Latest news with #SandraHall
Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘You're a disgrace': 12-year-old activist leaves corporate boss speechless
FUTURE COUNCIL 81 Minutes In cinemas August 7 Reviewed by Sandra Hall ★★★★ In Future Council, a rather heavy silence falls on the conversation when 12-year-old Skye Neville tells a highly placed Nestle executive that he's a disgrace for defending the company's use of plastic packaging. It takes him a moment to recover but by the end of the exchange, he's admitting big companies such as his can lose sight of their place in 'the wider eco-system'. Skye comes from a Welsh village built on a coastal flood plain, which puts her on climate change's frontline, and she went through a very early conversion to activism, setting up a campaign against plastic use in children's comics and magazines. Now she's on the Future Council – the fiercest of eight teens and sub-teens gathered by Australian documentary maker Damon Gameau, whose career as an activist began with That Sugar Film. A critical look at the effects of sugar on the human body, it made news because he doused himself in sweetness by way of proving his point. He moved on to climate control, taking his 2019 documentary, 2040, into schools, and the kids he met there became the inspiration for Future Council. He found that many knew more about sustainability than most adults. And a thousand of them auditioned for the film, in which the successful candidates cross Europe in a yellow bus meeting fellow activists and do their best to get audiences with the senior executives of some of the world's biggest polluters. To its credit, Nestle was one of the few of these to say yes. Another was multinational Dutch bank ING, whose chief executive seems amused at the start of his interview with the group. His response is friendly but predictably measured. He says the bank has stopped investing in coalmines and stepped away from other clients that aren't divorcing themselves quickly enough from fossil fuels but the rest can't be done overnight. Loading It sounds reasonable but it doesn't quite satisfy young Dutch boy Joaquin Minana, who's leading the charge. Backed up by the others, he asks if ING would consider having young people on its board or at least taken on as advisers. It's an idea that will keep recurring as the bus trip goes on, and by the time we've got to know these kids, it seems like a pretty good idea.
The Age
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
‘You're a disgrace': 12-year-old activist leaves corporate boss speechless
FUTURE COUNCIL 81 Minutes In cinemas August 7 Reviewed by Sandra Hall ★★★★ In Future Council, a rather heavy silence falls on the conversation when 12-year-old Skye Neville tells a highly placed Nestle executive that he's a disgrace for defending the company's use of plastic packaging. It takes him a moment to recover but by the end of the exchange, he's admitting big companies such as his can lose sight of their place in 'the wider eco-system'. Skye comes from a Welsh village built on a coastal flood plain, which puts her on climate change's frontline, and she went through a very early conversion to activism, setting up a campaign against plastic use in children's comics and magazines. Now she's on the Future Council – the fiercest of eight teens and sub-teens gathered by Australian documentary maker Damon Gameau, whose career as an activist began with That Sugar Film. A critical look at the effects of sugar on the human body, it made news because he doused himself in sweetness by way of proving his point. He moved on to climate control, taking his 2019 documentary, 2040, into schools, and the kids he met there became the inspiration for Future Council. He found that many knew more about sustainability than most adults. And a thousand of them auditioned for the film, in which the successful candidates cross Europe in a yellow bus meeting fellow activists and do their best to get audiences with the senior executives of some of the world's biggest polluters. To its credit, Nestle was one of the few of these to say yes. Another was multinational Dutch bank ING, whose chief executive seems amused at the start of his interview with the group. His response is friendly but predictably measured. He says the bank has stopped investing in coalmines and stepped away from other clients that aren't divorcing themselves quickly enough from fossil fuels but the rest can't be done overnight. Loading It sounds reasonable but it doesn't quite satisfy young Dutch boy Joaquin Minana, who's leading the charge. Backed up by the others, he asks if ING would consider having young people on its board or at least taken on as advisers. It's an idea that will keep recurring as the bus trip goes on, and by the time we've got to know these kids, it seems like a pretty good idea.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- BBC News
Stoke-on-Trent carer treats family after £10k-a-month lottery win
A woman who has worked as a carer for 19 years has said the "possibilities are pretty much endless" after winning a £10,000-a-month lottery Hall, 61, from Stoke-on-Trent, said she planned to keep working and treat family and friends after winning the Set for Life National Lottery draw on 8 May. "This win is incredible, I'm not sure it's still fully sunk in," said Ms Hall, who will receive payments each month for 30 years. Ms Hall is also buying herself a few treats, including a hot tub engraved with her winning lottery numbers, "I want to remind myself how lucky I have been every time I take a dip", she said. "It's always been who I am to try and look after others, it's my vocation. Sometimes I get reminded by family and friends that I need to do something for myself. "So, when I found out that I'd just won the top prize on Set For Life, I knew my one treat would be a hot tub."She treated her fiance John to a work van, and plans to pay for her sister's new bathroom and decking at her mother's home. She is looking forward to shopping for a wedding dress ahead of her marriage to John, a farmer, next April. Ms Hall put the deposit down for his van after winning but paid off the balance after receiving her first lottery payment. "If I can help my family and others out I absolutely will and that's one of the most amazing things about winning," Ms Hall said. She said when the first payment landed in her bank account, it hit her that "I've got 359 of these same payments still left to go".She added: "The possibilities are pretty much endless and I will be treating myself to a few other luxuries soon. "I'll definitely be booking luxury weekends breaks and it'll be very nice to go shopping and not look at the price for once." Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
