Thomas Vasvary, 47, was attending a routine two year check up at a Specsavers in Edinburgh when his optometrist noticed troubling irregularities in his peripheral vision.

Optometrist Ciara Nixon, 24, referred Mr Vasvary to specialists at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion, where he was diagnosed with a tumour on his optic nerve that, if left untreated, could have seriously damaged his sight.

After responding well to radiotherapy treatment, Mr Vasvary, a cleaner at St George’s School for Girls who is originally from Brazil, spoke of his gratitude.

The father-of-one said: “I had no idea anything was wrong. I thought I might have to change my glasses but I thought everything was good.

“Then they asked me to go for a scan and it showed a tumour around my optic nerve.

“They said that if I hadn’t had the treatment, I probably would have lost my vision in about a year, maximum. But if it stopped growing I could have a normal life.

“I had the treatment for 40 days, and until now nothing has changed.
The doctors said they can’t say anything definitive, but that it’s good news.”

Ciara Nixon, the optometrist who first noticed the problems with Vasvary’s sight, said the incident was relatively rare.

It was one of only three of its kind in the last three years at the Leith branch of Specsavers.

She said: “Thomas came in routinely for an eye test; it was his two year check up. I did the eye test and everything looked nice and healthy and his vision wasn’t affected.”

It was only during the visual field test that followed the routine checks that Nixon noticed the irregularities in Mr Vasvary’s sight, after which she promptly referred him.

She has since said of her actions: “It is satisfying to know I helped him. An eye test isn’t just about your vision; it’s about general health as well.”

The “extraordinary” payment was part of almost £53,000 spent by Edinburgh Council on head-hunting fees in order to fill four management roles.

Recent budget cuts at the council include reducing funding for dozens of charitable organisations, making cuts to the city’s library services and a proposed loss of around 1,200 public sector jobs.

But that did not stop the council from paying head hunting firm Carlyle Associates £52,789 in just seven months on “executive search services”.

Taxpayers groups have blasted the council’s  spending on headhunting, demanding they use their own considerable internal recruitment resources.

New figures, released under Freedom of Information, show Edinburgh Council made four payments – ranging from £5,280 and £17,578 to Edinburgh-based Carlyle Associates – between October last year and May.

In one single payment, the council forked out a whopping £17,578 to fill the vacancy of “Transformational Change Manager” – who then commanded an annual salary of up to £73,486.

The role, which was advertised by the council last year, calls for a candidate who will “drive, co-ordinate, organise and ensure delivery of the council’s business and transformational change programme to achieve priority outcomes and realise benefits of strategic importance.”

Carlyle Associates, who claim to “fill senior strategic positions in some of the UK’s most dynamic companies”, was also paid £15,931 to locate an ‘Organisational Development Manager’ for the council’s “newly created” ‘Organisational Development Service.’

According to the job advert, this candidate – also paid up to £73,486 – is responsible for “leading, developing and implementing the council’s “Human Resources strategies, initiatives and policies on change management, cultural change and employee engagement”.

Edinburgh Council also forked out £14,000 to help find a ‘Corporate Facilities Manager’ – paid up to £66,254 and £5,280 to recruit a ‘Commercial Manager’ also commanding a fat salary of up to £66,254 a year.

Eben Wilson, director of TaxpayerScotland, said: “It does look as if these recruitment costs are rising to extraordinary levels.

Mr Wilson said it was right for the council to want the best staff but added: “Highly paid, well-pensioned, annual incremented posts like these are in huge demand.  Is it really necessary for ordinary council taxpayers to pay so much to communicate, in an eager market, that these posts exist?

“It would be good to see the council cutting costs dramatically by using their own internal resources and COSLA type channels.

“They would obtain the same response at a tenth of the cost to taxpayers.”

Last year it was revealed Edinburgh Council spent more than £1,300 a month on free biscuits and coffee for guests and staff at meetings.

The council also spent £174,050 on bottled water over a three year period.

In December 2011 it was revealed that staff at Edinburgh Council blew £6,500 on team-building sessions in a year, including £850 on a treasure hunt.

Officials signed up for a £2,500 trip to an outdoor centre only to have to fork out a big cancelation fee when they summoned back for tram talks.

