The deadline for entering this year’s Bedfordshire Business Excellence Awards is Friday (September 6).

Already companies from across the Luton and Dunstable area have put their entries in but the organisers, Premier Newspapers, will always accept more.

Among those going for gold is health and beauty company Crimson Catz, in Lonsdale Close, Luton.

Sunita Johal, the company’s managing partner, said; “We are entering the Business Excellence Awards because it is recognised all over the county. We want all of the UK to get involved in what we do best and that’s to educate, evolve and empower you! Being part of the awards will highlight our work and achievements so far.”

Specialist media agency Silvertoad, based in Butterfield, Great Marlings, Luton, has also thrown its hat in the ring.

And in the Dunstable area, fine food and wine specialists Harpers Food, at Dell Farm, in Dunstable Road, Studham, is entered in four categories.

The awards are held in association with Barclays and have 10 sponsored categories to enter. There will be two special awards on the awards night itself, which is to be held at Bedford Corn Exchange on Thursday, November 7.

Former British tennis number one turned TV presenter Andrew Castle will be the celebrity guest speaker and awards host.

Tickets are £75+vat with £10 from every ticket going to East Anglia Air Ambulance. For details visit www2.bedfordtoday.co.uk/businessawards2013/

Let me get this straight, just in case I have got the wrong end of the stick.

Shopfitters have been on double time over the past few days, transforming more than 600 High Street branches of the Lloyds banking giant and giving them a brand new name.

Well, an old name, to be fair. It was about 20 years ago that Lloyds took over the Trustee Savings Bank and set about incorporating the network into its own bloated structure.

Now, as a result of that economic unpleasantness to which the best brains of banking made such a significant contribution, they’ve been ordered to break up the behemoth and get back to basics.

So they’ve picked those three initials from years ago as the new brand, although apparently they don’t stand for Trustee Savings Bank any more. They don’t stand for anything, as far as I can see.

I’m with you so far, though I’m not sure why that means that the Lloyds Bank on one side of the street just down the road from me has to have a smart new green sign while the branch of the Cheltenham & Gloucester on the other side of the street gets a whole new look as the TSB.

Yes, of course the Cheltenham & Gloucester is also part of Lloyds. Do keep up.

The full cost of this double-quick makeover is unclear, but apparently £30m is being pumped into branding and advertising.

They’re keen to spend large sums putting out the message that this is all part of connecting with local customers, and they don’t seem to be highlighting the fact that they’ve been ordered to do it on account of the gigantic cock-up they made of things only a few years ago. Funny, that.

That’s only part of it, of course. When one bank has an advertising blitz, the others follow suit to protect their turf, apparently blissfully unaware that we hate them all equally and only use their services on sufferance.

I know I am not alone in being staggered by the amount of money wasted on branding and refits by the big names of finance in recent years.

I’ve lost count of the number of times that my own bank has changed its name, and then changed its look, and then sometimes quickly closed down the branches which have just been expensively refitted.

But if they’re private sector organisations, more fool us for sticking with them and not organising a mass lobby of the next shareholders meeting to ask what the hell is going on.

However, if – like our chums at Lloyds – they’re owned in large part by the taxpayer, and we ploughed billions into baling them out, wouldn’t that money be better spent paying us back rather the redecorating more often than I give a lick of paint to the living room?

A 94-year-old woman was punched, kicked, stamped on and robbed in her Studley Road home yesterday morning.

The lady answered the front door at about 9.30am to a visitor she thought was her next door neighbour.

A man pushed through the door, pushed the woman into the hallway and repeatedly punched and hit her until she fell to the ground.

He then kicked and stamped on her before making his way in to the front room.

After the vicious attack, the robber stole a grey canvas shopping bag containing bank books and cash, which has since been found discarded in Chalk Hill, Cockernhoe.

