May 23th 2025
HARTBEAT
HARTBEAT
Welcome to Hartbeat
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HR!
18th July 2025
Kokoro Summer Plans!
Jo -
I’m counting the sleeps until we return to Madeira at the end of August – I cant wait for spectacular views from the villa, pastéis de nata and poncha!
Emily R -
I’ve been to Helsinki in Finland in June, exploring the city, saunas, and local landscape.
I even saw a venomous snake on my hike!
For my birthday in July, I went to Norway.
A beautiful private sauna followed by a hike up Trolltunga, camping at the top and a hike back down.
Loads of local food to try!
End of July, I’m heading to Wales for some more hiking and a vineyard!
Claire -
The only plans we have this summer are welcoming this bundle of utter cuteness into our family. We pick her up this Friday and I cannot wait. Therefore, for the first time in years I’m not feeling the pressure of having to plan tons of days out, play dates or holidays during the summer holiday period. So, this summer my family will be at home with our puppy.…maybe a little trip to the coast when she’s allowed out and about.
Jaz -
Not exactly an exotic escape, but my brother and I, with a few friends, took on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge - a 12 hour, 24-mile circular hike with 1,585 metres of leg-burning ascent. The views are meant to be spectacular, but we faced torrential rain, gale-force winds and visibility so poor we might as well have been walking through a cloud. Still, if you enjoy tough hikes, questionable life choices and the very unsatisfying crunch of a soggy Nature Valley bar at the final summit, I’d highly recommend it! Just be ready to lose all use of your legs for a few days afterward
Juli -
Recently spent a wonderful few days with friends in Menton, France
It's located close to the Italian border so its food and wine are a brilliant combination of french and italian influnces
Already planning my next visit!!
Ice Cream Day – Sundae 20th July!
Ice-cream has a long and fascinating history from ancient beginnings –
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China (around 200 BCE): Some of the earliest frozen desserts came from China, where a mixture of milk and rice was frozen by packing it in snow.
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Persia (around 400 BCE): The Persians developed a chilled dessert called faloodeh, made from rose water and vermicelli, served with snow from the mountains.
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Greece & Rome (5th century BCE – 1st century CE): Wealthy Romans and Greeks, including Emperor Nero, reportedly enjoyed snow mixed with honey and fruit juices
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To Renaissance Europe where ice cream and sorbets became a symbol of aristocratic luxury due to the difficulty of storing ice.
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To 19th Century when ice cream reached the masses as ice delivery and refrigeration expanded!
Spotlight on Darlish (St Albans Ice Cream Shop!)
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A Hertfordshire and London based family business with 4 ice cream parlours!
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Founded in 2018, have parlours in Spitalfields, St Albans, Harpenden and Hatfield House.
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Over the years Darlish has been featured in the Guardian, Sunday Times, Conde Nast, Time Out!
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An industry that is always looking to innovate, Darlish ice cream flavours continue to evolve with changing tastes and flavours
Darlish Taste Test!
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A tough job but someone has to do it!
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We tried and tasted 4 different flavours of ice cream/sorbet -
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Orange Blossom & pistachio​ ice cream
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Rubarb, pomegranete & rose sorbet
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White Tahini Caramel ice cream
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Cinnamon & Date Molasses ice cream
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We were impressed!
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Each flavour combo was delicious and delicately balanced, no one flavour over-powered despite some potentially potent 'floral' ingredients, and the sorbet was particularly refreshing
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You can choose to go pot or cone, and can trade up with various chocolatey toppings
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A bit pricey but would definitely recommend for a special summer treat!
Self-Care Day – Thurs 24th July
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International Self-Care Day is a worldwide awareness event that encourages individuals to take proactive steps in managing their own health.
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It underscores the role of self-care in preventing illness, managing chronic conditions, improving mental health, and reducing the strain on healthcare systems.
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Self-care includes everything from healthy eating and regular physical activity to proper sleep, stress management, and responsible use of healthcare resources.
Here's some tips on how to use Self Care Day -
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Reflect on your daily habits and set simple, achievable self-care goals — whether that’s drinking more water, moving more, or setting boundaries.
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Share your self-care routine or tips to inspire others.
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Attend a wellness workshop, class, or webinar on nutrition, mental health, fitness, or mindfulness.
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Take time to rest and reset — make time in your day as a personal retreat
In recognition of Self-Care Day Kokoro would like to offer everyone the opportunity to take a mindful break – our very own Yogi, Emily, will be running a 20 mins meditation session in
The Den at 1.30pm on Thursday 24th July
We would LOVE to see everyone there, grab a cushion on your way to the Den :)
HR News!
APTV
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We would like to Welcome Phil to the group - great to have you on board!
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Climate Survey reminder -
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This is your chance to tell us what you think of working at Kokoro and help us identify areas for improvement
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The survey will take you less than ten minutes to complete; it is completely anonymous and we will use the results to help plan our actions over the next 12 months.
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​Decipher users will need to log out or do in incognito mode
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The survey is now open and will remain open until Friday 25th July.
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Please complete it - we'd love to have an almost 100% response rate​
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The Feeling
We have recently welcomed two new faces to our Employee Feedback group, Cerise and Emily B join Rachel, Claire and Louise to complete The Feeling – so if you have anything you would like to share please get in touch with any one of them 😊
...and finally
Happy Birthday!!
Happy Birthday to...
Natalie G - 3rd July
Emily R - 4th July
Ryan T - 8th July
John H - 10th July
Yvette A - 15th July​​​
