Being a teenager is difficult at the best of times but right now it’s harder than ever. The Covid pandemic has created huge uncertainty for young people, and we know that many are really struggling to cope with everything that’s going on.

With lockdown continuing for most of us it feels as though we are caught in a never ending cycle of being stuck at home working/ not working, child care, home schooling and zooming, with the dishwasher being loaded and unloaded several times a day and social interactions (IF we have time) being conducted through video conferencing and Whatsapp.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and social media is full of beautiful festive images. Taking photos of Christmas lights can be tricky, and there is no single group of settings that will guarantee great photos in any situation. Read on for tips on how to improve your Christmas photos.

Lisa is the stylist behind Style with Wisdom, offering a number of services from how to make the most of your existing wardrobe, personal shopping to avoid impulse buys, building your style and body confidence and how to rework your style after a lifestyle or body shape change.

Christmas is fast approaching and we can already smell the mince pies and mulled wine. In all the festive excitement, let’s make sure we love the planet, as well as our friends and families this Christmas. The best way we can do this is by reducing the phenomenal amount of waste that has become as synonymous with Christmas as Santa.

We love a local Xmas, so we thought we’d make it super easy for you all, by sharing a few highlights from our #SHOPLOCAL Directory. From fab food and drink, beautiful candles and thoughtful vouchers, we have a bit of everything to make your gift choices easier. Of course this is just the tip of the iceberg, so if you like what see here, don’t forget to visit our Directory for more local fabulousness.

We understand how much sourcing food safely can cause anxiety during lockdown but also how having meals delivered can be a great source of joy. We’ve therefore put together a list of businesses offering grocery & food supply, takeaway, delivery, or in-home dining.

I’m Harry Ephremsen and I am the proud founder of Hide & Seek CBD. My long term goal is to create the most trusted CBD brand on the market, with high quality, beautifully designed products. I suffered from anxiety at university, which is when I was first made aware of CBD and its potential benefits. I struggled to find a brand that I could relate to, and more importantly trust. I believe transparency and proof of product quality is vital, which is why I have implemented a batch testing facility available on my site, enabling my customers to see exactly what is inside every product.

In January 2020 I officially gave up the day job and took Aldcroft Photography full time. I had wedding bookings and was looking forward to meeting lots of families for outdoor shoots, especially the bluebells in spring, and getting cuddles with newborn babies. A new year, a new decade – this was my time to […]

What a year 2020 has been! Whilst we may all vary in our views, one thing we can probably agree on is that we didn’t see this coming or quite where it would take us. I’ve continually drawn strength and inspiration from our local businesses, their incredible products and services and the way they’ve adapted […]

Hello, I’m Natasha, founder of Eco Bonobo.  I set up my company in 2019 to help people make easy transitions to plastic free products.  Everything is zero waste, cruelty free, ethical and Vegan friendly.  I also sell liquid refills (everything from washing up liquid to white vinegar for cleaning) and wholefoods too (you can then […]

As the new school term fast approaches, anxiety levels of students, parents and teachers are rising. Here are some straightforward suggestions from ‘Nip in the Bud’ on how to deal with any potential anxiety children may experience upon returning to school. Uncertainty This is a very uncertain time and although it would be great if […]

And just like that, September has crisply breezed its way into our mornings after one of the longest and most peculiar summers in living memory. With the promise of new beginnings, Autumn blazers and fresh starts, we dust off the pencil cases and head back to school. It’s a fantastic time of year to embrace […]

Give a brief Introduction to you and what it is you do.  Who is involved in the business? We are a husband and wife team (Sarah & Wayne) running a small batch speciality coffee roastery in Farnham Common, Buckinghamshire. Speciality coffee has to be graded 80+ points and above on the Speciality Coffee Association’s grading […]

As a small business owner with over 15 years of running my own business building it from my bedroom, I can safely say that dealing with the COVID pandemic has been the single most stressful and hardest thing I have had to do. Having rebuilt in the 2008 economy crash and dealt with many other […]

Castaway Cottage is a family-run business offering beautiful hand-crafted products for the bath and home. From colourful bath bombs and crumbles to a range of natural wax melts and soaps; all made with care for skin and the environment using essential oils or carefully selected fragrances.   The packaging is compostable, recyclable or upcycled. We […]

by Sarah Cooke Right now we are obviously going through some strange & uncertain times, but I don’t believe that means you have to compromise your business – it IS possible to have a business that you love and that works for you on your terms. Even if you’ve had to temporarily close your doors […]

