The Robes Cosmetics, also known as The Robes Makeup, are special beauty products made under The Robes Brand to enhance the appearance and give a fresher look for its customers who are always categorised as the top class ladies and girls of societies. The Robes Makeup products are manufactured in compliance with relative and governing laws and regulations, in addition to being certified by the ISNA Halal Certification Agency in strict compliance with its terms and conditions. This is the basis of The Robes' philosophy in making its products, relying on international certified laboratories and manufacturers to mix, test, make and pack The Robes Makeup for its distinguished customers who consider The Robes their first choice, a trusted brand that always gives a modern touch to its products and looks to the future.

The Robes Cosmetics are designed for use on the face in general, especially on the lips, cheeks and eyes. The Robes Makeup products are generally derived from natural sources, with safe chemical compounds added when necessary under careful monitoring and health certification conditions. Common lines of The Robes Cosmetics include lipstick, mascara, eye shadow, foundation, rouge and skin lotions. The Robes Makeup is intended to beautify and promote attractiveness, without affecting the face's structure or functions, which is always a main concern of The Robes management. Noura AJ, The Robes founder, said: 'The Robes Makeup will be made available for customers worldwide via The Robes official website www.therobes.com in the first quarter of 2017. We are striving to introduce world class products for high class females, as we have been doing in our dress design and quality for years.'

With technology changing the way we
consume information, Business Consulting, Josh Cote discusses the high demand
for face-to-face marketing campaigns.

Technology and digital content is
changing the way that people consume information; this is regardless of
demographic such as age, location and purchasing habits. Today, the digital
world has a much larger influence on marketing than it did 5 years ago.

About Josh Cote: http://www.joshcoteentrepreneur.com/

In 2015, adults in the USA spent an
average of nearly 2 hours a day consuming digital video content and 40 minutes
a day on Facebook (this is up from 30 minutes a day in 2011). 27% of the baby
boomer generation spend 20+ hours a week consuming content that is online. And
2014 marked the year that mobile use was greater than the use of desktop
computers. Today more than half of all
digital content consumed is done on a mobile device, and this is now the
leading source of internet access.

Despite the rise in technology and
digital platforms, the demand for direct face-to-face marketing has
skyrocketed. There is still a huge need for personalised in-person
interactions; technology may bring people together, but it seems it cannot
replace the face-to-face interaction with a potential customer that builds
trust.

Sales and Marketing Entrepreneur and
Business Consultant, Josh Cote, coaches SME's on how to improve customer
acquisition and retention. His
background is in face-to-face sales through business-to-business, events or
business-to-consumer. "To create the
most direct and personal link between clients and potential customers, offline
marketing must run in sync with a brand's digital approach," states Josh Cote.

The successful entrepreneur acknowledges
the rise and influence that technology and digital platforms have on marketing
strategies and encourages SMEs not to ignore these. Josh Cote adds, "We all know
there will always be a need for face-to-face interactions. However, we need to
help smaller businesses to embrace cross-channel marketing and use both digital
and offline marketing to their advantage." He concludes that marketers should pair the face-to-face experience with
live social media features to keep up to date with current trends and to
continue to build trust with consumers.

###

Source:
http://derse.com/7-ways-to-position-face-to-face-marketing-in-a-digital-world/

Users encouraged to display the Best Practice User mark

Release Date: December 6th 2016

The Internet of Things Security Foundation (IoTSF) has announced the publication of two best practice guidelines alongside its IoT Security Compliance Framework. Both sets of guidelines are aimed at new players that have started to supply IoT class products yet are equally of use to established firms seeking to adopt recognised best practices.

The first of a set of planned guidelines announced today cover Vulnerability Disclosure and Connected Consumer Products. These have been prioritised due to widespread concerns within the unregulated markets of IoT. All of the IoTSF guidelines encompass the founding values of a security-first, fitness-for-purpose and resilient approach to IoT security.

With increasing complexity and dependency on today’s digital infrastructure, all but the simplest of systems will inevitably have security flaws and organisations will have to handle security breaches at some point. Firms that have been doing business on the web already know how to cope with this and those that are just starting to connect their products and services to the Internet can learn from that wealth of experience. The IoTSF Vulnerability Disclosure best practice guidelines give clear, concise and practical advice as to what IoT firms should and also, should not do, to manage third party vulnerability reporting.

The Connected Consumer Products best practice guide also provides clear advice for firms that are bringing IoT class products to market. The guidelines cover the most important security elements to consider when designing a product such as application security, encryption, network connections and software updates. The guidelines take a practical approach and provide a comprehensive overview of the subject matter with additional in-depth materials supplied online.

Richard Marshall, Chair of the IoTSF Plenary Group that produces the best practice guides said “We are delighted to publish our first two best practice guides today. The guides have been written by experts and industry professionals but in a way that does not assume a background in security. They are intended to accelerate users understanding and give clear guidance on how to approach security. There are more best-practice guidelines in the making and we are planning to publish them throughout 2017 as they complement the central IoT security compliance framework we have also published”.

John Moor, Managing Director of IoTSF commented “I’d like to thank the participants of both working groups for their efforts to produce these guidelines as they will help address some of the most pressing issues we see today. IoT is seen as a large opportunity to many due to the connectivity benefits and relatively low barriers to entry in markets such as consumer and the home. The opportunity will continue to draw in new players who may be naïve to the consequences of insecurity. These guidelines will help to address a number of the issues we see today and we need all suppliers to accept a responsibility to provide secure products. We are therefore promoting the concept of a Supply Chain of Trust throughout, and calling on industry leaders to help us propagate that message as it affects us all. To help deliver that “duty of care” message, users of the IoTSF best practice guides are also encouraged to display the Foundation’s ‘Best Practice User’ mark on their marketing materials”.

Release Date: December 6th 2016

The Internet of Things Security Foundation (IoTSF) has announced the publication of its IoT security compliance framework at its annual conference in London.

The framework is part of IoTSF’s mission to drive the quality and pervasiveness of security in IoT. IoTSF is promoting the Supply Chain of Trust concept which encourages producers to adopt a duty of care for their own customers and towards the wider eco-system. This is necessary because poorly secured connected products may provide a vulnerability point to attack the system elsewhere such as in a denial of service attack.

