Oxfordshire business awards

A Timaru woman with a passion for cars has just been recognised in a nationwide award for the country’s most outstanding automotive finishing apprentice. Alysia Patterson, 24, was named as the joint-winner of the Collision Repair Association’s joint Golden Gun Apprentice of the Year award about two months ago, but was only presented her award on Wednesday. “I was blown away, amazed and very surprised. “The award was for the best apprentice in all of New Zealand, and It's crazy to know I was right up there,” Patterson said. READ MORE: Dancing With The Stars: How Suzy Cato's nephew helped her prepare for the show Deni Ute Muster: 'The Snail' is the best Wainuiomata paint and panel apprentice is NZ's best Patterson, who is a former apprentice at Brown and Shipman, in Timaru, now works for the company as an automotive refinisher. Patterson said she felt “very nervous” applying for the award. “I know there’s a lot of very good people who applied for it, and it … [Read more...] about Timaru woman joint-winner of national automotive apprentice award

T he American owners of Boots may revive plans for stock market float next year after scrapping the sale of Britain’s biggest chemist to a Wall Street buyout fund and Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani. Walgreens, which merged with Boots in 2014 in a deal worth £9bn, said none of the offers for the “adequately reflects the high potential value of Boots and No7 Beauty Company”. The Illinois-headquartered company said bidders had struggled to arrange bank loans to buy Boots after financial markets “suffered unexpected and dramatic change”. Private equity fund Apollo and Mr Ambani had been in pole position to acquire Boots after Walgreens chairman Stefano Pessina put the business up for sale in January. But a £5bn approach — considerably lower than the £7bn Mr Pessina is said to have wanted — fell through. Ornella Barra, Boots operating chief, wrote to the company’s 56,000 staff saying she was “happy to confirm that it has been decided that Boots and No7 Beauty Company will … [Read more...] about Boots stock market float back on the table as £5bn sale collapses

Opposition is growing to new occupancy rules for second homes and holiday lets (Image: Finest Retreats) Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info A petition has been launched over fears the policy will devastate a sector that underpins large parts of rural Wales without any of the hoped-for housing supply benefits. Unions, trade bodies and holiday operators have stepped up lobbying efforts as the full implications sink in. Related articles M4 chaos as furious drivers BLOCK major motorway bridge Woman spends day in police cells over bin bags she put out 8 years a From April 1, 2023, the Welsh Government will insist that self-catering properties … [Read more...] about 1,400 holiday cottage owners set to quit Wales over new occupancy rules

Tens of thousands of BT workers are to walk out in a national strike for the first time since being privatised under Margaret Thatcher following a row over pay. Some 30,000 workers at Openreach and 9,000 call centre staff have voted to strike against what they described as an “unjust” and “unsustainable” wage deal. However, a ballot of staff working at BT’s mobile subsidiary EE failed to reach the legal threshold of 50pc. BT has offered staff an average pay rise of 5pc. Some of its lowest paid workers have been offered an increase of 8pc. Dave Ward, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union (CWU), said that BT must table a “significantly improved” offer by next week or strike dates will be set. He said: “Our members were never going to accept this imposition. BT Group thought they could get away with bullying treatment – they were wrong.” A spokesman for BT said: “BT Group awarded its highest pay rise for frontline colleagues in more than 20 years. “At the same … [Read more...] about BT workers to strike for first time since Thatcher privatisation

With some actors, you only need to take one look at the names of their movies to get an idea of where they excelled. In the case of Gina Lollobrigida, her film titles truly say it all: "Wife for a Night," "The Unfaithfuls," "The Wayward Wife," "Beautiful But Dangerous" — these are all titles from the 1950s, linked by a clear theme. That same theme continued well into the 1960s: "Go Naked in the World," "Strange Bedfellows," "Pleasant Nights," "The Sultans," "Imperial Venus" and "Curious Way to Love." Lollobrigida, Italy's sexy sweetheart, was recognized for her temperament as much as her figure 'La Lollo' marketed for eroticism Admittedly, the original Italian names of some of these highly eroticized film titles sound rather harmless in comparison. Film distributors throughout the world tried to draw attention to the attractive actress' sex appeal — even if the actual films didn't have much to do about sex. And it worked. Lollobrigida became one of the most sought-after … [Read more...] about Cinema icon Gina Lollobrigida turns 95

