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The fourth day of the 2024 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Rio de Janeiro saw the Great Britain Cycling Team claim a further three world titles, three silver medals and a bronze to continue to top the medal table with one day of competition remaining. Jody Cundy proved he was the king of the kilo, claiming his 15th consecutive world title in the C4 1km time-trial. After qualifying second, Cundy brought it back in the final to take the gold medal in 1:04.120, while teammate Archie Atkinson finished in fourth place with a time of 1:06.006. Speaking on his win, Cundy said: “It’s pretty cool to have done it again! I was pretty much passed out after the race. I gave it absolutely everything and put it all out on the track. Hopefully today’s performance is still enough to hit it out in Paris. I know it’s not going to be an easy team to make as we have had so many excellent performances here." “I love the sport and I’ve been in GB sport for 30 years – I’m still here for a reason because I love the competitive side of things and the racing. The Paralympics is the ultimate event you can ride as a GB para-cyclist so to make it to Paris would mean everything.” The time-trial also rounded off the men’s C4 omnium, with Atkinson finishing in fourth place and Cundy in eighth. Blaine Hunt defended his title in the men’s C5 1km time-trial, taking the gold medal in 1:03.475, while teammate Will Bjergfelt finished in 20th place. Hunt said: “It feels amazing – this is the third one now and each time, it feels more special than the one before because you’ve managed to back up what you’ve done in the previous year and all the hard work. Obviously, there’s a lot of pressure on this race as it’s the last worlds before Paris. To finish on a win going into Paris, I feel like I’m the one to beat, I’m in a good position, and I’ve just got to keep pushing on. The vibes are always good when I’m on the team!” It was another Great Britain 1-2 podium in the women’s tandem individual pursuit, with Lizzi Jordan and Danni Khan taking their second title of the championships. Jordan and Khan qualified fastest in 3:25.372, with Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl just behind on 3:25.940. The two pairs went into the gold medal final neck-and-neck, but Jordan and Khan showed their dominance with an even faster ride of 3:23.686. Unwin and Holl posted a 3:24.977 to claim another silver medal. Having taken a second world title in the competition, Jordan said: “It’s incredible and a bit unexpected! Very exciting to have two world titles now. The qualifying ride was our first ever pursuit together so we went out quite hard and suffered, so for the final, we just wanted to pace it more and see if we could go quicker. It’s exciting to see what we can do.” Khan added: “I can’t believe it really – I'm just so proud of us both. We were really happy after the kilo, but the pursuit for me is the blue-ribbon event on the track. To learn from our mistakes in qualifying and put it right in the final to go faster and come away with another world title is surreal. I’m just really proud and over the moon.” Jaco van Gass and Finlay Graham claimed silver and bronze medals in the men’s C3 1km time-trial after blistering rides. Van Gass clocked 1:06.317 in the final to take the silver, while Graham rounded off the podium in the bronze medal position with a time of 1:07.278. Steve Bate and pilot Chris Latham gave it their all in the men's B individual pursuit but faced tough opposition from the defending world champions in the Dutch duo to take the silver in 4:02.479. Chris McDonald and Adam Duggleby posted a time of 4:14.247 to finish in fourth place, having made the bronze medal final. Matt Robertson finished in fourth with a time of 1:12.009 in the men’s C2 1km time-trial to clock a personal record, while teammate Ryan Taylor came home 10th after a commendable ride. The women’s C4 scratch race saw Kadeena Cox finish in 10th place, having stayed within the chasing group throughout the race and round off the omnium competition in sixth place. Tomorrow’s final day of competition will see sprints for the women’s and men’s tandems and C1-5 team sprint, while the scratch races will be contested in the women’s C1-2 and C5 classes, and men’s C2, C3 and C5 categories. You can watch live from 1pm UK time on YouTube and follow results on British Cycling’s social media channels. Photo Credit SWPix.

