David Allen and Co Blog

Ready Steady Go Karting

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:36:00 +0000

On Saturday over twenty of us went to the Carlisle Indoor Go Karting arena and true to their word they gave us a discount if we could get twenty people taking part.

We had been once before in September last year so there were no excuses this time except for Jaimi, Leanne and Sam who had not been before.

We began the day by signing our life away as we signed a disclaimer against the firm but that didn’t worry us because we were now experts at Karting!!

We all picked our overalls and helmets and we were raring to go. We started off with a practice lap but no one was holding back. People were straight away crashing into each other in an attempt to overtake them and the track was much more slippy this time so going round the corners was a free for all!

The competition began and again we each raced 5 times, once in each of the 5 different karts.

Our points were tallied up and the top five scoring individuals went on to race in the final round which was a 12 lap race! Gemma’s husband Chris managed to keep his cool and took first place again! He also registered the fastest lap time so well done Chris!

Our own Fran Reay did brilliantly by registering the fastest lap time for the girls, well done Fran!

Where there is a winner, there is a loser and this is where Sam Harrison comes in! She has to get a mention because she came last with the most black flags! Black flags are awarded for those drivers that crash into others a lot or purposely road hog or is generally a menace on the track!! Tut tut Sam!!

This was a great team building exercise and we look forward to hearing about the next race meeting in future.

Sarah Reilly

Our United Day Out

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 17:13:00 +0000

Carrie and myself recently had a great day out at the Carlisle United match versus Stockport County.

Some other guests who all come from farming backgrounds from the Silloth and Wigton area joined us on the day and most of them had not been to a football match for many years.

The day started at 12:30 when Carrie and a few of the guests went on a tour of the ground. As the photo shows, they really enjoyed seeing what goes on behind the scenes and even got to have their pictures taken in the boot room.

Myself and the rest of the guests headed straight for Foxys restaurant where the bar was open to enjoy pre match drinks. This was coke in my case since I was doing most of the chauffeuring.

Once we all regrouped we sat down for a carvery dinner which was great and went down really well with everyone.

After the dinner we got our tickets and went out to the stand to prepare for the match. The first half wasn't very exciting with neither team really having a chance so at half time the score remained 0-0. During half time we went back inside for half time drinks and cheese and biscuits.

Both teams had a few more chances in the second half and provided a bit more entertainment however neither managed to get the break though goal and the score ended up 0-0.

After the match we had another drink or two and the day ended with everyone commenting on how much they had enjoyed it.

Michael Peile

Celebrating Burns Night

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:08:00 +0000

On Friday 22 January, a group of us from David Allen & Co had a table and joined The Mayor of Carlisle, Cllr William Graham and other parties at a Charity Burns Night Supper.

The event was held at the Cumbria Park Hotel, Carlisle and profits from the evening were in aid of the Mayor of Carlisle’s Charity Fund whose main beneficiary is the Eden House Children’s Hospice, a very worthwhile cause.

The evening included a five-course meal with traditional haggis which was piped in, in traditional style by Mr Ken MacKay and various guest speakers who gave their own unique renditions of the most popular of Robert Burns' poems including the Tam O'Shanter.

It was a really good night and everyone got into the spirit of things by wearing at least a hint of tartan in their clothing.
Carrie Taylor

Our Vision

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:00:00 +0000

It’s often said that business is about finding customers... keeping customers... and making money and as anybody who’s in business will agree, these three principles are essential to our very commercial existence. However, there’s one additional ingredient that’s always been at the heart of David Allen & Co and that’s an unwavering recognition that no matter how good we think we may be, there’s always room to improve.

Those improvements might come in seemingly small aspects of our business, but put a few small things together... and that can make a big difference.

From the early days I’ve always had a vision. It was not to be the biggest accountancy business in Cumbria, but to be the best - the best environment for talented people to work and develop their careers, and the best place for individuals and businesses to receive strategic and financial advice to help them fulfil their potential.

As we enter our 13th year with over 60 people, three offices and a rapidly changing economic landscape, I wanted to re-evaluate where we are and where we’d like to be in the future. To do this I recognise that the business Alison and I created back in 1997 is now very different.

