🌞 The Grammys news you might've missed

Happy Sunday!

It’s a good day to have a good day.

Grab a coffee, sit somewhere comfy and let’s jump into the bright side of the news cycle you might’ve missed!

🎶 Grammys news

You might (rightly) have read all the headlines about Beyoncé’s record-setting win, but did you hear that Amy Allen became the first woman to win Songwriter of the Year at the Grammys?

The name Amy Allen might not be familiar, but the songs she has helped to write certainly are. Allen is behind a jaw-dropping number of chart-topping songs, including ‘Espresso’ and ‘Please, Please, Please’ (Sabrina Carpenter), ‘Adore You (Harry Styles) and APT. (Bruno Mars, ROSE).

The award is a fairly new one (as a standalone award) but seeks to recognise the vital significance of songwriters in the industry.

Speaking to this fact, Allen said: “We are the engine that fuels the music industry.. and have been so long overlooked and under-appreciated.”

Here’s to making more space to celebrate the “engines” of the music industry…especially the ones responsible for bangers like Please, Please, Please!

🚴‍♀️ Volunteers on bikes

I love being able to use this newsletter to profile good people doing good work. That’s especially true of an organisation I learned about this week, called C86ERZ.

Based out of London, the group organises ‘ride outs’, where 700+ volunteers cycle around the city delivering goods to people in need.

The founder, Verral Paul Walcott, coordinates online ‘wish lists’ for homeless people across London and then deploys his volunteers to deliver the items on the wish lists. These lists can include anything from first aid products to food items, and the public can offer to add/donate to the lists.

Walcott said delivering the items via bike means that “you can go to various locations very fast or even change location based on when you've been notified when someone needs help”.

The group also organises an annual ride out over Christmas, where some 100 volunteers all cycle at once to deliver donated supplies ahead of the holiday season.

I’ve read around that similar cycling/volunteer/angel groups exist in the U.S, but I’d love to know if anything like this exists in Australia? Hit reply if you know of anything similar!

🎵 Feel good song of the week

🐢 Record turtle turnout

Moving onto some turtle news now, because how better to spend our Sunday morning?

The good news is that more than 500 endangered loggerhead turtles have nested on a Queensland beach. Mon Repos Beach, 400km north of Brisbane, is known for its nesting turtles.

The loggerhead turnout was reportedly the “best numbers” since the 1970s, with the seasonal average usually 350 marine turtles laying eggs.

According to QLD’s Environment Minister, the “outstanding” results are “likely due to favourable conditions in the foraging grounds which provide a better nesting habitat”.

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TDA’s good news story

I thought it might be nice to highlight a good news story out of the TDA office this week, courtesy of our wonderful Commercial Copyeditor Antonia!

“On Monday, four members of the TDA team made a meaningful contribution to the community by heading down to the Lifeblood Donation Centre to donate blood. What started as a single team member’s initiative to give back quickly turned into a group effort, demonstrating the power of teamwork and a shared commitment to helping others.

Taking less than an hour out of their day, TDA’s Nish (bottom left), Sera (second from top right), Tara (second from top left), and Emma (second from middle right) made the trip together during their lunch break.

The team cheered each other on, shared a few nervous laughs, and walked away with a sense of accomplishment. And, of course, no visit to the Lifeblood Donation Centre would be complete without a stop at the snack area, where they were greeted by Shirley, the true MVP of post-donation treats.

Giving blood is one of the easiest ways to make a real difference, and TDA is proud to support such a vital cause. For anyone considering donating, the team agrees: it’s quick, easy, and incredibly rewarding. Plus, the snacks aren’t bad either!”

📸 Photo of the week

This picture shows the moment a Eurasian badger looks up and catches sight of Banksy-style graffiti of a badger. The photographer, Ian Wood, was this week awarded the Natural History Museum's 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award.

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