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Clear thinking gives North
West a space advantage
HOMES in the North West of England are
the least cluttered and lose less of their value to junk than anywhere else in
the UK, according to new research from Clearabee, the on demand rubbish removal
company.
Clearabee's survey, which was conducted by research consultancy Populus, has
revealed that; on average; people in the North West have enough old and
discarded items in their homes to cover an area of 4.4m2.
Junk takes up space
equivalent to 5% of the living area in a modern 3 bedroom house, in the North
West. This property space is worth £6,020 on average across the North West.
With just 4.4m2 of junk on average, City homes in Manchester and Liverpool are
amongst the UK's least cluttered. Only residents of Oxford, Leeds and Edinburgh
hoard less junk per household.
Residents of Manchester and Liverpool enjoy an
extra 1.3m2 of clutter free space; sufficient to accommodate an extra desk or
dressing table and chair; when compared to people in Hull, who keep 5.8m2 worth
of useless or discarded items per household.
Across 3 million dwellings in the North West of England, £18.1 billion worth of
property space is currently wasted storing old or useless clothes, video tapes,
CDs, gadgets, furniture, exercise equipment and other assorted junk. 5.1 square
miles of household space is taken up with junk in North West England, an area
slightly smaller than that of Lake Windermere.
National junk portrait
Across the UK, the average home has enough junk to cover 4.8m2 of floor space.
This is equivalent to the size of a king sized bed and represents 6% of floor
space. With house prices currently at £2,054 a square metre, the value of space
wasted storing junk in the average UK home is £9,797. In total, UK residents are
wasting £259 billion worth of space storing junk in their homes.
80% of respondents to Clearabee's survey admitted to hoarding junk in their
homes. Old clothes, electrical equipment, magazines, video tapes, CDs, toys,
packaging, furniture and exercise equipment were the most frequently cited
examples of junk. 35% of UK homes store enough junk to fill a small bedroom.
The survey revealed that people store discarded items in a range of nooks and
crannies. Attics and wardrobes are the most popular locations, chosen by just
under half of households, while one in three people admitted to filling their
sheds, garages and under stair cupboards with junk. A quarter of respondents
stash things they no longer need under their beds. One in ten people simply
leave old items on the floor.
Other junk factors
► Not surprisingly given the space they have, owners of 4 and 5 bedroom
properties are the worst hoarders - stashing 5.6m2 worth of junk per household.
This is double the level of 1 bedroom homes (3.3m2)
► People living with children accumulate the greatest amount of junk (4.9m2).
People in house share arrangements have the least clutter (3.7m2)
► Junk tends to increase over time. The highest levels (5.8m2) were held by
people living in their homes for between 16 and 20 years. Those with less than a
year's residency had just 3.2m2 of junk on average
Rob Linton, operations director at Clearabee, comments:- "80% of people in
the North West admit to wasting space in their homes on things they don't use or
need. A proportion of these are losing the space of an entire room to junk.
We've become savvy at finding ways to store clutter around ourselves, but most
of us could get better at getting rid of it.
You don't need to be a master of feng shui to realise that a tidy house is a
tidy mind. Junk accumulates over time and steals valuable space in our homes and
minds. We know from our work that people feel a great sense of relief when they
eventually get rid of it.
One person's junk is potentially another's treasure, so it is always worth
seeing whether charity shops, eBay or a freecycling service could find a new
home for your unwanted stuff. Firms like Clearabee can help you get rid of junk
within a matter of hours and ensure it is recycled and disposed of properly."
Methodology
In April 2015 Populus asked a UK representative sample of 2,098 people about the
type, quantity and location of junk stored in their homes. The results of this
research was considered alongside data on property prices and characteristics
from:- the Office of National Statistics, the Halifax House Price Per Square Metre
Survey and the Royal Institute of British Architects to calculate the value of
UK residential space wasted on junk.
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Liverpool encourages
students to make the most of their summer
SUPPORTING views from 200 secondary
school teachers across the UK as part of a study from National Citizen Service (NCS),
Paul Dickinson agrees that students who have tried something new during the
school holidays have a more positive attitude , and are more focused than their
peers on returning to school. He also often sees students who have not kept
themselves occupied over the holidays and agrees they can be less productive and
find it difficult to concentrate when they return to school.
Paul supports hundreds of teachers across the country, including stars of
Channel 4's Educating the East End and Educating Essex, who are encouraging
teens to reset after an intensive academic year and instead seek new and
exciting opportunities. He recommends taking part in National Citizen Service (NCS),
a 2 to 3 week programme for 15 to 17 year olds across England and Northern Ireland,
offering fun and discovery, whilst developing skills for work and life.
Paul Dickinson says:- "Having experienced a challenging year at school,
[insert location] students should be using the summer to let off some steam and
have fun in order to be fully prepared and refreshed for the year ahead.
However, this doesn't mean their development needs to stall. There are many
valuable lessons that students learn outside the classroom that impact, not only
their performance when they return to school, but their life beyond that too.
We all remember just how inspiring school holidays can be. I'd urge teens to use
their freedom to harness the opportunity the summer brings through experiences
like NCS, a programme we recommend at Archbishop Beck that is open to all 15 to 17
year olds across Liverpool. The programme which offers 2 to 3 weeks of fun and
discovery gives teens the chance to make new friends, grow in confidence and
learn valuable work and life skills, helping them to re-focus their minds ahead
of the new term."
The research from NCS amongst 1,000 teens shows despite opportunities like NCS
being available to them, more than 4 in 10 students expect to run out of things
to do and 1 in 3 are already experiencing:- "FOMO" (fear of missing out)
towards their friends' plans. On average, teens will cost their parents more
than £500 over the 6 week holiday period, despite planning to spend 84 hours
lying in, 75 hours watching Netflix and 44 hours taking selfies.
NCS is open to 15-17 year olds in England and Northern Ireland and takes place
outside of term time in a 2 or 3 week full time programme focused around fun and
discovery, plus 30 hours committed to a community project that benefits both
young people and society. Teenagers on NCS build skills for work and life, while
taking on new challenges and adventures, making new friends, and contributing to
their community. The programme is recognised by UCAS and helps teens frame their
skills and experiences for interviews and university applications. Government
backing means that it costs £50 or less to take part, with bursaries available
for those who need them.
Advice from teachers on how teenagers can best use the summer holidays:-
1. Socialising in person rather than online
(46%)
2. Having fun and discovering new experiences
(45%)
3. Taking up challenging activities (38%)
4. Interacting with new people and making new
friends (30%)
5. Learning new skills (28%)
6. Attending youth programmes offering fun and
new challenges with new people their own age (27.5%)
7. Taking up or continue sports to help
channel their energy through the summer (25%)
8. Volunteering in the local community (24.5%)
9. Holidays or excursions with family (24%)
10. Work experience/employment (24%)
The NCS summer programme is open now, for
further information or to sign your teenager up, visit:-
ncs-yes.co.uk.
Public welcome at Trust
board meeting
SOUTHPORT and Ormskirk Hospital NHS
Trust will hold its next board meeting on Wednesday, 27 May 2015, at 9am.
The meeting will be held in the Clinical Education Centre at Southport and
Formby District General Hospital.
Members of the public are welcome to attend and observe the meeting. Anyone with
a special requirement should contact the Trust in advance on:- 01704 704783.
The agenda will be available on the Trust website in advance of the meeting.
Supporting papers will be made available on the day. |
