Marketing Tribe get Brunel Centre. Town centre shopping precinct The Brunel Swindon has appointed the Marketing Tribe to look after its marketing. The move sees The Brunel collaborating with local marketing specialists, to help promote it as the go-to shopping centre for people living and working in Swindon.
The Brunel selected The Marketing Tribe from a competitive tendering process. What makes their choice noteworthy is that that the Tribe isn’t one marketing company. Rather it’s an association of separate providers collaborating to provide exceptional services to their mutual clients.
What clinched the Tribe’s selection was that the team are locally based. And further they have been working in the Swindon area for decades between them. So, The Brunel has awarded them a contract to look after their social media, PR and design services for The Brunel.
Meet the team
Leading the Marketing Tribe partnership with The Brunel are:
Social media expert Tracy Marland
PR consultant Jo Smyth
and brand and design specialist Mike Land, with …
… photography from Elizabeth Donovan.
Marketing Tribe get Brunel Centre
L-r: Tracy Marland, Jo Smyth, The Brunel’s Laura Sackett, and Mike Land
‘We were so delighted to have won the tender. As Swindon-based business owners ourselves, we’re enjoying supporting The Brunel in engaging the local audience and showcasing the centre as part of the community,’ said Tracy, who runs Social Butterfly Digital.
Jo Smyth, who runs PR consultancy Word Worker, said she’s hoping greater and more positive media coverage will shine a light on the wide range of stores and activities on offer at The Brunel.
Branding expert Mike Land, of Nickel Design, added: ‘It’s great to be working with The Brunel. It’s been the centre of the town for years. I remember it from when I first came to Swindon for college in the early nineties. So it’s great to now be helping strengthen its identity and position it as a destination for the local community.’
A spokesperson for the Brunel, said: ‘We love working with the Marketing Tribe. We enjoy the positive energy they are bringing towards promoting The Brunel and Swindon town centre. Having marketing led by local people is important. They understand our shoppers, so it’s easy to arrange face-to-face meetings, and have the team on site. Where possible we prefer to use local suppliers to help support the local economy.’
Not only but also
The Brunel is one of many organisations to opt for the Marketing Tribe’s collaborative approach to providing marketing services, bringing together experts under one roof. Recently, the team collaborated with KT Family Solicitors. Between them they provide:
Branding
Website design and build
Copy
Photography
PR and social media for this Royal Wootton Bassett law firm.
Not Every Dog Loves Walking, SAYS WILTSHIRE PET EXPERT.
As summer gets underway and more people spend time outdoors with their pets, a Wiltshire pet care expert reminds owners that not every dog enjoys heading out for a stroll.
Holly Bird, founder of premium pet sitting service Birddog Catwalk, says anxiety in dogs is more common than many people realise. And owners should not feel embarrassed about asking for help.
People often picture dog walking as wagging tails and happy walks through the countryside, but that’s not always reality,’ said Holly.
‘Some dogs feel frightened of strangers, nervous around other dogs or uncomfortable with changes to their routine. That doesn’t make them bad dogs.
‘We also know that owners of anxious dogs can sometimes feel embarrassed or worried about asking for help. Many fear judgement or being turned away. We want people to know that anxious dogs are welcome here.’
Based on her experience working with pets across Wiltshire, Bath, Bristol and the Cotswolds, Holly has shared some simple advice for owners of anxious dogs.
Not Every Dog Loves Walking – Holly Bird, founder of Birddog Catwalk, who is encouraging owners of anxious dogs not to be afraid to ask for help.
Take things at your dog’s pace
One of Birddog Catwalk’s clients, a collie cross called Elma, would bark whenever a new sitter entered the home and refused to come close.
‘Rather than forcing interaction, our sitter sat quietly and allowed Elma to observe her from a distance,’ said Holly.
‘There was no pressure and no expectation that trust would be amn instant thing. Over time, curiosity began to replace fear. And Elma became comfortable enough to approach our sitter and, at length, head out for walks.
‘Those first few sessions were not about walking at all. They were about relationship-building.’
