How about owning your own tropical Caribbean luxury resort for just $10?

American couple Suzanne and Dave Smith are selling off their incredible Casa Cayuco Eco Adventure Lodge, in Bocas del Toro, Panama, Central America.

But instead of listing their stunning multi-million-pound island getaway for sale they are offering the chance for anyone who buys a $10 ticket to win their extraordinary lifestyle and profitable business.

Dave and Suzanne have spent five years turning a former rustic lodge into one that has just been voted number one resort on TripAdvisor in Panama.

Their incredible two-acre slice of heaven is bordered by sloth-filled rainforest to the rear and crystal clear coral sea to the front.

The lucky winner of the resort, with capacity for 24 guests, will become owner of four stand-alone cabins, a main lodge, two lodge suites, and an air-conditioned luxury owner’s suite designed by Dave and Suzanne themselves and built by skilled local carpenters.

Outside, Casa Cayuco comes with its own jetty and thatch covered sun terrace as well as everything you need to run a business, including commercial kitchen communication tower, laundry and maintenance building and THREE power boats, each over 23-foot long.

Kayaks, snorkelling, spear fishing and paddle boards and surf gear are also ready and waiting to be used by a new owner and guests alike.

And if that’s not enough, British competition organisers https://winthis.life/ are offering a $50,000 cash injection to welcome the new owners.

All those wishing to take part have to do is buy one or more tickets and play a spot-the-ball-type competition on the website.

Dave, 35, and Suzanne, 33, first arrived on the island in 2013 with just seven suitcases having decided to sell up from their home and corporate lives near Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Now the Smiths – along with their two-and-a-half-old daughter Mina - run a thriving resort which attracts everyone from honeymooners and families to eco-scientists and yoga retreaters.

Dave said: “My wife and I had corporate jobs in the United States, which we did not like, and we kind of saw how everyone in our area was going in the same direction… jobs, college, get married, have kids, pay for their college, and then retire… which is a fine life, but we wanted something different.

“We started looking all over for something else and eventually we started looking at Panama, which we found has really friendly foreign investment laws and immigration laws.

“We came across Bocas del Toro which is this chain of islands in the Caribbean, which we weren’t really aware of at the time.

“We loved the idea of island life, and after some research we found Casa Cayuco for sale and I contacted the owner, who lived remotely.

“He was coming down for his one week of the year at the resort and so I came down on my own for three days and we hit it off and when I got back we bought it. I guess it was an impulse buy, but it’s turned out to be amazing.

“We sold everything you would have for a life, house, cars and everything and we ended up moving down here with seven suitcases and just enough to be able to buy this place.”

When Dave and Suzanne first arrived Casa Cayuco was off the electricity grid, which it still is so no bills, but there was virtually no internet and the electricity generator would give enough for a few hours of light a night.

Dave said: “The thought of off-grid living is pretty romantic, but actually living and running a business without those things is something else.

“We started right away re-building everything, and thankfully Bocas was starting to get really popular so we had enough business to pay for these renovations.

“So, the last four years we’ve just been rebuilding the whole place, the solar system, the communications tower, the house for Suzanne and I with air-conditioning, Apple TV and lots of space. It’s gone now from an eco lodge to more of a luxury eco resort.”

The Smiths’ employ 14 indigenous people from the local village and Dave said they had become more of a family now as well as people that work for them.

The locals help with everything from cooking and spear fishing excursions, to helping build and maintain the resort itself.

And Dave and Suzanne’s immediate family has expanded too, with the birth of their daughter Mina who has spent her first years in paradise.

Dave said: “It’s been amazing for Mina and we kind of envisioned having a family out here, that’s one of the reasons we wanted to move to raise our child in a really unique environment.

“I know in the United States and most places in the West now kids don’t really play outside anymore and they are just glued to their devices. It’s really special to see our daughter grow up around kids, who if they don’t have a toy they just play with nature or stick for four hours and they don’t get bored.

“To grow up with that imagination is something we’re really pleased she has, and we’re right on the Caribbean sea which has crystal clear waters and having the ocean be a big part of her life is very special.”

Dave said Mina was born in Panama City which is only a 40 minute flight away and has some excellent hospitals as well as all the amenities you would expect from a major city.

He said the couple’s reasons were moving on were because they wished to expand their family and build another resort from scratch in a different part of Panama.

He said: “We love hospitality and want to raise a family in a similar environment. Now that we feel Casa Cayuco is a well run operation and is truly ‘turn-key’, we're ready for a new adventure and want to build something from the ground up.

“We could hire managers to run Casa Cayuco while we took on the next project, but we think our next adventure will require all of our energy.

"We're pretty sure our next thing won't be as magical as Casa Cayuco, but the plan is to build something that affords us more family time.”

Art Jenkins, from competition organisers WinThis.Life (part of the company Ultra Primus), said any prospective winner would not be left to sink or swim once they took over the business.

He said: “It’s very important to Dave and Suzanne that the local community are still involved in the resort and they have plenty of advice and tips to give any potential winner.

“As organisers, we have made sure all the proper contingencies are in place, and there are a wealth of resort managers in the area who can help run things should they be needed.

“It’s an incredible opportunity for anyone to win this amazing lifestyle and resort, just like Dave and Suzanne did you could leave the rat race behind and be living in your own slice of paradise before you know it, you only live once.”

ENDS

PANAMA FACT FILE

Bocas del Toro – where Casa Cayuco is situated – is a series of islands off on the north eastern Caribbean coast of Panama, close to the Costa Rican border.

Panama is a Central American country with a population of around four million people, the capital is Panama City, home to around 800,000.

The country is home to the 48-mile long Panama Canal, completed in 1914, which connects the Pacific ocean in the west with the Atlantic in the east.

Panama’s tropical wildlife diversity is staggering with 125 animal species found nowhere else in the world. The jungles are home to monkeys, sloths and jaguars and birds like toucans, parrots and macaws.

Reaching a technological and a community-building milestone gives Humaniq reason to be confident for future expansion, as it finds way to cut transaction costs, and hundred thousandth community member joins.

London, March 19, 2018 - Humaniq has achieved the first working hybrid Blockchain with the 2.0 version of its app, to retain the benefits of the Ethereum main-net while expanding faster.

Humaniq today announces that the recently launched 2.0 version of our app is delivered on a unique Hybrid Blockchain. In a technological milestone, it is the first project with a working hybrid Blockchain that is not in prototype or beta-testing stage. Humaniq has successfully solved the problem of scaling ERC20 projects. The new, improved app sits on the Ethereum Blockchain with the unique combination of sidechain solutions in individual African countries, such as Uganda, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Before, all Humaniq coin transactions were made on the Ethereum main-net. However, the security of a transaction in the main Ethereum network is provided at a cost of about $84.85 at the current rate[1]according to figures that apply until 15th March, 2018. This is a barrier to the App’s expansion and to emerging economies entering the 21st Century economy. This is why the company started work on a new architecture that would both allow for HMQ tokens to remain open and accessible on the Ethereum main-net, and also provide an inexpensive method to secure the network - vital to allow our users to make small transactions with transaction fees close to zero.

