Day: January 7, 2022

No Alcohol, No Problem: Warner’s 0% spirits mean we can still have a happy new year

New Year’s resolutions have you ready to trade in your gin membership for a gym membership? No need with Warner’s 0% Botanic Garden Spirits!

‘New Year, new you’ doesn’t have to leave you feeling blue if you’ve made a resolution to go dry this January and beyond. Whether looking to cut out alcohol completely or reduce consumption, the good news is you can still have a proper tasty drink AND go to the gym; because let’s face it, you’re better than a pint of squash.

Introducing Warner’s 0% Botanic Garden Spirits, a super-premium, farm-born spirit, that is packed full of flavour without any of the alcohol. Handcrafted will all-natural botanicals and using spring water drawn from their Falls Farm distillery, it’s the perfect blend of innovation, hard graft, and real, natural ingredients that Warner’s drinkers know and love.

Warner’s 0% Botanic Garden Spirits is available in two flavours – Juniper Double Dry and Pink Berry. The Juniper Double Dry is crafted using real, natural, farm-grown ingredients: lemon thyme, lemon verbena and water drawn from the spring at Warner’s farm. The spirit has a spicy base, herbal hit, citrus edge and peppery finish, giving it the recognisable kick of a top-shelf tipple.

It took playing around with 53 different natural ingredients before settling on the 0% Pink Berry recipe. The spirit is leading the way as a delicious non-alcoholic alternative to a fruity or pink gin: fragrant & tangy, combining raspberries and blackcurrant sage with a kick from chilli, ginger and Szechuan pepper. Both flavours are 0% ABV and suitable for vegans – or those also conquering Veganuary.

Warner’s founder Tom Warner said: “Going dry in January is a great test of resolve and willpower but let’s be honest, after the last couple of years, it feels like even more of a challenge this January.

“Our 0% Botanic Garden Spirits mean you shouldn’t have to compromise simply because you’re having a non-alcoholic beverage. If you’re going to have a drink, make it a proper drink and drink like a bloomin’ grown up.”

Warner’s 0% Botanic Garden Spirits range can be purchased in 5cl from £3 or 50cl from £18 in major supermarkets including M&S, Ocado, selected Co-Ops and online at www.warnersdistillery.com.  

New Covid testing regulations sees bookings surge for Maison Sport

Ski instructor marketplace calls for clearer plans for the travel industry with regards to how future variants are managed   

Ski instructor marketplace, Maison Sport has reported a 100% increase in bookings overnight since the latest announcement that rules on testing are to be eased for people travelling to the UK, following numerous pleas from the travel industry, who are amongst those hit hardest amidst the pandemic. 

Commenting on the new guidelines, Nick Robinson, Founder and CEO of Maison Sport said: “This is brilliant news for the industry and we expect to see ski lesson availability snapped up for the busy month of February over the coming days.

“This is typically our busiest month of the season so it’s great to see things ramp up again so quickly – this is just the news we have been waiting for. Not only is it brilliant news for those travelling but it will also provide a welcome boost to all of our ski instructors” 

Maison Sport has proven to be a game-changer for independent ski and snowboard instructors who can significantly increase their earnings using the platform. The marketplace has surpassed 34,000 hours of lessons taught in 364 ski resorts across Europe. 

Nick Robinson comments: “The old rules were perhaps in place for 2 to 3 weeks more than they needed to be based on the fact that they were implemented mainly to slow the spread of Omicron, but Omicron was dominant in the UK from the 17th of December or earlier so it’s clear that rules were causing more harm than good to certain industries.

“It’s really important that moving forward there is a clearer plan for the travel industry with regards to how we deal with new variants in the future.” 

Founded in 2016 by former ski champion brothers Nick and Olly Robinson and fellow ex-British Ski Team member Aaron Tipping, Maison Sport now boasts the third-largest selection of instructors in comparison to any ski school in the world.

With its innovative platform continuing to grow, overcoming the significant challenges facing the global travel industry, the company plans further expansion into Asia and South America over the course of 2022.

For more information visit www.maisonsport.com 

Police Scotland reorganises staff to tackle Omicron challenge

Police Scotland is increasing the number of officers deployed in local policing divisions to support communities during the latest phase of the COVID pandemic.

More than 300 officers from specialist functions throughout Scotland will move to support colleagues in local policing divisions temporarily from Monday, 10 January, 2022.

At the same time, 258 probationary constables currently undergoing training at the Scottish Police College will also be deployed to local policing divisions.

The use of probationers and officers from specialist functions was successful both earlier in the pandemic and during the COP26 climate conference.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said “We are working hard to maximise the availability of officers and staff in frontline duties to ensure that we continue to provide a highly effective policing service to our local communities.

