35 Under 35 - Meet the young business stars of the West Midlands

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The West Midlands is a hotbed of young talent, with Birmingham - known as Europe’s most diverse and youngest city due to its high proportion of under 25s - sitting at its heart.

Our region’s business community is thriving with entrepreneurialism as young people look to take control of their destinies by launching their own businesses while others show age is no barrier in the corporate world.

The West Midlands team on BusinessLive wanted to celebrate this movement by publishing our 35 Under 35* list, showcasing some of the top young talents who call this region home.

We are not saying our entrants below are the best, the richest, the most successful or even have the highest profiles, we just think they are people you should know about.

The 35 Under 35 list has been compiled in association with the BSEEN startup support programme, led by Aston University in collaboration with Birmingham City University, University College Birmingham and Newman University.

The scheme offers Birmingham-based student and recent graduate entrepreneurs an attractive package of support to kick start their new ventures in the city including intensive startup training, 12 months of free co-working space, a business grant, mentoring and a supportive community with regular meetups.

BSEEN project manager Carolyn Keenan said “BSEEN is delighted to be involved in this fantastic initiative celebrating the huge talent pool of founders and young leaders across the city. It is great this platform is made available to showcase the innovation young leaders across the city are instigating.”

For more information, visit the BSEEN website here.

Omran Al Habbal and Daniel Evans, both 30, Birmingham Enterprise Community

Omran Al Habbal and Daniel Evans co-founded Birmingham Enterprise Community to support emerging startups and entrepreneurs in the West Midlands and help take their businesses to the next level. Chief operating officer Omran and chief executive Daniel work to bring together people from different backgrounds, experiences and cultures to build on innovative, world-changing ideas.

Omran is a Syrian refugee and an award-winning entrepreneur who has been involved in many enterprising initiatives across the globe and was included on the 30 Under 30 list published by our sister site BirminghamLive in 2019.

Ben Amanna, 30, Boxraw

Ben Amanna founded sportswear brand Boxraw from his childhood bedroom in Coventry four years ago and now turns over £5 million and employs around 40 staff. The brand sells a range of sports clothing and casual wear themed around boxing and now counts actor Michael B Jordan and boxer and Love Island star Tommy Fury among its fans.

Ben has also set up Boxing Is Love, a charity which establishes boxing gyms for children in Liberia, and earlier this year featured in the latest 30 Under 30 list produced by prestigious US business publication Forbes.

Josh Ashby, 30, UK Flooring Direct

Josh Ashby is the chief digital officer at expanding online retailer UK Flooring Direct. He started with the firm as a warehouse operative and climbed through the ranks to become chief commercial officer before taking on his new role in the spring.

Josh now oversees UK Flooring Direct’s annual investment into digital enhancement which will rise to £2.5 million this year. The firm, which employs more than 200 people, started in Nuneaton and recently opened a major new site in Coventry.

Henrietta Brealey, 30, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

Henrietta Brealey took over as chief executive of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce in April, becoming the youngest person and only the second woman to perform the role in its 208-year history. She joined the Edgbaston-based chamber in 2012 as a policy assistant while still studying at university and later completed a master’s in public management.

After expansion and mergers in recent years, she now oversees a business body covering large parts of greater Birmingham and Stafffordshire, its Asian and Commonwealth chambers and young people’s arm Future Faces.

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Daniel Chivers and Michael Trueman, both 22, Commute

Daniel Chivers and Michael Trueman are both currently medical students at the University of Birmingham and have spent much of the past year helping in the fight against covid but they also have an entrepreneurial streak. They created Commute in 2019, a platform that lets anyone drive their car carbon neutrally and invest in carbon-saving projects at the same time as well help with splitting the costs of ride sharing.

They have worked with NatWest on its ‘Accelerator’ programme, are planning to release a new app later in the year and close out a funding round with investors - all while continuing their studies to be doctors.

Jodie Cook, 32, entrepreneur and writer

Jodie Cook founded digital marketing and training agency JC Social Media in 2011 at a time when the audience and commercial potential for businesses using these platforms was still emerging. She won the prestigious Birmingham Young Professional of the Year Award just three years later, was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and is also behind a range of books on business, including a series for children.

Jodie recently decided to sell the agency but will remain in touch by working as an ambassador for its new owner as well as continuing with her writing.

Jack Cornes and Harry Smith, 22 and 23, HausBots

Jack Cornes and Harry Smith are the founders of HausBots, a robotic device which can climb walls of different materials and carry out tasks such as painting or inspection without the need for scaffolding. Entrepreneur Jack and mechanically minded Harry met at school in Rutland and developed their first robot prototype in Harry’s garage at home.

The pair, who moved to their own office in Birmingham in 2018, have secured private equity investment and have the long-term aim of stopping as many feet leaving the floor while maintaining buildings and infrastructure.

Jaccy Datta, 30, Future Faces and Santander

Jaccy Datta is a financial crime specialist with high street bank Santander and the president of Future Faces, Birmingham Chamber’s networking group for the city’s young professional community. After studying Spanish and linguistics, she found herself working as an investigation specialist at Amazon’s London HQ before relocating to Birmingham to work in financial crime and intelligence for Deutsche Bank and now Santander.

As president of Future Faces, she will lead one of the city’s largest membership organisations through a new chapter as it absorbs the now defunct BPS Birmingham following a merger deal last year.

Stuart Deeley, 29, chef

Stuart Deeley came to wider prominence in 2019 when he won hit BBC show Masterchef: The Professionals. The chef cut his teeth working for renowned Edgbaston restaurant Simpsons and in 2019 announced he was opening his own venue only for it to be curtailed by covid so spent some of last year running an ‘at home’ service.

He recently joined Michelin-starred Peel’s Restaurant in Hampton-in-Arden as development chef and also runs his own eponymous consultancy.

Shani Dhanda, 33, entrepreneur and activist

Shani Dhanda from Walsall is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker and activist for disability rights. Born with a rare genetic condition called osteogenesis imperfecta, she has taken her own experiences of discrimation to work with business, government and the not-for-profit sector as well as founding three organisations - Diversability, the Asian Disability Network and Asian Woman Festival.

In 2020, she was named the ‘Future Face of Birmingham’ in an annual award scheme run by Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce and is currently the vice-president of the city’s Asian Business Chamber of Commerce.

Ben and Michael Dyer, 33 and 34, The Inspirational Learning Group

Cousins Ben and Michael Dyer dreamed up the idea of The Inspirational Learning Group over a cup of coffee back in 2012. Today, the pair are the directors of the company which inspires more than 250,000 school pupils across the UK every year.

Over the years, the company has won the backing of Lord Alan Sugar and former Dragon’s Den stars Theo Paphitis and Nick Jenkins. Alongside their day jobs, Ben and Michael are also on the judging panel at The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, having won Social Enterprise Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016.