Celebrate small wins
Another client, a German Shepherd called Shabba, was wary of strangers and reluctant to let a new sitter fit her harness.
Because Birddog Catwalk had cared for the owner’s cats, the usual meet-and-greet got skipped. When sitter Mia arrived for Shabba’s first walk, it soon became clear that the dog was uncomfortable around someone she did not yet know.
‘Instead of rushing the process, Mia slowed everything down,’ said Holly.
‘She contacted us for reassurance and advice. Together we worked through how best to approach the situation safely and in a calm manner.’
At length, Mia gained enough trust to fit the harness and take Shabba outside.
‘The first walk only lasted around 10 to 15 minutes instead of the planned hour. But from our perspective that was still a success,’ said Holly.
‘For anxious dogs, success does not always look like a perfect one-hour walk. Sometimes success is simply a dog feeling safe enough to approach someone new.’
Don’t be afraid to ask for help
Holly says behaviours such as barking, hiding, freezing or defensive reacting are often signs that a dog feels frightened or overwhelmed, rather than being difficult on purpose.
There is no overnight fix for anxiety and we would never make unrealistic promises to owners,’ she said.
‘But what we can do is provide compassionate, experienced support that helps reduce stress and keeps both pets and people safe.
Every dog is different. Sometimes support means a longer meet-and-greet, a shorter first walk or allowing a dog the time they need to learn that someone is safe.
‘Pet care should never be one-size-fits-all. The dogs who need the most patience often have the most to teach us about trust, empathy and connection.’
Birddog Catwalk offers dog walking, pet sitting and home visits across Wiltshire, Bath, Bristol and the Cotswolds. To find out more, visit https://birddogcatwalk.com/
The Wyvern theatre is proud to present, from comedy masterminds Mischief, Thespians Greece the Musical. As their website says:
‘If you thought something funny happened on the way to the forum, wait until you hear what happened en route to the amphitheatre!
Greece is the word. Ancient Greece to be specific. It’s the year 534 BC and a dreadful drought has ravaged the entire country.
Thespis and his sister Poly live on the tiny island of Ikaria where nothing ever really happens. At least not until the entire population (all five of them) are forced to go to Athens to compete in a deadly prayer competition. All hope is lost until Thespis stumbles upon something that will change the world forever.’
Written by Jonathan Sayer (co-writer of The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and The Comedy About A Bank. Don’t miss Mischief’s first musical about the power of walking a greek mile in someone else’s sandals.
Thespians Greece the Musical
Useful to know before you start – so it won’t be all Greek to you! Boom!
Thespian: The term thespian as in of or pertaining to tragedy or dramatic acting comes from the Greek Thespis. One of the lead characters in this production, Thespis was a 6th century poet often viewed as the father of Greek tragedy.
The Greek chorus – by tradition the Greek chorus numbers many – 12-50 players – maybe more. In Greek drama they’re a collective group of performers. It’s their role to comment on the action on the stage or offer insight into off-stage action. In this performance the chorus are two in number! They work jolly hard and are v funny.
Dionysius – played by Thespis (who is played by James Spence) is, according to Britannica, a nature god of fruitfulness and vegetation. In particular he’s known as a god of wine and ecstasy. He also goes by the name of Bacchus.
About the production
There are many layers to this production. It nods, (I thought) to different theatre styles. From farce to a pantomime villain and, of course, Greek tragedy. All with live music – and I loved how the musicians were part of the rather clever set.
Above all though, Thespians is a well-written, witty, fast-paced, funny, punny play-within-a play. One that elicits smiles, chuckles and belly laughs from start to finish.
I loved it. And I’m sure you will too. It’s a tremendous bit of escapism. And don’t we all need that?
The performers were all tremendous – I can’t single one out. Except to say that Adonis is not who/what you might imagine.
I’ve got to say something about the ankle socks. Some but not all the performers wore ankle socks. And, in the case of Adonis, knee socks. Though his def suit his character. But his hosiery aside, is the whole sock thing a riff on men wearing socks with sandals?
