In 1973, a young Pat Gallagher, encouraged and supported by his good friend Pat Burke, purchased his first digger. Fast forward fifty years and it is incredible to see where the journey has taken them and resulted in the creation of one of the largest and most recognizable family-run businesses in Kent. Pat is still heavily involved in the business today. Paul Andrews caught up with him to find out more. Pat was born in 1949 in Ballinamore in Ireland to hardworking parents

After it was revealed almost nine in ten cyber-attacks are caused by human error, experts have named five ways organisations can guard themselves against staff mistakes. IT experts from HostingSystems.co.uk have issued a warning to UK businesses after it was revealed 88% of cyber breaches were caused by preventable employee mistakes. Now they have named the five most common, and easily preventable, mistakes made by businesses which could leave them exposed to criminals. T

World Photography Day takes place on Saturday 19th of August. The photography industry is constantly changing and developing, witnessing some remarkable development since Joseph Niépce captured the first-known photographic image in the early 19th century. World Photography Day presents an opportunity to look how far photography has come and celebrate some of the most influential figures in the industry. “It’s amazing to think just how much photography has developed over a rel

Marion Darlington started making her award-winning range of products in the 1980’s and now in her 80’s she still verses all recipe creation in the family business which is now run by her daughter, Sarah. Paul Andrews went to meet Sarah to find out more. This is a family business that literally started around the kitchen table. A surplus of eggs from the family farm led Marion to use them up by making batches of Lemon Curd. As Sarah explains, “At that time 100 jars was a ty

Kent’s original vineyard, Biddenden, is now run by the second and third generation of the Barnes family, drawing on many years of pioneering activities making wines at Biddenden. Originally home to a 40 acre apple orchard, the family started to consider diversifying the farm in the late 1960’s as apple prices began to decline. In 1969, one third of an acre of vines was planted and Biddenden Vineyards was born. Paul Andrews spoke to Julian and Tom Barnes, the second and third

From a one-man start up in 1971 to becoming one of London’s leading dairy suppliers the Allan Reeder story is simply incredible. A family business full of entrepreneurial spirit, drive, perseverance and desire to succeed and despite their success they have never lost the personal touch, something that means so much to the family and the business to this day. Paul Andrews spoke to founder Allan Reeder and his daughter Heidi to find out more. Since day one, they have always dea

Prime Appointments (‘Prime’) are a family-owned and family-run recruitment agency, who believe in doing things differently. They’re committed to building long-term partnerships that boost their clients business and contribute to the growth of the economy in their local area. Paul Andrews spoke to the family to find out more. The Prime journey began over a glass of wine in the local pub when two Witham girls decided to make their dream a reality. Robyn Holmes’ and Margaret Lo

Fear is a primal emotion that has characterised human nature from the very dawn of evolution. It is a basic yet crucial emotion that is important to survival, triggering a response designed to keep us safe from threats and dangers. In this respect, it is fair to say that it is a valuable sentiment to experience from time to time, as it guarantees we are as secure as can be in specific circumstances. We spoke to Dominic Fitch, Head of Creative Change at Impact International ,

How can you keep up with the ever-changing requirements of digital marketing? We spoke to Cristina Plamadeala from Toastmasters International who shares her thoughts below. “I have found that the The Golden Circle concept outlined in Simon Sinek’s book, Start with Why is a huge help. By applying the three Gold Circle principles to digital marketing, businesses can create a more impactful message that connects with their audience.” Principle 1 The first principle is why refe

Trillions of texts are sent every day (we’re going to define text messaging as a wide catch-all for SMS and chat apps such as WhatsApp, Viber etc.) and it is a technology we are very comfortable with. However, it took a long time before it found regular use in getting content from businesses and organisations (of all types, shapes and sizes) to clients, members, prospects, team members etc. These days, it is commonplace for people to receive SMS from businesses, with the cont

