Displaying items by tag: British Isles

In 2018 a group of senior clinicians at NHS Highland reported that a culture of bullying had existed for at least a decade. They described a ‘practice of suppressing criticism, which emanated from the very top of the organisation’ and led to a culture of ‘fear and intimidation’ which has had a detrimental effect on staff. John Sturrock QC found there were hundreds of people who had experienced bullying. A review was contacted by 340 people from most departments, services, and occupations. Over 280 had face-to-face meetings or made written submissions of bullying experiences. Staff said they had not felt valued, respected or supported in carrying out ‘very stressful work’. In 2021 NHS Highland expects to pay £3.4m in settlements to current and former staff who experienced bullying. Whistleblower Brian Devlin said the scale of settlements so far was ‘heartening’, but he had heard that some bullying still continues.

Oxford Diocese has launched a contemplative toolkit in response to the growing mental health crisis among young people. It is a time of daily reflection founded on ancient pathways and practices of meditation and prayer that have resourced, benefited, and healed Christians for generations. The increase in the use of digital technology and social media is placing young people in danger of becoming less connected with their families and communities and leads to increased mental health issues as self-worth is measured against online profile popularity. A quarter of a million children struggle with their mental health as a result of the pandemic. When the whole of education seems to be about targets, results and pressure, this toolkit gives students the chance just to be, rather than do. It complements the Prayer Spaces in Schools programme, enabling prayer and reflection into school life for the year. It also enables pupils to run the sessions themselves and share reflections with their peers.

Rev Yvonne Clarke was ordained as a deacon in 1987 and has served All Saints Shirley, in Southwark Diocese, for over 20 years. On 29 September the diocese decided to divide the parish between St George’s and St John’s, resulting in Rev Clarke losing her home and her job. She is considering appealing against the decision, saying the move felt ‘personal’ and was motivated by racism. The diocese said its proposal was due to ongoing concerns over the church's finances and governance. Rev Clarke said she is now in discussions with her legal team and supporters to consider an appeal to the Privy Council.’ The diocese said it welcomed the decision of the pastoral committee of the Church Commissioners for the better provision of ministry and mission, as All Saints Spring Park is not viable in its current form.

Pastor Peter Simpson, a Methodist minister, was preaching outside Uxbridge Station in August when 14 officers approached him. The Met Police confirmed that officers had received complaints that a man was using homophobic language and had given words of advice to him. Pastor Simpson denies using homophobic language and said that with two other church helpers he was preaching a straightforward Gospel message: 'All who have sinned and come short of the glory of God, need salvation'. He had spoken about how much the nation has turned against God, and how immoral abortion is. He also had said, 'We have also redefined marriage, contrary to God's law, it can only be between one man and one woman.' Within 15 minutes of preaching the police came and said they had received multiple complaints, even though no one had complained directly to Pastor Simpson. The police asked him to leave the area, and no arrests were made.

Three-quarters of small French fishing boats could be denied access to British waters under a post-Brexit regime in a move that risks further damaging Anglo-French relations. The UK government had granted only 12 out of a total of 47 applications for licences for the French vessels under 12 metres long to fish the UK’s inshore waters. France’s maritime minister, Annick Girardin, condemned the decision. ‘It is a new refusal by the British to implement the conditions of the Brexit agreement despite all the work we have done together. French fishing should not be taken hostage by the British for political ends.’ In May, France’s response to post-Brexit fishing restrictions around the island of Jersey was described as ‘pretty close to an act of war’ by fishing community leaders in St Helier. This week Jersey refused licences to 75 French fishing boats. The UK said it would consider further evidence to support remaining bids for fishing rights See

On 18 September the Queen's granddaughter, Princess Beatrice, gave birth to a baby girl weighing 6lb 2oz, at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Buckingham Palace said the princess and her daughter were doing well, and the baby's grandparents and great-grandparents were ‘delighted’. The baby will be 11th in line to the throne and the Queen's 12th great-grandchild. Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, the baby’s father, will pass on the official Italian title of Nobile Donna, which translates to Noble Woman.

A missionary planted a church in Nicholas Lebey’s village in Ghana. Now Nicholas has done the same in south-east London and Bradford as a pioneer evangelist. In 2013 he came to Woolwich, and planted a church with young people who had no former connection with church. He launched a Friday night youth club, a Tuesday night gathering, a Youth Alpha course and from this, a youth congregation which met on a Sunday evening. He also worked on a local estate, running football and lunch clubs focussed on getting young people off the streets and into a place where they could belong, connect with friends, and build relationships, Nicholas was able to mentor them, with Christian teaching. ‘As relationships deepened, we began to see a community emerge. It came from the young people themselves. I believe we don’t do things for people, we do it with them’, explained Nicholas. 

Rt Rev Hugh Nelson is the new Bishop to the Armed Forces: he was formally licensed by Justin Welby on 20 September. This role will be in addition to his work as Bishop of St Germans in the Diocese of Truro. Speaking to Premier Christian Radio, Bishop Hugh said, ‘One of the commitments that I make as Bishop to the Forces is that I will pray for two things, every single day while I'm in this post. One is that the day will come and come as soon as possible when there's no need for any armed forces, when peace breaks out and the kingdom of God fully arrives. And in the meantime, I will continue to pray every single day for our men and women who are out there on the frontline trying to keep peace and justice in the name of this country.’

Rising gas prices caused fertiliser factories to close on 20 September, cutting 60% of the supply of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the food and drinks industry. There were warnings of supermarket shortages, because CO2 extends the shelf life of packaged fresh foods and keeps transported food fresh as dry ice. There were also concerns that the UK may have to close its six advanced gas-cooled nuclear reactors which use CO2 . Big meat suppliers were prioritising how they use CO2 as they had just three days' supply, while supermarkets had ‘limited stock’ of frozen items. On 22 September the Government promised to give tens of millions of pounds to restart production of CO2 at a fertiliser factory for three weeks ‘whilst the market adapts to global prices’. There will be a cap to the overall cost. The Food and Drink Federation said shortages may be felt through to the end of the year.

Avro Energy and Green Supplier collapsed on 22 September, and the sector's regulator warned ‘well above’ hundreds of thousands of customers will have to be moved to new suppliers whose tariff may be more expensive. Avro Energy has 580,000 customers, Green Supplier 250,000. Customers will still receive energy while a new supplier is appointed. They are the latest providers to go bust following a sharp rise in wholesale gas prices. Ofgem warned the price rise was ‘something not seen before’ and more firms would fold. A six-fold rise in wholesale gas prices since last year meant several domestic energy suppliers had hit financial trouble. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation charity warned that millions of low-income households will face a squeeze on their finances from October, when energy companies will be allowed to lift the maximum amount they charge for gas and electricity by as much as 12%. Also from next month, Universal Credit claimants will lose £20 a week.