Aurora's devices are built for easy setup and easy use. However, sometimes, phone settings may get in the way. What settings you will need on your phone: Javascript must be enabled to allow a device to be registered Allow Cookies - These are needed to remember your login settings so you can use the devices in more clever ways than others. Location services should be enabled in order to help pinpoint your location. This will help you bookmark locations, share your location, and also help find local deals. If you are struggling to register or use the device, why not contact us, so that we can then improve our help and support section.

Your device can do far more than just provide the 'In-Case-of Emergency' details of the owner. It can provide a unique message per tag, or even be switched to 'Lost Mode' to provide a message if Lost, emailing you if it is located. There are numerous extra uses for our SmartBand and fobs, which we hope you will appreciate. Aurora smart-devices aren't just designed for the 'worst', they are designed to provide a range of life long benefits. View our attached guide for more ways to get the most from your Smart-Device.

Smart Devices have hundreds of uses. Not only can they provide key ICE (medical, contact, and insurance) information, but can also be used to help tag clothing, keys, and other items. Children can use them to easily save or send their location, and in an emergency can be used to help advise paramedics and first aiders of medical issues, and even provide an up to date medication timetable, in addition to making it easy to contact parents or carers. With tag information being easy to update online, Aurora's Smart Tags can provide peace of mind to parents, carers or other loved ones. Visit our deals/webshop to buy yours today.

Often people talk about volumes of followers and the importance to your business. In a mission to learn, I discovered the relevance of this, along with several golden rules for one branch of social media. I joined Twitter 10 years ago and never got into it for a number of reasons. This year, I found my old credentials, signed in, and on one a count, I found I had a hundred followers. On an unused account! That was more than my business had! It started me thinking, and playing with a social experiment and surprisingly complex learning curve.   I set up/reactivated a handful of accounts. I gave them each a purpose, changed their profiles, usernames, etc. and I decided on a different way to manage each.   One was set up as a user to comment on news & business commentary One was set up all about pets with regular posts, always replying to people who engaged Another was only about gaining followers, often blatantly Another was simply a regular company feed, used as a control And finally one was just an account for reposting and sharing other people's stuff but nothing new. Not one word!   There were thousands of ways I could have proceeded. My intention for each was to get followers, and not focus on likes, and I learned a lot of rules for what works, and what doesn’t, some obvious, some not so. So my learning curve began over the next few months.   As an experiment it had to be good enough to be of value, but not time consuming. It had to have some rigour, bu didn’t need to be 100% scientific like a PhD study. It had to be easy to modify and evolve, in order that I could rapidly adapt to any key learnings, and test them out.   So I rotated between the accounts, daily. I also refined the bio profiles when felt beneficial, with what I learned or felt worth a try to improve them and the associated engagement.   In other words strategies changed, to seek the humble follower.   It is worth saying that there are different breeds of followers. Some only follow what they clearly share a common interest in. Some only follow others that will follow them. Some only follow famous people. The bottom line is that Twitter users are not the same. Despite being a fairly anonymous platform, everyone uses it in different ways to one another, and to any other social media platform. Learning from others would also be a key part of my experiment.   I used it to keep up to date on news and public opinion. Twitter is a very vocal place! But comments on Twitter are also a good indicator of audience. Some use throw away comments. Some use likes. Some write to the maximum character limit. Some use emojis. And an increasing number use animated GIFs, the short movies that are an expression of amusement, frustration, or other reaction.   Scheduling became important too, but again, it had to be easy. Tweetdeck is a free Twitter scheduling tool (now owned by twitter). Sadly it has its limitations, but was put to good use to avoid my focus being constantly misdirected.   With my experiment set up, I began.

