Name: ONE SPACE LEFT! 5th December Megan Carroll #Agent121. Looking for: MG, YA, ADULT FICTION, NON-FICTION
Price: 72 GBP
Availability: InStock

ksenia belash

It’s a pleasure to greet you in my virtual home:) Meeting someone for the first time can feel a little awkward. As a way of introduction, let me share a few random and not so random facts about me: I spent a big chunk of my childhood daydreaming, journeying through whimsical worlds, exploring subtle energies and noticing things that other people strangely wouldn’t notice. I wrote my first poem at the age of 6. This is also when I experienced myself as a cloud during my first ever meditation, guided by my grand dad. One of my favourite treasures was a blue crystal ball that my mum brought home from a lab she worked at - it seemed to have come from a different dimension. For a long time, I made myself believe these things were silly and meaningless. These days, I cherish the magical, the whimsical, the weird and believe the sense of WONDER to be a potent medicine for the soul that I am privileged to share with others. Up until the age of 9, if I closed my eyes, I could see people’s emotional states as auras of different colours. I developed my own colour coding system to identify what was going on - it was quite accurate. Unfortunately, I don’t see auras anymore, but I get a lot of subtle information through my body sensations. Whenever I speak to someone, a whole big experience unfolds within me and, over the years, through studies of the nervous system and what not, I have developed a way of making quite a good sense of it. It is a huge resource that I bring into my work with people. I also see images and metaphors that come seemingly out of nowhere and bring insights into things. I am currently 38. Most people assume I am younger and it can feel mischievously delicious to see them acting in alignment with this assumption without breaking the illusion. I currently live in London, am planning to move to Portugal, was born and raised in Russia and my roots are mainly from Ukraine. I speak seven languages and know both the curses and the gifts of not having one single place of belonging. I came to the UK when I was 20 to study hospitality and tourism management…only to realise, a couple of years later, that my heart longs to create and express itself, not manage. So I got my BA, completed my internship in a Central London office and went on to pursue photography and other visual arts for many years to come. It is only recently that I have connected my early interest in hospitality with what I currently do - which hosting spaces where people can really land and feel at home, in connection with their body, soul and spirit. I spent many years of my life in a relationship that felt utterly destructive to my soul. In 2015, I felt desperate and went to see a therapist. I thought this work was useless and nothing would help. In 2016, I went through a painful separation and then divorce. At that time, I was also feeling completely lost professionally. This period felt like the dark night of the soul, but I have eventually managed to come through, with a different understanding of myself, my strength, my needs and things I stand for in this world. What felt like hell, turned out to be the beginning of my healing journey. A BIT ABOUT MY HEALING JOURNEY Having grown up in an environment where emotional depth, sensitivity to nuance, authentic self-expression and creative ways were not exactly appreciated, I know very well what it's like to feel different, misunderstood, not sure where and if I can ever belong. For many, many years, I believed that something was deeply wrong with and broken about me and how I am. No matter how much I tried, how much I pushed to change myself, I struggled to fit into the loud, noisy, rushing, linear, rationality-oriented world that at times didn't make any sense. Like so many other sensitive souls, I have developed my own ways of coping and fitting in - like hiding bits of myself that I deemed ugly, scary or uncool, swallowing my truth, hiding my thoughts and feelings even from myself to the extent of losing any sense of boundaries, disconnecting from my body and intuition, anxiously chasing after the next new thing and external validation, not giving myself any space to breathe and listen to my inner voice. Living like this was painful and at some point became intolerable, so I reached out for help. In the course of my own healing journey, one of the many things I have discovered that the belief that something was fundamentally wrong and broken about me, was just that - a belief, not a curse that determined how I lived my life. I have also discovered that the most healing thing was not this or that tool, modality or approach. It was not even a cognitive understanding of why things happened. What my inner system and the young parts of my psyche deeply needed in order to heal was an attuned relational space, where I was loved for who I was and allowed to go at my own pace and be fully me, with all of my feelings of brokenness, sadness, envy, confusion, darkness, guilt, lostness, anger, heartbreak, as well as joy, excitement, dreaminess, hope and pride and a myriad of other feelings. What my parts needed, were to be seen and consistently met with acceptance, love, warm curiosity, compassion and understanding by another human being. In the process, I have also discovered the power of connecting with my intuitive body wisdom and befriending my nervous system and what is often referred to as somatic intelligence - a resource I never knew was available to me. As a result, rigid ways of being/thinking/reacting that have felt like "just who I am", started to soften, release and transform, while my sense of authentic self, personal power, self-trust, boundaries and capacity to feel and handle difficult emotions, without becoming overwhelmed, has been steadily growing. Offering healing spaces like that and supporting others like myself on their journeys of growth and healing, has become my passion and vocation.

