Iceland has become the first supermarket retailer in the UK to offer a special discount for over-60s.
Acting in response to the cost of living crisis, which is putting increasing pressure on household finances, the supermarket chain has launched a new discount exclusively for their older custoers.
Available to use from Tuesday 24 May, there is no minimum spend required to get the saving. Rather, the only thing over-60s will have to do to receive their discount is show proof of age to their cashier if requested.
The 10% discount can be used both at Iceland and The Food Warehouse, which is part of the Iceland Foods Group.
Age UK recently revealed that three-quarters of older people in the UK (9.4 million) are worried about the rising cost of living.
In response, Iceland is launching the discount across its stores and The Food Warehouse stores in the hope that it will help the older generation cut down their weekly food bill.
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The ten percent discount will be available to those over sixty every Tuesday and will apply across all products that include a range of great value meal essentials.
From fresh meats such as roast pork, rump steak, andgammon joint to £1 value frozen veg, Iceland is doing what it can to help the older generation keep costs down across its product ranges.
This also includes everyday essentials, such as Typhoo teabags, Nescafe instant coffee, biscuits and whole milk.
Also available is an array of Iceland ready meals that can be cooked straight from frozen, like chicken curry with rice, cottage pie,and vegetable lasagne.
The 10% discounts will be available in-store only and to receive the over 60s discount, shoppers simply need to show proof of age at the checkout, which could be a driving license, senior bus pass, senior railcard, or ‘Freedom Pass’.
Iceland also provides a free same-day delivery service for shoppers who spend a minimum of £20 in-store, allowing customers to pick up all their fresh and frozen favourites then choose their preferred delivery time.
Iceland will then keep their shopping chilled or frozen until it’s time to deliver it later that day.
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Speaking on the new discount, Richard Walker, Managing Director at Iceland, said: “We have a long history of supporting our over 60s customers, such as when we launched ‘Elderly Hour’ at the height of the pandemic.
“The cost of living crisis has made support for these customers even more important, which is why I’m proud that we’re finding new ways to support them, including the launch of this discount. We hope it will help all those in this age category to cut costs where they can.”
Image: The Manc Group
Iceland is the first UK chain to make changes for shoppers based on age.
The 10% discount is the latest in a series of measures the supermarket has rolled out to help elderly customers.
At the start of the pandemic, the supermarket lead the way with its ‘Elderly Hour’ exclusive shopping periods. Iceland also offered £30 vouchers to those receiving state pension as part of a regional trial last Christmas.
Following the success of the trial, the retailer is now exploring a national rollout ready for Summer 2022.
Government sets out multi-million-pound plan to move UK away from animal testing in science
Emily Sergeant
A £22m push to ramp up the UK’s move away from animal testing in science is set to bring together cutting-edge tech and research.
The latest figures show there were 2.54 million animal testing procedures in Great Britain in 2025, which is down 3.8% on 2024, but with a further update due to be released later this year, the Government is now moving to ‘capitalise’ on that momentum with funding to shift the nation onto alternative testing options.
A dedicated national research hub and nine new high-tech projects are planned to develop ‘better ways’ to test medicines on human biology rather than animals.
According to the Government, this means treatments for conditions like cancer and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) could be developed ‘faster’ and ‘more precisely’ to not only help patients but crucially also move science away from traditional animal testing.
At the heart of the plans is a new Pre-clinical Translational Models Hub – based in Cambridge and backed by £20 million in Government funding, which will work to build and share models of human tissue, grown from NHS patients, to test new treatments.
The new hub will accelerate the development of testing on ‘organoids’ – tiny, simplified versions of a human gut, tumour or brain, using cells donated by patients.
From beating heart cells in a dish to AI that can predict how drugs move through the body, exciting alternatives to animal testing are transforming medical research.
We're investing £22m to help scientists develop the next generation of life-saving treatments. pic.twitter.com/1EWRQvwySa
— Dept. for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (@biztradegovuk) August 12, 2026
Because these ‘organoids’ retain crucial features of a patient’s own biology, they will help researchers learn how a real person may respond to a drug and provide additional insights that can complement information that is currently obtained from animals.
Scientists will then be able to use these cutting-edge techniques in their own labs to work out which medicines are worth pursuing.
Overall, it’s hoped that the move will slash the time it takes to get ‘potentially life-changing’ treatments to market.
Alongside the funding for the new Hub, nine cutting-edge projects aimed at identifying new methods of animal-free scientific testing – from beating heart cells in a dish, to lab-grown human ear models, and AI that predicts how medicines move through the body – are being funded.
Sadly, many of these still rely on testing on dogs and monkeys, as it stands.
“This marks another significant step forward in the UK’s move away from animal testing in science and research,” commented Science Minister Chris McDonald.
“This is all about backing our world-leading researchers and innovators to improve lives, giving them the tools they need to deliver more effective treatments for horrendous diseases like cancer, while also preventing the need for animal testing wherever possible.
“It’s also a boost for our life sciences sector, fuelling opportunities for new investment and new jobs, and ensuring Britain is better off.”
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
19th May 2022 
