Charles Hunter

A Bield tenant at a development in Edinburgh has revealed his secret to a long life as he reaches his 102nd birthday.

Charles Hunter, who was born and bred in Edinburgh, believes that he has lived to reach this milestone birthday thanks to good genes – with his mother living until she was 103.

The former member of the Merchant Navy and RAF, who moved into Bield’s Liberton Park Court 27 years ago, recently celebrated this special event at the development surrounded by family and friends.

Charles said: “I think I must have inherited my mother’s long life gene as she was 103 years old when she died.

“My mother’s sister from Australia also lived to the age of 100 and my great-grandfather who was a fisherman in the Shetlands lived until his mid-nineties.

“I had one brother and two sisters and one of my sisters reached 95 years old, so I definitely think it runs in the family.”

Charles also believes that living a healthy and active lifestyle has helped him remain in good health.

He continued: “I have always made a point of drinking lots of water and having a proper breakfast of porridge, eggs and toast.

“Before I was married my interests were mainly sporting ones, I enjoyed swimming, hockey, football, boxing and running was my favourite. Later in life I gained an interest in DIY and I used to bake a lot, so I have always been an active person.”

During his childhood Charles attended South Morningside, Lorne Street and Burdiehouse primary schools before going on to George Heriot’s for secondary.

He was posted to Iraq and Yemen during the Second World War, and was eventually promoted to the rank of sergeant.

On leaving the military, he went on to spend much of his life working in the food industry as a warehouse manager.

Charles with his beloved wife Rachel

Charles married his beloved wife, Rachel, in 1942 after being introduced through his sister Mina who worked alongside Rachel in the Navy, Army and Air Force Institues.

The couple, who shared the same birthday with Charles being just one year older, lived a long and happy life together, before Rachel passed away in 2012 at the age of 97.

Charles and Rachel had three children, two sons and a daughter. Their eldest son died in 2008.

He is a very proud grandfather to his eight grandchildren and great-grandchild, and he is expecting another great-grandchild in April.

Fay Evans, development manager Liberton Park Court, said: “He’s such a lovely person. He enjoys going out and about, especially in the summer time and he absolutely adores his grandchildren.

“He’s always very cheery and his birthday party was absolutely fantastic.

“At Bield, there is nothing better than seeing our tenants live long and happy lives and to share experiences like these with them makes our job so worthwhile.

“I would like to wish Charles a very happy birthday.”

Deborah Ball, Activity Coordinator at Bupa’s Braid Hills care home in Edinburgh, is entitled to take Christmas day as a public holiday, but instead chooses to work so that residents who are unable to eat or drink do not feel isolated from the celebrations.

Nearly half of those living in the Young Physically Disabled unit at the home are nil by mouth (unable to orally consume food or liquid) and receive their nutrition via a PEG – a tube that allows nutrition, fluids or medication to be put directly into the stomach. However, being tube fed does not mean that the residents have lost their desire for food or drink and Christmas can therefore be a particularly distressing time.

As they are unable to enjoy a traditional dinner, Deborah instead hosts a separate Christmas-themed party for the eight residents, chock full of entertainment including music and festive film-showings.

Deborah said: “Just because many of the residents in the unit are nil by mouth, this doesn’t mean that they don’t have the same food cravings as we do, and being near and smelling food – especially Christmas dinner – can be very upsetting for them.

“This time of year can be very difficult for many people and the last thing we want is for these residents to feel left out because they aren’t able to share the festive feast with the others. Having the alternative party means that they can still enjoy the day.”

Pauline Ritchie, Administrator at Bupa’s Braid Hills care home, said: “In the weeks running up to Christmas, there is always much talk within the home of what dinner and drinks we will have on the day and a general festive atmosphere.

“Thanks to Deborah, these residents in Kingsknowe Unit had a fantastic time at her alternative Christmas party last year and we are looking forward to making their day special again this year.

“Deborah always goes above and beyond the call of duty and the fact that she is passing up her own day with her family to make sure that our residents enjoy theirs is incredibly admirable and we are all very thankful to her for her continuous commitment.”

