General News
HL: Homelessness agencies, their service users & prisoners around the country had cause to celebrate last week when the Places of ChangeShow Garden won a silver medal at the Chelsea Flower Show. The Garden is the largest ever in the history of the event.
The Garden has been created by around 500 volunteers from over 40 homeless agencies from all corners of the country, including Deptford Reach in London, the Salvation Army in Plymouth, St George’s Crypt in Leeds and Stonham Women’s Services in Hull. People from 8 prisons also joined in with the growing & planting.
Press release ~ Places of Change ~ RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2010 ~ HCA’s Places of Change programme ~ Eden Project ~ Homeless Link ~ London Employer Accord ~ London Skills & Employment Board
EH: For the first time the public will be able to search online a catalogue describing more than a million historical photographs & documents relating to England's historic buildings & archaeological sites held by the National Monuments Record (NMR), English Heritage's public archive.
The details of the wealth of historical material the archive holds – images, plans, drawings, reports & publications covering England's archaeology, architecture, social & local history – is held on a database which can now be accessed & searched online at www.englishheritagearchives.org.uk. Until now, these searches had to be done in person at the NMR's public search rooms in Swindon.
FSA: The Co-operative is recalling 4 types of its Truly Irresistible pasta sauces, because the products might contain small pieces of glass. All jars of the 4 sauces are being recalled from customers.
The Food Standards Agency has issued a Food Alert for Information. Point-of-sale notices will be displayed in The Co-operative's stores, explaining to customers why the sauces have been recalled.
ScotGov: The Public Health Minister and Brigadier David Allfrey joined nurses recently back from Afghanistan to launch awards for Scotland's military health heroes. Shona Robison met the nurses from the 205 (Scottish) Field Hospital (Volunteers) at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh as nominations open (closes on 9 July 2010) for the third annual Military and Civilian Health Partnership Awards - celebrating the care given to & by the UK's service personnel, veterans and military families.
The Awards are open to military or civilian members of the Defence Medical Services, NHS or independent sector healthcare professionals who, either on an individual or team basis, have benefited the care of a member(s) of the Armed Forces. This includes veterans or their families. 9 winners will be honoured in a range of categories at the awards ceremony in Belfast later this year.
TS - CAB: Citizens Advice has welcomed the fact that the Department of Health has published the Gilmore review on the reform of prescription charges for people with long term conditions. CAB evidence shows that these groups are particularly likely to face difficulties in affording their charges and in some cases go without the medication they need.
They are delighted that Professor Gilmore has endorsed their proposals that first steps in reform should include a phased reduction in the cost of the prescription prepayment certificate (currently £104p.a.) and exemption from charges for people in receipt of incapacity benefit, contribution based ESA & disability living allowance.
Press release ~ www.citizensadvice.org.uk ~ Gilmore review on the reform of prescription charges for people with long term conditions
NIA: Making maths fun & interesting to children was the theme of an event hosted last week by the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for Culture, Arts & Leisure. Children’s theatre company, Cahoots, performed a 20 minute extract from their show entitled ‘Math-a-Magic’ at Parliament Buildings.
Press release ~ Children’s theatre company, Cahoots - ‘Math-a-Magic’ (click on ‘Workshops’ and then ‘Math-a-Magic’)
OFT: More than 5,000 fans were scammed when trying to buy tickets for the UK's top music festivals last summer, figures released for the OFT's Just Tick It campaign reveal. Despite many summer festival events having sold out, those desperate to see their favourite bands play live often turn to the internet in the hunt for a ticket.
OFT research last year found that 1 in 12 ticket buyers had admitted to having been caught out by a scam ticket website, with victims losing an average of £80. The campaign urges everyone to tick off the JTI checklist before buying tickets online from a website.
