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1278 Educators providing Courses delivered Online

Coxlease School - Hampshire

coxlease school - hampshire

7DE,

A network of high-quality education and care services across the UK Proven experience in delivering first-class residential care A broad, individualised and engaging curriculum, including vocational routes into sustainable employment Nationally-recognised qualifications and accreditations Onward pathways into further education or supported living, if required Some of the UK’s leading experts in working with young people with autism and other special educational needs Modern and well-equipped facilities, designed to meet holistic needs A proven track record of supporting the best outcomes for young people Supporting each child to achieve their unique potential We believe that every young person deserves the care, support and education that equips them for a brighter future, and we support each child to achieve their unique potential. Aspris Education provides a network of specialist schools and colleges, with an unwavering focus on achieving the best outcomes. With our educational expertise and first-class environments, children and young people grow, develop and progress. They achieve academically while building the social, emotional and independence skills they can draw on for life. Our Aspris Care children’s homes provide warm, welcoming and nurturing environments for vulnerable young people. They offer stability and care, empowering each child to overcome their barriers and succeed. Our homes support young people to engage with their education and lay the foundations for successful transitions to the next stage of their life. Rated as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted, Aspris Fostering Services supports a growing network of dedicated foster carers, ensuring that the children in our care grow up in safe, supportive and loving families. Our fostering agency helps young people to unlock their potential and face their adult lives with confidence and a sense of self-worth. Care and support tailored to each individual Every child is unique, so we carefully tailor our care and support to their specific needs, interests, skillsets and aspirations. We see the potential in each young person that we support and we place their needs at the core of every decision we take. We know the journey to success is often not a straight line. Wherever a child’s abilities lie, we dedicate ourselves to helping them enhance their future prospects. We are patient, committed and work in partnership with each young person that we support. Our specialisms We have extensive experience of working with children and young people with a range of needs, including autism, social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs and learning difficulties. We have an in-depth understanding of these challenges and the ways in which they can affect a young person, both academically and socially. This awareness shapes everything that we do, from the subjects offered in our schools and colleges, to the design and layout of our buildings. Welcoming international students Young people from across the world are welcomed into our specialist schools and colleges every year. These settings provide the safe and nurturing environments that children need to settle in and quickly feel at home. Located in some of the most beautiful areas in the UK, our education services offer a first-class British education, supporting young people to achieve a range of UK qualifications and accreditations. A commitment to safety and quality At Aspris Children’s Services, we are committed to providing high quality services through a robust governance framework. We nurture a culture of continuous quality improvement that moves beyond compliance, focusing on delivering excellent care and support to the young people we are responsible for. Our absolute priority is to make sure we operate safe and effective services 24/7. Employing a rigorous safeguarding culture means that the safety and welfare of the children we support is at the forefront of everything that we do.

