Funky Media Magazine | Empowering Women | Hospitality | Retail

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Issue 1 - December 2022

Leading Through a New Type of Change - My Hormonal Changes

Adelle Martin Visit South Devon Business Community

IT’S GIN O’CHOCK!

Locally distilled gin and locally handcrafted chocolate

Great South West Coast Path

9 million visitors use the Trail every year

My Resilience and Mindset Change Story

Inspire to Aspire

Devon’s finest celebrate at the

Food Drink Devon Awards

M A G A Z I N E

M A G A Z I N E E M P O W E R I N G

W O M E N

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H O S P I TA L I T Y

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R E TA I L

Issue 1 - December 2022

IT’S GIN O’CHOCK!

Leading Through a New Type of Change - My Hormonal Changes

Adelle Martin Visit South Devon Business Community

Locally distilled gin and locally handcrafted chocolate

Great South West Coast Path

9 million visitors use the Trail every year

My Resilience and Mindset Change Story

Inspire to Aspire

Devon’s finest celebrate at the

Food Drink Devon Awards

Editor Cristina Moyle Sales & Photography Fallon Perks Administrative Harry Jones Design and Layout www.paulscottondesign.com Copywriting Louise Cottrill Funkymedia Magazine takes no responsibility for claims made in advertising or advertorial in this magazine.

No part of Funkymedia Magazine may be reproduced or copied in any way without prior written consent.

Editors Comments Welcome to the first edition of Funky Media Magazine. I am very excited to bring you some fabulous content to inspire and guide you.

This month we focus on Empowering Women and Hospitality & Retail. Empowering women has always been the ethos of Funky Media.

Quite often women of all ages lack the confidence to take bold steps and I am a firm believer that as women are multi-skilled being mums, wives, daughters, employees, managers, confidantes, money managers, house managers and amazing diary managers ...they are well equipped to navigate the waters of business.

In this issue, we talk to two inspiring women who not only started their own business but through battling menopause and perimenopause, new and more rewarding careers emerged. There’s also some great advice from nutritional therapist Nikki Harris to help navigate you through menopause.

The Devon Food & Drink awards was a great night that recognised some of the amazing people and businesses in this region I spent many years in the hospitality and retail sectors early in my career, so I know the hard work and determination it takes to create success.

01752 270 413 hello@funkymedia.agency www.funkymedia.agency

I hope you have as much fun reading this edition as we did creating it!

Cristina

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MEET THE TEAM About Me:

Harry

Cristina

I started Funky Media Agency nearly 4 years ago.

When I started this business all I wanted to do was help people get ahead in their businesses by showing them how to build their business easily using technology. I am always looking to the newest and most efficient methods to push a business onto its next level and as I work individually with each business, I can see what they need. Funky Media Agency is partnered with Funky Media Radio and now Funky Media Magazine offering local and national businesses easy ways to connect with the world. I am based in Devon and love this area, but my life has taken me all over the world living in Spain for many years working in business development roles. Less about me….I want to hear about you.

Fallon

Fallon Perks

CONTENTS It’s Gin O’Clock

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Great South West Coast Path Experience 2023

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At Funky Media Agency, we are incredibly proud to announce the arrival of Fallon as our New Business Development Manager. Fallon’s enthusiasm and natural ability to understand client needs have already seen her make a big splash here with clients, both new and old. Her drive to expand their businesses, coupled with her incredible photography skills, is what has made her such an invaluable asset to our team.

We welcomed Fallon with open arms, and she has not disappointed! From attending business shows in Cornwall and Plymouth to networking events, she has proven an invaluable resource and continues to show her commitment to helping clients reach their goals. Welcome aboard, Fallon!

Devon Cove - New Hazelnut Liqueur

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Tors Vodka - Crafted in the heart of Devon

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Food Drink Devon Awards

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It’s time to make our work-lives better!

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Menopause

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My Hormonal Changes - Adelle Martin

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My Resilience and Mindset Change Story

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Harry Jones

Trevi ...where life begins

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Gifted Women

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Visit South Devon - Business Community

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Tagpoint - an easy to use app

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Scarlet Velvet - Not only a shop but an experience

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Forget-Me-Not ...dementia awareness campaign

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PL7 Photography Studio

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Harry is excited to be joining the Funky Media team as a digital marketing apprentice and is looking forward to starting his tasks and exploring the world of media marketing. He is ready and equipped with the skills, knowledge and experience to confidently and successfully work within the team to reach any developing goals and explore new ideas and experiences.

He can’t wait to start working and bringing his creative and innovative skills to the team.

Welcome aboard, Harry!

Ambitious Growth Network - Business Support

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IT’S GIN O’CHOCK!

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There’s nothing more relaxing for me than a good soak in the bath with my book, a glass of gin and a cheeky nibble!

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I am a single mum to my nearly 9 year old daughter living in Southborough, Tunbridge Wells. I’ve been selling books for 4 years and am passionate about getting books into the hands of children. But I felt something was missing.

As well as my daughter and books I love my friends, chocolate & gin. I realised that was the missing link – combining my 2 favourite treats together – It’s Gin o’Chock was born.

I am a huge advocate for supporting local businesses and wanted locally distilled gin and locally hand-crafted chocolate.

I came across Goupie as I was supporting Tunbridge Wells Fringe Festival running storytelling sessions hosted at the local Goupie Chocolate House. It was the first vegan chocolate I ever tried and I was hooked, so I applied to become an independent stockist.

Furthermore, it is dairy free and gluten-free. It is devilishly moorish even my daughter is a huge fan! It comes in 16 flavours – NOT including the 3 Christmas varieties and it is handcrafted in Goudhurst.

Goupie’s ingredients are all ethically sourced.

Using fair-trade Cocoa and RSPO certified palm oil, which is sourced from the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Not only can they pinpoint the origin of each batch ensuring no deforestation occurs, they are also no-where near those lovely orang-utans. Even the packaging is eco-friendly as the box and labels are compostable, the dibs & dabs come packaged in either compostable bags or re-usable (& recyclable) tins. The Hot Chocolates are packaged in larger versions of these tins with compostable refill bags.

With 13 awards & accolades under their belt, including Winner of Taste Of Kent Sustainability Award 2021, Great Taste Producer & Guild Of Fine Foods Member to name but a few.

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I first discovered Cantium Craft Gin at a Christmas event last year. Immediately I was drawn to the incredibly stylish looking bottle and was delighted when I was offered a sample to try. Deliciously smooth and flavoursome, it is produced using Kentish botanicals. I was blown away! The name Cantium derives from the Roman name which means Kent. It is the world’s first Gin presented in a reusable flask, once the gin has gone you can reuse it to keep drinks hot or cold for hours. The same thermos materials are used in the Cantium cup, which preserves the ice for longer. I even tested this in our recent heatwave with temperatures up to 35 degrees the ice stayed solid for over an hour in the Callux cup compared to a standard glass!

Cantium Gin is Multi Award Winning, with the most acclaimed award to date, winning the USA Spirits Gold Label and is Highly Commended in The Gin Guide Awards and many others. It is also one of the only Gins to be found on the shelves at Fortnum and Mason!

It is available in 2 flavours: Primo: a London dry based gin with lavender, cobnuts, apples, blackberry, hops and roasted Kentish chestnuts, to give it a truly distinct flavour.

Rubesco: is the sweeter of the two gins with botanicals as Primo but with additional flavours of strawberry and raspberry-it smells divine.

Since the launch of It’s Gin o’Chock in April I have been attending Summer Fairs non-stop.

The response to the products has been fantastic and the support of my brand has been amazing.

“We love working with Ann, and she has a clear connection with her customers. We’ve found she is already ordering more than some of our smaller local shops!”

Grace Simpson, Goupie Manufacturer.

Customers can register for my mailing list to receive exclusive discounts, special offers and new product releases here: www.mailchi.mp/ bd4118ad8899/its-gin-ochock

The first 50 people to register will receive 10% off their first purchase too!

I am super excited to launch my bespoke gift hamper service. 2 local products that compliment each other. What can be better than receiving a gin and chocolate gift in the post!

To be kept in the loop please follow my page on Facebook and/or Instagram @Itsginochock E M P O W E R I N G W O M E N . H O S P I TA L I T Y . R E TA I L

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Become part of the

GREAT SOUTH WEST COAST PATH EXPERIENCE 2023 If you’re a food and drink business along the South West Coast Path, you’ll know Autumn is walking season now and the 9 million visitors who use the Trail every year are on the look out for great places to eat and drink along the way.

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The South West Coast Path brings over £520 million into the local economy every year and a recent survey revealed that 82% of visitors said that eating out was an essential part of their coastal experience and 72% said they wanted to sample local produce.

Now the South West Coast Path Association – the charity which protects, cares for and shares the Path has come up with two ways to celebrate local food and drink businesses along the 630 mile Trail, whilst working together with them to help look after one of the region’s most important environmental and tourism assets.

The charity’s Way Maker scheme connects its 11,000 members, 1.4 million website visitors and 80,000 social media followers with cafes, restaurants and hotels along the Trail by encouraging its supporters to ‘vote with their feet’ and stop off with those businesses who show their support for the Path as Way Makers.

Over 400 businesses are already on board , including the award winning eateries in South Devon like the Cary Arms and Ode café in Shaldon. Way Makers can be found on-line at www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk or in the charity’s best-selling annual Complete Guide to the South West Coast Path. Businesses who join as Way Makers before October 7th this year will get a chance to feature in the charity’s special 50th anniversary guide out in January 2023.

Over 100 Way Makers are also currently taking part in a trial of the charity’s ‘camino’ style South West Coast Path Passport scheme. The Passport encourages walkers to stop off at 100 ‘stamping points’ across the Trail to collect special stamps to create a lasting memory of their trip and enjoy some local hospitality.

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The first stamping point in North Devon was featured on Alex Polizzi’s Hotel Inspector show and over 2,000 Passports have already been sold with the first batch selling out in 3 hours!

Over 18 St Austell Brewery pubs are taking part as well as independent cafes, pubs, restaurants and hotels along the way. The charity will be adding hundreds more stamping points to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year - those interested in becoming a point should sign up as Way Makers.

Sarah Gunn, Business Development Manager for the South West Coast Path Association says,

“Food and drink is an essential part of the South West Coast Path experience – including the local producers along the way. We’re looking forward to working with them during our 50th anniversary year to both celebrate them and help protect the Path as the important wildlife, tourism and health and well-being resource for everyone to enjoy”.

To find out more about getting involved in the 50th anniversary South West Coast Path celebrations as a business contact business@ southwestcoastpath.org.uk. Sign up as a Way Maker Plus on line before 7th October for a place in the 50th Anniversary Complete Guide at www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk .

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Stunning furniture the whole family can enjoy...

Looking for the perfect piece of artisan furniture to add that special touch to your home?

Look no further than Artisan Furniture Expertly craftedcarefully made. We have a fantastic range of artisan handmade furniture to suit any taste and style.

So come and take a look today and find the perfect piece for your home.

Artisan Furniture Devon www.funkyfurniture.store

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LAUNCHES NEW HAZELNUT LIQUEUR

50CL |25% ABV | £33.00

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Elevate your winter drinks with Devon Cove’s brand new Hazelnut Liqueur. Made by combining caramelised hazelnuts with their luxuriously smooth Devon potato vodka, Cove Hazelnut Liqueur is an enticing fusion of buttery dark chocolate, hazelnut and cream, followed by fragrant praline and honey, with a rich milk chocolate nutty finish.

Gorgeous served simply over ice, layered with single cream and sipped, or mixed with a latte or hot chocolate for a festive warmer, Cove Hazelnut Liqueur is the perfect fireside treat.

