David Brent is alive and working in publishing

Solid gold advice on how to hand out a free magazine by Mike Soutar, the man behind London's newest free magazine - Shortlist.



Don't get any ideas Rob Hancock!

Free tickets offer

Sadly not for any England games, but I have two VIP tickets for Grand Designs Live at the NEC Birmingham, 5-7 October (next week).

Despite it being short notice and in Birmingham, if you would like to go please shout...first come, first served.

Would you buy a hot tub from this man?

Remember I told you about Pembroke sales bod Gavin Davies who has been entered into the new ITV reality show "Commission Impossible"? Well guess who was spotted at the weekend at the Southampton Boat Show? Yes it was indeed our man Gav, who was taking part in one of the challenges for the ITV show - trying to sell £40,000 worth of spas and hot tubs in a week on the Hydropool stand.

He was spotted by the Boats and Outboards team and told them that he thought he had been given a target twice as big as the other contestants because he was too cocky! Doesn't sound like Gavin at all does it Pembroke?!

His progress in the show is still hush-hush, so you'll have to wait a bit longer to see if he walks away with the £100,000 prize.

New extension for Homes Sales & Lettings

Last Friday (21/09) saw the launch of the Homes Sales & Lettings section within the Seaford Friday-Ad edition.

Seaford used to be covered as part of the separate Eastbourne Homes Sales & Lettings edition, but feedback from estate agents in that area suggested that they would like something dedicated for Seaford, Newhaven and Peacehaven. By making this a section within the Friday-Ad rather than launch a separate magazine, it maximises the potential revenue.

The section started with five pages of property adverts for estate agents and has this week already expanded to eight pages.

It has been especially well received by the new property builders in the area, who are pleased to have a local dedicated property section to showcase their developments. Two developers have booked for this week with more expected for next.

For more information contact Tracey Schaufler (ext 7604) or Jo Chubb(ext 7592).

Me, myself and I

Being the author of this blog it would be a wasted opportunity if I didn't provide some news about myself, so here goes...

As of Monday 1st October, I will also be taking on the role of Online Marketing Manager for IRT. This means I will be responsible for all aspects of marketing for the four wonderful sites that are: AviationJobsearch.com, TravelJobsearch.com, CareersinRecruitment.com and InAutomotive.com.

I am still retaining my role as Editorial and PR manager for the group, so please continue to send me any copywriting, proofing, grammar checking or PR requirements, and either myself or Sarah will fulfill these for you.

Big boats and big pockets

Just back from the Southampton Boat Show where the Boats and Outboards team are working hard promoting the website and magazine to hundreds of thousands of boating enthusiasts.

But it's not all work for the girls (and Stephen) as last night saw the Boats and Outboards client party, held in one of the city's swanky bars.

Around 150 invited guests joined the team for some food, drinks and dancing (to our very own in-house DJ Gary Still's tunes). A very enjoyable evening was had by all, but we also managed to raise over £7000 for our nominated charity Sail 4 Cancer.

Our guest auctioneer for the evening was Mike Deedigan who kindly helped people feel guilty and dig deep for a very worthy cause.

Some of the lots on offer included a signed Ellen McArthur sweatshirt (bought by Stephen Sumner) and a week's stay at a Spanish Villa (bought by Nicky Tucker).

In case you think that our Boats and Outboards team were keeping all of the prizes to themselves, other people were allowed to bid too!

The lot of the night was a brand new jet ski worth £7,000 which was won by Nicky's partner...to say she was quite pleased is probably an understatement!

Before the party started I had spent most of the day at the show taking photos of boats and also playing my own boat show game of "find the most expensive boat and blag a tour around". My previous record had been at this year's London Boat Show where I experienced first hand the Sunseeker 37 M4, which weighed in with a hefty £10 million price tag. This time the M4 was back, but the one here was now £11 million!

Some feel it is completely ostentatious, but personally I know where my Lottery winnings are going...release those balls!