We all know people whose first question to you will be 'have you made an New Year Resolutions'. Rather than go for the standard ones, I've pulled together a whole bunch to have a play with!   Waiting until the end of the year to make plans for the following year. It’s a tradition that in many ways makes little sense. Making a NY resolution is often treated like making a wish, with many making promises which is almost impossible to keep. Many people ‘wish’ to lose weight, but are more likely to lose their car keys. Generally not the best way to look at it, when people hate losing things, yet this is often one of the most common resolutions, next to becoming super-fit and ready for entering the Olympics. The common top New Years Resolutions are well known as including losing weight, gaining a new skill, learning a language, quiting smoking, giving up alcohol, or getting super-fit. Often people dont have any real deep intention to prioritise the resolution, so the promises despite being well intended, don't last. In 2020, it seems that many people will become temporary vegans, with some already sounding quite militant, as they tuck into their last chicken nibbles at the Christmas buffet before implementing their life choice. Because of how passionate many people are about their beliefs, it gave us a few ideas for some conversation changers and stoppers meant for amusement only. Starting off tame, and getting more adventurous, why not see just how far you can go! (Also, please don't take any of these too seriously, and use at your own risk!) To only wear trainers when I’m exercising To spend more time on my Smartphone To become an Instagram influencer using nothing but pictures of guinea pigs To become a professional hand model To get away with doing graffiti by pretending to be Banksy To Write a book (Here’s some suggested titles for something suitably ‘amusing') “How to torment a vegan" “The dangers of eating roadkill" (remembering to rub your stomach too) “How to photograph your friends & neighbours while they are not looking”, along with a book on “Making your own camouflage" To learn to compliment people without grinning (followed by telling them their hair is nice….. with a really wide grin!) To become a psychic To find out how many types of body fluids I can sell To pretend to listen to people more To drink less, specifying only 1 litre of water a day, without getting dehydrated To not shave all year - anywhere (focus on saying the anywhere with enthusiasm!) To become more assertive if nobody minds To combine religion and eating, and have the same BMI as Buddha Do a stand-up comedy set (said in a really monotone voice) To put off procrastinating, starting tomorrow To maybe become more decisive To better remember to take my anti-psychotic medication To not argue with as many purple dragons (see above) To learn to act more naturally, and avoid sudden movements To not talk about "life on my home planet" in public To stop telling people “I used to be your age once” (especially if they are older) To stop telling people "When I grow up…” (especially if you are older) To stop telling people “I used to be your sex once" To stop arguing with my (imaginary) friend as much To find a way to get into the Guinness book of records with just a toothpick To train to be a body double for Santa To not appear passive aggressive …. by using dots and exclamation marks in texts! To not be thrown off a ski run for writing my name in the snow (by writing someone else’s name) To spend a week using a daily horoscope as a set of instructions To invent a new shape To try to show more interest in what other people say at me To try to see what’s the funniest thing to make that I can actually sell on eBay To invent a new dance that everyone is going to want to do To meet up with everyone I am connected to on Facebook, making particular reference to commuting to visit the ones in India, Nigeria, and Nicaragua To spend more time wearing pants (my own) To not get tired running for the train…. by not running To try Rohypnol, and see if I can remember having it To try to wave at more strangers while driving, without causing quite as many accidents To invent a new word, and try to get other people to use it. (Try not to squijin too much about this one) To use mixers more when drinking pints of spirits Learn a party trick that I’m 'allowed to do in public' (focusing on the ' ' !) Brush my teeth at least daily To save up writing all my Trip Advisor reviews for when I'm drunk To beat the average 8% success rate on new years resolutions by only doing something that I already do To stop relying on my GPS (I would have been here ages ago, but…. moving on…) Stop spontaneously breakdancing, and doing ’the robot'' To stop being 'turned on' talking to strangers (remembering to wink too!) Learn how to spell discombobulate (and learn what it means the year after) To talk less (and then don’t say anything - at all, and move your eyes, left, right, up etc.) We hope you found some of the above 50 as amusing, and hope that it makes your New Year conversations more memorable!   So if you go to a New Years party, (but not necessarily when you're back at work) why not throw a few of these in, and then start counting to see how long before the person finds an excuse to walk off. (Preferably count in your head, although out loud may alter the reaction!)   #FunnyNewYearResolutions #HappyNewYear #2020Vision   If you enjoyed this, please share, and remember to follow, like, or comment!

