Stay Connected Digital magazine - Christmas edition 2020

• CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS • PODCASTS • MUSIC • BUSINESS ADVICE • UK SOLO ROW • NEW PRODUCTS

DIGITAL MAGA ZINE

#STAY CONNECTED Issue 4 – 2020/21

AMY JESSICA

BRINGS CHRISTMAS SPARKLE (AND ALSO HER MARKETING TIPS)

ENTERTAINING YOU FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME

www.wearmyleggings.co.uk 10% DISCOUNT CODE: LEGG10

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Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

CONTENTS UK SOLO ROW p4 CHRISTMAS SHOPPING IDEAS

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FASHION p14 RECYCLE p16 ENVIRONMENT p18 CHRISTMAS PARTIES

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NEW PRODUCTS p22 MUSIC p24 PODCASTS p26 MARKETING ADVICE

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SOCIAL MEDIA HELP

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LINKEDIN ADVICE

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INFIDELITY p36 SOLICITORS ADVICE p38

HEALTH p44 STAYCATIONS p46 TRAVEL p50 ACCESSIBILITY p52 RECIPIES p54 TAKEAWAY APP

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Cover photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

FINANCE p42

I hope you are all feeling more festive after this strange year.

Most people (myself included) have started putting the decorations up early and why not – we all deserve it this year!

In this issue we introduce ‘Dinger’ who is doing a solo row from New York to Falmouth.

We will follow his every move and keep you all up-to-date with his progress.

We also bring to you Christmas gift ideas, fashion, marketing and business advice as well as music videos and QR code podcasts.

Love Island’s Charlie Brake introduces his new ‘Naughty Water.’

Have a fantastic Christmas and we will see you all in the New Year.

Look after yourselves!

Linz

Lindsey Legg

#ny2UKSO Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

Opportunities to get your logo on the boat!

Click here to contact us

#NY2UKSOLOROW One man one boat one mission Dave Bell, more fondly known as ‘Dinger’ by those who know him well, is embarking on a journey.

However, this is not your average journey...

He is attempting to row ‘the wrong way’ across the North Atlantic from New York, USA to Falmouth in the UK. The 3118 miles that he will be rowing completely unsupported. Many who have attempted similar challenges usually row in teams of up to four people but Dinger will be completely alone. That means while he rests or sleeps, he drifts. He will be entirely responsible for getting himself across the North Atlantic.

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#NY2UKSOLOROW

ithium ls charge L Solar pane ich then power h batteries w r, navigation and e k a m r ent wate ns equipm io t a ic n u m com The North Atlantic is a very different crossing than the more usual Mid-Atlantic route made famous by the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.

Fewer than 60 people have ever rowed across the North Atlantic.

Taking place in June 2021 (possibly earlier) – this is one event you do not want to miss.

This incredible personal challenge is being largely self-funded by Dave and he is raising money for some important charities.

Rock2Recovery is a charity that promotes looking after veterans’ mental health, seeking out distressed veterans proactively. It provides services such as one to one coaching, events and workshops, a helpline and peer support. The charity

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was founded by Jamie Sanderson and Jason Fox (Foxy) from SAS Who Dares Wins.

The Royal Foundation is a charity set up by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Their programmes revolve around the main themes of work conservation, early years, mental health and emergency responders.

Dinger is also supporting the Special Boat Service Association, a charity that provides an extended welfare system to its members.

It’s aim as a charity is to relieve members or their dependents who are in need, due to sickness, injury and financial hardship.

The boat itself, called ‘Billy No Mates’, is going to be Dinger’s home for the four months that he has

Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

#NY2UKSOLOROW

Cabin area for sleeping

Click to donate!

Frank Trigg, Richard Walsh from Baycat Marine, Poole and Dave ‘Dinger’ Bell predicted he will be out in the water.

Solar panels on top of the boat charge lithium batteries which then power the water maker, navigation and communications. This allows contact with his weather plotter ‘Silver’ (Foxy’s dad from SAS: Who Dares Wins).

The lockable cabin will

be where Dinger will sleep, eat and vlog his journey.

The boat features stickers from the companies that have donated towards the charities and helped make the boat sea-worthy.

Special thanks to Richard and Frank who have helped to ensure the boat’s modifications are done in time and efficiently

ready for the launch in June 2021.

There are plenty of ways to get involved, by visiting his website: ny2uksolorow.co.uk • Instagram instagram. com/ny2uksolorow/ • Facebook facebook.com/ NY2UKSoloRowDave DingerBell

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gift guide

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS...

For him

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5 1. THE PERFECT PACKAGE 3.0, MANSCAPED £84.99 manscaped.com

2. VIP 3 SUPERCAR DRIVING EXPERIENCE WITH IMAGE PACK, VIRGIN £129 virginexperiencedays.co.uk 3. SILVER ENGRAVED CUFFLINKS, ETSY £10.99 etsy.com/uk 4. PERSONALISED STAR MAP, THE NIGHT SKY £35 thenightsky.com 5. SMALL TRANSPARENT SPEAKER TRANSPARENT £450 transparent-speaker-black 6. & HORACE £55 horace.co 8 Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

gift guide

For dad 4

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1. THE BEAULIEU HAMPER WITH RED WINE £50 marksandspencer.com 2. TAN ASCOT SLIPPERS, UGG £110 schuh.co.uk 3. OLD SPICE CAPTAIN AVIATOR MEN GIFT SET CHRISTMAS, BOOTS £10.00 boots.com 4. VELOUR DRESSING GOWN, JOHN LEWIS £70 johnlewis.com 5. GLOBE DECANTER WITH GLASSES SET, MEN KIND £40 menkind.co.uk 6. TRAVEL DOCUMENT HOLDER AND PEN, TED BAKER £45 tedbaker.com Prices correct at time of print < BACK TO CONTENTS 9

Background image courtesy of annie-spratt-unsplash

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gift guide

Christmas gift guide For her

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5 5 1. GINGERBREAD HOUSE, LUSH £35 lush.com 2. LIPSTICK CARMEN, CHANEL £26.35 debenhams.com 3. ROSE GOLD LEOPARD AND LIGHTNING BOLT SUPER SOFT SLIPPERS £45 scampanddude.com 4. AFTERNOON TEA, THE RITZ £72.50 theritzlondon.com 5. SPARKLING CIRCLE STUD EARRINGS, PANDORA £36 uk.pandora.net 6. CINNAMON BARK AND CUMIN CANDLE, YANKEE CANDLE £18.99 candlesdirect.com

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Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

gift guide 1. NO7 HYDRALUMINOUS COLLECTION GIFT SET, BOOTS £35 boots.com 2. CASHMERE SCARF, GAP £69.95.gap.co.uk 3. BOUCLÉ FAIR ISLE JUMPER WITH COTTON, THE WHITE COMPANY £129.00 thewhitecompany.com 4. POMEGRANATE NOIR SCENT SURROUND DIFFUSER, JO MALONE £64.00 jomalone.co.uk 5. TIFFANY & CO EAU DE PARFUM, JOHN LEWIS £44.82 johnlewis.com 6. BEDTIME HERO BATH FOAM, NEOM ORGANICS £22.00 neomorganics.com

