Working 9 to Febreze, that’s no way to make a living!
Smell is proven to affect our productivity at work

May 2012: A survey of 2,000* Brits by Aircare brand Febreze has found that ‘smell’ is crucial to creating a ‘focused’ workforce, with citrus and mint beating off coffee as aromas that heighten the feelings of productivity (46%, 35% and 33% respectively) in the office. 10% of those over 55 stated the smell of lavender makes them feel more on the ball, and a fifth of Londoners (22%) thought that the scent of flowers would make them feel sharper and more productive at work. Scottish employers are advised to get their ‘cook on’ with a fifth (21%) of Scottish workers claiming the smell of baking cookies, cakes and muffins would make them feel sharper and more productive in the workplace. Ladies, it’s recommended you stay away from Lavender, with 29% of female workers claiming this makes them feel less focussed and actually sleepy (40%) compared to only 17% of men. Bosses take note, when an employee asks to move because the person next to them has BO it’s not just to be difficult, it can actually make them work less, with two thirds (65%) of 45-55′s and nearly half of 16-24 year olds (48%) saying it makes them feel less productive at work. It can also incite a bad mood in a third of us (33%), not good for office moral. BO continues to cause desk location problems with 39% of people saying it is the one scent that would make them request an immediate desk move, over and above a colleague who reeks of cigarette smoke (33%). Smelly feet & food seem to be more bearable, with just 5% of workers requesting a desk relocation. If bad news looms, and you want employees in a good mood the smell of freshly washed laundry can help with 20% claiming it is the smell most likely to put them in a good mood. To help put everyone in a good mood and enable them to ‘breathe happy’ this spring Febreze is offering the chance to win a ‘breathe happy prize’ with weekly competitions worth up to £250. Until June 2012, there are hundreds of prizes for grabs! In addition, for each competition entered users will automatically be entered into a grand prize draw for the chance to win the ultimate breath of fresh air- a fantastic holiday in Switzerland worth up to £3,000!

To enter the weekly competition and to be entered into the grand prize draw, simply visit and answer the multiple choice question for your chance to win that week’s prize!
A full list of the weekly prizes and competition terms & conditions can be found here: www.facebook.com/febrezeuk

Febreze traps and neutralizes odour molecules whilst at the same time freshens and transforms the air with a light scent, allowing people to enjoy the air around them. The product range is made up of fabric refreshers, aerosols, electric plug-ins, free standing scented oil air refreshers, and candles.
Thanks to the full Febreze product range, everyone can be secure in the knowledge that they can always be surrounded by freshly scented surroundings, letting them Breathe Happy.

Notes to Editors:
2000 respondents were questioned for the Febreze Spring Freshness Survey by OnePoll.
*please note Febreze should not be used in place of good personal hygiene

P&G touches and improves the lives of about 4.4 billion people around the world with its portfolio of trusted, quality brands. The Company’s leadership brands include Pampers®, Ariel®, Always®, Pantene®, Fairy®, Pringles®, Lenor®, Iams®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Ace®, Febreze®, and Ambi Pur®. With operations in about 80 countries, P&G brands are available in more than 180 countries worldwide. Please visit www.pg.com/en_uk for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.

Get your FREE, revealing ‘Bagology reading’ throughout January 2012 with The Bentall Centre Are you someone who doesn’t have just one, but two mobile phones in your bag? How many sticks of lipstick do you carry? Do you ever leave home without your hand moisturiser? All these things tell a deeper story about you and your personality. The Bentall Centre has teamed up with the UK’s leading Bagologist, Debbie Percy, to offer a limited number of FREE handbag readings on The Bentall Centre Facebook page www.facebook.com/TheBentallCentre. HOW TO ENTER:

It’s simple – just visit www.facebook.com/TheBentallCentre, ‘like’ the page, take a photo of the contents of your handbag and then upload it to the Facebook Wall. Three bags will be randomly selected by Debbie every weekday (excluding weekends) for a detailed reading and her analysis published underneath each photo. To be considered for selection, uploads must be made between 1st January & 29th February 2012. Please note that by uploading your photograph there is NO guarantee of receiving a reading.

RULES:

This is not a competition, but by uploading a picture of your handbag contents for analysis it is assumed that you have read and agreed to the Terms and Conditions of this event. This process is open to both men and women anywhere in the world. The acceptance, disqualification or deletion of uploaded pictures, without explanation or prior notification is entirely at the discretion of The Bentall Centre. Content should only be submitted by someone of 16 years and above. Only one upload is permitted per person. Photographs can be submitted up until 12pm on 29th February 2012 or until 60 bag readings have been completed by Debbie.

Notes to Editors:

About The Bentall Centre

• The Bentall Centre has come a long way since it opened over 19 years ago. Today the Centre boasts over 80 retail outlets and attracts over fourteen million visitors a year. It just keeps getting better; with new stores opening, and more services and facilities including a personal stylist, a crèche and a Virgin Active health club.
• The Bentall Centre’s opening hours are: Monday-Wednesday 09.30-18.00, Thursday 09.30-21.00, Saturday 09.00-18.30 and Sunday 11.00-17.00
• For further information about The Bentall Centre please visit www.thebentallcentre-shopping.com.