mtm educational consultancy

London

For more than 35 years, MTM Consulting has supported schools (state and independent), universities and other education providers to remain in business and to develop and thrive, whatever the economic climate. We are all about providing solid data, insightful analysis and clear recommendations to enable organisations to plan for future stability and success and to uphold their responsibilities to parents who entrust them with their children’s education. In fact, we’ve worked with more than 500 schools and researched more than 250,000 parents. Our feasibility studies, supply and demand analyses and stakeholder research projects are all designed to help school business leaders to understand the potential of their organisation’s market, where they stand against their competitors, what the market wants and what it does not want. MTM equips education decision-makers with the information and insight they need to make the right choices for the future of their organisations. Education business expertise MTM’s team are all education business specialists with many years of experience. We understand the challenges and opportunities of the education sector and we want to use our expertise to help schools and other education providers to find the right course and achieve success. We are friendly and approachable We want to help We enjoy designing bespoke market research, marketing and business strategies to meet individual clients’ specific needs We encourage questions We communicate throughout We present or report on our findings and recommendations in a way that best suits each client We love to provide all the detail our clients need We follow up to see if we can help further We keep in touch Meet MTM’s expert team… Evidence-based decision-making MTM Consulting’s support of its education clients is based on facts, expertise and experience. Our market research projects focus on providing the data and information required to make crucial decisions on resourcing and activities to: improve recruitment and increase the school roll minimise student attrition and improve retention and raise the organisation’s profile in its target market and the education sector in order to attract families, teaching and non-teaching staff, leaders and governors who will bring their skills and work as a team to ensure the organisation’s future success MTM uses UK-wide demographic information and a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods to acquire exactly the data required to inform clients of the realities of their organisation’s situation. Of course, we don’t expect our education clients to be experts in market research themselves – through a series of friendly, collaborative discussions our team members are able to work with clients to ascertain the information that would be of greatest benefit to them in their decision-making. We ensure that the pricing of our products is transparent, and realistic in relation to education organisations’ budgets. In fact, we have recently revisited our offer in order to break down projects into distinct elements to improve affordability, particularly with smaller organisations in mind. We also offer subscription packages and the opportunity to spread payments over time. MTM’s suite of market research projects is infinitely customisable to suit the needs of individual clients and can be combined to create a totally bespoke market research project designed to meet clients’ needs exactly. Real-world insight, analysis and recommendations for success MTM is a long-established education market research company, which has a true understanding – built over three decades – of education, coupled with unparalleled skills and experience to support education business leaders to make the decisions that will lead their organisations to be steadfast and successful in the long-term, for the benefit of their stakeholders, staff and students. Our researchers have at their fingertips many years’ worth of sector- and country-wide data and are adept at using this to benchmark our clients’ performance. This helps business leaders to develop a real understanding of their organisation’s position and to see ‘the bigger picture’ and the potential in their market. Sometimes it is not just about what the data shows, but what it doesn’t show – our experts are able to draw attention to the gaps in an education organisation’s performance that can be crucial when making decisions on areas of future development. MTM works with a team of business professionals, all with proven track records in their fields, who work with our clients to maximise the opportunities revealed by market research and analysis. Business, marketing and international expertise is on offer to ensure that the client is able to develop a practical action plan – and a set of key performance indicators that will allow it to be assessed and scrutinised – as the organisation heads towards achieving its objectives. Our business professionals are collaborative team-workers, but they also have the strength and experience to draw our clients’ attention to areas of weakness and aims that are unachievable. We know that facing up to realities makes for a healthier business in the long term and ensures that funds and resources are focused on attainable goals. Supporting education It is our great pleasure to see our education clients succeed. There can be no better business to be in than education, and MTM is a staunch supporter of parents’ right to choose the environment in which their children are taught – state or independent, small or large… We work with education providers of all kinds and we are firm believers in the importance of a breadth of offering to suit all families. Early Years: MTM’s Feasibility Studies provide vital market information to schools and groups considering opening a new nursery or re-shaping their existing provision. Independent schools: MTM’s market research, business and marketing strategy projects are designed to help schools to be successful and sustainable in the long-term so that they are able to offer their pupils the education they deserve for the duration of their school careers State schools: MTM offers great insights into pupil and parent satisfaction and staff wellbeing to help schools to engage with the school community and ensure that educational resources are being maximised. School groups: MTM is able to advise groups (independent and state academies) on the potential success of new acquisitions and to help streamline the business of education for efficiency and to ensure maximum resources are available for education. Higher education: universities and higher education providers turn to MTM to help them to understand the opinions of their students on the quality of education they are receiving and the potential effect on their next steps in education and employment. Long-standing relationships with education clients We maintain very strong relationships with our clients, many of whom we have worked with on a regular basis for decades. To see real examples of MTM projects, please read a selection of our case studies. Over the past three decades, MTM has worked with big and small names in independent and state education, early years providers, higher education providers and education suppliers and investors. Rather than engaging MTM as a supplier, we like to think we are part of the team, offering information, skills and experience to support education organisations to maximise their business potential and provide a secure learning experience for their students well into the future. Communication with our clients is on-going and we constantly ask which aspects of our service they have most appreciated, and which could be developed. We act on our clients’ feedback and hone our products and services to make sure that they offer our clients exactly what they need.