Where once we would discuss our challenges and aspirations within our small team and quickly execute our ideas that same afternoon, I now have a team of partners and managers (each with their own teams) who I need to inspire in order to implement our business plans. Whilst many things have undoubtedly changed over the years, our initial ethos and values haven’t changed.

David Allen and Co has always been about providing the very best service for our customers as a direct result of creating enthusiastic, effective and loyal employees – and I realise that indeed many of our clients and staff had been with us for a significant part of our 13 year journey. I know that the key to developing our business further, lies with our people and our clients. Only by creating an environment where our people are satisfied, loyal and productive can we create value and only by creating that value can our clients feel satisfied and remain loyal to our business.

Unlike many businesses, we’re starting from the inside. Most (if not all) of our people have been involved in strategic or planning workshops, contributing through ideas or sharing their day to day experiences of life within David Allen and Co and providing valuable feedback on our leadership and management style. We have taken our core values of “Inspiration”, “Enthusiasm”, “Commitment” and “Practicality” and fine tuned our “Vision” for the next phase of our development. This vision is a team vision, developed by a group of people from all parts of the business and now shared by all within our firm.

On Thursday 10th of December all of our people came together in our Dalston office and I was really delighted to be able to present to them our vision and direction for the future. We are about to embark on one of the most exciting parts of our journey which involves feedback from our people and our clients will enable us to identify what “really” makes the difference to them and how we can provide our people with the resources to do best what matters most.

So as I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a very prosperous new year, I’d like to share with you OUR pledge and OUR vision.

• David Allen & Co's vision is to help individuals and businesses achieve their goals in the most practical, proactive and dynamic way. We will combine our technical know-how, financial awareness and commercial acumen with a passion and energy rarely seen in our sector.
• We will become a known leading light, recognised for blending the traditional values of accountancy with the enthusiastic and hands-on attitudes of a young, modern team of professionals.
• We will be a breath of fresh air to our clients and our team will be as committed to the clients’ businesses as they are to their own, and our promise will be to go the extra mile in all that we do.

Happy Christmas
David Allen

Rugby Match Sponsorship Day

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:14:00 +0000

Saturday 12 December we were back for our annual Christmas sponsors day at Aspatria Rugby Club.

Every year, we like to invite clients and contacts to join us and watch a rugby match at the Aspatria club and we have a complimentary bar open for our guests during the afternoon. This is a great way for us to thank people for their business during the year.

The day, as usual started at around 1pm. Clients came from all over the county but many arrived on the midday train from Carlisle which was jammed full with our invited guests and staff. Partner’s Alison Cartner and Sandra Gowling welcomed all our guests and then, having sampled a drink or two and enjoyed a bite to eat from the fantastic buffet, which was laid on by the club’s ladies committee, the match kicked off.

This year the team was up against Altrincham Kersal who earlier in the season had quite convincingly beaten the Aspatria side. Our very own, Jack Clegg was playing fly half for the home team and although Aspatria kept the score down to a more reasonable level, they were still beaten.

Back in the clubhouse, Sarah Reilly announced the winners of our Guess the Score competition.

We have had compliments from many of our guests saying what a fantastic day it was and many of our staff were also there on the day to meet our clients and enjoy the atmosphere of the day.
Julie Campbell

Santa's Special Visit

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:48:00 +0000

Santa came visiting our office today, wearing his special red suit and with his little helper (Melissa) in tow.

He had actually made a surprise visit the day before to give Louise Thomson her ‘Secret Santa’ pressie before she headed off on her holidays and financial training but the main event happened at 10.30 today when our little bearded friend started his tour round the departments.

There was a certain West Cumbrian twang to his “ho ho ho” as he handed out his goodies but everyone was really happy to see him and his sack was brimming full of delights for everyone.

From smellies and slippers to scarves and booze, he certainly handed out a variety of treats. His little helper managed to take a few pictures on the way round and there are some too shy they hid in his beard, or pretended to be busy on the phone, but most just wanted to give him a big hug and get him on their knee.

Santa says he is retiring next year......

but it wouldn’t be the same without our jolly friend.

Merry Christmas to all
Julie Campbell

CYAG Annual Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 19:36:00 +0000

On Friday 6 November 2009 the CYAG group which I am involved in held its first annual dinner.

