Yorkshire BusinessWoman

Supporting female entrepreneurs across the Yorkshire region

Nº6 Bi-Monthly

A TopicUK Publication

December 2021

An ambassador for Yorkshire Businesswomen Love hate relationship with Mother Nature

Women empowered through coaching Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s sWo m a n

Yorkshire

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EditorsNotes Welcome to the sixth edition of Yorkshire Businesswoman magazine.

How time flies, it’s just a year since we launched Yorkshire Businesswoman magazine and what a year it has been. We have been amazed a how many wonderful entrepreneurial women there are in our region.

Group Editor Gill Laidler Design Rob Blackwell

In April we launched the Yorkshire Businesswoman membership and already we have 100 members with four wonderful ambassadors, Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen, TV presenter Christine Talbot, actress Gaynor Faye and BBC Radio Leeds Liz Green.

As we go to press, I can also confirm joining us for 2022 will be Yorkshire author Milly Johnson. If you would like to join us, sign up on the website https://yorkshirebusinesswoman. co.uk/signup/ in time for the next event with partners Dakota Hotel Leeds on 4 February. As well as our planned events with Dakota, we have also scheduled two new events at The Yorkshire Sculpture Park for March to celebrate International Women’s Day and November.

Business Executive Mandy Taylor

We also announce a new partnership with Lexus Leeds and will be bringing you more from them during 2022.

Official Photographers Roth Read Photography

I caught up with ambassador Christine Talbot recently so we could share her journey so far

Contents & Comments

by group editor Gill Laidler

with readers. Read the full story on P22. Over the course of next year, we will feature more of our ambassadors.

Most of our members and readers will know our fabulous business executive Mandy Taylor and the terrible year she has endured resulting in the diagnosis of terminal cancer. Mandy is one of the strongest people I know, having gone through breast cancer twice, in April this year she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive stage 4 tumour called Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma which has now spread to her liver. Mandy shares with us her story on page 62, where she launches her #bemoremandy campaign. I think when you read her story you will be compelled to support; she is such an inspirational lady.

As we close 2021 and head towards a New Year, leaving behind lockdowns (hopefully!) we look to body positivity and this edition we have lots of articles for you to inspire. Enjoy!

Gill x

You can email us at hello@yorkshirebusinesswoman.co.uk or call us on 07711 539047 Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s sWo m a n

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To Partner Yorkshirebusinesswoman Tel: 07711 539047

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New company launched to combat culture crisis

Harrogate travel agent stronger than ever

Women in Tech inspiring the next generation An ambassador for Yorkshire Businesswomen

Campaign for body positivity Yorkshire Businesswoman are delighted that professional photographers Lincoln Roth and Perrin Read who specialise in portrait photography are our partners for this exciting new magazine.

Roth Read Photography work closely with both private and commercial clients because client’s stories inspire them to capture images which are creative, authentic, and invoke emotion. It is the attention to detail which adds value to a personal legacy or business brand.

Their aim is to provide you, our readers, with the best images and experience.

Cover : Christine Talbot Image: Ant Oxley Photography

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Printed By: Charlesworth Press Wakefield The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those held by the publishers and therefore, no responsibility can be held by the publisher for misinterpretation.

Reproduction of this magazine without the express permission of the publisher is prohibited. Whilst every care is taken in the production of this magazine, the publisher/editor and staff cannot accept any responsibility for errors in articles, advertisements or programme schedules. To subscribe to this magazine contact 07711 539047 or email editor@yorkshirebusinesswoman. co.uk.

Published by Ghost Publishing who decline all responsibility for advice given.

What is business wellbeing?

Business wellbeing is a measure of how well our business is balanced...

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New European office for Musiio The views expressed by the contributors are not necessarily those held by the publishersnext and therefore, Standing to thenoHepworth Gallery can be held by the inresponsibility Wakefield is a collection of derelict publisher for misinterpretation. mill buildings date back to 1872.

Reproduction of this that magazine without Derelict for years until Paul Kempe the express permission of the publisher Whilst every care is Properties, taken ofis prohibited.

City and Provincial one productionLondon’s of this magazine, ofin the Tileyard founders saw the publisher/editor and staff and was intrigued bycannot the building accept any responsibility for errors in and was inspired to expand Europe’s articles, advertisements or programme largest schedules.creative community to the site.

Welcome Tileyard North.

To subscribe to this magazine contact 07711 539047 or email hello@ yorkshirebusinesswoman.co.uk yorkshirebusinesswoman.co.uk Published by Ghost Publishing Limited.

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51 Love hate relationship with Mother Nature Until my early 40’s Mother Nature and I were “besties” I enjoyed really good health, starting out as a fit and sporty teenager, body building in the gym in my late 20’s/early 30’s, enjoying power walks with my best friend and on reflection I took my healthy lifestyle for granted.

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Raising the bar in the North

Kate Hutchinson, founder and managing director of national events agency, The Secret Event Service (SES), is delighted at winning the 'Emerging Entrepreneur' Award at The Northern Leadership Awards, which celebrates individuals who are role models for their teams, and organisations that have raised the bar for competitors across the North.

The award recognises Kate’s inspiring business leadership and dedication to economic growth in the North, via corporate events.

As an emerging entrepreneur, Kate would advise other entrepreneurs to ‘always be ready to change’.

She commented "We've had a rollercoaster of a year. For the last 18 months, our industry was decimated, and we've grown by an incredible 325% during that time".

Kate has embedded an empowering culture at SES, breathing life and fun into each day for her employees leaving them feeling energised and wanting to do more for the company.

extraordinary leadership before and during these uncertain times and everything that she does demonstrates a positive impact and purpose in one way or another.

The last 18 months have been incredibly turbulent, with many brilliant businesses sadly having to close their doors or let talented staff go. By expanding her services

“I’ve learnt that life is way too short - you really must do what makes you happy...”

She has shown qualities of

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beyond live events, quickly adapting to a digital-first approach and catering to the new online world of events, Kate’s amazing leadership secured her teams with jobs, created additional permanent roles, plus provided work for a network of dedicated freelancers.

Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s s w o m a n member Kate commented “It is an unbelievable honour to have been nominated and absolutely humbling to have won such a prestigious award! It’s been such a challenging year for our sector and the wider business community. To get through the last 18 months, my team and I harnessed our creativity and agility to adapt quickly and serve our clients, existing and new.

We are grateful to them all for their trust in us and it’s fantastic to see all that hard work pays off, not only in maintaining a growing business, but by being recognised in these highly respected awards.”

represents 18 brands and works with clients including Saltaire Brewery, DTX Network Services, Life’s Little Recipes and Yonda Sports.

In the first month alone, experienced digital marketer Rebecca had onboarded four businesses as retained clients. By month two, that figure rose to nine account managed clients, signalling that the pandemic had increased the demand for results driven marketing support.

Commenting on the past year, Rebecca said: “It’s been phenomenal to experience such growth in our first year, and for that I feel so lucky. I have been blown away by some of the outstanding business partnerships we have been able to build, and the support offered to clients.”

First year success for Youbee Media Creative agency Youbee Media is celebrating a successful first year in business after exceeding initial revenue forecasts despite 12 months surrounded by uncertainty.

The Leeds-based agency, which was launched amid the pandemic b y f o u n d e r a n d Yo r k s h i r e Businesswoman member Rebecca Hopwood, has reported exceeding its forecasted turnover by 60%.

writing, online advertising, websites, direct mail campaigns and email marketing.

Over the next 12 months, the firm plans to hire an additional team member and continue to strengthen relationships with existing and new partners.

The company, who’s growth has been accelerated by grants and support through the AD:VENTURE business support programme,

To find out more about how they celebrated, please visit https:// www.youbeemedia.co.uk/ourfirst-bee-irthday/.

The exceptional growth during the first year also allowed for expansion, with Emma Pearson being appointed as apprentice digital marketer in March 2021.

Youbee Media offers marketing services including social media, blog Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s sWo m a n

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Chadwick Lawrence’s trainee solicitor wins award Ellie Hirst, a trainee solicitor specialising in Wills, Powers of Attorne y and Probate at Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors LLP, was announced the winner of the Trainee Solicitor of the Year category at the Yorkshire Legal Awards. The ceremony was held at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

The award win is a testament to the excellent standard of work Ellie has maintained whilst training at Chadwick Lawrence.

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Ellie joined the firm in May 2019 and has just qualified as a Solicitor, which makes the award win a double achievement for her career. Although other strong contenders in the trainee solicitor category, the judges were impressed with Ellie’s dedication to her job role and contribution to client relationships, along with her glowing references from her senior colleagues.

Ellie commented: “I am over the moon to win this award. It means a lot to achieve an accolade such as this, so early in my legal career.

I have learnt so much whilst being at Chadwick Lawrence and look forward to developing my career further.”Neil Wilson, Managing Partner commented: “We are so proud of Ellie for this incredible achievement. She has been a shining star since joining the team and this award win proves how valued she is in the team. We look forward to seeing Ellie’s career development at Chadwick Lawrence and know she will continue her fantastic work within the W ills and Probate team.”

Schofield Sweeney welcomes new partner Schofield Sweeney welcomes new partner Rachael Brook joining the Schofield Sweeney private wealth and succession team in Huddersfield as a partner.

Rachael will be bringing over 17 years of experience in helping individuals protect their family, reputation and wealth.

planning is essential, and more prevalent following COVID-19 and the proposed reforms to inheritance tax. I am looking forward to working collaboratively with my colleagues to help individuals plan effectively to protect their legacy."

“We are delighted to welcome Rachael to our established team.

As an experienced advisor she will Rachael's expertise includes add to our wealth of talent across charity gifting and philanthropy, our three offices, providing a wealth working collaboratively with other of knowledge to our clients and professional advisors to advise contacts,” said Ashley Iredale, clients on tax-efficient lifetime partner, Schofield Sweeney and succession strategies. She has significant experience in advising The team has also recently been high net worth individuals with joined by Amanda Saul, a paralegal in the preparation of wills, trusts Bradford. Amanda has considerable and powers of attorney, and experience in the field of court of supporting agricultural families and protection and regularly assists in the equestrian business owners through administration of complex estates. diversification and generational She will provide valuable support to the team as they continue to grow. planning.

"I am excited to be joining the team and further develop the agricultural practice,” Rachael said. “Schofield Sweeney has an understated excellent reputation and loyal client base, which is testament to the individuals across all areas of the business, and the outstanding service levels they deliver. Succession

The firm has also been bolstered with the appointment of Sabine Rodwell, solicitor, in the employment team, Jon Exall, solicitor, has joined the litigation team, Sadia Ali, solicitor, has joined the commercial property team and Liz Coe, solicitor, has joined the residential conveyancing team.

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Employment law firm celebrates successful year to date

York-based Employment Law firm, Torque Law, is celebrating its most successful year to date as it marks its five-year anniversary.

Having grown to be the largest employment law specialist team in North Yorkshire, Torque Law secured listings in The Legal 500 2021 and Chambers & Partners 2021 and has been shortlisted for the Employment Law team award in this year’s Yorkshire Legal Awards.

Torque Law was founded in 2016 by

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Tiggy Clifford and Emma Whiting, who originally met as students at the University of Leeds and has now grown to include a team of four specialist employment solicitors.

Over the last 12 months the business has seen an accelerated period of growth achieving a 65% increase in turnover and advising executives and senior employees on settlement packages totalling £6.9 million.

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses have needed employment

advice and support on an unprecedented level and the firm has been the natural choice for many of the region’s most prominent employers and senior executives to lead them through complex, highstakes and sensitive employment issues to achieve the best outcomes.

With an already impressive client list, the team has added advisory work for prominent local employers including Bawtry Carbon, Lakeside Dining, Hemingways and Youngs Seafood (part of the Eight Fifty Food Group) to its portfolio in the last year.

Tiggy said: “Emma and I are incredibly proud of the business we have built together over the past five years, and we are really looking forward to celebrating this significant milestone with our team and many of our clients.”

The team regularly undertake pro bono campaigns, both on a local and national level. In 2021 the focus has been on helping employers to respond to the increasing number of domestic abuse cases. They are a member of The Employer’s Initiative on Domestic Abuse (EIDA), a business network that works with employers to tackle domestic abuse, as well as a corporate partner of York-based women’s charity Kyra which helps local women to make positive changes in their life.

Emma said: “It’s hard to believe it’s five years since we first started the business! A lot has changed in that time, particularly over the last 12 months with the unprecedented employment changes and challenges which have arisen as a result of the pandemic.”

Answer supports growth plans with a key hire Answer, a digital and IT consultancy based in Leeds, has appointed Sophie Hizzett to support its growth plans.

Sophie joins the consultancy as talent and engagement specialist and will work across the business to champion Answer's culture and develop the employee value proposition to aid staff recruitment and retention.

Commenting on her new role, Sophie said: "As an employeeo wned business, Answe r is u n u s u a l i n t h e te c h n o l o g y sector, and both team members and customers comment on the unique culture here. I look forward to working with everyone in the business to bring our values to life and build a compelling employer brand."

Richard Ellis, director said: "It's an exciting time for everyone at Answer. We've gone from strength

to strength since the move to employee ownership. We are working in partnership with global technology companies to deliver projects in areas ranging from artificial intelligence to data integration and interoperability.

The work we do is only possible through our amazing people, and we want to continue to prioritise them, and our culture, as we grow.”

The company is expanding its Academy, which has fasttracked young people in digital skills in software development, integration, test automation, and project management over the last six years. Over half of the staff at Answer Digital are alumni of its Academy, which was created to nurture the next generation of talent for the company.

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Combatting the culture crisis A new company has launched in Yorkshire to combat the recruitment and culture crisis currently taking place in businesses across the UK.

Culco, founded by Jane Slimming and Lisa Lister, has been established to provide cross-sector business owners with the knowledge, support, and ability they need to develop a positive workplace culture, attract and retain talent to reduce recruitment costs and bridge skills gaps, and increase productivity and creativity.

According to research by Oxford Economics and Unum, the average cost of turnover per employee (earning £25,000 a year or more) is £30,614, and BreathHR states that poor workplace culture is costing the UK economy £23.6 billion annually.

Many business leaders struggle knowing where to start when it comes to investing in their culture.

Dawn Stott, CEO at The Association for Perioperative Practice, said: “It’s a massive topic in health care and “healing the healer” is the new buzz.

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It’s so important but difficult to achieve due to workload and many other pressures. It’s also a difficult one to gauge as a manager as what causes angst for one isn’t the same for another.”

The company will offer support to businesses through its revolutionary programme which includes seminars, peer-to-peer support, specialist consultancy, and insight into employee engagement. Within this programme business leaders will be able to access support through initiatives such as peer-topeer roundtable events, a designated consultant, and a programme of speakers and workshops.

Success will be measured through a range of outputs including p ro d u c t i v i t y i n c re a s e , s t a f f retention, individual wellbeing improvements, and a reduction in recruitment costs.

