The sexual harassment of women has again hit the news. It
is being treated as if it were a new phenomenon, yet the fact is that the
sexual harassment of women by men, and — though given less recognition until
recently — of men by men, has been going on since ancient times. This is why
Islam has set clear boundaries which cannot be crossed. Islam did not put the
whole burden of responsibility on women, but included men in it as well. The
Holy Prophet Muhammad (s) told men: “Be chaste yourselves, and women will be chaste as well”. These
boundaries place the responsibility on each individual, as illustrated by the
following incident from the life of the Holy Prophet (s).

The Holy Quran also commends “the men who guard their
chastity and the women who guard” (33:35). This means that men and women
are each responsible for avoiding sexual harassment by the other. In Islam, it
is simple: there are clear boundaries. There is to be no physical contact or
so-called ‘banter’ between the two. The conversation is to be professional.
Anything else simply causes confusion and leads to the situation we find
ourselves in. It is not enough to provide a procedure for complaint because
by then the psychological damage to the victim has been done.

The
Ahmadiyya Association for the Propagation of Islam (Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat Islam) was
established in Lahore in 1914 to promote the informed understanding of Islam in
the West. In the UK it operated the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking until the early 1960s. Its new headquarters is at Dar-us-Salaam,
15 Stanley Avenue, Wembley, HA0 4JQ, UK. In 1924, in Berlin, it built the
first mosque in Continental Europe of the modern era. The Berlin Mosque is now recognised by the German government as part of the German national
heritage. From its European and other centres around the world this
organisation has taught that Islam promotes peace, harmony and mutual respect
between all communities and nationalities.

In the near future, the Asset Management industry will go through disruptive changes and transformation, once bankers unlock the full potential of the Blockchain.

Today, SwissBorg reinventing the way the Wealth Management ecosystem works, by leveraging the Ethereum Network to build a democratic Decentralised Autonomous Organisation. The project will provide cyber-secure financial services operating in Switzerland, Canada and Japan through a digital branchless platform.

The main goal to innovate the Private Banking by implementing highly secure, transparent and customizable investment solutions.

SwissBorg is currently in a fundraising phase and is preparing for its ICO starting November 21st.

A survey of over 300 British small business owners revealed that the majority currently trading with European member states will continue to do so after Brexit — no matter what the outcome.

Just 5% of British SMEs currently working with EU partners or suppliers will seek to take advantage of intercontinental trade deals, a new survey has revealed. Instead, 88% intend to maintain their relationships following Brexit, even while facing the prospect of red tape and increased trading tariffs.

The data has been uncovered by financial firm Russell Smith Chartered Accountants, through a poll of local and regional business owners. It found that of those 12% that would look to change their trading relationships, the remaining 7% would move to domestic options, making intercontinental trade the least favourable choice amongst the community.

While debates continue in Brussels, no intercontinental trade agreements have been made, yet it remains one of the primary points of discussion in the Brexit conversation. But are the politicians wasting their time?

Director Russell Smith was surprised by the results: “There is a lot of chatter about trade with countries like the US and China. SMEs, though, are much more focused on keeping their EU trade arrangements intact. Whether out of loyalty, ease of access, current levels of satisfaction or apprehension of investing resources in new trading partners, it’s clear our trading landscape will remain very Euro-centric even after we officially leave the EU”.

The new results shed some light on the true feelings of small businesses in the UK, which make up 99.3% of all private sector companies operating Britain. 80% of small business owners would like to maintain freedom of movement, and this includes those not currently trading with EU member states. The survey makes a clear point that British business owners would support Theresa May’s government in a push for a Norway-style trade agreement.

It was also revealed that 18% of SME owners who voted leave would change their vote in a second referendum, while only 8% of remainers would shift to leave. This disparity is likely due to the fact that only 2% of British small business owners believe the government provided satisfactory information about the impact Brexit would have on the nation’s economy in the run-up to the vote.

For the full details of this survey, visit: https://rsaccountancy.co.uk/2017/09/26/uk-sme-brexit-statistics-survey-unearths-business-owner-opinions/

On Thursday 9th November children charity MedEquip4Kids (www.medequip4kids.org.uk) is holding an event to mark the launch of its new initiative, The Hummingbird Project – an eight-week course to improve young people’s emotional wellbeing in schools across the North West. The event will take place from 5.45pm at the Virgin Money Lounge,98 King Street, Manchester M2 4WU.

The launch will start with an introduction from Metro Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, followed by presentations from Ghazala Baig, (CEO, MedEquip4Kids) and Professor Jerome Carson (Professor of Psychology at the University of Bolton).

MedEquip4Kids is a children’s healthcare charity based in Manchester with over 30 years experience of funding paediatric medical equipment, play and distraction facilities in hospitals, and other resources not available from limited NHS resources. The charity's work gives thousands of babies, children and young people every year an enhanced experience of medical care.

As a children’s health charity, MedEquip4Kids passionately believes that young people’s mental wellbeing is every bit as important as their physical health. Over the last three years, they have been funding resources such as books, toys, games and communication aids for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (known as CAMHS) across the UK. To date they've raised over £110,000 to deliver new equipment to 157 CAMHS teams across the UK.

It is very clear from recent media reports that record levels of young people are struggling with their mental health. Academic pressure, social media, bullying, poverty, and the lack of availability of professional support have all been named as contributing to the epidemic of poor mental health. Key figures in a young person’s life, such as parents or teachers, can often spot when a young person is struggling, but may not know how best to help.

As a children’s health charity, MedEquip4Kids wanted to take a more active role in helping to tackle the growing mental health crisis. The research they initially commissioned highlighted that schools are facing a serious shortage of resources and training to support the mental health needs of their pupils.

The new initiative will consist of a bespoke, evidence-based 8-week Emotional Wellbeing training course that will give young people the techniques and tools to become more emotionally resilient whilst also introducing them to the key concepts of Positive Psychology.

