Empowered Magazine Issue 5 - June/July 2022

EMPOWERED MAGAZINE ISSUE 5 | JUNE/JULY

FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR

Welcome to issue 5! This one is our celebration issue and after the last few years I think we all need some fantastic reasons to cheer!

You'll notice this issue that there is no parenting column. That's because our lovely Tracy is so busy with her business and her studies that she couldn't continue with us. Everyone on Team Empowered Magazine UK wishes Tracy the best of luck.

Our cover stars this month are our wonderful writing expert Lis McDermott and her fabulous husband Conrad who have so much to celebrate this year. I won't share any of the details here though - go check out their story!

So many people had things to celebrate this issue so I'm hoping you enjoy it as much as we have putting it together.

If you think you've got a story for us drop me an email to empoweredmagazineuk@gmail.com See you for the next issue in August!

HANNAH EDWARDS EDITOR

LIFESTYLE WHEN HAY FEVER PACKS A PUNCH...

By Caroline Peyton of Peyton Principles Nutritional therapist Caroline Peyton is sharing some tips about dealing with hay fever which affects one in four people, around 16 million people in the UK. Hay fever, or seasonal rhinitis, is a common allergic reaction to tree and grass pollen. It can cause immense discomfort and irritation due to typical symptoms like itchy eyes, throat, sneezing, blocked, runny nose, watery eyes, blocked sinuses or headaches.

At this time of year grass pollen is an issue, tree pollen is prevalent between February to June and finally weed pollen between June and September.

Caroline who runs clinics in Wiltshire and the Cotswolds, said: “Most people only think to take action to relieve current symptoms, but a longer-term preparatory approach well ahead of the season is recommended as it can help reduce the body’s response to pollen in the future.

“Hay fever is an immune response, where cells in the respiratory tract release a compound called histamine in response to IgE antibodies. This causes the mucus membranes that line the inside of the airway to react, affecting the nose, eyes, throat and ears. The body does this as a protective mechanism.”

Here are some easy was to help find relief through the current season.

1. Add grated or ground ginger and turmeric to your meals as they help to inhibit the inflammatory compounds that cause the respiratory airways to swell.

2. Eat citrus fruits, peppers, berries and kiwi fruit. These foods are rich in vitamin C which helps to break down and excrete histamine circulating in the body. Vitamin C also protects respiratory cells from the excess inflammatory damage that is created.

3. Have two to three portions of oily fish every week like salmon, mackerel and sardines.

Research has shown it helps to reduce the narrowing of airways, most likely due to the antiinflammatory properties in the fats.

4. Eat more onions, cooked or raw. Onions contain a plant compound called quercetin which has been found to act as a natural anti-histamine.

5. Drink nettle tea. It is rich in vitamin C and can help lower histamine that is triggered in response to pollen.

LIFESTYLE

Rather than wait for the hay fever season to begin, the best approach, according to Caroline, is to support your body well before the start of the season.

“Seventy per cent of the body’s immunity starts in the gut and the gut bacteria (the microbiome) play a significant part in supporting and regulating the immune system,” Caroline said.

“Not all of the trillions of gut bacteria are healthy. Pathogenic ones can start to multiply and upset the delicate balance. So having a healthy balanced gut really helps in minimising symptoms.”

The following can help create a healthy balanced gut: 1. Eat fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut or dink kombucha. These naturally bacteria rich foods and drinks help to keep the gut bacteria in healthy balance.

2. Minimise processed foods, saturated fats and sugars in your diet. These feed pathogenic bacteria which we need to keep in check.

3. Eat unsweetened stewed apple. Apple is rich in a soluble fibre called pectin which acts as a prebiotic which feeds beneficial gut bacteria. It also has an anti-inflammatory action in the gut too.

4. Eat foods rich in polyphenols like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, pomegranate, flaxseeds, olives and green tea. These not only support the growth of beneficial bacteria but help lower pathogenic strains. They also support a healthy gut barrier.

5. Consider making bone broth from your meat carcass. Bone broth is rich in vitamins, minerals and collagen, helping to keep the gut wall strong and healthy.

For more information about Caroline Peyton visit https://www.peytonprinciples.com

LIFESTYLE ARE MY HOLIDAYS JINXED?

By Chris Roberts MBE – www.chrisrobertsmbe.co.uk We’re coming up to the holiday season after two years of missing out on holidays abroad. But, sadly, holidays are not always what they are cracked up to be.

Stranded in Sydney My first brush with a holiday misfortune came when I flew to Melbourne. It was my first time travelling alone – there’s nothing like opting to travel half way round the world for your first attempt at solo-travelling!

My first inkling that something was wrong was when I realised that my Thai International flight to Sydney would arrive late. It actually arrived just as my connecting flight to Melbourne was taking off! As it was almost 11pm, all planes had stopped flying due to the airport being in a residential area and all airport staff had gone home!

I collected my suitcase in the deserted Arrivals hall and discovered that I was the only person left in the airport – except for one official on the Qantas desk.

Luckily, this official seemed to know his job and booked me on another flight to Melbourne the next morning, then booked me into a hotel in Sydney for the night and organised a taxi to take me to the hotel.

All this was before mobile phones, so there was no way I could call my family waiting for me at Melbourne Airport to tell them I’d missed my flight and would be arriving the next morning!

When I eventually arrived in Melbourne, my family were fraught with worry and frazzled from having slept on an airport bench all night! However, they were relieved that I hadn’t been kidnapped by a sex trafficker!

Years later, my husband and I went to Majorca when our daughter was eight years old and our son was seven. On the outward flight from Bristol, a child behind us was non-stop coughing and I whispered to my husband that I thought the child could have whooping cough and I hoped our children didn’t catch it.

LIFESTYLE Sure enough, two days before the end of our holiday, our daughter Sarah became ill. We called a doctor and were amazed when the diagnosis was measles and not whooping cough! The doctor said Sarah had to stay in bed with blinds closed to keep out the light and we wouldn’t be able to travel home in two days time.

The hotel management had a different notion and said we couldn’t stay at the hotel as they had other guests booked into our room when we vacated. Even our tour operator told us we would have to leave and arranged a taxi for us to the airport as we weren’t allowed to mix with other passengers on the package airport transfer.

On arrival at the airport, we were escorted by armed guard across the runway to the waiting plane. Once seated at the back of the plane away from other passengers, the pilot came and told us to disembark as he didn’t want us travelling on his flight!

Thankfully, we were allowed to stay on but, when we disembarked at Bristol, we were again treated like lepers and escorted by armed guard to get our luggage and then out through customs segregated from other passengers. On the plus side, we had no delays, no searches – just walked straight through! We could have been smuggling drugs for all they knew!!

I went to Turkey when I must have been nearing 60 years old with my husband, teenage son, Adam and his friend, Charles. I should have known that an elderly lady’s holiday with three Alpha males would end in near disaster.

It seemed a good idea at the time to hire a couple of motorbikes and tour the area going off-track and seeing the countryside. It certainly was great until I tried to get off the bike and caught my leg on the red-hot high-level exhaust pipe! My skin was badly burned but, fortunately, a kindly Turkish lady came to my aid, rubbed some home-made ointment on the burn and bandaged it for me.

My bandaged leg didn’t inspire any confidence though when, a couple of days later, I joined a group of would-be parasailers to jump off the 6,460’ high Babadag Mountain near Fethiye and parasail to the beach below. The dare-devil trip had already been cancelled twice before because of high winds and, this time, I really didn’t believe it was going to be third time lucky, but more like three strikes and you’re out!

LIFESTYLE After well over an hour bumping and jolting up the mountain in a Landrover, we reached the top. We were briefed about what and what not to do – under no circumstances should I stop running after my parasailing buddy tells me to “run”!!

Of course, I got allocated the tallest buddy! He was about 6’5” with really long legs, whilst I am about 5’2” with short dumpy legs! After I was clipped to his harness, he shouted “run”, but I found it very difficult to mimic the strides and the speed that he was doing. My leg revolutions were doing about four rounds to his one!

Then, the unthinkable happened: the expert buddy shouted “stop”. Now I remember that he had implicitly said “don’t stop once you start running”, so alarm bells started to ring straight away, especially when I realised that we were being dragged towards the edge of the mountain.

Luckily, other ‘experts’ were on hand to drag us back from the brink of certain death and untangle the knotted parachute.

So did I try again? Or did I give up, suspecting that the first attempt was a divine warning? Yep, you guessed it, I went again and, this time, ran without any problems, jumped off the mountain top and glided effortlessly down to the Olu Deniz beach below.

Tandem paragliding in Turkey

LIFESTYLE I’ve always wanted to go to Antigua. I love the Caribbean, and Antigua is right up there as one of the places to visit! Some years ago, my husband and I booked what seemed like a fabulous holiday in a luxury 20-cabin Antiguan resort overlooking the famous Jolly Harbour.

However, after booking and paying for the holiday, I did a bit of research. Yes, I know – I should have done this first, but unfortunately didn’t.

What I read horrified me. Just one year before, a honeymoon couple had been murdered in one of the cabins. It wasn’t the fact that this could happen again that put me off going to this resort, but the fact that we might be put in the same cabin where this unfortunate couple had died.

The reports about the murder were dreadful and I really did not feel that I could stay in a resort where a happy newly-married couple had been brutally murdered. So we cancelled and transferred our money to a holiday in St Lucia.

We escaped the horror holiday in Antigua and went to St Lucia instead. Nothing could go wrong, could it?

A fabulous resort with a newly installed lazy river winding around the stunning tropical gardens. Day two of the holiday and I was lying back in the shallow coolness of the lazy river gazing up at the palm trees overhead when I realised the sky looked odd. The sun was partially covered by a hazy cloud and there was a halo all around it. People in the hotel gardens were also gazing up at the heavenly phenomenon and one even said “It’s the end of the world!”

The Icelandic ash cloud phenomenon

LIFESTYLE It turned out that the unusual feature in the St Lucia sky was caused by the volcanic ash cloud ejected during the eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland. It had the potential to cause damage to aircraft engines, so this resulted in the grounding of many flights.

People on holiday with us were panicking about how they would get home and some, who had to leave in the next day or two, didn’t know if they’d get a flight home. We just took it in our stride and were of the mindset that, if we had to stay in beautiful St Lucia for a few more days or even weeks, we were quite happy to do so.

By the time we were scheduled to return back to Britain, the crisis was over and we flew back on our scheduled flight on the day we had originally booked.

Who doesn’t love the Greek Islands? And if you can go to several Greek Islands all in one holiday, then that’s a bonus. We booked a sailing holiday and joined a flotilla in Sivota on the island of Lefkada to go sailing for two weeks around the South Ionian Islands. It was idyllic until……

Halfway through the holiday, we were warned that some bad weather was due and we should make our way across the open water to the islands of Kalamos and Kastos as quickly as possible. No time for sightseeing that day!

Halfway across, the rain started and then the wind got up whisking the sea into huge waves. We could hear other boats in our flotilla making MayDay calls on the group radio and shouting that they were trying to find shelter in tiny harbours to keep safe. We didn’t have the luxury of finding shelter as we were right out in the middle of the sea. Our sails were flapping madly and our tiny sailing boat was out of control. In no uncertain terms, my husband ordered me to grab the rudder, whilst he clipped himself on to the boat to climb up the mast and bring in the sails.

Completely at the mercy of the elements, my husband was still struggling with the sails when the mast broke in two and the sails just hung there flapping uselessly in the wind. I was absolutely convinced we were going to capsize and die.

For about six hours, we battled against the freak Greek storm and eventually made it to the inlet leading to Kalamos harbour. Protected from the wind by the steep mountain sides of the inlet, the sea and wind calmed and we gained control of the boat, limped into the safe harbour and moored up outside a taverna. Despite not having eaten for about eight hours – since breakfast – we ordered a massive Metaxa brandy and some baklava to give us a sugar rush. I’ve loved brandy and baklava ever since!

LIFESTYLE I thought it was strange when I was buying some Euros at the Bureau de Change at Stansted Airport that the cashier said to me “Do you know how you’re getting back home?” Of course, I knew! We had a return flight booked from Lefkada with Thomas Cook.

Ha! How wrong could I be? I should have realised by now, after all the other holiday mishaps over the years that my holidays are jinxed!

Thomas Cook chose the day of our departure to fly their last charter flight before going into liquidation and we were on it!!

Once again, with the fifty shades of flight fiascos in St Lucia a not-so-distant memory, thousands of holidaymakers were going to be left stranded at holiday destinations throughout Europe. And it looked like we were going to be with them.

