Goats milk chocolates from Chocolats de Caprine

All in the name of feature writing

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Feature creature

Sometimes, my occasional forays into the world of feature writing bring unexpected pleasure.

For the upcoming Devon Life Food & Drink issue, I proposed a feature on Caprine de Chocolats, a chocolate maker in Torrington making chocs from goats milk. I felt, in the name of research, the need to test out some of said chocolates, and duly placed an order. A tantalising selection of 12 chocs arrived in the post a few days’ later.

Now, it’s no secret amongst my inner (and outer) circle that I’m a bit of chocaholic. I’m the type that is fine as long as a wrapper is on the chocolate, but as soon as the chocolate is exposed to the air, I am driven to finish it. Chocolate goes off very quickly, you know. But these goats milk chocolates are something else again. Rich, and bursting with depth and flavour. One is enough for a day. Or I might manage two, at a push.

They must have a bit of creative juice in them too, as eating the chocolate led me to think of a new way to approach the article. The words were truly lit up by the taste experience provided by the cacoa.

Learning something new

Feature writing isn’t going to make me a rich woman, unless I secure an interview with Lord Lucan. However, it does give me the opportunity to try things out that I wouldn’t normally contemplate, and discover new things about life in Devon and beyond. Going up in a glider (and flying it for a hairy minute or two); researching all the spooky legends of Dartmoor; finding out what it is that makes people want to play in a brass band; learning about herbalism, taking off in a tiny aircraft and watching people throw themselves out of it (I was tempted).

Some features have led me to new PR clients. I met Amos Lighting when I wrote a piece about lighting for Devon Homes Magazine, and Rusty Pig when I interviewed chef Robin Rea for Devon Life. And over the past few years I’ve noticed that feature writing is making me a better writer in other aspects of my work; press releases, blog posts and even social media posts. I’ve been writing for years, but I’m a firm believer that you never stop learning. Hey, until recently I never really used the; semi-colon; now I’m overusing it; I am.

So what’s up next? Next week I meet the two men behind Christopher Piper Wines – I’m sure I’ll learn something there and be able to amaze my wine-quaffing friends with my in-depth knowledge of the Bordeaux region. Watch this space.

Thar She Blows!

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Want a whalebone that once belonged to an Arctic explorer? Well it’s yours if you want it, just make a bid at the Chilcotts sale in Honiton on November14th.
What a great story this is.
The curious story of the day that intrepid explorer Shackleton, best known for his expedition aboard the ship Endurance that became trapped in an ice floe for nine months in 1915, decided to gift the whalebone to an order of French nuns after they bought his family’s house to turn it into a school for girls.
The humorous story of the whalebone that lay in the school garden in all weathers, before a history teacher realised its significance and removed it indoors for safekeeping.
The historic story of Shackleton’s connection to Torquay – the home his family owned and his residence there in the early 1900s. Of another of his ships, Nimrod, that moored briefly in Torquay harbour in 1907 before setting out on the first of Shackleton’s three Antarctic expeditions.
The sad story of the last of Shackleton’s ships, Quest, being anchored in Anstey’s Cove below the school before setting sail for South Georgia in 1921 – the voyage during which he died.
The fascinating story of Stoodley Knowle School, established in 1925 by the Congregation of Les Filles de la Croix, an order of nuns founded in Paris in 1641 by one Madame de Villeneuve who was driven by passion to provide an education for girls.
The concluding, melancholy story of the closure of the school earlier this year after pupil numbers crumbled.
The perfect story, in fact. Containing drama, history, sorrow, death, and even wildlife, albeit in the shape of a rather large bone. Sometimes I love my job

We’re not gossiping, we’re networking!

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Attending a networking group for the first time can be daunting. Despite Networking 3working in PR, a sector associated with people who are brimming with confidence and know how to talk the talk, my personal style is somewhat less ‘in your face’. I will even admit to being quite shy. For me, walking into a room full of strangers is a challenge.

If you’re the same, the answer is not to hit the bottle for a confidence boost (that would be frowned on at a breakfast meeting anyway!) but to keep a clear head and remember that everyone is in a similar position.

People who frequently go to the same group have the advantage of knowing other regulars, which obviously gives them a head start. On the other hand, fresh blood is always welcome, and most people will be happy to talk to you – after all, there may be something in it for them! That may sound a little cynical, but, at the end of the day, this is the reason that most people network.

Networking 2In my humble opinion, however, it is not always wise to go to a networking group simply to hunt for business. I believe a better approach is to go along to meet new people, share business experiences, learn something and have a bit of fun. If you are sociable, natural and likeable, other networkers will enjoy talking to you and finding out more about what you do. Then if they need the service you provide, you will pop into their heads and bingo!

