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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin"><h4><a href="https://members.parliament.uk/member/4134/contact">Kwasi Kwarteng</a>, Secretary of State for Business,
Energy and Industrial Strategy, has written to all businesses to offer free Covid-19 tests for
workplace testing of staff that cannot work from home. The letter sent to
business owners across the country has been replicated below. To register for
the free kits go to: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/get-workplace-coronavirus-tests">https://www.gov.uk/get-workplace-coronavirus-tests</a></h4>&nbsp;I am writing to ask for your help in stopping the spread of Covid-19 by testing your
workforce to find people who have the virus but show no symptoms, so they can
isolate quickly and not spread the virus to their colleagues and their families.&nbsp;Around 1 in 3 people who have the virus have no symptoms and may be
unknowingly spreading the virus. To help stop the virus spreading, free testing is
available for all firms to test their workforce. The government is providing employers
with 50 or more employees with lateral flow testing kits to test their staff that cannot
currently work from home, or who will return to the workplace as the economy opens
up as set out in the Roadmap announced on 22 February.&nbsp;The test kits are entirely free of charge until 30 June 2021 for firms that have
registered by 31 March at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/get-workplace-coronavirus-tests">https://www.gov.uk/get-workplace-coronavirus-tests</a>. The
Department for Health and Social Care will also offer advice and guidance to support
setting up testing facilities, along with a list a list of accredited private providers who
can organise testing on your behalf if preferred. Companies with fewer than 50
employees can take advantage of community testing for their staff. It is vital that we
ramp up the testing of those without symptoms in order to break the chains of
transmission.&nbsp;Lateral flow tests are good at detecting those who are infectious and have already
been hugely successful in finding positive cases we would not otherwise find,
enabling those people to be taken out of the transmission chain. Workplaces that
have introduced regular testing find they can plan with more certainty and spot
individual cases before whole teams fall ill.&nbsp;I am strongly encouraging employers and workers to take this offer up to help stop
the spread of the virus and protect the NHS. We want to be able to reopen the
economy and recover our way of life as soon as it is safe to do so, and large-scale
workplace testing will complement our work in getting the British people vaccinated.&nbsp;Yours faithfully, Kwasi Kwarteng&nbsp;</div>

Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, has written to all businesses to offer free Covid-19 tests for workplace testing of staff that cannot work from home.

Kwasi Kwarteng,  Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, writes to all businesses about free Covid-19 tests 

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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">Since March 2020, market research specialist <a href="https://www.marketmeasures.co.uk/">Market Measures</a> has been running its own Covid-19 tracker survey to monitor the evolving mood of the nation throughout the pandemic. Charting the attitudes of the population toward essential and non-essential retail from March 2020 through to February 21, 2021, Market Measures has uncovered a growing theme of healthier eating on a budget alongside a well-documented shift towards online shopping, albeit the majority of grocery spend still goes through physical stores. Meanwhile, even with sales of clothing and footwear well down, it has been found that non-essential high street retailers are not finding themselves generally losing market share to online competitors, and therefore the lifting of restrictions will make 2021 a pivotal year for these businesses to resume trading and recover. Analysing the survey’s findings, <a href="https://www.leaderscouncil.co.uk/members/john-gurd">Market Measures CEO John Gurd</a> told The Leaders Council that anxiety about grocery shopping has subsided as the pandemic has worn on, despite growing numbers of people purchasing groceries online. Gurd said: “From an experiential and behavioural perspective, grocery shopping is back to being part of everyday life and fosters less of a feeling of danger and dread compared to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.“Yet, in the background, we are seeing a growing trend toward online shopping. In the week commencing March 23 when the first lockdown began, only 24 per cent of respondents informed us that they spent any money on shopping for groceries online, with average online spend at just £18, measured against an average in-store spend of £97. By the week commencing February 15, 2021, 40 per cent of respondents spent money on online grocery shopping, with average online spend up to £38 versus £108 of average spend in-store.”Since the first lockdown began in March 2020, more individuals have been found to be more closely watching what they spend on groceries, with greater numbers of people actively looking for promotions.Gurd continued: “From the first lockdown over March 23 to May 10, 2020, 53 per cent of people taking the survey informed us that they were being careful about their spending on groceries. Over subsequent lockdowns, this number increased. Over the November 1 to December 2 lockdown, we had 57 per cent reporting as such, which then rose to 59 per cent by February 21, 2021.”Since the start of the pandemic, the survey has also found a shift toward cooking from scratch, buying local or British, and buying healthier food products, which suggest that the health crisis has helped encourage a more positive relationship with food and prompted people to rethink their life choices.Indeed, 41 per cent more people in the 16 to 34 age range say that they are doing more cooking from scratch measured from March 23, 2020 to February 21, 2021, while 47 per cent more 35 to 54-year-olds and 42 per cent more over 55s are doing the same. On the other hand, only 12 per cent more 16- to 34-year-olds are buying more ready meals, and 19 per cent less 35- to 54-year-olds are doing so. Among the over 55s, the number of people buying ready meals has dropped by 14 per cent.The shift toward healthier food choices finds itself falling in line with more individuals resolving to eat healthier over 2021. Market Measures recorded that 64 per cent of 16-to-34-year-olds made a New Year’s resolution to eat healthier this year, alongside 49 per cent in the 35 to 54 age range and 30 per cent of over 55s.Moving on to address the state of play in non-essential retail, Gurd informed us that enduring lockdowns and restrictions had left sales of items such as clothing and footwear very much in the doldrums.Gurd explained: “People are not allowed to go out anywhere so there isn’t a need to buy anything but casuals and basics. As a result, the whole market is down, but what we are not seeing is an online operator coming in and absorbing all of the market share.”However, the concern for industry operators is that with many high street retailers set to be closed for good, including the Arcadia Group chain and Debenhams, the allure of the high street may be so diminished that it takes a more concerted effort to entice shoppers from their homes when lockdown restrictions end. Yet, Gurd suggested that the data did show a glimmer of hope in that more people were indicating preferences to shop for clothing and footwear in-store, rather than online.“Based on the thousands of interviews we have completed since the start of the pandemic, we have seen a shift toward online purchasing in non-essential retail, but the preference for shopping remains in-store and pent-up demand is growing to get back out onto the high street.“The year-on-year increase in the percentage of people happy to buy clothing and footwear online is up from 52 per cent in March 2020 to 57 per cent in 2021, while 53 per cent of respondents prefer shopping for these items in-store versus 18 per cent online. Elsewhere, the number of individuals who miss going to stores to shop for these items has increased from 43 per cent back in March 2020 to 58 per cent in February 2021, suggesting that there will be people keen to get out and spend when restrictions are eased.”Of course, time will tell on the extent to which trading in physical stores resumes in earnest, but the statistics suggest that there is some cause for optimism among non-essential high street retailers.</div>

