Heather Gorringe

Current

• Board Member at Business Link West Midlands
• Founder and MD at Wiggly Wigglers

Past

• Partner at R B Montague and Sons

Education

• Hereford College of Art

Connections

53 connections

Industry

Marketing and Advertising

Websites

• My Website
• My Blog
• My Blog

Heather Gorringe’s Summary

I founded Wiggly Wigglers on my kitchen table in 1990, and now the Really Rural Store employs 17, selling bird seed, feeders, composters, plants, flowers, turf, tools and worms, and much more to anyone who would like a taste of country life.

The company is based on Lower Blakemere Farm which is run by my husband Phil and the farm now supplies all the birdfood for Wiggly Wigglers.

Wiggly Wigglers sells direct to around 90k individual customers all over the UK and over half of our sales are online. The company is passionate about helping people bring a positive and measurable impact to their surroundings however large or small their garden (or window box!) It is also constantly searching to improve its own impact based on three aspects – social, environmental and economic – People, Planet, Profit.

Wiggly Wigglers produced one of the World’s first gardening and farming podcasts and now has thousands of weekly listeners from all over the World. The Wiggly Wigglers Facebook group is very active with over 1400 members.

The company was the UK’s Small Business Champion of 2005 and last year won it’s first ever global award - the Dell Small Business Excellence Award for its web and social media strategy

I am also on the board of Business Link West Midlands and became a Nuffield Scholar in 2007. I studied The Development of the Web and Social Media, and this direct communication and conversation has become a passion of mine.
She has just completed The Institute of Agricultural Management Leadership course, and is a proud member of WiRE
She speaks on entrepreneurship and social media on a regular basis.

Heather Gorringe’s Specialties:

Entrepeneurship and marketing
Rural business
Podcasting and communication in small business
Public Speaking

Heather Gorringe’s Experience

• Board Member

  Business Link West Midlands

  (Privately Held; Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

  November 2008 — Present (1 year 1 month)

  I am a non executive board member at Business Link West Midlands helping to represent women and rural enterprise.

• Founder and MD

  Wiggly Wigglers

  (Privately Held; Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

  November 1990 — Present (19 years 1 month)

  I founded Wiggly Wigglers in 1990 as a farm diversification providing Worm Composting Kits to householders. The business has developed into one of the leading companies in the UK for EcoGardening, EcoLiving and EcoFlowers. A really rural store - operating via mail order and online

• Partner

  R B Montague and Sons

  (Farming industry)

  June 1983 — November 1990 (7 years 6 months)

  I was a partner in our family agricultural contracting business and my role ranged from operating the machinery - from drainage machines through road rollers to drawing up the completed plans of work carried out. I was responsible for the accounts department running the payroll and completely the VAT returns along with all the invoicing.

Heather Gorringe’s Education

• Hereford College of Art

  1981 — 1983

Additional Information

Heather Gorringe’s Websites:

• My Website
• My Blog
• My Blog

Heather Gorringe’s Interests:

country life, farming, rural affairs, community, local sourcing, sustainable living, eco gardening, podcasting, social media, blogging, entrepeneurship, small busines development, strategic planning, community theatre, food, cycling, pool. skiing, travel, healthy eating, tennis,

Heather Gorringe’s Groups:

Nuffield Scholar, Member of the Institute of Agriculture, WiRE - Women in Rural Enterprise, Herefordshire Rural Hub, Country Land and Business Association, Business Link West Midlands Board Member

•    AgriMarketing
•    Marketing Industry Network
•    where social media meets online customer service

Heather Gorringe’s Honors:

* FSB British Small Business Champion 2005
* RHS Silver Gilt Medal and Best Show Garden at Malvern 2004
* Business in the Community – Big Tick Award 2005 and 2006
* RHS Silver Gilt Medal Show Garden BBC Gardeners World
* Farmers Weekly Alternative Enterprise Award – Winner 2006
Global Dell Winner for Small Business using technology 2008

Heather Gorringe’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• new ventures
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• business deals
• reference requests
• getting back in touch