What's happening?

We are based in the lovely county of Shropshire and although we work with clients in a wide range of surrounding counties, and virtually with businesses across the UK, we love where we live and love to shout about it.

Shouting about things is really our bag so this is the page where we tell you what our clients have been up to, what's happening in Shropshire, what's happening with J&PR - and of course our advice and tips!

My three lessons of the week…

14 Sep 2015

by Kirsty Smallman

I’ve learned three things this week… Don’t ever call your personal trainer “predictable” as he will then introduce much heavier weights or a new exercise you really didn’t predict. Don’t invite your personal trainer to be a guest speaker at a business networking event (www.telfordbusinessclub.com) and wear your tightest trousers as he will then ask you to be his […]

Business training courses in Shropshire

07 Sep 2015

by Rhea Alton

A range of courses to enhance business development and increase employee skills and knowledge are on offer for Shropshire organisations. Run by Caradoc Medical Services the training sessions will take place at the conference centre in Longbow Close, Shrewsbury. Among the courses available are basic, intermediate and advanced Powerpoint, Word and Excel training, project management, problem solving and decision making, coaching skills and […]

Bronllys community hall receives life-saving defibrillator

07 Sep 2015

by Rhea Alton

Around 1000 people in a small Powys village now have access to a defibrillator thanks to out of hours provider Shropdoc. Bronllys is a village at the foot of the Black Mountains between Brecon and Talgarth and a fifth of the population of around 1000 are aged between 60 and 80 years. The community hall within the village is used […]

The end of an era!

04 Sep 2015

by Rhea Alton

So today marks the end of an era for many of us at the J&PR office as our five-year-olds complete their final day at preschool. A few tears have already been shed and there’s no doubt a few more will follow in a couple of hours time when we do the final ‘pick-up’. You see watching our little boys give […]

Working parents struggle to cope with lack of childcare places

02 Sep 2015

by Simon Alton

Working parents are struggling to cope during the summer holidays according to a national charity, which has warned that the current system is at breaking point. The Family and Childcare Trust found that every single council area in the West Midlands – including Shropshire – did not have enough childcare places during the school holidays for children aged 12 and […]

Shropshire BMX club on track for British championships

26 Aug 2015

by Simon Alton

Talented riders from a Shropshire BMX club are preparing to battle it out in this weekend’s British BMX Championships. Members of Wrekin Riders BMX Race Club as young as four years old have qualified for the British Championships after competing in the Midlands Regional rounds over the last five months. Olly Clarke, four, and Eddie Smallman, six, have both qualified […]

Pushing a peacock in front of the Queen

20 Aug 2015

by Simon Alton

James Owen, 17, of New College in Telford, is on work experience at J&PR and told us this cracking tale of his starring role when the Queen visited Shropshire in 2012. Naturally we suggested he wrote a blog about it… As most students studied in the spring of 2012, working hard for their summer tests, I was called to the principle’s office […]

A student…and a novelist….

18 Aug 2015

by Rhea Alton

James Owen has joined us on work experience this week. He is a student at New College Telford but works on more than just assignments…..here he tells us more: Being a student and being a novelist are more similar than one might first assume. Both require a large amount of time and effort on your part and both have someone […]

Shropshire bucks self-employment trend

07 Aug 2015

by Rhea Alton

I cannot count the number of friends and family who I have told they should set up their own business. Having done it myself, and worked with so many wonderful self-employed business owners in Shropshire, I have seen the successes and the benefits that can come with being self-employed. New figures published by the Office of National Statistics show the […]

Intermediate level reached and I survived!

05 Aug 2015

by Kirsty Smallman

When my personal trainer from Ideal Fitness told me he was starting me on the intermediate level I thought to myself “what? Last week was only the beginner’s level?” Stuart Henderson, based on Stafford Park, had introduced me slowly to the world of Personal Training during the last four weeks due to my recent knee surgery but as the knee […]