tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83423875724235334112024-03-28T01:30:18.503-07:00The Women's OrganisationThe Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.comBlogger456125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-65021790635960915512020-09-24T07:56:00.003-07:002020-09-24T07:59:36.076-07:00The Chancellor's Winter Economy Plan: Our Reaction<p> As we look towards an uncertain Autumn and Winter, it is essential that the self-employed and women-led enterprises are properly supported to protect jobs, incomes and livelihoods.</p><div class="MsoNormal">In today’s (Thursday 24 September) Winter Economy Plan we heard The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announce a further package of financial support measures to protect jobs, but there is still an urgent need to invest in women focused policies and to make sure the previous gaps in support are properly filled in.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoGX7TqzW9478ktOWHQkY6sOyrnkSDgDgg4Zae-YIJzRVtw8r_9vji5mcpTXvPwChUZDSCNZHgdzT9MjqJ40SNLPK423dY6Pl9MXeWSkFlr6pankMLpNO-0YTVUhOzpunV-uST3SbNgg/s1600/Maggie+O%2527Carroll%252C+CEO+of+The+Women%2527s+Organisation.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoGX7TqzW9478ktOWHQkY6sOyrnkSDgDgg4Zae-YIJzRVtw8r_9vji5mcpTXvPwChUZDSCNZHgdzT9MjqJ40SNLPK423dY6Pl9MXeWSkFlr6pankMLpNO-0YTVUhOzpunV-uST3SbNgg/s400/Maggie+O%2527Carroll%252C+CEO+of+The+Women%2527s+Organisation.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Maggie O’Carroll, CEO of The Women’s Organisation<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">Maggie
O’Carroll, CEO of The Women’s Organisation, says: “While the Chancellor’s
acknowledgement that we must see parity for the self-employed is of course
welcomed, we really must question whether the new schemes outlined today go far
enough. Particularly when we consider the scale of the gaps we saw in the
earlier Coronavirus business support schemes and the thousands who fell through
these, leaving their incomes unprotected and putting businesses, jobs and
livelihoods at risk.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Take,
for example, the 40,000+ new mothers who took maternity leave in the last
assessment period and were unfairly disadvantaged under the Self Employment
Income Support Scheme (SEISS), and the PAYE and Limited Company Directors who
were left without access to an appropriate package of financial support.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“We
must also critique the Chancellor’s position that "we cannot safeguard all
jobs", based on the theory that if businesses still need to furlough
employees now, that these jobs were never viable. This simply is not true.
Take those working in the events industry as an example - these jobs would have
been viable if there were not a pandemic, and they certainly will be again
post-pandemic, but by then it will be too late.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“There
still remains an urgent need to put women focused policies in place. We know
that women have been disproportionately and negatively impacted by the pandemic
and the support in place must reflect this. What we need to see now is
substantial investment to help women to start and grow sustainable businesses,
particularly among diverse communities and BAME and disabled women. Further to
this, we need to see policy which values women-led sectors, like the beauty and
care sectors, which are typically experiencing a slower return to trade.
Investing in the UK’s women entrepreneurs will be crucial in re-opening and
growing our economy”.<o:p></o:p></p><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrFqyt8004-hEBloP5x4DkmlUnykCU2O0s3Q-H7qq3rdY80tPZpsWjGpT3eggUihAVvuOMS1NsNL3yS8H3ITragKfceu3tlMgkDZimM8ByCYbB0MHFGFeJZgCB_v7Epaiz9bPe9Lmqls/s1600/New+ERDF+2015-2020+Logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="134" data-original-width="604" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrFqyt8004-hEBloP5x4DkmlUnykCU2O0s3Q-H7qq3rdY80tPZpsWjGpT3eggUihAVvuOMS1NsNL3yS8H3ITragKfceu3tlMgkDZimM8ByCYbB0MHFGFeJZgCB_v7Epaiz9bPe9Lmqls/s320/New+ERDF+2015-2020+Logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-650019568111377842020-09-14T03:35:00.006-07:002020-09-14T04:43:58.674-07:00New charity partnership will remove barriers for disadvantaged women across the Liverpool City Region <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Two leading charities have come together through a new partnership which will support disadvantaged women across the region.</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheG6W5YELUCcoyzFNPtlInLtVPC9NqR7VXFIcuFhSQkQlnpjnvaDzXOVI-JG262trWfvfk54Vz50KCSxSuyjjHTHmc59T5zemI-N7LWtMi611NcRMsQ0CnjhP_41lcYk-TQ9qdEmQOw6g/s1600/_D4A1788.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheG6W5YELUCcoyzFNPtlInLtVPC9NqR7VXFIcuFhSQkQlnpjnvaDzXOVI-JG262trWfvfk54Vz50KCSxSuyjjHTHmc59T5zemI-N7LWtMi611NcRMsQ0CnjhP_41lcYk-TQ9qdEmQOw6g/w400-h266/_D4A1788.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;">A national charity has chosen Liverpool-based social enterprise, The Women’s Organisation, to help it reach out to disadvantaged women and improve their chances of finding employment or starting their own businesses.</p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Smallwood Trust was founded in 1886 to help women overcome financial difficulties and improve their social and emotional wellbeing.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">It provides grants and support for women on low incomes who have specific needs and are struggling to make ends meet, or trying to overcome financial problems.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Now, it has teamed up with The Women's Organisation to support women across the Liverpool City Region as part of a three-year partnership.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">The Women's Organisation works to support women from wide ranging communities to take a more active role in social and economic life and has supported the ambitions and personal development of more than 60,000 women over the past 24 years.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;">It helps women in setting up and growing their own businesses, as well as providing personal development training and support to help women grow in confidence and take positive steps towards securing employment.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;">Smallwood Trust is now supporting The Women’s Organisation to remove barriers for women wanting to access its programmes, or those facing barriers to taking their next steps forward.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">The funding from Smallwood Trust will allow The Women’s Organisation to identify women with additional barriers preventing them from realising their ambitions and offer discretionary solutions to meet their needs. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;">Through its work, The Women's Organisation can provide the support needed for women to improve their personal situations, either through targeted training courses, or business coaching with the aim of setting up as a small business, or the provision of incubator facilities at its 54 St James Street headquarters in central Liverpool.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;">The collaboration is timely as the impact that coronavirus has had across the world is felt even more keenly by women, according to The Women’s Organisation.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">It has compounded the economic impact, as women and girls tend to work in the industries which have been most heavily impacted by the pandemic, and so they are generally earning less, saving less, and holding insecure jobs or living close to poverty.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">With children out of school and nurseries closed in recent months, unpaid care work has increased and heightened the care responsibilities of women, who tend to find themselves as primary caregivers.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoGX7TqzW9478ktOWHQkY6sOyrnkSDgDgg4Zae-YIJzRVtw8r_9vji5mcpTXvPwChUZDSCNZHgdzT9MjqJ40SNLPK423dY6Pl9MXeWSkFlr6pankMLpNO-0YTVUhOzpunV-uST3SbNgg/s1500/Maggie+O%2527Carroll%252C+CEO+of+The+Women%2527s+Organisation.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoGX7TqzW9478ktOWHQkY6sOyrnkSDgDgg4Zae-YIJzRVtw8r_9vji5mcpTXvPwChUZDSCNZHgdzT9MjqJ40SNLPK423dY6Pl9MXeWSkFlr6pankMLpNO-0YTVUhOzpunV-uST3SbNgg/w400-h266/Maggie+O%2527Carroll%252C+CEO+of+The+Women%2527s+Organisation.jpg" title="Maggie O'Carroll, CEO of The Women's Organisation" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Maggie O'Carroll, CEO of The Women's Organisation</span><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Maggie O'Carroll, co-founder and chief executive of The Women's Organisation, said: "The catastrophic effects of COVID-19 have been felt across communities globally, particularly among women who are facing socio-economic crises differently and often disproportionately. Particularly in terms of increasing levels of deprivation, inequality when it comes to balancing care responsibilities, and even abuse as the pandemic forced households into lockdown for several weeks. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;">"Now, the need is more acute than ever for us to reach out and offer the support to vulnerable sections of our society and help them to overcome the issues that are holding them back from improving their, and their families' lives.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">"We are incredibly grateful to Smallwood Trust for recognising our efforts in providing such support, and joining us to extend that help in such desperate times."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;">Emma Crump, Head of Evaluation at Smallwood Trust, says: “Smallwood Trust are delighted to partner with The Women’s Organisation to support vulnerable women in Liverpool on their journeys towards financial resilience. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;">“The package of support means that women will be able to access vital education and skills whilst overcoming any financial barriers. We look forward to the learning from the partnership and seeing the difference it will make to women’s lives.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCF_jJlcK8QlWXlI7RWA4RS2v-7PyCTzoC33BTFHocleyuOkyZivvMoMHfrqjOWsBYjZMw4lDFwDkhhhp_3uykNNtuJAbA5uCzamE_6LPV7MvGm1ZWY6iePMwsblXn63VjOKUgT1VpDE/s604/New+ERDF+2015-2020+Logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="134" data-original-width="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibCF_jJlcK8QlWXlI7RWA4RS2v-7PyCTzoC33BTFHocleyuOkyZivvMoMHfrqjOWsBYjZMw4lDFwDkhhhp_3uykNNtuJAbA5uCzamE_6LPV7MvGm1ZWY6iePMwsblXn63VjOKUgT1VpDE/s320/New+ERDF+2015-2020+Logo.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 107%; margin-bottom: 8pt;"><br /></p>The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-87106327967446694322020-09-04T03:58:00.004-07:002020-09-04T03:58:26.527-07:00Press Release: Schools have gone back – time to look at the impact of lockdown on female business leaders.<p style="text-align: left;">North West female business leaders have spoken of the pressures and challenges of working through lockdown – amid fears of the long-term impact on gender equality in the workplace. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Members of the North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) “Rising Stars” group of female executives have revealed in frank and honest testimonies their experiences of working through lockdown. The Rising Stars are a network of female directors, executives and professionals from NWBLT companies who have been brought together to support and encourage the careers of women in a bid to increase the gender balance and representation at senior levels in workplaces across the north west.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In the <a href="https://nwblt.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rising-Stars-Lockdown-Narrative.pdf">report and interviews</a> the group have spoken of their fears over the long term impact of the pandemic for working women – as well as the effect on gender equality in businesses across the UK. The pressures of home-schooling, fears over the impending recession and concerns over company measurement of individual performance were all highlighted by members of the panel. But the professionals have also highlighted some of the positives that can be gained from the unprecedented situation with home working and greater flexibility potentially a boost in the long term for women to advance their careers.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Joëlle Warren, Founder of Warren Partners and NWBLT Board member commented “The NWBLT has long recognised the importance of diversity at the top level of businesses in the North West. Its “Rising Stars” group was set up to support the aim of increasing gender balance at senior leadership levels across all the members and was starting to have a positive impact. Covid 19 has increased the challenges facing female executives, particularly those with young children, and we want to highlight this and encourage all businesses to consider the issues raised by this report”.</p><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-themecolor: text1;"><b>The NWBLT brings together
leaders of national and international businesses with substantial commitments
and interests in the North West of England. A unique regional entity, funded entirely
by our members, we work to exert our collective influence for the long term
good of the region, economically, environmentally, culturally and socially.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><b><a href="http://www.nwblt.co.uk/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">www.nwblt.co.uk<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></a></b></p><br /></div>The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-76440573094061926552020-09-01T06:54:00.002-07:002020-09-01T06:55:18.915-07:00North West social enterprise selected as European leader in nurturing inclusive entrepreneurship<p style="text-align: left;"><span face="" lang="" style="font-weight: bold;">The Women’s Organisation has been announced as one
of the best in Europe for supporting and nurturing inclusive entrepreneurship.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Selected from over
sixty approaches across Europe, the Liverpool-based organisation has been named
as one of just three projects which exemplify the very best approaches to
supporting women’s entrepreneurship.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAj08d7FX0zFtEHV7-5rLjxaqIEDiwhT5U8KVM2feHGdXCC1DnTdQoGOA-Sz1lh9gjw1apv1qRSTkUIGdsaHrYePaNAA-28qvpnupX1QsHkbf5BsayFwgzRPRiIwi6_PIzdaggD8sLDkg/s2048/_D4A7325.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAj08d7FX0zFtEHV7-5rLjxaqIEDiwhT5U8KVM2feHGdXCC1DnTdQoGOA-Sz1lh9gjw1apv1qRSTkUIGdsaHrYePaNAA-28qvpnupX1QsHkbf5BsayFwgzRPRiIwi6_PIzdaggD8sLDkg/w410-h274/_D4A7325.jpg" width="410" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">The Women's Organisation has supported over 70,000 women <br /><div style="text-align: center;">to take a more active role in social and economic life</div></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="">Initially set up in 1996 to promote business opportunities for women, The Women’s Organisation now </span><span face="" lang="">delivers a broad range of personal development, education and business support</span><span face="" lang=""> programmes aimed at helping women </span><span face="" lang="">to become more economically active and personally fulfilled.</span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="">The internationally recognised social enterprise has supported over 70,000 women from diverse communities to take a more active role in social and economic life and has helped create more than 4,000 businesses since its inception.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="">Although its services are </span><span face="" lang="">predominantly targeted at those in the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester,</span><span face="" lang=""> </span><span face="">the organisation works on an international scale to ensure that women's interests are represented across communities, business, and government policy</span><span face="" lang="">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="">Its enterprising qualities have now been recognised in a Europe-wide scheme led by the European Network of Innovation for Inclusion to promote exemplary systems for employability.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="">The Women’s Organisation was invited to apply as part of the network’s annual call for good practices in the fields of innovation, inclusive employment and entrepreneurship.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="">It has now been named as one of just three finalists from throughout Europe in the category of ‘supporting women’s entrepreneurship’.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="">The network judged entries in four areas: Innovation, inspiration, impact, and inclusion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="">It looked for evidence of answering new challenges using new methodologies and approaches, a willingness to improve and develop through alliances, the ability to cause changes in people and society, and promote the inclusion of people at risk of social exclusion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="">The Women’s Organisation explained how, since it was established, it had targeted women, in particular, who were socially and economically disadvantaged, and provided support services for women and under-represented groups in creating and growing their own businesses.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="">This is achieved through various programmes including personal development, business planning and business skills training.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="">Through its 54 St James Street headquarters, which was established as an international centre for women’s economic development – a worldwide first - it also provides business incubation facilities for start-up ventures which are then supported to scale-up.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span face="" lang=""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="">Another key enabler for the organisation is its ability to work closely with leading academics, thinkers and influencers to inform policy development and improve the wider environment for women entrepreneurs.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Lisa McMullan, Director for Development & Consultancy at The Women’s Organisation" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyX766fDtHugLbQIIlgJMLSBnWCPdgFpwhuKUf74Qzl4zcQkX_E3cLTexn-rgqFuEacuCl7T-FrztLylnNDej-q7sUgXUXCljKSn6MSmYFxWztkYB0FimajcGchfZYu3bs8RxUI5cOvr4/w400-h267/Lisa+McMullan%252C+Director+for+Development+%2526+Consultancy+at+The+Women%25E2%2580%2599s+Organisation+and+Directions+Project+Lead.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Lisa McMullan, Director for Development & Consultancy at The Women’s Organisation" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Lisa McMullan, Director for Development & Consultancy <br />at The Women’s Organisation</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="">Lisa McMullan,
