Business Direction 47

CHAMBERNEWS

Business Direction

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

Issue 44 47 July/August January/February 2018 2019

01

BUSINESSNEWS

It feels good to be sure.

Award winning tax planning from Ballards LLP web // ballardsllp.com tel // 01905 794504 02

November/December 2018

FIRSTWORD ction

Business Dire

47 Issue 44 ary 2019 2018 /Febru Januarygust July/Au

BUSINESS DIRECTION Business Direction, Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce’s full colour bi-monthly publication. Designed and produced by business people for business people. Distributed to 4,000 businesses.

The deadline for the next edition is 23 January.

EDITOR Lucy Allen 01905 673 639 lucya@hwchamber.co.uk

EDITORIAL & SUBSCRIPTIONS businessdirection@hwchamber.co.uk 01905 673 639 www.hwchamber.co.uk/business-direction

PRODUCTION & DESIGN Distinctive Publishing, 3rd Floor, Tru Knit House, 9-11 Carliol Square, Newcastle, NE1 6UF www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

ADVERTISING Helen Flintoff Business Development Manager, Distinctive Group 0191 5805990 helen.flintoff@distinctivegroup.co.uk

FEATURE EDITORS Ellen Rossiter ellen.rossiter@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

Disclaimer: Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, the publisher accepts no responsibility for omissions or errors within this publication.

Editorial submissions are included at the discretion of the editor. The opinions expressed in articles and letters within this publication are not necessarily those of the Chamber. All offers, promotions and competitions appearing in Business Direction are the sole responsibility of the advertiser/ promoting party and Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce does not accept any responsibility for any representations made within them.

WELCOME 2019: JANUARY – FEBRUARY

First Word Chamber News

4-5

I’d like to wish a very Happy New Year to all companies across Herefordshire, Worcestershire and beyond!

I hope that you have all enjoyed the well-deserved break, and have returned to work feeling confident and optimistic about the next 12 months.

Business News

6

Policy

11

Business News

16

Skills

20

Last year provided businesses with a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the achievements of Members in the two counties. The Chamber was delighted to be joined by six local businesses at the British Chambers of Commerce Business Awards ceremony on Thursday 29 November 2018, and I would like to congratulate Phoenix Group who was named the national winners of the Workplace Wellbeing Award on the evening.

Business News

3

21

Chamber Training

24-25

Chamber Events

28-29

Big Interview

30-31

Cover Feature

32-33

Business News

36-37

I am also proud of the successes that the Chamber has achieved in the last year, from being named the 46th Best Not for Profit Organisation to Work for 2018 by The Sunday Times, being named a runner up for Chamber of the Year 2018 and retaining our Gold Investors in People (IIP) accreditation.

Visit Worcestershire

42

Visit Herefordshire

43

Movers and Shakers

48-49

I would like to thank all those who attended our new “You’ve got to be in it to win it” event in December to find out more about the Chamber Business Awards 2019 and how it can help to raise your business profile. The morning was designed to give attendees an insight into the Chamber Business Awards application process and how to write a winning application for 2019.

International Trade

52-53

We had brilliant feedback from guests who commended the presentations from previous winners, and hearing from the judges who provided top tips to take away.

I am excited to announce that we have added two brand new categories for this year's awards – Ecommerce Business of the Year and Family Business of the Year. I'd like to encourage businesses to take a look at the 14 categories available to enter for 2019's Business Awards. Good luck to all businesses that will be entering when applications go live on Friday 11 January!

In this issue of Business Direction, we put a spotlight on our local charities and how using CSR can benefit your business. The Big Interview is with Giles Cross from Folk2Folk, with interesting cover features from Ely Memorial Fund, Megan Baker House, Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust and Primrose Hospice.

Worcestershire Business Central 44

New Members

54

Members Profile

55

Business News

58

Charity News

59

Business News

60

Members Services

61

Last Word

62

30

Finally, I hope that everyone has a triumphant and promising 2019!

Best wishes, Sharon sharons@hwchamber.co.uk

32

Our Patrons are:

January/February 2019

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

03

CHAMBERNEWS

NEW YEAR, NEW WEBSITE The Chamber hopes that Members have now had the chance to explore its brand new website which launched in December 2018.

The website, a project delivered by Member F8 Creates, has been designed to improve user journey and accessibility to its website.

Some key features to look out for include a new and improved Members Area, the brand new Business Direction Online and a more comprehensive Events and Training section.

Key topics are being expanded on daily, so Members are encouraged to visit the site regularly to stay on top of Brexit updates and the latest business news.

Liz Gilhespy, Digital Marketing Executive at the Chamber, said: “I am delighted with how we have been able to improve this Chamber service for our Members, however the process is still ongoing and

To view our new and improved website, please visit www.hwchamber.co.uk

SUCCESS CELEBRATED AT WORCESTERSHIRE APPRENTICESHIP AWARDS

LOCAL FIRMS INVITED TO JOIN CHAMBER MANIFESTO LAUNCH The Chamber of Commerce is delighted to invite the local business community to book onto its Business Manifesto launch on Friday 25 January.

The manifesto will outline the main Chamber policy objectives and will campaign for businesses in the two counties, at an exclusive launch event at Worcestershire County Cricket Club.

Nationally, businesses have experienced a web of complex negotiations taking place in government ahead of the UK making its formal exit from the European Union. Locally, low unemployment and ongoing skills shortages continue to challenge businesses – as well as connectivity and road infrastructure.

The manifesto aims to tackle these issues head on, and work towards solutions with the support of the business community. As the voice of business in the two counties, the Chamber will relate these concerns back to politicians and work to lobby at government on the key priorities needed to make the two counties a better place to do business.

To book your place, please contact policy@hwchamber.co.uk.

we would be delighted to receive feedback through our website to keep improving it for our membership.”

Phoenix Group, winners of Workplace Wellbeing Award

NATIONAL WELLBEING RECOGNITION FOR LOCAL BUSINESS On Thursday 29 November 2018, H&W Chamber was delighted to attend the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Business Awards ceremony, held at the Tobacco Dock in London.

The Chamber would like to congratulate Strategic Member Phoenix Group, who was named as overall winner of the national Workplace Wellbeing Award. The award recognises businesses that are creating an environment for their employees to succeed by demonstrating their commitment to the health and wellbeing of their workforce.

The Chamber was joined by six businesses on the evening, including Phoenix Group, who were all named as winners in the regional Chamber Business Awards. We would like to extend our congratulations to ETL Systems Limited, Kingspan Insulation, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, OLPRO and Worcestershire Training Provider Association who all went on to represent the two counties nationally at the BCC Awards.

H&W Chamber was delighted to join 25 of the county’s best apprentices, employers, training providers and schools at the Worcestershire Apprenticeship Awards 2018 hosted by Worstershire LEP. The Chamber was pleased to sponsor the Small Apprenticeship Employer of the Year category, and Sharon Smith, CEO, was delighted to award Evesham-based Buzz Electrical Ltd as the winner.

Success continued throughout the night for local firms, with Bethany Clayton from Chamber Member Morgan Advanced Materials being named as Advanced Level Apprentice of the Year, sponsored

by Southco Manufacturing Ltd. The evening culminated with two overall awards of Apprenticeship Employer of the Year, which is sponsored by Yamazaki Mazak UK Ltd and Apprentice of the Year, sponsored by Worcester Bosch, to recognise outstanding achievement.

The Chamber would like to congratulate its category winner, Buzz Electrical Ltd, who went on to win Apprenticeship Employer of the Year for 2018.

Applications for the Chamber Business Awards 2019 will go live on Friday 11 January. To find out more information, please contact awards@hwchamber.co.uk

04

January/February 2019

CHAMBERNEWS BUSINESSES RECOGNISED

BY WORCESTERSHIRE WORKS WELL Worcestershire Works Well, a globally recognised health and wellbeing accreditation scheme, was delighted to present seven companies with certificates at its bi-annual event on Thursday 15 November 2018.

BUSINESS LEADERS CHRISTMAS DINNER 2018 Bringing a close to 2018, the Business Leaders Casino Royale Christmas Dinner was held at The Abbey Hotel, Malvern on Thursday 6 December.

The black tie event was attended by over 80 business leaders from Herefordshire and Worcestershire, who enjoyed a two-course meal, and as always – a quiz!

After the delicious dinner, guests were entertained by motivational speaker and ex-Las Vegas professional poker player Caspar Berry, who captivated the audience with his talk on risk, leadership and investment, as well as touching on his poker days.

With a focus on mental health awareness, attendees also heard from a range of speakers whose topics included; how to establish a mental health network, raising awareness of mental health, healthy minds and the wellbeing hub, access to a work mental health support service, dementia friendly communities, domestic abuse - “everyone’s business”, the elephant in the room and mental heath first aid and mindfulness.

The event culminated with the presentation of certificates to; Hewett Recruitment (Level 2), Yamazaki Mazak (Level 1), Youth Support Services (Level 1), IGS and Lens Online (Level 1), Roxel (Level 1) and Tesco, Evesham (Level 1).

Additionally, Worcestershire Works Well was delighted to present Green Lighting with the Outstanding Achievement Award, sponsored by Southco Manufacturing Ltd, for the launch of their new “healthy food, healthy mind” cafe that has now been opened to be used by the public.

To find out more about Worcestershire Works Well, please visit www.worcestershireworkswell.co.uk.

In keeping with the Casino Royale theme, blackjack and roulette tables were available afterwards for attendees to play for chips, as well as a poker table hosted by Caspar Berry.

GOING FOR GOLD – CHAMBER RETAINS IMPRESSIVE STATUS The Chamber is delighted to share that it has retained its Gold status in the Investors in People (IIP) Accreditation.

The IIP Standard is a framework designed to help organisations benchmark performance, measure what is working and highlight opportunities for improvement within the workplace.

Speaking of the award, Dawn Hardman, Director of HR, said: “Achieving and retaining the IIP accreditation at Gold Standard is really important to us, and we’re so pleased to hear that we had been successful.

“Not only does the accreditation provide us with reassurance of the value of our people strategies and practices, but the IIP framework and feedback we received is invaluable when defining our future HR programmes.”

In further celebratory news, the Chamber has been awarded the “Ones to Watch” accreditation by Best Companies for 2019. Best Companies is the organisation behind The Sunday Times Top 100 Companies, and the accreditation is a special status awarded to businesses where workplace engagement shows promising signs for the future.

PLEDGE TO END NEGATIVE ATTITUDES TOWARDS MENTAL HEALTH IN 2019 The Worcestershire Time to Change (TTC) Hub was delighted to invite local businesses to find out more about signing the Time to Change pledge on Thursday 15 November 2018.

Held at Worcestershire County Cricket Club, guests had the opportunity to hear from Dawn Hardman, Director of HR at HWCC, Karen Shaw, Time to Change Employer Engagement Manager, Suzanne Allies, Lecturer and Time to Change Champion at University of Worcester, and a video by Laney Walsh, Time to Change Champion at Redditch and Bromsgrove District Councils and Unison.

The event was designed to give companies an introduction to the Time to Change pledge and how to develop an action plan.

Attendees also heard about the next steps for businesses to take to help end negative attitudes towards people experiencing mental health problems in the workplace.

The TTC Hub was thrilled to welcome over 30 businesses on the day, and would like to encourage anyone interested in signing the pledge to contact timetochangeworcestershire@comfirst. org.uk

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

05

BUSINESSNEWS

WORCESTERSHIRE CCC PLAYERS AND STAFF SUPPORT CHILDREN IN NEED Worcestershire CCC’s players and staff turned to pedal power to raise more than £200 for Children In Need.

The County’s CEO Matt Rawnsley, Chairman Fanos Hira and Captain Joe Leach were amongst those who donned the two spin bikes situated on Foley’s balcony. Twenty seven people pedalled a total of 240 miles – the equivalent of cycling to Lord’s Cricket Ground and back and their sterling efforts ensured £223.28 was raised for Children In Need.