KCA Knowledge Change Action

kca knowledge change action

We provide the Knowledge base that can Change thinking and perspective so that our communities can take Action to transform the lives of others. 'Achieving breakthrough outcomes for children experiencing significant adversity requires that we support the adults who care for them to transform their own lives.' From report 'Best Practices to Breakthrough Impacts', Harvard 2016 KCA (previously known as Kate Cairns Associates) was established in 2011 to bring together the work of Kate Cairns and a group of experienced practitioners and trainers across the UK. We are now registered as Knowledge Change Action Ltd, and as of October 2021 we have become an Employee Owned Trust. As an employee-owned organisation KCA aspires to be a beacon to those who want to lead sustainable organisations, rooted in their local communities, where employees are active decision makers shaping their future together. Our small, experienced team, managed from our Head Office in Gloucestershire, has an excellent track record in running effective training programmes, rooted in the science-based theory of attachment, trauma and resilience, that are responsive to the changing needs and priorities of our Commissioners. KCA office 98.8% of the 12,478 participants who completed KCA evaluation forms between March 2020 and March 2021 said that they would recommend the training to their colleagues At KCA, relationships are key to everything we do – whether that is the relationships between our colleagues that ensure that we feel supported, enthused and committed to our work, the relationships with our commissioners that allow us to understand and respond effectively to their needs, or supporting practitioners, through our training and consultancy, to develop effective connected relationships with the children, families and teams with whom they work. Since 2011 we have delivered training to over 140,000 practitioners across the UK, to promote resilience in the individuals and networks supporting the most vulnerable people in our society. Our quality assurance processes are robust, and we take feedback and evaluation seriously, promoting our own learning and working with our associates to develop their skills. We work with commissioners to build-in effective evaluation systems that enable us to demonstrate impact on learning, confidence and practice and we seek structured feedback from our consultancy customers as each contract is completed. Our Values Knowledge. Change. Action is: Driven by evidence. Drawing on the latest research, we seek to be at the forefront of change and apply new knowledge to real life experiences. Curious. Through offering new perspectives, we ask unique questions that lead to the co-creation of new approaches and partnership. Strengths-based. We seek to unearth the value and contribution that everyone makes, through encouraging people to notice and appreciate their feelings and actions and those of others. Connected. Through intentionally nurturing relationships we seek to grow a culture of mutual trust and respect, creating a sense of safety that encourages innovation and inspires trust in each other’s judgements. Agile and flexible. We work with organisations big or small in creative ways to find new ways of working that meet their changing needs. Congruent. There is consistency between what we say and what we do. This means that nurturing authentic relationships is central to the way our team works, both with colleagues and partners. How we work with others KCA works with others and the community by: Listening to commissioning partners and co-creating with them in equal partnership. Learning with partners and using that new knowledge to proliferate ideas and actions. Building connected relationships through open and honest communication. Acknowledging that vulnerability is part of being human. It affects everyone, but it can disproportionately impact those experiencing inequalities. ● Being gently revolutionary. Acknowledging where power might need to be redistributed to advance inclusion and participation.

Action For Community Development

action for community development

Action for Community Development (AfCD) is a community-based organisation assisting socially excluded members of the community such as ethnic minorities, refugees and asylum seekers and unemployed people in general. We give impartial, reliable and professional training, information, career advice and guidance. Our Background: AfCD was established to respond to reports that Refugees and people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities feel alienated from sources of advice, advocacy, training and statutory agencies provisions. There remain challenges to improve engagement and increased social inclusion. National statistics suggest that issues of inequality persist between different communities in British society and in many societies. AfCD was set out to reduce these barriers, bringing about socio-economic justice and promote equal opportunities for the benefit of the wider community. We manage a resource centre in South London which offers comprehensive services to our beneficiaries. These are in the form of advice, information, casework, advocacy, counselling and training. Our team of dedicated staff and volunteers reaches out to our beneficiaries who recently migrated to the United Kingdom and those already settled in the UK on a low income, disadvantaged or deprived. We support the transition from dependency to sustainable living. Our team consists of people with vast experience who have passion and enthusiasm for their work. We also work with partners organisations and agencies to pool together expertise, maximise available resources to support our beneficiaries towards their goal of resettlement, skills acquisition, education and gainful employment. Objectives: To provide training, information, career advice and guidance to Refugees, migrants and other disadvantaged members of the society. To promote empowerment, self-advocacy and build the capacity of Black, Asian and Ethnic Minorities (BAME) and other disadvantage members of the society to the benefit of the wider community. To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, resource assistance and coordination with other community-based organisations. To carry out research and publications on issues of socio-economic development and human rights. To set up projects as well as collaborate with existing indigenous Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the developing world whose works are geared toward the development of civil society and the reduction of poverty. Mission: AfCD was founded with the mission to promote community building and social transformation in diverse and under-resourced communities. We do this through specific and measurable approaches designed to enhance the capacity of individuals. We support disadvantaged members of the community by helping them define their own path to bring about social change. Social transformation and community development can only occur in a society free from all form of prejudices, deprivation and is culturally dynamic. We work with our networking partners in providing information, advice and guidance to individuals to meet their needs. We also provide training, resources and community engagement in our effort to develop responsible and active citizens.

