We’ve partnered with Family Tree magazine to find and reunite the descendents of  the suffragettes.

In the 100th anniversary of Emily Wilding Davison’s fatal protest at the Epsom Derby, we’re offering suffragette descendents up to £50 of free 192.com search credits. Send details of the suffragette in your family tree to Family Tree magazine by accessing this online form.

The suffragettes campaigned rigorously for gender equality in the 19th century, championing the woman’s right to vote.

If you’re descended from a suffragette get in touch to tell your story and reunite with others.

PRESS RELEASE 06.2013

192.com, the UK’s leading people-finding website has helped the actor and comedian David Walliams to reunite some of his old school friends.

The reunion recreated an old photograph of David Walliams starring in a school production of All The King’s Men, an experience which inspired the funnyman’s career.

Sharing the stage with the Britain’s Got Talent star are fellow alumni of Reigate Grammar School, who went on to less high profile jobs.

David worked with his former school to find the names and contact details for each of his fellow cast members. The team used 192.com as one method of tracing the former classmates, scouring the website’s 36 million residential names and addresses.

“192.com has millions of listings from the edited electoral roll and the telephone directory, and we are delighted to have helped David to find his old cast members,” said Dominic Blackburn, Product Director of 192.com.

The re-staged photograph was orchestrated by Rain Media Productions who have produced a film about the reunion, called Snapshot In Time to be aired on ITV 1 on June 6.

“Snapshot In Time was created when we heard about a photographer who bought a photographic studio, and discovered many old group photographs. The photographer found the people in the photographs and retook the pictures in the same location with the same participants,” explains Mark Wells, Creative Director of Rain Media Productions.

“We approached David and he suggested using a photograph of him in a school play that he had found while researching his autobiography.  As the film outlines, the photograph has an extraordinary relevance for David. It was the moment which, in his words ‘changed his life.’  This was when he stood on stage in a school play in March 1983, and heard the audience laughing. He knew then what career he wanted.”

Mr Wells adds: “The participants from the original photograph came together to restage the photograph thirty years after it was first taken – in the same location, with an identical backdrop. David thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, and the process of tracing everyone and bringing them back to Reigate to a place ‘back in the moment’ was so significant for him.”

Snapshot In Time will be broadcast on Thursday, June 6 on ITV1 at 9pm.

David Walliams is an actor, comedian and children’s author. He is co-star and co-creator of Little Britain and has swum the English Channel and the length of the River Thames for the charity, Sport Relief. His autobiography Camp David is available through Amazon.

-Ends-

Please note:

David Walliams does not have a commercial arrangement with 192.com Ltd, or a formal relationship with the company. This press release is being issued with the consent of Rain Media Productions, ITV, and David Walliams’s management.

We’ve  reunited the living decedents of the  Cheddar Man, who lived 9000 years ago.

Considered Britain’s oldest complete skeleton, the stone-age remains were found in Cheddar Gorge in the county of Somerset and were excavated in 1903. Genetic fingerprinting later found that some descendants of the Cheddar Man still live in the same area of Britain.

Sharing the caveman’s DNA is Adrian Targett of Somerset and Craig Dent of Melbourne, Australia.   Using 192.com’s search database which contains the contact details of over 30 million UK residents, Craig was able to contact Adrian and the pair met up on May 27, 2013.

Businessman Craig hopes to visit the very location of the Cheddar Man’s discovery with Adrian Targett, to be reunited from opposite ends of the earth in the very cave that their ancestors called home.

“I also share the same DNA with Adrian, though my paternal ancestors left the UK and arrived in Australia in 1860, my maternal ancestors left the UK and arrived in Australia in 1911. It is my maternal ancestors that link me with the Cheddar Man,” Said, Mr Dent.

“I had been researching the family history for many years and first visited the UK in 2008, since that visit I have returned to progress my research in 2011, 2012 and now again in 2013. With the recent discovery of my DNA and the link with Adrian Targett, I contacted 192.com to try to obtain his address and telephone number. I knew Adrian lived in Cheddar, but I needed 192.com to find his up to date contact details so I could arrange a reunion with him,” he added.

