Wesser World Magazine – Winter 2015/2016 Edition

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Updating you on what‘s
happening here at Wesser UK
A
Management
team to be proud
of, Wesser’s Words
of Wisdom, ‘A Wesser
Mix Up’, department
updates and much
more...
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Winter 2015/2016
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WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
OTO World’...
Our ‘Wesser PH
PART I
Page 2
Winter 2015/2016
WESSER WORLD
Hi All and welcome back to the
biggest bumper edition of Wesser
World UK in Wesser World history ...
2015 has been a good year for us here at Wesser UK and
we should all be very proud of our achievements.
The last few months have been super busy as we prepare ourselves
to introduce fundraiser employment in February 2016, as well
as the various departmental challenges and events. Read more
throughout this edition.
TOP 10
DOOR-TO-DOOR
FUNDRAISERS
January – December 2015
(SJA & WT Campaigns)
Our year was rounded off perfectly with our Christmas Party on
Thursday 3rd December. This year we celebrated the Christmas party
alongside our Wesser Legend, Kerry Pipkin’s last day. (Read Kerry’s
final Wesser World article on pages 20 and 21).
Kerry Pipkin, Finance and Supporter Admin Manager,
retired after 16 years at Wesser and will be greatly missed. She is
and remains a dear friend to many of us here and we wish her all
the best as she embarks on a new chapter in her life alongside her
husband Pete and little dog Rico.
I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who attended
and a special thank you to Michelle for all of her hard work,
efforts and organisation of the party. We have received great
feedback and we are so happy that the Party was such a hit with
you all.
As I said in my Christmas Party speech, we are truly blessed to
have the opportunity to work with such great individuals and I look
forward to what I am sure will be a fantastic 2016.
Page 3
1. Justin Marley
2. Steven Evans
3. Brett McAteer
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Dennis Harrison
Roger Leach
Irina Alves
Zach Lipman
Thomas Burbidge
Damon Knight
Kyle Tiernan
TOP 10
CALL CENTRE
FUNDRAISERS
January – December 2015
1. Denise Retallick
2. Philippa Linane
3. Kamal Lalli
Until next time….
Best Regards
Jade Mole
Editor
4. Clare Clark
5. Amy Proudfoot
6. Lorna Hooton
7. Jamie Rose
8. Emily OHare
In this issue...
4
5 6
7
8 10 /11 12/13 14 15 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
A Management Team to be proud of – Jade Mole
Wesser Words of Wisdom
A Message From Martin
Face-to-Face Campaign Update Autumn 2015
Emil Gospodinov
Recruitment Update – Joanna Dennis
News from Wesser Europe
Call Centre, Contact Centre & RODT News –
Simon Griffiths
The Pottery Bug – Karen Watson
Wesser Foundation Certificates 2015
16 17 18/19 20/21 22/23 24 25 26/27 28/29 30 >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
My Summer with Wesser – George Stanbury
Millenium Club Members List
A Wesser Mix – Up COMPETITION
Supporter Administration and Finance –
Kerry Pipkin
Sponsorship
Team Visits – Leanne Watson
Keeping Our Energies Buzzing – Michelle Amos
Wesser Awards Evening & Christmas Party – Michelle Amos
All Good Things... – Kerry Pipkin
Starters /Leavers and Awards /Merit
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
Page 4
A Management Team to be proud of
by Jade Mole (Human Resources and Administration Manager)
As many of you will recall, back in April, Martin
announced the introduction of the Wesser Ltd
Management and Leadership Development
programme.
and discussions that had each member learning
and developing new techniques and the overall
understanding of how we can be the best leaders and
managers to you all.
The programme was initiated with the start of
360 evaluations of all members of the middle
management team via online questionnaires,
completed by you, our Wesser employees.
Our management team have grown closer together
and we all have a defined level of understanding that
has greatly enhanced the existing strengths that we
share between us.
The overall aim of this was quite simple,
to receive feedback from all
within the company on what we
(the management team) as your
leaders and managers, do right
and what we need to improve on.
At this time, the middle
management team, Martin
Wesser,
Emil
Gospodinov,
Akin Daramola, James Dennis,
Simon Griffiths, Jade Mole,
Kerry Pipkin and Oliver Steele,
all actively took part in reviewing
each other, whilst at the same time
all direct reports and team members
reviewed us.
All questionnaires and the
subsequent
feedback
were
completed anonymously and treated
with the strictest of confidence.
We had a great response to this with
100% of all questionnaires completed.
The following stages included one to
one meetings between Martin and each
member of the management team to
review feedback and ascertain each of
our strengths. In addition to this we also
attended 3 separate off site workshops
lead by coaching and mentoring expert,
Piers Fallowfield-Cooper.
Piers, specialises in the development
of senior management and has over
20 years’ experience of coaching and
mentoring executive talent, enhancing
leadership skills and the development
of executives and their teams.
It was therefore our absolute
pleasure to have the opportunity to
work alongside and be coached by such a talented
individual.
Each of the 3 workshops included a variety of
management tools, activities, team building, lessons
Ultimately,
we
are developing the
skillset, strengths and
qualities required to
be great managers.
It is our PROMISE
as your management
team to ‘get the best
out of our people’.
This is our aim and
we all look forward to
what will no doubt be
a fantastic 2016.
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
Page 5
Wesser Words of Wisdom
In this edition we are still fortunate enough > JON:
to have some “Words of Wisdom” from Emil, “The more you are motivated by love, the
but also some others:
more fearless and free your actions will
be.”
> EMIL:
“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It > JOEY:
is a very mean and nasty place. It will beat you ‘A ship in a harbour is safe, but that’s not
to your knees and keep you there permanently what ships are built for.’
if you let it. You, me or nobody is going to hit
as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard > OLIVER:
you hit, it is about how hard you can get “It is literally true that you can succeed best
hit and keep moving forward, how much and quickest by helping others to succeed” –
can you take and keep moving forward. Napoleon Hill (1883 – 1970).
That’s how winning is done!” Rocky Balboa –
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J0Ahh3UxbM > MICHELLE:
‘It is not how much we have, but how much
> MARTIN:
we enjoy, that makes happiness’.
“If you love your job, you do not really work
one day”.
> LORNA:
“Never ruin an apology with an excuse.”
> BECKY:
“Speak to people the way you like to be
spoken to yourself. Please and Thank you
cost nothing and mean the most”.
> LEANNE:
“You attract what you think and what you
believe you will receive.”
> SIMON:
“If you’ve tried your hardest and been the best
that you can possibly be, if you have listened
to those around you. If you have been kind,
generous and thoughtful to others, then you
can be proud of yourself and enjoy the richly
deserved rest with your family and friends. I
wish you a joyful and relaxing Christmas and
a Happy New Year!”
> RIA:
“Life’s too short to worry about what other
people think of you, just be yourself”. ☺
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
A MESSAGE FROM MARTIN
Dear Wesser UK Team,
2015 Bye Bye to a really
hard working year……
Hello 2016
2015 has been a year of challenges
without any doubt. The Fundraising
sector has received many hard hits
by the media and many changes in
new rules and new processes. The
great thing is we have mastered these
challenges extremely well. It was a hard
year but as a company we have created
a much stronger structure and a much
stronger team, possibly the strongest
we have ever had, which will be the
basis for 2016 … Here we come and
you better be prepared to make
some space for us to close the gap
further for our Vision 2016!
2016 promises great opportunities to those who
survived the storm in 2015 and who have grown with
quality and stability. Going into employment for all
Fundraisers from February 2016 will be the biggest
change we have ever done in Wesser UK. It will give us
great opportunities and we should not shy away from
our goal; that we want to position ourselves in the
UK as the place to be and work, for any door to
door fundraisers. We have got such a good
offer, such a great package and we are
such a great company … so let´s make
it happen.
If face to face fundraising goes through
the roof, all other services will as well.
And needless to say without the other
scheme services and the central services
running highly professionally, we
would fall flat on our face. So here is to
a GREAT WESSER UK TEAM
as a whole and let´s break records in
2016 and make history in Wesser UK!