Wills & Wills Mentoring

wills & wills mentoring

Wilmslow

BOSTON – MENTOR, the unifying champion of the mentoring movement, announces the expansion of its leadership team with the addition of Tim Wills who joins as the organization’s first Chief Impact Officer on March 7. Tim will drive strategy, coordination, integration, and effectiveness of MENTOR’s teams focused in the areas of training and technical assistance; product design, development and ongoing usage; field research and evaluation; strategic partnerships and systems innovation; and Affiliate partnership, support, effectiveness, sustainability, and expansion. MENTOR CEO David Shapiro says, “We are so fortunate Tim is bringing his decades of experience as an advocate for youth, an innovator, a communicator, and local leader in one of the nation’s oldest and most expansive youth development organizations to our team and the mentoring movement. His personal and professional journey, commitment to supporting others’ development, community building talent, and deep commitment to young people will be such key drivers in our expanded and dynamic efforts to ensure all young people have the relationships they need to strive and thrive.” A native of Ferguson, Mo., Tim holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. As a college student, he developed his passion for youth by covering human interest stories as on-air talent for his college television and radio stations which led to a 17-year career in youth development, including at the Boys & Girls Clubs in Chicago, the District of Columbia, and Harford County, Md. In 2016, because of his extensive experience in organizational transformation and increasing club membership, quality improvement, innovative programming and funding, Tim was named the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of South Alabama. In this role over the last six years, Tim led twelve year-round sites, three summer only programs, a 150-acre campground, and POINTE Academy, a school for detained and adjudicated youth. He’s received several honors and awards, including Boys & Girls Clubs Professional of the Year for his leadership, Mobile Bay 40 Under 40, and Benjamin Mays Excellence in Mentoring Award. Tim is an active member of the Lion’s Club and a member of the board of directors for Voices for Alabama’s Children and Linking All So Others Succeed (LASOS) in Maryland. He’s completed executive-level training in leadership, non-profit management, and advanced philanthropy from Harvard Business School, Stanford University, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. For 12 years, Tim has been a single foster parent and has fostered 20 children. He also has spent significant time teaching in VolunTourism trips to Haiti. “I’m thrilled to join the MENTOR community to continue the work of elevating the voices of young people across our country,” said Tim. “This new role will further deepen our ability to impact systematic change in order to open doors of opportunity and to close the mentoring gap. I am excited to get started working with our team, board, and stakeholders to continue strengthening and expanding the mentoring movement.” The role of Chief Impact Officer provides a critical new link and integration between so many of MENTOR’s core functions, key stakeholders, valued partners, and Affiliate network which provides local delivery, leadership, and innovations in service to the youth mentoring field nationwide. It will drive expanded impact, efficiency, and responsive servant leadership. Currently, MENTOR operates in collaboration with 24 local Affiliates across the country that galvanize their regional or statewide mentoring movements and provide leadership and structure to support quality mentoring through training, advocacy, and public awareness. Operating under the framework of One MENTOR, MENTOR Affiliates share resources and strategies to strengthen the national mentoring movement. Sadiq Ali, Executive Director of MENTOR Maryland | DC and a member of the CIO interview committee added, “I am greatly excited about Tim joining our One MENTOR family in such a critical role and at such a critical time. His perspective, having been on the frontlines of both local and national youth serving work, will be invaluable as he helps lead us into our next chapter as an Affiliate network, champions for young people, systems change advocates, and a sustainable, impactful organization.” ABOUT MENTOR MENTOR is the unifying champion for expanding the quality and quantity of mentoring relationships across the United States. 30 years ago, MENTOR was created to expand opportunities for young people by building a youth mentoring field and movement. The result: a more than 10-fold increase in young people in structured mentoring relationships. Today, MENTOR is the expert voice representing a movement that meets young people everywhere they are – from schools, to workplaces, and beyond. MENTOR operates in collaboration with 24 local Affiliates across the country. For more information, visit mentoring.org.

