The blog is named after the house in which, my two brothers, my sister and I spent spent our childhood along with my parents and my Grandma: Wychpery Bower in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Under this roof, I learnt beliefs, values and behaviours which I have found to be critical success factors for life and for business.

In this house, there were always crowds of people. During the week, there would be people turning up for meetings, socials or just to hang out nearly every night. In order to feed a big family and many visitors, my mother baked a lot! On Saturday mornings a steady stream of people would arrive on their way to or from the town who would sit around the kitchen table with a cup of tea and consume the array of flapjacks and cakes.

My parents ran their own business from home. In the morning & evening various colleagues would appear on their way to and from work and representatives would often turn up during the day. The kettle was always on. In this house people mattered and the business served the people. Whoever they were, whatever their part, they sat together around the kitchen table and knew they were valued and that their opinion was important.

The name of the house is unusual. Wychpery is made up of two old English words, ‘wych’ meaning flexible or pliable and ‘pery’ meaning pear tree. That is really what I intend this blog to be; flexible enough to acknowledge and honour difference and most of all, fruitful – growing and yielding fruit rather than tearing down and destroying.

And the table represents a place where everyone can have their say and be heard even if they are not agreed with. Respectful, open debate is really needed now, more than ever so, whoever you are, welcome to the Wychpery Table!