David Allen Blog

Lakes Colleges’ new Business and Conference Venue

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:38:00 +0000

Julie Osborn and myself had the pleasure of attending the launch of the new business meeting and conference venue, the SEN centre at Lakes College West Cumbria yesterday afternoon.

The SEN centre was clearly very versatile, holding a capacity of 340 seats theatre style, which is the largest conference centre in west Cumbria, also the centre can be transformed in to three classrooms and together with Hi Tech facilities the centre offers, it really is very impressive.

We were also treated to a delicious afternoon tea in the lovely Lakes College restaurant. I would like to thank Alan Jones and Vivienne Almond for being such welcoming hosts.

Jill Hetherington

Semi-Pro Boxing Evening

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 09:36:00 +0000

On Saturday night Jaimi Wilson, Robert Nordon, Ricky Taylor, Mark James, Emma Marshall, Danny Roper, Sam Verry, Paul Campbell, Kevin Batty and myself attended the ‘No Guts, No Glory Boxing – New Blood’ Semi-Pro boxing event held at the Swallow Hilltop Hotel in Carlisle.

The evening began with an explosive first bout between a local Carlisle boxer and an opponent from Newcastle, this set the bar for the evening as each bout was filled with action. It was good to see a mixture of all shapes and sizes competing ranging from the 18 stone heavyweight power punchers to the 9 stone lightweights with lightening fast hand speed.

The last bout of the night was between a local boxer from Carlisle and a local boxer from Aspatria. This heavyweight bout was full of action from the opening bell as each boxer was putting a title belt on the line and did not want to lose their title. Both boxers had a huge following in the crowd so the atmosphere was electric.

The sportsmanship was brilliant throughout the bouts and even afterwards as each boxer had a photograph and shook hands with his opponent and his opponents’ coaches after each bout.

All of the home boxers were from a local not for profit club called New Blood Martial Arts for which I am the head coach and chairman. It was a good night of results for the club and will be the first of many home shows for the boxers to showcase their talents.

Keep an eye on the local press as New Blood Martial Arts have fighters competing in MMA, Boxing and K1 Kickboxing on every local show.

David Scott

Carlisle Racecourse Chairman’s Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:06:00 +0000

On Monday evening David, Alison and I were kindly invited to the Chairman’s dinner at Carlisle racecourse with the first flat race meeting of the season.

On arrival we were greeted with a glass of Bucks Fizz, then settled down to a delicious three course dinner, followed by cheese and biscuits.

We enjoyed a fantastic evening of flat racing with a full race card and even managed to back a few of the winning horses. The event was very well attended with glorious evening sunshine as a bonus. We had a chance to mingle and meet new contacts and thoroughly enjoyed the company.

Sandra Gowling

Cumbria YFC Northern District Field Day

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Mon, 28 May 2012 09:58:00 +0000

On Saturday Craig, Leanne, Sarah, Emma T and myself all took part in the Northern District Field Day at Jackson Rigg, Longtown. My day started at 6.30 when I was up making fruit scones for the industrial section but it was worth the early start as they came third.

There were various competitions through out the day including Cross country, Cumberland wrestling, Cookery, Flower arranging, Woodwork and a Queen tribute act with the final competition being the Tug of war.

Overall Caldbeck came first with Raughton Head second and Kirklinton third. Everyone had a great day which was made even better with the fantastic weather. At night it was time to celebrate with a few drinks and music from Band Camp.

Fiona Steel

NABO at the Skinny Gorilla

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:15:00 +0000

I attended the NABO networking event which was held at the Skinny Gorilla in Carlisle last night.

The Skinny Gorilla is a new venue for the NABO meetings and it was at a new time of 4.30pm, with a new host Kaylee Davidson of Cherrytree Marketing. It was an ideal opportunity to meet new people and the venue enabled attendees to interact well in a relaxed and informal setting. Group discussions were done as well as the usual 1 to 1’s and we watched a video on marketing strategies.

The next NABO meeting is a breakfast meeting and will be held at our offices in Dalston.

Carrie Taylor

Aspatria Rugby Club Sportsmans Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Mon, 21 May 2012 10:02:00 +0000

On Friday 18 May, myself and Michael Peile invited eight guests to the Sportmans dinner at Aspatria RUFC.

A lovely three course meal was followed by a game of stand up Bingo, a Raffle, an Auction and Mel Hanley's Lions XV. Our guest Peter Timperon was the winner of Mel Hanley's Lions XV quiz, matching the most answers with Mel.

The guest speaker was Tommy Martin ex St Helen's stand off, followed by comedian Nicky Newsome.

A great evening was had by all.

Craig Pollock

Young Enterprise Success – Caldew School

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:09:00 +0000

Our very own Rebecca Allen is part of the Scranbition team from Caldew School who has been very successful in this year’s Young Enterprise competition.

