Golden Autumn
And just like that… Autumn has returned in full force! We hope you all made the most of the higher temperatures and sunshine, squeezing in any last chance you get to enjoy them, before the dark mornings and early nights creep up on us once again.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as within this quarter’s article you will find out what upcoming events are happening in October, news from the world of Net Zero, what a weekend in the life of the Consultus Corner team can look like, plus we’ve got some excellent reads from our very own Liz Fox, Paul Gleaves and more!
Celebrating their long service awards, Natalie Dunbar and Adam Meyer have shared with us what their time at Consultus has looked like from day one to date. You don’t want to miss that!
We are also going to be revealing our plans for World Food Day and how you can help the cause to tackle hunger, by joining in with your colleagues at Consultus.
Anyway, let there be no more spoilers from us… Sit back, have a good read, enjoy and, as always, please let us know your thoughts.
All feedback and suggestions are appreciated and will be taken on board for the next and final edition of the year, in December. Let us know if you’d like to be featured!
The Consultus Corner Team
Craig Chloe Ioana Jen
Sanjay
A word from the Heads of Department
by Paul Gleaves, Head of Global Trades
“Winter is coming, uttered broodingly in a regional accent will be a phrase familiar to all fans of the hit HBO TV series Game of Thrones. It is an idiom that stirs feelings of foreboding, of the need to be alert and is certainly pertinent to the world of Energy Risk Management (okay… ignore all the Whitewalkers and armies of the dead stuff).
It is safe to say that energy markets head into this winter still with some anxiety, but Seven Kingdoms away from the chaos of two years ago, when electricity prices spiked as high as £850/MWh. European gas storage levels are now at 93.3% (already above the EU’s mandated target), the LNG landscape is starting to look far more positive and National Grid’s Winter Outlook suggests that supply margins should be comfortable.
But that is not to say that we should be complacent. The energy market has proven, time and time again that it has teeth and we are only ever a cold snap or an increase in geopolitical tensions away from a market spike.
The energy markets are amongst the most volatile in the world, and although this can bring challenges, it also provides fantastic opportunities for us, as a business, to support and deliver value to our customers.
As Machiavellian schemester Petyr Baelish said: “Chaos isn’t a pit, chaos is a ladder” (although I’m not sure that he was talking about energy markets, probably dragons or something).
Since the energy crisis in August 2022, the Risk Management Team have completed 7,237 trades and delivered net savings to our clients of over £100 million versus the market average. We should all be very proud of this and now that the electricity and gas performance tables have been finalized (thanks Joao!), it is a key objective of the Risk Management Team to get this data backdated into the Savings Log (thanks Talha!) so that these successes can be shared more readily with our clients.
I think it’s fair to say that the past few months have been worlds apart from “the long summer,” with the season set to have been the coolest since 2015. However, the business has certainly delivered some tropically hot financial results, with the group hitting both
“Chaos isn’t a pit, chaos is a ladder ”
its revenue and profit targets in FY24. Similarly, the first quarter target for FY25 was also met. This represents a fantastic start and gives the business an excellent platform with which to go into battle, for the rest of the year.
It is undoubtedly exciting times at Consultus as we move into the next quarter, with the recently announced re-structure and the ongoing strategy development work, which is set to put the business in an excellent position to achieve further investment and growth.
On behalf of the Senior Leadership Team, I would just like to say thank you for everybody’s efforts over the year to date, and by working together let’s all look to take this positive momentum into winter. As Sansa Stark put it: “[When] the snow falls and the white wind blows, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives”.
Paul Gleaves
Assured Energy : UPDATE by Hiren &
We’re already halfway through FY24-25, but it feels like we only just started the other day. We’d like to share some exciting updates with everyone.
We just want to start by giving a massive shoutout to the whole Assured Energy family, who have all played a vital part in us achieving the numbers we have FYTD.
The following figures will relate to 1st April 2024 until 31st August 2024.