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For mum 2 6

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Background image courtesy of joanna-kosinska-unsplash

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gift guide

Christmas gift guide

1. ZIP AND ZOE COLOUR AND WASH BACKPACK, BABYMEL £14 kidly.co.uk 2. AMAZON FIRE HD KIDS EDITION TABLET, AMAZON £84.99 amazon.co.uk 3. SMALL FOOT CHRISTMAS RUSSIAN NESTING DOLLS £14.95 beesybox.co.uk 4. KIDS SCOOTER WHITE/MINT, DECATHALON £34.99 decathlon.co.uk 5. FROZEN 2 DELUXE ART KID, DISNEY STORE £20 shopdisney.co.uk 6. B-MOC LIGHTNING KID’S SNOW BOOTS £55 bogsfootwear.co.uk 7. PERSONALISED PJ’S, NOT ON THE HIGHSTREET £27 notonthehighstreet.com 8. CAT ANKER WATER BOTTLE, LIEWOOD €24 liewood.com 9. WOODEN BUG AND BEE HOTEL £18.50 pureskinlab.com 10. TOBBIE - BUILD AN INTERACTIVE ROBOT £29.95 wickeduncle.co.uk

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KIDS

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Background image courtesy of markus-spiske-unsplash

gift guide

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If you’re feeling festive tartan is the perfect print to celebrate in! Originally of Scottish decent and TRADITIONALLY made from woven wool, tartan has now branched out to many different materials.

fashion

It is the season to be bright and bold with your outfit choices, so why not add a splash of colour with these beautiful tartan pieces to add to your wardrobe.

This piece is a perfect chuck on and go outfit. The two in one leggings and skirt combo is perfect for you busy mums out there. Pair it with a jumper and boots for that polished and effortless look!

The tartan dress combines elegant and punk perfectly.

Let your inner style rebel out! The funky hem is floaty and unique, with a built in belt to accentuate those curves – all from www.joebrowns.co.uk

Tommy Hilfger £99.99

Funky Punk Dress £50

Checked Skirt Leggings £30

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n w o D l s e p a h C passe sur

ENGLISH WINE

one ion l l i m e l t bot stone e l i m

Despite the impact of Covid-19, Kent-based English wine Chapel Down has said it has passed the one million bottle sales milestone in a calendar year.

The English wine estate announced it had surpassed the figure in October with the festive sales rush yet to come.

CEO Frazer Thompson said the brand was “growing faster this year than at any point in the last decade.

We have seen an explosive growth in our e-commerce and direct sales and real excitement from our retail partners,” he said. “One million bottles sold, with Christmas still to come, shows how far English wines have come and how far we could go.”

Back in 2018, the wine producer announced that it had leased a further 388 acres of land, which

would take its potential production volume up to one million bottles.

Last year, Chapel Down began planting at the site in Boarley, and once complete, it will have over 950 acres under vine, including owned and leased land as well as contract supply.

Thompson said “the winery achieved its third largest vintage this year and that yields were above expectations with fruit quality perhaps even better than the extraordinary 2018 harvest.” < BACK TO CONTENTS

In its half-year report published in September 2020, Chapel Down reported that wine sales were up by 20% in the six months to 30 June, despite the loss of a third of its business due to on-trade closures. This was due to a 473% rise in direct-to-consumer sales.

However, its beer and cider division suffered, with sales down 38% to £1.2m. This reflected the fact that 90% of its Curious Brew portfolio is sold via on-trade. www.chapeldown.com

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RECYCLE

be-kind beauty

Any brand, any type of makeup. Once the makeup is received it is cleaned and sorted by material type. The packaging is shredded and turned into plastic pellets which are then recycled to make new products.

The stores that are taking part in this scheme will earn Terracycle points, which can be redeemed as financial donations to Mind, a charity that supports mental wellbeing and supports those with mental health issues. The more waste the more donations, and although there is no personal gain such as discounted makeup vouchers, there is a real sense of doing good for others with this scheme. The Maybelline Makeup Recycling Programme TerraCycleŽ UK ¡ TerraCycle

For all you makeup wearers out there, listen up! There is now a way to be a beauty queen as well as being conscious of our delicate environment.

Introducing the Maybelline and TerraCycle makeup recycling scheme, in which you can recycle any brand of makeup at the designated participating stores.

Participation is free and easy, with the only research needed is simply locating your nearest store and taking your empty makeup containers to them. The scheme is not limited to what brand or what type of makeup you can recycle, rather the opposite.

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Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

PODCASTS RECYCLE

ASDA refills ASDA is following suit through packaging free refill stations. This allows the customer to buy basic products such as rice and cereal without the need for single use plastic that cannot be recycled. Instead, rather, customers bring their own containers with them to fill up. The downfall is that this is only a trial run in Middleton, Leeds, but this is definitely a good start as currently ASDA alone produces over 65,000 tonnes of plastic waste each year.

However, if successful there will be further continuation of the scheme throughout the country in which customers are able to choose from 30 different packaging free products.

Customers in Leeds can choose from a variety of plastic free products, such as Kelloggâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cereal, PG tips tea bags, Quakers oats and Vimto squash.

There are plans to transfer the packaging free aspects to cleaning and beauty products in ASDA stores, by allowing certain Unilever products

to be refilled. The store in Leeds also features recycling bins for the items that arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t collected at kerbside by the local authority.

Richard Lim the chief executive of Retail Economics explained: "It's a step in the right direction but we are

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at an embryonic stage in what is likely to be a very long journey.

It will be a huge learning curve and one that tests the gap between what consumers say they 'want' and what they 'do' in reality."

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ENVIRONMENT

all you need is less

Every minute, the equivalent of one full REFUSE LORRY of plastic RUBBISH is dumped in the sea. That is 1440 trucks per 24 hours and in total 8 billion kilos per year. With 80% of those plastics

coming directly from land. THIS ALARMING STATISTIC can be reduced by clever inventions and spreading the word...

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ENVIRONMENT Bubbles invention to stop plastic

SIR david attenborough

BUBBLES TO CLEAN OCEAN Plastic waste is being dumped in our waterways, where it brings great harm to the environment – including human beings. Aquatic animals get tangled in plastic, microplastics pose a health risk from the smallest to the largest organisms and ships suffer damages. We have designed a solution that intercepts plastics in rivers and canals before it reaches the ocean.

The Great Bubble Barrier have created a bubble screen by pumping air through a tube with holes in it, which is located on the bottom of the waterway.

The Bubble Barrier creates an upwards thrust, which brings waste to the surface of the water. By placing it diagonally in the waterway, the Bubble Barrier uses the natural current to guide the plastic to the catchment system at the riverside. Both ships as fish can pass the Bubble Barrier, but plastic will be stopped.

