General News
TfL: The UK Government, Mayor of London, London 2012 and the UK's transport networks have joined forces to launch a major new national campaign to encourage the travelling public to 'Get Ahead of the Games'.
LSIS: The Excellence Gateway, the Learning & Skills Improvement Services’s online service for everyone who works in the Further Education & skills sector, has undergone a major makeover. The portal that provides practical help to all professionals in the sector has been redeveloped to make it easier & faster to use.
The changes include: news tailored to the page the user is viewing, simplified navigation around the website, improved search functions and access to older content via The Treasury – a collection of valued resources that are no longer updated. The changes were made following consultation with leaders, managers, teachers, librarians & partner organisations within the sector.
DH: The first ever national cancer campaign, ‘Be Clear onCancer’ to raise awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer has recently been launched.
ScotGov: Scotland’s first air pollution mobile phone alert service, ‘Know and Respond’, has been launched recently in a bid to make information more accessible and improve public health.
TfL: A new information tool has been developed which identifies traffic hotspots and makes congestion easier to avoid.
FSA: Doves Farm is withdrawing one batch of its gluten-free buckwheat flour because the product contains gluten. The Food Standards Agency has issued an Allergy Alert.
MoD: Territorial Army (TA) soldiers returned home recently from a demanding tour in Afghanistan running the busiest trauma hospital in the world. All are volunteers drawn from NHS hospitals across Merseyside, North Wales, Cheshire and Lancashire.
BIS: The Business Secretary Vince Cable has received 32 bids from across the UK wanting to host the Green Investment Bank (GIB).
LR: From 1 February 2012, Land Registry's Form LL restriction is free for home owners who do not live at the property. The restriction is designed to help prevent forgery by requiring the solicitor or conveyancer to certify they are satisfied that the person selling or mortgaging the property is the true owner. The fee of £50 for owner occupiers remains the same.
HO: One year on from its launch, the interactive website police.uk now features incidents of crime & antisocial behaviour recorded at all train stations & railway networks across England & Wales. Communities will also start to see incidents that occurred on or near a range of additional local sites including shopping areas, nightclubs, hospitals, parks and parking areas.
ScotGov: A film made by ‘Scots & Scots at heart’ in 32 countries around the globe has had its worldwide premiere. ‘Scotland The World Over’ was unveiled by Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop ahead of a debate in the Scottish Parliament on the Year of Creative Scotland 2012.
The film is a social media collaboration involving more than 1,500 people from all over the globe and was created using 715 images with a Saltire in the centre of the frame taken between St Andrew’s Day & Burns Night.
ACE: From April 2012 Arts Council England, in association with Trinity College London, is launching 2 brand new levels of Arts Award open to children & young people aged seven or over. The Arts Award scheme, which supports young people who want to deepen their engagement with the arts, previously only offered opportunities for children over 11 years of age. Those interested in running Arts Award for ages 7 and upwards can now book to train as Discover & Explore advisers.
UKOC: News via a video of some intergenerational events being held at High Storrs School in Sheffield. These sessions have seen sixth form students giving their time after school to help older residents in the community gain computer skills and use the internet.
FSA: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been notified by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) of an outbreak of a strain of Salmonella Newport infection that is known to have affected more than 30 people in the UK. Although it is too soon to say for certain what the likely cause of infection is, a potential link to watermelons has been identified.