The ex-Scotland player led a team of 22 volunteer fundraisers 100km through rugged Indonesian terrain in aid of his daughter’s charity, the Michelle Henderson Cervical Cancer Trust.

Willie, from Broxburn, West Lothian, said his daughter’s dying wish had been for him to continue to fundraise.

Michelle died in October last year, aged 28, following a two-year battle with cervical cancer.

Before her untimely death, the former model and athlete set up the cancer trust to educate other women of the dangers of the disease and also raise funds for research and support.

Willie, 69, has now opened his scrapbook to reveal intimate pictures of the fundraising trek across the west coast of Java to the slopes of Mount Krakatoa.

The volcano, which killed at least 36,000 people when it exploded in 1883, is “overdue” for another eruption.

Undaunted, Willie and his team finished their seven-day journey on Tuesday, raising more than £10,000 for his daughter’s charity.

Speaking after the trek, Willie said: “She formed this trust after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.

“The only thing she ever asked me in her life was to keep it going, so this is what I do now.

“It’s been incredibly touching to see the way so many people have supported it and given so much in donations.”

Henderson was capped for Scotland 29 times and spent most of his career with Rangers.

He also played for Sheffield Wednesday and in Hong Kong.

Since finishing his career as a professional footballer, he has been keeping himself in good shape and it was this that helped him complete the 100-kilometre challenge.

Willie trained for nine months for the trek and previously admitted he felt apprehensive about the jungle.

“It wasn’t easy at times but I trained every day for nine months for this. There was no way I wasn’t going to finish it,” he said.

Willie’s friend Denis Griffin, the son-in-law of Celtic legend Bobby Murdoch, also helped to organise the fundraiser.

Through the team’s Facebook page, Dennis said last week: “Team have now completed the Jungle element of our trek safely and have all done well.

“We faced adverse weather conditions which included at one point our tents being blown away!

“I can honestly say this was the toughest of the three treks I have done to date. Things are now calm and we are watching a beautiful sunset. Tomorrow we head over to Krakatoa and will climb it on Monday before heading back to the hotel on Tuesday and then home on Wednesday.”

Tragic Evie Byrne was diagnosed with the disease after doctors discovered a Stage 4 Wilm’s tumour last June.

Despite bravely battling the cancer and undergoing scans, biopsies, chemotherapy and surgery to remove the tumour, Evie sadly passed away on Monday.

Her heartbroken family say Evie was “the life and soul” until the last moments of her life.

Dad Danny, from Dunfermline, Fife, said his daughter had died at Rachel House Hospice in Kinross with her family by her side.

He said: “She just refused to give up and always proved people wrong all the way through.

“She made it easy for us to forget she was ill and did not want to be treated any differently.”

Mr Byrne said Evie’s happy personality made it easier for the family to cope.

He said: “She completed our family. She was just so bubbly and always on the go because she wanted to enjoy life.
“Evie never let it stop her. She wanted some independence and she never just sat in bed and felt sorry for herself.”

Evie’s family were told her condition was terminal after a scan on April 10 when doctors found her cancer had returned and spread.

Mr Byrne said: “They basically told us then that it would be highly unlikely they would be able to make her better.

“We thought we had a number of months so we made a plan to make the most of what time she had left but it came quicker than we thought.”

Mr Byrne, who is also father to three-year-old Alfie said her funeral on Wednesday would be a celebration of the little girl’s life.

He added: “We did not want it to be portrayed as doom and gloom.

“We have accepted it because we have had time to get used to it even though it’s unimaginable and not something any family should have to go through.

Wilms’ Tumour is a rare form of kidney cancer which accounts for just 5% of all childhood cancers.

About 70 children in the UK develop a Wilms’ tumour each year. It most often affects children under the age of five.

Also known as nephroblastoma, most children with Wilms’ tumour are cured and very few will have long term kidney problems.

Staff at Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children described Evie as “courageous”.

One staff nurse, who did not wish to be named, said: “Evie was a lovely little girl, very chatty and a delight to look after.

“She was very courageous and just bounced back from everything we threw at her.

“She had an infectious smile and will be fondly remembered by all her friends on the ward.”

Evie’s family have helped raise £15,000 for cancer charity CLIC Sargent and say they will continue to fundraise.

