Trading Standards uncover lottery scam
Dame Kelly Holmes in Edinburgh
What’s on in Edinburgh today
Flea Market
RNIB plans for 2015
Trading Standards officers at Edinburgh Council have uncovered a scam which could have cost one resident £16,000 until they stepped in.
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The Edinburgh Reporter was lucky enough to be invited along to the People’s Postcode Lottery on Wednesday evening when Dame Kelly Holmes was principal guest. She was interviewed on stage by TV presenter Fiona Phillips who is an ambassador for the charity, and was warm and funny about her sporting career and her charity work.
Yesterday she visited The Real Mary King’s Close on behalf of her charity, the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, to launch a Cycle Challenge fundraiser that will mean staff clocking up some 700 miles in 7 days with a route that spans the entire UK!
The Cycle Challenge is in aid of The Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, the chosen charity for Continuum Attractions who run The Real Mary King’s Close and a further 6 cultural attractions across the UK, all of which are part of the 700 mile cycle challenge route.
And whilst staff would love to be braving the elements for this worthy cause, local bike store Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op have supplied a static bike meaning that visitors to the Edinburgh attraction will be able cheer the avid cyclists on as they virtually make their way around attractions such as York’s Chocolate Story, the hallowed cobbles of Coronation Street and Portsmouth’s iconic Spinnaker Tower.
Craig Miller, General Manager, The Real Mary King’s Close comments: “The team are really excited to welcome Dame Kelly, and what better person to launch our virtual charity cycle than an Olympic champion. We just hope that we can keep up with the pace that she’s going to set. Either way, we’re looking forward to pushing the pedals for this worthy cause.”
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Our list of what’s on in Edinburgh has won us an award recently so perhaps you would like to know that today’s article is here.
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Over 45 stalls full to bursting with clothes, jewellery, small furniture, music, books, bric-a-brac and so much more. Treat yourself to delicious coffee and cake at the Drill Hall Arts Cafe.
Help for young people with sight loss to make the transition from school to further education and work, and a historical archive of what life was like for blind and partially sighted people in Edwardian Edinburgh are among the activities that a major Scottish charity will launch in Lothian in 2015
RNIB Scotland, whose headquarters is in Edinburgh, will undertake a range of initiatives this year in a determined bid to help the increasing numbers of people who are blind or partially sighted maximise their independence.
“We are embarking on an ambitious slate of new activities this year,” said director John Legg. “Even in times of austerity it is vital that those with sight loss are not left behind. Because we are an ageing population, and sight-threatening conditions such as diabetes are on the rise, the numbers of people experiencing problems with vision could double by 2030.”
Preventing sight loss will be as equal a priority as helping those who are blind and partially sighted, emphasised Legg.
A key aim in 2015 will be to ensure that those who are newly diagnosed with sight loss receive the emotional and practical support needed to come to terms with their condition. “Our Vision Support Services work at that crucial early stage to reassure people that they can live as independently as possible,” he explained. “Being told you are losing your sight can be devastating news. This service helps people to find their lives again.
“The service we operate in Lothian at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion in Edinburgh provides this vital support.”
Other RNIB Scotland services include working with children and young people from nursery age to early adulthood, tackling ‘hidden’ sight loss among groups such as dementia sufferers and those with a learning disability, transcribing books into audio and braille, and awareness campaigns to prevent sight loss.
There are over 5,700 people across Edinburgh and the Lothians formally registered as blind or partially sighted, although RNIB Scotland estimates the real figure could be higher.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
