Oct 9, 2019
The Dolphin Shopping Centre in Poole is supporting
World Mental Health Day to raise awareness of the professional support
available to residents.
World Mental Health Day takes place on Thursday,
October 10 and aims to encourage more people dealing with mental health disorders
to seek advice to boost their personal wellbeing.
The team from Dorset HealthCare will be hosting a
stand in the mall outside of Marks & Spencer from 10am to 4pm, where they
will have information, leaflets and sweets to hand out to members of the public.
Statistics published by the charity, Mind, report
that one in four people will experience a mental health problem each year. In
England alone, one in six people report experiencing a common mental health
problem, such as anxiety and depression in any given week.
Nikki Dawson, a mental health practitioner for
Dorset HealthCare, said that herself and the team will be wearing yellow as
part of the #HelloYellow campaign by the cause, Young Minds, in support of
children and young people’s mental health.
She added: “We are really pleased to have the
support of the Dolphin Shopping Centre to enable us to promote the services we
offer during World Mental Health Day. It will be a good opportunity for people
to come along on the day and get more personalised guidance in terms of us
signposting the services that can help them.”
Information provided on the day will feature a
range of information and guides including how to improve your sleep and
self-help resources for low mood, anxiety and self-esteem. The Dorset HealthCare
team will also be celebrating the launch of the new Connections 27/7 phoneline
on Thursday to mark World Mental Health Day, which is open to people of all
ages in Dorset who are needing mental health support.
John Grinnell, centre manager at the Dolphin
Shopping Centre, said: “We are proud to back World Mental Health Day and are
pleased to welcome the Dorset HealthCare team to the centre to spread awareness
of the support available to people of all ages. We are keen to play our part in
raising the profile of the mental health support services available across the
county and hope that this will help to further reduce the stigma of accessing
the help provided.”
For more information about the Dolphin Shopping Centre, visit www.dolphinshoppingcentre.co.uk
Jul 2, 2019
A new £3million children’s activity centre featuring climbing walls, trampolines, racing cars, soft play and the UK’s first ‘interactive zone’ opens in Southampton in July.
INJOY Centre which is based in the site of the former cinema in Ocean Village, will open on Friday, July 12, for the whole family to enjoy a host of activities under one roof. The aim of the centre is to offer fun for all ages from babies to teenagers and adults, featuring an immersive and innovative state-of-the-art digital ‘interactive zone’ where children can create characters and bring them to life on the walls around them.
INJOY Centre has provided a boost to the area with the creation of approximately 40 full and part-time staff roles. Other attractions within the venue include an indoor assault course featuring a 6-metre high slide, airbag and ‘leap of faith’ challenge, art workshops, cookery classes, free wi-fi, and separate party rooms for birthdays and celebrations.
Families and groups of friends can enjoy delicious food in the plastic-free restaurant, which is home to an authentic pizza oven enabling guests to tuck into freshly prepared dishes including pizza, pasta, burgers and salads. Parents and carers can also enjoy a drink in a separate upstairs bar area, while being able to stay in full view of their children as they play in the large multi-level soft play area on the ground floor.
Meredith Donnelly, manager of INJOY Centre, said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming families from across the south when the doors open at INJOY Centre next month. It will be great to see what the reaction is from our guests who use the mesmerising interactive zone, which is a unique new experience for the UK, and has to be seen to be believed.”
She added: “We have spent a long time making sure that we can offer the best possible day out for babies, children, teenagers and adults. We wanted to create a warm, safe place where everyone in the family can enjoy time spent together under one roof.”
INJOY Centre will be open from Monday to Sunday between 9am and 8pm. The INJOY Centre in Southampton will soon be followed by INJOY Centre in Derby, which is due to open in the September. For more information, go to Injoycentres.co.uk
Feb 19, 2019
Staff and students at Bournemouth & Poole College hosted an event to raise awareness of the annual engineering and motorsport challenge they participate in against other schools across the south.
Representatives from the Greenpower Education Trust, a registered charity, spoke to invited guests from local schools including The Bourne Academy and Bryanston School, employers and the College’s engineering staff. They talked about the charity’s ongoing commitment to inspiring young people to achieve a career in STEM.
The event featured a host of speakers, starting with Diane Grannell, Principal of the College, and included Wayne Weedon, Lecturer in Engineering and Advanced Engineering, who spoke about the College’s Greenpower team. Natasha Hockey, a member of the team, also gave a talk about the women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) opportunities at the College.
Vaughan Curnow from the Greenpower Trust explained how the annual challenge gives young people the chance to design, build and race a single-seat electric car, which encourages students, from primary school through to university, to excel STEM subjects. A display of Greenpower cars were also on show for visitors to take a closer look at.
