Latest news with #Leicester-based
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Duncan & Toplis acquires Leicester-based Torr Waterfield
Duncan & Toplis, a UK accountancy and business advisory group, has acquired Torr Waterfield, a Leicester-based accountancy firm. This move not only signifies a major milestone for both entities but also marks Duncan & Toplis's first dedicated presence in Leicester city, enhancing its presence across the Midlands. The integration of Torr Waterfield into Duncan & Toplis will see the former transitioning to the latter's brand. Despite the change, all 65 team members, including founders Mark Torr and Mike Waterfield, will maintain their current positions. They will continue to offer their services to clients from the Clarence Street office. Duncan & Toplis chief executive Damon Brain said: 'We're delighted to officially welcome Torr Waterfield into the Duncan & Toplis group. This is an exciting step in our continued growth and reflects our long-term ambition to strengthen our presence across the Midlands. Importantly, as we expand into new locations, our focus remains firmly on supporting all our clients – new and existing – with the personal, trusted advice they value. "With Mark, Mike and their talented team now part of the group, we're even better placed to invest in our people, enhance our services and build for the future.' The acquisition of Torr Waterfield is stated to be a part of Duncan & Toplis's most significant growth phase to date. It aligns with the group's long-term strategy, which focuses on investing in its workforce, expanding services, and the communities it serves. Torr Waterfield co-founder Mike Waterfield said: 'We're excited to move forward as part of Duncan & Toplis. This partnership allows us to continue providing the personal service our clients value, while gaining access to new expertise, wider resources and greater opportunities for our team. It's a hugely positive step for everyone involved.' Established in 1925, Duncan & Toplis has a presence, now operating from 14 locations across the Midlands and London. Locations include Boston, Derby, Grantham, Leicester, Lincoln, London, Loughborough, Louth, Melton Mowbray, Newark, Skegness, Sleaford, Spalding, and Stamford. "Duncan & Toplis acquires Leicester-based Torr Waterfield" was originally created and published by International Accounting Bulletin, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Palestine Action's next military targets explained in organiser's video
Palestine Action is planning a wave of action across Britain after breaking into RAF Brize Norton and damaging military aircraft, an investigation has revealed Pro-Palestine organisation, Palestine Action, is orchestrating a nationwide wave of protests against British military sites and defence companies, an investigation by The Telegraph has discovered. The group recently infiltrated RAF Brize Norton and vandalised several military aircraft. An undercover probe has since unveiled their future targets, discussed in a private meeting. With the group's imminent banning as a terrorist organisation in the works, they have stepped up efforts to enlist new members. At the secret gathering, organisers explained how the group's supporters come from diverse backgrounds - ranging from "nursery teachers to surgeons", with ages spanning from 18 to 80. Members brainstormed various methods of disrupting the targeted facilities, including trespassing onto factory premises. They were also schooled on creating autonomous cells capable of launching action on airbases without being caught, reports the Express. Meeting materials shared among attendees singled out RAF Cranwell and RAF Barkston Heath in Lincolnshire, as well as RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales, as primary targets. Additionally, a Leicester-based drone manufacturing facility, as well as various defence contractors accused of shipping arms to Israel, were pinpointed as potential flashpoints. The Telegraph confirmed that The Ministry of Defence and law enforcement agencies had been notified of the group's plans for imminent action. An alert was previously sounded after members of Palestine Action infiltrated RAF Brize Norton, dousing two aeroplanes in red paint and potentially causing damage worth millions, setting off a sweeping security assessment. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the incursion as "disgraceful" and has signalled intentions to prescribe the organisation. Undeterred, Palestine Action asserts it will mount a legal fight against the proscription. Meanwhile, the group is running intense recruitment sessions, aiming to bolster its network of autonomous cells. The trio of RAF bases that have been identified all have connections with Elbit Systems UK, a defence firm that has been repeatedly singled out by Palestine Action. Notably, RAF Cranwell holds the distinction of being the initial Air Academy globally, Barkston Heath aids in flying instruction, and RAF Valley is pivotal for training upcoming fighter pilots. The list of potential targets includes UAV Tactical Systems, a drone company partially owned by Elbit. A report from an online "direct action workshop," obtained by our source reveals that a female activist exhorted approximately 50 aspiring members about the need to make personal "sacrifices" in support of their cause. She spoke of the group spearheading an emerging wave of persistent assaults. The leader denouncing the government's move to outlaw the group described it as "draconian and dangerous." Participants were instructed to download the encrypted messaging app Signal and await anonymous directives from the organisers. Recruits would be organised into independent cells to devise their own strategies. This cell-based structure is intended to protect leaders from legal repercussions, a strategy also employed by movements such as Extinction Rebellion. New members were sternly cautioned to never disclose details of upcoming actions or the identities of fellow participants. "We do not provide police with any information that may compromise activists, actions or the movement... cause comes first," the organiser informed the group. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson commented: "The UK's defence estate is vital to our national security and this government will not tolerate those who put that security at risk. "This Government is taking the strong step of proscribing Palestine Action due to its activities, which are a threat to our national security." A North Wales Police spokesperson stated: "Our officers continue to liaise with MoD staff in relation to security matters at RAF Valley, Anglesey. "The emergence of potential threats to the site is recognised, with the need for additional policing and security patrols kept under regular review."
