Yorkshire BusinessWoman June 2023 Edition

EditorsNotes

By group editor Gill Laidler

We are delighted at the response we have received after announcing the inaugural Yorkshire Businesswoman awards which will take place at The Marriott Hotel Leeds on 8th March 2024.

Yes, that’s right 2024 but we want to celebrate the businesswomen of Yorkshire on International Women’s Day. Despite the date being quite a way off, we have already sold several sponsor packages and tables for this prestigious black-tie dinner.

The categories for you to nominate will open on the Yorkshire Businesswoman website soon (www. yorkshirebusinesswoman.co.uk) but you can email me directly and reserve a ticket or table or why not take a sponsor package and promote your business editor@yorkshirebusinesswoman.co.uk

We are delighted that Yorkshire law firm Chadwick Lawrence will be our headline sponsors and we have an impressive line up of judges: Sir Rodney Walker, chair of the London Marathon; Sinead Rocks, managing director of Channel 4; Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire; Andrew Cooper, CEO of Leeds BID; Sarah Power, partner at Chadwick Lawrence and Sharon Jandu OBE, founder of Yorkshire Asian Business Association (YABA).

Sustainability and the environment

are huge now and here at Yorkshire Businesswoman, we endeavour to do

our bit. As well as our print magazine that will now be delivered in a hybrid vehicle, we have created a new app that you can download making it easier to read the magazine online on any mobile device, saving paper and of course the environment. What’s special about the digital edition is we can update this more regularly, so you may find that articles change during the life of the current edition.

Our next Yorkshire Businesswoman networking event is on 14th July at The Great Yorkshire Show. We will be serving afternoon tea in the pavilions at 3pm whilst enjoying our regular networking and speakers. Not only that, but tickets are also valid for the whole day at the show, before joining us. Members can book on the member area; guests need to email me directly.

Gill x

You can email us at hello@ yorkshirebusinesswoman.co.uk or call us on 07711 539047

yorkshire_businesswoman yorkshirebusin2

Inspiring the next generation of women in law

We are thrilled to announce that Asma Iqbal, Partner in Litigation, Corporate Recovery and Insolvency at Chadwick Lawrence, has received two prestigious awards at the British Muslim Awards 2023. Asma has been recognised as the Business Leader of the Year 2023 and was also awarded Highly Commended for Achievements in Law.

Chadwick Lawrence Solicitors for several years, where she has demonstrated exceptional expertise, dedication, and leadership in her roles. Her accomplishments in the legal profession and as a business leader have been recognized by the British Muslim Awards, which is a testament to her hard work, talent, and commitment to excellence.

Honoured

make a positive impact in their respective fields”.

The awards ceremony, which was held at the end of April at the Muslim Heritage Centre Marquee in Manchester, celebrates the exceptional achievements and contributions of British Muslims across various fields, and is one of the most respected events in the Muslim community.Asma has been an integral part of

Neil Wilson, managing partner commented, “We are immensely proud of Asma and her remarkable achievements. Her success is a reflection of our firm’s commitment to fostering a culture of excellence, where our team members are encouraged to achieve their full potential and

Asma added further comment, “I am honoured to have been nominated as a finalist in two categories at the British Muslim Awards and it’s an absolute delight to have received the Business Leader of the Year Award 2023. I am grateful for the opportunity to work as the Diversity and Inclusion Champion for the LEP Board, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, which has undoubtedly enhanced my chances of winning in this category. Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way. This is truly a career highlight for me and I hope it inspires the next generation of Muslim women in law”.

Global

accelerates growth with data investment

Oakland Group, a Leeds-based data consultancy, has teamed up with femtech health and lifestyle brand Elvie to put data at the heart of its operation to drive growth.

The two teams worked together to create a data platform that allowed Elvie to create a single view of the truth by consolidating data in a scalable environment for increased access and reporting.

As a scale-up technology company, the ability to make data-driven decisions will help put Elvie’s smarter technology into the hands of women to address the intimate, and often neglected, issues women face throughout their lives.

Understanding customer needs enabled the company to develop innovative technologies that range from breast pumps to pelvic floor trainers. Elvie was recently listed as #21 in the Deloitte Fast 50, which tracks the fastest-growing private technology companies in the UK - showing a 1,824% growth over a four-year period.

Founded by Tania Boler in 2013, Elvie’s market-leading products use biofeedback and connected mobile technology to create superior solutions to women’s health needs. The company has been recognised for making a real difference to the lives of millions of women around the world, with two of its products being named as TIME Magazine’s 100 Best Inventions - Elvie Pump and Elvie Stride, which are both electric breast pumps.

Commenting on the project, Tiana Chan, Business Intelligence Lead at Elvie, said: “Our mission is to improve women’s lives through smarter technology, and how we use data to understand our customers is central to our business.

“As a fast-growing business, data is a powerful tool in helping us to make quicker and better decisions. Oakland

Group was the perfect partner to help us advance our data intelligence and worked as part of the team to develop a platform that will meet our needs into the future.”

Elvie has emerged as the face of the femtech revolution. The femtech sector focuses on products which are specifically designed for women’s needs and covers areas including menstruation, menopause, pregnancy, lactation, and fertility. According to frequently cited research, femtech might grow to be a $50 billion (£40 billion) market by 2025.

Elvie products can be purchased online or through a range of high-street retailers, including Argos, John Lewis, and Mamas and Papas. Andy Crossley, business development director at Oakland Group, said: “It’s great to work with a company that has innovation as part of its DNA. Data is a powerful tool in any retail business and can bring the business closer to the customer to drive sales and guide strategy.”

femtech innovator

New trustee for Turning Lives Around

years, providing accommodation and support to enable individuals, couples, and families to live healthy, independent lives.

Keen to support TLA in diversifying their income, Sasha is looking forward to bringing her expertise in community and corporate fundraising plus communication and engagement, analytical and process improvement skills into play in enriching the development of the charity’s fundraising strategy.

Homelessness charity Turning Lives Around is pleased to welcome Sasha Pauley, social purpose and sustainability manager at Yorkshire Building Society, to its Board of Trustees.

Sasha brings to the team extensive experience in fundraising and working in partnership with charities at both regional and international levels. She currently leads Yorkshire Building Society’s community investment team, and it was her involvement with a homeless charity as part of this that inspired her to find ways outside of work to help combat homelessness.

“Becoming a trustee of TLA means I can develop my skills and offer my experience and corporate insight to a charity that I’m really passionate about,” said Sasha.

Turning Lives Around has been

working with vulnerable people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in West Yorkshire for more than 50

“I also hope to explore how the financial services sector and other corporates could help address some of the issues faced by TLA and the people they work with,” Sasha added. “Becoming a trustee is a great way to give back to the community in an impactful and rewarding way. It’s also two-way, benefiting both you and the charity, developing your skills while adding value that they would otherwise struggle to access.”

Welcoming Sasha to TLA, chief executive Steve Hoey said the charity looks forward to the fresh perspective she can bring in terms of income diversification and fundraising.

“With traditional funding streams under increasing pressure and the need for our services by no way diminishing, it is vital we find new ways of generating income to finance our work with the homeless in West Yorkshire,” he said.“We have dipped our toe in fundraising waters in recent months but will benefit greatly from the insight and guidance Sasha can bring.”

Becoming a trustee is a great way to give back to the community in an impactful and rewarding way...

Yorkshire solicitor appointed to key international role

Rachel, who is based in York, said: “The NYSBA International Section is a global community of lawyers who share a common purpose – to advance the rule of law and create a strong network of international lawyers around the world.

“I did my Masters in French and European law at the Sorbonne in Paris having spent time in France learning the language at an early age. The New York Bar Association (NYBA) gives Roche Legal a gateway into America and a network of legal people who will be able to help our clients.

“The NYBA has links with lawyers all over the world in countries such as Brazil, Panama and Canada and I am delighted to have been asked to be vice chair of the London Chapter.”

Rachel Roche, the owner of Yorkshire based Roche Legal, has been appointed vice chair of the London chapter of the New York Bar Association (NYBA), recognising her position as key figure in international cross border legal work.

Rachel has been the driving force behind Roche Legal’s UK/USA probate service which has attracted funding from the Department of Trade and Industry with the same service being offered to clients living in France Spain and worldwide.

This is central to Rachel’s ambition to be at the forefront of cross border work and she has made regular visits to North America to meet with fellow lawyers involved with private international law.

In June 2022, Rachel accepted an invitation to participate in a panel of

lawyers from Brazil, the USA, Canada and Spain, to discuss cross-border estates at the New York State Bar Association Summer Conference in New York.

As a result, in November, Rachel chaired a panel for NYSBA International Section in London and subsequently, she has been unanimously voted into the role of vice-chair of the NYSBA London chapter. This role comes as Roche Legal opens its first London office in the former London Patent Office in Holborn, close to Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

Her role with NYBA, which was founded in 1876 and has members in 100 countries, is a natural extension of Rachel’s international impact while ensuring Roche Legal is at the forefront of developments in an increasingly mobile world.

Rachel said: “It makes sense to broaden Roche Legal’s horizons and acknowledge that people live in different countries and it is important to cater for this mobility. It is important to be ahead of the curve.

“Multiple jurisdictions require a grasp of the legal concepts around the world to signpost these to clients and ensure their needs are met. It is about getting equipped to deal with legal work that is going to become more frequent. Our London office is another important development as we grow as a business.”

Gough & Kelly joins forces to provide safe space in the city

Security firm Gough & Kelly is supporting a project to promote women’s safety at night in Leeds city centre.

Following a successful pilot in March 2022, the Women’s Night Safe Space is running from 10pm to 3am every Saturday night and other key dates. Funded by Safer Streets, and run in partnership with Safer Leeds, Women’s Lives Leeds, Women Friendly Leeds and Bevan Health Care, it provides a safe space located next to the Corn Exchange for women and girls to seek refuge, emotional and practical support in the city centre at night if they feel concerned, unsafe, unwell or vulnerable.

As well as a friendly face, the bus offers facilities including mobile phone charging; water, refreshments, and warm drinks; support calling a taxi;

somewhere to talk through concerns and be signposted for further support; a safe place to report incidents to the police and wait for further assistance; or simply somewhere warm where women can wait for friends, so they are not alone.

Jennie Bell and Hope Anderson from Gough & Kelly work at the mobile unit. As well as emotional and practical support to people accessing the safe space, they provide security services to ensure the physical safety of everyone on the bus.

Jennie says, “I was involved in the pilot last year, and was very keen to be involved again. In my work I’ve seen

the situations people can get into on a night out and a service like this is invaluable. From day one the feedback we’ve had from everyone has been so positive, saying that this is exactly what’s needed. It is a valued service and I’m proud to be involved.”

Shreena Gobey, Women’s Night Safe Coordinator, adds, “Our partnership with Gough & Kelly is invaluable in running Women’s Night Safe Space. Having female SIA security staff in our team helps make sure staff feel safe whilst doing vital work in Leeds City Centre. They are using their skills and experience in identifying and proactively responding to situations affecting women and girls, upholding the open, outreach model of nonjudgmental support in the Safe Space.”.

Sajmira Cairns named St. James’s Place Paraplanner of the Year

Head of Paraplanning at PFP Wealth Group Ltd, Sajmira Cairns, has been named as St. James’ Place (SJP) Paraplanner of the Year 2022.

One of three finalists shortlisted for the award, Sajmira — who joined PFP Wealth in 2019 — is originally from Albania, and has carved an illustrious career for herself within the UK finance industry over the past 13 years.

Sajmira completed an economics degree in her home

country before moving to England in March 2006. Even with English as her second language, Sajmira achieved a First-Class (Hons) Degree in Business Studies at Chester University, before completing a Level 7 Master’s in Wealth Management — dovetailed with on-hands experience at Rathbones Investment Management.

Following the birth of her son in 2016, Sajmira began working as a part-time, self-employed

Paraplanner, before joining PFP Wealth — a UK wide Practice with offices in Yorkshire, the Wirral, the Cotswolds, and Northern Ireland — in May 2019.

“I love my job, take pride in the work that I do, and I am very proud to say that I’ve held a 100% suitable record for the last two years,” explained Sajmira. Acknowledging her award, she said: “I’m delighted to be named SJP’s Paraplanner of the Year. This milestone is a significant achievement and while it’s not been easy, it’s shown me what can be achieved through hard work and determination.”

Keith Humphrey, managing director at PFP Wealth Group, added; “Sajmira’s story is one of resilience, hard work, and dedication. Born in Albania, she moved to England after completing her economics degree, where she later achieved First-Class Honours in Business Studies and a Level 7 Masters in Wealth Management.

“Sajmira faced numerous challenges, including language barriers and balancing motherhood with her career aspirations, but never gave up on her dreams. Her story is one of inspiration and proof that with hard work and determination, anyone can achieve success.” The award recognises an individual who has demonstrated their commitment to professional development and great client outcomes.

Oxify brings breath of fresh air to York

Therapy, or HbOT for short, is a wellestablished, non-invasive therapy which involves breathing oxygen within a pressurised environment. This enables the body to absorb up to sixteen times more oxygen to benefit the body’s cells and is an effective treatment for stress relief, skin rejuvenation, chronic fatigue, sports recovery and the symptoms of Long Covid, amongst other issues.

The business is owned by father and daughter team Michael and Sarah Todd.

With three existing therapy centres across the north of England, the team at Oxify are celebrating in York the launch of their latest Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy centre.

Oxify is one of the UK’s premier providers of oxygen treatments and the Clifton Moor centre in York will

provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy within a cutting edge and restful environment. Hyperbaric Oxygen

Says Sarah: “We’re keen to engage with new customers in the York and North Yorkshire area and after many months of looking for the best site for us, Clifton Moor in York provided the perfect location. HbOT treatments are globally recognised for benefiting a diverse variety of health and lifestyle issues, and we are fortunate as a business to enjoy the loyalty of many committed customers who benefit from HbOT. We are passionate about providing the very best service and give our clients the opportunity to improve their wellbeing. We chose York as our next step to enable us to help clients in the north of England.”

The Right Honourable Lord Mayor Of York, Councillor David Carr, was joined by Lady Mayoress Lynda Carr to officially launch the centre. Councillor Carr added: “We are proud as a city to welcome such an advanced and innovative company to York. We offer not just a central location with excellent connections to the rest of the north of England, but access to a potentially excellent customer base with varying needs. We are delighted to welcome Oxify to our city and wish them every success.”

Colenso marks business growth with new shareholder appointment

decision to invest within the business was an easy one, particularly given the exciting period of growth we are experiencing and expecting. I’m particularly excited to be working to expand our sustainability offering, working with our clients to improve their green credentials and significantly reduce energy bills in the long-term.”

Colenso Property, the York-based commercial property and asset management specialist, has welcomed Lucy Glasby as a shareholder and partner in the business following a period of significant growth for the company.

Lucy first joined Colenso in 2018, and is now the business’s head of facilities management, overseeing its health and safety compliance, and the management of a range of hard and soft services, including mechanical and electrical maintenance, fire safety systems, cleaning, and security, throughout its extensive portfolio.

Colenso, which manages a wide range of commercial properties across the UK for a variety of private clients, is expecting a 30% growth in net profit this year, following the business having expanded its service offering, recruited additional team members, invested in

cloud-based software and streamlined business processes.

In recent years, Colenso has also invested heavily into its sustainability offering, having project managed the installation of a number of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging points, along with solar panel installations for a range of private landlords, ahead of the upcoming changes to Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) up to 2030.

Commenting on her appointment, Lucy said: “Having been part of the Colenso team for a number of years, the

Charles Harrison, head of estates said: “Having taken the time to invest within the business during the pandemic, we have now been rewarded with a significant boost to our profitability. In light of this, we’re delighted to welcome Lucy to the board. She has been an integral part of Colenso’s success to date, particularly in allowing us to expand our offering during recent years to provide service charge consultancy and management across our multitenanted commercial properties. As a dedicated and talented member of the team, we couldn’t think of a better person to join the board, and we’re sure that she will play a crucial role during this next stage of our business journey.”

Alexia Swift-Cookson, head of asset management at The Helmsley Group, whose portfolio of over 90 properties is managed by Colenso, added: “Having worked closely with Colenso for many years, we want to congratulate them on this latest appointment to the board. Colenso shares our enthusiasm for York and its property sector, and has always provided a fantastic service across our £200m portfolio. We want to congratulate the whole team on its recent, well-deserved success.”

Kirklees College Celebrates ‘Good’ Ofsted Rating

Kirklees College been awarded a ‘Good’ rating following their inspection in early March. This was the college’s first full inspection since 2012 and strengthens the college’s position as one of the best providers of Further Education in the region.

The college’s strategy focuses on the needs, wellbeing and future prospects of its students and apprentices. The college champions diversity, with staff promoting a culture where individual difference is celebrated, and diversity is understood as a valuable component to a harmonious society.

The report highlighted some of the inspector’s most positive comments about the college.

As the only general education

provider in the area, the college works effectively with a range of stakeholders to ensure students and apprentices develop the skills and behaviours to gain and sustain employment.

Palvinder Singh, Principal of Kirklees College commented: “I am so proud of the whole Kirklees College community. Our values of kindness, unity and excellence are at the forefront of our college in creating opportunities and changing lives. Our ‘Good’ rating demonstrates that we are at the heart of shaping a better future for all in our community and I would like to thank all our staff for their ongoing commitment to our students.”

Photo © David Lindsay. Courtesy of YSP, registered charity 1067908.

How inflation impacts beauty prices

By: Janet Milner-Walker - Founder of Bespoke Advantage

Over the past twelve months, costs have been spiralling out of control globally, resulting in economic instability and disruption to businesses across the board.

There is little we can do about this; this is the result of a complex collision of factors beyond our control. First the pandemic which resulted in job losses, followed shortly thereafter by the war in Ukraine, and the impact of Brexit coupled with three changes to our UK Prime minister in short succession. Naturally this led to rising costs in inflation, interest rates, and energy prices and a bottle neck to supply chains, with a knock-on effect on rising costs of consumer goods from food to fashion and beauty. A number of popular beauty brands have been quite vocal about their price increases including The Inkey List who shared why they were putting their prices up, as a result of the rising cost of raw materials, and inflation, whilst The Ordinary shared that this was their first price increase in eight years.

