Podcasts about Catford

Charles is vicar of St. Laurence, Catford, London and a trustee of "Art & Christianity Enquiry." He is on the editorial board of "Art & Christianity," and until recently a visiting scholar at Sarum College. Charles regularly contributes articles to books and magazines on art and spirituality, as well as lecturing in the UK and abroad. He is on the board of the UK branch of AICA (the International Association of Art Critics), and is chair of the Fabric Advisory Committee of Southwark Cathedral.​In this conversation, Charles and I explored the relationship between contemporary art and faith, and how he balances his roles as a priest and art critic. We discussed the shared ground between art and religion, and the Trinity as a framework for interpreting art. We also examined the spiritual dimensions of still life paintings as a Western parallel to Eastern Orthodox icons, as well as the evolving relationship between churches and museums, the intersection of sacred and secular themes in contemporary art, and how viewers can find deeper connections with artworks in a distracted society.

This week we had guest speaker Edward Buria preaching at our Catford site. Edward leads Kambakia Christian Centre in Meru, Kenya, overseeing hundreds of churches across East Africa. He encourages us to be witnesses to Christ, using our real life testimonies to spread the gospel.

James Catford joins Nathan to talk about Jean-Pierre de Caussade's 18th century classic book on trust, Abandonment to Divine Providence — book 4 in this year's Renovaré Book Club.Show NotesJames Catford joins Nathan to talk about Jean-Pierre de Caussade's 18th century classic book on trust, Abandonment to Divine Providence.Join several thousand readers in the Renovaré Book Club to read Abandonment to Divine Providence (reading begins March 3, 2025).Join the club at a reduced rate Purchase the hard copy or e-book

Episode 89 - Sleeping Beauty - Panto - We saw this production at The Broadway Theatre, Catford, Lewisham Here is more detail about the production, tickets are on sale until 31 December 2024...  https://www.broadwaytheatre.org.uk/events/sleeping-beauty/ and you can watch a behind the scenes video here... https://youtu.be/Zkh3kn9MdHM Follow us Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @upstagedownstagepod

The London Standard's crime editor Anthony France reports a phone is now stolen in the capital every six minutes amid a 150 per cent increase in device snatches.As part of an investigation into this crime epidemic, he interviewed phone theft victims and spent time with a City of London Police team to examine the work of the force's anti-phone theft squad. Anthony joins The Standard podcast to discuss his findings.In part two, writer and director Susie McKenna on how a new pantomime production of the classic fairy tale Sleeping Beauty has been given a "modern remix".Sleeping Beauty is on at Broadway Theatre in Catford until 31 December. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode: Lime bike to the velodrome Two new pieces on Deserter Proper Soho night out Classic Borough funeral Hiking on Cromer Pier Green hop early doors lock in Spoons moment #327 Pub & Beer News Crisp News Drug News Other News Book Corner Readers' Letters Soc Med Scene Happy news

Interview with David Cataford, CEO of Champion Iron Ltd.Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/champion-iron-tsxcia-high-grade-iron-ore-crucial-for-green-steel-transition-4048Recording date: 6th September 2024Champion Iron Limited (TSX:CIA) is positioning itself as a key player in the high-grade iron ore market, strategically aligning with the global steel industry's shift towards decarbonization. Operating the Bloom Lake mine in Quebec, Canada, the company currently produces approximately 15 million tons of high-grade iron ore annually, with significant growth potential on the horizon.CEO David Cataford emphasizes the company's unique position: "We produce one of the highest grade iron ores in the world, roughly about 15 million tons per year, and have significant growth projects in the pipeline." This focus on premium products is particularly relevant as the steel industry increasingly adopts electric arc furnaces (EAFs) to reduce carbon emissions.Champion Iron's growth strategy is threefold:Short-term: Resolving logistics constraints to increase quarterly sales by 300,000 to 400,000 tons.Medium-term: Debottlenecking Bloom Lake to potentially increase production to 17-18 million tons annually.Long-term: Developing the Kami project, which could add 9 million tons of direct reduction (DR) grade iron ore production annually.A key initiative is the ongoing project to increase ore grade from 66% to 69%, set for completion in late 2025. Catford explains, "It doesn't seem like a big increase, but it's the game changer between selling to blast furnaces and selling to electric arc furnaces." This positions Champion Iron to capitalize on the growing demand for high-grade iron ore in EAF steelmaking.The company benefits from a strong financial position, with a net cash balance providing flexibility for growth initiatives. Management alignment is notable, with over 10% ownership by executives and directors. Other significant shareholders include the Government of Quebec (8%) and a Chicago-based fund (8%), providing a mix of strategic and institutional support.Champion Iron's focus on high-grade iron ore aligns well with ESG considerations, supporting lower-carbon steel production. The recent inclusion of high-purity iron ore on Canada's critical minerals list underscores its strategic importance and may provide access to government support and funding.Market dynamics appear favorable, with Catford noting, "Today it [high-grade iron ore] represents about 5% of the market, but as these electric furnaces get delivered, we do believe there's going to be a pretty big pull in terms of this material." The scarcity of new high-grade iron ore projects could create a supply-demand imbalance benefiting producers like Champion Iron.However, investors should be aware of potential risks, including market volatility, project execution risks, and the cyclical nature of the commodities sector. The company's ability to successfully complete its grade improvement project and develop the Kami project will be crucial in realizing its growth potential.In conclusion, Champion Iron presents an intriguing opportunity for investors seeking exposure to the high-grade iron ore market. The company's strategic focus on premium products, clear growth pipeline, and strong financial position make it well-suited to benefit from the ongoing transformation in the global steel industry. As always, investors should conduct thorough due diligence and consider their risk tolerance when evaluating this opportunity.View Champion Iron's company profile: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/champion-iron-limitedSign up for Crux Investor: https://cruxinvestor.com

Velkommen til en prædiken fra København Vineyard. Tak fordi du lytter med. Dagens taler er Ben Catford. Du er altid velkommen til en af vores gudstjenester kl. 10.30 eller kl. 19.00. Eller kig forbi i løbet af ugen til en kop kaffe. Vi glæder os til at se dig.

