What's going on...

November 2011

Not happy! Got food poisoning and can’t go to the Learning to Listen Event. Sarah has invited me to go at a later date so I’ll update you then.

Just been asked by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust to speak at their annual event, 90 people going – not good at stand up presentations, bit out of my comfort zone. Deep breath and I’ll be fine!

October 2011

Spent a glorious sunny day at the end of September photographing jars or pickles and jams for AJs Food online store. Site is built and Matthew is busy typing and uploading the products. Need a hamper or just great products from Yorkshire – have a look at www.ajsfood.co.uk

Just booked to go to the Learning to Listen open day in November. I know I am biased as I love horses, but this looks like an incredible coaching technique. Check out her website www.learningtolisten.co.uk

September 2011

People are getting ready for Christmas and winter campaigns already. The next set of mailers for Northern Energy are designed and printed, ready to be mailed out. We are looking at Christmas brochures for our jewellery client, and we have just finished adding Christmas party nights to a website in Bristol and getting ready with the marketing campaign!

Phase two of Long Preston is getting under way, hopefully not too much out door work to do until the summer! Currently working on a podcast, which I can do in doors!

Well as September closes The Fuse has just completed it’s second year. We have had a great year and enjoyed all the hard work. Helps that we do genuinely have some great clients we love working with – here's to year 3!

August 2011

Summer hols! Mixed blessings, ready for a break and a little bit of sunshine, but hate leaving the business!! Must be becoming a work addict – well I can take my iphone and keep an eye on emails, calls as I lie in the sun

Back from hols and have a diary of meetings. Catching up with members of Goose to see what we can do to help each other.

Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust is creating their own calendar this year. The Trust is a charity who deliver a diverse range of projects around the Yorkshire Dales, protecting habitats, planting trees, and helping communities. I have worked with them for a lot of years. The calendars are quite an investment for them to produce so I have offered to design and create them for free to help them get off the ground. The images they have been given are fantastic, you can buy a copy at www.ydmt.org or there is a link on our website home page.

July 2011

The Fuse has gone international! We now have our first client in Alicante Spain. Great for meetings! – well that’s where the wonders of modern technology come in – skype and email!

Michael is going on a course today – SEO. Refreshing his knowledge and learning any new tricks for the websites we build.

June 2011

I have been asked to attend the LEADER event at Fountains Abbey where the new coast to coast bike route will be officially launched. It looks amazing, Neil Huntingdon of Huntingdon Ross IFA is riding the route for Cancer Charity this weekend – good luck Neil. Sorry I can’t make it, I’m hmm washing my hair??!!?!

Working hard in partnership with a great lady called Laura Crocken Stevens, we met through a client in London and worked really well together and we now have 2 new clients we are working with, down in Bristol. Buildstore is one client, Laura is promoting their workshops for people who want to do a new build and renovation project. Worth a visit if you are planning either!

May 2011

Collingham its to have its own beer festival this year, funds raised will go to the Prada Willi Syndrome www.pwsa.co.uk. We have been asked to create the website, which we are delighted to do to help the cause. Looking forward to tasting those beers! www.collinghamrealalefestival.co.uk

Bottle Alley Glass is a fantastic company who take empty glass bottles, crush them down and bake them to create sheets of really robust glass that can be used for tiles, splashbacks, cladding on walls, its great. We are working on the launch event, lots of things going on, a website of course www.bottlealleyglass.co.uk, brochure, banners stands, invites, eshots, and PR. Keeping us busy!

April 2011

The launch of Long Preston Wet Grassland Project is this month. The website is now complete www.longprestonwetgrasslandproject.co.uk This is definitely the longest domain name we’ve had!! We have also completed the newsletter, Interpretation panels (although waiting for a dry day to fit those!!) and a trail map is just going to print. It’s been a big project but really great to work on.

I went to the Mafia Drinks event on the 20th – I went with a member from the Goose networking group I go to, safety in numbers!! Well we had a good time, not sure how beneficial to work it was, met some interesting people and you never know who you can help or can help you!.

March 2011

Business is all about how it looks – that’s why your brand is so important. But its about more than how the business looks and how you look too! We are working with a Gents stylist Beverley De Col, designing and building a brand and website for her – best smarten up for the meeting with her! You can see the site at www.beverleydecol.co.uk

Things are hotting up at Get Ahead Hats – this year is definitely the year of the hat with the Royal weddings coming up. Some of Get Head Hats have already been booked for THE royal wedding – its very exciting. All the girls are now trained in Twitter and Facebook, and lots of their hats images are being requested for magazines. Looks like a busy year for us – a good combination of traditional marketing, social media and PR.

