FU Loves Leicester #4

LEICESTERSHIRE’S ‘ARMY OF VOLUNTEERS’ HITS OVER 1500!

The Voluntary Action LeicesterShire, Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council initiative to build an army of volunteers to support people throughout the county has been inundated with responses and has recruited over 1500 volunteers to support critical services and vulnerable people in the region.

With more people finding themselves in a situation where they are unable to work due to the current circumstances, this initiative could provide those who are fit and well with the opportunity to make a difference to people who need it most, as so many of their support systems have collapsed over recent weeks.  Do the right thing and get involved: VAL is still looking for volunteers who ideally enjoy working with other people, are keen to help in a crisis and willing to be flexible to the continually changing situation.

Anyone who would like to put their name forward to become a volunteer can find more information and complete a simple online form here: http://www.volunteerleicestershire.org.uk/covid-19

If you are a charity or voluntary group that would like to register to be matched with volunteers, please go to: https://www.volunteerleicestershire.org.uk/covid-19-organisations

Businesses that would like to register can contact VAL at [email protected].

THE MR MEN HAVE A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT AND WE LOVE IT!

If you’re a fan of the Mr Men and those wonderful old public service announcements that used to warn us the dangers of pickpockets and rugs on polished floors, then you’ll love this short film by Leicester’s Spoon Jar Films. Might have even made us well up a bit! (Lord, we’re crying again). We love a bit of nostalgia!

CLICK TO VIEW.

STEP AWAY FROM THE BISCUIT BARREL!

Working from home means we’re all most-likely moving much less – no running from meeting to meeting, cycling to the office and calling in to the gym on the way home.

Our friends at Nuffield Health have kindly put together some workout plans to help us through – and here’s one especially for home workers  https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/the-5-minute-home-office-workout and there’s even one to keep those over 70 and self-isolating active – https://www.nuffieldhealth.com/article/7-exercises-for-the-over-70s-while-self-isolating

The team at Nuffield Health Leicester Hospital are also busy supporting the NHS and caring for patients. Since the 1^st April they have offered all of their 33 bedrooms for transferred patients and have handed over eight ventilators to the NHS.

TAKE YOUR KIDS TO THE MOON AND BACK WITH ROCKET WEEK AT THE NATIONAL SPACE CENTRE

Leicester’s National Space Centre may have closed its doors, but its space mission continues.  Join the team on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for explosive lessons, craft ideas, competitions and a chance to ask those questions about space you always wanted answering #AskUsAboutSpace.

This week’s theme is #RocketWeek.  Subsequent themes will include: #AstronautWeek, #MoonWeek, #MarsWeek and #SolarSystemWeek.

It is a very busy week in space as well, with launches to and from the International Space Station; not one but three important anniversaries; a Supermoon and the birthday of the amazing UK space ambassador, Tim Peake.

Get involved online at https://spacecentre.co.uk/

LOCKDOWN SHOUDN’T MEAN A MARKETING SHUTDOWN

Remember that course in business school ‘How to prepare for a global pandemic’? No. Neither do we. And yet here we are, facing unprecedented challenges from COVID-19. We’re ‘learning on the job’ and, as Mark Robinson, Managing Director of Leicester creative agency Creative62 tells us, – “…it’s time for some serious creative thinking. Motivational one-liners are all well and good, but it’s our actions now that will move us forward.”

He strongly believes that lockdown shouldn’t mean shutdown, and, like us, advocates the need to keep on communicating! In a recent blog, Mark guides us through three important things every marketer should remember during the pandemic.  So, if you’re wondering how to approach this unusual time to get the best marketing results, head over to the Creative62 blog for inspiration. Get ready to make #EyesOnJuly your new mantra.

Click on the link to read more 3 Important things every marketer should remember during COVID-19

MAKE THE MOST OF THE SUNSHINE BY GETTING OUT AND GET DETAILING

 
For the uninitiated, car detailing is the professional approach to car cleaning and car care – taking the quick wash and wax to another level! If you are stuck at home with your car in the drive or parked outside your home, why not roll up your sleeves and discover how the professionals do it. Rutland based www.spautopia.co.uk has put together some special kit offers to get you polishing like a pro during the lockdown!

