Articles by Aaliyah Dana

There is something luxurious about a Christmas hamper, but with luxury comes expense. Here is a look at how you can achieve the same results by making your own, even if you’re on a tight budget!

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Do it yourself

The first thing you need to do is decide what receptacle you’ll use to hold the gifts. If you are planning on making several hampers, consider bulk-buying baskets as this works out to be much cheaper than buying them individually. If you prefer, you can buy kits to make yourself.

Do your research

Take a look at some of the big names in hampers and look at the gifts that are included. Go online and research some price comparisons. Remember to consider weight as this will have an impact on your delivery methods. If using your local post office in Penzance or same day courier Manchester, it’s worth weighing this up! Cheese straws, for example, are much lighter than jars of jams or conserves!

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Personalise your hamper

A homemade hamper is a very personal gift that shows the recipient you went the extra mile. You can tailor your gifts to the person you are making the hamper for. Bespoke and creative, you may even save enough money to use a courier service to deliver it. There are so many around, all eager for business, from choices in Manchester such as (http://allaboutfreight.co.uk/same-day-courier-service/same-day-courier-manchester/) to Malvern. Plan ahead and start early by adding a few items to your weekly shop.

Questions, questions, questions!

Our advice is to have a plan. What is your theme? This doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. For example, your chocolate-loving niece will be delighted with a hamper full of her favourite sweet treats. What is your budget? It’s important that you stick to your budget. To keep the cost down, you can always make some of the items yourself, such as jams and biscuits.

Think creatively

Although hampers traditionally come in wicker baskets, you don’t need to stick to this. Other suggestions include decorating a cardboard box, which you can pick up free from any supermarket. Alternatively, wooden crates, metal baskets or even fruit bowls from your local charity shop will suffice.

The extra mile

To keep everything in place, use shredded or crepe paper and wrap it in cellophane.

Whatever your business, people who visit your company need to be treated well. If they are, they’re more likely to visit you again or purchase your products. They might write an online review – one which can influence a much wider audience – or recommend you to friends, family or colleagues. What, though, makes a great visitor experience? And how do you make sure your visitors have just that?

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First Impressions

The first thing you need to think about when it comes to creating a great visitor experience is what you want it to look like. Create a visitor experience strategy and implement it across your organisation. What do you want a visitor to think and feel when they walk through the door? Will they think it’s easy to find where they are going? Will they feel like they are being made to feel welcome? First impressions are ones which help form lasting impressions for visitors, so you need to get this right.

A Warm Welcome

Your staff are key to providing a great visitor experience. They should be warm, friendly and helpful, answering any questions your visitors might have and making them feel welcome. Think about this when you recruit any customer-facing staff and when you’re looking at training for them.

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Making Things Easy

Once a visitor arrives, they shouldn’t need to jump through hoops to get to meet who they want to meet or see what they want to see. Streamline any sign-in processes you have, using technology if you can to make things easy for visitors. The visitor management system UK based https://www.ofec.co.uk/web-and-software-development-services/digital-visitors-and-staff-signing-in-book.aspx offers might be the ideal solution here.

Gather Feedback

No matter how good a visitor experience you’ve created, you can always get better. Ask people who’ve visited you what went well and what you could’ve done better. This doesn’t have to be time-consuming. Many shops and museums now have a simple button people can press to say how they felt, for example, but it can help you understand how you are doing and how to improve things.

And, finally, remember to say thank you for visiting. Your visitors will appreciate it. They are more likely to return and more likely to recommend you to others. As a result, your business is more likely to succeed.

You’ve probably seen the adverts asking for healthy volunteers to participate in Paid Clinical Trials but what are the benefits of such research and why should you get involved?

Medical research into healthcare has the main aim of increasing knowledge for finding new treatment methods, new ideas about patient care and finding innovative new policies. This kind of research can help to identify life-saving treatments and make a positive change for future generations, making sure all people have a better quality of life.

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Despite huge breakthroughs and a wealth of knowledge about disease, drugs and human health, there are still many unanswered questions that need further examination and exploration. Medical research aims to answer some of those questions and fill in the gaps of existing knowledge. New discoveries and improvements to current treatments enables healthcare providers to better that care for all patients.

However, clinical trials can only succeed if there are willing volunteers. This is the only effective way for scientists and researchers to learn what methods and processes work and what treatments aren’t effective.

Clinical research can help in the following areas:

It helps to identify those people at increased risk of becoming ill and find preventions for the illness.

