a day in the life... series Archives

January 14, 2018

A day in the life of… #4 Aimee Belmore at the Saddleworth Independent

A day in the life of… continues with a new guest!

Following on from my third ‘A day in the life of…’ from Gemma Cooke, I am now pleased to share with you another local story from the Saddleworth Tameside area. Apologies for not keeping these posts as frequent as I should but it has been non stop!

Aimee has one of those ‘wow’ jobs that I am sure everyone wants to know about so I am going to let her get on and tell you!

A day in the life of… #4 Aimee Belmore at the Saddleworth Independent

So, tell my followers, what do you do?

I am Editor in Chief of Local Communications Limited, running four community newspapers.

What does your typical day look like?

We have a team based in our office from 9am-5pm so I work from there. I do interviews and take pictures for articles, meeting a variety of people in businesses, schools and the community so I can write about their successes and achievements. I also co-ordinate my team of writers, sales staff and designers and organise the content and layouts for each of our papers, as well as updating our websites with stories and pictures.

What is your favourite part of your job?

I love going out and meeting interesting people on a daily basis who have done a huge variety of wonderful things. From young children who are showing off what they have done at school to a 100-year-old celebrating her birthday, it is lovely to get to the heart and soul of the community I live in.

What are you most proud of in your job?

We produce newspapers that are well-loved and widely read by the community, and we have become an important and recognized voice for sharing community news, views and issues.

What or who inspires you?

We have an energetic and enthusiastic team who are eager to provide the best paper they can for the community, and they continue to inspire us with their achievements, campaigns, and successes which deserve to be recognised.

What piece of advice would you give to your future self?

Always work hard but enjoy what you do as well!

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

My iphone, Haribo and my cat.

What is your favourite photo of all time?

This is my favourite photo – it is me and my husband outside the church at our wedding in Greenfield in June 2016. Lots of happy memories but also – you can’t tell but just literally out of shot is a load of scaffolding around the church which our photographer was really careful to avoid getting in!

To keep up to date with all things in Saddleworth, visit Saddleworth Independent for more information.

Did Your #bestnine2017 Photos Have The Same Problem as Mine?

I’ve purposeful held back from posting this for the first few days of 2018. Assuming you have been swamped by stories of how to save money, lose weight, write goals, sleep more, give up alcohol and then some, it all just becomes wallpaper, right? If you don’t start bang on New Years Day, is it even worth doing?? I beg to differ.

Peeking into the lives of others on New Years Eve was addictive

Floods of social media feeds were filled with #bestnine2017 grids on the last day of the year. Peeking into the highlights of other people became addictive as I marveled in seeing nine squares of joy, happiness and love. Weddings, new borns, holidays, significant milestones, the lot! As an authentic family photographer from Saddleworth, Oldham, there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing photos illustrate the finest stories of a person’s year. However, it struck me how most grids created by females, on the whole, had one type of photo missing. Photos of themselves. Just them. No one else; just them.

Last year, I blogged about my Mum Story. I talked about how I want to empower Mums to take personal responsibility for realising the benefits of being in more photos with their children on a continuous basis. It bugs me that most Mum’s don’t get in enough photos and I am still on a mission to stop this for the sake of our children. And it shouldn’t be up to the Dads either, don’t get me started!

It was definitely telling me something!

There seemed a definite connection to this too. Unintentionally my grid was the same! Ashamedly, four years to the date, I’ve taken a photograph of my families life every day yet individual photos of me, whether selfies or not, rarely appear. And that’s coming from a photographer! Consequently, I’m always too busy taking photos of others to focus on me.

2018 is going to be my year!

Needless to say, this is going to be a focus for 2018. Why? Purely because I deserve to have a few half decent photos of me. Just me being me rather than mother, wife, sister, daughter or friend. Photos that I can look back on and think “yes, that small slice of my chaotic world is reserved just for me”. Whether it be a moment of tranquility once the kids go to bed, or a rare time reserved without the kids (like the below!) then bring it on I say!