the organisation’s Director for Development and Consultancy, said: “It is a
hugely significant accolade to be selected as a best practice example of inclusive
entrepreneurship at European level and one that we are incredibly proud of. To
be hand selected from over sixty approaches from across Europe is testament to o</span><span face="">ur values-driven approach
to developing, designing and delivering services.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">“Our
commitment to inclusion and innovation means that we have been able to make a
difference to tens of thousands of individuals over the last twenty four years,
supporting them to fulfil their potential and participate more fully in their
communities, the labour market and in business.”</span><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">And
when participants successfully establish their own business ventures or
personal goals, she said The Women’s Organisation will seek to highlight their
achievements to act as an example, or role model, for others within their
communities to follow: “We actively promote women's achievements to raise
visibility of the individual and collective potential, and provide opportunities
for the women we work with to be role-models for others.”</span><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><span face="" lang="" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">In naming The
Women’s Organisation as a finalist, the network said: “It has been a really
hard decision to make, since we have received a total of 64 proposals, but both
our technical team, the methodology managers and other members of the
evaluation committee have agreed that what The Women’s Organisation is doing
provides a very impactful and inclusive response to the challenges women face
towards starting a business.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: justify;"><a name="_Hlk48122887"><span face="" lang="" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">As part of the process, the finalists will share their winning methods
and strategies with a Europe-wide community. For The Women’s Organisation this will
include a presentation and tour – physical or virtual – of its headquarters,
the opportunity to meet some of the women they have worked with for them to
share their stories and discuss the impact of accessing support, and working
collaboratively to share examples of successes and challenges, making it easier
for similar agencies across the continent to replicate these proven systems and
strategies and to work together.<o:p></o:p></span></a></p>
<span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk48122887;"></span>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><b>Find out more about the European Network for Inclusion
here: <a href="http://www.europeannetforinclusion.org/">http://www.europeannetforinclusion.org/</a></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQe8kda1uwwGLfrnzmnQbY7yE82k8X4G5Mqu-gPV7C1BZsR5Nbh5TjTIa7XRaoR1GKB_yLQ6QdXvzSILxNhUcdEuyoPtCLCqfBxh3I31B9cz2EYVZMl0V5FF1VwWUbEOTGuO7S7kIH7U/s604/New+ERDF+2015-2020+Logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="134" data-original-width="604" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoQe8kda1uwwGLfrnzmnQbY7yE82k8X4G5Mqu-gPV7C1BZsR5Nbh5TjTIa7XRaoR1GKB_yLQ6QdXvzSILxNhUcdEuyoPtCLCqfBxh3I31B9cz2EYVZMl0V5FF1VwWUbEOTGuO7S7kIH7U/w386-h86/New+ERDF+2015-2020+Logo.png" width="386" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-64351390361023540002020-08-25T02:16:00.005-07:002020-08-25T02:35:08.283-07:00New resources set to foster entrepreneurial learning across Europe <h3 style="text-align: justify;">Two new EntreComp resources published by The European
Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) this month are set to further enhance entrepreneurial
learning across Europe – one of which The Women’s Organisation is proud to have
contributed to.</h3><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div><span style="text-align: justify;">The publications are expected to be a vital resource in
developing understanding of EntreComp - The Entrepreneurship Competence
Framework - and the ways it can be applied by its international community of users.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">EntreComp is a comprehensive, flexible, and multi-purpose framework
designed to help individuals and organisations understand what it means to be
entrepreneurial and the key enterprising competences needed for personal
development, social inclusion, active citizenship, and employment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk/downloads/file/EntreComp_at_Work._The_European_Entrepreneurship_Competence_Framework_in_action_in_the_labour_market_a_selection_of_case_studies_._.pdf"><span color="" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">The two new publications,
</span>‘EntreComp at Work: <i>The European Entrepreneurship Competence
Framework in action in the labour market: a selection of case studies</i>’</a>
and <a href="https://www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk/downloads/file/EntreComp_Playbook._Entrepreneurial_learning_beyond_the_classroom_.pdf"><i>‘EntreComp
Playbook: Entrepreneurial learning beyond the classroom</i>’</a>, are an important
next step in the success and development of EntreComp.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Both of these resources build on the work of <b><a href="http://thewomensorganisation.blogspot.com/2018/04/entrecomp-into-action-user-guide.html">‘<span style="font-weight: normal;">EntreComp into Action: Get Inspired and Make It
Happen’</span></a></b>, a practical user guide for the framework which The Women’s
Organisation worked in partnership to create last year.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEO8T16QYVi-HbzGaqo7NwUQLyNyzFoU4cVOpOOSCYd0pCVlFF4-ApBwnfAyQVo5aeBx08QJdAsMFg2SLjm2kDR9Z4p3Drb1Z-QamMl1f-_-RMUBkMevFAPSw_JXiwT7UA6n2xG9QOlQ/s680/EntreComp+Playbook+social+media+card.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="680" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzEO8T16QYVi-HbzGaqo7NwUQLyNyzFoU4cVOpOOSCYd0pCVlFF4-ApBwnfAyQVo5aeBx08QJdAsMFg2SLjm2kDR9Z4p3Drb1Z-QamMl1f-_-RMUBkMevFAPSw_JXiwT7UA6n2xG9QOlQ/w410-h205/EntreComp+Playbook+social+media+card.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The EntreComp playbook, offers a toolkit of practices, tools
and examples which can be used to support the design and delivery of entrepreneurial
learning activities for adult learners.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">By developing these entrepreneurial competences in adults,
the playbook aims to increase their employability by up-skilling the workforce to
face the changing needs of the labour market, to support career progression, as
well as business start-ups.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvFKHQmNdZikpL2OTmihTg9IKrK8xWS_ACuBdgAd7HhV8fr5uX_aZB6v8HuSYISEhiMAHjg2sWKENbru-tWjAZltsJ4OISbTSbiYli6ZrPiorQ2KBzzhX6ilkdD6QnQ11hNgThd7SJrw/s680/EntreComp+at+Work+social+media+card.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="680" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvFKHQmNdZikpL2OTmihTg9IKrK8xWS_ACuBdgAd7HhV8fr5uX_aZB6v8HuSYISEhiMAHjg2sWKENbru-tWjAZltsJ4OISbTSbiYli6ZrPiorQ2KBzzhX6ilkdD6QnQ11hNgThd7SJrw/w410-h205/EntreComp+at+Work+social+media+card.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">EntreComp At Work showcases 10 case studies, including The
Women’s Organisation’s own experiences, which highlight the diversity of ways the
framework can be used, including: workforce development, design of training,
support for start-ups, and personal development plans.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Having started using EntreComp in 2016, it has been an invaluable
resource for us at The Women’s Organisation, particularly in the context of
creating employment pathways for women across the Liverpool City Region and
Greater Manchester. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This is achieved through personal development and
employability programmes, training and support, as well dedicated programmes
for women creating and growing their own businesses, all of which have been
mapped against the EntreComp framework.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Women’s Organisation’s experience of the framework has
now been used as a case study in EntreComp At Work.<o:p></o:p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTzpVdCFgj9D_-nKQewrTdD4ApYnGv4uFDSnJRtWZu6GkFVvwhnwJFkE6B_lPAmFn-WUyIsdhwE24rvyxSXt5tO-76BxhRq2SdlFn8skUce1DTfNFvGoaXyY6t37PW1OS1-pYG9PkV1w/s1500/Lisa+McMullan%252C+Director+for+Development+%2526+Consultancy+at+The+Women%25E2%2580%2599s+Organisation+and+Directions+Project+Lead.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Lisa McMullan, Director for Development & Consultancy at The Women’s Organisation" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLTzpVdCFgj9D_-nKQewrTdD4ApYnGv4uFDSnJRtWZu6GkFVvwhnwJFkE6B_lPAmFn-WUyIsdhwE24rvyxSXt5tO-76BxhRq2SdlFn8skUce1DTfNFvGoaXyY6t37PW1OS1-pYG9PkV1w/w410-h274/Lisa+McMullan%252C+Director+for+Development+%2526+Consultancy+at+The+Women%25E2%2580%2599s+Organisation+and+Directions+Project+Lead.jpg" title="Lisa McMullan, Director for Development & Consultancy at The Women’s Organisation" width="410" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Lisa McMullan, Director for Development & Consultancy <br />at The Women’s Organisation</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Lisa McMullan, Director for Development & Consultancy
at The Women’s Organisation, says: “The importance of entrepreneurial learning
and the competencies which go alongside it cannot be underestimated. This is
more apparent than ever as communities, educators, and enterprises across the
world face unprecedented challenges, which call for resilience, innovation, and
collaboration.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">“Here at The Women’s Organisation, we have experienced first-hand
how EntreComp inspires and enables these key attributes. From the mapping of
our training provision and the creation of new training materials, to the
development of our own team and tender development at a strategic level, the
framework has been an invaluable tool and has helped shape the development of
our organisation and its services. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">“As a social enterprise, this means that EntreComp has supported
us to deliver transformational services which enable underrepresented and
disadvantaged groups to take a more active role in social end economic life. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">“We now hope that our experiences and learning will inspire
and enable others to uptake the framework and explore how entrepreneurial learning
can be fostered within their organisation, or as part of their own personal development.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The Women’s Organisation’s Enterprise Evolution consultancy
team are now working with international partners to support the development of the
EntreComp 360 platform, as part of the Erasmus+ programme. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">This new project is developing toolkits to further support
the learning of those using EntreComp. The EntreComp 360 platform will be a
one-stop-shop to provide guidance, collate tools, share practice, learn through
online training and connect those working on the practical implementation of
EntreComp into learning and work.<b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>To find out more about EntreComp and how you can put the
framework to use within your organisation, you can read the user guide:</b><b><span face="" style="background: white; color: black; line-height: 107%;"> <a href="http://thewomensorganisation.blogspot.com/2018/04/entrecomp-into-action-user-guide.html">‘EntreComp
into Action: Get Inspired and Make It Happen’</a></span>.</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaapKtSr-DwZo6SNEhPuqgYHoQvJOXNqeqMpsiy9fHSa9osUkPDYZupkYA0xwAaRzaxv20KwPYxvF7aqwtSeUlYBx92BHmEvH2hsbJf9Sqy_Hk1abudhk3B0dvdlWUzFe-jSusvGrs1l0/s300/erasmus+%252B.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaapKtSr-DwZo6SNEhPuqgYHoQvJOXNqeqMpsiy9fHSa9osUkPDYZupkYA0xwAaRzaxv20KwPYxvF7aqwtSeUlYBx92BHmEvH2hsbJf9Sqy_Hk1abudhk3B0dvdlWUzFe-jSusvGrs1l0/s0/erasmus+%252B.png" /></a></b></div><b> </b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79sfFWev9VAdIj1J4zcFYVEA7yF3WIaBuxZHp2Iqkw8XmJ8Nzlwq4IUsY-nweggMrNvPKoGlK1oXbaC-zew5Hz8JB46OQrdkR0yXA4WdYAaBnKmFLoAxrTkf0y0T28eeZQ6HvW26Btqc/s321/EntreComp+360.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="184" data-original-width="321" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79sfFWev9VAdIj1J4zcFYVEA7yF3WIaBuxZHp2Iqkw8XmJ8Nzlwq4IUsY-nweggMrNvPKoGlK1oXbaC-zew5Hz8JB46OQrdkR0yXA4WdYAaBnKmFLoAxrTkf0y0T28eeZQ6HvW26Btqc/w257-h147/EntreComp+360.png" width="257" /></a></b></div><b> <o:p></o:p></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><br /></b></p>The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-14359367091847479412020-08-19T02:08:00.002-07:002020-08-19T03:46:43.141-07:00Ground-breaking new research collaboration is set to shine a light on social enterprises<p><b>The Women’s Organisation has announced a national partnership with Enterprise Research Centre (ERC) to commission pioneering research highlighting the role social enterprise can play in economic recovery.</b></p><p>Liverpool-based charity, The Women’s Organisation, will collaborate with ERC, the UK’s leading centre of excellence for research into the growth, innovation and productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to deliver new research on social enterprise.</p><p>Produced by recognised economic experts across the UK and internationally, the research will offer expert insights into how social enterprises can play a key role in driving economic recovery and support the communities hit hardest by the impact of COVID-19.</p><p>Research will be delivered in a special series of five State of the Art (SOTA) reviews, tackling individual key themes in relation to social enterprise, such as employment and skills opportunities, diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability. </p><p>Set to be published in Autumn 2020, the SOTA reviews will be launched through an online event and be made readily available for download for policymakers, business-leaders and wider audiences.</p><p>SOTA reviews were established by the ERC, which has research bases at both Warwick University Business School and Aston University Business School, in response to a growing demand from policymakers for specialist concise summaries on topical issues within the social economy sector.</p><p>The research will draw upon the latest economic evidence, address research gaps, and respond to key policy questions, seeking to provide solutions to the economic, social and environmental problems facing the UK following COVID-19. </p><p>This partnership follows the news that The Women’s Organisation was this year listed in the top 1% of UK Social Enterprises in the SE100 Index, which is the country’s leading source of market intelligence on social enterprise.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgIjeqyMHN4K3n1yiXVt6yJVcsOBSgOk98n7hupXVFt0y4Vx7yfTiAZLmcl7map5A8WoT2Hu1RbjxoL3fKiEc_qxfhtf4uYFu_ek0USInF3BMa0TvYYaLqqhb9T1FOxWebWD63WEBgpE/s850/_D4A8387.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgIjeqyMHN4K3n1yiXVt6yJVcsOBSgOk98n7hupXVFt0y4Vx7yfTiAZLmcl7map5A8WoT2Hu1RbjxoL3fKiEc_qxfhtf4uYFu_ek0USInF3BMa0TvYYaLqqhb9T1FOxWebWD63WEBgpE/w410-h274/_D4A8387.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><p><b>Maggie </b><b>O’Carroll, CEO of The Women’s </b><b>Organisation, says:</b> <i>“The social economy has long been a stalwart in providing opportunities to disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, a demographic that has been hardest hit by the impact of COVID-19. This ground-breaking research will highlight the key role that social enterprises can play in rebuilding the economy in a financially sustainable way, whilst also supporting individuals and communities who need it most. </i></p><p><i>“The Women’s Organisation is committed to supporting a stronger social economy, and we believe now is the time to trust social enterprises to take on the social, economic and environmental challenges currently facing our country. We are delighted to collaborate with the Enterprise Research Centre, a pioneering, internationally renowned research body, on this innovative research that will play a vital role in shaping a fairer, more sustainable and prosperous economy.”</i></p><p><b>Dr Vicki Belt, Deputy Director of the Enterprise Research Centre at Warwick University Business School, says:</b> <i>“Covid-19 is having a huge impact on businesses and communities across the country. As we look to recovery, social enterprises - which have been a real success story in recent years - have the potential to play a key role. The ERC are delighted to be working in partnership with the Women’s Organisation to produce a new set of ‘State of the Art’ (SOTA) reviews on focusing on social enterprise. We launched our SOTA review series in response to the growing demand from policymakers for concise summaries of knowledge on topical issues in enterprise research. There are now over 40 reviews in the series. This new set of five reviews will fill several important knowledge gaps. </i></p><p><i>“Social enterprises generate huge value to the UK, and are often based within some of the most disadvantaged communities, employing some of the most vulnerable people in society. I am looking forward very much to working in partnership with the Women’s Organisation, with its wealth of practical experience in delivering business support and training, to explore critical issues around the role of social enterprise in economic recovery and in building a more a more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive future.”</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vXh67nQdqFXIgUOJ73o5bAtBX9c3i7kkMNtbz_EAqx2KUc-D366WKQDsnJzxiKDbZF2PMITxFZLvRBc4MDoy3HMcbVVEJcPpU1IsZdWsyAp0utpdE_CADCPgG-9hB1hn5oHhg5tHhOE/s480/wbs160419-699.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="480" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vXh67nQdqFXIgUOJ73o5bAtBX9c3i7kkMNtbz_EAqx2KUc-D366WKQDsnJzxiKDbZF2PMITxFZLvRBc4MDoy3HMcbVVEJcPpU1IsZdWsyAp0utpdE_CADCPgG-9hB1hn5oHhg5tHhOE/w384-h256/wbs160419-699.jpg" width="384" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div><br /></div>The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-85469840625628138242020-08-10T08:28:00.002-07:002020-09-25T02:47:40.002-07:00Experts forecast “catastrophic economic impact” ahead if Government policy fails to support women’s enterprise<p> </p><p class="ecxmsonormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Some of the UK’s leading