Devon Cove have created two stunning new cocktail recipes for you to make at home featuring this liqueur, a decadent Cove Nutty Alexander and an invigorating Hazelnut Espresso Martini.

Cove Hazelnut Liqueur (25% ABV) is available to buy in three sizes: 50cl £33.00, 20cl £18.00 and 5cl £5.95. All of which are available to buy on our website.

Commenting on the latest addition to Devon Cove’s family of exceptional liqueurs, Founder Leanne Carr says: “I am thrilled to be adding this new Hazelnut Liqueur to our collection. It’s a special treat on those days when you need a little extra something and is absolutely delicious when combined with a velvety hot chocolate.”

With free nationwide shipping on orders over £30, Devon Cove’s online store is a great place to do your Christmas shopping. Their miniatures make perfect stocking fillers for grown ups and their cocktail kits and gift boxes are brilliant gifts for those who have it all. Last order date for Christmas delivery is Friday 17th December (standard) and Monday 20th December (express).

COVE NUTTY ALEXANDER

HAZELNUT ESPRESSO MARTINI

Add 30ml Cognac, 15ml Chocolate Liqueur, 20ml Cove Hazelnut Liqueur and 25ml cream to a cocktail shaker. Shake over plenty of ice. Strain into a chilled Coupe glass and garnish with grated chocolate.

Pour 50ml Cove Vodka, 20ml Cove Coffee Liqueur. 15ml Cove Hazelnut Liqueur and a double espresso into a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice.

Shake vigorously for 30 seconds and strain into a chilled Martini glass.

Garnish with 3 coffee beans.

Devon Cove’s range of exceptional vodka and liqueurs are made from King Edward potatoes, lovingly grown on Leanne’s family farm which overlooks the seaside village of Hope Cove in South Devon. Low-carb and gluten free, Cove Vodka is as pure and clean as the sea air and is uniquely smooth to taste.

Please enjoy responsibly.

www.devoncove.co.uk E M P O W E R I N G W O M E N . H O S P I TA L I T Y . R E TA I L

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TORS VODKA

English Vodka Lovingly Crafted in the Heart of Devon Our Story The idea and ambition for TORS was born whilst watching one of my favourite TV shows about how to make a certain type of outback American whisky. I loved their initiative, the process and their excitement and had the sudden thought that I could do the same. I’ve always had a love for fine spirits and a passion for the industry and while the time scales around whisky production was something that I didn’t have an appetite for, my love for vodka shined through.

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The name…

After deciding that Vodka was the way forward, I wracked my brain for weeks trying to come up with a name. While walking my dog up on the Moor, a stone’s throw away from Okehampton, I looked up and saw one of the most impressive sights that can often be taken for granted when you live in the area – the Dartmoor Tors. TORS Vodka was born.

I knew I couldn’t achieve the quality of product I wanted let alone the mammoth task of setting up the manufacturing facility required, so I had to get someone else on board. There was only man for the job. My best friend from school and an all-round top bloke got the call and was immediately in.

We set out from the start with the drive and passion and amongst all else, the aim to create a product we could be proud of. I have to say, rather one sided of course, we’ve done it.

There was also the task of market research and sampling different vodkas to establish the taste we wanted and the smoothness. It was a tough task but someone had to do it.

As mentioned, our sole aim is to produce a quality of product and brand that will stand the test of time. This will be a goal that drives us going forward, hopefully, for many years and many new product lines to come.

Unit 22, Fatherford Farm Ind Est Okehampton, Devon, EX20 1QQ 01837 354 100 info@torsvodka.co.uk

www.torsvodka.co.uk E M P O W E R I N G W O M E N . H O S P I TA L I T Y . R E TA I L

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Devon’s finest celebrate at the

FOOD DRINK DEVON AWARDS Devon’s talented food and drink scene was alive at Monday (3rd October) night’s 11th Food Drink Devon Awards. Over 330 individuals from the county’s finest food and drink producers, hospitality and catering businesses and speciality retailers celebrated in style at the esteemed awards’ ceremony, held at Crowne Plaza Plymouth with its breath-taking views overlooking Plymouth Sound. The ceremony was hosted by Tony Hawks, Devon-based comedian, author and food lover who regularly appears on BBC Radio Four panel shows ‘Have I Got News For You’, ’Just A Minute’ and ‘I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue’.

Launched at, and in partnership with, the Met Office to celebrate sustainability and shine a light on businesses going that extra mile in their endeavours to be environmentally friendly, Food Drink Devon’s new ‘Sustainability Pioneer Award’ received a staggering 27 entries in its first year. ‘Hospitality Sustainability Pioneer’ was awarded to ethical, organic pub, The Bull Inn, Totnes owned by Geetie Singh-Watson, with carbon neutral dairy farm, Langage Farm near Smithaleigh who are famed for their delicious dairy products, named ‘Producer Sustainability Pioneer’.

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Tony Hawks Devon-based comedian, author and food lover

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Elly Wentworth, head chef at The Angel, Dartmouth and contestant on the BBC’s Great British Menu was the first winner of Food Drink Devon’s ‘Chef of the Year’ award. The award acknowledges the explosion of talented chefs in the region who have been driving innovation, championing local produce and producing exceptional quality food. After sampling Elly’s creations, judges’ described her as ‘a truly exceptional talent producing immaculate, attractive and cleverly presented dishes, all cooked to perfection’.

Competition was fierce in the ‘Taste of Devon Product Awards’ with a staggering 270 product entries, resulting for the first time in the awards’ history, the prestigious ‘Product of the Year’ category having to be split into ‘Food Product of the Year’ and ‘Drink Product of the Year’.

The ‘Food Product of the Year’ accolade went to Granny Gothards for their Strawberries & Cream ice cream. Utopian Brewing fought off stiff competition to claim ‘Drink Product of the Year’ for their Doppelbock strong larger.

From the 270 product entries, all of which were blind-tasted by independent judges, 10 really impressed achieving a faultless score of 100% and a ‘Platinum’ award. Deserving producers and their products were Andrew King Chocolates and their Signature Eighteen, Blakewell Smokehouse for their Devon Hot Smoked Salmon, Bell & Loxton for their Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil, Butter Bike Co’s Honey Roast Peanut Butter, Chocella and their Out of this World, Ilfracombe Chocolate Emporium’s Three C’s Bar, Salcombe Dairy and their luxurious Evening Star Hot Chocolate, WILD Gelato and their PlantBased Chocolate gelato as well as Granny Gothards and Utopian Brewing for both of their ‘Product of the Year’. Products in the ‘Taste of Devon Product Awards’ achieving a score of 90-99% were awarded ‘Gold’ awards of which there were 112, with a further 83 obtaining ‘Silver‘ awards for scoring 85-89%.

This year’s highly prestigious ‘Best Fine Dining Restaurant’ award was presented to Twenty Seven in Kingsbridge, commenting on Jamie Rogers’ restaurant, judges said ‘the whole dining experience was truly exceptional’ and ‘a destination restaurant with standout dishes that seriously impressed’. The ‘Best Restaurant’ award went to Plymouth’s exceptional The Fig Tree @36 with judges’‘loving the buzzy atmosphere and delicious food in the intimate restaurant’. The Tors, in Belstone near Okehampton, was the proud winner of the ‘Best Pub’ category with judges commending them for their ‘appetising food and happy, helpful and pleasant staff’.

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For the second consecutive year Lynmouth Bay Cafe took home the accolade for ‘Best Café’, judges raved about the ‘delicious food, scrumptious cakes and very friendly staff who went the extra mile’. Serving delicious homemade pizzas from their converted vintage horse box, The Pizza Garden in Exmouth was the successful winner of ‘Best Takeaway’ with judges particularly commending their Neapolitan pizza.

In the ‘Retail Awards’ ‘Best Online Retailer’ went to Bratton Clovelly’s Eversfield Organic, with judges highly rating the overall experience and describing the packaging and service as ‘exceptional’. The Kitchen @25, Crediton triumphed in the ‘Best Retailer’ category, impressing judges with their ‘range of Devon produce and knowledgeable and friendly staff’.

A special thank you goes to the sponsors of the awards Partners&, Bays Brewery, Caterfood, M&B Edible Oils, Westcountry Fruit Sales, Bishop Fleming, Impact Design & Marketing, Vale Labels, Stephens Scown, inkREADible Labels, Hedgerow Print and official media partner Taste Buds.

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The evening’s canapés and three-course dinner were created by Food Drink Devon board director and Master Chef of Great Britain, Peter Gorton and Ted Ruewell, head chef of Crowne Plaza Plymouth. The menu featured fabulous local produce from members and food and drink sponsors including Bays Brewery, Salcombe Gin, New London Light, Luscombe Drinks, Sandridge Barton, Lyme Bay Winery, Veyseys Butchers, Stone’s Honey, Crab Shed Salcombe, Ebb Tides, Blakewell Smokehouse, Sharpham Cheese, Aune Valley Meat, Granny Gothards, The Curator Coffee Roasters, Devonia Spring Water, Salcombe Dairy and Westcountry Fruit Sales.

Commenting on the awards, Chair of Food Drink Devon, Greg Parsons, said: “Covering food production, preparation, retailing, cooking and service, the Food Drink Devon Awards honour businesses demonstrating a consistent commitment to quality, sustainability, provenance, excellent customer service and support for their local communities and other local businesses. Myself and the board of directors wish to congratulate all of this year’s deserved winners and short-listed entrants.”

Each year judging for the awards is carried out by a panel of independent and unbiased experts including a number of celebrated names from the region. All results and winners are verified by an independent adjudicator, with entrants receiving the opportunity to benefit from invaluable feedback provided by the panel.

Food Drink Devon is committed to increasing the county’s profile, both nationally and internationally and represents a membership of Devon’s leading food and drink producers, speciality retailers, hospitality and catering businesses.

Through working with like-minded businesses, together they showcase Devon as a county where the use of fantastic quality, seasonal and local produce is standard. The organisation and its members share a commitment to enjoy, inspire and discover more about food and drink. Look out for their green heart logo which is carried by over 350 producers and businesses across Devon.

For more information on Food Drink Devon visit fooddrinkdevon.co.uk and follow @FoodDrinkDevon on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. A full list of all the winners can be found at www.fooddrinkdevon.co.uk/awards.

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FOOD DRINK DEVON 2022 AWARD WINNERS Producer Award Winners ‘Food Product of the Year’ - Granny Gothards Strawberries & Cream Artisan Ice Cream (Willand) ‘Drink Product of the Year’ - Utopian Brewing Doppelbock (Crediton) Platinum Producers Awards Andrew King Chocolates (North Tawton) - Signature Eighteen Bell & Loxton (Kingsbridge) - Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil Blakewell Smokehouse (Barnstaple) - Devon Hot Smoked Salmon Butter Bike Co (Exeter) - Honey Roast Peanut Butter Chocella (Brixham) - Out of this World Granny Gothards Artisan Ice Cream (Willand) - Strawberries & Cream Artisan Ice Cream Ilfracombe Chocolate Emporium (Ilfracombe) - Three C’s Bar Salcombe Dairy (Salcombe) - Evening Star Hot Chocolate Utopian Brewing (Crediton) - Doppelbock WILD Gelato (Torquay) - Plant-Based Chocolate Hospitality Award Winners Chef of the Year - Elly Wentworth, The Angel (Dartmouth) Best Fine Dining Restaurant - Twenty Seven (Kingsbridge) Best Restaurant - The Fig Tree @36 (Plymouth) Best Pub - The Tors (Belstone, Okehampton) Best Café - Lynmouth Bay Café (Lynmouth) Best Takeaway - The Pizza Garden (Exmouth) Retail Award Winners Best Retailer - The Kitchen @25 (Crediton) Best Online Retailer - Eversfield Organic (Bratton Clovelly) Sustainability Pioneer Award Producer - Langage Farm (Smithaleigh, Plymouth) Hospitality - The Bull Inn (Totnes)

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For further information or photography, please contact: Danielle Merchant at RAW Food and Drink PR danielle@rawfoodanddrinkpr.co.uk - 07964 321789 Twitter: @RawSW / @HayleyJReynolds | Instagram: @rawfoodanddrink

Greg Parsons Chair of Food and Drink Devon

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It’s time to make our work-lives better!

