Today, it’s something different, as we look back on some of the memorable moments from 2022.

Our thanks to all the guests who joined us last year. The one thing that they’ve all had in common is that they’ve been inspiring; our contributors invariably showing huge determination and spirit to overcome the hurdles placed in their path. We are indebted to each and every one of them.

Amazingly, we’ve now produced over 60 podcasts since we launched the podcast nearly two years ago now; all support by Kingsfleet. Remember that if you go to our website at www.suffolkmoney.co.uk you can find every single one of them under the “Podcasts” section.

We’ll be back with another series of guests in the coming weeks, but in the meantime here’s a little reminder of some of the fascinating talks we’ve had over the last year.

In our last Suffolk Money podcast of 2022, Colin Low is on location to meet the dedicated team at Ipswich-based UK charity Tools With A Mission. The warehouse is a hive of activity, as volunteers collect and refurbish a vast array of unwanted tools, before sorting them into trade kits and sending them to the developing world for livelihood creation.

The group’s chief executive, Mike Griffin, explains how by recycling unwanted tools, not only are they able to create sustainable livelihoods that transform communities across the continent of Africa, but also address the issue of stuff being needlessly dumped in landfill, here in the UK.

Volunteers across the country collect unwanted items – from DIY and gardening tools to sewing machines and computers – which are taken to their warehouse and carefully refurbished by the team at the Ipswich HQ. They then assemble kits for every kind of trades-person (including carpenters, mechanics, plumbers, builders and tailors), ensuring that the people who receive them will have everything they need to start their own business, affording them independence and sustainability.

Sending tools rather than money reduces the danger of corruption and provides vital support for communities where unemployment is very high; as many of the volunteers at Tools With A Mission have seen first-hand when they’ve visited some of the African countries that this charity has worked with.

However, as many of the volunteers explain, it’s not just communities in Africa that benefit from this charity. Although most volunteers join to help those in need, they quickly discover that the social interaction and sense of camaraderie they enjoy through volunteering, is as transformative to their own lives. This, together with the environmental benefits of re-using unwanted items makes for ‘a triple win’, as volunteer Jim says!

For more information or to find out how you can help, volunteer or donate to Tools With A Mission, please visit

https://www.twam.uk

You can follow and stay up-to-date with their activity on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/toolswithamission

The delicate subject of divorce is the focus in the latest Suffolk Money podcast - supported by Kingsfleet - as two experts in family law talk to Colin Low about striving for resolution not confrontation.

Juliet Harvey is a Legal Director at Birketts and Melanie Pilmer is a Partner at Greene & Greene and both are very experienced in helping to resolve family disputes, in the most calm, amicable and effective way possible. 

As members of Resolution (a community of family justice professionals who work with families and individuals to resolve issues in a constructive way) both Juliet and Melanie strongly advise people that come to them in times of distress to ‘make Court the last resort’. Instead, they guide them through the processes and find one that would be most suitable for them. 

They debunk myths from the ‘quickie divorce’ to how lawyers are portrayed in popular tv dramas and also talk about Good Divorce Week 2022 (28 Nov - 2 Dec), which highlights the crisis in the family courts and raises awareness of all the different ways families can resolve their disputes away from Court.

If you’d like to find out more about Good Divorce Week 2022, please visit

https://resolution.org.uk, where you can also find out more about both Juliet and Melanie's work.

By any measure, it’s been a turbulent few weeks for the economy, so for the latest Suffolk Money podcast, supported by Kingsfleet, Colin Low is joined by two experts, Adrian Game of Resolute Mortgages and Daniel Zipfel of Kingsfleet. Together they talk through the issues that have arisen over the last few weeks and months and try to assess what it all means for mortgages, pensions and savings ... ultimately stressing that it’s always good to talk, especially for the sake of your mental health. 

For more information about Resolute Mortgages please click here

For more information about Kingsfleet please click here

In this week’s Suffolk Money podcast, Colin talks to Amanda Bloomfield about her work at the wonderful Gatehouse in Bury St Edmunds. A small, independent charity, Gatehouse is based on the western side of the town. They carry out all their projects from this building and help people not only in the nearby community, but also far and wide across other counties in the region.