Join the Boats and Outboards crew

News just in from the Southampton Boat Show, where the Boats and Outboards team are exhibiting. In a cunning bit of PR they are running a T-shirt giveaway competition where people can grab a free t-shirt from their stand and wear it round the show. If they get spotted and photographed then they might win a lovely new Musto sailing jacket.

The show only opened on Friday, but it has been a busy weekend, with loads of t-shirts being collected.

And people are actually wearing them too, as these photos show...

Boris in training: video exclusive

We mentioned previously that Boris, Horsemart's mascot, is entering in the forthcoming Mascot Grand National. Well we've just received this video footage of him, taken at his secret training camp...



(NB. If you have sound on your PC then it adds to the experience!)

Traffic warning for West Wales...

Congratulations to Jo Hicks and Nicola Kemp for passing your driving tests, from all your Adline chums in Pembroke Dock. Apparently your special double-sized spaces have been reserved in the far corner of the car park.

NB. This particularly cheesy photo is there purely for graphical purposes.

Celebrity endorsement gone too far?

We receive hundreds of press releases every week from PRs and companies trying to get some column inches in our magazines about their products. Many of these are interesting, some are hugely irrelevant, and some fall into the category of 'downright bizarre'.

One such example landed in my Inbox yesterday from a PR company who amongst other clients were promoting the 'Magic Vac Packer', which is endorsed by none other than 80's Eurovision winner and one-time Record Breakers presenter Cheryl Baker.

The Magic Vac Packer is a hoover/gluing machine thingy. According to Cheryl you put random things (carrots, toys, dog bones!) into a plastic bag and it sucks out the air then seals it.

Now you might be thinking this sounds quite nifty, but at £89.95 (plus P&P) for the 'Magic Vac Mini', you might just decide to use the old-fashioned 'squeeze air out of the freezer bag before you seal it' trick.

If you're still 'making your mind up' then check out Cheryl's demonstration video here, enter the 'land of make believe' and remember 'the camera never lies' (see what I did there?!).

UKBike needs you

Sunday 7th October sees hundreds of hog riding bikers descend on Madeira Drive in Brighton for 'Brightona'. This now annual event raises money for the Sussex Heart Charity - last year £12,500 was raised from the event and they're hoping to raise even more this time.

UKBike is the main sponsor of the event and this means we can have a large promotional presence at the show.

The big red bus will be in attendance, so Boyd is looking for a volunteer to man (or woman) the bus during the day, plus three couples (I don't think you have to be a real couple!) to walk around the event, registering users for the site and taking some photos.

Hours are from 9am until 4pm (approximately). Time off in lieu or £££ are offered in exchange for working.

So if you fancy mixing with some hairy bikers, women with tattoos, loud rock bands and lots of shiny motorbikes then contact Boyd by email or call him on 01273 837715 (ext. 7836).

What goes up...

Our new media director, Tim Dawson, has been highly successful at climbing the corporate ladder during his 30(ish) years. However when it comes to ladders of the rope variety he struggles a bit, as this evidence shows...

The video was taken during a recent IRT outing to Thorpe Park. Other clips, such as Stuart's infamous 'Family BBQ Combo eating challenge' do exist, but we'll save those for a rainy day...

Falcon Park: Exposed

Many of you may have heard the name "Falcon Park" and some of you lucky souls may have even visited there. In case you're not au fait with 'what/where/why', then Trevor Watson has sent the following 'everything you could possibly need to know about Falcon Park' guide...


There’s a mysterious place in Sussex that many have heard of, but few know where it is, let alone have visited. It’s called Falcon Park.


History reports that this is an aviation training centre where all the young stewardesses (and stewards) on Virgin Atlantic etc are trained to cope with things going wrong when we are soaring above the clouds.

And indeed this is true. Falcon Park is part of Friday Holdings and is situated in Crawley Down, just outside East Grinstead. Its current purpose is four-fold...

