I don’t know where the time is going at the moment!
Since my promises to update regularly were uttered in April, we are now fast approaching the end of May already and soon it will be summertime.
At Spareground, we are in the throws of thrashing out some new promotional ideas and ways to encourage people to use the site to their advantages during the summer months.
Summer means the festival season for many people (Glastonbury, The Reading and Leeds Festivals, the V Festivals, the Isle of Wight festival and the Cambridge Folk festival to name only a few) and with the dates quickly bearing down on us, we are keen to encourage people who attend these festivals and those who live nearby to use Spareground to find or advertise their spare space.
The camping in close numbers experience may not be ideal for some people and with people wanting to keep vehicles close by, Spareground can act as the mediating facility to find what you want; whether its accommodation, camping space, parking or storage space. If that’s what you are looking for then why not place a listing.
If you live in these areas and can offer anything of this sort then advertise it free of charge on Spareground.
I only wish I was heading down to Glastonbury this year but alas I didn’t get a ticket. Nevermind, I will try again next year!
http://www.spareground.com/
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
Monday, 27 April 2009
London Marathon
Yesterday’s London Marathon was great!
I must say I enjoyed it from the comfort of the armchair but with an annual promise to enter the ballot next year. I will do it today. Unfortunately the website is busy at the moment,…honestly.
My friend Alan competed yesterday and finished with a respectable time of 3 hours 25 minutes, equally impressive as it was a rather warm day and he was dressed in a velvet effect Wonder Woman outfit! He has raised a considerable amount of money for the Countess Mountbatten Hospice in Southampton but very sadly, his friend who was a patient there, passed away only a few days ago.
http://www.justgiving.com/alanmiddlebrook
London attracts thousands of visitors each year for this event and the numbers of people who apply increases year by year. Equally the amount of people who come to support naturally increases too.
As with any major sports event, Spareground can be a good resource for finding the car parking or the accommodation that is needed. No doubt there are events which happen whereby it is very difficult to almost impossible to find anywhere to stay nearby or park the car. If you live in areas where there is a sporting event being hosted, (whether it happens weekly, monthly or once a year) you could consider renting out your parking space or even a spare room for the night to help accommodate the higher numbers of people. I know of people who compete in the Great North Run in Newcastle every year and on each occasion, they have a torrid time finding accommodation close to the event.
So if you are a private individual, a business, school or any other organisation that can offer car parking or accommodation (even if its camping space) to help out whilst there is an event happening near you why not list on Spareground. It’s all extra funds or if you so wish you could donate the proceeds to a charitable or fund raising effort.
www.spareground.com
I must say I enjoyed it from the comfort of the armchair but with an annual promise to enter the ballot next year. I will do it today. Unfortunately the website is busy at the moment,…honestly.
My friend Alan competed yesterday and finished with a respectable time of 3 hours 25 minutes, equally impressive as it was a rather warm day and he was dressed in a velvet effect Wonder Woman outfit! He has raised a considerable amount of money for the Countess Mountbatten Hospice in Southampton but very sadly, his friend who was a patient there, passed away only a few days ago.
http://www.justgiving.com/alanmiddlebrook
London attracts thousands of visitors each year for this event and the numbers of people who apply increases year by year. Equally the amount of people who come to support naturally increases too.
As with any major sports event, Spareground can be a good resource for finding the car parking or the accommodation that is needed. No doubt there are events which happen whereby it is very difficult to almost impossible to find anywhere to stay nearby or park the car. If you live in areas where there is a sporting event being hosted, (whether it happens weekly, monthly or once a year) you could consider renting out your parking space or even a spare room for the night to help accommodate the higher numbers of people. I know of people who compete in the Great North Run in Newcastle every year and on each occasion, they have a torrid time finding accommodation close to the event.
So if you are a private individual, a business, school or any other organisation that can offer car parking or accommodation (even if its camping space) to help out whilst there is an event happening near you why not list on Spareground. It’s all extra funds or if you so wish you could donate the proceeds to a charitable or fund raising effort.
www.spareground.com
Friday, 17 April 2009
Spareground the Sellsumer!
Time is flying under my nose and I’ve just realised that it’s nearly three weeks since I last crunched bone on keyboard to write a blog entry.
As well as the upsurge in interest following the write up on springwise.com in March, this month sees Spareground mentioned in www.trendwatching.com as one of a few named ‘Sellsumers’. (A phrase to describe enterprises or businesses that help people make money instead of spending it!...not sure who coined that phrase though).
Spareground nicely fits under the category of “Space” alongside other UK web-based Sellsumers such as ParkAtMyHouse, YourParkingSpace and some US entries as Homstie and Roomorama.