For more information checkout: www.thegreatbubblebarrier.com/en/ bubble-barrier-en/

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH David makes his last Instagram post as he feels he has said all he needs to say...

“Saving our planet is a communications challenge.

If enough people want change and take action, a sustainable future is within our grasp.

We wanted to share our view on how this might be achieved and have been encouraged by the huge amount of ideas and passion shared with us here.

This might be a wrap for this account - we won’t be posting anything else, though the account will stay open for you to watch David’s messages – but we hope it’s a springboard for many others to build on and share the ways we might create a sustainable future.

In this future, our air would be cleaner, energy more affordable, food healthier and the wild would return on land and in the seas. What part of this future inspires you most?”

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1 2 0 2 E Y N wn party time

o d k c o l in

whereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your party at Strictly Come Murder this christmas and new year? COVID has made it a little harder to socialise with friends so here are a few suggestions we found which look fab!

Switch things up a little and treat yourselves to a unique night in with an immersive experience. This online murder mystery will have you interrogate suspects and piece together clues as an audience member to popular TV dancing show, where one of the cast was killed in cold blood. thewhodunnit.co.uk

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Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

party time

multisensory dinner in your home

For those who want to bring our dining experience home, this bespoke service delivers a 6-course menu selected from the Chef â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Table menu (pre-prepared and finished in your kitchen) along with the wines, tableware, audio playlist, and other sensory elements such as texture cubes, wireless headphones, levitating plates and of course Chef Jozef Youssef and his team to cook, serve, host, guide the experience, explaining the stories behind the dishes and wines. kitchen-theory.com

pete tong Livestream Concert 19th December O Come All Ye Raversâ&#x20AC;Ś an Ibiza Classics global stream event on Saturday 19th December. Tickets are on sale now! Pete Tong, the Heritage Orchestra and Jules Buckley are going to perform from the floor of The O2 arena and broadcast it into your homes.

The rave will be back one day but for now we are going to make the most of what we have! Get in your bubbles and join the party! Click on image to view.

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NEW PRODUCTS

Naughty

Water Low in Calories loaded with Naughty

Developed by Love Island’s Charlie Brake and Simon Horth

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hristmas is right around the corner, and everyone knows that overindulging is part of the package. If only there was a lighter way to celebrate and feel festive.

Introducing Naughty Water, the boozy seltzer.

Low in calories and loaded with naughty.

Available in blood orange, cranberry, and mango and passionfruit, you can choose how you decide to get naughty.

Created by Love Island’s Charlie Brake and Simon Horth, founder of Green Stem CBD, Naughty Water is as exciting as the design on the can suggests. The two friends and entrepreneurs decided to bring their shared passion for clean living and a

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dash of healthy hedonism into the UK drinks market.

With seven times distilled vodka, for that naughty clean buzz and recycled aluminium, this sparkling water alcoholic drink is the perfect conversation starter.

If you’ve given into temptation this lockdown, but still want to enjoy the festive period and New Year, fear not.

Look and feel naughty with each can at only 72 calories.

They include zero sugar, zero carbs, zero fructose and vitamin C added to help boost your immune system this Winter.

Bring the taste of summer to your Christmas and New Year celebrations.This drink, also suitable for vegans, will ‘naughty up’ your life. Order from: www.drinksandtreats.com

Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

MIND THEFT W

e had the privilege of a zoom call with Paul Newton, a magician, mind reader, hypnotist, public speaker and self-proclaimed mischief maker. He spoke to us about his work with banks and large corporations. It is his job to expose their security weaknesses.

Paul specialises in stealing personal information. Pin numbers, passwords, usernames, mother maiden names and first petsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; names are among the few things he can acquire. All his work is in an effort to highlight the

dangers of scammers and hackers who are maliciously out there to steal your information.

He has also written MentalTheft, a book about the security behind banks and IT. Humans are the weakest link in any system. Bringing these teachings to a wider audience, MentalTheft the book helps people to understand the dangers and how to protect against them. Aimed at everyone, from people at home with their families, to people in their places of work and their bosses. This book is packed full of advice, with interesting and often

GOOD READS

funny stories and anecdotes. With guest appearances from experts and people who have experienced things first hand, this is a book that will keep you enthralled whilst teaching you how to keep your friends, family and colleagues safe.

Paul Newton travels the world helping people to stay protected from fraud, scammers and hackers. He brings these techniques to a wider audience worldwide, and is available for weddings, parties, public speaking corporate events and exhibitions. www.mentaltheft.co.uk

Wooden Rustic Furniture create bespoke garden furniture such as rustic wooden garden benches and traditional wooden garden tables to transform your outdoor space.

Providing you with a beautiful outdoor retreat, you can relax and unwind in the summer. Rest assured, all furniture items are designed to last for many years to come and are environmentally friendly for your peace of mind. < BACK TO CONTENTS

music

Horses on The Beach Stay Connected magazine CHAT to Horses On The Beach â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a six piece alternative funk band based in Bristol Join Louisa, Harry, Declan and Sophie alongside our new assistant editor, Chloe, for a fun filled interview. Find out how COVID-19 has affected the band, Bristol goings on and what lockdown is like in their area. See snippets of the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new quirky music videos that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face! Get a feel for their live shows from pre-recorded (and pre COVID-19!) footage.

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Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

music

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Background image courtesy of Jonathan Borba -unsplash

Watch the video below to find out about their sound and get a sneak peak of their upcoming music.

PODCASTS

H C I H W ?

T S A C D PO CLICK THE LINKS BELOW for PODCAstS recommended by our readers OR simply HOLD YOUR MOBILE CAMERA OVER THE QR CODE FOR QUICK ACCESS: This past weekend (18+)

Rupaul Whats the tee?

Classic comedy with a personal twist. Theo speaks of his struggle with alcohol and gives life advice to callers of the show. He often showcases guests of other comedians or youtubers.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the tee is a fortnightly podcast where Ru Paul and Michelle Visage discuss beauty advice and the gay and drag scene. They also feature special guests such as Lady Gaga.

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Send your experiences and weblinks to stayconnected@spotgraphics.co.uk

PODCASTS

global news podcast

The high low

Global news podcast is a brief half hour podcast offering you a quick and varied view of the world news from the BBC. Perfect for the commute into work.

The high low podcast is witty and refreshing, featuring pop-culture, it is a weekly podcast with writers Dolly Alderton and Pandora Sykes.

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Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash

I wanted to share with you some of our recommended podcasts which are informative and entertaining.

Let us know what you are listening to: stayconnected@spotgraphics.co.uk

SOCIAL MEDIA

JUST FOR

FUN WITH SO MANY QUARANTINE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS GOING ROUND WE COULDNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T RESIST ADDING A FEW TO MAKE US GIGGLE

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Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

SOCIAL MEDIA

Send in your funnies to: hello@stayconnected.co.uk

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Background image courtesy of anthony-fomin-unsplash

£

MARKETING TIPS

dancing

Businesses have had to change the way they market themselves – especially during lockdown when people no longer choose newspapers, magazines or do leaflet drops to get their company noticed. Amy Jessica ‘Digital Dancer’ gives us some tips for the new digital world.

