Blog Archives - Manifest PR and Marketing https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/category/blog/ Offering professional marketing skills and consultancy, specialising in PR at an affordable rate. Mon, 11 Apr 2022 10:31:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3 https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cropped-mm-siteicon-150x150.jpg Blog Archives - Manifest PR and Marketing https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/category/blog/ 32 32 Dales gem celebrates centenary https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/dales-gem-celebrates-centenary/ Mon, 11 Apr 2022 10:28:33 +0000 https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/?p=6964 Bentham Golf Club, the picturesque course with panoramic views of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lakeland hills, is marking 2022 as a milestone year, as the club reaches it centenary. The game of golf first came into play in the Bentham area, when a group of local gentlemen played 5 holes at Park Foot between […]

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Bentham Golf Club, the picturesque course with panoramic views of the Yorkshire Dales and the Lakeland hills, is marking 2022 as a milestone year, as the club reaches it centenary.

The game of golf first came into play in the Bentham area, when a group of local gentlemen played 5 holes at Park Foot between Bentham and Ingleton in 1922. These pioneers moved their game to its present site at Bentham Moor later that same year and Bentham Golf Club was established.

In 1925, that same band of sporting gentlemen, together with a number of other men and some of the fairer sex, purchased £1 shares and created Bentham Golf Club Limited. The greater part of the land was purchased outright, with only the field for the first and ninth holes being rented. A green-keeper was employed, who doubled as a club maker and who would nowadays be classed as the ‘professional’. Under his guidance the course was constructed by the members, who also built a wooden clubhouse that sported an elegant veranda, plus changing and locker rooms.

The war effort

Around 1941, the two rented fields were purchased by the club and immediately commandeered by the government to aid the war effort. Half was ploughed up and much needed vegetable crops were planted.

The clubhouse was moved further onto the course and doubled as an observer post for aircraft recognition. Rumour has it that a club member who served in the Royal Observer Corp spent most of his duty time practising his chipping and putting on the 8th green whilst keeping an eye on passing aircraft.

At peace again

After the conflict was over, the ploughed land was brought back into play and the clubhouse returned to its original position, the members again helping with the construction of the greens and tees.

The club and course went from strength to strength. Around 1960, an old Army hut was purchased and attached to the clubhouse, forming a social room, kitchen and a much needed nineteenth hole – all once again made possible by the hard work of the members.

With social amenities available, membership increased and many events were organised, with catering provided by the ladies.

New clubhouse

By the early seventies the ageing wooden clubhouse was felt to be inadequate to cope with the increasing number of members. Other factors, such as the highway authorities plans for a relief road through the middle of the dance floor, meant the Directors needed to find an alternative site!  A new clubhouse was sited in its present position and was up and ready for business in the spring of 1975.

Membership continued to grow and golfing flourished at Bentham. More machinery was purchased, a full time green-keeper took over from the stalwart part-timers and over the years the greens developed into some of the finest in the north of England. Alterations were made to the course, new greens constructed, tees pushed back to lengthen holes, trees planted and minor adjustments to the cosmetics of the course completed.

In the mid 1990’s it became obvious that to stay as a nine-hole golf course would mean the demise of the club. Members were leaving to join 18-hole courses and although the club enjoyed a very strong junior section it was agreed the club must attract many more new members and visitors to survive. Eventually the directors, endorsed by the members, were able to purchase neighbouring farmland and Bentham become an 18-hole course.

A new era

Bentham Golf Course has been under the nurturing ownership of the Marshall family since 2009.  They have invested heavily in the course, constantly improving the facilities and championing golf to attract visitors and encourage newcomers to the game.

In recent years, they have built luxurious lodges and glamping pods discreetly amid the fairways, offering the opportunity for visitors to ‘stay and play’, or even purchase their own golfer’s dream holiday home.

They have also created a driving range and revitalised the clubhouse as The 1922 Bar & Kitchen, open to non-golfers.

As part of the 100 year celebrations, an extra Open competition has been added to the fixtures for visiting golfers this year. Sunday 7th August is the date for the event, which will be held as a fundraiser for prostate cancer. Teams of four, with any gents/ladies combination are invited to play, and the winners prize is a 4 ball voucher to play Royal Birkdale.

To join the Centenary Open or book to play anytime, visit www.benthamgolfclub.co.uk

 

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Yachts, yurts and Yorkshire yoga https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/yachts-yurts-and-yorkshire-yoga/ Mon, 11 Apr 2022 10:23:21 +0000 https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/?p=6957 Not so many years ago in the UK, yoga was viewed by many with mild scepticism and perceived as a hippy throwback appealing to just a minority of zany advocates. Today, along with its counterpart Pilates, it is firmly established in the zeitgeist, gaining traction during COVID to become a significant growth industry worth upwards […]

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Not so many years ago in the UK, yoga was viewed by many with mild scepticism and perceived as a hippy throwback appealing to just a minority of zany advocates. Today, along with its counterpart Pilates, it is firmly established in the zeitgeist, gaining traction during COVID to become a significant growth industry worth upwards of £926 million. Appealing across the board to twenty-somethings right through to octogenarians, the physical and mental benefits are markedly improving thousands of lives across all demographics.

Making yoga and Pilates accessible in Yorkshire, Ebru Evrim is an entrepreneurial woman at the forefront of spreading the magic. In 2015, armed with just six mats she began teaching yoga in village halls in the Yorkshire Dales. Now she is opening her second dedicated studio, has her own brand of activewear fashion, runs luxury retreat holidays at home and abroad, and has an enviable Instagram following worldwide.

Ebru’s journey to becoming a leading yoga guru is a surprising one. Born in Turkey, she began her working life as a pathologist in Istanbul. That science-based background gives her valuable insight into the physical make-up of the human body and an innate understanding of the natural benefits in practising yoga – but it wasn’t the catalyst for a direct career path.

From pathology she actually moved into the contrasting busy, dizzy world of digital marketing, working with significant international clients including Microsoft, Cadbury and Colgate. City life and the fast pace of the digital media industry at that level was inevitably demanding and fast-paced, and Ebru took up yoga in 2007 as an antidote to the stress in her lifestyle.