Let���s Get Out Dorset

let���s get out dorset

Bournemouth

I HAVE A PASSION AND A BELIEF I have worked with young people for 17 years, I started working with young people in 2004 within a youth club, that provided a safe space for young people to engage in many activities. Very quickly I found my passion which is helping young people to make positive choices in their lives. Whilst my time was spent with a diverse group of young people, I realised that I had a passion working with the more challenging young people, usually the ones that get forgotten because they’re not turning up for school or their behaviours are very challenging because maybe they have emotional behavioural difficulties including risky behaviours. With these challenges I conducted risk assessments, whilst keeping young people at the heart of any action undertaken. These young people are the ones central to what I believe is my mission. I wanted to work primarily with young people who for some reason or another had conflict within their life. My belief is, no matter what, everybody needs somebody to believe in them, even when they struggle to believe in themselves. This led to more responsibility in my role as a youth worker. I started doing one-to-one work with challenging young people, working on a project that targets young people who are at risk of becoming marginalised. When further cuts to Youth service's were sanctioned young people suffered the most, this had a knock on effect to local crime figures rocketing. Young people with no direction or safe spaces to grow, the fundamental nature of being young is lost and in too many cases to mention, young people often find themselves in an environment where peer pressure is rooted in dysfunction, this in my experience is the perfect storm for disaster. Over the last decade since the cuts to youth work it has become more challenging to engage young people. I found myself taking my passion to help young people who were in a residential care setting where they were having the most difficult time of their lives. But again through one to one Key work supporting young people to make changes and experience alternative support such as green activities, I found that these activities help toward emotional stability. Activities can include night fishing, paddle boarding, kite surfing or whatever the young person chooses. If an idea or activity is brought to me I will only consider this after a thorough risk assessment and if successful together we will implement the activity in our one to one sessions, this serves as a way of including young people in their own support package. My aim, together with young people would be to re-introduce them to education, society and family living through mediation and support. I will be introducing young people to resilience building techniques that will have far reaching benefits that will stay with them throughout life, better preparing them for challenges life will bring. Outdoor activities reduce isolation, encourages change and builds confidence rather than being stuck indoors on their consoles confined to their bedrooms in isolation but getting out and enjoying nature and fun activities. please follow the hyperlink below Whilst doing all this creating a safe, positive, caring environment providing a consistent, reliable relationship with good boundaries. I then changed and went back to mentoring and again I have worked with some of the hardest to reach young people. I have a belief that everyone deserves to be given a helping hand. Whether they have been exploited with crime eg. CSE or County Lines, Gang Culture, Knife Crime, this can cause young people to be trapped in a cycle of fear that they can’t get out of,I believe no young person should be exposed to negative cycles like those mentioned above. This leads to isolation within their families and communities. Evidence is emerging during the current climate i.e Covid 19 has had a detrimental effect on young people regarding their mental wellbeing. Isolation breeds dysfunction which can contribute to anxiety and dysfunctional behavior finding It difficult to reintegrate back into society. which for some could even mean not being able to leave the house. My passion is to help turn young people's lives around and build resilience. empowering them to do things they really enjoy. In doing so this will help build up life skills that will inevitably serve them well with the challenges that life will bring. I will support them to be the best young person they can become and enjoy a safe caring and sustainable life which we all deserve.