According to research by the British Retail Consortium and NielsenIQ, beauty prices are increasing at their fastest rate in a decade. Shampoo has risen by 8% in the last year and the cost of a shower gel by 11% whilst the average price of a daily moisturiser went from £7.22, to £8.02 with deodorant increasing by 17p as reported by the

British Beauty Council.

The beauty industry is a resilient industry,

ABOUT JANET MILNERWALKER

Janet Milner-Walker is the founder and managing director of Bespoke Advantage, and BeautytoLife. She is also an international speaker, a freelance writer, and a trusted advisor to companies in the beauty and wellness sector. Bespoke Advantage is an international consultancy working with clients in the beauty and wellness space. Their award-winning client based includes beauty and wellness brands, retailers, investors and trade bodies, whom they support in developing and building their brands in the marketplace www. thebespokeadvantage.com.

as we have heard in the past, based on the Lipstick index. Leonard Lauder introduced this term, to describe how during difficult economic times, consumers sought gratification through indulging themselves in small purchases like lipsticks, resulting in the sales of lipstick going up during a recession. However, it could be said that with the recent turn of events, consumers may deem beauty frivolous in comparison to paying their energy bills and buying groceries. A ‘nice to have’ rather than ‘have to have.’ It is also worth noting, that following the pandemic, consumers increased their spending on beauty and wellbeing products, as a form of self-care.

There are numerous ways in which to maintain a beauty regime, by making careful choices.

Less is More

A few years ago, the 10-step Korean beauty regime was all the rage. Now consumers are simplifying their daily skincare routine, but introducing multitasking hybrid products, and products that can be used across their family. ‘Less is more’ is becoming more evident, as consumers are a lot more conscious about what they purchase, choosing quality over quantity, and products that can be applied across a multitude of uses.

Rather than purchasing numerous cosmetic items, they can buy one that can be applied as a lipstick, blusher, and eyeshadow, and

that has skincare benefits. Instead of purchasing several skincare products, instead they can buy a facial oil that delivers hydration, moisturisation and glow. A single hair care products can act as a serum, frizz control, and leave on mask whilst a bar of soap can be used as a shower gel and a shampoo.

Quality over Quantity

Consumers are a lot savvier about ingredients, their benefits and whether a brand delivers upon their promise. They are far more conscious about sustainability and are on the lookout for products that are a necessity, rather than a novelty. They are looking for products that are time saving and ‘thoughtful’ with a positive environmental and social impact.

Budget Buys

Where consumers can see the benefits of exchanging a luxury buy, with a more budget friendly buy, they are doing so, particularly for products they use on a daily basis. There are numerous budget friendly brands that deliver a great product – from skincare to fragrance and hair care. Whilst they may not trade down to entry price points, they are swapping a luxury brand for a ‘masstige’ brand so instead of buying Chanel, they may buy into Clarins or Clinique.

Unlike the fashion industry, where fashion retailers are very much aware of the cost-of-living crisis, and consumers awareness for sustainability, introducing ‘Vintage’ fashion and the opportunity to rent garments rather than buy them, this isn’t something the beauty industry can do.

Consumers do have the ability and choice to trade down their products, or purchase products that are hybrid and multi-functional and one of the ways they are doing this is by buying into dupe products.

Supermarket Dupes

There are numerous dupe products on the market, and two retailers who have been actively introducing dupe products

is Aldi and Lidl. Aldi’s skincare range Lacura has a great range of affordable skincare products, which are based on hero products from NARS, Pixi, Elemis, Benefit, Charlotte Tilbury, and Estee Lauder. Lacura’s ProNight Advanced Face Serum is a dupe of Estee Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Serum; whilst Aldi’s is £5.99, Estee Lauder’s is £64, a significant difference. Aldi also has a great fragrance range, inspired by Jo Malone.

Aldi is not the only brand introducing dupes – e.l.f’s Holy Hydration! Face Cream has been cited as a dupe for a popular product by Drunk Elephant and is said to contain similar ingredients including anti-ageing peptides and hyaluronic acid for a fraction of the price. You don’t need to buy into dupe products to save money and achieve results. Budget brands like The Ordinary and The Inkey List have been very successful at introducing highly effective products, steeped in beneficial ingredients for a fraction of the price of luxury brands.

Coming out of the pandemic consumers are invested in self-care, they are better informed about ingredients, and they are selective about choosing brands that deliver results. When it comes to the beauty industry ‘less is more’ and consumers are choosing ‘quality over quantity.’

Bespoke Advantage is a brand management company, working with clients across the beauty, spa, and wellness industry to develop and launch brands to market. Their international client base includes well established beauty and wellness brands, retailers and trade bodies including embassies. If you are looking to build a brand in the beauty and wellness industry, come and join our beauty accelerator - www.beautytolife.co.uk

Calderdale school holiday provider presented with award at House of Commons

Kirilea Whitehead from Nurturing Creativity CIC was presented with the Award for being the HAF Regional Champion for Yorkshire and Humber at a National Awards Ceremony (HAF 2023 Awards) at the House of Commons on Thursday 18th May 2023.

The HAF (Holiday Activities and Food Programme) provides enriching activities and healthy meals for 6,000 children eligible for benefits related free school meals during the school holidays. There are over 30 providers across Calderdale giving children opportunities to take part in everything from sports, dance, craft,

bush skills, canoeing, rifle shooting, abseiling and much more. Plus, they also receive a warm, nutritious meal and

snacks throughout each day during the school holidays.

Jess Heald, Healthy Holidays Programme Coordinator from Calderdale Council explained, “We are all so proud of Kirilea winning this accolade. She is so dedicated and the families absolutely love her. We are delivering a variety of good quality schemes in Calderdale, and it’s rewarding to see that out of all the providers in Yorkshire and Humber, it was someone from a Calderdale scheme who won the Regional Champion.”

We are so proud of Kirilea from Nurturing Creativity CIC, who is one of our providers for being awarded the HAF Regional Champion for Yorkshire and Humber. Well done!

#BradfordBID

Kirilea Whitehead and Anne Keighley from Nuturing Creativity CIC outside the Houses of Parliament.

Debt, divorce and death, how Bonny overcame all three

A fifty something Yorkshire woman has overcome debt, divorce and even death to create a £1 million pet portrait art school that helps boost the confidence and self-esteem of other midlifers using creativity.

Mum-of-three Bonny Snowdon, became a professional animal portrait artist in her mid-40s after her daughter bought her a colouring book and coloured pencils at the height of the adult colouring book craze in 2016 - despite her not having drawn since school.

She has since gone on to launch the Bonny Snowdon Academy one of the biggest online teaching platforms for Britain’s budding coloured pencil artists, where she is teaching 2,500 members, mainly women aged 45+ UK-wide, how to create lifelike drawings of their favourite animals, from cats and dogs

to horses and even pigs. There are also members globally from as far afield as India, Iran, the US and Australia.

The Ripon-based artists’ mentor and world-renowned coloured pencil artist also runs Bonny Snowdon Fine Art where she specialises in creating hyper-realistic pet portraits that you can treasure for a lifetime - however, such is her talent that there is a 1,500-strong waiting list!

With just a team of three, her two businesses will turn over a combined £1 million in 2023, up from £450,000 last year, and happily, Bonny’s life is now worlds apart from her problemplagued past.

She says that creativity has also given the members of her Academy

Creativity is a portal to another world,” said Bonny, who has more than 200,000 followers on social media. “It allows us to disappear from our everyday life...

a new lease of life, with many of them changing careers and going on to work in art galleries, becoming professional artists in their own right, or launching art-related businesses.

“Creativity is a portal to another world,” said Bonny, who has more than 200,000 followers on social media. “It allows us to disappear from our everyday life - and if you don’t lead a very nice life that is just the most amazing thing. It quietens the mind - busy hands, quiet mind is the saying and it’s so true. Creativity in any form is in my opinion essential for healthy minds. I know myself how helpful it was, disappearing for hours with my colouring book.”

Bonny battled mental abuse during her 19-year marriage as her husband struggled with depression following the death of his father.

“He had always had a bit of anger issues and could be paranoid but nothing that really worried me,” she said. “Then his dad died, and he took the death really badly, he became depressed but wouldn’t get help and things would swing from

being okay to really awful. I lived on eggshells for years, not knowing when he was going to blow up. It got to the point where I was scared of talking about certain subjects, money was the main one, I could never talk about it and that’s the main reason I got into debt, I was too frightened to talk to him about needing to pay off a phone bill, that I ended up taking out credit cards and over time, the debt ballooned to over £22,000. In the end, he started talking about suicide and even told me he had located a place to do it,

which terrified me. I tried so hard to support him and get him to the doctors, I rang the doctors and made appointments for him and went with him but when he sat there, he just said he was fine. It was a really dreadful time.”

Bonny said that he eventually left the family home and moved in with a new partner, but within a couple of years and despite re-marrying, he was dead after taking his own life during the 2020 lockdown.

“When he moved out, we discussed putting the family home up for sale, but I had nowhere to live and I had three teenage children and my three dogs,” she said. “I remember being so worried about trying to find a rental property that would fit us all and take the dogs. I had just become a full-time artist and was not earning a huge amount of money then and had no real way of taking a mortgage on myself and paying him half the house. I was looking at rental properties which were going to cost more than the mortgage, and they didn’t take dogs. I can remember feeling sick

all the time, trying to be okay for the children and run my then very new business.”

Through her work, she now supports York-based IDAS, the North of England’s biggest domestic abuse and sexual violence charity and is this year awarding free scholarships to her academy, including a year’s membership and all the art-related materials, for a total of five women seeking help from the charity, as well as running a solo exhibition to raise funds for IDAS.

She said: “Domestic abuse can happen to anyone at any time, mentally as well as physically. I wish with all my heart that these charities didn’t have to exist, but sadly having experienced mental abuse first-hand, I know what a lifeline they are and I feel honoured to be able to support them.”

The Bonny Snowdon Academy offers real time Zoom workshops and courses aimed at different levels of skill, plus there are downloadable PDFs with step-by-step guidance showcasing drawing techniques. Her artist’s membership community called Ignite is designed to help you learn everything you need to know in order to draw realistic animals in coloured pencils and has a foundations course, a weekly art club, a monthly skills club, real time tutorials, a monthly Q&A, personalised critique, confidence building sessions, online exhibitions and a yearly awards ceremony.

Overcoming

Bonny said: “There are ultimately two different kinds of people who join my membership, those who already have the skills and determination and just want an

extra push in development, and those who are finding things a challenge, particularly around lack of self-belief and confidence. Being part of a community where everyone is cheering you on has a huge effect on self-esteem, having people who are feeling the same things, worrying about the same things, but are overcoming them and then sharing their stories really helps to show that it can be done. Everyone seems to think that they are the only ones who feel a certain way, but it’s just not true.”

There are also free art tutorials, guides and events available on her website, with access to her popular free podcast, It’s a Bonny Old Life, that aims to help increase people’s confidence, share inspiring personal stories, champion others, and support people to realise their dreams.

A new AD:VENTURE: Practical support for new business owners in West Yorkshire

By Daneile Moore

Eligibility criteria:

• The business is trading, and has been trading less than 3 years

• You aim to achieve VAT threshold (currently £85,000 per annum) level of turnover within 2 years

• You have ambitions to recruit and build the team within 12 months

Since its launch in early 2017 the AD:VENTURE business support programme has helped an incredible 4,112 businesses and 1,989 individuals, delivered a programme of over 1000 events and awarded 709 grants, supporting resilience and growth worth over £3.6 million. The support has also created 890 additional jobs in our region.

At AD:VENTURE we are passionate about helping new business owners to achieve their full potential for growth, and we are delighted to share that the programme has secured new funding to allow us to continue delivering this much valued support to new business owners in West Yorkshire.

Are you ready for a new AD:VENTURE?

Read on to find more about the new AD:VENTURE offer, and how you can access high quality and fully funded* business support.

The new programme will offer a variety of services that business owners can access on a flexible basis, something we found worked well for our clients as the demands of starting and running a new business will often mean owners are juggling multiple priorities and will prefer to access support as and when they need it.

The services available will include one to one support from an AD:VENTURE business manager and demand led workshops, both online and face to face, on a range of key topics crucial to growth, productivity and sustainability, networking and peer to peer events to help you build your connections and learn from people who are going through the same journey. You can also access Start Up Loans through our partner the Business Enterprise Fund, and the opportunity to apply for AD:VENTURE growth grant, of between £1,000 and £10,000*

How can you sign up for the new programme?

We’ll be starting the new programme in July 2023, and we are taking expressions of interest right now. Eligibility criteria does apply, so make sure to check the list below before you submit your expression of interest to avoid disappointment.

• The business is based in West Yorkshire (Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Wakefield and Leeds).

• The business is an SME (Less than 250 employees)

• The business is trading B2B, or B2C with more than 50% of turnover coming from customers outside of the West Yorkshire geography

To express interest in the new AD:VENTURE programme, visit our website at www.ad-venture.org.uk *Fully funded, which means to cost to you the business owner, subject to the business meeting the eligibility criteria for the programme.

** Subject to meeting growth criteria and requirements for match funding (50% of grant award)

Write for you

offers friendly, down to earth support to anyone writing a speech or eulogy

Do you have something you need to write such as a best man’s speech or eulogy at a loved one’s funeral? Yorkshire writer Claire Kenny may be able to help.

After amassing more than 20 years’ experience as a corporate copywriter and successfully establishing her blog My 40 Plus Life, Claire has now launched Write for you, a ‘ghost writing’ service which helps people with speeches and other personal correspondence.

She said: “We spend money on so many things, but rarely on speeches, letters, poems or other communications that could change our lives or have a huge impact on the lives of those around us. I’m passionate about providing friendly, down to earth support to anyone asked to write and deliver a speech or eulogy who feels overwhelmed or simply doesn’t have the time. And I believe it’s worth the investment.”

Claire is now focusing on highlighting

her business offering to the market, particularly the Yorkshire wedding and funeral industries, alongside her broader copywriting offer. As well as one to one coaching, workshops are being planned for wedding party members, including grooms, best men/women and fathers/ mothers of the bride.

She concludes: “It’s hugely gratifying when my clients tell me I’ve been able to articulate something they felt in their hearts but were unable to put into words. That combination of quality writing with a person’s own unique tone of voice is exactly what I’m aiming to achieve. I set up Write for you because great writing - and the wonderful results it brings - should be accessible to everyone.”

For more on Write for you and the services it offers, visit https://www. writeforyou.site/

Images boost your Google ranking

Lincoln & Perrin from Roth Read Photography, contine to share their advice with us:

What is SEO?

SEO is the process of refining a website with relevant keywords, high quality content and back links, in order to drive users to its pages.

Search engines, such as Google, love SEO and in turn reward you with a higher ranking (everyone wants to hit that front page).

Benefits of optimised images

The benefits optimised images bring are:

• Increased traffic flow from Google image searches.

• Extended period of time on a page from viewing images.

• Shared images leading to higher social influence.

• Improved keyword searches by utilising the various ways of naming a picture.

Websites make it pretty easy to optimise your photos, here’s what to look out for:

Alt text

Alt Text has two functions: to describe an image if it fails to download, and to assist partially sighted people. Both of which surreptitiously boost your SEO.

Keep it short: maximum of 12 words with spaces in between will suffice. By all means associate your keywords where you can but stay true to the content of the image.

Description/caption

A Description (also known as a Caption) sits beneath an image.

It adds context to the scene and consequently improves the user’s experience.

Descriptions need to be used wisely as they can be as distracting as they are functional. And overkill on your keywords can send a red flag to Google as being spammy.

Title Even though Titles don’t actually impact

SEO let’s give them a quick mention. Titles pop up when a cursor is hovered over an image which may, or may not, enhance the user experience.

File name

An easy SEO win is to rename an image from a meaningless Filename to a descriptive one.

Before you upload the image just rename it to a Filename which is more SEO friendly.

The stats . . .

If you’re still not convinced to optimise your images, this little Google Stat may do the trick:

10.1% of traffic searches are via the Images category.

Which equates to around 1 billion people every day.

Now if doesn’t define amazeballs . . . we don’t know what does!

Lincoln & Perrin

Roth Read Photography

www.rothreadphotography.com

New group launches in the Yorkshire region

Wise Women is a blend of networking, peer to peer support, energy healing, and coaching. It is designed to help women with business tools, and more powerfully, to help them with what happens beneath the surface.

“Women have been held back for so long that we don’t even know that we are being held back,” explained Frances Day who is launching the group.

“Sometimes we can be so busy hustling, pushing, and promoting that we forget how to be the intuitive, creative women that we’re meant to be. We’ve been taught to be safe, to be kind, to be quiet, and to support other people for so long that we’ve forgotten how powerful we really are. To do that we need to learn to listen and clear the

energetic blocks that stop us from stepping up and being magnificent. It’s almost like a remembering.”

Created

Frances uses a blend of her skills which include marketing, coaching and energy work. She added, ‘I see women trying to have it all. Permanently exhausted from running a business, taking care of the family, and getting close to burn out. Until

now, I’ve worked one to one with my clients, delivering energy work and coaching, and during this time I saw the common themes. What is needed is a place to connect at every level. Physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.

“I’ve created Wise Women because I know the power that we have is amplified when we’re here for one another. When we’ve got each other’s backs.”

The first Wise Women session are free. If you’re interested in finding out more contact admin@frances-day.co.uk

Is this the best anti-ageing supplement?

Voted for by the experts “Best Skin Supplement, 2023”

many overlook the opportunity to further utilise the positive attributes of vitamin C in a dietary supplement format for supporting skin health. Youthful, radiant skin is underpinned by a strong collagen network and liposomal vitamin C is renowned for collagen production and renewal.

