In this issue of Talking Lean, Giles Johnston of Smartspeed Consulting discusses his recent work with Designs Unique, a graphics and print company. This Consett based business won a competition organised by Giles and the Northern Echo, the prize being £1,500 worth of business support. It offered the winning firm a tailor made package designed to help with their day-to-day activities and so aid business growth. We had many entries and I must say the standard was very high. The winner was Designs Unique. Published on the Age Concern North Tyneside website, May 2009. The sociable out-going Ella, of Chirton Lodge in North Shields, hobbies include travel and sewing, has been a widow since 2000 and her family is dispersed all over the country. As Ella explains, prior to becoming a Life Link volunteer, she had been feeling socially isolated. “After my husband passed away I kept to myself for a couple of years. Then I slowly started to socialise a bit more, joining a sewing class, going for walks, helping out with activities here at Chirton Lodge. “But, gradually, I became aware of spending a lot of time in my flat, watching TV. Life just felt .. a bit empty. When someone asked me about joining Life Link, I was happy to give it a go. “And I think it's great. “Life Link undertakes classroom activities with kids between the ages of six and sixteen. The children are encouraged to call us by our first names and I keep a book of the children's names and try and remember them, four a time, that's how I do it. “Though sometimes I find myself having to dip into my little book when faced with a child and I just can't remember their name! “We do a lot of story telling and plays and have lots of fun. Each activity is designed to engage the children at different levels. “In one story, for example, a blind dog helps a magpie with a broken wing by letting it sit on his back as he walks through the forest. But the poor old dog tires and a fox offers to carry the magpie. But of course, the fox turns on the bird, which flies back to the dog.” The children are put into groups; each with a Life Link volunteer and they discuss the issues involved in the story. “I've never met a cheeky kid yet,” says Ella. “They are well mannered and behaved, even if there is the occasional child who has problems or comes from a difficult background. Sometimes a child might get frustrated because he or she can't make their point heard and stands up and says so. “Teacher explains why the group discussions, and co-operation, are so important and asks the child to sit down and I can't fault them. The children always thank us for coming to their school. “We also do plays and the kids absolutely love these. For one, some of the children dressed as an elephant and it was just a hoot. The other kids were blindfolded and had to tell what sort of animal it was. So you can see, there is a strong educational element there.” Ella thinks that school is very different from when she attended the Buddle School in Wallsend. She says, “A lot more is done for the children now, I think, especially for kids with special needs.” Ella, Wallsend born and bred, was married to husband John for 46 years. She has a son and daughter, ten grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. “The funny thing is,” says Ella, “John, a milkman for 31 years, was always great with children. “I like working with the kids, I love being around them, and I've broken that feeling of isolation. The children have helped me develop a more positive outlook on life. “There's a good social aspect to the Life Link project too. I've made firm friends with the other volunteers and the children are always pleased to see us. “They sometimes invite us back for special occasions. In 2008 we were invited to the Whitehouse Lane School Christmas Dinner and then to watch the rehearsals for the school panto. It was lovely. “I think Life Link is great because it brings the generations together.” Ryton Willows Story Bizarrely, a group of birds were gathered on one of the ice sheets as it slid downriver and they looked absolutely unconcerned. The birds just sat there, heads turning casually this way and that, as if tourists on a river cruise. Shaking my head and smiling, I trekked through the drifting snow. On my right, Newburn Bridge rose through a glacial mist. It all made for a striking scene: ice glittered, snow shone, the Tyne was like steel under a hard, bright sun. There were the memorable sounds too, of cracking and grinding as the ice sheets collided. On the other side of Newburn Bridge lies Ryton Willows, a nature reserve that in the summer is an oasis of rolling grasslands and ponds, flowers and shimmering dragonflies. It was very different today however, an expanse of white, dazzling, untouched snow. I set off across it, my breath steaming, the cold soaking through my coat to two layers of jumpers beneath. But it was a beautiful scene and a lot of fun, clambering through the snow. Half way across, I stopped for a break. Instead of my usual coffee, I had with me a flask of hot soup. Sipping a cup, I tried to imagine when during the Edwardian era there was a fairground on Ryton Willows and during the summer people could hire boats and picnic on the ponds. On my left, beyond the railway, thick woodland climbed a hill to Ryton, the medieval Holy Cross Church visible through the trees and clouds of cackling rooks. Soup break over, I pushed on, wading through the snow and past a frozen lake then through an old stone tunnel that crosses under the rail line. On the other side of this, a forest trail climbs into Ryton and I trooped through the