General News
DCMS: Everyone can now play their part in choosing who will be crowned the Next BRIT Thing, as voting opens for the nationwide music competition. The contest, aimed at 11-19 years-olds, is made up of 2 categories: popular & classical music, plus an additional award for composition. For over a month entrants have been uploading their audio & video recordings, with nearly a 1,000 entries received so far.
MoD: Key facilities are now up and running at Phoenix House, a Defence Recovery Centre at Catterick Garrison, allowing the first recovering Armed Forces personnel to start moving in. Phoenix House is the newest of the Army-led Personnel Recovery and Assessment Centreswhich are being built across the country in partnership with Help for Heroes (H4H) and the Royal British Legion (RBL).
HO: The search for the most innovative crime fighting project in England & Wales entered its final phase last week as the public vote for the 2011 Tilley Awards went live. 16 projects are in the running following a nationwide search over the summer. The public vote (closes on 28 November 2011) will be hosted on the Home Office website and the winner will be announced in December 2011. .
WAG:Young farmers from across Wales can apply for support under the Welsh Government’s innovative Young Entrants Support Scheme (YESS) during the application window for the 2012-13 scheme, which will be open from 24 October to which will be open from 16 December 2011. This scheme provides support for new entrants to farming (under the age of 40) who are setting up as head of the holding for the first time, or who have set-up as head of holding within the previous year.
CIPD: The Opportunity Now Awards recognise the advancement of women in the workplace through a celebration of outstanding examples of best practice, innovation & individual achievement. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is proud to partner with Opportunity Now for the Directing Diverse Talent Award for the 4th year running. The Award recognises the individual impact of an HR professional’s & and determination in driving diversity forward in their organisation.
The opportunity to enter applications is now open and any employer with a UK presence is eligible to enter - the deadline for submission is Wednesday 7 December 2011.
FSA: A batch of olives produced in Italy has been withdrawn from sale in the UK after 2 people in Helsinki, Finland, were diagnosed with botulism. Both people reported having eaten Gaudiano Organic Olives Stuffed with Almonds. Lab tests confirmed that the jar from which they had eaten the olives contained botulinum toxin. The tainted olives were in 314ml glass jars with a 'best before' date of 09/2012.
FSA: Aunt Bessie’s is recalling packs of its Scrumptious Bramley Apple Crumble, with a 'best before' date of end of January 2013, because small pieces of plastic might be on the top surface of the crumble. If you have purchased this product do not eat it. The Food Standards Agency has issued a Product Recall Information Notice.
FSA: Morrison’s is recalling one batch of its Shredded Duck Kit because it has the wrong date code. The affected batch has a ‘use by’ date of 31 November 2011. It should have been labelled ‘use by’ 31 October 2011. If you have bought the product being recalled, do not eat it. The Food Standards Agency has issued a Product Recall Information Notice.
RoSPA: An overwhelming majority of people want clock change - that’s according to a survey carried out by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. RoSPA’s online poll, which concluded recently, asked: “Would you like to see an extra hour of evening daylight all year round, across the UK?” The answer was emphatic, with 92% of respondents saying “yes”.
ScotGov: A new £3m scheme - the NRS Career Researcher Fellowship - will support the next generation of researchers in NHSScotland. Running for three years from 2012, the scheme will allow clinical staff within the NHS to develop a research career by funding protected time for research activities.
In the first year around 25 awards will be made across Scotland at a total cost of £1m. The scheme is intended to support those at early consultant level or equivalent and with limited research experience to date. Successful applicants will be expected to contribute to ongoing clinical research and conduct & lead their own projects, either funded by a non-commercial or industry partner.
DfT: Passengers using the busy West Coast Main Line are set to benefit from extra carriages & more seats from April 2012 Rail Minister Theresa Villiers has announced, after the Government signed an extension to Virgin Trains' existing contract to operate services on the line.
TfL: Passengers using London Overground are set to benefit from an increase in services that will be introduced from December 2011. Trains on several routes across the network will run more frequently at peak times, evenings and weekends.
TfL: A set of poems, which commemorates lives lost in war & celebrates the universal desire for peace, is now on display on Tube trains. The poems, which are part of the Poems on the Underground programme, also draw attention to the grief suffered by those who survived and will coincide with the sale of poppies ahead of Remembrance Sunday.
MoD: Outstanding photography from Afghanistan & Army life has been recognised at the annual Army Photographic Competition. Army photographers deploy as soldiers with rifle & camera, taking the same risks as other infantrymen, but also giving the public a unique, up-close view of the realities of conflict.
CLG: Housing Minister Grant Shapps has launched a new national scheme that, for the first time, will allow social housing tenants wanting to swap their home to see every available property in the country. ‘HomeSwap Direct' will give tenants who want to move house - to be closer to a new job, their family, or to a property better suited to their needs - greater choice over potential swaps by allowing them to see a much wider selection of properties than ever before.
WAG: Young people across Wales are being urged to take part in a week long series of events to celebrate youth work. Youth Work Week, which runs from 1 to 7 November, is an annual celebration of the role of youth workers & youth groups in Wales.
This year also sees the introduction of new awards to reward the most dedicated & talented youth workers in Wales. The Youth Work Wales Excellence Awards 2012 are a chance for youth workers, youth projects & young people involved in youth work to be recognised by the communities they serve. Nomination forms will be available from the 14 November on the Thanks Sam website.