It facilitates improved knowledge and understanding regarding a variety of different conditions.

It can help to measure the effectiveness of different treatments, services and existing therapies to enable doctors to give better advice in the future.

The local population benefits from access to improved health, wellbeing and medical environments.

There are many different types of research to participate in, from filling in a questionnaire to attending a therapy session. You might also be asked to attend scans and tests at a local hospital or even qualify to participate in a new drug trial. For more information about how you can get involved in this important research, visit https://www.trials4us.co.uk/

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Here are some reasons why volunteers choose to get involved:

Perhaps the person may have a particular interest or personal connection to a certain disease or condition that they care about.

They might have a strong desire to see treatments improved and help the quality of life for people now and in future generations.

Perhaps they themselves suffer with a condition and would like to see advances in the treatment for this condition.

It can be a way of accessing new treatments for some people.

The participant may want to take a more active role in their own health and wellbeing.

With summer well and truly behind us, you may be starting to think about getting ready for all that winter brings. This may include swapping over your car tyres for winter ones. But did you know that how you store unused tyres can have a big impact on their condition?

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They’re not designed to be stored for long periods of time, so if you don’t store them correctly now, the chances are they well may be damaged by the time you go to use them again when the seasons change. And having to buy a new set of tyres simply because they weren’t put away properly is enough to take the spring out of anybody’s step.

Here we take a quick look at the dos and don’ts of tyre storage.

Storage of Dismounted Tyres

All tyres should be stored away from direct sunlight to avoid the rubber being corroded and at a low temperature. It is also important that they are kept in a room where there is a good circulation of air and extreme changes of temperature can be avoided.

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Don’t hang unmounted tyres or stack them on top on one another in piles. This can lead to them becoming deformed. Instead, ensure the tyre is kept upright. Not only will this make it much easier for you to mount them on wheels when you need them again, but it will also minimise the risk of damage.

Purpose-built racks are available to ensure the safe storage of tyres, such as those offered by industrial shelving Ireland from https://www.rackzone.ie/shelving/industrial-residential-shelving.

Once you have your tyres safely racked, remember to rotate them regularly to prevent one side from caving in.

Storage of Mounted Tyres

If you have spare wheels and are able to store your tyres as complete units, it is much easier to store them without the risk of damage. When fully mounted, tyres can be safely stored piled on their side or even hung against a wall.

When you’re ready to use your tyres again, remember to check that they have the correct tread depth and pressure for your vehicle. Further information can be found on the tyre safe website – https://www.tyresafe.org/tyre-safety/tread-depth/

Taking care of your tyres now gives them the best chance of doing the same for you when they’re back on the road.

How to wash your van

A van is a big investment for any business and is an asset that needs to be looked after. With some care and attention, it will last your business for years.

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It also says a lot about your business. It is a visual representation of your brand’s values. A scruffy dirty van is not going to convey a very positive message! Therefore, it is important to keep your van clean.

Washing your van exterior

According to the car experts at the New York Times, salt from the roads is a particular issue as it encourages the oxidation process that causes rust.

The best way to remove salt and other environmental contaminants from the surface of your van is with a special vehicle shampoo. Harsh household cleaners will do more harm than good. Use a soft sponge or a wash-mitten to apply the soapy water and work it into the dirt gently. Start at the roof and work downwards. It is vital that all of the soap is washed off so use a hose or several buckets of clean water.

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The wheels require particular attention as they can get filthy from dust produced by the brakes and from the road surface. You cannot clean warm wheels effectively so make sure that they are cold. A power hose is the best way to remove dirt from wheel-arches but an old cloth and an acid-free cleaner is best for the wheels themselves.

Cleaning your van interior

It’s a good idea to protect the interior of your van and make it easier to clean by installing a Speedliner from a supplier such as https://www.vehicle-accessories.net/interiors/van-linings/speedliner-euro-fr/. It will make cleaning much quicker and more effective.

Start by removing any loose mats and take out any old bottles, food wrappers and general rubbish. Use a vehicle vacuum cleaner on the carpets and fit the brush attachment to clean the seats. A crevice attachment is useful for areas between the seats.

Fabric mats can be shaken or vacuumed but rubber mats can be washed with warm soapy water and rinsed. The vinyl/plastic interior surfaces can be cleaned with a special vinyl cleaner. Don’t forget the windows – a glass cleaner is best because it does not leave streaks. Finally, pop in an air freshener to give it that ‘new van’ odour!