Before long, she was hooked – enough to want to share the benefits and teach yoga to others.  Soon after moving to the UK with her family, Ebru completed a 200-hour intensive teacher training course in Ashtanga Vinyasa and Hatha Yoga with Lalit Kumar at the Himalaya Yoga Valley in Goa, India. Later she trained in Polestar Pilates under Claire Sparrow in Leeds and Judith Lasater in London.

Ebru explains “Combining these disciplines, my passion is in balancing the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the human experience to help people cope with the demands of twenty-first century living.”

The popularity of Ebru’s Dales yoga classes grew exponentially as she attracted a cross section of pupils. Men and women of all ages endured chilly village halls as a small price to pay for improved physical dexterity and spiritual calm. Ebru, meanwhile, began to dream of creating a dedicated space for them; warm, comfortable and fitted with state-of-the-art apparatus for physio reformer Pilates work.

Turning the dream into a reality, Ebru moved to the market town of Skipton and set about creating a stunning studio space. She transformed the canal side three storey nineteenth century building to create a ground floor studio with reformer apparatus and a first-floor studio dedicated to mat work. Luxuriously appointed, it forms an innately calm environment for wellbeing. She gathered a team of fellow practitioners, and the Studio was soon filled with clients from the original Dales sessions plus a host of newcomers attending classes and workshops in all disciplines of yoga and Pilates. Then along came COVID.

While the world battened-down the hatches and several fledgling businesses unfortunately failed, Ebru harnessed her inner resources and former marketing talents to adapt, channelling her offering to help the souls lost in lockdown and ensure her own commercial survival. More than ever, she knew, people needed the restorative healing of yoga and Pilates, so she became one of the earliest practitioners to harness Zoom as a means of continuing to offer classes. That format remains an option for those who have come to prefer online sessions in the privacy of home and has played a significant part in attracting new pupils across the world.

A flair for fitness fashion

Disappointed by the quality of some of the leggings and other leisurewear on the market and thinking further outside the box, Ebru also used the time in lockdown to develop her own range of fitness clothing to sell online. Designed from a user’s perspective and sourcing ethical manufacturers, her Activewear range of leggings, vests, hoodies and bras have already been endorsed widely. Jade Moscrop of Closer magazine in her roundup of fitness wear in 2021 picked out Ebru Evrim Activewear leggings as “My go-to patterned pair! These leggings are like no other and have a unique pattern that I absolutely love. They look and feel great on and off the yoga mat.”

Ebru is involved in every step of the process, from design to shipping, regularly visiting the factory in Turkey to ensure quality is integral. There is love, passion and yoga pizzazz woven through every thread, to take the wearer from fitness studio to street in style.

Yachts, yurts and yoga

As the world tentatively emerged from lockdown, and working with personal contacts in her Mediterranean homeland, luxury wellness holidays and yoga  retreats were introduced into the Ebru Evrim brand mix. Yachts, yurts and yoga form the perfect blend for mindfulness and meditation in Southern Turkey, while in the UK, Silverholme Manor in the Lake District provides a genteel country house setting for manifestation retreats. Carefully chosen new locations are being sourced to complement these.

 

Spa town synergy

With the Skipton studio approaching capacity, Ebru looked to expand within a comfortable radius of home. Considering the options did not take long. “What better location to choose than Harrogate, a savvy spa town already famed for championing wellness?” she says. Finding prime location premises in the centre of the town on James Street, Ebru set about reproducing the same stylish blend of yoga and Pilates studio space alongside tantalisingly tasteful displays of retail fitness-wear to purchase. The new branch also has the additional attraction of a larger space to linger and socialise before or after sessions featuring a café run by a catering partner specialising in food for wellness.  There is also a dedicated area for working with clients requiring specialist therapy for conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis.

Despite the rapid growth of recent years, Ebru remains firmly grounded and along with her small team of like-minded professionals, guided by the lifestyle message she teaches, explaining:

“The spiritual side is so important in yoga, as we are all spiritual beings in these physical bodies. The most important thing is for us each to remember who we are and carry this inner conscious into normal life; it’s important not to lose sight of that.”

For more information, visit www.ebruevrim.com

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Skipton business needs your help in Yorkshire Choice Awards https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/skipton-business-needs-your-help-in-yorkshire-choice-awards/ Mon, 28 Feb 2022 17:17:48 +0000 https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/?p=6892 A Skipton business is appealing for the public’s support as the town’s sole representative in the prestigious Yorkshire Choice Awards 2022. The expert blind fitting company has been nominated in the highly competitive Customer Service of the Year Award category, which is decided by a public vote. It faces tough competition from firms in Leeds, […]

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A Skipton business is appealing for the public’s support as the town’s sole representative in the prestigious Yorkshire Choice Awards 2022.

The expert blind fitting company has been nominated in the highly competitive Customer Service of the Year Award category, which is decided by a public vote. It faces tough competition from firms in Leeds, Sheffield, Halifax, Scarborough, Bradford and York.

North Blinds owner Lucas Kadzior said: “We’re really pleased to have been nominated in the customer service category as it genuinely is at the heart of everything we do – and I think the consistently positive reviews we receive reflect that.

“For me, business has always been about putting the customer first and ensuring they’re happy with the service they receive. Businesses live and die by their reputation, so we always make sure we do a professional job and give service that we’d be happy to receive ourselves.

Lucas added: “It is a tough category, particularly as the other nominees are from much larger areas, so we hope that the people in the Skipton area can get behind us.”

North Blinds was founded in 2018, and work within a 20 mile radius of Skipton. They provide at home consultations, including evenings and weekends, with a huge range of blinds to choose from, including roller blinds, venetian blinds, motorised blinds, conservatory blinds and skylight blinds. Their experienced staff carry out expert measuring and fitting, and the company offers a free whole-life care service.

North Blinds has 103 Trustpilot reviews, 102 of those at five stars or ‘excellent’ (the other one four stars, or ‘great’!), five stars on Facebook (all 50 reviews) and five stars on Google reviews.

The Yorkshire Choice Awards are designed to recognise the many fantastic independent businesses and individuals across the whole of Yorkshire.

It also supports MND Association, a charity focused on improving access to care, research and campaigning for people affected by motor neurone disease.

To vote for North Blinds, visit https://www.yorkshirechoiceawards.co.uk/votehere before Thursday31st March 31st 2022.