February 2011

Well it is well and truly winter, one of the coldest on record. Northern Energy have been kept incredibly busy delivering oil and LPG right up until Christmas eve to make sure their customers have fuel for Christmas. A lot of people have been let down by the larger companies – but that’s where the smaller businesses shine I feel. Like us Northern Energy know all their customers so it’s personal and the girls on the phones don’t what Mr and Mrs Smith to be cold because they know them. At the Fuse it’s the same, we know our customers so when they have a last minute panic we care and make sure they have what they need. Often means working past 5.30 but we make it happen!

January 2011

Welcome back to work!! Its hard getting back into that routine, but come on we can do it!!

Straight back into work this morning, readying Wetherby Business Supplies website for going live, phase two underway for Completelifestyle.co.uk – never a better time to sign up than today!!!

Have a great year!

December 2010

Well some say December is a cold month for businesses, but not for us, not sure if I will have time to sit down for Christmas lunch!! Well that’s my excuse so I can get out of peeling those spuds!

Long Preston project is really coming along, their brand has been well received by all the partners and people in the area. We had an event in the summer where we went read cutting – great thing to do on a hot summer day! The first newsletter is complete and we have just about completed the interpretation boards which will be put up around the area in local pubs, shops, the train stations and on walks. Shame the boards are now ready to erect when we have had the most snow and coldest winter for decades, poor Mark, and his team at DeSigns that have to dig the hole!! Think I’ll keep away that day! It really is a great project and team to work with. Also the new year will see their website go live – I’ll keep you posted.

Happy Christmas – here’s to a successful and happy new year for everyone.

November 2010

I’ve joined a really good networking group this year called “Goose group”, there are about 20 of us, the group meets near York, we are all business owners, who are focused on growth. They are a great bunch, we have a good laugh, support each other with business advise as well as network for each other. We have just built a new website for one of the members Jamie Winspear at Oakhouse Construction. Take a look at www.ohgroupuk.com.

Complete Lifestyle all 12 guides are now complete and back from the printers and ready to go out to members. We have also built the first phase of the website, where you can sign up or find out more about Complete Lifestyle. Phase two should be complete in the new year – so much writing to do, poor Debbie!! www.completelifestyle.co.uk

October 2010

Wow we have completed a full year as The Fuse – what a busy year it has been. And in the wise words of a friend and business  associate of mine “Business is Great”. No it really is! We have worked with some really great people and helped get some new businesses off the ground which is really rewarding. Seen others grow or take a new direction and prosper.

What else have I done recently – oh well only walked the great wall of China!! Ok, well not all of it! I have just completed a 5 day trek on the wall, walking about 10 hours a day, I have never seen so many steps, hills – it was really hard work, but so rewarding. My friend and I raised about £8,000 for the Yorkshire Cancer Centre which made it all worth while – oh and that and the foot massage at the end!!

September 2010

Come back from your hols feeling like you over indulged!!!

I know I did but it was great to have a break. I have met a new client, Debbie Saxton of Complete Lifestyle! No gimmicks or fads, its really based on common sense that most of us know but choose to ignore or we forget when we get caught up in our busy lives. Basically it is how to eat, move and think your way to a better life. We have create a brand style for Debbie and we are currently working on 12 issues of a guide which educates you gradually on how to live your live healthier. We will also be building a website as soon as the guides are complete – I’ll keep you posted.

We’ve done them... we now have some great new mailers ready for Northern Energy,  we are focusing on what a great service they offer, delivering in all that rubbish weather we had last winter. Looking after the elderly and rewarding their customers for loyalty by paying the VAT on all fuel deliveries – quite on offer!

This month I met with a long established business in Knaresborough, Saffron Scientific, part of the GSPK group. The lead came from a recommendation from a customer which is really nice. We are currently reviewing their complete marketing strategy and the tools we will need to promote them going forward.

August 2010

Congratulations to Michael and Michelle on the safe arrival of baby Matthew!

We have just completed and put live a website for Laura Crocken Stevens, an amazing lady. She is a sales catalyst, who like the The Fuse becomes part of the businesses she works for, really getting a full understanding of what they want to achieve, working with them and training them so that they can eventually stand alone – Laura has made a huge difference to the companies she has worked for. We created a company brand for her and built the website which is now live www.salescatalyst.co.uk

Morecambe Bay Wildlife Network has its first newsletter available to download on their webpage www.morecambebaywildlifenetwork.co.uk.

July 2010

What a busy month, no time to enjoy the sunshine.
E4 Structures a plastics moulding company over in the west, restructured and repositioned their business within their industry, which meant they needed a rebrand to reflect this. E4 use only recycled plastic, even recycling their own waste plastic that is trimmed off their moulds, even the dustings that is filed off.

Townsends Fine Jewellers have had one of their biggest and best sales ever – we created all the adverts and invites which they had a huge response to.

