With 12 days until Christmas, St James Quarter has launched a brand-new gift-wrapping service, giving shoppers a helping hand this festive season.
Located on level one of the Galleria, the St James Quarter volunteers can expertly wrap gifts of all shapes and sizes, in exchange for a charity donation for the shopping destination’s charity partners, Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids and Deaf Action.
The festive service launched on Saturday where the volunteers were joined by The Rolling Hills and St Giles choirs who serenaded shoppers with Christmas tunes to help spread the Christmas cheer this year.
The gift-wrapping service will continue until Christmas eve and is available from Thursday to Sunday, 12 noon until 6pm. St James Quarter is also spreading the festive cheer to the lower levels, with unlimited parking for £5 after 5:30pm this festive season.
UK Government and NHS announce ambition to recruit tens of thousands of volunteers to help get jabs into arms
All eligible adults will be offered the chance to get their jab before the New Year
PM: “We need you to come forward again, to work alongside our brilliant GPs, doctors, nurses and pharmacists, to deliver jabs and save lives.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and NHS Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard have joined forces to issue a rallying cry for thousands of volunteers to come forward and support the NHS booster campaign.
The public will be urged to play a crucial role in the UK’s fight against Omicron by helping the NHS to get as many jabs into arms as quickly as possible. No task will be too small to contribute towards this national effort.
Yesterday the Prime Minister announced a new ambition for every eligible adult to have the chance to get their jab by the end of the year.
This follows new evidence that suggest the Omicron variant is extremely transmissible and two jabs are not enough to protect against infection.
The new target means the NHS will be massively ramping up its vaccine operations in the next few days, and it needs as many people as possible to play their part by volunteering their time to help.
Urging volunteers to sign up to the booster drive, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “As part of our Get Boosted Now vaccination drive we need to increase our jabbing capacity to unprecedented levels.
“But to achieve something on this scale, we need your help. So today I’m issuing a call for volunteers to join our national mission to get jabs in arms.
“We need tens of thousands of people to help out – everyone from trained vaccinators to stewards.
“Many thousands have already given their time – but we need you to come forward again, to work alongside our brilliant GPs, doctors, nurses and pharmacists, to deliver jabs and save lives.
“So please come forward if you can.”
There are now almost 3,000 vaccine sites across the country, staffed by over 90,000 volunteers who have given up 1.1 million hours of time so far.
In the next week hundreds more sites, mobile units and pop ups will be springing up across the country. These will be in a range of locations that will make it as easy as possible for people to get boosted – such as at football stadia, shopping centres and racecourses.
This means volunteers are needed to perform tasks such as registering patients, managing queues and giving jabs.
Last week the NHS announced a recruitment drive for 10,000 paid vaccinators and support staff and that it will also work with the Royal Voluntary Service and St. John Ambulance to recruit a further 40,000 volunteers for roles such as admin and stewarding queues.
In the last week, 13,000 people have come forward as steward volunteers, and a further 4,500 people have registered their interest to take up one of the 10,000 paid vaccinator roles. The government and NHS now want to go even further.
NHS England Chief Executive Amanda Pritchard said: “In the face of the grave threat posed by the new Omicron strain of Covid, the NHS is seeking to offer vaccine booster protection to all eligible adults by the end of the month, a new national mission in which everyone can play their part.
“There is no doubt that our incredible NHS staff will rise to the challenge but we cannot do this alone – we need the support of the public and volunteers to once again support the Covid vaccination programme.
“Since we first issued a call to arms we have had an outstanding response but Omicron has shifted the goalposts and we are now renewing our plea to the nation – I would urge anyone who has volunteered in the past, or considered it but not taken up the opportunity, to come forward now – search ‘NHS vaccine team’ today and find out more about how you can help us save lives.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “To help us turbocharge our COVID-19 booster programme we need people across the country to join our national mission to get boosted now.
“We are so grateful to the volunteer vaccinators from organisations such as St John Ambulance and Royal Voluntary Service who have made an enormous contribution by administering millions of vaccinations since the start of this year.”
People interested in either a voluntary or paid role are urged to visit the Join Vaccine Team page or search ‘NHS vaccine team’. People who volunteered or were trained for paid roles previously are also being contacted to help out again.
Scotland’s First Minister will make a statement on the situation in Scotland this afternoon. It’s expected that restrictions will be strengthened here as Omicron variant cases continue to rise sharply across the UK.
Armed forces step up to support vaccination drive across UK
Over 100 personnel are currently supporting the vaccine rollout in Scotland. 600 Armed Forces personnel have been made available to NHS England to administer vaccines, working in small teams across the country.
In addition, around 50 personnel will provide planning support to NHS England. 41 planners will deploy to NHS trusts across England and 10 logistics experts will be based at NHS England’s headquarters in London.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “We have rapidly mobilised Service personnel to work alongside our dedicated health services to accelerate the vaccine booster programme.
“Our Armed Forces will help to get vaccines into arms as quickly as possible as we continue our efforts to support the UK’s response to the pandemic.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “We are turbocharging our COVID-19 booster programme to offer every adult in England a vaccine by the end of the year to protect people from the Omicron variant.
