Community

Football legend and DEBRA UK President Graeme Souness CBE is taking on his toughest Graeme Souness DEBRA challenge yet — and Scottish stars are joining him — to raise at least £500,000

Three peaks. Three open-water swims. Three punishing days across England, Wales and Scotland this September — all to support DEBRA UK’s £20 million Stop the Pain appeal.

EB — known as “butterfly skin” — is a rare, intensely painful genetic condition where skin blisters and tears at the slightest touch. Everyday life brings constant pain, open wounds and fear of injury for children and adults living with it.

Joining Graeme on the challenge are:

• Harry Clark, winner of BBC’s The Traitors Series 2
• Callum Beattie, Scottish singer-songwriter
• Scott Brown, former Scotland international and Celtic captain
• Kevin Kealy, living with EB Simplex, completing every leg
• Calum Blackman, from the EB community, dad to three-year-old Albi, who has recessive dystrophic EB

Graeme said:

“This September, I’m taking on my toughest challenge yet for everyone living with the agony of EB. Three peaks. Three open-water swims. Three days. It will be brutal — but nothing compared to the pain children and adults with EB face every day.

“We urgently need to raise at least £500,000 to help fund another clinical trial and move closer to effective EB drug treatments. Please sponsor me. Every donation and every share matters. Please help make every step and every stroke count.”

This follows Graeme’s earlier DEBRA UK challenges: a 30-mile Channel swim in 2023 that raised £1.2 million, and a return swim in 2025 that raised nearly £730,000, bringing vital funds, national awareness and support to families affected by EB.

📖 How to help

Search DEBRA to donate, or visit: www.debra.org.uk/graeme

Every donation helps fund life-changing research, improve daily life for people with EB, and brings effective treatments closer.

Letter from the Editor: A fresh start for the paper — and for me.

After some time away, I’ve decided to come out of retirement to return to the newsroom — and with that return comes a fresh look at what this publication should be.

Letter from the Editor is my way of saying thank you — and welcome to our fresh start.

As we move into this new era, we’re saying goodbye to a couple of old favourites that, while they were huge successes once, no longer meet the needs and interests of today’s readers. Letting go of those familiar elements of the paper is never easy, but to be relevant and compelling again, we must make space for new thinking, new voices, and new energy.

Most notably, the Gardening section will no longer appear in the publication. But it’s not disappearing entirely — it’s moving online at good-garden.co.uk where it will continue to grow with new articles, advice, and seasonal tips.

This isn’t about forgetting the past — it’s about building on it. I’m excited to bring renewed focus to community stories, local voices, and meaningful content that speaks to the times we are living in now.

I’m grateful to be back and look forward to shaping a publication that’s sharper, more vibrant, and firmly rooted in the present.

What’s changing — and what stays

You’ll notice a fresher, sharper tone in the pages ahead. We’ll be focusing more deeply on what matters most to Dundee: the people, places, and stories that make this city so special. Every neighbourhood, every community group, every local business — they all have a voice worth hearing, and we intend to amplify it.

Some familiar features may have shifted or stepped aside, but our heart remains exactly where it has always been: right here, serving you, our readers. If you have a story to share, a concern to raise, or something to celebrate in your part of the city — please, get in touch. This is your publication as much as it is ours.

Here’s to a fresh chapter, a new beginning, and to Dundee — past, present, and future.

A Fresh Chapter for Dundee

As we move forward, you’ll notice a sharper focus on what truly matters to our city: the stories, voices, and events that shape life right here in Dundee. We want to shine a light on the people who make our communities thrive — the volunteers, the creators, the business owners, and the neighbours who make this city so special.

If you have a story to share, an event to promote, or something worth celebrating in your neighbourhood, please reach out. This publication is yours as much as it is ours. Together, let’s build something fresh, something proud, and something truly Dundee.

Here’s to new beginnings — and to the next chapter.

— William Shand

SOS Silence of Suicide launches free training to help save lives

Nearly one in three people surveyed (29%) in Scotland say they or a family member have been affected by suicide, according to a new survey by SOS Silence of Suicide. The charity says the numbers underline the urgent need for everyday suicide prevention skills in communities across the nation.

