UK taxi turnover falls for the first time in five years as Uber drives up its network expansion July 24, 2017 The rise of Uber has driven taxi firms’ turnover off course, according to research out today from accountancy firm Moore Stephens. An analysis of the UK’s top 100 largest taxi and minicab firms noted that turnover had dipped three per cent from £495m in 2014/15 to £479m in 2015/16. There had been consistent growth in [...]
Organic, natural candles are the only way to go. Here are a few brands to get you started March 10, 2017 Flickering candlelight – there’s nothing like it to bring warmth, romance and life to a room. As we transition from cosy nights in to entertaining for spring outdoors, lighting candles lifts the spirits. They’re so hot right now, there’s even a new kind of consultant whose job it is to create signature scents for the [...]
The new Elizabeth Line passenger trains have arrived for testing ahead of May launch March 9, 2017 The time is drawing closer… The Elizabeth Line has been quietly taking shape with a release of bird's eye images in January showing how the various stations are shaping up. And this week, Transport for London (TfL) announced the first train to be used for passengers had arrived for testing in the capital. The first @elizabethline train [...]
International Day of Happiness 2017: Six things you probably never knew about being happy March 19, 2017 It's time to wish everyone a, er, happy International Day of Happiness. Yep, there really is a day for everything, and 20 March just happens to be when the United Nations asks everyone to consider the wellbeing and happiness of the world – and it even has possibly the least happy person on board. The big angry bird [...]
On the trail of world-renowned gorilla conservationist Dian Fossey, Damien Gabet meets with silverbacks in the Rwandan forest November 24, 2017 There he was, the man we’d trekked hours to meet. Frank was square-jaw handsome, but with a perma-frown and scar that made him look dangerous. Once a poacher, he now uses his tracking talents to locate mountain gorillas for tourists. As we approached, I could see he was casually shaving earth from his boots with [...]
A new Leica masterclass at Gleneagles invites you to brush up on your camera skills between rounds of golf July 21, 2017 Perfect your portraits and learn from renowned landscape photographer Colin Prior at his masterclass run in conjunction with Leica. Set in the grand hotel of Gleneagles in Perthshire, nearby lochs and heathlands give ample opportunity for the habitual wildlife photographer to improve their skills. How do I get there? Fly to Edinburgh or Glasgow, they’re [...]
Exposure review: A cringe-inducing musical so awful it ascends like some horrible bird into a delirious realm of brilliant, unintentional comedy August 4, 2016 Like Chekhov’s prophetic gun above the mantle, any character who proudly shows off an ultrasound of their unborn son guarantees their own near-immediate demise. In this wonderfully terrible musical, a photographer barely has the foetal-snap out of his pocket before he’s bitten to death by snakes. His already grieving, prenatal son then explodes from rear [...]
Six of the Best: Chicken Wings. Here are the joints that are getting us in a right flap over their tasty, sticky wings February 21, 2017 1. Bird 42/44 Kingsland Road, E2 If you want decent wings, go to the specialists. Dalston favourite Bird, which now has a second spot on Holloway Road, serves free-range, gluten-free wings, fried to order, with a choice of eight homemade sauces. Flappin’ hell. birdrestaurants.com 2. Absurd Bird 54 Commercial Street, E1 First things first; we’ve [...]
Trek Super Commuter+ 8 review: An outstanding new electric bike that will turn heads and ruin pigeons April 5, 2017 There’s a word, “snarge”, which means the gunky pink residue deposited inside and around a jet engine in the aftermath of a bird strike. Aeroplanes are so massive and fast, and birds are so tiny and slow, that the most basic rule of physics transmutes the animal into a kind of blood mist. This transformation [...]
Uncertainty is a large problem for small businesses September 14, 2017 Today’s economic and political environment creates a number of challenges for the UK’s 5.5m small businesses. One of the most prominent is uncertainty, and the impact this has on the cost of doing business; it affects the ability of businesses to access finance, invest, export, and ultimately, grow. Consequently, the provision of tailored guidance and [...]