From everyone at LifeCare Edinburgh, thank you to all who donated, attended an event, volunteered, visited our café or liked or shared our social posts this year – we couldn’t have delivered our vital support for over 1,000 local older people and their unpaid carers without you.
On behalf of us all, have a lovely Christmas and we can’t wait to welcome you again in 2026!
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CHARITY
Dear Letters Editor,
This International Day of Charity (5 September) we would like to say thank you to each of the players of People’s Postcode Lottery whose generosity has enabled us to help around one million cats to date.
Since 2018, People’s Postcode Lottery players have raised £12,439,702 for Cats Protection, helping us be there for cats and kittens in need. One million cats’ lives have been changed for the better and this incredible milestone could not have been achieved without players’ support.
Thanks to People’s Postcode Lottery players we have been able to remain at the forefront of research on cat welfare, using our decades of experience to support cat owners to keep their pets happy, healthy and safe.
Helping people understand their cats means we can often avoid owners having to give up their pets. But when rehoming is the right thing to do, our teams look after cats with care and kindness, finding them loving new homes.
We speak up for cats, changing laws to give cats more protection and also run the world’s largest single-species neutering programme, for both pets and feral cats.
When cat owners face hard times, we work to keep them with their pets, offering a temporary foster service for those fleeing domestic abuse, supporting those facing the loss of their cat as well as peace of mind when an owner passes away that their cat will be looked after and rehomed.
Whatever it takes, we’re here for cats and the people who care for them, thanks to People’s Postcode Lottery players.
Yours faithfully
Cat Jarvis
Senior Philanthropy Communications Officer, Cats Protection
Scottish Labour MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, Tracy Gilbert, has welcomed the lifting of sanctions on Syria.
Tracy Gilbert MP wrote to the Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer MP, following concerns raised by her constituent, Youssef Al Hariri. Al Hariri contacted Tracy Gilbert’s office expressing his deep concern about the ongoing sanctions in Syria. In response, the Minister confirmed that the UK had recently revised aspects of its Syria sanctions regime.
As of 6 March, the UK government lifted asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities including the Central Bank of Syria, Syrian Arab Airlines, and energy companies.
In a letter from the Minister for the Middle East to Tracy Gilbert MP, he confirmed that: “On 6th March we lifted asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people, including the Central Bank of Syria, Syrian Arab Airlines, and energy companies.
“These de-listings underscore our commitment to help the people of Syria rebuild their country and economy.”
Speaking after the meeting, Tracy Gilbert MP said: ““I was grateful to meet with members of the Syrian community here in Edinburgh and to share the government’s response.
“While these policy changes were already underway, it’s thanks to input from constituents like Youssef Al Hariri that the UK government takes the positive decisions to support Syria as it tries to end the decade long civil war, move on from the oppression of the Assad regime and develop for the future.”
Youssef Al Hariri said: “I am grateful to Tracy Gilbert for taking the time to visit our group today and for bringing positive news. This is an important step forward by the British Government, and it is most welcome.
“However, it is vital that this positive progression continues and at a swift pace to avoid further instability in Syria. I look forward to working closely with Tracy and her team as we continue to push for peace.”
Junior school Children at @george_heriots_school once again chose ESUB to benefit from their Non-Uniform Day fundraiser which went ahead on Friday 7th February.
They raised an incredible £656.50 which will go a long way to support our work around Edinburgh.
Thank you all so much for your continued support
First Minister John Swinney has thanked Scotland’s national poet, Makar Kathleen Jamie, for her contribution to public life as her three year tenure comes to an end.
The Makar’s work was celebrated at an Edinburgh International Book Festival event, attended by the First Minister, which saw award-winning composer David Paul Jones take Kathleen Jamie’s back catalogue of poems and set them to music.
Mr Swinney said: “I want to thank Kathleen Jamie and pay tribute to the stellar work she has done over the last three years as Scotland’s fourth modern Makar, and as a national ambassador for poetry in Scotland and overseas.
“Her term as Makar will leave a powerful legacy. She encouraged the public to become engaged with the role by writing a series of collective poems curated from individual lines of poetry submitted by the people of Scotland. This allowed a large number of people to contribute to the important role of Makar.