TICKETS FOR SOME LAUGH LIVE AT THE PAVILION GLASGOW ON SUNDAY 31ST MARCH ARE ON SALE NOW (Featuring guests Christopher MacArthur-Boyd, Raymond Mearns plus more to be announced!): https://www.paviliontheatre.co.uk/shows/some-laugh-live-at-glasgow-international-comedy-festival/This week the boays are joined by comedian Jamie Hutchinson.  A comedic tour-de-force and "Pied Piper of Pisscans", Jamie describes his relationship with gambling and how he beat the payday-loan system during the "glory days" of Wonga, they swap tales of underage drinking and getting in trouble with the police as teens, and Jamie reveals his childhood love of writing and performing that led to his near act of social suicide.  Plus, they discuss starting out in stand-up, Jamie's viral "Dr Catford" story and subsequent success, and Jamie recalls the nightmare Dragon's Den style job interview where he completely misjudged the tone.A video version of this podcast is available on YouTube, where you can subscribe for all future episodes (and find all three of they boays' stand-up specials): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxeugCQL5zyVhd7pCEAi9GAJamie's UK tour has been extended through til May, tickets for which are available here: https://jamiehcomedy.com/We're now on Patreon!  Sign up for exclusive access for as little as £3 per month for an extra episode every two weeks plus footage from our previous live shows and first dibs on tickets to upcoming ones:https://www.patreon.com/somelaughYou can watch Stu, Marc & Steve's stand-up specials on the Some Laugh YouTube channel here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLM6lKn8dnMK5bOtlX-3XlCpZSf-B_qweQ&si=JjKknRTZvvza5l55Stand-Up Tickets:Marc: www.marcjenningscomedy.com/gigsStu (Glasgow Comedy Festival shows) : https://linktr.ee/StuartMcPYou can follow Some Laugh on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok - and please remember to leave a 5 star review! Support the show

New episodes available to watch & listen EVERY Thursday! Jamie Hutchinson joins Jack Joseph and guest host Harry Kontkanen for the most unhinged episode of the podcast ever. Just listen.   Subscribe to Low IQ: https://www.youtube.com/@lowiqpod If you'd like to work with us, email the studio on workwithlowiq@fellasstudios.com Produced by The Fellas Studios: https://fellasstudios.com/podcasts

Evelyn Hoskins (42 Balloons / Waitress) co-hosts The West End Frame Show!Andrew and Evelyn discuss Stephanie J Block's concert (Cadogan Hall), Bat Boy (London Palladium) and Kin (Theatro Technis) as well as the latest news about Sweeney Todd, Burlesque, Musical Con, the Black British Theatre Awards and lots more. They also pay tribute to Friends actor Matthew Perry.Evelyn starred as Thea in the original London production of Spring Awakening at the Lyric Hammersmith and in the West End. Just a few of her theatre credits include playing Wendy in Peter Pan (US Tour), the title role in Carrie (Southwark Playhouse), Maureen in Mrs Henderson Presents (Toronto) and Dawn in Waitress (West End / UK Tour). In addition to playing Liesl in The Sound of Music LIVE (ITV), Evelyn has worked extensively on screen.  Evelyn most recently played Louise in Gypsy (Mill At Sonning). Last year she played Carol in 42 Balloons for its developmental performances in the West End. Next year she's reprising her performance in the musical's fully staged premiere at The Lowry in Salford. She's also about to star in Susie McKenna's pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk at the Broadway Theatre in Catford this Christmas.42 Balloons runs at The Lowry 18th April – 19th May. Jack at the Beanstalk runs at the Broadway Theatre in Catford 13th – 31st December. Hosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32  Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.   

267: From Morrisons to Drag Race with Ella VadayOur guest for this episode is Nick Collier, aka drag superstar Ella Vaday! He tells us how he went from working in Morrisons to wowing us with his Nigella impression on season three of RuPaul's Drag Race UK. We hear about his time performing in the West End, and why he was banned from selling perfume in Harrods. We find out how scripted Drag Race really is, and how Nick feels about the way he was represented in the edit.Then there's some general drag chat - just how bitchy is it backstage? What's Nick's view on the transition of drag into mainstream culture? And what's really behind the complaints about drag queen storytime? We end with Scummy Mummy Confessions, and a cautionary tale about why you should never work with wigs and dogs. For more from the fantastic Nick/Ella, follow @ellavaday on Instagram. **WE ARE ON TOUR!** Come and see our live comedy show in 2023! We are on our way to Cambridge, Banbury, Poole, Worthing, Barnsley, Stroud, Trowbridge, Henley-on-Thames, Bristol, Brighton, Bath... We have two HUGE nights in Catford on 1 & 2 December... And new dates are being added all the time! Keep an eye on scummymummies.com for announcements and tickets. **WE HAVE A SHOP!** Visit scummymummiesshop.com for our ace t-shirts, mugs, washbags, sweatshirts and beach towels. FREE UK DELIVERY! We're on Twitter (@scummymummies), Instagram, and Facebook. If you like the podcast, please rate, review and subscribe. Thank you for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're BACK south of the river with the ever-hilarious, gently scathing Fern Brady. The comedian and author gives editor Joe a no-holds-barred tour around her adopted home of Catford. What does Fern make of the pub quizzes in her area? Which of the two ‘Catford chasers' is the evil one? And just how much does our guest despise roast dinners? An episode that offers so much more than just a big, fibreglass cat. Check out Fern's new podcast ‘What A Combo' right here. Follow Fern on Instagram here and Twitter here.Like the podcast? Stay on top of all things London with Time Out's truly excellent newsletter, Out Here.Production, editing and sound design by David Clack at Perfect Loop Productions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the second part of the podcast about a shoot out and affray at a club in Catford during March 1966.This podcast is not really about the Krays but an incident that finished their main rivals in London, The Richardson gang. The podcast is recorded in one take without editing and are lo-fi.I am not sure how much other kray podcasts can be trusted as many are based on biased books or biased accounts which often glorify the Kray gang.The podcasts I am trying to produce are based on police records which are often doubtful, but probably the truest accounts that exist. I also use accounts or books that I think can be trusted such as Albert Donoghue's 'The Krays' lieutenant. Donoghue turned against the Krays after they tried to make him take a murder charge  on their account. I am hoping to make three or four Kray podcasts on specific incidents rather than an overall assessment on them. www.strangestoriesuk.gmail.com

I have had the intention of doing some podcasts on the Kray gang for some time. As the story has been so well told and so well known I am concentrating on some background and lesser known stories. This is part one of the first Kray podcast. So part one of part one! I will post part two tomorrow. This podcast is not really about the Kray gang, but of an incident that gave the Krays the chance to become the dominant gang in London. The affray and shoot out at Mr Smith's club in Catford in South London.I will be posting other Kray podcasts over the next couple of months, these will be based on police records and other available material trying to get past the myths and tell the true story.www.strangestoriesuk.gmail.com

Velkommen til en prædiken fra København Vineyard. Tak fordi du lytter med. Dagens taler er Ben Catford. Du er altid velkommen til en af vores gudstjenester kl. 10.30 eller kl. 19.00. Eller kig forbi i løbet af ugen til en kop kaffe. Vi glæder os til at se dig.

This week Gavin has seen cats in Catford and Dans new obsession is apparently clouds. We have a story about a lawsuit that might take down Ronald McDonald and we have another opposite quiz from the twisted genius mine of Dan. We contemplate Donald Trumps penis and Dan says possibly the worst thing yet.   This weeks recommendations : Knock Knock : MED, Blu, Madib, MF Doom I Told You I was Afraid (Acoustic) : The Beths   Come and talk to us here : Email : betherewithbelson@gmail.com Twitter : @therewithbelson Instagram : @betherewithbelson TikTok : @betherewithbelson               @betherewithballson

Shem Omari James (CC in Dreamgirls) co-hosts The West End Frame Show! Andrew and Shem discuss Once On This Island (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre) and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Southwark Playhouse) as well as the latest news about Nicole Scherzinger being cast in Sunset Boulevard, MJ West End casting, the Tony Awards and lots more. Having graduated from Arts Ed during the pandemic, Shem made his professional debut alongside Cedric Neal, Rachel Tucker, Rachel John and Ramin Karimloo in the digital production of Songs For A New World by Jason Robert Brown. He later reprised his performance when the musical was staged at the London Palladium for two performances.Shem's theatre credits also include The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber (Leicester Curve) and the world premiere of Vanara (Hackney Empire).Most recently, Shem played CC and understudied Jimmy in the first ever UK and Ireland tour of Dreamgirls. He's currently producing an LGBTQ+ cabaret at the Broadway Theatre in Catford as part of Pride Month celebrations on Saturday 17th June. Fore information about the concert, follow the I Can Be Collective on Instagram: @icanbecollectiveFollow Shem on Instagram: @houseofomarijamesHosted by Andrew Tomlins. @AndrewTomlins32  Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts.   

