SAGA LAUNCHES FREE OVER-50s iPHONE HEALTH APP.

SAGA SERVICES LTD

PRESS RELEASE

September 20, 2011.

SAGA LAUNCHES FREE OVER-50s iPHONE HEALTH APP.

Over-50s lifestyle organisation Saga has launched its first health-related app for iPhones as Health Secretary Andrew Lansley calls for new ideas for health related applications to help people make informed choices.

The new Saga Health App is available to download free from Apple’s iTunes App Store. It contains comprehensive information on medical conditions and health topics, as well as a database of private and NHS hospitals and contact details for a wide range of health specialists.

“Around 15-20% of over-50s use a smartphone, and older people do on occasion experience creaks and conditions that are more prevalent to their age bracket. The app is not intended to be a conclusive self-diagnosis tool, but does contain easy-to-use fact sheets on 180 medical conditions and health topics, providing information on things like symptoms, treatments and support organisations,” said Roger Ramsden, Chief Executive of Saga Services Ltd.

“It is designed to be useful to both Saga Private Medical Insurance policyholders and non-policyholders alike and provides access to free health information 24 hours a day.

“There is a database of more than 450 private and NHS hospitals that can be used by our policyholders and over 20,000 recognised specialists - for example cardiologists, physiotherapists and chiropractors - that can be searched for by specialty.

“Using the device’s in-built GPS, the app will even provide directions of how to find them from the iPhone user’s location.

“If the user is one of our existing PMI (private medical insurance) policyholders, they can even securely start the claims process on the new app, and if they aren’t, then we’ve made it easy for them to contact our team for a quotation.

“Of course, some wily older people might also see an opportunity to gain benefit on other fronts – many of the fact sheets also contain information that might just prove to be advantageous in pub quiz nights where the topic or round turns to medical matters…”

To download the FREE Health app from Saga visit the app store and search for Saga Health, or click here.

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For further information:

Saga Press Office
01303 771529.

www.saga.co.uk

Iain Macauley
im@pressrelations.co.uk
07788 978800

UK’S FIRST TAX RATES APP LAUNCHES FOR BUSINESS OWNERS & FDs.

HAINES WATTS

CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS

PRESS RELEASE

April 11, 2011

UK’S FIRST TAX RATES APP LAUNCHES FOR BUSINESS OWNERS & FDs.

A new mobile app has been launched for business owners, FDs and financial controllers, giving instant and continuous access to the latest UK Tax Rates on their iPhones. Download app here

“Time is money – and anything that streamlines accountancy and makes things faster and more efficient is worth embracing. Rather than having to use the internet via a PC to find out relevant tax rates or keep a hard copy tax card to hand, the app will allow access to tax rates anywhere, at any point in time,” said Gary Heywood of Haines Watts, a top 20 firm of Chartered Accountants, which has offices across the UK. Watch video here

“There’s huge demand for our tax rates cards, but there’s both a financial cost and an environmental cost in generating reams of printed versions – so we turned it into an app. The app will initially be available for use on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.” 

The app will be free to download from the app store. It will list a large proportion of UK tax rates, including Income Tax, Car & Fuel Benefits, Corporation Tax, VAT, Capital Gains Tax and National Insurance – amongst others.

The move follows Haines Watts’ look at how it can better serve business owners and finance directors by making information more easily accessible day-to-day.

Samantha Davies, Marketing Manager of Haines Watts, said: “Our partners, who are also business owners, rely on their phones so much now to access information 24/7 as a matter of course - we know that other business owners would be doing the same.  Time is at a premium for business owners and FDs, and this is just a small step in the process of driving efficient and massively more convenient accountancy services.

“No other UK accountancy firm has developed such an app.  At Haines Watts we make sure we give business owners what they want, when they want it – technology is the ideal way to do this.”

Gary Heywood, Partner at Haines Watts, said: “Time is precious for most business owners and FDs, with many working long hours both day and night.  Giving them information at their fingertips whatever time of the day they need it is vital.

“Every year we send out tax cards to our clients and contacts - in recent years we have become less reliant on hard copy material and emailed more.  With access online via our website and now with our new app, we know that this will also have a positive impact on the environment,” said Gary.

Haines Watts sees the new app as only the beginning and will track downloads in the coming months.  The firm will then look to develop onto other platforms in the future.  If this proves to be a success, Haines Watts will invest in further app development to help business owners in their day-to-day business lives.

ENDS

About Haines Watts

Haines Watts is a top-20 firm of Chartered Accountants that specialises in the owner- managed business sector.  Haines Watts has a broad range of services, and more than 80 years experience in working with privately-owned businesses. From accountancy, tax, VAT, financial services, expense control, corporate finance and business advice, the firm has the market understanding and expertise to make a difference to business.

With over 50 offices around the UK, and over 30,000 UK clients, Haines Watts’ aim is to become the premier adviser to the owner-managed business sector. They are able to offer a comprehensive range of national services without losing the personal attention to detail at a local level. This combination makes the Haines Watts offering unique.

For further information contact:

Samantha Davies

National Marketing Manager

Haines Watts, Sterling House,97 Lichfield Street, Tamworth, Staffs, B79 7QF

Tel: 01827 61835

Email: sdavies@hwca.com

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

07788 978800

BRITAIN’S “SECOND-GENERATION-YUPPIE” GOVERNMENT: WORK HARDER ON OVER-50S BUSINESS CRED.

