Cupcakes and Puddles February 19, 2011

Fundraising

Another week, another step closer to my fundraising target – I have now reached 75% – (just over the £2k mark) and the desired total is starting to look a lot more achieveable!

On Monday last week I decided to sell Valentines themed cupcakes in the Talis offices to try and raise some additional funds. On Sunday, my sisters kitchen was transformed into a small bakery, with cupcakes, sugar and icing in every direction!! We made just under 40 cupcakes -  with some going into the reject pile and some being “tested” along the way, but overall I was really proud of the way they turned out! I’ve not done a great deal of baking before, and the first attempt at butter cream icing left a lot to be desired but 4 hours later, this was the result!!

Yummy!

The cakes went down really well and I managed to raise just over £40 for the British Heart Foundation, so Talisians may be in luck and a 2nd batch may be making an appearance later in the year!!!

Training

The training is also going fairly well, im now well into the running routine and really enjoying it, going running at least twice a week and sometimes three if im feeling particuarly active. Tomorrow I am going to go for the first long walk in my walking boots, aiming to do one of the training walks I did this time last year when preparing for Cancer Research’s Shine event. The walk starts in Solihull and ends in Hatton and is approximately 15 miles, with an amazing country pub at the end – got to have something to keep you going right?

 I am particuarly proud of the fact that Ive stayed fairly dedicated -this morning when waking up at 7.30 for my parkrun it was absolutely tipping it down with rain and as I drove out my road I did for a second think about turning around and crawling back into my nice warm bed!! However, I snapped out of it, got myself out there and did the very soggy 5k with about 60 other dedicated runners, jumping over puddles, avoiding muddy patches and pulling my heavily soaking trousers up at every turn!! I didnt get a personal best this week, but I did manage to get exactly the same time as last week – 30 minutes and 54 seconds, which considering the conditions I think is not a bad result!!

If you havent already sponsored me, and would like to help support me on my fundraising for Trek Iceland, you can do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/lccotterill

Thanks Lucy x

Trek Iceland – The Training / Fundraising Continues… February 4, 2011

Well my results came through from last weeks Brueton Parkrun
http://www.parkrun.org.uk/brueton/
  The results were emailed to me later that same afternoon and I actually did a lot better than I thought!! My time was just under 33 minutes, which although still a fairly slow pace, I felt fairly chuffed after slowing to a walk a couple of times during the 5k. I plan to brave the elements again (and the heavy rain and winds forecast) to get back out in the park again this Saturday, and who knows I could even get a personal best! lol

This week the training has gone well, I made my maiden voyage in my Brasher walking boots, walking 3 miles round the block during my lunch break at work. I am pleased to say that the boots were very comfortable (I was worried as had been warned about needing to wear your boots in). My toes had plenty of room, my ankles felt supported, and although I originally paniced about getting them dirty (such a girl lol), I soon got over that and just kept walking!

They are these boots
http://www.brasher.co.uk/catalogue/products/kanaga-gtx-r-kanagawn
 and are Gortex lined, meaning that they are great for braving the British weather. I chose them because they had high ankle support (I have VERY skinny and weak ankles!) and they are designed to be a all round boot for mountains, trekking and scrambling, all of which will be involved in Trek Iceland so I hear!!

Walking with my boots clearly worked different muscle groups to my runs, as my shins ached a little bit. I think perhaps that this is just the angle at which my feet were sat in comparison to my old and slouchy trainers. We did a 2nd 3mile walk the following day, and I am getting used to them very quickly, will just need to continue walking in them as much as possible. Weather permitting I may go for a longer walk this sunday and see how I get on.

On Wednesday evening I went round to my cousins for our weekly “fat fighters club” (her name not mine!) and did a 3.6 mile jog/run around her block. I still find running in the cold and dark quite difficult, so we did a very slow pace of (43 minutes) but I definately feel better for getting out there and doing it. There were also two not so pleasant hills involved in this particular route, so all in all, I didnt think we did a bad job!

