Dynamic Issue 8

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR WOMEN

JAN | FEB 2021 #8

NATWEST EVERYWOMAN AWARDS WHERE ARE THE FEMALE AUTHORS? THE HOMEWORK DILEMMA THE ETON MESS

K AMALA HARRIS

POTENTIALLY THE FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT

Order from brightongin.com for socially distanced, COVID-safe doorstep delivery within Brighton and Hove by a member of our little team or send the spirit of Brighton nationwide with next-working-day courier delivery

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4 MEET THE STEERING COMMITTEE

12 LET’S MAKE 2021 A LESS TAXING YEAR

26 TOP TRENDS FOR VEGANUARY 2021 AND BEYOND?

5 WELCOME

14 NEW OPPORTUNITIES AWAIT YOU JUST HAVE TO TAKE THEM

28 THE YOGA SERIES Focusing on High Lunge Asana and Downward-facing Dog

6 UPFRONT All the latest bulletins from the world of business

16 WHERE ARE THE FEMALE AUTHORS?

8 THE ETON MESS

18 CHILDREN’S HOMEWORK DILEMMA

10 FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS HONOURED AT THE 2020 NATWEST EVERYWOMAN AWARDS

20 WILL KAMALA HARRIS BECOME THE FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT?

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32 MOTORING Lochdown

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MEET THE STEERING COMMITTEE

Our illustrious steering committee guide the editorial tone of the magazine

JULIE KAPSALIS CEO Chichester / Crawley College Group

EMMA LANE Director Allied Irish Bank

VICTORIA KERTON ROSEMARY FRENCH OBE Regional Director Executive Director NatWest Gatwick Diamond Initiative

FAIZA SHAFEEK CEO Carrot Events

ALISON ADDY Community Officer Gatwick Airport

LOUISE PUNTER CEO Surrey Chambers of Commerce

LESLEY ALCOCK Commercial Director The Platinum Media Group

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ABIGAIL OWEN Corporate Partner DMH Stallard

FIONA SHAFER Managing Director MD HUB

MAXINE REID Partner Quantuma

MAARTEN HOFFMANN CEO/Publisher The Platinum Media Group

ANA CHRISTIE CEO Sussex Chamber of Commerce

ALISON JONES Partner Kreston Reeves

ZOE RUDLING Partner RSM

FIONA GRAVES Events Director The Platinum Media Group

welc ome FROM ROSEMARY FRENCH OBE Chair of the Dynamic Steering Committee ROSEMARY’S OBE WAS AWARDED FOR SERVICES TO WOMEN IN BUSINESS It’s getting close! The vaccinations have arrived and hopefully, fingers and toes crossed, we will be extensively immunised by the end of Spring. I am feeling upbeat about getting back to some normality this year, whilst accepting that it will be a different normal.

This edition of Dynamic features the worthy winners of the NatWest Everywoman Awards 2020. I remember when these awards were launched 18 years ago and in fact, sponsored them.

They were not the first awards for

women because I remember being nominated in the mid-80s for a Veuve Clicquot Women’s Award.

The event at the Savoy was full of famous businesswomen and celebrities and I was well out of my depth! But the Everywoman Award was the first to truly recognise real women in business – entrepreneurs of all ages, from diverse communities and from the private, charity and social enterprise sectors.

Browsing through the stories of these inspirational Everywomen winners, I am reminded once

again of women’s resilience, adaptability, and creativity to overcome the challenges and hurdles that women face.

I was reflecting on the Gatwick Diamond Business Awards in December. The Awards are in their 12th year and yet the most coveted award, Business Person of the Year, has never been won by a woman. There are so many amazingly successful women in the area that it is hard to believe why not? I would not want to see a separate category for women but surely we can do better than this?

Contacts PUBLISHER: maarten@platinumpublishing.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: lesley@platinumpublishing.co.uk EVENTS DIRECTOR: fiona@platinumpublishing.co.uk HEAD OF DESIGN: design@platinumpublishing.co.uk

WWW.PLATINUMPUBLISHING.CO.UK DISCLAIMER All rights reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions relating to advertising or editorial. The publisher reserves the right to change or amend any competitions or prizes offered. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent from the publisher. No responsibility is taken for unsolicited materials or the return of these materials whilst in transit. Dynamic Magazine is owned and published by The Platinum Media Group.

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WOMEN ARE LIKE MEN BUT CHEAPER! Are you sitting down right now? Is there something on your desk you can squeeze to release the wave of total anger and frustration that’s about to hit you?

Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports that at a tech start-up conference in Sydney, Evan Thornley, the co-founder of an online advertising company in Australia, gave a presentation about the benefits of hiring women, saying women are “often relatively cheap compared to what we would’ve had to pay someone less good of a different gender.” He then reportedly pulled up a slide that read, “Women: Like men, only cheaper.” If comments like Thornley’s make you feel like this, you’re not alone.

Thornley’s talk didn’t start off so badly: He mentioned how his company, LookSmart, has had women in senior management since the start-up went public in 1999 and the gender gap in tech was the size of the Grand Canyon. But then Thornley, who served two years in Parliament and allegedly has an estimated net worth of roughly $54 million, took a turn.

A stupid, insulting one. “Call me opportunistic; I thought I could get better people with less competition because we were willing to.

{up f r o n t } All the latest bulletins from the world of business

LEVELLING UP The Forum of Executive Women joined with corporate leadership data company Equilar to further its mission of diversifying boardrooms and c-suites. The Equilar Diversity Network comprises more than 30 member organisations, including partners like NASDAQ, KPMG and the Athena Alliance.

“Being a part of the Equilar Diversity Network offers exposure for the Forum’s 500 members, who can later be considered for board membership and other executive roles”, Forum President Lisa Detwiler said.

FEMTECH DISPUTE The meteoric rise of the label ‘femtech’ to describe technology products, apps and hardware addressing women’s health and wellbeing issues divides opinion. While some say it helps the sector secure vital funding from male-dominated venture capitalists, others argue that it unnecessarily pigeonholes women’s health. From period trackers to breast pumps, the term encompasses menstruation, menopause, pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility. One often-quoted report predicts femtech could become a £40bn industry by 2025.

You could argue: what’s taken so long? And $50bn sounds like a lot.

But when you consider that it’s a sector that, in theory, targets almost four billion women - roughly half the world’s population – suddenly it seems quite modest.

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PERIOD DRAMA The very first law to change now that the UK is in charge of its own laws is the VAT on sanitary products. The 5% rate of VAT on sanitary products - referred to as the “tampon tax” – is abolished in the UK from January 1st.

A ludicrous EU law requires members to tax tampons and sanitary towels at 5%, treating period products as non-essential. Chancellor Rishi Sunak committed to scrapping the tax in his March Budget.

Campaigners welcomed the end to what they called a “sexist tax” with activist Laura Coryton saying it was “about ending a symptom of sexism”.

PASSION TRUMPS BALANCE Women who start their own businesses aren’t doing it for just more flexibility.

This might sound obvious, considering that launching a company means long hours, tons of pressure, and financial risk –but now there’s proof.