CYAG stands for Cumbria Young Accountants Group and Michael Peile and I are both Committee members. The groups aim is to give the younger accountants in the area a chance to socialise and network without the formalities of the more senior accounting societies.

After our first event in July we decided to hold an annual dinner at the Foxys restaurant at Carlisle United.

When we arrived we were met by the Carlisle Living cameras. We tried our best to keep out of the way of them but she managed to catch us, so look out for us in the next addition of the magazine.

Once everyone had arrived we all sat down to a lovely carvery. There was a couple of people from every firm on each table so we all got chance to meet new people and to catch up with old friends from financial training and other accountancy courses.

Once the dinner finished we were able to try our luck at a bit of gambling with the two casino tables.

A few of us were more lucky than others, Ricky and Kevin lost their fake money quite quickly, whilst Graeme had some big wins then lost it all in the end. Somehow though I managed to get a bit of a winning streak and managed to win the most money out of everyone during the night and won some meal vouchers. If only it was real money. The night then finished off with a disco.

All in all a good night was had by all and hopefully we will be able to have another good night with our next event.
Mark James

First Aid at Work

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:20:00 +0000

Mark James and I attended a First Aid at Work course from 2 to 4 November.

System Group have only recently began offering the First Aid at Work course's, with our group being the first 'Guinea Pigs', so not only were we being assessed but so was our trainer.

There were 12 trainees in total and we were met on the Monday morning and introduced to our trainer, Jason Pedley. The course was broken down into different sections both written and manual, with a lot of information to take in over the 3 days.

The first day everyone was a bit shy with the practical work we came to do but over the remaining 2 days we all got to know each other better and relaxed. There were definitely plenty of opportunities to laugh with each other, including when learning the recovery position with another team member. Mark playing the unconscious casualty seemed to go very rigid.

The content of the course I found really interesting and with Jason not wishing anyone to fail, we went over the main points everyday with a variety of different activities including good ways of remembering the procedures (A.V.P.U and D.R.S.A.B.C). Our trainer was ex-army which meant he had already dealt with a lot more than basic first aid. He had a very practical approach to the course and because he made it interesting, I think we all learnt more.

By day 2 we had completed all the course content and when on to various different scenarios that we may come across, when in the assessment or in the work place. This gave us all the opportunity to have some fake injuries and be involved in being the casualties and First Aiders in the scenarios. We also had special effects make-up which made it all abit more realistic.

Day 3 was mainly for recapping what we had learnt and what we needed more help with doing together with the assessments which we would need to do. Our assessment was made up of a practical paper and 2 'hands on' assessments which were the CPR & Recovery Position and also a scenario in a workshop which we had to treat.

Overall having done a First Aid course previously with St John's Ambulance, I found this course very enjoyable and I think everyone on the course would say they learnt a lot, and would recommend this to anyone.

Mark and I are now First Aid trained but we really hope we don't have to put anything we learnt into practice at our office!!!
Michelle Aiston

The Borderway Agri Expo 2009

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:49:00 +0000

On Friday 30 October, our Agricultural team attended the Borderway Agri Expo annual event at H&H Auction Mart, Rosehill, Carlisle.

This was the third year for this event and we were pleased to be a main sponsor again. We also make sure we support the event by having a trade stand. This year the weather was a little kinder to us and it was a lot warmer than the previous year when we had to huddle round the tea urn to keep us all warm.

We had an excellent day, keeping us all busy with many people coming to visit us. Clients and non-clients came to have a drink with us and a chat about business and the ever changing things happening out there in the farming community.

Our competition this year was ‘What am I worth’ – 12 photos of some of the top price breeds both cattle and sheep, sold at the Harrison & Hetherington marts around the country. This proved to be a very popular competition and the overall winner was Edwin Holliday. H&H also had a competition that we sponsored and this year it was ‘Spot the David Allen & Co Mugs’ which everyone could take part in throughout the day. This proved very popular with the younger ones there for a day out on their half term holidays.

Overall, it was a fantastic day and very busy and we look forward to next year’s event.
Emma Pigg

Our Cumbrian Runners

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:10:00 +0000

On Sunday 25th October, I took part in the Cumbrian Run Half Marathon.