The workshops will be co-designed by MedEquip4Kids, psychologists at the University of Bolton and young people from across the North West who will provide their views on where they feel support is most needed. The sessions will be delivered by MedEquip4Kids’ Project Co-ordinator and volunteers who have lived experience of mental health issues.

The project hopes to make a real, measurable difference to young people’s emotional wellbeing, help young people and school staff to become more aware of the early warning signs, alleviate pressure on services, and reduce the stigma associated with mental illnesses.

To attend the launch, please confirm your attendance to MedEquip4Kids by calling 0161 798 1600 or email info@medequip4kids.org.uk by the end of Wednesday 8th November.

LONDON, November 8, 2017 -- Off the back of five-year successful trade in many EU countries, Nikrans, leader in mobile signal boosting in Europe, has finally entered the British market. The Nikrans brand will be retailed by Mobile-Signal-Boosters.co.uk, official representing company in UK.

Nikrans occupies a niche in the market; it is a mobile signal enhancement company, embracing innovative signal boosting technology, that contributes to providing people worldwide with mobile signal in the most remote corners of the world.

Anna Martins, the Head of Sales at Mobile-Signal-Boosters.co.uk, says, “Our goal is to densify mobile connection worldwide in order to improve people’s lives. Living at the era of information, it has become of vital importance to stay always online. Thus, we believe everyone needs today to have a stable mobile connection, and we’re excited that we finally have the opportunity to share it with people in the United Kingdom.”

According to various statistics, 66,7 % of the UK population are still living or working in the areas with very poor mobile connection. For a long time the situation was exacerbated by the fact that the installation and use of any signal boosting device was considered as unlawful in the United Kingdom except those supplied and operated under the control of mobile network operators. Thus, in April 2017 Ofcom came to the decision to make regulations that will allow consumers to operate mobile phone repeaters if it is not likely to involve undue interference. As all Nikrans devices incorporate interference protection electronics which is proved by CE and RoHS certificates, they will not cause harmful interference to the Mobile Provider’s networks and, thus, will be legal to purchase, install and operate within the UK.

About Nikrans

Nikrans brand was founded in 2013. Despite Nikrans has recently appeared on the world booster market, it already gained high popularity and recognition among its customers. Such a success is due to the fact that the company managed to combine the latest technology and accumulated experience of work with other booster brands which let us create an effective, high quality and ultra modern product.

Nikrans brand includes two main booster lines – LCD and NS series. Both of them comprise single-, dual- and triband models. At Mobile-Signal-Boosters.co.uk you'll find devices for calls, 3G Internet, 4G/ LTE connection as well as multipurpose solutions able to boost calls and Internet simultaneously.

Coinfirm, a global leader in blockchain AML/CTF and compliance is releasing a dedicated token, AMLT, to deliver one of the most needed solutions for blockchain adoption by allowing market participants to help determine the potential risk of others.

Coinfirm has been raising the standards of tech solutions for compliance in the blockchain and financial ecosystem through their AML/CTF Platform. The platform delivered a solution for AML/CTF needs for cryptocurrency and blockchain-related companies that allows for the safe adoption of cryptocurrencies and blockchain by players in the traditional economy. AMLT adds a new level of transparency to the ecosystem by acting as the mechanism allowing entities to rate and provide information on other market participants into the Coinfirm AML/CTF Platform, with AMLT as their reward for the valid data they provided.

Coinfirm already works with world-class partners and clients ranging from major virtual currency players such as Dash and RSK, to leading financial institutions such as SEI. As a key link in bringing virtual currencies and blockchain to the mass market and a wider range of organizations, Coinfirm is introducing AMLT, its dedicated token to build the next step towards ensuring transparency and democratization of the financial system.

The utility token set for sale later this year allows the holder access rights to the Coinfirm AML/CTF Platform as well as a range of prepaid products. AMLT helps build the global standard for AML/CTF compliant blockchain transactions and a secure, transparent and compliant economic system that promotes financial inclusion and fair treatment.

AMLT allows access to a reporting system that builds transparency and democratization into the cryptocurrency ecosystem. It does this by actively involving market participants globally in determining the risk of others in the network. For example, through AMLT, entities in “high risk” regions can also be evaluated based on the existing relationship and input of other market participants and have their risk lowered due to the positive feedback. Network members such as exchanges or payment processors can provide ratings and data on other market participants and cryptocurrency addresses to enrich data, potentially warn others about ransomware funds and be rewarded in AMLT.

In addition the blockchain agnostic Coinfirm AML/CTF Platform supports a number of cryptocurrencies such as BITCOIN, DASH, ETHEREUM and ERC20/ERC223 tokens used in ICO’s. This will further help with compliance and vital regulations like anti money-laundering and countering terrorist financing across the blockchain ecosystem. This supports a major need of the token issuers as well as the banks that want to provide bank account facilities to them.

Widening Financial Inclusion in Cryptocurrency

One of the more important problems that AMLT looks to solve with the democratization model is financial inclusion. Because the current compliance system and related tools and processes are so ineffective, millions of individuals and entities are excluded from the financial system as a whole. Coinfirm’s platform helps solve this by not only taking compliance effectiveness and accuracy to a level unavailable in the traditional system, but also by providing a model with AMLT that allows market participants to value and rate others and bring a level of democracy to compliance. So with AMLT, an entity existing in a high risk area can lower their risk and be accepted by more market participants because other market participants are able to provide data into the network that proves the entity is trusted and safe. Millions of excluded entities will now have the possibility to interact with the commercial financial ecosystem on a transparent and global level..

“AML is a key link in Blockchain that helps businesses and users ensure transparency and safety to protect themselves and customers and helps them grow by solving one of the largest Blockchain needs - effective compliance and AML procedures. We’re redefining compliance and the financial system as a whole by democratizing it so that market participants can help determine the risk-profile of others. This gives power to individuals in the market and opens up the system to entities in regions and situations that previously couldn’t access it.” Coinfirm Co-Founder and CEO Pawel Kuskowski .