You are busy, and it's all too easy to make the big mistake of choosing a person from convenience, without them being the right person for the job. I know. I did it. Carried away by enthusiasm and potential, we can see what someone might be capable of, but not what they necessarily what they are able to. Sometimes, we may be at fault for trying to do the impossible, by not having the right pieces in place, but this is irrelevant if we still have the wrong person. What is this article about? Firstly, and most importantly, this post is about recognising which companies to reject, and is categorically not about recommending any marketing company. There are so many considerations when choosing anyone to work with your business, and perhaps the most easy to make a mistake with, is in choosing who will have the huge responsibility to define how, where, and when to market your products and services, often making the differene between success and failure of an organisation.   Marketing Companies are mostly a reflection of their success to date Many marketing companies tend to be very good at marketing themselves face to face, with a lot of experience refining their pitch, with lots of competitors to learn tricks from, but their expertise may not extend well at market anyone elses industry. Sometimes the best marketeers may not spend any effort on marketing themselves, as their reputation may keep them so busy that creating a self-presence is far from priority. Reputation and proven experience is often the only confident way to judge capability, and it goes far above and beyond simply which brands they have interacted with.   What is Marketing The term marketing has gained an increasingly broader meaning. It is now used for anything related to promotion. Historically, it referred to a way to get a product in the mind of consumers, through various ways to expose a product, but now it means so much more. Blanket-wide advertising used to be affordable. Now, businesses have to carefully choose their battles. Marketing covers identifying a niche where the product can demonstrate a clear unwavering benefit. It covers capturing feedback from the niche audience to refine the product, and creating engagement. It covers getting a product correctly designed and packaged to attract the right audience, and perhaps most importantly, it covers how to get the product to be noticed by those of us not looking to change or habits, or not expecting to find an answer to a question we haven't even asked ourselves. It means painting a picture to the buyer for how it can help make some remarkable difference to that person, worthy of the person parting with money, and perhaps time, in order to jump onboard your customer train. As marketing needs grew, so did the number of people within marketing. Sadly, for businesses, this hasn't really been a good thing.  

Date: 21st October 2019 Venue: The Foresters Arms, Union Street, Bedford  Attendees: A, N,  F,  Apologies: We didn’t have any apologies but S was poorly   Group members went over the ground rules. Only one person talks at a time Be respectful and polite Don’t shout out answers Don’t laugh at suggestions from others Remain focused Let somebody know if you cannot attend a meeting If members miss 3 meetings in a row without valid reasons then they should be asked to withdraw from the Fizzy Rascals group. Mobiles should be kept on silent but can be answered if it is important A read the minutes of the last meeting Last months awareness days in September we chose:   On 27th September it was McMillan Coffee Morning, A went to one.       We talked about members of the Fizzy Rascals helping out at the next volunteer training course.  It was agreed that F would invite the volunteers and the Fizzy Rascals to the next training.   Volunteer posters: A has been back to college but forgot to put a poster up. N has put a poster up at Daley’s club. Fizzy Rascals 1 Year Anniversary -  This has now been booked and invitations have been sent out. We haven’t heard back yet from the meeting with Central Bedfordshire Council Action F to chase them and also ask when they are coming on the radio. F still needs to do this. #NoBedtimes campaign We all agreed to get involved with this campaign. If people want to buy Tshirts fizz can order them at a cost of £16.00 We will take the leaflets to Living It Up, Sparkle and Bold. November Social It was decided that the November social would be a celebration of the first year of Fizzy Rascals. Christmas Social We agreed that we wouldn’t have a social in December but that we would have a Christmas social on Jan 8th at the pantomime. We talked about Milton Keynes theatre being too difficult for many people to get too. We will now look at the Bedford Pantomime.                                Next Fizzy Rascals Meeting When? Thursday 21st November   Where: The Duke Inn, 10 Woburn Road, Kempston, MK42 7QA

