Christmas came early for little Lauren Aitchinson this year, thanks to the £750 donation Argus Insurance made to the Arts Fund in return for a performance by philanthropist classical guitarist, Stephen Greenwood at a recent corporate event.

Lauren, 5, who suffers from Cerebral Palsy, was delighted with her new means of transport – a specially adapted pink Imp trike.  Angela Lucas, Head Teacher of St. Martin´s Special School, where Lauren is a pupil said “ We and Lauren’s family cannot thank The Arts Fund and Andy Baker (CEO of Argus) enough for this generous gift – this tricycle will literally change Lauren’s life. Funding is so difficult to come by and when we are lucky enough to get financial assistance, we have to put it towards more practical necessities rather than items that actually bring fun to a disabled child’s life.
Lauren has not been able to get around on her own since birth and up until now has only been able to observe other children at play. This trike now allows her the freedom to engage in play and have some independence for the first time in her life.”
The Arts Fund is a non-profit making organisation that stages live classical music performances in return for donations, giving 100% of all monies raised to children’s charities. Speaking on behalf of The Arts Fund, Stephen Greenwood said “we are always looking for ways to offer live classical music performances to raise money for such causes and would like to thank Argus Insurance who have enable us to buy this life-changing gift for Lauren.”
Argus’s Tyrone Montovio concluded “it is us who should be thanking The Arts Fund and professional musicians such as Stephen who donate their performance fees to raise cash for such worthy causes – it has truly been a heart-warming experience and an honour to be present here today to witness Lauren’s wish come true”

British Airways is giving customers more comfort and privacy in its Club Europe cabin from February 23, 2009 by removing the use of the middle seat.

This new configuration will offer those customers booked in the airline’s short haul business class cabin a guaranteed window or aisle seat, with the middle seat free. It will provide them with greater privacy and enhance their ability to work and rest onboard.
Customers can enjoy a more relaxing travel experience, while maintaining the full range of onboard Club Europe services including extra legroom in a comfortable leather seat, a choice of hot and cold refreshments and a complimentary bar.
Robert Boyle, commercial director at British Airways, said: “We’ve listened to customer feedback and taken the decision to leave the middle seat unoccupied to give our customers that extra privacy and sense of personal space.

The Gibmaroc Group crowned its across the board business success in 2008 by achieving international recognition for all three parts of the organisation in the form of ISO 9001:2000, the main standard of business management.

The largest and most widely recognised Certification Body, S.G.S. audited the business in December and recommended certification without any reservations.
“This confirms how our excellent team has contributed to the success of the businesses, by learning to review our practices internally as well as meeting exacting external standards” said Managing Director, George Desoisa.
EMAS Consultants, the major advisory body in this area in Gibraltar, provided the professional support. The achievement of certification of this Standard will provide the foundation for working towards ISO 14001, the world wide recognised standard for Environmental Management Systems.
The Group expects to be one of the first organisations tin Gibraltar to achieve recognition in the very near future.