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"...So what is Choose Love, who is behind it – and why are they leaving Calais? To find out, Corporate Watch has spoken to a number of former Choose Love employees, to people who have worked with the organisations it funded, and to others who have been active in Calais charity and solidarity. We have maintained all our sources’ anonymity, at their request.

Josie Naughton (2nd left) and some friends. Choose Love publicity photo.

A GROUP OF MATES MEETS A GROUP OF BANKERS

Choose Love’s origin story has been well publicised. In August 2015, at the height of the “long summer of migration”, a “group of mates” made a Twitter hashtag #HelpRefugees, asking for donations. They filled a London warehouse with supplies and drove to the Calais Jungle. This was a particularly well-connected group of mates: Josie Naughton worked as PA to the manager of Coldplay, radio DJ Lliana Bird’s partner is comedian Noel Fielding, while Dawn O’Porter was a TV presenter. A year on they had raised “£2 million and another £1 million worth of goods and services, with close to zero overheads”. Naughton had quit her day job to run the operation, then called Help Refugees, assisted by another friend Nico Stevens (now Sanders).

Explaining this overnight success, Naughton has said their “naivety was an asset”, and that working with Coldplay she “learned about how to use branding, speak to a community and run a business.” They certainly had enthusiasm and drive – but then so did many people rushing to help in the Jungle at that point. What others didn’t have were their networks, the ability to pull in big-name celebrity backers and social media influencers.

Less well-known – but just as consequential – is Choose Love’s relationship with an organisation called Prism the Gift Fund. Scroll down to the small print at the bottom of the Choose Love website, and we are told Choose Love is operating “under the auspices of Prism the Gift Fund”. Choose Love is not run as an independent charity but as a “collective fund” managed by Prism, which is itself a charity. Prism says it helps organisations like Choose Love with legal and financial issues, and “back-office support”. Prism says this allows groups like Choose Love to “focus on the cause whilst we provide the administration, governance and charitable expertise to support your charitable endeavours all over the world.”

This underplays the control Prism has over “collective funds” like Choose Love. Prism’s annual report says: “Founders [of Collective Funds] are accountable to Prism in all their activities, and Prism has full control of all financial flows”.

So who is behind Prism? Its CEO is Anna Josse, who also runs the private equity fund Regent Capital, which “specialises in investment products/services to UK-based high net worth investors” (i.e., rich people). She is supported by a board of trustees, most of whom are investment bankers and fund managers, also specialising in “wealth management” for rich clients. The exception is Lord Dolar Popat, a Conservative life peer and former junior government minister.

As well as running “collective funds” like Choose Love, Prism also manages donation funds for rich people, who want to give to charity without the trouble of setting up their own private foundations (while still maintaining the “tax benefits” from charitable giving, naturally).

Josse has done well from the fees Prism charges its clients and funds (in Choose Love’s case, 2% of its expenditure). While Prism’s activities are not for profit, it pays its staff through a private, for profit company: Prism Administration Ltd. This is co-owned by Josse and her fellow Prism co-founder businessman Gideon Lyons. Its accounts show it has made £740,000 in profit in the last four years and has paid out £610,000 to Josse and Lyons in dividends.

Anna Josse (centre) and the Prism team at the “Luxury Briefing Awards 2019”. Photo from Prism social media.

“DEFENSIVE AND SECRETIVE”

With Prism’s support Choose Love grew far beyond its Calais origins. In 2020 it raised £11.8 million and spent £9.7 million. Just over £1 million went on programmes in France, with more than £5 million in Greece, £1 million in the UK, £617,000 in Syria, and smaller amounts in another 13 locations, from Brazil to Bangladesh.

In Calais, Choose Love has supported around 10 “partner” groups. These have included aid distribution organisations like Calais Food Collective and Collective Aid, as well as projects like the Refugee Women’s Centre, Human Rights Observers, Refugee Infobus, or Maison Sesame which provides emergency accommodation. Many of these organisations, like Choose Love itself, were quite recent “start-ups” often created by British volunteers. For this reason, a lot of the funding and administrative infrastructure went through Choose Love’s major French partner, the more established local association L’Auberge des Migrants.

At the start of 2021, Josie Naughton (CEO) and Nico Sanders (deputy CEO) were now rarely seen in Calais. But there was no hint of quitting. Daily operations were run by locally-based French-speaking field managers, and Choose Love was developing a new long-term strategy for its work in the north of France.

Then came two developments, both in February 2021. First, a former Choose Love employee in Greece published allegations that she had been raped by another employee there, and accused Choose Love of failing to adequately investigate or respond. These allegations alarmed a number of the “partner” groups in Calais, who wrote a joint letter to Choose Love.

One former Choose Love employee told Corporate Watch the intention of the letter, and other demands for clarification, was “to stimulate more discussion and accountability”. But instead it “triggered a defensive reaction by top management”:

“They eventually accepted to provide answers to partners on some questions, while maintaining confidentiality on sensitive information about the case. But some people hoped for a larger discussion between Choose Love and partner organisations to learn lessons. They decided not to facilitate this, but instead to opt for a very defensive and secretive approach. This created a lot of frustration and unease amongst partner organisations, who felt like a split emerged between Choose Love and the rest of the Calais network.”

CROSSING THE LINE

In the same month, Choose Love bosses in London found out charities they funded were handing out safety information for refugees trying to cross the channel. They were mainly concerned by the “Safety at Sea” leaflets, produced by Watch the Channel. This is a small activist group linked to Calais Migrant Solidarity, the “No Borders” solidarity network which has been active in Calais since 2009, as well as to the Alarm Phone network which runs an emergency phone line for sea rescue in the Mediterranean.

Written in several of the main languages used in Calais, the leaflets give basic lifesaving information such as emergency numbers, how to send GPS coordinates to rescuers, and what to do if your engine breaks down. There are no tips on how to evade police or coastguards, just how to call them in case of shipwreck. The leaflet was checked by both French and British legal experts. It may well have saved some people’s lives.

But according to another person familiar with Choose Love’s approach on this issue:

“Choose Love’s approach and policy on this, was that volunteers from partner organisations were never to give ‘advice’ to refugees in Calais. For example, volunteers could give out emergency coastguard phone numbers, but if people asked anything more than that they should say nothing. Volunteers were also told, specifically, not to help if anyone asked about where to get life jackets. These leaflets were seen as crossing that line.”i

In May, as Calais organisations continued to share the leaflets, Choose Love got tough. It wrote a formal email to its partner associations warning them that distributing the leaflets – or even just “discussing” them – could be “regarded as criminal offences”.ii Organisations were told they had to sign a “Memorandum of Understanding” promising not to “carry out activities which risk breaching the law.”

Why did Choose Love feel the leaflets were so dangerous? The email said this position came following “a general risk review carried out by our host charity, Prism the Gift Fund.” And when Watch the Channel wrote to Choose Love disputing its position, Nico Sanders replied saying they were following legal advice “sourced from [barristers] Garden Court chambers”. Her reply also ended with a blunt statement: “We are unable to fund organisations distributing leaflets of this nature.”

The funded organisations in Calais were not happy. According to people we spoke to, none refused outright to sign the memorandum. But some held off signing, while at least one wrote back to Choose Love protesting. Some started to talk about the issue in public, including L’Auberge des Migrants, Choose Love’s main French partner. Its president François Guennoc publicly defended the leaflets, saying:

“With the other associations, we all agreed about these leaflets. They are legal, we checked this before giving them out. They are documents that save human lives.”

At the start of June, Choose Love and Prism asserted their authority. They told their partners that, from now on, they would only issue funding agreements for a month at a time. People we spoke to saw this as sending a clear message: back down over the leaflets, or lose the money. Then, at the end of June, Choose Love told all their Calais partners that their funding would end in December.

What further enraged many partners is that Choose Love ordered them to keep the news secret: a gag that held until November. The rationale for this, according to a former Choose Love employee, was that publicising the withdrawal from Calais might negatively impact Choose Love’s ongoing fundraising activities. But this meant that the Calais groups faced even greater problems: not only was their funding about to end, but they couldn’t explain their situation to potential new donors.

When we asked Choose Love about this, they told us: “This decision was communicated to partner organisations as early as possible, and grant agreements were in fact extended, to enable those affected to find alternative sources of funding should they require it.”

Also at the end of June, Choose Love axed its London-based “Advocacy” team, which had been set up to work on policy interventions. For the former employees we spoke to, this seemed a clear signal that Choose Love wasn’t just retreating from Calais, but from anything beyond the narrowest definition of humanitarian aid.

Forced camp evacuation in Grande-Synthe in November. Picture: Utopia 56.

IS IT REALLY A CRIME TO HELP PEOPLE SURVIVE AT SEA?

Did Choose Love have significant cause to fear legal risks from the sea safety leaflets? It’s hard to see how. Choose Love’s email to partners mentioned a section of immigration law (Section 25) on “facilitating entry”, i.e., helping people enter the country illegally. But there are no cases of this law being used in anything like the situation of handing out a safety leaflet.

Indeed, as the recent acquittal of Iranian refugee Fouad Kakaei shows, even actually steering a boat across the Channel isn’t in itself illegal. If the aim is to claim asylum, people are openly heading to a British port not trying to evade the coast guards, and it’s not being done for financial gain, then this is not “facilitating illegal entry”. It seems even less likely that someone could be successfully prosecuted just for giving out safety information, aiming to save people’s lives. And less likely still that Choose Love or Prism would be prosecuted just because they give unconnected funding to others who give out these leaflets.

Choose Love’s managers have refused to discuss the legal advice they received from Garden Court, citing “legal privilege”.iii They did not answer our questions about this legal advice or how it affected their decision to end funding. It seems possible that Garden Court, as is typical in barristers’ advice, may have identified the theoretical possibility of a prosecution. Which is not the same thing as saying it was at all likely. Ultimately, any legal advice would still leave the responsibility with the clients – Choose Love, or Prism – to decide what level of risk they were willing to face. The answer is apparently: not much at all.

The law may get tougher in future. Responding to the media hysteria about boat crossings, the government’s new Nationality and Borders Bill could potentially criminalise even people trying to reach a port to claim asylum. But there should still remain a defence for people giving out information to try and save lives.

And, of course, this law hasn’t yet been passed. As a group has written on the Oxford University Law Faculty’s Border Criminologies blog:

“Given the hostile agenda at the heart of the Nationality and Borders Bill, caution around criminalisation is understandable. But rather than minimising this chance, the actions of Choose Love risk making it even more likely. Without prompting or legal precedent, they took it upon themselves to define certain forms of support as (potentially) criminal, signaling their own distance from, and disapproval, of this work. This pre-emptive move in effect enforces the border on the UK’s behalf, criminalising particular routes to the UK, and anyone even seen to be supporting those travelling on them.”

UNDER PRESSURE?

Choose Love’s only public statement on the decision to leave Calais is a handwritten note posted on Instagram on 2 November. It says: “this year we find ourselves in a place where we have had to make some difficult decisions and we have news which we are delivering with heavy hearts.” But no explanation. Just: “as a result of many contributing factors, including the pandemic, we initiated an internal and external review of our strategy.”

