V&A are Living Wage firm

V&A Dundee has become the city’s latest accredited Living Wage employer – just in time for Living Wage Week.

Museum bosses have voiced their support for t h e c i t y ’s e f f o r t s to become a Living Wage City by doubling t he number of people paid an “official” living wage of £9 an hour, higher than the £7.83 wage set by the UK Government.

Other employers i n Dundee include Dundee City Council, Xplore Dundee, Dundee and Angus College and smaller businesses such as vegan cafe Marwick’s.

Councillor Lynne Short, council fairness spokeswoman, said: “V&A Dundee has had an incredible first year and i t ’s fantastic they are making this commitment to their staff.

“In Dundee we are incredibly proud to be championing t he real living wage and collectively working to encourage more l ocal businesses to pay the real living wage.”

A SELFLESS six-year-old is set to strap on his Santa suit to support the hospital that cared for his younger brother just last month.

Young Mason Donaldson had the bright idea of signing up for this year’s Dundee Santa Dash after his brother Max was admitted to the Tayside Children’s Hospital last month.

Tayview Primary pupil Mason hopes to raise plenty of cash for the ARCHIE Foundation in support of the hospital as thanks for the care Max received.

It won’t be the first time the sixyear-old has donned his Santa suit, having taken part in the first Santa Dash in 2017 – but this time he’s determined to go the extra mile.

Mason told the Tele: “I was just wanting to do it because of my little brother. I wanted to get more money for him.

“My mum told me about it at the very start ( of Max going i nto hospital) and that got me into it.

“I’m doing it with my aunties so I can run.”

The boys’ mum Laura, 36, said: “Max had a really sore back at the beginning of October, and he had this big lump that appeared.

“We went to the doctors and they sent us to the Tayside Children’s Hospital straight away.

“We don’t actually know what happened but we’re hoping to find out soon.

“Max was put in for an MRI and was on a course of antibiotics but he has had a few tests done and he seems to been fine since – but it was very scary at the time.

“But the nurses were all amazing – they would take Max down to the play room if he was well enough, or bring him toys if he wasn’t.

“It gave me time to go to the parents’ room and just make some toast and coffee and have a bit of normality.”

Laura added that she hadn’t realised the connection between the ARCHIE Foundation and the hospital until it was pointed out by Max’s nurses.

Laura added: “There’s a lot of children that are in there for a long time, and there’s the new hospital getting built.

“So when I saw it again on Facebook and spoke to the nurses about it they pointed out it was the ARCHIE Foundation that was involved so we decided we would do the Santa Dash again.

“It was a bit of fun the first time and we really enjoyed it but there’s a bit more to it this time.

“Mason is a very good big brother to Max – he’s a very thoughtful boy.”

Dundee’s 2019 Santa Dash, organised by Leisure and Culture Dundee, takes place on December 1. Visit leisureandculturedundee. com/santadash for more info.