The framework provides a comprehensive and practical checklist to guide organisations through a security assuring process. It offers a methodical approach to determining an organisation’s unique security posture for both business processes and technical requirements.

The framework is intended to be used by key staff such as senior management, technical, manufacturing and logistics from producer companies, yet it could also be used by purchasers to assess suppliers.

The framework is designed to be generally applicable and extendable with release 1.0 targeted at the consumer product category. Follow-on releases are expected to further add requirements from additional application domains.

John Moor, Managing Director of IoTSF commented “From the early days of the Foundation it was clear that a great deal of remedial work was necessary to help companies that are new to connected products accelerate their understanding of security and provision appropriate measures into their products and business processes. We therefore mandated a working group to look at a self-certification process that was flexible, comprehensive and fit for purpose over the longer term. After an intense period of working, we are delighted to publish the very first release of that work”.

Pamela Gupta, President of Outsecure Inc., and chair of the self-certification working group said “IoT is very broad and its security is not only context dependent, it is also evolving on a daily basis. Given the immediate requirement and future objectives of the self-certification scheme, we concluded that we needed to establish a risk based framework which could then be built upon and updated to address emerging risks and requirements. We decided to target a baseline framework release and issue updates that could track the evolution of applications and threats. We’ve met the time table for Release 1.0 and now invite industry to start using it and give us feedback in the spirit of continuous improvement for future releases”.

John Haine, Chair of IoTSF Executive Steering Board said, “I’d like to commend all the contributors to the framework, especially the participants of the working group, for working hard to achieve the brief we gave them and in a timely manner. Poorly secured IoT devices are low hanging fruit for hackers and offer a wide range of attack types such as denial of service and extortion through malware. This is just the beginning and given what is at stake for citizens and society it is not surprising that more voices are calling for regulation, which now seems inevitable. The compliance framework is a well designed and practical approach that companies can adopt to take care of matters right now and position themselves for future eventualities. We therefore strongly encourage industry to start using the framework with immediate effect and engage with us to help ensure it remains future-proof and fit for purpose”.

Sales and marketing specialists, A. Innova has debunked the 4 most common myths of entrepreneurship and revealed what it’s really about.

Being an entrepreneur is a popular career choice in today’s modern age, however, many people still have extreme misconceptions about entrepreneurship, shares A. Innova. The firm notes how several people still believe that entrepreneurs gain success overnight and that entrepreneurs don’t do as much work as a 9-5 employee. However, A. Innova highlights how, whilst having flexibility and freedom over their hours, entrepreneurs have to work incredibly hard and usually longer hours than the average employee before they can be considered a success.

About A. Innova: http://www.alphainnova.co.uk/

Here, A. Innova has outlined the 4 most common myths surrounding entrepreneurship and outlined why they are false:

Entrepreneurship is not about:

You – Building a start-up is extremely trendy these days, entrepreneurs often appear on the covers of magazines and feature on reality shows and whilst a start-up would not exist without the entrepreneur, entrepreneurship is not about the entrepreneur themselves. The entrepreneur may be the face of the business but they are also the person taking out the bins, handling employee relationships, and dealing with day-to-day jobs, often making them last in the pecking order.

The fancy office – People often think that with entrepreneurship comes a fancy office, ping pong tables, nap rooms and free beers every Friday. However, in reality, entrepreneurs often work in shared office spaces just trying to get their business up and running. In the early days, it is all about saving costs and it is not possible to afford a fancy office. However, further down the line these fun and creative office spaces are often set up to encourage innovative thinking.

Money – Whilst a handful of entrepreneurs go on to make millions many start-ups do not make it. With entrepreneurship comes risk, but for those willing to take that risk it can often pay off and lead to financial freedom. However, this could take several years outlines A. Innova.

The exit – Whilst people may think entrepreneurs build a business just to sell it on for a quick buck, many entrepreneurs work for years and years to build their company up and will sacrifice a lot to keep it going. An entrepreneur’s main goal is to serve their customers best and many will never want to sell up and fear the potential destruction of their brand in someone else’s hand.

Having debunked the common myths surrounding entrepreneurship, A. Innova has highlighted the real reasons why entrepreneurs start a business and what entrepreneurship is really about:

Making something people want – A. Innova outlines how most entrepreneurs have an idea that they feel they simply must put out into the world, something that consumers will really want or need in their lives. Beyond the coveted awards or comfortable offices, entrepreneurs are constantly asking themselves this question – “are we making something people want?”

The people – Beyond the product, the most important thing that an entrepreneur needs to succeed is a good team. “Entrepreneurship is about recognising areas which you may not excel in and actively seeking people who can do these things better than you,” reveals A. Innova.

Cardiff-based sales and marketing firm A. Innova specialises in a unique form of direct marketing which allows them to connect with consumers on a face-to-face basis. This helps to drive long-lasting and personal business relationships between brand and consumer which often leads to increased brand loyalty, customer acquisition and brand awareness for their clients.

Sales specialists, A. Innova actively supports entrepreneurs and aids their contractors in developing business skills which will lead to success in an entrepreneurial environment through their unique business development opportunity.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/michellesun/2016/11/21/4-myths-about-entrepreneurship-and-what-its-really-about/#bd18218cce82

Müller will start the new year by adding a further 2.5ppl to the milk price it offers farmers, building on its 2ppl uplift which takes effect from 1 December. The move means Müller's farmers will have seen their headline milk price increase by an average of 7ppl in the four months since 1 October.

The actual price paid to Müller's farmers on non-aligned contracts for January is expected to be 26.54ppl. This includes a standard price of 25.44ppl plus the separate retailer supplement estimated to be 1.1ppl in January.

“We are delivering on our commitment to offer a competitive and stable milk price throughout the market cycle,” said Lyndsay Chapman, Agriculture Director at Müller Milk & Ingredients.

“We know that farmers place a high value on the security of a contract with a dairy company who is investing for the long term and not so directly linked to volatile commodity returns which can change rapidly, exposing them to high levels of downside risk.”

