Electronic test and verification firm Pickering Interfaces has expanded its 41-670 (PXI) and 43-670 (PXIe) LVDT RVDT and resolver simulator modules to include high-speed resolver simulation up to 130 kRPM rotation to provide precise testing of advanced servo systems in industries such as automotive The updated module enables the simulation of multiple resolver pole pairs While most electromechanical resolvers have a maximum rotational speed of 20 kRPM when simulating the corresponding x4 factor means this becomes 80 kRPM electrical cycles to simulate The 41-670 (PXI) and 43-670 (PXIe) range is well suited to simulating variable differential transformers (VDT) both linear (LVDT) and rotary (RVDT) types as well as resolvers delivering high-speed simulation up to 130 kRPM rotation They have two (41/43-670-303) or four (41/43-670-301) banks each capable of simulating the output of a single 5- or 6-wire VDT or resolver or dual 4-wire utilizing a shared excitation signal This allows the module to simulate up to 4 channels of 5- or 6-wire or eight PXI high-channel density enables the testing of multiple resolver channels in a compact footprint Built-in relays enable the 41/43-670 to provide short or open circuits for each channel’s inputs and outputs reducing the need for external switching for fault insertion requirements The programmable phase delay can also be used for simulating imperfect sensors and cabling artificially offsetting single or multiple outputs our updated family of resolver simulators use actual transformers on board,” said Stephen Jenkins Simulation Product Manager at Pickering Interfaces real-world analog signals with high-resolution angle simulation ensuring reliable performance even at the highest speeds.” Source: Pickering Interfaces The free webinar sessions from our Spring 2025 Virtual Conference are now available to view on-demand Register for a session below to watch the recording and download the presentation Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register LOAD MORE SESSIONS Mind the Gap: Join the Place North Viability Gap Campaign Design principles were guided by Keyland's ‘Six Capital’s’ approach The developer has set its sights on a vacant 12.5-acre site north of Whitby Road to potentially accommodate a housing estate designed by architect Tate & Co which is the property arm of Kelda Group and sister-company to Yorkshire Water is looking to build a mix of one- to four-bed homes The land sits on the north eastern edge of the market town in between other housing estates and a county park Past Tate & Co projects include working on The Eden Project and the masterplan has placed emphasis on the sustainability and socio-economic nature of the development Aspects of that include areas of public space and a large green corridor for Pickering Some of the plots will be for self-build homes which is aimed at supporting local builders and encouraging a range of architectural designs said: “Following our recent community consultations this development represents a significant opportunity to deliver much-needed new homes for the Pickering area.” added: “Demonstrating our commitment to Regenerative Architecture the sympathetic masterplan takes into account the nature of the site and the location’s existing areas of biodiversity to create a diverse and inclusive “New green links will provide improved connections with the local town and new county park.” Read our comments policy Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Vivly is building 52 homes in the village near Huddersfield in phase two of its Knowle Grange development Following on from plans submitted by Persimmon last month for 240 apartments the developer is looking for input from city residents Register for free Yorkshire property intelligence Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" Stay updated on the latest news and views in Yorkshire property views and opportunities in Yorkshire property By subscribing, you are agreeing to Place Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles. Two decades of LBFs have taught this agent the value of post-fair dinners, getting the heck out of Kensington once Olympia shuts and how to employ the Carole Blake make-’em-squirm method. I’ve been in this game for more than 20 years now, so I’ve definitely lost count, but let’s say I’ve had 20 years’ worth of London Book Fairs minus one pandemic and one baby. I remember going to the first one, believing that a book “fair” would be some kind of celebratory festival with loads of free books (for me). I was suitably chastened by the lines of desks at the International Rights Centre (where agents hang out) and receiving zero free books – but I did get my first tote bag. I can’t remember my favourite LBF party, which is as it should be. But I hold very fond memories of dinners with friends and colleagues, including a fabulous Becky Thomas dinner at Brasserie Zédel, with some of the finest women in publishing. Those are the events you look forward to all day, when you can put the world to rights and finally relax after an insane day of meetings. I remember staggering out of LBF one particularly frantic year, in need of five minutes of fresh air, and finding my good friend Louise Lamont [from LBA] outside on the kerb doing similar. I’ve a feeling we greeted each other then sat in amicable and very welcome silence together before heaving ourselves up and back in… I always look forward to seeing the long-term publishers for my authors, the wonderful editors who stand by a writer through thick and thin, and whose lives I know a little of now too, so we have a great catch-up on books and life. I’m out on submission with an extraordinary novel called Love and Malice, by Jemma Wayne, about a family of Polish-Jewish immigrants in 1930s Brooklyn, and the rise and fall of one of five sisters. It’s based on the author’s grandmother’s story, and it’s fierce, furious and full of love. I’ve also just closed on a beautiful new book about artists and bodily trauma by Kat Lister, called Fragile Bodies. After the fair, I tend to head back into central, as Kensington is not my usual patch. I’ve had many an Aperol spritz and restorative helping of pasta at Trullo, in Highbury; I’d feel bereft if that wasn’t my Wednesday evening every LBF. My advice this week is don’t expend all your energy on the prep; but once the prep is done, you’re halfway there, so relax and enjoy it. And we all get those tough meetings where someone has no chat: it’s fine to say an enthusiastic “thanks” for their time, and wrap up after 15 minutes. I love LBF because I enjoy seeing so many friends and colleagues under one roof, and reminding myself why this industry is one I stick with: for the books and the people. The left-back has missed the last five games in all competitions after being forced off in the final game before Christmas at Millwall who’s been a regular in the team this term is one of our longest-serving senior faces and has featured more than 100 times since arriving from Crewe Alexandra in February 2021 the setback’s a blow for Pickering and Rovers with Owen Beck now the only senior left-back on the club’s books “It was a bit of a shock and something I’ve had to get used to but I’ve come to terms with it now and it’s just a case of getting in every day keeping my head down and trying to get back as soon as possible,” he said to RoversTV when reflecting on the issue which came off the ball at The Den last month “You know you’re going to miss a lot of games but it’s about doing the work right and then looking to get back on the grass after the brace is off “You can sulk for the first few days because it’s frustrating but then you’ve got to get in the right frame of mind to get through it and support the team when you’re not playing “It was an injury that didn’t feel great when I got it,” he recollected “But it could have been worse and I’m looking at the positives “Once I found out the results of the scan it was a case of cracking on from there and looking at the block to get fit and get back “The worst case scenario would have been the anterior cruciate ligament but to find out the injury would keep me out for around three months was better news than it could have been." Cornerstone Climate, Public Law and Judicial Review, Planning and Environment the Court of Appeal (Sir Keith Lindblom – Senior President of Tribunals Lord Justice Fraser and Lord Justice Holgate) handed down judgment in the case of Secretary of State for Environment Food and Rural Affairs v R (Pickering Fishery Association) [2025] EWCA Civ 378 The Court dismissed the appeal brought by the Secretary of State for DEFRA and upheld the determination of Lieven J ([2023] EWHC 2918 (Admin); [2024] PTSR 315) that the approach taken by DEFRA and the Environment Agency (“EA”) to the preparation and approval of River Basin Management Plans (“RBMPs”) is unlawful [113] providing an authoritative interpretation of the provisions of the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 (SI 2017 No 407) (“the WFDR 2017”) with potentially far-reaching implications given the centrality of the Court of Appeal’s interpretation of the “Water Framework Directive” (“the WFD”) itself to the decision It is also interesting from a wider environmental and climate perspective as it grapples with key questions relevant to the extent of the Government’s and regulators’ duties to act and to put in place potentially detailed and resource-intensive programmes of measures in order to comply with duties that are seen as high-level and strategic This deep dive gives an overview of the legal framework and the background to the appeal before turning to the Court’s reasoning in respect of the key issue raised by the appeal and considering what the decision might mean for the operation of this legislative scheme moving forward All number references in square brackets (other than dates in case citations) are to paragraphs in the Court of Appeal’s judgment Court Outcome: DEFRA’s appeal was dismissed; the Environment Agency’s approach to River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs) ruled unlawful Core Issue: Plans must include specific measures for each individual water body—not just generic Legal Basis: Court interpreted Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Water Environment Regulations 2017 as requiring detailed Impact: DEFRA and the EA must now create detailed water body-specific programmes to improve water quality Significance: Sets a strong precedent for environmental accountability and could influence policy across Europe Environmental Focus: Pollution in North Yorkshire’s Upper Costa Beck prompted the legal challenge Regulatory Breach: EA and DEFRA failed to review and specify individual actions in the Humber River Basin Plan Judicial Clarity: Courts can require detailed implementation The WFDR 2017 transposes into domestic law Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council “establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy” The Secretary of State for DEFRA and the EA are obliged by reg 3(1) WFDR 2017 to “exercise their relevant functions so as to secure compliance with the requirements of WFD” 3(2) and (3) the Secretary of State and the EA must exercise their functions of deciding whether to grant or impose conditions on an environmental permit under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (SI 2016 No 1154) (“ERP 2016”) or a licence for abstraction under the Water Resources Act 1991 (“WRA 1991”) so as to (a) prevent deterioration of surface water or groundwater status of a body of water and (b) support the achievement of the “environmental objectives” set for a body of water (subject to certain exceptions) the EA must prepare and submit to the Secretary of State for DEFRA “environmental objectives” for each river basin (reg 12(1)(a)) and a “programme of measures” to be applied in order to achieve those objectives (reg In preparing proposals for environmental objectives and any corresponding programmes of measures the EA must adopt an appropriate public consultation process (reg A duty is placed on the Secretary of State for DEFRA by reg 12(6) to ensure that periodic reviews of the environmental objectives and programme of measures for each river basin district are conducted every six years Regulation 13 identifies that the “environmental objectives” for the purposes of reg 12 are to: (a) prevent deterioration of the status of each body of surface water; (b) protect enhance and restore each body of surface water to achieve good ecological status (other than for “an artificial or heavily modified water body”); (c) protect and enhance each “artificial or heavily modified water body” with the aim of achieving good ecological potential; and (d) aim progressively to reduce pollution and cease or phase out emissions and discharges of hazardous substances designate a body of water as being “heavily modified” if it considers that (a) the changes which would be necessary for achieving good ecological status would have significant adverse effects on the wider environment or other sustainable human development activities; or (b) the beneficial objectives served by the modified characteristics of the water body cannot for reasons of technical feasibility or disproportionate cost reasonably be achieved by other means which are a significantly better environmental option Where monitoring or other data indicate that the environmental objectives for a body of water are unlikely to be achieved or where appropriate the Secretary of State for DEFRA is obliged to ensure that (a) the causes of the possible failure are investigated; (b) relevant permits and authorisations are examined as appropriate; (c) monitoring programmes are reviewed and adjusted as appropriate; and (d) any additional measures as may be necessary to achieve the environmental objectives are included in the programme of measures applying to that body of water Regulation 27 sets out the requirements of these plans by reference to Annex VII of the WFD a list of the environmental objectives established for surface waters and a “summary” of the programme of measures adopted and how these will achieve the relevant environmental objectives Regulation 16 allows for the deadlines for attaining environmental objectives for a body of water to be extended 16(6)) that the relevant RBMP sets out: (a) the extended deadline and the reason for it; (b) a summary of the measures to be applied to achieve the objective(s); and (c) the reasons for any significant delay in making these measures operational and the expected timetable for their implementation Upper Costa Beck (“UCB”) in the district of Ryedale in North Yorkshire was a body of water once popular for recreational fishing it has been polluted by discharges from several sites along its length – including a water treatment works two fish farms and an amusement park – which have caused a decline in its populations of fish [1] This body of water falls within an area covered by the Humber River Basin Management Plan (“the HRBMP”) approved by the Secretary of State for DEFRA on 14 December 2022 under reg Pickering Fishery Association issued a claim for judicial review challenging the lawfulness of the Secretary of State’s decision to approve the HRBMP It was agreed between the parties that the ecological potential of UCB was not “good” and that this was the result of pollution caused by discharges from the water treatment works fish farms and amusement park for which relevant permits had been issued [49] Abstraction licences have also been granted in respect of UCB The HRBMP provides the explanation for an extended deadline for achieving “good ecological potential” in UCB as “Disproportionately expensive: Disproportionate burdens… Action to get biological element to good would have significant adverse impact on use” [50] that the Secretary of State had failed to carry out a periodic review of the programme of measures in the HRBMP as required by reg because the plan submitted by the EA for approval did not comply with the requirements of reg that the Secretary of State had failed to carry out a review of the implementation of measures set out under reg that the Secretary of State had failed