National Records of Scotland (NRS) have reported the number of deaths involving COVID-19 for Week 4: 25-31 January 2021.

As at 31 January, 8,347 deaths have been registered in Scotland where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate.

In the week 25-31 January, 440 deaths were registered that mentioned Covid-19 on the death certificate, this is a decrease of 12 deaths from the previous week.

Of the 440 deaths between 25-31 January, 68% were of people aged 75 and over, and 14% were aged under 65.

The highest number of deaths occurred in Glasgow City at 67, followed by North Lanarkshire and City of Edinburgh both at 40.

The majority of deaths occurred in hospitals representing 301 deaths, 97 occurred in care homes, 38 at home or in non-institutional settings and 4 in other institutions.

To place these statistics in context, the total number of all-cause deaths registered in the week ending 31 January was 1,593, 21% higher than the average for the same week in the period 2015 to 2019.

Pete Whitehouse, Director of Statistical Services, said: “Each statistic represents the loss of a loved one for families across the country.

“The latest figures show a very small reduction in the number of deaths compared with the previous week.  Whilst it is too soon to conclude whether this is the start of a sustained fall in the number of deaths it is nevertheless a positive sign. 

Our report also shows that deaths from all causes are 21% above average for this time of year.  Most of these excess deaths occurred at home or in hospital, whilst the number of deaths in care homes were just below average for this time of year.”

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society announced on Wednesday that Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea is stepping down as Chair of the Board of Directors on 30 March 2021.

Professor Sir Timothy O’Shea, Fringe Society Chair, said: “I have enjoyed serving as Chair of the Fringe Society Board of Directors, and I was impressed by the resilience and energy of the Fringe team and Board during such a challenging and extraordinary time we faced in 2020. 

“Much has changed in the last twelve months, but my belief in the importance of the arts and the immense value of the Fringe has never wavered. I know how dedicated the Fringe staff team are and I know the Board is totally committed to ensuring the Fringe survives and flourishes. I wish them well and I am sure they will succeed.”

O’Shea was Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh for 15 years and joined the Fringe board in 2012. He was due to step down last year but agreed to stay on when the board unanimously asked him to do so.

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “In a period of great uncertainty, Sir Tim O’Shea has been a figure of strength and stability for the Fringe Society, and I am incredibly grateful that he agreed to extend his tenure in the wake of these extraordinary times.

“I’d like to personally thank him for his passion, commitment and foresight, and for his guidance during the most difficult year the Fringe has faced. I know that he will continue to be a great friend both to me and the Fringe Society in the future.

“There’s no doubt that real challenges lie ahead. But I look forward to working with our new Chair to make sure that the spirit of the Fringe burns as brightly as ever, and to build a more resilient Fringe Society to support the return of the Edinburgh Fringe as the best version of itself. We strongly encourage applications from a diverse range of backgrounds to ensure the Fringe Society is best representing the communities it serves.”

Recruitment for a replacement Chair has now begun and the closing date for applications is on 1 March 2021.

Hibs’ midfielder Kyle Magennis is determined to get more minutes on the pitch after starting the last few weeks on the bench.

Magennis joined the club in October and made his first start against Hearts in the Scottish Cup semi-final but another injury and the addition of two new midfielders in the January transfer window has meant that his opportunities have been limited.

The versatile player came on in last weekend’s victory over Dundee united at Tannadice and played a part in Hibs’ second goal then made a fleeting appearance against his old club St Mirren last night as Hibs climbed into third place in the table, leapfrogging Aberdeen and European football next season looks likely.

Magennis said: “Training is a lot different to playing minutes in the game. In training I feel good but for match fitness I have to get as many minutes under my belt as possible.

“I’ve played all over the park throughout my career, centre midfield, out wide, in the hole, full-back at times so that’s something I have been used to growing up and I enjoy doing it. I’m just happy to be on the park and get some minutes.

“I’m enjoying my time here and hope to have a good few more years here and keep doing well.”

“I’ve been working on my fitness. Obviously I was out for some time so I’m working my hardest to get as fit as I can then hopefully when I get on the pitch I can do as well as I can so that the gaffer may start me soon.”

At four miles and 176 yards, the bet365 Edinburgh National is the longest race – flat or jumps – staged in Scotland, but there are no shortage of quality entries for Musselburgh’s bet365 Scottish Cheltenham Trials Weekend this Saturday and Sunday.

Among the 22 entries for Saturday’s feature race are the first, third and fourth from the 2020 running, Bob Mahler, Sumkindofking and Little Bruce, respectively, and the Warren Greatrex-trained winner went on to finish third in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Three-time Grand National-winning trainer Gordon Elliott has four entries in the Class 2 £30,000 race, including Coko Beach, who carries the famous Gigginstown House Stud colours and is 5-1 joint-favourite with the race sponsor.

Indeed the Irish trainer has three of the first four in the early betting followed by The Ferry Master, who is on a hat-trick for Borders trainer Sandy Thomson after wins at Newcastle and Kelso in November.

Eleven-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls saddled five winners over Musselburgh’s highly regarded bet365 Scottish Cheltenham trials weekend last year, and he has plenty of  entries over both days including Shantou Flyer – second twice and third once in the last three Cheltenham Festivals – in Saturday’s Edinburgh National.

In the opening contest, the bet365 Frodon Novices’ Chase, Class 2 scorer at Ascot this season Allart is one of three Nicky Henderson entries and owner, Airdrie businessman Ronnie Bartlett, will take a keen interest with the horse pencilled in for Arkle Challenge Trophy at Cheltenham next month. Allart is an exciting prospect and connections will be hoping he can emulate Frodon, who won this race before successive wins in the Grade 1 Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham and the Grade 1 King George VI Chase at Kempton.

Last year’s bet365 Scottish County Hurdle winner Dame De Compagnie, who holds multiple options at Cheltenham, is another Henderson entry and she made a pleasing winning chasing debut at Ayr recently in the J P McManus colours.

Paul Nicholls has won the bet365 Scottish Champions Chase in the successive last three years and his sole entry, Cut The Mustard, is a mare who has been second in both recent starts in Listed company. In the same race, Dostal Phil, impressive on a chase debut at Newbury last month, could be a rare Musselburgh runner for Philip Hobbs who was victorious when two seasons ago his last course runners both won.

In the bet365 Scottish County Hurdle, Dumfriesshire-based trainer Iain Jardine, successful in this race in 2016, has pencilled in Voix Du Reve, runner-up over course and distance on New Year’s Day and co-owned by leading golfer Lee Westwood, while the current 5-1 favourite is another Scottish horse, Keith Dalgleish’s Newtown Boy, a winner over 2m 4f at Musselburgh in December.

With more than £200,000 in prize money spread over the bet365 Scottish Cheltenham Trials Weekend , Musselburgh was delighted to confirm ITV have added coverage of a further four races at the Sunday fixture, with the Scottish course sharing billing with the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown.

In Sunday’s bet365 Scottish Triumph Hurdle, the favourite has claimed first prize in six of the last seven years, including subsequent Grade 1 winner We Have A Dream in 2018. His trainer Nicky Henderson is double-handed with Goodbye Stranger and Heross De Seuil, both successful on their hurdles debut in December. Meanwhile, champion jockey Brian Hughes has been booked by Donald McCain for the ride on Fiveandtwenty, who is unbeaten in three previous visits to the Scottish venue, twice over hurdles and once on the Flat.

