In the Hot Seat

On 25 June, I was delighted once again, to take part in the Mock Employment Interviews at Kirkby Stephen Grammar School (KSGS) which are arranged for year 10 students by Mike Sunderland Head of Business and ICT.

I have known Mike for some years as we are fellow trustees on the Northern Viaduct Trust, which owns three award winning viaducts forming part of some stunning local walks in the Kirkby Stephen area.

KSGS has had a lot of good press recently for a variety of reasons and certainly going by some of the students interviewed this is well deserved.

The process involves the students preparing a CV and letter of application before the interview takes place. Each interviewer sees approximately seven students in a morning session with each interview lasting about 15 minutes followed by a 5-minute discussion or “de-brief” with the student covering their paperwork and interview techniques. This is quite testing for all taking part!

Each pupil is scored under a variety of headings including standard of paperwork, eye contact, dress etc. The results are then collated and first, second and third prizes awarded.

I was very pleased that David Allen & Co sponsored the event again this year and the school have acknowledged this support and also for the time given up by all interviewers.

There were some outstanding students and overall they all worked really hard. The feedback we have had is that the students thought it was really valuable and have learnt a lot from it.

It is a good opportunity to give something back into the community and I was pleased to take part once again and represent the firm in a positive way. Julie Walsh, in our office, did a great job on preparing the award certificates so thank you Julie.

Photograph is courtesy of Karen from the Eden Valley Messenger who was there to take pictures for the Herald Newspaper.
Jonathan Miller

Sarah Reilly's Race for Life

On Sunday 12 July 2009, I took part in the Race for Life 2009.

Running the race this year was extra special to me as I was running it in memory of my Auntie Barbara who sadly lost her battle against Cancer in February 2009.

I witnessed my Auntie go through highs and lows whilst fighting the disease and it really brought home to me how it affects people emotionally and physically. The more that we can do to raise money to beat this horrible disease the better and the Race for Life is a perfect opportunity.

In total, I have raised £158.50 and the target for the whole event in Carlisle is in the region of £183,000. This will be donated to Cancer Research UK in the hope to beat Cancer.

On the day, the weather was pretty miserable although everybody still had smiles on their faces. Every woman and girl taking part in the race had their own personal reasons for being there which made it a very emotional experience.

I am really pleased I took part in the race and I look forward to the Race for Life 2010!!

Thank you to everyone who sponsored me. You can see more photos on my web site at sponsorsarah.co.uk and I will be contacting you to collect your donations shortly.

Sarah Reilly

Carlisle United Gala Dinner

On Friday 3 July 2009, some of us were privileged to attend the Carlisle United Celebrity Golf Gala Dinner at the Shepherds Inn.

The night kicked off around 7pm when we had drinks on arrival. We all arrived in our posh frocks and dinner suits; it was amazing how we all scrubbed up so well!

As we were waiting to be ushered to our tables, we looked round to see Chesney off Coronation Street walking in. What a lovely young gentleman and he was happy to have his photo taken with us.

We were then taken to our tables so the night could begin starting with a delicious three-course meal and a few bottles of wine to wash it down. Soon after our meal, an exciting game of stand up bingo took place. Three people ended up being left at the end and were knocked out all on the same number. A tiebreak then determined the winner and they won a weekend break at some plush hotel.

There was also a charity auction with items like signed football shirts, director’s box tickets and two breaks in La Manga plus a lot lot more, so hopefully lots of money was raised.

After a few more drinks the celebs and cabaret began, compared by Biff from Emmerdale who was a great laugh. David then presented the winners from the golf competition that had taken place throughout the day and the night just got better and better!

A special thank you to Carol Milnes from CA Events who did a fabulous job of organising this event and made sure everything went to plan. We didn’t want the night to end so a few of us headed up town to end a brilliant night out!
Linda Rayson