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Jane Slimming, is looking forward to supporting businesses across the UK. She commented: “Never before has culture been so important for companies to take seriously and invest in. Not only does it make commercial sense

to keep staff happy and fulfilled, but from a personal perspective I’ve always cared about seeing people flourish and grow. “ I ’ v e f o u n d n av i g a t i n g t h e pandemic difficult, particularly

maintaining culture and staff fulfilme nt, and I kno w I’m not alone. Lisa and I set up Culco to provide a support network for business owners to help them develop thriving cultures which retain talent

and create a motivated and happy workforce. We’re really looking forward to working with businesses across the UK and seeing the impact that our support will have on them and their employees.”

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Wild PR appoints staff following rebrand Huddersfield-based PR and communications agency, Wild PR has recruited two new staff members taking its headcount to nine following its rebrand from KC Communications.

Strengthening the agency’s digital PR offering, Mollie Haley-Earnshaw joins the agency as senior digital PR executive from Leeds agency, Zeal.

Mollie graduated from the University of Huddersfield last year with a FirstClass Honours degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications and brings with her over three years of experience creating campaigns within marketing agencies. Her role will see her support with the development and outreach of SEOfocused PR campaigns for clients across key sectors, including travel, health, property, manufacturing and professional services.

Also joining is Leah De La Hunty as digital marketing executive. A graduate of the University of the West of England, Leah has previously worked as a social media specialist

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...we’re so excited to have Mollie and Leah join us as we begin our journey as Wild PR...

based in Dubai and managed various clients, including luxury personal shoppers and fast food chains. Leah will be responsible for generating optimised creative content across platforms for both Wild PR and its clients.

The agency transitioned from KC Communications to Wild PR in mid-September and has since welcomed three new clients

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Leah and Mollie

under the new name, including sustainable nappy retailer Nappy Gurus, specialist pharmacy, Primed Pharmacy and visual impairment charity Outlookers.

Speaking on the recent appointments, founder and managing director Katrina Cliffe said: “The agency has evolved so much over the past 18 months. We are now up to nine members of staff, all who bring unique skill sets to create an all-encompassing offering to our clients.”

“Several recent client wins have led us to create two new roles within the agency, and we’re so excited to have Mollie and Leah join us as we begin our journey as Wild PR.”

Business celebrates fourth birthday with donation Social Cactus, a mindset coaching business, established four years ago by Leeds-born Amy Crumpton while she was backpacking through South America are celebrating their fourth birthday with a full-day Instagram'Live event, a £10,000 donation to charity, and Founder Amy will be returning to London from Spain to host an in-person event, ‘Magnetic Live Event’.

Amy, a certified Time Line Therapy and NLP Practitioner, said: “It’s hard to believe that we are four years down the road and Social Cactus continues to thrive and get bigger and more successful.

“We have had remarkable financial success this year and so are lucky enough to be able to mark our birthday by donating £10,000 to Rescued Paws, a charity set up by a fellow Leeds-woman. Total donations to Rescued Paws have hit £15,000, and we hope to be able to

donate further through The Cactus Foundation.”

In the four years since inception, Social Cactus has helped over 2000 women and has grown to a team of nine following the appointment of Laura Greaux, a Social Cactus client who has now completed her coaching certificate and will join the business as a coach.

Amy added: “We have so much to celebrate but most notably for me is being able to help so many women to reach their potential. I love working with such focussed and powerful women on a daily basis and I hope that in the next four years we can reach even more amazing businesswomen."

Their fourth anniversary was celebrated on Instagram, with a full day ‘Birthday Bonanza’, featuring stories from former clients, coaches and others who have worked with Social Cactus along the way.

Amy, along with Social Cactus Head Coach and fiancé Chris, are gearing up for a brief return to the UK from Spain to host an in-person event, ‘Magnetic Live Event’. Aimed at coaches and service-based businesswomen, the event will focus on mindset, strategy and action. 10% of all ticket sales will be donated to The Cactus Foundation and will be matched funded by Social Cactus.

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A Harrogate travel agent is celebrating a return to travel as it rebrands and plans a relocation to Montpellier Parade.

Ventur Luxury Travel, which was formerly known as Traveltalk and based on Leeds Road, is moving to the town centre location in January as it celebrates its new identity amidst government announcements that more destinations will be removed from England’s red list.

Founded in Harrogate more than 35 years ago, the travel agent specialises in luxury package holidays tailored to customers’ needs, from bespoke honeymoon packages to solo adve nture holidays and family beach trips,

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“We’re stronger than ever” says Harrogate travel agent managing everything from travel, accommodation and in-destination touches.

Backed by the Evans family of the Evans Property Group in Leeds, it joins the Ventur group which also includes the firm’s corporate travel arm. Focusing on business, professional sport and group travel via its Leeds and Edinburgh offices, this too underwent a rebrand in spring 2021, to better align

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itself with its customers and the consultative service it provides.

Katherine Scott, manager at Ventur Luxury Travel, said: “We are incredibly excited to be sharing the Ventur experience with our customers and to be celebrating our new home on Montpellier Parade. Everyone knows it’s been a tough year for the travel industry but we’re proud to make such a statement with this move – we’re

stronger than ever! It’s wonderful to be moving to a more prime location while continuing to offer our customers the high-toucholiday booking experience they’ve come to know and love.

“As more travel restrictions ease our customers are busy booking winter breaks and planning well into 2022; they know they can trust our team with creating their dream holidays with all the perfect finishing touches – whether that’s finding just the right private dining experience to celebrate a special occasion or ensuring all the details are taken care of for a seamless trip.”

Ventur Luxury Travel will open its doors on Montpellier Parade in January.

Paul Millington, CEO of Ventur, said: “It’s an exciting time for Ventur Luxury Travel and we’ve seen from the increase in customer enquiries over Autumn that the appetite to travel is certainly there.

While we’ve undertaken a rebrand, customers can be reassured it’s the same excellent service they’ve been receiving for many years – and with our upcoming move to Montpellier Parade, we’ll be even better placed to serve the people of Harrogate in creating their dream travel experiences.”

Traveltalk will rebrand to Ventur Luxury Travel in January 2022. To find out more, contact 01423 872 516, visit www.gotraveltalk.com or head in-store 63 Leeds Road, Harrogate.

Is your business ready for a net-zero future?

During COP26, the 2021 edition of the United Nations annual climate change confe re nce, Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership are proud to support the government's Together for our Planet campaign and help SMEs in our region reduce carbon emissions and protect the planet.

Whatever industry you are in, your commitment could make a real difference. The Business Support

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Service is here to help you:

Visit the sustainability hub to learn more about the support available to businesses to help tackle the climate emergency and register your interest in the Mayoral Green Jobs Gateway and become a UK business climate leader.

• •

Implement cleaner, greener business strategies Reduce waste, save money and become more resourceefficient

Introduce sustainable travel options for your employees

They’re also supporting the Mayor of West Yorkshire's pledge to create 1,000 green jobs for people under 30. The Mayoral Green Jobs Gateway is helping local employers connect with young people and develop well paid, skilled jobs that support the UK's net-zero emissions target and environmental goals.

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Women in tech: inspiring the next generation of female founders The technology sector is thriving and continuously evolving, creating many exciting career opportunities. In the UK, areas such as AI, FinTech, Life Sciences and Green Tech are growing rapidly and require a diverse workforce to accelerate innovation. With such a fantastic outlook for the sector, female entrepreneurs are on a mission to inspire others to consider a career or build a business in STEM industries.

In October, The Female Founders Forum discussed their recent ‘Female Founders Report’ findings in Parliament, to help improve diversity in Britain’s tech sector and tackle barriers facing females in the industry and education.

Many successful female entrepreneurs from across the UK attended the House of Commons in support of the report. Yorkshire based female tech entrepreneur, Zandra Moore CEO at Panintelligence who is an advocate for improving diversity and inclusion in the tech sector attended the launch in the House of Commons.

Zandra commented: “Reading through the Female Founders Report was so re-affirming. It encompasses many things I am deeply passionate about. I’m sure with more female

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professionals, entrepreneurs and innovators entering STEM roles.

We will build better businesses; we’ll have more innovations and we’ll help create a more prosperous and inclusive society.

“All of the issues, challenges and gender biases raised in the report are ones I’ve personally experienced as a female founder in Data Analytics and AI but the recommendations are clear and easy to implement. I’ve been lucky enough to have female role models and mentors in my life.

Particularly, my mum who worked in the emerging technology sector in Leeds in the 1990s. My mum often shares how she made a lot of people rich in the technology businesses she helped grow, yet despite this, she didn’t have any shares in these businesses, and never thought to ask for any because she didn’t have any role models or peer groups to

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turn to for advice or support back then. Although we’ve come a long way since then, we’ve still got a lot further to go to be more diverse and inclusive to all.”

The report highlights the issues that are creating barriers for females in tech, such as discrimination facing female entrepreneurs when trying to raise equity finance. Shockingly, just 7% of equity finance raised in the UK goes to female-founded companies. The report also shines a light on gender bias in venture capital firms - showing that only 13% of decision-makers in Venture Capital (VC) firms in the UK are

women were never introduced to AI or machine learning careers on campus or at a careers fair.

Employers also need to be doing more to adapt to the changing and more technologically advanced world by offering mid-career retraining opportunities, to improve the diversity of their tech talent quickly. Increasingly popular organisations such as North Coders are collaborating with businesses like Panintelligence to help employees re-train to become software engineers.

female and, almost half of firms don’t have any females on their investment teams at all.

Under-representation of female students in STEM subjects is still an issue for the sector. Only 17% of technology workers in the UK are currently female. This highlights that more needs to be done to represent females in STEM within education environments, such as turning to groups such as Founders For Schools to bring in female founders to share their stories.

Zandra added: “Female STEM ambassadors need to be proactive

at supporting and inspiring fellow females. We need to be present at events, share our experiences and successes. We also need to be looking at enabling re-training and internship opportunities which I can vouch for, are just as beneficial to our businesses to gain new ideas and skills to build a diverse freshthinking, talented workforce”.

Recommendations within the report on careers services show campuses and careers fairs need to introduce more females to the vast amount of STEM career opportunities. The report shares an appalling statistic that 84% of

Along with the Female Founders Re port, which is created in partnership with the Entrepreneurs Network, Barclays and Beauhurst; there is an increasing number of organisations and communities being created across the UK to inspire, educate and support people entering or working in tech, to help the sector become more diverse and inclusive, such as Women in Leeds Digital, Barclays Eagle Labs, BUILD, The No Code Lab, Investing in Women Code and many more.

S o m e a d d i t i o n a l w ay s t h a t we, as a society can improve support and inspire females to begin careers in seemingly male-dominated industries, is by creating more femalefocused and diverse networking and mentoring opportunities.

Creating conversations around and highlighting the inspirational work of females in the media to publicise the role models who often get overlooked, to inspire young women to have the confidence to enter entrepreneurship, STEM and other male-dominated fields.

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Business Support

Unlock your business potential!

Wakefield First is the first point of contact for businesses in the Wakefield district for free business support and advice.

Promoting inward investment, business growth, supporting trade, job creation, business news and events.

Get in touch and find out more about how we can support your business.

01924 306630 info@wakefieldfirst.com wakefieldfirst.com

The Institute of Directors has strengthened its North Yorkshire team with the a p p o i n t m e n t o f Ju d i t h Parry as chartered director ambassador.

Chartered director is a prestigious qualification awarded to directors by the IoD under its Royal Charter. As a chartered director and IoD Fellow, Judith will support the professional development of local directors and help them to enhance their skills.

Judith spent seven years as an independent director of a listed company in the international oil and gas sector. Her background is in corporate business development, PR and investor relations and she has worked for energy companies ranging from start-ups to PLCs. In recent years, she has mentored regional tech start-ups and has taken on an executive role with an emerging company involved in AI-enabled diagnostic support for mental health disorders.

IoD ambassadors drive greater connectivity with members, support learning and development and give a local voice to the Institute, while ensuring that IoD national policy reflects local issues.

Judith said: “Becoming a chartered director gave me the knowledge to approach a new board role with added confidence, particularly in corporate governance matters.

Working with young entrepreneurs, I am now looking forward to playing my part inspiring the ambitious millennial generation as they set out on their journey to success.”

IoD ambassador to boost director skills in North Yorkshire Working with young entrepreneurs, I am now looking forward to playing my part inspiring the ambitious millennial generation...

Caroline Pullich, chair of IoD North Yorkshire, said: “Judith is an outstanding advocate for lifelong learning and I am delighted that she is putting such great energy into supporting the next generation of directors to fulfil their potential. She will champion the chartered director programme and encourage directors to reap the benefits of this world-renowned qualification.”

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Presenting: an ambassador for all YorkshireBusinesswomen Many people reading this article will recognise Christine Talbot as she has graced our screens each weeknight for many years as the popular presenter and anchor on ITV’s news programme Calendar, alongside co-presenter Duncan Wood.

Christine left Calendar at the end of June this year to pursue new interests and Yorkshire Businesswoman editor Gill Laidler caught up with Christine to find out more.

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Journalism has always played a part in Christine’s life. and daughter Beth, moved to Growing up in her native Lancashire, the first newspaper ITV where she presented the Christine worked on was a family newspaper that she created Tonight show for four years and with her sister, reporting on anything that was going on in a programme called Wellbeing.

At the same time, she was working their family life. as a reporter for evening news programme Calendar, before After leaving school, Christine FACT FILE becoming their main presenter attended the Lancashire Favourite holiday and news anchor alongside Polytechnic School of Journalism destination: Duncan Wood where she stayed where she qualified as a journalist The beautiful island of until June this year. in 1985. She began her career at Capri the Southport Visitor and the Favourite car: “I loved my time at Calendar,” she Lancashire Evening Post before Range Rover Evoke explained. “Live television is very moving into television journalism, Favourite Restaurant: unpredictable and I am always working on BBC North West All of them in Boston Spa nervous before a big interview, on the Tonight programme. “I and Wetherby particularly when it is a really was ready for change and loved Favourite food and famous person such as a prime working in television, although I drink: Italian and white minister or famous actor, I think did start at the bottom, working wine I have interviewed them all during behind the scenes first, before Favourite Gadget: my time at Calendar, I don’t think moving in front of the camera My super strength hair people realise we don’t always and reporting live.” straighteners have an autocue, particularly if we are interviewing away from In 1994, Christine, who lives in the studio, nerves do kick in!”

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So, who have been Christine’s favourite people to interview?

“Oh, that’s difficult because there have been many over the years.

However, two people really stand out for me as being lovely genuine people and very professional, Cliff Richard and Lulu! I was very nervous meeting them, but they soon put me at ease, both were some of the loveliest people I have met. We generally find when interviewing, the more famous the person, the nicer they seem to be. Jane Tomlinson who sadly passed away in 2007 after raising almost £2m for charity, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer in 1991 at the young age of 26 was also memorable for me, we became good friends as I interviewed her lots of times about her many amazing achievements, she was a real inspiration to all of us.”

