Latest news with #ChrisPrice
BBC News
08-08-2025
- General
- BBC News
Congleton builder joins DIY SOS to honour business partner
A builder said he felt compelled to take part in this year's DIY SOS project following the death of his business Knowles and his team have planned a 10-day build at The Joshua Tree charity in Northwich in September for BBC Children in builder Chris Price will assist the team voluntarily to honour his friend Mike Braithwaite, with whom he founded his firm. "He died when he was 23 from cancer. It seemed like a fitting thing to do to come and support a cancer charity," he said. The Joshua Tree has bedrooms and facilities to host families affected by childhood Knowles told BBC Radio Stoke the planned 400m² facility would double the number of children the charity Price joined almost 200 tradespeople by signing up to help the DIY SOS team at their trades day on project hit a chord with him, having watched his friend and colleague go through testicular, lung and liver Price said the project was the sort of build Mr Braithwaite would have relished."I think he'd be quietly pleased that we've taken part." Fellow tradesman Nick Copeland lost his mum to cancer and his wife has also fought Sandbach electrician signed up to install the fire alarm system on the final day of the build."Some people get [cancer] really young [and] they're the ones that really suffer," said Mr Copeland."Therefore [I'll do] whatever I can do, using my skills to benefit the children and the families that come here."The build is scheduled to begin on 2 September and the episode will be broadcast during the BBC Children in Need appeal week in November.
Daily Mail
01-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Study reveals life-threatening risk of vaping ban that comes into force today...as rule breakers face prison
The disposable vape ban imposed today could backfire, putting hundreds of thousands at risk of dementia, heart disease and organ failure, a new study has suggested. According to research involving 750 UK adults, 42 per cent of vapers will consider returning to lethal smoking if all vapes are banned. Over a quarter of participants also admitted that they have no plans to change their vaping habits, even in light of the disposables ban. As of today, 1 July 2025, shops and businesses can no longer sell disposable vapes, in a bid to stop young people engaging in the harmful habit. Breaching the ban could result in a number of penalties across the UK, including a minimum fine of £200 for businesses that sell disposable vapes in England. Repeat offenders will face up to two years in prison. Trading Standards will also be able to seize any single-use vapes they find. But, research commissioned by Vape Shop suggests the move risks undermining the Government's progress towards a smoke-free Britain. An estimated 5million single use vapes are thrown away every week in the UK. The new poll revealed that 44 per cent of vapers said they originally started vaping to quit smoking. Of the 750 vapers surveyed, 27 per cent admitted that they plan to continue vaping, despite the upcoming ban, with 52 per cent already using refillable and chargeable vapes. Chris Price, E-Commerce Manager at Vape Shop said: 'These findings show a real risk that following the disposable ban, we may see thousands pushed back to smoking—the very habit vaping helped them quit. 'With the 2030 smoke-free ambition, it's important that policy decisions don't undermine progress made over the last decade,' he added. The poll comes as a modelling study conducted by the Future Health Research Centre found that while the ban could see up to 378,000 people give up vaping, smoking rates could sky-rocket. The model scenario indicated that between 90,000 and 200,000 more people could pick up smoking following the ban. Richard Sloggett, the report's author and a former government advisor, said: 'The Government has committed welcome and strong action to reduce smoking and tackle youth vaping. 'However these findings show that urgent work is needed to ensure that efforts to reduce youth vaping do not have the unintended consequence of increasing the numbers smoking – particularly amongst younger people. The ban also feels like being a missed opportunity, with hundreds of thousands of people soon to be looking for alternatives to disposable vapes but over half saying they will simply switch to another product. 'With the ban looming, the Government now needs to get on the front foot, commit to a national mass media anti-smoking campaign and set out more clearly how it will use its forthcoming regulatory powers through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to help ensure that those using disposable vapes do not turn to smoking instead.' According to Cancer Research UK, vaping is far less harmful than smoking. This is because, according to the NHS, vaping exposes users to fewer toxins and at lower levels than smoking cigarettes. Smoking has been linked to at least 16 different types of cancer as well as various heart and lung diseases, infertility and a host of other complication, killing over 8million people every year. Analysis by the cancer charity found that on average, nearly 160 cancer cases attributed to smoking were diagnosed every day in 