What's up people, y'all know Adam Rowe from his podcast “Have a Word” and his many comedy specials 0:00 UK and Turkey need to create a master race 03:27 English cuisine is just adding fries 04:56 Gordon Ramsey has gone soft 05:43 British Empire + The Beatles sold out 08:58 Liverpool are the Italians of the UK 10:49 Adam's ranks ethnics + dumbo voters + Constitution is the Goat 15:48 Liverpool rioting + beefing with everyone + G checking bins 19:40 Everyone knew Paddy Pimblett was the truth 22:44 Scouse's view on Russia - Ukraine + UK hates refugees 25:56 The sweetheart and the thief 33:45 Dr Catford is the greatest 40:03 KSI drama with the Stanis + Whites the best at racism 52:55 Saying the N word + shout out the Bangos 58:32 Poles are the Mexicans of UK + Wassup my J*p? 01:07:58 Black Alan the Taxi Driver 01:12:38 UK talking funny + dirty Scouse talk 01:16:41 Akaash backlash from Gujaratis 01:19:34 Adam loves country music + “I don't believe White Christians” 01:22:14 Co-host Dan HATES country music until now 01:25:41 Adam loves fat MILKERS + CAKES 01:27:26 Have a Word might come to the US + UK Tour 01:37:04 Achraf Hakimi finessing + Soccer stars protection 01:45:20 AI - fun distraction or disruptive? 01:51:44 ChatGPT's version of Adam's comedy 01:53:10 Banning TikTok + Zuckerberg is our slave + Child Labour 02:00:42 Freedom to try + “Juicy” + next special 02:12:52 Edinburgh Fringe audience different to comedy fans

Gunning down Catford's cat callers, an interrupted threesome with two Irish men, and a priest ban at her funeral. Oh nooooo… It's Fern Brady. Check out Fern's latest book, Strong Female Character: The Sunday Times Bestseller, here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strong-Female-Character-Fern-Brady/dp/1914240448?&linkCode=sl1&tag=octopus-instagram-ad-21&linkId=e5166c207f1a919e3f0d3df260a6f288&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl Want the episodes ad free AND extra content from Kathy? 6 Feet Under steps away from fantasy and rifles through your real funeral tales. Head to wheretheresawilltheresawake.com to subscribe.    A Somethin' Else and Sony Music Entertainment production.   Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us at @sonypodcasts. To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email podcastadsales@sonymusic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is a listener suggestion from Derina. This story takes place in London in September of 2021.28-year-old Sabina Nessa was an elementary school or primary school teacher as it would be referred to in London. She lived in an affordable southeast London neighborhood that housed young families & professionals. Only a year after she'd gotten her teaching degree,  & in September of 2019, Sabina had gotten her dream job, teaching five & six-year-old students in year one at Rushey Green Primary School in Catford. Unfortunately this story does not have a happy ending. Allison tells us the rest.Want BONUS EPISODES!? You got it!https://www.patreon.com/crimeandcoffeecoupleSend us a nice message or case suggestions on Instagram or Twitter! We'd love to hear from you! https://www.instagram.com/crimeandcoffee2/https://www.tiktok.com/@crimeandcoffee2https://twitter.com/crimeandcoffee2References:Evening Standard: Sabina Nessa: CCTV ‘shows murdered teacher struck on head' moments after leaving her flatNational World: Koci Selamaj: who is Sabina Nessa killer, what is his country of origin, nationality, and how was he caught?Evening Standard: Sabina Nessa: Timeline of key events in investigation into teacher's murderAljazeera: Murdered  women: Sabina Nessa ‘a kind & generous soul'The Week: What happened to Sabina Nessa?Sky News: Sabina Nessa: Murdered school teacher ‘oblivious' to killer behind her before being struck 34 times over the head in a London parkBBC News: Sabina Nessa: Evil killer struck after marriage endedSupport the showIf you're on an iPhone, review us on Apple Podcasts please! Scroll to the bottom of the page and hit the stars ;)If you're listening on Spotify please leave us a 5-star review!We appreciate you more than you know.Podcast Intro and Outro music:Seductress Dubstep by Audionautix http://audionautix.comCreative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com