Nourishing From within

Collagen is a major component of the extracellular matrix that supports skin cells within the deep layers of the skin. As we age, the ability to produce new collagen declines, which tends to affect skin hydration, elasticity and firmness altering the structure of skin tissue and resulting in a gradual loss of skin tone, making way for visible signs of ageing.

Liposomal Vitamin C, the ultimate skin hero

Vitamin C has a well-deserved reputation as one of the most popular and widely used health food supplements, especially amongst those seeking immune support and energy support. As a ‘hero’ ingredient in many topical skincare brands, the scientific benefits of vitamin C for skin health are well- documented. However,

An independent, double-blind, placebocontrolled study revealed Altrient C to increase skin elasticity by 61% and reduce fine lines and wrinkles by 13.5% within 16 weeks with 3 sachets daily, for 3 months. These glowing results highlight the significance of liposomal Altrient C for supporting collagen formation and normal skin function.

Award winning Skin Supplement

Altrient C was recently awarded the Gold Award in the Get The Gloss Wellness Awards 2023 in the category ‘Best Skin Supplement’.

“Altrient is a hero supplement for both skin and all-round health. When people hear vitamin C, they often think about the immune system, but actually, Altrient’s studies have shown significant improvements in skin health from taking just one sachet a day,” says judge Dr Sophie Shotter.

This award was judged by a panel of expert judges across 31 categories, and after rigorous testing, the editors and

judges from the fields of medicine, aesthetics, nutrition, dentistry, fitness and many more, narrowed down entries to finalists and then judged on the Gold, Silver and Bronze awards for each category.

The Altrient Skin Personality Test:

Altrient C underpins the five Altrient Skin Personalities

Take the easy online test to discover which Altrient Skin Personality is best matched to your skin type or skin concerns and receive a nutrition protocol, lifestyle tips and two key liposomal nutrition supplements- expert advice for glowing results.

www.altrient.com/skin-personality

New Jerwood resident designer at Leeds Playhouse and Tutti Frutti

‘I am absolutely thrilled to be working at Leeds Playhouse and Tutti Frutti,’ she said. ‘Theatre has always held a special place in my heart and to be working with all the amazing people at each theatre is such a wonderful opportunity.

‘I have always loved to design and make, and I am so excited to learn even more about the craft from the talented people I will be surrounded by. I can’t wait to get stuck in and start creating.’

Funding

West Yorkshire theatre designer Delicia Sorhaindo has been announced as the new Jerwood resident designer at Leeds Playhouse as part of a raft of career-boosting opportunities for Yorkshire-based creatives supported by the Jerwood Developing Artists Fund.

Delicia, who begins a one-year placement, made her professional

debut as assistant designer on Nine Night at the Playhouse last autumn. She previously worked with the theatre on a wardrobe department placement during her time at Nottingham Trent University.

Her new role will see her working on a range of projects with the Playhouse and Leeds-based children’s theatre company Tutti Frutti.

The new role is the first of two consecutive one-year placements funded by Jerwood Arts. The Playhouse is one of 16 organisations announced in December 2022 benefiting from a total of £1m invested in early-career artist development programmes over the next two years. As well as the one-year placements, the funding will enable the Leeds-based theatre and charity to create two short-term placements and two Introduction to Design training courses for up to 30 locally based designers.

Amy Leach, deputy artistic director said: ‘We’re thrilled that Delicia will be joining us. She is a brilliant artist with a fantastic understanding of stories and how design can support the communication of these to an audience. We can’t wait for her to start her year of learning and development, and

to continue our partnership with Jerwood Arts and Tutti Frutti in supporting the development of early career designers based here in West Yorkshire.

Delicia will be offered unique opportunities to learn from a wide range of activities and production departments across the Playhouse. She will work closely with Furnace, the theatre’s renowned artistic development programme, which is widely regarded as one of the most ambitious and well-respected initiatives of its kind in the UK. She will also work with Tutti Frutti, which is based in Harehills, Leeds, and has 30 years’ experience in creating high quality, inventive theatre for children aged 3+ and their families.

Wendy Harris, artistic director of Tutti Frutti, said: ‘Tutti Frutti are right behind this brilliant Jerwood Arts opportunity for a designer starting out in their career. We are keen for all creative theatre artists to see and experience the wonders of making work for young audiences and we look forward to working alongside Leeds Playhouse to support and encourage Delicia to learn and thrive.’

Lilli Geissendorfer, director of Jerwood Arts, said: ‘We are proud to be able to support Leeds Playhouse to create a valuable space for their new Jerwood Resident Designer. Delicia now has the opportunity to grow her skills and fulfil her potential with the support from a brilliant team and fantastic resources. Competitive processes have the potential to burden the selected with the weight of “representing the future”, but Delicia can wear this lightly – the future is already here, and she’s shaping it.’

New brand manager appointed at Mighty Fine Confectionery

Mighty Fine, the UK’s favourite honeycomb brand, has announced the appointment of brand manager, Olivia De Juan.

Olivia will be responsible for bringing innovative and creative solutions to the business as well as being involved with long-term strategic planning. Olivia has a passion for FMCG marketing and has previous experience working as a brand account executive at All About Food, where she worked on the Nando’s account. Here, she focused on shopper marketing, working with retail and design agencies, presenting brand plans to trade, and managing the trade marketing spend.

In 2022, Mighty Fine became part of the Serious Sweet Company family, based in the heart of English confectionary heaven, Harrogate. The brand has grown significantly in recent years, with handcrafted honeycomb chocolates now

available in major supermarkets across the UK.

Olivia said: “I’m delighted to join Mighty Fine. After trying the products, I instantly believed in the premium quality, the unique craft, and handmade positioning of the brand. Mighty Fine has a great product and unique voice and I am looking forward to working with the team, who between them, have decades of experience.”

Jonathan Burr, head of marketing at SSC Brands, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Olivia. Her passion for FMCG marketing, the brand, and her previous experience will be an asset to the business, and I’m looking forward to working closely with Olivia in the coming months, as we plan for 2024 and beyond.”

Women on a mission to help others discover their midlife magic

Four Yorkshire women are putting the “middle years” in the spotlight this autumn in a special event aimed at sharing their own experiences with hundreds of other women.

Find Your Midlife Magic will take place on Tuesday October 3rd in the stunning surroundings of Goldsborough Hall near Knaresborough.

The event is headed by four Yorkshire women who are all in the public eye and have all faced the challenge of the “middle years.”

Model and event co-ordinator Bernadette Gledhill, body image

guru and podcaster, Rachel Peru, TV personality Annie Stirk and journalist and TV presenter Christine Talbot are fronting the event which puts navigating the middle years at the top of the agenda.

The friends, who have often worked together over the years, were all experiencing the unique challenges facing women in midlife.

From physical and mental health issues

to body image, changing skin and hair, the demands of caring responsibilities or new life patterns - they all found they were looking for new ways to get the most out of life.

Now they plan to share their experiences with hundreds of other women in a fun and informative event called “Find Your Midlife Magic.”

Themes will range from health, hormones and nutrition to skincare, fashion and dealing with all the stresses and challenges that can affect women of a so-called “certain age.”

Photographer Kate Mallender. Outfits were supplied by John Lewis

Midlife women are often referred to as the “sandwich generation” regularly facing the dual pressures of caring for ageing parents while still parenting or grandparenting younger family members – literally in the middle of their own competing life stresses.

The ladies are on a mission to help change all this and will be joined on the day by a stellar line up of guest speakers.

Gaynor Faye, the award-winning actor, and writer is the keynote speaker at the event. Gaynor has been on our screens for over 30 years and known for her role as Judy Mallet in Coronation Street. She has also starred more recently in Emmerdale as the long running drama’s villain Megan Marcy. She has starred in Fat Friends, Playing the Field and The Syndicate and was the first champion of Dancing on Ice in 2006!

Gaynor appeared in the original west-end stage production of Calendar Girls and Band of Gold and is also a screenwriter with Rollem, the company founded by her mum the writer Kay Mellor who sadly passed away last year. Interviewed by Christine, she

will share her story of how she is navigating her own journey through midlife as a working mum and daughter.

Inspirational

Dr Jane Gilbert is a qualified doctor who now works as a health writer and presenter. She has a keen interest in supporting women through the challenges of the menopause and other midlife health issues.

Flamboyant and fun celebrity hair stylist Andrew Barton has over three decades of hairdressing experience and is renowned as hairdressing royalty. He will bring his expert tips and advice as well as carrying

out some transformative makeovers with Fab Four team member and style guru Bernadette providing style and fashion advice with her trademark flair.

The inspirational celebrity life coach and motivational speaker Lisa Clifford will share her amazing story of how she learned to be her own “unstoppable self.” Lisa is a qualified master firewalking instructor, Master NLP Practitioner and has trained in Hypnosis under Paul McKenna.

“You can be the person you want to be” says Lisa “and I’m here to take you on that journey.”

Bernadette said:” I am incredibly excited about sharing this day with Christine, Annie and Rachel and to welcoming our amazing guest speakers who have become an inspirational part of our team.

Empowering

Annie, who found a whole second career in modelling after her retirement from TV, said:

“There is a whole world of exciting opportunities and challenges waiting to be discovered by women who have reached midlife. Nothing is impossible, we are often just limited by our own self-doubt.

“This will be a special day for women who want to find the confidence to take a leap and unlock their lust for life and discover their Midlife Magic.”

Former ITV Presenter and broadcaster, Christine Talbot, will host the event bringing her own characteristic warmth and wit.

She said: “Between us we span all the decades of midlife and realised we were all going through or had gone through similar experiences. We know that so many women have the same feelings and experiences and want to make changes in their lives, and this is about putting those experiences in the spotlight.

“We want to make this a really enjoyable and fun, but informative day – our aim is for every single one of our guests to go away feeling energised, inspired and empowered as they navigate this chapter of their lives.”

Classic model and fashion expert

Rachel, who also hosts the popular podcast “Out of the Bubble” said: “I am so excited to see this empowering day come together because when women share their stories and inspire one another, magic happens.”

“Find Your Midlife Magic” will take place from 9.30 am to 5pm on Tuesday October 3rd at Goldsborough Hall, Church Street, Goldsborough, near Knaresborough HG5 8NR.

Tickets are £125 per person, including lunch and refreshments for the day. To book and for more details visit https://www.goldsboroughhall.com/whatson/midlifemagicevent

“I am so excited to see this empowering day come together because when women share their stories and inspire one another, magic happens... Rachel Peru

Entrepreneur builds one of the highest rated academies in the UK

When Claire Raby,from Keighley, began renting a small space in a hair salon to carry out aesthetic treatments in 2015, she could only dream of the journey that she was embarking on.

Fast forward eight years and Claire has since opened her own clinic, treated over 10,000 clients, and founded, not just one of the toprated training academies in the north, but in the whole of the UK.

Her brand, Amica Aesthetics, was set up to provide a safe and trustworthy clinic, filled with highly

qualified practitioners which is something that’s not always a given in the aesthetics industry.

Claire explains, “Nowadays, finding a practitioner to carry out various aesthetic treatments is easy. But finding one that you can, and should, trust can be hard. And this is something that I am constantly working to change.”

With over eight years of experience under their belts, extensive industry knowledge, as well as countless qualifications and accolades, clients can rest assured that their trust

I wanted to launch my own training academy to make sure that the next generation of practitioners are trained to the same high standard that my own team are...

is well placed in each member of the team.

They specialise in aesthetic injectables on all areas of the face, with some of their most popular treatments being their bespoke facial contour packages, lip fillers, antiwrinkle injections and advanced skin treatments.

After finding such success with her own clinic in North Leeds and being concerned about the evergrowing amount of unregulated and undertrained practitioners, Claire decided to do something about it.

She said, “I wanted to launch my own training academy to make sure that the next generation of practitioners are trained to the same high standard that my own team are.”

She continued, “Our ethos is, and always has been, to focus on small,

natural enhancements. We would never carry out treatments that we don’t see a benefit in. I wanted to see other practitioners follow suit with this ideology. I decided that

the best way to do this would be by training them myself and so far, we have trained over 300 students.”

The academies in depth training programme, sees students complete their training in small class sizes to ensure attention to detail is maintained and that each student gains the essential, and vast, amount of knowledge necessary to embark upon a career in the aesthetics industry.

It’s this approach to training, and the ongoing student support offered, that has seen the academy receive multiple industry awards and accolades such as being named the top-rated training academy in the UK for two consecutive years by the Centre of CPD Excellence.

Looking to the future, founder Claire hopes that Amica Aesthetics will put her hometown of Leeds on the map as the place to go for, not just safe aesthetic treatments, but trusted, accredited training courses too.

Video Marketing, how it benefits your business

By: Sophie Mei Lan

How can women use video to promote their business? Learn how to edit, create content and shoot videos that make an impact for your brand each issue with journalist and film-maker Sophie Mei Lan.

Many women are missing out on huge video marketing opportunities due to a lack of confidence and experience showing up on video. Here’s why and how to start creating your own vlogs and video content.

Video is valuable, your customers can get to know you within seconds, making a bigger impact than photos and words. It is a quick way for people to get to know, like and trust you and better still it is cost-effective too.

As a professional vlogger video has shaped my career. Many women I interview however simply do not want

to be on video for fear of how they look, sound and worries about how they will be perceived.

Whether you want to campaign for something you care about or simply to promote your brand, the reality is people buy into you much more than a faceless cause.

Here are some top tips to get started on video:

• Where appropriate, start video messaging your customers and clients. Even applying on video when filling out applications where it is welcomed. I always do the latter because it helps you to stand out from the crowd.

• Set yourself a challenge to do one video per week or per day, whatever is realistic and make yourself accountable with someone.

• Jot down lots of ideas for content such as behind-the-scenes, comments on trending news, your story of why you do what you do and any new products.

• Get filming: Remember to always look into the lens of the camera/ phone not into the display screen. Talk into it like you’re talking to somebody.

• If you’re doing more vlogging style, hold your phone still or with a selfie stick or in a ring light. You can progress to getting sound equipment but for now just make sure your background is as quiet as possible and use a room which is furnished if you’re filming inside. To do more of a set up shot use a tripod or balance your phone on some books or ask a friend to hold it still.

• Less is more: Decide what the video is going to be on and research the kinds of videos and what platforms your clients are on. Try to keep it as short as possible. Or you could plan a longer form video for youtube or your website and then cut that down into short snippets for social media.

Promote: Don’t stop at just publishing the video, it’s all about promoting it. Share your video with relevant people, groups and if it’s of use you may want to share it with the press too.

If you want to make an impact with video, get in touch @SparkleCIC. Https:// SophieMeiLan.co.Uk

EU law in the UK: will it be retained?

Article by Kelly Stevens, Tutor & Dr Clare Young, Campus Manager

What could this mean for you and your business?

So which laws will disappear at the end of the year?

EU law in the UK: will it be retained?

During the UK’s 46 years as a member of the European Union (EU), the UK passed hundreds of laws which derived from EU law in some way. The percentage of current UK legislation that originates from EU law is unclear, with estimates ranging from 7% to 75% (no surprise that the higher estimate was from Nigel Farage). The House of Commons Library has confirmed the actual percentage is (probably unsurprisingly) most likely a number between the two figures.

During the negotiations for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, there were fears that completely cutting ties with EU law altogether could cause serious legal repercussions and uncertainty. The EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 was intended to help quell these concerns, preserving EU law already incorporated into our legislation as ‘retained law’.

The future of retained EU law

The future of retained EU law has been something of a political football. The original plan, spearheaded by Jacob Rees-Mogg, had been for the majority of EU retained law to ‘sunset’, or expire, on 31 December 2023. The main justification given for this approach was the express aim of ensuring abolition of EU supremacy over UK law.

However, it appears concerns about the enormity of the task, and fears that important laws may simply disappear unless specifically retained or replaced, have led to a government U-turn. Rather than the original ‘bonfire’ of over 4,000 laws at the end of the year, it will now be a smaller pile of 600 that are revoked. The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill will contain a list of the laws to be revoked on 31 December, with anything not set out on the list remaining in force.

Retained law that survives to next year will be assessed and consulted on in due course.

The recent announcement regarding the change in government direction highlights that it is intended to cut burdensome red tape and hopefully save employers £1billion per year. The laws to be revoked are wide ranging, including EU Orders and various regulations dealing with topics such as air pollution, fisheries and flood risks. On 1 January 2024 there will no longer be any reference to the supremacy of EU law or EU legal principles.

Depending on your industry sector there may be changes that are relevant to you. An area where wide changes were expected was employment law, of relevance to most businesses. However, come the new year, we will only be missing two sets of Regulations related to Posted Workers, and the Community Drivers’ Hours and Working Time (Road Tankers) (Temporary Exception) (Amendment) Regulations 2006. The impact of this loss for you may be minimal.

However, the government will continue with the mammoth task of reviewing all EU retained law. The express intention is to reduce the burden on business, to streamline regulation, and to constrain action by regulators to ensure it is only taken when needed and that is proportionate. How these aims are translated into a new streamlined set of UK legislation remains to be seen.

Complaint handling for business success

By Ros Jones - Business Coach

How good is your customer service – really? Is the way your individual team members handle complaints supporting your mission for your business?

Customer complaints can be invaluable feedback for us in business. They can inform us of improvements we need to make to deliver consistently good customer service. Because that’s what keeps customers coming back to us.

It’s five or six times easier and cheaper to sell to existing customers than it is to go out to win new customers. The way we handle complaints is an easy way to retain existing customers - or it can be the easiest way to lose customers for ever.

When we receive a complaint, there’s a risk that we take it personally and react accordingly by getting angry and defensive. But when delivering great customer service, we must leave our own private thoughts and feelings out of it. Everyone in the business must be bought into the business vision

and mission and that includes any suppliers we may subcontract too.

Six tips to ensure everyone in your team delivers the great customer service you promise your customers.

(1) Be clear on your business vision and mission.

Every business needs a clear idea of where it’s going, what problem it solves for its customers or what it wants to be known for. This is the business vision.

