A new report by leading face mask brand SmartCover reveals reusable face masks have soared in online popularity during the latest lockdown.
The analysis of online news and social media sentiment in the UK highlights that the public’s engagement with reusable face mask topics online has increased significantly in the last three months, compared to the previous period.
Reusable vs. disposable debate
While both reusable and disposable face mask-related topics are trending, the SmartCover analysis reveals that during the third government-imposed lockdown, the total number of reusable face mask mentions were almost double disposable mask related ones.
Sentiment analysis of online news and social media indicates a reluctant attitude towards disposable masks, with only 8% of total mentions positive, compared to 61% of positive sentiment mentions for reusable face masks.
Top hashtags and emojis reveal increased awareness on single-use
The social listening analysis reveals the top hashtags and emojis used in the UK in relation to reusable and disposable face masks. The “face with medical mask” emoji was the top result with 25% of mentions, while the “folded hands” emoji, another top result (5%), is an indicator that people are encouraging the use of reusable masks.
The “grinning squinting face” was the most used with disposable mask terms, with 40% of total mentions, equally popular as the “pleading face” emoji, which grew in popularity as people started encouraging each other to consider reusables.
The study highlights a general increase in the public’s consciousness about the downsides of single-use masks, with some of the most popular hashtags identified – #choosetoreuse, #ecofriendly, #washable or #reusebeatssingleuse touching on environmental concerns. Of the top ten most used emojis with disposable face mask terms, 90% were in a negative context.
Twitter leading platform for reusable face mask support
Engagement on reusable face mask terms increased over 2,000 times in the last three months, compared to the previous period. Twitter has been largely responsible for this increase, with 75% of mentions coming from the social media platform, followed by newspapers and online news, at 11% and 7%, respectively.
Matteo Grassi, CEO of Viceroy Group, parent company to SmartCover, said: “We’re seeing increased interest in reusable face masks, and it’s encouraging to see the UK public’s activism in this respect and their awareness on the environmental impact of single-use face masks.
“We hope more people consider the reusable alternative where possible, always making sure that safety certifications are being met.”
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK
Get moving
Over the past year, it is fair to say that plenty of us have become more sedentary due to the effects of COVID-19. All those extra hours spent watching Netflix, with reduced travel time to work, and no gyms or sports facilities available, has meant that we haven’t always been paying attention to our hearts.
Heart Research UK have some tips to break the cycle and get us moving anyway we can:
Tracking your step count
The majority of us nowadays have technology that calculates our step count, heart rate, sleep time, stress levels and more. Using your phone/watch to count your daily steps has been shown to increase how likely we are to meet daily physical activity guidelines, and lead to more successful weight-loss.
Most of us don’t realise how few steps we are taking per day, or the significant impact we can have on our step count with just a short walk. Setting yourself a daily step goal can be a great first step towards improving your heart health.
It is recommended to try aiming for 6000 steps per day to start with. You don’t need to achieve this all-in-one go, and it is possible to meet this goal through taking regular breaks and walking around your house.
Going to the supermarket tends to be one of the only times many of us leave the house nowadays. Have you considered taking a backpack and walking to the shop to do your shopping?
This will increase your step count and be a great way to fit in some physical activity which involves walking with additional weight.
If the supermarket is too far, why not drive part of the way there and walk the rest, or even park the furthest you can in the supermarket car park from the entrance. Every step counts!
Avoid the ‘All or Nothing Attitude’
Have you ever thought “I will do the washing today” and then time becomes a problem so you end up thinking “I will leave it all to tomorrow then”; This is an all or nothing attitude. Plenty of us have this approach to many things. A way to avoid this is to break jobs up into parts. You may not have had time to do all of the washing, but you could have done some of it.
This can also relate to exercise and being physically active. One of the biggest barriers against physical activity is time, in general we tend to think if we can’t do a whole 30 minutes or 1 hour straight of exercise then there’s no point doing it at all.
However, this isn’t true! The recommended amount of physical activity per week in the UK is 150 minutes. This can be made up however you like as long as your heart and breathing rate increase! It is suggested that we aim for 30 minutes 5 times per week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t break up that 30 minutes into 3 x 10 minutes or even 6 x 5 minutes.
