We all live busy and stressful lives with limited spare time, however if we all just gave a little time, we can make fundamental changes to someone else’s life.
Volunteer Week 2011 started today and is a week of activities and events to celebrate volunteers in the UK and to inspire others to help too.
If you fancy breaking a Guinness World Record, head down to the O2 Arena on Friday 3rd June to be part of the world’s largest sports lesson with Badminton England. You can register online or at the venue between 11-1pm, the session is from 1.30-2.30pm.
Check out the website for ideas how you can volunteer and inspiring stories.
But don’t stop at volunteering this week, why not involve your company in the national Give and Gain Day 2011 on 24th June. This is a national day of employee volunteering where individuals can spend some time making a real difference in schools, local charities and community groups all over the UK.
If you are an employer, it is definitely worth participating as last year 87% of employees reported they “felt more pride in their employer as a result of participating”.
So go on, give a little and help a lot.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
CALLING ALL CYCLISTS!
The next theme we are covering in our ‘Best of Independent London’ weekly supplement for The Big Issue is: CYCLING LONDON.
We want all you cycling lovers to recommend your favourite cycling route in London and tell us why you love it. Maybe you see fantastic historic sights along the way? Or is it a particularly beautiful ride? Whatever the reason – tell us!
We will then publish the top five most popular routes in the magazine. The Big Issue readers can then vote for their favourite and enter into a prize draw to win a fantastic cycling prize! Everyone who sends a recommendation will also be entered into the draw!
Email info@wedgecard.co.uk with your favourite routes.
We want all you cycling lovers to recommend your favourite cycling route in London and tell us why you love it. Maybe you see fantastic historic sights along the way? Or is it a particularly beautiful ride? Whatever the reason – tell us!
We will then publish the top five most popular routes in the magazine. The Big Issue readers can then vote for their favourite and enter into a prize draw to win a fantastic cycling prize! Everyone who sends a recommendation will also be entered into the draw!
Email info@wedgecard.co.uk with your favourite routes.
Friday, 20 May 2011
Parliamentary Improvements to the High Street
We think it is great news that Mary Portas has been asked by David Cameron to help save our high streets. The main aim is "to address soaring shop vacancy rates, prevent the proliferation of "clone towns" dominated by familiar big names and boost the number of small and independent retailers in town centres."(Full article available here.)
Wedge are doing our bit to save London high streets, but this high profile initiative will hopefully encourage more nationwide local shopping.
Shops are being forced to close every week all over the UK, and we are all losing out. Independent shops add so much to communities, this is often only noticed when it is too late.
Independent shops offer fantastic customer service. These businesses mean everything to the owners, so they strive to offer the best service possible and are often experts, so can give customers invaluable advice.
As well as great advice and service, independent shops are very often cheaper than chain stores and can also often stock unusual items. Many will even order a specific item in for a customer, something which is unlikely in bigger shops.
We are excited to see what plans Mary unveils and are totally behind the initiative to improve the high street – as we always say......EVERY LITTLE SHOP HELPS.
Wedge are doing our bit to save London high streets, but this high profile initiative will hopefully encourage more nationwide local shopping.
Shops are being forced to close every week all over the UK, and we are all losing out. Independent shops add so much to communities, this is often only noticed when it is too late.
Independent shops offer fantastic customer service. These businesses mean everything to the owners, so they strive to offer the best service possible and are often experts, so can give customers invaluable advice.
As well as great advice and service, independent shops are very often cheaper than chain stores and can also often stock unusual items. Many will even order a specific item in for a customer, something which is unlikely in bigger shops.
We are excited to see what plans Mary unveils and are totally behind the initiative to improve the high street – as we always say......EVERY LITTLE SHOP HELPS.
Monday, 6 December 2010
Small Business Saturday - a great American idea
Since we launched in UK four years ago, we’ve been contacted by hundreds of people from across the UK and the world who are desperate to save their local, independent shops. Depressingly it’s not just our problem, it’s a worldwide problem. We could wax lyrical about the importance of local shops (they’re great for the local economy, give us unique and vibrant neighbourhoods, create places for people to walk and connect. They sell us more diverse products and are better for the environment because they use, on average, less power - and you’re more likely to walk rather than drive to them). But we’re also keen to promote the good ideas out there that help local businesses. Here’s one idea we've just found.
