by Martin Thomas | Mar 22, 2020 | Afternoon Tea, Bawtry, Beauty, beauty Therapy, Bracebridge Heath, Coronavirus, COVID19, Doddington Hall, Food, Gainsborough, Garden Centres, Gardening, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, lincolnshire Business, Lincs Connect, LincsConnect, Pennell's Garden Centre, Petwood Hotel, Scunthorpe, Take Away, Takeaway, The Small Beer Ltd, two Hotel, Waxing
Lincolnshire Businesses Fight Back
It can’t have escaped your attention that since the Corona Virus outbreak businesses and communities have adapted at an amazing rate. Closures of our friendly and much loved businesses have meant local (and national) bosses have had to seriously ‘up their game’ in order to carry on trading. We have enjoyed the comforts and luxuries of fine dining, takeaway dining, drinking at home, drinking in the local pubs, visiting and socialising with friends and family, theatre, cinema….. I could take up the whole blog just listing the things we have been enjoying that have come to an abrupt halt over the last few days. Finances are obviously a big concern so making swift decisions to recoup potential future losses has been a priority for many.
Takeaway Or Takeaway…?
Being used to having so much choice it’s inevitable that the sudden closure of our local businesses has come as quite a shock. Finances aside, it’s been heartening to see local hotels step up to the mark to carry on providing a service for us. In Woodhall Spa the beautiful Petwood Hotel (the home of so much Lincolnshire and National history) has turned it’s hand to providing take away (or order and collect) ‘Petwood Afternoon Tea’ as well as their special ‘Petwood Basics Box’ – I haven’t had chance to sample the latter yet but I’m sure it’ll be a very special treat. It’s certainly not going to be your traditional idea of a fast food takeaway that’s for sure. Perhaps that’ll be the subject of a separate blog all of its own.
Home of so much local and national history, a beautiful building and delightful gardens it’s hardly surprising that Managing Director Emma Brealey and her fabulous team would ‘step up to the mark’ and produce something special to keep their loyal customers and friends happy. If you haven’t visited yet I highly recommend you make it a special treat sometime later this year when the Corona Virus ordeal has relented. Here’s a little reminder of what you might experience:
Possibly one of the countries most photographed hotels. the Petwood Hotel is certainly outstanding. Give them a call on 01526 352 411 to book your next stay
Beautiful Borders
Lincs Connect doesn’t ‘just’ cover Lincolnshire. We have lots of local businesses on our borders serving people from our county and one such business is Bare Waxing on Bawtry Road in Hatfield Woodhouse. Just down the road from Scunthorpe and not too far from Gainsborough this beauty salon is run by Nichola. Initially starting as a small beauty therapy business I have seen Nichola build it up with increasing members of staff and now a second salon in Doncaster too. Obviously offering a waxing service but also including fake tans, nails, massages and all the usual beauty services. Having known Nichola for some time I can personally recommend her and her team.
Bare Waxing in Hatfield Woodhouse is certainly worth a visit if you’re in the Scunthorpe area. You can contact Nichola on tel:01302846873
Fancy A Tipple?
Drinking in the bars, restaurants and hotels of the County aren’t an option at the moment but if you fancy a drink you could visit one of our many breweries for a takeaway beer or perhaps pay a visit to Small Beer Ltd in Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln, Don’t be fooled by their name, ‘Small’ Beer isn’t actually a small shop, it’s more of a very successful going concern that has been around for over 40 years. selling bottled beers and ciders through to cask ales as well as soft drinks and spirits. In fact, they’ve got quite a range and I’m looking forward to paying a visit very soon. Just to make life easier, you can order online or even through their own App. Life doesn’t get much easier!
Small Beer Ltd are open to the public and can be found on Churchill Business Park, Sleaford Road, Bracebridge Heath or why not give them a ring on 01522 540 431
How Does Your Garden Grow…With Free Delivery
As many of us will be spending more time at home it makes perfect sense that Pennell’s Garden Centres in Lincoln, Cleethorpes and Sleaford should be offering free delivery of plants, shrubs and equipment. As I write this I can see that the sun is shining outside and I can hear the sounds of lawn mowers and scarifiers. Spring is here and while we have an enforced period at home what better way to responding your time than catching up with the gardening and preparing it for (hopefully) a glorious Summer. Why not give the team a call to discuss your early Spring purchases
Pennell’s Garden Centres are located in Lincoln, Cleethorpes and Sleaford. If you would like to contact them for your Spring purchases just click pn this picture to see their website
On The subject of Free Delivery…
Did you know that the Doddington Hall Farm Shop is now offering free delivery and they use an electric car to do it too! I’m sure everyone in Lincoln must be aware of Doddington Hall with its lovely walks, fantastic building and fabulous cafe and shops. Sadly the cafe is closed at the moment but the Farm shop is still in full swing offering free local delivery for up to 10 miles and a very small charge for journeys up to 25 miles. Perhaps, as a farm shop where they produce much of their own produce I should schedule another dedicated blog to cover it and some of the other wonderful farm shops that we have in the County. For those of us who are regular frequenters of Doddington Hall, we’ll know exactly how good it is. If you haven’t tried their produce, you’ll just have to take my word for it. You can visit the Doddington Hall website simply by clicking on the picture below:
Just A Sample
Obviously there is much more going on in our lovely County so this is just a very small snapshot. If you would like me to do a full blog on your business why not get in touch? You can tweet me of course @LincsConnect or drop me an email at martin@lincsconnect.co.uk I’ll be more than happy to help promote your local business or charity. Talking of which, have you seen my ever expanding blog which highlights the good things people are doing during the CoronaVirus pandemic? If you know of any good deeds happening around the county that need a mention please do get in touch.
