Your start-up business: how we can help

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

Thinking of starting a business in Basingstoke or Bournemouth? We love start-up businesses… the whole buzz and passion of an entrepreneur with a new idea and the whole market entry thing…

So we bend over backwards to help when they come to us for some self-storage and – after working with several start-ups over the last few years – we can help you in a handful of ways.

To start with, self-storage here for your stock, tools and goods is low-cost, whether you’re a company that sells thousands of products each day or a casual trader running a part-time business from the spare room. And it’s easy-in, easy-out, with easy terms and no long, fixed terms.

That’s good, isn’t it? Well there’s more…

• You can have an optional mailbox for a Bournemouth postal address… read more 

• We’ll see goods in for you and despatch your deliveries (without you being here – how handy is that?)…
• You can have as much or little storage space as you need, and can keep changing to suit the ebbs and flows of business… read more
• You can store anything – Stock, office equipment, surplus, tools, returns, archives…
• You can even rent a high-quality, fully-serviced office, ranging from 100 to 1000 sq ft… read more
• 24/7 access to our external lock-ups in our secure compound. Great for tradesmen’s tools, equipment and materials…
• The safety of your stuff is our top priority and take it very seriously. Read more…

So come on… every reason for you to consider Store & Secure to help you build your business. Call us or e-mail us today!

Child of Hope: Party time for our slum children

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

The annual Christmas party took place at the school on Friday and as usual turned out to be an enormous occasion, full of dancing, song and presentations from the children and their parents. There was a big meal and all the kids received gifts and clothing… and had lots of fun!

You can see lots of pictures from the party in this Facebook album.

Alongside the 490 children we support, there was a parent for each child and a sibling, plus local community VIPs and CoH staff… in total over 1,500 people! The Resident District Commissioner (RDC) was a guest of honour.

We could never have done it without your amazing support, donations just kept pouring in and covered all the costs. Thank you so much!

Christmas… a great time for an office declutter

[Online PR for Store & Secure self storage]

If you’re in Basingstoke or Bournemouth and you find this week that things get quiet in the office before Christmas… ’tis the season to declutter ready for a fresh start in the New Year.

An organised place of work will undoubtedly make you more productive. So, take a look at the different ways you can use self-storage to clear up…

Documents
We all have to keep certain documents for several years, but all that paper can take up lots of space. Could you use that area for better, more profitable use? if so… consider transferring the records to a self-storage unit at Store & Secure.

Furniture
When the number of your staff fluctuates, it can often leave you with more chairs, cabinets and desks than you need. But don’t sell them and risk making a loss… if they’re in good nick, simply self-store them!

Tools
Don’t store your daily-use tools in your garage or (worse) van – minimise the risk of theft by hiring one of our secure 24/7 lock-ups. You can get at your equipment at any time and they’ll always be safe. Might even reduce your insurance.

Stock
Increasing numbers of Basingstoke and Bournemouth businesses are taking space in our expanding self-storage facility – because it’s low-cost, with no rates nor utility charges, it has free parking with 24-hour access – and they can upscale or downscale quickly for seasonal stock requirements. There’s even a free goods-in/out service.

So, clear benefits from self-storage… it’s a great time to e-mail or call us!

Groveley Precision Engineering: Reduced paper consumption

[Online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

Groveley’s drive to improve efficiency, reduce costs and work leaner covers every area of our business, so we’re very happy about a recent analysis on paper consumption that has cut costs.

We discovered we were using coloured paper in a hang-on from a previous invoicing and delivery system – and by eliminating that, we have cut the paper cost in that process by around 50%.

Child of Hope: Panya pancake fun

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

We always like to make learning interesting for our children – and when there’s food involved, they get very excited!

The children in Middle and Top Class of the nursery school recently learned about Mama Panya's Pancakes. It’s a story book about a poor lady living in a village in Kenya who learns how to make pancakes, which she is then able to share with her neighbours. It is a typical African story that teaches the rewards of sharing with others and the children loved it as they could associate themselves with Mama Panya’s children.

But the fun didn't stop there. Once the children had learned all about the story, we decided to teach them how to make the same pancakes that Mama Panya had made in the story. We bought the ingredients and the children helped to mix everything together ready for cooking. They then watched as the pancakes were fried. Finally, they got to eat and enjoy the pancakes they had helped to make.

The children loved the whole thing and, even after classes had finished, they could be heard discussing the story with one another. One child even asked her teacher: "Teacher, when will you take us to visit Mama Panya in her village?"

Store & Secure: Merry Christmas!

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]






A very happy Christmas to all our customers... past, present and future!

Feel free to pop in over the Christmas period – the kettle will always be on... not to mention mince pies and chocolates! Here are our Christmas opening times.