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So, what’s next for Christine who we are delighted is an ambassador for Yorkshire Businesswoman? “I needed a break. I had been at Calendar a long time and although I absolutely loved my time there and it was a huge wrench to leave everyone, I needed to take stock and think about what I wanted for the future as I needed to work a bit more flexibly for my family.

However, so many doors have opened, and I have lots of exciting projects in the pipeline for next year.

In the meantime, I was involved with Raworth's Literary Festival and recently hosted Yorkshire's first ever Climate Change summit, which brought together politicians, organisations and business leaders to pave the way forward for this region which was a huge honour. I also hosted the fantastic Silver and Sassy fashion show, where all the

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models were older women which was great fun.” Christine is also on the appeals fund board of the Children’s Hospital in Leeds and is hosting the mid Yorkshire Hospitals Trust Covid Carers award to thank the NHS staff for their work during the pandemic.

Outside work, Christine who has twice been nominated for the Royal Television Society Best Presenter Award in Yorkshire and winner of the RTS TV Reporter 2016 and O2 Broadcast Presenter 2015 and O2 TV Journalist 2016, as well as Yorkshire Choice Media Personality 2015, and in September this year, the RTS Yorkshire Outstanding Achievement Award, enjoys the great outdoors, sport and walking in particular in the Yorkshire Dales, enjoying the fresh air. Spending time with her family is also important.

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www.contedia.com Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s sWo m a n

Why not celebrate Veganism for a month?

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‘Movember’ marks the month men grow moustaches to raise awareness of men’s health issues such as prostate cancer and men’s suicide. November 1st is also the anniversary of Vegan Day, and the month of November commemorates veganism, or Vegan Month. If you missed it why not try it up to Christmas ?

By: Janet Milner-Walker - Founder of Bespoke Advantage

During Vegan Month plant-based eaters around the world celebrate their cruelty-free lifestyle. We are familiar with vegetarianism, we know what pescatarians and fruitarians are (yes, they only eat fruit, and possibly seeds and nuts); but how many of us really understand veganism? A true vegan eliminates meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey and products like leather or fur from their lifestyle.

Whilst for some this may seem a tall order, we are becoming more aware of the benefits of following a plant-based diet – not only for our own health and wellbeing – but also for the wellbeing of the planet.

and Jainism advocate a vegetarian diet, as they don’t believe in conflicting cruelty to animals.

The term ‘vegan’ was created in 1944, but the concept itself can be traced back to ancient Indian and eastern Mediterranean societies.

Betwee n 2014 and 2019 the number of UK vegans quadrupled, with the Vegan Society reporting that there are now more than 600,000 vegans in the UK and as of January 2021 more than 79 million people based globally are reported to be vegans.

The first Vegan Society was formed in 1847 in the UK. Three years later the founder of Graham Crackers- Rev. Sylvester Graham founded the American Vegetarian Society and in November 1944, D o n a l d Wa t s o n w h o w a s a British woodworker said that as Vegetarians ate eggs and dairy, he was going to establish a new society called Veganism for those people who did not. The year prior to this Tuberculosis had been found in 40% of British

Why Veganism?

Veganism is a more extreme version of vegetarianism, many followers of Buddhism, Hinduism,

Each second, we lose 700 yards of land to farmed animals and their food, and animal products...

Dairy cows, which stood him in good stead as he used this to his advantage to advocate why people shouldn’t be consuming dairy.

Veganism extends beyond our diets – it is a lifestyle that embraces cruelty against animals for food, fashion, beauty, and other products as well as for any other purpose.

For those of us who are not vegans, we may well ask the question, why someone would become a vegan?

For many the reasons are simple – vegans don’t agree with the way in which animals are treated for food consumption. Nor do they agree with the impact animal agriculture has on the environment – from our aquatic ecosystems to our soil and forestry.

Each second, we lose 700 yards of land to farmed animals and their food, and animal products create 58% of all food emissions, with all food contributing 26% to global emissions. Methane ranks as one of the top gas contributors to global warming, with 40% coming from cows. Over 780 million people across the world don’t have access to water, whilst over a third of this goes to animals.

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This may be where many vegans start however following a vegan based diet reaps them numerous health and wellbeing benefits.

Cutting back on our consumption of animal fats, and proteins is a positive ste p in the right direction to reducing our risk of heart disease, colon and lung cancer, diabetes, obesity, and other conditions. Following a vegan diet may reduce our risk of prostate cancer by 35% and following a completely plantbased diet may reduce our risk of Type 2 diabetes by as much as 23% Veganism and beauty brands Veganism touches on every element of our lifestyle including our choice in beauty products. As consumers we have become a lot more conscious and interested in what and where the ingredients in our beauty products are sourced from. Ethical manufacturing processes, vegan and crueltyfree products are on the rise, although organic and ethically sourced products are more expensive and present a shorter shelf life, they are gaining traction over traditional chemically based branded products.

We are demanding products that are sustainable and biodegradable.

In 2020 beauty brands invested significant resources into launching eco-initiatives. Unilever introduced in-store refill trials at an Asda store in the UK. They also introduced Love Beauty and Planet, comprising of 100% sustainable and environmentally friendly products. When a new

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‘clean beauty brand’ or product is launched, we want to know the details of their impact on our health, the environment, whether it is cruelty-free, sustainable, or toxic-free.

manufacturing process. To name but a few popular ingredients …

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Beeswax and honey are used in moisturisers, body creams and cosmetics.

As consumers we often turn to certification to verify any claims made. Third-party certifiers provide independent reviews of a product’s supply chain, and production process, and are more readily trusted as being nonbiased. They help educate us, shed light on toxic practices and separate those brands that stand by their ethical credentials versus those that are greenwashing.

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Bull seamen – may come as a surprise to some of us. This is found in some haircare products to make hair feel soft and shiny.

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Cholesterol in beauty products is often derived from lanolin and added to cosmetics, eye creams, shampoos, and other products.

There are numerous animal byproducts found in the production of beauty proudcts, Vegan beauty brands eliminate these from their

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Cochineal dye is made from beetles and added to lipsticks and blushers to produce a vivid red colour.

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Collagen is made from the bones and tissues of animals and is added to skincare and supplements (there is a vegan friendly version of collagen available).

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Estrogen is often taken from horses and added to supplements for menopause, as well as creams and lotions.

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Gelatin is sourced from skin, tendons, ligaments, and bones and is added to face creams, shampoos, body lotions, hair sprays and bath salts.

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Glycerin is a by product of tallow (the fat surrounding animals’ organs) and is found in many beauty products including soaps (there is a vegan source available).

Products you can trust For those of us who are vegans, we are always on the hunt for products we can trust to support our ethics and values, and one of the easiest ways to do this is to seek out products that carry the Vegan Society Trademark.

The Vegan Society’s trademark

is the leading Vegan certification established globally. Founded in 1990 to improve product labelling they adopt rigorous standards that accompany the trademark process ensuring customers can trust the Mark. There are numerous ways in which animal derivatives can make their way into a product or a supply chain. The Mark is included on labels worldwide as

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About Janet Milner-Walker Janet is the founder of Bespoke Advantage, a brand management company that build brands across the beauty, spa, and wellness sector, she is also a consultant, and a speaker.

Over the past twenty years she has developed and launched products and brands for companies including M&S, Harvey Nichols, Boots, Body Shop and Crabtree & Evelyn as well as worked with many start-ups.

the authentic standard for products free from animal ingredients and animal testing.

There are more than 54,000 products registered worldwide by the Vegan Society including clothing, food, drink, household items and cosmetics. They certify more than 22,000 cosmetics and toiletries, and registration of products by the Vegan Society grew 49% between 2018 and 2019.

It is safe to say that veganism is more than a trend, it is a way of life.

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According to a report published on food and climate in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences if we all adopted a vegan diet – eliminating milk, meat, honey and any other animal products – the greenhouse emissions associated with the food system in 2050 would fall to more than half compared to the baseline levels in the early 2000s.

Definitely food for thought – and whilst you may not be advocating to follow this for life – it could be worth your while giving this a whirl for the month of November.

Their awardwinning portfolio of clients includes haircare specialists and make-up artists, skincare entrepreneurs, investors and beauty, spa and wellness companies based in the UK and internationally – www.thebespokeadvantage.com.

Coming in 2022

YBW charity of the year announced families whose children have been affected.

E a c h y e a r Yo r k s h i r e Businesswoman magazine selects a charity to support by offering free promotion through our pages and through our networking.

Starting in January 2022, we will be supporting the Burns Club, a charity set up to support

Burns and scalds are amongst the most harrowing and painful injuries that can happen to any child and they often leave lifelong scars that are not just physical but psychological. The Burns Club support and organise events and activities that bring together young people and their families from birth to the age of 25. They reinforce that despite lifelong scars, their dreams, hopes and goals are just as achievable as any other child’s.

One of the charity’s founders Tracy Foster, who is a Yorkshire Businesswoman member, is a play specialist working on the regional children’s burns unit at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.

Tracy has seen first-hand how both children and families can be affected.

During 2022 we will keep readers informed of events that the charity is holding and provide updates on their progress.

If you have been affected or would like to get involved with the charity, email Tracy: tracy. foster@burns-club. org.uk or contact her on the member area of the website.

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Campaign for body positivity and inclusivity

It’s an experience that most women can recall, standing in the changing rooms of their favourite shop struggling to close the zip on a pair of jeans and feeling embarrassed at the prospect of having to size up. Independent womenswear retailer, The Style Attic, have spent the summer helping to rid women of this feeling with their, #sizedoesnotdefineus campaign.

Leigh Unwin, founder said, “We want to help women realise that the size of clothing we wear has absolutely no effect on our worth.

For too long women have equated smaller sizes with being happier, and looking better, but it’s time to change that! We believe that everyone deserves to feel happy, comfortable and beautiful in their clothes regardless of their size.”

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With this mission in mind, The Style Attic launched a ‘free size’ clothing range which means that women no longer have to define themselves by a clothes size.

This range features a number of pieces which can be worn flowing or form fitting, depending on your shape and how you chose to style them. The Style Attic’s idea behind this range is to remove some of the pressure that women feel about fitting into a certain size.

Leigh said, “Many women, me previously included, spend countless hours worrying about

fitting into a certain item of clothing because it’s the size that they think they should be. But we’re not supposed to ‘fit’ into our clothes, our clothes are supposed to fit us and, if they don’t, then they aren’t the right clothes and we should be finding some that do instead of trying to change ourselves to fit.”

the way forward. Plus sizes are normal sizes!”

We’re not supposed to ‘fit’ into our clothes, our clothes are supposed to fit us ...

The ‘#sizedoesnotdefine us’ campaign, which The Style Attic Natalie Kersey, social influencer launched on social media this and body positive activist said, summer, was embraced by many “This campaign shows that my size women with fashion influencers 22 body can wear the exact same such as Leeds local, Hannah Briggs, dress as someone who wears telling their followers about The regular size clothes. This divide Style Attics campaign. needs to stop, size inclusivity is

With the message ‘our size does not define us’, helping many women to rid themselves from the negative constraints of the traditional clothing scale, The Style Attic hope that they continue to show women of all shapes and sizes that, free size clothing or not, the size of the clothes that they wear has absolutely no effect on their worth.

Everyone deserves to feel happy and beautiful in the clothes that they wear and most importantly, in themselves.

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Local CEO shortlisted for prestigious awards Co-founder and CEO of Leeds-based Panintelligence, Zandra Moore has had an impressive career in the technology sector spanning over 20 years. Her infectious passion for helping businesses drive performance with data and analytics has seen her become well known in the UK and European technology and business industries in recent years.

Zandra is now making her mark in the national and global tech field after recently receiving several recognitions in tech industry awards.

Most recently shortlisted for ‘Role Model of The Year: Tech & Services SME’ and ‘IT Leader of the Year’ categories in the UK’s Women in Tech Excellence Awards in which she was up against thousands of entrants.

Coming from humble beginnings, Zandra originally started her career

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in HR before moving on to sales and tech over 20 years ago. Her inspiration comes from her mother, who fell into the technology sector after applying for a job advert in The Yorkshire Post for the first internet service provider in the North - without having any idea what the internet was. Her mum went on to have an impressive career in the tech industry, which saw her work her way up to head of international sales at a large corporate. So, like mother like

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daughter, Zandra was inspired to follow in her mum’s footsteps in the tech industry.

Zandra commented “I decided to move into self-employment after having children as I wanted to have the flexibility around my family, which wasn’t possible to do at that time in the tech industry. So I opened my own software solutions consultancy business. After doing some work for Panintelligence as a client, I saw an opportunity for

everything Panintelligence achieves possible”.

On a mission to make the tech industry accessible for everyone, Zandra is keen to make an impact, helping to push the industry to become more inclusive so everyone can share the same opportunities.

She regularly participates in talks and panel discussions to share her passion for inclusivity, as well as promoting SaaS growth strategies, the value of insights and data across business for driving ROI, aligning departments and achieving customer success.

The recognition on Rivery’s influencer list comes after a plethora of awards and recognitions in the past few years for Panintelligence and Zandra personally, which include Panintelligence being recognised as a leader, high performer and for best customer support by G2 in 2020 and winning Tech Innovation of the Year in 2019 at Leeds Digital Festival.

working on a product and team that I loved and ended up doing a management buyout, bought the IP in 2014 and have been growing the business ever since”.

Another achievement for Zandra recently was gaining global recognition in Rivery’s, Top 21 Influencers in Data of 2021 - which features pioneers, entrepreneurs, and rising stars from all over the world in the field of data and analytics - all of whom are highlighting the power of

data, helping people understand data and how they can use it in new ways.

Zandra added “It’s a real honour to be featured in the UK Women in Tech Excellence Awards and Rivery’s Top 21 Influencers in Data list for 2021, next to such incredible talent in the tech industry. I’m incredibly passionate about what I do, so to receive recognition on a national and global platform is wonderful however, I work with a fantastic and hugely talented team that makes

Zandra has won several awards in recent years including Female CEO of the Year in the English Women’s Award, North and JP Morgans Top 100 Women-Led Technology Businesses in 2018, company leader at Northern Leadership Awards 2019 and last year as one of the Top 50 most ambitious business leaders 2020

by LDC, Northern Power Women mentor of the year and IoD Director of the Year Innovation award. She’s also recently been shortlisted in the IT Leader of the Year and Role Model of the Year: Tech & Services SME categories in the Women in Tech Excellence Awards 2021.

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The impact of a professional headshot Stand out in the crowd

One of the best things about being a photographer is helping people stand out in the digital crowd.

If you want to stand head and shoulders above the rest, then a professional headshot will do the trick!

Size Doesn’t matter!

Time to be honest

Imagine a consumer entering your business-type into the LinkedIn search bar. In amongst the long list of your competitors sits your profile picture fighting for recognition.

The first step to a killer Headshot is to ask the hard questions about your image.

The amygdale region in the consumer’s brain is rapidly filtering all the information in those tiny portraits to determine who is deemed trustworthy – and who is not. It’s not personal . . . it’s just instinct. And we all do it. The decision is made in nanoseconds and, before the consumer can consciously justify their choices, they have inevitably scrolled on.

