Scary plastic content in Halloween costumes equivalent to 83 million plastic bottles

Charities, news, Sustainability

New research released today [18th October 2019] by the family nature charity Fairyland Trust, supported by the environmental charity Hubbub, estimates that UK Halloween celebrations this year will generate over 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste from clothing and costumes alone. This is equivalent by weight of waste plastic to 83 million Coca-Cola bottles, over one per person in the UK. 

The October 2019 investigation of 19 retailers found that 83% of the material in 324 clothing items promoted through their online platforms was oil-based plastic. The retailers surveyed were Aldi, Argos, ASOS, Amazon, Boden, Boohoo, Ebay, H & M, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, Matalan, Next, PrettyLittleThing, Sainsburys, Tesco, TK MAXX, Topshop, Wilko and Zara. 

The most common plastic polymer found in the clothing sampled was polyester, making up 69% of the total of all materials. The report issued today by the Fairyland Trust and Hubbub calls for better and consistent labelling as many consumers do not even realise that materials like polyester are in fact plastic.

The even more planet-friendly option is to create Halloween costumes from existing or second-hand clothing. The Fairyland Trust runs plastic-free nature events for families such as The Real Halloween which includes a No-new-plastic Fancy Dress Competition. 

Chris Rose from Fairyland Trust said: “The scariest thing about Halloween is now plastic. More costumes are being bought each year as the number of people participating in Halloween increases. Research by Hubbub estimated that 33m people dressed up for Halloween in 2017 and a shocking four in 10 costumes were worn only once. This means it’s vital that we all try and choose costumes that are as environmentally friendly as possible. Concerned consumers can take personal action to avoid buying new plastic and still dress-up for Halloween by buying from charity shops or re-using costumes to create outfits, or making their own from non-plastic materials.”

Hubbub is working with the All Party Parliamentary Group, chaired by Anne Main MP, looking into the environmental sustainability of the fashion industry.

Trewin Restorick, CEO and co-founder of Hubbub, said: “These findings are horrifying. The amount of plastic waste from Halloween costumes is similar to the weight of plastic waste generated at Easter in egg-wrappings. However the total plastic waste footprint of Halloween will be even higher once you take into account other Halloween plastic such as party kits and decorations, much of which are also plastic, or Halloween food packaging, most of which quickly becomes ‘rubbish’ and ultimately, breaks down to be plastic pollution. Retailers must take greater responsibility to offer ranges for seasonal celebrations that don’t worsen the already worrying impact of plastic waste on our planet.”

Tips for dressing up at Halloween without new plastic can be found here.

Ant and Dec meet the adorable guide dog pups who have been named after the nation’s favourite duo

Charities, news

To mark this year’s Guide Dogs Appeal, Pups to Partnerships, Ant and Dec have had two guide dog pups named after them to highlight the power of a strong partnership. An adorable Yellow Labrador puppy has been named after Ant while the playful Golden Retriever has been named after Dec. The much-loved pair met up with their canine namesakes recently for play and cuddles.

Ant and Dec are supporting this year’s Guide Dogs Appeal which follows the progress of a group of seven puppies. Throughout October, the charity is sharing the journey of the puppies as they progress to become life-changing guide dogs.

Speaking of the partnership, Ant says: “We’re so proud to be part of the Pups to Partnerships campaign; not only do we get to meet these adorable puppies but we also get to hear about the great work that Guide Dogs does.”  Dec adds: “These puppies will go on to change lives and give two people living with sight loss the independence and freedom we take for granted; we can’t wait to see how these puppies progress.” 

Puppy Ant and Dec are currently living with their Puppy Walkers – volunteers who act as canine foster carers for guide dog pups between the ages of seven weeks and 14 months. 

Ann Bradford, Puppy Walker for puppy Dec says: “Being a puppy walker is about so much more than walking the puppy, although this is a particularly enjoyable part of the job! It is incredible to be able to give a puppy its first sense of home, nurture its character and help to develop its skills, all the while knowing it will go on to change a life.”  

More than two million people are estimated to be living with sight loss in the UK today. It is predicted that by 2050, this number will double to over four million. 

The top three causes of sight loss in the registered visually impaired population are, according to Guide Dogs: 

  • Age related macular degeneration (47%) 
  • Glaucoma (16%) 
  • Cataracts (12%)1 

The Guide Dogs Pups to Partnerships Appeal is taking place from the 1st to the 31st October 2019. During the month-long campaign, the charity aims to raise £420,000 to fund the life-long journey of 7 puppies, who will become life-changing partners to people in the UK living with sight loss. For more information on how to get involved, visit: www.guidedogs.org.uk/appeal or call 03451 430 192. 

Treasure Your River!

Charities, news, Sustainability

Businesses, residents and organisations situated along five of the UK’s biggest rivers have an opportunity to join the largest ever collaborative effort to prevent and reduce the amount of litter entering our waterways, and subsequently the ocean. 

The Treasure Your River campaign will tackle the Rivers Avon, Mersey, Thames, Severn and Forth and their tributaries.  The campaign, which is being run by environmental charity Hubbub and funded by The Coca-Cola Foundation, will initially focus on prevention and clean-up activities on five major cities based on these rivers – Bristol, Manchester, London, Cardiff and Edinburgh, which between them are home to 1 in 7 of the UK population.

