2017 is just around the corner and as businesses start to wind down ready for the festive celebrations, it is time to reflect on 2016.

2016 has been dubbed one of the worst years in history, but, it was not all bad, yes there have been a number of sad and unexpected things that have taken place, but I prefer not to dwell on the negative and instead look at the positives in everything.

So I have scoured the internet far and wide to put together a list of good things that have happened in 2016:

Here is my Top Ten List:

1. Improvements in cancer treatment – Breakthroughs in Chemotherapy have increased the 5-year survival for pancreatic cancer from 16% to 27%. [1]
2. Climate change has slowed – According to a study published in Science, the ozone layer is repairing itself albeit slowly from the worlds efforts to reducing CFC’s in the atmosphere. The Ozone will be considered healed by 2060.[2]
3. Wild tiger numbers have increased -According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Global Tigers Forum, the number of tigers have increased. In 2010, it was estimated there were around 3,200 animals, but this has since gone up to at least 3,890.
4. The Zika Virus was downgraded – The United Nations Health agency and the WHO declared that the Zika Virus no longer constitutes as an international emergency, The Virus which spread across 30 countries including many in: Latin American, the Caribbean has been linked to birth defects in children, with 2,100cases reported in Brazil alone.
5. Andy Murray’s most successful year – 2016 has been the most successful year of Andy Murrays career to date winning a total of 9 titles including: Italian Open, Queens club, China Open, Vienna Open Shanghai Masters, Paris Masters, Wimbledon, ATP World Tour Finals and an Olympic Gold Medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.[3]
6. Breakthrough HIV Treatment – A cure for HIV is closer after a trial in British man showed no sign of the virus after initial treatment. The treatment combined antiretroviral drugs with a drug that reactivates dormant HIV and a vaccine that stimulates the immune system in an attempt to destroy the cells carrying the virus. This gives hope to the 36.7 million people worldwide living with HIV.[4]
7. Juno spacecraft reached Jupiter’s orbit – Nasa’s Juno space probe braved intense radiation and space debris on its 1.8-million-mile journey into orbit around Jupiter. It arrived at the planet in July after a five-year journey and for the next 20 months it will explore the origins of the largest planet in our solar system.
8. Team GB Success at the 2016 Rio Olympics – Out of the 366 athletes that went to the Rio Olympics 130 of them returned with a medal. Making the Rio Olympics one of the most successful for the Great British team and a podium strike rate of 61%!.[5]
9. The underdogs Leicester win the Premiership – In the football world 2016 was a bit like a fairy-tale for Leicester City fans, who were written off as relegation candidates at the start of the season and 5,000 to 1 to win the premiership. After an incredible journey and against all odds in May 2016 Leicester won the premiership and the nations bookmakers paid out a whopping £25 million pounds to those fans bold enough to make the bet, which is the biggest loss in British history on a single sporting market.
10. France introduced a law preventing supermarkets from wasting food – France became the first country in the world to introduce a law forbidding supermarkets from throwing away or destroying unsold food. Instead, any food left on the shelves will be donated to charities and food banks, providing millions of meals for people who struggle to afford nutritious food.

We would like to thank all our customers for their business in 2016 and wish everyone a successful and prosperous 2017.

Have a great festive break and see you all in the New Year feeling rejuvenated and determined to make 2017 the best year yet!

[1]Source:  http://www.pancreaticcancer.org.uk/media/697010/pcuk-250-report.pdf

[2] Source: http://science.sciencemag.org/content/353/6296/269

[3] Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Murray_career_statistics#Career_achievements

[4] Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/british-man-hiv-aids-medical-trial-breakthrough-cured-a7341801.html

[5] Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/37132833