Rhys Taylor-Brown

After a tempestuous 2020, it is safe to say that all of us are relishing the festive season this year, even if Christmas celebrations are to be different compared to the norm. As we approach the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas will once more come as a novelty to the many pets occupying households across the UK, as they become accustomed to the annual outing of twinkling lights, Christmas trees, decorations, and the occasional morsel from seasonal foods.

While the rollout of a Covid-19 vaccination programme in the UK offers genuine hope that the end of the pandemic is in sight, the significant amount of effort it has taken from all to reach this point must not be forgotten.

In response to the immense disruption that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused, innovation and adaptability has been seen on an unprecedented scale within British industry. Whole businesses over the last few months have become accustomed to a remote working model, with some having to make wholesale changes to systems and procedures practically overnight.

While the UK government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic in Great Britain and Northern Ireland has come under much scrutiny throughout 2020, the support measures provided by the Treasury to help keep business and the country running have been of immense importance.

Chiswick-based property sales and lettings firm Acre Properties, first founded in 1988 by Alastair Kerr, has built its business on a philosophy of treating all tenants as if they were brothers and sisters. It was no surprise, therefore, when Kerr looked to broaden the business’ reach by partnering up with charitable organisations.

Speaking exclusively to The Leaders Council of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, PDK Shellfish managing director Paul Knight warns that the new regulations governing the export of live produce to the EU following the post-Brexit transition period could spell doom for numerous industry operators.

London based online market research agency FlyResearch has been issuing weekly polls to its research panel of over 3000 people throughout the coronavirus pandemic in the UK, in order to project how the outbreak and the implementing of social distancing has been impacting the daily life of UK citizens.

Reports indicate that a post-Brexit trade deal could be struck between the UK and EU before the end of year after prime minister Boris Johnson agreed to a major concession on competition rules.

The vast majority of 2020 has seen much of the world and our very ways of life firmly in the grip of Covid-19, leaving the worldwide population and global industry with little alternative but to adapt to a raft of new risks and challenges. Much of this adapting has been seen within the healthcare industry, which has been at the sharp end of the battle to quell the virus that has been responsible for such unprecedented change.

Emily Aklan is the founder and chief executive of Serenity Welfare, a uniquely integrated organisation that works with UK-wide local authorities, children’s charities, schools, alternative education provisions, youth offending services and other healthcare professionals to offer a fully comprehensive 24/7 welfare service for children and young people, including those in care.

Despite much of the focus of 2020 being on the Covid-19 pandemic and the challenges that it has thrust upon the world, the health crisis has come as a stark reminder that climate change remains a significant threat to humanity. This is especially relevant to the agriculture sector, where the changing climates are presenting new problems to farmers in terms of ensuring that crops can survive long periods of adverse weather, as well as withstand the pests that are allowed to thrive under such conditions.

As non-essential retail reopened its doors following the full autumn lockdown in England, it came as a huge relief for both retailers and the wholesalers supplying shops across the UK. Orders were beginning to come in again, providing a much-needed revenue boost ahead of the festive season. Yet, for those retailers and wholesalers who import products to the UK, an unprecedented rise in shipping costs - which could continue until as late as June 2022 - is threatening to quell any hope of a swift post-pandemic recovery.

Denroy Plastics has been recognised by the British Chambers of Commerce as UK Business Heroes for its continued work throughout the pandemic to help support the NHS by providing PPE to frontline workers and other key personnel.

Homeless people in London will be offered a fortnight’s stay in a hotel over Christmas, with three meals provided per day alongside a virtual appearance on Christmas Day from celebrity guests.

As the recent national lockdown in England came to an end and a new tiered system of restrictions came into place, non-essential independent retailers have once more been allowed to open their doors to the public. With a recent survey from the British Independent Retailers Association [BIRA] and Starling Bank suggesting that 66 per cent of shoppers will look to purchase festive gifts from local and family-run businesses, such retailers could be set for a huge boost ahead of the festive season.