voices in women’s enterprise have come together in a new report to say that current
Government policy has failed to recognise </span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">the additional challenges faced by millions of
women-led businesses.</span></b><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-k76WNB3ORT0RDrplXXYSV8t_EREzfxcc3bdHOo1HFYQPjTFXwu4AsKcbEkY8PWIdELXritze7knYkvF5QTNoEWK2KP-8QIGiAcYvg9bSq4d8zehN2-bIyast_yZ6zIvx9kxcyVLhkok/s1024/WEPG+Policy+Framework+image+card.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-k76WNB3ORT0RDrplXXYSV8t_EREzfxcc3bdHOo1HFYQPjTFXwu4AsKcbEkY8PWIdELXritze7knYkvF5QTNoEWK2KP-8QIGiAcYvg9bSq4d8zehN2-bIyast_yZ6zIvx9kxcyVLhkok/w512-h256/WEPG+Policy+Framework+image+card.png" width="512" /></a></div><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">As the Government and local authorities across the country launch campaigns
to “Build Back Better” and help the UK’s economy recover and grow in a
sustainable way post Covid-19, leading voices in business and academia say that
more needs to be done to support women’s enterprise and avoid a “catastrophic” social
and economic end to 2020.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">The Women's Enterprise Policy Group (WEPG) has today (11 August)
launched a ‘Framework of Policy Actions to Build Back Better for Women’s
Enterprise’ which aims to </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">address the gaps in </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">Covid-19
enterprise </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">support for women.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">Evidence from the report indicates that women face a “tsunami” of job
losses and business closures, unless the Government develops enterprise policy
that </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">is
productive and fair for women.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">The report outlines how current policies have failed to</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"> <span lang="EN-US">reflect the extra challenges that women entrepreneurs
face - including childcare responsibilities, gender bias and access to finance –
and how the Government has failed to introduce measures to facilitate their
survival and growth.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">The WEPG is a national coalition </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">of leading women entrepreneurs, researchers, business support
providers and social entrepreneurs from across the UK</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">The
group develops policy calls based on the latest evidence and years of
experience supporting women’s enterprise creation and growth.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">The group is now urging the Chancellor to </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">bring them to the policy table to help shape policy that ‘Builds Back
Better’ for women entrepreneurs, for the economy, and for society.</span></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiQrL-QKx_3lwb0p8u4tJIKPATpiSfTqVL_mCU7M9SwbUifN9OOsMBfu2Sct7e-r9xUxL5xp2goZub7fYJ8cTRy7-P6pDnfHXulL-uC9DqmWwCmp24Jpatbu0P4yNqum4WGEbfir2CcQ/s1181/Co-Chair+of+the+WEPG+and+Professor+of+Entrepreneurship+at+Manchester+Metropolitan+University%252C+Julia+Rouse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: -24px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1181" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixiQrL-QKx_3lwb0p8u4tJIKPATpiSfTqVL_mCU7M9SwbUifN9OOsMBfu2Sct7e-r9xUxL5xp2goZub7fYJ8cTRy7-P6pDnfHXulL-uC9DqmWwCmp24Jpatbu0P4yNqum4WGEbfir2CcQ/w512-h341/Co-Chair+of+the+WEPG+and+Professor+of+Entrepreneurship+at+Manchester+Metropolitan+University%252C+Julia+Rouse.jpg" title="Professor Julia Rouse, Co-Chair of the WEPG and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Manchester Metropolitan University" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: justify;">Professor Julia Rouse, Co-Chair of the WEPG and <br />Professor of Entrepreneurship at Manchester Metropolitan University</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">Professor Julia Rouse, Co-Chair of the WEPG and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Manchester Metropolitan University, says: "As our report</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;"> shows, w</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">omen running businesses have faced acute pressures during Covid-19. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">We know that women tend to trade in sectors that do more face-to-face work - for example, as carers, in hospitality and tourism or as beauticians - and that means their trade is only coming back slowly and is vulnerable to local lockdowns. Add to this school and nursery closures, and the threat of 'bubbles' and consequently support networks bursting when these re-open fully, and you can see the scale of the challenge.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">“What is more, many women are excluded from proper income protection due to gaps in current schemes. The Government is facing legal action for disadvantaging self-employed women who took maternity leave in years </span><em style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">prior</em><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"> to the pandemic under the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme. Looking at the picture for women who are directors of small firms, the main form of support they have been offered is through loans, but without any targeted marketing to women business owners who are typically more cautious about risking family security via business loans. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a name="_Hlk47951068"></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">“The question we now must ask is whether the Chancellor fully understands the extent of these issues and whether he is committed to supporting women’s enterprise? There is already a huge gender gap in entrepreneurship across the UK - only about a third of all small firms are led by women. Equality simply cannot wait until the pandemic passes because Covid-19 is causing further inequality. Now is the time to develop practical policy that supports women business owners: any later could well be too late. That’s why we are calling on Rishi Sunak to bring us to the policy table to avoid the disaster of thousands of failed businesses at Christmas time and </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">catastrophic economic impact</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">." </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0Tu_nKiiQvMOYtWTM3NXZAH6CDJ9t7KbcRtPKpkfTNWzvcjpWgAqVForZOz5erDs3_fMJY9Q65nO_YWJ8BEsu0MVbw-Jt880KJNex_aoqquVp-78rtpm1gXJB_bIc_9ZrF68dDA1JQg/s2048/Helen+Burkinshaw%252C+Programme+Lead+for+the+WEPG+at+The+Women%25E2%2580%2599s+Organisation.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; text-indent: -24px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0Tu_nKiiQvMOYtWTM3NXZAH6CDJ9t7KbcRtPKpkfTNWzvcjpWgAqVForZOz5erDs3_fMJY9Q65nO_YWJ8BEsu0MVbw-Jt880KJNex_aoqquVp-78rtpm1gXJB_bIc_9ZrF68dDA1JQg/w512-h342/Helen+Burkinshaw%252C+Programme+Lead+for+the+WEPG+at+The+Women%25E2%2580%2599s+Organisation.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a name="_Hlk47951068" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">Helen Burkinshaw, Programme Lead for the WEPG at The Women’s Organisation</span></a></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a name="_Hlk47951068"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a name="_Hlk47951068"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">Helen Burkinshaw, Programme Lead for the WEPG at The Women’s Organisation, says:</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"> “There is compelling evidence that the UK’s economic recovery will be severely hampered if women’s enterprise development is not reflected in Government policy and investment. There is a real risk of the UK missing out on the immense economic opportunities that female led businesses offer, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">particularly in terms of new business start-ups and growth, products and service innovation, internationalisation, and new employment creation.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">“Now is the time and the opportunity for Government and devolved administrations to recognise the needs of women business owners and their economic potential for the rebuilding of the UK’s economy. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">It is key that women’s enterprise advocates, like the WEPG, are involved in policy development and have the full support of </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">Government.”</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJLP6Xwu-eVj69NYzA5w3D2FN73_a3ifRqQWjP6fBrGiAbRx452EhiaMt_fiWrQYqRaZR_XlBpp2zv7rS7e6PPyNEQj2Xj_4udyZ1bFeQIGaJKtfiw1VfC39jNLY8RxgAM5SNzD7BE2w/s1024/WEPG+Framework+6+key+asks.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXJLP6Xwu-eVj69NYzA5w3D2FN73_a3ifRqQWjP6fBrGiAbRx452EhiaMt_fiWrQYqRaZR_XlBpp2zv7rS7e6PPyNEQj2Xj_4udyZ1bFeQIGaJKtfiw1VfC39jNLY8RxgAM5SNzD7BE2w/w512-h256/WEPG+Framework+6+key+asks.png" width="512" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">The WEPG have put forward a framework of policy actions to Government
which they say will ‘build back better’ for women’s enterprise. These asks are
around six key</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"> areas:</span></b></p>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Finance: </span></b><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Income Protection, including:</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Extend the
eligibility of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) for new
traders and the part-time self-employed and e</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">xclude maternity periods from payment calculations.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -18pt;">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -18pt;">Compensate Business Directors
for lost dividends.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<ol start="2" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Finance:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> <i>Grants, Loans & Investment,
including:<o:p></o:p></i></span></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Introduce an Equality
Impact Assessment to monitor the equity of all Coronavirus grant and loan funds,
looking particularly at gender, ethnicity, disability, and age.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Address the causes of
likely lower take-up by women: business structure, caution, and gender bias.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; text-align: justify;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<ol start="3" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Valuing Women-Led Sectors:<o:p></o:p></span></b></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Give due value to the
economic contributio</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -18pt;">n of sectors such as early years/childcare and the beauty
and wellbeing industry in lockdown decisions and investment programmes.</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<ol start="4" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Business Support: </span></b><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Time and Space to Enable Women
Entrepreneurs to Pivot, including:<o:p></o:p></span></i></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Ensure that enterprise
ecosystems include women’s enterprise support and specialist or inclusive
programmes for BAME women.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Publicly record and monitor</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> the scale and quality of provision to women and BAME business founders
and owners as part of an Equality Impact Assessment and meeting a Gender
Equality Duty.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<ol start="5" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Business Start-Up: </span></b><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Founding Vibrant Women-Led Businesses, including:<o:p></o:p></span></i></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Invest in innovative approaches to business
start-up that will enable women to form team-led enterprises, trade in higher
productivity sectors, garner business resources and be enterprising.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Respect slower, part-time founding (e.g. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -18pt;">extending the exemption period for Universal Credit’s minimum income floor).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<ol start="6" style="margin-top: 0cm;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Invest in a Care Infrastructure: </span></b><i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">It Will ‘Build Back Better’ More
Productively Than ‘Build, Build, Build’, including:</span></i><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></li>
</ol>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Properly value the keywork of social care busine</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: -18pt;">sses and radically expand
supply by fixing long-term problems of inadequate commissioning that result in
low pay and conditions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Urgently protect social and private early years businesses<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 54pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">-<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Investing in expanding the childcare sector to create jobs, close gender
employment gaps and support the 600,000 mothers who are self-employed or
business owners.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">You can download
the full ‘Framework of Policy Actions to Build Back Better For Women’s
Enterprise’ by following: </span></b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b><a href="https://www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/WEPG-Framework-of-Policy-Actions.pdf">https://www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/WEPG-Framework-of-Policy-Actions.pdf</a></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">Members of the WEPG include</span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">representatives from</span><b style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">some of the country’s leading academic institutions, including the University
of Liverpool, Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Birmingham,
the University of Nottingham, the University of Newcastle and the University of
South Wales. Alongside international representation from Mohammed Bin Salman
College of Business and Entrepreneurship (MBSC) in Saudi Arabia.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a name="_Hlk47950724"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Representation from women’s
business support comes from The Women’s Organisation, Women’s Enterprise
Scotland, Women in Business NI, </span></a><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">International Consultants for
Entrepreneurship and Enterprise (ICE)</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">, GrowBiz and Radiant and Brighter CIC.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFuY_6WRRqIysAN1mY7TpOPD2p7qmkSwPzEAR0JAH8EU9LqwuWbobkPdVNV9vnjGKmuJMxRQutZeKvDs4B0SnpnI2ttgm_zGO13S0DtnyXF0SDPOShxQQmmx4-Wfn5kY-KPwrvXqq9f4/s583/wepg+logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="583" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTFuY_6WRRqIysAN1mY7TpOPD2p7qmkSwPzEAR0JAH8EU9LqwuWbobkPdVNV9vnjGKmuJMxRQutZeKvDs4B0SnpnI2ttgm_zGO13S0DtnyXF0SDPOShxQQmmx4-Wfn5kY-KPwrvXqq9f4/w238-h219/wepg+logo.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p>The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-75055693153421540392020-08-05T05:26:00.000-07:002020-08-05T05:26:04.321-07:00Gear Up to Grow with Sutcliffe: Impact on Construction <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"><b><font face="inherit">Like in every sector, every profession and every
walk of life, Covid-19 will impact and change the way construction is done for
many years to come - we can all be sure of that.</font></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"><font face="inherit"></font><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZtdD9Izmh7Ic8mTORfIsS3yONI1cO0dds0epFZaL9-H_Z3F1zs6TZ_Yk2CTDlP2GBL19dr5bfF57aWr3aIT0ZQfOMxFc285ujJJuABafo1mfF6_wFHuLqQHF2C7PfgQ0jYJFdeCvq4l8/s2048/Sean+Keyes+MD+Sutcliffe+engineers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZtdD9Izmh7Ic8mTORfIsS3yONI1cO0dds0epFZaL9-H_Z3F1zs6TZ_Yk2CTDlP2GBL19dr5bfF57aWr3aIT0ZQfOMxFc285ujJJuABafo1mfF6_wFHuLqQHF2C7PfgQ0jYJFdeCvq4l8/w410-h274/Sean+Keyes+MD+Sutcliffe+engineers.jpg" title="Sean Keyes Managing Director, Civil & Structural Engineering firm, Sutcliffe" width="410" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sean Keyes, Managing Director - Sutcliffe<br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><font face="inherit">Sutcliffe was probably one of the first in the
country to witness these changes first-hand. We had already been working with
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (as civil engineering
consultants following the demise of the previous contractor), when some
elements of the project were accelerated to enable additional ICU wards to open
in order to meet the increasing capacity caused by the escalating pandemic.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"><font face="inherit">In my 30 plus years in the profession I am
currently witnessing very different construction sites to those I am used to -
social distancing, where workers never encroach within two metres of their
colleagues, face masks being worn by all, and more frequent hand washing. I
have also introduced temperature checks to all staff, and one-way networks
adopted similar to what the supermarkets have been doing for some weeks now.