But we decided to enjoy our holiday with not a care in the world whilst the tour operators worked frantically – and successfully – to get us home on another flight.

When you have a milestone wedding anniversary, you want to celebrate it in style, right? That’s what we decided to do for our 40th ruby wedding anniversary in April 2020.

My brother-in-law has lived in China for several years and we thought it would be great to make the trip of a lifetime and visit him for a few days plus incorporate the Chinese Grand Prix, which so happened to be on the same day as our wedding anniversary. We planned on spending a few days with our family, go to Shanghai for the motor race and then jump on a flight to Vietnam/Cambodia to enjoy a relaxing tropical island paradise in Phu Quoc.

Guess what happened next? Yes, Covid-19 bombarded the world with a pandemic and lockdowns causing flight cancellations, holiday chaos and death to millions of people around the world.

We were one of the lucky ones, as we did manage to get all our money back from the tour operator, the airlines and the Formula 1 ticket agency. However, our special anniversary was not the special holiday-of-a-lifetime celebration we had planned, but was spent at home with a fillet steak and a bottle of red!

Has it put me off travelling and exploring the world? Definitely not. I love the adventure. So exciting! Bring it on!

Learn more about Chris by visiting her website www.chrisrobertsmbe.co.uk

LIS & CONRAD MCDERMOTT COVER STAR SOUL MATES

At the age of forty, after being married for eighteen years, I separated from my husband. We had married far too young, at twenty-two, and over the years had grown apart.

Initially, other divorced friends suggested I join them and other singles on trips to the theatre, or meeting up for dining evenings. As much as that seemed to be the life people thought would suit me, it didn’t appeal at all. Instead, when a friend, ten years younger than me, asked me to go clubbing with her, I immediately said ‘yes’.

After almost a year of going to Gas (a soul club in Cheltenham), dating men, also around ten years younger, one night I noticed Conrad. I was attracted to his beautiful smile and sparkly eyes, and his amazing dancing. He is a great dancer – unlike my ex-husband, whose main dance style was doing a sort of two-step shuffle backwards and forwards. As a musician, having a husband with no rhythm was a tad annoying!

To cut a long story short, at the end of the evening, after having just one dance together, Conrad asked for my phone number. The next day at the allotted time he had given, he rang me. One of the first questions I asked was, “How old are you?”

LIS & CONRAD MCDERMOTT He answered, “How old do you think?”

“Twenty-three? I guessed, thinking he was far too young for me.

“No, I’m twenty-eight” he replied. Still twelve years younger than me at the time. Of course, he asked how old I was.

“I’m a little older than you. How old do you think?” I said.

“About thirty something.” I was flattered, and told him my actual age.

His reply, “Age is only a number.” We continued chatting, and agreed he would drive down from Birmingham to see me the following Friday.

Everything just clicked. Conrad doesn’t believe in love at first sight, and I don’t think I do… honestly, but we just clicked. We talked about films, we laughed and laughed, and for the first time I could talk to someone properly about music. Conrad knows his music, and at that time, was impressed by my CD collection of soul music.

From that time, we saw each other nearly every weekend, and spoke on the phone during the week. That was August 1993, and twenty-nine years later we are still together and have been married for twenty years.

All of my friends at the time accepted Conrad and our age difference, although I don’t think they thought out relationship would last for so long.

However, my mother was a different story.

LIS & CONRAD MCDERMOTT

Mum was a bit of a snob, and extremely worried about ‘what the neighbours thought’. As far as she was concerned, Conrad had nothing to offer me. In her eyes, he had three things against him. He wasn’t a professional, he was far too young, and ‘wouldn’t be able to look after me in the style to which I’d become accustomed’ and of course the elephant in the room, he is black. Her actual comment was, ‘only a certain sort of woman goes out with a black man’.

My mother was born in 1913 and had a very sheltered life, but as far as I was concerned, that was ignorance and racism. Incredibly, because he is such a generous and genuine person, Conrad put her comments down to her age. I was less forgiving.

Superficially, she was thinking what I’m sure some others were, that we had nothing in common. We came from different backgrounds, socially, educationally and culturally. How wrong they all were.

Initially, we lived in Cheltenham, in the flat I had bought after my divorce.

Then we bought our first house together in Gloucester. At that time, I worked as a self-employed educational music consultant, working in schools, but then got the job of Music Adviser for Wiltshire. This is when we moved to Royal Wootton Bassett for me to do less travelling although Conrad got a job with a courier company and ended up driving many more miles each day.

LIS & CONRAD MCDERMOTT Over the years we’ve had some amazing travelling adventures together, to South Africa, Japan, Berlin, Spain, Italy, Hong Kong and Thailand. We have supported each other as our careers have changed – me from music to photography, and now to writing; Conrad from working as a courier to now being in charge of the warehouse in a large builders’ merchants.

At times we do get lingering looks from people, who maybe don’t agree with mixed marriages, or different age marriages. Conrad calls this the ‘bar code’ look – as though they are scanning us. In all honesty, we don’t care.

Sometimes people do actually say something. Like the time we had been sitting opposite an elderly lady in a café, chatting with her, and before she got up to leave she asked Conrad “When are you going home love?” I told her he wasn’t, as he was my husband. She was genuinely apologetic – but she had the perception that he didn’t belong here.

As a black person born in the UK, Conrad is used to getting similar comments. Rather than let comments like this fester, Conrad puts it down to the ignorance of people who still don’t understand that this country has had black people living here since Roman times - for hundreds of years. Those people have lived, worked, paid their taxes into this country and have helped to build and develop it. The colour of your skin is not an indication as to where you were born.

I am less forgiving because he is the man I love!

We know we have been very lucky to have found each other and after getting married on my fiftieth birthday, this year as was also my seventieth and our twentieth wedding anniversary, we renewed our wedding vows. Thirty of our wonderful friends joined us for an amazing celebration.

You can read our story in ‘Mixed Feelings; A True Story’ available on Amazon.

On 27th May my debut novel, ‘He is Not Worthy’ was published, and is available on Amazon, and from me directly.

LIFESTYLE ‘HE IS NOT WORTHY’ BOOK LAUNCH IS A HUGE SUCCESS

Our writing expert and one half of this months’ cover stars, Lis McDermott, celebrated the launch of her debut novel ‘He Is Not Worthy’ on May 27th and our Editor, Hannah, got to go along and join in the celebrations.

Lis McDermott made the decision to change career from being a photographer to a writing mentor during the pandemic and she has succeeded massively. This book is a product of two years of hard work, published through SilverWood Books and available now through Lis’ website or on Amazon.

Lis said: “This is not a story of lust, it’s a story of love, mutual attraction with a plot twist where the main character also finds herself the object of someone else’s desire. A man we might identify these days as a stalker.”

LIFESTYLE Lis used to be a teacher, which is where I thought the inspiration for this story had come from. Not necessarily from personal experience but from horror stories shared in the staff room! However, on the night she shared with us how the idea came to her! “This story is not based on personal experience! The idea came to me when I was watching a thriller about a stalker and it made me think about how a person could become obsessed with someone else, truly believing there is a connection which simply doesn’t exist," Lis said.

The Marsh Farm Hotel is the perfect setting for a book launch. Outside is stunning and the room used for the launch is the same room that was setting of Lis and Conrad’s vow renewal and Lis’ 70th birthday celebrations. It seems only fitting that it’s the same room we celebrate another milestone that is the amazing year that Lis is having.

When I arrived, people were already there buying drinks at the bar, mingling amongst each other and congratulating Lis whenever they got a moment with her, giving her flowers and cards in celebration. The atmosphere was bubbling with excitement. There were people here from all areas of Lis’ life – from when she was a teacher, when she was a photographer, friends she has made at networking meetings and friends she has made throughout her journey as a writer.

When everyone had arrived, it was clear that we would need some more chairs! The evening started with an interview by Fiona Scott. The two have been friends since meeting at a networking group so Fiona was the perfect choice to be asking the questions! There were plenty of laughs throughout the session we all got to learn a bit more about why Lis chose to write this story, what her next novel is going to be about and her writing process. Following this people got chance to ask Lis questions and plenty of hands went up. It was very obvious that this book is going to be a popular one.

Throughout the night I managed to speak to a couple of people in attendance about why they came. Stephanie Bumford, who knows Lis through a networking group that they both attend, said:

LIFESTYLE “It’s a great event to be at. I came to support a member of my networking group I attend, BusinessWise, because Lis had been discussing the books in the meeting getting me interesting in wanting to purchase it for a read.

I’ve particularly liked the opportunity for question and answers and to hear about how the book came together for Lis.”

Kevin Griffiths, who met Lis at a different networking group, said: "I've really enjoyed being here. It was good to hear the process Lis uses when writing her books. She has given me hope to know that her first novel took 2 years to actually get finished and this makes me feel that I can write my book without a time limit. The snippets she read to us all were very enticing and made me want to read the full story!"

As soon as the question-and-answer period was over, a huge queue was formed at the book table of people wanting to buy a copy. They then moved onto the next table to get their copies signed and to have their photos taken with Lis. As the night ended it was obvious that people were rushing off to start reading their copies, jumping onto Facebook the next day to tell Lis how amazing the night was!

You can buy your copy of ‘He Is Not Worthy’ from Lis’ Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/He-Not-Worthy-LisMcDermott/dp/B0B28KP8GG/ref=sr_1_1? keywords=Lis+McDermott&qid=1653846789&sr=8-1

LIFESTYLE SCRIPT WELLNESS BRINGS A BREATH OF FRESH AIR TO THE WELLNESS INDUSTRY Celebrating and empowering women through their natural cycles and phases of life, Script launches with its debut range — Script Ease — an expertly designed collection targeting menstruation

A brand-new wellness platform created for women, by women has just launched in the UK with a clear mission: the Script Wellness team is setting out to shake up the women’s healthcare industry and rethink the way we approach our female health and wellbeing. The brand has just debuted its first collection of aromatherapeutic products, starting with a range of expertly designed items to counter the uncomfortable side effects of menstruation—without any of the nasty chemicals.

The debut EASE collection is 100% vegan, formulated from natural, ethically sourced ingredients and essential oils, and comprises a Menstrual Oil, Pillow Spray, and calming scented Candle, plus gift cards to surprise your friend, or subscription plans so you’ll never find yourself caught short!

LIFESTYLE At the heart of the Script Wellness team is a mother-daughter duo who are changing the game. The venture came about as a response to a feminine familial dilemma: back when its founder, Jill Sinclair found herself navigating her own family’s cycles, from her daughter’s menstruation preoccupations to her mother’s challenges with menopause. The lack of salient advice and nonpharmaceutical treatments left Jill reeling, “Why are women left to blindly navigate their own health and wellness?”

And so she called on like-minded wellness experts and allied minds to join forces with a mission to revamp the status quo. The team is passionate about shifting our approach to women’s wellness away from over-the-counter synthetics and towards alternative natural remedies—like botanical blends and CBD-infused formulations—all the while educating young women on their sexual health and wider female wellness.

Working towards opening up “a sisterhood of conversation and community”, the brand’s online presence aims to inspire and engage open, intergenerational, and dynamic conversations around women’s healthcare and wellbeing.

The Head Alchemist behind these bespoke formulations, the ‘Aroma Expert’ Bernd Griasch, has an assuredly tried-and-tested approach, with over 40 years in the aromatherapeutic and pharmaceutical industries. His breadth of experience over the years has informed the team’s research, delving into both menstruation and menopause, hormonal imbalances, and cyclical effects of pain, insomnia, and anxiety through to mood and body changes. With over 18 million people of menstruating age in the UK alone, and Healthline finding that between 32–40% of people suffer such significant pain and discomfort during their cycle that it requires time off school or work, it really does beg the question: Why are women forced to wander this wellness maze on their own?

Commenting on the launch, Founder & CEO Jill Sinclair has commented, “I’m in my sixth decade now and have a real fascination for getting to the heart of what happens as we grow and develop as women. Young, old, and in-between. I was tired of the bandwagons, lack of transparency, and taboos; it made me want to start a wellness brand, a community that would allow women to own their own Script for their lives with natural products and content."

Shop the ease collection at: https://scriptwellness.com/shop/

LIFESTYLE NOVELIST TO BIOGRAPHER?? WHO KNOWS…

By Rachel Brimble MAYBE ONE DAY As I am sat at my desk writing this, I have final edits on my 29th novel awaiting my attention as well as my 30th novel halfway written. I love writing! It’s my passion…with royal history coming in a close second. My first contemporary romance novel was published in 2007 after a long held dream of becoming a published author one day – since then I have had at least two books a year published.

