Category: Featured Articles

My Business Highlights: 

There have been several highlights for this year, yet the top of my list was having my work recognised and celebrated. As a small business, which is still young to be seen as being at the top of my sector was humbling. 

PM50 awards

The Property Management 50 awards were created in 2019, to provide a platform for recognition and celebration of Property Managers, who, as the back bone of the industry often go unrecognised for the work they do in supporting their customers.  The PM50 awards acknowledges those people who have through incredible dedication and, in many cases, go above and beyond to support their customers.

I’m particularly proud of winning this, because it was awarded by my own industry, and I certainly do value my clients. I take pride in what I call ‘intangible customer service’. I’m employed to do certain jobs within and around the developments that
I manage. 

However, I never forgot these blocks are actually ‘homes’ not just bricks and mortar. As soon as it was clear that Covid19 was going to impact us very badly, I knew it was time to step up and support those whose homes I manage. During lockdown, along with my team at Fraser Allen, I set up a group of volunteers to help those living in managed developments who were vulnerable or shielding. We helped with things like food shopping, collection of prescriptions or medicines, attending vital medical appointments, posting letters or just giving them a call to check they were ok. Each one of these things are little in itself yet they mount up to a big deal for each individual in need. 

As one of 14 winners, from over 450 nominations, it was wonderful to be recognised by the judges as Property Manager of the Year, saying, 

“Jodie always considers her customer’s needs and then takes it one step further. Her attention to detail, insight into future needs and commitment to her personal CPD is second to none. I’ve never met someone so focused and driven to provide the best service.”

Small Business 100

My next highlight was to be part of Small Business 100 or #smallbiz100. Running for eight years, this campaign promotes the ethos of supporting independent small businesses, from retailers to local suppliers. The campaign is built around buying local on Small Business Saturday, which is usually the first Saturday in December. 

You enter and then wait to see if you are one of just a handful of businesses from across the UK that the campaign will single out for special recognition across its substantial social media platforms and as case studies for its 2020 campaign. 

Each of the 100 small businesses have the opportunity to be highlighted throughout the year. I felt honoured to be chosen to take part, and Fraser Allen was highlighted on Saturday 5th September. I chose to work with an independent solicitor, offering my time to assist the general public with queries regarding leasehold property management and property law. Then Lockdown part 2 came and we were unable to hold a physical event, however I do plan in 2021 to hold such an event when it’s safe and possible to do so.

Business Expansion

Along with my team, we manage the homes of residents in apartment blocks across Bristol, Cheltenham and London. I had a goal of new clients for this year which inevitably had to change due to the pandemic. I reassessed that goal and I am so pleased to have successfully been appointed as managing agent to five new residential blocks with another beautiful development in Cheltenham, planned for January 2021.  In other words, I’ve met my business goals! Yeah!

Finally this month, I was thrilled to be ‘Recognised as a Leader in Residential Block Management’ as part of the Business Elite Awards 2020, by SME News magazine. This is a perfect way to end the year for me in business and I’m very grateful on looking back for the positive things and people who have come my way. 

What about the low points?

The main uncertainty to the year, as for everyone in business, was wondering how Covid-19 would affect my business and my clients.

Apart from worrying about my own friends and family, I was worried about some of our elderly or more vulnerable residents, wondering how they would manage if they felt isolated in their homes. I made sure we communicated with everyone, so all of our residents knew how they could contact us if needed. 

In terms of the business, we have always been set up to work remotely, and have managed with web-based systems to meet as a team, and also where suitable, talk to clients.

Following the Government’s guidelines, we have managed the business successfully. We’ve got through this last year, with our ethos of treating residents, clients and contractors with the same care and respect as those closest to us. 

My takeaways from this year are:

• Never take anything for granted 
• Expect the unexpected and flex your plan accordingly 
• Always think of others & be helpful, kind and considerate. 

Every October is National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month with schools and other organisations using it as a reason to talk about and confront the ongoing issue of bullying. 

