In the news this week: Asda closes food bank collection points, 007 raises £2.4m, Samaritans teams with Facebook for suicide prevention tool and a storm over legal aid.
News that Asda has removed food bank collection points from its stores has caused controversy on Twitter.
The supermarket chain failed to announce the u-turn but shoppers noticed the trolleys and collection boxes were removed from stores from January. Several charities reported that they have been adversly affected by the move, including the Gatehouse Food Bank in Bury St Edmunds, who told the Guardian that around 15 per cent of the food they distributed came from the local Asda store.
Labour MP for Barnsley Central, Dan Jarvis Tweeted yesterday: “Sad to see @asda are removing their #foodbank donation points. I hope they will reconsider.”
Read the full story in the Guardian.
James Bond auction raises £2.4m for charity
A James Bond auction at Christie's auction house has raised £2.4m for charity. Spectre – The Auction saw bidding on ten lots, including the DB10 – a show car made for the film that raised over £1m. Other items sold include a costume worn by Daniel Craig that raised £98,500, and Sam Smith’s Writing on the Wall record and sheet music that fetched £9,375.
A further 14 items are still attracting bids in an online auction which ends next Tuesday, according to the BBC.
Read the full story on the BBC.
Samaritans suicide prevention tool on Facebook
The Samaritans has unveiled a new Facebook suicide prevention tool that allows people to flag worrying or suicidal posts by friends on Facebook.
The rollout is the first of its kind in the UK and follows successful similar schemes in the US and Australia.
A statement by Facebook said: "One of the first things these organisations discussed with us was how much connecting with people who care can help those in distress.
"If someone on Facebook sees a direct threat of suicide, we ask that they contact their local emergency services immediately. We also ask them to report any troubling content to us."
Read the full story on Mail Online.
Charity wins Court of Appeal battle over legal aid
A domestic abuse charity has won a legal battle against government changes to legal aid after arguing that new rules introduced in 2012 “cut too many women off”.
Rights of Women argued yesterday in the Court of Appeal that changes to legal aid by ex-Lord Chancellor Chris Grayling, prevented too many women from accessing legal aid.
The rules introduced four years ago, required women to prove that accusations of domestic abuse were less than 24 months old. But the Court of Appeal said yesterday the rule was "invalid".
The Ministry of Justice told the BBC, the ruling would be "carefully considered".
