How 13.2 million recycled plastic bottles become a game-changing furniture range: introducing Nassau from LifestyleGarden
Last week LifestyleGarden®, in partnership with Plastic Bank and the Eden Project, launched one of the most exciting furniture ranges to ever hit the UK market.
The new Nassau collection – powered by Social Plastic® is set to revolutionise the impact furniture can have upon the planet as well as people and communities.
Not only will every Nassau chair be made from the equivalent of 175 recycled plastic bottles, but the range is already committed to utilising the equivalent of 13.2million bottles (or 264,000kgs) in its first year. That’s a lot of plastic!
The impact of the Nassau collection goes further than vital environmental protection, however. In a true industry first, this collection will also close the loop by positively impacting the social and economic communities within the Plastic Bank supply chain through the use of Social Plastic®.
Simply put, Social Plastic® is ethically recovered plastic which helps fight ocean pollution, whilst simultaneously empowering those who collect it.
Collectors in Plastic Bank’s ethical recycling ecosystems in coastal communities receive bonuses for the materials they collect, which helps them provide basic family necessities such as groceries, school tuition, internet access, health insurance, cooking fuel and more.
But these collectors aren’t invisible entities operating in the background. Working with Plastic Bank, LifestyleGarden® is able to access a dashboard, enabling us to see exactly which collector has collected materials which will be funnelled into the Nassau range.
We can then follow these collectors to see how their lives change as the bonuses they receive continue to help them out of poverty.
Over the coming months we be following these collector stories and hope to share them with you.
For now, we hope the Nassau – powered by Social Plastic® range will be of interest.
The range is available to buy from a wide range of UK garden centres, the Eden Project’s online store and via Robert Dyas on the high street.
The RRP for a two-seater bistro set is £299, whilst a four-seater dining set is £499. A set of two chairs is priced at RRP £179. Available in peony pink, sage green and honey yellow, and white.
If you want to find out more about LifestyleGarden® and its premium-quality outdoor furniture, please visit us at www.lifestylegarden.com and follow the team on Facebook and Instagram.
Inspired by Shakespeare’s “and so shines a good deed in a weary world”, an author has donated her time to produce a commemorative book in tribute to the hard work and kindness seen across the UK during the Covid pandemic.
Anna James spent more than 6 months interviewing key workers, everyday heroes and familiar faces as well as charities and organisations and collating the stories and photos of their ‘good deeds’. She has self-published the 350+ page coffee-table style book to celebrate their efforts and to raise money for the NHS and other good causes.
Amongst many others, the book includes contributions from NHS workers, dustbin men, cleaners and farmers; home-schooling families, isolating couples and Covid survivors; Her Majesty the Queen, Captain Tom, Ian Broudie, Banksy and Charlie Mackesy; Fareshare, Samaritans, NSPCC and Age UK; M&S, The Royal Mint, Chester Zoo and even a loo roll manufacturer.
The book also features hundreds of photos of some of the things we all saw and experienced in the early months of the pandemic.
Anna said: “2020 was an unprecedented year with monumental challenges and heart-breaking sadnesses but amongst that, there was also exceptional hard work, adaptability and kindness. Our humanity and community spirit shone in the darkness and I thought it was important to pay tribute to that, so we’ve got something to look back on and be proud of.
“I also thought it was important to record some of the things we were all seeing and experiencing – in years to come, when this is hopefully far behind us, will we remember the rainbows? That people joined forces in their thousands to make masks and scrubs for the NHS? Will we remember that we clapped outside, every Thursday night? That whole towns and cities were deserted and that shops ran out of toilet roll? I wanted to document some of that to help us remember; as a social history record for us to show our grandchildren, and for them to show theirs.
“I am humbled to have become the caretaker of this most amazing collection of stories from all these everyday heroes who share what they did to help the country and each other, which are heart-warming and heart-wrenching in equal measures.
“It’s probably the book none of us would ever have wanted but perhaps the one we all need, to remind ourselves what a kind and generous bunch we can be.”
As we approach two years since the UK went into its first lockdown, Covid Kindness: UK 2020 is available to order at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Covid-Kindness-UK…/dp/1527275825 to help you remember and reflect on the early days of the pandemic.
All profits go to NHS Charities Together and other good causes.
The Champions of the Earth award is the United Nation’s highest environmental honour.
It recognizes outstanding leaders from government, civil society and the private sector whose actions have a transformative impact on the environment.
In 2022, nominations for Champions of the Earth are especially encouraged of individuals and organisations who have helped prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide.
