Latest news with #ChrisHolmes
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Duchess celebrates community spirit on county visit
A county's "unique history and creative energy" have been celebrated during a whistle-stop royal visit. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh began a busy day of engagements at Northampton Bike Park, seeing the positive impact the development has had on the local community since it opened in 2022. The park was given a £250,000 investment from Sport England on behalf of the Places to Ride programme. Chris Holmes, chief executive of Northamptonshire Sport, said: "It was a real honour to welcome Her Royal Highness and to share the story of what has been a truly community-powered project." "This space has been created by and for local people, with the support of national partners to provide a fun, safe and inclusive place for everyone to ride," he said. The duchess met volunteers, local authority representatives and board members from Northamptonshire Sport - and spoke to pupils from Boothville Primary School. Local riders performed a mountain bike skills demonstration and concluded with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque. Nick Barr, head of participation at British Cycling, one of the funders of the bike park, said the long term goal of the facility was to achieve a "healthier, happier nation". "Enabling more young people and riders from diverse backgrounds to access the full breadth of the cycling disciplines is central to our long-term strategy," he said. During the duchess' visit to the county, she also marked the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of Northampton and was presented with fire-themed artwork from local schoolchildren at the town's Market Square. She visited areas of the town centre linked to the fire's history, including All Saints Church. The duchess learned about its role in the town's recovery - and the connection to the annual Oak Apple Day commemorations. "This was a truly special day for West Northamptonshire, shining a spotlight on our county's unique history, creative energy," James Saunders Watson Esq, Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, said. The duchess also met girls from Northampton School rugby team to acknowledge the Women's Rugby World Cup coming to West Northamptonshire this summer. The visit ended at Northampton's historic Guildhall, where the duchess joined community, heritage and voluntary organisations. Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Events planned to mark 350 years since Great Fire Cycles donated to Tour of Britain town's bike park Important to mark town's Great Fire - Earl Spencer West Northamptonshire Council
Euronews
24-04-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Almost half of Europeans do not trust 'tech bros' or companies rolling out frontier tech like AI
ADVERTISEMENT Business leaders in Western Europe are overconfident that the general public is positive about their adoption of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI). But the reality couldn't be more different, with general public confidence in tech entrepreneurs also waning, a new study has found. Just under half of Europeans (46 per cent) surveyed across five European countries said they felt positive about businesses using new tech, while 79 per cent of businesses said they felt the public was trusting in tech, according to a new survey shared first with Euronews Next on Wednesday. The general public was also 20 per cent less optimistic than business leaders about frontier technologies, the survey conducted by research firm Opinium and released by tech consultancy firm Hotwire Global, showed. "Without public trust, it doesn't matter how good the technologies are if no one is going to use them," Chris Holmes, Baron Holmes of Richmond, a member of the UK's House of Lords, told Euronews Next. "It is abundantly clear from the research that public trust is essential if we are to optimise the opportunities and empower people against the risks from new technologies," added Holmes, who did not participate in the survey, but whose focus is digital technologies for the public good. The poll surveyed 8,000 members of the general public and 740 business leaders in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, and Germany on 15 different frontier technologies, which include generative AI (GenAI), Agentic AI, robotics, and cloud computing. The survey's conclusions showed that the countries had reached a general consensus in trust between what companies and the public felt, and there was very little difference between countries. The French and German public felt the least positive about businesses using frontier tech, while the UK was barely ahead in third place. They were followed by Italy and then Spain, whose publics felt slightly more confident than the other countries. However, overall, the stats were very similar and paint a picture that no country is confident in the deployment of these technologies by businesses. "It's no surprise that the majority, not only tech leaders, but business leaders are very enthusiastic about the frontier technologies and say: 'I want to employ that, I can create efficiencies and so on," said Ute Hildebrandt, CEO of Continental Europe at Hotwire. "What becomes interesting is when we look at how they think that the general public sees it, and they think the general public is as enthusiastic as they are, and lo and behold, that is not the case," she told Euronews Next. The study concluded that over half of the general population said they were concerned about how these technologies would impact the job market or wealth, and equality. "At a time where the role of business in society is under close scrutiny, there is a significant risk that business becomes disconnected from public sentiment regarding the use of technology to achieve commercial objectives," Hildebrandt said. For her, it is vital that businesses communicate what technology is and their objectives in a clear way. ADVERTISEMENT "We are in a space and time where it's about being transparent in your communication, and also act instead of only talk, to really show what your story is, be open, interact with the public, understand that you have stakeholders outside your investors, and then also really put action into place," she advised companies. 'Technology is too important to leave to the tech bros' However, at a time when tech companies have been shown to sell user data, such as the Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal, users should also be wary and educated about such matters, Lord Holmes said. But he is optimistic that from these types of data scandals, new tech models emerge, such as BlueSky, which gives users more control. "We're seeing the rise of these decentralised technologies, especially in, I would say, in a younger, more tech-savvy target," he said. ADVERTISEMENT As well as the general public being better educated in technology, Lord Holmes said that it was not just a question of whether we should trust tech companies or not, but that regulators should also play a role in ensuring technology is safe and that users are protected. Despite the EU implementing its AI Act, Lord Holmes said it is too soon for it to have a major impact on general public trust in AI, as its first provisions only came in at the beginning of February. But he said that for citizens in the European Union, they probably feel the EU AI Act is "somewhat distant from their daily lives," adding that "there needs to be that coming together and that connecting of the Act and what this means for people on an everyday basis". "The EU AI Act, certainly, they were first out of the blocks to legislate. But it's that public-engagement connecting piece which is still missing in that jurisdiction as well," Lord Holmes said. ADVERTISEMENT The study also found that only 24 per cent of the public trust companies that use frontier technologies without explaining why and how. Trust in tech bosses is also at a low with the European public, who are 29 per cent less likely to identify them as a trustworthy source. On the other hand, business leaders rank tech entrepreneurs as the most trusted source of information when it comes to frontier technologies. The general European public instead trusts scientists and researchers the most. "Everybody has a voice, everybody's voice must be enabled in this discussion. Technology is too important to leave to the tech bros," said Lord Holmes. ADVERTISEMENT "Ultimately, it's our data, our decisions, if we get this right, it can be such a positive. Our human-led digital futures," he added.
