London, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/30/2012 -- The National Trust is planning a campaign this year to improve peoples' links with nature and wildlife. The Trust's director-general Fiona Reynolds said children needed freedom to discover nature for themselves. "It's about wanting to give children a sense of freedom to discover," said Ms Reynolds at a news conference in London, "The campaign will help children to get outdoors and connect them with nature, including things that can be done at trust properties, to try and stimulate a nation of nature-lovers."

A source at SSC Marketing, a London-based sales and marketing company said, "There's definitely been a large decrease in the time young people spend engaging with nature in a positive way. It's a modern problem, which needs a modern solution."

A 2009 report for Natural England showed that only 10% of children now experience woodland play, as opposed to 40% of their parents' generation. This retreat has even led to suggestions of a new quasi-medical syndrome, nature-deficit disorder.

The exact nature of the campaign will be made clearer in April but it is likely to include an expansion of activities such as den-making and pond-dipping, which children can do now at some Trust properties. Matthew Oates, the Trust's specialist on nature and wildlife experience, said he wanted to help children and adults have "epiphany moments".

"Mine was at the age of four when I saw a willow-warbler's nest," he said, "But it's not just for children - we want adults who've gone to cities, with children and grandchildren, who can go out and experience nature and recall that in the end, we belong to it and it's part of us."

A staff member at SSC Marketing said, "I have some very fond memories of playing outside and in nature from when I was a child. It's a shame that a lot of young people nowadays don't have that, because I think it did me a lot of good. It's not healthy to spend your life indoors."

At the same news conference, National Trust chairman Simon Jenkins clarified the organisation's position on wind power following a newspaper report saying it was "deeply sceptical" of the technology. "We are strongly pro-renewables," he said, "but we are also concerned with the countryside and worried about things that appear to intrude."

Our source at SSC Marketing said, "When it comes to nature and ecological issues it's never just black and white. There's always a wide range of concerns to take into consideration. The trick is trying to achieve a sense of equilibrium between all those factors, which sometimes are in conflict. Balance is key."

http://www.bbc.co.uk

http://www.prlog.org/11836605-could-this-be-the-end-of-hyde-park-gigs.html

http://www.facebook.com/pages/SSC-Marketing/175953735785391

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London, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/28/2012 -- British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama are due to meet for discussions on the Afghanistan situation when Cameron heads to the US capital for a three-day visit. Ahead of the meeting, both leaders have described the "unique and essential" relationship between the US and UK, saying "the world counts on our alliance". Sophinna Asif of SSC Marketing is keen to see the relationship between the two nations develop, believing that we can only benefit from it. Sophinna echoed the sentiments of the leaders, saying the relationship was a "unique and essential asset, for our nations and the world".

Mr. Cameron will become the first foreign leader to be welcomed aboard the presidential plane, Air Force One, by President Obama. This latest meeting comes ahead of the NATO and G8 summits. Mr. Cameron and Mr. Obama are expected to talk at length about the crisis in Afghanistan, as well as the tensions over Iran and the violence in Syria. On Afghanistan, they said they would be discussing plans for "shifting to a support role in advance of Afghans taking full responsibility for security in 2014". The visit comes at a tense time for Afghan / Western relations, following the shooting of 16 Afghan civilians by an American soldier. However, the leaders are determined not to let this incident, nor threats of Taliban reprisals, hinder the work of the allied forces, saying that they were "proud of the progress our troops have made in dismantling al-Qaeda, breaking the Taliban's momentum and training Afghan forces", but "as recent days remind us, this remains a difficult mission".

Sophinna Asif understands that the Afghan situation remains volatile, but is hopeful that the good work of the Anglo-American alliance can continue. Mr. Cameron and Mr. Obama are certainly not downhearted by recent events, believing that "with confidence in our cause and faith in each other, we still believe that there is hardly anything we cannot do."

Other topics likely to be discussed during the meeting include the state of the global economy and international aid.

During the trip, on which Mr. Cameron will be accompanied by his wife Samantha, the prime minister will become the first foreign leader to be welcomed aboard the presidential plane, Air Force One, by President Obama.

