The Childrens Air Ambulance (TCAA) is set to open the doors to a new sustainable ‘Store of the Future’ in West Bridgford to keep saving lives, whilst helping to save the planet.

Following a year of hard work and dedication, the construction of the groundbreaking store has almost completed on the site of the flagship Children’s Air Ambulance store which opened back in 2012 in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.

Sustainability remains a top priority for many UK consumers when they’re shopping so the vital children’s charity partnered with an award-winning sustainable contractor, Oak, who are bringing the visionary design to life – ensuring the space reflects the charity’s values and commitment to a brighter, eco-friendly future.

Hannah Coventry, Head of Retail for the charity says:

“We are so excited to open our very first ‘Store of the Future’ at our children’s charity’s flagship store in West Bridgford.

“This was the store I opened back in 2012 as the Store Manager there and I am so honoured to be involved in the transformation of the store. Customers will have never seen a store quite like it, using salvaged and upcycled materials to create a unique and sustainable charity store,” she added.

The store has undergone a significant transformation to turn it into the ‘Store of the Future’, selling clothing, bric-a-brac, electricals, with a dedicated corner for children’s clothing and toys.

The first of its kind charity store has the theme of sustainability in every aspect, as it has reclaimed wood from a church for its flooring, old scaffolding pipes for rails, repurposed and upcycled doors and dressers, and so many other unique and sustainable features.

Ambassador for the charity, Charity Shop Girl Jen Graham, is scheduled to open the store on 01 March and says:

“I love this new store – it’s bringing a new style and vision to charity retail. It flows nicely with clear departments and the colours and lighting will give a more enjoyable experience without removing the essence of why we love charity shopping.

“The more we can keep donating good quality items to charity shops, the more items we can keep in circulation – whether that’s bric-a-bac, fashion or accessories. We’re keeping the items out of landfill and providing a range of options to shop second-hand.”

“I am a huge supporter of the incredible charity and the work they do, helping to save the lives of critically ill babies and children across the UK. Remember when you’re shopping second-hand each item purchased will go towards supporting the charity,” adds Jen.

The Children’s Air Ambulance operates nineteen stores around the country and this first-of its kind venture elevates charity shopping to a new level.

The public are encouraged to attend the grand opening on 01 March 2024, as the charity unveils a store like never before.

To learn more, or to support the charity, please visit: www.childrensairambulance.org.uk or call 0300 3045 999.

Biosnooze, the innovative and eco-conscious bedding brand, is thrilled to announce that its 100% Biodegradable, luxury vegan down alternative pillow has been selected as a winner of the prestigious ‘Vegan Choice Awards.’ This accolade recognizes Biosnooze’s commitment to providing consumers with sustainable and cruelty-free bedding options and comes with a resounding endorsement from none other than Louise Jane, the CEO of The Vegan Choice Awards.

We are lucky enough to of tried and tested a Biosnooze pillow! – Check out our tiktok or instagram reel!

The Eco News © (@theeconews) • Instagram photos and videos

theeconews (@theeconews) | TikTok

Louise Jane, a discerning expert in vegan products, remarked, “I have pretty high standards when it comes to pillows, so I’ve been through quite a few. But this one meets all my requirements and more! It is the epitome of comfort and luxury, and I promise that it’s not hyperbole when I tell you that it’s like sleeping on a cloud. “Manufactured by the renowned luxury sustainable bedding experts, Penrose Products, the Biosnooze pillow stands out as a testament to the brand’s dedication to quality and environmental responsibility. The award-winning pillow is not only a triumph for Biosnooze but also a significant milestone for Penrose Products as it reinforces their reputation as leaders in sustainable luxury bedding.

What sets the Biosnooze pillow apart is its status as the first and only 100% biodegradable pillow made in the UK. This groundbreaking product is crafted with a blend of virgin and recycled polyester, making it a sustainable choice for consumers seeking a guilt-free and environmentally conscious option. The pillow’s unique feature lies in its treatment with a sugar enzyme, enabling it to break down at accelerated rates in landfill conditions.