When we asked Choose Love if they could explain further, they sent us a very similar statement: “The decision to end funding for some projects in northern France was not taken lightly. It followed in-depth internal and external reviews into how we carry out our work […]”.iv

Some people in Calais we spoke to believe the Home Office may have deliberately exerted pressure to break Choose Love’s backing for groups supporting migrants there. Boat crossings from Calais have become a central political issue – and massive media headache – for Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Choose Love’s top management was in contact with the Home Office. In February, as the rape allegations and leaflet issues kicked off, Josie Naughton was preparing for a meeting with members of Priti Patel’s policy team about unaccompanied children in Calais. Another possible conduit is Prism’s Tory Lord, Lord Popat. He has worked with Priti Patel before, including on a major trade mission to India in 2013. There were certainly opportunities for ministers or officials to “lean on” Choose Love – but no evidence that this ever happened.

How involved was Prism in the decision to quit Calais? We have already seen it has significant formal power over Choose Love. This appears to have been exercised in practice. One former Choose Love employee told Corporate Watch:

“Prism played a very big role in Choose Love’s decision-making. Prism employees attended many of the Choose Love internal meetings and had a very close relationship with the top management team. After the rape allegation, it was Prism who carried out the investigation on behalf of Choose Love. I think that says a lot about their dynamics.”

Another recalls how:

“when Choose Love announced the funding was being cut, there were hints that they didn’t really want to do this, it was coming from Prism and their hands were tied. Of course all of that was very vague, they never disclosed what the risk review actually concluded.”

We asked both Choose Love and Prism what discussions they had with the Home Office, and whether these had influenced their decision. We also asked both to explain the decision-making relationship between them. Choose Love did not directly answer the question about discussions with the Home Office, but told us:

Our decision was ours and ours alone. All financial decisions are fully audited by Prism the Gift Fund, who oversee Choose Love to provide the highest levels of financial oversight and governance, ensuring we meet the highest regulatory standards, and it is independently audited and fully compliant with the Charity Commission.”

Prism told us:

“Choose Love’s decision to end funding for some projects in northern France was entirely its own decision.” It also said: “We were aware of the decision but our involvement was rightly limited to overseeing the highest standards of financial oversight and governance.”v

Priti Patel and Lord Dolar Popat, Prism trustee, together at the Conservative Party conference 2015. Patel and Popat are immediately on either side of the banner. Picture: Bob Blackman MP.

LOVE WITHOUT COMMITMENT

In Calais, Choose Love’s managers faced several pressures. They faced new demands for accountability from their funded organisations; some perceived legal risk, however low; and, possibly, political pressure from the Home Office. We don’t know exactly what factors shaped their decision. What we do know is that, as these pressures mounted, they quit their commitment to Calais.

Perhaps that’s hardly surprising. Choose Love and Prism came to dominate the supply of humanitarian funding to Calais almost overnight. This put considerable power over vulnerable people into the hands of two groups of decision-makers. One was Choose Love: a “group of mates” from the London media world, who openly admitted their “naivety”. The other was Prism: a charity manager for the rich, run by investment bankers and a Conservative Lord.

One person who worked with Choose Love reflects: “my first impression when I realised how they worked was that they were ill prepared, just not competent. But then, there is only a certain amount you can justify as lack of preparedness or poor leadership.”

Maybe it wouldn’t matter so much if all people needed in Calais were deliveries of food and other aid. But Calais has never been just a “humanitarian crisis” – if there is ever such a thing. The desperation and death here is a direct result of the border, created by media and politicians, enforced by police and security guards. When even sharing basic sea safety information becomes a political battleground, showing solidarity means being called to make a stand. If standing with refugees means choosing love, that love also requires commitment.

IF YOU WANT TO SEND MONEY TO NORTHERN FRANCE:

Calais Migrant Solidarity / Watch the Channel:

The Calais Migrant Solidarity network has been active in Calais since 2009, practising solidarity not charity. Watch the Channel shares sea safety information and monitors the UK and French authorities “to ensure that the coastguards fulfil their duties under international maritime law to rescue people in distress.” It doesn’t have its own bank account but donations can be sent via CMS.

https://calaismigrantsolidarity.wordpress.com/donate/

Calais Appeal:

Calais Appeal is a group of seven humanitarian aid organisations working in Calais: Calais Food Collective, Collective Aid, Human Rights Observers, Refugee Women’s Centre, Refugee Info Bus, Woodyard and Project Play. They have set up this joint emergency appeal fund after having their funding cut by Choose Love.

https://www.calaisappeal.co.uk/

iThere is a distinction in UK law between giving “immigration advice”, e.g., advising an individual on their specific case, and sharing general “information”. In an email exchange with Choose Love, Watch the Channel pointed this out and asked that Choose Love stop referring to their leaflet as giving “advice”.

"We understand that some civil society organisations in Calais may, as of recently, be carrying out activities (such as, non-exhaustively, creating, distributing and discussing leaflets giving advice on making Channel crossings) which might be regarded as criminal offences under section 25 [of the Immigration Act 1971].”

In an email to Watch the Channel, Nico Sanders of Choose Love wrote: “We can confirm we received legal advice

which we are unable to share in order for it to remain legally privileged.” When we also asked them about the legal advice, they did not respond to the question.

Choose Love’s statement in full: “The decision to end funding for some projects in northern France was not taken lightly. It followed in-depth internal and external reviews into how we carry out our work, and was made to ensure we can continue to achieve positive change for the people we support through the organisations we fund.

“As a result of these reviews, we made the decision to focus funding on two charities working with unaccompanied minors in northern France. We look forward to continuing our work with them to support children and young people. This decision was communicated to partner organisations as early as possible, and grant agreements were in fact extended, to enable those affected to find alternative sources of funding should they require it.

“Our decision was ours and ours alone. All financial decisions are fully audited by Prism the Gift Fund, who oversee Choose Love to provide the highest levels of financial oversight and governance, ensuring we meet the highest regulatory standards, and it is independently audited and fully compliant with the Charity Commission.”

Prism’s responses in full:

“Choose Love is a restricted funds operating under the auspices of Prism the Gift Fund (Prism). Our Trustees oversee all income and expenditure of the Collective, ensuring it operates to the highest regulatory standards. We are therefore fully aware of all decisions taken by Choose Love and fully aware of its projects.

“The decision to focus funding in northern France on two charities supporting unaccompanied minors was a decision made by Choose Love...."

Choose Love, in a nutshell.

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chapter one; wayward son

Enna Scanlan bounced in her computer chair. Only two hours to go before Owen’s return to their village in around six years. Her best friend, Grace, stared at her over her mug, an amused smile across her face and dark green eyes creased. Enna’s eyes had been flicking over to the clock on the other side of the room since she got in at nine this morning. Her personal phone was barely out of her sight and checked every five minutes. It was usually kept tucked away in her bag in case their boss caught sight of it. ‘No personal phones in the office’ until lunch time was a strict rule. Then, Enna had devoted the entirety of today’s lunch hour to chasing signal around the huge office and cursing their hotel’s terrible location.

“He’s not texted then?” Grace asked mildly, sipping her tea, and twirling a red curl. That glare was thrown at her again. She chuckled, “I don’t get it- you’re in contact everyday, why is today any different?”

Enna and Owen couldn’t go a single day without contacting each other. There was always some text or phone call to interrupt her day. Enna had once gone away with her boyfriend on a surprise trip and had neglected to tell Owen. Two days had passed without contact and Owen had gotten so worried he’d rung Enna’s mum. There had been a long talk about boundaries after that, but their daily contact had resumed.

“Today is the day I finally see him,” Enna said, looking so excited Grace might have been a little jealous had she not already understood that she always came second to Owen. If only Sean, Enna’s boyfriend, would remember that too. Nothing could break Enna and Owen’s bond from birth, including not seeing each other for a year or two.

Enna sighed and grabbed her mug. Just as she began to stand to go to the kettle, she saw that Grace had already poured them their 3pm brews. She raised her mug, a kitsch red and blue offering, in an apologetic salute.

Enna knew she could become a little occupied in her friendship with Owen, but she’d never been this bad before. They’d been best friends growing up and in university but had still managed lives outside of each other. The ever-lengthening time apart and Owen’s sudden urge to come home had made Enna realise just how long it had been. They’d always planned visits but with life happening all around them it had never quite panned out as often as it should.

“Sorry,” Enna grimaced when she realised that she’d gotten lost in her head again. Grace just laughed, used to the memory lane disappearances by now.

“No worries. Just remember you’ve got ‘the future Mrs O’Donaghue’ breathing down your neck.”

“Oh f-” Enna squealed. Dragon Bride, a young woman who only answered to ‘the future Mrs O’Donaghue’, was getting married in a week’s time and her wish list only kept growing. As events coordinator for the hotel Enna had dealt with many difficult clients over the years. Dragon Bride beat them all. Enna shuddered to think of the consequences of ignoring her.

Two hours later, Enna pretended to bash her forehead against her desk as a high-pitched voice screeched into her ear, “this of the utmostimportant! Do you understand?”

Enna breathed in deeply through her nose and bunched her hair into a fist, “ma’am. Your wedding is in two weeks, it might be difficult to find a petting zoo to rent out in that time.” Her exhale whistled through gritted teeth.

“I don’t want it for the wedding! I want it for the hen do. Is this making sense to you now?” Dragon Bride yelled again. Enna’s knuckles whitened in her hair.

“That is in a week so it’s the same-”

“Just get it done.” Dialling tone rung loud in her ear.

She raised her head from her desk and stared at the phone. She let out a loud, frustrated squawk and slammed the phone down, “This woman is a nightmare!”

“Who’s a nightmare?” A cheerful voice cut through Enna’s frustration. She jumped with a yelp. Swivelling around in her seat she saw her boss, Conor, beaming widely at her. A charismatic man, half the office was in love with him. Blonde hair flopped over his twinkling eyes, always looking suitably messy from his paddle-boarding habit. He looked so much like a stereotypical Australian surfer that it was sometimes a little difficult taking him seriously as her boss.

“The future Mrs O’Donaghue.” Grace supplied, voice light with barely contained amusement.

“Ah,” Conor nodded, “the Dragon?” Enna blinked at his flippant tone. He was a very relaxed boss, insisted everyone called him and his wife by their first names, invited all of his staff down to the pub every Friday and knew them all by name, right down to the ground staff he saw maybe once a year, but usually he was quite respectful towards clients. Enna nodded dumbly.

“What did she want this time?” There was an annoyance in his voice that Enna couldn’t quite parse. Conor never got involved in her clients until Enna came to him with a problem. Then he’d hear the problem from both sides and try to help her solve the issue. She’d only mentioned Dragon Bride once in passing and Conor had dismissed her worries, promising to take her side in whatever.

“A petting zoo!” Grace replied with malicious glee. Enna shot her a look over her shoulder and got a quiet ‘what’ shrug back.

“Who’s paying for the wedding?” Conor asked without preamble, “trust fund baby?” It clicked in Enna’s head. Despite his own wealth from being a hotelier Conor was a snob about rich people. He hated people who had been born into wealth rather than working for it. He thought it made them spoilt and irresponsible. In the case of Dragon Bride, he was right.

