December 2022

7 December - Tell us what you think about Glasgow Tourism

Glasgow Life is working with industry and tourism partners; VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise and Glasgow Airport, to refresh the city's current Tourism and Visitor Plan.

As part of the process we are keen to hear what you think about the city's tourism offer. An online survey has been developed for Glasgow residents, or those with an interest, to share their thoughts.

We would love to hear your views - so please complete the survey and let us know what your favourite Glasgow attractions are, what's important to you, and what you think we should be shouting about in our marketing.

Please complete the survey by the 12th of January 2023 - it will only take a minute or so to complete.

Thank you for your input!

7 December - Kindhearted colleagues deliver lovely surprise!

Home Carer, Lynn Jarvie, was taken by surprise when she was gifted a new bike by her colleagues.

Tracy Ellis, Out of Hours Coordinator said: "Lynn is currently battling an illness and we wanted to show her how much she means to us. We considered sending her on a holiday, but thought she'd appreciate a bike more. She is a very active person; the gym is her second home and she's even been known to cycle to her hospital appointments! We knew she had been looking at a new bike, but at over £1000 she wasn't sure if she could justify it."

"We decided we wanted to get Lynn the new bike, so asked our manager to send an email to colleagues, asking if they would like to contribute to help raise money for the bike. We were overwhelmed by the response; it is testament to how well thought of Lynn is, by so many people!"

"Once we had raised enough money, our colleague, Margaret Campbell, who works alongside Lynn, ordered the exact bike that she had previously had her eye on and roped her husband in on the act, by picking the bike up from the shop. The whole team came together to gift it to her, and it was a very special moment."

Jacqueline McCaffery, Home Carer, said: "Lynn is an inspiration to us all. She is such a lovely person, and we are so proud of her. Although she is dealing with her own health issues, she has never once moaned. The whole team just love her to bits."

Lynn said "I was blown away when my colleagues presented me with a new bike, as it was a complete surprise. I am not usually stuck for words, but I was so overwhelmed. I would like to express how truly grateful I am to each and every one of them; the thought of them all coming together and doing this for me is extraordinary. I am so lucky to work with such a special bunch of people."

7 December - Home Care Hosts Virtual Afternoon Tea

Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership's home care service recently hosted its second annual 'virtual afternoon tea party' for service users. Those aged 100 or over were invited to participate along with their friend or family members.

Gordon Bryan, Head of Care Services said "Following the success of last year's virtual event we decided to host the tea parties in service user's homes again to allow as many of those eligible to participate as possible.

"A home-made afternoon tea including scones, cakes and sandwiches was provided by local café 'The Hi T Company', and pre-recorded entertainment including speeches from the Lord Provost and GCHSCP's Chief Officer Susanne Miller was played on an iPad.

"It's important for us to recognise our centenarianservice users and their contribution to the city so we were delighted to be able to host this event again."

Service user, Helen who is aged 104 said "I was delighted to be invited to participate in this year's afternoon tea and had a lovely day with my family who joined me for the occasion."

Helen's daughter also Helen said "On behalf of the family I would like to say a big thank you to the service for organising this for my mum. My sister, brother and our partners also attended the event and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The food was incredible, it was such a lovely afternoon."

7 December - Need a hand keeping warm this winter?

Home Energy Scotland provides clear and impartial advice on how to keep your home warm. They are funded by the Scottish Government and have a network of local advice centres covering all of Scotland

Their expert advisors offer free advice on how to reduce your heating costs, alongside key information on energy saving, keeping warm at home, renewable energy, greener travel and cutting water waste. They can carry out a property assessment over the phone to identify ways to make your home more energy efficient. They will also check if you can receive free support worth up to £5000 for improvements like loft and cavity wall insulation or a new heating system.

You can contact Home Energy Scotland to find out how you:

• can get help to heat your home more efficiently and reduce your heating bills.
• could get help worth up to £5,000 for improvements to make your home warmer, like a new heating system or insulation.

Contact details

• Their helpline is a one-stop-shop for support, so call now on 0808 808 2282
• Or visit www.homeenergyscotland.org to fill in an online form and request a call back.