The Biosnooze pillow is not only environmentally friendly but also provides users with unparalleled comfort. Its hypoallergenic properties make it suitable for a wide range of sleepers, while the soft yet supportive feel ensures a restful night’s sleep. Additionally, the pillow is machine washable, making it easy to maintain and extend its lifespan.

One of the most notable aspects of the Biosnooze pillow is its ability to mimic the luxurious feel of down without any harm to animals. This cruelty-free alternative offers consumers a guilt-free way to indulge in luxury bedding while contributing to a more sustainable future.

“We are elated to receive the ‘Vegan Choice Awards,’ which recognizes our commitment to providing consumers with a cruelty-free and environmentally responsible bedding option. The Biosnooze pillow embodies our dedication to innovation, quality, and sustainability,” said Paul Whittey, Founder at Biosnooze.

This award comes at a time when consumers are increasingly seeking products that align with their values, and Biosnooze is proud to be at the forefront of this movement. The ‘Vegan Choice Awards’ win reinforces Biosnooze’s position as a leader in the sustainable bedding industry.

You can purchase the award winning Biosnooze Pillow online here:
https://www.biosnooze.com/shop
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0CL7MSFH4?th=1

If you have embraced a vegan lifestyle for ‘Veganuary’, a brand-new, footwear innovation means you can also extend your new principles to your wardrobe and do even more good for the planet, by wearing truly amazing cactus leather trainers.

Family business, Cocorose London, has launched a ‘Kew’ range of ‘plant-powered’ trainers that encompass this vegan, eco-friendly material.

This plant-based, planet-considerate leather sits atop a vegan sole with its own eco-twist.  The rubber actually contains 30% cork, which has been recycled from used wine-industry corks. 

This exciting Kew vegan range is available in five different options of low-top, handmade trainers. All stay true to the brand’s ethos of producing the most comfortable footwear in the market, with an indulgent degree of foot cosseting, plus a contoured footbed.  

Four of the low-top trainers are in off-white cactus leather and are distinguished by a coloured heel tab.  This is available in Beige, Marine Blue, Bordeaux and a Mostaza yellow.  The fifth trainer is a versatile, sleek all-black.  All will provide owners with a real talking point, when worn in the office, at social occasions or just when out and about, day to day.

All Kew trainers come with recycled polyester, effortless beige laces and bear a slightly speckled, eye-catching sole, thanks to the recycled cork element. Priced at £145 they come beautifully packaged in a Cocorose London recyclable Plant-Powered cardboard box.

You don’t have to be vegan to want to adopt these trainers, particularly if you like to make planet-protecting lifestyle choices.  This range is also helping one of Earth’s natural stars – the cactus plant – to be supported as a crop.  Cacti are natural carbon sinks and a 14-acre cactus plantation absorbs and extracts around 8000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere. Cacti do not drink up vital water resources, can survive drought conditions and help rejuvenate surrounding soil for other crops. Their cultivation supports local communities in Mexico.

The new Kew trainers are on sale at www.cocoroselondon.com and orders for boutiques and other outlets, who want to provide customers with a fantastic reason to buy something new and innovative, can be taken on 020 3146 8806.                                              

For a long-lasting romantic gesture, and to tell someone how much you flippin’ love them,
the Oceanarium Bournemouth invites you to make penguins your love language this year,
during the Valentine’s season – whether it be your partner, friends or family – by adopting a Humboldt penguin. While roses may fade, and chocolate is quickly consumed, adopting a penguin for a special someone may be more memorable and provide extra romance bonus points.

Not only is it a thoughtful gift for a loved one, adopting a penguin will give a huge boost to the Oceanarium’s conservation efforts and a donation will be made to a charity supported by the Oceanarium to help fund marine habitats worldwide and projects in the wild. When someone purchases a penguin adoption package from the Oceanarium, they receive, a special printed penguin adoption certificate, personalised with the name of the adoptee, a cute penguin plush toy, a fact sheet full of information about the species of Humboldt penguins, a welcome letter with information about what this means to the Humboldt penguins of the Oceanarium, a penguin photo magnet, a penguin keyring magnet, two adult complimentary tickets, name displayed on the wall at Penguin Beach Encounter of the Oceanarium for 12 months.