Streets of Doyen, trained in Ireland by John McConnell, has won his last four starts over hurdles with his latest strike at Cheltenham in the autumn, and is entered in the bet365 Scottish Stayers Novices’ Hurdle, while the Paul Nicholls-trained Threeunderthrufive is another that holds Grade 1 entry at Cheltenham and is unbeaten over hurdles after emphatic wins at Lingfield and Ludlow.

In the bet365 Scottish Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Tommy’s Oscar, trained in Northumberland by Ann Hamilton, is unbeaten in three starts over hurdles with his most recent win in a course and distance handicap. Sextant, a Listed winner on the Flat when with Sir Michael Stoute, made an impressive hurdle debut for Keith Dalgleish at Carlisle in December, while Third Time Lucki was a wide-margin winner for Dan and Harry Skelton at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Musselburgh Racecourse general manager, Bill Farnsworth, said: “The quality of entries on both days speaks for itself and we are geared up for an excellent weekend of quality jumps racing.

“With the support of bet365 we have been able to increase prize money on a number of the feature races and with ITV on board to cover six races live over the two days, this really underlines the credentials of our Scottish Cheltenham Trials Weekend as an excellent prospect for the major yards as they prep for the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals.”

Both weekend meetings will be staged behind-closed-doors, adhering to strict Covid-19 safety protocols.

*Feature pic by Alan Raeburn, Caledonia Photo

Hibs’ Head Coach Jack Ross believes that his players need to “stay focused and ignore the noise” after returning to third in the table.

A second-half header from Ryan Porteous and a Martin Boyle penalty secured a valuable three points against 10-man St Mirren who had goalkeeper Jak Alnwick sent off in the first-half.

A late goal from Jon Obika’s made it a nervous end to the game but Hibs held on for the victory at the Simple Digital Arena.

After the final whistle Ross told BBC Scotland: ”Sometimes you have to stay focussed and ignore a lot of the noise and the hype.

“That’s three wins from the last four games. We’ve had bumps along the way, but we’ve done a lot of things well this season. You are only third if you are a good side.

“At this stage of the season, January and February, it’s just about grinding out wins.

“The only real moment of slackness in the game resulted in the concession of the goal. After that it become more anxious than it should’ve been, but overall I’m really pleased with the result and the performance.”

Police are appealing for information after a break in at a golf club in West Lothian.

Around 3am on Tuesday morning officers were called to a report of a break in at Deer Park Golf and Country Club on Golf Course Road, Livingston where electronic goods and a quantity of alcohol had been stolen.

The two men responsible are described as white and they were wearing dark-coloured clothing.

Detective Constable Tony Gilhooley at Livingston Police Office said: “We have been carrying out enquiries at the club and studying CCTV footage from in and around the area to gather more information and trace the two men responsible.

“At this time, I would urge anyone who may have seen these two men acting suspiciously in the area, or who has any information that will assist our ongoing investigation to contact us through 101 quoting reference number 0238 of 2 February.  Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.”

Hibs moved back into third place with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over on-form St Mirren at the Simple Digital Arena in Paisley tonight.

Head Coach Jack Ross unsurprisingly went with the same starting XI that beat Dundee United at Tannadice on Saturday, with the only change to the squad being the inclusion of Steven Bradley to replace Jamie Gullan who moved on-loan to Raith Rovers yesterday.

Hibs all in yellow kicked off in wintery conditions at the Simple Digital Arena and both sides had difficulty adapting to the conditions.

Two long range efforts from Kristian Dennis were the only action of note in the opening half-hour and neither tested Ofir Marciano.

Hibs had a penalty claim turned down in the 33^rd minute when Chris Cadden went down inside the area following a challenge by Richard Tait but referee Alan Muir waved away the appeals.

Two minutes later, Martin Boyle pounced onto a slack pass and just nicked the ball past Saints’ keeper Jak Alnwick who clattered him to the ground and the referee immediately produced a red card.

Alnwick was replaced by Dean Lyness was immediately called into action and did well to hold a Paul McGinn strike from 20-yards.

Ryan Porteous replaced Darren McGregor at the break then seven minutes later Kevin Nisbet was introduced in place of Cadden and the striker was in action right away sending a superb low cross into the danger area which was cleared with Josh Doig waiting to pounce.

Martin Boyle sent the resultant corner to the front post and Porteous was on hand to head the ball into the net.

Moments later Christan Doidge almost made it 2-0 with a powerful header from Boyle’s cross but Lyness did well to tip the ball over the bar.

Hibs continued to press forward and were awarded a penalty after Jamie Murphy was brought down inside the area and Boyle fired the resultant penalty straight down the middle to double their advantage.

That should have been that but Saints pulled one back when Connolly outpaced Paul McGinn and crossed to the unmarked John Obika who fired the ball past Marciano from close range.

Hibs responded immediately and Boyle set up Murphy but his curling effort from the edge of the box struck the outside of the post.

Murphy then found Doig with a cross from the left but the teenager’s volley went well wide.

The on-loan winger then tried his luck from 18-yards but his effort was deflected wide for a corner.

With two minutes remaining Alex Gogic was booked for a late challenge on Kyle McAllister on the half-way line.

In time added on Kyle Magennis replaced man of the match Murphy and Hibs held on to secure a valuable three points.

St Mirren: Alnwick, Tait, Shaughnessy, McCarthy, Doyle-Hayes, Flynn, Durmus, McGrath, Dennis, Fraser, Brophy. Subs: Lyness, Finlayson, Mason, MacPherson, Erhahon, McAllister, Connolly, Erwin, Obika

Hibs: Marciano, P. McGinn, McGregor, Hanlon, Doig, Cadden, Gogic, Boyle, Irvine, Doidge, Murphy. Subs:  Macey, Porteous, Stevenson, Magennis,  Wright, Nisbet, Hallberg,  Allan, Bradley

Referee Alan Muir

The bus company First West Lothian has collaborated with Edinburgh Trams to offer a combined ticket.

The £4.50 ticket will take passengers all the way from West Lothian to the tram at Ingliston Park & Ride, the Gyle Centre and Edinburgh Park Station and onwards to the city centre.

Using the First Bus app the ticket can be used on any buses in West Lothian then onwards to use the tram into the city.

First West Lothian Commercial Director Graeme Macfarlan said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for people who need to make essential journeys to get around and get to their destinations safely during these unprecedented times.

“We were asked to consider the introduction of a through bus and tram ticket that offered the same benefits as those offered by the previous operator, and so, in responding to the needs of our customers, we are delighted to be introducing a through ticket to replicate that offering.

“The hope is now that the customers utilise this offer and support these services once they are able to do so as Coronavirus lockdown restrictions ease again.”

Lea Harrison, Managing Director of Edinburgh Trams said: “We are delighted to be partnering with First West Lothian to allow their customers to seamlessly connect to the city centre by tram.

“We offer fast and frequent services which an easy interchange with First services at Ingliston Park & Ride, Gyle Centre and Edinburgh Park Station for Hermiston Gait.

“We encourage all customers to check our website for the latest timetables and travel advice.”

Transport and Environment Convener Cllr Lesley Macinnes said: “This new ticket will give passengers even more options for seamless, reliable travel by public transport between Edinburgh and West Lothian.

“Of course, people should only be making essential journeys by any mode of transport at the moment. But this joint offer from First West Lothian and Edinburgh Trams will be beneficial for communities served by both in the future.”

Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs said: “This is an excellent initiative from First West Lothian and Edinburgh Trams to improve connectivity between Edinburgh and West Lothian.

“Having an affordable multi-purpose ticket is a good way to make best use of the trams and make transport easier between West Lothian, Edinburgh city centre and the airport.

