‘Help! My House is Falling Down’

Well, it looks like Access Self Storage in Woolwich will become a famous landmark with Sarah Beeny’s ‘Help! My House is Falling Down’ for Channel 4 being filmed for the 14th July show!

This is the second series of the popular primetime show which sees Sarah Beeny and her team of experts rescue families who have serious problems with their properties. Access plays a part in this particular show when all the family belongings are moved in to safe storage whilst the house is being treated.
Make sure you tune into see the cast and crew huffing and puffing their way through the move in to storage!

Enjoy!

Ronnie Corbett’s Tour of British Comedy comes to Access Self Storage in Battersea

Access Self Storage played host to two of Britain’s best loved and most iconic comedians this week at its Battersea branch. Heavyweight comedian Ronnie Corbett was interviewing Harry Hill for his new show, Ronnie Corbett’s Tour of British Comedy.


Both Ronnie and Harry visited the branch on 7th June where Harry has had a unit for some time. The filming actually took place in the unit itself which is filled to the brim with his stage and comedy props...many of which you’ll have already seen on TV!

The programme, fronted by Corbett, is a new short ITV1 series covering the history of British comedy. The documentaries will feature some of the country’s top comics – as well as 80-year-old Corbett musing on his own long career – plus our very own Battersea store. We don’t know the transmission date yet but we’ll keep you posted!

The Battersea team had a great day with the crew and we can’t wait to see the final, and no doubt hilarious, cut.

What another fantastic day on tour! First stop Access Self Storage in Twickenham where we visited the lovely playroom on the Starlight ward at West Middlesex Hospital!  

With bunny and store manager Stuart Hillman in tow, the hero team met some lovely children who were more than keen to leap all over the bunny and receive some lovely presents from him.  

We were also treated to a tour of the entire children’s ward by head matron so were able to see how much the children on the ward will appreciate the donated toys. It’s really means a lot to us to see their little faces light up!

 

Next stop....Access Self Storage in Mitcham where we picked up store manager, Carlos Sousa then on to St Helier Hospital where we met communications officer- Claire Proudlock who took us to the main playroom to meet little Mark who had to stay on the ward for two weeks.   

He was very excited to see the Easter bunny and said he thought he was “very cool”. After lots of handshakes and photos, we then met a little girl who had been doing head stands on the trampoline and managed to break her arm! It didn’t seem to faze her though and after a lot of persuading, her and mum had their photo taken with bunny!





Another successful day. Last stop Manchester where we’ll be meeting the Children’s Farm Trust with the Messenger Group who have been following our appeal for the last few weeks.




Watch this space!”

Gap Year Travel Planning

With one in five young people currently unemployed and the spiralling cost of university putting many people off higher education it is little wonder that gap years are growing in popularity. Follow these tips for gap year travel planning.

Research published in August 2010 found that gap year travel insurance policies were eight times more popular last year than they were in 2009. While a gap year is undoubtedly a life changing opportunity to get out and travel the world, planning for a gap year can be challenging.

Research published in 2008 shows that the average gap year costs over £4,000.

But if you plan on taking an extended gap year out of the country you will not want to keep paying rent on your property – that would just be a waste of money. Many homeowners taking a gap year also look to rent out their home when they are away – this way they can get the mortgage covered without needing to work.

If you are thinking of heading off on a gap year, follow these tips on how best to plan.

Gap Year Travel Planning Tips 

• Shopping around for products like travel insurance before you go. Look online for the best bargains.

• Use Prepaid Cards – these are good for easy spending and budgeting while you are away. They are safer than carrying large amounts of cash on you, too.
  
• Claim a tax refund – If you have been working before you go on a gap year you may be entitled to a tax refund – find out more from HM Revenue and Customs. 
• Choose a high interest savings account or even a Cash ISA savings account to save in before you go away. 
• Before you go, get together anything you no longer want or need and have a car boot sale or make use of websites like eBay. 
• Consider your storage options - if you don’t have anywhere to leave your belongings while you are away, affordable self storage for gap years are one of the most affordable ways to save money while ensuring that you can come back to find all your stuff exactly as you left it.