The last seven books have been historical romances set in the city of Bath (The Ladies of Carson Street and the Shop Girl series). I love history…so much so, that it had been niggling at me for the last couple of years to write something more in-depth than a novel, a little more focused. But, over and over again, I put any academic ambitions of becoming a bonafide historian on hold. Why? Fear. Plain and simple.

How could I – a self-taught novelist with no official qualifications plus the eight GCSEs I left school with at age 16 – possibly think about writing historical non-fiction or biographies? It was a joke to even consider such an ambition…wasn’t it?

But that niggle to do just that wouldn’t go away. Excitement rolled through my stomach every time I thought about the possibility.

My heart felt a little fuller, my confidence a little stronger. I could do this, couldn’t I? I could study, work hard and make my next big dream come true.

It was just a case of taking the leap – a big high jump, just for me. No one else.

So, in January this year, I signed up for a history degree with the Open University and started my studies. I would be lying if I didn’t say the course is challenging, but it is also inspiring and, the fact I am actually doing it, hugely empowering. I am making steps for a career change that feels so right – so me – and, because of that, I can’t possibly fail.

LIFESTYLE Writing is without a doubt my first love – my calling, if you like – which also means I love helping other writers achieve their dreams of becoming published, too. As I have only written romance and women’s fiction novels, I cannot offer advice on other writing genres BUT I certainly can on a genre in which I have been traditionally published over and over again. With my First Chapter Critique service, I review the first chapter (or first 3,500 words) of the opening chapter of novels written by aspiring novelists working towards publication. It is so satisfying how many writers I have worked with have gone on to be published!

This is my way of paying it forward (with huge gratitude) for all the help I’ve received on my own writing journey.

So, yes, I am busy working on my current writing career, studying for a career change that fills me up every time I think about it, and helping others along the way. Life can be hectic, hard or happy, but our lives are our own to change and adapt as we see fit.

Don’t you agree??

You can find Rachel and her work here: Website: https://rachelbrimble.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachelbrimbleauthor/?hl=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rachelbrimbleauthor First Chapter Critique service: https://rachelbrimble.com/first-chaptercritique-service/

SAMANTHA JAYNE 666 THE SMELL OF SUCCESS!

BY Samantha Jayne

We are now fast approaching a beautiful energy coming in and although some people may think that the 666 is a number associated with the devil, I will argue that it is not. When it comes to numerology, it is in fact, it is a very positive number. One associated with success and wealth, perhaps that is why generation after generation has connected it to evil. The bible speaks of the devil and has us in fear of this number, distracting us from the powerful energies that lie within the combination of the 666.

Six is a symbol of love. The love we have for our parents and between parents and children, it can also be about the love we give and share with our other family members, friends and those within our community. Six has always held an energy vibration that focuses on love, marriage, home, family, success, peace, nurturing, responsibility, empathy, compassion, healing, and being in service to others.

When we look at the message behind the Angel number 6, we see again that the messages are all around the energy of selflessness and unconditional love.

If you keep seeing this angel number, know that your angels are calling you to focus on love and being of service to others as part of of your soul path and purpose. That this is the best way you can live out your destiny.

To find balance between spirituality and your material goals. Then when one of these two aspects is out of balance, we block our flow and find it hard to achieve those important goals.

To also turn your attention to home life not just work.

With the angel number 6 and the angel number 666, the angels are asking you to remember who you truly are. The kind, loving, caring, supportive person you are deep down.

Six is also all about connecting with our soul path, the blueprint we created for our life before coming to this Earth. For when we are fearlessly and gracefully being who we came here to be, we are able to tap into our destined success, our destined wealth.

SAMANTHA JAYNE 666 is all about the 6 energy and adding to it the power of the 3 through the 6–6–6 which encourages us to focus more on the focusing on the material and financial aspects of life and how these connect to and empower our families and our home.

This is a powerful time for success. For creativity. As long as it is all connected to your soul path, to the purpose you came here to fulfil. When we operate from a place of integrity, responsibility, honesty and authenticity, we have access to an abundance of all that is good if we will only choose to open our hearts and minds to receive it. A time of recognising that our soul, our own inner spiritual self and growth is important, equally important as material growth and that we must have both to truly feel abundant in this world.

This is also a time for humanitarian issues and justice to be highlighted in the world so I am sure we will see a few interesting turns of events around this time. I watched a documentary about the women trying to politically fight Putin this week and I was stunned. You can see for yourself here.

6+6+6 = 18 = 9 which is completion, i.e. the end of a cycle. So many will see projects and chapters in their lives and their businesses coming to a completion between the 6th and the 18th June. Some will also see themselves choosing or being forced to let go of what is no longer need in their lives and this is to create the space for an opportunity to create something new and wonderful in your world.

This is a time for success, spiritually and financially, for recognition, some may even achieve fame right now if it is part of their destiny. Whatever you choose to create around this time, and through the use of these numbers do so through love not fear.

Want to join me for my 666 energy activation? You can find out more here.

LIFESTYLE FARREN MORGAN: TACTICAL ATHLETE

The Tactical Athlete centres on changing regular civilians into robust Tactical Athletes.

My training programmes and fitness training sessions assess their current fitness levels while pushing them to their physical and mental limits. Through these arduous programmes their fitness levels increase, their confidence builds, and they adopt healthier lifestyle habits. Through establishing The Tactical Athlete, I've successfully educated, inspired, and motivated people all across the world to live a healthy and fulfilling life through fitness.

Last year I broke the Guinness World Record for the Fastest Cross Country 10 km run carrying a 60 lb pack.

Through my extensive training, this year I'll be breaking three more Guinness World Records: The Fastest Cross Country Marathon carrying a 60lb pack The Fastest Cross Country 10km Marathon carrying a 100lb pack The Fastest Cross Country Half Marathon carrying 60lb pack I've chosen to break these records seeing as I have a ton of experience competing in marathons while carrying an excessive amount of weight, and through breaking one world record I'm certain I'll be able to break others.

I started my training to break these world records over six months ago and through my athletic abilities, hard work ethic, and mental discipline I'm confident that I'll be the recipient of four Guinness World Records by the end of the year.

● ● ●

LIFESTYLE Farren's Top Tips To Acheive Your Fitness Goals There are many ways to stay fit and motivated as you work towards the Fitness goals you're striving towards.

If you're truly looking to establish a permanent change, incorporate these tips into your lifestyle: 1. Incorporate Fitness in your daily routine Instead of driving to nearby locations, consider walking or running. Not only will you be supporting the development of your body, you'll also be helping the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.

2. Eat the right foods to support your Fitness goals Your eating is one of the significant factors that could be helping or hindering the development of your physique. It's important to have a thorough understanding of the food you consume, and your metabolism to guide them in the direction that supports your Fitness goals, and all of this can be accomplished through your eating habits.

3. Get enough sleep Sleep is a significant factor that impacts the growth and development of your body. Without a full night's rest your muscles won't have the time they need to recover which would negatively impact the development of your body, and lead to increased fatigue throughout your day. To counter this, try to get at least 7 hours of sleep. Your body will thank you for it.

4. Maintain a long-term and happy mindset Fitness isn't a sprint, it's a marathon that requires resilience and determination.

You'll face obstacles on the path to your goals, and could even make mistakes that negatively impact your progress. Instead of seeing the negatives when mistakes are made, have a positive mindset and view those mistakes as a challenge to strive towards overcoming. It's important that your mentality is dedicated to the long-term success that Fitness provides because this would be the determining factor on whether you can truly go the distance and achieve what you've set to do.

LIFESTYLE HAIER PARTNERS WITH COOL EARTH TO DIRECTLY HELP COMMUNITIES LIVING IN THE WORLD'S BIGGEST RAINFORESTS

Haier, the No 1 Global Major Appliance brand for the 13th consecutive year*, is thrilled to announce that it has partnered with climate charity, Cool Earth.

This partnership will see Haier and Cool Earth work together to back people and local communities to protect the rainforests and contribute to the fight against the growing climate crisis. Cool Earth works with communities in some of the largest rainforests in the world including the Amazon, Congo and New Guinea.

The partnership is announced in conjunction with Earth Day on 22 April.

However, this work will continue far beyond Earth Day to tackle the ongoing crisis around climate change.

Lauren Vyvyan, Cool Earth’s Business Partnerships Manager said, “We work with indigenous peoples and local communities whose ancestors have lived in rainforests for thousands of years. These people are the real rainforest experts.

They have the knowledge to help protect these precious environments.”

“Together, Cool Earth and Haier will champion the relationship between people, the rainforest, and the climate. We are excited to be partnering with Haier, working together to back people and help fund projects that create choice, tackle the root causes of deforestation and protect vital carbon sinks over the long-term.”

LIFESTYLE Cool Earth provides cash directly to rainforest communities. A recent project in partnership with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and local communities in the Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia is an example of what can be achieved: 120,634 acres are being protected by the people living in the Cardamom Mountains.

84 people were trained to start businesses raising chickens for food and for sale.

103 people were trained in adaptive farming.

40 additional farmers were trained during the harvesting and planting seasons.

Women in the community gained paraveterinary skills to ensure the health of chickens in their community and beyond.

Essential oil enterprise started in the Cardamon Mountains in Cambodia Technical training sessions on contemporary farming methods are helping to improve crop yields.

Lauren Vyvyan added, “With our help, local communities will continue to adapt to the climate pressures to protect their home and their way of life. New approaches are needed to adapt to changing conditions and tackle food security, create sustainable incomes, provide better health care and resilience for communities.”

Haier and Cool Earth will work on campaigns to highlight their work across PR, advertising and social media and video content.

Jim McEwan, Chief Commercial Officer UK & Ireland said, “This is an immensely important partnership for us. The protection of our rainforests is key to the fight against climate change. We are proud to announce our partnership with Cool Earth and look forward to funding projects in the local communities in the rainforest where most help is needed.”

LIFESTYLE FITNESS TRAINING PROVIDER YMCAFIT LAUNCHES PROGRAMMES TO HELP BREAK DOWN BARRIERS FOR WOMEN IN THE FITNESS INDUSTRY.

Based on a recent survey of women within the industry, YMCAfit has created a range of initiatives to improve access for women into fitness and a fitness career.

YMCAfit, part of leading health and education charity Central YMCA, has today announced a range of programmes and courses to help improve access for women to fitness and a fitness career, including a women’s only Personal Trainer course. Using feedback from a recent survey of women who have graduated from courses over the last 5 years, the UK's leader in face-to-face fitness education has implemented changes that will improve fitness and break down barriers into the fitness industry for women. The survey highlighted that: 73% felt that women might face more barriers to career progression than men in the fitness industry.

More than 67% felt that unhelpful gender stereotyping negatively impacted women in fitness.

46% felt there was negative unconscious bias from decision makers that impacted women's careers in fitness.

LIFESTYLE 84% wanted fitness professionals to have a deeper understanding of female anatomy and physiology and changes through life.

65% thought that lack of self-belief or confidence negatively impacted career progression for women in the fitness industry.

In light of data from the survey, YMCAfit has launched a women-only Level 3 Diploma in Gym Instructing and Personal Training and will be creating innovative workshops to educate fitness professionals of all genders on how to make fitness more accessible for women throughout all stages of their lives. In addition, they will be working collaboratively with awarding bodies to share the results from the survey to encourage other training providers to increase women’s health content on their fitness courses.

Erica Smith, Head of YMCAfit said: “We have been hearing from a number of women that they wouldn’t feel comfortable in a male-dominated PT course or even a mixed environment, so we have created a space to empower these women and help them thrive in their careers.

We believe women deserve fitness professionals who better understand women.

Women have different experiences to men because of periods, childbirth, menopause, differing pressures from their families, society, and the media, including gender ideals and stereotypes. This has an impact on their fitness and training, both biologically and psychologically, and we want to address this.”

Hannah Whibberley, a YMCAfit tutor who will be teaching on the new course, said: “It is important to make education more accessible to all women who might be interested in getting into the fitness industry. By running women-only courses, we will be able to encourage more women to join the industry who may not be able to otherwise. To get more women into fitness we need to have a greater number of female instructors, and this course will help achieve that.”

The Women’s Only Level 3 Personal Training course will provide women with everything they need to be a world-class personal trainer, all the content in the usual course, as well as offering additional skills and training to help women thrive in the fitness industry including Ante/postnatal and Older Adults content, which would normally be an extra cost.