A new survey by the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) found that the top motivator for female entrepreneurs is doing something they’re passionate about—and markedly not work-life balance. In fact, when more than 300 female business owners were asked to rank different factors in their decision to start their own companies, “having flexibility to care for your family” came in next to last. Passion, being your own boss, and the potential for higher pay were all bigger motivators. Darla Beggs, national board chair of NAWBO, said many respondents felt that “the time has never been better” for women to go out on their own.

DEATH OF THE GYM Women who were gym members before the pandemic hit will seek different ways to keep fit in 2021, according to a study by online runners’ community RunRepeat. The group surveyed 1,990 gym members from 120 different countries to learn how they will approach staying fit in 2021 in comparison to the start of 2020.

Although nearly half of gym members said in April they would return to their gym when it reopened, only a third had returned as of November, RunRepeat found. Only 15% of current gym members said they think a gym membership is the best way to achieve their fitness goals in 2021, a 63.31% decline from the start of 2020s.

THE STARLING SINGS As the founder of UK challenger bank Starling, Anne Boden wanted to prove people wrong.

“Women have to achieve more, work harder and be much more perfect to get the job compared to a man”. Ms Boden is also chief executive at Starling, which has grown rapidly and is now the subject of takeover talk. “The experience of being treated differently because I am female only inspires me to work harder and prove them wrong, which is in part why I founded Starling,” she adds. The banking and finance industries have traditionally been maledominated although this is beginning to change.

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COM M E N T

By Rosemary French OBE

THE ETON MESS THE PATRIARCHY PARADOX DEBACLE

When I watched the Patriarchy Paradox video at the centre of the Eton schoolmaster dismissal, I was both dismayed and outraged. I was disappointed that such a video could emanate from the school that has produced 20 of our prime ministers, hundreds more MPs, and leading figures in commerce, industry, and the civil service. I did understand what this teacher called Will Knowland was trying to say. However, his message was clumsily delivered and unbalanced which is surprising considering the quality of teachers recruited at Eton.

The thrust of his paradox is that by shaping men and women to be more similar exaggerates their differences.

This may be true and indeed there is evidence in Norway, the country where gender equality is the highest, that women still prefer to choose people and communication-oriented roles and men to choose roles which involve making things. However, gender equality is much more than what men and women do in their jobs, something which Knowland does not acknowledge.

Instead, he concentrates on the superior strength of men putting them in a better position to take on the lead role, to be patriarchs. Astonishingly, he then tells us that women choose it to be so because it suits them!

I remember in my university psychology studying ‘nature versus nurture’ theories which 40 years later remain little changed. There are a few

I need hardly remind him, as he faces his employment tribunal, that it is not ok to offend and put back gender equality of another generation of schoolboys

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academics that believe that biology, genes, and testosterone are entirely behind the differences between boys and girls; and there are others that believe that it is 100% social learning from birth that deeply roots gender roles in a child. However, most academics subscribe to the theory that it is both, of which a far larger proportion of learned behaviour which influences you, rather than your genes. That children can be influenced in those early years by the way that they are treated. For example, do girls naturally veer towards dolls because of their genes or is it because parents and educationalists treat them differently and influence them so much that they pick up the doll, and not the truck, because we have trained them to do so?

Knowland recognises this issue of balance between genes and learning but in his view the social construct of gender equality has gone too far, and that biology plays a far bigger role than social development ever has. That is his opinion, fine. My issue is that he presents his view in a sexist and discriminatory way. Furthermore, his content is based on the past not on a potential future of equal matriarchy and patriarchy, that has been learned.

He admits that what he is saying will ‘bruise’ listeners. He defends his article

COM M E N T

My issue is that he presents his view in a sexist and discriminatory way

by saying that free speech is more important than a bit of bruising. I need hardly remind him, as he faces his employment tribunal, that it is not ok to offend and put back gender equality of another generation of schoolboys.

Let us look at some examples of his bruising in his talk. For example, ‘Calling a woman a wimp isn’t an insult’.

I would not advise he tries that one! Or showing a clip from the Goodfellas film where the gangster’s moll says that ‘gratuitous violence turns me on’. Sorry, that was written by a male scriptwriter.

Did Knowland really think about this clip before showing it? About the thousands of women beaten up in their homes by their partners? Later by emphasising that there is more male-onmale rape in jails than male-on-female

rape outside, he is reducing the enormity of rape on women. I remember in the 80s when the earlier Yorkshire Rippers victims, single mums who were desperately trying to make a living through selling their bodies, were ignored in the investigation. It was only when, in the eyes of the police, ‘respectable’ women were killed that they started to properly investigate.

Knowland says that ‘women prefer men with muscles and money’ and then shows a photo of a buxom blonde revealing more than she should as though that is how women should dress to get that muscle man. He talks about men learning to get that ‘pretty girl’; that men learn that they need money and

power to succeed with women. Rather than oppressing women, he says that getting men to compete over them gives women tremendous power. Really? It is the other way around. When a man wins the pretty women he believes it gives him tremendous power and kudos amongst his peers, which is what he has been led to believe. It is not about women’s behaviour; it is about men’s own learnings.

He says that men have invented well over 90% of inventions which have improved the quality of women’s lives?

Did Knowland not mull this over and consider that women were not allowed to be educated, never mind take jobs in medicine, engineering, technology for hundreds of years? Indeed, they still struggle to get to the top of these professions to be equally recognised and paid; and in too many third-world nations, girls are still not being educated.

What is disappointing is that Knowland could have taken this opportunity to help his boys understand that they can change social learning at all stages of life to enabling a more balanced approach where it is ok for a woman to take the lead in money and power, to be the matriarch. It does not mean the man is a wimp!

The whole half hour is delivered as a fait accompli. He says it is to stimulate debate but, in my experience, when a teacher teaches, even when it is one sided, you tend to respect it, remember it, and take it through your life. My view is that he has damaged these boys’ perceptions, encouraging them to believe that a woman’s main aim in life is to find a Chippendale man who will provide for her.

Unfortunately, the controversy has attracted a following of shared believers, whipping up anti sexual equality sentiments judging by the YouTube comments. Well done to you, Eton Headmaster, for stamping on these outdated views. I salute you!

Will Knowland weightlifting

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AWA R D S

FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS HONOURED AT THE

2020 NATWEST

EVERYWOMAN AWARDS

Winners announced in the UK’s leading awards programme for women business owners

The 18th annual NatWest everywoman Awards, held in London on December 3rd celebrated the UK’s most inspiring female entrepreneurs, recognising their outstanding achievements. This year’s virtual awards championed women in enterprise from all walks of life, providing a platform to share their journeys to success and inspire the next generation of talent.

In an extraordinary year, the 2020 winners span multiple industries including technology, fashion, beauty, medicine and hospitality, but all are united in one common purpose - to leave the world a better place than they found

THE 2020 CATEGORY AWARDS WINNERS

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it. With many businesses rocked by the Covid-19 crisis, these women also demonstrate the resilience, adaptability and creativity that will help Britain weather the current economic storm.

The 2020 NatWest everywoman of the Year Award was presented to Rachel Watkyn, Founder of Tiny Box whose story of triumph over adversity unanimously inspired the 2020 judges.

