My Slimming World Journey

It was in 2018 that a friend pointed Vicky in the direction of a menopause site on the company intranet . Vicky says ‘ I had been putting more and more weight on even though I was active even taking part each week at my local parkrun , I was also aware that I had been feeling downbeat and things were getting on top of me especially in work. It got to the point that I swapped taking part in the park run to volunteering to marshal it .

It was the Sunday of my 25th week volunteering that my friend sent through the picture she had taken of me in my purple bib , and I was horrified at what I saw. I had a big double chin, I looked awful and it was the most unflattering photo of me that I had seen. It was at that point I decided I had to do something to take control of my weight as I knew that was impacting had I get about myself . I had tried in the past to lose weight by myself , and knew deep down that to be successful I was going to need support . I looked on www.slimmingworld.co.uk and found my local Slimming World group at a time that suited me , I knew from friends that I needed to allow the time to stay to group to get the real help .

I was so nervous the first week , wondering what the group and the consultant would be like . It was such a relief to be welcomed at the door with a smile from a member , who immediately welcomed me in to the group and showed me to a new member area where I was shortly joined by Emma, my consultant.

Emma was really smart, really confident and I wanted to feel that confident again! She talked through food optimising - the extra easy plan I was going to follow to lose weight , and explained everything else I would need to know . She then invited me to join in image therapy and assured me she would weigh me herself at the end , the fact that that weight would be confidential was a massive relief as at 14 stone 2 pounds I was the heaviest I had ever been - including whilst pregnant . After I weighed I chose my target weight and haven’t looked back!

I lost 4lbs the first week and My journey had started . The support I had from Emma and the rest of the group was invaluable , there was never any judgement just warm support and encouragement.

I loved how much free food I could eat , and getting to grips with my slow cooker too we were enjoying really hearty meals as a family , and I was even happier knowing I could use my Syns for a sweet treat in the evenings or a Gin & Tonic .

Spurred on by my weightloss I reembraced activity - going back to running the park run and earning my body magic awards along the way .

As I lost weight and increase the activity up the hot flushes and mood swings got a lot better too ( well - maybe check that out with my husband !) I even stopped using the hrt patches .

Just before lockdown I had reached my target of 10st 10lbs after losing 3 st 6lbs and have stayed within my target range though lockdown :) dropping from a size 16 to a 12 . It wasn’t always easy, but attending the zoom meetings and seeing all the friends I had made at group kept me going - and when the opportunity arose to become a comsultant with my new found confidence I just had to take it , I know I’ll be as nervous on my first night as a comsultant as I was when I joined - but I can’t wait to help others change their life’s in the same way I have . My first group is Tuesday 29th September. 17

Hoteliers in Bristol say more Government support is urgently needed to protect the long-term future of their businesses in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

With the furlough scheme set to end next month, and new restrictions such as the ‘rule of six’ presenting additional challenges to the hospitality industry, hotel bosses say more support is needed quickly to help their businesses survive.

Many members of the Bristol Hoteliers Association (BHA) saw their premises operate at around two-thirds of their potential occupancy rates last month, with a few hotels not yet re-opened. While August was a good month overall for most hotels given all the circumstances, business was still some wat below what was achieved last year. And with no conferences, the end of the school holidays – therefore also ending the staycation boom – the BHA is forecasting overall business in 2020 is likely to be half of what was achieved last year, or even less. An important source of income for many hotels is weddings and conferences, which have been hugely affected by the limitations of being able to have no more than 30 people attending any such gathering. Raphael Herzog, chair of the BHA, said: “We need the Government to allow more people to attend weddings and conferences. This would provide a huge boost to our ability to continue to operate and would give event organisers more confidence to make bookings, whereas at the moment they are reluctant to commit because there are so many restrictions. “We have made significant investments and implemented many procedures to make our hotels safe for guests.

“We need to get larger events and increased numbers of people through our doors.

“Pilot events are being tested in some hotels and events spaces across the country but we need the Government to speed up this process and increase the numbers we are allowed with some urgency.

“It doesn’t help that people who attend a meeting during the day – even though they will be safely socially distanced – are now

allowed to then have a dinner together. “A meeting for 30 people is OK under the current restrictions, but a dinner not (other than for a wedding). So, 30 people can come to our hotels for a meeting, but we can’t host a social dinner for a birthday or wedding anniversary in a private room; people will be restricted to tables of six in our restaurants.

“With restrictions on the number of people who can attended events, it’s very difficult for us to resume business properly and the end of the furlough scheme will only make it harder for businesses to balance the books.

“Unemployment has already increased massively this month and when furlough ends next month, this number is only likely to go up.

“Germany has furlough until March 2022, and France has singled out tourism and other sectors to have an extended furlough scheme until the middle of 2021 in order to help keep people in their jobs and provide some longer-term support and stability for struggling businesses.

“Here, the hospitality sector will have benefited from it between April and October, which has been great in the short term, but we needed longer-term support and solutions.