The first women’s only course will start on 4th July 2022 in London and has a 10% discount if booked before 4th May 2022. The Advanced Learner Loan is available on this and a number of YMCAfit courses. This Government-backed initiative allows students to pay for their course in a flexible way and pay back once they are established in their careers.https://www.ymcafit.org.uk/courses/personal-trainercourses

LIFESTYLE AWARD-WINNING COOK & FOOD WRITER BACKS NEW INITIATIVE THAT USES CARTOON CHARACTERS TO IMPROVE CHILDREN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD

An award-winning cook, food stylist, presenter and author of seven cookbooks, who has worked with the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, John Torode and Gary Rhodes, is backing a new initiative that uses cartoon characters to improve children’s relationship with food and get them eating more healthily.

Sammy Satsuma’s ‘Mission for Nutrition’ includes the UK’s first fully personalised recipe book for children featuring a range of characters led by Sammy Satsuma and featuring, among others, Buster Banana, Peter Potato and Becki Broccoli. Jo has created the recipes that are available for inclusion in the recipe book, and which include Christopher Corn’s Easy Peasy Pizza, Mo Mango’s Chicken Curry and Lenny Lemon’s Yoghurt Cake.

The concept, which uses storytelling and character bonding to introduce young children to cooking and create a healthy, balanced relationship with food, has been created by two dads, Chris Brady and Ashley Cain, who were wondering how to solve the problem of their own fussy eating children.

“Primarily this is about making cooking fun, helping kids get comfortable in the kitchen from a young age and having some bonding time with their parents away from screens,” explains Jo. “And we have seen how the concept works by building the relationship between the child and the characters. This enables the characters to subtly convey the benefits of eating fruit and vegetables. We’ve seen the difference it can make to a child’s healthy food choices.”

With the personalised recipe book a parent or child can choose their favourite recipes from a range of 100 different meals or snacks. The child’s name and avatar will feature throughout the book and within the recipe process, making each a unique product.

LIFESTYLE

Recipes will also include a QR code to take the children through to instructional videos to increase their cookery knowledge and skills.

In addition to the fully personalised recipe book, Sammy Satsuma also launches with a personalised adventure book and two story books, each of which also features one of Jo’s recipes.

“This isn’t about being the food police,” continues Jo. “It’s about using character bonding and storytelling to engage children on their level and subtly introduce them to healthy eating and making recipes.”

A survey carried out by Sustain in July 2020 concluded that 91% of parents agreed that the use of child-friendly characters on products result in their children asking for the products.

“With a fifth of children leaving primary school in the obese category2 it’s important that we start to educate our children the youngest age possible.

That’s why we also have plans to produce an early learning range of books to introduce children from the age of 12 months to our characters and their associated fruit and vegetable journeys.”

More information on the Sammy Satsuma range can be found at: www.sammysatsuma.co.uk

LIFESTYLE DOWNLOAD OUR APP AND HELP LOCAL FOOD BANKS, CHARITY ASKS - BanktheFood campaign to help communities in crisis -

Food banks are a lifeline for those in crisis, but often they are inundated with one type of item while lacking other essentials. Imagine 1000 tins of baked beans and no toilet roll!

BanktheFood has launched a revolutionary free app that sends shoppers a ‘ping’ and a list of urgently needed items from their local food bank at the most crucial time - when they arrive at the supermarket. Shoppers can then add an item to their shop and donate it at the local donation station.

Sally Gunnell OBE supports the app: “No one should go hungry. With so many families in our communities facing food insecurity, I wanted to share a brilliant app with you from the charity @BanktheFood. It’s a simple but clever way to make sure that generous food bank donations are targeted to provide the most effective support. Check it out, download the free app and if you are in a position to do so, please get on board. We all have a part to play, and together we can make a difference.”

Emma Spring, BanktheFood co-founder, explains: “It’s such a simple way to genuinely help the people around you who are struggling and who need help now more than ever.

The app means people using food banks get a balance of what they need. It would be great if everyone donated just one thing. Each donation will be putting food on someone’s table, possibly the same day.”

Download the free BanktheFood app, find your local food bank and help get the goods they need. Follow BanktheFood on Facebook @bankthefood or Twitter @BanktheFoodUK

BOOK REVIEW THE WILDFLOWERS BY HARRIET EVANS PUBLISHED BY REVIEW.

BY JANE LACEY-CRANE

The weather is changing, and the time has come to start thinking about all those books we’ve been waiting to read, whilst we relax on a sun lounger by the pool, cocktail firmly in hand. Soon every newspaper, magazine or supermarket shelf will be full of their recommendations for the ultimate ‘Summer Beach Read’. These books are a perfect example of how our surroundings can affect what and how we read, and the book I’m reviewing this month is no exception. Bear with me, lovely readers, I shall explain.

The book this month is “The Wildflowers” by Harriet Evans. The novel is based around the Wilde family, husband and wife Tony and Althea both of which are glamorous actors. They have two children Cordelia and Benedict and they spend long lazy summers at their beach house, The Bosky; which was where orphaned Tony grew-up as a child. The Bosky was always full of Tony and Althea's acting friends, where parties were held, and affairs were had! They are watched by neighbour Madeleine, a young girl who longs to become a part of their seemingly perfect family, her childhood being very different from that of the Wilde children, Ben and Cordelia. When abandoned Mads makes her presence known to the Wilde's they take her in offering her love, warmth and family. Tony seems to really understand her and knows more about her family than he is letting on. But are the Wilde family as perfect as they seem? And what happens as the years pass and long hidden secrets begin to emerge.

Harriet Evans is the author of eleven other books, all of them popular page turners, so when I was looking for something to read on my recent holiday, I figured I’d be in perfect territory.

Far from lounging around by a pool, drink in hand, most of my holiday was spent walking or standing in queues for long stretches of time – yes, you’ve guessed it; I’ve just returned from two weeks in Disney World!

BOOK REVIEW Now, I realise that this won’t be every one’s idea of fun – and to be honest when the alarm went off at 5.30am on those mornings where it was essential to arrive at the parks early to avoid the crowds and be able to ride some of the more popular attractions, I did question our choice of holiday destination – but, for the most part, I had an utterly fabulous time! (FYI – if you’re a Star Wars fan like me, there really is nowhere better to experience the life of a rebel fighter than at Disney’s Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios! I got to pilot the Millennium Falcon and make the jump to Hyper Space!)

But I digress; what I mean when I say that location can affect the way you read and appreciate a book is something I realised when I began to read other reviews of ‘The Wildflowers’. A common complaint among readers seemed to be that the book was ‘too long’, ‘took too much time to get going’, ‘was confusing and hard to understand’; but I didn’t find any of these things to be the case and I think I know why.

If you’re trying to fit some precious reading time in around your otherwise busy life – family, job, housework, pets – it can be frustrating when an author seems to take you on a long circuitous journey through a plot, drip feeding you information and tantalising you with what’s to come. If your time is limited, you want a book that’s going to get going as soon as possible, and “The Wildflowers” isn’t that kind of novel. However, if, like me, you have endless hours of standing in queues ahead of you, or the luxury of no other demands on your time and attention, then this book will do a great job of keeping you engrossed and making the time just fly. I found it to be a thoroughly absorbing read, one that kept me interested all the way through.

Don’t misunderstand me; the novel is not without its issues. The narrative jumps back and forth between different eras quite a lot and there were occasions where I struggled to keep up with who knew what and when, but for the most part this device enables the reader to piece together the characters bit by bit in a most tantalising way.

I was drawn in by the vivid descriptions of the surroundings, from war-torn London to the beautiful Dorset coast. The authors descriptions of the Wilde’s summer home, The Bosky, had me scouring Right Move for potential ramshackle seafront cottages to buy until my husband politely reminded me that most ordinary people can’t afford to keep two entirely separate houses complete with staff, on the go.

BOOK REVIEW It was a wonderful story, but it won’t go on my list of favourites for one simple reason; the characters on the whole are just not very likeable and as a consequence, I didn't care enough about them. I don’t mind flawed protagonists, in fact they’re often the most interesting, but the characters in this story seemed flat and, dare I say it, a little bit formulaic and at times, lifeless.

Tony is a stereotypical self-centred man child, working out his childhood trauma by shagging his way through half the young actresses in London, and Althea is the self-obsessed actress, frightened of growing old and only playing at being a mother to Ben and Cordelia. As a side note, the constant abbreviation of Cordelia’s name to “Cord” in the book, began to grate on this readers nerves after a while. And parts of the story are confusing – with two characters having very similar sounding names at one point – and the jumps in time are sometimes too frequent and can become a distraction. Having said all that, would I recommend ‘The Wildflowers’ to others? My answer is possibly, but only with the warning that it’s a book that will take time, attention, and perseverance.

On the other hand, would I recommend a visit to Disney World?

Wholeheartedly. If you want to find the child inside, there really is no better place.

Happy Reading Folks!

Facebook – Jane Lacey Crane – Author Instagram – @janelaceycrane Twitter - @JaneLaceyCrane Amazon Author Page - Amazon.co.uk: Jane Lacey-Crane: Books, Biography, Blogs, Audiobooks, Kindle

BUSINESS I CREATED MY OWN CHARITY AT 19 YEARS OLD In 2019 I received a life-changing infertility diagnosis of MRKH Syndrome. The congenital condition is often diagnosed at around age 16 because the first symptom that is often displayed is the absence of a first period (primary amenorrhea) due to an individual being born with an underdeveloped reproductive system, although secondary health characteristics are sometimes picked up in childhood and can lead to an earlier diagnosis. I was 17 years old when I was diagnosed with MRKH, halfway through my A-Levels.

Living with MRKH presents a whole range of challenges, both health wise (physically and mentally), and otherwise .I consider myself incredibly lucky to have received so much support from the MRKH community when I was first diagnosed, and I knew I wanted to be a part of the community that once saved me when I was struggling.

After an intense battle with my mental health and a lot of soul searching, I decided I wanted to start my own peer support network.

In this spirit, in April 2021, after recovering from an intense battle with my mental health, I founded MRKH Stars- a peer support network and advocacy group specifically tailored towards those who were newly diagnosed with MRKH. It was hard work, and as a teenager going through the same ups and downs experienced by those coming to me for help, the job was and is very emotionally heavy. But I would never change it. I love helping others and empowering them to fulfil their dreams, despite the challenges posed by MRKH. When I first started the foundation, the only tools I had around me were three other women with MRKH who wanted to join me on my mission, and a couple of my friends from university who also wanted to help. It took a long time for the charity to get off the ground, but everything changed when Tk, the fifth member of the team, joined us.

Tk has an unmatched passion and drive for the cause, and has always been creative in identifying ways that we can improve. We used to, and still do, sit on the phone for hours and plan new initiatives and projects; she shared my desire to change the world. This is why we very quickly connected, and she soon became the “Second Star” of the foundation. Since October 2021, she has acted as the co-Director of the foundation.

BUSINESS Between the two of us, we have built a charity and a beautiful friendship. We are global advocates and change makers, at ages 19 and 20. We run MRKH Stars together and have a board of trustees all helping us on our mission. We are now also accepting donations and are growing every day. Tk and I have both been in the news; Tk runs a buddy scheme within the foundation known as Shooting Stars, which connects those who are living with MRKH; and I am developing my career as a writer whilst also helping others to find their feet as writers.

Our social media presence is growing, and our website is running and is managed by a member of our team. We are making new connections around the world on a daily basis, and are hosting a whole range of projects and initiatives to support those living with MRKH. To find MRKH Stars, see: www.mrkhstars.com @mrkhstars on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter MRKH Stars on Facebook

BUSINESS GONE TO THE DOGS! A 'PAWSOME' BUSINESS CREATED FROM A PASSION Ethically Raised is a proud British independent raw dog food company based in the heart of Buckinghamshire in the UK with a passion for the great British countryside, animal welfare and delivering good quality dog food without the gimmicks and with truthfulness.

Founded by Dave Kemp, Ethically Raised evolved through Dave's personal and business interest in canine welfare. Already at the helm of a successful doggie daycare business based in the home counties, feeding other people's dogs became part of everyday life at the centre.

It was then that David began to look beyond the ingredients and the industry as a whole as he explains; "With such a variety of dog breeds and ages, it is inevitable that you are feeding multiple dogs, multiple brands and choices. I started to look into the ingredients and the pet food industry, and the more I learned, the more I felt compelled to make a change."

"From unpronounceable ingredients through to secrecy over what was in the food, even down to where exactly the ingredients and meat was being sourced; I knew that there had to be something better, but there wasn't."

Fast forward seven years, and Ethically Raised has arrived; Raw feeding made simpler, tastier and ethically better.