As a result, biology makes this small, seemingly ineffectual picture, rather powerful.

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As luck would have it, we have 6 quick questions to help you. All you need to do is simply answer Yes or No to each one. You can either answer these yourself or better still ask an impartial business owner to do the dirty deed!

1.

Is it up close and sharp, are you well-lit and professionally posed?

A Headshot is a close crop which captures the head or head and shoulders. A professionally taken image will stand out from the sea of cropped snapshots, the

out-of-focus selfies and blank profiles.

2.

Would you meet a potential client or walk into a networking event looking as you do in your current profile picture?

Imagine meeting a client to clinch that perfect gamechanging deal. Surely, you’re going to pull out all the stops to look professional and come across that you mean business?

3.

Questions 1&2

Are you connected with a warm welcome and engaging eye contact?

Questions 3&4

The subconscious seeks out these traits whether meeting someone face to face or through an image.

Eye contact is especially deeply rooted in our DNA as it is the most powerful way to feel relevant and validated by another human.

4.

Are you at eye level?

A person who is looking up or down at the camera can reflect being submissive or overbearing. It is considered polite etiquette to stand up when greeting someone and impolite to stand over someone when speaking with them.

Questions 5&6

to say to you: no dramatic lighting, fashion poses, facial filters, family, friends or adorable pets, wedding or party settings . . . (we could go on). Just fabulous you, professionally photographed, with your best foot forward.

6. Are you easily recognisable?

5.

Do you look professional?

Remember this is a picture for a business profile and not a dating or personal profile.

We feel really mean having

Are you the same age? Do you have the same hair colour, hairstyle, glasses etc. Imagine nurturing an on-line relationship only

for them not to recognise you in person. At best it is the opening conversation, at worst it questions trust. If your headshot is outdated and irrelevant, how does that reflect on your company?

All done! If you answered any questions with ‘No’ there is just one more question to ask: Is it time to consider a new headshot?

Lincoln & Perrin Roth Read Photography www.rothreadphotography.com

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" I am delighted to share this feature to all amazing Yorkshire Businesswomen..."

Women inspiring women

By Bernadette Gledhill - YBW Fashion Consultant

How does a new exclusive retreat to support women to visualise, create and realise their next chapter sound?

I am sure that many of you like me who work in events, travel or the hospitality sector feel more determined than ever to re-emerge post pandemic! However, on a positive note so many of us have learned so much and there are many things in my life now that I am delighted to have added.

Time for myself being the main factor. It has been refreshing over the past year to share stories with so many businesswomen as to how we slowly rebuild our lives in a positive way.

One of my very dear and close friends left a high-profile retail job five years ago to build a new life in Italy and Live the Dream in hospitality.

As a project during the past 18 months an exciting new idea and project has now become reality.

Let me introduce you to EVOLVERAY.

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The Evolveray experience has been carefully curated and created by Alana Mazza and Nina Airey.

Evolveray is an all-inclusive, transformational retreat to include beauty treatments, yoga, meditation and delicious healthy food.

Following a clear development programme, the “Route to Evolve” is to clarify life’s vision with practical, “deep dive” coaching to clear self-doubt, stay focused and explore your inner self.

You will have the luxury of being with like-minded women who Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s sWo m a n

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also want to realise their full potential and create a balanced life. You will be challenged and supported to visualise your new and improved life and begin the journey to make it happen.

This is a bespoke and exclusive retreat with just 10 guests Alana Mazza is the owner and managing director of Casale San Pietro.

A l a n a m o v e d to It a l y f ro m Huddersfield and has run the business with her husband Joe for the last five years. Previously her career was in corporate retailing at a senior level. It has been a successful happy transition and now she has the capacity

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to coach other women to realise their Dolce Vita.

Nina Airey is a senior yoga teacher, holistic life coach, and founder of Wellhouse Yoga. Previously a learning and development head who had worked through the ranks of retail management Nina successfully escaped the corporate race to run her own business, qualifying as a yoga teacher eight years ago. Nina also teaches the wonderful yoga retreats held at Casale San Pietro several times per year and I have been very lucky to experience her wonderful teaching on several occasions.

Evolveray is also to be a proud sponsor of an International Women for Women group supporting

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Stronger Women and a Stronger Nations Programme where women survivors of war learn the skills they need to rebuild their families and communities.

I am particularly excited to be included as a guest expert during the Evolveray retreat with a host of special names as part of this fabulous event. I am also thrilled to add that 3 on the list of guest experts have Yorkshire connections too.

I have now spent many years working in the Fashion and Beauty industry organising Fashion Events, working on our Style and Self Confidence Courses and more recently working as a Style Contributor and returning to

modelling as a Classic Model. I will be contributing on the following subjects.

Move with Confidence and Style This will include an insight into how to achieve a natural look, a confident walk and develop your individual style. I am extremely passionate about women inspiring wome n in all walks of life particularly on how to embrace confidence whatever your age.

Guest experts will also include: Klaus White Klaus is a teacher, writer, and founder of thewayofthetortoise. com.

His life changed in 2018 when he unexpectedly found himself a single parent to his beautiful four year old daughter. He created his first book A Journal to Happiness based on the structure he had used to get his life back on track. The Philosophy of The Way of the Tortoise revolves around the small steps approach.

So often in life we expect quick results, but in reality the natural way of things is that incremental moments compound over time create long lasting change. Klaus has so many practical tips to share about building positive habits so that every day can be happier.

Varsha Khatri Varsha brings forth the value of holistic health by combining the science of health and nutrition with Ayurveda. She is a qualified nutritionist, a senior yoga teacher, an Ayurvedic health specialist, and a health educator. Varsha is the author of Think Healthy Choose Healthy. She has spent over a decade helping others achieve their health goals through her holistic and empowering approach that is unique to her skill set.

Sarah Harvey-Franklin Sarah lives in London as a fashion designer and talented painter who creates bespoke commissions for private clients. In her spare time she practices yoga and has recently

qualified as a yoga teacher. Sarah grew up in Huddersfield and loves nothing more than to go back home to Holmfirth where she can head off for a hike on the moors or find new spots to paint.

Jeanette Carter Jeanette had a long career in the corporate world working for blue chip brands working as both a Retail and HR Director. Jeanette moved on to launch a successful Retail Consultancy specialising in operational support alongside coaching and development of teams and individuals to achieve their full potential. Jeanette has the rare quality of being one of the most commercial retailers around but also a wonderful mentor and developer of great people.

The Evolveray retreat is for 7 nights in the stunning Italian countryside just one hour south of Rome. Casale San Pietro is a small luxury hotel with stunning panoramic views of the olive groves and the mountains beyond.

This promises to be a full sensory experience to allow you to relax, sleep soundly, restore wellbeing and leave with wonderful memories.

All in all a transformational experience with the expertise and connections to help you flourish and live “YOUR BEST LIFE” Bernadette xx www.bernadettegledhill.com The first retreat launches on International Women’s Day March 8th 2022. For full details visit - www.evolveray. com Casale San Pietro - www. casalespietro.com

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We are

Silver & Sassy

By Rachel Peru

After two years in the planning the Silver and Sassy event finally arrived, and it was well worth the wait Annie Stirk and I really wanted to create the UK’S 1st silver, greyand white-haired fashion show to give women more confidence and inspiration as they embrace their new look. There’s still a stigma attached to women who decide to ditch the dye, as if they’ve somehow let themselves go compared to men who are seen as ‘silver foxes’.

Grey haired women are still stereo typically cast as ‘grandmas’ in advertising and that creates a sense of fear for women around the whole ageing subject. Our Silver & Sassy models definitely showed that we are not invisible and embracing your grey gair can be a real time of liberation.

done anything like this before and it was just so fabulous and uplifting to see their confidence grow with such warm support from our guests.

When they first agreed to join our model line-up I’m not sure they expected to be opening the show with a dance routine, but I loved how they all went for it and left their inhibitions at the door for a few hours! There’s something quite special about women supporting women and the fact that this event was also raising money for the York based women’s charity Kyra, only amplified this. The final amount raised will be announced shortly.

13 models joined Annie and I on the catwalk, women who have never

Another high fashion season of runway shows have just finished

Inspiration

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and once again the older model was very rarely seen so creating a fashion show where the

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women aged from their late 40’s to 77 felt like a real breath of fresh air. Women want to be

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able to relate to other women in marketing and advertising and it was great to see so many

Copper & White, Natalia Willmott jewellery, The Yorkshire Handbag company and Yorkshire Eyewear.

Mixed with popular high street names such as Fenwicks York, John Lewis in Leeds and Jigsaw, seeing all these brands in one show is how I think the fashion industry could really reconnect with the older female market.

women taking the opportunity to shop after the event after being inspired by the outfits they’d seen. There was something for everyone with brands catering for all price brackets, from local independents including My Vintage Beau, Cabi clothing,

All our models had their own story about their grey hair, all at diffe re nt stages and it’s such a personal decision but hopefully this event will have inspired someone to make their own decision after seeing our gorgeous diverse group of women.

We were delighted to have our guest speakers Jayne Mayled, founder of White Hot Hair brand and Tricia Cusden from Look Fabulous Forever make up to also offer their experience. Both these women started these brands later in life too so brilliant examples of older women showing us all it’s never too late. The show was in good hands with award winning television presenter and Yorkshire Businesswoman ambassador Christine Talbot at the helm and I know she thoroughly enjoyed being part of the day as much as we did having her.

Celebration As a midlife body confidence activist, the icing on the cake for me was seeing 8 of our models wearing Figleaves swimwear and owning their space on the catwalk. Some of the women don’t feel comfortable on the

beach in swimwear never mind in front of 100 people, so I’m so proud they stepped out of their comfort zones with a lot of encouragement and cheers from the audience. Their smiles say it all and the feedback from everyone involved has been amazing, leaving the day with a big spring in their step and a bag full of renewed confidence.

After the last 18 months it felt like everyone was ready for a celebration and it was just so lovely to see a room full of people catching up with each other, laughing, smiling and enjoying their delicious Royal Afternoon Tea. We definitely struck gold with Goldsborough Hall as our location, a bit of a hidden gem but now a firm favourite and well worth a visit.

Annie and I are already busy planning what’s next for Silver & Sassy as there’s definitely demand for it and we’re excited to see who and where our silver ladies will turn up at next! #Watchthisspace As with all things it takes a great team to put on any event so huge thanks to-

Olivia Brabbs Photography Sara Anson and Trudy Fielding Sonia Schofield and the make-up team.

Kindly sponsored by York Gin and Figleaves

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What is business wellbeing ?

And why do we need it?

By Ros Jones - Business Coach

Business wellbeing is a measure of how well our business is balanced.

The five Principles of Business Wellbeing are:

1. Build relationships

our personal, physical, mental, and emotional health. Otherwise, we burn out and cease to be able to function at optimum levels. We need to offer flexibility for our people to take responsibility for their personal health and wellbeing too.

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Strong relationships are critical in business.

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Business can be lonely. Strong relationships help to build a sense of belonging.

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Exercise daily.

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Eat well and drink more water.

They provide opportunities for collaboration and can lead to business referrals.

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Get creative.

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Be still.

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Strong relationships help us retain existing (and attract new) customers and suppliers.

3. Learn and grow •

2. Take responsibility for personal health and wellbeing Business health is not just determined by financial figures.

To be able to continue growing our business and delivering our product or service, we need to take care of ourselves too in respect of

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A business is like a tree, if it’s not growing, it’s dying. To grow our business, we need to grow first as individuals. The easiest way to grow is to learn new ways of thinking and doing – and to implement that.

– and implement what you learn.

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Plan the implementation of your growth.

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Celebrate and share your successes.

4. Abundance Give to others and be grateful for everything we receive. This improves our mental wellbeing and is sure to create a reciprocal effect.

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Be grateful and say thank you.

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Give generously.

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Know that there is more than enough for everyone.

5. Have fun every day We know that what’s fun gets done.

If you’re not enjoying it, move on.

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Smile more

Read/listen to more books that stretch your thinking.

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Be playful

Take part in learning events

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Love what you do

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First British BCorp funeral business A Yorkshire firm has become the first UK funeral business to become a Certified B Corp, gaining official recognition for its positive environmental and social impact.

Full Circle Funerals, which has four funeral homes across North and West Yorkshire, joins big businesses such as outdoor clothing companies Finisterre and Patagonia and food and beverage brands Bol and Dash Water.

of every bereaved individual, they also have a stated mission to support cohesion and partnership working in the communities in which they live and work. This includes providing education, volunteering at local community projects, being proactive Dementia Friends and funding environmental apprenticeships at the Yorkshire Dales Millenium Trust.

The B Corp movement aims to bring together like minded business of all sizes who also want to meet the highest possible Sarah Jones, founder and Yorkshire standards of social, community BusinessWoman member said: and e nvironme ntal impact. “Becoming a B Corp is a huge There are currently over 400 achievement for a business of B Corps in the UK and 4,000 our size and shows just how hard worldwide. Other Yorkshire B we are working to ensure we have Corps include Harrogate Spring a positive impact on the people Water, Darkwoods Coffee and we support, the community, our Equinox Kombucha. team and the world in which we live and work.

Although Full Circle has a clear purpose to support the wellbeing “We are particularly proud to be the

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It is exciting to see Full Circle Funerals join the growing B Corp movement... people we support...

first funeral business to become accredited and this has only been possible thanks to the enthusiasm and sheer inspiration of our lovely team.

“The accreditation process is rigorous and has seen us being assessed on how we create benefit for our employees, the communities where we work, the environment and the bereaved people we support.”

Fiona Ras-Jones from Leeds-based Make Impact provided Full Circle with insight into the certification process. Fiona said: “It is exciting to see Full Circle Funerals join the growing B Corp movement of

businesses in Yorkshire who are making real impact”.

C h r i s Tu r n e r, e x e c u t i v e director of B Lab UK, said: “We are delighted to welcome Full Circle Funerals to the B Corp community. This is a movement of companies who are committed to changing how business operates and believe business really can be a force for good. We know that Full Circle is going to be a fantastic addition to the community and will continue driving the conversation forward”.

B Corp certification comes just weeks after Full Circle Funerals

achieved another sustainability accolade, named Green Funeral Director of the Year in the national Good Funeral Awards.

Sarah said: “Becoming a Certified B Corp has been a fascinating and exciting journey which has taught us so much about ourselves, our impact on others and our potential to become a force for good. We are hugely committed to sharing what we have learnt with others who are on a similar journey and would welcome approaches from other businesses who are interested in talking to us about what we did and how we made it through the certification process.”

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New European office for Musiio in Tileyard North

Standing next to the Hepworth Gallery in Wakefield is a collection of derelict mill buildings that date back to 1872.

Derelict for years until Paul Kempe of City and Provincial Properties, one of Tileyard London’s founders saw and was intrigued by the building and was inspired to expand Europe’s largest creative community to the site. Welcome Tileyard North.