Blackwood, which currently has offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Stirling, sees the launch of its new premises as a pivotal step to provide its service users with enhanced care and housing.

The move represents a significant investment by the housing and care provider and will create a number of new jobs in Dundee. The expanding Tayside team will move into the Claverhouse office in early November.

The expansion comes as part of Blackwood’s five year Business Plan and the new Tayside office’s main focus will be to grow their Care at Home business using their own branded smart technology to help those with disabilities live their lives to the full.

Since it was launched 40 years ago, Blackwood has built an impressive reputation for its expertise in adapting properties to let people with disabilities, sensory impairments and age-related conditions to live as independently as possible.

The ambitious charity’s latest innovative project was revealed at its annual exhibition in September, when it constructed a full scale replica of its dynamic concept house in 24 hours. A washing machine that washes, dries and irons clothes, a ‘rise and fall’ kitchen and a spoon that doesn’t spill were just some of the cutting-edge inventions on display.

Fanchea Kelly, Chief Executive at Blackwood, said: “We always strive to be at the forefront of the latest innovations and technologies, and expanding in Dundee will allow us to continue to improve and enhance the lives of those we work with. It’s great to see the organisation come full circle, as the first Blackwood property was opened by the Queen Mother at Blackwood Court, Dundee in 1976.

“People are at the heart of what we do, and it’s only with the dedication of our own team that we can deliver value and quality to our customers – so having the opportunity to create jobs is particularly exciting for us.

“This investment is also particularly important to us as Dundee is the location where we will be launching our highly accessible concept house next year, so having a dedicated team in this city is essential to this and other future pioneering projects.

“We very much pride ourselves on being at the forefront of the housing and care sector, but to remain there it’s vital that we continue to grow and develop in order to listen to the ever evolving needs of our service-users and help shape our future.”

John Robertson, Landlord at Struan Motors Ltd who is letting the premises to Blackwood, said: “Struans recognise that Blackwood adds real value to many individuals and the community through the services it provides.

“It’s the work of Blackwood, delivered with professionalism and friendliness, which often provides the platform for individual progress and leads to a better community.

“Struans are delighted and proud that Blackwood has taken occupation of our office in Dundee and we wish them a very successful future.”

Blackwood is a registered charity, with its headquarters in Edinburgh, though it operates in 29 of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas, making it one of the country’s most widely dispersed care and housing experts.

Its new five year business strategy has seen it set aside £13.9m for housing investment, £2.3m for staffing needs and also funded an extra £1.2m into its care provision. It also has plans to ensure affordable rents for all service users while increasing tenant satisfaction in line with the Scottish Social Housing Charter.

Another crucial element in delivering change will see the charity expanding its services and footprint in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow as key cities to boost its five-star rated care services.

Established by Dr Margaret Blackwood in 1972, Blackwood now has 400 staff and manages 1600 properties across Scotland and full details of its services are atwww.blackwoodgroup.org.uk.

 Disabled Access Day

The event aims to encourage disabled people, their friends and families to visit somewhere new and over 50 venues across the UK, including Westminster Abbey, Tate Modern and The Scottish Parliament, have already signed up with almost six months still to go until the day.

Today, Disabled Access Day 2016 will be launched at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh with Maureen Watt MSP, Minister for Public Health, in attendance.  This will mark the beginning of the lead up to the second annual event, building on the fantastic result of 2015 which saw over 200 companies and venues taking part, including VisitScotland, BT, Caffè Nero, Caffé Concerto and Barclays and attracted over 1,000 disabled people and their families, friends and carers.

An overwhelming 94% of disabled people would revisit a venue that has good accessibility, according to a survey carried out by Euan’s Guide the main sponsors of Disabled Access Day. With the UK’s 12 million disabled people estimated to have a combined spending power of over £200 billion, venues with poor disabled access or information are potentially missing out on gaining a significant amount of revenue.

Venues can take part in the 2016 event by hosting an event or simply opening their doors to show that they welcome disabled visitors and their friends and families. Whether it is a cinema, hotel or visitor attraction, there are plenty of ways for businesses to get involved. For further information on how to get involved, please visit: http://www.disabledaccessday.com/get-involved/

Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Business Energy and Tourism, said: “The Scottish Government remains fully committed to ensuring that everyone should have a chance to enjoy all that Scotland has to offer.  That is why I am delighted to be here today to launch the Disabled Access Day – an initiative that continues to position Scotland as a country with world-class tourism facilities, offering more choice as well as excellent customer service.

“Last week I announced that the Scottish Government is providing VisitScotland with a further £38,000 to boost the engagement of disabled and older people in the Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design.  These funds will support a series of new and enhanced partner projects, each of which will contribute to the wider Accessible Tourism Drive, contributing to the Innovation and Architecture themes of the 2016 year and creating a legacy whose benefits will be felt well into the future as the accessible tourism project rolls-out.”   

Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said:  “As the number of visitors to our Gardens continues to grow, we are committed to offering the very best welcome to everyone, no matter what their specific needs.  Disabled Access Day is a great opportunity for us to invite even more people to visit us and it’s an honour for us to be hosting the flagship event in Scotland.”

Chris McCoy, Head of VisitScotland’s Accessible Tourism Programme, said: “We are delighted to lend our support to next year’s Disabled Access Day as part of our ongoing Accessible Tourism Programme. I would encourage businesses to sign up to take part as we look to make this country a fully accessible destination. Earlier this year, we worked in partnership with the Royal Yacht Britannia and a number of assistance dog charities to demonstrate the invaluable support these amazing animals provide, and we are looking forward to supporting an equally successful event at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh next March.”

A spokesperson for Caffè Nero, said: “Following the success of Disabled Access Day earlier this year, Caffè Nero is delighted to once again be a part of the national initiative created to raise awareness of the importance of disabled access. We welcomed the feedback received last year which highlighted our stores that have great accessibility, along with the stores where change was required to improve. We took on board all of the response we received last year and we now look forward to seeing lots of new visitors in conjunction with Disabled Access Day in March 2016!”

Euan MacDonald, co-founder of the disabled access reviews website, EuansGuide.com, the main sponsor of Disabled Access Day said, “The success of last year’s event has given us a firm foundation to build on. Not only are we raising awareness of disabled access, but also showcasing the venues with good accessibility and highlighting the commercial value held by the UK’s 12 million disabled people and their family, friends and carers.”

For more information on Disabled Action Day, please visit: www.disabledaccessday.com

One of them made an offensive remark about her disability before she was struck on the back and fell to the ground.

A member of the public came to the woman’s aid and she returned home.

Officers are attempting to indentify those responsible, and asked anyone with information to come forward.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “This was a cowardly assault on a defenceless woman who was unable to identify her attacker.

“As such, we would ask anyone who was in the area on Saturday afternoon and remembers seeing anything suspicious to contact police immediately.

“Similarly, anyone with more information that can help officers with their inquiries is also asked to come forward.”

BBC

Five men aged 33, 37, 48, 53 and 54 and three women aged 39, 49 and 63 have been reported to the procurator fiscal to appear in court at a later date.

The motorists were caught on Monday and Tuesday.

A blue disabled parking badge entitles the owner to park in marked disabled spaces, in areas where parking is not normally permitted and parking without payment in pay and display spaces.

‘Painstaking investigation‘

Sgt Kevin Rafferty, of Lothian and Borders Police, said blue disabled parking badge were exclusively for those with a registered disability and not for personal purposes.

Officers identified eight people alleged to be using badges fraudulently and gathered information which may result in further charges “in the near future”.

Sgt Rafferty said: “Displaying a stolen badge or utilising one if you are not registered disabled is a crime and we will continue to work alongside our partners to bring anyone responsible to account for their actions.”

Lesley Hinds, Edinburgh City Council’s transport convener, said: “The charging of these eight individuals is a very satisfying conclusion to many months of painstaking investigation and intelligence gathering by the council’s dedicated fraud prevention officer.

“Most blue badges are used correctly but sadly there is still a small minority of individuals who seem to believe that the law doesn’t apply to them.

“This close joint working between the council and Lothian and Borders Police should send a strong message to anyone still flouting the law that we will not hesitate to bring them to justice.”

BBC