7 December - Do you know what to do? It's a busy time of year: help prevent crime!

#SafeGlasgow - As we approach one of the busiest times of the year for the city, opportunistic thieves may be around more to take advantage of the crowds and seasonal distractions.

We would like to remind staff of a few simple measures to help prevent crime and help keep our staff safe and our buildings, equipment and information secure.

Keeping information safe

To keep our information secure you must follow some basic guidelines as outlined in our information security staff guidelines. These include:

• keeping your desk clear - to help avoid opportunistic theft and the loss of information
• locking away sensitive information - store it securely, such as in a locked cabinet
• locking your device - when you leave your computer unattended, protect your information by locking it. Press the Windows key on your keyboard followed by L or hold down 'CTRL' 'ALT' 'DELETE', then select Lock Computer
• using a strong password - it must be difficult to guess and must be kept secret. Find out how to set a strong password for your computer on Connect
• reporting suspicious email activity- do not click on any links or attachments or action any unusual urgent requests, simply forward the email to Integrity (on Outlook).
• keeping your mobile devices secure -always store them securely and out of sight when left unattended. Be aware of who can hear or see your conversation when on a mobile device.
• reporting lost or stolen devices immediately - to CGI on 74000 (0141 287 4000 from an external line), your line manager and then complete and email the Data Breach Form 
• avoiding taking paperwork containing personal information away from the office - if there is no alternative you must carry your paper information in a secure file, envelope or bag that is not see-through and do not open paper files containing personal data in a public place.

Building security

• In the office - be careful about security in the office, especially when you leave it empty. Make sure that any valuables, such as hybrid tablets and mobile devices are securely locked away to avoid theft. Follow our core information security guidance to keep your devices safe 
• Controlled entry- be aware of people trying to follow you through a controlled entry door who are not wearing the correct identification. Always ask any strangers not wearing an ID badge if it is safe to do so. For example, ask if you can help them find where they are supposed to be going. If you do not feel safe please make sure their presence is reported immediately to whoever is responsible for site security - as they may not be authorised to be there.
• ID badge- always wear your ID badge where others can see it - your manager should remind you if you do not wear it. This is so that we know you have permission to be in the building.

Visit #SafeGlasgow for more information on keeping our information, staff, city and citizens safe.

7 December - Our Countryside Rangers deal with potential Avian Flu

Over the past few weeks, you will have no doubt read in the press of the unprecedented numbers of mute swan deaths at Hogganfield Loch Local Nature Reserve from potential Avian Flu. These deaths have now reached 92 individuals (correct at end of November) which is tragically 60% of the swan population of the park.

The outbreak was first reported on 14 November and is not restricted to just Hogganfield Loch. Since 24 November we have also been experiencing wildfowl deaths at Richmond Park (south of the Clyde near Glasgow Green) where geese and heron have died and at Auchinlea.

Allison Greig, Senior Countryside Ranger (citywide) in NRS explains: "It has been a very upsetting situation, for both Countryside Ranger staff, who have entered this profession because of their love for nature and wildlife, and also for the public to see the predated bodies of majestic mute swans. It's quite honestly been gruesome at times and overwhelming. 

"Our team is working hard to provide factual, yet compassionate, information to the public as we patrol the parks daily. This is a very important task to reassure regular park users about their own health risk from catching it, which is low, and that of their pets. Many of the public know the swans individually and the loss of so many in such a short period of time has created a stark change in the loch's appearance."

Our Park and Rangers teams in NRS have been coordinating our response to the situation with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) and Grayshill - our approved contractor (licensed by DEFRA) to remove the animals who have sadly passed away.

Allison continues: "Whilst sick and dying birds in shallow ponds are accessible and can be removed and euthanized by the SSPCA - we cannot reach sick birds in the deeper parts of the loch as quick, and this can be very distressing for both ourselves and the birds alike. We are continuing to work with Grayshill and the SSPCA to reach them by boat and help preserve their dignity in their last hours."

Three of the dead swans that were removed by DEFRA on 16 November are being tested for Avian Flu - however, it could take up to three weeks to get confirmed results back. Having noticed that scavengers, such as foxes and crows feeding on the swan carcasses have reportedly fallen ill, DEFRA have advised that we treat all other sick and dead birds (and other mammals) in the immediate area as being potential Avian Flu victims aswell. The public are being advised to keep dogs on leads, keep to footpaths in these areas and not to feed any birds, or touch them - including stray feathers and bird droppings.