Bristol Forest School

bristol forest school

Bristol

BFS has a number of STAFF and VOLUNTEERS who assist in running our forest school sessions, planning activities and preparing resources. All BFS staff who lead sessions alone are fully Forest School qualified, DBS checked, First Aid trained and they hold Public Liability Insurance. They include… ANDY WILSON founded Bristol Forest School in 2004. He trained with the original Forest School cohort from Bridgwater College, and has a wealth of experience from 18 years forest school teaching. Andy runs regular Forest School sessions and parties at both the BFS woodland and in schools throughout Bristol. He also runs Forest School staff training. As Woodland Manager, Andy has successfully transformed the BFS site into a beautiful and accessible educational space; he monitors our ecological footprint through an environmentally sustainable attitude to Our Woodland. SOPHIE BUTLER joined Andy in 2011 and together they expanded Bristol Forest School. She is a trained Early Years teacher and qualified as a Level Three Forest School Leader in 2012. Sophie’s passion for nature and sustainability has grown over the years since living off-grid in an eco village in Hawaii. Sophie established the BFS Pre-Schools, the Saturday Club Minis and Adventurers. She now supports the running of these groups and is responsible for BFS’s policies, website and social media. HANNAH BUSHELL joined the BFS staff team in 2015 following a dedicated volunteering stint and completing her Level Three Forest School. Hannah is an experienced primary school teacher who works part-time in a Steiner Kindergarten as well as undertaking the nature connection course ‘Call of the Wild’. Hannah runs our specialist CCS days for adopted children and their families. To contact Hannah, please email hannah@bristolforestschool.co.uk. LUCY ROSE HARRIS is a qualified primary school teacher with six years teaching experience. Lucy gained her Forest School Level 3 Award in 2014 and is passionate about promoting outdoor learning opportunities, a love of nature and fun adventures for children. Lucy joined Bristol Forest School in 2017 and, following some maternity time with baby Luna, she is now back in our Pre-School team. LOUISE SPELLWARD is a qualified Horticulturalist and garden designer with a background in Environmental Conservation. Her first experience of Bristol Forest School was as a parent attending with her son; not wanting to miss out on the fun, she decided to train in Forest School herself and completed her Level 3. In 2019 Lou took on the Bristol Forest School Pre-School. To contact her, email lou@bristolforestschool.co.uk KATE BERRY is an art educator with 16 years’ experience delivering workshops in natural history, conservation, poetry, story creation, art, design and photography. She is passionate about outdoor education and wildlife conservation. Kate has worked at Bristol Forest School since 2016 and has a Level 3 Forest School qualification. In 2019 Kate began leading the Saturday Minis with Lou and Melissa. To contact her, email kate@bristolforestschool.co.uk VERONIKA SIMON studied agricultural engineering before working as a special needs teacher for primary school children with EBD as well as in a nursery for Pre-School children. Veronika enjoys sharing her passion for nature and animals and can often be found in her allotment digging or watching the bees! Veronika became a qualified Forest School leader in 2018; she started volunteering with Bristol Forest School in 2020 and now runs schools sessions and BFS parties. BESS SPENCER worked as an ‘Access to Nature’ play-worker in inner city London and trained as a Forest School leader in 2018. She now practices and teaches co-counselling and nature-facilitation activities using Tom Brown’s Apache derived techniques. At Bristol Forest School, Bess assists with our school sessions. MELISSA GAULT is a qualified Level 3 Forest School Leader and is currently studying to become an Early Years educator. She loves getting out into nature as much as possible! Melissa has been supporting Bristol Forest School since January 2018. She began as a volunteer for the Saturday Minis and is now a fully fledged member of the Pre-School team. MILLY BAILEY has an environmental background – she moved from working in an office as an environmental consultant, to the forest – which she much prefers. Milly has a passion for connecting herself and others to the natural world: she is a keen hiker, forager and wild swimmer. Milly started volunteering with Bristol Forest School in 2019 and now works as part of the Pre-School team.

