Durex news
03/06/2011
The Catalyst results are in...
Our Catalyst FYI Quiz and Catalyst Web Award received large numbers of top quality entrants, but each could only have one winner. If you entered and are eagerly awaiting the results, you’ll be pleased to know that the wait is over.
Read moreThe judging of the FYI Quiz and Web Award entries is now complete and the winners have been selected:
Our Catalyst FYI Quiz winner is... Max Heywood, sex and relationships education (SRE) officer at Medway Sexual health
Congratulations to Max Heywood who achieved 100% in the quiz and went on to win the tiebreaker round. He has won an FPA trainer for the day for himself and for his colleagues and we spoke to him about how he hopes to benefit from the training:
As a SRE officer working with young people, Mr Heywood has chosen the FPA course 'Fantasy versus Reality' for his training day, which trains HCPs to understand and respond to the impact of pornography on young people's SRE education. He feels that "learning how to tackle this problem and finding new solutions from the FPA trainer" will assist him and his colleagues in developing their current SRE work with young people.
Providing HCPs working in sexual health with the opportunity to reflect on how they might approach complex issues, was one of the main aims of the FYI Quiz. By helping everyone to identify their strengths and realise possible training needs, we can spread the message of good sexual health even more successfully.
With this aim in mind, our Catalyst Web Award was set up to reward the best website designed to communicate a sexual health message. The Web Award was well supported and it was very difficult to select a winner out of many close contenders.
Our Catalyst Web Award winner is... bishUK.com, developed by Justin Hancock
Congratulations to Justin Hancock who receives £1000 to further develop his website, BishUK.com - which was designed to offer young people thinking about having sex for the first time holistic information on sex and relationships.
Justin Hancock created bishUK.com to provide young people with a comprehensive site for sex and relationship education and it was judged by the panel to do just that because:
Despite having very limited resources, the site offers honest, humorous and practical advice
The judges deemed it to be interesting, engaging and informative
An excellent effort has been made to offer a site that the audience can appreciate in many ways by using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to offer advice and conduct polls
It even offers young people the chance to download key sexual health information for their Smartphones
At DurexHCP.co.uk we are delighted with the success of the Catalyst FYI Quiz and Catalyst Web Award because, by encouraging excellent websites, awareness of sexual health issues and convenient access to relevant information, we are helping to ensure more people are given the opportunity to maintain and achieve good sexual health.
03/06/2011
Just Love Safe this summer, with JLS and Durex
JLS, the UK's biggest boy band and Durex, the world's leading condom brand, have joined forces during National Condom Week 2011 (16-22 May) to urge young people to Just Love Safe this Summer.
Read more
As young people are beginning to think about summer holidays, JLS and Durex are reminding them to pack condoms along with sun cream and swimwear. JLS and Durex are working with partners including young people's charity Brook to launch the campaign during National Condom Week.
In addition, JLS and Durex will launch what is believed to be the biggest ever survey into the sexual habits of the 16+ population, with the chance to win one of 5 iPads 2s and several opportunities to meet JLS. To enter go to www.durexsurvey.co.uk.
A Durex survey of 4,000 people aged 16-35 revealed that four in 10 had sex with someone they met on holiday. Many did not use condoms for different reasons – a third saying they were caught up in the moment of passion, 20% said they didn’t have any on them and 23% said they were too drunk to think about pregnancy or STIs.
Throughout the summer, Durex will support the campaign by:
Giving out thousands of condoms via holiday reps in popular holiday spots
Handing out safer sex goodie bags out to 16+ holiday makers at airports
Working with retailers such as Boots to deliver a safer sex message at airport pharmacies
This is part of an on-going partnership between Durex and JLS. Last year, they launched the Just Love Safe range of condoms. The band doesn’t make any money out of the sale of Durex Just Love Safe and every penny is ploughed back into the JLS Foundation. Further news from the band's registered charity is due to be announced later this year.
Band member JB said:
"As role models to our 16+ fans and young men ourselves, we felt it was our responsibility to deliver a safer sex message this summer. We want to make sure that people come back from holiday with good memories – not an STI or unplanned pregnancy.
Band member Marvin added:
"Always use a condom during sex – it's the only way to protect yourself. So remember to Just Love Safe this Summer and buy before you fly!"
Camillo Pane, general manager of Durex in the UK, said:
"JLS blew us away when they said they wanted to launch a range of condoms with Durex last year – something no other band or celebrity has committed to doing with a condom brand in the UK, to our knowledge.
"We applaud them for continuing their commitment to the improving the sexual health of the nation by getting behind National Condom Week 2011. Together with them, we hope to make a difference to the sexual health of the nation."
Simon Blake, interim CEO of Brook, commented:
"Young people need to feel confident protecting themselves when they decide to have sex. JLS's support for National Condom Week provides a strong influence to promote healthy, responsible sexual behaviour."
There are four packs of condoms in the Just Love Safe condom range – one in each of the band members' individual colours. Each pack contains three Durex Extra Safe condoms. They are sold in Boots, Superdrug and Tesco.
17/02/2011
Pop star sings for sexual health causes
OPINION formers, charity workers and journalists gathered last night for a special event to raise awareness of sexual health causes in the UK.