Myself, Angelica and the boys wish
you and your beloved ones all a
great jump into the New Year 2016!
Love
Martin,
Angélica,
Mateo and
Emmanuel
Page 6
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
Page 7
Face-to-Face Campaign Update Autumn 2015
by Emil Gospodinov (National Campaign Manager)
Yet another Wesser year has ended, but what a year
it has been, arguably the busiest and most eventful
year of all since Wesser UK history began.
We saw our team houses bursting at the seams
this summer with over 650 fundraisers working
with us since 1st January – true
credit to our famous RODT
and those relentless Regional
Recruiters – it almost felt like
an invasion of new recruits of
biblical proportions.
We
are
witnessed
our best October and
November since company
records began in 1998.
December was looking to be
by far the strongest on record
too, but unfortunately this
was cut short. We expected
to end the year with
moderate growth
of 24% total funds
raised
compared
to 2014 yet still far
off from our bold
2015 target. The
most exciting fact
is that all we need
is to repeat and
marginally
outdo
this growth next
year and we will
see ourselves above
the magic 45,000
supporters and over
£3.5 MILLION raised.
Then things will get
very interesting in face-to-face campaigns indeed.
2015 will also go down in Wesser history as the Year
with lowest number of supporter complaints relative
to the huge number of people approached in their
homes.
Keep up the good work guys. Your outstanding
ethos shines through!
And all this could not have come at a better moment
than now when Wesser UK is about to cross a historical
threshold and offer full-time permanent employment
to all its Fundraisers and Team Leaders, current and
newly recruited as of February 2016.
Good news always comes in larger packs, and this
is true once more. Here at Wesser we are very proud
to celebrate the successful start of a new exciting
business partnership with another elite National
charity with great reputation and huge promise –
St Andrews First AidScotland. Our first ever
Scottish fundraising venture
will commence in the early
cold and wintry March 2016.
Anyone who has not yet gotten
used to the enchanting melody
of the Scottish accent and the
wild beauty of Bonnie Scotland is
welcome to join our team which
will be based near Glasgow. When
our Scottish based fundraisers
unravel the rest of our UK teams
with top scores, they may well be
awarded with unmatched team
events like outdoor
sports in the Highlands,
Loch Ness adventure or
Pony Trekking among
many. But let’s not get
carried away before the
solid work is done.
Some of you at times
wonder, what does the
future hold for us in
Wesser…? Well, I wish
I could tell you that,
but I do not know,
neither do I have all the
answers though some
still fervently believe
so, ha-ha.
If I did I would have won the lottery long ago and
would be sending you nice post-cards from Peru,
British Columbia or the South Island of New Zealand,
but this beautiful dream can wait, until we first realise
one great Vision:
Vision 2018…… but this new revelation will have to
wait for a few more weeks ☺
Yours Truly-National Campaign Manager
The Omni-present yet not always there –
Emil Gospodinov
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
Recruitment Update
By Joanna Dennis (Regional Recruiter)
As 2015 comes to an end, I thought it would be
a good time to reflect on what Team Recruitment
has achieved this year.
We started 2015 as a team of 4 regional
recruiters, covering England and Wales. And in
April we were joined by Matt, who has taken on
Scotland – the first time we’ve ever had a Regional
Recruiter focusing specifically on Scotland!!!
This year we have received in excess of 25,000
applications. And with the help of the Recruitment
Office Dream Team, we have carefully selected
over 600 new fundraisers, who have gone onto
raise in excess of £2.5M for St John Ambulance and
St John Ambulance Cymru Wales.
As a team, we smashed our yearly target
before December had even began – AMAZING!
This year the Regional Recruiters have spent a lot
of time on sponsorships (you will find more about
this on the sponsorship article). We are very excited
to be sponsoring many different clubs and societies
throughout the UK. And in London alone, I am proud
to sponsor The Saint Marys Scorpions and also The
UCLU Men’s Football Club.
This year has seen a fantastic increase in the package
offered to fundraisers to reward them for all of their
hard work. There’s also been a new website and an
online dashboard to assist applicants in the interview
process – these are just a few of the many amazing
changes that we’ve had this year.
I’ve met so many amazing candidates and this year
alone, and to highlight a few – Damon Knight, Shashi
Karanje and Zach Lipman have all been promoted to
CFC’s in 2015. Roger Leach’s hard work was rewarded
by finishing in the top ten of the Wesser Olympic.
Shashi also won a place on the Magnificent Seven
Trip to Croatia. And Finley Judge, who came to work
with us over the summer, also won a place on the
Magnificent Seven trip, and has now become an
ambassador whilst he is at University…A MASSIVE
WELL DONE TO ALL OF YOU!!!
To round off the year, myself and James Dennis
(Senior Campaign Coach) got married in Mexico
– making this the first ever Wesser UK wedding!!!!
So a massive thank you to everyone who has been
a part of 2015, it has been awesome and I’m really
looking forward to what 2016 has in store!
From
MRS Joanna Dennis
Page 8
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
O World’...
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PART II
Page 9
N E W S FR OM WE S S E R E UROP E
Page 10
WESSER WORLD
YOUTH AND EMPLOYMENT by Jaime Gonzalez, Director General Wesser
Dear Wesserianos and Wesserianas,
Recently, the OECD (The Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development),
published a Competencies and Strategies report
in Spain, which talks about the youth employment
in our country. The data could not be more
disappointing.
Youth employment continues to hover around
50%. Out of those employed, 7 out of 10 had
a temporary contract and it took half of them
6 years to get a permanent contract. To make
matters worse, in the last 5 years the average
salary of young men has fallen 35%.
Thanks to the good work and effort by everyone,
we can do things “Wesser different”. With a team
like us working in Wesser, we have shown that
despite the crisis, you can have and do decent
work, with a permanent contract, that enables a
better life.
Thank you all for making this project possible.
Jaime Gonzalez, Director General
Wesser
WHAT IS MY VISION? by Andres Perez, Director of Campaigns
The first advice I received when starting any long
term project is to organize and develop a strategic
plan and define what the vision and the mission
of the project is. The vision would be the ideal
medium or long term situation. The mission is what
we need to do to get to it.
I think it’s important to look to the future and
see what we want to be and achieve in a year. This
applies to both employees and the business world.
I have my clear vision: The membership
recruitment is a ethical and respected job that
allows us to live in a better world. I have to say
that we are getting there, and every day it is a step
closer.
My recommendation is to devote a few minutes
to think about where we want to be in the medium
term and if we are doing everything to get it. Until
we have clearly established our goals, the right
path will be difficult to follow.
Commitment, companionship, desire for
improvement, initiative and autonomy,
ambition and above all pride, are the
values that must accompany the journey.
Alone, we are strong, together we are
unstoppable. Good Luck!
Andres Perez, Director of Campaigns
[email protected]
N E W S F R OM WE S S E R E UROP E
Page 11
WESSER WORLD
NEWS FROM THE SALES DEPARTMENT by Arnold Prader
Dear employees,
Together, we have given everything to achieve a great
result for our customers this year. By better support of
the teams and increased training measures, we have
invested the most energy into the areas of stability and
reasonable productivity values.
A brief overview of the most important items:
Many stopover dates in the term and summer breaks,
and an improved concept to control direct travels to site
made it possible to integrate a lot more newcomers than
the year before into the teams, harmoniously and wellinformed.
Generally increased teams and some cluster advertising
enabled us to create an environment that gives
newcomers more pros as examples and permits better
development in the red and green areas alike.
The concept of “training excursions“, which is a
supporting training measure for newcomers and pros
alike, and continuous TC training and support have Christmas money and the opportunity to qualify for the Wesser travel in May by a few
committed weeks should be an additional incentive. For the best of the best, the TC
proven their worth and are continued.
challenge will again take place in the first two weeks of December.
The finishing stretch 2015: until Christmas, we are
still offering promising advertisements with top teach In the sales team‘s name, thank you to everyone who contributed to the success of
leaders; the expectations of qualifying for the desirable 2015, all the best and to continued good cooperation!