to carry out an appropriate public consultation [5] Lieven J had characterised the issue at the heart of the claim as being “whether the HRBMP or any other documents produced by the EA pursuant to WFDR 2017 must set out information at the level of the individual water body as opposed to at river basin district level explaining that the “information in question is what measures are going to be taken to achieve the environmental objectives referred to in the WFD and WFDR 2017” ([2023] EWHC 2918 (Admin)’ [2024] PTSR 315 Although the decision challenged was the approval of the HRBMP Lieven J stated that the “real thrust” of the case was that there was “an obligation on the [Secretary of State] to set out the measures that are to be taken to meet the objectives in respect of the individual water body (here UCB); to review those measures; and to consult upon them” which on the claimant’s case the Secretary of State had not done ([2023] EWHC 2918 (Admin)’ [2024] PTSR 315 Lieven J allowed the claim in her decision of 19 February 2024 holding that the Secretary of State had misdirected herself in relation to reg 12 WFDR 2017 by proceeding on the basis that a programme of measures submitted by the EA in relation to the updated HRBMP could be generic the programme of measures had to focus on whether when and how the environmental objectives designated for every individual body of water would be met The “decisive issue” before the Court of Appeal was whether Lieven J had erred in holding that reg 12 WFDR 2017 required the programme of measures to include measures for each individual water body in every river basin district [13] The Court of Appeal confirmed that on a proper interpretation of the WFD as transposed into domestic law by WFDR 2017 the purpose of setting environmental objectives is to attain 12 and 13 of the WFDR 2017 is not “merely aspirational” A programme of measures must be understood to refer to the plan or scheme of actions required to achieve environmental objectives at the level at which they have been set The “measures” in a programme of measures must either be specific to a water body or related to the achievement of the environmental objectives for each water body [151]-[156] Fulfilling the requirements of the WFD involves interconnected stages directed at identifying and implementing specific measures necessary to attain the environmental objectives set for each water body The preparation and approval of a programme of measures serves that purpose and therefore is not a freestanding exercise [140]-[141] The WFD (and by extension the WFDR 2017) sets a legal framework within which programmes must be established bringing together (that is integrating and co-ordinating) measures based on legal policy and voluntary “mechanisms” for achieving the environmental objectives for each water body [150] The WFD imposes detailed requirements which are not all of a high-level or strategic nature [132] an integrated approach involving as assessment of its characteristics and issues and a programme of measures designed to achieve those water body specific objectives provided that although integrated water management would be set at the level of river basin districts for administrative purposes that integration would also include environmental objectives and measures identified at water body level It recognised that the nature of the objectives and measures would vary within a river basin [127] The Court focussed on the clear distinction drawn by the WFD between a programme of measures and a RBMP [101] it held that the WFDR 2017 is even clearer than the WFD in maintaining the distinction between the programme of measures and the “summary” of the programme of measures in the RBMP [103] While “Environmental objectives and programmes of measures” are dealt with in Part 5 of the WFDR 2017 and regs The requirements in relation to each within the Framework are distinct [103]-[106] The Court noted that the statutory guidance published by the Secretary of State for DEFRA in September 2021 under reg was consistent with this interpretation of the legislative framework [174] The Court considered “the natural and plain meaning” of paras 9.1 and 9.2 of that guidance is that programmes of measures must set out measures for each individual water body to meet the environmental objectives for that body [183] 14) recognises that national legislation may be a “mechanism” by which a measure or “action on the ground” might be taken the Court said the guidance does not treat such legislation as itself constituting a “measure” it states that the EA is responsible for considering the combined measures (i.e “the programme of measures”) and the mechanisms (which may include national legislation) by which they will be delivered [106] 14.19) distinguishes between a programme of measures and a “summary” of that programme for inclusion in the RBMP [107] The Court held that to comply with the legislation and guidance referred to above a programme of measures which is more detailed than the summary of that programme contained in the relevant RBMP [109] The introductory text of each of the 10 RBMPs for England gives the impression that beyond the summary that no underlying programmes of measures have in fact been produced beyond the summaries contained within each RBMP [109] The Court set out the structure and content of the HRBMP under challenge making the following observations at [114]-[120]: including its summary programme of measures presupposes the existence of a lawful programme of measures upon which it has been based The Court upheld Lieven J’s determination that the approach adopted by the EA and the Secretary of State to the preparation and approval of the HRBMP was unlawful The Court held the EA and Secretary of State never reached the stage of exercising any discretion they have either as to what water body specific measures were necessary or the level of detail into which the programme of measure should go The appeal fell to be dismissed on the basis of the self-misdirection of the EA and Secretary of State [112]-[113] In respect of the legal principles which the appeal gave rise to The Secretary of State submitted before the Court of Appeal that the outcome of Lieven J’s decision was “novel” and would fundamentally change the Government’s understanding of the operation of the scheme embodied in WFDR 2017 [12] It was relevant that the approach which Lieven J’s decision entailed was not the approach taken by any other nation subject to the WFD across Europe The evidence before the Court was that there are nearly 5,000 water bodies in England for which there were some 58,000 water discharge permits granted under ERP 2016 and 20,000 licenses [77] The Court of Appeal rejected the submission that the Respondent’s proposed interpretation of WFDR 2017 was administratively unworkable determining that the Appellant had failed to substantiate the claim that requiring the EA to review the nation’s water bodies would divert resources from the fulfilment of other essential duties [189] having noted evidence that any such process would take would take around 18 months to two years to complete [188] While the Court of Appeal has provided guidance that the level of detail to be included within programmes of measures is a matter for the EA and Secretary of State subject to the usual Wednesbury principles the administrative task now faced to ensure compliance with the WFDR 2017 is significant The judgment and its consequences for the EA and UK Government are likely to generate interest in European jurisdictions given the centrality of the Court of Appeal’s interpretation of the WFD to the decision the Court of Appeal’s decision is also interesting from a wider environmental and climate perspective and in particular climate change obligations are often seen as high-level and strategic setting general targets to be met and giving flexibility to Governments and regulators as to how to go about meeting them Pickering shows that what is really key to these types of duties is the extent to which the Government and regulators are required to put in place transparent and potentially detailed and resource-intensive programmes of measures to ‘actualise’ the duty or take the steps obviously necessary to meet the target Depending on the nature of the legislative framework the answer may be that significant and extensive steps are required Max Millington is a second six pupil at Cornerstone Barristers, keen to build a broad public law practice including planning and environment law. Learn more about him here Get alerts about our latest news & upcoming events Subscribe Cornerstone Barristers regulated by the Bar Standards Board. Website by Square Eye Ltd Ontario Power Generation has awarded a contract for works associated with the refurbishment of four units at its Pickering plant to a joint venture of AtkinsRéalis company Candu Energy Inc and Aecon Group Inc The contract for works associated with the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station Retube Feeder and Boiler Replacement project covers professional engineering services and construction and execution planning for the refurbishment of Pickering units 5-8 The mandates are worth around CAD1.1 billion (USD767 million) to the joint venture for early works and CAD1 billion for the definition phase Aecon and AtkinsRéalis have successfully completed the refurbishment of three of the Darlington units ahead of schedule That project is now more than 85% complete The Pickering award "builds on the success of our joint venture on the Darlington Refurbishment Project and signifies OPG's continued confidence in our team to refurbish their reactor fleet on-time within budget and with an unwavering commitment to safety and quality" Aecon President and CEO Jean-Louis Servranckx said AtkinsRéalis is the original equipment manufacturer of the CANDU reactor technology: the pressurised heavy water reactor design was developed by federal Crown corporation Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd which sold its reactor division to SNC-Lavalin's Candu Energy subsidiary in 2011 (SNC-Lavalin Group Inc rebranded to AtkinsRéalis in 2023) With Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator forecasting a 75% increase in electricity demand by 2050 nuclear capacity features in the province's plans which include new capacity as well as life extensions of existing units In addition to the plans to refurbish Pickering units 5-8 major life extension programmes are under way at the Bruce and Darlington nuclear plants Four small modular reactor units are planned at Darlington new nuclear reactors totalling 4,800 MW are planned at Bruce Power's site and OPG recently announced it is exploring the suitability of three of its sites in southern Ontario to host new energy generation including new nuclear power The Pickering life-extension project will not only sustain current jobs but also create new employment opportunities for a highly skilled and well-paying engineering "Refurbishing Pickering secures decades more of the low carbon reliable baseload electricity Ontario needs to meet forecasted soaring demand," said Nicolle Butcher "Drawing on our shared experience on the on-time on-budget Darlington Refurbishment Project working with trusted partners like AtkinsRéalis and Aecon sets the stage for similar project excellence as we refurbish Units 5-8 at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station." The government of Ontario announced on 22 January that it had given OPG the go-ahead to move onto the Project Definition Phase for the refurbishment of the Pickering units and authorised the company to sign the contracts with the AtkinsRéalis-Aecon joint venture The Project Definition Phase will last until 2026 OPG is to complete a high-quality cost estimate and schedule for the project The provincial government is providing support for OPG’s CAD4.1 billion budget for this phase of work bringing the total investment to date in the project to CAD6.2 billion Pickering Electronics a UK-based supplier of high-performance reed relays has introduced a new 20 kV addition to its high-voltage Series 63 range for a variety of high-voltage testing and switching applications The new high-voltage reed relay is designed for demanding high-voltage applications featuring up to 20 kV stand-off and 12.5 kV switching at a maximum of 50 W Tungsten-plated contacts ensure a long and reliable operating life supporting up to 100 million operations when cold switching Key features include compact PCB mounting with push-on HV connections on the top face supplied with appropriate connectors and insulating boots Form A (energize-to-make) and Form B (energize-to-break) configurations are available with 24 V coils and it is typically possible to achieve a Form C (change-over) function by using a Form A and a Form B type together An internal mu-metal magnetic screen allows Form A versions to be mounted side by side without interference and an optional electrostatic screen and/or earth connection to the magnetic screen offers enhanced EMC protection Series 63 is available with fast lead times of 3-4 weeks for orders of up to 200 pieces “The 20 kV stand-off capability across the switch contacts is a game-changer for industries requiring robust reliable and compact high-voltage switching solutions With its enhanced performance and short lead times this relay is ideal for customers seeking both efficiency and innovation,” said Robert King Reed Relay Product Manager at Pickering Electronics Source: Pickering Electronics Ontario Power Generation's Pickering Unit 4 was permanently shut down as planned at the end of 2024 "As the year comes to a close and Pickering Unit 4 is removed from service, we extend our gratitude to the thousands of workers who have contributed to its legacy since 1973. For decades, it has played a vital role delivering safe, reliable, and low-carbon electricity for Ontario," the company said on X Unit 4 was the last of the four units together known as Pickering A The four 500 MWe Candu reactors were laid up in 1997 but units 1 and 4 were later refurbished to extend their life expectancy with unit 4 returning to service in 2003 and unit 1 in 2005 Pickering unit 1 was taken offline and out of service on 30 September 2024 OPG is planning to refurbish Pickering units 5-8 - together known as Pickering B - laying up the reactors in 2026 and aiming for the refurbished reactors to be back in service by the mid-2030s It is currently refurbishing four Candu units at its Darlington site with completion expected in 2026 Metrics details Particle adsorption at the oil-water interface is an important strategy for emulsion stabilization against coalescence the particle occupation of the interface and the requirement of free interfaces in many applications is a contradiction We report an emulsion type with low droplet surface coverage but enhanced stability by employing colloidal rings as emulsifiers The formed emulsions provide a large accessible oil-water interface (>80%) The enhanced diffusion through the interface and highly efficient loading of catalytic nanoparticles at the interface result in much higher catalytic efficiency than the nanosphere-covered emulsions in both batch and continuous flow interface catalysis The loading of plasmonic nanoparticles brings excellent performance in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy-based detection which exhibits the lowest detectable concentration as low as 10−11 M using only 0.25 μL of analyte and 0.2 μg of Au nanoparticles The ring-based Pickering emulsion provides freedom for designing interface structures and compositions for functional emulsions The particle layer usually occupies almost the whole emulsion interface It is about 91% when the packing is ordered hexagonal monolayer; therefore only ~9% of the emulsion interface is free and accessible the newly emergent applications such as interfacial catalysis and SERS require sufficient free emulsion interface to load functional particles such as enzymes it is highly desirable to develop other emulsion types to address these problems Here we present a colloidal ring-based PE (RPE) in which the emulsion droplets are covered by