Rachel spent her formative years in care before returning to her family and experiencing the effects of alcohol and domestic abuse. Whilst working in Sierra Leone during the military coup, the extreme poverty she witnessed drove

ARTEMIS

For an inspirational woman running a business trading 18 months-3 years ◗ Thuria Wenbar, e-surgery, from Norwich. Having come to the UK as an asylum seeker from Iraq, Thuria trained as an NHS doctor, where she realised how dated the prescription service was. Thuria founded her business to simplify the prescription system creating a completely paper free process, addressed directly to the consumer. Despite growing up with dyslexia, she coded the system herself and now hopes to roll it out to further medical and cosmetic organisations.

Rachel Watkyn, Founder of Tiny Box

DEMETER

ATHENA

Sponsored by Nutriment For an inspirational woman running a business trading 3-5 years ◗ Maxine Laceby, Absolute Collagen, from Telford. After realising the nutritional benefits of bone broth, Maxine set out to create quality, affordable collagen products available via a subscription model. Despite being 50 years old and having spent the majority of her adult life as a stay-at-home mum, Maxine was determined to pursue her idea, even remortgaging the house to start the business. Now in its fourth year, Absolute Collagen, is on target to turnover £8 million.

Sponsored by Taittinger For an inspirational woman running a business trading 6-9 years ◗ Connie Nam, Astrid & Miyu, from London. Having started as a side project in 2012, Astrid & Miyu, under Connie’s vision and leadership, has grown to become a cult brand, with six stores across London. Forced to close her stores in March when Covid hit, Connie restructured, developing inspirational online content that grew sales in April and May by 150%.

AWA R D S

her vision for a fairtrade business. This began as a jewellery company, but her struggle to find recycled and environmentally friendly packaging sparked the idea for Tiny Box, supplying businesses with aesthetically pleasing and ethical packaging. Against a backdrop of difficulties including cancer, fire, flooding, an IT hack, and now Covid-19, she has grown Tiny Box to a £6.5m annual revenue and a team of 85 employees.

Fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood accepted the Spirit of everywoman Award, awarded to a woman whose pioneering spirit has helped change the landscape for women in the UK. She was recognised for her phenomenal career, which has seen her bring avant-garde British fashion into the mainstream and become a vocal activist for the environment and civil rights. British make-up artist, Pat McGrath MBE, received the everywoman Ambassador Award, created to celebrate a high-profile entrepreneur and role model to young women. Despite having no formal training, Pat is now considered the world’s most influential make-up artist after a career that has spanned roles at Giorgio Armani and British Vogue. When her eponymous make-up

Maxine Benson MBE, Co-Founder at everywoman

brand, Pat McGrath Labs, launched at Selfridges it was the most successful beauty brand launch ever and is now valued at $1 billion. The Fortuna Award, which recognises a stand-out individual who invests or is involved in securing i nvest ment i n women-fou nded businesses was awarded to the Founder of Ada Ventures, Francesca Warner, for her work in investing in often overlooked female entrepreneurs and running a non-profit partnership promoting diversity in Venture Capital.

Speaking about the winners, Maxine Benson MBE, Co-Founder at every woman comments: “Self-employment has started to decline for men, but not for women. Despite this, only one in three UK entrepreneurs is female, a gender gap equivalent of 1.1m missing businesses and a potential value add of £250bn to the UK economy. Now more than ever, it is critical to address this and showcase how successful and resilient so many female-owned businesses are.

For 18 years the NatWest everywoman Awards have done just this and we continue to encourage, embolden and empower women. We congratulate the 2020 winners them and applaud their incredible achievements.”

Julie Baker, Head of Enterprise and Community Finance at NatWest says: “The NatWest everywoman Awards have once again helped us shine a light on some of the UK’s most inspiring female founders who continue to not only achieve great things for their businesses and their communities, but also help inspire the next generation of would-be entrepreneurs. At NatWest, we continue to work to support existing and aspiring women in business through a network of over 500 externally accredited Women in Business specialists who understand our customers’ ambitions and provide business advice, mentoring and networking opportunities.”

The 2020 NatWest everywoman Awards are judged by an esteemed panel of entrepreneurs including Chrissie Rucker OBE (The White Company), Suzanne Brock (Nutriment), Helen Pattinson (Montezumas), Melissa Odabash, Annoushka Ducas MBE (Annoushka), Roni Savage (Jonas Associates) and Sarah Wood (Unruly).

HERA

GAIA

APHRODITE

Sponsored by Saunderson House For an inspirational woman running a business trading for 10+ years ◗ Sarah McLean, McLean Restaurants, from Nuneaton.

Sarah joined MacDonald’s as a graduate trainee and spent 20 years with the brand. She used her savings to acquire her first franchise in 2002 and has built McLean restaurants to become the brand’s largest female franchisee.

Sponsored by Montezuma’s Chocolates For an inspirational founder of a social enterprise who has combined strong community benefit with a sustainable business model ◗ Dr Asha Patel, Innovating Minds, from Birmingham. After a successful career in the prison service, Asha founded Innovating Minds, a social enterprise which enables thousands of children and adults to access mental health services. Her EduPod technology is being used by over 50 schools across the country and she is training 100 community support advisers to help children affected by domestic abuse.

Sponsored by Daily Mail For a woman who founded her business whilst raising a child/ children aged 12 or under ◗ Christine Kelly, Little Kickers, from Didcot. One of the ten most powerful women in franchising, Christine’s business sees over 65,000 children in 34 countries enjoy football training every week. Inspired by her then two-year old son, Christine had no experience of football or franchising, but an early investment of £300 has turned Little Kickers into a global football themed franchise, championing funbased activities for pre-school children.

BRAND OF THE FUTURE Sponsored by The White Company For a female founder of a business that demonstrates great potential for growth ◗ Joyce and Raissa De Haas, Double Dutch, from London.

Known as the Tonic Twins, sisters Joyce and Raissa started making mixers at university, inspired by the explosion of artisan spirits. Their start-up plan won funding from UCL, and attracted the attention of Richard Branson. Since then, they have won the World’s Best Tonic Water 2018 started exporting to 28 countries and have sold a minority stake to drinks behemoth, Heineken.

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The turn of the year is the perfect time to make use of the available tax reliefs and allowances, says Samantha Kaye from Wellesley Wealth Advisory.

LET’S MAKE 2021 A LESS TAXING YEAR We’ll experience several coronaviruslike market shocks in our lifetimes – but although such volatility can be unsettling, these are beyond our control.

As with business planning, we’ll give ourselves the best chance of achieving our personal financial goals if we focus on what we can control: including how and where we invest our money, the size of our retirement fund, and how much tax we pay.

Here are some ways in which you can use the start of the year to get your plans back on track!

ISAS

Simple and readily accessible, it’s no surprise that ISAs have become one of the most popular ways to save. However, as UK interest rates are lower than ever, money being held in Cash ISAs is failing to achieve the very basic objective of keeping pace with inflation. Therefore, savers who invest their ISA allowance for the long term – in assets offering the scope for attractive levels of income and capital growth – have a better chance of maximising the tax-saving opportunities on offer.

PENSIONS

We will give ourselves the best chance of achieving our personal financial goals if we focus on what we can control

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Saving into a pension is a particularly appealing prospect at the moment, as there’s much greater freedom for taking benefits, tax relief on pension contributions, and pension savings can be more easily left as part of a taxefficient inheritance. Those wishing to make their retirement plans a reality should consider fully utilising their annual allowance for this tax year to make the most of the tax breaks on offer.

