We attended the Professional Womens Networking Christmas Special yesterday hosted by PKF Francis Clark at Wyevale Garden Centre Salisbury.
Our plants expert, Nicky, demonstrated how to prepare a layered pot which will grow and bloom through spring into summer. Then, in the style of The Generation Game, we all had a go at creating our own pots.
With everyone engaged in their creations, chat came easily revealing ladies preparing to enter or re-engage with the world of entrepreneurship. Their ideas and plans are very reflective of Mum's creating work life balance solutions to support family priorities and satisfy natural entrepreneurial energies.
Like their pots of plants, we look forward to watching and supporting them as they blossom and grow.
Domestic Angels were invited to take part in this ground-breaking event targeting emerging start-up businesses and budding entrepreneurs. Several local businesses determined to support and service the audience had exhibition stands warmly welcoming the delegates, openly sharing knowledge, business experience and plenty of encouragement.
The event was peppered with seminars to enrich the delegate day including ‘From clueless to entrepreneur’ delivered by the Domestic Angels leadership team. We wanted to convey to the next generation of business owners that they really can take an idea with a blank piece of paper and create a fully-fledged company of their own. It was a privilege to meet and interact with our seminar delegates who courageously shared their business visions.
Delegate Sue contacted us post-event to say "The way you all spoke was testament to the brilliant working relationship you have as people with different skills and all working together for the good of the clients and the business. A truly novel way to talk that could only be done by a genuine team" We hope to stay in touch with emerging business delegates and watch them blossom.
As a business, we recognise that we have been fortuitous in our development and success which is directly attributable to a lot of hard work but also to the talents and knowledge inside and outside of the business which have directly and indirectly impacted on the evolution of Domestic Angels over the years. We have built strong partnerships providing us with a firm and lasting framework of support and supporters, all part of our success criteria. In turn, we take our turn to support emerging businesses through seminars, connectivity and mentoring.
Yesterday was the monthly meeting of the All Party
Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Women and Enterprise in the festive Houses of
Parliament. Representing Domestic Angels, Sam Acton, attended the meeting
followed by Christmas drinks and speeches from the Women in Parliament APPG in
the Thames Pavilion. We are particularly excited to have been appointed to a focus
group within the APPG addressing business support, coaching and mentoring for
women in business. Post meeting speeches were opened by Mims Davies MP and
featured Maria Miller MP, Craig Tracey MP and Caroline Dinenage MP.
We feel privileged to be part of this APPG. It is an honour
that our business opens doors for us to walk through allowing us to make a
positive difference for others.
Our commitment to the Parliament Week initiative since 2013
delivers an annual event to the senior schools of Bournemouth, bringing 60+
students into the Town Hall to practice and nurture their debating skills with
the support of local, national and European politicians. The students prepare
extensively and overcome nerves to participate in debates on current key
topics. This year they discussed the validity and role of referendums in the UK
and debated the speed at which article 50 should be activated in the matter of
Brexit. The student’s performances and clarity of delivery were beyond their
years and impressed all the politicians giving everyone renewed hope and energy
for the electorate and leaders of tomorrow.
Domestic Angels were approached in 2013 to take the role of
Partner to Parliament Week in the Bournemouth area as a direct result of the
work we had been doing, and still carry out, to help women into work and
empower them in the workplace. As Partners, we chose to focus on engaging
pre-voting young people to show them that their voice does count and that they
can make it heard. These 2 key messages will bring us the business and
political leaders of tomorrow. Empowering the next generation in this way
directly reflects the Domestic Angels ethos counteracting apathy and
disenfranchisement.
