Firstly, I hope everyone has managed some time off. Personally, I ventured to Northumberland for a break in July and have also enjoyed other trips to the coast; always a great place to walk and unwind. The Bay Tree team also managed to get some down time together, our first face to face social for over a year. Thank you to Ravenwood Hall Hotel in Bury St Edmunds for hosting us. We loved the outdoor dining, straw bales, Pimms and twinkling lights set in beautiful surroundings, brilliant!
You may be aware that Bay Tree held an Open Evening as part of a recruitment drive back in June providing information to prospective Bay Tree VAs. We spoke to over 20 candidates during the summer and I am pleased to confirm that four candidates successfully passed the selection process and were invited to join our team. They each come from really interesting backgrounds including conservation and property and will be a great asset to our team.
After a rigorous tender process in August we were delighted to win our first European tender which is for a pan European membership organisation. Coming so soon after securing our first client in the USA, this is particularly exciting. Our strategy to offer a broader range of services to clients is beginning to bear fruit, as we were able to put together a package of support for our new client that includes secretariat, event management, bookkeeping, registered office address, meeting facilities and storage space. This European opportunity came about from the success of us producing an online conference for the UK Evaluation Society.
We have also seen a rise in demand for support to start up tech companies and have developed a package specifically designed to get a new business up and running with systems and processes. Good practice from the outset is essential and we can help with that.
Since our last newsletter we have also made a commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant. I am particularly proud to be part of this Covenant given that we are starting to work with VAs who are from military families. Their career path can be unconventional and so being able to recognise their abilities and offer a flexible work solution for them is very rewarding.
On behalf of Fiona and all the Bay Tree VAs, welcome to our new clients who have joined us during the summer and thank you to our existing clients who continue to support Bay Tree.
Jane
Jane Cattermole
Founder & Managing Director
Get in touch and let us know what you need assistance with. We’ll suggest how we can help, what tasks we can take off your hands and a way forward.
Lisa Hamon
Business Development
BAY TREE is a registered trade mark of Bay Tree VA Limited