Once again, this has reflected enormously in the site hits and hopefully will continue the increase in momentum.
Coverage such as this goes a long way in encouraging people and businesses to consider how they can maximise their space. A large number of people either have (or are looking for), storage space, driveways, garages, parking spaces, empty land or empty garden space, or other types of property they can lease or rent to someone else.
Or of course, let someone use it for free or for a charity donation.
Many people are looking for potential allotment space, camping space, cheaper and easier parking options, accommodation for short term rental such as when near a major sports or music event.
It goes on and I am aware I probably sound like a broken record but it makes so much sense to use what we do already have! All for our own benefit too!
Progress is still being made to take Spareground overseas and there are some exciting prospects in the offing.
Time is pushed as the moment with keeping the drive on Spareground and continuing with my other work (a consultant patent searcher offering a range of patent search services just in case you were interested……..*wakey wakey at the back*) but I hope to update this blog a bit more often than three week intervals…....must do better.
Some good rugby matches on over this weekend and of course next Tuesday is the announcement of the British and Irish Lions Rugby Squad. Can’t wait!
www.spareground.com
As well as the upsurge in interest following the write up on springwise.com in March, this month sees Spareground mentioned in www.trendwatching.com as one of a few named ‘Sellsumers’. (A phrase to describe enterprises or businesses that help people make money instead of spending it!...not sure who coined that phrase though).
Spareground nicely fits under the category of “Space” alongside other UK web-based Sellsumers such as ParkAtMyHouse, YourParkingSpace and some US entries as Homstie and Roomorama.
Once again, this has reflected enormously in the site hits and hopefully will continue the increase in momentum.
Coverage such as this goes a long way in encouraging people and businesses to consider how they can maximise their space. A large number of people either have (or are looking for), storage space, driveways, garages, parking spaces, empty land or empty garden space, or other types of property they can lease or rent to someone else.
Or of course, let someone use it for free or for a charity donation.
Many people are looking for potential allotment space, camping space, cheaper and easier parking options, accommodation for short term rental such as when near a major sports or music event.
It goes on and I am aware I probably sound like a broken record but it makes so much sense to use what we do already have! All for our own benefit too!
Progress is still being made to take Spareground overseas and there are some exciting prospects in the offing.
Time is pushed as the moment with keeping the drive on Spareground and continuing with my other work (a consultant patent searcher offering a range of patent search services just in case you were interested……..*wakey wakey at the back*) but I hope to update this blog a bit more often than three week intervals…....must do better.
Some good rugby matches on over this weekend and of course next Tuesday is the announcement of the British and Irish Lions Rugby Squad. Can’t wait!
www.spareground.com
Saturday, 28 March 2009
When the cat's away
..Spareground goes mad!
What a pleasure it was on return from a week at Center Parcs to find the stats on Spareground had gone through the roof in my absence! I clearly need to go away more often!
And the cause of this sudden rise in the Spareground stats? A feature on the Springwise website (www.springwise.com).
This website scouts through the world for new and enterprising business ideas and thankfully for me, Spareground has been picked up and featured.
As a result of this, I have now received a few emails about taking the business idea of Spareground beyond the borders of Blighty into the States and New Zealand to name a few, and as you would expect this has been an enormous boost to this entire project.
I will be speaking with the web designer (the fabulous Marcus at www.binarydrive.com) in the coming week to discuss how we will move forward with these enquiries.
The key thing is to maintain and keep pushing this sharp rise in interest both here and overseas. It’s very encouraging to know that people can see the obvious benefits and uses of Spareground on an international basis and can see its relevance to all sectors of the community. Long may it continue!
The downside for me, is my return from holiday has also seen me develop some horrible lurgy so my energy levels are somewhat sapped at the moment! That’s what happens when you’re 40 going on 14 and insist on riding the wild water rapids over and over again! I really should have learned my lesson by now…
www.spareground.com
What a pleasure it was on return from a week at Center Parcs to find the stats on Spareground had gone through the roof in my absence! I clearly need to go away more often!
And the cause of this sudden rise in the Spareground stats? A feature on the Springwise website (www.springwise.com).
This website scouts through the world for new and enterprising business ideas and thankfully for me, Spareground has been picked up and featured.
As a result of this, I have now received a few emails about taking the business idea of Spareground beyond the borders of Blighty into the States and New Zealand to name a few, and as you would expect this has been an enormous boost to this entire project.
I will be speaking with the web designer (the fabulous Marcus at www.binarydrive.com) in the coming week to discuss how we will move forward with these enquiries.
