Latest news with #AndrewWelch
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Centurion Service Group to auction all assets following the closure of Rockledge Hospital in Rockledge, FL
Medical assets timed online auction June 24-25; non-medical assets timed online auction June 26 Closure of Rockledge Hospital Franklin Park, Illinois, June 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Centurion Service Group, an industry-leading medical equipment life-cycle company, has been selected to auction all medical and non-medical assets of Rockledge Hospital in Rockledge, FL. All medical assets will be sold on a timed online auction scheduled Tuesday, June 24 at 9 a.m. CST and Wednesday June 25. All non-medical assets will be sold on a timed online auction scheduled Thursday, June 26 at 9 a.m. CST. A large inventory of medical assets will be available for auction. Various pieces of medical equipment will also be available for purchase including 500+ Sets of Surgical Instrumentation, Blood Perfusion Systems, (8+) Mindray A7 Anesthesia machines, and Olympus 190 Endoscopy Towers. The non-medical sale day will include generators, commercial kitchen equipment and artwork. With over 10,000 pieces of used medical equipment sold every month, Centurion auctions are the ideal one-stop shop for acquiring a wide range of medical equipment. Individuals interested in bidding and purchasing items from the closure of Rockledge Hospital should register online. Once the registration is reviewed and approved, individuals will have access to view the live sale. Medical assets registrationAbout Centurion Service Group Centurion Service Group: A TRIMEDX Company is an industry-leading medical equipment lifecycle company, inclusive of asset disposition and strategic equipment advisory, with over 20 years of experience. Healthcare facilities and asset-based lenders partner with Centurion Service Group to unlock and extend the life and value of surplus medical equipment through its hassle-free, full-cycle, service-focused solutions. Centurion Service Group develops strategies for medical equipment disposition—including pick up, transport, warehouse, and selling surplus medical equipment at auction. Centurion conducts surplus medical equipment auctions and provides complete medical equipment management for healthcare facilities, including certified appraisals, trade-in value verification, asset and facility inventories, relocations, and closures. Centurion is a strategic partner in the capital equipment process. Attachment Closure of Rockledge Hospital CONTACT: Andrew Welch Centurion Service Group: A TRIMEDX Company 317-957-5146
Associated Press
04-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Centurion Service Group to auction all assets following the closure of Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, PA; Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park, PA; and Springfield Hospital in Springfield, PA
Franklin Park, Illinois, June 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Centurion Service Group, an industry-leading medical equipment life-cycle company, has been selected to auction all medical and non-medical assets of Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, PA; Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park, PA; and Springfield Hospital in Springfield, PA. All medical assets will be sold on a timed online auction scheduled Tuesday, June 17 at 9 a.m. CST and July 1–2 at 9 a.m. CST. A large inventory of medical assets will be available for auction. This includes state-of-the-art radiology equipment, such as a three Siemens MRIs, GE Mammography Systems, and Multiple Siemens CT Scanners. Various pieces of medical equipment will also be available for purchase, including Stryker Arthroscopy Towers, (10+) Valleylab FT 10s, Mizuho OSI 5803 Jackson Table, (10+) Mindray A7 Anesthesia Machines, Medtronic Stealthstation S8 Surgical Navigation System and 500+ sets of Surgical Instrumentation. The first sale day will include fixed radiology, beds, stretchers, and kitchen equipment. The second and third day of the sale will be the remaining assets to include surgical, patient room, instrumentation, laboratory, respiratory, patient monitoring, and more. With over 10,000 pieces of used medical equipment sold every month, Centurion auctions are the ideal one-stop shop for acquiring a wide range of medical equipment. Individuals interested in bidding and purchasing items from the closure of the Crozer Hospitals should register at Once the registration is reviewed and approved, individuals will have access to view the live sale. About Centurion Service Group Centurion Service Group: A TRIMEDX Company is an industry-leading medical equipment lifecycle company, inclusive of asset disposition and strategic equipment advisory, with over 20 years of experience. Healthcare facilities and