Unlike most dog food brands, Dave knows exactly where his meat sources come from because Ethically Raised work closely in partnership with farmers and personally inspect all their British farmers.

"We also publish our lab results proving that we are balanced in nutrients to FEDIAF nutritional guidelines. Being clear in your product development from the start is crucial to ensure that your brand has plenty of USPs. We looked at the competition and thought, 'how can we do better, so we did."

BUSINESS These USPs include only working with farmers who practise regenerative agriculture (ensuring that their farming works in harmony with the natural world) and the promise that 100% grass-fed meat is always on the menu. " Our Farmers also meet the highest animal welfare standards in the country as Pasture for Life & A Greener World certified farms. We practice what we preach." Clarifies Dave.

Being consistent in your messaging to consumers is also essential, as Dave explains; " We don't just emphasise 'natural' within our food; our customers care about their dogs. So, upholding these ethics by using UV light to clean our facilities and plant-based cleaning products naturally are all considerations to our customers. We are also the first company to use Algae oil in our recipes for optimum Omega 3 goodness without the risk of consuming heavy metals. Just another way we knew we could improve our dog food experience."

Dave also recommends that you appoint experts where you need them; "I'm a businessman, and I know dogs, and I know what dogs like, but I am not a dog nutritionist. I knew we needed someone to help us formulate the perfectly nutritionally balanced diet, so each recipe is created in consultation with leading Canine Integrative Wellness Nutritionist Junior Hudson to blend taste with balanced goodness perfectly."

Bringing transparency and honesty to the dog food sector is at the heart of their mission statement, as Dave shares; "We use prime cuts (not trims or scraps) sourced from our farmers, and organic fruit and vegetables are exclusive to our menu, ensuring your dog's meal is tasty and free from pesticides and herbicides. We even include double strength organic Turmeric in our recipes to spice up your dog's vitality! We want to give dog owners the power of knowledge to make informed choices on what they feed their dog."

And for the busy dog owner, Dave and his team designed each meal to stack easily in even the smallest freezer space with ultra-thin packaging for speedy defrosting.

"We also offer a 48-hour delivery service and a subscription service, so customers can give their dogs healthy, nutritionally balanced meals without the fuss or mess or having to remember to place an order."

"Solving a problem is key to any successful business model, and we solve our customers' problems on numerous levels. Spend time doing your research before launching and appoint experts within your business to support and strengthen your company's credentials and product development."

Taste the difference: Ethically Raised. ethicallyraised.co.uk Photography by Glen Burrows & Daniel Osborne

BUSINESS ADHD, BUSINESS & ME

By Claire Beesley

I have spent a long time trying to find the perfect mix of jobs to keep me motivated and happy. I’ve tried many different things, all while holding down full time employment. It got so that I thought I was a serial entrepreneur. I’d set up businesses, become completed absorbed, and then at some indeterminate point I’d find my passion disappeared like a puff of smoke in a gale.

It was disconcerting. I started to worry that I didn’t have the follow through, and for a long time I didn’t know why. I enjoyed doing creative things, but when the interest waned I kept telling myself that creativity wasn’t my thing after all and I should just stay in my lane.

Last summer, after maybe 25 years of trying to figure out what was wrong with me, I was diagnosed as ADHD. It has taken me a while to figure out that ADHD means: I get passionately interested in a topic and that’s what motivates me · need a positive feedback loop on my efforts, otherwise my interest quickly wanes – I didn’t really understand this until very recently and I’ll explain more later I can be extremely organised in a work environment (I was a project manager for 15 years!) but am scatty as they come at home – which was an important mindset change I had to go through to turn my side hustles into thriving businesses I am at risk of regular burn out, have suffered with fibromyalgia, and am a slave to my hormonal ups and downs I struggle to balance the demands of a full time job with being an available, present parent

Now, aged 43, I have finally alighted on the perfect set of businesses that work with my ADHD brain and the demands of family life.

It’s got to be a creative endeavour, with regular, fresh challenges for me to tackle and a continual feedback loop of wins, whether they’re big or small. My dopamine-starved brain is constantly on the lookout for its next hit and it gets that through creativity, problem solving and seeing other people succeed.

I am an author of women’s fiction, a writing coach and editor, and I choreograph and teach dance. I have the perfect blend of time with people, time focusing on my own work and it’s flexible enough that I can schedule my work around my hormones and when my family need me.

BUSINESS And the best thing is that understanding my ADHD has allowed me to figure out motivation. I’m not motivated by deadlines, threats or rewards. What gets me out of bed each day is that I genuinely love seeing my clients and students improve, come out of their shells, and take what I give them and go make it even better. Whether it is a piece of choreography to a dance student, or writing advice to an author.

I still find tasks daunting or boring. So I’ve learnt how to make them more appealing and manageable.

1.Find a way to turn something scary into something fun, by tapping into what gives you motivation: Example As a business owner, social media is essential these days. But rather than get overwhelmed with the enormity of what on earth to post about, I have turned it into a fun, getting to know people task. I post about honest things that interest me. I talk to people genuinely. I have met some of my favourite people this way and they will remain my friends even when our work together may have ceased.

2.Break down big tasks into small, achievable steps: And write them all down. I use Trello to manage tasks and it’s very satisfying to tick them off. But a piece of paper or a whiteboard works just as well.

3.Start with a few small wins, then get to the bigger stuff: linked to 2 above, having a list of tasks and then ticking them off is satisfying to me. But starting with a few small things that you know are likely to go well and result in an achievement, is huge motivation to keep going and tackle the bigger stuff 4.Women, cycle sync: this is a pretty new term to me, but is revolutionary. I can do this because my business allows me to. But I urge all women to think about how this could be incorporated into your life. Cycle syncing basically means working with your hormonal cycle instead of in spite of, or even against it. Through the four phases of our menstrual cycle, we can be exercising, eating and working differently so we care for ourselves. Do all the go getting stuff when you’re at your most energised. Save the tasks that are easier or more introverted for the time when you’re more sluggish and tired. Try to plan ahead rest days if you have painful, or heavy periods.

The strategies I now use are making a huge difference to me. The final trick up my sleeve I apply to my brain to keep it on task is to make my business an ‘at work’ mindset. This might sound obvious, but until I shifted my thinking from side hustle to ‘this is what I do’, I couldn’t get there.

So now when people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them (truthfully), I am an author, writing coach and dance teacher. That got me from feeling disorganised and full of brain fog to being (more or less) on it, most of the time.

And the difference I am making to the people I work with is what really keeps me going. When I see a dance student perfect a move we’ve been working on for a while – oh my goodness. When I coach an author to have confidence in their abilities and see what they are capable of achieving.

Wowsers. When a reader sends me a message telling me how my book has inspired them. My heart sings.

I’ve finally found my little corner of the universe and I love it.

BUSINESS Claire Beesley is an author, writing coach and dance teacher. She lives in Cambridgeshire with her family and two cats.

You can hang out with her on Instagram: https://instagram.com/byclairebeesley You can buy her book from Waterstones or instore in Cambridge: https://www.waterstones.com/book/waiting-for-the-winds-to-change/clairebeesley/9781913781200 You can check out her website and sign up to her newsletter: https://www.byclairebeesley.co.uk You can collaborate or work with Claire and Nurture Your Novel here: https://www.nurtureyournovel.co.uk

BUSINESS MEET TOM OSWALD What is your name?

Tom Oswald How old are you?

40 Where do you live?

I live in Wimborne in Dorset Who, if anyone, do you live with?

I live with my dog, I definitely count him as someone!

What is your job?

Chief executive and founder of ClickASnap Clothes, I tend to buy quality that last me many years so I rarely clothes shop, if I do it’ll be £100 for a shirt but that will last me 5 years!

Tell me a bit about your background please, e.g., school, university I was born in London and moved to Guernsey in the channel islands when I was 4 out there I was educated through beechwood and then onto Elizabeth College. I didn’t really fit into my schools idea of their model student, I was far more interested in working with my hands. I had a Saturday job at 12 working for a small garage called Classique Restorations. This is where I learnt about how cars worked. After school I would also go to see my next door neighbour who restored old machinery. He taught me how to weld, machine and a whole list of very useful life skills. When I was a bit older (14 I think) I went to work for a company called MS engineering, which was a proper engineering firm in the school holidays and I spent my time working with some huge and very dangerous machines it was a lot of fun but you would never be allowed to do that today with all our health and safety rubbish! I did my GCSE’s and part of these built a 2.5 ton electro hydraulic crane which was huge! I left school after this and went to do an apprenticeship at a company called Anglo Normandy where I worked on planes for 18 months.

My girlfriend at the time convinced me to go back to school to do my A-levels and I built a 5 axis robotic arm when I was 17 (there was no internet back then so everything had to be researched by library or actually go and work with the machines in real life to understand how they worked Thank you JCB!) whilst at school I convinced the local breweries to supply and install 20p vending machines into all the islands pubs, that did pretty well actually. I left school at 19 and went to work in the banking industry and hated every minute of it. I was made redundant at 20 and left the island to come to the UK where I started working in a holiday park near Weymouth. Whilst I was there I rapidly climbed the ranks and whilst doing this spotted that pubs lost about an average of £25k per year in wastage due to line cleaning so I developed and patented a system that cold sterilised the beer and reinjected it back into the kegs, off the back of this I was commissioned to design a speed pour system and actually built a tap capable of dispensing a pint in less than 4 seconds.

BUSINESS That was a messy project! After this, which was about 2008 I was offered a job in the oil and gas industry as an R&D engineer with a new startup and during my time there I developed a record label, which spawned a video platform that pivoted into ClickASnap Could you share your diagnosis story?

I was out for dinner with a friend one evening in 2018, came home with a desperate need to go to the toilet and basically didn't stop going for three weeks straight. Eventually, it got so bad (without going into details) That I had to go to A&E. They stated that I had UC and that I should phone Bournemouth hospital so I did, they sent me some steroids but they did nothing and so I got admitted roughly four weeks after all this started. Over the next few months I was in and out of hospital for weeks at a time until I was put on a biological medication called infliximab which has literally saved my life Could you share how you juggle your business with IBD-info on his current treatments etc?

(I try to avoid things like 'you can do anything if you try hard enough' as not always the case with IBD) I have to go into hospital every 6 weeks for an infusion and take a plethora of pills every day. Whilst the medication does hold back the worst of it, there isn't a day that goes by where you are not exhausted, and some weeks where you are laid in bed because of how ill you are. Couple that with being on immunosuppressants means that colds and flu properly knock you out.

The truth is, getting through it is down to sheer perseverance, same as building a business.

The way i see it with a disease like this which can get progressively worse and with the welfare state the way it is in the UK, and rents/housing completely unaffordable plus the difficulty of holding down a job/career with a disease like this i see making the business succeed as my only option to have a future. Ulcerative colitis causes constant exhaustion, no immune system and a lot of drugs. It’s not fun as many will attest to. But, you can either laugh or cry, fight or cave, and I’m not one to quit at anything Has having IBD limited your business? How does you deal with flares etc?

I wouldn't say it has limited me directly, that's not because I am not affected by flares and the disease, it's because I just get up and fight through it every day. IT is exhausting, but the only other option is to quit and I simply won't do that. I always have a disabled toilet key on me, and always plan out my days so I know roughly where I will be at certain times of the day, manage my foods and ensure I stay on top of my medication.

Tell me about ClickASnap.

Clickasnap is a platform that enables image creators, whether that be artists, painters, photographers or any type of still image creator to have a means of generating revenue from their images by not relying solely on sales, similar to the way musicians can earn royalties by streaming through Spotify and videographers streaming via YouTube.

BUSINESS It is also a platform where there are no algorithms defining what you see or when you see it, there is no data farming or data selling. We position ourselves as a place truly built for image creators to post what they want, when they want without having to define themselves by what an algorithm dictates their followers should or should not see. This of course makes our platform a very powerful traffic driver, because if you have 1,000 followers, all of them will see your content not just the sub 1% of them that will see it on other platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

It actually started out as a video platform, years ago when I had the label Youtube was to launch something called Youtube Red. This would have destroyed the independent music industry as it was so I saw it as the perfect opportunity to try and compete so I took out a personal loan and got a video platform built. We pushed this hard for about 2 years but Youtube eventually backed down amid the uproar and we lost our USP. As an amateur photographer myself I had been thinking that if we could stream and monetise video so easily, then we could do it with photos and create a truly unique platform with a unique USP, and from this ClickASnap was born.

We currently have 5 staff and boast some 3 million signed up users with roughly 5,000 new users per day currently. I think in the last year we had some 300 million images viewed.

