Latest news with #LAL
The Courier
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Courier
No health impact assessments done for Perth Thimblerow leisure centre plans
No research has been done on how the reduction in leisure facilities at a new PH2O Thimblerow will impact health and wellbeing in the city. The controversial plans to build a new sports centre without a dedicated leisure pool has been met with near-universal backlash from residents and sports clubs alike. The revelation comes nine months after Perth and Kinross Council chief executive Thomas Glen was probed on the same issue, but still no assessments have been carried out. The council boss was questioned by Independent councillor Colin Stewart at the time. Mr Stewart asked: 'If we reduce the overall sport offering in Perth and Kinross, what assessment have you made of how that aligns with the corporate objective of improving people's health and wellbeing?' In response, Mr Glen said no such assessments had been carried out. 'We haven't done an assessment specifically round around any individual sport, round about the health impacts, we haven't done it for ice, we haven't done it for swimming, we haven't done it for any other sport,' said the chief executive. The latest revelation is the latest in a series of concerns about the lack of studies and consultations carried out by either the council or Live Active Leisure (LAL) in regards to the new leisure plans. The Courier revealed that LAL failed to carry out any consultation in their Equality and Fairness Impact Assessment (EIFA) regarding their plans to remove the gym from Bell's Sports Centre. Leisure bosses also appear to have ignored advice from their own independent consultants to hold a public consultation on the plans. World champion curlers claim their community was 'sidelined' by council officers in talks over the future of the Dewars Centre when they questioned the local authority's usage figures. In February, The Courier revealed that Perth and Kinross Council failed to consult with the board of Live Active Leisure on the plans for Thimblerow. Campaigners have also accused the local authority of conducting a 'misleading' consultation on plans to turn Bell's Sports Centre into an unheated arena with artificial pitches. The future of Perth's leisure facilities is set to go back before councillors again on June 18. The council want to build a watered-down vision of PH2O, incorporating Bell's Sports Centre, and turn the North Inch facility into an unheated arena with artificial pitches. Perth and Kinross Community Sports Network (PKCSN), who represent a dozen sports in the area, are furious at the proposal. Campaigners, including the curlers, swim clubs and former LAL board members, have heavily criticised the plans. The local authority said its Leisure Asset Review – submitted in January 2024, months before the chief executive's comments – looked at all available leisure facilities across Perth and Kinross. 'This includes school halls available for rent which, together with the six-court hall to be included in PH20, will provide adequate and additional space for indoor sport and leisure,' said a council spokesperson. 'We will be introducing a consolidated booking system to make it easier for groups to access these facilities. 'Councillors approved plans to create Thimblerow in September 2024 and will be presented with proposals for additional leisure water options, as they requested, later this month.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Wells Fargo Upgrades RxSight (RXST), Sees LAL Technology as Undervalued
Wells Fargo upgraded RxSight Inc. (NASDAQ:RXST) from Equal Weight to Overweight on Monday, while raising its price target from $17 to $25 due to an attractive valuation at the current stock price. Wells Fargo believes that the market is undervaluing RxSight's differentiated light-adjustable lens/LAL technology and its potential for incremental market growth. A close up detail of a cataract surgery instrument in the hand of a cataract doctor. The firm emphasizes RxSight's first-mover advantage in this market. While major players have indicated interest in the adjustable intraocular lens/IOL market, Wells Fargo maintains that the development timelines are extensive and hence notes RxSight's decade-plus journey to bring LAL to the US market and expects a considerable delay before competitors can enter. RxSight Inc. (NASDAQ:RXST) is a commercial-stage medical tech company that engages in the research and development, manufacture, and sale of light-adjustable intraocular lenses/LAL used in cataract surgery in the US. It offers the RxSight system that enables doctors to customize and enhance the visual acuity for patients after cataract surgery. RxSight is ahead of schedule with a software update for its Light Delivery Device/LDD procedures and has received full regulatory approval for its LAL Plus and LDD products in South Korea, with anticipated UK approval in Q2 2025. While we acknowledge the potential of RXST to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than RXST and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Courier
13-05-2025
- Politics
- The Courier
Perth campaigners raise equality fears over Bell's Sports Centre plans
Bell's Sports Centre campaigners have demanded answers from Perth and Kinross Council's chief executive as they raise equality fears over the local authority's plans for the facility. Bill Powrie, a member of Perth and Kinross Community Sports Network (PKCSN), wrote to local authority boss Thomas Glen about the proposal to turn the North Inch complex into an unheated arena. The campaign group fear the plan could negatively impact groups most at risk of discrimination, like the elderly, women and disabled sports players. Speaking about over 50s, Bill said: 'This group needs low impact sports like badminton and table tennis that can be played into your 80s. 'Women in the main do not play football and neither do the many disabled people who used to play wheelchair sports like boccia in Bell's. 