SSPCA report reveals 'significant increase' in calls to give up pets
Between January and June this year the organisations experienced a 19.5% increase from the previous six months.
New figures released on Thursday also shows that animal rescue officers attended over 17,000 incidents throughout Scotland.
The numbers in the mid-year report reveal a significant increase in demand for the services of the SSPCA who provided more than 44,000 meals through its Pet Aid programme, which helps owners feed and care for their animals during tough times, and a 62.5% rise in foster placements.
Wild animal admissions also rose by 5.6%, with teams at the National Wildlife Centre working around the clock to rehabilitate and release foxes, seals, birds of prey, and more.
Commenting on the report, New CEO Mark Bishop said: 'The scale of need we're seeing is significant – but so is the impact we're having.
'Behind every statistic is an animal, a person, a family. I'm proud to be part of a team working every day to protect animals, support communities and create lasting change.
'Animal welfare depends on everyone, and this report shows just how vital that collective effort is – and why prevention, partnership and early action must remain our focus.'
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Edinburgh Reporter
6 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
West Lothian High schools see significant improvement in exam results for fifth year in a row
West Lothian High schools have seen significant improvement in exam results for the fifth year in a row. Pupils in what one councillor called the 'pandemic generation' showed results above the Scottish average and comparable schools across Scotland. The pass rates topped 76% for sixth year pupils, members of the Education Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel heard. Siobhan McGarty, head of secondary education told councillors: 'In each of the measures, performance of West Lothian schools and learners has significantly outperformed both the national average and the virtual comparator.' Over the five-year period 2020 to 2025, the percentage of S4 learners attaining 5+ awards at SCQF Level 5 has shown improvement. West Lothian was significantly above the National and Virtual Comparator in this measure between 2020 and 2024. The percentage of pupils achieving five or more awards at SCQF Level 5 has risen from 60% in 2020 to 76% in 2024. Over the same period for the Scottish average the figures remained static at 55%. In the sixth year the percentage of pupils awarded 5 + Awards at SCQF Level 6 rose from 52% in 2020 to 54% in 2025. This compares to the national average of 38% to 39% in the same years. The percentage of sixth years achieving 1+ Awards at SCQF Level 6 rose from 73% to 83% between 2020 and 2025 compared to a national static average of 66%. Heather Hughes, the local EIS rep told the meeting: 'These results are testament to the hard work of all staff. It's not just the teachers currently teaching the young people. We are a team and that team starts even at the early years. It's fantastic. 'It worries me that we are still pushing to raise attainment further because that has massive workload implications on our staff, but for now just a very big congratulation to all teaching and non-teaching staff and the young people.' SNP depute group leader Pauline Stafford said: 'A huge congratulations to the young people and their teachers for these really great results. Just looking at these years, back to 2019, and what these young people have had to come through and how resilient they have had to be. 'This is the pandemic generation – it is really positive to see these rising pass rates right across Scotland and the closing of the attainment gap just shows the resilience of young people, so congratulations to them.' Committee chair Councillor Andrew McGuire said: 'I would echo that. A huge congratulations to them. I was at West Calder yesterday and talking to two sixth years and the penny hadn't dropped until I was talking to them about a school camp that West Calder is having this week. They didn't get to go on that because when they were in the first year the pandemic was on. So that particular cohort of young people who sat their exams this year have been through some of the strangest experiences that we could ever imagine. 'For them to come out with pass rates to have improved is tremendous, and it benefits peoples' life chances enormously. So we are incredibly proud of everyone. Thanks to all our hard-working staff. I agree with Heather entirely; it's not a one-year thing. It starts from the moment they set foot in an educational establishment in West Lothian, so I'm very proud that we continue to perform extremely well. Long may it continue.' By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Live
12 hours ago
- Edinburgh Live
West Lothian's 'pandemic generation' of students 'over-perform' in exam results
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info West Lothian high schools have seen significant improvement in exam results for the fifth year in a row. Pupils in what one councillor called the 'pandemic generation' showed results above the Scottish average and comparable schools across Scotland. The pass rates topped 76% for sixth year pupils, members of the Education Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel heard. READ MORE: West Lothian community centre group to 'dissolve' next year due to running costs Siobhan McGarty, head of secondary education told councillors: 'In each of the measures, performance of West Lothian schools and learners has significantly outperformed both the national average and the virtual comparator.' Over the five-year period 2020 to 2025, the percentage of S4 learners attaining 5+ awards at SCQF Level 5 has shown improvement. West Lothian was significantly above the National and Virtual Comparator in this measure between 2020 and 2024. The percentage of pupils achieving five or more awards at SCQF Level 5 has risen from 60% in 2020 to 76% in 2024. Over the same period for the Scottish average the figures remained static at 55%. In the sixth year the percentage of pupils awarded 5 + Awards at SCQF Level 6 rose from 52% in 2020 to 54% in 2025. This compares to the national average of 38% to 39% in the same years. The percentage of sixth years achieving 1+ Awards at SCQF Level 6 rose from 73% to 83% between 2020 and 2025 compared to a national static average of 66%. Heather Hughes, the local EIS rep told the meeting: ' These results are testament to the hard work of all staff. It's not just the teachers currently teaching the young people. We are a team and that team starts even at the early years. It's fantastic. 