Peter Rutt

A catch up with

Peter Rutt

Our monthly column by Peter Rutt.

STOP BLAMING OTHERS

BE RESPONSIBLE There was an important job to be done and everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but nobody did it. Somebody got annoyed about that, because it was everybody’s job. Everybody thought anybody could do it but nobody realized that everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that everybody blamed somebody when nobody did what anybody could have done!

Accountability in this day and age is nobody can be blamed in case it upsets the culprit and they feel awful. Mental health plays a big part in this. As part of a team the one who caused the issue can’t be mentioned publically by a boss or teacher. Everybody in a team is then reprimanded equally. But if the offender keeps quiet about their faux pas and one of the team discover who it is, the chances are they may not be trusted. So if one makes a mistake, fess up. Admit the mistake, it removes all the distrust and people respect those for being truthful. Communication is the key to unlock the guilt.

Throughout the pandemic and lock downs some people to a certain extent became more introverted, looking inwards. Dealing with the climate of fear and in some cases sadly those who are no longer with us hurt us. Social media seemed like a lifeline during dark times. But this huge increase highlighted problems. Crimes and scams increased, communication tended to divide us due to differing personal or social interests. Some joined organisations who had a bigger voice to communicate what I could centrally see as being negative, despite positive rhetoric. We went from Love Thy Neighbour to I will be your friend if your interests align with mine. Of course we didn’t because we are all equal and at the same time all different.

Some claim our nation have become mentally lazy. I have been dealing with certain public bodies in Lancashire throughout 2021. The first paragraph in one line or another describe communication break downs I experienced.

When you are chasing an issue because no person has communicated

Part 1 of 3. Regular readers will know I love weird and wacky stories, even if they are not true. So imagine my pleasure when I came across the sensation of alleged time slips in Liverpool.

Various people claim they slipped back in time, usually to the 1950’s or 1960’s. One claimed he slipped back to early 1900’s. He said as he walked down Bold Street the sky went very dark and what had been that year in the decade of the 1990’s changed to early 1900’s judging by the fashion he spied. Also the shops were old fashioned. Gone were the modern day stores as were modern day cars, replaced by horse drawn carriages. There was air there was sound and if he felt more confident he would have interacted with a person. Imagine whipping out your smartphone to show someone from the early 1900’s! Or go a step further and take photos information I get “Somebody must have told you” or “I told her/him to tell you” and those claiming I had or film what you see. What would your not communicated something when phone record? I had. This public body representative There is the story of a man who walked near to Bold Street and he alleges as he turned a corner, was faced with a dead end. An old wall was adamant I had not said something when I had and would not budge. Black and white printed words are easy to use as proof but this person that wasn’t there the previous day had probably felt safe and thought it was suddenly appeared. Like the previous only words so they were safe as it man he said the sky became suddenly was verbal, my word against theirs. darker prior to this obstacle being there. I countered “Can you just wait a He even touched the construction and moment because I recorded the it was solid. Confused, he headed back call, I need to scroll through on my the way he came. phone to find it?” The caller suddenly

Most of the stories centre on a back tracked suggesting I may have period of 1993-1997 apart from the communicated something but hung one in the next paragraph. They may up the call. They did not want to be well be Urban Tales and tall ones at blamed, be in the wrong, accountable. that. But it is thought provoking. But there are three particular stories I will centre on. There was another in the summer when three public bodies failed to talk to one another and my wife having

This one allegedly occurred in 2006 to speak to each of these companies when a lad called Sean admitted he to communicate because they shoplifted an item and ran out of the were making claims based on one shop pursued by a Security Guard. As Sean got to a corner (and the sky went dark) he turned and carried on running but when he looked back he noticed person’s mistake who did not want to be blamed for getting it so wrong. We are all human, own up. Our standing will improve if we do.

his pursuer was nowhere to be seen. Relieved, he stopped and took in his surroundings. Everybody was wearing clothes from the 1960’s and cars were old fashioned from this era. Starting to worry he brought out his modern mobile phone, but it displayed no signal. As he walked back past the store he robbed he noticed it wasn’t the one he entered earlier. As he looked ahead he could see the modern world. When he took a look behind him it was still the 1960’s. Frightened by his experience he caught a (modern) bus to get away. The Security Guard that chased him asserted that he was only a few paces behind the thief but as he got to that corner, the lad had vanished. He was bemused by this.

The other two stories appear in May’s edition and a plausible answer to the conundrum. But going back to an earlier point, which is of interaction, I pondered on this. If you talk to someone from a long ago era and influence them to take a different course to one they historically did take, would that have ramifications on the here and now? Also if you collect an item from the 1950’s, does it travel with you back to the present day?

Enterprise Vision Awards Meet the Finalists

By Joel Newman and Emily Walker

The Enterprise Vision Awards (EVAs) are the largest business awards outside of London to celebrate the women behind businesses.

