Latest news with #Kempston
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Mental health day for Kempston Send pupils 'incredible'
Mental health workshops and activities for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) have been "incredible", a head teacher said. BBC Three Counties Radio's Headfest event was held in Kempston, Bedfordshire, at the Rivertree Free School, which opened in February. Children got a chance to plant cress with Mr Bloom, from CBeebies, see animals at a mobile farm, make art, play sports and take part in musical movement sessions. Head teacher Clare Breare said the event had given her pupils many "rich experiences" they would not normally be able to access. Ms Breare said being able to host the event was "unthinkable" and her pupils had called it "party day" . "To have the names and the activities that have been offered- it's inexplicable," she added."Our children wouldn't necessarily go out on trips to see Mr Bloom and they wouldn't necessarily spend much time at the farm with their families, so to have it in a safe place, with safe adults, and know they're going to access something that's just incredible for their wellbeing, I cannot tell you how excited I am." Children from Grange Academy also took part. Lily played football and basketball and said the day had made her feel "happy". Cody, 11, said he liked visiting a new school and said it made him feel happy as he had made new friends. Samuel, 12, made some art and said it was "good to see the animals". Mr Bloom, from CBeebies, held a number of gardening workshops. He said gardening can help your mental healt,h and children tell him that it makes them feel calm, happy, positive, good and relaxed. "Nature is absolutely fantastic, we depend on it, and it gives us everything we need," he said. "It just makes us feel good, if we take care of nature, nature will take care of you." Catherine Assink, the chief executive and executive principal of Bedford Inclusive Learning and Training Trust, which runs the school, said the "ethos of mental health and wellbeing" was in everything it does. She said the day was amazing and added: "What an opportunity [we've had] to share with our local community our schools, and having other main stream schools coming in to share the day and to celebrate mental health and what we can do to belong as a community and to raise the profile of our Send pupils." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Sun
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Sainsbury's makes big change in stores and it means shoppers can swerve checkout queues
SAINSBURY'S is making a big change in stores meaning shoppers can swerve checkout queues. One of the UK's biggest supermarkets is shaking up the way customers can pay via SmartShop. 1 SmartShop allows customers to scan products as they go through stores via a physical handset or app on their phone. Users can currently pay for their shop via the app at the end, or at the checkouts if they have a physical handset. However, Sainsbury's has now launched a trial in two stores in Richmond, London, and Kempston, Bedfordshire, of new handsets that let shoppers pay by tapping their card on the devices. Once payments have gone through they can print a receipt at a physical bay or ask for them to be emailed. The devices then have to be returned to SmartShop ports when they leave the store. Darren Sinclair, director of future stores and customer experience at Sainsbury's, said the trial was launched as its own research found lots of shoppers preferred using a physical handset to save their phone battery. Mr Sinclair told The Grocer: "I think about this as trying to reduce friction, improve payment and simplify the shopping journey, as well as the future potential space." He added that more customers using SmartShop benefited Sainsbury's as it allowed the supermarket to track shoppers' habits. "From a heatmapping perspective we can see how people shop. "We don't see the physical customer, just see the heat, so we can see which ends are looked at, which screens are looked at and the flow around the store." Shopping discounts - How to make savings and find the best bargains ALL CHANGE AT SAINSBURY'S The new trial from Sainsbury's comes after The Sun exclusively revealed the supermarket has brought in new till security measures. Shoppers who fail to scan items at self-checkouts will be prompted by VAR-style replays. If an item is bagged without being swiped through, a message will now appear saying: "Looks like that last item didn't scan. "Please check you scanned it correctly before continuing." The move comes amid a surge in shoplifting incidents, with police logging 516,971 incidents last year - up from 429,873 in 2023. Sainsbury's is also in the process of major store upheaval, as it shuts down in-store cafes and other counters. The Sun exclusively revealed last month the 61 cafes' final day of trading was April 11. Meanwhile, patisserie, hot food and pizza counters at its larger shops will be culled "by early summer", Sainsbury's said in its latest financial results. The most popular items sold from these counters will be moved to aisles in stores. The retailer also said, from autumn, new "On the Go" hubs offering hot food will be rolled out across stores. Sainsbury's is also set to cut 3,000 staff at its head office, with 20% of senior management roles being slashed. The retailer announced the plans in January, as its chief executive Simon Roberts said it was facing a "challenging cost environment. His comments came despite strong trading in the 2024/25 financial year. Retailer underlying profit was up 7.2% to £1.03billion, with strong Sainsbury's sales offsetting lower profits at Argos. Full list of 61 Sainsbury's cafes that have closed Fosse Park Pontypridd Rustington Scarborough Penzance Denton Wrexham Longwater Ely Pontllanfraith Emersons Green Nantwich Pinhoe Road Pepper Hill - Northfleet Marshall Lake Rhyl Lincoln Bridgemead Larkfield Whitchurch Bargates Sedlescombe Road Barnstaple Dewsbury Kings Lynn Hardwick Truro Warren Heath Godalming Hereford Chichester Bognor Regis Newport Talbot Heath Rugby Cannock Leek Winterstoke Road Hazel Grove Morecambe Darlington Monks Cross Marsh Mills Springfield Durham Bamber Bridge Weedon Road Hempstead Valley Hedge End Bury St Edmunds Thanet Westwood Cross Stanway Castle Point Isle of Wight Keighley Swadlincote Leicester North Wakefield Marsh Way Torquay Waterlooville Macclesfield Harrogate Cheadle