Det Con Matt Shepherd said: “The victim has been left with bruising and a cut to her leg after this cowardly and violent assault. I would urge anyone who was in the Studley Road area yesterday to contact officers if they saw a man matching the following description in the area. I would also urge anyone who saw a person discarding a bag in the Chalk Hill area to also come forward and assist with this investigation.”

The victim is receiving support from Operation Whirlwind, the British Red Cross and Beds Police support scheme, following her traumatic ordeal.

The offender is described as white with a yellow tone to his complexion, 5’10” tall, medium build, in his 40s, wearing dark clothing, possibly overalls, and had short light brown hair which was about ¾” long but had been twisted in to ‘stalks’ across his forehead.

Anyone with information relating to this incident is urged to contact Det Con Shepherd at Luton Police Station, in confidence, on 01582 394443, or Bedfordshire Police on 101 or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively you can contact the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

A 15-year-old cyclist was left with a broken arm and chipped collar bone after a collision with a lorry on Monday.

The driver failed to stop after the collision at about 7pm at the junction of Crawley Green Road and Vauxhall Way.

The cyclist was trying to cross the road when the white flat bed lorry hit him.

PC Dave Charlton said: “This is a very busy road junction and I am sure that other motorists were about at the time of the collision and may be able to help piece together exactly how the collision happened.

“We also know that the lorry was being driven by a man and was also carrying a male passenger. I would urge anyone who can help to identify these men to come forward and assist with this investigation.”

Anyone with information relating to this incident is urged to contact PC Charlton at the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Roads Policing Unit on 101 or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively you can contact the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

In a busy week for new releases there’s no question about which film will be first off the grid – Rush is aiming to race to box office success with plenty of hype and hoo-ha in the tank.

Ron Howard is at the wheel, and the former Happy Days star is renowned for reliable if not exceptional drama, with Apollo 13 the pick of his plums, The Paper a sadly neglected classic and his big screen versions of Dan Brown potboilers best forgotten.

Here he tells the high-octane story of rival 1970s Formula 1 legends James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth and Niki Lauder (Daniel Bruhl).

One is a technically brilliant driver who worked his way through the ranks, the other a natural racer with a fondness for the playboy lifestyle.

Their rivalry involves triumph and tragedy and the events are not so well-known that today’s punters will be picking holes in the way writer Peter Morgan, who penned The Queen, has squeezed the true story into his script.

Top Gear fans will probably soak this up, but it might be a tougher sell for those not of a petrolhead persuasion.

That Roland Emmerich hasn’t got a lot of time for the White House – he blasted it to bits in Independence Day and now he’s up to his old tricks in White House Down, a routine bangs and baddies thriller in which misfit cop Channing Tatum has to protect Jamie Foxx’s Mr President when paramilitary thugs swarm into his Washington gaff.

It’s going for the Die Hard/Lethal Weapon vibe but doesn’t really convince as a buddy comedy, and fails to press the buttons as an action extravaganza or a political thriller either. All pretty obvious, and a lot of money has been spent on failing to impress.

Whether you are attracted to Insidious 2 depends pretty much on whether Insidious was your sort of film in the first place.

It’s another slice of spooky shivers, as the family which found themselves plagued by pesky demons in the first outing find that there’s plenty more where they came from as long as there are people prepared to pay for it. Will it give you sleepless nights? The 15 certificate suggests otherwise.

Arriving too late to tap into the summer holiday trade is Justin And The Knights Of Valour, an animated family adventure with lots of familiar voices to enjoy.

Aspiring knight Justin is a bit of a weed but he is urged to embark on a quest to recover his grandfather’s sword.

Julie Walters, Saoirse Ronan, David Walliams and Antonio Banderas all fill out the characters he meets along the way. It’s all cheery enough, doesn’t outstay its welcome but won’t be one of those ‘play it and play it again’ hits with the kids.

Women into Work, Education and Business meets twice a month to encourage, inspire and support women.

There’s a contribution fee of £5 and the next event is at 6pm on Tuesday, September 24 at GT House, Rothesay Road.

