Celebrating 'Angel' Janet as she Reaches the 10 Years of Service Milestone
For professional domestic cleaning and home help services in Bournemouth call an Angel on 01202 267350
Monday, 4 March 2013
Monday, 25 February 2013
Micro businesses do their bit for the community
Entrepreneurs bring vision and expertise to the table.
Big corporations make much of their good works and charitable activities, but a Bournemouth business woman says even the smallest companies have much to offer the local community.
Samantha Acton, who owns local home help service Domestic Angels, is the first corporate supporter of community arts venue, the Southbourne Creative Hub.
The Hub was set up by Cathy Jones to provide creative and social opportunities including for those in need of support to participate.
“Samantha’s expertise in social policy and adult social care, together with her sharp business skills, are a perfect match for my experience in the fields of community participation in the arts and the role played by the arts in our health and well-being,” says Cathy.
Her involvement also allows Samantha to engage her business in activities that relate to its corporate social responsibility.
“Samantha’s contribution in this instance is not money, but her vision, knowledge and clarity of purpose to help shape The Hub’s development plans. “We are now confident of providing meaningful and effective opportunities for particular groups at The Hub, including those recovering from mental ill health, facing isolation or adults with learning disabilities,” adds Cathy.
“I’m incredibly proud that Domestic Angels has been associated with The Hub since its establishment 2 years ago,” says Samantha.
“It is a privilege to work on a project that has seen several people who originally came to The Hub for supported activities now attending some of the other classes and workshops, marking a real landmark in their journey to integrate with the wider community.”
Samantha and Cathy work with other professionals from the voluntary, public and private sectors in devising and delivering supported activities.
The Hub belongs to the Dorset Wellbeing and Recovery Partnership, the Dorset Arts and Older People Network and the European Network for Intergenerational Learning. It recently carried out research on behalf of Creative Care Dorset into the availability of the arts for health
and well being in the county.
Corporate Support Membership of The Hub costs just £30 for 2013 and a monthly newsletter reports on developments. Members are able to hire the venue for training, meetings, AGMs, recruitment drives, talks and showcases, for just £15 per hour instead of £25 per hour.
Big corporations make much of their good works and charitable activities, but a Bournemouth business woman says even the smallest companies have much to offer the local community.
Samantha Acton, who owns local home help service Domestic Angels, is the first corporate supporter of community arts venue, the Southbourne Creative Hub.
The Hub was set up by Cathy Jones to provide creative and social opportunities including for those in need of support to participate.
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| www.southbourne.net/hub |
“Samantha’s expertise in social policy and adult social care, together with her sharp business skills, are a perfect match for my experience in the fields of community participation in the arts and the role played by the arts in our health and well-being,” says Cathy.
Her involvement also allows Samantha to engage her business in activities that relate to its corporate social responsibility.
“Samantha’s contribution in this instance is not money, but her vision, knowledge and clarity of purpose to help shape The Hub’s development plans. “We are now confident of providing meaningful and effective opportunities for particular groups at The Hub, including those recovering from mental ill health, facing isolation or adults with learning disabilities,” adds Cathy.
“I’m incredibly proud that Domestic Angels has been associated with The Hub since its establishment 2 years ago,” says Samantha.
“It is a privilege to work on a project that has seen several people who originally came to The Hub for supported activities now attending some of the other classes and workshops, marking a real landmark in their journey to integrate with the wider community.”
Samantha and Cathy work with other professionals from the voluntary, public and private sectors in devising and delivering supported activities.
The Hub belongs to the Dorset Wellbeing and Recovery Partnership, the Dorset Arts and Older People Network and the European Network for Intergenerational Learning. It recently carried out research on behalf of Creative Care Dorset into the availability of the arts for health
and well being in the county.
Corporate Support Membership of The Hub costs just £30 for 2013 and a monthly newsletter reports on developments. Members are able to hire the venue for training, meetings, AGMs, recruitment drives, talks and showcases, for just £15 per hour instead of £25 per hour.
Monday, 4 February 2013
Angels’ service at your fingertips
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| Mobile version of Domestic Angel's website goes live |
Southbourne-based home help service Domestic Angels are reporting a significant increase in new client enquiries online.
Analysis of the company’s website traffic reveals prospective clients are of all ages and come from across the region, but having realised the site was increasingly being accessed as a result of searches for service providers on smartphones or tablets.
Domestic Angels has now responded to this evolution by launching a mobile version of their website.
“I am really pleased that we noticed this change in customer behavior and were able to take action so promptly,” says director Samantha Acton. “It just goes to show that although we stand for old-fashioned values like hard work, honesty and taking time to do the best job we can, the modern world also has a part to play in our business.
“Life is so much easier for prospective clients if text and links fit onto the screen of a smartphone or tablet. It’s the 21st century and people do their research while they’re on the move, or when they have five minutes wherever they are,” adds Samantha.
“As service providers it is important that we respond to this, it’s a lifestyle change.”
Visit the new Domestic Angels website on a smartphone or tablet at www.domestic-angels.com or email info@domestic-angels.co.uk for further information.