Manchester United and Malaysia Airlines have announced a multi-year partnership which will see the award-winning airline become the club’s official commercial airline. As an established and respected name in global aviation, Malaysia Airlines prides itself on representing Malaysia and providing best-inclass customised experiences for its passengers, reflecting the Malaysian culture of a welcoming and hospitable service. The partnership was announced by Malaysia Airlines’ Group Managing Director of Malaysia Aviation Group, Izham Ismail, at a major industry trade fair in Kuala Lumpur. To celebrate the announcement, former Manchester United defenders Patrice Evra and Wes Brown flew to Kuala Lumpur to attend the event, to share their experiences of travelling the world as both players and ambassadors for the club. During the event the two United legends were asked about the significance of the new partnership, Patrice Evra said: “Manchester United has fans from all over the world, and the passionate support we have here in Asia never fails to impress me. I am pleased to be able to share our partnership with Malaysia Airlines with those fans and introduce them to the best-in-class service they offer." "Wes and I travelled here on Malaysia Airlines, and I would like to thank them for such a comfortable journey. From the food to the comfortable seats and friendly service, everything was perfect.." Wes Brown said: “I am fortunate enough to represent Manchester United at events all over the world. I have visited Malaysia many times, and I am always blown away by the warm welcome I receive. Malaysia Airlines is a true representation of Malaysia’s friendly culture, and I cannot wait to work with them to engage with our fantastic supporters." Also speaking at the event was Manchester United’s CEO of Alliances and Partnerships, Victoria Timpson, who said: “Manchester United has a long-standing and proud connection with Malaysia, with a history of passionate support from across the country. We have three official Malaysian supporter's clubs, with the Kuala Lumpur branch boasting one of the club's largest supporter communities, reflecting the country's love of all things United." “We are very pleased to welcome Malaysia Airlines to our family of partners and look forward to sharing with our global fans its trusted, welcoming and hospitable service.” Group Managing Director of Malaysia Aviation Group, Izham Ismail, said, “We are delighted to announce this exciting partnership with Manchester United, a club synonymous with excellence and sporting passion around the world." “This collaboration brings together two global icons, Malaysia Airlines and Manchester United, and will create unforgettable experiences for our fans and customers. Aligning with a globally recognised club like United places Malaysia Airlines in front of a massive worldwide audience, significantly boosting brand recognition, especially in Europe and Southeast Asia where United has a large fanbase. We look forward to the exciting opportunities this collaboration brings and the joy it will bring to football enthusiasts worldwide.” About Manchester United Manchester United is one of the most popular and successful sports teams in the world, playing one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth. Through our 146-year heritage we have won 67 major trophies, enabling us to develop the world’s leading sports brand and a global community of 1.1 billion fans and followers. Our large, passionate community provides Manchester United with a worldwide platform to generate significant revenue from multiple sources, including sponsorship, merchandising, product licensing, new media & mobile, broadcasting and match day. About Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines is the national carrier of Malaysia, offering the best way to fly to, from and around Malaysia through its premium and fullservice offerings. Malaysia Airlines carries up to 40,000 guests daily on memorable journeys inspired by Malaysia’s diverse richness. As the nation’s flag bearer, it embodies the incredible diversity of Malaysia; capturing its rich traditions, cultures and cuisines via its inimitable Malaysian Hospitality across all customer touch points. Since September 2015, the airline has been owned and operated by Malaysia Airlines Berhad. It is part of the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), a global aviation organisation that comprises of different aviation business and lifestyle travel solution portfolios aimed at serving global air travel needs. The airline is committed to facilitating safe and seamless travels by placing safety and hygiene as the anchor across all end-to-end consumer touchpoints in line with its MHFlySafe initiative. Via its alliance with oneworld®, Malaysia Airlines offers superior connectivity to more than 900 destinations in 170 territories across the globe.

