Crime news: Rossendales now known as Marston Holdings
Our Crown Court collections and enforcement agent is now known as Marston Holdings instead of Rossendales.
Why is this important?
You need to be aware that:
all LAA automated letters and LAA templates will use the name Marston Holdings when referring to the collections and enforcement agency or debt recovery company
online payments will in future need to be made on the Marston Holdings website
How do clients contact Marston Holdings?
www.marstonholdings.co.uk is where to go for online payments. Once on the home page go to ‘make an online payment’ and then click ‘Legal Aid Agency’ payments on the dropdown menu
Marston Holdings have decided to change the name of Rossendales along with those of a number of other companies as part of their corporate branding strategy.
British Embassy and British Council celebrate refugee footballers
The football tournament promoted values of diversity, inclusion and equality.
In true AFCON fashion, the British Council partnered with the British Embassy to run a football festival for 45 Egyptian and refugee football enthusiasts. Coach Hellen Orende, a Kenyan coach certified from the Premier League, was invited to deliver a Premier Skills football activity that addresses violence against women and girls (VAWG). The festival was fully funded and hosted by the British embassy at its premises.
The football festival boasted 70% participation by girls, and it was followed by an award ceremony to celebrate the programme’s coach educators, both men and women, working on empowerment and inclusion of women and girls.
The Violence Against Women and Girls Through Football programme was a pilot funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the British Council in two locations in Western Kenya and aims to reduce VAWG through challenging harmful attitudes and behaviours using a sport-for-development model.
Coach educators are certified from the Premier League, as they receive face-to-face training from Premier League club coaches who give them the skills and support to develop their own community football projects.
Faiza Haidar, the head coach of the Egyptian National team and first Premier Skills coach educator in Egypt:
Teaching children the importance of diversity helps our community grow closer and become more impactful. Different genders, mental or physical abilities, or social standards, are meant to melt away when they come to the field, and that’s what we do here, and it’s resulted in amazing achievements. For example, I wanted to integrate children with disabilities in the game, because they have such resilience and are a source of inspiration. So, I put together the first national integrated football team and they brought home the golden medal at the Special Olympics at Chicago in 2018.
Through Premier Skills, young people, including the most vulnerable in society, are given opportunities to become better integrated into their local communities, to develop their skills for employability and raise their self-esteem. Today, there are 28 Egyptian coach educators and over 80,000 children, mostly girls, impacted by the programme.
British Ambassador in Egypt Sir Geoffrey Adams:
Football is an international language that brings nations together. This is why we have collaborated with the British Council and Premier Skills to bring a sense of home to refugees though this festival. I am particularly glad that 70% of the festival’s players are females who are not only showcasing their brilliant football skills, but also building a brighter future where female inclusion is a norm in all walks of life.
Minister of Youth and Sports Dr Ashraf Sobhy said:
We are proud of the long-standing partnership between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the British Council. It is a partnership that we encourage to sustain, and which supports the Egyptian youth in different ways. We hope that the British Council will join us in implementing the Ministry’s strategy, which aims to convert youth centres into community service centres.
The Ministry of Youth and Sports also seeks to cooperate with the British Embassy in Cairo in the field of entrepreneurship, including more programs that allow the empowerment of women and girls, especially in light of the political leadership concern for women, who are a cornerstone in all plans and strategies.
There is a successful partnership between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Premier Skills in relation to the project “1000 Girls, 1000 Dreams”, which aims to involve 1000 girls aged 12-14 in football training centres in eight governorates in Upper Egypt
Minister Sobhy also pointed out that Egypt
has no refugees, but brothers who live in the Egyptian society and integrate easily and that this is always referred to by the political leadership.
The event is also in line with the UK’s continued commitment to resettle refugees and to support the Egyptian government in protecting and hosting them. The UK has committed EGP 1.6bn to support the region, of which EGP 73.3m has been allocated to Egypt, to support vulnerable migrants and create alternatives to irregular migration.