Going public commits action

Sharing a goal publicly will spur me on. Committing to just 18 authentic photos of me being me, all on my own will give me the opportunity, if I wish, to produce two #bestnine2018 grids just of me! Simply put, it’s just one photo every 20 days. Realistically it’s going to be a bit more fluid than that but it’s achievable when it’s broken down isn’t it? Time consuming it won’t be, easy and focused it will. I can’t wait to get started!

Care to join me?

Inspiration is part of my DNA (after all it was my first born, Joseph, who inspired me to set up my own business, Inspired By Joseph Photography) so if you would like to get involved use #my18in18 on Facebook or Instagram. I’ll be your cheerleader cheering you on as we travel this journey together. Come on ladies (and gents!), do this one small and achievable thing for you this year…

Get involved and share your commitment via my Facebook or Instagram page.

Other blog posts you might find useful:

6 tips for the perfect selfie this Christmas

The blog post which brought me to tears!

8 reasons I love photography

June 26, 2017

A day in the life of… #3 Gemma Cooke from Business Gem

A day in the life of… continues with a new guest!

Following on from my second ‘A day in the life of…’ from Rachael from Moorland Holistic, I am now pleased to share with you another local story from the Saddleworth Tameside area. Gemma Cooke from Business Gem is a Virtual Assistant and a fab one at that, I’m talking from experience!! Gemma is a fantastic asset to Inspired By Joseph and is like my magic fairy! There are certain things that I just know if I pass them to Gemma, she can work her magic in a way I just can’t! I cannot recommend her enough.

#3 A day in the life of Gemma Cooke, Virtual Asisstant, Business Gem

So, tell my followers, what do you do?

I am a Virtual Assistant with a HR background. You may wonder what a Virtual Assistant (or VA) is, well, VA’s are similar to an office assistant, administrator or PA with the main difference being that with today’s technology, VA’s work remotely from their own office and often have multiple clients. I offer a range of administrative and HR services on a retainer or one off basis and a couple of the great benefits to my clients are that they are not responsible for employee benefits as I am self-employed, plus they only pay for the work I carry out which is useful for when workload has peaks and troughs. I am there to take administrative burden from my clients supporting them to grow their business.

What does your typical day look like?

In a nutshell, no two days are the same in terms of the work I do. I try to have some kind of routine to my day as I balance my work with being with my 2 children age 3 and 11 months. I tend to get up earlier than the children (luckily, they are both relatively good sleepers!), and get myself prepped for the day – check and prioritise work, action anything urgent and have a quick look at my twitter feed.

Then, I get the children up and ready and do an activity with them, whether its playgroup, feeding the ducks, painting or playing football in the back garden. After lunch, its nap time for the children and that’s when I grab a coffee and start work for my second stint of the day. I could be doing anything from writing a job description, document preparation, audio or copy typing, website coding or email, calendar and workload management. I love the fact that I offer such a variety of services and I can be so productive with my time.

After nap time, it’s more child friendly activities with a spot of housework because 2 small children can certainly make a mess! Then family dinner, bath and bed for the children and if I have any work to finish, now is the time.

What is your favourite part of your job?

Providing the support to assist my clients in growing their own businesses. When I take a new client, I take time to understand their needs and their ethos and I manage their work and standards as if their business was my own. I am often used as a sounding board for decisions and I have picked up many new skills and knowledge working with clients from a variety of industries.

On a personal level, I love the fact that the hours are so flexible so I can spend time watching my children grow and thrive, plus I have the work life balance that I want. Don’t get me wrong, it’s hard work and my days can be long, but it is worth it to be able to spend the time with my children which I wouldn’t have been able to do in employment.

What are you most proud of in your job?

I am always proud when my clients achieve, because I believe that I have played a part in that happening, even if just a small part, I still helped. I’m also proud of actually taking the huge step to go self-employed with this idea I had whilst pregnant with my first born. Having always been in employment, financially, it was a scary decision to make, but with hard work, passion and determination, I made it work!