Assured sales are currently well ahead of the budget of £922,500. We have hit and actual figure of £1,778,406. A huge achievement to bring us to mid-FY. We also want to recognise Brian Joyce for hitting the highest sales value since the launch of Assured Energy! A massive milestone to hit!
We also want to shoutout the ops team, who have processed a total of 1,425 contracts from 1st April to 31st August. Alongside the number of contracts processed, the ops team have also hit an EAC/AQ validation rate of 99% compared to a target of 90%. There have also been 100 customer care queries raised, as well, with 66 closed currently. Fantastic work from the ops team and let’s keep the momentum going!
Assured Energy is still ranked No 1 in the energy and power category on Trustpilot with 747 reviews and a 5-star overall rating. Since the start of the FY, we have received 48 reviews. This is a massive achievement, as there
Sam
is a lot of competition in this category, and we pride ourselves on our customer service. This is also shown in our 124 smiley face clicks, for a total of 124 click FYTD with a score of 5 out of 5.
Our clients have benefitted from a cost saving of over £7m in total.
We also want to congratulate Chris Pattani on his -5year work anniversary with Assured Energy. Thank you for all your hard work, over those years. Let's look forward to seeing what the next 5 years brings!
The Assured family has also expanded once again with the addition of Anthony Gayle (Energy Consultant) and Jason Fernandez (Telemarketing Executive). A big welcome to you both and we look forward to working with you!
A new relationship has also been created with the Federation of Independent Retailers (FED), who have come onboard as a new affiliate. Since going live, we have managed to gain 120 leads, with 7 sales resulting off the back of this. Through these sales, we’ve been able to save FED members, on average, over £1,500 on their energy bills. We look forward to seeing how this relationship unfolds over the coming months and years.
Just to finish off, we want to remind everyone of our referral scheme.
REFERRALS £££
Band Internal Ref Value
1 Bronze £50 for income greater than £150 but less than £1,000 pa
2 Silver £100 for income greater than £1,000 but less than £5,000 pa
3 Gold £250 for income greater than £5,000 pa
We just want to give a massive thank you to those who have already sent in some referrals.
These include:
Shyam Vanmali
Erica Staley
Peter Butler
Cameron Harcourt
Lee Ackerman
Paul Cox
Hiren Kanabar Sam Edwards
Brian Joyce
Chris Pattani
Anthony Gayle Jason Fernandez
SPOTLIGHT Liz Fox
As Liz Fox reaches her 12th year with Consultus, it’s time to hear a bit about our Group Commercial Analyst.
Let’s find out what some other people said before she describes herself…
“Liz was the best manager we have ever had”
Barbie and Kenney
“Liz wrestled a bear to save my life”
Anna Rashad
“Liz is the funniest person I have ever met”
Morph Edwards
“Liz is terrifying”
The bear
I share my home (and sometimes home office space) with 1 husband and 4 cats. My interests/hobbies include gaming, knitting and performing (acting/singing).
I can be shy and quiet in new situations but, once I’ve found my feet, I can admit I’ll often be the one oozing confidence and dominating the conversation, so I consciously try to
on the “Group Commercial Analyst”
last couple of years, as a manager, the team I worked with were brilliant and I often miss the camaraderie. I don’t miss listening to the football chat (you know who you are!).
Professionally, I am driven by achieving goals that positively impact others, I enjoy sharing knowledge and helping others to develop, and I’m often referred to as an “Excel Wizard,” which I don’t refute, and my husband suspects I love Excel more than him.
In October 2012, I joined what was then “The Energy Brokers” as an Administrator and was providing support to all of the Account Managers of the time, running off reports, sending terminations etc. It wasn’t long before I became Sales Support to Amy Copson – most of my knowledge of the energy industry was imparted upon me by Amy, so a big shout out to her for contributing to my development.
But my time in Assured Energy is when I really feel my “career” with Consultus really began.
The first 2 years of Assured were nothing like the Assured of today. It was tumultuous, to say the least.
When Hiren Kanabar took the reins in 2018, things started to move in a new direction and the Assured Family, that I know and love, started to form.