“The hotels are far from operating at the same level as last year and the scheme is ending. Other industries have benefitted from it fully during lockdown but are back on track and reaching almost same level as last year so why not offer more support to our industry until we recover?

He added: “Many clients are working from home and getting used to using technology such as Zoom for meetings and conference calls, and it could be that the convenience of this, coupled with the savings they make compared to booking conference space at hotels, means that the sooner restrictions on the numbers of people who can attend are lifted, the better, otherwise people will get so used to the new way of doing things that they won’t want to return to face-to-face conferences.” The Christmas period – traditionally another good source of income for hotels – is also likely to be badly affected by the impact of the pandemic.

Mr Herzog said: “We suspect the traditional corporate parties won’t happen, because not only might there still be social-distancing restrictions and no dancing, but also many companies simply won’t have the same budgets available that they’ve had in the past.

“Hotels are going to have to think outside the box when it comes to Christmas and see what we will be able to offer in a safe way.

“The furlough scheme, the eat out to help out scheme, the business rates holidays and the reduction in VAT have all been beneficial to many businesses, and we’re grateful for them.

“But ultimately, they are only temporary measures. We need the Government to commit to providing some longer-term support in order to enable us to keep our businesses running and to help the economy recover from this crisis.”

Estate Agents Bishopsworth 0117 244 4441 AllenStone Estate Agents has joined the national Hunters estate agency network.

www.hunters.com

Charity launches free domestic abuse advice line for businesses

A new advice line for businesses supporting employees experiencing or at risk of domestic abuse has been launched by crisis support charity Hestia.

1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will experience domestic abuse at some point in their lifetime with 10 per cent of victims reporting abuse at work (TUC, 2014). [i]

The Everyone’s Business Advice Line will be a point of contact for businesses, supporting them on how to approach disclosures of domestic abuse by their employees, particularly in light of Covid-19. They will also receive advice so that they can signpost staff to specialist domestic abuse services.

Hestia says lockdown has shown that home is not always safe for everyone, and with more people working remotely due to Covid-19, cases of domestic abuse are rising. The charity saw a 47 per cent increase in victims reaching out for information and support on its free domestic abuse app, Bright Sky.

While over 2.4 million people are affected by domestic abuse every year,[ii] it can be difficult for employers to recognise the signs and support those experiencing domestic abuse in their organisation. Hestia launched the Everyone’s Business programme to increase awareness and support in the workplace and have worked with over 70 organisations from the Metropolitan Police to Balfour Beatty. Businesses play a significant role in supporting those who experience domestic abuse. Yet whilst 86 per cent employers agree they have a duty of care to support employees experiencing domestic abuse (Westmarland, 2017)[iii], fewer than one in three victims disclose the abuse at work, citing ‘shame’ and ‘privacy’ (TUC, 2014).

It’s also expensive, costing employers upwards of £14 billion every year, when measuring based on reduced employee productivity and lost output due to time off work (Oliver et al., 2019).[iv]

Lyndsey Dearlove, Head of Everyone’s Business Advice Line at Hestia said:

"Lockdown has meant victims have been away from their place of work, in isolation with their abusers, often with no way to seek support. Now, as more people return to their place of work, employers have a unique role to play in breaking the silence around domestic abuse.

By providing a free advice line that offers guidance, employers will be able to help their employees and direct them to practical support. When employers take action and respond to domestic abuse, we know it saves lives. For too long domestic abuse has been nobody’s business and it is time it becomes everyone’s business."

Elizabeth Filkin, Chair, Employers Initiative on Domestic Abuse said:

“Members of the Employers’ Initiative on Domestic Abuse believe that domestic abuse is everyone’s business, and that businesses have a critical role to play in supporting those affected by domestic abuse. With Covid-19 and lockdown we know that domestic abuse, and at the same time employees may be finding it difficult to know how their staff are doing. We know that it’s not always easy to know what to do when domestic abuse, so having the Everyone’s Business Advice Line available for HR professionals or managers to support them and guide them is a very valuable resource.”

Susan Bright, Global Managing Partner for Diversity & Inclusion and Responsible Business at Hogan Lovells, said:

“Domestic abuse can have devastating consequences, and leave people faced with impossible life choices. Employers have an important role to play in supporting their employees, particularly this year and during the pandemic. We welcome the launch of the new advice line and hope that it will ease some of the pressure on those who are vulnerable.”

A survivor of domestic abuse said: “When my employer started working with Hestia, it was a turning point. This was my last resort to get help. I met with their Independent Domestic Violence Advocate and talked about my experience. It was the first time I felt believed. It was like a weight had been lifted. Without this service, I don’t know what would have happened. It is vital that businesses can provide this type of service. I want to tell anyone who is in the same situation I was in that talking to someone can make so much difference - speak to your employer.”

For more information and the contact details, visit https://www.hestia.org/everyonesbusiness

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