Müller is also concluding a country wide series of 16 meetings with farmer suppliers to gain feedback on future milk contract and farmer representation proposals. These events follow the acquisition of Dairy Crest's dairy operations and subsequent expansion of Müller's milk supply base.

“Our meetings have provided an excellent opportunity for us to engage with over 1,000 Müller farmers. I would like to thank them for taking part in the debate around our proposed future milk contract and farmer representation,” said Lyndsay Chapman.

“We are bringing together two milk supply groups, each used to different representational models, whilst moving to a single milk contract which aims to better align the supply of milk with our demand in the future.”

“It's clear that in the past few years the whole dairy sector has suffered from supply and demand imbalance. Real damage has been caused to farmers and processors as a result of having to dispose of large volumes of excess milk at very low values when production surges, or conversely having to buy from third parties at high values when production falls.

“Going forward we want to keep as much value as possible within our own farmer/processor supply chain by developing a closer working relationship with farmers, and moving away from current industry thinking which tends to be short term and reactive.

“At our meetings we have heard a range of strong, considered and sometimes conflicting views on our contract proposals and these have varied regionally.

“We will now take time to review this feedback and will therefore put back the introduction of our new contract offer. We expect to send our farmers the final contract documents in January, with the option to sign up from February.

“We are however keen to progress our new representative structure as soon as possible, with the immediate focus being the election of the new MMG Farmer Forum representatives. We have been encouraged by the number of farmers who have expressed an interest in standing and will send out nomination forms shortly”.

Roddy Catto, Chairman of the Interim Müller Milk Group board said:

“The board has worked hard to ensure that the company maintains its momentum in improving milk prices demonstrated by the December and January increases achieved. In this rapidly changing market, we will continue to robustly represent farmers supplying Müller, making a clear case for future milk prices and the need to re-build confidence at farm level.

“We are also encouraged that the company will now reflect on the views expressed by Müller farmers across the country on the milk contract. There is agreement that change is required and that old models should be reviewed to create the basis of a more sustainable industry. Again, we will work with Müller to ensure the views that have been expressed are considered and acted upon. ”

Müller UK & Ireland

Müller UK & Ireland is wholly owned by the Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller. It employs around 12,000 people in a business which comprises two distinct business units: Müller Milk & Ingredients and Müller Yogurt & Desserts.

Based in Market Drayton, Müller Yogurt & Desserts is the UK's leading yogurt manufacturer, responsible for major brands such as Müller Corner, Müllerlight and Müller Rice. It also produces, at production facilities in Minsterley near Shrewsbury, chilled desserts under licence from Mondelez International. Müller Yogurt & Desserts also supplies the UK private label yogurt market from a state of the art yogurt facility in Telford, Shropshire.

Müller Milk & Ingredients aims to be the biggest and best fresh milk and ingredients business with a network of dairies and depots servicing customers throughout the country, producing skimmed, semi-skimmed, whole, flavoured milk and brands including FRijj. It also has the capacity to produce salted, unsalted and lactic butter each year for both the domestic and international markets, and operates the milk&more; doorstep delivery service.

The acquisition of Dairy Crest's dairy operations in December 2015 marked a milestone in Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller's global growth strategy and in particular its aspiration to place much more emphasis on end to end supply chain innovation, adding value to the UK dairy category.

The Ford Galaxy has clocked a remarkable three months in a row as the UK’s fastest selling car in November.

The 2012 Ford people carrier features diesel power and automatic transmission and took just 19 days from landing on the forecourt to finding a customer in what is generally a quieter month for used car sales. The Ford Galaxy was the nation’s number one seller in October (it took an average of 11 days to sell) and in September (12 days).

It’s the first time a model has racked up three consecutive months as the nation’s number one car that is the quickest to secure a buyer from appearing in the showroom. Fords have also proved in demand with buyers across the nation’s different regions proving to be the fastest selling make of car in six of them.

The Ford Fiesta in particular was being snapped up and ranked first in the South West and took the top three spots in Wales. The small hatchback has been the UK’s best-selling new car since 2008 and it is proving to be a big hit with owners looking for a pre-owned example.

The SMMT reported record used car sales in Q3 with over 2.1 million second-hand cars changing hands, a rise of 7.9% over the same quarter in 2015. Of the top 10 models in Q3 the Ford Fiesta was the number one model in terms of sales (90,979), clocking nearly a third more than the next most popular pre-owned model, the Ford Focus (63,172). Of the top 10 biggest selling make models in Q3 2016, nine figure in the UK’s and regions top ten fastest selling cars in November.

Karolina Edwards-Smajda Retailer and Consumer Products Director said: “The Ford Fiesta has performed very strongly in November’s fastest selling cars and it’s the UK’s number one best-selling new and used car in 2016. Understanding which versions are in demand in your local area, however, means a retailer using their expert knowledge and data to ensure they are holding the right stock. In demand cars that are priced to the market sell quickly and mean more profit per sale. Another benefit of an effectively run forecourt is it generates a higher stock turn in a year to make even more profit for the retailer. Dealerships using i-Control benefited from an average of 29 days to sell compared to a market average of 66 days in November and placed them at an advantage over their rivals.”

ENDS

For all trade media enquiries, please contact:

Kieren PuffettPR Director, JJ MarketingEmail: kieren.puffett@jjmarketing.co.ukMobile: 07753 830870, Telephone: 01865 343100

NOTES:

*Please note that ranking for fastest selling is based on days to sell and the vehicle count with those cars enjoying the fewest days to sell and the highest vehicle count being ranked highest.

Regional Fastest Sellers

About i-Control

Users of i-Control took an average time to sell of xx days versus a market average of xx days in November 2016. This means those dealerships using our data insights tool now outperform the market by over xx%.

i-Control tracks live market movements, recommends what stock to buy, where to find it, how much to pay for it, and how much to sell it for taking into account regional differences in desirability – and is proven to improve stock turn, as we’ve seen, by xx%.