Our guest for this episode is TV's Adrian Chiles! We talk about everything from booze and Bette Midler to coping when your kids go off to uni. Adrian tells us why he decided to cut down on the booze, and Ellie apologises for copying him by doing a podcast about the same thing, titled Sort Your Shit Out and available now wherever you get your podcasts or https://pod.link/1663245629.We hear how Adrian's regional accent was an advantage when he started working at the BBC. He shares his advice for parents of younger children, and we discuss what to tell your kids before they leave home. Ellie and Adrian bond over their shared farting styles and hatred of skiing, and Helen reveals the terrible thing she did in the M&M's World. Adrian's excellent book, The Good Drinker, is out now. Come and see our live show in 2023! We are on our way to Catford, Cheltenham, Lancaster, Caernafon, Burnley, Milton Keynes, Winchester, Newcastle, Lichfield, Rotherham, Twickenham, Leeds, Birmingham, Crewe, Lowestoft... And new dates are being added all the time! Keep an eye on scummymummies.com for announcements and tickets. **WE HAVE A SHOP!** Visit scummymummiesshop.com for our ace t-shirts, mugs, washbags, sweatshirts and beach towels. FREE UK DELIVERY! We're on Twitter (@scummymummies), Instagram, and Facebook. If you like the podcast, please rate, review and subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest for this episode is the hilarious comedian Alasdair Beckett-King. He tells us why he decided to write a children's murder mystery book, even though he has no kids and has never killed anyone. We talk about how Alasdair went from doing shit gigs in terrible pubs with us to starring on Mock the Week. He explains how a failure at film school kicked off his comedy career, and why he believes a bad first gig is better than a good one. Helen excels herself with the running order for this episode, managing to spell our guest's name wrong, reveal a weird fixation with his age, and insult his appearance. Alasdair tells us what it's like to be a person of hair colour, and we unfairly test his knowledge of parenting with a stupid quiz. ABK's brilliant book, Montgomery Bonbon: Murder at the Museum, is out on 2 February. Word count update: 34,892. Follow him on Twitter for supremely funny videos @MisterABK, listen to the Loremen podcast, and buy tickets to his tour via abeckettking.com.Come and see our live show in 2023! We are on our way to Lincoln, Kettering, Redhill, Catford, Camberley, Cheltenham, Lancaster, Caernafon, Burnley, Milton Keynes, Winchester, Newcastle, Lichfield, Rotherham, Twickenham, Leeds, Birmingham, Crewe, Lowestoft... And new dates are being added all the time! Keep an eye on scummymummies.com for announcements and tickets. **WE HAVE A SHOP!** Visit scummymummiesshop.com for our ace t-shirts, mugs, washbags, sweatshirts and beach towels. FREE UK DELIVERY! We're on Twitter (@scummymummies), Instagram, and Facebook. If you like the podcast, please rate, review and subscribe. Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes social media so addictive? How do we get our kids off their phones? Why is multitasking a myth? And what's it like to be mates with Oprah and fat-shamed by the Dalai Lama? Answering all these questions is best-selling author Johann Hari! He tells us how a trip to Graceland with a phone-obsessed teenager kicked off his investigation into how our brains are being changed by technology. We discuss the rise in ADHD being diagnosed in kids, and the 12 factors affecting our ability to stay focused. Johann offers some practical tips for reclaiming our attention, and reveals the one thing he reckons we should all buy for our homes. So yes, some serious chat, but we also talk about online dating and dick pics. Johann reveals how an experience at KFC made him reevaluate his whole life, and Helen shares what he describes as "The most redundant piece of advice ever." Johann's brilliant book, Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention, is out now in paperback. For more about his work, and to read what Oprah thinks of him, visit johannhari.com. Come and see our live show in 2023! We are on our way to Lincoln, Kettering, Redhill, Catford, Camberley, Cheltenham, Lancaster, Caernafon, Burnley, Milton Keynes, Winchester, Newcastle, Lichfield, Rotherham, Twickenham, Leeds, Birmingham, Crewe, Lowestoft... And new dates are being added all the time! Keep an eye on scummymummies.com for announcements and tickets. **WE HAVE A SHOP!** Visit scummymummiesshop.com for our ace t-shirts, mugs, washbags, sweatshirts and beach towels. FREE UK DELIVERY! We're on Twitter (@scummymummies), Instagram, and Facebook. If you like the podcast, please rate, review and subscribe. Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Ben Elton, who has kept UK audiences (plus a huge worldwide fanbase) laughing with stellar standup, superb comedy writing, movies and tv shows, plays and musical theater projects, and 16 books. Busy lad! Ben was a comedy prodigy, becoming the BBC's youngest ever scriptwriter. Since then he has remained at the top of the pack, with his work on the classic "Blackadder" show, hosting Britain's late night show "Saturday Live, collaborating with Andrew Lloyd Webber, and mounting a triumphant return to the standup stage. Ben Elton always delivers comedy that is witty, erudite, and yes -- sometimes silly (as only the Brits can do). Find more Ben Elton clips below and thanks for sharing our shows. Want more Ben Elton? Britain's "Saturday Live" is similar to Saturday Night Live in the US, so it was a BIG deal when Ben was chosen to host that program back in 1986. Here's a sample of his standup from that show. https://youtu.be/Ptx_H2XWGV8 Almost 40 years ago fellow Legend Lenny Henry founded Britain's "Comic Relief", a charity that uses humor to raise funds to fight poverty, and Ben has been a frequent and enthusiastic participant throughout. This bit from 1993 is a great slice of Ben's standup. https://youtu.be/wEmraVcf7QQ While many know Ben best through his writing, he is also a superb standup (a skill he developed to showcase his writing). In this recent bit, Ben spends some time recounting classic British town names with special attention reserved for his hometown -- Catford. https://youtu.be/dd2s_13wDd0

We are smashing the patriarchy in this episode with the help of Laura Bates - campaigner, writer, speaker, and all-round excellent woman. She explains why she started the Everyday Sexism project, and we discuss how the landscape has changed in the decade since. Laura tells us what she'd change tomorrow if she had a magic wand, and we ask her advice on how to raise our kids so they don't turn out to be terrible sexists. There's some real talk about pornography, and the effect it's having on men's behaviour during sex. As usual we round off with some ludicrous Scummy Mummy Confessions, this time involving a date fail, ladder theft, and ham. Laura's brilliant book, Fix the System Not the Women, is out now. Check out everydaysexism.com and follow her on instagram @laura_bates__.@laura_bates__.Come and see our live show in 2023! We are on our way to Lincoln, Kettering, Redhill, Catford, Camberley, Cheltenham, Lancaster, Caernarfon, Burnley, Milton Keynes, Winchester, Newcastle, Lichfield, Rotherham, Twickenham, Leeds, Birmingham, Crewe, Lowestoft... And new dates are being added all the time! Keep an eye on scummymummies.com for announcements and tickets. **WE HAVE A SHOP!** Visit scummymummiesshop.com for our ace t-shirts, mugs, washbags, sweatshirts and beach towels. FREE UK DELIVERY! We're on Twitter (@scummymummies), Instagram, and Facebook. If you like the podcast, please rate, review and subscribe. Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keri, Peter and Matthew make a couple of special announcements this week, before discussing hiding food from your significant other, tales of being brassic and Mr Fickling gives Catford the 'Wish you Were Here' treatment.Oh, and The Archers, of course:Ben checks into Air B'n'Brookfield.Discomfort and Joy: The bearing of Northern souls clears the air. Emma plans a scam, but will Harrison get her loggin' details?Brad feels a great disturbance in the pants.To help us out with a lovely worded 5 star review hit the link below. Then scroll down to ‘Ratings and Reviews' and a little further below that is ‘Write a Review' (this is so much nicer than just tapping the stars

In this episode, Laura starts her visit to the Mother House Studios in Catford in SE London, with a conversation with Dyana Gravina, founder of the Procreate Project. https://www.procreateproject.com/ Laura then talks with 3 artists who use Motherhouse Studio and the co-director of this unique space with integrated childcare.  https://www.motherhousestudios.com/ I hope you enjoy learning more about this special model of work and care, and hearing from the artist parents who use the space.    Mother of All Solutions podcast is hosted and produced by Laura Broderick, with music by Ros Fraser.  Thank you for listening x @SolutionsMother        

In this episode: Pub Quiz 1 Beaujolais Nouveau Day European jaunts Pub Royalty at the Shirker's Rest Shirker's to Hamlet Express Some live appearances Pub & Beer News Crisp News Drug News Other News Pub Quiz 2 World Cup wittering Readers' Letters Soc Med Scene (which is street slang for "Social Media Scene"

This week Emily and Ray went for a walk in Catford with Fern Brady. They chatted about her childhood in Scotland, growing up with undiagnosed Autism and why comedy is the perfect career for her. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Any interested in bringing the spiritual and the secular together must first be able to say what exactly the spiritual is. This is the task that Dallas Willard wants to help us with in The Divine Conspiracy's chapter three. But that's where James Catford and Michael Stewart Robb pick up the conversation and start looking around modern society for the spiritual. We talk about her majesty the queen, architecture, going to hell and even punk rock. As James once told Mike (and Mike won't let James forget), "We have to blur the divide between the sacred and the secular." BE INFORMED and PRAY for us better by signing up for the Sanctus newsletter: https://sanctus.institute