Since launching penguin adoptions in December, the Oceanarium has raised a whopping £200 for charity.
Adoption packs start at £24.99 in the gift shop or £55 for postage adoptions and are presented in a themed animal carrier box. Waddle you waiting for? Adopt a penguin today and give back this Valentine’s Day.
For postage adoptions, orders must be made by Monday 12 February to receive in time for Valentines Day. Otherwise, packages must be picked up in person at the Oceanarium front desk. To order an adoption pack, please call us on 01202 311 993 or visit our website for more information https://www.oceanarium.co.uk/plan-your-visit/experiences/animal-adoptions

WE ARE BACK! I wanted to share my story to show anyone out there running a business, you can stop and start again. Firstly, thank you to our following for being kind and patient. We are now back and let’s say a lot has changed. Sometimes something happens in life and it completely changes your route.

Reset…
As you all know, before Christmas my laptop decided to give up. Well that totally threw a spanner in the launch of my next newspaper and the running of my online subscriptions. I had to stop and RESET.  
During 2023 a few life changing situations entered into our lives… something you don’t want to share or feel the need to shout about. Reflecting back we found it was time to rest and it was a sign that the new year was going to be different. 

Refocus…    
This is how the REFOCUS begun… My laptop was fixed, but I was gutted to learn all my hard work for the Winter newspapers I was working on mid crash – was lost. It was a final straw to show my energy levels weren’t there to redo the work and my mind went into overdrive of what’s next, what do I do, I feel bad to let all my readers down. My focus then changed, it was clear to me that it was time to make a change. Due to the changes in our future path, it was clear the energy we have needs to be REFOCUSED into personal life, but of course as a strong business woman to give up is just not something I could accept. 

Restart…
Now it was time to RESTART. Time is precious and this had to be reviewed, I worked out what is feasible, and I have worked on what I love most. This is my announcement to say, I am sorry but my beautiful Eco Newspapers are being paused for publish until… well I am not sure. But, here is how I am RESTARTING, I am back live and you can still read stories on my newsblog, I will still keep being active and connecting with you all on social media and lets just say The Eco News is still going to keep showing the world that Eco Positivity is important and not only sometimes do we need to save ourselves, but more importantly we NEED TO SAVE OUR PLANET.  Questions and Answers.
I paid to be in the Winter Edition, will I get a refund? Yes you will, we aim to issue all refunds within the next 60 days. 
I have a subscription, does that mean I can’t read newspapers anymore? The subscription accounts will stay live until the subscription periods end. 
How can I read new stories? You can read them on our live newsblog or you can sign up to our free newsletter to receive news vial email.

Questions and Answers.
I paid to be in the Winter Edition, will I get a refund? Yes you will, we aim to issue all refunds within the next 60 days. 
I have a subscription, does that mean I can’t read newspapers anymore? The subscription accounts will stay live until the subscription periods end. 
How can I read new stories? You can read them on our live newsblog or you can sign up to our free newsletter to receive news vial email.
If you have any other questions, please email me at info@theeconews.co.uk

How many do you do?

• Auto Trader’s new survey reveals the UK’s most popular eco-habits, from taking our own shopping bags to air drying clothes 
• The eco-habits people do less regularly include using a reusable coffee cup and eating less meat
• Those who drive Lexus and Tesla cars have the best eco-habits

The UK’s electric car champion Auto Trader has surveyed over 1,290 drivers to reveal which green habits the nation is doing the most, and which we are struggling to do regularly.

The results show we’re a nation incentivised by saving money, with the most popular eco-behaviours also being ones that look after the pennies, such as taking our own shopping bags, air drying our clothes and reusing bottles.

