UK-wide
Stories, people, organisations and useful developments connected with UK-wide.
£10m hospitality fund opens to help local pubs, cafés and restaurants grow
A new three-year UK grant scheme will back independent hospitality businesses, bring empty premises back into use and support training, with more than £3 million earmarked for community-pub charity Pub is The Hub.
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Most breast cancer survivors in study safely stopped heart medication after recovery
A UK-led trial found that most women whose heart function recovered after breast cancer treatment were able to stop long-term heart medication without their heart function worsening over the following year.
Plug-in solar becomes available in Great Britain for the first time
New rules mean plug-in solar panels can now be used in England, Scotland and Wales, potentially opening small-scale renewable generation to more households.
£96,000 shared by 23 grassroots groups across all four UK nations
Twenty-three charities and community organisations have received grants through SPAR's 2026 Community Cashback scheme, spanning causes from youth work and conservation to sport and search and rescue.
Record £24.9m community investment backs nearly 1,300 projects across UK and Ireland
SSE says its community investment programme supported nearly 1,300 projects, helping create jobs, tackle fuel poverty, improve community assets and open up opportunities for young people.
First young people start paid jobs through new employment guarantee
The first participants have started six-month paid roles through a national scheme aimed at young people who have been out of work for an extended period.
£22 million UK programme backs human-based science to reduce reliance on animal testing
New investment includes a £20 million centre for miniature human organs and nine projects exploring alternatives including beating heart cells and AI drug modelling.
UK volunteers help build a new living map of the nation's seaweed
Thousands of sightings collected through citizen science are powering an interactive map that helps researchers understand how coastal ecosystems are changing.
Online MenB booking expands so eligible young people can arrange both vaccine doses themselves
The NHS National Booking Service now lets eligible young people book either MenB dose online, making it easier to complete the two-dose vaccination course.
£106,500 study will explore why inflammatory bowel and coeliac conditions are missed or diagnosed late
Crohn’s & Colitis UK and Coeliac UK are jointly funding research using anonymised NHS records to study diagnosis patterns, inequalities and missed opportunities for earlier care.
Large UK study finds HRT use associated with lower dementia risk for some groups of women
Researchers analysing more than 180,000 postmenopausal women found HRT use was associated with lower dementia risk, with the strongest associations in certain biological and genetic groups.
UK study will build one of the world’s largest menstrual-fluid biobanks
CycleTrack will collect menstrual-fluid samples and daily health data from thousands of women to improve understanding, diagnosis and treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding.
Online MenB booking expands so all eligible young people can arrange both doses
The NHS National Booking Service now allows every eligible young person in the time-limited MenB programme to book a first or second dose online ahead of university and college terms.
NHS Online appoints first chief executive as digital specialist-care service moves towards 2027 launch
Dame Caroline Clarke has been appointed first chief executive of the Online NHS Trust, which is expected to provide up to 8.5 million virtual appointments and assessments in its first three years.
UK flight trial will test whether tiny route changes can cut warming contrails
Operation Blue Skies will use AI forecasts and small altitude changes on North Atlantic flights to test whether persistent warming contrails can be reduced in normal airspace operations.
£1.1m fund has backed 211 community projects across the UK in six months
A social-value fund linked to social-housing contracts has supported 211 projects including defibrillators, school visits, financial literacy and small repairs for vulnerable residents.
Ten-day charity bike ride links 18 pension funds with local causes across England
Ewan McCulloch has cycled around 1,300km across England, with partner pension funds using the route to raise money for charities in their own communities.
Former boxing champion takes on 1,800-mile cycle-and-swim challenge for suicide prevention
Darren Barker is travelling from Edinburgh to Morocco by bike and open-water swim to raise money for CALM in memory of Ricky Hatton.
BBC Introducing LIVE will bring free music-industry events to ten UK cities this November
Emerging musicians and creators will get access to live performances, workshops, panels and networking through BBC Introducing LIVE events around the UK.
Volunteers are feeding and supporting firefighters during major wildfire responses
A Cambridgeshire-based charity has been sending volunteer teams to provide hot food, drinks and welfare support to firefighters tackling major wildfires around the country.
Social prescribing may help people connect with care without driving up costs
A University of Manchester study of more than 1.4 million records suggests social prescribing is linked to more healthcare use at first, followed by a small reduction in GP appointments within a year.
UK mental health innovation scheme will bring patients, researchers, the NHS and industry together
A University of Manchester-led national initiative has launched to connect lived experience, researchers, the NHS and technology organisations around better mental health innovation.
National Trust plant sales go completely peat-free
The National Trust says its entire retail plant supply chain is now 100% peat-free, a move designed to reduce damage to carbon-rich peatland habitats.
Fifteen grassroots groups win Windrush community funding
Fifteen organisations have been awarded support from a UK fund designed to help communities understand and access the Windrush schemes.
Millions offered at-home HPV tests in NHS screening expansion
Nearly four million women in England who are behind on cervical screening will be offered HPV self-testing kits through a national NHS rollout.