Author: Bark Team

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is the biggest gardening event in the UK, some might even say the world and attracts thousands of visitors every year, even royalty.

The show has been the highlight of the gardening industry since 1912 and runs for five days every May, with the 2018 show kicking off yesterday till Saturday 26th May.

This annual showcase of the world’s best gardening talent, cutting edge designs and latest trends has coincided with an increase in demand for gardening professionals on Bark.com – it seems that the show has inspired the public to improve their outdoor space!

To get more specific, there’s been a:

• 37% spike in requests for gardeners
• 25% increase for landscape designers
• 18% increase for fence and gate installers

Overall, service requests are up 38% on this time last year.

If you’re looking for a gardening pro, you can place your own Bark here.

Turfing requests were the most popular from consumers, followed by fence installation, patio laying and pond installation. Our data also shows that consumers in the West Midlands are the most keen to improve their gardens, with 11% of job requests across all services being made in that region. Where as homeowners in the South East are wanting fence and gate installations, and account for 7% of the job requests in that field.

We decided to do some investigating, and spoke to our network of UK gardening professionals about why they thought demand for their services has increased so dramatically. More than two fifths (42%) said that the RHS Chelsea Flower Show inspires people to improve their outdoor space and a third (33%) said the hot weather, a quarter (25%) answered they didn’t know.

If you have been inspired to reinvent your garden, you can hire professionals in your local area on Bark.com that can help with:

• Landscape Design
• Lawn/Grass Cutting
• Hedge Cutting/Trimming
• Planting and Seeding
• Gate and Fence Installation
• Gardeners
• Patio Laying
• Pond Installation

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said,

“I’m not the least bit surprised that gardening professionals have been experiencing a surge in demand for their services. The weather is better earlier this year, summer is around the corner and people want to spend more time outside.

“The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is an incredibly popular event, which has been around for more than 100 years, so it makes sense that it would have a lot of influence over consumer buying habits. I think it’s great that our gardening pros across the UK are experiencing a positive effect from it.”

Are you a Star Wars super fan? Have you been counting down the days to May 25th, when ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ hits cinemas? Then we’ve got some good news for you! We’ve just launched the UK’s first professional Jedi training, to celebrate the release of the next instalment in the Star Wars franchise!

So, do you fancy yourself a Star Wars pro? Have you memorised the ways of the Jedi and scrutinised every detail of the films? Do you have experience in martial arts or other forms of combat? Well, we are now offering you the chance to teach others the ways of the Jedi, just in time for the release of the next film at the end of the month.

When running Jedi training sessions, you’ll be expected to cover four main subjects; physical conditioning, basic Jedi history, mental strength, and lightsaber combat. It’s expected that one-on-one sessions will start at around £150 per person, with group training at £100 per person for up to six people, however prices are subject to availability and as with all Bark.com services you can charge what you’d like!

As a Star Wars expert, you’ll also be expected to offer stand-alone lightsaber training, which focuses solely on the fighting aspect of Jedi training. Classes will be taught in groups of no more than eight people, with prices starting at £45pp for one hour.

So, do you think you have what it takes to become a pro-Jedi trainer? If you think so you can apply to be a pro here:

Become Jedi Trainer now

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said:

“Star Wars is not just one of the biggest film franchises of all time, it’s one of the biggest cultural phenomena of the 21st century – which was proven last year when The Last Jedi took nearly $220m on its opening weekend. Star Wars was a huge part of growing up for so many people around the world, and I’m sure most of them wanted to be a Jedi.

“I think it’s going to be interesting to see how many more Star Wars super fans we get signing up to become pro trainers. We can’t wait for the service to launch fully, and for Solo: A Star Wars Story to hit cinemas!”

If you’d like to hire a Jedi trainer click here.

 

Star Wars super fan? Already booked tickets to see ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ when it opens? Then we’ve got some very exciting news for you. We’ve just launched the UK’s first professional Jedi training, to celebrate the release of the next instalment of the Star Wars franchise!