• Combining sales and marketing strategies and understanding the journey you are taking your customer on is important to gain results for them and for your business. Always remember how you make your customers feel as they go on that journey, as human beings we tend to buy based on emotion first and logic after.

• Are you making your journey a feel good experience? Are you providing solutions along the way to all of the pain points your customers/clients face?

Starting with something of free value helps to warm up your

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audience and allows them to trust you e.g free download, free tools to do the job in hand; like templates, free resources, free call to ask questions or a webinar • Videos create awareness – don’t be the best kept secret, treat your social media like a TV channel and fill it with content your audience will gain value from and want to watch more of, the more your audience see of you the more they hear your voice the more they will know, like and trust you. Remember people ultimately buy from people, share your message through the power of video and let others see for themselves what you can provide of

value to them and make them aware of the products and services you provide; even if it doesn’t help them right now it might do in the future or they may know of someone.

• Offering access into a Facebook group, builds a community of like minded people and allows you to have multiple conversations at once, live video is perfect for this and the benefit to a group as opposed to a page is that your audience are made aware you have gone live and receive a notification when you are in a group. Also remember the benefit of live video is Facebook like you to stay within their platform and will push your content out

Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

Image courtesy of rodion-kusaev-unsplash

Digital

MARKETING TIPS

to more people as opposed to a YouTube link or pre recorded video.

Also, the benefit of video is that you can break this content down and repurpose it for other parts of your marketing. 1 minute snippets can be used on your Instagram feed, or use the whole video to create an IGTV series, put snippets on your Facebook and Insta story and add to highlights on your Instagram profile.You could also use it to get translated into a free downloadable booklet and use as a lead magnet or put into a podcast. The benefit of live video and repurposing content is super powerful within your marketing strategy.

• As you can imagine the demand for people and businesses to get online and understand how to use online platforms during the pandemic has gone up so much! Those that don’t want to deal with tech are reaching out for someone to do it for them and also those who just want to focus on the aspects of the job they love. However there are also many

who wanted to take the time to understand how to use and utilise their online marketing platforms to generate income through these uncertain times.

• When it comes to marketing online there are many platforms you can be utilising and remembering the journey doesn’t end with online, makes a big difference! Utilise online marketing but understand having a human element within this mix makes a huge difference! We have found that during lockdown reaching out to other groups to network with aswell as utilising paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram, live video, sales funnels, email marketing and adding in follow up calls has been super powerful! Combining paid marketing with organic marketing through the use of an understanding of the journey you wish to take your clients on will be a game changer!

For example combining a paid ad on Facebook generating a lead for as little as 40p, followed up by a < BACK TO CONTENTS

phonecall offering your expertise and knowledge to help the person on the other end of the phone with any questions or queries they may have within your industry, could be the call that generates the best month your business has ever had and the benefit of Facebook ads is you can turn them on and off whenever you please!

• Sales funnels are great for providing your customer with a straightforward service.

In comparison with a website where someone can have a look around, a sales funnel will show the exact offer/service/item one step at a time along the customer journey. It means you are showing them exactly what they want to see and a simple straight forward way to purchase easily and quickly without having to figure it out for themselves or navigate anywhere themselves. Being able to give someone a link and say click on that, it shows them what they need and then they can enter their details there and then safely and securely without needing to exchange details with you or invoicing, is a great tool to have and one many businesses have been utilising.

Contact Amy for further advice to help your business: Email: amy@digitaldancer.co www.digitaldancerltd.com/ digital-dancer Facebook Group

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>>> SOCIAL MEDIA

W

ould you like to grow an insane social media following, If you would like to get your message out to 1000’s of people then this might be the best article you read today.

My name is Debbie and I am going to show you how. Over the past 8 months I have been able to increase my client’s followers and online presence on social media, meaning lots more interaction and more clients.

I want to tell you about one of my clients, Diane has an events business and was struggling to fill the venues with clients. On top of that they had been spending a mind-blowing amount on ads and not getting any results, frustrated and stressed they contacted me in December 2019 asking for my help.

Part of the problem was lack of followers and the adverts weren’t targeting the right people, the ads were being seen by people who would not ever attend one of her events.

To start with we implemented a new strategy that has resulted in a growth from 6,000 to over 80,000 followers in just 3 months, which this gave them the ability to have more conversations with clients and ultimately achieve

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read these 5 steps and grow an insane social media following more people attending the events.

With this win nicely tucked under her belt she then faced all events being suspended due to Covid-19.

It could have been a disaster but we have now developed a strategy to bring the product online and continue to offer the service to all clients even during this period of lockdown and the social media following has continued to grow and grow with an audience of over 120 thousand.This shows just how important her followers are to the success of her business.

I want to help you do this too and can show you how to step by step.

So if you have tried Facebook for your business and just become lost, maybe you have reached as far as advertising, boosting posts but found that they just don’t work for you and unsure why. Or did you have some success but then when you received a lead you did not have a process to turn that into a client or sale and it then became a cold lead.

I can help you how to understand and solve any queries you may have.

Have you been told that in order to grow your following you have to post ALL the time, but feel like no one is listening; because no one also told you that posts only get shown

Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

to 3% of your following, meaning if you only have a 100 followers you are talking to just 3 people.

Over the past 20 years as a business owner I have created and managed many businesses and have always relied on my marketing skills to grow them and actually really loved seeing the results when we gained new clients.

Increasingly traditional advertising has become less and less effective and with people spending so much time online this is the obvious choice to get your product in front of your customers, really making this your shop window.

Debbie Bryan debbieswindon@gmail.com

“ I have literally helped 100’s of clients grow and achieve results, this is suitable for all businesses and is totally transferable.” < BACK TO CONTENTS

Follow my 5-step process which shows you how to increase your following on Facebook. Successfully build a campaign to generate new leads every day.

•H ow to build a process that means no leads are lost or left to go cold.

• How

to build your mailing list.

• How to send automated texts.

PLUS AS A BONUS I also include a 30 minute coaching call worth £99.

With these skills you can confidently market your product or service online, no more boosting posts and hoping they work, they do not.

•N o more spending hours posting sharing, this will take you no more than an hour a day if that.

•N o more waiting for the phone to ring!!

I have built the same system I use for my clients and you can share this for Just £997. This even includes 6 x 30min coaching sessions – I really want you to be successful with this.

So click below and order your copy now!

WHATS INCLUDED • 6 x Coaching sessions to design a marketing strategy for your business, we will cover • F acebook and Instagram Ad training and Implementation •D esign a bespoke Sales Process and Aftercare process.

• S how you how to grow your Brand.