EMMA SOAMES
EDITOR-AT-LARGE, SAGA MAGAZINE
PRESS RELEASE
 
May 24, 2010.

 

BRITAIN’S “SECOND-GENERATION-YUPPIE” GOVERNMENT: WORK HARDER ON OVER-50S BUSINESS CRED.

Britain’s “second-generation-yuppie” government needs to grow up fast and gain some battle scars if it is to establish credibility with over-50s-dominated big business, says Emma Soames, editor-at-large of Saga Magazine.

The new government has been put in charge of the £1,500 billion business that is UK plc – but the country’s new chief executive, David Cameron, is ten years younger than the average FTSE 350 CEO, and “finance director” George Osborne, at 38, is nine years younger than the average FTSE 100 FD.

“To establish credibility with senior business people and the 21 million over-50s in the UK, the key for the new PM is to spend more time speaking with – and being seen to speak with - Ken Clarke or Vince Cable rather than looking like part of a tribe of yuppies scoping out champagne bars,” said Emma Soames.

“The young govs might be having some fun in the new Parliament, but if we stack up and compare the age and experience stats, then the average age of the country’s ‘board of directors’ is 52 versus 58 for FTSE 350 company directors,” said Emma Soames.

“The average age of a FTSE 350 chief executive is 53, new PM David Cameron is 43; but the frontline directors of UK plc are Cameron, 43, Nick Clegg, 43, George Osborne, 38, and David Laws, 44 – an average age of 42.

“It’s older than me, but the saying ‘you never get a second chance to make a first impression’ needs to become the yuppie front-bencher’s iPad, iPhone or BlackBerry screensaver.

“The enduring early images so far are of the opening press conference double-act laughs between Cameron and Clegg, and some comedic opening scenes of Cameron being ‘reminded’ he was PM at the start of the new Parliament.

“They need to be seen to be having fun in the eyes of the younger elements of the population, but they also need to know when to avoid the laughs and flippancy to establish credibility with a generation who have far more experience of tougher times, and know how seriously the state of the nation should be taken.”

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.

NEW FLICKR SITE FOR PRESS RELATIONS CLIENTS.

www.pressrelations.co.uk  has launched a new Flickr site from which client photos can be downloaded. Many thanks to www.idealinterface.co.uk for tech advice

Not all clients are featured as yet, but they include:

www.aabplc.com  All About Brands.

www.flystar.com  Astraeus Airlines. Aircraft management and leasing company, providing aircraft to British Airways, bmi, Iceland Express amongst others.

www.ipersonally.co.uk   Birch Abbey Care Home, Southport, and iPersonally dementia care.

www.housingunits.co.uk  Housing Units, a furnishings retailer, retail park and online retailer, including nursery and baby equipment, weddings, carpets and kitchen design.

InnTheBar; pub and bar chain owned by entrepreneur Tony Callaghan.

www.mcbainscooper.com . London-based property and construction design consultancy, including architects, design,QS / quantity surveying, project management, sustainability, data centres.

www.saga.co.uk  , and Emma Soames, editor-at-large of Saga Magazine, and a trustee of the Saga Respite for Carers Trust.

www.sasdaniels.co.uk  commercial law firm, specialising in employment, family, probate, corporate and commercial, personal injury, property, construction.

www.supercoverinsurance.com  , specialist insurer of gadgets, mobile phones, iPhones, iPods, iPads, laptops, satnavs and other high intrinsic value consumer portable equipment.

SUPERCOVER INSURANCE CREATES POLICY FOR THEFT-TARGET iPAD

SUPERCOVER INSURANCE

PRESS RELEASE

April 22, 2010.

SUPERCOVER INSURANCE CREATES POLICY FOR THEFT-TARGET iPAD.

Supercover Insurance has moved quickly to create a policy to cover what it expects to be potentially the most theft-targetted tech product of 2010.

The Apple iPad is expected to be launched in the UK in May, but such is demand in the USA that the UK launch is running behind – and that, says Supercover, www.supercoverinsurance.com, could well lead to iPad-focussed theft epidemics.

“The vast majority of iPad buyers are excited but honest, and are waiting patiently for their order to pitch up. But there are some people out there who, as was the case with the iPod and iPhone, simply can’t wait and don’t care where their iPad comes from, even if the source is dubious,” said Carmi Korine of Supercover Insurance.

“We’ve created a white label policy for resellers which can be included in new or existing policies, sold as an incremental revenue product or as an as an add-on to motor or home policies providing substantial ongoing revenue streams. It is available to insurers, brokers, banks and other insurance providers and brand partners at £7.99 a month, with very attractive commission deals.

“But we’re also going to be keeping a wary eye open for claims that happen just a bit too quickly: we’ve seen with iPhones that people can sometimes be tempted to make a claim for a lost iPhone, which isn’t actually lost at all, and then when the insurance replacement arrives they sell it on at a vast premium while retaining and using their original iPhone.

“We anticipate there will be some questionable claims with the iPad, but we’re geared up to address any claims that don’t appear to be legitimate.”

Supercover Insurance is a 15-years-established provider of insurance for consumer portable high-intrinsic-value products such as mobile phones, laptops and other gadgets, as well as spectacles.

Ends

Further information:

Iain Macauley

im@pressrelations.co.uk

0161 929 0446/07788 978800

www.supercoverinsurance.com