gold leaf services

London

A Family Run Company Established in 1973 Serving The Gilding And Decorative Industries Ken Rees - Founder of Gold Leaf Supplies Ken Rees Founder In 2023 we will be celebrating our 50th year in business. Phew! Over the years, we have built a reputation for supplying high-quality products with an equally high level of service. We are passionate about gilding and specialist decoration techniques and we love to hear about your projects. At Gold Leaf Supplies we pride ourselves on our innovative approach to servicing the gilding and decorative trades. We are always exploring ways of expanding our services and seeking new horizons through interesting and exciting product ranges. Sue Govani - Director of Gold Leaf Supplies Sue Govani Director Steve Rees - Director of Gold Leaf Supplies Steve Rees Director Company History Gold Leaf Supplies is a family business, which was established as Services Supply Company in 1973 by Mr Ken Rees who was a senior partner in the business. Although Ken retired in 2008, he still had an involvement in the Company until his peaceful passing in May 2018. Having worked in the Italian Marble business for many years, Ken initially set up the business to supply gold leaf and associated products to the stone trade. The main emphasis being on offering an exceptionally high level of service and personal contact. Since 1973, our client base has expanded and diversified considerably, and we have increased our product range accordingly to meet our clients’ needs. We now cater to a diversified range of National and International clients involved in gilding, signwriting, glass manufacture, bookbinding, furniture restoration and manufacture, framing, interiors, architectural decoration, specialist decorating and monumental carving to name but a few. You can view examples of the prestigious projects that we have supplied for in our client gallery As the emphasis of the business changed so did the Company trading name - to Gold Leaf Supplies. From 1st March 2008, we became a Limited Company - Services Supply Company Ltd T/A Gold Leaf Supplies. Although the product range has diversified, and the company has grown, the philosophy introduced in 1973 has remained the same - "We offer quality products at competitive prices and a continuing high level of service." The business remains within the family and Kens’ son, Steve Rees and daughter, Sue Govani joined the company in 1989 and 1991 respectively. Steve has a background in Business whilst Sue’s background is in Art and Design bringing different skills and ideas to the business. Both are Company Directors and very hands on with the day to day running of the business. Steve is mainly involved with the purchasing and logistics. He has a memory like a filing cabinet and a sound technical knowledge relating to gilding techniques. When he has any free time, you will find him on the ski slopes or out walking with his beloved dogs. Sue is more involved with the creative side of the business and enjoys the sales, marketing and client facing events. Passionate about artistic techniques and applications, Sue is usually found trying out the new product ranges in her spare time. She is learning to gild is spending a little more time being a hands on creative which she finds a very meditative process. We all have enormous respect for the art of gilding and its traditional values whilst at the same time recognise and are inspired by the many diverse and contemporary ways that gold and silver leaf is being used today. Our Team It is important to receive your raw materials on time and we appreciate the tight deadlines that most businesses work to, therefore for approved accounts, most of our products are despatched the day instructions are received and delivered on a next day delivery basis. Where large projects are involved, supplies can be scheduled on a phased delivery. One of our strengths is that we can and have often been called upon to supply large quantities at short notice. Our prime objective is not only to supply, but also to provide a full service to our clients and our team makes every effort to ensure this objective is achieved. We have knowledgeable staff who are always on hand to offer advice and we respond quickly to any enquiries that you may have. Please feel free to contact us at any time. Sue Jewell Accounts Manager Sue J has been with us for almost 15 years and has been instrumental in setting up all of our accounts and bookkeeping administration. Since October last year Sue decided to reduce her hours to work part time to fit around her grandchildren and has been working remotely since lockdown. Accounts practices come naturally to Sue and she is continuing to teach all the office staff her accounting methods. She is still very much involved with managing and overseeing the office systems and administration on a weekly basis remotely although she no longer has direct contact with clients. Niki Rathkey Accounts Administrator and Order Processing Niki has been with GLS for two years now and handles all our day-to-day accounts and order processing. It is a busy desk, but Niki is always on hand with a smile to answer any accounting queries that you may have. She is like a magpie when it comes to our shiny products and uses a lot of them in her stone painting and interior projects. She has also built up a sound knowledge about how our products work and will answer most queries related to this. Niki has a strong background of secretarial and administrative skills and has previously worked for a variety of Accounts practices. Isabel Barriga Brown Accounts Assistant and Order Processing Isabel is a new starter for GLS who joined us in October 2021 but has quickly become an indispensable member of the team. Together with Niki they are the accounts team that keep our day-to-day orders ticking over and our records straight! She is very creative and artistic and helps a lot with our social media ideas and creative projects. Again, Isabel loves trying out the projects in her own home and is also learning to gild. She’s our social secretary and makes sure we get together outside as well as inside of work. Adam Rees Technical and IT Adam has worked at Gold Leaf Supplies for around 10 years and during that time he has built up a very good technical knowledge about the products and their uses. He is happy to answer any technical questions that you may have. He is very patient and interested in the challenges that customers projects often present. He will always go out of his way to find a solution and is interested in testing new products and applications. Adam also has responsibility for the Website and all our internal IT requirements. Ralph Davies Warehouse Manager Ralph has been with GLS for over 8 years and takes care of all the goods inwards, stock control and order despatch. Ralph is meticulous and methodical which is a good thing in a busy warehouse. He runs a very tight and organised ship and is a real character! Nothing is ever too much trouble! He always goes the extra mile to make sure your orders are packed well and despatched on time. Fred Govani Warehouse Assistant Fred is Sue’s husband and since taking early retirement during lockdown he comes into the Company part time to help out in our busy warehouse. Due to his previous and extensive work experience he also has a valuable input into logistics and systems practices. Debbie Rees Colour sampling coordinator. Debbie is Steve’s wife who also runs an online homeware store called Elsie Boo Collections. She helps out at GLS by preparing all of our Gold leaf and other metallic materials shade cards that our clients find so useful to have in their workshops or to show their own customers to help them make colour decision choices. Debbie makes sure that we are all stocked up with these and also helps us keep on top of office filing.

