In Family Time

Weekend Away in Liverpool

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on
Weekend Away in Liverpool
As a family we tend to be home bods. We are staycationers (UK hols) and love exploring Great Britain. One place we’ve not been and yet one I’ve heard so much about is Liverpool, which is why the Weekend Away in Liverpool campaign caught my eye. If you’re a hashtag fan, look for #YourLiverpoolONE.
 
This is a campaign all about informing families like ours who haven’t visited Liverpool before, about what they are missing. Hearing about the campaign and seeing the posts made me look a little further and this is what I found.
 

Food Glorious Food

There are a vast number of eateries in Liverpool One which means Roy, the boys and I will all be able to find something we can eat, be it cafe/quick bites or sit down meals. Having had a quick nosy it looks as if my annoyingly complex dietary needs will be easy to deal with and the reviews of many of the eateries I’ve looked at are great. With children’s menus available the Gruesome Twosome will be easily pleased. I noticed that are Japanese restaurants alongside many others which I’m interested in, having never really explored Japanese cuisine. I feel visiting Liverpool could be something of a culinary adventure!
 

Family Friendly

Everything about Liverpool One screams family friendly, as well as offering easy access to all. Everything seems very well set out, there are plenty of toilets and lots to keep the boys (and us) entertained, from the Nature Trail to the Odeon Kids Club nearby. There are three thousand car parking spaces at Liverpool One which means we wouldn’t need to fight to find parking in the centre and we’d be confident our car would be safe and secure and more than that, that we’d be able to find it again! 
 

Shopping

There are HUNDREDS of stores so you can buy pretty much anything you need for anyone. In a way, I wish I’d stumbled across all of this a little sooner as it would have made a fabulously festive Christmas shopping weekend with my sisters. With some spending money in their pockets though I’m pretty sure the boys would be able to cope with some shopping with Mum and Dad too!  
 
Shopping, weekend away in Liverpool
 

Sports

We couldn’t be less sporty as a family if you tried however even I have to admit that if sport, particularly the football is your thing, Liverpool is the place to be. With so many places to stay, events and more, hitting a game would only be the start of your weekend away.
 

A Weekend in Liverpool Offers So Much

The more I looked, the more I found. Liverpool is known for being a fabulously friendly place to visit and I really want to experience that for myself. Alongside the people and the facilities (everything from shops to cinemas and more) there are regular events run throughout the year, many of which would be perfect for us as a family. The history of Liverpool is vast and there are many museums and sights to see, not to mention there being a well-known and much-loved music scene (one for a Liverpool weekend for me and Roy I think).
 
When it comes down to it, the boys are growing up so quickly, with our eldest now being twelve (which seems ridiculous). It won’t be too long before our family adventures become few and far between or stop altogether so we want to make each memory as special as possible. They are sure to fly the nest at some point! After the family trips end though, there’s nothing to say that Roy and I can’t keep adventuring, and a weekend away in Liverpool would be at the top of our list.
In Business & Blogging

Keeping Compliant as a Freelancer

Author Nicki CawoodPosted on
Keeping Compliant as a Freelancer

Being a freelancer can be a very liberating experience, yet with all that freedom comes responsibility and occasionally loneliness. I’ve been doing this for more than twelve years and it isn’t just a case of being a copywriter and writing, I need to know about current law around compliance, GDPR etc AND more! In this blog post, I’m going to take a look at some of the key components of being compliant as a freelancer to ensure you don’t get yourself in hot water along the way.

ACCOUNTS

If you’re used to being paid as an employee, then you will be used to having your tax deducted prior to it reaching your account.  However, as a freelancer, you are responsible for paying your own tax, and as such, you can find yourself in quite a predicament if you forget, or spend it, prior to it being due. This is something that you need to make a good habit early on.

On the plus side, there are many companies such as Qdos Accounting that can not only help you to remain compliant but can help reduce the amount of tax you do pay, as the majority of business expenses are tax deductible. This is a complex area, particularly when it comes down to aspects like home offices. I did my own books/accounts in the early years and I have to say that employing an accountant was by far one of the best business decisions I made.

GDPR

No matter how large or small your business, there’s a good chance that  GDPR is going to affect you. The GDPR is in place to make data processors more responsible for the information people give them, in this sense, it extends beyond most basic data protection policies and is in place to stop people abusing the information they hold. It is important to keep on top of GDPR in terms of being compliant with legislation in your business. To no do this could cost you money, your reputation and land you in hot water. None of this is good when you just want to get on with your freelance work.

CONTRACT LAW

The law of contract is pretty simple.  The reason a contract exists is to protect both parties entering into it, and the most important aspect is to clearly define the tasks and expectations; both in terms of requirements and reward.  This way, everyone knows where they stand and if there is an issue down the line, you can both refer to the contract agreed to in the first instance.

In simple terms, a contract is the exchange of promises between parties. Despite this so many freelancers I speak to don’t have contracts with their clients. Make this a priority if you want to protect yourself and your business.

contract, compliant

MISREPRESENTATION

This is a particularly pertinent aspect of law for freelancers. Misrepresentation is simply misrepresenting something material, for instance, it could be a qualification or something you have said the customer will get in order to induce them into sale. If you are found to be misrepresenting yourself the contract is likely to be rescinded (withdrawn) and the other party is unlikely to be held responsible for paying you any money. The key is to be transparent. Don’t say you can do something when you can’t, and basically do not lie about any aspect of your business.

NEGLIGENCE

Finally, negligence is where you carry out work without a reasonable standard of care.  Negligence when driving is when a person is found to be driving without due care and attention, which is similar in business, in that if you make a mistake that isn’t intentional but was a little reckless you could be guilty of negligence.

If you are accused of being negligent, then the other party is likely seeking damages to compensate them for any loss suffered as a result of your negligence.  It, therefore, pays to take this aspect seriously, and many freelancers know the importance of being able to demonstrate they took reasonable steps to ensure no negligence occurred. Good insurance is a must when you are a freelancer, as is, of course, being compliant.

These sorts of things aren’t what you went into business for and they don’t come up when you imagine your perfect working day. Ensuring that you are compliant in all of these areas is an important part of being a freelancer so don’t get caught out.

 

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