Using a combination of daily guide prices from over 4,500 dealer websites, the 500,000+ ads on autotrader.co.uk and price data from all major auctions, fleet & lease companies and manufacturers, i-Control provides accurate valuations ensuring retailers’ stock is competitively priced from day one.

About Auto Trader

Auto Trader Group plc is the UK and Ireland's largest digital automotive marketplace. Auto Trader sits at the heart of the UK's vehicle buying process and its primary activity is to help vehicle retailers compete effectively on the marketplace in order to sell more vehicles, faster. Auto Trader listed on the London Stock Exchange in March 2015 and is now a member of the FTSE 250 Index.

The marketplace brings together the largest and most engaged consumer audience. Auto Trader has over 90% prompted brand awareness and attracted 59 million monthly cross platform visits in March 2016, with circa 70% of visits coming through mobile devices. More than 80% of all time spent on automotive classified sites is spent on Auto Trader.

The marketplace also has the largest pool of vehicle sellers (listing more than 420,000 cars each day). Over 80% of UK automotive retailers advertise on autotrader.co.uk and around 80% of all used cars sold through the motor trade appear on the site.

For more information, please visit http://about-us.autotrader.co.uk

Sales and marketing firm, AtlasCorp has reviewed the reasons it is important to dominate in your sector as opposed to just competing.

Sales specialists AtlasCorp has hosted a series of important workshops for their contractors which have outlined the difference between merely competing in an industry as opposed to thriving and dominating. AtlasCorp feels that it is vital to aim to dominate in everything and shares how it is important to be ambitious and have a strong desire to be the best at everything. “Being a competitor means that you are producing results, however dominating means that you are producing the best results and this should be every individual’s goal,” outlines Managing Director of AtlasCorp, Matt Stewart.

About AtlasCorp: http://www.atlascorp.co.uk/about-us/

AtlasCorp feels strongly about developing strong techniques and upskilling in order to be the dominant force within the industry and therefore offers a unique business development opportunity whereby they help their contractors to develop new skills. By continuously mastering new techniques the firm is able to produce the best results possible for their clients and therefore has become a dominant force in the sales and marketing industry.

AtlasCorp shares how they want this to be the same for every individual as well as the company as a whole. Mr Stewart of AtlasCorp stated, “We want every individual to want to be the best. We host a winner’s circle every week and the most successful individuals are invited to attend. It should be everyone’s goal to be a dominant force in our organisation and to make it into that winner’s circle.”

“You can only progress when you become the best,” adds Mr Stewart. Which is why AtlasCorp ensures they are always improving and dominating within their industry. The firm hosts regular workshops to ensure that their contractors are always up to date with the latest strategies. Additionally, the firm regularly meets with their clients to gain a wide understanding of product changes and reflects this to consumers. The firm’s personalised marketing strategies also allow for more customised interactions which are proven to be desirable to the consumer.

AtlasCorp is an outsourced sales and marketing firm based in Sheffield. The firm specialises in a personalised form of marketing which allows them to connect with consumers on a face-to-face basis, on behalf of their clients’ brands. This one-to-one interaction with consumers helps to drive long-lasting and personal business relationships between brand and consumer. In turn, this often leads to increased customer acquisition, brand awareness and brand loyalty for their clients.

Sales and marketing firm, Strategic Five Marketing reveals the 4 qualities of successful entrepreneurs and outlines the importance of encouraging entrepreneurship amongst young people.

Strategic Five Marketing has been reviewing a study conducted by professional services firm EY and the Harvard Business Review. The study looked back at 30 years of entrepreneurship and 9,200 winners of EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year programme in order to identify the common characteristics that successful business owners share. The study revealed 4 common characteristics of entrepreneurs and Strategic Five Marketing has confirmed that they agree these qualities are vital for entrepreneurial success.

About Strategic Five Marketing: http://www.strategicfivemarketing.com/

1.They recognise talent When growing a business, all successful entrepreneurs will aim to bring on employees that are highly skilled and can put forward unique perspectives but share goals with their colleagues. Strategic Five Marketing adds that successful entrepreneurs will constantly encourage innovative thinking and risk taking.

2. They are focused on growth A successful entrepreneur will set immediate and long-term goals and enlist the help of experts within the company to oversee them and ensure they lead to growth in the key areas of the business.

3. They do their research Savvy entrepreneurs make sure to educate themselves on market research, statistics and the industry as a whole in order to impress potential investors and provide great knowledge to consumers and clients.

4. They’re purpose driven Entrepreneurs who lead with a strong purpose in mind are the ones that thrive both financially and socially. Strategic Five Marketing believes in asking employees to think about the company’s broader purpose and how it can be achieved through daily, monthly and yearly goals.

Strategic Five Marketing encourages entrepreneurship among young, ambitious individuals via their unique development opportunity. The firm highlights how by helping young professionals to develop useful business skills such as sales, leadership, management, financing, public speaking, motivating a team, hosting an interview, and more, these young professionals will feel confident going on to manage their own teams and potentially their own businesses.

Strategic Five Marketing feels that this is incredibly important as these young entrepreneurs will help to aid the economy by providing new job roles, exciting new products and services and helping to drive consumer spending.

Strategic Five Marketing is an outsourced sales and marketing firm based in Manchester. The firm specialises in a personalised form of marketing which allows them to connect with consumers via face-to-face marketing techniques. This unique interaction with consumers helps to drive long-lasting business relationships between brand and consumer as well as increased customer acquisition, brand awareness and brand loyalty for their clients.

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/285607

Critically ill babies at the Royal Bolton Hospital are to benefit from a new incubator that has been donated by MedEquip4kids and made possible by dedicated supporters including Bradshaw Gass Trust, Carl & Janine White and Simplyhealth.

Carl and Janine White chose to support MedEquip4Kids in memory of their son, Elijah, who sadly passed away on 20th October 2015.

Carl White said:

“Our beautiful son, Elijah, was born on 13th October 2015. As soon as we saw Elijah, we fell unconditionally in love. He was half Janine, half me and he was perfect. However, due to complications during labour, Elijah suffered Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (starvation of oxygen to the brain) and was critically ill when he was born. Thanks to our little boy's amazing fighting spirit and the readily available equipment, facilities and staff at Royal Bolton Neonatal unit, we were blessed with a week of amazing memories that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.”