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Rendezvous makes sustainability pledge https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/rendezvous-makes-sustainability-pledge/ Fri, 17 Dec 2021 11:46:43 +0000 https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/?p=6864 The Rendezvous Hotel is aiming to become a flagship in Skipton for sustainability in hospitality and is urging other local businesses to join then in their pledge to put the environment first. The 96 bedroom hotel on Keighley Road has introduced a range of measures to reduce its carbon footprint. Notably the hotel has invested […]

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The Rendezvous Hotel is aiming to become a flagship in Skipton for sustainability in hospitality and is urging other local businesses to join then in their pledge to put the environment first.

The 96 bedroom hotel on Keighley Road has introduced a range of measures to reduce its carbon footprint. Notably the hotel has invested in a low emission biomass boiler for its heating and has installed an electronic car charging point which guests are able to use free of charge.

Managing Director Michael Scully said: “We’ve seen world leaders making strong statements about the need to act and it’s clearer than ever before that the time for rhetoric is over and we all need to take positive steps to consider this within every aspect of our businesses.”

“It’s about thinking outside the box sometimes to find creative ways of reducing our carbon footprint. We have switched to marble top tables in our restaurant, for example, to save on the impact on the environment of laundering tablecloths.”

Encouraging local as well as touring cyclists, the hotel encourages bike use with a secure storage area and wet room for riders. Meanwhile the new dining narrowboat, The Graceful Swan, has been adapted to be fully electric powered.

The hotel is also increasing the number of local suppliers. Mr Scully added: “We try to buy as much produce as possible from reputable local suppliers with low food miles and we’re keen to increase that further. We’re very open to local businesses approaching us with goods or services that might be relevant.

“Reducing the mileage of products is something every business can do to help lower their carbon footprint, and it has the added bonus of supporting the locally economy.”

Other initiatives adopted by the Rendezvous team include reducing the amount of waste to landfill through increased recycling and package reduction, stopping use of single use plastics, switching to eco-friendly cleaning products, providing refillable toiletries and encouraging guests to consider not requesting fresh towels daily and recruiting local staff rather than relying on regular agency staff travelling from further afield.

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Hotel Rendezvous appoints internationally experienced manager https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/hotel-rendezvous-appoints-internationally-experienced-manager/ Wed, 24 Nov 2021 15:08:22 +0000 https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/?p=6840 The company now running Skipton’s largest hotel, Hotel Rendezvous, has appointed a new manager in a significant step towards achieving a four-star a rating. The 96 bedroom hotel is undergoing major changes following the retirement of popular Skipton business couple Malcolm and Karen Weaving. It has been taken over by global management company First & […]

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The company now running Skipton’s largest hotel, Hotel Rendezvous, has appointed a new manager in a significant step towards achieving a four-star a rating.

The 96 bedroom hotel is undergoing major changes following the retirement of popular Skipton business couple Malcolm and Karen Weaving. It has been taken over by global management company First & Foremost, which has now appointed Kim Jackson as Resident Manager.

Kim brings a wealth of experience having worked in hospitality and event management across the world, including spells in South Africa, France and London.

Kim said: “I feel like I’ve definitely made a fantastic choice moving to Skipton over other opportunities I was offered; it’s a beautiful place and the hotel has so much potential. I’ve worked around the world with different cultures and people, but I have to say I’ve found that people from Yorkshire are the friendliest and most approachable.

“I have worked around the world, and extensively in the UK and London. I chose to take up this role on the doorstep of the Yorkshire Dales because of how friendly the people are, how great Yorkshire food is and the unique scenery in this area and. It even feels as though the air is genuinely fresher! It’s an amazing place.

“My colleagues have been brilliant, welcoming and supportive to work with, especially those who have been with the Weaving family at the hotel here for many years and I like the fact that there are lots of returning guests, so everything feels very positive and uplifting, especially after the strain that COVID put on the hospitality industry.”

Kim’s impressive CV has seen her work at top sporting events including both the football and rugby World Cups, prestigious fashion events and performed management roles at the Greyville Convention Centre in Durban, South Africa. She also ran her own company providing event management services.

Kim believes her experience will stand her in good stead for the role at the Rendezvous, which is currently undergoing an extensive programme of refurbishment of public areas and bedrooms. Her remit is also to improve the restaurant to appeal to the local dining clientele and offer themed dining events on the unique purpose-built narrowboat The Graceful Swan.

She added: “I think the main thing I can bring to the Rendezvous are some fresh ideas for the quiet months, introducing concepts that have proven successful elsewhere in my career.

“We’re keen to attract locals to our restaurant, Skipton Bar and Grill, as well as becoming the place to go for celebrations such as birthdays, weddings and anniversaries.

“With First & Foremost at the helm, coupled with my experience, I think we can bring a new energy to the hotel, inspiring local people and partnering with other businesses as we develop the Rendezvous into a more luxurious leisure destination.”

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14 top tips for Instagram Advertising https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/14-top-tips-for-instagram-advertising/ Mon, 22 Nov 2021 12:20:44 +0000 https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/?p=6836 This is a fantastic piece on making the most of Instagram adverts by Heather Robinson from Skitti.sh – our go to support when our clients need a little extra help with SEO and digital marketing strategy. If you’re already running Facebook Ads, you’ll know that your ads will automatically show on Instagram unless you untick […]

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This is a fantastic piece on making the most of Instagram adverts by Heather Robinson from Skitti.sh – our go to support when our clients need a little extra help with SEO and digital marketing strategy.

If you’re already running Facebook Ads, you’ll know that your ads will automatically show on Instagram unless you untick a few boxes in your placement settings. However, when was the last time you set up specific ads just for Instagram?

According to Hootsuite, 50% of users become more interested in a brand after seeing an ad on Instagram, so if you have a product to sell, it makes sense to consider Instagram ads as an effective way to get your brand in front of more potential customers. Here’s our 14 top tips for Instagram Advertising.

Tip #1: Instagram is a mobile platform, so our first tip is to make sure your website gives users the best mobile experience before you even consider advertising on Instagram.

Choose your Instagram Ad format(s)

Photo Ads – great for businesses starting out as they’re quick and simple to set up.

Tip #2: Make sure you have some amazing, scroll-stopping photography that will get users’ attention and encourage them to click through to purchase.