Contact me if you would like your business or charity adding to this blog
That’s all I have time for at the moment but there will be more blogs and updates coming very soon.
Stay safe everyone. Keep your distance and keep your hands clean
by Martin Thomas | Mar 20, 2020 | books, Caistor, Charity, Children, Coronavirus, COVID19, Food, Grantham, Grimsby, Hashtags, Lincolnshire, lincolnshire Business, Lincs Connect, Lincs Police, LincsConnect, LincsPolice, Networking, police, Schools, Scunthorpe, Stamford, Take Away, Takeaway
Support And Help From Around The County
The aim of this blog is to highlight some of the fantastic support that is being offered by local businesses, charities and individuals. To access more information including contact information please click/tap on the logo/pictures below:
Lincoln Area
Washingborough Academy are providing hot meals for the elderly in isolation in the Washingborough area during the coronavirus pandemic. Please let your elderly neighbours know about this project. Click on the picture for contact details.
Bracebridge Heath, Lincoln. Your community needs volunteers NOW. Can you help your local community? Contact Andy by clicking on the picture to find the contact form
Lincoln. Browns Pie Shop are delivering to your home or work 7 days a week from 12.00pm-8.30pm within 10 miles of the shop
Lincoln. The Salted Orange are offering a ‘not for profit’ meal delivery service for the over 65s. £20.00 weekly for three meals a day delivered to your door twice weekly
Lincoln Veg Out Lincoln provide a delivery service for their frozen vegan meals. Click the picture to go to their website or follow them on twitter @vegoutlincoln
Lincolnshire Grow Your Own Veg – skip the supermarket queue by growing your own veg from seed. Not sure how? Click on the picture to go to the website for more info or follow @strawbaleukman on Twitter. There is even a book to download too. No Soil Needed….
ONLINE. Dance classes for all age groups online. Why not join your children and have some fun? It’ll keep you fit too!
Lincoln, Norton Hub are providing a volunteer led local help scheme to those in isolation
Lincoln Small Beer is open to the public for beer, cider, wine, soft drinks, spirits, cask ale & kegs. Call them on 01522 540431 or click the picture to visit the website.
Lincoln The Golden Eagle is providing home deliveries too
Lincoln. School closure interim provision. To book call 01522 283027
Lincoln – BetterWeb Space is offering FREE basic websites during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Lincoln & Lincolnshire – Octagon Technology has produced a blog for remote workers. A useful blog about VoIP and how you can use it while working from home. Click on the picture to visit the blog post
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire. “Self-isolation can be difficult for even the most resilient of us. If you’re experiencing loneliness or feeling low, call the emotional support helpline 0800 001 4331. Open 24/7 for confidential support”
Lincolnshire & Beyond. Call Connect Bus are still working to help our community stay mobile and now providing FREE transport too. Call 03452343344 for info
Lincolnshire. Lincs Libraries may have the answer to self-isolation boredom with their ‘download and listen’ service. It’s FREE with your library card
Lincolnshire Co-Op have announced at 12.00pm 22 Mar that they have reviewed their opening times and are advertising jobs for Customer Service Assistants and Delivery Drivers. The new store opening times will be 7.00am – 8.00pm with restrictions of two units on all products. Click the logo to go to their web page.
East Lindsey Lincs Digital partnered with TED East Lindsey are here to help with digital connections. If you know someone who needs help connecting with Skype or FaceTime visit their website for more info. Simply click the image to go to the website.