As Amanda explains, Gatehouse is unique because they’re always looking for different ways they can assist the community and broaden what they’re able to deliver. Food poverty and homelessness is a long-term problem and Gatehouse is the official food bank for Bury St Edmunds, offering support to those in desperate need. However, the current cost of living crisis means that there are many people now struggling, who may never have experienced problems with debt or sought help from charities before. So, Gatehouse is here to make them feel comfortable and break down the pride barrier, so that they can access help before they hit crisis point.

Gatehouse notices the need in the community and by listening to what help is needed, they seek to not simply fire-fight the initial problem, but to see the big picture. They work together with other charities, each who offer different specialities, to make the best use of resources available and help those in need.

Amanda tells Colin about her previous experience in the business world as well as the caring world, and how she has developed a valuable skill-set that enables her to establish strong partnerships between both large and small businesses and community-based projects. Her work is very hands-on and, knowing that the most vulnerable don’t get heard, she is able to give them a voice and explain their reality to local government officials and philanthropists in a way they can understand.

To find out more about this incredible charity, please visit

http://www.gatehouse.org.uk

Or you can telephone 01284 754967 or email [email protected]

Details about Gatehouse Home Store and Foodbank can also be found on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/gatehousecharity/

For this week’s Suffolk Money podcast, Colin Low has been chatting to Olly Magnus, CEO of logistics company Magnus Group, who was recently awarded Director of the Year at the Suffolk Business Awards. Olly describes the moment he won this award as the proudest moment of his life, not least because this provides closure on a very difficult chapter of his life.

Having overcome massive life challenges to get to where he is today, Olly attributes his drive for success to wanting to prove himself to those who expected him to fail. His incredible story includes overcoming major health hurdles (both physical and mental), the struggles of exiting a business which had become acrimonious and the challenges of investing in a declining business.

After his father’s death in 2018, Olly sold up his own freight forwarding business to buy shares in the Ipswich-based haulage company, Magnus Group, founded by his dad (Paul Magnus) in 1973. His intention was to reinvigorate the business whilst bringing it back under family control; a mission he describes as “turning the Titanic”. 

His aggressive two-year plan was a great success with Magnus Group achieving growth, the introduction of a successful new freight forwarding division and the creation of a strong senior team to lead the future. 

Olly attributes his honesty, friendliness and cricket obsession to his Australian roots. Yet he is a loyal ITFC fan and in 2021, Magnus Group became the West stand sponsor at Portman Road and Olly had the great honour of being invited to join the ITFC Community Trust Board.

To find out more about Magnus Group please visit

https://magnusgroup.co.uk

In this week’s episode of Suffolk Money Podcast, Colin is joined by Kate Higgs from Ormiston Families; the East of England’s leading family charity.

Kate tells Colin how the charity began, when a charitable trust was created in 1969 to honour the memory of a young woman called Fiona Ormiston Murray, following her tragic death. Now known as Ormiston Families, this trust was established to help children and families in need, and has since stayed true to its vision and mission. 

Ormiston Families supports children, young people and their families by helping them to manage the challenges they face. Many of the people they help have experienced chaotic and complex life-styles and suffered traumatic childhood experiences. Knowing that a staggering 40% of mothers who have lost their children in the family courts have spent time in care themselves, Ormiston Families is there to help break this terrible cycle. By offering understanding, guidance and support, they can help them to improve their life chances and see a brighter future.

Before joining Ormiston Families in 2017, Kate was head of income generation at the national volunteering charity, Volunteering Matters. With a background in sales and marketing, Kate had decided to use her skills to really make a difference in the charity sector, after she experienced first-hand the amazing care her brother was given during the last few weeks of his life at St Elizabeth’s Hospice. She has worked tirelessly since, with businesses, community groups and individuals, to raise funds for children and families in need of support.

To find out more about Ormiston Families please visit

https://www.ormiston.org

In this week’s episode of Suffolk Money, Colin talks to Carole Burman, founder and owner of one of our region’s leading HR consultancies, MAD-HR.

Like many great things, MAD-HR came from small beginnings, with Carole launching a new business from her kitchen table back in 2014. As Carole explains to Colin, prior to this she was in a very successful corporate HR role, but when her mother became unexpectedly ill, Carole felt compelled to rethink her working approach and spend time with her parents before it was too late.