AA SALT STANDS TALL…AND READY FOR A BUSY WINTER

WCCC would like to thank the customers in Foley’s who either contributed to the donation buckets or bought cupcakes,

Shaun Mooney, Audit Manager

Worcester gritting and snow clearance firm AA Salt was a key supporter of last summer’s Worcester Stands Tall campaign.

Keen to contribute to St Richard’s Hospice, through what was one of the city’s biggest ever public arts campaigns, the company purchased two giraffe sculptures.

One was designed by pupils at Bowbrook House School and now sits in the school’s playground. The other, crafted by local artist Emily Sparkes, stood proudly on the banks of the River Severn during the summer.

Once the campaign was over, the company purchased another giraffe which is now displayed in the garden of retired founder governor of St Richard’s Hospice, Jeannie Young MBE. Director Nikki Rogers said: “The Worcester Stands Tall campaign not only raised funds for the amazing St Richard’s Hospice, but also added so much colour and joy to the city. We were delighted to be involved and actively give something back.” www.aasalt.co.uk

and those people who donated online in aid of this special charity. In addition, two Worcestershire players in pace, duo Dillon Pennington and Josh Tongue, supported the charity when they attended a Children In Need event at the npower Call Centre, Worcester along with MP Robin Walker and the Mayor of Worcester, Councillor Jabba Riaz. www.wccc.co.uk

MARCHES BUSINESS CONSULTING VOLUNTEERS HR EXPERTISE AT CHARITY HALO LEISURE Lisa Hornik, HR Consultant at Marches Business Consulting, has joined the Herefordshire based charity and social enterprise Halo Leisure as a Board Trustee.

THE 21ST CENTURY CHARITY A new Charity Digital Code of Practice has been released to the Third Sector in November 2018.

Funded by Lloyds Banking Group and the Co-op Foundation, the Code, whose development was chaired by digital specialist Zoe Amar, looks to assist charities in getting maximum value and impact out of their technology. Together with the Code, a benchmarking tool has been released to help charities track their progress against the Code’s 7 principles – Leadership, User led, Culture, Strategy, Skills, Managing risks and ethics and Adaptability. The Charity Commission themselves have backed the introduction of the Code.

Halo operates 23 leisure centres across Herefordshire and other counties, on behalf of local authorities.

The money they make is ploughed back into the facilities, which helps sustain leisure activities for everyone in the community to enjoy.

Lisa, and her husband Tony, set up business in Herefordshire a year ago, providing Human Resources and Finance Director services as Marches Business Consulting. Lisa jumped at the chance to become a Halo trustee.

She now volunteers her expertise to help the charity deliver its mission of “creating healthier communities”.

Lisa said: “I wanted to become an integral part of my local community.

Getting involved with Halo is a great opportunity to make a contribution using my HR skills.” www.marchesbc.co.uk

The Code comes a few days after Kate Collins of Teenage Cancer Trust was proclaimed the CEO with the best social media presence at the Social CEO Awards.

These events go to show the importance of keeping on top technologically and socially to further your reach and maximise the impact of your charitable activities. www.bishopfleming.co.uk

06

January/February 2019

CHAMBERNEWS

Your local, award winning legal experts

THE DEATH OF SMALLPRINT? The days of businesses having to cram all of their terms and conditions onto one side of A4 paper are now, thankfully, gone.

“Smallprint” used to be literally typeface in as small a print as possible so that more clauses could be fitted onto one page.

Technology has revolutionised the way that we conduct business today. Most businesses now communicate by email, use websites, and many will have their own electronic ordering systems which their customers will access to order goods and services.

What this means is that unless you are tied to using paper because of the nature of your business, you can adopt standard terms and conditions that actually reflect what you do and give you the protection you need relevant to your business.

DO I NEED TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS? n Yes! If you are trading, you are entering into contracts with your customers and suppliers. If you don’t have your own terms and conditions of trading, then you may be relying on implied terms such as under the Sale of Goods Act 1979, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 or even worse – your customer’s or supplier’s terms of trade.

WHY IS THAT A BAD THING? n Statutes (laws passed by parliament) are usually drafted to help to protect the weakest party, and this is usually deemed to be the customer. If you are a supplier there are loads of ways to flip that balance of interests in your favour. If you are dealing on your customer’s or supplier’s terms of business, you can bet that they will not be drafted for your protection.

BUT MY CUSTOMERS AND SUPPLIERS WILL NEVER DEAL ON MY TERMS! n Then that too needs to become part of your risk management process. Do you need their business to the extent that you can afford to carry the risks and consequences of breaching their terms? Do you even know what these risks are?

HOW CAN THURSFIELDS HELP? n If you are dealing with consumers, then there is a raft of legislation that applies to protect your customers. We can help you ensure that your trading is compliant.

n If you are dealing with business customers we can advise you of ways of commercially limiting your risks and drafting appropriate business terms. n If you are a small fish dealing with the big sharks, we can help you to manage your risks by reviewing and reporting to you on what the big sharks’ contracts say, identifying what the risks are and whether or not they are relevant to you and helping you with practical ways to manage them.

If you would like any help with your terms of trading, smallprint or advice on how to incorporate your terms and conditions, please contact Jane Rudge on 0121 227 3885.

Worcester 01905 730450 | Kidderminster 01562 820575 Stourport 01299 827517 | Halesowen | Sedgley | Solihull | Birmingham

www.thursfields.co.uk Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

07

ADVERTORIALFEATURE

Handelsbanken Hereford branch

A BANK THAT PUTS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION FIRST Handelsbanken is renowned for its local relationship banking and primary aim of delivering the best possible service.

No one epitomises this more than David Cleaves, newly appointed Branch Manager at the Hereford branch, having built a reputation for his knowledgeable approach over 17 years in the industry.

David joined Handelsbanken in 2012, after being impressed by their approach of modern banking with traditional values. Commenting on his move, David said: “After 11 years with another high street bank I was attracted by the chance to use all my banking skills, including making lending decisions and building long-term customer relationships.’’

and I love being part of the community and being able to meet the growing demand for our local relationship banking approach.’’

David Cleaves

personal or corporate banking, we can deal with all of their needs under one roof and understand the whole picture.’’

This is perhaps just one of the reasons

that Handelsbanken has come top for Independent service quality survey results customer satisfaction for ten years running ‘At Handelsbanken, we take the time to get in an independent survey of British banks Business current accounts to know our customers and their needs to (EPSI Rating 2009-2018) and in the Published 15 August 2018

provide the best personal advice and service inaugural survey year has been named as Ascan, partand of awe regulatory requirement, an independent survey was conducted to ask customers we take a holistic view, meaning the most recommended provider for SME of the 14 largest business current account providers if they would recommend their provider that whether a customer’s requirement is for banking by the Competition and Markets to other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs*).

Authority’s Independent Service Quality Survey (August 2018).

Overall service quality Online and mobile banking services David continues: from Sweden, We asked customers how likely they would be to recommend We asked customers how‘’Originally likely they would be to recommend their business current account provider to other SMEs. their provider’s online and mobile banking services800 to other SMEs. Handelsbanken now has almost branches in more than 20 countries, over Ranking Ranking 200 of those here in the UK. The branch 84% 76% 1 1 in Hereford has been open since 2012 and has2 a team of six bankers, with over 10073% 2 73% years of experience combined.

3 4

62%

5

61%

CMA Survey (August 2018)

08

66%

3

72%

From agriculture to leisure and everything 4 71% in between, Hereford offers diversity across its 5business sectors as well as its landscape.

68% It’s simply a great place to live and work, 6

In his role, David spends much of his time getting to know customers and professionals and builds relationships with them, with the aim of making Handelsbanken their bank of choice to meet all of their individual and business needs.

He says ‘’I enjoy dealing with people and helping them throughout their life. There are many scenarios in which we can make a real difference, such as helping customers to buy or expand their business, buy homes for themselves or their children, or invest their money for the future. The fact there are no product targets or incentive bonuses in Handelsbanken means we can focus solely on what is best for the customer.’’

To have a chat with David about how Handelsbanken may be able to help with your business or personal finance requirements, pop in to the branch or contact him on 01432 340546 or dacl04@handelsbanken.co.uk.

Handelsbanken is the trading name of Handelsbanken plc, which is incorporated in England and Wales with company number 11305395. Registered office: 3 Thomas More Square, London, E1W 1WY, UK. Handelsbanken plc is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Financial Services Register number 806852. Handelsbanken plc is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ).

63%

January/February 2019

SME overdraft and loan services

Relationship/account management

CHAMBERNEWS

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

09

CHAMBERNEWS

Virtual Offices

Meeting Rooms

We offer a wide range of quality, flexible and costeffective managed office space & workshops. Ideal for start-ups & SMEs with rolling or fixed terms.

We can provide you with a professional business address and a space to meet with clients without the overhead cost of an office.

Book one of our fully serviced meeting rooms for the day or just an hour. Equipped with the latest technology and refreshment options.

FRIENDL

ENTR E

Office Space

G

YC

We have some great offers on Workspaces, Meeting Rooms and Virtual Offices that will have you celebrating!

DO

MOVE YOUR BUSINESS TO BASEPOINT AND START YOUR YEAR WITH A BANG!

Find out more and contact your nearest Centre today Bromsgrove

01527 834600

Evesham

01386 764700

Offices | Flexi-Space | Virtual Office | Meeting Rooms

Unique workspaces for your business 010

Tewkesbury

01684 854444

basepoint.co.uk January/February 2019

POLICYNEWS

ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT

WHY KNOWING YOUR OPTIONS IS KEY TO GETTING THE BEST CONNECTIVITY Getting connectivity right is vital to the success of Herefordshire and Worcestershire, and firms both rural and urban still experience broadband speeds that do not meet their business needs.

With modern ICT services such as VoIP telephony and Cloud transforming the way a business operates, it’s no wonder that poor connectivity is seen as one of the top concerns for businesses in the region (according to the latest Chamber surveys).

In April last year, the Chamber formed a Connectivity Working Group with businesses who were keen to improve this concern for local firms. To understand the current issues we surveyed local businesses on their broadband which highlighted that speed and reliability are the main concerns, with many feeling out of pocket when having to implement a connectivity solution.

Surprisingly, many of our Members are unaware of the Gigabit Broadband

57% OF FIRMS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT SPEED AND RELIABILITY Voucher Scheme which offers businesses up to £2,500 towards upgrading their broadband to fit business needs.

This voucher is available for small to medium-sized enterprises that can even pool their vouchers together with local businesses to invest in a system that can benefit everyone in the area.

Richard Lane, who is a Member of the Connectivity Working Group and also Managing Director of EBC Group, an award winning Managed Service Provider that offers the Gigabit voucher scheme, said: “The recent Connectivity Survey conducted by the Chamber of Commerce highlights the confusion on how businesses can obtain broadband that is fit for business purpose.

“Often businesses don’t know what the best connectivity option is, or what solutions are even available.

Some of the confusion stems from the residential providers calling their superfast broadband product ‘fibre’, when in fact it’s not.

“The majority of fibre deployment in the region is what’s called FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet), which uses fibre-optic cables throughout the network up to the street cabinet. It then uses copper wires to connect the cabinet to homes and businesses, meaning the speed and reliability will depend on a number of factors including the length of your line from the roadside cabinet, the line quality and the number of others trying to connect.”

“Businesses wanting a true fibre solution should look at implementing FTTP (Fibre to the Premise), which is a fibre-optic cable connection that runs directly to your business.

However, businesses looking to fully utilise their connectivity should look at a leased line which provides enhanced reliability and security.

“They are dedicated to your business and come with guaranteed SLAs, which means that the speed you pay for is the speed you’ll receive. Leased Lines are considered to be the next generation of business connectivity, perfect for those looking to fully utilise their connectivity and futureproof their business.”

If your business wants to understand more about what connectivity solutions are available to you and how you can utilise the Gigabit voucher scheme, speak to EBC Group on 0121 585 4400 or visit www.ebcgroup.co.uk/connectivity

Those who have used the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme have found that it has enabled them to improve communication, business efficiencies, productivity and customer service to name a few. If you are interested in this scheme and you would like to find out more, please contact our Policy team on policy@hwchamber.co.uk.