“Building our defences through boosters is a hugely important national mission and it’s brilliant to see the military supporting our NHS staff in our race against the virus.
“Please get boosted now to top-up your immunity and keep yourself and your loved ones safe this winter.”
Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said: “I’m proud of our Armed Forces who are once again stepping up to help protect people and communities.
“We have a long history of working hand in hand with the NHS as two organisations with a common goal – to help keep our people safe.”
Planners based at NHS England headquarters will be led by Brigadier Phil Prosser who was previously deployed to support the delivery of the vaccine programme which began in December 2020. They will work alongside NHS England to maximise existing capacity and ensure the vaccine programme can be delivered at pace.
Since March 2020, Defence has supported over 430 tasks as part of Operation Rescript – Defence’s support to the UK’s response to the pandemic.
Defence is currently supporting ambulance services in Wales and Scotland and the vaccine rollout in Scotland among other tasks including testing.
Personnel supporting on Operation Rescript tasks have deployed from across the three services – Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force – and are a mixture of regulars and reservists.
We’re officially moving to our brand new home in Granton THIS WEEKEND! We’ve had an incredible year and a half at the wonderful Leith Theatre, but it’s now time for us to part ways
This means we’re looking to recruit new volunteers across every aspect of our organisation to help us continue the amazing work that’s been done since April 2020. We’ve provided over a million and a quarter meals free of charge and judgement to vulnerable people across Edinburgh and we need your help to keep delivering 5,000+ meals each week.
Can you lend a hand cooking, packing, delivering, cleaning, fundraising, in business, HR, finance (and many, many other things)? Please get in touch today to sign up and join our community!
The Stroke Association is calling on you to take part in a walking challenge to support the thousands of stroke survivors living with the devastating effects of stroke. The Kiltwalk takes place on Sunday 26 September from Glasgow Green at 11am.
Amanda Potter from Greenock said: “I decided to take part in Kiltwalk this year as it is something I have not yet taken part in when fundraising for a charity. I have previously taken part in the Stroke Association’s Resolution Run in 2019 after my mum had a stroke in August 2018 at only 52 years old.
“Without the money raised through fundraising, there would have been no treatment for my mum to continue to live her life again.
“I’m super excited to be taking part in Kiltwalk this year with some of my work colleagues and help raise awareness and money for a great cause!”
The walk is open to anyone from Scotland. Participants can take part by undertaking The Mighty Stride of 16.5 miles or the Wee Wander of 3.5 miles.
Andrea Watt, Fundraiser for the North of Scotland said: “Be a Kiltwalk hero in 2021 and join Team Stroke! All Kiltwalk fundraising for the Stroke Association gets a massive 50% boost from The Hunter Foundation.
So why not take on the challenge as a family or maybe a team effort with your work colleagues? Whatever you want to do! We hope to see you there!
Sign up at www.thekiltwalk.co.uk and select Stroke Association as your chosen charity.
On Saturday 25 September, Scottish charity People Know How and Polwarth Parish Church will be officially launching their new canal boat, All Aboard.
After People Know How and Polwarth Parish Church announced their partnership in 2019, they ran a pilot project including consultations, events and activities on a chartered canal boat, including projects and events for young people and the community.
The pilot demonstrated the importance of their aims to provide a space for wellbeing and community cohesion and the response they received from participants was overwhelmingly positive.
In February of this year, the two partners finalised the purchase of their own custom-built canal boat, and in June that boat was craned into the Union Canal. Since then, they have been getting it ready for its official launch.
Anna Philbrick, All Aboard Coordinator, said: “It’s been an exciting process preparing our new boat to officially launch on the canal – from installing the bright yellow canopy and lift, to training up our team of volunteers, to ensuring our boat is safe and accessible for all.
“The launch comes at a pivotal time in the canal community’s recovery from the pandemic, and we’re really looking forward to start hosting sessions and projects as well as new volunteers interested in this unique opportunity. We can’t wait to welcome everyone on board!”
The launch event invites you on board the new boat and offers many opportunities to get involved with All Aboard. The project is currently looking for crew and helmsman volunteers to support the running of the boat, taking young people, families and adults on trips on the canal.
There are also opportunities to provide support on the boat through art, music, meditation or any other ideas you might have!
Come down to the All Aboard canal boat at 36-38 Polwarth Terrace between 2pm and 4pm on Saturday 25 September and join us for the launch of All Aboard!
An ambitious new research project, Spectrum 10K, launches today and will recruit 10,000 autistic individuals, as well as their relatives, living in the UK.
There is an urgent need to better understand the wellbeing of autistic individuals. Spectrum 10K hopes to answer questions such as why some autistic people have epilepsy or poor mental health outcomes and others do not
Simon Baron-Cohen
Spectrum 10K is led by researchers at the world-leading Autism Research Centre (ARC), the University of Cambridge, together with the Wellcome Sanger Institute and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and will study how biological and environmental factors impact on the wellbeing of autistic individuals.