“I would like to see a paper ticket made available for those who don’t have a smartphone to buy a ticket on the First Bus app.”

Find out more here: www.firstscotlandeast.com/tram 

Passengers are reminded to check the government advice on using public transport.

The Education Convener and Vice-Convener in Edinburgh have welcomed the possible phased return of school pupils announced by The Scottish Government on Tuesday.

The First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said to MSPs that the government is determined to get children back to school, “even if that means adults living with restrictions for longer”.

From 22 February there are plans for a full-time return to school for all Primary 1 to 3 pupils and a part time return for older secondary pupils so that they can complete in-school practical work which is necessary to complete national qualification courses. But at the beginning of this reintroduction, there will be no more than around 5 to 8% of secondary school pupils in school buildings at any one time.

These measures will be confirmed by the government on 16 February 2021.

Cllr Ian Perry, Education, Children and Families Convener for The City of Edinburgh Council, said: “I know many families across the city will be pleased to hear that a phased return to schoolingwill be in place by the end of the month. Our teaching staff are doing a tremendous amount of great work with home learning but we all know there’s no better place for our children than being back in school with their peers and learning face to face.

“Our schools will now work really hard to put plans in place so P1 to P3 pupils and some senior phase pupils can return on February 22 which will hopefully be confirmed by the Scottish Government in two weeks time. In the meantime home learning will continue and we hope to be to welcome more pupils back to school in the coming months as long as the virus continues to be suppressed.”

Cllr Alison Dickie, Education, Children and Families Vice Convener for The City of Edinburgh Council, said: “These are extremely challenging times for families and no one can underestimate the impact the pandemic has had especially for those struggling at home. Everyone’s mental health and wellbeing is really important so it’s welcome that early years, childcare and P1 to P3 pupils will be back in school where they belong in a few weeks time.

“Supporting the children who need it most is vital and I’m glad they will continue to attend their schools as we all work together to get through this. With the number of positive cases coming down in Edinburgh and the rollout of the vaccination programme we hope even more pupils will be able to come back to school when it is safe to do so. We will continue to follow the latest Scottish Government and health advice in ensuring our schools continue to be safe learning and teaching environments for all our young people and teaching staff.”

Police are appealing for the help of the public following a serious assault in the East Pilton Farm which took place around 8.25pm last night.

A 35-year-old man was walking alone near to the junction of Pilton Drive and East Pilton Farm Place when he was approached and assaulted by a group of males. 

The victim was knocked to the ground where the assault continued. He was later taken to hospital where he is currently being treated for a serious facial injury.

Detective Constable Zaira Marker said: “At this stage we are unsure of the motive for this appalling attack.  The victim has suffered a serious injury to his face and is still in hospital. We have no further information regarding the description of his assailants, other than they were four men in their 20s and were all wearing dark coloured clothing.

“I am appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this attack or may have information which might help the investigation to get in touch with us.  I would also ask anyone who was driving in a vehicle in the area which has a dash-cam fitted to examine the device to see if it holds any footage which might assist in this case.  Anyone wishing to pass on information can do so through 101, quoting reference number 3200 of 1 February. Anyone wishing to pass on any information while remaining anonymous can do so through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Police are appealing for witnesses following a serious road crash on the A68 trunk road near Earlston.

The incident happened around 7.30am this morning and involved a Vauxhall Vivaro, Ford Transit Van and a Hyundai i30.

Emergency services attended and a 48-year-old man, the driver of the Vauxhall Vivaro, was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh with serious injuries.

The driver and two passengers of the Ford Transit Van and the driver of the Hyundai i30 were taken to Borders General Hospital as a precaution.

The road was closed and diversions put in place whilst officers carried out enquiries to establish the full circumstances surrounding the crash. The road re-opened around 3pm.

Road Policing Sergeant Jennifer Forbes said: “Enquiries are at an early stage and it’s important we establish exactly what happened here. I am appealing to any witnesses who may have seen the crash or were driving shortly before it to come forward as soon as possible. I would also ask anyone with dash-cam footage that could assist our investigation to get in touch.”

Those with information can contact police on 101, quoting incident number 0405 of 2 February.

Shoppers are turning to convenience stores to plug gaps in their shopping deliveries during lockdown, according to Scotmid.

The retailer has noticed a 43% increase in orders using its Snappy Shopper service during the first lockdown and has been working hard to respond to the continued growth in demand for the service at a time when full lockdown restrictions are back in place.

The rise in using the Snappy Shopper service – which delivers to customers from as little as 30 minutes – comes at a time when consumers are increasingly switching their shopping habits from in store to online – and finding delivery slots from the bigger supermarkets have been booked up sometimes weeks in advance.

Since launching online delivery through the Snappy Shopper app in Edinburgh last year, the service has benefited many individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic, including those considered high-risk and having to shield.

Kevin Plant, Head of Food at Scotmid said: “With competition for online shopping slots fierce, Snappy Shopper is filling a much-needed gap for many residents in Edinburgh. Feedback from the community has shown us how important this service is – especially for people who are shielding – and we’re pleased to expand our service in the community, especially as Tier 4 restrictions are taking hold.”

The first delivery for every customer is free when they sign up on the app*, with subsequent deliveries in Edinburgh costing just £3.50.

There is a £10 minimum basket spend with a limit of 25 products per delivery.**
Deliveries are available to order between 10am and 8pm, with the last delivery at 9.00pm.

App Store and Google Play

On Tuesday the Scottish Cabinet met to discuss the lockdown and what to do about lifting or continuing the restrictions.

Largely the measures will remain in place, but some new rules to try and reduce the number of Covid-19 cases in Scotland have been introduced.

The government advice is to stay at home until the end of February at least when the measures will be reviewed again.

Schools will be closed to most children for the remainder of February.

But nurseries and Primary classes 1 to 3 will return full-time on 22 February 2021 subject to a final ruling on this on 16 February.

The government is also introducing what it calls a managed quarantine system, which will apply to everyone arriving directly into Scotland (regardless of where they have come from). This will mean that the traveller will have to spend a period of isolation in a hotel. More details will be announced soon on the measures which will be introduced “as soon as practicably possible”.

There will be differences introduced to the testing regime and for example all patient-facing healthcare workers such as doctors and dentists will be routinely tested. There will also be regular testing offered to support the return of schools. All senior phase secondary school students and all school staff will be able to test at home twice a week. Testing of workforces in food processing and distribution centres will be introduced and there will be targeted community testing.

In addition from mid-February tests will be offered to all close contacts of those who have tested positive. This will allow the Test and Protect teams to identify further contacts and track and break the chains of transmission.

There will be a self-isolation Support Grant of £500 for those who earn the Real Living Wage or less or those people who receive a reduction on council tax if they cannot earn because they have to self-isolate.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “As levels of the virus continue to fall in Scotland, it becomes ever more important that we stop the virus from being imported again. The threat of new variants is real and we must be ever-more vigilant.

“That is why we intend to introduce a managed quarantine requirement for anyone who arrives directly into Scotland, regardless of which country they have come from.

“We want to work with the UK Government to avoid travellers sidestepping restrictions and arriving in other parts of the UK before travelling to Scotland, however the most effective approach to prevent this and to stop new variants being imported is for the UK Government to introduce a compulsory quarantine for anyone travelling into the UK from overseas.

“Since we still have work to do these measures will not be introduced this week and more detail will follow shortly.

“We believe that targeted community testing can play a particularly valuable role in communities where prevalence is starting to rise rapidly which is why we have expanded our testing programme to identify cases and break chains of transmission.