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

011

FOCUSONRECRUITMENT

NEW RESEARCH: FLEXIBLE JOBS INDEX WORCESTERSHIRE 2018 Hewett Recruitment has formed a partnership with the Worcestershire LEP to deliver the first ever report on the state of the flexible recruitment market in Worcestershire.

This research, conducted by Timewise, examines the proportion of quality jobs in the region which are advertised as open to flexible or part-time working at the point of hire.

Flexible working is an important facilitator of diversity and inclusion. It means that people with considerations outside of work can access work. Mums returning to work and carers are the obvious group of people wanting flexibility, but it is not just them. Generation Y, with their reputation for expecting to be able to work when and where they want to are particularly attracted to businesses that allow them to fit work around life, rather than the other way around.

The key headline coming out of this research is that, 9 out of 10 UK workers currently either work flexibly in some way, or want to. But overall, in Worcestershire, only 11.1% of vacancies for ‘quality’ jobs at or above £20,000 are advertised with some reference to flexible working from the start, either on hours or location.

So there is a real mis-match there and this limited availability is more concentrated at the lower end of the pay scale.

At Hewett Recruitment we regularly face this conundrum – one of the top 10 most searched terms on our website is ‘part time’ but the jobs we have advertised are largely full-time, particularly when you exclude low level admin positions.

So why is this important for Worcestershire’s business community?

This huge gap between the supply of flexible jobs and the demand from flexible workers is the reason why so many people – particularly women, older workers and those with health and disability issues – are either locked out of work or stuck in low paid part-time jobs they are overqualified for, unable to progress their careers. We could be missing a whole tranche of highly skilled people.

We hope this new analysis will inspire both policy makers and employers to develop plans to champion flexible hiring across the region, as part of wider inclusive growth strategies.

012

With almost a third of the region’s fastest growing companies highlighting access to talent and skills as their biggest challenge to growth, there is a real opportunity to encourage business leaders to get smarter about flexible working in order to be future-fit.

We hope this new analysis will inspire both policy makers and employers to develop plans to champion flexible hiring across the region, as part of wider inclusive growth strategies.

We look forward to publishing the ‘Flexible Jobs Index Worcestershire’ in January and we will be holding an event in the New Year with Timewise and the WLEP to discuss these issues in much more detail.

Please contact Laura Hewett if you would be interested in receiving a copy of the report or an invitation for the event.

January/February 2019

19 20

✓ DESIGN ✓ PRINT ✓ MAIL IT’S WHAT WE DO! www.pacepd.com Why not get in touch today.

Call 01905 754554 Email enquiries@pacepd.com Pace Print and Design Ltd WORCESTER’S PREMIER PRINTER

Unit 13 Buckholt Business Centre Buckholt Drive Worcester WR4 9ND PLEASE QUOTE THIS CODE: BD01/19

K 01905 754554 J enquiries@pacepd.com www.pacepd.com

EJK

BUSINESSSUPPORT

RAISING WORCESTER’S PROFILE Worcestershire is proud to have one of the fastest growing economies in the country.

From innovative business start-ups to key employment sites with excellent connectivity to other parts of the country, the county has a great deal to offer.

Local businesses can get involved by signing up to the ‘Worcestershire 1000’, a pledge to tell the county’s story regionally, nationally and internationally.

Want to get involved? Go to www.oneworcestershire.com and sign up now.

Together a partnership of private sector companies and public sector organisations from across the county share the ambition to raise the profile of Worcestershire regionally, nationally and internationally.

The result of their shared thinking is a brand new way of raising the County’s profile. ‘Worcestershire’ is no longer just a name but a new brand that speaks for what the county represents, embodying our connected, creative, dynamic vision.

The ‘Worcestershire 1000’ is a pledge to support our 2040 vision to be a connected county that boasts a highly skilled workforce that works in tandem to make Worcestershire not only a place to be proud of, but one that attracts increased inward investment.

It offers benefits to local businesses by highlighting improvements to infrastructure, skills and the collaborative spirit of the county.

Heralding the launch is a stunning film that features some of Worcestershire’s business success stories, as well as the many examples of natural beauty and places to visit that make the county such a great place to spend time in.

It also aims to attract investment from outside the county by portraying our vision around the world, helping to attract more of the dynamic, creative and innovative people we know will succeed locally.

The Worcestershire brand is not owned by any one organisation or partner. It reflects the wider community’s pride in championing the county as a place to live, work, invest and visit.

For the latest news and updates, visit us on social media at: www.twitter.com/oneworcs www.facebook.com/oneworcestershire Search for ‘Worcestershire’ on LinkedIn.

ARE YOU READY FOR MAKING TAX DIGITAL? Xero is a simple, straight forward solution We are Xero experts Providing training, support and advice Together with all of your accountancy needs

Contact us now and let us help you on your digital journey Accountants with a difference No suits, no jargon, no nasty fee surprises

Experience Worcester’s rich porcelain heritage in a beautifully refurbished setting where 250 years of design and innovation are elegantly re-presented.

We provide a special and unique venue for meetings, events and celebrations; professional presentation facilities are available, and bespoke catering and experience packages can be tailored to your requirements.

Museum of Royal Worcester, Severn Street, Worcester WR1 2ND T: 01905 21247 www.museumofroyalworcester.org Open Monday to Saturday 10 am – 5 pm, Sunday 10 am – 4 pm

01905 828262 | info@sinclairday.co.uk | www.sinclairday.co.uk

014

‘Royal Worcester’ and the C51 crown device are registered by and used under kind permission from Portmeirion Group UK Ltd to whom all rights are reserved.

January/February 2019

BUSINESSSUPPORT

KEGSOFT AUTOMATION & INTEGRATION IN A CONNECTED WORLD It’s happening all around us - in business just as in other spheres – connectivity – so much so that we don’t always know what’s connected to what or how our information is being routed or stored. The big upside is, exemplified in commerce, when we order or sell goods today, we can expect delivery tomorrow …or sooner. Invoicing, dispatching, delivery and payment processing is highly integrated between platform providers who coordinate inventory, logistics, banking, accounting & MI - making ecommerce seem smooth and simple.

TALK TO KEGSOFT Our advice is, consider carefully before committing your vital business processes to systems that you have no control over.

It’s not just about cost, if you have unique processes (your IP) that need to be nurtured, evolved & protected, think before potentially compromising operational control & development – not all resources can be commoditised.

IS IT THAT EASY? Being efficient and slick is only because big IT providers have invested 100s of £millions in platforms and systems which they can sell to businesses via subscriptions to SaaS (Software as a Service) web-based applications. Cost of entry is usually low and charged incrementally with usage. The advantages of the SaaS model make it a seductive proposition. BUT, beware, it’s not risk free.

Placing your IT - which often equates to business IP - on generic, cloud-based

systems can stymie future business development as standardised SaaS applications are designed to serve many clients so accommodating your individual requirements may not be possible or prohibitively expensive. Also bear in mind that most of our SaaS providers are non-UK based and, in time may change their ownership and charging structure, Ts & Cs, support level and performance – all outside of your control.

As outlined in previous articles, where quality, time and cost are constraining you, Kegsoft’s all-UK new Business Language (KBL), ability to auto-generate parts of application and integrate dissimilar systems and automate data exchange, can be a highly practical alternative to compromising your functional requirements. We have a wide range of specific skills and sector experience to provide high quality, robust, cost-effective and timely solutions. Visit www.kegsoft.com or call 01568 613272.

Fantastic employees are hard to find

…unless you’re using Redwood Search!

01905 27747

jobs@redwoodsearch.co.uk

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

www.

redwoodsearch.co.uk

015

BUSINESSNEWS

AVENSYS UK LTD ACQUIRED BY HERMED Avensys UK Ltd would like to announce that the company has been acquired by HERMED Technische Beratungs GmbH. HERMED belongs to the VAMED Group, a leading international healthcare provider based in Vienna. The acquisition will enable HERMED to expand its current portfolio and open new market opportunities for the company, whilst securing its position in the UK market.

Avensys UK Ltd will continue to operate under its current name, and the management will remain unchanged – but will be supplemented by a HERMED Managing Director.

Robert Strange and Steve Holt, Avensys UK Ltd Owners, said: “We are very happy that with HERMED we have found a strong and competent partner who optimally complements our offer.

As part of this special milestone, the EBC Group team will be taking part in a number of fundraising challenges throughout the year with the aim of raising £30,000 for charity.

Group Managing Director, Richard Lane, commented: “2019 will be an exciting year for EBC Group that will see all of the team get involved in a host of charity activities, including myself as I take part in a 9 day gruelling Amazon Survival Experience! Reaching our 30th year is a fantastic achievement, and I look forward to sharing this with our clients and friends”. www.ebcgroup.co.uk

www.avensysmedical.co.uk

NEW SECURITY CENTRE MARCHES AHEAD IN FIGHT AGAINST CYBER CRIME

EBC GROUP TO CELEBRATE 30TH ANNIVERSARY Chamber Patron EBC Group is set to make 2019 a year to remember as the company celebrates its 30th anniversary.

“We see great potential for synergies and are convinced that we can sustainably increase our growth in the UK market with the support of our new partners. Everyone will profit from this in the future - we, our employees and, above all, our customers!”

A joint venture between the University of Wolverhampton and Herefordshire Council has secured £9 million funding to develop a new Centre for Cyber Security in Hereford.

NEW OWNERS PUT THE ‘THINK’ BACK INTO RETHINK Local Hereford business, Rethink Printing, has been taken over by Scott Kean and Victoria Reece-Heal. The new ownership coincides with the company’s 15th anniversary of providing businesses and consumers with printers, copiers, cartridges and repair services.

Rebranded as “Think Rethink” and with the introduction of a new website, Victoria Reece-Heal commented: “We want to show people we are doing business differently now, so we have used our new website to reflect not only our expanded offerings, but also our personality.”

Speaking of the transformation, Scott Kean said: “We are introducing more services to enable local businesses to have more choice when it comes to spend and service provision”

The University of Wolverhampton has approved £1.5 million to contribute to the Centre as well as successfully securing grant funding of £4 million from the Marches LEP Local Growth Fund and £1.16 million of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Herefordshire Council has approved funding of £3.5 million to contribute to the Centre for Cyber Security which will be located on Skylon Park in the Hereford Enterprise Zone.

The Centre will offer high quality research facilities through the University’s Cyber Security Research Institute as well as providing office space for cyber businesses and advanced training facilities designed specifically to tackle threats in cyberspace. It will provide specialist facilities for the cyber sector including server space and high speed broadband as well as research and development laboratory space. www.wlv.ac.uk

“By extending our offerings to Telecoms, IT, Security, Marketing and even Utilities, we are able to help more local companies reduce their bills and increase their service levels.”

Victoria continued: “The fact we are local, independent and well-established is key to the way we work, and we think (pun intended) that the changes we have implemented will provide local businesses with real benefits.” www.thinkrethink.co.uk

016

January/February 2019

BUSINESSNEWS

A family of schools each of which has its origins in Malvern College Malvern College Hong Kong

Malvern College Qingdao

Malvern College Egypt

Malvern College Chengdu

enquiries@malverncollege.org.uk • www.malverncollegeinternational.org Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

017

MEMBERSSERVICES

Businesses speak up on Brexit Robert Capper, partner and head of sectors has been speaking to business leaders from key industries who have shared their views on the challenges and opportunities presented by Brexit. Let us know what you think @hcrlaw Financial services

Advanced manufacturing

Financial services clients are telling us that Brexit is not just affecting our relations with the EU, but having an impact on financial relationships worldwide. Indeed Jo Bennett-Coles, managing director FGI Worldwide in UK and Europe says: “Many businesses are experiencing difficulties finding and retaining lending with their traditional domestic lender who would have originally provided them with some cross-border capabilities and now that’s becoming more difficult.” Whatever the deal is by March, lenders are likely to have more hoops to jump through, but there is still investment going on and many financial services firms are readying themselves for Brexit with specialist teams looking at the issues and opportunities.

