Monday 3rd December 2018 - coming soon: major launches in January 2019

Posted 2:40pm

HMHB was looking to start some new social media projects at the start of November. Sadly, the serious eye operation Lazza had to undergo at the start of last month put paid to that.

With a new funding focus on corporate, we have also had to put things back a further month. We need to concentrate on building contact details for CSR.

However, come January, we will be making several changes, as well as adding features. These include the following:

Website - introduce a "Corporate" page - detailing how we can interact with employees, adding benefit to the employer, and we are looking to do a couple of examples with local companies to promote this.

Website - update the gallery page - we have got behind with this, and it is very important we catch up, especially as we are promoting ourselves. We also will be looking to take more photos and video.

Website - we have an "info" blog - which we will look to update on a daily basis from January 2019, and this will be available to access by internet, or our website. We removed the "blog" page on our site as we didn't feel it helped with our promotion.

Blog - as above - maintain daily entries on our second blog, that includes entries around research and published data on health/exercise/nutrition matters - but in a format that is accessible to all.

Video - introduce daily video entries based around HMBH values on mindset, health, fitness, exercise and routine. We have been looking for a twist - something that people can search for - they will be called "HMHB; 300 Seconds On .....".   A lot of self-help videos are on Youtube, and we feel five minutes is a good average time - not too short you cannot get your message across, but also not too long that people will not click. However, many entries are titled "5 minutes on" - yet none are called 300 seconds!!!.  We therefore can stand out!!!

Video - we will introduce a weekly exercise video filmed with our PT - to replace the current ones on the site. Again 300 seconds. After six months I would like to see if we can be adding two a week - therefore having around 80 in the first year. Very few sites can boast this on Youtube.

Instagram - this links to our website gallery pages.  But we need to start trying to do more photos every week.

Facebook - we need to build followers and likes - with this in mind, we will add a "boost" cost to any further funding, to promote ourselves on this site - we will also look to add daily entries.

Twitter - similar to Facebook, we need to build followers and likes - and again will look to boost ourselves on this media stream - particularly with our GoFundMe Page.

So - the major changes are website and video - but looking for daily social media. We need to make 2019 the year we really get ourselves noticed, salaried, and stand out from the crowd.

Monday 3rd December 2018 - Corporate ideas, focus and preparation

Posted 2:10pm

After a great deal of effort this year, it is becoming more and more apparent that public sector funding is going to be nigh on impossible for a start up like ours in this field - around preventive and corrective mental health. Everyone praises our concept, our delivery has received terrific feedback from service users and companies, our passion and uniqueness has flourished, but then we are told that the money cupboards are bare, and we need to provide even more evidence. 

So, with that in mind, we have to explore the private sector option. And we have talked about this for a while, and brought it up in this blog.

But we now have to move forward - less talking, more action.

So, we have been in discussions with Mellow Parenting - Rosemary on our board is the CEO. We would like to run a joint event aimed at CSR Managers (Corporate Social Responsibility). Inviting as many as we can - looking at 200-300), we would promote our own projects, whilst running sessions describing what we would be doing with service users, as we have very similar values, even though coming from a different angle. If we manage it properly, it can be fun, interactive, as well as full of information. All with a view to winning sponsorship from the company. In return, both HMHB and MP can offer free events to the company.

A lot of CSR involves people like ourselves trying to get money from companies without being able to offer something in return, except publicity. We can offer practical intervention that can seriously help maintain a happy workforce.

We are building up a database of email addresses for CSR Managers, and will try and run an event towards the end of February. Meanwhile, we need to get sponsorship to pay for it and are running ideas through that.

It is an exciting idea, and being able to involve and bring proactive participation to the event can only boost our opportunities. It's a hell of a lot of work, preparation and organisation, but if we can get funding from it then it has to be worth it.

Meanwhile, we will continue to push on.

Friday 23rd November 2018 - funding, izzwalkz, accounts, saturday sessions

Izzwalkz 2nd birthday - 22 November 2018

Joined by Islington Mayor

Posted 1:25pm

Luke and I have started to build a contact list for Corporate Social Responsibility contacts, as it sadly seem so appear that public sector funding is going to be nigh on impossible. We are start up, in a secotr that is notorious for cuts. Private sector looks our only option.

We believe we have a product that can offer corporate sponsors something in return, so remain hopeful. But it is a big job.

Izzwalkz CP celebrated its second birthday yesterday. I still recall our first walk two years ago, in partnership with Highbury Grange Medical Centre - four of us setting off into the unknown. As you can see from the photograph above - superbly taken by our own PT Dean - we were joined by  our Islington Mayor, in full regalia. He did the whole walk with us - including exercise - and even stayed for nibbles, cake, and tea in the Medical Centre afterwards.

Cameron, a local journalist, also met up with us, chatted to walkers and Mayor, and we are hopeful of a good write-up and feature.

We had a fabulous time, and a great turn out, with at least four or five regulars away. The support means a lot, and I honestly hope we can keep this venture up, expand to more walks, and help inspire many others to improving their activity and energy levels.

I am pleased to announce that our last year accounts have been professionally approved and have been delivered to Companies House. Naturally there was not a lot to them, and in fact there was a small loss incurred due to having to inject some personal money into the business, but it was important to get the paperwork completed, especially by an outside unbiased source.