Treasure Your River, due to launch in May 2020, will educate the public about how rivers are transporting rubbish from our streets and riverbanks to the sea. As well as tackling littering behaviour with engaging bins and eye-catching interventions, the campaign aims to remove 90 tonnes of litter from these five rivers and their tributaries over the next year.  

Trewin  Restorick  from Hubbub said, “The vast majority of plastics that end up in the world’s oceans are carried there by rivers. Cleaning up the river is one thing but preventing litter getting in there in the first place is really crucial. Until we change behaviour on land, this problem will just continue. 

“Our research showed that 81% of people believe businesses should be doing more to tackle the issue. We want all organisations along the banks of these rivers to come together and help halt the flow of litter into the sea. Whether you’re a sailing club, a school, a local business, a charity or a resident, we want to hear from you!”   

A network of volunteers from organisations including Thames 21, Keep Wales Tidy, Bristol Waste, Mersey Rivers Trust and Changeworks have already signed up. The plan is for the campaign to expand to further rivers and cities in the UK and Hubbub is keen to hear from potential partners in other locations interested in collaborating. 

According to the Canal and Rivers Trust, 500,000 items of litter make their way into the sea from UK rivers every year. However new research shows that 48% of people don’t believe that litter entering drains can easily end up in rivers and then the sea.  The survey of 2,000 UK residents* suggests -that 64% of people feel helpless about tackling the ocean litter crisis and 75% would like to do more to reduce the amount of litter ending up in the sea. 

Liz Lowe, speaking on behalf of The Coca-Cola Foundation, said “We are all aware of the terrible impact that ocean pollution is having on marine wildlife and the environment, and collaborative action is critical. Part of the approach to this is to raise greater awareness of the causes of ocean pollution, which is why we’re funding Treasure Your River – to not only help educate people about how rivers are transporting rubbish from our streets and riverbanks to the sea, but to also help with the clean up of these rivers.

“Water is fundamental to nature, communities and businesses. This is why Coca-Cola has long standing partnerships with organisations such as WWF to help protect rivers – in this country we’ve been working together for the last 7 years in East Anglia to help preserve chalk stream rivers through supporting farmers with on-farm interventions, such as installing silt traps to reduce sediment running off fields into waterways.”

Treasure Your River will engage the public on how they can make a difference through simple behaviour changes such as taking their rubbish home with them, two–minute litter picks and responsible disposal of fishing tackle. The campaign aims to create a legacy for each river, with an army of regular volunteers and litter-clearing infrastructure.

To find out more and sign up to the campaign visit www.treasureyourriver.co.uk

 

Borough Market to hold ‘Apple Amnesty’ for unique community cider

Charities, Food and Drink, news, Sustainability

London’s iconic Borough Market is celebrating the best of British harvest time this October half term (Thursday 24th – Saturday 26th October). In line with the Market’s commitment to sustainability and reducing food waste, Londoners are invited to take part in an ‘Apple Amnesty’ and bring in fruit from their gardens, allotments and school yards, as well as any sitting in fridges and fruit bowls that might otherwise go to waste, for a Borough Market led community cider and apple juice initiative.

Borough Market will be celebrating the UK’s rich harvest heritage over the three days from 11am – 4pm in the glass fronted Market Hall.  Displays will highlight the enormous number of different varieties of apple, squash and other harvest produce available as well as showing visitors the joy of ‘growing your own’ and providing plenty of Autumnal family friendly entertainment. As part of Borough Market’s drive to reduce food waste, there will also be live daily cookery demos showing how to cook up delicious dishes from the season’s haul of fruit and vegetables, including top tips on what to do with surplus.

During the Harvest Celebrations, visitors will be able to watch apples being turned into juice and hear how this will then be made into cider from Borough Market trader, The Cider House. The cider and juice will be available to buy from the Market in April 2020, with profits going towards supporting Borough Market’s community projects. Anyone who brings a pound of apples in for the community pot will receive a ‘£ for a pound’ token, entitling them to money off when the cider and juice are on sale early next year. 

There will be a wide range of activities throughout the celebration for the whole family, including demo kitchens from 1-2.30pm each day with Borough Market regular chefs: Angela Clutton (Thursday), Kate Young (Friday) and Luke Mackay with Beca Lyne Pirkis (Saturday). For children on half term break there will be a story orchard and demonstrations from fruit and vegetable trader Turnips on pumpkin carving – just in time for Halloween. On Friday (25th) Borough Market’s ‘Young Marketeers’ (children from local schools), will be selling their school-grown Harvest produce for food waste charity FareShare. Borough Market’s traders will of course be selling fresh, seasonal and sustainable Autumnal produce.

The celebrations will be kicked off by a short act of harvest worship at Borough Market on Thursday 24th, led by neighbouring Southwark Cathedral.

Darren Henaghan, Managing Director, Borough Market said, “Borough Market is a place where you can really feel the change of seasons, and the arrival on the stalls of the autumn harvest is such an exciting time of year. Our Harvest Celebration will give the community the chance to gather together to mark this moment, as they have done throughout the centuries. We’re looking forward to welcoming families to our story orchard and seeing what the Young Marketeers have managed to produce in their school gardens. Our community cider and apple juice initiative will really capture the twin elements of fresh, local produce and public participation—we can’t wait to make something seasonal and sustainable with a little help from all of our friends.”

