GOLF DRIVE HITS 86 BIG ONES FOR CHARITY

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

August 31, 2010.

GOLF DRIVE HITS 86 BIG ONES FOR CHARITY.

Photo available

Most golfers would consider a score of 3,500 to be a little off par – but for 63 staff and suppliers of Housing Units it means a big improvement.

Around £3,500 was the total raised for The Christie Hospital on the day of the Housing Units Charity Golf Day at Saddleworth Golf Club on August 27, but the company’s charity events over the past eight years have now raised more than £86,000, improving lives across the region.

“The charity we support is the choice of Housing Units’ staff, and we have a superb relationship with Christies – so handing over the cheque will be a great pleasure as always,” said Nick Fox of Housing Units.

One winner was of course Christies, but the man with the trophy on the day was guest Danny Rice from Ashton-under-Lyne.

Danny Rice’s trophy was accompanied by a winner’s prize of a £200 Housing Units Gift Voucher and golf equipment.

“It was our eighth annual golf tournament, and the great thing about golfers is that they know how to have a great day whether they’re planning for fun – or to make a genuine contribution to changing somebody’s life for the better,” said Nick Fox.  

“While everybody had a fantastic day, we did not lose sight of the fact that we were raising money for people less fortunate than ourselves. It is vitally important for local business to support local causes, and the best way to do it is to provide an enjoyable day that people want to return to again and again.”

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and a crescent of specialist shops, and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

OVER-50S SAY CUT INTERNATIONAL AID BUDGETS IN LINE WITH UK AUSTERITY PLANS.

EMMA SOAMES

SAGA MAGAZINE
PRESS RELEASE

August 9, 2010.

OVER-50S SAY CUT INTERNATIONAL AID BUDGETS IN LINE WITH UK AUSTERITY PLANS.

Three-quarters of over-50s say that overseas aid budgets should be cut in the same spirit as domestic austerity measures.

Of 13,391 over-50s surveyed by Populus on behalf of Saga - the lifestyle, financial services and travel organisation catering for the older generations - 76% say that a pragmatic and realistic approach should be taken when it comes to spending abroad, and budgets should be cut.

Emma Soames, editor-at-large of Saga Magazine, said: “We’re a generous nation, but the elderly in the UK have been told they, like the rest of us, must accept austerity plans laid down by the government.

“But there is danger of injustice if international aid budgets favour foreign needs over domestic spending needs.

“The Saga Generation recognises that there’s an ebb and flow to the financial fortunes of the UK, and when there is plenty to go round then we should help the less fortunate abroad.

“However, when times are tight then the money should stay within our shores; by looking after our own in the short-term in difficult times, we are able to amass financial momentum and mass which means we can return to international support for the needy when financial times improve.”

Populus received 13,391 responses from Saga members aged 50 and over to its online poll for Saga between 9th and 16th July 2010.

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Further information:
Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800
www.saga.co.uk

Emma Soames, editor-at-large, was editor of Saga Magazine from 2002-2008. Previously she edited the Telegraph Magazine for seven years and before that was editor of ES Magazine, Tatler and the Literary Review.

OVER-50S IN NO-NONSENSE YORKSHIRE SUPPORT MORE USE OF PRISONS AS PUNISHMENT.

EMMA SOAMES

SAGA MAGAZINE
PRESS RELEASE

August 4, 2010.

OVER-50S IN NO-NONSENSE YORKSHIRE SUPPORT MORE USE OF PRISONS AS PUNISHMENT.

Working class over-50s from Yorkshire and the North East are far more likely to support criminals being thrown in jail than anywhere else in the UK – and believe prisons should be used far more for punishment. 
 
More than 40% of over-50s in the UK overall say there should be more use of prisons in the UK, with men far more likely than women to recommend somebody be locked up for committing a crime. 
 
That’s the finding of an independent survey of 13,391 people for Saga, the over-50s lifestyle, financial services and travel organisation. 
  
“Older people’s values are rooted in the past, and they like to see wrong-doing punished - they’d probably also say that an old-fashioned clip round the ear, if it weren’t likely to draw a huge fine or prison sentence, would probably have played a big part in discouraging youngsters from lives of crime and violence,” said Emma Soames, 60, editor-at-large of Saga Magazine. 
 
“But it’s good to see that Yorkshire upholds its image and reputation for no-nonsense attitudes. The Saga Generation in the region clearly takes a very dim view of crime, and although this obviously does not affect sentencing, it would certainly indicate how intolerant the community would be of criminal behaviour." 
 
The survey revealed that people in Yorkshire, Humberside and the North East are most supportive of imposing custodial sentences – 47% of those surveyed said more use should be made of prisons, while over-50s in the South West were least supportive of custody – 37% supported more prison use. 
 
Of those surveyed in the London area, 36% said there should be less use of prisons, but Yorkshire and the North East disagreed, with just 22% of those surveyed saying prisons should be used less to punish crimes. 

Populus received 13,391 responses from Saga members aged 50 and over to its online poll for Saga between 9th and 16th July 2010.

Ends

Further information:
Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800
www.saga.co.uk

Emma Soames, editor-at-large, was editor of Saga Magazine from 2002-2008. Previously she edited the Telegraph Magazine for seven years and before that was editor of ES Magazine, Tatler and the Literary Review. 

HOUSING UNITS - AND HOW TO GET AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW.

HOUSING UNITS

PRESS RELEASE

August 2, 2010.

HOUSING UNITS - AND HOW TO GET AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW.

 View videos. View photos.

If you want to be a star of the show, then get an exclusive interview – that’s the message from one of the most-approached recruitment heads in the Oldham and north Manchester area.

Claire Washbrook, Personnel Manager at Housing Units, one of the UK’s leading home furnishings stores, says that those who impress when applying for a role at the store or in its support and logistics operations are the interviewees who know almost as much about the business as the interviewer.

“To stand out, you have to show knowledge and interest – and there’s so much knowledge available online these days that anybody and everybody should be able to arrive at an interview with a good understanding of a business,” said Claire.

“But where as some businesses might throw up obstructions, at Housing Units we want to be positive and to encourage – so while there’s plenty of material out there about the retail aspect of the business, we’ve decided to put some key pieces of information into video form. (View videos).

“The videos explain something about the business, our people, their approach, their rewards and incentives – the sorts of things that are not necessarily in the public domain, but which we are happy to share with people who want to join our business.”

Housing Units – known for its top-hatted doormen - was established in 1947. It is a family-owned furnishings retailer based in Wickentree Lane, Failsworth, Manchester M35 9BA, next to Junction 22 of the M60. It stocks 30,000 high-quality lines across a range of departments in two buildings and a crescent of specialist shops, and prides itself on its unique style of customer service, the value of its goods and the shopping experience it provides.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

im@pressrelations.co.uk

www.housingunits.co.uk

Housing Units and other photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pressrelations