Anita Roddick, founder of the Bodyshop

Born in a bomb shelter in Littlehampton after her family emigrated from Italy, Roddick founded the Body Shop as a means to support her two children while her husband was out of the country. It quickly grew to become one of the world’s biggest brands, pioneering the sale of ethical products in the UK long before it was fashionable to be green.

“I didn’t go to business school, didn’t care about financial stuff and the stock market” – Anita Roddick

Martha Lane Fox, founder of Lastminute.com

A digital entrepreneur and advocate and campaigner for various charities, Fox was appointed to the position of UK Digital Inclusion Champion, tasked with the role of  making the British public more ‘tech savvy’. She recently told the BBC:  “I don’t think you can be a proper citizen of our society in the future if you are not engaged online.” – we couldn’t have put it better ourselves!

“It’s still disappointing and depressing and I find shocking the number of people who have never been online once.” – Martha Lane Fox

Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American PLC

She was listed as Forbes’ top 5th most powerful woman in 2008 and the top 4th in 2009. She was the first female CEO of the company, and is known for increasing worker safety in the company. According to the FT, fatalities in the business dropped by 68 per cent since 2006 under her watch. She prides herself on proving people wrong when they tell her something can’t be done.

“They’ll know me pretty soon… I’m a person of action and won’t sit still too long” – Cynthia Carroll

Margaret Thatcher, UK prime minister 1979-1990

Controversial! Baroness Thatcher made our list because she was the only female PM in British history. She carved her political career from humble beginnings as a grocer’s daughter living above a shop and balancing her political campaign with motherhood and a career as a barrister. She was one of the few Conservatives who voted in favour of decriminalizing homosexuality and campaigned for council meetings to be held in public. During her time as Education Secretary she famously stopped free milk for school children, and when she began to appear on television, her voice was compared to a cat being dragged down a blackboard.

“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t” – Margaret Thatcher

Sarah Tremellen, founder of Bravissimo

Soon after Tremellen started her lingerie mail order company, she was surprised when another, well established rival firm threatened all major suppliers not to do business with her. Determined to make a success of her attempts as an entrepreneur, she managed to build a relationship with one supplier after cunningly setting up a PO box in another town and pretending to have left the area. A few years later, her business had expanded rapidly into a high street chain, and she bought out the company that had tried to stop her trading. She was awarded an OBE in 2009 for her services to entrepreneurship, and this year Bravissimo was voted 8th best company to work for by the Sunday Times.

“For me a lot of success in business is down to using common sense and following your heart as well. I know that sounds a bit cheesy maybe but I’ve done it because I’ve loved it” – Sarah Tremellen

Frida Kahlo, painter

Although not a businesswoman in the traditional sense, Kahlo is an inspiration to people who work in the creative industries, battling illness and injury to become recognised as the greatest female Mexican painter that ever lived. After contracting Polio as a child and being involved in a major bus crash, she underwent 35 operations and was bedridden for long periods of time throughout the rest of her life. Despite this, Kahlo continued to travel the world, paint and be a  prominent political activist during the 1930s.

“Feet, why do I need them if I have wings to fly?” – Frida Kahlo

Lydia E. Pinkham, inventor of ‘Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound’

Most people have heard the song ‘Lily the Pink’, but did you know that it is inspired by inventress Lydia Pinkham? Her Vegetable Compound was sold in the US as a health cure for women. Originally brewed as a gift for friends and neighbours, when her family’s business went bust in 1873 she began to sell the tonic, developing a shrewd marketing strategy and writing the sales copy herself. Her tonic became especially popular during prohibition, possibly due to its high alcohol content.

“There’s a baby in every bottle” – Lydia Pinkham

Do you agree with our list of female figures in business?

Newlands Training supplies a range of basic and intermediate chainsaw courses supporting a wide variety of occupations, the full list can be found on newlandstraining.com.

For more advanced needs, Newlands Training offer an Operate Chain Saw from Rope and Harness course, which allows operatives to use chainsaws in trees, undertaking various activities from simple pruning to crown reduction and sectional felling. Please note this course requires climbing skills as a pre-requisite. NPTC provide the necessary range of qualifications and Newlands Training offer experienced course instructors who teach this programme on a regular basis all year round.

