Jamie Lennon to Speak at PPS charity breakfast in support of the charity, SANDS. Business professionals from across Swindon and Wiltshire are invited to attend the next PPS business charity breakfast. It’s going to be happening at DoubleTree by Hilton Swindon later this month.
The event will raise funds for Sands, the UK’s leading pregnancy and baby loss charity. Sands provides vital support for anyone affected by the loss of a baby. The charity offers a safe, understanding and caring community.
Guest speaker
The guest speaker will be Jamie Lennon, founder of Sixteen Sixty Four Training Solutions Limited. Jamie spent 21 years in the Royal Marines and the Army. There he led and trained teams in challenging environments. He now shares his experience in leadership and coaching to help businesses strengthen their people and client relationships.
Jamie Lennon to Speak at PPS charity breakfast
Jamie said ‘My session will focus on practical, innovative strategies for retaining valuable clients in today’s competitive market. All without the need for huge investment or reduced profitability. I’m looking forward to connecting with inspiring local business owners. All while supporting an incredible charity and the vital work they do.’
Attendees will also enjoy a delicious breakfast and the chance to connect with fellow local professionals in a relaxed and friendly setting.
There’ll be a charity raffle, supported by PPS and other local businesses, during the event. Tickets will be £5 each with all proceeds going straight to SANDS.
We’re so looking forward to welcoming Jamie to this event,’ said Sally Holland, Partner at PPS Chartered Accountants. ‘His expertise in leadership and client engagement will be valuable to anyone running or managing a business. And, as always, we’re delighted that our community can come together to support such an important cause.’
PPS hold their charity business breakfasts several times a year. They’ve become a popular date in the local business calendar. The events offer professionals the opportunity to network, learn and give back to their community.
When, where etc
The next event takes place at the DoubleTree by Hilton, Lydiard Fields, Great Western Way, Swindon, SN5 8UZ. It’s on Thursday, November 13th, 2025, from 7:30 am to 9:30 am.
Swindon’s town centre will come alive on Saturday 22 November. There’ll be a magical one-day festival of:
Culture
Creativity and community.
Along with community workshops in the weeks leading up to the event and a special festive trail lasting until Christmas Eve.
A Winter Fest for Swindon – A group of giant handmade rustic ethereal white paper lanterns
Swindon Winter Fest
Swindon Winter Fest celebrates the creativity of Swindon through FREE family-friendly, imaginative experiences. Taking place at locations around the town centre, the festival will invite families to follow a whimsical winter trail. On it they’ll discover giant, interactive imaginary creatures, a magical lantern forest and lots of inspiring free activities along the way.
Prepare to be mesmerised as The Whilers, by innovative creative tech studio Air Giants, interact with the crowd and each other. These larger-than-life, otherworldly glowing creatures are unlike anything you’ve seen before. They’re part sloth, part spirit, part dragon. Standing at an incredible 3 metres tall and powered by advanced robotic technology their expressive movements allow them to interact with:
audiences
their surroundings and each other to create an unforgettable, almost dreamlike encounter.
The winter wonder continues thanks to local artists. They’ll be transforming a vacant retail unit into an ethereal lantern forest. All with the help of community groups, school children and visitors. This magical installation will grow throughout the day as visitors create their own lanterns to add to the display.
Run, run as fast as you can you can’t catch me I’m the gingerbread man
Children of all ages will love following the panto-inspired Muddles’ Gingerbread Man Trail. On it they can find decorated characters hidden in local business windows as part of a fun discovery challenge organised by Artsite.
Families can also join in with a range of free creative workshops and activities organised throughout the day. These include Sleeping-Beauty themed crafts inspired by the Wyvern Theatre’s unmissable pantomime.
Alongside the other activities, Winter Fest will present ‘Once Upon a Thriftmas. That’s an initiative to encourage visitors to come and start their Christmas and festive shopping in the town centre. There, there’ll be a wonderful community of charity shops offering budget-friendly, sustainable gift options.
Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree
Brightening The Parade in the town centre will be festive lighting and a Christmas tree.
This new event is a first pilot for new ways of bringing the public and creative sector together. It’s the beginning of an ambitious 2-year programme to raise the profile of the town’s vibrant creative and cultural sector. Organisers hope to build on learnings from 2025 to develop more ambitious plans for the festive season across the town in future years.
Making it happen
Supported by Arts Council England’s National Lottery Place Partnership Fund, Winter Fest is a partnership between:
Swindon Culture Collective
Swindon Borough Council, Wyvern Theatre
Artsite
Gel Studios, along with artists drawn from across the town.
Dr Rod Hebden, Director of Swindon Culture Collective CIC, said: “It’s been a joyful experience working with so many local people and organisations to create something so magical this year. And something different from the standard approach where there’s a divide between performers and the public. This year, families can get involved and help create the magic together and make wonderful memories.’
Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Placemaking and Planning, said: ‘I’m so pleased that we can bring Christmas activities to the town centre again. And that we’re doing it in collaboration with our partners at the Swindon Culture Collective.
‘Swindon Winter Fest is going to be full of creative activities and opportunities for sustainable Christmas shopping. The town centre has lots of thrift and charity shops that offer pre-loved gifts looking for a new home. And it’s a great opportunity to support local organisations in an environmentally friendly and affordable way.
It’s clear the experience won’t be complete without a Christmas tree in the Parade and Christmas lights to cheer up the darker season. So looking forward to it!’