“You have two choices: You can make a living, or you can design a life” (Jim Rohn)    I’d love to write about the mindset for success, without mentioning #COVID-19. However, I fear that if l ignored such a large elephant in the room, that has no doubt impacted most of our lives in some […]

KIN Training debunk myths surrounding HIIT and yoga and provide tips on overcoming your fitness fears. Persistence. Patience. Strength. Adaptability. Kindness. If the last three months have taught us anything, it’s certainly recognising the importance of these qualities in ourselves when overcoming uncomfortable and uncertain situations. What if we could use these skills and qualities […]

It seems everyone (in the skincare world!) these days is talking about the importance of the skin barrier, which whilst a good thing, many brands have jumped on this in terms of products which promise to repair the skin barrier. It’s a classic case of treat rather than prevent – the same conundrum seen in […]

This is not an easy article to write and it may not be an easy read.  It is not designed to be a set of checkboxes for you to tick and say that you’ve done it. Anti-racism is a lifelong commitment. It’s a business value. For as long as racism as we know it exists. I […]

I’ve heard talk of 4th July parties and planning of big days out to mark the occasion.  Whilst many businesses are still not able to open and others are open with adjustments, there is no denying that seeing hairdressers, pubs, cafes and restaurants will bring both excitement and a greater sense of normality to our […]

The last few months have been “challenging” to say the least, whether you’ve been home schooling, full-time parenting little ones, or juggling a bit of everything. I think we can all agree it’s certainly taken its toll. For many of you (myself included), this probably means your business has taken a back seat. With the […]

by Amanda Badger ‘This is the Royal Free Hospital, you recently came in for a chest x-ray’ said the voice on the phone. ‘Yes,’ I replied. ‘Can you come back in right away? We think you may have TB.’ I began to see stars as the information sunk in. What do I tell my fiancé? […]

I’m sure I’m not the only person who wishes they’d bought shares in Zoom back in February…whether chatting with family and friends, conducting meetings or joining a fitness class, the demand for, and use of, this online meeting platform has been huge. In the past week, with shops reopening, social bubbles expanding and some children […]

One of the most difficult aspects I found about my divorce was the change from a family of 4 to a family of 3. Yes, after divorce you are still a family, just a smaller one. So things are going to be different but that doesn’t mean they have to be negative. Here are some […]

This week sees the re-opening of many of our favourite high street and retail businesses.  Whilst many businesses have adapted to offer online, postal, or adapted services, re-opening of physical stores is probably the biggest step towards normality we’ve seen since lockdown started. We are thrilled at the boost it will give these businesses and […]

Meet Hannah and Oli from Home County Candle Co. and hear about their passion for making their beautiful UK inspired scented candles and reed diffusers.   MEET OLI WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU STARTED THE HOME COUNTY CANDLE CO.? My background is in sales management and just before we started the business I was […]

Make-up and Nail Artist Remy Morris shares with us her how-to guide to create leopard print nails   Step 1: BASE COAT / COLOUR Apply your base colour over the whole nail making sure you seal the free edge of the nail to avoid chipping, next apply 2 coats of your base polish for a […]

It’s that time of year when we get to celebrate the men in our lives and treat them with thoughtful, carefully selected gifts.  I’m not sure if it’s just me, but I find men so much harder to buy for…they just seem to come with less “stuff” than us ladies! I’ve loved watching the Father’s […]

by Dania of Moo Boutique, Tring A lot of things have changed during this period of lockdown – some of us have stayed working as normal, some of us have had to completely re-think how we’ve been working and some of us have sadly lost a lot of work. whatever our circumstances we need to […]

We are living in a moment of huge change, where society as we know it may never be the same. Many are predicting a very different world post Covid 19, history serves us as a reminder that global events can be a catalyst for a better future. With most of us staying at home we […]

by Nat Aubry 10 years ago we moved to Hertfordshire, a couple of weeks before our wedding. We sold a flat in London and packed one in Amsterdam to move in together before the big day. I did not move by choice, Marc got a job offer in Luton when no one else was really […]

by Jamie Smith of Tring Winery It’s that time of year! Sun is out, windows are open, and BBQ’s across the country are getting fired up. Whether you side with gas or charcoal, fish, steak or veggies, there is always the question – what should I be drinking?   So here at Tring Winery, Jamie […]

by  Claire Gillespie from Oglee Poglee   At Oglee Poglee HQ, you’ll often hear us raving about the power of creativity and just how vital it is to help our children unleash theirs! But when traditional education pushes the arts to the sidelines, how can you know creativity is something worth nurturing in your kids? Let’s take a […]