The solution consists of one, main, HMQ Blockchain, and a number of internal Blockchains where user wallets from different countries are stored and operated together, while remaining identifiable and personalised based on the user’s country location. When the capacity of the existing Blockchain due to the volume of transactions gets fulfilled, the system unpacks and boots up the next Blockchain to scale the system horizontally.

It means that transactions can continue to be made in a decentralised and transparent way, necessary to overcoming the cost barriers to expanding financial services to the many regions that banks do not serve. But now there is no ceiling to the growth of Humaniq community and of the use of the app, which has been already downloaded more than 100,000 times from Google Play. It also means the company remains open to any regulatory rules that individual nations may adopt.

“Our development team’s proud of this technological first, which brings together the benefits of the Ethereum Blockchain and of individual Blockchains. Our unique solution allows us to serve ever more of the global unbanked population, building on the 100,000 downloads already made - without the costs of providing services of either the miners or the traditional banks,” said Anton Mozgovoy, CTO Humaniq.

ABOUT HUMANIQ

Humaniq is a London-based Fintech firm that provides next generation financial services using its Blockchain-based mobile application to the unbanked and underprivileged in emerging economies globally. Humaniq is focused on worldwide financial inclusion by providing access to global markets, greater opportunities, and novel financial solutions using repurposed technologies for those gaining exposure to financial services for the first time.

Media contact:

Alex Fork office

Pr@humaniq.com

See more at: http://humaniq.com

Join us:

https://www.facebook.com/humaniq.co/

https://humaniq-co.slack.com

https://www.linkedin.com/company/humaniq

https://t.me/HumaniqNews

https://www.reddit.com/r/Humaniq

https://open.kakao.com/o/gR94ctw

[1] In 2017 the issuance rate of Ether was 14.75%. Roughly five Ethers per block are issued. Because Ethereum rewards Uncles it means that there may be more or less than five Ethers. By 15/03/2018 miners generated 24,590,422.41 ETH as Mining Block Reward and 1,604,216.75 Mining Uncle Reward. For securing the network, they received a total of 26,194,639.1 ETH. Using the 15/03/2018 price of $594.18, security of the network costs 26,194,639.1 ETH * $594.18 = $15,564,330,660.4. There are 183,439,589 transactions on the network. Therefore, security of a transaction in the main Ethereum network costs are about $84.85 at the current rate

The counting based on https://etherscan.io/stat/supply

UK ad tech start-up Admedo recorded 198 per cent growth in revenue during 2017, despite scepticism in the Venture Capitalist market around ad tech, and in a period where advertising giants Google and Facebook hoovered up 84 per cent of global spending on digital advertising.

The London-based company, which was founded by Nick Moutter and Laura Bowen in 2013, has raised £7 million in funding to date from investors that include Sussex Place Ventures, MMC and Fuel Ventures.

Previously focused on growth, Admedo’s goal shifted to profitability in 2017 through transitioning more into the direct advertiser market, enabling brands and advertisers to bring their programmatic buying in house with ease and in a transparent manner. Having been named in The Fresh Business Thinking Shift 100 in association with KPMG last year, which celebrated marketing and advertising entrepreneurs who were reinventing advertising and marketing, Admedo believes data is the key for advertisers and media owners.

“In order to realise the full potential of programmatic advertising, brands must be able to harness their first party data. We have incorporated into our programmatic suite the ability for brands to dynamically build audiences through the creation of custom segments which allows them to develop highly creative and granular targeting strategies.” chief executive officer Nick Moutter explained.

Over the last year, Admedo has built an impressive client roster, including Monster, Hotcourses Group, Robert Half, MotoDirect Digital and many more. The innovative start-up has expanded their core offering across all sectors, to include travel, retail, hospitality and now cryptocurrencies. Admedo’s product is transforming how programmatic advertising is realised internationally too, gaining traction through reseller relationships.

As the only fully transparent programmatic stack, Admedo’s success comes at a time when the industry is being shaken up, with notable marketing executives such as Keith Weed and Marc Pritchard speaking out about opaque practices and murky supply chains.

WPP has seen share prices fall by more than seven per cent. Whilst the blame is being placed on “tepid” macro environments, the shift in advertisers moving away from agencies on a wider scale can’t be overlooked. A recent ANA Report shows 35% of brands are moving their programmatic accounts away from media agency partners with lack of transparency as the main motivator.

“There is a clear need for the ad tech sector to become simplified and accessible which is why marketers are closing the programmatic skills gap to bring their technology in house and place the focus on marketing technology. Martech already accounts for a hefty 22% of marketing budgets. Our strategy has always been to empower advertisers and put the control back into their hands. Our fully unified technology stack provides brands with all the tools they need in one UI and at one cost, which they can seamlessly bring in-house. Customers have a totally customisable platform at their fingertips and are even able to leverage our access to multiple vendors to fit to their business needs,” he added.

About Admedo Ltd:

Founded in the UK, and with a global reach, Admedo provides a unified and fully transparent Programmatic Marketing Platform to its customers, with all the tools in one UI at one cost. The industry demands transparency and with Admedo, trust, honesty and customisation are at the heart of its operation. Admedo helps advertisers make independent decisions about the programmatic solutions they use, arming them with all the tools and insights to achieve their campaign goals at a fraction of the market rate cost. The Admedo offering is enabled by the most advanced technology and can be used on a self-serve or fully managed service, providing advertisers with total customisation around their business. For more information, visit admedo.com

Thanks to the generous donation received from The John James Bristol Foundation, we have been able to provide our schools service to support a number of pupils at New Fosseway Special School in Bristol.

Schools like New Fosseway seek our expertise to help pupils who may be struggling to maintain attention and focus; experiencing problems with behaviour; finding it hard to follow instructions or plan work; feeling socially anxious or having difficulties with fine and gross motor skills.

Emma Quinn from New Fosseway said,

“bibic assessments offer us an invaluable different perspective when working with the children and young people at New Fosseway School. They provide us with strategies and approaches that enable us to get the very best from our students, both educationally and emotionally, and give them the chance to fulfill their true potential."

bibic’s holistic assessment process identifies a child’s difficulties and strengths and uses these outcomes to develop a bespoke therapy plan. This plan give the child strategies to manage their condition better; parents and carers techniques to help their child’s difficulties and needs, and teachers, the strategies they need to support struggling pupils emotionally and educationally.

This plan has a profoundly life changing impact; teachers and classmates see positive results in the classroom; relationships are saved; and parents, carers and teachers are equipped with skills and knowledge to help their child cope better both at home and at school.

Chelsey Oxley, one of bibic’s developmental therapists who was part of the team that went to New Fosseway said, “It was great to work with a young adult about to leave school and give him and his parents ways he can become more independent as an adult. It was lovely to see his parents’ response to some of the techniques given that made them realise there is a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Tahnee Wade, who works with Trusts and Foundations on behalf of bibic said, “We would like to take this opportunity to thank The John James Bristol Foundation whose generous donation has enabled us to deliver an important local outreach service at New Fosseway School. Donations like these are a lifeline to our small charity. Feedback we have from both parents and staff tells us that the impacts are far reaching, changing the lives of not only children, but their families' too. "

bibic has a long standing, excellent relationship with New Fosseway, and this latest visit marked bibic’s 24th outreach service for the school. Heavily subsidised assessments for children and young people are also available at bibic’s National Assessment Centre in Langport, Somerset.

