
Blue Islands CEO apologises as new plane joins fleet
He said: "I know many of you feel let down. Aircraft maintenance issues, delayed parts, and weather damage all hit us simultaneously, causing last-minute cancellations and disruption."On top of that, this new aircraft, meant to solve these problems, was delayed by supply chain issues, which only added to the problem."
'Genuinely sorry'
Jersey's government said in May that it might take action against the airline if its services did not improve, with particular concern for islanders travelling to hospitals in the UK for health issues.Mr Veron said as an islander he understood the importance of reliable transport."I'm genuinely sorry for the frustration and inconvenience this has caused," he said. "Whether you missed important business meetings, family gatherings, or medical appointments, I know our service disruptions had real impacts on your lives. "The good news is this new aircraft is now here and ready to help us earn back your trust."The new aircraft has additional capacity, Mr Veron said, and the airline was committed to keeping on schedule in future."Over the coming weeks, you can expect fewer cancellations, better resilience, and the dependable service that connects our island communities with each other, the UK and Europe."
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Telegraph
17 minutes ago
- Telegraph
How M&S became a copycat machine
When Marks & Spencer released a new range of 'chunked 'n loaded' cookies last month, they were an instant hit. 'If you're thinking of going to your local M&S to get them after you watch this video, don't bother,' TikTok vlogger Carmie Sellitto told his 1.2 million followers. 'They will be sold out everywhere'. Within hours of the cookies appearing at M&S bakery counters, social media influencers were uploading reams of videos on social media to hail them a taste success. But not everyone was a fan. David Sawyer, from Melton Mowbray-based baker The Cookie Dealer, is shunning M&S over claims it copied his product. His complaints stem from a meeting with M&S a year ago, when his team were invited to present a range of custom chunked cookies. After M&S decided against placing an order, Sawyer says he had 'forgotten all about it'. That was until he spotted the retail giant's latest cookie range in July, which he says is eerily similar to his own. 'It was like all they wanted to do was to copy our product,' he says. 'I guess everybody has to get inspiration from somewhere.' M&S has rejected the allegations, insisting that it never copies any specific products or sellers. However, bosses have admitted that they are increasingly taking inspiration from viral trends, potentially putting the company on a collision course with other smaller brands. The brewing debate over alleged 'copycatting' is particularly sensitive for M&S, a company that has built a reputation for being fiercely protective of its designs. Most notably, it sued Aldi over its Colin the Caterpillar cake dupe, while it has also cracked down on other local retailers to prevent them from using the Percy Pig design. 'It would be easy to look at these things and be disappointed by M&S,' says David Sables, chief executive of Sentinel Management Consultants, which advises suppliers. However, even he admits that for a supermarket to be truly innovative is a challenge, as most retailers compete by tweaking existing products or adding new flavours. 'A lot of true innovation does come from smaller businesses and it makes perfect sense for the big retailers to be looking at that,' he says. This is particularly key for M&S, which has embarked on a major refresh of its food lines in the past year, introducing more than 400 new products since January. This already appears to be paying dividends, with a recent YouGov survey suggesting that customers view M&S as significantly better than rival supermarkets in offering new and unique products. Kathryn Turner, product development director at M&S Food, says: 'At M&S, our commitment to quality and innovation is at the heart of everything we do. We're continually developing new products designed to delight our existing customers and attract new ones.' She said it was focusing on a 'more consistent stream of innovation throughout the year'. The strategy has already yielded positive results, regardless of the recent cyber attack, with bosses hailing the fact that it has sold more than 1.4 million of its 'chunked 'n loaded' cookies since its launch in July. The notorious strawberry and cream sandwich, which M&S introduced as a limited edition product in June, has also been a bestseller. Still, some have questioned how innovative M&S's products truly are. Earlier this year, a 'strawberry sando' from Japanese retailer SevenEleven had gone viral on TikTok prior to M&S's release. M&S has also faced accusations that its 'Chocolate Custard Cream Biscuity Easter Egg', which also gained viral fame on social media, was a copy of a chocolate egg from Flo Broughton's Choc on Choc business. 'We'd been working with M&S, so they had seen our full range,' she says. 'We had talked to them about making those things for them, so they knew what we made.' M&S has denied wrongdoing, with a spokesman insisting: 'It's an evolution of our customer favourite Outrageously Chocolatey Custard Creams and takes inspiration from the much-loved British custard cream.' However, Broughton insists that 'the claim they never saw our design was absolutely ridiculous'. Claire Hughes, a former food technology boss at M&S and ex-director of product at Sainsbury's, says retailers have always looked for inspiration from various places, taking ideas and making them their own. 'If you're doing a big push on barbecue, you would go into Texas and see what's happening there in terms of barbecuing, and you would bring that back,' she says. Now, with more people using apps such as TikTok to discuss food, 'trends are happening almost instantly', Hughes says. 'The question is, how do you get on them really quickly, work with your suppliers and turn them into products on shelves?' She says over the past year, M&S has been 'really good at turning trends around pretty quickly'. Yet, it appears small independent brands risk paying the price, as they become a victim of their own success if a product goes viral online. At The Cookie Dealer, Sawyer says there is little he can do. M&S has contacted him to make clear it had already been developing its own chunked cookies and it has denied copying his products. 'They said it was a coincidence,' he says. Still, Sawyer says there has been a silver lining to his situation. The dispute has attracted the attention of Aldi, which has contacted the Cookie Dealer team to set up a meeting later this month. 'We dust ourselves down and just get on with things,' Sawyer says. 'All we can try to do is make the best cookies you can.'


Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The pretty little villages set to be decimated by Heathrow's plans for a third runway
Three historic villages with listed buildings and residents who have lived there for four generations are set to be decimated by a third Heathrow runway. Sipson, Harmondsworth and Harlington are the pretty little villages that will be destroyed once the government's plans to build a third runway at Heathrow airport begin. Lying stranded in the one mile strip of land between the M4 motorway and Heathrow airport, the chocolate box towns will be mowed down and face constant pollution by yet another flight path encroaching onto their rural communities. Around 750 cherished buildings - including some that were built in the 17th century - will be demolished. Harmondsworth, a tight-knit village with a population in the mere thousands, will be cut in half by the proposed perimeter fence. Any remaining medieval cottages would be in the middle of an airport. Harmondsworth's Grade I listed medieval Great Barn, its 16th century Sun House, and the Grade II listed Harmondsworth Hall will be among the buildings set to be lost to a third runway. Sipson, which has a population of less than 100, could also lose its much-loved 16th century King William IV public house, a Grade II listed building. The history at the heart of Roman village Harlington will also be obliterated by the Heathrow expansion plans, including St Peter and St Paul's Church, which have parts dating back to the 12th century. The long-established residents will also be forced to move out and sell their beloved homes to the government under Compulsory Purchase Orders. Jane Tyler, 69, grew up in Sipson and only left briefly to train as a nurse before she returned home and bought a house just around the corner from her mother, where she still lives today. She told the Standard: 'It is criminal to take away people's homes when we are already in a housing crisis. 'We estimate that up to 17,000 people will be made homeless. 'We used to have beautiful gardens in roads and the houses have been decimated.' Carol Dairiam, 57, and her husband Wolfgang Dahm, 69, have lived in Sipson for 15 years. They are waiting to hear whether their 3 bed semi-detached home will be bulldozed. Carol said: 'This is the worst case scenario. 'If it is, we will have to find somewhere else but there is nowhere within a 20 mile radius where we will be able to afford a house like the one we have now.' Another couple, who moved over to Sipson over a decade ago and have brought up a family in the village, felt politicians pushing expansion had no understanding. 'These politicians don't live in the area, they don't understand what it is like. 'They themselves are sorted, they don't give a toss about us.' The once-quaint villages have constantly been plagued by looming plans of a third runway - but homeowners are now at breaking point as plans that were shelved during the covid-19 pandemic have now been reaffirmed by the government. In January, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed the government's commitment to building a third runway at Heathrow, arguing the project would boost the economy and make Britain 'the world's best-connected place to do business'. Heathrow's Chief Executive Thomas Woldbye then announced funding plans for the expansion, showing the airport's confidence in getting approval for a third runway. Local campaign groups as well as the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, have continued to oppose Heathrow's third runway plans. The once-quaint villages have constantly been plagued by looming plans of a third runway - but homeowners are now at breaking point as plans that were shelved during the covid-19 pandemic have now been reaffirmed by the government Khan said after Reeves' speech in January: 'Let me be quite clear and unambiguous - I remain opposed to a third runway at Heathrow airport. 'We've managed to improve the air in London because of our policies. One of the most polluted parts of our city when it comes to air pollution is around Heathrow, and this will make that worse, not better.'


The Sun
17 minutes ago
- The Sun
I picked up a cheap as chips ornament in a charity shop, I was gobsmacked when I found out what it was worth
A LUCKY shopper has discovered that his £3 charity shop ornament could be worth over £900. Kyle Taylor may have snapped up the bargain of the year in the form of a stone mask. 3 3 3 The 26-year-old legal assistant spotted the ornament in a local hospice shop and originally thought it was a piece for the garden. After buying it for just £3, Kyle took the item home and did a Google image search to figure out exactly what it was. And it turned out he had just purchased what appeared to be an Italian terracotta mask tea light sconce from the 1960s. The handmade vintage item is currently being flogged for as much as £957.97 online. Online marketplace 1st Dibs even describes the piece as a 'gorgeous piece of art'. The lucky shopper made the purchase at St Gemma's Hospice in York on 29 July. 'I was shocked - I thought it was probably just something from B&Q or a garden centre,' Kyle, from York, says. 'I was curious to find out which shop it might have come from, and what the metal backing was for. 'I used Google image search to find similar ones and looked at a number of others in the results. 'Some of them varied in price, style and age, but the one on the auction site is nearly identical to the one I have. Bargain capital of American – city with the most charity shops, flea markets stocked with 'high quality' goods 'I already loved it before I knew what it was, but I was reassured by my purchase. 'I always keep an eye out for antiques and furniture when in charity shops. 'Anything quirky or unusual. 'I don't usually go looking for anything in particular. 'I just like to browse, as you never know what you will find in a charity shop.' Top charity shop tips for bagging a bargain Ross Dutton has been a manager for Crisis's charity shops for four years and currently runs the charity's Finsbury Park shop in London. Choose your area - As a rule of thumb, the posher the area, the better quality the clothes that are donated. Don't hang around - If you see something you like, buy it, as it'll likely be gone when you come back Look out for cut-off labels - Some of your favourite high street stores will have deals with local charity shops to donate stock that isn't sold during their own sales. Often part of the deal is that they need to cut the labels off the clothes. Stay at home - While some charities have their own site, like Oxfam and Crisis. many also sell from dedicated eBay stores, such as British Heart Foundation and Scope. You won't get the range of bargains that you would get in a physical store, but if you're looking for something specific it may be worth checking online too.