Indian Express
21-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Ahmedabad plane crash: When an island loses its people
A fleck of land in the Gulf of Khambhat off Gujarat's coast, Diu stretches about 4.6 km from north to south. That is only slightly longer than the runway at the Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport in Ahmedabad, from where the ill-fated Boeing 787 took off and crashed under a minute on June 12. The two factoids are meshed in the miraculous story of Vishwas Kumar, the only survivor of India's worst air disaster in three decades, out of the 242 on board. Vishwas, 32, is a British citizen but spends almost as much time in the Union Territory of Diu, running a fishing business here – like many others who live such dual, intertwined lives in this former Portuguese colony. Among those who died in the Ahmedabad-Gatwick flight crash were 14 with roots in Diu – four of them British (including Vishwas's brother Ajay, 30) and seven Portuguese. On this tiny island of about 51,000 people, that means many have lost someone they knew – the white caps and dark saris, a mark of mourning, now dot Diu. Having lost one son and seen another survive, Ramesh Kumar Bhalaiya, 52, is swinging between grief and relief. 'My sons were the four parts of my body,' he tells a visitor at their spacious, two-storey home in Patelwadi village. Bhalaiya flew down from Leicester, with wife Jayaben and their sons Nayan, 26, and Sunny, 29, after the crash – stopping first at Ahmedabad to identify and collect Ajay's body. Bhalaiya talks about his shock when Vishwas called to tell them of the crash. It was seconds after he informed them that they were taking off. 'Vishwas was breathing heavily and told me that Ajay was nowhere to be seen, that there was smoke everywhere. The phone then got disconnected,' Bhalaiya told The Indian Express earlier. Ajay's wife collapsed on hearing the news and had to be hospitalised; the couple lost two young daughters to an illness earlier. On Wednesday the family performed Ajay's last rites. Vishwas is too 'shaken' to talk to anybody, says a relative. The canopy in the house's courtyard where the mourners collected has not been taken down yet. The plastic chairs underneath are vacant, while the sheet spread on the ground for the mourners was blown away by the strong winds that swept Diu Thursday. On a tree, hangs a fishing net. It was the fishing season that had brought Vishwas and Ajay to Diu. The family flew down in September last year at the start of the season, and when the rest left in January, the brothers stayed back. It was an annual trip, with the Leicester-based family's primary source of income still the fish brought in by the boats it owns and operates here. Back in Leicester, the Bhalaiya sons work at a garment store. The story is the same across homes in Diu, where fishing remains the few viable sources of income besides the liquor business. The liquor draws tourists from dry Gujarat, leading to the mushrooming of bars and resorts, with fewer numbers coming for Diu's beaches, a fort, its Portuguese-style buildings, and a 17th-century church. Chhaganbhai Bhikhubhai Bhalaiya (65), of Bucharwada village close to Patelwadi, holds a Portuguese passport but lives mostly in Diu with wife Ratnaben. His sons Mahesh, 42, and Rohit, 40, are British citizens, who work at a garment factory in London. Chhaganbhai used to be in fishing too, before he got a job as a contractual driver with the Forest Department. He is now retired. Just back from attending the funeral of a relative who died in the Ahmedabad crash, Chhaganbhai says he borrowed money to send his sons, who had studied only till Class 10, in Gujarati medium, to England 15 years ago. They held Portuguese passports, allowing them to stay and work in the UK at the time, as it was part of the European Union then. Over time, they acquired British citizenship. 'First, they faced problems conversing in English, but they managed and are now proficient. They got married here, to locals, and their wives later joined them. They are happy there, and I am happy here. The two of them send 100 pounds (about Rs 11,700) each every month, and it is sufficient for my wife and me.' He has no regrets, Chhaganbhai says. 'We lived in a mud house earlier, but now have a concrete home, with all the facilities… If my sons had stayed here, we would be leading the same life… they would be fishing, putting their lives at risk, or doing some labour work.' The sons and their families visit every December, during the winter vacations, while Chhaganbhai and his wife have been to London at least 10 times in the last five years. 