Shut Lincoln leisure centres to reopen from Thursday after refit
Birchwood will open on Thursday and Yarborough will start a phased opening on the same day.The authority hopes Yarborough will be fully opened by 14 August.Council leader Naomi Tweddle said work to reopen the centres had been "a huge effort by all involved"."From day one, our focus has been on protecting leisure in Lincoln and reopening the centres sustainably and to the highest possible standard," she said."We know how important these spaces are to the residents of Lincoln, not just as places to stay active, but as hubs of community life.At the time of the leisure centre closures, Active Nation, a charity based in Warwickshire, blamed "the ongoing utility crisis and the challenges it has created" for the decision to cease trading.GLL is a charitable social enterprise business and runs 253 public sport and leisure centres across the UK, the council said.Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
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Telegraph
36 minutes ago
- Telegraph
First British-bred blueberry title claimed… then swiftly lost
Few things stir the spirit like a national first – so when the James Hatton Institute, in Invergowrie, declared this summer that it had produced the UK's first home-bred blueberry, heads were turned. However, no sooner had the institute made the announcement than it discovered that someone had beaten it. It was then forced to relinquish the title of a British first in favour of proclaiming the first Scottish-bred blueberry. The institute had proudly unveiled Highland Charm, a blueberry variety bred on Scottish soil, produced after a decade of research, cross-breedings and a large amount of patience. But instead of relishing in the sweet taste of triumph, the institute had to content with a bitter reality. Highland Charm would fall short of claiming the crown of first UK-bred blueberry, as that accolade had been collected by another pioneer whose identity remains a mystery. The institute issued a correction after being contacted by the people behind the true first British-bred variety, and clarified that it instead had the first blueberry of Scottish heritage. But sources in the berry industry robustly denied that any other berry breeding programmes existed nationwide. Instead, they suggested that the name confusion could have been prompted by the Scottish Government, which reportedly funded the breeding programme, and therefore asserted Scotland's claim on the produce. The Scottish Government denied these accusations, with a spokesman advising that 'it was changed because someone else approached them claiming to have created the UKs first bred blueberry before them'. Waitrose boasted of British blueberries in 2020 but fell short of claiming they were bred here saying instead that they were organically grown. But for institute staff who have spent over 10 years working on Highland Charm, one honest mistake will not get in the way of their celebrations. Susan McCallum, the organisation's resident blueberry breeder, said: 'It combines high yields, excellent fruit size, outstanding flavour, with a balanced sugar-acid profile and a satisfying bite. Growers are really excited about it.' Nick Marston, of British Berry Growers, welcomed the news of a new home-bred strain, saying: 'The potential advantage that breeding in the UK offers is that new varieties will be selected and trialled in the UK climate at an early stage in their development which means they may be better suited to our climatic conditions.' The long process of berry breeding means that growers can brand it a 'Scottish Berry', suited to the weather and native. At present, growers must rely on foreign varieties, and whilst they can be grown in the UK they cannot truly call themselves a native-bred fruit. Tesco reported last year that consumers enjoy more than 60,000 tonnes of blueberries per year, with almost 90 per cent imported from abroad – largely the Americas – a number of weeks after they were harvested. Researchers at Invergowrie wanted to change that with Highland Charm, a resilient and high-yielding seed that has delivered in testing across different seasons and growing conditions both home and abroad. Now it is undergoing a licencing process to allow it to qualify as a new cultivar, meaning Highland Charm could be on supermarket shelves in the next two to three years. Ms McCallum hopes its success will encourage consumers to buy locally produced, in-season produce, and promised: 'They're fresher and have higher health benefits than imported berries that take six weeks to get from field to shelves. You'll taste the difference.'