Overall I do feel like im slowly getting a little bit fitter, the diet coke is still completely off the radar, havent had a single caffienated drink since 4th January now, and water is a big part of the diet instead. Feel so much better for it and even my nails have started to grow – who knew?! The Talis tuckshop have even had to reduce the order of Diet coke after me and Dom both decided to go cold turkey at the same time. We worked out that between us we probably drank about 30-40 cans a week, or as much as a kitchen pedal bin!!! Quite shocking really!

In terms of fundraising, I have now reached 64% of my fundraising target including my £1000 which I used to self fund the cost of the trip. I am overwhelmed with the level of support I received so far, particuarly from my colleagues at Talis, and old friends via facebook. I am not sure I will reach the full amount via sponsorship alone, so have started looking at fundraising alternatives to try and boost the total.

Brasher www.brasher.co.uk very kindly agreed to help support me in my fundraising by supplying a pair of boots and socks (of the winners choice) to raffle off. Brasher are the UK’s leading outdoor performance footwear brand, specialising in all types of walking footwear from trekking and walking boots to multi activity shoes, sandals and socks,

 This generous offer went down really well amongst my friends and colleagues, many of whom are also keen walkers and fans of the great outdoors! I was able to make an additional £212 in donations by doing the raffle, and plan to do more fundraising activities in the future to try and add to my total. I have recently applied for a street collection license with Solihull Council, so if you see me stood with a bucket outside the local shops, please do pop and say hi, all that loose change will only weigh you down anyway

If you would like to support me and the British Heart Foundation you can do so by sponsoring me here www.justgiving.com/lccotterill

Lucy xxx

Talis Movember 2010 October 29, 2010

As of Monday, a group of Talis employees will be getting involved in Movember to raise money for The Prostate Cancer Charity.

What is Movember?

Mo is a slang term for moustache.

Each Movember men are challenged to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache. The moustache is seen as a ribbon for mens health; the means by which they can raise awareness and funds for prostate cancer. The commitment involved is to grow a moustache for 30 days and get sponsored for doing so! All moneys raised go directly to The Prostate Cancer Charity.

The rules are very straightforward-  all participants start the beginning of Movember clean shaven (no cheating allowed!) and then commit to grow a moustache for the entire month.

Where did the idea come from?

From the website – The Movember Foundation Site

The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia.  The plan was simple – to bring the moustache back as a bit of a joke and do something for men’s health. No money was raised in 2003, but the guys behind the Mo realized the potential a moustache had in generating conversations about men’s health.  Inspired by the women around them and all they had done for breast cancer, the Mo Bros set themselves on a course to create a global men’s health movement. 

In 2004 the campaign evolved and focused on raising awareness and funds for the number one cancer affecting men – prostate cancer. 432 Mo Bros joined the movement that year, raising $55,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia – representing the single largest donation they had ever received.
 
The Movember moustache has grown year on year since then, expanding to the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Spain, South Africa, The Netherlands and Finland. 
 
In 2009, global participation of Mo Bros and Mo Sistas climbed to 255,755, with over one million donors raising £26 Million (GBP equivalent) for Movember’s global beneficiary partners. 

If you would like to join the global movement that is changing the face of men’s health, sign up for Movember here:
http://uk.movember.com/register/

What are Talis doing?

 As it stands today, a group of 7 Talisians are taking part – and details of the Talis Group page can be found here:  
http://uk.movember.com/mospace/519132/index/tp/2
. On the group pages you can follow their progress, see how much money is being raised, sponsor the team (or individuals) and check out any photographs added along the way!

We have decided to take this event a little further in house to try and get everyone involved by having a competition for participants!

At the end of the month, the whole company will vote on which members of the team deserve the coveted prizes as below!!  

The Mo’Test – for the individual voted to have the “best” moustache at the end of the month

The No’M0 – for the individual with the most pathetic attempt at a Mo

 The Mo’Money – for the most money raised by an individual team member.

I will be updating regularly on the teams progress, and please join me in tweeting encouragement for the guys #TalisMovember 

 And guys, never ones to leave anyone out, heres a photo of support from a group of Talis ladies…. Good Luck everyone!!

Birmingham Half Marathon 2010 October 25, 2010

On Sunday 24th October, over 11,000 runners took to the streets of Birmingham to take part in 2010′s EDF Birmingham Half Marathon. The 13 mile route took runners through the city centre, past Cannon Hill Park, Five Ways and down the Pershore Road, and although a cold start, soon enough the sun was shining  creating perfect conditions for the hoards of runners!