In the study, Auto Trader asked drivers how regularly they perform a variety of everyday sustainable habits, with the findings as follows:

The UK’s Ten Most Common Eco-Habits

	Eco-Habit	% of Respondents Who Always, or Regularly Do This
1	People say they take their own reusable bags when shopping	88%
2	People say they air dry clothes rather than tumble dry	75%
3	People say they recycle at home, using kerbside recycling for household items	73%
4	People use their own reusable water bottle	66%
5=	People say they switch their washing machine to 30 degrees	64%
5=	People say they wear more clothes to stay warm than turn up the central heating	64%
6	People say they recycle items that can’t be recycled at home e.g. batteries, water filters, black food trays, crisp packets etc.	62%
7	People turn off their computers and TVs, rather than using standby	60%
8	People use Tupperware or reusable wraps over foil or clingfilm	59%
9	People drive slower to use less fuel	42%
10	People buy second hand toys, clothes, appliances, furniture etc. for sustainability reasons	34%

The new research reveals people are particularly good at embracing eco-friendly habits which are both easy to incorporate into daily life and which help save money. An impressive 88% of respondents report they take their own bags when shopping. This simple yet effective habit greatly reduces plastic waste, as does using reusable water bottles, which is the fourth most popular eco-habit with a considerable number of adopters (66%).

Eco-practices that also saves on energy bills are very popular, such as air drying clothes instead of using a tumble dryer, and wearing more clothes to save turning on the heating.

The ninth most popular eco-habit is driving slower to use less fuel, with 42% of the UK’s drivers claiming to do it. The driving experts at Auto Trader explain that “Driving above 60mph can burn your car’s fuel quickly, and as such emit more emissions. Driving a bit slower on the motorway, as well as driving more smoothly, like anticipating a corner to avoid sudden braking, will help reduce your car’s emissions.”

Whilst there are many eco-practices that have made it into the UK’s day-to-day behaviour, there is room for improvement…

Five Eco-Habits the UK Could Improve On

1. Using a reusable coffee cup – only 31% of UK regularly do this
2. Eating a vegetarian diet – only 20% of UK regularly do this
3. Researching how sustainable a brand or product is – only 20% of UK regularly do this
4. Car-sharing on work commutes or school runs – only 17% of UK regularly do this
5. Using a bike or e-bike instead of car – only 15% of UK regularly do this

Only one in three of the nation report that they regularly take a reusable cup when they buy a hot drink. As well as saving on single use plastic use, this habit usually comes with a financial reward, with the likes of Pret A Manger, Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Greggs, Café Nero, and many other coffee shops offering up to 50p when you bring your own cup – which could save regular coffee drinks over £180 a year*! 

Auto Trader’s research also shows that only 20% of the UK avoid eating meat for sustainable reasons, despite David Attenborough’s warnings about deforestation. Online interest in the UK for reducing meat and dairy consumption has fallen by 70% over recent years. According to Google data, in January 2020 there were over 736,000 searches for vegan and vegetarian recipes made in the UK, which has steadily fallen each year, with just 220,000 searches made in January 2023.

The least popular eco-habit is cycling instead of driving, with just 15% of the nation adopting this habit. However, using an e-bike can massively improve your commute, not just in terms of reducing carbon emissions, but by also providing a speedy alternative to sitting in a traffic jam as well as taking away the stress of finding a parking place.

Erin Barker, editorial director at Auto Trader, says: “At Auto Trader we’re passionate about supporting consumers with their environmentally friendly vehicle and journey choices. From upgrading an older petrol car to a newer, cleaner one or switching to an e-bike for your journey to the train station there are plenty of ways we can reduce our environmental impact on the road. It’s encouraging to see from this study how many eco-habits have been adopted into our daily lives and we would love to see more drivers making more environmentally conscious decisions on the road, whether it’s sparking your electric journey with a pre-loved electric car, or simply reducing your car’s emissions with a smoother, slower drive.”

The Drivers with the Best Eco-Habits

The report cross-referenced the cars people drive with their eco-habits to reveal that Lexus drivers and Tesla drivers are making the strongest strides in their eco-behaviour. Lexus drivers frequently carpool, and a high proportion (88%) use public transport over driving in the name of the environment. As well as driving electric cars, Tesla drivers are the drivers more likely to use reusable water bottles, switch their washing to 30 degrees and purchase food with fewer air miles. Porsche, Audi, and Land Rover also had high proportions of their drivers regularly adopting eco-behaviours.

To see the full Greenest Drivers report visit: www.autotrader.co.uk/cars/electric/greenest-drivers

A Salford-based company that creates reusable crackers is enjoying the benefits of support from GM Business Growth Hub ahead of its busiest time of year.