A local government officer will be taking on the Virgin Money London Marathon to raise money for The Sick Children’s Trust in memory of 15 year old Harry Lowings who tragically passed away last year.

Andrew Harvey, 43, from Bacton, is training five days a week to complete the race to raise £2,500 for The Sick Children’s Trust which supported his neighbours, Tracey and Gary Lowings, with free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation while their son, Harry, battled for his life in two specialist hospitals miles away from home.

In 2017 Harry became seriously unwell and was diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM) – a condition which mainly affects the muscles and skin, but can also affect a number of systems within the body. Harry was given medication to improve his health, however, despite initially responding well his condition deteriorated and he was rushed to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. Two weeks later, Harry was then rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) for further specialist treatment. At GOSH, Harry spent six weeks fighting for his life before tragically passing away in June last year, aged just 15 years old.

Since his death, the community has rallied around the family to say thank you to The Sick Children’s Trust, raising over £8,000 from a memorial day. The Sick Children’s Trust, which supports families with seriously ill children in hospital with free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation, gave Harry’s parents a place to stay for two months whilst he was being treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and GOSH. This meant they were never more than a few minutes from Harry’s hospital bedside. Andrew, who has lived next door to the family for 18 years and whose son, Jack, grew up with Harry says:

“The Sick Children’s Trust’s Acorn House and Rainbow House supported Gary and Tracy with a comfortable place to stay during such a traumatic time. The charity’s ‘Homes from Home’ were so close by, which meant they never had to worry about being separated from their son and the houses allowed them to be with him as much as possible.

“It was devastating when Harry’s family returned home without him. Going around to see them that night with my wife, Amanda, and son, Jack, was one of the hardest moments of my life so far. As a family we are doing all we can in Harry’s memory to say thanks to The Sick Children’s Trust for keeping his parents and sister by his hospital bedside.

“Although I have run marathons before, this year will be my toughest challenge because I want to do Harry proud. His loss is still very raw and felt among our community, and this is a small gesture on my behalf, one that I really hope will help Harry’s family, as well as my family, through the emotional months ahead.”

Harry’s Mum, Tracy who organised last year’s Memorial Day for Harry and is planning future fundraising events in her son’s memory, says:

“The last five weeks of Harry’s life were incredibly hard and we really struggled to stay afloat. But we were there every day and every night in London, living just minutes from where Harry was being treated in GOSH. We didn’t have to worry about Harry ever being alone, or not being there when we needed to be because The Sick Children’s Trust was there for us. We can’t thank them enough.”

Andrew will join 13 other runners as part of #TeamSCT to raise vital funds for The Sick Children’s Trust’s ‘Homes from Home’ across the country. Rainbow and Guilford Street House Manager, Tina Thake, says:

“Harry’s family have suffered a huge loss and our thoughts will always be with them. We are so grateful for the money that they have raised so far, which will go a long way in helping to support other families with a seriously ill child in hospital. Their generosity at such a difficult time means so much.”

To help Andrew reach his £2,500 target, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/andrew-harvey10

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

Ends

A local woman will be running this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon to raise funds for The Sick Children’s Trust on behalf of her friends’ son who has been desperately waiting for a lifesaving heart transplant for ten months.

Emma Ford, 43, a Zumba teacher from Stoke-on-Trent, is training hard to complete the gruelling race to raise £1,000 for The Sick Children’s Trust. The charity, which runs free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation across the country, has been supporting her close friends, Tracy and Adrian Bloor, at its Guilford Street House in London whilst their five year old son, Alexander, waits in hospital for a lifesaving donor heart to become available.

At just eight weeks old, Alexander was diagnosed with a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy – in which the left ventricle of the heart is enlarged and unable to efficiently pump blood around the body. A regular check-up in June 2016 showed that his condition was worsening and sadly, just under a year later, his devastated parents were told that their son’s only chance of survival would be a heart transplant.

Alexander was transferred from Alder Hey Children’s Hospital to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) last year where he was fitted with a mechanical heart pump, known as the Berlin Heart, to keep him alive. Unable to leave the hospital and over three hours from the family’s home in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Alexander continues to undergo treatment at GOSH and will do so until a donor heart is found. Emma, who along with her husband Rich, has known the Bloor family for years, says:

“The Sick Children’s Trust has been supporting Tracy, Adrian and their daughter Sophia for many months during this traumatic time. The charity’s ‘Home from Home’ is so close by, which means they never have to worry about being separated from their son and are just a couple of minutes away from him.

“I really want to fundraise for the charity that is helping our close friends at this time and as mother to two young sons myself, Thomas and Samuel, I couldn’t imagine being separated from them if either were seriously ill in hospital.

“Although I have run half marathons before, this year will be my toughest challenge because I want to do Alexander proud and run my first full marathon. I am aiming to complete the course in four and a half hours, but the enormity of the challenge ahead is just beginning to hit me. However, thinking of the Bloor family, hours away from home, but being provided with a free and comfortable place to stay during such a traumatic time, is good inspiration for me to embrace the race ahead!”

Alexander’s Mum, Tracy, has thanked Emma for choosing to run the marathon for The Sick Children’s Trust, and says:

“Whilst Alexander waits a new heart, which will save his life, we have to do the very best we can to stay strong and The Sick Children’s Trust is helping us to do that.

“In London we stay at Guilford Street House, which is free accommodation provided by The Sick Children’s Trust. It’s amazing and a real ‘Home from Home’. Our nine year old daughter, Sophia, needs to come down to London to visit her little brother and being supported by the charity means that she can. Currently, Alexander’s Dad and I alternate fortnightly between being at home and at GOSH. This means that on weekends when we swap, Sophia gets to come along to visit her brother and stay at Guilford Street House. These weekends are very precious as we are altogether for a couple of days every two weeks. When we are not at Alexander’s bedside, we take time to sit in the comfortable lounge room in the evenings at Guilford Street House and most importantly get a good night’s sleep in order to be strong for Alexander.

“I really do not know how we would cope without The Sick Children’s Trust help. We would struggle financially to stay in a hotel in London if this was not provided. Knowing you have a good, comfortable and warm home to go to at the end of a long day in hospital is one less thing to worry about. We cannot thank The Sick Children’s Trust enough for helping us during this extremely tough time in our lives.

“We have been there for almost ten months already and have no idea of when all this will end, but are touched by the charity’s kindness and that Emma has chosen to take on such a huge challenge for Alexander.”

Emma will join 16 other runners as part of #TeamSCT to raise vital funds for The Sick Children’s Trust’s ‘Homes from Home’ across the country. Although accommodation is provided to families free of charge, it costs the charity £30 to support a family for one night. Guilford Street House Manager, Tina Thake, says:

“I am so pleased that we are able to continue to support Alexander’s family whilst they wait for a donor heart to become available and give them an opportunity to spend time altogether during this time.

“We are so grateful for the money that Emma will raise by running the London Marathon. It will go a long way in helping to support other families with a seriously ill child in hospital. I know that her generosity at such a difficult time means so much to the Bloor family.”