Myself and Angela joined the Cancer Research UK team on the Pershore Road at the cheering tent, making lots of noise and cheering on the 546 runners supporting the charity. Many of the runners had their names on their vests, so with lots of yelling, wooping, banner waving and clapping we tried to make sure our runners were supported and encouraged as they ran past the 7 mile midway point. Some seemed truely grateful for the “fan club” that praised them as they passed – so I really hope something as simple as cheering them on made a real difference to their morale on the day! It is hoped that the efforts of the Cancer Research UK runners will have raised over £96,000 in sponsorship money.

Keep telling myself I will get out there and do this one day – so maybe thats something for me to aim for next year!!

As a final point, well done to Mark Travis, a fellow Talisian, who completed the 13 miles in a great time of 2hours and 19 minutes. Nice one Mark

Lucy

Connecting HR Unconference #CHRU October 22, 2010

Yesterday I attended my first Connecting HR Unconference in London, after being introduced to the Connecting HR community by my colleague Catherine. Id never been to an unconference before, so I was not really sure what to expect, except being hopeful for something different to some of the more structured conferences I have attended in the past!

I was certainly not disappointed, the day was valuable, eye opening and heavily thought provoking, and I was lucky enough to meet some great like minded people, who were willing to discuss, debate and talk openly about their thoughts and ideas. What a refreshing change!

The unconference event was set-up by Jon Ingham, Gareth Jones and Barry Sampson of ConnectingHR. There were just over 60 attendees on the day, and no agenda, just the use of The Grid. As a group, we chose the topics for debate from various suggested themes, mainly around Social HR, Communication and Social Media, but also more general HR topics. Individuals suggested topics for discussion, resulting in 5 sessions taking place at the same time, and people attending whichever sessions they felt most drawn to, or even (as some did) dipping in and out of sessions.

What made this unconference so rewarding for me was that it was unstaged, unstructured, and conversation flowed freely and openly, with debate a plenty! Unlike most conferences I have attended, every session was valuable, opinions were voiced and heard, and alternative views to the traditional approach were suggested & critiqued. Talis is clearly on one extreme of the scale when it comes to Social Media – with the majority of Talisians fully embracing social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, IRC and blogging (see www.talisians.com) and we thankfully dont have the same challenges as some attendees have experienced in encouraging participation! This is partly due to the industry in which we operate, but more importantly down to the people we work with and the culture of trust and openness in which we operate. It was really interesting to hear about the challenges some are facing in promoting the benefits of social media, and hear of where people have learned from their mistakes along the way!

What I personally got from the day:

• An opportunity to network and meet others in the Connecting HR community who had similar interests or positions to myself. Something I have found particularly difficult in the past is meeting people who I consider to be “like me”.
• Some great case studies of how social media is being used as a tool for recruitment, on-boarding, engagement and communication, including experiences of twitter, facebook and blogs, e.g TGI Fridays “Fridoids” community blog site.
  http://www.fridoids.co.uk/blog/
  
• A feel for the importance of trust / cultural support in the use of social media and a sense of pride in Talis for having fully embraced this!
• Deeper understanding and debate around WHY we should be using social media?
• Thoughts about how to “reach the unconverted” in terms of Social Media take up in the HR community.
• HR putting their heads above the parapet – why are HR professionals sometimes afraid to be visible?
• Thanks to Keith Robinson – a tool to aggregate HR blogs at
  http://hr.alltop.com/
  
• Slightly numb feet – *mental note to wear socks next time*

No unconference on social media would be complete without the twitter stream at the front of the room with over 600 #CHRU tweets throughout the day from participants, and on a final note, there is NO better way to sum up the day than by this little ditty from Doug Shaw

Thanks to everyone who made the day happen, and I look forward to meeting you again at the Tweet Up in the New Year!

Lucy

Talis World Cup Fever Day! June 23, 2010

Today was the Talis World Cup Fever Day, arranged by our charity team to enable everyone to watch the England v Slovenia match in style!!! Not only did we enjoy all the football action on a big screen, but were able to tuck into some lovely snacks and get in the spirit with pre match games before kick off!

