Day: 17 March 2025

Barnardo’s receives its largest donation in the charity’s history

Stuart Mitchell

Barnardo’s is celebrating a historic milestone – the largest single donation in the charity’s history. The £18 million gift from the Katherine Martin Charitable Trust will fully fund the rest of the Barnardo’s Gap Homes programme, creating 50 homes across the UK, as well as an ongoing fund to support vital services in the North of England.   This transformational gift builds on Katherine Martin’s extraordinary life and legacy. Katherine defied societal norms as a trailblazer in the 1920s. She was a successful businesswoman, a pioneering racing driver, and a key…

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Cocoa Leaders Unite to Embrace Innovation in the Face of Unprecedented Challenges at WCF Partnership Meeting

Stuart Mitchell

Political and economic instability in recent weeks – from the delay and simplification of regulation to the freeze on international development funding and soaring cocoa prices – are further straining a global cocoa sector already grappling with profound challenges. In response, the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) Partnership Meeting will convene global leaders to drive collaboration, accelerate innovation and build long-term resilience across the supply chain. Under the theme “Our Future: Resilience Through Sustainability”, the meeting on 19-20 March takes place at a defining moment for the cocoa industry. Its location…

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Boots Rolls out National Blister Pack Recycling Scheme

Stuart Mitchell

Boots has rolled out a scheme nationwide that rewards customers for recycling their empty blister packs following a popular regional pilot.   The blister pack recycling scheme is now available at over 800 stores across the UK after 170,000 customers signed up to a pilot of the scheme in London and the Southeast last year.    All blister packs, whether previously used to hold medications or vitamins, and no matter which brand, can be recycled through the scheme. Boots Advantage Card members nationwide can now earn 100 points (worth £1)…

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Square Mile leaders set sights on circular economy by 2040

Stuart Mitchell

The City of London Corporation has launched an ambitious strategy to reduce waste and recycle building materials as part of its ongoing efforts to cut carbon emissions across the Square Mile. The organisation’s pioneering Circular Economy Framework and Action Plan, will redefine how resources are used and managed across the City, with the aim of becoming ‘fully circular’ by 2040. The new framework – approved by the Court of Common Council, the City Corporation’s highest decision-making body – outlines how the organisation will embed circular principles in major construction projects,…

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Charity mergers up 90% as organisations look for economies of scale

Stuart Mitchell

Consolidation in the charity sector has seen an annual jump of 90% – reaching a record high, according to analysis of Charity Commission data by RSM UK. The number of charities recording mergers increased from 174 in 2023 to 331 in 2024, as growing cost pressures led charities to consolidate to deliver economies of scale. With over 180,000 charities in England and Wales, mergers can offer several benefits to the sector including reducing the duplication of efforts and resource where multiple charities might have the same objectives. Nick Sladden, partner…

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