Kirolite: Design enhancements

[Photography and online PR for high-end joinery Kirolite]

Mark Stanway-Obee has joined Kirolite as design/production engineer.

The move comes as part of our company-wide enhancement of production systems and processes – boosting our flexibility with clients and allowing us to react faster.

Mark has worked with Kirolite before; originally for 13 years after starting on the shop floor and moving up to technical manager.

He then spent several years in London and Dubai – also working on high-end furniture – before helping us part-time as a freelance designer on specific projects for the last five years.

Groveley Precision Engineering: Cambridge University lends a hand

[Photography and online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

Two post-grad students from the Cambridge University Engineering Department have been based with us for a very helpful 2-week project.

They critically assessed and advised the company on manufacturing and assembly processes for a specific product (including manning and layout), plus finishing processes including engraving and colouring of titanium components.

The students, both on the MPhil in Industrial Systems Manufacturing and Management (ISMM) reviewed the design and identified process improvements and layout of assembly operations.

There was also a comprehensive review of finishing processes and providers for titanium, with cost and time implications for production.

ISMM is a one-year postgraduate programme designed to equip numerate graduates, primarily from science, technology, engineering or maths backgrounds, with the skills, personal development and industrial experience to be immediately effective in their early careers in industry.

Child of Hope: Beautiful crafts from the vocational class

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

Earlier this year we started a new vocational programme for those of our slum children that have significant learning difficulties. Well, they're getting really good at their practical projects!

In the morning, these children follow a different style of syllabus, which focuses on the simple basics of reading, writing and maths. Then, in the afternoon, the children have practical lessons in carpentry, tailoring or craft-making.

Over the last few months, we have been so excited to see the children really get to grips with their new skills. Those children in the craft-making class are now producing some really beautiful items, including ladies tote bags and jewellery.

The standard of design and workmanship is now very high and the children take great pride in their work. The children in the small group also often spur one another on and can be quick to point out, in an entirely constructive way, any errors that they see in each other’s work! More pics...

Go2 Business Loans: Did we see you there?

[Photography and online PR for Go2 Business Loans]

Great to meet everyone at the ‘Meet the Chamber and Business Exhibition’ this week, a networking event organised by the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, of which we are members.

We had a stand at the exhibition and Go2 director Rob Bennet did a short ‘elevator speech’ about the great benefits of crowdfunded business loans to both borrowers and investors.

And it was good to see such a large and diverse range of businesses in an event that is open to all businesses, not just chamber members… and free to attend!

Groveley Precision Engineering: SC21 Silver renewal for 4th time

[Online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

Groveley’s SC21 Silver accreditation has been renewed for the fourth time – and the process to attain the accreditation is more rigorous because of an inbuilt relationship management module.

The award comes in recognition of independently-ratified internal process excellence, quality and on-time delivery to the aerospace and defence industries. Our current SC21 Silver rating is 100% on time delivery and 99.99% quality.

And now, of course, it includes indicators of enhanced relationships between customers and supplier and a demonstration of the supplier’s long-term sustainable benefits to its customers.

Groveley has supplied precision-engineered components to the aerospace and defence markets for over 50 years and is committed to the implementation of best manufacturing practice.

Thanks for saying such nice things

[Photography and online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

Thanks everyone who posted on social media about our being finalists again this year in the UK self-storage industry ceremonies. You said such nice things!

We agree… just because we won best in UK and Europe in 2014, that doesn’t mean we can’t win again… maybe in 2017?

Self-storage companies entering the SSA awards are judged on various aspects, including what makes this business stand out from the rest and how it meets the needs of its local market. Plus things like how well the business is performing and what investments have been made for its future.

Child of Hope: New homes for needy slum families

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

One of the challenges faced by families of our school children is the ever-increasing cost of rent in Namatala – and it’s forcing some of our children to drop out of school and move away. But thanks to a generous grant, this new project will provide affordable homes for the families involved.

Our business start-up programme has been a huge benefit to many parents and enabled them to cope with the constant increases in costs of living. However, some of our children are looked after by elderly grandmothers (and even great-grandmothers!) who find it very difficult to work. In the UK, such elderly women would be receiving benefits. Here, however, there is no help at all.

Many of these elderly women feel that they have no choice now but to go back and live in their rural villages. This would mean that, if they wanted their children to remain at the school, then Child of Hope would have to try and find foster families for their children or, alternatively, bring the children into our Children’s Home. Of course, this means separating the family, which is something that we really want to avoid.

So, we have bought some land and have started to build some basic accommodation, which we will rent to ten small families at an extremely reasonable. This will enable the families to stay together and the children to remain at home with their other family members, with one of the families employed as caretaker of the plot.

