Fun Filled Fleurfest 2014

CSM’s sister company Abingdon Freight Forwarding Agency (AFFA) are proud to have sponsored the Fleurfest Music Festival which took place at the weekend.  Affa were delighted to offer logistics support and also provided staging for the event.

Fleurfest, held at the Fleur de Lys, East Hagbourne Oxfordshire, was host to many live bands in a celebration of live music combined with a real ale festival.  The annual family festival not only draws class live bands and entertainers it also supports the best local cover bands too.

Headliners included the Krissy Matthews Blues Band, who supplied their smooth blues rock style, the bands popularity is growing increasingly through Europe and from their performance on Friday it was clear to see why.  The heavier sound of Mick Quinn’s db Band were a hit with Saturday’s crowd, while the beautiful soulful set by Lilian Boutte summed up the amazing array of music which ensured that there was music for all tastes.

Another highlight of this year’s event saw a dance off between a troop of Morris men and belly dancers, energetic performances by both, no official winner, but we think the belly dances were ahead by a wiggle!

Duchess played an enchanting set and there were plenty of smiles for Tumbledown Dick, the barn dance band.

Fleurfest 2014 was a resounding success, a big thank you to all organisers for a job well done, and we are already looking forward to next year!

Excitement Growing for Glasgow 2014

The day of the opening ceremony has arrived and excitement is growing!  All eyes will be on Glasgow’s Celtic Park at 9pm as The Queen formally opens the Commonwealth Games.

Glasgow is set to welcome 6,500 athletes and officials from 71 nations and territories, all of which are within CSM Logistics delivery reach.  The athletes will be competing in 17 sports over the 11 day duration of the games.

The ceremony itself is reported to have a distinctly Glaswegian feel.  David Zolkwer, head of the ceremony has said:

“It’s got humour, warmth, celebrating what we have in common.  Having said all that, it will always feel like it was created in Glasgow”

“So, although we are telling a universal story, we are telling it with a distinctly Glaswegian accent, which means we are going to be irreverent, funny, principled, sincere, inclusive, personal, direct.”

It sounds fascinating!

The symbolic tradition of Queen’s Baton Relay will, of course, be featured as part of the ceremony along with its message of peace and harmony through sports.  Performances from the iconic Scotsman Rod Stewart, along with acts from Susan Boyle and Amy McDonald are set to make this a stunning opening show.

We would like to wish all athletes the very best of luck through the games, and in particular those representing our home nations of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, the Isle of Man and of course to our hosts Scotland.

CSM Logistics Announce New Location of Oxford Branch

We have moved!  Our Oxford branch moved premises over the weekend, our move brings more space so that we can better serve our customers.

From today our new address is:

Unit 200 Milton Park
Abingdon
Oxfordshire
OX14 4TB

Our new telephone number is 0845 177 0017

We will still be offering the same friendly services as before, so please do not hesitate to get in touch!

The Holiday Season is Upon Us - Are You Safe?

Summer is here at long last, and many of us will be looking at getting away on holiday, I know I will be.  But it is not only holiday makers that love the summer season, burglars are equally excited at the prospect of empty houses.

With our evolving world of social media and our ever visible online presence, it is well worth taking a step back and remembering that it is not only our friends that are able to see what we are posting.  So, unless we are careful we could potentially leave ourselves vulnerable to the criminals in society and inadvertently provide information which can be used against us.

I know as well as the next person, that holidays are one of the best things to share with your social world, but for your safety, it is probably better to keep the news to yourself till you are home. 

But if you are looking to maintain your online voice, here are just a few things worth considering whilst you are away:

• Check your privacy to see if your post gives your current location, if it does change it before you make your post.
• Avoid checking in on Facebook, this just will confirm that you are away from home.
• Do not post information about your holiday plans, especially dates and locations, at any time.
• Check that you haven’t added your home address or telephone number to your profile.
• Wait until your holiday is over before your upload your holiday snaps.

Here is some information from www.fightcyberstalking.org on using Twitter privacy setting, you might find firmer ways of protecting yourself.

Also, there is an excellent guide from Digital Trends to help you tighten up your Facebook security settings, to make you as safe as you can be.

Don’t forget to check all other sites you have accounts with, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. too.

Stay safe and enjoy your summer!