And remember: if none of these products appeal, buy some anyway: the more you spend, the greater the chance we end up adding something you do like in the future. Future design ideas go in the white box at the bottom.
TRAINLINE has issued a huge warning to passengers that must be followed or could risk being hit with £100 fine.
The digital platform, which allows customers to book travel online, is reminding users they can not use their Railcard on every train journey.
A railcard is a discount card for young and retired people which helps them shave around a third off their travel costs.
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However, Trainline said some Railcards can only be used on fares that are above a certain price, at a certain time.
While others have specific restrictions on the times you can travel.
For example, if you’re travelling between 4:30am and 10am, some Railcards can only be used on fares that cost £12 or more.
If you do not adhere to these rules you could face a £100 fine for not complying with the ticket rules.
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A Trainline spokesperson told The Sun it is changing how it presents information to make the rules more easy for customers to understand.
They said: “While we have always applied railcards correctly and presented the right fees to our customers, recent events highlighted a sense of confusion for passengers around rail industry terms and conditions.
“And so, we have changed how we present this information in the booking flow, as well as adding information to our website, to give customers clarity when buying their tickets”
Travel cards have been in the spotlight recently after it was reported that Northern Rail passengers could be entitled to compensation.
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The travel giant said it was dropping cases of people accused of wrongly using a 16-25 railcard to get discounted travel at the wrong time of the day, The Telegraph reported.
It was said that Northen was breaking a rule whereby passengers with a railcard travelling on the wrong train must be offered the chance to pay back the difference “on the spot”.
Instead, the travel giant was accused of whacking travellers with a find on the spot
A Northern Rail spokesperson told the outlet: “We are withdrawing any live cases and will also look to review anyone who has been prosecuted previously on this specific issue”.
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The Sun has contacted Northern Rail for a comment,
How to avoid a fine when using your Railcard
Railcards are available to a number of different age groups, including students, young professionals and the elderly.
You have to pay for the card with the price usually working out at around £30 for a year or £70 for three years.
A number of different companies issue Railcards, such as Trainline which is the official retailer of Railcards by National Rail.
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Trainpal is another option but the price remains the same.
Using the discount can help you save around a third on your travel costs.
However, it is important to note that you could be fined if you travel during peak time or pay a certain amount for your ticket.
This is especially important when you buy Anytime tickets or other flexible tickets.
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For example, if you travel on a train before 10am and have used your Railcard to buy your ticket, make sure you didn’t pay less than £12.
This is because the ticket won’t be valid before 10am – even though it’s an Anytime ticket.
To avoid fines make sure that if you end up travelling on an earlier train, make sure to double-check any restrictions.
You can read about the restrictions surrounding Railcards by visiting, https://www.railcard.co.uk/help/railcard-terms-and-conditions//
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Different types of Railcard
16-25 Railcard:
Eligibility: Available to anyone aged 16-25, or mature students aged 26 and over who are in full-time education.
26-30 Railcard:
Eligibility: Available to anyone aged 26-30.
Senior Railcard:
Eligibility: For those aged 60 and over.
Two Together Railcard:
Eligibility: For two named individuals aged 16 or over who travel together.
Family & Friends Railcard:
Eligibility: Up to four adults and four children (aged 5-15) can travel on one card.
Disabled Persons Railcard:
Eligibility: Available to those with a disability that makes travelling by train difficult.
Network Railcard:
Eligibility: For anyone, but only valid for travel in the Network Railcard area (South East of England)..
HM Forces Railcard:
Eligibility: For members of the armed forces and their families.
Pubs face widespread closures unless the chancellor announces an extension to business rates relief in next week’s Budget. the UK’s biggest pub company has warned.
David McDowall, boss of Stonegate Group, whose pubs include Slug & Lettuce, Yates’s and Walkabout, said thousands of landlords currently make just 12p of profit for every pint of beer they sell.
Help on business rates for the hospitality sector in England and Wales is set to run out in April.
Mr McDowall said that if it is removed, small publicans will see their business rates bill quadruple from April.
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Along with other costs the businesses are facing, he feared “they don’t have any more to give”.
Rates relief was introduced for pubs, restaurants, bars and cafes in 2020 in response to the Covid pandemic when businesses were forced to close.
In the Budget in November last year, the then Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, announced it had been extended until April next year.
The measure means that companies in England can claim 75% relief on business rates up to £110,000, or 40% for firms in Wales.
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Mr McDowall told the BBC’s Today programme that the hospitality industry has faced a “barrage” of challenges in recent years.
These include recovering from Covid as well as high inflation, energy costs in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the effect of the cost of living on customers.
“The complete removal of that rate relief would prove very, very costly for pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes up and down the length and breath of the UK”, he said.
The British Beer and Pub Association recently revealed that landlords make 12p profit per pint. The average price of a pint of draught lager was £4.79 in September, according to the Office for National Statistics.
It warned about “the onrushing business rates cliff edge” facing firms 153 days after she delivers the Budget.
On Thursday, Hospitality UK and the British Retail Consortium, whose members also benefit from relief, said that in the year to March, businesses in these sectors paid nearly £9bn in business rates.
This is nearly a third of the total amount of revenue the government raises from business rates.
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They said that if relief is removed, it would cost hospitality and retail an additional £2.5bn.
Earlier this week, Hospitality UK also called on the chancellor to stick to Labour’s manifesto pledge to reform business rates.