The key is to aim for little and often rather than all or nothing.
For example, why not try doing some calf raises whilst brushing your teeth, or some mini lunges whilst waiting for the kettle to boil? Most of us spend a lot of time sitting, whether that be watching TV, playing video games or working from home.
Set yourself a number of times per day that you need to stand up out of your chair. Before you walk away from the chair you could do 10 sit-to-stand exercises in a row, essentially this would be like doing 10 squats every time before you get out of your chair if you did this 5 times a day you would have achieved 50 squats!
Controversial EU Vnuk motor insurance law may be removed from British law
government plans to bin the EU’s ‘Vnuk’ motor insurance law – which requires insurance even on private land for a wider range of ‘vehicles’, including ride-on lawnmowers and mobility scooters
move will ensure every British driver is spared an estimated £50 annual increase in insurance premiums
decision to scrap Vnuk from British law would reiterate benefits of leaving the EU, as we take back control of our own laws and regulations
British drivers will avoid an estimated £50 a year increase in motor insurance costs as the government confirms it plans to do away with the controversial EU ‘Vnuk’ law, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced today (21 February 2021).
The Vnuk law requires a wider range of vehicles than those such as cars and motorbikes to be insured, including ones previously not requiring insurance, such as golf buggies, mobility scooters and quad bikes.
The law also extends to vehicles on private land, meaning people with a ride-on lawnmower at home would require insurance where it would have previously not been needed.
Had the EU law been implemented in Great Britain, it would have meant the insurance industry would have been liable for almost £2 billion in extra overall costs. These costs would likely have been passed onto their customers – British road-users.
Now we have left the EU, the measures no longer need to be implemented, helping road-users across the country steer clear of increased premiums – a clear win for motorists in Britain.
Bypassing Vnuk will also protect the existence of the UK’s motorsports industry.
The EU rules would have meant any motorsports collision involving vehicles from go-karting to F1 would have been treated as regular road traffic incidents requiring insurance. This could have decimated the industry due to the additional insurance costs of roughly £458 million every single year.
Scrapping the rules will save the industry from potential collapse and secure hundreds of thousands of jobs in the sector in the process.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “We have always disagreed with this over-the-top law that would only do one thing – hit the pockets of hard-working people up and down the country with an unnecessary hike in their car insurance. I am delighted to announce that we no longer need to implement it.
“Scrapping this rule would save the country billions of pounds and is part of a new and prosperous future for the UK outside the EU – a future in which we set our own rules and regulations.”
As well as the likely financial burden on British road-users, the Vnuk rules are considered unnecessary as there are already insurance packages available to Britons that cover certain risks on private land.
The UK officially left the EU on 31 January 2020, with the formal transition period coming to an end on 31 December 2020, after the ratification of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
It was wonderful to see the clean air movement come together for Clean Air Day 2020 at the postponed date of 8 October. For clean air has never been more important.
This report showcases what businesses, schools, community groups, charities, NHS organisations, universities and champions got up to on Clean Air Day 2020.
We want to thank everyone who took part in the day, from those who left the car at home to walk, scoot or cycle to school or work, to those who closed roads, from those who wrote to their MP, to those who planned or attended digital events, thank you for making Clean Air Day 2020 such a huge success.
A reminder Clean Air Day 2021 will be held on the 17 June.
We’ll be in touch later in the year on details of the campaign, if you have ideas or suggestions of activities you’d like to see as part of this year’s campaign, please do share them with us at cleanerair@globalactionplan.org.uk.
The EU Delegation launches legal advice surgeries to assist charitable organisations, local authorities and local communities in the UK help EU citizens. These complement a range of other free services and products, including information sessions and a range of target-group specific leaflets available in all EU languages.
EU citizens, who arrived in the UK before 31 December 2020 and intend to stay, only have until 30 June 2021 to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).
UK central and local authorities, as well as civil society organisations, have already put huge efforts into supporting EU residents in their communities, but this has been made more difficult by the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic.
As of 31 January 2021, over five million EU citizens and family members have successfully applied to the EU Settlement Scheme. However, application rates remain lower in particular areas and among certain groups of people, especially the most vulnerable who are hardest-to-reach and may have difficulties applying.