Ali Whelan Career Coach & Development Trainer ‘You’re going to give up a £40k+ job, with full benefits and take VR, to become self-employed at the age of 50?...I can’t decide if that’s brave or completely b****y stupid!’

I heard that alot in 2019 and the funny thing is, I’d spent the previous 3 years internally fighting with how stupid the concept of refocusing my career and making this move sounded in my head.

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After a fairly erratic hospitality career in my 20’s/30’s, I’d spent 11 years working my butt off, studying evenings and weekends, working full-time and focussing fully on carving out the ‘grown-up’ and ‘responsible’ HR career everyone told me I needed and should be working towards. I’d convinced myself it was the thing I needed because it made sense…in theory.

Full-time, solid career path role with good salary and benefits in a reputable and ‘stable’ organisation - 100% the sensible option.

And I gave it my all, but yet I always felt like I was swimming against the tide. I just didn’t seem to think like most of the people I was surrounded by in the working world. They were lovely people but their priorities in life just felt so alien to mine and I constantly felt like I was using all my energy just to fit in. I adopted their language, I held back on my opinions, I collected the paycheck and I felt quietly miserable.

Suddenly, faced with the big 5-0 looming it just became clear. I had two choices.

Stick with the safe, practical and obvious option and let life swallow me up in misery or be bold, take the opportunity in front of me and start doing what felt exciting, good and right, even if it was scary as hell.

I started my business in 2020 (yep, bang in the middle of the pandemic). I began by focussing on career coaching alongside development training. It felt like the obvious initial choice to build an income (although maybe not in the middle of a lockdown!). It was a tad terrifying, a lot exciting and the most massive learning experience I think I’ve ever encountered.

Just a few things I’ve learned…

Your friends and family may not understand your choice or your business (my mum still asks when I’m going back to work and getting a proper job) but that’s ok - they don’t need to understand, don’t waste energy trying to sell it to them.

It can be hellishly lonely starting a business but you can also make the most amazing connections, friendships and support networks via SM these days.

Tech can be your best friend and worst enemy, all in one day.

Making decisions based on what feels right for you at any given time is ridiculously unsettling and totally liberating at the same time.

My longer term aim for being self-employed was always to develop a portfolio career, working in various areas rather than one narrow job role. In all honesty, I’ve never quite worked out if that decision is because I crave variety or if I just don’t actually know what I want to do. But you know what? I don’t feel like I need to know what I want to do. Over the last two years I’ve followed a path of opportunity. When something presents, I take it for what it is and decide if it has value and purpose for me at that given time. If yes, I say yes. If no, I say no! And that feels indescribably good.

In the last two years I’ve done a whole mix of things…

Coached various individuals on their careers - delivered training workshops to Degree students, PhD students, GP surgery staff, a womens menopause group, Afghan interpreters, university administration and academic staff - trained and acted as a financial educator -sold quality chocolate and Body Shop products - acted as Project Manager on a fixed term project - undertaken an HR consultancy role - taken a part-time role as a Resourcing Adviser and now I’m studying to become an Independent Travel Agent…well, why not?

This degree of variety isn’t for everyone but it works for me and that’s the key. If it lights your fire, it feels right for you and gives you that sense of energy, excitement and purpose, don’t walk away from it just because it isn’t the obvious option.

I’m not suggesting everyone throw caution to the wind, ditch their jobs and just trust that the Universe will provide - I’ve not nailed the art of manifestation to that extent and we all need to keep an income coming in, but I am encouraging everyone to start paying attention to what feels right and good and to actually follow those instincts more. The beauty of this approach is that you can balance ALL your needs and desires at any given time, by switching up your choices when you need or want to.

Yes, it’ll feel scary - yes, it’ll feel alien to start with and yes, you’ll second guess yourself more often than not to start with but will it be worth it… well, it has been for me and I believe it can be for you.

www.aliwhelancareercoaching.com

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My name is Nikki Harris and I am a fully qualified and registered nutritional therapist and I specialise in women’s hormone health based in Plymouth, Devon.

My purpose of my work is to help women who are struggling with hormonal imbalances, symptoms of perimenopause, and menopause get back into balance, naturally. I am assessing what is driving women’s symptoms and addressing what their body needs to restore balance to achieve success. By helping women get the support they need, they get back in control of their hormones, and feel confident about how they look and feel.

So we have all heard of “menopause” especially right now as it is a hot topic and with “hot flushes” appearing to be the most common symptom!

But what is really going on in our body, why are we feeling the way we do and what can we do about lessening the symptoms? When we can discover what is really going on and why we feel the way we do this helps women to make sense of their symptoms and what they can do to support themselves.

Menopause is a normal process of a life stage in women, it is not a disease and it is not a medical condition every women will go through it, even if it has been through forced via a surgical procedure such as a total hysterectomy. Menopause happens when ovaries stop releasing eggs, periods stop and the most potent form of oestrogen (estradiol) is no longer produced. In the UK the average age is 51 years old.

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What are the natural life stages of a woman?

PUBERTY: The official start of fertility, which begins with your first period PERIMENOPAUSE: The transition to menopause which begins with declining hormone levels, generally starts after age 40 leading up to menopause, although this age can vary and can be as early as 35.

MENOPAUSE: The official end of fertility, which begins 12 months after your last period.

POSTMENOPAUSE: The time period after menopause until the end of life.

The most common signs and symptoms of menopause are: • Hot flushes and night sweats • Lethargy, lack of concentration, irritability • Depression, mood swings • Anxiety, sleep disturbances and memory problems • Decreased libido and lack of interest in sex • Increased urgency and frequency of urination • Decreasing muscle strength • Joint aches and increased risk of osteoporosis • Vaginal dryness and pain on intercourse • Shrinking (reduced size) of breasts or sore breasts • Headaches and migraines • Weight gain

I want to talk a little more about hormones, so before Menopause our ovaries produce: PROGESTERONE As progesterone steadily declines and falls faster than oestrogen, common in perimenopause — this can lead to symptoms of mood swings, headaches, irritability, anxiety, insomnia, and PMS. OESTROGEN The peaks and dips of oestrogen levels and the decline in oestrogen can cause night sweats, hot flushes, mood swings, weight gain, vaginal dryness, and loss of interest in sex.

TESTOSTERONE Testosterone is not just the “male hormone” - in women it is responsible for strong healthy bones, building muscle, libido, desire for sex, mood, sense of well-being, assertive behaviour, self-confidence, and brain function.

After menopause, after our ovaries have shut down, our adrenals produce small amounts of progesterone and testosterone and our fat cells are our main site of oestrogen production. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to address our stress, manage our weight and what we are eating.

INSULIN Insulin is a hormone and it is produced by our pancreas to regulate our blood sugar, in response to glucose (from carbohydrates) in the bloodstream and insulin is our fat-storing hormone. If we eat too many carbohydrates and if this is not used up by the cells or muscles it will be stored as fat, especially around the middle section. Cells also become less responsive to insulin when oestrogen declines making weight loss that bit harder Plus, our fat cells produce their own oestrogen as the ovaries decline, oestrogen is made in fat cells so our body knows that this is a way of making more oestrogen. The more fat cells we have the more oestrogen we produce, again making it hard to lose weight.

Low oestrogen stimulates appetite and a loss of oestrogen makes our body more resistant to insulin - i.e. insulin resistant (aka pre-diabetes) this means that the glucose does not get into cells as effectively. Therefore, raising our blood sugar levels and increasing the risk metabolic syndrome - a series of risk factors that include waist circumference over 88cm in women, high blood pressure, increased triglycerides (higher blood fats), and low HDL (good cholesterol) that can lead to type 2 diabetes.

If you eat too much sugar or too many refined carbohydrates, basically, all this energy has to be stored somehow, and normally that storage is inside the fat cells and those can accumulate also inside the liver, and can be a cause of fatty liver disease or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which is sadly on the rise.

Excess sugar and fructose (fruit sugar) are some of the main culprits of a non-alcoholic fatty liver. Your body will store more fat through too many carbs than it will through too much fat due to the spike in insulin that is our “fat-storing hormone”.

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So the most common top 3 menopause symptoms women experience are: • Weight gain • Fatigue • Low libido Let me explain what is happening to cause a hot flush?

THYROID The most common form of thyroid disorders are hypothyroid (AKA underactive thyroid) which can have the same symptoms as menopause and this is because the body is not producing enough thyroid hormones to keep the body functioning properly and show up as symptoms.

I always use private laboratory tests to look at the thyroid in more detail along with other vitamins and minerals that can show us fatigue and mood symptoms, such as vitamin D, B12, folate, and iron levels.

Symptoms can show up as:

• • • • • • • •

Weight gain Fatigue Low libido Mood changes High cholesterol Muscle weakness “Brain fog” Depression

Due to a drop in ovarian oestrogen this can result in a hot flush. Oestrogen is protective over the way the body controls temperature from the hypothalamus gland deep in the brain and higher levels of FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) can also play a part.

What else can cause a hot flush?

Stress - an increase of our stress hormone cortisol can also coincide with hot flushes.

A hot flush can be suppressed after eating and hot flushes can be experienced when blood glucose falls between meals, therefore skipping meals can exacerbate a hot flush or sweat.

To help prevent a hot flush I recommend: • Add 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds daily (with a large glass of filtered water)

Mood changes are common and this may be due to the fact that oestrogen acts as a neurotransmitter (brain signals between nerves) and contributes to mood stability. Any fluctuations of oestrogen may cause changes in mood. Oestrogen also helps the production of serotonin (our happy hormone) this may also be a contributing factor to why many women experience a low mood or depression when they enter menopause.

Progesterone also plays a role in keeping our minds calm as it helps to produce a neurotransmitter called GABA, which has a relaxing effect on the brain. However, as progesterone levels drop significantly during menopause, this may lead to increased anxiety and racing thoughts.

My tips for mood Did you know your mood and gut are intrinsically linked?

• Avoid stimulants - coffee, sugar, and alcohol • Get proper rest and take time out to relax - yoga, meditate

• Sage tea (best to use fresh leaves and let them infuse)

• Add probiotic foods - such as kefir, miso, sauerkraut, and kombucha to help your gut bacteria health, which is another vital area that needs to be supported.

• Avoiding caffeine includes energy drinks

What is happening to me to gain weight?

• Avoid Alcohol, spices, chilli and hot drinks

Lower levels of oestrogen stimulate appetite, our oestradiol (a form of oestrogen produced in the ovaries) uses the same biochemical pathways in the body as leptin, a hormone released by fat that reminds you to stop eating food, so as oestrogen lowers you become hungrier.

CORTISOL Cortisol is our “stress” hormone (along with adrenaline and noradrenaline) when we are stressed, overwhelmed, worried, have relationship issues, infections, or even pain, it can raise our cortisol levels. When we have high levels of this hormone it packs down fat around our middle, again making it harder to lose weight.

If we are constantly stressed this has a knock-on effect on our thyroid. Skipping meals also raises this hormone and interrupts our thyroid function slowing down metabolism.

