Firstly thanks to everyone who came to our FreeMe Open Day. It was great fun, but it was a learning curve for us so please send us any suggestions on how we can improve on it. Thanks also to all the people who helped make it possible.

The Jumping Castle was a great hit with all the kids and was donated free of charge. Daryl gave up his time to come and erect it and take it down and we really are grateful. Please support him. Fairfield came up trumps as usual and donated drinking yoghurt which is so much healthier than all the fizzy stuff.

Our volunteers rallied around and Lloyd Smith Junior gave a very interesting talk on snake identification and what to do when you find these slithery intruders around the house. Since then we have removed a rinkhals (ring-necked spitting cobra) from a drain at the Boston Police station which caused great excitement and, boy, would it have been a good day to go on a crime spree in the area, as everyone was hanging around to see how we coped.

Next, Lloyd and Roz set off on what we thought was a routine snake call out in Lincoln Meade in Pietermaritzburg. Used to our more normal snakes, we were certainly not prepared for this one. The family involved had two children, one at crawling age, so when we did not find the snake on first attempt, we decided to keep looking. Thank God we did. We spotted the snake behind a cushion in the lounge and when Lloyd caught it behind the head with his grab stick, it opened its mouth and there was the telltale black of one of our most aggressive and venomous snakes, the Black Mamba.

Lloyd has been a volunteer with us for a while and we had him sent on the Pure Venom Snake Handling course, but nothing prepares you for an encounter like this. At about two metres, it was small for a Mamba, but certainly one of the biggest snakes we have dealt with, and the knowledge that there is no anti-venom for the toxin gets the adrenalin pumping. We managed to get it into a bucket, but as it was already injured and died later. We are so proud of Lloyd – the thought of one of the kids coming up against a snake of that calibre, just makes the blood run cold. The chances of a happy outcome were negligible.

Let's hope that this was a once in a lifetime experience for Lloyd who handled it like the true star he is.

Read more about FreeMe here.

Greg Beyrooti of BeyCom Computer Consultants says "We don't simply fix computers – we help people who have computer problems"

BeyCom's philosophy of supporting everyone – individuals, small- and medium-sized businesses, no matter what the problem may be, has proved to be a winning formula.

After seven years of continued growth Beycom Computer Consultants continue to be a popular choice for IT Support. Covering Howick, Hilton, the Midlands, Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas, Beycom Computer Consultants are well-placed to assist you with any of your IT needs.

Beycom Computer Consultants offer a complete range of IT related services. Computer support and repairs, software and hardware sales, data security and networking are our most popular services.

With the expansion of normal computer functionality to newer devices like tablets and cell phones it has become extremely important to ensure that your data is both freely available wherever you are and safe from the many modern dangers that exist in our rapidly expanding world. With nearly 30 years of working with constantly changing technology, we are able "move with the times" and advise you what is best for your unique situation.

Data Security is one of our biggest areas of concern. Too many people don't take this seriously enough. While most computer users do backup their data from time-to-time, a proper, easy-to-use, effective and working backup procedure should be followed, leaving nothing to chance. No amount of money can bring back lost data and none of us can afford to lose our vital data. One of the worst experiences IT Consultants have to deal with is to tell someone that their data is irretrievable. At Beycom Computer Consultants we take this area extremely seriously and have developed a simple procedure to cover this important area of our modern lives. Don't lose your data, call us.

Beycom Computer Consultants also offers a full range of Internet Connectivity products. In a region where Telkom infrastructure is no longer able to service the needs of our customers we have partnered with various service providers and are able to offer all types of Internet connectivity e.g. ADSL, 3G, Wireless Internet and even Satellite Internet at affordable prices. We are well-informed on the available options in your area and can advise you as to what choices are best for you.

Whatever your IT needs Beycom Computer Consultants can assist you. Click here for our contact details.

FreeMe Wildlife Rehabilitation KZN was established seven years ago in response to the growing need for a dedicated Centre which could care for sick, injured or orphaned wildlife in a large area which extends from south of Pietermaritzburg to the Drakensburg and from Ixopo through to Greytown. This area is largely rural and covers a number of different climatic zones from sub tropical forest and thorn veldt through misty wet grasslands to the harsh climatic conditions of the Drakensburg Mountain Range with its snow, big storms and run away fires. It is also an area renown for its wildlife biodiversity, its attraction as an ecotourism and birding destination, and the large number of Threatened or Protected Species found within its boundaries. Previously, all rehabilitation was being handled by a few dedicated individuals, but as the need grew and costs increased, this became unmanageable. Ezemvelo Wildlife KZN, the local conservation authority, introduced a set of norms and standards for the keeping of wildlife in captivity which regulates and ensures that rehabilitation is carried out in line with overseas protocols and complies with all ethical requirements.