Plus, unused allowances can be carried forward from the three previous tax years.

PROMOT IONA L

INHERITANCE TAX

With some careful planning, you can legally reduce your Inheritance Tax bill – or possibly pay nothing at all.

You could look at reducing your taxable estate by topping up a child’s pension or Junior ISA – this could go a long way to providing them with an invaluable head start in life. The Junior ISA allowance rose from £4,368 to £9,000 on April 6th 2020. Also, make this year’s £3,000 gifting allowance count – and carry forward last year’s, if you haven’t used it already.

NEW YEAR, NEW STRATEGY?

After a turbulent 2020, it’s easy to see how business owners who are laserfocused on their company might not be paying enough attention to their own finances. But, as we can see, making the most of valuable reliefs and allowances can help to create longterm financial security for ourselves and our family – and now’s the perfect time to do so.

What’s more, I’d recommend

considering using the allowances at your disposal before the Chancellor starts to explore ways the government can recoup some of the costs from dealing with the pandemic – in case tax reforms appear on the menu.

If you have a question about tax allowances, or would like more information about my services, please contact me today!

The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds you

FE AT U R E

select and the value can therefore go down as well as up. You may get back less than you invested.

An investment in a Stocks and Shares ISA will not provide the same security of capital associated with a Cash ISA. The levels and bases of taxation, and reliefs from taxation, can change at any time. The value of any tax relief generally depends on individual circumstances.

◗ Samantha Kaye Chartered Financial Planner & Adviser Wellesley House, 50 Victoria Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 9LH 01444 849809 / samantha.kaye@sjpp.co.uk www.wellesleywa.co.uk Wellesley Wealth Advisory is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Groups wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Groups website www.sjp.co.uk/products.

Wellesley Wealth Advisory is a trading name of Wellesley Investment Management Ltd.

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FI NA NCE

NEW OPPORTUNITIES AWAIT

YOU JUST HAVE TO TAKE THEM

By Alison Jones, Partner at Kreston Reeves

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You may not think it now, but new opportunities await you. The lockdown has changed where people live, where they work and how they work. We now communicate and interact with each other differently and these changes are here to stay.

For some people this might be a time of great opportunity but they might not yet be confident enough to take that leap into the unknown.

As the saying goes, when one door closes another one will always open somewhere and now is a very good time to consider diversifying your existing

business and/or starting up a new business. Here are just a few tips to help make your new venture a success.

During the global financial crisis in 2007-2009, both Uber and Airbnb were set up along with thousands of other businesses that have shaped our lives since and historically many other successful firms have been set up during a downturn. When jobs are scarce people frequently turn to ‘necessity entrepreneurship’. Change may just be the push that some people need to take their idea and turn it into a business reality.

FI NA NCE

Here in Brighton we are seeing a creative and entrepreneurial boom and the local housing market is buzzing as people seek to achieve a better work life balance

Businesses which are set up during lean times are often very cost focussed, more creative and will give more thought to the goods and services that customers really want to avoid making expensive mistakes.

Given the new agile way we are all working, working from home is no longer a barrier and with technology to keep you in touch with the business community and social media to help showcase your business products or services, you can reach a huge audience at very little cost. With any new business, cash flow is key. Whilst there is support for many existing businesses at the moment there is less for new businesses and banks might be more cautious about lending to a start up at this time. You might want to consider alternatives such as crowd funding or angel investment, but it is important to have a water-tight business plan to enable this to be successful.

You need to know how to price your product and at what point you will start to make a profit as well as whether there is a market out there so planning is key to your success.

Looking at taxes, whilst corporation tax is unlikely to rise in the near future longer term tax rises should be planned for, to pay for the financial support which the Government is providing to help existing businesses survive the pandemic.

So don’t be scared, use some of the fantastic help and support which is currently available at the moment for entrepreneurs. For example, here in Brighton we are seeing a creative and entrepreneurial boom and the local

housing market is buzzing as people seek to achieve a better work life balance.

Plenty of new people to the town mean more people to market to and more new contacts to make.

The Brighton Chamber of Commerce is a great place to start looking for business support and there is a lot you can tap into from home. Here at Kreston Reeves we also have a huge range of resources available on our website and we have an active programme of online seminars and events which can be joined live or viewed later.

You might experience practical difficulties setting up a new business

bank account at the moment but don’t let this stop you from starting your business. You can start off as a sole trader and as long as you record all your income and outgoings and keep this separate from your own day to day spending then this can be changed to a business account once that facility is easily available again soon. Also, you can change your business to a Limited Liability Company at any time.

Be wary about putting too much capital into a new venture as it is important to properly plan and prepare a budget, look closely at your pricing structure, quality of goods or services and ensure that your product or service will have a long-term market.

Does your new business have intellectual property which needs registering or protecting? Patent Relief is available but this can be a complex area which needs more specialist advice which we are happy to offer.

I look forward to hearing soon about all the great entrepreneurs who are just beginning their journey today! And if you need any help then please give me a call.

â—— Alison Jones is a Partner at Kreston Reeves alison.jones@krestonreeves.com Tel: 01273 811000 or 0330 124 1399 www.krestonreeves.com

After 15 years in Jubilee Street Brighton we have now moved into a new, collaborative and innovative office space at Plus X Innovation Hub, Brighton, a move which takes us a step closer to being a carbon neutral business by the end of 2021 but still enables us to be part of the Brighton community. We look forward to showing you this fabulous new space and telling you more about how it will help us achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals that we are actively working too.

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BUSI N E SS

WHERE ARE THE

FEMALE AUTHORS?

By Mindy Gibbins-Klein

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Business leaders come in all shapes and sizes but one thing they all have in common is they are at least partly responsible for the success or failure of the organisation. The pandemic and lockdown have created unique challenges and opportunities at the same time, with more people working from home than ever before, as well as starting new projects and new businesses.

New business owners can learn from those who have been there and done it,

but an interesting situation arises when female leaders and professionals want to improve their skills and knowledge: most business books are still authored by men. That is not necessarily a problem but it is a missed opportunity. Of course women can learn a lot from male authors, but many women may prefer to read business books authored by other women, or at least get a more balanced view of things. So we need more women to write and publish business books, to provide that balance.

BUSI N E SS DIVERSITY MATTERS

There’s plenty of discussion available today around the issue of diversity, and it is not my intention to divert the conversation. However, it is worth noting that the diversity in society and even in business is not reflected accurately in the books on business subjects. I keep seeing lists of ‘top business books’ with only 5% or 10% authored by women. In one notable case, a list of over 30 recommended business books included not one book written by a woman!

WHAT STOPS WOMEN WRITING BUSINESS BOOKS

Confidence needs to be mentioned right up front. It is a proven fact that on average, women do not feel or exhibit the same level of confidence as men.

Speaker and author of Dancing Round the Handbags Lynne Copp has shared that typically men over-estimate what they can do and what they know, and women under-estimate those things.

This leads to a self-fulfilling prophecy of women not stepping forward to write books, in part because they are not sure they know enough.