TC-SEMINARS
The TC seminars have been offered in the scope of a
new concept since this summer. Based on a hand-out
and many figures, content aspects are discussed in a day
seminar in small groups.
The central target is always the exchange
amongst each other and the design of own
strategies in an open process. The learning
contents are not specifically specified. Didactically,
they are set up so that preceding theoretical input
and subsequent discussion with practical examples
will lead to the development of ideas that grow out
of themselves and that feel right. We would like to
meet the demands of a customised management style
this way. Management strategies are successful when
people can implement them self-confidently and stand
behind them.
The TC seminars are structured into three
modules. The core competences of the TC are to
be improved. On the one hand, there is good team
management and on the other hand there is a highquality and diverse training concept. Motivational
strategies complete the training concept superordinately
but always dedicated to a specific module.
WESSER WORLD
Call Centre News
Winter 2015/2016
Page 12
by Simon Griffiths, Call Centre Manager
Welcome to the beginning of 2016 and to be honest
at one point I imagined this would be the beginning
of the end of the Call Centre!!
I
know
this isn’t the most positive start to a story, but fear not
dear reader, as it has a happy ending!
Following on
from some awful publicity (largely championed by the
Daily Mail), a lot of charities decided to pull the plug
on their telephone fundraising. Fortunately St John
Ambulance didn’t want to do this, but things had to
change, and fast. After numerous conversations with
various lawyers and other organisations, it was agreed
that providing that we asked supporters if they
were happy to receive future fundraising calls, we
were safe! We all breathed a sigh of relief!
Or so we thought…
So this year, will not go down as the greatest year in the
history of the Call Centre, but at least we all have jobs
and that makes me truly happy!
Last year, we were just 1 week away from hitting our
target when the Sun decided to put a stop to our efforts!
Despite absolutely no truth in the allegations we were
forced to suspend all activities.
What followed was an extensive audit by St John
Ambulance who came to the same conclusion that we
have not ever targeted vulnerable individuals. A scary
time for us all but we are back today stronger than
ever and I am confident that we can have a fantastic
2016!
We have had some comings and goings, some temps
have joined us for a short period but then left for fulltime jobs but our loyal team have steadfast and patiently
supported me through all of our recent challenges. Amiey
has been awesome in her new role as Evening Shift Team
Leader; we just need more staff to join the evening shift
so we are in the midst of a recruitment drive to attract
brilliant fundraisers to join our Wesser family
So all in all, a tough year but we are through the worst
and still going strong, saving lives one day at a time!
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
Page 13
Recruitment Team
by Simon Griffiths, Call Centre Manager
Another great year from the Recruitment Team as
we hit our target for the year with a month to spare!
Although this year we have lost a couple of week’s calling
already, I know that the team of dreams will make this
target a reality (preferably by the Christmas meal would
be lovely! ).
With all of the bad publicity we are being extremely
careful with our selection process in order that we only
take on the very best quality fundraiser. The team are
back to work and already are fighting to over-achieve
their targets and it is great to have them back.
Contact Centre News
by Simon Griffiths, Call Centre Manager
We are receiving less mandates of course than during
the summer so this provides our Contact Centre team
with different challenges. With the new regulations we
cannot call people within 2 hours after they have been
called but not answered so this can be challenging for
the team. As usual, they have just got on with it, have
never moaned and are an absolute delight to work with.
Lucy (previously from the Recruitment Team) joined
the Contact Centre having made a cameo appearance
in the Call Centre! Lucy has settled in really quickly and
really loves the Contact Centre but will still switch to
the Recruitment Team in the summer when it will be all
hands to the pump. The team have also had an extended
time off as it is obviously not possible to do welcome calls
when we are not fundraising at the door but I am looking
forward to having the team back so that we can again
get more great feedback for our friends on the doors!
To summarize then, 2015 will go down as an interesting
year with many challenges, ending with the worst time
since I joined Wesser! None of this had anything to do
with the teams and as expected, everyone has remained
loyal to the company and so eager to get back to work.
There is a real buzz in the office as I write this article
and I can feel that everyone wants us to have a great
2016. I genuinely believe that everything happens for
a reason and that our company will be better, stronger
and more successful than we have ever been before. The
last month has been difficult for everyone but that is
in the past. I am excited about the future and with the
support of my beloved teams I know we will be the very
best that we can be. I cannot ask for more!
Simon
WESSER WORLD
The Pottery Bug
Winter 2015/2016
Page 14
by Karen Watson (Supporter Administration Assistant)
I would like this opportunity to say a HUGE thank
you to the Wesser Foundation for their funding
of something I had always
wanted to try but never
seemed to have the spare
cash for. You know what
it’s like – you have kids and
your money is no longer
your own – school uniforms,
school trips, Xbox games,
Skylanders, LEGO – the list is
endless and sadly my pockets
are not.
Those of you who know
me will know that I am really
into Art, Crafts and Interior
Design. I have always got some
sort of upcycling project on the go
and my poor long suffering partner
and son are convinced there is no
more room in our house for any
more “STUFF” (actually I believe
they used a more derogatory term but we won’t go there!!) However,
when the Wesser Foundation
was first announced I thought I
would apply to see if they would
support me in a Pottery & Ceramic
class. To my delight, the man from
Del Monte – he say YES!!!
After much searching I found a
local pottery evening
class
based
in
Hitchin, run by a
wonderful
and
crazily artistic lady
called Carole who
has a pottery studio
in her back garden.
The
Foundation
kindly allowed me
to book a 12 week
course of which
they
sponsored
me with an 80%
contribution. I pay the other 20% of the course
cost and materials and firing costs. Basically, Carole
teaches you the basic skills you need to work with
clay and then away you go – dream up and create
what you like, with Carole on hand for technical
advice. There are a core group of women who
attend every week and are currently in the process
of making all their Christmas presents and tree
decorations and then many more who go on an AD
Hoc basis as and when they feel the urge to create
a masterpiece. I am sure that I will be joining their
ranks once my 12 classes are completed as I definitely
have the pottery bug!
Here are a few of my
creations which I hope are
actually quite good “STUFF”
which I am very proud of.
I have definitely found a
hobby which I absolutely
adore and will continue
doing for years to come. So
once again can I say “Thank
You Wesser Foundation
for your support – you
have made this employee
feel very….. WELL TAKEN
CARE OF!”
Winter 2015/2016
WESSER WORLD
Page 15
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RT FRO
YOURSEL
L SUPPO
S FROM
FINANCIA ANCIAL NEED
TOTAL
FIN
tions!
TOTAL
Congratula
2015
th of August
rth, 18
the
Letchwo
rds from
Best rega
2015
st
October
rth, 1 of
the
Letchwo
rds from
Best rega
ittee UK
n Comm
undatio
d”
Wesser Fo good to be goo
“It is
. SG6 3DF
Wesser
Limited
. Icknield
en City .
hworth Gard
cheap . Letc
House . East
:
T:
ncially with
BENEFI
t you fina
will suppor
Foundation
£175.20
= 80% =
e: £1-250
= £219.00 TION = £175.20
1ST Rang
DA
COURSE
The Wesser
CO
TOTAL
ittee UK
n Comm
undatio
d”
Wesser Fo good to be goo
“It is
ittee UK
n Comm
undatio
d”
Wesser Fo good to be goo
“It is
Course:
ons
ish Less
ent Span
Independ
lly with:
2015
th of August
rth, 11
the
Letchwo
rds from
Best rega
2015
th of JUNE
rth, 18
the
Letchwo
rds from
Best rega
ittee UK
n Comm
undatio
d”
Wesser Fo good to be goo
“It is
hwo
cheap . Letc
The Wesser
Amos
Michelle
Intensive
ourse
Driving C
:
T:
ncially with
BENEFI
t you fina
will suppor
= £800
COURSE
DRIVING M
ENSIVE
PORT FRO £400
THE INT
SUP
OF
L
ST
=
CO
FINANCIADATION = 50%
£400
TOTAL
TOTAL
= 50% =
UN
SSER FO BY APPLICANT
THE WE
NDED
TO BE FU
TOTAL
tions!