So why is this important to me – in my 30s, a business owner and now a parent? It’s important because I was bullied throughout my school life and it has left its mark. 

Even today, now that I realise how resilient and determined this experience has made me, I still feel wounded. I intend to stand up and be counted to help others and also to empower my own daughter when it comes to confronting, dealing with and spotting bullies. 

The aim of this awareness month is clear: 

“…to encourage schools, communities and organisations to work together to stop bullying and cyberbullying and put an end to hatred and racism by increasing awareness of the prevalence and impact of all forms of bullying on children of all ages.”

Find out more here

I was bullied in the 1990s and it was difficult to deal with then. However, it appears little has changed.

In 2019, a study found one fifth of young people in the UK had been bullied in that year.

The survey found:

• The most common type of bullying was verbal, with cyberbullying the least common.
• Of those bullied, 33% said they had suicidal thoughts’ 41% were left feeling anxious
• 62% were bullied by classmates, and 37% by someone at school they didn’t know.
• Nearly 59% believed people’s attitude towards their appearance caused the bullying
• In the majority of cases, males were more likely to exhibit negative attitudes than females. 

My experiences of being bullied at school:

I was bullied, both physically and mentally during my time at school, pretty much from the age of 9 up until 15. For me it centred around one particular person with others floating in and out of numerous incidents. My parents tried to intervene, my school tried to intervene yet it kept on going.

It finally stopped when I was put in hospital and the school finally expelled the girl who was bullying me. 

Every day, I lived in fear going to and from school. No matter how hard I tried to keep my head down, go un-noticed, I would always be a target for some reason or another.

Some of the things that happened were: 

• Bricks thrown at our windows, so I didn’t feel safe at home. 
• The tyres of my parents and grandparents’ cars were both slashed. 
• I was removed from classes so the bullies couldn’t get to me, rather than them being removed. 
• Numerous attempts to set my hair on fire. 
• Threats to ‘beat me up’ on the way home from school or if I went to a youth club or park. 

The stubborn side of me always went out any way yet the price I paid, was living in fear of what was going to happen – every, single day.

The final straw, and when the police were involved, was when I was repeatedly hit around the head with the wooden triangle you use in pool/snooker, until the triangle broke. I ended up with 13 stitches in my head, black eyes, nerve damage and a stay in hospital. 

I lived in fear for six years! I don’t want this for anyone and I don’t want it for my child.

What it was like for my best friend to watch this happen to me:

How does it feel being the friend of somebody being bullied as kids? Pretty impossible really… you know the right thing to do and you want to do it, but standing up to a bully puts you in a vulnerable place. What if they start bullying me? What if they hurt me? So as a kid I know for a fact that I didn’t do enough for Jodie.

I met Jodie on our first day of school at 4 years old and more than 30 years later she is one of my dearest friends. She is bright, successful, stubborn and determined. I can’t remember exactly when the bullying started, I can’t remember if it built up from something smaller and then gradually turned into something ugly. But I will never forget those girls.

Back then, in secondary school, people wanted to impress them. They saw them as the ‘popular ones’. Only now in adult life do I realise that it was all borne out of fear that if you didn’t worship them, they could make your life hell.

Nobody wanted to be ‘the chosen one’. Unfortunately, the chosen one was Jodie. Not for any reason that I have ever known; I’ve no idea why they picked her. There was nothing about Jodie that made her stand out as an obvious target. They just needed to have someone, someone who they could pick away at slowly and deliberately.

Over time, the severity got worse… cornering her in a room, taunting her after school in the park. I remember once they stole her hairband. Full of bravado and determined to finally do something to stand up to them, I marched on down to the park to find them. I found them by the skateboard ramp. They chased me and had me trapped at the top of the ramp for over an hour. I was too scared to come down and they just waited at the bottom laughing. They got bored eventually and left. I never got Jodie’s hairband back.

By late secondary school, it got more serious. Physical. Violent. They smashed her across the head with a wooden pool triangle. She went to hospital and the police got involved.

