People have been heaping praise on Asda for launching a £1 meal deal for over 60s at all in-store cafes to help with the cost of living.
With the cost of living crisis continuing to make its impact felt nationwide, and inflation now at a 40-year record high of 10.1%, one of the UK’s largest supermarket retailers has announced a range of new ‘winter warmer’ initiatives to support its customers and community groups who are struggling with the rising costs.
The supermarket is offering all over 60s the chance to enjoy soup, a roll, and unlimited tea and coffees for just £1 in any of its 205 cafes.
The offer will be running all day and every day throughout November and December.
Asda says it is “stepping up its support for older customers” as they continue to be “disproportionately affected” by spiralling living costs – with the supermarket’s latest Income Tracker showing those aged 65 to 74 experienced a £163 drop in disposable income in August, compared to last year.
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Age UK also estimates that 2.8 million older households will still be living in fuel poverty this winter, despite the Government freezing the energy price cap.
We’ve announced three new ‘winter warmer’ initiatives to support customers and community groups struggling with the cost-of-living crisis, including a £1 meal deal for the over 60s in all our cafes throughout November and December. Read more here: https://t.co/3OepkMkBJRpic.twitter.com/dHCdHBO4Ht
The new £1 meal deal initiative for over 60s will also run alongside the supermarket’s current ‘kids eat for £1’ offer – which the retailer says continues to be hugely popular.
“We know that this winter is set to be incredibly hard for thousands of pensioners as they worry about how to keep themselves warm in the face of rising living costs and a fixed income,” Asda co-owner Mohsin Issa said on the launch of the meal deal initiative.
“We’ve already been able to serve over half a million meals through our Kids Eat for £1 initiative in our cafes and we’re hoping our new offer of soup and hot drinks for over 60s will prove just as impactful for those who need it most.”
Other initiatives announced by Asda during economic uncertainty include the supermarket’s charity, the Asda Foundation, providing funding worth £500,000 in the form of grants to support community groups that are struggling with rising operating costs or increased demand for their vital services.
Asda has been praised for launching £1 cafe meal deal for over 60s to help with cost of living / Credit: ASDA
Priority for grants of up to £2,000 will be given to groups and charities that need financial help to cover increased energy costs, or to those who want to use their facilities to create ‘warm banks’ – which are spaces where people can keep warm this winter if they are unable to afford to heat their homes.
The supermarket is also running a ‘Community Cuppa’ campaign in its cafes.
This will be done by creating spaces for community groups who “may otherwise struggle to meet due to rising energy costs”, with spaces available on weekdays in November and December from 2pm – 6pm and all those visiting receiving unlimited free tea or coffee.
One in 10 Brits are fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party, new survey finds
Emily Sergeant
We’re in peak office Christmas party season right about now.
With just under two weeks to go until the big day itself is here, many businesses across the UK are treating their staff to night out to celebrate both the festive season and all of the hard work they have been putting in throughout the year… and as you can expect, these are usually quite eventful gatherings, shall we say.
But now, a survey by has shed light on just how ‘eventful’ they actually are, as a new survey has revealed that, apparently, one in ten Brits face some sort of disciplinary action or dismissal due to their behaviour at Christmas parties.
The study was conducted by After Drink, and included more than 2,000 participants.
During the research, it was highlighted that 89% of employees admitted to drinking alcohol at these events, Lad Bible reports – with 65% of these confessing that they drank “excessively”.
One in 10 Brits get fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party / Credit: Kraken Images | Mimi Thian (via Unsplash)
There are a multitude of incidents which could lead to disciplinary action in the workplace nowadays, but according to the survey, some of the common reasons following festive celebrations with colleagues included inappropriate comments (23%) and even getting into fights (21%).
16% of these incidents were because of drug use during the event, while inappropriate interactions with colleagues accounted for 14%.
Some of the legal reasons you can be fired from your place of work after a Christmas party include gross misconduct, drunken behaviour, and fighting of any kind.
Despite all these risks, however, Christmas parties still remain as popular as always, and a whopping 79% of respondents said they are planning to attend theirs this year.
Clearly, the moral of the story here is , enjoy yourself… but just not too much.
Featured Image – The OurWhiskey Company (via Pexels)
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Half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner, new survey reveals
Emily Sergeant
Christmas dinner is one of the key parts of any festive celebration.
No matter whether you choose to tuck into a traditional roast with all the trimmings and lashings of gravy, or you prefer to go for something a little different like a curry or a Chinese instead, your Christmas dinner is a chance to gather round with your loved ones and enjoy one of the heartiest meals you’ll likely have all year.
However, some shocking new figures have revealed that half of Manchester residents have no clue how to even cook a Christmas dinner.
Through a major study by the UK’s leading electrical retailer, AO.com, it was revealed that the majority of our city’s residents are “losing confidence” in preparing even the simplest of British dishes – with a traditional roast or Christmas dinner being one of them.
A new survey has revealed that half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner / Credit: Freepik | GoodFon
As part of its new campaign to get Brits back into the kitchen, AO found that just 57% of respondents reckon they would be able to make a roast dinner, 52% could whip up a classic shepherd’s pie, 58% could cook bangers and mash, merely 61% could prepare a full English breakfast, and again, only 57% could tackle fish and chips.
Classic desserts are clearly a struggle for us Mancs too, according to the survey, as only 19% of respondents said they’d feel confident cooking a Christmas pudding.
The survey also found that nationwide, it was Gen Z – those between the age of 16 and 27 – that are the least confident in their ability to cook great British classics, while on the other end of the spectrum, Baby Boomers are the most capable, proving that culinary confidence increases with age.
Our region’s residents are apparently ‘losing confidence’ at cooking simple British classics / Credit: Freepik
Commenting on the results, Jay Lockton, oven expert at AO.com, said: “Kitchens should be a place of creativity and joy, but our data shows that a lot of people in Manchester are losing confidence in preparing even the simplest of British dishes.
“Based on our findings, many younger people may be opting for convenience foods or takeaways due to their busy schedules and the perception that cooking from scratch is time-consuming or difficult.
Emily Sergeant -
7th October 2022 
