A Comprehensive Business Start-Up Course for Women

Price:                    £99.00* including all materials and tuition

Time:                    9.30am to 2.30pm

Date:                     Tuesdays only 21^st Jan – 18^th March (no session 18^th Feb)

Venue:                 Farmor’s School, The Park, Fairford, GL7 4JQ

Starting and running a business takes not just an idea but motivation, time, energy and skill. This is an opportunity to explore what’s involved and see for yourself just how easy it can be to set up and run your own business.

If you have a business idea, a hobby you’d like to make money from, or are simply wondering if you’ve got what it takes, then this course is for you. In the company of like-minded women you will learn a great deal, have a lot of fun and cover topics that include:

·         What is an Entrepreneur?

·         Why choose self-employment?

·         What are the skills and qualities of an entrepreneur?

·         Work-Life-Balance and your vision of your future.

·         Business Plans. What are they and who are they for?

·         You as your best marketing resource and use of social media for business.

·         Managing paperwork, your finances and what the taxman needs.

This flexible and comprehensive course, specifically designed for women, will answer your questions, help you risk assess your ideas and support you in exploring how being self-employed might work for you. The course runs one-day-a-week over an 8-week period. There is no session in half term week.

*A new partnership with Adult Education in Gloucestershire allows us to offer free places to qualifying participants. Please just ask if you think you might qualify.

For more information or to book a place
Email: sjm@sjmcoachingandtraining.co.uk or Tel: 01386 701868

Welcome to Longford!

What a welcome awaited Lewis Gordon has he moved into his new home in Longford from South Gloucestershire. Lewis moved to the Longford Lock Barns off Tewkesbury road on the 2nd January, just as the post-Christmas deluge and storms were about to take hold. Though he had been warned of potential flooding in the area, he quickly realised after parking his car, on that first day that there could be a major problem!

His new and concerned neighbours advised him that he should park his car on the higher ground on the opposite side of the Tewkesbury road if he did not want his car to become submerged! Lewis promptly responded, as the courtyard began to fill up rapidly under the torrential rain which the Courtyard’s single grid could not cope with. He was informed that during the famous floods of 2007 the lower two rooms of his accommodation, the “Chauffer’s Cottage”, had been entirely flooded too. Lewis did not hesitate and moved all his furniture and belongings to the upper floors as a matter of urgency, before deciding to stay with friends for a couple of nights. Fortunately for Lewis, remedial work on the flooring had been completed since 2007, which prevented any water entering the property on this occasion. Nearly a week later as the water started to subside, he was able to start a “normal” existence in his new Longford home. Lewis is very philosophical about the whole episode which he has tagged as an enlightening experience. The photo shows Longford Lock Barns about a week after the deluge still with a water depth of over two feet.

For the residents at the top of the Courtyard there was an eerie feeling of deja vu, as they had not forgotten their experience of the 2007 floods. Brenda Halls from the “Wagon House” remembers vividly how her home, although built at a higher level than the Courtyard, had all the downstairs rooms flooded at a cost of thousands and a great deal of disruption! Whilst her insurance company made full compensation, inevitably the insurance premiums have since become astronomical. On this occasion, although the water did not actually rise above the courtyard wall (approx. 6ft in height), Brenda and her husband could not wade through it to get to their car. The alternative route to the road was a trek through a field at the back of a neighbour’s house!

For the residents of Longford Lock Barns this was considered a “near miss”- the risk of flooding is a constant threat for them, and unfortunately, it is one which they all have to live with.

Flood Defence Success

On a brighter note it was good to see that the flood prevention work completed around Cypress Gardens and Evergreen Walk has had a profound effect. The stream flowing adjacent to Cypress Gardens now has a monitoring mechanism installed which controls the amount of water running through the stream. It is linked to the main reservoir and once a certain water level is reached in the stream, the water entering from the reservoir is significantly reduced to prevent the stream water rising above the banks. It has proved to be a really successful project, for which the Environmental Agency should be highly commended!