2023. However, research presented by Manchester Metropolitan University earlier this year challenged this, suggesting vapes could pose a similar health threat. Researchers say this is because vapes allow people to inhale nicotine as a vapour—produced by heating a liquid typically containing a mixture of harmful chemicals and flavourings. Experts are concerned this high nicotine content increases heart rate and blood pressure, as it does in smokers, making blood vessels constrict and damage artery walls. In the Manchester study, researchers tracked volunteers, aged 27 on average, all of whom had a similar level of fitness. They were given regular stress tests to measure the elasticity of their blood vessels and the speed of blood flow to their brains. Both smokers and vapers achieved a flat reading, signaling they had damaged artery walls that can no longer dilate—an almost certain sign of future serious cardiovascular problems, the researchers concluded. Further tests proved that the blood flow in smokers and vapers is similarly impaired, making them at risk of developing cognitive dysfunction, including dementia. Last year, MailOnline also discovered the number of adverse side effects linked to vaping reported to UK regulators has now eclipsed 1,000, with five of them fatal. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 8million people die from tobacco use every year.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Proposed Chesapeake budget could include real estate tax hike
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Chesapeake City Council went over the city's proposed budget for FY 2026 and the proposed Capital Improvement Program for FY 2026-2030 on Tuesday. Norfolk prioritizes employee recruitment, tourism in $2B proposed budget VB budget proposal includes revived boat tax, meals tax and stormwater rate increase City Manager Chris Price and Budget Director Jonathan Hobbs both presented the proposed budget to the council, and it is now up to them to consider a .2 cent increase for the current real estate tax. Officials said the increase would help to pay for improved public safety. The proposed budget comes out to $1.6 billion. During Tuesday's presentation, the council discussed the desired outcomes of the proposed budget, including economic prosperity, connectivity, cultural diversity, environmental responsibility and safety and security. A breakdown of the desired outcomes can be found below: Encouraging redevelopment through $3.7 million to fully fund to South Norfolk Municipal Building Community and neighborhood revitalization — Indian River Strategic Acquisition of Property, Deep Creek Strategic Acquisition of Property and Western Branch Strategic Acquisition of property Incentivizing new and existing businesses with a Site Readiness and Economic Development Investment Program Enhanced signage and landscaping at entrances to the city Sidewalk and pedestrian improvements, such as a Bruin Drie and Gilmerton sidewalk connection Improving the customer experience Business development Hosting Sail 2026 Virginia at Battlefield Park to celebrate America's 250th anniversary Enhancing historical resources, such as the Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterways Museum Preservation of agriculture and open space Environmentla preservation Enhanced mowing requencies for medians Closing gap on minimum staffing with 12 new firefighter positions Expanding storage capacity for evicence Moving Public Safety System to the Cloud Improving survival rates for cardiac arrest Improving emergency response times Providing a safer work environment Improving outcomes/enhancing customer service Using data to improve decision making According to the recently released Old Dominion University Quality of Life Survey, Chesapeake consistently ranks as the highest citizen satisfaction in the region, while also having the lowest tax and fee burden, officials said. ODU survey shows declining quality of life and economic outlook in Hampton Roads While the .2 cent increase for the real estate tax was proposed, Price stated one of the guiding principles of the budget would have no increase on the real estate tax rate and was only discussed while addressing the council's strategic priorities. Price is instead proposing the revenue should come from the elimation of planned projects — including the South Central Water and Sewer Transmission and the George Washington Highway widening project — and increasing the hotel tax by $1 a night. Based on the Chesapeake Public School's Superintendent Dr. Jared Cotton's proposed budget, a 3% compensation increase for teachers and a pay increase to $56,012 for starting teacher pay was proposed. An increase in staffing was also proposed in order to meet the Standards of Quality requirements, academic programming and operations. The public has two opportunities to provide input on the proposed budget, one on April 8 during a public hearing for real estate assessments, and one on April 22 during a public hearing for the tax levy, operating budget and capital budget. The finalized budget will be considered for adoption on May 13. For more information on the proposed budget, click here. Continue to check for updates. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