Assured finally became the success we knew it could be and continues to go from strength to strength. Being there to help Hiren and Sam start it, on that path, is one of my proudest achievements.
Being a reluctant manager, I relied heavily on my closest colleagues. Sam Edwards was a rock, during my biggest challenges, as well as light relief with his close to the mark humour, that shocks most people but matches my own.
Hannah Prashad acted as a great leader within the admin team to keep things going, supporting her colleagues, motivating them and assisting me with various tasks – she kept me sane and, to be honest, still does!
Naturally, Hannah was the perfect choice to take over the manager role when I was (if you listen to Hiren and Sam’s version of events) “poached” by Brad!
Whilst poaching may be a strong term, Brad certainly put his sights on bringing my skills to the wider group. In May 2023, I transitioned to my current role as the Group Commercial Analyst. If you don’t know what that means, don’t worry, I didn’t either when I took the job!
The purpose of my role is to make accessing and interpreting commercial data simpler for everyone that needs it such as the sales teams, finance, directors etc.
Without integrated systems, this relies entirely on Excel, and after being introduced to Power Query (shout out to Ed Gray), I have taught myself how to use it to manipulate large and varied data sets to combine and extract information.
During my 7 years with Assured Energy, I was managed by Dave Peake, Brad Wilson and Hiren Kanabar. All 3 of them are incredibly supportive and encouraging managers, helping me to recognise my own potential, which led to my eventual appointment as Operations Manager.
Despite never wanting to manage people, I spent over 4 of my 7 years with Assured managing people! In the
People use the dashboards I have built to get insights into performance against targets and suchlike.
Naturally this type of work leads me to working on my own, most of the time, but I enjoy these opportunities. ve had to collaborate and, once some of my main projects are complete this year, I look forward to branching out and getting involved with more departments and individuals whom I haven’t yet had the pleasure of working with.
What’s happening in October?
National Vegetarian Week
1st-7th
October
Annual event to educate people about the benefits of a meat-free diet. We asked our vegetarian colleagues to tell us more.
How long have you been vegetarian?
Harvey: Around 7-8 months.
Eden: Since I was 14, so 9 years now.
Aaron: All my life.
What made you want to become vegetarian?
Harvey: There are ethical and environmental factors. However, to put it simply, it upsets me to think an animal has died to feed me.
Eden: I chose to become vegetarian after watching the documentary Cowspiracy. This truly shifted my perspective on the environmental pressures of animal agriculture, as I learned it’s the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution. For me, it is not only about showing compassion for animals both in the meat industry and the rainforest, but also taking steps to reduce the environmental impacts on food production.
Aaron: My mum, I guess!
What benefits do you feel come from a vegetarian lifestyle (this can either be physically, mentally or just personally)?
Harvey: The biggest benefit I feel is peace of mind, as eating meat has always played on my thoughts. As a secondary, I’m pleased with the benefits of being a vegetarian in an environmental sense.
Eden: Since adopting the vegetarian lifestyle, I feel I’m making a positive difference by promoting animal welfare. It’s a personal choice that reflects my values and conscious effort to live in a way that’s more sustainable and ethical. I’ve also found it has broadened my horizons and made me more open minded as I’m willing to experiment with a variety of foods, that I wouldn’t have considered before.
Aaron: I guess I feel a sense of accomplishment that I’ve been able to stick to it all my life.
What is your favourite vegetarian meal-recipe?
Harvey: Eating out, it's burrata, pesto and sundried tomato calzone, or anything cheesy. At home, Quorn nuggets and chips.
Eden: My favourite meal at the minute is hot honey halloumi gyros. Not only does it remind me of being back in Greece, but it’s also a meal that is well-balanced and tastes unreal!
Aaron: To be specific, the saag paneer from Tamatanga. It’ll change your life, I swear!
What advice would you give someone who is thinking about becoming a vegetarian but isn’t sure it’s for them?