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What is happening with my mood changes?

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Our metabolic rate drops due to the loss of oestrogen and progesterone and recognises that fat storage is a way to gain more oestrogen, which is a main component to weight gain during menopause.

mitter (a chemical messenger) in the brain called GABA, which has a calming effect and improves sleep and anxiety. This has a knockon effect with the calming effect within the brain and consequently our sleep.

Changes in our body shape is also a common complaint and this is due to a decline of oestrogen that changes body fat composition so can go from a pear shape (fat around the hips and thighs) to an apple shape (more fat around our middle). However, an increase in fat around the middle increases our cardiovascular (CV) risks so managing weight is important to heart health.

Once in menopause, our adrenals produce progesterone, however, it is in much smaller amounts. Also, if you are stressed this will impact your sleep so do what you can to find time out to unwind and prepare yourself for bed.

Tips for weight loss.

Dark room - to sleep better, make your bedroom dark; if you can’t, consider using a sleep mask.

Did you know excess carbs are more likely to increase weight gain?

• Avoid sugar and refined carbs (crisps, sweets, cakes, etc) • Take regular exercise • Increase fresh vegetables at every meal think half of your plate!

Why am I not enjoying a good night’s sleep?

So with no egg being released, every month there will be no progesterone produced either. Progesterone is a hormone produced in the ovaries in the second phase of our cycle (known as the luteal phase) after we have ovulated. It also helps with a neurotrans-

Tips for better sleep Menopause is a time for self-care!

Keep your room quiet, if this is not possible wear earplugs, sudden noises can happen and will wake you up but if you have a partner who snores you may want to invest in earplugs.

Exercise - physical exercise during the day leads to better sleep at night. Try yoga and tai-chi, which have the potential to improve sleep quality, as well as mood and overall health.

Magnesium helps to improve sleep and anxiety so choose foods such as nuts, seeds, green leafy veg, and whole grains or soak in an Epsom salt bath.

I really hope you have found this information useful and it has given you a deeper understanding of what is going on during this life stage. The most important thing to remember is to take care of yourself, menopause is a time for self care. This includes addressing your diet and lifestyle and I will be clear; we cannot continue to eat and live the same lifestyle we did in our 20s and 30s. We need to support our body in a much more nurturing and nourishing way and addressing your carbohydrates and alcohol is vital.

This is how I support my clients as I know what your body needs to make the changes necessary so you can achieve success and feel better about the way you look and feel.

Your health is priceless, there is only one of you and taking care of yourself is a commitment that will serve you if you look after your body in the right way. You will enjoy a smoother transition into menopause.

If you have any further questions or you are interested in learning more and how we can work together? I welcome you to message me nikki@ nikkiharris.co.uk or take a look at my website https://www.nikkiharris.co.uk

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Kelly Harding - Puttin on the Ritz www.puttinontheritzdanceplymouth.com

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M A G A Z I N E

Leading Through a New Type of Change - My Hormonal Changes

Adelle Martin “Keeping Women in Business”

This is my personal story sharing how I had to learn to lead through a new type of “Change” due to the “Clash of my Change & Career Curves” – my menopause.

In response to “my clash” I created a new way for businesswomen to lead themselves, family, and career. There were no leadership books at the time of “my clash” and still none today, that would have ever prepared me for leading through menopause.

Yes, this is my personal leadership story. But more importantly, I have put pen to paper as I do not want businesswomen going through what I did. Businesswomen need knowledge with solutions to lead themselves and family through their hormonal changes alongside their career.

My Leadership Story – The Career Curve My leadership journey started as a resilient 5-year-old girl. At the time I was called bossy (it was the mid 70’s) but as a gymnast and dancer I started to lead the younger children with their activities. At one event we were called back on stage and asked our names. That bossy child froze and forgot her name (a little like menopause) and the audience erupted into laughter.

I was devastated and left the stage graciously with a speech impediment that would impact me for life. That resilient little girl did get back up and learnt how to manage the impediment.

It did not stop me building a rewarding leadership career spanning three decades in London.

Although, little did I know that 35 years later I would leave the Boardroom at the height of my career due to menopause. Why? I was in the Boardroom presenting, not only did I forget my name (like the 5-year-old on stage) I also forgot what I was presenting on!

The Boardroom went very quiet, I made my excuses and left graciously with my speech impediment making an unwelcome return.

Was my leadership career finished?

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My Menopause Story - The Change Curve Looking back now my hormone changes started when I was thirty-eight, we now know this as perimenopause. I had just accepted the “role of my career” two months ahead of the 2008 financial crisis. This turned out to be yet another opportunity for me to lead through an unexpected change using my resilience. To complement my new role, I started an MBA. My daughter was taking her GCSEs and being Mum was becoming less hands-on despite the odd lost netball kit that needed to be found on match days!

I should have been happy, but I wasn’t. I could not even begin to understand why or share with anyone - including myself why I felt so unhappy.

For the next two years I continued to lead my team through the financial crisis and my family through our own crises. Nothing new as I had done this with resilience for years and so it would work now - wouldn’t it? But this time my resilience was not enough to get me through this change. This change was Menopause, and nothing could have prepared me for the consequences of this new type of change.

The Clash of my Change and Career Curve Remember the gracious exit from the Boardroom? That night when I returned home, I took to my bed for three weeks completely broken.

I was confused, my family and team were confused by what had happened to me. No one would ever have thought that “Ms Resilient” would ever get knocked down and stay down.

At the time I was misdiagnosed with chronic stress and exhaustion. Not happy with the diagnosis I pushed back explaining “it’s more than stress, I’m so confused and broken”. I have always been resilient, so why this time when being knocked down, did I not get back up again!

Confused, lonely and exhausted by the experience, I took four months away from my career. I was desperate to understand what had happened to me. I wanted to be resilient again.

I wanted to be there for my family and friends. I wanted to go back to my well-deserved career and lead my teams.

Working with my doctor and conducting my own research we finally pieced together what happened to me. To my complete shock I had gone through menopause! I looked at my doctor and said, “that’s something my grandmother went through!” I am only 40 and too busy for this!

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From my research and talking to businesswomen I discovered that my menopause could have been accelerated due to high levels of stress.

Some stress chosen and some circumstantial. On discussion with my doctor, they talked about “slowing down and considering an alternative career”. So that was it! Aged 40 my menopause had impacted me, my family and career.

Being resilient, I was never going to make a choice after investing so much in both myself and my career. Yes, menopause knocked resilient me down, but I wanted to “MenoGo” not “MenoPause” at 40!

I had to take ownership and learn how to lead through this new type of change. A change I knew nothing about and with little information from health care providers. But more interestingly, I found that women were reluctant to talk about it! With them saying “is it not better to say you had a breakdown rather than menopause!” I reflected and responded with a favourite quote “be the change you want to see in the world”.

Ironically this time saying “be the change” had a new connotation for me!

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Taking Ownership and being the Change To be the change I wanted to see in the world!

I took ownership of my menopause and turned it into an opportunity. Using the four months away I embarked on research to: ●

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Understand why my mind, body and relationships had changed so much Establish how I could manage those changes Find the medical truth about PeriMenopause, Menopause and PostMenopause Then using the information, work out how to lead myself, family, and career

As I progressed with my research, I realised that I had experienced a significant number of changes. There are 40 changes to manage!

These impact our whole body and not just our ovaries to my surprise. No wonder my change and career curves clashed! I was completely unprepared for the impact and consequences on my body, relationships, and career.

Through my research I quickly realised I was not alone. I spoke to women in workplaces and networking groups who were also impacted by their menopause. These businesswomen had similar stories to me. I kept thinking, how many businesswomen were trying to manage both their change and career curves! The data I poured over highlighted that:

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90% of women say their perimenopause and menopause symptoms impact them 51% of women take time out of their business career due to their symptoms 32% of women leave their business or career as the impact of their symptoms become too much

With this revelation I just had to find a realistic solution that would help businesswomen like me lead in a new way to manage their menopause The Solution to Lead in My New World – The Menopause Resilience System™ When going through menopause as a businesswoman I wanted the solution to be easy to understand and implement. So, with the results from my research I grouped together my findings and solutions into four areas.

The result was my Menopause Resilience System™ to help businesswomen manage their menopause by teaching them to build a strong body. We need a strong body to lead in “our changing new world”.

The Menopause Resilience System™ is one ecosystem that focuses on our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual changes as we go through our hormonal changes. It contains twelve principles presented in four frameworks that teach us how to manage our changing body, mind, and relationships.

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Body | Feel Stronger

o Food: Eat to perform for optimal performance as our body changes o Move: Movement to keep our changing body functioning and moving o Snooze: Sleep to repair and rejuvenate as our body changes ●

Mind | Think Clearly

o Calm: Managing our thoughts and keeping calm as our body changes o Clarity: Keeping focused with our intention and energy o Confidence: Building confidence so we can lead in a new way ●

Relations | Manage Relationships

o Me: Self Leadership and the relationship with ourselves o We: Group Leadership and the relationship with our family and friends o Thee: Enterprise Leadership and the relationships with our workplace and networks ●

Leadership | Take Ownership

o Vision: What is our True North - our purpose o Mission: What will we do to go North our outcome focused goals o Strategy: How will we go North - our own map with actions

My new Career Curve So armed with my new approach to leadership, I headed back to my career and switched Boardrooms, moving from Finance to Human Resources. I received amazing support from everyone on my return. I was given the opportunity to share my experience to help both women and men in the workplace.

As I spoke publicly women reached out in support, sharing their personal stories and I was asked to co-lead the workplace Menopause Group. We provided a safe space where women came together to share stories, receive support and influence workplace menopause policies.

I was starting to see the change in the menopause world but I was restless. I knew there was even more I could do to support businesswomen going through menopause. I wanted to approach Members of Parliament and work with Menopause Activists to highlight the lack of support for women going through menopause.

My Mum says, “you are just like the suffragettes who fought for the right of women to vote - you are my “MenoGette”.

So, approaching my 50th birthday “my present” was to coach businesswomen and raise awareness of menopause full time. A tough decision but one I do not regret.

Using my system, I was able to manage my menopause and lead myself in a new way.

I built a strong body and felt stronger. I understood how my brain was changing so I could think clearly. I established how I was changing so I could manage the relationships with the people closest to me.

By feeling stronger, thinking clearly, and managing my relationships I was able to take ownership and lead myself through a new type of change I had never encountered before.

My new Business Sharing my story and creating The Menopause Resilience System™ has helped many businesswomen to manage their menopause. To help women build a strong body to manage their menopause I created The Menopause Resilience Club™ which includes our unique virtual gym and award winning community.

It’s a private professional place to meet like minded women who are going through the same challenges. The club teaches you to build a Strong Body to manage your menopause and provides a professional network to help you build a Strong Business too…

My regular Article to help you Lead Through a New Type of Change This should be an exciting era and a celebration, but so easily can become a challenge. Going through menopause will impact you, your relationships, and careers. Menopause is talked about more than when I went through it. Yet menopause still needs more conversation and support in the workplace, medically and politically.

So in my next article I will talk about how the body changes through your hormonal changes or as I call the changes The “40 Changes over 40”. Then in each article that follows I will share more on the menopause symptoms along with solutions from my Menopause Resilience System™ to help you build a strong body to manager your menopause.

Until my next article stay Smart, Sassy & Strong Adelle Coaching Business Women to Build a Strong Body to manage their Menopause

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STRONG BODY

STRONG BUSINESS

M A G A Z I N E

Leading Myself to Lead Others

My Resilience and Mindset Change Story If someone had said to me 6 years ago that in 2021 I would be starting up my own coaching business, I would have laughed at them. The thought of doing anything remotely like that would have been unimaginable to me and the reason for this was that 6 years ago I was not in a great place emotionally, mentally or physically.