To be implemented into an already vibrant and active network of players through the Coinfirm AML/CTF Platform, AMLT will have a strong foundation with commercial adoption and use. AMLT has the goal of building an open financial system and bringing cryptocurrencies into the mainstream in a safe, efficient and effective way.

About Coinfirm

Coinfirm serves as a foundation for the safe adoption and use of blockchain. The Coinfirm AML/CTF Platform uses proprietary algorithms and big data analysis to provide structured, actionable data that increases efficiency, reduces costs and streamlines compliance to near automation. A recognized leader in their field and among the most influential blockchain and regtech companies, the blockchain agnostic platform benefits not only companies operating around blockchain but also major financial institutions, asset management and BI companies. In addition, Coinfirm develops dedicated blockchain solutions such as their data provenance platform Trudatum, currently being piloted for adoption by multiple financial institutions. Trudatum is an easy to use blockchain solution to register and verify the ownership and authenticity of any type of document, file, or data.

Find out more at http://www.coinfirm.io and http://www.trudatum.com

Winter Warm and Well is a multi channel campaign from Age UK Lambeth, supported by Lambeth CCG, which is aimed to ease seasonal pressure on NHS primary, urgent care and emergency services.

The winter months can be challenging for the NHS, especially for urgent care services. The seasonal increase in hospital admissions can lead to hospital congestive failure (where resources are diverted from elsewhere in the hospital to cope with the influx from A&E). The holiday period from 24 December to 2 January is particularly challenging as many GP practices and pharmacies close for all or part of this period.

The Age UK Lambeth Winter Warm and Well campaign is designed to reduce the number of older and vulnerable people, who become so ill that they require admission to hospital.

Our goal is to ensure that older people who are most at-risk of preventable emergency admission to hospital are aware of and, wherever possible, are motivated to take, those actions that may avoid admission this winter.

Our campaign is focused on reaching older people (and other vulnerable groups) across Lambeth, supporting the key messages of the PHE Stay Well this Winter campaign.

We are happy to announce that we are now taking applications for grants for the 2017/18 Warm & Well in Winter campaign. The grants are for community groups and organisations working with older people to put on social events for their members as part of the campaign to raise awareness of the importance of staying warm during the colder months.

Find out more about Age UK Lambeth's Winter Warm and Well 2017 campaign and how you can apply for grants by clicking HERE

The friends and family of a little girl who is currently battling leukaemia have raised over £10,000 for The Sick Children’s Trust as thanks for keeping her family by her side.

Ten year old Amy Botham, from Hull, was diagnosed with leukaemia in January this year and ever since has been undergoing treatment at Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) – over an hour away from home. Despite this, Amy has always had her family at her hospital bedside as they’ve been supported by The Sick Children’s Trust – a charity which runs free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation for families with seriously ill children in hospital.

The charity is currently supporting Amy’s parents Graham and Dawn and younger brother Harry at its Eckersley House, located within the hospital grounds. And to thank the charity for its support, Amy’s family and friends have been tirelessly fundraising for The Sick Children’s Trust, raising over £10,000. Dad Graham says:

“Before Amy was diagnosed, she had been poorly for a couple of months but doctors thought she might have a virus. It wasn’t until she had blood tests that we discovered just how ill she was.

“Our lives changed dramatically when we found out Amy had leukaemia, there was a lot of worry and stress. We knew that the majority of her treatment would be in Leeds, but we didn’t know how we would be able to be there for Amy and also her brother Harry. The thought of being in that situation was unbearable.

“Thankfully, a nurse told us about Eckersley House which is run by The Sick Children’s Trust and throughout Amy’s treatment we have been able to stay there. It has been amazing for us and means both Dawn and I can be with Amy at the time she needs her parents the most. It has also meant that Harry can come over at the weekends and holidays to see his sister which has really gives Amy a boost.

“Without Eckersley House, this situation would have been a nightmare. One of us would have had to travel to Leeds from Hull each day and that added stress would’ve been awful.

“Despite battling leukaemia every day, Amy keeps her spirits high. She is simply a lovely little girl who loves all animals – so much so she had started a pet club with her friends!”

Graham, along with several of his friends, took on the Hull Marathon in relay teams to raise money for The Sick Children’s Trust. Alongside this event, Amy’s Uncle Kev organised a golf day and another friend, Andy Wigglesworth, took on an open water swim. Family friend Mike Gooch, who ran in the marathon, says:

“Graham is a very close friend of mine and when we found out about Amy earlier in the year we were all devastated. You just feel so helpless looking on from afar and don’t want to bother the family for information.

“So I suggested to Graham and his brother that we could do the Hull Marathon for Amy as a four man relay team with some other friends – and the more we chatted about it the more friends wanted to join in!

“Originally our target was £100, and within three days we surpassed it. The support we’ve received is just incredible and we really hope we’ve made Amy proud. She’s a wonderful little girl and what made the marathon so much better was that at the end of the first relay leg, Amy was there along with her brother.

“The support that The Sick Children’s Trust has given Amy’s family has been such a big help, and has meant the family can stay together and support each other during this time.”

The Sick Children’s Trust runs ten ‘Homes from Home’ across the country supporting families with seriously ill children in hospital. Although the accommodation is provided free to families, it costs the charity £30 to support a family for one night. Eckersley House Manager Jane McHale says:

“We’d like to say a huge congratulations and thank you to everyone who has supported Amy’s friends and family. As a charity, we are here to support families like Amy’s when their child is in hospital. We’re here to give them a space away from the hospital wards which is peaceful, warm and homely. Where they can rest their heads and enjoy a homemade meal while being just minutes from their child’s hospital bedside.

“For the time Amy’s in hospital, we will be there for her family and continue to wish her a speedy recovery.”

