Retail Shop Manager Salary: £20,580 pa Full time Location: Poole High Street
The Role We have an exciting role for a motivated and experienced retail person to run our fabulous new shop based in Poole to deliver sales and performance. The modern charity retail environment is challenging and professional and you will be the sort of person who is able to keep your shop in tip top condition, help create eye catching and innovative window displays, and ensure all clothing and other products are displayed well, to achieve optimum sales. You will be self-motivated, a creative individual who will be responsible for handling sales at the till, encouraging, managing, and sorting donations, maintaining standards, and providing an excellent customer experience. As part of the retail team, you will have commercial awareness together with a focus on driving sales, understanding of high street retail fashion as well as experience of creating a pleasant and helpful environment for your customers, colleagues, and volunteers. As a retail manager you will need experience of Windows IT packages such as Word and Excel and understand social media. You will be keen to ensure that both our customers and donors receive excellent care and attention, as well as help to promote Lewis-Manning Hospice Care and the work that we do in your community. Although predominantly based in one store, you may be asked to travel to any Lewis-Manning Hospice Shop to cover other shops unforeseen sickness, holidays, or absence.
The Person The successful applicant will have experience of; •Experience of working in a similar retail role •Really good people management skills •Really good organisational skills •Understanding of safe working practices in a retail environment •Experience of working with the public •Full clean driving licence & own transport.
Tick off skydiving from your bucket list and jump out of a plane for Dorset Mind! Working with the experts at Go Skydive in Salisbury there’s an opportunity to fund raise while taking on an amazing challenge. Perhaps nominate someone from the office and make it your official 2023 fundraising project? For the jump itself there are two heights to choose from – the first is 10,000ft which gives you a 30 seconds freefall. If you’re feeling really ambitious then go for the 15,000ft skydive and soak up the 60 seconds of freefall! To book a place a simple £50 deposit is required – and then your task is to raise the money to reach your fundraising target. To say thanks for your fundraising efforts, Dorset Mind will cover the cost of your jump!
Fundraising targets: 10,000ft minimum sponsorship of £500 15,000ft minimum sponsorship of £750 To find out more and book your place, visit Dorset Mind’s GoSkyDive page here
Another exclusive interview just for podcast listeners this week – Terry has a fascinating conversation with Rupert Hardy from the CPRE about the ‘rooftop vs. field’ solar panels debate. Then in Roger Guttridge’s column we hear the brilliant story behind the most haunted house in England (allegedly), Sandford Orcas manor. And to finish off we have the wildife and farming sections – the ones everybody asks for 🙂
Rupert Hardy, chairman of the North Dorset CPRE, takes a long look into the case for solar panels on roofs or in fields – and says ‘do not be deceived by the frequently misleading data issued by solar trade associations, whose members are unsurprisingly more concerned with profit than saving the planet.’
In this month’s Looking Back column, Roger Guttridge questions the spooky stories that have long been associated with a Dorset Manor. Mid-16th century Sandford Orcas Manor near Sherborne is among the most exquisite in the county. Google it, however, and it’s not its fine Tudor architecture that makes the headlines but its reputation as a haven for ghosts and poltergeists.
This winter, Dorset Wildlife Trust has been deliberately installing dead trees in a valley near Ansty, says conservation officer Stephen Oliver. ‘This exciting partnership project involved two kilometres of river restoration work on Devil’s Brook, a long watercourse rising in the chalk hills near Higher Ansty and flowing south to join the River Piddle near Athelhampton.’
Wildlife writer Jane Adams is trying hard not to be stuck in the January gloom, and instead to look for the signs of new life ‘When I stumble in through the back door and my husband asks if I’ve seen anything on my walk, it’s really no surprise he gets a glare from under my sopping wet fringe.’
