A year of sparkle

It doesn’t seem possible but it’s a whole year since I set up We Are Sparkle with my business partner Nicola Little. That’s 12 months. That’s 52 weeks. A whole 365 days!

We were so excited about We Are Sparkle back in March 2013. And we still are.

We Are Sparkle is our communications company and is driven by our shared ethical outlook, a desire to connect, and a clear creative edge.

We genuinely care about what we do and above all, we are about connecting our clients with the right audiences and generating the results that they want.

We have very complementary yet different skills (Nicola talks, I write, we both think).

And that’s why we decided to set up We Are Sparkle. We want to work with like-minded business rather than just take on work for the sake of it. We want to be seen as being a bit different and as girls making a difference – we’re very ‘sparkly’ full of ideas and energy and really care about what we do.

Over the last year we’ve grown the business steadily and have been lucky enough to bring on board some really lovely and interesting clients.

During this time we have recognised that we work really well together and importantly for us have a shared set of values – we care and want to help decent businesses that we believe in do well by helping them to connect and communicate.

We only work with like-minded businesses that share our values.

It’s astonishing how quickly time passes when you’re having fun! Here’s to the next year of sparkles.

Daisy Green scoops national award

I was privileged to be at the PEA (People & Environment Achievement) Awards last week to keep Suzanne Whelan company while she collected an award for Daisy Green Magazine!

The ceremony took place at the Patagonia Store in Covent Garden, London, on Tuesday 26 November. They celebrate the practical and positive steps being taken by individuals and businesses to address the climate change challenge and working to create a secure future.

So I really was over the moon to witness Daisy Green scoop the PEA-ple’s Favourite Award, which recognises the highest voted for eco and ethical business delivering the best environmental practice and products in the eyes of the general public.

Suzanne Whelan, Daisy Green director, said: “I am thrilled and proud that the magazine has been recognised in these awards, especially as we were in the finals with nine other excellent businesses most of which have been featured and championed in the magazine.”

The evening’s host was Phaldut Sharma – AJ from Eastenders! – who added to the great atmosphere with his very enjoyable style of presenting.

The PEA Awards had 13 Award Categories overall, with the full list of all winners now online at www.peaawards.co.uk

You can also read more here.

Newcastle eco event helps businesses tap into green economy

What a great day the Big Eco Show in Newcastle was!

Hundreds of businesses turned up on Thursday 18 April to find out more on how the green economy can help them. The Big Eco Show brought together and showcased businesses from across the region and focused on how they can grow and build their resilience within the green economy.

The key note speaker, entrepreneur Tim Cantle-Jones, spoke about the importance of the green economy and explained how it offers a new way of doing business; co-operation and collaboration rather than conflict and competition.

He outlined the opportunities for business, for the North East region and invited thoughts on the collective vision of what the future will look like if we get it right.

The Big Eco Show is the only place to be for firms wishing to gain inspiration and ideas around the emerging green economy to assist growth, to improve resilience to the impacts of the changing climate, and also to reduce costs by cutting emission

I am thrilled with the success of the Big Eco Show. Interest in the show has been exceptional and everyone we spoke to during the day told us that there was a real need for an event like this. We already have plans in the pipeline for a third Big Eco Show in Sunderland in the autumn.

If you want to find out more just drop an email to Nicola@daisygreen.me

Check out pictures from the day on Pinterest. Enjoy!

Thrilled to be a Climate Week Award finalist!

Today I found out that the ConnectFriday Twitter Hour that I run in partnership with Nicola has been shortlisted as a finalist in this year’s Climate Week Awards in the Best Community Initiative!

I’m absolutely thrilled and can’t wait until Monday 4 March to find out who the winner will be.

ConnectFriday is not just potentially award-winning, but I believe provides a genuinely useful service for businesses working in the climate resilient and low-carbon economy. And of course, it’s great fun!

Based on the success of ‘real-life’ networking events held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and in response to what businesses said they wanted, we launched the ConnectFriday Twitter Hour in October 2012.

It takes place every Friday at 10am and has proved to be a phenomenal success. It trends nearly every week and has extended networking opportunities for ‘green’ businesses from a regional to a national and international level.

The networking hour on Twitter was set up to provide a way for ‘green’ businesses to meet, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, access and share information, and establish genuine relationships.

There are a growing number of green firms in the UK coming up with clever products and services to address both the impacts of climate change and to reduce emissions. Getting more businesses, of all sizes, to take advantage of the commercial opportunities associated with climate change (both in terms of adapting to the impacts and mitigating the effects) and help grow their business is critical for future economic growth.

By being an accessible networking platform and facilitating meaningful introductions, ConnectFriday helps followers actively network, make authentic links and identifying strategic ways to collaborate and strengthen their shared sense of purpose.

Our approach is based on taking the time to genuinely consult, listen and respond to the needs of business. We continue to work hard consulting and taking the time to listen to business needs, seeking to adjust the format in response to the continuous feedback.

I believe this is why ConnectFriday networking, both offline and online, has worked so well!