Facebook and Government give money to help secure future of Bletchley Park Trust

In response to the recent public announcement about the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the Bletchley Park Trust, Facebook has generously given a £1 million donation to support its work over the next two years. The Trust also welcomes news this week that it will benefit from £447,000 in support from the Government Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Culture Recovery Fund. This grants programme is part of the Government’s £1.57 billion package to support the UK’s culture and heritage sectors from the economic impacts of Covid-19…

Read More

Tesco joins call on UK Government to fast-track move to zero-emission cars and vans to 2030

Momentum for the UK to ditch fossil fuel cars and vans is growing as Tesco has joined a group of now 27 big corporates publicly calling on the UK Government to target 100% zero emission car and van sales from 2030*. The Government is currently revising its plans.  In addition to Tesco, Dixons Carphone, E.ON, Heathrow, Lime and SSE are also joining the UK Electric Fleets Coalition, a partnership launched by the Climate Group and BT, including Openreach. Together these companies are already working to electrify over 400,000 of their own vehicles in the UK, most of them through the Climate Group’s global…

Read More

UK Government unlocks £150 million from dormant accounts for coronavirus response

The UK Culture Secretary has announced that £150 million from dormant bank and building society accounts is to be unlocked to help charities, social enterprises and vulnerable individuals during the coronavirus outbreak. This includes accelerating the release of £71 million of new funds from dormant accounts alongside £79 million already unlocked that will be repurposed to help charities’ coronavirus response and recovery. The funding will support urgent work to tackle youth unemployment, expand access to emergency loans for civil society organisations and help improve the availability of fair, affordable credit…

Read More

UK aid and Unilever to target a billion people in global handwashing campaign

The UK government is working with Unilever to fund a global programme to urgently tackle the spread of coronavirus. The programme will reach up to a billion people worldwide, raising awareness and changing behaviour, to make sure people are washing their hands with soap regularly and disinfecting surfaces. It is backed by funding of up to £50 million each from both the Department for International Development and Unilever. The programme will also provide over 20 million hygiene products in the developing world, including in areas where there is little or…

Read More

CIPR and UK government publish terrorism crisis management guidance

The CIPR has partnered with the Government’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) to deliver best practice communications guidance on the preparation and management of threats from hostile actors. The 38 page guide features a communications toolkit designed to help PR professionals mitigate the harmful effects of terrorist incidents on brands, businesses and communities. The guidance encourages professionals to be wary of the diverse threats facing organisations; from left and right wing terrorism to cyber crime and hacktivism. The document is informed by CPNI research based on interviews with 30 communications heads and security professionals from 24…

Read More