TTG
40 minutes ago
- TTG
'It took me seconds to say yes!': Lynsey Jones on her 'shock' redundancy and new start with Ambassador
Lynsey Jones was devastated after being made redundant by Balkan Holidays in April. Not knowing what her professional future looked like meant anxiety started to creep in – and to compound matters, she had just discovered she was pregnant. Jones talks TTG's Harry Kemble through how she got back on track. Lynsey Jones was so admired and respected by agents at Balkan Holidays that she was affectionally known as 'Lynsey Balkan'. Yet, it wasn't just agents who were fond of her. The specialist handed her several promotions during her six-year stint. Jones started as a regional sales manager in 2019 before being promoted to national sales manager in 2022 and then head of sales and brand in November last year. However, in April, Balkan suddenly closed its UK business after nearly 60 years, cancelled all forward bookings and made around 20 UK-based staff redundant – including Jones, who at this point had started telling colleagues she was pregnant. 'I loved it at Balkan but they decided ultimately it was not financially viable to keep operating here,' says Jones. 'While it was a shock to be made redundant, it wasn't a surprise.' 'This is a great move for me' As Jones came to terms with losing her beloved job, she was determined not to let the inevitable stress affect her unborn baby boy due to arrive in October. Fortunately, Jones' army of industry friends rallied around her at one of the lowest ebbs. Ambassador Cruise Line's interim head of trade, Karen Cameron, got in touch to offer her a lifeline. The pair had got to know one another at Scottish Passenger Agents' Association events over the years. "I was made redundant on the Thursday, spoke to Karen on the Friday and then signed my contract on the Tuesday,' recalls Jones. 'I thought about Ambassador's offer for about two seconds!' Jones reveals she was contacted by other travel companies about working for them but only ever gave Ambassador's offer of a four-month contract serious thought despite not having any significant cruise sector experience on her extensive CV, which features spells with the likes of Skiworld, Neilson, Tui and, of course, Balkan. "I was approached by other companies as well but – no pun intended – Ambassador has made a lot of waves recently,' she says with a smile, when asked why she decided to join the cruise sector. "After being made redundant by Balkan Holidays, I just felt cruise was the right step for me. All the feedback from agents I've spoken to before was always cruise, cruise, cruise. I feel Ambassador is a great move for me.' Jones adds: 'I thought cruise – generally speaking – was a lot harder for agents to sell. It felt like I used very complicated systems to sell cruise holidays when I was at Tui.' Prior to joining Tui, Jones spent 12 years managing ski resort hotels in the Alps, meaning she is nearly fluent in French. So, have her linguistic skills helped Ambassador following its merger with French cruise operator Compagnie Francaise de Croisieres (CFC) in January? Jones claims colleagues only discovered her secret talent in July – almost halfway through her short-term contract, which ends just before her due date and the start of Ambassador's debut Caribbean programme. 'I did speak French in a meeting in London with two French colleagues the other day,' she explains. 'To be fair, I've not really needed to [use it] – but never say never.' 'Ambassador investing a lot of money' Jones says she's 'loving' her time at Ambassador. 'I feel so lucky Ambassador took away much of the stress by employing me quickly," she continues. "It sounds cheesy, but Ambassador saw something in me. It's great to feel at home straight away. I've honestly never been part of such a big team. "The other day, we worked out the team had 235 years' travel industry experience with the likes of [national account manager] Louise Tansey, [business development executive] Debbie Ballantyne and Karen.' Her new colleagues are constantly checking in with heavily pregnant Jones to make sure she is comfortable. 'Last week, we were in London, and we had a team meal out – they were asking if I wanted help with the stairs, if I was tired, if I wanted to go home. They're constantly checking in on me." On the day Jones speaks to TTG about her new job, she is visiting a Hays Travel branch in Rochdale with plans to meet agents in Bury and Halifax soon after. 'There's a lot of positivity around the [Ambassador] brand from all the agents that I'm visiting,' Jones notes. 