Mary Louise Topp from The Cider House London gives her ‘Topp’ tips on storing apples and making juice/cider: 

Storing Apples 

For cider, we don’t like our apples polished! There will be an element of natural yeast on the skins of the apples and by rubbing them to polished perfection you will be taking all those airborne, natural yeasts with it, and they are vital for kickstarting our ferment. All that’s needed is a quick dunk in clean water and a gentle dry with a soft cloth.

Ultimately you want to be keeping the apples dry and with a good airflow, so do not store in plastic bags. After you have got all the apples nice and dry, store in an open cardboard box or wooden crate. Keep an eye on them for a couple of days, apples that have split or are badly bruised are likely to start to rot and that will spread through the whole harvest.

Making juice and cider: 

One of our secrets to getting a great tasting juice is to leave the mashed pulp a few hours or overnight and then press the following day. This allows all the pectin to break down in the apples resulting a fruitier, juicier pulp ready for juicing. 

Cider can take as little as thirteen weeks to fully ferment, however, we like to wait a little longer. We follow the old rule ’never drink the cider until you hear the first Cuckoo calling’ We like to be patient and allow the juice to fully finish its ferment and rest. We won’t touch a drop until we hear her sing in mid- April.

Borough Market’s three day Harvest Celebrations will run from 11am – 4pm in the Market Hall from Thursday 24th October until Saturday 26th October. For more information on the apple sellers and where to buy the cider at Borough Market visit http://boroughmarket.org.uk/ 

Over two thirds of people living with sight loss say trust is the most important factor in a partnership

Charities, news

To mark the 2019 Guide Dogs Appeal, Invictus Games winner Kelly Ganfield, speaks out about how her guide dog has changed her life 

To mark its first month long Appeal this October, the charity Guide Dogs has issued new research which shows just how important a trusted partner can be for people with sight loss. One in four people with a vision impairment need support or assistance every day to live the life they choose but more than half (53%) feel awkward asking for help.

Andrea Gordon, Engagement Manager for Guide Dogs and guide dog owner said: “Asking for help can often be a challenge from a practical point of view when going about your daily life. For example, if you live on your own and need assistance at home or simply trying to find someone on the street who can help when you’re out and about. Independence and feeling empowered are vital for people living with a vision impairment; we want to get to work, see friends and enjoy life just like everyone else. Unfortunately the act of asking for help can sometimes be a challenge which is why guide dogs transform lives – they enable freedom, choice and crucially, independence.”

To ensure people living with sight loss can lead the life they choose, a trusted partner – a family member, spouse, friend or in some cases, a guide dog – is often vital. When respondents were asked which factors they felt were most important for a good partnership, trust came out on top with 71% citing it as the most important for professional partnerships and 78% saying it was the most important for a personal partnership.

This year Guide Dogs is naming its Appeal, Pups to Partnerships. Over the four weeks, the charity will be following the progress of a litter of 7 puppies to show their journey to becoming unique and invaluable partners for their future owners.

When Guide Dog Owners were asked what the most outstanding thing was that their guide dog had done for them that enabled them to live an independent life, examples were wide ranging from providing essential companionship to safely guiding them through public spaces. Yet the most common response was the dog enabling the individual to get out and about, feel safe and have a sense of freedom. Other examples included enhancing and developing the owner’s lifestyle and providing companionship and freedom.

Kelly Ganfield, guide dog owner and Invictus Games silver medal winner says: “My guide dog Archie recently came to live with my family and he has transformed my life. Thanks to him I can go to my training sessions independently and take my daughter on the school run, things I could never have imagined doing before. He is enabling me to be a Mum and an athlete in my own right, safe in the knowledge that he is always there with me. It’s not just Archie, it’s my Guide Dogs Mobility Instructor as well. She’s always on the end of the phone if I have any questions about Archie; she’s been instrumental in helping us to form our lifelong bond. I won silver at the Invictus Games but I won gold with Archie.”

The Guide Dogs Pups to Partnerships Appeal will take place from the 1st to the 31st October 2019. During the month-long campaign, the charity aims to raise £420,000 to fund the life-long journey of 7 puppies, who will become life-changing partners to people in the UK living with sight loss. For more information on how to get involved, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk/appeal or call 03451 430 192.

Veteran and Homeless Prevention Officer Alan Marshall

Homeless veterans are slipping through the net, new analysis of government data shows

Charities, featured news, news

Homeless veterans are being missed by local authorities and are losing out on the enhanced support and housing available to them, according to the No Homeless Veterans campaign which launches today [24 Sept].

The latest Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) homelessness data reveals that over the last year just 1,780 homeless veterans were identified by local authority housing services, out of 246,290 cases of homelessness recorded in the period – just 0.72% of accepted cases. Studies suggest that up to three per cent of people sleeping rough in England are ex-Service personnel*.  Experts from the campaign warn the number identified should be far higher and that over 3,500 homeless veterans could be slipping through the net each year.

The No Homeless Veterans campaign aims to reduce veterans’ homelessness as close to zero as possible. It calls on local authorities, homelessness charities and advice agencies such as Citizens Advice, to ‘Think Veteran’ in order to identify former Servicemen and women and signpost them to the enhanced support services available to them.

The campaign is coordinated by Stoll, the leading provider of supported housing to vulnerable and disabled veterans and led by the Cobseo (Confederation of Service Charities) Housing Cluster, which co-ordinates the response of charities to homeless veterans. It is funded by the Forces in Mind Trust.