Importantly, if employees cannot get to the site safely and sensibly, then they
shouldn't be there. I would be lying if I said the atmosphere wasn’t unique,
and strange almost - but everyone is getting on with the job at hand, carrying
out their tasks in a professional and sensible manner, being respectful of
their workmates and alert to the potential risks.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"><font face="inherit">And who can blame them. Data from the Office of
National Statistics (ONS) revealed that the death rate among low-skilled
construction workers was 25.9 per 100,000 males, or 22 deaths in total, placing
it among the worst-hit occupations. However, I remain incredibly optimistic for
the construction industry, and believe that if we follow the safety guidelines,
we will adapt and prosper in this new norm. We are used to working in dangerous
conditions such as demolition sites, contaminated land and sites containing
asbestos - this is no different.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"><font face="inherit">At the time of writing this article, the Prime
Minister continues to ease the lockdown restrictions - with more people
encouraged to return to work if it is safe to do so. Sutcliffe has implemented
a phased return to work. Our decision comes following guidance given by the
Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE), and regular conversations
with other engineers from across the UK to gauge general opinion. The ACE
informs us that they have been consulting with the Government for many weeks
now about the easing of restrictions, and I am told that Downing Street
recognises the construction sector as being instrumental in getting the UK
economy motoring again. I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"><font face="inherit">Now in our 35th year, Sutcliffe enjoyed one of
its most successful years to date in 2019, which crucially provides us with a
solid financial footing in such extraordinary challenging times.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"><font face="inherit">The speed at which Covid-19 has hit all our
lives is quite surreal and reminds us all how we need to better look after our
planet and the food chain. Sutcliffe has an experienced top team with 100 years
of management experience between us, and all have lived through many difficult
periods before - we will be drawing from this wealth of experience and
knowledge to guarantee our future success and to do our bit in rebuilding the
UK economy.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><font face="inherit"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">For more information about Sutcliffe, visit the </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://sutcliffe.co.uk/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">website</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">,
and on social media - </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://twitter.com/Sutcliffe_1985"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Twitter</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">,
</span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Sutcliffe1985/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Facebook</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"> and </span><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/sutcliffe/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">LinkedIn</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><b><font face="inherit">Respected, reliable, resilient and trusted,
Sutcliffe has been future-facing, inspiring and influencing the built
environment since its conception in 1985.</font></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 150%;"><b style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><font face="inherit">Looking for help to grow or adapt your business? For more information about the support available through The Women’s Organisation to help you and your business, please contact us via e-mail at hello@thewo.org.uk if you're based in the Liverpool City Region.</font></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrFqyt8004-hEBloP5x4DkmlUnykCU2O0s3Q-H7qq3rdY80tPZpsWjGpT3eggUihAVvuOMS1NsNL3yS8H3ITragKfceu3tlMgkDZimM8ByCYbB0MHFGFeJZgCB_v7Epaiz9bPe9Lmqls/s604/New+ERDF+2015-2020+Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="134" data-original-width="604" height="69" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrFqyt8004-hEBloP5x4DkmlUnykCU2O0s3Q-H7qq3rdY80tPZpsWjGpT3eggUihAVvuOMS1NsNL3yS8H3ITragKfceu3tlMgkDZimM8ByCYbB0MHFGFeJZgCB_v7Epaiz9bPe9Lmqls/w309-h69/New+ERDF+2015-2020+Logo.png" width="309" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><font face="Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 13.2px;"><b><br /></b></span></font></div></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-39646131465859921802020-07-31T04:07:00.002-07:002020-07-31T04:07:53.361-07:00Universal Credit isn’t working: Our contributions to the House of Lords' proposals for reform<p class="MsoNormal">The House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee has launched a new report calling for drastic Government reform of Universal Credit which is failing millions of people.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5801/ldselect/ldeconaf/105/105.pdf" target="_blank">'Universal Credit isn’t working: proposals for reform'</a> sets out a road map of reforms to make the system fit for purpose, using contributions from our own research and advocacy work here at The Women's Organisation. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the groups facing a barrier with the system is the newly self-employed, and budding entrepreneurs who are dependent on Universal Credit and would like to start their own business. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is largely down to the system using an assumed minimum income floor for the newly-self-employed. This assumes that they are earning at <i>least </i>full-time minimum wage - which is not always the case in the early stages of business - placing thousands outside of eligibility for Universal Credit, creating a major issue at start-up level.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We shared our experiences learned from working with women and men across the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester, who have faced this barrier in starting their enterprises.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mACNufktIdJphEZr_D6SWj-2KvcZblVhm9y-Rw3Thw5CAoY2hdaK0HhhpP2eDwp3QoLhdH3h4gX8XbToMF1n8YKhpLyg5dQuTHJ9Ah0Ggn5H6o0RGhhBraY8F5rD92mKpvrvkB8_mpQ/s1500/Helen+Millne%252C+Deputy+CEO+of+The+Women%2527s+Organisaiton.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mACNufktIdJphEZr_D6SWj-2KvcZblVhm9y-Rw3Thw5CAoY2hdaK0HhhpP2eDwp3QoLhdH3h4gX8XbToMF1n8YKhpLyg5dQuTHJ9Ah0Ggn5H6o0RGhhBraY8F5rD92mKpvrvkB8_mpQ/w512-h342/Helen+Millne%252C+Deputy+CEO+of+The+Women%2527s+Organisaiton.jpg" title="Helen Millne, Deputy CEO of The Women's Organisation" width="512" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Helen Millne,
Deputy CEO of The Women’s Organisation, says: “The evidence that we provided
for this House of Lords Economic Committee report on Universal Credit came from
women and men who are looking to start their own businesses while dependent on
Universal Credit. It is clear that the current system makes it unnecessarily
harder for people to become self-employed.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>“The newly
self-employed should not be subject to an assumed ‘minimum income floor’ under
the system. To assume that self-employed people are earning at least full-time
minimum wage, and are therefore not eligible for Universal Credit, causes a
major issue at start-up level. This is a very real barrier which prevents
people from not only creating their own jobs and improving their own personal and financial circumstances through
entrepreneurship, but it also prevents future job creation for others, which is
a great loss for our local and national economy.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>“We now more than
ever need to support business creation, not put barriers in the way. We hope
that the Government will take action on the findings as a matter of urgency to
enable, not penalise, those taking the imitative to create their own
employment, and fundamentally aid the UK’s economic recovery.”</i></p><p class="MsoNormal">You can download the full report by <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld5801/ldselect/ldeconaf/105/105.pdf" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://liverpool.gov.uk/media/1357148/unintended-consequences-of-uc.pdf" target="_blank">Click here</a> to read our contribution to Liverpool City Council's 'Rethink Universal Credit' report, ahead of its roll out in 2018.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrFqyt8004-hEBloP5x4DkmlUnykCU2O0s3Q-H7qq3rdY80tPZpsWjGpT3eggUihAVvuOMS1NsNL3yS8H3ITragKfceu3tlMgkDZimM8ByCYbB0MHFGFeJZgCB_v7Epaiz9bPe9Lmqls/s604/New+ERDF+2015-2020+Logo.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="134" data-original-width="604" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrFqyt8004-hEBloP5x4DkmlUnykCU2O0s3Q-H7qq3rdY80tPZpsWjGpT3eggUihAVvuOMS1NsNL3yS8H3ITragKfceu3tlMgkDZimM8ByCYbB0MHFGFeJZgCB_v7Epaiz9bPe9Lmqls/w386-h86/New+ERDF+2015-2020+Logo.png" width="386" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<u5:p></u5:p>The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-33602200881492719912020-07-21T06:06:00.003-07:002020-07-21T06:06:27.291-07:00Client News: Liverpool author encourages local children to share their lockdown experiences for the British Library's ‘digital time capsule’<br />
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<b style="color: #0b5394;">Children now have the opportunity to be a part of history by
sharing their experiences of life during the COVID-19 lockdown. Our Enterprise Hub client and children’s
author, Natalie Reeves Billing, says these experiences will be displayed on a
dedicated ‘Children of Lockdown’ website to be preserved as a digital time
capsule by the British Library in the UK Web Archive.</b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">For
this historic project, children aged between 3 and 17 are being asked to
reflect on their lockdown experiences and use stories, poems or pictures to
share those experiences. By preserving those experiences in the <a href="https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.bl.uk%2fcollection-guides%2fuk-web-archive&c=E,1,AEF7QMYaYG-v1xx2uLOkpT7qXGr7OlGwLBKqvuHFA5_BKZYsBwR1O6g3-KKZfKlmZ-2QF-U-ZozYzidGA2hBDJiQiUQnX1KUfjozsajPmDwgGXRDjcA,&typo=1" target="_blank">British Library’s UK Web Archive</a>, children of the future
will be able to see and understand what life was like during this unprecedented
time, through the eyes of the children of today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">There
is also a competition to find the most creative response in each age category,
to be judged by five children’s authors: Natalie Reeves Billing, Nicola J
Rowley, Janey Jones, Sandra Horn and Rhys Brisenden. Winners in each age
category will receive National Book Tokens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTb5y9yCf1WmNRkU1GWMVZa4Q9-fLpT3NZnt6z1_iAdnP8jlQhjGOjSgDOwXHjY-y1khpw22OQKcd5YAh34xzXduC2_WD19JzEdOAGV17orm2-hcBS0skpL8k8qdMo2c_gf5G3DVKOXTc/s1600/Natalie+Reeves+Billing+writes+at+her+home+Lollipop+Lodge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTb5y9yCf1WmNRkU1GWMVZa4Q9-fLpT3NZnt6z1_iAdnP8jlQhjGOjSgDOwXHjY-y1khpw22OQKcd5YAh34xzXduC2_WD19JzEdOAGV17orm2-hcBS0skpL8k8qdMo2c_gf5G3DVKOXTc/s320/Natalie+Reeves+Billing+writes+at+her+home+Lollipop+Lodge.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Natalie Reeves Billing, author of </span><i style="color: #0b5394; font-size: medium; text-align: start;">My Mummy Is A Monster: My Children Are Monsters</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Natalie
Reeves Billing, author of </span><i style="color: #0b5394;">My Mummy Is A Monster: My Children Are
Monsters</i><span style="color: #0b5394;"> said: “Having a record of how we lived and how we coped as a
nation will inspire generations to come. Our children will become a recorded
part of that history. Children have so much to say, and expressing themselves
subconsciously via storytelling is the perfect way to unlock that message they
wish to deliver. Not every child can find the right way to frame their feelings
about lockdown but art and creative writing can give them that outlet and the
digital time capsule gives children a platform to share their feelings on the
world right now.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">“My
social enterprise, Split Perspectivz, explores the importance of
self-expression via storytelling of all forms. That ability to download
information from our heads onto paper helps promote a well-balanced young person.
