Caroola Cares October

Wellbeing

Giving Back

Enviroment

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

It's your pets' time to shine in our new 'Pet of the Month' competition. You can have your say, all you need to do is click the button below

"As long as you're expressing yourself in an appropriate way, you should wear what you want and be who you want to be,” - Ashley Olliver embodying Be Yourself

Show off your pets!

Pet of the Month

Competition Time!

Keep an eye out each month to be in with the chance to win £50! All you need to do is answer the question on the competiton page.

Win £50!

Meet two of our new starters!

#01 - OcT 2024

How much did we raise in FY24 for our chosen charities? Find out inside.

New and improved Caroola Cares...

Caroola Cares

Suggestions Page

Trust Pilot

October Edition

Caroola Cares

Recommend and Reward

Exam Results

Competiton on Business Updates

Interview with Ashley Olliver

20 years service!

Pet of the Month

Dyslexia Awareness Week

What I See...

Mental Health Awareness

Pick your new charity of the year

End of FY23/24 Charity Year

Caroola Celebrations

Contents

Front Page

Click here

• Alex Larose started on 9th September as a HR Apprentice.

• We asked Alex how he is settling in: 'Enjoying my starr to Caroola and my friendly team.'

• We asked Alex a random fact about himself: 'My family are from the Seychelles.'

Congratulations to Lauren Knight for passing her driving test on Friday 20th September!

Caroola Celebrations

• Congratulations to Brad Wooder on the arrival of his baby girl. Rosalie Blossom was born on Monday 23rd September.

• Congratulations to Shahbaz Zakir who recently returned from paternity leave following the birth of his baby boy!

Celebrating new life!

upcoming october birthdays

• Helen Pedder
• Thomas Billington
• Faye Bake
• Jordan Ratcliffe
• Gemma Davies
• Adam Ratcliffe
• Harvey Hartley
• Sadie Ellwood
• Jasmin Bains
• Carl Leicester
• Laura Mason
• Nicola Dennett
• Jacob Lovell
• Lewis Griffiths

• Shannon Bond

• Ardi O'Riordan started with the company in September as a Business Analyst Apprentice.
• We asked Ardi how he is settling in: 'Enjoying the work with the project management team, happy to be a part of it'
• We asked Ardi for a random fact about himself: 'Random fact could be that my brother also works here'

• Jenny Parker
• Steven Peters
• Gary Turner
• Andy Ellis
• Kulthoom Rashid
• Mohammed Nofeel
• Prabhhjot Kaur
• Aaron Ross
• Jennifer Wilson
• Elisabeta Stiolica
• Paige Bond

NEW beginnings!

Congratulations to the new Mr and Mrs Spurrier!

Start Date - September 2004

Andy stated that his journey with Caroola has been all about growth and he has been given many opportunities to advance. Additionally giving his views on the apprenticehsip program, as he believes that it opens so many doors for people starting out and sets them up for their future careers.

Andy's favourite part of the job is the relationship between his team, as when asked, he descirbed it as a family enviroment with a great working culture. He says that he has seen colleagues come and go and some return due to the atmosphere Caroola and his team bring.

Rachael first joined as an Apprentice studying Business Administration, a week apart from Andy Hurst, in an office based in St Helens.Rachael has since progressed throughout the years and has had a few roles at Caroola. She has been an Admin Assistant, Receptionist, Executive Assistant and currently the Office & Facilities Administrator Rachael said that her time at Caroola has flown by and there have been many exciting changes throughout the years.

Andy started his career within the contracts team as a Business Admin Apprentice, then after a years service completeing the apprenticeship, he received a role within accountancy. He spent 3 years in accounts and got offered a temporary role in sales where his Sales career began. Andy quickly got promoted to Team Leader in Sales continuing to develop and grow every year throughout his 20 years service.

Celebrating 20 Years Service at Caroola!

Rachael Stott

Start Date - September 2004

Andy Hurst

Grand Total Revealed...

The end of fy23/24 charity year

As the fundraising year draws to an end,its time to reflect, and a huge thanks we send! From bake-offs to F1 and decorating with style, to reaching 217,00 steps, mile after mile. Each event we’ve enjoyed, with heart and cheer, raising funds for the charities of the year. You chose them with care and gave all you could, together we’ve made a change that feels good!

Secs

Mins

Hrs

Days

01:01:53:10

We are looking to nominate one new chosen charity to support and want everyone's input. As always, we want to support smaller charities local to Blackpool and/or Warrington so please be mindful of this when putting forward your suggestions (however all suggestions are welcome). Nominations will close on Tuesday 15th at 12pm. All responses will be collated and a top 3 will be sent out for a final vote on Monday 21st.