The key thing is to maintain and keep pushing this sharp rise in interest both here and overseas. It’s very encouraging to know that people can see the obvious benefits and uses of Spareground on an international basis and can see its relevance to all sectors of the community. Long may it continue!
The downside for me, is my return from holiday has also seen me develop some horrible lurgy so my energy levels are somewhat sapped at the moment! That’s what happens when you’re 40 going on 14 and insist on riding the wild water rapids over and over again! I really should have learned my lesson by now…
www.spareground.com
Thursday, 12 March 2009
It's all for charidee!
Red Nose Day is here!
Charity Organiser Comic Relief (http://www.comicrelief.com/) raises millions of pounds from this biannual event with the proceeds going towards projects here in the UK and Africa for the reduction and relief of the effects of poverty. Even small amounts of money can make a difference to disadvantaged people supported by this charity.
However, in 2009, the effects of the economical downturn in the UK are a worry not only to Comic Relief but to all charities in the UK.
People do not necessarily have the levels of disposable income in previous years and the hit on donations to charities is likely to be hardest.
Take That member Gary Barlow reiterated the need in this particular year for an even harder effort towards fund raising, hence his idea of the (now successful) climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. People need way more enticing to part with their cash!
There is no reason whatsoever why people and organisations cannot use the Spareground website to raise money for charities and other fund raising causes.
Create your listing and put the term “charity” or “fund raising” in the description. Add in what it’s for and see what happens. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Schools, clubs, churches etc who have parking facilities for example can raise money by leasing out their parking spaces over weekends or evenings. This would be particularly welcome when they are in busy areas (city centres, airports, train stations etc) or close to major sports, music or recreational events.
So if you have the space, whether it is parking, storage, land, unused gardens or other accommodation, make some money for charity and other fund raising efforts by listing it free of charge on Spareground.
http://www.spareground.com/
Charity Organiser Comic Relief (http://www.comicrelief.com/) raises millions of pounds from this biannual event with the proceeds going towards projects here in the UK and Africa for the reduction and relief of the effects of poverty. Even small amounts of money can make a difference to disadvantaged people supported by this charity.
However, in 2009, the effects of the economical downturn in the UK are a worry not only to Comic Relief but to all charities in the UK.
People do not necessarily have the levels of disposable income in previous years and the hit on donations to charities is likely to be hardest.
Take That member Gary Barlow reiterated the need in this particular year for an even harder effort towards fund raising, hence his idea of the (now successful) climb of Mount Kilimanjaro. People need way more enticing to part with their cash!
There is no reason whatsoever why people and organisations cannot use the Spareground website to raise money for charities and other fund raising causes.
Create your listing and put the term “charity” or “fund raising” in the description. Add in what it’s for and see what happens. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Schools, clubs, churches etc who have parking facilities for example can raise money by leasing out their parking spaces over weekends or evenings. This would be particularly welcome when they are in busy areas (city centres, airports, train stations etc) or close to major sports, music or recreational events.
So if you have the space, whether it is parking, storage, land, unused gardens or other accommodation, make some money for charity and other fund raising efforts by listing it free of charge on Spareground.
http://www.spareground.com/
Friday, 27 February 2009
Norfolk and Landshare
I didn’t make it to France. An accident on the M11 and an airline with a customer service policy leaving much to be desired put paid to any roamings in the streets of Poitiers. Instead, the coastline of Norfolk beckoned. This area has to be one of the nicest places in the UK for soothing the soul. The villages on that coast remain unspoilt by the lure of the fast food establishments, widened roads and horrendous pub singers provided ‘solely’ for your entertainment. If you want to hear nothing and see some amazing scenery, it’s the place for you. (There is also some great mackerel to be caught in the summer months, contact me and I may tell you where,…. ).
Back to the working week of promoting Spareground, I have emailed a number of UK allotment and vegetable growing forums who have given a lot of positive feedback on the Spareground project. What has been interesting from this is realising that the Landshare project has yet to officially be launched, so as we move quickly into March, there are people signed to this scheme who have no idea if they will be ‘matched’ with a landowner or not. March is the time when windowsills should be heaving with chitting potatoes and plant seedlings.
One wonders if the scheme which promises so much will be able to deliver in equal measure and within time scales reflective of the course of nature.
Spareground has signed up to the Landshare project as a group having similar aims and philosophy so I don’t mean to sound critical of what is ideally a great scheme. I just feel that a lot of people may have missed the growing opportunity for 2009. With the high volume of media coverage it has received, perhaps in hindsight its initial autumn 2008 campaign was a little too late.