Work is now well underway on the flagship scheme which has been described by the leader o f Wa k e f i e l d C o u n c i l a s a ‘gamechanger’ for the city. There are exciting plans for workshops and music studios, bars, restaurants, cafes, conference spaces and even a new hotel.

Creatives will want to visit Tileyard North, work there and be part of this exciting project.

One of those creative businesses, one of the first to sign up with a proposed moving in date of Q1 2022, is Musiio an artificial intelligence company for the music industry. The founders I

I used to deliver the free Wednesday papers to about 400 houses in my hometown. It was back-breaking work...

used to deliver the free Wednesday papers to about 400 houses in my hometown. It was back-breaking work capabilities of companies to tag and search music catalogues at scale. They provide efficient ways to automate workflows, be it through an API or purposebuilt tools, ready to go, or fully customisable solutions. Whether you have one track or 100 million, Musiio solutions are affordable and scale for every need.

Editor Gill Laidler caught up with one of the Founders CEO Hazel Savage who told us a bit about her career. With 15 years’ expe ri e n ce i n t he i n dust ry, Hazel is a music-tech lifer and guitarist. She began her musictech journey as an early employee at Shazam and spent time understanding the pain points of the industry at Pandora, Universal and HMV before launching Musiio in 2018.

Hazel travels the world speaking at conferences and educating catalogue owners about the value of artificial intelligence integration and digital transformation in the music industry. As a female CEO in the heavily male dominated industries of music and tech, Hazel offers a breath of fresh air and insight.

Growing up, Hazel wanted to be a rock star! “I always wanted to be a famous musician/guitarist/ singer,” she said. “Of course, I played in bands for years and still do. I think I was average at best and luckily found the business side of the music industry for Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s sWo m a n

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where I seem to have more talent!”

Hazel’s first job was a paper round. “I used to deliver the free Wednesday papers to about 400 houses in my hometown. It was back-breaking work for only £4 if there were no advertising inserts, but up to £9 if there was,” she said. “Luckily my sister used to help me, mainly for the company.

The paper round is somewhat a brutal right of passage,” she laughed.

After leaving school, and that paper round, Hazel attended Newcastle University to study politics and English literature. “I didn’t particularly like university, I actually preferred my weekend job,” she explained, “I met more like-minded people at work and I’ve always preferred the practical to the academic.

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With experience under her belt, Hazel co-founded Musiio three and a half years ago. “From day one I was CEO, although I always found that funny when there were only two of us!” she laughed. “I love being the founder of a company whose goal is to add a net-positive effect to the music industry and create more opportunities for artists. The industry has given me my whole career and I just love being a part of it. Not everything is wonderful though,” she continued. “It’s horrible when you have to fire someone for example, even if it’s the right thing to do for the team and the company. Of course, there is a right and wrong way to let people go and I always try and be on the right side, but it still doesn’t make it any easier.”

Is the music industry difficult for a woman to succeed in we

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asked? “Yes and no. Both music and tech have been industries dominated by men in the past,” Hazel continued, “and often are

with fear and misogyny for years. I am delighted to see people like that taken down by the me-too movement.

Long may that continue!”

less frequently chosen by women as a career. However, if you want to work in these industries and set your mind on it, you can make it

happen, there are great champions of women. I think the biggest issue has been people like Denis Handlin (Sony Australia), men who ruled

So, what is a typical day like for Hazel?

“I’m currently working from the UK, but we have both UK and Singapore offices, so usually the mornings are taken up by speaking to the team in Singapore, since it’s the best time of day for cross over, then afternoons are always a ton of emails with existing clients, or calls with new ones. We always put the customer first. We are excited to be expanding our UK office into the new Tileyard North renovated Mill complex, this is the perfect place for us to build our European office. I’m delighted with how things are going for us, looking back, I don’t think I would change anything, except maybe I should have looked at taking a different course at University and maybe buy Bitcoin in 2010,” she laughed.

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Which operating system is best for my business?

B y : T i m G u e s t - m a n a g i n g d i re c t o r C o n t e d i a - w w w. c o n t e d i a . c o m

In our last issue I wrote about the value of IT equipment, and how businesses often begrudge investing in quality PCs despite their pivotal role. But, what choices do businesses have in the modern workplace, it is still Windows for business or are there viable alternatives?

We’re at a bit of a turning point regarding this topic, not least because of the pandemic and the resulting shift in how and where we’ve had to make our workplace.

For years we’ve had multiple options open to us in respect of whether we used a Windows PC or an Apple Macintosh (‘Mac’), but perhaps the stereotype of Macs being more suited to either creative professionals or home use – based largely on their cub appeal – was somewhat warranted to begin with.

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You see, technically, a Mac has always been able to do very much the same as a Windows PC, though we’ll leave arguments as to which is best to the fangirls of either side. But in practical terms, what gave rise to the stereotype was the original alignment of the IBM-compatible PC with general business use through its open hardware and operating architecture. This made it possible for many vendors to produce PCclones, which brought the price way down and computerisation of businesses affordable.

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On the back of the PC’s early popularity, it was the relative easeof-use Microsoft’s original Windows operating system and its Word and Excel applications that gave users the interactive efficiency needed in competitive business environments.

Without question, however, Apple were producing all the same types of features - and with a little more finesse in many cases. But, that initial adoption of the PC into the world of business gave Microsoft Windows the majority audience and momentum.

With market share also dictating the preferred operating system for software development companies for several decades to come, the number of enterprise-class Windows

applications grew at an exponential rate, whilst the Mac became a niche choice for businesses and had limited support for mainstream applications.

So, what of the Mac? Apple’s renaissance came some twenty years ago has been followed by a phenomenon in product design and consumer desirability.

The iPhone brought us the first, worthwhile smartphone – I can offer that opinion as an early adopter of Palm and Psion PDAs followed by Windows Mobile PDA phones, like the O2 XDA. Step forward a couple more years and the Apple iPad changed computing again, defining a whole new class of mobile computer which was rapidly adopted into our businesses as well as our homes.

Apple’s Mac, however, never caught up the Windows PC in terms of raw business alignment. Mac sales grow as its appeal continues to touch the hearts of users, rather than just the minds. But, since smartphones and tablets make it possible to choose something other than a traditional format of desktop or notebook PC or Mac, it’s likely neither will see its market share continue to grow significantly going forwards.

Is it still a two-horse race…and does it really need to be?

So then, is it, and does it need to still be, a choice between a Windows PC or Mac only for mainstream business use?

Absolutely not. I’ve already suggested you may have some colleagues whose roles within the business

dictate that whilst they need a computer, they might be able to work most efficiently on a tablet based on their activities or environment.

Granted, a tablet is certainly not a viable option for most office-based staff, so suitability in your business will be fairly obvious.

…the ‘flavour’ of an operating system is rapidly becoming less of a dictating factor.

However, here’s the thing; so much of the enterprise and business software we once knew only as installable Windows PC applications have migrated, becoming cloud-based subscription services, or serverside applications that run in a web browser for the user. Moreover, new software is almost entirely developed to run on-demand over the Internet, so, with this in mind, the ‘flavour’ of operating system is rapidly becoming less of a dictating factor.

We find ourselves at a point in time where most businesses could actually choose between using a mixture of machines running Microsoft Windows, Apple’s Mac OS or even Google’s Chrome OS – a modern, lightweight operating system sharing many things in common with the Android smartphone and tablet operating system.

on desktop and notebook PCs, the specific availability of apps on mobile device types, running either Apple’s iOS (and iPadOS) or Google’s Android, might have become the format of machine for which their suitability now demands our consideration most.

We seem to be on the verge of something that’s been spoken of for several years…both for its advantages and disadvantages. With software, and even whole PC experiences, now able to be delivered through a web browser, the concept of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) finally seems more plausible - especially with the increased flexibility in working locations being retained.

BYOD is the principle where not only will it matter far less what operating system the machines in our businesses run, but also whether the business even owns the machine, versus the employee being able to use their own.

Ultimately, though, the choices we now have in how we structure the IT in our business have changed significantly, but what hasn’t changed is the importance of us choosing well and in its continued fitness for purpose in making us as efficient as possible.

Send your questions or suggestions to editor@topicuk. co.uk

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Christmas is back, bigger and better at The Piece Hall

The Piece Hall is bringing the festive cheer back to Halifax this winter with an exciting programme of events to make sure there is something for everyone this Christmas.

During November and December, more than 40 events will take place at the Grade I-listed cultural venue including star-studded music performances; a winter makers market; a special Father Christmas experience; and cinema sessions featuring Christmas favourites and sing-along classics.

Setting the scene for a magical season, the venue’s 66,000 sq ft courtyard will be transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with a spectacular 30 ft Christmas tree and traditional carousel.

A host of big-name performances are scheduled for the giant circusstyle ‘Spiegeltent’ which is returning to the courtyard. These include Ibiza legend Ellie Sax who is back at The Piece Hall after two sell-out summer shows. Also, following New Order’s highly-acclaimed live gig this September, legendary drummer Stephen Morris and DJ Dave Haslam will be talking life, music, inspiration and best-selling books, before playing some of their favourite tunes.

Meanwhile, the Winter Makers

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Markets will capture the essence of The Piece Hall’s independent trading heritage, bringing in some of the region’s favourite independent craft stalls, artisan makers and pop-up food and drink stalls for two weekends of traditional winter fun.

Children can also enjoy a magical journe y of storytelling and imagination in a specially-created Christmas experience which leads them through an enchanting interactive tour of The Piece Hall, culminating with an opportunity to meet Father Christmas himself.

The Piece Hall – 4; 5; 11; 12; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24 December

Taking place from 19 November 2021 to 31 December 2021, some of the key dates in the festive diary include: •

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L e g e n d a r y Ne w O r d e r drummer Stephen Morris in conversation with DJ and author Dave Haslam - 9 December Ibiza legend, Ellie Sax - 30 December Father Christmas comes to

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Winte r M ake rs’ M arket – 19-21 November; 26-28 November

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Award-winning Abba tribute band, Abba Revival – 29 December

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International jive and swing band, King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys – 12 December

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Sheffield ukulele parody band, Everly Pregnant Brothers – 15 December

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1940’s and 1950’s dance music artists, Jump, Jive and Wail – 11 December

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Premier Yorkshire brass band, Elland Silver Band – 19 December

Watch out for the announcement of more shows and big-name artists in the coming weeks.

Nicky Chance-Thompson DL, “We’ve got a wonderful programme Chief Executive at The Piece Hall lined-up for a magical Christmas Trust, said: “Christmas is back including the Winter Makers at The Piece Hall and we can’t Market, the Father Christmas wait. It’s such a special time and storytelling experience, wreath more so than ever this year. It’s making and kids craft workshops. a time to share with family and And in the fantastic circus-style friends and remember those who Spiegeltent there are shows are no longer with us. We want from Ibiza legend Ellie Sax and to get back to the true spirit of a Q and A with New Order’s Christmas, so we’re celebrating Stephen Morris with more bigkindness, caring, generosity and name announcements coming gratitude but we’ll also be in the soon. We want to make sure this party mood and up for some good festive season is really special for everyone.” old fashioned fun.

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Photo by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

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Advice from our regular health and wellbeing coach Adam Batchelor

Why EVERY Woman should be weight training I started in the Fitness Industry in 2000. The science backed benefits of strength training had been around years before that, yet I remember seeing so few women training with some form of resistance.

Fast forward 20 years and I now see far more women using barbells, dumbbells, and cable machines, fixed resistance machines or resistance bands. Yet there is still some stigma surrounding women and weight training.

Cardio is vital no doubt. Not only does it burn plenty of calories, but it’s the best way to improve lung function for fitness and impro ve insulin sensitivity to help you better digest and utilise calories more efficiently and help prevent diabetes.

Prioritising cardio is never going to leave you feeling toned and has a far more marginal effect on your basal metabolic rate when compared to strength training.

Endless hours pounding a treadmill, cross trainer, stair master or bike is not using your precious time effectively and if you’re not careful you’ll end up doing more harm than good, potentially causing burn out and

negatively affecting your central nervous system.

But there is a better way. Strength training combined with cardio can achieve all the aforementioned benefits and so much more.

W h a t i f I to l d y o u t h a t r e g u l a r weight training actually boosts your metabolism making your body more efficient at burning fat – even when you’re not exercising! This is achieved through a process called Mitochondrial Biogenisis – increasing the number of Mitochondria in the cells which act as ‘cooking pots’ helping you to burn more calories on a daily basis.

On the flip side of this – studies have shown that too much cardio can have the opposite effect and actually decrease the number of Mitochondria thus stifling your metabolic rate.

I want to dispel all the myths and share with you the facts. Read on!

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My love/hate relationship with “Mother Nature”

By Mandy Taylor YBW Executive - Images: RothRead Photography

Until my early 40’s Mother Nature and I were “besties” I enjoyed really good health, starting out as a fit and sporty teenager, body building in the gym in my late 20’s/early 30’s, enjoying power walks with my best friend and on reflection I took my healthy lifestyle for granted.

Then sadly Mother Nature stopped me in my tracks at the age of 43 and decided to add me to the startling statistic that over 30,000 people in Yorkshire alone are diagnosed with cancer and she assigned me the challenge of beating a sizeable malignant tumour in my breast. On reflection I was totally in denial and dealt with the news in a very “business like”, formal, matter of fact way. The week after returning home from a two week stay in hospital for a mastectomy followed by an immediate and quite radical reconstruction (health complications lengthened the stay) I was at a charity fundraising dinner for Kirkwood Hospice (particularly pertinent

today as they are now my “go to hospice”) and goodness knows how, but I committed to cycle 280 miles on a charity ride, seven months later benefitting the YAA and organised

by Huddersfield Town football club.

May I add at this point I was still wearing drainage tubes in my breast and back and hadn’t ridden a bike since I was 9 years of age!

From that moment on, I embraced every challenge possible, formed an organisation called “Charity Angels” (curating relationships between people and businesses who are willing to give skill and goodwill to needy causes), organised events, ran The Town Foundation charity at Huddersfield Town football club, I could go on, but don’t want to bore you!

Just when I thought I was back to my physical peak, Mother Nature decided I was having far too much fun and in 2017, my cancer returned, in the reconstructed breast (a chance in a million).

Objective Cancer Research UK quotes that “1 in 7 UK females will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime” - a startling fact, and to make the news less upsetting, I viewed it from the position that hopefully the more I raised awareness about the need to be vigilant, potentially the more lives I could touch, and hopefully one day the statistics would change for the better.

To fulfil this objective (and to be honest, distract me from the gruelling daily journeys from Huddersfield to Leeds for daily radiotherapy sessions “Mandy’s Radiotherapy Road Trip” was born and boy, what a reaction I had from all across the country!