Jack Dyer and James Wren, 29 and 28, Freetrain

Former professional footballers Jack Dyer and James Wren are the team behind Freetrain, a vest which enables people to carry a mobile phone and other small items on their chest while running or playing sport. The West Midlands natives, who met while playing for Burton Albion, began working on designs for the vest in 2015 after becoming frustrated at trying to exercise with a phone strapped to their arms.

They launched the company to market in 2017 and now the long-term aim is to expand the firm’s range of products and increase their already growing international reach.

Chris Flynn, 33, and Frances Giliker, 34, Giliker Flynn Independent Wealth

Husband and wife team Chris Flynn and Frances Giliker took over Church Street Financial Planning in Stoke in 2017 after the former owner retired. Since then, the pair have rebranded the chartered financial planning company into Giliker Flynn Independent Wealth, located in Newcastle-under-Lyme, to offer impartial, fully independent financial advice to a growing number of clients.

Chris and Fran were recently awarded The Times ‘Top Rated Adviser’ status for Stoke-on Trent for the third year in a row. The pair also regularly feature on local radio offering expert investment advice.

Ben Francis, 29, Gymshark

Ben Francis is the co-founder and owner of online fitness clothing and accessories brand Gymshark which is now headquartered in Solihull, having been launched in his parents Worcestershire garage while he was still a teenager. The business is now a truly global brand and recently opened an office in Denver following a major private equity deal last summer with General Atlantic.

Gymshark can often be found in rankings of fast-growing companies while Ben, worth a reported £700 million, was named 2020 UK Entrepreneur of the Year by EY in December.

Vanessa Fuller and Emily Precious, both 34, Premier Tax Solutions

Vanessa Fuller and Emily Precious started Premier Tax Solutions in 2013 - at the age of just 26. The co-founders shared a vision, wanting to reinvent the way the “stuffy and old-fashioned” accountancy industry was perceived.

Since then, they have built a growing firm of approachable chartered tax advisers which specialise in everything from accounts processing and payroll to VAT and tax returns. Premier Tax Solutions, which has two offices in Staffordshire, has also gained Xero Gold Partner status and today boasts a portfolio of more than 600 clients.

Jo Herriotts, 32, Hellcat

Jo Herriotts launched her own jewellery design studio Hellcat, specialising in macabre and gothic pieces, in 2014 after studying at Birmingham School of Jewellery. She initially worked a string of jobs to support her financially while getting the business off the ground and has enjoyed a business boom during the pandemic, seeing a rush on requests for engagement and wedding rings.

Jo now has her own dedicated workshop in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and her long-term plans include opening her own shop.

Edward Hollands, 27, DrivenMedia

Edward Hollands is the founder and managing director of Burton-based fleet advertising business DrivenMedia which he launched in 2015 after having a ‘eureka moment’ when he realised commercial trailers would make great billboards. After securing £30,000 of investment from Jenny Campbell on BBC show Dragons' Den, Edward has steadily grown the business.

Today, DrivenMedia works with more than 15 different hauliers to use the advertising space on the sides of lorries, working with big-name clients including Moose Juice, ITip, Vitabiotics and Ironmongery Direct.

Derry Holt, 28, Stormburst Studios

Derry Holt is a serial entrepreneur, freelance e-sports commentator and the co-founder and chief executive of Tamworth-based Stormburst Studios. Stormburst is the company behind OneUp Sales - a sales management platform which uses gamification to improve staff performance.

The firm, which was launched five years ago, recently secured £600,000 from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund to help aid the company’s growth. The team is planning to use the cash to create six new jobs and double revenue in the run-up to a planned series A funding round in 2022.

Shamila Iqbal, 25, Bathroom Mountain

Shamila Iqbal followed in her father’s footsteps when she launched her own company last September. The 25 year old is a director of Bathroom Mountain which sells everything from baths, sinks and showers to radiators, taps and bathroom accessories.

At first, Shamila and her business partner Jay O’Neill were running the company between them - doing everything from answering phones to picking and packing - but now have a workforce of more than 20 who operate from a 90,000 sq ft warehouse in Stoke-on-Trent. It is in the midst of a major expansion which will see it open a new warehouse and showroom.

Nicholas Langley, 31, Langley Foxall

Nicholas Langley is the managing director of Stafford software firm Langley Foxall. He started the business, using money from his overdraft, in 2013 and today leads a team of almost 30 employees.

Langley Foxall specialises in the development of bespoke software to help improve the efficiency of its clients' businesses and reduce time and costs. Nicholas, who was named Young Business Person of the Year 2019 at The Sentinel Business Awards, recently spoke about his desire to grow the company by a further 50 per cent in 2021.

CJ Lloyd Webley, 27, The Black Pounds Project

CJ Lloyd Webley is the founder of The Black Pounds Project which was launched last year and recently took on its first cohort of West Midlands-based businesses. Its aim is to mentor and help black-owned, small businesses in the region which have been severely hit and are at risk because of the pandemic, supporting entrepreneurs at any stage of their growth journey to access resources and mentorship.

He is also a playwright, runs the Sorrel Park Theatrical initiative and hopes to inspire artists and entrepreneurs, particularly from underrepresented communities.

Eben Lovatt, 24, Moneyshake.com

Eben Lovatt is the chief executive of car leasing comparison site Moneyshake.com. The Staffordshire-born entrepreneur launched the Keele University-based company in 2019 after pitching his idea to 73 different people - and eventually securing £500,000 seed-stage investment.

He has used his knowledge of business and industry experience to secure commercial partnerships with big-name companies including Clearscore and MoneySuperMarket. More recently, the ten-strong company secured a seven-figure investment from automotive veteran Darren Guiver who is the former managing director of Fortune 500-listed motor giant Group 1 Automotive UK.

Daniel and Melanie Marsden, 29 and 28, Lounge Underwear

Husband and wife team Daniel and Melanie Marsden from Worcestershire began underwear brand Lounge, appropriately enough, in their own lounge in 2015 and have grown rapidly since. The company brands itself as ‘comfort made sexy’ and has used social media influencers to help it grow a loyal following, counting former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson among its fans.

They moved from Bromsgrove to Solihull two years ago and recently opened a new £3 million head office there which has capacity to take its 130-strong payroll up to 500 people.

Chris Meah, 32, School of Code

Chris Meah is the founder of School of Code, a free boot camp held in Birmingham which teaches software coding and helps its students into a career in technology. He started the company in 2015 while finishing his PhD in computer science after recognising there was a lack of diversity among the people who were trying to get jobs in the tech sector.

The programme welcomes people from a very broad range of backgrounds and works with hiring partners who pay an employer pledge when they hire someone from the course.

Shivang Mehra, 25, Kryjer

Shivang Mehra is the founder of Birmingham-based fashion and apparel brand Kryjer. After graduating from Aston University in 2017, he launched the company when he identified a gap in the market for affordable, durable and high-quality sports clothing.

After designing and manufacturing his initial range, Shivang has taken the company from strength to strength - exhibiting at major trade shows and working with a variety of influencers to grow its audience. He is now looking to expand the Kryjer range into new sports and is in talks with major retailers.