The world is full of lots of important causes in need. Whether a global challenge, such as curing the thousands and thousands of different types of cancers, or introduce mechanisms for plastic and toxin extraction from the marine ecosystem, or local causes such as improved hospice facilities to give those beyond medical intervention to give them the care they need and the environment to pass away with dignity, there appears to be no end to the number of ways that we can provide help, and no end to the number of places hoping to receive. With over 200,000 registered charities in the UK, let alone the many non-profit organisations, and countless individual fund-raising drives, this means the number of voices calling for your hard earned money has escalated from a loud noise, to beyond a deafening roar. With their tactics often turning to more and more graphic imagery, using extremes of guilt and emotional pressure, we are bombarded with these cause, and often give in to these pressures to contribute what little we can. But we can each only stretch so thin, and give so much. When being 'pounced upon' to donate, we often just get to hear the 'cover story' and pitch from the collector about how bad the problem is, but just how many of us look at how well the money is used to achieve the promise for a solution.   With us always meeting many charities and other causes, we get to prod deeper. Understanding the charity model, the legal limitations (such as the capping of salaries), and how some of these rules are 'worked around'. We look at the charity structure, business model (as all charities have to be like a business and balance their books), and the benefits they bring. We don't focus on criticising what the money is spent on, for example focusing on the costs of hosting a gala dinner to help build supporters which may have a high cost but might lead to great publicity and far more money to the cause. Instead we at Aurora focus on promises, and compare the money they receive with the promise of the good they will do with it. As an example, using a fictitious example charity "Save the Penguin", we want charities to explain te benefits that are generated for every £10 received, and just how this equates to the number of penguins rescued, rehabilitated and released. If we know, as donors, that donating £10 will save 3 penguins, it gives us, the donor, a greater connection with the good we do, rather than putting it into what otherwise may seem like an unknown unrewarding black hole. Charities want our money. Isn't it only fair that they should make these accountability promises, and then feed back on just how well they did against them? Won't this show the good and the bad charities by the deeds they do, as opposed to the words they say?  

Hotel cards, passports, pet microchips, contactless payment, car keys, security tags. Everyone knows about them, but surprisingly many have not yet heard of the term NFC. Despite us also holding it in the palm of our hands, as a smartphone feature, we can't blame you. No-one knows and uses all of the features that our little hand-held wizards can do, but NFC, along with WiFi and Bluetooth is a technology to take note of. Of the three technologies quoted above, NFC (also more generically called RFID) has been around for the longest. In this half a century, it has been integrated into everything from security tags, to hotel keys, passports, to contactless bank cards, car keys, and much much more. Many car parts have NFC tags, and large supermarkets use them for tracking their shipments. We know. We helped integrate them! RFID has been a very slow technology to gain strength. First conceived a century ago, it did not become a became a reality in the 1950's, and only started to find proper uses  around 50 years ago. Over this time, reliability and quality has steadily gone up, while the cost to produce (a major stumbling factor for reliable products) has gradually made it more accessible., and it is now more more affordable than ever. Smartphone manufacturers Sony and Samsung recognise this trend at the turn of Millenium. Since this time, more and more Android & Windows Smartphone models have had NFC integrated, with Apple joining the movement slightly later. In late 2018, was a huge turning point, as Apple fully-enabled NFC in their smartphones. meaning that virtually all smartphones manufactured had NFC readers built in.   In fact, over 95% of smartphones manufactured today already have it, & that figure continues to steadily grow. Our wide range of smart bands and tags (such as medical alert bracelets, dementia buttons etc), have been designed to be easy to use, with the technology we already hold in our hands, and nothing more. No specialist app. Just your phone. This means an NFC enabled phone can bring up emergency information in a matter of seconds.   If you find someone with a medical alert smart band, or a lost key or lost pet with a tag, simply put your phone against it (*) & the phone will bring up the owner's message containing details, relevant medical information, & can even send an email to the a carer, or a found message to the owner. We've tried to think of everything! If you wish, see more about our range at https://www.ICEsmartbands.com   To use it, simply go to your settings, & check it is turned on. For Android phones & iPhones X upwards, no special app is required. For iPhone 7 & 8, NFC can be activate by installing a choice of readers. We recommend https://apps.apple.com/cz/app/nfc-reader/id1286968328 (*) The NFC reader on your phone may vary in location from model to model, but are usually found either on the top of the phone, or on the back near the middle.