Respondents were asked whether they or a family member had been impacted by suicide. Across the UK, Scotland reports the lowest impact of the four nations at 29% and Northern Ireland reports the highest with 39%. This compares with 33% in Wales and 30% in England.

The results also revealed a generational divide, with young adults particularly vulnerable. UK-wide findings show almost half (46%) of 18–24-year-olds surveyed said suicide has touched their lives, double the rate of those aged 55 and over (23%).
To tackle this silent crisis head-on, SOS is today urging people across Scotland to take its new free mental health training course – OPEN Conversations – designed to give everyone the tools to help prevent suicide.

This training is only one part of the charity’s mission. With suicide rates still rising despite years of support and campaigning, SOS says prevention must begin in the everyday moments where someone might first show they’re struggling. By encouraging people to recognise that we all share responsibility for looking out for one another, the charity wants to ensure help reaches people long before they reach a crisis point.

OPEN Conversations teaches individuals to notice the signs someone may be struggling, to respond with confidence rather than fear, and to provide vital support. And crucially, no prior expertise is required.

Lorna Hackett, Trustee at SOS Silence of Suicide, commented:

“These figures are heart breaking. It shows us that for too many people across Scotland, suicide is not a distant tragedy but a devastating reality. Too many lives are being lost too soon.

“SOS has been fighting the silence and stigma of speaking about suicide for 10 years, and we are now saying clearly that suicide prevention is everyone’s responsibility. We must rethink how we respond. We want to change the narrative so that checking in, caring and noticing the signs become everyday actions, not specialist skills.”

Lorna continued:

“You don’t need to be a mental health professional to save a life. Sometimes, all it takes is being willing to have an uncomfortable conversation, to ask the difficult questions and to listen without judgement. OPEN Conversations enables people to do exactly that.

“This course can be completed in a lunch break – it only takes up to one hour – and will give you the confidence that could interrupt someone’s suicidal thoughts and change their trajectory forever. The silence is quite literally killing us; conversation is the medicine.”

Marking its 10th anniversary this year, SOS has spent a decade challenging stigma and supporting those in crisis. Its new training offers practical guidance for friends, colleagues, neighbours and family members. The OPEN Conversations course is free and available to complete now via SOS’s website: https://silenceofsuicidesos.org.uk/courses/free-mental-health-training/.

The survey was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of SOS Silence of Suicide in October 2025, with a nationally representative sample of 3,000 UK adults.

Image supplied by https://silenceofsuicidesos.org.uk/ 

The People’s Choice Awards took place in Glasgow last night to honour the very best of Scottish business, from restaurants to home improvements.

The event launched last year and this second edition again saw the public nominate their favourites before a vote on selected finalists decided the big winners and highly recommended on the night.

Big winners included Radisson RED Glasgow who picked up the Best Hotel award as well as highly recommended for Best Employer, and The Malletsheugh in Newton Mearns which won Best Restaurant.

The event is another premium celebration from Paramount Creative, who also created and run the Italian Awards, Scottish Fish and Chip Awards and Confetti Wedding Awards and more.

Warren Paul, CEO of Paramount, said: “This event feels like it has something really special – it seems to mean even more top the businesses honoured because they’re nominated and voted purely by the public.

“Knowing that this is driven entirely by the love and support of their customers clearly means the world to the business owners and their teams celebrating tonight.

“As with all of our events, these wins are a badge of honour and recognition that is so important in these tough times, when the cost of living is through the roof for all of us.

“It’s a privilege to be able to help recognise the hard work of people who do go above and beyond in business to ensure they give people true value for money – congratulations to all our winners and thank you to so very many members of the public for your votes.

“We couldn’t stage these events without our sponsors so of course thanks to the wonderful World Pay for their endless support.

“This event is going to grow and grow and we want to thank everyone for getting behind it, nominating and voting and showing the businesses who work so hard that those hours are worth it.”

The event was hosted by Des Clarke and Warren himself and took place at the Doubletree Hilton in Glasgow last night.

