Xperedon Blog

FOOD WASTE: Bill support

Supermarkets must do more to redirect unwanted food say food bill’s supporters

A coalition of grass-roots charities and cross-party MPs are urging supermarkets to do more to recycle unwanted food.

MP Kerry McCarthy introduced a Private Member’s Bill in March largely inspired by the small charity FoodCycle that operates in her Bristol constituency. The bill that will have its second reading in parliament on April 27 has cross-party support from various MPs including Zac Goldsmith, Caroline Lucas, Luciana Berger and Tony Lloyd.

The bill seeks to make it compulsory for supermarkets to donate unsaleable food to charities, helping homeless shelters, women’s refuges and other good causes; and urges food that is unfit for human needs to be prioritised as livestock feed for consumption by farm animals.

As well as making practical sense, reducing the high levels of waste that affect the food industry there is a clear environmental case for such a strategy. Reducing food going to waste also helps reduce carbon emissions, especially when burning it for energy production is avoided…

Steven Hawkes of the charity FoodCycle believes there is a rising mood at a grass roots level from various sections of the community that supports the ideas entrenched in the bill, and is delighted the issues have reached parliament…

“It’s a big step to get it in parliament… it has passed its first reading, that is great progress and has its second reading… and it has cross-party support. It’s very hard to disagree with, I think. It’s all about meeting people half way…

“It’s about having the proper systems in place and spreading the word amongst people…

“It moved so quickly. Kerry has been our patron now for a couple of years… We have a project in her constituency in Bristol. She got involved through that… 

“It really got momentum and we have support from MPs and we have a couple of lords supporting it…

“It has got its second reading end of April… we hope that it can be built upon and we hope more progress can be made and it can go through…”

Manchester MP Tony Lloyd has been one of the members of parliament adding his support to the bill. The MP for Manchester Central is becoming increasingly vocal in his support for schemes redirecting unwanted food from supermarkets to charities and has called on a Tesco store near his constituency to do more to help.

The MP also wants to see more cooperation from the food industry in general, and especially the big supermarkets to help local charities. He especially wants the supermarkets to take more of a lead on the issue.

Mr Lloyd says: “Why can’t they give it away, on a human level?

“I know they are going to say to me we are ethical and we don’t waste. It’s probably all true and good on them for that but it’s not the same as saying we are preparing to recycle it and support a more human approach.

“Kerry put forward a Private Members Bill…What Kerry has done is to highlight the issue. The fact that Sainsbury’s have written and said what good boys and girls they are and Tesco have spoken about it shows it can have an impact. They don’t like the publicity.”

As such Mr Lloyd thinks the public’s mood will be a key decider… and so he is considering putting an e-petition together to help step up the support for the food recycling lobby…

The MP says that the stark reality is that many people go home at night wondering whether they will have food on the table, which means initiatives from charities like FoodCycle are so important.

“It’s also about bringing pressure on the supermarkets really, he says.

“And while you are probably not going to have a law that says you must donate all food that is not sold by half four on a Friday and it must go to a food charity that would be too difficult….What you can have is a code of practice… where good practice is encouraged…”

The growing mood is one calling for partnership where private companies and community organisations work together…

Steven Hawkes of FoodCycle says it’s about the businesses meeting organisations like his half way.

“We do work with a lot of smaller businesses, farmer’s markets, small fruit and veg shops, grocers’ shops, he says…

“If we can’t help we try and pass them on to another organisation…

“It’s all about trying to match up businesses with their local charities unfortunately there are logistics… there are often not the local organisations in place…” says Steven.

He explains that increasing numbers of volunteers are coming forward to support FoodCycle and want to set up new community hubs. However, the charity does need more infrastructure support in terms of resources and full-time staff so it can expand its organisation to meet the growing demand for its service.

With hundreds of thousands of tonnes of food being wasted annually in the UK and increasing evidence of rising food poverty, at its heart the food waste bill and the charities campaigning on the issue are drawing attention to the immorality of the food industry, including supermarkets and other businesses, that simply throw good food away.

The message from charity campaigners and politicians supporting the bill is clear - that if people speak with their local supermarkets and restaurants and ask what they are doing with their food waste and also contact their MPs and councillors and press for change on this issue, then positive social change can occur.

By working on a local level but across a national scale a hugely beneficial social impact can happen.

The charities and their supporters are calling for a major culture change in the food industry to take responsibility and redirect good food and stop it being wasted.