I had been enjoying a successful corporate career as a leader, motivating, growing and developing people and teams. I loved helping to build and nurture strong relationships across all levels within the business I worked in. I was a confident and capable woman who was completely comfortable delivering coaching and training initiatives to large groups of people from employees to senior leaders.

But in 2015/2016, all that started to change.

I started to have trouble concentrating and remembering the simplest of things. I suffered with vast changes in my mood and confidence, experiencing huge lows and I doubted myself and my abilities.

It was really tough and left me frustrated, tired and feeling out of control. I didn’t realise at the time but I had headed into peri-menopause and the impact that it had on my mood and cognition was extremely challenging.

The real impact for me was at work, all the things I was comfortable doing suddenly seemed impossible to me. Standing up in front of people, running meetings, taking on new projects completely scared me and I couldn’t understand why.

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I suddenly found that I was full of self-doubt. I’d lost all sense of purpose and identity and I just didn’t know who I was anymore. I hated feeling out of control, so I started to work more and more to prove to myself, and others, that I was still capable. The stress , anxiety and overwhelm resulted in me taking time out of my career for three months to recover.

What I did know was that I had to do something and I used this time for self-reflection and took the opportunity to understand what was happening to me and why. I started to spend time on myself, focusing on what I wanted and needed. I changed my lifestyle, focused on my health and wellbeing which allowed me to understand how to manage my body and mind.

It helped me to identify my sense of purpose and gave me the motivation and focus to start to take back control of my life.

I successfully got my head back in the game and returned to work and spent the following three years continuing to work on myself and share my knowledge with others.

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My Mindset Switch In 2019, the opportunity of redundancy came before me and I was asking myself what I was going to do with my life. The initial temptation was to hide away and avoid facing the challenges on the horizon, but something inside me made me decide that it was time to continue with my new way of thinking and a new way of living.

I chose to embrace challenges as opportunities, to replace negative words and thoughts with positive ones, to trust myself, and to give myself the grace to make mistakes and learn from them. And do you know what happened? Day by day, week by week, I began to feel more calm, settled and in control. I began to feel like I could face anything that life threw at me, because with the inner mental and emotional resilience that I had built, every challenge would be reframed as an opportunity for growth and learning..

So I decided to take redundancy and in September 2019, I went back to college and studied for my CIPD Level 5 in HR Management,

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because at that time I was still unsure of what direction my career would take. It was challenging as I hadn’t studied for such a long time, but it allowed me to develop more skills and experience. It proved to me that I was capable of learning and taking on new challenges.

Part of the course covered “Coaching and Mentoring” and it really ignited my passion to coach others, so they could also see the potential they had to make positive changes in their lives.

I then decided to continue my study and in May 2021 I became a qualified Advanced NLP Practitioner. I also decided to invest in a coach who helped me to focus on my next steps in my professional life.

I wanted to go further and I wanted to use what I had learnt to help other women build their mental and emotional resilience, so that they could avoid going through the same experience as I had.

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I spent a lot of time reading and researching and I realised that I was not alone in how I had been feeling. There were a lot of other women who were struggling in their personal lives and careers. This was not only holding them back from the aspirations they had, but it was also demotivating and disengaging them too. ●

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75% of women say they lack confidence at work 61% of women said they appeared confident, but did not actually feel it 55% of women said that managing a negative mindset was a key challenge to overcome

I wanted to work with women to help them build their resilience and strength, so that they start to believe in themselves, helping them to grow their inner confidence and self-esteem, by creating a growth mindset.

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My Resilience and Mindset Solution The changes I have made have allowed me to take a new direction and start up my own coaching business - Inspire To Aspire. Where I help other women who may be suffering with mindset and confidence issues like I was.

All the tools and techniques that I used to help build my own mental and emotional resilience and positive mindset I wanted to use to help others. Through my personal reflection and NLP study, I developed my Leading Yourself Framework. I wanted to help “Lead Women to Lead Themselves” and my framework which consists of 6 key principles equips them with the tools they need to start making the positive changes they want, by helping to reframe their mindset and build their strength and resilience.

One of the most important relationships you can have - is with YOURSELF so it’s important to ensure that you Take the Lead in your own life.

My coaching Programme is designed to help you find your “Why”, get motivated to create your desired outcomes & to build resilience to fulfil your potential. It will help you:

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Create a self supporting toolkit that you can use when you need it Find clarity to help you identify your life purpose and understand your core values in life Develop your vision and guide you through the steps of creating a plan of action, so that you can get to where you want to be Change your patterns of limiting behaviour and break your negative habits so you can move forward and live the life you want Develop your mental and emotional resilience through recognising your own strengths and talents and support you as you make the changes that will make your life better

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M A G A Z I N E

The LEADING SELF Framework is made up of six ´principles´ all linked together.

By focusing on ALL six principles, you will be able to achieve a real connection with yourself and others

Through my Leading Yourself Programme and dedicated one to one coaching, I will help to take you out of your comfort zone by empowering you to challenge your doubts and limiting beliefs and raise your self-esteem to create a positive outlook on life starting from within.

We all need a purpose or reason why and effectively, as you get older this matters more.

It matters what you believe in, who you are and what you truly value.

My passion is to help women who are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, to find purpose in their life, and this is even more important as we mature.

If you are at the end of a chapter in your life such as an end of a relationship, empty nesting, if you are suffering from self-doubt or if you have had a change in your self-confidence for some reason - all of these things can make you question your purpose.

Purpose is our driver, it focuses on our level of passion and motivation and what drives us to accept change and take on new opportunities.

It creates meaning from the work we do and how we spend our time.

At times like these it can literally feel like your world, as you know it, is crumbling beneath your feet. Nothing makes sense. You question every decision you make, as your trust, judgement and belief in yourself diminishes.

Having your own “Reason Why” or “Purpose” helps us to lead a stronger, positive and healthier life, both within your professional and personal life.

You can feel demotivated to try new things, you don’t really know what it is that really matters to you and thinking of the future can make you feel anxious. When faced with making plans for your future and understanding what you want to achieve, it can feel difficult and lead you to feeling lost, uncertain and overwhelmed.

As we grow and experience more in life, things inevitably change.

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Firstly, what you need to know is that this is perfectly normal. Throughout our busy and hectic lives it can be challenging to be focused and upbeat every day. It is important to understand that down days are part of life and usually this is a time of transition from one stage of life to another.

What you have to work out is your ‘why’. What you need to consider during these low and uncertain periods are what makes you happy?

What brings you joy? What are your passions?

What is your gut telling you?

Start focusing on you, so that you can gain a better understanding of who you are, what your strengths and talents are and what you truly value. Learn how to make the most of your skills and experiences. You are unique and therefore have unique abilities that can help to move you towards your passions and help to boost your self-esteem and self-confidence.

M A G A Z I N E

Take positive steps to make changes in your life by setting yourself achievable goals. This helps you to have a clear direction in life and a list of goals is a good way to remind yourself that you are making progress. Making large changes can feel quite daunting, so breaking them into smaller changes can make us feel more motivated, and successful.

Having a “Reason Why” or “Purpose” ensures that we don’t give up when faced with challenges, but allows us to refocus them into opportunities which helps us to learn and grow.

A sense of purpose is personal to each of us and it is something that we need to figure out for ourselves. What is important is that you can identify what is important to YOU. So take the time to listen to yourself and you will find out all you need to know.

As I took myself through my framework I was able to clearly identify my “Why”. It helped motivate me to set out my vision:

“For all women to build mental and emotional resilience to help them take personal ownership of their growth and development, enabling them to have full control over their personal and professional lives”.

I was able to take the steps to build my resilience that enabled me to take the lead in my own life and to start fulfilling my passion of coaching and helping to “Lead Women to Lead Themselves”.

My current journey has been a challenging one and not without its ups and downs, but I now have the knowledge and skills to help me on the way. I realised that having a dip in my self-confidence was actually a good thing.

I wanted to share my personal story so others can see that change is possible and that by understanding ourselves and what we want we can start to push and challenge ourselves to the edge of our comfort zone and take the scary step outside of it as this is where the magic of growth and change happens. This is the point where you start growing into the best version of yourself.

If you are looking to create a new direction and take the steps towards long-lasting, positive change, then book a Complimentary Consultation with me as I’d love to learn more about you and the potential changes that you would like to make

What has also really helped me was speaking out about how I was feeling. By speaking to other women that were experiencing the same issues as me, I realised that I was not alone and that I was definitely not going mad.

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Every15 minutes a child is taken into care M A G A Z I N E

‘Trevi was something my mum founded and I hold it close to my heart. No women or girl should ever feel afraid’ Dawn French 2022 Trevi is a nationally award-winning women’s charity based in South West England. They provide safe and nurturing spaces for women and their children to heal, grow and thrive. When a woman has reached a challenging crossroads or crisis, Trevi’s compassionate and expert team will provide the treatment and strength to help her break free, giving her a fresh start in life.

The charity runs three centres, including a residential rehabilitation centre for mums and their children, Jasmine Mother’s Recovery, Daffodil Family Centre and the Sunflower Women’s Centre – the only women’s centre in the Plymouth community. Sunflower supports women in recovery from addiction, mental ill health, domestic abuse, sexual violence, and criminogenic behaviours.

Jasmine Mother’s Recovery Centre is a unique residential rehabilitation unit located in Plymouth offering treatment to women with alcohol and/or drug related problems. Their aim is that mums who have a drug or alcohol addiction can be given the chance to keep their children in their care. This is both in the short term whilst the woman undertakes her recovery from addiction, and in the long term as they begin a life together free from addiction and abuse.

A 2017 study on the effectiveness of residential rehabilitation treatments, which examined cases from several countries, concluded that a ‘recovery-orientated treatment system must include ready access to residential treatment for alcohol and drug users.’ Trevi’s Jasmine Mother’s Recovery Centre demonstrates how successful such a system can be: 84% of women successfully detox and almost 9 out of 10 children get to stay with their mother.

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Michelle is an ex-resident of Jasmine Mothers Recovery and says, ‘I don’t know where I would be without Trevi. They came into my life just at the right time. I can’t explain just how much they did for my daughter and me in words. Without Trevi, my life doesn’t bear thinking about. Trevi truly makes a difference.’

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M A G A Z I N E

The Sunflower Women’s Centre uses a whole-system approach; women receive support in addressing and resolving substance misuse, childhood trauma, criminogenic behaviours, domestic violence, or ill mental health. Sunflower is a registered training centre which runs a menu of nationally accredited therapeutic and vocational programmes which support women in addressing trauma, building resilience, and progressing in all areas of their lives.

Practical support includes assistance with parenting, benefits, accommodation, exercise, relationships, connecting with the community and employability.

This centre also runs Pause Plymouth.

Trevi supports more than 700 women annually through their Sunflower Women’s Centre. Over the past year, more than 1000 women have registered with its services in the community, which includes workshops, therapy groups, mentoring and counselling – 56% of those who used the centre were survivors of domestic abuse.

Over the past two years, 90% of women supported

by Sunflower say it has been a lifeline, with 82% able to move forward in life after accessing support.

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M A G A Z I N E

Lucy, accessed Sunflower’s services and said, ‘I left my 22-year marriage 3 years ago after domestic abuse. I came to Sunflower, did the courses and became a peer mentor to other women. It gave me so much confidence and self-worth. I am now employed by Trevi and love being with the women!’