'These people will be severely affected if the plans go ahead.' The campaigners' complaint is not the first time the local authority has been accused of sacrificing sports that cater for the elderly and disabled in recent years. It was also levelled at the council and Live Active Leisure (LAL) when they made the decision to axe indoor bowls from the city entirely when they moved the gym from Bell's to Dewars Centre. A team of Perthshire international bowls players with disabilities stated the council were putting their future in the sport at risk while Age Scotland also criticised the move. That was only 12 months ago, now the council is facing the same criticism again. The latest census results on the council website states that the Perth and Kinross population is 'evidently aging', with a quarter of residents 65 or over. Last year, The Courier revealed that LAL failed to carry out any consultation in their Equality and Fairness Impact Assessment (EIFA) regarding the move from Bell's. In the section of the report set aside for outlining the findings of said consultation, LAL wrote: 'None.' Under the Equality Act 2010, a public body or organisation is required to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between equality groups. In their report, LAL was unable to find any positive outcomes for closing Bell's for those with disabilities and the single positive for the elderly was that there were good bus routes to Dewars. To further his point, Bill told the chief executive that there are already other facilities within Perth that have, or will have, artificial pitches. He said: 'There are plenty of 3G pitches coming on stream in the near future. 'St Johnstone Football Club, Jeanfield Swifts are building two, Tulloch and when Perth High School is knocked down there will be two more pitches created. 'The usages quoted for football are 20,000 but Bell's used to have 260,000 usages every year.' The future of Bell's, alongside the much-maligned PH2O Thimblerow project, is set to go before council again next month. A spokesperson for the local authority said: 'We recognise the value of sport and recreation for people's general wellbeing. 'We have met with the Perth and Kinross Community Sports Network and their proposals will be considered as part of our response to the consultation. 'Our plans for Bell's and the new PH20 facility, will, alongside our school estate, cater for sports such as badminton. 'These plans are also informed by the findings of our Leisure Assets Review, which looked at demand and usage across all our facilities in Perth and Kinross, and the available capital budget.' The Courier was told that the chief executive, Mr Glen, will reply to Bill 'in due course'.
The Courier
25-04-2025
- Sport
- The Courier
Perth's Dewars gym on course to beat Bell's Sports Centre numbers
The new gym at Perth's Dewars Centre is shaping up to be even more popular than its predecessor at Bell's Sports Centre. Live Active Leisure (LAL) bosses say there have been almost 100,000 visits since its launch last September. Dewars, the centre for curling in Perth, became home to a 100-station gym, plus two fitness studios, after the previous facilities at Bell's were wrecked in the October 2023 floodgates fiasco. LAL chief executive Paul Cromwell briefed councillors on the state of play at Dewars this week. Latest figures show there have been 98,725 visits to the gym and fitness studios. A total of 4,358 different customers aged 11-90 have used them. One in four were aged 11-17, and one in 10 was over 64. And a number of future and current Olympic and Commonwealth athletes have been making use of the fitness facilities. Mr Cromwell says the figures are 'really positive'. 'On average, we're looking at 16,000 usages per month,' he said. 'They're on target to exceed the figures we achieved when the new fitness facilities opened at Bell's.' Mr Cromwell updated Perth and Kinross Council's scrutiny and performance committee on Wednesday. He said Dewars was delivering for a wide range of people, as well as elite sports men and women. 'We have over 40 athletes receiving strength and conditioning training to help them in their sports,' he said. 'Their sports include hockey, curling, basketball, swimming, judo, football and athletics, to name but a few.' And he added: 'The fact we have got better numbers than what was a really good facility at Bell's gives us a clear reflection that people are enjoying the facilities.' Bell's Sports Centre suffered around £2 million of flood damage on October 8, 2023 after the floodgates on the North Inch were left open. Its gym and fitness studios had only just opened the previous summer following a £750,000 revamp. The indoor bowling rink at Dewars had to be removed to make way for the gym gear. Both the Dewars and Bell's centres are facing uncertain futures after councillors approved plans for a new PH2O leisure centre on the site of Thimblerow car park in the city centre. Campaigners want the new venue to be built at Glover Street, the current home of the Dewars Centre and Perth Leisure Pool. Sports groups are also opposing the council's plan to turn Bell's into an unheated event space with indoor pitches. Councillors will re-examine the plans for PH2O, Dewars and Bell's in June. • The Courier has campaigned for an ambitious new leisure complex in Perth that caters for all sports, including leisure swimming and curling.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RxSight, Inc. Announces Preliminary First Quarter 2025 Revenue and Revised 2025 Guidance
ALISO VIEJO, Calif., April 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- (NASDAQ: RXST) – RxSight, Inc., an ophthalmic medical device company dedicated to providing high-quality customized vision to patients following cataract surgery, today announced select preliminary revenue results for the first quarter 2025 and revised full-year 2025 guidance. The Company will host a conference call on Thursday, April 3, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. Preliminary First Quarter 2025 Results Preliminary first quarter 2025 revenue is expected to be approximately $37.9 million, representing growth of 28% compared to the prior year period, and a decrease of 6% compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, driven by: The sale of 27,579 Light Adjustable Lenses (LAL™/LAL+®); representing a 36% increase in procedure volume compared to the first quarter of 2024; and The sale of 73 Light Delivery Devices (LDD™s), bringing the installed base to 1,044 LDDs as of March 31, 2025, which represents a 43% expansion compared to the installed base of 732 LDDs at end of the first quarter of 2024. 