15 minute read
Members News
Sustainability
is the buzzword
With the United Nations COP-26 Conference taking place in Glasgow, the word on everyone’s lips is ‘sustainability’ and nowhere more so than in the construction industry.
This sector constitutes one of the key aims of Construction 2025, a joint strategy between industry and government to put Britain at the forefront of global construction.
In order for the aspirations of Construction 2025 to be realised, the construction industry must embrace the latest technological advances and developments. Building Information Modelling (BIM) helps design teams to work more collaboratively together on projects, whether the team is in the same office or dotted around the globe, and it’s only through its implementation that more sustainable building can be delivered most effectively.
The team at Burns Guthrie & Partners Chartered Architects is passionate about all aspects of sustainability and designing buildings that are compatible with achieving carbon net-zero construction. This has formed the foundations of the company’s designs for many years, and it is always eager to adopt the latest technologies which assist this goal.
To fully embrace digital working, Burns Guthrie has completed the implementation of cloud-based systems. The various parties involved in a project can now truly work collaboratively wherever they may be, reducing costs, both financial and environmental.
This way of working means they can not only ‘design’ sustainable buildings but ‘work’ more sustainably too.
Biddenden Vineyards
announces strong sales
Having seen three previous vintages with outstanding growing conditions through 2018-2020, the 2021 growing season has certainly come with its challenges for English wine producers. However, for Biddenden, with over 40 vintages under its belt and three generations of winemaking expertise to call upon, it’s been more of a return to the winemaking conditions in the UK that the company is used to – and can most definitely work with.
Throughout 2021, it’s been Biddenden’s unique growing methods, a keen eye and understanding of the importance of plant health and nutrition, and the ability to react quickly that has paid dividends in producing a crop which sees a good volume of juice now in tank.
Tom Barnes, general manager, said: “Despite being one of the most challenging seasons we have ever seen, I’m excited about all of the wines we have in tank and how they will develop. We’ve seen very strong sales over the past 12 months, with more people wanting to support local producers and explore the quality wines we are producing here in the UK. The first of this year’s wines will be released early in 2022. In the meantime, we are seeing strong support for our Biddenden Ortega Late Harvest 2018, a dessert wine produced using the sweetest grape ever recorded in the UK, following what can fairly be described as a harvest of a lifetime, which allowed us to produce this very special wine.”
Biddenden’s wines are available from the cellar door and online for nationwide home delivery. The company produces around 80,000 bottles of wine each year. For more information visit
www.biddendenvineyards.com
Security training given
seal of approval
Kent-based Sight & Sound Security provides security services to a diverse range of clients. Recently the company’s training offer was re-approved by Skills for Security and the company is now an accredited provider.
Sight & Sound Security created a training package after seeing a clear gap in the security industry. A security officer can obtain a licence after only five days of training. The licence is renewable every three years with no additional training requirement unless there are amendments to the legislation. Therefore, officers may receive no further training in security or related skills for many years.
Security officers’ duties are many and varied and the security aspect of their jobs may form only a small part of their everyday duties. Other duties often include customer service, facility and tenant management, administration, health and safety, manual handling, and mental health wellbeing, to name only a few.
Ecosan named “Best Newcomer” in UK awards
Ecosan Services was thrilled to win the “Best Newcomer” category at this year’s Laundry and Drycleaning Awards (LADAs).
Now in its seventh year, the LADAs have become the pinnacle of celebration for the laundry and drycleaning industry in the UK. The awards aim to recognise companies, individuals, services and products which stand out from the crowd, those bringing a new level of customer service and professionalism to the industry and helping it face the challenges of changing society and technology head-on. Ecosan had been shortlisted as finalists in two categories. Having researched and identified a gap in the market for its services, Ecosan has been working with clients to deliver a fundamentally important eco-driven service that follows best practice by adhering to industry legislation and guidelines. Richard Brown, managing director of Industrial Laundry Equipment – one of the sponsors of the awards – presented Ecosan with the award.
Sonja Wood, managing director of Ecosan Services, said: “To reach the finals was amazing but to be announced as a winner was absolutely the icing on the cake for us. For all of our hard work to be acknowledged in our industry is such an achievement for us. “To know that whilst we are bringing innovation to this sector, we are also contributing to a greener planet and with the spotlight on climate change, this makes all of our efforts worthwhile.”
Ecosan Services offers fully serviced eco-friendly hygiene solutions to all types of businesses across all sectors throughout the south east of England. The company provides tailored solutions to meet client washroom or healthcare setting requirements alongside a wide range of floorcare solutions, and has been servicing every type of business sector with greener solutions for more than fourteen years. For more information visit
www.ecosanservices.co.uk
Kent woman swaps finance for fairy lights to run Cobtree
Manor Winter Illumination Trail
A Kent businesswoman is switching spreadsheets for sparkles, leaving behind her career in finance to launch the first Cobtree Manor Park winter illumination trail this December.