The business mission is how the business will achieve its vision.

Everyone in the business needs to reminded continually about the business vision and mission so that they become their own individual vision and mission too.

(2) Train, train, train

We need to be providing ongoing learning and development opportunities for our team, even if it’s just a regular 15-minute sharing of recent experiences and identifying how we can do things differently next time.

(3) Self-awareness

How we respond to events is a result of the way we think. So, we need to be more aware of how we think – and choose different thoughts if necessary.

(4) Listen – find out what the customer wants (not what you want!)

Everyone wants to be heard and understood. The easiest way to have your customer achieve that is to ask questions and listen. Repeat the issue back in your customer’s words to be sure they know you’ve understood.

(5) Develop empathy

We need to put our own ego aside and put ourselves in our customer’s shoes. This is another human being you’re dealing with. How are they feeling right now? Be kind.

(6) Be proactive

Rather than coming up with reasons why something can’t be done, find out how you can help this customer with the right solution for them.

If you’d like to discuss this issue or find out how I can help you and your team, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.

Ros Jones, Business Coaching rosjones@businesswellbeing.club

Master Cutler Dame Julie’s £50 challenge

Conditioning, accountants Hartshaw, Grant Thornton and BHP, law firms DLA Piper and Irwin Mitchell, architects Donald Insall Associates, Sheffield Hallam University and OSL Group Holdings.

The annual Master Cutler’s Challenge has brought in over £1 million for local causes since launching in 2008.

Each new Master Cutler of Hallamshire chooses a charity to support and fundraisers are given a £50 fund which they are tasked with growing into as large a sum as possible.

Dame Julie has chosen the Educational and Community Programme at Wentworth Woodhouse, the Grade I listed Georgian masterpiece which was crumbling into ruin when her five-year campaign with SAVE led to the purchase of the house for £7 million in 2017.

Regeneration

With Dame Julie as Chair, the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust began the task of regenerating the house and changing the economic fortunes, and people’s perceptions, of Rotherham.

Big-hearted South Yorkshire businesses are being urged to back a charity challenge set by the second woman in 398 years to lead the Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire.

Dame Julie Kenny DBE DL, who was appointed to the prestigious role in October, has launched her Master

Cutler’s Challenge and aims to raise £200,000 by September 30.

The money will help fund community-enriching projects at her beloved Wentworth Woodhouse, the Rotherham stately home she helped to save for the nation in 2017.

Companies already signed up include AESSEAL, Vulcan Steels, Airmaster Air

“I am very proud to be only the second female Master in almost 400 years. Every year the Master Cutler has a cause they want to raise awareness of; mine is the Wentworth Woodhouse educational and community programme, which strives to increase diversity and inclusion in South Yorkshire,” said Dame Julie, founder of award-winning Rotherham electronic security manufacturer Pyronix.FF

“I got involved in Wentworth Woodhouse not only to rescue such an important and beautiful place, but also because I wanted it to become a catalyst for change - supporting regeneration, providing jobs and workplace opportunities and becoming a place for the people.

“We have achieved a huge amount in six years. It is now one of the core pillars in South Yorkshire and is transforming lives and communities in what is one of the most deprived regions in Europe.

“I came from a very poor background. Sometimes we didn’t eat and often we had no electricity or gas because my mother didn’t pay the bills.

Supporting

“As a child I was written off as a low achiever, but I have achieved significant things. The trust is giving people just like me educational and entrepreneurial programmes, training opportunities and cultural experiences they might never otherwise have got a chance of.

“I urge the region’s businesses to join in the Master Cutler’s Challenge 2023 and help Wentworth Woodhouse change more lives.”

Money raised will go towards the trust’s activities supporting lowincome families, ethnic and minority groups and people with disabilities, including the creation of a Community Growing Garden. Situated on the Drying Green, where for centuries laundry maids pegged bedlinen out to dry, a fully accessible space will feature raised growing beds, polytunnels and greenhouses.

Up to 20 local community groups will be able to grow their own food, develop gardening skills and friendships.

Bridging the digital divide:

Virgin Money and Good Things Foundation roll out the National Databank

Virgin Money is increasing the support available to people living in digital poverty by rolling out the National Databank into more of its stores across the UK, including nine in Yorkshire.

The National Databank, founded by Virgin Media O2 and leading digital inclusion charity, Good Things Foundation, is like a foodbank but provides free mobile data, texts, and calls for people in need.

Following a six-month pilot*, which took place in 16 of its stores across the UK, including Leeds, Rotherham and Sheffield, Virgin Money has now increased the number of stores taking part in the National Databank

to 33. Nine of these new locations are in Yorkshire, with Barnsley, Bradford, Castleford, Doncaster, Hull, and Middlesbrough now benefitting from the programme.

Through the National Databank, people that suffer from digital poverty and live in these areas can request a voucher from a local community support organisation registered with Good Things Foundation, take it to a participating Virgin Money store and pick up a Virgin Media O2 sim card loaded with 20GB of free data – enough for around 220 hours of internet browsing per month. The free data allowance renews every month for six months. Speciallytrained Virgin Money hosts will help users to register their sim cards, show them how to get online

and offer tips on how to stay safe when browsing.

To support people who are impacted by digital poverty but living outside of these areas, Virgin Money has also worked closely with Good Things Foundation to provide specialist training for its customer care team to help people identify and contact alternative National Databank sites nearby, whether it is a Virgin Money store or not.

Expanding its partnership with Good Things Foundation further, Virgin Money has also provided funding for c. 150 refurbished smartphones and tablets as part of the charity’s National Device Bank programme, which works alongside the National Databank programme to provide free smart devices to people who are unable to afford them.

Lyn Rose, head of customer care and stores at Virgin Money, said: “Many of us take for granted how easy it is to use digital tools to complete everyday tasks such as paying bills, comparing insurance premiums and even chatting with friends and family

online. However, for people living in digital poverty, getting online isn’t quite as straightforward or affordable and we want to change that. Over the past six months we have seen first-hand the positive difference that free monthly data can have on people in need, and driven by our purpose of making you happier about money, we are expanding our work with Good Things Foundation and Virgin Media O2 to help more people get online and out of digital poverty.”

Helen Milner OBE, group chief executive, Good Things Foundation, said: “Having enough data in our increasingly digital society is not a nice to have, it’s an absolute essential. If you’re not online you can’t save money on products and services, help your children participate in homelearning, or apply for jobs. There are 2 million households struggling to afford internet access in the UK today, and 10 million adults lack the most basic digital skills. We’re delighted to work with Virgin Money to more than double the number of Virgin Money stores taking part in the UK National Databank. Together we can help fix the digital divide.”

thePutting City of York on the map

Credit: Gareth Buddo

first met Sarah Loftus when Sarah worked at Wakefield Council. After leaving, she headed over the Pennines to work for Trafford Council then onto Lincoln before returning to Yorkshire and becoming managing director of Visit York.Here Sarah tells us a little about her successful career to date.

Sarah attended not one, but three universities. Humberside Polytechnic (now Lincoln University) gaining a BA (Hons) in Social Science, University College London, gaining MPhil Town Planning and London School of Economics coming away with a PhD in Social Policy.

Business was always in Sarah’s blood. Her first job was selling buckets and spades on Skegness Beach when she was just 14 years old. “It was great fun, but I only got paid if I sold something,” she laughed. “Back then I had ambitions to be a deep-sea diver, I love swimming and water and thought it would have been a really challenging and rewarding job. However, my first ‘proper’ job after leaving University was as a community safety researcher on the Gipsyville Estate in Hull.” A western suburb of the city, Gipsyville was established at the beginning of the 20th century as a housing and factory development and derives its name from a black lead product ‘gipsy black metal polish’ that was produced locally at the Hargreaves & Bros company works. During the interwar period, a large council estate of over 1000 dwellings was built to the north of the original development.

“It was a fantastic job and I even got to meet the Queen when she visited the estate to see the work we had achieved.”

Fast forward to today and Sarah

joined Visit York as managing director in November 2022. “My ambition at the time of joining was to ensure the city of York returned strong as a UK destination after Covid and residents and visitors

Yorkshire Businesswoman editor Gill Laidler

were able to enjoy all the city had to offer. I also wanted to bring back some of the amazing events such as the ice trail and create some new events like York Life. A key priority was, and still is, developing the fabulous Shambles Market and keeping it the Best Outdoor Market in the UK.”

So how did the pandemic affect York? “It was an extremely difficult time. I worked through it and as a non-

FACT FILE: Husband / partner name: Carl Children (if any) names and ages: Henri, Susanna and Liam What car do you drive? BMW 1 series such a lovely car.

What do you do in your leisure time? Run, Walk, Travel

Where is your favourite restaurant? Too many to choose from in York, but I really like Thai and love a good Spag Bol!

What is your favourite food and drink? Chi Tea Latte and all chocolate.

Where is your favourite holiday destination? Vietnam

Where is your favourite place in Yorkshire? York

What is your favourite gadget? Fitbit – love it!

What couldn’t you live without? Books

for-profit organisation, had to ensure that team members were safe and had employment to come back to, whilst providing services and leadership to our members, at the same time, planning for recovery,” Sarah told us. “I had three vulnerable people to support, it was an emotionally and physically challenging time for everyone. I do think though it has made me more resilient and allowed me to embrace change quickly.

“I do love my job. I like the fact it allows me to be creative and tell the amazing history of York. The city has so many hidden gems, fantastic businesses, attractions, and places to enjoy, and I get the opportunity to promote all that as well as enjoy it myself,” she enthused. Working with some fabulous people and organisations who share the same ambitions for the city is a highlight of my role.”

We all know York is an amazing place to visit and work, so what are the downsides?

“That will be the lack of funding,” she continued. “We really need some major Government funding so we can improve the infrastructure and public spaces that the residents and visitors to the city deserve. I would like to improve some of the public spaces and encourage people to regard the hospitality sector as a good career choice to increase its value.”

So, what is a typical day like for Sarah?

“Challenging and surprising as every day is different. I can be talking about a Snooks trail, Christmas markets, international marketing campaigns and visitor experiences one day to budgets, health & safety and public safety another day. My role is so diverse,” she explained. “I don’t have any regrets in my career, I have enjoyed the journey so far and I’m happy with the mistakes I have made as I learned from them. I am totally happy where I am now.

We really need some major Government funding so we can improve the infrastructure and public spaces that the residents and visitors to the city deserve...

Credit: Gareth Buddo

Tips on how to create the perfect storm around your brand

By Kay Storey

Kay Storey, chief brandstormer and founder of Brandstorm Creatives,is an intuitive branding expert who’s supported the likes of; Morrisons, Siemens and Motorola over the years. A best-selling author, global branding educator, founder and trailblazer behind Brandstorm Creatives and School of Brand @brandstormcreatives.

This year, Kay is celebrating 25 years in business.

Kay is on a mission to have an exponential impact in helping people build their brands and create strong identities. She said, “It influences how your “brand” is thought of by your audience when they hear or see your brand name which builds reputation

and trust. It can positively impact you as a business owner, builds confidence, creates new opportunities, reaches more people, sells more products, can put you on stages and even change more lives.”

“For almost 25 years, I have worked with ambitious business owners to help them stand out with power, in a sea of sameness. I know that riding the storm of business is no mean feat and that is why I am passionate about helping others to communicate the power behind their brands, with energy and purpose.

You have the spark when it comes to your products and services. So, why would you settle for anything less when it comes to your brand?

During this turbulent time, the strength of your brand will help you to weather the storm of a recession if you keep to your brand promise, stay in your lane and be visible.

1.Shine a light on your brand

A brand review looks at the strengths of your business and identifies the areas for opportunity that you should be grabbing with both hands. Think of this as a health check for your business. When was the last time you did one?

2.Be a lighthouse in the white noise storm

What draws people to you? Be as visible as possible, in fact, increase your visibility. There are so many

options to be more visible, find one you enjoy or are comfortable with. At a time when many businesses go into panic mode, be brave, invest in yourself and keep shining bright.

3.Build a brand they won’t forget

Share your mission, vision and values. Share your passion. Share your story. Regardless of whether you’ve travelled a rocky road, or it’s been plain sailing, tell your story, we all have one! There’s nothing like a compelling story to trigger the emotions and let people into your world. Up close and personal is the best way to get your target audience to build a connection with you.

4.Build a brand with energy

You have less than three seconds to make a storming first impression. There are too many cookie cutter brands out there pinning their hopes of being noticed using overused templates. Show up with high voltage creatives to draw people to your brand.

5.Stay in your own lane

Beware of Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS). During tough times it’s easy to get distracted with new products and services. If you are going to branch out and it is aligned with your current brand then great, if not it will cause confusion with mixed messaging, inconsistency and will devalue your expert status.

The best brands need constant evolution, aspirational strategies, and the kind of lightning-bolt thinking that will help you knock it out of the park.”

To find out more visit www. brandstormcreatives.com or www.linkedin.com/in/ kaystorey

Yorkshire Blogger Awards 2023 nominations are open

Organisers announce that nominations are now open for the third year of the Awards.

Spokesperson Kim Smith says: “The Yorkshire Blogger Awards celebrate the creative, diverse digital talent that the county has to offer, with Yorkshire being home to some of the most inspiring and forward-thinking online contributors.

“The 2023 event will take place on Saturday, September 30th at The Queens Hotel in Leeds. Details of the award categories and how to enter can be found at www. yorkshirebloggerawards.co.uk”

The Yorkshire Blogger Awards are sponsored by Leeds’ digital agency Ascensor with nominations for the awards being made by the public. Judging is managed by a panel of digital sector experts from a range of business sectors.

Kim Smith says “We’re really looking forward to the third Yorkshire Blogger Awards and are thrilled to announce that nominations are

now open. This Awards evening has quickly established itself as a key event in the digital sector calendar, celebrating the successes of bloggers, influencers and YouTubers in a variety of categories.”

She adds: “The quality of this year’s nominations is bound to be high. We look forward to announcing talented winners on September 30th.”

The categories for the 2023 Yorkshire Blogger Awards are Crafting; Travel; Beauty; Lifestyle; Food and Drink; Fashion; Health and Fitness; Parenting; Disability and Mental Health; Wedding; Interiors; Business; Photography. There are also three People’s Choice Awards for Inspirational Influencer, Small Business of the Year and Most Creative Feed.

Why NOW is the best time to submit your Tax Return

When it comes to filing your self assessment tax return, it’s easy to fall into the trap of procrastination. After all, it’s not the most exciting task on your to-do list, and with the deadline not until January, it can be tempting to put it off until later in the year. However, there are several compelling reasons why it’s important to do your self assessment early.

First and foremost, submitting your self assessment early can help you reduce your July payment on account.

If you’re self-employed or have other income that’s not taxed through PAYE, you’ll likely have to make payments on account towards your tax bill twice a year – in January and July. These payments are based on your previous year’s tax bill, but if you submit your self assessment early and your tax liability for the current year is lower than expected, you can reduce your July payment on account. This means you’ll have more money in your pocket in the short term, which can be a significant benefit for small business owners and freelancers.

Another advantage of doing your self assessment early is that it allows you to plan your cash flow and future payments more effectively. By knowing your

tax liability early on, you can budget accordingly and avoid any unpleasant surprises down the line. You can also start putting money aside for your tax bill if necessary, rather than scrambling to come up with the funds at the last minute.

Significant

If you’re in the process of updating your mortgage, submitting your self assessment early can be particularly beneficial. Mortgage lenders will typically require up-to-date tax information as part of the application process, so having your self assessment done and dusted can help streamline the process and ensure that your application is processed as quickly as possible.

Finally, doing your self assessment early can help reduce stress and allow you to focus more fully on your business. By

getting this task out of the way, you’ll have one less thing to worry about, which can free up mental space and energy for other important tasks. You’ll also have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your tax affairs are in order, which can be a significant source of stress for many small business owners and freelancers.

The benefits of doing your self assessment early far outweigh the potential drawbacks. By submitting your return now, you’ll be able to reduce your July payment on account, plan your cash flow more effectively, streamline your mortgage application, and reduce stress and distractions. So why wait until January? Get your self assessment done and dusted now, and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with being ahead of the game.

Senior hire for Leeds tech firm with eyes on £100m turnover Company of the Month

Transformational technology specialist CloudCoCo Group PLC has appointed a new head of cloud and innovation — Lee Thatcher — as the Leeds-headquartered business eyes an ambitious £100m revenue target.

With 140 employees and over 1,000 customers throughout the country — typically organisations with 251500 employees — CloudCoCo is currently a £25m revenue IT services and communication company, specialising in network connectivity, cloud, collaboration tech and cyber.

But Lee’s appointment — in the month that marks the group’s

fifth anniversary — also signals CloudCoCo’s evolution into a multi-cloud player. This means that, having long been a Microsoft Gold Partner, the company is now cloud agnostic — one of many transitions that opens up a wealth of growth potential for the established brand.

CloudCoCo’s core network seamlessly connects over 35 of the industry’s

main data centres. This stepchange — to now put that network at the heart of multi-cloud transformations — has also been fuelled by two new industry collaborations. An exclusive partnership has been agreed with large-scale digital innovation specialist Abstract Tech, similarly based in Leeds, plus CloudCoco has also entered into a strategic agreement with Ingram Micro UK for the supply of Microsoft Azure and other cloud services.

“Our strapline as a business has always been — the future starts now,” said founder and CEO Mark Halpin. “Our foresight means we break new boundaries with tech, but our people ensure that this tech makes a difference — that it is successfully adopted, and adds real value inside our clients’ organisations, as they navigate their cloud journey.

Hospitality industry counts £1.8m cost of fake tan on bedding and towels

Though recipes vary, stubborn staining is caused by heavy concentrations of dye reacting with alcohols and mineral oils in the product, rubbing off tanned skin, to leave marks that fix fast to cottons — especially during sweaty summer nights.

However, advances in technology mean snowy white linens can now be restored to pristine condition thanks to clever cleaning techniques involving opening up fibres to release discolouration.