To help Emma reach her £1,000 target, please visit: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=EmmaFord11&pageUrl=1

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

Ends

The flexible online loan provider MYJAR has reached over 4,000 reviews on independent customer review website Trustpilot. With 84% of their 4,000 reviews at the highest mark of 5 stars, they have long-maintained their reputation as one of the highest-rated consumer lenders within the non-bank finance category.

MYJAR have made significant enhancements to their product offering in recent years introducing longer duration term loans at lower rates of interest while maintaining flexible repayment and allowing the customer to repay early at any time. Their 12 month loan is their cheapest product at 35 pence per day per £100 borrowed with a maximum loan amount of £3,600.

REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLE: Borrow £500 for 6 months. Annual interest rate 238% (variable). 1 instalment of £142.10 & 5 equal instalments of £142.42. Total amount to repay £854.20. Representative 788% APR.

The company are also award-winning in terms of their customer service offering capturing The Collections & Customer Service Award (CCS Award) for the Best Contact Centre Team in 2017. This followed their win of the F5 Responsible Lender Award in 2016 . A MYJAR spokesperson commented:

“We are delighted to reach the benchmark of 4,000 reviews which reflects the way we truly value our customers, who clearly enjoy the experience of using our services. We make it our priroty to work with them as individuals to support their borrowing needs responsibly in order to assist them. We have regular dialogue with our customers and value their opinions and needs in every aspect of our business. This is one reason why our customers rate our service and loan product so highly, making thousands of public statements praising MYJAR by awarding top Trustpilot marks. We will continue to do all we possibly can to make sure that our customers feel valued and fairly treated while delivering a leading online loan product at an affordable rate.”

Now boasting a ‘Trustpilot’ score of 9.3 out of 10 - with 84% of customers giving them a flawless 5 star rating – MYJAR pride themselves on helping out customers who need a little extra cash.

One customer, who recommended MYJAR, awarding them 5-star’s on review site Trustpilot, made this statement;

“Great customer service, money transferred into bank within minutes. Give you notice by text and email to remind you that payment is due, very nice people to deal with.” - Norse thor

Another customer praised the flexibility of a MYJAR loan while also rating it 5-stars;

“Easy application process, good repayment terms, flexible repayment when your circumstances change.” - Sdoonpan

MYJAR are proud to offer loans to those who need them, at “sensible prices”, without compromising on service. MYJAR are always working on new ways to innovate and improve their service, with hopes to replicate the success of their recent advancements. MYJAR loans are all subject to eligabilty and customers must be 18 +.

Warning: Late repayment can cause you serious money problems. For help, go to moneyadviceservice.org.uk.

Notes for Editors:

MYJAR is a direct lender and was established in 2009. MYJAR is a responsible, transparent lender and has issued over 2 million loans.

Reviews can be seen in full at https://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/myjar.com.

MYJAR supports Payplan, one of the leading free debt help charities, to help any of its customers who experience financial difficulty.

For further information please contact MYJAR via press@myjar.com.

MYJAR Limited is a company incorporated in England and Wales (registered no. 08518406) and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority – Authorisation number 673214.

When post by the sack load starts to arrive at a children’s hospice in Didsbury, Manchester in the run up to Easter, everyone knows what is inside.

From across the UK and the globe, the word has spread among the knitting community, that Francis House Children’s Hospice needs their support for one of their biggest fundraising appeals.

Last year the Easter chick knit resulted in an incredible 40,000 crocheted and knitted chicks descending into the Manchester hospice that provides a home from home environment to the families of children with life-limiting conditions.

Each woolly creation is filled with a small chocolate egg, donated in their tens of thousands by schools, supermarkets and local businesses, and the cute chicks are sold across the region for £1.

This year’s appeal is on target to match the previous total of £50,000 raised in income.

Rachel Astill, fundraising officer at Francis House said: “From its beginnings as a chick knit by our hospice volunteers, and through the hard work of our supporters and the wider knitting community, the Francis House Easter Chick Knit has become a much-loved annual appeal with a fantastic feel-good factor. Every single chick knitted and every egg donated, really makes a big difference to us.”

More than 740 knitters have taken part, including groups of knitters and crafters.

Candy Crafts Club in Timperley, Cheshire knitted a whopping 1,040 chicks, two hundred more than last year.

A knitter in Western Australia however pipped them at the post by producing 1,084.

Laure Chambers, 80, originally from Hulme, knits while watching football, cricket and athletics on TV at her home in Perth.

After travelling more than 9,000 miles in the post, Laure’s sisters-in-law Lillian Haughton and Jennifer Walker, both from Cheadle Hulme, finish off the chicks with stuffing, beaks, eyes and bows before taking them to Francis House.

For every chick knitted a Cadbury creme sized egg is needed to fill it. Manchester businesses backing the campaign include Fashion retailer Boohoo with a donation of 460 eggs from its Northern Quarter office; Co-op Heaton Moor Road with 692; Stockport’s Allied Bakeries dropped off 600; Town Barber Too in Oldham collected 901 and the Girls’ Division of The King’s School in Macclesfield donated 1,191.

Denton-based Francis Kirk Group, manufacturers of engineering and fastener products, loaned a driver and van to deliver two thousands chicks to be sold in six schools in Stockport.

The money raised will help towards the long term running costs of the hospice, currently at more than £12,900 a day.

“It takes time to send out knitting patterns, organise egg stuffing sessions and volunteer deliveries for thousands of chicks, but the results are always fantastic. We are really grateful to everyone who gets involved and on behalf of Francis House and the 1,200 families we support I would like to say a huge thank you,” said Rachel.

Anyone wanting to find out more about Francis House, there is a public open day at the hospice on Monday April 23. For more information call 0161 443 2200.

21st March 2018, London, UK

SUMMARY

30 venues and suppliers from across the world were announced as winners in the Prestigious Star Awards on Friday evening at One Whitehall Place in London. Winning venues included The Natural History Museum (UK), Atlantis The Palm Dubai (UAE), Vila Monte (Portugal), Ritz Carlton Bali (Indonesia), Nobu Eden Roc (USA), The Langham, Melbourne (Australia) and more. The black tie grand ball celebrated the very best in hospitality and through a partnership with City Academy revived the old-world tradition of ballroom dancing to Shostakovich’s Waltz No. 2. The ‘World’s Best Events’ section of the evening was a showcase of 12 exceptional events, selected among over 200 outstanding submissions, hosted at notable international venues including: Qasr Al Sarab, Banqueting House, Sofitel Marrakech, Hever Castle and Kempinski Bangkok. For the first time, the three finalists were revealed on the night and the winner was selected through a live audience vote. Blenheim Palace enjoyed a decisive victory to win the 'World’s Best Event' trophy. The program celebrates the quality, performance and reputation of the world’s best venues qualified to host the most memorable events. It remains, the only global luxury venue awards program.