YDMT now have some snazzy new pin badges for members and donations to the Yorkshire Dales. Go to www.ydmt.org to donate and receive one. RnB Mailings had all their staff “shot”! Tim Hardy helped me with this project and we got some fantastic images of their machinery, all in readiness for their new website we are building and for newsletters and PR releases.

It may be warm but Northern Energy are cranking up the heat on their marketing activity, we have been planning their winter campaign, designing new mail shots and updating their website. Before you know it, we will be knee deep in snow!!

AJs had their first stall at the Birstwith Horticultural Society Show, it was a huge success and I had great fun selling chutneys, jams and pickles. It is such a great brand and products to work with and Matthew and Andrea are lovely people, which makes it all good fun!!

June 2010

The BBQ Season is Well and Truly Upon us Now.
We have been working with Blazing Barbecues to launch their new venture BBQ Bootcamp. These fun filled work shops show you how to BBQ like a professional, so no more burnt bangers for me, just beautifully cooked roast chicken – yes whole, chocolate muffins and even Yorkshire puddings!! Want to sign up? Email Andy Annat direct on info@blazingbarbecues.com or call on 07702 478 409. It makes an excellent gift.

May 2010

Harrogate Business Market
Another resounding success – well done to Brian and the team who organised it. Everyone who I spoke to were glad they had attended or exhibited. There was a definite air of positivity in the building, people of Yorkshire are doing business and glad to be! We are hoping next year to have our own stand – look forward to seeing you there!

April 2010

We are entrepreneurial – its official!
Harrogate apparently has the most small to medium entrepreneurial enterprises in its area than any other town in the UK!! The Fuse Creative are officially recognised as one of those businesses! We were recently invited by the Institute of Directors to enter for their award for Entrepreneurial Business of the Year and we also featured in the local business paper, with a rather hastily taken photo of me (wish I had, had time to have a hair cut!!). To view the article click here.

Fundraising
Our fundraising is going really well for the Yorkshire Cancer Centre. The total is building up nicely, but we aren’t there yet!! We’ve had lots of events, from a Chinese New Year party, auction of priceless promises, a Masterchef evening, shopping night, cake stalls and lots of events to come. If you would like to look at images and have a laugh at me please feel free to visit my page at Justgiving – please feel free to donate whilst you are there!
www.justgiving.com/catherine-blakey

March 2010

Morecombe Bay Wildlife Network has set up a project group to promote the area and the wetland for both wildlife and the local community – especially working with farmers. Very similar to Long Preston project and on the back of the work we have done there, we were awarded the project to design an identity and a flyer to explain their vision. You can see the brand style in the portfolio. Watch the space for further developments!

We’ve had a good start to the year, with some excellent projects to work on. We recently completed the new website for Get Ahead Hats – they have had excellent feedback from customers and the ladies who hold franchises. The Gallery has been especially well received, take a look at www.getaheadhats.co.uk

Some of you may be aware that Michael has been off work after a major operation removing a tumor from his tongue and glands from his neck. After a 10 hour operation and some unbelievable reconstruction work using veins from his arm, we are really pleased to have Michael back at work fighting fit – with a clean bill of health!! Fantastic news. And he has more good news to share – Michelle his wife is expecting their first baby in August! Excellent news all round.

January 2010

Well it looks set to be a busy year at The Fuse, with lots of exciting projects going on.

As well as work I am some how going to find time to raise £3,000 for Yorkshire Cancer Centre! In September 2010 I am doing a sponsored trek in China with Andrea from AJ's at The Academy, and I need to raise money. So if anyone has any fund raising ideas please feel free to drop me a line with suggestions cath@thefuse.co.uk or maybe you would like to sponsor me? You can do this online too at www.justgiving.com/catherine-blakey

As always we love supporting the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, instead of sending out Christmas cards we sent an e-card and planted a tree in the Dales with the trust. You can buy a tree as a gift – perfect pressie if you don't know what to buy someone, or an excellent corporate gift. Give them a call on 015242 51002. Let them know Cath at The Fuse sent you!

We will be supporting Nola at the NEC in Birmingham where she will be launching her new product The Gloven – the ultimate heat resistant oven glove. A brilliant product made from the same material as F1 clothes (nearest I'll get to wearing an F1 outfit, not sure if it makes you cook faster, but it certainly stops you from burning your hands!!)

A really nice project we are working on is the Long Preston Wetlands Project, we are creating a logo identity and interpretation boards amongst other items to encourage visitors to the area to make a day out. If you are interested in birds, wildlife and nature it's a great place to visit. Lots of nice pubs in the area too for lunch!

Location: Long Preston, south of Settle in Craven North Yorkshire. (Off the A64)