A new survey released today to coincide with the launch of the campaign shows overwhelming public support for veterans. Eighty per cent of the British public agree more needs to be done to identify and support veterans at risk of homelessness. The vast majority (95%) believe stable housing is important in helping veterans adjust to civilian life.

Ed Tytherleigh, Co-Chair at the Cobseo Housing Cluster, said:

“Most veterans make a smooth transition from military to civilian life, but it is too easy for ex-Service personnel, especially younger veterans and early Service leavers, to end up homeless. We believe we can reduce the incidence of homelessness among veterans as close to zero as possible. But this will only happen if we ensure we are effectively identifying veterans and providing a clear housing pathway. We are calling on local authorities and advice agencies to support the No Homeless Veterans campaign, to identify veterans in housing need and channel them through to appropriate support as quickly as possible. Together, we can end this shameful but avoidable situation.”

Kate Henderson, Chief Executive at the National Housing Federation, said:

“The fact that there are still veterans sleeping in inappropriate accommodation, in hostels and on the streets means that the pledges made in the Armed Forces Covenant are not being honoured. The support and housing is there for veterans, but we need to make sure everyone who comes into contact with those in housing crisis recognises their circumstances and is aware of the help that is available. The figures only account for those whom the authorities deem homeless, and the true number of homeless people, including veterans, is likely to be much higher.”

Dame Kelly Holmes, Olympic champion and ex-Army Sergeant, said:

“No veteran should be homeless. The campaign research confirms eighty-five per cent of the British public believe we have a duty to solve veterans’ homelessness. That is why I am supporting the campaign to help our country’s veterans when they need it most. Stable housing is key to helping adjust to all aspects of civilian life – work, family, health and wellbeing. I want to encourage others and especially those on the front line dealing with homelessness, to ‘Think Veteran’ and get ex-Service personnel in need of help to the support available to them.”

Mac McLaren (42) was an infantry Soldier in the British Army for seven years (1998-2005), including three tours in Northern Ireland, two tours in Bosnia and one in Iraq.

When injuries forced Mac to leave Service life behind, he was distraught. Without the structure and discipline of the Army Mac became homeless and spent a year staying on friends’ sofas or sleeping in his car. He approached his local authority, Glasgow City Council, for social housing but was told he didn’t have enough housing points and was put at the bottom of the list.

Then in 2014 Mac’s marriage broke down and he again found himself homeless. He once again approached his local authority for housing help but again missed out on being housed because he was told he was not a priority case. This was before the Armed Forces Covenant was put in place to protect veterans. It wasn’t until he contacted the charity Stoll, a provider of supported housing to veterans, that his needs were finally addressed.

Mac says: “Within no time I had somewhere to call home and the safety net I needed to help me get my life back on track. The No Homeless Veterans campaign helps local authorities honour the pledge made in the Armed Forces Covenant and means veterans will no longer find themselves in the position I was in. Before I found Stoll it felt like everyone had turned their back on me. I was in a very low place and felt like I had run out of options. I just wanted the same as anyone else – a place I could call home.”

Woman in London Underground on way to work

British workers expect better from bosses on air pollution

Charities, featured news, news, Sustainability

Businesses urged to prioritise air quality as nine in ten workers are in the dark on policies to reduce air pollution 

Flexible working, sharing information about local clean air routes and incentivising active travel are just some of the ideas being put to businesses today as new research suggests employers need to do more to protect staff both in the workplace and on their commute.  

Despite growing public awareness of the harmful effects of air pollution, nine in 10 UK employees are in the dark as to whether their employer has policies to protect them from air pollution, both on their way to and from work and in the work place:  

  • six in 10 workers believe their employer has no policy at all  
  • two in 10 simply don’t know   
  • one in 10 thought their employer had a policy but it wasn’t communicated to staff   
  • less than one in 10 receive regular communication from bosses on the issues 

According to new research, released today by environmental charity Hubbub as part of its #AirWeShare campaign, and just ahead of London’s first ever ‘car free’ day this Sunday, more than two thirds of workers in the UK believe employers should take responsibility to ensure the air their staff are breathing in the work place is safe.  

Professional drivers and outdoor workers are among the most exposed professions, but office employees can also be exposed to high levels of pollution, if they’re commuting into busy urban areas and travelling to and from work meetings. Nearly half (46%) of those surveyed think employers should take more responsibility to protect staff on their commutes. 

Woman in London Underground on way to work

Health research is increasingly showing air pollution can affect all organs of the body across the course of a lifetime. Recent revelations include links to reduced cognitive abilities, diabetes and the first direct evidence of pollution particles in mother’s placentas. Given that the average British worker spends nearly 85,000 hours at work in their lifetime, and more than 14,000 hours getting there and backii, it’s clear businesses have a significant role to play in addressing this public health crisis.  

Today, Hubbub is calling on all employers to check, update – or even develop from scratch – their policy on air pollution to protect the health and wellbeing of their staff. As well as reducing exposure, policies should look at how businesses can reduce their own contribution to air pollution across their operations. Hubbub is also asking more businesses to step forward and join the #AirWeShare movement to accelerate the process of cleaning up the air in our cities.  

Trewin Restorick, founder and CEO of Hubbub, said: “Employers have a huge role to play in protecting their workforce from pollution, whilst in the workplace and travelling during the working day and on the commute. Our research suggests that many employers either have no policy on this or are simply not communicating it.  We want to empower workers to ask their bosses what they are doing to protect them and to request that changes are made if they are falling short. And businesses need to show that they are willing to take action to support and protect their workforce from the effects of air pollution.”  

