Back in October 2020, as we were battling through the -pandemic and its tiered systems and lockdowns, we published the blog Five Local Businesses We Support. It was an opportunity to shout about local businesses who, like us, were going through a challenging time. So this month, nearly two years on, we thought we would return with another five while expanding the selection to include charities and organisations.
Coastal Net
Coastal Net is a business networking group based in Suffolk for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). It started nearly ten years ago by local business owner Dominic Allen. He felt there was an opportunity for businesses along Suffolk's coastline to come together in a friendly and supportive environment.
Coastal Net meets on the third Wednesday of every month (cost £5.50), initially starting at Ufford Park before moving to Seckford Golf Club in 2021. Darrell Smith has not only been a member since the beginning but is also the current host. He is tasked with finding speakers and opening and closing the meeting. If you would like to find out more, please visit the Coastal Net Facebook group here.
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Home Start in Suffolk
Archway Carpets support several charities. One of which is Home Start in Suffolk, which is a part of the country's largest family support charity. Their goal is that every child in Suffolk is given the best start in life because of the love, support and guidance they receive from their parents, guardians or the people performing the role of their parents.
For many parents, the pressures of family life are simply too much to cope with alone, so Home Start and their volunteers offer support and guidance to struggling parents to help them grow in confidence and strengthen their relationships with their children.
Archway Carpets support Home Start by delivering food to people's homes and helping out at their charity events, with Darrell stepping up to run the auction on occasion. Home Start in Suffolk always needs volunteers, now more than ever, so if you are interested in offering just an hour or two a week, please visit their site here for more details.
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Ruth Leigh
Ruth Leigh has the honour of appearing in both the past blog and this one, albeit in two very different roles. In 2020, she was running Leigh Catering while harbouring dreams of becoming a writer. In fact, Ruth had already submitted her first draft of her book, The Diary of Isabella M Smugge to her publisher. With the pandemic having a disastrous effect on her catering business, it was literature's gain as she could dedicate the time to re-writing and editing.
Today, Ruth has two published books, with her second book, The Trials of Isabella M Smugge, released last year. This October (2022), two years on from our last blog, her third novel, The Continued Times of Isabella M Smugge, hits the shops. If there was a tale of following one's dreams, Ruth has shown us that they can become a reality with hard work and dedication.
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Simply C Photography
Simply C Photography is run by Cherry Beesley. Around five or six years ago, Darrell needed publicity shots of himself for the Archway Carpets website. So he got in touch with Cherry, and she worked with Darrell to produce several shots. As is often the case when SMEs work together, they become friends, which makes photoshoots all the more fun nowadays. Also, they can become customers, with us recently providing flooring for Cherry's home studio office.
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Stitchworks
Sticthworks is a full-service alterations studio based in Woodbridge, specialising in men’s and women’s clothing. Being just around the corner from us on Church Street at Gobbits Yard, they are handy for any mending or alterations needed on Darrell or Graham’s shirts and trousers.
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