Working part-time as a Community Relations Officer for the Council of the Isles of Scilly and with a long work-history comprising 13 years in the Royal Navy and 3 years at the Scottish Borders Council, Jenny is no stranger to organisational roles. Having been part of the team responsible for the organisation of the major televised D-Day 50th Anniversary Project in 1994 hosted by the Royal Family and Heads of State, and now organizes high-profile public events on the islands, Jenny admits that she is “an accomplished organizer who excels under pressure and has an innovative approach to problem solving.”
Like many people, Jenny’s business idea came about by complete accident. Living away from the islands, her sister decided to get married on St Mary’s to be able to celebrate close to her family. A last minute cancellation by the band however, saw Jenny stepping in to arrange an alternative and disaster was averted. However, it wasn’t until Jenny received a call from an old work colleague later that year who was planning a wedding on the Islands and was struggling to find information on transportation, that a spark went off. “Following a chat with the Islands Superintendant Registrar, I was really encouraged to take up my idea of a wedding planning service on the Islands further, so started looking around for some information on starting my own business.”
Shortly after, a business enterprise event was held at the Town Hall on St Mary’s and having made the decision to start a wedding and event planning business Jenny thought it would be useful to talk to an advisor about business start-up. “Following a recommendation from Business Link, I joined an Introduction to Enterprise workshop delivered later that day by Outset Cornwall!”
Having attended almost every session that Outset has run on the islands, Jenny is now making headway into launching her new business. “The sessions that I have attended have proved really useful. They have covered different aspects of business planning including market research, client profiles, feasibility, barriers to success but also the positives of starting a new business. I had lots of questions I wanted to ask, which before the sessions seemed daft, but being in a group helped as we all wanted to know similar things. The experience was encouraging and motivating, and I left on a mission to do more research and to write my business plan. Following the sessions I also found the confidence to tell people locally what I was planning and to engage with other local businesses which has been invaluable.”
Scilly Celebrations is primarily a wedding and event planning business based on the Isles of Scilly offering as much or as little assistance as required, at any stage of the planning process. The business has successfully helped several couples already, and Jenny is excited about the future and further developing her business.
“Linked in with the planning services, the business will also offer wedding and event related products for hire or sale, under the banners ‘Something Borrowed’ and ‘Something New’ respectively. Thanks to a grant from Outset Cornwall the immediate plan is to develop the website to help promote the business, and enable the ‘Something Borrowed’ and ‘Something New’ aspects of the business to be developed further.”
Jenny’s longer term plan is to work with other local businesses to promote the islands as a destination for weddings and help to showcase the vase range of associated services and products that are available locally.