CHARITY OF THE YEAR FY24/25

At Caroola, Ashley serves as the Group Sales Director. Known for his bold fashion choices, Ashley's signature style is an unexpected blend of socks and sandals—a look that has become a recognisable part of him and his personal brand. Despite the initial skepticism, Ashley feels no pressure to change his style. He believes that being true to yourself is important, and it’s a sentiment that Caroola fully supports. “As long as you're expressing yourself in an appropriate way, you should wear what you want and be who you want to be,” Ashley says. He believes that the freedom to express yourself is key to thriving in a company culture, and he feels fortunate that Caroola encourages this kind of individuality.For Ashley, it’s not just about socks and sandals—it’s about creating your own style and feeling comfortable in your own skin. It’s about expressing who you are and what makes you feel good.This philosophy is something that Ashley integrates into his leadership style. As a member of the senior leadership team, he feels it’s important to lead by example. He believes that leaders have a responsibility to create an environment where others feel comfortable expressing themselves too. In the end, Ashley’s unique fashion choice represents much more than just a style statement—it’s a symbol of the inclusive and supportive culture at Caroola, where individuality is embraced, and personal expression is encouraged.

Ashley Olliver - Be Yourself

Bringing Caroola Values to Life

Where in the UK do you live, and what drew you to this location?

Sunny Bournemouth. For those who don’t know it is a beach town on the South Coast. I moved here when I was 7 so wasn’t my choice! But I wouldn’t move now.

Click here

What’s one hidden gem in your area that people might not know about?The Oceanarium on the seafront is really good. You can get a cheap annual pass and it is never that busy. It might only take 45 minutes to walk round but they have penguins and who doesn’t love penguins?

Bournemouth has a thriving nightlife and is a good night out. Try to avoid hen and stag do season though. I could tell many a drunken story, but I guess an interesting fact about me is I was actually a manager of a restaurant in Bournemouth for 10 years before I started at Caroola. When I joined 10 years ago, I didn’t even know what a trial balance was and had never seen a set of accounts!

"I have a young family now so if you did visit, I can point out lots of soft plays"

Every month we ask a remote member of our team to tell us all about where they live and why they love it.

What I see...

"Bournemouth has a thriving nightlife and is a good night out. Try to avoid hen and stag do season though!"Phil Churchill, SME Manager

Ready to win £50 worth of Hub Points? Each month, you've got a shot at the prize by simply answering one business-related question correctly. Make sure to read the November edition to find out the winner.Keep an eye on your inbox, stay sharp during town halls, and brush up on your business knowledge. The lucky winner will be revealed in next month's Caroola Cares, so dont miss out!

GOOD LUCK!

Be in with the chance to win £50 each month!

Competition Time

How does dyslexia affect your daily life?

What was your diagnosis journey and what challenges did you face?

What type of support/adjustment has been/were most helpful to you? The main support and adjustments for me were just people being understanding and willing to check my work for me which allowed me to be more comfortable sending emails out or looking at ways I could change what I had written so it flowed better.

Click here for useful information, advice and support

How did you feel when you received your diagnosis and how old were you? As I was already sure I was dyslexic it was not much of a shock to have the confirmation and just reinforced what I already knew. From memory I was 20 when I found out.

What were some of the early signs of dyslexia you noticed and how old were you? Some of the biggest early signs that I was dyslexic showed in Reception/Year 1 where I would have difficulty with distinguishing between left and right and learning to spell. Due to this, any time I had English lessons/homework I would massively struggle and, to quote my parents, getting me to work on it was ‘like pulling teeth’. Another sign was that during lessons or even at home I could know the answer to something in my head but be unable to verbalise or translate that on to paper which would end up in me feeling discouraged from trying.

The week is dedicated to raising awareness, breaking down misconceptions, and fostering a more inclusive understanding of dyslexia. Our very own Oliver Gornall, Finance (Billing Administrator), has very kindly agreed to share his experience of living with dyslexia.

Dyslexia Awareness Week 2nd - 8th October

We’re thrilled to launch our very first Pet of the Month contest! This is your chance to showcase your beloved pets.How to join the fun:1. Submit your photos: capture your pet’s best moments and send your top pictures to HR@caroola.com with their name by the 30th October.2. Cast your votes: each month when Caroola Cares is realeased it is up to you to vote for your favourite pet.3. Celebrate the winner: join us in November as we unveil the winner.Let’s come together to celebrate our furry friends and enjoy a bit of friendly competition. Get those cameras ready—we can’t wait to see all the cuteness!

Pet of the month!

