Zumba for slum kids!

[Photography and social media for charity Child of Hope]

Great friends of Child of Hope, awesome Zumba instructors Jacki and Tiffany are again holding a special Zumba event to raise funds for our work with slum children!

It takes place at Lytchett Matravers Village Hall in Dorset on Monday, Dec 15 at 7pm (doors open 6:40pm) and costs £7.00.

Join Jacki and Tiffany for a fantastic and festive two hours of Zumba fitness fun, followed by a get-together with a brilliant raffle, some mince pies and a festive tune or two!

For tickets please contact Jacki on 07533 806 933 or e-mail her on jackizumba@hotmail.co.uk - facebook: Zumba withJacki

The season of...?

[Social media for Prism PMA]

Christmas is coming, the season of goodwill… and of resource conflicts and budget overspends – and enough stress to warrant 12 points on the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale. 

Project managers have it all under control, of course! Do you consciously use your professional skills in your home life, or just muddle along like everyone else? Let us know!

The five most outrageous self-storage stories

[Social media for Store & Secure self-storage, Bournemouth]

For a good part of the time, self-storage facilities are normal places for normal people to store normal stuff — mattresses, TVs, boxed-up memorabilia and so forth. But every once in awhile, things get more than a little weird. We found this great bunch of stories on the internet... click here to read them... wacky!

Our latest shipment of books and clothes is on its way

[Social media for charity Child of Hope]

Thank you everyone who made some amazing donations of used school books, clothes and other useful things... we have packed them up and sent them off to Uganda in a container provided again by very helpful people at charity Friends of Teso.

Basically, at low cost they kindly hired us space in their container, which started its journey Bishops Waltham on Saturday November 22 and will leave Felixstowe at the end of this week, if all goes to plan. It will travel by sea to Mombassa in Kenya, then go overland direct to a small town in Uganda, called Soroti – which is just north of Mbale.

There it will wait until representatives of all the charities receiving goods can gather on the same day, and then be opened by the local bishop. As before, the container will remain in Soroti, where it will most likely be converted into a home. It may take up to three months to arrive... we'll let you know when it gets there!

Navy counter

[Photography (interiors) and social media for Kirolite]

This is the wardroom for officers onboard HMS Dauntless… complete with new counter and fittings produced by Kirolite.

The ship, which was the second of the Type 45 destroyers to join the fleet in November 2010, is affiliated to Oyster Yachts, which designed the improvements and put the manufacturing and fitting to us.

Oyster Yachts is affiliated to Dauntless as part of the the fleet’s tradition of affiliating its ships with towns and companies. Kirolite has a long-standing relationship with the luxury yacht builder, producing fittings for many of its galleys and heads.

The wardroom on Dauntless is used frequently during visits by diplomatic guests – including Royalty – but the funding for the improvements came from the officers themselves, who are keen that the room looks appropriate for its roles and not too utilitarian.

The ship returned to her home base of Portsmouth in October 2012 after her maiden deployment to the Atlantic, where she notched up 30,000 miles visiting 18 countries across four continents. The ship also played host to almost 4,000 diplomatic guests on behalf of UK embassies and consulates in every port she visited. More pictures...

eNewsletter with half price self-storage offer

[eNews and social media for Store & Secure self-storage]

Here's a great half-price storage offer for you in the build-up to Christmas... lots of tips on efficiently storing personal belongings... and if you haven't seen our news in the press or social media, here's a round-up for you...

Inter-house competitions - slum style

[Social media for charity Child of Hope]

It’s time for the Child of Hope annual inter-house competitions… full of rivalry and fun between the four school houses - Lions, Elephants, Eagles and Crocodiles.

Children competed in music, dance, netball, volleyball and hand ball. Lions came top in dance, singing, poem and drama, while Elephants were the best at sports. More pictures

Fence prevents crushed crops

[Social media for charity Child of Hope]

Since we first started building the school in 2009, we have never been able to erect a proper fence. Our neighbour, Deborah has been very understanding – despite balls flying everywhere!

Gradually the school has grown and the number of children playing with balls in the playground has also grown! Deborah has been incredibly patient, watching footballs, netballs, volleyballs constantly come over the boundary into her garden.

Of course, where balls go, children follow. They would madly dash across her garden, trampling plants and crops in their hurry to collect the ball, despite our best attempts to prevent them. She wins all awards for her amazing patience!