At The Book Midwife®, one of my companies, we are seeing more women coming forward than previously, which is encouraging. But we still hear them say ‘I’m not sure I know enough’ or ‘I’m not sure I have enough to say’ significantly more than their male counterparts. At Panoma Press, one of my other companies, there is an ongoing initiative to ensure that 80% of the books published are authored by people from underrepresented groups. The number and percentage of female authors is up, but it is still a challenge to find enough women of colour willing to share their expertise.

Perhaps they don’t see enough role models who look like them. I can understand someone’s concern about belonging, when they look at a group and don’t see people they can identify with. I believe there is subconscious thought about there not being room for them, or that forum not being the right place for them. What female entrepreneurs and professionals need are stories, insights and wisdom shared by other women who have been there and done it.

ADDING VALUE

Please don’t misunderstand me: I’m not talking about tokenism, churning out more books by women just to make up the numbers. Smart people know how to discern between valuable books and substandard products created for the sake of it. Even the quota or target I mentioned earlier is an aim, not a must at any cost. One thing we must never sacrifice is quality. Every book should be the best it can be, and should add real value to the reader’s life, and in this case, business life.

There are women out there who have achieved great things in business; they just need to get published. If we were to see more female authors stepping up, a percentage of them would definitely get into print. I’m not a big fan of proposals, but if you are going to do one, sell yourself confidently to give yourself the best chance.

WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW Here are three easy things for you to do:

1

Look out for great business books written by women. Read them, review them and spread the word about the books and the authors.

2

If you know a female entrepreneur or business leader, ask her to write and publish a book about her experience and expertise, to inspire other women. There’s help available if they need more clarity to get started. Just get in touch and I’ll be happy to discuss.

3

Call out lack of diversity every time you see it: in lists, reviews, awards, conferences, articles and social media posts. But don’t just criticise; recognise and mention inspiring female leaders and authors to balance things out.

Everyone should be given a fair chance. The opportunity is there; we just want to see more women reach out and grab it.

◗ Mindy Gibbins-Klein MBA FRSA FPSA is a global thought leadership expert and founder of Panoma Press, REAL Thought Leaders and The Book Midwife®.

Her latest book The Thoughtful Leader is available from Amazon and all good bookstores. Find out more at www.mindygk.com

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E DUC AT ION

CHILDREN’S HOMEWORK DILEMMA With online schooling having become a large factor in so many of our lives this year, the Knowledge Academy have issued a survey detailing the troubles we are all having with home schooling.

The back-to-school transition can be difficult for families. Especially when it comes to homework. So which subjects do parents find the hardest?

They surveyed 1,633 British parents of children in secondary school, to reveal which subject they find most difficult to help. Children will sometimes rely on their parents’ help, but constantly changing curriculums have left many parents insecure in their ability to assist.

The results reveal physics is the hardest (81%). In second place is maths (55%), and interestingly, history is the easiest subject according to parents (9%).

FURTHER SURVEY RESULTS

THE SUBJECTS PARENTS FIND DIFFICULT TO TEACH AT HOME 1. Physics (81%) 2. Maths (55%) 3. Chemistry (43%) 4. Economics (37%) 5. Business studies (34%) 6. Biology (31%) 7. English language (28%) 8. Languages (27%) 9. English literature (18%) 10. R.E. (16%) 11. Geography (12%) 12. History (9%)

82% OF PARENTS STRUGGLE TO HELP CHILDREN WITH HOMEWORK

◗ Parents are watching YouTube videos and hiring their own tutors to better help ◗ 61% of parents say school curriculum changes too often 18

The Knowledge Academy discovered that a whopping 82% of parents struggle to help their children with homework.

It appears some aren’t interested in becoming better at this either - 63% admit to encouraging their child to ask someone else (or figure it out themselves).

Of those that are interested, the preferred method to improve their ability to help is ‘watching informative YouTube videos’ (66%).

This is followed by hiring a tutor (45%), contacting teachers directly to ask for clarification (36%), teaching yourself some of the subject (23%), asking another parent (18%), taking an online course (16%) and finally researching the current curriculum (9%).

When asked if they would consider hiring a tutor for their child, 27% of parents admitted yes. However, the most common answer was only if they are really struggling (38%). Other responses include no (17%), depends on the price/ease of finding one (10%) and depends on the subject (8%).

Many parents believe that what their children are taught varies too much.

When asked “Do you think the school curriculum changes too often?”. 61% said yes, in some areas/subjects. 27% said yes, whilst 12% disagreed.

E DUC AT ION

Finally, parents agree with homework, but to a certain extent. When asked if they think homework is necessary, the majority believe if it is relevant and helps to reinforce what the child has been taught (34%). This is followed by yes (28%), for some subjects (27%), and finally no (11%).

The Knowledge Academy also spoke exclusively with the CEO and founder of Tutor House, Alex Dyer: “There are a number of reasons why parents find it difficult to help their kids with homework.

For starters, communication between schools and parents is often minimal, so they worry about teaching their child the ‘wrong thing’!

And in a world of distracting stimuli, getting children engaged and focused on homework can be a problem.

There is also the issue of what the children are learning, and a parent’s ability to keep up with it. Subject matter and methodologies are constantly changing, so they’re always going to be unfamiliar with them!

However, of course, there are benefits to changing the curriculum, particularly if it means an update. The incorporation/ introduction of new and more relevant topics are all great reasons to change a curriculum.”

www.theknowledgeacademy.com

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BIG

STORY

Kamala Harris savoured the moment she became the first woman, and the first black and Asian American, to be vice-president-elect, with a very hearty laugh

WILL KAMALA HARRIS BECOME THE FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT?

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BIG

STORY

Kamala and her younger sister, Maya

In a video posted to her social media she shares the news with President-elect Joe Biden: “We did it, we did it Joe. You’re going to be the next president of the United States!” Her words are about him but the history of the moment is hers.

“It is a big reversal of fortune for Kamala Harris,” says Gil Duran, a communications director for Ms Harris in 2013 and who has critiqued her run for the presidential nomination.

“Many people didn’t think she had the discipline and focus to ascend to a position in the White House so quickly... although people knew she had ambition and star potential. It was always clear that she had the raw talent.” What she has demonstrated from the moment she took the national stage with her pitch for the presidency – is grit.

Born in Oakland, California, to two immigrant parents – an Indian-born mother and Jamaican-born father – her parents divorced when she was five and she was primarily raised by her Hindu single mother, Shyamala Gopalan Harris, a cancer researcher and civil rights activist.

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She grew up engaged with her Indian heritage, joining her mother on visits to India, but Ms Harris has said that her mother adopted Oakland’s black culture, immersing her two daughters – Kamala and her younger sister Maya – within it. “My mother understood very well that she was raising two black daughters,” she wrote in her autobiography The Truths We Hold.

“She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as black girls and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud black women.”

Her biracial roots and upbringing mean she embodies, and can engage with, many American identities. Those parts of the country which have seen rapid demographic change, enough change to alter a region’s politics, see an aspirational symbol in her. But it was her time at Howard University, one of the nation’s preeminent historically black colleges and universities, which she has

BIG

described as among the most formative experiences of her life. Lita RosarioRichardson met Kamala Harris while at Howard in the 1980s when students would gather in the Yard area of the campus to hang out and discuss politics, fashion and gossip. “I noticed she had a keen sense of argumentation.” They bonded over an aptitude for energetic debate with campus Republicans, their experience growing up with single mothers, even

just both being the Libra star sign. It was a formative era politically too.

