Keeping The Pace With Local Hospice Run

It’s been an ongoing commitment this year for Store & Secure Self Storage to work alongside local charities and if it’s a case of keeping the pace and getting involved with the Hospice 10k run, there’s a team for every initiative.

Last Sunday, raising money for local hospices: Julia’s House, Lewis-Manning Hospice and Forest Holme Hospice, the Store & Secure team, behind Castlepoint, joined many other runners alongside Bournemouth seafront.

Facility Assistant, Julia Pearce highlighted, “Whilst it’s easy getting the running shoes on, keeping it going for 10k certainly was a feat in itself, but a hugely rewarding experience and to be part of a worthwhile event.”

Facility Manager, Lucy Maidman commented, “It’s been a great year working for good causes and makes us all feel part of the community, helping out where we can and also as a responsibility too. Our free storage for local charity shops was a success this year and keeping the momentum with other events is important.”

A fulfilling morning for everyone involved in the hospice run, has resulted in thousands of pounds raised for the three charities and the opportunity for many people to give a bit back and support others.

We’re just putting our exact totals together now. Also keep your eyes peeled because our efforts are set to feature in the pages of The Echo very soon!

Don’t de-clutter, rent a storage unit

 

We all know Esther Rantzen as anything from journalist, to politician, to television presenter – but did you know that she is also a hoarder? Last year she shared her story with the Guardian.

Having recently moved from a large five-storey house in to a smaller two-bedroom flat, she told readers of her agony at parting with some of her most treasured possessions.

“Every inch of my home was crammed with this stuff, most of it mine, some of it my children’s and I loved it all. From the little rocking horse in the attic, to the hat box belonging to my grandmother in the basement. Even if I hadn’t seen it for years, had actually forgotten it was still there, it was all part of my family history, and throwing away felt like throwing away my life. As moving day approached, inexorable as an execution, I became paralysed with fear and indecision. My daughters got so worried about me they booked a professional de-clutterer.”

The professional de-clutterer started by suggesting that Rantzen should sort through some of the items she felt less sentimental about – her vase collection…
“So I led her to my cupboard holding the two hundred and fifty vases I had collected over forty years. I quoted mother to her, “you can never have enough vases”. Claire pointed out that, actually, you can. I minded losing every one. They each had their own story. The holiday in Tuscany. The little shop in Windsor.”

However it wasn’t just Esther’s feelings that were hurt – she also suffered financially. Putting her husband’s fine wine collection on auction fetched just three pounds per bottle, and an old champagne bucket she gave to charity turned out to be worth £1000 (though it was for charity, so she didn’t complain too much!).

She concluded by writing:

“The moral is, forget what anyone tells you about the catharsis of getting rid of clutter. Don’t believe them when they say you’ll be disinfecting your soul, and you won’t miss it anything. You will. I already do. Carry on hoarding.

If you decide to down-size, just rent one of those storage units that have sprung up alongside every motorway, and keep everything. You may never visit it, but you’ll know it’s there. And it’ll be something for your children to look through after you’ve gone. They’ll love that. Especially when they discover their own old rocking horse and school reports. And remember the Swedish proverb, “Don’t throw away the old bucket until you know whether the new one holds water.” Especially if there’s a chance the old bucket might be worth a thousand pounds.”

Store & Secure is more than happy to store all of your treasured possessions, so that you don’t have to endure the misery of losing them. We have storage units ranging from 1m³ lockers to 20,000 sq ft spaces, and can advise you on the safest ways to store your possessions. Contact us today, or fill out our “Request a Quote” form, to find out more about how we could help fulfil your storage needs.

Steel Accommodation?

Steel containers are a durable and flexible storage option for many business customers. Storing your surplus equipment here could help your business prosper, by reducing wasted space, but would you ever consider living in one?

With rising house prices, and the drive to be more ‘green’, more and more people seem to be turning to steel containers for accommodation.  It is by no means limited to homes though, with offices and even hotels being constructed from these disused containers.

Here are a few examples, and you can read the main article at… http://weburbanist.com/2008/05/26/cargo-container-homes-and-offices/

In 2008 Travelodge opened a hotel in Uxbridge, London, made entirely from storage containers. It was the first of its kind in Europe, and the company have hailed this pioneering technique as an affordable and efficient way to build a hotel. The finished product actually looks like any other hotel.

Many homeowners now see construction from steel containers as a green and affordable alternative to traditional housing – it looks pretty cool too! Some estimates say that to construct one of these homes costs less than half the amount using traditional methods would.

If you don’t fancy living in one, but would still like to store your excess possessions in one then visit our Container Storage page for more detail.

Could you be at Risk from Identity Theft?

Identity theft and fraud costs the UK £38bn each year, according to the Home Office.

There are numerous ways that someone could steal your identity, or even your business identity, and you may not even be immediately aware that it has been stolen.

Vital information can be taken by:
•    Finding out your bank details
•    Copying your credit card details
•    Copying the information on your passport and driving license
•    Stealing junk mail which has your personal information on it
•    Going through your dustbin to find receipts or other information
•    Obtaining information through a fraudulent website or email

There are a variety of steps which you can take to protect yourself, or your business, and one of the most effective is shredding.