Lincolnshire This is a useful blog by @CCDigitalUK which explains how to market your Hand Made Products for sale on Etsy. An ideal opportunity to use some time at home to brush up on some marketing skills. Click on the picture to go to the blog post
Lincolnshire Live are promoting Lincolnshire businesses for free on 2 April 20. Click on the picture to follow the link
Gelston FREE delivery on packs of lamb meat. For more info click on the picture to follow @GelstonLamb on twitter
Gelston Lamb – Free delivery (for orders over £35.00) within 10 miles or 15 miles for orders over £70.00. Fresh lamb delivered to the Grantham, Sleaford, Ruskington, Heckington and surrounding villages. Order yours no by calling 01400 251501
Charity/Community Help
Lincoln – Bracebridge Heath, Can YOU volunteer to help your local community in Bracebridge Heath? Please contact Andy ASAP by clicking the picture to go to the website. THE COMMUNITY NEEDS YOU
West Lindsey Business Rate Application Form. West Lindsey still have money available and believe there are still businesses that have not claimed
South Holland, Spalding. South Holland are providing additional support for those in the area who are struggling financially as a result of the Coronavirus. Click on the picture to find the Linc. Also contactable on Twitter @SHollandDC
Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN) @lincsruralhelp provides help and support to Lincolnshire farmers and their families. Cal 0800 138 1710 or click on the picture to open the link
Lincoln Washingborough Academy are providing hot meals for the elderly in isolation in the Washingborough area during the coronavirus pandemic. Please let your elderly neighbours know about this project. Click on the picture for contact details.
Louth. Are you struggling to feed yourself or your family? Two hearty meals delivered to your door each day could help you. Call 01507 602930
Spalding Covid Kindness Team. Contact the team for help with delivery of food, essentials & medications
North East Lincolnshire Single Point of Access (open 24/7) for your health, wellbeing, social care and mental health needs. Call 01472 256256 or click on the image to visit the website.
Lincoln. If you’re looking for volunteers please contact VCS Lincoln who will help promote your opportunities. Click on the picture to visit their website
Lincoln Community Larder (food bank) are in constant need of food and supplies. Can you donate something please? Click on the picture to visit their website and locate a drop off point near you
Lincolnshire Age UK East are continuing to provide telephone advice and support to older people in the East and West Lindsey areas as well as in North Lincolnshire. Click on the picture to visit the website
Lincoln/south Lincolnshire Can YOU help please? Age UK need extra volunteers NOW. You can find them on Twitter @ageuklsl or alternatively click on this picture to go to their website
Lincolnshire Community Health Services NEED YOUR HELP. @LincsNHS are offering paid work and flexible hours in return for your help NOW. email grace.gourley@nhs.net or call 07824 550 846
Boston, Grantham & Lincoln are looking for temporary staff to support catering and domestic work. Go to Twitter @ULHT_News or click on this picture to go to the website for more info
Lincolnshire County Council have regular video updates so please click this link for service updates and click on the picture for the regular live updates.
Lincoln If you need help with food, food deliveries or can lend a hand visit Lincoln Food Partnership
Rutland To find out what help is available in the Rutland and South Lincolnshire area visit the Rutland council website by clicking on the picture
Uffington For assistance in Uffington and the local area please contact Rev’d Fr Aran P Beesley by phone 07590 055905 or email aran.beesley@gmail.com
UK. If you haven’t visited this .Gov website yet, DO IT NOW. Click on the picture to go to the website
UK. If you haven’t visited this .NHS website yet, DO IT NOW. You can go to the website by clicking on the picture
Lincolnshire. Can you volunteer? Click on the picture to go to the website
Lincolnshire Police request that you click on this picture to take you to the link for help and advice both nationally and locally for Coronavirus issues
Lincolnshire Police request that you do NOT contact them for Coronavirus related advice. There are other, more well equipped agencies available with information for you. Only call 101 for police related matters. Click on the picture to go to the website for info
East Lindsey Fortnightly activity packs for the over 50s. If you know anyone over 50 in the area who is isolated or alone please let them know about the services on offer. Click on the picture to reach the link
#NHS From 1 Aril @NHSLincsWest @NHSLincsEast @NHS_SouthLincs @SWLincs_NHS will all come under the umbrella account of @NHSLincsCCG
Lincolnshire FionaDuncan @OrigArtPrints is offering 20 (first come, first served) FREE cards for those of you who would like to send a message to friends/family/colleagues in the NHS. Just quote #Free2NHS to take advantage of these printed cards. All you will be asked to pay is the postage. You can also find Fiona on facebook
Click on the picture to find the link to Fiona on Facebook
Ease Lindsey DC now have £62m to support small business grants. Click on the picture to open the link
NHS Coronavirus checker. Please complete this short survey for the NHS by clicking on this picture.
