Luxury cruise operator Azamara has revealed plans to add a fourth ship to its fleet after new private equity owners Sycamore Partners purchased Pacific Princess.
Following a full renovation, the ship – which is a Renaissance-class vessel similar to Azamara Pursuit, Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest – is scheduled to sail its inaugural season under a new name in Europe in 2022.
The expansion news follows a recent announcement that Sycamore Partners had entered into an agreement to acquire Azamara from Royal Caribbean Group.
The deal is expected to close in Q1 of this year.
“We are thrilled to be expanding our fleet with a fourth ship, allowing us to visit even more regions of the world and better serve our guests,” said Azamara president Carol Cabezas.
“We look forward to launching even more unique and immersive itineraries and feel this is just the beginning of an exciting growth phase for Azamara.”
Pacific originally entered service as R3 for Renaissance Cruises in 1999.
The sale of the 670-passenger vessel to an “undisclosed buyer” was announced by Carnival Corporation last week.
Drivers have been warned of potential winter fines misery. A survey of 2,000 motorists has revealed that 63 per cent of Brits will start their drive with snow on the roof of the car, which could lead to a hefty fine.
While this isn’t against the law, if it falls from your windscreen while driving or into the path of another car, you could be penalised for offences such as ‘driving without consideration’.
With snow blanketing much of the country, it’s likely that many motorists could be hit with not just a £60 fine, but also three points on their licence.
The survey also revealed other laws that aren’t commonly known, such as honking your car horn in anger, an offence not known by 79 per cent of motorists, well as flashing your lights to give way, which is an offence that 95 per cent didn’t know about, according to the survey by findandfundmycar.com
In contrast, many people also think some activities are illegal, when they are in fact legal. As for footwear, 52 per cent thought it was illegal to drive barefoot, 46 per cent think it’s illegal to drive in flip flops and 33 per cent think it’s illegal to drive in high heels, all of which are legal.
Many of us were told when we were younger that it’s illegal to drive with the interior light on in the car. A whopping 46 per cent still believe that this is the case, when it is in fact legal.
Phil Morgan, Head of findandfundmycar.com, says: “While the chances of getting fined for doing any of the above offenses are extremely low, they’re still not worth the risk. While some of the offences might not be commonly known, but nobody wants to risk their safety or have to pay a hefty fine for something that they didn’t know was going to cost them, so it’s best to know these sooner rather than later.”
You can read more about what motorists think is legal and illegal here.
Grim reality of Covid revealed by top news photographer
Tim Thursfield is the award-winning chief photographer at MNA Media, aka Express & Star/Shropshire Star. Here he tells CATHY DOBBS about what it’s been like covering the pandemic – from the desperate scenes at intensive care at Wolverhampton’s New Cross Hospital to growing hopes for the vaccination programme at Lichfield Cathedral
ICU staff battling the pandemic at New Cross Hospital. Pictures: Tim Thursfield, courtesy of MNA Media
Tim is used to having to keep his hands steady – whether he’s taking a picture of a raging fire or snapping a convicted murderer. But nothing could stop his hands from shaking on a recent trip to New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton.
“It was nerve-wracking thinking about going onto the intensive care unit because, naturally, you worry about how safe you are going to be,” says Tim, who is group chief photographer for the MNA. You know you are going to an environment that is full of Covid-19 and no matter what you wear and what you do, you know there is a risk.
“As you walk through those double doors onto the ICU it suddenly hits you, the enormity of what we are dealing with. Staff are rushing around and shouting to each other as buzzers are going off – they are saving lives, and to be allowed to see that was an incredible privilege. Afterwards, when I got in the car to send my pictures back to the office, my hands were shaking – it was a shocking experience I will never forget.”
Since March last year Tim and the other photographers who work for the MNA have been documenting the pandemic, through all seasons and with each change in the public’s perception.
Inside the intensive care unit at the hospital
Ambulances lined up outside New Cross Hospital
Full PPE is vital inside the intensive care unit
Staff working all hours to care for patients at the unit
“When this hit us in March the newspaper did portrait shoots with the emergency services, as we knew then the pressure they were under,” says Tim, who has won photographer of the year at the Midlands Media Awards for the last two years.
“It was closely followed by getting pictures of families and school children painting rainbows to show their support of the NHS. People spoke about how they were passing the time in the nice weather and enjoying a break from the daily grind.
