State of the Strait

27:50More fresh food prisoners eat because prisoners are notoriously in prisons. and not the healthiest. So obviously that comes straight on the NHS and escorts and bed watchers. So this is, I think, a real positive step that men learn to use food and they do stuff in the visits department when they have family visits where they grow the food and they cook the food for their families when they come in. So it's about having that family-based food, cooking, it's just normality again. The prison is also home to the Cherry Blossom Marketplace. It launched here last year and features in the Iceland supermarkets.

28:26The lads who work in there are trained, trained in how to stack the shelves properly, how to check the freezers, how to unload the lorries, health and safety things, how to use the tills. And then they are, again, guaranteed at least an interview upon release with Iceland. As you would in any shop in the country, you've got your basket, you go round, you do your shopping. There's a set budget that can only spend up to£15 in Iceland itself. That also teaches them budgeting. We're faced with chest freezers, there's aisles as you'd see in a supermarket, the likes of things on sale. We've got cotton buds, face wash, crackers, cheese, yoghurt.

29:06Iceland got fully on board with us and they actually donated some of the freezers to help set up. Everything that you can see, all the wooden structures was made by the prisoners and then it's run as you would a normal supermarket. So we have to put the VAT onto things, we have to cash up at the end of the day, we have to make sure that everything's fully functioning and stocked, stock takes. All of the stuff that you were doing in all supermarkets, the lads do. Obviously we oversee it to a degree, but the lads are in charge of that. We're just restocking, so we have a delivery tomorrow. And what does it mean for you working here?

29:42It's good because it gives you a purpose, because some prison jobs, you don't get much out of it, but you get stuff out of this. People come through who have got a short sentence and we train them up and they're getting out and they're getting jobs. So I think there's been nine people who have got a job through this year. So you get purpose out of it like that. Like you've got to manage everything. So like we've got to do stock rotations. You're getting skills like that. Dealing with like working in a team. Other prisoners come through. So it's like working with the public. And John, there's even the same brand partnerships as C that are used in actual Iceland supermarkets.

30:12Like the Greggs, Frozen, Sausage Rolls, TGI Fridays. When we first got Iceland in, we had to ask permission from Greggs, TGI Friday, Harry Ramsons, all of the companies who they work with, we had to ask permission for them to be involved and they all said yes, hence why we've got all the branding round as you would in a normal supermarket. We're trying to make it as close to real life as we can. And in terms of the frozen stuff, how does that work when it comes to cooking it? So to actually come into this area you have to be enhanced or gold regime, which basically means you have to behave. Those enhanced wings do have freezer space and kitchens where the lads can cook.

30:52And since the launch of Cherry Bottom, we're coming up to the first anniversary, aren't we? Yeah. What would you say have been the key takeaways? What have you got out of this project? We've had some success stories within people now work for Iceland, which was what the main idea was, to get lads jobs upon release. The central normality that it brings to the lads is obviously fulfilling. I'm really proud of what we've achieved here. I love it, it's my baby. This cost about£40 ,000 for G4S, so G4S put the money towards us to do it. He could have said no. It's that bit about rehabilitation, you know, making sure they understand how to do things, how to just interact.

31:29Interactions are really important. People just being in a normal environment without causing problems, that's really important. Some of the prisoners I've spoken to today, they reference other jails they've been in that are very different to this one and talked about maybe how they feel that they have a bit more freedom here and they have the ability to work on themselves and they're really grateful to have those opportunities to work compared to being stuck behind bars and in cells 23 hours a day. What would you say to someone who may argue, look, someone's been sent to prison for a reason, they've committed a serious crime, they've got to pay their time.

32:08I would say every man in general is going to be released. So who do you want me to release? Someone who's engaging, has learned to engage with people, has done a lot of work whilst in prisons, and I have that ability to think past just what they've been previously and have an opportunity to change. Our responsibility, I see it, is to make them better from when they came in. and whatever scale that is, doesn't matter. That's because there's going to be someone's neighbour only, whether it's your grandmothers or your daughters or your brothers, your uncles. There's someone's neighbour, so hopefully we'll try to educate them to rehabilitate and engage in positive activity.