Lewis Morgan, 29, entrepreneur and podcaster

Lewis Morgan co-founded Gymshark in 2012 with Ben Francis, his school friend and another of our 35 Under 35 (see above). He stepped back from the business in 2016 and sold his remaining shares last year, pocketing a cool £100 million in the process.

Lewis now wants to use his wealth to invest in the next generation of business stars whom he is also meeting on his eponymous podcast series, alongside having interests in property and fashion.

Cleo Morris, 27, MyDine and Mission Diverse

Chef Cleo Morris is the founder of Caribbean food delivery website and caterer MyDine. She launched the meal prep arm in 2017 and expanded into event and corporate catering the following year with help from her father Errol, also a professional chef.

In addition, Cleo launched Mission Diverse last year, a not-for-profit organisation working to improve diversity in the world of business and entrepreneurship, particularly aimed at giving young people real-world business and employability skills.

Josie Morris, 34, Woolcool

Josie Morris is the managing director of eco-packaging firm Woolcool in Stone. The 34 year old was recently awarded an MBE for services to manufacturing and the environment just six years after joining the company in the sales and marketing department.

As well as leading the 50-strong Woolcool team, Josie is a member of the Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce Council, an export champion for the Midlands Engine and a board member of the Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association which lobbies the Government and oil industry to promote debate about sustainability and the green economy.

Ardian Mula, 34, Foodhub

Ardian Mula co-founded Foodhub with his school friend Mohammed Shakil in 2017. In just a few years, the online food ordering platform, whose competitors include Just Eat and Uber Eats, has 22,000 restaurants on its books and trades in countries including the US, Mexico, Guatemala, New Zealand and Ireland.

The Stoke-on-Trent company employs more than 700 people across the globe and boasts an annual turnover in excess of £30 million. Foodhub now plans to raise £100 million in private equity funds to supercharge worldwide expansion.

Luca Perkins, 25, Peechy

Luca Perkins from Bromsgrove is the founder of Peechy, a line of prints and other accessories which she started designing after struggling to find art she wanted to hang in her own home. The Birmingham City University graduate sells products such as hanging frames, notepads and greetings cards through her website and in shops and has also won a deal to supply online giant PrettyLittleThing.

Luca has harnessed the power of social media, enjoying a boom in business during lockdown, and at the turn of this year launched a second business with her partner selling gift boxes.

Reena Salhan, 28, Green Sisters

Reena Salhan co-founded Green Sisters with her sister to provide healthy, vegan, gluten free and allergen friendly foods. The company makes Indian staples such as samosas, bhajis and chutneys for a range of dietary issues and its product stable is free from 14 different allergens.

Reena was inspired to launch the venture after her own family’s experiences of food allergies and, alongside a home delivery service, she is often spotted catering for Birmingham’s corporate events community.

Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards 2021 The Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards are back for 2021 and now open for entries here. The event will be held at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham on Thursday November 11 and will celebrate apprentices, employers and training providers across 12 categories including our overall Apprentice of the Year. The deadline to enter the awards is Friday September 17 and sponsorship opportunities are also now available. Please email richard.edwards@reachplc.com for details and follow the hashtag #GBAA21 for updates on social media. For more information about our Apprenticeship Awards and other events please visit www.reachplcevents.com.

Alex Taylor, 32, Newcastle-under-Lyme BID

Alex Taylor was appointed as manager of Newcastle-under-Lyme Business Improvement District earlier this month. The mother of two is highly experienced in business and employer engagement and has been brought in to help the organisation support local businesses as they emerge from lockdown and deliver engaging projects, events and activities for visitors to the town centre.

Despite being just weeks into the role, Alex has already begun setting up steering groups, meetings and Q&As with businesses and has pledged to build on Newcastle’s “wonderful sense of community”. She also believes that harnessing the power of collaboration will attract more workers, visitors and shoppers into the area.

Kray Treadwell, 29, 670 Grams

Kray Treadwell is a chef and the founder of boutique Birmingham restaurant 670 Grams, named after the weight of his daughter who was born four months premature. He defied the pandemic to launch the 16-cover venue last August which serves meals inspired by Europe and Asia.

Kray, who previously worked at another famous Birmingham restaurant Purnell’s and was a finalist on BBC series Great British Menu, was crowned Young Chef of Great Britain and Ireland in the 2021 Michelin Guide.

Josh Winfield, 28, NatWest

Josh Winfield is the Midlands and East of England regional ecosystem manager at NatWest and has been working within the start-up and innovation sector his entire career, founding his own record label at the age of 15 before exiting six years later. He has worked for a number of start-up companies including music tech firm ROLI in its product and events team where he led it through B series funding.

Since 2017, Josh has been working with NatWest as a business coach before leading the team that launched the bank’s ‘Business Builder’ programme - a digital, free accelerator for new and fledgling businesses.

Jeanette Wong, 31, The Clean Kilo

Jeanette Wong is a director of The Clean Kilo, heralded as Birmingham’s first zero-waste supermarket when it opened in the city’s Digbeth district in 2018. The company, which she runs with her partner Tom Pell, strives to be plastic free, with customers bringing their own containers and bags to stock up on products.

They have since launched a second site in Bournville and battled back from the effects of the pandemic on small retailers to stay in business. They estimate the two stores save more than 300,000 pieces of plastic going into landfill every year.

Inside Airbnb’s ‘black box’ safety team

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For all its importance, the safety team remains shrouded in secrecy. Insiders call it the “black box”. But eight former members and 45 other current and former Airbnb employees familiar with the team’s role, most of whom spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of breaching confidentiality agreements, provided a rare glimpse into its operations and internal struggles. The job, former team members say, is a nerve-racking one, balancing the often conflicting interests of guests, hosts and the company. “I had situations where I had to get off the phone and go cry,” a former agent recalls. “That’s all you can do.”

‘Super dangerous’

Founded in 2008 by design students Chesky and Joe Gebbia, along with engineer Nate Blecharczyk, Airbnb has grown from a funky couch-surfing alternative to one of the biggest hospitality companies in the world, with 5.6 million listings, more than the number of rooms in the top seven hotel chains combined. Its $US90 billion ($119 billion) market value – the share price has doubled since the company went public in December – shows just how much progress the founders have made in wooing investors since their ramen days. One of the first Silicon Valley venture capitalists they pitched to was Chris Sacca, an early backer of Instagram, Twitter and Uber. After their presentation, Sacca later recalled, he pulled them aside and said, “Guys, this is super dangerous. Somebody’s going to get raped or murdered, and the blood is gonna be on your hands.” He didn’t invest.

