Scottish Government prepare for Amber Alert
For the Fallen
Mohammed Asghar
Capital Voices Choir
Teapot Trust
Transport Minister Keith Brown chaired a Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) meeting yesterday, following the Met Office ‘Amber’ Alert for prolonged and heavy rain until Tuesday morning, and disruption due to flooding.
While the majority of travel modes at a national level are largely unaffected including aviation, road and rail – high winds and heavy rain have caused ferry cancellations and restrictions on some roads and bridges, with further disruption to travel likely to continue in some areas, particularly the north west.
Following the launch last week of the Scottish Government’s ‘Ready for Winter’ campaign, Mr Brown said the Scottish Government and its partners are monitoring weather events closely to ensure all of the necessary preparations are in place and ready to respond to events as required.
Speaking from the Scottish Government’s Traffic Control Centre at South Queensferry where he was co-ordinating the effort, Mr Brown said:
“Last week the Scottish Government launched its ‘Ready for Winter’ Campaign to raise awareness around the challenges winter can bring for communities across the country and highlight some of the preparations people can make to help mitigate the effects. This weekend’s Amber alert from the Met Office – the first of this winter – is another timely reminder that we are now moving into winter proper, and all of the sudden changes poor weather can bring.
“That is why the Scottish Government and its partners stand ready to respond to events as they arise.
“Today I chaired a Scottish Government Resilience Room meeting at our traffic control centre with responders including Transport Scotland, local authorities, Police Scotland and SEPA colleagues in attendance, to assess conditions and further weather forecasts and deal with any issues likely to affect travellers and local communities.
“We have already witnessed the effects of some high winds and very heavy rain over parts of the country, and the Met Office are indicating conditions are set to continue until Tuesday morning, so we should not be complacent. The majority of transport modes are largely unaffected at a national level including aviation, trunk roads motorways, and rail, however there are some local issues arising which we are watching closely and responding to as needed.
“The heavy rain is a particular problem and we have seen seen disruption to some local and trunk roads, in particular the A82, due to surface water, debris on the roads and flooding. Issues are being managed on the ground by the police and welfare issues resolved to get drivers on their way. High winds are also affecting access to road bridges and delays and cancellations to ferry services across the Clyde and Hebrides routes. There are also some delays on the Glasgow Central to Largs rail line at Kilwinning which rail travellers should be aware of.
“As usual we ask people setting out to be prepared and plan their journeys by listening to radio reports, visit the Traffic Scotland website or twitter feed, heed any police advice, and consult their local travel operators.
“We and our partners are working hard to make sure that Scotland is prepared for any disruption, and we will continue to monitor events through our national control centre and Scottish Government Resilience Room as required.”
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The Edinburgh Reporter was in Waverley Station yesterday afternoon to capture the arrival of the special liveried train, East Coast Locomotive 91 111 For the Fallen.
Here is the video:
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Sheila Gilmore MP for Edinburgh East is working to keep the UK government focused on the plight of Edinburgh man, Mohammed Asghar, who is detained in Pakistan. Ms Gilmore posed the question at Prime Minister’s Questions last week : “A few months ago, I raised with the Prime Minister the case of my former constituent Mr Mohammed Asghar, who was in prison in Pakistan. Since then, he has been shot in prison by a security guard. His family would like him returned to this country under a prisoner transfer agreement. What steps will the Prime Minister take to achieve that?”
The Prime Minister replied: “The Honorable Lady is absolutely right to raise this case. The way this man has been treated is appalling. It is particularly appalling that, as she said, he was shot while in prison, supposedly being protected by the Pakistani authorities. We have raised this case—and I have raised it personally—with the leaders of Pakistan, and we are obviously considering the case for a prisoner transfer, but those had to be suspended in recent years because Pakistan released prisoners whom we had returned to them. So there is a problem there. However, we take this case very seriously and are raising it at every level in Pakistan.”
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Capital Voices Choir are just about to start a new term and they welcome new members.
They meet on Tuesdays @ 7pm -9pm in Greenbank Church Hall, South Morningside. Find them on Facebook – or call 07804 573 780.
They sing pop, soul, spirituals and country. “No music,no auditions- just sing and go home happy!”
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On the evening of Thursday October 30 at 6.00 PM the Scottish charity, the Teapot Trust (http://www.teapot-trust.org/), celebrates its 4th birthday with a special reception at the prestigious George Hotel, 19-21 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PB.
The reception will reveal a gallery of childrens’ posters produced by children affected by chronic illnesses and there will be a short speech by special guest Sir Kenneth Calman.
The event is free of charge and will demonstrate how the charity provides professional art therapy in a medical environment to children coping with chronic illness. Its work focuses on supporting thousands of children each year suffering from complex rheumatological diseases, including Lupus.
Dedicated Teapot Trust art therapists work in medical settings, including clinics, hospital wards, and hospices, in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness and Kinross to support children coping with the emotional and mental strain that so often accompanies their battle with illness.
The Charity’s Founder, and Tesco Charitable Mum of the Year Laura Young and her team will be on hand to explain the work of the amazing organisation and the wonderful success they have achieved.
There will be also be a special announcement about the charity’s growth plans and the expansion of the Teapot Trust’s work beyond Scotland. The charity started initially in Edinburgh and now stretches to five other Scottish cities.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