The UK is due to switch off its analogue phone system in 2025 as the country goes digital. But if you’re a business who hasn’t yet made the switch, what do you need to know and what are the problems you face if you leave it too late? Here Juliet Moran from TelephoneSystems.Cloud explains everything you need to know. 2025 is the deadline for digitisation of the telecoms network. Many countries around the world have gone through this process over recent years and the UK is no exception. In the background, exchanges in the UK have been upgraded, and depending on your location, your local exchange may now be ready for full digital. Once a local exchange is fully upgraded, a stop sell happens and no new analogue technology can be installed in that exchange. This is happening to improve the capacity of the network. Historically we run both phone and broadband down a single line, splitting it in half. By removing analogue from the network, the full cable can be used for broadband, increasing speed capability. If your business has already made the switch to digital, well done. You’ve upgraded, probably saved money and have a flexible phone system for your business. If on the other hand you are the 60% still left to make the change, you are probably being inundated with calls about the switch. Companies can look up your line before they call you and check if you are still on the analogue system. So, you can’t pretend you have switched over, as your network status gives it away. The only way to stop the endless calls is to switch. The analogue switch-off isn’t going away - it will happen, it’s just a matter of when you choose to migrate. A big concern is if every business leaves it until the last minute, there could have problems. Porting a phone number - which is the process of migrating your number off the analogue systems and onto a digital platform - can be challenging. Porting takes 10 days minimum to process (due to Ofcom regulations), but the number still works during this time. It also takes humans to migrate the number from the legacy system. If everyone leaves it until the last minute, there is a chance of downtime for some as the porting capacity is hit. Many telecoms suppliers may also appear less keen to migrate you now because they are making more money off you. The digital supplier market is much larger than the analogue one, so you have a larger choice of supplier to choose from and you may find that your current telecoms supplier is taking advantage. New telecom providers also have more flexible pricing structures. Long-term contracts are unnecessary. With cloud phone systems you pay for what you need on a monthly basis. The wholesale prices of analogue services are also rising at rates higher than inflation to push you off the old technology. You will be paying a lot more than you need to be if you stay on the analogue technology. While switching your telecom provider might not be high up on the list for your business, now is the time to find your new telecoms supplier and get upgraded to digital or face the mayhem with everyone else who left it too late.

New research from BusinessComparison has surveyed UK SME leaders on their usage of local banks, and has found that a huge majority agree that there are fewer banks near their business than there were 10 years ago. The survey asked owners and senior decision-makers at SMEs about how often they use their local bank and what worries them the most about bank closures. The results were also broken down by business leaders’ age and where they are based in the UK. • 74% agree that there are fewer bank branches near their business than there were 10 years ago. • 21% of business leaders say it takes them or a staff member 31 to 45 minutes to visit the local bank - 51% say it takes them 11 to 30 minutes. Philip Brennan, Founder and MD at BusinessComparison , comments: “We were interested in finding out how leaders at SMEs feel about their access to local banks. The fact that three-quarters of the people we surveyed said they’ve noticed fewer branches confirms a pattern that has been going on anecdotally for some time." “It was heartening to see how much of a sense of business community emerged from the survey results. For 88% of business leaders, the main concern when it came to bank closures was the impact on the local area, including other businesses.” Business Owners’ Biggest Worries About Bank Closures Only 12% of business leaders said they were not worried about bank closures in their area. 50% said they were concerned about businesses that take cash payments, and 34% were worried about the impact on customers. How Businesses are Using Their Bank One of the most popular reasons to visit the bank was to deposit any takings in cash - 46% of those surveyed said they ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ go for this purpose. Collecting change from the bank was a slightly less commonly given reason - but while 47% of businesses never run out of change to give to customers, 13% do several times a week. 51% of business leaders said it takes them or a staff member 11 to 30 minutes to make a trip to the closest bank. 21% said that it takes between 31 and 45 minutes. Going Digital 44% of business leaders said they ‘Always’ use digital banking services to complete routine tasks, with 34% answering ‘Often’. Alternative digital payment methods were shown to be increasingly popular. Either due to customer request or difficulty using cash, 57% of those surveyed said they had taken a payment using the most popular of these options, PayPal. Differences by Region London was the region most likely to say they often take cash payments, at 40%, much higher than the national average at 24%. This region was also the most likely, overall, to have a member of staff visit the bank every day, at 62%. London’s business leaders were the most likely to say that there were more banks near their place of work than there had been 10 years ago. While there was still a majority saying there were fewer local banks, at 56%, 22% said there were more. Perhaps the reliance on in-person bank visits means bank branches in London are less likely to be closed. Another outlier was the South East, the most likely to only take card payments, at 35%. That is more than 10% of the national average of 21%. 74% of respondents here said their business never goes to the bank to collect change. Differences by Age In one interesting discovery from the survey, younger business leaders were more likely to make in-person visits to the bank. 45% of businesses run by 25 to 34-year-olds and 36% of those run by 35 to 44-year-olds send a staff member to the bank several times a week. Only 15% of businesses run by 55 to 64-year-olds go this often. Gen Z business owners aged 18-24 are the most likely to go to the bank several times a week at 51%. The survey found that while the majority of businesses still rely on in-person banking, there is a surprising level of variation between different age groups and across the country. Owners and decision makers at SMEs clearly value their local banks and are concerned that they are disappearing - both for their own sake and for the sake of others who use local bank branches, the other businesses in the local ecosystem as well as their customers.