josie warshaw ceramics

London

Josie Warshaw Ceramics Get Creative With Clay josiewarshaw@aol.com 07773865917 www.josiewarshaw.co.uk Instagram josiewarshawceramics Kingsgate Workshops Trust Studio 43 110-116 Kingsgate Road NW6 2JG Craft Courses https://www.craftcourses.com/courses/make-and-decorate-a-bowl-get-creative-with-clay Ceramics: Throwing Lessons / Beginner /Intermediate Learn the basics of throwing on the wheel or hone your skills with expert tuition from an experienced potter. Learn to centre clay and make closed and open shapes on the wheel at a time that suits you. Cost is £25 per hour and includes materials, tools and tuition. minimum 2 hours. Get Creative with Clay Beginner or Intermediate Make and Decorate a Bowl This friendly, relaxed, workshop takes place in a peaceful studio in the Kingsgate Workshops Trust building. This taster type clay session is a great way to get away from the busy world outside for a few hours. By the end of this session you will have completed a bowl using the coiling method. This session can be treated as a one off or something you can repeat. If the course is booked with a friend or as a group there is a reduction in price. Please negotiate group reductions via email. When making your bowl you will also have a finished surface that you can decorate in a variety of ways applying any design or you can leave it blank or write an inscription onto its surface. A decorated bowl is an excellent celebratory gift to give to a friend or a relative. Or you can use it yourself! You will be guided through making a bowl using the coiling technique by joining, then pinching out ropes of soft clay. The clay wall is then pared to obtain a satisfying curve, that can be scratch decorated or slip painted on the same day with your personal design. You will have guidance each step along the way. When you have made your bowl it will be glazed for you.. Finished work can be posted or collected. £65 or £105 for plus 1 Josie Warshaw Ceramics at Kingsgate Workshops Trust After training at Harrow School of Art Josie established her studio at Kingsgate Workshops Trust. Over the years she has combined her studio practice with teaching in adult educational settings including; Camberwell School of Art, Camden Arts Centre, The Architectural Association and The City Lit. Her commissioned history, techniques and technical overview, books; “The Complete Practical Potter” and “Beginners Ceramic Handbook” "The Practical Potter"have been translated and sold in countries around the world and are available for purchase in a number of different languages. Josie continues to offer relaxed and friendly teaching and studio time to beginners and more advanced students at her Kingsgate studio. Lessons are offered to individuals and small groups in hand-building, throwing and surface decoration. Reviews 2016/ 2017/18 Such a great course! by Wiggy - March 2017 Josie is a wonderful teacher, had a really good time learning how to make bowl in her studio. Would love to do this every Saturday. Will come again ) A great introduction Get Creative with Clay Beginner or Intermediate Make and Decorate a Bowl Craft Courses Its' a great experience: Josie is very knowledgeable, and makes it a pleasurable and rewarding experience. It was laid back but at the end of the afternoon all of us had produced a wonderful decorated bowl, in the interesting environment of her studio. Elisabeth -12th February 2018 #12942 By Verity - January 2017 This was a surprise present so I wasn't sure what to expect but it was such an awesome course and a great way to spend an afternoon. Josie was really helpful and a fantastic teacher, I'd definitely recommend her courses. Amazing and Relaxing Get Creative with Clay Beginner or Intermediate Make and Decorate a Bowl (Booked online with Hotcourses) By Hugo - January 2017 I really didn't know what to expect when I bought this course with my girlfriend, but it was fantastic and we learnt so much about how to shape clay. It was very relaxing and the time seemed to fly by! I would highly recommend this course Amazing By Hugo - January 2017 First time using Hotcourses so I wasn't really sure what to expect, but it was really interesting and fun. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking to relax and make a bowl! A relaxing, creative experience Get Creative with Clay Beginner or Intermediate Make and Decorate a Bowl By Andrew - January 2017 After purchasing a course for my girlfriend’s birthday we were not sure what to expect. What a lovely experience it was and a way to pass a few hours and to produce something tangible with your own unique stamp on it. Everyone's bowl ended up completely different and it was great to make pottery, really learning how clay works and performs. Josie has a relaxed teaching method, encouraging and informative. Would highly recommend. Andrew & Asha A great experience By toby - September 2016 We weren't sure what to expect when signing up for this but it turned out to be the most enjoyable experience with Josie being extremely helpful and friendly in showing us the coiling technique, would definitely recommend! Worthwhile creative experience By Lisa - July 2016 Never did I think that the simple activity of making a bowl could open up such a myriad of experiences. From getting my hands dirty digging in the clay, to coercing this medium so it took on a form. For a first experience the clay and Josie’s skilful but gentle guidance, dictated the road travelled, a useable beautiful, and personal bowl emerged. And then a colour feast to paint it. Thank you Josie Thanks so much Josie Get Creative with Clay Beginner or Intermediate Make and Decorate a Bowl By Aaron - July 2016 I was bought this course as a birthday present and did not know what to expect as I have never done any ceramics work before. Safe to say I thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon, the space was quiet and Josie was extremely knowledgeable about her subject, guiding us firmly yet also allowing us creative freedom. I would highly recommend this course to anyone. I also cheekily made two bowls in the time I was there, which Josie kindly did not get mad about! Amazing and relaxing experience!!! Get Creative with Clay Beginner or Intermediate Make and Decorate a Bowl (Booked online with Hot courses) By Diego - July 2016 It was my partner's and my first time doing pottery. At first we thought to have only one class to have a new experience but after taking a one-day course with Josie, we are talking to do that again and again. It had such a good atmosphere and Josie conducted the course in a friendly and professional way. She passed us her experience and knowledge making sure we were having a great time! Best workshop ever! Ceramics: 1-1 Intensive Throwing Lessons / Beginner /Intermediate By Tyler - April 2016 As a first timer was fairly nervous and there's only so much research you can do. Josie was patient, knowledgeable and helpful - I felt very at ease and I learnt A LOT. The workshop was very informative I was provided with information sheets of all of the process's I requested and if it wasn't at hand Josie will research for you to answer all of your questions and provide you with as much help as possible. Really good price for everything you get as well which is all of your materials and some of the best teaching I've experienced. Very thorough explanations and demonstrations with clear instructions, personally I feel its important to have a 1:1 class as well if you want a more intensive learning experience. For myself I felt I need to be guided through the process with constant observation to receive help as you go and then learn from your mistakes much faster. Josie helped me with my current university project, she is a truly a great potter with a great passion for passing on the knowledge, I can't thank her enough.