asset-based lenders partner with Centurion Service Group to unlock and extend the life and value of surplus medical equipment through its hassle-free, full-cycle, service-focused solutions. Centurion Service Group develops strategies for medical equipment disposition—including pick up, transport, warehouse, and selling surplus medical equipment at auction. Centurion conducts surplus medical equipment auctions and provides complete medical equipment management for healthcare facilities, including certified appraisals, trade-in value verification, asset and facility inventories, relocations, and closures. Centurion is a strategic partner in the capital equipment process. Andrew Welch Centurion Service Group: A TRIMEDX Company 317-957-5146 [email protected]
The Sun
17-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Inside Britain's most notorious naked village – with nude vicars, bush wars and strict sex rule
ARRIVING at the residential community of Spielplatz, which is conveniently located a mile off the M25, not far from St Albans in Hertfordshire, I am greeted by Andrew Welch, a 60-year-old marketing consultant. He is wearing sandals and carrying his phone. 8 8 8 Other than that, he is stark naked. I pretend not to notice the elephant in the room and we shake hands. Andrew is one of about 50 people who call Spielplatz – German for 'playground' – home. It is the only residential naturist community in the UK. The inhabitants are, he says, all perfectly normal – they just happen to prefer living their lives without clothes on. They include a female teacher, a retired BT engineer, a town planner and a mechanic. Until recently, I'm told by one resident, a Church of England vicar lived here, with the full blessing of his superiors. Naturism seems to be having a moment in the UK. One recent survey found that 14 per cent of Brits describe themselves as naturists or nudists – that's around 6.75million people, a huge increase on previous estimates. In 2001, the figure was a lowly two per cent. At Spielplatz, 33 attractive wooden bungalows – all of a similar size – are dotted around the 12-acre estate, as well as a number of caravans. 'Ask why people do it [naturism] and you'll get 100 different answers,' says Andrew. 'For me, it's about the freedom.' Andrew shows me around, past a house with a sign saying 'Get Naked' next to the front door and a car with a personalised number plate, which is a corruption of the word 'naked'. The grounds are a brightly coloured oasis of wild and cultivated flowers, shady spaces, an immaculate lawn and a heated pool. There's a 1970s Scandinavian vibe and a strange sense of having gone back in time. I'm half expecting a naked Abba to pop out from behind a bush. On the day of my (fully-clothed) visit, it is hot and sunny and five or six men and women are relaxing on the lawn. A few others are by the pool, while a couple are seated at the bar, having a drink. Everyone is completely naked. 'Invisible' It's strange, but after five minutes I've grown used to the nudity and have a mounting sense of being conspicuous in my clothes. 8 8 8 The nudity has become 'invisible', as Andrew said it would. Well, up to a point. In the clubhouse, which has a pool table, there is inevitably something a little Carry On-like about seeing a naked man seated at the bar and another naked man serving behind it. Social events are held here throughout the year. If it's cold outside, residents might start off the evening dressed, then unpeel their clothes, as the mood takes them. In the clubhouse is Joanne Hudson, a 59-year-old mum-of-two who used to own a bridal shop in St Albans. 'I moved here in 2020,' she says. 'I live by myself and I love it. 'It's so easy and friendly and comfortable here. 'I've had breast cancer recently and the people here have been amazing. 'I tell everybody where I live. Some people get it, some don't.' Joining her is Vicki Keeble, a 50-year-old mum-of-two, who runs a farm 20 minutes up the road. She sold a caravan she used to keep at Spielplatz three years ago, but still visits regularly. 'Once I've done my work up the farm, I whizz up here,' she says. 'There's nothing like coming here after work and getting your kit off. It's a total leveller.' Some Spielplatz residents are perfectly open with colleagues and family about where they live. Others, however, prefer to live here on the quiet. To many outsiders, there are suspicions that naturism is all about sex. But the residents say it absolutely isn't. 'We've had a few people turn up and ask: 'What time does the orgy start?',' says Alan, a 76-year-old retired BT engineer who declines to give his surname. 'But it's not about sex. The image is different from the reality.' The residents say they are sometimes asked what happens if someone gets 'excited' in public. It never happens, they say. Joanne says Spielplatz, which allows guests, is occasionally visited by people with the 'wrong idea'. 