The Daffodil Family Centre opened in February 2020 and aims to provide a safe and nurturing environment for families to ensure that each parent has a fair assessment of their parenting skills and capacity. Daffodil will work with a range of professionals to provide each family with individualised support, in line with their abilities, needs and background. The centre’s ambition is that whatever the outcome of the parenting assessment, the experience of the family will be one of transparent working, respectful practice, and collaboration. Daffodil recognises the potential therapeutic value of a residential parenting assessment and will endeavour to deliver our assessment in partnership with parent and child.

Kayleigh spent time at Daffodil with her son.

Since then, she has continued to access support services at Sunflower, achieving her Peer Mentoring qualification.

Kayleigh says, ‘I was so anxious when I went to Daffodil, but I soon realised I didn’t need to worry. The staff were so welcoming, all they wanted to do was support you to be the best parent you can be.’

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Legacy Support We know you understand how much charities rely on gifts from wills. In the majority of cases, people who are considering leaving a legacy to a charity in their will have given it some thought in advance. Trevi Gifts in Wills enable us to continue fighting for the rights of women and children working tirelessly until women and children get the best possible opportunity to have a better life.

SUPPORT TREVI AS A CHARITY You can get involved with Trevi in many different fun and exciting ways. From team sky dives and wing walks to pink hair and raise ‘n’ shave days they offer a programme of individual and team challenges for you to partake in!

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M A G A Z I N E

Trevi’s Big Give Christmas campaign will also highlight the need to support women and their children especially at Christmas time when instances of domestic abuse doubled from 2019 to 2020 to 369,000 instances To get involved in this campaign please visit www.trevi.org.uk/trevichristmas E M P O W E R I N G W O M E N . H O S P I TA L I T Y . R E TA I L

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M A G A Z I N E

Gifted Women

is bridging the gap to employment for women experiencing multiple disadvantage Gifted Women; a new start up in the charity sector is creating opportunities for women in Plymouth.

The Gifted Women programme unlocks employment opportunities for women who have experienced multiple disadvantages in life. Often with trauma at the root, some of the barriers to employment include experience of domestic abuse, substance misuse, contact with the criminal justice system and mental ill health.

Jenny Adjene, Chair of Trustees says, “At Gifted Women, we believe that every woman is gifted and unique, with the potential, lead a fulfilling life, contribute to their community and be an asset to the workforce.”

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The Gifted Women programme sees women participate in 12 weeks of group work, where they build confidence, grow together in community and explore all aspects of employability, laying the foundations for returning to work.

Alongside the group work programme, women have the opportunity to try out work experience placements in local businesses. Gifted Women are partnering with a wide range of socially conscious, supportive employers to create opportunities for women to learn new skills, immerse themselves in the world of work and make connections.

M A G A Z I N E

Testimonials In its first year of working with women, the Gifted Women initiative is already having a significant impact: “Gifted Women have helped me so much over the last few months, I can’t thank them enough.

The group work programme was one of the best things I’ve ever attended. Being in a group setting feels daunting and terrifying - I thought I was going to hate it but it was so fun, I would recommend it to anyone who needs a boost!

I started a work experience placement at ‘Flourish Paperworks’ which has improved my confidence, and my mental wellbeing. I’ve realised by doing this, I’m ready for work. I’m now much more of a people person and ready to try anything.

They helped me with bus passes to get to and from my placement and with the rising bills and being on benefits, without this I wouldn’t have been able to attend. Having the bus pass also meant I didn’t have the stress of trying to find the money each week.

Gifted Women helped me with funding for interview clothes as I didn’t have anything suitable. Going out and being able to buy new clothes was an amazing experience, knowing I would look presentable - clothes I’ve never even thought about wearing and although it felt a bit weird I was excited and actually looking forward to an interview!

Going to the interview I was very nervous but thinking positive. I had their support at my interview which made me comfortable to be myself and that’s exactly what I did. ...Because of all this amazing support and hard work, I got the job! I feel so proud of myself now compared to a year ago - I’m happy, excited and can’t wait to start. It feels so good knowing I’m in a place I didn’t think I could get to.”

“I needed the project to help me get out of the house and mix in with other people. The Gifted Women project let me find myself again and actually gave me a chance to prove to myself I am a good person.

The group work was helpful in so many ways. It brought so many emotions out and made me realise I can be part of a team and to be independent.

The work placement was so helpful. I learnt things quickly and the staff were always on hand to help me if I needed and never got stressed with my questions or mistakes.

Now that I am working at Flourish I feel I am part of something and I am proud of myself that I can actually work again and to a good standard. All the staff are amazing and it’s such an amazing place to work and I just want to say thank you for the opportunity and for taking a chance on me.”

“The sessions were so good for me although terrifying at first. I learned to be around people again. Non judgemental and friendly. I guess I learned that there are good people in the world and I liked being part of a group. It was a safe space where for the first time I didn’t feel I had to mask myself and just be me, and that I was ok to be me.

The activities were a rollercoaster of silly dancing which really helped us all bond, knowing our worth as people with lived experience and first steps to healing with actually writing our experiences out and tearing them down.

It also got me out of the house once a week and it gave me something to look forward to.

I’ve benefited from working with gifted women as I’ve gained confidence in myself, I can talk up more in groups, I smile more, I have had the opportunity to speak with one of the mentors who has helped me plan next steps of support for my children. It has also given me a work placement to further my social skills and build up my confidence.

My next steps are so exciting for me. I am working on starting my own social enterprise as a printmaker. The profits will go to gifted women so I can give back to enable more women to benefit from the programme. something I would never have the confidence to start before the programme.

Gifted women has turned my life of living scared, behind the curtains, socially isolated, nothing to live for to one of hope and new beginnings.”

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M A G A Z I N E

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M A G A Z I N E

Case Study After hitting rock bottom, H. received a prison sentence in 2020 and served her sentence at HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire.

During this time H. received appropriate access to medication and was able to start her recovery journey.

On release back to Plymouth, H. was working with the probation service and Hamoaze House, and was introduced to Gifted Women, where she started their employability programme.

H.’s comments: “I had a mental breakdown during the Covid 19 lockdown. I lost everything, my mind, my kids, my house and my freedom. I hit rock bottom and the only way was up. I went to prison in 2020 and received proper medication and diagnosis and received real help with my mental health.

I got out and fought for my sobriety and family, and I did 12 months of recovery in the 12 step programme. I immersed myself in this and was offered the Gifted Women employability programme and work experience. I now have my family back, including my dogs. What was broken slowly mended and I am now stronger than ever.

The Gifted Women programme was so uplifting; meeting wonderful women, being part of a supportive, kind and seriously funny group of women. Watching us all grow together to get where we are, I have loved every minute.

What attracted me initially was the criteria.

I ticked ALL the boxes* (*contact with the criminal justice system / substance misuse / domestic abuse / homelessness / mental ill health / removal of children into care / care experienced). Instead of normally hiding these things, I could identify with it and know that everyone would be in the same boat.

It was so humbling to see all individuals grow from week to week in an empathic, nurturing environment. No judgement, no stigma.

The energy and warmth enables us to all bond and grow together – women empowering women – so powerful.

Gifted Women were so accommodating, nothing was too much trouble, they bend over backwards for you – free lunches, in term time, during the school day and FUN. Laughter is the best medicine.

We had empowering talks, we did confidence, feelings and emotions, games, ice breakers and gratitudes. They show you it’s not what you can’t do it’s what you CAN do. They help with change of thinking to realise real opportunities for a new future – positives not negatives, saying yes instead of no. They are people that do believe in you and help you believe in yourself. It has created wonderful memories for us all.

I did the course, then work experience and now I’m volunteering. My work experience through Gifted Women was working in a drop in community centre in a very deprived area. I was working ‘front of house’, welcoming, showing people around. I was offered very flexible hours and felt welcome and a part of the team.

My next steps are that I’m now a resident volunteer at Gifted Women, supporting the running of their employability programme.

Gifted Women are running Peer Mentor training and I have gained level 3 qualifications in Peer Mentoring Women with Complex Needs, Safeguarding and Lone Working.

This is a dream come true and I now look up to the Gifted Women team, my hope is to be like them one day. All I ever wanted to do was help others and use my life experiences to reach out to other vulnerable women who need support.”

H. is slowly overcoming her fears relating to employment and is gently building up towards work.

She has remained sober since leaving prison and is accessing the correct benefits. H. is currently volunteering at Gifted Women, completing training and qualifications in mentoring and is an amazing asset to the Gifted Women team.

Some employer partners include The Hutong Cafe, Devon Wick, Nudge Community Builders, LiveWell, Flourish Paperworks and Wright Clean – who have all offered their setting to provide a valuable opportunity for women to take steps towards employment as a means to breaking the cycle of multiple disadvantage.

Gifted Women are looking to engage a variety of other workplaces who may be interested in hosting a woman for work experience.

They also invite any fundraising or other support and are currently seeking a voluntary Trustee to fill the Secretary role.

For more information please contact Jenny Adjene: info@giftedwomen.co.uk / 07940 308716 - www.giftedwomen.co.uk

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M A G A Z I N E

Visit South Devon

Business Community Visit South Devon is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) that exists solely for the benefit of the local tourism and hospitality community, helping to raise the profile of the area as a destination for both national and international visitors. Covering the whole southern half of Devon including South Hams, West Devon, Teignbridge, East and Mid Devon, our main aim is to increase the number of day visits, short breaks, longer holidays and business trips to South Devon for the benefit of the local tourism economy.

To support these businesses we offer a variety of membership types depending on your sector.

From grapes grown on riverbanks, gin distilled in our coastal communities and juices pressed and bottled on the very farms where the fruit is grown, there is now an abundance of awardwinning locally sourced produce showcasing the best of South Devon.

Our most recent creations are the South Devon Food & Drink Producer Membership and the Restaurant, Café & Takeaway Membership.

These new schemes offer a cost-effective way of showcasing the fantastic food and drink on offer throughout our wonderful region, from as little as £49.50 for 1 whole year! All memberships include a dedicated webpage on our site, full marketing and social media support and unlimited event listings for your business. Throughout the year you will have many other opportunities to promote your business through our monthly newsletters, competitions, blog posts, networking events.

We also offer participation in travel trade shows, press trips and fam visits.

Some of our members: OWENS ORGANIC COFFEE

DARTMOOR WHISKEY

KUKU

FUNKY MEDIA AGENCY TAVISTOCK TEAM

YARDE FARM

SHARPHAM WINES

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M A G A Z I N E

In 2021 our website received almost 3 million page views and we currently have over 60K followers across our social media platforms and 14k subscribers to our monthly newsletters.

Visit South Devon also champion good sustainable tourism practices and are committed to becoming an ambassador for sustainability in the area. We want to support our very own tourism businesses in making changes to reduce climate change. We currently hold a bronze award from the Green Business Tourism Scheme and are working towards attaining silver status by the end of 2022. We will ensure that the benefits of this scheme are passed over to our members and partners and we will support them joining the scheme directly.

We are working in partnership with our members and local key stakeholders to help raise the profile of sustainable tourism and the impact this has on our wonderful environment in South Devon.

We are a small, friendly, dedicated team with many years of local knowledge and experience to share.

For more information about the support we can offer your business follow this link https://www.visitsouthdevon.co.uk/information/membership or email Louise Cusack our Business Development & Membership Manager on louise@visitsouthdevon.co.uk.

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® All the greatest hits from the

80’s 90’s & 00’s ...plus much, much more!