As published on seekernews.co.uk
Monday, 21 January 2013
‘Angel’ Janet makes a real difference
Home help service celebrates a decade of caring and cleaning
“I am a long term cancer patient on top of the gradual deterioration of everything else and in the last few months it has got so that I’m no longer able to do the housework,” says Zena Keyworth from Southbourne.
“Janet, our Angel, is always so friendly and pleasant and does such a good job for us – it makes a real difference to our lives. When you have someone in your home you not only have to like them but you must trust them and Janet is like one of the family – she is more of a carer than a cleaner.”
Samantha Acton, who started Domestic Angels in 2003, has been touched to find out just what the company’s services mean to her customers.
“I always wanted us to provide more than what we actually do,” she says. “I’d like to thank Janet and all our Angels who have wholeheartedly embraced the philosophy that people come first and their needs cannot be boiled down into 15-minute time slots.”
Janet Brooks has been an Angel for 10 years in the Southbourne area and loves her work.
“What do you need to do this job? Perfection in everything, that’s all!” she says. “You need to be adaptable, hard working, honest and optimistic, all the things that there seems to be a shortage of these days. Yes, you have to get on with the job, but this is as much about companionship as anything else, we get quite friendly with our clients.”
And the fact Domestic Angels is a local company counts for a great deal with its loyal clients.
“It’s extremely professional, reliable and nothing is too much trouble and being a locally conceived and grown business, I think is very important,” says Philippa Davis from Canford Cliffs.
“Everything is done to a really high standard and everyone is very friendly and approachable – real Angels.”
Customers and staff have been quick to pay tribute to
Domestic Angels, the Southbourne-based home help service as it
celebrates its tenth anniversary.“I am a long term cancer patient on top of the gradual deterioration of everything else and in the last few months it has got so that I’m no longer able to do the housework,” says Zena Keyworth from Southbourne.
“Janet, our Angel, is always so friendly and pleasant and does such a good job for us – it makes a real difference to our lives. When you have someone in your home you not only have to like them but you must trust them and Janet is like one of the family – she is more of a carer than a cleaner.”
Samantha Acton, who started Domestic Angels in 2003, has been touched to find out just what the company’s services mean to her customers.
“I always wanted us to provide more than what we actually do,” she says. “I’d like to thank Janet and all our Angels who have wholeheartedly embraced the philosophy that people come first and their needs cannot be boiled down into 15-minute time slots.”
Janet Brooks has been an Angel for 10 years in the Southbourne area and loves her work.
“What do you need to do this job? Perfection in everything, that’s all!” she says. “You need to be adaptable, hard working, honest and optimistic, all the things that there seems to be a shortage of these days. Yes, you have to get on with the job, but this is as much about companionship as anything else, we get quite friendly with our clients.”
And the fact Domestic Angels is a local company counts for a great deal with its loyal clients.
“It’s extremely professional, reliable and nothing is too much trouble and being a locally conceived and grown business, I think is very important,” says Philippa Davis from Canford Cliffs.
“Everything is done to a really high standard and everyone is very friendly and approachable – real Angels.”
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Ten years of Domestic bliss
A Dorset home help service is celebrating ten years in business – by promising to keep calm and carry on.
Southbourne-based Domestic Angels has been taking care of everyday business and making life easier for its clients since January 2002.
“This is very special work, we’re very privileged to be invited into people’s homes to help them,” says owner Samantha Acton.
“We don’t rush in and out, we go about the job calmly and without fuss. That’s the approach that has worked for the last ten years so there’s no reason to change it for the next ten years.”
Peggy McCarthy is only too ready to agree. She was one of Domestic Angels’ original customers from 2002 and has enjoyed the Angels’ help ever since.
“When we moved home they even came with is and when I was in hospital, the Angel visited with Sam,” says Mrs McCarthy.
“I’m in a wheelchair most of the time so we have an Angel to do the housework – my husband does all the cooking and the washing – but the service is somehow more than that, it’s a bit special.
“For instance, I have a collection of patchwork quilts and periodically they have to be taken out, turned, folded and replaced. It’s not something I’d let just anyone do, but the Angel has permission to do that.”
Eric and Zena Keyworth also speak highly of their Angel, Janet, who has visited every week since April 2010 and been an Angel in the Southbourne area for nearly ten years.
“We couldn’t ask for anything more,” says Mrs Keyworth. “I am a long term cancer patient on top of the gradual deterioration of everything else and in the last few months it has got so that I’m no longer able to do the housework.
“When you have someone in your home you not only have to like them but you must trust them and Janet is like one of the family – she is more of a carer than a cleaner. She makes a real difference to our lives.”
As published on seekernews.co.uk
Monday, 19 November 2012
Depression hits the lonely people
Loneliness ‘as risky as smoking’
Many men over 75 suffer from depression due to a lack of social contact.
That’s according to a study carried out by the volunteer service, the WRVS, which calculates some 190,000 men over 75 who live alone spend more than 12 hours a day on their own.
Samantha Acton, owner of Southbourne-based home help service Domestic Angels, says the findings are symptomatic of the loneliness crisis facing senior citizens.