Regenex’s technical director, Paul Hamilton, a chartered colourist, and his team, have pioneered new, patented methods in removing this complex stain. Further research and refinement continues.

Paul said: “I talk to many long-suffering laundry owners and managers on my travels. They tell me that fake tan and make-up are the stains they dread the most.

Fake tanners and heavy make-up users are costing UK hotels and holiday lets up to £1.792m per year by leaving marks on bedding on towels, according to new figures from West Yorkshire linen recovery specialists Regenex.

Laundries all over the country are now condemning an estimated 224 tons of sheets, pillowcases, duvet covers, and towels each year, due to fake tan, self-tan or heavy make-up* — at a huge cost to the environment as well as company finances.

The popularity of sunless tanning has risen dramatically in the past 15 years. Coupled with the current

trend for heavy, contoured make-up, this 2020s beauty essential has become the scourge of hotel housekeepers.

Bradford-based Regenex, which uses advanced colour chemistry techniques to restore stained linens for many large UK laundry groups, has calculated that up to a fifth of material arriving for processing has dreaded fake tan streaks.

“I heard a story about one hotel that hosted a bodybuilding competition recently and had to throw away three full cages of linen afterwards. This leads us to wonder, should fake tanners pay extra if they mark the linen in their rooms?”

He says the chemistry in products that combines to create a ‘dyeing system’ for human skin also works effectively to colour sheets and towels.

Paul continues: “There’s also a trend among social media beauty influencers to wipe off heavy make-up using towels

and facecloths, and this too is leading to more stained and discoloured items than ever before, as people emulate such routines.

“Margins for the hospitality industry are tight - and hoteliers must recoup such losses where they can. Maybe it is time for them to say enough is enough and impose charges?”

Processing costs for stained linen are typically 30% of the price of buying new items. Opting to revive linen and return it to stock, rather than sending to landfill or rag, has the important benefit of helping laundries to lower their carbon footprints, and cut down on unnecessary manufacturing.

Paul continues: “Our research indicates that machine washing linens in the usual way, especially more than once, can fix fake tan stains further. My advice is to seek specialist cleaning as soon as possible to give those towels and sheets the best chance of survival.”

Regenex also offers dyeing services and has seen an upturn in requests to revitalise tan-stained white towels with rich shades for spa-type use.

The science behind fake tan - or how it browns you like a roast chicken

When self-tanning, the same type of reaction occurs to human skin as during the baking and roasting of foods such as meat, during cooking.

Fake tan or self-tan is typically manufactured with 1% dye, a significant concentration of colour. Independently tested by Regenex, using a spectrophotometer, the composition of one popular brand is 0.75 yellow, 0.15 red and 0.10 blue.

Dyes are usually synthetic and derived from petrochemicals. Commonly used are FD and C Red 40 and, FD and C Yellow 5, which must carry health warnings when used in food production in Europe, as well as FD and C Blue 1, which can cause skin irritation.

Some products contain formaldehyde and hydroquinone - which have both been linked with serious health problems in particular contexts.

Dye is combined with skin-softening mineral oils, and alcohols such as ethanol, to help the solution go onto the skin evenly. Parabens are added to increase shelf life, as well as perfume.

A commonly used ingredient is Dihydroxyacetone (DHA), often derived from plant sources such as sugar beets

and sugar cane, in conjunction with Erythrulose, a natural keto-sugar.

DHA and Erythrulose react with amino acids in the dead layer of surface skin. This process is called the Maillard reaction, leading to the production of Melanoidins that give the appearance of a tan. This is the same type of reaction which occurs during the baking and roasting of foods such as meat during cooking.

* How the cost of fake tan to hospitality is calculated

The Textile Services Association estimates 2,000 tonnes of linen is discarded every year and 56% of all linen in commercial laundry systems is from the hospitality industry. This indicates that 224 tonnes of the 1,120 tonnes binned by hotels and holiday lets are marked with fake tan.

As new, good quality hospitality linen typically costs £8 per kilo that’s a cost to the industry of £1.792m - the volume equivalent of 200,000 sheets.

Paul Hamilton inspecting Linen at Regenex sml

Bolton Castle unlocks its history with new app guide

Bolton Castle announces a 21st century addition to its visitor offer: a new acoustic guide App which visitors can use for free with entry through their own mobile phones. The App will enable visitors to enjoy insights and historical facts of the castle as they take in one of the UK’s best preserved medieval castle in the country.

Visitors can download the new audio App and hear the stories of the castle brought alive. The easy to navigate App is a fun way to find out about the turbulent history of the castle, its incumbents and their way of life through the ages. There’s an audio tour for each room of the castle, so visitors can dip in and out as much as they wish, with voices from the Living History team who know and love the castle. Visitors can find out about Mary Queen of Scots’ captivity, how Lord Scrope’s army prepared for war, and how the servants made sure

life included some luxuries as well as day to day chores to keep this home functioning, amongst other sneak peeks on life in a castle. Visitors can immerse themselves in the history and find out more than they ever thought they needed to know! Free with entry, the audio App lets you unlock the stories behind the castle walls.

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Following the successful launch of the Entry App last year, where visitors can purchase entry tickets,

find out about events and keep up to date on activities, General Manager Jacqui Naylor is delighted with the new addition. “We trialled the new acoustic guide App over the last two weeks of the Easter holidays, and visitors’ comments have been overwhelmingly positive and reassured us that this is the right time and the right addition to our visitor offer. It’s easy to presume that people read the printed guide, or see our interpretation signage, but an App is an easy way to really bring our story alive as you stand exactly where Lord Scrope addressed his troops, or where every day Medieval life took place. The App is easy to download on your mobile, its risk-free, and easy to dip in and out of. It’s a simple idea that works extremely well.”

New sculpture at Stonebridge Beck signals the next chapter for heritage site

new heritage homes and contemporary houses.

The new sculpture sits at the gateway of the 10-acre scheme and features a reclaimed historic pump wheel found in the original mill building, framed by an enormous hand-crafted stainless-steel arch made by specialist steel and special metals fabricator, Steel Line, in Sheffield.

Reflecting on the work, artist Chris Knight said: “From the start, the Rushbond team and I knew we wanted to use some of the incredible pieces salvaged from the ruins of the mill to create something heartfelt and reflective for the people who live in the area. This includes those who have been part this community for generations and who may have very personal connections to the mill, as well as the new residents putting down roots here. The pump wheel is the perfect emblem of the industrial heritage of this place – recast for a new generation who can enjoy it as a work of art. The stainless-steel arch offers a modern frame for the piece, and combined the elements embrace the past and future of Stonebridge Beck.”

A poignant new large-scale public artwork at Stonebridge Beck in Farnley, Leeds, has been unveiled at an official ribbon cutting ceremony led by Rachel Reeves, Labour MP for Leeds West and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The artwork celebrates the industrial heritage of Stonebridge Beck – home to the Grade II listed Stonebridge Mills which was once a key part of the fabric of the textile industry in the city – and marks a new chapter for the site as a growing residential community.

Standing at almost 6 metres high, the striking sculpture, titled ‘Embrace’, has been created by Yorkshire-based

metalwork sculptor Chris Knight, whose previous work includes the spectacular steel ‘Cutting Edge’ sculpture outside Sheffield train station. It was commissioned by Leeds-based property investor Rushbond, which specialises in repurposing heritage buildings and is transforming this this long derelict and much-loved Leeds landmark into a new neighbourhood, breathing new life into existing mill buildings to create 112

Rachel Reeves MP said: “It is a pleasure to be here today to be part of the unveiling of the sculpture at this fantastic development. Across my constituency, we see the history of our region and our city’s industrial heritage at sites like Stonebridge Mill. For too long, many of these locations have remained derelict and dilapidated, and it is so refreshing to see the culmination of all the hard work that has been put in on this site. Not only does the development sensitively incorporate the site’s heritage, but also provides good, high-quality homes for its residents.”

L-R Georgina Maud and Jonathan Maud, Rushbond, Rachel Reeves MP, Chris Knight, sculptor, Tim Reeve, Advent. (c) S Dewhurst

Fashion and farming in the spotlight at the great yorkshire show

Winners of an amateur fashion model competition had a sneak preview of the famous Great Yorkshire Show catwalk magic after visiting the showground.

Winners of an amateur fashion model competition had a sneak preview of the famous Great Yorkshire Show catwalk magic after visiting the showground.

The 12 wannabe models had their first taste of what’s in store as they stepped out in style in garments set to feature on the catwalk in this year’s show.

The Great Yorkshire Show runs from Tuesday July 11 to Friday July 14 and its highly acclaimed fashion shows are hugely popular and a major highlight.

Highlight

Entitled “From Sheep to Chic”, the fashion show will be relocated to the sheep shearing stage as it focuses on the use of British wool. The show, every day at 12:30, will highlight the link between the sheep we see in the fields and the creation of stylish wool garments.

Selected from more than 70 applicants, the 12 will join the professionals at the event modelling top brands, including collections from several Yorkshirebased designers. A key factor in the selection was a link with farming and the countryside.

Alongside two professional models, the new recruits had an introduction to the catwalk beginning with a session in hair and make-up, followed by stepping out in garments from a range of British designers and then a photo shoot.

Yorkshire Businesswoman member Bernadette Gledhill, Fashion Show Coordinator said: “We were absolutely thrilled at the response to our call out for models, with applicants from all over the country as well as more locally. They coped brilliantly, they were all keen to learn and worked well together. There will of course be further preparation sessions before we get to the event itself. I can’t wait to see them all in the live fashion shows.”

For Luke Johnson, who runs his own agricultural contracting business near Skipton, it was a fantastic experience. “I absolutely loved it. It was totally amazing. I do a bit of acting but have never modelled, so this was something very different. I now can’t wait for the real thing!” Luke is no stranger to the Great Yorkshire Show, having visited on many occasions with his family, including with his grandfather.

Similarly, Louisa Holstead said how much she had enjoyed the day. “It was great fun, I really enjoyed it. FF

Would be models for the 2023 Great Yorkshire Fashion Show. Garments by Galijah

Would be model Mollie Spencer gets ready for the 2023 Great Yorkshire Show. Dress by Joan Murray

Would be model Maisie Townson for the 2023 Great Yorkshire Fashion Show. Dress by Mary Benson

Would be models for the 2023 Great Yorkshire Show Fashion Show. Garments from British Wool

Models get ready for the 2023 Great Yorkshire Fashion Show with Show Director Charles Mills. Dresses by Joan Murray

Would be models for the 2023 Great Yorkshire Show Fashion Show. Garments from Brook Taverner

It’s the first time I’ve done anything like this so I was a bit nervous but everyone was so friendly and it was good to meet all the other models.” A member of Pontefract Young Farmers, Louisa is a keen rider and has attended the Great Yorkshire Show for as long as she can remember.

The fashion shows will feature garments from a range of suppliers including tailors Brook Taverner who are kindly sponsoring the shows. There are also collections provided by British Wool brand partners, designer knitwear from Skipton-based Joan Murray and garments from Thirsk-based Galijah. The show also welcomes back Mary Benson, who first became involved in the Great Yorkshire Show as a student 15 years ago and went on to work in London with British fashion designer

and couturier Alexander McQueen, and then launched her own brand. Mary now lives in York.

Hosted by radio presenter Nick Hancock, the Sheep to Chic fashion shows have a new venue, the Sheep Shearing Stage, next to Brown Gate.

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Tickets are on sale now and will be in advance only, as visitor numbers are capped at 35,000 a day.

The 2022 Great Yorkshire Show sold out a week before the event in July.

Visitors can expect the best animals in the country competing including national breed shows as well as machinery, food and first-class entertainment to celebrate

the very best of farming, food and the countryside.

The event will continue to be run over four days thanks to positive feedback from our visitors and exhibitors. Farmer tickets are available for the 2023 show and available from farming outlets.

Tickets are Adults £32, Children £13 and Families £80. Yorkshire Businesswoman members can enjoy discounted tickets for all day Friday 14th before finishing the day at our networking event to include a cream tea in the Pavilions from 3pm. Email editor@yorkshirebusinesswoman. co.uk for details.

To book tickets, please go online https://greatyorkshireshow. co.uk/ticket-information/

Would be models for the 2023 Great Yorkshire Fashion Show wearing garments from British Wool.

Mulgrave Estate unveils plans to plant over 300,000 trees

The award-winning Mulgrave Estate in the North York Moors has announced plans to plant 300,000 trees over 555 acres in a pioneering woodland creation project.

The planting area will include land in the parishes of Glaisdale, Egton (Egton Grange), Grosmont and Goathland.

Robert Childerhouse, Mulgrave’s estate manager, explained: “This is probably one of the largest private woodland creation projects in the North East and is something the estate is very passionate about, with woodland currently making up some 16 per cent of the estate’s 15,000 acre area.”

A public drop-in consultation event for the plans has been arranged for Monday June 5, between 3.00pm and 7.00pm, at Egton Village Hall (YO21 1TX).

Mr Childerhouse explained: “This consultation will enable us to share our proposed plans with the local residents and obtain their views. It’s very important to us that the public are kept informed about what we are planning and what we are hoping to achieve with our new woodland.

“Our estate woodland is used for both commercial timber production as well as amenity and conservation. We have a very successful firewood business and we employ four foresters on the estate.

“It’s also important to note that the popular Mulgrave Woods at

Sandsend are open on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year, except in May when the birds are nesting.”

If consent is granted for the new woodland by the Forestry Commission, the first trees will be planted early 2024.

The Mulgrave Estate is famous for its ancient trees and historic landscape. Apart from commercial timber production and firewood sales, the estate’s woodland programme focuses on the importance of creating and maintaining a thriving and diverse woodland habitat and an attractive environment.

The Mulgrave Estate has been the Marquis of Normanby’s family seat since the 18th century.

Diverse Dolls Enterprise features on Amazon Prime show

A Yorkshire start-up that created a revolutionary new line of dolls to celebrate diversity and disability is set to star in a new Amazon Prime Show, Ready Set StartUp.

Olivia Thompson, 32 from Yeadon is one of ten early-stage entrepreneurs from around the world featured on the series, which highlights the challenges of starting up a business. There was a global launch of Ready Set StartUp on Amazon Prime in May.

Olivia set up her business, Akila Dolls, over two years ago with money raised from crowdfunding.

Olivia who is Afro-Caribbean, said: “Akila Dolls is a start-up which

Akila Dolls are inspired by my daughter’s obsession and love for dolls. Aged six, she was diagnosed with autism...

currently has prototype dolls that celebrate African and Caribbean culture. Our dolls are designed to inspire children of colour by reflecting their beauty and culture.”

Akila Dolls aims to make dolls in a variety of skin tones and hair textures, with a diverse clothing range, designed to celebrate

different cultures and disabilities. Each doll comes with its own story book that educates children about the doll they are playing with. Olivia said: “Growing up I never had a doll that looked like me or reflected my culture. I wanted to create a brand that celebrates our beauty, and empowers young girls to be proud of who they are.”

Olivia left school at 16 and finished a National Diploma in Uniformed Public Services at York College. She then went on to university but dropped out after a year. With no marketing background, she took part in the Prince’s Trust and subsequently NatWest startup programme and raised £6,000 to help make her prototype dolls. A single mum, Olivia has two children, a oneyear-old and 10-year-old daughter, who has autism.

Olivia said: “Akila Dolls are inspired by my daughter’s obsession and love for dolls. Aged six, she was diagnosed with autism. She struggles with social interaction, restrictive behaviour, and many other symptoms. As a mother, it was important for me to support her, and a lot of her education was based on role-play learning. She loves to interact with her dolls.”

Olivia added: “It has become apparent to me, and more so now as a parent, that diverse dolls were and are still massively underrepresented within the UK toy industry. I believe it is extremely important that not just my daughter, but that every boy and girl can see dolls on retailers’ shelves, that both look like them and relate to their cultures and beliefs. The only way we can do this is with new toys and books. A greater diversity of the toy’s children play with will have a greater impact on how they perceive themselves, and others.”

Greenarc electrifies service offering with latest acquisition of Lancashire Based company Elektec

Greenarc Limited, a nationwide fuel and clean energy services business is delighted to announce its latest acquisition of Lancashirebased company Elektec.

The purchase of electrical contractor Elektec represents Greenarc’s third venture in less than nine months with the investment in Oxfordshire-based Heat Engineer Software Ltd in April and the acquisition of the recently rebranded vehicle leasing and rental business Greenarc Vehicles completed in November.

Chris Bingham, chairman and CEO at Greenarc comments: “This recent acquisition is one of many investments from Greenarc in the past twelve months and we are thrilled to welcome Carl and Charlotte to the business to support our

goal of transitioning our customers to a clean energy future.

With Elektec’s focus on EV charging points, battery storage, LED lighting, electrical compliance and more recently solar we have further increased our lowcarbon service offering. This acquisition represents another important pillar of our decarbonisation proposition to individuals, businesses, and the public sector across the UK.”

Charlotte Knowles, director at Elektec said: “This acquisition allows us to continue to offer our electrical services locally but also provides Elektec with the expertise and funding to grow our services to customers. Not only this, but we now have access to a range of other renewable energy solutions to support our customers to decarbonise their entire energy infrastructure.

Greenarc’s honest and informative approach to clean energy fits in well with what we do at Elektec, we are thrilled to be joining the Greenarc team and I’m excited about the future work we will be achieving together.”

Greenarc Limited ranked number fourteen on The Times 100 list of Britain’s fastest-growing companies. They provide commercial, residential, and public sector customers with a wide range of services in both the fuel and green energy sectors such as electric vehicle supply, heating technology, renewable diesel and most recently electrical services.

The multi-award winning Elektec was established in 2017 and was recently named a National Success Story for The Prince’s Trust and were personally invited to meet with King Charles III in July 2022.

This acquisition was facilitated by Clarion Solicitors. Tax advice was provided by BHP Chartered Accountants and funding by Barclays Bank.

