Category: advice
Sutton Coldfield is a town in the suburbs of Birmingham, West Midlands. Also known as Sutton or Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, it’s considered the most affluent area in the county, with low crime rate and low level of unemployment. Whether you’re spending the weekend around the area or you’re about to move to Sutton, you can find some tips on exciting things to do.
Here’s a list of things on why Sutton Coldfield is a great place!
It’s incredibly popular
Looking for a house can be stressful, especially when deciding what zip code to move to. According to reports, Sutton is an incredibly sought-after town, as well as one of the most expensive post codes in the West Midlands.
Families are attracted to Sutton because of the local schools, which are some of the best in the Midlands, and it is renowned to be one of the best places to raise children in the UK! While this may not be of interest if you’re just passing by, it’s important to know that Sutton is super close to Birmingham city centre, less than 20 minutes away by train!
Green space
One of the main reasons why it’s so popular is the green space. It is home to Sutton Park, a national nature reserve and home to many activities, such as horse riding, jogging and golf. The Park is also home to a wide variety of animals and plants and is one of the largest ones in the whole of Europe. Quite impressive!
More specifically, some of the most popular activities include a kid’s playground, ideal if you’re spending the day with your family. The Park is also home to the Birmingham’s Donkey Sanctuary, where you can interact with a group of lovely donkeys throughout organised activities. Ideal if you’re with children or if you’re an animal lover! The Sanctuary will soon be open to the public.
Vibrant town centre
While the park is a big plus and buyers are attracted to the green in the area, let’s not forget the town centre. Outside the centre of Birmingham, Sutton is the place with the most restaurant and shops. This is great to spend a day shopping away from the busy Bullring, while enjoying a different scenery. The restaurants vary from chains to local businesses, and there is a great variety depending on what you’re craving.
While the town is mostly known to attract families, it’s also attractive for young people looking for some fun, with many clubs and pubs all in the centre.
Rich history
And for any history lovers, the town sure is rich of it! The town was given the name of Royal back in the 16th century, by a charter of King Henry VIII. Sutton was definitely great back then, and it still is now!
And of course, we couldn’t not mention the one and only Cookes Storage Service.
If you’re moving to Sutton for either domestic or business reasons and need extra space to store your belongings, Cookes is the right spot for you. With an easily accessible location, 24/7 CCTV, affordable prices and flexible solutions, we make sure your needs are met. For more information on our services, contact our friendly staff members. You can either give us a call at
0121 250 5055 , get a quote from our website or simply pop into our store.
You’re moving out of your parent’s house and into your first home or maybe you are moving into Uni halls… but you don’t know what to take and what do you leave? Don’t worry, you are not alone! We can guarantee that everyone has had to think about the ‘what do I take with me’ problem!
You might be thinking about all the new things you can get for your home, but you’ll soon find your parents on the doorstep with a car full of your childhood toys and teenage clutter. You might not see the need for them now, but one day you may well treasure those memories. So, what sort of thing should you hold onto and what should you let go?
Things to keep
Family photographs
You may not be that interested in pictures of yourself playing on a beach you don’t remember age 3 – but one day you’ll find yourself wanting to know more about your parents holidays before you were born, or your grandparents wedding. Go through them with your parents, and have them write down who each person is on the back, so you have the information when you want it.
Old toys
Just like clothes, toys often come back into fashion as trends renew. Marvel figurines, Matchbox cars, Furbies, Tamagotchi and Pokemon cards have all come back around as must have toys over time. If you are still holding on to original versions of these, they may well increase in value. The last thing you want to do it is throw out all of your childhood toys now, only to discover you had a rare and valuable Barbie. And even if they aren’t worth anything, your own children may enjoy playing with them in time.
School reports and pictures
You may have skipped out of school on the last day, glad you never have to think about it again. Perhaps you won’t for years. But then you’ll have a school reunion, or bump into someone you knew, and you’ll want to peek back at the memories.
Awards, certificates and trophies are all nice to keep, but perhaps one of the best things, though you might not think it now, as your school reports. In 20 years time these can be a great source of entertainment, although you might want to hide the teacher’s comments from your own children.
Things to recycle
Clothes
There may well be some favourite clothes you just can’t bear to leave behind: a snuggly hoodie or band T-shirt. But the majority of clothes you wore as a teen probably don’t need to go with you to your new home. Sort out the ones that no longer fit, or are a bit too worn, and see what you can give to charity.
