From dream to reality: Go-op, Britain’s first cooperative railway

The idea for the country’s first cooperative rail service came to Alex Lawrie in 2004 after another frustrating trip across Somerset.Having moved to Yeovil four years earlier with his young family, his job as a cooperative development manager involved daily trips across the south-west trying to set up member-owned businesses.A reluctant motorist, he quickly became frustrated with the rail service he was depending on to get around.“It baffled me, trains came at seemingly random intervals, there were only a few trains serving a big town like Yeovil, hours would pass without a train coming,” Lawrie says. “I couldn’t understand it, I was like, ‘There are the rails, they all link up, more or less, how hard can it be to get a better service?’”While most passengers would grumble and leave it at that, Lawrie took the matter into his own hands

UK steel industry calls for government to buy British in offshore wind push

The UK steel industry has called for the government to promise to buy British as it prepares for a major expansion of offshore wind generation.Wind generation has become a key part of the UK’s energy system, contributing 29% of generated electricity in 2023. However, despite the huge increase in the number of turbines, only 2% of the steel used in British offshore wind projects over the past five years was made in the UK, according to a study by the consultants Lumen Energy & Environment, commissioned by UK Steel, a lobby group.The British industry wants the government to aim to dramatically increase that proportion. The business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, is preparing to publish a new steel strategy in the spring that will look at how to “increase steel capacity and capability in the UK” even as the industry struggles with the costs of decarbonising

Boxing Day footfall down on UK high streets despite discounts

Fewer consumers made the journey to high streets and shopping centres in search of Boxing Day discounts this year.Footfall across UK retailers was down 8.9% as of 3pm on Thursday, compared with Boxing Day in 2023, according to data from MRI Software.“The decline in Boxing Day activity may reflect a shift in consumer behaviour, influenced by the ongoing cost of living crisis,” said the retail tech experts’ marketing and insights director, Jenni Matthews.UK high streets suffered the biggest decline – about 10

The first quarter of 21st century wasn’t great for investors. The next needs an AI boost | Nils Pratley

The first quarter of the 21st century is almost up, assuming one regards 31 December 1999 to have been the last day of the last millennium (non-partying pedants insist the date actually fell on the final day of 2000). It is the cue for analysts at Deutsche Bank to remind investors how much can change in the course of 25 years, in this case from the days when Nokia phones and fax machines, rather than iPhones and Amazon, were everyday features of life.Here’s one jaw-dropper: back in sunny days of 1999, there was a live debate as to when the US would pay down its entire stock of government debt. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reckoned the glorious day would arrive sometime in 2013. In reality, borrowing headed in the other direction almost immediately – and the US debt-to-GDP ratio is now above 100%

‘It’s absolutely open to abuse’: web awash with weight-loss drug offers

After Andy King was told he was not eligible to receive weight-loss jabs on the NHS, he turned to the internet to order them privately. But before long, he was inundated with promotions.“Every other advert on my social media feed is an offer to have a Black Friday deal on the drugs,” he said.In a video call with the Guardian, King, a 59-year-old leisure management consultant and coach, demonstrated what happens when he looks for such medications.Opening a search engine, he typed three words: “Weight loss drugs

Bouncing back: UK soft play centres recover after Covid closures

“It will go all the way up there, with four floors, and a net maze,” says Jonathan Laznik, the owner of Gambado, pointing to the 10-metre-high ceiling in Forest Hill’s Capitol theatre, which is the venue for the company’s newest soft play venture.Built as a silent cinema in 1929, the Grade II-listed art deco building, which once sat 1,600 cinemagoers, has also served as a bingo hall and, until last year, a Wetherspoon’s pub.Novelty Guinness hats emblazoned with “Happy St Patrick’s Day!” still hang behind the bar, which Laznik says will be demolished to make way for children’s party rooms next year, if he secures planning permission.With three other sites in Brent Cross, Chelsea and Finchley, Laznik is one of a growing number of entrepreneurs who have entered the soft play market in recent years.After 10% of operators went out of business during the coronavirus pandemic, there are signs of recovery, with some providers including Laznik buying multiple sites