For a FREE 30 min consultation email debbiebryancoach@gmail.com

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Image courtesy of nordwood-themes-unsplash

social media suCcess sorted

I want to offer you the very same strategy

SALES

HOW TO GET MORE SALES FOR YOUR BUSINESS

STEVE MILLS Business Consulting Strategic Marketing www.Steve-mills.com LinkedIn training >>

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LinkedIn expert Steve Mills explains how you can grow leads and sales with simple steps.

“Go back to your past customers – pick up the phone” – sounds so simple but many people do not contact previous customers. They need to be reminded you are still there and be at the forefront of people’s mind so you are the ‘go-to’ person.

Click on the video above for more advice to help your business be successful.

Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

Pull the Pin

NEW PRODUCTS

Rum

T

he festive season is now upon us and what better time to celebrate getting through a really tough year. Be sure to celebrate with style and enjoy Pull The Pin rum. The rum that promotes a message of being true to yourself, living life to the fullest and celebrating all that is good. Having met in the military, founders Kerry and Tom have created a well-established brand with a brilliant ethos. Pull the pin on negativity and focus on positivity. The unusual bottle is a real conversation starter, complete with a pin that you pull the cork out with, that makes a delightful pop when opened.

With a choice from three truly delicious bottles, the possibilities are endless.

The spiced rum is the

perfect edition to any seasonal festivities and the ideal addition to family get togethers. The brilliant dark blue bottle is a keepsake itself we feel, but the rum itself is a really smooth.

Made with a unique blend of specially selected spices and tones of butterscotch.

We recommend Pull The Pin’s recipe for a Winter Warmer Cocktail that will put a smile on any guests face!

Keep reading to learn how to make this fantastic drink: • 50ml Pull the Pin Spiced Rum • 25ml caramel syrup • 100ml warm apple juice • Cream and cinnamon stick to garnish (Optional) Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker or glass filled three quarters full of cubed ice. Put some

funky tunes on and shake it well! Strain liquid from ice, and garnish with squirty cream and a cinnamon stick for the ultimate Instagrammable beverage. Be sure to tag #StayConnected and #PullThePin rum with all your Christmas creations.

The other flavours are year-round favourites of the team at Stay Connected. With the Raspberry and Strawberry pink fruity rum you really can’t go wrong. It is in a beautiful pink bottle, which can be reused and repurposed once drank!

This sweet rum is ideal with lemonade, tonic or even cream soda for that retro strawberry and cream vibe.

Also available in the range of beverages is the Passionfruit and pineapple silver rum. This rum is ideal to create Pull The Pin’s take on a pinacolada: ‘Pull the pinacolada’.

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What you will need is: • 50 ml Passionfruit & Pineapple Silver Rum • 25 ml sugar syrup • 75 ml coconut cream • 100 ml pineapple juice Proceed to place all ingredients in a blender, and blend until silky. Pour over ice cubes and garnish with pineapple.

Just in time for Christmas and the festive season Pull The Pin has released a Spiced Cherry rum called CH 20. With Caribbean rum blended with hints of cherry this bottle is a great idea for Christmas presents.You can even Mail a measure to a friends or family if you can;t celebrate with them.When purchased from the website below, you also receive shot glasses with your order! This rum is ideal for celebrating with shots or mixed drinks alike.

You can purchase through: buy.pullthepinrum.com as well as Amazon or Master of Malt.

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RELATIONSHIPS

HOW TO HANDLE AND OVERCOME...

INFIDELITY IN A RELATIONSHIP Duchess Iphie info@duchesssecrets.com

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Infidelity is usually a result of deeper issues in a relationship and those issues need to be resolved regardless of the infidelity. We would also need to determine what is considered infidelity, is it the act of conversing/flirting with someone behind your partnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back or being physically intimate with another either kissing or sexual intercourse (some believe kissing isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cheating)

However, when it comes to confessing to the act of infidelity... the question I usually ask is.....

Are you confessing to the benefit of the relationship or to ease your conscience?

I believe we need to examine our motivation first, when we choose to confess any indiscretions.

Yes, its great to be open and honest in your relationship but does your partner knowing that you cheated going to make your

Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

relationship better or worse?

Its my opinion that confessing usually hurts the person who didn’t cheat because it makes them question all aspect of the relationship.

It makes them question if they were not enough for the person who cheated and this can lead to insecurity in the relationship and themselves.

They begin to question every conversation and action of love that was supposed to demonstrate being in love. After all, if you were in love, why would you be tempted to cheat and go ahead to act on it as well.

The trust that the relationship was built on would be broken and if the foundation of trust is broken, its very hard to get it back because doubt would have crept in. Every act or decision will be questioned. Anything that is out of the norm will arouse suspicion and that is definitely not great for a relationship.

These reasons make to difficult for a relationship thrive after a confession of infidelity has been made.

However, if a confession has been made, how do you overcome the infidelity so that the relationship can survive.

You need to be completely honest with your partner about what happened and why it happened without giving excuses or blaming your partner.

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• Expect and accept that your partner will be upset, angry and hurt and may lash out.

• Ask for forgiveness and know that it will take a while before forgiveness is given (if ever).

• Recognise that the relationship will not be the same as it was before, there will be a change and it could be a positive change.

• Provide each other a safe space to speak freely on why the infidelity happened and for the expression of hurt to be given also.

• Work hard to be open and honest going forward and offer reassurance to your partner if they have doubts during the recovery period.

• Ensure that you are vulnerable, kind and patience because it will take time to restore and rebuild the broken trust.

• Be prepared to seek outside help such as a relationship therapist or coach.

• Also be prepared that the forgiveness you seek may never come and that the relationship may end.

Relationships can overcome infidelity, but you need to be sure that you are prepared for the consequences should you choose to confess or not.

Follow me on Facebook or Instagram and message me if you need help with your relationship.

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RELATIONSHIPS

SOLICITOR ADVICE

An emotional impact: why Christmas (and 2021) need not be hard following a separation Christmas 2020 is certain to be different for many families, especially for newly-single parents who have divorced or separated. Family lawyer Rita Gupta looks at how separated co-parents facing their first Christmas apart will have new challenges to face - and overcome.

Across the UK, newly-separated parents will be making Christmas child arrangements for the first time.

The five-day festive relaxation of the Tier rules allows three households to meet and stay together between 23 and 27 December. *

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Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

SOLICITOR ADVICE

Three main concerns Most newly-single parents have three main concerns: 1. Who gets the children on Christmas Day? 2. How much can I afford to spend?

3. Will I see the kids open their presents?

It’s important to work out what you feel about these, as well as what you are going to do in practical terms.

Christmas Day arrangements As the resident parent, you’ll want your children to spend Christmas at home with you. As the absent parent, you’ll want them to spend time with you at your home. Many parents opt for the ‘this year, next year’ approach, alternating who has the children on the day itself. Some parents choose to share the day, half each, but this does mean you’ll see your ex-partner on Christmas Day… Your Christmas budget Many separated parents worry about not earning the same as their ex, and having less to spend at Christmas. Buying a joint present is both budget-friendly AND proof positive of co-parenting. Set a budget for stocking gifts and treats too.