I can’t believe it ever had to get that far. It makes me feel sick to the pit of my stomach. Why should anybody have to endure that and also what ever happened to these kids to make them behave in such a cruel manner?

About 10 years ago our old secondary school was being knocked down to make way for a shiny new building and all ex students were invited along for a trip down memory lane before demolition began. I went with Jodie and even that many years later, the harmful memories were clear to see. Her memories of her time at school are dark and painful. They took that time away from her.

It is easy now to look back and say ‘look who came out on top’. Jodie has a beautiful daughter, a marriage, her own business and is surrounded by love. The bullies have experienced prison, life on the streets and loneliness. But I know there are many flecks of Jodie’s personality that have been shaped by the way she was treated. Her determination to prove to the world she can achieve anything. Her constant need for perfection. 

I am proud beyond words of what she has achieved. Of the successful business woman and super mum she has become. But even prouder of the way she has held her head high.

With each knock back she has kept moving forwards. Jodie, my best friend, has come out on top.

The Views of my Life Coach

Jodie bravely sought my help after she left school. It was, and is still self-evident, that the horrific experiences she has endured both at school, and subsequently at work, have fundamentally altered and shaped her outlook, and character.

Bullying usually has a profoundly negative impact on any person’s self-esteem, and Jodie was no exception. Bullying, (which is simply another form of reprehensible abuse), generates the repeated internal negative dialogue which says, ‘Why me? What is wrong with me?’, and if there is no prompt satisfactory solution forthcoming from those in positions of authority, inevitably the beliefs that ‘Something must be wrong with me. Maybe I deserve this somehow’, can easily arise from the depths of despair.

This results not only in a low mood and depression, but also a lack of trust in the system, which is supposedly designed to help protect the rights of all. It will never work unless the majority stand up and call out bullying wherever it occurs.

One method of self-protection involves refusing to let others show just how one is hurt by cruel taunts about one’s appearance and circumstances, internalising hurt and pain, which makes sharing feelings and emotions in any relationship very difficult indeed.

Many reading this, may identify with some or all the issues raised above. Bullying can leave a person hurt and reeling psychologically, emotionally, as well as physically.

Jodie, (like any human being who had suffered even an iota of what she went through), was I am sad to say, significantly and adversely affected by all the above.

However, Jodie differs from many, in that deep within her character there was always a spark of defiance; a tiny burning candle which refused to be extinguished by all the darkness; a stubbornness that refused to accept the status quo, and sought help and fought to overcome all the wounds bullying had left.

With time, and talking, and many homework tasks, gradually Jodie began to turn things around.

Uncertainty of her true worth, was gradually turned into a fiery, focused drive. Constant self-doubt, little by little has and is being turned into a burning curiosity and desire to learn and improve every aspect of her life and business, and to correct every adverse issue relevant to any and every domain of her life.

There is no part of bullying which is in any way positive, but if like Jodie, you do not want to spend your whole life feeling victimised, you too should seek help and support, and you too can overcome life’s obstacles and reach for your dreams, developing unconquerable resilience, reaching for the sky, and ultimately achieving your goal of reaching it.

Doing nothing is choosing to remain a victim – and it is a choice.

After all, the best form of revenge against any type of bully, is unqualified success. It all starts with a decision to stop feeling like a victim and start to take control of your life and quash the negativity left by the bullies. Do not let them win.

As a person, as a woman, Jodie is an inspiration – truly exceptional, and I am proud to call her a great friend. I am even more proud, that she has not forgotten her roots and her past, and actively campaigns to prevent anyone else suffering the torment she endured.

And when you too succeed, please share your story with others and campaign against bullying. Yes, recovery is tough, yes, it is a long road, …but even the longest journey begins with the first step.

Bullying in the workplace:

Sadly, bullying doesn’t stop at school, it can happen in the workplace too where it can be more covert, subtle yet just as damaging.

According to research published by the TUC:

• Nearly 29% of people have been bullied at work
• Women (34%) are more likely to be victims than men (23%)
• The highest prevalence is among 40 to 59-year-olds, with 34% of people affected.
• In nearly 72% of cases the bullying is carried out by a manager.
• More than 36% of people who report being bullied leave their job as a result.