Once you’re comfortable in a group, you could offer to give a presentation. Most networking groups like to include a talk, so why not take advantage? Keep it short and snappy, and don’t drone on about how marvellous your services are. Impart useful information and advice around your services that people will remember. Again, should they find they need those services, you’ll spring to mind.

During my year of networking I’ve changed from shy, retiring wallflower to someone who will approach the newbie in the room and ask them about themselves.. I’ve given a presentation myself with another PR, which went down very well – and we picked up some new business as a result.

If you aren’t yet networking, take a look around. Chat to people who do, ask them for suggestions. Go along with someone you know to a group that they regularly attend. If you’re a woman, might you enjoy a women in business networking group? Is there a specific group for your type of work – if you’re a crafter, a craft network, for example. Be proactive and put your head above the parapet.

Which type of networking is going to work for you is a matter of trial and error:

• Breakfast meetings are useful as less of the working day is taken up
• Late morning meetings are particularly good for working mums who can’t do early mornings
• Lunchtime networking is great for socialising, but be careful that they don’t result in a less productive afternoon
• Evening meetings can be ideal, as long as you don’t have teenagers to ferry about or babies to get to bed.

It’s a juggle, so choose whatever suits you best, or mix and match. You don’t have to go every month. Bear in mind, though, that some groups have annual fees so you may need to weigh up if you will be able to attend regularly. Others are pay as you go, which could prove more cost-effective and practical.

In truth, networking has changed my business. I have new clients, and new friends. There’s been a lot of laughter and I’ve learned some great tips from other local business people. And I know more, much more, about how everything interacts in my business community – which is proving to be pretty useful. Good luck!

Networking 4

Mind the Pot Plant!

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I finally bit the bullet and agreed to give a presentation with Sharon Goble of If…Media to one of the networking groups I attend, the Exeter and East Devon Business Club. Now, although I have a background in drama (nay, a degree in the subject!) I have always preferred to be behind the scenes, having worked both as a video producer and a stage director. Getting up in front of a crowd is not something I particularly enjoy, which may seem odd given that I work in PR (for me the whole point is usually to PR my clients, not myself)!

However, Sharon convinced me, and came up with a great topic, PR – is it magic? She was keen to talk about the power of images and targeting stories for the right media. I wanted to explore the connections between PR and social media, and how businesses should make sure they don’t let great PR stories get away.

Come the day, and off to the Deer Park Hotel for lunch before the presentation. I put my nerves to the back of my mind, deciding not to indulge in a glass of wine – I thought Dutch courage could prove my downfall!

Sharon and I got ready to start our presentation, which is when I got up close and personal with a pot plant. The layout of the room meant that I was standing under the leaves of the plant and could barely see the people in the room.

After attempting to talk from behind the foliage I decided to twist it round to get the leaves out of my face. The audience gasped as the plant toppled and I dived to stop it from falling. General hilarity ensued – talk about an ice breaker!

Of course, my nerves dissipated and I (almost) enjoyed the experience. Sharon has offered the presentation to another networking group we are members of. My only request is that there is a pot plant in the room….

Thanks to Fluffy of New Tricks for capturing the moment.

The Biker Boys

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Well I know the Hairy Bikers have been in town, but there’s another group of bikers, not so hairy, that I’ve been involved with for a while. In fact, it struck me this week that I’ve been working with the Devon Freewheelers charity for almost a year.

I first heard of the charity in 2015 when I read about the launch of the first Honitonfestival pig Sausage & Cider Festival. I offered to help with PR for the event, which was being held partly to raise funds for the Devon Freewheelers.

I met with Daniel Lavery, who founded the charity, and we talked about all things motorbike. Not one of my areas of expertise, but there you go, I learn quickly. In fact, the Devon Freewheelers offer an out-of-hours courier service to the NHS free of charge. Yes, I’ll say that again, free of charge, throughout the night and for 24 hours on Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holidays.

Devon Freewheelers courierThey transport urgent medical supplies like blood, tissue for transplant and breast milk. They also deliver and collect patient notes when asked. If they didn’t do these things, a taxi or ambulance would be used, costing the NHS a lot of money and calling on scarce resources. I’m full of admiration for these volunteers, who include the riders, operations support and fundraisers. No-one gets paid.

Over the year I’ve written hundreds of press releases, taken photos, spoken to fundraisers, supporters and journalists, met the Wurzels (well I stood next to them BssssloodBike-Matt-Austin-3backstage at the Sausage & Cider Festival), persuaded Matt Austin to take photos of one of the riders for Devon Life, shaken hands with local MP Neil Parish who has been incredibly supportive of the charity, encouraged the team to find their first patron (Mark ‘Flymo’ Hayes), negotiated radio interviews with the BBC and Heart FM and generally done what I could to help raise the profile of the Devon Freewheelers.

