Latest news with #PerthAndKinross
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Perth fire victims get £250,000 in council support
Perth and Kinross Council will provide £250,000 to support local residents affected by a fatal fire in Perth earlier this month.A man died and two people - an eight-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man - were taken to hospital after a fire broke out on the corner of Scott Street and South Street in the early hours of Saturday 14 council leader Eric Drysdale said that the internal stairwell of the building had been destroyed during the fire, leaving no other means of escape for said the girl taken to hospital had been seriously injured but was now recovering. Crews from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service worked through the night into Saturday morning to extinguish the firefighters, one of whom was struck by falling masonry, were given medical entire building will be demolished as a result of the blaze and 50 families have been is expected to be significant disruption in the area for months. The new funds will help residents affected by rent shortfalls who may not be eligible for other support. Council leader Grant Laing said: "It is still early days, and it is likely that there will be a call for other funding, but it is important that the council stands with our citizens and communities in their hour of need."He acknowledged that the Scottish government had pledged its support but said that would take time."This motion is about getting financial support out to people and business now," he impacted by the demolition of the building and road closures will be given direct financial help to support immediate costs as well as any future reopening or relocation expenses. Last week, councillors were told that about 70 businesses had approached the local authority for help after the money will also support the council's wider response to homelessness, traffic management and building local authority said it may also look at how it could encourage footfall back into the area in the future.
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Kinross children's hospice Rachel House set for £17m revamp
Kinross children's hospice Rachel House is set for a £17m revamp, thirty years after it hospice, which was the first of its kind in Scotland, is one of two run by Children's Hospices Across Scotland (Chas). The redesign will include an additional hydrotherapy pool, better-equipped bedrooms and fully accessible adventure work is due to start next year with the full project set for completion in 2027, subject to approval from Perth and Kinross Council. Rachel House was built in 1996 at a cost of £10m and opened by HRH The Princess supported just under 100 children a year in the 1990s, but that number has more than doubled and continues to charity said that the redesign had "put children and families at the heart of the process" with their input key to the changes being Qusai Alhamdan, whose children Mo and Elaine have been supported by Rachel House since 2021, said the hospice was "very close to our hearts."The children both suffer from ataxia with oculomotor apraxia, which causes problems with movement, co-ordination and balance. Dr Alhamdan said: "As their condition is degenerative, making memories together as a family is very important to us and we have spent many wonderful respite visits at Rachel House over the last four years."My wife Esraa and I find our visits to the hospice very relaxing because we don't have to worry about our caring responsibilities as the lovely nurses and staff take over and do everything that is needed so we can just enjoy precious time together." Ken Lowndes' two daughters Jenny and Marion were two of the first children to be cared for in Rachel House when it opened. Born healthy normal babies with a two-year age gap, both Jenny and Marion were diagnosed with leukodystrophy when they were four years old. Before Rachel House opened, the family made regular 900-mile round trips from their home in Achiltibuie, north of Ullapool, to Martin House in West Lowndes said: "We helped to fundraise for Rachel House but we never knew if Jenny and Marion would get to visit, if they'd live to see it. "They did. They loved it, as did we all."Ensuring the next generation of families has the same standard of care that my family experienced is vital and the redesigned Rachel House will go on to make a huge difference to hundreds more Scottish families." Chas chief executive Rami Okasha said the charity wanted to transform end-of-life care for children and their families in said: "No one should face the death of their child alone and to be successful we are once again asking or donors to get on board and help raise the millions of pounds that will make a difference every day for families dealing with the unimaginable reality of loving and caring for a child who will die young."