Advanced manufacturing businesses are taking practical action to prepare for Brexit and leaders are reporting that the increased scrutiny is helpful to the business generally, but feared that the impact which had already been felt would simply increase. Concerns are being expressed about both the availability of supplies and possible delays to them entering the UK; employment and fears about higher costs and skills shortages. Laura Surridge, group purchasing director, confirms that supply chain is an area of concern for her business, WHS Plastics: “Currently 90% of our business is in the UK but our supply chain is global. We’re looking to expand within Europe and America so we will need to understand the impact of Brexit and determine how we can work with these other countries and expand within them.”

Professional services Planning ahead, especially in regard to a business’ workforce, is vital for the future of professional services.

Some of our clients tell us they believe that using apprenticeships is one way to achieve this, enabling skills levels to be increased so that the UK labour market is less dependent on EU workers. This is a view shared by Gary Woodman, CEO of the Worcestershire LEP who said: “I think businesses really need to think about their workforce and their skills in terms of how they train their staff and what that looks like beyond the impact of Brexit. Therefore searching and retaining talent is going to be one of the big issues in 2019.”

018

Health and social care According to business representatives, the health and social care sector seems to be ‘sleepwalking’ into a staffing disaster. Steve Mills, consultant to adult social care providers tells us: “The interruption to migrant labour associated with Brexit and the fact that the UK is now seen as a less attractive place for people from Europe to come and work in social care presents a lot of risk and uncertainty for providers who will find it increasingly difficult to find the people they need to run their services sustainably.”

January/February 2019

ADVERTORIALFEATURE Education

Agriculture and rural affairs

Leaders from education institutions and bodies are voicing a wide range of concerns, including over the funding of apprenticeships. Tony Green, director, Heart of Worcestershire College said: “The unrelenting focus on Brexit has meant the UK government is ignoring other issues such as skills, apprenticeships and upskilling the workforce and while Brexit won’t necessarily affect the apprenticeship model it will affect the number of people going into apprenticeships, what happens to them afterwards and the rules and regulations around delivery. This is a challenge for colleges up and down the country.”

Agricultural businesses are meeting the challenges of Brexit in different ways - diversifying to spread risk, investing in technology, increasing herd/flock size or exploring other economies of scale, though concerns are being expressed that the investment required will simply not be an option for all. Frank Myers, chair of Herefordshire’s Business Board believes the problem is more people-based: “There are many large agricultural businesses within Herefordshire and I see serious labour challenges for them. We have rehearsed the labour argument many times and always arrive at the same conclusion - it just simply isn’t going to be possible to fulfil the workforce needs of the sector from UK labour. The need to import labour is a serious problem.”

Construction and engineering Development is continuing, and sector leaders express the view that, with a deal in place, the UK would actually be more stable than many other EU countries which are currently in turmoil. They are keen to see technology playing a greater part in the industry robotic plasterers and all kinds of 3-D scanning products are now available, and they feel that the potential is considerable for even more innovative processes and products. This, along with off-site manufacturing, would help to streamline processes further. That streamlining might be essential as the supply of EU workers reduces – the Government’s ambitious social housing plans need a workforce to deliver them. The quality of training and experience is essential.

Talk to us: 0118 911 1206 Website: www.hcrlaw.com

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

019

SKILLS

OFSTED INSPECTION SUCCESS The Children’s Family Trust (CFT) is proud to announce that it has once again been awarded an Ofsted Rating of “Good” in its Midlands office. The CFT is a registered fostering charity, and for over 70 years it has been providing safe and secure homes for children in care.

The latest Ofsted inspection once again highlights the dedication of the amazing Foster Carers and their ability to provide

nurturing environments for children. The report states: “Children establish good relationships with their carers and feel secure. Most children are in long-term placements and enjoy placement stability.”

KIDDERMINSTER SCHOOL’S NATURE NINJA SUPPORTED BY PICK UP ARTISTS

Fortis Property Care, a subsidiary of Fortis Living, is keen to recruit local trades people to join its existing teams.

Dennis Evans, Group Property Care Director, said: “Attracting and retaining the best, most forward thinking talent is no mean feat for any organisation.

Initiatives such as our open day will, we hope, help to develop a robust and thorough organisation.”

Fortis Property Care is also at the forefront of encouraging women into construction, as well as supporting apprentices across different trades and organising work placements in a range of departments.

For further information about the campaign please contact Kate Sammels, HR Business Partner at Fortis Living on 01684 579416 or email her at ksammels@fortisliving.com.

If you would like to find out more about the charity, please visit www.thecft.org.uk.

The charity is absolutely delighted to be continuing its work in supporting Foster Carers and looked after children across the UK, but the number of children in care is

CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED TO ANNOUNCE AVAILABILITY OF LOCAL TRADES JOBS

As part of the campaign, Fortis Property Care hosted an open evening in November 2018 to encourage applications from local residents into a whole host of trade roles.

still increasing and the need for more Foster Carers across the country is as great as ever.

Nature Ninja pupils from Kidderminster’s Holy Trinity School and Sixth Form Centre are delighted to have attracted funding from “The Pickup Artists” to purchase anti-litter equipment.

PERSHORE COLLEGE WINS APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING AWARD Pershore College has won Training Provider of the Year at the recent Worcestershire Apprentice Awards ceremony in November 2018, organised

by Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Worcestershire County Council.

The award was given in recognition for its work in the delivery of a range of land based apprenticeships in horticulture, landscaping, arboriculture and agriculture since the UK government implemented a range of significant reforms to apprenticeship funding, what they contain and deliver.

Mark Eden, Director of Work Based Learning, Pershore College, said: “I feel very proud to have the opportunity to accept this prestigious award in recognition of all the hard work the work based learning team at Pershore have invested in their apprentices over the last year.

Nature Ninja Leader, Mrs Caroline Forsyth-Ball, explained; “Earlier this year we approached Wyre Forest District Council, and the children and I met with council representatives as we wanted to try and set up a local community and school-litter pickup and collecting group at Holy Trinity.

They put me in touch with The Pickup Artists who work with local schools to establish and help secure funding for student “Junior Pickup Artists” groups.

“Thanks to their help we were able to secure the funding we needed from the Big Local DY10 organisation, who then provided us with ten litter pickers, litter bag hoops and our wonderful t-shirts. We are now carrying out litter picking in Nature Ninja and Epic Eco Groups sessions in primary school, and I am hoping to extend this activity school-wide.” www.holytrinity.co.uk

“In recent years we have increased our capacity to deliver to both large and small employers alike and have been one of the first colleges to offer the new apprenticeship standards across the land based sectors.”

Georgina King, Gas Engineer at Fortis

020

www.wcg.ac.uk/engineeringapprenticeships

January/February 2019

BUSINESSNEWS

MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR THOSE LIVING WITH DEMENTIA Phillipa Bruce-Kerr, Head of Harrison Clark Rickerbys’ older and vulnerable clients’ team, is working with a well-established meeting centre in Leominster for people living with dementia and for their families.

APPLIED PRINCIPLES DELIVERS SERVICE FOR NEW HOLLAND & BARRETT HEALTHBOX Applied Principles has been selected from a group of suppliers to provide a software solution for Holland & Barrett’s brand new “Healthbox” subscription service.

Requiring a solution to control and verify the picking and assembly process for every Healthbox order, Applied Principles’ existing platform met the essential requirements.

Its Principle Suite platform was expanded to include capabilities for ERP Integration and Order Picking, and the software is hosted in the Holland & Barrett AWS environment to provide 24/7 availability.

As Chair of the Trustees of Leominster Meeting Centre, Phillipa explained that the centre is one of the pilot schemes for a project which began in the EU. Meeting centres were first set up in the Netherlands as social clubs offering support and activities for people living with dementia.

As part of the wider project, the University of Worcester’s Association for Dementia Studies has received Lottery funding of £587,000 to help it to extend the concept across the UK – all those involved recently met at The Hive to discuss new centres in Scotland, Wales and elsewhere in England.

The work of the centre is very varied – Phillipa explained that its main purpose is to give support to those with a diagnosis of mild to moderate dementia and to their families and carers.

To find out more, please contact Rachel Evans on 07970 101451 or revans@hcrlaw.com Phillipa Bruce-Kerr

HEREFORD RACECOURSE ENTERS INTO PARTNERSHIP WITH ROA Hereford Racecourse is delighted to announce a new partnership with the Racehorse Owners Association for the 2018/19 season.

In an acknowledgement of the importance of the race day experience for racehorse owners, Hereford Racecourse and the ROA have teamed up to provide an enhanced arrival experience in particular.

Rebecca Davies, Executive Director at Hereford Racecourse commented: “We are delighted that through this partnership with the ROA, we will be able to invest further in the ownership experience at Hereford.”

Michael Richards, Head of Production at Holland & Barrett, said: “The team at Applied Principles (AP) thoroughly understood the brief and delivered a user-friendly system, which also gave the control we required. The AP team worked tirelessly to ensure that the launch date was achieved and go live was without incident. Throughout the entire project they demonstrated agility and flexibility, no request went unanswered.”

Chief Executive of the Racehorse Owners Association, Charlie Liverton said: “The owner’s race day experience is a critical variable in the retention of owners and this was highlighted in the owners survey. Hereford’s proactive approach in looking to enhance their warm welcome to owners, making them feel appreciated and acting on feedback, fits with exactly what we know owners want.”

www.appliedprinciples.eu

www.hereford-racecourse.co.uk

WELLBEING RECOGNITION FOR HEWETT RECRUITMENT Hewett Recruitment is extremely proud to announce that it has achieved the Level Two in the Worcestershire Works Well scheme.

Hewett takes the wellbeing of its staff very seriously, constantly thriving to further develop its culture of a happy and health workplace. The firm encourages each member of staff to live a healthy lifestyle, regularly providing information regarding healthy food, mental wellbeing and common healthy issues to ensure they are supported and able to make informed

decisions – plus Hewett has no complaints about its bi-monthly massage scheme!

The Worcestershire Works Well Board was particularly impressed with Hewett’s use of social media and its external presence and influence in support of national campaigns.

Hewett Recruitment is dedicated to increasing awareness on common health issues, aiming to encouraging candidates, clients and members of the public alike to rethink their behaviours and improve their health. www.hewett-recruitment.co.uk

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

021

ADVERTORIALFEATURE

LEADERS: BE PROACTIVE OR FACE BEING OBSOLETE

The demands we place on leaders are ever changing. Geopolitical shifts, however remote and abstract, always have an impact on organisations, and senior management must respond even if the impact is not instant or obvious. With low levels of productivity being one of our greatest challenges as a nation, not to mention the uncertainty created by Brexit, it’s a good time to put a plan in place.

To prepare our organisations to tackle these challenges we must ensure that our leaders are equipped with higher-order management skills. Change is the only constant we can expect at work in the future, so an organisation which is reactive will always be behind the curve. It is incumbent on leaders to be proactive or face becoming obsolete.

One of the core aims of the apprenticeship levy was to jump-start workplace performance through skills training. Degree apprenticeships offer business a new way to develop staff to degree level without the costly training fees. It’s a widespread myth that apprenticeships are just for young people. Employers can use the Apprenticeship Levy to fund those who are already established in their careers and want to undertake postgraduate degrees such as MBAs. This is a valuable opportunity

022

for managers seeking to advance their leadership skills and their career.

Degree apprenticeships offer a clear advantage by injecting talent directly to the areas that have the biggest skills shortages, one of the leading shortages is management training. The Chartered Management Institute has found that only one in five managers have received management training or a formal qualification to support them in the role, so we have a shortage of managers with the skills to get the job done. Research by the Office for National Statistics, published earlier this year, has shown that a 0.1 per cent increase in management expertise yields a nearly tenfold increase in business productivity.

“Management skills are not a gift that people are just born with,” Simon Finley, Associate Dean for MBA, Apprenticeship and Online Programmes at Aston Business School, said.

“It requires nurturing and development.”

“There is just as big a need to upskill managers as there is the entry level workforce. At the end of the day, what good will a highly-skilled workforce be if we don’t have the organisational and leadership skills to exploit this effectively?”

