Sunday 29 October 2017

In my role of organising the Ryedale Business Awards...Latest News

The Ryedale Business Awards were my idea to celebrate Ryedale Businesses -whatever their size. 

We have now secured the judges and almost all of the sponsors for the 8 categories. 

To tell you a bit more about our latest sponsor for the Ryedale Business Awards 
Welcome to the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank

The John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank is for young people who live in Hull, East Riding and the towns of Malton, Norton on Derwent, Pickering in Ryedale and the town of Scarborough, aged up to and including 21 years old. It offers grants of up to £1,000 for individuals or groups of young people who need finance to help make their idea happen. (More funding will be considered in exceptional circumstances). The idea should benefit other people or help the applicant develop an enterprising idea.
The Youth Enterprise Bank (YEB) is not just about giving financial support we also offer practical help with developing your business idea. The YEB works closely with the City Regeneration and Policy Youth Enterprise team. The Youth Enterprise Bank is managed by a group of trustees, chaired by Maureen Foers OBE and linked to the Hull Youth Enterprise Partnership.
To-date over 350 young people from Hull have benefited from this source of funding, buying items such as: Computers, Business Stationery, Websites, Photography Equipment, Bicycle Repair Equipment, Chocolate Making Equipment, Dance costumes for local bands, equipment for mobile hairdressers and much more..
In 2015 the John Cracknell Youth Enterprise Bank won Enterprising Britain and was a runner up in the European Enterprise Promotion Awards

Monday 9 October 2017

The Grand Opening of the Orangery

Thank you to the Fawcett Brothers, who own the Fairfax Arms in Gilling East, in entrusting me to organising the Grand Opening of their new Orangery. Along with it, a networking event with Welcome to Yorkshire. I worked along side Sarah Barrowby from Welcome to Yorkshire who organised that Sir Gary Verity would come along and open the Orangery.

With around 100 guests arriving ,the sun answered my prayers and duly came out to add to a successful event.

Head Chef Ben Turner was in charge of the kitchen. Very grateful to Ben's wife, who was very considerate to have her baby a couple of days before- another prayer answered. CanapĂ© were well received and then a brilliant bbq with 28 day old steaks from R and J Butchers.  Hodgson's fish was equally tasty with top quality prawns which with chorizo added made for mouthwatering kebabs.

If you have not already been along to enjoy the £250k investment of the new build of the Orangery I hope you will do so soon. There is something about still inside this light and airy space and watching the world go by as you eat.

No expense has been spared to create an outdoor sitting area which overlooks the village stream .It is furnished with delightful flower filled baskets

The Orangery has already been host to a christening, various birthday parties and before and after wedding celebrations.

Anne-Marie and Christian, the joint general managers-  are on hand to discuss your needs. Should you would like to book the Orangery telephone on 01439 788212



















Monday 10 April 2017

Great to get in the News

Whatever your business -large or small it is always good to remind people that you are around. March was a good month for some of my clients after getting mentions in The Sunday Times  and in press  and on line articles in Lincolnshire. It is surprising how many of your customers will come from a 2 hour driving radius.

If anyone has been starting off a "new shoot" in their business please let me know. It isn't always what you think makes the headlines or takes the eye of an editor. Remember though it has to be news and with a story rather than just looking for free publicity.

If you are stuck for an idea to showcase or stand out from the crowd please get in touch with me now on 01347 868526.

Time for me to go now and find my Easter bonnet


Monday 6 March 2017

A trip to Castle Howard

This time my trip was not to look around the best of historical houses and gardens in Britain but to go to the nursery to meet Nick the head forester to pick up some hedging plants as we have had a new fence put up  both sides of the drive and it will be lined with a hedge. I have gone here since I was a little girl with my dad as he believes we should plant trees every year for future generations to enjoy. He is 94 now and continues to do this. He went with me for the ride out and "to keep me straight" - a Yorkshire term for making sure I got it all right.