Congratula
:
T:
ncially with
BENEFI
t you fina
will suppor
= £718,00
COURSE
The
DRIVING
FROM
ENSIVE
THE INT CIAL SUPPORT = £359.00
COST OF
AN
50%
=
9.00
FIN
TAL
N
£35
TO
=
TOTAL FOUNDATIO
NT = 50%
SSER
APPLICA
THE WE
NDED BY
TO BE FU
TOTAL
s!
tion
Congratula
ndation
Wesser Fou
r Fo
The Wesse
Grzegorz
Brandon
t
atson
eanne W
ty
onsibili
on Resp
Foundati
ring:
Wesser
is sponso
undation
r Fo
The Wesse
r Founda
The Wesse
r Founda
The Wesse
ersity
on Univ
Foundati
ring:
Wesser
is sponso
n
tio
da
un
ersity
on Univ
Foundati
onsoring:
Wesser
tion is sp
ersity
on Univ
Foundati
onsoring:
Wesser
tion is sp
ittee UK
n Comm
undatio
d”
Wesser Fo good to be goo
“It is
Hertfordshire
. SG6 3DF
Wesser
. Icknield
Limited
en City .
hworth Gard
cheap . Letc
House . East
Hertfordshire
. SG6 3DF
bility
esponsi
ation R
d
n
u
o
F
ring:
Wesser
is sponso
undation
ser Fo
The Wes
Laurène
Lamber
t
ship –
ry Intern
Veterina
a
ic
fr
South A
:
y with:
BENEFIT rt you financiall
suppo
ion will
Foundat
£200.00
= 80% =
e: 1-250
50.00
1st Rang
50% = £2
=
00
.00
e: 250-5
% = £226
76.00
2nd Rang
,000 = 20
ON = £6
e: 500-5
UNDATI
3rd Rang
SSER FO
OM WE
ORT FR
AL SUPP
tions!
CI
ula
AN
rat
FIN
NE! Cong
TOTAL
WELL DO
r
The Wesse
This quarter the following Wesser Foundation applications have been
agreed:
31/03/2015 – Joey Fisher – For 1-1 Spanish Tutoring
2015
st
September
h, 21 of
Letchwort regards from the
Best
ittee UK
n Comm
undatio
”
Wesser Fo good to be good
“It is
18/06/2015 – Leanne Watson – Intensive Driving Course
30/07/2015 – Karen Watson – Pottery Course Part 2
11/08/2015 – Amiey Proudfoot – Intensive Driving Course
Wesser
. Icknield
Limited
tcheap .
House . Eas
Letchworth
Garden City
ire . SG6
. Hertfordsh
3DF
versity
ion Uni
Foundat
ring:
Wesser
is sponso
undation
18/08/2015 – Brandon Grzegorz – Intensive Driving Course
ser Fo
28/09/2015 – Laurène Lambert – Vetrinary Internship South Africa
The Wes
Michael
01/10/2015 – Michelle Amos – Spanish Lessons (Rosetta Stone CDs)
ald
Macdon
of
niversity
inese - U
h
te
C
u
it
n
ri
st
a
Mand
fucius In
ster Con
Manche
21/10/2015 – Gillian Murnane – Intensive Driving Course
10/11/2015 – Michael Macdonald – Mandarin Chinese Lessons
:
y with:
BENEFIT rt you financiall
suppo
ion will
Foundat
: £480.00
ST
CO
TOTAL
00.00
80% = £2
£1-250 =
= £115.00
0 = 50%
£250-50
OM
ORT FR
PP
SU
AL
15.00
ON = £3
FINANCI
TOTAL ER FOUNDATI
65.00
SS
ANT £1
THE WE
APPLIC
BY
ED
ND
TO BE FU
TOTAL
ulations!
Congrat
12/11/2015 – Karen Watson – Pottery Course Final Extention
r
The Wesse
20/11/2015 – Emily O‘Hare – Cambridge Half Marathon –
Running In Support of Cancer Research 28/02/2016
2015
st
November
h, 10 of
Letchwort regards from the
Best
ittee
01/12/2015 – Kyle Fraser – Intensive Driving Course
n Comm
undatio
”
Wesser Fo good to be good
“It is
05/12/2015 – Gregory Roussel – Driving Course
Good luck to Joey, Leanne, Amiey, Brandon, Laurene, Michelle,
Gillian, Micheal, Karen, Emily, Kyle and Gregory with your projects!
Wesser
ield
ited . Ickn
Lim
tcheap .
House . Eas
Letchworth
UK
Garden City
ire . SG6
. Hertfordsh
3DF
ersity
on Univ
Foundati
ring:
Wesser
is sponso
undation
r Fo
The Wesse
ersity
on Univ
Foundati
onsoring:
Wesser
tion is sp
ersity
on Univ
oundati
F
g:
r
e
s
s
sponsorin
We
dation is
r Founda
The Wesse
ourse –
Pottery C
Part 2
The We
r Fo
The Wesse
’Hare
Emily O
Intensive
ourse
Driving C
tson
a
Karen W
:
y
BENEFIT rt you financiall
l suppo
dation wil
sser Foun
ane
urn
Gillian M
ser Foun
The Wes
ty
onsibili
on Resp
Foundati
ring:
Wesser
is sponso
undation
The Wesser
with:
00
COST: £1
TOTAL
OM
ORT FR
IAL SUPP = 80% = £80.00
FINANC
TION
TOTAL
DA
UN
£20.00
= 20% =
ESSER FO
T
W
E
AN
TH
APPLIC
4.00
COST: £85
TOTAL
T FROM 0
L SUPPOR
£427.0
= 50% =
FINANCIA
TOTAL FOUNDATION
£427.00
SSER
= 50% =
WE
E
TH
ICANT
BY APPL
ED
ND
s!
TO BE FU
TOTAL
gratulation
Congra
Con
r 2015
th of Octobe
rth, 21
the
Letchwo
rds from
Best rega
ittee
n Comm
undatio
d”
Wesser Fo good to be goo
“It is
er 2015
th of Novemb
rth, 20
Letchwo regards from the
Best
UK
Garden City
T:
ncially with
BENEFI
t you fina
will suppor
Foundation
OM
ORT FR
IAL SUPP
00.00
ON = £1
FINANC
TOTAL
UNDATI
ESSER FO
W
E
s!
TH
tulation
The Wesser
ittee UK
n Comm
undatio
d”
Wesser Fo good to be goo
“It is
shire . SG6
. Hertford
3DF
Driving C
er
Intensive
ourse
Driving C
The Wesser
:
T:
ncially with
BENEFI
t you fina
will suppor
Foundation
Roussel
ourse
r Fo
The Wesse
:
Foundation
Gregory
s
Kyle Fra
g In
– Runnin 16
arathon
20
ge Half M search 28/02/
Cambrid
Re
er
nc
Ca
of
Support
:
T:
ncially with
BENEFI
t you fina
will suppor
ersity
on Univ
Foundati
ring:
Wesser
is sponso
undation
The Wesser
:
T:
ncially with
BENEFI
t you fina
will suppor
Foundation
5.00
COST: £49
TOTAL
T FROM 0
L SUPPOR
£247.5
= 50% =
FINANCIA
TOTAL FOUNDATION
£247.50
R
SSE
= 50% =
THE WE
ICANT
PL
AP
ED BY
BE FUND
s!
TO
L
tion
TOTA
gratula
Con
er 2015
st
Decemb
rth, 5 of
the
Letchwo
rds from
Best rega
0.00
COST: £38
TOTAL
T FROM 0
L SUPPOR
£190.0
= 50% =
FINANCIA
TOTAL FOUNDATION
£190.00
R
SSE
= 50% =
THE WE
ICANT
PL
AP
ED BY
BE FUND
s!
