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Masters at Staying Put
A home improvement agency in
Waterloo has joined the ranks of some of the most highly respected
organisations in the country after being accepted into the Guild of
Master Craftsmen.
Sefton's Anchor Staying Put agency on Melrose Road, Waterloo now
features among the likes of Rolls Royce, Fortnum & Mason and
Wedgwood as a member of the long-running trade association for
skilled craftsmen.
The Staying Put agency offers guidance and assistance to older and
disabled people in Sefton to help them carry on living in their own
homes. It can provide technicians to carry out home adaptations
ranging from installing a handrail or ramp to updating security
fittings.
The Guild of Master Craftsmen recognises skilled craftsmen who
operate to high standards. To become Guild members a selection of
Staying Put technicians from across the country had to demonstrate
their professional expertise, skill and integrity in addition to
providing quality services at good value. After establishing the
technicians' qualifications the Guild assessed examples of Staying
Put workmanship from a range of Staying Put agencies nationwide and
looked at customer service procedures, contacting customers to
evaluate the quality of service that Staying Put provided.
Anchor Staying Put Agency Manager Chris Cho said:- "We're
proud that the work our staff carries out has now been approved by a
nationally recognised standard."
[Anchor Staying Put is part of Anchor Trust, England's largest
not-for-profit provider of housing, support and care.]
Conserving nature for the future
AN ACTION plan to conserve
Warrington's nature for the future was launched on 6 March 06.
'Nature Matters' is a biodiversity action plan for Warrington,
compiled by the Council in partnership with the Warrington Nature
Conservation Forum. It was formally launched on Thursday 2 March 06
at Walton Hall Gardens at a biodiversity seminar.
Speakers on the day included Cllr Paul Ross, Deputy Leader of the
Council and Chairman of the Warrington Partnership, Professor David
Norman, naturalist and writer, and representatives from English
Nature, Cheshire Wildlife Trust, Cheshire Landscape Trust, Mersey
Forest, rECOrd and Groundwork.
The Council and the forum have put the action plan together and it
has already been adopted by the Local Strategic Partnership.
The plan identifies what wildlife and environments warrant special
protection, what the threats are and what actions are needed to
safeguard the community's natural inheritance.
Cllr Terry O'Neill, Executive Board Member for Sustainable
Regeneration, said:- "This action plan is very important for
Warrington. It's about conserving and sustaining the natural
environment for generations to come. This plan is linked with
creating sustainable communities and green environments and its
creation by the forum reflects the fact that members of the
community want to get involved in the conservation of their
environment."
'Nature Matters' can be viewed at the Warrington Nature Conservation
Forum
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Fujitsu tells UK companies to “Green up” their act!
ON 7 March 06 Fujitsu Siemens
Computers announced that it is urging UK businesses to act on the
growing evidence that Britons are demanding greener standards. It
follows a recent national poll which found that over half (51%) of
those surveyed said they had boycotted a company because its
products damage the environment. That statement was made after the
release of a Guardian / ICM poll. ICM interviewed a random sample of
1,002 adults, aged 18 plus, by telephone between 17 and 19 February
06. It also found that 63% of us would be willing to pay a green tax
on goods and services that are found to harm the environment.
But it’s not just pressure from customers that companies need to be
mindful of. Recent research from Fujitsu Siemens Computers
identified the rise of ‘Green Collar Workers’, employees who
are taking their green consciences with them to work and putting
pressure on their employers to clean up their acts. Again this
amazing fact came from research carried out by TNS PhoneBus amongst
a representative sample of 1002 GB adults aged 16+ during 9
September 06 to 11 September 2005.
Fujitsu Siemens Computers’ research found that 78% of British
workers believe that they’re more environmentally conscious today
than they were five years ago. More than a quarter of employees
(27%) are actively lobbying their employer to implement more
environmentally friendly policies, such as procurement of green IT
systems, energy saving and recycling.
68% say that they already recycle paper at work, and almost two
thirds, that’s 63%, make sure that they consciously save energy by
turning off their PCs overnight. This is something that employers
might well be thankful for, given that failing to turn off PCs each
night costs UK industry a massive £123.2 million each year!
Garry Owen, Head of Product Marketing at Fujitsu Siemens Computers
comments:- "Companies need to face up to the growing pressure
from both customers and their workers. Green pressures have spread
to the workplace. UK organisations need to act and demonstrate their
commitment to the environment. If they don’t, they run the risk of
alienating the growing group of green supporters.
Of course, rather than paying a green tax for unenvironmentally
friendly products it’s far better, where possible, to look to buy a
green alternative. Nowadays, green products are often of comparable
price and quality. For example, the Fujitsu Siemens Computers AMILO
V2030, which is the first RoHS compliant “green laptop” competes
both on price and quality with laptops of a similar spec.
Fujitsu Siemens Computers has pioneered the development of green IT
systems and has promoted their use both in the home and the
workplace for some time now. We hope others follow us for the sake
of the whole planet!"
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