nick dale photography

Here’s a brief biographical profile and outline of my photography career. If you want to see a few pictures of me, click here. If you have any questions, just click the chat button or get in touch at nick@nickdalephotography.com or on +44 7942 800921 . Photographer | Writer | Speaker | Teacher | Judge I dreamed of becoming a photographer when I was 15, but my mother wanted me to go to Oxford instead! I ended up reading English at Oxford and working as a strategy consultant for a few years before retiring at the age of 29. I then travelled round the world for seven years, doing four ski seasons and working on an internet start-up in San Francisco before finally returning to London in 2005. At that point, consulting work felt too stressful, so I decided to go 'quality of life'. I'm now a private tutor and international award-winning wildlife photographer. I became a tutor in 2009 when I happened to read an article in the paper called 'Ten Ways to Beat the Recession', and I started taking pictures again when I received a random email inviting me to go on safari and climb Mount Kenya. I've been a wildlife photographer since 2013, taking pictures in 26 countries on all seven continents and winning various awards including the Sunday Times/Audley Travel Big Shot. I spend a lot of time in Africa, and I’ve been on over 300 game drives and boat rides there. I’ve also worked as a Resident Photographer at various safari lodges: 2019: Klein’s Camp, Serengeti Under Canvas, Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp and Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp 2020: Gabus Game Ranch and Etosha National Park in Namibia 2022: Ol Jogi in Kenya and Muchenje in Botswana. I'm always happy to answer questions from guests, whether it’s about camera settings, the rules of composition or just identifying all the different species of wildlife. Back at camp, I'll give the odd talk on camera technique, give feedback on their images and show them some of my own. Maybe I’ll see you out there…! Artist’s Statement I have a passion for wildlife, and I want to celebrate all its facets in my photography, including power, beauty, cuteness and humour. These are the qualities I want to share with people. I’m not a conservationist, so I don’t take pictures of endangered animals to put on posters for Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth. I take them because I love close encounters with the natural world, and I want to share the excitement, relaxation, tenderness and wonder they evoke. I started out taking 'portraits' of animals. That was all very well, and a lion might look beautiful sitting on the African savannah at sunset, but there isn't much energy in that sort of picture. What I try to do now is to focus on action shots. I still take portraits - and sometimes I don't have a choice! - but my ideal image is much more likely to be a cheetah chasing down a Thomson’s gazelle than a bird sitting on a branch! My favourite animals are the predators, and the advantage of a long lens is that it can create the impression of being right up close and personal with some pretty dangerous beasts. It’s that sense of excitement that I try to capture in my work, and I'm happy to use whatever technology I can find to do the job. Cameras 2 x Sony a1 mirrorless cameras 2 x Sony VGC-4EM Vertical Grip for A1 2 x Sony 160GB TOUGH CFexpress Type A Flash Memory Cards Lenses Sony FE 12-24 mm f/2.8 G Master lens Sony FE 24-70 mm f/2.8 G Master lens Sony FE 70-200 mm f/2.8 G Master OSS II lens Sony FE 400 mm f/2.8 G Master lens Sony FE 600 mm f/4 G Master lens Sony SEL E Mount 14TC 1.4x Teleconverter - White Sony SEL E Mount 20TC 2x Teleconverter - White All that, combined with the wonders of Lightroom and Topaz Labs, gives me the best possible chance to show off the wonders of Nature. Contact If you’d like to hire me for a talk, a lesson, a photo shoot or a safari, please contact me on +44 7942 800921 or at nick@nickdalephotography.com. 99 Ormonde Court Upper Richmond Road London SW15 6TR Mobile: +44 7942 800921 Skype: nicholas_dale Facebook: facebook.com/nickdalephotography Flickr: flickr.com/photos/nickdalephotography Instagram: instagram.com/nickdalephotography LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/nickdalephotography Pinterest: pinterest.com/nickdalephotography Twitter: twitter.com/nickdale_photo YouTube: youtube.com/@nickdalephotography View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize View fullsize Donations If you’d like to support my photographic career by making a donation, please click the button below. DONATE Sales Sold over 25,000 images to buyers including National Geographic, Africa Geographic, BBC Wildlife Magazine, The Evening Standard, The Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, Daily Mail Online, The Sun, The Sunday Express, The Times and Lonely Planet. Sold my best-selling shot of a jumping Adélie penguin over 2,000 times - and it even appeared on a poster inside the hero's locker on the US TV show Atypical! Provided the cover photo for SMT magazine. Sold 65 fine art prints to private collectors around the world. Sold over 1,000 copies of my Expert Photography ebooks on Social Success Strategies and Wonderful Wildlife. Sold over 200 greeting cards and postcards at various exhibitions, Gerhold in Putney and Willow Bough Tea Rooms. Worked for clients including a tennis club, a milliner, a local councillor, a tuition agency and a procurement consultancy. Publications Wrote ebooks on wildlife photography and social media for Expert Photography, books on Predators & Prey, India, Antarctica and a local wedding, plus Resident Photographer: Tanzania & Kenya. Wrote articles for Expert Photography, Fusion Art, Outdoor Photography, Wildlife Photographic, PhotoPXL, Clipping Path Creative and SLR Lounge. Interviewed by Fusion Art for A Day in the Life. Posted articles, images and videos online: Nick Dale Photography website: 1.0k unique monthly visitors Facebook: 4.1k followers, 22.0k engagement, 700.6k people reached, 1.1m impressions (last 28 days) Instagram: 322 