The EVAs are open to all business women in the North West of England, anyone from employees to CEOs are welcome to enter in order to promote the incredible work that these women do. The EVAs do not just celebrate the business but what goes on behind it, the ethos of the company, its values and what it is trying to achieve. Finalists may have been selected based on the ecological benefits of their company, making products sustainable. Other finalists success may stem from their mission to deliver quality goods to people but for a fair price. With this information into consideration there is a specific procedure the EVA panel use to determine the winner. The finalists we feature below have all been short-listed from a list of entrants and undergone an interview where the EVA really focus on the heart of the business in order to ascertain who they think is most deserving of an EVA, to be announced at the final ceremony taking place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. As this is the 10 year celebration of the EVAs there are more categories than ever before, the entrants have been separated into 18 sectors with an award available for each. This years categories to name only a few include Business Woman, Charity, Employee and Young Entrepreneur and each one has a specification the judges are looking for. In the Solo Business category the entrants were asked about their inspiration, their achievements, their future plans and what was the drive and passion behind the business.

MANDY CROSLEY FROM MC ACCOUNTING FOR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

With over 20 years of experience as an accountant Mandy moved to St. Annes to start her own accountancy business. Values were really important to Mandy, she wanted to have a family business and soon her husband joined the team helping with the book keeping. The business started small but their success began to grow as they built their reputation, offering only the best advice, growing their client base to over 130 people. This success became more prominent throughout the last 18 months, with the challenges of covid a lot of businesses became unsure and needed to regain some clarity. Mandy helped so many people to do this, in some instances she even published free advice on her social media pages so that people felt secure in having the relevant knowledge. In addition to this Mandy said one of the goals of her company is to restore a work life balance for her clients. Lots of the people she helps are business owners themselves and would find they were working late into the night to finish their accounts. Mandy found she was able to relieve some of that stress by completing their accounts, restoring a balance for them and in the process making herself an EVA finalist.

MC Accounting: N 07543 442965 E mandy@mcccountingbusiness.co.uk

LYNNE WEBSTER FROM BABY BAMBOO AND BEYOND FOR SOLO BUSINESS Lynne has always been hard-working, with experience working for British Airways and the Civil Service but it was always her dream to own her own company, the difficulty was that she did not know what that business would be. It was not until she was in a presentation at work focusing on the positive health benefits of bamboo that she had her light-bulb moment. The qualities bamboo products presented was that they were completely natural and 100% biodegradable as well as being known for stemming the implication of menopause such as hot sweats. Lynne started to sell these products herself, but also by collaborating with other businesses that were looking to stock such products. The items on offer include bamboo cloths and cleaning pads but also wool, coconut and silk products again all completely natural resources. Along her journey Lynne has build up a presence on social media such as Facebook and Instagram and is always looking to work with companies that hold similar ideals to her in that where possible thinks should be natural, sustainable and affordable, all key values that make Lynne an EVA finalist.

Baby Bamboo and beyond: N 07971 074589 D www.babybambooandbeyond.com

SARA DEWHURST FROM LYTHAM GIN FOR RETAIL BUSINESS Sara was working as a chemistry teacher when a desire to make gin changed her life. She soon started Lytham Gin and had what she describes as the best 3 years of her career. Her company has gone from strength to strength as they’ve built up to having 6 different flavour gins all containing natural and local products. This passion has motivated Sara through the difficulties of covid, despite an initial struggle when companies were no longer in need of the product, she adapted her service to offer more variety including gift and personalisation options. In addition to this, Sara worked on changing part of her distillery into a tasting parlour so that she is now able to offer in person experiences of the product also. Having already won one EVA Sara is now a finalist again for exhibiting real determination with her business this year as well as her sustainable approach using natural ingredients and natural colourings such as flowers to create the product and her plastic free sustainable packaging approach.

Lytham Gin: E Info@sandgrownspirits.co.uk D www.sandgrownspirits.co.uk

MARY SPEAKMAN FROM CODE GALAXY FOR INTERNET INDUSTRY Mary started her business in 2017 with the aim of providing bespoke software and website design to help people develop their projects, working alongside the NHS and businesses across the UK. They set themselves apart from other website designers as they offered an additional tailored software that was of maximum efficiency for example, if a company needed to access four different databases, they can create a platform where you can access all four with a single use. Despite an initial dip when covid arrived Mary continued working with compassion, understanding that some staff would need to care for loved ones, she accounted for this on her venture to help businesses move online. Mary cleverly built in delivery systems for pre-established businesses such as Blackpool’s local Notarianni’s. This approach has allowed their business to develop leading to a 585% growth this year and resulting in Mary being an EVA finalist.

