More or less…
It depends when you count it from.
It’s Oct 2014, if you count from when I first thought of the idea, or March 2015, when I left Cornwall Council and it was my official proper job. However Jan 2015 was when I won my first contract as HD Words, and HMRC thinks it’s Jan 2015, so that’s good enough.
To celebrate, I took my two best supporters out for a spa day at the Penventon Hotel – my husband and our daughter. The pictures are of our Afternoon Tea, because nobody needs to see how tired and stressed we looked before our massage treatments, and the wild hairdos that result from a scalp massage are also not for sharing!
Paul and Isabel have been there from the start, cheering me along, offering advice, tea, hugs, more tea, IT support, a second pair of eyes on things, tea (cos you can never have too much tea) and general cheerleading. HD Words wouldn’t be here still without them, so this spa day was to thank them for their belief in me.
This post is to thank those I’m not related to, who have supported me along this journey, and helped me learn all kinds of things that I never knew I needed to know. The strangers who became customers, the customers who became friends, and everyone else as well.
Andrea Gilbert and Bev Wilson at Inclusion Cornwall, for insisting I tendered for a couple of contracts, which led to a lot of ongoing work, fun and learning skills on the fly.
Bernard Allen (former boss at Cornwall Council and still the best boss I’ve ever had), for throwing me all kinds of work, and connections, over most of the last 10 years. And in particular for linking me up with Cornwall VSF, where I helped hold the fort during the worst of the pandemic. Thanks also to all at VSF.
Brock and Warren at Your Partnerships, who have introduced me to lots of people, given me work, driven me to events, and made me stand up and talk until I felt confident to host my own events at the Penventon Hotel (we like it there – can you tell?). To the other folks connected with Your Partnerships, thank you for your support and friendship, and giving me lifts, especially when I couldn’t drive for three months in 2023!
Viki Carpenter, with whom I have been on a journey of taking an idea and turning it into a CIC, that actually does things, and is respected in its field.
Large customers, including Richards Design and Build, Trethek Studio, the WILD project, SW AHSN now known as Health Innovation SW, and In Caring Hands. Smaller customers including Integrate Associates, Paul Venter at Osprey Health and Safety, Lynsey Jackson at Ocanu Digital, Matt French at Retina Digital, Softwashing Cornwall, Trenance Chocolates, JoJo Hats, CSA Architects, Crahan Ceremonies, and many, many others, including several individuals who needed help polishing their CVs.
Huge thanks to the various people who have come to me with books to polish. I appreciate the trust you need to have in someone to hand over your precious book, and I can truly say that I have learned something from every book I have worked on. (I think there are more than 15, but I’ve slightly lost track!)
I have written many things for various charities and CICs, including magazines (Disability Cornwall) Museum boards (Bear in Mind teddy bear museum) and websites, and enjoy being able to use my skills to support others to help those in need.
There will be another post later in the year about what I have learned over the last 10 years, when I have time to process it all. But if you’ve been part of my network in the last decade, thank you. I wouldn’t be still here, still doing this, if you hadn’t believed in me and supported me.