“Live Podcasts” Weekly Schedule SUNDAY 20:00hrs - B-Sides Show with Steve B 22:00hrs - Out Loud with Steve & Mal

MONDAY 16:00hrs - Leon C Show - New Show 19:00hrs - The Schmusic Hour

TUESDAY 11:00hrs - Keeping Careers Real with Ali Whelan 19:00hrs - Keeping Careers Real with Ali Whelan 20:00hrs - Fox on the Tor Rock Show

WEDNESDAY 16:00hrs - Leon C Show

THURSDAY 16:00hrs - Fox on the Tor 20:00hrs - B-Sides Show with Steve B 22:00hrs - Out Loud with Steve & Mal

FRIDAY 22:00hrs - Fox on the Tor Rock Show

SATURDAY 12:00hrs - The Schmusic Hour 16:00hrs - Leon C Show

Available on • Apple • Android • Amazon Alexa • Ok Google Scan QR code to download app.

The Schmusic Hour - Saturdays at 12:00hrs & Mondays at 19:00hrs

B-Sides with Steve Benz - Thursdays at 20:00hrs & Sunday at 20:00hrs

Welcome to the Schmusic Hour podcast hosted by Cara and Laura, two music and conversational enthusiasts (otherwise known as nonstop chatterboxes!).

Welcome to B-Sides with Steve Benz – An American personality with a few decades of material. Steve‘s show showcases artists from a variety of industries including: Music, Film, TV, Comedy & Reality.

The Schmusic Hour is filled with plenty of musical crowd pleasers, as well as new music from undiscovered artists across the country.

Musical challenges, special guests and fun facts will also feature in The Schmusic Hour, so watch this space while we get it wrapped up and ready to go!

Critics and listeners rave about his “comfortable sofa” interview style.

Until then, you can find us on socials: Instagram: www.instagram.com/caraknoxmusic www.instagram.com/laura_t_music Facebook: www.facebook.com/caraknoxmusic www.facebook.com/lauratmusic

He shines a bright light on his guests’ lives, careers, projects & charity work. Its not uncommon to hear a guest say “I’ve never told this to anyone.” He isn’t afraid to ask the questions we want to ask, while providing his guests the space to express themselves and time after time, coming back for more of the Steve B patter.

To connect with Steve Benz please email: BroadcastSteve@gmail.com and/or visit: Web: www.stevebenz.com

Fox on the Tor Rock Show - Fridays at 22:00hrs, Tuesdays at 20:00hrs & Thursdays at 16:00hrs

Out Loud with Steve and Mal – Thursdays at 22:00hrs & Sundays at 22:00hrs

Welcome to the Fox on the Tor Rock show with your host Colin E Wells broadcasting from the base of the Western Beacon on Dartmoor, bringing you a distinct blend of soft rock, hard rock, progressive rock and heavy metal from its infancy after the psychedelic 60’s to the present day.

Welcome to Out Loud with Steve Benz and Malissa Whitehouse - A unique radio show focused on relationship topics.

The two hour show features interviews, triple plays, tenuous links, long songs, cross over with other genres and requests. Occasional there will be a three hour genre special with each track carefully selected for your enjoyment.

To be included in the show please follow me on the socials: Instagram: www.instagram.com/foxonthetor Facebook: www.facebook.com/foxonthetor Twitter: www.twitter.com/foxonthetor

Both presenters have a different point of view. Steve’s from America… an opinionated ego manic and Mal’s an educated English girl who drinks tea and doesn’t like Steve having the last word! It’s not only a culture clash but they confuse each other with the words and phrases they use from England and America.

Amusing banter with a dash of relationship advice for the listener…

But who’s advice will they take?

To connect with Steve and Mal please email: steveandmalradio@gmail.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/steveandmalissa Web: www.stevebenz.com and www.malissawhitehouse.com

Keeping Careers real with Ali Whelan - Tuesdays 27 11:00 & 19:00hrs

LeonC Show - Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays at 16:00hrs

Welcome to Keeping Careers Real with Ali - a show which brings you stories of ordinary people’s extraordinary career journeys. The warts and all successes, disappointments, highs and lows that have brought people to where they are today in their work-lives.

Sharing experiences, providing top tips for navigating career change and showing us how we can create better work-lives for ourselves, we follow our guests to where they are in their careers today and beyond.

We are here to help people create better work-lives for themselves, which fully align with and support their future life goals. Because let’s be honest ...life is just too short to hate your job!

To connect with Ali Whelan Career Coach & Development Trainer, please email: info@aliwhelancareercoaching.com and/or visit: Web: www.aliwhelancareercoaching.com Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/ali-whelan-careercoach Twitter: @alijwhelan

Welcome to the LeonC Show - A unique radio show featuring the very best Soul, House, Jazz Funk, Blues.

The show is new and upbeat mixing the best of soul, house, funk, blues - and plenty more besides. Helmed by LeonC with occasional guests joining him in the studio to discuss and review both new and classic albums and tracks, in fact anything we think will keep your spirits high and your soul satisfied.

To contact the show email: leocol7@gmail.com

For advertising information and general enquires please contact Karen Wells - 01752 270 418 - karen@funkymedialtd.co.uk

www.funkymediaradio.app

M A G A Z I N E

How an easy-to-use app helps your guests fall in love with your business ABOUT TAGPOINT TagPoint is an easy-to-use system for hotels, restaurants and commercial properties. It perfectly combines the GUEST experience and OPERATIONS features for the team.

FOR GUESTS: • Any hotel service from a QR code scan • No need to call the reception desk • Services are provided faster, 100% service level FOR FRONT OFFICE: • No lost requests • Minimised request resolution time (SLA) • Perfect guest relations with mobile chat FOR HOUSEKEEPING: • Service requests are a clear to-do list • Pre-built checklists on a smartphone make work easy • Push notifications to help meet deadlines FOR MAINTENANCE: • Keep track of day-to-day tasks • Schedule preventive maintenance • Maintenance history is at hand

Starting at £130 per month

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To ask any questions or to learn more about our product please contact: Chris Mason, Technical Sales lead at TagPoint cmason@tagpoint.co.uk - www.tagpoint.co.uk

M A G A Z I N E

Success story - 5 stars reviews for your hotel Client Business challenges The 1715 DUPLEX HOTEL is a modern hotel whose management aims to stay on top of the latest trends. This explains their attitude towards automation systems and the role of technology in their goals.

Business goal ●

Provide flawless service & hospitality with the help of technology

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Improve hotel guest experience

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Reduce employee turnover

Automate and streamline processes Simply put, move from paper logs to digital tools - the ability to see task statuses and resolution time. This gives a better understanding of what needs to be improved, and which employees meet KPIs and maybe deserve a bonus.

Results

Reduce staff turnover

With TagPoint, the hotel has a single app for guests and staff.

Increase employee loyalty. To do this, the management needs to create all the necessary conditions: a great place to work, convenient work processes and an atmosphere of understanding.

This improved guest experience: now guests can order breakfast, ask for additional cleaning or request guest supplies without leaving the room via a QR code.

The app also increased employee loyalty and provided managers with a clearer picture of the hotel’s performance.

Increase hotel occupancy and quality of service When guests are happy with the service, they are more likely to return.

There’s an unspoken rule in hotels: one forgotten request = a lost customer.

Increase rating and reviews The higher the rating, the more brand awareness and increased potential guests.

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M A G A Z I N E

Success story continued...

Client

AN OVERVIEW OF HOW GUEST SERVICE PROCESSES USED TO WORK Prior to check-in, receptionists called all guests. To adjust the cleaning work, they specified the guest’s arrival time and exchanged contact information as well.

Services ●

Hotel accommodation

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Concierge services

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Transfers, car rentals, individual and group excursions, air and railway tickets

Hotel information ●

●

●

●

Founded in 2020, 1715 DUPLEX HOTEL is an established hotel.

There are 15 cozy rooms with modern interiors greatly appreciated by guests.

Hotel occupancy averages 80% per month.

There are 11 staff members on hand to ensure guests’ comfort.

After a phone call, guests received a breakfast menu via messenger in PDF format. There was the same paper menu available in all hotel rooms.

Guests then had several options to choose from, and each option has a significant disadvantage: 1. Make an order in WhatsApp chat by viewing the menu As the hotel fills up to 80%, the number of guest chats increases exponentially. There is a high risk of mixing up or forgetting something. A forgotten request is a lost client.

2. Make a call to the front desk The administrator has to answer the calls quickly. When the administrator checks in other guests at the same time, they might miss what is said during the call.

3. Go down to the front desk in person It is just inconvenient for guests. Other requests, such as additional cleaning and towel replacement, were also handled the same way.

HOW TAGPOINT HELPS The market is full of solutions for hotel automation. There are typically two kinds of systems: ones for guests and ones for personnel.

1715 DUPLEX HOTEL Manager found this approach inconvenient and wanted to see everything in one single system. That’s where TagPoint comes in :) We offer joint functionality for solving hotel guest communication as well as internal team communication issues.

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How it works STEP 01 ●

Guests scan QR codes in their room.

STEP 02 ●

They choose a service from a list of all services available in the app, and send a request

STEP 03 ●

TAGPOINT COMBINES THE FUNCTIONALITY OF CMMS AND INTERACTION WITH YOUR GUESTS. First we started by identifying all of the request types required by the hotel business.

Then we implemented a standard process for the system. TagPoint helps 1715 DUPLEX to resolve service requests and issues logged by its guests, from anywhere at any time.

STEP 01

STEP 02

STEP 03

STEP 04

STEP 05

Assigned employee gets notified of the request. And then completes the order

STEP 04 ●

Guests can rate the service

STEP 05 ●

Managers can gain wider insights into their business processes and guest experience

Since the implementation of TagPoint, we’ve seen a 30% increase in guest reviews on popular sites. We can’t take all the praise for this - it’s actually hotel staff who provide the quality service. But we are happy to equip them with the tools that contribute to the overall comfortable hotel stay.

RESULTS The TagPoint team has been working with 1715 DUPLEX for six months. Even though we don’t have many numbers (yet), this picture emerges so far:

More reviews and better brand awareness “Remember the cardinal rule? It only takes one forgotten request to lose a guest. If you don’t let technologies help you, you are very likely to lose requests and guests.

You know that feeling when instead of strong Americano you get nothing.

Luckily, TagPoint makes it easy to remember everyone’s order. You won’t upset your guests because you will never forget what they ordered - the system remembers it for you”

The most popular request is breakfast ordering, it turned out to be the most convenient way for guests. Our system also handles other services like dry cleaning and beverage requests.

Employee comfort 101 Employees now have a tool that helps them keep track of all the task to provide excellent error-free service. Plus, it’s a great way to keep track of KPIs, which is important for the manager.

Streamline processes TagPoint is a one-touch service. A single app has all the essential tools for guests and employees - no need to keep up with dozens of chats.

Going paperless All data and activities are logged into a database. Hotel managers do not need to spend any more money on paper.

Important data for marketing The marketing team reviews the analytics collected by the system. They better understand what their guests want, and highlight these services in promotional material.

Olga Semenkova, general manager of 1715 DUPLEX HOTEL

www.tagpoint.co.uk - sales@tagpoint.co.uk E M P O W E R I N G W O M E N . H O S P I TA L I T Y . R E TA I L

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Easy-to-use app to take care of your hotel, guest house, holiday park ✔ Communicate with guests easily.

No downloads. No login. ✔ Coordinate with Front Desk, Housekeeping, Technical Departments in a single app ✔ Customers and teams feel heard and cared for ✔ Provide truly amazing service

Guests will fall in with your hotel WWW.TAGPOINT.CO.UK

M A G A Z I N E

New Year’s Eve 2021 gave birth to the idea for Scarlet Velvet, now nearly 12 months on the idea grew into a shop and is thriving in the heart of Ivybridge.