For further information about The Sick Children’s Trust, please visit http://www.sickchildrenstrust.org/

9th November 2017 : The freedom to raise concerns without fear of retaliation is a core component of a supportive ethical business culture – one where employees are confident they will be supported to ‘do the right thing’.

In the IBE’s latest Ethics at Work survey, a fifth of British employees said they had been aware of misconduct during the past year. This level of awareness has been relatively consistent since the survey began in 2005. However, only half of those who witnessed misconduct said they raised their concerns. The most prominent reason they gave for keeping silent is that they fear it would jeopardise their job (30%), while nearly a quarter believed that corrective action would not be taken.

Encouraging a Speak Up Culture is the latest IBE Good Practice Guide. It examines practical ways that organisations can encourage a Speak Up culture by establishing a procedure to give employees the confidence to raise concerns about anything they find unsafe, unethical or unlawful without fear of retaliation. If companies do not support their employees in this way, they risk a concern becoming a crisis.

Drawing on a benchmarking survey of IBE subscriber companies with case studies from organisations like AIB, BT, Diageo, Lancashire Constabulary, the NHS, Rio Tinto, Serco, SSE and Smiths Group, Encouraging a Speak Up Culture shares examples of how successful organisations implement their Speak Up process and investigations, to encourage a Speak Up culture.

#speakup

ENDS/

To obtain an advanced press copy of the report, or to organise interviews, please contact k.bradshaw@ibe.org.uk

Encouraging a Speak Up Culture: an IBE Good Practice Guide By Katherine Bradshaw ISBN 978-1-908534-33-0 Price:£25 Publication date: 9th November 2017 Available from www.ibe.org.uk

Thursday 9th November 3pm – 5pm Institute of Business Ethics, 24 Greencoat Place, London SW1P 1BE

The IBE’s latest Good Practice Guide – Encouraging a Speak Up culture – will be launched with a special panel event which looks beyond a whistleblowing policy at practical ways that organisations can give employees the confidence to raise concerns about anything they find unsafe, unethical or unlawful.

Katherine Bradshaw, author of the Guide, will chair the panel made up of public and private sector to discuss the challenges – and some of the successes – in establishing a Speak Up culture.

Panel members include: Dr Henrietta Hughes – NHS National Speak Up Guardian; T/CI Pauline Stables – Lancashire Constabulary; Hugh Bigwood – Rio Tinto; Stewart Hughes - SSE

Please email events@ibe.org.uk if you would like to attend.

The Institute of Business Ethics, whose purpose is to promote high standards of business behaviour based on ethical values, is an important partner to any business wanting to preserve its long-term reputation by doing business in the right way.

For over 30 years, the IBE has advised organisations on how to strengthen their ethical culture by sharing knowledge and good practice, resulting in relationships with employees and stakeholders that are based on trust.

The IBE is a registered charity funded by corporate and individual subscriptions. www.ibe.org.uk @ibeuk

Katherine Bradshaw is Head of Communications at the Institute of Business Ethics. She is the author of four other IBE Good Practice Guides. The most recent of these – Communicating Ethical Values Internally – is now on its second reprint.

She has a particular interest in how stories create an ethical culture and writes scenarios for ethics training, both for the IBE's training and bespoke training for organisations, including film scripts and e-learning content. She developed the IBE's e-learning tool Understanding Business Ethics, a 30-minute course to sensitise employees to recognise and deal with ethical dilemmas.

She is also an advocate for responsible business communications, having written and presented on the subject for professional bodies like CIPR, IABC and PRCA as well as the IBE.

Founded in 1995, Expolink is Europe’s longest-established provider of independent whistleblowing hotlines. Today it offers a uniquely comprehensive speak up service supported by highly-configurable case management software.

Expolink’s user-focused approach gives employees the confidence to speak up about wrongdoing and unethical conduct in the workplace. By combining empathetic, in-house report handling with the widest choice of intake channels, it aims to make the speak up experience easy, secure and reassuring.

Expolink works with a global client base that includes some of the world’s largest brands and institutions, spanning virtually every sector. Working in close partnership with them, its services help organisations minimise risk in order to protect their employees, reputation and profits. www.expolink.co.uk

Safecall is a UK based leading global provider of ethics hotline and online reporting systems.

The Safecall service provides employees, contractors and suppliers with a safe place to speak up about potential ethical or legal concerns. We are trusted by national and international organisations, helping to protect their reputation and support a culture of integrity and openness, while simultaneously meeting the challenges posed by regulations, cultural differences and language barriers.

Safecall is wholly owned by Law Debenture Corporation Plc. Law Debenture is as a leading British-based investment trust that also provides a range of independent professional services. These services include appointment of agents, directors and trustees for pension funds, trusts and companies. www.safecall.co.uk

fidentiaX is building the World's 1st Marketplace for Tradable Policies by leveraging on Blockchain Technology to disrupt the multi-trillion insurance industry.

The life insurance industry generates billions of dollars in premiums every year. In 2016 alone, the total market size for premiums in the OECD region (40 reporting countries) was more than US$3.86 trillion dollars. Emerging Asia will be the fastest-growing market for life insurance with an estimated real compounded annual growth rate of 10.2%.

Most people do not realize that policies with cash value can be traded in the market for a higher cash value, that is, an individual could sell his policies to a third party instead of surrendering the policy. In 2014, policy lapses and surrenders were in excess of US$112 billion dollars in the US alone, of which it is estimated US$57 billion (250,000 policies) could have been resold in the market.

“Blockchain,
particularly the aspect of a distributed ledger or registry, has the ability to
enable new modes of engagement between insurers and customers. Not only would these engagements ride on an
incredibly secure and efficient platform, in principle blockchain can also
enable an entirely new level of self-service that can radically change the
insurance industry.”
Dante Disparte, founder and CEO of Risk Cooperative in Washington (Source: BusinessInsurance)

Since the announcement of the project on 15 October, the community has been growing rapidly and currently stands >3500. fidentiaX has been shared numerous updates over the last couple of weeks and here's a quick summary:

1. Release of multiple videos on Introduction to fidentiaX Team, fidentiaX Marketplace How does it Work?, Questions and Answer Part 1, 2 and 3.