Simon shares that the Executive Apprenticeship MBA is making high-quality management training accessible to everyone. “MBAs can be exceptionally expensive, making them the domain of the privileged and the elite,” he says. Aston has established an executive MBA for apprentices that matches the £18,000 levy tariff meaning employees who work for levy-paying business can get an MBA with no fees to pay.

Aston Business School’s Executive Apprenticeship MBA is designed to transform managers into enterprising leaders in business. This MBA programme is designed to immerse managers into the principles of strategic thinking within the context of their own businesses.

Participants will learn to embed innovation in everything they do.

Designed by professors and practitioners in behavioural science, Aston Business School’s professional development programme: The Aston Edge will train managers for the social and personal side of business. Through a combination of masterclasses, mentoring and networking events, participants learn the intricacies of leading with credibility and confidence.

The Executive Apprenticeship MBA is a part-time, flexible programme that fits seamlessly alongside a full-time career.

Participants are only required to attend on-campus sessions for termly weekend sessions, giving the flexibility required for work and personal commitments.

Managers will be able to use their learning to make strategic changes to improve their organisation from day one.

For more information about degree apprenticeships and the Aston MBA, visit www.aston.ac.uk/apprenticeships or email apprenticeships@aston.ac.uk to get in touch with the Apprenticeship Team.

January/February 2019

ADVERTORIALFEATURE

Bring your - wellies -

Oldcastle is set in 50 acres of beautiful grounds set within panoramic backdrop views of The Malvern Hills. Said to be the original settlement of Colwall village it was Founded by Sir John Oldcastle, a good friend to Shakespeare who was a character reference for Henry IV’s Falstaff.

The Jacobean family house is a charismatic, dog loving, friendly country house destination within easy reach to a direct London train line in the village and regional motorways. Surrounded by natural Malvern spring fed water features, lakes and ponds the location boasts many beautiful pub and dog walks right on your door step!

Offering a very attractive setting for private events, civil wedding ceremonies and corporate events, including guest accommodation.

Private and tranquil, the venue can comfortably host intimate or large events when needed for up to 300 guests inside and several thousand outside, with the use of private grounds around the venue and several modern and traditional spaces within the property.

Equipped with all the benefits of 21st Century technology within a traditional setting, the venue can accommodate any event F&B

needs with our own in house licensed bar and catering team.

Oldcastle, Evendine Lane, Colwall, Worcestershire, WR13 6DT

07955 179114 | contact@oldcastlevents.com | weddings@oldcastleweddings.co.uk

Pearl

Encapsulating our best thinking for the benefit of SMEs

A streamlined service for employers with workplace pension and employee benefit arrangements

www.barnett-waddingham.co.uk/pearl

For more information on our services please contact Sharron West, Pearl Account Manager: 01527 300013

whwbromsgrove.group@barnett-waddingham.co.uk

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

023

CHAMBERTRAINING

www.hwchamber.co.uk/training

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We begin 2019 by reflecting on the past year of training. 2018 saw us run over 120 public training courses and just over 50 bespoke days at various companies across the two counties and beyond along with 12 days of HR Consultancy and a handful of 1-2-1 coaching sessions. We have also seen the addition of seven new courses into our ever-growing training portfolio, and the Hereford course calendar continuously expanding.

The Training department has grown rapidly, we have introduced new trainers for some of our courses, invested in new equipment in the training rooms and given the training department a whole refresh – complete with its own logo!

We have had stands at two successful Business Expo’s complete with "hook a duck" and an old fashioned sweet stall, and lastly, but by no means least, we had a new member join the team.

Megan Pearce joined us in March, whilst dividing her time between Training and Events and successfully completing her Apprenticeship in 2018, she now has a key role in the day-to-day running of the Training department.

The future of business is extremely important to all of us, and our staff are the key part in our business success. Chamber Business Training offers a wide range of courses, whether you need to solve an immediate skills gap or a long-term training provider to deliver a series of training solutions.

We are proud to one of the first training providers in the country(!) to deliver the brand new IOSH Managing Occupational Health and Wellbeing training course. With sickness absence due to mental health costing the UK economy more than £8bn per year, this course provides practical advice and tools for managers to help create a healthy and productive place of work.

In a survey carried out by the British Chambers of Commerce and Aviva, almost 30% of businesses have seen an increase

Megan Pearce, Events + Training Assistant (L) and Lauren Sallsbury, Training Co-Ordindator (R)

in the number of staff taking time off for mental health reasons, and over 49% of those businesses surveyed said they did not have access to occupational health support for their staff. Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce is pleased to be running this course from their Worcester office on Friday 29 March 2019, being the first business within the region to deliver this course.

The course is delivered by our HR Director, Dawn Hardman, who is responsible for the Health and Safety of the organisation and a Technician level member of IOSH. Dawn successfully delivers the IOSH Managing Safely and Working Safely courses along with the HR for the Non HR Manager course both at the Chamber offices and at company’s own

premises. To date Dawn has delivered IOSH training to over 200 delegates.

January 2019 begins with us looking forward to what’s to come from the Training department this year. With an office refurbishment on the horizon we will soon be delivering training from brand new up to date training rooms. With the new financial year just around the corner, this marks the start of a brand new year for the department, with over 130 public courses scheduled in both our Hereford and Worcester offices, we have a course to suit businesses of all sectors and staff at all levels.

For more information or to book onto any of our courses, please email training@hwchamber.co.uk

Business Training offers a wide range of courses, whether you need to solve an immediate skills gap or a long-term training provider to deliver a series of training solutions.

024

January/February 2019

CHAMBERBUSINESSTRAINING

TRAINING CALENDAR JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2019 JANUARY COURSES

JANUARY - FEBRUARY COURSES

FEBRUARY COURSES

HR for the Non HR Manager

Mental Health First Aid Champion

Conducting Effective Team Appraisals

Thursday 10 January - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Wednesday 30 January - 9.30am-4.30pm £200+VAT Members / £250+VAT Non-members

Friday 15 February - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Managing Performance in the Team

Professional Telephone Techniques

Managing People in the Team

Monday 14 January - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Thursday 31 January - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Monday 18 February - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Introduction to Microsoft Excel

Intermediate Microsoft Excel

Emergency First Aid at Work

Tuesday 15 January - 9.30am-4.00pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Tuesday 5 February - 9.30am-4.00pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Wednesday 20 February - 9.30am-4.30pm £80+VAT Members / £100+VAT Non-members

Train the Trainer

PowerPoint for Presentations

Effective Use of Social Media

Wednesday 16 January - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Wednesday 6 February - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Thursday 21 February - 9.30am-1.30pm £80+VAT Members / £100+VAT Non-members

IOSH Working Safely

Understanding your Customers

Communicating for Success

Friday 18 January - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Wednesday 6 February - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Monday 25 February - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Assertiveness and Confidence at Work

Role of the Team Leader

Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering

Monday 21 January - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Thursday 7 February - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Tuesday 26 February - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Google Analytics

Employment Law Update

Advanced Microsoft Excel

Tuesday 22 January - 9.30am-1.30pm £80+VAT Members / £100+VAT Non-members

Tuesday 12 February - 10.00am-3.00pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Wednesday 27 February - 9.30am-4.00pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Creating a Customer Care Culture

Google Analytics

Email Marketing

Thursday 24 January - 9.30am-4.30pm £150+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Thursday 14 February - 9.30am-1.30pm £80+VAT Members / £188+VAT Non-members

Wednesday 27 February - 9.30am-1.30pm £80+VAT Members / £100+VAT Non-member

Quality Manager Training

Thursday 24 January - 9.30am-4.30pm £236+VAT Members / £295+VAT Non-members Introduction to WordPress

Tuesday 29 January - 9.30am-1.30pm £80+VAT Members / £100+VAT Non-members Search Engine Optimisation

Wednesday 30 January - 9.30am-1.30pm £80+VAT Members / £100+VAT Non-members

For more information and bookings contact us on 01905 673 611, training@hwchamber.co.uk. or www.hwchamber.co.uk/training Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

025

ADVERTORIALFEATURE

Key trends Key trends and challenges and challenges for HRfor in 2019 HR inand 2019 and 13/03/19 13/03/19 UNIQUE EVENTbeyond ANDbeyond MEETING SPACE AT PERSHORE COLLEGE Key trends and challenge Pershore College’s £5.8m transformation, houses business suites and versatile spaces for conferences, meetings and entertainment.

Acas West Acas Midlands West Midlands Annual Annual Conference Conference 2019 2019

Birmingham Birmingham

we will tailor a menu to compliment your event and budget.

beyond

CORPORATE TEAM DAYS 09:30-15:30 09:30-15:30 The beautiful surroundings, with landscape The legal The and legal economic andtogether economic landscape and howand it affects how it your affects your Come toAcas Midlands Annu PershoreWest College for your team modern facilities, makes Pershore College away day for fun team building, great food business or workplace is constantly evolving, evolving, and legislation and legislation is is an idealbusiness location foror anyworkplace meetings or is constantly and state of the art meeting spaces and The legal andis economic landscap training events.

170 170 frequently frequently introduced introduced and amended. and amended.

facilities. Pershore College in a beautiful location with views of the Malvern Hills business or workplace is constantly THE FACILITY and is a great place to get away from the From the elegance of Avonbank to the frequently introduced a • Join Acas • Join and Acas leading and leading industryindustry experts experts for an insight for an into insight the into key HR the key HR and try something workplace new. versatility of our tiered seated lecture theatre, we have a your wide range of rooms our experts in horticulture, food challenges challenges facing facing organisation your organisation in 2019, in order 2019, in that order your that your Let Topics Topics include: include: suitable for meetings of two up to 187 production, juice andand cider leading making create a • Join Acas industry expe n Exclusive use well (by arrangement) business business can staycan informed, stay informed, legally compliant legally compliant and and prepared. well prepared. guests. fun and unique team building session for you. challenges facing n Fully licensed bar and nightclub The economic The economic and your andorganisation i n An ideal central England location MAKE A BOOKING available for hire business canlandscape stay informed, legally co legal landscape legal • Experts • Experts inthan the15world in theoffrom world work of will work provide a pertinent a pertinent insight into insight some intoWe some are entirely flexible, allowing you to n Less minutes M5 junction 7 will provide n Delegate’s discount of 10% at onsite

hiring our facilities by the Keybetween HR developments Key HR developments n barriers Pershore rail station only three miles of the of the barriers impacting impacting employee employee engagement engagement and workplace and workplacechoose Plant Centre hour, half-day or whole day. Our rates are from the college and challenges challenges • Experts in all the worldorof norganisations Ensuitecan student accommodation may competitive toand suit budgets wework can will prov take can to overcome take to overcome productivity productivity and keyand measures key measures organisations n Free on-site parking be available to hire by delegates provide bespoke packages.

Best practice Best practice to to of the barriers impacting employee e these. these. n Free internet access To make an workplace enquiry or workplace booking, contact tackle tackle CATERING productivity and key measures organ space@wcg.ac.uk or call us on 0300 456 4550. n Fully equipped training and meeting rooms Our professional in-house catering team bullying bullying these.

The conference The conference includesincludes the following the following presentations: will freshly presentations: prepare quality hot and cold n Multi-purpose hall with retractable seating Productivity Productivity catering on the premises, to your exact n Business services: photocopying, PC dietary requirements.

Trafficking Trafficking • How to • improve How to improve productivity productivity and performance and performance throughthrough effectively effectivelyThe conference access, printing and faxing includes breakfast, morningHalse; awareness awareness and and in Whether the workplaceinyou therequire workplaceAllan Halse; Allan managing managing bullying bullying and harassment and harassment n Technical support available coffee, a buffet lunch, or a formal dinner,

the following

labour labour exploitation • Howexploitationto improve productivity and pe what it is what and it tools is and tools managing bullying and harassment in Learn how Learn tackling how tackling workplace workplace bullying can bullying helpcan improve help improve morale and morale and to help prevent toofhelp it. prevent it. (New Zealand Director CultureSafe productivity productivity in your organisation. in your organisation.