When asked what their own boss could do to help them reduce their exposure to air pollution, the most popular ideas were: installing air purifiers in the workplace (47%), allowing flexible working or home working (42%) and cash incentives to encourage people to cycle, walk or take public transport to work instead of driving (40%). One in five workers would consider grouping online shopping deliveries with colleagues to avoid lots of polluting vans delivering individual parcels to their office.  

As well as the business benefits of a healthier workforce, tackling the air pollution problem could also support recruitment and retention; when job-hunting, nearly two thirds (64%) of workers would find a potential employer attractive if they had an air pollution policy in place.    

Craig McWilliam, CEO, Grosvenor Britain & Ireland said “We’ve introduced a number of new technologies to our London office to create a healthy space for our staff and improve environmental efficiency. A large living wall which spans two floors and green columns on every floor have brought our sustainability goals visibly to life and helped us reach 100% optimum air quality on readers we placed in our reception. As the first private sector organisation to join the London Air Quality Network, we are tracking our progress in reducing air pollution exposure on street for workers, residents and visitors and are proud to be on track to cut carbon emissions on our estate in half by 2023.” 

Top tips for businesses: 

  • Think flexibly: Consider allowing employees to work from home on some days, or stagger their start/finish times to avoid the roads during the most polluted hours. 
  • Incentivise active travel: With pedestrians and cyclists being shown to be less exposed to air pollution overall than those that used cars or public transportiii, incentivise staff to walk or cycle to work or between meetings, where possible. Consider signing up to the ‘cycle to work’ and providing cycle safety training. 
  • Celebrate quiet ways and green spaces: Taking back routes can reduce exposure by 50% on average, so share information about local clean air routes with employees so they can avoid areas of high pollution. Celebrate local green spaces and tranquil areas.  
  • Green up deliveries: Streamline deliveries and servicing, and consider using an ultra-low emission supplier. Reduce personal deliveries to the office by encouraging employees to use ‘click & collect’ services. 
  • Green up your building: Conduct an energy review and include the impact of pollutants. Upgrade and fine tune your Building Management System and consider installing low NoX boilers. 

The #AirWeShare campaign provides businesses with an opportunity to take the lead, exploring what they can do individually and collectively to best engage policy makers, clients, employees and the public. Over the coming months, Hubbub will be working closely with partner businesses to introduce well-being activities that address air pollution with their employees and act as a source of inspiration across the UK.  Businesses interested in joining the growing collaboration working to tackle this issue should email hello@hubbub.org.uk or visit www.airweshare.co.uk/businesses  

High street businesses losing millions by shunning disabled consumers, new research reveals 

Charities, featured news, news

New research shows UK businesses – including high street brands – are losing millions of pounds of revenue every year by turning their backs on disabled consumers.

More than 13 million people in the UK – a fifth of the population – are disabled.

A new poll of people who consider themselves to be disabled has found that more than half of respondents are struggling to make purchases of a product/service due to their disability. Disabled young people (aged 16-24) fare the worst – more than three-quarters of them say they have found it difficult to buy goods online or in person due to their disability on more than one occasion. 

Some four in five disabled customers say businesses could do more to be accessible and more than half (56%) agreed that improving staff understanding about different disabilities would encourage them to spend their disposable income, estimated to be £249 billion a year. Separate research has shown that 75% of disabled people have had to leave a store or website, unable to go through with their purchase because of their disability.

Respondents state that retail is the most accessible business to purchase from, followed by banking and hospitality/leisure/restaurants. The research comes as businesses and organisations prepare for ‘Purple Tuesday’ on 12 November, a day which celebrates UK companies that are improving the customer experience for disabled shoppers. Major names taking part include Sainsbury’s and Intu. 

Mike Adams OBE, Chief Executive of Purple, the disability organisation behind Purple Tuesday, said: 

Mike Adams OBE Purple CEO at Piccadilly Lights Purple Tuesday 2018

“While many UK businesses and organisations are stepping up to the mark and making the changes needed to improve disabled customers’ experiences, far too many are not. 

“This is a huge mistake, not least because by turning their backs on disabled shoppers, they are losing out on millions of pounds of revenue every year. 

“It should simply not be the case that one in two disabled people struggle to make purchases online or in person. Small changes can make a big difference to the customer experience; we want to help organisations have the confidence to improve their services for disabled people.” 

Disabled consumers told pollsters that inaccessible and unusable locations, poor customer service and a lack of understanding about disabilities were the main reasons they struggled to spend their money.  

Over 1 in 5 said that hiring more disabled people would make them more likely to make a purchase and some stated that “wider aisles” or “lighter doors” would have the same effect. The findings support previous research, which shows that less than 10% of organisations have a dedicated strategy for targeting disabled customers4.  

The potential of the purple pound is clear – disabled people say they spend on average £163 on retail per month, £117 on banking, £98 on travel, £69 on insurance, £78 on hospitality (such as at restaurants or on leisure activities) and £19 on gym or health activities.  

Carole Hughes, from Liverpool, was born with spina bifida and has been using a wheelchair since 2015. She shops regularly at large supermarkets and department stores around the city. Carole said: 

“I often have problems getting around stores and supermarkets, either because the aisles are too narrow or there are items blocking the way. It can be a challenge to find staff who are willing to help – sometimes I’m made to feel like a nuisance when I ask for basic assistance.  

