Day: 6 April 2022

Hospice lottery has raised £20m for patients

Stuart Mitchell

St Giles Hospice is celebrating a very special anniversary as it marks 25 years since the first draw of its popular weekly lottery. In the quarter of a century since the first winner was announced on 28th February 1997, the lottery has raised an amazing £20 MILLION to support the hospice’s care for patients, and their families, who are living with a terminal illness. As only around a third of its funding comes from Government, St Giles Hospice relies upon donations and fundraising to raise the £850,000 it needs each…

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New research on challenges faced by charity trustees

Stuart Mitchell

Charities Aid Foundation and chartered accountancy body ICAEW have partnered to publish research on the challenges facing charity trustees. The researchers interviewed trustees from local, national and international charities, including faith-based, educational, humanitarian, health, animal welfare, and women’s organisations. The report outlines six key challenges for trustees: 1. Financial resilience – Diversifying funding is key.2. Working together – Trustees can affect the collaboration within charities.3. Diversity – Achieving diversity in all forms remains a challenge.4. Support and training – Trustees need more coherent and centralised support.5. Digital – Charities are…

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New uses for UK’s 500,000 single-use coffee cups

Stuart Mitchell

An innovative supply chain project, funded by the Welsh Government in partnership with WRAP Cymru, has taken many difficult to recycle items and successfully transformed them into new items, including turning single-use coffee cups into waterproof building materials and decking. The unique two-year trial brought together several companies, including sustainability experts Nextek and the UK’s leading composite decking manufacturer Ecodek. Together they created a revolutionary new product: the world’s first composite decking made from single-use coffee cups combined with metallised films, such as those used for crisp packets. The radical…

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University of Strathclyde partners in three energy network innovation projects to accelerate transition to net zero

Stuart Mitchell

Strathclyde is a partner in three energy network innovation projects which will help to accelerate the UK’s transition to net zero at the lowest cost to consumers. The three projects involving Strathclyde are among 40 which have received up to £150,000 each to carry out a two-month ‘discovery’ phase on their potential. The funding is being provided by energy network users and consumers through the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF), a programme from the UK’s independent energy regulator Ofgem, managed in partnership with Innovate UK. The projects address some of the…

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Müller and Waitrose to scrap the coloured milk cap

Stuart Mitchell

Müller and Waitrose are to scrap the coloured milk cap. The move could boost the availability of rHDPE on the market by 1560 tonnes per annum.  Unlike fully recyclable plastic milk bottles, coloured milk caps cannot currently be recycled back into food grade packaging. Introducing clear caps enables retention of the material for reuse within the food sector.   With higher demand for rHDPE than supply, by keeping the material within a ‘closed loop’ system, there can be more rHDPE available on the market, further reducing dependency on ‘virgin’ plastic.   Research…

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