Allison concludes: "The national advice from DEFRA is to cease feeding the birds as it results in birds congregating around the public which will encourage the spread of this airborne disease. However, after many lengthy discussions with colleagues and our partners, we have taken the informed decision for the Countryside Rangers to continue to feed the swans at Hogganfield Loch and Richmond Park in a dispersed way - in order to contain the outbreak in just these locations. This is because the swans at Hogganfield Loch have been fed for nearly 20 years and are conditioned to receiving grain from us every morning at 8am. Our aim is to prevent this large swan population flying to other areas in search of food and spreading the disease further by continuing to feed them locally. We continue to ask the public not to feed them whilst we deal with this situation.

"Some strains of Avian Flu can pass to humans, but this is very rare and usually requires very close contact between humans and infected birds. Our Environmental Health Service is monitoring the situation closely and are supporting and advising NRS with regards to any human risks."

Avian Influenza is a virus that mainly affects birds, though potentially can spread to any warm-blooded animals with a backbone. It is an airborne disease which mainly affects migratory birds, especially water birds, and they can carry the virus along their migration routes. As it can also spread from fluids and faeces - warning signs and posters are in place around the affected parks asking the public to keep dogs on a lead, not to feed the swans and to keep away from any sick animals.

For more information and advice on Avian Flu visit

• https://www.gov.scot/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu/
• https://www.cdc.gov/flu/avianflu
• Contact Defra on 03459 33 55 77

7 December - Don't let this be you: learn how to shop safely online!

#FraudFreeXmas  As we all spend more time online, it becomes increasingly critical that we are aware of the different ways to stay secure.

There are steps we can all take to protect ourselves, as consumers, from fraud and other cyber related crime:

• Protect your accounts - with two step verification and password security
• Stop and check - check reviews of sellers/retailers, check for the padlock sign in the browser and use a credit card or payment platform
• Report suspicious activity - which in turn allows the National Cyber Security Centre and Police Scotland to identify and take down scams to protect others from falling prey.

Password

• Think about changing your email password - it's the gateway to your digital life. Stealing a password can be simple - stealing a password and a device used to authenticate a login is much harder. If you're using the same password elsewhere, do something about it.
• Using 3-random words to create your password - this allows us to set passwords that are unique, strong, and easy to remember.
• Choose your 3 random words password today - go for something weird. Make that password uncrackable.

Two step verification

• Turn on 2-Step Verification.  It's the thing where you prove you are who you say you are by using something like your thumb, face or phone to add another layer of security.
• Enabling 2-step verification significantly decreases the likelihood of an account being hacked. It is simple and dramatically reduces risks, including financial losses. Turn it on today!

Check before you buy

• @CyberAwareGov recommends researching online retailers, particularly if you haven't bought from them before, to check they're the real deal. https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/shopping-online-securely

Secure Payments

• Pay securely this festive season.
• If you have a credit card - use it. If the worst happens, your credit card provider is obliged to help.
• Use payment platforms like PayPal, Google or Apple Pay where possible. Learn more at @CyberAwareGov: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/shopping-online-securely

How to:

The Cyber Aware website gives clear instructions about how to set up 2-step verification well as guidance on passwords based on 3-random words visit and how to report issues https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware/home

7 December - Success for Glasgow at the 2022 Scottish School Food Awards

The council in partnership with Soil Association Scotland, has been awarded for its achievements in encouraging pupils to eat more healthily at this year's Scottish School Food Awards.

The Healthy Living Innovation Award, co-sponsored by Fonetti and Kafoodle, recognises our efforts in delivering fresh, local and sustainable food onto the plates of children and young people as part of the Food for Life Served Here Award (FFLSH).

The FFLSH initiative recognises schools dishing up food that is beneficial to both pupils and the planet. It celebrates the use of local suppliers and producers supporting the local economy and wider community.

The School Food awards, run in partnership with Swiss Education Group and Yummy, were presented at Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh in October.