The new state-of-the-art incubator will be used to provide a safe, stable, temperature controlled environment for new born or poorly infants.

Carl added;

“Since his passing, we have learned that a lot of the specialist equipment and faculties that kept both Elijah and us comfortable during his short life were funded by previous projects by MedEquip4Kids.

It is only when something like this happens to you that you realise how important charities like MedEquip4Kids are. We have experienced their work first hand and without them we might never have had the special moments that we shared with our amazing boy”.

Sarah Suthers, Community Fundraiser for MedEquip4kids says “When babies are born it’s crucial that all the right equipment is on hand to give them the best possible chance of a healthy future. We’re so grateful to Carl & Janine White, The Bradshaw Gass Trust and Simplyhealth for their amazing support to MedEquip4Kids and Royal Bolton’s Acute Paediatric Unit.”

Vince Ashton , Medical Devices , Nurse Practitioner at RBH said : “The incubator is an essential addition to the Acute Paediatric and Neo Natal Unit at RBH. The impact this will have on the babies that will use it is immeasurable”

To find out more about MedEquip4Kids, their our projects in Greater Manchester or how to get involved please visit www.medequip4kids.org.uk or call 0161 798 1600.

(ENDS)

YMCA Lincolnshire and The Nomad Trust were recently given permission to build a new facility, The Nomad Centre, to increase the provision of services available to Lincoln’s homeless.

“We know homelessness is a big issue in Lincoln” says Emma Hume from YMCA Lincolnshire;

“We need the help of the public to highlight homelessness as a serious issue, and help us put a solution in place.”

Give your thoughts on The Nomad Centre and Homelessness in Lincoln at: www.lincsymca.co.uk/local-residents-questionnaire

The new build will be located opposite YMCA Lincolnshire’s St Rumbold Street site, offering direct access accommodation, supported housing and day-services.

As well as offering meeting and social spaces, The Nomad Centre will also include a medical triage unit, a training room and access to YMCA Lincolnshire’s Training department.

The Nomad Trust’s current provision based on Monks Road offers 22 beds in dormitory-style accommodation.

The new build will include 16 individual direct-access rooms, providing privacy and dignity for service users, as well as 40 supported-accommodation apartments encouraging independent living.

YMCA Lincolnshire joined with The Nomad Trust in 2013, to secure and sustain accessible tenancies across the county, as well as ensuring the permanence of Lincolnshire’s only emergency access night shelter.

Further information about YMCA Lincolnshire, including how you can make a difference to our community, visit: www.lincsymca.co.uk

Schools in the Highlands are working with conservation charity Trees for Life to learn firsthand about native woodlands and rewilding through a new project that combines tree planting with storytelling, folklore, history, geography, poetry and song.

Around 300 pupils in Cannich, Balnain, Drumnadrochit, Fort Augustus and Invergarry are taking part in the Rewilding the Highlands project, which is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

“This is an exciting collaboration in which teachers and pupils are working together to discover more about our precious native woodlands and the importance of restoring Scotland’s ancient Caledonian Forest,” said Alan Watson Featherstone, Trees for Life’s Founder.

Specially commissioned teaching resources written by Sallie Harkness and Carol Omand of Storyline Scotland – including stories, songs and puppets – are bringing the project alive for the schoolchildren. The pupils are also learning about past relationships between people and trees, Gaelic place-names, and the craft of the storyteller or seanachaidh.

Storyteller, singer and harpist Claire Hewitt recently visited Invergarry Primary School to share woodland folklore, songs and stories, while training upper primary pupils as apprentice storytellers.

Gaelic storyteller Ariel Killick also visited Invergarry Primary School and Kilchuimen Primary School in Fort Augustus, using her engaging workshop ‘Adventures with the Gaelic Tree Alphabet’ to explore environmental issues, Gaelic poetry and language, and the Highland clearances.

Kim Bentley, Head Teacher at Invergarry Primary School, said: “This fantastic project is helping to strengthen our pupils’ appreciation and love of our native woodlands. It’s wonderful for them to be involved in the restoration of the Caledonian Forest, and to be part of something that will have a lasting impact on future generations.”

The project addresses a wide range of curriculum areas including outdoor learning, science, Gaelic, arts and literacy. Participating schools have visited Trees for Life’s acclaimed Dundreggan Conservation Estate in Glenmoriston to find out more about conservation and to help in the charity’s tree nursery.

Plans for the schools also include community celebrations of the project, and walks in community woodlands with pupils who are to be trained as nature guides.

Next spring, poets Alec Finlay and Ken Cockburn will work with secondary schools on a Gaelic place-name map, using linguistic archaeology to reveal lost woods and wildlife in Glen Affric, Glen Urquhart, Glenmoriston and Glen Garry. Pupils will carry out research, with their discoveries added to the map.

The Caledonian Forest has been an important part of the Highlands’ culture and natural landscape for millennia, but is now one of the UK’s most endangered habitats – largely because of over-grazing, which prevents natural regeneration of its trees. For details about Trees for Life’s award-winning work to save the forest, visit www.treesforlife.org.uk.

Localgiving’s annual match fund campaign, Grow Your Tenner, is projected to raise over £1 million for more than 1,300 local charities and community groups across the UK.

In conjunction with a private philanthropist, the Office for Civil Society funded the campaign as part of the efforts to support and recognise small, local charities in the lead up to the first ever Local Charities Day on 16th December.

Grow Your Tenner 2016 incentivised more than 16,000 individuals to make a one-time donation to a local charity or community group and raised in excess of £860,000 over the course of the campaign. In addition, more than 4,200 Direct Debits were set up, which are projected to provide an extra £200,000 of funding into local communities over the 12 months following the initial matching period.

Participating donors described it as “a really good idea, particularly for small charities”, “wonderful to help new charities get on their feet” and “an excellent incentive to give more”.