a densely packed colloidal ring monolayer The droplets in RPE still have a very large accessible oil-water interface (~80%) but the emulsions show enhanced stability compared to nanosphere-stabilized PEs (SPE) faster inward/outward diffusion in RPEs leads to high catalytic efficiency (CE) in emulsion interface catalysis large unoccupied emulsion interfaces allow for further loading of diversified NPs and the resulting NP-loaded emulsions have excellent performance in continuous flow interfacial catalysis and SERS detection The relationship between the homogenization speed ω and the DS can be well fitted by an exponential model (1): a Schematic showing the structure of RPE and its two main properties RPE represents ring-stabilized Pickering emulsion c Fluorescence microscopy image of toluene-in-water RPE (Ring: 20 mg mL−1; toluene/water: 2/3 The toluene phase was labelled with the dye Nile red d Optical microscopy image of a single toluene emulsion droplet covered by a monolayer of rings e Confocal microscopy image of the emulsion interface f The Sauter mean droplet diameter Ds of toluene-in-water RPE versus the used ring concentration Cring Cp is the particle concentration and β is the fitting parameter g Ds of toluene-in-water RPE versus the homogenization speed ω the mean droplet diameters were obtained by measuring at least 300 droplets the equivalent-volume ring model Rb and SiO2 spheres Each SiO2 sphere have the same volume to that in the ring Rb b Schematic corresponding PEs stabilized by the three particles shown in (a) RPE1 is the Pickering emulsion stabilized by the ring Ra RPE2 is the Pickering emulsion stabilized by the ring Rb SPE is Pickering emulsion stabilized by SiO2 spheres d Fluorescence microscopy images of (c) RPE1 and (d) SPE under an increasing centrifugal force The insets are the digital images of the RPE1 or SPE just after centrifugation The water phase was labelled with the dye RhB e The arithmetic mean diameter of the emulsion droplets for RPE1 and SPE as a function of centrifugal force The mean droplets sizes were obtained by measuring at least 300 droplets Data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of n = 300 independent droplets f Schematic showing the wetting of the ring Ra and a single nanosphere for the calculation of the desorption energy The letter θ represents the contact angle of water in a W/O emulsion γwo represents the oil-water interfacial tension g Comparison of the desorption energy between a single ring Ra and a single nanosphere The outer and the inner diameters of the rings used are 2.16 ± 0.04 μm and 1.88 ± 0.04 μm SiO2 nanospheres with a diameter of 353 ± 11 nm are selected for SPE that was used in (d) The diameter of 353 nm was used for calculation in (g) both emulsions have similar mean diameters of about 110 μm a Digital photo of the diffusion of RhB from the aqueous phase to the cyclohexane phase b Schematic showing the difference in diffusion rate between RPE and SPE The oil phase is a mixture of cyclohexane and octanol c Left: absorbance of RhB in cyclohexane phase as a function of time; right: the absorbance ratios (ARPE/ASPE) of RhB in cyclohexane phase between RPE and SPE as a function of time d Schematic hydrolysis of p-NPP into p-nitrophenol catalyzed by lipase in RPE f Comparison of (e) kinetic curves and (f) SA between different PEs for the hydrolysis of p-NPP into p-nitrophenol Data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of n = 3 independent experiments g Schematic oxidation of pyrogallol into purpurogallin catalyzed by hemoglobin i Comparison of (h) kinetic curves and (i) SA between different PEs for the oxidation of pyrogallol into purpurogallin The SA of lipase was the activity per unit amount of the enzyme (U mg–1) in the reactions The activity (U) was defined as 1 μmol product produced within 1 min all reactions were repeated at least three times also implying only those lipases at the emulsion interface or the three-phase lines could act as effective catalysts RPE should provide the most accessible lipase catalytic sites Because of the difficulty of having the same number of accessible active catalytic sites for these four types of PEs we cannot distinguish between faster diffusion or more catalytic sites The quantitative relationship between the area of the available free interface and the productivity of RPE in catalysis still needs to be further studied in the future no TMAH was added and the Pd NPs did not show any aggregation Pd NP-loaded PE will be used for batch and continuous flow interfacial catalysis and Au NP-loaded PE will be used for SERS detection a Schematic showing the Pd NPs located in the hollow cavities of rings b Schematic showing the continuous flow catalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde by Pd NP-loaded RPE c Optical microscopy image of a single Pd NP-loaded emulsion droplet Left-down: the appearance of Pd-NP loaded PEs Right-up: a zoomed-in image of the area shown in the white square e TEM images of the emulsion interface of Pd NP-loaded RPE f–h Cryo-SEM images show the emulsion interface of Pd NP-loaded RPE i Schematic and cryo-SEM images indicate the location of Pd NPs at the interface of Pd NP-loaded SPE k Comparison of kinetic curves and CE among RPE and SPE for the oxidation of BA in batch reaction m Comparison of kinetic curves and CE for the oxidation of BA in continuous flow catalytic reaction a Schematic illustration of SERS detection The image shows an emulsion droplet under a Raman microscope b SERS intensity distribution of an emulsion droplet along the dashed line shown in (a) c SERS intensity of the characteristic peak of CV (10−7 M) at 1615 cm−1 for increasing Au NP concentrations Data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of n = 10 independent experiments d SERS spectra of MG in RPEs for decreasing MG concentration e The obtained linear relationship between the intensity and MG concentration Data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of n = 5 independent experiments f SERS intensity for decreasing volume of aqueous phase containing MG (10−11 M) The grey curves in (g–j) are SERS spectra when the analyte concentration is 0 M The dashed lines indicate the positions of characteristic peaks k Schematic dual phase detection of phoxim (in toluene Such a small required analyte volume means that the needed amount of Au NPs is only 0.2 μg for a single detection Sub-microliter volume detection is of great significance in the field of clinical diagnostics and toxin detection Paraquat is added into the water phase but phoxim is added into toluene phase for preparing Au NP-loaded RPE when their concentrations are both only 10−4 M their characteristic peaks can be observed and distinguished demonstrating the feasibility of biphasic detection with RPE because this number only applies to raw materials we may note that this number is not higher than the cost of those commercial SiO2 spheres Considering the improved interfacial catalysis and SERS performance we believe that the three-step synthesis of the SiO2 ring is quite worthwhile using rings to stabilize emulsions will make the droplets more like pure droplets with a clean oil-water interface will create freedom for designing the interface structures and compositions or the mass transfer between the inside and outside of the droplets or the communication between the droplets and significantly expand the use of PEs in a wide variety of applications smart capsules to biological detection and vaccination 96%) and crystal violet (AR) were obtained from Aladdin Bio-chem (Shanghai) Hemoglobin (64.5 kDa) and tert-Butyl hydroperoxide solution (5.0–6.0 M in n-decane) were obtained from Macklin Biochemical (Shanghai) adenine (99%) and adenosine triphosphate (95%) were obtained from Beijing Innochem n-BTMS (97%) and PTMS (97%) were obtained from J&K Scientific 2-Mercapto-5-nitrobenzimidazole (MNBI) and 4-nitrophenyl palmitate (p-NPP and 22.0 0 mL of styrene were added into a flask (250 mL) The mixture was deoxygenized with nitrogen bubbles for 10 min The polymerization was performed in an oil bath at 70 °C for 8 h with a magnetic stirring (400 rpm) The resulting PS particles were purified by centrifugation/re-dispersion cycles with ethanol for 3 times The obtained PS particles were dispersed in 100 g of anhydrous ethanol for use the ethanol dispersion of the particles (100 g 0.30 mL of [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride solution (DMC 6.00 mL of styrene (St) and 6.00 mL of water was added to a flask (250 mL) After the dispersion was deoxygenized with N2 flow for 15 min the polymerization was performed at 70 °C for 1 h under magnetic stirring The particles were sequentially purified with ethanol and water by centrifugation/re-dispersion cycles the particles were dispersed in water with a concentration (26.0% (2) The above PS particles were transformed into PS-decane composite droplets 3.85 g of the above PS particle dispersion (contains 1.00 g of PS particles) 32.00 g of anhydrous methanol and 5.15 g of water were added to a flask (100 mL) 1.21 g of 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate (EHMA) and 6.84 mL of decane were added The dispersion was deoxygenized with nitrogen flow for 15 min The polymerization was performed at 60 °C for 18 h under magnetic stirring The dispersion was directly used in the next step without further treatment (3) The dispersion obtained in (2) was used for the synthesis of SiO2 rings 50.40 mL of the above PS droplet dispersion 2.40 mL of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) was added every 1 h up to 9.60 mL The reaction was performed at 30 °C for 6 h under magnetic stirring The resulting PS/SiO2 core/shell discs were washed with butanol by repeated centrifugation/re-dispersion cycles The PS core was removed by tetrahydrofuran (THF) The obtained SiO2 rings have a diameter of 2.16 ± 0.05 μm SiO2 hollow discs were synthesized using a three-step procedure The first two steps are the same as the synthesis of SiO2 rings The difference is in the late stage of the second step The composite PS-decane droplets were broken by adding butanol to directly obtain PS discs the synthesized PS discs were used as a template to prepare hollow SiO2 discs 125.00 mg of hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and 15.00 mL of disc butanol dispersion (contains 1.00 g PS discs) were mixed in a flask (500 mL) The flask was put in an ultrasonic bath for 20 min w/w) was added and the mixture was magnetically stirred for 10 min 1.50 mL of TEOS was added and the reaction was performed at 30 °C for 3 h The resulting PS@SiO2 core/shell discs were purified by centrifugation/re-dispersion cycles with ethanol This process can be repeated one time to grow a thicker SiO2 shell a final SiO2 shell with a thickness of 40 nm was obtained 9.00 mL of TEOS and 180.00 mL of anhydrous ethanol were mixed in a flask (250 mL) under magnetic stirring Then a mixed solution of 15.40 mL of ammonium hydroxide (25.0% w/w) and 4.46 mL of water was slowly added The reaction was performed at 30 °C for 12 h the SiO2 nanospheres were purified by centrifugation/re-dispersion cycles in turn with water and ethanol The resulting SiO2 nanospheres have a mean diameter of 270 ± 11 nm To prepare SiO2 nanospheres with a mean diameter of about 350 nm when the above reaction was performed for 10 h an extra 7.00 mL of TEOS and 5.00 mL of ammonium hydroxide (25.0% The reaction was performed at 30 °C for another 10 h The synthesis of SiO2 rings labeled by fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was similar to that of non-fluorescent SiO2 rings and the only difference was in step (2) using a mixture of 2.4 mL TEOS and 0.5 mL of FITC solution instead of pure TEOS The FITC solution was prepared as follows: 20.00 mg of FITC and 80.00 μL of (3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane (APTES) was dissolved in 4.00 mL of anhydrous methanol and the solution was shaken at room temperature for 6 h in the dark To avoid the interference of the dye molecules on the surface 100.00 mg of fluorescent SiO2 rings were dispersed in 160.00 g of ethanol containing 40.00 g of water and 2.50 mL of ammonia (25.0% The dispersion was stirred for 10 min and then 0.30 mL of TEOS was added The reaction was performed at 30 °C for 4 h under magnetic stirring The resulting SiO2 rings were purified by centrifugation/re-dispersion cycles with ethanol Similar methods were used for labeling SiO2 discs and SiO2 nanospheres The separated SiO2 particles by centrifugation from water were redispersed in 18 mL of 30% H2O2 in a round flask and then 42 mL of H2SO4 (98%) was slowly added under magnetic stirring The flask was put in an oil-bath at 90 °C for 3 h (Caution: Piranha solution reacts violently with organic materials The SiO2 particles were washed in turn with water and ethanol by centrifugation/re-dispersion a given amount of PTMS was added to 12.00 mL of ring toluene dispersion (containing about 120 mg of rings) The dispersion was refluxed at 120 °C for 12 h under magnetic stirring The resulting particles were washed by repeated centrifugation/re-dispersion cycles in turn with toluene and ethanol The obtained modified SiO2 rings were dried in an oven at 120 °C for 3 h The modification degree was controlled by controlling the added amount of PTMS the obtained SiO2 rings were named sequentially as R1-R11 When other silanes such as BTMS and dichlorodimethylsilane (DDS) were used a similar procedure was employed only using BTMS or DDS instead of PTMS oryzae lipase or hemoglobin was added to 5.00 mL of freshly prepared PBS (phosphate buffer: 0.1 M Na2HPO4-0.1 M NaH2PO4 100.00 μL of RhB solution (1 mg·mL−1 in dimethyl sulfoxide) was added to the suspension under magnetic stirring After stirring 12 h at room temperature in the dark the suspension was purified by a dialysis bag (14000 Da) to remove the excess RhB RhB-labeled lipase or RhB-labeled hemoglobin was obtained 20.00 mg of Coomassie brilliant blue G-250 (CBB) and 20.00 mL of phosphoric acid (85% w/w) were dispersed in 10.00 mL of ethanol (95% The solution was diluted to 200.00 mL with deionized water to obtain the CBB solution 1.00 mL of bovine serum albumin (BSA) dispersion was added into 4.00 mL of CBB solution The resultant mixture was incubated for 10 min at room temperature for UV–vis determination (595 nm) A blank experiment was also conducted in the absence of protein A UV–vis standard curve for BSA assay was obtained using different BSA concentrations with 0.02 the same procedure was used except for using lipase and hemoglobin dispersion instead of BSA dispersion The peak at 595 nm was used to analyze the lipase or hemoglobin concentration based on the standard curve p-Nitrophenol was dissolved in 0.50 M Na2CO3 solution for UV–vis determination (400 nm) The blank experiment was also conducted in the absence of p-nitrophenol A UV–vis standard curve for p-nitrophenol assay was obtained using p-nitrophenol concentrations of 0.02 Purpurogallin was dissolved in toluene for UV–vis determination (425 nm) The blank experiment was conducted in the absence of purpurogallin A UV–vis standard curve for purpurogallin assay was obtained using purpurogallin concentrations of 0.011 Au NPs were synthesized based on the Turkevich-Frens method with slight modifications60 0.05 g of HAuCl4·3H2O was dissolved in 50.00 mL of water and the solution was heated until boiling under vigorous stirring The solution was boiled for another 15 min Au nanostars were synthesized following a protocol reported in Ref. 61 The seed solution was prepared by adding 15.00 mL of sodium citrate solution (1.00% w/w) to 100.00 mL of boiling HAuCl4 solution (1.00 mM) under vigorous stirring the solution was cooled and filtered using a nitrocellulose membrane (0.22 µm) 100.00 µL of the seed solution was added to 10.00 mL of 0.25 mM HAuCl4 solution (with 10.00 µL of 1 M HCl) in a 20 mL glass vial at room temperature under moderate stirring (700 rpm) 100.00 µL AgNO3 solution (3.00 mM) and 50.00 µL of ascorbic acid (AA The solution was stirred for 30 s so that its colour quickly changed from light red to blue or greenish-black centrifugation at 955 g in a 15 mL tube for 15 min was performed