The 30 winners were announced at One Whitehall Place on Friday 16th March in London. From a shortlist of over 2,000 global venues reviewed, 200 were nominated in the awards and only 30 were crowned as winners. Nominated venues were voted for by event bookers in July when 3 finalists were shortlisted in each category. An in-depth review by Prestigious Venues global ambassadors, venue specialists and event planners in August, led to the 30 winners being selected. This year, as well as the global venue categories, new national categories were included such as, 'Best Venue in the UK,' 'Best Venue in the UAE' and 'Best Venue in Italy.' In addition, new categories for event suppliers were also introduced, including 'Best Event Entertainment' and 'Best Event Florist.’

The awards evening on the 16th March brought together 140 distinguished individuals from the Prestigious Venues network, including senior representatives from leading international venues, corporate partners, prestigious event suppliers, and VIP clients from a wide range of sectors. This black tie grand ball featured captivating burlesque performances, sleight of hand magic, extravagant guest prizes and the finest hospitality.

In a spectacular first, the evening revived the old-world tradition of ballroom dancing to Shostakovich’s Waltz No. 2. Set in motion by City Academy, this element of the awards evening was thoroughly enjoyed and will be a key element of future celebrations at the Prestigious Star Awards.

Now in their ninth year, the Prestigious Star Awards celebrate the quality, performance and reputation of the world’s best venues qualified to host the most memorable events. The awards program is run annually by Prestigious Venues. Venue performance in the awards is used to make recommendations and develop a series of international rankings, including ‘Top 100 Venues’ worldwide.

The headline event partner was one of the world’s most prominent private jet brands, Air Partner. Other esteemed partners included One Whitehall Place, Yellow Entertainment, EMS Events, Purling London, Rupa Photography, Temptribe, Wildabout Flowers, Michael King, City Academy, Mahiki and Aircharge.

PRIMARY CATEGORIES

20 Categories based on event themes.

Winner: The Wallace Collection (UK) & Highly Commended: Royal Mansour Marrakech (Morocco)

2. Most Prestigious Conference Venue Winner: Mandarin Oriental Pudong, Shanghai (China) & Highly Commended: Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney (Australia)

3. Most Prestigious Meeting Venue Winner: One Great George Street (UK) & Highly Commended: Sofitel Legend The Grand Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

4. Most Prestigious Christmas Venue Winner: The Royal Horseguards Hotel and One Whitehall Place (UK) & Highly Commended: Cafe de Paris (UK)

5. Most Prestigious Private Dining Venue Winner: L'Albereta (Italy) & Highly Commended: Auberge du Lac (UK)

6. Most Prestigious Reception Venue Winner: Cafe de Paris (UK) & Highly Commended: Petroff Palace (Russia)

7. Most Prestigious Engagement Party Venue Winner: The Forbury Hotel (UK) & Highly Commended: Conservatorium Hotel (The Netherlands)

8. Most Prestigious Wedding Venue Winner: Vila Monte (Portugal) & Highly Commended: L'Andana (Italy)

9. Most Prestigious Romantic Venue Winner: Farncombe Estate (UK) & Highly Commended: Banyan Tree Bali (Indonesia)

10. Most Prestigious Birthday Party VenueWinner: Kenwood House (UK) & Highly Commended: Casa Fuzetta (Portugal)

11. Most Prestigious Fashion Event Venue Winner: Ritz Carlton Bali (Indonesia) & Highly Commended: Ivy (UK)

12. Most Prestigious Networking Event Venue Winner: The Dorchester (UK) & Highly Commended: 170 Queen's Gate (UK)

13. Most Prestigious Product Launch Venue Winner: Nobu Eden Roc (USA) & Highly Commended: Armani Hotel Dubai (UAE)

14. Most Prestigious Film Location Venue Winner: The St. Regis Rome (Italy) & Highly Commended: The Royal Horseguards Hotel and One Whitehall Place (UK)

15. Most Prestigious Press Conference Venue Winner: Atlantis The Palm, Dubai (UAE) & Highly Commended: One Great George Street (UK)

16. Most Prestigious Corporate Incentive Venue Winner: UNICO 20 87 Riviera Maya (Mexico) & Highly Commended: Schlosshotel Velden (Austria)

17. Most Prestigious Training Venue Winner: The Langham, Melbourne (Australia) & Highly Commended: Rushton Hall Hotel and Spa (UK)

18. Most Prestigious Exhibition Venue Winner: Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya (Mexico) & Highly Commended: Emirates Palace (UAE)

19. Most Prestigious Sporting Venue Winner: Hotel Maiensee (Austria) & Highly Commended: Burhill Golf Club (UK)

20. The World's Most Prestigious Venue Winner: Royal Mansour Marrakech (Morocco) & Highly Commended: Tower Bridge (UK)

10 National and Event Supplier categories.

23. The Best Venue in Italy Winner: L'Andana & Highly Commended: Belmond Hotel Splendido

24. The Best Venue in Austria Winner: Hotel Salzburgerhof & Highly Commended: Palais Coburg Residenz

25. The Best Venue in the UAE Winner: The Palace Downtown Dubai & Highly Commended: Qasr Al Sarab

26. The Best Venue in Russia Winner: Petroff Palace & Highly Commended: Turandot

EVENT SUPPLIERS

28. The Best Event Florist Winner: Wildabout Flowers & Highly Commended: Pinstripes & Peonies29. The Best Event Entertainment Winner: Yellow Entertainment & Highly Commended: Urban Soul Orchestra

THE WORLD'S BEST EVENTS

Over 200 events entered by the world's most prestigious venues

Check out Doddie Weir’s New Tartan Sportswear Rugby Range

Partnership with Phil Vickery’s Raging Bull Clothing Firm

The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation is delighted to announce that Raging Bull Sportswear has been appointed as the charity’s new official licensed sportswear partner for 2018 and has launched a new sportswear range of clothing carrying his new tartan.

The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation is dedicated to raising funds to aid research into the causes of Motor Neurone Disease and investigate potential cures. The Foundation is also looking to establish grants for individuals suffering from MND, to enable them to live as fulfilled a life as possible.

Last month Doddie'5 personal tartan was launched in concert with The Scotland Shop, designed specifically to support the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, where a percentage of sales of the cloth go to the charity. The blue and white within the tartan represent the colours of Scotland, and the black and yellow are the colours of Doddie's Borders club, Melrose RFC.

Building on the great looking new tartan Raging Bull Sportswear approached Doddie and suggested that a niche sporty clothing range be designed featuring this bright tartan look. “I first met Doddie at Penrith RUFC where he helped out as guest coach and spoke at our dinner. Doddie made a lasting impression, which is why we all want to help where we can. Working with him on the design of the tee, hoodie and classic collar rugby shirt, our designers achieved a faithful match of the tartan. It was a challenge but one we relished, and the final garments look impressive,” said Nigel Beaty, sales manager (North & Scotland) at Raging Bull Sportswear.

Raging Bull lifestyle and sportswear clothing company founder and World Cup winner Phil Vickery, MBE DL added: “What an honour to support Doddie with his own branded sportswear range. Since Doddie told us his news last year the backing from the rugby community has been huge and I am thrilled to support him personally, as well as through my business. It shows our versatility as a manufacturer to create garments, especially on the hoody! I am proud to see my Bull brand alongside Doddie’s name and wish the Foundation well in its cause.”