Shredding anything containing personal information before disposal will make it virtually impossible for your details to be stolen by fraudsters going through your rubbish – particularly important if your business regularly discards documents.

Store & Secure offer a secure shredding service, providing a reliable and safe outlet for destroying confidential documentation as well as recycling on completion. All shredding is provided in-house at our Bournemouth facility, which helps provide a concise audit trail throughout.

We provide our secure shredding services to various companies in Bournemouth and Dorset, at excellent rates.

Our Charity Bake Sale

A couple of weeks ago we at Store and Secure held a charity bake sale, outside our offices, to raise money for Diverse Abilities Plus.

The day was a great success and we managed to raise over £150! Everyone from the company contributed, by baking furiously the weekend before the event, and our very own Julia Pearce helped run the stall. We had a marquee by the main entrance and benefited from a steady flow of cake hungry customers passing by.

We also had great support from the other businesses on Yeomans Way, who knew about the event and came over to support a good cause.  Diverse Abilities Plus is a charity who works with families to help meet the needs of local people, of all ages with physical and learning difficulties. We are proud to support such a great cause and are grateful to everyone who stopped by.

Struggling with a lack of space?

A report in the Guardian, last week, highlighted our shrinking house sizes and the growing need for storage in Britain.

The article was based on a report by Riba and Ipsos Mori which found that “long- and short-term storage space” – for everyday functional items such as ironing boards and bed linen, as well as seasonal or nostalgic possessions such as Christmas trees or a wedding dress – was one of the features people most wanted in their home.

Britain builds the smallest homes in Europe and has left many people craving more space and storage. One couple were reported to have said that they left their kitchen bin in the middle of the kitchen, because there was nowhere else for it. Another said their cupboards were so small they stored shopping in the boot of the car, while Miriam and Matt from Liverpool were so short of space they kept their vacuum cleaner at their mother’s house, a good 20-minute drive away.

Many British homes, particularly modern ones, lack space and this is not necessarily because of pressure on land… A 2007 Riba survey found the average floor space of a new dwelling in England and Wales was 76 sq m, against 81.5 sq m in Italy, 92 sq m in Japan and 115 sq m in Holland, all as densely populated. The Guardian suggests that our small homes are actually down to the fact that builders make more money that way and, perhaps, because we are the only EU country not to have minimum-space standards for the homes we live in.

If you are struggling for space, why not contact Store and Secure? We can store almost anything from teddy bears to cars, as long as it’s not flammable, perishable or illegal! We offer flexible contracts, reasonable prices and the potential for 24 hour access.

Solving the search for a new office

Looking for new office space on the high street can be just too costly and time-consuming for many businesses; however there is another way…

The land bought and used to build storage facilities is frequently far cheaper than a more desirable area, near the town centre for example. As such, sites like these can offer a cheaper, and more flexible, alternative to businesses looking for office space.

Located behind Castlepoint in Bournemouth, Store & Secure is no exception and we can offer even more than reasonable prices.

We providehigh quality office solutions to suit a wide range of customers – from 100 sq ft offices, to a 1000 sq ft self contained office suite. Our modern, serviced offices include fitted carpets, suspended ceilings and power supply. Security for the offices is comprehensive, and you will have extended hours access seven days a week. Use of the on-site toilet, kitchen facilities, and a main reception area is included, and with our easy in/easy out license agreement, you could move in today!

If your business is looking for a conveniently located, and modern, office space why not contact us today for a free quote?

Looking to expand your business but don’t want to move?

Moving to new premises can be an extremely costly, time-consuming and stressful prospect for companies looking to expand their business. However, a better and far cheaper option could hold the answer; storage.

Companies have the potential to save thousands every year, and even protect themselves against disaster, by storing extensive and rarely used records off-site and putting their new-found space to good use.

Many businesses are expected to keep years worth of client and employee records – usually involving large numbers of hefty boxes filled with paper copies. This paperwork, though necessary, could be taking up vital space and preventing your company from reaching its full potential. Using a storage site would not only open up new space, but could also make organising, accessing and keeping track of your records significantly easier.

You might even be able to save more than space; by storing your essential and possibly confidential files off-site you could be ensuring their safety. Storage facilities offer businesses a cost-effective way to protect themselves against natural disasters, sabotage and theft. Some storage sites also offer secure shredding, to guard against identity theft and fraud.

When it comes to business storage, Store & Secure offer an attractive package. Our storage units are protected by an advanced alarm-system, and monitored by 24 hour CCTV . We also provide secure shredding, and even have special archive units to make managing your records that much easier. We can supply numerous types of packaging, and offer many free services to aid you in your self storage.

For a free quote tailored to your storage requirements, contact us today.

Storage Bournemouth

Store & Secure is the first choice for Storage Bournemouth. We provide secure, flexible and cost effective self storage facilities and workspaces. We’re based in Bournemouth behind Castlepoint, a short convienent drive from central Bournemouth and all surrounding areas. Our large storage unit has ample free parking, high security and with advanced notice can be accessed 24 hours a day.  

Store & Secure self storage Bournemouth units are clean, dry, bright and secure. We’re open 7 days a week and our prices start from as little as £5 per week.

We’re also proud members of the SSA (Self Storage Association), which means we’re a team to trust.

To get a quote for your Storage Bournemouth requirements, complete the Request a Quote form