Are Small Businesses Being Hit By Unfair Energy Bills?

New figures show that small businesses are being unfairly overcharged for their gas and electricity consumption. With all businesses struggling and utility costs rising do you think action is needed to protect small businesses from shock bills?

Last year Consumer Direct claim that their helpline received 1,848 complaints from micro-businesses who were lumped with unexpected bills after their energy charges were underestimated.

With average businesses spending up to £10,350 a year on gas and electricity, mistakes can quickly add up, resulting in companies being hit with back-dated bills for thousands of pounds.

Audrey Gallacher, Head of Energy at Consumer Focus, said that small businesses need all the help they can get in these difficult times if they are to help drive the economic growth we need.

“Getting a bill for thousands of pounds out of the blue is a nightmare scenario for any small business, especially in these difficult times,” he says.

“With suppliers able to go back six years, supplier mistakes can add up to big debts that could potentially cripple some firms.”

Energy back billing of companies is a very contentious issue, which differs quite considerably to the domestic energy market where companies can only back bill for one year.

David Caro, Federation of Small Businesses Environment and Energy Policy Chairman believes that despite small businesses using energy in much the same way as a domestic user, they do not have the same protection.

“There is a need for a radical shake-up of the practice of estimated billing, especially when the energy suppliers are in the wrong,” he says.

“A large unexpected energy bill, particularly in these difficult trading times, can be as serious as the last nail in the coffin for a small firm, which is then forced out of business through no fault of its own.”

Energy consumption and billing can have a detrimental effect to your business and it’s profitability – have you had a dispute with your energy supplier in recent years? Have you been unfairly ‘back billed?’

Moving House Tips

Moving house can be stressful, particularly if you have a lot of stuff. But if you plan ahead it is possible to minimise any potential problems you may encounter. Follow these house moving tips to save money and time when moving.

Did you know that in 2006 Britain spent £28 billion moving house? While many of these costs came from home repairs in preparation for a sale, estate agents fees, legal fees and stamp duty, a considerable sum also came from the actual cost of moving too – typically removal charges and any storage requirements that are often necessary when moving home.

While it was all too easy to swallow the extra costs associated with moving house during the heady days of the pre-credit crunch thanks to a booming property market, today, anyone moving house is looking to save money wherever possible.

If you are moving house – be it into a newly purchased property or into the ever expanding private rented sector, follow these top tips for a successful home move.

Plan Ahead: Before you move make sure that you write down key dates and events as a visual reminder of what needs to be done by when. Another good bit of advice is to declutter your home before the move, too. Clean out the garage, loft and spare bedroom – if you’ve not used something for 5 years, do you really need to move house with it?

Let Everyone Know: You and your family will be well aware that you are moving house, but remember to let everyone else know too. That may mean a quick Facebook email to all your friends, but you will also need to let utility companies, insurers, banks and the DVLA know too. You’ll also need to update records with doctors, dentists, schools (if you have kids) and anyone else that you can think of.

Storage Boxes: A few weeks in advance of your move you could buy some moving house boxes and begin packing away non essential items such as books, toys, clothes you won’t need and anything else that you can live without for a few weeks. If you have something that you can live without for while and you’d like it out of the way during the busy house move – for example a piano or an antique piece of furniture – a good idea is to put it into storage until you are settled in your new property. This way you can avoid any potential damage to your precious piece of furniture during the move.

Get Your Friends Involved: You can save a considerable amount of money by opting to move yourself, instead of using a removal company. You can hire a van for a day or weekend fairly cheaply and with a few willing friends, (preferably those who can lift heavy items!) you can move at a fraction of the cost of hiring the professionals – you even get a free work out, too. 

Do Businesses in Southampton Need More Apprenticeships?

Official figures show that youth unemployment has now risen to 1 million people. The government is doing much to encourage apprenticeships once more, but do businesses in Southampton need them?