In addition or as an alternative Newlands Training also offer a NPTC certificate (unit 47) Safe Use of a Chainsaw from a Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP). This allows competent chainsaw users to access higher levels using a MEWP, the course is ideal for pruning limbs and removing vertical stem sections without the need for a climbing qualification. Please be aware some pre-requisite are required for this course, for more information please contact Newlands Training on 01305 848454.

Lesley Simpson, Managing Director of Newlands Training has said ‘So many jobs within the arboricultural industry require people to work with dangerous machinery. Our chainsaw courses teach people to respect safety procedures, their equipment and eliminate some of the risk involved with this type of work’. She added ‘Our LANTRA Awards and NPTC courses support the Health and Safety at Work Act, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, and are designed to give students the ability to operate machinery with competence and confidence’.

To enable Newlands Training to supply the highest quality teaching to each of their trainees, and adhere to the awarding bodies’ guidelines, courses are kept to a minimum of three participants per run. The courses can also vary in length depending on the experience of the participants.

Lesley Simpson, Managing Director of Newlands Training said ‘Fork Lift Truck accidents are usually very costly in wasted time, damage to property, heavy fines by the HSE and lastly, and most importantly, loss of life. We aim to provide comprehensive training to protect not just your business, but your workers too’. She added ‘We don’t compromise our training standards despite the economic climate and hopefully neither should you. How much would it cost you to have an accident or incident in terms of lost time/money/staff?’

Courses available range from one day refresher courses for previously trained and certified operators, two day courses for experienced operators with no previous certification or three day courses for those with little or no experience looking for certification.

Certificates of Competence will help towards the responsibilities required from businesses under Health & Safety at Work Act in this high risk area of business.

Alongside offering nationally recognised qualification, Newlands Training also offer reach trucks and sideloaders on your own site.

A course in Basic Tree Inspection will teach each user how to recognise hazardous trees, determine the level of risk and also decide on the correct course of action. The course will also equip participants with the ability to state the legal and safety implications of hazardous trees, collect and maintain relevant information, and also recognise their own limitations.

Those wishing to take a more in-depth course may require the Professional Tree Inspection course, which will teach applicants the correct methodology, legal framework and the ability to recognise a range of diseases and disorders. For a comprehensive list of the skills learnt please visit the Newlands Training website.  To take part in the Professional Tree Inspection Course, participants will require an existing knowledge of trees and preferably already hold a level 3 qualification. If you would like to take part but are unsure if you have the suitable qualifications please contact Newlands Training.

Lesley Simpson of Newlands Training said, “We are so pleased to be in a position to offer additional courses, especially as we are one of a few providers that offer both Basic Tree Inspection courses and Professional Tree Inspection courses.” She added, “both of these courses offer the participants the chance to develop their knowledge and prepare themselves for a career within the arboricultural industry”.

Professional Tree Inspection and Basic Tree Inspection courses are just a few of the Lantra Awards and NPTC Certifications courses available from Newlands Training.

The first stage of the course will cover the PA1 Safe Handling of Chemicals; this will make each participant of the course aware of the dangers of working with chemicals and the correct method of application. This section of the course is classroom based, covering the theory, risks and understanding of the various pesticides used in the workplace.

The second part of the course is field based, which will cover a variety of disciplines. Whilst out in the field, participants have the option to master various techniques such as PA6a Hand held Application (knapsack sprayers), PA2a Tractor Mounted Spraying, PA4 Granular Application and handling slug pellets.

The final step of the course is a NPTC evaluation, assessing each of the elements learnt within the course. Newlands Training will arrange these evaluations for each of their participants, and upon passing will award the NPTC Certificate of Competence relating to the modules taken.

Lesley Simpson, Managing Director of Newlands Training has said ‘We are delighted to be offering such a comprehensive course for such a vital industry. Working with chemicals can be dangerous so the correct training is essential to protect both the worker and the public’. She added ‘We aim to fully prepare our participant for a career in the industry so we have courses to cover everything from hand held application to tractor mounted application’.