“Kathleen has also recently completed a collective poem using lines from prisoners throughout Scotland on the theme of hope, which I am very much looking forward to reading when it is published shortly.”
Kathleen Jamie said: “It’s been a huge honour to be Scotland’s fourth modern Makar and I have greatly enjoyed this role.
“I have performed at the opening of Parliament, written poems to commemorate the COP26 Summit and the life of the late Queen and I have toured libraries from Kirkwall to Coatbridge, tapping into the rich seam of grassroots poetry activities taking place across Scotland.
“In 3 ‘collective poems’ I curated pieces from lines provided by hundreds of members of the public. We wrote a National Nature Poem, a Letter to the People of Ukraine, and a Letter to World Leaders. I was happy to be asked to extend this to the prison population and develop a poem on the theme of hope.
“The role of the Makar is vital in engaging a vast audience with poetry. Rather than speaking to or for the nation, I am most proud of enabling the nation to speak for itself, and keep poetry at its heart.”
“This week is National Volunteer Week, celebrating the tremendous impact volunteers have on communities around the UK. Volunteers’ Week is a UK wide campaign that takes place from 1-7 June every year. The Volunteers’ Week campaign started in 1984 making this the 39th year.
Edinburgh Leisure is proud to be supported by 113 volunteers who run or support 91 Active Communities sessions each week. We thank all our volunteers for the continued support and effort they put into volunteering with us.
“Volunteers are crucial to helping Edinburgh Leisure achieve outcomes such as improving physical and mental health while making more people more active.
“Without them, our Active Communities programme would not be the same. I would also like to thank our volunteer managers who play an integral role to provide an enjoyable and rewarding experience for our volunteers.
“In my new role working with volunteers, I am excited to bring the volunteer celebration event back for the first time since 2019. It will take place later in the month at Norton Park Conference Centre.
“The volunteer celebration is a fantastic opportunity to bring our community of volunteers together to thank them for their hard work, hear about the positive impact their volunteering has on Active Communities participants and provide a space for volunteers to spend time together to talk about their experiences.
“If you would like to find out more about volunteering opportunities with Edinburgh Leisure, we’d love to hear from you. There are lots of ways to get involved. However, you choose to donate your time, you’ll be making a difference to local people’s lives.”
Find out more: https://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/work-with-us/become-a-volunteer
Dear Editor
I would like to send my personal thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, who have been supporting Cats Protection since 2018.
During that time, funds raised by players have enabled us to help and care for around 10,000 cats and kittens in our adoption centres across England, Scotland and Wales, while they await their forever homes.
In addition, they have also helped us provide cat behaviour expertise to our cat care volunteers and staff and adopters; run our Paws to Listen grief support service to help bereaved cat owners; and speak up for cats to help create positive change for cat welfare via our advocacy work.
Thank you to all the players of People’s Postcode Lottery for your ongoing support. Together we create a better world for cats.
Anyone wishing to adopt a cat or support Cats Protection, or seeking advice on cat welfare, can find out more at www.cats.org.uk
Yours sincerely,
John May,
Chief Executive, Cats Protection
Housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland has thanked shoppers for helping it raise a record breaking £24,000 at the 20th Anniversary of its Stockbridge January launch event.
The charity shop’s ever popular January extravaganza attracts excited bargain hunters from across Edinburgh and beyond.
This year saw queues out the door well in advance of the 10am opening time. Shopper patience was rewarded as they snapped up designer clothes from brands such as Prada and Ralph Lauren, early jazz records on shellac as well as beautiful antiques.
Shelter Scotland is gearing up for the rest of the year and keeping one eye on 2024’s launch event, by asking people to donate any high-quality goods and clothes to help support the fight for home.
Director of Shelter Scotland, Alison Watson, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who donated items that were sold at our January launch and everyone who came along to grab a bargain on the day.
“Over its 20 years our Stockbridge January launch has become renowned across the Capital, so it was no surprise to see people queuing out the door before we’d even opened.
