I have wanted us, as a company, to get more involved in community and charity work for a while now. We are doing our bit for the community by setting up Colchester Digital, which is now 80 members strong after only 4 months, and now we are getting started with the charity side of things.

Out of the 10 of us here 9 are men (poor Natalie) so it made sense to look for something to do with men’s health. We also wanted to start out quite simply, with something that we could all get involved in. So what could we all do regardless of physical or mental abilities. Well, we can all grow facial hair (just about)!

So, this year we will be taking part in Movember, a month of moustache growing fun.

The science bit

“During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces in the UK and around the world. The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men”.

“On Movember 1st, guys register at Movember.com with a clean-shaven face and then for the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts”.

As soon as I knew about Movember and what they do I was adamant we would be getting involved.

The sad X-Factor piano music bit

Note: I’m going to talk about this quite frankly and as openly as I can as this is very important to me.

In February 2010 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer (left side). I had been to see my GP almost a year before but was told that everything was fine. It may seem ridiculous but, I suppose being a typical man, it took quite a lot to go to the doctor. I was embarrassed, stubborn, adamant that it was nothing, but at the same time very scared that it could be something. In short, I was a big, stupid wuss and didn’t want to face it. I had not told anyone (mistake 1) and I had not gone to the doctor immediately (mistake 2). Needless to say, my mum was furious and tears and arguments ensued.

As time past things were not feeling any better, in fact they were feeling worse. Having felt a second lump I went to the doctor again in February 2010. Within 4 days I had a consultation at the hospital and a day later I was in theatre. I didn’t have time to think about it, I saw the surgeon and was told in no uncertain terms that it was “coming out tomorrow, and here’s what we’ll be putting back in” as I was presented with a prosthetic. It was a whirlwind couple of days, but to be honest I wouldn’t have had it any other way, and everyone at the Colchester General Hospital was brilliant. An ultrasound showed that there were actually four lumps and later a biopsy of the removed testicle (I’ve heard all the jokes!!) would confirm the lumps were cancerous.

March 2010 was mostly spent in bed after having a dose of chemotherapy (if you ever have the pleasure, I advise stocking up on prune juice and plenty of fibre, if you know what I mean). I have since had a couple of CT scans and numerous x-rays and blood tests, but so far so good and there is no sign that the cancer has spread.

I hope you can see how important this cause is to me personally and to us as a company. We would be so grateful if you could support us in any way possible, either with a donation to our Movember Team or just spreading the word. At the very least I want you, your loved ones and your friends to be more aware of these issues. Cancer of various types affects men and women of all ages so, without sounding too crude, go and check yourself (not right now, it’s not really appropriate at work, wait till you get home!).

Thank you.

Matt

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Thinking it was about time to enter the big league we decided to sponsor a football team. We thought about getting shirt sponsorship prices from teams such as Arsenal and Chelsea but realised quite early on it would make more sense to look closer to home. Unfortunately Colchester United are already catered for by ROL (Readers Offers Limited) and Ipswich Town have sponsorship from event organisers Marcus Evans, so we put our heads together, and then Elliot said, “My little brother plays football.”
With this groundbreaking news we knew we were getting closer, now we had someone on the inside, someone with an in depth knowledge of the game, someone who would have contacts.
“Who does he play for?” we asked.
“Wivenhoe Town Under 11’s” came Elliot’s reply.
“Perfect!”

Phone calls were made, agents were schmoozed, emails were bounced back and forth between us and the club. We had to set this up quickly and get the deal sorted before the season started. What we really wanted though was to get the team in their WDL branded kit before the Wivenhoe Town XI vs Arsenal Celebrity match (Joe Swash was going to be there!). Palms were greased, wheels were set in motion and deals were done. With a few hours to spare, we made it.

The few of us who went to the match were so excited about seeing Joe Swash and some bloke off of some reality show that none of us had seen, that we forgot about the kit. When we got there the entire under 11’s team (give or take a player or two) were there wearing the brand spanking new WDL branded strip watching the match. It truly was a sight to behold. Tears were choked back, the atmosphere was thick with pride and the match went by without a hitch. It went on for what seemed like hours as everyone who had a few £££’s to spare got to play against the ‘Arsenal Celebrities’. I think Dean Gaffney may have scored a goal, but I might be mistaken. When it finished we all patted each other on the back and thought ‘We’ve hit the big time.’

Each time those little fellas go out on to the pitch, wherever they play, a piece of us goes with them and you can’t buy that. (Well actually you can, and it’s surprisingly less expensive than you might think!)

The team have worn the shirts a few times now and by all accounts they are quite comfortable. We’re just glad that we could be part of something much bigger and more important than us. And, most importantly somebody called us the next day after seeing the shirts (it works) and asked if we could build a website for him for £50.

Wivenhoe Under 11′s team member Oscar Smith plays in WDL kit during a tournament at the David Beckham Academy near the O2 in London.

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The first quarter of a year of my apprenticeship has flown by at WDL, during  which time I’ve embarked on a journey of discovery into the vast world of website design – both the practical side and the more… unpractical things I could never have learned from a book; IE6 will always break your website, Firebug is a godsend and photo booth on the Mac is always hilarious.

I have been surprised at how easily I’ve adjusted to the routine of a full days work – five days a week, compared to my previous college life. I mostly put this down to the relaxed environment in which we all work. Music plays throughout the office and the week always ends with a beer and a few games of pool. I’m looking forward to the rest of my apprenticeship where hopefully I will continue my daily routine of building and maintaining websites, buying sweets for everyone in office and attempting to beat the designer at a game of guess the typeface!

We’re here – Who We Are

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Rob, one of our designers, will be leaving us very shortly to work for a design agency in London. We are sorry to see him leave and wish him the best of luck in his new job but we don’t envy the commute he will be doing each day.

‘After spending a year with WDL I am sadly moving onto new pastures. During this time I have worked on a range of client projects such as Saffron’s branding development, 123app website design and The Barn Brasserie menu designs. It has been a great experience working within a growing team of enthusiastic and dedicated individuals from whom I have learnt a lot and also working with driven clients to produce materials for their businesses.’ – Rob

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We have recently got the decorators in to brighten up our building. The outside is now a cheerful shade of blue and it means you certainly won’t be able to miss us. Our inside environment has been changing too with some new additions to the team in the form of plants. They’re much quieter and make a lot less mess than the rest of the team.

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We have been taking some pictures for our website today and this was our favourite by far. Notice how both Tom and the monkey are smiling, but at what ?

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This is a little sneek peek of something we are currently working on.

Designed, printed and handmade by WDL. (Well Rob actually!)

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Just a quick teaser of our christmas mailer for our festive clients. Will post up finished piece once completed so check back soon.

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We received some more of Fenners 100% Redeemed Recycled 240gsm stock today for our stationery. We do love a clean, fresh stack of quality paper. Time to get making some business cards.

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We received this rather cute colour chart from world of envelopes this morning.

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