#LincsConnectJobs
Lincolnshire Food industry Jobs. Many jobs are available within the food industry sector NOW. Click on the picture to follow the link or follow @GreaterLincsLEP on twitter
Martin Lewis Money Matters
Martin Lewis the Money Saving Expert explains what’s available
Martin Lewis – Update for the Self Employed 24/3/20
Martin Lewis update for the Self Employed 27 Mar 20
Alford
Aby (Near Alford) Saturday evening wood fired oven pizza to take away (5.00pm-7.30pm). Call 01507 451366 before 4.00pm. ZERO CONTACT collection system of course. Days/times may change according to government regulations
Boston
Boston Market will continue as planned but will sell food only. Please respect Social Distancing when you visit and give a friendly smile to the stall holders
Cleethorpes & Grimsby
Cleethorpes. Toven’s Cafe offering food deliveries. Call 01472 488590 or click on the picture to visit the website.
Cleethorpes. Spill The Beans are offering a FREE delivery service to Cleethorpes & Grimsby areas. Call 01472 601392 or click the picture to go to their website
Cleethorpes. Veronica’s Larder is offering a takeaway service. Call 01472 823875 or click on the picture to visit the website
Grimsby Age UK North East Lincs are offering a meal delivery service. Call 01472 344976 or click on the picture to go to the website
Gainsborough
Gainsborough The Gainsborough market will continue until further notice supplying food items. Please obey the social distancing rules.
Grantham
Grantham. The Lunchbox delivers food around Grantham to keep your hunger at bay. Give them a call today
Grantham Gelston Lamb provide mail order fresh lamb direct from the farm. To place your order visit them on Twitter @GelstonLamb or on Facebook Gelston Lamb. You can order by phone too on 01400 251 501
Grantham The Grantham market will continue until further notice supplying food items. Please obey the social distancing rules.
Louth
Louth Award winning Meridian Meats don’t just supply top quality meat! Currently baking extra bread too in order to help feed the town. Pop in but keep a social distance for the safety of everyone
Louth. Are you struggling to feed yourself or your family? Two hearty meals delivered to your door each day could help you. Call 01507 602930
Louth Market is still open for food sales during the Coronavirus crisis. Please respect the Safe Distance rule
Market Rasen
Market Rasen Cote Hill Cheese are now providing a MAIL ORDER service for their cheese so now is the time to replenish your stock. You can give them a call on 01673 828 481, find them on Twitter @CoteHillCheese and on Facebook Cote Hill Cheese. Click on the picture to go straight to their website
Spalding
Spalding. Is your computer in need of repair? TCS are offering FREE pickup while we go through the process of self-isolation
Spalding Covid Kindness Team. Contact the team for help with delivery of food, essentials & medications
Spilsby
Hundleby (Spilsby) The Elm Tree are now providing take away afternoon tea for just £10.00. Call them to book your treat on 01790 753534 or click on this image to go to their website
Sleaford
Gelston Lamb – Free delivery (for orders over £35.00) within 10 miles or 15 miles for orders over £70.00. Fresh lamb delivered to the Grantham, Sleaford, Ruskington, Heckington and surrounding villages. Order yours no by calling 01400 251501
Stamford & Rutland
Stamford. Central Cafe Stamford are providing a delivery service for those who can’t get out due to self isolation. Minimum spend £10.00
Stamford. Contact the growing network of coordinated volunteers who are ready to help wherever possible. Find them on Twitter @OurStamford or click on the picture to go straight to their website.
Stamford The Stamford Cheese and Wine Cellar is open for business and is also providing mail order deliveries. Click on the picture to go to their website.
Stamford The Copper Room is providing a home delivery service for your bar until 11.00pm. Click on the picture to go their website and follow them on twitter @CopperStamford
Rutland For updates on what’s available in the Rutland area please click on the picture to go to the Rutland council website
There’s More…
This list is by no means complete so rather than producing more and more blogs with contacts lists this one will be updated regularly. Please save this URL to your favourites on whatever device you are using. More headings will be added to make searching the blog easier. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell your friends about this blog. It’s here for us all and it’s not for profit. Spread the word and stay safe
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by Martin Thomas | Mar 17, 2020 | Charity, Coronavirus, COVID19, Lincolnshire, lincolnshire Business, Lincs Connect, Networking, Uncategorized
Have We Become Numb? – Ring Any Bells?
I often channel hop when listening to my car radio between clients and recently I happened upon a programme on the BBC World Service. The general gist of the programme revolved around the psychology of giving to charity. Obviously all charities rely on us for donations and fund raising events but the programme got me thinking; Have we become numb to the pleading of charities? I know that many of you will give regularly to your chosen charity, some of you may volunteer while others might be supporting the charities by shopping in the charity shops or taking part in the many events that are held each year.
Who Or What Is To Blame?