Code Galaxy: N 01253 963062 D www.codegalaxy.co.uk

TRILBY BEETHAM FROM TRILBY THE CELEBRANT FOR CUSTOMER SERVICES When Trilby’s son and his wife wanted to celebrate 10 years of their marriage they had to travel to find somebody able to host the ceremony. Trilby then realised that she could bring this service closer to home hosting events such as weddings, baby naming ceremonies and ash scattering. The difficulty was that not long after starting her business 3 years ago, covid arrived in the UK. This resulted in the UK lockdowns and a ban on all the events Trilby would have ordinarily been planning. This was problematic as Trilby was nor permitted to work but it is important to note that nobody cancelled. As a true testament to the service Trilby provides and the reputation she has earned everybody simply postponed their plans and as soon as restrictions were eased slightly Trilby managed to plan celebrations to accommodate, making herself aware of some stunning outside locations to host the ceremonies that were again permitted with this hard work and quality of service resulting in Trilby being a EVA finalist. She is also looking to incorporate into her celebrations proms and birthdays. Trilby is willing to travel and loves to meet the people/families to make sure she really is delivering the day they dream of.

BELLA KOWALSKA FROM NAIL BUS LTD FOR BEAUTY BUSINESS Bella operates the Beauty Bus, a mobile Salon all over the Fylde coast spending one day in each location. For today’s society when time seems more scarce than ever this service is so important you can book your appointment and receive treatment in your area. This service has been particularly valuable to care homes as people there are often unable to go out to receive treatment so they bring the treatments to them building a community as they go with on board facilities such as their book swap library. Building this community along with other core values such as the solar panels on the bus are all fundamental in the fact that Bella is an EVA finalist and her work extends far beyond the standard week. Throughout covid she was helping her clients receive remote treatments and dedicates her weekends to hiring out the beauty bus for parties, weddings and other events.

Nail Bus Ltd: N 07309 262848 D www.nailbus.co.uk

RACHEL GROUNDS FROM SASSY CHIC FOR CUSTOMER SERVICES Rachel set up Sassy Chic two years ago with the goal of helping women to build their confidence. Her extensive range is priced between £5 and £35 and consists of a variety of accessories including headbands and earrings to make women feel beautiful. She stocks a variety of styles, acknowledging that no two women are the same but also helping people further by donating some items for charity raffles. Rachel has noticed that a lot of compliments women give to each other can be about appearance, appreciating what someone is wearing for example. It is her hope that these accessories will help provide some of that positivity amongst women. It is with such a strong ethos that Rachel is an EVA finalist, she maintains a strong online presence across social media to stay in touch with her customers and to offer help whenever she can.

Sassy Chic: E racel83@yahoo.co.uk D sassychicclub.bigcartel.com

JANE CHARNLEY FROM A TOAST IN THE POST FOR NEW BUSINESS Jane has worked in the events industry for 20+ years but on realising the extended long-term impact COVID-19 would have on her business she set up A Toast in the Post during lockdown, a business idea she’d had for years but never had time to ignite. A Toast in the Post allows people to celebrate moments in life when they cannot be together by sending a drink of your choice in the post along with a personalised photo message card. Jane is incredibly proud of the stylish 100% recyclable packaging which was a real challenge to create to present the toasts perfectly to the recipient. The business showcases small artisan UK distilleries including neighbouring Lytham Gin and Kin Vodka. With over 7,500 drinks sold and 2 National awards in their first 9 months the overwhelming success of a Toast in the Post is a key reason that Jane is now an EVA finalist.

A Toast in the Post: D www.atoastinthepost.co.uk E toastoffice@atoastinthepost.co.uk LOUISE O’TOOLE FROM JAMES CARTER HOMES FOR CUSTOMER SERVICES Louise is a Director at James Carter Homes, a company she named after her son instantly illustrating the key values at the heart of this business. It is all about family, with her father also part of the team, taking care of the marketing aspect and several projects named after her daughter Holly. James Carter alongside their partnering business Fylde Joinery and Building services construct and sell high quality homes with luxuries such as under floor heating being made a standard requirement for people. The quality of the work they produce is further evidenced by the fact that on their most recent project the architect ended up buying one of the houses. The focus for Louise is to make the experience of buying a house as an enjoyable process as possible and that focus on customer service is why she is a finalist in that category for an EVA.

James Carter Homes: N 07850 103023 D www.jamescarterhomes.co.uk

GEMMA WALKER FROM HELISPEED FOR BUSINESS WOMAN Helispeed began their journey to find a better way for helicopter pilots and operators to work together in 2009. Since then, it’s been their mission to keep on building a large pool of professional and experienced pilots and to connect them with operators and other services providers in need of pilots. They have pilots ready to fly at short notice on Boeing, Bell, Airbus, Sikorsky and Leonardo helicopters and work with commercial operators, government agencies, maintenance organisations, lessors or brokers. The contracts Helispeed can handle are short to long term, up to three years. They let pilots focus on flying and operators concentrate on operations, because they take care of all the administrative and logistics tasks involved with each contract and mission. It is with this professional approach that Gemma is a finalist for the Business Woman EVA.

