At the end of last year we introduced a new service so that parents can order school uniform for their children online.

I have been very pleased at how popular this is with our school customers.  The have usually taken the option of offering the opportunity for parents to place their orders on line, we then embroider the garments, pack them fro each child and then deliver them to the school.  We deliver once fortnightly to greatly reduce delivery costs – and of course carbon emissions!

Ordering online means that the school staff do not have to send out order forms, collect money, collate all the orders and then place a final order with us.  Instead we set up a simple website for each school which shows only their uniform and then do the rest of the legwork leaving the teachers to teach.

The extra good thing for us is that it gives even more reason for potential new school customers to select us as their supplier.  Along side this as we are just about the only supplier who are committed to holding stock of Fairtrade certified school uniform we are getting more and more schools coming on board.  I am just about to write to the Fairtrade Foundation to update them on how well we are doing.

The Welsh and Scottish Fairtrade groups have been particularly active in letting school know about us – so a heartfelt thanks to them.  It shows too …….we have many more schools who have selected Fairtrade school uniform who are based in Wales or Scotland.

I remember well being told the story of “Walking the Path” by a Shaman at Findhorn Foundation in Scotland.  The way he told the story and the message has stayed with me.  I would like to say it has always stayed with me but – no I still have a habit of “falling in the hole”.

Here is the story.  I wish we were sitting around a fire, outside, at night, with a small breeze.  I always find this helps me hear the message.

The perfect learning environment - a fire at night

A person was walking along her path in life.  She does not see the hole in the path ahead and falls in.  She is angry this is not her fault.  Why is she in this hole.  It takes her ages to find a way out of the hole.

She is walking her path. She sees the hole in the path ahead.  She still falls in it.  She is angry even when she sees the hole she still falls in it.  She slowly finds her way out.

She is walking her path. She sees the hole.  She tenativley goes around it.  It is still hard and slow work.

She takes another path.

At the moment I sometimes find myself a bit angry, frustrated, tired.  I think I need to look out for the hole but certainly need to look for that new path.  It may be a small looking path or a very large obvious one.  But it is my path.

We are Finalists in TWO categories!

Yes we have gone it!  We have been shortlisted for the Northampton Business Excellence Awards in TWO categories.

1. Northamptonshire Most Enterprising Business

and

2. Environmental Award

We have visitors galore coming along to see us. Well I say visitors I mean judges.  Two judges from the Northampton Enterprise Partnership on Friday, another judge from LLoyds bank on Monday morning, filming in the afternoon, and the photographer in the afternoon.  PHEW!

Just writing the entry made me realise all that everyone does here at Cotton Roots and Impact Trading.  Little things like sorting the recycled paper through to bigger things like purchasing only biodegradable bags.  We are the only company in our industry I know that do this.

Enterprising because we have won major contracts this year against much larger organisation, developed new products and lead the industry with our new ethical products.  You can already watch us on the BBC when we featured on Working Lunch with Declan Murphy.

Now these awards! We will go along to an awards ceremony where the winners will be unveiled and Tom O’Connor is the celebrity host.  We hope we win. Yes we do. Exciting.

SO watch this space