Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park in Orlando, Florida is the stuff that dreams are made of. And for 192 children from the UK, this was where their dreams came true thanks to the Dreamflight charity and amazing support from people who just wanted to give something back.

Dreamflight is a registered charity whose purpose is to take deserving children on the holiday of their dreams to America’s capital of fun – Orlando!  The children are chosen from all over the UK and are either currently, or have been, seriously ill. Dreamflight is not just a holiday for them, these children get to realise that they are not alone with their illness and not the odd one out.  With a new independence gained from being away from their family, they see other children who have suffered, they gain perspective and strength and with the help of the team of volunteers experience things that they never thought possible.

The children on each trip are accompanied by a group of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and non medical escorts who make the journey possible by giving their time and energy to the charity, and it is not just for the 10 days that they will be away.  There is a great deal of preparatory work and fundraising to be done before the annual trip to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

Jo Parris, Lettings Manager for Barton Wyatt Estate Agency in Virginia Water, Surrey was invited to be a non medical escort for the 2013 Dreamflight.  It was in fact a client of Barton Wyatt who introduced Jo to the charity almost ten years ago and together with Jo’s husband, Mike, a doctor, they decided to offer their time for the trip.

James Wyatt, partner of Barton Wyatt offered his own support by giving Jo the extra time off from the office and sponsoring T-shirts for the children of the ‘Pooh Bear’ Group to enjoy on their day in Blizzard Beach.  Barton Wyatt has sponsored the Pooh Bear group T-shirts for nearly ten years and looks forward to continuing to do so in the future.

Jo Parris comments on her experience:

“I was both nervous and excited about the trip before we went.  Excited by the experiences I was going to gain from being part of such a special group of people but also anxious to get my part right and make a worthy contribution to the trip.”

Jo was allocated two special boys to her care; Robert and Jermain, aged 8 and 9 years old. The holiday started in a hotel near Heathrow and once the goodbyes to the parents were completed, Jo’s duties began.

The Dreamflight flight itself was a revelation to Jo, a frequent flier herself.  “The flight started with a party and really went on like that,” she explains.  Silly string, face painting, nail bar, food on demand and the friendliest crew you’ll ever come across including a running commentary from the flight deck during take-off and landing made flying a real adventure for children, many of whom had never been near an airport, let alone travelled on a Jumbo-Jet!

Once at Orlando, Jo had a packed schedule starting at 7am and often not finishing until 11pm.  The group were taken daily to a different theme park on the ‘Pooh Bear’ bus aiming to ensure the children had maximum fun.  However, there was always a serious side to ensure the wellbeing, safety and health of the children and Jo found she grew eyes in the back of her head so that she always knew where her boys were and that their medication was given on time.

Jo describes the emotional side of the trip,

“A tremendous bond was made between the group, not just with the children and teenagers but with other escorts and arriving home was quite emotional.  Parents came to meet the plane and yes there were a few tears. I personally felt bereft for several weeks, continually looking round for ‘my boys’.

“I’ve not seen the boys since the trip, it’s not protocol. I have however sent them photo books and had email communication with one of the boy’s mums. In the New Year we will be showing the film of the trip to the whole Pooh Bear group and so I can’t wait to see all of the children then.”

Dr Mike, a Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine had a very different experience as he was a ‘floating doctor’ not officially allocated to a group but going to where he was needed.  He spent his time with all twelve of the groups and was responsible for the health of the adult volunteers on the trip as well as the children.  Mike was also responsible for a sourcing a portable ventilator for the trip, an expensive and life saving piece of equipment but this was just one part of the multitude of tasks which together make the trip possible.

Jo concludes,

“Going on Dreamflight is a huge honour. It is also a huge responsibility and mentally and physically exhausting.  Dreamflight changes the lives of the children who go but I can also say that it’s changed me.  Would I go again?  In a heartbeat.”

For more information contact Barton Wyatt on 01344 843 000 or visit www.bartonwyatt.co.uk.

For more details on Dreamflight visit www.dreamflight.org

 ·         International Data Corporation predicts 12% rise in smartphones sales

·         Gartner forecasted 102 billion app downloads in 2013, rising to 269 billion in 2017

·         Christmas 2013 saw a record-breaking number of app downloads (Flurry)

2013 saw the number of apps available on both Apple and Google hit the magic one million with both platforms well over the 50 billion download mark by the end of the year.  Indeed with International Data Corporation predicting a 12% rise in the sales of smartphones worldwide for 2014, the number of apps being created and subsequently downloaded is only going to multiply.