“Reagan was president at the time and it was the apartheid era and there was a lot of talk about divestiture with ‘trans Africa” and the Martin Luther King holiday issue,” Ms RosarioRichardson says. “We know that, being descendants of enslaved people and people of colour coming out of colonisation, that we have a special role and having an education gives us a

STORY

Kamala with husband, Doug Emhoff

Ms Harris says she’s always been comfortable with her identity and simply describes herself as an “American” special position in society to help effect change,” she explains – it was a philosophy and a call to action that was part of the university experience Ms Harris lived.

But Ms Harris also operates with ease in predominantly white communities.

Her early years included a brief period in Canada. When her mother took a job teaching at McGill University, Ms Harris and her younger sister Maya went with her, attending school in Montreal for five years.

Ms Harris says she’s always been comfortable with her identity and simply describes herself as an “American”.

She told the Washington Post in 2019, that politicians should not have to fit into compartments because of their colour or background. “My point was: I am who I am. I’m good with it. You might need to figure it out, but I’m fine with it,” she said.

Momala with stepchildren, Ella and Cole

In 2014, Senator Harris married lawyer Doug Emhoff - a fixture at her campaign stops - and became stepmother to his two children. “When Doug and I got married, his children Cole and Ella, and I agreed that we didn’t like the term ‘stepmom’. Instead they came up with the name ‘Momala’.”

They were portrayed as the epitome of modern American “blended” family,

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BIG

STORY

an image the media took to and one that occupied many column inches about how we talk about female politicians.

On becoming vice-president-elect, she is unlikely to lose this nickname but many argue she should also be seen and recognised as the descendant of another kind of family and that is the inheritor of generations of black female activists.

But from the very earliest, as her friend Ms Rosario-Richardson attests, she showed the skills that allowed her to be one of few women to break through barriers.

But from the very earliest she showed the skills that allowed her to be one of few women to break through barriers

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“That is what attracted me to get her to join the debate team at Howard University, a fearlessness.”

Wit and humour is part of that armoury. The laugh she greeted the president-elect with, when making that first momentous phone call, was one her friend recognised immediately and intimately.

“It clearly shows her personality, even in the short time she has been on the campaign trail. She has always had that laugh, she has always had a sense of humour too, she had a sense of wit – even in the context of a university debate – to get those points across.”

But straddling the line between pleasing left-leaning California Democrats and being a politician for a nation where the left does not decide who gets to be president has been hard.

She gained favour among progressives for her acerbic questioning of the then Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, but as a presidential candidate for the Democratic Party her adept debate performances were not enough to compensate for poorly

articulated policies. Walking the fine line between the progressive and moderate wings of her party, she ended up appealing to neither. Despite leftward leanings on issues like gay marriage and the death penalty, she faced repeated attacks for not really being progressive enough.

Now she has the chance to do just that and from inside the White House.

If, as many pundits claim, Biden will not or cannot complete his full term, Kamala Harris will rule the free world from the Oval Office.

H E A LT H

TOP TRENDS FOR VEGANUARY 2021 AND BEYOND?

By Louise Palmer Masterton, Stem & Glory In the space of just one year to November 2020, Deliveroo reported a 115% increase in demand for plant-based meals.

The UK is the largest consumer of plant-based milk, meat, cheese and ready meals in Europe, according to the Vegan Society. I do think there is a long way to go, both in terms of quality and quantity. So where do we see vegan products in the UK heading in 2021?

VEGAN SEAFOOD Yes, you read that right! I was in Amsterdam in the heady days of Feb 2020 and there I had my first experience of vegan ‘sashimi’.

It really, really looks like raw fish. I admit I had very low expectations of the first piece I put in my mouth. These however, were immediately dispelled. It was quite tasty and very moreish. I’m not really a fan of plant-based seafood, but I’d eat this again.

HEALTHIER FAKE ‘MEAT’ What we know about good health is that you need a diet high in natural protein and low in refined carbs, so this is a big challenge for plant-based alternatives. We predict that 2021 will be the year that we start to see a trend in the direction of healthier and less processed animal alternatives. Ed Al Subaei, executive Chef at Stem & Glory, is a genius at creating fake ‘meat’ out of vegetables, instead of highly processed ingredients. For example, he makes a show-stopping ‘ham’ from smoked celeriac sheets, and ‘chorizo’ from beetroot. Using the classic flavours to make the experience, whilst remaining 100% unprocessed.

VEGAN CHEESE At present, vegan cheese is the absolute holy grail, and the race is on to be the first company that creates a plant-based cheese that has the same taste and texture as dairy cheese. A few brands are now on the verge of creating an authentic product with an engineered cow’s milk.

VEGAN FASHION Innovation in sustainable vegan leather is happening. Michiel van Deursen from Capital V is one investor interested in the plantbased fashion space. ‘Leather is not sustainable at all, and since the alternative is often plastic, this has brought about a shift now towards plant-based and biodegradable vegan ‘leather’.

VEGAN READY MEALS We are in development mode for our new ready meal range which has a focus on taste and texture, as well as innovative dishes. The aim is to bring restaurant quality to supermarket shelves and raise the bar on vegan ready meals.

An overarching trend which will underpin all others in 2021 is sustainability. To date, plantbased has been labelled, by sole virtue of it being ‘made from plants’, as ‘sustainable’. We believe that 2021 will be the year that this comes fully under scrutiny.

◗ Louise Palmer-Masterton is founder of multiple awardwinning restaurants Stem & Glory; hip and trendy but accessible plant-based restaurants, serving delicious gourmet vegan food from locally sourced ingredients, 100% made on site. Stem & Glory also offers click-and-collect and local delivery in London and Cambridge. www.stemandglory.uk

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X X X X X X X

THE YOGA SERIES

A guide to mastering the poses of Sun Salutation

by Tess De Klerk from Bliss Yoga In the third edition of The Yoga Series, our simple Sun Salutation continues with the micro-movements and adjustments needed to unlock the full benefits of Banarasana and Adho Mukha Svanasana but please, let’s just stick to calling them High Lunge and Downward Dog!

And if you’re not into yoga, versions of these poses are frequently used in all kinds of workouts, from Pilates to post-run stretching routines to injuryprevention plans. Practising and mastering these moves will not only translate into increased flexibility and strength of the entire body but these poses are also fantastic at counterbalancing the tightness created in the hips from countless hours of sitting.

They train the body to alleviate weight off the lower back.

If you’re not into yoga, versions of these poses are used in all kinds of workouts, from Pilates to post-run stretching routines to injury- prevention plans

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Both of these poses stimulate the internal organs, increase circulation of blood and lymph and Downward Dog, in particular, alleviates lethargy & mild depression.

Remember that while yoga is for everyone, not all movements are for all bodies at all times! Avoid the High Lunge pose if you have a serious knee or spinal injury. Always work within your own range of limits and abilities.