'It worries me that we are still pushing to raise attainment further because that has massive workload implications on our staff, but for now just a very big congratulation to all teaching and non teaching staff and the young people.' SNP depute group leader Pauline Stafford said: 'A huge congratulations to the young people and their teachers for these really great results. Just looking at these years, back to 2019, and what these young people have had to come through and how resilient they have had to be. 'This is the pandemic generation – it is really positive to see these rising pass rates right across Scotland and the closing of the attainment gap just shows the resilience of young people, so congratulations to them.' Committee chair Councillor Andrew McGuire said: 'I would echo that. A huge congratulations to them. I was at West Calder yesterday and talking to two sixth years and the penny hadn't dropped until I was talking to them about a school camp that West Calder is having this week. They didn't get to go on that because when they were in the first year the pandemic was on. So that particular cohort of young people who sat their exams this year have been through some of the strangest experiences that we could ever imagine. 'For them to come out with pass rates to have improved is tremendous, and it benefits peoples' life chances enormously. So we are incredibly proud of everyone. Thanks to all our hard working staff. I agree with Heather entirely, it's not a one year thing. It starts from the moment they set foot in an educational establishment in West Lothian, so I'm very proud that we continue to perform extremely well. Long may it continue.' Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Glasgow Times
12 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Archaeologists probe Kelvingrove Park to uncover lost skateboard arena
But now archaeologists are hoping to uncover what remains of the once-radical facility more than three decades after it disappeared, both through physical surveys and the recording of people's memories of the concrete slopes and ramps which entertained a generation of boarders, our sister title The Herald reports. A Kelvin Wheelies high jumper in 1978 (Image: Iain Urquhart, with kind permission from North Skateboard Magazine) Kelvin Wheelies skatepark opened in May 1978 in Kelvingrove Park with a full suite of obstacles for skateboarders to show off their skills and tricks. Unique in Scotland, it contained bowls, a slalom run and a half-pipe - and was initially hugely popular with kids taking up the boarding craze, which had arrived from America. The park hosted several competitions, including the first national skateboarding competition in Scotland, the 1978 Scottish Skateboard Championships, where Glasgow dominated the Bowl Riding competitions. The slalom run in 1978 (Image: Iain Urquhart, with kind permission from North Skateboard Magazine) However, growing concerns about maintenance costs and safety led to the park's closure by 1983, and it was buried over – vanishing beneath the ground and from the city's landscape. Elements of the original site remain visible adjacent to the modern skatepark in Kelvingrove Park today, but there is currently no information available to explain the significance of this site to Kelvingrove Park visitors, or users of the modern skatepark. Experts at the University of Glasgow, working with volunteers and students, will undertake a probe at the site from 25 to 29 August to learn more about the current condition of the skatepark, and ensure that 'a central part of modern Glasgow's sporting heritage' is recorded. The archaeological fieldwork is being supported by Scotland's oldest antiquarian society, and will help to preserve the legacy of the park. As part of a broader program of research into the site, the team has been funded through a £1,102 grant from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland to enable the work to take place. The remains of the slalom run today (Image: Dr Kenny Brophy, FSAScot)The University of Glasgow team have also partnered with Archaeology Scotland's New Audiences programme to invite volunteers from asylum seeking and refugee communities to participate in the fieldwork, to continue the programme's efforts engaging marginalised communities in uncovering Glasgow's sporting heritage. READ NEXT: North Glasgow girl, 12, wants everyone to enter our community awards - here's why READ NEXT: Primark to celebrate 50th birthday of first Scottish store Former Scottish skateboard champion Jamie Blair, owner of Glasgow-based skateboarding shop Clan Skates and a former member of the Kelvingrove skateboard team, said: 'When Kelvin Wheelies opened in 1978, skaters from all over the UK flocked to this radical new facility. 'A park team was formed and for the next few years Glasgow was the dominant force in Scottish skateboarding. 'Sadly, a dip in skateboarding's popularity in the early 1980s and the construction of a rival skatepark in Livingston saw the decline of Kelvin Wheelies, with the main bowlriding area buried in time. I'm thrilled that through this project we have a chance to rediscover it.' The public are invited to contact the project to share memories, video and photographs of the original Kelvin Wheelies, which will form part of an online archive for the skatepark and help with future fieldwork. Dr Kenny Brophy FSAScot, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Glasgow and project leader, said: 'There is a very real danger that this skatepark, a place that was so special for hundreds of young people just decades ago, will become forgotten and lost. 'Contemporary archaeology allows us the opportunity to explore even fairly recent events and places to jog memories, combining traditional archaeological fieldwork techniques with interviews and documentary research. 'In the case of Kelvin Wheelies, this is a unique opportunity for a generation of skateboarders to relive the excitement of their youth and excavate their own memories of a place that was so special to them.' The 'Jaws' bowl in 1978 (Image: Iain Urquhart, with kind permission from North Skateboard Magazine)) To share memories, please contact or use #KelvinWheelies when posting on X and Bluesky. Assessing what remains of the 'Jaws Bowl' today (Image: Dr Kenny Brophy, FSAScot) The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland supports high-quality research and publication relating to Scotland's past by making several grants and awards twice each year. This round awarded a total of £17,478 to 11 projects researching an aspect of Scottish history or archaeology, including 19th-century Scottish tea merchants and the global interactions in China, female emigration from Shetland and Skye to Australia during the Great Famine of 1845-51, and the dating of Viking ship stems from the Isle of Eigg. Dr Helen Spencer FSAScot, Head of Research at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said: 'As a charity, we are especially grateful to our thousands of Fellows across the globe, whose subscription fees enable us to distribute these grants each year.