Blandford farmer George Hosford abandons the stats and checks his crystal ball to see if his profit calculations will be accurate this year ‘It depends on when you sell the grain and when you buy the fertiliser, and whether you have to borrow the money to do so … A fair bit of number crunching and crystal ball gazing then needs to happen in order to decide the right approach for next season. We have already committed to buy next year’s fertiliser, at eye-watering prices. To leave it longer would have been reckless …’
Lastly – here’s a horrific notion to get you started for 2023 – should Dorset have a motorway? Farmer Andrew Livingston thinks the unthinkable…
Employ My Ability offers vocational training for students with learning disabilities and special educational needs and disabilities. One of their students, Maddie Walters, spent her last term working on her journalism skills with the aim of writing a column for us. – Ed
The team prepped and ready for the show; Maddie is in the centre in the white jumper
Hello everyone and Happy New Year! For this month’s article I’m going to share an event that happened at Thorngrove Garden Centre and how the magical Fairy Tale Forest came to be. Every Thursday in December both education students and day service users at Thorngrove Garden Centre worked behind the scenes with Angel Exit Theatre, a Dorset-based theatre company that creates interactive events, to make a fairy tale forest come to life. The staff and students enjoyed the music and drama, they loved pretending to be the animals and they also loved learning the songs that were included in the production. The poly-tunnel was decorated with trees and snow and there was a huge gingerbread house where Mary Godmother lived. It gave the children who have visited a magical experience with festive activities that they enjoyed. The team and I were interviewed by BBC Radio Solent and talked about how Angel Exit Theatre came about and what was my favourite bit about this event (my favourite bit was the workshops we did before the production!). During the event I spoke to people as they exited, asking questions like “Did they enjoy the Fairy Tale Forest?” “Did they meet Mary Godmother”? and “What was your favourite bit?”. All the feedback was great! Everyone really enjoyed the Fairy Tale Forest, and I hope we can do it again next Christmas! If you are interested in learning more you can visit The Angel Exit website and see lots of photos for this event on the Angel Exit Theatre Facebook page.
Enthusiastically starting veganuary will often start well but swiftly falter on the know-how, says nutritional therapist Karen Geary
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As we’re slightly later this month, I’m hoping to catch you at the stage where you enthusiastically began your ‘veganuary’ month and now the motivation is waning (or you still want to do it but don’t know how to start!). With a bit of planning, plant-based diets can provide all the right nutrients. I actually used to be vegan myself, and my most creative time in the kitchen still comes from preparing meals that are plant-heavy.
Balancing your plate A plant-based meal should always consist of a protein, a healthy fat, a carbohydrate and four to five different types of vegetables of different colours in order to access plenty of fibre and micro-nutrients. This month, try to widen the variety of fruit and veg you eat in a week. A great goal is 30 different types of plants. Go shopping at the end of the day and try some of the veg that supermarkets sell off at half price. Remember, you can count herbs and spices in the 30! Protein Without meat, your protein sources include beans, lentils, tofu, chick peas, peanuts, tempeh, seitan, nut butters, quorn, protein powders such as hemp and pea, plus all the nuts and seeds. Carbohydrates You need one portion of these – pick from potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole grains such as rice, wheat, buckwheat, quinoa or oats. All fruit and veg count, and don’t forget these don’t have to be fresh! Frozen, tinned or dried all work. Fats Try using flax (a good source of omega 3) or avocado oils as well as olive oil.
Key nutrients to focus on
Deficiencies can be common in vegans who don’t consider their nutrition properly. It is important to take extra care around getting the right amount of protein, iron, zinc, vitamin B12, vitamin D, omega-3 fats, calcium, selenium and iodine in the diet.
Iron – find it in beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, dried apricots, dried figs, molasses, quinoa, kale, spinach, broccoli, cashews, chia, flax, hemp, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate. Eat vitamin C food, e.g. citrus, leafy greens, etc., to help with iron absorption.
Calcium – find it in fortified cereals and dairy alternatives, tofu, leafy greens, tahini, dried fruit, nuts
Omega 3 is in walnuts, flax, chia, hemp, soya beans
Zinc from nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, quinoa
Selenium can be obtained from Brazil nuts, sesame seeds, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, shiitake mushrooms, chia seeds and brown rice. Selenium is essential for iodine uptake.