Building work began last week of ten rooms, two pit latrines, and three bathrooms, being constructed using metal poles as columns, local bricks and mud, cement plastering of walls and floor, and timber and iron sheets. Each room will be 12 feet by 8 feet in size.

Store & Secure: Christmas opening times

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

Here are the dates and times we are open over the Christmas period. The kettle will always be on… there may even be mince pies and chocolates!

A very merry Christmas to all our customers… past present and future!

Saturday 24th Dec    Xmas Eve           8.00 till 14.00
Sunday 25th Dec      Xmas Day           Closed
Monday 26th Dec     Boxing Day         Closed
Tuesday 27th Dec    Bank Holiday      Closed
Saturday 31st Dec   New year’s Eve   8.00 till 14.00
Sunday 1st Jan        New Year’s Day  Closed
Monday 2nd Jan      Bank Holiday      Closed

Help us put on a fantastic Christmas party for slum children!

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

Today is the start of our Christmas Party Appeal 2016. Last year was a great success with our children (and their mums and a sibling), all having a fantastic time... this year we want to do the same, but of course, now we have 490 children including the ones at secondary school.

So, today we’re launching our appeal; it costs just £4 to provide each Child of Hope pupil with a present, party food AND a new pair of shoes! Please donate to help us give the kids a day to remember. You could buy it for yourself, or pay for a friend.

Any donations would be helpful, small or large, and we'll e-mail you a ‘thankyou’ card to print out and pop on your mantlepiece with all your other Christmas cards!

And you can even donate by text! Simply text SLUM37 £…. (an amount of £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10) to 70070.

If you'd like to help us with fundraising for the event, you can link in with our appeal page on Justgiving.

Owen Smith MP drops in

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

This week our Ugandan school was privileged to host Owen Smith MP, the British Labour Party MP for Pontypridd. He had a tour of the slum, visited a few homes of Child of Hope children and saw a couple of businesses started under our IGA scheme. Finally, they had a tour of the school and our kids performed some dances for them.

Owen was accompanied by three other guests, including Roger Neuberg, who funded our playground equipment through his rotary groups, and two members of Welsh twinning organisation PONT. It was great to see you all, thanks for coming!

Chan’s mum (we helped save her leg)

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

Chan is a young boy in the top class of our nursery school. Some years ago, his mum Joyce broke her leg and, although the leg seemed to have healed, Joyce continued to have pain and regular ulcers on it. Recently, the pain and ulcers became very severe. The local hospital believed that there was a serious infection and even gangrene in the bone and said that the leg would have to be amputated.

We were extremely keen to try and see if we could save her leg as it would make things extremely tough for Joyce to survive in the slum with only one leg, especially as the dad is not on the scene. So, we arranged to take her to an Orthopaedic Hospital in Kumi (about an hour’s drive away).

After quite a complicated operation, costing around £750 and paid for by Child of Hope, Joyce’s leg has been saved and she is due to come home from the hospital at the end of this week. Chan is eagerly looking forward to seeing his mother again!

Moving? You’re going to need some boxes

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

Here at Store & Secure Self Storage in both Bournemouth and Basingstoke, our Box Shop is full of packing supplies to help home-movers like yourself. From boxes and packing tape to bubble wrap and furniture covers, we’ve got you covered.

If you’ve received a flyer through your letterbox with a special offer of £10 off when you spend £25 in our Box Shop, all you need to do is present the flyer when you call into our store.

We’d also be happy to help with any storage needs you have, such as decluttering your home to help move it off the market. Contact our friendly team today to find out more!

Dancing Cows expands with crowdfunded business loan from Go2

[Online PR for crowdfunder Go2 Business Loans]

Hampshire craft distillery and brewery Dancing Cows is increasing output of its spirits and beers, thanks to a £21,000 crowd-funded business loan from Go2 Business Loans.

The Lymington-based company – which produces a range of gins, malt liquors, rums and fruit brandies, as well as cask ales and bottled beers – has just won the Hampshire Life Best Drinks Product of the Year for 2016 for its Lymington Gin.

The funding was obtained through local Go2 Business Loans within just two weeks and will also enable Dancing Cows to expand and raise its brand image with improved packaging.

Director and founder Richard Baker said: “The loan process was easy and very fast – now we can get on with what we need to do without worrying about cashflow.

“We’ve been able to appoint a sales agent which is increasing our volume of sales through a growing list of wholesalers and sales outlets.

“We already supplies pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels directly throughout the local area and we’re growing rapidly as consumers increasingly look for local products with interesting stories behind them.”

Go2 director Rob Bennet said: “It’s a very simple and fast process to apply for a loan. Go2 is a peer-to-peer lending network, so Dancing Cows’ loan was provided by various local small investors – local money supporting local business.