accounts engaged, 2.6k accounts reached, 14.4k total followers (last 30 days) LinkedIn: 492 connections Pinterest: 399 followers, 64k impressions, 2.4k engagements, 49k total audience, 1.8k engaged audience (last 30 days) Twitter: 18 followers YouTube: 50.1k subscribers, 205k watch hours and seven videos with more than a million views - (here, here, here, here, here, here and here). Awards Shoot The Frame’s October 2022 and May 2020 Shoot The Wild competitions The Best Modern and Contemporary Artists Prize 2022 The Faces of Peace Art Prize 2022 Tailor-Made Tour Company of the Year 2022 for England in the Travel & Hospitality Awards International Prize Leonardo da Vinci - The Universal Artist 2022 ATIM's Top 60 Masters for 2022 (see magazine feature on p25 and video starting at 26:26) Wildlife category in the Professional Photographer of the Year 2021 Best International Wildlife Photographer 2021 in the Southern Enterprise Awards hosted by SME News 2021 LUX Life Photography Coach of the Year - UK National Geographic: Photo of the Day award twice (here and here), both images being chosen for the Daily Dozen and Best of Photo of the Day 2017 and winning over 25,000 likes on Instagram Monthly finalist in the Greatest Maasai Mara Photographer of the Year 2021 Gold in the Animal Portrait category of the 2020 World Nature Photography Awards Sunday Times/Audley Travel Big Shot competition Wildlife Series in the 15th Pollux Awards/The Worldwide Photography Gala Awards Best of Contest in 35 Awards’ Wildlife: Mammals competition Guru’s Top Pick in the Gurushots Up Close with Birds challenge Best of Show in Grey Cube Gallery's Nature exhibition (see video) February 2020 Arthola competition Wildlife Worldwide Photography Competition 2019 (Animal Action category) Fusion Art: Artist Spotlight (Photography & Digital) in April 2020 (see video) and Best in Show at the 3rd Annual Animal Kingdom Art Exhibition (see video) Art Room Gallery: Nature competition (see video) Exodus Travels Monthly Photo Competition The Societies of Photographers: Gold Awards in the Wildlife, Nature and The Natural World categories Society of International Nature & Wildlife Photographers (SINWP): In the Wild Photography Competition (leading to stories in The Times, Express, The Sun, The Daily Star and the Mail Online, followed by an interview on London Live!) Various: Picture Frames Express's All Creatures Great and Small plus BBC Wildlife, Chiiz, Digital Photographer, Dodho, Wild Planet and Outdoor Photography competitions ePHOTOzine: two Daily Competitions, two Photos of the Week, 10 Editor’s Choice, 26 Highly Commended, 19 Guest Editor, 119 Readers' Choice and 213 User Awards Exodus Travels: 2018 calendar (February image) Facebook groups EP Cover Photo of the Week and Admin’s Choice from Expert Photography Photo of the Day and Photo of the Week for the International Photography Group Photo of the Day and Administrator’s Choice for Light and Shade Top Post of the Day from Nature & Creativity Cover Page and Weekly Contest for Nature Photography Administrator Choice for Photographers of the World Photo of the Week for Photography Certificate of Excellence, Weekly Contest, Cover Page and Admin Choice for the Professional Photographers Community Faunistic Selection for Renaissance Photography Top of the Day, Photo of the Day and Cracker of the Day for Save Earth Admin’s Choice from Superb Photography Cover photo for Wildlife & Nature Photography Certificate of Excellence from World Photographer - Wonderful Photography Magazine Award for World’s Top Photographers Instagram: Featured photo for @wildlifeplanet.ig, Featured Artist for @all_animals_addiction and @raw_africa_ and Daily Features for @instaperfect_capture, @wildlife__perfection, @OnlyAfrica, @kings_animals_love and Bonvac_Fauna Artist of the Week for Artlimes, Photographer of the Month for Picture Frames Express, Artist in Focus for LUMIarts and featured in Pond5’s Instagram Takeover and the May 2020, January 2021 February 2021 and March 2021 APÉRO catalogues. Exhibitions Chosen to take part in the Butterfly Effect online art exhibition put on by Contemporary Art Curator Magazine. Held solo exhibitions at the Norman Plastow Gallery in Wimbledon Village, Lumi Arts in Pimlico and 508 King's Road, where I am an artist-in-residence. Took part in Glaziers' Art Fair, Parallax Art Fair, PhotoX Awards 2018 at the Menier Gallery and various group shows at 508 King's Road and Gabriel Fine Arts. Took part in the Indian Photography Festival Exhibition and see | me exhibitions on Facebook and in New York. Was chosen for the online art galleries at Art Bridge, Artfinder, Art Gallery, Arthola, The Art Online Gallery, Artlimes, Printscapes and Saatchi Art. Sold six prints of a leopard at Greatest Maasai Mara Photographer of the Year exhibitions in Melbourne, Brisbane, Cape Town, Atlanta, Dallas and Johannesburg. Other Worked as Resident Photographer at Klein’s Camp, Serengeti Under Canvas, Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp and Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp in Africa for four months in 2019. Worked as Resident Photographer at Gabus Game Ranch in 2020. Gave talks for The Societies of Photographers, on two Antarctic cruise ships and at The Athenaeum Club, Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp, Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp, the SW19 Women's Institute, the Putney Women’s Institute, Malden Camera Club, Watford Camera Club, Putney Library, the London Institute of Photography and Beckenham Photographic Society. Helped judge the 2019 Canary Wharf Wildlife Photography Competition. Ran photography workshops at Canary Wharf and Putney Library. Gave private lessons to various amateur photographers. Recorded six wildlife photography videos with Coinaphoto, covering Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America and the polar regions. Had my work reviewed by Anthony Morganti on YouTube Became lifetime member of the Circle for the Foundation of the Arts (CFA). Joined the Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers in October 2013.

