Northumberland Firm Goes From Green To Silver

You may remember an article we placed on here a few weeks ago, wishing Ali McLean of Activities Abroad the best of luck at the Oscars of the travel industry– the prestigious British Travel Awards. He is now celebrating national acclaim after success at last night’s ceremony.

Activities Abroad, based in Stannington, is a leading specialist tour operator for adventure holidays, activity breaks and overseas adventure travel. After reaching the finals in two categories, Activities Abroad picked up the silver award for Most Environmentally Responsible Small Tour Operator, as well as being nominated for Best Activity Sport Operator.

Company founder and Managing Director, Alistair McLean who picked up the prize said; “We’re especially delighted to have won the Environmentally Responsible award and to have gained this national recognition for our commitment to the planet and the communities that welcome our customers around the world. It shows that a North East business working out of a converted farmhouse in Northumberland can compete on a national stage against companies owned by industry giants such as TUI and Thomas Cook.

“We are a fiercely independent company and therefore have the luxury of being able to focus on our key stakeholders rather than corporate shareholders. For us these are our employees, our suppliers, our customers and the environment. Our financial successes can be directed towards the local environment and ensuring that our visits have little or no impact other than a positive contribution.”

Activities Abroad supports numerous projects that provide clients with tangible methods of seeing its green policies at work. For example it supports a tree planting project at a school in Costa Rica and clients who visit this destination will spend the day interacting with the local school children, learning about the importance of reforestation and then planting the trees.

As well as telling customers its methods for carbon offsetting in all of last year’s brochures, Activities Abroad has allowed customers to choose a green e-brochure over a paper one this season.

Activities Abroad was founded in 2002 and since then has created an extensive programme of overseas adventure travel options in a number of different countries, featuring a wide range of sports and activities for people of all ages – including families with children or teenagers. The company was founded in response to the increasing demand for holidays and breaks that offer more than just the usual holiday experience. Their itineraries offer exhilarating experiences as diverse as canyoning in Provence, snowmobiling in Finland and skydiving in Spain.

Activities Abroad is a longstanding member of Responsible Travel – an organisation which promotes holidays that respect destinations and local people, working to support and stimulate local economies and the communities their clients visit while making concerted efforts to act in an environmentally sensitive way.

The British Travel Awards is the largest awards programme in the UK created to reward the best companies in the travel industry. Recognised by consumers and travel professionals throughout the UK, The British Travel Awards are widely referred to as the “Oscars” of the travel industry.

To see more about Ali, click http://www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/alistair-mclean

Wii Play To Learn

If we can, you can member Jeremiah Alexander of Ideonic Ltd announces an exciting new venture:

"It is official! Nintendo have approved Ideonic as a developer for the Nintendo Wii. This prestige honour means that we can be one of the first companies in the World to really push serious gaming onto the Nintendo Wii.

We are already exploring a number of concepts both in the education and training space but are always happy to discuss ideas with potential partners. Exciting times ahead."

hello@ideonic.com

To see more about Jeremiah, visit www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/jeremiah-alexander

Calling all budding entrepreneurs to 'MAKE IT HAPPEN'

A new ‘Make It Happen' competition, the latest initiative by the ‘If we can, you can' campaign, is calling for anyone in North East England to share an enterprising idea for a chance to pitch their concept with the some of the region's top business figures.

The four week competition, in partnership with Metro FM and TFM, is urging listeners to enter an entrepreneurial idea through logging onto their local station's website www.metroradio.co.uk or www.tfmradio.com. Entrants have until 12pm on 19 November to register their idea and be in with a shot at winning a prize package worth £5,000.

Five finalists from each station will be invited to put forward their ideas to a panel of businesspeople. The Metro FM panel will feature established entrepreneurs Paul Callaghan, founding director of the Entrepreneurs' Forum; Lisa Hart, CEO of Acritas; Kari Owers, MD of O Communications; and Gary Thompson MD of C2M UK Ltd, with TFM's panel including Dianne Sharp, MD of Mechetronics Limited; Tanya Garland, MD of Cool Blue PR; and Michael Bates, MD of Walton Bates Associates Ltd.

Paul Callaghan said: "When you're thinking about starting a business the most important thing is having a good idea, one that is feasible and could potentially make money, but also have the belief and passion to turn it into a successful business.

"To give those who are starting out the best chance of success it is critical to share the knowledge that exists within our regional entrepreneurial community. That's exactly what we're trying to encourage with Make it Happen, and the inspiration and guidance offered through ‘If we can, you can' campaign."