Keep This Cracker was founded by Bea Thackeray in 2013 with the ambition of creating Christmas crackers that could be kept and reused to minimise waste.

With an estimated 100 million crackers pulled in the UK every year, that is enough to reach the North Pole eight times if laid end-to-end.

“My thinking was on how to create that product and to make it something people will want to use and keep,” said Bea. “I decided to do some product trials and tests to see whether it was something I could get manufactured at a larger scale here in the UK. That’s really where the idea came from.

“And then at one point I thought, now I need to go full time and give this a go. I’m tackling this from so many different angles. They come flat packed, which means that the packaging is minimal. The packaging is also compostable and reusable, you can store them away after you’ve used them back into the packaging. And one of the main advantages is you can put your own gifts inside. I’ve got customers that are telling me they’re still using them five years on.

”During the pandemic, Bea started to access support through webinars, before signing up for the EnterprisingYou programme through the Hub, and benefitting from support from experienced eco-innovation specialists.

She said: “It really helped having the initial assessment of where are my strengths are, and where are my weaknesses are. We identified a lot of inefficiencies in my business and I needed to streamline a lot of the operations. “My business adviser on EnterprisingYou was great. He put me in touch with the departments I needed to speak to within the Business Growth Hub, such as the Eco Innovations team, which is how I ended up on Eco-FORCE workshops. “From there I completed the Journey to Net Zero programme as well, which was fantastic because I’ve learnt how to write an environmental policy statement and put a plan in place. it’s been great learning curve. 

“I’ve had a lot of advice from the Digital Innovation team. My brand new website went live in August. The team have helped with fine tuning and I have now added a trade shop where B2B customers can order direct. It’s been great to have that level of support.

”Bea’s plans for the future include expansion in 2024, supplying the hospitality industry and developing the corporate gifting side of the business which will give the product more exposure – as well as taking on additional staff or using third party resources to help with her production.

Yvonne Sampson, Head of Enterprise at GM Business Growth Hub, said: “Small businesses like Keep This Cracker have such an important role to play in our journey to net zero.

“They have the innovative ideas and drive to create products that will help us all reduce our own carbon footprints, so we are thrilled to help Bea continue to grow her business and get her crackers on more and more tables for many Christmases to come.

”Businesses looking to access specialist support can visit www.businessgrowthhub.com for more information about the organisation’s extensive range of services.

Providing free radiator keys and advice to help community members save at least £155* on energy bills this winter 

• OVO Energyhas partnered with charity Plunkett Foundation to pilot an energy efficiency scheme with community stores across the UK to help people cut costs and carbon this winter
• It comes as OVO research reveals that three quarters (74%)** of Brits said their cornershop is a pillar of the local community and an important hub of information 
• And over half (56%) said their local community would benefit from a scheme that provides energy efficiency advice and tools, such as radiator keys
• The scheme follows the launch of OVO’s Customer Support Package, totalling almost £40m, to support the most vulnerable this winter with financial support and free energy-saving products, including electric blankets and mattress toppers

With more cold snaps predicted this winter,OVO is today launching an energy efficiency pilot scheme designed to support local communities with energy efficiency advice and tools this winter.

Created in partnership with community business support charity Plunkett Foundation, the scheme arms 10 shopkeepers in stores from Kent to Cumbria with energy-saving knowledge from OVO’s Energy Experts and free radiator keys. Combined savings of implementing OVO’s tips could see over £155 knocked off annual energy bills.

The community scheme comes as OVO research shows three quarters (74%) said their cornershop is a pillar of the community and an important hub of information, and more than half (56%) said their local community would benefit from a scheme that provides energy efficiency advice and tools, such as radiator keys. 

Including a radiator key-sharing initiative, the scheme provides community members with the knowledge and tools they need to cut costs and carbon this winter. Despite two-fifths (40%) of Brits saying they would like to bleed their radiators, one in five (19%) have no idea how to do it.   

Community members simply need to ask participating shopkeepers to borrow a free radiator key. They will then be provided with guidance on energy efficiency measures including how to bleed radiators. Everyone will be encouraged to return the keys to stores once finished, so more community members can benefit from one of the cheapest and easiest ways to improve heating circulation in the home. 