As well as FoodCycle the food waste bill about to have its second reading in parliament is backed by a number of other charities, including FareShare, Food AWARE, Feeding the 5000, Friends of the Earth and WWF.

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Charity Spotlight: Beautiful Gate Lesotho

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Country: South Africa

Category: Children/Education

Charity Mission Statement
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It is our desire to provide a high quality of care, play, therapy and love to these children.

To donate and read the full charity profile, click here

KATE MIDDLETON: Scott-Amundsen

Duchess and Duke support historic South Pole charity expedition celebrations

“Had we lived, I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart…”

The words of Captain Falcon Scott continue to fascinate and inspire a century after his initially successful but ultimately doomed expedition to the South Pole in 1912.

Captain Scott and his team of five, wearing rough boots and heavy clothing, reached the South Pole on January 17, 1912. The team had reached the pole on foot, pulling sledges with supplies behind them struggling through blizzards and temperatures below -50C.

On their return the Scott team were lost to the frozen wilderness, perishing in the severe cold after being beaten to the pole by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen’s expedition.

As part of the centenary celebrations of the historic events two British Army teams recreated the Scott-Amundsen race earlier this year, raising funds for the Royal British Legion. The expedition was endorsed by Prince William, patron of the expedition and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.

Kate Middleton and Prince William are now attending a reception to celebrate the Scott-Amundsen Centenary Race which has raised vital funds to support the rehabilitation of army personnel. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend the reception at Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, EC2V.

The attendance of the Duke and Duchess at the event featuring the expedition teams and donors is being seen as a massive honour for the charity and all involved in what is the final, major conclusion of the anniversary expedition.

The fact that two British army teams completed the historic centenary mission is also being seen as a source of pride to supporters of the charity.

Fundraisers will be attending the event and William and Kate are expected to meet the centenary expedition participants and hear their personal stories of how the two British Army teams recreated the Scott-Amundsen race. TThe original events are regarded among the high points of the heroic era of adventuring.

The recreation paid homage to the incredible race to reach the South Pole that saw Captain Robert Falcon Scott and Roald Amundsen complete their expeditions with only the most basic natural materials to support them.

Prince William, patron of the expedition with the Duchess in attendance, is expected to deliver a speech at the final gathering celebrating the centenary expedition with William and Kate also meeting expedition members and British Legion members.

The centenary expedition, the most authentic recreation of the original excursions, was completed 100 years to the day after Scott reached the South Pole and followed the original routes.

The Scott team, led by Mark Langridge reached the pole on January 17, 2012 after a two months journey. The two teams covered 1500 nautical miles unsupported, the teams carrying their supplies on sledges, similar to the original expedition.

The expedition has raised money for the Poppy Legion, the British Legion charity appeal, supporting serving and ex-service people, and their families.

National President of The Royal British Legion Lt Gen Sir John Kiszely said: “We are honoured to be supported by the Scott-Amundsen Centenary Race, which is raising vital funds for The Royal British Legion’s £30 million commitment to the Battle Back Centre, Lilleshall, to help wounded, injured and sick service people on their personal journeys of recovery.

“The centre is focused on rebuilding confidence, ability and motivation through adaptive sports and adventurous training. It is a place where even small steps can feel like great leaps of accomplishment for young men and women who are used to being at the peak of their physical fitness.”

So far the expedition teams have raised more than £140,000 for the Royal British Legion’s charity campaign.

Kate Middleton and Prince William will attend the centenary expedition and fundraising celebrations in London on Thursday April 26, 2012.

Read more Xperedon Charity News at:

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SCOTLAND: Birds of prey

Record breaking egg laying signals successful monitoring programme for Scottish birds of prey

The Scottish Wildlife Trust reveals that a pair of peregrine falcons roosting on the Falls of Clyde have produced eggs.

Meanwhile a Loch of the Lowes osprey, the UK’s oldest, has laid the 62nd egg of her lifetime at her site at the charity’s Lowes reserve in Perthshire.

Ospreys, superb fishing birds of prey, are flourishing worldwide partly due to conservation efforts… The osprey egg was seen first on Saturday by staff and volunteers and the female and male are now incubating the egg which hopefully will hatch in five to six weeks.

The female osprey is the oldest in the UK returning in 2012 to the Loch of the Lowes Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve in Dunkeld for the 22nd year.