The riders are out every night in the dark hours, journeying carefully across Devon’s road network, often on their way to save someone’s life. They are unsung heros as the patients they help never know they’ve been there.

It’s been a fascinating year – I’ve learned so much and continue to be full of admiration for the team. And yes, a second Sausage & Cider Festival is scheduled for 2015!

And finally, there’s some exciting news to come for the Devon Freewheelers, so watch this space – the press release will have my name on it!

Devon-Freewheelers-600-600

A picture paints a thousand words

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I have never been a natural in front of the camera – preferring to remain on the other side of the lens. In school group photos I always snuck to the back, and in family photos the one pulling the face, yes you’ve guessed it, that was me. When I worked in video production as a producer and scriptwriter, I occasionally appeared in shot, but only the back of my head as I filled in as an extra.

Obviously with the rise of social media a photo is a necessity – but from my point of view an evil one. So when someone mentioned every photo of me on the Internet was the same, a picture of me positioned ‘casually’ in front of a bush, I decided it was time to ‘go professional’ with local photographer Matt Austin from Lyme Regis.

Matt is just brilliant at portrait photography, so I made the booking and wonderedSueCade-Matt-Austin-30 what he’d manage to make of my slightly careworn face. I was terribly nervous and afterwards my jaw ached from smiling, but when the photos arrived in my Dropbox, I was speechless – and impressed.

I posted a photo on Facebook, just to test the reaction. Around 90 likes later it seemed that everyone loved the new look me – and there weren’t too many rude comments about Photoshop and kind lighting.

I’d also recommended Matt to a theatre group, and the shoot he did for their show, The Voyage of the Viqueens, resulted in some stunning images. They may not be a professional group, but they certainly look it in the photos. And I’d thoroughly recommend going to see the show at The Beehive in Honiton in November.

Viqueens-Matt-Austin-8 (3696 x 2460)

Now all I have to do is live up to my new photos, which luckily include shots of me in wellies with one of my dogs, which is pretty close to the norm.

Don’t hide your light under a bushel!

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PR is all about good news (most of the time). In Devon, we love to celebrate positive stories, and the county is full of people doing fantastic things in business, community and charity. However, sometimes people don’t realise they’re sitting on a great story!

Two of my clients in East Devon almost missed the opportunity for a shout out this summer, not realising the PR gold they were sitting on. Luckily, social media did its thing, and I was alerted to both stories by comments on Facebook and Twitter.

In the first instance, Otter Nurseries received an SOS call from celebrity gardener, Alan Titchmarsh who was in desperate need of coastal plants for a garden makeover in North Devon he was doing for his programme, Love Your Garden.

alan titchmarshThe makeover was for a man who had lost his sight after an aneurism, and Sir Alan had been let down by a supplier. He had rung garden centres across Devon before calling Otter Nurseries. Carla, the young lady who took his call, couldn’t believe it was him at first! Alan was delighted when Otter Nurseries was able to fulfil his requirement and sent his production team to collect the plants. When they arrived, they also had a wish list for lots of other supplies, which staff managed to get together for them in record time. A great good news story, I thought – and local press agreed. Read it here.

I recently learned that I’d missed another lovely story from Otter Nurseries, where a female member of staff grabbed her tools and fixed a customer’s car right there in the garden centre’s car park!

Over in Ottery town centre, I’ve recently started working with chef Robin Rea of the Rusty Pig. Robin has a great business, combining an exclusive dining experience with a specialist butchers shop selling fantastic air-dried charcuterie. I noticed on GoldFacebook that Robin had been awarded Gold in the Taste of the West awards. When I asked him if he’d created any publicity around it, he said that he’d put it on social media…. A couple of hours and one press release later, the local papers again were delighted to print the story of his success. Read about it here.

The moral of this blog is to tell your PR agency whenever something good happens. I’ve lectured (in the nicest possible way) both the above clients not to dismiss anything, but get in touch asap. After all, it’s my job to get their good news out there and there’s nothing I like better!

Twitter followers – quantity or quality?

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Do you ever look at the number of Twitter followers you have and wonder if more is better? Do you peek at an account that boasts 30,000 followers and wonder where you’re going wrong with your 583?

Well, the chances are you’re not going wrong. The chances are you’re talking to the people you want to talk to. If an account has thousands upon thousands of followers, take a look at who they follow and who follows them – it can be very illuminating.