"The special relationship between the US and the UK is one forged through a history of understanding," said another source within SSC Marketing. "Like Mr. Cameron and Mr. Obama have already said, we count on each other and the world counts on our alliance."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17346879

http://www.briefingwire.com/pr/ssc-marketing-comments-on-rebecca-adlington-on-400-metre-freestyle-to-seal-place-in-olympics

http://twitter.com/#!/SSCMrktg

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You may have heard of soldier ants - whose primary function is to guard their nest from intruders. Now, scientists have discovered a new soldier, in the usually much less confrontational world of bees. SSC Marketing react to the break-through news, saying “Science has a habit of catching us all off-guard and surprising us”.

London, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/27/2012 -- You may have heard of soldier ants - whose primary function is to guard their nest from intruders. Now, scientists have discovered a new soldier, in the usually much less confrontational world of bees. SSC Marketing react to the break-through news, saying "Science has a habit of catching us all off-guard and surprising us".

A University of Sussex team found that, in colonies of Jatai bees (Tetragonisca angustula), some insects are born soldiers. The study, reported in the journal PNAS, is the first known example of a soldier bee. "A discovery of a variation of a species is always exciting" says SSC Marketing. While the caste system is common in ants and termites, with insects of different shapes and sizes assuming defined roles, the division of labour in bees is usually much more transient. Jatai soldiers are 30% larger than worker bees"

"Workers carry out different tasks at different ages," explained Prof Francis Ratnieks from the University of Sussex, who led the research team. "They start out cleaning the nest, then feeding the larvae... then foraging and [eventually] guarding." But while most bee guards take on their role for about a day, Jatai bee guards stand guard at the wax entrance tube to their nest for about a week. "For an insect that's a very long time!" commented SSC Marketing.

To find this out, the team observed the bees' nests on a farm in Fazenda Aretuzina, Brazil. They used dots of paint to mark the bees that were hovering and perching close to the entrance, which revealed that these guards assumed that role for extended periods of time. "We then took some of these [guard bees] back to the lab to examine them more closely," explained Prof Ratnieks. From this examination, he and his colleagues realised that the bees were not just behaving different; they were also a different size and shape to the worker bees.

"The Jatai soldiers are 30% larger than worker bees," said Prof Ratnieks. "They also have larger legs that they probably use for grappling."Prof Ratnieks and his colleagues think that the Jatai soldier bees may be the product of an evolutionary arms race against the diminutive species' worst enemy - the robber bee (Lestrimelitta limao).

"Robber bees simply invade other bees' nests" says SSC Marketing "and steal their food reserves rather than foraging".

"They're much bigger than Jatai bees and a full-blown attack can destroy a [Jatai] colony," explained Prof Ratnieks. Soldier bees appear to help prevent an attack by tackling individual robber "scouts" that set out to find a suitable victim colony to invade. "Take nightclub bouncers, security guards, and rugby players," he said. "It often helps if you are big when tackling a conflicting situation. "The same seems to be true for these bees when deterring nest robbers."

"We at SSC Marketing compare our office to that of a busy hive with everyone working together to a single goal" says SSC Marketing.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/16469386

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London, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/27/2012 -- Following complaints from residents of Mayfair, it seems that Westminster City Council is on the verge of scrapping one of London's biggest open-air music festivals – Hyde Park.

Calls to limit the number of major concerts, ban dance acts and reduce noise levels have put the future of the venue in question, leading rock stars, celebrities and even politicians to launch a campaign to have the decision reversed. Figures including Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, TV presenter Ben Fogle and London's mayor Boris Johnson have all warned that imposed limitations would kill off concerts altogether.

London-based firm SSC Marketing, and its managing director Sophinna Asif, have been watching the story unfold with interest. "I can see the point the local residents have," said Ms Asif. "Living next door to a big rock festival cannot be easy. But at the same time, Hyde Park is a major event that is fast becoming a mainstay of the UK's festival run. Losing it could be bad for the British music scene."