Holding onto our feelings can be damaging, and many people forget that children
feel worry, depression and anxiety too. With this project, children have that
opportunity to put their experiences in one place, recounting and sharing it,
and subconsciously, making sense of things.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">This
project is the brainchild of Charlotte McMillan, founder of the digital
scrapbook app Storychest. “It started as a personal project that I asked my
three boys to do; they have witnessed a fundamental moment in history, when
everything that was predictable about our lives was suspended - the ability to
come and go as we please, to see friends and family, and to go to school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">“I
thought it was important for them to express their thoughts and reflections
about lockdown, almost as a way of putting it into perspective - the negatives
but also the positives - and to see what we can take on board for the
future. My friends also got involved and I thought how great this would be if
we could extend the idea to all children across the UK, for their
reflections to be captured in one place.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Charlotte
heard about the British Library’s UK Web Archive, so she approached them with
her idea of creating the Children of Lockdown digital time capsule. Head of
Contemporary British Publications at the British Library, Ian Cooke, said:
“The British Library will be including Children of Lockdown in its collection
on COVID-19, as part of the UK Web Archive. This collection covers medical,
healthcare, policy and social impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">“As
part of this, we are preserving a record of personal responses and accounts of
life during Coronavirus, through communications made public online and
preserved in the UK Web Archive. Children of Lockdown will be an important part
of this collection, showing first-hand accounts of how lockdown impacted a
generation, through a range of creative and written responses.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Natalie
said: “With lockdown imposing restrictions on our freedom, we must look to all
opportunities for life enrichment. Giving children the gift of creativity is
perhaps the most important thing we can be doing for mental health now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">“I am a
massive advocate for education. Literacy is the key to a lifelong love of
reading which gives us a place to escape to in our minds - our imagination -
and it is a place no one can ever take away from us. When we have that, there
is nowhere we can't go. When we set our minds free, through reading or
being creative, we can forget about the problems of the world, and focus our
thoughts on positives.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="color: #0b5394;">Natalie
urges all teachers and parents to encourage their children to start creating
now, to be a part of this historic Children of Lockdown digital time capsule
project. Poems, stories or pictures can be submitted up until 7pm on 31st July
and winners will be announced on 31st August on Storychest’s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/storychest/" target="_blank">Facebook</a> page and <a href="https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fwww.storychest.com%2f&c=E,1,fLzCiEKnRkuEZc7B71W2ijtLgCrr-w5Vwql-2hChVhFREm3HOcHQbJNlvJTcpr8HCwWEuVCLzylruR7IN13LMM0rTVWDfwlH9GeAwOZgDY7ACnKPZIdd&typo=1" target="_blank">website</a>.<br />
<br />
For more information about submitting entries to Children of Lockdown, go
to <a href="https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fchildrenoflockdown.storychest.com%2f&c=E,1,QJWrQ9vATxrdsIzCIM-Q5ToQd_5yYU-z7EcmIzhqxElcDSqOVM-qnGxa3-UTKS0ANfoNHXpMU-ttiOpjkZnHFyDeBwx4wxngv4rEbEWwKNbrEp2rCMVdP2I,&typo=1" target="_blank">https://childrenoflockdown.storychest.com</a>. Once winners have
been announced, all entries will be accessible to read <a href="https://linkprotect.cudasvc.com/url?a=https%3a%2f%2fchildrenoflockdown.storychest.com%2f&c=E,1,IAFUMCjjhcAOgsNcIrf3utSgtOHVL9kSacr0M5jHLYEKHbJifTvSkCh7j4POdP6pyHkqF9Sv62Gp1oh7_2_I9GI8iUOLuQVs2OyBd64v1kp-94qa74h6IxuY&typo=1" target="_blank">here</a>. Only the first name, age and location of each child
will be made public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-33206398436393881582020-07-20T03:34:00.002-07:002020-07-20T03:34:41.855-07:00Job Opportunity: We're Recruiting for an experienced Business Adviser!<br />
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<b>The Women’s Organisation is expanding our team by seeking to
recruit an experienced Business Adviser to support the high quality
delivery of women’s economic development services throughout the Liverpool City
Region (Merseyside and Halton areas). </b></div>
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We are committed to flexible
working and applicants applying for full time or part time posts will be
considered.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYrufFgvxY0NjOOnneEIiIdv7pYZ_RYB4aH4ywHlYh2GIACARvbAZQN8QJ5-XAG56RaperXxA6XKk3Lo9wQsu6h3tkcYBFOTwOb_fAV9-leeGH8iJp-BttFvODvdvpXhTidvD8zbe3y0/s1600/resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYrufFgvxY0NjOOnneEIiIdv7pYZ_RYB4aH4ywHlYh2GIACARvbAZQN8QJ5-XAG56RaperXxA6XKk3Lo9wQsu6h3tkcYBFOTwOb_fAV9-leeGH8iJp-BttFvODvdvpXhTidvD8zbe3y0/s400/resized.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Could you be the right candidate? <a href="https://www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk/about-us/work-with-us">Apply now.</a><br />
<br />
Do you know someone who would be perfect for the role? Help us spread the word!<br />
<br />
Closing date for receipt of applications is 12pm, <b>Wednesday 12th August 2020</b>. Interviews for short listed applicants will be held week commencing 17th August 2020.<br />
<br />
Find out more or download an application pack <a href="https://www.thewomensorganisation.org.uk/about-us/work-with-us">here.</a> Alternatively, contact us on 0151 706 8111 or info@thewo.org.uk.<br />
<br />
<br />The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-55706622831414547552020-07-15T05:03:00.002-07:002020-07-15T06:00:00.646-07:00Lockdown, Grief and Beyond<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>With lockdown now easing for most of the UK, it is hard to measure the lasting impact it will have on society. Many of us have dealt with individual struggles, from job loss to decline in mental health. Jenny Wallwork, Training Manager at The Women’s Organisation shared with us her personal journey of dealing with grief, and its implications during lockdown. </b></div>
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“Where do I start? Lockdown for me has been a huge mental health rollercoaster for myself and my family. In normal times, the thought of being in isolation, staying and working from home, would seem quite appealing, time to reflect, plan, slow down and have more family time. </div>
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This sadly was not the case for me, my mum passed away during lockdown (not COVID, however the impact of COVID was huge) within a 10 week period my mum had gone from living independently, to hospital/care, to know longer being here. I cannot explain the loss and gaping hole this has left in my life. </div>
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The impact of lockdown and COVID has meant that one of the most difficult and hardest situations to deal with has not being able to hug people or have contact with family and friends, which is our normal human basic instincts, to hug and make better. </div>
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Not being in control, we are being told what we can and cannot do. We could not visit mum when she was deteriorating rapidly, knowing everyday was precious, the anxiety and desperation this caused is indescribable, I was allowed into the care home in the last few days of mums life, which I am eternally grateful for. Only 10 people were allowed at the funeral, the difficulties of deciding who was attending, how do you make those heart-breaking decisions, grandchildren missing out on attending their nans funeral. </div>
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This raised anxiety levels to new heights, I have experienced a lot in my lifetime, but this was on another level. I then started to what I call ‘have a word with myself’, this is to challenge my thoughts and realise that I can only do what I can do as this was unprecedented times, do the things that I can and try to park the things that are out of my control, this would happen many times a day, incredibly challenging, but I tried to keep at it. </div>
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My work colleagues at ‘The Women’s Organisation were supportive and caring, you know you have good leaders when your CEO and line manager, message you on the day of mums passing, to send their condolences, I cherish those messages from my colleagues and friends. The lack of emotional contact with family and friends was and is the hardest, as I write this I have had lots of virtual hugs and hugs from my immediate family (household), but cannot wait for the day when we are allowed to hug whoever we like. </div>
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This blog is not a self-pity ditty, it is about understanding how we all react to adversity, loss, grief a pandemic. There are not one size fits all, we are all different and that is okay, it is okay not to be okay, when people ask me how I am? I have stopped saying okay or not bad, I have started being a little bit more honest with myself and saying if today is a better day or not. I have tried to practice what I preach with clients who attend my training at The WO, it is about changing how I think, to look at what I can do, not what I can’t. </div>
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The thing is, people may look from afar and say how resilient I am, on the whole, over the years with my experiences of being in the forces and dealing with the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster, I would probably say yes to a point. Resilience is not about thinking positively with a gung-ho attitude, it is how we deal with adversity, how we react to difficult life events. It does not mean that you do not experience stress and emotional turmoil. </div>
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Going forward for me, I am on a long journey of change, dealing with grief, I will continue to challenge my thought processes, I will start to live life differently, life with and without mum. As we can all relate too, life before COVID and lockdown and life after. The positives of lockdown are, that in my opinion, it has brought communities together, we have started speaking to neighbours for the first time, people showing compassion and kindness. </div>
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I am hoping that we all continue to support local independent businesses, many have been a lifeline for offering their services during the pandemic. Opening pop up facilities and home deliveries, thinking outside the box, keeping their business afloat and moving with the times. </div>
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For those independent small businesses, who have struggled during this time, The Women’s Organisation can offer invaluable support with 1:1 support on business advice and training opportunities, we have already supported 300 clients within the 60 day lockdown period, which is an incredible achievement. Zoom has become the go to tool, for meetings and training which we all seem to have adapted to. </div>
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Life will never be the same, moving forward we can look for different opportunities, maybe life will become a little slower and the world will become a nicer place to be. </div>
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For me personally, I know I am on a journey of huge change, one thing I would say for those looking on, if you know someone who is dealing with grief, don’t be frightened to ask how they are really, check in with those people often and be ready for that huge hug you will get once lockdown has finished, as although we have had at present nearly 40,000 people dying of COVID, within that lockdown period there are on average 1500 additional people dying each day from many different conditions and causes, were COVID has also had a huge impact on their families and friends, due to lockdown. </div>
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What I will say, when this Pandemic has faded, there will be an awful lot of love and hugs to go around, which I am so looking forward to. </div>
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This current climate that we are dealing with is a difficult one, but it can also be a chance to look at what we really want in life.” </div>
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<b>If lockdown has left you struggling, we are here to support you with our programmes Change it: Renew and Managing in a Crisis – Be Resilience </b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Change it: Renew is helping women in the Liverpool City Region build their confidence and make a positive changes in their lives that they want, whatever age and background or stage of life you are at, this programme will help build a more positive future.</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Change It: Exploring Opportunities booking information below</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/change-it-exploring-opportunities-tickets-112826745834" target="_blank">https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/change-it-exploring-opportunities-tickets-112826745834</a></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Enterprise Hub Skills: Managing in a crisis – Be Resilience 2-day session will look at what it means to be resilient, offering you practical tips to strengthen your personal resilience, business resilience, and other areas of your life that have been impacted.</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Managing in a Crisis – Be Resilience booking below</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/enterprise-hub-skills-managing-in-a-crisis-be-resilient-tickets-111938067774" target="_blank">https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/enterprise-hub-skills-managing-in-a-crisis-be-resilient-tickets-111938067774</a></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>If you would like more information about Change it: Renew or other upcoming programmes at The Women’s Organisation, you can get in touch on hello@thewo.org.uk</b></div>
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The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-83904174324332395132020-07-14T07:49:00.001-07:002020-07-14T07:49:19.118-07:00Two North West powerhouses ranked in world’s top 10 start-up cities, thanks to world class business support<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #141414; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Both
Liverpool and Manchester have been ranked in the top 10 global emerging
ecosystems for start-ups, thanks in part to access to start-up and scale-up
support.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgObLTJcoKYXAUC3PrnIg4ki-Kz8rV1e-kKArSfBI2Wt7Lxv3nYSHvn4PqXH8_JQL4J7Y_p9M95uLzRwGXI56Ccxdh1nOZKGzSUJJL2MmhQMQ14SdB3bis_oNdbCcXsxx1CaIBh4L6XveI/s1600/Jackie+Williams%252C+Enterprise+Director+at+The+Women%2527s+Organisation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgObLTJcoKYXAUC3PrnIg4ki-Kz8rV1e-kKArSfBI2Wt7Lxv3nYSHvn4PqXH8_JQL4J7Y_p9M95uLzRwGXI56Ccxdh1nOZKGzSUJJL2MmhQMQ14SdB3bis_oNdbCcXsxx1CaIBh4L6XveI/s400/Jackie+Williams%252C+Enterprise+Director+at+The+Women%2527s+Organisation.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #aaaaaa; font-family: "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; text-align: start;">Jackie Williams, Enterprise Director at The Women's Organisation</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #141414; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Research by Startup Genome – 2020
Global Startup Ecosystem Report – has ranked the two North West powerhouses
ninth in the world, ahead of locations including Dubai, Lyon and Chengdu in
China.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #141414; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The report, which assessed 270
ecosystems around the world, scored the region strongly on the performance of
start-ups, access to early-stage funding, ability to scale up and the talent
locally available.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141414; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">It ranked the region fifth among
emerging ecosystems in Europe and, overall, the number two UK start-ups
ecosystem, second only to London.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141414; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">A key element in the
proliferation of start-ups in both regions is the support for budding
entrepreneurs from programmes like Enterprise Hub, in the Liverpool City
Region, and Excelerate Labs in Greater Manchester, respectively.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141414; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">North West social enterprise The
Women’s Organisation is lead organisation for both support programmes, which have
helped thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs get their ventures off the ground
and to scale-up.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The
entrepreneurial expertise on offer through Enterprise Hub and Excelerate Labs has
offered a vital lifeline for the region’s entrepreneurs during the current
coronavirus pandemic.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Over 2,000
entrepreneurs have been supported through the two programmes in the last four
months alone.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">This
includes over 550 virtual business advice appointments, helping company owners
to sustain or grow their businesses, alongside over 40 training courses, events
and webinars which have attracted in excess of 700 people.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Jackie Williams, Enterprise Director at
The Women’s Organisation and Programme Manager for Enterprise Hub and
Excelerate Labs, said: “It comes as no surprise that Liverpool and Manchester
have been ranked among the best places in the world to start and scale-up a
business. Entrepreneurial spirit and talent is brimming here. We have seen thousands
of budding business women and men come through our doors for support and go on
to create viable, sustainable enterprises which add real value to our local
economy and communities. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“The support on offer across the region
is invaluable and we know that seeking the right advice and guidance in the
start-up phase plays a key role in the long-term success of any new enterprise.
