Christmas | Westminster World

Dec132022 by Jinisha Bhanushali and Karen FarhatNo Comments

‘Warm banks’ helping people survive this Winter

Breaking News, Charity, Christmas, Climate, Explainers, Explainers, Harrow, London, News, Rising cost of living disrupts students’ academic life

Charities, councils and community groups across the UK are opening warm banks helping people who can’t afford turning on their heating. The temperatures in London are falling but the energy costs are rising for households. The UK raised its energy price cap by 80% on October 1st which means the average UK energy bill will be reaching 3,549 pounds a year. Reports suggest that some people may resist using their heating despite the severe weather expected in coming days. These warm banks aim to offer a safe, warm and friendly space during these tough times. People can come along, eat, drink and spend a good time. https://youtu.be/m7BXIf55B68 People visiting warm banks in Harrow Rachel Wright, Trustee at Harrow Giving, explains how they became involved in setting up warm banks in

Dec122022 by Murtaza MukadamNo Comments

Christmas homesickness: Help for students left behind

Breaking News, Christmas, Explainers, Health

With thousands of students returning home for Christmas, there are also those who have no choice but to stay back due to several reasons. (Image Credits: Murtaza Mukadam) Being away from home can be distressing, which is known as homesickness. Symptoms of both depression and anxiety are frequently reported by sufferers, along with withdrawal behaviour and trouble focusing on things unrelated to their homes. Homesickness over holidays is fairly prevalent for students, especially those studying abroad, which has an impact on their mental health. Being an international student or having financial difficulties brought on by the rising cost of living are a few reasons why you might not be able to travel home for the holidays. After speaking with university students about their expe...

Dec122022 by Zuzana RevayovaNo Comments

Ambulance strikes: Elderly feel unwanted

Christmas, Explainers, Health

Image credit: Unsplash The Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, has announced that elderly people who fall are unlikely to get an ambulance during the planned strike action. Barclay, told Sky News that only "life-threatening conditions" will be covered during the industrial action. Paramedics and 999 operators from Unite, Unison and GMB unions will be striking on 21 and 28 December. Unions have confirmed that only category one emergencies, such as strokes and heart attacks will be covered. This comes amidst a range of other strikes planned for December. NHS nurses and RMT rail workers are also planning to strike. Janet Baker, 86, Harrow, is worried that if she has a fall, she won’t be able to cope without medical attention. She said: “I live alone, my family is

Father Christmas, more like Mother Christmas: Is it womens’ job to create the magic of the holidays?

Christmas, Covid-19, Culture, Food, LifeStyle, Women

Photo credit: Catalin Bot The burden of upholding Christmas traditions falls to women, even in 2020. At least, this is according to a SAGE report. The document outlines the insights into celebrating holidays including Halloween, Bonfire Night, and Christmas during covid-19. Speaking about women at Christmas, the report said: “Women carry the burden of creating and maintaining family traditions and activities at Christmas.” It further stated: “Messaging should be supportive of women adapting traditions.” There is the implication that adapting Christmas to a covid-19 world will also be the responsibility of women this year. Are women really the driving force behind Christmas? Westminster World spoke to members of the public to see how roles are divided or shared

‘Substantial meal’: substantial enough for pubs to survive?

Breaking News, Christmas, Covid-19, Explainers, Food, London, News, UK news

As the UK moves out of lockdown and a regional tier system is introduced, pubs in tier two are forced into a difficult middle ground, and the question arises are they better off closed? Image by Emily Latimer From 2nd December, pubs in all but three council areas will either be closed or only able to open if they are serving substantial meals, the government announced on Thursday. The government’s winter plan defines a substantial meal as “a full breakfast, main lunchtime or evening meal”. For tier two, the news will be of little comfort to ‘wet led’ pubs, which are forced to remain closed and for those who do serve food, the restriction places them in a challenging position, in which they can open but are only able to make a fraction of their sales. In a letter to th

Covid-19: Cyclists boom London as Christmas approaches

Christmas, Covid-19, Fitness, Health, Sport, Transport

Photo Credit: Anjali / Riders crossing road The number of cyclists has doubled in the past few months, according to the data provided by Strava Metro - a fitness app that works with Transport for London. This surge is witnessed after the initial investment of £250m by the UK government during the first wave of Coronavirus to promote recreational activities. Weekends provide a different view on roads in central London as cyclists step out for work, exercise and group activities. Different cycling communities work in several parts of the city including Hyde Park and schemes have surfaced as an aid to these eco-friendly riders. Photo credits: Anjali / Riders at Trafalgar Square London Cycling Campaign (LCC) launched a scheme called Cycle Buddies which aims

First Christmas after lockdown: The last chance for independent shops

Black Friday, Business, Christmas, Covid-19, economy, London, UK news

For Christmas trade, independent business owners are cautiously optimistic. Have they lost the opportunity to make money? In a toyshop, electric toy cars are at discounts to encourage customers to buy.Credit to Peiyun He England’s current lockdown will end on Wednesday 2nd December. Shops, gyms and personal care services can reopen. Meanwhile, Christmas is around the corner. For retailers, the Golden quarter – which incorporates both Christmas and Black Friday – will be critical this year. UK shoppers are planning to spend an average of £346 on Christmas gifts this year, according to an annual study by American Express . This is 11 per cent more than a year ago, with Brits spending £312 on Christmas presents in 2019. However, some shops might have already missed the opportunit

Foreign students staying in London for Christmas break express why

brexit, Christmas, Covid-19, Education, EU talents, Explainers, London, Student, virus

The end of the lockdown approaching did not convince some foreign students to travel back. Seven out of ten interviewed told Westminster:World their decision to stay. Two of them have accepted to be featured on this article. Safety as the first priority Credit:Naima Tazergha "My father is not well and it is crucial to protect him from covid-19, and there is always a risk for me to catch the virus while travelling and submitting it to him." Charlotte is from Stockholm in Sweden. She moved to London this Autumn to study her first year of Interior Design at Regent's university. As the government reached to students to encourage them going back home between the 3rd and 9th of December, some don't even consider thinking about it. She is young but knows the risk- the one of c...

Dec92019 by Natalia ReppasNo Comments

Christmas jumpers are fuelling environmental crisis, survey reveals

Breaking News, Christmas, Climate, Environment, Fashion, News

As Christmas is rapidly approaching, shoppers are being urged to reconsider buying their annual festive jumper as new survey reveals 12 million jumpers are expected to be bought this Christmas, fuelling micro-plastic crisis. The Christmas jumper is set to become one of the most infamous examples of fast fashion as it is now revealed to be hugely damaging to the environment and adding to the plastic pollution crisis. Growing public interest in eco-shopping and sustainability alongside concerns over fast fashion has raised alarm over the problematic popularity of Christmas jumpers, as new report finds a third of young adults in the UK buy a new festive sweater every year. The survey was published on the 6 December 2019 by the environmental charity, Hubbub, who sample tested 108 Christ...

All I want for Christmas is companionship

Charity, Christmas, Health, London, Student

Christmas has most of us rushing to book tickets, buy gifts and decorate the tree with friends and family. However, this is not the case for the over 200, 000 elderly people in the UK who are going to spend the holidays alone. For the millions of elderly living without company, Christmas is a season of loneliness. The holidays can be especially challenging due to the added pressures of social celebrations which they are used to spending time with their loved ones. In fact, an estimated 200, 000 people will not hear from any friends or family throughout the month of December. Loneliness can be life-altering for the elderly who are experiencing it but is also a minefield for those of us who want to help, but don’t know where to start. Studies from AgeUK show that older people are