Enter by logging onto either www.metroradio.co.uk or www.tfmradio.com- good luck!

Ceyhan sets up new venture

If we can, you can member Ceyhan Mihcioglu of YO’Genie.com, which aims to create a Student Web Utility where the art of sharing is excelled upon, has recently taken up a new challenge.

WANTED Productions, although a completely different project altogether from YO’Genie.com, is something that serial entrepreneur in the making Ceyhan, has always wanted to do.

Ceyhan said, “My vision for WANTED Productions is to become the most 'WANTED' productions agency in the North East, providing a wide range of desirable services in relation to LIVE Events, promotions and much more”.

Although it’s only early days I am eager to consider any challenges put in front of me, and I will be highly competitive against those also in the industry. In general, I would like to see us as a modern, respected and highly reputable brand, who mainly work with high profile clients and guests, however also strongly support everyday projects as well.”

Ceyhan then gave us the low-down on what WANTED has to offer:

Engaging in numerous projects, from brand promoting to event hosting, WANTED Productions can provide the flawless personnel for any production activity. We cover an extensive range of duties from product sampling for brands, to supplying the gorgeous WANTED Hosts for live parties.

WANTED Productions is a unique and ground breaking agency that offers invaluable performance and irreplaceable personnel. Specifically selected, every WANTED Host possesses a unique status and presence, which enables us to glowingly accomplish any proposition put in front of us. We can intensify consumer reactions and create exuberant party atmospheres.

WANTED Productions is without doubt one of a kind. Our success and drive is formulated by producing results and visions that exceed our client’s expectations, which are energetically and enthusiastically pursued to achieve our objectives.

Feel free to contact Ceyhan, otherwise known as Jay;

Website: www.wantedproductions.co.uk / Contact no.: 075 0101 6969 / Email:

j@wantedproductions.co.uk

WHAT WANTED PRODUCTIONS DO?

1.) Advises suitable locations and venues to promote.

2.) Provides fully trained, truly enthusiastic and highly presentable staff for the following:

• Hosting
• LIVE Events
• Modeling
• Casting
• Exhibitions and Hospitality
• Meet and Greet
• Leafleting
• Sampling
• Product Demonstration
• Data Capture
• Mystery Shopping
• Personal Shopping
• Graphic Design
• Entertainment Personnel
• Escorting

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with any requirements you may have.

Ceyhan’s attitude has always been “Your limitations are endless, so why not think big, and even if you don’t make it as big as you imagined, you’re still going to be very successful.”

We wish you the best of luck in this venture Ceyhan!

Good luck Ali!

Alistair McLean of Activities Abroad broke the good news to us that they are finalists in two categories at the Travel Industries equivalent of the Oscars – The British Travel Awards. They’re up against three other companies in each category (Best Activity and Sport Tour Operator and Best Small Tour Operator – Environment) so statistically they have a 50/50 chance of bringing silverware back to the North East.

You may remember Ali's comments a few months ago regarding the current economic climate. One of his most memorable rants, Ali said to Victoria Derbyshire on Radio 5Live: "We're far from being in a recession, and I'm sick of all the negativity thank you very much. Our business arranges activity holidays in Europe and all over the world- they're not cheap, but our last two weeks have been our best ever. We're talking our way into a recession."

Ali founded Activities Abroad in 1999 after telling his last boss where to stick his job! Not surprisingly, he woke up the next day and found himself unemployed.

He sat down with a blank piece of paper and just wrote down what he liked doing. On the top the list was travel and adventure sports. Activites Abroad was born.

They'd just managed to get a massive loan to expand the business, but the day after the money went into the bank account, 9/11 happened. Nobody flew or travelled anywhere for two years after that.

Ali said of the time: "I started asking for more money from private equity companies and that sort of thing, but nobody would touch me. Travel businesses weren’t exactly something people wanted to put their money into at that time. I went to every bank in Newcastle, put together a business plan saying how I was going to do it differently this time, but everyone had a red flag.

It takes a lot to pick yourself up after being in such a financial mess. I remember a particular instance when we’d invited a few friends round for some drinks. Our old C Reg Astra had started leaking oil and stopped working so me and my wife wheeled thirty six cans of cheap lager in an Asda shopping trolley down our street. We looked at each other, and it was just this realisation: how did we get to this point? We had the drive and motivation to get ourselves out of this; we just needed to do it."