At the October 24th, join us at the Business Acceleration seminar and networking event, working with a range of businesses and charities across Beds, Bucks, and Herts, attendees will learn how to use a range of free tools online to aid the success of their business.   We have 2 sessions on the day. The first session starts at 9:30am, and the second session starts at 2pm. Please make sure that you book your place, using the contact details on the attached flyer.   We are proud to be included as a co-host for the event, in conjunction with the Full Circle Group, a socially responsible business, focused on helping businesses make the most out of available web technology, as well get to see a real recording studio at the Video News Factory, who operate a broadcast studio for a number of clients, in and around Milton Keynes, as well as across the UK. To reserve a place for the event, please contact Adam at Info@FullCircleWebsiteDesign.co.uk  Places are limited, so please do reserve your place by email !     While you are here..... Want to Create a Page for your Business or Charity, Free, with No Obligation on our Website? Our collective mission is to create a 'virtuous circle', by helping small businesses to become more successful, and thereby helping create more affluence in the local area, further creating opportunities for success with partnering charities. To register your business, charity, club, or non-profit organisation on the website, simply complete your details in the form directly below, verify your email, and then log in to add the information to complete your free listing.   Name Contact Email Organisation Name Charity NGO Club Partner   But please DO remember, after verifying your email address, to log back in again to complete your listing!!! (Please select NGO if you are a non-profit organisation not registered as a Charity)   We also ask that you share this post with other businesses and charities, to help others benefit from what Aurora can offer.   To Like us on Social Media, please visit Social.Aurora.Enterprises To Review us on Google, please visit g.page/aurora-enterprises/review   Event preparation: In order to help businesses explain what they do best, we suggest that you prepare a 1 page summary of your business. ( This document may help for helping tell others what you are good at, and how others you can best help others: https://portal.aurora.enterprises/link/intro ) We also ask that you bring 3 things: A Pen and Paper, for taking notes, for leaving feedback, and for writing down names Some ideas of what you can offer for free to other attendees. Helping others, and exchanging skills is a great way to build advocates.  A couple of specially priced offers to attendees that will allow them to sample your services in a more digestible manner. You might also benefit from bringing: Your imagination, creativity, and open mind Your business cards, or contact information, to help others be able to contact you more easily A determination to make the most of this seminar and networking slot There are normally plenty of parking spaces A roller-banner, if you have one, so that people can become more familiar with what you do   Who are Aurora? Below is a high level reminder of what Aurora is proud to offer: A free businesses and charities website directory, helping businesses promote what they offers, and raising awareness of the missions each charity is working to benefit A free directory of businesses (B2B and B2C) who wish to promote themselves to a wider audience A free charities directory, helping people appreciate the benefits that donations can bring (e.g. for every £100, the charity promises to save 3 penguins, or in a differnt promise, with a target of £200,000, they promise to buy a portable MRI scanning machine, with 5 years servicing included). We are helping charities to identify realistic promises that they can make, and keep! A (low cost) ‘no-sale, no fee’ shopping platform where you can promote any special deals (we manage the end to end process, and you get paid for providing your deal) A ‘giving’ platform with half of our sales fee being given back to your customer for them to donation to the causes they believe in, supporting what is truly important to them An ideal platform for companies to attractive deals, or offer end of line stock clearances with very low sales overheads   A range of specially manufactured life saving smart wearables (providing key ‘ICE’ medical or contact information through any NFC enabled smartphone – and no special app!): Medical alert smart-bracelets, bands, pet-tags, keyfobs, sew-on tags, stickers, cards, sew on buttons, watch bands, and custom products For anyone with a medical ailment, including dementia sufferers – with details of medication, allergies, and carer/contact details For pets – ideal for pets that might get lost, have medical conditions, or are with someone who may themselves need assistance For sports people, such as runners, cyclists, triathletes, scuba divers, and sailors, carrying key medical, contact, or insurance information For safety equipment (e.g. from life jackets to high visibility jackets) Highly flexible products, with a range of extra uses, from asset tagging and auditing, to museums, exhibitions, events, festivals, and more   Consultancy services for companies and charities: Project management (supported by over 25 years of managing projects from just a few thousand to £330 million budget) Hands-on business coaching services + offering a ‘business handy-man’ service, taking on the things you don’t know, don’t like, or don’t have skills, patience, or time for, leveraging decades of cross-industry experience at a wide range of companies Helping charities to identify untapped revenue streams, without resorting to guilt and emotional pressure that is damaging the industry Training – A range of our own courses (including CPD courses), as well as delivering custom training, effectively tailored for your staff’s needs Corporate training events, networking, and joint ventures

