Celia Gaze visits House of Commons and House of Lords in one week

This week has been busy for Celia Gaze, founder and CEO of The Wellbeing Farm wedding and events venue.

Celia was invited to the House of Commons by UK Hospitality to brief MPs on the stories and issues affecting the hospitality industry at the moment. The reception was set up to take stock of the sector post-autumn statement and identify policies that will ensure hospitality can return to strength to deliver jobs, growth and quality services for customers.

In a sector which is generating £130bn in economic activity and employing 3 million people, the hospitality sector is important for the UK economy. 99 per cent of all businesses and 53 per cent of turnover is dependent on SMEs and the hospitality sector is critical to tourism.

The industry is facing tough challenges around costs and workforce. Energy prices have more than doubled, even after Government support. The sector is also facing record vacancy levels. The event was held to discuss support for rising energy prices, business rates reform and unlocking the labour market.

Celia's visit to the House of Lords is to celebrate Small Business Saturday. Celia has been selected to be an Ambassador for Small Business Saturday - The Small Biz 100 represents the very best in British business at the heart of our economy. Day in day out small businesses prove themselves to be innovative, community-minded and capable of thriving in what are undoubtedly challenging times.

We read an insight report by KPMG which shows that the pandemic has significantly changed the way customers shop and engage with brands. Online shopping has seen a 100 per cent increase and two thirds of festive gift-buying was done online. BUT people missed the physical experience — especially at Christmas.  In addition, as sustainability and social responsibility are at an all-time high, we believe that the time is now to really think about the provenance of the products you buy and understand the 'why' behind the businesses.

So, we decided to combine all the above and help small businesses during these challenging times, by using The Wellbeing Farm as a base for small independent businesses to showcase their gifts in time for Christmas. So to celebrate Small Business Saturday and to help promote local small independent businesses, on Saturday 3rd December The Wellbeing Farm are creating a great festive day out for the whole family: a Christmas fair which makes a difference. A fair to keep Christmas celebrations local, sustainable, and ethical, while also providing a space for creative entrepreneurs to share their work: The Wellbeing Farm MAD Green and Ethical Christmas Fair – the fair which Makes a Difference

An area of the Fair will also be devoted to recycling / upcycling with sustainable products being the priority. This will provide an opportunity for small businesses but also consumers, to be aware around the importance of considering more ethical, sustainable gifts as Christmas presents.

With the number of hospitality and small businesses struggling, it’s important that we all do what we can to help….

The Wellbeing Farm is a B Corp Certified wedding and events venue specialising in fun, unique and sustainable weddings, parties and corporate events. In March 2022, the venue became the first independent venue in the UK to be B Corp Certified.