At Spareground, our way of working is to leave people list their land or find their land requirements and sort themselves out. There are simple ‘guidance notes’ under the FAQ section on the website which should help people establish their arrangements with each other and essentially, keep it simple. We don’t want to over complicate the Spareground website or the way it is used; simplicity is indeed the key.
http://www.spareground.com/
Until next time……
Back to the working week of promoting Spareground, I have emailed a number of UK allotment and vegetable growing forums who have given a lot of positive feedback on the Spareground project. What has been interesting from this is realising that the Landshare project has yet to officially be launched, so as we move quickly into March, there are people signed to this scheme who have no idea if they will be ‘matched’ with a landowner or not. March is the time when windowsills should be heaving with chitting potatoes and plant seedlings.
One wonders if the scheme which promises so much will be able to deliver in equal measure and within time scales reflective of the course of nature.
Spareground has signed up to the Landshare project as a group having similar aims and philosophy so I don’t mean to sound critical of what is ideally a great scheme. I just feel that a lot of people may have missed the growing opportunity for 2009. With the high volume of media coverage it has received, perhaps in hindsight its initial autumn 2008 campaign was a little too late.
At Spareground, our way of working is to leave people list their land or find their land requirements and sort themselves out. There are simple ‘guidance notes’ under the FAQ section on the website which should help people establish their arrangements with each other and essentially, keep it simple. We don’t want to over complicate the Spareground website or the way it is used; simplicity is indeed the key.
http://www.spareground.com/
Until next time……
Thursday, 19 February 2009
We plough the fields and scatter
The spring is fast approaching and thoughts are turning to the lighter nights, the arrival of lent and no doubt to the new seeds and plants and the preparative digging for the garden and allotments.
Being an allotment holder myself, I know it’s a back breaking time, especially if you have clay soil like mine, more suited to modelling pots from than growing things in. Even so, I know I am a lucky one.
The number of people desperately seeking allotment space is at a record high. The Allotment Society reports conclusively show the demand completely outstrips the supply of allotment space throughout the country. Not really surprising with the current economical climate and a renewed desire to go back to basics, a cause championed by a number of celebrity chefs. The phrase of “knowing where our food comes from” is one bandied about with such frequency; one begins to wonder if there is anyone in the country who doesn’t know where their food comes from!
It is a welcome change however, and nice to know that more and more people are keen to buy something that was grown two miles up the road more than something grown in Kenya, flown here, stored for x weeks and then sent out the shops (no doubt with any flavour or nutritional content long since depleted).
As part of this change in thought, the desire to grow your own has taken over and the resources for such are few and far between.
Today’s news report by the National Trust further backs this up with the Trust reporting a collaborative effort with Landshare to provide up to 1000 new allotment plots by 2012, an initiative to be commended and supported.
Spareground also offers opportunities for advertising or seeking land or unused gardens for such purposes and hopefully one day, we can collaborate with the bigger groups such as Landshare and the National Trust to promote this.
For now, we can at least provide an additional source for such listings and keep our fingers crossed that it too will generate its own momentum and interest.
www.spareground.com
I am off to France tomorrow so no blog entries for a few days.
Until next time,……
Being an allotment holder myself, I know it’s a back breaking time, especially if you have clay soil like mine, more suited to modelling pots from than growing things in. Even so, I know I am a lucky one.
The number of people desperately seeking allotment space is at a record high. The Allotment Society reports conclusively show the demand completely outstrips the supply of allotment space throughout the country. Not really surprising with the current economical climate and a renewed desire to go back to basics, a cause championed by a number of celebrity chefs. The phrase of “knowing where our food comes from” is one bandied about with such frequency; one begins to wonder if there is anyone in the country who doesn’t know where their food comes from!
It is a welcome change however, and nice to know that more and more people are keen to buy something that was grown two miles up the road more than something grown in Kenya, flown here, stored for x weeks and then sent out the shops (no doubt with any flavour or nutritional content long since depleted).
As part of this change in thought, the desire to grow your own has taken over and the resources for such are few and far between.
Today’s news report by the National Trust further backs this up with the Trust reporting a collaborative effort with Landshare to provide up to 1000 new allotment plots by 2012, an initiative to be commended and supported.
Spareground also offers opportunities for advertising or seeking land or unused gardens for such purposes and hopefully one day, we can collaborate with the bigger groups such as Landshare and the National Trust to promote this.
For now, we can at least provide an additional source for such listings and keep our fingers crossed that it too will generate its own momentum and interest.
www.spareground.com
I am off to France tomorrow so no blog entries for a few days.
Until next time,……
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