Its revenue streams are multiple, because we don’t have algorithms, or data farming we charge users either £2, £4 or £6 a month to use the platform. But to ensure the scalability and provide the revenue for the payments per view we run ads alongside the photos, but no data is collected by us and the ads rely on on page data rather than data extracted from the viewers browsing history (or the user themselves).

What makes you empowered?

The only reason money is actually important to me is so I can buy myself a house and truth be told, that is what drove me to do what I do. Housing is so ridiculously unaffordable and unless you’re either very rich or very poor you get screwed over by any government so you may as well always go for broke. My dream career was to be a heavy diesel mechanic as I loved working with my hands and fixing things.

Sadly, careers like that, as skilled as they are, are among many that have no hope of ever owning a house and given the dire state of renting in this country owning is an absolute necessity. So my only option was to persevere until I become a success and then hopefully be able to help people who aren’t in a position as fortunate as I am. Becoming a millionaire means I can do things like I bought an electric range rover vogue the other day after dreaming I had one. That was £125k, I also recently bought a beretta SL3 shotgun that was £21k. It has enabled me to do whatever I want to do, but it has cost me a lot to get there including my health and relationships so it’s not all rosy unfortunately.

BUSINESS BEAUTY THAT DOESN'T COST THE EARTH

Raw Beauty Lab is an independent London based beauty brand that champions eco and natural beauty and proudly does things differently. Founded by husband and wife, Sonia and Jared Bainbridge, the couple first moved from their native Australia to England to study at Oxford seven years ago.

The couple's choice to study business at Oxford was to change the course of their life plans more than they ever anticipated, as Jared explains; "We spent two years at Oxford before graduating with MBA's, eventually moving to London, where we still live and where Raw Beauty Lab headquarters are now based.

During our Oxford days, we never could have envisaged the success we have today and the journey that was to take us here."

The couple first launched the business and then spent over a year in product development, finally spring boarding with their first and now bestselling, beauty industry award-winning beauty supplement, Vegan Collagen. Their journey from startup to scale-up hasn't come without challenges, as Sonia shares;

BUSINESS "In the beginning, we would do all the fulfilment ourselves- taking orders to the post office each morning ourselves. As the packages got larger (and our arms got sorer!), we realised it wasn't sustainable to keep doing ourselves. Eventually, the order volume grew so quickly that we were up until 5 or 6 am trying to get orders out. That's when we got a fulfilment partner on board!"

Sonia continues; " In the beginning, we felt that it was important to do everything ourselves, not only to keep control of costs but also to ensure we could respond to client queries as quickly as possible. However, in hindsight, we would have begun onboarding business partners and building our team earlier."

Sonia, who also holds a major in pharmacology from a bachelor degree at the University of Sydney, had a personal understanding of the beauty industry, which was far more extensive than your average beauty queen, and it was this knowledge and drive which would later be a powerful force within the business; "I felt compelled to educate and help consumers make informed choices about the type of products they expose themselves to and help consumers interpret ingredient labels. As a former Miss World Australia, I had seen it all, from the dubious beauty claims through to the ingredients that were terrible for your health."

"We kept thinking, 'wouldn't it be great to create a supplement that tapped into Sonia's passion for natural beauty products, our combined love of health and wellness and our business expertise'?" says Jared.

Their approach to using 100% natural ingredients and wholefood sourced vitamins, rather than synthetic ones, which are cheap, less bioavailable, and used by most brands, was a delicious recipe for success.

Their eco and ethical credentials also extend to their quest to do good for the planet, which fits with their narrative for supporting good health; "We don't use single-use packaging. Our packaging is compostable and plastic-free. We plant a tree for every order placed in Sub-Sahara, Africa, with our charity partner 'Trees for the Future'' Explains Jared.

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"The cruelty-free, vegan supplement is also 32 times more environmentally sustainable, in terms of carbon emissions, than its marine or bovine collagen contemporaries. This consumer awareness of the effects on the planet is further validated by the growth that Raw Beauty Lab has seen in sales." Adds Sonia, "I think consumers are becoming more aware of the impact that their eco-footprint has on the planet. Small changes come together to make for a big change. The power is with the consumer."

And have the beauty power couple got any advice for would-be entrepreneurs?

"If you had a dream - do it! The hardest thing is getting started, but if you take it small step by small step, you'll start heading in the right direction, and you'll be amazed by what you can achieve!"

With exciting plans for more new product developments and launches, Raw Beauty Lab is a beautiful unfolding story with a beautiful future ahead. https://rawbeautylab.com

BUSINESS 5 LESSONS I’VE LEARNT AS A FEMALE

By Jess Salamanca, founder of FOUNDER Moxie Club

Starting a business is one of the most rewarding yet challenging things I’ve ever done.

Having launched three businesses, including a healthy ice cream brand stocked in Ocado, a club for female founders and a business helping SMEs access government grants, it’s been quite the journey.

From doing the numbers and filing tax returns, to coming up with marketing strategies and dealing with manufacturers, being a business owner means wearing all of the hats, making mistakes and growing from them. So I thought I’d share the top five business lessons I’ve learned on this journey.

Once you have an idea, you’re unstoppable Once you take the leap and decide you want to start your own business (and actually take steps in order to do it), the sky's the limit. You’ll come up with infinite business ideas you want to try - from a cute little Etsy shop to a big-vision business waiting to exit, you won’t be short of ideas. It is taking that first step into entrepreneurialism that is the challenging part. However, it’s easy to get distracted with all these ideas and all the potential avenues you can grow your business in. Execution is where growth really lies, so finding your why and having a tunnel-vision focus is absolutely key to success.

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Closing down a business It’s not all about starting businesses, sometimes it’s also about knowing when to call it quits. I loved my first business but didn’t feel quite right. I had the idea for a healthier, banana-based ice cream when I was really passionate about healthy eating and was obsessed with reading food labels. But by the time I launched it, around 5 years after having the idea, I’d rather have a pizza than a green smoothie. And whilst I still thought that having a better-for-you ice cream was important, I didn’t think it was my life mission either. So after many long nights debating what to do, I decided to pull the plug in winter 2021, after two years. Sometimes you need to know when it’s time to close down.

It may be painful, but you’ll know in your gut when it’s the right decision.

Reaching £100k revenue in 12 months One of my businesses hit £100k revenue in less than 11 months! It’s a business that I hadn’t planned for and sort of fell on my lap. As a side hustle, it’s taught me so much and that there is a lot to be said about being in the right place at the right time. I spotted an opportunity, took a chance not really knowing where things would lead and worked tirelessly on it in my spare time. And it panned out! £100k revenue later, I’d say it was worth the gamble and I was incredibly lucky to start a business that would allow me to help others whilst earning a decent living Mindset is everything Starting a business is incredibly hard, and sometimes you can be your worst enemy, getting in your own way. Fear, failure, imposter syndrome, limiting beliefs, other people’s opinions, procrastination…you name it. It can all play a huge role on how successful you might become. You have two options, you can either let it take control, lead to inaction, procrastination, or even selfsabotage, or you can take control yourself, push past your comfort zone and keep growing. Most of these limiting beliefs are entirely in your head, and whilst sometimes you might need to invest in extra education or experience to feel like you’re able to take the next step, stop getting in your way and learn how to push them aside and keep growing.

It can get lonely The thing I miss the most from working a full-time corporate job is the people, bouncing off ideas, going on coffee breaks and group lunches. Since going solo, it’s just me, myself and I in our home office (which I absolutely adore and itself is a dream come true) but when you’re an extrovert and your only company is your shadow, it can get lonely. This is why I launched a series of events under Moxie Club, networking events for female founders to connect, feel inspired and re-energise.

Sometimes you need a community of other founders who understand what you’re going through and simply ‘get it’. To succeed, I really do believe you need to build a strong network of people in a similar situation as you who can not only support you when things get rough, but push and elevate you so you can fulfil your own potential.

Wherever you are in your business journey, remember to celebrate every win, believe in yourself, push through barriers and keep learning as much as you can. You can do it!

If you want to follow my business journey, feel free to follow me on www.instagram.com/jess.salamanca or check my website out on www.moxieclub.co.uk

BUSINESS JUMP RIGHT INTO YOUR BUSINESS GOAL!

By Georgina James

GEEJ was born in January 2020 by me, the founder, Georgina James. I created GEEJ because I wanted to help people move their lives and help them live as their most authentic and unapologetic self. GEEJ allows people to move their bodies, minds and style through dance fitness, coaching and activewear.

My idea was born from a conversation with Jamie McAnsh, who was manning the Big Ideas Wales stall at a Careers Fair I was working at. From there Jamie directed me to the Business Bootcamp for under 25’s and it was there that the vision really became clear. I wanted to combine my love for dancing and mix it with getting people to feel and look great in activewear and allow them to use techniques to change their life and mindset.

It’s been over the last 2 (and a bit years) a struggle at times, but it’s also been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever invested my time into with many ups and many downs. We set off on our business journey with dance sessions filled with feel good music and throwbacks. It’s an overall body workout with high paced routines and slow isolated routines. Everyone who comes to class is encouraged to think of a goal they want to work towards and supported to achieve it, fitness related or not.

BUSINESS Everyone got hit with an unexpected year, and I decided to keep GEEJ classes free for people to join over several months online, and we danced everyday bar 13 throughout the first lockdown (March to July). During this time I realised the impact GEEJ could have on people's lives to change things up and create something that was missing for the mental impact lockdown was having on people and created weekly challenges.

Every week ladies signed up to a weekly challenge where they were encouraged to not only focus on physical health through exercise and dancing, but also mental health by taking part in Neuro Linguistic Programming practises specific to their needs. Since then, the challenges have become a new habit for our clients - because it’s about mental wellness at GEEJ - it’s about creating positive habits and changing what doesn’t work for you.

Where there’s a yin, there’s a yang, and as much as Covid massively impacted what I was doing, it also allowed me to turn my head in a new direction. When I started the business I had a goal of developing the dance classes over the first two years and launching the activewear in the third year. With the lockdown and further restrictions that plan got pushed off course and I decided to move to designing and developing my activewear line sooner. My Dad has always drummed into me “don’t get into debt” and I’ve been trying to follow that in business life too – so I knew what I wanted to achieve needed some creative ideas. The first item I wanted to launch was a supportive, sleek and high quality sports bra, so I used my own savings to get the bra designed and then turned to my clients to join me on the journey to getting them made and delivered to their doors.

BUSINESS I worked out that to pay the deposit on the sports bras, I needed 50 people to pre-pay for theirs, so I decided that the first 50 people to pay for their sports bras would become members of the FOUNDING 50. These people will now get lifetime discounts on clothing, and be the first to get involved in projects and in the future be asked to try samples and join promo shoots. It went down a storm and over the few months I advertised it we got our Founding 50.

All of this however contributed to one thing I didn’t expect to create and that was a supportive community. I didn’t realise that by starting my own business that I would be surrounded by like-minded, supportive and incredible human beings! We started 2020 with 8 routines, no website, no merch or equipment, a small community and by the end of the year despite lockdown we have over 60 routines, a website with an online dance and workout portal, online classes, activewear release and equipment that aids exercise, and a bigger community.

To anyone out there with a goal – just jump right into it – you’ll work the rest out along the way. A lion doesn’t dream of hunting, it just goes and hunts. Keep that mantra with you and just do what feels good to you.

BUSINESS THE UK’S FIRST OMNICHANNEL VEGAN SUPERMARKET CELEBRATES 5 YEARS IN BUSINESS

Co-founders, Paula Alcalde and Anderson Caicedo arrived in the UK some 11 and 13 years ago respectively, Paula with £150 in her pocket and not being able to speak the language and Anderson in nearly a similar situation.

Against all odds, they both established themselves in their careers over the following years, with backgrounds in some of the most prestigious firms in the world, such as Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Bloomberg.

Becoming long-time friends, they decided to switch to a vegan diet for ethical, health and environmental reasons, and gave up their high-profile careers to start a business creating a positive impact.

Now they are celebrating 5 years of launching what we believe is the UK’s first vegan Omnichannel supermarket, with both a physical and online presence – GreenBay in West London.

The business has experienced incredible growth over the past few years: with over 50,000 customers and over half million of plant-based products sold, they now employ 10 members of staff. In 2021, GreenBay won the Feefo Gold Trusted Service Award for its “outstanding customer service in 2020.”

GreenBay attracts customers from all over the UK; it is a safe haven for vegans, inspiration for plant-based people as well as a non-judgmental space for those who are curious to try out more meat-free and dairy-free options. Anyone from anywhere in the UK can access their products online as well as visit the supermarket itself. They stock over 1,200 vegan friendly products – many that are impossible to find elsewhere.