Localgiving runs Grow Your Tenner each year in the autumn, matching one-time online donations by up to £10 and monthly donations by up to £10 a month for the first three months. It is designed to help local charities and community groups reach out to supporters to raise awareness and funding.

As Michelle Payne, Development Officer at First Steps (Bath), explains:

“Being a Localgiving member and having the opportunity of taking part in the Grow Your Tenner campaign has been extremely beneficial to First Steps (Bath). The campaign has been very successful for us. Not only has Grow Your Tenner been a good platform for promoting a greater awareness of the important work that First Steps does, but ultimately it has brought in much needed funds, with very little work involved, which has meant as a charity we have been able to utilise our time efficiently.”

Rob Wilson, Minister for Civil Society, has said:

“Local charities play a vital role in communities across the country and I’m delighted to see the public showing their support through generous donations. It’s fantastic that over a million pounds is projected to have been raised. I know it will make a real difference to these local charities and community groups, helping them to continue their crucial work.

“Local Charities Day on December 16th will present us with an additional way to highlight the incredible contributions these organisations make. I encourage everyone to join the celebrations on the day.”

The Office for Civil Society is also supporting Localgiving’s upcoming #GiveMe5 match fund campaign on Local Charities Day.

For more information please visit Localgiving.org, email help@localgiving.org or call 0300 111 2340.

- ENDS-

About Localgiving

Outside of the childcare sector, childminding is probably one of the least understood services, often thought of as little more than complimentary to all the other more recognised services. Childminders don’t quite fit – working alone in their own homes and unable to integrate with other early years services. However with over 5,336 childminders in Scotland caring for over 32,000 children, childminding is without doubt an essential early years’ service which needs protected to help give children the best start in life.

This is the message SCMA is taking forward in our new Early Learning and Childcare Campaign to ensure that childminding remains an option for funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) in 2020.

The first part of this campaign was to ask for the support of the SCMA membership to sign a Mandate for Change and our members are doing it in style with now over 53% pledging their support. This mandate has given us the authority to lobby on behalf of our membership for childminders to become partner providers in local authority areas throughout Scotland. Thank you to all those who have pledged their support and there is still time to sign if you haven’t already .

Maggie Simpson, our CEO, is now in the process of writing to the Chief Executive of every local authority to lobby for change and request a meeting to ensure that childminding remains a viable option for parents in 2020. Through the ELC campaign, SCMA is trying to ensure that:

A new SCMA ELC microsite is now live to give you the latest updates on our new ELC campaign. To check it out CLICK HERE.

Childminders and the services they deliver, matter and SCMA will continue to do their utmost to protect these services to ensure the best start in life for children.

Property developers are increasingly turning their undeveloped land into temporary car parks and generating significant, extra revenue as a result, YourParkingSpace.co.uk has revealed. Indeed, a number of savvy developers have earned an average of over £30,000 each in the last 12 months by renting out parking spaces on land awaiting development, with some earning over £100,000 in extra revenue.

With reports suggesting that housebuilders possess enough land to build 600,000 new homes, or alternatively park 4.8 million cars, YourParkingSpace.co.uk is reminding the industry of the huge financial benefit of renting out land they’re not currently using for car parking.

Those with land stocks near to city centres, railways stations and sports venues could benefit the most from YourParkingSpace.co.uk. UK property developers, Bruntwood, offer retail and office space in the north of England and Birmingham, and have been renting out a piece of land, close to Salford Central Station in Manchester, for parking for the past 18 months.

"We were waiting for planning conditions to be cleared before we could start development and the land was just sat empty. The site was big enough to accommodate 45 cars, so it made perfect sense to turn it into a temporary car park and rent out the space,” commented Andrew Butterworth, Sales Director at Bruntwood. “Not only did it generate extra income for us but it stopped the land becoming overgrown and gave local people a place to park in an area that can be notoriously difficult to find a space. YourParkingSpace.co.uk managed everything so it took up very little of our time, and now our planning permission has been granted YourParkingSpace are moving out and we can start building.”

According to YourParkingSpace.co.uk, over 20 property development firms are now renting out their unused land for parking but Harrison Woods, managing director of the online parking marketplace, believes many more are missing out on this valuable opportunity.

“There are many reasons that developers may be delayed in starting development on their land, from lengthy planning processes to labour and material shortages, but that doesn’t mean that the site can’t still be making money. Using the site as a car park also generates footfall and reduces the risk of vandalism and prevents weeds from taking over until the time that you want to begin to build,” commented Woods.

The increasing popularity of the internet as a booking channel for parking is starting to transform how developers view the opportunity, as highlighted by Mr Woods, “Traditionally developers have been put off by equipment installation costs, the logistics of cash handling, and the requirement for direct on-site advertising to drive customers to park. Our online digital system combined with our smart cities access solution means drivers can seamlessly book online and both enter and exit without the need for any onsite staffing or costly hardware installation, completely streamlining site operation and ensuring that no resources are pulled away from the land owner’s core business focus.”

For more information on YourParkingSpace.co.uk or to find out about renting out unused parking spaces please visit https://www.yourparkingspace.co.uk

Notes

Founded in 2013, YourParkingSpace.co.uk is an online marketplace that features driveways, private off-street parking spaces, lock-up garages and, significantly, spaces from commercial car park operators. In the past 18 months YourParkingSpace has raised £250,000 in seed investment, signed a 15-month partnership with NCP, and began offering hourly and daily pre-booking at car parks and parking spaces nationwide.

Useful Linkswww.yourparkingspace.co.ukTwitter – www.twitter.com/ypsuk @ypsukFacebook – www.facebook.com/YourParkingSpace/

• House prices in the three months to November were 6.0% higher than in the same three months of 2015

• Prices in the last three months (SeptemberNovember) were 0.8% higher than in the preceding quarter

Martin Ellis, Halifax housing economist, said: “House prices in the three months to November were 0.8% higher than in the previous quarter. This increase followed little movement in prices on this quarterly measure in both September and October. The annual rate of growth also increased, rising for the first time for eight months, from 5.2% in October to 6.0%.