'My sons urge us to stay there,' he says, 'but the weather does not suit us.' The risks involved in fishing, both due to the fickle weather as well as the chances of ending up in Pakistani waters, are another reason families here don't want their children getting into it. An official of the Diu UT administration says that migration has been on the rise, particularly from fishermen communities such as the Kolis and Kharwas, with London the preferred destination. While the main reason is money, the official puts his finger on another factor. 'These communities are used to taking risks, adapting to circumstances and surviving.' The Portuguese link helps. 'After Daman, Diu and Goa were liberated in 1961 from its rule, the Portuguese government offered residents of its former colonies citizenship, if they could prove they lived there at the time. Even successors could get citizenship if they could prove ties to forefathers listed in the Portuguese civil registry. Now, they submit applications to a mamlatdar, and these are forwarded for verification to Portuguese Embassy officials, who visit Diu once every three months.' The official estimates that over 30,000 people from Diu are staying in London currently, many of them with British citizenship. 'While youths settle there, older people come back,' the official says, adding that similar migration patterns can be seen in Daman. In 2020, Diu was merged with the Union Territory of Daman, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and it is now one consolidated UT. Amarjit Singh, a retired IAS officer, talks about the other routes for migration from Gujarat, with the first of them headed for Africa, particularly Mozambique. 'After Mozambique's independence in 1975, the Vanzas and Darjis and the other Gujarati communities, including from Diu, started to migrate again, this time towards Portugal… The Quinta da Holandesa and Quinta da Vitoria neighbourhoods in the heart of Lisbon came to hold big Gujarati settlements.' Later, Singh says, especially due to the failure of a resettlement process, many chose to migrate to Britain. K C Sethi, the author of the coffee table book Daman, Diu, Goa, Dadra, Nagar-Haveli & Portuguese Regime (1510-1961), says many homes in Diu carry hints of the old world in their 'stained glass windows, sacred relics, and black-and-white photographs of weddings with mandolin players'. Patelwadi village sarpanch Deepak Devji says that in their village of about 4,000, at least 40 families have members settled in London. There is not much by way of prospects here, says Devji. In Patelwadi, most students go to private schools or the sole Gujarati-medium government school for primary classes, before moving to the village's Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya that has English-medium instruction for Classes 6 to 12. A government college, offering Arts and Commerce streams, came up in 2013 in Diu. Besides, there is a government polytechnic and an Industrial Training Institute. Says Devji: 'Starting from an early age, children are urged by their parents to learn English so that they can settle in London. Earlier, those who went got jobs at construction sites, factories, shops… But the younger generation is more educated.' Haji Abdul Karim Bidiwala was 14 when Diu was liberated from Portugal. He recalls that till Class 3, he studied in the Portuguese medium. He remembers other things: 'Guzra hua zamana yaad bahut aata hai (We fondly remember the days gone by). The life of the people of Diu was very good… A governor looked after the administration, law and order. We got free medicines, milk, rations, some of it brought by air from Portugal.' The grandson of one of the Portuguese Governors of Diu, Joao Folque, has been visiting Diu every year since 2012, and spends at least three months here. Settled in Lisbon, the 64-year-old says over the phone: 'Diu is our first home, our ancestors' roots are entrenched here. My grandfather died in 1951 in Goa. My father was born in Silvassa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.' Umesh Patel is the MP of the UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. The first Independent to win the Daman and Diu Lok Sabha seat in nearly 40 years, Patel credits his victory to the 'neglect' of the constituency by the BJP and the 'indifference' of the Congress. 'People were fed up with the working style of the Administrator, who had carried out mass demolitions, laid off government servants like teachers and nurses, and privatised power. Businesses suffered due to his farmaan (orders).' On the rising number of young people leaving Daman and Diu, Patel says he is not surprised. 'Jobs are scarce here, people have to endure hardships… So they avail Portuguese citizenship, start earning good money and see a rise in their living standards,' he says. When that money is sent home, he adds, that affluence draws in others.
