Latest news with #SamWoodward
USA Today
5 days ago
- Health
- USA Today
Better Yet: Welcome letter
Ready to make your life even Better Yet? Welcome to the corner of the internet where we just want you to thrive. I'm Sam Woodward, the wellness audience editor fellow at USA TODAY, your go-to source on the world of health and wellness and how to live your life even better yet. Every week, I will send you a roundup of health and wellness happenings from USA TODAY with news you can use and deep dives to inform and empower you to live your best life – plus some things that bring me joy (that also might bring you joy)! When I'm not in your inbox, I can be found walking (and occasionally running) around one of Minnesota's 10,000 lakes, recreating my favorite restaurant dishes and desserts, trying to hit my reading goal and playing party games with family. I am a born-and-raised Midwesterner with an incessant travel bug and am always looking for ways to balance the craziness of life (and news) with little everyday joys. Better Yet is a community of answers and seeks to help you discover how to better understand reality beyond your bubble. That means I want to hear from you! You can reach me at swoodward@ or find me on X and Bluesky @woodyreports. Better Yet would not be possible without USA TODAY subscribers. If you subscribe, thank you, and if not, please consider supporting USA TODAY and our journalism. Take care and talk soon, Sam Woodward P.S. To make sure Better Yet shows up in your inbox, please add to your contacts. Want to keep up with the news from your phone? Download our app here.
North Wales Live
15-07-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
Gwynedd pizzeria in stunning waterside location wants permission to sell alcohol
An Aberdyfi waterside business is hoping a successful licensing bid could help provide locals with a relaxing place to drink, eat and relax whilst also helping to boost tourism offerings. Otto's is a small pizza-by-the-slice café located on the Aberdyfi wharf. The Aberdyfi Ice Cream Ltd business, trading as Otto's, has applied to Cyngor Gwynedd for an appended premises licence to sell alcohol. Get all the latest Gwynedd news by signing up to our newsletter - sent every Tuesday Located at Unit 2 of the Aberdyfi Information Centre, it is part of the Harbour Quay. The venue was previously used for the manufacture of ice creams, and sold cones, tea and coffee through a window. The application is an "appended premises licence" calling for the sale of alcohol, on and off the premises, from 11am - 10pm, from Monday to Sunday. The cafe includes an area of outdoor tables and chairs. A report stated: "It is intended to sell pizzas, sandwiches etc. from the premises to eat on the premises in the outside area, or off the premises as takeaway. "It is also intended to sell alcohol to drink on the premises daily or sell it with takeaway meals in sealed containers." Proprietor Sam Woodward said there had been a lot of "local goodwill" for the scheme, and if approved alcohol will be sold in the café to accompany the purchase of pizza by the slice. In a public consultation the application received no objections from North Wales Police, the fire service, food team, public protection, pollution service or planning department. A council report had noted one objection from Bryn Pritchard-Jones, of the Gwynedd Maritime Service. Observations stated that the applicant had "not received permission from the Aberdyfi Harbour Consultative Committee before submitting an application to sell alcohol". Four objections from the public had also been noted, relating to "safety and nuisance". One cited an issue over selling alcohol near the Port, which it stated "could lead to accidents, especially right next to where families with young children enjoy crabbing" and another expressed concern about "the possibility of anti-social behaviour difficulties, including unfair and inappropriate noise, odours, waste, including glass". However, the applicants had noted in their submission "reusable plastic cups will be used, where money will be paid back after the cup is returned". They added: "This will help to reduce any rubbish or environmental impact, as well as remove the risk of injury from glass and damage." The licensing report also noted the applicant's intention to give "robust training" for staff, on the Challenge 25 age verification policy and the processes of selling alcohol "responsibly". It would also be in accordance with a successful plan used by other organisations selling alcohol in Aberdyfi. CCTV would also be installed to "prevent and record criminal behaviour" and the business would also retain an incident register to record any refusals or disruption. Cyngor Gwynedd's central licensing committee will decide over the matter when it meets on Wednesday, July 16. It is set to recommend that the Committee grant the application, after considering the respondents' comment and the applicant's responses. The report notes: "The hours requested are reasonable and comply with similar nearby businesses. "Selling alcohol is not the main purpose of the business; the intention is that selling alcohol accompanies and complements the sale of food from the premises. "The premises are not close to houses, and the seating area faces the sea, making the risk of noise disruption low." Sam Woodward said: "We are hugely excited to be doing this and there has been a lot of good expressed locally for this venture. We are just hoping our licence will be granted. "It will provide a place for people to relax on the waterside, taking in the stunning views, as well as providing a new tourist offering for Aberdyfi."