Competition opens to create community facilities as Pacer trains retire from the passenger service
government opens competition to see Pacer trains renovated for benefit of communities, as they are removed from the network and replaced by new, modern trains
Rail Minister launches competition with school children at Bolton Station, who give their ideas for how a community transformed Pacer carriage could take on a new role
competition to run until the end of September, with winners announced later this year
Community groups in the North can now submit their plans and ideas on how an old Pacer carriage could be converted into a vibrant public asset, as the Department for Transport (DfT) officially launches its Pacer competition today at Bolton Station (11 July 2019).
School children from St. Catherine’s Primary School in Bolton were among the first to pitch their ideas to Rail Minister Andrew Jones, as they drew up their ideas for how the Pacers could be useful in the future. Freya, 9, showed the minister her idea for the ‘time traveller train’, a museum and classroom where people could learn about the history of Bolton. Millie, 9, suggested using an old carriage for a kitchen and pizza stand, while Lauren, 9, wanted to convert a pacer into a greenhouse to grow vegetables.
Andrew Jones with children from St. Catherine’s Primary School, Bolton.
After more than 3 decades of passenger service, Pacers are being retired from the rail network. New and entirely refurbished trains are now running right across the Northern network, serving Doncaster, Liverpool, Preston, Manchester, Cumbria and Harrogate.
Rolling stock company Porterbrook is supporting the competition by making 3 Pacer carriages available to be converted to serve communities in a new way off the rail network.
DfT is encouraging community groups to submit creative and innovative ideas for converting these carriages over the summer. The competition will run until the end of September and a judging panel, including heritage rail entrepreneur Pete Waterman, will pick the winners. The winners will be announced later this year.
Rail Minister Andrew Jones said:
The energy and ideas shown by the children today has been really creative and fun, providing some brilliant examples of how the Pacers could play a new, exciting role in our communities.
The Pacer trains have been carrying passengers for over thirty years, but they have outstayed their welcome and are being replaced by modern trains and extra services, creating space for thousands more passengers.
This competition is now open for ideas, and I look forward seeing a host of exciting proposals to provide them with a new home off the tracks.
Rail entrepreneur and judging panel Chair Pete Waterman said:
This competition provides a fantastic opportunity for community groups to actively engage with the rail network to make a difference to their local areas.
I’m delighted to be chairing the judging panel to oversee the proposals put forward ensuring they are realistic, credible and provide a real benefit to wider northern communities
Mary Grant, Porterbrook CEO, said:
Porterbrook is delighted to be able to support the DfT’s innovative project to find a new, community based, role for 3 of our Pacer vehicles. It is fitting that this competition will seek to identify new ways in which these Pacer vehicles can continue meeting the needs of the communities they once served”.
Professor Paul Salveson, chair of Bolton Station Community Development Partnership, said:
We are delighted that Bolton station has been chosen to launch this exciting competition to find new uses for the ‘Pacer’ trains, which have been the mainstay of local rail services in our area for decades.
I can’t say that we’re not glad to see them going – we now have fast trains with more capacity and greater comfort. It’s a great idea to re-use the old trains for community projects and I hope this event will stimulate lots of groups to come forward with innovative ideas.
More than 100 new trains will be rolled out by Northern from this year, together with new trains on the TransPennine Express network as well, offering more comfortable seats and improved accessibility. This follows LNER’s recent introduction of the brand new Azuma fleet on the East Coast Main Line.
Making the north one of the best-connected regions in the UK is at the heart of the government’s ambition for a thriving Northern Powerhouse.
The Department for Transport is investing £13 billion through to 2020 to transform transport across the region and is focussed on supercharging transport connections for years through our support for HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Between 2019 and 2024, the government will also invest around £3 billion further in upgrading the Transpennine route between Manchester, Leeds and York to deliver faster, more frequent and more reliable journeys with more seats.
Competition opens to create community facilities as Pacer trains retire from the passenger service
Competition launched to see Pacer trains renovated for benefit of communities.
government opens competition to see Pacer trains renovated for benefit of communities, as they are removed from the network and replaced by new, modern trains
Rail Minister launches competition with school children at Bolton Station, who give their ideas for how a community transformed Pacer carriage could take on a new role
competition to run until the end of September, with winners announced later this year
Community groups in the North can now submit their plans and ideas on how an old Pacer carriage could be converted into a vibrant public asset, as the Department for Transport (DfT) officially launches its Pacer competition today at Bolton Station (11 July 2019).
