Year: 2024

Coffee and tea farmers benefit from improved access to labour rights as SOLAR project concludes

Stuart Mitchell

More than ten thousand coffee and tea farmers on the Bolaven Plateau have benefited from the SOLAR project, which aimed to expand social security and labour rights for coffee and tea farmers in southern Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The SOLAR project, jointly implemented by the International Labour Organization and Oxfam, held its closing ceremony on 28 June 2024. Funded by the European Union, the project contributed to the European Union’s objectives of supporting responsible businesses and decent work in supply chains. Over three years, the SOLAR project facilitated access to…

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CIPR launches new Agency & Client Finder service

Stuart Mitchell

The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) has recently announced the launch of its new Agency & Client Finder service, designed to connect organisations and in-house PR teams looking for external PR support with industry-leading agencies.  The service streamlines the process of finding suitable PR partners by allowing organisations to submit their PR briefs for the CIPR to then match their needs and objectives with agencies within its Corporate Affiliate network.  There are currently 67 Corporate Affiliate agency members of the CIPR, each adhering to the highest professional and ethical…

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UNESCO laureates echo call for urgent investment in girls’ and women’s education in Africa

Stuart Mitchell

Sub-Saharan Africa bears the highest economic burden internationally due to early school leavers and children with less than basic skills. The private costs (costs borne by individuals) due to girls and boys leaving school early are higher for girls, equal to around US$190 billion and US$210 billion, respectively, states UNESCO’s recently published “The price of inaction” report.  At the first Pan-African Conference on Girls’ and Women’s Education held in Addis Ababa from 2 to 5 July, which brought together ministers, policy-makers, civil society, and multilateral organizations, the emphasis was on the…

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Ryan Reynolds Announces More to Parkinson’s® Campaign

Stuart Mitchell

Ryan Reynolds, a world-renowned actor/entrepreneur and Parkinson’s disease advocate, with Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. recently announced the launch of a multi-faceted disease education campaign, More to Parkinson’s®, to raise awareness among caregivers, patients and their care providers about a common, yet under-recognized aspect of Parkinson’s disease – Parkinson’s-related hallucinations and delusions. Notably, around half of the people living with Parkinson’s disease may develop hallucinations or delusions over the course of their disease, but up to 90% of people currently do not proactively tell their physicians about these symptoms.1-3 By sharing their…

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Rays of Sunshine grants 9,000 wish with help from The Fragrance Shop and ambassador Olly Murs

Stuart Mitchell

Rays of Sunshine is delighted to announce it has granted its 9,000 wish in 21 years – a meet and greet with Olly Murs for 18-year-old Sanna.   The wish was delivered with support from The Fragrance Shop, a longstanding corporate partner of Rays of Sunshine. Sanna is currently on the transplant list and undergoing treatment for end-stage kidney failure, and was invited to The Fragrance Shop’s high-tech FQ (Fragrance Quarters) in Manchester alongside Olly, for a day of pampering and photography.   Sanna was diagnosed with renal disease shortly after birth. She…

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