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Healthcare firm Totally collapses but divisions sold
Former NHS 111 urgent care provider Totally (TLY.L) has collapsed into administration, but said a deal to sell its main divisions will see the 'uninterrupted provision' of all its services. Totally has shed about half its workforce since last year and around 100 jobs are being put at risk as part of the deal announced on Monday. The Derby-based healthcare firm – which lost the NHS 111 support contract in February this year – has appointed Ernst & Young partners Tim Vance and Sam Woodward as joint administrators after failing to secure bids or strategic investors for the entire firm. It said that following the appointment, the sale of its selective care and corporate wellbeing subsidiaries, as well as the urgent care division, was completed to rival PHL Group. 'This transaction sees the continued and uninterrupted provision of all services previously delivered by the group,' Totally said. Totally employed around 1,400 staff at the end of March 2024. By the time it appointed administrators at EY on Friday, it had some 750 employees following two rounds of redundancies. More than 600 of those have been immediately transferred to the new owners following the sale to PHL – meaning that some 100 roles are at risk of redundancy. Mr Vance said: 'We are pleased to have agreed the sale of Totally which safeguards critical frontline NHS services and includes the retention of over 600 jobs.' Totally added: 'PHL Group will make separate announcements shortly, including communication with the customers, suppliers and employees of the elective care and urgent care divisions, and the corporate wellbeing business, which are all continuing to provide all services as normal following the transaction.' The company's failure comes after a difficult past year, with the firm losing the NHS 111 contract worth £13 million and then revealing last month it was facing a potential medical negligence claim related to an incident in January 2018. At the time, it warned the size of the liability for the claim could be more than the £10 million claim limit on its insurance policy. It launched a strategic review to look at options, including the sale of subsidiaries 'receiving strategic investment or undertaking some other form of comparable corporate action'. Shares in the firm plummeted at the time. On June 6, it announced its intention to appoint administrators after the review had failed to see any 'solvent' offers for parent firm Totally and suspended its shares from trading on London's junior Aim market. PHL – the buyer of its trading divisions – was launched in 2009 and runs services in the UK and overseas, including integrated urgent care, urgent treatment centres, surgical insourcing, custody healthcare, ADHD services and general practice.
South Wales Guardian
09-06-2025
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Healthcare firm Totally collapses but divisions sold
The Derby-based healthcare firm – which lost the NHS 111 support contract in February this year – has appointed Ernst & Young partners Tim Vance and Sam Woodward as joint administrators after failing to secure bids or strategic investors for the entire firm. It said that following the appointment, the sale of its selective care and corporate wellbeing subsidiaries, as well as the urgent care division, was completed to rival PHL Group. 'This transaction sees the continued and uninterrupted provision of all services previously delivered by the group,' Totally said. Totally employed more than 1,400 employees, according to its 2023-2024 annual report. The group added: 'PHL Group will make separate announcements shortly, including communication with the customers, suppliers and employees of the elective care and urgent care divisions, and the corporate wellbeing business, which are all continuing to provide all services as normal following the transaction.' The company's failure comes after a difficult past year, with the firm losing the NHS 111 contract worth £13 million and then revealing last month it was facing a potential medical negligence claim related to an incident in January 2018. At the time, it warned the size of the liability for the claim could be more than the £10 million claim limit on its insurance policy. It launched a strategic review to look at options, including the sale of subsidiaries 'receiving strategic investment or undertaking some other form of comparable corporate action'. Shares in the firm plummeted at the time. On June 6, it announced its intention to appoint administrators after the review had failed to see any 'solvent' offers for parent firm Totally and suspended its shares from trading on London's junior Aim market. PHL – the buyer of its trading divisions – was launched in 2009 and runs services in the UK and overseas, including integrated urgent care, urgent treatment centres, surgical insourcing, custody healthcare, ADHD services and general practice.
North Wales Chronicle
09-06-2025
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Healthcare firm Totally collapses but divisions sold
The Derby-based healthcare firm – which lost the NHS 111 support contract in February this year – has appointed Ernst & Young partners Tim Vance and Sam Woodward as joint administrators after failing to secure bids or strategic investors for the entire firm. It said that following the appointment, the sale of its selective care and corporate wellbeing subsidiaries, as well as the urgent care division, was completed to rival PHL Group. 'This transaction sees the continued and uninterrupted provision of all services previously delivered by the group,' Totally said. Totally employed more than 1,400 employees, according to its 2023-2024 annual report. The group added: 'PHL Group will make separate announcements shortly, including communication with the customers, suppliers and employees of the elective care and urgent care divisions, and the corporate wellbeing business, which are all continuing to provide all services as normal following the transaction.' The company's failure comes after a difficult past year, with the firm losing the NHS 111 contract worth £13 million and then revealing last month it was facing a potential medical negligence claim related to an incident in January 2018. At the time, it warned the size of the liability for the claim could be more than the £10 million claim limit on its insurance policy. It launched a strategic review to look at options, including the sale of subsidiaries 'receiving strategic investment or undertaking some other form of comparable corporate action'. Shares in the firm plummeted at the time. On June 6, it announced its intention to appoint administrators after the review had failed to see any 'solvent' offers for parent firm Totally and suspended its shares from trading on London's junior Aim market. PHL – the buyer of its trading divisions – was launched in 2009 and runs services in the UK and overseas, including integrated urgent care, urgent treatment centres, surgical insourcing, custody healthcare, ADHD services and general practice.