What gets you out of bed in the morning? Want a side business that saves lives, helps lost pets be re-united with their owners, promotes worthwhile charities, and helps your local business community? Become an agent. Not only can you earn money from every product you sell, but you can also help make a real difference in an incredible number of ways, wherever in the world you are !  At ICE SmartBands.com, we have created a range of life saving innovative products, and we want to work with people who can see our potential and believe in uor mission to make a positive difference. Could that be you? We are growing quickly, and gaining a fantastic following of celebs and influencers too! The opportunity is open to ANYONE who is willing to 'do'.   "The universe will only 'provide', if YOU put in the 'energy' to do", so the rest is down to you.   Location and language are not an issue either. Our products and platform (and business model) work globally, despite our main base in the UK. ICE SmartBands work in conjunction with the Aurora platform (this website) for a range of added benefits, above and beyond simply providing life saving medical, contact, and location information. The amount you make is a reflection of the sales you make, and not the hours you put in. With great returns on all sales, what's stopping you? So if helping save lives and making a difference is the sort of thing that you want to might get to jump out of bed, rather than simply roll out, please contact me us to get to know more.   For more information on signing up as an ICE SmartBands reseller, visit https://portal.aurora.enterprises/blog/jobs_at_aurora/be-an-aurora-reseller

Anyone who has seen the film of the same name, released at the start of the Millenium, may well be familiar with the term 'Pay It Forward', and it hard to say anything negative about the concept. In summary, a kind act of one person is rewarded by the receiver doing an act of kindness for two different people (usually strangers), who each in turn do the same, forming a 'virtuous pyramid' of uni-directional acts of kindness. Some of these acts may be simple, and others may be life changing (as in the theme of the film), but where did such an amazing idea come from? Over 100 years ago, an author by the name of Lily Hardy Hammond coined the phrase of the age-old concept, but the popularity went 'mainstream' with the success of the film about the principle, and the random acts of kindness of audience members turned this concept into reality. Originally in the USA, and now globally, there is even now a 'Pay it forward' day, taking place on April 28th. Put it in your diaries, as no doubt Aurora will be planning to celebrate!   In a seminar recently, we talked about a fictitious but legendary lady called 'Gina the cupcake maker' who had taken her passion and transformed it into a business. We talked about how, despite being so good at what she did best, still never made it in business. Her futile efforts to become an expert in everything else but her passion, in order to keep her business afloat, left poor Gina to be over-worked, under-paid, and spending less time making cupcakes than she did when it was a mere hobby. Our participatory audience keenly contributed with not only to what Gina could have done differently to have stood a chance, but also with what they could have each done to help her, asking for nothing in return. Paying it forward is not just about the perpetuation of random acts of kindness for strangers, but instead more about helping people out of holes they can't escape by themselves. We at Aurora has create a scheme, for homeless charities, where a homeless person can carry a special card, not asking for money, but instead asking to 'connect', allowing people to learn about them, how they got where they are, how they will get out of the hole, and how people can make a real difference, without even contributing financially. (contact us for more information).   Pay It Forward may be a great concept, but everything has a cost. As with all great things, there are always the 'piranhas' looking to take advantage of good natured giving individuals, who leave themselves vulnerable to being taken advantage of. Giving is not just a financial donation, but an emotional one, and vulnerability often ahs its greatest effect at the emotional level. Also, with many people looking at ways of pretending to have a problem, simply to scam others, this leaves the kind natured people as vulnerable. Recently, I heard of a lady going to a petrol station in the late afternoon, claiming to be stuck wthout her purse, and not being able to get to collect her children from school unless someone could 'lend' her the money. Even with her registration number, a working mobile phone number, and other 'reassurances' that this person was genuine, that was the last they saw of her, never being paid back. Kind people, and apparently lots of them, had all paid for her petrol, to help get her out of that 'hole', only to be scammed. Those generous givers may have lost the money for the petrol, but their greater loss is an emotional one, and their trust in humanity.