There was not a single sand bag in sight on my visit to the area and Patricia Carter a resident of Cypress Gardens, who lives adjacent to Evergreen Walk was delighted with the results. Patricia added that memory of 2007 was now despatched to “history”, for not only have there been tremendous flood defence developments, but the whole quality of life for the local residents had been improved greatly too.

It was also noticeable that a section of fencing, which is about six feet in height, has been erected and strategically placed, adjacent to Evergreen Walk. It appears to provide additional support to the electronically controlled system and forms an integral part of the overall flood defences. Presumably, the barrier would also prevent any egress of water from the stream escaping into the surrounding residences.

When we assess the amount of flooding that has taken place recently in the South West of England, it is worth remembering that we should always be prepared for the unexpected, as both the weather and the seasons become increasingly less predictable.

Hucclecote Rugby Club – Gloucester’s Leading Amateur Rugby Club

As one of Gloucester’s leading amateur rugby clubs Hucclecote RFC have been established for nearly 50 years.

Originally Founded as Hucclecote Old Boys in 1968, by Tony Wainwright, the club was based at the old Hucclecote School and it was not until the school closed in 1987 that it became HRFC.

From those humble beginnings, the club can now offer rugby to three senior teams, several junior teams, and Mini rugby sessions for infants and a Ladies team. There is, also, a thriving Club House, which provides a social hub for players and supporters alike.

The senior 1st team play in the Gloucestershire Premier League and consistently manage to hold their own against high standards of opposition including Stroud Rugby club, the Gordon League club, and current league leaders Newent RFC.

The Club is delighted to have the former Wales B International Andy Phillips as the Senior coach and is proud of the fact that there are about twelve players aged U21 in the Senior squads, these players have developed through the Junior teams and played rugby at Hucclecote all their lives! More good news for the clubs future is the progress of the current U14 squad who have the potential and quality to continue this development process through to the senior teams.

Junior and Mini Rugby is a Thriving Section of the club! Coach Ray Davies, who has responsibility for all the Junior teams, has between 150 -200 junior players regularly attending the coaching sessions, which are held at the club on Sunday mornings from 10am. There are 10 junior sides, with ages ranging from U6 up to U16. Whilst all the teams are regularly involved in friendly matches and travel around Gloucestershire and the Bristol area to play matches. They also play in the prestigious County Cup, a trophy that everyone in the junior teams would love to win for their club. Currently, most of the teams have an abundance of players; however, the recently formed U16 team cannot yet field a full team and are in urgent need of young players. Therefore, anyone in this age group who has played or wants to play rugby should contact Ray directly, preferably by email on raydavis@blueyonder.co.uk or Tel No: 01452 558915.

Unfortunately, the Ladies Rugby team at this time is also struggling for players, and Coach Nikki Gordon is keen to recruit either new or established players to boost the squad. The team play in the Midland league which provides a very good standard of rugby, and training takes place on Wednesday evenings. So if you are 17 years of age or over and are interested please contact Nikki on 07725 910472, I’m sure she will appreciate your interest.

Chairman / Secretary, Mark Howkins has been linked to the club for about 38 years; during this time he was a regular member of the senior teams. Following retirement from playing, he continued to offer his services to the club in a number of different roles as a Committee member before accepting the Chairmanship, whilst combining the extensive duties as Club Secretary. Anyone who is interested in playing or becoming a club member should initially contact: Mark Howkins on 01452 611864.

Tony Wainwright continues his long standing association with the club as Club President, he is always active; if he is not coaching, refereeing or running the line, then he will be cooking up food for the players after training! Tony’s lasting memory, which to date is the pinnacle of the Club’s achievement was reaching the semi -final of the Pilkington Shield in 1994, when the Club, Tony and his team were robbed of a trip to Twickenham by a missed, last minute penalty, which went narrowly wide of the goal posts!

It is on this solid foundation that the club is formed and judging by the enthusiasm generated by Tony, Mark and their fellow committee members the club will continue to progress as a valuable social asset within the Hucclecote Community.