How our special educational needs provision could be transformed

Posted by on Sep 20, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 6 comments There are 1.7 million children in England with special educational needs, ranging from dyslexia and Down’s syndrome, to autism and attention deficit hyperactivity. The way their needs are met is currently under review by the government. And not a moment too soon. Next month a new foundation is being launched which will enable multi-disciplinary practitioners, including health and social...
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Abcodia’s serum biobank

Posted by on Sep 12, 2011 in Blog, My videos, PR client | 0 comments Here is my latest video showing Abcodia’s biobank, and explaining how its serum collection can for used in the research and development of molecular diagnostics. Abcodia’s CEO Dr Julie Barnes and Prof Ian Jacobs , non-executive director with Abcodia and the lead investigator for the UK Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening from which the serum biobank was founded, explain the...
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Adoption should not be a last resort

Posted by on Jun 7, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 7 comments I’m thrilled to see philanthropist Francesca Polini in today’s Times promoting a fairer adoption system both in the UK and internationally. Francesca and her husband Rick went to Mexico to adopt two babies after being turned by their local authority in Ealing where a cap on white couples adopting a black or mixed race child had been reached. As a result, countless children around the...
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Health, technology and social responsibility

Posted by on May 3, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 0 comments Julie Barnes talks passionately about our individual responsibility in supporting the adoption of genomic and molecular medicine and advanced IT for the assessment of disease risk, development of new ways to better diagnose many of the major debilitating illnesses affecting us today and the general management of our health. Julie was speaking at a Ted X Granta event in Cambridge and is CEO of...
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Bruce Oldfield and the UK’s “inhumane” adoption system

Posted by on Apr 28, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 0 comments Bruce Oldfield, the renowned couture dress designer, kindly contributed the foreword to Francesca Polini’s terrific book Mexican Takeaway which describes her adventures in Mexico where she adopted a daughter after being rejected by her local authority in London. Bruce reflects on his experiences as a foster child and the “obsessive bureaucracy” of our present adoption system in...
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Francesca’s Mexican Takeaway

Posted by on Apr 27, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 6 comments If you are looking for a good read over the Bank holiday weekend, then I highly recommend Francesca Polini’s riveting read, Mexican Takeaway.  When Francesca and her husband Rick travelled to Mexico, their mission was completely different to that of other tourists, they were there to find a baby to adopt and bring back to their home in the UK after being turned down by their local...
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The Times and its terrific adoption campaign

Posted by on Apr 19, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 16 comments I would like to commend The Times for the terrific adoption campaign it is running this week. Ask any child if he wants to spend his childhood in an institution or a loving, stable home – and I think you can guess the answer. Just like troubled Maisie who was featured in a BBC documentary last week, and was desperate to be part of a family. The Times yesterday highlighted new data which...
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How does it feel to be an adoptive parent?

Posted by on Apr 12, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 1 comment I was really moved by last night’s BBC 2 documentary featuring traumatised Maisie, who at 8 years-old had two failed adoptions behind her and was desperate to belong to a family. At first I thought the programme was too intrusive as therapists probed and opened up wounds about her troubled past, I felt that the visible distress this caused should have remained private. But then how would...
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John Bird, The Big Issue and adoptions

Posted by on Apr 7, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 6 comments This post has been written by Francesca Polini, an advocate for adoption reforms in the UK, and published on her blog. I found it so interesting that I have re-published it here. Last week I was invited to the launch of the Parliamentary Friends of The Big Issue. The Big Issue was started by John Bird as a way of getting homeless people back into work and into society. The event itself was low...
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Abcodia’s pancreatic cancer collaboration

Posted by on Apr 4, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 0 comments Pancreatic cancer robbed Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze of his life while in his prime, and has struck Apple’s Steve Jobs and our sensational soulful singer Aretha Franklin. Unbelievably, the survival rate has not improved in 30 years due to its late diagnosis. Abcodia, an innovative newly formed company I am working with, is engaged in the validation and discovery of molecular...
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Elizabeth Taylor and adoption

Posted by on Mar 28, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 1 comment My elder brother has urged me to write a post about Hollywood star Elizabeth Taylor who died last week as he admired her greatly. But what can be said that hasn’t already been written? I recalled that she had an adopted daughter Maria and thought this would be an excellent opportunity to highlight the selfless work of Francesca Polini, my client who is campaigning for a review of UK...
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Cambridge biotech entrepreneurs seek biobank partners

Posted by on Mar 8, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 1 comment The success of treating common and life-threatening diseases, from cancer and diabetes, to osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis, depends on an early diagnosis, and today’s advanced medical research technology plays a vital role in this. I am promoting today’s launch of  Abcodia, an innovative company engaged in the validation and discovery of molecular biomarkers which supports the...
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Thank you Bruce Oldfield!