Pesto Flatbread Pizza by Neleta Winter from Nourish & Flourish Nutrition Flatbread   Ingredients 200g spelt flour 2 tsp baking powder Salt to taste Approx 200g yoghurt   Method In a bowl add the spelt flour, salt and baking powder and stir through Add the yoghurt in small amounts stirring as you go to form […]

by Margarita Salomó – Personal Stylist Let’s talk about the benefits of clothes, fashion, style, accessories, a dash of make-up and getting properly dressed every day during this lockdown If I have learnt one thing while being isolated at home, it’s the value of the small things that we take for granted, like: preparing to […]

  1. Look at the light Phone cameras perform best in bright, natural light. Open shade is ideal. Stand your subject in the shade (eg. cast by a building or trees) so direct sunlight is not hitting him/her causing squinting and/or harsh shadows. Ideally your subject is looking out of the shade toward the open […]

by Natalie Halliwell-Jennings With many Ashridge House staff working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we asked Ashridge House Events Sales & Marketing Manager Natalie Halliwell-Jennings how she has adapted to working from home… “Ashridge House is a former royal palace to Kings and Queens, a grade II listed stately home with 190 acres of beautiful […]

Dunsley farm egg, asparagus, wild garlic pesto, and Culture Bakery sourdough Recipe by Scott Barnard of Crockers Tring Serves 4  For the wild garlic pesto  The following quantities makes plenty of Pesto – save what’s left for a pasta dish: INGREDIENTS: 250g wild garlic  25g raw wild garlic  75g olive oil 75g vegetable oil 120g […]

By Susanna Fraser from Boom Event Planners VE Day Celebrations across the country will no doubt be very different to what was anticipated earlier this year, I for one should have been working – decorating a marquee for a client’s big birthday party on Saturday but sadly all that has changed. However, we must put […]

By Sarah Clarke from Shine Brighter Consulting If you’re anything like me, your working day is now punctuated by endless demands for snacks and refereeing. Working at home, be that in your own business or working remotely for a corporate, can be really tricky right now. Particularly if you have small people to care for. […]

by Lisa Pantling of Clutter Free Living All of a sudden we are spending an awful lot more time at home, some of us are also working at home, possibly while also entertaining (teaching?!) our children. For many, this set of circumstances has highlighted an issue they hadn’t really acknowledged before…… stuff! And far too […]

by Natalie & Helen Gerrish from Hiya Bucks Authentically local, trusted and valued, hiya bucks is written for, and about, Buckinghamshire. Buckinghamshire is our home. It’s where we live and do business. With hiya bucks we support and nurture the local business community and want to see the county thriving in all areas. Our passion […]

…and other crazy things our kids made us do! By Emiliana Hall from The Mindful Birth Group Having 2 young children and sending them to childcare for roughly 60 hours of a 90 hour waking week didn’t sit well with us. Especially as neither my husband or I were in love with our jobs! When […]

  I saw a meme this week that showed a lockdown budget where all items in the budget were £0, but food was about £2k a month. It’s a pretty fair assessment of lockdown life, isn’t it?  Suddenly our main preoccupation is getting food and what to have for our next meal…and actually constantly feeling […]

by Anna Horne. Baking is my first love and having kids has given me the perfect reason to tinker in the kitchen and indulge my passion. Of course it’s all for them. In my quest for the ultimate cookie and having tried and tested many a recipe these are up there as striking the balance […]

by Amy Overy. A month ago, I flew to Australia for four days. I really wouldn’t recommend it as a mini break destination…the jet lag is awful. I work as a freelance TV producer covering Formula One, and Melbourne was to be the opening round of the 2020 season. Except it didn’t happen. A member […]

by Lucy Williamson Nutrition I’ve often thought how wonderful it would be to just step off the busy-ness of life for a while, catch up on my ‘to do’ list and come back where I left off, all refreshed and ready to go… In these challenging times, I find myself feeling rather guilty about these […]

I’ve been asked a few times about local delivery services for food to support those in self-isolation, so here is a  quickly put together list, which I hope helps those in need. I’ve tried to capture as many as possible, but if we’ve forgotten your business, please let us know as we will keep the […]