America is often thought of as the home of the chains, but we are constantly surprised to hear news from across the pond about the interesting campaigns and schemes set up to promote local shops. One we recently happened across was ‘Small Business Saturday’ – held on November 27th this year to promote shopping at local businesses on a day when customers are more likely to choose big stores for their Xmas shopping. It’s sponsored by American Express and a number of other organisations. In addition staho.com reports:
“American Express Open has also launched another marketing program which should encourage and attract more consumers to shop at small businesses. Consumers must register their American Express card at SmallBusinessSaturday.com and use it to spend at least $25 at a local business on Saturday. Customers who will do this qualify for the statement credit. Rosa Sabater, a senior vice president for American Express Open said the registration is limited and only 200,000 people can sign up.
Rosa Sabater also said small local business must be encouraged as well, as over the last two decades 65 percent of the new jobs came from them. She also said small businesses can help the economic recovery if they manage to attract more customers. Therefore, the company decided to organize the marketing program which is meant to attract more clients and to increase sales for small businesses.
According to the Small Business Saturday website, the one-day event is a national campaign which should inspire and persuade consumers to support their local small businesses.”
We at Wedge are keen to see how this has helped, and will keep our eyes and ears peeled
See http://www.staho.com/american-express-open-launches-small-business-saturday-campaign/208349/ for more info
Diana Bird
America is often thought of as the home of the chains, but we are constantly surprised to hear news from across the pond about the interesting campaigns and schemes set up to promote local shops. One we recently happened across was ‘Small Business Saturday’ – held on November 27th this year to promote shopping at local businesses on a day when customers are more likely to choose big stores for their Xmas shopping. It’s sponsored by American Express and a number of other organisations. In addition staho.com reports:
“American Express Open has also launched another marketing program which should encourage and attract more consumers to shop at small businesses. Consumers must register their American Express card at SmallBusinessSaturday.com and use it to spend at least $25 at a local business on Saturday. Customers who will do this qualify for the statement credit. Rosa Sabater, a senior vice president for American Express Open said the registration is limited and only 200,000 people can sign up.
Rosa Sabater also said small local business must be encouraged as well, as over the last two decades 65 percent of the new jobs came from them. She also said small businesses can help the economic recovery if they manage to attract more customers. Therefore, the company decided to organize the marketing program which is meant to attract more clients and to increase sales for small businesses.
According to the Small Business Saturday website, the one-day event is a national campaign which should inspire and persuade consumers to support their local small businesses.”
We at Wedge are keen to see how this has helped, and will keep our eyes and ears peeled
See http://www.staho.com/american-express-open-launches-small-business-saturday-campaign/208349/ for more info
Diana Bird
Monday, 22 November 2010
Make a Job, Don’t take a Job
Last week was Global Entrepreneurship Week which hosted 40,000 events involving 100 countries and 10 million participants and WedgeCard was lucky enough to be invited to the launch event!
Google’s headquarters in all their creative glory provided an inspiring and appropriate location for the launch of this initiative which aims to inspire and support budding entrepreneurs to pursue and realise their ideas.
Speakers included ‘dragon’ Peter Jones CBE, Chairman of Enterprise UK along with the Chief Executive of Enterprise UK, Tom Bewick, who stressed how GEW can really improve an individuals chances of setting up their business.
Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills spoke of various new government initiatives such as a mentor scheme for entrepreneurs as well as stressing that the current economic difficulties should not discourage entrepreneurs. David Cameron supported Vince Cable via a video message stressing the importance and need to support and encourage entrepreneurs for a successful future for Britain.
A panel discussion led by Justin Webb from the BBC included Mark Prisk MP, Minister of State for Business and Enterprise agreeing with Peter Jones for the need to include enterprise throughout the school system, as it is the skill set for entrepreneurship which is vital. The panel also included Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, founder of The Black Farmer, who dispelled the myth that entrepreneurs were all ‘nasty’, otherwise no one would trust them! Sara Murray, founder of Buddi, described the scary statistic that 95% of businesses fail, therefore entrepreneurs need to be “irrationally optimistic”. Sara also highlighted the important fact that some entrepreneur successes can result in failure for others, such as Tesco destroying local shops, an issue obviously close to our heart. Therefore, support must be offered to existing businesses as well as new ones.