32:51Olivia Hutchinson there reporting for us, who'd been along to HMP Oakwood. Really interesting developments. Are you really buying a car online on Autotrader right now? Really? At a playground? Yeah, really. Look at these listings from dealers. Wow, your search can really get that specific. Really? And you just put in your info and boom. Cars in your budget. Mom needs a second, honey. You can really have it delivered? Really. Or I can pick it up at the dealership. One sec, sweetie. Mommy's buying a car. Mommy, look. Uh, I think your kid is walking up the slide. Kyle, again? Really? Auto Trader.

33:29Buy your car online. Really? Make Mother's Day even more special at Whole Foods Market. Kick off brunch or dinner with quality cheese and charcuterie with no synthetic nitrates. Then go seafood. There's an abundance on sale at Whole Foods Market, where it's all sustainable while cod or responsibly farmed. At the bakery, grab seasonal treats like their strawberry pretzel cream pie, and you can't go wrong with a ready-to-heat quiche Lorraine, deviled eggs, and fresh-cut fruits to go. Celebrate mom with Whole Foods Market. Wake Up To Money with Sean Farrington. Good morning to you. Wake Up To Money on BBC Five Live.

34:08We're talking pubs this morning. Thank you for all of your messages because the British Beer and Pub Association has said 161 pubs closed in the first three months of the year. So approximately two pubs closing a day in the first quarter of the year. And that would be a bit of a ramp up on the overall rate through 2025 when 336 pubs reported closures throughout the whole year. And these numbers are for pubs across England, Scotland and Wales. And the industry says that that equates to the loss of around 2 ,400 jobs. And when they look at the reasons they see as to why that is occurring. It's interesting these quotes from Emma McClarkin, who's the chief executive of that association, says the scale of these closures is avoidable because pubs are doing a brisk trade, but their profits are being wiped out by a disproportionate tax burden and huge costs.

34:59We want to work with the government to establish a permanent long-term plan that will deliver permanently lower bills, fairer system, ultimately protect this treasured sector. Many of you get in touch. It's an important sector for lots of you getting in touch with us this morning. One person here saying, this is Bruce, saying, My local pub was taken over after years of ticking along, opening around the weekend only. but new owners, full week opening with many improvements. But sadly, it seems the overheads have seen it close within 16 weeks. John Walsh has been with us this morning, our boss on the show, founder and chief executive of the Gut Health food company, Bio and Me.

35:39John, can it be that there can be lots of demand for your product and you can almost end up being quite busy, but as a business, it just doesn't work? It can, Sean. I mean, we chatted about pubs earlier and the importance of sort of if things aren't working, trying to change things to make it work like like that story just then. But sadly, it hadn't worked. I mean, in our case, I mean, we're we're we're relatively new, Sean, as you know, we're six, seven years old. But it took us until our sixth year to move into profit. So we had some very supportive investors who carried us through that time and some of the difficult times that we were talking about before with Ukraine, etc.

36:28But now that we are profitable, it really does feel good. And by the way, when I say profitable, we're only just, you know, we don't want to be more than break even because we want to reinvest everything else into growth because we are, we're growing so fast. But it really mattered to the team that we moved into positive break-even, if I call it that, because you suddenly become a real business. And they all really got energised about it. And we're very focused on staying there because of these stories, like you're saying, with pubs. We don't want to go down that route. We want to be strong. And that means be profitable.

37:08I've had a shout out from David in Dorset for one of his local bars. He says that's now rare. He says no food, so just serving drink. He says it's busy as well, the pursuit of hoppiness in Dorset. David sends a longer message alongside that saying, as someone who works at a brewery and visits a pub at least twice per week, I've now concluded that we all say we want pubs to continue, but now almost in the same way we said we wanted to retain libraries, We want them, but less and less people actually use them. Young don't drink. The gym is the replacement of food. The local successful ones have turned into restaurants selling beer.

37:47Zayna, is there also something when we see these numbers, and I know the industry is talking about the tax burden, about how habits have changed, and that just makes some of this a little more unviable than compared to how it was before? Absolutely. I think the examples there illustrate the whole issue working backwards from the demographic in terms of your local catchment area, you know, opening all day every day during the week when you look at the ebbs and flows of people's footfall, perhaps wasn't very sensible if they'd really observed the patterns of people's movements. But I think you're right in terms of where the drinkers do come from and how much they're willing to spend.