Scranbition chose to focus their project on social responsibilities rather than profit and helped launch a food bank to raise awareness about poverty in the area.

The team have launched the project, presented this to various audiences (which in turn has boosted the donation fund), prepared a trade stand and produced a quality business plan. McVities factory have been their main business advisor and I happily came on board to help and review the business plan.

The team successfully made it on to the short list of 6 schools from the original 20 and learned of their recent success at the Cumbria finals which took place at Carlisle Racecourse on Thursday night; they won best company presentation and new media!

The next stage is representing Cumbria in the North West Regional Finals which are to be held at Manchester Airport on June 21.

We wish the team the best of luck!

Kirstie Somerville

Hadrians Wall walk for Macmillan Nurses

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:27:00 +0000

A year ago yesterday, my mum was diagnosed with breast cancer and to celebrate getting through a tough year she has decided to walk the Hadrians Wall.

Myself and 9 others set her off on the walk on Sunday morning walking from Bowness on Solway to the Sands Centre which was 15 miles.

We had decent weather and the wind was pushing us along and we successfully completed day 1. My mum and many others are continuing with the walk to Wallsend which should take them to Friday.

She is raising money for Macmillan Nurses who have been fantastic throughout this year and any donation for this great charity would be gratefully received.

Kirstie Somerville

Penrith Border Conservative Association Late Spring Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:11:00 +0000

On Friday night myself, David, Sandra Gowling and Jackie Matthews attended the Late Spring Dinner along with some guests at the Roundthorn Hotel, Penrith.

The night started off with a fantastic 3 course meal which was then followed by the Guest speaker, Sir Malcolm Rifkind who told us some interesting and entertaining tales from his career in politics. Sir Malcolm held senior positions during the Ministerships of Margaret Thatcher and John Major and was knighted in recognition of his public service, he was re-elected as a member of parliament in 2005 to represent Kensington and Chelsea.

It was a really enjoyable evening with excellent food and great company.

Michael Peile

Lunch at the Shepherds Inn with John Stevenson MP

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:48:00 +0000

Myself, Alison Welton, Sandra Gowling and Derek Baty have just come back from having lunch with the Rt Hon Michael Gove MP, Rory Stewart MP and John Stevenson MP and another 250 guests!

Before lunch we heard from Rory Stewart MP, who apologised on behalf of George Osborne as he was the original guest speaker, but was unable to attend due to last minute crisis with the Euro and he was needed to attend a meeting. Michael Gove kindly came in George’s place, who was a great entertaining speaker, cracking some jokes at the expense of the opposition. In his speech Michael concentrated on how great Cumbria is and for us not to take for granted what we have on our doorstep.

We then had lunch – the usual good standard that we get at Shepherd’s Inn and then finished with a thank you from John Stevenson.

An excellent event, very impressed that Michael had time to talk to everyone in the room whilst we had lunch.

Jackie Matthews

Nunwick Cricket Club Sportsman's Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Tue, 01 May 2012 07:22:00 +0000

On Friday night, David Allen had 2 tables at my local cricket club's , Nunwick, sportsman's dinner.

Myself, Kevin Collier, Kevin Batty, Derek Baty, Michael Peile and Steve Balmer invited 14 guests to the Roundthorn Hotel in penrith for a three course meal followed by entertainment from Geoff Miller the guest speaker and Austin Knight the comedian for the night along with a raffle and games of heads and tails and stand up bingo.

Geoff Miller is the current chairman of selectors for the England Cricket team and was also a test player himself, having played in the same team as Ian Botham. He gave a thoroughly entertaining talk about his career as a cricketer and was good entertainment.

Following Geoff Miller was the Comedian Austin Knight, who had everyone laughing with his jokes.

The night was very successful with the club making over £3000 for its funds and everyone having an enjoyable evening.

Mark James

Carlisle United v Exeter City

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:14:00 +0000

Saturday 28 April 2012 was what may have been Carlisle United’s last home game of the season against Exeter City and saw myself, David Allen, Jackie Matthews and Michael Peile entertain guests of Recovery Solutions. A lovely 3 course lunch and pre-match banter was enjoyed in Foxys Restaurant before bracing the cold wind in the stand to watch Carlisle win 4 – 1 and Exeter City relegated to League Two. Francois Zoko scored the opener for Carlisle with further goals from Jordan Cook, Liam Noble and then Zoko again.

A place in the playoffs may well still be in Carlisle’s grasp after fellow contenders Stevenage drew against Sheffield United later on Saturday evening. Carlisle, however, must win at Oldham next weekend and hope that either Notts County nor Stevenage can prevail against (respectively) Colchester and Bury!

Celebrations after the match continued in Foxys with a few more drinks and full time snacks. Thanks again to all our guests for attending.