We are now offering you the chance to learn the ways of the Jedi professionally in time for the release of the latest film in the franchise at the end of the month. If you’re lost at this point (if you are where’ve you been for the last 30 years?), the Jedi are an ancient organisation from the fictional Star Wars universe. Jedi masters include Luke Skywalker, Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Jedi training sessions will cover four main subjects; physical conditioning, basic Jedi history, mental strength, and lightsaber practice. It’s expected that one-on-one sessions will start at around £150 per person, with group training at £100 per person for up to six people, however prices are subject to availability and will vary by teacher.

Our Star Wars experts will also be offering stand-alone lightsaber training, which focuses solely on the fighting aspect of Jedi training. Classes will be taught in groups of no more than eight people, with prices starting at £45pp for one hour.

You can register your interest to hire a Jedi trainer here:

Find a Jedi trainer now

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said:

“Star Wars is not just one of the biggest film franchises of all time, it’s one of the biggest cultural phenomena of the 21st century – which was proven last year when The Last Jedi took nearly $220m on its opening weekend. Star Wars was a huge part of growing up for so many people around the world, and I’m sure most of them wanted to be a Jedi.

“I think it’s going to be interesting to see how many more Star Wars super fans we get signing up to become pro trainers. We can’t wait for the service to launch fully, and for Solo: A Star Wars Story to hit cinemas!”

We’re also on the lookout for more Jedi trainers, so if you’re a super fan skilled in martial arts, you can register to become a Jedi trainer here.

Do you love weddings, organising, and earning money? If you answered yes, then we’ve got the job for you! Introducing our new service – Pro Bridesmaids and Groomsmen!

Pro Bridesmaids and Groomsmen are not just for Brides and Grooms looking to increase the size of their wedding party. They give engaged couples that all-important piece of mind, ensuring their big day runs smoothly and it truly is the best day of their lives.

Using our new professional Bridesmaids and Groomsmen service will alleviate stress leading up to the big day, so couples can enjoy their time being engaged.

The service is already an established profession in the US, and given its increasing popularity with Brides and Grooms, we realised its potential in the UK.

Pro Bridesmaid and Groomsman duties can include anything from being present as part of the ceremony to running errands and dealing with difficult suppliers and guests.

Sound right up your ‘aisle’?

Sign up as Pro Bridesmaid or Groomsman now

Couples looking to hire professional Bridesmaids or Groomsmen can book one here.

Recently engaged? Congratulations! You will no doubt have started planning your big day and realising how stressful planning a wedding can be.

If you’ve not picked your wedding party yet, be sure to choose carefully. If in doubt, hire a professional Bridesmaids and Groomsmen with our new service!

You might be looking to increase the size of your wedding party, or perhaps you’re worried the friends and relatives you’ve asked will be less than useless.  Whatever the reason, a Pro Bridesmaid or Groomsman will ensure your wedding day is truly the best day of your life.

Duties can include anything from being present as part of the ceremony to running errands and dealing with difficult suppliers and guests. It’s entirely up to you!

When hiring, you’ll be asked specific questions about your Pro Bridesmaid or Groomsman, such as the number of days you would like them to work and what jobs you are looking for them to carry out.

People looking for a Pro Bridesmaid or Groomsman to join their wedding party can hire one here:

Hire Pro Bridesmaid or Groomsman now

If you’d like to become a Pro Bridesmaid/Groomsman, check out how to sign up here.

We’ve launched the world’s first ‘space travel agent’ service after an increase in enquiries from members of the public looking to book travel into space.

The first ‘space travel agent’ service has been created on our site in preparation for when commercial space travel becomes available to the public.

This comes after the announcement that the first space hotel is due to open in three years, and Virgin Galactic is continuing to develop commercial spacecraft.

The space travel agent will work in the same way as regular travel agents to arrange flight times, accommodation and entertainment packages for the travel into space.

You can register your interest here:

Register Interest Now

When holiday packages are available to book, you will be contacted to discuss options and dates.