From the outset, Airbnb has encouraged strangers to connect online, exchange money, and then meet in real life, often sleeping under the same roof. It’s somewhere between a tech platform and a hotel operator – unable to disavow responsibility for ensuring its users are safe, as some tech companies might, or to provide security guards and other onsite staff, as a hotel would. What makes trust and safety at Airbnb more complicated than at Apple or Facebook “is that you are dealing with real people in real people’s homes,” says Tara Bunch, Airbnb’s head of global operations. Bunch has overseen the safety team since being hired away from Apple last May. “People are naturally unpredictable, and as much as we try, occasionally really bad things happen,” she says. “We all know that you can’t stop everything, but it’s all about how you respond, and when it happens you have to make it right, and that’s what we try to do each and every time.”

In the early days, the co-founders answered every customer service complaint on their mobile phones. When that became unmanageable, they hired support staff to field calls. It wasn’t until three years in, after more than 2 million booked stays, that the company faced its first big safety crisis. In 2011 a host in San Francisco blogged about returning from a work trip to find her home ransacked. Her “guests” had trashed her clothes, burned her belongings, and smashed a hole through a locked closet door to steal her passport, credit card, laptop, and hard drives, as well as her grandmother’s jewellery.

Brian Chesky, pictured here speaking vitrually about the company’s IPO, was forced to publicly apologise after a host’s apartment was trashed and she was asked not to blog about it. Bloomberg

In a follow-up post, the host wrote that an Airbnb co-founder had contacted her and, rather than offering support, asked her to remove the story from her blog, saying it could hurt an upcoming funding round. Soon #RansackGate was trending on Twitter, and the incident snowballed

into a crash course in crisis management. The result: a public apology from Chesky, a $US50,000 damage guarantee for hosts (since increased to $US1 million), a 24-hour customer-support hotline, and a new trust-and-safety department.

As Airbnb grew, so did the number of dangerous incidents – everything from hosts hurling suitcases out of windows to concealed cameras, gas leaks and sexual assaults. Many of the crimes taking place inside short-term rentals listed on its platform and others could have happened in any apartment or hotel room. But in some cases hosts used the platforms to commit them. In one October 2011 incident, an Airbnb host in Barcelona plied two American women who’d booked a stay at his home with alcohol, then raped them. When the women went to the police the next morning, the host threatened to upload videos of the attack to the internet if they didn’t drop the case, according to local media reports. Police searched his apartment and found hundreds of similar photos of other victims. The man received a 12-year prison sentence. Airbnb, which declined to comment about the case for this story, paid the two women an undisclosed amount and banned the host for life.

By 2016 the safety team was overwhelmed with calls, many of them minor in nature, and Airbnb started training contractors in call centres around the world to handle the flood of complaints. Airbnb says that fewer than 0.1 per cent of stays result in a reported safety issue, but with more than 200 million bookings a year, that’s still a lot of trips with bad endings. Only the most serious problems are transferred to the internal safety team.

That team is made up of about 100 agents in Dublin, Montreal, Singapore, and other cities. Some have emergency services or military backgrounds. Team members have the autonomy to spend whatever it takes to make a victim feel supported, including paying for flights, accommodation, food, counselling, health costs, and sexually transmitted disease testing for rape survivors.

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The money cannon

A former agent who was at Airbnb for five years describes the approach as shooting “the money cannon”. The team has relocated guests to hotel rooms at 10 times the cost of their booking, paid for round-the-world holidays, and even signed cheques for dog-counselling sessions. “We go the extra mile to ensure anyone impacted on our platform is taken care of,” Bunch says. “We don’t really worry about the brand and image component. That stuff will take care of itself as long as you do the right thing.”

Former agents recall cases where they had to counsel guests hiding in wardrobes or running from secluded cabins after being assaulted by hosts. Sometimes the guests were the perpetrators, as with an incident when one was found in bed, naked, with his host’s seven-year-old daughter. Agents have had to hire body-fluid crews to clean blood off carpets, arrange for contractors to cover bullet holes in walls, and deal with hosts who discover dismembered human remains.

A confidential document shows that in recent years, Airbnb spent an average of about $US50 million annually on payouts to hosts and guests.

The work can be so stressful that agents have access to cool-down rooms with dimmed lighting to create a soothing atmosphere for answering harrowing calls. And it can take a heavy toll. Some former agents say they suffer from vicarious trauma. On the job they tried to remember that everything that happens in life can happen in an Airbnb. That perspective was drilled into new recruits during 12-week training sessions: just as nightclubs can’t eliminate sexual assaults and hotels can’t stop human trafficking, Airbnb can’t prevent bad actors from using its platform.

The company says its safety agents are taught to prioritise customers in crisis, yet many understood themselves to have a dual role to protect both the individual and Airbnb’s public image. In sensitive cases, according to some former agents, they were encouraged to get a payout agreement signed as quickly as possible. Until 2017, other insiders say, every agreement came with a nondisclosure clause that barred the recipient from talking about what had happened, making further requests for money, or suing the company. That practice ended when the #MeToo movement showed how nondisclosure agreements were being used to shield high-profile individuals and companies from fallout over allegations of misconduct. Airbnb replaced the NDA section of its payout agreement with a narrower clause that says recipients can’t discuss the terms of their settlement or imply that it’s an admission of wrongdoing.

Bed bugs and loaded guns

The company declined to comment on the terms of settlements, or the safety team’s budget. But a confidential document seen by Bloomberg Businessweek shows that in recent years, Airbnb spent an average of about $US50 million annually on payouts to hosts and guests, including on legal settlements and damage to homes. (The company says that most of its payouts are related to property damage under its host-guarantee insurance program, and that even six-figure settlements are “exceptionally rare.“)

Former safety agents also describe tension with the trust side of the department, whose job is to develop policies to prevent bad things from happening, whether it’s bed bugs, loaded guns or kidnappings. Safety agents, who clean up only after disaster strikes, say they felt like the unloved side of the department. There was also tension between the safety and sales teams about professional hosts who manage multiple properties and whose removal from the platform for a safety violation could cost Airbnb hundreds of listings.

The hardest part of the job, the former agents say, was making peace with their role in keeping cases quiet and ensuring that victims and their families didn’t blame the company. Sometimes they were told to prioritise less traumatic situations involving reality-TV stars and others with big social media followings, which they say made them uncomfortable. Breit, the Airbnb spokesman, says that all safety incidents are treated “appropriately and consistently.”

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Like many Silicon Valley companies, Airbnb rose on the strength of a growth-at-all-costs ethos – rolling into cities, skirting regulations, winning the popular vote, and catching on so fast that by the time officials noticed what was going on, they had no chance of controlling it. Regulatory battles blew up around the world, the most toxic of which played out in New York in 2015. The city conducted sting operations to expose illicit rentals of shorter than 30 days and ordered the company to provide addresses of its listings, sparking years of legal fighting. Airbnb hired opposition researchers to dig into the backgrounds of its critics and paid for attack ads.

In early 2016, after the assault near Times Square, safety agents did what they were trained to do: provide comfort and assistance to the victim. But the possibility of a lawsuit raised the stakes.

Damage control

Chris Lehane, a former political operative for president Bill Clinton, had been hired by Airbnb as head of global policy and communications a few months before the incident. Company insiders say Lehane, the author of Masters of Disaster, a 2014 book about “the black art of damage control”, was afraid the case could be used by opponents to run Airbnb out of town. (Lehane declined to be interviewed.)