Video Ads – these can be up to 120 seconds which gives you more time to get your message across to your audience. Videos tend to generate more engagement than a static photo, so if it’s comments and engagement you’re after, consider video ads.

Tip #3: Don’t rely on sound – assume people have their sound off. Subtitles/captions are vital for videos with people speaking.

Tip #4: Make sure your captions can be read easily when they’re overlaid over your video and make sure they don’t obscure any key information you’re displaying.

Stories Ads – these appear in and amongst your friends’ stories and give you the opportunity to get your products in front of the 500 million Instagram accounts who access stories daily.

Tip #5: These need to be in portrait mode so make sure you have images, video and graphics that fit this format.

Tip #6: Be sure to use the “Swipe Up” call-to-action on your Stories ads.

Carousel Ads – if you have multiple products to sell or want to tell a story through multiple images, carousels are another option. Instagram can automatically feature your most popular photo or product as the first image users see when scrolling through their feed to further optimise your engagement.

Collections Ads – these are similar to carousels in that you can feature multiple images (and videos) but collections are tailored more to selling products through your product catalogue, so definitely more for retail/ecommerce businesses.

Explore Ads – the Explore tab in Instagram is where users can find new content and new accounts to follow. Advertising here means you could be exposed to the 200 million accounts that access the Explore tab daily. The great thing about advertising here is that users are in ‘discover mode’; they’re actively looking for new products and relevant content, so as long as you get your targeting right, you should see a good interaction rate from your ads.

Get creative with your Instagram Ads

Tip #7: Grabbing the user’s attention with, not only an awesome visual, but text that shows a key benefit can make all the difference. Don’t rely on the text description to sell your benefits as not all users read the description below and Instagram has a habit of hiding long descriptions behind a “see more” link.

Tip #8: Resize your ads to fit the format you choose and make sure your text is still readable. Check out Facebook’s ad specifications for the recommended size and ratio of each Instagram ad placement.

Tip #9: Ads that don’t look like ads can work better. So think about ditching the corporate video and opt for more lifestyle, informal visuals that fit seamlessly with other content people are likely to be viewing in their feed.

Tip #10: Testimonials and featuring customers/clients are great ways to showcase your products without trying to sell the benefits yourself. Think about using quotes from product reviews from your website or clients talking about their experiences to camera.

Get focused on your Instagram advertising strategy
Tip #11: Respond to comments on your ad to answer any questions potential customers may have. Showcasing your first class customer service here could result in more sales.

Tip #12: Track everything in Facebook Ads Manager! Make sure your campaigns meet the objective you set at the outset and tweak your ads to further improve engagement at regular intervals.

Tips #13: Be clear on your targeting and make sure you set up appropriate audiences to show ads to people who are likely to be interested in your products.

Tip #14: Don’t forget to utilise custom audiences and remarketing to maximise your conversion rates.

Although Instagram Ads run through Facebook Ads Manager, don’t forget that it’s a separate platform with a different audience and a different format. Users are often looking for something a little different from the posts they see in their feed, so try using the top tips for Instagram advertising we’ve discussed here on your next ad campaign and start getting better results!

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Andrew Jackson – memories, melodies and madness https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/andrew-jackson-memories-melodies-and-madness/ Thu, 04 Mar 2021 21:32:33 +0000 https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/?p=6614 Tomorrow we meet in a small lockdown funeral group to say goodbye to a remarkable man. I’ve spent a lot of time in the past two weeks reminiscing and going through photos to find images to share with his sons, but it still hasn’t yet sunk in that we’re not going to see him again, […]

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Tomorrow we meet in a small lockdown funeral group to say goodbye to a remarkable man. I’ve spent a lot of time in the past two weeks reminiscing and going through photos to find images to share with his sons, but it still hasn’t yet sunk in that we’re not going to see him again, ever. Andrew Jackson touched the heart of literally hundreds of people in this dale and beyond. With many accounts of his massive contribution to this community there is already talk of some form of memorial shindig event post-COVID and the possible siting of some sort of permanent memorial in recognition of his all-encompassing impact on us all.

The list of organisations he headed or played a significant part in – lately or historically – are numerous. In no particular order, off the top of my head they include the Medical Centre, the Hub, Grassington Players, the Town Hall Committee, Penny Plain Theatre Company, Grassington Pantoloons, Open-Mic nights at the Black Horse, Threshfield Lifeboat, Grassington Festival, the Men’s Shed, the Extraordinary Victorians, Upper Wharfedale Field Society and the infamous Channel 5 Love thy Neighbour.  I’m sure to have forgotten some. On top of all that, he managed to write a book or two and some plays. I figure it’s no small wonder he never had a clue about anything on the telly!

Having set the scene, I want to stress that this blog is not intended as an obituary, just my (not so) private and cathartic tribute to Andrew, one which will rest for posterity in my own little corner of the internet on my website. It’s a long read, given that our friendship goes back 30 years. It’s self-indulgent and simply about the significant part he has played in my life during that time. So, you may want to either skip to the end or grab a glass of something!

The hamlet stood….

Where to begin. For me it really started one evening in the bar at Grassington House, circa 1991. It was a Grassington Players thing, post rehearsal or production, something like that. I was a relative newbie and Andrew and I got to talking properly for the first time. We discovered our shared passion for all things Albion (read English folk music and dance). We’d both moved to Wharfedale from more southern parts. He’d been a Cotswold morris dancer, I’d been married to one. He worshipped The Albion Band, I’d toured the world with them for five years – albeit only as the (then) young band-member, Simon Care’s (first) wife. That was quite some feather in my cap in Andrew’s eyes! I’d loved Strawhead since I was a kid, and he was mates with Gregg Butler, so that made us pretty much even on the claims to fame front!

And so it began. One of us mentioned Lark Rise and we both said how we would love to stage it, having seen it performed darn sarf. I remember the sheer elation going home that night, knowing that between us we would make it happen in Grassington.

It reads “For Lark Rise & Candleford Thank you”

Andrew duly directed and I shipped in a bunch of super folk musicians from the Flagcrackers of Craven, the morris team I was dancing with. I played young Laura’s mother. Rehearsals were strange as the Lark Rise show is a series of vignettes rather than a play with a plot – and bear in mind this was long before the televised adaption made it familiar. Between us, Andrew and I managed to cajole the slightly bewildered cast along and used a projector and screen (I believe for the first time at Players) to supplement the live music and action. Miraculously – just as we feared it was never going to gel – the Muse descended and the show was warmly acclaimed by all as truly magical. A year later we staged the sequel, Candleford Green. This time I played the (now older) Laura.