Three decades ago apprenticeships were all the rage, training up a generation of people for work with relevant practical training in important industries such as construction, engineering, electronics and manufacturing.

In more recent years vocational style training has been replaced with more of a focus on academic study, something many businesses – not just along the south coast – but across the UK, have complained about when it comes to finding qualified employees.

Local Winchester MP Steve Brine is an advocate of promoting apprenticeships. He told the Southampton Daily Echo in April that he believed British manufacturing would be one of the main stimulus points for economic recovery and that in order to succeed it was important to “intensify our efforts to re-establish apprenticeships as the primary form of practical training.”

Plans are not only place to offer Apprenticeship Schemes in traditional industries, but also in expanding industry sectors such as IT and more creative industries.

The Apprentices for Business program claims that 80% of those employers who employ apprentices agree they make their workplace more productive.

Taking on an apprentice may even help boost sales for your company, too, as 81% of consumers favour using a company which takes on apprentices.

So, the question remains: would you take on an apprentice for your business in Southampton and do you think apprenticeship schemes are a good way forward in general for the economy?

Easter Bunny visits Hammersmith and Kings Cross

Another busy day with the hero team today! First stop – Access Self Storage in Hammersmith! After a visit to the store to pick up store assistant Nic Tolchard, the Easter bunny directed the team to Hammersmith Hospital where we visited the children outpatients ward and met little Amelia Reeve who was just about to have a blood test. She was being so brave but wanted to meet the Easter bunny to distract herself so we turned up with lots of presents and let Amelia choose her favourite! The Hammersmith Chronicle have quoted our very own Kevin Pratt in the piece out next week!

On to Access Self Storage in King’s Cross where the staff took us to a large unit FULL of toys! Bags and bags of collectables and brand new MP3 players and cuddly toys had been donated by the public! The hero team couldn’t even fit everything in the car so had to courier the ones left. An amazing result for The Royal Free Hospital where we met with Martin Spencer, press officer. Martin took us to the children’s playroom where little Bobby Moore (not THE Bobby Moore!) wanted his picture taken for the local paper (Islington and Camden Gazette).

The hospital photographer was also on hand to take some snaps for their website.

All in all, a fantastic day!

Next stop- Twickenham and Mitcham!”

Easter Bunny visits Stevenage

Another fantastic day on the Easter tour! Today we visited the Lister Hospital in Stevenage where we met with the head matron and had a lovely tour of the children’s ward.  We met some real characters and had great fun helping the Easter bunny give out his Easter treats.

  

A lot of the teenagers on the ward wanted chocolate so we managed to give out a large number of choccie eggs!

 

We were also joined by the lovely Louise Yexley from The Best Of Hitchin, Kerry Ahmani-Ferdi, Access Regional Manager and Lisa-Marie Penrose, Access CSA and the hero team all made the front news of the Stevenage Advertiser as well as The Comet Series out next week! Who said the Easter Bunny wasn’t headline news?!”

Easter Bunny visits Portsmouth and Southampton

What a fantastic day we had on Friday! The sun was shining and after zooming down the motorway to Access Self Storage in Portsmouth, we arrived at the store to stock up on donated gifts before visiting the Willows Nursery where the children flocked around the Easter Bunny asking him questions and playing with his shades. Even the Easter bunny needs to chill out in the sun!

From Willows Nursery to Portsmouth Hospital where Portsmouth Live TV and The Portsmouth Journal were waiting for the hero team to turn up.

Armed with cuddly bunnies and a giant bear, the Easter Bunny took to the ward spreading his Easter sprit to all the poorly children. Even our very own Access Marketing Manager, Kevin Pratt was interviewed for TV!!

On to Southampton where we visited the Community Toy Library before we went to see the children on the ward at Southampton Hospital!

The smiles on all the children’s faces said it all....


Watch this space for our journey to Stevenage!

