Let's Celebrate Local!

By Tom Lawton, inventor and tv personality, who lives in Malmesbury and has just launched the Uplift 2.0, known as the ‘unwinding spiral sculpture to soothe the soul’. The Uplift is a handmade sculpture for the home or office based on a spiral which rotates, echoing the movement and feel of the ocean. It has a solar panel set into the base and is mostly made from recycled fishing nets. Tom crowdfunded the start-up phase raising more than £76,000 and the first sculptures are now being shipped to their new owners. Tom designed it with his Gran in mind who suffered with dementia and the Uplift gave her moments of calm.

How are you feeling about your business? 

I’m feeling optimistic and inspired. This past few months have been one of being diligent and organised to produce the first 1,000 sculptures. There have been so many obstacles overcome from a design and production perspective and in many ways the delays we've all experienced through the year have allowed us to take the time to make sure everything is just right. Our customers are our biggest backers and have supported the product and story from the start, their encouragement is wonderful.

Over the last few days, as products have finally started to ship and arrive with customers worldwide, I’ve started to get the true feedback from those who supported me and they are loving it – sending me pictures and messages. This makes me so optimistic for the Uplift 2.0 and also for my future plans. 

How are you feeling about business in general? 

There are so many challenges to face. However I’m always amazed by the integrity and ingenuity of British business and, of course we're all plugged in to the creative global brain and some things will always thrive. Innovation is at the heart of that. I hope, over time this all means that those who are the ‘best’ will be the ones left. By that, I don’t mean the best in terms of profit, I mean those who really care about what they do, especially in manufacturing, who want to make money yet also produce good quality, sustainable products and have a caring, community-focussed purpose. 

For our independent retailers, let’s support them and buy from them and help them get back on their feet. They are important for many communities, adding depth and colour to any High Street, large or small. Though often you only find them on the internet. I'm lucky to have a permanent presence on Malmesbury high street with my window display for Uplift 2.0.

Tell us how you apply this phrase to your business and life ‘buy local supply local’. 

Where possible, we do as a family buy local – from food to staples like firewood. For me what’s important is also ‘provenance’ and ‘ethics’ in business and life. It’s important to get the right quality component for my inventions and I personally look for responsible partners with strong ethics and values as well as trying to source from the UK.

What has changed for you positively as a result of lockdown? 

Having the time to quietly and diligently get on with creating and perfecting the Uplift 2.0 and planning the activity which now needs to happen around it. Spending time with my wife and children. Also being able to just ‘pause’ in life and take a breath - wasn't it nice when we had no traffic! 

Simple things like appreciating my lovely community in Malmesbury, appreciating the nature around us and also appreciating each other. I have always done this anyway, I think lockdown simply brought it all into sharper focus. I had time to create something new too - I will announce it some day soon.

Can you name a local independent business which you support around food & drink? 

One of my favourite shops is The Wild Food company in Malmesbury’s High Street - https://thewildfoodcompany.co.uk

Can you name a local independent business which you support around health, wellbeing or fitness? 

I love walking around the Abbey House Gardens, which does of course have a café - http://www.abbeyhousegardens.co.uk 

I also take part in activities at our local gym, The Activity Zone - https://www.placesleisure.org/centres/the-activity-zone/

Would you like to mention another local business? 

I often use and really love Persephone Violet, our local florist - https://www.persephoneviolet.co.uk

Also our local butcher – who always support me when I go in and ask weird things like ‘can I measure your sausages?’ which was relevant to a little BBQ invention of mine! 

http://www.leonardwalker.co.uk

Can you shout out to any suppliers you wish to celebrate? 

We have had help from so many people. I’d like to mention the Hake Fisheries in Cornwall and also the project Fishy Filaments from which we sourced our recycled filaments from waste fishing nets. 

https://fishyfilaments.com

Can you name one person in business who has really had your back over the last few months? 

It has to be Nick Pascoe. Nick is a successful local businessman who was an early fan of the Uplift and asked me if I needed any help – and when the time came, I asked for his help. He’s been with me ever since and together we founded Uplifting Products and I’m very grateful. It’s just worked. 

While he has a background in mechanical design his experience in building a business on good foundations is what gives us the right platform to grow, now. Though we have our work cut out - the set up costs for this venture are considerable and we're still a fledgling business looking to drive growth through early sales - but together we're off the starting blocks and have a first class product that's being very well received.

Can you name one person in your life who has really helped you during this time? 

My wife Charlie. She gets lent on the most. While she's my biggest fan she also has to endure my obsessive nature and total focus on these projects and she is also a sounding board to every step I take. It's lucky she shares my passion but she's shown even more patience than I have, but without her help to keep the rest of our life spinning it would all be impossible.

What are your business plans for Q4? 

During September, I’m delivering the first 600 Uplift 2.0 to our customers and I’ll be working hard with my team to sell the 400 we have in stock during this quarter, getting ready for Christmas too. 

We’re looking at the future development of this product and looking at new sustainable materials too – and as I mentioned before, there’s something else in development which is as beautiful too! 

For more information visit www.beuplifted.co.uk

*PICTURES SHOW THE UPLIFT 2.0 & TOM LAWTON IN CORNWALL, SOURCING RECYCLED FISHING NET FILAMENTS FOR HIS INVENTION.