What does this type of bullying look like?

• Spreading malicious rumours
• Unfair treatment
• Picking on someone, or regularly undermining them.
• Denying someone training or promotion opportunities.

Bullying or harassment can happen:

• Face to face
• By letter
• By email
• By phone
• Online

My experience of workplace bullying:

The issues during my school life affected me terribly growing into an adult and I was bullied again in the work place. 

I had re-built my confidence bit by bit and at 21 years old, I started my first proper job after leaving college. I was ready and excited to start my new career. Sadly, it seemed I was in the firing line because I’ve always been driven by my ambition.

One particular lady who obviously wasn’t happy about my ambitious attitude, started belittling me and following me wherever I went to see what I was doing. She would spread rumours about me, she would follow me into the canteen to see what I was having for lunch and with whom I was eating. Even when I moved departments to get away from her she went to my new manager to continue these rumours. 

For some reason, I have come across this type of behaviour over and over again for most of my career. I had to ask is it me? Or is it them? The answer lies in this – it’s both. I have had to learn that some people will be threatened by someone who is perceived, rightly or wrongly, to be more proactive or more ambitious or simply a bit cocky.

What have I done about it?

Rather than let these experiences curtail my ambition and ruin my personal life, I have taken control of my career and set up my own business. In doing so I’ve taken control of my own ambition and have only to prove myself to – myself.

As a result of running my own business, I’ve found through personal development that bullies are easier to spot and easier to walk away from. Running my own show means that I can align myself with those who are caring, compassionate and who welcome, rather than fear, ambition and drive.

This is the best thing I could ever have done, and my business is growing from strength to strength. I haven’t let the bullies define my life, or me!

Today is World Alzheimer’s Day and it’s a day which presents an opportunity to share why it’s very important to me – and many, many people like me. 

My family lives with Alzheimer’s as my grandmother Dorothy, known as Dot, was diagnosed around five years ago. My mother Shirley and I have cared for her ever since with mum living with her now as the disease has progressed.  

Living with Dot and seeing this awful disease take her from us means that I personally will take any opportunity to raise awareness and also spread the word about dementia. 

This month is also World Alzheimer’s Month and theme for this year is, ‘let’s talk about dementia’. I agree with this sentiment, we do need to talk about it. It’s a good thing to educate people, campaign for more support for families living with dementia and to demystify dementia.

Today there’s an opportunity to demonstrate how we can gradually overcome these issues and help people live well with dementia.

What is dementia?

Dementia is a syndrome, (a group of related symptoms) associated with an ongoing decline of brain function. There are different causes of dementia and different types.

Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting between 50% and 70% of those diagnosed.

Other types of dementia include: vascular dementia affecting up to 20%, frontotemporal dementia, affecting 2% and dementia with Lewy bodies between 10 and 15%.

Symptoms of dementia include memory loss, confusion and problems with speech and understanding. It is a terminal condition which often gets progressively worse. 

Dementia statistics:

I’m sure most of us know someone, either in our family or in our circle of friends who has either suffered from dementia themselves, or has a relative with the disease.

Dementia is one of the biggest challenges we face, with nearly 54 million people living with dementia worldwide.

Research shows that more than 850,000 people in the UK are affected – and this is expected to rise to 1.6 million by 2040.

The condition affects one in 14 over the age of 65 and there are over 42,000 people under 65 with dementia in the UK.

More than 25,000 people from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups in the UK are affected.

Dementia affects the whole family:

Although it is my grandmother with this disease, the whole family has suffered watching her go through this – and it’s worth remembering that and having empathy. 

I have memories of my grandmother which I have to fight to hold on to as day to day she changes and moves further away from the person I remember. I know that my own daughter will not remember her in any way as I do. I will keep fighting for those memories and as my own child grows I will remind her of this wonderful, strong, supportive and loving woman. 