Carole had developed a vision for a different kind of HR consultancy, wanting to really Make A Difference. The concept of MAD-HR was born and the unique values and ethos behind the name has been the foundation and the driving force of the consultancy, which eschews the stereotypes often associated with HR and since earnt Carole and her team countless awards and a phenomenal reputation.

Charlotte joined Carole as co-director in 2016, and from here the team steadily grew. In the last year things have really skyrocketed and there are now 11 employees, five of which have been recruited in 2022. Carole explains that businesses are starting to realise that just focusing on employment law when it comes to their HR requirements isn’t enough. The value that HR professionals such as MAD-HR can bring, will empower the business and make sure that it is the best that it can be.

Carole also has another passion; despite living in Kent she was brought up as an Ipswich Town fan! As soon as she was able, she bought herself a season ticket and went to every home game. As fate would have it, her now husband was also an avid fan and this is where they met, at the Portman Road stands during the weekly games!

For more information about Carole and her amazing team of HR Professionals, visit:

https://www.mad-hr.co.uk

In this week’s episode of Suffolk Money, Colin talks to Charlotte Davitt-Mills, the General Manager and owner of Shotley Vineyard.

Charlotte tells the remarkable story about how she and her husband bought a beautiful plot of land close to their home in 2017, having fallen in with the stunning views that surrounded it. The initial plan was to set-up a glamping business, however they quickly discovered that the overgrown fields were filled with established vines that, despite being covered in brambles and weeds, were actually in very good health. Three years and lots of hard physical graft later, their hard work came to fruition as they launched their first vintage in 2020.

Shotley Vineyard is now an exciting venue for walkers, tourists and families, who are welcomed to delight in the views, vineyards and wines. They also offer tours and activities and, have also become a popular wedding and events venue, overlooking both the Orwell and Stour estuaries.

Like many small business owners, Charlotte has lots to manage and combines wine production with motherhood. So, whilst the business has grown rapidly in a short space of time, Charlotte is now keen to let it gradually evolve before diversifying too much in the future. Her current priorities are family, increasing wine production and getting involved in the local community.

For more information about Shotley Vineyard, please visit:

https://shotleyvineyard.co.uk

Deborah Watson joins Colin in this week’s episode of Suffolk Money, to tell him all about Wednesday’s Child; a not-for-profit organisation that helps support individuals and families affected by eating disorders. 

Sharing her own personal experience of living with an eating disorder, Debbie talks candidly and openly about the issues she faced as a young person at university and the ‘perfect storm’ that lead to her developing anorexia nervosa. The lack of information about mental health during this time and the feelings of stigma associated with eating disorders, meant that it was very difficult, for her and her family, to seek help and support.

Despite Debbie's illness, she managed to successfully complete her degree and was quickly offered a job as a journalist with the East Anglian Daily Times. Debbie describes how being able to create and shape a career path helped create an upward spiral towards recovery. 

It is this lived experience of being ‘full of woe’ that inspired the organisation’s name, Wednesday’s Child; as defined in the old nursery rhyme. Debbie is passionate about not letting past experiences define a person and that every ‘Wednesday’s Child’ has the capacity to be as full of love, vibrancy and opportunity as a child born on every other day. 

Having run a successful PR agency for over 20 years, Debbie set up Wednesday’s Child in 2019, determined to make a difference to the lives of those experiencing an eating disorder and, to aid those who care for them. She could see that there was still so little support available to people living with eating disorders and the eighteen-month NHS waiting list was leaving families feeling abandoned and desperate.

Her initial idea was to provide carefully curated gift boxes, which would be ideal for someone in recovery. This was met with lots of support, but Debbie then began receiving requests for therapy. The rise of Zoom during the 2020 lockdowns provided Debbie with the opportunity to contact therapists virtually and refer families; meaning those in need could access therapy within a matter of days rather than months. 

Now working closely with schools and universities, as well as healthcare professionals and business leaders, Wednesday’s Child continues to enable people to reach out for help and support and to ease the suffering of individuals and families affected by an eating disorder.

To find out more, please visit

https://wednesdayschild.co.uk