“For all the good work our Angels do in cleaning people’s homes, getting shopping and running errands, it is the provision of simple human contact that is most appreciated by many of our elderly clients,” says Samantha, who is also a director of Southbourne Creative Hub, working with local businesses to promote the creative arts to benefit residents and the community as a whole.
According to the WRVS research 41 per cent of men who live alone have fewer than two face-to-face conversations a day – and a third have none. The study also claims men are far less likely than women to confide their loneliness to friends and family.
“Loneliness is a major health issue. Experts say it’s as risky as smoking and a greater risk than obesity,” says Samantha. “It’s particularly true of men. Often, when you deal with people who live alone, you can see how they deteriorate over time.
“By definition, loneliness often goes unseen. It’s not something that social services can necessarily evaluate so a regular visit from a home help service can make a real difference to the quality of people’s lives.”
The study found 54 per cent of men who admitted to feeling lonely also suffered depression, but three-quarters of them had never sought help.
Many men over 75 suffer from depression due to a lack of social contact.That’s according to a study carried out by the volunteer service, the WRVS, which calculates some 190,000 men over 75 who live alone spend more than 12 hours a day on their own.
Samantha Acton, owner of Southbourne-based home help service Domestic Angels, says the findings are symptomatic of the loneliness crisis facing senior citizens.
“For all the good work our Angels do in cleaning people’s homes, getting shopping and running errands, it is the provision of simple human contact that is most appreciated by many of our elderly clients,” says Samantha, who is also a director of Southbourne Creative Hub, working with local businesses to promote the creative arts to benefit residents and the community as a whole.
According to the WRVS research 41 per cent of men who live alone have fewer than two face-to-face conversations a day – and a third have none. The study also claims men are far less likely than women to confide their loneliness to friends and family.
“Loneliness is a major health issue. Experts say it’s as risky as smoking and a greater risk than obesity,” says Samantha. “It’s particularly true of men. Often, when you deal with people who live alone, you can see how they deteriorate over time.
“By definition, loneliness often goes unseen. It’s not something that social services can necessarily evaluate so a regular visit from a home help service can make a real difference to the quality of people’s lives.”
The study found 54 per cent of men who admitted to feeling lonely also suffered depression, but three-quarters of them had never sought help.
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
Speaking with Angels
Entrepreneurs from across the Wessex region are continuing to contact a Southbourne businesswoman who questioned government minister Vince Cable about his credibility to advise microbusiness owners.
Samantha Acton, who runs Domestic Angels home help service, tackled the business secretary over his lack of experience of running a business with fewer than five employees.
“Microbusinesses account for 95 per cent of the businesses in Dorset and yet government ministers and the people that run business organisations have little or no actual experience of them,” says Samantha.
“Dr Cable didn’t try to hide that fact, but then reverted to a pat answer about approaching banks for funding and cutting red tape.
“If he bothered to find out about what it’s really like to run a business at this level he would be trying to do things that can really make a difference, such as raising the VAT threshold, not launching headline-making business banks that will only add to the debt burden for microbusiness owners.”
Samantha gave Dr Cable a pen which he promised to use for the rest of the month to remind him to consider microbusinesses in his policy meetings.
“Nothing I’ve seen or heard from him since makes me think he has kept that promise, but our exchange of words has certainly struck a chord across the area and I’ve had a string of messages of support.”
Heather Martyn, a director at Bournemouth- based electronic design company Ammtek, echoes Samantha’s message to the minister.
“Some of these microbusinesses are our future SMEs or, eventually, large organisations and our Government needs to be able to offer incentives to these microbusinesses to become
employers and to grow sustainably,” she says.
“Apprenticeships are a good start but don’t solve all issues. I welcome further communication with Dr Cable and his department on this subject.”
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| Samantha Acton has attracted lots of support for her efforts to make Vince Cable pay attention to the smallest businesses |
“Microbusinesses account for 95 per cent of the businesses in Dorset and yet government ministers and the people that run business organisations have little or no actual experience of them,” says Samantha.
“Dr Cable didn’t try to hide that fact, but then reverted to a pat answer about approaching banks for funding and cutting red tape.
“If he bothered to find out about what it’s really like to run a business at this level he would be trying to do things that can really make a difference, such as raising the VAT threshold, not launching headline-making business banks that will only add to the debt burden for microbusiness owners.”
Samantha gave Dr Cable a pen which he promised to use for the rest of the month to remind him to consider microbusinesses in his policy meetings.
“Nothing I’ve seen or heard from him since makes me think he has kept that promise, but our exchange of words has certainly struck a chord across the area and I’ve had a string of messages of support.”
Heather Martyn, a director at Bournemouth- based electronic design company Ammtek, echoes Samantha’s message to the minister.
“Some of these microbusinesses are our future SMEs or, eventually, large organisations and our Government needs to be able to offer incentives to these microbusinesses to become
employers and to grow sustainably,” she says.
“Apprenticeships are a good start but don’t solve all issues. I welcome further communication with Dr Cable and his department on this subject.”
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