As you can tell, dementia impacts a family in many different ways and may mean some family members making huge decisions around where they live, whether they work or not in order to support a loved one with the condition. 

Some things we’ve had to think about as a family include:

• Developing predictable routines
• Not arguing with your loved on – let things go.
• Giving your loved one as much independence as possible.
• Having fun.
• Meeting your loved one in the now – don’t argue with them about lost memories.
• Accepting the disease is responsible for their mood and personality changes.
• Remembering the person is more than the disease.
• Caring for yourself and any other carers too. 

Having a family member suffering from this disease changes so many things. It can be difficult when meeting up with wider family members who we don’t see regularly, as they might not understand how seriously the disease has impacted on my Grandmother. Or they might be shocked by the different behaviour being exhibited. 

Some people are embarrassed and shy away, unsure of how to act. For me, the saddest thing with this disease is, you lose the person you love more and more every day.

My advice would be to find out about local support groups, and any training courses that could help you. At present many of these groups have moved online, due to the Corona Virus. Both the NHS, and the Alzheimer’s Society have information. 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia/carers/

https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/help-dementia-care/understanding-supporting-person-dementia

Are you dementia friendly? 

I run a business which specialises in block management – my team and I look after blocks of flats, including arranging maintenance, cleaning, gardening, insurance, and health and safety to communal areas. In other words, I look after people’s homes and some of those people are older. 

Because of my grandmother, it is important to me to be SEEN to be ‘Dementia Friendly’ in my company because of the first-hand experience of the devasting effect of this disease. I know my grandmother is safe in her home, because my mum is with her, yet not all people suffering from the condition are so lucky.

When I set up my property management business four years ago, I always planned to be dementia aware and dementia friendly so that no one – from a resident to a loved one to anyone in the communities I serve would feel worried or distressed around dementia.

I want my residents to feel safe in their home and to know that they or their families can contact us and will understand we are there to support them.

During lockdown, along with my team at Fraser Allen, I set up a team of volunteers to help those living in managed developments who were vulnerable or shielding. My tam delivered shopping and contacted those who were vulnerable to make sure they were coping ok and had someone to talk to. 

I would encourage any business owners to consider being ‘Dementia Friendly’ too. This could be you have a retail shop and people can come in and won’t be turned away if they are acting strangely or confused – or you may be able to offer a friendly ear to an exhausted family member. How you support the cause is up to you – and for bigger companies it may open up conversations with members of staff who are having struggles at home around dementia. 

All sectors can become involved, and the Alzheimer’s Society have sector-specific resources you can download. You can find out more here https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-involved/dementia-friendly-communities/organisations/resources-organisations

How can we help?

Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease or any other type of dementia.

Delaying the onset of dementia by five years would halve the number of deaths from the condition, saving 30,000 lives a year. Research for dementia is desperately underfunded. I think this is tragic, which is why I want people to find out more about the disease.

You think you can’t make a difference – you can. Even by taking small steps, quite literally. During May, National Walking month, with my team we walked 850,000 steps in one month. We managed it, and raised £300 for the Alzheimer’s Society.

We will be doing more fundraising in the future, please could you support me and my team by either donating or liking and sharing posts about our fundraising.

Jodie Fraser, founder of Fraser Allen Estate Management has been named as one of the nation’s Small Biz 100 in a national campaign highlighting some of the UK’s most inspiring small businesses.

The 36-year-old, who has run her business managing the homes of residents in apartment blocks across Bristol, Cheltenham and London for the last four years,, has also recently been named Property Manager of the Year. 

“I couldn’t believe that I’d been chosen for this honour so soon after winning an award within my own industry,” Jodie said.

“I fully support the aim of the Small Business Saturday campaign as it promotes the ethos of supporting independent small businesses, from retailers to local suppliers. Now, as one of the Small Biz 100, this year I plan to work with independent solicitor Andrew Turner from Hughes Paddison to offer a morning of my time to assist the general public with any queries they may have regarding property management and property law.  