'I think the agents see how much effort comes from the trade team. Clearly, we're investing a lot of money into the brand.' Following Ambassador's merger with CFC, a 10-departure Caribbean programme was announced – part of the line's first-ever fly cruise programme. To help promote the programme and support agents selling it, Ambassador hired 19 reps from sales agency 3For in addition to its own 16-strong in-house trade sales team. Jones says: 'I think Ambassador has done a great job. We're turning the high street purple. And we're offering a completely different Caribbean product to other cruise lines.' Jones reveals she's using her contacts to good effect and is currently working with Virgin Atlantic – one of Ambassador's airline partners for the programme – and Visit Barbados ahead of the October launch. In addition, she has distributed research questionnaires to agents to understand what tools they need to sell Ambassador's new Caribbean sailings. 'Agents have been asking for more posters and training so we're doing a myth-busting session to educate the trade about our new products,' Jones reveals. The burning question on my lips though is what does Jones plan to do when she resumes her successful travel career after maternity leave? After all, Jones has now had time to consider her next move. Plus, being unattached professionally speaking means she won't be tempted to check her work emails during the long-night feeds in the months ahead. 'Hopefully I can come back to Ambassador after nine months,' she says. 'It has all worked out in the end.' Previous Article First look at NCL's upgraded 270-acre private island featuring new waterpark with 19 slides Next Article Titan Travel hires Virgin Voyages' Andrea Jones as trade team expansion continues
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
FTSE 100 climbs as earnings cascade brings cheer
The FTSE 100 made strong progress on Tuesday, boosted by results from AstraZeneca and Barclays, but it was a gloomy day for investors in Novo Nordisk. Russ Mould, of AJ Bell, said: 'It's a busy week for corporate earnings in the UK and US, and investors have plenty of news to digest. The latest set of UK results was generally well-received.' The FTSE 100 index closed up 54.88 points, 0.6%, at 9,136.32. The index had earlier traded as high as 9,163.24. The FTSE 250 closed 158.73 points lower, 0.7%, at 21,793.07, and the AIM All-Share closed down 7.27 points, 0.9%, at 765.75. In London, investors weighed a barrage of earnings with shares of AstraZeneca, Barclays, Games Workshop and Entain moving higher, although Croda International struggled. Games Workshop led the way, up 5.4%, as it said pre-tax profit jumped 29% to £262.8 million in the financial year that ended June 1 from £203 million a year ago. The Nottingham, England-based fantasy game figurine maker and retailer said revenue rose 17% to £617.5 million from £525.7 million. Reflecting the strong earnings, the total dividend was £5.20, up 24% from £4.20 the year before. AstraZeneca, the largest FTSE 100 constituent, rose 3.4%. The Cambridge, England-based pharmaceuticals company said pre-tax profit jumped 30% to 3.13 billion dollars in the second quarter of 2025 from 2.4 billion dollars a year prior, or by 34% at constant currency. Revenue rose 12% to 14.46 billion dollars in the quarter from 12.94 billion dollars a year ago, or by 11% at constant currency, ahead of Visible Alpha's consensus of 14.31 billion dollars. Sales were driven by double-digit growth in Oncology and BioPharmaceuticals, with increases across all major geographic regions. Entain climbed 0.8% as it raised guidance at its BetMGM joint venture, while Barclays advanced 2.5% after well-received results and despite a lack of a guidance hike. Bank of America said Barclays printed a 'good' set of results, with underlying profit around 11% above consensus, driven primarily by higher income (particularly non-interest income) and lower impairments. But Croda International was down 10%. The speciality chemicals maker posted improved revenue for the first half, though impairments limited its bottom line. Croda's pre-tax profit in the first half of 2025 fell 19% to £85.5 million from £106.1 million, despite revenue improving 4.9% to £855.8 million from £815.9 million. Adjusted pre-tax profit rose 8.4%, however, to £138 million from £127.3 million. Revenue fell slightly short of the company-compiled consensus of £857 million. It beat on profit, however, as the adjusted pre-tax profit consensus stood at £136.6 million. The upbeat mood spread to Europe. The CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.7%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt advanced 1%. However, Denmark's Novo Nordisk plunged 