It’s the end of a long January and month of muddled weather – and for those who battled through dry January I applaud your fortitude, when there was much to drive you to drink. We’re not exactly off to a flying start in 2017 globally, namely due to one man generating controversy and uncertainty on a daily basis for everybody in the US and further afield. But we’re hearing a lot about him and his dastardly deeds, so I thought I would take this opportunity to write about a story that doesn’t involve him, and cheer ourselves up a bit. After scrolling through many news articles and stories, I had become worried to learn if there is any good news.

But I was resolute. I had come looking for a happy story and I was not going to leave without one; January is a dark and dank month, but surely there had to be something that was upbeat or not about the Donald. And eventually there was. In some deep, dark corner of the Internet there was a shining light, a story that didn’t want to make me disappear from the world into a duvet cocoon; a story about elephants in jumpers. It seemed unfair that as everyone trudged from January into February, more people didn’t know about them, so I am happy to announce there is a campaign to knit jumpers for elephants in North India and the foothills of the Himalayas.

The campaign was launched by India’s Wildlife SOS group to protect rescued elephants from the severely cold conditions the winter brings. Without the jumpers, the animals are more susceptible to ailments such as arthritis and pneumonia given their unfortunate pasts and would struggle to survive the winter. Now however, thanks to the work of the people of Mathura, the village in which the sanctuary is located, the elephants have a much greater chance of getting through the winter without suffering any health problems (as well as looking incredibly stylish).

This kind of forward thinking and originality is inspiring, and is something we here at ABPM strive to achieve in our problem solving and thinking how we can help you advance in your career. But the main aim of this month’s article is to give you a chuckle and reassure you that the news isn’t all doom and gloom and there is light ahead and we at ABPM are on hand to shine a light on your career if needed.

Rej Abraham Managing Director