“Lockdown is starting to slow down the virus. But we also need to pick up the pace in our vaccination programme. We are doing that and will accelerate the programme further over the next fortnight – providing that we have sufficient supplies of the vaccine – as we work towards being able to vaccinate 400,000 people a week by the end of the month. We are making rapid progress in protecting those who are most at risk from Covid-19.”

On schooling, the First Minister added: “I am acutely aware of the pressure school closures is putting on working parents and on family life more generally.

“Our room for manoeuvre, given the current state of the pandemic, is limited. But the government is determined to use every inch of headroom we have to get children back to school.

“Based on the advice of our expert advisers, if we all agree to abide with the lockdown restrictions for a bit longer so that our progress in suppressing the virus continues, we can begin a phased, albeit gradual, return to school from 22 February.”

Read more here and see graphic below.

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said: “I am pleased that the Scottish Government has widened the self-isolation payment, although this does not go far enough, and Greens will bring a motion on this to Parliament tomorrow.

“However, the pledge on schools testing is most welcome and delivers on proposals Scottish Greens brought to parliament and was twice backed by MSPs.

“It is vital the return of schools is not done at the expense of safety and that it does not spread the virus further. I am pleased the Scottish Government has acted on our calls for extra staff and testing, but capacity issues remain.

“We need to look at the practicalities and implications for teacher workloads. Many young people were required, often repeatedly, to self-isolate when schools were open before Christmas, so teachers will require additional support if they are going to be expected to deliver both remote learning and in-class teaching at the same time, as well as the additional test and trace work they are being asked to do.”

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Two Hibs’ players have been named in the SPFL Team of the week following outstanding performances in the 2-0 victory over Dundee United on Saturday.

Veteran defender Darren McGregor netted the opening goal with a thunderous finish after the ball dropped to him following a set-piece, his first goal in two-years and new signing Jackson Irvine set up both goals.

They were joined in the team by Hearts’ keeper Craig Gordon whose first-half save from Ryan Dow was a particular highlight.

The team was selected by BBC Scotland presenter Craig Fowler from the popular TV programme ‘A View from the Terrace’

The full team is as follows:

Craig Gordon (Heart of Midlothian)

Reghan Tumilty (Raith Rovers)

Joe Shaughnessy (St Mirren)

Darren McGregor (Hibernian)

Luke McCowan (Ayr United)

Ben Williamson (Arbroath)

Ali McCann (St Johnstone)

Jackson Irvine (Hibernian)

Kai Kennedy (Raith Rovers)

Kristian Dennis (St Mirren)

Guy Melamed (St Johnstone)

A police investigation is underway to trace a man following a disturbance in a Gorebridge Street on Sunday morning.

The man was who was standing on a grassy area on Hillside Crescent North started shouting, swearing, using racist language and causing a disturbance before heading off in the direction of Burnside Road.

The man is described as being white, of slim build and aged in his late 20s to early 30s. He was said to be tall, with short dark hair and with a dark goatee bears and moustache. He had a dark jacket with light coloured t-shirt underneath it. He was also wearing dark trousers.

A police spokesperson said: “Officers in Midlothian are appealing for information in relation to Threatening and Abusive Behaviour at Hillside Crescent North, Gorebridge on Sunday 31st January 2021.

“Between 5.30am and 6am a male was outside on a grassy area and was shouting and swearing, using racist language and causing a disturbance.”

They add: “Anyone with any information should contact police on 101, quoting incident 0769 of 31 January 2021. Alternatively, anyone wishing to report their information anonymously can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

The latest figures detailing the number of people diagnosed with Covid-19 in the last 24 hours in Scotland have been announced.

The statistics in Scotland as at 2 February 2021 are shown below and the number of people vaccinated up to 8.30am on Tuesday was 34,881 the highest number yet. But if the government is to achieve their own target this number needs to be nearer 60,000 each day.

The First Minister Nicola Sturgeon addressed parliament this afternoon, but has advised that the current Stay at Home guidance will remain in place until the end of February, subject to a couple of exceptions.

She said that the most recent figures show that the lockdown is working. Average daily case numbers have halved in recent weeks as you can see below.

The mass vaccination centre at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) opened its doors yesterday with capacity to vaccinate 21,000 people a week.

At 24 January, according to National Records of Scotland 7,902 deaths have been registered in Scotland where the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was mentioned on the death certificate, according to weekly statistics published by National Records of Scotland (NRS). This number will next be updated on Wednesday.

You can also see the latest numbers laid out visually on the Travelling Tabby website here. It is updated at 3pm daily.

[su_spoiler class=”my-custom-spoiler” title=”Stay At Home Guidance”]

To minimise the risk of spreading the virus, you must stay at home as much as possible. By law, in a level 4 area, you can only leave your home (or garden) for an essential purpose.
There is a list of examples of reasonable excuses below. Although you can leave home for these purposes, you should stay as close to home as possible. Shop on-line or use local shops and services wherever you can. Travel no further than you need to reach to a safe, non-crowded place to exercise in a socially distanced way. To minimise the risk of spread of Coronavirus it is crucial that we all avoid unnecessary travel.
Examples of reasonable excuses to go out:
for work or an activity associated with seeking employment, or to provide voluntary or charitable services, but only where that cannot be done from your home.
for education including, school, college, university or other essential purposes connected with a course of study.
for essential shopping, including essential shopping for a vulnerable person. You should use online shopping or shops and other services in your immediate area wherever you can.
to obtain or deposit money, where it is not possible to do so from home.
for healthcare, including COVID-19 testing and vaccination.
for childcare or support services for parents or expectant parents.
for essential services, including services of a charitable or voluntary nature such as food banks, alcohol or drug support services.
to access public services where it is not possible to do so, including from home:
services provided to victims (such as victims of crime),
social-care services,
accessing day care centres,
services provided by the Department for Work and Pensions,
services provided to victims (including victims of crime),
asylum and immigration services and interviews,
waste or recycling services,
to provide care, assistance, support to or respite for a vulnerable person
to provide or receive emergency assistance.
to participate in or facilitate shared parenting.
to visit a person in an extended household.
to meet a legal obligation including satisfying bail conditions, to participate in legal proceedings, to comply with a court mandate in terms of sentence imposed or to register a birth.
for attendance at court including a remote jury centre, an inquiry, a children’s hearing, tribunal proceedings or to resolve a dispute via Alternative Dispute Resolution.
for essential animal welfare reasons, such as exercising or feeding a horse or going to a vet.
local outdoor recreation, sport or exercise, walking, cycling, golf, or running that starts and finishes at the same place (which can be up to 5 miles from the boundary of your local authority area) as long as you abide by the rules on meeting other households
to attend a marriage ceremony or registration of a civil partnership.
to attend a funeral or for compassionate reasons which relate to the end of a person’s life. This includes gatherings related to the scattering or interring of ashes, a stone setting ceremony and other similar commemorative events.
if you are a minister of religion or worship leader, for the purposes of leading an act of worship (broadcast or online), conducting a marriage or civil partnership ceremony or a funeral.
to donate blood.
for activities in connection with moving home (including viewing a property), or for activities in connection with the maintenance, purchase, sale, letting, or rental of residential property that the person owns or is otherwise responsible for. Travelling for the purposes of undertaking essential work on a property other than your main residence should not be used as a pretext for a holiday. You should not stay longer than for the length of time required to undertake the necessary work.
to avoid injury, illness or to escape a risk of harm.
for those involved in professional sports, for training, coaching or competing in an event.
to visit a person receiving treatment in a hospital, staying in a hospice or care home, or to accompany a person to a medical appointment.
to register or vote in a Scottish or UK Parliament, Local Government or overseas election or by-election, including on behalf of someone else by proxy
to visit a person detained in prison, young offenders institute, remand centre, secure accommodation or other place of detention.
[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler class=”my-custom-spoiler” title=”Meeting Outdoors”]
You can only meet people from another household outdoors and in indoor public spaces for certain reasons, such as for work, to join your extended household, for sport, exercise, social interaction or to provide care and support for a vulnerable person. This can include providing emotional support for someone whose wellbeing is at risk, including for those who are isolated because of disability or a caring situation. Read Coronavirus (COVID-19): advice for unpaid carers
Up to 2 people from 2 separate households can meet outdoors for sport, exercise or social interaction.
Children under the age of 12 from these households do not count towards the total number of people permitted to gather outdoors.
Children under 12 do not need to maintain physical distance from others indoors or outdoors.
The members of an individual or extended household can meet outdoors for sport, exercise or social interaction.
Those at a higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus (including those who had been shielding, people 70 and over, people who are pregnant and people with an underlying medical condition) should strictly follow the physical distancing guidance.
[/su_spoiler]