Opening presents If you’re giving a joint present this year, share in the moment via a prearranged video call. Grandparents and extended family can join in too, so everyone can open presents during the same call.

Christmas child arrangement letters Once you’ve agreed what will happen between you, get it down in writing. A professional letter from a family lawyer can help nail down the details so you both can agree, and move towards the holidays with confidence.

Not just for Christmas Child arrangement letters are a great solution for any holiday period, helping smooth negotiations and give clarity. For foreign holidays, you do need to obtain permission to take the children out of the country. This permission should be set down in writing too.

Time for you too Your first separated Christmas is not all about the children, so take time to enjoy the things you love about the season. Link up with friends for a Zoom party, volunteer to help a charity, or just relax.

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Rita Gupta is co-founder of LGFL Ltd, a boutique family law firm near Reading Berkshire. She offers Stay Connected readers a 1-hour initial online consultation, including 30 minutes free, to discuss your situation. (For qualifying clients, T&Cs apply).

Rita Gupta Director LGFL Ltd www.lgfamilylawyers.co.uk 01189 735521 * at time of writing

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“Relentlessly focused on achieving the best results…

The perfect niche firm.”

Legal 500 UK 2021 Nationwide family law services with the personal touch Call for your 1-hour initial consultation including 30 minutes free (T&Cs apply).

Areas of Expertise: • Divorce and Financial Settlements • Children and Child Arrangements

• School Fees Orders • Separation Issues • Domestic Abuse • Co-habitee Agreements & Disputes • Pre-nup Agreements • Mediation • Collaborative Law • Surrogacy

MODERN FAMILY LAWYERS

Tel: 01189 735521 lgfamilylawyers.co.uk Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

Click above to watch the video from Guy Stout, owner of Templar Financial Associates

info@templar-associates.co.uk 0345 900 1298 www.templar-associates.co.uk

BUSINESS

Responsible How the investment

a risk of efforts to address climate

community can help advance

change becoming a lesser priority as

the environmental gains that

governments focus on dealing with the

have come out of COVID-19

economic implications of the crisis.

The consequences of the coronavirus

has an important role to play in

wide-ranging and long-lasting.

maintaining the momentum that has

So, it’s no surprise that any sources

Lawrence Down Financial Planner | Lester Brunt Wealth Management Senior Partner Practice of St. James’s Place Wealth Management Dickens House, 15 West Borough, Wimborne Minster, Dorset, BH21 1LT t: 01202 695801 m: 07967 000275 l.down@sjpp.co.uk www.lesterbrunt.co.uk

This is why the investment industry

pandemic will clearly be profound,

of optimism to be found as the crisis

gathered in recent weeks and months.

The biggest crisis now is clearly

unfolds are quickly seized upon.

COVID-19, but the biggest crisis of

Perhaps the most significant so far has

the 2020s is still climate change, and

come in the form of the immediate

we need to ensure that once we’re

effects on the environment.

on the other side of the coronavirus

Greenhouse gas emissions have fallen, while data from NASA suggests that air quality has improved

pandemic that governments keep focusing on that.

But the environmental gains from

dramatically as countries around the

the pandemic have clearly been made

world have taken steps to restrict

alongside painful social, economic and

activity and travel.

health consequences. In other words,

Indeed, this could be an opportunity for organisations to rethink how they do business – and

the current rate of improvement is unsustainable.

If we’re taking climate change

question whether they need to return

seriously, we would rather see a

to a form of normality in which, for

smooth transition at a rate less

example, employees are flown to

dramatic than we’re seeing at the

meetings that could otherwise be held

moment. We don’t want to be in a

using video conferencing facilities.

position of having to bring a halt to everything, as we are now, in order to

A more realistic rate of change

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have that environmental impact.

Responsible investing isn’t just

Unfortunately, however, the

about the environment, of course.

environmental positives are likely to

The crisis has also shone the

be temporary. Indeed, there is now

spotlight on corporate behaviours

Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

BUSINESS

investment

Beyond the coronavirus

– both good and bad – and helped

long-term success. The importance of

Anyone who wants to explore their

illustrate why businesses cannot

environmental, social and corporate

responsible investing options should

simply be about making profits.

governance (ESG) factors in

speak with a financial adviser.

investment decisions has only become

To receive a complimentary

they need to think about their

clearer as the crisis has unfolded.

guide covering wealth

wider stakeholders. Companies

Investors increasingly seek

If they are going to be successful,

management, retirement

that have put measures in place for

information about sustainability

planning or Inheritance

employees, for example, will come

and responsible investing, with

Tax planning, contact Lawrence

out of this with higher employee

growing awareness of the broader

Down at Lester Brunt Wealth

satisfaction and community spirit –

long-term aspects of successful and

Management on 01202 695801

and that contributes to their

effective investing.

or email l.down@sjpp.co.uk

< BACK TO CONTENTS

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health

A

s a hypnotherapist and a life coach, I am growing more and more concerned about how people are managing and coping with their own mental health needs.

Goodness knows, this year has had its challenges! There are a number of things that people can do to improve their chances of getting through the next few months with improved mental health and agility.

how are you?

Here are my top tips: 1. Be kind to yourself and to others. 4. Use positive language. Use “I will” 6. Stay away from social media and There is so much hate going around, don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd. Be brave, be different, be kind.

2. Take time to acknowledge and

congratulate yourself for the successes you are having. Don’t dismiss how many things you can celebrate.You are here, you are healthy, your loved ones are safe, etc… find more.

3. Give yourself some self-care.Take a

long hot shower, go for a long walk, have a chat with a friend about a trip you did last year, look through photos and bring back joyful memories.

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not “I’ll try”. Speak as if what you are trying to do is now and is happening. “I am strong”. “I am coping”. “I am excited about…”

5. Surround yourself with the

people you need in your life. If they can’t match up to you, help them to. Bring them up to your level, don’t come down to theirs.

Some people enjoy the drama of being a victim, you don’t have to be one too.

news stories that are projecting hate and nastiness. Look at posts that are positive and helpful and that you can learn from. Don’t be afraid to unfollow that “friend” that spreads hate messages and extra inflammatory posts.

7. Learn something new and

exciting. Make time to learn a new skill that will make a difference to your future. It could be craft based, skill based or just something helpful.

Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

Be aware of all the choices that are available to support your mental health. From getting a manicure, playing sport, getting a massage, having hypnotherapy, counselling, CBT and many other options. Look into what might work for you – don’t dismiss anything.

Keep yourself healthy, both physically and mentally. You deserve it. You need it. And if you need more support, reach out. Its OK not to be OK, but its not OK to not ask for help.

Finally, be that “person” for someone else, be kind. You reaching

out might just be the best thing that happened to “that person” that day.