At the hospital there was an urgency that I’ve never seen before and the amount of staff there was unbelievable – everyone working their hardest to keep the patients alive
He added: “That first lockdown was filled with hope that we would soon see the end of this – if we knew it was going to last a year I don’t know if people would have been as buoyant.”
During the second lockdown, in the lead up to Christmas, Tim noticed that people saw the seriousness of the virus.
“There were more deaths, but at the same time a lot of people had their sights set on seeing their family at Christmas,” he says. “I often spoke to people who hoped that if everyone behaved themselves during that lockdown they would be able to celebrate at Christmas and New Year – but we all know that wasn’t the case.
“I think the current lockdown has been the hardest on everyone – January is often a tough month for people, but also the number of deaths is at its highest.
“The main bit of hope people are clinging on to is that we start to see results from the vaccinations.”
Photographers need to be out on the road every day, but Tim says the whole team has had to re-think how they take pictures.
“Taking photos with social distancing in place has been tough as you can’t group people together – and that doesn’t look great on photos,” he says.
“It has changed the way we approach photos, keeping it to just one person or a couple if they live together. Also, wearing PPE and taking a photo comes with its challenges – you have to hold your breath to stop the view finder from misting up.”
Tim, who has spent the last three decades taking photos for newspapers in the Midlands, says there are two photo shoots he will never forget – his recent visit to the ICU and seeing the vaccination programme at Lichfield Cathedral.
Divine hope in place of despair as the vaccination programme is rolled out at Lichfield Cathedral
The symbol says it all at Lichfield Cathedral
“At the hospital there was an urgency that I’ve never seen before and the amount of staff there was unbelievable – everyone working their hardest to keep the patients alive,” he says.
“There was no doubt those people were in hospital because they had Covid, they didn’t just have a cold or the flu, they were seriously ill.
“The ICU and Lichfield Cathedral were two extremes. In the hospital I saw anxiety and despair, and for the staff it was every hand to the pump. In the cathedral I saw hope and camaraderie between the staff and patients – a feeling of ‘let’s get this sorted’.
“I’ve photographed Lichfield Cathedral several times, but this time it was completely out of this world and was like I was walking into a different place. The pillars and stained glass windows gave away the fact that it was Lichfield Cathedral. However, just looking on ground level it feels like you are in a huge clinic with medical staff walking around. You have a feeling that you are in living history.”
The world is still battling with the virus and Tim says that he believes that Covid-19 is the story that generations will be talking about for years to come.
“I tell my daughter Freya ‘you have to remember this as you will tell your grandchildren about it one day and you will go into schools and tell other children about how you lived through this’,” he says.
“It has been a privilege to document the pandemic – I’d never wish to experience this, but it’s something that none of us will ever forget. This virus is the biggest event in our lifetime and I’m sure I’ll never cover something of this scale again.”
Work under way at the Children’s Emergency Department at Sutton Coldfield’s Good Hope Hospital
Plans are under way to create a new multi-million pound Children’s Emergency Department at Good Hope Hospital, writes Bill McCarthy.
The new department will provide eight treatment cubicles, a new reception space, as well as a quiet room and wellbeing room. It also means that more space can be dedicated to treating adult patients in the area vacated by the current department.
The single-storey building represents an exciting opportunity to design a care environment around the specific needs of children and young people.
The entrance to the department will remain in its existing location, with a new ambulance entrance and drop-off area. Paediatric patients will have their own waiting area and separate corridor spaces.
Computer images of the design and how the new centre will look
Paula Lane, Lead Nurse – Paediatric Emergency Department, said: “The team are really excited about the project and are helping to design the new spaces based on our experience of working on the front-line with children and young people.”
Sharon Holland, Operations Manager – Emergency Department, added: “From a Trust perspective, the new department represents a huge investment in Good Hope Hospital and is a unique chance for us to work with colleagues across our clinical divisions to get it right for children and young people.”
The project will help provide additional Emergency Department capacity and will open in spring. The team cares for approximately 19,000 children every year, with this number rising annually.
University Hospitals Birmingham Charity will also be contributing to the project, providing those ‘over and above’ elements which will help make the environment as comfortable as possible for children and young people.