Anyone who isn’t in close proximity to a store can head to OVO’s social channels to sign up for a free radiator key and watch a helpful video on how to bleed radiators on OVO’s website.

Four energy efficiency measures recommended by OVO’s Energy Experts, include: 

1. Turn down your boiler flow temperature: Turning down the flow temperature on your combi-boiler to 60°C will make it more efficient. It can also save the average home around £60 a year, according to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero’s ‘It All Adds Up’ campaign.
2. Turn down the radiators in rooms you use less: Turning down radiators in rooms you don’t use, can help to lower your bills, with the ‘DESNZ’ suggesting it can save up to £50 per home per year. 
3. If you can, draught-proof your windows and doors: Draught excluders and draught excluder tape stop heat from escaping by blocking gaps around doors and windows. It’s a low-cost way of keeping warm air in and cold air out, and the Energy Saving Trust says doing so could save you up to £45 on your bills. 
4. Bleeding radiators: OVO’s Energy Experts recommend doing so at least once a year to remove pockets of air that build up inside radiators. This allows warm water to flow through the whole radiator so it uses less energy to heat the room to the desired temperature.

OVO energy also recently launched its Customer Support Package, which will provide nearly £40m’s worth of financial support and free energy-saving products, including electric blankets and mattress toppers, for vulnerable customers this winter.

Gráinne Regan, Head of Heat at OVO, said “OVO’s team of Energy Experts visit thousands of households nationwide, bearing witness to the negative impact that the UK’s leaky housing stock is having on bills. Bleeding radiators and draught-proofing may seem like small acts, but simple changes like these can make a genuine difference to energy bills. 

“With corner shops playing such an important role in communities, they are the ideal place for us to engage people in energy efficiency to help cut costs this winter.”

Claire Spendley, Community Business Manager at Plunkett Foundation added: “We’re so grateful that OVO has chosen to support the work we do with local community-owned shops. Many of our shops are located in rural areas that don’t always have easy access to the information or tools they need to improve energy efficiency. We hope to see many customers taking advantage of the scheme.”

Karen Roberts aged 53, manager of St Tudy Community Shop, Cornwall, one of the stores taking part in the energy efficiency scheme, said: “Our shop is a vital resource for the people in our community. Customers rely on us for everything from daily essentials to information and access to vital services, so they can get the most out of their lives. But we can’t be experts in all areas. By working with OVO to share crucial knowledge on energy efficiency, we’ll help our customers to lower their energy bills. We help take care of the people we serve and I can’t think of a better way to support them this winter.”

To find out how you can improve your home’s energy efficiency, OVO customers can sign up for a visit from one of OVO’s Energy Experts at: https://www.ovoenergy.com/energy-experts 

*Total cost calculated by adding together the money-saving potential of the below three tips: 

1. Reducing boiler flow temperature to 60 degrees, saving up to £60 per year,
2. Turning down radiators in rooms not being used, saving up to £50 per year 
3. If you can, draught-proofing windows and doors, saving up to £45 a year 

£60+50+£45=£155

**Consumer survey conducted by OnePoll, with 2,000 UK nationally representative adults from 27.09.23 – 02.10.23.

UK chickens and the growing breed of backyard eco-friendly farmers will be eggstatic at the launch of the very latest in bespoke chicken coop accommodation.

The Shepherds Hut Chicken Coop is a market-first, a five-star home for fine feathered fowl that’s designed to remove all the inconveniences of traditional chicken coops.

Designed by young craftsman Rob McFagan, the practical poultry palace combines modern sustainable manufacturing techniques with traditional construction skills used to build shepherds’ huts since the 16^th century.

Rob formed Holmes Hill Shepherds Huts in 2019 and with no formal training in carpentry built his first commercial timber-framed Shepherd’s Hut as a labour of love aged 21. Since then, he has become one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of bespoke Shepherds Huts.

With Shepherds’ Huts becoming the go-to-choice for trendy, eco-friendly sustainable living in the back garden, Rob saw another potential use for the iconic rumbling wagon – downsizing it as an upmarket chicken coop for the 21^st century.

As a proud poultry owner himself, he was quick to see the potential of combining one of his loves in life – shepherds huts – to solve some of the problems of another – looking after chickens.