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
‘Miracle of seat 11A': What British media said about Air India plane crash lone survivor Vishwash Kumar Ramesh
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British survivor of the Air India plane crash, on Friday described how he 'crawled out' of the wreckage. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, is believed to be the only survivor onboard the plane involved in Thursday's disaster in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. As fire engulfed the wreckage of London-bound Air India Flight AI 171, and smoke darkened the sky, a bloodied Vishwash Kumar Ramesh limped away from the mangled aircraft. He had burns on his arms, a dazed look in his eyes, and no answers. Kumar Ramesh told DD News that 'I still can't believe how I survived' as he spoke from his hospital bed. The British media, like others, is calling it a miracle. Kumar Ramesh, originally seated elsewhere, had reportedly swapped seats at the last minute and ended up in 11A, right beside an emergency exit. News agency Reuters also reported Ramesh's account from the hospital, where he recalled unbuckling himself and limping away through the burning wreckage. Citing DD News interview, The Guardian published a deeply personal account. 'I saw people dying in front of my eyes…,' he said. The report also highlighted his desperate efforts to locate his younger brother Ajaykumar, who was also onboard and remains missing. BBC News, in its report titled 'Air India crash 'sole survivor' and 'miracle of seat 11A',' praised his 'extraordinary composure' in the face of disaster. It also cited a UK foreign office statement confirming assistance to Ramesh and expressing condolences for the victims. The Sun led with the headline referring to the 'miracle Brit in seat 11A,' highlighting the Leicester-based father's extraordinary escape. The Daily Telegraph echoed the phrase, calling it the 'miracle of seat 11A,' and reported that the crash — which claimed the lives of 52 Britons — ranks as the UK's deadliest air disaster since 1985. The paper quoted aviation experts pointing to possible causes like engine failure, bird strike, or issues with wing positioning. The Daily Star also fronted the 'miracle of seat 11A,' quoting Ramesh's stunned family as saying he was completely unsure how he survived such devastation. The Daily Mirror described his survival as happening 'against all odds,' publishing a photo of Ramesh walking, injured and dazed, away from the burning wreckage. The Daily Express featured the story prominently as well, again focusing on the miraculous nature of his escape. The Daily Mail published an image of his boarding pass with seat 11A circled, and quoted Ramesh's emotional call to his family after the crash: 'I don't know how I'm alive.'
Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
The Honesty Box winners share wedding plans – but are yet to receive prize money
The winners of E4 reality show The Honesty Box have opened up about their future wedding plans, the 'intensity' of the show and why they haven't had the prize money yet E4's The Honesty Box came to an end tonight after two weeks of watching singles flirt by the pool and try not to fib - as the reality show crowned one particular couple as the most authentic in the cast. It was digital marketer Chantelle from London and Leicester-based barber Jovan who won the series - and its £100,000 jackpot prize. Now, the couple have revealed that they are still together after winning the show - and they're already talking about marriage. When asked about their future plans, Jovan tells The Mirror: "I'm trying to get married, I can't lie. That's definitely the next step." Chantelle, who is a religious Christian, adds: "We talk about marriage quite a lot because at the end of the day, I'm a believer so the way I do things and the way I live my life may not be the way that everyone does but it's by the book. When I believe I've found someone that I can see the rest of my life with, that would be ideally the next step. "So truly we've been working on laying a great foundation so in the future we would have an immovable relationship because we do see each other like life partners." Jovan chips in: "This isn't a little schoolboy relationship." As for whether they are planning on moving in together, Chantelle admits that she wants a ring on her finger before they take that step. "No, we're not living together - I need a ring first and then we'll talk about it," she laughs. "Definitely in the future, that goes without saying. I see it all with him." Despite winning the show, Jovan admits that filming the series proved to be incredibly "intense" for him. "Not knowing what was going to happen that day, what time you're waking up, stuff like that. I thought I could handle it but I was so tired," he says. "It definitely tested by emotional stability. I'm not as strong-minded as I thought I was. A couple of days in, I was like, 'This is a lot.'' Chantelle adds: "You're used to having your routine and now you're just like your routine, your routine doesn't matter and it's like you're on someone else's time now. It was a very awakening, humbling experience." While the pair won £100,000 in the finale of the show, they admit that they're yet to receive the cash prize. "No, we haven't got the prize money yet. I think we get it after the show airs," Chantelle says. "We haven't thought that far yet - it's exciting though. I've never seen that much." Jovan adds: "Because the show was very intense and obviously we met each other, all that other stuff was pushed to the background so I didn't really think about that too much to be honest." Chantelle says that she plans on spending the money on her mum. "I know my mum is coming first so I really want to spoil my mum. She's my priority. I also want to invest a lot of it because it's easy for money to go and I want to put it into places where I feel it could help others as well." You can catch up on The Honesty Box on Channel 4.