Books and magazines
We certainly do accumulate a lot of paper in our lifetimes. But do you really need to keep it? Take a look at your bookshelves, and see which treasured paperbacks you are really likely to read again, and which ones you have outgrown. Comics and magazines are the same. It’s all extra weight.
Finding space
Now you’ve decided what you need to keep, you still might not have space in your new place for all the boxes. Don’t throw things out just because you can’t find a cupboard for them, if you know you’ll regret it one day. With your own small self-storage locker, you’ve got just enough space for your childhood treasures, secure and dry, until you’re feeling nostalgic.
Still not sure how much space you need? Call us on 0121 250 5055 and we’ll talk through your requirements and design the perfect package for you.
Summer holidays are right around the corner, which usually signals another move for students. Whether you have finished your studies or will be returning next semester for another year, most halls accommodation requires students to vacate over the holidays. For those who are returning, the logistics of transporting a year’s worth of stuff across the country or across the pond can be a huge headache. This year why not make life easier with student storage.
Summer Sorted
There are many things to remember when you move out of halls, so let Cookes help you get ready! We have a vast range of storage solutions with simple, affordable pricing. You can store your stuff at a site local to your student accommodation so that it is ready and waiting for you when you return. No more dragging your worldly goods on and off the train, just pack your essentials and leave the rest with us.
Student Storage
Our secure storage units starting from 16sqft units, so whether you have clothes and a computer, or an entire suite of bedroom furniture, we can accommodate your belongings. All our units are available with fully flexible contracts so that you can manage your storage according to your needs and budget. You can reserve student storage online and store with us for as little as one week. You can even increase or decrease the storage size or contract length as often as you need to.
Simple Solutions
Here at Cookes, we understand that students have strict budgets, which is why we pride ourselves on simple pricing. We believe in providing quality, affordable storage for everyone. When storing with us, there are no hidden charges, no nasty surprises. Just reserve online, come in, store, secure and go.
If you are dreading the annual migration from halls to home this year, visit our website to see how our student storage solutions can save you the hassle!
Self storage is a valuable service that allows individuals to securely store their belongings away from their home or office. Whether you are moving house and need a temporary solution or wish to store important files over a long period of time, you can find a storage solution to suit. Some people consider self storage expensive, and there is no doubt that it may incur significant costs depending on what they are storing and how long for.
But when calculating the cost of self storage, the main consideration needs to be why you need it. Here at Cookes, our customers value the investment for protecting both your possessions and your peace of mind.
Safe storage
So, what do you get for your money in self storage? Well, firstly you get the peace of mind that your belongings are secure. Storing your stuff in the garage or at a friend’s house is all well and good, but can these locations offer 24hour security? Are they 100% damp free and unlikely to cause damage to delicate files or valuable heirlooms? At Cookes Storage Service, you receive a clean, dry, lockable space in which to securely store your belongings.
No two units are the same, and we treat every single one as if it held our own precious possessions. This is why Cookes provide state of the art security through out our site. With personal padlocks on all units, and 24hour CCTV surveillance, you can be sure that your stuff is secure when stored with us.
Flexible storage
Your storage needs can fluctuate month by month, year by year, so the idea that a one-size-fits-all contract can suffice is simply not feasible. Growing families and booming businesses will have constantly changing storage requirements. Rather than seeking to buy a property or premises that is ever increasing in size, simply invest in self storage that puts you in control. With solutions from as little as two weeks, we offer flexible storage contracts that can be increased or decreased in both size and duration at any time.
Simple storage
Unlike other storage companies, here at Cookes we prioritise simple pricing, so what you see is what you get.
We offer a huge range of storage units to suit every need. From 16sq.ft for to 270sq.ft. we have a space to suit you! The larger the storage need, be it in value or size, the higher the tariffs. However the longer you store with us, the lower the rates. Thanks to our simple pricing you don’t get any hidden surprises when it comes to settling your bill.
Want to know more? Drop us a line on 0121 250 5055 or get a free online quote today.
Moving house is a momentous occasion that we all face at some point in life, whether that is to head off to university or to leaving home to live with friends or partners. As exciting as it seems starting out, merging the possessions of two or more people can prove to be more than a little problematic. When faced with a choice of three sofas to sit on or duplicate dining sets, new cohabitants may feel pressed to part with their treasured possessions, so to avoid any awkward moments and make moving house hassle-free, simply use self-storage
Get Organised
It sounds so simple, but making a plan and getting organised early will help you immensely on your moving day. Keep a few essentials such a your kettle, mugs, tea bags and a spoon in a box on the front passenger seat of your moving vehicle (trust us you will thank us later!)