“Her father,” Enna muttered. She didn’t want to add fuel to a possible tirade about the plight of the common people. Grace was giggling behind her, turning it into a cough when Conor furrowed his brows at her.

“Ignore her! If she complains I won’t take any notice. Just do your best! And put your phone away,” He nodded towards to Enna’s beeping phone, “oh wait, look it’s five. Pack up lads and ladies! It’s home time! Who’s coming to the pub?” He grinned and swung his arms around to suggest everyone wrap up what they were doing. Everyone instantly stood, having waited for their boss’ weekly pub invitation. Enna picked up her phone with a wry grin towards her eccentric boss, huddling people out of the door. A text from Owen awaited her – he had arrived.

She bolted for the door.

She arrived at the small, red brick bus station twenty minutes late and swearing the entire time. The bendy country roads, thankfully leaf free this time of year, were difficult to navigate anyway. Having vengeful farmers move their herds during rush hour just made it an exercise in anger management. She parked the car across the road, kicked the door shut with another loud curse and looked up to laughter.

Across the road, crouched against the bus station’s toilets walls, was Owen and he was laughing at her. He ran a hand through his hair. Enna grinned back at him, anger instantly melting away. She surreptitiously studied him as she tried to get to him. It had only been around two years since she’d gone to see him in the UK, but he looked untouched by that time. His hair still swung messily around his ears and his eyes still creased when he smiled.

“Sorry!” She yelled over the traffic, “I meant to text but signal on this road y’know,” she carried on as she ran across a gap in the cars going home from the city. Owen waved a dismissive hand as he stood and held his arms out. She threw herself into them apologising profusely, “Alan-”

“-is still punishing us mere mortals for not choosing God’s own profession by letting his sheep loose during rush hour?”

“Exactly!” She beamed as she drew away. Her eyes darted down to what he had been crouched over, “is that all you have?” Disappointment washed over her as she eyed the small duffle bag.

Owen laughed loudly. He ruffled her hair before dropping an arm around her shoulder. Picking up his bag, he guided her towards the luggage hold office opposite the ticket booth. Two huge suitcases stood in wait, “fear not little one, I’m here a while.” Enna let out a breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding. It was time to bring Owen home.

Later that night, and one sheep free journey later, the two stood outside their old home away from home. Ramble Inn was an old pub in a beautiful Georgian building with red trims around the window. The door had also been red at one point, but the paint had now peeled and faded to a faint pink. As they were growing up it had been their second living room. It was where they came after Mass, where they came after a match, and where they came after school once you hit fifteen. Try as you might though, Tom would never serve you.

Owen laughed at memories of a bygone era. Him, Enna, Grace and Liam, Enna’s older brother, clustered around a table playing dominoes with the old men. They’d enjoyed playing at being adults and the real adults had enjoyed indulging them. He wondered if they were still there.

“Tom still won’t serve you underage.” Enna guessed at his previous thoughts. Owen rubbed at his beard. One night, drunk and seventeen, Owen had tried to get served. He’d gotten quite rowdy; Tom had thrown him out and he’d landed on his face. He’d never forgotten the pain of a dislocated jaw.

“Tom’s still psychic, knows everyone ages, even the passers through. Kids don’t get anything but juice,” Enna grinned at him lost in his misty-eyed memories.

“You two going to stand outside here all night?” A voice cut through their reverie. They turned their head in unison. Caoimhe Walsh stood there with a hand on her hip and bright eyes fixed on Owen. A more recent addition to the village, a blow-in from Dublin, Caoimhe had been an instant hit. Tall, blonde, and beautiful, she was everything Enna wasn’t but every bit as sweet as she looked.

“Keev!” Enna grinned, “thought you were out with the girls tonight?” Unlike Enna, who found socialising wearing, Caoimhe thrived on it, flitting happily between social groups, welcomed by most.

“Yeah, we decided on a quiet one instead.” She slung an arm around Enna’s shoulder and threw a hand up to the Ramble Inn’s curling gold letters. Enna snorted. Caoimhe shot a wolfish grin back. They both knew she’d have no such thing.

Caoimhe’s eyes finally strayed to where Owen was looking at them with a slightly dumb smile on his face. Noticing Caoimhe looking at him, Owen offered a slightly dumb wave.

“Owen?” Caoimhe’s eyes went wide and, after a beat, threw her arms around him in a massive hug, “oh my god, you’re that Owen?”

Enna blinked rapidly at them. Keev had moved the village long after Owen had left. Although she had featured heavily in the stories Enna told him, he never mentioned knowing her.

“You’re that Caoimhe?” His laugh was jubilant as he picked her up, “I never made the link! Enna talks about you all the time. Oh, Eni, do you remember that business trip I took like two months ago?” Owen turned back to her when he caught sight of her tilted head and querying expression.

Caoimhe came back to Enna’s side and slid her hand into the hook of Enna’s arm. She grinned at her expectantly, “and remember that holiday I took two months ago?” She prompted when Enna didn’t connect the dots straight away. It must have all been too exciting because she didn’t wait for a response, “well we met at this bar, got chatting and when I said I was living in Ballygra… how did we not make the connection?”

Enna pulled a face. It certainly seemed a little unbelievable. There were so few people in the village and none with her name. Before she could query it, Keev said,

“Can’t believe Ballygra produces such hot men.” She winked at him. He nodded and winked back with a flirtatious grin. Enna snorted.

Nothing had changed then. It had been like this since he was about twenty-one. That’s when the braces had finally come off, bed head stopped being his only hair style and he’d discovered the power of personal hygiene. Since then people had flocked around him. She saw it, of course, but actual attraction was hard to summon when you’d seen them hungover countless times since you were fourteen.

“Are you coming to Midnight’s, Owen?” Caoimhe beamed as the thought occurred to her.

Saturday lunch at Café Midnight was their tradition; Enna, Liam, Grace and Caoimhe. Sometimes Sean would pop in his head, but Friday night was Boys Night and lunches were usually slept through as a healing process. Caoimhe dragged the pair inside instead of waiting for an answer. She already knew that, when together, where Enna was Owen would also be.

The Ramble Inn was the same as Owen remembered it. The wooden bar stood proud in the middle; battered, worn, and smelling of spilled beer and disinfectant. Old, wobbly stools stood guard including the one Enna had completely unpicked when she was fifteen. Tom had made her re-sew another one and, despite it being the ugliest thing in the world, he had made her sit on it every time she came in for years.

It was filled with the usual Friday night suspects. On the right-hand side, the men still played their dominoes. Old Man Charlie still had his whiskey clutched in his hand and an unlit cigarette hanging from his lips, smoking ban be damned.

On the left-hand side sat the younger crowd, some with kids because who wanted to cook on a Friday night? Teenagers tucked in the corner with juice, a group playing darts. Tom stood through it all, keeping court with a raggedy dishcloth tossed over his shoulder. The only difference was Tom’s hair now silver all over and there were extra wrinkles around his eyes. A spotty teenager served as a glass collector.

Caoimhe left Owen’s side the moment they entered. A group of women sitting at the back waved her over. One of them nodded to Owen and Caoimhe flew over to them to spread the gossip of his return.

Owen turned for Enna, but she had already brushed past. She nodded to all the familiar faces as she moved towards the bar. She leant on it, sitting on her stool, and laughed at whatever Tom said to her. Then she turned to point at Owen still standing by the door. Tom’s bushy eyebrows shot up.

“You’ve grown boy!” Tom yelled over the pub noise. It fell quiet. Everyone looked over at him. He shifted on his feet and offered an awkward wave. It took a few seconds, but the pub noise swelled once they recognised Ballygra’s wayward son. Old Man Charlie and his group raised their glasses. Tom beckoned him over. He shuffled over and Tom busied himself by the bar,

“You still Jameson’s?” He grinned his familiar, crooked smile and pushed a glass towards him. His returning smile was awkward, wondering how his jaw might last this encounter. A beer was in Enna’s hand and he raised an eyebrow. All through university Enna had been a cocktail girl, proudly declaring beer to be nothing but ‘wheat water’. She noticed his pointed look.

“Well, you’ve got to lower your standards for this place,” the wink she sent Tom was waved good-naturedly away.

Suddenly a large set of arms wrapped themselves around Enna’s waist. Lips pressed against her cheek and told her, “You’re late. Took your time getting here, didn’t you?” The tone aimed for teasing but missed.

“Sean! I had to pick Owen up and say hi to his mam of course,” Enna laughed. She turned around and reached up to peck him on the lips.

“How could I forget?” There was a slight edge to Sean’s voice that made Owen prickle slightly. Sean reached over with his hand extended. Owen shook it, proud that he only winced a little at the firm grip. The two men then regarded each other coolly over Enna’s head. She pretended not to notice, preferring to ignore a problem until it went away. Instead, she busied herself with looking around the pub for someone. The two men regarded each other. Sean was dark haired, blue-eyed, and muscular, the exact type Enna had lusted after all these years. Owen was brown haired, brown-eyed and, in Enna’s eyes, still wearing his teenage skin. Sean offered him a smile that never reached his eyes and turned away.

“She’s over there with Conor.” Sean said. Conor and Grace sat in a booth with their heads bent over a piece of paper. His beautiful wife, Sarah, sat on the other side of the pub, playing on her phone. Waving to Sarah, Enna grabbed Owen’s hand and pulled Owen towards her friend. Sean was shrugged off and sulked over to his darts group. His friend heard his complaining and clapped him on the shoulder. Sean hadn’t been in the village long enough to understand the friendship but everyone else had.

As the pair approached Grace and Conor, Enna narrowed her eyes on the piece of paper they were looking at. It was on the hotel stationery. Rarely was work brought to the pub, only during a big event at the hotel, and if it was, Enna’s presence was required. She strained her head forward to try and get a better look. Instead, it alerted the pair to their arrival. Grace glanced up. Her eyes widened and she kicked Conor under the table. He jerked up. It took a second but then he shot them his signature twinkle. The paper got surreptitiously tucked away into his inside jacket pocket.

“Owen!” Grace cried as she launched herself up and threw her arms around him. Enna was almost jealous of the amount of people hurling themselves at him.

Owen punched out a laugh as he braced for impact. His eyebrows shot up at her reaction. Sure, they’d grown up together, but it had been Enna and Owen, Liam and Grace. It had changed with Owen moving away and Liam getting a job as a GP in the next town over. It had become Enna and Grace with Grace falling out of contact Owen and taking less to Liam.

“How are you doing Grey?” Owen’s voice went soft, once more lost in memory. Grace shot him a wide smile. She placed her hands on his cheeks and gave them a pat, like she used to do.

She turned back to the table, “this is Conor, I mean Mr Murray!” Grace presented him with an arm flourish, “our boss,” she tacked on when the confused silence lengthened. Owen, not one to be rude, offered up a hand and a friendly greeting. Conor stood to clap him on the back before making his excuses to return to Sarah. Enna watched for a moment before she turned around to eye Grace.