Harvey: Don’t deep it, whenever I’ve tried being vegetarian before I’ve gone very gung-ho and bought all the tofu at Morrisons, but it’s really just as simple as cutting down on your meat intake. If you struggle then just start cutting out red meat or fish, you’ll soon realise there’s so much more tasty food to enjoy besides meat!
Eden: If someone is on the fence about being vegetarian, I would suggest gradually cutting out different meats. A way to do this is participating in things such as ‘Meatless Monday’ or experimenting with vegetarian recipes.
Aaron: It’s not hard at all! With the way the world is now, there are alternatives for everything.
World Mental Health Day
10th October
“It is time to prioritize mental health in the workplace” is the 2024 World Mental Health Day theme.
It’s the World Federation for Mental Health’s objective to raise awareness of mental health matters around the world, to mobilize efforts in support of mental health and to reduce stigma.
Good mental health at work and good management go hand in hand. There is strong evidence to show that workplaces with high levels of mental wellbeing are more productive.
Actively addressing wellbeing at work can increase overall productivity by as much as 12%!
Everyone has mental health – it matters 24/7 – 365 days of the year, but the 10th October is a chance for everyone to unite, educate and raise awareness of mental health matters.
It encourages everyone to look after their own mental health and those of others, through greater understanding and empathy, ensuring your friends, family and colleagues have the support they may need.
At Consultus, our people are our priority. If you feel you need support, or just someone to talk to, please reach out to our Mental Health First Aiders. We also have a confidential Employee Assistance Programme available to everyone 24/7.
A very useful link, with a variety of resources and information about help available, can be found by visting this web address: https:// www.mentalhealth.org.uk/ explore-mental-health/get-help
World Food Day
16th October
World Food Day 2024 stresses that production and consumption of safe food have immediate and long-term benefits for people, the planet and the economy.
The different themes of World Food Day reflect the dynamic challenges we face in the realm of food security.
From “Climate Change and Hunger” to “Sustainable Food Systems,” these themes address pressing issues that affect
not only our present, but also the future of food production and consumption.
World Food Day is a great opportunity to get you thinking about food and how it can be sustainably sourced,responsibly consumed and distributed.
It’s the third most basic human need after air and water –
everyone should have the right to adequate food.
It’s worth thinking about… Is there a way for you to use less water and meat? Do you overconsume and waste food? Have you considered how far your food travels? Is there a way to eat healthily and still eat as much local food as possible?
Our and 25th 30th CONSULTUS WORK ANNIVERSARIES Work Anniversary: 25th
BY NATALIE DUNBAR
I honestly can’t believe that it’s been 25 years!
If you ask Alison (Whiteman), she’d tell you she’s surprised that I lasted this long. In 1999, Alison had the arduous task of trying to keep a bunch of students under control, over the summer holidays.
That’s where I started, entering electricity and gas prices into DOS Ego. For the record Ali, despite the rumours, I never once fell asleep in the filing cupboard.
When I think back to what was happening in the world in 1999, it reminds me of just how long ago it was! Panic about the millennium bug, Britney mania, The Sixth Sense, the introduction of the
Euro currency, the solar eclipse and not forgetting Mambo No. 5! There was no Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. If you wanted to find something on the internet, you’d have to use Ask Jeeves.
When I said that to my son, he said: “Who the hell is Jeeves?"
Yes, I’ve worked here a long time, but I have been fortunate to work in different areas of the business — from Admin to Procurement, Bill Validation to Net Zero. I’ve essentially grown up with this company and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
I’ve met and worked with some great people along the way (and
continue to). I've been proud to support the business in reaching where it is today. I’m lucky to be working in an area where I have a real passion, for sustainability and ESG. I look forward to continuing our work to make the business a force for good. Here’s to the next 25 years haha!
Work Anniversary: 30th BY ADAM MEYER
Well, what can I say –30 years (you get a lot less for murder!).
When I started, we were The Energy Brokers Ltd (TEBL, which you may have heard banded around). This was at the very start of deregulation in the utilities industry, and we were three strong as a workforce, with the addition of a couple of extra hands as and when needed.
as 'digital' as they are today. Emails were only just a thing, and our friend was the fax machine (yes, they did exist).