Today you are unlikely to need to pay for the privilege of having a new app on your phone.  Rising competition has meant that consumers can almost always choose a free app or ‘Lite’ version rather than parting with cash. In fact technology researcher Gartner predicts that by 2017, 94.5% of downloads will be for free apps – some 269 billion downloads.

No industry is untouched by the presence of apps, from education to entertainment, sports to mapping; anyone with a smartphone has the ability to push notifications every hour of every day wherever they are in the world.

The property industry has benefitted too from the birth of the app; this technology has enabled buyers to have the latest properties delivered to their smartphones within moments of coming to market.

Instead of staring into estate agent’s windows or trawling through the local newspaper, help is literally at hand, on your mobile phone, with intuitive property search functions, mortgage calculators, mapping tools, local area information including flood threats, broadband speed, commuter times, historic house prices and crime statistics and direct contact channels.

One Surrey estate agent leading the way with their cutting edge app is Barton Wyatt.   Downloads of the app have rocketed with almost 650 downloads in the four months to Christmas 2013 with this flurry of activity driving the Barton Wyatt team to review the existing app and incorporate new functions to make it even more useful to both purchasers and vendors.

James Wyatt, Partner of Barton Wyatt, comments:

“As Chair of the Surrey National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and a bit of a gadget head, I do like to lead the way with technology. I use apps all the time in my private life with the wife and kids filling up the iPad with games, online shopping and travel apps so it’s only natural that we looked to extend this to our business too.

“I’m proud to say that Barton Wyatt was one of the very first estate agents to launch a property app back in January 2011.   Now three years later we have a total number of downloads which has surpassed even my expectations at over 3,000. But as with everything hi-tech today, our app is not static and requires ongoing evolution in line with user expectations and the latest technological advancements so ensure it remains cutting edge.”

With this in mind, James and the team, have just launched the latest 2014 edition of the Barton Wyatt app available on both Apple and Android platforms. Embracing the popularity of the iPhone 5, the new app makes use of the full height of the screen and superior resolution, is fully compatible with the iOS7 update, employs a new user interface with swipe functionality, supports EPC PDF files  and the app conforms to the latest privacy regulations.

Importantly, the new app complies with the latest lettings legislation regards displaying Tenant Fees, offers a new Mortgage Calculator and displays Recent Searches for ease of use. 

For more information on this market leading property app call Barton Wyatt on 01344 843 000 or visit www.bartonwyatt.co.uk

To download the iPhone app go to – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/barton-wyatt-for-iphone/id412624874?mt=8

To download the iPad – https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/barton-wyatt-virginia-water/id424175338?mt=8

To download the Android – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.barton.wyatt&hl=en_GB

——-BEGINS————-

Editor’s Note:

New features of the Barton Wyatt 2014 app include:

ü  iPhone 5, using the full height of the new screen size/resolution.

ü  iOS7 updates making sure all functions work with the new operating system.

ü  New user Interface with swipe functionality.

ü  Mortgage Calculator with “Request a Quote” form and an editable Banner Advert.

ü  Fly Out Menu showing the full content of the app.

ü  Branch contact Information shown in a list or by location.

ü  Popup promo adverts allowing you to add promo messages when the app is in use.

ü  Tenant Fee’s enabling you to conform to the latest lettings legislation (applies to UK only, excluding Scotland).

ü  Rate my App prompt included so users can easily add ratings for your app in iTunes.

ü  GEO Push Notifications, send a message to a geo-graphical location.

ü  EPC PDF files supported (as well as image versions).

ü  Add to Contacts on Branch Contact Detail pages so important contact details are added direct to users phonebook.

ü  Recent Searches, displays a list of all recent searches so they can be done again instantly.

ü  Notifications, display a list of any recent Push Notifications sent by you (in CMS).

———–ENDS————-

Barton Wyatt has been operating as an Estate Agent in Surrey since 1927 and longevity like this should not be taken lightly. Hard work and dedication creates businesses that are experts in their field and the team in Virginia Water have amassed a wealth of knowledge and experience over the years.

