To protect ears

dangerous sound frequencies, still allowing you to listen to the music and enjoy it.”

People who experience symptoms of tinnitus for longer than a 24-hour period should go to see their GP, the charity said.

David Stockdale, chief executive of the British Tinnitus Association, said: “It’s always important to be mindful of noise levels throughout the year, but particularly during the festive season when many of us are out socialising in busy bars and restaurants and cranking up the Christmas tunes at home, too.

“Tinnitus can be caused by exposure to overly loud music and noise, so protecting your hearing is not only important, it’s essential.

“Once it’s damaged, hearing can’t be fixed – but it’s important to note that tinnitus from over-exposure to loud sounds can be prevented.

“There are some really simple ways to do this including using earplugs, taking regular breaks from the noise, making sure you don’t stand next to the speakers and also keeping hydrated.

“Our tinnitus prevention website www.plugem.co.uk has information about sound levels and exposure times, and provides some really useful advice about the types of hearing protection that can be used.” People have been urged to think twice before buying boozefuelled gifts this Christmas.

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) professor Carol Emslie claims they are “sending out the wrong message” to female relatives and sayings such as “Is it wine o’clock yet?” normalises alcohol.

Ms Emslie leads the GCU Substance Use and Misuse research group, who has joined forces with Alcohol Focus Scotland to launch the campaign #dontpinkmydrink — which calls out focused marketing of alcohol to women. The group highlights that while alcohol-related deaths among women have fallen in Scotland, they still occur at the worst rate in the UK.

Ms Emslie said: “There’s been a huge explosion in gimmicky alcohol-themed gifts for women this Christmas. Perhaps in the past we’ve ignored this but I urge everyone to think twice about buying these gifts.

“They send out a worrying message about the normalisation of alcohol in Scottish society to our nearest and dearest.”

The campaign has already gathered some political interest after Central Scotland MSP Monica Lennon put forward a motion supporting it. The motion was backed by another nine MSPs.

Ms Emslie added: “I’m delighted the campaign has had so much support from so many individuals and organisations.

“People are talking about the way alcohol brands are marketed to women in terms of empowerment and equality. It’s time to take a serious look at what we’re actually saying to our loved ones by buying these gifts.” Ice cream made with sprouts is on the menu in a Scottish café in the run-up to Christmas.

Brussels sprouts ice cream, flavoured with peppermint, is being served up at ice cream parlour Mackie’s 19.2 in Aberdeen.

Every serving is topped with a frozen Brussels sprout, and is cabbage green in colour, while the ice cream is made with real sprouts and a peppermint oil.

Ice cream parlour manager Yvette Harrison said: “It’s not quite one of your five-a-day but it’s the dream ice cream for brave sprout lovers.

“We’ve even had some customers saying that it would go really well with bacon. We always try to get something on the menu that’s a bit more experimental.

“We love playing with flavour and we thought that for a oneoff Christmas special, sprout ice cream would be a fun option.”

Pauline MacLeod, new product development technologist, said: “We are really happy with the end result.”