“Number puzzles,” she said, “he finds one, sometimes in work, I help him if he’s stuck. You know Sarah has no head for numbers. Anyway, you back then?” The pair slipped into Conor’s vacated space. Grace dragged her eyes around the wayward son, “my, my you havegrown up.”

God, why did everyone keep saying that? Enna turned to assess him again. All she could see was the friend she’d helped get over ex’s, whose hair she’d held back during the morning afters.

“I don’t know.” He huffed to Grace’s question, “I told myself a month and then back to work.” A wistful look stole over his face as he turned it about the room. Some of Caoimhe’s friends were looking back over their drinks. The Old Boys kept flicking their eyes over, clearly wondering at how to treat him. Was he still considered one of their own after so long away? Was he a blow-in, like Conor and Caoimhe? Tom still wore holes in the floor behind the bar. The darts game ended with groans and Sean fist-pumping the air, “but who knows? This place – it’s home.”

Sean sidled over now that he’d won his game. He came to stand by Owen, looking down his nose pointedly at him. Owen avoided his gaze; seemingly engrossed by the bottom of his glass. Sean hovered a second more before sliding in beside Grace with a pout. Enna swallowed. Well, this might be awkward.

[shattersstar]

Do you know where I can find that email template to send to Lush?

Hi lovely so i found the template bc gia ford resposted on her instagram story but i cannot find the original post as it is no longer on her story either so! I am gonna copy and paste the email here with all the instructions on who to send to, photos and more BUT i would like to make it very, very clear that this is NOT my email, photos, idea, etc. I simply cannot find the original creator (and if someone does I would greatly appreciate being told so i can give them credit where its due) and still want the lush to be held accountable. It’s also quite long so I will undercut it.

Subject is: Black Lives Matter

The recipients are: wecare@lush.co.uk, lushpr@lush.co.uk, charitypot@lush.co.uk

The photos to attach (some of which are from the post as well) I will add at the bottom.

“ Dear Lush,

You have stated in a recent Instagram post that ‘Black Lives Matter’. As an customer I feel that this is an empty performative statement unless you commit to distributing your enormous wealth to supporting the Black Lives Matter campaign, and other Black-led organisations and funds. An example of a cosmetic company doing this is Glossier, who have committed to donating $500,000 to ‘organisations focused on combating racial injustice’. You have stated that you are donating through your charity pot scheme, but this is not enough in a desperate time of need. You have and will continue to profit off Black labour, both from material suppliers and your Black staff, who are in the minority. What are you doing to repay this labour and ensure that Black lives are not treated as disposable? Your statement does not go far enough to even begin rectifying the amount of strain that Black people have faced in our climate. You need to prioritise Black lives and welfare. In your UK statement, you said that ‘racism is woven unseen into the fabric of our society’. The metaphorical language used to discuss the very real consequences that race has on Black lives is not only trivialising but disrespectful. Slapping the message onto an image of fraying denim for emphasis only elevates the ignorance and superficiality of what you are putting across.

Lush CEO Mark Constantine has been posting on his Facebook about making lush donations to the police whilst we are witnessing extreme police brutality against Black people. He posted in support of the police one day after George Floyd was brutally murdered by police. This is not only happening in the US but in the UK too. The CEO of lush is actively supporting an institution which is directly harming Black people across the world. He has since continued to post on Facebook about the wonders of bird sounds, proving that he does not recognise the critical nature of the Black Lives Matter movement. Rather, it proves he is indifferent to Black oppression.

You have stated that you are going to release a charity product to raise funds for Black Lives Matter organisations, but why are you relying on customer funding to support this? I would like to see you match all profits made from the product as the minimum.

I would also like to know how you are committed to fighting racism and prioritising Black welfare throughout your company in the long term. Lush is a white-owned company and should be confronting white issues. A campaign should address and educate the public on white fragility and privilege so that Lush’s majority white consumers can acknowledge their societal positions and start taking accountability. You have stated that you are committed to listening to what you have done wrong regarding race and to correcting these mistakes. We need Black voices to be heard and prioritised, and feedback Lush receives must be taken seriously and acted upon. How will you ensure that Black people can speak out about experiences with racism amongst management/colleagues and customers without facing additional repercussions within Lush?

We know that Black people and people of colour are four times more likely to die from Covid-19. What is Lush doing to prioritise the safety of Black employees during the return to work period starting on the 15th of June? Mark Constantine also recently posted on his Facebook page that he has ‘decided that Covid 19 will disappear by August’ and that we should not ‘start on about all them negative second waves’. He is disregarding the fact that reopening shops would contribute to the possibility of a second wave. This would especially put his Black employees in danger. Meanwhile, he has mentioned in another post that he and co-founder Mo Constantine ‘are self isolating until the end of June’ because they are ‘average sixty something, diabetic etc’. This is white privilege. The furlough scheme is still available to protect employees, and they deserve to be prioritised just as much. We are also aware that Lush has expressed concerns about becoming financially bankrupt during the pandemic. With your focus being so heavily on financial worries, you put yourself at risk of moral bankruptcy by prioritising profit over people. Without Black labour, which is responsible for many staple ingredients for your products, Lush would become financially bankrupt anyway. You owe much of your financial profit and gain to Black lives.

If you believe that you truly are an ethical campaigning company, it is time to step up. You cannot support animal and environmental rights whilst not actively doing anything for the Black community. It took you an entire week to make the statement that you did. Silence is complicity, and it is unacceptable.

Signed,

[insert name] “

The photos to attach:

[brasspeak0]

Training & Females

Drive To Get Even More Women Coaching Launched

Content

We Are The Wild Women:.

Women In Training.

It will work well for you if you're somebody that's naturally encouraged to step back, show, as well as integrate your experiences, a person that is open to brand-new reasoning and practices. It'll help you establish on your own as well as understand for sure you are securely established on a purposeful, extending leadership course. I was a football train for a kids team numerous years back and also wound up retiring as all comments made on my mentoring were the look of my legs in shorts which as a female I do not understand football! I moved on to track and field which is a much more equivalent sport with really little stereotype for female trains. Gary has actually consented to sustain Project 500 as a male ambassador and is an eager advocate for raising the variety of women instructors throughout all sports, to unleash an entire series of previously concealed abilities which can only boost sporting activity in its entirety.

Regionally, as an example, the study proof has underpinned instructor growth workshops with female trains. Nationally, the study has actually also educated campaigns of controling bodies to resolve sporting activity organisational modification in order to improve sex equity within coaching. This job has actually directly educated the organisational methods of the companion NGBs. The work of Carnegie staff has actually likewise been cited straight as underpinning nationwide governing body methods and treatments in the direction of the development of women trains and also training of females and women. At the Listening Collaboration our coaches deal with women at every stage in their leadership careers, throughout all markets. Whatever stage you go to, whatever problems you 'd like to elevate, our highly skilled women coaches can be trusted to challenge and encourage genuine development as well as development in your management career.

We Are The Wild Women:.

Organisations that POWERful Women recognize that work in this location are given on the right-hand side. Our personalised mentoring programs incorporate our competence in efficiency coachingwith a specialised strategy to management change for ladies. It wasgreat to see women instructors share their reality experiences they have facedof stereotypes in training.

How much is a confidence coach?

How much does life coaching usually cost? Most life coaches working with individuals charge about $200 to $1,000 per month for a 30- to 60-minute call three or four times a month. Executive coaches charge more and typically work with their clients for two hours a month. It all works out to about $100 to $300 per hour.

Organization as well as occupation coaching are ending up being significantly common to aid executive leaders reach their organisational capacity, and also since everyone has inherently different abilities, it is important to tailor mentoring styles to a customer's requirements. https://hertford.trusted-coaching.co.uk/women/ and also high-performance coaching are 2 really efficient methods to resolve the business's requirements with the person. Likewise, training women leaders is a really reliable method to address gender inequality in middle and also upper monitoring positions. " I have actually seen a boost in the variety of ladies gaining their coaching diplomas in recent times," she claimed. " There has been a focus from UEFA to establish as well as support female trains as well as provide women's coaching support to the national organizations." To find out more click links below or contact Sarah Friday at Our specialist exec mentoring for women will match you if you've reached a point in your occupation where you're keen to spend time in yourself.

Females In Coaching.

If you believe our exec mentoring for females can be just what you need, please call Jude Elliman. Jude and also her group of coaches, have remained in leadership duties themselves as well as have a wealth of experience coaching women in a whole selection of different leadership contexts. Women coaching Hemel Hempstead is an effective procedure to sustain personal and leadership growth as well as profession development. Training allows you to recognize and also take advantage of your toughness, mitigate your weak points and develop your capacity to transition properly right into a top leadership function. Watford coaching service Women tends to be much more task-orientated as well as of a shorter period than mentoring as well as some leaders locate it handy.

Given that football is a male-dominated sport and that there is a sticking around stigma that females's sport is viewed as additional to men's, females coaches do not feel confident in their ability to tackle greater positions of leadership.

Regionally, for instance, the research study proof has underpinned train growth workshops with women coaches.

Nationally, the research study has additionally notified campaigns of regulating bodies to resolve sporting activity organisational adjustment in order to improve sex equity within training.

While male instructors might experience comparable stressors, current study recognized that the socio-historical context has been left out of previous study, which ladies are a lot more vulnerable to a few of them.

Current research has actually found that female coaches lack the confidence to take on higher leadership positions, as an example.

The proof from the programme of research study at Carnegie has actually been utilized by nationwide sport organisations as well as regulating bodies to underpin regional and also national treatments to enhance sex equity within sport mentoring workforces.

While male trainers may experience comparable stressors, current research study identified that the socio-historical context has actually been left out of previous study, and that ladies are more at risk to several of them. Recent study has actually found that women trains do not have the self-confidence to take on greater management settings, for example. Considered that football is a male-dominated sporting activity which there is a sticking around stigma that females's sport is viewed as additional to males's, ladies instructors do not feel great in their capability to handle higher positions of leadership. The proof from the program of research at Carnegie has been made use of by nationwide sport organisations as well as controling bodies to underpin regional as well as national interventions to improve gender equity within sporting activity training workforces.

Whatever your circumstances, we will certainly do this in ways that are completely pertinent to you and also your organisational context. Forbes discovers that mentoring women execs assists to raise self-awareness, manage the politics of company, as well as get over the restricting beliefs that include being a lady leader. Creating ladies that are lower or middle-level managers support the progression of women leaders.

With some, needing to show themselves to their male equivalents confirmed a problem. Forothers, showing they had the abilities as well as understanding sufficed to be seen as equivalent.

When it concerns leadership, females are equally as capable as men, and in fact rack up higher than guys in lots of locations that are key to differentiating an excellent leader and also an average leader. A study by the American Psychological Association discovers that females are transformational leaders and also coaches who assist various other employees create their abilities and also creativity. They acknowledge as well as award excellent efficiency, which encourages constant improvement. They are ranked higher in locations such as strength, initiative, emotional knowledge, development, and also monitoring of relationships. Leveraging these qualities through training is an excellent way to aid satisfy your business's needs.

What are the three roles of a coach?

