The latest NICE guidelines highlight the delivery of brief interventions as a high impact change which encourages more people to smoke less. Typically taking 5-10 minutes, brief interventions offer opportunistic advice, discussion or encouragement – and are having a big impact on communities. For instance, our Stop4Life work in the Midlands focuses on meeting local [...]
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The ICE Fitness Challenge: Week Five
Thursday 5th April 2012 – 9:15 AM
With Easter just around the corner and supermarket shelves stacked full of chocolate eggs, you’d be forgiven for thinking the efforts of ICE’s 12 fitness buddies have slacked over the past few weeks. However, the team taking part in the ICE Fitness Challenge are just as determined (if not more so) to get fitter and [...]
What to measure and how to measure it: PART 2
Monday 2nd April 2012 – 11:06 AM
In my recent blog on measures and sampling, I said: “A key principle for the effective use of data is to ensure it’s viewed in context. By this I mean not comparing one number with another but having sufficient data to analyse properly and doing so in graphical form. One of the best ways of [...]
Your Essential Guide: Engaging and Encouraging Breastfeeding Mums
Wednesday 28th March 2012 – 12:58 PM
It’s fair to say recent media stories about breastfeeding may have left some mums feeling confused and conflicted about how best to support their baby. So it’s more important than ever to ensure breastfeeding mums and their families have access to the information and support they need – where and when they need it. In [...]
Saints and Slimmers – the ICE fitness challenge
Friday 23rd March 2012 – 8:50 AM
It’s always the same… “That’s it, I’m on a diet!”, “I’m joining a gym!” – but we never do. The intention is there, we just can’t get motivated. There are so many reasons we all want to lose weight and get fitter; weddings, holidays… clothes that used to fit. Equally, there are many reasons for [...]
Using Social Media to meet the Export Challenge
Thursday 22nd March 2012 – 10:35 AM
Earlier this week I was invited to speak at a UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) ‘Export Challenge’ event. The UKTI says exporters are 12 times more likely to survive than other businesses and the session was all about inspiring and supporting small businesses to encourage exports and spread into new markets. So it was great [...]
The power of branding and design for social good
Wednesday 21st March 2012 – 2:26 PM
Branding and design can do so much more than help raise awareness of an issue. It has the power to engage and empower people to change for the better, supporting sustainable behaviour change on a range of key social issues. Whether it’s public health, community safety or environmental responsibility, effective design has been integral to [...]
What to measure and how to measure it?
Thursday 15th March 2012 – 9:05 AM
We tend to want to measure things in all walks of life: in business, at home, in sport etc. We do this for two main reasons. We want to see how things are going (“great, we are doing better now…”) and we want to be able to predict the future (“okay, we are confident we [...]
Making social media work inside organisations
Thursday 8th March 2012 – 12:24 PM
Social networking within the workplace is a world away from the ‘command and control’ style of leadership and ‘one way’ communications models. However, to gain the competitive edge, the most successful companies are fundamentally starting to readdress these traditional management styles and principles. Undoubtedly, the growth of less formal, more conversational modes of communication marks a [...]
Supporting sustainable efficiencies: An Essential Guide in a new Policing Landscape
Wednesday 7th March 2012 – 1:48 PM
The public election of Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) later this year comes amid fervent debate around resourcing and the impact of ever-decreasing budgets on frontline policing services. According to the Home Office, the stated aims of the PCCs are to cut crime, ensure community needs are met and make a difference to the lives [...]