Email helen@iodt.org.uk

A couple from Luton fear their 14-month-old cat may have to eventually be put to sleep after it was attacked by yobs on Tuesday (September 3).

Kieran Jones and wife Carley noticed their pet moggy Indy was not eating or walking properly after returning to their home in Elvedon Close on Tuesday, September 3.

A vet determined that the feline had been hit with a blunt object – most likely kicked – with significant force.

Indy underwent extensive surgery to repair a large rupture to the muscle wall of her stomach and a rupture to her bladder where it had separated from the tissue lining surrounding it.

Kieran said: “She’s very jumpy and isn’t allowed outside at the moment.

“The vet advised that Indy may suffer from ongoing issues with these muscles re-rupturing, which would eventually result in her having to be euthanised.

“We don’t want someone else to have to go through what we have.”

If you have any information about the incident – which likely happened in the Bushmead area – call Beds Police on the non-emergency number 101.

Cash-strapped parents face making their children change schools as the council cancels religious primary schools’ bus services at the end of term.

A worried single mum-of- two, who does not wish to be named, said parents at St Margaret’s Primary School at Farley Hill were informed during the summer holidays that they would have to start paying £130 a term towards the school bus service.

The day before term started, the council “dropped the bombshell” that the service would be cancelled entirely.

The concerned mother said: “I don’t drive so my daughter will have to get a public bus, but I can’t let her travel alone.

For a weekly pass for both of us it will cost £30 a week which I just can’t afford.

“I was told by the council I would have to take my daughter out of school and move her elsewhere, which I don’t want to do when she’s in her final year of primary school. She’s been at the same school since she was three years old.”

The family have moved further away from the school in recent years and the mum said her daughter was “very upset” when she told her she might have to change schools.

She said: “It just makes me angry. They’ve spent millions on that busway which is over budget but they can’t afford school buses for our children.

“They’ve done the same for Cardinal Newman but at least the kids there are older and can walk or cycle to school themselves. I’ll have to take my daughter on the bus which is hours out of my day and will prevent me from going back to work too.

“A lot of people are suffering financially at the moment, there’s going to be many parents who are going to have to take their children out of school.

“It’s so disruptive to the children, and the bus driver is gutted. It’s such a shame.”

A Luton Borough Council spokesman said: “The council no longer funds discretionary transport on denominational grounds. The council will continue to run buses to St Margaret of Scotland Primary School until the end of the autumn term.

“However, parents wishing to use this service will be charged. The council will not be running the school buses to St Margaret of Scotland Primary School from January onwards and are in discussion with school staff regarding an external provider running this service.”

A flasher who exposed himself to two pensioners in Barton is being sought by police.

A 66-year-old woman was walking towards the Co-Op shop in Bedford Road at 11.30am on Tuesday when a man crossed the road towards her, pulled away his trousers and t-shirt and exposed himself to her.

She continued to the shop where she spoke to the manager about what had happened.

The conversation was overheard by another woman, aged 69, who had also been exposed to by the same man.

He is described as white, around 20 years old, 5ft 6 ins tall, clean shaven and wearing a black baseball cap.

He had earphones in.

If you saw this man on Tuesday, recognise the description or have any other information that could help identify him, contact PC Jenny Buckley on the non-emergency police 24 hour number 101, text the force control room direct on 07787 200011 or phone independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

You do not have to give your name but could still earn a cash reward for your information.

Fire crews were called to a blaze in Chapel View Flats in Chapel Street yesterday.

There was a fire in a second floor flat in the living room area of the home.

Two fire engines from Luton and one from Stopsley were called to the flats at 10.43am.

One male casualty was treated at the scene by paramedics for smoke inhalation.

Scenes of crime officers and fire investigation officers remained in the building throughout the afternoon to establish the cause of the blaze.

Protestors gathered outside Luton Town Hall to campaign against the closure of libraries on Tuesday.

