Manchester company awards dog ‘Employee of the Month’ 15 times during lockdown
"Lottie was a total star and definitely deserved to be awarded ‘Empawee’ of the Month for simply making the whole team smile on busy days and for keeping me company."
A very special dog has been awarded Employee of the Month a whopping 15 times during lockdown for keeping staff’s spirits high at this Manchester company.
Eight-year-old Border Collie Lottie received her first award last April when owner and yappy.com founder, John Smith, decided that she deserved a place on the usually-human Employee of the Month wall.
“Lifesaver” Lottie’s been up to all sorts over the last 15 months.
From dressing up to take Tiger King-inspired Joe Exotic selfies, to celebrating their loo roll stash as the nation’s stock fell low, Lottie kept John smiling – and she brought joy to the whole team at the Manchester-based company too.
Lottie was pictured celebrating Eat Out To Help Out, Valentine’s Day, Independence Day, Halloween, Christmas and more throughout lockdown.
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Every month, John – who founded the pet-themed personalised gifting website back in 2018 – snapped a seasonal photo of Lottie and framed it on the Employee of the Month wall, and in case you missed it, her adorable antics were also documented on the company’s Instagram account so everyone could see how amazing she was.
Every month, John snapped a seasonal photo of Lottie and framed it on the Employee of the Month wall / Credit: yappy.com
“Like many UK business owners, during the first lockdown, I found myself suddenly juggling the demands of running a business and trying to ensure that the morale of my staff was kept intact,” John explained.
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“When it became possible to make trips into the office for a change of scenery, I still didn’t see many staff at all, and most days found myself working alone five days a week.
“On those days, Lottie was a lifesaver and kept me going with cuddles and constant entertainment.
“I decided to start sharing photos of our days with the team to keep everyone smiling.
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“Lottie was a total star and definitely deserved to be awarded ‘Empawee’ of the Month for simply making the whole team smile on busy days and for keeping me company.
“Dogs have this amazing sixth sense and ability to know how you’re feeling and even five minutes of tummy-tickling or going for a short walk with them can help reduce stress levels and calm you down on difficult days.”
Featured Image – yappy.com
News
Rising Manchester DJ issues heartfelt statement after Parklife set is cancelled over safety concerns
Daisy Jackson
Manchester DJ Josh Baker has issued a statement after his Parklife set was unexpectedly cancelled.
The rising star techno and house DJ was supposed to be playing on the brand-new Matinee stage on Sunday evening.
But his set attracted some huge crowds, not helped by the sudden downpour as his set was due to begin.
The area around Matinee became increasingly busy and Parklife announced that the Josh Baker performance would be paused on ‘the advice of safety team’.
Josh Baker has now issued a statement on social media to his followers as his Parklife set was due to end, signed off with a row of crying emojis.
He wrote: “Unfortunately I will not be performing at Parklife due to reason outside of my control.
Josh Baker has shared a statement after his Parklife set was cancelled. Credit: Instagram, @joshbaker
“I deeply apologise. I can’t really put into words what today was going to mean to me.”
Next on the Matinee stage should have been Chris Stussy, another name that was predicted to pull in a big crowd.
At the time of writing, The Matinee Stage remains closed but there are again large queues of fans waiting to re-enter the space.
Parklife pauses major DJ set on ‘advice of safety team’ as huge crowds swarm
Daisy Jackson
Parklife has announced it has paused one of the most hotly-tipped sets of the weekend ‘upon advice of the safety team’.
Josh Baker’s set on the brand-new Matinee stage has been attracting huge crowds from the late afternoon.
The Manchester-born DJ is a rising star in the tech and house scene and was always going to be a highlight of the festival’s line-up this year.
But his pull has maybe been a bit greater than expected, with massive crowds swarming around the Matinee stage on Sunday afternoon.
It’s been so busy that Parklife has made the decision to pause his show altogether while crowds disperse.
The warning sent on the Parklife appHow The Matinee stage looked on Saturday. Credit: The Manc Group
Security have been managing the crowds at the stage with a queue system, but when the heavens opened (and it REALLY rained at about 7pm) the area surrounding the Matinee stage became even busier.
Parklife has issued a statement on its app that reads: “Upon advice of the PL safety team, the show on the Matinee stage has been paused. We will update ASAP.”
Parklife has described Josh Baker as ‘a versatile DJ and producer, embodying the creative essence of the new wave of electronic artists’.
Emily Sergeant -
10th September 2021 