Have we become numb to the fundraising calls of the local charities? Are we becoming numb to their pleading without even realising it? Perhaps you may recall the horrendous pictures on our TV screens of the ‘flies in their eyes’ images of starving children in African countries who were too weak to even blink. This is going to sound dreadful I know but perhaps those images have lost their impact now.
Charity adverts have evolved and may now include images of children in school wishing they could get a better education to have a better chance of fending for themselves in future years. The programme considered both images and the psychological impact of each. Both images raise funds for the charities but neither image is more effective than the other. Rather, some people are pre-disposed to giving to one image over the other with the net result being ‘both images work’.
Have We Become Numb?
These are just examples of course as there are a huge number of charities working in different ways to raise funds in order to help people and animals. How would it work though if there was just one charity in the world? Would that charity cease to exist as a result of its own success? Perhaps, but that’s just hypothetical of course because the reality is that there are thousands upon thousands of charities around the world.
In fact, these charities make so much ‘noise’ that perhaps we are losing touch with what they are trying to do. By ‘noise’ I mean TV advertising, radio advertising, newspaper advertising and of course the huge bombardment that we get on social media. That’s a “huge bombardment” of ‘everything’ and not just from the charities. Are we in danger of suffering from information overload and therefore switching off from the issues that really matter to us?
Lincolnshire Charities
We have lots of different charities in our region but we should all be thankful that they exist. We have the Lincoln YMCA @YMCALincs who look out for and care for many vulnerable people. They truly deserve our attention as they help to get people off the streets, into accommodation and give them a new start in life. If you haven’t heard of Leonie’s battle yet you need to give her a follow on twitter @chillibean2018 and follow her journey as she undergoes surgery and intensive physiotherapy to help her walk after having ben born Quad Cerebral Palsy.
Such a brave little girl and a dedicated Mum who is constantly fund raising in order to pay for her life changing surgery. At the other end of the age scale you’ll find @AgeUKLindsey who are an independent charity offering advice and support for the over 50s. I wonder if we all realise how lucky we are to have such a huge number of heroes in our County who spend valuable time looking after others?
What’s next?
Surely a blog of this sort in March 2020 can’t go out without mentioning Coronavirus (COVID-19). This dreadful virus has touched everyone here. A global pandemic which is having a huge local impact. On a personal note I have cancelled group exercise classes and in my role at LincsConnect I’m seeing first hand how worried people are becoming.
This pandemic isn’t just affecting health (although that is a huge worry) but the disruption it is causing is having a massive negative impact on businesses both large and small. I’ve seen a huge increase in businesses and charities posting to the #LincsConnect hashtag in order to get their messages around the County. Some are offering support, some are informing us of changes while others are asking for help. What can be done?
You’re Not Alone
Those of you who know me on twitter as @MANDARINLEISURE will no doubt remember that I post a positive and (hopefully) uplifting post each morning along with an excerpt from a song. I wake each morning (that’s always a good start)! with a tune in my head. It happens every day and I have no control over which song it will be. That’s my ‘ear worm’ so, being a friendly sort of chap, I have to share it. Well why should I have to suffer alone? It’s become a daily ritual now and I know that people from around the world are looking out for it and joining in with the fun. Here’s an example for you. Let’s see if you can guess the song:
Thinking of all the charitable work that’s going on around the county perhaps ‘now’ is the time to be thinking about how we can help each other. @LincsConnect has nearly 11,000 ‘local’ followers. If each one of them visited the hashtag #LincsConnect a couple of times a day to see who they could support we would all benefit hugely.
It’s all very well posting your message (on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter) using the hashtag #LincsConnect to tell people what you are doing, what you need or how you can help but it won’t do you any good at all if no one is bothering to look at the hashtag to see what or who they can support. I’m sorry if that sounds abrupt but the truth is, we are in deep trouble and we need to pull together to get through this problem safely.
I’m No Expert But…
I’m not an economist. I’m not a high flying business executive. I’m not an ace charity worker. I am just ‘me’ but I can see how we can start to help each other. I’m not talking about getting bread and milk for those who are in isolation. That has already been broadcast across social media (I’ll post my version of the form for you to print and utilise) and is certainly going to help many people. What I’m talking about is using and looking at the #LincsConnect hashtag to see who is in need. Trust me, when you help others you’re more likely to have that help reciprocated when you need it most.
STOP!
Perhaps if those companies who only post their own messages and never look to see how they can help others changed their habits during this period of uncertainty we could start to achieve more. There is an old saying: “What goes around, comes around”. NOW is the time to be supportive of others, to be charitable, to look to see what can be done for others because together we can be absolutely AWESOME!