Petitions signed by hundreds of residents to save Wigmore Library and Sundon Park Library, which have both been earmarked for closure, were handed in to the council’s executive committee.

The potential closures are as a result of government spending cuts.

For more on the story click here

Gunshots were fired in the Littlechurch Road and Hallwicks Road area of Luton last night.

Witnesses describe hearing gunshots and seeing a number of men chasing each other before making off on foot and in a vehicle.

The incident comes exactly a week after shots were fired at a family home with a mother and her children were inside.

Like last week’s incident, Beds Police believe this was a targeted attack.

Det Insp Iain Morgan, from Luton CID said: “We have already obtained a number of reports from witnesses about the incident but the picture is still confusing in terms of the number of people involved and the vehicles they were using.

“I am appealing to anyone who has information about this offence or who was in or near the area at the time and recalls hearing or seeing anything to come forward. I firmly believe this offence was a targeted offence and would reiterate very strongly that Bedfordshire Police does not tolerate the use of violence and firearms. If you have information about this please contact the police in confidence.”

Contact Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.

A man from Luton was killed in a road traffic collision in Harpenden on Tuesday.

The 46-year-old suffered fatal injuries when his motorbike collided with a blue Ford Transit van.

The van was emerging from Kinsbourne Green Lane onto the A1081 Luton Road at 10.50am when it collided with the black Aprilia motorbike, which was travelling north on Luton Road.

Sadly the rider of the motorbike was pronounced dead at the scene.

Crash investigation officer Sgt Richard Cruse from Herts Police said: “I would like to speak to anyone who may have seen the incident but not yet been spoken to by police.

“Anyone with information about the incident should contact me in the Collision Investigation Unit on the non-emergency number 101.”

A 14-year-old girl was stabbed in an attempted robbery in an alley between Arrow Close and Axe Close on Sunday.

The victim was approached by a ‘skinny’ boy who demanded her phone.

When she refused to hand it over he produced a small knife and caused a puncture wound to the victim before leaving empty-handed and going towards the Five Springs Area.

Det Con Richard Cunningham of South Beds Robbery Unit said: “The victim has been left with a small puncture wound but this could have been much worse, we need to find this person to stop him from harming someone else.

Anyone with information relating to this incident is urged to contact DC Cunningham at Luton Police Station, in confidence, on 01582 394373, or Bedfordshire Police on 101 or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively you can contact the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

A woman was caught on CCTV stealing a laptop from Currys in Chaul End Lane in Luton.

The theft happened on August 16 at about midday when a man entered the store, cut a security wire which set off the store alarm and then fled the store.

Moments later, the woman entered the store, approached the laptop which had the security cable cut and put it in her bag before leaving the store.

If you recognise the person shown in the pictures contact the Crime Service Team on 101 quoting crime reference C/29716/2013.

Police are looking for two men in connection with the theft of fuel from the Shell filling station in Eaton Green Road.

The first incident took place at 7.25pm on Saturday August 3 when the offender filled a white van with £65 worth of fuel before getting back into the vehicle and driving off without making any attempt to pay.

The second incident took place at around 8.25pm on Tuesday August 20 when the offender – who was a passenger in a Jeep Cherokee - filled the vehicle and a petrol can with fuel before getting back into the car and leaving the forecourt without making any attempt to pay.

If you recognise either of the offenders or have any information relating to this incident, contact the Crime Service Team, in confidence, on the non-emergency 101 number quoting crime reference number C/27396/2013 for the first incident or C/29647/2013 for the second.

Alternatively contact independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Unique horror thriller BYZANTIUM (15: Studio Canal) sees Interview With The Vampire director Neil Jordan return to the bloodsucking genre. His tale of two female vampires spending centuries on the run from a secret society, who object to women becoming undead, is light years away from the juvenile Twilight and its ilk.

Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan are terrific as the damaged mother and daughter hiding in a seaside town and running a bordello in a seedy guesthouse.

