Welcome to AP Recommends, our new blog where each month we will be sharing some of our favourite reads, listens, wellbeing top tips and life hacks, as well as industry news and events that have piqued our interest.

January

 Bad weather, dark days and the post-Christmas come down can make January a tough month at the best of times but throw in a pandemic and another national lockdown too and it left us all seeking solace in books, podcasts and our favourite apps more than ever.

Here’s our recommendations for this month:

Place reads:

January saw the launch of a new feature in Place North West called The Subplot. Combining Place North West’s renowned sector insight, with thoughtful commentary from David Thame, it’s gone straight to the top of the Place team’s weekly ‘must read’ list.

Top tech talent:

We may be slightly biased, but Liverpool City Region’s Tech Climbers is already one of the most hotly anticipated events in the sector. The 2021 list will be unveiled on Thursday 28^th January, showcasing the most innovative and resilient tech scale-ups in the region. You can join the event by registering here.

Predicting the future:

January is often filled with resolutions and predictions for the year ahead and as people with our fingers on the pulse of our regional cities, we like to know what’s coming. So, we’re looking to Avison Young’s Manchester and Liverpool forecast events where the team and other influential city leaders will be giving their take on what we can expect from the property sector in 2021. To join the events, click here.

Inspiring the next generation

InnovateHer launched a FREE programme for students aged 13+ to have access to over the latest lockdown, teaching them invaluable digital skills and pathways to future careers. Active Profile is one of the programme’s official supporters, meaning that all individuals who apply are given a free place. If there’s a young person in your life who you think would benefit from this scheme, check out the InnovateHer website for more details.

Apps we can’t live without:

• Olio – If you want to 'fight food waste, help your neighbours and save our planet', then this is the app for you.
  • Jess in our Place PR team volunteered as an Olio ‘distributor’ this month and has been collecting surplus food from supermarkets to offer out through the app to those in need or just looking a foodie freebie (aren’t we all?!) Great work, Jess!

We’re listening to:

• Radio 1's Power Down Playlist with Annie Mac
• Radio 2’s Ana Matronic’s Dance Devotion

We’re watching:

• New UK and US seasons of Drag Race
• Staged series 2 (BBC)

We’re reading:

• The Confidence Code
  • Frankie says: “It’s a great book that explores the origins of confidence, what it is and how our genetic makeup and circumstances can impact it. Every woman (and man) should read it.”
• Where the Crawdads Sing
  • Amy says: “Beautifully written but painfully sad in parts, this is a murder mystery like no other. Loved it.”

We’re finding our zen with:

• We’re big fans of Yoga by Adriene in the AP office and a few of us have been following her latest 30 day ‘breath’ programme. Namaste!

Life hacks:

• If you’ve vowed to get more organised in 2021, then this could a game-changer (it was for some of our team). Belated birthday cards will be a thing of the past now that we’re kitted out with the ‘Most Organised Card Sender in the World’. You can thank us for this top tip later.

Overheard in the office

Not a recommendation but we had a sneaky look back at some of our best ‘overheard moments’ from our internal Slack channel. In January last year, a new disease was dominating the news headlines and our office chit chat, leading to the quote below and to be honest, we feel the same way now…

“I’m not in the mood for coronavirus” – 31^st January 2020