Evie’s funeral will be held at Dunfermline Crematorium on Wednesday May 29 at 11.30am.

Patients who would normally be rushed to A&E at St John’s Hospital, Livingston, face an extra journey of 20 miles to the already-overstretched emergency department in Edinburgh.

NHS Lothian is planning to transfer some patients to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary between 11pm and 7am after they failed to recruit “adequate trained medical staff”.

Furious politicians from across the political spectrum have united to hit out at the proposals, branding them “disgraceful” and “unacceptable”.

West Lothian Council leader John McGinty said: “Reducing any service at St. Johns Hospital, for any period of time, is unacceptable.

“West Lothian has the fastest-growing younger and older populations in Scotland.

“Both of these groups will be affected by any changes to the accident and emergency service at St John’s.

“It will be of little solace to families in West Lothian who have to call for emergency help during the night to know that NHS Lothian is saying that the service will continue to be provided but not where people want it.”

Lothians Labour MSP Neil Findlay said health secretary Alex Neil should intervene.

He said: “This situation is completely unacceptable. The proposal to divert patients from St John’s to Edinburgh will mean long journeys and more suffering and inconvenience for patients and greater chance of people becoming more ill on the journey.

“In 2007, we heard SNP politicians commit to keeping healthcare local – that commitment now lies in tatters. The Scottish Government must intervene now to stop this downgrade of services at the hospital.”

Livingston MP Graeme Morrice agreed that the move was dangerous, warning it would “put lives at risk”.
He added: “Once again services have been mismanaged. This is the latest in a catalogue of problems to affect NHS Lothian, which once again demonstrates a lack of leadership.”

A & E departments across Scotland have been facing growing pressure in recent years, with a 9% rise in patients over the last decade.

Last year, a third of patients waited for more than four hours in emergency rooms before being admitted or discharged.

Last month it was revealed that Scots health boards are turning away patients from A & E departments in a crackdown on supposed time-wasters.

NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Borders are telling people whose condition isn’t deemed to be serious enough to go home and make an appointment to see their GP.

NHS Fife will implement the policy this month and NHS Dumfries and Galloway are considering following suit.

Speaking at an NHS board meeting, Dr David Farquharson, medical director of NHS Lothian, said: “Maintaining safe emergency departments is a priority and the A & E department at St Johns Hospital is crucial to our provision of care across Lothian.
“Recruiting trained doctors for speciality roles is a challenge across the UK. We have been working for some time to try to recruit the staff required to maintain our services once the number of trainee doctors reduces in the summer and these efforts continue.

“However, it is essential that we have contingency plans in place to ensure we provide a safe service for our patients. Our existing policy which sees West Lothian patients with medical conditions such as surgical emergencies or major trauma being taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh has worked successfully many years.
“There may be a need to extend this policy to cover other conditions between the hours of 11pm and 7am if we are unable to recruit adequate trained medical staff. It is vital to note that the emergency department will remain open 24/7.

“We are doing everything possible to ensure the current service is maintained.”

Jacob Fearnley, from Edinburgh, is the first Scot to be selected as the UK representative for the Longines Future Tennis Aces Competition.

The Merchiston Castle School pupil is currently top under-12 in the East of Scotland and second in the whole UK.

Jacob Fearnley showing off his forehand ahead of the Paris tournament

If he manages to beat 15 other young tennis aces from around the world he will receive guaranteed sports equipment funding until he is 16.

Jacob has been playing since he was four, and is undefeated in doubles and singles for under-12s.

The youngster says he is not daunted by the challenge and is looking forward to taking on the world’s best tennis prodigies.

He said: “I love everything about playing tennis. Since Marcel du Coudray began coaching me last August it has got more intense.

“I train for longer and he works me a lot harder, putting me up against more challenging opponents, but it’s all worthwhile.”

Jacob says he admires Roger Federer for his technique and Rafael Nadal for his fighting spirit.

He was taught to play by his grandparents and  mum Samantha, who works in HR, and lives with dad Craig and brother James 23.

He continued: “I remember I used to play against my granddad in his back garden in Penicuik – though I had to keep my eye on the ball because it wasn’t the best surface so there were a lot of rubbish bounces.”

