Blogs

DIY chain B&Q has announced that qualifications aimed at improving customer service have been backed by City and Guilds accreditation. By the end of 2009, the retailer plans to have trained 5,000 employees, about 12% of its workforce, in the core areas of decorating, gardening, building and room solutions.

Employees gaining the award will be able to use it towards further academic qualifications, such as vocational diplomas or even a degree.

House prices are going down, make no mistake. But the reality is that the availability of funds and the restrictive terms placed on mortgages in the current climate make the first step on the property ladder the same elusive dream it was 12 months ago. If we were in any doubt as to the caution surrounding mortgage lending, the staggering 95% drop in lending in August should get any residual optimists off the fence.

So in real terms, should the first time buyer be under starter's orders in his local mortgage brokers? Or is this race more a marathon than a sprint?

OK, OK. His wife won it but it's a slow news day so cut me some slack.

This is the story about Ann Henry, a 50-year-old mother of 6 who won £4.4 million on Saturday's lotto draw when she correctly picked numbers 5, 15, 20, 22, 24 and 47. Arguably more interesting than her husband's tenuous link to this site is the fact that a gypsy predicted that she would win an amount beginning with a 4.