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark, said:

“We were initially surprised to see so many enquiries through the site for space travel agents, but news of the first space hotel made us realise there is a gap in the market for this service.

“Being an astronaut is a childhood dream for so many people and while it’s not always attainable for everyone because it’s quite a difficult profession to get in to, this gives people the chance to experience it for a few weeks at leisure.”

Do you love McDonald’s, like earning money, and have a bit of spare time on your hands? Well if you answered yes to, well, any of those, then we’ve got the job for you!

The McDonald’s Monopoly phenomenon is a hit every year, but people miss out on the big prizes because they either don’t have time, or don’t want to sit around collecting stickers all day. That’s why we’ve launched our newest service – Pro McDonald’s Monopoly Players.

We’ve launched the service to help time-strapped members of the public who are looking to win prizes during the McDonald’s Monopoly period – but can’t be bothered to go out and collect them themselves.

Here’s a list of the prizes up for grabs in the year’s McDonald’s Monopoly campaign – and I’m sure you can see why people would want to get their hands on as many stickers as possible:

• £100k in cash (4 available)
• MINI Cooper (15 available)
• A trip for four to Universal Orlando (20 available)
• Xbox One games console (400 available)
• NOW TV smart box and a one-year pass (10,000 available)
• £250 experience with Red Letter Days (800 available)

If you sign up to be a Monopoly Player you’ll have to provide a photo ID, be subject to a full background check, and be willing to travel around the UK. As well as the hourly rate, which includes the cost of two large meals, there is an option for Pro Players and customers to agree bonuses should prizes be won – so you might even get your hands on a chunk of that £100,000!

Once you’ve been approved as a Monopoly Player, you’ll have to ask your customers specific questions about how they’d like you to carry out the work, the number of meals to buy, which prizes they’re looking for, and how much they’d like to spend on McDonald’s food items, as well as a number of other questions relating to the service.

If you think this sounds right up your street, sign up here:

Sign up as a McDonald’s Monopoly Player

People looking to win McDonald’s Monopoly prizes can book a professional McDonald’s Monopoly Player here.

Do you collect McDonald’s Monopoly stickers every year, but win nothing? Do you wish you could get your hands on that £100,000? Or a Mini Cooper? Well our newest service gives you the best possible chance!

Every year the McDonald’s Monopoly phenomenon sweeps the nation, and our new Pro McDonald’s Monopoly Player service is designed to give people the best possible chance at winning big.

I’m sure most of you will remember Veruca Salt from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, whose dad buys thousands of Wonka bars and has his factory workers opening them to try and find a Golden Ticket? Well that’s exactly what our Pro McDonald’s Monopoly Players will be doing – finding the big prizes on your behalf, while you get the prizes, without having to do anything!

We’ve launched the service to help time-strapped members of the public who are looking to win prizes during the McDonald’s Monopoly period, but don’t have the time, or don’t want to collect the stickers themselves. It also increases a person’s likelihood of winning bigger prizes by widening the area of the UK they can get stickers from.

If you’re thinking about hiring one, you’ll be asked specific questions about how you’d like your Monopoly Player to carry out the work, number of meals to buy, which prizes you’re looking for, and how much you’d like to spend on McDonald’s food items, as well as a number of other questions relating to the service.

Here’s a list of the prizes up for grabs in the year’s McDonald’s Monopoly campaign – and we’re sure you can see why people would want to get their hands on as many stickers as possible:

• £100k in cash (4 available)
• MINI Cooper (15 available)
• A trip for four to Universal Orlando (20 available)
• Xbox One games console (400 available)
• NOW TV smart box and a one-year pass (10,000 available)
• £250 experience with Red Letter Days (800 available)

People looking to win McDonald’s Monopoly prizes can book a professional McDonald’s Monopoly Player here:

Find McDonald’s Monopoly Players Now

If you’d like to become a Pro Monopoly Player, check out how to sign up here.