Dr Sanjay Mistry, Emergency Department Consultant, concluded: “We are looking forward to being able to work in a superb environment which matches the great level of care we offer our young patients at Good Hope. I’ve worked as a doctor in ED for over 15 years and this new department is one of the most exciting developments I’ve been involved with. It will be of huge benefit to both staff and patients in the local community.”
We are looking for paediatric nurses to join our team at UHB. View the vacancies on NHS Jobs website via the link at the end of the page.
Our friendly team are passionate about staff engagement and compassionate care. Make a passion and a career come together.
Angela Birmingham, Matron Emergency Department at Good Hope Hospital, added: “We hope our new department will attract paediatric nurses interested in Emergency Care to join our team. We pride ourselves on providing a variety of professional development opportunities and clinical excellence.”
How you can help the hospital during this stressful time:
Please continue to use NHS 111 if you urgently need medical help or advice but it’s not a life-threatening situation. NHS 111 makes it easier for you to access local NHS healthcare services.
You can call 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk if:
you need medical help fast for you or your child but it’s not a 999 emergency
you think you need to go to A&E or need another NHS urgent care service
you don’t know who to call or you don’t have a doctor to call
you need health information or reassurance about what to do next
For less urgent health needs, contact your doctor or local pharmacist in the usual way.
For immediate, life-threatening emergencies, continue to call 999.
With the first glimmers of hope starting to get brighter as the UK’s mass vaccination Covid-19 gathers pace, thoughts are once again turning to holidays abroad, writes Bill McCarthy.
The Seychelles has updated its entry requirements to allow vaccinated visitors “from any part of the world”.
To be recognised as ‘vaccinated’, travellers must be able to show that they have received a second dose of an approved Covid-19 vaccine.
It is great news for those wishing to visit the exotic destination in the Indian Ocean, 300 miles off the coast of Africa, but travellers should check about getting a negative PCR test before their return to the UK.
The new measures have been announced following the start of a national immunisation drive – with the country aiming to became the first in the world to vaccinate more than 70 per cent of its population over the age of 18.
To be recognised as “vaccinated”, visitors must be able to show that they have received a second dose of an approved Covid-19 vaccine, the Seychelles Tourist Office explained in a statement.
Visitors must submit an authentic certificate from their national health authority as proof of vaccination alongside a negative Covid-19 PCR certificate, obtained less than 72 hours prior to travel.
All non-vaccinated visitors currently permitted entry into the country must show a negative PCR test obtained less than 72 hours prior to travel.
With light at the end of the pandemic tunnel after the arrival of Covid-19 vaccines, people’s thoughts are turning to holidays, and the prospect of getting away this spring and summer.
There is a bundle or red tape to unravel about restrictions and travel requirements.
To guide people through the Covid-19 travel maze, a one-stop advice hub has been launched this week, making it easy to see what requirements and restrictions are in place.
The Covid Travel Advice Hub from worldwide travel company Kuoni is available online for anyone to use. For the first time, it brings together all of the travel restrictions and requirements from around the world making it much easier to plan holidays for the year ahead. It’s the definitive guide to travel corridors, quarantine and testing.
As well as showing which destinations are welcoming visitors, the advice hub includes travel corridor information, current FCDO advice, Covid testing requirements, and quarantine rules on entering a country or returning to the UK.
Whilst it’s not possible to travel overseas on holiday within the current lockdown, the advice will be continually updated as legal restrictions are eased and holidays become possible again.
Early signs in January indicate there are plenty of people desperate to plan a holiday overseas this year and are prepared to book now. The advice hub will help travellers to see which places are open to book now for travel at a later date.
Derek Jones, CEO of Kuoni, said: “This is about making an increasingly complex situation simple to understand, providing answers to questions we know people are asking in a clear, searchable online format that anyone can access.
“The hub is available to everyone, free of charge – we’re providing this service because we want to play our part in opening up the world again. Travel Agents are welcome to use the resource to help them to provide the most up to date advice and guidance for their customers.”
Mr Jones added: “During the pandemic we’ve seen two types of travellers emerge. There are those who want to get away quickly, who will go at short notice as soon as borders are open and the necessary Covid tests are in place. These customers want to know what’s possible now and the travel advice hub will be a valuable tool for these last minute bookers.
“Alongside that we have customers planning holidays a long way in advance so again this is a really useful way to simply search for what’s bookable now for travel later.