“I also plan to support small business by arranging a networking event where everyone involved is a local business, for example a photographer who can capture the event and a local baker who can provide cakes and refreshments. Watch this space!.”

Marking 100 days building up to Small Business Saturday on 5 December 2020, the Small Biz 100 provides a major profile boost to small businesses across the UK, particularly at this challenging time.

Showcasing a daily celebration of individual businesses through social media, the campaign aims to support and celebrate a vibrant range of small, community driven businesses across the UK. Jodie’s business will be highlighted by the campaign on Saturday September 5. 

Michelle Ovens MBE, Director of Small Business Saturday UK, said:

“Congratulations to Jodie for joining the Small Biz 100! This campaign highlights the amazing, positive impact small firms have on communities across the UK. Given the phenomenally tough time small businesses have had, and the special role they played supporting communities in lockdown, it’s vital we continue to support them as this crisis continues. This year’s Small Business Saturday is going to be the most important one yet, and were determined it will also be the best.”

Now in its eighth year in the UK, Small Business Saturday has grown significantly each year, with a record turnout of 17.6 million people choosing to shop small on the day last year, generating an estimated £800m.

Featured in Total Guide Bath, Total Guide Bristol, Total Guide Swindon and News on The Block

Jodie’s business celebrates its fourth anniversary this month.

How are you feeling about your business?  

I’m feeling really positive and feel that the uneasiness I felt over the past few months is starting to subside. We are celebrating our 4th birthday this month and we’re so grateful to still be trading, especially after the recent pandemic.      

How are you feeling about business in general? 

I think business in general is changing. We’re all adapting to the new normal but I think that there are a number of positives that have come out of this situation within the working world.  

We’ve learnt to be more flexible, less commuting and working from home. So many business have adapted exceptionally well, not only to continue trading, but to help their customers.  

I’ve noticed how businesses are going out of their way to help people more and that is the sort of thing that you remember.

Tell us three ways in which you now apply this phrase to your business and/or life ‘buy local supply local’. 

1. We have always been really proud to support local contractors for the maintenance requirements for our developments.

2. We manage developments local to our offices to provide a more hands on approach.  

3. We prefer to use local suppliers for our business needs – for example, our web designer (Kate Hayden Design), printing (Sprint Print), legal support (Hughes Paddison Solicitors) 

Find Kate Hayden Design on Facebook.

https://www.hughes-paddison.co.uk

What has changed for you positively as a result of lockdown? 

Proving how adaptable the business can be and how I feel I can deal with any challenge.  

Tell us what, for you, makes a ‘good’ local business.  

A business that will go out their way to help. I have recently come across a business who couldn’t help one of my clients, but they put her in touch with someone who could help her and really went above and beyond the call of duty.  

My client was so happy and told me about it when I saw her. This business left a positive lasting impression on her.  

Can you name a local business which you support around food & drink? 

Daisy’s Coffee Shop in Winterbourne, Bristol – http://www.daisyscoffeeshop.co.uk

Can you name a local business which you support around health, wellbeing or fitness? 

Georgina Evans of Let It Flow Yoga – https://www.facebook.com/LetitFlowYogaUK https://letitflowyoga.com

Can you shout out to three businesses which have helped you? 

1. Kate Hayden Design

2. Sprint Print 

3. Dependable Limited – They are based in Chippenham and have been fantastic to us during lockdown and have enabled us to continue providing a great level of service to our clients.  

Can you name anyone in business who has really had your back over the months? 

Ben Head from Dependable Limited. Although I have only worked directly with Ben for the past few years, he’s been really supportive and helpful regarding any business concerns I had or simply to help me resolve a client’s issue or a repair at a development. 

Can you name on person in your life who has really helped you during this time? 

My husband James. I have had moments over the past few months where I have felt really overwhelmed but he has always been there to help me through it and to look at any problems with a clear and logical perspective.  

What are your business plans for Q4?

We would love to take on more developments to manage, but in general we plan to continue providing a high level of customer service to our existing clients.  