to terminate nucleation Mw: 40000) was introduced into the colloid and stirred for 5 min to form PVP-stabilized nanostars 150.00 mL of 2.20 mM sodium citrate solution was put in a round-bottom flask (250 mL) equipped with a condenser and heated with a heating mantle for 15 min under vigorous stirring 1.00 mL of HAuCl4 solution (25.00 mM) was injected The solution color changed from yellow to bluish gray and then to soft pink in 10 min the solution temperature was allowed to lower to 90 °C 1.00 mL of sodium citrate solution (60.00 mM) and 1.00 mL of HAuCl4 solution (25.00 mM) were sequentially injected (time delay 2 min) Au nanospheres of about 30 nm were obtained Au nanorods were synthesized based on Ref. 63 with slight modifications The seed solution was prepared by adding HAuCl4 aqueous solution (0.01 M 0.25 mL) into cetyltrimethylammonium bromide aqueous solution (CTAB 10 mL) in a 15 mL plastic tube under gentle mixing 0.60 mL) was then injected quickly into the mixture solution The seed solution was kept at room temperature for at least 2 h before use 40.00 mL) were mixed in a 50 mL plastic tube 0.80 mL) was then added to adjust pH to be 1–2 followed by the addition of AA solution (0.10 M The solution was gently mixed for 10 s and left undisturbed at room temperature for at least 6 h Au nanoplatelets (NPLs) were synthesized following a protocol reported in Ref. 64 1.00 mL) and sodium citrate aqueous solution (0.01 M the solution was aged for 2–6 h in order to the complete hydrolysis of unreacted NaBH4 three growth solutions were prepared for the growth of Au NPLs The growth solution (1) was made by mixing CTAB (0.05 M The growth solution (2) was made the same to the growth solution (1) The growth solution (3) was made by mixing CTAB (0.05 M 1.00 mL of the seed solution was added to the growth solution (1) and the whole solution was gentle shaken for 5 s 1.00 mL of the resultant solution was then added to the growth solution (2) All of the resultant solution was then added to the growth solution (3) The obtained solution was gentle shaken and then left undisturbed at room temperature for 24 h Triangular Au NPLs precipitated to the bottom of the reaction vessel The supernatant was gently poured out and 40 00 mL of water was added to redisperse the triangular Au NPLs 1.00 mL of sodium citrate aqueous solution (1.00% and 0.20 mL of NaCl aqueous solution (20.00 mM) were successively added to 1.05 mL of water under stirring at room temperature the citrate-silver-NaCl premixture was quickly added into 47.50 mL of the boiling water Note that 80.00 μL of AA aqueous solution (0.10 M) has to be added into the boiling water 1 min before the addition of the citrate-silver-NaCl premixture the solution was cooled to room temperature (2) A solution of silver-ammonia complex was prepared by mixing 2.00 mL of AgNO3 aqueous solution (1.00% w/w) and 0.80 mL of ammonia solution (25–28% 0.20 mL of the original solution of Ag NP seeds was added into 4.73 mL of water under stirring in a 10 mL of glass vial at room temperature 70.00 μL of silver-ammonia solution (43.00 mM) and 2.00 mL of AA aqueous solution (2.50 mM) were added into the Ag seed solution Pd NPs were synthesized based on the method in Ref. 66 0.165 g of anhydrous PdCl2 was dissolved in 20.00 mL of 1.00 M HCl solution and then diluted to 1 L with deionized water 100.00 mL of the as-prepared PdCl2 solution was mixed with 200.00 mL of sodium citrate solution (1.00% The mixed solution was diluted to 500.00 mL with water and then refluxed for 6 h Pickering emulsions were prepared by using a homogenizer (ULTRA-IKA TURRAX T10) with a speed of 14500 rpm for 2 min the particles were dispersed in water before homogenization; for W/O emulsions the particles were dispersed in oil before homogenization 5.00 μL of Au NP dispersion (6.40 mg mL−1) and 0.40 mL of SiO2 ring dispersion in cyclohexane (2 mg mL−1) were mixed in a centrifuge tube The mixture was shaken for 5 min to form emulsions 10.00 μL of NP dispersion (6.40 mg mL−1) and 0.40 mL of SiO2 ring dispersion in cyclohexane (2 mg mL−1) were mixed in a centrifuge tube The sizes of the emulsion droplets were measured using an open-source software (ImageJ) based on optical microscopy images of the emulsions (1) To evaluate the long-term storage stability a water-in-toluene Pickering emulsion was employed When investigating the effect of the dispersing water phase contents the concentration of SiO2 rings were fixed to be 30 mg mL−1 and the volume ratios of toluene/water were changed from 0.2 to 0.7 When investigating the effect of the SiO2 ring concentrations the volume ratios of toluene/water were fixed to be 2:3 and the concentrations of SiO2 rings were changed from 10 mg mL−1 to 80 mg mL−1 1 mL of emulsion were sealed in a 1.5 mL glass bottle the emulsions were observed using optical microscopy the bottle was slightly shaken and then flipped up and down 5 times to ensure that the emulsion droplets of different particle sizes were evenly distributed in the bottle (2) To evaluate the centrifugation stability The volume ratios of toluene to water were fixed to be 3:2 and the concentrations of SiO2 rings were 20 mg mL−1 1.5 mL of Pickering emulsion was directly prepared in a 2 mL centrifugation tube and the centrifugation was performed with a given centrifugation force The centrifugation time was fixed to 8 min the centrifugation tubes were slightly shaken the emulsion droplets were found to redisperse into the continuous phase again The centrifugation tube was then flipped up and down 5 times to ensure that the emulsion droplets of different particle sizes were evenly distributed in the tube a random sample is taken for optical microcopy where do and di are the outer and inner diameter of the rings 1.20 mL of RPE with a toluene/water (O/W) ratio of 1:2 was prepared the concentration of p-NPP in toluene is 100 mg mL−1 or 250 mg mL−1 and the ring concentration in water is 20 mg mL–1 The emulsion was slightly shaken for 1 min The whole volume of the reactive system is 10 The hydrolysis reaction was performed at 30 °C under an undisturbed condition 0.5 mL of the emulsion was sampled for analyzing the conversion The sampled emulsion is quickly centrifuged at 1685 g for 2 min so that the emulsion droplets float on the top a clear emulsion layer and water layer can be observed 100 μL of aqueous phase was sampled out from the water layer and further diluted to 10 mL (for p-NPP concentration: 100 mg mL−1) or 20 mL (for p-NPP concentration: 250 mg mL−1) with 0.5 M Na2CO3 solution The absorbance of the diluted samples was measured by UV–vis spectroscopy and the peak at 400 nm was used to analyze the product concentration based on the standard curve The specific activity (SA) of the lipase was the activity per unit amount of the lipase (U mg–1) in the reactions within the first 10 min The activity (U) was defined as 1 μmol product produced within 1 min 2.00 mL of RPE with a water/toluene (W/O) ratio of 2:3 was prepared The water phase consists of 0.40 mL of citrate buffer solution (0.5 M pH 3.0) containing pyrogallol (260 mM) and H2O2 (260 mM) and 0.40 mL of citrate buffer solution (0.5 M pH 3.0) containing hemoglobin (0.158 mg mL−1) The toluene phase is 1.20 mL with a ring concentration of 20 mg mL–1 Another 7.00 mL of toluene was added to the emulsion so that the whole emulsion system was 9.00 mL The oxidation reaction was performed at 30 °C under an undisturbed condition 0.6 mL of the emulsion was sampled for analyzing the conversion The sampled emulsion is quickly centrifuged at 1685 g for 2 min for the sedimentation of the emulsion droplets a clear toluene layer and emulsion layer can be observed 0.45 mL of toluene phase was sampled out and further diluted to 1.35 mL with pure toluene The absorbance of the diluted samples was measured by UV–vis spectroscopy and the peak at 425 nm was used to analyze the product concentration based on the standard curve The SA was calculated based on the activity per unit amount of the hemoglobin (U mg–1) in a period of 4 h 7.5 mL of aqueous Pd NP dispersion (4.5 mg mL−1) and 10.0 mL of toluene containing 120 mg of SiO2 rings were used to produce a Pickering emulsion The emulsion was gently filled into a glass column reactor (diameter: 1.34 cm) with a sand filter (pore diameter: 10–20 µm) at the bottom The column reactor was put into an oven at 80 °C for reaction internal standard for GC) was continuously added into the column reactor while maintaining a constant liquid height The outflow from the column bottom was sampled for GC analysis at given intervals 3 mL of aqueous Pd NP dispersion (4.5 mg mL−1) and 3 mL of the mixed solvent of toluene and decane (4/1 v/v) containing SiO2 rings (60 mg) were used to produce Pickering emulsion 1.5 mL of the upper oil phase was removed and replaced by the same volume of the mixed toluene/decane (4/1 The batch reactions were performed at 80 °C The same volume of emulsion was sampled at regular intervals and the conversion was monitored with GC catalytic efficiency (CE) was defined as the moles of the converted reactants per mole of Pd per hour CE is calculated based on the conversion within 12 h CE is calculated based on the averaged conversion after 5 h RPE-based SERS detection was performed using a HORIBA confocal laser Raman Microscope (LabRAM HR Evolution) with an excitation wavelength of 633 nm (10× lens An appropriate amount of Pickering emulsion was poured into a hydrophobic polymer container and the laser was focused on the interface of a Pickering emulsion droplet to obtain SERS signals The reproducibility of the measurements was confirmed by at least five independent measurements and an average value of the five signal intensities was used the accumulation time of the detection was adjusted to be 5 s toluene was used instead of cyclohexane and the analytes were directly dissolved in toluene Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were obtained using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM JEOL 6700 F) at an operating voltage of 5 kV The samples were dispersed in ethanol and then dropped on a glass substrate the samples were sputtered with a Pt layer (~ 10 nm) using a JFC-1600 auto fine coater with a current of 20 mA for 2 min Cryogenic-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM) analysis was performed on a FE-SEM (Hitachi Regulus 8230) at an operating voltage of 5 kV Liquid nitrogen was used in all heat exchange units of the cryogenic system A small droplet of Pickering emulsion was placed on the sample holder quickly frozen in liquid nitrogen for a few seconds and transferred to the preparation chamber where it was fractured (at −140 °C) The revealed fractured surface was sublimed at −110 °C for 10 min to eliminate condensed ice the samples were sputtered with tungsten with a current of 10 mA for 2 min The temperature of the sample was kept at −140 °C during measurements Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images were obtained by a transmission electron microscope (JEM-2200FS) at an accelerating voltage of 200 KV To observe the packing structure of NPs at the interface RPE with millimeter-scale droplets was prepared Taking out some oil phase containing only several droplets to an open vessel and evaporating the oil phase gradually until the brown film on the top of the droplets just exposes the air The film was transferred to the carbon-coated copper grid for TEM Thermogravimetric analysis was performed on the equipment PerkinElmer Pyris 1 The measurements were performed under the N2 atmosphere all the samples were dried at 100 °C for 36 h The samples were firstly heated from room temperature to 100 °C and the temperature was held at 100 °C for 60 min and then the samples were continuously heated to 800 °C Optical microscopy images were obtained on an Olympus IX73 microscope that was equipped with a CMOS camera Confocal microscopy was carried out on a laser confocal scanning microscope (Leica TCS SP8) with a 10× air lens and 63× oil lens Imaging of FITC was done using a solid-state laser with 488 nm light and the emission was detected in a range of 493–546 nm Imaging of the RhB signal was done using a solid-state laser with 552 nm light and the emission was detected in the range of 630–800 nm Ultraviolet-visible spectra (UV–vis) were measured on ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer TU-1901 The wavelength range was from 250 nm to 800 nm at 1 nm increments Gas chromatography (GC) analysis was carried out on an Agilent GC system (7890B) equipped with a flame ionization detector (FID) on an HP-INNOWAX column (30 m × 320 μm × 0.5 μm) and then the temperature increases to 240 °C at a rate of 20 °C min–1 The temperature was held at 240 °C for 10 min The set temperatures of the injector and FID are 250 °C and 300 °C All data supporting this study and its findings are available within the article and Supplementary Information. Source data are provided with this paper. Data of this study are available from the corresponding author on request. Source data are provided with this paper Separation of solids in the surface-layers of solutions and ‘suspensions’ (observations on surface-membranes and mechanical coagulation).—Preliminary account Spatial localization of two enzymes at pickering emulsion droplet interfaces for cascade reactions Regioselective surface assembly of mesoporous carbon on zeolites creating anisotropic wettability for biphasic interface catalysis Artificially sporulated Escherichia coli cells as a robust cell factory for interfacial biocatalysis Electrocatalytic hydrogenation of alkenes with Pd/carbon nanotubes at an oil–water interface Pickering emulsion catalysis: interfacial chemistry Recent developments in catalysis with Pickering Emulsions Pickering emulsions: versatility of colloidal particles and recent applications Pickering emulsion droplets and solid microspheres acting synergistically for continuous-flow cascade reactions Plasmonic colloidosomes as three-dimensional SERS platforms with enhanced surface area for multiphase sub-microliter toxin sensing Plasmonic liquid marbles: a miniature substrate-less SERS platform for quantitative and multiplex ultratrace molecular detection Online flowing colloidosomes for sequential multi-analyte high-throughput SERS analysis Artificial intelligence-assisted label-free spectroscopic quantification of global DNA cytosine methylation in a miniature plasmonic pickering emulsion General approach to surface-accessible plasmonic Pickering emulsions for SERS sensing and interfacial catalysis A new plasmonic Pickering emulsion based SERS sensor for in situ reaction monitoring and kinetic study Self-assembled nanoparticle arrays for multiphase trace analyte detection Heavy metal sensing using self‐assembled nanoparticles at a liquid–liquid interface Soft surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensing platform based on an oil-in-water emulsion stabilized by silver nanoparticles Emulsions stabilised solely by colloidal particles Influence of stabilizers on the performance of Au/TiO2 catalysts for CO oxidation Promoting intra- and intermolecular interactions in surface-enhanced raman scattering Surfactant-free synthesis of spiky hollow Ag-Au nanostars with chemically exposed surfaces for enhanced catalysis and single-particle SERS Water-in-carbon dioxide emulsions stabilized with hydrophobic silica particles Some general features of limited coalescence in solid-stabilized emulsions Amphiphobic carbon nanotubes as macroemulsion surfactants Pickering emulsions with stimulable particles: from highly- to weakly-covered interfaces New Pickering emulsions stabilized by bacterial cellulose nanocrystals Inversion of silica-stabilized emulsions induced by particle concentration Regenerated silk fibroin for the stabilization of fish oil-loaded Pickering emulsions W/O Pickering emulsion preparation using a batch rotor-stator mixer - Influence on rheology drop size distribution and filtration behavior What governs Pickering emulsion properties during preparation via batch rotor‐stator homogenizers Effect of preparation factors and storage temperature on fish oil-loaded crosslinked gelatin nanoparticle pickering emulsions in liquid forms Pickering emulsions stabilized by amphiphilic carbonaceous materials derived from wheat straw Influence of particle wettability on the type and stability of surfactant-free emulsions reversible emulsification and demulsification of oil-in-water Pickering emulsions for catalysis Ni) catalyzed hydrogenation of nitrobenzene at the water/oil interface in a Pickering emulsion In situ surface engineering of mesoporous silica generates interfacial activity and catalytic acceleration effect A strategy for separating and recycling solid catalysts based on the pH-triggered Pickering-emulsion inversion Co-compartmentalization of enzymes and cofactors within Pickering emulsion droplets for continuous-flow catalysis Amphiphilic carbonaceous microsphere-stabilized oil-in-water Pickering emulsions and their applications in enzyme catalysis Lipases: interfacial enzymes with attractive applications Interfacial activation’ of lipases: facts and artifacts A supramolecular-hydrogel-encapsulated hemin as an artificial enzyme to mimic peroxidase Hemoglobin: a new biocatalyst for the synthesis of 2‐substituted benzoxazoles via oxidative cyclization Assembling two‐phase enzymatic cascade pathways in Pickering emulsion A SERS study on the assembly behavior of gold nanoparticles at the oil/water interface Spontaneous assembly of a monolayer of charged gold nanocrystals at the water/oil interface Directing self-assembly of nanoparticles at water/oil interfaces Templated synthesis of amphiphilic nanoparticles at the liquid-liquid interface Compartmentalized droplets for continuous flow liquid liquid interface catalysis Pickering Emulsion-derived liquid-solid hybrid catalyst for bridging homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis Methods for the determination of limit of detection and limit of quantitation of the analytical methods Sensing antibiotics in wastewater using surface-enhanced raman scattering Quantitative label-free SERS detection of trace fentanyl in biofluids with a freestanding hydrophobic plasmonic paper biosensor High-yield synthesis of colloidal carbon rings and their applications in self-standing electrodes of Li-O(2) batteries Shape-tunable biconcave disc-like polymer particles by swelling-induced phase separation of seeded particles with hydrophilic shells Self-assembly of amphiphilic janus particles into monolayer capsules for enhanced enzyme catalysis in organic media Controlled nucleation for the regulation of the particle size in monodisperse gold suspensions Kinetically controlled seeded growth synthesis of citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles of up to 200 nm: size focusing versus Ostwald ripening Tailoring longitudinal surface plasmon wavelengths scattering and absorption cross sections of gold nanorods Thickness control produces gold nanoplates with their plasmon in the visible and near‐infrared regions quasi-spherical silver nanoparticles to realize surface-enhanced raman scattering uniformity and reproducibility Palladium: preparation and catalytic properties of particles of uniform size Download references This work was financially supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No and the National Science Foundation of China (Grant No Jiajia Zhou at South China University of Technology for the discussion of the calculation of the desorption energy State Key Laboratory of Polymer Physics and Chemistry University of Science and Technology of China performed all the experiments except the synthesis of nanoparticles All authors analyzed and discussed the data The authors declare no competing interests Nature Communications thanks Ming Li and the other reviewers for their contribution to the peer review of this work Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57914-3 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science High court had ruled government was not meeting legal duty to clean up Costa Beck near Pickering The UK environment secretary, Steve Reed is pursuing legal action against a group of anglers who are trying to restore the ecosystem of a river Lawyers for Reed will argue on Tuesday in the court of appeal that cleaning up individual rivers and streams devastated by pollution is administratively unworkable The appeal was begun by the previous Conservative administration, after Pickering Fishery Association, a fishing club in North Yorkshire, won a landmark legal case against the government and the Environment Agency The anglers successfully argued that the government and the Environment Agency had failed in their legal duties to protect the Costa Beck a former trout stream near Pickering which has been devastated by sewage pollution and runoff from fish farms The judgment ruled that the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency had devised plans for the Costa Beck that were so vague and lacking in commitment to real on-the-ground action they would inevitably be ineffectual It followed more than a decade of action by Pickering Fishery Association over the failure of the agency to restore the health of the river Reed’s decision to continue the legal action flew in the face of Labour’s stated commitment to clean up rivers “This new government came into power promising that cleaning up our rivers lakes and seas was a top priority,” said Gane “The fact that it is fighting our angler members in court to avoid doing the hard work necessary to bring about any improvements in the health of Britain’s rivers flies in the face of that commitment “This case and its results will expose the true colours of this new administration and help show whether their promises are backed by any real intention to change the status quo We see no evidence so far that they want to properly regulate industries that chronically pollute our waterways.” The government will argue that it is administratively unworkable to come up with specific measures to clean up individual rivers lakes and streams as is required by law under the Water Framework Directive Only 15% of rivers in England are judged as having good or above ecological health status the EU-derived regulations designed to drive a clean-up of rivers all waterbodies should achieve good ecological status or potential for good ecological status by 2027 said: “When the high court ordered the Environment Agency to go back to the drawing board on its plans to improve the Costa Beck “Our angling club – who has been fighting for years to bring back fish to the Costa Beck – finds it ridiculous that the body who is responsible for protecting the river needs to be dragged kicking and screaming through the courts to force it to take even the most basic regulatory action.” A Defra spokesperson said: “We are unable to comment on ongoing legal matters.” Our colleagues at Fish Legal are in the Court of Appeal today representing the Pickering Fishery Association in an important case that goes to the heart of the Environment Agency and Defra’s abject failure to meet environmental targets for rivers in England The local group of anglers are fighting to save the Costa Beck in North Yorkshire a former trout stream now plagued by sewage pollution and agricultural run-off from fish farms our legal team explain why this case is pivotal in reversing the decline of our rivers Fish Legal and Pickering Fishery Association won the first round of their case (Pickering Fishery Association v Secretary of State for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs and Environment Agency [2023] EWHC 2918 (Admin))  last year The spectacular result meant that the EA would need to start complying with its obligations to properly detail the actions needed to stop pollution But Defra has appealed the ruling and (just as we write) is arguing it out before the Court of Appeal judges the Pickering anglers argued that the Secretary of State’s approval of the updated Humber River Basin Management Plan (“HRBMP”) under the Water Framework Directive) England and Wales Regulations 2017 was unlawful because it just contained high-level generic and practically useless commentary instead of waterbody-specific detail is supposed to set out the pressures on waterbodies within the river basin and a programme of measures for achieving targets of good ecological status (GES) or where the waterbody has been heavily modified Such a programme of measures should include actions to prevent pollution such as reviewing and eventually tightening up permit conditions for point source pollution from sewage discharges The Defendants argued that a Programme of Measures didn’t need to be specific as it relates to a river basin district as opposed to the “environmental objectives” for waterbodies and river basins Mrs Justice Lieven agreed with the anglers that the HRBMP document was  “generic” and an exercise in “smoke and mirrors” whereas it should have been waterbody-specific She also found that there were defects in the consultation process Roll forwards to 2024 and the Office for Environmental Protection produced a damning report into the EA and Defra’s implementation of the Water Framework Directive entitled Review of Implementation  of the Water Framework Directive Regulations and River Basin Management Planning in England The report echoed Mrs Justice Lieven’s findings and said that the Programmes of Measures for waterbodies were not detailed enough and that public participation and consultation on certain aspects of the HRBMPs is defective – meanwhile the appellants in the Court of Appeal will need to persuade the Lord Justices of Appeal that Mrs Justice Lieven was mistaken in her interpretation of the law and that Programmes of Measures can be kept vague to save money where there is limited funding to spend on investigation We await the outcome – but expect the final judgment to be months away given the seriousness of the issues and the burden on the court to get the decision right We wish Fish Legal and the Pickering Fishery Association the best of luck today I grew up in a house close to Keld Head springs The springs produce crystal clear water at a constant temperature a smaller stream being drained off the beck a short distance from the springs I find it remarkable that this beautiful watercourse has been allowed to become pollluted Is it not time that water companies are properly controlled so that this disgraceful neglect of a remarkable piece of nature can not happen XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong> Support like yours allows our determined campaigning team to fight the destruction caused by open-net salmon farming Find out about all the ways in which you can help wild fish… Stay up to date with the latest from WildFish by subscribing to our emails WildFish Conservation is a registered charity: England & Wales No.1123285 WildFish Conservation is a company registered in England and Wales Pickering’s waterfront permit parking program returned for a fourth season on May 1 which includes paid parking at all city waterfront parking lots and restricted/paid parking on select waterfront-area streets The program helps manage high visitor volumes and traffic congestion at popular waterfront destinations by balancing access for residents and visitors Pickering residents can obtain a no-charge seasonal permit that will be valid for two years (Residents who obtained a permit in 2024 do not need to renew until 2026 and may park in waterfront parking lots and at waterfront area streets.) Senior (65 years and older) non-residents may also obtain a free seasonal parking permit Vehicles with accessible parking permits or veterans’ plates may park at no charge in waterfront lots and streets – no parking session activation required (the standard six-hour parking maximum still applies) For those without resident or senior permits Monday to Friday in all waterfront parking areas The first two hours of parking are free within the waterfront permit parking area except for Beachpoint Promenade Front Street and the municipally operated waterfront parking lots A parking session must still be activated using the HotSpot app or website (available on Google Play and the App Store) or at hotspotparking.com Paid parking can also be activated onsite by scanning the QR code on HotSpot Fast Tap signage and Beachpoint Promenade lots to support permit and payment access The program was first introduced in 2022 in an effort to mitigate parking issues at popular Pickering waterfront destinations as they continue to welcome visitors from throughout the region and beyond For permit inquiries, renewal status checks, or in-person assistance, contact Corporate Services on the second floor of City Hall during regular business hours, call (905) 420.4611, or email [email protected] Subscribe to INsauga – Ontario Headline News’ daily email newsletter for a chance to win a $100 gift card to Toronto Eaton Centre OR Sherway Gardens Become a member here We use cookies to improve your browsing experience The young rider believes he has a bright future with Bahrain-Victorious I’m told before Finlay Pickering joins me at a table by a hotel pool in Altea that he might be a challenging interviewee over the next 15 minutes as Pickering mostly speaks about his grand ambitions the soon-to-be 22-year-old with short blonde hair and two small earrings in his left ear It’s a characteristic of an assertive person I don’t find Pickering egotistical or full of self-importance He’s incredibly grateful for his upbringing to all the people who have and continue to help him – special mention is given to his local bike shop Vive le Velo – but he’s also undeniably single-minded “I know my level and where I should or where I can get to – it’s just a question of time,” the Bahrain Victorious rider tells me I don’t feel uncomfortable or stressed about it who hails from just outside of Hull in east Yorkshire joined Bahrain at the start of the 2023 season after two years racing in the U23 ranks where he displayed his GC credentials by winning a stage and the GC at the mountainous Tour Alsace in 2022 His debut season with Bahrain didn’t go to script – just 32 race days largely due to a nasty crash at April’s Tour of the Alps which sidelined him for a period – but Pickering exudes optimism when talking about his future “I wouldn’t say I was confident,” he says when I suggest he is I’ve got big aspirations and dreams and I want to fulfil those dreams why I am in an elite sports team.” What are those dreams “I can’t give all my dreams away,” he replies Does he have them scribbled down in a small notepad or on his phone “I don’t need to write them down because I can’t really forget them.” I’ve still got room for improvement and room to grow,” he says When he thinks about his best achievements so far “There’s no feeling quite like winning a bike race There’s been an increased amount of talk in recent times of the pitfalls younger riders can fall into by focusing too much on their sporting career at the expense of studies you’re not willing to put everything on the line,” he states “If you don’t want to see how far you can go It’s what I’ve wanted to do from a young age What’s the point in having an easy route or option [out] but I can sit on the sofa or in the office chair going Cycling has always been Pickering’s obsession mountain bike and on the track with British Cycling’s academy “Riding a bike is something I just enjoy,” he says It was a sign of Bahrain’s belief in Pickering’s talents that they gave him a three-year contract as opposed to the traditional two years offered to most neo-pros Stepping up and finding more consistency in 2025 is what is driving him this winter “I think the first year at WorldTour is always one for experience,” he says “Definitely coming from the amateur ranks it’s a lot different but I’ve enjoyed that experience so far and I hope to capitalise on it.” The exact nature of his aspirations are a guarded secret Nothing will get in the way of Finlay Pickering accomplishing his dreams “I want this year to be better than last year,” he says hopefully being able to pull on some of the climbs for the other boys going for GC results and hopefully do a good job that management sees and it establishes me as more of a name in the sport I’ve only had one year so it’s hard to establish leadership qualities as I’m still learning the ropes but give it a few more years and we’ll see.” Rouleur takes a look at the contenders to win the Maglia Rosa in Italy this month Alexander Vinokourov's team are making the impossible rather quite possible All the essential information about the first Grand Tour of the year While the former Olympic and World champion is relishing new ventures in retirement she is keen to ensure more support is in place for those.. From SD Worx-Protime's continued success to Canyon-SRAM's disappointment Rouleur takes a look at how each squad performed at the Spring Classics Enjoy a digital subscription to Rouleur for just £4 per month and get access to our award-winning magazines Join today for exclusive content from independent journalists This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission has approved Ontario Power Generation's request to continue operating Pickering units 5-8 to the end of 2026, ensuring the units can continue in operation until they are taken offline for refurbishment. Unit 1 ceased commercial operations on 30 September and unit 4 will close by the end of this year. OPG's Pickering Nuclear Generating Station comprises two reactor facilities with a total of eight Candu reactor units. Units 5-8 - sometimes referred to as Pickering B - began operating between 1983 and 1986. Units 1 and 4 - part of the four-unit Pickering A plant which began operations in the early 1970s and was laid up in 1997 - underwent refurbishment before returning to service in the 2003 (unit 4) and 2005 (unit 1). Pickering unit 1 was taken offline and out of service on 30 September as planned, and will now be dewatered and placed in safe storage. Unit 4 will be taken out of service at the end of December, as OPG continues to plan for the refurbishment of units 5-8. The CNSC's decision will help meet Ontario’s rising need for electricity, particularly as the province's other nuclear stations undergo refurbishment, OPG said. "This is another great milestone for Pickering Nuclear and all our station staff, who have worked hard to help Pickering achieve some of its best performance in its history in recent years," OPG Chief Nuclear Officer Steve Gregoris said. Plans to refurbish units 5-8 were formalised at the start of this year, when the provincial government announced its support for the project. OPG's timeline envisages putting the entire station into a "layup state" in 2026 so that refurbishment activities can begin. All four refurbished reactors will be back in service by the mid-2030s. OPG is currently refurbishing four Candu units at its Darlington site, aiming to complete the project in 2026, and is also planning to build up to four BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) at its Darlington New Nuclear project. Callum Brittain and Harry Pickering were notable absentees The trio have all featured regularly since the boss’ arrival back in February although Pickering wasn’t included in the last game prior to the international break at Burnley due to injury And the 44-year-old went into detail as to why the three senior figures weren’t involved as well as revealing that Andi Weimann came close to not playing against his old employers “Siggy [Sigurdsson] has unfortunately been sick for the last three or four days,” Eustace said to RoversTV he got an injury in the game before Blackpool he played the Burnley game and he was excellent but he’s just had a bit of a setback and hasn’t trained for the past couple of weeks “Picks [Pickering] was back on the grass yesterday but it was far too close to the game for him to play “Andi Weimann hasn’t trained for two weeks after suffering an injury on the Friday before the Burnley game and got through 60 minutes there “He hasn’t trained at all for the past two weeks before turning up on the grass on Friday and saying he was alright to give half an hour a leading provider of logistics services in the UK has recently experienced a series of significant leadership changes the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its subsidiary Eddie Stobart has departed after a distinguished 34-year tenure This follows the earlier departure of Ian Smith who served as Culina Group’s CEO for less than three months David Pickering’s association with Eddie Stobart began as a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) graduate Pickering was instrumental in steering the company through various phases of growth and transformation he expressed gratitude towards his colleagues and clients acknowledging their contributions to his professional journey He said: “It is with great pride that I announce my move away from Eddie Stobart a company to which I have worked for 34 years now; starting as a YTS graduate and finally achieving my early career ambitions of leading the organisation as CEO “I have worked alongside some truly talented colleagues ones that have both mentored and inspired me to strive for the best always “I have also had the pleasure to work with some of the biggest clients in the UK and across Europe I have learnt so much from some of the leading supply chain experts this country has to offer from colleagues within Eddie Stobart and the wider Culina Group who have shared my journey to suppliers and clients who have helped shape my career It’s been an absolute honour to represent this amazing business.” Ian Smith assumed the role of CEO at Culina Group in October 2024 who transitioned to the position of Group Chairman after a 30-year leadership period occurred within three months of his appointment marking a brief tenure in the company’s top executive position October 2024 witnessed the resignation of Deputy CEO William Stobart who chose to continue contributing to the company as a non-executive director on the group board These departures represent a significant shift in the leadership dynamics of both Culina Group and Eddie Stobart Financial Performance Amidst Leadership Transitions Culina Group reported a pre-tax loss of £25.4 million for the year ending 31 December 2023 despite an increase in revenues to £104.5 million from £88.3 million in 2022 Eddie Stobart experienced a decline in revenue from £586.8 million to £505.7 million during the same period While the company achieved a pre-tax profit of £4.9 million it reported a retained loss of £6.9 million attributed to a settlement with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) concerning prior years’ tax liabilities The recent executive departures at Culina Group and Eddie Stobart signal a transformative period for both organizations The impact of these leadership changes on the companies’ strategic direction and operational performance remains to be seen Stakeholders and industry observers will be closely monitoring how these developments influence the future trajectory of both entities one of the UK’s leading providers of electric utility vehicles is set to launch its new compact electric Goupil G4 Refuse Collection Vehicle with Devon-based waste and recycling specialist The UK Government has launched an in-depth investigation into the Town Council is seeking a young person to light the commemorative beacon alongside the Town Mayor This special event will take place on 8th May 2025 at 9.30 P.M The Town Council is looking for an youngster aged between 11 and 16 years old who is available to light the beacon entrants must live within Pickering Parish To enter this opportunity, young people are invited to submit a statement of around 200 words explaining why they should be chosen to participate. These statements should be sent to admin@pickering.gov.uk or dropped off at the Memorial Hall Entrants should also include their parent's or carer's name and contact number in their submission The deadline for submitting entries is 13th April 2025 The successful young person will have the important role of lighting the beacon and they will also receive a commemorative certificate and lapel badge they will have their photo taken with the Town Mayor Further information and submissions can be directed to Pickering Town Council at the Memorial Hall or by email at admin@pickering.gov.uk.  The Town Council invites eligible young residents of Pickering Parish to participate in this significant commemoration This is the Coast is committed to providing a daily local news service for the Yorkshire Coast We are a small locally owned and operated business which employs professional journalists and reporters We do not receive any public funding or grants and we are entirely funded by our local commercial operations We enjoy fabulous support from local businesses who work with us on their advertising and marketing campaigns fact checked local news coverage is significant If you appreciate what This is the Coast does and would like to help support our journalism please consider supporting us on a monthly basis today A small contribution from all our readers would really help support independent journalism for the Yorkshire Coast As Saint Catherine's marks it's 40th anniversary the Scarborough based Hospice has teamed up with This is the Coast for the return of Bring a Pound to Work Day North Yorkshire's mayor says there will be improvements to the county's bus services this year An East Riding health director says Bridlington Hospital could be an ideal location for more minor operations to ease pressure on the NHS a Product Cyber Resilience Manager at Leonardo and a dedicated Special Constable. His dual roles enhance both his professional and community contributions through the Employer Supported Policing (ESP) scheme I am a Product Cyber Resilience Manager in Leonardo’s Radar and Advanced Targeting business I work in the Design Integrity Department within Product Security assuring the security posture of several projects Special Constables are fully warranted Police Officers uniform and equipment as their regular counterparts but are volunteers who give up 16+ hours of their spare time per month to carry out policing duties in their community (though many do significantly more hours) What is the role of a Police Special Constable I am a Special Constable within the Roads Policing Unit of Northumbria Police Operations Department The team I work with is responsible for policing the entirety of the roads network in the Northumbria Police area ensuring timely investigation of collisions alongside education of drivers enforcement of the law and positively impacting driver behaviour I come from a family of cops – my stepfather was a detective my great-grandfather was a high-ranking officer in what used to be Tyneside Police I always wanted to become a police officer but found a great career in cyber security and becoming a Special Constable was a good way to live the best of both worlds I am the only Special in Northumbria whose collar number begins with a 9 Every other Special has a collar number beginning with 4 The reason for that is that my mam’s collar number with the Force was 8185 That was already in use but 9185 was available and I was allowed to take it as I’m the next generation and wear almost the same collar number that my mam did all those years ago As with regular Roads Policing Unit officers I work single crewed supporting the department by dealing with calls for service and incidents on the roads network. I carry my own workload ensuring that what I pick up I can deal with. I have worked incredibly hard to become a trusted and competent member of the Roads Policing Unit I get a huge amount of satisfaction from the fact that I am helping to keep the road network safe How has Leonardo supported you in your commitments as a Police Special Constable Leonardo has a flexible working policy which allows me to shift my start or finish times to align to policing duties court appearances or community engagement events But the main support Leonardo offers those who volunteer as policing officers comes from the fact that Leonardo has an incredible Employer Supported Policing (ESP) offering ESP is a national scheme owned by the Home Office their staff and the police service by releasing Special Constables and Police Support Volunteers to volunteer in the communities they serve I have been able to advance my career with Northumbria Police at an accelerated rate.  Even though I have only four years' service I am able to complete many more shifts than are required of me and through ESP I have been able to attend career development courses to improve my deployable effectiveness as a Roads Policing Resource  Some of the courses I have attended are: This is alongside the usual training that Special Constables get for roads and response policing this pathway would have taken me significantly longer so the benefit is significant and Leonardo has one of the most generous ESP offerings I have seen What skills have you learnt from your Police Special Constable role that you have been able to transfer into your professional career at Leonardo Most of the skills that are transferable are non-tangible soft skills including increased confidence in dealing with volatile situations analytical skills and investigative skills But the main ones that I draw upon in civilian life are personal and professional resilience and a vehement desire to complete any task to the very best of my ability What advice would you give other Specials thinking about joining Leonardo You will be fully supported though flexible working ESP and a genuine company desire to assist the community By 2025-02-25T07:57:00+00:00 Job title: Brand activation executive – salty snacks I never had a specific career in mind growing up but I’ve always been drawn to creative pursuits I’ve always found joy in activities that allow me to wholly immerse myself in the creative process Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? Growing up in Trafford, just 10 minutes from the Manchester plant, Kellogg’s has always been a familiar name to me. As a self-proclaimed massive foodie, with a penchant for marketing, I was instantly drawn to Kellanova when I learned more about their portfolio of iconic household brands like Pringles “My experience in sales and supply chain have proven to be invaluable in deepening my understanding of the business” Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): My role involves leading on a retailer account working on critical campaigns and supporting the team on the wider brand masterplan briefing artwork and holding meetings with external agency partners to amplify the masterplan I closely monitor the retailer account I lead on aligning with the account manager to ensure a streamlined considered approach to delivering against our objectives reviewing and evaluating campaigns and supporting with various administrative tasks like managing payments organising samples and preparing buyers’ boxes I also value one-on-one time with my manager to align on weekly priorities discuss any required support and enjoy a more informal conversation about life outside work and wellbeing Tell us how you went about applying for your job: The application process for my current role was both exciting and a little daunting as it was my first full-time job interview after completing my apprenticeship I felt particularly nervous because I knew I’d be interviewed by internal stakeholders many of whom I worked with on a daily basis The application process comprised two stages, and I was fortunate that Kellanova provided interview training during my apprenticeship giving me the tools and confidence I needed to succeed I had a log of everything I had worked on and all the experience I had gained which served as a really valuable resource throughout the process What’s the best part about working for a food & drink company? The best part about working for a food company is being able to work on brands that you already love – this makes work really enjoyable. These brands are at the centre of so many occasions throughout the year, like Christmas we have a real opportunity to create meaningful and memorable moments for our consumers In addition, I’ve been lucky enough to lead on a variety of projects such as the Pringles UK local amplification plan for our gaming partnerships, as well as campaigns supporting our wider ESG strategy like the Cheez-It X Your Local Pantry campaign in Co-op And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? Working in food and drink can be challenging. We are constantly keeping abreast of laws and regulatory restrictions around food advertising managing and maintaining brand image and reputation doing the right thing by and for our customers and consumers What advice would you give to other young people looking to get into the food & drink industry don’t restrict yourself to pursuing a role within just one function gaining knowledge and experience across various functions can be acutely useful while I knew I wanted to work in marketing my experience in sales and supply chain have proven to be invaluable in deepening my understanding of the business I hope to continue to lead on exciting campaigns build iconic brands and work my way up to a senior brand manager continuing to champion Kellanova as a snacking powerhouse Sign in to comment on this article Site powered by Webvision Cloud Learn moreExplore related questionsDiscover more about the topics that matter most Browse our suggested questions or ask your own to find out more Two—way traffic lights will be in place while the work is being carried out On-site personnel will assist in managing access to properties and businesses within the closure Please comply with any instructions given by the on—site staff and any signage relating to the works queries or problems relating to these works please contact North Yorkshire Council on 0300 1312131 Pickering is the latest area to be supported by Hull City Council’s Love Your Neighbourhood project Streets within the Pickering area of West Hull are now basking in the glow of a much-welcomed makeover thanks to the council’s ambitious Love Your Neighbourhood initiative.          