Over 170 pupils from the Wakefield district took part in a wide range of hands-on construction activities as part of Give Construction a Try – giving them insight into the different career paths available within the sector. Give Construction a Try, which was held at Castleford College on Wednesday 13th March, saw pupils enjoy 115 interactive workshops across the day in bricklaying, building information modelling, carpentry & joinery, clay tiling, electrical, plumbing, roofing surveying and more. The event was formally opened by Lord-Lieutenant for West Yorkshire, Ed Anderson, who spoke about why it’s such an exciting time to be a part of the construction industries and the endless opportunities it offers. Sam Wright, Principal and Chief Executive Officer at the Heart of Yorkshire Education Group, said: “This is the third year we’ve hosted Give Construction a Try and it’s amazing to see so many employers and pupils from across the district taking part in the event, as well as having the Lord-Lieutenant for West Yorkshire open the proceedings." "By bringing together businesses, educators and industry specialists, we are able to deliver an event which gives young people a real insight into the opportunities available in the construction industry, which will hopefully inspire them to study or work in the sector in the near future.” Pupils from Airedale Academy, Carlton High School, Castleford Academy, Crofton Academy, De Lacy Academy, Freeston Academy, Highwell, Kettlethorpe High School, Outwood Academy Freeston, The Kings School, St Thomas a Beckett, Trinity Academy Cathedral and Wood Kirk, then broke off into the sessions which were designed to give them insight into the diverse range of roles and opportunities the industry has to offer. Mick Hill, Teacher at Outwood Academy Freeston, said: “Our Year 9 pupils are currently choosing their subject options, so the event was the perfect chance for them to see first-hand the opportunities which are available in Construction. They really enjoyed the hands-on nature of the sections and the industry as a whole, which has given them focus and inspired them to find out more about the different roles they could have and how they can get there.” Ethan, Year 9 Pupil from at Outwood Academy Freeston, said: “The day was really fun and I enjoyed the different sessions, especially bricklaying. Before the event, I had thought about studying construction and a career in the industry but Give Construction a Try has confirmed that I want a job in the sector.” In addition to the headline sponsor of the event, Willmott Dixon, interactive workshops were delivered by Bell Group, Building Futures, Caddick Construction, Illingworth & Gregory, Korec Group, Morgan Sindall, Omexon, Overbury, Promoting Construction West Yorkshire Training Group, Robertson, SCP, Sigma, Smith Hire, Speedy Hire, The Civil Engineering Contractors Association/National Highways, Wakefield District Housing, Wienerberger, Willmott Dixon and Yorkshire Independent Roof Training Group. Hollie Buckley, Senior Social Value Manager at Willmott Dixon, said: “We’ve previously delivered sessions at Give Construction a Try and this year we were really keen to sponsor the event as we are committed to bringing new talent into the industry. It has been a great day - the event was really well organised and it was good to see so many pupils and their tutors getting stuck into the sessions.” Give Construction a Try was set up to inspire young people in West Yorkshire to consider a career in construction and raise awareness of the diverse range of roles and opportunities the industry has to offer. Darren Harmer, Director of Give Construction a Try CIC, said: “Give Construction a Try is now in its sixth year and it’s great to see how the event has evolved over the years. In addition to the more traditional career paths, this year’s event has really shone a light on the range of digital, technical and green skills roles which are available in the sector and what a future working in construction could look like. The engagement the pupils showed was also fantastic, with many of them asking lots of questions and showing a real interest in the activities.”