Posted by on Feb 19, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 0 comments A thousand thanks to Bruce Oldfield, one of the UK’s leading fashion designers, for agreeing to write the foreword in a book for my client Francesca Polini who is campaigning for fairer adoption processes to benefit both children seeking new homes and loving families who want to provide them with stability and security. Francesca made headline news when the Daily Mail described how she was...
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How UK farmers will benefit from Robert Sturdy’s latest trade deal

Posted by on Feb 18, 2011 in Blog, PR client | 1 comment People often want to know what difference the EU makes to their lives. In this video, my MEP Robert Sturdy explains how a new trade agreement with South Korea which he steered through the parliament will benefit the UK farming industry: This story in Farmers Guardian describes how the deal will enable farmers in the UK to boost their exports to South Korea, and is expected to double trade over...
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Let’s end the Strasbourg travelling circus

Posted by on Feb 11, 2011 in Blog, PR client, Robert Sturdy MEP | 2 comments I’m delighted to hear my MEP Robert Sturdy speaking sound common sense and renewing calls to abolish the European Parliament sitting in Strasbourg following research which concluded that 70% of MEPs want to end their enforced visits there. Robert has vigorously campaigned for 17 years against the present system of travelling from Brussels to France at least a dozen times a year to vote on...
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European Parliament needs security shake-up

Posted by on Feb 9, 2011 in Blog, PR client, Robert Sturdy MEP | 0 comments My MEP Robert Sturdy has called for the sacking of the security company at the European Parliament in Brussels following an armed robbery; its third major security breach in two years. That makes sense to me. If this had happened in Westminster, I am sure that would happen. Parliament.com reports that two men, one of them armed, held up the post office in parliament last Friday and reportedly...
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The Electoral Commission and Welsh political activists

Posted by on Feb 1, 2011 in Blog, Politics, PR client | 5 comments The Electoral Commission may want to consider revising its regulations following the refusal of political activists to register as a lead opposition party for the Welsh Assembly referendum on devolution on 3 March. Apparently, this is permitted within the present rules. Yesterday I met key campaigner Len Gibbs from the True Wales group responsible for this and which is fiercely opposed to the...
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A lady can never have too many shoes …

Posted by on Jan 11, 2011 in Blog, PR client, Robert Sturdy MEP | 6 comments I have a pile of colourful shoes to choose from for every occasion and outfit, and I am sure I am not alone. So it is good news to hear that shoes will now be cheaper, thanks to the ending of the so-called ‘Shoes War’ which my MEP Robert Sturdy has campaigned against as Conservative International Trade spokesman in the European Parliament. It appears that the punitive EU duties on the...
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Congratulations to Francesca and her second Mexican Takeway!

Posted by on Nov 21, 2010 in Blog, PR client | 1 comment I had some wonderful news over the weekend. There’s nothing that beats putting a smile on my face than the arrival of a new baby. I love them all!! The mother is an inspirational woman who is campaigning to reduce bureaucracy over adoptions in the UK, Francesca Polini. She has just successfully adopted her second baby in Mexico with husband Rick, a boy called Luca, who is an adorable...
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Why are Britian’s families seeking international adoptions?

Posted by on Nov 2, 2010 in PR client | 1 comment This week is national Adoption Week and here are some myths which campaigners are keen to dispel: Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to own your home, have a job or be under 40 to adopt a child. You don’t have to be married either, or in a relationship, or heterosexual. You don’t have to be a parent already or qualified in any specific way. A disability is not necessarily an...
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Illegal timber harvests, AIDS treatment and bankers’ bonuses – a week in the life of Robert Sturdy MEP

Posted by on Jul 20, 2010 in PR client, Robert Sturdy MEP | 0 comments This is Eastern Region MEP Robert’s Sturdy’s latest report from the European Parliament sitting in Strasbourg, which tackled issues including illegally harvested timber, AIDS treatment and new rules for bankers’ bonuses: It is often the case that the plenary sessions in Strasbourg before the European Parliament’s summer recess are extremely busy, and last week was no...
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Why working in Tenerife is not an MEPs “junket”

Posted by on Mar 27, 2010 in PR client, Robert Sturdy MEP | 2 comments When you are an MEP you have to attend meeting throughout the European Union. And that includes Tenerife. So today’s story front page “exclusive” splash in The Express, “Climate MEPs live it up in Tenerife” is way off the mark and misleading. My MEP Robert Sturdy is one of those who has travelled there. After all, Tenerife is part of Spain which is in the European...
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Introducing the hospitalist

Posted by on Mar 8, 2010 in Infection 2009 | 3 comments Have you heard of the hospitalist? It’s an American concept, and one I would like a new Conservative government to consider introducing here to improve patient care while in hospital following yesterday’s devastating report in The Sunday’s Times which highlighted their neglect to meet targets. A pity if it is too late to add to our health policy for the general election as it could make a...
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Robert Sturdy supports ivory ban

Posted by on Jan 29, 2010 in Robert Sturdy MEP | 3 comments My MEP Robert Sturdy is urging the UK government to support a ban prohibiting the sale of existing ivory stock by two African countries as he fears it could lead to the slaughter of more elephants and possible extinction. Robert, who sits on both the International Trade Committee and the Sustainable Hunting Intergroup where this has been discussed, believes the European Parliament should...
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No wonder supermarkets are so rich

Posted by on Jan 20, 2010 in Personal, PR client, Robert Sturdy MEP | 8 comments I have a savoury tooth, rather than sweet, and often enjoy a slice of wholemeal bread (preferably organic) topped with crumbly cottage cheese (to keep the calories down). At least, it always used to be crumbly, but now it looks more like stodgy looking porridge. I’ve just opened a pot and was forced to scoop out several large spoonfuls of milk from the top before I could get to the cheese,...
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