Finally, we have been able to erect a section of chainlink fence to ensure that errant balls no longer trespass on her land. Hopefully her banana and bean plants can now grow unhindered…

That's entertainment

[Social media for high-end joinery Kirolite]

We made this TV audio unit for an existing customer, in whose home we also produced and fitted bespoke bedroom furniture. This wall-mounted unit is gorgeous, finished in high-gloss grey Caleidolegno veneer with three oak sliding doors that contain the entertainment media. 

Our unit provides the perfect solution to hide unsightly wires, keeps media systems tidy and dust free and looks stylish in any home. Here the client has chosen finishes that match the flooring and doors throughout the home.

Project managers need practical skills too

Qualifications are just the starting point in project management – somehow you have to learn practical skills to do the job.  www.prismprojects.co.uk

Mid-term exams for tiny slum kids!

[Social media for charity Child of Hope]

Exams may not sound like good news, but the latest mid-term tests in our nursery classes produced very encouraging results and prompted these comments from Scovia, nursery headteacher.

She said: “I am very impressed and happy with the performance of the children, the baby (youngest) class did well, they were able to shade very well and identify pictures. Middle class also did well, they can now write their own names and read by themselves without too much help of the teachers.

“The upper (top nursery) class performed well too. There is good improvement among these children… the teachers in nursery section are really doing great work in these kids’ academic life.”

Rice harvest

[Social media for charity Child of Hope]

It's rice harvest time again from the Child of Hope rice field... we picked five bags! It's not enough for regular consumption, so we save it for special occasions like public holidays, especially Christmas.

This programme isn’t just about feeding the school children but also about teaching them some of the basics of agriculture, which they love getting stuck in with.

Free publicity for your removals or man+van business

[Photography and social media for Store & Secure self-storage]

Many of our self-store customers are planning a move – would you like us to give them your business card?

We have a rack of cards on full show in our reception – and we always direct our customers to it, to enable them to find any local suppliers they need.

So, if you’re an East Dorset removals or man+van business, come and leave a bunch of your cards with us… and we’ll ensure they work hard to publicise your business.

This CIPD exhibition is buzzing

[Social media for Prism PMA]

First day yesterday was very busy - lots of interest in our ethos: bridge the knowing-doing divide for project managers. 

HR managers here realise that qualifications aren’t everything, that competence-based development holds huge potential for enhancing practical skills for P3M managers. 

There’s still time to visit us at the show today… stand 273.

Little and large

[Social media for Prism PMA]

Our stand at the CIPD exhibition (Manchester) today and tomorrow may not be a large one… but one small chat with us could make a whopping difference to your effectiveness as a project manager.

Come and see us on stand 273!

Re-united

[social media for charity Child of Hope]

Do you remember Otim? In September we reported how our staff rescued him from regular beatings by his alcoholic mother and – with his mum’s agreement – put him up in our boy’s home for a while.

It has all worked out well so far and the six year-old has been re-united with his mum at their home after counselling for them both by our welfare team.They are still being closely monitored, of course, especially as mum hasn’t yet broken free of her alcoholic addiction.

Otim is in our top class and is a bright pupil. He loves playing hide and seek and telling stories.

Would you like to sponsor Otim or one of his classmates? It costs just £15 per month and you’ll get regular letters, school reports and photos from him! Click here for details.

New tool assesses competence in P3M and change management professionals

[Social media & press release for Spectrum PMA]

Launching tomorrow at CIPD exhibition: On Nov 5 we launch our new assessment tool for P3M (project, portfolio and programme) managers, team leaders and change managers to assess a range of competencies, in order to enhance their hands-on skills and enable their professional development.

Spectrum P3M can be used to assess different levels of portfolio, programme and project management from team member through to portfolio directors, including business change managers.

You can choose from a range of competence indicators that match the specific role, identifying both mandatory and optional assessment criteria. It also has available assessments for leadership, diversity and emotional intelligence.”

Spectrum P3M can be tailored to include company-specific cultural values and expected behaviours, and where required, designed with a particular competence framework in mind, such as APM, PMI and CMI. Its assessment site can be branded to match a corporate style, and an organisation’s own dashboard to control the assessment process.

Spectrum P3M generates detailed reports automatically for individuals that provide a valuable basis for coaching feedback sessions. Dashboard reports can be generated for groups and organisational level analysis. The tool provides a baseline of an organisation’s current performance and will identify areas for development at all levels.

Spectrum P3M is automated and easy to use. You don’t need any specific IT skills and we are available to assist you if required. The tool is quick and, once all the rater results are in, the reports are then produced. Spectrum P3M will work to understand your organisation, your people and at your pace.