Typical responsibilities include:teaching relevant skills, tactics and techniques. monitoring and enhancing performance by providing tuition, encouragement and constructive feedback. identifying strengths and weaknesses. advising about health and lifestyle issues. developing training programmes. More items

As mentioned in the past, only 38% of managers are women, so if coaching can boost that number, there will be a lot more ladies good example and also variety of perspective at the management level. Lastly, mentoring is confirmed to aid ladies with efficiency, complete satisfaction, as well as well-being in the work environment, specifically when women are more subject to examination at greater levels of a company. As a females's service and also life train, I see ladies everyday that are being held back by their absence of self idea and also charlatan disorder. My money mindset as well as self-confidence training and also management training courses are made to aid you get rid of personal and also expert issues so you can end up being the most effective version of you. Coaching is one particular development treatment that is verified to assist women discover just how to browse their way with this maze, along with finding out how to be much more pro-active in developing their occupation themselves. The programme features scholarship honors, women-only programs, UEFA technical instructor-led workshops as well as mentorship schemes to achieve these objectives. The new leadership programme will certainly include six of the most effective female instructors in the UK supplying crucial support as well as development opportunities for the next aspiring generation of elite trainers.

[justsomeantifas]

If nearly a decade interviewing the wealth managers for the 1% taught me anything, it is that the ultra-rich and the ultra-poor have a lot more in common than stereotypes might lead you to believe.

In conversation, wealth managers kept coming back to the flamboyant vices of their clients. It was quite unexpected, in the course of discussing tax avoidance, to hear professional service providers say things like:

“I’ve told my colleagues: ‘If I ever become like some of our clients, shoot me.’ Because they are really immoral people – too much time on their hands, and all the money means they have no limits. I was actually told by one client not to bring my wife on a trip to Monaco unless I wanted to see her get hit on by 10 guys. The local sport, he said, was picking up other men’s wives.”

The clients of this Geneva-based wealth manager also “believe that they are descended from the pharaohs, and that they were destined to inherit the earth”.

If a poor person voiced such beliefs, he or she might well be institutionalized; for those who work with the wealthy, however, such “eccentricities” are all in a day’s work. Indeed, an underappreciated irony of accelerating economic inequality has been the way it has exposed behaviors among the ultra-rich that mirror the supposed “pathologies” of the ultra-poor.

In fact, one of the London-based wealth managers I interviewed said that a willingness to accept with equanimity behavior that would be considered outrageous in others was an informal job requirement. Clients, he said, specifically chose wealth managers not just on technical competence, but on their ability to remain unscandalized by the private lives of the ultra-rich: “They [the clients] have to pick someone they want to know everything about them: about Mother’s lesbian affairs, Brother’s drug addiction, the spurned lovers bursting into the room.” Many of these clients are not employed and live off family largesse, but no one calls them lazy.

As Lane and Harburg put it in the libretto of the musical Finian’s Rainbow:

When a rich man doesn’t want to work

He’s a bon vivant, yes, he’s a bon vivant

But when a poor man doesn’t want to work

He’s a loafer, he’s a lounger

He’s a lazy good for nothing, he’s a jerk

When the wealthy are revealed to be drug addicts, philanderers, or work-shy, the response is – at most – a frisson of tabloid-level curiosity, followed by a collective shrug.

Behaviors indulged in the rich are not just condemned in the poor, but used as a justification to punish them, denying them access to resources that keep them alive, such as healthcare and food assistance. Discussion of poverty has become almost impossible without moral outrage directed at lazy “welfare queens”, “crackheads” and other drug addicts, and the “promiscuous poor” (a phrase that has cropped up again and again in discussions of public benefits over more than a century).

These disparate perceptions aren’t just evidence of hypocrisy; they are literally a matter of life and death. In the US, the widespread belief that the poor are simply lazy has led many states to impose work requirements on aid recipients –even those who have been medically classified as disabled. Limiting aid programs in this way has been shown to shorten recipients’ lives: rather than the intended consequence of pushing recipients into paid employment, the restrictions have simply left them without access to medical care or a sufficient food supply. Thus, in one of the richest counties in America, a boy living in poverty died of a toothache; there were no protests, and nothing changed.

Meanwhile, the “billionaire” in the White House starts his days at 11am – the rest of the morning is coyly termed “executive time” – and is known for his frequent holidays. “Nice work if you can get it,” quipped an opinion piece in the Washington Post.

We don’t hear much about laziness, drug addiction or promiscuity among the wealthiest members of society because – unlike Trump – most billionaires are not public figures and go to great lengths to seek privacy. Thus the motto of one London-based wealth management firm: “I want to be invisible.” This company, like many other service providers to the ultra-rich, specializes in preserving secrecy for clients. The wealthy people I studied not only had wealth managers but often dedicated staff members who killed negative stories about them in the media and kept their names off the Forbes “rich list”.

Many even present themselves as homeless – for tax purposes – despite owning multiple residences. For the ultra-rich, having no fixed residence provides major legal and financial advantages; this is exemplified by the case of the wealthy businessman who acquired eight different nationalities in order to avoid taxes on his fortune, and by the UK native I interviewed in his Dubai apartment building:

“I am not tax resident anywhere. The tax man says ‘show me a utility bill’, and the only utility bill I can present is for the house I own in Thailand, and it’s in a language that the European authorities aren’t familiar with. With all the mobility going on in the world, international marriages, governments can’t keep up with people.”

Meanwhile, the poor can end up being “resident nowhere” because no one will allow them to stay in one place for very long; as the sociologist Cristobal Young has shown, the majority of migrants are poor people. In addition, the poor are routinely evicted from housing on the slightest pretext, frequently driving them into homeless shelters – which are in turn forced to move when local homeowners engage in nimby (not in my back yard) protests. Even the design of public spaces is increasingly organized to deny the poor a place to alight, however temporarily.

It is as if the right to move around, to take up space, and to direct your own life as you see fit have become luxury goods, available to those who can pay instead of being human rights. For the rich, deviance from social norms is nearly consequence-free, to the point where outright criminality is tolerated: witness the collective shrug that greeted revelations of massive intergenerational tax fraud in the Trump family.

For the poor, however, even the most minor deviance from others’ expectations – like buying ice cream or soft drinks with food stamps – results in stigmatization, limits on their autonomy, and deprivation of basic human needs. This makes life far more nasty, brutish and short for those on the lowest rungs of the socio-economic ladder, creating a chasm of more than 20 years in life expectancy between rich and poor. This appears to some as a fully justified consequence of “personal responsibility” – the poor deserve to die because of their moral failings.

So while the behavior of the ultra-rich gets an ever-widening scope of social leeway, the lives of the poor are foreshortened in every sense. Once upon a time, they were urged to eat cake; now the cake earns them a public scolding.

[andyctwrites]

Selling Your Story – Peaks and Pitfalls of Publishing Contracts

Points to consider when deciding if a Publisher is the right fit for you.

Landing a publishing contract is the Holy Grail for many creators who set their sights on “breaking in” to comics, and it’s understandable as to why this is the case…

It’s a big ego bump for starters. Someone external, has recognised your work as good enough to be associated with, promote and sell. In terms of logistics, publishers have established distribution and promotional tools at their disposal and should have a bigger voice than you alone to share your creation with their customer base. As an independent creator, associating yourself with something bigger can also boost your profile – Like a more positive version of joining a gang in prison (I’d imagine). 

The subject of publisher relations with creators, differential deals and the fairness of agreements became the subject of debate across comics twitter recently. Voices of creators and collaborators I have a great deal of respect for came out to talk about their views on several publishers with messages of both condemnation and support. Wider spread trends led to a number of freelance workers actively sharing what they had been paid for projects. While there’s no need to pick through a debate which is easily searched, I’ve been thinking a great deal on the subject of publisher contracts.  Specifically, how an independent creator can review and consider what publishers are offering more critically in the hope they secure favourable terms, or at very least don’t feel regrets down the line as items not considered at the time of signing come home to roost.

I’ve sat to write this piece in the hope it sparks more discussion and helps those working in the small press scene, which I love, ask the right questions and considering offerings from publishers who show interest in their work.  Hopefully I’ve made it accessible and not hideously dull.  

Before we take a step further, let’s cover a few notes and caveats here:

Who is this guy? – I’m Andy Conduit-Turner a writer and extremely small name, in all but letter count, in UK indie comic publishing. The chances are, that if we’ve not met, you’ve not heard of me.

My comics contracting experience is primarily limited to drafting my own commissioning contracts to engage with collaborators for comics I have written, and in licencing short stories which I’ve written to appear in anthologies and other mediums produced by others. At the time of writing, I have neither signed with, or been rejected by any major (or minor) comics publisher and am not providing comment on any observed content which may or may not appear in a publishing agreement from any given company. 

I am, neither a qualified legal professional or literary agent. In the event any contract you ever receive for any purpose is of extreme importance, investing in the support of a qualified person with greater industry experience is of far greater value than anything you’ll read here. 

Outside of comics, my professional career and other personal projects over the last decade have seen me review, interpret, question, edit and respond to countless legal agreements for a variety of purposes. This has left me with a wealth of experience in considering longer term impacts for both the purchasing and suppling parties of service agreements – I’ve spent a great deal of time having both commercial and capability-based discussions prior to contracts being signed.

This is by no means an anti-publisher piece – Regardless of where you stand on recent publishing discussions, I’ve no desire to create an Us (Creators) vs Them (Publishers) sentiment here. There are countless publishers who are passionate about sharing creator’s stories, invest significantly and add a great deal of value to both individual projects and the industry as a whole. No reputable publisher is out to trick creators or deliberately give them a raw deal. ��That said, as with many transactions, a publisher is a business with an end goal of limiting liability and generating revenue in both the short and long term – Depending on your ideological feelings, this isn’t necessarily an inherently evil objective, and it’s how publishers remain in business. 

Your publishing contract is equally not a formality, a magnanimous offer from a friend with nothing to gain from the arrangement, and your unconditional ticket to success and acclaim. Different deals will work for different creators – A good deal to one will be an unacceptable deal for someone else and there are few terms which would be universally perfect or awful for everyone. I’d hope through these pages I can maybe help you consider your offers, ask necessary questions and make decisions you’re comfortable with for your own circumstances.

Negotiation carries risks – Especially within the sphere of indie publishing, there are a couple of truths we need to reflect on.

1. Comics are an attractive and exciting creative medium for people to get into. Especially if a publisher is welcome to unsolicited submissions, they are likely to have no shortage of people interested in publishing with them.

2. Many publishers aren’t huge organisations. In the event a member of their core team is not already a legal professional, it’s unlikely they will have a legal department on their staff to directly manage adjustments to legal documents and agreements.

What this boils down to is that, many publishers may simply not have the resources or interest in negotiating or adjusting a contract with you – There’s every chance that the offer made to you is non-negotiable. While I’d argue that the withdrawal of an offer in response to a question asked or statement challenged in good faith is indicative of the professionalism of the organisation in question, you should be prepared for the fact that being the squeaky wheel may not land you the deal you want, and may take the one you have off the table. 