This is the fifth year I have completed this and the previous four years have all had brilliant weather. However, not this year! It was freezing cold and very windy!

I ran alongside my sister this year for her first half marathon and although I kept pace with her for the first nine miles, she disappeared into the distance during the tenth mile and beat me! We both decided to run for Cancer Research UK and if anyone would still like to sponsor me then you still can here www.runningsponsorme.org/robertnordon

The run started at Carlisle Castle and carried on through the city centre before heading out through Cumwhinton, Wetheral and Scotby followed by Rickerby Park and Bitts Park then the finish on the Sheepmount running track.

With the last three miles against the wind, it was a massive relief to cross the line in 2h 35m.

Not my best time but I'll be back next year!
Robert Nordon

I also took part in the Cumbrian Run this year and agree, it wasn’t the best weather for running with the wind howling and the rain coming down sideways!! Nevertheless, it didn’t dampen my spirits as I warmed up to complete the 13.1 mile course.

I wasn’t as prepared as I could have been and the nerves kicked in as I crossed the start line. It took me a few miles to settle into a rhythm, but after that, the first 5 miles flew by. I was really enjoying it and even though the weather was awful, there were still people out with their brollies cheering us on.

I found someone to run alongside and I ran with her until we reached Brunton Park and she had a spurt of energy. As I passed the 11 mile mark in Rickerby Park, I hit the wall and seriously thought about stopping as every muscle in my body was screaming for me to give up. Luckily, there was Lucozade at the water station and it gave me a final push to get me to the finish.

As I finally crossed the line, I was surprised that it said 2:19 on the clock, as I expected to do it in around 2:30. I was really pleased with this time, and with the few minutes off at the start meant I did it in 2:17.

After the soreness had worn off, I’m thinking about doing it again and training properly so I can improve on my time.
Leanne Donald

Business Awards 2009

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:50:00 +0000

On Thursday 22 October David Allen, Linda Rayson, Stuart Brown and I attended the CN Group Business Awards 2009 which were being held at Rheged. Linda was nominated and reached the final of the Employee of the Year category.

On arrival at Rheged, we were greeted and joined other nominees and local people with a welcome drink of Black or White Russian! We then had an opportunity to meet other local business people and other nominees for the awards along with George Osborn, the Shadow Chancellor.

After the drinks reception we moved through to the auditorium where George Osborn gave a keynote speech about the economy and the conservatives’ plans for the future. Then it was down to business and the awards ceremony.

Linda just missed out on winning the Employee of the Year award, which was presented, to Ross Nicholson of Kingmoor Park. Our client System Group won the award for Business of the Year (medium) which was fantastic for Robin and thoroughly deserved. Other clients who were up for awards included Liz from Hair @ Jibe who was nominated for Business Woman of the Year. This was finally awarded to Denise Hutton-Gosney of Razzamatazz.

The awards ceremony was brilliant and it was great to see so many fantastic local businesses taking part in such an event and getting recognition for their achievements.

After the ceremony, there was a three-course meal and an opportunity to congratulate the winners.

It was a fantastic evening and although we did not come away with any awards, we know we have many outstanding employees including Linda, who are all award winners for us.
Alison Cartner

Carrie goes a STEP further

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:19:00 +0000

Having qualified as a Chartered Tax Adviser in 2005, a couple of years ago I decided to train further to gain my Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) qualification.

The majority of the work which I do on a day to day basis is advising clients on their tax positions and planning to mitigate this as much as possible.

As STEP provides a recognised professional qualification for those already working within the trusts and estates field, I found that when I was attending the workshops as part of my ongoing training, the majority of students were solicitors.

There are four exams to complete and although the Taxation and Accounts modules covered topics which I was already familiar with, the syllabus for the Administration of Trusts and Estates modules were completely new to me.

Having studied solidly for this for the last two years I passed my final exam in May 2009 and was recently admitted as a member of the Society.

This now enables me to draft Wills for our clients at the same time as reviewing their Inheritance Tax position and also assist clients with probate work, which is an area I am particularly interested in. I am really pleased I took the time to gain this extra qualification, which means I now am able to enhance the advice I can give to clients at David Allen & Co.