Take a look at this video to see how you can help on Twitter: How To Search #LincsConnect
For Those Of You Who Are Able
As promised, here is the form for you to print and utilise. Please use it wisely.
What Next?
I’ve heard people asking “What will life be like after the virus”? There will be no income and (according to some) no hope! My answer to that is this:
Life after the virus will carry on. There will be an income because we will carry on working. I have hope and that hope is based on my belief in you.
Todays blog was a little different but I think it’s an important one. What do you think?
by Martin Thomas | Mar 12, 2020 | Hashtags, IT, Lincolnshire, lincolnshire Business, Lincs Connect, Lincs Police, LincsConnect, LincsPolice, Mandarin Therapies, Passwords, police, Security, VPN, Website
How secure is secure? Information on your computer, smartphone or TV could be at risk. There is some fantastic support around to help and guide so read on to discover what I’ve found:
How secure Is Secure? – Suspicious emails
Having had a few comments on my blogs my suspicions were raised as I noted the addresses of the emails. It’s nice to think my posts have reached a large global audience .de (Germany) and .xyz (who knows where?) but beware! Don’t approve comments without first checking their credibility. How? I put the question out to social media and as a result I received an interesting tweet from Liam @ZaddleMarketing
Liam advised me not to click any links or email addresses in those suspicious comments, confirming my fears that these posts were SPAM. A good security plugin for my WordPress site will solve the problem. Thank you Liam for your sound advice.
There are lots of good people on social media who can be trusted of which Liam is one. It’s always best to ask the question of your contacts if ever you’re in doubt.
Thank You Kerrin
Thank you Kerrin @Kerrinwilson999 for your hospitality (and the lovely cake of course). It was lovely to meet you and I’m looking forward to extending the reach of LincsConnect to include regular posts by you and your team. Thankfully I have already had some security tips from some of your colleagues and that information has proved invaluable. Hopefully you’ll enjoy my short post here today and will have time to add a comment too.
Meetings always seem more productive with cake!
Getting It Right By Chance
I’ve heard that smart speakers listen to our conversations. It’s not uncommon for adverts to pop up on our social media platforms directly relating to a conversation the previous day. It’s extremely uncommon (I’m led to believe) that an iMac can be infected but if it’s going to happen to anyone, it’ll happen to me!
Technology and I don’t always gel I’m afraid. Having feared the worst following a rash of phishing emails (ransom emails sent to my inbox supposedly from my own address) it was time for action. The safest solution was to contact Lincolnshire Police Cyber Crime Unit who responded very quickly with a visit to my office.
A full inspection of my computer confirmed that the emails were really just phishing emails and should be deleted. A nagging feeling that something wasn’t right remained after several other incidents with my computer. As a result I contacted Apple who decided a full restore and section by section re-build was required. I’m happy now that my computer and details are safe once again. If you’re worried about your online safety and security don’t hesitate to contact a professional for help.
What If…?
What if it’s true that the smart devices can leak our information? A recent BBC Panorama programme about Amazon revealed that they knowingly and openly harvest and use our information. I don’t think the machines (or people) are listening to every conversation but when key words are detected the link is made with you and your devices.
Recent news reports highlighted that smart devices can be hacked and accessed remotely. The video doorbells, video baby monitors and even smart TVs and smart fridges are all susceptible to hackers. Accessing our personal data can be very upsetting and worrying of course so we need to protect ourselves.
Basic Protection
How secure is secure? If we can access any devices from our smartphone it’s a fair bet that the unscrupulous criminals can do the same. The smart fridge, smart monitor and smart TV come with factory settings and passwords. These settings can be found easily online so to prevent hacking make sure you change the passwords immediately.
Hacking your fridge isn’t too much of a problem of course but accessing your router from your fridge or your smart TV etc may be more sinister.
How Secure Is Secure? Passwords
The obvious and most basic form of self protection is strong passwords. Do change the passwords from factory settings to something that you can remember. Family, friends or pets names do not make good passwords. These names are likely to crop up on your social media pages at some point so can easily be guessed.
Random passwords are by far the best option. For the best security have different passwords for different logins. There are some very clever Apps around that can store your passwords for you but I’m sure you’ll have a system that works for you.
Privacy
You can secure your devices by making sure they are protected by a security password, facial recognition, finger print and VPN (I’ll cover VPN later).
It’s better to be safe than sorry! Keeping your personal information safe should be a high priority and simple precautions may be all you need.
If you have data stored on you mobile device make sure it’s protected with a security code and backed up regularly. Some devices can be deleted remotely; Check so see if you can do that with your own device and make sure you learn how to do it.
How Secure Is Secure? Two Factor Authenticaton
Added security comes with two factor authentication – that’s when you get an alert on your chosen device to tell you that someone is accessing your other devices. My iPhone will prompt me to confirm that I am who I say I am when I log onto my computer. As a result I have to type in a ‘one time’ code before the computer will let me in. It takes seconds and provides an extra level of security.