FUSION GROUP CELEBRATES FIVE FOLD GROWTH IN ACCOMMODATION SERVICE PARTNERSHIPS 

With hospitality industry paralysed by Covid-19 pandemic, Fusion seizes opportunity to recalibrate & redeploy, putting itself and its partners at forefront of anticipated recovery      

With over 600 bedrooms currently on its books, across hotels, self-catering lodges, serviced apartments, and B&B’s, Accommodation Services Trading Company has experienced a five fold increase in room numbers since the very start of the Covid19 pandemic. Having retained all its existing staff in the business, it’s now poised to hit the ground running when recovery in the sector kicks in, with an extensive portfolio which now stretches from Edinburgh to Dornoch, St Andrews to Highland Perthshire.

Beginning life eight years ago as Central Reservations for Old Churches House in Dunblane, when, acquired by The Fusion Group of Companies, Old Churches House was fully upgraded to offer modern hotel, wedding and conferencing facilities, Central Reservations also looked after bookings and room rates for The Red Brolly Inn and Logierait Lodges, both in Highland Perthshire.   

As the business evolved it began to offer yet more specialist, “one stop shop” services for hospitality owners and investors, designed to maximise their revenue streams. In addition to its core service of Reservations Support, the re-named Accommodation Services Trading Co, which is now a stand alone business within Fusion Group, offers a comprehensive list of dedicated services to the hospitality and leisure industries. These include Corporate Restructuring support, together with the more practical services of property maintenance & landscaping, property protection & security, and utilities and hospitality procurement.

Other support services include ensuring business continuity, uninterrupted sales process, holiday cover and business overflow. Accommodation Services can provide a completely bespoke package tailored to a business’ exact needs, or work under a more conventional basis.

“At the start of the pandemic in March 2020 we were experiencing steady growth with the marketing of some 112 bedrooms across Scotland under the Accommodation Services umbrella,” said Alex McKie, Managing Director of Fusion. “This was entirely satisfactory, although we were always looking to take on more in different parts of the country. But rather than stagnating during lockdown we found that we were dramatically picking up new business, attracting several properties from Aberfeldy, Aboyne, Dornoch, Fort Augustus, Motherwell, St. Andrews, and now Edinburgh Rooms & Apartments in McDonald Road in the Capital.”

“I think it became clear to some owners and investors, as the pandemic went on, with hospitality harder and harder hit, that a stronger together approach was needed, along with expertise in managing costs.”  

Alex explained that Accommodation Services can add additional value through a mix of outsourcing, promotion, restructuring and refurbishment, having successfully used this business model at Fusion properties,

A former customer of Accommodation Services is Neil Menzies of The Royal Dunkeld Hotel, who has now been able to retire. He spoke of how using the service had benefited his business, ultimately enabling him to sell the business on at a price that suited him after it had spent years on the market.

“Accommodation Services transformed our booking, operating, and reservation procedures at the Royal Dunkeld, with their staff feeling like an extension of our own. Everyone worked like an extended team to increase efficiency at reception. We were able to free up reception staff to spend valuable face to face time with guests, along with pursuing other sales avenues. Ultimately this led to greater profitability across the board.”

Alex McKie went in to say: “The experience of Neil at Royal Dunkeld is just one such success story which demonstrates that we now have a very solid track record to put to investors, property, asset and estate owners in the last few years. We’ve been able to repay stakeholders with very positive returns on their investment. This in turn, has attracted more new business.”

“Sadly, we all know now that many hospitality and leisure businesses will not make it out of this pandemic in their present format. We’ve recently added a specialist commercial property agency to the Fusion portfolio. Drysdale & Company will service hotels and hospitality businesses that may wish to sell or restructure. We’re expecting it to work in tandem with Accommodation Services on certain commercial opportunities, as and when they arise.”  

Accommodation Services also sees potential in Student Accommodation, Business Centres, and Retail & Licenced Trade Units.

Alex finished by saying that as the Accommodation Services sector had proved vibrant for him at this time, he was pleased that he had been able to retain his full team across the board at Fusion, with staff from the Meetings & Events sector successfully redeployed into Accommodation Services.

“Like many businesses we launched in the teeth of a recession, and are used to adapting and rolling with the punches.”

www.astc.business

 www.drysdaleandcompany.co.uk

 www.tfgoc.com

Starting 2021 as it means to go on, Scottish Ensemble opens the year with the appointment of three new board members by chair Samantha Barber. Scotland’s award-winning ensemble has been treating audiences both old and new to an array of digital content and collaborations since the global pandemic began and the appointment of three new board members carries their commitment to reaching new audiences and promoting mental wellbeing well into the future.

Together, the new appointments draw on expertise from the fields of digital/ technology, mental health, young people, tackling social disadvantage, strategy and governance and will help the ensemble continue to innovate at a time of ongoing uncertainty and change.

James McAulay, the CEO & Co-Founder of Encore – one of the world’s largest online booking platforms helping musicians earn money playing at events, concerts, weddings and recording sessions – joined the board in December 2020, as its youngest member to date. Before starting Encore, James studied the cello at the Music School of Douglas Academy in Glasgow and led the NYOS cello section at their BBC Proms performance with Nicola Benedetti in 2012. James brings extensive digital expertise and a passion for strings and composition to the table.

Morag Burnett began her career in arts management and has since worked with international NGOs and foundations for over 20 years in Honduras, the Dominican Republic, New York, London, Mexico City and most recently Tbilisi, Georgia. Morag is deputy chair of the innovative, London-based Lankelly Chase foundation, working to change systems that perpetuate disadvantage and she hopes to bring this experience into her new role.

Amy Woodhouse, currently Head of Policy, Projects and Participation for Children in Scotland, the national network organisation improving children’s lives, has a particular interest in how music, and the arts more widely, can be used to promote mental health and wellbeing and will join the board in March 2021. She brings an understanding of mental health improvement and participatory approaches to the board.

Chair of Scottish Ensemble, Samantha Barber said: “We are truly delighted to welcome Amy, Morag and James to the Scottish Ensemble board. Together they bring skills and experience that we know to be of utmost importance as we enter 2021. These new appointments and all that they represent in terms of knowledge and know-how will enable us to remain resilient and continue innovating in the way for which we have become known.

“I know that all of my colleagues on the board and across the organisation will join me in wishing them a warm welcome; we look forward to their input and to exploring new ideas and perspectives over the coming year.”