One uses the brothel as a means to find men to feed on, while the other forms a bond with a terminally ill boy. But their past soon catches up with them.

This film offers a whole new perspective on traditional vampire imagery. No fangs here, just sharp thumbnails extending for feeding time.

A finely tuned balance of arthouse gothic and Hammer Horror, the time-shifting flashbacks and upfront depiction of sexuality add to a haunting and touching reinvention of undead mythology.

> Two-pronged revenge thriller DEAD MAN DOWN (15: Momentum) stars Colin Farrell as a man who infiltrates the inner circle of the gang responsible for the deaths of his wife and daughter.

He plots grisly justice for the crime kingpin (Terrence Howard) and his henchmen, but when his neighbour (Noomi Rapace) witnesses him murder one of the bad guys, she threatens to go to the cops unless he also kills the drunk driver who disfigured her in an accident.

Niels Arden Oplev, the Dane who directed Rapace in the original The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, adds a few European flourishes, but the constant need for dialogue to fill in a complicated backstory tends to interrupt the pace of the movie. While Farrell is charismatic as the determined avenger, the roles of Howard and Rapace are frustratingly one-dimensional.

> BLACK ROCK (15: Metrodome) is a female twist on Deliverance, yet fails to deliver on the promise of that premise.

Kate Bosworth, Lake Bell and Katie Aselton play childhood friends who have drifted apart, but who reunite for a girlie weekend on a remote island off the coast of Maine.

Three local hunters, all army vets, have pretty much the same idea and when a cosy campfire get-together leads to attempted rape and murder, the girls are forced to turn feral to survive.

Although the early character-based scenes hold your attention, it soon turns into just another ‘girls chased by crazies’ film with the usual dumb dialogue.

> If ever a film had ‘straight to DVD’ stamped all over it, it’s FIRE WITH FIRE (15: Warner). This damp squib stars Josh ‘Transformers’ Duhamel as reluctant vigilante Jeremy Coleman, a fireman placed in the witness protection programme after getting caught up in a gangland execution carried out by an evil white supremacist (Vincent D’Onofrio).

But when Coleman and his US marshal protector (Rosario Dawson), who are also romantically involved, are tracked down by a hired assassin, he realises they will never be safe unless he takes the law into his own hands.

Vinnie Jones and rapper 50 Cent have small roles, and Bruce Willis is cast as a sympathetic detective, but there’s little spark in either plot or direction.

Three people who stole a bottle of whiskey from a Co-Operative store are shown on CCTV images released by Beds Police today.

The incident happened at 8.05pm on Sunday June 16 at the Co-op in Bishopscote Road.

One of the men took a bottle of whiskey, which was on a promotional offer, and hid it in his coat before all three men left the store without making any attempt to pay for the item. If you recognise any of the individuals in the images or have any information relating to this incident, contact the Crime Service Team, in confidence, on the non-emergency 101 number quoting crime reference C/21602/2013.

Alternatively contact independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Police raided a house in Toddington Road, Luton, and found a small number of cannabis plants on Tuesday.

A Beds Police spokespersonsaid there were also dogs at the house and the RSPCA had been called to help.

A search revealed 20-30 plants and no arrests were made.

A man had chemicals sprayed in his face during a confrontation outside KFC in Wigmore Lane.

The victim had just attended a funeral when he and some friends went to the restaurant for some food.

At about 3.45pm on September 6, an altercation took place with the offender and the victim tried to defuse the situation by going outside KFC with the offender, but once outside he was sprayed in the face with a chemical.

The chemical had a similar impact to CS spray, and left the victim with reddening to his face and stinging to his eyes.

The offender, who fled the scene, is described as a white male, 17 or 18 years old, about five ft seven and wearing a grey tracksuit.

The victim said the offender spoke with a ‘gangster-style’ accent.

If you have information relating to this incident, contact PC Pogson, in confidence, on the non-emergency 101 number, or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively contact independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.