“We were thrilled when we learnt of Mr Dent’s search,” said Dominic Blackburn, 192.com’s Product Director. “By accessing 192.com’s huge database with over four times more residential listings than the UK phonebook, Craig could find his man. We reunite scores of families and friends a year but it’s rare to reunite people linking back to the dawn of civilisation.”

“I knew through my research that my links to the Bristol region dated back many hundreds of years on both my Paternal and Maternal linages,” said Mr Dent.

He added:  “However, I was surprise to have learnt through my DNA that my link with the region dates back thousands of years. When I first spoke with Adrian and other distant relatives in Stoke Gifford and Winterbourne, the heartland of my paternal link to the region, I was humbled by their kindness and warmth.

“192.com’s services were invaluable in assisting me to bring these connections to life. I consider Bristol and its surrounds very much a part of my story, I feel a strong link to the area and have taken a keen interest in it. I enjoy being there and feel quite at home and am looking forward to returning.”

The Cheddar Man was found in Cheddar’s Gough cave, which is believed to have accommodated stone-age inhabitants for a hundred years. A painting of a mammoth was found on the cave wall in 2007, and bones discovered in the cave led researchers in 2011 to believe that dwellers ate their dead and turned their skulls into cups.

Craig Dent is a decorated businessman and Board member of Variety, the Children’s Charity and ambassador to Australia’s multilingual broadcaster, SBS.

192.com is the UK’s most awarded online directory, helping find people, businesses and places for 11 million users a month. On 192.com, users can search over 700 million records including free directory enquiries, edited electoral roll information, local business listings, interactive mapping, aerial photography and property reports.

The Apprentice is back! Sharp suits, hair gel, snappy one-liners and a whole field full of ponies.

We spoke to former Apprentice stars and other business brains to find out how they’re cutting costs in a stagnant economy. We also found some expenses are too good to keep.

The Apprentices:

Former winner of the Apprentice and founder of the Raw Talent Academy Lee McQueen says:

“I’m cutting back on taking cabs, particularly to meetings a short distance away. And I’ve always tried to cut office costs. When the business started we saved money by converting a small building at home, before moving into our current office. Companies shouldn’t move before they are ready and maximise any space they have.”

Apprentice Runner Up Ruth Badger, who runs a business consultancy service:

“I run a tight ship when it comes to spending. Each month I ensure my Financial Director sits down and signs off the expenditure in all of the businesses that I have a financial interest in.

“A necessary guilty pleasure is first class train travel. I hate traveling in the standard class. It’s noisy, dirty and you have to fight for a seat. I work too hard to do that. Yet my accessories are a personal reward and are the best money can buy.  I’ll stroke my Smythson writing pad in a meeting when I am bored and I will only ever write action points down to save wasting paper.”

Clair Young, Apprentice runner up, founder of School Speakers, which connects schools with inspirational speakers:

“We’ve moved into a smaller office, renegotiated our contracts, phones, broadband and stopped any marketing with big outlay. School Speakers has grown for free, through word of mouth and social media.

Personally I allow myself a few guilty expenses, I love a posh coffee such as Costa Flat Whites, but I’m trying to reduce this expense with a coffee maker. I also have two magazine subscriptions, to Red and Glamour which I read in the bath, accompanied with Jo Malone oil.”

The Boss

Steve Lowy, head of the UMI hotel group, founding the company at the age of 27.

“Over the last six months I’ve been reviewing spending on a business and personal level.

“Work wise, we revise what we spend on non-fixed costs on a quarterly basis to see if there’s a better deal.  Our biggest expenditure was IT, and we sought greater efficiency and reduced subscriptions.  No expenses are overlooked, we even assess our use of printer cartridges, and cut back on paper and ink.