Northern Ireland: UK slammed for 'lack of consent' over Brexit Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Passengers leaving the UK have been stuck for hours as the Traffic Assessment Project causes "misery". Remoaners took to Twitter to blame Brexit for the delays, with user @ApesPlague saying: "Brexit isn't working! #BrexitHasFailed." The Port of Dover said it is working "as quickly as possible" to minimise delays. Dover MP Natalie Elphicke was also blasted with @BrexitBin saying: "She supported Brexit, claimed it would benefit Dover, and now moans about the consequences that every sane person warned her about. ... What a total Brexidiot! #BrexitHasFailed." THIS BLOG … [Read more...] about Brexit: It has failed! Row erupts on HGV Dover chaos as Remoaners fume at ‘Brexidiot’

A man of few words in public, Lester Piggott did his talking in the saddle – and hardly anyone in horse racing history did it more eloquently. His seemingly flawless skill and instincts, as well as a ruthless streak, helped to make him a winning machine, loved by millions across the nation. Piggott, who has died aged 86 in hospital in Switzerland, rode his first winner aged 12 and his last when he was 58. He fell from grace when he was jailed for tax fraud . But his standing as perhaps Britain’s greatest ever flat racing jockey has never been in question. Jockey Frankie Dettori said: “He was a legend. We always tried to aspire to be like him and none of us can do it. We all grew up wanting to be like him.” Rod Street, chief executive of Great British Racing, said: “Lester was a true titan of sport who transcended horse racing.” Five-time champion jockey Willie Carson said: “I feel as though I’ve lost part of my life as Lester has been part of my life since I came into … [Read more...] about ‘True titan, sporting icon and superb tactician’ Lester Piggott dies aged 86

Boris Johnson is facing a Cabinet backlash over his handling of allegations against Chris Pincher, amid anger among ministers at being asked to defend the affair. Speaking to the Telegraph on Sunday night, sources close to three Cabinet ministers criticised the Prime Minister's decision to appoint Mr Pincher to the role of deputy chief whip and expressed dismay at having to publicly answer questions about what Mr Johnson knew about claims of sexual impropriety. Read why one source said Mr Johnson has found himself in a "completely invidious position" . Mr Pincher, who resigned as deputy chief whip on Thursday, has been suspended from the Conservative Party and faces a formal investigation after claims he had drunkenly groped two men at an event at the Carlton Club. Therese Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, said people should go to the police if they think they are a victim of sexual assault. The scandal is whipping up a frenzy of, to say the least, … [Read more...] about Monday morning UK news briefing: Boris Johnson faces Cabinet backlash over Chris Pincher allegations

Russian economy is ‘going to suffer a lot’ says Josep Borrell Get pensions news and advice plus latest money alerts for FREE now SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Chancellor of the Exchequer froze personal allowance – the amount a worker can earn before paying income tax – as part of sweeping tax freezes in 2021, as the Treasury scrambled to get ahead of the looming cost of living crisis . The freeze, due to last until 2026, is adding further woes to Britons slammed by the cost of living crisis, as the number of people paying 40 or 45 percent income tax has risen from 4.25 million to more than 6.1 million in two years. Related articles Blow for Boris as CPI data reveals UK worst off in G7 Eurozone … [Read more...] about Millions revealed to be paying higher taxes as pressure mounts on Sunak

Five areas in the sea off Cornwall and Wales have been earmarked as possible floating wind farms. The Crown Estate - responsible for leasing UK seabed space for renewable energy projects - has mapped out the potential offshore areas to deploy the technology, which they say is "the next frontier in green growth". And the floating turbines can be sited in deeper water to capture higher winds than conventional offshore wind farms can take. The sites in the Celtic Sea are rich in natural resources, especially wind, and if development goes ahead they would be open for competitive tender next year and home to the first generation of commercial-scale floating wind farms. As part of a drive towards green energy production, the five areas would have the potential to deliver four gigawatts of power by 2035 - enough to run nearly four million homes. Advertisement And the Crown Estate believes that further development in the Celtic Sea could generate another 20 … [Read more...] about Cornish coast wind farms: Five areas mapped for development to power millions of homes