Members News
Charity marks 90th birthday
This year sees Maidstone based charity British Wireless for the Blind Fund celebrate a very special anniversary.
British Wireless for the Blind Fund has been providing visually impaired people with a lifeline to the world for 90 years. They provide free, specially adapted audio equipment to those living with sight loss across the UK who would not otherwise be able to afford it. Formed by a blinded Boer War veteran in 1928 and boosted by a Christmas Day fundraising appeal by Winston Churchill the following year, BWBF has a long history of being supported by the great British public. If your company is looking for a new Charity of the Year to support, or would you like to develop your corporate social responsibility policy, please get in contact to find out how a Charity Partnership with BWBF would be mutually beneficial. Please visit www.blind.org.uk
Overcoming organisational challenges with Agile
How many times have you started a project and halfway through had to accept that your requirements or your circumstances have changed, thus affecting your project delivery?
This is one of the situations that are brought to companies like Business Transformation consultancy Radtac to solve. Using an Agile approach, Radtac helps organisations overcome challenges such as getting products and services faster to market, cutting waste and costs, keeping staff happy and engaged, ensuring customer satisfaction through shorterfeedback loops, improving business processes, and, overall, achieving more with less. The Agile Business Transformation specialist originally started out in 1998 with an office in London. Peter Measey, Radtac Chairman and Founder, said: “The reason we created Radtac was to support organisations in getting better at what they do. “We believe that people can do great things if they are empowered and supported in the right ways - and this is what we started doing in 1998 through our Consultancy and Training services. Twenty years later, the fact that we’ve won three Agile Awards together with our clients just acts as a great recognition for us that we managed to help them.” What started out as a London-based business, is now a global company with UK offices in Kent, London, Leeds, and international offices in Asia Pakistan and UAE, USA - Silicon Valley, and Continental Europe - Portugal. Peter said: “Keeping up with the rapid pace of change, and the challenges implied by that, is, in essence, what brings our clients to us. And, in a post-Brexit world, it doesn’t seem that change will stop happening anytime soon. www.radtac.com
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Thinking Business
Stagecoach puts gender on the agenda
Bus operator Stagecoach has been putting gender on the agenda by celebrating its female workforce. The bus company highlighted the role of women as part of this year’s International Women’s Day campaign – ‘Press for Progress’ on March 8. Stagecoach employs 192 female staff in the South East. There are 110 women employed as bus drivers in the region with one depot seeing a 450 per cent increase in the number of female drivers since 2015. Twenty two women are employed in admin or management roles and a further 47 in engineering. Stagecoach operations director Joanne Howe said, “For us, International Women’s Day is not just a celebration of our female staff, it’s also about empowering women to realise their ambitions.
At Stagecoach we have a range of careers open to anyone with advancement opportunities to match their skills and objectives. We want all our people to feel valued and included and able
to contribute fully according to their capabilities.” Stagecoach offers careers in operations or engineering with an award-winning apprenticeship scheme for aspiring engineers.
Girl power! Five bus drivers from the Herne Bay driving team with assistant operations manager Shelley Newman (second from left).
Leeds Castle Classical Concert celebrates its Ruby year
2018 is a special year for the Leeds Castle Classical Concert as this iconic Kent event celebrates its 40th anniversary. People in their thousands have attended the stunning setting of Leeds Castle across the last thirty-nine years to be entertained by this amazing open-air musical delight.
The first concert took place in 1978 and to celebrate, along with much loved classical favourites, the audience will be treated to a special finale including greatest hits from the 70s era. This special Ruby celebratory event on Saturday July 14 will
have a real birthday party atmosphere throughout the summer’s afternoon and evening.
Internationally respected conductor John Rigby will once again command the stage, this year not only conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra but also acting as compere and host, with special guests. John said: “This year, we will celebrate the heritage that this
unique experience has but springboard forward with a refreshed approach and programme. There will be more of a party flavour and we are guaranteed to have the audience singing and dancing into the summer night.”
The sponsor is Brachers LLP, an award-winning law firm offering legal services for business, organisations and private clients across Kent and the South East.