Search Results for: services

Virgin Media O2 and The Multibank join forces to help people in poverty stay connected this winter

Stuart Mitchell

Virgin Media O2 is helping hundreds of people experiencing financial hardship stay connected this winter and beyond by providing free smartphones and O2 mobile data to The Multibank.   Through this new partnership, the company has donated refurbished phones and O2 data via its Community Calling programme with charity, Hubbub, which are being rehomed to people who need them through Multibanks in Fife, Swansea, and Tees Valley.   It’s part of the operator’s pledge to donate up to 12,000 devices to people who can’t afford data or devices during 2025, and comes…

Octopus EV surges past £2bn in electric car funding

Stuart Mitchell

Octopus Electric Vehicles (Octopus EV) has extended and upsized its funding line from global banks to get more electric vehicles on roads, bringing its total EV funding to £2 billion. The deal allows Octopus to supercharge its EV fleet, pushing it from 40,000 cars currently to more than 75,000 once all funds are deployed.   This builds on a major funding line agreed with Lloyds in 2023, now joined by international banks Morgan Stanley and Crédit Agricole CIB.  The announcement was made at COP30 in Brazil and comes as electric cars…

Second round of Westminster Green Investment launches to raise £2 million for a greener city

Stuart Mitchell

Westminster City Council has launched the second round of Westminster Green Investment (WGI) with the ethical crowdfunding platform Abundance Investment. This exciting scheme invites residents and businesses to invest in local green initiatives and help raise £2 million or more for a cleaner, more sustainable Westminster. Following the success of the first round in 2023, which raised £1 million in just nine days, the latest round will continue to support community-focused projects across the city, including the Seymour Leisure Centre redevelopment. The refurbishment is due to be completed in mid-2026…

Sodexo and The Aurora Group celebrate decade of supporting SEND students into hospitality careers

Stuart Mitchell

Sodexo UK & Ireland and The Aurora Group, one of the UK’s leading independent providers of education, care and support services for children and young people with additional needs, are celebrating ten years of collaboration focused on empowering young people to create meaningful opportunities that go far beyond the classroom – opening doors, building confidence, and helping students discover their potential in the hospitality industry. The partnership was founded by Mike Taylor, Learning & Development Manager for Sodexo’s Government business when he met an Aurora Foxes Academy student on placement…

Record donations show the power of gardens and garden visits for good causes

Stuart Mitchell

2025 was another landmark year for the National Garden Scheme with a record £3,875,596 donated from funds gathered at garden openings throughout the year. The donations helped thousands of people living with cancer, Parkinson’s, poor mental health, or the pressures of unpaid caring, by supporting the nurses, health professionals and case workers who care for them.  Our donations also reached hundreds of gardens and health projects. In 2025, 114 new gardens received Community Garden Grants*, and five new nurse-led projects were funded through our NGS Elsie Wagg (Innovation) Scholarships – bringing vital support to…