Anneka Hicks is the founder of ExcludedUK, a grassroots non-profit organisation committed to providing personal, business and career support to those facing hardship as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Anneka is an experienced marketer, strategist, and technologist with a deep routed passion for helping small businesses, independents, and entrepreneurs realise their growth potential and succeed in meeting and exceeding their goals.

With an enthusiasm for business from a very young age – Anneka was often found selling colouring in pages for 5p to neighbours from the age of 5 - she left home at the age of 16 to pursue a life in who-knows-what, which at that stage involved living in a long boat on the Oxford Canal, fronting a Jazz quintet, studying Psychology and English Language, and selling carpet to make ends meet!

Her love for helping small independent businesses grow and succeed was realised as a result of finding work at the local newspaper selling traditional advertising space. With a creative eye and an understanding of human psychology, she proceeded to teach herself graphic design, web building and coding skills which she then was able to use to help companies within her hometown promote their brands in print, online and on air.

The Covid-19 pandemic has enabled Anneka to get back to her routes, and re-evaluate the direction of her career.  Having identified a considerable amount of UK Taxpayers falling outside of the Government’s COVID-19 financial support schemes eligibility criteria and seeing the impact of that on their businesses, and careers, as well as their mental health, Anneka set out to put together a support platform that would enable them to find a way through the crisis, building a strong community of likeminded individuals who would be able to help and support each other whilst campaigning against the social injustices and discrimination they were facing. In May 2020, ExcludedUK was founded.

Ian & Anneka discuss;

• Founding Excluded Uk
• Bringing the community together
• MPs getting involved
• Different campaign groups with similar goals
• The government ignoring the gaps in support
• Marching for ExcludedUk
• Over 3 million people have been cast aside
• Issues with Universal Credit
• People who’re excluded having no where to turn
• Providing counselling sessions
• The impact on mental health

Ian Farrar wanted to create something special for the listeners, in honour of International Podcast Day & Industry Angel's 200th episode.

Ian live streamed (Facebook, YouTube & Twitter) for two hours on the 29th September 2020 and interviewed 4 of his friends back to back!

We have edited those videos and created bonus podcast episodes.

The original videos can be watched again on the respective social media platforms.

Industry Angel Twitter

Industry Angel Website

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