A Note on NDAs and Market Norms

NDAs, or Non-Disclosure Agreements are very common, as part of, or prior to contracting in many industries. They are typically used to protect (in this case publishers’) private or proprietary information concerning their business practises, contracting terms, project pipeline and pay rates private and confidential. They are a routine consideration and not indicative of any sinister goings on.  In keeping with professional conduct, if you sign an NDA you should, of course, respect its conditions though here are a few considerations and questions you may ask or confirm however.

1: Is the NDA mutually beneficial – While you are agreeing not to share the details of a publisher’s business and offer outside involved parties, does the signed NDA bind the publisher to offer you the same regardless as to whether the end result is a signed publishing agreement?

Are there stated commitments to your work remaining confidential and not circulated to other outside parties during your negotiations? What commitments are made to the return / disposal of any project details or materials shared should an agreement not be finalised.

Additionally, can you expect details on deals you accept in terms of up front remuneration, percentage splits on profits and additional contract terms to remain confidential?

2: Pitch exclusivity – Are there any expectations, formal or otherwise that you should not pitch your comic elsewhere until negotiations have been concluded?

3: Your right to advice – No NDA should prevent you taking appropriate professional advice before signing any final agreement.

Rules on business competition internationally, already provide a great deal of legislation to ensure businesses to remain competitive and prevent illegal practises such as price fixing and market sharing. While market norms may dictate and guide the offers you’re likely to receive competing businesses should not mutually agree to adhere to set fees or conditions. At this point I’ll pause and note that I don’t hold the market specific professional knowledge to apply Anti-Trust and similar business competition legislation to publishing contracts – These should be forefront of a publisher’s mind when managing confidentiality of contract content.  

So…With all of that now said (in painstaking detail) let’s get into this shall we

What’s in this for you?

So, you’ve pitched your book to a publisher and they’re interested in working with you? Great news! Now comes the time when you need to consider what you want to get from your potential partner, and consider, realistically, what you’ll accept. For many creators your wants and expectations may include:

Contribution to production costs. Particularly for writer led teams, an ability to appropriately pay artists, colourists, letterers, editors and other professionals make up the bulk of comic production costs even before downstream logistics such as printing, marketing and distribution come into play.  Many publishers may state up front whether this is a model they can support. Initial production costs add to the overall risk and increase the volume needed to sell before profits are realised.   Consider – Landing a publisher may not relieve you of the need to raise personal funds or take to Kickstarter. 

Upfront royalty payments. A noble dream for some, though likely only realised by more established creators. Belief in your project will need to be high to warrant an upfront payment to the creator for a book prior to a single copy being sold Consider – Manage your expectations here, how promising is your pitch? Do you have a track record of success that offsets the risk of an upfront pay out?

Percentage Profits – This is likely to be a long-term arrangement of any publishing deal whereby the creator and the publisher acting a licence holder take an agreed % split of future profit revenue generated from the project – Profits from what exactly we’ll come to later.  Consider – There’s no way around this, any additional step in the process here are going to reduce the by unit revenue you receive per each sale. By working with a publisher, the benefit to you is that they support you in, ideally, selling more copies than you would alone.

Production and logistical support – Sure, you know writing, art or whichever your creative field may be, but there’s every chance that your publisher is more familiar with the processes involved with getting your book into people’s hands.  With established relationships with suppliers and retailers your publisher may also be able to optimise the per unit profit on your book sales, in addition to increasing your potential audience through supply networks and wider convention attendance.

In some cases, your publisher may also take a creative role in the process, appointing an editor, or suggesting changes to make a book more marketable in their experience – We’ll also return to this point later.

Comic Financials - Hypothetical example – Comic X

Working without a publisher

You as creator spend £2000 on the production of your comic  (Art, letters, colour, whatever!) Print volumes allow you to obtain copies of your book at £2 per copy

You price your book at £5 per copy Let’s then also assume a modest spend of £200 on website, and attending some local cons, and you break even on Postage and Packing. Under this model you’ll see a profit on your creation once you sell your 734th copy of Comic X. This assumes you sell exactly all of your stock and are left with no additional copies which you’ve paid to have printed, but not yet sold. Let’s make this a tiny bit more complex and suggest that you diversify from selling physical copies online and at cons alone. You begin selling digital copies via an established digital store front at £3. You also connect with local comic retailers who agree to carry copies of your comics in store. To keep this simple and not lose the remaining 3 people this dive into maths hasn’t lost already let’s assume that your sales across all avenues equal out to 1/3 each, and once again all copies you produce will sell. The digital sales have no print cost but the digital storefront takes 50% of the sale price

The stores agree to purchase copies of your book from you for £4, creating a 33% share on profit after print costs.

Under this scenario, Comic X will officially be profitable after around 245 direct physical sales, 489 digital sales and 367 sales via stores.

Working with a publisher

Under this model, we’ll assume that you as a creator invested the same £2000 in production costs but nothing further, leaving the publisher to manage the printing along with costs for attending conventions etc.

Outside of the numbers here, your publisher is also the party taking the risk regarding the volume produced if any copies go unsold. The trade off is that your publisher will take a percentage of any profits before they reach you. For this example, let’s say you agree on 50% revenue share and receive no contribution to production costs or any upfront payment.

For argument sake, let’s assume your publisher secures the same unit costs and margins (though you’d hope they may be able to negotiate better through volume purchasing). Understanding a publisher’s direct cost with con attendance, and marketing when applied to a single book is a level of hypothetical we won’t attempt here.

Focussing on you as a creator, under the same sales methods used in the non-publisher model you would begin to see profit on your production investment of £2000 from publisher paid royalties after 445 direct sales, 889 digital sales and 667 in store sales.

After all this talk of money, the first thing to recognise is that it isn’t everything to all creators. Many will consider the long-term goals of building an audience as a pathway to bigger and better things, or simply an investment in their creative hobby. Those with realistic aspirations will likely not expect to anything resembling a profit from their early books (save perhaps for those with the skills to produce a comic entirely alone or with collaborators satisfied with payment purely from sale revenue). For many creators, having a partner who ensures copies of their books get into people’s hands, minimising their own administrative efforts is the goal.  

What is critical is to do your own calculations, consider your goals along with level of financial investment and energy you have to invest in selling your own book. In this simplified example, we’ve not considered the accuracy of print orders vs sales, tax applications or eligible rebates or potential publisher costs deducted from profits to account for their operational expenses, but it should give you a loose model to consider your own investment against.

Potential Questions – Depending on your financial and creative motivations

What sales numbers does the publisher consider to be a success? Assuming the publisher will set sale price – What margin do they consider acceptable vs costs? What sales avenues does the publisher use? Does the publisher have established relationships with distributors and retailers with agreements to carry their stock? If so, what regions and countries do they have distribution networks within? Which electronic store fronts does the publisher make books available via? What volume of conventions, in which locations, does the publisher typically attend? Are they willing to share any statistics on which platforms generate the strongest sales? How, if at all, are publisher overhead costs factored into overall sale profits for division between publisher and creator? Does the agreement permit the creator to obtain copies of the publication at cost, or discounted rates for either personal use or onward sale? What marketing methods do the publisher deploy to promote new and existing content? Does the agreement, place any expectations or limitations on the actions of the creator to promote the comic? Does the agreement commit the publisher to any minimum volume of books to be produced for sale, or resources allocated to promote the publication?

What’s in this for them?

Now we come to the other half of the deal. In working with a publisher, you grant your partner certain rights in potentially both the short and long term. Understanding the rights, you’re happy to sign away and the long-term implications can be key points in your decision-making process.

Your potential publisher may request some of the following:

Percentage Profits on book sales – This is a given and how your publisher will make the most immediate return on backing your comic and investing in its production or distribution

Editorial and creative direction – While some publishers may primarily take on completed projects, others may provide editorial input. For many creators, this may be beneficial professional, input to improve the project overall.  Consider – When you engage an editor privately as a self-published creator, the final decision on how you incorporate your editor’s feedback is your own. A publisher driven edit may take the final creative control out of your own hands. As with many aspects in this section this can be a positive, but it is something you should consider and make peace with before you agree to your publishing deal.

Revenue on sale of promotional and licensed goods – As part of your agreement, your publisher may gain rights to produce and sell a variety of goods associated with your comic. For a small press projects, this could be as simple as prints, postcards and pins made available as add on purchases, but an agreement could equally account for additional 3rd party licensing. Consider – From a financial perspective do you retain a share of the profits from the sale of promotional or licensed goods? Is the rate in line with the percentage you earn from book sales? Depending on the answer to these questions, if your book is successful and lends itself to popular merchandise, you’ll potentially see a larger return on your production investment more quickly, in time you may even see more royalties from the tasteful sets of commemorative glassware your story has produced than the book itself.  From a creative standpoint, you need to consider that you are likely giving up a degree of control here. If you’ve strong feelings that series logo should never appear on a tote bag, this is potentially something your deal may remove your option to veto in the future.

Adaptation rights – In licensing your comic for publication, your publisher may request rights concerning the adaptation of your comic into other mediums.  These rights may extend to written and audio productions, stage, television and film versions and interactive media such as video games. The requested rights may be inclusive of both financial benefits of licensing for alternative mediums and overall creative control in the adaptation for other media.  Consider – If you’re a creative person with hands in other media, be it a keen filmmaker or an apprentice of coding, you may wish to seek to retain your own rights to pursue alternative interpretations of your story. Particularly in fields you have interest in.  This may also be the time to consider how you would feel about any alternative take on your work with which you may have no creative involvement or influence over. 

Sequel / Spin-off Rights – In agreeing to publish your project your publisher may also requests rights relating to production of related projects, both in comics or other media (as detailed above). These rights may include first review and option to license the new publication prior to it being offered to other publishers, the right to engage the creative team professionally to actively work on a related publication, or potentially engaging a separate creative team.  Consider – As with the above point, your decision on agreeing with these terms will depend on your overall attachments to the project and your own long-term plans for ongoing related stories.  If the idea of having limited or no control on how your original story grows into future projects gives you cold sweats, this is a right you’ll need to consider your comfort with, before you sign. How important is having ongoing control to you?

Potential Questions – Depending on your financial and creative motivations

What history does the publisher have with facilitating adaptation of comics to other media? Does the agreement, obligate or limit the creator in efforts to adapt the publication for other media? Does the publisher actively seek opportunities for property adaptations, or is this handled ad hoc as interested parties approach the publisher as licence holder? Does the publisher’s right to financial share in adaptation driven revenue differ in the event that the publisher take no active role in adapting or pitching the an adaptation of the property? What rights do the publisher hold regarding the sale or transition of publishing or ongoing licensing rights to a third party?

Overall, considering the ongoing rights and control a creator or creative team is willing to hand over to a publisher will be a critical point for many in making a decision before signing an agreement. How you perceive the value of publisher input, a potential reduction in creative control and your confidence in the long-term potential of your story will be key points in influencing what you’re comfortable in conceding in exchange for the benefits your publisher brings to the table. 

The Finer Details

With the main points of your agreement carefully reviewed, it’s time to consider the ifs and buts, concerning the terms and limitations of your agreement.