In this episode of the Who's He? Podcast..... Review - Temporal Log Book III: Changed Lives Phil reviews Temporal Log Book III: Changed Lives from Penciltip Publishing, a collection of Doctor Who short stories with all proceeds going to Settled, helping to home displaced EU citizens in the UK. The Jodie Whittaker Era Joining Phil for this discussion are old friends of the show, Radio Free Skaro's Steven Schapansky and Verity's Erika Ensign. During their discussion, they touch on subjects such as what did they think of the Jodie Whittaker era and did it live up to their expectations and why did fandom split itself apart on the casting news?  Whatever the discussion bought up, a fun time was had by all, especially as the conversation reminded Phil of Lenny Henry running around Catford shopping centre handing out doughnuts! Links: Settled website Buy Temporal Log Book III: Changed Lives Radio Free Skaro website Verity! website

Postcode paraphernalia – check! Neighbourhood nationalism – check! Commodified cities? All here. We are very excited to be joined by iconic sociologist Les Back as he reflects on his much beloved, but equally cursed, House of Catford bottle opener. When did we start wearing I Love *insert misc. borough* branded t-shirts? How do we tell the difference between grassroots projects, and the property developers that try to sell us profitable images of gentrified districts? Dan, Kasia and Les go on a journey through Slewisham, The Cronx, and Pecknarm to find out. For more info: follow us on twitter and instagram @CursedObjectsUK, email us at CursedObjectsPod@gmail.com, or join our Patreon: patreon.com/cursedobjects  Theme music and production: Mr Beatnick Artwork: Archie Bashford

Before the hip-hop collective known as D Block Europe would take over the “UK rap wave” scene with their unfiltered takes on the streets and some truly explicit sexual lyrics, Adam Nathaniel “Young Adz” Williams and Ricky Earl “Dirtbike LB” Banton would be born on July 29th, 1995 and October 30th, 1996 respectively. These two developed the kind of chemistry you can't fake by spending a good portion of their youth together, forging their friendship on the streets of South London. They first met at Catford's Sedgehill Academy and bonded over the fact that their older brothers knew one another. Neither one of them enjoyed their time in Sedgehill and both remember it being a rather inadequate educational institution that failed to prepare them for life in the real world. LB, in particular, feels like the school set them up for a life on the streets and that the teachers spent more time fighting with students than teaching them anything of merit. Of course, it also didn't help that their home life didn't offer much in the form of rules or structure either.

Velkommen til en prædiken fra København Vineyard. Tak fordi du lytter med. Dagens taler er Ben Catford fra København Vineyard. Du er altid velkommen til en af vores gudstjenester kl. 10.30 eller kl. 19.00. Eller kig forbi i løbet af ugen til en kop kaffe. Vi glæder os til at se dig. Guds fred.

As we conclude this series based out of the book Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund let's consider Jesus' actions at the last Supper in John 13. Jesus demonstrates not only his love but his gentleness and humility towards the disciples, he knows they will betray, deny and leave him, yet he washes their feet and breaks bread with them. He promises to love them to the end – that love will hold him to the cross, will hold us through life and even through death. That love will never end. Hilary Dalziel is one of the pastors at our Catford site.

In this episode I talk to Land-Based Pirate Radio legend and founder of Radio Jackie, Nick Catford, (or Michael Knight if you prefer). We chat about the early days, the raids, The Gotts court case, going 24 hours and the fall and rise of Radio Jackie.

Allison Parkinson is a Catford-based children's author and illustrator. She writes and illustrates picture books and chapter books.   Her stories take young readers on fun and educational adventures where they can encounter talking tigers and creepy clocks – and make friends with a time-travelling 10-year-old.   Allison's books celebrate diversity. By basing many of her characters and illustrations on her mixed-race daughters, she hopes to do her small bit to help more children see themselves in stories.   For more information about Allison and her books, visit: www.tigerseyebooks.co.uk www.tigerseyebooks.co.uk and https://allisonparkinson.co.uk/my-books/   https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonparkinson   ___________________________ Your Host Karen Roberts At Mintwave Radio Station and the 'Raising Vibrations' podcast network on Podbean, we provide a comprehensive range of services to coaches, consultants, therapists, healers, and experts who want to share their message with a wider audience. Our offerings include a complete podcast production service and an advanced AI-powered sales and marketing system that takes care of lead generation and nurturing for online course sales. We assist our clients in designing, creating, marketing, and selling their courses through various strategies such as educational funnels, podcast funnels, appointment funnels, sales pages, and membership areas. Our "Done 4 you" service encompasses editing podcasts, optimizing sound quality by removing filler words, crafting engaging show notes, producing intros and outros, creating podcast ads and snippets for social media marketing, and helping our clients achieve their first 50,000 downloads. If you're a coach who sells online courses and would like to learn How To Use AI To Build A List And Sell Your Coaching Program Fast......... >> https://karenrobertscoaching.com/ai  ATTN: Coaches, Consultants & Experts STUCK at 5-10k Months, How to Turn Your Podcast into a Sales Machine......... check out this free on demand class “Podcast Profits Unleashed” >>https://karenrobertscoaching.com/podcast-profits

Jesus' betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane presents a moment for us to stop and reflect on all the ways we, in our own lives, betray Jesus and go our own way like Judas. But in John's gospel we encounter the Lordship of Jesus in the garden, and His willingness to pay for our betrayal and sin so we can come back to the Father. The garden for Jesus was a place of wrestling, torment and prayer – but He emerges in power, ready to purchase our salvation. Jason is one of our Pastors based at our Catford site.

The Antioch church was a generous church committed to supporting Christians back in Judea facing famine. They responded to the prophetic word which described the need, they planned their giving, they gave in proportion to what they had, and they became a channel of Gods provision. As individuals and as a church how can we grow in generosity and faith? How can we trust in God to help us to fulfill our mission and be a resource to our community and other churches across the world. Hilary helps lead our Catford site.

Peter summarises how we who are ‘living stones' should live in the household of God, the church. He encourages us to pray, to love each other deeply, to be hospitable and to serve with God's strength. As we each bring our gifts, time and love to the table, God's grace in all its diversity and variety is displayed in the church. Hilary encourages us all to consider ways to serve God's people as we rebuild together. Hilary Dalziel is one of our Pastors who helps lead the Catford site.