2. Announced that fdX tokens will be tradable on EtherDelta and Coss after the end of ICO.

3. Achieved the softtcap target of US$1mil.

Details of fidentiaX Crowd Sale:

Do not miss out this amazing opportunity to be part of the team that will disrupt the status quo! Sign-up now at token.fidentiaX.com

Localgiving's annual match fund campaign, Grow Your Tenner, is projected to raise £670,000 for nearly 1,000 local charities and community groups across the UK.

Localgiving ran its flagship Grow Your Tenner campaign for a sixth consecutive year this October. This campaign is designed to help grassroots groups reach out to supporters - raising awareness about their cause and helping them to bring in much needed unrestricted funding.

To celebrate the sixth year of the campaign, Localgiving offered to match monthly donations of up to £10 for a full 6 months. Donors were also able to support groups by making one time donations - also matched up to £10.

In one week, more than 11,000 people donated to a local cause - 53% of whom were donating to their chosen group for the first time. In this time more than 1,700 Direct Debits were set up which are projected to inject over £380,000 into the local voluntary sector over the next 12 months. Localgiving put a particular emphasis on encouraging monthly donations because it enables groups to establish long-term, sustainable relationships with their supporters.

Carrie Supple of Journey for Justice said:

''We would definitely recommend it to other groups. Its an amazing opportunity. Especially when you think about how much work it's takes to organise fundraising events. We have raised more through Grow Your Tenner than our last major fundraising event and you cannot compare the effort involved! Not only does it raise funds, but Grow Your Tenner is another way of getting new contacts and new long term supporters. Other organisations I’m involved with are really interested in taking part in future. We are so lucky to be a part of it. Thanks to everyone who took part and donated. Its transforming to have a campaign that can help fund core costs.''

Chris Dormer, Head of Business Development at Localgiving said:

“Each year our Grow Your Tenner campaign provides a great opportunity for people to connect with, and support grassroots groups. From foodbanks to sports teams - these organisations link together communities and provide essential services for the most vulnerable people in society. The level of engagement and enthusiasm generated around Grow Your Tenner shows the real impact that match fund campaigns can have - not only in bringing in funding but also in galvanising support and awareness for the amazing work of local voluntary groups.”

Localgiving supports local charities to reach their online fundraising potential. The platform has over 2,600 members throughout the UK ranging from disability groups to arts projects, foodbanks to football clubs

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

- ENDS-

A problem gambling screening pilot in Cheshire has won a Howard League for Penal Reform National Community Award in the Policing and Adults category. The awards celebrate initiatives that work to promote lasting solutions to crime and make communities safer.

Beacon Counselling Trust, in partnership with national problem gambling support charity GamCare, working with Mitie Care and Custody and Cheshire Constabulary, trained over 250 staff in three custody suites across Cheshire to raise awareness and to screen for problem gambling at the point of arrest and to refer into local support and treatment services. 13% of the 760 arrestees screened during the pilot provided a positive response, which is around 13 times higher than levels of problem gambling in the population of Great Britain as a whole.

Mike Kenward, Development Director at GamCare, says: “When a person is arrested and processed via a custody suite they will be routinely screened for drug and alcohol issues, however there is currently no standard screening for those presenting with problem gambling issues. We know from international evidence that there is likely to be a high percentage of people within the criminal justice system who are at-risk or struggling with problem gambling, and it is vital to address this.”

Neil Platt, Clinical Director at Beacon Counselling Trust, says: “This diversion pathway provides a unique opportunity to offer a restorative sanction for the offender – a chance to educate, counsel and rehabilitate in order to reduce the cycle of reoffending.”

The Gambling Commission estimates that there are approximately 430,000 problem gamblers in Great Britain, and around 2 million more people who are at-risk of developing problems with gambling. Around 1% of the people reaching out for support through the National Gambling HelpLine, operated by GamCare, mention that they have resorted to criminal activity to fund their gambling.

As well as continuing their work in prisons and with probation services, GamCare is now seeking to expand screening pilots into other areas of Great Britain and would like to connect with other organisations looking to collaborate. Email info@gamcare.org.uk to find out more.

For more information about GamCare services visit www.gamcare.org.uk

ENDS

For more information or accompanying images please contact Catherine Sweet, Marketing and Communications Manager, at catherine.sweet@gamcare.org.uk or on 020 7801 7000.

GamCare – Working to minimise gambling-related harm

Beacon Counselling Trust

Beacon Counselling Trust is a Liverpool based counselling charity which employs fully qualified counsellors who have extensive experience working with a wide range of personal and work-related problems. For more information see http://beaconcounsellingtrust.co.uk/

The Darren and Anna Gough Golf Day and Gala Dinner, Veterans for Wildlife’s flagship fundraising event in 2017, was a fantastic success! We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to both Darren and Anna for their tireless work over the course of this year. Without them the event would never have taken place, let alone achieve the remarkable results that we can proudly report here.

We would also like to thank the two main sponsors of the golf day itself, Heineken and Slingsby, as well as the two main sponsors of the dinner, Hamiltons and IPP Group. Our thanks also extend to the many sponsors who donated prizes, their services or otherwise contributed to the delivery of a world-class event. You really have set a new benchmark!

A particular highlight from the day was artist Ben Mosely live painting the London skyline, which went on to sell for £15,000 in the main auction. Ben then offered to paint a second piece for another guest, which also fetched £15,000; raising an impressive £30,000 in total! We must also highlight the great humour and wit of our host for the evening, Ronnie Irani. Both he and Darren were on top form!

Some of the top prizes to be auctioned were a safari for six people in South Africa, with Darren and Anna Gough as hosts, which sold for £15,000; as well as, a week-long stay for ten at Sumaridge Wine Estate in South Africa, with a private chef and bottle of wine per head per day, which sold twice for £6,500!