Afterwards, Andrew gave me this wonderful framed picture which I still treasure. I sobbed when I looked at it on the morning after his too-soon death, as the image seems so symbolic of his rustic soul’s departure into the sunset on a Lark Rise haycart.

Our friendship was forged back then in steel (Eyespan) and I believe we truly were each other’s ‘kindred spirits’ when it came to our love of folk music, which, let’s face it, is not to everyone’s taste and certainly does not seem to have much of a following here in the immediate locality.

Along with a devotion for the Dales, we also shared a great love of Thomas Hardy and an unusual hankering for that era which runs very deep.

Mark this

Contemplating the universe together. And Saltburn.

Andrew carried all the credentials of best friend for a number of people, including Mark. And although this blog is about Andrew, I can’t write about him without also writing about Mark.

Especially as I’ve realised just this week that  the very fact that Mark and I are together is in large part due to Andrew.  Back in 2005, directing for Grassington Players again, he cast Mark and I as husband and wife in Neil Simon’s play ‘Rumours’, which inevitably kindled the natural spark between us that took hold rapidly.

Waiting for Godot together

Andrew and Mark  brought out out both the best and worst in each other. Their passion for vino was matched glass for glass, bottle for bottle as often as possible. The two of them could sink a bottle of a bottle of Chardonnay in the time it took me to take my coat off and go for a wee!

They also shared a strange sense of humour and an intellect typified by a shared fondness for Beckett that I could never grasp.

Sue Payne, a former girlfriend of Andrew (circa 2012-3, I think), hit the nail on the head last week in a message to me. She said “Mark…was, I think, his soul mate, his equal and the one he most admired. That’s what I saw anyway in the short time I was there. They were both barmy, brilliant, talented, exceptionally intelligent…but both aware of their vulnerable sides and knew their support for each other mattered to them both.”

It was that relationship that formed the very bedrock of the Penny Plain Theatre Company, formed in 2006.

Sudbury Spoone

Tomorrow, Andrew will be buried at Tarn Moor Woodland wearing Sudbury’s coat and hat. This tramp-like persona that he developed for Penny Plain went to the very heart of him. Played for 15 years in rain, sun, wind and hail, Sudbury was quite definitely Andrew’s alter ego.  On a hot summer day he smelt like a skunk. All our costumes remained unwashed each season for authenticity, so his was…ripe, shall we say, and as far as you could possibly imagine from his dapper dinner party dress style or Monday morning medical attire.

For those unfamiliar with the exploits of Penny Plain, I should explain. We decided to have a go at street theatre and threw ourselves into it with a passion. We were to each create our own Victorian persona and together we would be Hardcastle’s Mighty Excelsior Theatre Company, a bunch of very poor (in both senses) actors. Mark became Malvolio Hardcastle, the bombastic frontman and I, Tess Tiquelle; who is mostly pathetic and terribly vain. Unwittingly we all created personas that actually reflected the worst sides of ourselves.

We became a semi-professional millennial travelling theatre company playing a Victorian travelling theatre company. I know; it’s complicated. We would interact with the public all day in those personae whilst in costume, in and out of shops and cafes, ad libbing as required, then for the actual ‘show’ we were staging that year those same Victorian characters had to play a host of other characters badly. Honestly, there was an art to it that took hours of rehearsal.

In our heyday we played arts festivals, folk festivals and historic venues during the summer and for the home crowd at Christmas, our Mummers plays, songs and dancing became an integral part of the annual Grassington Dickensian and other Christmas events.

Tom Lee gets his comeuppance

Fascinated by local folklore and spooky tales, Andrew, aka Sudbury Spoone, drafted the scripts which we’d workshop into shows such as Tom Lee, the tale of the notorious Grassington murder, the Bargueest (of Trollers Ghyll) and, my favourite, The Entire History of the North.

Bizarre humour lay at the heart of everything, overlaid with a healthy dose of dubiously disseminated folk tradition. The well-loved Human Vegetable Machine was invented as a circus booth type of interactive entertainment.

And at the very heart of it all, Andrew’s inner man, Sudbury Spoone. I notice I have unintentionally been writing of Penny Plain in the past tense. Tess finds it hard to imagine going on without him at this point and Malvolio has penned his own tribute here.

Artistic flair

Mind Your Head

Quiet apart from his theatrical talents, Andrew was also pretty artistic. Often involved in set painting and design for Panto and Players, he also painted Penny Plain’s stage and the Human Vegetable Machine.

We had a low ceiling between the split level kitchen and dining room at Chapel Street and Andrew painted a lovely calligraphy warning Mind Your Head for us. Of course it rarely stopped any of us banging our heads but it was a nice talking point all the same. I hope it’s still there.

His most recently adopted hobby though was pyrography, and I am so thrilled that his Christmas gift to us this year was this beautiful Green Man chopping board, which is also so obviously a self-portrait of Sudbury. We will always cherish it.

 

A doctor in the house

It was always handy having Andrew on hand for a quick consultation about the ailments of the day over a glass of wine, but probably my best memory of Andrew the GP was the day in, I think 2005, when he called me on the phone. His colleague Ian Kinnish had, (whilst actually seeing Daniel for a sore throat) spotted that I looked anaemic and sent me for a blood test. I didn’t think much about it, having been anaemic a few times since childhood.

When Andrew rang, I assumed he was phoning about some thespian matter, so was somewhat surprised when he said he was ringing in an official capacity with my blood results. “I’m not quite sure how you are actually walking around”, he said, jovially. “You appear to be deficient in every single vitamin and mineral.”  And so began the long journey to my coeliac disease and osteoporosis diagnosis a year later and subsequent life on a gluten free diet.

When the going got tough

We were generally always there for each other. When Mark was in penury, fairly early in our relationship, Andrew and Angela gave him a home in the basement flat at the Coach House. We spent many evenings upstairs with them, laughing, drinking and putting the world to rights.