Firstly it is home to Aviation Courses, which runs the courses mentioned above in an aircraft simulator – which is actually part of a real 747 which was chopped up some years ago.

Secondly classrooms have been set out which allow anyone to run courses on any subject that you may wish to learn about…and people come from literally all around the world to enjoy some great British hospitality and education.


Thirdly, not many people say "Letsgoshopping in Crawley Down", because it is a bit of a wilderness. However it is home to our new online retail offering which, as you’ve probably guessed, is called Letsgoshopping. Products on offer range from horsey and boaty stuff, to motorcycle and snowsports gear, and even the facility to design your own t-shirts etc. Much of the stock is housed and fulfilled on site.


Finally Falcon Park is also the home of our print team Uckfield Press who continue to produce ad hoc print jobs for businesses throughout Sussex and beyond.


Some of the staff based up there will be familiar to many of you. Helen Reed is Operations Manager, ensuring the airline and retail sides function properly – and that people turn off the lights and don’t run down the corridors!

Trevor Watson is the Retail Development Manager looking after the, errrr retail development side!

Hannah Brinklow, as Administration Assistant, is the real worker though, keeping the others in check and daily explaining the difference between jodhpurs and breeches.
On the Uckfield Press side Stafford Horscroft remains the Governor, ably assisted by his band of merry men (and women).


While the staff at Falcon Park would have you believe that they work in the middle of a downbeat industrial estate straight out of an LS Lowry painting, the truth has got out and apparently they spend much of the day appreciating the local wildlife including ducks, deer, llamas, goats and one of the largest wasps nests in the county.


If you haven’t ventured there yet, check it out on Google Earth or better still turn up unannounced and wake the guys from their country slumber.

TV reality show stardom for Gavin?

Gavin Davies (telesales team manager at Pembroke) is currently on leave from work as he is taking part in the latest reality TV show 'Commission:Impossible'.

The show, which will be shown on ITV1 in the new year, features eight salespeople from across the UK who take part in a series of challenges over six weeks.

There are Apprentice-style evictions along the way and the eventual winner will walk away with £100k (beers on Gavin then!).

Gavin's success to date is all hush-hush, but if a helicopter lands at Pembroke Dock in a few weeks time then you can assume he's done alright.

Check out more information here about the show.

This post will self-destruct in 10 seconds...

Our friends in the North

Proving that the fashion scene is alive and kicking in Preston, here's the Simply Online sales team, modelling the latest in designer clothing.

Pictured here is the Simply Online sales team (left to right): Ben Wareing, Dave Capper, Evonne Hill, Tony Charters, Dean Swarbrick.

Ladies (and Gents for Evonne) please form an orderly queue ;)

The team wanted to take this opportunity to remind the other sales teams that they did win the incentive for making the most money over target for the first quarter.

Their prize (although some may think it a punishment) was a night out in the VIP area of the Sugar Lounge with the Man United players, and a night in a smart apartment in the centre of Manc town.

Bricks Part 2: The plot thickens

The little brick fairy has been busy again overnight, with some new brick wall posters all over the office here at Sayers...

This time they've changed and now feature the two phrases of: "OK" (or is it a stick man?) and "Come and get it".


Answers on a postcard as to what they're all about...

A question of time

Received an email today from Frank Farrer on behalf of the Internet Support team in Pembroke, who were concerned that I was suffering from insomnia (luckily not) or a coffee addiction (Yyyyessssss), as my posts have been going on here in the early hours of the morning.

Frank et al can now rest easy that in fact it was due to this site being set to good ole U.S of A time instead of that of Blighty.

A few clicks and it's now sorted.

'Board' meeting for Boats and Outboards

A story I've recieved which proves that sales can be lots of fun...

Nicky Tucker, sales manager for Boats and Outboards, reports: "In true Boats and Outboards style, Binny and I will do anything to clinch the deal, including squeezing into wetsuits and taking the plunge on the River Exe into the world of wakeboarding!