“It’s purely a business loan; investors are at minimal risk as they do not take shares or get involved in any other way.”

Bring a smile to sick youngsters with this terrific Toy Appeal

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

Our Bournemouth storage facility is helping a great Christmas toy appeal this year by becoming a drop-off point for donated new toys – which will give a special surprise to sick children forced to stay in hospital over Christmas.

This year the Daily Echo’s Toy Appeal – now in its 20th year – has teamed up with our friends at Amelia’s Rainbow Fund to provide gifts to ill youngsters.

The charity was set up following the death of eight-year-old Amelia-Grace Cooper in 2010, who died after battling an aggressive form of childhood cancer called neuroblastoma.

Every year, Amelia-Grace’s parents Chantel and Karl take gifts to the children’s ward at Poole and Dorchester hospitals on Christmas Day and Boxing Day – and to the families of children the charity has supported over the last two years who remain at home over the festive period.

The Toy Appeal is asking for gifts of new toys for all ages, but particularly for babies from newborn and teenagers. Sensory gifts are alway useful.

So, please drop off your new toys with us, or at any of these locations, until Friday, December 16:

- 4Com - Aviation Park West, Christchurch
- Top Cat Media - The Creative Quarter, Scotter Road, Bournemouth
- MK Estates & Lettings - Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth
- The Funky Peach - Ashley Road, Poole

This appeal will put a smile on so many kids’ faces this Christmas… please help if you can!

Child of Hope: team wedding

[Online PR for slum  charity Child of Hope]

Here are some photos from a wedding that took place over the weekend… our welfare deputy manager Pius married his beloved Ruth. The wedding ceremony took place at the nearby City Victory Church, with the reception at Child of Hope school.

Pius wanted to celebrate his wedding with the community, so he gave out an open invitation… and there were over 800 people at the reception. It was beautiful!

New statistics: rise from worst poverty for slum mums we start in business

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

We now have 162 of our parents benefiting from our highly successful Income Generating Activity (IGA) programme. New statistics from a survey of our IGA parents and their families reveal how our children are gradually moving away from abject poverty, thanks to the businesses of their parents.

• 95% now live somewhere better than a hut. (2015: 89%)

• 100% eat at least two meals a day. (2015: 100%)

• 52% have at least two pairs of shoes. (2015: 48%)

• 75% sleep on a mattress rather than on the ground. (2015: 46%)

• 100% have access to clean water and a working pit latrine. (2015: 100%)

• 69% of the parents are now able to afford to pay school fees for another child to go to a state school. (2015: 61%)

You can see two videos filmed in the Namatala slum of some of the mums who have benefited from the scheme, and how that has influenced the lives of their children.

To read more about our IGA scheme, please click here.

If you'd like to help a young mum start her own small business with a £25 start-up grant, please click here.

And to part-sponsor one of our IGA staff for £10 per month, please click here

More production space

[Photography and online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

We’re increasing the size of our production area by moving our production offices into a new, bigger office suite – freeing up an extra 108 sq metres.

The space rationalisation is partly to enable us to increased precision engineering work following Groveley’s success at Farnborough Airshow this year, with new customers in defence and motorsport.

We have attracted other new customer interest, so the changes will allow us to grow into the increased space as that work arrives.

Vaughan Gething visit

Great to host a VIP visit from the Welsh Assembly this week and to meet Vaughan Gething, cabinet secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport.

Vaughan came with Jon Townley, who’s the head of International Sustainable Development at the Welsh Assembly. Out in the slum they visited one of our IGA ladies who runs two businesses (a hair salon and a shop), the (very poor) home of a new baby class child, and then our children’s home to hear about our new respite/rehab programme and fostering programme.

After that they came to the school and saw the roof, which had been partly paid for with a donation from the Welsh Assembly… a nursery class and heard a nursery song from all the nursery kids… the health department and the IGA office (including crafts made by IGA mums)… and on to the vocational class to see their carpentry, sewing and jewellery items. They also visited a couple of primary lessons and then our assembly hall for songs and dances by the primary children.

Sunrise Bushcraft expands with crowdfunding loan from Go2 Business Loans

[Press release and photography for Go2 Business Loans]

Survival and bushcraft training company Sunrise Bushcraft, which operates in Dorset and Hampshire, has expanded with a crowdfunding loan from Go2 Business Loans.

Having won contracts to deliver new courses to vulnerable young people, Sunrise needed funding to train a new apprentice and purchase new equipment.

Go2 raised a £15,000 crowdfunded business loan from its group of investors within just four weeks.

Go2 director Rob Bennet said: “Go2 is a peer-to-peer lending network – local money supporting local small businesses – and it’s very simple to apply for a loan.