Share a kind word, notice something positive about them – share it. Make < BACK TO CONTENTS

someone’s day! And if you found this useful, make my day and let me know! claire@hypnotherapyathome.co.uk

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Image courtesy of sydney-sims-unsplash

health

STAYCATIONS

Sustainably

sorted Top #3 Eco-

staycations The change in weather has got many dreaming of their next holiday, but with thanks to Covid many plans have fallen through.

The pandemic has affected many aspects of our lives, not just the way in which we holiday, but including the way in which we think about the environment.

The logical solution?

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Staycations have really taken off in 2020, especially with the forever changing rules regarding holidays.

Beaches, lakes and the open countryside are beautiful venues for a well-deserved weekend away.

Not leaving the UK for your holiday adventure is beneficial for your pocket and the environment, so here are my top three eco-friendly staycations:

Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

STAYCATIONS partner to unwind with the little ones having fun in one of the varied activity classes available, such as an assortment of cookery courses. Having been awarded Editors Choice Spas 2021, enjoy an award winning spa day with this ultimate country escape. Allow yourself to unwind and switch off

from the hum drum of daily life with their range of spa packages and treatments. Chewton Glen regularly offers guest speakers, music, and drink tasting nights, and have availability for Christmas and New Years Eve. For more info checkout: www.chewtonglen.com

#1 Chewton Glen

Chewton Glen is a 5 star hotel located in the heart of the New Forest, Hampshire. This remarkable manor is a luxurious holiday in itself, with the choice of being able to stay in the main house or rather the contemporary-chic treehouses. Boasting a new kids club, allow yourself and your

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STAYCATIONS

#2 House Farm Soho Soho Farmhouse in Oxford is one of the UK’s most Instagrammed eco-friendly staycation locations, with almost 51,000 posts using the hashtag ‘Sohofarmhouse’.Their luxurious hotel is available to members at a discounted rate but does allow for non-members to enjoy the hotels vast array of activities and pastimes. Set in 100 acres of glorious countryside, this hotels aesthetic boasts boutique chic combined with country wood cabin and features quirky aspects to the interior around every corner. Soho Farmhouse has ten garden rooms, 40 cabins, a four-bedroom cottage, 40 piglets, and a seven bedroom farmhouse.There is parking, restaurants, bars, steam room, laundry, room service, a pool, sauna, wifi, tennis court, fitness centre and a kids club. Not to mention this eco-friendly staycation has been visited by Harry and Megan, Cara Delevigne and Eddie Redmayne, so keep your eyes peeled when visiting! www.sohohouse.com

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Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

STAYCATIONS

#3 Cuckoo Down

Cuckoo Down Farm in East Devon really caught my eye, considering it is located so near the World Heritage coastline at Sidmouth.This award-winning glamping site boasts eccentric interior design making it the ideal location to chill out with friends or family.

Be sure that there are no more than six of you! The farm has four decorated safari lodges, hot tubs and two beautiful yurts. Perfect for relaxing, glamping or family fun.

The full site can also be hired for hen nights, parties, wedding or group activities. It is also excellent for kids, with the lambs, the pony Ebony, the sheepdog Ebony and the chickens.

Cuckoo Down Farm has the best mix of glorious pebbled beaches, countryside and is a happy medium for those that need their creature comforts whilst camping. www.cuckoodownfarm.co.uk

Whether you want a weekend of no phones or want to Instagram the entire thing, eco staycations are the holiday for you!

Here are Stay Connected’s tips to ensure you enjoy your staycation to the absolute fullest: 1: Try to turn your phone notifications off as soon as you get there. If you are on a family excursion or a group trip and you still want to make as many memories as possible, try bringing a digital or disposable camera! It often makes pictures more precious when you have to go through the process of getting them developed.

2: Get outdoors! The weather is getting a bit colder but wrap up warm and get out there. Enjoy the nature near to you and explore in the areas surrounding.

3: Activities that you haven’t tried before are always a good choice when on staycations. Perhaps hire a boat, windsurfing kit or kayak.

4: Grab yourself a few re-used books or visit a nearby library during your staycation.There is nothing better than losing yourself in a page-turner of a book and doing it the eco friendly way.

5: If the weather prevails, grab a warm blanket and go star-gazing.

If you’re staycationing in the countryside you will be more likely to see the stars due to less light pollution.

6: Explore the local area: go to a local theatre, find out what events are on in the area.

7: Do some exercise daily, such as yoga or stretches. Use a mat or a towel, along with online videos

< BACK TO CONTENTS

and try to complete this daily during the morning as a ritual.

8: Try and write about your experience, perhaps keep a diary or a notebook to jot down your thoughts during your stay.

9: Relax when you’ve settled in for the night and create a family meal using locally sourced ingreidients. Sit round the table and enjoy!

10: Meditation is a brilliant daily practice, not only just for when you are staycationing. Try to practice some mindfulness each morning and throughout the day. Have a look on Youtube or try apps similar to Headspace or Calm.

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TRAVeL

sunny daze I have been in the industry for over 25 years, I am so passionate about what I do and totally love the industry that I am in, yet the last six months have been both emotionally and mentally challenging to say the very least.

I really would like to now take this opportunity to get the message across about how important it is now more than ever to support your “local independent travel agent”.

Myself and my team have been there to assist, guide and advise our clients throughout offering continuous support. Booking with Holidaze, you can rest assured that you are dealing with “real” people that genuinely

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JO FARRELL SHARES HER EXPERIENCE OF THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY OVER LOCKDOWN...

care about you and your travel experiences. We also offer peace of mind, as being part of ABTA ensures that you’re well earned money is safe and financially protected.

The whole of the travel industry has effectively been closed since March and I do not think that people realise or can even begin to understand the immense pressure that our industry is under. Whilst all of the current travel restrictions are in place and continue to change on almost daily basis, we are still refunding money without being able to earn, companies are failing and yet we STILL have no help for our industry and yet no acknowledgement from anyone in government – the big question is, why is there no help

or support for travel?

Whilst we plan to still continue to trade on the high street and offer a safe, secure Covid-19 environment for our clients to visit us in, we are also now offering virtual appointments by Zoom.

In addition to this we appreciate that not everyone works 9-5, therefore, we can offer an out of hour’s appointment service. This is just one example of how we are continually looking at ways of adapting our business model and excel ourselves, as we all learn to live with the new ‘norm’.

So why not start looking forward to the future again and take those first steps today.....

Call me on 01202 590550 or take a look at our website www.holidaze.co.uk and click onto the “contact us” section.

Send Send your your experiences experiences and and weblinks weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk hello@stayconnected.co.uk

Background image courtesy of kong-jun-unsplash

TRAVEL

< BACK TO CONTENTS

51

HOME DESIGN

asethic

accessibility Guy Harris runs Accessible PRS, a property consultancy specialising in accessible strategy and design. He lives on the edge of the New Forest with his Family and dog

If Covid-19 has shown us anything, it’s the old adage that the only certainty in life is uncertainty itself. This could seem daunting when it comes to housing, but it needn’t, because good design allows for unplanned changes in our lives.

