Dutch Brewer, Bavaria is giving female footie-fans the chance to fly the England flag in style this summer.

Not to be outdone by their other halves come kick-off time, Bavaria is inviting the ladies of England to show their true colours this World Cup by sporting Bavaria’s Eng-er-land’ dress whilst supporting Fabio’s boys in South Africa.

Launched to raise the profile of Bavaria’s range of Alcohol Free beers, hopes are high that this mini-dress will provide feminine football fans with a more fashion-conscious option instead of a ‘shapeless England shirt’.

Launched in the hope that female football fans will inject some glamour into proceedings and provide a much needed boost to ‘our boys’, the clingy mini-dress, worth £22, can be worn in any one of four adjustable sexy-styles and is certain to make summertime temperatures soar throughout the tournament.

Only 1,000 of the dresses have been produced and are being given away in a round of exclusive competitions. Grab your by entering the competition on Nuts Magazine, Real Radio or follow Bavaria UK on Twitter for your chance to win.

The expertise and careful planning of demolition and enabling works specialists, Armoury Group, meant that a historic Tudor facade was successfully protected and retained during the demolition of a former textile factory in Leicester.

The four-storey Wolsey knitwear factory, situated on Abbey Park Road, was cleared as part of the on-going regeneration programme in the city to make way for the construction of a new social housing project for the elderly by Loughborough contractor and developer William Davis, on behalf of housing group LHA-ASRA.

Though the site had been derelict for more than a year, the corner flagstone of the structure remained historically relevant for its depiction of Cardinal Wolsey – first minister in the court of King Henry VIII.

With vast experience in façade retention, Armoury was able to remove the listed sandstone and ceramic-tiled area by using a specialist Brokk 90 hydraulic “nibbler” which can nip away brickwork from up to 40 yards away and allow for the safe demolition of the remaining structure.

Jim McEwan of Armoury commented: “The regeneration of Leicester has been firmly underway for some years now, and whilst the prospect of welcoming a new era to neglected areas of the city is exciting, it is also greatly important to protect the wealth of heritage here whilst remaining sympathetic to how these works affect the here and now.

“This site is situated in the heart of a residential area, so we were very aware of how the project would affect the entire local community. We endeavored to involve the people of Leicester at every level by maintaining a constant flow of information to nearby residents, plus, as per our commitment to provide sustainable pre-construction services, all the waste we produced throughout demolition was recycled and crushed by local depots.”

The new development is to consist of 103 apartments has been designed to appear similar to the current structure and will incorporate the rescued facade.

Nic Jepson, Group Business Development Manager for William Davis added: “The Wolsey brand has a history dating back to 1755 and is immensely important to the heritage of Leicester. Although this particular factory has been disused and in ill-repair for some time, the Cardinal Wolsey cameo remains a significant piece of architecture which we believe should be enjoyed by the people of Leicester for many years to come.

“Armoury provided extensive practical advice on how the removal of the façade could be achieved with minimal disruption. We are delighted that this wonderful piece of history will still be a pivotal part of the regenerated future of Leicester.”

The UK Timber Frame Association (UKTFA) has cemented its position as the definitive voice of the UK timber frame industry with the launch of its new look website.

The re-vamped www.uktfa.com has been specifically designed to be the driving force behind the UKTFA’s aim to establish timber frame as the construction method of choice for an industry recognizing the need for a more carbon efficient future.

Whilst providing potential customers with the ability to learn more about the many sustainable benefits of timber frame construction, the new website will be the essential go-to portal for those wanting all the latest news and views from industry insiders. It will also offer updates on the UKTFA’s Fabric First and SiteSafe campaigns and keep members abreast of its on-going lobbying activities.

A substantial members area is set to add value to membership, offering the opportunity to showcase news, case studies, and cross promote services to fellow members. However, even non-members will now be able benefit from the highly accessible search options, which will make accessing the information relevant to each individual user easier to both source and digest – ultimately improving the visibility of the timber frame industry and its green credentials to the public domain.

Geoff Arnold, UKTFA Chairman commented: “We have streamlined a large amount of the content from our previous website, and as a result it is quicker-loading and more accessible, with bite size, yet informative chunks.

“Our hope is that this website will provide us with a great platform to not only communicate the benefits of using timber frame, but to also show off the excellent work of our valued membership. This is just one essential piece of a larger jigsaw puzzle that enables us to maintain our unified stance on all the issues facing the industry.”

For more information about the UKTFA please visit the new website www.uktfa.com

We all know the term ‘social media’, but what does it actually mean for businesses and what they do, rather than the individuals that work within those businesses? Researching the subject extensively throws up many definitions and strategies, many seemingly contradictory, but all slightly confusing. The clearest definition we have found so far is:  Social media is the name of the bucket that contains all the catalysts that enable people to collaborate and converse online – which is succint and straight to the point.

Businesses will be drawn to social media by its perceived cheapness, but then face the reality that although it is now ‘cheaper’ to launch initiatives, campaigns etc., utilising social media — it requires qualified and passionate people to make them successful. This will not be easy for many, as it raises a host of issues ranging from empowering employees & agencies to have direct contact with the businesses customers, to staffing up projects differently.

Businesses must realize they will require warm bodies and bright minds to successfully execute their campaigns; whether they are internal or external bodies is another issue altogether – more on that later.

After a great pitch on Friday that showcased our talents and highlighted our undoubted industry expertise, we are chuffed to bits to announce to the enquiring world that yes, we have indeed been appointed by the UK Timber Frame Association (UKTFA) as their new PR partners. With timber frame construction winning converts every day with its sustainable credentials it is an exciting time to get on board and we are looking forward to helping them get their message across in new and innovative ways.

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It is quite a relief to be allowed to express oneself in more than 140 characters – it raises the spectre of stilted real life conversations where the brain evolves into an organ only capable of stringing 140 characters together at a time – a bit like talking to a footballer I imagine.

I read an interesting definition of Social Media the other day and thought I would share it. It defined Social Media as the name of the bucket that contains all the catalysts that enable people to collaborate and converse online – simples.