We eventually outgrew Birstall and moved to an office in Barshaw Park, Leicester. Again, as the business expanded, we moved into the unit at Beaumont Leys, which was attached to one of our clients.
of clients. Most power and gas offers traded within a day (something which would have never been possible back in 1994). Data is now received electronically, rather than through floppy disks and CDs, which took an age to load.
Things have changed since the early days except for the company ethic – being transparent, which I guess is why we have been around for so long and are so successful, here’s to the next 30 years!
We were based in the stable block in Birstall at the Dyer Warner partnership which had come up with the idea of “TEBL.” Offers on power would stay on the table for days, if not weeks, as volatility in the market is nowhere near what it is today and probably a good thing, as things were not
This again was the forerunner of the office that we have today. We moved when the pandemic hit, so we have been here for four years and gone up to a staffing level of nearly 200 people, around the business, and hundreds
How sustainable was Paris 2024 Olympics? NET ZERO CLIMATE NEWS :
The 2024 Paris Olympics had ambitious sustainability goals, for both the Olympic Village and the games. The aim is to be “the first international sporting event that achieves neutrality and reduces its carbon footprint by 55% compared to the London Games 2012” (European Commission). They published a document explaining their sustainable strategy. Their strategy involves using 100% renewable energy to power the games via the grid, twice more plant-based menus etc.
The Responsible Jewellery Council has confirmed that the metals used in the medals are 100% recyclable. Coffee tables, 6,000 toilet roll holders, 16,000 beds and bedside tables, 1,400 microwaves, 7,000 toilet brushes, and 2,200 parasols are among the items included in the products made from recycled items.
Paris 2024 has pledged to provide all of the furniture and equipment utilized in venues a 100% second life. This will be accomplished by gift, recovery, or resale. For instance, the 16,000 beds and pillows in the Village will be given to local beneficiaries, such as the Paris Opera ballet school, so they can be used again. In previous Olympics, when creating the Olympic Village, they built various buildings for accommodation and events. However, 95% of the venues already existed this time. Consideration was given to the significant amount of carbon emissions caused by the
construction of new infrastructures, which helped the event to reduce their GHG emission rates by 30%.
Related to energy usage, the aim was to arrange games that are solely powered by renewable electricity (solar and wind) through the grid. All venues were connected to the public electricity distribution network to reduce the need for generators.
As a Premium Partner of Paris 2024, EDF will provide all Paris 2024 venues with renewable electricity from 8 production facilities (6 wind-powered and 2 solar-powered) in France, together with the accompanying Guarantees of Origin (certificate that proves the energy is generated from renewable sources).
Another significant area that contributes to the increase of carbon emissions is transportation. Many competitors and staff are coming from overseas, which is not possible to reduce. Nevertheless, they made some improvements in Paris to make it easier and more sustainable to travel to the Olympic Village.
They made current metro lines go to the Olympic Village and made public transportation available for visitors. They created active mobility by nonmotorised transportation and made 415 km of cycling lanes and parking spaces for cycles around the city.
In light of this information, it would be valid to say that there is a significant effort to make the recent Olympics more eco-friendly. However, when we look at the results, after the Olympics it seems like not all these good intentions have proceeded exactly as planned. There is still a long way to achieve a fully green Olympics. As part of the green initiatives, the plan was to clean the River Seine so they could hold swimming competitions in the river. The cleaning of the river wasn`t successful and the water was deemed to be unsafe, due to a type of bacteria, but there were still some competitions that took place there. Another plan was to not have air conditioning in the buildings due to a more natural solution by a geothermal system. Nevertheless, the temperature was higher than predicted so they had to order 2,500 air-con units for the competitors, because heat can cause heat-related illnesses like cramps. Considering the size of the event, it is normal to expect some setbacks. It seems obvious that the Olympics in Paris in 2024 might mark a sea change in the way that major athletic events handle sustainability. It might serve as a guide for future de velopments but, as 2050 approaches and the world’s carbon budget shrinks, more work will need to be done.