Said Doddie Weir: “My Name’5 Doddie Foundation is looking forward to working with Raging Bull and I know everyone will love the new clothing – a great way to show your support for the charity. We are now firmly focused on what we can do to help fund research and hopefully, one day, find a cure for MND. We also want to support fellow sufferers and push the need for research further up the agenda.”

The clothing is available to order online Doddie Weir Foundation Sportswear RangePricing for the tee shirt starts at £15; £42 for the classic rugby shirt and £32 for the hoodie. The range is available in unisex sizes 3XSB through 6XL and all profit is donated to the Foundation.

Doddie Weir is one of rugby’s most recognizable personalities. He earned 61 caps for Scotland during a successful playing career, represented the British and Irish Lions on their successful tour to South Africa in 1997, and won championships with his two club sides, Melrose and Newcastle Falcons. A talented, committed and athletic lock forward, Doddie is now facing his biggest challenge.

In June 2017 the Scot revealed he was suffering from Motor Neurone Disease. From the outset, Doddie has been driven to help fellow sufferers and seek ways to further research into this, as yet, incurable disease. In November 2017 Doddie and his Trustees launched the registered charity My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.

Rugby Sportswear and Clothing was established by rugby legend Phil Vickery - the Raging Bull. Raging Bull Clothing Limited is the lifestyle brand that sells a wide range of leisurewear including t-shirts, polo shirts, jackets, trousers and jerseys. Raging Bull Sportswear, in collaboration with Halbro Sportswear, is the established sports clothing division with its roots in rugby, union and league, as well as all other core sports and provides branded, bespoke team wear to clubs, schools, colleges and universities.

Photo Captions:Pic 1 Doddie Weir and Fergus Farrell, sales manager (South East) at Raging Bull SportswearPic 2 Doddie Weir with rugby shirt

Editor Contacts:Media contact for My Name’5 Doddie Foundation: Philippa Gent Logan Sports Marketing T: 020 7871 3873| Email: philly@logansportsmarketing.comTwitter: @DoddieWeir5

Media contact for Raging Bull Sportswear: Cathryn Hage Pentacom PRT: 01452 651161 | Email: cathryn@pentacomagency.comTwitter: @RagingBullSport

VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA - En respuesta a la reciente expansión de Comalatech, y en preparación a la apertura de su primer oficina en Europa, Roberto Domínguez, Fundador y Presidente de la compañía, anunció hoy cambios en su Dirección Ejecutiva.

2018 será el año de la apertura de la oficina en Bilbao de Comalatech, la cual alojará a su nuevo equipo de desarrollo de producto. Los cambios en la Dirección Ejecutiva apoyarán a la nueva oficina y facilitarán la operación del resto del equipo en España, Canadá y Australia.

Entre los cambios en la dirección se incluye el ascenso de Simon Gatto, anteriormente Gerente de Desarrollo Comercial, a Vice Presidente de Desarrollo Comercial y Ventas. Desde esta nueva posición, Simon tendrá una mayor influencia sobre las operaciones de ventas y servicios. Gorka Puente, PhD., ha sido ascendido a Director de Producto (Group Product Manager), un puesto desde el que se centrará en la dirección estratégica de los productos y soluciones de Comalatech.

Eduard Enrich Masana se incorpora a Comalatech como su primer Director Financiero (CFO). Eduard lleva proporcionado asesoramiento financiero y comercial para las operaciones españolas desde el 2015, y ahora garantizará que las operaciones globales de Comalatech estén en línea con sus planes globales de crecimiento.

Como último cambio, David Bonilla finalizará su trayectoria como CEO de Comalatech el 22 de abril, tras completar los objetivos establecidos al inicio de su mandato. En ese momento, Roberto reanudará las funciones de CEO, mientras David se mantendrá involucrado como asesor.

Roberto agradece a David sus contribuciones a Comalatech:

"Quiero agradecer a David su trabajo en Comalatech durante los últimos doce meses. Su contribución ha sido de gran valor preparándonos para la implantación de la GDPR, encabezando la apertura de la nueva oficina en Bilbao, y ayudando en el crecimiento de todo el equipo. Con ganas de seguir colaborando, y de que continúe aportando su experiencia y conocimiento"

Comalatech es una empresa privada canadiense de software, dedicada a desarrollar soluciones dentro del ecosistema de Atlassian desde 2007. Cuenta con personal distribuido por todo el mundo y está enfocada en desarrollar productos fáciles de usar que mejoren la colaboración en el cambiante entorno de trabajo de hoy en día. Como impulsora del movimiento de Pledge 1%, Comalatech también se siente orgullosa de devolver a la Comunidad una parte de sus beneficios. Obtenga más información sobre la compañía y sus valores en www.comalatech.com

Amsterdam, the Netherlands, March 12, 2018 —

Dimebox, a global payment technology provider, announced the release of Connect, expanding their powerful gateway platform with extensive connector capabilities. With Connect, payment service providers can quickly interface with potentially any third-party payment processor, import externally processed payments data, and add valuable inspection metadata to every transaction in real time.

Dimebox’s solutions, including transaction processing, fraud prevention, and data analytics, are all offered through one platform with a unified API. With Connect, clients can choose from a list of existing connections to go live within days, and Dimebox can integrate new third-party connections on demand within weeks.

Connect features three unique types of connectors:

“A key mission at Dimebox is to facilitate the success of our clients by providing them with flexible and powerful payments infrastructure. We enable them to quickly connect to a range of third-party services, freeing them to focus valuable resources on creating the most value for their customers.” said David Jokinen, Chief Product Officer of Dimebox.

About Dimebox

Dimebox is the payment technology provider of the future offering their payment solutions through one platform and a single API. They are the only provider of a full-stack acquiring solution that is completely white-label and flexible enough to embrace new payment methods and innovations quickly and effortlessly.

Dimebox goes beyond payment processing by offering their clients a modular and white-label PaaS solution which includes fully integrated risk management, a fraud engine powered by machine learning, chargeback automation and billing & settlement capabilities enriched with smart data analytics. The result is a powerful end-to-end processing solution enabling real-time decision-making throughout the entire payments value chain. With offices in Amsterdam and Brisbane, Dimebox provides clients from all over the world with solid and innovative payment technology.

Please visit https://dimebox.com/

Media Contact: press@dimebox.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dimebox-payments

Twitter: @dimeboxpayment

Nationwide convenience store operator Costcutter Supermarkets Group has raised over £1,000 for The Sick Children’s Trust to keep families with seriously ill children together in free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation.

The Sick Children’s Trust runs ten ‘Homes from Home’ across the country, three of which are located at specialist paediatric hospitals in Yorkshire: Leeds Children’s Hospital and Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

This year The Sick Children’s Trust was voted as the ‘Charity Choice’ by Costcutter Head Office, based in York. The money raised through various fundraising activities will provide 36 nights of accommodation to families in need of a ‘Home from Home’ when their child is undergoing specialist treatment in hospital. Jennifer Steel, Brand Manager at Costcutter Supermarkets Group, said:

“Costcutter Supermarkets Group feel very strongly about supporting charities and good causes close to the hearts of our retailers, shoppers and colleagues. At the start of each year, we ask our Head Office colleagues to nominate a charity that means something to them. Part of 2017 was dedicated to supporting their charity of choice - The Sick Children’s Trust, and this fundraising was done as part of their Local Pride charity initiative scheme.