Carrie Taylor

My Great North Run

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:52:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I took part in the Great North Run along with my Mam.

The weekend didn’t start to well as I woke up with a stinking cold on Friday morning, but I was determined to go on! We decided to go over to Newcastle on the Friday night, which enabled us to get some shopping in, on Saturday morning!

By Saturday afternoon we headed down to the quayside to watch a bit of the sporting action that was going on and found ourselves standing in front of Colin Jackson and Jonathan Edwards as they presented the live BBC programme. We decided to stay here as all the sports people were being interviewed after their event. We managed to get a few photos and autographs (after pushing our way past the kids!) including Christine Ohuruogu, double Olympic gold medallist!

As well as the sporting events there was a sports show and pasta party which you got free entry to. We went in for our free portion of pasta and ate it while Antony Audenshaw (Bob from Emmerdale) and his band sang a few songs.

Sunday was the main event! We headed down to the start line early in the morning, to make sure we didn’t get lost. We were located in section K which was at the back and at 10:45am it was kick off but we only crossed the start line about 30 minutes later! The atmosphere was amazing with everybody there having their own story to tell which was very emotional.

The people all the way around the course were brilliant, some were out with hose pipes to cool us down as it was a very hot day, others with water and we even got offered a chocolate biscuit at about mile 10! Thousands of others were there, it was like the whole of Newcastle and South Shields were there to cheer us on and it was much needed.

I dragged myself across the finish line 2 hours 48 minutes and 48 seconds later! I was extremely pleased as I was aiming to do it in 3 hours. My Mam just beat me doing it in 2 hours 40 minutes but next year I’ll beat her!

It was an amazing day and so far we have raised around £300 for help the hospices so a big thank you to those that have sponsored me. If anyone else would like to sponsor me you can do it on my website: http://www.justgiving.co.uk/Louise-Thomson/

Louise

The Digging Party

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:50:00 +0000

We always pride ourselves at David Allen & Co that we do more than just prepare accounts or complete tax returns so when David asked for some volunteers to complete a special project, we were all intrigued.

Then when he said that the volunteers needed to be strong and not afraid of getting their hands dirty, it suddenly sounded a bit more suspicious.

Nevertheless, a few of the lads were still up for it so Thursday morning, Michael, Craig, Jack, Graeme and Chris followed David out of the office and away they went.

They were told they had to be in old gear and wellies would be required. They had all put their out of office notice on and it stated “Digging Party.” Not one to miss out on a party, I decided to follow their trail and ended up finding them at David’s field up the road.

When I first arrived, they appeared to be just leaning on shovels but they spotted me and suddenly they attempted to look busy.
So clearing a field of stones was the task of the day and in the glorious sunshine, they all looked like they were having fun though I bet there will be a few of them aching tonight after a day of hard labour.

So next time David asks for volunteers for a special project, be prepared.
Julie Campbell

Carlisle Indoor Go-Karting

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:41:00 +0000

On Saturday 5 September, twenty of us went down to the Carlisle Indoor Karting arena for a Gran Prix style tournament to determine who should be crowned the Karting champion… for a day.

Initially we had a league table based on total points received depending on the position finished in each race. We each got five races to compete in with six laps of the circuit each time. After our points were tallied up, the top five scoring individuals went on to race in the final round, declaring Chris Forrester-Gill (Gemma’s Husband) the champion.

I think Louise deserves a mention here as despite not making the final, she did manage to break the female lap time record by just under 2 seconds which is quite impressive, considering only a few of the guys managed to beat her time.

Everyone who attended has told me they thoroughly enjoyed the day and insist that we make this a regular social event for all those at David Allen & Co.

Kevin and myself had a word with the owner who agreed that if we made this a quarterly event he would charge us £20 rather than £25 each time we attended.

So watch this space as the plan is for another social Christmas time. I’m sure you will agree that it is a great team building exercise and I recommend everyone give it a try at some point.

Chris Claux

Dalston Show - Saturday 8 August 2009

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:23:00 +0000

Before we knew it, Dalston Show was fast approaching yet again! All staff involved were working hard behind the scenes making sure the equipment was all in order, and gathering together refreshments, nibbles and most importantly a few bottles of wine and beer!!!