Wayne Weedon, Lecturer in Engineering and Advanced Engineering at Bournemouth & Poole College, said: “The College’s engineering department has successfully competed in the Greenpower event for the past two years with our entry maintaining a leading position as a Kit Car in the F24+ class (16-25 age group) over the 2017-18 seasons. Our car, ‘Knife ‘n’ Fork It’, was even able to achieve a top 10 finish at Goodwood in 2018 where it finished eighth among 25 cars.”
Wayne went on to say that 2019 is a special year for Greenpower as the organisation celebrates its 20th anniversary. This year, Bournemouth & Poole College intends to work towards achieving ‘Greenpower Centre of Excellence’ status. The scheme is a prestigious badge where an organisation can be recognised for offering support to local school teams, both primary and secondary through sharing its expertise and facilities.
The College’s Greenpower team will be hosting an activity at the ‘Big Bang’ event taking place at The Tank Museum in Bovington on Wednesday 13th March. Schools from across Dorset will benefit from a host of STEM exhibitors with the opportunity to get involved in hands-on activities and interactive theatre shows, as well as showcasing their ‘Big Bang’ competition entries.
For more information about the Bournemouth & Poole College’s Greenpower team, go to thecollege.co.uk/greenpower or call 01202 205205.
Jan 16, 2019
A family-run business with over 140 years of history has branched out to offer construction services in the West Midlands.
Drewitt Construction is headed up by Alex Drewitt, the sixth generation of the Drewitt family, who founded the Drewitt Group in 1877, which has its headquarters in Bournemouth, Dorset.
The team at Drewitt Construction are based in Worcester, and are working across the West Midlands, including Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Gloucestershire and Shropshire for private and public sector clients. In the past the team has worked on projects including industrial and retail units, sports facilities and shopping centres.
Alex said: “I am incredibly proud to be launching Drewitt Construction in the West Midlands. It is a fantastic opportunity for us to branch out into new territory and I hope we get the opportunity to show what we can do in the region.
“I bring with me over a decade of experience and have learnt first-hand how to run a successful business. I hope to continue the success of The Drewitt Group, which has developed many long-term working relationships with clients, based upon a personal, professional and efficient service, and I appreciate all of the support that I have already had from the local business community.”
For more information, email alex.drewitt@drewittgroup.co.uk or call Alex on 07512 605855.
Dec 10, 2018
The managing director and founder of Liz Lean PR (LLPR) has been appointed as the new president of Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Liz Willingham, who founded Sandbanks-based Liz Lean PR in 1998, will be heading up Dorset Chamber for 2018/19 and she will be supported in her year of office by new senior vice president, Stephen Mills, and junior vice president, Warren Munson. Liz was presented with the title by outgoing president, Paul Tansey, at Dorset Chamber’s AGM held on Friday, December 7 at the Hallmark Hotel in Bournemouth.
During her inaugural presidential speech, Liz pledged to raise the profile of opportunities for young people across the county, and to help to highlight the importance of supporting wellbeing and mental health in the workplace. She also plans to help position Dorset Chamber, which celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2019, as approachable for young entrepreneurs who she described as ‘the future of the county’s business success.’ Liz also hopes to support the positioning of Dorset as a shining example of business excellence across the country.
Liz said: “I was thrilled when I was asked if I would be open to the role of president. It is a great honour to help steer and lead Dorset Chamber in partnership with a host of talented business men and women. I strongly believe that we have one of the most go-getting chambers in the UK, as there is an energy and vision which works to progress our business community and county.
“Having run my business from Dorset for 20 years and having been on the chamber’s board for the past two years, I feel confident that I can bring energy, enthusiasm and experience to the role. During my time as president, I would like to create some positive opportunities for the Dorset Chamber.”
Liz Lean PR has marked its 20th anniversary with new staff and a host of client and project wins. As well as strengthening its team by appointing an agency director and two consultants, LLPR secured a range of contracts including Hall & Woodhouse, the leading independent family-owned Dorset brewer with an established pub estate across the south, Bournemouth Development Company, Hoburne Group, and cruise line brand Royal Caribbean International. LLPR is now also working with one of the south’s largest privately-owned motoring groups, Westover Group, financial technology firm DJS (UK) Ltd, Dorset County Show, Encore Care Homes, Poole BID and Knoll House Hotel, as well as the Nuffield Health hospitals in Brighton and Chichester.
The team at the Sandbanks-based public relations and marketing communications agency have also carried out 20 acts of kindness throughout 2018 to mark the celebratory year including litter picks, litter-free lunches, sponsorship and donations to charity fundraising events, and complimentary ‘ask the expert’ sessions for local businesses.
Since its formation, Liz Lean PR has worked with clients in a variety of industry sectors, on both a national and regional scale, and it has successfully supported more than 160 firms with public relations, public affairs, strategic planning, marketing, crisis management, social media, corporate social responsibility projects and event management projects.
For more information, go to Lizleanpr.co.uk