There are, of course, reasons why some accounts have a multitude of followers. Take our very own #DevonHour, the Twitter account that gets businesses across Devon talking to each other. It makes sense that this account has approaching 13,000 followers – because there are that many businesses in Devon! Likewise accounts belonging to celebrities, supermarkets and the BBC –it’s pretty obvious why they have so many followers.

I always become a little suspicious when a smaller business has tens of thousands of followers. Are they purchasing followers, I wonder. In recent months I’ve been offered the chance to do just that to boost the numbers of followers on my account. Similar offers are being made to accounts I help run for clients. ‘Get 10,000 new followers instantly!’ Er, why?

Cartoon

I like to earn my followers. I prefer to know that someone likes what I’m saying, or wants to know more about my business. I follow accounts that have some relevance to me and my business, others that look like they could do with support, some for news and one or two simply because they make me laugh.

Running Twitter (and Facebook) accounts for clients may seem a simple task, but to do it well you need to engage the right audience and find new followers who are interested in what the client is doing and what they have to say. Why would a vintage shop in Devon want to follow a pizzeria in Glasgow (unless they’re friends with the owners), or a lacemaker in Honiton follow an energy specialist in Florida? (Of course the vintage shop and the lacemaker really should be following each other!)

At the end of the day, it’s not about how many followers you have, it’s about the relationships and relevance. It’s good to have a healthy number of followers, but it’s not so good to have thousands of followers you really don’t have anything in common with. So be content with your 583 followers – as long as they are the right ones then you’re doing well.

Skydives, Terriers and Ice Cream

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So the tandem skydiving world record attempt at Dunkeswell happened on June 21, when the great British weather held its own with blue skies and just the right sort of fluffy cloud.

Having been commissioned to write a feature about skydiving and the event for Devon Life, it was on the cards that I would be jumping myself. In the end that didn’t happen but I did get the chance of a truly exciting flight up to 15,000 feet with one group of jumpers. Sitting next to the pilot, Aussie Tom as we cruised around above the clouds, I turned to watch the intrepid folk leap from the plane into the blue. A little part of me breathed a sigh of relief that I could stay sitting next to Tom while they plummeted out of view! On landing I hung around to watch them all travel back to the ground safely. In small 3 total, 281 jumped, beating the record by 30.

Many were raising money for charity. I interviewed some of these, and there were some amazing stories. I spoke to the mum of a young man who was killed in a road accident at the age of 24. Five brave people were jumping to raise funds for the charity she’d set up, called PAULY. Having a son myself, I had tears in my eyes. I can’t imagine anything worse than losing a child who has his whole life before him. (For more info on the charity click here)

Terrier racingVery different was another feature that Devon Life asked me to cover. Terrier racing takes place in the East Devon village of Yarcombe every year, in August. I don’t live that far from Yarcombe yet I’d never heard of it. I drove over and had a chat with a lovely farming couple, John and Barbara Salter. John was involved right at the conception of the race day in the 1970s, and forty years on is the only surviving member of the original team.

This is a great community event (I love community events!) attracting thousands of visitors from other villages and holidaymakers who come along every year. There are six races with a mixture of dogs, a 10p tote, and lots of fun to be had. This yeIce creamar race day is on Saturday August 2. I’m hoping to go along with the family, and on the way I am dead set on stopping for an ice-cream from the Otter Valley Dairy who make such delicious-sounding concoctions as Ginger and Butternut Squash and Devon Rice Pudding with Raspberry Jam. All made from milk and cream from their own Pedigree herd. Yum!

Flying Visit to the Devon Business Expo

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It was great to pop into the Devon Business Expo last week and meet up with some of the most inspirational businesses in the county.

This was a flying visit for me as I’m up to my ears in that ‘orrible work stuff, but I was delighted to finally meet Mr & Mrs #DevonHour and admire the camper van lent to them by Devon Dubs. It was also a chance to catch up with some ‘old’ faces from the Deer Park Hotel, Cosmic Ethical and Devon Air Ambulance.

I arrived just in time to sit in on the media panel seminar and hear the latest from the good folk at the Express & Echo, Heart FM, Radio Exe, and event organiser, Best of Exeter. Also on the panel was Andy Cooper, editor of Devon Life, who wowed us all with his slightly controversial take on the power of the media!  

It was fun to chat with some of the Best of Exeter team – it may seem strange that I know the Best of Wimbledon & Merton crew better than the locals, but that’s another story!

There was much more going on – I didn’t have time to take part in the speed networking and would have liked to stay for the Tweet Met. However, I’m delighted to report that even in the short time I was there, I hooked up with two new potential clients – next time I’d better stay longer!

Well done to everyone involved, there was a lovely atmosphere at the event and good to see so many businesses taking part.