ABOUT DEBBIE PERCY

Debbie Percy has pursued a corporate career in human resources for 21 years working with global businesses across different sectors, in the U.K. and abroad. From 1997 to 2002, she lived in the U.S., where she developed her skills as a top-level life coach in fields such as Metaphysics and Neuro Linguistic Programming.

Debbie has appeared on BBC Radio 2 and in the pages of Tatler, utilising her specialist skills within the field of Bagology or what your bag says about you. Using a series of unique processes, Debbie has developed an extremely accurate means of understanding someone’s personality and lifestyle just by analysing the contents of their bag (male or female). This then enables Debbie to identify and address particular issues in someone’s lifestyle. More information about Debbie can be found on her website here: www.handbagtherapy.com. Press Office Contact Details:

For further information, photography or to arrange an interview with Debbie Percy or The Bentall Centre please contact Hayden Allen-Vercoe at Orbital Media: 0203 411 9111 (Ext 901)
E: hayden@orbitalmedianetwork.com

Bridgefast Property Services are delighted to announce their Affiliate Membership of The Society of Later Life Advisers (SOLLA).

SOLLA, a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2008, has been working hard to ensure that a high standard of financial advice is available to older people and their families, and is rapidly becoming a brand that is widely recognised and respected.

Bridgefast has over 25 years of experience in the property and home-move support market, and provide a dedicated and personal service to each and every one of their clients. Bridgefast fully supports the work that SOLLA is doing as it epitomises the professional, ethical and empathetic approach that they adopt when helping clients with the sale of their property and with offering funding solutions.

Gill Markham, Head of Operations at Bridgefast had this to say on the new membership: “We specialise in home move support services for the elderly home owner and it is vital that clients receive a seamless service delivery. Being granted affiliate membership of SOLLA is a true endorsement of the role that we play, working alongside financial advisers. We are very proud to develop this relationship and support the aims of SOLLA”.

For more information please contact Gill Markham, Head of Operations on 07823 338799, or visit our website www.bridgefast.co.uk .

A new survey recently commissioned by IKEA has found that nearly three quarters of us believe we need more sleep as a significant number of Britons aren’t getting the recommended eight hours a night.

3,000 adults were questioned for the survey and the reasons behind disturbed sleep were revealed, with more than 50% of those questioned saying that they blamed a poor mattress for their sleeping problems.

Other reasons for staying awake include worrying about work or their finances (57% of respondents), their partner snoring (54%) and their other half hogging too much of the duvet (34%).

The survey also revealed some other interesting points about sleep. 26% of people who can’t sleep listen to soothing music to try and nod off again, 10% check their work emails and 6% wake up their partner. One in ten British adults also admitted sleeping with a teddy bear!

With a bad mattress being the primary cause of many people’s sleep problems, it is important to ensure that when you’re looking to invest in a new bed you spend enough time comparing the different types available to make sure you get the mattress best suited to your requirements.  72% of Britons spend just 10 minutes choosing a mattress and a third spend less than 5 minutes, whereas the average mattress is kept for 8 – 10 years.

The Odd Mattress Company are specialists in creating made to measure mattresses for customers who are either looking for an odd size mattress or simply want a bespoke product. Whether you’re looking for a traditional sized mattress or a continental mattress, the Odd Mattress Company provide an excellent product range so you can get quality sleep for many years.

Calories are important but it doesn’t have to be this difficult. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14295093. See menu plans at www.beginwellbeing.com

Residents at a Berkshire care home will be celebrating National Allotment Week (8th to 15th August 2011) picking and eating the fresh vegetables they have been growing in the grounds.

Clara Court in Maidenhead is a residential home provided by Care UK for older people with dementia and for those who are physically frail. When the balconies of the building were redeveloped this year, some green-fingered gardening enthusiasts at the home approached manager Leigh Reid and suggested they use the planters that had been on the balconies to develop a vegetable patch in the garden. Many of the 76 residents remember the post-war days when allotments were the main source of vegetables for many families, and they have great tips for growing vegetables the organic way.

Leigh said: "Care UK actively encourages older people to keep up their life skills and interests and this has really played to their strengths. We have several retired painters and decorators who have stripped and re-varnished the planters, and farmers and gardeners who have given invaluable advice on what to cultivate and how."

The residents have planted and tended potatoes, runner beans, courgettes and tomatoes, and harvests have been good; some produce is being used in the home’s kitchen and the rest has been sold to staff, friends and family, with the profits being ploughed straight back into the garden.

"The gardening not only keeps them fit and active but also stimulates their minds," added Leigh. "This works particularly well as we are a specialist dementia home. They love taking their relatives and visitors out to see what they have been doing and it encourages them to reminisce."