Easter Appeal starts off at Access Self Storage in Reading

On the first day of the Easter tour, the hero team hooked up with the Easter bunny on the M4 and set off to Access Self Storage in Reading!

The team turned up to discover that the public had outdone themselves and there were boxes and boxes of amazing presents donated to Reading Family Aid! Brand new cuddly toys, games, colouring books and clothes had been kindly given by the residents of Reading and we can’t thank them enough!

The Best of Reading and Reading Chronicle were there to document the visit and just because he likes to boast, the Easter bunny showed off his overly hair legs to the camera men! The store manager was interviewed and staff photographed. What a fantastic day!

Watch this space for the follow up piece in the Reading Chronicle and join us on the next leg of our journey on Friday 8th April when we’ll be visiting Portsmouth and Southampton. Pray for sunshine!!

Access Self Storage Easter Charity Activity update

“After a few members of the “hero team” went undercover yesterday at the King’s Cross store, we are delighted to announce that the PR machine is churning away nicely and after a pre-appeal piece in the Islington and Camden Gazette last week, hundreds and hundreds of toys have been donated! So much so that the store have had to move the drop off point to a large unit!

Larissa Clark from Islington (featured above) says “What a fantastic charity appeal. The Royal Free Hospital is close to my heart and I am so happy to be able to donate these toys to the children on the ward”

After a successful PR week with pre-appeal features in the Reading Chronicle, Southern Daily Echo, Hammersmith and Fulham Chronicle, Islington and Camden Gazette, The Best Of Richmond and The Portsmouth News, let’s hope that the Easter Bunny will be collecting hundreds of toys from each of the ten locations!”

Access Self Storage Easter Charity Activity

This Easter, Access Self Storage are opening their hearts once more and travelling the UK with the Easter bunny!


Over five days, the Access hero team and bunny will be visiting over ten charities and hospitals with Easter baskets full of donated toys and gifts!

Throughout March, special drop off points have been allocated in ten stores including Reading, Manchester, Twickenham, Portsmouth, Southampton, Fulham, Hammersmith, Stevenage, King’s Cross and Mitcham and the local papers and even TV (wow!) have been helping us let the public know where they can donate their unopened or unused gifts.


The Easter tour starts 5th April so follow us on our journey here on the blog!

Access Self Storage Sponsors 10th Annual Ball Ring Event

On Saturday February 12 Access Self Storage in Selly Oak, sponsored the 10th Annual Ball Ring Event at the University of Birmingham. The event was organised by the Purple Mermaid Circus Society and was attended by a large crowd of students.


It was an exciting day with Juggling, Unicycling, Stilt-walking, Poi, Balloon-modelling, magic, Diablo, Devil-stick and Fire-stuff. All the Access team joined in with the days antics, Jason Jones (sales manager) picked up the juggling balls and impressed everyone with his skills. Terri Anne (Store Supervisor) tried to master the fine art of Poi (she still has the bruises!).

We had a small stand, t-shirts were given away and over 200 Access canvas bags were taken by attendees to hold their juggling equipment (and our marketing literature!)





Terri Anne says "this was a great event which helped raise the brand profile of Access Self Storage amongst the local student population in Birmingham. Many enquires were received for Access stores in Birmingham, Manchester and Northampton. A fun time was had by all and we all learnt and new trick or two".

Purple Mermaid Circus society

On Saturday the 12th of February Access Self Storage in Selly Oak, Birmingham is sponsoring the Universities annual Ballring Event.


The Ballring takes place at the University Of Birmingham Guild Of Students between 10.30am and 8.30pm, and has been organised by the Purple Mermaid Circus Society.

The Ballring is an annual circus convention and is aimed at everyone from Professional performer types to "I've never touched a juggling ball before!

During the day there will be workshops where you can try something new or improve an existing skill. There is also a session of circus games in the late afternoon.

After a break, there is the renegade show, where anyone can show off a new skill for prizes, followed by raffle prizes and a professional show.

You're welcome to join us, we'd love to see you there!