38:26Are they buying it in the supermarket at a lower cost? That's one aspect of it. The other is just the on cost of employees and the overheads that you have to handle. but you're absolutely right in terms of new people coming into the pub scene that's quite niche it's got to be a slightly different setup than might have worked in the days of yore. Had Alan in Bedfordshire get in touch if any businesses provide a non-essential service if they're going to survive then house prices need to fall or wages need to go up a single person working full-time can only just afford the very basics of existing much of the UK now because of the cost of housing it's that simple and Brian from Buckinghamshire says pubs that involve the community survive community owned with art exhibitions reading groups and open mic nights at the bell and bear in emberton plus the little ale house in wellingborough for a warm welcome conversation as well stop spending money on boring refurbishment says brian have staff with the personalities to make the pub somewhere you want to be 85058 please do let your pub thoughts uh come to us this morning uh what's the scene like ran by you shout outs for the ones that are working, reminiscing of the ones that used to, but maybe don't anymore.

39:36Your thoughts on why that all might be 85058. Right. Let's have a look in a little bit more depth now at the shipping industry in the Strait of Hormuz, particularly in the context of this Project Freedom, as Donald Trump has described it, and an operation to guide ships out of the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command Forces said they would support it with 15 ,000 personnel, guided missile destroyers, more than 100 aircraft. But as we've been hearing, Iran's military warning yesterday would attack US forces if they entered the Straits. They've fired missiles at the United Arab Emirates, so say the UAE, in the first attack on the nation since we had the ceasefire begin.

40:16The US forces have struck the seven Iranian small boats, according to President Trump. We've got Phil Belcher with us, who's the Marine Director at Intertanko. Phil, good morning. Good morning, John. Just tell us what developments you've seen from your perspective. Well, Operation Project Freedom is an interesting concept. We're not sure at the moment whether it's going to have a positive effect at this stage. There's real lack of details and information about what it is. And we're not certain that it's actually going to relieve the humanitarian issues that we've got going on in the Gulf. Some 20 ,000 seafarers stranded on ships.

40:54It doesn't look likely it can be a broadly supportive way of getting ships out of the Gulf. It's not providing us with a clarity on safety navigation. There's no communications plan. And we don't know about the mitigation of the risk and the threat to the seafarers on board the ships as they will be transiting. Well, we've got Sasha Mayer with us as well, who's the General Secretary at Nautilus International, the Seafarers Trade Union. Sasha, good morning. Good morning, Sean. Thank you for having us on the show. Thank you for joining us again, Sasha. As we've sort of heard in recent weeks, we've looked at many aspects of what is occurring in the Middle East and the welfare of the seafarers has been one that is concerning many.

41:36What do these latest developments mean for those working on those ships and the ports around the Strait of Hormones and the Gulf? Yes, thank you. What we hear from members is that, like Phil also says, there is a lack of details. There is no comfort yet at all with the members that I talk to that this will help them, that this will help the vessels get out of the straits safely for the moment. On the one hand, it doesn't change anything at all for the stress and the situation of the people on board of the ships. On the other hand, it's probably, it makes it a bit worse because the hostilities seem to have resumed.

42:26So it's actually, for the moment, not an improvement at all. So approximately 20 ,000 seafarers, 2 ,000 vessels have been stuck in the Gulf for the last nine weeks. Phil, many of the independent tankers in the region will be members of InterTanko. What is the current state of play for those that have been stuck there for so long? Yeah, thanks. We represent about 60 % of the international tanker fleets. We've got about 103, 104 of our memberships stuck within the Gulf there. The seafarers on board there are managing. These are highly trained professional seafarers. They're robust individuals. You know, people who go to sea, you know, they do it because they want to do a job which is real and worthwhile and they choose to do that.