23% as it lowered full-year sales and profit guidance, citing weaker-than-expected uptake of key weight-loss and diabetes treatments in the US. Novo Nordisk lowered its 2025 sales growth guidance to between 8% and 14%, down from 13% to 21%. It now expects operating profit growth of 10% to 16%, reduced from a previous range of 16% to 24%. The company blamed slower-than-expected Wegovy uptake in the US obesity market, compounded by ongoing sales of compounded GLP-1s, a more competitive landscape for Ozempic in the US, and lower-than-expected Wegovy penetration in select international markets. Analysts at Jefferies said the 2025 outlook cut suggests high single-digit percentage underlying profit forecast downgrades. In New York on Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.3%, the S&P 500 was 0.1% lower, as was the Nasdaq Composite. A report from the Conference Board showed a slight pickup in consumer confidence, albeit from low levels, while another release showed a larger-than-expected drop in job openings. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave interest rates unchanged. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, it is near-certain that the Fed will maintain rates at the 4.25%-4.5% range this week. The Fed held in each of the first four meetings this year. Its last cut was in December, a 25 basis points trim to the federal funds rate range. A fifth successive hold is in the offing during the final meeting before a summer break. A 'wait and see' approach will likely be the message from chairman Jerome Powell at the subsequent press conference, analysts at Morgan Stanley predict. 'We think chair Powell will remain balanced, acknowledging both upside risks to inflation and the projections for rate cuts later this year,' Morgan Stanley analysts said. Attention will focus on any dissent in the ranks of the Federal Open Market Committee, where Governors Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller may back a rate cut. Meanwhile, Chinese and US delegations met for their second day of trade negotiations in Stockholm, with both sides said to be aiming to extend a truce due to end in two weeks' time. Neither side has so far made public any information about what has gone on in the talks, which started on Monday. Joshua Mahony at Rostro said: 'There is an expectation that an extension to the tariff deadline with China will open a pathway for Xi Jinping and Donald Trump to meet in person, heightening hopes for an impending trade deal between the world's two largest economies.' The pound eased to 1.3337 dollars late on Tuesday afternoon in London, compared to 1.3403 dollars at the equities close on Monday. The euro traded at 1.1537 dollars, lower against 1.1620 dollars. Against the yen, the dollar was trading slightly lower at 148.38 yen compared to 148.45 yen. The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was at 4.35%, trimmed from 4.42%. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury was at 4.88% narrowed from 4.96%. On Wall Street, Merck was another drugs maker in the news with shares down 4.8% as it announced plans to save 3 billion dollars annually by the end of 2027, and tightened full-year guidance, as second quarter sales fell short of expectations. The Rahway, New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company said GAAP net income fell 19% to 4.43 billion dollars in the second quarter of 2025 from 5.46 billion dollars a year prior. Sales decreased 1.9% to 15.81 billion dollars from 16.11 billion dollars a year ago, missing LSEG consensus of 15.89 billion dollars. Sales of human papillomavirus drug, Gardasil, slumped 55% to 1.13 billion dollars due to lower demand in China. Brent oil was quoted higher at 70.74 dollars a barrel in London on Tuesday, up from 69.65 dollars late on Monday. Gold rose to 3,327.45 dollars an ounce against 3,314.26 dollars. The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Games Workshop, up 830p at 16,090p; AstraZeneca, up 368p at 11,158p; Endeavour Mining, up 66p at 2,332p; Barclays, up 10p at 371.2p; and Rolls-Royce, up 24.6p at 1,006p. The biggest fallers on the FTSE 100 were Croda International, down 301p at 2,598p; Rentokil Initial, down 12.9p at 348.1p; Glencore, down 10.8p at 305.9p; Unite Group, down 21.5p at 764.5p; and Whitbread, down 86p at 3,108p. Wednesday's local corporate calendar has half-year results from defence manufacturer BAE Systems, Asia-focused lender HSBC, pharmaceuticals firm GSK, miners Rio Tinto and Glencore and housebuilder Taylor Wimpey. The global economic calendar on Wednesday sees interest rate decisions in the US and Canada, and US economic growth figures.