Despite objections from my care team (and a bewildered look from A simple request on social media my partner, now husband) I began “looking for people to drive me training with a fantastic friend Helen to hospital, ideally in a different at the turn of the year and in the May, vehicle every day ranging from completed the ride without once a fire engine to a pink Cadillac, getting off and pushing my bike! recreating the James Corden Carpool Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s sWo m a n

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Karaoke whereby you choose the playlist and we will sing all the way there and then you can ask me any questions on the way back” was all it took and I was inundated with offers of help, including our Yorkshire Businesswoman Ambassador Gaynor Faye and West Yorkshire Police.

Not long after this, for the sake of safety I then had a hysterectomy and ovaries removed, just before the Christmas and to keep me out of mischief in hospital I encouraged people to “Jingle in their jumpers”, share their moments with me on social media , and ideally gift to charity.

Clearly cancer affects me differently to most, it appears to bring out the slightly bonkers side of me and has truly given me some amazing opportunities, brought experiences and people into my life, and made me even more determined to do what I love - make a difference to charities and bring joy to peoples lives through random acts of kindness.

In the years leading up to today I’ve raised (directly and indirectly) well over £2m since I started fundraising for Forget Me Not Hospice in 2004.

I have hosted charity music festivals, volunteered for the NHS vaccine rollout, fed the homeless, delivered food parcels during lockdown, fundraised for the Jo Cox Foundation, run, walked, rolled in mud, skydived, the list is endless!

Another “C word” entered my life late in 2020, the “COVID-19” one and since that day, I have not enjoyed good health, with my doctor initially suggesting that I had “Long COVID”.

On reflection, this was not the case for

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in April this year and at the ripe old age of 52 I was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive, 6,5cm stage 4 tumour, called a Sinonasal Undifferentiated Carcinoma.

I have had gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy to the head and neck and despite the incredible care of the NHS, I have learnt that I am incurable

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and classed as “terminal” (my view is though that we are all born terminal) and have been introduced to the palliative care team at The Kirkwood, in Huddersfield.

I am being pragmatic, writing a bucket list and sorting out my plans for my funeral (which will include Ostrich Feathers, a voice recording

and my ashes in a firework display!)

I am keen to encourage people to “be more me” - to stop saying “I will get round to it” and actually “just do it”, to face their fears as I Rather than curl up and cry, I have reminded myself that although I did many times and sign up to a cannot add days to my life, I can charity challenge, to share their add life to my days plus I keep skill with a good cause, spread reminding myself that I could some joy, carry out random outlive many people as Mother acts of kindness and additionally Nature might decide that “enough and if appropriate, help take is enough” and actually give me away the fear of cancer and encourage open and honest a break. conversations.

I am however determined to live my best life and create a I would love to see videos on legacy that my family will be social media of people saying #bemoremandy and pledging to do proud of… something, then nominating others to Hence my idea for a campaign do the same - I have already received my slogan t-shirt and a friend and titled:#bemoremandy

her family have ordered some too, you never know - it might catch on!

I guess the opportunities are endless and I welcome any support that is on offer as I need to be mindful of my health and energy levels.

For those wishing to follow my personal social media accounts: Twitter: @Charity_Angels Insta: @charitymrst To conclude, I don’t want my cancer to define me and it’s going to be “business as usual” and I look forward to meeting up with friends and making new acquaintances across the Yorkshire region over the coming months.

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How to raise finance for your business By: Ian Parsons - Managing director Parsons Accountants

If you’re interested in raising finance for your business, there are some key points it’s vital to consider first. Whether it ’s deciding which option you choose, or what steps to take first, here’s what you need to know.

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All finance starts with a business plan

Raising finance through equity investment

Creating a solid business plan is the best way to work out exactly how much finance you need to raise in the first place. You’ll need a series of scenarios to work through – some optimistic, some less so – in order to understand the scale of what you might need to borrow.

A popular option for raising finance for business, equity investment is the type featured on BBC One’s popular show, “Dragon’s Den” in which entrepreneurs pitch their business ideas to a panel of venture capitalists in the hope of securing investment. If the idea is considered worthy, the investment is granted

Working with an accountant is the smart way to get an external view of your business plan. Choosing an accountant with a breadth of experience and expertise in advising a range of businesses means you’ll be able to develop a robust and reasonable business plan, giving you the best foundation for making informed choices about how to raise the finance you need.

If your business needs expensive equipment to grow, asset finance enables you to spread the cost over time...

schemes such as the Enterprise Investment Scheme or Seedcorn Enterprise Investment Scheme for new businesses, that can make the investment seem much more attractive.

Asset finance If you’ve ever leased or taken out a Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) contract on a car, you’ll understand the fundamentals of asset finance.

If your business needs expensive equipment to grow, asset finance enables you to spread the cost over time. This makes it a useful way to fund a wide variety of business essentials, such as vehicles, plant, machinery and IT equipment.

Invoice finance

in exchange for shares in the entrepreneur’s company. You don’t need to appear on a TV programme to secure this kind of investment, though - you could start nearer to home with family and friends.

Or you may be able to attract interest from so-called angel investors willing to invest in exchange for ownership equity.

There are tax advantage

A way of borrowing money against the value of unpaid invoices, invoice finance can be a lifeline for companies struggling with cashflow.

You effectively sell your invoices to a third party for a percentage of their value. It comes at a cost, but it is a particularly useful strategy if your invoices tend to take a long time to be paid.

Crowd-funding and peer-to-peer lending Made popular by platforms such as Kickstarter and GoFundMe, crowdfunding is a way of generating smaller investments for your business from the general public.

Peer-to-peer investing entails cutting out the banking middlemen.

Sometimes you give away equity in return for pledges, or alternatively people will invest in exchange for future products.

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BOOK AN APPOINTMENT

It’s only au revoir not goodbye It’s two years since our sister publication TopicUK was asked to support Wakefield Hospice as they celebrated their 30th Birthday year.

We were delighted to be involved, helping to promote them where we could, offering free space w i t h i n To p i c U K . T h e n t h e Pandemic struck, and all events and fundraising were put on hold.

So, at the beginning of 2021 we offered to support the Hospice for a second year.

Our official partnership is now ending at the end of this year, but of course we will always continue to help and support them where we can, they are an important part of our community. I sincerely hope that local businesses will continue to support, without help from the community

their vital work would be in jeopardy.

In 2022 TopicUK will be supporting The Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice with free space and keeping readers up to date with their news and fundraising efforts. I do hope that our readers will get behind us.

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World class pilates opens in Ilkley Kirstin Ferrie, 41, a Pilates instructor who throughout lockdown battled her own professional and personal challenges to be a grounding force for her local community, has set about planning the expansion of her studio now that lockdown has lifted.

Having lost thousands in revenue, the financial pressure was on, yet Kirstin invested everything she had built up over the years in her business to create a new, expanded, even more welcoming space for the local community. As she took stock of life in lockdown and had the luxury of time to think, she gained clarity and realised she wanted to walk the walk of what she teaches her two children - dream big and make a difference in life!

After 11 and a half years serving the local community she has expanded into a new two floor Pilates studio, complete with world class equipment, and a new retail outlet on the ground floor.

Seeing first hand that her clients are really appreciating being back in physical premises, and tapping into the emotional as well as physical support, Kirstin knows she made the right move investing in this space, as she focuses on the power of person to person connection and on continuing to spread kindness, creating space and the right energy for people, as part of

her in-studio experience, something she believes is not replaceable by online services.

Light, airy and beautifully designed, Kirstin was passionate about creating a welcoming space, and with the addition of a retail space she now also stocks the luxury activewear brand lululemon, a real coup, as this Canadian independent booming brand is not accessible in our region anywhere else.

She said: “It’s really important to me that I open up the opportunity for wellness to more people and I hope that in having the retail side this will encourage more people to pop in and then they can view the studio at the same time.”

She added:” The studio houses world class original Pilates equipment, I want people to come in and have a look at this relaxed, calming environment. We have world class equipment and use world leading techniques, created by the founder or Pilates himself, Joseph Pilates, which helps realign postures, Yo r k s h i r e B u s i n e s sWo m a n

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and support strengthening of our bodies”.

purest Pilates methods. She said: “There are very few Romanas Pilates instructors in the UK, the majority With over 20 years’ experience, of whom are London-based, but I teaching Pilates around the world, believe we have some real talent to a long list of impressive clients and dedication in the North. I’m including well-known names from the worlds of sports and dance, celebrities and royalty; Kirstin is now passionate about bringing the world class Romanas Pilates If your business needs teachings North, so more local expensive equipment talent has an opportunity to train to grow, asset finance with them, without having to travel enables you to spread to London to do so.

the cost over time...

Kirstin plans on becoming a Centre of Teaching Excellence in the North - where she can mentor and instruct other teachers in the

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determined to build a collective of people who are masterful in their teaching methods but also compassionate in their approach. If we can do that, we can be so much more effective for our communities and provide some outstanding ways to live longer, stronger, more satisfying lives.”

Kirstin is starting with her apprentice Antoinette Brooks-Daw, Principal Ballerina at Northern Ballet, who she is mentoring through the Romanas Pilates training programme - and the hardest programme to complete in the world due to the physical endurance required. She is excited to provide such an opportunity

for Northern talent, whom she doesn’t believe is fully supported in the industry.

on to teach all around the world, working in Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos and the USA.

Kirstin has her own connections with dance, at the age of 17 she pursued her love of dancing with the Northern School of Contemporary Dance before moving to London, but she was prevented from graduating due to suffering repeated injury and at the age of 20, closed the lid on her dance dreams. Refusing to give up on the love of movement she had been born with, Kirstin enrolled on an apprenticeship with Pilates International, working around London at various studios, before studying and specialising in Romanas Pilates which she has gone

Romanas Pilates is a classical method of Pilates that has been developed and practiced for over 90 years based around reshaping and strengthening the body, strengthening the core, realigning the body and posture and improving flexibility, without stressing the joints. Stretching and strengthening exercises are done with tailor made Pilates apparatus and exercises are also taught that can be done just with a floor mat, so clients can also experience the benefits at home and the equipment in the studio has been designed to the

exact spec used by Joseph. Pure Pilates Studio is the only studio to offer this classic technique in the North of England.

Kirstin recently worked with Professional Goalkeeper, Simon Moore who played for Sheffield United and currently plays for Championship club, Coventry City, he said; “Kirstin’s passion for her work and her attention to detail in each of our sessions is second to none. The sessions are challenging yet enjoyable and her enthusiasm only encourages you to be the best you can possibly be.”

You will find Pure Pilates in Crescent Court in Ilkley.

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From long-time nurse to providing gifts with meaning By:Lou Hudson Harkness

As a child, when people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I never said, ‘a Nurse’. To be fair, I'm not sure I ever had a clue how to respond to that question, something of a rebel through school who preferred the lark about over learning and keen to finish as quickly as possible to explore the social side of life! When an opportunity for nursing appeared, knowing I had to earn my keep, I said ‘Oh, go on, then. It'll pay for my weekend activities if nothing else!’

I began my training in 1997 (later, graduating as a nurse in 2000), I had no idea I'd be working in and around hospitals for the next twenty-odd years. Not that I'm complaining, with my time spent working on the wards an absolute joy. I met my husband there, and my best friend, too – in fact, most of my friends are nurses – and my brother still works for the NHS. Safe to say, the organisation has been integral in my life, and I wouldn't trade my time there for anything.

Twenty years after I entered the NHS - and fast approaching the big 50 – I began to feel the need for something a little different. A career change was calling, and yet I had no clue whatsoever to do with myself!

Nursing had been a huge part of my life for so long that despite knowing I had grown as a person over the years and developed multiple skills, where could I possibly go from there?

I had been giving retail some thought, having enjoyed helping on my Mum's

When Covid-19 forced the shop doors to close, I had to think differently and fast...

market stall as a young girl, but what would I sell? Then, as if by magic, my inspiration finally showed itself – in the shape of a Sid Dickens Memory block.

It was a gift from my sister-inlaw, named the Aviator. If you're not familiar with Sid's work, he's a Canadian artist who creates collectable ceramic memory blocks to display on walls or sideboards.

Each one is unique, with a beautiful drawing on the front and an

inscription on the reverse including a few meaningful words of wisdom.

I had been collecting Sid's blocks for many years, with many aligning a wall in my home.

It was at this point that the idea for creating a retail space to provide gifts with love and meaning was borne.

While I had no experience setting up a business, those life skills gained through my time in nursing stepped in to support my journey and, before I knew it, the vision quickly became a reality. I rented a retail space in The Piece Hall in Halifax and created a brand for my business venture. In just a few weeks, Hudson Belle was born.

The shop includes a broad range of gifts, with many specialist items and something for everyone from beautiful wool blankets, candles and home fragrances to books and poetry. Not forgetting, of course, the Sid Dickens memory blocks, which I registered to sell almost the minute I conjured the idea to sell gifts.

I was still working in the NHS, so I opted to work in the gift shop parttime initially – with my Mum and Mum in Law on hand for all other days we were open - allowing me to continue as a lead nurse and test the water with the shop. I

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needn't have been so cautious, with Hudson Belle's inaugural year going tremendously well. Many customers visiting The Piece Hall would pop in – many becoming regulars – and I quickly built a reputation in the community to provide beautiful and unique gifts for all ages. The Sid Dickens blocks were an immediate hit, affirming my suspicions as to how good they could make others around me feel – just as they leave me feeling each time, I receive one. Many customers have since become collectors, purchasing blocks regularly to complement their initial one in a style to reflect their personality and works in their home interior.

Promoting the business on Instagram and Facebook also helped to increase awareness of the shop, and in that first twelve months, I was

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hold, I knew my responsibility at the Trust would increase but a handful of days before my first shift as a Covid nurse began, I was informed I could not support my colleagues on the front line due to underlying health condition.

So, I made a huge decision. I decided to take a career break for a year to concentrate solely on the business.

Sad, absolutely, but also hugely excited for what the future held for me with Hudson Belle.

thrilled to receive a nomination for a Yorkshire Choice business award.

Then, in March 2020, all the success of year one came to an immediate halt.

When Covid-19 forced the shop doors to close, I had to think differently and fast. There was no time to wonder what might happen in reopening and when, altering the business dramatically overnight. If I wanted to stay afloat, there was only one thing for it – I had to go digital! With limited knowledge of e-commerce, I enlisted the support of a web developer to create a Hudson Belle online store where I could continue to sell my gifts with love and meaning. My regulars were all notified, and I used my social media channels to spread the word.

At that time, the shop was open to customers again, although my online sales continued along extremely well.

Not surprisingly, my gift hampers – which had been booming since their launch at the beginning of lockdown one – were still a favourite as customers looked for ways to surprise their family members with a box of treats offering something a little different.

In February of this year, I was fortunate to have ITV feature my story on the Lorraine Show, with Katie Piper telling my lockdown tale on national television. Not only was

it a treat to meet with Katie – she’s such an inspirational woman – but to see my shop in all its glory, on TV, felt completely incredible. What an achievement in such a short space of time, and during a period of rapid change, too. It certainly gave me a boost in knowing what I'm capable of when I put my mind to something.