Visit the Advice section on the site to get some expert tips on how to wash your car without scratching and dulling the surface; how to restore colour and gloss to weathered surfaces and how to protect your paintwork from the rigors of the road. You can also take advantage of some exclusive and discounted kits for washing, wheels, interior and exterior finishing, and scratch removal.

To find out more about car care and car detailing and to see these exclusive Kit Offers visit www.spautopia.co.uk.

 WIN A DETAILING KIT

To win an Exterior Finish Kit with Scholl Concepts NEO Polymer Protection, ‘LIKE’ the @spautopia Facebook page www.facebook.com/spautopia, visit the competition post and tell them what car you have and why you should win.  The Spautopia team will select the winning answer after entries close on 14^th April 2020. One lucky winner will be polishing like a pro in no time!

 STEAM AHEAD IN HOME SCHOOLING

Struggling with home schooling, home learning and keepings kids engaged?  Yup, most of us are, so this may be a goodie for you.  ‘Learn with Syd’ is a STEAM-powered (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) YouTube channel with dynamic, daily content by award-winning Science Communicator, Educator and Broadcaster, Syd.  A qualified (ex) teacher, Syd set up the channel with the aim to reach as many kids at home as she can with her daily, high-level content.

The daily sessions begin at 3.30pm at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNQma4TqWRWiXRoq_G26-dg

Kids’ submissions required by 6pm on the same day for potential feature in their submissions video. Add your name and #artwithsyd, #sciencewithsyd or #mathswithsyd.

Submissions to [email protected] or tag on social media with hashtags.

 DISABILITY ACCESS APP LAUNCHED IN LEICESTER

Three disabled entrepreneurs from Leicester have joined forces to create a brand-new app aimed at improving the lives of millions of disabled people in the UK.

Access Rating (www.accessrating.com) is an app like no other. In seconds, users can improve the lives of the 13.3 million people around the UK living with a disability and in turn, make visiting venues no longer a source of fear and anxiety.

Users simply have to browse through over 100,000 venues to submit their disability access review. It’s quick, it’s simple and you don’t even have to have a disability to use it: able-bodied people are encouraged to submit reviews on behalf of disabled people, too.

Not only can users review any venue, but venues who receive consistently poor ratings and feedback can hire Access Rating auditors to do an accessibility audit of the venue and help them to improve the experience for disabled and non-disabled visitors moving forward.

Based on user-feedback, the founders, Mark Esho, Rich Copson and Jignesh Vaidya have just launched version 3.0 of the app which now includes geolocation.

Head to the app store on Apple or Android phones to download the app and visit www.accessrating.com for more information.

SEE YOUR #RAINBOWSOFHOPE IMAGES ON STAGE AT CURVE THIS CHRISTMAS

Leicester’s Curve theatre has launched a new campaign inspired by the recent #RainbowsOfHope social media trend – and now your design could be featured in the set of its Christmas production, the regional premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s, The Wizard of Oz (28 Nov 2020 – 16 Jan 2021).

The Coronavirus lockdown has seen children across the country offering a message of hope, unity and happiness to the nation by sticking pictures of rainbows to their windows and sharing these on social media with the hashtag #RainbowsOfHope.  By sending your own Rainbows of Hope to the theatre on [email protected] you could see your artwork on stage at Curve later this year. You can also share your picture on social media using the hashtag #RainbowsOfCurve.

Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said: “We’d love you and your children to read L. Frank Baum’s wonderful novel or watch the legendary Judy Garland film and send us your drawings of Oz, rainbows, the Yellow Brick Road, the Wizard, the Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Poppy fields, the great Gates of Oz and the Wicked Witch of the West, her scary lair and flying monkeys. – we would like to see your versions of these characters and places and how they fire your imagination.”

Tickets for The Wizard of Oz are on sale now, why not book now as a treat to look forward to and support your local theatre at www.curveonline.co.uk