The closure of the Bathgate Department of Work and Pensions office will be a “huge blow to local people” according to Lothian MSP, Lorna Slater, who has warned that the extra costs and travel time will be particularly harsh for parents and young people.
Lorna wrote this in a letter to the UK Minister for Employment, Mims Davies MP following an announcement that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is set to close 40 offices across the UK. This follows warnings from the Scottish Government that the closures could impact up to 3,000 jobs.
The changes will force workers to travel to the nearest DWP office in Falkirk but, as Lorna notes in her letter, this will be unaffordable for many workers.
In a letter to Mims Davies MP, Lorna Slater wrote: “It is extremely disappointing that yet again the UK Government is moving jobs out of West Lothian. We have recently seen the closure of the Livingston HMRC office with staff forced to start commuting to Edinburgh or face redundancy.
“Many families in Bathgate are already struggling to make ends meet due to the brutal austerity of the UK Government and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am particularly worried for parents and younger people. The timing of this closure could not be worse for them.
“Commuting between Bathgate and Falkirk can be difficult, particularly when relying on public transport. By train this journey can take upwards of an hour and when relying on buses this can be even longer.”
This April will see TV star Trent Maxwell, more commonly known as ‘Lifeguard Maxi’ swap Australia’s world famous Bondi Beach for the waters of the UK and Ireland on a tour to spread the message about water safety.
To kickstart the tour, Maxi will be joined by former Olympian, Sports Scientist, Physical Activity Expert and trainer to the stars, Professor Greg Whyte OBE for an open water sunrise swim at Caversham Lakes in Reading on April 8th.
For the rest of his trip Maxi will be working with national charity and leader in lifesaving and lifeguarding training across the UK and Ireland, the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) to volunteer his time to deliver the important water safety messages to children across the UK and Ireland.
On his open water sunrise swim, Maxi said: “An open water swim with the legend Greg Whyte will be a brilliant, but chilly start to my tour! I can’t wait to then set off and meet with children across the UK to spread the word about water safety.
“Delivering these key messages might mean that lives can be saved this summer and beyond.”
Greg added: “’As a result of lockdown 2 million children missed the opportunity to swim leading to 1 million children leaving primary school unable to swim.
“Maxi’s campaign, in collaboration with RLSS UK, to deliver his water safety message has never been more important. I can’t wait to swim at sunrise with Maxi, it will be a few degrees colder that Bondi!”
Open water swimming has seen a rise in popularity over recent years with its benefits well documented.
Charity Director at RLSS UK, Lee Heard said: “There are numerous fantastic benefits to participating in open water swimming such as boosting your immune system; activating endorphins for a natural high; improving your circulation; reducing stress; as well as being a great form of exercise.
“To ensure that open water swimming can be enjoyed safely, we at the Royal Life Saving Society UK, have worked with Professor Greg Whyte to devise a cold water exposure 2 week home plan – Sponge to Plunge. The plan is a safe way to reduce the impact of cold water immersion so please take a look if you are looking to take the plunge!”
Ahead of his tour, where Maxi will visit RLSS UK Lifesaving Clubs to meet as many children and Rookie Lifeguards as possible, he added: “I want to meet as many kids as I can throughout April so together with RLSS UK we can prevent drowning this summer.
“Lifesaving clubs are at the heart of a community, they support young people and their families, so we all enjoy water safely, and return home at the end of day. They have been hit hard in the pandemic so we want to deliver some smiles, fun and most importantly valuable water safety lessons around the UK and Ireland ahead of summer.”
Maxi will be visiting numerous clubs throughout the UK and Ireland as he travels from Cornwall to Devon to South Wales to Nottingham. He then travels across the water to Ireland before returning to visit Scotland and the North East before he heads home for Sydney on 2nd May.
Maxi and RLSS UK invite children from all communities to attend an event near them to learn more about water safety and discover a RLSS UK Lifesaving Club in their area.
Lee Heard added: “Delivering water safety education is vitally important and working with Maxi to speak to even more young people is something we are excited about.
“In July 2021 we had 49 accidental drownings in just two weeks in UK waters, so delivering water safety messages such as this will help to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy water safely in the future.”
To help deliver the message Lifeguard Maxi and RLSS UK are calling for donations to help fund the not-for-profit tour to deliver the message to as many children in the UK and Ireland as possible.
Maxi added: “We would love for you to give what you can and feel part of something special that is happening to prevent drowning this summer.”
All donors will be entered into a draw to win either: a chance to meet Maxi in person at an event in England, Scotland or Ireland; a signed book pack of Maxi’s four books with a Lifeguard Maxi pencil case and signed photograph; or a Maxis Rescue Squad T-shirt and one year’s membership to Maxi’s Rescue Squad online education program with pencil case and signed photographs.
