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The Editor |
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Managing Director,
Mrs Susan Pattrick |
| My Featured Charity |
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Macmillan Cancer Support, the UK's seventh largest charity by voluntary income, has been ranked the number one charity by the public in the first ever Charity Brand Index. Macmillan Cancer Support improves the lives of people affected by cancer. We are a source of support: providing practical, medical, emotional and financial support. We are a force for change: listening to people affected by cancer and working together for better cancer care. One in three of us will get cancer. Two million of us are living with it. We are all affected by cancer. We can all help. We are Macmillan.... For more information visit their website. |
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Greetings!
Well I didn't quite win but I was delighted to have been commended as a finalist in the Colchester Business Awards. It was a great evening, and congratulations to all the winners.
With the festive season now upon us, I would like to extend my best wishes to you all for a happy and peaceful new year.
This month my featured charity is Macmillan Cancer Support. |
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IDPwD - Thank-you... |
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 Thank you so much to all of you who dropped by to support the International Day for Persons with Disabilities and the chosen charities of Help for Heroes and BLESMA.
The event organised by the Access Group of Chelmsford and Chelmsford Borough Council was a tremendous success and I am delighted to have co-sponsored the event. |
| Inspirational People - Sam Merry |
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 As a vibrant young married mother of three wonderful children 12, 9, and 6, and adored by her husband Karl, Sam Merry was the stereo typical English women who worked as a supervisor in a local restaurant. Only interested in working in order to earn a living and spending time with her family Sam thought she had it all until one evening in November when Sam's world fell apart. Short staffed and under pressure in her new job, Sam was keen to impress and decided to try pulling a heavy trolley with a colleague in order to lay a dance floor for the first of Christmas party nights What a big mistake! Read her full story... |
| RBS loses appeal, and it's costly... |
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 The Royal Bank of Scotland lost an appeal over a ruling that it failed to cater for the wheelchair access needs of a disabled teenager who was awarded £6,500 damages. David Allen, 18, who has muscular dystrophy, took legal action after the bank failed to install wheelchair access at the Church Street branch in Sheffield, where he is studying creative writing at the city's Hallam University. Picture and article courtesy of Daily Telegraph. Read more... |
| Social Networking - a warning to employers... |
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Social network checks on employees could lead to discrimination claims.
 Employers should exercise caution when using social networking websites to vet potential employees because it could leave them open to discrimination claims, the Law Society has warned. Under the Employment Practices Data Protection Code, an employer should only use vetting where there is a risk to the employer, customers or other employees and should not rely on gathering information from Facebook or MySpace. Employers are able to get information on someone's religion or sexual orientation using these websites and this could potentially lead to a discrimination claim if it is seen to impact on the decision to employ someone, the Law Society says. Read more... |
| Seasonal Offerings from Chickenshed |
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By Barry Gilheany
At this time of the year a visit to the Christmas pantomime or variety show is de rigueur for theatre goers and for thespians and their directors; the construction and staging of appropriately themed productions creates many an artistic dilemma. Do we stick to traditional Christmas narratives to please traditional audiences or do we become more "inclusive" in trying to attract groups such as children and young people who may not feature prominently in the demographic profile of typical theatre goers? In this article, we give a brief history of one such inclusive theatre company, Chickenshed, which has gained national accolades for its work with disabled and other socially excluded young people and publicise its current and recent Christmas productions.
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| Tourism survey reveals 'huge opportunity' |
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Hospitality and tourism businesses have been reminded of the "huge opportunity" to cater for disabled customers and their companions. The reminder comes as tourism body VisitEngland's latest UK Tourism Survey reveals that this group of tourists spent around £1 billion in the first six months of 2009. The survey shows that 12% of all overnight domestic trips in the UK were made by customers with a health condition or impairment. A spokesperson for VisitEngland said this number is "hugely significant" and catering for disabled customers makes sense "morally and economically". Read more... |
| And Finally - Go Grab a Coffee... |
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A woman was flying from Seattle to San Francisco. Unexpectedly, the plane was diverted to Sacramento along the way. The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft the plane would re-board in 50 minutes. Everybody got off the plane except one lady who was blind. The man had noticed her as he walked by and could tell the lady was blind because her Guide dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of her throughout the entire flight. He could also tell she had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached her, and calling her by name, said, 'Kathy, we are in Sacramento for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?' The blind lady replied, 'No thanks, but maybe Buddy would like to stretch his legs.'  All the people in the gate area came to a complete standstill when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with a Guide dog! The pilot was even wearing sunglasses. People scattered. They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!. | |
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