43:23So they're not wilting violets, but certainly we're getting to a stage now where they're seeing missile attacks, they're seeing impacts ashore, they're seeing other ships attacked, they're hearing about other seafarers. 10 seafarers have been killed during this conflict. So it has an effect upon them. It has an effect upon their mental welfare and on their physical well-being, of course, if they're attacked as well. Some 30-odd ships have been attacked during this time, and we have no assurance here of the level of protection. We certainly acknowledge the bravery of some of the US crews, the helicopter crews, etc., but we've got no real assurance that this project is going to be adding to the security level of the ships.

44:03And how is information getting to both those in charge leading the ships, but all of those workers on them? Yeah, I mean, they're getting a lot of information from the companies which employ them. And a lot of these companies are real family owned companies, three, four generations of ship owners. The crews are not just employees, they're part of the seafaring family of that company. And so it really means a lot. They're really looking after the welfare, so they're giving out the information. But unfortunately, seafarers have complete transparency of information. They get all their social media feeds, their families get all their media feeds, that comes into them.

44:44And so that has to have an effect upon them. On the physical welfare, they're getting the food, the water that's needed, etc. Most of the ships are dry, There's no alcohol, unlike bars you were just talking about. But most of the supplies are getting through. There's some inflation there, but really it's about the long-term welfare effects upon the seafarers. And, Sasha, how different is that, given the social media world that we're in right now, that the seafarers are actually able to try and... Well, they're able to see every post from Donald Trump as it is made. Does that change the prospects for the welfare of those workers, given they have constant access to the Internet?

45:35Yeah, like people assure, I hear from my members that information is important. People want that information. In the early days of the war, the lack of information, especially for seafarers on smaller ships with private owned companies, had quite a problem with not having that information. There is also not always Internet.

46:10The connections are not always good. But generally, people want that information. it's true that statements like Mr. Trump's statement from yesterday can cause more unrest but like Phil also mentioned the most people who go to sea are robust people, they don't get stressed easily, they have chosen a life at sea, they know they need to improvise, they know they need to adapt, they are very resilient but still this is a long time the member that i talked to yesterday was on board for 10 weeks um he was he had just gotten on board uh he was on one of the three last vessels entering the straits when it closed it's a long time it's a long time it takes its toll on mental health even for the most robust people how would you describe just that conversation you had with that that member that that worker on one of the ships what what was that like how was he he is all right for the moment but he's very aware that hostilities can come back any moment and he has been there when there were drones and bombs and missiles uh that he could hear when he was doing his six hour watch on the bridge every day.

47:38He has been there where when there was also absolutely no crew change possible, where the airports were closed, when they were stuck in a war that they hadn't chosen for, and that could come back any moment. And that's the mental stress. When it's not, when hostilities are not going on during the ceasefire like we've had those past weeks. There's also a sense of boredom. Seafarers have to do their daily watch and have to do their maintenance, but they find ways to be together as a team. Some of them have built swimming pools. Some of them do fanatical fishing, have barbecues. But all of that doesn't mean there's no mental stress, doesn't mean that there's always the tension that the war can resume.

48:44As we're sort of waking up to again this morning, the escalations. Phil, do the owners, the people running these ships, have long-term concerns now that there'll be a lot fewer workers willing to go on ships through this region? Yeah, one of our big concerns from the start has been about the welfare of the seafarers and getting seafarers on and off the ships in the region. The Philippines government just yesterday allowed crew changes to go on for the first time due to the length of the ceasefire. As Sasha was just saying there, we're getting to the point where we could have a resumption of the full-scale war again.

49:27which would be a terrible effect upon the seafarers themselves. On the wider recruitment issue, luckily, there is far more applicants into our industry than in our spaces at the moment. We're working to try and make sure there's more seabirds available for them so they can do their training and so on. And we're working with the unions on those kind of issues there. But getting the people on and off the ship has been a key issue there. Other people, yeah, please. No, thank you. We're just out of time this morning, but I really appreciate the updates from you both on what it's like for those who are working on those ships in the Strait of Hormuz and in the Gulf region at the moment.

50:08Phil Belcher, their Marine Director, Intertanko, Sasha Mayer, General Secretary at the Seafarers Trade Union, Nautilus International. John Walsh, just briefly, John, a reminder, for all we talk about ingredients and supply chains, is it a reminder that we sometimes do need, that there are so many people working in conditions that many of us would not want to be putting ourselves in to get the ingredients and food delivered at a price we want, at a time we want it. Yeah, I was listening to that lady talking, especially Sean, and describing so well the conditions on board. I mean, it's not a problem of a comparison, but I'm lucky enough to share ownership of a little boat.