BUSINESS What sort of people will benefit from GreenBay? There are different groups of people who can benefit from advice and products at GreenBay: Flexitarians and non-vegans interested in plant-based products and bettering the planet and their health People looking for better alternatives to traditional animal products and concerned about their impact on the environment People with dietary restrictions (for example seeking gluten free products) Product manufacturers / suppliers Entrepreneurs focusing on plant-based businesses / people who are interested in starting up a business in the plant-based space Customers seeking advice on what to eat People looking to develop new products or ideas in the plant-based space People who want to know more about ecommerce marketing and advertisement on our platform Vegans and vegetarians of course!

GreenBay donates a portion of every new purchase to charities and organisations fighting climate change and supporting rural communities with reforestation projects, in order to offset their carbon footprint. GreenBay has helped plant over 5000 trees in Marotaola, Madagascar since starting the reforestation project.

By helping people switch to plant-based products over traditional ones, to date GreenBay has helped save 38.87B litres of water, 84.97M kg of CO2 and 9.34M of animals.

Find out more about Greenbay Supermarket below: www.greenbaysupermarket.co.uk www.facebook.com/GreenBayLDN https://twitter.com/GreenBay_UK www.instagram.com/greenbay_uk/

BUSINESS WRITING TIPS USE OF SENSORY LANGUAGE

BY LIS MCDERMOTT

What is sensory language?

Basically, this is descriptive language which enhances your writing and helps to immerse your readers in the experience you are wanting to convey.

It is a way to engage your readers with their five senses – smell, touch, taste, sight and hearing.

Rather than just use practical straightforward words in your writing, think about how you can enhance the reading experience by using words that relate to those senses. Don’t always use positive words either, think of interesting words to describe both good and bad reactions to the senses.

Help your readers to: Smell, food, smoke, rain, scent of flowers, rotting vegetation etc.

Think of descriptive words that match your needs. Eg. fresh, rotten, smoky, earthy, vile, musky, floral, damp.

Hearing, by using words that imitate sounds i.e onomatopoeic words like buzzing, humming, crash, pop. Loud and quiet descriptive words, e.g. honking, cooing rustling, blaring, and others about the quality of sound -mellow, pure, rich.

BUSINESS Touch, considering textures, temperatures and physical sensations, such as rough, smooth, soft, slimy, cool, clammy, feverish, feathery, creamy, lumpy.

T­a ste - the five common ones being: sour, sweet, salty, bitter, umami.

Descriptive words to match them: acidic, medicinal, aromatic, fruity, refreshing, spicy, chalky, tart, pungent.

Sight, thinking about colours; light; shapes; size; pattern. Use words such as bloated, dishevelled, drab, billowy, glamorous, gleaming, bright, pale, towering, miniscule, gigantic.

Think outside the box, when writing; don’t be obvious. Also, don’t use words you’ve never used or have to look up. Think of more interesting words:Rather than writing, ‘it was full’ you might change to ‘it was crowded’. The second gives a sense of being full of people, without saying so, whereas, it was full, could mean anything.

Standing alone in the wood, she could see the town in the distance. The moonlight shone on the water at her feet and the trees blew in the wind.

The use of more sensory language would make this come alive.

Standing in the deserted woodland, she could see flickering lights in the distance.

The stream beside her sparkled in the moonlight, and the leaves of the trees whispered as they blew gently in the warm breeze.

The use of sensory language is a must for food businesses.

How to prepare green tea - compared to - How to prepare fresh, aromatic green tea, is far less appealing.

Scientists have shown that multisensory language is helpful in marketing. We perceive the world around us using our multiple senses, therefore people react well to marketing and advertising that reflects multisensory experiences. As business owners, you can help readers to do what you want. If you use the right words, you can help them to imagine themselves with your product or service.

Make a list of sensory words that work for your business that you can incorporate into writing your blogs and social media posts.

BUSINESS "WHEN I RETURNED TO THE WORKPLACE IN 2015 I FACED MANY CLICHES"

By Charlotte Speak Have you ever had an experience that shifted the way you see the world? Something to make you look at people differently? Left you exploring who you are with a fresh pair of eyes?

In 2014 I became I parent and found myself doing all those things. I’d been around babies and children for a long time (the eldest of four girls and all the cousins, I wasn’t shy of a nappy change or seven). I naively thought I had a good grasp of what it was going to be like. Sure, I’d picked up some bits along the way about caring for a tiny baby – but there was so much I hadn’t anticipated. In particular, the impact on my career.

When I returned to the workplace in 2015 I faced many cliches. I wanted the hot cup of tea, the headspace not to have to think about nap time or what to play next. I also questioned with my worth and value I added. I wondered if I could still do my job and if I was wanted back. I knew I was needed from a headcount perspective, but beyond that I was really questioning it. The contact hadn’t been great while I was on maternity leave, I’d initiated a couple of KIT days but they weren’t handled brilliantly (in hindsight). I felt disconnected and vulnerable. At the same time though, I weirdly felt at my strongest. I remember saying to a friend ‘I’m somebody’s parent now, I’m not going to take the rubbish I did before I had her’.

Over the next couple of years, I faced a lot personally and professionally. There were some wonderful highs, and for a while my faith was restored – perhaps I could be a parent in the workplace and thrive. The lows were painful though and at times I felt trapped between the comfort of knowing my job inside out, the need for more and rising childcare costs. This all culminated in me setting up my own business in 2018, Power of the Parent®. I’m short cutting a lot of the steps that got me to this decision, so you’ll have to go with me when I say it wasn’t an easy one!

BUSINESS What I did find easy though was articulating my ‘why’. Now a parent to two girls (my youngest daughter was born in 2017) and after the experiences I’d had becoming a parent in the workplace, I wanted to change the world of work for them. I wanted to shift the narrative for parents in the workplace because we don’t stop developing when we have a family. Of course, things shuffle but it doesn’t mean we become less of a person. Working patterns might change a bit, but we all have a reason to want to go home or close the laptop at some point.

Initially I positioned myself to work directly with parents - running public workshops and self-funded 1:1 coaching. I saw others operating with similar business models and thought success was found in being on social media 24/7 to market my wares. I also took on associate work – getting in contact with connections who I hoped might have some work to chuck my way. It was rarely in the arena of supporting parents in the workplace, but it was in line with my learning and development background. It wasn’t the most energising, but it paid the bills. Looking back now I needed a re-write on my definition of success! I felt a failure for a while because I wasn’t seeing the numbers coming through Power of the Parent® and whilst I was grateful to have a bit of an income from the associate work, it wasn’t what I’d set out to do.

About nine months in I was chatting to a friend about how I was feeling. I’d gone from a standing start and was lurching from one thing to the next – testing out is great but I was throwing stuff around with little headspace to think. Panic mode hit and I needed to move through to enable myself to do my best thinking. I went back to the beginning and asked myself about my ‘why’ (again), started to look at where I could make an impact (with organisations) and turned that into a viable product (workshops and coaching programmes to begin with).

Then came finding connections to my market. I’m not a cold calling salesperson, instead I’ll figure out who I know and where I can show up authentically without over thinking an intro email.

All of these changes were a growth in my mindset and getting clearer over my strategy. Consciously tuning into what was draining me, figuring out what I needed to stop doing and focussing on my strengths to look at where I was going to be most energised. Absolutely none of it happened over night or even within a couple of weeks, it’s an ongoing narrative I add to.

I get to partner with organisations who don’t just tolerate my work, they embrace it. It’s a level of engagement I dreamed of a few years ago.

BUSINESS It’s taken time but given me space and grace to get into a strong mindset of working with the volume I have.

Spending time with clients transforming their self-trust, engagement and beliefs is empowering. Knowing I can leave line managers with the coaching tools and curiosity to connect with their team members who happen to be parents is a space I feel incredibly grateful to operate in.

Success looks different to each of us. I knew some of this as a coach but it’s been another realm to embrace it for myself. In 2018 you’d have found me in a gloomy place of excessive procrastination, non-existent self-worth and worrying my career I’d crafted was forgotten for daring to procreate. Today, having worked through the importance of knowing my strengths and reconnecting with my uniqueness (and some cheerleading from friends, family and colleagues on the side) I can confidently say tenacity has paid off and I’m the CEO of the flourishing Power of the Parent® - and I’m mega proud of myself.

BUSINESS “GO FOR IT, THINK POSITIVE, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF AND DO WHAT YOU LOVE” says Dawn Elliott of Sew Confident Chorley

Dawn Elliott was born and raised in Kirkcaldy, Fife before moving to Ulverston, Cumbria. After graduating from Bolton University, Dawn decided to settle in the area and start a family. Having two children and 20 years of marriage, Dawn was more than rewarded in her personal life, but professionally, she wanted more.

Dawn always worked in office jobs and was laterally an office manager for an engineering company for nearly 10 years. In Summer 2019, Dawn decided it was time to bite the bullet, start a career that truly fulfilled her and utilised her crafty skills. After a quick online search for sewing classes, Dawn quickly realised there was a gap for sewing classes in the Lancashire area. Her search led her to the Sew Confident sewing franchise, which had two franchises in Glasgow and Dundee Scotland.

From a young age, Dawn had a creative flair. Her hobbies included making cards, knitting, DIY, painting and sewing on her Granny’s old Singer sewing machine. After searching for classes to reignite her passion for crafts, Dawn stumbled upon the Sew Confident website. After a couple of meetings with founder Jenny Drew in Scotland to discuss Franchising, she decided to take the plunge, pursue her passion and quit her office job. With that, the first English Franchise, Sew Confident Chorley was born.

Almost three years since the launch, Dawn (and her now team of 5 freelance tutors) have taught over 500 clients’ new skills, with most customers returning to at least 3 more classes. Dawn is thrilled with the success, loves meeting and creating with new people and has never been happier!

BUSINESS

What was the moment you decided you needed a career change?

The moment I decided I needed a career change was when I hit my 40’s and my kids started looking at GCSE options. I was creative from a young age but didn’t want to go against the grain so I ended up doing a degree in Accountancy and Business studies. I worked in retail, then had two office jobs, one for an airline and then an engineering company. In 2019 I made the boldest and scariest decision of my life and left my wellpaid job at the engineering company, where I had worked as an Office Manager for nearly 10 years. When my daughter was choosing her GCSE subjects, we had a conversation that really made me take a long hard look at myself and my career. We chatted about what subjects interested her and what she enjoyed doing and what she was good at. I said: “Just do what makes you happy, as you will be working for a good majority of your life, so do something you are good at and something you enjoy”. She responded “Mum, you don't like your job and live for your weekends!”. She was right. I wasn’t practising what I preached, and I decided I needed to be a better role model to my kids. Life is too short! In October 2018, I took a trip up north to attend a Sew Confident class in Glasgow and this sparked my decision to make a change.

How important is it to have a support network around you?

Very important, I could not have started up my own business without the help and support of my family and friends. My husband is very supportive and encouraged me to go for it. Having his support, emotionally and financially, meant the world to me. My parents, sister and in-laws are always there for me and are my biggest fans

BUSINESS I don't have a huge family, but they were all there for my open day and there whenever I need them. My friends are also tremendous and very supportive of my career change. A few were sceptical about me buying into a franchise but that made me more determined to succeed. Nearly three years on, I’ve definitely proved that I made the right decision. A few of my friends have even got the sewing bug, it really is contagious.

I have a great support network through the Franchise. Sew Confident Founder Jenny is amazing and always there with some great ideas and advice when I need it. Her franchise model made that first step to self-employment so much easier. I also have the lovely Sandra in Dundee who I can chat to and we are regularly in touch to help each other out. We are like a little family.

Are there any female entrepreneurs who inspired you?

Yes plenty! When I met Jenny, she truly inspired me. She’s so positive and upbeat and really has a head for business. She is so focused and good at keeping her employees and us franchisees focused too.

What have been the biggest challenges for you?

The biggest challenge has to be surviving a pandemic and lockdowns when my business was only 9 months old. We managed to sell lots of sewing machines, as so many were looking to start new or reignite old hobbies with their extra free time. Jenny cloned her retail website, giving me a mini website where I was able to bring in some sales. My hand embroidery kits were very popular. I shipped them out all over the UK, some even went overseas!