Fast-forward to now, over a year from when the pandemic first began and we've only recently opened the doors again from our latest lockdown, yet Hudson Belle is thriving thanks to our online store. I have extended the range of gifts to include more from around the local area, which helps other businesses to survive the storm brought by the pandemic. And the Sid Dickens blocks are more popular than ever as more people hear about the UK north's only stockiest – an award-winning one at that!

I’m thrilled the Piece Hall has reopened and the doors are wide open once more and as we have now outgrown our little boutique, we have expanded into a bigger unit within The Piece Hall. I’m so excited now to begin this new chapter.

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Flower Power digging deep to launch eco-friendly floristry business A Rotherham-based entrepreneur is hoping to bring a new meaning to the phrase “say it with flowers” after sowing the seeds of a new eco-friendly floristry business.

Hannah Jackson launched her fledgling business The Garden of Evie earlier this year. Unlike many florists, which typically rely upon importing flowers from overseas, all of Hannah’s displays are created using locally sourced flowers, some of which she grows herself.

The launch of Hannah’s business is the culmination of three years of hard work after deciding to leave her former role as a NHS administrator in 2017. Drawing upon her lifelong love of flower arranging and gardening for inspiration, Hannah embarked upon a floristry course, balancing her studies with a part-time job before successfully securing a role working as a professional florist.

Despite enjoying the creative challenges of her new role, Hannah became increasingly concerned about the environmental effect of her work. Worried about the impact of the thousands of miles flowers travelled on a daily basis,

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as well as the high volumes of plastics, toxic chemicals and non-recyclable materials commonly used in the industry, Hannah began exploring more sustainable ways of working.

Keen to embed sustainability into her business, Hannah began developing her own cutting patch, she began delivering bouquets to friends and family to brighten up their homes during the Covid-19 pandemic and after successfully securing her first orders earlier this year Hannah turned to the Sheffield City Region Launchpad programme for help.

Working with business adviser Julia Millea, Hannah began developing her future business plans, as well as taking part in a range of business courses helping her to develop the skills she needed to grow her sustainable floristry business, drawing upon the symbolism and meanings behind different flower varieties, to create stunning floral displays.

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Since launching, Hannah has developed a particular interest in farewell flowers, replacing traditional coffin sprays with living displays using a range of plants, bulbs and personal possessions, as well as advising and guiding the families of the bereaved with her knowledge of seasonal flowers and foliage, resulting in a highly personalised tribute giving those left behind a lasting memory of their loved one, helping them cope with the grieving process.

Despite being no stranger to e ntre pre ne urship, Hannah previously balanced her NHS career alongside running an award-winning home interior business, she believes the support she has received from Launchpad has helped her business ideas to take root, enabling her to not only pursue a career in an industry which she loves, but also helping to play her part in protecting the environment.

As part of her commitment to working more sustainably, Hannah also donates some of her profits to support the Tree Sisters charity, which helps contribute

to reforestation efforts in Africa, South America and Asia. To date Hannah’s contributions to the charity have enabled over 600 trees to be replanted.

concerned that trying to earn a living from a hobby I’ve enjoyed for much of my life may not be practical, and so I turned to Launchpad for advice.

Hannah said: “I have always “I know from past experience wanted to run a sustainable that being self-employed is business that provided an outlet something which required an for my creative skills. Throughout enormous amount of drive and much of my adult life I’ve enjoyed dedication and I wasn’t sure if I flower arranging and gardening. had what it took to succeed. Julia When I changed careers to train and the Launchpad team gave as a florist it felt like a dream me the confidence to believe in come true. However, the dream myself and find my own voice. quickly turned into a nightmare For example, I was really nervous when I discovered the enormous about using social media in my environmental impact of the business but after putting the industry. I turned to nature training into practice and creating for inspiration, however, I was a few posts about my work on

social media, I was amazed by the positive reactions I received. But perhaps the best part of working with Launchpad has been the ongoing support and knowing that whatever challenges I’m facing, help is just a phone call away.

Julia added: “Hannah was keen to build a business that helped her to embrace creativity, whilst also making a positive contribution to the environment. However, she also knew that success wouldn’t happen overnight, and as she began planting the seeds for her garden, she carefully began laying the foundations for her business and reached

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even more important for brands who had to discover their online voice and cultivate it to survive.”

Laura Robinson PR celebrate anniversary

By February, the demand was so high that she knew she needed some support and launched a search for an intern which saw Holly Harper join the agency.

It is just one year since PR and social media expert and Yorkshire Businesswoman member Laura Robinson, took a leap of faith in herself and launched her own agency, Laura Robinson PR.

Holly said, “This industry is extremely competitive and people like myself, who are just finding their feet, often end up taking on a lot of unpaid work to gain experience. That experience is great, but it doesn’t pay the bills.

Which is why, when I saw on social media the opportunity to join Laura Robinson PR’s paid internship scheme, I jumped at the chance.”

Since then, the demand for work has soared so high that last week Holly was able to join the agency as a fulltime, press and social media executive.

Laura, who has over a decade of experience in PR, events, and content decided to go solo after taking maternity leave back in 2019 following the arrival of her second child.

Facing her return to this role she found that, due to the pandemic, the working landscape had dramatically changed and the position that she had previously held was now in a fragile state. For career minded Laura, she knew that she didn’t want the pandemic to stop her from returning to work.

She had always wanted to set an example for her children as a strong woman who can juggle both being a mother and having a successful career and she knew that this time presented her with the best opportunity to launch her own agency with a goal to secure just one client by Christmas.

When the time came, she had secured three.

Laura said, “When the pandemic hit, lots of businesses looked for extra support. The whole world went online and that’s when successful digital PR and social media became

Since launching the pair have secured countless headlines, national TV appearances, celebrity and influencer campaigns, and events. Their most recent event for Leeds based restaurant, SAKKU, garnered a social reach of over 1 million Instagram users.

Laura’s love of the north, in particular her beloved Yorkshire, has certainly translated into the agency's work as they were recently awarded Yorkshire Prestige’s ‘PR Consultant Of The Year’.

In their next year of business, Laura Robinson PR, hopes to build on this accolade to expand their team, deliver more national and international campaigns for clients and open their own creative studio space.

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Getting active in

Fiji After leaving college at 18 I was accepted to the Northern School of Contemporary Dance to study professional dance for a year. Dance and sport had always been my passion from the age of 4 when I began ballroom and latin dancing and competed on a national level.

At 19 during an audition in London I injured my ankle which meant no more auditions and no more dancing for a few months. This rest period meant I was to miss out on the next

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From a young age I have always been keen to work. At 13 I worked at my local golf club as a waitress and at my local Londis stacking shelves and I did this until I was 18 years old. My entire childhood was hectic; if I wasn’t at a dance class, it was football training, swimming or rehearing for the local drama society. Watching TV in the evening wasn’t an option and my parents had my sister and I as active as possible from a very young age.

LAUREN JAGGER - BULALICIOUS ACTIVEWEAR

intake of dancers for any dance and stage schools. At that moment in time it felt like my entire world had come crashing down, everything I had worked towards was over. I took a job for the Christmas period and there’s nothing like the busy life of a Christmas temp to make you re-evaluate your life. I had already deferred my place at the University of Chester a year to study dance professionally so I decided to defer another year. Something in my gut was

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telling me it wasn’t the time. January 20219 came about and I decided to launch my own dance classes, LJ Dance Fusion. I started classes at the John Charles Centre in Leeds as well as securing a spot teaching at the Zone in Huddersfield. I would teach street dance, contemporary and commercial dance on a regular basis. This then eventually led to me being asked to Choreograph for the Huddersfield Giants Pro Squad that would perform at home games.

I did this for three years unpaid but I absolutely loved it. Whilst keeping my own dance company on the side I started a degree in Physical Education at Leeds Met. Following my graduation I then applied for a PGCE in secondary education down in London and moved there when I was 22.

In 2013 the Rugby League World Cup came to the UK and my partner Chris Tomlinson was asked to be the team manager for the Fiji national team. This meant he got to know their captain Petero Civoniceva, a renowned rugby league legend and Australian rep. Towards the end of the World Cup Petero was thinking of retiring and wanting to give back to his home country and Chris had discussed the idea of setting up a charitable foundation in Fiji in his name. In one school during my teacher training I was asked by the Headteacher if I was available for a job following my graduation and I told her I was too young to stand in front of a class and tell them how to live their life when I hadn’t already lived mine. This is when we decided that as soon as I graduated we were getting on that plane and jetting 10,000 miles to set up a new life.

When we arrived in Fiji it was so hot and humid. It rained so often in Suva, Fiji’s capital city, that we felt we were never too far from Yorkshire.

Within 3 weeks of being in Fiji we had been invited to the New Zealand High Commission residence for a Diwali party where we won best dressed couple! Rubbing shoulders with delegates and highly regarded members of society in Fiji was amazing, it was just the kick we

needed to make this new venture succeed.

We had given ourselves 6 months from arriving to make this charitable sports foundation work. We pitched to every company in Fiji and reached out worldwide for support. Six months came and we still had received no funding and our savings were soon drying up. We were living on toast and tinned spaghetti and the power was constantly going off so we would treat ourselves to two bottles of beer in a bucket of ice outside as a reward on a weekend. We had two weeks left before we had to admit defeat and fly back home. Then the unthinkable happened, we managed to secure a significant sponsorship for the Petero Civoniceva Foundation from one of the most successful businessmen in the world.

Desire During my degree I had been volunteering in India one summer and knew that working with children and sport was something I loved doing so when we got to Fiji it was the perfect job I had created for myself. Before I knew it I was running bootcamps for the CEO’s and Managers of Fiji Airways, Toyota and Total. I had secured a regular column in the Fiji Sun and Fiji Times. I created nationwide initiates like the 5km Dash for Diabetes alongside the Ministry of Health. We were no strangers to being featured on Fiji One Breakfast TV and their local radio and by now nothing seemed impossible anymore. When I called home my family couldn’t believe the things I had been up to.

During our first year of setting up the Petero Civoniceva Foundation,

Chris and I decided to set up a ladies activewear business now know as Bulalicious Activewear. Bula means hello in Fijian and we realised there is a gap in the market in Fiji for female activewear and swimwear.

Both of our degrees are in sport and business management so the fashion industry was alien to us, but we had this overwhelming desire to jump in the deep end and start swimming until we succeeded.

From a young age I had spent my life in dance and activewear so I knew what I liked and didn’t like and what worked and what did not.

We decided that we wanted an activewear brand with a difference so we coined the term, “clothing with a conscience”. We designed our first Coral Reef line and a percentage of sales being directed to restoring the coral reef on the Coral Coast in Sigatoka. On a daily basis we would be in the Fiji factory checking the samples and designs. Our first samples were absolutely crazy but I’m so glad we kept them to have a little giggle years later. We are now in our sixth year of business and going from strength to strength.

If I had my time over again - I wouldn’t be so hard on myself. After a year of living in Fiji, and by the age of 25, I had my own activewear business, a sports foundation, rugby team and international tour company. The pressure I put on myself was immense.

We would work 6 days a week, have Sunday mornings off and then be back on it Sunday afternoon. When Covid hit we were stuck on holiday in the UK and forced to re-evaluate our work life balance. When you work for yourself there’s no one telling you to

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go home or switch off and put your laptop down.

There are several struggles in the activewear and swimwear industry.

One in particular is the oversaturated market. We try to stand out from the crowd by creating clothing with a conscience whereby our customers not only look good in the clothes we design but they also feel good knowing that their clothes either gave back to charities or are made from ethical material.

One issue I found in Fiji was the disparity in the roles of women and men. On many occasions I would be talked over or ignored in meetings with department stores as they directed their questions to my partner Chris. Initially this was like a red rag to a bull but I was also finding the same issue in my other job, running a male rugby team and having recently being made the fitness trainer for the Fiji national rugby league mens team. I was trying to establish my role and get my voice heard but I soon realized that the only way that would be possible was by letting the quality of my work speak for itself. Hopefully I am already seeing this as several of the men I trained have been successful and in securing professional rugby contracts in Australia.

The best part about running my own activewear business is that I am always on the go and being your own boss you get to have your own ideas and create garments you have tried and tested and then see go to market after hours of hard work. The hardest thing is fast fashion, especially in developing countries where cheap garments are so easy to obtain and are often made from materials that

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are damaging to the environment. We want to be the change we see in the world and as my dad says, “There are doers and sayers in the world, which are you?” This ethos steered me to make our clothing with a conscience promise focus on the materials we use such as recycled plastic bottles, fishing nets and organic cotton.

A typical day in the life of a female activewear company consists of market research and keeping up with the latest trends. I have to constantly check orders as we ship internationally. I pack everything myself in our biodegradable packaging and ship them to every corner of the world. I love coming up with new designs and doodling them

for market research. If there was one thing I couldn’t live without it would be running water. In Fiji there are regular water cuts and I am no stranger to showering with bottles of water and a sponge! You get to appreciate what really matters when you live on a desert island. I love being healthy and active and eating well but I must admit I did miss a cheeky “chip butty” and curry sauce and would indulge in one every trip home and it was just as fabulous as I remembered.

down. One lesson I have learnt is to delegate. As creative director and owner I come up with the ideas of the garments and designs but now I know there are talented graphic designers who can help bring these to life. It’s a skill I don’t pretend to have. I have been fortunate to work with Yorkshire designer Rebecca Hayley for our recent Island Nights Eco Collection. The best part of my job is putting our collections to the test; headphones on and heading out for a run is the best way to do this.

My goals for Bulalicious Activewear in the future would be to have stockists here in the UK that help show our brand to new markets of active females. I love being around

genuine, hardworking people which is why Yorkshire is always going to be home for me and whilst we are currently here in Yorkshire as we await the arrival of our first child in March we are exploring new markets and opportunities for Bulalicious on a daily basis.

I have been with my fiancé Chris for over 9 years and when we are lucky enough to put our devices down Yorkshire is one of our favourite places to escape to, especially York and more recently the Yorkshire Wolds - a truly hidden gem. I love being active. My partner would say I never switch off from Bulalicious but I love going to the gym or a new class as a stress relief but also

Across the businesses we own we are lucky enough to travel and have been to some of the most beautiful places such as Singapore, Hawaii, USA and Australia but nothing beats home and home for us will always be Yorkshire.

When you are young the grass is always greener and although Fiji is stunning and is know as “the happiest place on earth” nothing beats being able to strike up a conversation with fellow Yorkshire folk on the bus or in the grocers, something not everyone outside of Yorkshire is keen to do!

I must admit having limited internet in Fiji and taking almost 4 hours to stream a movie you get to a point where you have to find new hobbies so tennis and walking became something we got addicted to and usually where our best ideas for Bulalicious were born. In Fiji I am the only female driving a 16 seater mini bus for our sports team and foundation and I love it.

Regardless of the long hours I absolutely love having my own activewear brand. My creative brain is working all the time and I get to work with inspirational females and design for them on a daily basis.

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How do you get a photo of yourself that you actually want to share?