Menopause in the in the Key trends and challenges for HR in 2019 and Menopause workplace bullying ca 13/03/19 • Modern • Modern Slavery-Lys Slavery-Lys Ford of the FordGangmasters of the Gangmasters and Labour and Abuse Labour Abuse Learn how tackling workplace-headline workplace-headline productivity in your organisation. beyond Authority Authority (GLAA) (GLAA) findings findings and and • Modern Slavery-Lys Ford of the Gan Birmingham Millions of Millions people ofworldwide people worldwide are victims areof victims human oftrafficking human trafficking and forced and forcedguidance guidance for for Authority (GLAA) Acas West Midlands Annual Conference 2019 employers. labour. Acas This labour. presentation This presentation will focus will onfocus trafficking on trafficking awareness awareness for business, for business, employers.

West Midlands Annual Conference 2019 Millions of people worldwide are victims spotting spotting the key indicators the key indicators and nextand steps. next steps.

Recruitment Recruitment 09:30-15:30 The legal and economic landscape andlandscape how it affects your business or workplace The legal and economic and how it affects your labour. This presentation Employment Employment law law will focus on tr • Menopause Menopause in theevolving, workplace in theand workplace case study-Dr case study-Dr Vanessa Vanessa Beck ofand Beck Bristol of Bristol is• constantly legislation is frequently introduced amended. business or workplace is constantly evolving, and legislation isspotting the key indicators and next step update update University University and Joanna and Brewis Joannaof Brewis Leicester of Leicester University University . .

DirectorDirector of CultureSafe of CultureSafe (New Zealand).

(New Zealand).

Key trends and challenges for HR in 2019 and beyond

• Join Acas and leadingfrequently industry experts for an insight into the key HR challenges introduced and amended.

170

• Menopause in the workplace case s facing yourfour organisation 2019, in order your business can stay informed, Two of the Two four of the co-authors co-authors of thein2017 of the Government 2017 that Government Equalities Equalities Office report Office report legally compliant and well prepared.

University and Joanna Brewis of Leice ‘The effects ‘Theof effects of menopause transition transition onindustry women’s onexperts women’s economic economic participation participation in the key inHR • menopause Join Acas and leading for an insight into • Experts in the world of work will provide pertinent insight into some of the barriers Two of the four co-authors of the 2017 G the UK’ will thediscuss UK’ willthe discuss four the cases four forcases employers for employers to take menopause to take menopause in the in the

Topics include:

challenges facing your organisation inproductivity 2019, in order thatmeasures your organisations can take to impacting employee engagement and workplace and key

‘The effects of menopause transition on overcome these. seriously. seriously. workplace workplace business can stay informed, legally compliant and well prepared.

The conference includes following presentations: • Recruitment-Tracey • Recruitment-Tracey Evansthe FIRP; Evans Group FIRP; HR Group and Quality HR and Director Quality Director of of the UK’ will discuss the four cases for em

The economic and

•Pertemps How to improve productivity and performance through effectively managing bullying and harassment in the seriously.

Pertemps legal landscape • Experts in the world of work will provide a pertinent insight intoworkplace some workplace- Allan Halse; Director of CultureSafe (New Zealand).

• Recruitment-Tracey Evans FIRP; Grou Key HR developments • Employment • Employment Law Update-Damien Kelly of Kelly Higgsengagement of&Higgs Sons gives & Sons a roundgives a roundofLaw the Update-Damien barriers impacting employee and workplace • Modern Slavery-Lys Ford of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) Pertemps and challenges up of theup most of productivity the recent mostand recent forth-coming changes changes in employment in employment canlegislation. take tolegislation. overcome andand keyforth-coming measures organisations • Menopause in the workplace case study-Dr Vanessa Beck of Bristol University and Joanna Brewis of Leicester Best Law practice to • Employment Update-Damien Ke University these.

• Recruitment - Tracey Evans FIRP; Group HR and Quality Director of Pertemps

tackle workplace up of the most recent and forth-coming

bullying Productivity Trafficking • How to improve productivity and performance through effectively To book Tocall book 0300 call123 0300 1150 123 or 1150 email or events@acas.org.uk email events@acas.org.uk awareness and managing bullying and harassment in the workplace- Allan Halse; labour exploitationDirector of CultureSafe (New Zealand).

To book call 0300 123 1150 or ema what it is and tools Learn how tackling workplace bullying can help improve morale and January/February 2019 026 to help prevent it.

The conference theoffollowing presentations: • Employment Law Updateincludes - Damien Kelly Higgs & Sons

productivity in your organisation.

LEGALMATTERS

NEW TEAM MEMBERS AT LANYON BOWDLER Sally and Claire join the already well-established team in Hereford, including commercial and agricultural property associate solicitor, Sarah Whittall, and partner and employment lawyer, Will Morse, in providing services to businesses across Herefordshire.

Law firm, Lanyon Bowdler, is expanding its team in Hereford as it continues to provide legal services to a growing number of businesses across the region.

Commercial and agricultural solicitor, Sally McFadden, and dispute resolution solicitor, Claire Yardley, both join as associates at the firm’s offices in Hereford’s Offa Street.

Sally joins Lanyon Bowdler after working in national and regional practices in Birmingham, Bath and Gloucestershire.

She provides legal support relating to commercial and agricultural property transactions, including land sales and purchases, and refinancing options.

Sally takes a keen interest in sustainability issues and has specialist knowledge of contracts for renewable energy, including biomass, turbines and photovoltaics, which have been of particular interest to farmers and landowners recently.

Claire Yardley

Will, who heads up the Hereford office, said: “Herefordshire is a great place to do business, which is reflected in the increase in demand for our professional legal services.

Sally McFadden

Claire has previously worked at Wragge & Co LLP in Birmingham and a regional practice in Hereford, and deals with a broad range of dispute resolution matters and all aspects of civil and commercial litigation.

She supports businesses in cases including professional negligence claims, contractual issues and insolvency matters.

Claire has been involved in numerous mediations and works closely with clients to resolve issues prior to court action whenever possible.

“I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to Sally and Claire, who are both experienced specialists who will add even greater depth to the level of expertise we can offer to our clients and know the region very well.

“We now have a very strong team here in Hereford, providing a wide range of services to businesses across all sectors and of every size, from large multinational organisations through to local SMEs.” For more information, contact Lanyon Bowdler Solicitors on 01432 352345, email info@lblaw.co.uk or visit www.lblaw.co.uk

Transparently priced, practical advice and support delivered by legal specialists in Herefordshire Our specialist corporate, commercial property, dispute resolution and employment lawyers provide support to help you grow and protect your business, giving you a solid foundation to build upon

Incorporating Beaumonts Solicitors

01432 378379 www.lblaw.co.uk Our People, Your Team

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

Beaumont House, Offa Street, Hereford HR1 2LH 44 High Street, Bromyard HR7 4AE Offices also in Shrewsbury | Ludlow | Oswestry | Telford

027

CHAMBEREVENTS

www.hwchamber.co.uk/events

CHAMBER BUSINESS EXPO, SPONSORED

BY HEWETT RECRUITMENT

The two counties' biggest business exhibition will be returning to the Three Counties Showground on Thursday 7 March. This is your chance to meet new suppliers, generate sales and increase awareness of the products and services that you offer to over 800 attendees.

ENTRIES OPEN FOR THE CHAMBER BUSINESS AWARDS Entries for the annual Chamber Business Awards open on Friday 11 January 2019, with the lavish black tie awards ceremony taking place on Thursday 4 July at the Worcester Arena, sponsored by

The awards are free to enter for Members and Non-Members, and the opportunities that come alongside entering an award are invaluable including; a great boost to staff morale, a powerful tool to raise your profile and a way to stand out against your competitors. n Best use of Technology, sponsored by TechTeam n Employer of the Year, sponsored by University of Worcester n Excellence in Customer Service, sponsored by Handelsbanken n Excellence in Innovation, sponsored

by Malvern Hills Science Park

n Most Promising New Business, sponsored by mfg Solicitors LLP n Small Business of the Year, sponsored

by Orchard Valley Foods n The Professional Services Award, sponsored by Worcestershire County Council

We are pleased to reveal that the Food and Drink Producers Zone, sponsored by mfg Solicitors, will return as a main feature on the day, featuring local food and drink companies who will be showcasing their products and offering free samples throughout the day.

“Fisher German have been exhibitors at the Expo for many years, we really enjoyed the experience and felt that our aim to increase brand awareness was successful.” – Fisher German Exhibition stand bookings start from £299.00+VAT, for all information about the Expo including booking forms, please visit www.hwchamber. co.uk/events/business-expo or contact the Events team on 01905 673 624.

n NEW – E-Commerce Business of the Year, sponsored by Air Products n NEW – Family Business of the Year

n Exporter of the Year, sponsored by Malvern Instruments

All winners will be automatically entered into the Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Folk2Folk, which crowns the winner of winners for 2019.

n Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace, sponsored by Proton Partners Int

Entries close at 4.00pm on Friday 29 March 2019.

n High Growth Business of the Year, sponsored by Hewett Recruitment

To download any application forms please visit www.hwchamber.co.uk, all entries must be submitted to awards@hwchamber.co.uk

n Manufacturer of the Year, sponsored

by QinetiQ

028

n Micro Business of the Year, sponsored

by Worcestershire Business Central

The Expo includes a dedicated Networking Zone, sponsored by Haines Watts, which provides exhibitors and visitors alike with a place to get together and do further business. FREE tea and coffee, kindly donated by Water Cooler World, will also be on hand to provide refreshments during those all important conversations.

Tickets will go on sale on Monday 15 April.

January/February 2019

CHAMBEREVENTS

NETWORKING CALENDAR JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2019 JANUARY

FEBRUARY

Worcestershire Networking Lunch Friday 18 January - 12.30-2.30pm Northwick Hotel, Waterside, Evesham WR11 1BT FREE for Members / £20.00+VAT Non-members

Network’GIN Thursday 7 February - 5.30-7.00pm The Brickroom, New St, Worcester WR1 2DL £20.00+VAT Members / £35.00+VAT Non-members

Curry Club in association with Sharpmonkeys Tuesday 22 January - 5.30-7.30pm Ashley's Indian, 11 The Tything, Worcester, WR1 1HD £20.00+VAT Members / £35.00+VAT Non-members

Pizza and Professionals Wednesday 13 February - 5.30-7.00pm Benedicto’s Italian Restaurant, 34 Sidbury, Worcester WR1 2HZ £20.00+VAT Members / £35.00+VAT Non-members

Worcester HR Forum in association with Hewett Recruitment Wednesday 23 January - 9.30-11.30am Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce, Severn House, Prescott Drive, Worcester WR4 9NE FREE for Members & Clients of Hewett Recruitment / £35.00+VAT Non-members Leadership Development Series Wednesday 23 January - 8.30-11.00am Bank House Hotel Spa and Golf, Bransford, Worcester WR6 5JD £59.00+VAT Members / £79.00+VAT Non-members Chamber Business Manifesto 2019 - Breakfast Launch Friday 25 January - 7.30-9.30am Worcestershire County Cricket Club, New Road, Worcester WR2 4QQ FREE for Members / £20.00+VAT Non-members Herefordshire Networking Breakfast Wednesday 30 January - 7.30-9.30am Penyard House, Weston Under Penyard, Ross-on-Wye HR9 7YH FREE for Members / £20.00+VAT Non-members Worcester Women’s Business Forum Thursday 31 January - 9.30-11.30am Spetchley Park Gardens, The Estate Office, Spetchley WR5 1RS FREE for Members / £20.00+VAT Non-members

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

Hereford Women’s Business Forum in associtation with Thorne Widgery Accountancy Thursday 14 February - 9.30-11.30am Wyevale Business Park, 2 Wyevale Way, Hereford HR4 7BS The/ clock is ticking on FREE for Members £20.00+VAT Non-members

Making Tax Digital for VAT

Maximise your–Membership Are you prepared?

Friday 15 February - 8.30-11.00am Bank House Hotel Spa and Golf, Bransford, Worcester WR6 5JD FREE for Members With little time left to prepare for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT, it is important that businesses in Herefordshire and Worcestershire quickly get up to speed with the new way of recording and submitting their VAT returns.

