The Spoon Drawer

Source: unsplash.com via Pexels 2012 was a great year for cycling; Bradley Wiggins, Victoria Pendleton and Laura Trott all won gold at the London Olympics. It brought about a new wave of interest in cycling and more than ever, people of all ages wanted to ride a bike. The ‘cycle to work’ scheme, which aims to promote a healthier lifestyle and reduce the negative impact on the environment, has been around since 1999, but it saw renewed interest following Britain’s success in London. Even some of the sports attire for cycling has become popular – sales for casual cycling clothing are ever increasing. There has been a big rise in the trend of ‘athleisure’; the concept of sports-meets-causal clothing which can be worn in either scenario. More and more brands are creating lines, many partnering with celebrities, like Beyonce’s Ivy Park collection with Topshop. This, of course, has been contributed to by the ‘clean eating’ trend which floods most social media feeds these days (...

Like many of my fellow Brightonians, my August Bank Holiday weekend is well planned in advance and could be considered by some to be somewhat lacking in variety. However, if you have been to the Notting Hill Carnival, then I am sure you are able to understand my attraction to the colourful carnival which continues to draw millions of revellers from all corners of the world. The History The Notting Hill carnival remains the largest street festival in Europe and can trace its roots back to 1964 as an outlet for the African-Caribbean communities to celebrate their cultures and traditions in a country which was not as racially diverse and tolerant as it is today. The carnival can trace its roots all the way back to Trinidad and the street carnivals of the early 19 th century, which celebrated the end of slavery and the slave trade. The story goes that the very first Notting Hill Carnival consisted of the steel band musicians who played in Earls Court every weekend. As the b...

Source It was revealed last week that social care for the over 65s was the latest victim of the Tory-led funding cuts. The report, which was released by the King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust, paints an ever depressing picture of the state of local authority care providers in the UK. The cuts, coupled with an increasingly ageing population, has created a perfect storm, which has left the current system almost at breaking point, with many care homes predicted to go bust as the ripple effect is felt across the market. With local authority spending on care falling by 25% in the five years leading up to 2015, the report makes it crystal clear that the existing system is neglecting the over 65s and leaving vulnerable people at risk. A reported 4 in 10 people in care homes are now covering the cost themselves, as the current means-tested system is leaving less and less people with support from local authorities. This method has left care providers increasingly concerned, as care is ...

Leaving university often feels like something of an anti-climax; you work flat out for 3 years, well OK, 2 years, and then all of a sudden, it is all over. You are left with nothing other than a feeling of emptiness and thousands of pounds of debt to your name. There is also the prospect of having to enter the world of work, which leaves you with a feeling of dread. Source What if I told you that leaving university doesn’t have to be the end of your life as you know it?  There are ways in which you can escape the monotony of the rat race and continue to learn about yourself and the world around you, all you need is a bucket load of courage and determination to see you through. How to survive the current situation With the recent news that UK graduates are struggling to find skilled work and more than one in three are employed in low-skilled jobs. Official figures have recently exposed the fact that there has been a 2.2% drop in the number of 21 to 30-ye...

Source It has been over 6 years since Labour were ousted from power in the UK, bringing their 13-year reign to a rather abrupt end. Despite the fact that Labour oversaw one of the most successful economies in the UK’s history, Blair’s decision to take the country to war in Iraq proved to be too much for some voters, allowing the Conservatives to profit from a swing of 3.7%. However, this swing did not prove to be decisive enough, with the Labour party coming in second, only 1.2 million votes ahead of the third placed, Liberal Democrats. Since then we have heard a variety of bizarre statements from Tory and UKIP voters and politicians, ranging from: “Gordon Brown caused the Credit Crunch” to “Labour have ruined the economy forever”. It remains to be seen just how Labour inflicted a worldwide recession on the rest of the world, but why let facts and reason get in the way of a good old uneducated rant? The truth is that over the last 6 years we have seen Nick Clegg and the ...

Long live small business 2016 is an incredible time to run a business. I won’t get into the argument of idea over execution, but I’ll state the facts. In 2015, 608,100 businesses started up in the UK –  a 4.6% increase on the year before (581,173). The resources that we have at our disposal give us the potential to take any idea from thought to fruition.  As consumers, this avalanche of new brands makes it seem there is an overwhelming freedom of choice when it comes to what we buy. But once we take a deeper look, are we really that free? Oxfam International’s graphic on ‘The Big Ten’ speaks volumes about how we feel versus how it really is. Source Nestle, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kellogg’s feature amongst the ten conglomerates that own pretty much everything we’d ever buy at a supermarket.  Now let’s delve a little deeper into one industry and take look at like at the very bottom of the business food chain. Craft brewing began as a way for avid brewers to creat...

It has been less than two months since the unprecedented outcome of the UK referendum on its continued membership of the European Union was announced. However, there are already an array of signs that a ‘hard-Brexit’ will inevitably lead to years of hardship in the UK. It was hardly a surprise that the loudest advocates of voting to leave, including the likes of Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, quickly back-tracked on their outrageous promises. There was also Gove’s claim that the people of Britain have had enough of experts , while also claiming he wasn’t interested in becoming Prime Minster. Unsurprisingly the latter turned out to be nothing other than a lie and he promptly put his hat in the ring, while stabbing his crony , Boris Johnson in the back. However, we luckily saw both men lose out on the job of Prime Minster, with right-leaning Teresa May taking the reins. There was time for one final twist though, her decision to make Boris Johnson Foreign Secretary was met...