We have approached the Sobell centre to see if they will allow us to use the Saturday Studio facility beyond November. We had 10 last week, and they have expressed their own desire to allow us to use the studio again, but the decision rests with the General Manager. We have asked if we can use the facility up to to the end of January 2019, and then review our options.

Finally, my eye is healing well following the operation on the 6th November. The sight is returning.

Tuesday 20th November 2018 - back to work following eye operation recovery

Following the operation on 6 November

Moorfields Eye Hospital, London

Posted 1:45pm

Hello all - all those great intentions at the start of November disappeared as my right eye retina detached a couple of weeks ago. The eye has been swollen,, inflamed, weepy, and taken longer than I would have wished to start recovering. In fact, it only really started opening up the last few days.

It has hampered work greatly, as reading,, typing, and general work has been difficult. But it is time to get back into the game. Deal with issues. Move forward.

It's not easy. Sadly, Haringey Recovery Services have not been promoting our Ajani course - meant to start tomorrow for four weeks - and we have had to cancel the day before. Leaves us in a perilous position, as we have to provide evidence to some funders. Not quite sure how we aree going to proceed - another challenge to face.

Luke and I will press on with corporate paperwork now. We must find a way to get money coming in to pay salaries.  The Universal Credit people have mucked up my application - and more wotk needed to get that sorted too.

Challenges ahead for HMHB.

Tuesday 13th November 2018 - Tweets, Reporter, Gym Studio - plus personal

First Gym Studio Session at Sobell Centre

Saturday 3rd November

Posted 3:15pm
Lots to put - which is why I have to do the daily posts I keep intending to make. Must do better.

Twitter
A while ago, HMHB were lucky enough to meet Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson at the House of Lords. She recently tweeted out our GoFundMe page, which we then sent out to oveer 100 relevant people too. Astonishingly, we had NO money put in. Not a penny. What do wee have to do?

We met a reporter from the Hackney Gazette - Cameron - and we are hoping he will do a couple of stories on us. He is coming on a walk to do a story on that, but most importantly we are hoping for a feature on the lack of funding.

We have started a FREE gym studio session at the Sobell Centre - photo above. Hoping that takes off. Every Saturday from 9am to 10am.

I have had major eye surgery on a detached retina in my right eye - last year the same happened to my left. This one though is taking a lot longer to recover. Hence the lack of entries. Apologies.

Wednesday 31st October 2018 - completion of fourth Ajani

Lazza on the final day of Ajani

Brickworks Community

Posted 12:10pm

We had oour final day of our four session Ajani at Brickworks Community Centre yesterday. It was an interesting course - our first using a Community Centre.

Various numbers attended, but that was always going to happen, as people did have health commitments. Overall, the feedback was, as always, terrific. Our unique delivery style was welcomed - the fact we do not lecture was appreciated, and there has been an increase in exercise and fitness, as well as better nutrition.

It has again demonstrated several outcomes to us:

First - we can do it with limited staff if required.
Second - our design can be adapted to the group we are working with.  We changed our exercise/fitness part from other programmes - and this also enabled us to learn more about ourselves and what we can achieve.
Third - we have only worked with people in recovery before - this was a new experience, but demonstrated that the course is great for both preventive and corrective
Fourth - we can work with different numbers successfully - but we obviously would like double figures for all courses
Fifth - our interaction and visuals are fun and informative - and or new presentations we prepared for this course went down very well

Overall - we just need seed funding to expand, establish and grow - this intervention should be available to all. Yay!!

Monday 29th October 2018 (4th entry) - general HMHB update

Posted 12:40pm

So, here we go with our fourth entry for today - this time covering our general HMHB news.

CORPORATE
We are looking to work with corporate clients - as it appears getting finance from the public sector is proving very tricky - despite everyone loving our idea and concept, as well as asking to see our evidence. I am sure contracts can come, but we need money to prove our outcomes and get us established.
Therefore, public sector is now where we are looking,  We have designed and developed a day even around our values, and feel we have a concept and product we can take to corporate companies, in exchange for sponsorship. Scott is helping us develop contact information, and we are creating a database of big companies to approach - and will look to be doing that next week. It is a huge undertaking, but we need seed funding for salaries and running costs.

PUBLICITY
I am looking around to see just how we can get ourselves noticed and followed - on social media as well as regular media.
We recently overhauled our website - but it is crucial we get that properly up to date - with gallery and blog pages running behind - as well as features on fitness sessions. Lazza has also decided that a couple of the new changes are not working - and we must get that all changed quickly - especially if we are contacting corporate clients and pointing them towards the site.
We also must do daily entries - that shows people we are fully focused and working hard. With thar in mind, we are looking to greatly increase our video presence on Youtube, and have come up with a title for videos that no-one is using at the moment - so we can stand out.

ACCOUNTS
We have a qualified accountant overseeing our first non-dormant year accounts, and they will be going into HMRC next month. We felt it important to have an outsider complete these, to be impartial and ensure everything is correct. He also recently did our PAYE on the two month lottery grant money we received. Sadly Lazza is back on Universal Credit now, so another reason to fund seed funding as quickly as we can.

OVERALL.
We have come so far in the last two years. Great strides. The programme has developed into a unique, fun, interactive event, and the feedback has been sensational. We are constantly looking at ways we can improve it. All we need is the money so we can stop worrying about the future and start concentrating on providing the best possible service we can.

Thanks