Meet our
New Starters
Welcome to our new starters, who joined the company from June 2024
Name: Sanjot Rajbansh
Start date: 24/06/2024
Department: International
Job title: International Reporting Analyst
Fact: I’ve been on 20 hikes in the last year, all over the UK! I’ve also picked up bouldering, as a hobby, which is a form of rock climbing.
Name: Bhagy Joe Gummadi
Start date: 24/06/2024
Department: International
Job title: International Procurement Analyst
Fact: My hobbies are reading and exploring new places. I'm new to Leicester, so if anyone has suggestions wheere to eat, I will take them.all of them!
Name: Toby Steel
Start date: 08/07/2024
Department: Consultancy
Job title: I&C Consultant
Fact: I’ve earned a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and I am a father to a one-year-old baby girl, who is my world!
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
Name: Anthony Gayle
Start date: 16/07/2024
Department: Assured Energy
Job title: Sales Consultant
Fact: I am crypto-crazy (digital currency) and my favourite destination to travel, on holiday, is Dubai.
Name: Umair Munshi
Start date: 14/08/2024
Department: IT
Job title: First Line IT Support Engineer
Fact: I’m a big Leicester City fan, travelling to most games home and away. I’ve just ticked off another country visited, making it 21!
Name: Jason Fernandez
Start date: 02/09/2024
Department: Assured Energy
Job title: Telemarketing Executive
Fact: I love tattoos, having two full sleeves, my chest and full back tattooed! I also very recently got married in August.
A Big Thank You!
The IT department are excited to share fantastic news and extend a huge thank you to everyone who recently provided feedback on our products, including MyEnergy. Your thoughtful input is what drives us forward and we’re delighted to let you know that we’ve been hard at work, putting your suggestions into action.
One of the key updates we’ve made is the implementation of the day/ night split consumption feature in MyEnergy. This is just one of several enhancements that we’ve introduced, based on your feedback. We’ve also moved our documents to SharePoint for easier access and organization, added a supply analysis page to give you deeper insights and incorporated
a heatmap to visualize energy use more effectively. Additionally, we’ve introduced a monthly power consumption chart, to help you track and manage energy usage over time. We’re thrilled about these improvements and confident they will make a real difference for end users.
In addition to these updates, we’re looking to build on our current Product for Sub-Meters, with exciting enhancements on the horizon. Stay tuned as we continue to develop and refine this offering based on your needs and suggestions. We want to highlight that our Carbon Counter is live and available for free! This tool is designed to help track and reduce your carbon footprint and we hope you find it both valuable and user-friendly.
We understand that some of our products have undergone significant transformations since your last training session. Adapting to these changes can sometimes be challenging, and we’re here to help. If you have any questions or need a refresher on the new features and updates, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We, as a team, are more than happy to arrange a session to walk you through the changes and ensure you’re getting the most out of our tools.
Your involvement is essential to our continued success. We’re always looking for fresh ideas and perspectives, so keep the feedback coming! Together, we can make our products even better and ensure they truly meet your needs.
Thank you once again for your invaluable contributions and for being a part of our innovation journey.
in the life of… Weekend
THE CONSULTUS CORNER TEAM
My weekends tend to be similar but there can be busier weekends sometimes.
If I’m in Leicester, I drop lunch off to my grandad around 12pm then I'm doing bits around the house. The usual tidying and garden work. Then in the evening, I cook dinner for everyone, then try and watch some Netflix.
In the summer, I enjoy going for walks with my mates in the evening, usually for about five miles, to stay active and see them, as I’m usually away in Wolverhampton, since getting married. I like to be in Leicester as often as I can.
In Wolverhampton, it’s usually a lot busier, as my wife always has something going on so hard to avoid doing something. Every weekend is different, and I like it that way, but the weekends do go by way too quick!
My weekends very much vary, particularly depending on the time of year.
Over the months of summer I’ve only actually had four weekends where I’ve had no plans! I keep track of absolutely everything on my calendar app, which I share with my friend. Is that sad?