Best Children’s Entertainment Venue was Play Planet Soft Play, Best Family Business Nasty Beauty, Best Health and Wellbeing Business Nasty Beauty, Best Independent Retailer Billington’s, Best Team Trattoria Roma Johnstone, Best Wedding Supplier Petals of Oban and Best Outdoor Leisure and Tourism Operator Arranview Lochside Lodges.

Radisson RED Glasgow scooped a big award, Scotland’s Best Hotel as well as a Highly Recommended for Best Employer so the team were thrilled.

Graham Chalmers, Curator of Radisson RED Glasgow, said: “Thank you to People’s Choice Awards and of course to every single person who took the time to vote for us and the brand partners who helped spread the word.

“We have been incredibly honoured in recent years to be recognised with a lot of awards from different events and organisations but this one really does hit differently because it’s from the public.

“We work hard to be exceptional so thank you Paramount Creative and the people of Scotland for believing in what we do.

“We are genuinely overwhelmed by the volume of support, love and well-wishes across the board from this win – it shows it has come from the heart so thank you.”

Pav Birk, of the Malletsheugh in Newton Mearns, was thrilled to win an award the whole family had dreamed of since renovating and launching the restaurant and bar in August 2023.

Pav said: “This is crazy – we have won a national Best Restaurant award in our second year. Everyone told us no one wins that big for a good few years.

“We are so lucky to have been taken to the heart of our local community, they have welcomed our family into their lives and we feel so privileged.

“An award nominated and voted by our diners, our friends, is everything we dreamed of and more. Thank you People’s Choice, Paramount Creative, and most of all the public who support us in everything we do.”

Target Ovarian Cancer is determined to dispel common myths about ovarian cancer as a continued lack of awareness could have serious implications for women’s health.
With four in ten wrongly believing cervical screening could detect the sixth biggest cancer killer in women,  these misleading myths must be dispelled to save more lives says charity

According to the charity, four in ten women commonly believe that cervical screening can detect ovarian cancer which it does not. And the symptoms of ovarian cancer – persistent bloating, abdominal pain, needing to wee more often and feeling full quickly – continue to be put down to other conditions such as the menopause or IBS.

Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer deaths amongst women in the UK, and more needs to be done to ensure women are diagnosed early to save lives. Awareness and understanding of the symptoms is imperative to this. Helen Dickens, Deputy Chief Executive at Target Ovarian Cancer, said:

“Although progress has been made over the years, we need to see it accelerated. A woman diagnosed at the earliest possible opportunity has a better chance of surviving this devastating disease. March is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and we want to empower women to get help quickly if they’re concerned.

“It starts with knowing the main symptoms – persistent bloating, abdominal pain, needing to wee more often and feeling full quickly. Knowing what’s normal for you. And knowing the facts about ovarian cancer.”

Research by Target Ovarian Cancer shows awareness of the disease remains concerningly low, and misconceptions prevail. This can lead to a delayed diagnosis of ovarian cancer, when the disease is harder to treat.

To dispel the myths, Dr Sharon Tate, Head of Primary Care Engagement at Target Ovarian Cancer, added:

“We need to be clear that ovarian cancer can be caught early, if the knowledge is there. Five things every woman needs to know are:

1. The disease is not silent – there are key symptoms which are both persistent and occur frequently from the offset which may indicate you have ovarian cancer. These are: bloating, abdominal pain, needing to wee more often and feeling full quickly.
2. Cervical screening does not detect ovarian cancer – go for your cervical screening when invited, but also be aware that this does not detect ovarian cancer. Get to know the symptoms of ovarian cancer and if concerned, see your GP.
3. Ovarian cancer doesn’t discriminate – you can have ovarian cancer at any age but post-menopausal women and those over 50 are at a higher risk. 
4. You can get ovarian cancer even if you’ve had a hysterectomy – you may still have your ovaries, despite having a hysterectomy. If you ever had or have ovaries and experience the above symptoms, see your GP.
5. A family history of cancer, on either side, is important – A common misconception is that hereditary ovarian cancer is only passed down the maternal line, this is not the case. You could be at high risk if you have two or more cases of breast and/or ovarian cancer in your family history.”