“It’s purely a business loan; our website puts investors in contact with a business but they do not take shares or get involved in any other way.”

Sunrise Bushcraft’s loan also funded the purchase of storage sheds, equipment lockers, woodland management tools, new composting toilets, cooking area, washing facilities, first aid kits, and clothing.

Its director James White said: “Applying for the loan was one of the most painless experiences I have ever had with funding – I was shocked and impressed how easy it was.

“Go2 were excellent; compared to other funding options I’ve tried, this was like making a cup of tea.”

Sunrise Bushcraft offers tailored events that include activities such as shelter-building, fire-making, woodland foraging, team games, cooking, bow-making, primitive living, plant medicines, animal track and signs and knife-work.

James said: “In particular we work in response to demand from local councils and charitable organisations and we are renowned for being a leading force in nature deficit disorder studies.”

Sunrise also runs courses for the public in bushcraft and survival, works with Groupon, Wowcher, Amazon and Activity Superstore. It is a contracted trainer for Girl Guides and also delivers national qualifications to adults in forest school, teaching and assessing awards.

www.sunrisebushcraft.com

www.go2businessloans.co.uk

Infinite diversity

[Photography and online PR for high-end joinery Kirolite]

Wehad a lot of fun building this mountain-style accessible dance set for inclusive charitable project Infinite – we love its aims and happily manufactured the stage for free.

Architectural designer Katie Thomas of KTM Design created the concept to fuse architecture, design and inclusive performance, with the aim to reframe perceptions of disability.

We took her concept to working drawings after exploring how performers would move upon it and offering various improvements. Our workshop manufactured the components while timber supplier James Latham was generous in reducing timber costs for us.

Katie founded Infinite during her MA studies in architecture at the Arts University Bournemouth. Deriving from her passion for fusing architecture and dance, the project helps break boundaries within the realms of theatrical design, performance and disability. 

She said: “Infinite is about inspiring people to use their personal challenges as a motivation to succeed, instead of as a reason for giving up.”

To launch the stage, Katie ran a performance with local inclusive performance group Diverse City (pictured), celebrating the abilities of diverse bodies through dance, circus and physical theatre.

Free networking event in Basingstoke

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

Our next free business drop-in networking event in Basingstoke takes place on November 9 at our premises in Houndmills.

The regular event takes place on the second Wednesday of each month between 8am and 10am. We provide free refreshments – tea/coffee, fruit juice and a selection of pastries.

If you only have a spare 30 minutes you are more than welcome to pop in.

The informal meeting has no restrictions on how many businesses from each trade sector can attend. But please bring along your business cards to share around. And one lucky guest will also win a bottle of wine.

For more information on upcoming events and to book your place, please visit www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/store-secure-2nd-wednesday-tickets-26537989842 – or call Kevin on (01256) 444455.  

Retailers – extra storage space for Christmas

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

If you need extra space for storing your Christmas stock, come and take advantage of the great business benefits of flexible self-storage at Store & Secure!

Lots of Bournemouth and Basingstoke shops and online businesses are taking space in our self-storage facilities – because you can they can scale up or down quickly for seasonal stock requirements, releasing their storage space for more effective use.

Plus these other clear benefits:

• Low-cost
• No rates nor utility charges
• Free parking
• Open 7 days a week
• 24-hour access
• Free goods-in/out service!
• Free use of forklift, pallet/hand trucks and trolleys
• Free tea and coffee!

Store and Secure self-storage provides high-quality storage for businesses, large or small. Our Basingstoke and Bournemouth facilities are highly-secure, cost-effective and easily accessible from the surrounding areas. You can store just about anything in our units…our space becomes your space.

Prices: From as little as £5 per week! And that includes all business rates, heating, lighting and power costs, security and general maintenance charges.

Security: With constant supervision, monitored CCTV cameras and alarm systems, our locked units are accessible to you and only you.

Unit sizes: Units are available from 25 to 20,000 square feet of self-contained units, and you are able to adjust your space as your storage requirements expand and contract.

Kirolite appoints new managing director

[Photography and online PR for high-end joinery Kirolite]

High-end wood joinery and solid surface manufacturer Kirolite Ltd has appointed Paul Waite as managing director.

Mr Waite (51) joins from Johnson Service Group with 20 years management experience of production, logistics, customer service and engineering within the service industry.

He said: “My main focus is to grow an already successful business. Currently we’re looking at modern manufacturing techniques, service delivery and customer engagement as ways to maximise our resources and deliver the highest quality products with a service to match.”

Dorset-based Kirolite manufactures luxury furniture and fittings in wood and solid surface for the marine, commercial property, residential property and retail sectors.

Former MD Bonnie Randall remains on the board as finance director.

