Rathbones and University of Liverpool team up to attempt world land speed record

RATHBONE Brothers Plc (Rathbones) have announced that it will provide principal sponsorship for the University of Liverpool's project to design and build ARION1, a bicycle which will attempt to break the land speed record for fastest human powered vehicle, and bring the record to the UK for the 1st time.  The project will see a team of undergraduate students from the University of Liverpool's School of Engineering attempt the record in September 2015, as part of the 'World Human Power Speed Challenge.'  This event, if you do not know, is an annual event held in Battle Mountain, Nevada, USA. The current men's record is 83.13mph and the women's record is 75.69mph. The University of Liverpool team hopes to break the 90mph barrier, which would set new world records for both men and women. ARION1 is a 'recumbent' bicycle, where the cyclist pedals in a laid back reclining position. As such the rider acts as the ARION1's engine and the University of Liverpool Team have partnered with leading sports scientists from Liverpool John Moores and Liverpool Hope Universities, who have helped select and train the riders and provide ongoing support in the way of nutrition and performance monitoring.  Philip Howell, Chief Executive of Rathbones, said:- "Becoming the principal sponsor of ARION1 is a wonderful opportunity to support an enterprising project at the cutting edge of technology and to encourage this team of engineering students. Rathbones has its roots in Liverpool and this endeavour combines the talents from across the city. Our 'Look forward' tagline is the essence of Rathbones' new brand and our sponsorship of ARION1 highlights our support for Britain's young entrepreneurs and future leaders." Dr Tim Short from the University of Liverpool said:- "This is a really exciting opportunity for engineering students at the University of Liverpool to put into practice all the skills they've learnt; and more besides; on a world-class engineering product. By linking in with the sports scientists, the students have put together a real, interdisciplinary team that represents the best way of designing new products. And hopefully we'll collect a World Record into the bargain!"

Further information about the ARION1 project can be found online. 

Regus Survey Shows That Liverpool Commuting Costs Continue to Climb

LIVERPOOL workers are battling with increasing commuting costs according to a survey of over 4,000 senior business people across the UK by the world's largest workplace provider, Regus.  With train fares and petrol costs continuing to rise, the results show that 35% pay out more than 5% of their salary on commuting. The average proportion of pay spent on commuting by UK workers is now 4%, a rise from 3% in 2010. Commuting costs are contributing to a rise in the number of UK professionals looking to work flexibly. Business centres offer a professional, convenient alternative for those looking to avoid long, expensive, and sometimes difficult, journeys into the office. Richard Morris, UK CEO, Regus comments:- "Businesses that want to retain and attract top talent cannot fail to address the issue of the costly commute.  Flexible working can provide a solution. By offering their employees the opportunity to work closer to home at least some of the time, our customers have not only improved staff loyalty, but also seen an impact on productivity. Staff that spend less time stuck in traffic jams or on crowded trains have more time to apply themselves to the job in hand."

Study reveals 1/3 of British adults don't know how to change a plug

WHAT did you do last weekend? Got on with some cleaning, did a bit of gardening, changed a plug? It's particularly unlikely you did that last one, as DIY; once the noble preserve of men throughout the nation; is disappearing from our households faster than a 6 pack of beer at a cricket match. Trade building supplies and DIY specialists BuildingMaterials.co.uk asked over 1,000 Brits some questions about DIY and the answers might surprise you. Unlike our grandparents' generation, we've lost the skills which mean we can turn our hands to anything around the house, and prefer to throw money at the problem instead. A fairly shameful 32.3% of us don't even know how to change a plug! And the worst offenders are the under 45s. It's the older generation who still know how to get things done, however, as nearly 95% of the over 65s answered yes when asked if they knew what wires went where. So perhaps it's worth asking your granddad next time a fuse blows…  But if there's 1 thing you can rely on British men doing when it comes to DIY, it's finding an excuse to wriggle out of it. A third of them will blame not having the right tools (yeah, right…), while a creative 12.6% are likely to say they can't do it because 'the weather isn't right.' Just how that would affect putting up some shelves in the living room or changing a lightbulb, we're not exactly sure… A very honest 7.1% of men just admit they would rather watch sports on the telly, while 5.5% cop to having a hangover.  Which means it's no great surprise that the women of the house have come to realise that if you want a job doing well (or even at all) you have to do it yourself; just over a quarter of the country's womenfolk admit to doing the DIY tasks in their home. Although a lazy 21.7% of households prefer to call in an expert tradesman… Either way, men of Britain, you should be ashamed of yourselves!