Pablo Munoz and Clair Iles , Co owners, had not even met each other prior to New Year’s Eve 2021, but Pablo was hosting a New Year’s Eve party where they met and the idea almost fell from the stars that they were going to open a shop… literally there and then they agreed to create what is now Scarlet Velvet.

Pablo found 17 Weston road, Ivybridge for rent and by February the 14th 2022 he had viewed the property and had fallen in love with it, and was able to visualise what the shop was going to look like. Clair decided to take the leap of faith, leave her job in the Midlands and her and her husband sold up and moved to Devon in March where they are now enjoying living by the sea and a slower pace of life.

With Pablo’s incredible ability to buy in exquisite items at fantastic prices, along with his excellent business acumen combined with Clair’s creativity, spiritual and holistic skills they make a business power couple!

Scarlet Velvet is an escape from every day life, from the outside it is hard to see in and it looks a bit like a black hole, but for those brave enough to enter it has a beautiful boutique feel with soft music, incense smells, plush velvet ceilings, candles and chandeliers. Clair and Pablo had a clear vision of how it was to look right from the start and they both have the same expensive rich tastes!

As Scarlet Velvet is a short walk outside the town centre it has took a little while for people to find this little oasis in Ivybridge, but they are now happy to say that they have customers travelling from Bristol, Plymouth and Totnes.

The shop stocks both new and pre loved items, seasonal party dresses, Beautiful basques and corsets, Steampunk ruffle skirts along with exquisite coats, gothic clothing and quality pre loved dresses, skirts and tops. They try very hard to stock as wide a size range as possible and want to appeal to as many customers as they can.

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Clair loves nothing more than to help create that perfect look and is now a dab hand at lacing a corset and creating that gorgeous hour glass silhouette, automatically making you feel sexy and curvy. A few people have also described the feeling of wearing a basque as being comparative to having a hug or feeling held.

Magic happens in Scarlet Velvet, beyond the Crystal balls, magic journals and Tarot cards that are on sale the clothes create a magical transformation, tears have even been shed when someone looks in the mirror and again sees a younger version of themselves that has been lost to the pressures of daily life and the constant rush that they live in.

Scarlet Velvet has also helped male customers delve deep inside and discover what it is like to feel beautiful fabrics on their skin and then to look deep into the mirror and realise that their soul has desperately been calling to them to be heard.

There is no judgement at Scarlet Velvet, Clothes are a way of expressing ourselves and that it is the reason that the shop exists, Gothic clothing is very sensuous, lots of lace, velvet and ribbons a timeless look that anchors itself in the past but is empowering in the now. Those who love fashion and the high street will always love the fast pace of their ever changing wardrobe but Scarlet Velvet items are keepers, clothes that will still look exquisite in ten years time and no one will look at what you are wearing and accusingly be thinking that is so last year !!.

Clair and Pablo adore it when people come out of the changing room to show them how an outfit looks, they love to see their faces when they see that little spark that shines when the customer knows that they look good and through that feeling they exude confidence.

Some ladies who have lost their way a little bit have commented that they have spent a day shopping in Plymouth and found nothing but have found the perfect item within moments of being in Scarlet Velvet. It is also their policy to tell the “ truth”.. yes they are retailers but if either Clair or Pablo thinks that the outfit is too tight or does not suit they lovingly suggest something more suitable. There have been may Wow!! Moments when a customer has tried on the absolute perfect dress for them and go off feeling thrilled with their purchase.

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The roots of Scarlet Velvet have been well and truly planted and it is Clair and Pablos wish that they grow deep into Ivybridge soil and the shop grows and flourishes, creating the perfect alternative shopping experience right here in Devon.

www. scarletvelvet.co.uk E M P O W E R I N G W O M E N . H O S P I TA L I T Y . R E TA I L

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Forget-me-not

Dementia awareness campaign The business was created by mother and daughter in memory of their mother/grandmother. Both Wendy and Kelly have more than 60 years’ experience in the care industry both in a home environment and out in the community. Wendy has previously been Registered Manager for residential homes and a domiciliary care agency.

COMPANY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

THE PRODUCT

Forget me Not creates quality care within a person home environment relieving the pressure from hospitals.

What is the main product of the company?

We are a domiciliary care company providing trained care staff to support people in their own homes.

OWNERSHIP BACKGROUND

As a company we focus on quality and not quantity giving clients the benefit of not being rushed and staff the knowledge they can fulfil all tasks in a relaxed timely manner.

Wendy Codner (shareholder): Wendy has gained a lot of knowledge working in domiciliary care as care coordinator, care manager and registered manager, of care homes and domiciliary care.

Diploma L5 Leadership and Management, L3 Health and Social Care, Assessor and Teaching Qualifications, Managers Safeguarding Training, and several mandatory in-house training courses.

Kelly Hoggan (shareholder): Kelly has been successful in leading teams of staff in care home settings.

Kelly is undertaking her Diploma L5 Leadership and Management, has L3 Health and Social Care and several up to date in house mandatory training certificates.

To date we have employed one carer/business manager. That has previously worked with Wendy, she is an asset to the company for her networking and knowledge in setting up all the processes required for a successful future

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What does the product do?

Assisting with Washing, bathing, showering clients in their own homes. Administration of medication and prescribed creams.

Application of prescribed stockings. Dressing, undressing, food and fluid, assist in managing continence. Assisting to/from bed.

Security of the building. Shopping or appointment visits. End of life support. Light domestic duties. Night ‘sits’ or sitting with a loved one during the day so the husband/wife/family member can have a few hours to themselves. A befriending service where we spend time with the client attending social events, clubs, hobbies etc.

The company’s belief is ‘Your Care, Your Way’ the demand for carers within the community is very high due to the strain on the NHS with a minimum of 150 patients per day waiting to be discharged home with package of care. Whether it be 30mins a day or more. Enabling people to remain at home.

How will you distinguish your company from your competitors?

We will be focusing on Dementia/Parkinson’s and link in with Purple Angels offering a Memory Cafe for anyone suffering with memory problems. Not just for them but carers too.

M A G A Z I N E

We are proud members of Purple Angels Global, a global Dementia specialist steering group that was founded in Torbay in 2012 by Norrms McNamara.

Norrms has shared his real-life, first-hand experience of his journey and experience of living with the disease, which began when he was aged 50 and diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a diagnosis which was later changed to Lewy Body Dementia.

Forget-Me-Not Care and Support Services Ltd Room 5, The Apex, Derriford Business Park Brest Road, Derriford, Plymouth Devon PL6 5FL 01752 963396

www.forgetmenotcareandsupport.co.uk

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PL7 Studios

Professional Qualified Photography Studio 62

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Hannah Cochrane is 41, A creative entrepreneur, Commercial photographer and mum of two teenagers living in Devon.

Hannah is also dyslexic and having struggled through school, leaving with not many GCSE’S, She is very hard working and worked her way up through the ranks in the hospitality industry to management at the age of 19.

In 2013 with her youngest starting school and as a single mum with two young children, she decided she wanted to change career, do something that would work around her children and do something to show them and other that no matter where you are in life or how difficult you may find things, when you put your mind to something you can achieve goals you never thought possible.

Hannah enrolled on an access course at the Plymouth College of Art (now the Art University Plymouth) Hannah had always been creative and loved taking photos on a digital camera, The access course would enable her to progress to the commercial photography degree.

The access course covered several different art disciplines and opened up opportunities to explore a range of different creative projects throughout the course. Hannah geared each project and course work she undertook towards photography. While completing the access course Hannah also went to Bodmin, Cornwall once a week to complete a separate photography course to learn all the basics about photography and a DSLR camera, having a one to one 3 hour lesson each week. This was so she felt up to a level that she could undertake the photography degree.

Hannah said ‘The thought of going back to education as a mature student after all the struggles I’d had through school was daunting, gaining a degree was something I had never considered before, and although I knew it would be challenging I wanted to prove to myself as well as my children that it was possible to succeed no matter what challenges they may face’.

Photo by Lucy Jones Photography

Photo by PL7 Studios

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In 2014 Hannah started a 3 year commercial photography degree, engaging with all elements of the course, learning about all types of photography, being able to have hands-on experience with lighting, studio work and gaining confidence in presenting work. Hannah continued to grow her skills throughout the course and amazingly finished with a first class degree in photography.

Hannah then enrolled on a masters degree course in entrepreneurship for creative practice and used this degree to develop and grow her business as a commercial photographer and photography teacher. During the two years of the course Hannah launched and opened a photography studio and social enterprise Community Photographic Studios.

Photos by PL7 Studios

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Opening up regularly weekly sessions to the local community, over 50’s and veterans, creating creative and engaging workshops and courses, working with local charities and running school holiday children’s clubs. During this time Hannah also worked with several local businesses creating marketing and social media content, Photographing families and building a photography brand. PL7 Studios.

Hannah has worked extremely hard over the past 9 years to achieve so much, and her child has been on the journey with her every step of the way. Being dyslexic hasn’t held her back and the message she is wanting to share is that if you have a passion or dream to have a career in an industry don’t let anything hold you back.

Hannah said ‘I love what I do now, Everyday is different, meeting new people every day, getting to photograph them in their business and capture and showcase their products, and helping them to rebrand, and stand out, and put my own creative style to their brand. I also love inspiring people, teaching them how to take better images and watching them grow in their own photography journeys‘.

hannah@pl7studios.co.uk

07730 445811

www.pl7studios.co.uk

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Ambition Growth Network is a business support and referral network that provides ongoing support for businesses Two business women who have supported entrepreneurs in crisis across the country have launched an innovative network that rewards referring business.

“We know that entire businesses can be built on quality referrals and encouraging this activity through a rewards scheme just seems common sense.”

Ambition Growth Network is the creation of Karlie Somerville & Jo Lines. The pair have been helping and interacting with thousands of company owners every day in their dedicated Facebook group since the start of the pandemic.

Jo and Karlie, who both run a series of successful businesses in the South West, have created a members-only network of ambitious and highly driven entrepreneurs that want to scale and optimise their businesses, while supporting others at the same time.

Their network and support group does far more than connect business owners. It offers cash rewards to members who refer business and collaborate, as well as offering comprehensive support, educational tools and strategies for growth.

The duo, both based in Plymouth, spotted the niche when discussing just how many recommendations, referrals and connections they make in their busy business lives.

The network is also the product of the pair’s hard work supporting businesses owners throughout the UK during the Coronavirus pandemic.

They created the Coronavirus Business Support UK Facebook group at the onset of lockdown, providing free timely advice, up to the minute

They say by creating a cash rewards system for referrals it will sustainably grow entrepreneurs’ network, business and support systems.

Jo said: “We wanted to create a place that rewarded people for making connections – that helped people who strive to help other entrepreneurs through referrals.”

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updates on support packages and actionable strategies for diversifying to survive the crisis.

The group has been instrumental in providing collaborative opportunities that have helped many businesses survive.

Karlie said: “Through our support group we’ve seen the true value of collaboration when business owners come together for a common good in the face of crisis.”

The group name has now changed to the Business Support Group UK as they want the main focus to be on success and not survival, like it was throughout the pandemic. Members of AGN have the opportunity to advertise daily in the group as part of their membership. The support group is now reaching 8000 members and continues to grow daily.

Membership for Ambition Growth Network is £45pm or an annual fee of £450 which is 12 months for the price of 10. As part of the membership, you’ll have access to the private group where they carry out weekly tasks on how to grow your business. Some of the things you can expect each month are accountability, monthly mastermind sessions, power hours, Q&A’s, emotional support and motivated learning to grow your business, plus heaps more!

M A G A Z I N E

www.ambitiongrowthnetwork.co.uk

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Have you ever wondered how seemingly small and local businesses keep popping up on TV ads whilst you’re watching SKY?

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