Groveley: IT investment boosts 3D CAD-CAM

[Photography and online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

A £2.5k IT investment is enabling us to handle 3D modelling and CAD-CAM at the same time, for greater efficiency in preparation and manufacturing.

Twin screens permit dual function such as running a 3D simulation of a complex component while working on a completely different CAD job.

Faster processing and better graphics also allow us to use full 5-axis CAD software within the Edgecam CAD-CAM 3D CNC package.

Edgecam enables us to accurately produce complex parts direct from a customer’s solid model. And because its programmes contain less CNC machinery idle time, our efficiency, lead times, competitive edge and pricing are constantly being enhanced.

The package creates coding for CNC machinery programmes, saving many hours of manual programming and engineering time. Latest manufacturing strategies are utilised – essential for manufacturing complex components which are virtually impossible to programme longhand.

We’re in the UK’s top 3

Doh, we didn’t get an award this year at the UK self-storage industry ceremonies… but it was great being finalists for the third year running!

Our Bournemouth store was selected as one of just three finalists in the section Best Independent Facility UK.

But our congratulations go to this year’s winner of that section – Stock N Lock in Worcester. Well done, you deserve it.

Always great to see another self-storage company providing exceptional customer service.

Child of Hope: Travel and holidays that donate to slum kids!

If you book a holiday or travel through travel agent Not Just Travel, the company makes a generous donation to Child of Hope!

CoH has entered into a partnership that will help us raise ongoing funds for our work with slum children. And at the same time, you may even pay less than going direct to holiday operators – and you’ll be delighted with the amazing range of holidays that are on offer, and the very personal service the staff give you.

To make contact, first visit our joint website www.notjusttravel.com/child-of-hope

Not Just Travel is probably the UK’s fastest growing travel company and part of Hays Travel Ltd. Its travel consultants have over 450 leading brands and tour operators to choose from and over 12 million holiday options at any given time – it’s no wonder it is now the trusted travel partner of major organisations such as Marie Curie, The Royal British Legion and London University.
For more information, please click here

Child sponsorship worked for Peter

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

This young guy, Peter (aged 15), used to be a street kid… but is now pretty chuffed with himself for reaching secondary school.

He was 8 when we first met Peter’s mother, who begged and pleaded with us to help her son. He had run away from home and was living on the streets. He had grown tired of the constant gnawing hunger of poverty and had been seduced by the seemingly free lifestyle of the street kids.  

He seemed like a good candidate for our help and brought him into our nursery. But it was tough going for the first year of two – a life on the streets changes a child and he was constantly fighting with other children and generally getting into all kinds of trouble.  

After a lot of love, attention and strict boundaries, Peter’s life started to turn around and we realised that he was actually pretty bright! His mother died a couple of years ago and Peter now stays in our children’s home. 

His life since coming to Child of Hope hasn’t always been easy going, though. A couple of years ago ‘the street’ called to him again and we had a tough job getting him away from bad influences. But he turned things around again and worked really hard for his primary leavers’ exam. He managed to achieve division 2 results (narrowly missing division 1 by just 1 mark) and is happy to be in secondary school…  a huge change from the certain life of crime (and possible early death) that was his future on the streets back in 2008.  

He said: “Thank you to Child of Hope for sponsoring me. I am now living a good life and in the future I’d love to be an astronaut – but if that doesn’t work out I’m hoping to study to become a doctor. Please continue helping us.”

Would you like to sponsor one of the children at our school? Click here for more information.

Groveley Precision Engineering: FaroArm helps maintain on-time delivery and top quality

[Photography and online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

We have installed a FaroArm portable coordinate measuring machine (CMM) – which allows us faster verification of product quality by performing 3D inspections, tool certifications, CAD comparison, dimensional analysis and reverse engineering.

Peter Bennet said: “The £40,000 investment in equpment, software and training will help us to maintain our current SC21 Silver rating of 100% on time delivery and 99.99% quality.”

A superb first article inspection tool, the arm quickly verifies the part to the master 3D model (or drawing) and creates a report, which streamlines the process.

Reverse engineering is an option enabling quick digitisation of a part or object and creates a fully-surfaced CAD model which can then be used to reproduce an item. That provides a way to generate missing CAD files and update or create as-built documentation.

Being portable, the FaroArm avoids the removal of parts from a machine to a temperature controlled inspection area for surface or dimensional inspection of the part. Now we have efficient in-line, in-process and on-machine inspections for many parts – which delivers consistent, accurate measurements directly on or at the machine producing the parts.

How do we choose the children to join our school?