Who will be affected?

VAT registered businesses with a turnover above the VAT threshold– will need to keep digital records and submit VAT returns using HMRC compliant software. This will apply to your first VAT period with a start date after 1 April 2019, while those below the threshold will be able to join the new regime on a voluntary basis.

If you’ve not yet done so, then you’re not alone. A survey by the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAEW) at the end of September found that around 20 per cent of businesses with taxable turnover above the VAT threshold (£85,000), admitted they had made no preparations at all.

As one of the primary partners in the region for the UK’s leading software provider, Xero, not only can we help you with the transition to digital accounting, but we can provide unique insights and tools that will add significant value to your business by enhancing your decision-making ability. Using Xero’s cloud-based accounting systems we provide solutions for all types of business with differing levels of technical confidence, from full bookkeeping support to cloud accounting software set up and training - ensuring your business is ready for MTD.

Worcestershire Networking Breakfast Thursday 21 February - 7.30-9.30am Foleys Cafe, New Road, Worcester WR2 4QQ FREE for Members / £20.00+VAT Non-members Are there any exemptions?

Exemptions will be offered to businesses on the grounds of religion, insolvency, or because it is not reasonably practicable to use digital tools. HMRC has announced that the most complex businesses will have until October 2019 before they need to comply.

However, for the majority of businesses who currently file VAT returns, the new rules will apply from April 2019.

What is MTD and how will it affect me?

The Government first announced its plans for MTD in the 2015 Budget. Heralded as the biggest shake-up in the UK tax system since the introduction of Pay-as-you-Earn in 1944, MTD was originally intended to fully digitise both personal and business taxation.

The snap general election and the additional workload caused by Brexit has delayed some of the Government’s plans and MTD will not apply to other taxes until 2020 at the earliest.

However, MTD for VAT is still moving ahead as planned and the new way of keeping digital VAT records and submitting them to HMRC will change in April 2019.

What happens if I don’t file my VAT returns digitally From April 2019?

HMRC has confirmed that there will be two separate penalty systems for late filing and late payment under MTD for VAT. Late filing will attract penalty points, which will accrue and after four late submissions, a penalty will be charged for each late submission. Meanwhile, late payments will attract penalties after 15 days, before doubling after 30 days, with daily penalties charged thereafter. A ‘soft landing’ period for late submissions will be in place in the first year, but digital record keeping will be compulsory from April 2019.

Our team is highly skilled in consulting with businesses and supporting them throughout their journey by providing advice and a full range of services to complement the accounts production using our portfolio of services, which include bookkeeping, payroll, tax advice and auditing. We are extremely proud of our innovative approach to accounting, which was recognised at this year’s British Accountancy Awards 2018, where we received the Xero Small Practice Innovation of the Year Award.

Hereford HR Forum in association with Hewett Recruitment Wednesday 27 February - 9.30-11.30am Hereford Business Solutions The biggest Centre, Coldnose Road, Hereford HR2 6JS shake-up in FREE for Members Clients of Hewett Recruitment / the UK& tax system. £35.00+VAT Non-members What does HMRC mean by ‘digital’?

WE HAVE For the purposes of MTD for VAT, you will be required to use a HMRC compliant ‘designated software package’ for recording and submitting your VAT returns.

A

This not only took into consideration our work with online accounting software but also highlighted our creation of effective solutions for clients through our services and use of technology. If you are still unsure of what MTD means for your businesses or you are concerned about your preparations for it then now is the time to act.

Don’t delay, speak to our team today!

To find out more get in touch with How can I ensure my business us on 01432 276393 or email us complies with MTD for VAT? at info@thornewidgery.co.uk The transition to MTD was never going to be straightforward, but it doesn’t have to be Hereford stressful either. Our award-winning team 2 Wyevale Business Park, at Thorne Widgery have beenIN working with 100% SUCCESS RATE IMMIGRATION King’s APPLICATIONS Acre, Hereford, HR4 7BS businesses to help them migrate their records online using the latest accounting technology.

Our unique approach combined with the expertise of our team Thursday Connections in association ensures that we submit the best application for our clients to the Office for consideration. with Harrison ClarkHome Rickerbys Thursday 28 February - 5.30-7.00pm Talk to us: 01905 612 001 | Website: www.hcrlaw.com Cellar Door, 25 Widemarsh St, Hereford HR4 9EA FREE for Members / £20.00+VAT Non-members

Ludlow 5 Parkway, Off Corve Street, Ludlow, SY8 2PG

Claire Thompson, Partner, Harrison Clark Rickerbys

029

BIGINTERVIEW

CREATING POSITIVE CHANGE “I feel passionate about creating and sustaining rural communities in the UK,” says Giles Cross, CEO of FOLK2FOLK. In this edition of BD, we speak to Giles about his motivation and his vision for business today.

“We’re a nation of entrepreneurs, yet 96% of businesses employ less than nine people. Running a small business is really hard which is why it’s so important that support is available to help them flourish.”

Built on the concept of ‘fair exchange’, FOLK2FOLK is a peer-to-peer lender which enables local businesses looking for loans to be matched with individual investors. It’s based on a business model which stretches back over 300 years, pre-dating the traditional banks and building societies, but now brought up-to-date and regulated.

Responsible capitalism is at the heart of their operations and Giles’ view is that “you can have a responsible footprint as a business and still deliver good corporate outcomes. We have a commitment to doing things properly and creating positive change.”

His observations draw on 20 years’ experience of marketing financial services, in a career which saw him join FOLK2FOLK as Chief Marketing Officer in 2017 before becoming CEO in January 2018.

030

“FOLK2FOLK is leading a Local Lending Movement by enabling Lenders to support local businesses grow, develop and diversify, all of which has flow-on positive impacts for local and rural communities.

In essence, by facilitating straightforward local peer-to-peer lending we’re helping to create and sustain, financially and socially successful local communities.”

Proud to call themselves a ‘Human2Human’ (H2H) business, rather a B2C or B2B, FOLK2FOLK favour the existence of a local physical network.

At a time when more and more services are available online only, FOLK2FOLK has chosen a different path as a national business with a local presence. Currently in Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Cornwall and Devon Giles has the intention to further strengthen FOLK2FOLK’s national ‘on the ground’ presence in 2019.

FOLK2FOLK is building on their success, with Local ‘Chapters’ being formed around their local areas to help deliver ‘The Local Lending Movement’.

Technology plays a key role for the award-winning platform; however, it’s harnessed to enhance human relations never used at the expense of them. You can still pick up a phone or step into a local branch and speak to one of the team.

It is this human touch and transparency which marks FOLK2FOLK out from many businesses in the financial sector.

Borrowers know from whom they are borrowing, whilst Lenders know exactly where their funds are being invested, with the full interest rate paid by the Borrower going directly to the Lender.

“We’re doing things in a way that hasn’t been done for a long time - and we’re making a profit. We’ve set out our stall, made a customer promise and delivered on it - focusing on building long-term customer relations.”

Founded, just six years ago, the results have been remarkable. While any investment carries a degree of risk, at the time of speaking to us, FOLK2FOLK has lent over £260m with no Lender losses, an unusual feat for a peer-to-peer lender and a record they are determined to maintain.

January/February 2019

BIGINTERVIEW ‘Prudence’ appears to be their watchword; their sound track record is based on a conservative and common sense approach to lending but they are not resting on their laurels and continue to improve the ways in which they monitor and control their portfolio.

The company’s success has been recognised by a plethora of awards including ‘Business of the Year’ at the Western Morning News Business Awards 2017, ‘Best Multi-channel Small Business’ at the Small Awards 2018 and ‘Alternative Finance Provider of the Year’ at the Insider Dealmakers Awards 2018 – to name a few.

Speaking of his vision for business, Giles explains: “as business people, we should think about what happens as a result of what we do. We need to be aware of our ‘business emissions’ as it were and have a socially responsible agenda – recognising that being good is good for business.

“We have a responsibility to create a better environment, working together in a collaborative way, so that we identify a problem, create an agenda and work together to resolve that problem. Creating an ecosystem that has a positive impact on the communities around us.

“Businesses need to be brave and decent, existing beyond their own gain and recognising their position within society.

Worcestershire and Herefordshire have a great tradition of philanthropy, of businesses doing all that they can for the local community and we need to draw on this tradition.”

As a business committed to creating vibrant rural economies and supporting local businesses, FOLK2FOLK is pleased to announce their sponsorship of the Chamber Business Awards 2019.

“Worcestershire is really important to me”, explains Giles, “I first came here aged 37 for a job – I’d never been here before and didn’t know what to expect – I just turned off the M5 and ended up working for a great guy in a local firm who was very kind to me.

“I was blown away at how Worcestershire embraced me and at how supportive the business community is here. I had six very

Giles Cross, CEO of FOLK2FOLK

happy years working in Worcester and any personal success I’ve gone on to enjoy has been a direct result of my time with the Worcestershire business community.

“The region has become a very special place for me, that’s why it’s important to me that FOLK2FOLK has a presence in Worcestershire and Herefordshire; and that we are playing our part supporting local businesses, as the business community has supported me.

“We are pleased to be sponsoring the Chamber Business Awards – which celebrate the region’s vibrant business community. There is nothing quite like these awards and being involved is a pleasure.

“It’s so great to see everyone at the chamber again – it feels like coming home.“ www.folk2folk.com

We’re a nation of entrepreneurs, yet 96% of businesses employ less than nine people. Running a small business is really hard which is why it’s so important that support is available to help them flourish Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

031

COVERFEATURE

PRIMROSE HOSPICE SHINES A LIGHT Founded in Bromsgrove in 1987, Primrose Hospice provides care and support for patients with life limiting illnesses and their families.

Their expert and compassionate team take a holistic approach, providing whatever help individuals need – whether it is emotional, clinical, practical or a combination of all three.

Offering pre and post bereavement support in the form of individual or group therapy sessions, the Primrose team also support those affected by a sudden death.

Praise for their services is effusive “words cannot express my gratitude”, “I want to say a HUGE thank you,” “you provided excellent, specialised end of life care which was gratefully received.” “...you all do such a brilliant and selfless and I should imagine, a difficult job. I think you are all amazing. I can’t thank you enough.” £1.75m is required to deliver their crucial services free of charge, so a number of fundraising events are organised each year which enable the Hospice to operate.

Step out on the Primrose Hospice Lantern walk on 2nd February 2019 and enjoy a scenic stroll at dusk around the grounds of the National Trust’s Hanbury Hall.

Join in the Lights of Love campaign, participate in a Santa Fun Run or enjoy a Primrose Choir Proms Concert – there are more events planned in 2019.

Another mainstay of their funding is the Worcestershire Hospices Lottery, which provides support for Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust, St Richard’s Hospice and Primrose Hospice.

“Every little helps,” explains Communications Officer Catherine Phillips, “there are lots of things you can do to get involved. Join in an event, organise a fundraiser or donate funds, time or expertise.

032

CONDUCTIVE EDUCATION MAKES A DIFFERENCE The capacity to learn and develop is within us all – this is the belief at the heart of conductive education, which provides great benefits for those of us with movement disorders such as cerebral palsy, dyspraxia and acquired brain injury.

MBH was opened in 2002 by Jo Baker-Watson with the initial purpose to provide conductive education for her daughter Megan. MBH has gone on to help hundreds people to improve their gross and fine motor skills, enabling them to lead more independent lives.

MBH has been based at Moreton Eye, Leominster for most of its time but today they also have a base in Ledbury, enabling them to extend their services to more children as well as to adults with Parkinson’s disease and stroke.

Feedback is glowing, for MBH is an inclusive environment, with a relaxed atmosphere, which really makes a difference.

Praise repeatedly mentions improvements in balance, stability and coordination, which in turn lead to a growing confidence and independence.

“MBH has shown my son skills that I never thought he would be able to do, their commitment to their students is incredible and shows with great results,” one parent writes. Whilst another says, “MBH has definitely helped with Henry’s physical problems and increased his confidence. He has a much more independent attitude.”

Such is the stature of this local charity, the University of Worcester send their trainee teachers to MBH for work experience in the field of special educational needs and disability.