“There needs to be more consistency with staff training. Other things like making more doors open automatically and locating accessible parking spaces close to store entrances also make a huge difference to wheelchair users.  

“I’d urge all organisations to sign up to Purple Tuesday and make sure they are providing a better shopping experience to their disabled customers.” 

Organisations that register for Purple Tuesday will benefit from free resources from Purple on topics such as website accessibility and customer service training. In exchange, Purple asks that business make a minimum of one commitment to improve the customer experience for disabled people.  

These commitments might be major transformations or simple, smaller steps that can improve the experience of disabled customers. Examples include conducting an audit of an organisation’s website to ensure it’s accessible or staff training to help them communicate effectively with disabled consumers.   

For more information on Purple Tuesday, please visit www.purpletuesday.org.uk. 

Last year, which was the first ever Purple Tuesday, more than 750 organisations took part, pledging 1,500 commitments to improve disabled people’s customer experiences. They included some of the biggest brands on the high street, including Argos, Asda, Barclays, Sainsburys.   

Person with knife (posed by model)

Retailers urged to do more to stop the sale of knives to under 18s

featured news, news, Public Sector

New test purchasing data published today shows that children have been able to buy knives from small independent stores and some of the biggest names on the high street, despite the major retailers pledging** to stop the sale of knives to children.

Of 2231 tests, carried out by Trading Standards in England and Wales between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019, retailers failed to prevent the sale of a knife to a child on 344 separate occasions (15%). Poundland, Home Bargains, Asda and Tesco sold knives to children at least 15 times each during the tests. Some retailers have taken action since the tests began to introduce new steps to help prevent the sale of knives to children.

Separately, 100 online test purchases were carried out; children were sold a knife on 41 occasions.

Person with knife (posed by model)
KATIE COLLINS/PA

Lord Toby Harris, Chair of National Trading Standards, said:

“Restricting the sale of knives to children is clearly a difficult issue for retailers, especially those with large numbers of outlets, staff and delivery partners, and I am aware that many retailers are working incredibly hard to train staff and introduce robust procedures to stem the flow of knives to children.

“But let’s be clear – it’s illegal to sell a knife to a child. Our tests show that it’s still too easy for a child to buy a knife in store or online. We know that young people are being cautioned and convicted for knife crime offences, and as such I urge all retailers to do more. Do you need to sell knives? If you do, can you remove them from shelves and have them available either from a locked cabinet or via a specific till for customers, as already happens with cigarettes – where this is a legal requirement? Are your procedures and those of your delivery partners robust? Can you do more mystery shopping of your own to test how well your own processes are applied?

“The Trading Standards community will continue to play our part by promoting best practice, providing advice to businesses, monitoring retailers’ activity and taking proportionate enforcement action. We need to make sure Trading Standards Services have enough funds to do this important work.”

National Trading Standards is publishing results from the test purchases, which were carried out by young people aged under 18, to encourage best practice and highlight the issue. National Trading Standards recognises it is very complex for businesses with multiple outlets to prevent sales of knives to under 18s and the law in this area is clear that if a retailer has adopted the correct procedures and ensured they are implemented, there is no offence.

Minister for Policing, Crime and Fire Kit Malthouse said:

“I am deeply concerned to see some retailers are breaking the law and I expect them to take urgent action to stop young people from getting hold of knives in the first place.

“Our Offensive Weapons Act will also help stop knives and weapons making their way onto our streets and being used to carry out appalling attacks.”

Local authorities have routinely undertaken test purchasing of knives. For the last two years the Home Office has provided additional funds to National Trading Standards to supplement this work. This is a pilot scheme and is just one part of a multi-faceted approach to reducing knife crime. The work of this programme is ongoing and will include further test purchasing. A range of enforcement powers are available including cautions, warnings and prosecutions.

In 2018 B&M was ordered to pay £480,000 in fines and £12,428 in costs after selling knives to children. Croydon Trading Standards has recently successfully prosecuted companies for selling knives online as part of this work.

  • In July 2019 Tool Supplies UK Limited of Heswell, Wirral, and Inifer Potter and Son Ltd of Hockley in Essex were fined £8,000 and each was ordered to pay costs of more than £2,000
  • SD International Trading Limited was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay over £2,250 in costs after pleading guilty at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 25 June 2019 to selling a knife online to a child
GUIDANCE FOR RETAILERS

·       Consider if you need to sell knives at all.

·       If you do need to sell knives, store them securely in locked cabinets behind a specific counter.

·       Ensure all staff are made aware that knives are age-restricted products and receive regular training and refreshers on an ongoing basis.

·       Operate age restricted policies: no ID, no sale.

·       Sign up to and adhere to the voluntary Code to restrict sales of knives to childrenhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sale-of-knives-voluntary-agreement-by-retailers/sale-of-knives-voluntary-agreement-by-retailers

·       Carry out mystery shopping to ensure procedures are being followed.

·       For more information go to: https://www.businesscompanion.info/en/quick-guides/underage-sales/knives-and-other-bladed-items

Birmingham crowned winner of the UK’s first ‘plastic fishing’ competition

Charities, news, Sustainability

Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country awarded with its own plastic fishing boat to help tackle plastic pollution in local canal and river network

Birmingham has today been crowned winner of the UK’s first ‘plastic fishing’ competition by environmental charity, Hubbub. Following a UK-wide tour, the Poly Roger – a 12-seater punt made from 99% recycled plastic – has been awarded to the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country after it beat organisations in three other cities to win the boat, built to help clean up plastic pollution in UK waterways. 