A few years later when their marriage sadly imploded we were able to return the favour and Andrew moved in with us for a while at Chapel Street where we did our best to nurse his broken heart. We were also on hand later through an emotional rollercoaster of subsequent relationships. Mark hefted Andrew’s bookcases so many times in and out of one lady friend’s house that he eventually vowed ‘never again’!

Some have said Andrew was ‘a ladies man’ but I don’t see that as fair. He clearly loved with a passion, but his life was always so full, cramming evert minute of every day with several worthwhile activities, that his poor succession of wives/girlfriends struggled to compete for his time. They were inevitably left with the end-of-the-day Andrew; inevitably tired and running purely on caffeine, alcohol and cigars, to the obvious detriment of his health. I felt for them all, yet I’m pretty sure they would each do it all again.

One of his greatest strengths, yet also one of his most annoying traits was his wish to be all things to all men. I can honestly say that in the entire 30 years I knew him we never once had what you would call an argument. That’s not to say we always saw eye to eye but his incredible ability to to try to appease always won over. It meant he was able to effectively walk a tightrope between warring factions inevitable throughout the community, building bridges and smoothing troubled waters. It could be enormously irritating when you knew what he really thought about something but had to watch him opt for compromise, but achieving that is no mean feat in a village like Grassington, especially when dealing with many powerful personalities.

Campervan cohorts

The customary camping nightcap. Whitley Bay 25th September 2020.

In recent years, we found a new hobby to share. Andrew had had a motorhome for a few years, and when we finally sold our house on Chapel Street, freed from the mother of all mortgages, I invested a chunk of the paltry proceeds to buy a campervan from a specialist supplier Andrew recommended.

He joined us on our first adventure, showing us the ropes with electrical hook-ups and other new-fangled strange arts known only to camping and caravanning fans.

After that we enjoyed several convoy jaunts together – Bentham, Saltburn, Halifax and just a few weeks ago, in the lockdown lull at the end of September, we managed a final fling to Whitley Bay. Little did we know it would be his last trip anywhere.

His deterioration in these final weeks was so fast I’m left with regrets that I never had the chance to tell him how great a part he has played in my life. Most definitely a starring role.

And so, goodnight and thank you for all the laughter, the songs and of course, the vegetables.

Exit, stage right. Curtain.

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Guest blog – 7 home page mistakes and how to avoid them https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/guest-blog-7-home-page-mistakes-and-how-to-avoid-them/ Mon, 12 Oct 2020 10:53:17 +0000 https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/?p=6424 The post Guest blog – 7 home page mistakes and how to avoid them appeared first on Manifest PR and Marketing.

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 We loved this piece from Heather Robinson about common traps that businesses fall into when deciding what content to include on their website home page. It really resonated with us and reminded us why we always enjoy working with her at Skitti.sh when our clients need extra help with SEO and digital marketing strategy.

If your website is your online shop, your home page (or ‘homepage’) is your shop window, so it’s the last place you’ll want to be making mistakes when it comes to attracting new customers.

As with a brick and mortar store there’s a right way and a wrong way to set up your shop window to entice people off the street and into your shop. You want to make sure that what’s on display resonates with passersby and that it’s easy for them to identify a product that’s relevant to their needs. You then need to make sure you’re not blocking the door way with other stuff they don’t need and thus making a clear way for them to come on in and purchase something.

It’s the same principles for your website’s home page. You need to make sure you clearly display what they need and make it easy for them to buy. Sadly, not all home pages are created with this in mind and there are a few mistakes we see being made on a regular basis, so let’s look at just some of the mistakes you could well be making with your home page and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Trying to cram everything about your business onto one page

It’s tempting to want to tell visitors everything about that you do on your home page, but by doing so it’s very easy to create a cluttered and confusing experience for the user. Think back to your bricks and mortar store – you know it wouldn’t make sense to place every item in your shop in the shop window. You would usually pick out key products to showcase what you can offer. Just enough to make it clear the types of products you stock, what they expect from your shop and entice them in to view more.

Mistake #2: Not signposting visitors to the appropriate pages

When designing your home page, it’s important to think about the next steps you expect visitors to take and guide them through that process with clear CTAs (Calls-To-Action) throughout. If you don’t, you risk leaving them to wander aimlessly around your website and hope they serendipitously stumble across the information they were looking for. The problem with this is, people are impatient. If they don’t see what they’re looking for right away, they’ll look elsewhere.

Think back to your bricks and mortar store. Having clear signage in the shop for different departments makes finding the right products easier and quicker for the store visitors and avoids them having to ask for help, or worse still, leaving empty handed.

Mistake #3: Opening with your credentials

Sorry to break this to you, but your home page isn’t about you. If you open with your credentials, latest award wins or other industry accolades, you risk alienating your users and leaving them with a feeling of “So what? What does that mean for me, the customer?”.

Your home page should be about what you can do for your potential customer, what problems you solve for them. It’s fine to brag about your award wins and achievements, but make them secondary to what you do for customers. They should act as reassurance that you’re the right company to work with, but they shouldn’t take centre stage.

Think back to your bricks and mortar store. Using your shop window to display your trophies, certificates and rosettes doesn’t really help the passerby understand what you do and what you’re selling. They’ll know you’re good at it, but that’s about it!

Mistake #4: Not providing a clear call-to-action for visitors who are ready to buy

We’re often focused on convincing our audience to buy from us, providing lots of information from features and benefits lists, testimonials, sales videos and fancy graphics, but not all your website visitors will need convincing. They may be further down the decision making process and are ready to hit buy. So we need to have a clear ‘next step’ for these very valuable visitors.

Think back to your bricks and mortar store. There will be buyers that come into your store knowing exactly what they want. They don’t want to browse and admire your displays, they just want what they came for. For these customers, you need to make sure the products are easy to locate and you have a shop assistant on hand to process the transaction swiftly. Making those who are ready to buy browse the shop or wait around to make their purchase will likely send them to your competitors.

Shop window display

Mistake #5: Sending all your PPC traffic to your home page

If you’re paying for traffic from search engines or social media and then sending all that traffic to your home page it can be like abandoning your potential customers at the door of your bricks and mortar store with no clue how to find the product or service they had searched for. Traffic is more likely to bounce if they’re not shown something relevant to their search, so be sure to drop them off on a page with relevant information about what they were looking for.