winding, snowy lanes of the old village. Like the nearby settlements of Crawcrook and Clara Vale, Ryton's roots are to be found in the coal industry. The Romans may have had a mining operation here and during the Industrial Revolution there were pits all over this part of the Tyne Valley. Many of the waggonways used to transport coal to the River Tyne are now walk and cycle trails. Westfield Lane took me out of Ryton and across the valley side. I stopped and, shading my eyes against the sun glare, peered west. What looked like a huge dust storm was moving towards me only it wasn't dust but snow. Once onto Stannerford Road, I dusted myself down and headed up into Crawcrook and my lunchtime pint at the Lambs Arms Inn . “Been far?” An old chap asked. I told him where I'd come from and on mentioning the Tyne being covered by ice, the old man said, nodding towards the senor citizens he was sitting with, “We're just talking aboot that. We were all young ‘uns in the 20s and 30s. We were remembering the ferry services that could be found up and doon the Tyne. “There was a ferry from Ryton to the north shore. But they weren't like the ferries now, ye knaa. The ferryman rowed everyone across in a small boat. I was just saying how in the winter the boatman would ask the passengers to help break up with the ice with their hands. Isn't that right Bob?” The others in the group nodded in agreement. They all remembered when the Tyne was covered by ice every winter. I could have sat all afternoon, listening to the group's tales of life on the Tyne before World War Two but eventually, reluctantly, said cheerio. Tracks took me past the village allotments and onto an icy lane across Bar Moor, back onto Stannerford Road. This descends into Clara Vale and I trooped down to the riverside and onto the Keelman's Way. It is 14 miles long and can be followed from Wylam to Bill Quay. The trail gets its name from the River Tyne's iconic Keelmen. In the 19 th Century they used their flat-bottomed boats, known as keels, to carry coal to ships waiting off the mouth of the river at South Shields and Tynemouth. The Keelman's Way took me east, back towards Ryton. All along the riverside, bony like trees ground their bare branches in the winter wind and sheets of steel blue ice flowed down the Tyne. On the final stretch of the eight mile walk now, from Ryton Willows Nature Reserve, a track took me up into a ravine, past the site of a medieval motte and bailey fortress. Daylight was fading and the temperature dropping swiftly. I put on an extra jumper, pulled up the collars of my coat and enjoyed another cup of hot soup. Icicles hanging from branches tinkled like chimes as the wintry wind scythed through the trees, stark black against a red sunset. My walk ended where it had begun, on Ryton High Street and while waiting for the bus I thought about the day's journey, through old pit villages and along the Keelman's Way. And I thought about the ferrymen who used to row their passengers across the River Tyne – and in the winter ask them to help break the ice to get safely across. Beamish Wood Story From here the morning's route led up to the High Urpeth road then into a forested valley. And I was trekking into a blizzard. Face well muffled by a scarf, my ample clothing included a hat, gloves and two jumpers worn under a thick, warm coat. Waterproofs and change of clothes were packed away in the rucksack, along with a high visibility jacket and torch. My mobile was fully charged – just in case - and my flask of strong, sweet coffee enjoyed pride of place, along with the Digestive Biscuits, of course. The track wound down into a winter wonderland where a snowy forest covered the hillside overlooking an icy River Team. There was a feast of colours to enjoy; the snow blanketed valley, bare black trees and ever greens, holly draped with snow and red breasted robins, hopping from branch to branch. The track headed south, up the valley where I soon found myself scrambling over branches and thick roots. The steep climb was hard work and it wasn't long before I stopped for a breather, pulling the scarf away from my mouth and peeling off the gloves. Time for a cuppa and a biscuit. Dunking a Digestive into my coffee, I looked out over the silent, snow covered valley. My gaze also followed, with interest, the various footprints that could be seen. Some were human but many belonged to birds, foxes and other animals, maybe deer I thought. This took me down a hill – treading carefully because of the ice - and across a bridge to Urpeth Forge. Trooping down the bank, it occurred to me that whilst today the landscape around Beamish is of peaceful woodland and fields, during the Industrial Revolution it glowed with iron forges and was scattered with pits. There was also a flint mill and nearby Urpeth was noted for its papermaking. From Urpeth Forge, a path took me across a vista of fresh, untouched snow, past a farm and into a forest. After a short while the track forks. I took the left hand one, across a footbridge and further steep climbing followed, into sunlight reddened trees. After a while I stopped, removed one of my jumpers and tucked it away in the rucksack and was also able to dispense with the gloves and hat. It was turning into quite a warm morning, with banks of snow glimmering in the sun, undergrowth covered with red berries that were as bright as flames. I climbed over fallen trees, thick brown bracken cracking underfoot, the crisp cold air freshened by the smell of holly. With the snow hanging from branches like great white beards, the trees looked like ancient giants. At the top of the valley