Henry Normal reckons Spike Milligan changed his life, in particular with his 1973 poetry collection, Small Dreams of a Scorpion. Spike's other work - The Goons, the books about the war (Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall and Rommel? Gunner Who?) these were important, but it was the poetry that really made Henry Normal think again. Spike was born Terence Alan Milligan in India in 1918. His family moved to Catford in south east London in 1931. "It was the first time in life I was deprived of everything in vision ... except the sky," he says. There's a lot of Spike in this episode. "I think I'm a good comedy writer - I think I'm the best." He died in February 2002. His gravestone in Winchelsea - which Henry Normal has visited - reads 'Duirt me leat go raibh me breoite' which is Gaelic for I told you I was ill. Henry Normal was born in Nottingham, published his first book of poetry aged 19, and co-wrote The Mrs Merton Show and the first series of The Royle Family before setting up Baby Cow with Steve Coogan. The company's productions include Gavin and Stacey, Alan Partridge and the Mighty Boosh. The presenter is Matthew Parris. The producer for BBC Audio in Bristol is Miles Warde

Our final Podcast episode of 2021 features three magazines linked by name to celebratory foods. Its origins lie in a planned live event; with Covid rearing its head again we converted the idea into a podcast. First up, art director Holly Catford talks to Jeremy Leslie via Zoom from Bristol about the many deadlines she faces as the year ends, and in particular Cheese magazine. Issue two of the ‘Magazine of Culture' hits shops just in time for Christmas—we hear about Holly's working processes as well as her editor's holiday cheese advice. We then meet Osman Bari, the man behind delightful risographed magazine Chutney. Danielle Mustarde talks to him over a hot chocolate at a busy local café, and hears about the origins of his magazine, which uses the idea of Chutney as a structural device to share ideas of culture and identity. Then it's back to Shop, where Jeremy talks to Noble Rot editor/co-founder Dan Keeling about his magazine and its place in a business that now includes two successful London restaurants and a new wine shop. The magazine — now on its 27th issue — set an alternative approach to wine coverage that Dan and business partner Mark Andrew have cleverly transferred to hospitality. Thanks as always to our friends at Park Communications for their continued support of the Podcast. FInd them online at www.parkcom.co.uk

Author and columnist Lucy Mangan (AKA ‘Boogaloo') and her IT-whizz little sister Emily Thomas (AKA ‘Minefrog') are very, very different. Brought up in Catford by their indomitable "displaced Northerner" mother and their introverted father (nicknamed 'The Potato'), Emily remembers their mother making Lucy's bed with her still in it, nose stuck in a book. Lucy recalls Emily never sitting still, and always embarking on projects and adventures. In this episode they talk about making friends, being introverted or extroverted, getting one over on your sister – and the complex and numerous Mangan House Rules. Lucy's terrific new book 'Are We Having Fun Yet?' is out now. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The stories of Zechariah and Elizabeth and the Wise Men are about people who waited in hope, who moved, who journeyed in hope. The message of Christmas is that God has shown His love for us by sending Jesus. His coming brings hope to the world. Hilary Dalziel is one of our Pastors who helps lead our Catford site.

It's almost the end of round one and your hosts are delving deeeeep into some Pavement classics in this episode with another eight tunes up for discussion. Elsewhere, the gang discusses the geography of their home towns, playing guitar in Latin and the ultimate destruction of both the UK and the USA so just normal stuff, really. Follow us on Twitter: @ConundrumPod

Nehemiah chapter nine comprises of a heartfelt prayer of confession from the children of Israel as they recount the goodness of God over many generations, and face the facts of their sin and rebellion. What was true then, and is still true now, is that God remains faithful and is full of forgiveness, mercy and grace. Jason Shields is one our Pastors, based at our Catford site.

