Innovate UK loan recipient Callaly has won the innovation award at INDA’s annual Hygienix conference.

As the association of the nonwoven fabrics industry, INDA’s award celebrates the most innovative disposable hygiene products, judged on creativity, novelty, uniqueness and technical sophistication.

Callaly beat 2 other finalists with a combined annual revenue of $2 billion. Its product – the patented Tampliner – combines a tampon and pantyliner to prevent period leaks.

Major boost for Callaly

Callaly’s CEO and Co-Founder, Thang Vo-Ta, said:

To be acknowledged by such a forward-thinking industry body and its hundreds of members is a major boost of morale to every team member. It recognises what lies at the very heart of what we do, innovation.

The award fills us with great pride because it’s such validation of our hard work and relentless focus on innovation in all aspects of our business, from the product itself and the packaging we choose, to how we deliver our service and the way we talk about periods.

Successful innovation loans applicant

The award win comes weeks after it was announced that Callaly would receive a £1 million innovation loan from Innovate UK. This will fund the development of bespoke production equipment, which will allow it to scale up production of the Tampliner by 100 times.

Thang continued:

It’s one thing to invent a product, but for full and successful commercialisation you need to be able to produce it consistently, economically and at speed.

We’re using the funding to help us scale and meet increasing demand.

In order to make millions of a completely new product, we need to build bespoke automated machinery – a critical challenge we’re looking forward to solving with the help and support of Innovate UK.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to provide a £200,000 cash injection to support Black Cultural Archives in Brixton

• Archives record the contributions made to British society by those of African and Caribbean descent
• Investment will ensure Archives remains open while a long-term funding strategy can be developed

The UK’s largest archives dedicated to the history of black people in Britain will be given a £200,000 cash boost by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to secure its immediate future, Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright announced today.

The Black Cultural Archives, which helps preserve and celebrate the diverse cultural heritage of Britain, was facing long-term funding challenges.

However, the funding from DCMS building on a separate grant from Lambeth Council, will ensure the Archives can remain open while a long-term solution can be found. The funding is recognition of the important role the Archives, based in Brixton, London, play in preserving and promoting the histories of African and Caribbean people in Britain. It builds on previous Heritage Lottery Funding of more than £4 million since 2014, which has enabled the Black Cultural Archives to develop the UK’s first dedicated Black Heritage Centre.

DCMS will also support the Archives to deliver a step-change in their activity and extend their national reach. The Department will work with other organisations to identify and explore a range of support and funding opportunities to help the Black Cultural Archives to develop.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright said:

The Black Cultural Archives does incredibly important work in preserving and promoting the history of African and Caribbean communities in the UK.

This £200,000 funding is a crucial step in securing its future. We are working closely with the Archives to put it on a long-term sustainable footing so that it can continue to educate the public and celebrate black history in Britain.

Stuart Hobley, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund, London said:

Our funding of £4.1m from the National Lottery has helped establish a home of the Black Cultural Archives and their compelling collections. It’s great news that the Government is supporting them with a further £200,000 to help ensure they remain resilient, fit for the future and an essential part of our cultural life.

Founded in 1981, the Black Cultural Archives in Brixton, London, documents the lives of black British people from the Roman period to the present day and are an important resource for supporting the community and promoting the teaching, learning and understanding of the contribution that African and Caribbean people have made to our society.

Most recently the Archives have supported the Government marking 70 years since HMS Windrush’s arrival at the Port of Tilbury in Britain.

ENDS

For more information please contact the DCMS press office 0207 211 2026

Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, travelled to Stockholm yesterday evening to attend the UN-led Yemen peace talks.

The visit follows his efforts, during visits to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran, to help kick start a political process to bring an end to the Yemen conflict.

While in Stockholm on Thursday morning the Foreign Secretary will meet UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths. The Foreign Secretary will also host meetings with members of the Government of Yemen and the Houthi delegation to the peace talks – the first time a UK Minister has met with Houthi officials since the conflict in Yemen began.

Speaking ahead of his visit the Foreign Secretary said:

Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe, and these peace talks represent the best opportunity in years to move towards the political solution the people of Yemen urgently need. I applaud the historic strides the UN Special Envoy has already made in bringing the parties together for the first time since 2016.

Some of the important confidence building measures I discussed in my recent visits to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran – including the evacuation of wounded Houthis from Yemen and a potential prisoner swap – have been agreed and delivered. But the most important measure for a lasting peace is dialogue, and we are already seeing the benefits of talks between the Government of Yemen and the Houthi delegation.

For our part, the UK will continue to use all tools at our disposal to bolster the UN Special Envoy. This includes through our work in the Security Council.

Published 13 December 2018