In the UK, there are approximately 700,000 autistic individuals. The level of support needed by autistic individuals varies considerably. Many autistic people have additional physical health conditions such as epilepsy, or mental health conditions such as anxiety or depression.
It is unclear what gives rise to the diversity within the autism spectrum or why some autistic people have better outcomes than others. The project aims to answer this question and to identify what support works best for each individual.
Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, leading Spectrum 10K and Director of the ARC, explained: “There is an urgent need to better understand the wellbeing of autistic individuals. Spectrum 10K hopes to answer questions such as why some autistic people have epilepsy or poor mental health outcomes and others do not.”
Individuals of all ages, genders, ethnicities and intellectual capacities will take part in Spectrum 10K. Eligible participants join by completing an online questionnaire and providing a DNA saliva sample by post.
Autistic participants involved in Spectrum 10K can also invite their biological relatives (autistic or otherwise) to participate.
Information collected from the questionnaire and DNA saliva sample, and information from health records will be used to increase knowledge and understanding of wellbeing in autism.
Dr James Cusack, CEO of the autism research charity Autistica and an autistic person, said: “We are delighted to support Spectrum 10K. This project enables autistic people to participate in and shape autism research to build a future where support is tailored to every individual’s needs.”
The Spectrum 10K team views autism as an example of neurodiversity and is opposed to eugenics or looking for a cure for preventing or eradicating autism itself. Instead, their research aims to identify types of support and treatment which alleviate unwanted symptoms and co-occurring conditions that cause autistic people distress.
The Spectrum 10K team collaborates with an Advisory Panel consisting of autistic individuals, parents of autistic children, clinicians, and autism charity representatives to ensure Spectrum 10K is designed in a way that best serves the autistic community.
27 specialist NHS sites around the UK are also helping with recruitment for Spectrum 10K.
Dr Venkat Reddy, Consultant Neurodevelopmental Paediatrician in the Community Child Health Services at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, said: “There is a need to conduct further research into autism and co-occurring conditions to enable researchers and clinicians to build a better understanding of autism.
“I would encourage autistic individuals and their families to consider taking part in Spectrum 10K.”
Dr Anna and Alastair Gadney, parents of a teenager with autism and learning difficulties: “We have been exploring, over many years, how to implement the best support for our son.
“We wholeheartedly endorse Spectrum 10K and hope our involvement can help increase understanding of autism and in-turn support many families out there.”
Chris Packham, naturalist and TV presenter who is also autistic, said: “I’m honoured to be an ambassador of Spectrum 10K because I believe in the value of science to inform the support services that autistic kids and adults will need.”
Paddy McGuinness, actor, comedian, television presenter, and father of three autistic children, said: “As a parent of three autistic children, I am really excited to support Spectrum 10K.
“This research is important to help us understand what makes every autistic person different, and how best to support them.”
Recruitment for Spectrum 10K is now open. Autistic children under the age of 16 must be registered by their parent or legal guardian. Autistic adults who lack the capacity to consent by themselves must be registered by a carer/or family member.
Adam Ant, Lulu, Tony Hadley, ABC, Howard Jones, Heather Small and many more …
LOVE LIVE music? Love the 80s? Then why not volunteer at Let’s Rock Scotland this summer?
By signing up to do a four-hour shift with festival charity partner Child Bereavement UK, ticket scanning and selling wristbands and raffle tickets on the day, you’ll not only be helping a great cause, you’ll also be able to enjoy the festival free of charge.
Let’s Rock Scotland takes place at Dalkeith Country Park on Saturday 28 August 2021 and will include performances from Adam Ant, Lulu, Tony Hadley, ABC, Howard Jones, Heather Small and many more.
Child Bereavement UK helps children and young people (up to the age of 25), parents, and families, to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.The charity also provides training to professionals, equipping them to provide the best possible care to bereaved families.
To volunteer please visit www.childbereavementuk.org/lets-rock-the-80s-and-pennfest. Volunteers will be fully briefed at the start of their shift and will be supported by Child Bereavement UK staff throughout. They will also have access to free water and snacks whilst volunteering and will be provided with any PPE required, in line with regulations.
To find out more about the charity and for support please visit:
ELREC organised a lunch for their team of volunteers to say thank-you for their efforts during the coronavirus pandemic.
ELREC’s chair Foysul Choudhury MBE MSP explained: “We wanted to show our appreciation to all our volunteers who have helped us deliver vital work during Covid 19.
“The volunteers came together every Friday to collect Fareshare food, prepare food boxes, order and include halal chicken and then deliver to local communities in Edinburgh.
“Since June 2020 we have supported over 250 families with food boxes. The demand is still high however due to end of funding we have had to reduce our supply to 25 boxes per week.
“The event was attended by 32 of our dedicated volunteers and staff members. We had lovely lunch and provided gift bags and certificates to everyone involved.”
The lunch was organised by Foysol (above left), ELREC secretary Ragnish Singh and Honorary President Sir Geoff Palmer OBE.