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How Secure Is Secure?
Change your passwords from factory settings to secure ones that aren’t easily guessed. Use a different password for every device. So you’re good to go….? Well, not quite! Your router may not be secure so if you’re not sure ask your provider to guide you through changing the factory set password.
You’re ‘almost’ there… You’re now safe in your own home but not when you’re out and about if you’re using public WiFi. How secure is that system? Your final piece of security is VPN.
VPN
What is VPN? This is the explanation from Wikipedia: “A virtual private network extends a private network across a public network, and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network.” You might want to look this one up for yourself.
A ‘belt and braces’ approach to security but if you have any private or confidential information on your devices do read a bit more about it. It is a ‘paid for’ service so you’ll need to be aware of that and you’ll also need to be aware that not all internet routers are capable of installing it. Once installed on your home router ‘all’ devices using that WiFi connection will be protected under the higher level of security. I have it installed and the one I chose covers six devices. I have it on my iPhone and iPad so that I know I’m secure whenever I log into a public WiFi system.
It’s Good To Share
All of this information comes from trusted people I’ve spoken to who have been kind enough to guide me. I’m not an expert but some of the things I’ve learned along the way and printed here will no doubt be useful to you. If you are able to share other tips that may be useful for other users feel free to add a comment and send a message on twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #LincsConnect
Helping each other is always good of course. If you need additional help contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or local IT specialist. If you’re worried about cyber security contact @lincspolice and ask about their Cyber Security courses. I’ve been on one and can highly recommend it. After all, these are the experts who really want to help you to prevent crime.
Back Soon
Thank you all for taking the time to read my ramblings. I’ll be back soon with more blogs of course but keep watching as they are about to evolve into something quite unique.
Stay safe
by Martin Thomas | Mar 9, 2020 | Chocolate, Food, Lincolnshire, lincolnshire Business, Lincs Connect, LincsConnect, Networking
Chocolate
Chocolate tasting in Lincolnshire with Katherine Laverack. Do I have your attention now? I suspect there aren’t many people who don’t like chocolate but apologies to those of you who don’t like it or can’t eat it. However, when we’re out shopping it seems very difficult to avoid it. So much so that we hardly even register in our mind that it’s there!
If you’re like me you’ll enjoy sitting down to watch something on TV and will quite possibly end up eating more of it than you really should. That is of course until you’re educated in the art of real chocolate eating…
Louth Chocolate Tasters
They say ‘ignorance is bliss’ and that may be true but once you’ve been educated there is no going back. I’m a chocolate lover so imagine my excitement when I was invited to join Kathryn @KathrynLincs for a chocolate tasting evening. The group meets in Louth for a chocolate tasting evening but other venues are available as well as online courses.
Let’s get to the important bit – ‘chocolate’. The meeting was held in The Brown Cow Louth at 7.30pm. It all sounds very formal doesn’t it? in reality it’s just a group of very friendly people with a common love of chocolate.
I had no idea what to expect but I took my seat and waited in quiet anticipation. Well, that’s not quite true. We were all getting into conversations with people around us and there was a very friendly buzz in the room.
Meet the members
If any of you have been to a wine tasting event I suspect you’ve a good idea how my chocolate tasting evening was going to go. We each had a couple of information sheets with details of the evenings chocolatiers as well as a separate page for making notes. You’ll see my note page below with my scribbled reminders on. It doesn’t look very pretty but then my hand writing never is!
Note taking for future reference and comparisons
As you can see from the heading on my note paper, the focus for the evening was Canadian chocolate. Perhaps I should elaborate; This was some of the finest Canadian chocolate and the selection certainly surpassed my expectations.
From Canada To Lincolnshire
Let the tasting begin
If you hadn’t already noticed from my notes above, would you have known that you’re actually meant to suck the chocolate in order to experience the full flavours? Being used to the standard Cadburys or ‘posh’ Belgian chocolates my instinct was to put the chocolate in my mouth, chew it and swallow. It’s a good job Kathryn was on hand to educate me in the finer art of chocolate tasting!
One Square Or Two?
Actually, a platter was handed around the table and we each took ‘half’ a square of chocolate to smell and taste. This may sound a little odd but the idea here is to taste the chocolate not gorge on it. We each made our own notes (in my case, ‘scribbles’) and discussed what we had found.
I’m sure my notes are very sparse compared to the regular club members. Following the discussion around the table I soon realised that I had not noticed some of the key flavours of each of the samples. Other members were detecting berries and other subtle flavours that I had missed but immediately recognised as soon as they were pointed out to me.