Gino receives a warm welcome returning to Leeds

By: YBW Editor Gill Laidler

Gino opened his first restaurant in Leeds more than eight years ago and April saw a welcome return when Gino D’Acampo restaurant opened on Boar Lane, alongside the Leeds Marriott Hotel.

“I couldn’t be more pleased,” he said. “I have a long relationship with Leeds, and I am thrilled to return with my new restaurant and bar. We have been looking for the perfect location for some time and at Leeds Marriott we have found it.”

The Yorkshire Businesswoman editor was delighted to receive an invitation to dine the first week of opening.

“My companion and I had an early booking, so on entering the restaurant we

were able to see the amazing features without the crowds, an impressive marble bar, complete with lounge area, a cicchetti bar, deli, 160-seater open plan restaurant and outdoor heated terrace. The new look design is glamorous and opulent, quite different from Gino’s previous restaurants. We received a warm welcome and offered pre-dinner drinks in the bar, of course Prosecco. Although early, the bar was beginning to fill, so after 20 minutes or so, we were shown to our table. The restaurant was still quiet and soon we were offered menus and left to browse.

Some years ago, I ‘met’ someone on Twitter, Giuseppe Bergonzi who told me he knew and was good friends with Gino. We often chatted online, so I was delighted when he appeared at our table and joined us for drinks! Now based in Harrogate, Giuseppe is part of the team at Leeds.

The waitress returned and we decided to just order a garlic bread starter to share, or Pane All’Alio. I had previously sampled this at Gino’s The Springs, and I have to say it was the best I had ever had. Soft baked Italian bread, smothered in garlic and topped with parsley and salt.

We did wait a little longer than we expected, but by then the restaurant was filling up fast and I guess the staff were still finding their place in the team. Worth the wait? Yes, it didn’t disappoint and was very large so we didn’t finish it all as we guessed the main course portions would be large too and wanted to make sure we had room!

Starters cleared and it was time for the main event. My colleague ordered Anatra, crispy duck, green beans with a cherry and red wine sauce. This was another dish I had sampled at the

previous restaurant at The Springs. She said it was delicious and would order it again. For my main course I ordered Pollo Marinato but asked for a bit of a change which the waitress said was no problem. Marinated grilled chicken breast that would normally come with a mushroom sauce that I asked to be left off with thyme and garlic. I ordered a side of baby new potatoes and garden peas. The chicken was cooked to perfection and so tasty, as were the vegetables.

Now I’m not a sweet fan and it was getting late, so we both decided not to sample the extensive list of desserts. If I had had enough room, I would certainly have ordered Tortino Al Cioccolata, warm chocolate fondant with chocolate

sauce and vanilla ice cream. And of course, there was the Italian classic Tiramisu and an Italian artisan cheese selection.

Would we return? Yes of course, the menu is extensive, designed by Gino and his team of chefs and there is lots of dishes we wanted to try. There is a huge drinks menu with lots of cocktails, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic and we were pleased to see that there was an afternoon tea menu, comprising a selection of sandwiches, cakes, and buttermilk scones. This is served with tea or for something more decadent, why not add a glass of champagne.

Sunday lunch is also available between 12 noon and 6pm with a traditional roast beef or chicken menu, served with Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings.

As the restaurant is accessible from Boar Lane and from the Marriott reception, the restaurant is open for breakfast for guests of the Marriott and the wider public, lunch and dinner until late. Don’t take our word for it, book now and try for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.

Tel: 0113 468 0804

leeds@ginodacampohotelsandleisure. com

3 reasons why many business owners & industry leaders are starting podcasts

Drive Brand Awareness and Growth:

A well-executed podcast can serve as a powerful marketing tool allowing hosts to extend their influence beyond their immediate networks and reach a more diverse audience anywhere in the world. What’s more, in a world where we are constantly scrambling around for content, the smart redistribution of podcast content can create an abundance of marketing material for all platforms; newsletters, social posts, blogs, press material, books and even live events!

Foster Meaningful Relationships:

Putting on a pair of headphones and listening to 20 or 30 minutes of a podcast is a very different experience to scrolling through your social apps. It’s a personal experience and listeners often become loyal fans who eagerly engage with the content, providing feedback, and sharing their thoughts. Through social media platforms and online communities, a podcast host can nurture these connections, creating a vibrant community centred around their podcast. This engaged community becomes an invaluable asset, enabling a host to gather insights and feedback and develop lasting relationships.

Profiles and Personal Branding:

Podcasts provide the perfect platform for thought leadership while also allowing true self and personal character to come through and the best part, you are in control of what you share and how you are portrayed. By discussing industry trends, sharing valuable insights, and providing advice, podcast hosts can demonstrate their expertise, establish themselves as go-to resources and share their unique perspective on a topic whilst the sharing of personal experience and reflection humanises our host allowing genuine human connection to surface, after all how many times do we hear in business people buy people.

The future of podcasting is only getting bigger with more and more exciting innovations. Through the use of compelling storytelling and engaging content, leaders can inspire, educate and motivate your listeners creating a ripple effect that expands your reach and influence. But, warning, it isn’t for the faint-hearted! Like everything else in business, podcasting needs to be entered with clear objectives, strategy, creativity and commitment to maximise its potential.

If you have a question about podcasting, whether that’s marketing, production or how to get started drop an email to becky@ thisisdistorted.com

Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with fame and everything to do with credibility and trust.

Simple dining with quality food

By: YBW Administrator Charlotte Hall

Recently, Yorkshire Businesswoman’s Charlotte Hall was delighted to accept an invitation to visit Wagamama in York so she could share her experience with us. He’s what she had to say.

My companion and I were warmly welcomed and shown to a booth table, and it wasn’t long before the restaurant started to become very busy as the tables filled with diners for lunch.

Wagamama is a simple place to eat, there are no tablecloths or centrepieces but lots of places to sit with long wooden tables and benches, comfy booths and even large parties can be catered for upstairs, ideal for meeting friends and family or holding a corporate event.

Our waiter presented us with the drinks and food menu and as our order was taken the numbers of each dish was written on the paper place mat in front of us by the server. Although we had wooden chopsticks there was also a variety of cutlery available for the novice, (used by my friend when she

decided not to continue mastering the chopsticks and eat her food hot) with accompanying sauces.

As we were both driving, we chose the very interesting Mindful Ginger & Cherry Blossom lemonade for our drinks which arrived with complimentary glasses of water, but we agreed that next time we would sample one of the very interesting cocktails on the drink’s menu.

Credit: Peter O’Sullivan

As neither of us had visited the restaurant we were pleased when Dan the head chef who has worked at the restaurant for over twelve years came to meet us and explained how the concept worked and how to choose from the extensive menu. We particularly liked how the menu was laid out with a clear explanation of each dish with photographs and even calorie content, and yes, the dishes looked the same as the mouth- watering photographs when they arrived at our table.

The menus change seasonally and Wagamama on their journey to being green has incorporated a 50% vegan menu, this new menu started at the beginning of May and Dan said he would send some of the new dishes for us to try.

The food arrived quickly as it is all cooked fresh and maybe sometimes all together to ensure it arrives straight from the open kitchen to the table.

We shared a variety of starters the spicy teriyaki vegan chicken Hirata steamed buns, bang, bang cauliflower and two new starters, they were all hot and delicious and came with a variety of spicy dipping sauces. Be careful not to over order as they are very filling but for a group there are some very enticing sharing options.

We asked Dan for his recommendations and chose the teppanyaki pad thai with delicious noodles and chicken don buri which comes as a bowl of steaming brown rice packed with chicken, spring onion with a side of Japanese pickles. They arrived with thoughtful side plates so we could share our meals and after each course was taken away, we were asked if we had enjoyed the food and which was our particular favourite.

Although very full of course we had to look at the dessert menu and decided to order coffees and dough-chia, a trio of dough balls with an ice cream centre, matcha, cherry and coconut to share which arrived as three small, coated balls garnished with passion fruit sauce. My companion said it was a perfect end to a delicious meal which summed it up nicely!

You can find Wagamama on Goodramgate in the centre of York. The restaurant also delivers, or you can pop in and collect. They are open 7 days a week from 11am to 10pm weekdays and 11am to 11pm at weekends. https://www.wagamama. com/

TV stars pitch up to launch UK’s biggest outdoor show

Celebrities are lined up to take part the UK’s biggest outdoor holiday home show which will be held in Harrogate later this year.

For the first time in its history, the Great Holiday Home Show will be held at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate from Friday 8th September to Sunday 10th September 2023.

The show will include the latest models and largest outdoor range of holiday homes, caravans, motorhomes and all aspects of life exploring the great outdoors.

Tickets went on sale today for the show which will see TV presenter Matt Baker MBE live on the Great Holiday Home Stage chatting to TV presenter Christine Talbot. Matt Baker MBE, the Bafta award

winning TV presenter started his career on Blue Peter and has gone on to host many TV programmes including The One Show and Countryfile. His latest TV project “Travels with Mum and Dad” has seen him with his parents Mike and Janice taking their refurbished caravan on a breathtaking trip around the north of England.

Matt, who will be on stage on Sunday 10th September, says: “I’ve made a life out of exploring Britain, both on and off screen. From camper vans to caravans, I love taking a home from home along for the ride. You can go wherever you want, whenever you want, with an ever-changing view.”

Christine will host the Great Holiday Home Stage which will feature Matt Baker MBE on Sunday 10th September. More guests will be

revealed in the coming months. From holiday homes to caravans to motorhomes expect everything you need for a home from home. There will also be fun for the family and plenty of entertainment to make it a fantastic day out.

Richard Jones, Show Chairman, said: “We are very excited to have Matt at the show this year talking about his love of the great outdoors. Now more than ever, many people are choosing to have a holiday home and we look forward to welcoming them to Harrogate in September for a spectacular show.”

Tickets for the Great Holiday Home Show held at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate for 3 days from Friday 8th September to Sunday 10th September 2023 are on sale now.

Tickets are £12.50 per person, children under 16 go free with an accompanying paying adult. To book, go to: https:// thegreatholidayhomeshow.seetickets. com/

WELCOME TO HIGHER HIRE EDUCATION

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Learn in-demand skills in virtual production, immersive design, visual effects and more at the Academy of Live Technology.

For short courses and postgraduate degrees, go to academyoflivetechnology.co.uk.

The Lexus RZ450e is a pure diamond

Working with beautiful jewellery and diamonds is a wonderful thing to do but finally, after 50 years, I’ve been given the opportunity to do my dream job. Getting to drive a new car for the weekend and write a magazine review on it is the stuff of my boyhood dreams.

I’ve always loved cars and to be honest if I could swap everything to be a racing driver I would. Unfortunately, I’m probably 5 stone too heavy and a little too tall to fit into a racing car.

I’m a self-confessed petrolhead, but I’ve recently gone over to the dark

side and bought an all-electric car. To my surprise I am loving every minute. The mind-blowing performance, the space age sounds coming out from the cockpit and the not having to stop at a petrol station every 200 miles to fill up are all major positives. How long the novelty will last before the

By: Jonathan Stoner MD Phillip Stoner Jewellers

V8 rumble beckons me back, only time will tell!

And so I was very excited to drive another fully electric car in the shape of the Allnew Lexus RZ 450e. This is a car that falls into the luxury SUV category, which is a market all top-end marques, it seems, want to have a slice of.

Upon first impressions, I thought the car was very striking in its looks and the two-tone paint colour of the car I was test-driving worked very well. Even before I set off from the Lexus forecourt

a lady came up to me and said how much she loved the colour. I believe it’s called Sonic Copper and is only a £250.00 extra on this model.

At 4.8m long, the car feels even larger than it looks. The interior has been well thought out. I found the driving position very comfortable and with the electric adjustable seats and electrical steering column, I quickly found my perfect driving position. The rear seats easily have enough room for three large adults to sit comfortably. A nice feature is the virtually flat floor in the back,

which means there’s no awkward feet placement for the middle passenger. On this model, the Premium Plus, the tail gate is all electric and opens into a huge boot, which again is all on one level for easy loading.

The cockpit has all the latest tech and the huge infotainment screen is really easy to navigate. The premium sound system on this car was good and had all the features you would expect. I found the front and rear cameras for parking the best I had ever seen in terms of clarity and the birds eye camera view amazed me. It’s like having a drone filming from above and makes parking so much easier in tight spots. You can even set up your own driving modes from comfort to sport, which just makes everything a little faster and more eager.

Inside and ready to set off I adjusted the hand turn dials, which I find so much better than the modern digital touch screen controls, to cool down the cabin. Immediately, cooling air blew through the vents and to my surprise, the ventilated seats. In the auto setting the heating system controls the airconditioning, heated or ventilated seats and the heated steering wheel. Although it wasn’t the right time of year to try it, I read that there’s even a de-icing system for the wiper blades.

Within the first few miles of driving I was really impressed with this car. The ride was silky smooth and there is virtually no outside road noise whatsoever. The ride quality was superb and even with the pothole covered and uneven surfaces of Yorkshire’s B-Roads the RZ 450e glided over everything. The handling was surprisingly sharp with no body roll. I appreciate this is largely due to EV cars having a low centre of gravity with all the weight of the batteries under the floor, but even still it felt really well balanced and almost sports car-like.

This 2 tonne SUV will hit 60mph in around 5 seconds. The RZ 450e is quick, effortless and ultra-smooth in its delivery of power which comes from a 71.4kWh battery and will give you a range of around 220 miles. From my 6 months experience with an EV, these figures can be a little misleading as you will want to put your foot down, and then you will use the battery power much faster. I have also found the range in my personal car is going up in the warmer weather so even batteries like the rest of us don’t like the cold!

I do understand why some people who have bought an EV have quickly gone back to the combustion engine when the infrastructure of the charging points within the UK have so many more improvements to be made. For me, my daily commute is very easy, and I don’t cover a lot of miles up and down the country, so the EV experience has been trouble free so far.

After driving the Lexus for a couple of days I was finding it hard to fault. The RZ 450e just did everything right and was so easy to live with.

The safety features in th e car were comprehensive, if not a little overzealous.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the road ahead for a second before a message showed up on the Head Up Display telling me to concentrate. Every time you passed a speed limit sign it adjusted the speed limit on the windscreen and beeped if you were travelling too fast. At one point I passed a friend who, not unusually, was stood outside the local pub so I turned to wave. The car didn’t like this, telling me to concentrate and put two hands back onto the steering wheel. If you started to veer it corrected your steering, the car brakes for you and when I had the chance to really get going on a dual carriageway it even told me to close my window. This is a car that if you did have the misfortune of getting into an accident in, you must have been doing something seriously wrong!

In conclusion, Lexus have made a really great car here in a very competitive market. If you are in the position for a luxury all-electric SUV, I would certainly recommend it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!Jonathan Stoner Owner and Managing Director of Phillip Stoner the Jeweller.

To book a no obligation test drive contact Lexus Leeds: 0113 5372920

Domestic Road Holbeck Leeds

LS12 6HG

Lexus have made a really great car here in a very competitive market. If you are in the position for a luxury all-electric SUV, I would certainly recommend it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!...

Highlights from York Fashion Week

YFW at Independent Design-Credit: Lyndon Smith

Credit: Lyndon Smith

York Fashion Week Part One (YFW) returned to the city of York on 27 April to 1 May with a series of stellar runway shows, intimate in-store events and dynamic installations. It brought together more than 250 creatives; designers; stylists and makeup artists; models; behind the scenes volunteers; as well as over 1000 guests to celebrate all things fashion and champion emerging talent.

YouTube. The event was hosted by Christina Alexandra, acclaimed presenter, DJ, designer and opera singer who declared her “deep passion for fashion” and invited the 150-strong audience, to celebrate “grass roots and independent designs” from retailers including:

• Dog & Bone Vintage – a carefully crafted collection of vintage fashion

• Master Debonair – a series of stunning suits and tailoring for the ‘sophisticated gent’

• Nenya – a range of luxury fashion from Ukrainian brands, sourced and distributed by designer, Yana Smaglo

Gary James McQueen, nephew of the late Alexander McQueen and former Head of Menswear Textiles at the House of McQueen arrived at Yorkshire Museum in a Bentley Continental GT adorned with his signature Vanitas Skull artwork emblazoned on the bonnet to open York Fashion Week. At the inaugural event his latest work – Guiding Light - was screened – a short film that showcases his collection of digital fashion on avatar models. The virtual display, which features 20 menswear and womenswear looks, brings to life his remarkable technical expertise along with his revolutionary approach to fashion and innovation.

The visionary artist and designer then took to the stage to talk about his work with Alexander McQueen; the importance of digital fashion; and how he is continuing the legacy of McQueen, before announcing his plans to utilise the latest cutting edge technology to immortalise his uncle.

Friday evening saw the first major runway show – Indie Retail – which was captured by the resident drone with the footage streamed live on

• House of Zana – a selection of sustainable and ethical kimonos and resort wear

• Palenque – elegant jewellery from the collection, Maya.

Elizabeth Kynaston at Independent Design

Credit: Brian Rothery

Rachel Peru with Gary James McQueen

Credit: Lyndon Smith

YFW also debuted its first ever collection of merchandise including T-shirts and sweatshirts with the tongue in cheek ‘New York Fashion Week’ adorned on the front in a nod to championing what is becoming the biggest fashion event in the north of England. The merchandise is available for purchase via www.yorkfashionweek. com

Saturday evening welcomed 5 independent designers who unveiled their latest capsule collections featuring inspirational cutting edge designs in another sell-out Independent Design Runway show at the Guildhall:

• Arba Archive – a fashion brand that creates modernised thobes for men

• Néu Mode – a collection of elegant, timeless and sustainable luxury clothing featuring staple wardrobe pieces

• Ketchup Clothes – an eclectic mix of recycled and reworked streetwear, some produced from discarded festival tents and parachutes

• Elizabeth Kynaston – a dramatic collection of elegant pieces inspired by angels featuring intricate pleating

• Allette – a range of premium outerwear and utility wear depicting the heritage of the North

• Ummara Amjad -

Other major events included:

• An exclusive screening of the film ‘Westwood’ by CinemArts to celebrate the late great British fashion Icon, Vivienne Westwood - an intimate and revealing look at her life and iconic work with an audience of fashion lovers.