Not all family businesses are alike, and there are multiple ways to highlight their strengths through the brand. Here are four ways to build a brand strategy around a family business. There are recognised benefits to being a family business: a sense of personal connection, trust and responsibility. Many firms have discovered the value of the family at the heart of what they do, and use it successfully in their branding. Here are four common approaches for incorporating family

Dominic and Maria O’Neill launched O’Neill Classics 2018 and recently opened a stunning gallery in the heart of Weybridge, Surrey to showcase a fabulous collection of iconic photographs that were taken by Dominic’s father, Desmond O’Neill. Paul Andrews met them to find out more. Desmond was an eminent photographer who travelled the world capturing his subjects and was renowned for photographing the jet set and high society. His career started as a photographer working for the

Handmade chocolate gifts are special. At Rumsey’s they believe that handmade chocolate is something special and want to help people experience it, not just eat it. All their chocolates are made by hand in small batches from their chocolateries in the Chilterns. And, in an unusual twist for a family business, Rumseys is now run by the daughter-in-law of the founders, Kate Rumsey, who Paul Andrews met to find out more. The idea for the business started to evolve in 2001 in the

HILDEBRAND SWEDEN was established in 2018 by Nina and Tobias Hildebrand as a premium fashion brand focusing on sustainability, quality, slow fashion and a good work ethic underpinned by strong family values. Paul Andrews spoke to Nina and Tobias to find out more about their journey and the creation of their family business. For Nina, it was time to follow her dream. For Tobias, it was an opportunity to build a business that incorporated tennis, something that been an integr

Johnsons of Whixley have been supplying the nation with millions of quality plants and trees for over 100 years from their nurseries in Yorkshire. Paul Andrews went to visit them to find out more. Johnsons of Whixley is a three-generation family business located in North Yorkshire, equidistant between York and Harrogate, with over 100 years experience in growing and supplying trees, shrubs, and plants to UK-wide planting schemes. 12 members of the family have an active role w

The roots of Econ Engineering date back to the late 1950’s and the entrepreneurial vision of the late William George (Bill) Lupton. Bill was the youngest of four children from a farming family in Otley, West Yorkshire. As was the tradition at the time, it was always going to be the eldest son who inherited the family farm, so Bill knew that he would have to make his own way in the world. Bill was an inquisitive individual who was far more interested in tackling and solving te

George Barnsdale is an innovative, entrepreneurial, British family business that is steeped in five generations of history and heritage. This is not, however, a family business resting on the past but a forward-thinking business at the top of their game with a desire to solve problems, continuously improve and consistently deliver on their promise to manufacture premium, high performance timber windows and doors that provide long life with low maintenance. Paul Andrews spoke

At Wold Top Brewery their vision is simple; they want to make great tasting beer, using home grown, and sustainably sourced ingredients for the rest of Yorkshire and the world to enjoy! Paul Andrews visited the brewery and spoke to Kate Balchin to find out more. As Kate explains, “As a brewery we turn 20 next year and a lot has happened since we founded the business. Our family has farmed 600 acres high on the Yorkshire Wolds for generations and our aim is to continue to do s

Dandy’s is a multi-generational family firm that is steeped in history and entrepreneurial spirit. Paul Andrews spoke to Adam Dandy, the fifth generation of the family to lead the business to find out more. Established in 1826 in the City of Chester in the UK, a man called James Dandy, originally from Tarleton, moved his family to Chester and set up his stall in Chester’s Market Hall Square, to sell his family farm’s home grown fruit and vegetables for the first time. The fam

The fields at Hunmanby Grange are where it all begins for Spirit of Yorkshire, the first single malt whisky made in, and of Yorkshire. It is created by a family where the narrative is so important, the underlying essence of the brand and is created from field to bottle on the Yorkshire coast near Filey Bay. This is a story of innovative tradition, respect for the past and associated traditions of an industry that is synonymous with Scotland, whilst bringing their own thinking