Designed to be a magical afterdark experience for young and old, the trail will be the debut event from Rainham-based Lisa Carpendale, founder of immersive illumination events company, Glow Arts. Realising her passion lay in creative production, Lisa left her role in an accounting consultancy in summer 2021 to set up Glow Arts. Experienced in the arts and live events, her first goal was to use her skills to bring back some magic for everyone who missed out on festive events due to restrictions in 2020.
Described as a dazzling, intimate event, the enchanting woodland trail will see Maidstone's Cobtree Manor Park transformed into a twinkling, magical wonderland complete with thousands of fairy lights, art installations and inflatables. Talented street performers will guide visitors through the Fairy Village and Wonderland Walkway, via the fabulous food market serving delicious treats and festive drinks.
Special sensory evenings with a smaller capacity will also be on offer for guests who would prefer a toned down event, allowing them to enjoy all the magical attractions but with fewer people and a calmer environment.
InfoTech celebrates further
expansion and top service rating
Managed Service Provider InfoTech Solutions – a patron of the Kent Invicta Chamber – has announced that its parent company Air IT has made yet another pair of acquisitions, as the Group expands into Reading and Uttoxeter with the addition of MFG UK and INFINITY IT Solutions.
As a result of these acquisitions, the Air IT Group has increased its headcount to 270 staff across the UK – over 200 of whom perform direct service-related roles – and boosted its existing presence both in the South East and the Midlands.
The announcement comes at the same time as another big achievement – having joined the Air IT group earlier this year, InfoTech is delighted to congratulate Air IT on achieving a 4-star 'business-led' certification from the Service Desk Institute.
The Service Desk Certification (SDC) is a standards-based accreditation programme, designed to help service desks to improve their processes and maturity level. It provides a framework for teams to demonstrate their commitment to service excellence, best practice and continual improvement. The certification is usually pursued by in-house service desks and blue-chip companies but Air IT has now made its mark as the only small-to-medium Managed Service Provider (MSP) to currently hold the accolade globally. Jason Foord, Managing Director of InfoTech (part of the Air IT Group), says: It’s a really exciting time for the Air IT Group as we continue to grow, and we can’t wait to welcome new colleagues from around the UK who Inclusivity is at the heart of Lisa's plans for the event, as she explains: "It's really important to me that this event is as accessible as possible. My team and I have worked really hard to create a spectacular experience that feels cosy and intimate, rather than overwhelming. "lt's also why, as well as the sensory evenings, we're planning a recce by a wheelchair user to ensure the trail is suitable for disabled users too - real feedback so that if we say it's wheelchair accessible, it definitely is!
"There will be so much to see and explore; there really will be something for everyone at the beautiful Cobtree Manor Park - a night under the stars. "Leaving my job in finance was a difficult decision but I'm so excited to be doing something so creative and I know when I see people enjoying the trail, it will all feel worthwhile."
Opening on 15th December, Glow Arts at Cobtree Manor Park will run until December 31.
To find out more about Glow Arts:
www.glowarts.co.uk
will be a great addition. The news of Air IT’s 4-star SDI rating is a truly unique achievement, which shows that joining the Group was a great decision for InfoTech and that we are all focused on the same goal of providing first-class customer service. Paul Rodrigues, Chairman of SDI, said: “Everyone at Air IT should be very proud of what they have achieved, and this outstanding score is a true reflection of their passion and dedication to enabling business value and driving sustainable improvements. The Air IT leadership team and everyone involved in the SDC program should be congratulated on achieving a 4-star business-led accreditation which is a worthy reflection on their commitment and hard work.
“It would be amazing to see Air IT continue to develop within the SDC program and potentially attain a 5-star World Class rating at a future audit. We are proud to have Air IT as an SDI customer and to be able to have joined them on this amazing journey, well done to all involved.”
www.infotech.co.uk
Kreston Reeves crowned ‘Large
firm of the year’ for the second year running at Accounting Excellence Awards
Accountants, business and financial advisers Kreston Reeves has been named ‘Large Firm of the Year’ at the prestigious annual Accounting Excellence Awards for the second year running.
In giving the award, the judging panel were impressed that Kreston Reeves were a “large firm that clients genuinely love working with”. The judges commended its adoption of sustainable development goals and innovation in its systems and processes and its “exemplary staff strategy”, with “considerable investment in training and wellbeing initiatives”. The firm has a clear strategy defined by its purpose guiding clients, colleagues and communities to a brighter future. Kreston Reeves fought off stiff competition from some of the UK’s largest accountancy firms to win the award, which it has now won in 2020 and 2018.
