Rachel Colenso

Rachel Colenso Speaking at the IFB next generation event in London Rachel Colenso with James Amos of Boodles, London I was recently given the great honor of speaking at the IFB tri-annual international conference in London. The audience comprised of some of Britain's most successful next generation Family Business entrepreneurs, directors and executives, as well as successful family business owners from other countries. Placed as the last speaker of the day, following an impressive line -up, including a former adviser to the White House, was rather a hard act to follow! Rachel Colenso Inspirational Speaker However, this proved to be a fantastic and responsive audience and I thoroughly enjoyed the event. I hope my talk will help to inspire the next generation members as they lead their companies into the future. I think what helped to make this event such a success was the great consideration given to the selection and placement of the speakers as well as the gre...

  Rachel Colenso with Red Cross Landrover in Buckingham Palace Courtyard Today I attended the Royal Garden party at Buckingham Palace to celebrate 100 years since WW1, and 150 years since the start of the Red Cross movement. It was avery exciting afternoon! At 3pm we were ushered through the main gates into Buckingham Palace. I made sure I was in the middle line so I could walk right through the middle of the palace, which was a remarkable experience. The ceiling, and wall décor is in gold leaf, and I was a little surprised at the number of life size marble statues adorning the entrance hall. We were ushered through the large Palace courtyard to the second entrance hall which was again ornate, with larger than life oil paintings of previous kings and queens. Maroon carpets trimmed with pink bows within the weave fitted precisely to measure. Outside, the terrace forecourt leads down a wide flight of stairs to the gardens and lake beyond.      I quic...

Rachel looking at a grass snake swimming in the Thames  whilst Jasmine and Rosemary paddle We recently completed another two sections of our ultra-marathon scoot, "Maidenhead to Cookham" and "Cookham to Cookham Dean". This magical part of the Thames is remarkable in its heritage of wonderful riverside homes, stately mansions, and splendid in its natural beauty. The path is in many places broad enough to travel alongside each other. Fairly free of bumps, tree roots and pebbles, it is ideal for scooters or wheelchairs; family fun, or serious athletes who fancy a rootless, rockless run!  Jeremy, Rachel, Steve, Rosemary and Jasmine scooting for the British Red Cross  Both sections are a mixture of open fields, (presently awash with yellow buttercups and white daisies); and almost tropical forests. Thick vegetation, and vines hang in a dense canopy, with long branches trailing their foliage in the dark, wide river. The sights, sme...

Ok, this is probably not the way to start a blog, but as I am very, very excited, so please forgive.... I have been invited by the Queen to a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace! Wooohooo!!!  Rachel Colenso, Jeremy, Rosemary and Jasmine on Windsor Bridge The event is to take place in June and is to celebrate 150 years of humanitarian action. The anniversaries in 2013 and 2014 mark the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1863 and the adoption of the first Geneva Convention in 1864. As 2014 marks 100 years since the beginning of the First World War it will also be an opportunity to honour the work the British Red Cross carried out during this time. The Queens garden parties are a way of recognising and rewarding public service. I do feel it is now even more important for me to further, truly earn this honour, and so am looking to further my partnership with suitable organisations who would be interested in s...

As this section of the Thames pathway was recently submerged a meter or so beneath flood waters we have waited until the ground dried out sufficiently before attempting to scoot it. The pathway is narrow in places so our daughters had soon managed to take our two wheel scooters from under our noses, and whizzed along whilst we carried their three wheelers. It is a beautiful place, and especially so in Spring, with only a couple of reminders of the floods, (like a large boat marooned in someone's garden!). This short section of the Thames river creates an idyllic way to spend an afternoon. The entire journey is filled with interest for all ages and the distance is short enough to be enjoyed by active toddlers and older family members with enough time over to experience a number of outdoor attractions in picturesque settings. We passed many families and stopped to smell the flowers often! Runnymede Park is a lovely picnic setting with ample parking close by, a super children's ...

Jeremy and Rachel Colenso with family, Shepperton  Thames River Scoot supporting the British Red Cross This week we took the chance to trial our new micro-scooters from Shepperton to Laleham. - Two places that have received recent global attention as flood waters rose to record heights, wrecking homes and causing thousands to be evacuated. The prime Minister, David Cameron waded through the flooded roads in his wellies captured on news-clips with a look of disbelief and exhaustion. (This had been a rather arduous and wet tour of southern Britain!) I can only imagine that someone in his position must have a very firm and rational mind, because I would definitely have spent the next two weeks having nightmares of floods and storms. Rosemary and Jasmine scooting through Shepperton, Thames River Scoot This section of the Thames was recently under so much water that we were stopped nearly a mile from the Thames by what we thought was a river that had burst its banks. It wasn...

Yesterday I visited the headquarters the of the British Red Cross in London to discuss some exciting new ideas. We also handed over all those kind donations people have given supporting our World Record breaking Thames River Scoot(!) in support of the Red Cross's Disaster Fund. Jasmine at the Red Cross with Shelley wearing a Red Cross 'Refusing to ignore People in Crisis' t shirt We had an interesting inside glimpse behind the scenes of this universal humanitarian organisation. Jasmine, our three year old accompanied me on her micro scooter. No-one there had ever seen someone 'scoot' in for a meeting, so Jasmine became quite a novelty. When things all became less exciting for a three year old, Jasmine found a sheep... yes a sheep stood in the corner of the offices. Shelley the Sheep is on her way to the Tower of London today, thankfully as a mascot, and not a dinner offering. Shelley is  very mobile, stood on a green, four wheeled landscape.We created quit...