H E A LT H

HIGH LUNGE ASANA I suggest having two yoga blocks ready to really enable space in our High Lunge Asana. Two small stacks of books work well too. ◗ Start with our previous Sun Salutation poses as described in previous editions of The Yoga Series - your strong Mountain into Swan Dive, folding forward into Uttanasana. ◗ Now bend your knees as much as you need to be able to touch the ground with your hands. Slide your fingers beside your feet, place the palms down and ground through the hands. Alternatively, grab your blocks and place your hands on them.

◗ Ensure that your front knee is stacked directly above your ankle or a little behind. Ideally, we’re looking for a 90-degree angle here but as long as your knee is not tracking over your ankle, you’re doing it right.

◗ Elongate and stretch the spine by extending the crown of the head forwards and tail bone backwards. Keep your gaze down if you have any neck issues otherwise lengthen the neck and gaze forward.

◗ Move your left foot back as far as you can while still maintaining balance. If necessary, place your knee on the mat.

The ball of the foot should be pushing down and heel pointing skywards.

Enjoy that stretch through the toes and sole of the foot.

◗ Powerfully engage the buttocks, abdominal and pelvic muscles to ensure that the hips aren’t hanging down.

◗ Step your left leg back. Keep your feet hip-distance apart even as you step back into the lunge shape.

◗ Check in to ensure your wrists are stacked directly under your shoulders, press into your fingers tips, and straighten your arms without completely locking the elbows. Ensure that the shoulders aren’t pulling towards the ears by micro-moving the shoulders backwards and downwards.

◗ Make your micro-adjustments to ensure your hips are straight and facing forwards

We don’t want a scrunched up feeling here create more space by resting your hands on your blocks if needed.

◗ Try to remain in this position for up to five breaths while stretching and micro-adjusting to find that sweet spot in which Adho Mukha Svanasana feels both fierce and relaxing. ◗ Do not lose heart if your sweet spot feels worlds away. In yoga, a bit of effort goes a long way, just keep practising and you’re guaranteed to reap the rewards sooner than you imagine.

We will now move into our all-encompassing Downward-facing Dog

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H E A LT H

DOWNWARD-FACING DOG ◗ Step your left foot back. ◗ Move your hands slightly forward from your shoulders, with your middle finger pointing forward and fingers spread wide.

Think about creating a suction cup in the middle of your palm by pressing through the outer edges of the palm, the base of the fingers and the fingertips. ◗ Create a spiral action in your arms by rolling your upper arms away from you and your forearms spiralling inwards.

These movements are slight and hardly perceptible.

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◗ Tuck your toes under, and on an exhalation, engage your lower abdominals by drawing the navel into the spine. Press through your hands and lift your hips back and up to bring yourself into an upside-down V pose. ◗ Keep your knees bent at first as you lengthen your spine. ◗ Slide your shoulder blades down your back while creating length and space across the upper chest. Keep the base of the neck relaxed. ◗ Let the head hang freely so there is no tension in the neck. Gaze is towards the feet.

◗ Maintaining length in the spine, ‘walk your dog’ by alternately bending and straightening your legs. Eventually bringing both heels towards the floor.

They do not have to touch the floor. ◗ With each exhale root down firmly with the hands, with each subsequent inhale send the hips back and up.

Hold for anywhere from a few breaths to a few minutes. ◗ Bend your left knee and step forward.

Change sides and practice High Lunge Pose with your right leg stepped back.

H E A LT H

Think about creating a suction cup in the middle of your palm by pressing through the outer edges of the palm, the base of the fingers and the fingertips

MODIFICATIONS AND VARIATIONS IN DOWNWARD DOG WRISTS If you have wrist issues you can use a yoga foam wedge under your hands. This will decreases the angle of extension at your wrist.

Another great wrist modification is to place two yoga blocks against the wall.

Then do Downward Dog facing the wall with your hands on the blocks. This modification makes your arms ‘longer’ and can help you find more length in your spine.

BACK If your back rounds while doing Downward Dog, bend your knees and work to find the natural curves of your spine. By bending your knees you will be able to tilt your pelvis more (stick your sit bones up towards the ceiling), and then find more length for your spine. If possible, practice in front of a mirror to keep an eye on your back.

ELBOWS It is essential not to hyperextend in your elbows. Hyperextension can lead to damage in your elbow joint over time and will prevent you from building strength in your biceps and triceps in Downward Dog. To help prevent hyperextension, squeeze your wrists towards each other (without actually moving them closer – this is more a feeling than an action). This will encourage your elbows to ‘unlock’, or to bend slightly.

SHOULDERS If you have shoulder issues you can modify Down Dog by using the wall.

Stand your leg-length away from the wall.

You can sit down on the ground and bring your feet to the wall to measure this.

Then stand up, face the wall, and place your hands on the wall in line with your hips. Push your hands into the wall and bring your back parallel to the ground.

You may need to adjust how far away your feet are from the wall to get your back parallel to the ground.

“It is often repeated by yoga teachers, and in yoga texts, that women should never do an inversion when menstruating. The story told is that when you position upside down the bad blood that is being expelled by the menstrual cycle reverses flow and that this can cause health problems.

This myth dates back to a time when men decided what women should and should not do, with no reference to facts or science. I have spoken to several doctors about this and it has absolutely no basis in medical science.

If you don’t want to invert when menstruating, that’s up to you. If you want to, that’s also up to you. Inverting, just like everything else in yoga, is a choice. It’s your choice.’

◗ To read other poses from the series follow the link below: Part 1: Sun Salutation www.platinumpublishing.co.uk/dynamic/2020/09/the-yoga-series Part 2: Mountain pose, Swan Dive and Standing Forward Fold www.platinumpublishing.co.uk/dynamic/2020/11/the-yoga-series-part-2

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X X X X X X X

DY N AM I C

LOCHDOWN A slightly surreal Scottish Road trip. By Motoring Editor, Fiona Shafer, Managing Director of MDHUB As we all know, 2020 was the year where we all learnt to deal with the spectacularly unexpected. On Christmas Eve 2019, following another year of what I then thought had been very hard work I decided to make some significant changes to my life in 2020.

This included taking a month off in August 2020 to start writing a book (based around an extraordinary family event). I chose to start writing the book on the furthest and most remote island in the British Isles – Unst in Shetland – where my late mother’s family date back to 1767. I had always wanted to visit distant cousins there, so it seemed like a good place to start.

I decided to drive the 867 miles from my home in East Sussex as I needed quite a bit of kit for a month.

I also thought it would be an excellent opportunity to really put my Land Rover Discovery Sport 2.0 TD4 to

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the test. It has had quite a tame life to date.

I rented a newly refurbished croft on a headland above a small bay, where seals frequented and with the most glorious of views. I had a very clear vision of walking, sea swimming, cooking fresh fish on the beach and enjoying the odd dram of whisky with neighbours, and hopefully new found friends. Catching up on much needed sleep and creating the head space to start remembering and writing.

Fast forward to March 2020 and the shock arrival of the global pandemic in the UK. A week before lockdown, we took the decision to move our entire MDHUB business model online in order to support our MDHUB members and that is where we stayed, day in day out for the best part of 2020.