Helispeed: N 01253 808888 D www.helispeed.co.uk

WENDY MAHONEY FROM FYLDE TUITION CENTRE FOR TRAINING AND COACHING With 20 years experience teaching, working with children and teens and specialising in specific learning difficulties with a key passion for helping people with dyslexia, Wendy decided she wanted to open her own centre where she could care for everyone. She was motivated by the belief that nobodies opportunities should be limited because of a condition or disability she therefore offers her help to give people equal opportunities and offer extra support where is needed to ensure there is a level playfield. Covid presented some difficulties for Fylde tuition as they could no longer see people face to face but they managed remotely, Wendy created her own online platform so that every student could still access their education. She also enabled all her students to gain success in GCSE Maths and English despite the situation. Her determination was soon discovered which enticed students around the UK wishing to join her online for future success. Fylde Tuition Centre is fully operational with the key goal of letting people know they are there, for parents and children alike to receive support and have somebody they know they can go to. It is for this reason that Wendy is a finalist for the EVA.

Fylde Tuition Centre: N 01253 446955 D www.fyldetuitioncentre.co.uk

Celebrating your Ceremony by Making your day Special

BESPOKE • HAND SCRIPTED • PERFECT

Services I can provide for you:

Weddings & Civil Ceremonies Vow Renewals • Baby Naming Days Adoptions • Celebration of Life and Ashes Scattering

Covering the North West of England N 07971 808 305 E trilby.thecelebrant01@gmail.com F @TrilbytheCelebrant D www.yourdayyourway.me

The Latest Fashion Accessories to Make Women Look and Feel Fabulous!

D sassychicclub.bigcartel.com F @sassychicclub I @sassy.chic.club

Our magazine has been writing about Lancashire for over 50 years. We cover everything from people to places, Lancashire’s history to Lancashire’s future.

www.lancmag.com October 2021 £2.45

We start off this month with a UltraSpace Garden Rooms, who pride themselves on supplying that extra room that you need with a variety of sizes and styles to suit your purpose. Dave Gregson shows us that in ordinary everyday life, suddenly something magical can happen and an adventure begins. Paul Cusimano from Totally Local Lancaster tells us about the biggest single day event in Lancaster’s calendar - ‘Lancaster Festa Italia’. We have a delightful article on gallery set on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales - this former Victorian Woollen Mill has gallery spaces, artists’ studios, and weaving looms is the perfect free to visit attraction. The Lancaster Bed Company shows us that everybody needs a good night’s sleep, we feature a fabulous review on the Dr Yusra Clinic and ask Dr Yusra a few

questions too! The Cross Guns Inn based in the village of Egerton reopens with a brand new look, boasting a brand-new art deco cocktail lounge, completely overhauled outdoor drinking and dining area as well as a 60-cover private function space. We urge you to sign the petition to block the reintroduction of animal testing in Lancashire, the co-founder of Twitter helps launch new social platform to rival Clubhouse called Roomkey.co. Harold Cunliffe tells us a few spooky stories, we celebrate alongside Lancashire’s schools and colleges with their fantastic results on GCSE’s and A Levels, The Dukes Theatre present their Autumn 2021 Season, we learn about sharks and why we need to protect them, and there is a new permanent exhibition at Manchester’s Pankhurst Centre called “At Home with the Pankhurst Family”.

IN THIS ISSUE... LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE 6LAKELAND Flagship Windermere Store and Café And as always - our regulars. The towns this month are: Bolton, Penrith and Wilmslow. Deborah Hatswell has a few strange and unusual witness reports of unexplained phenomena. Sarah Harris Style talks about National Handbag Day and takes a look at our skin care routines as the weather is becoming cooler, Denise Mullen tells us hilarious stories about snow angels and bodies being a temple, Nicola Parker talks about using herbs for cholesterol, Ken Harcombe the RNLI tells us about the RNLI’s two main assets: its volunteers and their lifeboats, and Miles Consult & Construct are in the mood to decorate. And of course - homes, health, delicious recipes, fascinating history, and a bit of wildlife and more, all in our October issue.

LANCASTER BED COMPANY Here to Help You Get a Great Night’s Sleep Dave Gregson An Adventure Begins

ULTRASPACE GARDEN ROOMS Bespoke Garden Rooms Without a Premium Cost Get Back Your Glow at the Dr Yusra Clinic BACKUP North West Tackling Homelessness Amongst Young People FARFIFIELD MILL Art, craft & heritage gallery set on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales

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