'Given RxSight's more significant installed base of surgeons and practices, we now must navigate headwinds affecting the overall premium IOL market and broader economy that were less impactful when our commercial footprint was much smaller,' said Dr. Ron Kurtz, Chief Executive Officer and President of RxSight. 'Despite these dynamics, that particularly affected LAL procedures, we continued to make progress in the quarter by further expanding our installed base to 1,044 LDDs. To address current market conditions, as well as our long-term opportunity to transform the practice of premium cataract surgery, we will continue to refine our clinical education and practice adoption programs, support new customer business models, drive innovative product enhancements and advance international expansion.' Revised 2025 Guidance The company decreased its 2025 full-year revenue and operating expense guidance as follows: Revenue in the range of $160.0 million to $175.0 million, a decrease from the previous guidance range of $185.0 million to $197.0 million, representing implied growth of 14% to 25% compared to 2024; Operating expenses in the range of $150.0 to $160.0 million, a decrease from the previous guidance range of $165.0 million to $170.0 million and now representing an implied increase of 10% to 18% compared to 2024; Operating expenses also include non-cash stock-based compensation expense, which is now projected to be in the range of $27.0 million to $30.0 million, compared to the previous range of $22.0 million to $25.0 million. The foregoing financial and operational results are preliminary estimates and complete, unaudited financial results for the first quarter of 2025 are expected to be announced on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Conference Calls On Thursday, April 3, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time, the company will host a conference call to discuss its preliminary first quarter 2025 revenue results and revised full year guidance. To participate in the conference call, please dial (800) 715-9871 or (646) 307-1963 and enter the conference code: 4020145. Separately, the company plans to report unaudited financial results for the first quarter of 2025 after the market close on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Management will discuss these more comprehensive results during a conference call shortly following the announcement. Both conference calls will also be broadcast live in listen-only mode via a link on the company's investor relations website at An archived recording of the calls will be available through the same link shortly after their completion. About RxSight, Inc. RxSight, Inc. is an ophthalmic medical device company dedicated to providing high-quality customized vision to patients following cataract surgery. The RxSight® Light Adjustable Lens system, comprised of the RxSight Light Adjustable Lens® (LAL™/LAL+®, collectively the 'LAL'), RxSight Light Delivery Device (LDD™) and accessories, is the first and only commercially available intraocular lens (IOL) technology that can be adjusted after surgery, enabling doctors to customize and deliver high-quality vision to patients after cataract surgery. Additional information about RxSight can be found at Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements, including: statements concerning: headwinds affecting the overall premium IOL market and broader economy and the impact of a larger installed base on growth; the anticipated implementation of targeted actions to address current market conditions, including with respect to educational efforts, supporting new customer business models, driving innovative product enhancements and advancing international expansion; statements concerning the Company's preliminary first quarter 2025 financial and operational results and the anticipated timing of announcing unaudited first quarter 2025 financial results; LDD and LAL sales growth trends; and the Company's revised projected revenue, gross margin and operating expenses in 2025. Such statements relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed, implied or inferred by these forward-looking statements, including those risks described in the Company's prior press releases and the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including in Part I, Item 1A (Risk Factors) of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year-ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on February 25, 2025, and any subsequent filings with the SEC. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as 'may,' 'will,' 'should,' 'could,' 'would,' 'expects,' 'plans,' 'intends,' 'anticipates,' 'believes,' 'estimates,' 'predicts,' 'projects,' 'potential,' or 'continue' or the negative of such terms and other same terminology. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Actual events or results may differ materially. In evaluating these statements, you should specifically consider various factors. These and other factors may cause our actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. We undertake no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this press release to conform those statements to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable law. The foregoing financial and operational results are preliminary estimates. RxSight is in the process of finalizing its financial statements for the first quarter of 2025, and its actual results remain subject to completion of those financial statements and their review by its independent registered public accounting firm. These preliminary estimates are based on information available to management as of the date of this press release and certain related assumptions, which could prove incorrect. RxSight's actual, reported results of operations could differ based on completion of our quarter end closing procedures, final adjustments and developments that may arise prior to completion of its quarterly financial statements, and adjustments arising from the review by its independent registered public accounting firm. You should carefully review RxSight's unaudited, consolidated financial statements for the first quarter of 2025 when they become available. Company contact:Shelley B. ThunenChief Financial Officersthunen@ Investor Relations Contact:Oliver MoravcevicVP, Investor Relationsomoravcevic@