My summertime weekends have very much consisted of seeing friends, lots of birthday celebrations, going to gigs in different cities, browsing around markets, cinema trips, going on holiday, weekends away with family, and consuming lots of good food and wine!
However, if you were to ask me in a few months’ time, my answer would be very different and likely depressing. I hate being out in the rain and being cold (you’d think I’d be used to it by now). In the autumn and winter, I usually spend my weekends indoors staying cozy, binge-watching TV shows or movies and FaceTiming my mum!
Maybe my new years’ resolution, for 2025, should be to get an actual hobby?
Sanjay Dahya Chloe Iveson
Jennifer Platt Craig Birch
I live in Leicester with my husband of 10 years, my son Joseph, aged 8, and 3-yearold daughter Lucy.
My average weekend would start with dancing for Lucy in the local church hall (running around more often than dancing!). If there is a game on (I’m an LCFC season ticket holder) then my husband and I take turns to go!
Saturday evenings are spent watching family TV shows including Gladiators, The Masked Singer and Strictly Come Dancing – times have changed.
Sundays mornings are lazy, swimming lessons for the children, seeing family and then dinner either home cooked or out having a Sunday roast dinner.
Ioana Zarnescu
Leicester is my home in midweek, because most weekends I'm exploring the UK.
I love travelling and exploring new places; that’s why me and my husband come up with different plans and places to see. We have recently been to Lake District, Castle Comb, Cotswolds, and Llandudno (Wales). We loved it there and created nice memories.
On other weekends, I will be in London, where my friends are.
I can say that I am familiar with London, so if you ever need a tour guide, I will volunteer haha.
And then I have my quiet and peaceful weekends, where I will go out shopping and cook something nice. Once all house duties are completed, I will relax on the sofa with a good movie or series on Netflix.
Sometimes I even go to the cinema to watch the latest movies, because the wait to watch them on Netflix or Amazon Prime, at home, can be far too long.
I love the weekends and my free time to relax and have fun as well, but don’t you guys think that two days off isn’t enough?
I’ve got an out-of-the-ordinary weekend to report on for these purposes.
This Saturday had been in the offing after my friend got in touch asking me if I wanted to see a football match, for his birthday celebrations.
It wasn’t a home game, so London was calling for Leicester City’s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace, taking our places in the away end at Selhurst Park.
The one thing that I had forgotten to do was set an alarm. Lo and behold, with the National Express coach leaving at 9am, I didn’t wake up until 8.30am. I’ve never got ready and left my place so quickly in all my life. My Uber rolled up to St Margaret’s Bus Station, with minutes to spare, and we were off.
Fancying a couple of beers before the next leg of our journey, this dynamic duo first rocked up at a pub in Mayfair. I now knew I was in London when it came to £14.80 for two pints.
There was another pub, in Soho, that my mate particularly wanted to visit, for a pint and bite to eat before we headed to the London Underground. It felt like we were zig-zagging across the tube’s lines until we boarded an overground train, which took us to Croydon. Through the turnstiles and we were in business. Inevitably, I saw a couple of people that I knew and got chatting to some other supporters.
After it finished a 2-2 draw. We walked back towards the train station to see the biggest queue that I’d seen all day. It looked very much like it was better to hang around for a while longer.
Eventually, we made it back to London Bridge, for another drink, and headed towards Victoria coach station. Even then, there was still time to burn.
I enjoyed my final tipple outside of a nearby pub, looking straight at a Clermont Hotel, who are a client of Consultus. That did look like a nice place.
The coach set off half an hour late and got stuck in traffic, on the way home, so it was coming up for 1am when we drove past Fosse Park.
There would be one final twist in the tale, though, when the coach managed to break down at the very start of Narborough Road. In the end, we abandoned the ship and ordered another Uber home.
Put Perkbox in your lunchbox ,
COURTESY OF CONSULTUS
Points mean prizes when you are after a free lunch, thanks to Perkbox. Craig Birch explains more.