At the October 4th at the Bedfordshire small business marketing through technology seminar, working with a range of businesses and charities across Beds, Bucks, and Herts, attendees will learn how to use a range of free tools online to aid the success of their business. We are proud to be included as a co-host for the event, in conjunction with Full Circle Website Design, a socially responsible business, focused on helping businesses make the most out of available web technology, as well as the Kings Arms Outreach Charity, working to offer assistance to those caught in the rough sleeping and homeless trap. Our collective mission is to create a 'virtuous circle', by helping small businesses to become more successful, and thereby helping create more affluence in the local area, further creating opportunities for success with partnering charities. To register your business, charity, club, or non-profit organisation on the website, simply complete your details in the form directly below, verify your email, and log in to complete the missing information for your free listing. Name Contact Email Organisation Name Charity NGO Club Partner But please DO remember after verifying your email address to then log in to complete your listing!!!   We also ask that you share our mission with other businesses and charities, and help others to benefit from what Aurora has to offer This document may help to create a framework for helping tell others what you are good at, and how others can help make what you do reach more people: https://portal.aurora.enterprises/link/intro  Below is a high level reminder of what Aurora is proud to offer: A free businesses and charities website directory, helping businesses promote what they offers, and raising awareness of the missions each charity is working to benefit A free directory of businesses (B2B and B2C) who wish to promote themselves to a wider audience A free charities directory, helping people appreciate the benefits that donations can bring (e.g. for every £100, the charity promises to save 3 penguins, or in a differnt promise, with a target of £200,000, they promise to buy a portable MRI scanning machine, with 5 years servicing included). We are helping charities to identify realistic promises that they can make, and keep! A (low cost) ‘no-sale, no fee’ shopping platform where you can promote any special deals (we manage the end to end process, and you get paid for providing your deal) A ‘giving’ platform with half of our sales fee being given back to your customer for them to donation to the causes they believe in, supporting what is truly important to them An ideal platform for companies to attractive deals, or offer end of line stock clearances with very low sales overheads   A range of specially manufactured life saving smart wearables (providing key ‘ICE’ medical or contact information through any NFC enabled smartphone – and no special app!): Medical alert smart-bracelets, bands, pet-tags, keyfobs, sew-on tags, stickers, cards, sew on buttons, watch bands, and custom products For anyone with a medical ailment, including dementia sufferers – with details of medication, allergies, and carer/contact details For pets – ideal for pets that might get lost, have medical conditions, or are with someone who may themselves need assistance For sports people, such as runners, cyclists, triathletes, scuba divers, and sailors, carrying key medical, contact, or insurance information For safety equipment (e.g. from life jackets to high visibility jackets) Highly flexible products, with a range of extra uses, from asset tagging and auditing, to museums, exhibitions, events, festivals, and more   Consultancy services for companies and charities: Project management (supported by over 25 years of managing projects from just a few thousand to £330 million budget) Hands-on business coaching services + offering a ‘business handy-man’ service, taking on the things you don’t know, don’t like, or don’t have skills, patience, or time for, leveraging decades of cross-industry experience at a wide range of companies Helping charities to identify untapped revenue streams, without resorting to guilt and emotional pressure that is damaging the industry Training – A range of our own courses (including CPD courses), as well as delivering custom training, effectively tailored for your staff’s needs Corporate training events, networking, and joint ventures   

Compassion is the only master key to peoples hearts

Cervical Cancer prevention week – let’s educate and reduce the risk. Raise awareness. Fundraise. Campaign. Monday 21 – Sunday 27 January 2019 Do you know that cervical cancer can be prevented? The fact that cervical cancer can be prevented is something not many know about. Cervical Cancer prevention week is here to make people aware of how one can reduce the risk and pass on the message to others.   Taking up the NPV vaccination between the ages of 11-18, attending your cervical screening, finding the correct information and knowing the symptoms is all information everyone should know. One of the best ways to protect yourself is by attending a cervical screening also known as a smear test. You will be invited by the NHS Cervical Screening Programme to attend a screening from the ages of 25 to 64. A popular question is what causes cervical cancer. Almost all instances of cervical cancer are caused by HPV (human papilloma). There are 100 types of HPV which 40 can affect the genital area. However, one in four women does not attend there cervical screening. And not many people have symptoms so you will not realise you have it which is why it is so important to attend your smear test. So, fundraise or campaign in your local GP, community, schools and even in your home. Let’s raise awareness and get the word out to ensure more women know how they can reduce their risk of cervical cancer.   Click the link below to find out more on cervical cancer:     https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cervical-cancer/   #SmearForSmear #CervicalCancer   #CervicalCancerAwarenessWeek #auroramakingadifference