22 year old Caitlin McKean, from South Lanarkshire, knows more than anyone how knowledge is power. In 2022, at just 43 years old, her mum, Carol Watson, died from stage 4 ovarian cancer. In her memory, Cailtin and her family have committed to raising awareness of the symptoms, in the hope that more lives are saved. Caitlin said:  

“I don’t think any of us knew the symptoms of ovarian cancer, including mum. If we’d known the symptoms, and that ovarian cancer isn’t diagnosed through the cervical smear test, then maybe we would’ve had mum for longer than five years after she was diagnosed.” 

Target Ovarian Cancer is calling for national symptoms awareness campaigns, increased education of the disease and support for GPs, and improved access to treatment and support. You can find out more about the charity’s work, and how to support it, at: www.targetovariancancer.org.uk

During Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, the charity is determined to dispel common misconceptions of ovarian cancer. Join Target Ovarian Cancer in raising awareness by downloading the charity’s toolkit:  https://targetovariancancer.org.uk/get-involved/raise-awareness

A VITAL national swimming framework has celebrated its fifth year, creating the next generation of safe swimmers with over 76,000 children from across the country taking part in weekly lessons.

The National Learn to Swim Framework – a partnership between Scottish Swimming and Scottish Water – has gone from strength to strength since its formation, with programmes back to 88% capacity following pandemic restrictions.

Swim superstars, Olympic medallist Duncan Scott and Paralympic medallist Toni Shaw renewed their ambassadorships of the Framework which is delivered across Scotland by 38 Leisure Trusts and Aquatic Providers in more than 160 pools.

Euan Lowe, CEO of Scottish Swimming said: “Seeing the Learn to Swim Framework reach more children across Scotland is incredible. We’re very lucky in Scotland to have so many excellent local authorities, leisure trusts and aquatic providers working towards the common goal of teaching this vital life skill across the country.

“Through the Framework, we are creating a generation of happy, healthy and active young people and we are delighted that each year more children across the country are getting the opportunity to get into the pool.”

Research into the cognitive benefits of young people who take swimming lessons has shown that they achieve a range of developmental milestones much earlier than those who don’t, regardless of their gender or background.

Children who are members of a swimming club and who compete regularly, develop core competencies – such as target-setting, teamwork and leadership attributes – which can help them greatly in their future careers and lives.

Brian Lironi, Director of Corporate Affairs at Scottish Water, said: “We are delighted that the Learn to Swim programme has bounced back so strongly after the pandemic and continues to go from strength to strength.

“Being able to swim is an essential life skill and the programme gives children the skills and confidence they need to enjoy swimming safely.

“Everyone should be able to enjoy Scotland’s miles of rivers, lochs, reservoirs and shorelines safely and with confidence, and our aim is to work with Scottish Swimming and all the local authorities, leisure trusts and aquatic providers across the country to create ‘Generation Swim’, a generation of safe and competent swimmers, who will also get to experience the wider health and social benefits that swimming can offer.”

Learn to Swim is a National Framework committed to creating supportive and quality environments in which children can learn to swim regardless of their age, ability, or skill level. It aims to develop competent swimmers, as well as encouraging youngsters to adopt a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle with sport and fun at its heart to reach their full potential both in the pool and out.

For more information on the Learn to Swim programme, visit https://learntoswim.scot/

About Scottish Swimming 

Scottish Swimming is the national governing body for swimming and aquatics in Scotland. Scottish Swimming represents our clubs, swim schools, aquatic disciplines, athletes, teachers and thousands of talented and committed volunteers across the entire swimmer pathway. We are focused on delivering in the following key areas to reach our vision to ensure that everyone can swim: More Swimmers; Stronger Clubs; Supporting Athletes; Active Communities Further info at www.scottishswimming.com  

About Scottish Water

Scottish Water provides vital water and waste water services, essential to daily life, to over 2.6 million households and more than 159,000 business premises across Scotland. At the heart of our business is everyone who lives and works in communities across Scotland. Every day we deliver 1.51 billion litres of clear, fresh drinking water – enough to fill around 604 Olympic swimming pools. We also take away and treat 1.07 billion litres of waste water and help protect the environment across Scotland – every day of the year. More at www.scottishwater.co.uk 

MORE THAN six in 10 (61%) of rurally based LGBTQ+ young people in Scotland feel that their local area is not a welcoming place, according to a new report.