Time – How long does your agreement grant the stated rights to your publisher? A set period? A set period with right to extend or first refusal to negotiate extension on similar terms or terms related to performance? Indefinite? Location – Are publication rights granted internationally or only in certain territories? Does your selected publisher have capabilities to market and distribute in all stated territories?  If not, do they actively seek third party partners to distribute successful publications in additional territories?

Obligations – Are there stated timings for release, efforts to market, volumes sold, or stock made available for purchase a publisher must maintain to retain the license to your comic? Remuneration and Reporting – How frequently are royalties calculated and paid to the creator or creative team? Are there lower and upper limits to disbursement amounts? What reporting does your publisher provide to indicate gross profits leading to creator revenue share? Specifically, when it comes to matters of accounting. If you intend to maintain a financial interest in the performance of your work, appropriate transparency of accounting may be essential to understand your publisher’s level of investment and gross earnings before final profits are divided? Most organisations should permit you a right to audit, but be mindful of the conditions applied. Permitting a deep audit via the appointment of an official accountant able to review documentation on a publisher’s premises may fulfil legal obligations but creates an immediate pay wall for you as an independent creator, whose initial earnings on a single book may not warrant the investment.

If your potential publisher is able to provide sample reporting, you can accommodate yourself with the level of detail prior to signature and assure yourself that the level of transparency meets your level of interest.

Legal obligations – In addition to any submission conditions when you pitched your book, signing a publishing agreement will almost certainly involve your further verification that the work is your own and indemnify your publisher from any obligation or responsibility should this statement prove inaccurate in the future.  In addition to the obligations on the creator, take note of any commitments made by the publisher to protect the IP you are licensing to them, and potential indemnity from any actions arising from material changes to the work or subsequent adaptation upon which the publisher, or their representative exercises creative control.

Limitations and release – Tied to the any limitations relating to time or location stated in your contract, it’s also worth noting any other terms which would lead to overall rights being returned back to the original creator or creative team.  The most commonly anticipated reason for this would be publisher insolvency, though in some cases a struggling publisher with the appropriate rights could look to sell on any held licensing rights to a third party to raise capital prior to this occurring (assuming your agreement permits this). Clauses that benefit the creator in this area could speak to the minimum level of production or service provided to promote your comic, which if not met over an extended period results in the rights returning to the creator to pitch elsewhere or develop further with no further obligation to the publisher, thus holding your publisher to a higher degree of accountability for your book’s ongoing performance. Another alternative may represent a defined buy out clause, permitting the creative team to release themselves or further obligation to a publisher by either ensuring a pre-defined return on the publisher’s initial investment or a sum equal relevant to the book’s performance.   The latter examples, I’d anticipate would be less frequent in their appearance within standard contract language, however these may be some of the most essential inclusions for a creator who is invested in the long-term management and performance of their work.

For an example, we’ll return to Comic X…

Worst case scenario…

Joe Creator, writer of Comic X, signs a publisher agreement granting licencing rights, inclusive of, merchandise, sequel and adaptation control and financial rights irrevocably to a publisher.

Joe’s agreement sees the creator receive 50% of Net profits from book sales but nothing from any additional licensing or merchandising unless directly engaged by the publisher to work on this new content under a separate agreement.  The publisher will manage distribution and printing costs but does not contribute to the initial creation cost for artwork and associated tasks.

The rights will return to Joe only should the publisher file bankruptcy or should they fail to produce any volumes of the work within a defined period following initial project completion.

With no minimum term of service, the publisher fulfils their obligation to Joe through a short production run of 50 copies of their book, which are not directly marketed by the publisher but organically sells 30 copies through their inclusion on the publisher’s stand at conventions. The remaining 20 copies are sold at stock clearance reduction prices and do not recoup their print costs. The book is not listed digitally or marketed to any retailers. In the end of his first year since publication, the royalties owed to Joe from the profit share fall well below the minimum payment threshold and no payment is made.

In the five years that follow, the book remains listed on the publisher’s store front as “Out of Stock” and based on performance no further print runs are ordered.  

Meanwhile, Joe continues to build career momentum through well received subsequent releases, published independently and interest in obtaining adaptation rights for Joe Creator properties hits public consciousness.  Having secured irrevocable licencing rights the publisher secures a lucrative 3 series deal with Netflix adapting Joe’s original Comic X series. Netflix opts to use their own writing team, whose agents ensure they are recognised as lead creatives.  A credit listing “Based on Comic X by Joe Creator” appears at the end of the opening credits, but everyone skips these.

With the Netflix series differing significantly from the original Comic X, rather than reprint the original, the publisher opts to engage a different creative team to spin off a new ongoing series based more closely on the aesthetic and themes of the new Netflix creation. The financial impact to Joe from creating the original work remains fundamentally minus £2000 as the £35 owed to Joe in previous revenue falls below the minimum payment threshold. This is an extreme example, played up for the sake of hyperbole, but hopefully it illustrates the point Consider your conditions carefully, what you gain, what you give away, and the level of effort your publisher commits to you. and finally. 

Know who you’re dealing with - Know your own worth

Throughout previous sections, I’ve encouraged creators to consider what they want from a publisher, what they are happy to give in exchange and the finer details of agreements.

I’ll leave you with a (mercifully) briefer point by encouraging both research and self-reflection. Your research on a publisher should not begin and end with “Who is accepting pitches?”

Consider the fit of your project within their body of work.

Meet and connect with other creators who’ve worked with them and politely request their feedback.

Look at publisher’s company performance and makeup with resources such a Companies house or Endole. Do they appear financially stable? How large is their team? What other interests to their leadership team have?

Look at publisher’s websites and social media platforms, how are they marketing? How large is their reach? How much interaction do you see with their posts? How large is their portfolio?

Measure your own, time, resources, and reach against your potential publishers and consider objectively and, in quantifiable terms wherever you can, how you measure up.  If you’re brining a sizable or active existing audience with you to a publisher this may enhance your ability to negotiate.

To wrap up I’ll say, that I hope the last, almost 5000 words *Jeez* have been of some value, whatever your experience of creating or publishing to date. I by no means consider myself an authority on anything so would be delighted if this sparks further conversation and discussion from others who may add more specific examples and considerations which may help others chasing the goal of having published work out in the wild.

I’ll return to one of my opening points that there are some fantastic publishers doing incredible work in the indie comic scene and making books possible that would otherwise never see the light of day. For indie creators, whether a publishing deal is a Holy Grail or a Poison Chalice will likely remain up to the individual and determined by how circumstances play out.  If this helps just one person, take pause, consider their options and make an informed choice it will have been worth the effort.

[helsung]

WHO  IS  INTEGRA  FAIRBROOK ?

you hear the headlines read,  articles in newspapers  (  both online or in print  )  attempting an exposé on this mysterious figure of the british nobility whenever the sunlight shines her way .  but rarely do they tangle with fact,  rarely are the words presented illustrative of the who integra fairbrook REALLY is,  or of what she is .  no journalist has ever managed to reach her,  each & every request for interview seemingly personally denied  (  though rumors say these never get past her butler  ) ; rarely is she spotted in public,  appearing to spend her days within her family’s mansion which resides on the outskirts of london,  where entry is denied to any & all not belonging to her bloodline or her staff .  & should one try to approach whenever they find themselves lucky enough to see integra outside the walls of her household,  getting past the armed guard which surrounds her proves too hard a challenge .

such articles attempt to piece together a clear background from very few facts offered,  that she’s wealthy,  a member of the british nobility,  believed to be of indian descent,  & someone whose contributions to society come in the form of generous donations to various charities .  but they always fail to ask the COMPLETE question,  because it is not simply a matter of who integra fairbrook is,  but who she is to whom  ...

TO  THE  PUBLIC

integra fairbrook is a reclusive british-indian millionaire with a seat in the house of lords,  one she rarely uses ; a seat no one seems to truly understand how she got,  though her family’s wealth serves as the easiest explanation .  tales of her fortune speak of an inheritance from a father with a successful business,  one she maintains by herself to this day .  just what this business is differs from publication to publication,  some say she’s an arms manufacturer for the british military & their allies,  others speak of her as the head of a security agency which provides protection to the highest bidder,  people of high importance across various governments .  whatever the dealings of the fairbrook organization are,  as some have taken to calling it,  no one quite seems to know specifics,  only ever taking notice of how well armed her bodyguards are .

she’s perhaps best known to the british public for the many headlines that speak of her many generous donations to a number of high profile charities,  such as stonewall UK & the LGBT foundation .  these acts have landed her quite some popularity among the populace,  who praise her help in aiding LGBT youth across the UK & endlessly speculate about her focus on such charities .  however,  those who lean further left discourage such open support for a member of the british nobility,  one who’s believed to participate in arms dealing .  of course,  right-wing publications speak ill of her monetary aid given to LGBT charities but praise her company’s work for the british military .

despite the occasional headline,  the larger british public sometimes forgets of her existence,  her face disappearing among the many members of the nobility,  regardless of the aspects which set her apart .  this might seem regrettable,  but really is it more than intentional .

TO  THE  GOVERNMENT

integra fairbrook wingates van helsing is the current director & commanding officer of her majesty’s secret hellsing organization,  a branch of the british government meant to asses & deal with any supernatural threat to the united kingdom .  it was founded in 1899 by professor abraham van helsing through funds awarded for his service to the british government in dealing with count dracula,  as per the events detailed in bram stoker’s novel .  it was created so that the british populace may never have to fear such attacks by the forces of darkness again,  & exists to slay any feral creatures of the night that make their way onto britain’s soil .  the organization was later implemented as a permanent part of both the british government & the military through the efforts of abraham’s son & integra’s father,  arthur van helsing & his wife,  jayashree van helsing  (  née revankar  ) .

integra is also the current head of the convention of twelve,  a meeting of twelve select individuals who are important figures among most branches of the british government,  each knighted by the queen as part of her sacred order of the protestant church .  however,  unlike every other member whose business the public is mostly made aware of,  integra & her organization are kept strictly CLASSIFIED,  their existence kept secret to all but the highest members of parliament .  this is because to admit the existence of the hellsing organization,  & of the last living heir to the van helsing bloodline,  is to admit to the existence of the supernatural .

the british government has devised its best efforts to keep all such knowledge strictly under wraps,  the reality of the events of bram stoker’s novel fictionalized so that people would deem the supernatural a fiction,  saving them from having to live their lives in fear of what moves in the darkness .  the fictionalization serves also to discredit any whistleblower who would dare attempt to bring to the public’s attention the reality of integra & her organization,  being written off as deranged conspiracies born of a mind which deems horror stories a reality .

this was scarcely their first of such cover ups,  but it is their most robust attempt at hiding an entire branch of the government was quite the task .  any & all missions carried out by the hellsing organization require a complex cover story,  & integra takes personal responsibility in crafting such tales so that no members of the public suspect there’s something more at play .  of course,  keeping herself hidden from their view was an impossibility,  so a fake identity was forged to fool the populace into viewing her as just another member of the british nobility,  with an inexplicable amount of wealth at her hands & mild power within the government .  a fake image which integra partakes in only under the most infrequent of circumstances,  with the rare public appearance .  her many donations to charity,  however,  were made in good faith & directly from integra herself,  but do serve as occasional moments in the spotlight so that no one question’s her absence from public life .

