Latest news with #Chichester
Spectator
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Will Emily Maitlis now apologise to Rupert Lowe?
The News Agents podcasters appear increasingly less focused on facts and more on taking a pop at people who hold different views to them. Ex-Reform man Rupert Lowe was a recent casualty. He was invited onto the podcast to speak to Maitlis – who wasted no time in tearing into him, going so far as to suggest the independent parliamentarian was 'racist' after he spoke about Pakistani grooming gangs. But after the publication of Baroness Casey's review this week, it would appear Maitlis is due a rather large slice of humble pie… On the episode, Maitlis asked Lowe quizzically: 'Why do you only talk about Pakistani grooming gangs? There are ten times as many white grooming gang suspects.' She then added: 'You are focusing on Pakistani grooming gangs because, probably, you're racist.' Er, right. Mr S wonders what exactly Maitlis made of Casey's review this week, then. It suggests that, where ethnicity data was logged (in around a third of the cases of group-based child sexual exploitation) there was an overrepresentation of Asian and Pakistani men. And, as Mr S has written before, Pakistani men are up to five times as likely to be responsible for child sex grooming offences than the general population, according to figures from the Hydrant Programme, which investigates child sex abuse. Around one in 73 Muslim men over 16 have been prosecuted for 'group-localised child sexual exploitation' in Rotherham, research by academics from the universities of Reading and Chichester has revealed. How very interesting… So will Maitlis now apologise to Lowe over her attack? Don't hold your breath…
The Sun
2 days ago
- Health
- The Sun
Costa sneakily slaps another price hike onto hot drinks as customers slam ‘sickness tax'
COSTA Coffee has slapped increases of as much as 15p on brew prices with hospital branches hit the worst thanks to a 20p 'sickness surcharge' - just four months since the last hike. The cost of caffeine blow means coffee fans working, visiting or laid up in hospital could end up shelling out upwards for £4 a pop for their favourite tipple this summer. The increases have been dubbed 'outrageous' and a 'sickness surcharge' by critics and comes as brassic staff and patients are already battling surging parking charges at hospitals while visiting poorly loved ones. Dozens of popular drinks are being sold at prices 5% more expensive at hospital branches than those just a few hundred yards from high street outlets, according to new research for The Sun. An audit by our investigators found a small latte or cappuccino costs £3.90 and a medium £4.10 at Medivest's Royal Victoria Infirmary's Costa Coffee outlet in Newcastle. That's a 10p increase on February 2025 prices and a 20p more compared with high street prices just yards down the road. The same drinks at Costa's nearby Northumberland Street branch sell for just £3.70 and £3.90. Similarly, down south at Medivest's St Richard's Hospital Costa café in Chichester a small and medium latte or cappuccino costs £3.90 and £4.10 respectively – also a 10p hike on prices since our last survey in February. That compares to just £3.70 and £3.90 down the road at the city's East Street branch. In addition, a flat white is priced at £4.05 in the hospital versus just £3.85 on the high street in Chichester. While a small Americano is now £3.20 in the hospital – a 15p hike - but just £2.99 down the road on East Street – a 9p increase since February. We found other examples of NHS price mark ups at Costa outlets around the country. Five ways to save money at costa At Costa's Medivest Sheffield Children's Hospital outlet we spotted a small Americano on sale for £3.20, a small latte or cappuccino for £3.90, or £4.10 for a medium of each and a flat white for £4.05. That equates to a 10p increase on all drinks since February with Americano's up 15p. While down the road at Sheffield's Broomhill outlet prices have also been hiked on the same drinks but these are still 10p cheaper than hospital rates. And in the capital, we found the same story at Costa's Medivest Croydon University Hospital in south London where prices are identical to those at Sheffield Children's Hospital. Following the same trend just a few hundred yards away at the Thornton Heath Costa café all the same drinks are on sale for 10p less meaning NHS staff and patients are yet again being asked to fork out more. In December we revealed Costa had been hit by shortages of popular menu items such as toasties, cakes, and breakfast baps due to supply issues. While in February it was reported the chain had started serving tea from its 7,000 self-serve Express machines situated in shops, supermarkets, travel hubs and petrol stations in a move welcomed by customers. However, last night critics blasted the coffee giant who have more than 2,800 outlets around the UK including 80 in hospitals, for charging patients and visitors more. Dennis Reed, of over 60's campaign group, Silver Voices, said: 'Costa Coffee is still putting a sickness surcharge on patients and visitors, because they are seen as a captive audience with nowhere else to go for a beverage. 