Pesticide spraying courses from Newlands Training run throughout the year, in order to discuss your specific requirements and book a place please contact Newlands Training on 01305 848454.

The Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue course is perfect for those already working within the landscaping or conservation sectors and wish to develop their skills or offer a new service. The course will teach trainees how to safely climb trees and branch walk, rescue a casualty from a tree and achieve a safe working position in a tree to use a hand saw. The course will provide each trainee with the knowledge and skill set to be assessed for the NPTC Unit 38 Certificate of Competence ‘Climb Tress and Preform Aerial Rescue’.

Lesley Simpson, Managing Director of Newlands Training said ‘we are so pleased to be able to offer such an exciting and vital course to potential trainees. The skills they acquire will allow them to provide an essential and sometimes lifesaving service’ she added ‘this course is perfect for those who are looking to expand upon existing knowledge and add an extra dimension to their working day’.

The Tree Climbing and Aerial Rescue course is part Newlands Training’s extensive range of chainsaw based courses, which in turn, is part of a wider range of courses available covering all aspects of land based work.

Those who wish to achieve this certification will need a good knowledge of trees and ideally already hold a level 3 qualification. Anyone who is wishing to take part in the course but is unsure whether their current level of skill is suitable should contact a member of the Newlands Training team for advice.

Lesley Simpson of Newlands training says, “Anyone wishing to undertake an initial tree survey from the ground and report their findings to a supervisor or arboriculturalist for further action is welcome to join our Lantra Awards certificated Basic Tree Inspection Course on 3rd February 2011. Because this forms the first steps in tree inspection there are no pre-requisite qualifications required for this course”.

Newlands Training also offers a full range of Lantra Awards chainsaw qualifications and NPTC Certificates of Competence. Workers with current skills and up to date certifications in place are compliant with health and safety and insurance guidelines and are ready to work in the world of trees.

Managing Director Lesley Simpson urges all forestry and arboricultural workers to be sure of the following:

• Is your equipment in good condition? Such as well-maintained chainsaws or good condition ropes and harness.

• Does your protective clothing (PPE) reach the correct specification for the work you do?

• Are you using all of the recommended PPE for your work? Do you have a current LOLER Certificate – 6 monthly checks for climbing and 12 monthly checks for rigging?

When working with dangerous equipment and within hazardous environments, expert training is called for to ensure the health and safety of workers and others around. If your certification, PPE or equipment does not meet the standards required by the HSE, you not only risk serious injury to yourself and others, it could also affect your personal insurance.

Lesley Simpson adds, “Maintaining your certification levels is of the upmost importance when you are working within this industry, if not just for yourself but for people around you as well. Taking an additional or a refresher course can make sure you are aware of developments within the industry, allowing you to carry out your job safely and correctly. A refresher course can also ensure you are competent with new and existing machinery and techniques, allowing you to provide the best service possible”.

Newlands Training can provide tailored courses to refresh or upgrade certifications, enabling workers to adhere to necessary requirements.

‘We have decided to run this course as there is a real need for advanced training in this area,’ said Lesley Simpson, Newlands Training Managing Director. ‘Dorset is full of beautiful tree specimens which to the untrained eye may look perfect. Funghi can lurk in the internal areas of these huge trees, which if left untreated are accidents waiting to happen, especially in public places. The Lantra course will teach arboricultirists with basic training to identify and treat such trees, preventing the occurrence of unnecessary accidents.’

The basic course requirement is that trainees have at least a Level 3 arboricultural qualification before applying. The Lantra Awards Course in Tree Inspection provides training in how to specify necessary remedial works and record the inspection process. At the end of the course candidates will undertake a competence based assessment directly related to tree inspection. The course is not aimed at covering report writing; however it will involve a written exam, fungal identification and tree inspection. Tree climbing and use of MEWP will not be required during the course and prospective trainees should have an in-depth knowledge of plant and arboricultural science, including a thorough knowledge of wood decaying fungi, identification and interpretation of signs and symptoms of ill health and structural failure across a wide range of tree species and circumstances. Competence in tree inspection and survey is also a pre-requisite.

For more information visit the Newlands Training website www.newlandstraining.com or contact Lesley Simpson on 01305 848454