We would urge anyone in the Liverpool City Region or Greater Manchester area
who is thinking about starting a business, or needs advice around growing their
current enterprise, to get in touch and see how Enterprise Hub and Excelerate
Labs can support you”.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Enterprise Hub and Excelerate Labs’ ongoing support for the
region’s business community continues with two upcoming events designed to help
the start-up sector across the region.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The first from Enterprise Hub is a free online event for women in Liverpool
called <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/launchpad-starting-a-business-during-a-pandemic-start-up-conference-tickets-109829440814" target="_blank">‘Starting a Business During a Pandemic’</a>, taking place at 11am on
Thursday, July 23, featuring local entrepreneurs who will share their
experiences with the audience. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/launchpad-starting-a-business-during-a-pandemic-start-up-conference-tickets-109829440814" target="_blank">Click here to find out more.</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">For Greater Manchester, Excelerate Labs in inviting female and male
entrepreneurs are invited to take part in the online ‘<a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kickstarter-manchester-the-7-day-start-up-challenge-tickets-112964860940" target="_blank">Kickstarter Manchester –The 7-Day Start-Up Challenge</a>’ event. Kickstarter Manchester starts at 11am on
Tuesday 11<sup>th</sup> August and will offer a week-long series of workshops
and webinars culminating in a group mentoring session on Monday 17<sup>th</sup>
August. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/kickstarter-manchester-the-7-day-start-up-challenge-tickets-112964860940" target="_blank">Click here to find out more.</a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Both programmes are fully funded thanks to support from the
European Regional Development Fund and are free to access (eligibility criteria
applies).</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">For anyone who is thinking about starting a business in these
areas, or is looking to grow a new enterprise, they can contact </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="mailto:hello@thewo.org.uk"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">hello@thewo.org.uk</span></a></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"> for more information on the support which is available to them.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-14147874798585462492020-07-09T07:35:00.000-07:002020-07-17T05:16:56.144-07:00Gear up to Grow with Brown Turner Ross: Maintain a Happy Household<b>Once lockdown was announced, the team at Brown Turner Ross immediately began working remotely, and have continued to see existing and new cases progress.</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam Bushell Director of Brown Turner Ross</td></tr>
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Every year, during the weeks following Christmas, lawyers like myself always see a surge in divorce enquiries, so much so that mid-January has a day labelled as “D Day”. It is apparent that long periods spent locked up at home together during the festive period is the final straw for many couples, who seek a divorce lawyer once the final strips of tinsel are packed away. After 12 weeks of lockdown, the family law team here at Brown Turner Ross is braced for another surge in divorce enquiries, potentially on a larger scale than what we experience post-Christmas.<br />
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It comes after it emerged from lockdown, China saw a spike in the number of divorce applications, so much so that officials in the Fujian Province of southern China, had to limit the number of divorce appointments to just 10 couples per day after being overwhelmed with the number of couples seeking a separation.<br />
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The UN has also recently described the global increase in domestic violence as a “shadow pandemic” alongside the Coronavirus pandemic. The UN believes that cases of domestic abuse have increased by 20% globally during lockdown, where many victims are spending months with no escape from their abusers.<br />
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So why does this happen? While being physically marooned 24/7 with your spouse for a long period of time can be a positive experience for some couples, it can lead to amplified frustrations, arguments and conflicts for others, which under normal circumstances rarely surface thanks to personal hobbies and work to keep us independent as individuals - one of the bedrocks of a successful relationship. Of course normal conditions also distracts some couples from having to face the inevitable truth that the relationship had stopped working a long time ago.<br />
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The last 12 weeks have been anything but normal. Like no other time, the Covid-19 pandemic presents couples with a unique set of challenges that unfortunately some will not be able to overcome. Concerns about health, finances and employment security are a leading factor when couples start considering a separation.<br />
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So how can couples keep calm during this strange and unprecedented time, and maintain a happy household?<br />
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Clear communication is vital, so it’s important to talk about what’s on your mind with your spouse. It’s also really important to enjoy activities separately, whether that’s going for your daily exercise alone or enjoying a TV programme without being disturbed.<br />
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Couples’ counselling may also be a good idea - many providers are offering online sessions now to tackle relationship problems. Relate, for example, are an organisation providing relationship help and advice, and are operating a range of online or over the phone counselling options here.<br />
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If you do find yourself still needing advice on separations and divorce, there’s a number of important things that any good divorce lawyer will guide you with as you go into this process.<br />
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Firstly, take advice from a professional, they will guide you without emotion, through what is a life changing decision that will affect the whole family. When getting divorced the practical side of things can be a trigger for frustrations to spill over. In my experience the two most divisive issues are children and the dividing up of assets. You must think of what is best for your children and your future, no matter what kind of partner they may be, they are still dad. Also be mindful not to disregard your pensions. There are many options including pension sharing orders, or offset agreements to consider.<br />
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If lockdown has left you considering speaking to a family law expert, know that you’re not alone, and that you will reach a solution with the help of a good divorce lawyer who will fight to protect you and your future.<br />
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And if you and/or your children are suffering at the hands of domestic abuse, seek help immediately. There are some useful links below.<br />
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<b>●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Women’s Aid online anonymous chat service <a href="https://chat.womensaid.org.uk/">https://chat.womensaid.org.uk/</a></b><br />
<b>●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is 0808 2000 247</b><br />
<b>●<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Government advice on how to get help if you are, or know someone who is, a victim of domestic abuse <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-abuse-how-to-get-help">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-abuse-how-to-get-help</a> </b><br />
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<b>Sam Bushell is MD and head of family law at BrownTurner Ross with offices in Liverpool and Southport. </b><br />
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<b>Looking for help to grow or adapt your business? For more information about the support available through The Women’s Organisation to help you and your business, please contact us via e-mail at hello@thewo.org.uk if you're based in the Liverpool City Region.</b><br />
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The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-26380346577088170402020-07-09T06:45:00.000-07:002020-07-09T06:45:32.173-07:00Leading social entrepreneur will use new academic role to promote ‘business for good’ agenda <br />
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">A leading voice in women’s and social enterprise,
Maggie O’Carroll, has been appointed as </span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">a Visiting Professor at Scotland’s University
of Strathclyde, where she hopes to support the development of a more inclusive
and socially focused approach to entrepreneurial education and research.</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: start;">Maggie O’Carroll has taken on the role to </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">promote <br />the ‘business for good’ agenda </span></span></td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Liverpool-based
social entrepreneur and internationally leading voice on women’s enterprise, Maggie
O’Carroll, has accepted the role </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">at the </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">University of Strathclyde</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Business School (SBS), in the Hunter
Centre for Entrepreneurship.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The Centre, which is endowed by the celebrated
entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter, is recognised as </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Europe’s leading academic centre for research,
teaching and engagement in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation and
strategy within the context of SMEs and entrepreneurial ventures.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">O’Carroll, a Cambridge graduate, is a co-founder
and CEO of The Women’s Organisation, an internationally recognised social enterprise
which has supported over 70,000 women to take a more active role in social and
economic life and has helped create more than 4,000 businesses since its inception
in 1996. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The Women’s Organisation was this year listed
in the top 1% of UK Social Enterprises in the SE100 Index, which is the country’s
leading source of market intelligence on social enterprise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Working on an
international scale to ensure that women's interests are represented across
communities, business and government policy, O’Carroll supports the agenda of
women at the highest levels and speaks widely on issues relating to women’s employment
and entrepreneurship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">She was also named as
one of the UK’s most influential people in the social enterprise sector, making
the top ten in Natwest’s </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">WISE100 list as
part of the SE100 Index.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">O’Carroll now hopes to pass on this expertise
and industry knowledge to the university’s faculty, wider research and policy community
and especially to students who will be the business leaders and entrepreneurs
of tomorrow.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Professor Nigel
Lockett, Head of the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship at the University of
Strathclyde, says: “We are delighted to welcome Maggie on board as a Visiting
Professor to the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“As Europe’s leading
academic centre for research, teaching and engagement in the context of SMEs
and entrepreneurial ventures we are always looking for ways to develop and
enhance our offering. Maggie’s decades of experience in the field of
entrepreneurship, particularly in the context of women’s enterprise and social
entrepreneurship, will be an invaluable addition to this. We now look forward
to welcoming Maggie to the department as she finds innovative ways to
contribute to and enrich our academic community.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Maggie O’Carroll, CEO
of The Women’s Organisation, says: “</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The University
of Strathclyde Business School and the Hunter Centre is a pioneering,
internationally renowned academic organisation and I am delighted to be joining
the exceptional team there as a Visiting Professor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">“Supporting evidence-based policy development and
the next generation of business minds and entrepreneurs is hugely important,
not just for the talent pipeline but for the wider economy and society at
large. It is so important that our future leaders recognise that business for
good is not limited to charities and social enterprises alone, but has a hugely
significant role to play in commercial businesses. If I can inspire just one
student to go out into the world of business with a socially focused mindset and
to take that knowledge forward with them, that will be a great thing.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">O’Carroll will be shortly
joined by two new academics, Dr Suzanne Mawason from the University of Stirling
and Dr Nadia Zahoor from the University of Central Lancashire, alongside five
Enterprise Fellow who will work to support an exceptional student experience. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-88462088534029184012020-07-09T04:11:00.000-07:002020-07-09T06:34:58.229-07:00Change It: Renew is LIVE!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>We are
excited to announce the release of the latest sessions for our ‘Change It:
Renew’ programme.</b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 14.124px;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">With support from </span><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Department for Digital, Culture,
Media and Sport </span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">and <i>The
National Lottery Community Fund, </i>we are able to extend our offering to
support vulnerable women right across the City Region to improve their
resilience, coping mechanisms, and mental wellbeing through the current crisis
and beyond.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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a safe, inclusive space for women to gather, connect and support each other
through the current crisis and beyond, connecting vulnerable women from diverse
backgrounds and communities across the Liverpool City Region to build a
brighter future.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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range of themes, such as adapting to change, health and well-being and
exploring new opportunities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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some with key speakers and others with a panel of experts, all supported by our team who will offer guidance and support along the way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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will be adding further details of our guest experts as we confirm them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-size: 13.2px;"><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Change It: Exploring new opportunities </span></u></b></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Change It: Coping Mechanisms </span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/change-it-coping-mechanisms-tickets-112830292442"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/change-it-coping-mechanisms-tickets-112830292442</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLigGTRHvOGVzqGEBE0E-jimqUEoLJbsRBGUhyNek8-UY1-bIjB2nvlzbwyr3L-i-wSK7cEQFb5XY0ULxoRxofN527slhVRD32i9tXy4R5SnNMazJau4xrsjbH6y3-jHpY2XeTCkGuSw/s1600/Copy+of+Change+it+%25283%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJLigGTRHvOGVzqGEBE0E-jimqUEoLJbsRBGUhyNek8-UY1-bIjB2nvlzbwyr3L-i-wSK7cEQFb5XY0ULxoRxofN527slhVRD32i9tXy4R5SnNMazJau4xrsjbH6y3-jHpY2XeTCkGuSw/s320/Copy+of+Change+it+%25283%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Change It: Health and Wellbeing </span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QEVNJL2Nwh7WKiNMEELKGA5hluXQnVNzT3uY49k7mi3n_0xGsv6nMULYLusb-aDodbvbCpm8O3nv3G1GTPE8WellFJM8a3e6nDhZGCbpfrJdbouJWJJMzpvm15fKIfHVwxpogqPw0cY/s1600/Copy+of+Change+it+%25285%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QEVNJL2Nwh7WKiNMEELKGA5hluXQnVNzT3uY49k7mi3n_0xGsv6nMULYLusb-aDodbvbCpm8O3nv3G1GTPE8WellFJM8a3e6nDhZGCbpfrJdbouJWJJMzpvm15fKIfHVwxpogqPw0cY/s320/Copy+of+Change+it+%25285%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Change it: Renew is open to women from all six boroughs
of the Liverpool City Region, including Liverpool, Wirral, Sefton, Halton, St
Helens and Knowsley.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Funding from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund,
distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund, is supporting ‘Change It:
Renew’. Thanks to the Government and The Department for Digital, Culture, Media , and Sport for making this possible.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b>Those wanting to find out more should contact </b><a href="mailto:hello@thewo.org.uk"><b>hello@thewo.org.uk</b></a><b> for more
information.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 14.124px;"><br /></span>The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-90821742325479784282020-07-08T08:00:00.000-07:002020-07-08T08:00:31.477-07:00The Chancellor's Summer Statement: Our Reaction<br />
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As we look towards economic recovery post COVID-19 it is essential that businesses are properly supported to start trading and start hiring again. </div>
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In today’s (Wednesday 8 July) Summer Statement we heard The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announce a package of measures to get our economy moving again, but there are still some sectors left with limited solutions.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Maggie O’Carroll, CEO of The Women’s Organisation</span></td></tr>
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Maggie O’Carroll, CEO of The Women’s Organisation, says: “As we heard today, the hospitality and tourism industries employ
over £2 million people across the UK, with women, BAME and young people accounting
for a disproportionate amount of these workers. While we of course welcome the
Chancellor’s support of these sectors and the protection that this should offer
these groups, there is a real risk that other sectors, particularly SME’s, are
being left behind in the Chancellor’s plan.</div>
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“We urgently need to see more financial support in place for
SME’s which are viable in the long-term but are facing an immediate cash flow
problem. These are the very businesses which would stand to benefit most from schemes
like the re-employment bonus but might not have the financial capacity to operate
even with this support. Without the right financial injection now, we risk
losing these enterprises altogether, along with the creation of decent jobs
down the line.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“When it comes to the Chancellor’s plan for jobs, supporting
start-ups will be crucial in creating new quality employment opportunities. Programmes
like Enterprise Hub here in the Liverpool City Region offer an incredibly valuable
resource in equipping aspiring entrepreneurs with the skills, knowledge, and support
to successfully launch and grow new enterprises. This not only enables entrepreneurs
to create quality employment for themselves, but also serves to support and
nurture the employers of the future. A major scale up of investment into small
business support schemes like this will be essential to aiding long-term economic
recovery.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-25434928529315332462020-07-07T07:12:00.001-07:002020-07-07T07:12:12.194-07:00Networking - Embracing New Thinking<i>The following is a guest blog by Johanna King</i><br />
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The morning commute from your bedroom to the living room has become somewhat of a routine and you’ve managed to master an array of genius lunch recipes to compete with the likes of Pret and EAT so finally this permanently working from home lark is beginning to feel normal!<br />
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But how about networking? The global pandemic has forced everyone to limit their interaction with others and ultimately rethink the way we operate on a day to day basis and unfortunately this means no scrumptious networking breakfasts in swanky crowded conference rooms for a while!<br />
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So how do you continue to grow your business using networking throughout the current Covid-19 restrictions?<br />
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Here’s some handy tools and tips to get you back on track with networking for your business!<br />
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<b>Start the conversation..</b><br />
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Don’t be afraid to start the conversation, if the global pandemic has taught us anything, it’s how to think outside the box when communicating with others! Reaching out to companies or organisations that you would like to potentially collaborate with is a great way to open up the lines of communication and working on skills share basis, can create opportunities for you and other businesses with no major costs attached.<br />
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<b>Befriend Zoom</b><br />
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Zoom - If you hadn’t heard of the video conferencing before lockdown you certainly would have now! From the weekly pub quiz to catch up calls with friends and relatives, it feels as if the Zoom platform has been a crucial life line to many throughout the Covid-19 crisis.<br />
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Zoom is an ideal space to arrange a ‘virtual coffee’ or for team meetings with colleagues. With the ability to screen share, all attendees can give input and a clear visual ensures that discussions flow in a conference call setting.<br />
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If you’re currently on furlough or unable to work for various reasons, now is the ideal opportunity to improve your zoom skills and build your confidence using video conferencing.<br />
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<b>Share ideas on social and networking platforms</b><br />
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Reports show that the general use of social media platforms increased by 23% at the peak of lockdown, so upping your game on social is key when communicating your business updates and brand messaging. Sharing ideas or even simply opening a conversation on a current topic, can lead to new connections and business leads. Business platforms such as LinkedIn are the ideal space to provide interesting industry content and connect with like minded professionals.<br />
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<b>Virtual communities</b><br />
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This is the perfect time to explore the array of virtual communities via their various platforms! A number of individuals have turned to local projects and businesses throughout lockdown and have been able to seek solace in staying connected through this incredibly uncertain time.<br />
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Virtual communities can vary, from action communities that are campaigning for social change, to professional communities who are doing similar work. No matter the community, each gives you the opportunity to share advice and experience which can be invaluable within business. The feedback and sense of community spirit can also be empowering and help when growing your brand.<br />
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<b>Create a podcast</b><br />
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Creating a podcast is a brilliant way to help tap into another audience, as the popularity of your podcast grows, its reach will increase, helping to gather interest in your business.<br />
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If starting a podcast feels a bit daunting, start off by selecting a theme. When promoting your business, you want to strike a good balance between informative and interesting, so keeping the narrative engaging is key and a lighter approach can be favoured to encourage listeners to tune in.<br />
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Researching popular podcasts and successful formats can help too, navigating through the world of podcasts can be overwhelming so as a beginner, find what you like and engages you and then work from there.<br />
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<b>Take your events to the virtual side</b><br />
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As traditional networking events are not possible at the moment, consider taking your events online! Creating a workshop style event that can streamed, is a brilliant way to get your business out to the masses. The popularity of online exercise programmes such as yoga and dance classes has dramatically increased since gyms and studios have been closed and many leisure based brands have found providing online offerings have kept their brand current and accessible within a difficult climate.<br />
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You can also create watchable content by demonstrating a brand new product, running an online session or interviewing an industry influencer to help create new connections.<br />
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<b><u>Business Support</u></b><br />
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If you’re a woman based in the Liverpool City Region or Greater Manchester and you’re looking for support to grow your business, contact us on hello@thewo.org.uk to find out more about the support available.<br />
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<br />The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-73780647308080282972020-07-07T06:42:00.000-07:002020-07-07T06:42:08.861-07:00‘Why can't the Chancellor do the right thing by women entrepreneurs?’ ask leading women’s groups<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The government has announced a partial U-turn
on Covid-19 financial support for the self-employed which left new mothers at a
significant financial disadvantage. But leading women’s enterprise groups say
there is still more to be done. </span></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Co-Chair of the WEPG and Professor of Entrepreneurship <br />at Manchester Metropolitan University, Julia Rouse</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">New mothers who had taken maternity leave
in the last three years were previously being unfairly disadvantaged under the
Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), according to campaigners.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Under the</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"> Self
Employment Income Support Scheme</span><span style="color: #404040; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">, the government will pay self-employed people
grants of 80% of their average profits, up to £2,500, for three months.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-top: 13.5pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">These average
profits are calculated based on the last three years of tax returns, but these calculations
did not previously consider any time taken off for maternity leave in that
period, which substantially brought down the average for thousands of self-employed
women.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Campaigners estimated that this was set to
potentially impact around 80,000 women in the UK who took leave during this time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The
Women’s Enterprise Policy Group (WEPG), which represents leading experts from
business support and academia across the UK, launched a lobbying campaign on the
issue together with leading social enterprise, The Women’s Organisation, last
month. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">This came
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">alongside work from the Pregnant Then Screwed campaign
group, which is expected to launch a legal case against the Chancellor on the
grounds of sex discrimination this week.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Following these lobbying efforts, two
groups of parents who were previously excluded from the SEISS are now set to
benefit from updated HMRC guidance.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The extension now means that self-employed
parents who did not submit a tax return for 2018-2019, or those for whom
self-employment was not their main job, will now be able to claim under the
scheme, as long as they meet the other required eligibility criteria. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">These groups will now be able to submit a
claim using either their 2017-18 or both their 2016-17 and 2017-18
self-assessment returns as the basis for their eligibility and grant
calculation.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Those who are now eligible under the amendment
will be able to make a claim for both the first and the second SEISS grants, depending
on when their businesses may have been adversely affected by Covid-19, when
applications for the second grant open in August. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">However, the leading women enterprise
groups who lead the lobbying campaign say that this support does not go far
enough and </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">still fails
to properly recognise the value of female entrepreneurs.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Campaigners from the WEPG say that the
extended support still fails to help new parents overcome the disadvantage of
having a reduced self-employment income due to having a child in 2016-17 or
2017-18.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Likewise, those who took parental leave
between 2018-19 and were previously eligible for the SEISS will still not have any
reduced self-employment income taken into account. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">This means that thousands of self-employed
parents still stand to take a substantial financial hit under the scheme.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Professor of Entrepreneurship at <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_Hlk44941853">Manchester Metropolitan University and Co-Chair of the WEPG,
Julia Rouse</a></span><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk44941853;"></span><b><span style="background: white; color: #5f6368; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">, </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">says: "</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">We welcome HMRC moves to make new parents eligible for the
Self-employment Income Support Scheme. However, we still consider it to be a
real injustice that HMRC is not taking periods of low income caused by taking
maternity into account across the 3-year period over which payment is assessed.