Since March 2020, market research specialist Market Measures has been running its own Covid-19 tracker survey to monitor the evolving mood of the nation throughout the pandemic. 

Healthier choices, buying local, saving money: Market Measures investigates how retail spending habits have changed during the Covid-19 crisis

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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin"><a href="https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/psychological-first-aid-for-children-and-young-people">A new online course </a>has been launched to help those working with children and young people recognise psychological trauma. As a result of the covid-19 lockdowns many children have been adversely affected and anyone working with people 0-25 can have training to recognise the signs of trauma or psychological issues. The online course, developed by Public Health England (PHE), offers training on how to provide practical and emotional support to children and young people affected by emergencies or crisis situations. Having training to help people get the right support early on can help prevent issues from reoccurring or worsening.Those completing the training will be equipped to better identify those children that are in distress and provide support to help them feel safe, connected and able to take steps to help themselves during the pandemic or other crisis situations.The training course is available for all frontline workers such as teachers, health and social workers, charity and community volunteers and anyone who cares for or is regularly in contact with children and young people aged up to 25, including parents and caregivers.The course will take around 3 hours to complete and this can be split into 3 hour-long manageable sections and no previous qualifications are required.Minister for Mental Health <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/phe-launches-new-psychological-first-aid-training">Nadine Dorries</a> said:‘’Children and young people have been uniquely challenged by the events of the last year. I remain absolutely committed to supporting them through this pandemic and beyond, ensuring we equip them with the tools and support they need to stay mentally well.This training will ensure those who work with children and young people – including parents and caregivers – can support their wellbeing by identifying signs of distress and helping them access the support they need.We know that while children can be very resilient, crises or emergencies can have a huge impact on their mental health and we must continue to ensure they can access the support they need.’’The course is free to complete but a certificate can be purchased for £32 once the course has been completed.



















Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@anthonytran?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Anthony Tran</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/mental-health?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a> </div>

As a result of the covid-19 lockdowns many children have been adversely affected and anyone working with people 0-25 can have training to recognise the signs of trauma or psychological issues.