'People visiting the hospital are there because they are seeing sick relatives or friends, and may be tired and worried themselves, probably in dire need of a pick-up. 'Hospital managers have the responsibility to ensure patients and their visitors are not blatantly ripped off in this way". Martyn James, Sun Squeeze Team member and independent consumer champion, added: 'It is high time these outrageous hospital hikes in prices were banned. 'No one should have to pay more for coffee at potentially one of the worst times in their life. 'These costs can be spread over all outlets - and maybe even cut for those who need cheering up the most.' The chain has blamed inflation and rising costs for the increases. Costa said: 'We collaborate with various partners across the UK to offer Costa Coffee in a range of settings, including hospitals. 'As each partner sets their own pricing, some items may vary in cost due to the operating expenses of those locations. 'We regularly review pricing with our partners to ensure it remains competitive within the relevant retail environment, while maintaining our focus on quality and value. 'Earlier this year, we made the difficult decision to adjust the prices of our beverages, extras (excluding alternative milks), and packaged drinks, with increases ranging from 5p to 15p. 'Like many retailers, we continue to navigate inflationary pressures and rising costs. "Despite this, we remain committed to delivering value for our customers through our everyday deals, including breakfast, lunch, and afternoon bundles. 'In addition, our Costa Club app offers members exclusive discounts and rewards through features such as Treat Drop and Swaps.'
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Game of Thrones' Natalie Dormer is spellbinding as Anna Karenina
Natalie Dormer 's ability to combine fire and ice, nestling strong emotions within an impassive demeanour, is glimpsed to spellbinding effect in this period-dressed staging of Tolstoy's 1878 masterpiece Anna Karenina. The Game of Thrones star's transfixing turn as the titular heroine, the wife of a government official who risks everything by falling for the wealthy army officer Vronsky – played in this version, directed and adapted by Phillip Breen, by Seamus Dillane – is reason enough to catch the Russian classic on the Chichester main-stage this summer. But Breen's fleet, bustling approach – turning a heavyweight tome into a near three-hour whirl of incidents – risks upstaging its strong cast; the momentum becomes a distraction in itself. Tolstoy's epic affords a rich, sweeping view of Russian society on the cusp of modernity, saliently taking in the philosophical and reformist concerns of the landowner Levin (well played here by Dormer's real-life partner David Oakes). Yet on paper and in this production, it's still dominated by the impetuous Anna. It's ideal casting for Dormer. On screen, she has excelled at women forging their own path in patriarchal societies (Anne Boleyn in The Tudors, Margaery Tyrell in Game of Thrones). And her Anna is forceful but vulnerable: she drips disdain for her dully respectable husband (Tomiwa Edun's Karenin) but stirs our compassion in making a clandestine visit to the young son she has been forbidden from seeing. She could triumph as one of Ibsen's heroines – the miserably married Hedda Gabler, or the restive then fugitive Nora in A Doll's House. Breen encourages these Ibsen-oriented thoughts with Max Jones's cluttered design which suggests a child's nursery invaded by perturbing dreams. Tolstoy's famous opening line – 'All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way' – has made it into the final cut but the script often feels like a galloping resume, with the dialogue inclining towards declaimed soundbites. Naomi Sheldon's Dolly (Anna's unhappy, cheated-on sister-in-law), left aggrieved and exhausted by the demands of child-bearing, even vents a modern explosion of expletives. The propulsive and cursory approach leaves the novel's profound and wry psychological interiority on the shelf. No sooner has a milieu been created than it's disassembled. Paddy Cunneen's pleasing compositions, performed by three Japanese musicians, add to the kaleidoscope of moods, with wistful waltzes, nagging strings and accordion wheezes. A train-whistle screech becomes a doomy motif too. Amid the teeming theatricality, Seamus Dillane (son of Stephen, another Game of Thrones alumnus) doesn't get enough chance to smoulder as Anna's seducer Vronsky. Instead of going to bed, the pair chastely paw at each other upright, the jilted Karenin forming part of the tableau. Elsewhere, amid the ensemble lurks Les Dennis, whose comic skills are harnessed to play a garrulous old servant. At one point he gamely simulates a carriage ride using a rocking-horse. The ostentatious device indirectly sums up an uneven evening that strives to blend accessibility with dashes of avant-gardism. Laudably ambitious, but over-loaded.