By photographer Maryanne Scott

Most women I talk to have something that they worry about when it comes to being photographed. Whether it’s just a quick selfie or professional photos for their website and social media.

For some it’s that they don’t feel confident in front of the camera, and for others it’s that they don’t know how to actually take a good photo.

If you’re self-conscious and worried about what other people think, or you’ve avoided having photos for a long time it can turn something as

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simple as a selfie into more of a problem than it needs to be.

Inevitably most business owners realise that they need to be more visible and that people do like to see your face. Whether it’s to get to know you as the face of your business or to recognise you. It’s been shown (in statistics and studies done by people far more qualified than me) that images of your face will perform better with social engagement than a photo of a product.

So ho w do you get a good photograph that you actually want to share?

Let’s start with the basics. Making sure we get a sharp photo in

going to feel uncomfortable and more than likely be the first thing you notice in the photo. Put on lipstick and make sure your hair is styled well. Sounds obvious but you’ll look and feel better. You’ll also be less likely to want to filter your photos which can lead to an unnatural look or you not actually being recognised.

flattering light, without awkward posing or squinty eyes. Having natural light on your face can make a huge difference to eliminating harsh shadows and wrinkles. Try not to stare into direct sunlight, nothing ruins a photo like squinty eyes. Lights over your head lead to shadows under your eyes and chin.

And depending on the colour of the lighting can give you a strange almost ghostly look. There’s nothing worse than contorting yourself into an unnatural position to get a photo. Using a tripod and/ or the timer will also avoid getting blurry photos from the camera shaking.

If you’re self-conscious or maybe you’ve gained a few pounds, you might feel more confident sitting at a table, so you’ve something to lean on. Or behind your laptop (which is also great if you’re trying to hide a tummy).

Are you going to look at the photo and regret wearing that outfit? A shirt that gapes at the chest is

Do let us know how you get on with these tips, send us your photos!

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Blonde Brown Recruitment launches in York Blonde Brown, a new recruitment firm specialising in contract and permanent positions, has launched in Yorkshire. Set up by Charlotte Watson and Kate Chandan, the company will operate nationally to match people with businesses across a range of sectors including accountancy and finance; engineering and manufacturing; hospitality; retail; human resources; logistics; and sales and marketing.

a proven track record in the industry, spanning over 20 years, managing the recruitment process on behalf of independent employers through to major blue chip organisations from junior positions to management and board appointments.

Blonde Brown, a new recruitment firm specialising in contract and permanent positions, has launched in Yorkshire. Set up by Charlotte Watson and Kate Chandan, the company will operate nationally to match people with businesses across a range of sectors including accountancy and finance; engineering and manufacturing; hospitality; retail; human resources; logistics; and sales and marketing.

As independent expert recruiters, Charlotte and Kate are on hand for people looking for their next move or step on the career path. For businesses seeking to expand teams, Blonde Brown offers a bespoke recruitment process that will help secure the very best talent.

It’s an exciting time to be launching Blonde Bro w n a n d w e’ re looking for ward to working with local businesses in a bid to support their recruitment needs...

Collectively, Charlotte and Kate have

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Charlotte commented: “The UK labour market is experiencing unprecedented times following the aftermath of Brexit and the ongoing pandemic. Businesses across many

sectors are struggling to recruit staff or fill long-term vacant roles. It’s very much a candidate-led industry as people who were either furloughed or made redundant over the last 18-months and took on temporary positions as a stop gap are now seeking new roles. It’s an exciting time to be launching Blonde Brown and we’re looking forward to working with local businesses in a bid to support their recruitment needs.”

development corporate sales role with the responsibility for securing all new business over 12 central London branches.

Charlotte began her recruitment career in London working with temporary and permanent candidates in a commercial office.

She then moved into a business

An opportunity earlier this year to project manage a large piece of recruitment for a local Yorkshire company has resulted in Blonde Brown Recruitment.

A change of direction led to Charlotte relocating to Yorkshire running her own successful businesses and during the pandemic has been involved in business consultancy w o r k f o r a n u m b e r o f Yo r k businesses.

When Kate left university with a marketing degree, she had no idea what she wanted to do.

Eventually she was offered several roles as recruitment consultant working initially for an agency in Leeds focusing on marketing positions.

After a break from the corporate world Kate became a full-time mum to her three children. Re-entering the world of sales earlier this year. An opportunity to work on a project for a large employer reignited her passion for recruitment and Blonde Brown Recruitment was born.

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Thrive Law and Yorkshire Businesswoman solve your legal problems E a c h e d i t i o n Yo rk s h i re Businesswoman and founder of Thrive Law Jodie Hill are happy to answer questions for our readers on the subject of law. Particularly employment law.For obvious reasons names are withheld unless we are requested to publish them.

Question : It was world menopause day on 18 October. How are menopausal women protected and how should employers support them?

Answer : Women who experience menopause are not protected just because of menopause. Being menopausal is not a protected characteristic in its own right.

However, there are cases where the menopause symptoms have been so severe that it amounts to a disability; in this case, they are entitled to reasonable adjustments and entitled not to be discriminated against because of menopause. For example, there is a case where a woman’s menopause made her very forgetful, and she was then subject to a performance review for this. This was found to be discrimination arising from disability.

Another protected characteristic that may be relevant is sex; so because only women suffer menopause, the argument has been run that any unfavourable treatment because of menopause, may amount to sex discrimination.

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A further protected characteristic could be age where women who are older are treated less favorably as a result.

In terms of what adjustments in the workplace are suitable for employees who might be experiencing menopause, this is very much on a case by case basis as it depends on what symptoms someone is suffering and we shouldn’t generalise. There have been specific cases where male employers have asked their wives what would be a good adjustment (rather than the employee themselves), and this has been discriminatory. You have to ask the employee what would help them lessen their symptoms.

Examples we’ve seen are, amended working hours, moving desks so they’re colder or warmer, providing fans, allowing longer breaks, time off for appointments and allowing people to work from home.

Question: Now the offices are re-opening, do employees still have the right to refuse to attend the workplace?

Answer: There’s no continuing Government Guidance that employees should still be working from home, so unless that changes, if an employee’s contract of employment specifies that their workplace is an office, then the employer is entitled to rely on that contract and ask that the employee, therefore, returns to the office. A failure to comply may then

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be a failure to follow reasonable management instructions and give rise to disciplinary allegations.

Having said that, there may still be some circumstances where people can or should remain at home. This is especially if someone is particularly vulnerable to Covid-19 and hasn’t been able to get vaccinated due to those medical conditions, so are putting themselves in danger by going to work. Equally, the Government guidance for pregnant women over 28 weeks pregnant remains that they should be taking precautionary action and that this may include working from home. Employees who have particular anxiety conditions or OCD may remain uncomfortable going into work, and so working from home should be considered as a reasonable adjustment.

Finally, any employee who has been employed for more than 26 weeks can make a statutory request for flexible working, which may include working from home. Employers can only reject such a statutory request for eight statutory reasons.

Increasingly, employers may struggle to refuse a flexible working request to work from home as they did before, as it is likely they have successfully implemented working from home during the last year and put that infrastructure in place to facilitate this. Presuming there was no impact on quality, performance etc. as a result of the pandemic, an employer will find it much harder to argue that they will not be able

to accommodate home working permanently. An employer could be putting themselves at risk of claims if they refuse such a request without a justifiable reason. Any refusal should be carefully documented and communicated to the employee.

Question: With the large numbers of job vacancies, are we in an employees’ market, and how can employers retain their staff?

Answer: We are in quite a strange time at the moment, where it appears that a combination of factors including Covid-19, Brexit, and the expansion of certain tech industries, all means that there are now more vacancies than there have been in years. The

demand for new recruits appears to be higher than the number of available employees. This means we’re shifting from what was once an employer’s market to an employee’s market.

Employees may be keen to move to a new role for many reasons; better values, better culture, more interesting work, better work-life balance, etc. Another factor is salary; especially with inflation rising in the UK, the fact is that unfortunately employees maybe being forced to leave jobs they otherwise love, because they financially cannot afford to remain there.

So what can employers do to retain their staff ? Arguably, the key is to support your staff and make them feel valued, more so than ever before. This doesn’t necessarily mean increasingly salaries or benefits, but can be as little as small

gestures like reaching out and letting your staff know you appreciate them.

Other initiatives valuing wellbeing and work-life balance will also be well received at the moment.

It's important to bear in mind that employers, whether knowingly or unknowingly, are now competing with other companies to retain their employees. And now it's not just the businesses in commuting distance, but with remote working, employers are potentially competing with every company in their country or, in some sectors, the world. As an employer, it’s worth getting an idea of what the market looks like and whether the average

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Paid taxis for women so they don’t have to walk home or having access to a pool of company drivers.

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Introducing a “buddy” system, so women can call their buddy or check-in when travelling home.

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Making your support mechanisms or protection mechanisms clear, for example how you might protect a woman’s identity if she is the victim of stalking.

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Introducing a company official who can be available roundthe-clock to be contacted by women employees in case of any emergency.

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Amended hours (where possible) to ensure women don’t travel in the dark; studies show that 84% of women feel unsafe waiting for a bus after dark.

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Making emergency contact numbers clear and easy for employees to be aware of.

Question: In the light of recent tragedies, how can employers support female employees and women’s safety?

Answer: The first thing an employer can do is encourage discussion about female safety. Depending on the size of your business, you may want to think about putting together a think tank of female employees, so they can discuss and perhaps strategize ways that the business can ensure their female employees feel safe, and perhaps come up with proposals for the business.

Particular factors such as working hours, how people travel to work, working environment and support networks should be considered.

The most important thing is that we listen to women and the victims of gender-related violence at this time, and act with consideration of what will genuinely help.

Please get in touch at Jodie.hill@ thrivelaw.co.uk and we’ll happily assist further.

In terms of initiatives, the following are a few examples we’ve seen in different businesses: •

A Safety at Work and Lone Working Policy.

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Form an orderly Q By : G r a ha m

C o ur t ney

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M otor ing

Cor res pondent

The speed at which the popularity of SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles) has exploded in this country is staggering…and we reckon one of the best is the Audi Q5, especially the very stylish Q5 Sportback.

The really good news is that it is now available with hybrid power.

The Audi Q5 Sportback is one of the UK’s favourite premium SUVs. It oozes quality and style. Build quality is stunning.

It’s comfortable and is a thoroughly entertaining driving experience. It has a purposeful stance. The pronounced wheel arches look great.

Every Q5 is well equipped, but we like the fully loaded TFSi-e model in Competition trim which comes with sat nav, Xenon headlights, LED running lights, Nappa leather seats (the front ones are fully electric, heated and with a massage function), climate control, Bluetooth, DAB radio, multi-function steering wheel, parking sensors, powered tailgate, sports suspension, a brilliant audio system and class-leading safety kit. It really stands out thanks to the side skirts, deep front and rear bumpers, and darkened privacy glass. In a nutshell, this Q5 Sportback looks fabulous. FF

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20 mile round journey commute, you might not use a drop of petrol.

A full charge of the battery at home using a 3-pin plug takes around seven hours.

Out on the road you have pace with grace and you have the reassurance of all-wheel quattro transmission via a 7-speed automatic gearbox. The ride is uncannily smooth. It’s extremely quiet too, In fact, you hardly notice when the petrol engine bursts into life. It’s seamless.

In terms of the oily bits, under the bonnet you’ll find a 2.0 litre petrol engine. Add in the oomph from the battery driven electric motor and you’ll have a power output of 367bhp. You can drive for up to 26 miles on electric power alone which means, if you use the hybrid

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technology to its full extent, you could reach a staggering 166mpg.

Okay, in the real world you’re almost certain to need the petrol engine at some point, but either way you can expect terrific fuel economy. If you intend using the Q5 Sportback for a Monday - Friday

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The interior is roomy and there’s plenty of baggage space for a holiday fortnight.

Prices start at £45,890 SUVs come no better or more stylish than the Audi Q5 Sportback.

Yorkshire Business woman partners with Lexus Leeds From January 2022, Yorkshire Businesswoman will be partnering with Lexus Leeds, part of the Vantage Motor Group. In the New Year we will be launching even more networking events at different locations across the region where we hope to be joined by Lexus.

Core networking events will remain with our partners Dakota Leeds in February, April, June, August, October and December.

We have two extra dates, March and November where events will be held at

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park (details to be announced in the New Year).

In the meantime, we are delighted to welcome Lexus Leeds where we hope to potentially offer our members test driving experiences in some of their

Brand Strategy.

Creative Campaigns.

Effective Marketing. paladinmarketing.co.uk | 01484 504490 | 0113 534 31 34

quality vehicles. Watch this space!

In the meantime, check out some of the prestige cars they have available at: Lexus Leeds Domestic Road, Leeds. LS12 6HG

Magical Micra Have you taken any driving lessons over the last ten or so years? If you have, there’s a strong chance that you’ll have taken to the road for the first time behind the wheel of a Nissan Micra. Driving schools love them.

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Of course, there’s a very simple reason for this…..the Micra is a light and simple car to drive. It’s reliable and, without being a tad harsh about learner drivers, it shows that the Micra can also withstand a bit of non-intended abuse.

All of which makes it a great car for anyone to consider if they are looking for a reasonably family sized city car which can also double-up for holiday trips.

Granted, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but we reckon this latest Nissan Micra is a rather smart piece of kit. It certainly stands out from an ever-increasing bland crowd.

Oh…and it’s made in Britain at the Nissan plant in Sunderland. £14,340 gets you into a Micra.

This is a highly competitive price.

Every trim level uses the same 1.0 litre 91bhp 3-cylinder petrol engine…it’s a good one too and is a big step-up from the previous power plants. 0-60 takes around 11 seconds. There’s a top speed of 111mph, but the all-important figure for this type of car is the

fuel economy….you should be able to get mid 50s mpg without too much trouble. All but the entry level trim have an automatic gearbox option. We’d stick with the 5-speed manual box in the other models because it has a lovely action.

The line-up of trims is straightforward…Visia, Acenta, N-Sport and top of the range Tekna.

Every Micra comes with DAB radio, auto headlights, Bluetooth, powered front windows and exterior mirrors, height adjustment to the driver’s seat and a decent level of safety equipment. To be honest, most buyers will be perfectly happy with this.

However, we like the next level because Acenta adds air conditioning, 7-inch colour touchscreen, alloy wheels,

cruise control, and smartphone integration with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It makes the Micra feel a bit more special and is worth the extra couple of grand. N-Sport adds stuff like a reversing camera and rear parking sensors, while you’ll need to go for Tekna if you want sat nav.

Out on the road, the Micra is a sweet handler. You’d never call it exciting, but most readers won’t want that if they are already fancying a Micra…. they will want something that is safe, reliable, comfortable and utterly predictable in all road conditions. The fact that it looks good is a bonus.

Owners of previous Micras will also notice a definite improvement in the quality of the material used throughout the cabin. It has a premium look and feel.

This latest Micra is now one of the best superminis around.

Good to drive, smart to look at, surprisingly roomy and reasonably priced.

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