The bird’s lifespan has thrilled bird lovers because ospreys generally live only ten to fifteen years in the wild… And that’s partly because wildlife conservationists are sparing no time or effort to protect the bird, with measures that have included a new sewerage treatment plant to safeguard the health of the loch which is vital to Ospreys, and also 24 hour monitoring of its and other nest sites. 

The positive identification of the osprey is due to her distinctive iris and plumage say Scottish Wildlife Trust officials and that means they are certain she is the oldest breeding osprey in Britain.

Supporters of the charity have followed the news of the osprey for years… In 2010 she was poorly but recovered, and then in 2011 her eggs failed to hatch so this year staff are delighted, considering her age, that she has returned and now looks set to produce chicks.

Scottish Wildlife Trust spokesperson Emma Rawling explains the bird’s nest has had 24 hour protection and that will continue as long as the ospreys stay in Scotland.

“Our 24 hour nest protection now becomes even more important. We will be monitoring the nest for as long as the ospreys are here and we hope we’ll see young hatch in a few weeks time,” she says… Unfortunately top security efforts for the rare breeding birds are essential to protect them from egg stealers and vandals.

Similarly the charity’s peregrine falcon protection programme on the Falls of Clyde is another product of the successful Scottish conservation efforts. A 15-year-old male first spotted in 2000 plus an 11-year-old female first seen in 2004 are now breeding.

These are also superb ages for peregrine falcons, the world’s fastest animals and for some the most magnificent birds in the air. The oldest known peregrine falcon was over 16 years old. During their time at the Falls of Clyde, the male has sired 32 birds and the female has produced 21…

However, in 1999 after four eggs were laid and two hatched the eyrie was destroyed by vandals resulting in a failed breeding season which sadly confirms the need for the charity’s 24 hour peregrine protection programme operated by staff and volunteers.

Both the successful breeding season and the work of conservationists for both sets of these majestic birds in Scotland will spread delight to bird conservationists everywhere…

Read more Xperedon Charity News at:

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Charity Spotlight: Hope and Aid Direct

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Country: United Kingdom

Category: Humanitarian Aid

Charity Mission Statement
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To invent hope where there is none.

To donate and read the full charity profile, click here

STAR WARS: Charity book tour

Star Wars volunteers launch American book tour supporting children in need

The 501st Legion, an international Star Wars fan org, is embarking on a book tour across America in partnership with a major children’s charity…

The events are the latest for the charity-supporting Star Wars club which is rapidly transforming itself from a grass-roots membership group born out of a shared love of Star Wars into a major fundraising organisation on a global scale…

The charity mad fan org generates millions of dollars for children’s charities each year whilst its members support numerous entertaining costume themed events for children’s causes.

The 501st Legion is known for its fun fundraising efforts where its members dress in highly accurate Star Wars costumes to support charities, including the American Cancer Association, the Salvation Army, Make A Wish Foundation and the Starlight Children’s Foundation.

As well as the 501st Legion there is also the partner org the Rebel Legion which focuses on Star Wars rebel costumes…

The Star Wars fans are embarking on a tour of America in partnership with the publishers DK and The Today Show Charitable Foundation as well as the non-profit Pajama Program.

The Star Wars volunteers are supporting plans to distribute more than 7,000 reference books via The Pajama Program, the non-profit that distributes warm sleep clothes as well as books to children in need.

The campaign is supported by the 501st Legion and the Rebel Legion, both volunteer organisations of Star Wars costume fans who raise money for children’s charities across the world. The Star Wars fans have hundreds of book events planned across America this spring from small gatherings at local bookstores and public libraries to large conferences including Book Expo America…

Events include the Star Wars Attack of the Authors West Coast Tour which is coming to Carlsbad on April 20; San Diego and Tempe on April 21; and La Jolla and Las Vegas on April 22. The ten city tour in April includes special appearances by authors as well as costumed appearances by the 501st Legion and the Rebel Legion.

Dean Plantamura, of the 501st Legion says the events are typical of the time and effort the club’s members put into supporting worthwhile causes around the world… As well as raising funds for charity and supporting charity campaigns the various Star Wars themed events the members are involved in place a huge smile on children’s faces when they see a collection of Star Wars characters turn up in full regalia.

In 2011 the 501st Legion alone helped raise more than $11 million to benefit charities worldwide…

Read more Xperedon Charity News at:

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PARAORCHESTRA: Raising the bar

British disabled orchestra has big plans to reshape the face of disability and popular music

Music has the power of love and is often regarded as the purest and most universal art form…

So why don’t we see more disabled musicians playing a part in the world’s great orchestras? Hearing is believing?