'If that happens, which is rare, the guys [other residents] are really good at dealing with it and will get them out,' she says. Andrew Welch, who lives in a bright, airy bungalow, says naturists have found 'an elixir of life'. 'A lot of people here don't look their age,' he says. 'It's a healthy way of life. We're outdoors when it's sunny, we're getting Vitamin D on our bodies. We swim. 'Body issues fly out of the window.' While you don't have to be naked all the time at Spielplatz – the British weather would make that a form of madness in winter – it is mandatory to swim naked in the heated pool. Heather Warren, a 58-year-old carer, lives with her husband, Neil, a 68-year-old catering engineer. When they wed in 2020, they had their marriage blessed at Spielplatz by a Church of England naturist vicar who was living there at the time. 'It was February and cold, so we wore clothes for the blessing,' says Heather. 'The vicar who did the blessing lived here for about four years. His bosses knew all about his living situation. 'My daughter's OK about it, but she's a prude, so she only visits in winter when we're dressed.' Agueda Urdanibia, 53, is also sunning herself by the pool. She's been a naturist since her twenties and is visiting for the day. 'It's non-judgmental and it's nothing sexual,' she says. 'It's just getting down to the basics. It doesn't matter what you do for a living, or how much money you've got.' Occasionally, though, there is trouble in paradise. 'We're just like any other street and there are neighbour disputes,' says Alan, the retired BT engineer. 'There'll be a row about a hedge, or something like that. We're a close knit community, so inevitably there are tensions sometimes.' There are currently six houses for sale at Spielplatz – an unusually high number. 'Hiding behind clothes' One resident has gone into care, others have moved away. Prices vary, but to buy a wooden bungalow with kitchen, living room and one or two bedrooms, will set you back around £250,000. It's such a lovely spot that the naturists here fear the properties might attract the wrong sort of people – unsociable types who wear clothes. I meet Beverly Kelly, a youthful 70, who is the granddaughter of Charles Macaskie and his wife Dorothy, who founded Spielplatz in 1929. Beverly grew up here and now runs the site with her brother Grant. As well as attending to the needs of the full-time residents, there are a number of caravans on site which can be lived in for six months of the year, and chalets where people can stay for nine months of the year. She's wearing clothes today because she's got jobs to do and says it's more practical. Beverly says it is quite common for people not to tell their families they've come to Spielplatz. There was one especially unfortunate case, she says, when a man from Ireland visited, but died on his first night. 'His family didn't know and later came here to see where he'd died,' she says. Beverly has known other visitors who resort to tricks to hide where they've been. 'When I was growing up, a girl of around 16 or 17 used to visit,' she recalls. 'Before she left, she would dip her swimsuit in the pool so it looked as though she'd worn it in the pool.' Beverly says Spielplatz gets the occasional visitor who behaves mysteriously, as though they've come here to escape from the wider world. She says: 'There was a man who had no bank account and insisted on paying his rent in cash each month. I don't know what that was about.' Tom Dryer-Beers, 69, lives at Spielplatz with his wife, who has chosen not to be identified. He looks after the pool and grounds. 'My wife and I moved here in 2017,' he says. 'Nudity is not a big deal. What's important is the person inside the body. 'I wish everywhere was like Spielplatz. I like the fact I wake up to birdsong and flowers and trees. 'People are much more visible when they're not hiding behind clothes.' 8 8 What is Naturism? Naturism, also known as nudism, is a cultural and lifestyle movement that advocates for and practices social nudity in both private and public spaces. The philosophy behind naturism emphasises harmony with nature, self-respect, respect for others, and a sense of community. Naturism is a diverse and inclusive lifestyle choice that encourages individuals to embrace their natural state, foster a deeper connection with nature, and build a community based on mutual respect and equality. Naturists believe that naturism promotes a healthy and accepting attitude toward the human body, regardless of shape, size, or imperfections. Many naturists are also advocates for environmental conservation and sustainable living, believing in a close connection with nature. Naturism also fosters a sense of equality, as clothing often signifies social status, and its absence can help break down these barriers.