The Poly Roger’s plastic fishing tour started in April, visiting Manchester, Scotland, Bristol and Birmingham, where Hubbub partnered with local organisations and volunteers in each location who had nominated their area to join the tour as part of a competition in partnership with the Daily Mirror. The tour saw residents being taken out on plastic fishing trips to raise awareness of the growing levels of plastic pollution in UK waterways and encourage more people to recycle their used plastic.  

© Lucy Young 2017

The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country was chosen as the winner after 138 volunteers took part in collecting 28 bags of litter in just six days. In the coming months the organisation will use the Poly Roger to offer plastic fishing as part of its ‘Wild Work Days’ initiative which encourages businesses to give something back to the local area.  The Trust will use the boat to help it measure biodiversity in the region and to educate schools, community groups and members of the public further on the issue. 

The plastic fishing initiative has come from Hubbub and has been built using funds collected from Starbucks’ 5p charge on drinks purchased in a paper cup across its 950 stores nationwide.  The Poly Roger is only the third boat of its kind in the world and the first to launch outside of London. 

The craftsman tasked with building the boat was expert boat-builder Mark Edwards MBE, who also built the Queen’s barge ‘Gloriana’.  The design is based on a traditional punt, but it’s made from the most modern of materials – Plaswood, a hardwearing alternative to wood that is made entirely from recycled single-use plastic – and it’s powered by a rechargeable electric motor making it the most sustainable of boats. 

During its tour of the UK, the Poly Roger made 55 trips and took 599 volunteers plastic fishing. Overall, 2,233 plastic bottles and 192 bags of general litter were collected from the UK’s waterways. 

Jacob Williams, Community Engagement Officer from Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country said: “We’re delighted to have won the Poly Roger! Reducing plastic pollution in the oceans starts closer to home, in our local canals and rivers. It’s going to be a fantastic resource for us to engage communities all over Birmingham and the Black Country so we can work together to clean our waterways whilst showcasing and protecting the vibrant nature and wildlife found around them.” 

Gavin Ellis, Co-founder and Director of Hubbub, said: “Plastic pollution in our waterways is widespread so it’s been fantastic to see the Poly Roger go on tour to help tackle and raise awareness of the issue. We were really impressed with the way the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country brought people together to promote plastic fishing in Birmingham during their time with the boat and are really excited to see the good work continue over the coming months. We hope the Poly Roger will make a real difference to the local waterways in Birmingham and act as a constant reminder of the importance of recycling plastic.” 

Jaz Rabadia, UK senior manager of energy and sustainability, Starbucks Europe Middle East and Africa, said: “Minimising our environmental footprint and making a positive difference to the planet is a big focus for our business which is why we continue to support Hubbub and initiatives including the Plastic Fishing tour. The tour has been a great success and we’ve been so impressed with how the public has responded and with the organisations involved. The Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country is a very deserving winner and we’re looking forward to seeing how it uses the Poly Roger to help tackle and raise awareness of plastic pollution.”  

To find out more about plastic fishing across the UK and how to get involved in Birmingham visit www.hubbub.org.uk/plastic-fishing-tour. 

V&A goes to Market – One Day Sustainable Food Pop-Up at Borough Market

Charities, featured news, Food and Drink, news, Sustainability

Turnips Borough creates unique dish from mushrooms grown in V&A exhibition

On 14th August Borough Market trader Turnips Borough, a family-run fruit and vegetable retailer and wholesaler, created a special dish – for one day only – using oyster mushrooms grown in the V&A from used coffee grounds. The mushrooms are a highlight of the V&A’s current exhibition FOOD: Bigger than the Plate, and the collaboration aims to take the project beyond the museum for visitors to sample while shopping at London’s oldest produce market.

In an installation designed for the V&A by social enterprise GroCycle, oyster mushrooms are grown in the gallery from bags filled with used coffee grounds, including grounds from the V&A Benugo café where visitors drink 1,000 cups of coffee a day. The mushrooms are later harvested and return to the museum café as ingredients, closing the nutrient loop and challenging the notion of coffee grounds as ‘waste’ materials. The mushroom farm is one of over 70 contemporary projects in FOOD at the V&A, which is sponsored by BaxterStorey and explores how innovative individuals, communities and organisations are radically re-inventing how we grow, distribute and experience food.

This collaboration saw the V&A redirecting their mushroom harvest to Borough Market for a day, providing 7kg of pink, yellow and grey oyster mushrooms for Turnips to create a delicious mushroom and spelt risotto. 10% of the sales were donated to Plan Zheroes, a zero-food waste charity that Borough Market has worked with since 2014 to redistribute top quality surplus produce from traders to charities across London. To date, Borough Market and Plan Zheroes have saved in excess of 67,000 kilograms of surplus food from going to waste – providing over 135,000 meals for Londoners in need.

Waste reduction is central to Borough Market’s drive to promote a responsible, sustainable approach to food production and consumption and this collaboration is part of the Market’s wider commitment to sustainability that includes the provision of public drinking fountains, a ban on single use plastic bottles, a corn starch alternative to plastic bags and a recycling scheme which ensures zero waste goes to landfill.