The Guardian
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ukrainian pupils taking refuge in the UK should get free school meals
I work at a state secondary school with (currently) 34 Ukrainian students and seven Ukrainian staff members – cleaners, a teacher and a psychologist. All are refugees. The government announcement that children of parents benefiting from universal credit are to get free school meals in September 2026 has to be good news (Free school meal expansion in England will benefit fewer than claimed, IFS says, 5 June). But this does nothing to address the worrying situation for the many thousands of Ukrainian students in this country. Despite being refugees, Ukrainians do not have refugee status here – thanks to a lacuna in the agreement between the UK and Ukraine that appears to exclude them from support under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Thus, they not only cannot count on free school meals for their children but also any of the additional support which flows to children receiving free school meals. Jess Brown-Fuller, the MP for Chichester, has called for more help to be given to Ukrainian refugees. When is the government going to remedy this situation and support the children of people holding the line in Europe?Susie CookeEnglish as an additional language coordinator, Bishop Luffa School, Westgate, West Sussex Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Associated Press
10-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Leading SEO & Digital Marketing Experts Woya Digital Announces Expansion With New Appointment
06/10/2025, Chichester, UK // PRODIGY: Feature Story // Woya Digital, an innovative outcomes focused SEO agency, has shared insights into its ongoing growth trajectory. It has welcomed a newly appointed SEO Manager to augment capacity and meet sustained demand for digital dominance and professional SEO services. The company has been extending its reach and internal team as more organisations recognise the vital importance of AI in their digital marketing and SEO business strategies. Drivers Behind the Growth of Woya Digital's Specialist Digital Marketing and SEO Capabilities Led by Founders Steve O'Brien and Natalie Karr, Woya Digital is an ambitious and forward-facing agency, central to their success is an exceptional global team, whose dedication and expertise drive measurable business impact and digital dominance for their clients across UK and international markets. Having initially begun as a small team, the firm now has a 16-strong workforce. It retains a decisive focus on sectors and industries within which it has a long-established background, including finance, healthcare and sports. The appointment of the company's new SEO Manager represents the latest in a series of strategic expansions as the agency reinforces its position as the digital marketing partner of choice and continues to increase capacity to provide the award-winning services the company is known for. Woya Digital's Digital Marketing and SEO Sector Specialisms Over the 8 years since Woya Digital was first founded, the agency has deployed its industry know-how to enable clients in competitive, fast-growing and high-demand sectors to excel, many of whom have seen industry-beating outcomes in terms of traffic, visibility and their search engine ranking positioning. Although Woya Digital collaborates with a broad spectrum of clients in varied industries, its core sectors remain a key service area. Steve O'Brien, Founder and Director of SEO, has a professional background in developing online marketing models, specifically within healthcare, sports and finance digital marketing, with a keen interest in AI, innovation and technological advancements in these settings. Natalie Karr, Founder and Director of Content at Woya Digital, says, ' It's been fantastic to welcome our new SEO Manager to the team, particularly at a time when we're seeing more than ever how leading-edge SEO approaches intersect with AI and automation functionalities. We've seen the company grow at a pace that isn't slowing down and recognised that to harness the opportunities on the horizon, we needed to expand our fantastic team further to keep building and developing. Woya has always been about blending real-world insight with creativity, solving complex challenges with strategic thinking and developing bespoke, high-impact plans that give our clients a platform against which to succeed – and enhancing our SEO in-house team is essential to continuing in this direction.' Demand for Commercially Minded Digital Marketing Support Woya's emphasis on commerciality gives the firm a competitive edge in an SEO market that is forecast to hit a global value of £106 billion in the next five years. This puts Woya Digital in a powerful place to continue expanding, both in terms of recruiting new SEO and digital marketing professionals to its team and boosting its client reach within specialist sectors. Read more about Woya Digital- Expert Digital Marketers at Woya Digital Recognised for Community Support Work About Woya Digital: Founded in 2017, Woya Digital is an outcomes-focused SEO agency using strategy to deliver digital dominance in finance, healthcare and specialist sectors. The agency specialises in measurable SEO, PPC, digital PR and AI-optimised solutions specifically tailored to healthcare providers and financial service firms. Media Contact: Natalie Karr Woya Digital 02038 353637 Source published by Submit Press Release >> Leading SEO & Digital Marketing Experts Woya Digital Announces Expansion With New Appointment