So, on World Mental Health Day and beyond it, why not check in with your friends, family, peers, or colleagues

Evaluate

Solutions

Unwind

How effective your solutions have been – what has improved and what needs to change further to avoid feeling overwhelmed in the future?

Pause

Assess

Soltions

Explore the options available to you within the situation – proactively change, challenge, or control aspects within your power.

Do something you find restorative and relaxing – helping you to regain balance, mindfulness, and resilience.

Your feelings and thoughts by reflecting – acknowledge assumptions and look at factors contributing to burnout from different perspectives.

Take time out from the situation – stepping away from stressors will help create a much needed break and space to consider next steps.

On World Mental Health Day, let’s all come together to talk about mental health and show everyone that mental health matters. Talking about our mental health can help us cope better with life’s ups and downs. Why not try the PAUSE steps if you ever feel overwhemed.

World Mental Health Awareness Day 10th October

Jack ArkwrightWilliam DeeFrancesca Crosthwaite

AAT Level 2 - Principles of Costing Exam 🎉

Laura Mason - MA Exam pass ACCA

ACCA 🥳

Alicia Hughes - HR Level 3Amy Corrin - HR Level 3Emilie Banks - AAT Level 2

Apprenticeship Completions 🎓

Celebrate this months exam passes!

Exam Results

Lets take the opportunity to thank some of our amazing Accountancy and Parasol employees who have been named in 5-star trust pilot reviews by our customers. Well done!

TRUSTPILOT

September 2024 Reviews

For more information go to iHCM ADP - Company Documents - Recommend and Reward Scheme or contact HR@Caroola.com

Following their successful probationary period you will receive a payment of £250 for an apprentice position or £500 for any other position.

Wait to see if your recommended candidate has been successful...

Email a copy of the individual's CV to recruitment@Caroola.com and confirm the position the candidate is being recommended for.

Step 3

Step 2

Step 1

At Caroola we recognise the value that our people bring to the workplace and the importance of maintaining a highly talented workforce. As we continue to grow, we need to attract new people to supplement the talented people we already have and therefore we are excited to introduce our 'Recommend and Reward Scheme'.

Recommend and Reward Scheme

We are always on the lookout for ways to make Caroola Cares better and more exciting, so we would like to hear from you.In our new and improved Caroola Cares newsletter, we're giving you the chance to share your ideas. Got ideas for new chairty events? Fun content you want to read about? Business updates you'd like to hear more of? We are all ears! No idea is too big or small, so get involved and let us know!Lets make Caroola Cares even better together!💬🎉

What do YOU want to see?

Even now I sometimes have issues with my left and right. When I am writing out an email I will double, if not, triple check my work to ensure that it is spelt correctly, is coherent and I don’t repeat myself. The biggest one for me though is the effect it has on my short term memory as I can quickly forget something I was meant to be doing or, if I’m distracted, lose my train of thought and just never get an idea back.

What advice would you give to anyone who may think they have dyslexia or who has just been diagnosed? If you think you may be dyslexic try and get tested as it can put a lot of your past into perspective, the reason you failed that test, the reason you have difficulty remembering or even your work/words not coming across as you intended. It gave me a form of closure on my past and a clearer path forward.

What strategies or tools do you use to help you manage your symptoms. The main tool I use is spell check and Google. If there are any words I don’t think are correct or look off to me I wait to see if the system underlines it with spell check and if not paste it into Google, as that will more than likely give me the word I need as long as I have not completely butchered the spelling of it.

What is the most common misconception about dyslexia that you wish people knew the truth about. I think nowadays there is a lot more awareness about dyslexia so it doesn’t have the same stigma as it did when I was in primary school or high school, so now there are not that many misconceptions regarding it or its counterpart dyscalculia (issues with numbers). There has been a lot more in-depth research on the condition and as such more and more people are being diagnosed with it. However, if there is one I could pick out from the past its that it can be “fixed” like an illness or that we’re too lazy to try and fix it. Its unfortunately just the way our brains are wired up and unless you can get in there and rearrange it, it’s going to stick with you for life. So if someone is struggling to get across what they want to say or are having issues writing an email or even reading it, give them time, and help them where you can.

Our Senior Digital Marketing Executive Chris Spurrier married his partner Abigail Reade on the 29th of June, 2024. Chris and Abi got engaged at NASA in 2022, after watching a Space X satellite launch. Chris got on one knee under the Saturn V rocket, in front of Abi's family and a few hundred other tourists!The wedding was held at Alder Root Golf Club near the couples home in Earlestown and was attended by friends and family from both sides, including the marketing team from Caroola. It was a fantastic night and both the Bride and Groom danced their feet off surrounded by loves ones. The next day the couple drove down to Dover, to begin a week long tour of Belgium and France, starting in Bruges, Belgium, having a quick stop in Paris and spending time sight seeing and driving around the French countryside. Plenty of beer, wine, chocolate and Belgium fries were enjoyed!Congratulations to the new Mr and Mrs Spurrier!

