Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/908437
maltatoday WEDNESDAY 29 NOVEMBER 2017 17 Events HSBC Malta joins global toy drive to bring children a festive spark HSBC Malta is inviting the public to join its employees and their families in a toy collection drive to help spread a little hap- piness among children in less fortunate circumstances over the festive period. HSBC Malta is joining 18 other countries around the bank's network for this initiative, which has been held regularly since 2007. Last year 18,166 toys were collected and distributed. Activities around the partici- pating HSBC countries were launched on 20 November to mark United Nations Universal Children's Day. Each year, this date promotes international to- getherness, and improves chil- dren's welfare. It was also on this day in 1989 when the UN General assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. In Malta, the Bank has de- cided to donate the toys to the Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS), which in- corporates Aġenzija Appoġġ, Aġenzija Sedqa, and LEAP, as well as the Angel Three Club. FSWS coordinates the Chil- dren's Dream project for chil- dren whose families face vari- ous social difficulties, whilst the Angel Three Club supports children and relatives of in- mates, ex-inmates, and victims of crime. Toys can be dropped off in the customer area of all HSBC branches as well as at HSBC Head Office in Qormi and HSBC Headquarters in Valletta during opening hours until 12 December. For health reasons, only new toys should be donat- ed and these should not be gift wrapped for security reasons. HSBC has been involved in community projects through- out its 150-year-long history. Helping young people reach their potential is the primary focus of the Group's Future Skills Programme. In 2016, the Group donated $137 million as part of its sustainable commu- nities' programmes, whilst em- ployees gave over 255,000 hours of volunteering during working hours and over 439,000 hours of their own time. In Malta, the HSBC Malta Foundation runs a number of programmes focused on help- ing children from disadvan- taged backgrounds. HSBC Malta is joining 18 other HSBC countries in the annual Toy Drive "Reduce wasteful consumption to protect future generations" Commonwealth delegates told "WASTAGE is prevented when we re-use or recycle prod- ucts" said Ing Mario Schem- bri during his presentation at the Commonwealth Local Government Conference held in Malta with the theme 'Fit for the future: resources and capacity for effective Local Government'. "If we are to reuse products and/ or reduce their con- sumption, products need to be designed and manufac- tured for this purpose. This is called eco-design and is one of the many responsibili- ties producers have," said Ing. Schembri, board member of the Extended Producer Re- sponsibility Alliance (EX- PRA) and Chief Executive of GreenPak Cooperative Soci- ety. Throughout each phase in a product's life cycle, from ini- tial design, choice of materi- als, manufacture, usage and until its collection when it be- comes waste, all phases inf lu- ence the fate of post-consum- er products. This concept, referred to as Extended Pro- ducer Responsibility (EPR), has become an established principle of environmental policy in everyday life. EPR is employed in an increas- ing number of countries and leads to burden alleviation of local government and taxpay- ers for managing end-of-life products, the reduction of the amount of waste destined for landfills, while increasing rates of recycling and car- ing for our finite resources. EPR is fit for the future as it changes the attitudes of to- day's society for the benefit of future generations. The Commonwealth event focused on strategies for boosting local government's resource base and capacity to improve performance, gov- ernance and service delivery and to ensure it is fit for pur- pose to meet the demands of the future. EXPRA is the alliance for packaging and packaging waste recovery and recycling systems which are owned by obliged industry on a not-for- profit basis. EXPRA acts as the authoritative voice and common policy platform rep- resenting the interests of all its member packaging recov- ery and recycling organisa- tions founded and run by or on behalf of obliged industry. These national recovery or- ganisations, of which Malta's GreenPak Coop Society is a member, are pursuing similar goals to ensure the recovery and recycling of packaging waste in the most economi- cally efficient and ecologi- cally sound manner. For over a decade, Green- Pak has been operating pro- grammes for the collection of packaging waste, electrical and electronic waste (WEEE) and more recently batteries (BATREE) schemes in Malta. Ing Mario Schembri addressing the Commonwealth Local Government Conference German professional appointed general manager of new Cugó Gran Macina Grand Harbour 45YEAR old Thorsten Sander has been named general manag- er of Cugó Gran Macina Grand Harbour which will open its doors on 1st December 2017 in Senglea. In his last appointment, Sander managed Hotel Nassauer Hof in Wiesbaden (Germany), one of the leading German Grandhotels. Vladimir Saal, CEO of IBB Ho- tel Collection, said: "Thorsten Sander has a wealth of experi- ence in the hotel sector, having worked in a number of hotels in Germany and the United States. We are sure that the opening and management of the bespoke Cugó Gran Maċina Grand Har- bour will be a great success un- der his leadership." The upcoming new opening is yet another milestone in 2017 for IBB Hotel Collection as the hos- pitality company continues to expand in Europe. Their latest accommodation combines an evocative history, a unique har- bour location, spectacular views and the very best in modern lux- ury. In this way, Senglea's iconic Macina Bastion has come back to life as an exclusive Cugó Gran luxury accommodation follow- ing an intensive 18-month res- toration and renovation process. Apart from being part of the IBB Hotel Collection, which op- erates hotels with three different own brands (Cugó Gran, IBB Hotel and IBB Blue Hotel), Cugó Gran Maċina is the first member of Design Hotels from Malta. For centuries, since it was built in 1554 during the reign of Grand Master Claude de la Sen- gle, the Sheer Bastion has been one of the Grand Harbour's landmarks, deriving its name 'Macina' from the large sheer crane structure ('macchina'), used to hoist heavy masts and cargo, which was dismantled in 1864. Now, once again, the Mac- ina is set to be a landmark of a different class, a luxury boutique accommodation that will be a showpiece within the historic Cottonera seafront. Offering 21 suites with high vaulted ceilings and ample natu- ral light, ranging from 40 square metres to an impressive 130 square metres, all decorated in a minimalist style to create a luxu- ry environment, the Cugó Gran Macina has been truly trans- formed into an inspiring ac- commodation with a difference. Blended with bespoke interior design and luxury features, all rooms have unobstructed views of the Grand Harbour and the surrounding marina against a backdrop of historical fortress walls. Overlooking the Three Cit- ies with views extending as far as Valletta, the rooftop terrace has been tastefully converted to accommodate events for up to 1,000 guests, offering an ideal venue for weddings, special events and corporate functions. A guest swimming pool is also tucked discreetly on the annex building rooftop overlooking the picturesque view of Vittoriosa and Cospicua. The Cugó Gran Macina offers a restaurant and a bar, operated by the well-known and award-winning Maltese restaurateur Chris Hammett and his team, also catering at the rooftop terrace. One board room for small meetings and conferences completes the wide range of services.