11 YEAR OLDS BETTER AT MATHS THAN THE AVERAGE BRITISH ADULT

THE average adult in Britain has a maths ability equivalent to that of a 10.5-year-old child, according to research by www.Whizz.com - the UK’s leading provider of online maths tuition for children aged 5 to 13.  3 in 5 people look back on their school maths lessons with regret, wishing they’d been more patient with percentages and keen on calculations, a poll of 1,000 reveals.

“Many people scraped through their maths exams and thought they’d never have to do complicated sums again. Now, they’re finding that in order to survive the current economic climate they need to pay more attention to household bills and interest rates. If they don’t, they could find themselves in the red.” says Richard Marett, CEO of Whizz.com. 

To stay one step ahead of the recession, people need to find the best deal from banks, get to grips with interest rates and calculate their household expenditure, says Marett. The importance of maths cannot be stressed enough and people need to stop burying their heads in the sand.

“Children make an internal decision as to whether they’re good at maths by the age of 9.  Therefore it’s crucial to stress to kids that the subject can be fun, that they can be good at it, and that it is an important factor in adult life.” says Marett.

Maths-Whizz Tutoring Plus tailors each online lesson to individual children’s abilities so they don’t get left behind in the numbers game.

GREAT BRITISH PUBLIC GOING FOOTBALL CRAZY!

THE Great British public has more faith in the reliability of their cars and football teams than they have in their jobs and homes, a HiQ survey revealed.  The questionnaire, sent to 500 of the company's customers, revealed that the nation is becoming unsure of the very things they took for granted before the economic crisis took toll.

HiQ is one of the nation's leading fast fit retailers, specialising in tyres, MOTs and a full range of car services.  The survey was commissioned to coincide with the launch of HiQ's new company philosophy - fast fit you can be sure of.

Motorists were asked what one thing they can be sure of in today's uncertain world and 22% chose the reliability of their car, ahead of their jobs (11%) and their homes (15%).  Even more amazingly, a greater number of people said they had more faith in their favourite football team than their houses and jobs, with 17% of people voting for their preferred side.  But it seems that while the credit crunch is making the nation nervous, people still have every faith in their families, with 35% (175 people) putting loved ones as the one thing they can be sure of.

HiQ marketing manager Geraldine McGovern said:- "HiQ commissioned the survey to celebrate the launch of our new concept - Fast fit you can be sure of. We thought it would be interesting to ask our customers what other things they are sure of in today's uncertain world.  The results were certainly interesting, and seem to prove that the credit crunch is affecting people's choices."

HiQ is attempting to change perceptions in the fast fit industry, after a Which? Survey in 2006 found that customers have a 73% dissatisfaction with service in the fast fit industry.

Geraldine added:- "That statistic is an alarming one, and one which we have spent a long time addressing.  Our centres are being redeveloped to bring them in line with customer expectations and our open and honest pricing based on the principles 'the price we quote is the price you pay' is also key to retaining the customers we have."

For more information about HiQ and its range of vehicle maintenance services, please click on www.hiqonline.co.uk.

MERSEYSIDE'S UNEMPLOYED TASTE THE WILD SIDE OF LIFE

WORKING Links has teamed up with Liverpool based Wild Woman to present a new programme of free workshops designed to inspire, motivate and help unemployed people get their lives back on track.

The workshops are the brainchild of Liverpool born Clare Campbell whose own experience of being unemployed led her to set up the programme.  The workshops take the form of a three day Wild Transformation Retreat in Sefton and Wirral and aim to raise self esteem and confidence through a range of creative workshops including story telling, group art therapy and mask making. Following on, participants receive further support through the follow up programme with Working Links.

"I was out of work in my 20s after I came back from University.  I used to attend a job club in Bootle where I found most people who were out of work lost their self esteem, hope and positive attitude, and none of the programmes available addressed these issues in anyway.  Through using therapy and other techniques, I managed to change my life and overcome the challenges I faced around being unemployed. This inspired me to set up Wild Woman and help others who find themselves in a similar position to the one I was once in." said Clare Cambell.

In response to its success, Wild Woman have announced more of the 3 day workshops though out January and February. The workshops are for men and women who are unemployed on Merseyside who are looking to boost their esteem, change their lives, re ignite lost dreams and ideas and become inspired to move on into an inspiring career or self employment.

Dates:- Wirral Course - 11  February , 12  February , 13  February  2009 9.45am to 2.30pm)

Dates:- Bootle Course - 24  February, 25 February, 26 February 2009 9.45am to 2.30pm)

Clare says:- “We offer people who are interested in attending to come along to taster sessions to meet us and get a feel for what the programme is about . There is no pressure to then sign up for the course and you can ask any questions about how the programme is run”

The programme includes helping people with basic skills needs, supporting individuals who would like to become self-employed and providing specific support such as help with building a CV, telephone techniques, interview preparation and presentation skills.

Angela Byrne, 40, been out of work and on Incapacity/income for 20 years ."Its been magical, educational and inspiring. It's the best thing I’ve done for myself in 20 years. The course made me feel brilliant, empowered and happy”.

The workshops are being delivered as part of a new Working Links programme in Merseyside, which is funded by the European Social Fund and is in partnership with Jobcentre Plus. 

The Wild Woman workshops are one of a range of initiatives Working Links is providing to engage with people and help them into work. The ESF funded programme is available across Greater Merseyside and is available to anyone aged over 16, who is unemployed.

Ann Lloyd, Partnership and Provisions Manager at Working Links, said:- "The Wild Woman workshops are an opportunity for people to gain a new lease of life and change their lives for the better. At Working Links we help people do this by helping them access the benefits of employment. For some people the workshops will mark the start of them deciding where they'd like to work and what direction they'd like to take their lives - here at Working Links we can help them get there."

For everyone interested in participating on any of the workshops, or is interested in finding out more, please contact Clare Campbell on:- 07813 920 489.