We also turned to virtual classes. Some of which are still going after the studios reopened. Jenny created a fabulous online course called ‘crafty zero to sewing hero’, which is due to run again soon. It’s a mixture of prerecorded classes and live classes. I would sew along with our customers making tote bags, zipped pouches and cushions and it was a huge success. Lots of our customers went from this class straight into having a go at dressmaking. Many have gone on to sew themselves a wardrobe of handmade clothes thanks to Sew Confident. I also took our chunky arm knitting blanket class online. In two hours, people could sit at home, link up via zoom and I’d teach them how to knit a cosy, giant chunky blanket using their arms! It was suitable for complete beginners, and it was (and still is) a huge success.

What advice would you give to other women hoping to pursue a creative business?

Do your research and fact find as much as possible, talk to other creative people, join some groups and speak to those with creative businesses. I love what I do, and I think a creative business is definitely one of the best to have.

BUSINESS Having a creative business is still hard work but it’s so rewarding and the people in this industry are just great to be around and they are so inspiring. My advice would be to go for it, think positive, believe in yourself and do what you love!

How did you establish your network?

From the start, I was so excited about being my own boss and starting up the first Sew Confident Franchise in England. I would talk to anyone and everyone. I have a studio mascot and most Fridays, I do a fun social media post with him. His name is Wes (sew backwards) he’s a toy moose. I take him to other businesses, snap some pictures, then share and tag where he’s been. I enjoy doing it and other businesses love getting involved too. I also love meeting people and have tried out most networking groups in the North-West area. I must admit, I am more comfortable and prefer female/mums in business events. I have made some lovely business friends through female networking groups such as Mums in Business Int., Unique Ladies Network, CWS Creatives and Pink Link Ladies. There are lots of great ones in my area. Other women in business understand what you’re facing and they’re great for bouncing ideas off and asking for advice.

Are you following any other female entrepreneurs’ journeys who you think are smashing it?

I met some amazing woman as part of a Natwest Business Accelerator program I managed to get a place on. Frankie Noone was one of them, she’s a British makeup artist who is amazing at what she does and shares so much with others.

Another, Linda Monk, who has a retail business in Chorley called Freckle Boutique and is so much fun to be around. We met when she was nominated for an EVA award, and I loved her down to earth attitude and passion for her business. Her business has grown so much during the pandemic. There are loads more women who have inspired me, I could easily chat all day about them.

What drew you towards a franchise?

I guess knowing that the business model worked from the information I’d gathered and what I’d heard about the Glasgow and Dundee studios. The franchise terms were really good and lots of support was given right from the start from finding the right premises to helping me with advertising and marketing. I didn’t have to source suppliers or hunt for the best prices for stock as this had all been done for me.

BUSINESS What’s the 5 year plan for Sew Confident Chorley?

I’d love to grow my business and I’m focussing on my team and customer base. I currently have five freelance tutors and I’m looking to take on my first employee. I would love to collaborate with other businesses this year too. One day I’d love to even look at a second franchise in England, although maybe that’s more of a 10 year plan!

What’s been your biggest ‘pinch me’ moment?

Hearing my name mentioned live on the radio before being interviewed on BBC Radio Lancashire and BBC Radio Manchester or possibly being featured last year in a wellbeing book written by Gemma Margerison or seeing myself in the local paper.

Do your kids plan to follow in your footsteps?

My son is 14 and only just choosing his GCSE options and my daughter is nearly 18.

They are really good kids and work hard. My daughter wants to travel and is determined to have a great job and already has visions of what she would like out of life. I’m not sure what they’ll do yet but maybe my entrepreneur spirit is in them!

BUSINESS Q&A WITH ERIN PARNELL

Tell us about you: As any of my friends or people I have worked with will know, I have always been highly ambitious. I have always had to get to the next step of the ladder; always need to get that next pay rise, promotion, bonus. I was always highly competitive and assertive, never shying away from letting it be known that I am a force to be reckoned with. I have worked a long time on my career in my “real job” to get a pretty decent salary, a nice house, a comfortable lifestyle, not to mention the odd designer handbag thrown in for good measure.

Then along came Elara.

I could not have foreseen the change she has made to my life goals, and I say life goals, because, before it was work goals which helped me “get things” for my life. I was focussed and driven on my career for so long I had just assumed that that is what I would be doing forever until I retire (hopefully early because I had climbed so high!)

But then Elara unleashed something in me I never knew I had. I always knew about business because that is what I had been doing, running other people’s businesses but I had never really been creative, not since school (let’s not think about how long ago that was!)

Scrolling online looking for a keepsake of my breastfeeding journey after pumping for the trillionth time I saw some beautiful pieces but not quite me and I somehow convinced myself that I could make myself something. So I started researching how this mystical magic liquid gold could actually be turned solid and into something beautiful.

BUSINESS Why did you set up Eternally Cherished?

I convinced my partner that I could do this, afterall, I can do anything as I have harnessed the super power of breastfeeding. Well, it was a bit of a disaster to say the least. I didn’t have the proper materials, I didn’t really know what I was doing. My first mold was a Darth Vader ice cube tray – so yes I had breast milk stored in a Darth Vader head – what was I thinking!

However, I kept trying, adapting, amending my methods and hey presto after many weeks and failed attempts I did it, I got it right! Lots of hours of watching YouTube whilst Elara was feeding or sleeping or having tummy time, or on night feeds – I mean what else could I be doing right?!

I was so hell bent on getting it right as I had invested so much time and energy into it that it had to be a success. I remember on New years Eve one of my best friends was visiting and he thought I was mental. “Breastmilk…….jewellery…….” Yep that’s right breastmilk jewellery, people’s faces when I tell them what I do, it’s actually quite funny.

Like talking about breastmilk is somehow taboo!

Eventually I nailed it, I crafted my purple heart. I had no idea how it was going to come out and when it did I was so in love with it. I wear it all the time (when not at the day job!) A lot of my mummy friends commented on it and asked for some pieces to be made and before long I had their friends asking too.

So I thought to myself, ‘hang on this could actually be viable, if people really do want what I am making maybe, just maybe, I can make a little website and dip my toe in the water of being an entrepreneur!’ Because that sounds fancy, right?

I have zilch experience of website design, SEO, social media for business literally nada.

So, here we go again, a long steep learning curve! All the while working full-time, with a small one at home (and my partner) trying to start and run a small business.

I remember getting my Facebook page set up and the website set up, I only had a few items listed at the time. I was sooo nervous to hit PUBLISH. I felt like doing it was like me running naked in the streets – people would actually see it, they would see me!

I did it. I hit publish, I squealed and then sent it to my mummy friends to review. Then …. Nothing. It was a few weeks before I got my first sale and it was a mama from the north of England, I couldn’t believe it, so far away. I expected friends of friends locally but no, someone who didn’t know me, Erin, Elara’s mama saw my website and entrusted me to craft their special keepsake! Blown away!

BUSINESS And guess what?! I ballsed it up, I ruined it, I was devastated. I felt like a fraud, like I really shouldn’t be doing this that I had some baby brain fog that convinced me I could.

So after a little cry and a cuddle with Elara I started it again. I actually had to make it 3 times before it worked and came out perfect! Once I had posted it to the customer I waited with baited breath for a response, a review, some acknowledgement, something… and I waited and waited and waited.

Then my first review 5* review she absolutely loved it and oh my goodness I can’t tell you how good that felt!

As time went on and more reviews came in my confidence started growing and I expanded my range and developed the business. I got a professional logo, I took better photographs and then I got my branded jewellery boxes which I love so much! With each growth and change and review my passion for my hobby became my passion for my business and it’s grown with the love and dedication I have put into it.

I don’t know everything about how to do it all YET but I will do. Although I like my “day job” I do not foresee a long term strategic career anymore, that’s not where my life is headed, mine is headed towards running my business full-time. Having the flexibility of being my own boss, reporting and being accountable to me and myself.

How do you fit everything in?

How the hell did I get here? How have I managed to build my business up to the same level as my paid, salaried, full-time job? I mean, it was always the plan to do so but how did I actually manage it? If I look back over the last few years and see all of my errors, mistakes, misspent money, sleepless nights, working through the nights and all the negatives, I could say I have been a failure. But, do you know what?! I am successful, I have been successful, and I will continue to make these mistakes so I can learn from them, as this is what has helped my business grow and also my own personal development.

When I started my business, I did not have a clue what I was doing. I never used Instagram, only Facebook. I had never built a website, let alone thought about even doing that so where the hell do I start? So, I cheated, I looked at a ready built site where I can just add the content, good old Google! But now what is “content”? I am pretty sure at the time I called it blurb!

I didn’t really know anything. I knew how to run businesses as that’s what my day job was, running multi-million pound businesses, for other people to profit off, so this is what I was confident doing. The rest, well, that’s where all the mistakes happened but all the learning too.

BUSINESS I guess firstly, I was incredibly passionate about what I wanted to do and that was to encapsulate people’s precious memories into stunning pieces of jewellery from their breastfeeding journey. That was all I wanted to do when I started. I didn’t want to be rich; I didn’t want to run a business as such, I just wanted to share my new found hobby and perhaps people might like it!

Everything I have learnt is because I taught myself and sought the knowledge through the medium of the World Wide Web. There is so many useful videos and groups but very few actually doing what I wanted to do and what I was trying to do. The business side of the brain said, “lightbulb moment”, the personal side of the brain said, “I really want to make people happy”.

Now, most people would be “well if there’s not many people out there doing it then there probably isn’t a demand so fruitless pursuit”. Not me, I was hormonal after having had my child 4 months before, still in that blissful head sniffing daze where you are in glorious happiness just from watching them sleep! So I carried on, really happy at my new found weird little hobby!

What's your favourite piece of jewellery to make?

My favourite piece of jewellery I make, well that’s a tough one but I think it has to be the Always Together Bead so many options, variations possible and it is also the first item I ever sold.

What advice would you give to someone starting a business?

For anyone looking to start their own business, find something you love that brings you joy. Then find your tribe. I found an awesome Facebook group of like minded business women who I can go to for advice, they are my cheerleaders, always supporting me from the side lines.

What are your plans for the business in the future?

Given covid and the impact on small business I am happy that I still have a business. I am focusing on making sure what I am doing is essential, quality and amazing. I would love to leave the business to my daughter to run if she wants to run it later in life, and perhaps I would consider franchising it, but for now, I love it where it is. I find joy in what I do and do not want that to change, I would hate to fall out of love with it.

BUSINESS IT’S TIME TO RIP UP THE BUSINESS RULE BOOK AND TRUST IN YOU!

by Cecilia Grigor

That’s right, I said it! Just rip it up and throw it to the wind, because from my experience, the only rule book that matters is yours!

First I should introduce myself: I’m Cecilia, the managing director of Planit Scotland, a specialist marketing team of outsourced experts from across the UK. My career started in hospitality, a far cry from the world I’m now a part of, but from there I stepped out on my own and started Planit Scotland in 2014.

When I started Planit Scotland, it was quite a different business to the one it is today. It all began in my spare bedroom where I juggled being a single mum and working as an outsourced PA and business service provider to SMEs in the Highlands of Scotland.

Now, seven years later, we’re providing specialist marketing support to over 70 clients across the UK and Europe.

But how did I get here? By writing my own rules.

I sound pretty rebellious, but I’m really not! I simply learnt early on in my career that what worked for everyone else wasn’t necessarily going to work for me. It was important to me that I was being true to myself, and not trying to be something that I wasn’t.

So although I want to encourage you to follow your own path, I want to share a bit about mine and what I have learnt from going into business for myself: 1. It’s ok not to always know the answers. You’re not meant to know everything (if you did, life would be boring). And it’s ok to be honest with your team about that fact.

As long as you’re also showing them that you’re actively seeking out those solutions, and that you’re constantly moving forward – and including them in those processes. It’s important for your team to understand the why of what they are doing. With this knowledge, you’ll find they’re more willing to cooperate and trust in your business goals.

2. Being a strong leader means not being afraid to take risks; to celebrate when those risks pay off and hold your hands up when they don’t. Being a strong leader also means not being afraid to ask for help – from mentors, coaches, friends and family… and, most importantly, your team. There’s no pride lost in asking for help, and I always want my team to know that. Remember, you’re only human and it’s okay not to know everything!

BUSINESS 3. As an effective leader, it’s important to show your team that you’re willing to work with them. Your team should be a major consideration in every decision you make in the business. By rolling up your sleeves and showing your willingness to get your hands dirty, you’ll create an environment of high performance.

I’m often asked what Planit Scotland’s biggest asset is and I believe wholeheartedly that it's my team. Without them my business story wouldn’t be the same. But now the real question is, how will you write your business story?

For more information, visit www.planitscotland.com or follow Planit Scotland on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.