Funeral Costs in London Are Spiralling Out of Control
By Steve Taggart The cost of dying is increasing beyond the rate of inflation. Buying a grave, particularly within London and other urban areas is, in part, a reason for this. Land is at a premium and the financial burden of operating local authority cemeteries is high. The average cost of a grave within London is £3,250, this does not include the funeral director's fees which will usually add another £2,500. The most expensive borough is Haringey where a new grave...
The Van Causing a Stir in the Pie World
This is the van causing big stirs in the pie world. The Bedford CF vintage caravan is pumping out acclaimed pies on the streets of London and is now ranked number three on the 400+ Pierate’s Pie Rankings for their steak and ale pie. It is also ranked as London's number 1 steak and ale pie and London's number 1 chicken pie by the Pierateers. In 2014 MYPIE was crowned the UK Sausage roll champion and in 2015 it was...
Refugee Influx May provide EU Economic Boost, says IMF
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor GDP could grow in Europe due to migration through long-term boost to jobs market and greater state spending, says IMF report. It also claims that any negative effects will be short lived and won’t negatively impact on native workers in the long-term. The IMF believe the recent refugee arrivals will raise economic growth a small degree in the short-term – especially in Austria, Germany and Sweden. Also if they are integrated into the job market...
Home Secretary Theresa May to Charge Firms For Recruiting Skilled Migrants
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The Home Secretary plans to cut the influx of skilled non-EU migrants by 20 per cent a year and is planning to charge firms' employing these people a £1,000 levy, as part of her proposal. It is claimed the scheme could hit the teaching and nursing professions hard. The levy would be introduced per each migrant they employ from outside Europe, costing the organisation involved £1k a time. The levy plan is part of a...
An Idiot’s Adventures In Gameland – Steve McNeil
29: In Praise Of King Rob Hello once again, dear reader – I hope you had a lovely weekend. Regular visitors to this dusty corner of the internet will remember that, last week, I told you I was off to Birmingham to perform our show, WiFi Wars and I’m delighted to report back that a lovely time was had. It was a special show for me and ‘King’ Rob for a couple of reasons. Firstly, we’ve never done a ‘full’ show...
Oil Market ‘Could Drown in Over-Supply’ in 2016
The price of petrol is likely to drop further in 2016 following the Iran nuclear deal that freed the country of sanctions. The International Energy Agency has predicted that “unless something changes, the oil market could drown in over-supply” in 2016. Over supply of crude has already resulted in prices dropping to around the $28 a barrel mark, but it could fall further. The IEA expect that higher production from Iran will lead to the market being drowned in oil, with production set to...
Marathon runner halfway through ‘400 in 365’ challenge
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Marathon man Mark Vaz is almost halfway through his outrageous challenge of completing 400 marathons in 365 days despite dislocating his shoulder earlier in the week. Mark is raising funds for Adoption UK as he attempts to become the first man to run 400 marathons in a year – so more than one a day. The current record is 239 marathons. To put Mark’s challenge into context, he will be aiming to run a total...
Is London the new capital for tech companies?
When thinking about European versions of Silicon Valley, three cities come to mind — London, Berlin and Amsterdam. All three are unique and ready to rival each other to be the most fruitful in promoting new business and the most successful in acquiring funding. Recently, however, the amount of venture capital funding that has been invested in London has surprised even the most optimistic of expectations, leaving everyone wondering if the Tech City is turning into a Tech Empire. As...
Islamic Girls’ School in East London Raises Over £1,000 For Local Homeless Charity
By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Students at Quwwat-Ul-Islam Girls’ School raised £1,350 for an East London homeless charity by holding a sponsored sleepout and Winter Bazaar. The Year 10 students at the school were inspired to spend a night sleeping out in the school hall after learning about homelessness from a workshop delivered by the charity Caritas Anchor House. In taking part in the sleepout, the student’s aim was to better understand the experiences of homeless people, and to raise...