‘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?