The issue with the keys wasn’t easily addressed. Arrangements such as the one used by the host on West 37th are common in the short-term rental ecosystem – a luggage store next door to the building advertised itself online as a “convenient spot for picking up Airbnb lockbox keys”. But these practices can be dangerous, with keys passing through an unknown number of hands.

William Delaino, a long-term tenant on the third floor of the West 37th Street building, recalls that the woman’s friends rang his buzzer that night after getting no answer from her. “There were quite a few Airbnb units in the building, and I was used to this kind of thing from foreign travellers,” he says. He estimates that four of the building’s 12 units were being rented out on Airbnb at the time. Its owner, Kano Real Estate Investors, declined to comment. But after the attack, tenants say, it updated its leases to forbid them from listing their apartments on Airbnb.

Detectives were lucky that the alleged rapist, Junior Lee, had returned with the keys. He was charged with predatory sexual assault, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. A prosecutor told the judge that Lee, 24, was a “career criminal” with 40 misdemeanour convictions, according to court transcripts. Lee pleaded not guilty, and bail was set at $US250,000.

Out of the public eye

Airbnb escaped mention not only in the media and in the indictment but also in the police report and the complaint filed by prosecutors. Nor is there anything in the public record about how Lee got the keys. His Legal Aid lawyer, Evan Rock, declined to comment on the case. Lee, who’s been deemed mentally unfit, is in custody awaiting further examination, but even if he goes to trial it’s not clear whether the company’s role will be an issue, or whether the mystery of the keys will ever be solved.

Airbnb’s potential liability for not enforcing a stricter key-exchange policy won’t be an issue thanks to the $US7 million settlement, which came about after the woman’s lawyer, Jim Kirk at the Kirk Firm in New York, sent a letter threatening legal action. Although the settlement doesn’t bar the woman from co-operating with prosecutors, it does prevent her from blaming or suing the company. That was especially important for Airbnb because the woman wasn’t the one who’d rented the apartment, so she hadn’t signed the company’s 10,000-word terms of service agreement – another important way Airbnb keeps incidents out of court and out of the public eye.

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Anyone registering on the site is required to sign this agreement, which bars legal claims for injury or stress arising from a stay and requires confidential arbitration in the event of a dispute. Former safety agents estimate the company handles thousands of allegations of sexual assault every year, many involving rape. Yet only one case related to a sexual assault has been filed against Airbnb in US courts, according to a review of electronically available state and federal lawsuits. Victims’ lawyers say the terms of service are an important reason.

When hosts attack

The case that did make it through was filed in 2017, when Leslie Lapayowker, a 51-year-old woman, sued Airbnb after allegedly being assaulted by a host in Los Angeles. Lapayowker was moving to the city from New Mexico and had booked a 30-day stay while she searched for an apartment, according to court documents. The lawsuit says that after she decided to leave because of the host’s bizarre behaviour, he followed her into the studio unit she’d rented, locked the door, held her in a chair against her will, and masturbated in front of her, ejaculating into a rubbish bin. As Lapayowker fled, according to the complaint, the host said, “Don’t forget to leave me a positive review on Airbnb.” The man, who said the encounter was consensual, wasn’t charged.

Lapayowker’s lawyer, Teresa Li, says the suit was able to proceed, despite the arbitration requirements in Airbnb’s terms of service, because the company hadn’t done a thorough background check of the host. Airbnb only flags prior convictions, and though the host had previously been charged with battery, he wasn’t convicted.

False sense of security

In her filing, Li argued that Airbnb created a false sense of security by using the words “trust” and “safety” on its website. The company moved to settle, offering Lapayowker an undisclosed amount of money in exchange for dropping the case. It also banned the host from its platform. Airbnb declined to comment, as did Lapayowker. Li says she’s barred from discussing the negotiations or the amount her client received. She’s also settled another assault case against the company, brought by a US citizen raped in India by a host’s relative who was out on bail after being charged with murder.

A similar process played out when the family of Carla Stefaniak, a Florida woman murdered while celebrating her 36th birthday in Costa Rica in 2018, filed a lawsuit against the company later that year. Stefaniak’s decomposing remains were discovered half-buried and wrapped in plastic about a kilometre from her Airbnb rental. A security guard at the complex where she was staying was convicted of her murder. The suit claimed that Airbnb had failed to perform a background check on the security guard, who was working in the country illegally. The company settled the case for an undisclosed amount.

The result of all these settlements, combined with the terms of service provisions that prevent lawsuits in the first place, is that the courts have never established the extent to which short-term rental operators might be liable, if at all, for crimes that take place in the properties they list. “The law around these platforms is unclear,” Li says. “Everything is getting sent to arbitration, so nobody really knows.“

Airbnb’s desire for secrecy also makes it difficult to understand what impact short-term rentals have on the overall safety of neighbourhoods. The company doesn’t make the addresses of listings public, to protect the safety and privacy of its users. And though some US cities require hosts to list their units on short-term rental registries, most don’t release the data, citing the same privacy concerns. Those that do often don’t disclose apartment numbers, making it all but impossible to check many addresses against police calls or arrest records. The registries also don’t include units rented illegally.

‘Can’t control everything’

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Businessweek obtained registries for Austin, Miami Beach and Los Angeles through public records requests, seeking to cross-reference them with public databases of police calls or crimes. Police responded to thousands of incidents at short-term rentals in the three cities over the past two years. In Miami Beach, the registry showed 1071 police calls to addresses listed in 2019, including 40 for violent crimes. But police reports don’t say which platform the unit was on or whether it was being rented at the time, making it difficult to draw useful conclusions about the correlation between the short-term rental industry and crime. Academic researchers say similar limitations have frustrated their efforts to study the link. Only about a half-dozen scholarly studies have been carried out on the subject, and their findings are contradictory.

With cities and police forces unable to gather data, and with cases rarely reaching the courts, high-profile incidents have tended to drive the political conversation around short-term rentals. Mindful of this, since 2018, Airbnb has escalated such incidents to its global crisis management team, which was formed by Lehane and other executives and initially headed by Shapiro, the former CIA official. Airbnb “can’t control everything”, says Shapiro, who now runs his own consulting company. “But after something bad happens, how they respond to make it better or not is 100 per cent in their control, and they can’t mess that up.”

Several deadly incidents took place in 2018 and 2019, in addition to Stefaniak’s murder, as the company was gearing up for an initial public offering. One was in November 2018, when a retired New Orleans couple died after inhaling toxic fumes while they slept at an Airbnb in Mexico. Their son appeared on television afterwards, pleading for Airbnb to do more to protect its users.

Chesky, who declined to be interviewed for this article, wanted to know why cases like this kept landing on his desk and why the company was mishandling or delaying its safety responses, according to people familiar with his reaction. The answer to the second question was that the safety team was understaffed. When executives realised this, a shake-up ensued. In early 2019 the safety team was split from trust, placed under the community-support division, and given additional engineering resources and staff.