Vicki Moffat

Carlisle College Opens New Building

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:16:00 +0000

Today I had the pleasure of attending the official opening of the new College building by Sir George Sweeney.

It was back in 2003 when Sir George Sweeney, who was principal of Knowsley Community College was invited to kick-start changes at the College. Since then the College chiefs secured funding from the North West Development Agency and Cumbria County Council which resulted in the amazing transformation of the out of date 1950’s buildings to what I saw today.

After canapés and a glass of wine we had a tour of this fantastic new building, which is much more suited for modern education and includes a new wing that houses a learning resource centre and workshops.

It’s great to see more money being invested into education in our region and the facilities will be a great asset to the community by giving youngsters more opportunities for a brighter future.

Well done Moira.

David Allen

Cocktail Evening with CCASS

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:50:00 +0000

On Friday 20 April, a group of us attended a cocktail evening hosted by the Cumberland Chartered Accountants’ Student Society (CCASS) at The Andalusian in Carlisle.

Fiona Park and myself are on the CCASS committee and helped to organise the event.

We started off with a quick talk on the history of cocktail making before being made a cocktail of our choosing. Some of us then went behind the bar and got to show off our own cocktail making skills!

It was a really successful evening and a great chance to meet other people within the profession and to try something new.

Emma Marshall

Recovery Solutions Seminar

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:17:00 +0000

Thursday 19 April saw our first Debt Recovery and Credit Control seminar. Over 30 professionals from a whole range of local and national businesses gathered at Dalmar House.

After introductions by David Allen, I gave a talk on the importance of good credit control and identifying your customer, followed by Solicitor Nick Marshall from Strutt & Co on dealing with and avoiding defended debt claims.

Our final speakers were double act Martin Leyshon, current Chairman of the High Court Officer's Association and Director of HCE Group and Gary Bovan, a High Court Enforcement Officer. Martin and Gary gave an interesting talk on the history of their business and entertained our guests with a host of tales of enforcement gone wrong, complete with Gary's bullet proof vest and magic wand!

The seminar was filmed by John and Susanna from Brilliant Trees Media and will be available for viewing/download shortly from our website. For more information, contact me on 01228 713070.

Vicki Moffat

HSBC Agriculture - Breakfast Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:12:00 +0000

This morning myself, David Allen, Sandra Gowling and Kevin Batty had the pleasure of attending Penrith Golf Club for a breakfast meeting hosted by Allan Wilkinson, Head of HSBC Agriculture.

The morning started with coffee and bacon rolls and the opportunity to catch up with some old faces and meet some new people too.

It was great to hear Allan Wilkinson's perspective on the current situation of UK Agriculture, especially as the agriculture sector is experiencing more volatility now than ever, the impact of changes in World and European economies are more significant than ever to the prosperity of farming businesses.

Allan discussed the importance of knowing the cost base within your business in order to maximise your profits and he also discussed the effect that world markets are going to have on the UK agriculture markets.

It was really interesting to get Allan's and HSBC views on the future of agriculture in the UK.

Michael Peile

North West Apprenticeship Ambassadors Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:03:00 +0000

Pirelli's Alan Wilson and myself attended a North West Apprenticeship Ambassadors meeting at Warrington last night. The event was hosted by Elaine Billington of United Utilities at their head office at Lingley Mere Business Park.

Speakers included Christine Gaskell of Bentley Motors, Elaine Billington of United Utilities, Bernie Waldron of MBDA and Sue Price, John Myers and Louise Silous of The National Apprenticeship Service.

There is a greater focus on the benefits to employers and apprentices and this is certainly a very exciting time for apprenticeships. Any employer who does not currently have an apprentice should think about the benefits. An apprenticeship is a great career step for young people.

I am happy to talk to any businesses thinking of taking on an apprentice.

David Allen

H & H Group walk

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 11:56:00 +0000

I was kindly invited to join the H & H Group walk on Sunday 15th April attending with my husband Phil (H & H Reeds Printers).

The walk commenced at Pooley Bridge and we were in 5 groups of 12 with our team leader being Kevin Coulthard of H & H Insurance. We walked for around 6 miles around the western side of Lake Ullswater with a great stop off at Ullswater Yacht Club en route for cups of tea and coffee with hot bacon rolls. We then rambled further down the lake side (and up a few hills with some photo's taken on the way) to the steamer launch and enjoyed a lovely (but slightly chilly) 1.5 hour cruise of lake Ullswater.

A thoroughly enjoyable day and great to catch up with so many people.

Sandra Gowling

Recovery Solutions Seminar

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:13:00 +0000

This Thursday, the 19 April we are holding a Free Recovery Solutions Seminar at our offices in Dalston from 12.00 until 2.00pm.