TO  THE  SUPERNATURAL

integra &,  consequently,  the van helsing name itself carries great meaning among the supernatural creatures which scurry through the shadows .  the hellsing organization,  through its actions over the century of its existence,  is FEARED for its efficiency in dealing with any creature of the night which makes itself known on british soil .  rarely have hunters past banded together so effortlessly to form a governmental body meant specifically to deal with the supernatural .  hellsing may have not been the first,  but it certainly the most notorious among its prey for its dedication to purging the undead from this world .  not just through missions carried out by trained soldiers carrying silver bullets,  but by employing creatures of the night against their own kind .  just as they fear hellsing & integra herself,  they too fear their most well guarded secret  ;  the vampire,  alucard .

to turn a vampire against its own kin is a feat that carries both meaning & fear among the forces of darkness,  & in some corners  ...  hope,  that perhaps one day the undead & the living can work together,  in some form or fashion .

[timeagainreviews]

The Eve of the Thirteenth

Recently I watched "An Unearthly Child," in preparation to write the first official article of Time and Time Again (TATA? Ok, I love that). But then it hit me that it’s a rather auspicious time to talk about the First Doctor’s first episode. With this being the eve of the first female Doctor’s first episode, it seems so appropriate. So I’m going to wait until after "The Woman Who Fell to Earth," drops.  See what I did there?

I know this blog is meant to be about revisiting episodes, but the timing is just too good. Besides, it is my blog. However, this being said, I suppose I should share my hopes and expectations for series eleven. 

Jodie Whittaker as "The Doctor"

Not since maybe Eccleston has anyone had as difficult a regeneration to overcome. While every actor new to the role feels a pressure to keep the show going, I’d say some feel it harder than others. Davison had to follow up an endearing seven-year run from Tom Baker. McGann had the pressure of trying to reestablish the show, as did Eccleston. Many people even said nobody could replace David Tennant. But the one I am reminded of the most is Patrick Troughton. Troughton was really one of those "make it or break it," Doctors. The concept of regeneration was far from established lore, it was rather a gamble.

Jodie Whittaker has a very similar weight on her shoulders. It’s another one of those "make it or break it" moments. The beauty is, I think she knows it. Everyone involved knows it. However, as much as I’ve emphasised on the pressures involved, I’m confident they chose the right woman for the job. She looks like a children’s show presenter in her costume, which is wonderfully coupled with her mad energy. For me, it’s never been about "We need a woman in the TARDIS," we need the right person in the role, and she’s perfect.

Doctor Who is the ideal show to change the gender or race of its lead. On a science fiction level, it makes total sense that the Doctor is able to change these things with ease. It’s almost laughable that it’s taken this long. It’s almost poetic. The Doctor- a man who has experienced thousands of years worth of exploration and change, still has something new to experience- womanhood. It is, as they say, about time.

The Companions

Honestly, I’m not that fussed over these companions. That’s not to say I’m disinterested or even upset with their casting. I feel confident they’ll all shine in their own ways, and live up to the show’s standard of companions. I think it’s cool that the Doctor’s friends this time around, are rather diverse. As a fan of older companions such as Wilf, or Evelyn Smythe, I am rather looking forward to Bradley Walsh as "Graham." Tamsin and Ryan both seem like they’re going to have some cute banter between the two of them. It seems pretty solid.

Many may say "That’s a pretty crowded TARDIS," but I like the bigger TARDIS crews at times, as they can be a nice way to add a new dynamic. The thing that would have actually excited me would have been a companion from the future, or past. Or even an alien companion. Not since Captain Jack, have we had anyone riding in the TARDIS who wasn’t from the present-day UK.  We got teased with it in "Asylum of the Daleks," with Oswin, and again in "The Snowmen," but then we ended up with modern day Clara Oswald. I had even hoped for Bill to be from the 80’s or 90’s. Where are the highlander companions? The Keepers of Traken? I guess Nardol sort of counts, but come on.

Chris Chibnall

Mr Chibnall is probably my biggest worry for the series. As a writer, I’ve never been all that big a fan of his episodes. "The Power of Three," was one I found particularly dreadful. When the Doctor saved the day by pointing his sonic at a screen, I felt cheated. The little cubes amounted to nothing, really. It’s not that he’s a bad writer, he’s just a bit dull. He managed to make “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship,” less exciting than the name implies. That’s probably impressive on some planets.

Overall, I think he’ll do fine, I’m just worried he’ll be a bit boring. I hadn’t worried much until he said that no old baddies would return in series eleven. Which, is fine I guess, but why not? While the Daleks and Cybermen can be really overdone (especially the Cybermen as of late), there is a wealth of villains to draw from the Doctor’s rogues' gallery. One group I’d like to see her face off against are the Axons. Whittaker’s "Godspell" evoking threads call for retro baddies!

So long as Chibnall doesn’t get too dark like he did with Torchwood (which literally felt like a little boy excited over getting to say the F-word), I’d say he’ll do fine. Parts of Torchwood were a bit "lizard brain," to its credit. Doctor Who should always have a touch of the surreal. The first episode had it. An indestructible police box, bigger on the inside, that travels anywhere in time and space? It seems normal now, but even to this day, there’s nothing quite like it. Keep the energy up, and keep it weird, you’ll do fine, Chris. It’s not like you’ll get the series cancelled again.

The New Writing Staff and Production Crew

I’ll be honest, I don’t know much anything about the writers. I’ve looked them up and read about some of their stuff, but that’s about as far as I’ve taken it. I will say however, it’s nice to see so much new blood. Men, women, people of colour, many perspectives. Doctor Who thrives on being shaken up. I’m all for it.

As for the new production crew, it’s even more of the same- happy to see someone new. I know a few people were growing tired of the whimsical look of much of the Moffat era. And at times, I kind of miss the tacky trash TV look of the RTD era. From what I’ve seen of the series 11 trailer, we’re in for something a little more grounded in reality. The cinematography looks rather simple, the sets seem plausible, if not a little dull. I’m hoping they’re hiding the big knock you on your ass sets and cinematography for the actual episodes. I would not be averse to having a show that looked as colourful as the promotional artwork we’ve been seeing. It’s gorgeous. A feast for the eyes. If the leaked TARDIS console pictures are anything to go off, I’d say they’ve kept some rather exciting secrets from us.

Segun Akinola replacing Murray Gold

Music is such an important part of Doctor Who. The theme song is both haunting and exciting: portentous of the tale about to unfold. The Radiophonic Workshop, with geniuses of sound like Delia Derbyshire and Ron Grainer, pushed not only the atmosphere of the show to greater heights but music as well. In the same vein as musique concrète, they were pioneers of electronic sound.

Upon the reveal of Akinola’s appointment as music director, I promptly sought out his SoundCloud and spent an entire afternoon listening to his stuff. I was heartened to hear he was both melodic and ambient at different times. His music is minimalist, and percussive as well. One of my biggest criticisms of Murray Gold was that he was too safe a choice. For me, he never really felt strange enough for Doctor Who.

Perhaps I am an odd duck, but I miss the days of the Third Doctor driving his bizarre car to a soundtrack of muddy synthesisers that sounded as if they wanted to murder you. The closest Gold ever came to that level of greatness was the aforementioned "Asylum of the Daleks." The music matched the tone of the episode exquisitely. I had hoped to hear more of that experimentation from him, but he never really did. Akinola seems the kind of guy who just might take us to strange places.

As we all know though, the true test will be in his imagining of the theme tune. I was never a huge fan of the Capaldi era theme. It didn’t really, slap as they say. From what I’ve heard of Akinola’s work, I’m very curious how he’s going to approach it.

Well, friends, that’s it for now. We’ve got nowt to do at this moment but wait. The next time you hear from me, it will have already happened! I hope you’re just as excited as I am! Doctor Who series 11 premieres tomorrow, the 7th of October at 6:45 pm on BBC 1!

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Welcome to Too Much Information Tuesday!

It was 38 at Kew Gardens on Monday, topped only by Birmingham which was hit with 39 degrees Celsius. So, how did you cope? Thankfully, the classrooms were air conditioned. Sleeping last night was pretty difficult, though. Big shout to the menopausal women reading this! You girls must be super-hot (in more ways than one!) They tell me today will be hotter? Working from home today. Can’t say I’ll be wearing much (if anything!)

Okay, on with the information. 21% of men use big words they don't understand to make themselves feel more photosynthesis.

Kubla Khan’s niece agreed to marry any man who beat her at wrestling but demanded payment in horses if she were to win. She died unmarried with 100,000 horses.

During labour, the pain is so great, a woman can almost imagine what a man feels like when he has a cold.

In China, malls have ‘Husband Storage’ pods where women can leave their partners while they shop.

The building at 1 Leicester Square that was once the short-lived superclub Home (Paul Oakenfold was the resident DJ) is about to become a huge 1,500 sq. ft. flagship branch of Greggs.

BT made £1.3bn profit, £750m to shareholders, CEO £3.5m (32% increase). Meanwhile, engineers and call centre staff suffering from the worst squeeze on living standards since the 1950s are being offered a pay rise that is a real terms pay cut.

It's a bit of a cheek asking, “Are trade unions being greedy?” for asking for a pay rise. The FTSE 350 top companies’ profits have gone up 73% since 2019. When are we going to ask if they’re being greedy?

Taste the toxin? A consumer filed a lawsuit on Thursday against Mars Inc. claiming that Skittles are “unfit for human consumption.”

The Apostrophe Protection Society, founded to preserve the "much-abused" apostrophe, has shut down. It's founder John Richards's has said that "ignorance and laziness's" has won.

I got called a “pro-vaxxer” yesterday, and if you think I’m going to stand here and let someone accuse me of supporting one of the most effective public health breakthroughs in human history, that’s responsible for saving hundreds of millions of lives … you’re absolutely correct.

Astronomers got so tired of watching the moon go round the earth for 24 hours they decided to call it a day.

When Columbus ‘discovered’ the New World, there were at least 50 million people living in the Americas.

28% of social media users tell their followers about the death of a loved one before their own family.

Both oral contraceptives and Viagra were legalised in Japan in 1999: while the adoption of the pill had been discussed since the 1960s, Viagra was approved after just six months of deliberation.

In 2007, US Navy SEAL Mike Day was shot 27 times by al-Qaeda militants in his legs, arms, abdomen, buttocks, scrotum, and then knocked out by a grenade. Not only did he survive, he managed to shoot dead all 4 of the militants and walk away unaided after he regained consciousness.

Wealth of UK Billionaires: March 2020: £127,570,000,000 - March 2022: £653,000,000,000. Minimum Wage: March 2020: £8.21 - March 2022: £8.91

Okay, that’s enough information for one day. Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of my status. Many people don’t like reading. It’s too much hard work. So, I thank you for giving me five minutes of your day. Have a tremendous and tumultuous Tuesday! I love you all.

[hudsonmckenzie]

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