In addition to the new board members, SE also announce that after over 14 years in various roles throughout the organisation, Lesley Paterson retires in 2021 having completed her full term as a board member.

And finally, Chief Executive Jenny Jamison will be heading off on maternity leave in March and William Norris of William Norris Arts Management will be stepping into her role, supported by the wider SE team. Having previously held the post, among others, of Managing Director for Southbank Sinfonia and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (Toronto) William’s past work has explored innovative concert formats and looked at ways to reach new audiences and SE are delighted to welcome him to the team.

Rangers’ Alfredo Morelos will miss the next three matches after Rangers admitted his stamp on Hibs’ defender Ryan Porteous during last week’s game at Easter Road.

The Colombian was charged by the Scottish FA over the incident and Rangers were given until yesterday to appeal.

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard said that he had looked at the incident but did not believe that there was a case to defend the situation and the club accepted the notice of complaint.

Morelos, who went on to score the winner at Easter Road, will not face St Johnstone, Hamilton and Kilmarnock.

An extra one-match was added to the automatic two-game ban  due to Morelos receiving a retrospective red card for a forearm smash on Dundee United defender Mark Connolly in December.

Police are investigating following a report of “threatening communications” being made online toward SNP MP Joanna Cherry.

Cherry had been the SNP justice and home affairs spokeswoman at Westminster but was replaced during a reshuffle by Anne McLaughlin.

Yesterday she tweeted: “Action and inaction have consequences. Tonight I’ve received a vicious threat from a man to my personal safety.

“The matter has been reported to Police Scotland and I’m somewhere safe. Thank you for all the lovely messages of support.”

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: “Around 7pm on Monday, February 1, officers received a report of threatening communications having been made online. Inquiries are ongoing.”

Police, banking institutions & Trading Standards have devised an initiative called the Banking Protocol.

Its aim is at the earliest opportunity to identify vulnerable victims who are in the process of being defrauded of funds from their bank accounts by unscrupulous criminals and to intervene to prevent these crimes.

Victims, particularly elderly and other vulnerable people are targeted by suspects for a range of fraud offences, including courier fraud and bogus worker offences.

These crimes often involve the perpetrator encouraging the victim to attend their bank, post office or other financial services provider in person and withdraw or transfer cash.

The Protocol is designed to provide a standardised method for how these concerns are dealt with and reported to police and to stop multiple victimisation.

For more information, visit this website –

The transfer window in Scotland closed at midnight with activity at Hibs, Hearts and Edinburgh City.

The following list contains details of every incoming transfer since the window opened in at the start of January.

Aberdeen – Fraser Hornby  (Stade de Reims, loan), Callum Hendry (St Johnstone, loan), Florian Kamberi (St Gallen, loan), Ross McCrorie (Rangers)

Celtic – Jonjoe Kenny (Everton, loan)

Hamilton Academical – Bruce Anderson (Aberdeen, loan)

Hibernian – Matt Macey (Arsenal), Jackson Irvine (Hull City), Chris Cadden (Columbus Crew)

Kilmarnock – Diaguely Dabo (Stevenage), George Oakley (Pirin Blagoevgrad), Brandon Pierrick (Crystal Palace, loan), Zech Medley (Arsenal, loan)

Livingston – Gavin Reilly (Carlisle United), Jaze Kabia (Shelbourne), Jackson Longridge (Bradford City)

Motherwell – Liam Kelly (Queens Park Rangers, loan), Steven Lawless (Burton Albion), Harry Smith (Northampton Town, loan), Sam Foley (St Mirren), Robbie Crawford (Livingston), Jordan Roberts (Heart of Midlothian, loan), Eddie Nolan (Crewe Alexandra, loan)

Rangers – Jack Simpson (Bournemouth), Scott Wright (Aberdeen)

Ross County – Tony Andreu (St Mirren), Mohamed Maouche (Oldham Athletic), Leo Hjelde (Celtic, loan), Joe Hilton (Blackburn Rovers, loan), Jordan White (Motherwell)

St Johnstone – James Brown (Millwall, loan), Glenn Middleton (Rangers, loan), Charlie Gilmour (Norwich City)

St Mirren – Eamonn Brophy (Kilmarnock, loan), Collin Quaner (Huddersfield Town)

CHAMPIONSHIP

Alloa Athletic – Jordan Wright (Nottingham Forest, on loan), Innes Cameron (Kilmarnock, loan)

Arbroath – Jake Davidson (Dundee United, loan), Ben Williamson (Rangers, loan), Jack Hamilton (Livingston, loan), Lewis Moore (Heart of Midlothian, loan)

Ayr United – Corrie Ndaba (Ipswich Town, loan), Cammy Smith (Dundee United), Andre Wright (Bohemians), Brett McGavin (Ipswich Town, loan)

Dundee – Paul McMullan (Dundee United, loan), Malachi Fagan-Walcott (Tottenham Hotspur, loan), Jason Cummings (Shrewsbury Town)

Dunfermline Athletic – Kyle MacDonald (Airdrieonians), Scott Banks (Crystal Palace, loan)

Heart of Midlothian, Gary Mackay-Steven (New York City), Armand Gnanduillet (Altay), Gervane Kastaneer (Coventry City, loan), Aaron McEneff (Shamrock Rovers)

Morton – Kazaiah Sterling (Tottenham Hotspur, loan)

Queen of the South – Rhys Breen (Rangers, loan), Dapo Mebude (Rangers, loan), Isaiah Jones (Middlesbrough, loan)

Raith Rovers – Kai Kennedy (Rangers, loan), Adam King (Dundee United, loan), Timmy Abraham (Fulham, loan), Jamie Gullan (Hibernian, loan)

LEAGUE 1

Clyde – Jack Thomson (Rangers, loan), Marky Munro (St Johnstone)

Cove Rangers – Cammy Logan (Heart of Midlothian, loan), Connor Smith (Heart of Midlothian, loan)

Dumbarton – Joshua Bradley-Hurst (Birmingham City)

Forfar Athletic -Hamish Thomson (UMF Tindastoll), Martin Scott (Brechin City), Andy Munro (Stenhousemuir), Grant Anderson (Kelty Hearts)

Partick Thistle – Declan McDaid (Dundee, loan)

Peterhead – Jordon Brown (Cove Rangers), Andy McDonald (St Cadoc’s), Niah Payne (unattached)

LEAGUE 2

Albion Rovers – Paul Gallacher (Pollok, loan), Grant Evans (Pollok, loan), Mark Sideserf (Pollok, loan)

Annan Athletic – Dean Watson (Partick Thistle, loan), Alex McCaw (St Mirren, loan)

Brechin City – Gerry McLauchlan (Pollok), David Hutton (Airdrieonians), Abdul Osman (Dartford), Bobby Barr (Forfar Athletic)

Cowdenbeath -Nicky Hogarth (Rangers, loan)

Edinburgh City – Ryan Goodfellow (Albion Rovers)

Stenhousemuir – Thomas Collins (East Fife, loan), Adam Corbett (Spartans)

Stirling Albion – Chris Hamilton (Heart of Midlothian, loan)

A 42-year-old man from the Czech Republic, was yesterday convicted of money laundering offences after being arrested at Glasgow Airport as part of a Police Scotland and National Crime Agency (NCA) intelligence-led investigation into the export of cash from the United Kingdom to Dubai.

On 8 November 2020, Lukas Pokorny was stopped and arrested by Border Force officers as he was about to board a flight bound for Dubai.

A search of three suitcases in his possession revealed a large quantity of cash in each – totalling over £860,000. He was unable to provide keys to unlock the luggage, or say who they belonged to or what they contained.