In total, over £115,000 was raised for the charity through a combination of ticket sales, the auctions as well as a number of other personal donations. This equates to a staggering R2.1 million! These funds have been earmarked for a number of Veterans for Wildlife’s operations in 2018 and beyond. Including the provision of operational support to the game-changing Postcode Meerkat system, the Footprints of Hope project, as well as continual training and support to rangers on the ground.

If you did not attend this year’s event, don’t worry! You can get in touch with us today and register your interest for an even bigger and better fundraiser in 2018. Details to follow.

A devoted uncle has been completing a number of epic endurance challenges over the past year in memory of his niece, Hope, who tragically passed away at just six months old.

Allen Winter-Moore, 39, from Braystones in Cumbria, has been tirelessly fundraising for The Sick Children’s Trust, which supported his niece’s parents, Michael and Lisa Winter, with free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation, whilst their daughter underwent treatment in Freeman Hospital, Newcastle.

Hope was diagnosed with a serious heart defect – hypoplastic left heart syndrome – at Lisa’s 20 week scan, which meant the left side of her heart hadn’t developed properly. Shortly after Hope was born at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary, she was transferred to Freeman Hospital for specialist treatment. During this time, her parents were supported at Scott House, free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation run by The Sick Children’s Trust. Allen, who has raised over £1,200 to date and hopes to continue raising awareness for the charity, says:

“I wanted to give a little something back to The Sick Children’s Trust because when Hope was in hospital it affected our whole family. My wife Claire and I were childhood sweethearts so I’ve known her brother Michael since he was just nine years old and we’ve always been very close.

“Michael and Lisa stayed at Scott House for three months when Hope was seriously ill in Freeman Hospital. I saw first-hand how the charity supported them, both with incredible accommodation, which was completely free, and the incomparable emotional support from House Manager Andrew and the team.

“Claire and her mother Maureen were regular visitors at Scott House where they’d go spend time with Lisa and Michael. They were made to feel so welcome and the house was amazing. By having Scott House a lot of the practical stress was taken away especially when emotionally everybody was struggling to hold it together.”

Since he began his fundraising endeavours, Allen has completed the Manchester Half Marathon, in both October 2016 and 2017, the Chester Half Marathon in May 2017, as well as three separate 10km runs in Gateshead, Gosforth and Carlisle. He also took on the challenging Great North Swim on Lake Windermere in June and is back training for the Lorton Half Marathon in Cumbria in January 2018 and the London Landmark Race in March. Allen, who works as a Cost Engineer in the nuclear industry, continues:

“When I began my fundraising challenges I was well over 17 stone and now, 13 months later, I am down to 13, with much more muscle! I can run 10km now in the time it used to take me to run only 5km and these challenges in memory of Hope have encouraged me to push for more and more on the fundraising front.

“The hardest challenge was the Manchester Half Marathon this October. I fell over early on in the race and really twisted my knee, so it was sheer determination and thinking about Hope that got me to the finish line. Luckily, after a few weeks off, I am back on track.

“The Great North Swim was another challenging event because the conditions on Lake Windermere were so bad. I was one of the last to swim on the Saturday and what was meant to be only a one mile swim became over two miles due to the currents and waves.

“I feel really invigorated to be supporting such an amazing charity that gave Michael and Lisa free accommodation for the three months Hope was at Freeman Hospital – we only live a few hours away, but not having to think about the cost of travel or how they were going to pay for a hotel took a little bit of the pressure off them during such a terrible time.

“My wife, Claire, has also helped our nine year old daughter Ellie with her fundraising for The Sick Children’s Trust. She has been really committed to supporting the charity that helped her little cousin Hope. She’s been raising money at school and also through her Brownies group.”

The Sick Children’s Trust supports around 4,000 families in its ten ‘Homes from Home’ every year – keeping families close to their seriously ill child’s bedside. Andrew Leadbitter, Scott House Manager, says:

“We are so grateful to Allen for taking on so many tough fundraising challenges. I got to know his family very well when Lisa and Michael were staying at Scott House and it is very touching that they have all rallied together to raise money in Hope’s memory for The Sick Children’s Trust.

“Scott House is located in the hospital grounds, which meant Hope’s parents were just minutes from her hospital bedside at all times. It costs us £30 to support a family for one night in one of our ‘Homes from Home’ and we rely entirely on voluntary donations to do this, so the team’s fundraising will support other families when they need it the most.”

To sponsor Allen, please click here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Allen-Winter-Moore4

SimplyVital Health (SVH), the healthcare company streamlining medical data storage and sharing using blockchain technology, has announced a partnership with Hartford HealthCare Bone & Joint Institute at Hartford Hospital (BJI). Through its blockchain-based ConnectingCare platform, SVH will manage and analyze total hip and total knee joint replacement patients from first appointment to final treatment, helping to reduce costs and improve patient recovery.

BJI is ahead of the game, preparing for excellence in orthopedic risk based contracts. Research found that orthopedic risk based contracts drive down cost, without affecting quality. SVH believes the key is effective pre and post-surgery management of patients and monitoring financial estimates in near real time. Maximizing savings requires easy access to the same data of shared patients, across multiple providers, and is exactly what ConnectingCare provides.

Kat Kuzmeskas, CEO of SVH, knows the orthopedic space well, having spent nearly three years working with a hospital-based orthopedic department. “What excites us the most about this opportunity is paralleling and supporting the work of the nurse navigators” explains Kuzmeskas. “This is an effective, proven method to improve care while controlling costs.”

“We have trained our nurse navigators to determine patient transition plans 2-4 weeks ahead of surgery, understanding DME, transportation, and medication management. The ConnectingCare platform gives us one more tool to effectively manage our patients,” says David Santoro, Director of Operations of the BJI.

SVH and Hartford Hospital look forward to decreasing costs and providing better care for patients of the BJI through blockchain technology.