A true entrepreneur, Ali has bounced back in remarkable fashion, employing lots of what he's learnt over the years into Activites Abroad, and we wish him the best of luck at the awards ceremony.

To see more about Ali, visit www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/alistair-mclean

Congratulations Jonathan!

One of our youngest, but nevertheless determined If we can, you can members, Jonathan Grubin, has just been nominated for the Evening Chronicle’s Young Achiever Awards in the Business and Enterprise category.

Not one for doing a paper round to supplement his income whilst studying for his A Levels, Jonathan set up his first website when he was 12. He has built up his limited company MiniG Media, over the years to great success, and this nomination follows a series of accolades heaped on the teenage entrepreneur, including a nomination for Young Business Person category for the Journal's North East Business Executive of the Year awards, to be held at the end of the month.

The Chronicle Awards’ Business and Enterprise Category recognises young entrepreneurs who have made an impression on the business world who have shown “initiative, innovation and real determination in getting their ideas off the ground.” There are also nine other categories in the competition, and a winners’ ceremony will be held at St James’ Park in December.

Jonathan said of his nomination: “I can't quite believe that, at seventeen, I'm looking back on almost three years of business. It's incredible that I've been nominated for both of these awards, and I hope that it can act as some inspiration to other young people looking to get started in business."

To read more about Jonathan’s entrepreneurial journey so far, click www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/jonathan-grubin

Software Firm Urges IT Industry To Get A Byte Of The Action

Local software experts Bond are urging the North East IT community to join them for a night to remember, in aid of homeless young people and those at risk of becoming homeless.

If you thought the 31st October was Fright Night, you were wrong as now it’s Byte Night.

Derek Curtis of Bond in Sunderland is organising a North East Byte Night, in aid of Action for Children (formerly NCH), the charity that supports vulnerable and excluded children and young people including those who have recently left care or are homeless.

Byte Night is the IT industry's annual sleep out in support of Action for Children. Each year hundreds of individuals and teams from the technology and IT industries spend a night exposed to the elements in a bid to raise sponsorship and awareness of Action for Children’s work.

The event began ten years ago when 30 individuals from the IT industry slept out and raised £35,000. Since then the event has grown to extraordinary heights, attracting 270 sleepers and raising almost £400,000 in 2007 alone.

This month hundreds of individuals from the IT and technology sector will be exposed to the elements as they spend a night under the stars to raise vital sponsorship and awareness of youth homelessness and the difficulties faced by young people leaving care.

Large scale events are happening in London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh in October so Derek is aiming to get a minimum of 30 members of the North East digital industry on board for his inaugural event on Friday 31st October, in the hope that a large scale Byte Night can be organised here by Action for Children in 2009.

Derek Curtis is managing director of Bond, which is a Sage accredited software solutions firm, he said, “When I heard of the idea of Byte Night I thought it sounded great fun, and as a foster carer myself I think the issues of youth homelessness and leaving care are great to support in any way we can.

“The North East’s digital industry employs many hundreds of people, so I’m sure we can round up at least 30 individuals prepared to join us for the night, have a laugh and experience one night of sleeping ‘rough’ to raise money for charity.”

Linda McDonald, Action for Children local fundraiser said, “Youth homelessness is not restricted to London, and Action for Children is delighted that Derek recognises the problem here in the north east and wants to help raise awareness of the issue and support young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. This event will raise funds to support these young people and we hope that the IT industry will join Derek and experience for one night, what too many young people have to experience every night.’

Bond’s Byte Night event will take place at The Fisherman’s Lodge in Jesmond Dene, Newcastle with food and entertainment starting from 8.30pm. You will need a sleeping bag and warm clothes for the sleep out, and the event will end with bacon sandwiches at 8am the next morning.

Ex-Sage director and now owner of Tom’s Companies, who run The Fisherman’s Lodge, Tom Maxfield said: “I am delighted to open the doors of the Fisherman’s Lodge to the intrepid members of the region’s IT community who are brave enough to be sleeping rough for one evening to raise money for such a good cause. We will lay on a hearty hot meal and breakfast for them, and hope many industry professionals get on board with this superb idea.”

To get involved please request your Sleeper Pack of information, by contacting Derek Curtis at derek.curtis@bond-solutions.com

And to see more about Derek’s journey with Bond, click www.ifwecanyoucan.co.uk/entrepreneurs/derek-curtis