Borough Market’s approach chimes perfectly with Turnips’ pioneering tackling of food waste. 15 years ago, before food waste became the hot topic it is today, Turnips began finding new uses for fruit and vegetables which, while perfectly good, could not be sold. This included the making of juices and smoothies with this produce. Today, Turnips Kitchen’s team of chefs use a range of seasonal produce to create incredible street food every day, including their rich mushroom risotto made with organic British spelt from Sharpham Park and topped with generous amounts of parmesan – the dish that inspired this collaboration.

Darren Henaghan, Managing Director, Borough Market, said: “Waste reduction in all its forms is fundamental to the culture of Borough Market. The community here has long been at the forefront of sustainability best practice, and customers are encouraged to eat with the seasons, question the provenance of ingredients, buy only what’s needed and eat every bit of it.  This collaboration with the V&A is an exciting development and showcases innovative approaches to both food growing and waste reduction – the end result being a delicious dish for visitors to sample thanks to one of our longest established traders.”

Charles Foster, Turnips said: “We love what V&A and GroCycle are doing with this exhibition so it seems natural to collaborate in this way. We have been battling with sustainability and waste reduction for years, our wild mushroom risotto is a particularly successful vestige of that battle and using these innovative oyster mushrooms in our risotto will be hugely exciting!”

Catherine Flood and May Rosenthal Sloan, co-curators of FOOD: Bigger than the Plate at the V&A said: “FOOD: Bigger than the Plateexplores a range of different ideas for creating a food future that is sustainable, fair and delicious. GroCycle’s innovative method of using coffee ground to grow oyster mushrooms demonstrates the possibilities for creating closed loop systems and changing mind sets around waste. They have so far taught the technique to more than 1,000 people in 50 countries. It is a smart form of urban farming because while cities don’t always have good soil, they do have an abundance of used coffee grounds that are still rich in nutrients. It is great to be able to bring the project to Borough Market to share the ideas and the mushrooms outside of the museum.”

Let’s get all schools gardening

featured news, news

Last week the Royal Horticultural Society warned that the country is facing a green skills crisis unless more people learn to garden.

As reported in last Sunday’s Observer the society’s director general, Sue Biggs, says that generations of children are growing up disconnected from nature because they are not being taught about gardening at school. “In a few years’ time, we won’t have enough gardeners to keep the 22 million gardens in this country going, and that will only make environmental issues worse,” she said.

Now this is a subject close to my heart. Two years ago, myself and two other school mum friends set up a school garden at our children’s school in St Albans. We turned an area of neglected wasteland on the school grounds into a thriving edible and wildlife garden.  Come wind or shine we’re out there with the infants every Wednesday, planting seeds and bulbs, making bird feeders, identifying bugs or harvesting the fruits of our labour. The kids love it.

We all know that teachers are already under enormous pressure and setting up and running a school garden will no doubt be towards the bottom of the priority list for many.  So I was surprised to see that at no point in the article were parents and the wider community positioned as a potential solution to the problem.

The only way we’re going to get children to care about nature and the environment is to get them closer to it. I strongly believe EVERY school should have an allotment and wildlife garden.  My children’s school isn’t privileged. We have no budget for this. We beg garden centres for plants and seeds; the council gives us free compost from the green bin collections; we organise plant sales, we raid skips for wooden pallets and we run “lend a hand” days where parents turn up with pitch forks and drills and get stuck in. It’s a real community effort that could quite easily be replicated across the country.

Of course I’m very lucky that Barley’s flexible working model means that Wednesday afternoons is my school gardening time and I appreciate that many parents work full-time. However, perhaps now is the time for employers to allow and encourage staff to pursue such activities that ultimately benefit the environment and our children’s future.

Our gardening sessions are a gateway to engaging with the children on a range of environmental topics – litter, composting, recycling, food waste, saving water, protecting bees. Collecting apple cores and banana skins for the compost bins after morning snack is now a sought-after role at the school!

I’ve participated in assemblies to talk about environmental issues, arranged for our local Wildlife Trust to come in to school and recently wrote a two-week series of daily tips emailed out to parents on topics such as food waste, saving water and eating less meat. I’m seeing direct results of this engagement at the school gates…

“Bella won’t let me wash her onesie because of the microfibre shedding” laughs one mum.  “Katy is writing to the makers of LOL dolls about their ridiculous packaging” says another.   “We’ve just made a raised bed in the garden as the kids are desperate to grow their own veg.”

My heart sings with every comment.

We now have to work on the parents. Whilst the single-use plastics movement continues to engage consumers, gardening-related behaviours such as buying peat-based compost, astroturfing gardens, using weed killer and pesticides and paving over driveways are also having devastating effects on the environment. From what I can see, these issues are barely on the radar of even the most well-meaning people in my local community. Retailers and manufacturers in the gardening sector need to make some radical changes and like we’ve seen with the plastics movement, there must be pressure from the bottom up.

I’d like to see the whole gardening industry – from garden centres and manufacturers to landscape gardeners and carpenters to collaborate, support and fund more school gardens by providing grants, materials and expertise.  Let’s get more parents involved in school gardening. Let’s also utilise and embrace the knowledge and skills of the retired members of our society. Let’s inspire the next generation so that the RHS are inundated with applicants and we can help meet the pressing environmental and biodiversity challenges ahead.

By Laura Harrison, Associate at Barley Communications