School children from St. Catherine’s Primary School in Bolton were among the first to pitch their ideas to Rail Minister Andrew Jones, as they drew up their ideas for how the Pacers could be useful in the future. Freya, 9, showed the minister her idea for the ‘time traveller train’, a museum and classroom where people could learn about the history of Bolton. Millie, 9, suggested using an old carriage for a kitchen and pizza stand, while Lauren, 9, wanted to convert a pacer into a greenhouse to grow vegetables.
Andrew Jones with children from St. Catherine’s Primary School, Bolton.
After more than 3 decades of passenger service, Pacers are being retired from the rail network. New and entirely refurbished trains are now running right across the Northern network, serving Doncaster, Liverpool, Preston, Manchester, Cumbria and Harrogate.
Rolling stock company Porterbrook is supporting the competition by making 3 Pacer carriages available to be converted to serve communities in a new way off the rail network.
DfT is encouraging community groups to submit creative and innovative ideas for converting these carriages over the summer. The competition will run until the end of September and a judging panel, including heritage rail entrepreneur Pete Waterman, will pick the winners. The winners will be announced later this year.
Rail Minister Andrew Jones said:
The energy and ideas shown by the children today has been really creative and fun, providing some brilliant examples of how the Pacers could play a new, exciting role in our communities.
The Pacer trains have been carrying passengers for over thirty years, but they have outstayed their welcome and are being replaced by modern trains and extra services, creating space for thousands more passengers.
This competition is now open for ideas, and I look forward seeing a host of exciting proposals to provide them with a new home off the tracks.
Rail entrepreneur and judging panel Chair Pete Waterman said:
This competition provides a fantastic opportunity for community groups to actively engage with the rail network to make a difference to their local areas.
I’m delighted to be chairing the judging panel to oversee the proposals put forward ensuring they are realistic, credible and provide a real benefit to wider northern communities
Mary Grant, Porterbrook CEO, said:
Porterbrook is delighted to be able to support the DfT’s innovative project to find a new, community based, role for 3 of our Pacer vehicles. It is fitting that this competition will seek to identify new ways in which these Pacer vehicles can continue meeting the needs of the communities they once served”.
Professor Paul Salveson, chair of Bolton Station Community Development Partnership, said:
We are delighted that Bolton station has been chosen to launch this exciting competition to find new uses for the ‘Pacer’ trains, which have been the mainstay of local rail services in our area for decades.
I can’t say that we’re not glad to see them going – we now have fast trains with more capacity and greater comfort. It’s a great idea to re-use the old trains for community projects and I hope this event will stimulate lots of groups to come forward with innovative ideas.
More than 100 new trains will be rolled out by Northern from this year, together with new trains on the TransPennine Express network as well, offering more comfortable seats and improved accessibility. This follows LNER’s recent introduction of the brand new Azuma fleet on the East Coast Main Line.
Making the north one of the best-connected regions in the UK is at the heart of the government’s ambition for a thriving Northern Powerhouse.
The Department for Transport is investing £13 billion through to 2020 to transform transport across the region and is focussed on supercharging transport connections for years through our support for HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Between 2019 and 2024, the government will also invest around £3 billion further in upgrading the Transpennine route between Manchester, Leeds and York to deliver faster, more frequent and more reliable journeys with more seats.
Rail media enquiries
Media enquiries
020 7944 3021
Out of hours media enquiries
020 7944 4292
Switchboard
0300 330 3000
Secretary of State for International Trade announces Australasia HM Trade Commissioner
One of the greatest achievements in the three years since the Department for International Trade was established has been the creation of Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioners, as we committed to in our manifesto.
There are now nine in place, supporting UK business across the globe. I am passionate about increasing the size of the overseas DIT network.
Therefore, I am delighted to announce today that, as part of my vision for the Department for International Trade to drive UK prosperity, we intend to create a tenth Trade Commissioner for Australasia. This announcement reflects the importance of this region.
Further details on timing and the process to recruit will be available in due course”.