50:52And it's, you know, when you do go out to see and you stay out to see it is very, very, I just, my heart went out to them because they really are in a very difficult situation. But, yeah, they're doing incredible work. And I told the story earlier about, for Bayou and me, the importance of date paste and how much of that comes from Iran that we didn't really fully understand earlier. And, you know, in just a very small way for our company, this knock on effects that the war is having, you know, a huge. And I, yeah, I'm very grateful and just hope that, you know, somehow they will find a solution, you know, sooner rather than later.

51:3285058, your messages this morning, please. Somebody getting in touch about the pubs we're discussing and closures. Forget alcohol. My daughter works in a well-known coffee chain. It's full every day with queuing out the door, taking thousands of pounds. This is the new pub. Right, let's just have a look at what's going on at eBay. If you use it, there could be big changes on the way if things progress the way some think they might. GameStop is an American chain of high street video game shops, and it's made a whopping$55.5 billion offer to buy eBay. So potentially trying to create a rival to Amazon, it seems.

52:09Adam Casely is the managing director at Vertex Distribution, which specialises in supporting brands in their move into e-commerce, so using platforms like eBay. Adam, good morning. Good morning, Scott. How has this ended up with a takeover bid from a high street video game brand? What do you think this is all about? Yeah, it feels wild that it's going the other way. I think from my perspective, GameStop is a really strong brand in the US, 1 ,600 bricks and mortar outlets. I think they've evolved from games to other sort of related products such as Pokemon. So definitely have the cash to do it.

52:45However, I think, you know, when the news broke yesterday, I definitely had a look. It appears they're going to be leveraging a lot of debt and obviously making announcements of job losses to ensure that it becomes a profitable model. So I think, you know, from my perspective, it feels very cautious right now. So maybe a long way to go. What is it, do you think, they're after? What is the environment that eBay is in right now that is catching their eye? I think, you know, still we look at other places like Amazon. eBay is still the number two marketplace in most countries globally, number one in some.

53:23So, you know, it gives the ability to leverage the GameStop brand, I assume, further outside of the US. And do you think eBay is fulfilling its potential at the moment, given what you sort of see what they do, you know, how long they've been doing it. And those other competitors, you know, the likes of Vinted and Depop that have popped up along the way as well, these second-hand shops. Does eBay have the purpose it once had? Yeah, I think it does. I work, you know, with brands every day. We've got two brands that are tracking now at seven figures. Well, one's already hit seven figures in the last 12 months.

54:02So eBay can definitely generate sales. It's certainly a place where its customers are really, really loyal. In terms of, you know, the other marketplaces that you mentioned there, I think eBay's done crazy actions to compete with those in terms of free listings and obviously huge sponsorship of programs such as Love Island. They've got a massive audience for those sort of platforms. So I think eBay's doing the right thing. I think it's just the forgotten, it's the forgotten marketplace when everyone focuses on how big Amazon is. but can still generate a significant value to your business. Adam, thank you for your time this morning.

54:39Adam Casey, Managing Director at Vertex Distribution that supports those brands and companies who are using e-commerce in very different ways. Zayna, John, thank you very much for your time this morning. It's been good chatting to you. Thank you to everybody who has been in touch about their pubs. The Oil Basin in Worcester, great little bar, always seems to be busy in the evening, make their own beer, sell a good range of other stuff as well says Alex thank you for those and plenty more lots more chat to come but that's it from wake up to money wake up to money from bbc 5 live that's it from wake up to money you can download the podcast every monday to friday so please make sure you subscribe we'd also love it if you left us a review when you do get in touch keep the conversation going anytime as well on social media use the hashtag wake up to money Welcome to the Wayne Rooney Show.

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56:43Buses need more room than cars. Everyone can help keep our roads safe. Next time you're driving, remember to give buses plenty of time and space to finish turning before driving ahead. Let's all plan to share the road safely. Learn how at www.sharetheroadsafely.gov.