The Talisians joined from around 2pm, and got started on the World Cup Quiz, answering questions about the 32 countries taking part in the World Cup. Whilst racking their brains over some of the less than straight forward answers we tucked into Walkers World Cup Crisps (including British Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding of course), sausage rolls and the gorgeous World Cup Fever Cake!! Mark had put together a World Cup Playlist on spotify, featuring some classics such as Waving the Flag, World in Motion, Three Lions and We’re on the Ball.

Talis World Cup Fever Cake

We then held our “Keepy Uppy Contest” to see who had the best ball skills to the Match of the Day theme tune. Not to be outdone, Sam didnt let a minor ailment of a broken ankle rule him out of the competition and did his best to participate sitting down! Unfortunately despite Sams’ keeness, Michelle’s enthuiasm and Dave R’s unique keepy uppy style, all were eventually beaten by Ben and his steady and calm appoach! Not bad for a rugby player

At 3pm, off went the lights and off went the whistle! 22 minutes in Malcolm earned his entry fee back by getting the time closest to the first goal, and the whole room breathed a massive sigh of relief! With lots of oooh and ahhs, and the odd extra 20p going in the swear box for a bad ref decision or poor pass, the day ended on a high as England won 1-0 and qualified to the final 16.

At first count we have raised over £180 from the event today, along with the £48 already collected from our world cup sweepstake, and the most shocling fact of all, I actually realllllly enjoyed watching! (Dont tell my boyfriend, he doesnt need any encouragement!!)

Lucy

UCLAN Harris Bursary Ball June 15, 2010

On Saturday 15th May, myself and 5 other colleagues from Talis attended the UCLAN Harris Bursary Ball. Talis have previously supported the Bursary by sposoring a hole at their Annual Golf Day, but this year, we bought a table at this large event, held at the University itself, and were able to go along and experience the fun first hand!

What is the Harris Bursary Fund?

The Harris Bursary Fund was established as a charitable fund through the University of Central Lancashire Foundation to provide emergency help and to prevent these students from dropping out of higher education. Over a 1/3 of UCLan students come from working class homes and amongst them are individuals experiencing extreme financial or social hardship. The Harris Bursary Fund works to support those who would otherwise have to end their studies prematurely, by helping with essential study related items such as text books and computer equipment. In 2008/9 the fund was able to support 61 students who otherwise would have been unable to complete their studies.

The Harris Bursary Fund relies heavily on charitable donations, and this fundraising event raised an additional £12,000 for the Fund, of which around 25% would be eligible for additional gift aid. This is a fantastic amount of money and will enable UCLan to keep supporting their students in hardship.

What took place on the night?

The event itself was loads of fun, the evening kicked off with dancers from Fever Latin Team Preston – 4 couples from a team that are currently the open and closed British Champions. They had recently represented England in the European Championships and started the evening in glittery style!

A four course meal was presented including ceasar salad, corn fed chicken and bread and butter pudding, all of which was delicious and served with a smile.

Christopher Murphy, a fantastic caricaturist scoured the tables with his sketch pad, and did some fantastic caricatures of the Talis crowd.

Although we didnt win anything on our table (boo!), there was a great raffle with prizes contributed from other companies who had supported the Ball.

The most enjoyable part of the night for me was when Jon Culshaw (impressionist from The Impressions Show / Dead Ringers / Spitting Image) did his stand up slot. Having watched him on TV I always knew he would be funny, but seeing him in the flesh and listening to his Gordon Brown rap, amongst other highly accurate impersonations was an absolute joy. We also got to meet him at the end of the night.

Bill Beaumont, the former England Rugby Union captain also did a great after dinner speech, and hapily signed my programme for my colleague Kev in the office who was over the moon when I bought it back for him :)

Both Jon and Bill are Honorary Fellows of UCLan and it was great to see them there on the night supporting the Harris Bursary Fund.

Overall, we had an amazing time – not only did we all have a lovely night, but we were able to contribute to and support the fund in raising an amazing amount of money for their cause.