The Muddy Puddle Teacher

the muddy puddle teacher

London

What is different about our outdoor learning training from others is that it has been created by teachers specifically for schools and nurseries. Plus, we have developed a specific approach to help make the teaching of outdoor learning easy for the practitioner but also to help with the quality of our sessions and to ensure we are out there for a reason. The Muddy Puddle Teacher Approach is a much-loved teaching method created by teachers to better support vulnerable learners. Including those children who struggle to meet average age expectations, neurodivergent children and those with varying learner types who typically do not flourish from an indoor environment and indoor methods. The approach is worksheet-free, book free and uses active, playful methods to engage children in academic areas of learning. The resources and training provide lessons for all curriculum areas, including maths and English and support the EYFS, NC, Curriculum for Excellence and Welsch Curriculum. See Plan & Prices Ask us a Question The method involves teaching the curriculum using the outside to allow space, freedom for movement, collaboration, rich speech and language opportunities, and time for play. This is alongside only using natural materials to teach with. This creates an environment of learning that has enhanced creativity, cross-curricula links, and sensory experiences and is entirely sustainable and caring to the outside space. Children who this approach can have profound benefits from: Neurodivergent children, including autism, ADHD, Dyslexia and Aspergers. Children of varying learner types who do not stereotypically learn from an inside environment and indoor methods. Including those will slow processing speeds. Lower ability or working towards children who thrive in active, collaborative and practical teaching methods. Obese or children with poor fine and gross motor skills. Children with SEMH – the outdoors has been proven to positively impact both the child and educators’ mental and physical well-being. Children with speech and language difficulties – our approach provides an open, non-judgmental space for children to express themselves and have more peer conversations. EAL – for children with additional languages, the outdoors can provide like-for-like opportunities so children can experiment with and use their own and new languages. See Plan & Prices Ask us a Question What ages is this for? Typically from babies to age 11 years. However, we have Special needs schools up to secondary, inclusion units and secondary schools supporting those still at the primary level using our approach. Who can do the training? We have different pathways. One route for those in formal settings such as schools and nurseries such as early years educators, LSA’s and teachers. Another is for home settings such as childminders and home educators. There are different pathways for the different age ranges. If you educate all ages, then go down them all! FAQS: Are you like Forest Schools? We are NOT Forest School. We often get confused with Forest School, but we are entirely different. Many of our schools have Forest Schools and Muddy Teachers trained and use both approaches effectively. Forest School is holistic and encourages high risks to promote social and emotional well-being, such as tools and fire and typically is in a woodland area with prolonged amounts of time outside, such as a full day or entire afternoon. The Muddy Puddle Teacher is an Outdoor Learning Approach, essentially an extension of inside teaching and taking lessons outside. We typically use our school grounds and there are no set periods to stay there. It can be anything from 10 minutes to full days in the summer. What is involved in The Muddy Puddle Teacher Training? Individuals & International Schools Individuals and schools abroad typically take the online route and complete the training using an easy-to-use online format. It is very interactive with audiobooks and demonstration videos. It has four stages and each stage takes around 2 hours. There is no written work, just a questionnaire to ensure you get the most from us. You send that once complete and we send back a certificate and a unique MPT Code; a crest can also be requested. Whole Schools or Nurseries We offer 1-year mentorships to schools and nurseries. We have a 100% success rate with this method. 1 x Initial Meeting – Create a bespoke plan with us, just for you and your school. Initial talks will create aims and action plans with your allocated teacher-consultant. 1 INSET Day or 2 Twilight Training Sessions on the Muddy Puddle Teacher Approach 1 Year Subscription to all of our Resources and Additional Courses 4 x Additional Zoom Training Sessions per season to cover Q&A and offer additional support