Level 3 Fashion Textiles students from Wakefield College have teamed up with Community Foundation Wakefield District to create and help promote sustainable fashion across the district. As part of this, the students have transformed clothes that have previously been donated to the charity’s shop or fabrics which would usually be sent to landfill to create new fashionable garments or accessories. The items are now being displayed in the charity shop’s window in Wakefield, helping to encourage shoppers to buy second-hand items. The garments will be sold as part of the charity’s Community Give Box, with the money raised going towards its Wakefield Fund which provides small grants to individuals, local communities and voluntary groups to help build better communities within the Wakefield District. Student Ruby Lawton said about the project: “I was excited to work with Community Foundation Wakefield District because I go to charity shops quite a lot and I’d seen people recycling yarn in different ways from charity shops." "When we were asked to choose garments from The Give Box to make our pieces, I selected items that I could make into some sort of yarn to crochet with. I really enjoyed this project because it gave me the opportunity to practice new skills and recycle t-shirts and make them into something completely new.” In addition to supporting the community, the project has helped to further develop the students’ skills in weaving, embroidery, crochet, knitting and fabric manipulation. Lisa Milburn, Executive Director at Community Foundation Wakefield District, said: “We try to promote sustainability in everything we do, so this collaborative project was perfect in terms of avoiding landfill, re-use, repurpose and giving something old a new lease of life. The students were brilliant, and several of them are now regular visitors to look at what they can upcycle and individualise from our range of clothes. The plan is to sell or auction the items the students have created to put funds back into the community.” This is one of a number of projects the Art & Design department is working on in the Wakefield district, with further projects planned with Wakefield Museum looking at the history of Double Two - which will students design and make a shirt based on the theme of Wakefield. The Level 3 Fashion Textiles programme is aimed at anyone who has a creative mind, wants to develop their design knowledge and skills, and has a real passion and desire to work in the creative industries. Students are able to explore a wide range of techniques through the creation of textiles and fashion, with learners producing a self-initiated project and exhibition which showcases their creative work.

The town has been chosen to represent the region in the small city category at the national awards which are organised by the Royal Horticultural Society. This follows on from Loughborough in Bloom being awarded the highest accolade at the East Midlands in Bloom awards for twelve consecutive years. Pat Cook, chair of Loughborough in Bloom, said: “It is fantastic that Loughborough in Bloom has been chosen to represent the region at these national awards." “This is credit to all of our board members and volunteers that work tirelessly year on year to keep the high standard we have across the town and I look forward to welcoming the judges in the summer.” The Council’s open spaces partner, idverde, refuse partner Serco and volunteers and community groups from across Loughborough help to look after some of the open spaces, parks, and nature reserves in the town. Councillor Anne Gray, the Council’s lead member for open spaces, said: “A huge congratulations to the Loughborough in Bloom board, volunteers and our partners, idverde and Serco who help maintain our open spaces across Charnwood." “This nomination is testament to them and all the work they put in throughout the year. I wish them all the very best for the judging and the awards ceremony.” The Royal Horticultural Society judges will be visiting Loughborough in the summer to judge Loughborough in Bloom’s work ahead of the awards ceremony in October. Loughborough has represented the region three times before in 2014, 2016 and most recently in 2019 at the Britain in Bloom awards.