We have raised an amazing £5,402

The inspiration behind Ashley’s iconic style came about almost by accident during a visit to Starbucks. He realized that he was wearing socks and sandals and, to his surprise, found them extremely comfortable. This simple discovery sparked an idea. Ashley decided to make socks and sandals his own signature style and bring it into the workplace.Initially, his colleagues found the combination a bit unusual, but over time, they grew to appreciate Ashley’s unique approach to fashion. Now, it’s become the norm for Ashley to wear his signature look, and his colleagues are actually puzzled when he doesn’t wear them. In fact, colleagues now buy him pairs of socks to wear as part of his look.

Where did the inspriation come from to wear socks and sandles?

What advice would you give to anyone who may think they have dyslexia or who has just been diagnosed? If you think you may be dyslexic try and get tested as it can put a lot of your past into perspective, the reason you failed that test, the reason you have difficulty remembering or even your work/words not coming across as you intended. It gave me a form of closure on my past and a clearer path forward.

What strategies or tools do you use to help you manage your symptoms. The main tool I use is spell check and Google. If there are any words I don’t think are correct or look off to me I wait to see if the system underlines it with spell check and if not paste it into Google, as that will more than likely give me the word I need as long as I have not completely butchered the spelling of it.

What is the most common misconception about dyslexia that you wish people knew the truth about. I think nowadays there is a lot more awareness about dyslexia so it doesn’t have the same stigma as it did when I was in primary school or high school, so now there are not that many misconceptions regarding it or its counterpart dyscalculia (issues with numbers). There has been a lot more in-depth research on the condition and as such more and more people are being diagnosed with it. However, if there is one I could pick out from the past its that it can be “fixed” like an illness or that we’re too lazy to try and fix it. Its unfortunately just the way our brains are wired up and unless you can get in there and rearrange it, it’s going to stick with you for life. So if someone is struggling to get across what they want to say or are having issues writing an email or even reading it, give them time, and help them where you can.

Favourite Caroola Experience

Andy’s favourite trip for Caroola was the Vegas trip, which was a 3-night stay including, flights, hotel and the floyd mayweather boxing fight! This was awarded to Andy as he was part of the top 4 achievers within the sales team and thought the event Caroola supplied was amazing and an experience to remember.

Both my primary school and high school had considered that I was dyslexic, however, due to it not being properly looked into at the time it was always brushed under the rug and was only truly looked into by my college in the last year I was there. When I started working here I had issues with my emails and when doing my AAT, they advised I should get an official diagnosis which meant I was able to have additional time during exams.

Our Senior Digital Marketing Executive Chris Spurrier married his partner Abigail Reade on the 29th of June, 2024. Chris and Abi got engaged at NASA in 2022, after watching a Space X satellite launch. Chris got on one knee under the Saturn V rocket, in front of Abi's family and a few hundred other tourists! The wedding was held at Alder Root Golf Club near the couples home in Earlestown and was attended by friends and family from both sides, including the marketing team from Caroola. It was a fantastic night and both the Bride and Groom danced their feet off surrounded by loves ones. The next day the couple drove down to Dover, to begin a week long tour of Belgium and France, starting in Bruges, Belgium, having a quick stop in Paris and spending time sight seeing and driving around the French countryside. Plenty of beer, wine, chocolate and Belgium fries were enjoyed! Congratulations to the new Mr and Mrs Spurrier!

What do you love most about living in your area?I love that the beach is 10 minutes from us. There are also areas like Poole Park, New Forest and Moors Valley which aren’t far away. The town has a great nightlife and restaurant scene but isn’t too busy, unless it’s the Christmas market or Air Show weekend.

If someone were visiting your area for the first time, what places would you recommend?The beach, the beach and the beach! When the sun is out it is like being abroad. The pier has amusements and zip wires back to the beach. There is also Chez Fred the famous fish and chip shop down there. If you like outdoor activities Moors Valley has lots of rope climbing and playparks.

Olivers advice for anyone who may think they have dyslexia or who has just been diagnosed? If you think you may be dyslexic try and get tested as it can put a lot of your past into perspective, the reason you failed that test, the reason you have difficulty remembering or even your work/words not coming across as you intended. It gave me a form of closure on my past and a clearer path forward.

Resource and charities for Dyslexia

Useful information

• If you have dyslexia and would like to discuss support options available to you at Caroola please contact the HR Advisor in your area or email hr@caroola.com

• Free support with Aviva EAP - 0800 051 5630