“Personally, I cut costs by assessing subscriptions I’m not using, for example my Sky TV subscription, and I look for the best deal with my utilities. I’ve also downgraded my car to something really little and cost effective.

“I confess I keep enough cash to spend on my passions: football, travel and food.  Having trained as a chef, I love cooking, and by reducing the amount of takeaways, and eating out, I feel healthier and save money. I hate wasting food so my weekly shop takes into account if I am out during the week or not.”

Dotcom winners

Emily Bendell, founder of the luxury lingerie shop Bluebella.com

“Cost cutting in business must not affect the top line, so you have to be very careful what you cut. Making sure you have the best deal from suppliers and outsourced services is key.  Shop around as prices vary massively.

“My biggest expense this year will be buying a house in London.  I also love eating out and would every night if I could, though it’s not good for the wallet. I need to get cooking in the kitchen a bit more really – and have invested in some good pans and equipment to help make this more pleasurable.”

Alastair Crawford, founder of the UK’s leading online directory 192.com

“Cash is king in business and you should never spend money unless you absolutely have to. I started 192.com from a spare room in my sister’s house and took on multiple roles, from head of customer services to finance director. At 192.com we have the same principle, providing more for less, be that company reports at affordable rates or free directory enquiries.”

The Mumpreneur

Wendy Shand, mother of three who started Tots to Travel, a family friendly holiday company.

“I can feed a family of five for a week with a £100 spent in Aldi. I’ve cut by expenses by not shopping for groceries online. The question I then have to answer, is that have the hours I’ve spent shopping taken me away from the business for too long? It can be a difficult calculation to make.

“Since we launched Tots to Travel seven years ago we’ve been operating in a recession so we’ve had to be efficient.  We cut costs by outsourcing less, bringing our teams in-house. This has promoted better team work. We also reviewed our staff to focus on those providing a return on investment. We automated our marketing systems and acquired our holiday properties with a greater level of clarity and cost effectiveness.

“A personal guilty expense is training. It’s tempting to think that the next seminar, the next business book will reveal that one secret to everlasting success, and it can be tempting to spend too much money in this quest. Saving money is all about doing what you do better, and spend less time doing it.”

The Gym Queen

Celebrity fitness trainer Laura Williams counts Vanessa Feltz and Lauren Goodger as clients, and designs bespoke diet and fitness regimens.

“The business expense I’m trying to cut back on is eating out and endless coffees. I’m forever planning to pack portable meals and snacks but end up spending a fortune in cafes between meetings and clients.

“I’m trying to cut back on petrol because I can’t justify nearly £1.40 a litre just for the sake of being warm and comfy when I’m on the move. I’ve started wearing a pedometer and those steps really do add up when you take public transport. I won’t compromise on running shoes. I need every penny of cushioning, stability and research that goes into my running.”

The SilverSurfer

Robin Brown, 89 uses 192.com to trace missing friends for his website, findanoldfriend.co.uk

“I grew up used to austerity, and when I came out of the army in 1948 I didn’t have a penny. I’ve lived in the same house since 1964 and became completely self-employed at 75.

“I supplement my pension with income from my websites, and to save money I use a free bus service and a senior rail pass. I’m very aware of switching off lights and appliances, and go for all the bargains at supermarkets.

“To cut my business, costs I don’t advertise and never had to. I have a maximum of £1500 overheads annually and apart from the PC equipment that gets replaced every few years my other expenses are printer capsules, which I’m trying to cut back on.”

192.com money saving tips

• Cut out the middleman by researching the best deal online: from holidays to tradesmen, to phone numbers, find them for free with a click of a mouse.
• Cut back on mobile phone calls to 118 numbers which for a 45 second call can cost up to £2.00
• Book travel in advance, and visit sites like the trainline.com and megabus.com
• Compare utility providers with www.energyhelpline.com
• Make a weekly budget for grocery costs and find the right balance between online and offline shopping.

192.com the UK’s leading people-finding website has teamed up with the Cabrini Children’s Society to help reunite adopted adults with their birth families.