Property finance lender MSP Capital has welcomed senior solicitor Dan Curtis as its new Head of In-house Legal. He brings more than 20 years’ property market experience to the Poole-based company, which provides principal development and bridging loans for sums up to £20 million. As well as overseeing MSP Capital’s legal affairs and providing advice and guidance to colleagues, Dan will manage the firm’s five-strong in-house legal team. He joins MSP Capital after 13 years as a Senior Associate Solicitor and partner with law firm Blake Morgan. Among his stand-out deals there, he led the team that advised David Lloyd Leisure on the real estate aspects of its sale to TDR Capital. He also worked with a large health care provider on certifying its care home portfolio of over 250 care homes. Before Blake Morgan, Dan worked for Birmingham practice Wragge & Co, now part of international law firm Gowling WLG, having gained his law degree from the University of Sussex in 2001. The former Poole Grammar School pupil said he was attracted to MSP Capital because of its ‘ambition, entrepreneurialism and genuine passion for property’ across its culture and operations. Dan said: “MSP genuinely wants to help its clients to completion while ensuring rigorous standards are met. I’m a ‘property person’ and, likewise, the MSP team are all ‘property people’ so it seemed like a natural fit." “It’s an ambitious, entrepreneurial business and that, coupled with the team’s deep understanding and genuine passion for property, was the main attraction for me.” Among Dan’s initial aims in post are to streamline the legal and compliance processes that underpin fast, efficient progress on deals so that clients continue to have an excellent experience of the firm. “Our team has been given the freedom to make a real difference to our processes so that we can stand out from competitors,” he said. “MSP’s decision making is commercially driven so we’re taking that ethos and seeing how we can work with the rest of the business to achieve positive results." “We’re keen to challenge ourselves to strike the right balance between commerciality and ensuring rigorous standards.” Looking further ahead, Dan said: “MSP has ambitious growth targets so being part of that journey will be a very rewarding experience. “MSP wants to stand out in the market and ensuring the legal team are part of that will be really satisfying. Given the current market conditions it will be interesting to see who the successful developers and investors are and what sectors of the market really take off.” Reflecting on his career to date, Dan said: “I’ve always been interested in commercial property and in particular the financing of real estate deals and advising on large corporate deals." “At the same time, I’ve enjoyed working with high-net-worth individuals and families on complex deals. “For example, I advised a family on the sale of large parcels of land which had been in their ownership for generations." “It was a complex deal due to site challenges, and required a collaborative approach, but the upshot was that it unlocked land for hundreds of much needed, new-build homes.” Paul Miracca, MSP Capital Managing Director, said: “Dan has a high level of legal acumen coupled with extensive knowledge and experience from across the property market." “We are keen to harness and apply his skills to inform our relationship-led lending and the benefits we bring to our clients through robust, flexible lending solutions.” Among Dan’s immediate colleagues at MSP Capital are Legal Director Neil Woolgar, Solicitor Matthew Lang, Executive Paralegal Jacqui Schott, Legal Assistants Isabella Reale and Sarah Franklin, and Legal Secretary Sandra Dakanyte. Founded in 1981, MSP Capital is a principal bridging and development lender offering funding solutions to property professionals up to £20 million.

easyJet holidays, the UK’s fastest growing tour operator, has today outlined its new animal welfare policy, which includes a commitment to only offering experiences that do not threaten the welfare or conservation of animals and their important role in the global environment. The policy incorporates ABTA’s animal welfare guidelines, and, with an ambition to ensure it is industry leading, was created in consultation with several animal rights organisations including World Animal Protection. Following the announcement of the policy, the tour operator will also work closely with hotelier partners to educate and inform on the importance of animal welfare. The new policy, which sees easyJet holidays not promoting or offering any attractions which may be harmful to animals within their tours and activities programme, including captivity attractions such as zoos and marine parks, animal performances, animal rides and sporting events involving animals. This is the latest in a host of initiatives taken by the company including tackling food waste in hotels, providing GSTC training to hotelier partners, making transfers electric and offering lesser known alternative destinations such as Akureyri in Iceland. easyJet holidays has also partnered with UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) to help develop the first environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework for tourism businesses, co-designing a measurement tool that is meaningful and feasible for better monitoring and management of the impacts of tourism. Matt Callaghan, easyJet holidays’ Chief Operating Officer, said: “As one of the largest tour operators, we’re committed to being an industry leader when it comes to responsible travel. Our own research tells us that sustainable travel experiences are important to our customers, so we want to make it easy for them to holiday better." “We’re passionate about the protection and respect of all forms of nature in the destinations we offer holidays to, which is why we’ve made the decision to not offer or promote attractions that may exploit animals within our tours and activities programme." "We know tours and activities are a brilliant way to experience our holiday destinations, so we look forward to continuing to offer more sustainable and responsible experiences for our customers to further enhance their well-deserved holiday.” Katheryn Wise, Wildlife Campaigns Manager at World Animal Protection UK, said: "easyJet holidays has really stepped up for animals with this strong and ambitious animal welfare policy. From the outset easyJet holidays have been clear that they are committed to offering their customers responsible, wildlife friendly travel options and it has been a pleasure to work with a company focused on listening to their customers and choosing not to profit from captive wildlife entertainment." "It is through working together and commitment like this that we can truly expect to see lasting change for wild animals across the world."