I would like to say a personal well done to Tania Callagher from UCLan for helping to put together such a wonderful event.

Lucy

Heartlink Healthy Heart Breakfast – 3rd March 2010 March 3, 2010

This morning, Talis held our first Heartlink Healthy Heart Breakfast – and on first count have raised over £130 for Heartlink. With the raffle / prize hunt still open, I am hoping this total will increase as the afternoon goes on!

The breakfast zone was open from 8 – 10.30 am and we had a variety of healthy (ish!) foods to start the day, including lots of fruit (apples, oranges, bananas, pineapple, melon and blueberries!), yoghurts, bagels, blueberry muffins, crepes, crossaints and cereals, with fresh fruit orange juice, apple juice, milk or hot drinks!

As discovered by researchers, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and far too often is skipped or forgotten! A healthy breakfast will kickstart your metabolism , and even for those on a diet, is the best way of ensuring you dont snack between meals!

Harvard Medical School have found that people who eat breakfast every day are a third less likely to be obese and half as likely to develop blood sugar problems, which increase the risk of diabetes or high cholesterol – a known risk factor in heart disease.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2824987.stm
 

Along with eating well, a healthy lifestyle is equally important. Thanks to Chelmsley Wood Sports Centre – 7 of our lucky winning employees will be able to kick start the exercise regime with a guest pass to our local gym (5 week passes and 2 month passes!!).  This includes classes, swimming and full use of the gym. At Talis we have secured a corporate rate with the expressions gym group of £31 a month. Full details of the gym and its facilities can be found here
http://www.leisurecentre.com/centres/37/home/North-Solihull-Sports-Centre.aspx
 

Breakfast!

Breakfast

Heart Treasure Hunt

Heartlink Healthy Breakfast! :-) March 1, 2010

On Wednesday, the next Talis office based fundraising event is taking place to raise money for Heartlink (one of our two charities of the year). Heartlink is a local charity based at Glenfield Hospital, supporting children born with heart defects, and helping the families of those who are caring for children with heart difficulties. This charity was chosen by our employees using our Lightning Talk approach (see earlier posts) along with Cancer Research UK.

For our latest fundraising event, the Charity Team decided to run a Heartlink Healthy Breakfast for our employees, the theme being around how a healthy lifestyle can support a healthy heart! We will be having a healthy breakfast including lots of fruit, yoghurt and bagels as well as fresh fruit juices and hot drinks.

We have managed to get some fantastic support in terms of prizes for our raffle, and I am very grateful to those companies who are supporting us. So far our prizes include:

• A 1/2 day spa break for two at Billesley Manor (Barcelo Hotels)
• 5 week long passes and 2 month long passes for Chelmsley Wood Sports Centre
• Subway Vouchers (people can chose the less than 5g of fat option! )
• Bottle of wine (red wine is good for the heart!)
• Selection of Books from the Book People (brain wellbeing!)
• Vouchers for Coleshill Coffee Shop
• and 2 x Lindt chocolate hearts

Really looking forward to the event, will update you with some photos later in the week!!

Lucy

Cancer Research UK – Morrisons Collections

Raise a Smile is the new campaign from Morrisons Supermarkets to raise money for Cancer Research UK, who have been chosen as their Charity of the Year for 2010. 
http://www.morrisons.co.uk/Corporate/About-Morrisons/Charity-of-the-Year2/

As part of the Midlands Action Team, myself and my colleague and friend Angela went along on Saturday to the Solihull Store, where we stood in the foyer asking for contributions to the charity bucket

This is the 2nd time we have done this – last time we raised £114 in a 3 hour slot. This time we were there for 1.5 hours, and this time was a little quieter, but I am hoping to have raised around £50.

A big thankyou to everyone who chatted to us that day and contibuted some loose change. A was a little worried that with my cold (and the fact my eyes couldnt stop crying!) that no one would want to come near me!

Next week we are off to the Birmingham University Lab Tour, to find out more about where our money goes. Having been before this is an educational and emotional experience! Next Wednesday is also No Smoking Day – aiming to help those who want to quit. As part of the Midlands Action Team we will be in Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull, promoting the quit kit campaign, and fundraising in the process!

Lucy