“Despite November's pick-up, the annual rate has been on a steady downward trend in recent months since reaching a peak of 10.0% in March. Heightened affordability pressures, resulting from a sustained period of house price growth in excess of earnings rises, appear to have dampened housing demand, contributing to the slowdown in house price inflation. Very low mortgage rates and an ongoing, and acute, shortage of properties available for sale should help support price levels although annual house price growth may slow over the coming months.”

Key facts

House Prices Housing Activity

• House prices in the three months to November were 0.8% higher than in the previous three months (JuneAugust). This is an improvement on the two previous months when the quarterly rate was broadly unchanged. Nonetheless, the quarterly rate of change remains well below the 3.0% increase recorded in February.

• Prices in the three months to November were 6.0% higher than in the same three months a year earlier. This was the first increase for eight months and compared to 5.2% in October. Overall, the annual rate has been on a steady downward trend in recent months since reaching a peak of 10.0% in March. November's 6.0% is the highest since August 2016 (6.9%).

• House prices increased by 0.2% between October and November. This was the third successive monthly rise.

• Confidence in the UK housing market has fallen to its lowest point in three years but majority still expect prices to rise, according to the latest Halifax Housing Market Confidence Tracker. The survey, which tracks consumer sentiment on whether house prices will be higher or lower in a year's time, shows a decline of 14 points from March 2016 (+56) to a net +42 in the latest survey*. Nonetheless, a clear majority (57%) expect the average UK price to be higher in a year's time; more than three times the proportion that expects a lower average price (15%).

Housing Activity

Home sales have steadied in recent months but are lower than a year ago. Home sales in the UK increased by 1% between September and October. Overall, sales have largely stabilised in recent months following the distortions earlier in the year due to the increase in stamp duty on second home and buy to let purchases in April. Nonetheless, sales during the three months from August to October were 8% lower than in the same period last year. (Source: HMRC, seasonally-adjusted figures)

• Mortgage approvals have also stabilised. The volume of mortgage approvals for house purchases – a leading indicator of completed house sales – were unchanged in the three months to October compared with the preceding three months. On a monthly basis, approvals increased for the second successive month, rising by 6% between September and October; indicating a likely increase in home sales over the coming months. (Source: Bank of England, seasonally-adjusted figures)

• Supply remains historically very low. The stock of homes available for sale fell in October; offsetting the previous month's modest rise and taking the stock to its lowest ever recorded level. There was more encouraging news regarding the building of new homes. Completions and starts in England in 2016 Quarter 3 were respectively 7% and 9% higher than in 2015 Quarter 3. (Sources: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors)

*The latest wave of the survey, conducted by Ipsos MORI on behalf of Halifax, was undertaken between 23 September and 19 October 2016 across Britain.

For more information on our housing market research, click on http://www.halifax.co.uk/house-price-index

5, 500 Miles in 18 months – China Town Launch for Great Wall Challenge

One adventure leads to another….

Three women who met in China while volunteering for a charity which cares for disabled and abandoned children are to take on a new challenge – covering the equivalent length of the Great Wall by walking, swimming and cycling. Linda Grieve, Kati Simpson and Linda Linehan, who live in and around London, are taking on this challenge to raise money for the charity which brought them together – International China Concern (ICC).

Founded in 1993, ICC is a Christian international development charity that changes lives by bringing love, hope and opportunity to China’s abandoned and disabled. ICC’s core belief is that every child is precious and has the right to be loved, to have hope for the future and the opportunity to realise their dreams.

Kati, Linda and Linda first met 5 years ago on a short-term ICC volunteer team in Hengyang in the south east Chinese province of Hunan and have been friends ever since.

They hope to cover the staggering distance of 5,500 miles within the next 17 months. Once they near the end of the challenge in 2018, they plan to cover the final miles on the Great Wall in China, followed by a visit to the children and projects they are fundraising to support.

Launching the challenge Linda Grieve said:

‘Having completed a number of individual challenges we are now working together to collectively walk, swim and cycle the length of the Ming Dynasty section of the Great Wall of China. Each of us will cover around 1800 miles over the coming months. It will be a real test of discipline and fitness to keep going but it will be worth it to know we are making a difference in the lives of children who are in real need.

'We plan to cover the length and breadth of the UK, organising specific events which will add miles towards our total. We very much hope that the people and communities we visit will be inspired to support the incredible work of the charity in bringing love and hope to these precious children.’

Photo attached: The Great Wall Challenge Launch, China Exchange, China Town, November 2016. From left to right - Kati Simpson, Linda Linehan, Linda Grieve

To follow the progress of the fundraisers on Facebook go to: Facebook - Great Wall Challenge

For more information about International China Concern please go to: www.chinaconcern.org and ICC Facebook Page UK & Ireland

Sands (Stillbirth & neonatal death charity) knows that the festive period may be a particularly sad and upsetting time for parents who have experienced a stillbirth or whose babies have died neonatally.

That’s why the charity has extended the opening hours of its Helpline to cover the holiday period every day including Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

The confidential telephone Helpline provides a safe place for anyone affected by the death of a baby to talk about their feelings. The charity’s experienced Helpline team is there to listen and provide information.

Dr Clea Harmer, Chief Executive of Sands, said: “Bereaved parents tell us that Christmas can be highly emotional for them as they spend time with their close friends and families and remember their babies who have died. So we have responded by extending the opening hours of our Helpline at a time they may need us the most.

“I would urge anyone who has been affected by the death of a baby to get in touch if they want to talk to us over the festive period. We are dedicated to providing emotional support and information right from the early hours after a baby's death, through to the weeks, months and years ahead.”

The Sands Helpline will open during the following hours:

Christmas Eve (Saturday 24 December) 10am-3pm, 6pm-9pm.

Christmas Day (Sunday 25 December) 10am-3pm, 6pm-9pm.

Boxing Day (Monday 26 December) 10am-3pm, 6pm-9pm.

Tuesday 27 December - Friday 30 December normal helpline hours -9.30am-5.30pm.

New Year’s Eve (Saturday 31 December) 7pm-12am.

New Year’s Day (Sunday 1 January) 10am-3pm.

Monday 2 January 2017 10am-3pm.