Read moreThe evening, which was organised by sexual health charity FPA and took place at Saatchi and Saatchi's Pregnant Man pub, included an intimate unplugged set by the pop star Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
The Pregnant Man pub — one of London's most unique venues — is named after one of Saatchi and Saatchi's most famous advertisements, which was devised for the Health Education Council in 1970 in partnership with FPA to promote the use of contraceptives.
The evening was organised by FPA with the support of Durex, which actively works with FPA to improve sexual health and wellbeing across the UK.
Charles Shepherd, Head of Health Promotion at Durex, said: "FPA has a strong track record of helping to improve the nation's sexual health, and we are looking forward to further developing our working relationship as part of our commitment to sexual health promotion.
"Durex and FPA have a strong and natural partnership thanks to their extensive sexual health promotion expertise and experience, and commitment to improving sexual heath. We are confident that this can grow and also that the success of this event will help in our aim of improving the sexual health of the nation."
Durex has been working to support and reward sexual health professionals in the UK through a number of initiatives — including the Durex Catalyst programme and the Durex HCP website.
One of the latest projects that has seen Durex partner with FPA is the Catalyst Excellence FYI sexual health quiz, which was designed by the sexual health team at the University of Staffordshire to test the knowledge of healthcare professionals.
Entrants who answer all the questions correctly will be asked to answer a short tie-breaker, and a panel of judges will then decide — based on these responses — who will win the prize of an FPA trainer for the day.
Julie Bentley, Chief Executive of FPA, said: "The event at the Pregnant Man pub was a great success, and we are hugely grateful to have been able to host the evening in such a unique venue.
"We are delighted that our partnership with Durex goes from strength to strength. We share common aims and common goals around promoting positive sexual health, and we understand that by working together we can achieve a lot more."
14/01/2011
Training and bursary cash on offer for healthcare professionals
Healthcare professionals have the chance to win sexual health training and a bursary to improve their practice's website, thanks to two new initiatives from Durex.
Read moreThe Catalyst Excellence FYI sexual health quiz is designed to test the knowledge of healthcare professionals and features some questions on how the law relates to sexual health. Entrants who answer all the questions correctly will be asked to answer a short tie-breaker, and a panel of judges will then decide — based on these responses — who will win the prize of an FPA trainer for the day.
The quiz, written by senior lecturers on sexual health from Staffordshire University, aims to tackle difficult questions and encourage participants to reflect on how they navigate complex moral obstacles professionally.
Meanwhile, the Catalyst Innovation Website Award offers healthcare professionals the chance to win £1,000 to develop or promote their site. Entrants need to submit details of their health clinic or social care centre's website and explain exactly what they would do to improve it if they were to win the cash.
Applications will be assessed by an expert panel of judges — including representatives from Brook, Durex and FPA — who will rate each website based on its objectives, strategic thinking, content and website programming.
The two competitions are the latest projects from Durex Catalyst, an initiative that powers excellence, innovation and leadership amongst sexual health professionals throughout the UK.
Charles Shepherd, Head of Health Promotion at Durex, said: "These two projects are designed to continue with Durex Catalyst's aim of making a genuine contribution to the nation's sexual health."
" Professionals working within health and social care often face moral and professional dilemmas when dealing with complex issues around STI prevention, but the Catalyst Excellence FYI quiz aims to shed light on these issues."
"The Catalyst Innovation Website Award is a great opportunity to show off the quality of your site and even win a prize to help develop it further. The size of your current site isn't important — we are looking for an exciting website with bags of potential."
The FYI quiz will close on February 28 2011 and the winner of the FPA trainer will be announced before the end of May 2011. Entries for the Website Award must be received by February 28 2011, and applicants will hear if their entry has been successful by the end of May.
30/11/2010
Durex encourages World AIDS Day participation
World AIDS Day is just around the corner, and Durex will be doing its bit to help support the occasion and encourage people to get involved.
Read moreThe annual global health day — which takes place on December 1st — is organised to raise awareness of HIV and show support for people living with the condition. And this year, as part of its commitment to increasing public awareness of HIV, Durex is hosting the UK World AIDS Day (WAD) event listing and search facility on behalf of the NAT (National AIDS Trust).
The web page allows visitors both to search for WAD activities across the country and to list and promote their own events — all for free. The event can be absolutely anything, from an art show or a gig to a workshop or a debate.
Charles Shepherd, Head of Health Promotion at Durex, said: "World AIDS Day is an opportunity to bring people together to raise awareness of HIV, and by organising or attending an event you can help to get people talking."
"However you're planning to get involved — whether it's raising funds for an HIV charity or just encouraging people to think about the condition — it will all help to make a big difference."
World AIDS Day, which first took place in 1988, is dedicated to raising awareness HIV across the world. This year's UK theme, Act Aware, is all about understanding HIV and acting on that knowledge to tackle HIV prejudice and to protect yourself and others from HIV transmission.
Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT, said: "It's great that Durex is supporting NAT in this way, and I hope this year's World AIDS Day will be a hugely successful way of getting people to think about HIV and 'Act Aware'."
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