And Finally…

When you support local small businesses you are not just supporting someone’s livelihood,
you are supporting their dreams. 

Featured in Total Guide Bristol and Total Guide Swindon

A young Bristol mum who has been running her business for only four years scooped a prestigious prize in the Property Management 50 Awards. Jodie Fraser (36) Managing Director of Fraser Allen Estate Management was entered into her very first awards competition and came away a winner in the Property Managers category.

Over 450 nominations were received, so the judges – all of whom were winners in last year’s awards – had quite a challenge in choosing this year’s overall winners. Jodie said: “I was nominated by others in the industry and clients I work with. A form was completed, which gave an opportunity to say why I deserved the award. I am delighted with the win. It was totally unexpected.” The Property Management 50 Awards citation read: 

“Jodie always considers her customer’s needs and then takes it one step further. Her attention to detail, insight into future needs and commitment to her personal CPD is second to none. I’ve never met someone so focused and driven to provide the best service.” 

Jodie said: “Property management is a team effort and I believe that all those involved in the company are also winners.”

The Property Management Awards, which span six categories: Property Managers, Influencers, Build to Rent, Rising Stars, Suppliers and Legends, were created in 2019. This year it was hoped that the awards would help to acknowledge the dedication that has been shown in the property industry during the pandemic as well as earlier in the year before lockdown. Due to the Covid-19 crisis, Jodie’s trophy is being sent to her in the post and the awards presentation ceremony will have to take place at a later date.

Fraser Allen Estate Management, that specialises in residential block management and now has offices in Bristol and Cheltenham, was incorporated on 2nd August 2016 and started trading 18 months later. Jodie explained: 

“For the first 18 months after I incorporated the business, it was important to me to do the ground work and really understand what my clients wanted from a Managing Agent before I actually started trading. During this time, I was also caring for my grandfather who had cancer and my grandmother who suffers with dementia. It has always been my dream to run my own business and I am really proud of what has been achieved in a short space of time.”

 Jodie believes that having offices locally in both Bristol and Cheltenham gives her clients a sense of confidence that they are dealing with a local agent and not a big corporation miles away.

So what is next for award-winning Fraser Allen Estate Management? Jodie says that having recently celebrated four successful, diverse and exciting years in the industry, she would love to expand into Bath, Swindon, along the M5 corridor to Worcester and maybe even the Birmingham/Shropshire areas where Jodie has family. It is in her make-up to be driven and ambitious and she believes she owes her success to genuinely caring about her clients and residents and understanding their needs. 

“I don’t see the properties I manage as buildings” she said, “but as homes that need to be looked after.” 

As featured in Total Guide to Bristol, Total Guide to Swindon and Total Guide to Bath

The PM50 awards were created in 2019 to provide a platform for recognition and celebration in what can be a largely thankless industry. The hope is that the awards will help to acknowledge the incredible dedication that has been shown in the face of the pandemic as well as recognising the hard work that has gone on earlier in the year.

The awards span 6 categories to allow for industry-wide acknowledgement with titles available for Property Managers, Influencers, Build to Rent (new for 2020), Rising Stars, Suppliers and out and out Legends. Property management is a team effort and we believe all those involved should have the opportunity to shine for the work they do in improving the lives of leaseholders up and down the country. Over 450 nominations poured in throughout May and June so our judges, all of whom were winners in last year’s awards, had quite a task on their hands! We’re so grateful for their input and for fitting this responsibility in around their very busy schedules:

• Jonathan Channing, Director of JC Property Consultancy (Influencer, 2019)
• Beth Lancaster, Senior Property Manager at FirstPort (Property Manager, 2019)
• Matthew Lewis, Partner & Head of Residential Leasehold Property at Coles Miller Solicitors LLP (Rising Star, 2019)
• Colin Stokes, Managing Director, Adiuvo (Supplier, 2019)
• Brett Williams, Managing Director at Principle Estate Management (Legend, 2019)

Of course, the awards also couldn’t happen without this year’s sponsors; Property Management Recruitment, Flat Living and Be Original. Two of the driving forces behind the awards, Rebecca Kelly and Mark Allen, give us their input below:

“I’m so happy with the response we’ve received to the awards. We’re only in our second year and the support that we’ve felt from the industry has been immense. I’ve loved reading through all the nominations- it’s given me a great feeling of what’s to come for the industry and evidenced the dedication and resilience shown in the face of the pandemic. I couldn’t be happier to announce the winners- they are all so deserving of their awards.”