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

Bex is often asked: “How do you choose which children to take into Child of Hope?” It’s a serious question and the answer is evolving and improving year-on-year. A lot of parents in the slum want their child to get a free place at the nursery school, thereby accessing all the other Child of Hope programmes (healthcare, food, primary education, income-generating opportunities for families, clothing and welfare).

Well, we won’t provide a place to a child where her family could actually afford to send her to school themselves. So, over the years, we have developed a process of assessing the homes and families that the children come from in order to ascertain if the family is suitable. 

Our staff use a form containing various 

questions that give a clear indication of how poor a family actually is. For example: How many members in the household? Can the (oldest) female head/spouse read and write with understanding in any language? Does every member of the household have at least one pair of shoes?

The welfare team visits the homes in pairs and simply writes down the answers, which are then scored and compared against other families’ answers back at the office. Local officials and pastors can recommend families for a placement, but they still have to undergo the same assessment.

Spot checks are carried out on some of the answers by a staff member outside the welfare department, as an anti-corruption method. Many families have attempted to bribe our officers in the past in order to achieve a placement for their child!

After the analysis and comparison of ‘scores’ for the families, it becomes easier to see who is most in need and therefore most suitable for a place at school. No-one has to use their judgement and no-one is biased by a ‘cute-looking kid’ or a manipulative parent!

Car storage in Basingstoke

[Photography and online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

You can now store your car at the Basingstoke branch of Store & Secure. It’s easy to do – we’re located straight off the A339 in the industrial area of Houndmills, next to many car dealerships and the Basingstoke railway. By arrangement, you can drive straight in, park or store your car and access it on any day, at surprisingly low cost.

If security is vital to you - and you don’t have a secure garage or appropriate parking area, your car may be prone to security risks, especially if you have to park it on the road for long periods of time. Well… Store & Secure’s car storage has 24/7 security in place, with staff on site, 7 days a week, and the latest security CCTV systems installed.

And if you’re a car enthusiast, a car mechanic working in a garage from home or you own a second car, storage allows you to free up room in your garage or protect classic cars.

For more information, prices and other reasons why storing your car makes sense, click here!

Business for bed

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

Mum-of-six Margret was so poor that she didn’t have a mattress to sleep on – which became one of her goals when we helped her start her own business selling vegetables.

Now, a few years down the line, she is able to pay for three of her children to go to a local school, while one attends the CoH School for free. Two of her children are of pre-school age, but she hopes that they too will receive an education.

One thing that has really helped in her business was to acquire proper scales, so she can sell her goods at a fair price… and be known for it.

In the future she hopes to be able to buy a plot of land and build a house on it. She said: “ Having my own business has taken away stress and worry and anxiety about the future.”

And yes… she’s been out and bought a new large mattress, which she and the children all sleep on.  

Secure document shredding

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

If you have documents that you no longer need but which are data-sensitive, we offer a secure shredding service in both Basingstoke and Bournemouth. At Store & Secure we can provide a safe and highly reliable outlet for destroying confidential documentation, which also includes recycling upon completion. 

For more information about any of our products call us on 01202 520 220 (Bournemouth) or 01256 444 445 (Basingstoke). 

Store & Secure: Shortlisted for national award – again!

[Photography and online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

We entered this year’s UK self-storage industry awards and guess what… our Bournemouth store has been selected as one of just three finalists in the section Best Independent Facility UK!

Our family-run company – run by sisters Lucy and Sophie Maidman and dad Brian – has now been shortlisted to the final for three years running… and won the category in 2014 for both the UK and then for the whole if Europe.

The winner of this year’s SSA UK awards will be announced at a special dinner event on September 15 in Manchester… we’ll be there!

Self-storage companies entering the awards are judged on various aspects, including what makes this business stand out from the rest and how it meets the needs of its local market. Plus, or course, things like how well the business is performing and what investments have been made for its future.

If anything, our professionalism and business systems have matured and are even better than before, so we’ve got a great chance to bring home the trophy.

Child of Hope:Christian Legacy Week… coming soon

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

Next month sees Christian Legacy Week (October 17–23) – which offers you the chance to think about the long-term difference you could make by leaving a charity gift in your will, and helps you in making that decision.

Leaving a gift in your will to Child of Hope would help ensure that your beliefs and values are passed to future generations of the people of the Namatala slum through the work we do. And it could help us change lives there, long into the future.

Christian Legacy offers a free guide to making your legacy giving and will-writing easier, including all the information you need for planning your legacy. You can download it online here.
Child of Hope is a charity partner of Christian Legacy.

Child of Hope: She beat the burns

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

Meet Alice. At nine years old she was fighting for her life after an horrific accident with a paraffin lamp that gave her third degree burns over her abdomen, chest, upper arms and neck.

But as one of our sponsored children, she received huge amounts or love and care… and has now (aged 14) completed her nursery and primary education and moved on up to secondary school. In fact, she’s the first person in her family to go to secondary school, ever!