Many had anticipated that the Chancellor would use today’s Spring Statement to announce a more targeted package of support for lower-income households than he had in February. Instead, the Chancellor used it to reiterate his emphasis on fiscal prudence whilst promising an income tax cut in 2024.
The surprise (1): no targeted support
There was a broad expectation that Sunak would use today’s announcement to announce financial support for lower income households, probably via additional spending on social security. There was certainly a very strong case for him doing so.
Part of the reason why the current spike in inflation is creating a cost of living crisis is that the inflationary rise has happened so suddenly that normal benefit uprating policy is out of touch with reality. Benefits are normally uprated in April each year in line with inflation. But the measure of inflation used is from September the previous year.
In September, inflation was running at 3.1%. By February it was 6.2%. It is forecast to average 7.4% in 2022 (peaking at 8.7%). This means big real terms cuts for benefits in 2022, potentially followed by a big upswing in 2023, as uprating catches up with reality.
Households, particularly low income households, are not well placed to deal with such volatility. But governments are. Addressing this disconnect would have been relatively easy, and fiscally neutral in the medium term.
Surprisingly, the Chancellor offered nothing on social security. The cost of living crisis will affect lower income households much more acutely than those on middle or higher incomes.
Spending on energy and food makes up a higher share of their incomes; they less ability to absorb cost increases via savings; and they have fewer options to make savings by switching to lower priced product lines. There does not appear to be much consideration of the distributional dimension to this crisis.
The only attempt at targeting towards the most financially constrained was an additional £500m for local authorities to distribute to households most in need. The Scottish Government will receive a Barnett consequential as a result (likely to be around £50m). But this is a small amount of support in the context of the scale of the problem.
… but more broad-based support
Instead, Sunak’s support for households was again broad-based. The main element was a 5p cut in fuel duty. This is very weakly progressive as a policy – low income households spend proportionately more of their income on petrol than higher income households – but it provides a larger cash boost to high income households. And, by spreading support so thinly, the £5bn cost of this policy will provide limited relief to households most financially exposed to the rise in the cost of living. (If it provides much relief at all – how much of the 5p cut might be passed on to consumers is unknown).
The Chancellor chose not to postpone the increase in employee and employer NICs that was announced in September. This in itself was sensible – postponing the rise would mainly have benefitted higher earners. Furthermore, there would be a real risk that a one-year postponement could evolve into a permanent postponement as the election gets closer and the memory of the pandemic – used in part as justification for the NICs rise – fades
But what he did do was increase the threshold at which NICs is due, from £9,900 that was pencilled in for 2022 to £12,570 (bringing forward a sensible commitment to align the threshold with the income tax personal allowance). This increase in the threshold is worth just over £300 per year for employees. The effect is to offset the impact of the increase in NICs rate for the majority of earners in 2022. The cost of the measure in 2022 is £6bn.
The surprise (2): Income tax cut in 2024
Chancellors traditionally leave their flagship policy announcement until the end of their speech. Sunak’s flagship today was a promise to cut the basic rate of income tax from 20p to 19p in 2024.
The economic rationale for this is far from clear. The rise in employee and employer NICs (and subsequent health and social care levy) was justified by the need to address long-term fiscal challenges resulting from an ageing population and a smaller economy (thanks to Brexit and Covid).
But the proposed income tax cut will offset most of the impact of the Health and Social Care Levy on revenues. The outcome of the two policies together – the income tax cut and NICs rise – is to transfer the burden of tax from pensioners, landlords and others with unearned income to earners.
The proposed income tax cut will not apply in Scotland (a small caveat to this is that the income tax rate on savings will be cut to 19p UK-wide, since it is not devolved). Instead, the Scottish Government will, in 2024, receive an increase in its block grant which is broadly equivalent to the costs of a 1p reduction in the UK basic rate in Scotland.
The Scottish Government will be free to decide how to allocate this additional resource – whether that be through tax cuts of its own, or higher spending on public services. The politics of this will be interesting.
Summary
This was not the set of measures that many people had expected or hoped for. 2022 is set to see the biggest single-year fall in real household disposable income since records began in the late 1950s, according to the OBR.
The main policy measures announced today for 2022 were the 5p fuel duty cut, which will make little difference to the households most exposed to the crisis; and the rise in the NICs thresholds, which ensures that the government’s tax rise will not add to the cost of living burden this year for most earners.
These policies of course have to be seen alongside February’s £9bn package – which included the £150 grants to households in council tax bands A-D, and a £200 reduction in energy bills in 2022 (repayable in future years).