Have a system of what you need to move first and what can come later; bed first, bag of clothes you haven’t warm in a year… that can come last!
Give yourself space
Using self-storage simplifies a house move as it means that you don’t have to make any rash decisions about what to keep straight away. Perhaps more importantly, however, it gives you time to get a feel for the style that you want in your new pad, not to mention an idea on the best layout to maximise the space in your home.
Yes, you may be utterly convinced that your three-piece leather suite and chaise longue are perfect for parties, however if your goods are going to monopolise the room, then it is better to consider the home without them in it. Furthermore, you will avoid an unnecessary 22-point turn to get the furniture in through the front door.
Give yourself time
By storing your items in a secure self-storage unit, you remove the time constraints of trying to exchange and complete in a day whilst carting your worldly goods across the town. Few house sales complete at a weekend, meaning that you will need to take time off work to pack, ship and unpack your belongings within a very short time frame. By using flexible self-storage, you will be able to move in to your new home at a time and pace that is convenient to you.
Give yourself a good talking to
If there is one thing we all know, it is that as we travel along the journey called life we accumulate more than a few souvenirs along the way. Gathering together your belongings to move house can be a wake-up call as to just how much stuff you have, and now is the time to give yourself a good talking to about what needs to stay and what needs to go.
Rather than transfer all these items into your new abode or make any on the spot decisions that you later regret, use self-storage to filter these items gradually, and get rid of anything non-sentimental that hasn’t been used in 6 months.
This really simple lesson, saves many moving day tears! Your new home is going to be filled with new memories and sometimes, you just need that little bit of help to let go of items that you really don’t need anymore.
Enjoy the day
It is going to be hard work and there are most probably going to be some bumps along the way, but when you can sit back at the end of the day and look at your new home you will find that all those worries you have 6 months ago are totally irrelevant now!
For more help, head over to our page to see how we can help you with your move.
Happy moving Everyone!
Are you one of the many people supplementing their income by selling goods on Ebay and Amazon? Or would you like to be? Whilst starting off storing your goods at home is perfectly OK, more and more people are using self storage services for their home businesses. Why? Take a look at some of the benefits…
Claim back your living space!
If you’re currently storing your Ebay or Amazon goods at home, wouldn’t you love to claim back your living space? It can be hard to run a successful business if your surroundings are far from perfect. Although storing it home has very little financial costs associated with it, there are other, social, emotional and environmental costs and these can come at a heavy price. Why not consider using our self storage facilities? You’ll be pleasantly surprised at our prices and the feeling of getting the space back in your home is absolutely priceless.
Peace of mind
Whether you sell high or low cost goods on Amazon or Ebay, if you’re storing them at home you may have thousands of pounds of stock tucked away. Are you confident that your current home security arrangements are sufficient? If you have older children, are you confident that they are locking the door each and every time they leave the house empty? The other matter to consider is insurance. Storing goods at home could even invalidate your home insurance if you’ve not declared the fact to your insurer. Why not give yourself peace of mind by ensuring your stock is safe at our storage facility? You’ll enjoy the highest levels of hi-tech security all for one low monthly price.
Access 24/7, 365 days per year
The key to a good Ebay business in particular is ensuring you have the highest feedback score possible. That can sometimes mean going the extra mile and getting orders ready into the early hours. With our self storage services, you have access 24/7, 365 days per year with your own PIN code. With staff on-site all the time and with our enhanced security and CCTV, you can work with your stock when you want and in complete safety.
Flexible storage
One of the great things about having an Ebay or Amazon business is the flexibility that it provides you with. If you’re wanting to expand your business, you’ll need more room for stock, and that’s easy to facilitate at our premises. Need less space? That’s easily done too. Worried about entering into long term contracts for storage? There’s no need to, you can store with us for as long or as little as you need to.
Get your stock delivered straight to our storage facility
One of the big benefits of using our self storage service for ebay businesses is that we’re happy to accept your stock deliveries on your behalf. If you work elsewhere or simply don’t have the time to wait around for stock deliveries, our professional warehouse staff will do it for you, leaving you to free to do other things. Once we’ve accepted and stored it, we’ll contact you to let you know it has arrived. Simple, easy and efficient.
If you’re interested in self storage for your online business, get in touch today by calling 0121 250 5055 or email info@cookesstorage.co.uk