19 October After a period of dry, fairly still weather, with a number of sunny days – so that we could enjoy the Autumn colours – we’re back to wind and rain. Younger people find such days great fun, when they put on their wellies and go splashing in the puddles. At some stage in […]

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty Poverty is a major issue around the world: five years ago it was estimated that there were 736m people, mainly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, living on less than US$1.9/ day. That has probably increased. Poverty affects ability to access food (especially nutritional food), education, healthcare, clean

World Food Day Organised by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation, World Food Day calls for ‘global solidarity to help all populations, and especially the most vulnerable, to recover from the [Covid-19] crisis, and to make food systems more resilient and robust so they can withstand increasing volatility and climate shocks, deliver affordable and sustainable

Breast Cancer Awareness MonthOctober is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Most of us will know someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Diagnosis and treatment have advanced considerably over the years, but being advised that you or someone close have/has breast cancer is still a shock, the treatment can have unpleasant side-effects and be exhausting,

New tiered restrictions come into effect in England today, amid calls from one side for tighter restrictions, and another for relaxed restrictions. Scotland has been promised a tiered approach later in the month, with perhaps a fourth tier. Northern Ireland will be announcing new restrictions today, and Wales has threatened to close the border to

Last Thursday was World Sight Day. Many of us here wear glasses or contact lenses, and even if you have good distance-vision there comes a point in our forties or fifties when we start needing reading glasses. Move on a few years and we may have to contend with cataracts or macular degeneration. A minority

We pray for local businesses: West Dunbartonshire possesses some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country. As a destination for day travellers and holiday makers, we rely locally on a thriving tourist industry. However, the recent uncertainties relating to Covid-19 have already decimated many businesses and are threatening the future for many more. We

World Arthritis Day According to the NHS website around 10 million people in Britain live with arthritis in one of its many forms, and though we may associate it with one of the many ‘old age doesn’t come alone’ ailments, it can affect people of all ages including children (the charity Versus Arthritis Scotland says