About SimplyVital:

SimplyVital Health leverages Health Nexus, its blockchain protocol, to empower providers’ transition to value based care regardless of clinical affiliation. Their principal tool, ConnectingCare, augments existing hospital care systems to extract data and create care pathway flexibility, prospectively track financials, maintain immutable records, and accurately monitor analytics. Learn more at: https://tokensale.simplyvitalhealth.com

About BJI at HH:

The Hartford HealthCare Bone & Joint Institute at Hartford Hospital offers an unparalleled network of coordinated services for patients with musculoskeletal disorders and orthopedic injuries, serving patients from Baby Boomers to seasoned athletes. The new five-floor, 130,000-square foot facility features 10 operating rooms, 48 private inpatient beds (with the ability to expand to 60), diagnostic services, outpatient rehabilitation and ample space for community education.

Mark Allen Group yesterday completed on its acquisition of Community Care from Reed Business Information, part of RELX Group.

Community Care’s 26-strong staff will be moving to MAG’s main offices in Herne Hill and be housed within MA Education where Community Care will sit alongside brands such as Children & Young People Now and Nursery World.

It is a highly-respected digital, subscription-based resource for social workers through two platforms, Inform Children and Inform Adults, providing contents and tools to aid professional development and good practice. Communitycare.co.uk delivers up-to-date online news and Community Care Live has separate events every year in both London and Manchester, reinforcing the training needs of care staff.

Mark Allen, who was the launch editor of Community Care in 1974 when it was then a magazine, said: “I am delighted that the consultation process has been successfully concluded. We are all excited by the opportunities that Community Care provides and we are totally committed to ensuring its continued success”.

He added: “I would personally like to thank RBI for the professional part they have played in the consultation process.”

About Mark Allen GroupMAG is a progressive publishing and events business, which owns a diverse portfolio of 85 brands in the healthcare, education, manufacturing, engineering, business-to-business, aviation and leisure sectors. MA Education’s portfolio includes Nursery World as well as Children & Young People Now. MAG currently employs more than 350 staff based across its four offices in Herne Hill, Dartford, Guildford and Wiltshire. MAG’s headquartered office is in Herne Hill, London.www.markallengroup.com

About Reed Business InformationReed Business Information provides information, analytics and data to business professionals worldwide. Our strong global products and services hold market-leading positions across a wide range of industry sectors including banking, petrochemicals and aviation where we help customers make key strategic decisions every day. RBI is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. www.reedbusiness.com

ContactsMark AllenT: 020 7501 6700

Ben Allen T: 020 7501 6725W: www.markallengroup.com

Jane BaldwinT: 020 8652 8018W: www.reedbusiness.com

On Wednesday 15 November, UK NGO Teach A Man To Fish is bringing together leaders in international development, business and education to discuss the skills students around the world need to combat youth unemployment.

Over the past 10 years, Teach A Man To Fish has hosted the annual Education That Pays conference in different countries across the developing world. But this year’s conference, with the theme “Learning for Life: Entrepreneurship, Employability and Skills for Success”, will be the first to take place in London.

Charles Perry, green entrepreneur and international sustainability leader, will be chairing a panel of speakers from the government, corporations and foundations. Among the panellists is Natasha Kwawka, who leads the international girls’ empowerment programme ‘Goal’ at the Standard Chartered Bank. Dr Rebecca Montacute, a research fellow at The Sutton Trust, and Davelyn Thompson who manages DFID’s Higher Education programme will participate as well.

Winning teachers from the School Enterprise Challenge - Teach A Man To Fish’s school business awards programme - will also be sharing firsthand experience of leading student business teams and the impact of enterprise education on students. Jose Adolfo Quisocala Condori, a 12-year old manager for his school’s student bank in Peru, will be joining the panel of teachers.

Delegates from the British Council, Ashoka, Aflatoun, Fundacion Paraguaya, Opportunity International, PwC, Enabling Enterprise, Y Care International and many more will be presenting talks throughout the day.

The conference will be taking place at the offices of Norton Rose Fulbright, London Bridge. To register, click HERE.

For further enqueries, please contact

Adrienne Bernstein

PR, Communications and Marketing Officer

adrienne@teachamantofish.org.uk

Lights will shine brightly for loved ones no longer with us at a special ceremony hosted by St Andrew’s Hospice inside Grimsby Minster on Saturday 9 December.

Light Up A Life is one of the most well-loved, meaningful and poignant event of the St Andrew’s Hospice calendar and is a chance for supporters to remember a loved one at a traditionally reflective time of the year.

St Andrew’s is delighted to host its Light Up A Life event in Grimsby Minster and this unique celebration is a special time for family and friends to come together and remember those we love, who sadly are no longer with us.

The event will feature touching readings, music and quiet time for reflection; there will also be a special reading of a remembrance scroll.

Light Up A Life is a special service that is open to everyone, not just those who have lost someone they love in the hospice.

Hospice representative Theresa Crowe said: “The festive season is a time to enjoy precious moments with family and friends but it is also a time when we remember those who are no longer with us.

“We welcome everyone to be a part of this touching and moving service.”

By making a donation to St Andrew’s Hospice through Light Up A Life, you will be added to our remembrance scroll and will also receive a commemorative card.

These donations will allow us to continue to light up the lives of our patients and their families and what can be one of the most difficult times of the year.

Theresa continued: “Thanks to your support we have been able to provide services free of charge to 624 patients and their families during 2017.

“That figure encompasses families with newborn babies who were referred from the hospital, and we provide an environment where the family could all be together and make memories of the short time they have.

“On-going care is also given for children with a longer term life limiting illness like Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy.

“Then there are adults of all ages with a wide range of illness including Parkinson’s, Motor Neurone Disease and Dementia.”

An example of the difference a donation could make to St Andrew’s Hospice:

£50 could fund the costs of a nurse undertaking a referral for a patient to access services

If you would like to help us continue our care for local people of all ages, whilst at the same time use the opportunity to honour or remember a loved one in this year’s Light Up A Life campaign, please visit: https://www.everydayhero.co.uk/event/SAHLightUpALife2017 or download a donation form by clicking here.

