Latest news with #Aldridge
Daily Record
a day ago
- General
- Daily Record
Edinburgh unveils floral clock for 2025 celebrating 200 years of braille
The floral clock, made with over 35,000 plants, took six weeks to complete and blooms until October Edinburgh's Lord Provost Robert Aldridge has officially unveiled this year's floral clock in West Princes Street Gardens. The colourful timepiece is a vibrant tribute marking 200 years of braille and celebrating the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). The iconic clock, crafted with over 35,000 flowers and plants, took three gardeners six weeks to complete. Featuring species such as antennaria, crassula, echeveria, sedum, saxifrage, and annuals like pyrethrum, begonias and geraniums, the colourful display will bloom until October. Joined by RNIB representatives and visually impaired community members, Mr Aldridge expressed hope that the design would inspire reflection on the vital role braille plays in the lives of those who use it. The capital's Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said: "Seeing the floral clock take shape is a wonderful annual tradition and this year doesn't disappoint, with a beautiful display in honour of a worthwhile cause. "The RNIB provides essential support to blind and visually impaired people, and in 2025 they mark a real milestone with the 200th anniversary of braille. I hope the clock's design will give people pause to reflect on just how important braille is to all those to use it. "Thanks to the hard-working parks team who have spent the past six weeks creating the clock, which will be enjoyed by many thousands of people throughout summer." The RNIB, the UK's leading charity for sight loss, supports blind and partially sighted individuals along with their families and carers. This year, it marks the bicentenary of braille, the tactile six-dot code that revolutionised literacy and communication for people with sight loss. James Adams, director of RNIB Scotland, described it as a great honour for the organisation to be featured. 'It marks the 200th anniversary of the invention of braille which opened up opportunity for blind and partially sighted people to be able to access the written word, and with that came the liberation of being able to also receive information that is taken for granted by wider society,' he said. 'Braille is a system that endures, and continues to transform the lives of blind and partially sighted people, offering them privacy, independence, and opportunity.' "Therefore, we are delighted to have Braille200 so prominently marked in the heart of Edinburgh and give everyone the opportunity to celebrate braille and include accessibility in their lives." The floral clock has a rich heritage, first created in 1903 by Edinburgh Parks superintendent John McHattie, making it the oldest of its kind in the world. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Initially featuring just an hour hand, a minute hand was added in 1904, followed by a cuckoo clock in 1952. It was mechanically operated and wound daily until 1972. Since 1946, the clock's designs have honoured numerous organisations and figures, including the Girl Guides Association, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Queen Elizabeth II for her Golden Jubilee. In its centenary year, 2003, it won a gold medal at the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show.
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'Vocational training was one of my best decisions'
More women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds are being encouraged to consider careers in engineering and manufacturing. In-Comm Training, based in Aldridge and Telford, said it wanted to help eliminate obstacles faced by the communities as well as encourage firms to stick to their own inclusivity organisation provides apprenticeships and said it had targeted "hard-to-reach groups" in a bid to fill a skills shortfall in of those featured in a 90-second campaign video is Nteokan, a Wolverhampton Girls' High School pupil, who said she did not want to follow the same A-Level and university path as most of her friends. She started a Level 3 Machining Technician Apprenticeship in September 2023 and said choosing a work-based route had been "one of the best decisions" she had made."I've really enjoyed learning the technical elements and then immediately applying them to real-life engineering scenarios - all whilst earning a wage too," she hopes to complete HNC/HND courses next and is targeting an engineering design job. There is a skills gap in the sector and In-Comm said it was important not to exclude any group if the country was to fill jobs that the economy depends on. "There have been major strides made, but this is just the start," said In-Comm executive director Bekki Phillips."We want to accelerate the good work and help industry bridge the major skills gap we face by being even more inclusive." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Rental assistance approved but still weeks away for tornado victims
ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted Tuesday to expand the Impacted Tenants Fund to help provide rental assistance to renters displaced by the May 16 tornado. The fund will cover one month of rent for people who are forced to move to a new property. There are no requirements that an applicant use the funds to find a property within city limits. Michelle Jackson rents her home in The Ville and has had to move around wherever she can find a spare bed in the aftermath of the tornado. 'Sometimes, me and my grandkids have to sleep in the car,' she said. She and her daughter both lost their homes, and says they continue to be victimized. 'People are going in and stealing stuff out of my house. They stole my TVs. They stole all my stuff that's worth a lot in my house,' Jackson said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now She is happy to hear that the city approved the rental assistance bill, but it will not be an immediate fix. Ward 14 Alderman Rasheen Aldridge said the application has not been approved yet and it could be a couple of weeks before people can apply. The Impacted Tenants Fund was put into play in May 2024 for renters forced to move from a condemned property. It was originally funded with $100,000 of ARPA funding, but the program has never gotten up and running. Although this new bill passed on Tuesday, there is still work to be done to get the program functioning. Board President Megan Green said last week that a vendor was picked to administer the program last year, but it is unclear why that contract was never finalized. 'We're working around the clock to set it up. This was something that should've been set up in 2023 when we originally passed it, but we're here now,' Alderman Aldridge said. The mayor's office did not return FOX 2's request for comment. Alderman Aldridge said the vendor is now in place. An application is being drafted and could be ready for final approval within a couple of weeks. Jackson says the sooner the better. The city's budget committee has also recommended adding another $1 million to the Impacted Tenants Fund so they can help more renters displaced by the storm. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Proctorville woman killed in WV crash
Jun. 3—Woman pronounced dead on scene; Three taken to hospital WAYNE COUNTY — A Proctorville woman was killed in a two-vehicle crash on Sunday in West Virginia. According to West Virginia State Police, Chelsea Nicole Aldridge, 29, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Aldridge's vehicle crossed the center line on State Route 47 at about 4 p.m., striking another vehicle. The driver of that vehicle, along with three passengers, were transported to a hospital. Police said the crash is still under investigation. You Might Like News Ashland woman killed in UTV accident News Concert series returns Tuesday night News WNF recommends no swimming at Lake Vesuvius beach because of E. coli News Recognizing the Underground Railroad
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mother dragged by car at Liverpool parade feared baby son had died after pram was flung 15ft down road
A mother dragged on the bonnet of a car at the Liverpool parade has shared the horrifying moment she spotted her six-month-old baby's pram lying upside down in the road after the pair were hit by the vehicle. Sheree Aldridge feared she and her son, Teddy, would die after the Ford Galaxy vehicle ploughed into them in Water Street on Monday evening. The 36-year-old was pushing the pram alongside her partner Dan Eveson when they saw an ambulance making its way down the road, followed by a sudden noise that sounded like a brawl. 'I don't like fighting and get really anxious, so I turned around and wanted to get the baby out of the way,' she told The Independent from her hospital bed on Wednesday morning. 'Then I remember someone shouting 'car' and then I was literally on the bonnet, travelling for what felt like a while before I got thrown off and the car went over my leg. 'I had been pushing the pram and I had no idea where it went, so I looked around while on the floor and could see the pushchair upside down a little bit further up the road. 'I was just screaming that my baby was up there, but when I tried to move, I couldn't and then everyone rushed over, including Dan, who then went straight to Ted and took him to the ambulance.'Teddy and his father were taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, where a check-up revealed no injuries to the baby. It later emerged that the impact of the car had sent the pram about 15 feet down the street. Ms Aldridge was taken into a restaurant used as a temporary help centre, before being moved to Aintree University Hospital. The mother suffered severe bruising to one leg, but hopes to return to her family home in Cannock, Staffordshire, soon. She said: 'I've never really been a religious person, to be honest, but something was looking down at us that day, I'm telling you. It's a miracle we're all alive. 'When I landed, I knew I was in pain, but I was more concerned about the baby and [his] dad. I've never had an accident like that before... I didn't know where the pushchair was, but I thought that was it. I thought that was my time.' A total of 65 people were injured when the vehicle ploughed into a crowd of people during Liverpool's Premier League victory parade. More than 50, including children, were treated in different hospitals and 11 remained there on Tuesday in a stable condition. Investigating officers believe the car slipped through the roadblock into Water Street by tailgating an ambulance crew attending to someone suffering a heart attack. Police were continuing to question a a 53-year-old man from West Derby in Liverpool on Wednesday morning after his arrest on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and drug-driving. Speaking on the police investigation, Ms Aldridge said: 'I think I just want to know why; because it was so direct towards me.' But she said the response to the incident illustrated the community spirit in the city, from businesses opening up spaces for the injured to strangers offering lifts and places to stay for those affected. Ms Aldridge said: 'I just want to thank everyone; all the ambulance staff, the restaurant, the public, because you never will get to see these people again. They could have ran, to be honest, they could have got out of the way as quickly as possible because you didn't know what was coming next, but they chose to stay with injured people. 'It says so much about the spirit of Liverpool.'