“We have been delighted to support such a wonderful organisation that makes such a difference to families with seriously ill children in hospital. The charity’s Eckersley House in Leeds, along with its ‘Homes from Home’ in Sheffield and Newcastle, supports many families from York whose children are rushed to the surrounding specialist hospitals. Being close to your loved one when they are in hospital is vital, and The Sick Children’s Trust makes that possible.

“Many fundraising activities have taken place, from dress down days to bake sales, which have all contributed to this fantastic total. As a company, we are passionate about giving back to the community, but also as individuals we really want to help and make a difference within our Head Office!”

Over the last year, The Sick Children’s Trust has supported 900 families from Yorkshire with free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation. The charity’s Regional Fundraiser in Yorkshire, Cassandra Hughes, said:

“As a charity we rely completely on voluntary donations to keep our ten ‘Homes from Home’ across the country running. Although the accommodation is provided free of charge to families with seriously ill children in hospital, it costs us £30 to support a family for one night in a ‘Home from Home’. That’s why we are so grateful to everyone at Costcutter Supermarket Groups for voting for The Sick Children’s Trust as chosen charity and raising over £1,000 for us.

“Every year, we support around 4,000 in our ‘Homes from Home’ but we are noticing that the demand for accommodation is increasing as more children need to be transferred to specialist hospitals for lifesaving treatment.

“On behalf of all the families we support, we’d like to say a huge thank you to Costcutter Supermarkets Group for their generosity and helping to keep families together, just minutes from their sick child’s hospital bedside.”

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

Coastline
Housing has been reaccredited with the national Investing in Volunteers
accolade for another three years.

The housing
charity, based in Redruth, has around 20 volunteers working within its services
at any one time, carrying out a variety of tasks to support clients and staff.

Coastline’s
Partner Programme, for volunteers at its Homeless Service, was also named
winner of the Inclusive Activities Award at the Cornwall and IOS Care and
Support Awards 2018 this month.

Louise Beard,
Director of Housing, Assets and Communities, said: “Volunteers truly bring huge
value to the lives of our customers and we are proud to be able to offer
volunteers the opportunity to work with us.”

Last year,
volunteers contributed a total of 3,883 hours of help across Coastline’s
homeless service in Camborne, its Miners Court Extra Care scheme in Redruth and
the housing charity’s main office.

Louise adds:
“Many of our volunteers have been through our homeless service as clients
themselves, so really do have a first-hand appreciation of how dramatically
lives can be turned around. They are often incredibly keen to give back and
lend a helping hand to other people going through the same situation. It’s hard
to emphasise just how important that help can be.”

The company was
reaccredited with Investing in Volunteers after undergoing a rigorous
inspection and review.

Staff and
volunteers came together to celebrate the good news with a slice of celebratory
cake.

Anyone
interested in volunteering with Coastline should visit the charity’s website.

Reports show that the hospitality industry's salaries have risen faster the average in the UK. This is said to be an attempt to attract more highly skilled candidates and fight the negative image of pay within the sector.

Over the past few years, the hospitality industry has struggled to see its demand for highly skilled workers met. There has been such a shortage that a majority of the skilled staff have been taken off the market by competitors. Many companies feel the need to resort to hiring temporary staff, often seeing a high level of staff turnover. This has, in some cases, resulted in a lower level of customer service and a lack of opportunities for career progression. A result of this is that job vacancies have also gone up, rising by 12.9% over the past month.

The report shows that advertised salaries for roles in the hospitality sector have risen by an astonishing 6.5% in the last month compared to the UK average of just 0.5%. When comparing the data over the past year, the industry's increase stood at a steady 6.4% rise.

It has been said that businesses have been struggling with a skills shortage and experts have concluded that it is likely that employers are raising the salaries on offer to tackle the competition for skilled workers. This is also a push to retain staff to allow for further training and progression within the company.

A representative from UK hospitality supplies company and bespoke menu cover specialists, Smart Hospitality Supplies said: "many of our clients are seeing increasing profits due to continual investment in their staff. It is great to see that the wider industry is catching up and are looking at better ways to retain skilled staff and encouraging the next generation to consider a career in hospitality. Businesses within the trade need skilled workers to boost their reputation and ensure that they are giving their customers a quality experience."

Some companies are tackling the shortage of skills in a unique way. Recent news shows that Tom Kitchen has partnered with Queen Margaret University to offer a scholarship programme. The programme has been designed to train prospective hospitality staff with the most skilled individuals being cherry picked for Tom's restaurants.

The industry has been under scrutiny in recent times since the news of Wagamama and TGI Fridays being fined for failing to pay staff the National Minimum Wage. There has been a perception for many years that it is a low pay career path. These new reports should quell those views and encourage more people to get into the business.

Throughout April, The IBS Network national charity is running several initiatives to help overcome the stigma surrounding Irritable Bowel Syndrome, talk openly about the chronic condition and help thousands of sufferers as part of IBS Awareness Month.

IBS is a long-term illness which affects around 12 million people in the UK and can be mentally and physically debilitating, impacting all areas of their lives. Ineffective management of the condition is estimated to cost the NHS £200m annually[i] and Britain’s businesses are expected to lose almost £3 billion every year through sick days related to gut health.[ii] Given the right support, people can learn to manage their symptoms through self-management but there are no ‘quick fixes’.

‘Exploring self-management of IBS’ conference: 14 April 2018

Aimed at people living with IBS and healthcare professionals, The IBS Network charity’s national conference takes place on 14 April at Sheffield Hallam University. All delegates will be able to listen and contribute to discussions throughout the day, enjoy a tasty gut-friendly lunch and receive a delegate bag which contains a four week supply of Alflorex (valued at £24.95), a full size 200ml sample of Silicolgel (valued at £8.29), a free bottle of A2 Milk and money off vouchers for Dr Schär plus lots of support information.

Join us at the conference and learn from a range of IBS medical specialists, by booking online or calling 0114 272 3253.

Support for people at work

Due to its sensitive nature, many employees may be too embarrassed to confide in their managers, Occupational Health or HR professionals that they have IBS, and so face endless obstacles in trying to secretly control their condition at work. Employers, on the other hand, may not understand the debilitating effects IBS can have on those with the illness or even know what changes to make to help alleviate their situation at work.

The IBS Network has put together a free ‘campaign in a bag’ which includes educational support material, such as posters and leaflets for employers to distribute across their organisations which can help start the conversation. To find out more about how to improve the health and wellbeing at work for people with IBS, email us or see www.theibsnetwork.org

April offers – for IBS Awareness Month!*

The charity has a number of very special offers during April:

For help and advice related to IBS, go to www.theibsnetwork.org

*For more information and full terms and conditions about all offers available, please see: www.theibsnetwork.org

[i] Canavan C, West J and Card T, (2014) Review article, The economic impact of IBS. Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics 40 (9) 1023-34.

[ii] Gut Week press release: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from One Poll. Total sample size was 2,000 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken on 14th July 2016. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).