Dry January month - reminding people of the effects of harmful drinking.  Christmas party season may mean a significant increase in alcohol consumption for a lot of us. Be a part of dry January to take a break and join the annual movement where millions of people will give up alcohol for the month of January.  Some may be able to limit their drinking but others have a difficult time controlling their alcohol consumption. Alcohol can affect your lifestyle, body, mental health in both the short and long term. Alcohol affects each individual in a different way as every person is different. Knowing the line between moderate and heavy alcohol consumption is important. The effects of alcohol have an individual are depended on influences such as the amount consumed, tolerance to alcohol and medical history. Maybe your thinking about your drinking or about someone close to you; drinking too much, too often or just want to give it a break? Being aware of your relationship with alcohol and understanding the balance is key. Taking a break from booze may lead to you deciding to cut down in the long term which will have health benefits. With 4.2 million people planning to take part in Dry January 2019, why not be apart and create awareness. Click the link below to find out more: https://alcoholchange.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/dry-january/why-do-dry-january-1/why-do-dry-january

Hope is the lifebelt that keeps us afloat in troubled waters

Friendship is best cemented by trust

One should always write about what words cannot express

As Christmas is fast approaching, I started to wonder how many of you buy a Christmas Present for your team, if you do is it appreciated – or expected? and does it have a motivating effect?Employee recognition is best approached regularly and creatively. While money is an important way to say thank you, once money is spent, it is easily forgotten. It is as if the recognition never happened. I can help you to you develop a work environment that fosters employee recognition and hence, employee and customer success.Motivated employees do a better job of serving customers well. Happy customers buy more products and are committed to using your services. When more customers buy more products and services, your company's profitability and success will skyrocket. Are you interested in ways to say thank you at work? One would hope so. In a workplace committed to creating an attitude of gratitude and employee recognition on a daily basis, every day should be Thanksgiving Day. Employee recognition doesn't have to be expensive and is appreciated by employees in almost any form. Contact me for more ways to creatively recognise you team – sarah@peopletower.com

Only hope anaesthetises despair

Listening is the best advice

It has been a year since the allegations against Harvey Weinstein gave the #MeToo movement new impetus – but if you thought this was only a problem for Hollywood moguls – then you may need to think again - there is still a “high level” of tolerance for harassment in the workplace.   At this time of year when Alcohol, and Christmas Parties are added in to the mix, it is more important than ever to ensure that you have policies, procedures and training in place to ensure that all your staff are protected. Some initial actions that can be taken are: - issue a communication to staff to remind them that the Christmas party is an extension of the work place and their conduct should reflect that. Pairing this with your policies on bullying and harassment, equality and diversity is also essential to ensuring employees are aware of their boundaries. The introduction of alcohol does change the perspective of employees who might behave impeccably whilst sober and at work but has a serious effect on their judgement at a party when boundaries appeared blurred. Whilst you can prepare and train staff as much as is reasonably possible, it’s difficult to control behaviour at the party itself. Other than banning alcohol, which is likely to stop half of your employees from attending, it can be difficult to manage on the night. It’s important to ensure that everyone is comfortable and does not appear to be in an awkward or unwanted situation. If such a situation should arise you should take action immediately, reminding both parties what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour in a workplace environment. A quick word in the ear can often be all it takes to prevent a situation from crossing the line into something more serious although it may still be wise to follow that up in office hours to ensure that there are no concerns arising from the situation. Removing mistletoe so there is no temptation for lecherous lunging at an office crush is another suggestion. There is always a balance between being a Christmas kill joy and allowing a free for all but it’s still possible to have fun as long as staff are prepared and trained. At the end of the day, employees are adults and should be expected to behave as such, respecting each other’s’ boundaries whilst still enjoying the spirit of the season……. If I can be of further assistance in this, please contact me sarah@peopletower.com

If repetition is the mother of learning, curiosity is its father