But tragedies kept happening. That May six Brazilian tourists, two of them children, died of carbon monoxide poisoning inside an Airbnb rental in Santiago, Chile. A relative had called the company before they died, but the response was delayed because no one at the call centre spoke Portuguese. Chesky was furious, former employees say.

Then, that Halloween, Airbnb faced one of its deadliest incidents: a shootout at a $US1.2 million four-bedroom home in Orinda, California, about 32km east of San Francisco. The house, which had been the subject of numerous complaints to police and the city, had been booked for one night. The guest, who’d been reported to Airbnb for leaving a bullet at another listing just days before, triggering an internal safety warning, then advertised a “mansion party” on social media. More than 100 people were there when a gunman opened fire, killing five.

Bad PR

Chesky expressed his condolences via Twitter and announced new safety measures, including a ban on party houses and a promise to verify the photographs, amenities, cleanliness, and safety of all the listings on Airbnb. (This effort is still under way.) But the company didn’t reach out to the mother of one victim, 23-year-old Raymon Hill, for a week, until her lawyer, Jesse Danoff, wrote a letter and issued a statement criticising Airbnb for providing little more than prayers. Even some of the company’s own safety agents were upset. They say that party houses had been a problem for years.

Airbnb subsequently offered to pay for the funerals, but Danoff says that when some of the families sent bills of more than $US30,000, the company started haggling. “They don’t care any more, because the news cycle has moved on,” Danoff says. “The only thing that really motivates them is the threat or potential threat of bad PR or a nightmare in the press.” (Airbnb says it paid the bills. Danoff says he’s still negotiating a settlement.)

“They need to be held accountable for what happened,” Hill’s mother, Cynthia Taylor, says of Airbnb. “My son’s life was taken away at a property they allowed to keep renting on their service after multiple complaints.”

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That December, Airbnb announced $US150 million of additional trust-and-safety spending. It’s introduced a 24/7 hotline that offered renters immediate access to a safety agent; created a system to flag high-risk reservations; banned users who were under 25 and didn’t have a history of positive reviews from booking an Airbnb in the area where they live; and stopped allowing one-night stays over Halloween, July Fourth, and New Year’s Eve. Many of these measures were focused on the US – rolling them out globally has been a challenge, given differing cultures, customs and regulations in the 191 countries where Airbnb operates. The company has also debated whether to force users to provide government-issued identification, but it decided against doing so to avoid excluding hosts and guests in countries where ID is difficult to obtain.

In early 2020, the pandemic hit, wiping out travel as countries closed borders and the world went into lockdown. Airbnb lost 80 per cent of its business in eight weeks. The safety team was inundated with calls relating to infections. To make matters worse, professional party promoters started turning Airbnb rentals into nightclubs, offering live DJs and alcohol service. Hundreds of intoxicated, unmasked revellers were let loose in US suburbs, straining police resources, infuriating public health officials, and overwhelming the safety team.

Last May, Chesky cried into his webcam during a company-wide meeting at which he announced that 25 per cent of the workforce would be cut. The layoffs were expected. What came as a shock to many was that the entire safety team in Portland, Oregon, including 25 of the company’s most experienced agents, was let go. Some were told they could keep their job if they took a pay cut and moved to Montreal, where Airbnb was relocating its North American safety operations, lured by favourable tax breaks and lower real estate and labour costs.

‘Most humans are good people’

In emails and information sessions with employees, Chesky was criticised for betraying the Airbnb community and its safety agents, who said they’d laid their mental health on the line for the company. He acknowledged the misstep and offered to rehire some of the agents temporarily, at time-and-a-half pay, until the Canada-based team was fully trained. About 15 returned.

None of this was reported at the time, and it didn’t interfere with the IPO. After trading opened in December, Airbnb scored one of the biggest first-day rallies on record, boosting the wealth of each founder to more than $US10 billion. Sacca, the investor who’d rejected the start-up 13 years earlier, tweeted his congratulations. “I let the worst case keep me from seeing the likely case,” he wrote. “Every platform will have some bad actors, but most humans are good people. They knew that. I didn’t listen.”

Airbnb still has safety crises to face, assaults to respond to and regulatory battles to fight. On May 31, as part of an agreement to settle a lawsuit with New York City, the company started turning over information about its hosts, including names, addresses, and whether they’re renting their entire apartment. The data will make it easier to track illegal listings.

More than five years after the attack on West 37th Street, Airbnb still hasn’t set any clear rules regarding keys. The case set off a lengthy internal debate about keyless entry. If hosts could be compelled to use digital keypads and change the code after each stay, a situation like that might be avoided in the future. Even requiring them to disclose whether they had keypad entry could make a difference. Shapiro, the former head of crisis management, recalls pushing for more keyless entry. “I remember trying to talk about the key-exchange process and ways to prevent hosts leaving them at shops,” he says.

In the end, little was done beyond posting information about keyless entry online and working with several lockmakers to reduce the cost of implementation. Doing more would have been difficult because Airbnb can’t dictate how hosts enter their own homes, and it might have discouraged them from listing on the platform. The business case won out. You can see the evidence in cities around the world: small lockboxes hanging on fence railings, ready for the next Airbnb guest to collect their key.

With David Ingold

— Bloomberg Businessweek

What’s on: Fill your weekend across the south-west

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news, latest-news, Warrnambool, Events, Victoria, What’s on, South-west Victoria, Great Ocean Road