• The Breast Friends York runway show unveiling some of the Spring Summer ranges available at Browns with inspirational models who are all moving on from a breast cancer diagnosis

Ummara Amjad at Independent Design

Credit: Lyndon Smith

Tendai Murairwa at Fashion Avenue

Credit: Lyndon Smith

• Fashion Avenue – a free one day event, which delved into the various avenues of fashion and creativity that could form a career in the industry

• The All Saints RC School runway show featuring collections from GCSE and A-level students.

Thanks to the incredible production

team – Reel Productions Groupeach runway show was live streamed on YouTube and can be caught up here.

Nicky Hayer, creative drector at York Fashion Week said: “Our vision has always been to make people say wow. We want to bring some real theatre and flair to York and shine a light on what is an exceptional

scene of creativity and collaboration. I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved this season. The network is growing, we’re making bigger waves and we’ve got even bigger plans for September!”

Plans are afoot for York Fashion Week 2023 Part Two with confirmed dates of 28th September-2nd October.

Key sponsors of York Fashion Week include NIMA, York BID, The Vices York, Blossom Cosmetic Clinic and The Guildhall.

Sign up to the newsletter here: www.yorkfashionweek.co.uk

York Fashion Week was founded in 2017 and is a celebration of grass roots and independent fashion as well as high street retail brands. It provides a central stage for the city’s creative talent to showcase their diverse work, but also brings exciting designers, brands and artists into York.

Breast Friends at Browns

Credit: Lyndon Smith

• Business Structures & Reorganisations

• Commercial Debt Collection

• Commercial Disputes

• Commercial Property

• Contracts

• Employment

• Intellectual Property

• International Trade & Transactions

• Internet Trading

• Mediation of Business Disputes

• Mergers, Acquisitions and Disposals

• Planning & Licensing

• Starting In Business

• Accident Claims

• Child Care

• Collaborative Law

• Dispute Resolution

• Employment Problems

• Matrimonial & Family

• Medical Negligence Claims

• Planning for Retirement

• Residential Property

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• The Law & The Elderley

• Wills, Trusts & Probate

June is busting out all over

thought of failure, please don’t be. Mother Nature has her own agenda. You can’t force life; it only happens when it wants to. I was over-optimistic and decided to take the seed-packet directions literally, sowing tomato plants in February. Lesson learned; I shan’t be doing that again. The low light levels, despite a grow-lamp, left me with some leggy and weak specimens, and I ended starting the whole process again. Similarly, despite an encouraging speedy germination from my red chilli seeds, I could not sustain growth and I lost every one.

A particularly cool late April night killed off my courgettes, and I’ve started again from scratch. Cucumber? Nothing. A complete dead loss. On the other hand, the capsicum seeds I took from a bogstandard bell pepper seem to be doing very well. I’m confident that they will thrive in the polytunnel. The biggest surprise of all however, has been the Jack O’Lantern pumpkin seeds that I was convinced would not germinate, but have simply been biding their time.

June is busting out all over! That’s how the song goes and at this time of year I truly appreciate the sentiment of the song. For me, early summer is the finest season. The trees are verdant, the evenings are long, and we all feel that we gain more hours in the day.

For an allotment grower, it is also the most demanding part of the year. Those of us who have been nurturing seedlings in every available sunny spot in the house are now spending every spare hour cramming them into available spaces for a hopefully bumper crop. Weeds have been pulled painstakingly, trenches have been dug for potatoes,

and fruit trees have been pruned. It has certainly felt as if I’m racing against the clock this year, as I was overly ambitious with the number of varieties I could manage, and I have had varying success with my attempts.

If you are new to growing your own produce, and you’re put off by the

A fellow plot-holder recently confided in me that he was “cheating” and that he had bought of all his plants. I disagree that this is cheating. If you can find an outdoor market or even a supermarket that sells well caredfor cucumber, tomato and squash plants, I recommend that you give them a try. I will certainly be paying the Ossett market a visit to buy a couple of cucumbers for the polytunnel. At around £3 per plant, this is a costeffective way to grow in my view. Or, if you have a friend who has an allotment

Michaela Axford our regular gardening contributor shares tips with us on what we can plant and grow ourselves.

plot, ask if they have a plant sale or exchange as we do.

Allotmenteers are a very generous bunch, and they would rather somebody took one of their surplus plants than have to discard them. Often, they will leave them in communal areas available for other plot holders to grow. I often accept young plants grown in depths of winter, safe in the luxurious conditions of somebody’s conservatory.

For the smallest-scale growers amongst us, I can now wholeheartedly recommend the investment in a VegTrug (other brands are available), and I have seen some used models on Facebook Marketplace at very reasonable prices. I invested in one, and I have lettuces, radishes, rocket, tomatoes, cornichons and mizuna almost ready for picking. I am genuinely excited at the prospect of plucking a few salad leaves or radishes for dinner throughout the summer. And as promised, I do have a courgette in a Bag For Life so that when I’m feeling particularly disorganised and lazy, I don’t even have to stop by the allotment to pick something for dinner.

I do hope that some of you may be feeling inclined to start growing your own fruit and veg. Even if it’s a small pot with radishes or rocket. If so, here is my run down of last-minute growing ideas:

don’t even bother to wash them, I just brush the compost off before popping them in my mouth. I call them “Allotment Snacks”.

Do you have a trellis or a garden arch? I have 5, zip-tied together and they make a fantastic frame for this attractive and productive crop which grows quickly and provides pleasant shelter for my young courgettes.

If you can buy a couple of plants, they’ll crop in no time. They need something to lean on, but a cheap two-foot trellis will do.

So easy to grow, a 30cm plastic pot will provide lots of growing space. This super-speedy crop thrives with frequent picking.

They take up very little space and they grow very quickly. Children love growing and eating them, and I

One plant will provide a surprising amount of produce as a cut-andcome-again crop.

And let’s not forget our flowers. It’s very important to attract pollinators. I recommend Poached Egg plant, Nasturtiums - which grow beautifully in a border and are edible, and Nigella. All three will self-seed and provide a beautiful show for years to come. Add some violas, and voila! A mini edible landscape right there, in the front garden.

1. Broad Beans

2. Radishes

3. Spinach

4. Chard

5. Peas

What is air frying and is it really healthy?

By Rachel Rowling - Associate ediitor nutrition & health

Recently, air fryers have become incredibly popular. People say these machines give you the same fried food taste and texture, without using lots of oil. Because there’s less oil, many people believe air frying is healthier. Here, we’ll explain how air fryers work, how it compares to other ways of cooking, and whether it really is the healthiest option.

What is air frying? It’s a process of cooking food through the circulation of superheated air. Tiny droplets of oil are dispersed into the hot air, to cook the food and make it crispy. This produces the familiar fried food experience, with less oil and calories. It’s easy to see why everyone seems to be air frying.

However, let’s take a closer look. Air frying may be healthier than some

forms of cooking but unhealthier than others. It also depends on what you’re cooking.

Is air frying healthier than deep frying? What’s your best guess? Some people consider air frying is healthier than deep frying because less oil is used, and fewer potentially harmful compounds are created during the cooking process.

Let’s look at that. Air frying does use less oil than deep frying. Studies vary but we can reliably say that oil used can be reduced by as much as 90%. This also means the food has less calories. Remember though, food is NOT necessarily healthier just because it has less oil or fewer calories. Everyone (everyone) responds differently to fats in their diet. For some, eating a high fat meal leads to high blood fats (cholesterol) and over time, that can increase your risk of a poorer health outcome (that’s quite a gentle way of saying you’re at greater risk of heart disease). Other people may have much smaller responses to eating fat; it’s so very personal.

Overall, air frying is healthier than deep frying. BUT, if you rarely deep fry (or eat deep fried foods) and have a healthy fat intake, an air fryer is highly unlikely to make any difference to your health.

What about the harmful compounds? Deep frying can create potentially harmful compounds.

The two main compounds are advanced glycation end products (AGEs), linked to chronic disease and inflammation and the other is acrylamide. Acrylamide is formed when starchy foods (chips etc) are cooked this way. Acrylamide is linked to some cancers. It also needs saying that most of the evidence about these compounds is based on animal studies and we can NOT automatically apply animal findings to humans, so please do not worry if you eat deep fried food in moderation. Just enjoy it for what it is. It’s all to do with the very high temperatures used to cook and the breakdown of fat and carbohydrates. Some studies suggest air frying creates fewer of these compounds.

Air frying vs. panfrying. We don’t have much reliable research to rely on here, but one (reliable) study did

compare air frying and panfrying fish cakes. The scientists found both these methods created similar amounts of potentially harmful compounds. Being practical, if the health status is the same, I feel I’d choose to use an air fryer here, in the hope of avoiding a huge kitchen clean up from splattered fat.

Is air frying healthier than oven cooked food? Again, what’s your best guess? Both cooking methods primarily rely on hot air, so there’s far less difference between the two. But back to the fish cakes. The study found that oven cooking produced even fewer of the potentially harmful compounds. A different group of scientists found that water-based cooking produced even less potentially harmful compounds than high-heat cooking.

So, does this mean we should boil, bake, and steam everything to be healthy? NOPE, certainly not. Ultimately, rather than focusing too much on cooking methods, it’s more important to consider your overall dietary pattern and your usual, ‘go to’ cooking methods. Personally, I couldn’t imagine a trip to the seaside that didn’t include fish and chips, deep fried whilst I waited and the thought of being restricted to three methods of cooking in the name of health, leaves me cold. Remember, there is no single best way to cook and foods with less oil aren’t necessarily healthier. If you have an air fryer, enjoy it but vary your cooking methods. If you don’t have an air fryer, don’t worry about it, or feel compelled to buy one in the name of health.

For more details email hello@ rowlingnutrition.co.uk Follow on Instagram: rachelrowlingnutrition

Organic Food; is it worth it?

By Rachel Rowling - Associate ediitor nutrition & health

I’m frequently asked if I only buy organic food. Those of you who know me well may be able to guess the answer; no, I don’t. It’s something I wrangle with though. As a scientist, I regularly appraise the latest research on this subject. As a clinician this comes up again and again in clinic when working with vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women

For some, buying organic isn’t even a consideration, they just buy it. For me, I want to be certain that what I do in the name of health and wellbeing, really does work. Here are some of the things I consider:

Antibiotics, herbicides, and pesticides. Antibiotics are in meat and to a lesser extent in fish and have been robustly linked to allergies and obesity. Despite being banned for ‘growth purposes’ usage is still common to ‘prevent infection’. The reason is almost academic, the reality is, they are still present in the food. Regulations are in place to ensure herbicides and pesticides act only against

enzymes and genes of bugs, and not humans. European regulators regularly check residual levels on food, with 3% of foods regularly exceeding safety limits.

Organic farming does not generally (note the word generally) involve the use of standard herbicide and pesticides, genetically modified products, or chemical fertilisers. Organically reared animals are free from routine (note the word routine) antibiotics. Organic fruit and veg contain five times less herbicides and pesticides than non-organic supermarket alternatives, but clear

health benefits have been very hard to prove.

Are organic plants worth it?

Organic food enthusiasts say their plants taste better and have more nutrients, but hard data is almost impossible to find. Observational studies suggest that people buying organic plants have less allergies, obesity, autoimmune disease, and cancer but the evidence is NOT conclusive. To be certain we need properly funded trials of organic v. non-organic foods.

So, what are our options? We can either pay more for a completely organic diet and accept we will still be ingesting chemicals through contamination from adjacent farms, or we can pick our battles. The best way I’ve found to navigate this nutritional minefield is

to look at what I eat on a regular basis and find out just how contaminated they are likely to be. Once I have this information, I can decide if I want to upgrade my shopping to organic. Working out contamination levels has never been easier. Each year, two incredibly valuable lists are produced. The Clean Fifteen is an annually updated list of the 15 foods least likely to be contaminated. If you’re most regularly consumed foods feature, you may decide you don’t need to buy organic varieties. The current Clean 15 are avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, onions, papaya, frozen peas, asparagus, honeydew melon, kiwi, cabbage, mushrooms, carrots, mangoes, watermelon, and sweet potatoes.

Conversely, The Dirty Dozen is the annually updated list of foods with the highest pesticide levels. If your most frequently eaten foods feature on this list, you may wish to swap to an

organic variety. These are the current 12: strawberries, spinach, kale, collard and mustard greens, nectarines, apples, grapes, peppers, cherries, peaches, pears, blueberries, and green beans. The last words . Organic food is expensive, it tends to rot faster too so potential food waste could increase. I personally believe picking and choosing is the best approach for most people wanting to swap to some organic produce. The two lists mentioned change and are best used

Grass fed beef five reasons why it is best

We are constantly being urged to eat less meat but as part of a balanced diet, red meat is an excellent source of essential nutrients, with grass-fed beef considered nutritionally superior

Why? What an animal eats has a direct effect on quality and nutritional density

More Omega-3 - Grass fed beef contains up to 3 times more Omega-3 (good fats found in oily fish) than grain-fed beef. Omega-3 aids prevention of depression and cancer, whilst lowering blood pressure.

More CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) is almost 400% higher in grassfed cuts. CLA is associated with lowering heart disease and cancer, as well as reducing body fat and maintaining lean body mass. Packed with vitamins – Grass-fed

beef is rich in Vitamin A and E, which help strengthen the immune system and maintain healthy skin and eyes. Vitamin E is up to 4 times higher in grass-fed than grain-fed meat.

Healthy fats – Grass-fed beef is lower in overall fat, as well as saturated fat,

a guide but don’t let them dissuade you from buying fruit and vegetables that meet your budget and eating patterns. Eating non-organic fruit and vegetables is always, always, always better than not eating fruit and vegetables at all.

For more details email hello@ rowlingnutrition.co.uk

Follow on Instagram: rachelrowlingnutrition

than grain-fed meat, helping to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Protective antioxidants – The green, highly pigmented plants eaten by the livestock benefit us directly. When we eat the meat, our immune system is enhanced.

Rearing exclusively grass-fed animals is said to be the most ethical and sustainable way. The animals are rotated through different pastures, preserving native biodiversity, improving soil fertility whilst eliminating the wastemanagement issues associated with confined cattle sheds.

How do we make it work for us?

Perhaps the answer is balance. Enjoying a smaller portion of higher quality red meat, once or twice a week is all it takes.

For more details email hello@ rowlingnutrition.co.uk

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Ozempic: What you need to know about the new miracle weight loss drug

By Rachel Rowling - Associate ediitor nutrition & health

Ozempic, a drug originally intended to treat type 2 diabetes has just been approved as a weight loss treatment in the UK. It’s available over the counter and without prescription. Famous personalities, including Elon Musk, claim to have taken it. Many remain doubtful, believing it to be just another craze, preying on people’s insecurities.

What is Ozempic? Also known as Semaglutide and Wagovy, it’s a drug made to mimic the effect of GLP-1, a naturally occurring hormone, that helps regulate and reduce appetite and hunger. It makes you feel more content after eating.

Who is it for? It’s for obese adults with at least one other condition such as high blood pressure. You’re classed as obese if your BMI is 30 or higher. A BMI calculation is just one method of calculating health risks associated with being overweight.

What is obesity? It’s now known to be a chronic, relapsing, hormonally mediated disease with over 200 associated diseases. This partly explains why people find losing and maintaining weight loss a difficult, lifelong battle. Cutting calories in the beginning will lead to weight loss but very quickly, your body will adapt and conspire against you. When this happens, your weight loss will slow down, and your body will start to fight you. Messages sent via hormones will convince your brain you are hungry; food will be permanently on your mind, and you will not feel

content after eating. As if that wasn’t enough, your body will conserve energy by improving efficiency. This means you won’t burn as many calories as you did previously, regardless of what you do. All of this makes losing weight harder and regaining weight much, much easier than you could ever imagine. This explains why many people can be successful with a 30-day diet, only to bounce back, in most cases heavier than when they started.

How do you take it? It’s a weekly, self-administered injection.

What are the side effects?

Although found to be safe and effective, the risk of temporary, gastrointestinal side effects is high. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, and heartburn are all usual. This drug was

never intended to make people thin. The intention is to help people be healthier and weight is one of the metrics of health. With that aim in mind, some feel the side effects are worth it.

How much is it? Currently £200 per month, so not cheap.

Is it a magic weight loss bullet?

No, no, no, no.

This medication requires a lot of management. The original study of 2,000 people required them all to medicate AND work with a qualified nutrition expert, to guide them with diet and lifestyle changes. Medication can’t work whilst ever you work against it.

What happens if you stop using the drug? We need to make this very clear; this drug is intended to be used long term, probably for life. It is not a ‘quick fix’. The minute you stop taking it, your appetite will increase, you will eat more, and you will gain weight. The research confirms this.

Lasting thoughts… Medicated and surgical weight loss is NOT cheating. The myths and misunderstandings around excess weight and obesity must be challenged. It is rarely anything to do with willpower or lack of discipline. We now know so much about obesity and its connection to hormone dysfunction.

This is a huge topic and we’ve barely scratched the surface. For some, this could be a life-changing, lifesaving option.

For more details email hello@ rowlingnutrition.co.uk Follow on Instagram: rachelrowlingnutrition

Wellbeing and Wellness – what do we really mean?

Wellbeing and wellness are two words that seem to turn up in every single article and social media post about health but what do they really mean?

Wellness is a lifestyle built on practicing healthy habits each day, to attain better physical and mental health outcomes. Whichever you cut it; it means thriving as opposed to just surviving.

To understand the significance of wellness, it’s important to understand how it’s linked to health. The World Health Organization, define health as being “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

Several key areas of your lifestyle are considered dimensions of overall wellness and include:

• social connectedness

• exercise

• nutrition

• sleep

• mindfulness

Each one impacts your physical and mental health. By making simple, healthy choices each day, you’ll be well on your way towards reducing stress, having positive social interactions, and achieving optimal wellness.