I bang the drum for good design because I’ve spent 20 years in the property sector, the last 17 years as a wheelchair user following an accident. Having self-built our own accessible home, I also see the benefits of the design to our kids, family and friends.

Think about accessibility as

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a design mindset, rather than a niche or ugly add-on. Mythbuster: accessibility only looks ugly if you design it that way!

An accessible design is one that makes the best and most indulgent use of the available space, adding value to the property, and benefitting everyone with its perception of light and space.

So what might good design look like?

Focus on the layout before the finish. If you’re on a tight budget, spending it on the layout will give you the most value and flexibility for your money and lifestyle. You

can revisit the look later.

Choose inclusive design strategies, such as level thresholds (front door and into the garden), oversized doors, wheelchair accessible W.C., and maximise space with open plan living. Remember to include a breakout space, for your mental wellbeing; people need alone time. Design out dead spaces created by corridors. Think about how you get between floors: two cupboards above each other make a future lift shaft. Place sockets and switches at a universal height - low enough for wheelchair users, high enough for the elderly, visible for dementia. Avoid placing sockets

Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

HOME DESIGN

in corners of rooms as they’re harder to reach. Have at least one wetroom. Bath lovers can put one on top of a tanked floor. And reinforce bathroom stud walls and ceilings with ply before tiling. This way, future changes - such as grab rails, shower seats, ceiling hoists, accessible showers - are quick, cheap and cause minimum intrusion.

You’ll still enjoy your chosen finish!

You’ll enjoy this space for as long as you choose. When you decide to sell or rent, you’ll have created a rare, aspirational and accessible asset with a larger target audience - particularly as the UK population gets older. So no matter whether the market is up or down, your home will be in demand.

Guy Harris , Director +44 (0)7836 225435 guy.harris@accessibleprs.co.uk www.accessibleprs.co.uk

< BACK TO CONTENTS

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HOME BAKING

Leigh Bourne shares a family recipe:

#thevictoriancottage

berry & marzipan cake Ingredients 185g unsalted butter 185g caster sugar 2 eggs 85g plain flour 150g ground almonds 200g marzipan, cut into 1cm cubes large handful of fresh raspberries large handful of fresh blueberries icing sugar for dusting 20x30cm cake tin

DOWNLOAD Leigh’s victorian cottage RECIPE BOOK: m re cip es fro

https://issuu.com/waterside10/docs/ recipes_from_the_victorian_cottage-issuu

th e ri a n v ic toa g e c o tt

Method Line the cake tin with baking parchment and preheat the oven to 180°C.Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together until creamy, pale and fluffy.

Mix in the eggs one at at time, beat well between adding a spoon of flour with each of the eggs to stop any curdling. Slowly incorporate the rest of the flour and ground almonds until the mixture is smooth.

Add half of the marzipan and stir through with a spoon.

Pour into the prepared cake tin, sprinkle over the rest of the marzipan and gently press into the mixture. Scatter over the berries and lightly press in.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, check it’s fully cooked by inserting a skewer, it should come out clean.

Leave to cool, dust with icing sugar, cut and serve with a nice cuppa!

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iberry nice

Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk

ibeand e l z z o o ib

PLANT BASED RECIPE

mixed bean salad

Ingredients (serves 1 as main, 2 as a side) ½ white onion roughly diced 16 small tomatoes of your choice – 8 roughly diced and 8 quartered (I use on the vine piccolo) 2 red chillis (deseeded and sliced) Juice of 3 limes Juice of 1 lemon 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar Large handful of coriander finely chopped Large handful of parsley finely chopped 6 mint leaves finely chopped 2 tsp pink Himalayan salt 150g sugar snap peas sliced 3 tins of beans (I use butter, kidney – mixed drain and rinse) 1tin green lentils drained ½ red onion diced 1/3 cucumber diced Drizzle olive oil 1tbsp chia seed

Image courtesy of Ivan-dostal-unsplash

Method Add your onion, roughly chopped tomatoes, chillis, lime, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar into a blender of your choice and blitz until a smooth liquid has formed.

If you need to add some water – a little is fine to create more liquid. Next put your beans and green lentils into a mixing bowl, add your salt, sugar snap peas, coriander, parsley, mint, rest of tomatoes, red onion, cucumber and olive oil and mix well. Now stir through your tomato and chilli sauce and leave to infuse. You can eat straight away but I recommend leaving it in the fridge for 1hour.

When you are ready to eat sprinkle your chia seeds on top and enjoy!

Benefits

This salad is a fresh and tasty nutritionally dense dish. It is rich in protein and omega 3 fats, flavoursome and will leave you feeling fuller for longer. This is a great source of energy without the excess calories and is a powerful antioxidant dish.

DOWNLOAD YOUR IMMUNE BOOSTING PLANT-BASED RECIPE BOOK NOW: www.recipesforvitality.com < BACK TO CONTENTS

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NEW APP

Simply Takeout DOWNLOAD THE NEW APP TO HELP LOCAL BUSINESS

BEN JACOB AND NEIL SLINN setup new app for takeaways in dorset Customers order through the app where they will find a wide range of Cuisines from Sushi to pasta and Caribbean to Indian the online ordering process described as quick easy and accessible to all ages includes foods from companies, which may not have previously Taken part in delivery service because of a high commission fees. Simply take out charge of 9.5% per order compared to competitors at 14-30%. Download the app and start using!

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Who can apply to become an affiliate?

Anyone can apply to become a Simply Takeout affiliate.

We already work with lots of sports clubs, charities, companies and people with networks, contacts and membership bases...

You’ll be rewarded generously for your creativity, time and effort......

With money earned for every referral, access to exclusive events and the opportunity to be seen as a leader in your own community With the support of Simply Takeout and the freedom to express yourself, there’s no limit to what we can do together

Exactly how do we reward you?

Earn money for spreading the word! A lot of Simply Takeout customers heard about us through word of mouth; a friend, family member, perhaps a colleague at work, and we think it’s only fair you get rewarded for spreading the word too.

Every time one of your referrals places their first order, you earn 10%+ for your chosen sports club, charity, association or even your own pocket.

Simply promote Simply Takeout to your friends, family, contacts, members and colleagues. In addition, for weekly, continual promotion, you can earn 2.5% of all subsequent orders!

For sports clubs or media, money earned will be spent back with your organisation by the way of sponsorship, promotion, PR, advertising or other forms of marketing. Ultimately this keeps Simply Takeout and your earning potential at the forefront of your members, colleagues and customers dinner table. It’s easy and free to get involved... you can get up and running as quickly as today!

To apply, email affiliate@ simplytakeout.co.uk

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Send your experiences and weblinks to hello@stayconnected.co.uk