There’s plenty of events on to fill your weekend across the south-west. Here’s a list of what’s on: NEW EXHIBITION: The F Project Warrnambool’s new exhibition opens Friday June 25 from 6pm-8pm. ‘It’s Just How We See It’ features work from Jake Morgan, Leonie Roberts and Adam Clarke. ART AWARDS: The Warrnambool and District Artist’s Society Annual Awards will be officially opened by Warrnambool Mayor Vicki Jellie this Friday June 25 at 7pm at the Merri View Gallery Coramba Court Warrnambool. This year’s judge, Neil Griffin, will be selecting from over 100 art works across all genres submitted by the members of the Artist’s Society. Prizes will be awarded in all categories plus an encouragement award for an emerging artist and a popular vote chosen by the public. Due to Covid restrictions numbers are limited at the official opening to registered guests only. To ensure that everyone has a chance to view the exhibition and the winning entries the gallery will be open daily from noon till 4pm from June 26 until July 11 and weekends after that. AGED CARE ROYAL COMMISSION: The Royal Commission into Aged Care looked into the quality and safety of residential and in-home care for older people. According to Rod Carter, spokesperson for the Warrnambool Branch of A.I.R. (Association of Independent Retirees), retirees and older people now want to know what is likely to change as a result of the Royal Commission. The Commission’s report contained 148 recommendations which were estimated to cost $17.7 billion dollars. The Warrnambool Branch of A.I.R. invites the general public to its next meeting where the ramifications of the report will be discussed. The next meeting of A.I.R. will be held at 10am on Friday June 25 in the Warrnambool RSL instead of at the usual Uniting Church hall. LITERARY WEEKEND AT BLARNEY BOOKS: A whole weekend of literary events including workshops and talks to celebrate and discuss all things books, writing and storytelling. Stocking new and used books - with a focus on art, literature, crime, young adult, and diverse titles, Blarney Books also has Australia’s only book-art gallery dedicated to art exhibitions about book art, artist’s books and/or storytelling. On top of all that, owners Jo and Dean regularly host author talks, book launches, artist workshops, cooking demonstrations and musicians. Blarney Books is definitely more than your average bookstore! BREAKFAST: For men wanting to find a place for a chat, look no further than the Grab Life by the Balls community which meets at Lake Pertobe at 7.30am every Friday. UP IN LIGHTS: There are few more iconic locations in Port Fairy than the Moyne River. The buildings framing this famous body of water will this weekend be bathed in lights of all colours as part of the Light Up Port Fairy project. Buildings along the river from the foot bridge to the road bridge will be illuminated by colourful exterior lighting, making an impressive winter show. OPENING: ALEX REES EXHIBITION: Alex Rees is an accomplished artist from Warrnambool whose work has been shown across the region including in Geelong. Alex’s painting are uplifting and full of joy, representative of his love of mixing colour. Come along to meet Alex and see his new works created especially for this winter collection installed at The Belfast. As an artist with Down Syndrome, Alex is part of the Factory Arts collective, a collaborative space in the eastern end of the Fletcher Jones complex, Warrnambool. It offers casual art classes for new to advanced artists, qualified and practising art mentors with decades of teaching experience, art activities for artists with disabilities, hands-on workshops with leading Australian artists, unique and affordable artworks for sale and artist studio space. Please join Alex and his friends and family to celebrate the launch of this exhibition with drinks and canapes on the night. Works will be available for purchase, with the exhibition open until Sunday 11 July. FILM: THE FATHER: The Port Fairy Film Society presents The Father, starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Coleman. The story of a man who refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality. ON PEEK WHURRONG LAND: Peek Whurrong Elder Robbie Lowe tells the stories of the Land. Meeting firstly at Swan Reserve (cnr Raglan Parade & Kepler St) and then at the car park by the Edwards Bridge over the Hopkins River, for storytelling and a walk to Moyjil/Point Ritchie. WARRNI YOUTH FEST: WARRNI YOUTH FEST, is a festival of free events for young people aged 12-25 over Victorian Youth Week (June 26 - July 2). These events are all LGBTIQA+ safe and culturally inclusive events. CREATIVE NATURE PLAY: Feel the elements connect and flow in four beautiful sessions of play, creativity and mindfulness. Connect with Earth, Fire, Water and Air to understand the elements that exist in nature and the power within. Find your magic in the ocean, the trees or with the cannons in this mindfulness based nature play for kids. These sessions are aimed at children and their families, ages 3+. Please be aware kids will likely get dirty, wet and wild. Children must be accompanied by adult. SPECIAL FILM EVENT: THE LION KING: Embark on an epic journey with Simba, Mufasa, Rafiki, the villainous Scar and the legends that are Timone and Pumbaa as they fight to ensure that the rightful king takes to the throne and brings harmony back to Pride Rock. And to be clear, it’s the original 1994 film because really it’s the ONLY Lion King film that should have been made. Dress code is appropriately lion-themed, but other wild animals will be accepted into the pack. Your ticket includes lion face-painting and a jungle themed refreshment. It’s bound to be a ROAR-some time! Games and prizes before and during the film. Arrive early to get your face painted by The Colour Angel. WORKSHOP: CHILDREN’S FLOWER ARRANGING: This event is designed for children aged 8 years and over and is timed to coincide with brewery tours. Let your child go wild creating a bouquet of locally grown blooms. Have your guava-lychee-cream cake-sour IPA and eat it too! Win win. Session includes all flowers, equipment and guidance. Bookings essential. MADE MARKET: One of the region’s most loved annual markets, MADE showcases a curated mix of fine handmade art, craft and design from established and emerging makers. Meet the local artists behind innovative works and unexpected combinations of materials, subjects and skills. Please note: this event was originally scheduled for the June long weekend. COMMUNITY MARKET: There’s no better place to go local than our gorgeous community market. It’s loaded with goodies every second Saturday - seasonal fruit and veggies, bread, hot coffee, hot Sri Lankan food, pies and pastries, dumplings, snags, cakes a plenty, preserves, small goods, eggs, are you full yet? There’s also quality, handmade knitted goods, art, crafts, clothing, candles, skin care and more. The absolute best way to kick off a winter Sat’dy morning in Port Fairy. WON’T SHE GET LONELY? AN AUDIBLE HISTORY OF THE TUBA: One woman. One tuba. One lung. Yes, that’s right. Susan Bradley, aka Tuba Sue, plays the full deal with half the organ. Join Susan as she travels from the beginning of tuba history, following its development from the snaky serpent, through the sad tale of the short-lived ophicleide, taking a side trip to the Italian cousin, the cimbasso, to culminate right here, in the now, with the modern tuba. And all this with just one lung - uh huh! Susan bravely confronts the loneliness of the solo tuba player in an exploration of music for unaccompanied tuba, including Bach, Barton Cummings, Malcolm Arnold, Lachlan Davidson, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Lennon-McCartney, Don Stratton, Arthur Sullivan, and even Richard the Lionheart. SONGS (STORIES) of the LAND & SEA: Heart-felt stories lie at the centre of Bruce Campbell’s music. Bruce’s long time connections to nature, the southern ocean and remote central Australia are expressed through many of his lyrical compositions. Supporting Bruce (acoustic guitar and lead vocals) are Barnaby Hurrell (mandolin and electric guitar), Owen Ellemor (lap steel guitar) and Tonia Wilcox (backing vocals/harmonies). The show will explore love, loss, hope and, of course, Bruce’s strong connection to the land and sea. Expect lovers lost and found, pirates and refugees, our first peoples, tales of hope and inspiration, the crashing of the sea and the sigh of the wind in the trees! Jump on board and we promise to deliver you to your