The amount businesses pay is based on how much annual rent could be charged on the premises – which is known as the rateable value.
Hospitality UK argued that, because its businesses can usually be found in central locations such as High Streets, the cost to companies is high.
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Without reform “investment in our high streets will be curtailed, employment opportunities will be squandered and ultimately, we will see higher levels of business failure,” it said.
GREGGS is not a name you associate with fine dining or fancy booze.
However, as I tucked into a sausage roll covered in hot chilli sausage while drinking a £95 glass of champagne, I was surprised by how well they went together.
Yesterday, I visited the chain’s new champagne bar pop-up in Newcastle.
The plush bar inside historic Fenwick’s Food Hall is opening to customers today and closing on December 31.
Shoppers will be able to get their hands on an assortment of savoury snacks including bakes, sausage rolls and melts with posh sauces, as well as cocktails based on classic sweet treats.
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Foodies can even pair the savoury bites with some seriously posh champagne and Prosecco, with both small glasses and whole bottles on offer.
Prices for a glass start at £10 and range up to £75 while bottles start from £37 and go up to a whopping £425.
At the pre-launch of the champagne bar, I got a first try of some of the new Haute cuisine and bubbly on offer.
The space has been designed in the Art Nouveau style with a marble c-shaped bar which is scattered with crystal bells to call for attention.
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A grand three-tiered glass display features a range of spirits too, with workers dressed in smart suit trousers and bow ties.
As I sat down, everything told me I was somewhere more akin to an underground club in 1900s Paris than your everyday Greggs branch.
I tried one starter, one main, two champagnes and a cocktail.
I’m a Greggs superfan and I’m visiting 190 stores in just eight days in my campervan…I’m only eating bakes from chain
First up was the £4 sausage roll with hot honey chilli sauce which came with bits of chopped fresh chilli inside.
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I never would never think of combining sausage roll with a sweet chilli sauce, but it was surprisingly better than predicted.
The sticky and tart sauce blended with the salty pork sausage meat well and the fresh chilli added a subtle kick.
That said, if you gave me the option of choosing between this and having a sausage roll with tomato ketchup, I’d choose ketchup every time as the flavours just pair better.
For the main option I tried the chicken bake with katsu curry sauce and pickled cucumber, which costs £4.75.
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If I’m not buying a sausage, bean and cheese melt at Greggs, a classic chicken bake is my next choice, but I was sceptical the trio of flavours would work together.
I must admit I was wrong though, and the umami flavour from the katsu sauce paired really nicely with the creamy white sauce from the chicken bake.
That, combined with the freshness of the pickled cucumber, and the trio of flavours made for a really balanced bite.
The two champagnes I had were the Bollinger Rosé Brut, which is £22 per glass or £95 a bottle, and the Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque, on sale for £55 a glass or £295 a bottle.
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The first was light, citrusy and really refreshing, with a subtle hint of apple in there for a bit of tang.
The Perrier was a bit more tart and aromatic, but I was less of a fan of this one.
I loved yum yums as a kid so I was buzzing to try to the yum yum twist cocktail next.
It combines rum with a yum yum flavoured soft drink and icing sugar around the rim of the glass and costs £11.
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One sip and I was dragged back in time to being a school kid and tucking into a whole bag of the sweet pastries.
What’s on the menu?
Greggs’ champagne bar at Fenwick will be open daily from today, 11.30am to 6pm Monday to Saturday, excluding Thursdays, when it will shut at 7pm.
On Sundays, the bar will open at 11.30am and close at 4pm.
Shoppers keen to head down have to reserve ahead via www.fenwick.co.uk/events/restaurants/bistro-greggs-at-fenwick/bistro-greggs-at-fenwick
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But what is actually on the menu crafted by Fenwick executive head chef Mark Reid? This is the full list with prices:
Sausage Roll with Hot Honey Chilli Sauce – £4
Vegan Sausage Roll with Harissa Coconut Yoghurt – £4
A MAJOR airport has revealed its multi-million renovation project that will make it a much better experience for holidaymakers.
Bristol Airport is to make huge changes over the next five years, with some of them already starting.
The main improvement will be increasing the terminal size, which will increase by 70 per cent.
It follows a record number of people travelling through the airport, welcoming 10million passengers in a 12-month period for the first time ever.
More restaurants and larger lounges will be part of the terminal expansion.
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It also means a larger baggage reclaim area as well as immigration area.
And next year, a new covered walkway will allow travellers to access the airport from the outside car parking and public transport area.
This follows the new development currently being built which includes a new multi-storey car park and larger bus terminal.
The entire project is set to cost £400million.
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Bristol Airport CEO Dave Lees told the Bristol Post that all of the changes will mean an passengers have an “improved journey” when using the airport.
He added: “There will be a range of casual dining options including more restaurants as well as increasing the size of our lounges for those wanting a quieter location to relax [and ] also be substantially increasing the immigration area, baggage reclaim hall and the number of baggage reclaim units.”
“These developments have already commenced with the biggest change to security in over a decade.”
World’s best airport is now in Europe – with cheap flights, record-breaking museums and 317 destinations
However, the improved tech means passengers can now leave their liquids and electronics in their bags.
Mr Leeds added: “The enhancements we’re making will also be welcomed by international tourists who use the Airport to explore the west and South Wales, visiting attractions and attending events – all of which is vital to those working in the tourism and hospitality sectors.”
Once the improvements are in full operation, the airport hopes to welcome up to 12million passenger a year.
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