What or who inspires you?

I have many things which influence and inspire me for different reasons. My children inspire me because I want to be able to show them that whatever they want out of life, with hard work, they can make it work. My husband inspires me to be strong during difficult times. In the world of business, Baroness Karren Brady inspires me in her role in a hugely male dominated industry.

What piece of advice would you give to your future self?

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

Easy, and I’m glad its 3! My husband, my son and my daughter.

What is your favourite photo of all time?

This is so hard because I have thousands of amazing photos of my family and it is so hard to choose just one, so I have gone for something that makes me smile every time I look at it….

This photo is of Parque Monumento Nacional Bariay in Cuba. The reason why this photo is so special is that it was taken during the trip that I married my husband, plus the photo itself is of where Christopher Columbus first landed in Cuba in 1492. This photo is displayed on a wall at home and brings back such lovely memories every time I look at it. The place and the country are absolutely stunning (my photography skills do not do it justice) with fantastic, caring people. It was an amazing trip which I will never forget.

a day in the life of Gemma Cooke

For more information from Gemma, please visit her website or you can follow her on Twitter.

My new series. A day in the life of… #2 Rachael Smith from Moorland Holistic, Saddleworth, Tameside

Introducing my new series, A day in the life of…

Following on from my first ‘A day in the life of…’ from Debbie at Confidence Culture, I am now pleased to share with you another local story from Saddleworth Tameside.

#2 A day in the life of Rachael Smith from Moorland Holistic, Saddleworth Tameside

Racheael runs a business called Moorland Holistic. Before I had children, I used to have the odd massage but since I’ve had children I have tried to make appointments with Rachael as one of my regular treats. Ultimately, one of the few things that I can do just for myself! As a busy mum, I rarely get a minutes peace let alone a minute to think and relax so having this time to focus on me does the world of good. I particularly found these sessions very useful after giving birth so I can highly recommend it! If like me, when you have a massage, you really want to feel the pressure and come away feeling like it has made a difference I can highly recommend Rachael, she is just fabulous! Read more about Rachael’s story below…..

So, tell my followers, what is Moorland Holistic

Moorland Holistic is a complementary therapy practice located in Diggle, Saddleworth. We provide treatments such as Advanced Deep Tissue/Swedish massage, Advanced Aromatherapy, Advanced Reflexology, Hot Stone Massage, Hopi Ear Candling and Indian Head Massage. We work with a range of different people who can be either struggling with muscular tension, aches/pains, complex conditions, stress, depression or people who are in need to some relaxation and pampering!

I began practicing complementary therapy in 2008 then opened a home-based treatment room in Greenfield. As the business and client base expanded, I needed bigger premises and more practitioners. I have been located on Sam Road in Diggle for two and half years now which has really taken off and grown into a busy Holistic therapy practice.

That’s good to hear! What does a day at Moorland Holistic look like?

It’s very difficult to say as every day is different but first things first.. Kettle on! On an average day I can have anything from 6-9 clients with various different treatment durations from 30 minutes to 2 hour appointments.

What is your favourite part of your job?

The relaxing nature of providing therapies.

What are you most proud of in your job?

The difference the treatments make to a client’s well-being whether this is releasing some muscle tension and easing their discomfort or providing the hour of relaxation and stress relief they just needed that particular week.

What or who inspires you?

My parents.

What piece of advice would you give to your future self?

No amount of knowledge is too much, just keep going.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?

Ray Mears book on survival, a pillow and a saw.

What is your favourite photo of all time?

This is a campsite I go to at least once a year in Cornwall.. I have gone here from the age of about 2 years old with my family where we all stayed in a touring caravan. Me and my partner now take our own caravan and we meet them down there so this picture reminds me of all the wonderful family holidays I have had!

For more information from Rachael, please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/moorlandholistic

http://www.moorlandholistic.co.uk/

Leave me a comment below if you are a user of any of the businesses featured as I would love to hear from you.