Home Cook School

home cook school

Kirkoswald

I’m a foodie through and through! I like to eat! I like to cook! Variety is the spice of life, and we shouldn’t get stuck in a rut when we cook. Cooking is a creative process and should be one of life’s great pleasures. I am a big fan of the local Ayrshire seasonal produce, and recently demonstrated dishes at the Ballantrae Festival of Food and Drink 2020 and Newmilns Food Festival, 2017. I am lucky to live in a beautiful part of the world. Maybole is sandwiched between Culzean Castle and Country Park and Alloway where Robert Burns was born. The area is steeped in history and an abundance of local artisan produce. Farm shops sell Ayrshire meat, cheese, vegetables and all manner of other products. Of course, the coast is close by too with a fantastic array of seafood. With all of this on my doorstep, its not hard to be inspired. I believe it is important that we can all cook at least a few great dishes from scratch. Unfortunately, so many people don’t have the skills or confidence in the kitchen. Many people are short of time, and for some, cooking skills simply haven’t been passed down to them. There is an increasing awareness of the health benefits of eating nutritious home cooked meals. Furthermore, I think its very important that people eat together, in order to socialise and share time. BACKGROUND Prior to Home Cook School, I worked as a Lecturer within the Creative Industries Department at a local Further Education College. My role involved working with various student groups – both advanced and non-advanced, community groups and school classes. I love teaching people and seeing them develop knowledge, skills and confidence! Since I was very young, I have been a keen cook. I have travelled extensively, and learned from many different international cuisine styles. My husband and I love to eat out and plan our holidays around breakfast, lunch and dinner! I have attended many cook school classes including Tuscan and Croatian styles. Lindsay demonstrating at Ballantrae Festival of Food and Drink Lindsay Demonstrating at Ballantrae Festival of Food and Drink I love cooking lavish dinner parties, but more recently, my focus has been on cooking nutritious, economic, family meals. I am a strong advocate of reducing food waste by shopping thriftily, planning and using leftovers and often integrate these principles into my lessons. For years, many friends and family would ask me to share my recipes and cooking tips – this combined with my years of teaching experience, consequently gave me the idea to launch Home Cook School. For a long time, I was keen to become self-employed however, due to work and family commitments, I was never able to fully devote myself to the concept. In 2014 I gave up my Lecturing job (after 12 years) to focus on bringing up my young family. The following year I moved to Maybole, South Ayrshire and finally had a kitchen big enough to run classes from! In 2016, I decided to launch Home Cook School. I feel passionate about sharing my love and knowledge of home cooking with anyone who is keen to realise their ambition to become a better home cook! A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO COOKING LOCAL PRODUCE As an active member of the Ayrshire Food Network, we pride ourselves in using locally sourced, fresh produce. Not only that – we run cooking courses promoting both Scottish and Ayrshire produce, connecting our clients with local suppliers, supporting the local economy and teaching our clients where they can buy local! Click here to link with some of our suppliers. LOOKING AFTER OUR ENVIRONMENT In our lessons we promote ways to avoid wasting food. We are certified to deliver Zero Waste Scotland Love Food Hate Waste Cascade Training. We recycle our waste and when clients require disposable plates and cutlery for buffets, we use biodegradable products. We also car share where possible! GROW YOUR OWN We encourage our clients to try growing their own fruit, vegetables and herbs in our classes. We use home grown produce in many of our classes and catering. BIOSPHERE CERTIFICATION MARK We proud to hold the business Certification Mark for the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere, which is the stunning area of natural beauty that Home Cook School is situated within. Cooking tutor, and business owner Lindsay Guidi is also a Board Member of the Biosphere. South West Scotland is a place of abundant good quality food, drink and crafts which reflect the diversity and unique character of the countryside and region. One of the best-known crops in the Biosphere is Ayrshire ‘tatties’, known for their earthy, sweet flavour. With a reputation for producing high quality beef cattle, lamb and delicious dairy produce and of course some of the best seafood, the Biosphere offers a special, authentic food and drink experience.

Zeba's Legacy

zeba's legacy

An idea sparked during the Middle East boom in the late 70s… It was a time of lucrative trade, a fast-paced world with minds and hearts brimming with ambition. There was a gap in the market…there was space for something different. The modern and global nature of contemporary design needed a warm human touch. Through long nights spent in thought and reflection, Zeba was born. The Persian word Zebaish, meaning beautiful, came to mind. It was exotic, filled with mystery, culture and of course, beauty. This is where our legacy began…a legacy that was born to grow and evolve for the rest of time. Zeba was put in place to cater to the need for contemporary design married with style and culture. We started with creating traditional carpets and dhurries in historic and transitional designs and colours. This endeavour, started with good fortune which led to the setting up of our stunning factory in Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh. In order to be true to our theme and idea of mystery, intrigue and culture, we built a magnificent Haveli to be the heart of our production. It is a one of a kind factory, and surely, it has played a huge role in our growth and success. Along this journey, we found ourselves gravitating towards adding a home textile range to the carpet and dhurrie offerings, thereby, allowing us to provide our customers with a coordinated look, and products by themselves. This again, allowed us to fill another gap in the market…We now satisfied the needs of dressing entire spaces with styles and pieces that were created to complement each other. Steadily, Zeba was growing. Our teams expanded, our reach broadened, our ideas multiplied and finally Zeba was coming into her own. If the question were asked, ‘What is Zeba?’, the answer could not be a simple one… " Zeba is the relentless pursuit of finesse that draws energy from an infinite pool of ever evolving creativity. It is timeless, as charming as yesterday, as forward looking as tomorrow. Zeba is our soul. And, it’s yours to bring home when you so desire." Sujata & Rajan Mehta Zeba is Disruptive Zeba is built to disrupt old school distribution models with its vertically integrated operation—from concept to customer. This becomes possible because we disregard the conventional model of having separate manufacturers, distributor, retailers etc. Every product and design is personal to us, stitched in place with strong and durable threads of passion and humble ambition. With our disruptive innovation and thought, we have created a new market and value network that will eventually disrupt and displace established market norms. We do not rely on any external entities to get our work done, we are self-sufficient. Zeba is Direct There is no outsourcing of labour, every product and project we take on is executed from start to finish by our own people, in-house. This way, we are completely in the loop and in control of every aspect of production, allowing us to have high quality home-wear at down-to-earth prices. The quality of what we create is of utmost importance to us, our products last for a long long time. Zeba Cares Integrity is woven into the fabric of our company, credibility and trust are the most important values of our brand. Reviving and preserving the great skills of Indian artisans is one of our prime focuses. We have a team of incredibly skilled Indian craftsmen who work with us, and help us breathe life into our designs. In an attempt to do our bit for the planet, we ensure to also use sustainable fabrics in our collections. All our fabrics are sourced locally from mills across the country as our effort to keep the Indian textile industry alive. It is important to us that everything we do and offer is overflowing good intentions, good vibes, and of course, great quality. Zeba is Nimble and Dynamic Zeba is flexible and constantly on the go, evolving with the world and various market demands and needs. We are not limited in thought, we thrive on new ideas and perspectives, always working towards a goal. Every day brings a new challenge and we look forward to taking it on! Our customers can dream and we can create it, nothing is impossible. We are not limited to certain spaces or certain niches. We can design any space, anywhere in the world, to fit any budget. Describing Zeba is a mission to last a very long time. There is no one way to describe the all-encompassing nature of what makes Zeba what it is today. It is an abstract concept, while also a very structured and tangible idea. Zeba dares to dream and is fuelled by an undying passion. Zeba is always growing, with new people, ideas, values and ambitions. Zeba was born out of love and is growing to spread it.