His mission really was to go to the garden centre and buy seeds and he likes to chat with the lady behind the counter as they exchange views on which is the best to plant and when and what varieties they like the most.  We got packets of seeds -broad beans,tomatoes ,all year round lettuce and some carrot seeds as they were free if you bought so many packets !

I admired the beautiful urns and garden pots ....
then we had to get some seed compost that seemed to weigh a ton as I carried it to the car.






Sunday 19 February 2017

Life in Leeds

This week saw me in Leeds I had meetings at the Welcome to Yorkshire Offices for the PSMG. This is a group represented tourism businesses from all across Yorkshire . I was kindly chaparoned by Charles Forgan who is based at the Captain Cook Museum in Whitby. We went in on the train from Northallerton.

Dry  Sand Foundry is where Welcome to Yorkshire are based in Foundry Square,Holbeck in Leeds. It is just a quick walk from the station over the wharf and then round a corner and over a little footbridge .It was a lovely morning and there is always something about water and locks that interest me . A passage in time.

Our meeting lasted around two hours which was time to see what has been happening over the last quarter and more importantly what will happen in the coming one.

Sir Thomas Ingelby, from Riply Castle, is our chair. There is lots of exciting things happening and some of them will be revelled in march at Y17. The rest are cogs in the wheels and decisions that are made by the board which will be implemented in the future.

I love going to meetings in the City and thrive on the responsiblity of bringing new ideas to the table. The board loved one of these ideas and I will let you know when it is in place when it happens. All I can say about it now it will benefit a lot of businesses throughout Yorkshire .

There is a big part of me that shows I am a country girl at heart. As Jack always says when he see the White Horse of Kilburn on the hill he knows he is nearly home. So when I saw the Horse out of the window of the train I knew I was nearly home.


Wednesday 25 January 2017

The Winners of the Ryedale Business Awards

On Tuesday 24th January 2017, we held the first Ryedale Business Awards at the White Swan of Ampleforth .

The Winners received hand blown glass bowls created  and generously donated by Gillies Jones -www.gilliesjonesglass.co.uk 

 are as follows -

Learning and Developement - Ryetools


Start Up Business  -Horsetown Beers


Young Entrepreneur  -Fergus Court Funeral Services


Innovation - Consultancy Team


Rural Diversification -  Studford Luxury Lodges


Community Contribution -Terrington Stores


Long Standing Business Award - RV Rogers Ltd


Ryedale Champion - Cuckavalda Gundogs


Thursday 5 January 2017

Vaqueiros ,oh Vaqueiros

I had the pleasure of enjoying this Brazilian experience in York, just before Christmas. A lively ,friendly place and just what you can image of a Brazilian rodizo. I think we are all now looking to venture to try something different and this was certainly "up my street".

The meat was just amazing and the salads were quite special too with generous prawns and anchovies and other little fishy treats on the salad bar too .

The concept is you help yourself to salad and then the waiters come round with meat cooked on skewers until you can eat no more. My photo maybe gave a bad representation of how good the cuts of meat was but trust me it wasn't just sausages and a bit of meat ,It was as much meat as you can eat. Each person has tongs and as the waiter starts to carve it off you take hold of it with your tongs and put it on your plate..quite a fun thing to do .It all adds to the atmosphere and the making of a good night out. Huge selections of drinks and Brazilian music all add to this. For non meat eaters there are other fish to be had and a selection for vegetarians too . But with people like Jack and our friends the meat eaters are in their element.

It was nice to meet the owner Richard Beal as his family hail from the Malton/Pickering area. And as I went to school at Malton we straight away had plenty to talk about .

I am sure there will be a lot of our guests who take a break from their tourist trip when they seek refreshments and head here as it is at No 1 Micklegate which is where the old Co-op used to be so not far at all from the very centre of town.
Ironically it was where I used to go to see Santa Claus 50 plus years ago to go on the sleigh ride to Lapland .This time there was no doors side by side to trick you into thinking we had gone to the North Pole or to Brazil for that matter but it is a trip worth doing.