Mistake #6: Going to town on the design and forgetting about the content

Design is important, we understand that, but sometimes the design takes over and we forget to include content that our users need to see, or even sacrifice the user experience as a whole. Form should follow function, people!

Think back to your bricks and mortar store. You could have the most amazing display in your shop window, but if your shop is empty with no clear offering, it’s kinda wasted.

Mistake #7: Leaving your page title as “Home” or “Homepage”

As an SEO, this makes me sad. Every page deserves a unique, descriptive page title, especially your home page. Your page title is what’s going to tell Google what your site is about. It’s also what shows up in Google as the blue clickable link, so it’s your opportunity to include a few keywords and make it relevant to what people would search for. By leaving your page title as “Home”, you’re essentially optimising your site for the word “Home”. Unless that’s the name of your business, that’s probably not what you want to do.

Home page mistakes - page titles!

 

 

 

 

 

Search for “homepage” and you’ll find the BBC rank highly for the term!

Think back to your bricks and mortar store. Naming your home page “home” is like naming your shop “shop”. It’s doesn’t really help people understand what you do, what you sell and for whom, so be more creative!

In conclusion…

There are so many tweaks you can make to your home page to better improve the experience for users. And don’t feel like you can’t change the design once in a while. Bricks and mortar stores will change up their displays to showcase new products all the time, so why not take inspiration from them and experiment with a new layout?

 

For more from Heather and Skittish, visit www.skitt.sh  

 

 

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A post-pandemic landscape for tourism https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/a-post-pandemic-landscape-for-tourism/ https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/a-post-pandemic-landscape-for-tourism/#respond Tue, 09 Jun 2020 19:09:00 +0000 https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/?p=6159 Liz Smailes considers how the legacy of disasters abroad can help tourism today During 15 years living in Asia, Liz Smailes worked in the hospitality industry with local and multinational companies through SARS, the 2004 Asian tsunami, H1N1, Bird Flu, the financial crash of 2008, five military coups in Bangkok, earthquakes, bomb attacks, remote resort […]

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Liz Smailes considers how the legacy of disasters abroad can help tourism today

During 15 years living in Asia, Liz Smailes worked in the hospitality industry with local and multinational companies through SARS, the 2004 Asian tsunami, H1N1, Bird Flu, the financial crash of 2008, five military coups in Bangkok, earthquakes, bomb attacks, remote resort fires and terrorist alerts. Returning to the UK in 2018 she and her husband built a bespoke narrow boat holiday hire company – Blue Otter Boats Ltd. She now consults on crisis management for, among others, Skipton BID Ltd.:

Now is the time to learn, share and adapt from those with the most experience. Being agile to an ever changing landscape is going to be key for survival, observing and learning from others who’ve been close to this before There are pockets of human behaviour I’ve observed before through different types of crisis, all culminating in this one massive, life-changing event now in our time.

With a history of SARS, H1N1 and bird flu, Asian nations immediately grasped the gravity and potential devastation that came with Covid-19. The dissemination of news was quick and multilingual. Unlike previous times of similar viruses, the existence of social media and the general public’s rapid access to communication meant that news travelled this time at lightening speed. Official corona infographics appeared within hours, informing my friends over there what to do, where to go, who to contact and how to behave. Residents didn’t question it; they knew what was at stake.

Here in the UK I initially observed a predominant and contrasting trait along the lines of “it wont affect me” – and not having had such a close call with SARS in the past, it is perhaps not surprising. Coronavirus was not a tangible or visible threat. I still follow the ‘UK in Thailand’ Facebook page published by the British Embassy in Bangkok, and I saw the contrast between the gravity of the British ambassador’s line of messaging with the tone of reporting here in the UK, underlining the difference in long-term vision abroad as opposed to the short-term impact at home.

The hare and the tortoise

In terms of recovery, in 2004 when colossal waves devastated coastlines and everything in their path, the initial human instinct to look out for ‘me and my survival’ was short lived.  I reached the affected areas 10 days after Boxing Day 2004 and new communities had already formed. There was an overriding sense of us, ours and theirs as a joint effort that was firmly established. Some eager companies moved in fast to gain a quick win or monopolise the market – I call it the hare approach – but they didn’t last long and were not accepted by the community. Others took time to assess, gauge, connect and collaborate – I call it the tortoise approach – and they found strength within the community and prospered together.

Local loyalty, pride and passion for any success will be vital for us today in the initial phase of Covid19 recovery. Anywhere in the world, whatever a business decides to do next, the value of and acceptance from local community is going to be crucial to sustainable success.

As we emerge from lockdown, rather than working in silos, local companies should look to combine their expertise within their geographical area collaboratively to create a well-rounded experience, delivering a 360 degree service. Prepare for ever-changing goalposts as new regulations emerge over time. Band together as a team of extended companies; it will be easier to ride the storm and adapt.

Marketing through a crisis

Once we are allowed to travel again, your local travel agent and their extensive network of national contacts will become crucial to your marketing and attracting the traveller your product is intended for. The internet will be awash with information, deals and saturated with offers. Taking the tortoise approach, as and when you are ready, you will be in control of the market you can manage and seek to attract.

In tourism there is always a peak season and a low season. Now we have a wait-and-see season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t plan for it. We all want answers to be forthcoming, yet the only constant at the moment is that three months into the pandemic, no one can really tell for sure what it’s going to be like when we come out of lockdown. This means reassurance at every point of communication will be key to restoring consumer confidence.

Following the financial crash of 2008 we saw a switch from product to brand messaging. There was an increased usage of human marketing language, messaging was service-orientated rather than product-oriented as industries recognised the new needs of customers. Increased transparency and authenticity were critical in re-building confidence.

One marketing trend I am already noticing now is an increased use of light-hearted and more human design elements. As companies start their re-launch campaigns, I’m seeing more unique and stylised hand-drawn icons and other elements to enhance brand personality. Uplifting, hopeful messages address the wider public who have a need for more positivity in their lives.

When it comes to branding and marketing, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel; just put a new tyre on it – or sometimes all it needs is more air. At the hub, always allow your brand values to serve as an internal control system.

Managing expectations

Provide solutions before problems arise.The Yorkshire Dales and surrounding towns are heavily dependent on tourism. Curiosity and the passion to explore ensures visitors will come back, but it will be a very different type of traveller. Focus on what you are ready for and on delivering that exceptionally well. By packaging and spoon-feeding experiences as they become ready for visitors to enjoy allows you to manage the crowds and their expectations.