This sentiment seemed to be echoed by John Giddings - whose company 'Solo Productions' represents artists including Madonna, U2, David Bowie and the Rolling Stones. Mr Giddings has reportedly told London newspaper The Evening Standard that he would advise his clients to never play Hyde Park again if the council forces bands to turn down the volume. Other stars within the music industry have branded the council as "killjoys", while Mayor Johnson urged Westminster to consider "the consequences" to the city's economy.

There are even some people within the Royal Parks Agency who are opposed to the council's proposed axing of the music festival. The Evening Standard reports that Colin Buttery, acting Royal Parks chief executive, said: "Hyde Park is so important, it would be awful if we could not put on events activities."

Another spokesman within the Royal Parks Agency said that "such dramatic restrictions on sound levels would result in the cancellation of all concerts in Hyde Park this year and beyond" adding that the proposal would also lead to "the cancellation of the London Live programme during the Olympics events . . . "

SSC's MD agrees. "Let's not forget the 2012 Olympics, and the benefits of all events – sporting and otherwise - connected with them. And that must obviously include the Hyde Park event."

But local resident Karen Scarborough, whose Connaught Square home is adjacent to Hyde Park, offers a different point-of-view. "I can hear the concerts at the same volume as if I was there in the front row," Ms Scarborough told the Evening Standard.

SSC's managing director understands. "It can be easy for supporters of the festival to overlook the concerns of the residents of Mayfair. But there has to be an easier way then imposing crippling guidelines which could chase the bigger names away from the event. If other cities can find a balance then so can London."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-24036396-battle-to-save-hyde-park-gigs.do

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London, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/27/2012 -- Over the past four years, the London Fire Brigade has managed to save a total of £9m, after the number of false call-outs attended by crews dropped significantly. A spokesperson said that the amount of calls has dropped from 48,771 in 2008, to 40,374 in 2011. The calls are usually triggered by faulty automatic alarm systems. However, there are still crews being called out to false or hoax calls every ten minutes, which costs the Fire Brigade around £37m a year. SSC Marketing expressed shock at the statistic, adding, "It's amazing that so many companies are not maintaining their safety systems properly. It's so important, and as this shows, not just for the safety of people within the company."

The London Fire Brigade commented on the types of false call-outs they usually had to deal with, nothing that automated alarm systems are often set off by faulty alarms or by burnt toast or cigarette smoke. The Brigade also deals with other types of false calls including "malicious hoax calls" and false alarms raised with "good intent." In 2011, fire crews attended 2,149 "malicious hoax calls", and 12,769 "good intent" calls, which were found to be false alarms. A SSC Marketing representative commented: "There is a very real danger of these false alarms affecting the availability of crews, when a real emergency is happening."

The recent savings are due to a 15% overall drop in false alarms, triggered by automatic systems, which are commonly found in office buildings, hotels, and public buildings such as hospitals, airports and universities. King's College London boasted the biggest decrease overall, with call-outs in the area falling by 44% since 2007. This is mostly due to improvements in student housing.

Councilor Brian Coleman, chairman of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, said: "Businesses need to make sure their alarms are properly maintained so our firefighters can focus on attending real emergencies." A source at SSC Marketing strongly agreed, adding, "It's such a small thing to keep these systems regularly checked and maintained, that it really shouldn't be such a large issue. Business owners have a real responsibility here."

SSC Marketing is a London-based specialized marketing company, which has seen incredible growth over the past year. They are passionate about high standards in the workplace, including safety.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-16803520

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London, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/26/2012 -- Confectionery maker Cadbury has come under fire recently, after securing a £20m-plus sponsorship deal, allowing them to become the sole supplier of chocolate and ice-cream at the London 2012 Olympics. Some have questioned whether, in the light of the growing obesity problem in the UK, the company should be involved in the events. London 2012 chief, Paul Deighton defended the move, saying: "Previous games have had chocolate and confectionery suppliers, and like most sporting events confectionery is available to buy at Olympic Games, that is where we started." Sophinna Asif, Managing Director of SSC Marketing, an innovative London-based company, commented on the situation, saying: "It's important to note that the UK has a long history of confectionery companies supporting sporting events. In this context the deal is certainly appropriate, and it's encouraging to have such a big involvement for a UK company."

