provided the couple with a loan to refurbish the property, which included opening up the kitchen preparation area, increasing the customer cover space to 40 and other modernisation to allow the business to grow.  The restaurant employs up to 11 people during the busy Edinburgh Festival season and has been proving popular with customers.

The hard work of DSL in supporting small and medium sized enterprises has also been recognised recently.

DSL and two businesses it funded have been shortlisted in the Responsible Finance Citi Foundation’s  Microentrepreneurship Awards, an annual celebration of Britain’s microentrepreneurs who have accessed alternative  business finance from a Responsible Finance member.

DSL is a finalist in the Resilient Award category, up against other responsible finance providers from across the UK.

Zero waste store The Refillery, set-up in the southside of Edinburgh last year by entrepreneur Kelly Wright with funding from DSL, has been named as one of three UK finalists for an Environmental Sustainability of the Year award.

Former school friends Zander Macgregor and Allan Nairn who launched Wester Spirit Co in 2018, Glasgow’s first rum distillery for over 300 years, with funding from DSL, have been shortlisted in the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category.

Stuart Yuill, DSL Business Finance executive director (above), said: “Despite economic uncertainty, primarily around Brexit, it’s rewarding that we are able to support more small and medium sized enterprises than ever before across Scotland.

“We are already building on the record year we had in 2019 to continue to fund organisations and entrepreneurs that would otherwise struggle to get started or  grow. Our funding supports job creation and benefits the wider economy.

“I’m proud that our work, and the achievements of the organisations we fund, have been recognised by the Citi Foundation which celebrates entrepreneurship.”

No use crying … funding support for Spilt Milk

Fourteen social entrepreneurs have secured a share of £67,000 from social enterprise start-up agency Firstport. One of them is Leith-based Spilt Milk.

Start It awards are part of the Scottish Government’s Social Entrepreneurs Fund, supporting individuals who are focussed on piloting new ideas that are yet to get off the ground.  This latest round of funding sees individuals from across Scotland receiving funding, with the Borders, Dumfries, and Moray all represented.

Lauren McLaughlin is one of the fourteen social entrepreneurs to secure funding for her enterprise, Spilt Milk which is based in Edinburgh. A health and well-being social enterprise, Spilt Milk offers childcare-supported creative workshops, events and exhibitions to empower mothers.

With isolation and loneliness becoming a growing issue amongst young mothers under 30, Lauren set up Spilt Milk as a way of providing mothers a place to be social and creative. Having personal experience of social isolation, Lauren is passionate about the social benefit Spilt Milk has to offer and draws on her professional skills to provide the empowerment services.

Having already started work in several communities running workshops and hosting community exhibitions, Lauren is now ready to take the social enterprise to the next level and secure a workshop space to deliver her services.

Spilt Milk plans to rent a space in Leith through which they’ll deliver their empowerment programme. Their future goals include securing a permanent property with studio, workshop and gallery spaces as well as a crèche. 

Lauren McLaughlin, founder of Spilt Milk, said: “We are delighted to have received a Start It Award from Firstport. At Spilt Milk we are passionate about the power of the arts to shape communities and inspire change and we believe art should be accessible to all.

“The funding will allow us to build upon our childcare-supported creative workshop programme and reach more mothers throughout Edinburgh and beyond.” 

Josiah Lockhart, Chief Exec of Firstport said: “Spilt Milk is an exciting enterprise that people should keep an eye on, by combining creative arts with mothers’ wellbeing, it offers a novel way of challenging isolation in communities.

“It’s great to see such a large number of social entrepreneurs being awarded our Start It funding. This round shows how the social enterprise model continues to grow in popularity across the country, and how social and environmental missions are at the core of start-ups in Scotland.”