His grandfather pushed for Jacob to join the Tennis Academy Scotland , which trains pupils from Edinburgh schools.

Academy coach Marcel du Coudray said: “The amount of dedication and focus Jacob has is truly incredible.

“Other coaches who have watched him play say he reminds them of a young Tim Henman.”

Dave McDermott, spokesman for Tennis Scotland, said: “This is brilliant news for Jacob and another example of how the Andy Murray effect is working

“We wish him the best of luck.”

The tournament in Paris will begin on May 27 and will run to June 2.

Andy Murray, 25, is currently ranked No. 1 in the UK and No. 2 in the world, and is the Olympic singles champion.

The star began playing at the age of three, and his first taste of tournament triumph came when he won an under-tens competition.

Leon Smith, who coached him between 11 and 17, said he was “unbelievably competitive.”

Simon Phillips, from Edinburgh, has already received £5,000 worth of pre-orders for his Cahoonas supportive underwear.

Phillips spent a-year-and-a-half working alongside experts from the textile department of Heriot-Watt University to design the £27 pants, which he claims are a world first.

He said: “I felt that men were being bypassed by all the design changes that had benefited women’s underwear in terms of fabrics, curve stitching and so on.

“Then when I found out that 75 percent of men dress to the left and 25 percent to the right and I realised no underwear designers were taking that into consideration I know something had to be done.”

Mr Phillips runs his Cahoonas company with his wife Georgia Goodall.

Stuart George Turnbull Pearson, born on 7 May to Hibs-mad parents Fiona and Stuart, was a late arrival at 11 days after his due date.

The youngster is already filling out a football strip designed for a four month old, and is named Turnbull after former managed Eddie Turnbull.

Stuart and Fiona with baby Stuart, showing off their team colours.

Midwives said he is the city’s biggest baby in 15 years.

Fiona, 35, is no stranger to big babies, her two other boys topping 9 pounds on the scales, but she had a feeling Stuart would be a big baby.

“We weren’t that surprised because I was huge during the pregnancy, I was ridiculously big,” she said.

She gave birth to Stuart naturally, with only gas and air to numb the pain as he arrived too quickly for an epidural.

But unlike most women, with baby Stuart cravings and weight gain weren’t a problem for her, she said.

“I didn’t have much of an appetite during the pregnancy, it was Stuart who had the cravings,” she said.

“Stuart was eating pizza like it was going out of fashion; he’s ended up being the one to put weight on during the pregnancy.”

Baby Stuart  is expected to develop normally, despite his large size at birth, and is currently feeding like an average sized newborn.

While Fiona waited for their little boy to make an arrival, Stuart, 35, braved the weather to get tickets to see Hibs take on Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final.

Stuart said: “A move Fiona encouraged, even though she wouldn’t be able to make the match.

“We’re both Hibs fans and so decided to name him Turnbull after Famous Five forward and former manager, Eddie Turnbull.”

Since his birth Stuart has already witnessed cup final heartbreak after Hibs’ defeat to Celtic in the Scottish Cup and derby day joy in Hibs’ first defeat over Hearts of the season.

The stand was made by acclaimed French designer Henri Hamm, and will be auctioned in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

The piece was made by Hamm as a display for the perfume bottles he designed.

 Lydia Stoker, fine antiques assistant

John Mackie, head of decorative arts at Lyon and Turnbull auction house, said the stand is a “rare survivor of a well known maker and designer”

At 26, Hamm founded the Societé d’Art Moderne de Bordeaux and by 1925 he became a professor at L’Ecole des Arts Appliqués.”

Hamm collaborated with many designers, most notably fashion designer Jacques Doucet and many of his works can be found in Musée d’Art Moderne and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris.

It is unknown how the piece came to Edinburgh but Mr Mackie believes it came from Paris originally.

It no longer has any of its original bottles which are believed to have been already been sold on separately or lost.

Inscribed with “Le souvenir est un parfum” the stand is made from a single piece of wood.

Henri Hamm is best known for his work in the glass industry, creating more than 350 designs for perfume bottles before the outbreak of the First World War.

The art noveau stand is an example of his larger items which include small cabinet pieces, boxes, buttons and hair combs.