The site will provide Cabrini with free access to millions of public records to help the charity locate birth parents on behalf of adopted adults, and help adopted adults  make contact with their biological families.

The charity, which offers adoption foster care and family support services, also provides intermediary services for relatives of children placed for adoption through the Catholic Children’s Society (Southwark), Southwark Catholic Rescue Society, and Portsmouth Diocesan Catholic Child Welfare Society.

Dominic Blackburn Product Director of 192.com said: “We reunite many families and friends each year and are delighted to help Cabrini reunite birth families. We are also proud to help a 125-year-old charity which has done so much for children, adults and families.”

Cabrini spokesperson Helen Cook said:

“ By providing intermediary services, we support people when making the important decision of whether to make contact with their birth relatives.  192.com’s residential databases will be invaluable in allowing us to quickly identify long lost individuals and families, make contact with them, and communicate with all parties throughout the sensitive and complex reunification process.”

192.com contains 700 million public records and the contact details of over 30 million UK residents. The site also helps reunite old school friends, university alumni, veterans groups, and missing persons.

Cabrini’s services include supporting adopted adults who want to know more about the reasons for their adoption and about their family of origin.

Cabrini provides counseling and support in accessing adoption records and helps people decide if they want to seek contact with birth family members. They can also assist birth relatives of someone who was adopted through the agency, including birth parents, siblings, grandparents, or any other person related to the adopted adult by blood, including half blood or marriage.

People who were born before November 1975 are required by law to seek counselling before accessing any records. Cabrini provides specialist adoption counselling support for those researching their adoption history and the support is available to all ages. For more information, call Cabrini on 020 8668 2181 or visit their website.

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We’re helping University of Greenwich alumni to get back in touch.

Ex-students looking for old classmates can enjoy free and subsided people-searches on 192.com, accessing the contact details of over 30 million UK residents.

The university hopes to find many of its ex-students from the 1970s and 1980s and welcome them back for year group reunions. These will celebrate the university’s previous incarnation as Thames Polytechnic between 1970 and 1992.

Martyn Stephenson, alumni officer at the University of Greenwich said: “We are delighted to have such a powerful resource in 192.com to help us find and reunite ex-students. Our alumni are spread all over the UK and across 140 countries, going back some 70 years. We’re encouraging them to get back in touch to take advantage of the many benefits we offer to alumni, including the Thames Polytechnic reunions.”

Dominic Blackburn, Product Director at 192.com said: “We reunite thousands of families and friends and we want to help reunite University of Greenwich alumni. We’re particularly looking forward to bringing old classmates together for these reunions.”

The University of Greenwich dates back to 1890 with the formation of Woolwich Polytechnic, the UK’s second polytechnic. Known as Thames Polytechnic from 1970, the institution gained university status in 1992 when it took the name University of Greenwich. Alumni include the singer Natasha Bedingfield, the children’s writer Malorie Blackman and the 2009 Nobel Prize winner for Physics, Charles Kao.

192.com is used to reunite family and friends and enable ID checks. The site also helps reunite ex-servicemen from the Falklands conflict and in 2010 was represented by the world cup winner George Cohen MBE who helped 192.com to reunite fans from England’s 1966 world cup victory.

About the University of Greenwich

The University of Greenwich is home to over 26,000 students, drawn from more than 100 countries. Its Greenwich Campus is based on the Royal Naval College, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With high ratings for its teaching in the National Student Survey, it works closely with employers to provide the workplace skills students really need.

Join the discussion today from 1pm in the Guardian online. Access the conversation here

On Friday we’re raising money for charity with an office picnic and, wait for it…THE HARLEM SHAKE.

Watch this space for the jolly japes.

Read the full story here

Happy St David’s Day, in particular to all our followers in Wales.

And good luck to the 192.com reunion success story  Dean Jones who is performing with Paul Child at the Royal Princess Theatre, Port Talbot.