“Raising more than £24,000 from our launch is an incredible start to our year, but we want to keep that momentum going. If you have any good quality items or clothes that you no longer need then please consider them donating to your local Shelter Scotland shop.
“There is a housing emergency in Scotland that is causing misery in communities across the country. The incredible generosity of our donors and customers will help us in our fight to end that injustice.”
This Earth Day, one month until the nation’s favourite broadcaster and environmentalist Sir David Attenborough celebrates his 96th birthday, Thankbox has launched an opportunity for all to wish the icon a very special happy birthday to be shared with the legend himself.
Launched in May 2020, Thankbox is an online group card that solves the issues related to card and cash collections for special occasions as well as supporting eco-friendly efforts in reducing the use of paper. With the option to include photos, GIFs, videos and a collection point, Thankbox is revolutionising the generic card for something more memorable.
The public Thankbox for Sir David Attenborough will coincide with a fundraiser for Fauna & Flora International – a conservation charity that he has been a member of for 60+ years and Vice President for 40+ years.
Founded in 1903, FFI is regarded as the world’s oldest international wildlife conservation organisation and focuses on protecting biodiversity.
The digital birthday card will allow people anywhere in the world to leave a message wishing Sir David a Happy Birthday and make a donation to FFI.
With over 40,000 species in danger, the initiative aims to raise £10,000 for the conservation charity.
Furthermore, Thankbox is committed to increasing positive environmental impact by planting a tree for every 10 Thankboxes sold. To date, it has planted 3,231 trees, offsetting emissions equal to 11,400 car trips between New York and LA.
Individuals can contribute to the birthday card on Thankbox.com until the 8th of May.
Jonny Wright, Senior Director, Communications & Fundraising at Fauna & Flora International said: “We are thrilled to be supported by Thankbox through this unique and innovative campaign celebrating our vice-president, Sir David Attenborough.
“We would like to thank everyone at Thankbox – and to all who sign the online card – for their generosity. Their donations will contribute to our work with local communities around the world to protect and restore nature.”
As Scotland faces one of its most challenging winters, Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has praised the continued courage, commitment and professionalism of Scotland’s health, social care and social work staff.
In his Christmas message, Mr Yousaf said: “This year has been an incredible race to get ahead of COVID-19 with a vaccination programme which has been the largest logistical peacetime operation Scotland has ever seen.
“As we set our sights on recovery, we have had to adapt and respond to new variants, following guidelines which are constantly updated to take on board the course of this pandemic.
“Every single person working in health, social care and social work has continued to provide exemplary care in the most trying of circumstances, saving lives and protecting our NHS at a high cost both personally and professionally.
“You continue to be extraordinary in your response to unprecedented demands, delivering services in what can often be new and often unfamiliar ways. I have heard directly from some of you about the impact that working in pandemic conditions has had. And I want to sincerely thank you for everything you have done, and continue to do, during this difficult time.
“We will only overcome the challenges ahead if we look after our most valuable asset – the people who provide care through this pandemic. Your wellbeing, wherever you work in the sector, is a key priority.
“Now more than ever, it is critical to look after your wellbeing, and that of your colleagues, and provide support so you can take the time you need to access local and national wellbeing resources available.
“To complement the help that is available to you at a local level, we also have a range of services on hand through the National Wellbeing Hub, including a 24/7 National Wellbeing Helpline, confidential mental health treatment through the Workforce Specialist Service and Coaching for Wellbeing resources.
“I implore you to speak up if you or a colleague need support. You are doing an amazing job, and deserve our help in return.
“The pandemic has been the most significant challenge the NHS has faced in its 73-year history. We know that it is not over, and that the new Omicron variant and other pressures will continue to impact us for some time.
“We hope this Christmas will not be as restrictive as last year, but we’re asking everyone to play their part in helping to suppress the virus by limiting their socialising as much as possible. This is to save lives, and to support all of you in the work that you do. Because we will overcome this virus if we work together and think carefully about how our actions might impact others.
“I want to share my heartfelt gratitude for everything you continue to do in order to support and care for the people of Scotland, and take this opportunity to wish you a happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.”