Adele Malan, from FreeMe Gauteng, set up a task force to investigate the best ways of establishing the rehabilitation facility, and land was donated on a fifty year non commercial lease basis. Rob Taylor, a local property developer responsible for the Amber Retirement Villages, donated the clinic building and various other donors came on board to ensure that the Centre was comparable with the best in the country. Adele was unfortunately killed at van Reenen's Pass on her way to take over the running of FreeMe.

Since then FreeMe has grown in reputation and now has permits from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife for the rehabilitation of all wildlife in the area, including Threatened or Protected Species. Working with the Raptor Rescue Centre outside Pietermaritzburg and the Primate Centre outside Richmond, we are able to handle nearly all the rehabilitation requirements of the area. We handle between 800 and 1 000 cases per year and this includes antelope species such as Oribi, Reedbuck, duiker, blue duiker, blesbok, bush buck, and impala. We run a 24/7 emergency call out service and cover large distances, with the associated travel costs. A number of cases include our larger bird species such as cranes, storks, herons, etc. Amongst our Threatened or Protected Species workload we include Oribi, Reedbuck, Crane, some of the Raptor species, Samango monkeys, serval and a number of bats.

As we become better known, the demand for our services has grown and we are now the centre of choice for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, vets and the public in general

Because we do not pay rent, electricity , water or rates, the bulk of our donations can be directed towards animal care. Our running costs are kept to a minimum and we use a fair number of volunteers to reduce staffing costs. FreeMe also run an education programme for schools and community groups, and are the charity of choice for community service for scholars from, inter alia, Michaelhouse, Epworth, Grace College and St Annes.

The uMngeni SPCA recently held an informal tea to honour and thank the very special volunteers that work at our SPCA Centre and have been selflessly serving our Society for many, many years.

Anne Smith has been the driving force behind establishing our Gardeners' Corner, firstly at Campbell Road and later at our Fundraising Centre in Main Street, Howick. She has been with us through thick and thin, planning, executing and running our highly successful plant nursery. Anne not only plants from other nurseries at very special prices, but she also goes to Kloof SPCA to fetch loads of plants donated from their nursery and she also pots out slips, cuttings, divisions of huge matted plants and other material that is kindly donated by gardeners. Whatever else she does with her magic wand to produce the huge stock of fine plants, seedlings, shrubs and trees to sell at competitive prices, I wouldn't know, but the measure of her success is in the band of loyal supporters who always look for their garden needs at the SPCA Centre before they even think of going anywhere else.

Anne was honoured for her years of dedicated service with a magnificent hand painted plaque and a lovely stone bench that will now hold pride of place in our Gardeners Corner and be known as "Anne's Nook." Horace Vilakazi, a valued member of our team and Anne's right hand man was also thanked for his loyal service.

The tea also served to thank other very special volunteers that have done so much to allow our Society to flourish under difficult economic circumstances and other trying times. They have dedicated hours and hours of their personal time, to our SPCA, showing only care, concern and love for the animals that we are dedicated to helping. Their smiles and happy banter whenever they are around make them an absolute pleasure to work with every day.

Jenny Rooken-Smith, who lovingly takes care of our book section of the SPCA was also honoured with a beautiful wooden plaque. Her room where she sorts out all the many books we receive, will now be known as the "Jenny Rooken-Smith Room." It is not an easy task maintaining, sorting and arranging the collection of books, yet Jenny does it with complete ease and care.

The other key volunteers that help and take care of our SPCA Centre, were all thanked with an exquisite hand painted plaque that holds pride of place in our reception area at the SPCA centre. It reads "This plaque commemorates all the many hours that so many caring people spend assisting our SPCA, each in their own special way."

Thank you to each and every person that volunteers to assist us with stamping out neglect, abuse and cruelty to animals.

Kindly submitted by Tess Fernandez, PRO for uMngeni SPCA

Roslyn's Ladieswear in Buchanan Street, Howick has been producing clothes for the mature woman since 1990. Take heart all the ladies who dread finding themselves red faced with frustration in a fitting room beside a growing pile of rejected outfits on the floor beside you, take a big breath and calm down, then contact Rosalyn Rood or Lorraine Meadows, the mother and daughter team who own this growing little business.

Ros and Lorraine will provide you with a personal service, Lorraine has a trusty database set up and jokes that in no time at all she will know more about what you have in your cupboard then you will. Keeping records of client's preferences and measurements results in Roslyn's Ladieswear providing consistently reliable garments to fit your needs, time after time.

The clothing these ladies design and make on site with the help of two trusted seamstresses is classic, casual but stylish. Outfits from Roslyn's Ladieswear are ideal for the older lady who does not want to be frumpish. Tops and bottoms can be purchased separately making it so easier to accommodate the unavoidable changes time forces on us all.