On Friday 7 August a team of staff were on the show field erecting marquees and making sure that everything was in order for what we hoped would be a busy show day. There wasn’t much time for basking in the sun!! Late morning we were putting in the final touches when Fiona Armstrong arrived from Border TV and started interviewing – oh no that meant we were going to be on TV tonight! Well at least people could see we were all working hard. Once we were happy that everything was in order for our early start the next morning, we went back to the office hoping and praying for another glorious day tomorrow.

Show day arrived and guess what - another beautiful day – not like last year when we all needed our wellies. As we arrived on the showground everyone was working hard making sure their stands were all set up ready for the public to soon arrive.
All our team worked together finalising everything and then it was time for bacon and sausage butties!

Everyone started arriving around 10.30am onto our stand where they has an opportunity to meet up with some of our team and put faces to names and vice versa.

What a glorious day. The sun was beaming and the crowds were buzzing; the nice weather and other local shows being cancelled this year attracted more visitors than last year.

By 6.30pm everything was packed away ready for next year and most of us ended up sitting outside the beer tent having a well earned drink or two!

Thank you to all who visited our stand and for taking part in our “Guess the Auction Mart” competition – the winner was Philip Mattinson.

Linda Rayson

A Night at the Races

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:34:00 +0000

Some of our staff had a fantastic evening at Carlisle Racecourse when we attended the annual Ladies Night on 3 August.

This tends to be an regular event for us and is always a fantastic night plus we have our own little competition, which gives us all the incentive to get our most glamorous outfits on.

Most of us met up on the first floor of the main stand where we would be able to watch the races from the glass fronted balcony and have access to the bar facilities also.

Lots of bets were put on and some staff did really well on the horses unlike myself who didn’t win a race all night.

I did win the competition with hubby Colin for our most dashing couple prize though and Robert won our comp for best tie of the evening with Melissa winning best hat/head piece and for the second year in a row Louise won the best-dressed female amongst us all.

We are sure to be there again next year.
Julie Campbell

In the Hot Seat

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:18:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:00:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:50:00 +0000

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

Simon Anderson Photography

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:45:00 +0000

A client of our firm, Simon Anderson came to our office to do a presentation one evening.

A few of the staff attended this and at the time he had an offer of £25 for a 1 hour shoot (of your choice) and you also got a 10 x 8 photo free with the fantastic package he had to offer. £20 of this was going to Charity.

Michelle and I thought this was a great opportunity to get dolled up and a chance to get some great photos at the same time. We decided we would go for the make over shoot so we arranged a day and time for us to go along. Bear in mind the make over shoots only take place on a Sunday, so we had to choose a Sunday that we knew we were going to have a quiet night before!!

We set off early giving us plenty of time to get there as we didn’t have a clue where we were going! We thought that we wouldn’t get lost as we had a Tom Tom but that wasn’t the case. We had reached our destination but looking ahead we knew we had gone wrong somewhere as we ended up at some kind of Barn! (2 blondes in a car is not a good combination).

After finally finding the studios we got ourselves prepared for our shoot. We both got our makeup applied then it was straight to the photos. We both had various different shoots done and also had some together. Trying to smile first thing on a Sunday morning isn’t good and nearer the finish we were getting better but ended up with a sore jaw by the end of it! We both really enjoyed it.

A few days ago we went to view our photos on a huge slide show. There was a great selection which Simon had done (and I think a lot of airbrushing too). We were both chuffed with the photos and decided we would both get a portfolio of us both to keep.

If you’re ever thinking about having a photo shoot done with your family or friends, I would definitely recommend Simon as he did a fantastic job!
Fran Reay

Take That – Music Lovers

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:26:00 +0000

On Saturday 6th June a few of us had a trip to Sunderland to see Take That.

On arrival after one or two wrong turns! We booked into our hotel and headed off for some food followed by a few vino’s then set off in search of the Metro.

At first the queue did not seem too bad but after about 1½ hours we spotted Robert and his sister so of course we had to shout Hello. Luckily for him, he was able to walk straight in through another entrance. Ohhh if only!!!