TO
L
tion
TOTA
gratula
ittee UK
n Comm
undatio
d”
Wesser Fo good to be goo
“It is
Con
er 2015
st
Novemb
rth, 1 of
Letchwo regards from the
Best
ittee UK
n Comm
undatio
d”
Wesser Fo good to be goo
“It is
Wesser
Limited
. Icknield
en City .
hworth Gard
cheap . Letc
House . East
Hertfordshire
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
My Summer with Wesser
My name is George and I am a student studying
English Literature and Spanish at Durham University.
This summer, I decided to try my luck working for Wesser
as a Fundraiser. I had never really considered fundraising
as a job but I really liked the idea
of working somewhere different,
which was made possible because
you receive accommodation as part
of your job. I figured I may as well
apply, and ended up being given a
place on an assessment day!
I went to the assessment day
straight from University, and so I had
more stuff than most. I struggled to
Letchworth and, while I was there, I
was told I would join the Huntingdon
house! I went down there, unsure of
what to expect, and found a group of
absolutely wonderful people. They
really helped me to slot straight
into work and answered all of the many, many
questions I had as I began working. The training they
gave me in the house was super and on my first full day of
fundraising, I got 6 sign-ups!!
As time went on, I really got into the groove of doorto-door fundraising and enjoyed it far more than I ever
Page 16
by George Stanbury
thought I would. On the doors, I met some truly wonderful
people and learnt many wonderful things from them, all
of whom were people I’d have never met in my day-today life! Furthermore, I got to explore the many villages
and towns in Cambridgeshire, which were
very different to the hustle and bustle I
get at home in Brixton, South London. I
even got to spend a week working in the
Mildenhall Team in Suffolk, which was
wonderful.
As the summer draws to a close, I’ve
left the Huntingdon house to go back
to Durham in time for the new term.
My time with Wesser hasn’t stopped yet
though, as I am on the way to becoming
a Wesser Ambassador, in which I
promote Wesser at my university, and
potentially interview new applicants!
It really is a brilliant student job, as it
offers you loads of opportunities and is flexible enough to
fit in with student life.
I really enjoyed my time fundraising for Wesser and have
made loads of new friends who I’ll be keeping in touch
with as I go back to Durham, and hopefully I’ll be back to
see them soon!
“It is good to be good“
For more information or if you would like to apply
please contact Oliver Steele on this
email address: [email protected]
Winter 2015/2016
WESSER WORLD
Page 17
Gold Level
3,000 Supporters
> Akindolapo Daramola
> Emil Gospodinov
1> Chris Watts (May 2015)
1
Silver Level
2,000 Supporters
>
>
2
>
3
>
R
SILV0 ESUPPORTERS
2.00
the
me to
Welco nium Club
Mille
Justin
Marle
Jacqueline Buckley
Stephen Douglas
Thomas Burbidge (October 2015)
Justin Marley (January 2016)
y
2
ns
o
atulati
Congr
2016
2015
3
re
ing Di
Martin
ag
r Man
ctor
Wesse
Bronze Level
1,000 Supporters
> Antony Dahmane
4
> Dennis Harrison (April 2015)
> Joseph Fisher
STANDING: January 2016
4
Winter 2015/2016
WESSER WORLD
Page 18
1
”
p
U
–
x
i
M
r
e
s
s
“A We
?
o
h
W
s
i
o
Wh
N
O
I
T
I
T
E
P
M
CO
3
2
How well do you know
your colleagues???
4
Take a look at these pictures
and see if you can guess
which of your colleagues are
mixed together in each photo.
There are 2 people from the list
mixed together in each photo.
5
Please send us your guesses
by Friday 12th February to
[email protected]
The winner will be the person
with the most correct guesses
and if we have more than one
winner the names will be put in
a hat and pulled out at random.
You do not need to have entered
a picture of yourself to enter the
competition.
6
We have a fantastic prize
up for grabs – £50 of Love 2
Shop vouchers
GOOD LUCK
7
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
8
9
10
11
12
13
Page 19
Please choose from
the following list:
> Akin Daramola
> Amiey Proudfoot
> Antony Dahmane
> Becky Bardle
> Clare Clark
> Craig Stallwood
> Denise Retallick
> Ella Atherton
> Emil Gospodinov
> Emily O Hare
> Gemma Grodkiewicz
> Godan Thevagurunathan
> Jade Mole
> Jaime Rose
> James Dennis
> Joanne Steel
> Joanna Dennis
> Joey Fisher
> Jon Flynn
> Leanne Watson
> Lorna Hooton
> Lucy Miller
> Martin Wesser
> Matt Bradley
> Michael Macdonald
> Michelle Amos
> Natalie Parker
> Oliver Steele
> Paulius Brazauskas
> Phillipa Linane
> Ria McCluskey
> Simon Griffiths
16
14
15
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
Page 20
Supporter Administration and Finance
by Kerry Pipkin (Finance and Supporter Administration Manager)
A few editions of Wesser World ago, I wrote an article
about the ‘Change Curve’ – a management tool I learned
about a long time ago that helps managers visualise and
process change in a positive way.
CHANGE is an inevitable and constant part of human
life – both personal and professional. When I was writing
about the Change Curve, I used it to demonstrate the effect
that the demise of the paper mandate and introduction of
the PDA terminals was having on the work of Supporter
Administration and Finance. Since then, changes in my
own personal life have, and will continue to have, effects
on the professional workings of the Wesser office.
Unless you’ve been living on Mars or under a rock
somewhere, most of you will now know that I am
retiring – and by the time you read this, my working life in
general, and specifically my working life with Wesser, will be
at an end. That is a substantial (and fairly seismic!) change.
Inevitably, my leaving will have some effects on the
work and staffing of the department.
Everyone,
somewhere within themselves, would like to think that they
are indispensable, but the more realistic of us know that
there is no such thing. People are incredibly adaptable and
any manager worthy of the name should make sure that
their staff are trained, capable and confident to adapt to
change in a positive and effective way.
When I took over Supporter Admin and Finance two
and a half years ago, it was a very different department
to what it is today – scattered throughout the office,
working a mis-matched series of hours and shift patterns,
all specialising in a different area of the job, gave little
opportunity to forge a team.
Rome wasn’t built in a day – it also wasn’t built without
a lot of effort by a lot of Romans, and the strong,
professional, efficient team that Supporter Admin and
Finance have become is not by any means just down to
me. The huge effort made by all the staff involved
has contributed to forming a department that now
functions effectively and efficiently on every level.
Everyone involved has brought something different to the
team, and those differences have meshed together to form
a whole that is much more than the sum of its parts.
JO
STEEL
–
my
“right
hand
woman”
whose in depth
knowledge and
incredible
eye
for detail has
formed the basis
of the new team,
which would not
exist
without
her. We share
an
identical
work
ethic
for
accuracy,
precision
and
professionalism
which is the
foundation
of
much of the
work the team are required to do – financial returns,
Revenue and Customs work, BACS Bureau requirements,
Direct Debit Guarantee adherence, VAT accounting,
Fundraiser Reporting and all the myriad other elements of
the “number crunching” side of the team’s work all rely on
a level of accuracy and exactitude that many others would
find exhausting!
ADAM BURNS – from part time administration support
to full time deputy to Jo in just over a year, Adam has made
a huge effort to learn new skills and adapt to new working
practices. His willingness to grow with the team has made
a tremendous difference to our skill base and depth of
knowledge – my “go to guy” (if that’s not sexist!)
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
KAREN WATSON – Karen
seems to squash more into her
two days a week with us than
many others do in a full week
– her constant effort and high
level of professionalism always
means that she can be relied
on to undertake any task with
skill and efficiency – my much
trusted “safe pair of hands”.
I constantly marvel at her
telephone manner – she can
talk down the most irate
(usually misinformed!) caller
with a cool competence and
expertise that I truly envy.
I think if I could leave any legacy
behind at Wesser it would be a team
that were ready, willing and able to
take on new challenges. A team that
were confident and competent in
their abilities to deal with the changes
and evolution that any functioning
business
encounters
in
today’s
professional world.