For years it has been well known in Rugby League circles that the two major cities where professional rugby league stadium facilities have been deficient have been Wakefield and Bradford. Friday night demonstrated, should anyone be in any doubt, the economic regeneration that can be achieved by investing in rugby league facilities. The marvellous and wonderful travelling Bulls support must be scratching their heads as to why Wakefield Council recognise the value of investing in rugby league while their own does not. In the past couple of years Wakefield Council has provided £6M, to be shared between three professional clubs Castleford, Featherstone and Wakefield Trinity, with a further £11M to reacquire the historic Belle Vue site and for the building of the new Neil Fox MBE Stand. In meantime Odsal Stadium, equally if not even more iconic, has remained under invested in and is slipping backwards relative to all other mainstream rugby league venues. Bulls Chairman Nigel Wood OBE said, “Friday night was difficult in many ways but it also reminded us all of what actually can be achieved when a Local Authority understands the value of providing a 21st century facility for its rate payers to enjoy top class sport." “I’ve visited Belle Vue for half a century and it’s never looked better, well maintained, well lit, big screen, in the main covered and a with a splendid new main grandstand. Credit is due to the new owner Matt Ellis for putting on a great show in front of 7000 plus people, but he and everyone acknowledges that the catalyst has been the overdue re-development of that famous old ground." With Castleford advancing their own plans and Featherstone already being in good shape, Wakefield District is starting to catch up on the facilities. Which leaves Bradford and Keighley cast adrift as the outliers. Wood added “From the Humber to Mersey Elite Rugby League is now staged in great facilities. Leigh, York, Widnes, Saints, Warrington, the list goes on and on. The Bulls is now a stable and positive club thanks to the hard work of many, many colleagues, volunteers and sponsors, but there is only so much that a group of well-intentioned volunteers can actually deliver." "The solution to the riddle simply has to involve the public purse, like it has done at every other ground redevelopment over the past 30 years, and we would urge our civic leaders to grasp the nettle and collaborate with us in delivering a permanent solution to facilities issue for the benefit of the public of Bradford and the supporters of the Bradford Bulls.”