Does good health guarantee wellness and wellbeing?

Absolutely not! In clinic, we see as many ‘healthy clients’ (people who do not have a diagnosed disease/ condition) as we do ‘unhealthy’ (those with a confirmed diagnosis) and guess what? Both groups are striving for the same thing –increased wellness and wellbeing.

Health is often the goal arising from wellness.

We can’t choose the state of our health, but we can all consciously choose wellness by being responsible for taking steps that protect our wellbeing.

Wellbeing and wellness are ‘doable’ and does not rely on perfection, strict regimes and diets, spending money or missing out on fun. It starts with small changes, taken one day at a time.

Here are a few examples of how wellness can be increased:

Add olive oil to food - tastes great, healthy fats, keeps you full,

reduces inflammation, vital for metabolization of vitamins

Enjoy a glass of good red wine - it’s a fermented food and great for gut health, it’s social. Don’t like red wine? Similar benefits can be hard from cheese, coffee and very dark chocolate (70%+)

Mix it up – wherever you can, choose mixed nuts, seeds, vegetable, fruits, grains, herbs and spices. Food diversity = gut microbiome diversity = better health and immunity

Have a nap – research shows that a 15-minute nap can improve wellness

is ‘coffee break’. It’s a Swedish thing and ALWAYS includes cake. It’s more than that though, it’s the physical act of slowing down and taking a moment whether at home or work. Fika is a social activity and can’t truly be experienced on your own or at your desk, that would be just eating cake at your desk. What you eat or drink is not important, the important part is stopping and socialising. Volvo, the Swedish car giant practice Fika at all their plants as they know it refreshes people, strengthens teams and relationships and increases productivity.

For more details email hello@ rowlingnutrition.co.uk

Follow on Instagram: rachelrowlingnutrition

Menopausal me

I shuffle along but I can recognise it now for what it is, which helps to diffuse its power.

Let me start with the bad news: I’ve put at least a stone on so far this year, thanks I assume to the menopause, and my love of beige synthetic food. I think having a hormonal storm raging inside me has compounded the fact that I’m rubbish at dieting.

At my running club presentation night recently, instead of wearing my ‘emergency dress’ I decided to wear a sparkly number and breathe in. It didn’t work and I was mortified when I saw the pics. From the boobs down, I’m surprised people didn’t start dancing underneath me after mistaking me for a glitter ball.

In desperation, I briefly re-joined one of the famous diet clubs. It was the one where you can eat unlimited amounts of pasta and potatoes and unlike all my previous attempts, the scales were going up rather than down, so it was definitely a case of abandon ship! But it also helped me realise that anything too prescriptive just doesn’t suit me anymore.

I’m still trying but have reduced my expectations of achieving my ‘dream body’. To be fair, I’ve been struggling with this my whole adult life so I can’t really blame the menopause!

One thing that’s firmly back on track is my running, which I’ve been getting loads of enjoyment from lately; I really do need that anchor point of endorphins and social interaction as life has been very busy! Imposter syndrome continues to raise its ugly head as

Talking openly about these things can be transformative too. I recently chatted to Jane, a member of Recovery Runners who I sometimes join on Sunday mornings in Leeds, about being nervous to do 10k events this year. Being a runner who has experienced menopause herself, she told me quite firmly to stay defiant in the face of the challenges menopause throws up in my running and just crack on. I promptly went home and booked onto the Leeds 10k!

Sometimes, exercise really is therapy.

Remember, we won’t feel like this forever, so let’s keep fighting for the everyday magic. Fresh air, good conversation, freedom… It’s the simple things that really matter.

Claire can be found on Facebook and Instagram as @my40pluslife. me and you can join her #SoloSaturday Instagram live between 7 and 8pm every Saturday.

40 plus blogger Claire Kenny is sharing her early menopause journey with Yorkshire Businesswoman readers.

Hey June!

By Freda Shafi - Associate editor food & health

Chicken strips and chilli beans in “Eat me up” baskets - a baked tortilla bowl

Ingredients

• 3 large chicken breasts tenderised (flattened)

Warmer days are here and the doors are opening up with the promise of many Alfresco dinners. With some incredible and reasonably priced seasonal produce now in the shops, you can make the most of it, in all of your meals. The one’s I show you here are both budget friendly and easy to create from scratch such as the “Eat me up Baskets!” and the healthy home-made fruit ice lollies.

All the recipes will save you time and money in the kitchen.

Hope you enjoy!

With love, Freda x

• 1 tin Adzuki beans (if you can’t get them, kidney beans or any other will do)

• 1 cup plain flour

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Egyptian Dukkha spice* or Cajun spice blend (if you can get it)

• Oil to fry

• 1 cup basmati rice

• 1 pack small tortilla’s

• 1 Avocado

• 1 Tomato

• Juice of 1 Lemon

• ½ small red onion (optional)

• Sour cream and fresh chillies to garnish

• 1 cup basmati rice

• For the beans:

• 1 onion, ground / finely chopped

• 2 tomatoes chopped finely chopped Spices:

• 1 tsp Turmeric

• 1 tsp Ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp Chilli flakes / chilli powder

• 1 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

• 1 tbsp Fresh ginger and garlic

• Salt to taste

• Fresh coriander and chillies to garnish (optional)

Method Beans

• In a saucepan, start by sautéing onions in oil then add tomatoes

spices and other ingredients and continue to sautee until a smooth sauce is formed

• Stir the beans through the sauce making sure they’re well coated

• Add a little water and simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes

Chicken Breasts

• Season the plain flour with salt, pepper (to taste) and 1 tsp Dukkha (if you have it)

• Cut the flattened breasts into strips and coat in a layer of flour

• Place some oil in a large frying pan and heat, then add the seasoned strips and fry both sides until they are cooked all the way through

Rice

• Boil 2 cups of water and ½ tsp salt and add 1 cup basmati rice and simmer until the water has evaporated

Guacamole

• Crush the avocado, tomato and onion and add lemon juice and salt to taste.

Tortilla

• Pre heat the oven 180C fan forced

• Take a small oven proof bowl and brush some oil on the inside. Press the tortilla firmly into the bowl so it takes on a bowl shape and brush more oil over the surface of the tortilla and place into the pre heated oven.

• Bake until golden, remove from the bowl and allow to cool.

A great meal for the family which is healthy, flavourful and children will love the idea and flavour of these baked tortilla “eat me up” baskets.

Assembling the “eat me up” baskets:

• Take the tortilla bowl and place 2 tbsp rice in the base.

• Add a few tbsp. of the beans and a good spoonful of guacamole

• Place the chicken strips over the top

• Garnish with fresh chillies and coriander and a dollop of sour cream as shown in the image

Rainbow Ice popsicles

Made only with only pureed fruit and berries, this is such a guilt free and healthy way of making a fruit lolly. Also a brilliant way to use up any fruit nearing its shelf life. Another hit with children and adults alike

Ingredients

• 1 punnet fresh strawberries

• 1 red watermelon

• 1 punnet raspberries to which I added 1 tsp yogurt to get a slightly lighter hue (optional)

• 3 Kiwi fruit

• Mango or fresh oranges

• Blueberries

Method

Place each fruit separately into a processor and blitz until pureed. You can use whatever moulds you have.

Place each fruit sequentially into your ice lolly mould. I used disposable paper cups for these, but feel free to use actual ice pop moulds. Starting with strawberries work upwards in any colour sequence you decide.

Fish kebab on a bed of Moroccan couscous

Whether you have fresh or frozen fish, this is such a great recipe of seafood and vegetables, cooked on skewers. A fabulous fusion of flavours that include a healthy couscous that works brilliantly together with the fish.

Ingredients

• 500g Cod (fresh or frozen will do) chopped into 2” cubes

Vegetables:

• 2 Zucchini

• 1 large red Onion

• Capsicum – red, yellow and green (or whatever you have will do)

• 1 cup Plain yogurt

• Spice blend:

• 1 tbsp Tandoori spice blend

– you can buy this from most supermarkets or Asian greengrocers.

• Salt to taste

• Lemon juice

• 2 tbsp oil

• Small bunch fresh coriander chopped finely

• Moroccan Couscous either shopbought or homemade, details below for home made

• Ingredients for Cous cous

• 100g / 1 cup cous cous

• 1 medium red onion

• Mixed bell peppers - 1 yellow, 1 green and 1 red

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp ground coriander

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1/4 tsp chilli powder / cayenne pepper

• 1 400g can chick peas (optional)

• Sea salt

• 2tbsp olive oil

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

Method

• lace the tandoori spice blend in a bowl with the yogurt, salt, lemon juice, fresh chopped coriander and oil. Mix together well.

• Place the chopped fish into the blend and coat well.

• Refrigerate ideally for a few hours to let the flavours soak in

• Chop the vegetables into 2” pieces (as shown in the image) and add a few tbsp. of oil and season with salt and pepper and a light sprinkling of the tandoori spice blend

• Pre-heat the oven 200C or 180C fan forced

• Once the fish is out of the fridge, take some wooden skewers and place the fish and vegetables alternating between the vegetables each time; again, as shown in the image.

Place the skewers (you should have

a dozen or so) onto a lined baking tray and cook for approx. 20-30 mins until the fish is cooked and slightly charred

Moroccan couscous

• Roughly chop the mixed peppers and red onion

• Drain the can of chickpeas

• Place a medium frying pan or skillet over a medium heat and add the onion and peppers

• Sauté until the onion becomes translucent and the peppers soften

• Mix in the spices and salt and sauté for a few more inured

• Add the chickpeas and stir through followed by the stock

• Add the couscous and stir through. Turn off the heat and leave to stand until all the liquid is absorbed

• Garnish with parsley

• Spread the couscous over a large platter and Serve the fish over the top. Garnish with more fresh coriander.

Vegan Naan bread

If you enjoy bread as I do, you must try this homemade naan! You will love it.

An easy foolproof recipe that I came across a few years ago. I haven’t looked back since and always use this recipe now, whenever naan bread is on the menu. I’m pretty sure you’ll love them too!

Ingredients - Makes 16

• 2 tsp dried yeast

• 360ml warm water

• 2 tsp sugar

• 750g plain flour and more for dusting

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 6 tbsp coconut cream from cold coconut milk

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp onion seeds or nigella seeds

• Fresh coriander finely chopped to garnish (optional)

• Vegetable, rapeseed or ground nut oil to garnish

Method

Mix yeast warm water and sugar then leave until frothy and the yeast is active.

Combine the rest of the ingredients together and add the yeast mix. Bring together then need for 10 to 15 minutes.

Place in a bowl; cling film over and leave to rise.

Once risen, divide into 16 pieces and roll out.

Place on a griddle on medium heat with a little vegetable oil

Fry until large bubbles have formed then flip and cook for a minute longer.

Leave to cool

Garnish with freshly chopped coriander (optional) and sprinkle lightly with vegetable oil and onion or nigella seeds

You can wrap and freeze if not needed on the day

Live at The Piece Hall breaks 100,000 ticket sales for the first time

Live at The Piece Hall is set for its biggest ever year after ticket sales for this summer’s sensational series of live shows at the historic Halifax venue smashed the 100,000 mark.

It promises to be 21 unforgettable nights of live music throughout June, July and August with headline shows from the likes of Sting, Queens Of The Stone Age, Madness, Rag’n’Bone Man, Hozier, boygenius, Orbital and James, plus many more.

And Live at The Piece Hall copromoters The Piece Hall Trust and Cuffe and Taylor are delighted to reveal this year’s ticket sales have broken box office records and hit six figures for the very first time.

Nicky Chance-Thompson DL, CEO of The Piece Hall Charitable Trust, said: “What a phenomenal milestone to have reached. Our partnership with Cuffe and Taylor means we can bring world class artists to our iconic venue, and

these sales prove just how big the appetite is for quality live music at The Piece Hall.

“This is a huge deal for Halifax and Calderdale in terms of the visitor economy, investment into the area, creating a powerful feeling of pride in place and alongside public funding this helps keep The Piece Hall free to enter.”

Many of the shows at the iconic 5,500-capacity outdoor venue sold out in record time – the latest being George Ezra’s July 6 gig which saw fans snap up all tickets within minutes of them going on sale last week.

Not only has Live at The Piece Hall 2023 broken box office records, but this summer’s shows will deliver a multi-million-pound boost for the

local economy with many thousands of concert goers coming to the shows from outside Yorkshire.

Peter Taylor, co-founder of Cuffe and Taylor which is part of Live Nation –the world’s largest live entertainment company, said: “Get ready for an incredible summer at this wonderful venue!

“Last year we broke box office records when we sold 60,000 tickets. To now top 100,000 sales – even before our first show with Madness on June 16 – just shows what a truly special venue this is.

“The music industry has certainly sat up and took notice and huge stars – from across many diverse genres from pop to rock to legendary dance acts – want to come and play here. Together with The Piece Hall Trust, we will continue to strive to bring the biggest names in music to Yorkshire and this incredible venue.”

The Piece Hall is a unique architectural and cultural wonder. Grade I listed, it originally opened in 1779 for the trading of ‘pieces’ of cloth produced by Yorkshire’s famous woollen mills and is the only remaining Georgian cloth hall in the world. Now an award-winning contemporary cultural, heritage and live entertainment destination, The Piece Hall has welcomed more than 10.5 million visitors through its historic gates since it re-opened in 2017 and its iconic courtyard makes for a truly unique concert experience.

Cuffe and Taylor, which entered a copromoter partnership with The Piece Hall Trust last year, has extensive experience in staging major concerts in Yorkshire and across the UK. Since 2016, they have exclusively programmed all live music events at Scarborough Open Air Theatre – including massive headline shows by the likes of Britney Spears, Lionel Richie, Kylie, Christian Aguilera, Biffy Clyro, Sam Fender and Lewis Capaldi.

The Olivier Award-winning promoters

are also responsible for staging UK tours with Britney, Rod Stewart, Mariah Carey and Little Mix, while also curating major festivals and events such as Lancashire’s multi-award-winning Lytham Festival.

LIVE AT THE PIECE HALL 2023

June 16 Madness + Stone Foundation

June 17 Madness + Stone Foundation

June 18 Ub40 Ft Ali Campbell

June 20 Queens Of The Stone Age

June 21 The War On Drugs

June 23 Rag’n’bone Man

June 24 The Jacksons + Sister Sledge + The Real Thing

June 30 Ministry Of Sound

Classical

July 1 Embrace + Starsailor + Ellur

July 2 Hozier

July 4 Sting

July 5 The Cult

July 6 George Ezra

July 7 James + Jamie Webster +

Tom A Smith

July 8 James + Jamie Webster +

Tom A Smith

July 9 The Lumineers

Aug 12 Limp Bizkit

+Kennyhoopla + Joey Valence & Brae

Aug 22 Boygenius + Ethel Cain

Aug 23 Boygenius + Ethel Cain

Aug 25 Orbital + Groove Armada (Dj Set) + 808 State (Dj Set)

Aug 26 The Charlatans & Johnny Marr + Wax-Tree-Cast

WHAT THE STARS SAY ABOUT THE PIECE HALL

‘An epic venue and crowd... thank you Halifax!’

Noel Gallagher

‘I feel so incredibly lucky to be playing in gorgeous places such as The Piece Hall’ Paloma Faith

‘Thank you for the love Halifax. Another unforgettable night of great vibes’

Nile Rodgers

‘Halifax is fabulous… The Piece Hall is just like Venice!’

Jessie Ware

Plug and plug with the MG4 Ev

By: Graham Courtney - Motoring Correspondent

A lot of you reading this are probably in business. As any good business accountant will confirm, you always need to keep an eye on costs.

Some of you may have a company car. Some of you make have a fleet. One thing is for certain though….you are being forced to consider switching to an electric car. On January 1st 2030 you won’t have a choice because the UK Government has banned the sale of cars powered solely by petrol or diesel engines. Battery powered electric vehicles are the future, whether you like it or not.

The downside of a lot of electric cars are that they’re expensive in

comparison to the equivalent petrol or diesel model; there is a constant worry about running out of battery power, and you have the inconvenience of having to wait for an hour or so to recharge your battery whereas refuelling a tank of petrol takes around 5 minutes.

Thankfully, we have a solution.

It’s called the MG4 EV.

Let’s do some quick number crunching.

The starting price is a very competitive £26,995. You can choose from either a 168bhp model or one with a beefier 200bhp output. The typical range is a useful 281 miles, but if you spend most of your time in city conditions, MG reckon you’ll get close to 360 miles. Find a rapid charger and you’ll be able to top up the battery from 10-80 per cent in just over half an hour.

These figures make electric car ownership a very realistic proposition.

And don’t assume that the MG4 EV will be low on goodies. Even the entry level SE model comes with air con, Bluetooth, 5 driving modes (eco,

sport, snow, custom and standard), powered windows all round, DAB radio, 10.25-inch colour touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a stack of safety kit.

MG has tuned their MG4 EV to be aimed at city drivers and those who commute rather than for long, high speed motorway journeys. It has a fairly soft ride and is extremely comfortable. It’s realty good to drive. However, don’t worry about performance on the quicker stuff because this MG will still reach 60mph in 7.5 seconds. Bearing in mind this car is likely to spend a lot of time in town traffic, the 0-30mph time of 3.1

seconds shows that the MG4 EV is quick off the mark. It makes for some fun point and squirt driving.

And we think it looks really good. The interior is also smart and surprisingly roomy. It’ll make for terrific family motoring. And don’t forget that the 4 EV, like every MG, comes with a 7-year warranty.

In other words, if you are considering

going electric, the MG4 EV could be the one which makes you finally take the plunge. MG isn’t a name folk immediately think of when it comes to electric cars. Pity….they should, because this MG4 EV is excellent.

No wonder it’s picking up awards by the boat load, the latest of which is What Car? magazine’s gong for Best Small Electric Car. Praise indeed.

GREEK STREET TERRACE

An elegant backdrop for drinks and dining, here you’ll enjoy classic and contemporary cocktails, and a carefully-curated seasonal menu of fresh, flavourful dishes.