"And yes we got the deal - 12 months signed and sealed. Must have been Binny's marvellous assets that clinched it!".

The Friday-Ad Stork has landed

Congratulations to Matthew and Fiona Charnley (two members of our Pembroke Dock sales teams), who have had a baby girl called Kyra (7lb 1oz). Apparently she's booked in for TAMSIN training in a few weeks...

Boris to run in Grand National

Boris, the mascot for Horsemart, has been accepted as an entrant in the Mascot Grand National, which takes place at Huntingdon Racecourse on Sunday 7th October.

This race is hugely prestigious within the animal mascot community and attracts runners from football clubs, societies and other companies across the UK.

Boris said: "I am very excited about the prospect of competing against other legendary mascots such as Gunnersaurus Rex, Stamford the Lion, Scoop the Sun Squirrel and my mate Hugo the Huntingdon Hound.

"My training involves lots of galloping, plus ensuring I eat the right foods - oats, hay and occasional sugar lumps."

The Mascot Grand National race is at 1.10pm and is usually transmitted live on TV.

Those of you wishing to come along and support Boris in the race should let me know asap. Tickets are £15, which includes a full afternoon's racing after the Mascot Grand National.

Boris is raising funds for charity so we will be letting you know soon how you can donate.

For information visit http://www.themascotgrandnational.co.uk/.

Ahoy there...new website on the horizon

After months of planning and development, a new boating website has set sail from our Boats and Outboards marina (OK I'll drop the marine-related puns now).

YachtsandCruisers.com has been launched recently offering boat buyers and sellers a dedicated website for prestige boats over £25,000. The design and functionality is different from BoatsandOutboards.co.uk and has been created to reflect the type of customers and users the site is hoping to attract.

Despite being brand new, there are already over 8000 prestige Power Boats, Sail Boats and RIBs listed on the site, including this 36 metre Benetti cruiser, priced at a mere £6.5 million...

The team behind the site are interested in hearing feedback about it, so if you have any comments and suggestions email Stephen Sumner (stephen@boatsandoutboards.co.uk). Stephen will also give you more information about the site if you need it too.

What are those brick posters all about then?

I recently arrrived in the office to find the walls, doors and toilet cubicles adorned with brick wall posters. Assuming someone had decided just to add some Linda Barker-esque decoration to the office I thought no more about it. However as the morning went on, more and more people began asking "What are these brick posters all about then?".

Sightings of these were reported from our other offices too, and likewise staff were equally clueless.

Over the next day or two a few daring employees decided to write words and phrases on them with marker pens. And one genius even managed to break Rule 1 of the graffiti artist's code - "if you're going to graffiti DON'T use your real name"!

The posters have now disappeared as mysteriously as they arrived and we are still no closer to knowing what they were all about and who was behind them. All suggestions welcome if you have any theories...

We've only just begun...

...as the Carpenters once sang. Welcome to The latest FAD blog, which has the purpose of communicating news, views and information about all of the companies that belong to 'Friday Holdings Ltd'.

We want to make this a resource for you to visit regularly and find out the lastest about what's going on with all of our companies - product developments, promotions, new starters, success stories, news, views and more.

And it goes without saying that we need YOU to help make this work. The old BT slogan "It's good to talk" has never been so relevant, especially with a company of our size that not only operates businesses across a wide-range of markets, but that are also geographically different.

From Bristol to Bedford to Pembroke to Preston to Sayers Common to sunny Spain, there's loads going on that others within the company would like to hear about. Make sure you keep me regularly updated with anything of interest by emailing me (david.somerville@friday-ad.co.uk).

One other great reason for using this format is that you can also comment on the articles that are posted (although we believe in freedom of speech we will remove anything that's offensive, slanderous etc...even if it's true!).

We'll be updating the blog regularly and if you forget to look at it for a while then we'll drop you an email to let you know some new stuff has been posted.

Anyway enough of the waffle for now. They'll be more posts soon, so keep checking back...