I had no time at all to give any thought to the month off, other than

MOTOR I NG

On July 29th, my spacious Land Rover boot was finally packed with everything including the kitchen sink, I was off on an adventure and it felt great

have the odd exchange with the holiday company to see what their cancellation policies were. I also had the conundrum of not yet being able to book onto the three ferries required from Aberdeen to get to Unst. Quite rightly, the island communities were desperately worried about the impact of Covid as their limited medical infrastructure could not cope with even a small outbreak.

And so I vacillated between – do I go, don’t I go ? Will it be irresponsible to visit an island community which was Covid-free but badly needed tourism income? Should I really be taking time out of the business? Yes – was the over riding feedback from my amazing business partner and friends.

It all went to the wire and when North Link Ferries opened up their bookings in mid July – I immediately booked my passage, just two weeks before I was due to go. There ensued a military-like operation to plan my exit from work and life as I knew it.

On July 29th, my spacious Land Rover boot was finally packed with

everything including the kitchen sink, I was off on an adventure and it felt great.

In addition, I also had two lastminute travel companions for the journey up – my step mum Doreen (from Leith) and step-nephew James (aged 13 going on 35) – both great and entertaining company. The plan was to drop them in Aberdeen and then they were off on their own adventures .

Rest was taken en route at the remote Anchor Inn at Whittonstall where we were made very welcome with fantastic home made pies washed down with a few glasses of Merlot.

Day two involved leaving the rolling, beautiful hills of Northumberland where you could see miles ahead on very straight Roman roads. We then pressed on to Scotland via the Kielder Forest, crossing the border into a characteristically misty Scotland which James almost missed but thanks to Nanny Doreen pointing it out, the moment was not lost. We then hit the A68 to Edinburgh, Perth and onto Aberdeen, where the Sat Nav got a wee bit confused and after a hurried goodbye to my travel companions, I only just made the 5pm ferry for the 12.5 hr overnight crossing via Orkney

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MOTOR I NG

to Lerwick (capital of mainland Shetland) I always love going up on deck and watching the land recede on any boat crossing and Aberdeen harbour is particularly impressive to depart from.

Due to the pandemic, all passengers had to stay in their cabins, which was fine up until the point I heard a car alarm go off and hoped it was not mine ... only it was. In my rush to board, I had also forgotten to put the boarding card on the dash board, so the crew had additional hassle in finding out who the owner was. How not to be popular with the handsome Norwegian Purser at 2am who had to come and knock on my door to get my car keys. I now know how to immobilise my car alarm.

I arrived in a gloriously warm Lerwick and then, after stocking up for the month to come, headed 30 mins across the island to get a small ferry from Toft to Yell (20 min crossing), driving across Yell (30 min drive), to get a final car ferry from Gutcher to Belmont on Unst (15 min crossing).

My first impressions of Shetland was of the vastness and clarity of the incredible blue skies with a lunar like

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How not to be popular with the handsome Norwegian Purser at 2am

landscape, few or no trees and an awful lot of sheep. It reminded me of Iceland and Patagonia. It felt remote and offgrid, which is exactly what I wanted, I could feel my heart rising with a real happiness as I drove over the islands. It felt like coming home.

Unst is known as ‘the island above all others’ due its remoteness. It is incredibly wild, windswept, beautiful and a little bit ghostly. The Land Rover absolutely came into its own when exploring the steep cliffs and the tracks down to deserted beaches of Lund, Skaw and Norwick, where my ancestors had forged very tough lives as fishermen. The island community is not

much bigger than the village I live in and the main source of employment is salmon farming for the US and Chinese markets, and tourism. Ironically, this is likely to change with the arrival of the Shetland Space Centre in 2021 and the site of a new £23.4m Satellite launch site, which will provide much needed employment and curious tourists.

My time on Unst was cut spectacularly short by the arrival of two very stormy nights not long after I arrived and part of the roof of the croft literally blew away, resulting in a lot of water getting into both the interiors and the electrics. Hardy and practical as I am but with no other accommodation available (as either booked up or closed) – I had to take the very sad decision to leave after just a week. Options on neighbouring Orkney were nonexistent, so I decided to cut my losses and head home but not without finding and meeting my distant cousins Joan and Charlie (who was beyond excited about the satellite launch being behind his “hoose” – think ‘Local Hero’ film and you will get the picture) adding some more research to my book.

Aberdeen went into lockdown 30 minutes after I had brought my return

MOTOR I NG

ferry booking forward so there was a rush to get back across the islands in case they too went into lockdown.

I decided to return via an alternative route once I arrived in Aberdeen. I took the wonderful coastal route to Edinburgh via Montrose, Dundee and St Andrews– the gloriously green and lush landscape with dashes of purple heather meeting the sparkling sea.

Arriving in Edinburgh to have my first post lockdown (No 1) lunch (and a chilled bottle of Ridgeview I had brought with me) with good pal Heidi Carroll, MD of Meerkats, who had rather brilliantly found me some exceptional accommodation for the night at 10 Clarendon Crescent Apartments, life began to feel a little bit more normal. After the best nights sleep for about 10 days, I then headed down to Carlisle on more amazingly empty roads, watching the peaks of the Lake District majestically appear the further south I went. The final night of my trip was to be spent in Derbyshire at The Maynard – a refurbished pub that I had visited 25 years ago. I was joined by my lovely sister Deryn and family for supper. They had to come to me as I could not go to them due to

lockdown restrictions in Manchester.

I was beginning to feel that I was outrunning a pandemic. Leaving Derbyshire in 14 degrees and watching as the temperature gauge steadily rose to 34 degrees by the time I got home, I felt like I had been time travelling.

So, 2000 miles in 12 days from one end of the country to the other – not quite the holiday I had anticipated but it was most definitely an adventure and a reminder of just how glorious this set of islands of ours really is and why

we really don’t need to keep decanting all of our toiletries into plastic bags in security queues, jumping on planes and running away.

My Land Rover Discovery was the unexpected star of the show. It had only taken me two years to find out that it’s spacious, comfortable, straightforward, easy to drive, safe and able to cope with all manner of environments.

A really great car for a family road trip or a solo adventure off the beaten track.

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The Sandown Group Here at Sandown, our customers are our main priority. We have over 35 years experience in the Mercedes-Benz brand, so we’re proud to call ourselves experts in the field.

Our dedicated team are here to assist with your every need. Whether you’re looking for your next new model, or need a little help maintaining your current pride and joy, we are committed to providing you with the best service possible. We are just as passionate about your vehicle as you are, so when you choose to visit a Sandown retailer, you can rest assured that your experience will be nothing short of first-class.

We have seven retailers throughout Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire located in Basingstoke, Dorchester, Farnborough, Guildford, Hindhead, Salisbury and Poole, each equipped with a friendly and knowledgeable team. So if you’re in need of a service, are searching for your latest vehicle upgrade, or are on the hunt for a fleet of business cars, we’re the people to visit.

We look forward to welcoming you with a smile at your local Sandown Mercedes-Benz retailer soon!

0330 1780038 Mercedes-Benz of Basingstoke Mercedes-Benz of Dorchester Mercedes-Benz of Farnborough Mercedes-Benz of Guildford

www.sandown-group.co.uk Mercedes-Benz of Hindhead Mercedes-Benz of Poole Mercedes-Benz of Salisbury