next port safe, sound and thoroughly entertained. Tickets through trybooking or at the door if available. GHOST TOURS: The extremely popular and rather rattling Port Fairy Winter Weekends Ghost Tours are back. Visit the graves of the historical people featured in the hugely popular Port Fairy Ghost Stories book. Explore the unexpected, dark circumstances surrounding their deaths in this fundraiser event for the Port Fairy Genealogical Society. Now, this is one event not recommended for children. No bookings required, just rock up to the cemetery gates. Cash only. And dress warm…for there will be chills. ROTARY HIGH TEA QUIZ AFTERNOON: The Port Fairy Rotary Club invites you to test your brain and feed your soul while enjoying beautiful afternoon views of the Moyne. Enjoy a glass of wine and good company for the quiz, with scrumptious high tea to follow. There’s also drinks at bar prices, raffles and prizes alongside the questions and cakes. All welcome. Bookings essential. Entry includes delicious afternoon tea, coffee and tea. Organise your table of six or just come along to join a group on the day. WORKSHOP: MAKE YOUR OWN POLYMER CREATIONS: Children aged 8-14 years are invited to this hands-on workshop with polymer clay. This versatile material can be shaped into anything your brain imagines and your heart desires - make it cute or creepy, cool jewellery or accessories. A fun session to play and make your own creation to take home, or gift to friends! Includes all clay and equipment. Booking essential. NOODLEDOOF BREWERY TOUR: Let Noodles and Doof lead you through the process of brewing and distilling. Take a small-group tour of Noodledoof to understand the equipment and processes at play in Koroit’s most deliciously converted warehouse. Taste the fruits of their local labor - from lovingly created pales to stouts and every saison or gin sip in between - in this hour-long sesh that’ll probs see you staying for a pint and a plate of grub too. Ticket includes beer and spirit tastings. Places limited and bookings essential. WORKSHOP: WINTER BIRDS ART PROJECT: Help create a flock of colourful winter birds to brighten up Port Fairy’s deciduous trees. Using paint, pencil, chalk and texta, create both large and small water resistant laminated birds to suspend from tree branches. This workshop is open for children aged 6-12 years. All art materials and instruction included. BOOK LAUNCH: THE BURNING ISLAND BY JOCK SERONG: Last year, in Our Year of Covid, Port Fairy author Jock Serong released his fifth and utterly fantastic novel, The Burning Island. Join Jock in conversation about the stories behind and within his latest ripper. Learn more about characters Eliza Grayling and her mad, blind revenge-driven father Joshua, whose shared voyage aboard the vessel Moonbird continue Jock’s thrilling accounts of history, survival, brutality and the power of nature. Blarney Books is proud to host a local launch for Jock and his book as part of the Winter Weekends program. This is a free event but registrations are essential. Drinks will be available from the bar. WINTER SOLSTICE DAWN SWIM: Twilight sky, dark water, crisp wind, shivering shoulders. Buzzing mind, racing heart, slivers of light, body in the waves and BAM!…you’re under and above! Gasping, trembling, shrieking, whooping, thrilled and pumped and way more alive than you’ve been all year. It. Does. Not. Get. More. Rejuvenating. Than. This. A dip to cleanse, awaken or embolden. Back it up with warming company by the fire drums, toasty BBQ breakfast and hot milo (free for participants). Call it brave. Call it duty. You never regret a swim. WINTER SOLSTICE YOGA + MINI WORKSHOP: Perhaps you’re brave enough to jump in the ocean for the Dawn Swim? Perhaps you’re looking for something a little more soothing? Or You might do both?! This class will help you warm up and get you going for the week ahead. Focused on the winter solstice energies, you’ll be guided to reflect on the year so far, set intentions for the future and affirmations for yourself. THE MAES: The gentle and joyful new single ‘Make A Baby’ from Melbourne folk outfit The Maes holds a message that speaks to all walks of life. The sisters behind the band, Elsie and Maggie Rigby, will be bringing the track and more new material to an intimate gig at Mozart Hall in Warrnambool on June 27. FANTASTIC FUNGI AT PALLISTERS NATURE RESERVE: Pallisters Reserve is an abundant 250-hectare wetland space that’s home to more than 125 bird species and hundreds more flora specimens including gums, tea trees, banksia, rare native grasses and more than 25 orchid varieties. Join the Friends of Pallisters Reserve in a winter walk through the reserve and experience the breath-taking landscape that is right on our doorstep. Fungi expert Helen Langley will give a talk about the types of fungi that grow in Pallisters Reserve, and the role that fungi plays in the overall ecosystem. Tree planting and seed bombing will take place for the kids, so get ready for little hands to get dirty for a very good reason! For those who have trouble walking long distances, there will be transport on the reserve to take you from A to B - so you won’t miss a thing. Visitors have the opportunity to become members of the Reserve and help preserve its future. Coffee and tea will be served, but please bring your own packed lunch. There’s plenty of shelter too in the headquarters building. Wear full-cover clothing and shoes. All welcome! FABULOUS FLUTES: Brilliant Peter Cheng and guest Merran Moir with accompanist Julie McErlain present a fabulous program including works by Bizet, Mouquet, Bach, and the exciting Doppler Hungarian Fantasy and the Carmen Fantasy. with some celtic masterpieces. Entry at the door by donation. COASTAL ENCOUNTERS: CHRIS FARRELL AND DR LACHLAN FARRINGTON: Author and nature photographer Chris Farrell will share how his passion for the natural world has been influenced by his visits to southwest Victoria over the last 30 years. Hear how his photography has helped to identify the Southern Right Whales that visit this coastline. Chris has been photographing south-west Victoria for many years, documenting the coastline and creatures of the area. He is a champion for the unique coastal environment surrounding Port Fairy. Chris will be joined by Warrnambool based Senior Wetland & Landscape Ecologist, Dr Lachlan Farrington who will discuss the importance of the wetland systems in the local area. Lachlan has a research background in landscape genetics, having undertaken research on population connectivity in fish, turtles and terrestrial orchids. For the last 12 years, he has applied this knowledge as a wetland ecologist and planner in South East South Australia and south-west Victoria. 50 per cent of all sales and 100 per cent of entry fees will be donated to WWF Australia, Birdlife Australia, Wildlife Victoria and Belfast Coastal Reserve Action Group. Photo: Chris Farrell. Bookings are preferred as seats are limited. BEEKEEPING: The beekeeping club meets every Monday at the Jim Robinson Shearing Pavilion at the Warrnambool Showgrounds at 7pm. BLUEY’S BIG PLAY: Bluey’s Big Play is a brand-new theatrical adaptation of the Emmy® award-winning children’s television series, with an original story by Bluey’s creator Joe Brumm, and new music by Brisbane’s Beethoven and Bluey composer, Joff Bush. Join the Heelers in their first live theatre show made just for you, featuring brilliantly created puppets, this is Bluey brought to real life as you’ve never seen it before. MURAL ON THE MOVE: Corangamite Shire Youth Services Team are excited to announce Mural on the Move, a two day arts workshop with amazing local artist Brett Clarke for NAIDOC Week. The event is FREE but spots are limited so grab your ticket now! Lunch will be provided and you’re welcome to attend on one or both days, just be sure to grab a ticket! Link to the Day Two Event Page - https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/160666288193 This is a youth orientated event aimed at ages 12 to 25. Please contact the Youth Crew if you are outside of this age bracket and would like to attend. MARKET: The Warrnambool Community Gardens' market returns from 3.30pm to 6.30pm with stalls of fresh fruit and vegetables, seedlings and plants from within 150 kilometres of the city. There will also be live music from Bruce Campbell and Friends. Have you signed up to The Standard’s daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that’s happening in the south-west.

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