Free advice surgeries are now here to help, offering one-on-one individual support. They can help make applications to the EU Settlement Scheme and indicate additional support organisations if further assistance is required.
Charitable organisations, local councils and local community groups that commit to scheduling a surgery for at least 10 vulnerable or complex case citizens can make a request to host surgeries.
During the ongoing health pandemic, support can be delivered by phone, WhatsApp, Skype, FaceTime, Zoom or any other platform of choice.
Free 90-minute information sessions for groups of citizens, providing a short presentation on the EU Settlement Scheme and an extended Q&A session, continue to be available. These can also be delivered through online platforms and can accommodate a general or target a specific audience.
Complementing these services, the EU Delegation can deliver free print publications on the EU Settlement Scheme and citizens’ rights in all EU languages anywhere in the UK. Target group specific leaflets for senior citizens, parents, non EU-family members and for joining family members are also available free of charge.
New research from the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has revealed some positive long-term trends in relation to speeding behaviour in the UK with motorists now considering it less acceptable to speed than they did five years ago.
The findings come after recent provisional figures, released by the Department for Transport, highlighted that the number of UK road deaths was down significantly compared to the previous year due to less traffic being on the roads due to COVID-19.
IAM RoadSmart’s annual Safety Culture Report, which tracks drivers’ changing attitudes to key road safety issues over time, discovered that while there was a significant improvement towards speeding the figures were still worryingly high.
Out of the 2,000 motorists surveyed, 43 per cent (down from 55 per cent in 2016) thought it was acceptable to drive up to 80mph on a motorway and that 23 per cent (down from 28 per cent in 2016) thought it was acceptable to drive even faster than that.
Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart Director of Policy & Research, said: “While there are signs of improvement, the results of this survey are still deeply concerning and there is clearly much more work to do on education and training.
“Speeding consistently causes more than 4,400 casualties on UK roads each year, which is an average of 12 people a day killed or injured on UK roads.”
The vast majority of drivers find it unacceptable to speed in towns and this has remained basically unchanged in the last five years. However, a disconcerting one in five of those surveyed still think it is acceptable to drive five miles-per-hour over the speed limit on a residential street and nearly one in ten thought it was acceptable to drive at these speeds outside a school.
Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is offering parents and carers an online opportunity to find out more about how they can help their child make their S2/3 subject choices for the Senior Phase.
Scotland’s Career Service has organised the virtual session on Thursday 25 February which will also give parents and carers information about accessing a wide range of SDS support.
Careers advisers Joan Duncan and Gemma Smith will be providing expert advice for parents and carers of young people in S2 and S3.
Joan said: “Thinking about what options to choose at school can be daunting for young people and their parents and carers. As well as this session, SDS also has a Subject Choices tool on SDS’s My World of Work website which helps pupils explore where options choices can take them.
“It gives young people and their parents and carers the opportunity to explore job profiles, industries, Foundation and Modern Apprenticeships, refine their search by what someone is most interested in and use the tool as many times as they like to find out more about different options. There are other tools to try and the more tools you try, the better career suggestions we can give.”
This virtual event, which is from 6.30pm until 7.15pm, will also have a question and answer session.
At the halfway point in the World Health Organization and Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ 100-day challenge, a movement of people and organizations is now uniting together under the banner of vaccine equity.
WHO welcomes the new commitments made by France, Germany, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America to COVAX and equitable allocation of vaccines.
Backed by 190 countries and economies, COVAX is the global mechanism best positioned to deliver vaccines to the world and end the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is a growing movement behind vaccine equity and I welcome that world leaders are stepping up to the challenge by making new commitments to effectively end this pandemic by sharing doses and increasing funds to COVAX,” said Dr Tedros, Director-General of the World Health Organization.
“This can’t be business as usual and there is an urgent need for countries to share doses and technology, scale up manufacturing and ensure that there is a sustainable supply of vaccines so that everyone, everywhere can receive a vaccine.”
Close to 7000 people and hundreds of organizations have already signed on to a vaccine equity declaration that directly calls on governments and manufacturers to speed up regulatory processes, boost manufacturing by sharing know-how and technology, and ensure that doses are shared equitably.
