Building brighter futures through confidence with numbers. That was the message today for children and young people from across the Capital as they celebrated National Numeracy Day.
The national scheme, run by charity National Numeracy, aims to promote confidence through numbers and how we use them in our everyday lives.
Here in Edinburgh at Piershill Library, Great British Bake-Off Winner, and National Numeracy Ambassador Peter Sawkins, led a reading group for local children.
A singing session then took place, led by library colleagues, before finishing with refreshments.
The aim of the event was to show local children the variety of situations where maths and numeracy were important.
Also in attendance were Depute Lord Provost, Councillor Lezley Marion-Cameron and Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker, alongside library colleagues, representatives from National Numeracy, Education Scotland, and the Scottish Book Trust.
Culture and Communities Convener Councillor Val Walker said: “I was delighted to attend the event today at Piershill Library to celebrate National Numeracy Day. It was fantastic to hear from National Numeracy Ambassador Peter Sawkins and all the children who attended enjoyed it tremendously.
“I am proud that our libraries can host such diverse and fun events for our residents to enjoy.”
Three young people from Edinburgh have been announced as finalists in this year’s Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards in recognition of their incredible achievements.
All three impressed an esteemed panel of judges with their outstanding contributions to their communities.
Peter Sawkins, winner of last year’s Great British Bake Off, is a finalist in the Entertainment category.
The Edinburgh University student became the first Scot and the youngest ever winner of the popular TV show when he took home the crown last year. He is passionate about Scottish produce and enjoys taking inspiration from locally sourced ingredients when designing his bakes.
Despite his newfound fame, Peter, who grew up watching the show, is committed to finishing his accounting degree and is appreciating having time to bake for friends and family.
Lucy Challoner, 22, is a finalist in the Young Hero category, which celebrates young people who have shown amazing courage, battled the odds or showed incredible perseverance in the face of adversity.
When Covid restrictions prevented Lucy from visiting her mum in her care home, she made the brave decision to move her home where Lucy took on the role of her mum’s fulltime carer.
The social work student, who acts as her brother’s kinship carer, has also been campaigning for face-to-face visits with her 98-year-old gran in her care home – recognising the negative impacts visitation restrictions were having on her mental wellbeing.
Lucy’s campaign was eventually successful, and her tireless efforts have given a voice to all care home residents and their relatives.
Kieran Miller, 17, is a finalist in the Enhancing Education category, which awards young people who are determined to make a positive difference in improving education for others.
A passionate advocate for mental health support, Kieran assisted in the delivery of his school’s first Boys Mental Health Day. He played a pivotal role in the day, discussing his personal experiences with younger students and encouraging pupils to talk openly about their own challenges.
The talented footballer has overcome adversity in his own life and was recently voted head boy of his school.
The Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards aim to recognise and inspire the nation’s young people. This year’s winners will be announced during a live online ceremony on 22 April – marking the Award’s fifteenth year of championing and celebrating the achievements of young people from all communities across Scotland.
The finalists join a prestigious roll call of previous recipients including Sir Andy Murray, Olympian Laura Muir, and top vlogger Jamie Genevieve. Recent winners include actor Ncuti Gatwa from Netflix’s Sex Education and the team behind Fridays For Future Scotland.
Louise Macdonald OBE, Chief Executive of Young Scot, said:“Peter, Lucy and Kieran’s inspiring achievements show how important young people are to Scotland and their incredible contribution to communities in Edinburgh.
“A huge congratulations to all of the 2021 finalists – we can’t wait to celebrate their achievements at the Awards ceremony!”
A new campaign celebrating the wide range of produce grown and made in Scotland has been launched with the help of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ winner, Peter Sawkins.
‘Scotland brings so much to the table’, a joint campaign by the Scottish Government and Scotland Food & Drink, encourages shoppers to explore Scotland’s vast natural larder and try more of the world renowned produce available on our doorstep.
The campaign, which has a dedicated website onthetable.scot for people to find out how they can get involved, forms part of the Scottish Food and Drink Recovery Plan to support the industry to recover from coronavirus (COVID-19) and Brexit.
With fewer opportunities to eat out over the past year, more people have been cooking meals at home from scratch – but many aren’t actually aware of how our shopping habits can directly benefit the Scottish food and drink industry.
Lots of supermarkets, local retailers, farmers’ markets and online delivery sites stock a huge range and selection of affordable, health, locally grown, made and sourced Scottish produce that the campaign encourages people to try more of.
A recent survey carried out by the Scotland Food & Drink Partnership revealed that there has been an increase in people who have bought more locally sourced foods since the start of the pandemic.
The survey revealed that of those adults in Scotland who are red meat buyers, 14% started to buy local or bought more local red meat since the start of COVID-19 pandemic and 17% of adults started to buy or bought more locally grown and sourced vegetables.
The research also showed that people who were buying more locally sourced products did so to show support to local farmers and producers, knowing that they were helping the local economy. They also felt the products would be fresher and of greater quality.
Peter Sawkins uses and champions Scottish products in his cooking and baking every day and is encouraging us all to follow suit.
Commenting on the campaign, Peter Sawkins said: “Scotland has so many products that go beyond the classic haggis and salmon, from everyday staples such as eggs, milk and vegetables to the more unusual celeriac, nori and scallops.
“When I’m cooking at home I try to cook with seasonal local Scottish products as much as possible. Although most foods are available in the shops all year round, it’s important to buy locally sourced food when they are in season as they are never beaten on taste.”
Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “Scotland is renowned globally for our amazing natural larder and we must do all we can to protect and promote our successful food and drink sector. From farm to fork, from pier to plate, there is something for everyone to try. And much of our seasonal produce is affordable and readily available.
“We know the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit have both had a huge impact on the way people shop, eat and drink and it is more important than ever to show support for our local producers and everyone working in our food and drink industry. The Scottish Government is committed to doing just that and I am pleased to launch this campaign, which can help the sector recover from recent challenges.
“Whether you are a self-confessed foodie or a busy parent looking to make a budget-friendly family dinner, there is a wide range of Scottish ingredients and produce for every taste, budget and diet. I encourage everyone to explore what Scotland brings to the table.”
James Withers, Chief Executive of Scotland Food & Drink, said: “Scotland’s food and drink sector is underpinned by farmers, fishermen, food and drink producers with a passion for what they are producing matched by their talent and ambition.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for them to have their hard work and passion seen by consumers. Our industry has an amazing story to tell and this our chance to tell it.
“We have always had the ingredients for success but after a tough 12 months, our food and drink businesses need the support of the Scottish public now more than ever.
“From our award-winning meat and seafood to innovative bakeries and dairies, it is great to showcase the breadth of fantastic local producers and encourage Scots to appreciate the unrivalled larder that we are so lucky to have on our doorstep.”
To find out just how much Scotland brings to the table and how to support the Scottish food and drink industry, tuck into onthetable.scot