All of the samples on offer were dark chocolate and of varying percentages but it soon became apparent to me that not all dark chocolate is bitter. The Soma Arcana is 100% and not to my taste. I did get the flavours but it wasn’t a chocolate that I would buy. Well, we can’t please everyone all of the time can we?
I did have a favourite though and that was the Sirene Dark Milk Guatemala at 65%. It’s almost identical (to my amateur pallet) to the Sirene Chabil but smother and without the Cardamom. I did say ‘almost’ identical didn’t I? I’m sure the seasoned chocolate tasters will allow me my novice opinion.
The Debris
After nine samples of half a square each and one hour forty minutes later the evening came to an end. Needless to say, there were a few empty wrappers left over but very little chocolate. A thoroughly enjoyable evening in good company and held in a private room in The Brown Cow pub, Newmarket in Louth. Our hosts were Kathryn www.cocoaencounters.co.uk and Lindsay www.spirechocolates.co.uk and I’m truly grateful for my invitation and education.
Trust me, once you’ve experienced one of these evenings you’ll view your chocolate consumption in a completely different light.
Do It Yourself
If you would like to set up a group in your area please get in touch with Kathryn who will be more than happy to help you. You can book a course of your own by contacting Katherine on twitter @kathrynLincs or by email at cocoaencounters@gmail.com. You don’t need to be an expert but it’ll help if you like chocolate.
Visits
Would you like me to visit your place of work or group? I’m sure you’ll have something very interesting to share with the County and I would really be pleased to help you spread your message. You can contact me through the website www.lincsconnect.co.uk via Twitter @LincsConnect or through Facebook Lincs Connect. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.
by Martin Thomas | Mar 9, 2020 | Hashtags, Lincolnshire, lincolnshire Business, Lincs Connect, LincsConnect, Networking, Uncategorized
Don’t Underestimate The Power Of Social Media
Don’t Forget The Small Businesses. I suspect we will all agree that social media can be a very powerful tool. Using it to showcase your work and advertise your skills is obvious of course but many forget to use it to network too. Networking on social media is easy and quiet individual. Those of you who know me as @MANDARINLEISURE will no doubt be familiar with my early morning music quiz where I post lyrics from my daily ear worm (I always wake up with a song going around in my head). It started out by accident but has become a daily ritual and gets lots of engagement from around the world. It increases my ‘reach’ and makes me a good account in the eyes of the twitter bots. Following up with conversations and light hearted chatter keeps the connections alive and, I’m pleased to say, has resulted in me making some very good friends as well as a few business connections and commissions.
Grow Your Business On Social Media
Some big businesses are extremely good on social media of course. I recently had cause to tweet @AppleSupport following an issue I had with my iMac and the response and service I received were second to none. Thank you Apple for your care and attention. Obviously Apple are a very big company and probably have a vast social media team looking after their customer enquiries. That doesn’t mean they ‘have’ to be good at it though. However, they ‘are’ very good at it and we can all learn lessons from their forward thinking and caring ethos.
Good Manners Cost Nothing
Alas, not all larger companies are as good as they could be. I recently had an enquiry from outside of the County and I happily gave two separate recommendations. Neither of the recommended companies bothered to thank me for those recommendations until I publicly tweeted my disappointment at their lack of response. As a sole trader I look forward to recommendations, retweets, shares, and comments from all businesses but I do wonder why so many larger local businesses refrain from sharing or commenting on other peoples hard work.
Does Social Media Work?
Hand made ‘Ribcage Light’
Of course it does! This morning I tweeted a request for some original local pictures depicting local business. My request was answered within seconds by @ArtedlyLight who design and make bespoke lights. Not mass produced lighting but hand crafted, made with love, feeling and a lot of soul for each client.
Social media shares and good old fashioned recommendations will help small companies like this (and me) to become larger and more profitable companies. A more profitable company might employ staff then more staff and become a larger business. It’s important to remember though that this small business is ‘here’…. ‘right now’! Small businesses like ours have more chance of growing if we work together and share each others work to reach a wider audience.
Please take a look at www.light-artedly.co.uk to see what Emma and Jim provide. Obviously they are ready to take your commissions but will be happy to have your recommendations too.
Share And Share Alike
When you’re using your social media please don’t be one of ‘those’ companies who just posts their own work and expect everyone else to share it for you. Be an ‘Apple’ or better still, be a @LincsConnect. To see what other local businesses are doing on social media make sure you regularly search the #LincsConnect hashtag. Look what’s going on, share a few messages and make some positive comments. You’ll quickly learn who the supportive businesses are and you’ll form bonds. It’s good to share and if you get the chance, it’s good to support with a purchase too.
Let’s all work together