act fast nl

Scunthorpe

Act Fast is a well-established Independent School near Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire. Act Fast has grown organically as the need for a high standard of provision has emerged and developed. The premise of Act Fast’s provision is that we are promoting the value of education to previously disaffected young people. what we do We operate a bespoke curriculum at Act Fast, which is both written and delivered by in house staff and is in line with the DfE Independent Schools Standards. We overtly deliver lessons in the following subject areas: Maths up to Functional Skills level 2 standard English up to Functional Skills level 2 standard Motor Vehicle Technology with the Institute of the Motor Industry up to level 2 standard PSHE (Including RSE) against a verified and recognised scheme Motocross, delivered by qualified and experienced staff Physical Education through a range of on-site and off-site activities. Art/Crafts Music Further to this, lessons in the following subject areas are delivered as embedded features of the timetabled lessons. Human and Social Understanding Aesthetic and Creative Scientific Technological British Values Our learners know if they work hard, they are awarded by riding the motorcycles here at Act Fast. This has proven to be successful, helping young adults to achieve their qualifications and have a positive attitude towards learning. Curriculum Act Fast has made a commitment to give every young person who is capable of the opportunity to reintegrate and to take a range of exams. For those subjects that Act Fast does not currently deliver, as we develop learners opportunities will increase. We are an accredited exam centre through OCR, NCFE, ABC, D of E, and when required will extend this to meet the needs of our learners. Our curriculum also enables and encourages learners to develop their interests and talents. We have a number of students here who have found their passion for music, learning how to play the guitar, as well as a large number of young, talented motorbike riders who love learning about riding, fixing and maintaining the bikes. It’s important to us to support our learners in keeping them physically and mentally healthy. We have access to: Mental Health Champions, outreach support and therapeutic counselling services, available to all our learners. We have regular sports activities within our timetable to encourage physical exercise, as well as access to local gyms and leisure centres. These activities help to prepare young people to access their community in adulthood. Hidden Curriculum Act Fast’s curriculum, throughout the range of its delivery, is heavily invested in the “Hidden Curriculum”. The Hidden Curriculum argument is that the most valuable lessons our young people receive here are to arrive on time, respect authority, follow instructions, keep regard for safety, take responsibility for their actions, behave in an acceptable standard, liaise with other people respectfully, and respect other people’s personal choices, encouraging equality and diversity. Other ways in which we promote equality and diversity include: Challenging negative attitudes amongst students. Setting clear rules regarding how people treat each other. Treating all students and staff equally and fairly. Using resources that have multicultural themes. Creating lessons that reflect and promote diversity in the classroom. Making sure that all students have equal access to participation and opportunities. Ensuring that all procedures and policies are non-discriminatory. Making sure that classroom materials never discriminate against anyone. Safeguarding protected characteristics throughout our culture and ethos. All of these things, to a greater extent than formalised subject lessons, will make them responsible, independent, resilient and above all else employable young people once they finish their school career. Act Fast has trained and qualified staff to recognise some of the barriers to learning that students face. These barriers might be due to Adverse Childhood Experiences and with knowledge and understanding of such issues Act Fast staff can help students overcome them to maximise their potentials. Referral, Application and Introduction After a referral is made to Act Fast, we invite a representative from the referring body (usually the Inclusion Officer), the learner and the learner’s parents into Act Fast for a familiarisation visit. During that visit the learner is given a tour of the facility, is introduced to key staff members and receives an explanation of the culture of Act Fast. Learners are given the opportunity to voice any concerns and any questions they have are answered. We set a high expectation on behaviour here, and partly because expectations are high, but also because more established learners mentor new arrivals, new learners very soon fall into compliance with our way of doing things. Act Fast works because our learners buy into the culture. This is the first opportunity that a young person has to involve themselves in how we operate here. Application forms must be completed prior to a young person starting at Act Fast. Once applications are complete, the referring body typically takes a few days (sometimes up to a week) to arrange their transport. Personal data will be stored and processed at this point, and details entered into our MIS system, Arbor. We insist on a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) meeting with stakeholders and the young person present within the first month. This allows any teething troubles to be voiced and solutions to be sought. Further PLP meetings are held regularly, no less frequently than once a term. At those meetings, Act Fast staff will deliver a report detailing the engagement of the young person, levels of educational attainment, attendance, general engagement, and commentary on the likelihood of a reintegration being successful. Reintegration planning must be tailored to suit the needs of the individual. Staff Investment Our staff all take part in quality training including regular CPD sessions and ongoing programmes of accreditation such as SSS online training (recently completed by all staff members). Training needs identified are acted on as soon as practical. The organisation believes and invests in the continuous professional development of its people. Our commitment to CPD is such that every member of staff has received CPD accredited training in the last 12 months. Our qualified teachers ensure pedagogical content methods are