I have that legacy. That’s not just
a testament to me (far from it) – it’s
a testament to the people that have
helped to make the last two and
half years with the company such
an interesting, enjoyable, at times
frustrating but always interesting and
challenging, environment to work in.
Those are just a few tiny
details of the different
facets of personality that
have worked together
to form the Supporter
Administration and Finance
Department. There are
many (many!) others, but
the overall message is that
I am leaving behind a team
that I know will seamlessly
pick up the reins and carry
on giving the service that
the other departments and
individuals within Wesser
have come to know, expect
and respect.
There will be other changes
– new challenges, changes
in legislation and working
practices.
We are already
thinking about the effects
that the change in fundraiser
employment status will have on the department next
year – and there will inevitably be others that we don’t
know about yet.
There is a little part of me that would
like to be missed – perhaps when
someone needs a fact confirmed from
before they were born, or wants to know
how to do a crochet stitch. We all want to
be liked and remembered in a good light,
and I’m no different from anyone else.
I will miss you all. I will miss seeing you
every day and talking to you about the
things we have learned about each other.
I will miss hearing about your families
and your hobbies. I will miss sharing
conversations over coffee and laughing
about anything and everything.
Page 21
JADE MOLE will be taking over
managerial responsibility for the
Supporter
Administration
and
Finance Department when I retire.
I envy her. They are a great team who I
know will support her as much as she will
support them.
A lot of years ago I divulged to a few
other staff members at Wesser that one
of my (many) nicknames from when
I worked in life insurance was the
Rottweiler – indeed I called two of my
team in those days my “Rottie pups”. It
was an affectionate nickname, coined
by my then-Chief Accountant-boss,
born out of my love of accuracy and
exactness and my refusal to accept
anything second rate.
I don’t have that nickname anymore
– I don’t need it. There is absolutely
nothing inaccurate or second rate about the
department I am leaving in Jade’s reliable hands.
Kerry
Winter 2015/2016
WESSER WORLD
Sponsorship – Testimonial
Page 22
by Lizzie Hay – EUCC Vixens President (On behalf of Matt Bradley, Regional Recruiter)
On behalf of The University of Edinburgh Cheerleading Club I
would like to thank Wesser Ltd for sponsoring our club this season.
We are looking forward to rest of the year and our competitions next
semester. We will be attending Future Cheer University Nationals,
BCA University Nationals and BCA Nationals in March. This year
we are defending our eight National Champion and two Grand
Champion titles.
We have also introduced a Performance Squad, who will perform
at our Showcase in March. This has been very successful and allowed
us to provide our sport to more of the student body. We are very
grateful for our sponsorship from Wesser as it has
allowed us to increase our membership and decrease our
costs for all our members.
Sponsorship – Testimonial
by David Rogers,Dundee Rugby Club (On behalf of Matt Bradley, Regional Recruiter)
Dundee Rugby Club
The club as a whole has grown significantly this year with 25+ new
members joining the club. Despite losing a number of key players at the
end of last season and having a large amount of injuries at the start of this
season, the 1st XV continue to challenge for top honours in BUCS Scottish
1A, the top tier of Scottish University Rugby.
The clubs 2nd XV are in contention for the league title. The highlight
of the season so far being an 18-0 wins over local rivals St. Andrews.
Hopefully come the end of March the 2nd XV will be leading the way to
gain promotion in an extremely competitive league. The 3rd XV were always
going to struggle to compete with the remarkable season they had last
year, including the 117-5 win over West of Scotland 1st XV. This year they
are competing in a league which contains many 1st XV teams and they are
holding their own and making their presence known.
We thank Wesser for their kind and appreciated sponsorship which have enabled the club to buy match day warm up tops.
Sponsorship – Testimonial
by Vanessa Owen, St Mary’s Scorpions (On behalf of Joanna Dennis, Regional Recruiter)
We are the St Mary’s Scorpions; a university cheerleading team based
in Twickenham. We currently hold the title for Level 1 National Champions
with the British Cheerleading Association, and hope to this year do even
better at the International Cheerleading Coalition University Nationals
competition, this time competing at Level 2. Cheerleading is an expensive
sport, with kits costing over £100 each, coaching fees of £30 per hour
and numerous other costs such as transport, accommodation and even
extra training facilities. Due to this we do a lot of fundraisers, as this year
we need to raise around £10,000! But the sponsorship we have
received from Wesser has been hugely beneficial to our
team, and we are more than grateful. With it we have been able to
purchase hoodies for all members of our team which make up our training
kit, which we use for fundraisers and travelling, as well as training in.
If you are interested, we have made a promotional video recently
which really highlights why we do fundraising, why we need support
and what exactly we do. If you would like to see it, you can watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opo3btKL52o&feature=youtu.be
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
Page 23
Wesser V Nottingham University Dodgeball Match
by Joey Fisher (Regional Recruiter)
12 Wesser friends met on a cold,
wet autumn day to take part in
our first sponsorship event of the
year, a Dodgeball match against a
team known as the ‘Balls of Steel’ from
Nottingham University. Without any
previous experience between us, we
feared a long afternoon of balls being
smashed in our faces.
Sam Purdy, the University of
Nottingham
Dodgeball
captain,
organised a training session to begin
with where we were taught how to
throw and catch like the pros and of
course how to DODGE, DUCK, DIP,
DIVE and DODGE. A mere thirty
minutes into the training session, Sam
perhaps naively deemed us ready to
have our first match. Kitted out in our
pink Wesser polo shirts, we couldn’t
look any less intimidating when pitted
against a team wearing a full Dodgeball
uniform and looking like they hadn’t left
Globo Gym for a year!
It took a little bit of time to get used
to the tactics of only catching the ball
when you’re confident you won’t drop it
(otherwise you’re out of the game!) but
Antony seemed to master this art from
the off and it became a get out of jail
free card for us. Despite early casualties
in our first game, strong performances
from Martin, aka ‘The DodgeFather’
and Antony ‘The Throbocop’ saved our
blushes of a whitewash and we took
heart from our spirited performance in
what was eventually only a narrow loss.
A second Wesser team was a combined
effort of the new Wesser Recruitment
Ambassadors and two of the best guys
from the Call Centre, Emily and Jamie. Gui
and Jamie, ‘The Artful Dodgers’, took to the
sport especially well and were firing on all
cylinders; flanked by Yaser, Sebastian, Emily
and Finn they made a competitive team who were doing Wesser proud!
The tournament saw many brave performances and epic moments! With not
much time left on the clock at all in a group stage match, we were 2-3 down. Cries
from the crowd of ‘Don’t stop ballieving’ filled the team with energy and
Sponsorship News
by Joey Fisher (Regional Recruiter)
I am proud to announce that Wesser Limited will be sponsoring the
University of Nottingham Dodgeball Society for the next academic year!
The ‘Balls of Steel’ are a very successful team and have an international
Dodgeball player in their ranks! They hold regular socials and take part in
competitions across the country, aiming to be the best university Dodgeball
team in England. They will be advertising the Wesser brand at their various
events across the year and have challenged us to a Dodgeball match
(article above) against them, game on!
when the Balls of Steel attacked with
an overarm throw, Antony saw his
moment to pounce: he plunged forward
and clasped then clamped onto the ball
before the final whistle echoed round
the sports hall, we had beaten the Balls
of Steel in the dying moments! There was
pandemonium everywhere, Oliver was
trigger happy with his camera and Michael
jumped for joy in celebration!
Sam also introduced us to a game
known as ‘Last Man Standing’, where
players from all sides faced each other until
there was only one person left! This proved
to be so much fun and with balls firing off
from all angles, it was near impossible to
avoid them! Martin ‘The DodgeFather’
was the last remaining Wesser team member
to survive, he was nearly untouchaball!
However, there were also a few
dodgy moments…Zach’s super-fast
reactions and ducking ability saw him
avoid the wrath of a powerful throw, but
this was to the detriment of Antony who
was directly behind Zach and caught the
ball square in the face! Ellie was also the
recipient of a direct head shot which actually
led to a nose bleed and Martin had injured
his hand from what he claimed to have been
a monster throw that went wrong. The
team were dropping like flies and
we still had a few games to go!