The damning figure has emerged as the largest ever piece of research involving these unique young people in Scotland has found rural environments are the least supportive for community members.  

A survey of nearly 1300 LGBTQ+ youth from local authorities nationwide, found that homophobia and transphobia was more prevalent in rural settings than urban.

The stark findings come as part of the latest instalment of the 15-year-long Life in Scotland study created by prominent charity LGBT Youth Scotland.

Dr Mhairi Crawford, LGBT Youth Scotland’s Chief Executive, said: “LGBTQ+ young people deserve to flourish and thrive no matter where they live, and this report highlights that there is more to be done across Scotland, especially in rural environments.

“The findings from this report underline the unique challenges isolation presents LGBTQ+ young people living in rural areas.

“This is further intensified by the absence of dedicated support services, which simply isn’t good enough.

“If we want to champion equality in every part of Scotland, we must amplify the voices of the young people in rural Scotland who know these communities best.

“Their lived experiences must shape every policy decision, steer each new initiative, and lead the charge for progress.”

The report has called on the Scottish Government as well as local authorities for greater investment in LGBTQ+ awareness and education programmes, as well as long term youth work to help improve inclusivity.

Minister for Equalities, Migration & Refugees, Emma Roddick said: “LGBT Youth Scotland’s Life in Scotland report is an opportunity to reflect on the experiences of unique young people, understand the challenges that they face, and measure the impact of our work to build a fairer Scotland.

“It is clear that many LGBTQI+ young people in rural areas face unique challenges, simply because of where they live. This is unacceptable.

“The Scottish Government will continue to work with stakeholders, including funding LGBT Youth Scotland to continue their research, to improve the experiences of LGBTQI+ young people no matter where they live.”

The study highlights a profound sense of isolation due to limited resources, sparse social support, and transportation difficulties.

Alarmingly, only 37 per cent of LGBTQ+ youth in rural areas felt that there were safe spaces available for socialising and expressing their identities, in contrast to 48 per cent in non-rural regions.

Additionally, the report acknowledges that despite significant strides in LGBTQ+ education across Scotland, many young people in rural areas have yet to benefit from inclusive education initiatives.

Moreover, people experiencing LGBTQ+ hate crimes have expressed a lack of confidence in the police’s ability to handle such incidents, prompting calls for Police Scotland to enhance support for LGBTQ+ young people in rural areas and improve the reporting process for hate crimes.

Speaking on the actions required to provide greater support, Dr Crawford said: “It’s crucial for the Scottish Government, local authorities, and funders to invest sustainably in youth services for LGBTQ+ young people in rural areas.

“While digital tools are vital, physical gatherings are needed to combat isolation and build community and improved wellbeing.

“Inclusive services, workplaces, and education, supported by programs like the LGBT Charter, are essential for LGBTQ+ young people to feel safe and welcomed in their communities.

“Every LGBTQ+ young person should have the chance to flourish, irrespective of their geographical location.

“If Scotland is to become a place where personal young people can thrive, it is imperative that decision-makers and service providers really listen to the insights of LGBTQ+ young people in rural areas and engage in collaborative efforts with local communities to craft effective solutions.”

LGBT Youth Scotland is Scotland’s national charity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Questioning and Intersex (LGBTQ+) young people aged 13-25. LGBTQ+ young people face unique and additional barriers to realising their potential and LGBT Youth Scotland works alongside young people to remove those barriers; working with young people individually and amplifying their collective voices to influence change.

The charity was recently awarded the Participation and Youth Voice award at the National Youth Work Awards for its work with the Trans Rights Youth Commission, and a judge’s commendation at the Proud Scotland Awards for the Charity Initiative award.

For more information on LGBT Youth Scotland visit: https://www.lgbtyouth.org.uk/