“We’ve spent the last few months designing this one stop shop for all Covid related travel advice. The information within the Travel Advice hub will be updated daily. Customers and agents will no longer need to go off to different websites to try and make sense of it all.
“We want to encourage people to travel again but complexity around travel will continue for some time, so it’s essential that we give people the information they need and the confidence to travel safely and smoothly. That way we can get travel up and running again this year and help people have a much-needed break and give everyone something to look forward to.”
Socially-distanced volunteers getting ready to hit the road this month for a record breaking success
St Giles Hospice celebrates success
St Giles Hospice is celebrating the success of this year’s TreeCycle campaign after it collected more trees and raised more funds than ever before, including from venues Sutton Coldfield.
The environmentally-friendly recycling collection picked up 4,428 Christmas trees this month in return for a small donation to St Giles, raising over £65,000 for the hospice.
Last year’s collection picked up 3,430 trees, raising £35,000. All funds raised by TreeCycle help to ensure that St Giles Hospice can continue to be there for local people and their families living with a terminal illness.
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and the challenges raised by the new lockdown, St Giles was able to run the popular annual fundraiser for the sixth year running thanks to collection teams who followed the latest Government guidelines as they hit the streets.
Working in same-household bubbles, 76 volunteers took part in a socially-distanced operation which covered 3,176 miles between Wednesday 6th and Wednesday 13th January. They collected trees from Lichfield, Walsall, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, Burton, Rugeley, Burntwood, Uttoxeter, Swadlincote, Stafford and surrounding areas.
Chloe Herbert, Head of Fundraising at St Giles Hospice, said: “We are absolutely delighted by the success of this year’s TreeCycle campaign and we would like to say a huge thank you to all of our volunteers and supporters for their support.
We were bowled over by the commitment and enthusiasm of everyone who took part this year
“Our income was badly hit in 2020 and continues to be so because we were forced to close our shops and cancel many of our events, and as a result of the latest lockdown our shops have had to close once more. This means that TreeCycle is more important to us than ever as we need to raise £850,000 every month just to keep our services going.
“We were bowled over by the commitment and enthusiasm of everyone who took part this year and the money raised will make a massive difference to local people at a time when they need us the most.”
DHL provided St Giles with vital logistics support during the collections, and the trees will be recycled for agricultural uses at Greener Composting in Wall, Lichfield.
“We’d also like to thank Lichfield Tree Works, Darwin Electricals and HiB for supporting TreeCycle this year,” added Chloe. “Our TreeCycle volunteers and corporate sponsors have been amazing.
“Everyone enjoyed taking part and we hope they will spread the word about TreeCycle so that next year we will have more volunteers coming along to help us collect even more trees.”
For more information about St Giles Hospice and the expert care it provides, please visit
The new vaccines for Covid-19 has sparked a surge in confidence with the over-65s leading a huge surge in holiday bookings.
Coach operator National Express has seen a 185 per cent rise in over-65s booking holidays compared with this time in 2020 after launching its spring and summer programme last weekend.
Jit Desai, from National Express, told BBC Breakfast: “Many of them have had their first jab and now within 12 weeks will receive their second jab. That gives them a level of certainty that they can enjoy and look forward to their 2021 holiday.”
Desai added that National Express had taken “a week’s worth” of bookings in a single day on Monday, compared with the same period last year.
Tui’s UK managing director Andrew Flintham said the over-50s accounted for more than half of bookings received on the tour operator’s website in the past two weeks.
He added that they were getting more multi-generational family bookings as well as from “broader groups”.
TTG editor Sophie Griffiths also told BBC Breakfast: “This is utterly fantastic news and will be hugely welcomed by an industry that’s been devastated by the pandemic.
“Ten months into this crisis, the travel industry still has received zero dedicated financial support from the government.
“This is the first sign of the light at the end of the tunnel for the sector. Who isn’t going to want a holiday after the annus horribilis that was 2020?”
Escorted touring specialist Titan Travel said bookings for 2022 were “beginning to take off”, with one tour to Costa Rica already sold out 13 months before departure.
Managing director Andy Squirrell added: “Having conducted consumer surveys over summer last year, we recognised that travellers are looking ahead to future trips earlier than ever before.
“The vaccine rollout is undoubtedly bringing greater confidence to travellers who are itching to book a holiday and travel once again. Whether consumers are wanting to travel in 2021 or book in advance for 2022, we’re declaring 2021 the Year of the Holiday; the much-anticipated reawakening of travel.”
