Christian Science Monitor: Once struggling, Britain’s corner shops give comfort to UK shoppers. “For many years, there has been real concern that the heart and soul of Britain’s traditional towns and villages have been disappearing. Superstores expanded into almost every neighborhood, competing heavily on price and offering the convenience of everything under one roof. Now, the pandemic has shoppers abandoning the big supermarkets and out-of-town stores that had come to dominate the British retail landscape. And Dunorlan Park Stores is one of thousands of corner shops and independent stores that saw an overall 63% surge in trade at the peak of the lockdown in the United Kingdom, according to analyst firm Kantar. The question plaguing the big, billion-dollar grocers such as Tesco and Asda is whether this abrupt change might become permanent.”
England
Covid: PM considering new restrictions amid second coronavirus wave (BBC)
BBC: Covid: PM considering new restrictions amid second coronavirus wave. “Boris Johnson is spending the weekend considering whether to tighten Covid-19 measures in England, after saying the UK was ‘now seeing a second wave’. The government is understood to be looking at a ban on households mixing, and reducing opening hours for pubs.”
The York Press: New Filmed in Yorkshire website enables you to ‘visit’ Yorkshire film and TV locations online
The York Press: New Filmed in Yorkshire website enables you to ‘visit’ Yorkshire film and TV locations online. “The new Filmed in Yorkshire website takes you to an interactive map. Magnifying glass icons show where major film and TV productions – including All Creatures, but also Gentleman Jack, Victoria and Peaky Blinders – were filmed. Click again and you can see locations shots and get more information about what scenes were filmed where.”
BBC: Are you descended from Sheffield’s famous knife makers?
A fun genealogy puzzle from the BBC: Are you descended from Sheffield’s famous knife makers?. “A search is under way to find the descendants of the many families behind the firms that made knives in the steel city of Sheffield.
People can consult a list of knife-makers online and see if they share a surname using a digital archive. The city’s Ken Hawley Collection has about 1,500 stainless steel knives made by almost 1,000 different makers.”
Coronavirus: Social gatherings above six banned in England from 14 September (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: Social gatherings above six banned in England from 14 September. “Social gatherings of more than six people will be illegal in England from Monday – with some exemptions – amid a steep rise in coronavirus cases. A new legal limit will ban larger groups meeting anywhere socially indoors or outdoors, No 10 said. But it will not apply to schools, workplaces or Covid-secure weddings, funerals and organised team sports.”
Imperial College London: COVID-19 hotspots projected with new website
Imperial College London: COVID-19 hotspots projected with new website. “A new website uses reported cases and deaths to estimate the probability regions in England and Wales will become COVID-19 ‘hotspots’. The team behind the website, from Imperial College London, define a hotspot as a local authority where there are more than 50 cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 of the population per week.”
Liverpool Echo: Liverpool anti-racism campaigner to be honoured in ‘innovative’ archive project
Liverpool Echo: Liverpool anti-racism campaigner to be honoured in ‘innovative’ archive project. “A prominent Liverpool anti-racism campaigner who spent 40 years fighting for social justice is to be honoured in a new archive project with Writing on the Wall and Liverpool Record Office which explores the Liverpool 8 community’s struggles against racism and inequality. Activist Solomon Bassey, known as Solly, who died in 2017, was the resource centre manager of the Liverpool 8 Law Centre until he retired prior to its closure in 2010.”
BBC: John Laing workers’ summer holiday photos added to archive
BBC: John Laing workers’ summer holiday photos added to archive. “Pictures of post-war workers heading off on their summer holidays have been added to an online archive. Historic England has spent almost two years digitising 10,000 pictures from the John Laing Photographic Collection for public viewing online. The latest and last to be added are 700 pictures taken by John Laing photographers for the construction firm’s in-house newsletter Team Spirit.”
Coronavirus: Schools criticise ‘reprehensible’ last-minute advice on reopening (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: Schools criticise ‘reprehensible’ last-minute advice on reopening. “Head teachers and teachers have criticised the government for ‘last-minute’ guidance on what to do during virus outbreaks and local lockdowns. The guidance for England was published on Friday evening, just days before many schools begin term.”
ITV: Mr Punch is back! Traditional seaside entertainment returns to Teignmouth as lockdown eases
ITV: Mr Punch is back! Traditional seaside entertainment returns to Teignmouth as lockdown eases. “Mr Punch may have begun performing in the 17th Century but Dr [Tony] Lidington has updated his story for the modern age. The seaside and people’s enjoyment of it has also changed. Dr Lidington says ‘I’m interested in the way that seasides have evolved over the last 250 years for the British as a kind of playground. They were designed as somewhere that people could play and have fun. They would have exercise and fresh air but also a place of sanctuary and excitement and romance’.” Dr. Lidington has gotten funding for a digital archive.
BBC: The algorithms that make big decisions about your life
BBC: The algorithms that make big decisions about your life. “Thousands of students in England are angry about the controversial use of an algorithm to determine this year’s GCSE and A-level results. They were unable to sit exams because of lockdown, so the algorithm used data about schools’ results in previous years to determine grades. It meant about 40% of this year’s A-level results came out lower than predicted, which has a huge impact on what students are able to do next. GCSE results are due out on Thursday.”
Coronavirus: New £10,000 fines for organisers of illegal raves from Friday (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: New £10,000 fines for organisers of illegal raves from Friday. “Police in England will be able to fine organisers of illegal gatherings of more than 30 people such as raves up to £10,000 from Friday, ministers say. Those who attend gatherings and those who do not wear face coverings where it is mandatory can be given a £100 fine, doubling on each offence up to £3,200.”
Coronavirus: Public Health England ‘to be replaced’ (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: Public Health England ‘to be replaced’. “Public Health England is to be replaced by a new agency that will specifically deal with protecting the country from pandemics, according to a report. The Sunday Telegraph claims Health Secretary Matt Hancock will this week announce a new body modelled on Germany’s Robert Koch Institute.”
Coronavirus: Face covering use expanded in England and Scotland (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: Face covering use expanded in England and Scotland. “Face coverings have become mandatory in more indoor settings in England and Scotland following a recent spike in coronavirus cases. Places where coverings must now be worn in both countries include museums, places of worship and aquariums. Other new settings in England include cinemas and funeral homes, and in Scotland, banks and beauty salons.”
Coronavirus: England highest level of excess deaths (BBC)
BBC: Coronavirus: England highest level of excess deaths. “The UK saw some of the biggest rises in deaths rates in Europe in the months until the middle of June, official analysis shows. England saw the largest increase in death rates in Europe, with Scotland seeing the third largest increase. The Office for National Statistics says that Spain saw the highest peak in rates of death in Europe. But the UK had the longest period of above-average deaths and so overall saw higher death rates.”
