A Worsley family has created the first premium countdown calendars for birthdays and other occasions after their teenage daughter sparked an idea.
When Andrew and Charlotte Staal were asked by their teenage daughter while she was studying for her Business GCSE, “why don’t we have advent calendars for birthdays?”, they understandably didn’t have an answer at first – but after taking the idea and deciding it was a brilliant one, they got to work creating a unique concept that is already shaking up the UK gifting market.
SevenYays was officially launched this month after being in production and development during multiple national lockdowns over the past year.
Aiming to support independent British businesses with ethical and sustainable values, the new personalised gifting service allows shoppers to create customised countdown calendars for birthdays and other occasions, or chose from several ready-made boxes with themes including gin, wellbeing, and celebration.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ6cRDtI-Uk/
You get to pick six small, high-quality gifts and one larger gift – known as the Seventh Yay – which are all wrapped up in plantet-friendly packaging and come alongside a card with a personalised message.
ADVERTISEMENT
The boxes are sent to the recipient just in time for the countdown to their special occasion.
The gifts selection includes craft gins and rum, wellbeing products, high-quality beauty items, sleep masks, socks, books, and tech items.
ADVERTISEMENT
The boxes are sent to the recipient just in time for the countdown to their special occasion / Credit: SevenYays
Speaking on the launch of SevenYays, Charlotte Staal said: “Our daughter had to create a business idea for a GCSE project and when she asked us, “why don’t we have advent calendars for birthdays? We couldn’t answer, and the more we thought about it, the more we saw what a brilliant idea it was.
“We put our heads together as a family and talked it over.
“It seemed like the perfect fit for the current situation. With friends and loved ones stuck in lockdown, what better way to spread some joy? Then we got to work.”
ADVERTISEMENT
“Right from the start of this journey, we knew we wanted to offer the very best gifts to customers,” Andrew Staal added.
“High-quality, fun, useful, but always with ethical and sustainable values a priority.” Our key
He continued: “There are so many amazing SMEs out there creating some wonderful gifts and incredible products [and] we can give them the opportunity to boost their brand and increase their sales – and bring some exciting new gifts to our customers.”
“Why don’t we have advent calendars for birthdays?” / Credit: SevenYays
SevenYays launched on 1st June with 12 different pre-selected themed boxes and 130 different premium gifts to choose from in the create-your-own box option.
Prices start at £30 – and you can grab yours here.
Featured Image – SevenYays
Business
Grounded MCR – the Levenshulme community cafe crafting coffee and comfort food for a great cause
Emily Sergeant
Over within the grounds of one of Levenshulme’s most popular parks is a community cafe that’s doing things a little differently.
Starting off life as a little coffee trike back in 2021, and now based inside a bright-yellow shipping container in Levenshulme‘s Cringle Park, Grounded MCR CIC is a social enterprise that does more than just make you a brew.
Set up with the idea of creating a welcoming space for the whole community to gather, with a key focus on sustainability, Grounded serves up specialty coffee, lots of other hot and cold drinks, and yummy homemade food – much of which is grown by hand, on and around the container.
This is Grounded MCR / Credit: The Manc Group
Coffee beans sourced from a local roaster that pays farmers properly, tasty bakes on offer from a handful of local makers – including bread from the incredible Stockport-based charity, Pure Innovations – and dozens of free community events organised throughout the year are just a few of the reasons why Grounded goes above and beyond your typical cafe.
Sustainability – and affordability, especially amid the ongoing cost of living crisis – are two huge driving factors for Grounded, especially through their partnership with FareShare Greater Manchester and utilising the ‘Too Good To Go’ scheme.
By delivering and using surplus food that would’ve otherwise gone to waste, Grounded is able to keep their prices low whilst still creating some delicious scran.
The Levenshulme community cafe crafting coffee for a great cause / Credit: The Manc Group
Their ‘FareShare Fridays’ are hosted each week, where that morning’s delivery is dedicated to one specific dish and served up for just £1.
To top it all off, Grounded also works with vulnerable adults in honing their barista and hospitality skills, and is also in partnership with ‘Women in Probation’ too to ensure their impact goes further than just what comes in a cup or on a plate.
”We’ve worked hard to create a space that feels safe and welcoming for all,” Grounded declares in a statement on it’s website – and we think they’ve succeeded.
Sustainable clothing brand Lucy & Yak to host first-ever PreLoved Weekender in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Popular sustainable brand Lucy & Yak is set to host its first ever pre-loved clothing event this bank holiday weekend.
Lucy & Yak is turning its stores into dedicated PreLoved hubs for an entire weekend – celebrating second-hand shopping with communities across the UK.
Since 2023, Lucy & Yak – which is an independent, people-focused brand with all items made using organic, natural, recycled, or deadstock fabrics – has kept more than 42,000 items, also known affectionately as ‘Yaks’, in circulation through its PreLoved scheme, where customers bring in and return their old pieces, and once processed, will then receive a money-off voucher to put towards their next purchase.
Damaged pieces are repaired or upcycled by the Re:Yak Studio team in Yorkshire, before being sold on in-store to find their new homes.
While Lucy & Yak stores carry a dedicated PreLoved rail year-round, this late May bank holiday weekend from Saturday 23 – Monday 25 May, the whole Manchester store experience will be transformed – with a much larger, expanded PreLoved section.
There’ll be everything from old gems to one-off pieces available to get your hands on – all still wearable, all still loveable.
As well as here in Manchester city centre, the PreLoved Weekender will also be taking place at Lucy & Yak stores in Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Canterbury, Chester, Edinburgh, Exeter, London, Norwich, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Portsmouth, so no matter where you are in the country this bank holiday, you don’t have to miss out.
What’s more is that fashion lovers in Manchester will also get to take part in a series of upcycling workshops in store on Bank Holiday Monday, with more events planned in the coming weeks.
The brand says its stores are ‘more than just shops’ – they’re spaces for the community to connect, and where Lucy & Yak’s values come to life in person.
Lucy & Yak’s first-ever PreLoved Weekender is coming to Manchester this bank holiday / Credit: Supplied
“We’re so excited to bring the PreLoved Weekender to our stores this May,” commented Lydia Coley, who is the Managing Director at Lucy & Yak.
“Lucy & Yak has always been built around community, creativity, and doing things a little differently, and PreLoved brings all of that together. We’re incredibly proud of keeping over 42,000 Yaks in circulation. Every second-hand Yak has a story, and this weekend is about helping those pieces find their next home in a fun way.”
The PreLoved Weekender will be taking place at Lucy & Yak’s Manchester store in the Northern Quarter this Saturday 23 – Monday 25 May, and you can find out more here.
Emily Sergeant -
5th July 2021 