Officers from the Organised Crime Partnership (Scotland) charged Pokorny and today he pled guilty to three charges under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 at the High Court in Glasgow.

Pokorny claimed he was flying to the United Arab Emirates to stay with a friend and the money was to allow him to teach people to jet-ski.

Detective Inspector Tom Gillan of the Organised Crime Partnership (Scotland) said: “Targeting the movement of criminal cash and profits from organised crime groups in Scotland remains a priority.

“The arrest and conviction of Pokorny is another excellent example of the value of partnership working between Organised Crime Partnership, Border Force and National Crime Agency officers.

“I welcome his conviction and the significant amount of laundered cash that has been taken out of criminal circulation.”

NCA regional head of investigations for Scotland Gerry McLean added: “This was a significant seizure of criminal cash, the proceeds of organised crime. Taking it out in has prevented that money being invested into further criminal activity, violence and exploitation on the streets of Scotland.

“Working with partners including Police Scotland and Border Force we are determined to do all we can to disrupt the flow of illicit finance.”

The Organised Crime Partnership (Scotland) is an investigation team comprising of officers and staff from Police Scotland and the National Crime Agency.

Chris Philp MP, UK Minister for Immigration Compliance and the Courts, said: “Money laundering is used by serious organised crime gangs to finance their illegal activity. Preventing the export of undeclared cash from the UK is vital in our fight against them. 

“This is yet another example of the brilliant Border Force officers in Glasgow airport who work tirelessly on the frontline to keep the UK safe.”

Former Hibs striker Florian Kamberi has joined Aberdeen on loan from Swiss Super League side, St Gallen, pending international clearance and could make his debut at Easter Road on Saturday.

The 25-year-old, who is Swiss/Albanian, began his professional career at Swiss side Grasshoppers and represented Switzerland at Under 21 level, before joining Scottish Premiership side Hibs on loan in 2018.

After a successful loan spell Neil Lennon signed Kamberi who produced several fine performances in the green and white but angered Hibs’ fans when he described a loan deal at Ibrox as a ‘dream move.’

He retuned to Switzerland in the summer.

Commenting on the signing, Manager Derek McInnes was delighted to add a third striker to his squad on deadline day. “I’m pleased again to further enhance our attacking options. Florian has shown his quality in our league over a period of time and again, once we knew there was an opportunity to get him, we pursued it quite vigorously.

“He seems enthusiastic to be here. He has got undoubted quality, experience in this league and we’re hopeful that will help him settle quicker. I’m positive he can have an impact between now and the end of the season.”

Kamberi will be subject to a work permit process and subsequently, will be unavailable for ‘Dons  match against Livingston tonight.

Hibs youngster Jamie Gullan has joined Raith Rovers on loan until the end of the current SPFL Championship season.

In 32 appearances (23 of them starts) in his previous stints at Stark’s Park Gullan scored 10-goals.

He first signed for the Rovers on loan on 28th February 2019 (a deadline day signing) for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.

He returned to Stark’s Park on August 22nd 2019 on loan until January 11th 2020 before returning to Hibs and featuring regularly in first team squads.

Manager John McGlynn commented “I’m delighted to welcome Jamie Gullan back to the club. Jamie was a very popular member of the team in the first half of last season and was our top league goal scorer. There is no doubt Jamie has gained even more experience by playing in Hibs first team, which we hope will benefit us going forward.

I would like to thank Graeme Mathie and everyone at Hibs for allowing Jamie to return till the end of the season”

The 21 year old has been with Hibs since 2014 after starting in the Hearts youth system, and scored one of the goals in the Final as Hibs beat Aberdeen to with the 2017–18 Scottish Youth Cup final. He  has also spent time on loan with Gala Fairydean Rovers and Queens Park earlier in his career.

Meanwhile Stevie Mallan completed his loan move to  Turkish Super Lig club Yeni Malatyaspor on loan until the summer with an option for a permanent transfer at the end of the season.

Kevin Nisbet will stay at Hibs after the club turned down big money bid from Birmingham City.

A letter from Mrs Patricia Baillie Strong on registering to vote.

Dear Madam
There are many examples all over the world where democracy is being attacked, so as citizens we really need to vote.  However, only about 58% of registered voters in Edinburgh and Lothians voted in the last Scottish Parliamentary election in 2016. This seems quite low to me. Elections for the Scottish Parliament are due to take place in May this year. 

Also, about 7% of the Scottish population have non-UK nationality. A German EU citizen I met in Princes Street recently had lived in Edinburgh for over 20 years but had never registered to vote.

Some of your readers may not be aware that they can vote in Scottish Parliamentary elections if they are resident here. You don’t have to be Scottish (but you do have to be over 16). You can register to vote at the website www.mygov.scot/register-to-vote-scotland. 

I encourage everyone to register and take part in this democratic opportunity to shape our community.

Yours etc

Patricia Baillie Strong

Creative pupils at Cramond Primary school in Edinburgh are being given the opportunity to see their dream bedroom become a reality, thanks to a project with a major housebuilder.

Eileen Kesson, interior designer at Envision, is partnering with Cramond Primary for a design competition which will see children in P7 create their ultimate bedroom, complete with a budget, their choice of materials, and a floorplan.

Eileen, a renowned designer with more than 20 years’ experience, will give the children a full overview and brief on Monday with a mood board to be created and presented later in the month.

 Coordinated by CALA Homes, Eileen and Principal
Teacher at Cramond Primary School, Yasmeen Naeem, the winning project will form
the design for a bedroom at the new showhome at CALA’s Cammo Meadows.

Yasmeen Naeem said: “This is a fantastic experience for our pupils to enhance their design and artistic skills – the children are all already very excited for their presentation from Eileen and
can’t wait to get started.

“Not only is it an excellent project for bringing out some creative ideas, having a proper project with a timescale and budget is hugely beneficial and gives pupils a flavour of real-life work.

“We’re sure this will be one of our most popular projects – it’s something different and engaging, making it ideal for remote learning.”

The lucky winner will get to visit their real-life dream bedroom at the showhome, located minutes from Cramond Primary, later this year when the showhome has been designed and furnished.

 Eileen Kesson said: “I’ll be setting out a
real-life scenario and portrait of a family for the pupils to use to create
their ideal bedroom.

“With many children learning from home, it’s important that their bedrooms are their own, separate space with areas to play, learn and sleep so I’m looking forward to seeing what the pupils come up with.”

This is the second bedroom design competition of its kind that CALA has organised, the first being with West Barns Primary School in Dunbar in 2018, where P6 and P7 students designed a bedroom in a showhome at its nearby Castle Bay development.

Cammo Meadows is the housebuilder’s latest development of detached family homes in Edinburgh. The first phase of the development includes a collection of five-bedroom detached homes, with terraced homes and apartments to be built in later phases.

Neighbouring the Cammo Estate, the development is located minutes from Cramond Primary School and is surrounded by 23 acres of green outdoor space, a wildflower meadow, and new woodland to be created as
part of the build.

Built in 1975, Cramond Primary School is a non-denominational school which serves Cramond and the surrounding areas of northwest Edinburgh. The school has more than 400 pupils, and is part of the Royal High School cluster.

https://www.cala.co.uk/homes-for-sale/scotland/edinburgh/cammo-meadows/

Margaret Swift who is a retired care worker from Edinburgh was first in line for vaccination as the Edinburgh International Conference Centre opened its doors on Monday.

She was among around 1700 people who were admitted to the mass vaccination centre this morning.

