Charters School in Sunningdale School was recently awarded a Partnership Grant from the Royal Academy to support an international project called ‘Life in a Warming Climate’, which the school is working on in partnership with Imperial College.
The ground-breaking initiative examines the impact of temperature changes on freshwater systems, and the school’s students are tasked with measuring and recording data from a series of ponds located at nearby Silwood Park. The two metre ponds, which are known as Mesocosms, are filled and seeded to encourage pond life. Some ponds are then heated and the students record and examine the resulting data. A Sixth Form student has designed and built a tripod to straddle the ponds, so that a visual record of the ponds can be photographed over time.
Six schools were shortlisted to exhibit at the Royal Society’s Summer Exhibition in July, and shortly before Christmas Charters was informed that it is the only school to be chosen to attend the week-long festival, celebrating the cutting edge of UK science.
Mrs Kate Hill, who is Director of STEM at Charters School said, “I am so pleased that the hard work and dedication of our students has been rewarded. The opportunity to meet leaders in the world of Science is incredibly inspiring for our students and their involvement in this project will in turn inspire younger students in the school.”
Visit: www.papplewick.org.uk
Year 2 boys from Papplewick School, Ascot, were delighted in a trip to Windsor Great Park yesterday to catch a glimpse of the Queen.
They also saw accompanying members of the royal family, including Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Princess Anne, Prince Harry and his new wife Meghan in horse-drawn landaus on their way to watch the racing at Royal Ascot. The boys enjoyed a picnic and had fun playing games while waiting for the procession.
“We were amazed to find that one of the mounted police who helped the boys in their picture was an ex-Papplewickian!” Headmaster Tom Bunbury said.
Papplewick School, Ascot, About Papplewick.... http://www.papplewick.org.uk ....
Read more: Papplewick Boys watch Royal Procession in Windsor Great Park
ROYAL FORESTERS OPENING END JULY
Pictured: From left to right: the Awards MC, Trevor Nelson MBE, Britvic’s David Greenaway (Pub & Bar category sponsors), Peter Borg-Neal, CEO, Oakman Inns and The Caterer’s Editor, Chris Gamm.
Oakman Inns & Restaurants, operators and owners of Royal Foresters in Ascot have been recognised with a major hospital
CEO of local pub owner, Oakman Inns, which is opening Royal Foresters at the end of July, recognised with major hospitality industry award.
On Tuesday night, 3rd July, at London’s Grosvenor House, Peter Borg-Neal, CEO of local pub operator, Oakman Inns, (see Oakman Collection below) was recognised with a Pub & Bar Award at the 35th Annual ‘Cateys’, one of the hospitality industry’s highest awards for pub operators.
The Cateys are one of the UK’s most respected industry awards and every year the best of Britain’s chefs, hoteliers, publicans, brewers, suppliers and managers eagerly wait to see if they have been shortlisted by the distinguished judging panel.
Peter has been an integral part of the hospitality industry for almost forty years. At 16, he started work as a cellar boy and by 2002 had become a divisional director at both Allied Domecq and Whitbread. However, creating his own unique brand was now his driving force, and in 2005, he founded Oakman Inns and opened his first pub, The Akeman in Tring, in December 2007, establishing the new concept of a ‘modern public house’. Ten and a half years later, the pub group, which is ranked in the Top 20 of the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For, is operating 22 distinctive pubs, employing nearly 800 people across Southern England and the West Midlands and is opening its 23rd pub, Royal Foresters in Ascot, at the end of this month.
Read more: Royal Foresters Owners Win Catey's Pub & Bar Award
Visit http://cbs-plc.co.uk/workspace-happy-mind-space/
CASE STUDY | How Your Work Space can Create a Happy Mind Space
According to a new Bupa report published this spring, employee mental health is now a bigger concern for companies than physical health issues. Bupa has seen the number of people claiming on their health insurance for mental health treatment double in the last decade, and 65% of businesses surveyed say that employee mental health is now a boardroom priority.Progressive employers have always been aware of the importance of creating an environment that supports good mental health. From policies and initiatives to reduce stress, to providing employees with opportunities to access support when they need it; many companies are already tackling mental health head on.Mental health awareness is also an important part of the equation. While there have been significant steps made in this area in recent years, with people talking about mental health issues more openly, for many there is still a stigma associated with these conditions. That’s why CBS Office Interiors are keen to support Mental Health Awareness Week (14-20 May) and encourage more people to think about how the workplace impacts mental health.
Office Design and Mental Health
More and more research is showing that the office environment – including the design and layout – can have a positive (or negative) affect on mental health. It’s not surprising considering how much time we spend at work and inside. ‘Unhealthy’ offices can be responsible for a host of mental health issue, for example:Poor acoustics are linked to rising stress levels:
Excessive noise can trigger the stress response, where our bodies release cortisol and adrenalin. Long term this can cause anxiety and depression.Lack of daylight can lead to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):..
This form of depression typically affects people in the winter months when light levels are seasonally low. However, when people work in offices with limited natural light they can suffer the same symptoms throughout the year.Air quality and office temperature also impacts health and wellbeing:...
Poor air quality is linked to respiratory conditions, and offices that are either too hot or too cold are uncomfortable to work in. Poor physical health impacts negatively on mental health too.Fortunately there are lots of ways to improve the office environment and make it a more mentally positive place to work. Ambient lighting, climate control, acoustics and air quality solutions can be implemented to address the negative impact of the existing office design. With some creative thought it may be possible to find a better office layout, which provides employees with personal space while ensuring they can interact and socialise too.Creating collaborative spaces, as well as areas to relax and de-stress, are also important. Breakout areas, hot desking and informal meeting areas, and creative spaces for brainstorming and collaboration all help to improve mental health in the office. Employees benefit from working in different ways and appreciate having different options so that they can choose the best place for them. This has a positive impact for the business too, increasing productivity and reducing absenteeism because of health issues.Here at CBS we work with our clients to design office spaces that go above and beyond their brief, delivering unexpected benefits such as improving morale, reducing stress and creating happy workplaces. If you want to explore how office design can help support your mental health initiatives, please get in contact with our team. For more information about mental health awareness week, click here.
WEBSITE e-mail: enquiries@cbs-plc.co.uk Tel: 01344 290290
Visit: www.rbwm.gov.uk
Ascot & Sunnings residents will continue to earn rewards for recycling as the council and Greenredeem revamp the scheme to provide the same service at a reduced cost to Council Tax payers.
Through the programme residents earn points for recycling waste at home and redeem them in local shops, restaurants and leisure facilities and can enter in to prize draws.
Currently points are calculated by weighing the recycling bin but from 2 July this will be replaced with a simpler system allowing residents to confirm their recycling with a one-click button via email.
The change will ensure the Greenredeem scheme improves value for money while maintaining the many ways residents are rewarded for their recycling. In addition bonus points will be awarded based on both the amount of recycling and reductions in the general rubbish collected in their area.
Residents will also still be able to donate their recycling points to good causes and earn more points by taking part in ‘learn and earn’ activities on the Greenredeem website.
Read more: Changes to RBWM Recycling Reward Scheme
Visit: BBC link
'The Belsen Boys Who Moved to Ascot' is a fascinating BBC documentary. Shortly after the end of World War Two a group of young Holocaust survivors was flown to the UK to recuperate. Thirty of them were housed in Ascot, where they made an incongruous sight, writes Rosie Whitehouse. Margaret Nutley remembers her first meeting with a group of unfamiliar boys on the racecourse. It was autumn 1945, and they were playing football, wearing striped jackets from a concentration camp.