The prestigious awards evening brought together representatives from across Scotland's education sector to celebrate the highest quality foodservice, and well-being and sustainability incentives from schools across the country.

The council and Soil Association Scotland were shortlisted alongside Fettes College, George Heriot's School and Gordonstoun School.

The award was received on the night by representatives from both the council and Soil Association Scotland.

Councillor Christina Cannon, City Convener for Education, Communities and Equalitiessaid: "This is a fantastic achievement for Glasgow City Council and Soil Association Scotland.

"Our partnership with Soil Association Scotland supports Glasgow as the leading force in serving up fresh, healthy and locally sourced school meals that benefit pupil's health and wellbeing whilst supporting their learning."

"Congratulations to all the winners."

Stephen Sawers, Head of Catering and Facilities Management was overjoyed at the win. He said: "We are thrilled to receive this national recognition from the Scottish School Food Awards for our partnership with Soil Association Scotland and the work we do through the Food for Life Served Here initiative.

Achieving this Award was a team effort, and we are grateful to our colleagues in Corporate Procurement who have done great work to ensure we have the supply chain. Our thanks must also go to Head Teachers in our Schools who support the work we do. Finally, this award is for all the Catering staff in our schools who do great work in fuel zones across the city every day.

"In Glasgow, we continually strive to come up with innovative and creative ways to engage our young people in the importance of nutrition, health and wellbeing.

"Through our partnership with Soil Association Scotland our young people have fresh, nutritious, and sustainable lunches that fuel them for the school day, and we remain fully committed to providing the best possible school meals for our pupils across the city."

Margaret Gilmour, Senior Partnerships Manager at Soil Association Scotland, said: "This is an outstanding achievement for the teams at Glasgow City Council and at Soil Association Scotland.

"The Food for Life Served Here award provides a route for local authorities to get more fresh, local and sustainable food into school meals.

"We've loved collaborating with the Council's fantastic catering service to get more good food on to school plates. It's been a huge team effort, so we're delighted to see it recognised in this way. Congratulations to all involved."

7 December - How to adjust your boiler: to save money and energy!

Do you have a combi boiler? The average household can save around £112 per year by turning down their boiler flow temperature. It takes just five minutes to check that your boiler is working as efficiently as it should be.

Last month Nesta launched the Money Saving Boiler Challenge to help 1m people save cash this winter by changing a single setting on their combi boilers. The campaign is supported by Which?, Octopus Energy, EDF Energy, E.ON Next and Energy UK.

Did you know that many combi boilers burn more gas, generate more carbon emissions and cost more in energy bills than they need to? Nesta's research shows that by adjusting the boiler flow temperature to 60 degrees or below, the average household will cut around £112 a year from their energy bill as well as saving 172kg in carbon emissions. 

Use the online tool to help save energy and money

Use the free,simple step-by-step online tool to help make this change  - it takes just five minutes, and is easy to do: www.moneysavingboilerchallenge.com

7 December - Healthy, affordable, culturally appropriate, good food for all Glaswegians!

The Glasgow City Food Plan is a 10-year framework to guide partners in Glasgow working together towards a food system that is fairer, more resilient and environmentally sustainable. The aim is for a food system that makes it easier for everyone in Glasgow to eat healthy, affordable, culturally appropriate, good food no matter where they live, their income or personal circumstances. It was launched in June 2021 after 3 years of development with stakeholders and communities across Glasgow.

The first Food Plan annual report has now been published.

As Riikka Gonzalez, Sustainable Food Cities Co-Ordinator, Glasgow Food Policy Partnershipexplains: "Glasgow is recognised by many of our national partners as leading the way on food system transformation and this is due to the commitment and hard work of everyone who is working towards our shared goal of a fairer, healthier and more sustainable food system in Glasgow.  I think it's fair to say that this has never been more important."

To help reflect on, improve and further develop work, the Glasgow City Food Plan Project Team have compiled a report looking at the progress of the plan across all the thematic areas in the first year following its launch in 2021. Despite the challenges that have arisen internationally, nationally and locally, there has been considerable progress in the first year towards a more joined-up approach to changing our food system. They have concluded that good progress is being made on many of the actions with strong relationships developing between many sectors and policy areas.