another footpath led west, past a small-holding where horses munched hay. The track follows the top of the ravine from where the sound of the River Team could be heard faintly, far below. Through the trees could be glimpsed hills, so bright with snow that it hurt the eyes to look directly at them. This stretch of the walk was easier going and very pleasant and I met several other people out for a stroll. The dogs clearly loved the snow, rolling around in it and getting told off for shaking their coats and spraying it all over anyone who happened to be within range. After lunch at the Shepherd and Shepherdess pub in Beamish Village I headed along the main street and onto the coast-to-coast cycle route, also popular with walkers, and followed it west. I hadn't gone very far before being met by a startling sight; a group of cows on the trackside. They made no attempt to move on my baffled approach. Shortly afterwards I was met by more wildlife – but this time it was real; two young deer, crossing the track. I stopped, hardly daring to breath. The beautiful animals paused, sniffing the air. Their coats were glossy and sleek, powdered with snow. The animals' eyes shone in the afternoon light. And then the deer were gone, in an instant, a graceful blur of movement. I have walked this route several times but today it was an entirely new landscape, and beautiful, with miles of shining, snowy hills lying before me. There was a blizzard on the way however. It had already obscured Pontop Pike. I strode along, enjoying the sights and sounds. Snow occasionally fell from branches but other than that the winter landscape was still and wondrous, with icicles glimmering and frosty ponds pattered by birds' footprints. My eight mile walk ended at Stanley and the legs were definitely a bit on the sore side as I made the final climb into the town. It had been worth it however because the day had been magical, a journey through forests and across valleys, with steel cows – and real deer. Journalism “Weekend Walks”, South Shields Gazette (2007/08) Sample Stories “Our Memories”, Best of British Magazine (2008) – Story “Age Concern”, North Tyneside (2007/08) “Death Portal”, an online novel (2008) Craig Jose, British and European Kick Boxing Champion Media Talking Lean - May 2009
Can you say more about the competition run by the Northern Echo and Smartspeed ?
I spent several half-day sessions with Graeme and Maccine Hall, the company's owners. During this time we focused on ways to improve their time management and sales monitoring systems.
Can you elaborate on how you helped Designs Unique in terms of time management?
I evaluated how effectively they met their goals. In essence, I compared what the team were doing, over the days and weeks, with what they should be doing. Then I came up with a different plan of attack, one that was better able to meet their targets.
Smartspeed also reviewed how Designs Unique approached their routine work and made some alterations here. This included improving their checklist for activities to be carried out on certain days. I also looked at how Designs Unique could use their e-mail program to schedule routine work.
We blocked out periods in the week for different tasks such as strategic management and ongoing work like marketing. Importantly, I also worked with the Designs Unique team on how such time should be used for that purpose only.
You can have as many days as you like dedicated to strategic management but if the people on the ground don't adhere to it then it's a waste of time.
Can you tell us about the system you introduced for the tracking of sales?
I calculated the company's target turnover for the next twelve months. Then I created a matrix that shows how Designs Unique products and services are performing over that time.
The result is a tool used for focusing sales and marketing activity, (see link at bottom of page). It gives Designs Unique a clear method for tracking and adjusting their efforts so as to achieve target turnover.
This is important because if one product or service is ahead of projected targets then you can shift your budget to support a product that perhaps isn't performing so well. Or you may decide to change your plan and grow another market.
The key to the matrix is enabling the ongoing monitoring of sales performance and improvement of current actions.
I'm really pleased with the work I did because Designs Unique can now track orders from initial contact right through to the thank you card being sent out at the end of a project.
The changes I implemented were not massive or even particularly complicated but it is often the case that it is the little or simple changes that give the best results. 
ELLA, now 74, found a new lease of life on becoming an Age Concern Life Link volunteer, in August 2006.
An ice covered Tyne is an amazing sight. 
Driven on by a strong Westerly, it misted the summits of nearby hills and poured around me as I pushed on across the fields. Within minutes I was white with snow as the huge wave drifted silently across the moors. Through it, could be seen hard red sunlight, silhouetting wintry woodland. 
I was wading through knee high snow – and loving it. The public footpath, not that I could see much of it, took me through Walter's Wood and into Urpeth. 
I pushed on, climbing over a stile and then following a track past Urpeth North Farm and onto the road. 
And then I gave myself a mental slap on the head: Duh, they weren't cows at all but steel sculptures. This sort of innovative public artwork can be found all along the route.
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