Permasteelisa Group, the global leader in the design, construction and installation of technically advanced building envelopes, has been appointed to deliver the glazing and cladding at St. John’s Wood Square, a prestigious new development in the heart of London. The St John’s Wood Square project is the redevelopment of the 5.5-acre former St. John’s Wood Barracks, previously occupied by the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery. The residential development will comprise nine buildings, ranging in height from three to six storeys, offering a total of 179 residential units. Permasteelisa will design, engineer, manufacture and install over 15,000 sq m of custom-made architectural cladding across all blocks. For the main elevations, largely made up of precast elements, the company will supply tripled glazed punched windows and sliding doors, balustrades and metal balconies. In addition, specific elements will be provided for the wrap-around glazing, roof mansards and external 'veil' structures that slope against the vertical walls within the penthouses, as well as the glazing that will occupy the ground floor on the street front. The design phase of the work has already begun at Permasteelisa’s design centre in Italy, where the bespoke elements of the façade will also be assembled in its specialist manufacturing facility. On site work will start at the end of 2024, with scheduled completion of the façade works planned for the summer of 2026. Liam Cummins, Permasteelisa Group’s CEO, comments: "We are proud to have been chosen for such an exclusive project as St. John's Wood Square which, due to its size, logistic complexity and challenging timeline is the ideal project to further demonstrate our ability to meet the needs of our customers' expectations.” Nicola Calzolari, Executive General Manager for Permasteelisa in Italy, adds: “This new contract confirms once again the strategic importance of the London market for Permasteelisa." “For St. John's Wood Square, our team in Italy is responsible for the delivery of the entire design and production of the customised façade elements, whilst our colleagues in the UK will ensure the efficient management of all on site activities.” “We are already enjoying our work on the design phase and our UK colleagues look forward to starting the installation on site by the end of the year and to seeing the project façade works successfully completed by summer 2026.” John Conboye, Executive General Manager for Permasteelisa in the UK, adds: “Being part of this prestigious scheme will add to our already impressive portfolio in London. As a Group, we have delivered many of the capital’s iconic developments including The Shard, 22 Bishopsgate, 20 Fenchurch Street (a.k.a. the Walkie Talkie building) and significant residential projects at Battersea Power Station.” Permasteelisa Group is the leading global contractor in the design, engineering, project management, manufacture, installation and after-sales service of technically advanced building envelopes. www.permasteelisagroup.com

The University of Dundee is leading an international collaboration with the intention of developing the first vaccine for Strep A. Experts from the University’s School of Life Sciences are teaming up with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and South Korea’s International Vaccine Institute and Gyeongbuk Institute for Bio-Industry to develop the first recombinant glycoconjugate vaccines for the bacteria. The research is part of a £2.3 million project funded by the RIGHT Foundation. “Strep A is a deadly pathogen, but at present there is no vaccine against these bacteria,” said Dr Helge Dorfmueller, Principal Investigator at Dundee and lead scientist of the collaboration. “Our preclinical data shows that our novel approach can deliver a universal Strep A vaccine that is affordable for all. This RIGHT Foundation Product Development Award allows us to expand our development using our engineered methodology to build and evaluate vaccine candidates that target Strep A bacteria.” Group A Streptococcus – commonly referred to as Strep A – kills more than 500,000 people each year, according to the World Health Organisation. While deaths in the UK are not commonplace, an outbreak in 2022 claimed at least 30 lives and generated widespread public concern. Group A Strep bacteria can cause a variety of illnesses, including mild disease like scarlet fever and strep throat, but also severe invasive disease including sepsis, meningitis, ‘flesh-eating disease’ and if left untreated, rheumatic heart disease, that often leads to heart failure and death. Dundee is one of the world’s leading centres for life sciences research and Dr Dorfmueller and his team will lead on the development and evaluation of recombinant glyco-conjugate vaccine candidates. They will utilise technology patented by the University, which fuses together the Strep A carbohydrate and pathogen specific proteins – both Strep A vaccine candidates – on specific sites of the protein to produce a “dual hit” vaccine, which prompt antibodies to respond to both parts. Dr Dorfmueller’s work has been supported by the University’s Research & Innovation Services, which helps to maximise the impact of research carried out at Dundee and facilitate strategic relationships with industry. “We know that if Strep A is left untreated, then it can prove fatal. A vaccine for Strep A offers a crucial solution to enhance the lives of millions of people worldwide,” added Dr Dorfmueller. “We are excited to partner with our distinguished new collaborators, which will allow each of us to push the boundaries of our research and bring new hope to anyone at risk of Strep A disease.” Professor Brendan Wren, Co-Director of the Vaccine Centre at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, added, “Group A Strep bacteria cause devastating disease, particularly in children." “We look forward to working with the University of Dundee and the International Vaccine Institute to develop affordable Group A Strep vaccines using novel technology, particularly for individuals in low income countries where they are most needed.”