There will also be an opportunity to purchase battery candles and Light Up A Life badges on the day.

Attendees are advised that there is no parking at Grimsby Minster, limited street parking is available nearby but there are pay and display car parks near the Minster.

Portsmouth, UK - Zentive Systems has announced the availability of Checkon.me Professional, a powerful lone worker safety app that helps to keep employees safe when working alone.

The system notifies emergency contacts via email, SMS, and phone should the user fail to check-in by the specified time. Users can also activate an SOS emergency alarm for immediate assistance either through the app or via a wearable Bluetooth panic button.

When an alarm is activated, emergency responders are able to view a map of the users’ real-time location, as well as details about what the user was doing at the time of the alarm.

Many existing lone-worker services require the purchase of an additional device, as well as costly subscription plans and third-party management. Checkon.me works with existing iOS and Android enabled smartphones, vastly reducing capital expenditure and starts at just £3 per month.

Checkon.me is ideal for: - Estate agents, Community workers, Charity workers, Local Authorities

Dan Shilcock, of Zentive Systems said: ‘The key to Checkon.me is our cloud-based infrastructure which makes the alarm service independent of the mobile device. This gives customers the peace of mind that even if the device is broken, switched off or stolen, their responders will still be notified that they may need assistance.’

Checkon.me is available now at https://www.checkon.me

Major UK investment to boost influenza vaccine production, jobs and exports

Nearly a hundred new high tech jobs are to be created at the Liverpool manufacturing site of Seqirus, one of the world’s largest influenza vaccine companies, as a result of major new investment.

The Liverpool site manufactures bulk material for a range of influenza vaccines, including an adjuvanted influenza vaccine designed for people aged 65 years and above. The bulk material is currently shipped to Italy where it is filled into vials and syringes by a contract manufacturer.

Seqirus has taken the decision to bring this capability in-house, choosing to invest in a new and expanded fill-and-finish facility on the Liverpool site. The investment will help meet growing demand for its adjuvanted influenza vaccine, strengthen reliability of supply and bolster pandemic response.

Seqirus already contributes over £1 billion to the UK economy each year. The new ‘fill-and-finish’ facility will help drive economic growth by creating 88 new high value jobs at the Liverpool site, adding to the 600 already employed there, supporting supplier partnerships and increasing exports.

Seqirus’ adjuvanted influenza vaccine is specifically designed to enhance the immune response in older adults, offering greater protection compared to conventional influenza vaccines.,[1],[2],[3] The product is licensed in major global markets and was recently approved in the UK for supply in the 2018/19 influenza season. It is the only licensed seasonal influenza vaccine of its kind in the world.

Gordon Naylor, President of Seqirus, said: “Our Liverpool site, the largest influenza vaccine manufacturing facility in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe, is well-placed to supply the UK with an enhanced influenza vaccine for people aged 65 years plus. It will also be an export success story, primed to supply this vaccine to countries where it is already licensed in Europe and North America, and to countries in Latin America and Australasia where regulatory submissions are ongoing. This investment is a sign of Seqirus’ continued commitment to public health and to the Liverpool region as a leading biotechnology hub.”

The £40m project takes the company’s investment in the site to over £60m since CSL acquired the Novartis influenza vaccine business in July 2015 to create Seqirus.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said: “Through the Industrial Strategy, the Government is building on our world-leading strengths in research and innovation, and quickening the pace of scientific discovery – backed by £4.7 billion, the largest increase in investment in R&D for 40 years. The new highly skilled manufacturing roles Seqirus is creating here in Merseyside will help develop pioneering vaccines to tackle the global problem of influenza. This investment, achieved by the board, Government and local leaders working together, is a huge vote of confidence our thriving biotechnology sector.”

In addition to its role in the supply of seasonal influenza vaccine, Seqirus is a global leader in pandemic preparedness and response. The company is contracted by the UK Government to be in constant a state of readiness for the production of pandemic influenza vaccine during a pandemic emergency.

Dr Laura O’Brien, Vice President of Operations and Site Head at Liverpool, said: “Speed is of the essence in a pandemic situation. This investment means we can complete production of more pandemic vaccine much more rapidly, saving vital days in getting vaccines out to protect the British population as well as to other countries in the region.”

The new fill and finish facility at the Seqirus Liverpool site will be fully operational in 2019.

Notes to Editors:

Seqirus is part of CSL Limited (ASX:CSL), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The CSL Group of companies employs more than 20,000 people with operations in more than 60 countries.

Seqirus was established on 31st July 2015 following CSL’s acquisition of the Novartis influenza vaccines business and its subsequent integration with bioCSL. As the 2nd-largest influenza vaccine provider in the world, Seqirus is a major contributor to the prevention of influenza globally and a transcontinental partner in pandemic preparedness.

Seqirus operates state-of-the-art production facilities in the US, the UK, and Australia, and manufactures influenza vaccines using both egg-based and cell-based technologies. It has leading R&D capabilities, a broad portfolio of differentiated products, and a commercial presence in more than 20 countries.

REFERENCES

[1] Mannino S et al. Effectiveness of adjuvanted influenza vaccination in elderly subjects in northern Italy. Am J Epidemiol. 2012 Sep 15; 176(6) 527-533

[2] Frey SE et al. Comparison of the safety and immunogenicity of an MF59®-adjuvanted with a non-adjuvanted seasonal influenza vaccine in elderly subjects. Vaccine 2014 Jul 18; 32: 5027-5034

[3] Fluad, suspension for injection in pre-filled syringe. Influenza Vaccine, Surface Antigen, Inactivated, Adjuvanted with MF59C.1. Summary of Product Characteristics. MHRA, 2017. Available at: www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/spcpil/documents/spcpil/con1502428652950.pdf