In combination, the announcements in February and March equate to some £17.6bn of support for household incomes in 2022/23. This includes £3bn on grants via council tax, £2.4bn through fuel duty cuts, £6.3bn through raising the primary NICs threshold, and £6bn of direct support for energy bills which is recouped in the subsequent five years.
On one level this is a generous package of support. But it has to be seen within the context of an substantial and sudden shock to living standards. The government is in a better position to smooth the impacts of this shock that individual households, particularly those on the lowest incomes.
But across the two announcements, there has been no targeted support to the lowest income households. As a result, benefits are set to rise 3.1% in April, against a forecast inflation rate in 2022 of 7.4% – a real terms cut in benefits of 4% (or more, when we factor in low income households higher proportionate spending on energy and food).
This outcome could have been avoided relatively costlessly by adapting standard benefit uprating rules. There is certainly no sense in which such a measure could not have been ‘afforded’, even within the Chancellor’s own fiscal rules.
There was also no extra spending on public services. This means that the cash allocations set out in last year’s Spending Review are now worth less in real terms. Public departments face rising costs of energy too, and meeting these costs within existing budgets will mean less for other things.
Rishi Sunak is rapidly repainting the image he carved for himself during the pandemic. Gone is the priority to ‘do whatever it takes’. It is replaced by a reiteration of his desire to meet his own fiscal rules, whilst pencilling in a flagship cut to income tax.
The political calculation is that the promise of tax cuts and fiscal prudence will appeal to the core elements of the electoral base.
But this may yet prove a risky strategy. In the meantime, 2022 is set to be an extremely tough year for many households.
Aldi customers have generously donated over 1200 pairs of unused socks to the supermarket’s charity appeal
Aldi shoppers have donated over 1200 pairs of new and unused socks to support some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people as part of the supermarket’s ‘Not Socks Again’ appeal.
Sock amnesty boxes were placed in all Aldi Scotland stores during the month of January, allowing generous Scots to donate their new and unused socks to those in need.
In addition, Aldi Scotland matched the kindness of their shoppers by gifting £250 to each participating charity partner.
One of Scotland’s leading homeless charities, Simon Community Scotland, has spoken of their delight at how generous Aldi customers have been and how much the donations mean to the people they support.
Ashley Young, Head of Services at Simon Community Scotland, said:“We would like to thank everyone who generously donated their socks, and our thanks also goes out to Aldi for their very kind cash donation.
“Our Street Teams will distribute these socks over the coming weeks, and they will bring comfort and warmth to those who need it most.”
Richard Holloway, Regional Managing Director for Scotland, commented:“A massive thank you to all of our customers who took the time to drop off their new and unused socks.
“This has been the second year we have run the campaign and are delighted to be able to support the great work these charities do within the local community.”
Aldi is committed to supporting communities across Scotland. Since July 2019, Aldi has donated more than 23 million meals to families in need through their Neighbourly partnership, and since partnering with Teenage Cancer Trust in January 2017, over £6 million has been raised to help young people with cancer.
Meanwhile, since launching in 2016, nearly 500 clubs across Scotland have benefitted from a funding uplift of £290,000 through Aldi’s Scottish Sport Fund, helping to improve community access to sports across the country.
Two thirds of Edinburgh residents can’t wait to be back in the garden
It’s officially spring and Dobbies’ Edinburgh stores are gearing up for their busiest spring ever. In fact, new research from the UK’s leading garden centre retailer has found that a huge 65% of people in Edinburgh can’t wait to get back gardening now that spring is here.
The research, from Independent Media News, looked into this year’s gardening trends, attitudes towards gardening, garden centres themselves and some of the misconceptions about the UK’s favourite pastime.
It found over half of Edinburgh residents have the space to garden, with 41% wanting to learn more about gardening.
The research also looked into this year’s trends and found the top focuses in Edinburgh were encouraging more wildlife into the garden (45%), growing your own produce (37%) and creating an outdoor social area (37%).
When it comes to what type of garden Edinburgh locals might be looking to create, top trends are growing your own (35%), creating a social space (29%) and wild flowers (31%). So, it’s clear that people are looking to make the most of their vegetable patch, together with a well-formed BBQ area or space to socialise with friends and family, and enjoy a wild flower area in the garden.
Across the UK, even those without an actual garden are still looking forward to gardening. A massive 90% of people surveyed said they have still taken up gardening even if they don’t have an outdoor space by bringing the garden indoors.
From sunny window ledges to cool dark corners, lots of plants thrive indoors, and you can grow your own produce just as effectivity indoors as out. What’s more, studies have proven that houseplants improve concentration and productivity by up to 15%, reduce stress levels, and boost your mood.1.