There is a specific call to start with all health and care workers, who have been on the frontlines of this pandemic for more than a year.
Heads of state and sports stars like Romain Grosjean; international agencies including UNICEF, UN Development Programme, UN Women and the World Food Programme; sporting organizations like the International Olympic Committee, World Rugby and FIFA; networks focused on faith, gender and youth, and civil society groups like the Elders, Global Health Council, Nursing Now, Pandemic Action Network, UHC2030 and Women in Global Health,*– these and many more have signed on to the broad based movement, which recognizes the moral, economic and global security imperative of equitable vaccine distribution.
Dr Keith C Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, and Chairman of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) said, “Today, thankfully we are at that place where we now have tested and proven vaccines.
“A brightening light is shining on our way towards a more successful response to the still marauding virus.”
The movement for vaccine equity is growing, and to prevent virus variants from undermining our health technologies and hampering an already sluggish global economic recovery, it is critical that leaders continue to step up to ensure that we end this pandemic as quickly as possible. Individuals and organizations everywhere are encouraged to join in this crucial effort.
Ambitious new measures aimed at widening responsibility for homelessness prevention could stop people from losing their homes and make Scotland a world leader in ending homelessness, according to a new report from an independent group of experts.
With at least 8% of the Scottish population (1 in 12 people) having experienced homelessness there is clear need to change the system to stop people from losing their homes in the first place.
The Homelessness Prevention Review Group was set up at the request of Scottish Government and convened by the charity Crisis to take forward the work of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group on preventing homelessness.
In its new report, the Group recommends that action to prevent homelessness would start up to six months before someone faces losing their home.
This would mean that public bodies, such as health services, should ask about people’s housing situation to identify any issues at an early stage and act where a problem exists.
They would then work together with housing professionals to ensure that people get help early and do not lose their home unnecessarily. The proposals, if implemented, would ensure that no one leaves an institution, such as prison or hospital, without somewhere to sleep that night.
The Group proposes clarifying the current law and requiring local authorities to take specific steps to prevent homelessness, building on recent developments in Wales and England. This would mean that once again Scotland has the strongest protections in Great Britain for people facing the prospect of homelessness.
The recommendations would mean that people facing homelessness should have greater choice and control in where they live and have access to the same options as other members of the public. They set out protections which must be in place to ensure that an individual’s housing is stable and meets their needs, minimising their future risk of homelessness.
The Group was chaired by Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick of Heriot-Watt University and was made up of local authority bodies, representatives from the housing and homelessness sectors and health and social care.
It was supported by the Prevention Commission, a group of people with lived and frontline experience of homelessness, whose views shaped the proposals.
Commenting on the report, Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “Ending homelessness is a priority for the Scottish Government so I welcome the recommendations in this report, which focuses on the importance of preventing homelessness from happening in the first place.
“The report also highlights the importance of a whole-system, person-centred approach to our goal of preventing homelessness, for example through the work of health, education and justice services.
“This report was developed in consultation with frontline workers and people with lived experience of homelessness as well as so many organisations from across the public and third sector, and I want to thank everyone involved.
“Crisis in particular has provided significant resources to this work and I am grateful for the commitment they have shown. I now look forward to working with COSLA and all our other partners to discuss how we can put these proposals into action.”
Prevention Review Group chair Professor Fitzpatrick said:“While we have strong protections in place to help individuals and families when they are at imminent risk of losing their home, we have laid far less emphasis to date on effective work to prevent homelessness happening in the first place.
“This means it is all too common for someone to reach crisis point before they get the help they need.
“It was this need to act earlier and prevent people from ever having to experience the trauma of homelessness, which drove the work of the Prevention Review Group.
“Our work was guided by three principles: that there should be a collective responsibility across public services to prevent homelessness; that intervention to prevent homelessness should start as soon as possible; and that those at risk of homelessness should have greater choice in where they live and access to the same options as other members of the public.
“The homelessness system should become the safety net it was intended to be rather than a default response to housing problems. The recommendations in this report hold the potential to radically change the face of the homelessness system in Scotland.”