Who are the travellers of tomorrow?

The travel industry contributes 10% to the world’s GDP and sustains 1 in 12 of all global jobs (around 255 million people). We are all desperate to pack our suitcases again. When will that be and what will it be like? Three months in—with some countries ending lockdowns, others gradually phasing them out, or considering ending them—we can attempt to answer those questions.

The broad answer to when we can travel abroad again is dependent on three factors:

  • When we are allowed to, determined by governmental regulations, both domestic and international.
  • When we feel safe doing so, determined by health and sanitation protocols for planes, cruises, and in hotels.
  • When the right transportation options are available –  airlines with the right routes, cruises fit to set sail and no quarantine awaiting us on arrival at the destination.

Until then, we will have a staycation market, but even that needs redefining and once you understand the future travellers’ needs, you can revisit your assets and tailor them to meet that rising demand.

Domestic travel in post-covid landscape

1)  Understand your ‘feeder market’.

Where do you travellers come from? The initial traveller will be families and friends, and those within a one-hour drive of your location. Hence local loyalty is going to go a long way for you in the recovery process. The second wave will be travellers who live 3- 5 hours drive away. Put yourself in their shoes, and ask yourself how you would like your holiday to pan out, what information you will need and what are the reassurance messages that would convince you?

2) Rural vs Urban.

People will want to avoid crowds and find peaceful sanctuaries more than ever. Until we have a vaccine, any notion of large crowds will not entice visitors and destinations will be looking to put every regulation in place to avoid large gatherings. People from densely populated areas in towns and cities will crave open air spaces. These travellers are used to being around people, and are now looking for somewhere remote yet also close to medical facilities and amenities.

On the flip side, rural communities will be craving some urban connection in a trusted social environment. Favourite cafes are trending at the top of places we are longing to go back to. It starts with the simple experience of having someone else making our cup of coffee and slicing a piece of cake for us. A friendly face, the background music and people watching from afar. Simple pleasures.

3) Wellbeing, health prevention and sustainability

While we will initially see families and loved ones reconnecting within their own environments, the pandemic has put a spotlight on personal well-being, holistic health and that of our natural environments. We can expect to see an increased interest in wellness retreats, rural holiday experiences – particularly those that have a sustainability vision – and open air attractions.

4) Going Green

With time to take stock and enjoy a reset, people around the world are realising how fragile our planet is – both in terms of the ecosystem and human interrelations. Sustainable tourism is more desirable than ever before. Destinations and companies offering a real commitment to environmental and social responsibility will be favoured by a growing number of eco-conscious travellers.

5) Slow motion

Commonly known as the farm-to-fork cuisine, slow food concepts are already a few decades in the making. Don’t be surprised to see them now come of age. After months of lockdown, we can expect a renewed focus on slower, more considered travel and experiences, defined by responsible values. Visitors will want to help local businesses get back on their feet. They will be curious to hear the before and after stories, and tourists will also proactively want to create a positive impact on the destinations that they visit.

Paths less trodden

I consider myself immensely privileged to have travelled to so many fascinating places, often with names I call lost-luggage destinations – Ashagabat, for example – and to have immersed myself in so many cultures along the way.  One too many crises along the way for my liking, but even those experiences have helped me grow.

We’re entering a new era of living and with pent-up wanderlust comes a greater appreciation of the simple pleasures – walking barefoot on sand, savouring a beautiful sunset, sipping on a perfectly poured wine enjoyed with local cheese. Our travel memories are populating Facebook and Instagram, and it is always the purity of the travel experiences that we remember – stunning sunsets, long and lazy breakfasts and beautiful views.

In the hospitality industry we often remind ourselves of a phrase by Mary Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Be kind, stay safe,

Liz

http://blueotterboats.com/

 

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Free therapy offered for key workers https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/free-therapy-offered-for-key-workers/ https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/free-therapy-offered-for-key-workers/#respond Thu, 23 Apr 2020 12:09:20 +0000 https://www.manifestmarketing.co.uk/?p=6128 As the side effects of the COVID19 virus outbreak begin to manifest itself on the healthy population in the form of anxiety and stress, Yorkshire clinical hypnotherapist Amy Brown of Power of Your Mind is offering complimentary one-to-one therapy online for people who have been identified as key workers. The session, or series of sessions, […]

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As the side effects of the COVID19 virus outbreak begin to manifest itself on the healthy population in the form of anxiety and stress, Yorkshire clinical hypnotherapist Amy Brown of Power of Your Mind is offering complimentary one-to-one therapy online for people who have been identified as key workers.

The session, or series of sessions, can particularly benefit individuals suddenly finding themselves removed from their own support network of family and friends while under increased pressure to continue working to provide a vital service to others.  NHS staff, teachers, delivery drivers, transport and supermarket workers are all invited to seek help in this way.

Using a combination of counselling and hypnotherapy, the hour-long sessions are tailored to suit each individual, addressing whatever particular issues they are struggling with in the crisis, such as missing their children or elderly parents, dealing with isolated bereavement, financial concerns and exposure to the virus.

The therapy is delivered through Skype or Zoom. Anyone with a smartphone, laptop, tablet or webcam can access the complimentary therapy service and those not familiar with using Skype or Zoom are offered pre-session assistance over the phone or with an online video as to how to download and use the free software.

Running alongside the free therapy for key-workers (as defined by the government), Amy is also offering a discounted session open to anyone else struggling with social distancing and self-isolating at this time. The Mind Massage is a guided relaxation session which offers all the benefits that a physical massage would have on the body but is applied to the subconscious mind.  She explains:

“Many people are already struggling with the combined physical and mental deprivations associated with being in lockdown. With self-rejuvenating trips to hairdressers, spas and gyms now no longer possible, I’ve developed The Mind Massage session to help bolster clients’ flagging spirits and find the positives within their own psyche to cope with our new socially-distanced lives.”

Amy has also created a Facebook group for people to gain support and connection with others on social media, entitled Positive Wellbeing Support Group during Coranavirus Pandemic (COVID-19).

Both the free therapy for key-workers and the Mind Massage sessions can be booked by calling 01756 699136, with more information on the service at https://thepowerofyourmind.co.uk/

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