“Omicron is having a significant effect on the country and Police Scotland is included in that. The welfare of our officers and staff is paramount and has been throughout the pandemic.

“As a national service we can quickly flex resources and move people to where they are needed and respond to increased demand and high absence levels.

“By deploying these extra resources we can support local policing and keep people safe during this critical time.”

UK Government launches State Pension Age Review

The next review of State Pension age has been launched by the government today. The review will consider whether the rules around pensionable age are appropriate, based on the latest life expectancy data and other evidence.

The Pensions Act 2014 requires government to regularly review State Pension age, and in accordance with law, this latest Review must be published by 7 May 2023.

State Pension age is currently 66 and two further increases are currently set out in legislation: a gradual rise to 67 for those born on or after April 1960; and a gradual rise to 68 between 2044 and 2046 for those born on or after April 1977. The first Review of State Pension age was undertaken in 2017 and concluded that the next Review should consider whether the increase to age 68 should be brought forward to 2037-39 before tabling any changes to legislation.

As the number of people over State Pension age increases, due to a growing population and people on average living longer, the government needs to make sure that decisions on how to manage its costs are, robust, fair and transparent for taxpayers now and in the future. It must also ensure that as the population becomes older, the State Pension continues to provide the foundation for retirement planning and financial security.

Therefore, this review will consider a wide range of evidence, for example, it will:

  • examine the implications of the latest life expectancy data
  • provide a balanced assessment of the costs of an ageing population and future State Pension expenditure
  • consider labour market changes and people’s ability and opportunities to work over State Pension age
  • and develop options for setting the legislative timetable for State Pension age that are transparent and fair

As set out in the 2014 Act, the Secretary of State is commissioning two independent reports to contribute to the evidence considered during this review: a report from the Government Actuary and a report on other factors.

  • The Government Actuary will provide a report which must assess the age of entitlement in legislation by analysing the latest life expectancy projections;
  • The report on other relevant factors will consider recent trends in life expectancy and the range of metrics we could use when setting State Pension age. This is to ensure the way we set State Pension age is robust, transparent and provides fairness to both taxpayers and pensioners. This report will be led by Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE., CMG.

The UK Government agreed during the passage of the Pensions Act 2014 that the State Pension age Review would consider evidence from across the UK. The review will therefore consider differences across countries and regions, including Northern Ireland; it will also consider the effects for individuals with different characteristics and opportunities, including those at risk of disadvantage.

  • The report on other relevant factors will consider recent trends in life expectancy and the range of metrics we could use when setting State Pension age. This is to ensure the way we set State Pension age is robust, transparent and provides fairness to both taxpayers and pensioners. This report will be led by Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE., CMG. The Terms of Reference for this report can be found here.

Business leaders seek tax, trade and skills support to meet the challenge of the next twenty years

Almost half (47%) of UK businesses said taking on new staff is their key ambition in the medium-term, according to new research to mark the 20th anniversary of Bank of Scotland Business Barometer.

The survey asked 600 businesses about the major challenges and opportunities faced in the last two decades and anticipated challenges up to 2040 and beyond.

Companies also highlighted developing new products and services (36%) and increasing online sales (30%) as major ambitions and priorities.

The survey found that businesses expect online purchasing (20%) and demand for instant products and services (18%) to be the biggest changes in consumer behaviour in the next 20 years, forcing them to be more creative and innovative in order to adapt to deliver quickly.

These predictions mirror the factors which businesses cited as having had the biggest impact on their operations in the past 20 years – chiefly greater access to information (24%) and more online purchasing (22%) changing customer behaviour. 

However, firms are optimistic about further changes to consumer behaviour, with 38% reporting that advances in technology have had the biggest positive impact on their business in the past 20 years.

Challenges ahead

Despite a clear drive towards growth, a net balance of 83% of firms anticipate the next 20 years will be more challenging than the past two decades – which included the financial crisis and resulting credit crunch, recession, the Brexit referendum and the global pandemic.

Some of the challenges that businesses see themselves facing can be linked back to the pandemic, including rising costs (23%) and the ability to recruit staff (11%). In addition, one in ten (11%) businesses see the need to keep up with technological developments as their biggest challenge in the next two to three years.

Government provision of greater access to more vocational-based learning was seen by 44% of firms as being a way to help mitigate these challenges. However, companies believe that future growth opportunities will need to be supported by more favourable taxation to encourage sustainable business practices (52%) and new trade agreements with major trading partners (48%).

Paul Gordon, Managing Director for SME and Mid Corporates, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “The Business Barometer has provided unique insights into the views of British businesses for 20 years. 