Rebecca Kelly, Head of Partnerships at Flat Living and Founder of Be Original.

Another 50 of our industry’s best and brightest have now been awarded for their amazing efforts over the past year and you can find out the results here.

A huge congratulations to all of our winners!

As featured in Total Guide to Bristol

Here at Fraser Allen, it is incredibly important to us that the residents living within our managed developments feel safe, secure and have a lovely place to live. With this in mind, and as a lot of our developments are in Cheltenham, we wanted to speak with a group of volunteers from ‘Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees’ to better understand the background to this charity and how they help refugees who arrive in the area.

The ethos upheld by Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees, echoes our own mission to support, assist and create a safe environment for our residents and a kind and understanding approach to management.

The theme for Refugee Week this year is Imagine. Refugee Week takes place every June around the same time as World Refugee Day. I don’t think any of us can imagine how it must feel to desperately need to leave the only country that you know to flee poverty, war and in some cases horrific violence.

Packing up all of your belongings, your family, your children, to travel to a new country in generally turbulent and dangerous conditions to simply try and find a better life. There are estimated to be nearly 26 million people, half of them under 18, who have fled their countries, with 80% of them living in countries neighbouring their country of origin such as Bangladesh, Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Uganda. Another 41 million have been displaced from their homes within their own country.

Maggie Powell told us

“We started in 2015 as an awareness-raising group. It was the summer with all those terrible pictures of families trying to cross the Mediterranean to safety in
over-crowded and fragile boats.

But then, in 2016, Syrian families started coming to Cheltenham under the Government’s Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.

They have been coming pretty regularly since then and there are now more than 30. The long-established Gloucestershire charity, GARAS, have workers who help with getting people settled, children into schools, everyone signed up with the NHS, starting English classes, help with getting into work. But we provide social contacts, opportunities to practice English informally, activities for the children – and anything that makes people feel safe and welcome. And we can help the GARAS workers by helping prepare accommodation for newly arriving families – it’s always nice to have a few toys for the kids. We can give lifts and help in all sorts of ways.

The people of Cheltenham have proved incredibly generous so we have been able to find things like pushchairs and other equipment which make life more comfortable. Then, last year, the Home Office started placing a small number of asylum seekers in Cheltenham and we are in touch with about 10 of them. Their lives are much harder as they wait to hear whether they are going to be allowed to stay – they are not allowed to work, have very limited access to college classes and are given an allowance of just £37.75 a week to live on (with a room provided).

We can help in practical ways but we are finding that is the friendship and kindness that is most valued. You are my new family, a young man said recently. And like many families we can’t meet up at the moment but it is amazing what you can do with WhatsApp and Zoom!”

During the Covid-19 crisis, it has been even more important to be welcoming, to help those in need and to be inclusive. Lockdown has made us all feel isolated and picturing what the future may hold. What our new normal is going to be? How are we going to cope financially during and after this crisis? Can we use this new normal to create a brighter future?

Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees have always been so kind and generous with their work to help refugees and people seeking asylum. It is their mission to help them find the independence they deserve and to find opportunities for them to flourish and connect with others.

They Boomerang-Bet Casino bonus have created many events such as their summer picnics, where they have dancers, musicians, singers, face painting, art and craft and storytelling.

They find second-hand bicycles so that asylum seekers can find their way around town without needing to spend their very limited allowance on bus fare. With Cheltenham becoming a Home Office settlement centre back in 2019, Cheltenham Welcomes Refugees quickly responded to establish a support and resource network and weekly hub meeting so that people had a safe, warm place to chat.