Our team of experts will be on hand to give you a real insight into the world of debt recovery and credit control together with top tips to help improve cash flow and keep a firm grip on your money. Our special guest speakers from the High Court Enforcement Association will be providing the entertainment and a few cautionary tales!

If you would like further information or to book your place, please contact Lauren Little on 01228 713070 or email lauren.little@davidallen-recoverysolutions.co.uk

lauren Little

NABO @ Lloyd Volvo Kingstown

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:45:00 +0000

This morning I attended a NABO networking meeting at Lloyd Volvo Kingstown.

Tanya Moxon hosted the meeting which welcomed some new faces to the group. The subject for discussion was marketing and the debate that followed proved very useful, with shared experiences and some top tips for us all. The meeting also provided an opportunity to meet some new and interesting people from various business back grounds.

As well as this, Dave Martin from Lloyd Volvo gave us a guided tour round their very impressive premises.

If you’d like more information or would like to book a place on a future NABO events please contact tanya.moxon@gmail.com or lisa@winderhall.com.

Jill Hetherington

David Allen prepare for the Financial Services Industry, Retail Distribution Review (RDR)

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:08:00 +0000

Last Thursday I attended the third in a series of workshop events organised by AXA. The workshops have been held at the Thistle Haydock Hotel and were attended by representatives from a number of the leading wealth management companies from the north west of England.

The events were held to help to ensure that firms were fully aware of the impact the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) will have on their business and, more importantly, to make sure that clients can continue to be provided with quality independent financial advice.

RDR has been described as the biggest ever change to affect the financial services industry. When RDR comes into effect on 1st January 2013 commission payments to financial advisers will be outlawed and customer agreed remuneration will take its place. This basically means that an adviser and client will agree a fee for any advice and or work and that fee must be paid separately from and not be dependent upon the sale of a product. RDR will also see the introduction of a minimum level of qualification for all financial advisers. Those companies that are not willing to adapt and continue to work on a commission model will soon become extinct.

At David Allen Wealth Management we are fully prepared for and embrace the forthcoming changes. All our advisers already have the required level of qualification and I believe the move towards fees will enhance our service proposition, provide greater clarity on charges removing the ‘smoke and mirrors’ that exists with certain products at the moment and increase professionalism throughout the industry.

Derek Baty

Hope’s of Wigton Auction

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:51:00 +0000

On Tuesday 3 April 2012 I went to Hope's of Wigton Auction Mart as they were holding the Easter Show and Sale for Store Cattle.

Hope's of Wigton Auction is a small and local market which many local farmers support.

Today there was over 100 store cattle entries with plenty of local spectators.

The show was sponsored by Carrs Billington. The Champion store today was shown by Graham Hird and the Reserve Champion was shown by Richard Miller.

Emma Thomlinson

Carlisle Youth Zone Patron’s Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:41:00 +0000

I was very privileged to attend Carlisle Youth Zone's first Patrons Dinner which was a fantastic success. This was a great opportunity to show our thanks to our key supporters and also to show off the achievements at Carlisle Youth Zone.

Guests enjoyed a five course meal and it was a very enjoyable evening.

Stephen Mason, the Zone's Chief Executive, explained about the work being done at the Youth Zone and showed films that had been taken in CYZ earlier in the week, including comments from the young people on their experiences and explanations of what they did before the Youth Zone opened.

The Youth Zone now has over 2,400 members, regularly has 240 young people using it at any one time and has provided young people with somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to, as well as being a place of opportunity and challenge.

Four young people from the drama group provided entertainment followed by two volunteers explaining their experiences as volunteers.

The event was sponsored by The Auctioneer and Clydesdale Bank and their support is very much appreciated.

A big thank you to everyone involved.

David Allen

Cumberland Society of Chartered Accountants Annual Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 13:14:00 +0000

On Friday night we had a table at the Cumberland Society of Chartered Accountants Annual Dinner. This year the event was held at the Greenhill Hotel and took on an exciting new format.

The night started off with a drinks reception followed by a delicious 3 course meal and speeches from the chair of the society and a representative from the ICAEW.

After these formal speeches the night then took on a less formal feel with entertainment provided by a comedian Rod Woodward who was fantastic then there was the chance to try your luck at the two casino tables.

The new format was a huge success and enjoyed by everyone, hopefully this will be continued next years event.

Michael Peile

Carlisle United v Huddersfield

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 07:10:00 +0000

I had the pleasure of attending Brunton Park on Saturday, as a guest of System Training to watch Carlisle United Vs Huddersfield, a top of the table clash.

System’s hospitality was excellent, they looked after all their guest exceptionally well and the food was delicious, we were treated to a meal before the match, soup at half time and also sandwiches after the game!

The match itself was really exciting and Carlisle deserved to win, clinching the vital goal in the last few minutes of the match!

Thank you to David Mandle and Pauline Cameron both from System for making Saturday so enjoyable.

Jill Hetherington