Multi award-winning Barton Wyatt is trusted by Surrey’s vendors to achieve premium prices for their homes and are repeatedly used, time and time again, by landlords both at home and overseas who trust the long-standing loyal team.

With just over half (51%) believing that the next 12 months will be a good time to sell their UK property according to the latest Halifax Housing Market Confidence Tracker, Barton Wyatt has compiled their top 14 tips to help you sell your house in 2014:

1.       First Impression – “This can be make or break” says Sales Manager Oliver Clarke. “If a purchaser is put off before the entering the front door then we are doomed.  So take a look at the outside of your home as a stranger might see it.  It might be winter and very wet but for a small sum or some time and energy you could tidy the garden and plant a pretty pot by your front door.”

2.       Odour – It may seem minor but the aroma of your house is really very important when you are selling. A simple diffuser discretely hidden in the lobby could do the trick. Some people proffer the advice of coffee and home baked bread but we are realistic, it could take a few weeks to sell your home and you cannot be there ready to turn on the bread maker at the drop of a hat.

3.       Tidy – Obvious to most but not to all.  And being tidy might need to go on for a while as we said above!  Our advice is to have a seriously good clear out before you put the house on the market – even if you bundle up your prized possessions and take them off site.  Prospective buyers do not want to see a collection of widgets or piles of paperwork – they want clean lines and uncluttered work surfaces that create a feeling of space.

4.       Clean – Fresh, sparkling and inviting would be perfect.  Hard to achieve when you have an active life with pets and children running amuck we know but the cleaner your house is the easier it is to sell.

5.       Temperature – Heating houses is an expensive business however taking a client into a house that has sat empty for the weekend without the heating on is going to put them off instantly – keep your house ticking over at a pleasant 15-20° C – it will stop your pipes bursting and mean that we don’t shiver round the viewing!

6.       Animals – People’s pets are much loved by the owner but very often just the owner and not necessarily the person that is going to buy your house.  Pets also can have quite a strong odour, not to mention the litter trays, food bowls and paraphernalia that goes with having an animal in the house to try to keep pet evidence to a minimum.

7.       Bathrooms – On the whole one would not expect an overhaul of the bathroom prior to a house sale however we cannot urge you enough to ensure that the bathrooms are as pristine as they can be.  There is nothing more off putting to a buyer than someone else’s mess or dirt in these rooms. And it can be excruciating as the agent to have to dash in and flush before the client enters!

8.       Beds – Are to made please not crumpled and looking like some just crawled out of it!

9.       Kitchen – Spare a thought for the poor estate agent as you dash out the house without loading the dishwasher!  We want to take pride in your house when we show clients around and left over breakfast is not the first thing they want to see as they enter the kitchen.

10.   Garden – A rear garden does not have to be pristine but as with the house, tidiness is an asset.  As your potential buyer gazes from the master bedroom over the garden they would like to see cut grass, trimmed borders and some greenery.  Not always possible at this time of the year but some effort is always extremely obvious.

11.   Problem areas – It is possible that you have a part of your house that you would rather not draw attention to, perhaps somewhere that is mid repair.  Our recommendation is that you get any problems fixed before instructing to put the house on the market or advise your agent as to how the issue could be fixed in order to reassure a potential buyer.

12.   Flowers – It is not just an urban myth that people buy houses with cut flowers – they actually do.  If you know you have a viewing and you have the time and money to buy some flowers then do so.  The best show homes in the country have fresh cut flowers, they are there for a reason.

13.   De-clutter – We mentioned the importance of being tidy earlier but de-cluttering your house and garden is something that will almost definitely need your attention.  Be it your garage, your shed or your study shelves you can never de-clutter enough in our opinion.

14.   Brief the agent – The more we are prepared to answer questions about your house the easier it will be to sell it and allay any fears that prospective buyers may have.  As an Estate Agent we dislike not having the answers.  And we particularly dislike not knowing how your gadgetry works so please do show us how to use the ipad entry system, the drop down cinema and the fancy lighting system!  If we make it look easy the clients will love it – if we don’t know how it works – then they are put off.

So if you are thinking of selling your house start work on the above and give us a call.  We would be pleased to discuss any individual needs.

For more information contact the sales team at Barton Wyatt on 01344 843000 or visit www.bartonwyatt.co.uk