Telegraph
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Buttoned-up Britons are finally embracing the nudist beach
Last week naturists got their knickers in a twist – the ones wearing any, that is. A parish council erected a signpost that outlawed nudity at Cotton Beach near Lowestoft. 'Lewd behaviour will not be tolerated,' warned the parish prudes. It turns out the council ban was a storm in a D-cup. According to the Crown Prosecution Service, bathing in your birthday suit is a harmless and completely legal pursuit. Enjoying nature au naturel is growing in popularity too. British Naturism spokesman Andrew Welch puts 'the huge amount of acceptance today' down to a desire to celebrate real bodies in a digitally perfect world. 'Our assessment is that if more people got to know what a real human being looked like, there'd be fewer body confidence issues, which can even lead to suicide.' According to an Ipsos poll, around 39 per cent of Brits have enjoyed some form of public nudity. It helps that British Naturism has promoted the pastime without the strident willy-waving of some charities. The organisation invites all-comers to its naked rambles, bare-all boat trips and Nudefest, a week-long festival with music. In fact, this news story is a century old. In 1929 Charles Macaskie opened a nude resort in virgin Hertfordshire woodland as a leafy antidote to industrial London. Macaskie was inspired by German ideas of Freikörperkultur (which translates as 'free body culture'), a movement dedicated to outdoor wellness. He called his nudist utopia Spielplatz, which means 'Playground'. Spielplatz residents came for freedom, not politics. In the 1950s the resort attracted druids, Wiccans and vegetarians – free-thinkers in a buttoned-up post-war world. Today the club offers glamping breaks and even lunchtime swims for time-pressed nudists. 'Before the Victorians,' continues Welch, 'the concept of having a special set of clothing just to go and get it wet would have been as laughable as some people find being naked now.' Naturism's journey to acceptance has navigated choppy water. During the discontent of 1979, for example, Brighton councillor Eileen Jakes tabled a motion to reserve 200 yards of shingle for naked bathers in order to boost tourism. To prove the concept worked, Jakes passed around topless photos of herself taken in Ibiza. Fellow Brighton councillor John Blackman was having none of it. 'A flagrant exhibition of mammary glands,' Blackman thundered. 'What distresses me is that people naively believe what is good for the Continent is good for Britain.' In my experience as a naturist, the Continent has always had a rosy indifference to nudity. Textile-free beaches in the Balearics are Edens for all ages. In Germany, most thermal spas are nude. At bare-all campsites like Koversada in Croatia, happy campers perform aquarobics and windsurfing in the buff, as if they've simply forgotten to get dressed that morning. Accoutrements associated with naked bathing in Britain – knotted hankies, dirty postcards, Sid James – are anathema to our continental cousins. A handful of naturist destinations, like Cap d'Agde in the South of France, are swinger-orientated. You don't have to erect a tentpole to understand what goes on at the campsite. If you get caught in someone's gaze, while they suggestively fist-pump a Calippo, it can only mean one thing. By comparison British naturist beaches like St Osyth in Essex, with its tickle-your-cheeks sand, have an Adam and Eve innocence. Unless your OnlyFans preference is for middle-aged couples holding hands behind a windbreak, the scene is decidedly unsexy. Compare that to the widespread availability of pornography, which promotes body perfection and – in some cases – sexual violence. A windswept nude beach seems like a beacon of tolerance by contrast. Perhaps that's why the liberty of strolling starkers along the sand is appealing to a new generation. Like nudism pioneer Macaskie a century ago, swapping the confines of capitalism for the freedom of nature has evergreen appeal. 'There's something incredibly liberating about stripping away not just clothes,' agrees Estelle Keeber, a social media expert, 'but all the pressures and expectations that come with them.' Keeber is fairly new to naturism but has become a keen advocate. 'It's amazing how much body confidence and self-acceptance you gain when you start seeing yourself (and others) as just people, without all the filters.' When clothes are discarded, egos follow. Since starting her new Instagram account @nakedadventurewithme, Keeber found it 'eye-opening to connect with so many like-minded people'. She is excited about the Great British Skinny Dip, a series of wild swims organised by British Naturism and the British Heart Foundation. Keeber has found a sense of tribal belonging. Albeit within a tribe that seldom turns on their washing machine. For Brits, naturism quite simply means a return to nature – an opportunity to bathe, birdwatch or camp in the nude. In these straightened times, participants don't even need to buy a new bikini. Just a bottle of SPF 50.