Diggers and bulldozers clearing the ground at the new fenced off Lidl site in Mere Green
Work on the new Lidl store at the former Lucas factory site in Mere Green appears to be making slow progress since work got under way back in November. The store is expected to be completed some time this year.
While the work is progressing, traffic has been affected by the comings and going of construction traffic and temporary traffic lights, while dozens of letters of objection had previously been received from residents raising concerns over traffic levels and pollution fears.
The site has now been fenced off after diggers and bulldozers converged on the former industrial site in Mere Green Road, Sutton Coldfield.
Work does appear to be going at something of a snail’s pace when other Lidl stores, notably the newest one in Lichfield appeared to get built in no time at all. When asked for a progress report on the work or a potential opening date, Lidl had little to offer other than the obvious. A statement said: “We can confirm that construction has started on site and we will be issuing a release with full details of the store for the local community in due course.”
The former contaminated site has been an eyesore for many years, following the factory demolition and the time needed to get rid of the contamination at the site
This two-acre site is now being developed despite original plans being sent back to the drawing board during the planning process, before finally being approved. One local councillor described the original Lidl design as looking like a brown and white shed.
Diggers and bulldozers working at the start of the construction of the new store in Mere Green Road
The site will include the store and a number of parking spaces, finally opening up a site that has been blocked off with blue boarding for more than 10 years.
The store will offer a budget alternative to the giant Sainsbury’s store opposite, but is sure to create extra traffic and congestion in the busy Mere Green area. However there will be new jobs and a likely boost to the local economy with increased footfall.
The development could be the final piece in the jigsaw in the renaissance of Mere Green. The area been blighted for years with rows of boarded up shops, but that finally gave way to the Mulberry Walk development. Anchored by the Marks & Spencer food hall, the new shops and a number of smart bars, restaurants, coffee shops and a gym, complement the existing shops on Lichfield Road.
Four Oaks ward councillor Maureen Cornish has broadly welcomed the new store. She previously said: “Lidl will provide versatile shopping giving the public more choice, it will increase the footfall and competition between similar stores provides shoppers.”
Sue Bailey, Assistant Head at Arthur Terry Learning Partnership
ST GILES HOSPICE HELPS SCHOOL STAFF TO SUPPORT STUDENTS
A Sutton Coldfield school has been leading the way in training teaching staff from 14 schools to help students cope with the terrible loss of bereavement, writes Bill McCarthy.
Teachers from across Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield and Tamworth have received vital training to help young people facing loss and living with bereavement. Phoenix, the children and young people’s bereavement service for St Giles Hospice, has been working with staff from schools from the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP), which include Arthur Terry School, John Willmott School, Stockland Green School, Brookvale Primary School, Curdworth Primary School, Hill West Primary School, Mere Green Primary School and Slade Primary School in Birmingham. The session covered the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown on young people as well as issues around bereavement and facing loss. Sue Bailey, Assistant Head at Arthur Terry, said: “We are very much aware that many families within our community of schools have lost loved ones during these difficult times. “Our aim as a partnership is to offer as much support to these families as we can and the training we received from St Giles will further enable our staff to do this. “The training was of a very high quality and left us feeling better equipped to support families and also how to access the expert support available from St Giles.
Arthur Terry’s assistant head teacher Sue Bailey
We look forward to further partnership working and would recommend this training to others.” Phoenix lead Jodie Phillips said the right support in schools for young people who had experienced the death of someone close to them was essential, particularly in the current circumstances. “Schools can be a safe space for young people, providing normality and consistency at times of extreme pressure and change, which is often the case when someone dies,” she said. “Working with ATLP to help their staff to support young people facing the death of a loved one or living with that loss is an important part of creating a safety net for those young people. “Given the right support, most grieving children and young people will not need professional help, but what they do need is the care of adults they trust who are familiar to them such as a teacher.” The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership is a growing multi-academy trust of 14 schools and one teaching school in Birmingham, North Warwickshire and Staffordshire. Phoenix offers support for any child or young person under the age of 18 who is facing loss or who has been bereaved, in the St Giles Hospice catchment area.
Referrals can come from parents, teachers, healthcare professionals or young people. To find out more, please call 01543 434536.
Sutton Coldfield Life 