2.“Keeping chickens is one of the easiest ways to live more sustainably,” said Rob. “A steady supply of fresh eggs produced by chickens that are well looked after is by far the biggest reason people give for raising their own chickens.

“But despite the boom, chicken coops have remained basic in terms of design and practicality and, although just as likely to be found in small urban gardens as sprawling farmyards, look pretty ugly.

“The Shepherds Coop is designed to tackle all the inconveniences that come with keeping chickens in conventional coops. It’s high above the ground to avoid rats, fox proof with joinery grade doors, insulated to avoid the heat and the cold, it has a stainless-steel floor and nest boxes for ease of cleaning and a whole side door to allow full access for cleaning.

“It’s built on iron wheels and a chassis, so the coop is easy to move from one place to another.”

As with full-size Holmes Hill Shepherds’ Huts, the Shepherd’s Coop is handcrafted to order to customers’ personal requirements.

“Our standard coop houses up to 10 chickens, but we can customise to suit specific requirements, such as larger or smaller nest boxes, installing windows or simply making it bigger.

“The cost reflects that and the fact that a Holmes Hill Shepherd’s Coop is built to last, is totally fit for purpose, blends in and makes life for the chickens and their owners a whole lot easier,” added Rob.

To find out more go to https://holmeshillsh.com/shepherds-huts/mcf-cc/ or telephone 01825 280488.

21^st November 2023: Glaswegian community exchange charity, Recycle Room, has received crucial energy saving support from B&Q. The support came after Glaswegian locals nominated the community space to win some ELC (Energy Loving Care) as part of B&Q’s Energy Savers initiative.

Based in Clydebank, Recycle Room was founded in 2015 to help locals recycle unwanted household items, from clothes to curtains, and donate them to those in need. The charity serves as a ‘community laundry’, which sees people travelling from all across Glasgow to use, with items given away for free to people in need. Recycle Room also runs different programmes throughout the year, such as providing free school uniforms to those who struggle to afford them ahead of the start of the school term.

B&Q Energy Savers was set up in the midst of a period of rising energy bills earlier this year, following an “urgent plea” for help from the Prime Minister amid the difficulties that community spaces have faced in recent months. Higher energy bills and potential funding cuts have posed a threat to the ability of community spaces to provide much needed services to their local area. B&Q’s initiative aims to support these spaces across the UK to become more energy efficient and showcase how easy it is to save energy at home.

B&Q called on the nation to nominate community spaces in their local area that they felt would benefit from the help and advice of the B&Q Energy Savers team. After being selected as one of the winners, the B&Q Energy Savers worked with Recycle Room to help cut their costs by installing new energy efficient washing machines and tumble driers, along with a £2,000 gift card. The donation will allow Recycle Room to keep serving the local community, thanks to reduced energy bills.

Nichola Mable, founder of Recycle Room, says: “We’re thrilled to have been nominated by our local community as part of B&Q’s Energy Savers campaign. We’re really grateful for the appliances donated by B&Q, which are crucial to the charity’s work. It couldn’t have come at a better time, as we have been rebuilding the space after an awful flood last Christmas, which damaged multiple appliances and clothes bundles. The donation means we can continue to serve our local community and help those in need.”

Paul Carroll, Head of Services Development, said: “We’re pleased that through our energy savers campaign we were able to play a part in supporting Recycle Room in their efforts to help their local community.

“Both community spaces and households have felt the pinch when it comes to rising energy bills, so now is an important time to become more energy efficient. To support with this we launched our energy saving service so customers can have access to free, personalised energy advice and a 1-1 consultation with an energy saving advisor, available at diy.com.”

In March, as part of the launch of the Energy Savers initiative, B&Q teamed up with ex-England football player and presenter Jermaine Jenas when he visited Southeast London football club, Welling United, to help show them some easy and efficient ways to save energy. These energy saving tips can be viewed here.

B&Q has everything you could need for those energy-saving jobs in-store and at diy.com. Earlier this year, B&Q also launched its Energy Saving Service, offering personalised guidance to customers and making it easier to establish which products and tips they can use to help save energy at home.