BBC News
24-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Competition opens to design new Cumbria community flag
Flags can be used to express identity, allegiances and social pride, and are seen everywhere from government buildings, to festivals and football unlike many English counties, Cumbria does not have an official community is why the Lord-Lieutenant and the High Sheriff of Cumbria have launched a new competition for residents to create a design for a county Alexander Scott said the new emblem would "provide an opportunity for us to come together and celebrate our shared identity". High Sheriff Chris Holmes said the flag would be free to use for anyone "proud of Cumbria" and encouraged local people to get involved."The rich heritage of the county does provide plenty of inspiration for designing a flag," he said. Expression of pride Any member of the community is welcome to submit an entry - and a competition pack is available on the Lord-Lieutenant's winning flag will be used to celebrate the region's history, express community pride and increase recognition and awareness of Cumbria, he said. However, it will have no connection to any government or political process, and will be available soley for use by individuals or groups wishing to express their connection to the already has flag representing the local authority, which was created in 1974 when the ceremonial county was formed. It is flown from official buildings, including council Cumbria competition is being run with support from Cumberland Council, Westmorland and Furness Council, Carlisle Cathedral, the University of Cumbria and the Flag Institute. 'Ancient origins' Philip Tibbetts is a communities vexillologist - an expert who studies flags and related emblems, at the Flag has previously worked with communities in Penrith, Appleby, Nenthead and Wreay to develop flags for the said: "Given the ancient origins and unique history of the wider Cumbrian region, encompassing it's time as a Welsh-speaking region, and later incorporation into England, I am excited by the potential inspiration that can be drawn on. "I look forward to seeing the winner take its rightful place flying next to the region's constituent historic county and town flags in future."The competition closes on 25 April. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Jordan Times
23-03-2025
- General
- Jordan Times
Reevaluating Ayyubid-Mamluk pottery: New insights into continuities in early Islamic ceramics
A Mamluk ceramic jar made around 1450 (Photo of Chris Holmes) AMMAN — In the past it was thought that Ayyubid-Mamluk pottery was completely different from preceding Early Islamic pottery because of changes in manufacture and decoration. Recently, scholars understood that some of these changes were out-growths of the preceding period. Brown said that there is enough current evidence to suggest radical change that characterise Ayyubid-Mamluk assemblages can in fact be traced to development within the Early Islamic period. Some of the sites currently associated with the Late Islamic period pottery culture in Transjordan include: Ajloun, Al-Lajiua Al Rujurn Al Wuayra, Amman, Aqaba, 'Arair Caro'er,) Busrq Dayr' Allg Dhiban (Dibon), Fayfatr (Feifeh), Iraq Al Amir, Jerash, Khirbat Farys, Listib, Madaba Maqabalayn, Qalat Al Rabad, Abila, and many more. The pottery of the Ayyubid-Mamluk period was distinguished by a high percentage of handmade vessel forms and by a proliferation of painted geometric decorations, said historian Philip R. Drey, adding that this trend began in 11th and 12th centuries during Fatimid dynasty and Crusaders. "From the Hellenistic through the Early Islamic periods the dichotomy between wheel-thrown vessels, which constituted the majority of ceramics and hand-made vessels was primarily functional. Large vats, basins, and storage jars tended to be hand-constructed, while virtually all other household ceramics were wheel-thrown," Drey underlined. The historian added that during the Ayyubid -Mamluk period this coexistence of wheel-thrown and hand -constructed ceramics continued, yet there were changes in both the proportion and kinds of vessels manufactured with these techniques. In contrast to the previously established trend handmade pottery heavily dominated Ayyubid-Mamluk assemblages, while wheel-thrown wares play a much lesser role. Further contrast is emphasised by the fact that the same general repertoire of forms was produced by both technologies. "Thus, by the inception of the l3th century, the association between manufacturing techniques and specific vessel forms, which had long characterised ceramic vessel manufacture in southern Levant, is no longer evident," Drey said. The pottery assemblage of the Ayyubid-Mamluk period can best be described by first dividing the corpus into wheel made and handmade technologies (and in some cases, mold made), then continuing with further description as done in the previous period characterisations. "Four types of wheel made wares have been identified: glazed ware, plain ware, plain industrial ware and Sgraffito ware," Drey said, noting that wheel made ware colours included light-coloured wares, mostly buffor pink tones, and red wares. The hard, thin, red, glaze-covered Sgraffito ware included designs carved through a light slip into the darker clay surface below. A large percentage of Ayyubid-Mamluk vessels were handmade, sometimes using pieces of cloth in the production process. Rudimentary construction techniques included coiling and partial use of rotational devices. Modelling with clay slabs was more a common technique, especially in making painted closed forms, Drey underlined. "In general, firing quality during the Ayyubid-Mamluk period was medium. Cores sometimes occurred. Glazed ware vessels were evenly fired," Drey said, noting that the firing of handmade vessels varied widely: some poor and some excellent, but the majority were well fired although a core was sometimes present. 'Due to changes in manufacturing technique as well as surface treatment, on close examination much of the Ayyubid-Mamluk pottery looked very different from that of the preceding period,' Drey underlined.