Welcome to Small Business Snippets, the podcast from SmallBusiness.co.uk. Today's guest is Keith Abel, founder of Abel & Cole and chairman of Freddie's Flowers. We discuss the how he got the idea for Abel & Cole and what advice he has for entrepreneurs. This episode was brought to you in partnership with UPS. You can also visit smallbusiness.co.uk for more on starting your own business.  Remember to like us on Facebook @SmallBusinessExperts and follow us on Twitter @smallbusinessuk, all lower case. Don't forget to check out the video version of this episode and subscribe over on our YouTube channel! Keith Abel podcast transcript Hello. My name is Tim Adler and I am the editor of SmallBusiness.co.uk. On today's Small Business Snippets podcast, we're talking to Keith Abel, chairman of Freddie's Flowers and founder of Abel & Cole, the organic door-to-door vegetable box delivery business that became a phenomenon in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He's going to be talking about how he began the business, literally as a one-man band, how it grew and the lessons he learned along the way and the advice that he would have for small business owners. Keith, I know that for you this is a long story. Where did the idea for Abel & Cole come from? Keith: So back in the days of Margaret Thatcher and the miners' strike, I was at Leeds University and I went on a trip with a couple of people who you know, to Africa. And we missed our flight back and we had to get another one. So, I had to borrow some money. And that basically was my term's grant cheque. So, I went up to Leeds with no money during the miners' strike. I got a job selling potatoes door-to-door. I had sold fire extinguishers from the age of 16 and I was taught how to be a good door-to-door salesman. So, I went to see this guy who's building up potato rounds, a bit like milk rounds. I said to him, ‘I'm the best salesman you've ever employed'. He went, ‘Right, lad. I know someone who can sell 85 bags of potatoes in a day. How many can you sell?' I said I'll sell 100. He said, ‘You're done. Get 100, I'll give you £50. You get 99, I'll give you nowt. You up for it?' I said, ‘Yep, definitely.' It was 10 o'clock at night, I was out there. I'm very glad that I could sell a hundred bags and I get £50 – £13 rent, 50p a pint and fags were just 50p a packet. For a whole term, I lived on my Saturday job selling potatoes door-to-door. I left Leeds went to law school, passed my exams. I went to bar school. I fell in love, unrequited, concentrating a little bit too much on that and not enough on the exams. Failed my exams. Furious father. Kind of kicked me out and I thought, OK, those days, no minimum wage. I got £3.50 an hour price tagging Christmas cards in the basement of Selfridges. I couldn't face it, so I thought ‘Sod it, no one's doing this in London.' So I got together with my mate, Paul Cole, who was at uni with me. I nicked £2,000 off my brother because he'd been traveling for a year and he had that much left over in traveller's cheques. He was in IT. He was quite wealthy and had traveller's cheques. I forged his signature to cash them. I gave him a share in the business. I bought a ton of potatoes, a batch of plastic bags, a little clipping machine and a van for £300. And I rented the basement at someone's house in Catford. And that day, Paul and I bagged up 150 bags of potatoes and sold them. Of course, by the end of Monday, we hadn't just sold £150 of potatoes at a mark-up of two times. We built up a potato round. So, the next Monday, Paul went to deliver the potatoes to the previous lot, I went and set up round two. By Christmas we had we had four vans on the road, each costing £300, so they were reliable. When we moved to organic, I remember thinking, ‘What should we charge for them?' If no one's asking, why don't we charge it at a price where we know we'd actually make some money? We were never making any money. We were living on £70 a week. So we whacked the prices up a bit. But customers really liked them talked about when we started writing about organic farming, they're Soil Association certified. Soil Association was gathering some momentum. Suddenly, you know, Mr. And Mrs. Middle Class of Wandsworth say, ‘Any chance to some other vegetables? So, I turned around to the organic farmer said, ‘How would you feel about throwing a few vegetables in a box?' I think, actually, he suggested it to me. And I went, ‘It's great idea. How much do we charge for it – £8?' We called it the Essential Organic Veg Box. What stage had the business got to when you thought, ‘If we're going to really grow, we need to bring in external investment'? Keith: We didn't – this was the exceptional thing about this business. I'll explain to you why. We just started with our £2000. I got loans – my sister loaned me some money, my dad loaned me some money, but it was little small loans. What we discovered in about 2003, when the business was turning over about £1.5m, if we put out a leaflet, it was a multi-coloured leaflet. And it said ‘truly fresh organic produce straight from the grower to your table' with an 0800 number underneath it. If we put 1000 of those out through letter boxes in broadly speaking better off areas, we would get three customers. And those three customers would have bought from us three times before we had to pay for the printing or the Royal Mail to distribute it. That was the equivalent of finding a fruit machine that you only had to put the money in after you'd had your winnings. When we discovered that, we decided to experiment small, and we put out 6m leaflets. We trebled in size in six months. Basically, we had negative cash flow – we didn't need cash to grow, it was the opposite. As we grew, the cash just piled up. We could buy a lot of our vans with cash, we bought our warehouse with cash, we were generating vast amounts of cash. As we got big, we were paying the Post Office later, the printers later. All the money was just pouring in. It was a brilliant business. We never took a penny of external investment. We built sales up to 35m and it had been unbelievably hard work. What kind of hours had you been working at the start? Keith: Right at the start, we would get to the market at three o'clock in the morning. We get back to the warehouse at 5:30am. We packed spuds until 8am, then we go out and have a big breakfast. We'd be door knocking and collecting money until 6pm and we get home at 7:30pm. We were doing that for months. I mean, it was really, really exhausting. You know, I was always getting into the warehouse for 6:30am to open up with Paul, it was it was very, very, very long hours and it was very stressful. A lot of the time we didn't know what we were doing. But we were just tenacious. You know, we were hustlers. We just kept going, whatever happened, and we kept going. What do you think the most important quality of an entrepreneur is? Keith: I've discussed this with loads of friends who run successful businesses. We're all in complete agreement: the number one thing is tenacity. If you've got a wall that you've got to get around, some people go to the right and they can't find a way around it to the right. Some people go to the left and they can't find a way around it. In fact, they find that it goes circular, this wall, and they try to climb over it. It's got barbed wire on the top and they can't get through it and a lot of people just go, ‘Okay, that's it. There's a wall, I'm stuck.' But the entrepreneur tries to dig underneath it, and then he realises he can't quite dig underneath it. So he blows it up. And it's that sort of, ‘Well, I don't care, I'm going to find a way to do this.' that I think it's the difference between people who survive, and it is about surviving. And those that don't. There have been lots of times where you just sort of thought, ‘Okay, that's it, we're done.' I've always said no, I've always been prepared to ring up the supplier and say, ‘Can you give me another month?' In fact, one supplier when we were bust, and the Inland Revenue put the house up for sale and we were completely against the wall. I just said, ‘I'm not going to pay you. But I'm going to keep trading and I will pay you back eventually.' Was this pre-equity? Keith: oh yeah, way before that. So, there was a cash flow problem. Keith: Absolutely. That was because we weren't being detailed enough with our accounting. So that's the second tip: know your numbers. Have a good bookkeeper or accountant, giving you month-end figures every month. Otherwise you're flying blind. So, there you are, along comes Mr. Private Equity. Yeah, I can take this all off your hands, and you can walk off into the sunset with your Jacuzzi and your Porsche. Happy days. What happened? Keith: In those days, that was called a leveraged buyout. Very simply, what they do is they come up to you, and they say, ‘Can we buy your house?' And you go, ‘Yeah', and they say, ‘Right, Mr. Bank, will you lend me the money to buy that house?' And they go, ‘Yeah, sure. But if you don't pay the interest back, then we're going to take over the business.' They did a lot of leverage, they put in £20m worth of debt. Obviously, you don't get all the money on day one, you get promise notes for the future. Then they take over running it, and they run it their way, not your way. But surely you were integral to the business. Keith: No, I brought in a team underneath me. So, they were the management buyout team. And they were inexperienced – didn't know how to deal with the investors. And it quite quickly unravelled. Lloyds Bank said, ‘Right, give me the keys, we'll take over the business.' This was in 2008, when they were doing that to a lot of businesses in the financial crisis. And they needed people to run them. I got a phone call one day when I was out skiing. You know, I was turning up once a month to board meetings, thinking they were all buffoons and carrying on with my life. The chap from Lloyds said, ‘Would you meet me for breakfast?' And I said, ‘Look, I don't think I'm going anywhere near that business. But I'll certainly have breakfast with you.' I was expecting him to say, you know, you give me half the money back and then you can have the whole business. I was thinking I'm not going to do that, they run it into the ground. But he just gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. He said, ‘I'll give you 40 per cent of the business for nothing, and I'll reduce the debt', which was at £28m to £10m. It was a no-brainer. So, you go back in. How long did it take you to turn the business around? Keith: 18 months. Best part of my life. Sales had gone back from £35m to £27m. In 18 months, with no investment, we took them from £27m to £45m. How did you do that? Keith: We were pretty brutal. We did a massive cost-cutting exercise. We had a marketing team of about 20 people in it. Or, as far as I was concerned, they were a non-marketing team because sales were going backwards. We just got rid of all of them. It was much easier just everybody went. We got rid of layers of middle management. We printed one leaflet – remember I told you that leaflet worked? – they stopped leafleting so I printed a leaflet. It had one of the corniest straplines I've ever come up with. I'm so proud of it. Awesome campaign. It said ‘Abel & Cole have turned over