Azure Charitable Enterprises

azure charitable enterprises

Cramlington

In recent years, our ability to generate funds from our charitable businesses has become increasingly important to our clients as budgets for the provision of care services (for our clients) have been progressively reduced (since 2009/10). Years of significant under funding (of Local Authorities across the country), coupled with rising demand and costs for care and support, have combined to push adult social care services to breaking point. Since 2010, Local Authorities have had to bridge a £6 billion funding shortfall just to keep the adult social care system going. In addition the Local Government Association estimates that adult social care services face a £3.5 billion funding gap by 2025, just to maintain existing standards of care, while latest figures show that councils in England receive 1.8 million new requests for adult social care a year – the equivalent of nearly 5,000 a day. Decades of failures to find a sustainable solution to how to pay for adult social care for the long-term, and the Government’s recent decision to delay (again) publication of its long-awaited green paper on the issue is increasingly problematic as political leaders (national and local) remain reluctant to discuss and inevitably determine that increases to income tax (e.g. 1p on basic rate income tax), and/or national insurance premiums (e.g. 1p increase) and/or council tax (e.g. 3%) are unavoidable and entirely necessary. While Azure is a non-political organisation, we are naturally concerned by the failure of policy-makers to grip what is, after all, a fairly rudimentary exercise in basic arithmetic. Moreover, from a practitioner perspective, the fragility of the system is illustrated most starkly by the number of care providers that are reluctantly closing their operations or returning contracts to Local Authorities with the result that there is significantly less choice and a lack of capacity to support the rising number of people with care needs. The Centre for Economics and Business Research have recently reported (December 2018) that 59% of the providers they surveyed (nationally) have said that they have had to hand back contracts over the past year and 68% have said they will need to do so in the near future. Service closures are obviously the last resort for any provider; and it is at odds with the way Azure and the majority of our fellow providers usually operate, particularly when we have supported individuals for the majority of their adult lives. It is, however, the clearest indication yet that the under funding of social care is having a deeply negative impact on providers and their ability to deliver critical support to vulnerable adults. We are indeed fortunate (to an extent) that the charitable businesses we operate - and public support for them – helps to sustain our care services. We are however concerned (and for many of our fellow care providers) that there is now: an untenable, over-reliance on the goodwill of an already-overstretched charity sector (that is already subsidising the delivery of care services); an entirely ill-advised presumption that the funding gap can be met by armies of unpaid or under-paid carers; an assumption that the approach to the delivery of care can be re-designed to balance budgets and deliver economies without having an adverse impact on the nature and level of care clients need.