Tuesday 3 January 2017 normal helpline hours resume (Monday to Friday: 9.30am-5.30pm Tuesday and Thursday evenings: 6pm-10pm).

The Sands Helpline number is: 020 7436 5881. Bereaved parents and their families can also email the Helpline if they would prefer at: helpline@uk-sands.org

For further information visit: www.uk-sands.org/support/how-we-offer-support

or follow the charity on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/sandsuk

Notes to editors

For further information, please contact Lee Armitt, Press and PR Officer in the Sands press office on 0203 598 1959 or 07587 925411 or media@uk-sands.org

About Sands

Sands is the leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity in the UK. They work nationally to reduce baby deaths through promoting better maternity care and funding research. They have a programme of training and a wide range of resources designed to support professionals to improve the bereavement care they provide following the death of a baby, and they provide a comprehensive bereavement support service both nationally through their helpline and locally through around 100 regional support groups based across the UK. Further information can be found at www.uk-sands.org.

Mit 57 Millionen Euro ist der Eurojackpot am Freitag, 9. Dezember, prall gefüllt. Deshalb werden sich wieder viele Deutsche, Österreicher und Schweizer die Gelegenheit nutzen, um ihr Glück auf die Probe zu stellen. Via www.buylotterytickets.info ist die Teilnahme sehr einfach und man kann rund um die Uhr Tickets kaufen. Das sollte man aber vor Freitag, 21 Uhr erledigen: denn dann findet allwöchentlich die Ziehung dar.

Der Eurojackpot ist Europas größte Lotterie, denn 269 Millionen Spieler aus ganz Europa können daran teilnehmen. Um mitzumachen muss man fünf Zahlen aus eins bis 50, sowie zwei Eurozahlen zwischen eins und zehn treffen. Im Gegensatz zu den ebenfalls bekannten und beliebten Euromillionen, liegen dabei die Gewinnchancen des Eurojackpots deutlich besser: 1:95 Millionen im Vergleich zu 1:140 Millionen Euro. Außerdem sind die Kosten pro Gewinnfeld geringer. Deshalb wird auch der Eurojackpot bei den Lotterie-Fans aus Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz immer beliebter. Zur zunehmenden Beliebtheit hat auch sicher beigetragen, dass mit Hilfe von Seiten wie www.buylotterytickets.info die Teilnahme für die Spieler sehr bequem geworden ist. Denn die Teilnahme ist viel einfacher, als man vielleicht denken würde und man kann sogar noch von Angeboten für neue Spieler profitieren. Via verschiedener Anbieter kann man sich jederzeit einloggen, den Tipp abgeben und dann ganz einfach warten, bis die Ziehung erfolgt ist: über den Gewinn wird man dann automatisch verständigt.

Jetzt ist also die perfekte Zeit um beim Eurojackpot einzusteigen. Denn 57 Millionen Euro sind ein Betrag, der wohl jedes Leben grundlegend ändern würde und gerade so kurz vor Weihnachten wäre es doch schön sich und seinen liebsten die Herzenswünsche ermöglichen zu können. Und die dürfen ruhig extravagant sein: eine Villa in Beverly Hills ist beispielsweise um etwa 25 Millionen Euro zu haben. Und ein Ferrari California ist schon um 250.000 Euro zu haben. Da bleibt dann ede Menge Spielgeld übrig. Wer konservativ ist, kann das Geld auch anlegen. Selbst bei den jetztigen Niedrigzinsen würden so bei einem ganz normalen Sparbuch jährlich an die 250.000 Euro herauskommen.

After a transformative year, Norfolk and Suffolk Promotions are taking the opportunity this festive season to reward their contractors for their hard work, by organising a huge Christmas Party.

Based in Norwich, Norfolk and Suffolk Promotions is an enthusiastic event based marketing company that works exclusively on behalf of some of the UK's most exciting brands. When it comes to marketing to today's consumers, many businesses are focusing on obtaining a broad market reach, rather than forming meaningful connections with their audience. Norfolk and Suffolk Promotions believe that to connect with consumers and drive greater brand loyalty; brands need to shift their attention to engaging with each customer in a more personal way. As such, the firm offers a range of face to face, event marketing solutions that deliver unique marketing messages to individual consumers directly. By taking the time to meet and connect with customers one on one, the firm can offer a more immersive and tailored experience which increases customer loyalty and confidence. This, in turn, leads to a higher rate of sales for their clients' brands.

About Norfolk and Suffolk Promotions: http://www.norfolkandsuffolk.com/#

This year, the firm has seen some significant developments – including celebrating their 3rd successful year in business. As a relativity small start-up, reaching a three-year anniversary is a commendable achievement as the majority of new ventures struggle to survive past their first year. With Norfolk and Suffolk Promotions on track to grow their workforce and enter into new markets across the UK, there is no doubt that the firm has beaten the odds.

To celebrate their success this year and close 2016 with a bang, Norfolk and Suffolk Promotions recently announced that they would be throwing a huge Christmas party for their contractors and administrators. The party will not only get the firm well and truly into the festive spirit but will also be a fantastic opportunity for Norfolk and Suffolk Promotions to give something back to their workforce and say thank you for their time and effort. This year's Christmas celebrations will be held at Vodka Revolution in Norwich. Split across two floors, Vodka Revolution, is one of the City's best-loved party venues with an array of dedicated dance and lounge areas. On offer at Norfolk and Suffolk Promotion's Christmas party will be an all you can eat buffet made up of Christmas favourites from the venue's innovative menu, and award winning cocktails. There will also be a late night disco and Norfolk and Suffolk Promotions is confident that their Christmas celebrations will provide their contractors with the perfect opportunity to let their hair down and enjoy some festive fun.

Throwing a Christmas party has always been important to Norfolk and Suffolk Promotions and the firm feels there is no better way to round up a great year. Not only does it reward and engage workers, but it can also ramp up morale which can have a long-lasting impact on productivity after the event. The firm is also looking forward to socialising with their contractors outside of the hectic sales and marketing environment and is hopeful that the party will help strengthen relationships and build on their existing ‘family' culture.