a new leaf' because our reputation had gone downhill. The boxes were crap. We put all the savings from all these employees into the boxes and made sure they were the best. We spoke to the growers and said, ‘Look, you don't want us to go bust. We need deals. I know you've never charged me less than 50p for cauliflower. I need it for 40p, and I promise you, I'll be buying from you next year. He charged me 55p. We went around and did deals with everyone we could. We put together, I can honestly say, the best organic vegetable box that has ever been delivered. We also did this massive boxing campaign, again paid for six weeks hence. It was due to go and be delivered on a Tuesday, it was our final throw of the dice. If it worked, happy days. If it didn't work, we were going to go bust. But at least if we were going to go bust, I said to everyone, that it would be with a bloody good product that we were proud of. We've given it our best shot and we were taking over a really knackered business. Phones rang off the hook. Customers got a fabulous product. We let that go for about three months, then we did quite a significant price rise, because the customers were happy and we needed to make some money. So, prices went up, sales carried on climbing through the ceiling, we went from losing money to making £4.5m a year in 18 months. When you were there, during your second phase, you employed a young guy called Freddie Garland. Keith: That's right. When I left the business, and was having my time out, temps still running it. He rang me up and said, ‘Keith, you know, my parents were florists and I'd quite like to do what you did with veg boxes but with flowers'. I remember I immediately thought that is a brilliant idea. He said, ‘How do I get started?' And I said, ‘Well, you're going to need a van. Why not have a bit of fun and get a milk float? You're going to need to move back in with your parents because you're going to be broke for a couple of years. You need to buy a tent where you can turn it into a warehouse. I'll lend you some money and we'll give it a go. And if it works, I might invest in it. I'll help you, you know, because that's how I started.' So, dear old Freddie is very hardworking. We worked out he needed about £10,000. I wrote to some lawyers and asked what they would charge for this agreement. They said £10,000 pounds plus VAT. We ended up doing the agreement, with Freddy sending me an email saying, ‘Dear Keith, Thanks for lending me £10,000, I'll try and pay you back.' There was no investment agreement because there wasn't an investment. I was just saying, ‘You're a nice young lad. I think this is a great idea. I bet it will work.' Two months later, he was doing about 75-80 deliveries a day. Again, up at four in the morning, packing the flowers in the sitting room, going out on the milk float, bashing on doors in the evening, getting more customers, bringing a couple of friends in. What was the timeline here? When are we talking? Keith: That was September 2014. We've just had our seventh anniversary. It was between September, October and November. Yeah, Freddie marked down every door he knocked on, what the response was, how many customers he got, how often they wanted to order and when they stopped ordering. Ted and I went and put that into a great big model that we use for our subscription business before and worked out roughly how much money we think we needed to build the business up. The arrangement we came to was that I would put the money in, largely by loan note, Ted would put the time in and Freddie would do all of the work. That was in April of that year, we put the money in – April 2015. And off we went. For the first year, we didn't even have a website. Slowly, we built a website and got going. So, the business is growing and growing and growing and everything's going well. And then Covid hits. If you've got a door to door business… Keith: Yep. We thought, well, you know, what should we do, we're going to go bust or we're going to double down. We'd just started digital marketing. At the beginning of Covid, every other company in the planet just went and stopped marketing. So marketing digitally became very cheap. We thought, ‘Okay, we're currently spending X amount of money per week on our face-to-face team. We don't have to spend money on them. We'll spend all of that money on digital marketing.' In a period of six weeks, the business went from run rate sales of around about 20m to 44m in six weeks. What are run rates? Keith: The weekly sales multiplied by 52. We basically doubled in size in six weeks. What were you trying to do through the social media marketing? Was it brand awareness, was it sales? Keith: No, it was very much customer acquisition. It was, ‘Sign up today and get your first two boxes at half price' or it was, ‘Sign up today and we'll send you a free vase'. Do you think that what social media is good for sign ups? Keith: I think that when you're small and you're hustling, you've got to really focus on methods of acquiring customers where you can measure the payback in the lifetime value, the return on investment. It's only when you're much bigger, and you've got bigger investment (which is where we're at now) that you can start really spending the significant budgets that are needed to build brand awareness. You've said elsewhere that another thing you realise that it's only when you really start paying the social media companies the big money, the algorithm starts getting behind you. Keith: Yeah, that is the case. But if you're clever, if you use the right influencers, if you hustle. If you if you've got a small budget, you've got to hustle a bit. If social media is too expensive, you've got to find other ways of getting your message out there. Okay, so, we've moved now we're moving away from the pandemic. In July, you had a $60m vote of confidence in Freddie's Flowers through this new investment. What do you want to do with that money? Keith: It's interesting, we're really blessed. We've got a fantastic new investor, they're not a PE fund. They're not a fund. They are entrepreneurs, the money's from entrepreneurial families, and they call themselves The Craftory, because they're a factory of crafters, people with specific skills. What they're doing is they're teaching us the skills that we don't have and they're explaining to me where they feel, it's entirely up to us, but where they feel that money should be invested. The strategy really is a few-fold it is to make sure that we've got the best people in the most senior positions where we have weaknesses. We had a capability study. We know we're very capable there and we need more capability there. And the particular area we need it is brand and brand building, so we are looking to recruit some senior people who've done that before, in what's called CPG (consumer packaged goods) and a significant amount of budget over the next few years will be built in the different geographies, is just building brand awareness. The other way we're investing in is geographic expansion. We're in Germany, we're about to open a big warehouse in Germany, in southern Germany, doing on distribution on electric bikes. Then in November, we're going to launch in Los Angeles. I mean, it's interesting, you're saying that one of the things that you're aware of is weaknesses in the team. I think even at a micro-level or small business level, something I've noticed, is that entrepreneurs, when they're looking to recruit, they recruit people looking in their own image. And that seems to be such a mistake – it's exactly what you don't want to do. Keith: There's a great thing called Myers-Briggs, or Belbin is another one. Let me put it simply, I think the easiest way to describe a successful business is like a rugby team. Much more than a football team, because in a rugby team, the prop forward is a totally different shape to the guy on the wing. He's got a totally different script, a different set of skills. If you're a prop forward in your business and you go and recruit another prop forward because you like him and you're both big beer drinkers and that's what you do and you've got the same sense of humour. You're the same type, you're just never going to get anywhere. My blessing at Abel & Cole was recruiting a woman called Ella Hicks. I was in my late 30s. She was in her early 20s. She was a she and I was he. She had all the skills about being detailed, about following things through, about taking notes furiously. I had all the madness of firing out 50 ideas a minute. She would know which ones to capture and which ones we would do. At the same point, she may say, ‘No, I'm not going to do that.' So those are the two big skills that any business needs to have to start off with. Looking back when – you're still in the middle of your career – do you have a personal business philosophy? Or a piece of advice that somebody told you that you think, ‘Yeah, that's true.' Keith: Very early on, when things weren't going well, and I was thoroughly depressed, and all my friends were being frightfully successful in their careers and I was absolutely broke. I got advised by a man who explained to me that my unhappiness was spreading to everyone else in the business was toxic. That I was a nice guy, and people liked working with me, but I needed to basically cheer up. I needed to look after how they were feeling. If everyone was in a good mood, then they do brilliantly. For the last 30 years that I've been doing business – and I've not always got it right, but I always take it very seriously – is how to make sure it's a great place to work. A great place to work is making sure that the team all know what's going on within the business, that they sign up to it, that they enjoy, that people are promoted internally, that people feel that it's a fair place to work, where they're treated with respect, that they're looked after, they know what's going on. They know what the next steps are. That happy environment or culture, as it's called, really makes a difference. You know this – when a new restaurant opens up, if it's got a stress-y owner, and a stressed-out checkout girl, who doesn't know quite what she's doing, you just think, ‘Oh God, this is a nightmare.' If it's got some fantastic flamboyant smiley person and the food's 20 minutes late and it's their opening night, you want to go back there, don't you? And I think that's what it's like for a small business. Thanks to Keith for joining us today. Remember, you can always follow us @smallbusinessuk on Twitter or at @SmallBusinessExperts on Facebook, and we'll see you next time.

People of the internet be aware, Catford town has talent. On this week’s DredgeLand Podcast Spectacular, we’ve invited (upon request) some of the most talented acts from the Catford area … Continue reading "The DredgeLand Wandsworth Radio Catford Talent Special LIVE! (29th November 2018)"

Let the fuzz ducks be unfurled once more as we present a seriously weird show, filled full of a galaxy of stars from all over Catford. David Lynch returns to read the weather forecast despite a landmark court ruling, and there's radiophonic stomachs a-plenty from both far and wide, and in that order. To be fair though, the gasman appears to be present and correct, but all is not as it seems. Or is it? Biscuits!