“In that time, we have seen a seismic shift in the economic context in the UK, as well as the extraordinary ability of business leaders to adapt and evolve to meet changing market needs.

“Perhaps it is not unsurprising that, having faced a quite unprecedented period of late and enormous change over the last twenty years, the majority of business leaders feel the next twenty years will be more challenging. 

“To help them through this, businesses are looking for support on skills, finance, trade and taxation to navigate in this environment. One thing that is clear is that our businesses and business leaders are incredibly resourceful and resilient and are adept at facing into constant change.

“They tell us they are gearing up for growth and expect to increase headcount, enhancing their service offering or utilising new technologies. We’ll be by their side over the months and years ahead as they deliver on their ambitions.”

Grant awarded to new risk score for heart rhythm monitoring to prevent second strokes

Heart Research UK has awarded a research grant of £115,000 to a project at the University of Glasgow for developing a risk score to help guide investigation for atrial fibrillation. This will allow more people to benefit from anticoagulant drugs to prevent second strokes.

After a stroke, heart rhythm monitors are worn for three days to look for an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation (AF) that increases the risk of blood clots forming and second strokes.

If the monitor shows that a patient has AF, then blood thinning drugs, called anticoagulants, can greatly reduce the risk of a second stroke. However, there are often long waits for these tests and only four out of every 100 people who have a three-day heart rhythm monitor are found to have AF.

New heart rhythm monitors that are worn for longer find many more people with AF, but these tests are not necessary for everyone who has suffered a stroke. It has also been difficult to implement them in the NHS, as a lot of time and resources are already required to perform the three-day heart rhythm monitors.

The new project, led by Professor Jesse Dawson (above), aims to develop a risk score that identifies people who are unlikely to have AF after stroke and therefore do not need heart rhythm monitoring for three days or longer. This would free up resources so that longer heart rhythm monitoring can be focused on people who are more likely to have AF.

675 people admitted with a stroke to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow will take part in the study. The team will collect clinical and genetic information, heart rhythm recordings, and blood to measure levels of a new blood marker.

All participants will have a 30-day heart rhythm monitor to test for AF and the data will be analysed to develop a risk score that identifies people who do not have AF after the 30 days of monitoring.

The results have the potential to improve care for people affected by AF and stroke by developing a more personalised model of care. This could help to avoid unnecessary tests for people who are unlikely to have AF, during what can be a challenging time for stroke survivors and carers.

It would also mean that longer heart monitoring can be focused on people who are more likely to have AF. This would increase AF detection rates and allow more people to benefit from anticoagulant drugs to prevent second strokes.

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive at Heart Research UK, said: “This is an exciting project where a successful outcome would enable the healthcare system to focus resources for heart rhythm monitoring after a stroke, on those who really need it.

“Anticoagulants are vital in preventing people from suffering a second stroke and we are proud to be able to support Professor Dawson and team in helping more people to benefit from them.”

You can read more about Heart Research UK’s Research Grants here.

Aldi donates 9,224 meals to Lothians charities over Christmas

Aldi has supported local charities, community groups and food banks in the Lothians by donating 9,224 meals to people in need this Christmas. 

The supermarket paired up its stores with local organisations to make the most of unsold fresh and chilled food after stores closed on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, as part of its pledge to donate 1.8 million meals to families experiencing food poverty during November and December. 

Around 550,000 meals were donated nationwide and more than 700 UK causes benefitted from the initiative over the festive period,  

The initiative is part of Aldi’s successful partnership with Neighbourly, a community giving platform that links businesses to charitable organisations. Thanks to this, all of Aldi’s over 950 UK stores now donate surplus food to good causes seven days a week, all year round. 

This year’s Christmas donations have helped Aldi to meet its pledge to donate 10 million meals to families in need in 2021 through its partnership with Neighbourly. 

Mary Dunn, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “The festive season is always a hard time for people affected by food poverty, so we are incredibly proud to have supported so many amazing causes in the Lothians this Christmas.” 

Since beginning its partnership with Neighbourly in April 2019, Aldi has donated more than 20 million meals across the UK. 

Steve Butterworth, from Neighbourly, added: “This Christmas was without a doubt one of the busiest on record for the UK’s charities and food banks. The sizeable donations from Aldi would have been a massive lifeline for so many of them.” 

Aldi has been working with Neighbourly since early 2019. As part of the partnership, Aldi introduced community donation points in all stores last year, offering customers the opportunity to donate any food or household products to local causes all year round. 

Hidden Door 2022: Call for Dance submissions

Hidden Door Festival returns in June, breathing life into a secret new location in Edinburgh. As the planning continues, we are now inviting submissions for our DANCE programme.