Swindon Makers’ Market booms after relaunch. A Swindon market has been going from strength to strength since its relaunch earlier this year. And shoppers are flocking to buy quality, handcrafted products.
Bricks and pins at Swindon Makers’ Market
The monthly Makers’ Market, hosted in The Brunel Shopping Centre, runs on the second Saturday of every month, and features growing numbers of stalls. A wide range of quality products are available, including:
Clothing
Crochet
Art
Cosmetics, candles and much more
With a mere two more markets this year – on November 8 and December 13 – organisers at The Brunel are looking for more traders to sign up. They’re encouraging visitors to pop along to shop for their Christmas gifts.
‘Our Makers’ Market has become very popular in recent months. It’s been lovely to hear our regular traders reporting strong sales,’ said Laura Hepple, Centre Manager at The Brunel.
Community
‘There is a strong sense of community here. Everyone supports one another, and we have some very talented local crafters. We’re especially looking forward to their Christmas gift inspirations.’
Stallholders appreciate the market’s location inside The Brunel, offering a warm, dry and organised setting. It’s also a win for shoppers. They can combine browsing the unique stalls with their regular high street shopping and a break at The Crossing for food and drink.
Among the regular stallholders are creative crocheters Bee Wild, who said: ‘It’s always great to make new friends and the people of Swindon have always been very friendly. The Brunel are helpful and accommodating to us small businesses.’
Swindon Makers’ Market booms – Bee Wild with her stall at Swindon Makers Market
While Dellah’s Creations and Curiosities, who make a range of gifts, added: ‘We’re like a community who care about what we sell, and we love meeting new people. The Brunel management team look after us and we feel welcomed and supported.’
There is still plenty of space for traders at the Makers’ Markets for 2025 and into 2026. For more information, and to book a pitch, email info@thebrunel.co.uk.
Swindon Hub is inviting the local community to kick off the festive season in style with its Christmas Fair. It promises a joyful celebration filled with music, creativity, and Christmas cheer!
Saturday, 15th November | 11am – 4pm | 36 The Parade, SN1 1BA | Free Entry
The Christmas Market will be open all day. It’ll feature 29 unique stalls packed with handmade gifts, local art, festive treats, and sustainable goodies. All perfect for ticking items off your Christmas list while supporting local makers and small businesses. Plus a special festive guest appearance for the children and FREE facepainting too.
Free creative workshops
Visitors can also take part in free creative workshops throughout the day, including:
Stitch Social Banners – Festive Banner Making (1pm – 3pm
And no Christmas celebration would be complete without music! And to that end festive tunes will fill The Hub from live performers all afternoon.
2pm – 12.45pm: Christmas Carols with Carmel Church Swindon
1pm – 2pm: Old Town Strummers Ukulele Group
2pm – 3pm: Chloe Marie
3pm – 4pm: Joseph Patrick Brown
Event organiser and Hub volunteer, Pearl Barcoe says ”With a wonderful mix of shopping, crafting, and carolling, the Hub Christmas Fair promises a great day out for all right in the heart of our town centre. Everyone is welcome — and it’s completely free to attend! All donations received on the day will go directly to the Hub to support the work we do.’
So come along, meet the community, and make this festive season a little brighter at Swindon Hub, the heart of Swindon’s community spirit.
Holiday Club Thanks Sponsor. Swindon-based sports holiday club celebrates a bustling summer of activity. All thanks to the generous donation of a Wiltshire business.
Sean Harper co-founded Just For Fun Holiday Club in 2018. The sports provider creates a safe space for young people of Swindon to access activities and free meal throughout the summer. He supports the Holiday Activities and Food Programme (HAF) from Swindon Borough Council. The club is well-known for delivering exciting and engaging activities for children during school breaks.
They’re a sports activity provider and Sean, alongside his passionate team, carried out their most successful summer programme in 2025. All since their inception over 7 years ago.
After seeing the important work JFF carries out, John Tuner from Online Recruitment, reached out to them to sponsor their vital community and youth work.
At Outline Recruitment we’re committed to supporting local businesses,’ said John. ‘I’ve known about Just for Fun for several years through my good friend Sean. I’m impressed by his desire to have a positive impact on young people’s futures. And to instill values we too believe in. When Sean first told me about the sponsorship programme, I felt it was a great opportunity to not only support a friend but give back to the community.’
Holiday Club Thanks Sponsor – Sean Harper, co-founder of Just For Fun Holiday Clubs, and John Turner of Online Recruitment. John Turner sponsored Just For Fun’s work through their Summer 2025 programme.
HAF
Sean has overseen their HAF programme for many years. He’s credited John’s sponsorship as one of the core reason’s this year has been their most successful yet.
We work hard to make sure young people get support throughout the summer. John has helped support us this summer with his generosity,’ said Sean. ‘Further, he wasn’t a distant donator. He came along to engage with the children and experience what a morning at JFF is like. He asked lots of questions of the children, who were very chatting and talking to him.’
‘John is keen to give back to the local community. He took time to speak with staff and appreciated the impact what we can have on young people and their aspirations. It means a great deal to an engaged sponsor who understands (and saw!) how important programmes like ours are.’
John spoke with fondness about his experience sponsoring the work JFF holiday club does for the young people of Swindon and Wiltshire.
I’m so proud we had the opportunity to provide some small financial support to such a great organisation. And I, as well as the rest of the team at Outline Recruitment, look forward to supporting them again in the summer of 2026!’ commented John.
Venues
JFF Holiday Club currently runs at five venues in Swindon:
