Also in the news / Afghanistan appeal, Peerie Foxes move, growing food together, new gas development and more…
ISLES MSP Beatrice Wishart is calling on people to consider making a donation to the Afghanistan crisis appeal after hearing that one million children are at risk of dying from malnutrition as 95 per cent of the country’s population does not have enough to eat.
A briefing by Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) also revealed that just 9.1 per cent of the Afghan population is fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
The DEC consists of 13 organisations and it launched its appeal a week ago. The UK Government said it will match pound-for-pound the first £10 million donated by the public to the appeal.
Wishart said: “While we sit down to our Christmas lunch, 55 per cent of the people in Afghanistan are suffering acute hunger.
“I’m appealing to everyone to donate whatever they can to this urgent humanitarian crisis and DEC’s appeal.”
More details can be found online at: https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/afghanistan-crisis-appeal.
CHILDCARE provider Peerie Foxes has confirmed that it has received the keys to its new premises on Lerwick’s North Road.
The nursery is planning to move its services to the old Salvation Army building in the next few months.
Its existing lease of the current Fox Lane premises will expire at the end of March.
THE NORTHMAVINE Community Development Company is to benefit from a share of a £100,000 grant distributed among 13 charities and voluntary groups working to help people to learn how to grow their own food.
The government money is distributed through the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) growing food together fund.
The development company in Northmavine is planning to run 10 workshops across the area to encourage and support people with limited space at home to get growing.
PLANS to develop the Victory gas field to the west of Shetland have been submitted to the UK Government, according to industry paper Energy Voice.
The small field, just 30 miles to the northwest of Shetland, is wholly owned by Corallian Energy and is estimated to contain 179 billion cubic feet of recoverable gas.
If this project gets the go-ahead a short pipeline will link into the existing TotalEnergies infrastructure in the area which connects to the Shetland Gas Plant.
Corallian Energy says first gas is expected in 2024.
CHIEF Veterinary Officer for Scotland Sheila Voas is urging poultry keepers not to be complacent and help stop the spread of bird flu.
The stark warning comes as the UK faces its largest ever outbreak of bird flu with five cases confirmed across Scotland since the start of November and more than 50 across the UK.
Chickens, ducks, geese or any other birds should be kept indoors and strict biosecurity measures need to be in place.
Voas said: “Many poultry keepers have excellent biosecurity standards but the number of cases we are seeing suggests that not enough is being done to keep bird flu out.
More information can be found here.
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