Ms Swift said: “I was so worried before I came, but it was fine, there were no problems and I didn’t feel a thing. The staff were very nice and I can’t fault anything. I’m glad I’ve had it.  

“I’m feeling fine now and hopefully this is the start of us getting back to some normality.”

The EICC is capable of vaccinating more than 21,000 people a week through 45 stations, while Strathbrock has six stations, capable of vaccinating 2352 people every week. The West Lothian centre will then move to Pyramids Business Park on February 15, which will provide 14,280 vaccinations every week at 34 stations.

NHS Lothian said it is on track to complete Wave One by 5 February and explained that one reason for apparently low figures is that data published by Public Health Scotland has not included NHS Lothian’s programme to vaccinate this over the age of 80 – which is carried out in GPs’ practices in Lothian.

In all, over 85,000 people have been vaccinated.

This includes:

26,560 Lothian residents over the age of 80 have been vaccinated by their GP practice which represents 88% of the total.

54,354 frontline health and social care staff, care home staff and residents and hospital inpatients over the age of 80.

Approximately 4,500 between the ages of 75-80 have been vaccination via their GP practice.

The care home programme across Lothian is complete, meaning that all residents in care homes who are eligible have been offered the vaccine, and the vast majority have accepted. Some residents could not be vaccinated during the first round either because they were Covid positive at the time, or a close contacts of someone with Covid. A rolling programme of revisiting all care home will now begin to vaccinate those people and any new residents.

David Small, Director of Primary Care Transformation and executive lead for the vaccination programme, NHS Lothian, said: “We are really pleased that we have finally begun the programme that will see thousands of people given vital protection from the virus.

 “This is a huge step in the right direction in our fight against COVID-19 and it is encouraging to see all of our planning turn into reality.

“It has taken a lot of work and I’m really proud of all the effort from all of our teams.

“We have already vaccinated the vast majority of the first groups to be prioritised, including frontline health and social care staff; care home staff and residents and people over the age of 80. 

“Nearly 83,000 people have already had their first dose of the vaccine and we are on track to complete the first wave, which includes frontline health and social care staff; care home staff and residents and people over the age of 80,  by February 5^th.”

People aged between 75-79 and those most clinically vulnerable will be given appointments to be vaccinated by their GP, while those aged between 70-74 and 65 to 69 will be invited into these mass vaccination sites and smaller community venues for their injections.

A team of over 500 volunteer vaccinators, with a vast array of experience from a huge number of clinical roles in Lothian, has been created to work in the mass vaccination sites. They will be supported by around 100 administrative staff.

Sarah Macleod, one of NHS Lothian’s vaccinators at the EICC, said: “It’s fantastic to be involved and to be vaccinating the elderly and the vulnerable to help them get some normality back to life. Many of these people have been shielding for months or over a year so this is really is a light at the end of the tunnel for them.”

The next to open will be the Members Hall at Royal Highland Showground with nine stations, a drive through vaccination centre at Queen Margaret University which will have 16 stations and capacity for vaccinating 8,000 people each week when it opens on 10 February. After that on 15 February, a vaccination centre with 32 stations will be created at Edinburgh Park in the former RBS building, a second site at the Royal Highland Showground with 50 stations which will open in March.

If patients absolutely cannot keep the appointment they have been given, they are being asked to call the COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013 to rearrange their appointment. If they are aged 75 and over, they should phone their GP practice to rearrange their appointment.

More details and information about the venues can be found on NHS Lothian’s website https://www.nhslothian.scot/Coronavirus/Vaccine/Pages/default.aspx

The full list of venues is as follows:

Mass vaccination centres

Edinburgh International Conference Centre (From 1 February)

Strathbrock Partnership Centre (1-14 February)

Royal Highland Showground (From 3 February)

Queen Margaret University (from 10 February)

Pyramids Business Park (From 15 February)

Former Royal Bank of Scotland Edinburgh Park

Community vaccination centres

Pennywell

Leith Community Treatment Centre

Gracemount Medical Centre

Sighthill Health Centre

Craigmillar Medical Centre

Howden Health Centre

East Lothian Community Hospital

Midlothian Community Hospital

Edinburgh charity Lifecare has appointed Damian McGowan as its new Chief Executive. Based in Stockbridge, the charity offers care and support for older people in the north of the city. 

Mr McGowan has over 30 years’ experience in social work, social care and adult care services. He has previously led Gowrie Care and most recently was Managing Director at Corcare in Cornwall. 

Jock Miller, Chair of the Board of Trustees said: “Damian brings a wealth experience and leadership talents which will immediately benefit everyone within the charity and will have a hugely positive impact on all of our important care services.  We are thrilled that in the year in which we will celebrate our 80-year anniversary, and in which we will continue to navigate the challenges of Covid-19, Damian is joining us to drive forward and continue our well-known success offering first-class care for older people in our communities.”

Lifecare supports older people to live life to the full through their year round services including Outreach, Help at Home and Vintage Vibes. Usually they run three day clubs, a community café and venue along with a range of activities for over 60s. 

Damian McGowan, CEO of LifeCare Edinburgh, said: “LifeCare delivers incredible high-quality care and support to hundreds of local older people within our communities every year.  The care which my new colleagues deliver daily enables older people to remain independent in their own homes for as long as possible; they support both their physical and mental wellbeing. This is always vital, but never more so than through this shocking pandemic which has disproportionately affected older people who are otherwise left chronically isolated and vulnerable.

“I am extremely proud and honoured to be joining LifeCare at this crucial time.  Collectively the board and all the staff have worked tirelessly to continue to safely deliver the key support our hundreds of elderly clients continue to need to survive this crisis. They have quickly adapted, redesigned, and introduced new key services to make sure that all essential needs have been met.  Once we are able, I very much look forward to getting out into the community to safely meet with the people we support and to working with our board, staff and all of our dedicated volunteers.”

LifeCare Edinburgh is a registered charity and relies on the support of its funders.  Key relationships include Barclays, Lothian Buses, Tesco Bank Edinburgh and all the many local people who take part in community fundraising events. 

www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk 

Scotland’s national fire and rescue service is raising the Pride flag to mark LGBT History Month.

The rainbow flag is flying proudly at three of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s regional headquarters and its national headquarters in Cambuslang.

LGBT History Month takes place every February and is a month-long celebration, providing education and insight into the issues that the LGBT community face. Each year has a different theme, this year unsung people and intersectionality were selected.

Assistant Chief Officer Paul Stewart and Deputy Assistant Chief Officer David Farries are the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s LGBT senior equality champions.

DACO Farries said: “I take my role as a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service LGBT Senior Champion very seriously, not only is it hugely important to me on a personal level but as an organisation it is essential that we continue to do everything we can to continue to create an inclusive environment that supports equality and diversity.

“LGBT History month provides us with opportunities to learn about the journeys that individuals, organisations and society on the whole has been on. The ‘Unsung heroes’ theme of this LGBT History Month sits particularly well in an organisation such as ours, given that we pride ourselves on going about our business without fanfare or praise, we shouldn’t however lose sight of the countless individuals who have been pioneers or have made telling contributions to the LGBT cause within the Fire and Rescue Service and beyond.”

Last year, the SFRS senior leadership team volunteered to be equality champions for specific protected characteristics – to highlight that allies can be drawn from a range of different backgrounds and do not have to share that characteristic.

In previous years, events have taken place throughout the month across the country. However, this year the events have moved online to continue the celebrations and support that can’t be delivered in person due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and measures being taken to tackle it.

Information about these events is available on the LGBT History Month website: