Astrid & Miyu launches black-owned business accelerator
London-based jewellery brand Astrid & Miyu, which works with Definition for corporate PR and profiling, has launched a three-month business accelerator programme. It will give entrepreneurs from the BAME community funding and guidance to help them take their businesses to the next level.
A&M founder Connie Nam has pledged three months’ salary alongside raised funds to the programme, which will see six entrepreneurs benefit from tailored, expert advice and a £3,000 grant.
The programme complements a second business accelerator helping three retail businesses achieve scale, which launched in May. It is great to see a successful entrepreneur giving back and cultivating another wave of fresh new businesses.
Free-to-air Premier League
Football fans are full of anticipation for 6pm on 17 June when the sorely-missed Premier League will return. Sheffield Utd and Aston Villa will provide the first action since COVID-19 brought it – and pretty much everything else – to a standstill almost three long months ago.
But far from business as usual, ‘Project Restart’ will see 29 of the remaining 92 games available free-to-air to every UK household.
The UK broadcast rights for 2019-2022 are distributed between Sky Sports, BT Sports and Amazon Prime, which stumped up a combined £4.5bn for the privilege. But in an unprecedented move, Sky will air 25 of its 64 for free, with Amazon Prime making all four of its games available without subscription.
The four games shown by the BBC will be the first live Premier League action on the channel since the League was founded in 1992.
We are living in a world of firsts, but it’s certainly nice to have one we (well, most of us) can be happy about.
Spirit of Wimbledon
The end of June usually sees the formation of the two-week-only tennis ultras, as armies of casual tennis fans enthusiastically tune in to the first couple of days of Wimbledon before picking it up towards the end if Andy Murray’s still in.
The courts will remain empty this year, but the All-England Tennis Club (AELTC) is still working to keep the Wimbledon brand shining brightly in what should be its busiest time. AELTC has launched ‘Wimbledon Recreated’, a campaign calling on tennis fans around the world to get involved and recreate some of their favourite Wimbledon experiences.
The first video shows 2019’s champions Simona Halep and Novak Djokovic recreating some of their famous contributions to SW19.
Hopefully this campaign, in conjunction with our slightly relaxed lockdown, will inspire the nation to get out for a socially distanced set or two. No doubles, though.