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“Sustaining a business while having a
baby is a huge challenge and mothers are now battling for business survival amid
the business disruption caused by Covid-19. For instance, we know that women typically
find themselves as primary care givers in their households, add to this the
disruption of nursery and school closures, alongside reduced access to family
help with infant and childcare.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="ecxmsonormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“Why can't the Chancellor do the right
thing by women entrepreneurs by properly recognising the value of their
businesses and their mothering? We support Pregnant Then Screwed in their legal
case to get proper justice for new mothers who are self-employed.”</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-2565229333958049632020-07-07T02:13:00.001-07:002020-07-07T02:22:23.518-07:00Thousands of disabled self-employed missing out on ‘pandemic support’<br />
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">New research claims at least 50,000
disabled people who became self-employed last year are missing out on
government funding during the coronavirus pandemic.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">A report by IPSE – the
Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed – also says</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">
disabled self-employed people are more likely to need financial support during
the crisis because, in normal times, their average daily pay rate is 12% lower
than freelancers who do not report having a disability.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">They are disadvantaged further by finding looking for
work more challenging (21% compared with 16% of people not reporting a
disability), having, in the first place, been forced into self-employment for
reasons of discrimination in their previous job compared with people without
disabilities (14% against eight per cent), says IPSE.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The report also claims disabled self-employed do not
enjoy the same employment opportunities as others (26% compared with 20%).</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">However, their reasons for becoming self-employed,
research says, are still largely positive, including having greater control
over their hours (52%), more control over their work (51%) and having a better
work-life balance (47%).</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">There are now 662,000 disabled self-employed people
in the UK, an increase of eight per cent since 2018, and 41% since 2013.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The number of disabled women choosing self-employment
is also rising, with 30,000 becoming their own boss in the past year alone,
which is an increase of 12%.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Maggie O’Carroll, chief executive of social enterprise
The Women’s Organisation, says this is a sector that must be backed up with
support from the Government.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoGX7TqzW9478ktOWHQkY6sOyrnkSDgDgg4Zae-YIJzRVtw8r_9vji5mcpTXvPwChUZDSCNZHgdzT9MjqJ40SNLPK423dY6Pl9MXeWSkFlr6pankMLpNO-0YTVUhOzpunV-uST3SbNgg/s1600/Maggie+O%2527Carroll%252C+CEO+of+The+Women%2527s+Organisation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoGX7TqzW9478ktOWHQkY6sOyrnkSDgDgg4Zae-YIJzRVtw8r_9vji5mcpTXvPwChUZDSCNZHgdzT9MjqJ40SNLPK423dY6Pl9MXeWSkFlr6pankMLpNO-0YTVUhOzpunV-uST3SbNgg/s400/Maggie+O%2527Carroll%252C+CEO+of+The+Women%2527s+Organisation.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie O'Carroll, CEO of The Women's Organisation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">She
said: “We have seen that those missing out on vital government support </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">are all
too often those who need it most.</span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">“The
benefits of self-employment are acutely significant for disabled people,
including greater control over their hours, more autonomy over their work and
having a better work-life balance, particularly in the context of disabled
people who are more likely to find looking for work challenging, not have other
employment opportunities available, and even face discrimination in other
roles.”</span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">She
added: “Self-employment, on the other hand, offers real, tangible advantages
which considerably improve the quality of life for disabled people, both
socially and economically, and they must be protected at all costs.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“What’s
more, losing these roles and incomes would be a huge loss for the UK’s economy
which would stand to lose out on significant value added in the long term.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“The
figures revealed in this report speak for themselves. Nearly half reported that
they have been self-employed for over a decade.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“There
is a real risk that we are going to lose viable, sustainable businesses in the interim
if they aren’t protected now.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“That
is why we urgently need to see the right financial support in place to
safeguard these positions and secure the future of thousands across the
country.”</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">One
programme working to support disabled people across the Liverpool City Region
to take a more active role in social and economic life is Directions, a brand-new
pre-employment programme.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Directions
aims to engage disadvantaged, hard to reach groups in activity and skills
development which will help to raise aspirations and awareness of pathways into
employment and training opportunities.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">In
particular, the programme will work with participants with disabilities by linking
them up with project partners who specialise in tailored support for these
groups to help them reach their full potential.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8_Uii23s7pcez4_JlzCPvo8n3umIHpdRgFqnszslz-7HUv8qhQWLr5lXLMVweZrYtlxXS2wPt-4F5JdRgNYLGGLvId0aDpcU91BvaSCfKIDeF3nym4wtjOuNKffUOfG5Sgs_zqUvn7U/s1600/Lisa+McMullan%252C+Director+for+Development+%2526+Consultancy+at+The+Women%25E2%2580%2599s+Organisation+and+Directions+Project+Lead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8_Uii23s7pcez4_JlzCPvo8n3umIHpdRgFqnszslz-7HUv8qhQWLr5lXLMVweZrYtlxXS2wPt-4F5JdRgNYLGGLvId0aDpcU91BvaSCfKIDeF3nym4wtjOuNKffUOfG5Sgs_zqUvn7U/s400/Lisa+McMullan%252C+Director+for+Development+%2526+Consultancy+at+The+Women%25E2%2580%2599s+Organisation+and+Directions+Project+Lead.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lisa McMullan, Director for Development & Consultancy <br />
at The Women’s Organisation and Directions Project Lead</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Lisa
McMullan, Director for Development & Consultancy at The Women’s
Organisation and Directions Project Lead, says: “When it comes to exploring routes
to employment, we know that self-employment can offer a flexible, fulfilling and
viable option for many, particularly for those with a disability who may have faced
discrimination in previous workplaces and struggled to find the right role for
them. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“It
is essential that those considering their next steps, or what their own future
might look like, have visible and recognisable role models who are excelling in
their fields. The research shows us that the number of disabled self-employed
people across the country has nearly doubled over the last decade. The
government must now make sure that those who have taken this leap are being properly
supported if that trajectory is to continue.” </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv2409230327msonormal" style="background: white;">
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<br />The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-19657374113290708602020-07-02T03:22:00.002-07:002020-07-02T03:23:43.638-07:00Gear Up to Grow with PrivilegeHR - Returning to the workplace with confidence<b>As a business owner, you will hopefully either have re-opened your business or will be giving serious thought as to what ‘the new normal’ will look like.</b><br />
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Congratulations if you are back up and running and welcoming back your customers. That’s no mean feat!! You will have developed a strategy to re-open and put a contingency plan in place. You will also have undertaken a written Risk Assessment (if you have over 5 employees) and will, hopefully, have appointed key members of staff who will be responsible for co-ordinating your plan. But don’t worry if you haven’t managed to get all that done, here is a quick recap for you and for those business owners just starting the process.<br />
<br />
The first step is to be aware of the Government guidelines for your sector and planning what adjustments will need to be made for your employees and customers.<br />
<br />
Prior to returning to work you will need to consider your working environment. If you can access your place of work, go in while no-one is there and walk around, put yourself in your employee's shoes. Undertake a risk assessment and have a think about the physical environment such as cleaning regimes, touch points, kitchen and toilet facilities, etc. You will also need to consider other factors such as preventing transmission of COVID-19, managing vulnerable employees or those caring for others; social distancing, PPE etc.<br />
<br />
In the run-up to a return to the workplace, communication with your employees is key. Let them know about the changes you have put in place; this will reassure them. Also tell them about potential return dates so that they can put in place any necessary caring arrangements. Make a note of any concerns that they may have about returning; including any medical conditions that may need to be considered. Mutual agreement is always better and economically prudent.<br />
<br />
The questions and concerns that PrivilegeHR and its clients are being asked regularly include:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Am I safe to come back into the workplace?</li>
<li>I may have COVID – what do I do and will I be paid?</li>
<li>Why can’t I continue to work from home?</li>
<li>My children haven’t gone back to school; so can I stay at home?</li>
<li>Can I stagger my hours?</li>
<li>How do we take breaks?</li>
<li>Can I wear smart casual clothing so I can put it in the wash; rather than a dry clean suit?</li>
<li>Can I take holidays whilst I’m on furlough?</li>
</ul>
<br />
These are all valid questions and concerns and you may want to think about what the approach of your business will take to each of these. This approach will vary dependent upon your business policies and procedures and also the Government guidelines at the time. There is lots of free guidance out there to help you <a href="http://www.gov.uk/">www.gov.uk</a>; <a href="http://www.acas.org.uk/">www.acas.org.uk</a> or <a href="http://www.hse.gov.uk/">www.hse.gov.uk</a>. Alternatively, contact an employment specialist such as PrivilegeHR who will be able to bespoke the advice to your particular needs.<br />
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You may also want to think about whether you need everyone back in the initial phase. You may be happy to allow some staff to continue to work from home as this may aid social distancing and reduce the risk of more members of your team potentially having to shield. Your business may be opening on reduced hours so you may want to review shift patterns or part-time/flexible furloughing (which is available from 1st July 2020).<br />
<br />
Dependant on whatever action you take, it would be beneficial to also consider those who should still shield and those more vulnerable to COVID-19 including:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Solid organ transplant recipients.</li>
<li>People with specific cancers: </li>
<li>People with severe respiratory conditions including all cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and severe chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD).</li>
<li>People with rare diseases and inborn errors of metabolism that significantly increase the risk of infections (such as Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), homozygous sickle cell).</li>
</ul>
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On the first day you may want to think about conducting a mini-induction; meet everyone and tell them what changes you have made to the workplace, how you might need them to work differently and also be open about your plans are for the business in the short term. It’s amazing how these team talks have generated lots of great suggestions for how a business can ride the wave of what might be a difficult economic period still to come.<br />
<br />
COVID related matters and guidance changes daily, so review your practices on a regular basis and look at what adjustments may be required. Communication and Engagement are key at the best of times, but in difficult circumstance is worth its weight on gold.<br />
<br />
Here is to the new normal<br />
<br />
<b>PrivilegeHR are HR and employment specialists that regularly advise businesses on COVID related matters including:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>COVID-19 guidance for employers</b><br />
<b>COVID-19 Return to Work Risk Assessment</b><br />
<b>Employee guidance on returning to work</b><br />
<b>Employee Handbook, Policies and Procedures</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.2px;"><b>Looking for help to grow or adapt your business? For more information about the support available through The Women’s Organisation to help you and your business, please contact us via e-mail at hello@thewo.org.uk if you're based in the Liverpool City Region.</b></span></span><br />
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The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-42472915062829267992020-06-25T06:17:00.000-07:002020-06-25T06:19:17.725-07:00‘Chancellor, we’re not in this together’, female enterprise experts say <b>Business and academic leaders are urging Rishi Sunak to give women’s enterprise a voice and a seat at the policy table.</b><br />
<br />
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has laid out a suite of policies to support small businesses which have so far fallen through the cracks in Coronavirus support schemes, promising they “have not been forgotten”, but now business and academic leaders have come together to call for more urgent action to support women’s enterprise.<br />
<br />
Campaigners say there are still a host of female entrepreneurs and women-led businesses which have been overlooked and forgotten in these schemes and that there is an urgent need to put gender-aware policies in place.<br />
<br />
The Women’s Enterprise Policy Group, which represents leading experts from business support and academia across the UK, is now urging the Chancellor to give women a voice and a role in shaping policy responses to these urgent and challenging problems.<br />
<br />
Today (24 March), the Women’s Enterprise Policy Group has urgently made two assessments.<br />
<br />
<b>Firstly, policy has completely forgotten many women by:</b><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Excluding the mass of women who entered self-employment in recent years, and the many who trade part-time alongside a job, from the Self-employment Income Support Scheme. </li>
<li>Excluding most women from the Future Fund by making it dependent on securing private investment when we know women struggle to gain angel and venture capital due to investor bias. </li>
<li>Excluding home-based businesses (so most women-owned businesses) out of the main Covid19 grants scheme, so they have no compensation for businesses losses.</li>
<li>Ignoring evidence that women are reluctant to borrow (and trade in sectors with low profits where borrowing is unwise) when designing the Bounce Back Loans and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.</li>
<li>Failing to compensate business directors for their dividend income even when they are precluded from trading due to school and nursery closures.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<b>Secondly, the crisis is far from over: it is still unfolding and - for many women-led businesses - will go on for months, because:</b><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Social distancing is more difficult in the sectors women tend to trade in, so getting back to profitable trading is a long and uncertain haul.</li>
<li>School and nursery provision will be absent, part-time and difficult to coordinate for months and months to come.</li>
<li>Fathers and employers are relying primarily on mothers to pick up the extra work of homeschooling and women who are ‘their own boss’ or trade from home find this pressure hard to resist. </li>
<li>Single mothers cannot share their childcare with family and friends.</li>
</ol>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0g6CLioZdWzoam-wIwJl6plfvA-sxQsyEUvk18wIp0VBBrfrv39WDE2IWe2mqD_UScpgwkZi4Gw6hFl2Gpa6Hdl1V_53LXIFkPGq8bpEuw1x_VxGXcB5LQyNnjOrV9aLgTzLW_f6oSU/s1600/Co-Chair+of+the+WEPG+and+Professor+of+Entrepreneurship+at+Manchester+Metropolitan+University%252C+Julia+Rouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="787" data-original-width="1181" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0g6CLioZdWzoam-wIwJl6plfvA-sxQsyEUvk18wIp0VBBrfrv39WDE2IWe2mqD_UScpgwkZi4Gw6hFl2Gpa6Hdl1V_53LXIFkPGq8bpEuw1x_VxGXcB5LQyNnjOrV9aLgTzLW_f6oSU/s400/Co-Chair+of+the+WEPG+and+Professor+of+Entrepreneurship+at+Manchester+Metropolitan+University%252C+Julia+Rouse.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Julia Rouse, </span>Co-Chair of the WEPG and Professor of Entrepreneurship <br />
at Manchester Metropolitan University</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Professor Julia Rouse, Co-Chair of the WEPG, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Manchester Metropolitan University and Head of the Sylvia Pankhurst Gender Research Centre, says: “There is an urgent need for women’s enterprise to be at the policy table. Developing gender responsive policy for women requires our expertise: we can help analyse how Covid19 is impacting women-led businesses, monitor policy impact and help shape and implement policies that work for women.<br />