Lisa Punton, Prevention Commission Member, said:“Having worked in the sector for more than 10 years I have become increasingly frustrated with the existing legislative framework. In providing such a strong safety net for people experiencing homelessness something of what we were trying to achieve, which is to prevent it, was lost.
“If we really want to end homelessness those with lived experience must always have a seat at the table. People who have experienced services can tell us how these impact on their lives amid crisis and trauma.”
Cllr Kelly Parry, COSLA Community Wellbeing Spokesperson, said:“The publication of the report from the Prevention Review Group is welcomed, and I am grateful to members of the group and those who have supported its work for their efforts.
“I am particularly grateful to those who contributed their own lived experience of homelessness to inform the work of the group – it is important we keep their voices at the centre of our considerations.
“Local Government is committed to ending homelessness, and fundamental to that is preventing it happening in the first place. We know that the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have not been felt equally across society – with those who are facing poverty and social inequality most affected.
“The importance of sectors, organisations, and individuals working together is clear, and as we work with our communities to rebuild and recover, we have the opportunity to put the needs of those most at risk at the centre. The recommendations within the report offer insight on how we do this together.
“Local Government will work with Scottish Government over the coming months, to consider the proposals within the report seeking further input and consultation with partners.”
As well as new shared public responsibilities to prevent homelessness, the Group made recommendations in some specific areas:
Where people needing homelessness assistance have complex needs requiring input from multiple services, a case co-ordination approach should be put into place
Health and social care partnerships should co-operate with the local authority to plan for the needs of applicants for homelessness assistance who may have health and social care needs
16 and 17 year olds who are at risk of homelessness should be assisted by children’s services rather than adult services
Recommendations in relation to support for victims of domestic abuse include:
Support and security measures to remain safely in their own home where this is their preference, including access to free legal aid to get an exclusion order
Social landlords should put in place protocols to address housing issues relating to domestic abuse
Cats Protection has created an online tool for cat owners that it hopes will help persuade more landlords to allow their tenants to have a cat.
The Cat CV has been created after it was estimated that one million households across the UK would like to have a cat, but can’t due to the fact they are in a rental property.*
Cats Protection’s Head of Advocacy & Government Relations Jacqui Cuff said: “During the past year, we’ve heard countless stories from owners about how important their cat has been. People tell us their cats have provided comfort in worrying times, a playful companion for children as they home school, and helped reduce stress while getting to grips with working from home.
“But very sadly, many people have been denied the simple pleasure of owning a cat, simply because they rent rather than own their home. Now more than ever, we all deserve the chance to own a pet cat, and it is heart-breaking that so many people are not able to.
“Cats rarely cause problems in rented homes, but our Cat CV can help reassure landlords who may be nervous about allowing them. We hope it will help more renters find a happy cat-friendly home where they can feel settled.”
The charity’s Purrfect Landlords CV tool is available to download for free, and helps owners create a summary to show their cat is responsibly owned and well cared-for. Owners can also include references from previous landlords to confirm their cat has not caused any problems.
Caroline Sherlock created a CV for her three rescue cats – Susie, Tia Maria and Sadie – when she was looking for a short-term rental while her own home was being renovated in Horsham, Sussex.
She said: “I wanted to rent a property for just a few months, but it was so hard to find properties that allowed cats. There were lots of adverts for rented properties on websites, but when I ticked the ‘allows pets’ filter, I was left with barely any. I spent hours and hours searching and it was a very stressful experience.
“I found the Cats Protection Pet CV template and drafted one for the three cats, including details of their microchips, flea and worming treatment and their background.
“Then when I found a property I liked, even though it didn’t mention allowing pets, I sent it to the letting agent. He thought it was a great idea and I think it really tipped the balance in my favour as it showed I was a responsible cat owner. I got the property and my cats didn’t cause any problems.
“Cats are fantastic pets, and mine bring me so much happiness and companionship. It’s tragic that so many people can’t have a cat because they live in rented housing, especially during these difficult days when we’re all at home and missing family, friends and work colleagues.
“I really hope the Cat CV will help more people find a suitable rented housing and help landlords take a more open-minded view towards allowing cats.”