several streets within the area underwent a comprehensive tidy-up between Monday 17 February and Friday 28 February leaving the streets transformed and residents with an enhanced sense of pride in their community.            Following a detailed patch walk around the area before the tidy-up work began it was identified that these streets would benefit from some additional support with weeds as well as carrying out gully cleaning,  general grounds maintenance Additional litter-picking was conducted on the cycle tracks between Anlaby Road South and Christopher Pickering Park as well as behind the shops on Bethune Avenue The team also addressed issues of dog fouling by engaging with residents on Bethune Avenue and Gower Road.   said: “It’s been great to see such a difference being made in the Pickering area over the past few weeks and I am glad that the team have been able to address the issues highlighted during the patch walk.      “These tidy-up efforts show that each areas needs are different and by engaging with local people the Love Your Neighbourhood team make sure they make improvements that address local priorities Residents have told us how delighted they are with the work carried out.”     The council are also encouraging residents across the city to take pride in their communities by helping with litter picking and the removal of graffiti.          the Love Your Street team can loan: adult and child sized litter pickers; hi-vis vests; graffiti removal kits; litter collection sacks; and gloves To hire equipment and to book litter collections, visit Get involved | Love your street | Hull  added: “As well as caring for the environment this project is about getting residents involved and bringing communities together while their streets are given a real makeover.         “By getting involved residents can help make a visible difference and take charge of the place they live.”            Love Your Neighbourhood is a citywide tidy-up programme designed to tackle small areas one at a time.            The team tidy each area over a two-week period after which residents should see a noticeable difference in the look and feel of their neighbourhood.     For further information, visit Love your neighbourhood | Love your street | Hull.  email loveyourstreetproject@hullcc.gov.uk.  Pickering Cricket Club head into 2025 full of confidence following two senior promotions last summer even if the restructuring of the North Yorkshire Premier League pyramid means they effectively remain where they were The North Yorkshire club celebrated a title win for their first team last season triumphant in the third-tier Division One East competition They also won the T20 Edward Readman Memorial Trophy Their seconds finished third in the fourth-tier Division Two Galtres league the NYPL was headed by a Premier Division followed by Championship East and West Galtres and Holderness and Division Five Ebor below the Premier Division is a Premier Division Two followed by Championship East and West Holderness and Beckett and Division Five Ebor That means Pickering’s first will once again be playing third-tier cricket and their seconds fourth-tier Fast bowler Cameron Cooper said: “The boys worked really hard to get to where we did across both teams last year “The twos will be slightly disappointed that we didn’t win the league they had a successful season (in Division Three of the Scarborough Beckett League) They didn’t win as many games as they’d have perhaps liked but they got more juniors through into the senior set-up When they look at selecting teams and setting goals they’re looking to the future as much as they are to the now.” Pickering fast bowler Cameron Cooper is also Yorkshire’s D40 Quest captain doubles up as Yorkshire’s D40 Quest Disability captain and is an England Physical Disability squad player he has lived the majority of his life in Yorkshire and has played at various clubs which is – looking at a map – just under 20 miles inland from Scarborough on the East Coast He is a bowler who splits his time between playing first and second-team cricket for the Mill Lane club “Everyone gets on really well,” he continued and moving between the two teams is never a problem The club’s first-team captain Ryan Taylor It’s about making sure you’re with a group of players who you really get on with “We share a recreation club with the football team and the bar’s really well set-up and managed We also do some shared fundraising events with the football side and even outside of the season people go to socialise.” the firsts will once again be captained by Ryan Taylor and the seconds by Kieron Edmond but it’s going to be a competitive league that we’re in,” said Cooper But if we can win a few games early and get on a role I think we can definitely have a run at winning the league But if we look after ourselves and perform well we’ll be successful and win titles and cups.” Pickering run a successful junior set-up which Cooper feels has really kicked on in recent years following a lull which coincided with the Covid pandemic They have teams from Under 9s to Under 15s and also run an All Stars programme The club’s second-team captain Kieran Edmond And they also have a women’s softball team “We have a group of really talented youngsters who will hopefully be around for a long time – the likes of Archie Welford “They’re definitely that core for the future “A special mention should go to Tom Croot (chairperson) and Tom Cleary (secretary) They run the club and have done a brilliant job Oughtibridge’s first-team captain Will Cooper - a former county junior - says survival in this summer’s YPL South Championship division would give the club a real platform for future progression The Yorkshire County Cricket Club will continue its innovative approach to talent identification in 2025 by launching a brand-new Under-23 programme how many of us down the years have been on a long car journey on the motorway and exclaimed with excitement when a cricket ground comes into view membership and Premium Experiences information and more exciting content from Yorkshire Cricket and the Northern Diamonds straight to your inbox To view our privacy policy, click here. More than 14,000 more homes in Filey and Pickering can now access Virgin Media’s gigabit broadband services for the first time Customers in Filey and Pickering can now sign-up to services including Gig2 broadband which offers top speeds of 2Gbps – 16 times faster* than local average These hyperfast connections are perfect for busy households working remotely video calling friends and family and playing games online Virgin Media’s services are now available to more homes locally after work to bring full fibre connections to the area has been completed The network has been built on behalf of nexfibre which is investing £4.5bn to deliver high speed fibre to the home (FTTH) connections to 5 million homes across the UK by 2026 nexfibre recently announced it has already reached a total of one million premises passed and ready for service Virgin Media O2 is using this next-generation network to deliver its broadband and TV Stream services to homes and businesses in the area Following the build of the network in the area Virgin Media O2’s build team spent a day volunteering at four Age UK shops in the local community This involved helping staff in the shops with sorting This was made possible through Virgin Media O2’s ‘Take Five’ initiative which offers all staff five paid volunteering days a year to support projects – either in-person or digitally – helping them give back and support their local community said: “I welcome this vital investment in Filey and Pickering to connect over 14,000 homes to high-speed broadband boosting our local businesses and residents I look forward to working with Virgin Media O2 to further progress connectivity in Thirsk and Malton” Managing Director of Fixed Network Expansion at Virgin Media O2 said: “14,000 more homes in Filey and Pickering can now feel the benefit of Virgin Media’s services – with packages that include everything from next generation multigigabit broadband to easy-to-use TV streaming and entertainment services “These ultrareliable full fibre to the home broadband connections come with speeds – up to 16 times faster than local average – providing total peace of mind that whatever you’re doing online you’ll never be slowed down by your service.” CEO at nexfibre said: “nexfibre’s multi-million pound investment in Filey and Pickering will enable thousands of households to access the benefits of full fibre broadband including being able to participate in the local economy and connect with the community It marks a significant step on our journey to connect 5 million premises by 2026.” Virgin Media O2 is leading Britain’s gigabit charge with speeds of 1,000Mbps+ available across its entire network The company invests around £2bn a year in its networks and services and is also in the process of upgrading its entire fixed network to full fibre to the home (FTTH) technology over the coming years In addition to its ultrafast broadband network Virgin Media O2’s mobile network covers 99% of the nation’s population with 4G with the business also rolling out 5G services to bring the latest mobile connectivity to more parts of the country O2 is the only mobile network operator not to have reintroduced roaming fees in Europe and customers can save week-in week-out through Priority – its reward scheme which gives exclusive access to offers Customers of both Virgin Media and O2 can supercharge their services and reap extra rewards through Volt new and existing customers who take a Virgin Media broadband service and an eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan will receive a broadband speed boost to the next tier available – meaning customers on a 500Mbps Virgin Media package could be boosted to Gig1 at no extra charge nexfibre is a joint venture between InfraVia Capital Partners Liberty Global and Telefónica and is financed with £4.5 billion of equity and debt investment It will initially roll out fibre to 5 million homes not currently served by Virgin Media O2’s network by 2026 with the opportunity to expand to an additional 2 million homes Virgin Media O2 is the anchor tenant of this joint venture and provides build services to nexfibre nexfibre and Virgin Media O2 will cover up to 23 million premises or around 80% of the UK later this decade Discover the perfect broadband package to fit your lifestyle with Virgin Media Explore our range of high-speed options and get connected today -https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/packages you agree to Virgin Media O2 using your details for the intended purpose You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails For information about our privacy practices We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here. From today, Virgin TV customers can jump into the popular fitness app, Fit at Home, and enjoy exclusive access to over 500… Virgin Media O2 Business today publishes its Q1 Movers Index, revealing retailers’ hopes for a Bank Holiday sales boost as 22 million… Blue Mondays will see more than two million exclusive rewards and prizes given away to Priority members this year. Rewards will include the all-new… (anything related to Virgin Media specific services) (anything related to O2 specific services) Pickering came into the team in place of the suspended Owen Beck at left-back and featured for the first-half before being replaced by Todd Cantwell. With no other recognised senior left-back available, Pickering was forced to play through it and Eustace was quick to pay tribute to the 25-year-old for putting the team first. “He was going to come off anyway because he’s been poorly over the last couple of days,” the boss disclosed to RoversTV. “He’d not trained yesterday, was sick yesterday and also on the morning of the game, but he still wanted to come out and play. “Full credit to him for being 100 percent committed to this football club and to the group. “To get 45 minutes out of him was good and he was always going to come off at half time.” Blackburn Rovers Sports College, located in the Darwen End of the ground, provides exciting opportunities for young people aged 16-18 years old to develop themselves both professionally and personally through BTEC and University degree courses in partnership with Blackburn College and the University of South Wales. Students can learn from leading industry professionals as well as personnel from Blackburn Rovers Football Club as they continue their development in the next stage of their career journey.  Our inclusive programme is for people of all sporting and academic abilities and we ensure everybody feels welcome and at home when studying at Blackburn Rovers Sports College Hedges and Pickering took part in a Q&A about their pathway into football and their careers so far The pair also watched the Sports College training session on the state-of-the-art 4G pitches at the Indoor Centre The two Rovers first team players enjoyed meeting the students and heaped praise on Blackburn Rovers Community Trust impact on the local community and providing opportunities for young people after secondary school and we’ve got a bit more information about what Blackburn Rovers Sports College does and provides “We always enjoy coming to see the different programmes Blackburn Rovers Community Trust run and the club and Trust are pulling in the same direction It is great so see so many young people are signed by to the Sports College “It is great exposure that our training kit is sponsored by the Sports College so it is good to see first-hand what Blackburn Rovers Sports College are doing on a daily basis Defender Pickering added: “The facilities at Blackburn Rovers Sports College are fantastic including the Indoor Centre classrooms and the technology they have at their disposal are great it is a brilliant space for students to study The courses are designed for students of all sporting and academic abilities with some fantastic unique incentives available by joining including representing Blackburn Rovers Sports College in organised football matches and utilising the newly refurbished indoor sport facility at Ewood Park Blackburn Rovers Sports College played their first game of the 2024-25 season when they drew with Carlisle United 0-0 in the Community and Education Football Alliance a league made up of other EFL club community organisations Deputy Head of Further and Higher Education at Blackburn Rovers Sports College commented: “Ryan and Harry have been down to have a Q&A with our students and to observe one of our training sessions “During the Q&A we shared some of the content of the modules across our BTEC Level One and an insight into how footballers’ step from education into professional football as well as what they are going to do after their playing career finishes “They interacted with the students about the education which is relevant to their practice such as sports psychology and nutrition and with one of the players taking their coaching badges how it’s relevant to them going forward “There’s still time for students to enrol so please get in contact if you are interested We thank Ryan and Harry for their time to coming to see what we do at Blackburn Rovers Sports College.” We are still accepting student applications for the new academic year that started this month. To find out more about Blackburn Rovers Sports College, please email brfceducation@brfctrust.co.uk or CLICK HERE. For future students wishing to find out more our next open evening will be on Monday 7th October The City of Pickering’s seasonal waterfront parking program is now in effect and runs until October 1 The program helps manage high visitor volumes and traffic congestion at popular waterfront destinations The program includes paid parking at all City-owned waterfront parking lots and restricted/paid parking on select streets in the waterfront area Pickering residents can get a free seasonal parking permit valid for two years from the date of issue you do not need to renew until 2026 and may continue to park at no charge in designated areas notify us by selecting that text and pressing Ctrl+Enter ON L1J 8P5 | 905-571-1019 | newsroom@kx96.fm Metrics details The electrosynthesis of cyclohexanone oxime from cyclohexanone and nitrogen oxide is a promising it is hindered by high mass transport resistance in the biphasic reaction and the competitive hydrogenation of hydroxylamine resulting in low Faradaic efficiency and production rates Here we design a Pickering-emulsion-droplet-integrated electrode to facilitate the continuous-flow electrocatalytic synthesis of cyclohexanone oxime The emulsion droplets provide an ideal localized interfacial microenvironment for electrocatalysts characterized by the orientational ordering of water molecules and incomplete interfacial hydrogen bonding with cyclohexanone which enhances the efficiency of the biphasic oximation process the droplet-based network formed on the electrodes establishes an efficient charge-transfer channel enabling continuous production of cyclohexanone oxime at high operating current densities and allowing for continuous product collection without the need for additional demulsification steps Our system achieves production rates (100 mA cm−2 0.78 mmol h−1 cm−2) approximately five times greater than those reported for previous catalysts long-term operational stability (100 h) and scalability for the synthesis of 10 g of cyclohexanone oxime making it promising for industrial application Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout The data that support the findings of this study are available in the paper and its Supplementary Information Design of a ‘green’ one-step catalytic production of ε-caprolactam (precursor of nylon-6) HDIN Research. Global nylon 6 production capacity to reach 8.86 million tons in 2024, https://www.hdinresearch.com/news/56 (2019) Highly efficient catalytic production of oximes from ketones using in situ–generated H2O2 Catalytic properties of crystalline titanium silicalites III Electrosynthesis of a nylon-6 precursor from cyclohexanone and nitrite under ambient conditions Electrocatalytic systems for NOx valorization in organonitrogen synthesis Electrocatalytic synthesis of nylon‐6 precursor at almost 100% yield Restoring the nitrogen cycle by electrochemical reduction of nitrate: progress and prospects Descriptor-based volcano relations predict single atoms for hydroxylamine electrosynthesis Synthesis of hydroxylamine via ketone-mediated nitrate electroreduction Electrochemical reduction of gaseous nitrogen oxides on transition metals at ambient conditions Catalyst selection over an electrochemical reductive coupling reaction toward direct electrosynthesis of oxime from NOx and aldehyde Linear adsorption enables NO selective electroreduction to hydroxylamine on single Co sites Electrocatalytic synthesis of nylon-6 precursor at almost 100 % yield Pickering interfacial catalysis for biphasic systems: from emulsion design to green reactions Pickering emulsion-derived liquid–solid hybrid catalyst for bridging homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis Electrosynthesis of amino acids from NO and α-keto acids using two decoupled flow reactors Integrated tandem electrochemical–chemical–electrochemical coupling of biomass and nitrate to sustainable alanine Boosting catalytic selectivity through a precise spatial control of catalysts at Pickering droplet interfaces Raman spectroscopic study of cyclohexane at pressures below 1000 MPa In situ Raman spectroscopy reveals the structure and dissociation of interfacial water Characterizing surface-confined interfacial water at graphene surface by in situ Raman spectroscopy The orientation and charge of water at the hydrophobic oil droplet–water interface Luo L. et al. Electrosynthesis of the nylon-6 precursor from nitrate and cyclohexanone over a rutile TiO2 catalyst. CCS Chem. https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202403988 (2024) Salting‐Out aldehyde from the electrooxidation of alcohols with 100% selectivity Nitrate electroreduction: mechanism insight Electrocatalytic synthesis of pyridine oximes using in situ generated NH2OH from NO species on nanofiber membranes derived from NH2-MIL-53(Al) Sustainable electrosynthesis of cyclohexanone oxime through nitrate reduction on a Zn–Cu alloy catalyst Highly efficient one-pot electrosynthesis of oxime ethers from NOx over ultrafine MgO nanoparticles derived from Mg-based metal–organic frameworks Electrosynthesis of hydroxylamine from nitrate reduction in water Download references This work was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (21925203 the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFC2101900) the Program of Technology Innovation of Shanxi Province (2024L007) the Natural Science Research Foundation of Shanxi Province (202303021211016) Program for Young Scholar Talents of Wenying in Shanxi University and the Fund for Shanxi ‘1331 Project’ and the Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Coal Conversion (grant number J24-25-909) These authors contributed equally: Feifan Zhang Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education for Fine Chemicals School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Shanxi Key Laboratory of the Green Catalytic Synthesis of Coal-based High Value Chemicals Shanxi Research Institute of Huairou Laboratory National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Advanced Catalytic Engineering Research Center of the Ministry of Education Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Reaction Engineering executed the experiments and collected the data carried out the EXAFS characterization measurements contributed to preparing some of the figures Nature Synthesis thanks Yuanhai Su and the other reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work in collaboration with the Nature Synthesis team a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-024-00713-3 Durham Regional Police Service forensics van The victim has been identified as Joshua Ibbitson The suspicious death of a man found inside a vehicle last week in Pickering has been ruled a homicide The body was found when officers responded to a check on well-being call in the area of Fairport Road and Third Concession Road on April 30 Suspicious Death Ruled a Homicide in PickeringThe DRPS Homicide Unit is investigating the death of a 47-year-old male in Pickering. This is Durham Region’s first homicide of 2025.See full story here: https://t.co/Dd44sJcr0m pic.twitter.com/A5YECnqfex An autopsy determined the man’s death was a homicide His death is Durham Region’s first homicide of 2025 Anyone in the area who may have witnessed suspicious activity between the evening of April 29 and the morning of April 30 is asked to call Det. Graham at 905-579-1520 Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Today is dedicated to the successful efforts of residents and volunteers to improve the North Yorkshire market town’s fortunes by turning it into a more vibrant place to live The Community Day will also see the launch of a new pixie-themed digital trail bringing to life the enduring heritage of the town– is being organised by the social enterprise Pickering Town Community Interest Company is made up of local residents and an army of volunteers who have been galvanised with a sense of ‘wanting to get things done’ working closely with Pickering Town Council North Yorkshire Council and the North York Moors National Park This has resulted in a number of successful projects including the installation of a new cycling pump-track re-instatement of the traditional town signage the creation of groups for sociable walking and sewing as well as providing volunteer support for events such as the Pickering Rocks music festival The Community Day will coincide with the first anniversary of another success story the This Little Piggie artisan market which will open for its second season in March Many of Pickering’s attractions and businesses will be joining in the celebrations including entertainment at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and the Beck Isle Museum as well as blacksmith demonstrations on Smiddy Hill Professional performance troupe Valerian Entertainment will lead the celebration through the surrounding streets while people hunt for a string of tiny pixie houses that have been created by local artists Emma Hodgson from The Guilded Moon Collective wood craftsman Geoff Bogg and Mike Bennett from Must Forge.  As well as shop windows adopting the pixie theme the Black Swan will be holding art workshops dedicated to the mythical characters; the Pickering Book Tree will have actress Elizabeth Boag reading to groups; while mischievous elves at the St Peter and St Paul’s Church will be helping those taking part in the bell ringing workshops It’s testament to the town’s community spirit that weekly art workshops are being held to create the artwork for the March event plus the secretive group of Pickering Yarn bombers are knitting creations to decorate the streets and shop windows while Birdgate Chocolatiers are planning a giant pixie-themed chocolate egg that will be raffled for charity Chairman of the Pickering Town Community Interest Company comments: “It is fantastic to see how many people and businesses are getting involved with the Community Day It underlines how powerful a force volunteering can be when a group comes together with a united passion for making things better in their neighbourhood “In fact volunteering in Pickering has now become just a natural part of the social fabric of the town providing opportunities for residents to meet up and get to know one another while sharing a common cause.  “While Pickering can be proud of what it has achieved so far we’re also brimming with more plans that will keep the momentum going and help make the town even more resilient.” More details on the Community Day are on Visit Pickering’s website: www.visitpickering.co.uk Pickering Town Community Interest Company's Operations Manager is Carrie Brackstone  Carrie also explained how the day came about: There will be a theatre group performing throughout too: The ambitious project will transform the theatre’s current mezzanine storage area into a vibrant and accessible venue designed to support local performers Completely self-funded and run by a dedicated team of volunteers the Kirk Theatre has long been a cornerstone of Pickering’s cultural life This new venture reaffirms its commitment to fostering creativity and providing a welcoming The Sylvia Allanson Studio will be a versatile venue featuring a flexible performance area with seating for up to 60 people and a new bar and refreshments area to enhance audience experiences The project also includes the installation of a lift to improve accessibility across the building creating an inclusive space where creativity can flourish The Kirk Theatre’s current 187-seat auditorium has served the community for four decades hosting a variety of performances by local and national theatre groups the traditional proscenium arch layout and large stage can sometimes present challenges for smaller The addition of the Sylvia Allanson Studio will address these challenges by offering a welcoming The new studio will also provide a vital stepping stone for emerging talent.  “We want this space to be a launchpad for young performers and a place where people of all abilities and backgrounds can share their work,” “The Sylvia Allanson Studio is about more than just improving our facilities It’s about breaking down barriers and creating opportunities We’re building a space where anyone — regardless of age or ability — can feel encouraged to perform The studio is named in honour of Sylvia Allanson a beloved figure in the Pickering arts community and the longest-serving member of the Pickering Musical Society Sylvia first joined the society as a junior dancer at the age of seven She went on to take leading roles in productions such as The Merry Widow Sylvia was even offered a position at the prestigious Windmill Theatre in London where she became a cornerstone of the theatre community mentoring countless younger performers and supporting productions well into her later years “Sylvia was the heart and soul of this theatre She had a passion for performance and an incredible ability to inspire those around her Naming this new space after her is a fitting tribute to her legacy and devotion to the arts.” The Kirk Theatre’s story is one of passion the building was purchased by the Pickering Musical Society in 1979 and painstakingly transformed into a theatre by a small group of volunteers it officially opened as the Kirk Theatre in 1983 the theatre has operated entirely on the dedication of volunteers who manage everything from technical support to front-of-house duties and the tireless efforts of its volunteer team “Our volunteers are the backbone of this theatre their dedication and hard work have kept us going for 40 years and they will be just as crucial in helping us bring the Sylvia Allanson Studio to life This project is a testament to what a passionate community can achieve.” In addition to creating a new performance space the project will also highlight the building’s architectural heritage will be restored and reopened to create a stunning backdrop for performances and exhibitions The lift installation will significantly improve accessibility allowing visitors and performers of all abilities to enjoy and participate in theatre events “We’re building on our history while looking toward the future,”  “It’s about preserving the legacy of this incredible space while making sure it continues to evolve and meet the needs of our community.” The Kirk Theatre is seeking to raise £100,000 to complete the project Initial funding has been secured through generous donations made in Sylvia Allanson’s memory following her funeral and a commemorative concert the Theatre says that additional support from businesses and individuals is essential to see the project through to completion The Kirk Theatre has always been a place where people come together to create and share stories Luke says the new project will ensure it continues to be at the heart of the community a small group of volunteers transformed this former chapel into the vibrant theatre we know today we can now build something truly special for the future The Sylvia Allanson Studio will be a place where creativity thrives An East Riding health director says Bridlington Hospital could be an ideal location for more minor operations to ease pressure on the NHS.