It’s pretty much a Consultus initiation in being introduced to Perkbox as an employee benefits and awards platform.
Not only are there ‘perks’ from getting involved, but there’s also an opportunity to applaud colleagues for their contribution from within the business.
We all get an email, every few days, asking us to check out whose contribution to Consultus was recognised this week, where there are always a few familiar names.
But how many of us have actually put a perk in our box? I have to confess that I hadn’t, right up until a conversation with my partner in marketing, Sanjay Dahya
I regularly accompany him to the Tesco supermarket, on Braunstone Gate in Leicester, which is about a 10-minute walk away from Consultus House.
Little did I know that, for all of 40 Perkbox points, a Tesco meal deal, to the value of £4 could be mine, which I was keen on trying.
Fortunately, the instructions that I dug out for Perkbox were fairly self-explanatory, so it was a case of downloading the app, to my smartphone, and going from there.
To my surprise, I found that I’d already accumulated 300 points (we get 25 a
My haul from Tesco included The Chicken Club sandwich, a Ginsters baked pastry, an Innocent smoothie and Fruit Pastilles ( Yusuf Ahmed not included).
month), simply from never using the platform, which were mine to cash in, so it was straight to the rewards.
There are a few good ones to choose from, such as a hot drink from Caffe Nero (10 points), or an iced drink (20 points), for the coffee lovers among us.
I certainly like my food, so I decided to try the aforementioned Tesco meal
deal, which led to a good spread, even if had to fork out 30p of my own money to add some sweets.
Greggs has more variety, for Perkbox users, and a hot drink from there will set you back 20 points. If you’re early enough, may as well add a breakfast roll, for another 10 points.
You could opt for a bake (katsu chicken or spicy veg), beef or vegetable pasty, sausage, bean and cheese melt or bacon and cheese wrap, costing 20 points.
For the same amount of points, I selected a hot slice of pepperoni pizza (Margherita was another option) to go with my sausage roll (12 points).
That was all of the proof that I needed that Perkbox is a way forward at meal times. There’s no way I’m going to be at the mercy of Londis and neither should you!
Lewis Iggulden bore witness as I made off, from Greggs, with a pepperoni pizza slice and sausage roll, which were consumed on the walk back to the office.
World Food Day:
how can Consultus colleagues aid the cause?
Consultus is a cause-driven business with a clear purpose – We aim to leave our planet and its people in a better state than when we started.
World Food Day takes place, for the 45th time, on Wednesday October 16th and continues to be a fantastic initiative, promoting awareness of hunger and taking action.
This year’s theme is ‘Right to foods for a better life and better future.’ Having access to something isn’t enough, a diverse and nutrient-rich diet should be for everyone.
The world produces enough food to feed all of its inhabitants, yet hunger persists for 10 per cent of the global population. We can all play a part, however small, in tackling these issues.
Colleagues at Consultus are invited to mark the occasion, on October 16th,
by bringing donations to Consultus House, which we will then donate to a local food bank in Leicester.
We do appreciate that hunger is an issue far and wide, but let’s start at home in our efforts to make a difference to others on World Food Day.
Maybe bring foods from around the world for the people that we are helping. Lunch-times at Consultus can sometimes be a cosmopolitan experience, with many of us from different backgrounds.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could all come together, bringing along what makes you happy and then share that experience with someone in need? It all makes a difference.
Non-perishable foods such as rice, pasta, sauces, spices and tins of fruit, beans, meat and vegetables are
more than welcome, with or without a continental flavour.
Bottles and boxes of drinks are also greatly appreciated, as are sweets, chocolate, crisps, biscuits, cereals and, put simply, any other items that will last for a long time.
This was the stock of choice when pantries were all the rage, some years ago, but you may be surprised by finding what has long been forgotten in a cupboard or two at home.
Please do check the best before dates, before bringing them into the office, and a donations area will be set up to accept your kind contributions.
Let’s put some thought into our donations and dig deep, where possible. What could be a better occasion than World Food Day to show what the people of Consultus are all about?