A music orchestra featuring only disabled musicians is on a mission to shake things up and reshape how audiences view and hear disability and music…

The British Paraorchestra wants to play at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and send out a calling card to the music industry the world over to embrace talented disabled musicians and give them the opportunities they deserve.

Popular music and that includes classical music, jazz, rock, pop and its various hybrid forms these days is a more democratic and inclusive industry than ever before. It has come a long way from the male dominated profession of a previous era.

Both classical orchestras and popular music groups currently offer up a much better mirror to society, made up as they are more commonly of musicians from both sexes, as well as different colours and creeds… Disabled musicians on the other hand are still widely underrepresented…

The British Paraorchestra is an eclectic music orchestra featuring disabled musicians which has big plans to put that right…

Founded by the conductor, Charles Hazlewood, not only do its pioneering musicians want to showcase and celebrate their skills and abilities. They also want to change the public’s attitudes of what disability is by showing how massively gifted disabled musicians can enjoy making music to the highest standards, at least on a par with their able bodied professional counterparts…

The British Paraorchestra, a non-profit org surviving on donations, has already performed its debut concert at the TEDx Brussels festival in November last year, receiving a standing ovation from a 2,000 capacity crowd and since then has been increasingly looking upwards to the stars and beyond.

The growing orchestra, which currently has 14 members, features Sitar player Baluji Shrivastav, who has worked with Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox, Dario Marionelli, Massive Attack and others…

Other members, of what is Britain’s first disabled orchestra include founder member Clarence Adoo the celebrated trumpeter known for his work with Courtney Pine.

Adoo tragically was paralysed from the shoulders down after a car crash in 1995. He now plays Headspace, a wind instrument controlled by breath and devised for him by German conductor and composer Rolf Gehaar.

Fellow orchestra member James Risdon has been blind since birth and learns all his music from Braille and performs from memory. He plays the recorder and has a repertoire spanning from early Baroque to 21st century music…

He says: “The process of fusing our musical styles and backgrounds to create and perform new music is challenging and exhilarating…

“Paraorchestra is a fantastic opportunity for me to work with a group of hugely talented musicians…”

Now with the help of its founder the British Paraorchestra wants to take the orchestra to one of the biggest audiences possible and make a statement by becoming part of the Paralympic Games, and perhaps help to do for music and disability what Paralympic sport has achieved for sport and disability.

A film has also been commissioned on the making of the Paraorchestra by C4 and will be released in August 2012.

The growing status of the orchestra is also represented in its participation in a number of major summer festivals this year including the Unlimited Festival at the South Bank Centre in London (August 31) and will also be taking part in Cultural Olympiad events associated with the Olympics over the summer period. The orchestra also says it has some other big high profile events in the pipeline which are currently top secret…

Ultimately the orchestra is about showcasing inclusivity as well as musical talent. Its passionate advocate and founder Charles Hazlewood was stirred to put the orchestra together following the birth of his youngest child, Eliza who was born with cerebral palsy but quickly showed she was following in the family tradition by establishing a clear love of music.

The conductor wondered whether she would ever play in an orchestra which revealed the stark truth that disabled musicians rarely get that chance.

“I conduct orchestras around the world, with musicians of different nationalities and genres,” explained Mr Hazlewood, a familiar figure to classical music audiences in the UK via his BBC Radio 2 show.

“I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of musicians with a disability I have encountered playing to mainstream public audiences…”

The conductor believes that the limited public platform for disabled musicians along with limited funding that restricts access to the often-necessary technologies that help disabled musicians, makes it virtually impossible for a gifted disabled musician to make a living as a professional…

As well as making a universal point for equality, the British Paraorchestra aims to change this by demonstrating the elite musical talent from the disabled community is there and needs to be supported.

Inspired by the Paralympics, all of the British Paraorchestra’s musicians are disabled and while integration in the wider music scene and a wake up call for the music industry and music audiences in general is the orchestra’s ultimate ambition, this year it is campaigning to make what will be a truly massive statement by performing at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic Games…

Read more Xperedon Charity News at:

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Charity Spotlight: Magic Bus

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Country: India

Category: Children/Education

Charity Mission Statement
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Empowering children and youth with positive experiences to discover and develop through sport.

To donate and read the full charity profile, click here