Typically mothers and daughters can have testy relationships but Rosalyn and Lorraine have a very professional ethic that guides their interactions, Lorraine explains, 'Mum trained me, I have benefited from her years studying fashion design in the UK, I have learned all I know from her, so we have similar ideas. We bounce new designs off each other and when we cannot agree we simply abandon the fabric or design.'

Another refreshing benefit customers will enjoy when shopping for their clothing at Roslyn's Ladieswear is the frank opinions, both ladies will honestly share with their clients if, in their opinions, an outfit is flattering or not. This truthfulness has nurtured long term relationships with many loyal ladies.

Some clients choose to deal with Rosalyn while others select Lorraine and they know that whoever takes their order will follow the production process all the way through to cutting and collection. Orders take around ten days to be ready and each item sewn by the seamstresses is personally inspected by one of the owners. That's service!

The reward for this team arrives when their client's exclaim, 'My goodness, I can look good!'

Pictured here is Lorraine Meadows with seamstresses Thembi Zondi (left) and Sindy Ntombela (right).

Contact Roslyn's Ladieswear here.

Selecting a care provider for a loved one can be a complicated and daunting task. Nightingales undertake to make this process simple, by helping you make an informed decision about the type of care that is required.  This will enable them to select the correct carer whose qualifications, personality and experience best fits in with your lifestyle.

Nightingales work closely with the patient's family, doctors and other care givers, and encourage good communication and co-operation between all parties to ensure the client receives the best possible care at all times. All staff are supervised on a daily basis, and their performance is assessed monthly by their current client.

Nightingales has professional, friendly and approachable management staff, and all enquiries and consultations are strictly confidential. Should you require any further information regarding our service, please click here.

Jenny Weber launched Impilo Conferences over 20 years ago. Jenny's husband was in the training business, so knew what the requirements for meetings and training conferences were. Together Jenny and her husband travelled extensively every weekend, to visit and experience as many venues throughout KZN as they could.

Impilo's owners together made sure they saw an amazing selection of varied places, taking photos, making notes and collecting brochures and all the information in detail. Today, with more details on Internet, it's so easy for clients to find a website and believe all it says, but personal visits are very important to Impilo, to get the feel and ambiance of each and every venue.

Impilo Conferences have been to see at least 500 conference and function accommodation and leisure venues and are still expanding their repertoire.

So, if you have an enquiry for any type of function, anywhere within KZN, read more here.

Jenny says "There is no charge to you whatsoever for using this service, I enjoy what I do, and certainly have vast experience in this field, and many, many contacts. Relax and let me help you. For businesses, give your PA a break, use Impilo Conferences."

Wow! Wow! Wow! What an overwhelming turnout at our recent "Riding the Storm" with Peter and Kim Van Kets, Cheese and Wine event! The uMngeni SPCA were privileged to have hosted the renowned husband and wife duo of extreme adventurer's, Peter and Kim Van Kets at an extremely well supported cheese and wine evening in aid of uMngeni SPCA.

St Ives was filled to capacity with a crowd of 250 people that came from all over the Midlands to enjoy a magnificent spread of cheeses, very generously donated by Barbara at Indezi River Cheeses, delicious olives from Romesco Olives in Howick, breads, biscuits and other lovely "goodies". Wines and juices were also in abundance. Thank you very much to Indezi River Cheeses and Romesco Olives! Your support was so appreciated.

There was much frivolity and excitement in the air as everyone in attendance waited in anticipation to hear Peter and Kim each tell their amazing stories of their journeys as extreme adventurers. Peter and Kim certainly did not disappoint! Their humorous and courageous accounts of overcoming adversity to accomplish their dreams were awe-inspiring to say the least! Facing fear in the face, persevering in spite of this and accomplishing what us mere mortals would perceive as impossible feats, are indeed what sets this dynamic duo apart! We were all blown away by this husband and wife team's passion for life!

uMngeni SPCA were also very proud to be able to hold this event at St Ives Country Estate. Set in the most magnificent grounds, with abundant wild life and bird life, this unique venue had it all! Friendly and professional staff and views to envy! A huge thank you to Fiona and her dedicated staff who so generously provided the venue and Accommodation voucher to us for no fee at all. Abingdon Wine Estate kindly donated 2 bottles of superb boutique wine from their estate to us to use in a raffle. These bottles were extra special as they had been signed by John Plumtree, Keegan Daniels and Pat Lambie. Grateful thanks to Ian and Jane from Abingdon for this donation. Our raffle raised R3100-00 for our furry friends!

To each and every SPCA supporter, we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts, for so enthusiastically supporting this event. We appreciate you all. We most certainly are very lucky to have such a giving and generous community of animal lovers!

Kind submitted by Tess Fernandez, PRO for uMngeni SPCA