We’ve found a stunning, forgotten complex in the city centre which we plan to transform into live music venues and performance spaces for theatre, dance and spoken word, alongside pop-up bars and a multitude of art exhibition and installation spaces.

We are delighted to now be accepting submissions for our dance programme. This is an open call, inviting proposals for ambitious, innovative and experimental performances, works in development, and re-workings of shows that have already been performed.

The deadline for dance submissions is Monday 31 January – please help us spread the word and share this with the creatives in your life!

We’ll be revealing more about the venue and launching our calls for theatre, spoken word and local bands very soon – stay tuned!

Find out more and apply

Edinburgh Direct Aid: Arsal issues emergency winter fuel appeal

Amidst fears that hundreds of Syrian refugees and local Lebanese families could face disaster in freezing winter conditions in the mountains near the Syrian border, officials in the town of Arsal have declared a fuel emergency and appealed for urgent outside help to buy heating oil so they can survive the harsh months ahead.

At an altitude where temperatures can drop to minus 15oC, around 70,000 Syrian refugees, most of them living in tents, and 40,000 local Lebanese residents lack fuel for the diesel stoves that could help them through the winter, the worst of which is still to come. 

Around 1400m up in the mountains, Arsal is the highest and most vulnerable of the refugee settlements in Lebanon. 

The perils facing refugees trying to keep warm in the winter were highlighted in early January by the death of a Syrian mother and her three young children, asphyxiated by burning coal in their shelter in a coastal village in south Lebanon – at a much lower altitude than Arsal. 

Many of the refugee families in Arsal have survived previous winters, but this one is different. Because of the Lebanese economic crisis, fuel prices in the collapsing local currency are now something like 20 times higher than they were 12 months before.

And because of budget cuts, the refugee agency UNHCR and other NGOs are only able to provide funding for less than 30% of the needs. 

Each refugee family is left to find around $350 or more to buy the 700 litres of diesel they need to see them through the winter – an impossible sum for them to raise themselves.

Faced with potential disaster, the mayor of Arsal, Basel al-Hujairi, has taken the unusual step of declaring a winter fuel emergency and issuing an appeal, backed by local schools, health centres and NGOs, calling on the international community to step forward to help bridge the drastic funding gap. 

“Please reflect on the consequences of leaving thousands of families in flimsy tents without heating in temperatures far below zero and biting winds,” the appeal said. 

It needs to raise altogether some $5.5m, which would provide winter heating for 8,500 families huddled in tents, 3,000 in housing, and local Lebanese inhabitants in need, as well as schools, health centres and the municipality. 

Issued by Edinburgh Direct Aid (https://edinburghdirectaid.org), a non-profit NGO which is one of the few to maintain a permanent presence in Arsal, running schools, a vocational centre and other projects.

Scotland eases restrictions on international travellers

From today (Friday) people travelling to Scotland from abroad who are fully vaccinated or under the age of 18 will no longer need to take pre-departure Covid tests, and will also no longer be required to self-isolate on arrival until they’ve received a negative result.

Travellers in this group will still need to take a test on or before day 2 after arriving in the UK – which can be a lateral flow device rather than a PCR test from Sunday.

Anyone who tests positive on their lateral flow test will need to isolate and take a free confirmatory PCR test.

The new measures apply across the UK after agreement between the UK Government and the three devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Pre-departure Covid tests, the requirement to self-isolate and mandatory PCR tests were re-introduced in December to help stem the spread of the Omicron variant, but are now seen as less necessary because Omicron is now the dominant strain in the UK.

In addition, Ministers have agreed to approve vaccine certificates for a further 16 countries and territories from 0400 on 10 January to allow quarantine-free travel to Scotland. The red list of highest risk countries will remain unchanged with no countries currently on the list.

All four nations are also discussing what the requirements should be for border travel in the future.

Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport Michael Matheson said: “Given the rapid spread of Omicron last year it was essential that we took immediate steps to protect public health in Scotland, particularly with regards to international travel.

“We still have significant concerns over Omicron, but we recognise that, now it is the most dominant strain in Scotland and across the UK, it is sensible to review the measures currently in place.

“We also fully understand the impact of the restrictions on staff and businesses in the travel and aviation sectors and these changes demonstrate our commitment not to keep measures in place any longer than necessary.

“However, people still need to be extremely careful when travelling and to remember that both our and other countries’ COVID-19 requirements can change at short notice as things can evolve very quickly.

“People should therefore ensure they have travel insurance and carefully check their booking terms and conditions, as well as ensuring compliance with the latest regulations for the country being visited.”