Alice started with us back in 2008 when we first had the idea of having a nursery in Namatala slum. Her father died when she was little and her mum was struggling to bring up four children by herself (Alice was the youngest). Two years later she suffered her terrible accident and was admitted to JOY Hospice for several weeks, then spent a further couple of months living with Bex and Moses while her mind healed from the trauma.

Not long after, her mother abandoned her in Namatala and went back to her village home, taking two of Alice’s siblings with her, while the third sibling was married off in her teen years, leaving Alice on her own. But she was very happy to come to our children’s home, where she has lived ever since.

Alice is a quiet girl with a ready smile, who can’t quite believe she’s made it to secondary school. She’s not the brightest girl in the class but has worked very hard indeed.

She said:“My life is transformed from the ordinary life to a new life. I have loved studies so much. I will trust God to help me finish my studies. In future I want to become a doctor or a nurse, so I can help the needy ones in the hospitals. I like singing and dancing to gospel music, because if it wasn’t for God by my side, I wouldn’t be what I am today.”

Would you like to sponsor one of the children at our school? Click here for more information.

A month of sunflowers

[Photography and online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

Today in Poole Park there’s an amazing transformation going on in the rose garden… 1,000 plastic sunflowers are being ‘planted’ by staff from Forest Holme Hospice.

The sunflowers represent the 1,000 local people who are cared for each year by the hospice and they’ll be there all month, so members of the public can visit and remember their loved ones.

  

We’ve been helping out by providing free storage for the flowers at our Bournemouth facility. That’s Hannah Parsons, fundraising and communications manager for Forest Home Hospice Charity on the right of picture with our Sophie Maidman.

Each flower has been handmade by the Theatre Royal in Plymouth, which played an integral part in the famous Tower of London poppy display last year.

Forest Holme Hospice Charity supports the hospice (part of Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust) by providing £750,000 each year to fund specialist care for patients living with advanced cancer and other life limiting illnesses.

Child of Hope: Farming for the future

[Online PR for slum charity Child of Hope]

A plot of land behind the school has been converted for an ongoing project that will train our pupils in growing certain vegetables, such as potatoes, peas, beans, cabbage, egg plants and tomatoes.  

Now, thanks to a generous donation, the children will try various techniques to see which produces the best harvest and then roll up their sleeves to get muddy! They’ll learn which plants help the land and give nutrition back to the soil, how to prevent free-roaming animals spoiling the crops and the problems of waste management (plastics, etc). As a bonus, hopefully the children will be able to eat the end product!  

The foundation to this is that we want our children to understand their important role in looking after God’s creation – to grow up knowing that their environment must be cared for and to give them the skills to do so. In addition Uganda has a long tradition in agriculture/farming and many people in Uganda have a small plot ‘back in their village home’ where they grow crops to make money in addition to their ‘normal’ employment. We realised that this was something our ‘slum-dwelling’ children were missing out on.

Not bad, cod do better…

[Online PR for Groveley Precision Engineering]

It may not have been the best fishing ever (let’s blame the wind and tides…), but a great fun day in glorious sunshine! The event was Groveley’s annual staff fishing competition around Poole Bay and harbour, on board charter fishing boat Rocket.

The winner was guest Martin Small, MD of Small Engineering of Wimborne, who landed six different species.

The all-day, bait-supplied species competition was sponsored by Dorset-based engineering tooling company Trucut Tools… who’s Eddie Taylor joined in the fishing and presented the trophy.

JED Art: new oil painting - Hurricane Seas

[Online PR for artist Jan Dowding of JED Art]

Let's face it, we all like the sea. Rough or calm, it has a fascination... don't you just love sitting on a beach and watching the waves breaking? Hurricane Seas is just my interpretation of it. A new, original oil on box canvas, 24x24".

New: free networking event in Basingstoke

[Online PR for Store & Secure self-storage]

A new, free business networking event has launched in Basingstoke - and held at our premises in Houndmills.

Organised by our facility manager Kevin Chandler, the event takes place on the second Wednesday of each month at 8–10am. We will provide free refreshments – tea/coffee, fruit juice and a selection of pastries.

It’s an informal meeting with no restrictions on how many businesses from each trade sector can attend. The first meeting in August had guests from sales, HR, event organisation and business consultancy sectors.

Each guest needs to bring along their business cards to share around. One lucky guest will also win a bottle of wine.

Kevin previously ran a similar event in Bracknell, which started small and rose to an average 20 guests each month, which is a similar size we are aiming for in Basingstoke.

For more information on upcoming events or to book your place at the next breakfast on September 7, either email Kevin or call him on (01256) 444455.