Nigel Fright, Managing Partner at Kreston Reeves, said, “We are thrilled to have won this award again. The award is recognition of all the effort and dedication that everyone at Kreston Reeves continues to make as we work together through the personal, professional and organisational challenges of COVID and Brexit.” Andrew Griggs, Senior Partner at Kreston Reeves, added, “I am immensely proud of how all of our teams have worked together to support and guide their clients, colleagues and communities to a brighter future. It’s important to us all that we really live by our purpose and our values. We believe that it is our culture that really makes Kreston Reeves stand out as a firm to work with, so I’m delighted everyone’s hard work has been recognised in this way.” Visit: www.krestonreeves.com
Ocean helps clients
save time and money
Ocean Capital Exchange is a London-based, boutique foreign exchange (FX) brokerage.
Founded in Daniel Swaisland’s living room in 2017 as a one-man-band, now an intimate team of four of us are based in the prestigious Leadenhall Building in the heart of the city.
We have recently opened our second office in Valencia, Spain to coincide with the expansion of our international property affiliate network. We specialise in saving our corporate and private clients time and money on their FX and international payments.
Our strategically selected partnerships with multinational payments institutions, and tier 1 banks by association, allow us access to the best products and services the payments industry has to offer. Our ability to buy foreign currencies at wholesale, institutional rates means that we can easily pass savings onto our clients.
We also endeavour to procure a more rounded banking solution by sourcing for our clients a tailored, flexible finance facility in partnership with any one of our vast network of broker and lender partners.
Concern about growing pressure to build more housing in the Garden of England in Kent has led to Ashford Borough Council setting up an important Land Mapping Commission to help it protect the countryside and to avoid rural and urban sprawl.
The Greater Ashford Borough – Environment & Land Mapping Commission has had its inaugural meeting. It has a big job on its hands – the borough of Ashford has the largest land mass of the 12 districts in Kent (224 sq miles), and is so large that you could fit 19 of the 32 Greater London boroughs, including the City of London, within its borders.
The commission is the idea of Cllr Gerry Clarkson, executive leader of Ashford Borough Council, who said: “We have for many decades based our housing and economic growth on an Ashford Plan-led approach which, combined with other districts in Kent, has contributed significantly to the scale of housing delivery in the UK.
“Unfortunately, government has concentrated on the lower tier authorities to provide the vast bulk of the housing delivery without themselves embracing a more strategic approach.
“The creation of two or three Garden Cities with several thousand homes in each, accompanied by the necessary infrastructure and employment opportunities, perhaps in the Midlands and the North of England, would contribute greatly to the nation’s housing need and ease the quite serious growing pressure on many districts in the south.”
The commission will undertake an independent land mapping exercise that will inform the council in shaping future strategies. It will pool the knowledge and expertise of its members in assessing the evidence given to strategically map out the Greater Ashford Borough. It will recognise that there’s a need to identify suitable locations for well-designed housing, to meet the growing population and to create economic growth to support local communities.
The commission will endeavour to determine future uses of broad areas of land, in such a way that ensures that rural villages are protected from becoming merged into suburbs of Ashford or “rural sprawl”. This work will go on right in the heart of the Garden of England, where the borough is located.
Fall in trade will hit UK SMEs forced to shun EU exporting, warns tax expert
A fall in trade between the UK and EU shows UK SMEs are shunning EU exports, a leading tax expert is warning.
Latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows a second consecutive monthly fall in trade, with the effects of Brexit and the global pandemic resulting in the total exports of goods, excluding precious metals, falling by £1.3 billion (4.6%) in August 2021. This was in part due to a £0.6 billion (4.3%) fall in exports to the EU.
Total exports of goods, excluding precious metals, in the three months to August 2021 decreased by £1.2 billion (1.5%).
Lucy Sutcliffe, National Customs Director and Head of Customs at Azets, the UK’s largest regional accountancy firm and business advisor to SMEs, with offices throughout the South East including in Kent, believes the fall in trade between the UK and EU is a result of a failure to support EU exporters.
She said: “Small UK businesses have been completely overwhelmed by bureaucracy and the additional time and cost it takes to trade across Europe. New duties, border delays and transport costs are pushing UK SMEs into rethinking trade with the EU.
“The UK’s focus has been on facilitating and streamlining the importation process and easing the associated documentary demands. It has not focused on assisting exporters.
“The temporary customs easements implemented by the UK since Brexit, such as deferred declarations, extensions to the UKCA safety marking of products, product labelling. and the numerous health certification requirements, are not reciprocated by the EU. This means UK exporters to the EU have been faced with extra documentary and tariff burdens from day one.” Lucy Sutcliffe is urging UK businesses to prepare for new border processes when the extensions and deferral period ends. She added: “UK businesses importing products from the EU should be ready to comply with the UK’s new border processes. Businesses should make sure they maintain good communication with suppliers and ensure that all relevant paperwork is provided in a timely manner to avoid delays at the frontiers. “VAT registered businesses should consider using postponed VAT accounting to avoid having to pay Import VAT at the frontier and become aware of all the special duty reliefs that can defer or exempt them from customs duty. These measures will help cash flow and ease the bureaucratic burden.”
