Pets at Home has released a brand new range of products that are designed especially to keep our four-legged friends cool and comfortable as temperatures soar outside.
It was officially recorded as the hottest day of the year so far in the UK yesterday, with temperatures exceeding 30°C in some places, and similar highs are also expected today. The Met Office even believes that record temperatures could be recorded three times over this week, so it’s definitely a scorcher out there.
Taking care in the beaming sun is important for humans and it’s equally, if not more important, to make sure our four-legged friends are well looked-after too.
They do have a furry coat after all.
Luckily, Pets at Home has released a new range and it’s available online and in stores across the UK now.
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The new range has items for spending time in the garden, going out on walks and lounging inside the house, including water bottles, cooling mats, UV cooling tents, cooling vests, pet sunscreen, freezable ice cream dog toys and even a dog-friendly ‘beer’ too, because why can’t they have a tipple too?
Pets at Home
One of the real highlights of the range is definitely the dog paddling pool, retailing at £18.75 – £26.25. It’s carefully designed to be strong, durable and able to withstand excitable pups, and is also shallow enough for dogs to climb in and out of safely with ease.
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If all this wasn’t tail-waggingly good enough, from Wednesday 24th June – Thursday 9th July, selected products in the cooling range will also be included in a 25%-off promotion deal too.
Speaking on the release of the new pet cooling range, Claire Gavin, Director of Creative Development and Innovation at Pets at Home, said: “With foreign holidays seeming a long way off for many, we’re turning to our gardens this summer and getting out and about with our pets in the sunshine, but just as the sun can be damaging to our skin, it poses a risk for the health of our pets too.”
“We know that keeping pets cool during the summer months can be a challenge, so our new range has been created with the health, welfare and safety needs of our pets top of mind, whilst ensuring they can keep cool and have fun in the sun too.”
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Pets at Home
You can find out more information and get your hands on the full pet cooling range from stores nationwide now, or shop online via the Pets at Home website here.
It’s important to check the opening times of your local Pets at Home branch before making any trips in store.
Government sets up taskforce to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care in England
Emily Sergeant
A taskforce aiming to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care in England has been set up by the Government.
The new Maternity and Neonatal taskforce – which is chaired by the Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting – will tackle ‘deep-rooted inequalities’ and deliver urgent action on the recommendations of the independent national investigation into maternity and neonatal services in England.
This means that women, babies, and families will receive safer and higher-quality care from the NHS in the long run.
According to the Government, the expert panel includes families, senior NHS leaders, royal colleges, campaigners, academics, and third sector representatives.
The Government has set up a taskforce to deliver ‘urgent action’ on maternity care / Credit: Jimmy Conover (via Unsplash)
As part of the selection process, the Government has been working closely with harmed and bereaved families to ensure their personal experiences were reflected, and those who have been chosen collectively have the clinical expertise, lived experience, and sector know-how to deliver the changes so desperately needed for families.
Starting next week, the Secretary of State will chair regular roundtables with the new taskforce – with the first priority to agree its Terms of Reference.
The taskforce will also address recent developments in maternity and neonatal care, including recommendations from the Thirlwall Inquiry, and the independent review into maternity services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
📢 National maternity and neonatal investigation to be launched
Too many families have suffered preventable harm.
The investigation will urgently look at services with specific issues and the entire maternity system, making sure each family receives safe and compassionate care. pic.twitter.com/J8XkwGM9dN
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 23, 2025
The taskforce will also be supported by a wider range of experts – as part of ‘expert reference groups’ – that the Government says will bring ‘a broader range’ of perspectives.
“Every woman and baby deserve safe, compassionate care during pregnancy and birth, and the very best start in life,” commented Duncan Burton, who is the Chief Nursing Officer for England.
“Although NHS maternity and neonatal teams work incredibly hard to support women and families every day, we know there is more we must urgently do to improve care and experience.
“I look forward to working with members of the taskforce to improve safety and deliver the best possible outcomes and experience for women, babies, families, and colleagues working in these services.”
Featured Image – Credit: Aditya Romansa (via Unsplash)
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Manchester Piccadilly is closing AGAIN for more improvement works this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Piccadilly is set to close again for more improvement works this weekend.
In case you hadn’t heard, Manchester Piccadilly train station was closed for nine days back in mid-February while a ‘once-in-a-generation upgrade’ was carried out – with very few train services running in or out of the station in the process, and as you’d expect, widespread disruption caused for those travelling around the region.
But thankfully, after many journeys were impacted for those travelling to and from major destinations like Manchester Airport, and on the West Coast Mainline, the station was back up and running at the end of February, with passengers thanked for their patience in the meantime.
Network Rail invested £7.9m into the major upgrade, with the main points of action being to improve tracks, points, and signalling systems on the southern approach to Manchester Piccadilly station.
At the time it was announced that the station had reopened, passengers were alerted to further minor closures in the future, and one of those closures is set to take place this weekend.
🗓️ On 1 & 22 March, we’ll complete follow-up work following our £7.9m track upgrade at Manchester Piccadilly.
🛤️ Morning journeys will be disrupted on those days, with rail replacement buses in operation to keep you moving.
This Sunday (22 March), routine follow-up work will take place to secure the new railway foundation stone through a process called tamping, and this will impact trains until 1pm, so passengers are advised to check online ahead of time if planning to travel.
These upgrades are said to help deliver ‘smoother, more reliable’ journeys for passengers in the future, but during this time, trains from the south and east will not run into Manchester Piccadilly.
All station facilities at Manchester Piccadilly will remain open on the day, including the ticket office, Passenger Assist lounge, toilets, and retail outlets, and Metrolink trams will continue to stop at the station too.
Northern has confirmed that it will continue to run a reduced timetable on services to Liverpool Lime Street, Blackpool North, and Chester.
Emily Sergeant -
25th June 2020 