Then in the 3/4th place play-off match
between the two teams from Wesser, there
were further injuries! The match started
explosively with Jamie cannoning off my back
when we were both racing to win the ball. It ended both
of our tournaments (sorry Jamie!) but after dusting
ourselves down we managed to rally to all meet up in
the pub to celebrate our 3rd and 4th place finishes in the
tournament.
We did a few speeches to thank Sam for organising
such an excellent event and also to talk about what
Wesser do and why we sponsor university teams.
Hopefully we will see some of the Balls of Steel team members
working for us next summer! We will keep you updated on their progress
through the year via our Twitter and Facebook accounts
Winter 2015/2016
WESSER WORLD
Team Visits
by Leanne Watson
As I am sure you are all aware by now, Liz and
I have been conducting house visits across all of
our current houses. Liz
came up with the idea
last August with the
belief that in doing so,
we can make sure the
houses are being kept in
the best possible condition
whilst strengthening our
relationships with landlords
and agents.
We have also found
that in doing this we
have
strengthened
our
relationships
with
the
Campaign
staff
and
fundraisers. It is not very
often us ladies in the office
get to see campaign staff
or fundraisers on a regular
basis, doing the house visits
has changed this and has
created a much stronger
relationship between us.
This has come as a nice
surprise to all of us and is
something Liz and I feel
really pleased to have
achieved.
Although the ball has
been rolling with this for
a relatively short time
we are already seeing
improvements of how
our houses are
being kept. This
is good news all
round as we have
fewer issues to
deal with, less
damages
being
caused and better
feedback
from
our landlords and
agents
(which
is always very
important!).
Page 24
What will 2016 bring for us in terms of visits?
Our company is changing a lot at the moment and
one of the biggest changes
is moving fundraisers into
employment. This is brilliant
news for the fundraisers and
it means they will be getting
extra care when it comes to
our team houses. We will be
ensuring all relevant alarms
are fitted in the houses as well
as fire extinguishers, first aid
kits and accident log books.
By doing this we can make
sure the fundraisers are
being looked after in the
best possible way. It will
be quite a task for us at the
beginning but the benefits
are well worth it. Not only
do we want to make sure
the houses they live in are
beautiful, home away from
homes, but we also want to
make sure everyone is in a
safe environment, which can
only be a good thing!
So you will definitely be
seeing just as much of myself
and Liz over the coming
months. We will be adding new
safety items to the houses and
will have a few other tasks to
complete whilst carrying out our
usual checks. As I said before we
really are pleased with how this
is going and we hope you are
too!
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Leanne & Liz
KEN
A
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‘... W
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WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
Page 25
Understanding Nutrition, Fuelling Performance and
Keeping Our Energies Buzzing by Michelle Amos (Business Support Assistant)
In February 2015 our team
leaders were first introduced
to a health choices coach,
Susanne Weiser. Susanne
is an expert in the field of
nutrition; who started her
health education in 1999 after
personal reasons sparked
her interest in nutrition, she
qualified as a Nutritionist
in 2004 and her company,
Energize was born in 2005. She
enlightened the team leaders
about the importance of a
healthy diet and taking regular
snacks throughout the day.
Susanne then went on to inform
them of the best times to eat,
what to eat at those times and
what types of food to eat before exercise. She then finished off by
getting them to set goals for themselves.
Door to door fundraising is a very demanding job,
it requires the fundraiser to have both a good level of
fitness and a good level of mental agility. Putting these
two ingredients together will help them rise to the top and become
the best performers.
A good fundraiser needs to get the mind and body connected;
otherwise they are only firing on two cylinders and not all four.
Physical activity increases the flow of oxygen to your
brain and increases the amount of endorphins (feel
good chemicals) in the brain. Agility is the ability
to think and draw conclusions quickly; objection
handling and passing on knowledge is a vital part of a
fundraisers job. For this reason, it’s not surprising that
fundraisers who are in good physical shape also tend
to enjoy a higher level of mental agility.
As part of Wesser’s “Well Taken Care Of” promise, a
Health and Wellbeing workshop was organised for all
other employees, due to the success of the previous work
shop. So on a very grey, wet and windy day in November,
an energising workshop was just what we all needed.
Due to work commitments, childcare arrangements, etc.,
there were only 5 of us that attended from the office
which was a real shame, but really fantastic for myself,
Jade, Leanne, Natalie & Amiey who were able to benefit from a very
intimate workshop.
The workshop was split into 3 different topics,
Part 1:
As simple as ABC - A cleaner system for agility, Boosting
hydration and Colourful and wholesome foods
Part 2:
The fats of life
Part 3:
Manage that stress
For me, the whole
workshop was a real eyeopener, particularly in parts 1
and 2, I learnt so much about
what I am doing to my body
and how my constant ‘dieting’
is affecting it. I was amazed
at how much I didn’t know
about how different foods and
drinks affect us. I came out of
the workshop and immediately
cancelled my subscription to
Weightwatchers and will now
be doing my utmost to follow
a clean and healthy diet,
with plenty of exercise. I was
obviously aware that too much
food and not enough exercise is
not good for you before the course,
but understanding how the bad diets are
damaging my long term health is the education
I needed to make changes.
They say ‘ignorance is bliss’, it definitely
is!! After coming out of the workshop I found
myself feeling ‘panicky’ about everything I put
into my body. We talked about all the toxins
that are in everyday products, that have very
strong links to cancer and other health issues;
it is even more upsetting to find that these
chemicals are in the products that my children
use. Fortunately, part 3 of the course was about
managing that stress, so I will be able to handle
all of this new information, without having a
complete meltdown!
We have all, already made at least 1 change,
if not more, to our lives since the workshop so,
Thank you, Wesser for another great opportunity
to help us enhance our lives.
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
Page 26
Wesser Awards Evening & Christmas Party
by Michelle Amos (Business Support Assistant)
How quick this time of year comes around again,
the excitement in the office is palpable. Our Christmas
party is a big event in the Wesser calendar and one
that everyone really looks forward to. I am pleased to
say that this year’s party did not disappoint.
Our party was once again held at the Priory Barns
in Little Wymondley, a truly beautiful venue to
spend an evening in.
The evening started out with a brilliant surprise
for our lovely retiree, Kerry, when her husband,
Pete, arrived. He had dropped her off twenty
minutes earlier in his tracksuit!; It is not very often
that Kerry is speechless, but she was. Martin then
showed his appreciation for the middle management
team, before we took to our seats and tucked into
our starters. The food at the Priory is of a very high
standard and never disappoints. During the meal, we
had great speeches from all of the managers and a
number of awards were presented. Kerry was up to
her usual high standards and did a fantastic poem
to a brilliant star trek theme. In the weeks running
up to the party, many of us had been busy recording
video messages for Kerry and these were all played
at the party, this was lovely to watch and I know
Kerry was really touched by them. From what I hear,
an out-takes compilation sounds like it would also
be one to watch.
So as the speeches, awards and meal came to an
end, it was time to party, out came the party props
and dancing. For those of us who can’t remember
much after this part of the night (I won’t name any
names) there are of course plenty of pictures to help
remind us.
To finish off I would like to say thank you to
everyone who came, everyone who has already
given us great comments about the party and a
huge THANK YOU to Martin for allowing us to
have another fantastic Christmas party ☺
Winter 2015/2016
WESSER WORLD
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Page 27
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Winter 2015/2016
WESSER WORLD
All Good Things...
Page 28
by Kerry Pipkin (Finance & Supporter Administration Manager)
I guess you could say, for the native-English
speaking part of the world at least, it started with
me.
It was 1999 and the company I was employed with were
relocating to Hampshire, so I was job hunting.
“Country Manager Requires Assistant” read the small
ad in my local paper.