<br />
“The peak of the crisis for women-led businesses may come just before Christmas as the Self-employment Income Support Scheme and the Job Retention Scheme close. We are haunted by an image of a devastating pre-Christmas period for households and families across the UK. An economic disaster could ravage local communities and could be offset if women are given more of a voice. We urge the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to bring The Women’s Enterprise Policy Group to the policy-making table.<br />
<br />
“Now is the time to put gender-aware policies in place. Now is the time to develop gender responsive policies to avoid the serious risk of economic devastation in communities across the UK for generations to come. And now is the time to make sure women-led business are not forgotten and we are, indeed, “in this together”.<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Women’s Enterprise Policy Group represents leading experts from business support and academia across the UK.</b><br />
<br />
Members of the Women’s Enterprise Policy Group include:<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Co-chair Prof. Julia Rouse, Manchester Metropolitan University,</i><br />
<i>Co-chair Maggie O’Carroll, The Women’s Organisation,</i><br />
<i>Professor Susan Marlow, University of Birmingham,</i><br />
<i>Dr Lorna Treanor, University of Nottingham,</i><br />
<i>Dr Nicola Patterson, University of Newcastle,</i><br />
<i>Helen Burkinshaw, The Women’s Organisation,</i><br />
<i>Dinah Bennett, ICE,</i><br />
<i>Carolyn Currie, Chief Executive Women’s Enterprise Scotland,</i><br />
<i>Anne Meikle, Policy Officer Women’s Enterprise Scotland,</i><br />
<i>Christine Atkinson, University of South Wales,</i><br />
<i>Prof Haya Al Dajani, Mohammed Bin Salman College of Business and Entrepreneurship (MBSC) Saudi Arabia,</i><br />
<i>Prof Dilani Jayawarna, University of Liverpool,</i><br />
<i>Jackie Brierton, CEO GrowBiz,</i><br />
<i>Roseann Kelly, Women in Business NI,</i><br />
<i>Pheona Matovu, Radiant and Brighter CIC</i><br />
<div>
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The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-10417165117649267642020-06-25T03:17:00.002-07:002020-06-25T03:17:43.105-07:00Change It: Renew Programme <br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Has the
Coronavirus crisis impacted your confidence or wellbeing? Our support for women
in the Liverpool City Region is here to help…<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">We’re
excited to announce our ‘Change It: Renew’ programme of support</span> <span style="line-height: 107%;">to help women across the Liverpool
City Region to improve their resilience, coping mechanisms and mental
wellbeing.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">We
understand that the Coronavirus pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges
for women – many of whom have found themselves bearing the brunt of the crisis,
both at work and at home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">We know that
women are more likely to hold roles as frontline or key workers or to work in
industries like travel and hospitality which have been the hardest hit
financially. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 107%;">Closer to
home, we also know many women find themselves as primary caregivers for
children, elderly relatives, or others in their local community. On top of
this, recent lockdown measures have added yet more pressure on the most
vulnerable in our communities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">It’s safe to
say, we’re all in need of some support. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">That’s why we
are excited to bring you an extended programme of personal development support
and services to help you recover and grow at this time.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;">‘Change It:
Renew’ </span>aims to create a safe, inclusive space for women to gather,
connect and support each other through the current crisis and beyond.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We’re inviting women from right across the Liverpool City Region
to access services and resources to help you improve your resilience, coping
mechanisms and mental wellbeing.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Through the programme you can benefit from peer to peer
support, connectivity, and online networks, so that you have appropriate support
to help you address any problem areas, rebuild your life and take an active
role in your local community.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It is hoped that this support will help women:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>• <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be better able to access support, develop and
sustain peer networks to deal with crisis issues in their lives and in the particular crisis arising from COVID 19 <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>• Have
improved coping mechanisms and improved mental well being <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>• Be
prepared and supported to plan for recovery through support on deploying
digital tools and technology <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<b><i>• Have
improved levels of resilience <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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The project builds on the ‘Change It’ programme which
currently operates solely in Liverpool.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>This new support is now open to women from all six
boroughs of the Liverpool City Region, including Liverpool, Wirral, Sefton,
Halton, St Helens, and Knowsley.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Funding from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund,
distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund, is supporting ‘Change It:
Renew’. Thanks to the Government and The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport for making this possible.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<b>Those wanting to find out more should contact </b><a href="mailto:hello@thewo.org.uk"><b>hello@thewo.org.uk</b></a><b> for more
information.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br />The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-15438759005244003482020-06-23T06:54:00.001-07:002020-06-23T06:54:16.767-07:00Gear Up to Grow with Elaine Clarke: Expert in the Hospitality Industry <div style="text-align: justify;">
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<b>Next in the Gear up to Grow series, CEO of Baa Bar Limited, Elaine Clarke, reflects on her three-decade career in the hospitality industry and the importance of supporting the safety and well-being of her team.</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViz7nOFbsqjpMakUw7KN2Apjpe4S-JEY52lFoS3E1X5QfCvTMbtbQZ20xD_dr7pAP6jw5y7NWDC8LP9miaqBJNN3XRAvjAIZqIFbBOJyiNO7w_2eaHIBmC5ySuDd34nrZjDnrwsjEWBQ/s1600/elaine+clarke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="586" data-original-width="586" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhViz7nOFbsqjpMakUw7KN2Apjpe4S-JEY52lFoS3E1X5QfCvTMbtbQZ20xD_dr7pAP6jw5y7NWDC8LP9miaqBJNN3XRAvjAIZqIFbBOJyiNO7w_2eaHIBmC5ySuDd34nrZjDnrwsjEWBQ/s320/elaine+clarke.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elaine Clarke - CEO of Baa Bar Limited</td></tr>
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I’ve been in the hospitality industry for over 30 years and during my career I have certainly had my fair share of challenges. </div>
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From the daily challenge that comes with being a woman, operating at one time 13 bars and clubs across the North, to navigating the financial crash of 2008, I would say I am certainly a seasoned operator. </div>
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Like everyone else in the world, the global Covid-19 pandemic wasn’t something we planned for. We witnessed the response to the pandemic in other countries as bars and restaurants shut-up shop, and then had to face the reality, over the weeks leading up to UK lockdown, that we would have to close our five sites. </div>
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Whilst we were aware that we would have to close in-line with government policy, we still had no idea what financial support would be in place to prop up our business. I’ve got to say it has been a frightening time. The people in my business are so important to me and my top priority was always to do the right thing by them and offer job assurances even before we understood what security the furlough scheme would give to us.</div>
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The reality of closing the doors on a business that has operated 7 days a week for almost 30 years is that there is suddenly very little to do operationally and instead a lot of thinking time. I felt this acutely, not knowing what to do with myself and feeling quite low. I was aware that my team members might be feeling the same so my energy and efforts were focused on the team's mental health and wellbeing.</div>
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Since lockdown, I have sent weekly newsletters to every single person in our business. Transparency and communication was vital during this time.</div>
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In my initial communication, I made sure every person felt reassured and secure in their job and that they knew their wages would still land that week. </div>
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There was a lot of panic in the media with some local and national companies announcing redundancies or a pause on pay. We were always clear that we would look after our people no matter what and this was the overriding message to my teams. I encouraged the team to enjoy furlough, relax, look after themselves; for many of them this is the first time they have had a bank holiday weekend off never mind weeks and weeks of time to themselves.</div>
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While my business partner heads up the finance function of our business, my role is very much on the operations and people side. </div>
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In my weekly updates, I made it a priority to talk about mental health and, where possible, signpost my team to any support that they could access. We have an employee benefits scheme in place that offers a mental health phoneline which I made sure the team were aware of.</div>
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I appointed a yoga instructor to deliver weekly relaxation yoga classes through Zoom, again reminding the team of the importance of looking after their health and wellbeing. </div>
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We made a hardship fund available to any team members who were struggling financially, we requested our managers keep in touch and make recommendations to us about employees who might need this. We also made mine and my business partners mobile numbers available to our 130 team members so they had a direct line if needed.</div>
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Personally, I think this has been a time for me to reflect and re-balance. I have pushed myself to walk every day, have looked after my nutrition, drank less alcohol and paid attention to my own mental health by practicing meditation. </div>
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Now we are looking forward to opening up our doors again. Once again, we have the safety and wellbeing of our team members and customers at the forefront of our minds. We are making sure that all our teams are consulted with regards to their safe return to work, we are carrying out full risk assessments and implementing new digital solutions to allow for socially distanced customer service. </div>
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I think the most important thing to do is to take learning from this experience. I certainly feel a sense of gratitude to the City of Liverpool. I have loved seeing businesses and people rally together to support each other and, with that in mind, I have shared with several other operators our templates and project plans to support their creation of reopening Covid-19 handbooks, as I know it's hard to see the wood for the trees when the world is changing so much. </div>
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I am looking forward to opening up again now and welcoming our fantastic team and customers back through our doors. </div>
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We are all determined to find our way through this and open again successfully and my message to our loyal customers is that we can’t wait to see you again and please be kind and patient with us as we adjust to this new way of delivering our service to you.</div>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Looking for help to grow or adapt your business? For more information about the support available through The Women’s Organisation to help you and your business, please contact us via e-mail at hello@thewo.org.uk if you're based in the Liverpool City Region.</span></b></div>
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The Women's Organisationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13732990548189172646noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8342387572423533411.post-45039405611945689682020-06-19T06:35:00.000-07:002020-06-23T06:40:28.043-07:00Gear Up to Grow with Natalie Hughes: Expert in Finance <br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The
Covid-19 pandemic has brought on new challenges in terms of our work-life
balance. NatWest Business Growth Enabler Natalie Hughes discusses some of these
issues and what we can learn from them.</b><i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFsB3B7P88zc_AwEmGM0fwU43Ux3birbcNpdpU32E0FdXA5t1VfkYABxJ31djC7HUbTikVUlYBTy1P-4HjQHv2bYnoM3oXfenAz9waCCkY3WX1VuNakee2v6E2rs60CyGtpYNcw5m1UE/s1600/natalie+hughes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="353" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFsB3B7P88zc_AwEmGM0fwU43Ux3birbcNpdpU32E0FdXA5t1VfkYABxJ31djC7HUbTikVUlYBTy1P-4HjQHv2bYnoM3oXfenAz9waCCkY3WX1VuNakee2v6E2rs60CyGtpYNcw5m1UE/s320/natalie+hughes.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natalie Hughes - Business Growth Enabler at Natwest</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Covid-19
has changed many of our workplaces. Many of us have been asked to work from
home including myself to support our customers with funding needs and support
through the pandemic. But the addition of home-schooling, childcare or care for
an elderly relative as well as time for general housework as and our day to day
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>work commitments has left many of us
feeling rundown or lacking time for essential self-care. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>are constantly juggling priorities,
often finding there is not enough time in the day to get through everything. A
recent article in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/may/20/uk-women-bear-emotional-brunt-of-covid-19-turmoil-poll">Guardian</a> revealed six out of ten
women are finding it hard to stay positive lockdown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">All
of these factors have forced us to adapt and think more like entrepreneurs by rising
to these challenges and looking opportunities from them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For
example, business owners will tell you good time management skills and
flexibility are necessary skills and vital lo long-term success. And the
Covid-19 pandemic has made this skillset an even greater necessity for
businesses owners and the general population alike. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We have perhaps pushed back
in the workplace on things that don’t require immediate attention, or we have
become better at time management by knowing we only have so much time to
complete tasks each day. And with many of our usual face to face meetings being
cancelled, we have become more reliant on video conferencing or the old-fashioned
telephone. It’s likely many of will continue with our virtual meeting ways of
working as we come out of lockdown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For
those that own businesses, it’s absolutely essential you listen to the advice
from Government in terms of what will be required from you as re-open. If you
are unsure, seek out support from your local business network, LEP or chamber
which will also be following the guidelines. If you need to chat through your
business plans, speak to your bank manager or accountant who can provide guidance.
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">NatWest are
offering a variety of funding solutions to support our customers including the
Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS), six-month Capital
Repayment holidays and the banks has waived overdraft fees with limits of up to
£5000.<span style="letter-spacing: .15pt;"> T</span>he CBILS programme offers
loans via banks to small businesses with turnover of up to £45m. And <span style="background: white; color: #333333;">small businesses customers <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>can<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>also apply for a 100% state-backed loan worth up to £50,000, with no
interest charged or repayments needed in the first 12 months as part of the
Government’s Bounce Back loan programme contact your main bank for further
details.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As
we come out lockdown, make sure you spend time reflecting on what you have
learned. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced us all to be adaptable and resilient
in a variety of ways, and it will be important to use these new skills as
bounce back better post-pandemic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Looking for help to grow or adapt your business? For more information about the support available through The Women’s Organisation to help you and your business, please contact us via e-mail at hello@thewo.org.uk if you're based in the Liverpool City Region.</span></b></div>
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