Government launches new training course to help recognise trauma in children

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 <div data-pmr-editable="" class="medium-editor-insert-plugin">Sustainability and circular economy experts <a href="https://beautykitchen.co.uk/">Beauty Kitchen</a> have partnered with multinational consumer goods specialist <a href="https://www.unilever.co.uk/">Unilever</a> and retail giant <a href="https://www.asda.com/">Asda</a> to trial three new refill stations across beauty, personal care and laundry products at Asda’s pioneering flagship sustainability store in Leeds. Starting on October 20, 2020, the Asda Middleton store began operating a new Refill Zone supported by Unilever and Beauty Kitchen. As a lead partner in the trial, Unilever provided seven of its household-name brands including Persil, PG Tips, Radox, Cif, Simple, Pukka and Alberto Balsam.The trial forms part of Unilever UK &amp; Ireland’s #GetPlasticWise campaign, which promotes its five-point plastic plan to accelerate progress towards its global 2025 plastic targets. As founding signatories of the <a href="https://wrap.org.uk/taking-action/plastic-packaging/the-uk-plastics-pact">UK Plastics Pact</a>, Unilever believes that reducing plastic waste in the UK must be a collaborative effort across the whole supply chain, from suppliers, manufacturers and waste management companies right through to consumers.Trialling three different refill formats, the Asda Middleton trial is currently the largest of its kind undertaken by Unilever in Europe and provides a real-world “test and learn” setting to help understand what works best for consumers in a retail environment.Among the three different refill models trialled inside the store are touch-free refill machines, an in-home refill option provided for Cif products and self-serve containers for biodegradable PG Tips and Pukka teabags to be dispensed into.The touch-free refill machines were developed by Beauty Kitchen to cater for beauty and personal care products along with Persil laundry liquid for the trial, all of which are dispensed in reusable aluminium or stainless-steel bottles via three machines using the Return, Refill, Repeat premise. First-time shoppers are provided with the reusable bottles, while returning shoppers use their existing bottle. Once filled, shoppers are then able to add their printed price label to the bottle and take the filled bottle to be processed at the store checkout as normal. Each bottle comes with its own unique QR code, a feature which enables full traceability to allow for greater insight into the circular model.It is thought that the three refill stations in tandem could save equivalent to 30,000 plastic water bottles per store in just one year, based on predicted sales of Persil, Radox, Alberto Balsam and Simple refills.Sebastian Munden, Executive Vice President of Unilever UK &amp; Ireland commented: “I am very excited by the potential to test and learn from this fantastic partnership with Asda. It's a great opportunity for us to find out, across seven of our leading brands, just how shoppers respond to using refillable and reusable packaging in-store. We are all committed to driving lasting change when it comes to plastic, but to do so we must create scalable solutions and make it as easy as possible for people to make sustainable choices.“On our journey to halving our use of virgin plastic by 2025 and ensuring all our plastic packaging is fully reusable, recyclable or compostable, we will have to be bold and totally rethink products and packaging, and we will only do that by testing a range of solutions with shoppers in real-life conditions.”Jo Chidley, Founder of Beauty Kitchen, added: “The need to act on the plastic pollution crisis is urgent and focusing consumer behaviour on sustainability and cradle to cradle practise is a vital part of the solution. This exciting partnership to power Refill Stations is a pivotal point in creating a sustainable future and instilling a reuse mindset”.According to a <a href="https://www.kantar.com/campaigns/who-cares-who-does-covid-19-and-environmental-efforts">Kantar</a> report from June 2020, plastic waste remains the priority global environmental concern for Great British consumers, with 60 per cent indicating that they will use refill options if they are available.</div>

Sustainability and circular economy experts Beauty Kitchen have partnered with multinational consumer goods specialist Unilever and retail giant Asda to trial three new refill stations across beauty, personal care and laundry products at Asda’s pioneering flagship sustainability store in Leeds.

Beauty Kitchen partners with Unilever and Asda in groundbreaking sustainability trial

Peter Stone is a Managing Partner at Sionic, a global consulting firm that focuses on change and specialises in a unique blend of business and people performance.

Leadership Matters: Peter Stone

Mike Newell is the sales director at Isumo Ltd, a company which designs, builds and supports complex network infrastructures that deliver the security, scalability, and availability that clients and their users demand.

Leadership Matters: Mike Newell

Nick Hampton is the CEO of Tale & Lyle PLC, a B2B food and drink ingredients supplier, specialising in solutions that lower sugar, fat and calories, increase fibre, and add texture.

In Conversation: Nick Hampton

Dan Williams is managing director at Orean Personal Care, a contract manufacturer which also offers product development and technical support.

The Leaders Council of Great Britain & Northern Ireland

Latest News

Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, writes to all businesses about free Covid-19 tests

Healthier choices, buying local, saving money: Market Measures investigates how retail spending habits have changed during the Covid-19 crisis

Government launches new training course to help recognise trauma in children

Beauty Kitchen partners with Unilever and Asda in groundbreaking sustainability trial

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