By the time we got in to the stadium the first act ‘Gary Go’ had been and gone (I don’t think we missed much though). After settling into our spot some distance from the stage, on came The Saturdays – an excellent warm up to the main event. During the cross over between The Saturdays & Take That we were all singing along to Hey Jude and there were lots of Na na na na’s.

Finally, what we came for …….Take That.

Now if the Stadium had a roof they certainly would have raised it. The show started with a 15 foot high elephant. How Jamie & Melissa missed this I will never know! There was a good mix of songs old and new and we never stopped singing and dancing – well maybe just when we went for more drinks! What a show, there was everything you would expect from a circus theme & more.

Back for good? Oh Yes!

All in all a very enjoyable time. If you get a chance go and see them I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Julie Walsh

Dent Limited win Producer of the Year Award

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Wed, 20 May 2009 23:41:00 +0000

Our client Dent Limited of Penrith was awarded Pig Producer of the Year at the Pig & Poultry Marketing Awards held on 14 May.

The awards ceremony took place at the Haymarket Hotel in London and are held each year to recognise individuals and companies operating in the UK food chain offering innovative solutions that help make the industry more sustainable, competitive and profitable.

Entries were received right across the chain: from primary farmer producers, processors, marketing groups, farm shops, retailers, butchers and restaurants.

Entrants in the Producer of the Year category had to show they had the highest standards of production, excellent animal care and high standards of business management including managing their own staff and their contracts.

The judges felt Thomas Dent had dramatically improved and expanded his business on several levels. The number of sows and size of the operation had increased in response to the requirements of processors and retailers. The vaccination of piglets had led to dramatic improvements in pig health and there was a marked improvement in growth rates and overall productivity.

This national award is a fantastic achievement for Dent Limited and shows they are really driving their business forward and looking for new opportunities.
David Allen

Carlisle United’s Great Escape

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Thu, 07 May 2009 11:55:00 +0000

What a fantastic atmosphere at Brunton Park on Saturday where just under ten thousand fans turned up to support Carlisle United Football Club.

Only a win against Millwall and also relying on Leeds beating Northampton Town, would mean Carlisle were not relegated from League One, so to see and hear the support for the team was brilliant.

The game was fairly tense right to the end as we all knew how important the win was so when Graham Kavanagh scored early on in the first half then Paul Thirwell scored a second goal for the team, everyone in the ground was ecstatic.

Guest of honour at the match was Carlisle United Legend Jimmy Glass. Jimmy was the famous goal scoring goalkeeper at the club 10 year ago when he scored a last minute goal to save the team from relegation. We were all delighted to see him back at the ground to witness another great escape.

The atmosphere and support for the club at the weekend was amazing. It was a superb result and now we can look forward to success in League One next season David Allen

King of the Castle on the BBC

noreply@blogger.com (David Allen and Co) — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:24:00 +0000

Now it's not every day that a website gets a BBC recommendation but that's what happened to medieval-castle.com last week.

What's so special about that you might ask? The answer's simple ... it's a Cumbrian website and it was designed and marketed by Dark Sea Web Design Limited who happen to our webmasters!

I spoke to Shelagh Caudle at Dark Sea Web about what it means to have a plug on the BBC and she explained that the site's visitors shot up from just over 1,000 to 2,500 per day immediately following the broadcast. Not only that but emails have flooded in with requests for coverage and links within the site.

"The marvellous thing about the BBC" said Shelagh "is that everyone knows they give an unbiased and independent viewpoint, so to be recommended as 1 out of only 4 sites in a Best of the Web review is credibility beyond comparison. It's the kind of advertising that money can't buy."

Go to the BBC News site to see the video clip (The 2nd item in the feature).

This isn't the only site from our Cumbrian webmasters that has attracted high profile attention - Shelagh is also Editor of ice-cream-recipes.com which has had over 1.2 million visitors in the last 12 months and resulted in her being offered the opportunity to write a book within the famous "Idiot's Guide To .." series. The site has sections in French, German, Spanish, Portuguese and even Chinese and the visitors are from all over the world - no fewer than 231 countries/territories last year Shelagh tells me.

I didn't know there were that many!
David Allen