Business Woman of The Year, 2023
There has been a lot of celebration here at SVH Inc. since the announcement of our Founder and CEO's winning of Yorkshire Choice Awards Business Woman of The Year, 2023 nomination.
Valentina is an author and award winning serial entrepreneur who has launched several successful businesses, starting in Nigeria to Côte d’Ivoire and now in the UK where she has launched two businesses, including SVH Inc. which she successfully morphed into a Community Interest Company in December 2021.
She was appointed an Associate Fellow of The Royal Commonwealth Society UK in 2014 for her philanthropy and drive for wellbeing, happiness and inclusion.
She is also vice-chair of Governors at Harrogate High School.
Read all about the prestigious evening here on YCA's website.
Congratualtions, Valentina.
Social Enterprise & Good Market Verified
We are excited to announce that SVH Inc. is People and Planet First Verified! As a Social Enterprise UK Certified Member, we couldn't be prouder of this verification and badge of honour.
Here lies certified proof that engaging our services contributes to social value.
Making Connections #GreatBigGreenWeek
We recently made our local paper - Harrogate Advertiser. Read what they had to say about our #GreatBigGreenWeek event 👉🏾 here.
Our MP - Andrew Jones joined us on the day and these where his words:
“What a great initiative. I was very grateful to be asked to join the team. We got lots of litter picked up. There was a real community spirit and it was a lovely and productive way to spend a little while amid glorious sunshine helping keep our area clean.” Andrew Jones MP
Thanks to Co-op, Body Shop Harrogate and Brew Bar Harrogate for sponsoring the prizes won by the children who entered our 'Letter to the Future' competition. We received some amazing entries of drawings and mixed media on what community and sustainability means to them, and a recap of the event.
A big shout out to our collaborating partners - Bilton Dragon Bowling Club and Dancing For Wellbeing.
Check out how the event went by watching this video reel - here
Time To Talk Day Event
On 1 Feb., we had a Time To Talk Day event collaborating with Artizan International, Just B Bereavement Support for Young People by St Michaels Hospice at Howden Insurance, Harrogate. It was wonderful to have Open Country and Renew HG join us on the day. We delved into:
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🧘🏾♀️ Mindful meditation techniques, offering solace from anxiety.
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😥 Understanding grief from the perspective of young people.
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🪴 The therapeutic act of planting, nurturing our souls and the environment.
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💬 Building bridges through conversation to foster wellbeing.
Our takeaway? Even amidst life's challenges, 'puddle jumping' —finding brief moments of joy is not only natural but a crucial part of our healing journey. Talking, sharing, and connecting are vital bridges to understanding and wellness. Sometimes healing, joy, or a sense of good wellbeing isn't immediate. All things need Time, Care and Attention, like planting. We demonstrated this with a herb planting workshop.
Wellbeing Articles by Valentina Hynes
Valentina Hynes wrote a couple of articles for HR Zone, Epic HR's #AdventBlogs and our very own SVH Inc. blog.
HRZone - Seven ways to protect mental health and morale during the festive season
EpicHR #AdventBlogs - A Journey Without End
SVH Inc. Blog - One-Word Goals: Enhancing Employee Wellbeing And Organisational Productivity
Grab a brew and delve into these thought-provoking articles. Valentina explores effective strategies to safeguard your employees’ mental health during the festive season and beyond, delving into critical aspects like goal setting and the innovative concept of One-Word Goals.
In her piece for the #AdventBlogs, Valentina adopts a more personal tone, reflecting on the continuous process of Growing Up and inviting readers to ponder their own paths of personal and professional growth.
Our Fairtrade Culinary Event
Our Culinary Away Day . . . Cooking Happiness . . . in aid of Fairtrade was a successful event, according to feedback we have received from guests.
Thanks to Co-op for supporting this event with Fairtrade products which we used for the cooking workshop and refreshments. It was a community even and the children were not left out, thanks to the wonderful facilities at Oatlands Community Centre.
We had a spontaneous raffle with some fabulous prizes including 2 York Race County Tickets worth £80. The proceeds went to our Social Inclusion Crowdfunder project. See the project here.
Check out how the event went by watching the video reel.
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Climate Action ... Partnership with Ecologi
Ever heard of climate anxiety? It is a real thing. We asked ourselves "How do we become part of the change, as an organisation?"
We have partnered with Ecologi to ensure that our community is part of the change. So, every time you purchase a service or product from us, you'll be also be supporting our Climate Action by helping us plant trees, at no extra cost to you!
How amazing is that?
So far, we have:
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Planted a total of 200 trees in Mozambique, Kenya, Madagascar, Uganda and Ecuador.
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Supported the offset of 1.5 tonnes of carbon emission in Tanzania, Egypt, Brazil and the Amazon.
Visit our Ecologi profile to see what we are up to 😁.
WE LAUNCHED A NEW PRODUCT! 💃🏾
We recently launched our deck of cards called "Explore by SVH". The deck of cards created by our Chief Executive, Valentina Hynes, is one of a kind, going by the feedback we've had about them. They are a handy toolkit to use as an icebreaker, a conversation starter, a learning prompter, a relaxing game or for team building.
It's beauty is its multi-use, flexible play and no age limit features. One player described it this way on LinkedIn:
"Thanks Valentina Hynes, the deck of cards you developed is an amazing tool as an icebreaker, and to encourage in depth and meaningful conversations ☺"
Well worth getting, for unforgettable conversations, if we do say so ourselves! The cards are presently only available on our website.