Vicky Ford MP (Chelmsford, Conservative) spoke at an adjournment debate in Parliament this afternoon about her constituent Cait Cotter. Ten year old Cait has the rare disease phenylketonuria (“PKU”) which was diagnosed as a newborn baby by the heel prick test.

PKU is a rare genetic metabolic disorder affecting around 1:10,000 people in the UK. People with PKU cannot metabolise phenylalanine, an amino acid found within protein foods. Currently, the only treatment funded in the UK is an extremely restricted dietary therapy in which almost all natural protein is removed from the diet. The majority of PKU patients in other European nations have access to the drug BH4 (Kuvan). The NHS does not currently commission Kuvan treatment.

Vicky Ford told Parliament that her constituent Cait struggles with the strict PKU diet. Her parents say she is permanently hungry, and her whole day is ruled by limited food and having to drink artificial protein supplements. Even vegetables such as potato and cauliflower need to be restricted.

For one month Cait enjoyed a one month free trial of the drug Kuvan, which is the only licensed non dietary treatment for PKU. Cait’s protein tolerance increased threefold and she could enjoy food without fear or caution. Her energy, mood, alertness and focus improved.

It was noted that Kuvan is available in the majority of European countries already. However the appraisal of the drug by the NHS has stalled. Vicky Ford stated that the UK is a world leader in the life sciences, but if we want to stay at the forefront of world research we must make sure that British patients like Cait can benefit from these discoveries. Ford called for an end to the deadlock, asking the drug manufacturer BioMarin and NICE to "engage with each other in a transparent way that has the full support of the patient organisation. The whole patient population should be considered." Ford noted that patients taking the drug would need less dietary, medical and educational interventions, and these costs savings need to be considered against the cost of the drug. It was also noted that BioMarin, has indicated a willingness to offer substantial discounts to the NHS.

Jackie Doyle-Price MP, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, stated that “I am happy to report that NHS England has received a preliminary policy proposal for the use of Kuvan in the management of PKU for adults and children, as new evidence has now been published to support its use… NHS England is now working with NICE to agree the best approach and has asked it to consider developing advice on the use of Kuvan.”

Eric Lange, Chairman of NSPKU, the national charity for PKU, said “We are grateful for Vicky Ford for highlighting the UK’s failure to provide access to Kuvan treatment for PKU. Patients and families are told to place hope in a fair system to make a decision on drug funding. It has often seemed that the NHS is determined to keep ‘kicking the can down the road’ rather than make a fair decision. We hope that real progress is made on this issue as a matter of urgency.”

LONDON--(PRESSAT) – 23 March 2018 08:00 AM GMT

Cashfloat.co.uk, a trading style of Western Circle Ltd (WCL), has published a complete guide to ‘The World of Credit Cards’ in a move to help UK consumers to explore their credit options outside of High Cost Short Term Credit (HCSTC).

Western Circle Ltd (WCL), a London-based lending company trading as Cashfloat.co.uk has just published a 2018 guide to credit cards in the UK. The aim of the guide is to help consumers understand the benefits and risks involved when using credit cards as a credit instrument.

Jeremy Lloyd, Director at WCL commented:

What's in the Guide?

The guide starts off by examining the history of credit cards in the UK, highlighting just how much credit has evolved in just the past half a century. It then goes on to explore the various types of credit cards available and what the advantages and disadvantages of using credit cards are. Readers will also discover the science behind how credit cards work as well as how to protect themselves from fraud and scams in today's digital age.

The guide also addresses how to deal with credit card debt and other common problems that arise with credit cards. In conclusion, Cashfloat presents practical tips on how to make credit cards work for you, including rewards and other offers by credit card companies.

Kelly Richards, content supervisor for Cashfloat, explained:

The 'Cashfloat Guide to the World of Credit Cards' can be found here.

About Cashfloat

Cashfloat.co.uk is a trading style of Western Circle Limited; an FCA-fully authorised direct lender. The Cashfloat model is based on fundamentally good morals and very advanced artificial intelligence technology designed to help and protect people taking payday loans online.

Contacts

Kelly Richard, 020-3757-1933

kelly.richard@cashfloat.co.uk

Ofer Valencio Akerman (SEO and Security)

akerman@masterlevelseo.com

Social Media Accounts

7 April–16 June 2018

Opening night: Friday 6 April 2018, 6–8pm

Symposium: When Art is Not Enough: Activism for the Transgender Community, Tuesday 10 April 2018, 10:30–16:00

NN proudly presents the first of its NPO season of exhibitions, A Manipulation of Terms by Dylan Fox. Dylan was born and educated in Northampton and lives and works in the town, currently holding a studio at NN. This new body of work comprises the first solo show for the artist in his home town and his largest to date.

Dylan’s practice explores the physical, medical, emotional and social aspects of gender transition, specifically, the frustration felt with inefficient transgender healthcare pathways. His work is hinged on how social constructs affect people, aiming to question and shift these constructs, generating work through social interaction, working with other artists and the public. The exhibition title, A Manipulation of Terms, stems from the inflated truths within many forms of advertising and signage at British seaside towns. Advertising strategies such as bright neon lights claiming to be the ‘best’ in town, arcades that promise great prizes and sticks of rock that are reminiscent of the heyday of British seaside resorts, are all things that never seem to fully deliver. With this in mind, visitors to the exhibition can sample these delights of the seaside, in an exhibition complete with a games arcade, neon lights and its own rock shop. Dylan’s use of the seaside vernacular to this most central of Midlands town is intended to heighten feelings of displacement and a sense of being lied to.

These ideas of manipulation, miscommunication, and false advertising, relate back to Dylan’s experiences of transition within the UK healthcare system. His works may be seen as both autobiographical in nature as well as representative of the wider transgender community. By displacing aspects of seaside iconography in this way, and resituating these in the Midlands, the artworks can take on new meaning and become relatable to an even wider public.

As part of the public program, Dylan is hosting the symposium When Art is Not Enough: Activism for the Transgender Community, in order to expand upon the themes of the exhibition and address these in a more direct way. Speaking at this one day event will be Dylan Fox, Chase Ross, Malik Nashad Sharpe and Liv Wynter. The symposium will be held on Tuesday 10 April 2018, at the Guildhall, 1 St Giles Street, Northampton, NN1 1DE, UK.

A selection of books on LGBTQ+ history and queer theory within the arts will be on display in the lead up to the exhibition at Northampton Central Library for two weeks from International Transgender Day of Visibility on 31 March 2018 and well remain part of the Library collections.

About the artist:

Dylan Fox was born in Northampton in 1991 and graduated from The University of Northampton with BA (hons) Fine Art, 1st class in 2016. From 2016–17 Dylan was a Print Fellow at The University of Northampton and received the university Bursary from 2012–16. He was awarded Best in Show at Free Range in 2016. Exhibitions include Frontier, The Old Truman Brewery, London; The International Postcard Show, Surface Gallery, Nottingham, In Defence of the Poor Image, Avenue Gallery, Northampton; Prescriptions, The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge, Canterbury. Dylan has collaborated with various artists on projects including Citizen Ship by Freee art collective, Milton Keynes; Transference, Northampton; Desvalidas, Sydenham Arts Festival and Great Exhibitionists, Royal College of Music, London. His work is held in collections including Kent University and various private collections in the UK.