This includes the work of Glasgow Community Food Network's Food and Climate Action Team and NHS Glasgow's Thrive Under Five Project have become established across Glasgow, and the Rose voucher veg box scheme has provided fresh fruit and veg to areas worst affected by food poverty and child poverty, supported by the council and the Alexandra Rose Charity. A full list of achievements is available in the Report.

Riikka concludes: "Going forward we will focus particularly on those areas where progress has been more difficult and on further strengthening support for our collaborative approach."

Read the plan in full at  Glasgow City Food Plan - Good Food For All  

If you'd like to know more about the Plan or the Glasgow Food Policy Partnership who are responsible for overseeing its implementation, you can find out more on goodfoodforall.co.uk, @goodfoodforglasgow on Instagram, or @glasgowfpp on Twitter and Facebook, or by subscribing to their newsletter at Glasgow Food Policy Partnership (list-manage.com)

7 December - Thank you for helping us achieve Silver status: Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion

The Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (enei) is the UK's leading employer network for promoting workplace equality and inclusion. They provide their member organisations with advice, training, and support to develop and maintain best practice.  Glasgow City Council joined enei in 2021, and as part of our membership we took part in their TIDE Benchmarking which benchmarks what we do against best practice and other organisations. 

As part of the benchmarking, enei award Bronze, Silver and Gold status to best practice organisations and we are delighted to announce that in our second year of taking part the council has been awarded Silver status.

Thom Hughes, Senior Corporate HR Officer said: "I'm delighted that, we've progressed from achieving Bronze to Silver award status.  This is evidence of the council's pledge of achieving workforce equality and provides recognition of our commitment and progress.  Thank you to everyone across the council for getting involved and working hard to assist us on our journey to becoming a truly inclusive employer."

Membership also provides an opportunity for employees to access a wide range of resources and training, so would strongly encourage you to find out more and register for the members area, by singing up here. 

More information

To find out more about how you can support what we're doing on Equality Diversity and Inclusion visit our Connect pages here or contact us directly by email at Equality and Diversity (on Outlook)  

7 December - Byres Road: plans to create a people-focused place: work begins in January

The Glasgow City Region Cabinet approved public realm work on Byres Road, a major retail and food and drink destination in Glasgow's West End on 8 November 2022.  The first phase of this work will begin in January 2023.

This Glasgow City Region City Deal project aims to rejuvenate the quality of the Byres Road streetscape and public realm to create a people-focused place that improves the pedestrian experience, enhances the economic vibrancy of shops and services, and makes the area more cycle- and environment-friendly.

The first phase of these works - Partick Cross to University Avenue - will begin in January 2023 and be complete by summer 2024.  Works will be delivered in phases to minimise disruption for local businesses.  Works will be delivered by MacLay Civil Engineering, who have experience of delivering works in similar high street settings such as the public realm improvement works in Helensburgh town centre. 

The second phase of these work - between University Avenue and Great Western Road - will be delivered under a separate contract and will commence following completion of the first phase.

You can read the full story, including information on the designs on our web site here.

7 December - Katie shows how data makes a difference 

SIIT's Business Intelligence Team were praised for creating a bespoke Management Information Pack for Financial Services' Catering and Facilities Management (CFM).

Katie Forrest, Business Intelligence Manager, created a 'work profile' for the service using data such as age, job role and service area, and using SAP Analytic Cloud merged this with absence data from SAP to create an absence profile.

Katie said "Working alongside Jacqueline Porteous from Catering and FM, our aim was to use the software to develop a meaningful report for managers. We extracted information that was important to them and presented it in an accessible format, with the aim of giving them quick and easy access to data."

Stephen Sawers, Head of Facilities Management, said "This information is very important for Catering and FM and will result in more effective management as we make decisions based on having regular and clear data.

"The data was very clear and the fact the information provided is automated and in visual format results in a lean process which is user friendly. I would encourage all services to use this product."

The Business Intelligence Team are now in discussions with HR about rolling out a version of the Management Information Report to meet their business requirements.

You can read more about how the bespoke Management Information Pack (MIP) enables the CFM Senior Management Team (SMT) to view and analyse key operational data - helping to identify trends, prioritise operational activities and identify areas for improvement on our Data Makes a Difference Case Study page.