The Edinburgh Reporter March 2019

4 NEWS The Edinburgh Reporter
Charity fund
open for
applications
SCOTMID CO-OPERATIVE’S
£25,000 Community Connect
initiative is open for applications
from East of Scotland charities.
A panel will shortlist entrants
to three applicants who will then
be invited to attend a Scotmid
Member Meeting and present
their idea. The winning group will
receive an investment of £15,000,
and the runners-up will each
receive £5,000.
The community can cast their
vote by using their Scotmid
Co-operative Community Connect
card. Votes will also be cast
for the final three applicants
at the Member Region’s AGM
in April and the Annual General
Meeting in October.
Since the initiative was
launched in 2017, over £155,000
has been awarded to 18 good
cause groups enabling key
projects to come to life in local
areas.
Applications should be made via
the Scotmid website by Friday 22
March.
Chief Executive, John Brodie,
said: “Our core purpose is to
serve our local communities
and improve people’s everyday
lives and Community Connect
helps not only bring communities
together but brings projects
to life that are at the heart of
those communities. We look
forward to introducing the next
cycle of short-listed groups to our
members.”
Last year’s winners
included Blood Bikes Scotland,
who were awarded £15,000 of
funding, Prestonpans-based
Harlawhill Day Care Centre and
West Lothian’s Broxburn Family
Centre, who were awarded £7,500
and £2,500 respectively.
The Edinburgh
Medal 2019
THE prestigious Edinburgh Medal
is awarded to Christiana Figueres,
executive secretary of the UN
framework convention on climate
change (UNFCCC)
Ms Figueres was instrumental
in the successful conclusion of
the Paris talks.
At the summit all the world’s
nations agreed for the first time
to a binding commitment to
avoid dangerous levels of global
warming.
Figueres also served as the UN’s
climate chief from 2010 until
2016.
She will deliver The Edinburgh
Medal Address entitled Climate
Change Where are We? at The
Signet Library on Friday 5 April
2019 at 7.00pm. The lecture is
aimed at 14+ and will last for
an hour.
Volunteers up for an award
Volunteers Linda and Gill
co-founded All in Diary
Edinburgh Medal winner Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of
the UN framework convention on climate change
LINDA RICHARDSON, a volunteer
from Edinburgh, has been
shortlisted to win a coveted
humanitarian honor.
Linda is nominated alongside
her co-founder Gill Price for their
tireless work creating All in Diary,
a guide for aid workers in disaster
situations. The handy A5 book is
packed with up-to-date information
for humanitarian workers. It
covers everything from technical
advice on water and sanitation,
shelter and logistics to addressing
health issues and emergency
project management.
The special event will allow Ms
Figueres to discuss the international
picture in respect of action
to halt climate change. The
international cooperation which
led to the historic 2015 Paris
Agreement has not continued
interrupted.
The Edinburgh Medal was instituted
by the City of Edinburgh
Council in 1988. Each year this
prestigious award is given to
men and women of science and
technology whose professional
achievements are judged to have
made a significant contribution
to the understanding and wellbeing
of humanity.
Previous recipients include Prof
Jane Goodall, Prof Peter Higgs
and Sir David Attenborough. This
year’s Edinburgh Medal address
is supported by Artemis.
News in Brief
Spring Statement
THE Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond, announced that
the government will respond to the forecast from the Office for Budget
Responsibility (OBR) in a Spring Statement on 13 March 2019. The
Chancellor announced at Autumn Statement 2016 that there will now
only be one major fiscal event each year.
NHS
A NEW self-help guide to help people with winter coughs has been
launched on Scotland’s health information website NHS inform.
The step-by-step guide, which can be found at nhsinform.scot, is
designed to help people assess their symptoms online and find out
what they should do next.
Coughs are one of the most common reasons people call NHS 24's 111
service, with staff handling around 25,000 calls related to coughs, cold
and flu symptoms in January alone this year.
Plastic
SCOTLAND is leading the way in tackling marine litter, First Minister
Nicola Sturgeon told international delegates attending Scotland’s
International Marine Conference recently in Glasgow.
The First Minister announced a £175,200 campaign promoting the
use of re-usable sanitary products to reduce the more than 100 billion
pieces of sanitary waste disposed of every year.
In the coming weeks the Scottish Government will also publish
proposals to make it an offence to throw litter overboard from all
Scottish fishing vessels while at sea.
Meal Makers
KNOW an older person who would appreciate a weekly home cooked
meal and some company?
Cooks are looking for Diners in your area.
If you know an elderly person (55+ years) who could benefit from a
home cooked meal and some company once a week then call Meal
Makers on 0800 783 7770 or visit www.mealmakers.org.uk
Meet the Funders
21 March 2019 2.00 - 4.00pm
LOCAL community projects in North Edinburgh are invited to speak to
the funders and get some application forms or chat about project ideas.
There will be a range of funders available including The Robertson
Trust, The National Lottery Community Fund, Climate Challenge Fund,
Edinburgh Airport Community Fund and Heritage Lottery.
Tel 0131 529 5270 for information.
Eagle keeps on growing
SCOTLAND’S largest independent
courier firm has continued its
investment drive – as it eyes up
further expansion south of the
border.
Eagle Couriers has taken a
50% share in Surrey-based Wey
Group International, specialists
in UK same day and overnight
Eagle Couriers expanding to England
deliveries as well as international
shipments.
The move comes just months
after Eagle’s full takeover of
THS Couriers, the UK’s leading
baggage repatriation provider –
which has depots from Heathrow
to Inverness.
By adding Wey Group’s fleet
of 45 drivers, it means that the
Scottish firm will now be able to
call on a combined fleet of more
than 185 vehicles throughout the
country.
Fiona Deas, Co-Director with
Eagle Couriers, is optimistic that
the firm can continue with its
growth ambitions. She said: “This
is an industry that has suffered a
poor reputation in recent years,
where customer service has
declined.
“We’ve grown by keeping the
same ethos that we had in day
one – with a close-knit team that
knows the importance of being
pro-active and efficient.
“The addition of Wey Group is
a big boost in terms of what we
can manage ourselves south of
the border – ensuring that level of
service is offered throughout,
instead of relying on third
parties.We’re really excited for the
future here and looking forward
to seeing how things develop in
the coming year.”