Gardening sustainably is high on the list of priorities for gardeners according to the survey. Almost 33% of people in Edinburgh said they are more likely to shop at a garden centre that is sustainably focused and 20% go to the garden centre for advice and tips. Dobbies is notably 100% peat-free in relation to bagged compost and has just launched a partnership with elho to offer plant pot and tray recycling in-store.
Marcus Eyles, Horticultural Director at Dobbies, said: “Spring is our busiest time of the year, with our garden centres featuring a whole host of popular and new plants, seeds, houseplants and garden furniture, ideal for the gardens, balconies and window ledges of Edinburgh’s homes.
“The past few years have seen a huge increase in the number of people enjoying gardening and recognising its benefits, for both physical and mental wellbeing. Our team are ready for a busy few months and we look forward to giving plenty of hints, tips and advice to gardeners, no matter their level of expertise or size of outdoor space.”
Watching a large number of medical staff gather around my baby boy to resuscitate him was the scariest thing I have ever been through.
We were at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, an hour away from our home, after rushing my son, Carter, there ourselves. Eventually the doctors managed to stabilise Carter, but he was still struggling with his breathing and needed to be intubated and kept on the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU). He had developed a respiratory virus from a cold and as a result was experiencing breathing apnoea due to a build-up of mucus in his lungs.
We went to see him in PICU where he was covered in tubes and I was just sitting there, looking at him and felt my heart break into pieces. There was a chair next to Carter’s bed that I was prepared to not move from until he got better. But with parents unable to stay on intensive care wards with their children, even this wasn’t an option.
As I started to try and work out how I was going to cope with this situation I was told about The Sick Children’s Trust and its wonderful Acorn House. It’s one of ten ‘Homes from Home’ the charity runs around the country, giving families a free place to stay close to their seriously ill children.
I was still hesitant at first about leaving Carter’s side, but when the nurses told me that Acorn House was just minutes away from the hospital the more comfortable I felt about staying there.
I knew it was likely we would be in hospital for a while; The Sick Children’s Trust supports families for an average of 14 nights when their children are on the incentive care units, so knowing we had a place to stay took away a lot of these extra stresses.
When I arrived at Acorn House, I felt at home. There was a kitchen, living room and even a playroom so I knew straight away that I could bring Elsie, Carter’s older sister, to stay as well when the time was right.
This year, The Sick Children’s Trust is celebrating 40 years of keeping families, like mine, together with their seriously ill children while they are in hospital. Since the charity was launched in 1982 they have made sure more than 73,000 families have been able to stay just minutes away from their ill child’s hospital bedside and I really don’t know what we would have done without their support.
Acorn House was our ‘Home from Home’ for two weeks while Carter recovered, and he’s been doing amazing ever since.
He’s reached all his milestones and is such a loud and energetic character. As part of their 40th anniversary celebrations The Sick Children’s Trust is aiming to raise £237,000 to support families in all 148 rooms of its ten ‘Homes from Home’ for 40 nights.
I’m encouraging everyone to think about families like mine who suddenly end up in hospital with their child critically ill and not knowing how they can stay with them. No parent wants to leave their child while they’re in hospital and by supporting The Sick Children’s Trust and its ‘Homes from Home’ you can make sure more families can be together.
Without Acorn House Carter’s time in hospital would have been so much harder. I don’t think I would’ve have coped. Please donate £40 today by visiting sickchildrenstrust.org
– Morrisons offers a whole chicken, potatoes and two packs of veg for just £4.76 – Offer available in-store and online until Sunday 27th March to celebrate Mother’s Day
Morrisons is helping customers celebrate Mother’s Day by offering all the ingredients for a Sunday roast dinner for under a fiver.
From today, customers will be able to pick up a whole chicken for £2.99, a pack of The Best Potatoes for 99p and two packs of vegetables for 39p each – bringing the total cost of the meal to just £4.76.
Available across Morrisons Market Street, the products are all from British farms and usually retail up to a combined price of £6.98, saving customers over a third on their shopping bill.
Rebecca Halliday, Senior Seasonal Event Manager at Morrisons, says, “We know this is an important day to celebrate mums and everything they do. At under a fiver, we hope this offer means more people can afford to treat mum to a special roast this Mother’s Day.”
Morrisons Feed the Family for a Fiver Roast Dinner Deal is available in all 497 stores and online now.
Morrisons will also be offering a ‘Pocket Money Menu’ in its cafes this week – a menu created by kids to include mums’ favourites such as tea, coffee, toasted teacakes and crumpets for just 99p, offering some of the best value on the high-street.