This instantly conjured visions of myself, diary in hand (this
was in the days when the only piece of computer equipment
that would fit in your pocket was a calculator, and telephones
were something you found on a desk), striding after a Barbour
and green-welly clad gent, accompanied by at least two
golden Labradors, through the Buckinghamshire countryside
organising and running some Downton-Abbey-esque country
estate.
I’ll say this for myself, when I’m wrong, I’m wrong with
panache. I found myself climbing a ridiculous amount of stairs
in a lovely Edwardian building in the centre of High Wycombe to
attend the interview. My interviewer, who I assumed (wrongly,
as it turned out) was the ‘Country Manager’ in question, was
relaxed, charming, articulate and very funny – we hit it off
straight away (Arno, you now owe me). Arno Dengg’s
English is accent-less and flawless, so until he explained it really
didn’t occur to me that the company was German.
Following my (I felt very hopeful) interview, we adjourned
to the main office for a cup of coffee. There were three other
people in the huge room, all talking together in a language
that I didn’t understand one word of. I now know it was
German, but, even after 16 years, my word
Jutta & I in Majorca – after 14 years
Irene asked Arno to translate my reply. He did so and she
smiled, responding to him in rapid German. “Irene says I have
to give you the job,” Arno said. No one can ever refuse Irene
anything, so that was that.
Once all was up and running, Arno and the trio returned to
Germany, Christian Rebernig (who *was* the Country Manager
in question) arrived to take over, and Wesser UK was officially
in business.
Irene & I in Majorca 2012
Arno & I reunited in 2012 for the first time since 1999
count isn’t much better.
It says something quite special about Wesser that
those three people still work for the company – Irene,
Harry and Jutta. Arno brought me a cup of coffee. “I
meant to ask you,” he said, “how old are you?”
Banking on his sense of humour being as good as I
had thought it might be I said, smiling broadly, “Hasn’t
anyone told you that in England it’s very impolite to ask
a lady her age?”
Chris & I back in the early days!
WESSER WORLD
Winter 2015/2016
Chris and I were a pretty good team (nothing like blowing
your own trumpet, Kerry). Chris did the fundraiser recruiting
and campaign management and I did… everything else.
Advertising, commission calculations, payroll, bookkeeping,
mandate processing, Welcome Letters, filing, BACS processing
– everything. From making the tea and filing, to answering
the supporter hotline and running the debits each month, the
Wesser UK office was my domain.
I vividly remember one morning in the beginning. A young
man arrived for an interview with Chris – very nervous and
quite shy, but very keen to work and have the opportunity to
prove himself. Chris and I had developed a kind of ‘unspoken
communication’ by now and, following the interview, Chris gave
me a look that I understood
to mean
“What do you think?” I
gave a small nod, which
Chris took to mean “Yes
– give him a chance.”
That young man was
Emil Gospodinov, who
is now our National
Campaign
Manager,
which might suggest I can
(occasionally) get things
right with panache, too.
Page 29
village house in a mountain village in rural Valencia – quite
a change! For six years I carried on very much as before,
just adjusting my hours slightly to cope with the soaring
afternoon temperatures in the summer, during which I
became a lifelong fan of the siesta.
In 2013 I returned to the UK and to the office in Letchworth,
which is where most of you will know me from.
I’ve seen Wesser UK grow from just Chris and myself in 1999
to the thriving, evolving, professional organisation it is today,
and I take pride in the fact that I’ve been involved from the
beginning.
All good things must come to an end however, and it’s time
I retired and handed over the reins to someone who actually
understands how a mobile
phone works.
To that end, Peter and
I will shortly be moving
to our retirement home
in Shropshire. I intend to
crochet, read, grow veg,
walk the dog, watch endless
dvd’s of my favourite films
and tv shows, moan about
the youth of today, the
government, the weather
and anything else I fancy,
and generally enjoy being a
grumpy old woman.
During
the
first
couple of years we
had some temporary
administrative help in
the office over the busy
I shall miss working at
summer period – James
Martin Wesser and I in Majorca
Wesser – it’s been a huge part
came to us in his gap
of my life for a lot of years
year, and he and I remain friends
and I
can’t really picture what life
to this day, Karrissa whose adored baby nephew Charlie will
will be like without it. I shall miss all the friends I’ve made in
now be in his mid-teens(!) and some excellent fundraisers, but I
Letchworth and the atmosphere and camaraderie of the office.
was very much the ‘permanent fixture’.
I shall miss working for Martin – one of the nicest, most
Following Chris’ return to Austria, Mr Wesser senior
generous, most kind hearted and fair minded people I
decided to suspend active fundraising for a while, and the
have ever had the pleasure of working for.
main office was closed. To uphold our Service Agreement with
St John, we still needed to administer the scheme, so I began
And there is a bit of me that kind of hopes that at least some
working from home – still processing debits, answering the of you will miss the Rottweiler, (even a tiny bit), too!
phones, filing mandates, bookkeeping – same old, same old.
The Wesser UK office was again my own little realm – albeit in
my smallest bedroom!
After 18 months, I had a new boss – Mr Wesser senior’s
son – our own Martin Wesser. Setting up office in St John’s
Hertfordshire headquarters in Stevenage, Wesser UK began to
take off with a vengeance. I remained in High Wycombe as the
Stevenage office began to take shape, becoming much more
like the Wesser office we know today – a dedicated recruitment
section, a much bigger administrative staff and, eventually, a
call centre operation.
I continued to be responsible for the financial and accounting
side of the company, but gratefully relinquished the other
administrative duties to the growing team in Hertfordshire,
some of whom still work here and many of whom I remain
friends with today.
In 2007 I moved to Spain, and took my job along with me
– in today’s world of internet and mobile data, the actual
location of the office is far less important than it used to be,
so my ‘office’ went from a bedroom in a terraced estate house
in Buckinghamshire to the upstairs landing in a 500 year old
A Fond Farewell to a
Wesser legend – Kerry!
Winter 2015/2016
WESSER WORLD
Page 30
STARTERS / LEAVERS
Here at Wesser we are very fortunate to have such wonderful people working with us. As such it is always a pleasure to welcome new members to
the Wesser family and while unfortunate it is inevitable that members of the team will move on at some stage throughout their career. For those
leaving us we wish you the same success and luck in your future roles as we do to those joining us now.
A huge warm Wesser welcome to all of our new STARTERS:
Emily O’Hare (1) Telephone Fundraiser
Welcome back to –
Lucy Miller (2) Contact Centre Agent
Stephen Douglas (3) County Fundraising Coordinator
AWARDS / MERIT
Here at Wesser we are incredibly proud of our commitment to those working with us and as such it is with great pleasure that we can announce
the following achievements…
Congratulations to –
Akin Daramola (4) On his promotion to Campaign Manager for the North,
Midlands and Scotland
Brett McAteer (5) On his promotion to County Fundraising Coordinator
Shashi Karanje (6) On his promotion to County Fundraising Coordinator
Coventry Team 2015 Face-to-Face Team of the year
James & Joanna Dennis (7) on their marriage
Congratulations to you all on your achievements.
A fond farewell to –
Kerry Pipkin Finance & Supporter Administration Manager
Zach Lipman County Fundraising Coordinator
Sophie Beswick Telephone Fundraiser
We wish you all the best for the future!
Winter 2015/2016
WESSER WORLD
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Winter 2015/2016
WESSER WORLD
New Year Offerings:
To your enemy, FORGIVNESS.
To an apponent, TOLERANCE.
To a friend, your HEART.
To a customer, SERVICE.
To all, CHARITY.
To every child, a GOOD EXAMPLE.
To yourself, RESPECT.
(Oren Arnold)
&
Wishing you all a happy
prosperous 2016
Creator, Producer and Editor: Jade Mole
Co creator and producer: Michelle Amos
Layout and Design: Tonia Gieray
Proofreader: Michelle Amos
Please send all comments and ideas to
[email protected]
Wesser Ltd
Icknield House, Eastcheap
Letchworth Garden City
Hertfordshire, SG6 3DE
www.wesser.co.uk
January 2016
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