in place to deliver high standards of teaching for our young learners. We engage with our staff continuously here and know of the main pressures on them, including managing workload. We aim to support every staff member to help guide them throughout their career at Act Fast. Educational Framework It is our aim to provide an educational framework which is heavily invested in the hidden curriculum. By that, we mean that as well as lessons formalised in Maths and English for example, our young people develop an understanding of: working to a process arriving on time respecting authority abiding by the rules accepting that their first choice may not always be the right choice following instructions not expecting to leave early attending every day These are the skills whereby a young person will be employable post 16. Without these key skills, a young person is unlikely to be able to function in the workplace. We develop the hidden curriculum, embedded in everything we do, in order that our learners gain an understanding of their expectations being matched by the expectations of attendance, compliance and engagement We have a tracking system in place for our core subjects. We also use a “readiness to learn” scale, whereby a learners attitude, engagement, and involvement in their own work is measured. Bespoken When evolving Act Fast into an independent school I was very mindful that Mainstream school had not been a successful outcome for the majority if not all of our learners. It was imperative that we were bespoke and able to meet the needs of all our learners and not just the few. For this reason we created our own curriculum that is more sympathetic to our learners’ needs. Our teachers create an environment that allows our young people to focus on learning. 1:1 support as well as small group teaching (where appropriate) is in place to make teaching more effective, allowing tutors to concentrate on each individual learner’s needs. We believe in student voice here at Act Fast. Our EHCP’s (Educational Health Care plans) allow us to capture our learners’ views. It’s not only in our annual reviews that we give learner’s opportunity to be heard. For example, one young adult suggested we invested in a bigger bike here, so we put arrangements in place and made this happen. We encourage our learners to make their voices heard. Below are some examples of student voice council meetings held at Act Fast and how they shape decisions made at the school. Student Voice Meeting 040322 We have effective arrangements to identify learners who may need early help or are at risk of neglect, abuse, grooming or exploitation. We strongly promote our policies and legislation such as safeguarding, diversity and equality of our staff and learners at Act Fast. Ofsted Report 2022 Best Bits: “Act Fast school is a place where the proprietor and staff go the extra mile to support the pupils who attend. It has a unique vision of how to ‘hook’ pupils back into education, and it is successful in doing so. Act Fast has started to re-engage pupils who have experienced difficulties in their education”. “Parents believe that, finally, a school ‘gets’ their child. The wider curriculum, built around motor-cross, is a distinctive feature of the school. It motivates pupils to attend and to behave well. For those pupils who do not wish to ride the bikes, staff work with them to find alternatives. The proprietor and staff have limitless ambition for what pupils can achieve in their personal development. At the heart of this is a patient, careful building of relationships, and, in many cases, a re-building of trust between the pupil and their experience of education.” “The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has a strong understanding of the requirements of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Recently, the SENCo has started to work with a senior leader to more effectively incorporate pupils’ SEND targets from their education, health and care (EHC) plans into teachers’ planning.” “Leaders have also recently taken action to improve the school’s support for pupils’ reading. For instance, a primary specialist has been appointed with experience of teaching phonics to the weakest readers. The English lead is in the process of building a programme to encourage pupils to read widely and for enjoyment. Leaders’ wider curriculum for pupils’ personal development is, to very large extent, a strength of the school.” “The proprietor’s vision for getting young people who have had difficult experiences of school back into education is impressive. It is backed up by an innovative personal development curriculum, built on a range of activities that take place in the afternoons. These include a variety of motor vehicle-related opportunities, as well as visits out of school to a range of venues. Recently, for instance, pupils have started to be taken to a local engineering firm to participate in a scheme to broaden their career aspirations. Pupils know that there is a plan in place for them to make a suitable next step into further education or training at the end of Year 11.” Improvements: “Leaders’ PSHE curriculum includes reference to the protected characteristics and the school is a respectful community: however, coverage of the protected characteristics in the curriculum strategy is not as detailed as it could be, so pupils’ understanding is not as developed as it could be. Leaders should revisit their curriculum thinking for PSHE so that teaching of the protected characteristics is made more overt.” “The current curriculum is based on a limited set of qualifications in two subjects. For a registered special school, this lacks ambition. As a result, pupils experience a narrow curriculum, including a limited suite of qualifications. Leaders should take action to broaden and deepen their curriculum so that pupils have opportunities to study a wider range of subject content, organised coherently and cumulatively over the entire secondary and post-16 phases; and, for those who are capable, to a higher level of accreditation.” “Leaders have not taken the required action with regard to the statutory guidance for the teaching of RSHE. Consequently, parents have not been made aware of the school’s policy and their parental rights within the policy. Also, the teaching of Inspection report: Act Fast NL Ltd. RSHE is not clearly planned in the school’s curriculum. Leaders should take action to be compliant with the statutory guidance and to ensure that curriculum thinking incorporates structured RSHE teaching.”