Vitamin B12 is in nutritional yeast, fortified cereals and dairy alternatives.
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When to supplement As a vegan, it can be very difficult to get vitamin D, vitamin B12 and iodine from food sources alone. The quality of sources can be highly variable and/or they are not in the correct form needed to be absorbed in sufficient quantities. Supplements are recommended for vegans (and there are plenty suitable for vegans), but it is better to get tested before supplementing in order that the right amount is taken.
But what do I eat? Please don’t be a junk food vegan! Living on vegan sausage rolls for the month is not what I would call a healthy diet. I once counted the number of ingredients in a well known supermarket vegan pizza – there were 98! And the majority of them I didn’t recognise. Get in the kitchen and keep it simple:
Breakfast Plain soy or coconut yogurt, some stewed apple, topped with nuts and seeds. Or scrambled tofu on toast. Add a bit of turmeric so it looks like eggs and stir fry a few tomatoes and peppers in it, or enjoy with a side of avocado or kimchi. Or some simple porridge topped with nut butter, berries, and maybe some molasses for sweetness.
Lunches and dinners Minestrone soup is a great option, and you can make a big batch as it will keep in the fridge for days. Sauté onion, carrots and celery in a little oil until soft. Add veg stock, herbs, a tin of tomatoes, a tin of beans (e.g. butter or cannellini) or chickpeas, some shredded cabbage, a small handful of rice and season. Serve when the rice is cooked through. Oven traybakes such as sliced sweet potato with cannellini beans cooked in coconut milk spiced up with ginger and chilli, topped with breadcrumbs. Curries such as red lentil – we’ve shared this lentil dhal before. It’s a tasty one-pot Indian dhal curry that’s ready in just 25 minutes. With red lentils, coconut milk, and simple spices, it’s a protein-packed, creamy and delicious meal.
Find more recipes on my Instagram, Facebook, and a free seven-day plan can be downloaded from my website.
A local expert from Citizen’s Advice provides timely tips on consumer issues.
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Q: “As the weather has turned colder, I’ve noticed mould and damp in our flat. It’s mainly in our bedroom, including some black mould on the carpet. I’ve been chasing our letting agents, who say they’ll speak to our landlord. I’m really worried about how this might affect our health. Our tenancy agreement isn’t up for eight months. Is there anything else I can do?”
A: “It’s good that you’ve already raised the issue with your letting agency. Unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to work out the cause of mould or damp, which can make it difficult to establish who is responsible, unless there’s an obvious cause, like a leaking roof. There is information on our website that may help you work out what type of damp you have, who is responsible for fixing the problem and what you can do. Check your tenancy agreement for mentions of repairs and damp, and contact Citizens Advice on anything you’re unsure about. A landlord will have to act in relation to damp if it makes the property unsafe for someone to live in or if it is making the tenant or a member of their family ill. The landlord will be responsible if the damp is related to property maintenance or to repairs they should have carried out, for example if gutters are broken or pipes are leaking. If the damp has damaged items for which the landlord is responsible for, such as carpets and window frames, they’ll likely have to cover the cost of repairs.
Making it worse One of the most common causes of damp is condensation. To prevent this, it’s important to keep homes well-heated and well-ventilated, but for a lot of people this will be trickier to do given the colder weather and higher heating costs. You may be eligible for help to insulate and heat your home, and should visit our website to find out more. We also have advice on things that can make damp worse and may prevent the landlord taking responsibility for repairs. These include drying clothes on heaters or blocking air vents. If your landlord is responsible for the damp in your property but doesn’t act, there are steps you can take, such as reporting them to the local authority. If you’re in social housing, you might also be able to use the landlord’s formal complaints procedure. There is more information about this on our website. If it reaches the point where you want to get out of a fixed-term tenancy agreement early, do speak to an adviser first, as there might be better ways to approach the issue. Contact your local Citizens Advice or you can call our Adviceline on 0800 144 8848 for personalised support.”
