IN BRIEF
WIRRAL ARMY VETERAN TURNS SNAPPER TO COMBAT ISOLATION
GOVERNMENT LAUNCH HELP TO GROW : DIGITAL TO HELP SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESSES
A former soldier from the Wirral who took up photography to feel less isolated is included in a virtual gallery of stunning images all taken by veterans recovering from physical and psychological wounds .
Help for Heroes ’ launched a photography course involving a series of weekly challenges designed to tackle social isolation and inspire a sense of achievement . Combining online tutorials with real-life meet-ups with a professional photographer , an online exhibition called ‘ Seven Elements ’ was created featuring more than 100 pictures . This is the latest in a series of hugely successful photography courses organised by the military charity over the past year which more than 60 people signed up to .
Photography was something veteran Simon Johnston from the Wirral was interested in pursuing when he left the army after serving 12 years with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers in Bosnia , Kosovo , Iraq and Afghanistan . “ Usually , I don ’ t mix with people outside of my family . I am isolated , so to head to meet the others in the Peak District was a big deal . It has been good for my mental health as it ’ s given me something to concentrate on .
“ I did Help for Heroes ’ Beginners and Intermediate courses before the Seven Elements one and I am 100 per cent more confident than I was before ,” explained the 45-year-old . “ The online lessons were great but it was fantastic to meet up in person - we did speak about our military careers but it was also great to chat to each other about our cameras and I was able to give my spare tripod to someone who needed it .”
The amateur snappers were encouraged to get the most out of their digital or phone cameras through the weekly themes of Earth , Light , Water , Air , Spirit , Shadow and Fire to produce photos which explored architecture and nature as well as capturing loved ones through the eye of a lens .
As well as the weekly virtual lessons online , The Seven Elements course involved two face-to-face meet-ups , capturing nature along a disused railway line in the Peak District , in contrast to the historic architecture and the bustle of London . Sarah Beale , Sports Activities and Fellowship practitioner at Help for Heroes , said : “ The feedback we ’ ve had is that people have enjoyed learning something tangible and it has given them the motivation to get of their homes and see things with a different perspective . The online sessions have created a real sense of community .”
The government is providing funding up to £ 5000 to UK based small & medium businesses to acquire software platforms to help their digital transformation journey .
Their Help to Grow : Digital website allows companies to compare business software and understand what technology is best suited and the most helpful to their growth .
Wirral based Livepoint has been selected as one of a handful of software suppliers , for their CRM and automated workflow platform , SwiftCase .
Their cloud-based software allows business to digitise their business swiftly and simply . It connects to common applications such as Sage , Xero , Google , Mailchimp , Dropbox , and industry-specific software . Business owners can customise & build workflows to suit what they do , without the need for any coding or tech knowledge . Having automated workflows gives a business greater capacity , time , efficiency & management information .
Director , Dr Adam Sykes , said “ We ' re delighted to be able to help UK SMEs to take advantage of technology to power up their businesses through the Help to Grow : Digital scheme . We are looking forward to working with companies across the country to help them get the most from the available funding .”
Director , Nik Ellis , added , “ With significant staff shortages in the UK right now , SwiftCase ’ s automation not only provides a solution but levels up the way a business is run , helping them to scale up efficiently .”
Businesses wishing to take advantage of this scheme can check their eligibility on a dedicated site here : https :// helptogrow . campaign . gov . uk /
6 wirrallife . com