A spokesman from Cadbury said: "It is entirely appropriate that the biggest sports event that Britain has seen is supplied with British confectionery. It would be odd … to find only chocolate from foreign companies at the venue." Cadbury has a long track record of supporting major sporting events, including the Olympics in Sydney in 2000 and the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 and Melbourne in 2006.

Cadbury have stated that they will not be having chocolate giveaways or other similar events during the Olympics, but rather will be focusing on sport for youths and community activities, and promoting messages about maintaining a healthy diet. Sophinna Asif, Managing Director of SSC Marketing commented that: "Everyone likes to have a treat, but being responsible about your diet is important. If Cadbury are promoting positive messages then that's great. It's much more useful to have such a high profile company putting money into this event, and putting out responsible messages at the same time, rather than a reactionary ban."

The addition of Cadbury to companies such as British Airways, Adidas and BP as domestic sponsors for the event has pushed the organizers even closer to their target for fundraising, leaving them at £430m of the £650m target. Globally, the games have partnered with companies including McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Samsung.

SSC Marketing is a London-based specialized marketing company, who has seen incredible growth over the past year. They work with some of the fastest growing brands across the UK, to provide innovative, forward-thinking marketing solutions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/oct/20/olympicsandthemedia-advertising

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London, England -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/12/2012 -- The 2012 London Olympics has been widely publicised throughout the world ever since London was chosen to be the host, the famous 2012 Olympic logo has been both praised and criticised and speculations surrounding security and the building have also been raised but now in spring of 2012 the Olympic trials are well under way to see who will represent our Country.

Rebecca Adlington already double Olympic champion made a statement of intent as she booked a spot on the Great Britain team with a dominant 400 metres freestyle victory in the Olympic trials at the Aquatics Centre. Adlington was 16 when London was named the host city and it has always been the target for her – Beijing was just a happy accident "London has always been my target and to know that I'm actually going is the best feeling in the world," Adlington said. "I was very nervous, we all are. This is the biggest meet of our lives. We are all feeling the pressure." SSC Marketing commented saying "We are so pleased that Rebecca has made it through to represent GB in the 2012 Olympics, I'm sure like we everyone is looking forward to summer 2012 and no doubt she like the rest of the Olympians will excel greatly"

As these trials approached, Adlington has had to resist the temptation to think about the Olympics, She dared not to imagine herself in front of this packed house or in the impressive pool, but with this one swim she has achieved it all and will go on to represent Great Britain in the 2012 summer Olympics.

Rebecca will be joined with her close friend Joanne Jackson, who came in second against a strong field, a recurring rib injury and asthma attacks meant Jackson could not train properly for 18 months, destroying the momentum she had generated in winning bronze in Beijing and breaking the world record just a few months afterwards. Her comeback is back on course. "There is so much relief and happiness, There is just so much emotion." said Adlington. Jackson is 25 and having come through all her problems, this was her last chance of getting to another Olympics "I so wanted her to be the one to come with me," Adlington said. SSC Marketing said "For Joanne to get through just proves the spirit and emotion the athletes put into each and every performance, after all the health problems that she has been faced with to come through to and make to the Olympics just proves how much of a fighter she is"

"It has been four years of training and it is the biggest thing for me to get to home games. Everyone was down here to support me: my parents, my sisters, my auntie and uncle, my boyfriend's parents." But her work is far from done. She still has the 800m freestyle to come on Friday, although on this form it is not a question of whether she qualifies but just how quickly she does. Rebecca got the silver at that meet, a result all the more impressive as she had only just squeezed into the final in seventh, meaning she had to take on her great rival from lane one, If she is to reel in her Italian rival, this swim was a promising sign. She went quicker than she did all of last year, even in winning that silver medal at the World Championships. SSC Marketing said "The 2012 summer Olympics is going to be one to watch, both Rebecca and Joanne along with each and every athlete chosen to represent their Countries will do great, we look forward to watching the games unfold and the gold medals for Great Britain mount up"

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/swimming/9122548/London-2012-Olympics-Rebecca-Adlington-dominates-400-metres-freestyle-to-seal-Games-place.html

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