Matt Brittin, MD of Google UK described the importance of entrepreneurs entering the digital age as small businesses using the internet are growing four times as fast than those not using the internet. Doug Richard, founder of School for Startups supported this idea by recognising the internet vastly reduces entry barriers which new businesses face. Matt and Doug discussed these important factors whilst sitting on a park bench, in true Google style!
This was a truly inspirational and exciting event, at the end of which, the message that entrepreneurship was the way forward had most definitely been engraved into everyone’s head! Wedge are excited for more entrepreneurial successes however do not want our favourite existing ones to be forgotten about and they need support too!
For more details visit: www.gew.org.uk
Google’s headquarters in all their creative glory provided an inspiring and appropriate location for the launch of this initiative which aims to inspire and support budding entrepreneurs to pursue and realise their ideas.
Speakers included ‘dragon’ Peter Jones CBE, Chairman of Enterprise UK along with the Chief Executive of Enterprise UK, Tom Bewick, who stressed how GEW can really improve an individuals chances of setting up their business.
Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills spoke of various new government initiatives such as a mentor scheme for entrepreneurs as well as stressing that the current economic difficulties should not discourage entrepreneurs. David Cameron supported Vince Cable via a video message stressing the importance and need to support and encourage entrepreneurs for a successful future for Britain.
A panel discussion led by Justin Webb from the BBC included Mark Prisk MP, Minister of State for Business and Enterprise agreeing with Peter Jones for the need to include enterprise throughout the school system, as it is the skill set for entrepreneurship which is vital. The panel also included Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, founder of The Black Farmer, who dispelled the myth that entrepreneurs were all ‘nasty’, otherwise no one would trust them! Sara Murray, founder of Buddi, described the scary statistic that 95% of businesses fail, therefore entrepreneurs need to be “irrationally optimistic”. Sara also highlighted the important fact that some entrepreneur successes can result in failure for others, such as Tesco destroying local shops, an issue obviously close to our heart. Therefore, support must be offered to existing businesses as well as new ones.
Matt Brittin, MD of Google UK described the importance of entrepreneurs entering the digital age as small businesses using the internet are growing four times as fast than those not using the internet. Doug Richard, founder of School for Startups supported this idea by recognising the internet vastly reduces entry barriers which new businesses face. Matt and Doug discussed these important factors whilst sitting on a park bench, in true Google style!
This was a truly inspirational and exciting event, at the end of which, the message that entrepreneurship was the way forward had most definitely been engraved into everyone’s head! Wedge are excited for more entrepreneurial successes however do not want our favourite existing ones to be forgotten about and they need support too!
For more details visit: www.gew.org.uk
Monday, 1 November 2010
When was the high street at it's best?
The BBC news magazine have been taking a look at the high street through the ages and posing a mighty interesting question - When was the high street at it's best?.
"At its birth in the Victorian age, or the gracious Edwardian era? Or more recently, before the arrival of superstores and online rivals?" They have taken one market town through the ages to find out.
With over 13% of all local shop premieses now vacant, and the number steadily increasing every year, now is definitely the time to take stock, create good ideas, before we loose our high streets all together.
"At its birth in the Victorian age, or the gracious Edwardian era? Or more recently, before the arrival of superstores and online rivals?" They have taken one market town through the ages to find out.
With over 13% of all local shop premieses now vacant, and the number steadily increasing every year, now is definitely the time to take stock, create good ideas, before we loose our high streets all together.
Friday, 8 October 2010
Breaking out of the business bubble
This week I’ve been asked to fly to Abu Dhabi to speak at a youth entrepreneurship conference. So, having formerly been a youth and now an entrepreneur, I knew I was the right lady for the job. It might seem a rather tenuous link; after all Wedge works in a hyper local way in London and a few parts of the UK. However, I promise you this isn’t some folly to get some winter sun whilst the team back at Wedge HQ are busy working on The King of Camden Awards to celebrate the best businesses in Camden Town, the launch of a bigger & better London Wedge supplement in the Big Issue and continuing to promote local businesses across the capital.
The reason is this: I was intrigued by the idea of bringing early-stage business folk, and those interested in becoming one, together from across the world. It’s easy to get stuck in a bubble when you’re in business; not only by your company’s limitations and potential but also the way that business is done in your culture. Look at how revolutionary the internet has been in changing the way business is done. Although it doesn’t replace traditional concepts of business, it sharpens, it enhances and it inspires how business is done. And it is these things that I am hoping to get from this conference.
Diana
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