But then, Thespis wore one nude-toned sock. Has he lost the other one? We all know the odd sock situation. Or is he covering a tattoo on his foot?
Young Entrepreneurs Taste Success at the Brunel Centre with the Little Bosses Academy.
A dozen youngsters have tried their hand at entrepreneurship. All during a week-long programme hosted by The Brunel Swindon.
Run by the Swindon-based Little Bosses Academy, the event, open to 5-11 year olds, aimed to help children build confidence, independent thinking and financial awareness.
During the week, headlined Sweet Science, the youngsters learnt how to set up and run a business. They covered everything from product creation to branding and marketing. They had to calculate ingredients and work out their profit margins.
At the end of the week, the children ran a pop-up shop in The Brunel Swindon. They sold the sweet treats they had created, with the help of the Little Bosses Academy mascot Barry Bear.
Barry, the academy’s social-emotional learning mascot, helped support the children, as they invited shoppers to their stall. Then served them, and delivered great customer service, all in a real-life shopping centre setting.
The children learnt about business and experienced what becomes possible when they’re trusted with real responsibility. They had to:
do independent thinking
make decisions
communicate with the public
solve problems …
and adapt in a genuine real-world environment,’ said Little Bosses Academy Founder Giselle Idedia. ‘
The team at The Brunel Swindon have been so supportive and on board right from the start.’
Young Entrepreneurs Taste Success – participants at the recent Little Bosses Academy half-term programmeYoung Entrepreneurs in action with the Little Bosses Academy
About the Little Bosses Academy
Little Bosses Academy is a Community Interest Company. Any profits made at the stall get ploughed back into supporting future programmes, including funding places for some children.
A spokesperson for The Brunel Swindon said: ‘We loved hosting the Little Bosses Academy and welcoming these young people to the centre. Seeing children as young as five run their own stall with such confidence and teamwork was fantastic.
We’re proud to have supported them at an event which nurtures the next generation of Swindon’s entrepreneurs.’
Holiday Club Successful Spring Programme. Swindon- based Just For Fun (JFF) Holiday Club welcomed more than 450 children across its Easter holiday programme this year. But co-founder Sean Harper said one of the biggest highlights had nothing to do with attendance numbers.
Instead, it was seeing older children begin stepping into leadership roles after years of attending the clubs themselves.
‘It’s been lovely to see some of our older attendees start making the transition into assistants,’ Sean said. ‘What may once have felt like childcare because parents were working has become something they want to be part of. They’re helping younger children, becoming role models and setting standards for the rest of the group.’
Sean said some older attendees are already hoping to become assistants when they are old enough. And others are using the experience to support schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
The Club
ust For Fun Holiday Club, launched in 2018, provides holiday childcare and activity programmes for children aged four to sixteen across Swindon. This Easter, sessions ran at:
Holy Cross Primary School
Grange Junior School
Dorcan Leisure Centre
Moredon Sporting Hub and Goddard Park.
Holy Cross proved especially popular during the Easter break, welcoming around 70 children per day. Sean said the longer opening hours available for working parents continue to make a difference. Moredon Sporting Hub also saw its highest attendance figures to date.
Children attending across the Easter holidays took part in a range of acivites including:
Easter egg hunts
arts and crafts
cycling, swimming, sports and team games.
The return of Scales of Wonder, an interactive reptile experience, was also popular with children across several venues.
Holiday Club Successful Spring Programme – egg hunt at Easter Just for Fun Holiday club
The HAF programme
The club also continued its involvement with Swindon Borough Council’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF). It provides funded places and meals for eligible children during school holidays.
Being part of the HAF programme is something we’re so proud of,’ Sean said. ‘You can see the direct impact it has on children and families during the school breaks.’
During the Easter programme, the club also retained its five-star food hygiene rating following an Environmental Health inspection.
Sean said the team is already looking ahead to the summer holidays. ‘Easter was a real success for us,’ he said. ‘The children left smiling, parents were supportive and the team worked hard. We’re already planning for another busy summer.’