“Local businesses have been enormously helpful to us – we simply couldn’t deliver our services without their support.”

Relying entirely on charitable gifts and grants, with no statutory funding, charges for their services are small and no one is turned away, so their fundraising events, like the upcoming Mad Hatters Ball 2019, are one way in which you can support them. Some local businesses also donate funds through the ‘Sponsor a Child’ scheme.

www.primrosehospice.org

www.meganbakerhouse.org.uk

January/February 2019

COVERFEATURE

GRACE KELLY CHILDHOOD CANCER TRUST - AWARENESS, RESEARCH AND SUPPORT Childhood cancer is the most common medical cause of death of children in the UK. Every year, just under 4,000 children and young adults receive this life-changing diagnosis.

One such child was 4 year old Grace Kelly, who passed away in 2014, a caring and compassionate girl, who looked after others before herself. Grace’s wish to help other, inspired the foundation of the Worcester-based Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust (GKCCT) in 2016.

Working to raise awareness of childhood cancer, including the signs and symptoms with which it may present, the charity produces educational resources for parents and clinicians, provides support to families and funds research into rare solid tumours of childhood.

Given the importance of an early diagnosis – the GKCCT has produced awareness cards to identify warning symptoms and signs, which are already having an impact. Already over 400,000 cards have been distributed, with 6 children receiving an early diagnosis as a direct result of their parents reading the card.

Their research continues apace with two programmes funded into rhabdoid and other rare solid tumours to help find better and kinder treatments for children with these aggressive tumours. Every day, 11 children receive a cancer diagnosis and of these 3 will not recover – the charity is striving to bring about change.

As a smaller, less well-known charity, it’s a challenge to raise funds – but they’ve found great support from local businesses, including Worcester Bosh who’ve raised an incredible £14,181, whilst Tesco’s Bags of Help has been another great source of funding.

Looking forward, the GKCCT presents the Ladybird Masquerade Ball on Saturday 23rd March at the Chateau Impney, Droitwich, sponsored by Southco.

You can support the ball too through sponsorship, by donating auction items or by joining this evening of glamour and entertainment. Step onto the dance floor. www.gkcct.org

THE ELY MEMORIAL FUND At 11.40pm on the 30th September 2010, the Police knocked at Ange & Steve Tyler’s door giving the harrowing news their only daughter Emma Louise Young just 23, had died in a car crash.

The emotional turmoil brought financial challenges.

Emma died Intestate and without life insurance. Emma’s funeral cost almost £5,000 and in this instance, her Nan was able to help – but many people find themselves with no financial support whatsoever.

The E.L.Y Memorial Fund was founded in memory of Emma, for the purpose of offering a one-off condolence gift towards funeral costs up to £3,000 to help families in Herefordshire if they lose a son/daughter aged between 17 to 25 in a road traffic collision. They are also active in road safety campaigning.

Our “HUGS from ELY” funeral pack covers costs and provides guidance to support families in the early months of losing their child. “Grief affects everyone differently,” explains Angela, “finding the right support is crucial at a time of devastation.”

Diana & Nigel Wood tragically lost their son Tom Wood four years ago, state: “The sudden death of Tom was not planned for and we had the worry of how we could afford the funeral that Tom deserved.

With emotions creating mayhem with our lives, the donation from ELY made a huge difference to us in that the last thing we were able to do for Tom could be done properly”.

Entirely self-funding, we hold many events every year.

Our popular events - ELY 100 cycle ride, Charity Golf Day and our Bi-annual Charity Ball next year 23/11/19 at Alexander Park, Nr. Ledbury.

“As a small charity, raising our profile within the rural county is challenging, so we’re very grateful to businesses who support us with sponsors and raffle prizes. We hope this will continue through 2019” explains Angela. www.ely-memorial-fund.org.uk

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

033

CHARITYFOCUS

BIG DREAMS, SMALL CHARITY Leominster based charity Marches Family Network has big ambitions to meet the increasing needs of vulnerable children and young people in Herefordshire.

DRIVE4LIFE TO RAISE AWARENESS OF INCREASING ROAD TRAFFIC COLLISIONS As the number of road traffic collisions (RTCs) attended by Midlands Air Ambulance Charity continues to rise each year, the emergency pre-hospital service has launched ‘Drive4Life’ in partnership with M6toll, to highlight the increasing cost of RTCs to the charity.

The charity is the only provider of short breaks catering for under-11’s in Herefordshire, working with young people aged 3-25 years with a disability or additional needs and providing Family Support.

Each vitally important air ambulance mission costs the organisation £2,500, which is solely funded through the generosity of the communities it serves and local businesses. In 2017, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity attended 664 RTCs, which cost a shocking £1.7million.

We offer Saturday and after school clubs, day trips and holiday adventure schemes, enabling young people to meet and make friends, develop social and self-help skills, confidence, self-esteem and independence in a safe, supportive environment.

Ian Roberts, air operations manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “Due to the nature of our operation, and the ability to bring enhanced pre-hospital care to the roadside, the critical care paramedics and doctors often called out to some of the most badly injured patients involved in road-related incidents.

Services run in Herefordshire and South Shropshire with over 200 young people registered, 71 of whom have attended activities this year.

“Unfortunately, there is an upward trend in the number of RTCs we attend year on year, which has a cost impact on the charity. In 2015, we attended 493 RTCs, which cost £1.232million and in 2016, the 541 RTCs cost £1.352million. We saw a 23 per cent increase in RTCs in 2017, which equated to almost two per day and cost £1.7million. Already this year* we have attended 405 RTCs, which cost £1.012million.

We run the All Interactive inclusion project, which aims to increase opportunities and choice throughout Herefordshire for all young people.

Trained, experienced staff support the young people, enabling their parents, carers and siblings to have a break and recharge batteries. A huge range of indoor and outdoor experiences are offered, with attention paid to the individual needs of those attending.

To increase operational and funding efficiency the charity is keen to work towards bringing everything under one roof in its own premises. Currently sessions are delivered in a variety of hired venues and the charity’s stock of toys, equipment and resources are in storage.

We welcome advice and input from anyone with sound business experience who could help the charity achieve this dream.

Marches Family Network, 11 Corn Square, Leominster HR6 8YP, tel 01568 614908 www.marchesfamilynetwork.co.uk

Sofia Voutianitis, corporate partnerships manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, explains Drive4Life: “Having the very best clinical care gives patients the best chance of survival and full recovery, which is why Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s support at an incident scene is so vital in an emergency.

“Due to the rising number of RTCs the aircrew attend each year, the cost to the charity is naturally on the rise too. As a service, which operates solely on donations, it is extremely important we continue to raise funds to ensure we can respond to these patients whenever we’re needed.

“Drive4Life therefore aims to highlight why it is so important to support us, and as part of the campaign, we are working alongside longstanding corporate partner, M6toll, to encourage car dealerships to get involved and donate to us, every time they sell a vehicle.”

James Hodson, director of motorway operations at M6toll, adds: “While statistically the M6toll is one of the safest motorways in the UK, we are always grateful for the lifesaving support of the Midlands Air Ambulance when accidents do occur.

“We are so proud to support this valuable campaign, helping to communicate vital road safety messages to drivers across the Midlands and beyond.”

To find out more about the Drive4Life campaign, please contact Sofia Voutianitis via email sofia.voutianitis@midlandsairambulance.com * January – early November 2018

034

January/February 2019

CHARITYFOCUS

WEST MERCIA WOMEN’S AID West Mercia Women’s Aid assists women and children affected by domestic abuse.

Demand for services continues to grow, despite major reductions in funding from statutory and local authority organisations.

Herefordshire FA [ www.herefordshirefa.com ] info@HerefordshireFA.com

A not-for-profit organisation Developing and supporting football Educating coaches and referees

Championing equality & inclusion Supporting local clubs

These are challenging times for all those fighting against domestic abuse, and West Mercia Women’s Aid is no different. Whilst West Mercia local authorities see domestic abuse as a critical issue and understand the importance of specialist services, years of cuts to local authority funding and the wider public sector have led to corresponding cuts in the value of our contracts, and an increase in the complexity of need experiences by women seeking our help. The external pressures on our organisation, and the sector as a whole, will only continue to increase in the coming years. We are preparing by identifying new income streams and constantly reviewing our activity to ensure we work as effectively and efficiently as possible. As part of our 5-year Strategic Plan, we are working to increase income to the organisation from sources of non-statutory funding to support the development of new projects and to underpin core work, continue to invest in the skills and knowledge of our staff and volunteers, and to review and enhance our work with children and young people impacted by domestic abuse and as a preventative measure.

You You can can make make a a difference difference

West West Mercia Mercia Women’s Women’s Aid Aid assists assists women women and and children children affected by by domestic domestic abuse. abuse. Demand Demand for for services services continues continues affected to to grow, grow, despite despite major major reductions reductions in in funding funding from from statutory statutory and and local local authority authority organisations. organisations.

West Mercia Women’s Aid assists women and children affected bycharity, domestic abuse.

Demand fortoservices continues West Women’s Aidpenny assists women andMercia children AsMercia a local local every penny donated West Mercia As a charity, every donated to West to grow, despite major reductions in funding from statutory Women’s Aid will help fund their wide range of services, affected by domestic abuse.

Demand for services continues Women’s Aid will help fund their wide range of services, and local a authority organisations. including 24hr Helpline, Helpline, refuge, group group programmes, programmes, and and including a 24hr refuge, to grow, despite major reductions in funding from statutory support for for children children and and young young people. people. support a local charity,organisations. every penny donated to West Mercia andAs local authority Women’s Aid like will help fund their wide range of services, If you would to fundaise If you would like to make make a a donation donation or or fundraise fundaise on on group programmes,Team. and including aWMWA, 24hr Helpline, refuge, behalf of please contact our Fundraising behalf of WMWA, please contact our Fundraising Team.

As asupport local charity, every penny donated to West Mercia for children and young people.

You can make a difference You can make a difference

fundraising@wmwa.org.uk fundraising@wmwa.org.uk Women’s Aid will help fund their wide range of services, If you to make a donation fundaise on and @WestMerciaWomensAid including@WestMerciaWomensAid awould 24hrlike Helpline, refuge, grouporprogrammes, behalf of WMWA, please contact our Fundraising Team. @WMWomensAid for children and young people. support @WMWomensAid fundraising@wmwa.org.uk 07870 916688 916688 07870

Registered Charity #1078496 Registered Charity #1078496

If you would like to make a donation or fundaise on @WMWomensAid behalf of WMWA, please contact our Fundraising Team. @WestMerciaWomensAid

07870 916688

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

fundraising@wmwa.org.uk

Registered Charity #1078496

035

BUSINESSNEWS

UNIDOC SOLUTIONS HAVE TEAMED UP WITH ACORNS CHILDREN’S HOSPICE Unidoc’s Directors John Hooper and Chris Goff dropped into Acorns Children’s Hospice to donate a Sharp BIG PAD. Chris said: “Unidoc Solutions are delighted to assist Acorns with the donation of a Sharp Big Pad.” Toby Porter, Acorns Chief Executive, added: “We could not be more delighted with this brilliant donation from Unidoc Solutions. We aim to fill our children’s

hospices not only with medical care of the highest quality, but also make them places of fun, stimulation, creativity and laughter.

Toby added: “This donation is a fantastic example of how a partnership between a business and a charity can give access to invaluable, state-of-the-art technology.

Thank you to everyone at Unidoc Solutions for their generous gift, and for the hours and hours of fun and laughter this will bring to the children we care for.” www.unidocsolutions.co.uk

THOMAS CARROLL NAMED UK INSURANCE BROKER OF THE YEAR

GRAND OPENING OF NEW FACTORY FOLLOWING SIEMENS’ INVESTMENT In March last year, it was announced that Siemens would invest £27m in a new factory for Worcester-based Material Solutions Ltd, who is the conglomerate’s additive manufacturing specialist.

Material Solutions was delighted to open its doors in December 2018 to business leaders from across the county to enjoy a behind the scenes look at its extensive manufacturing capabilities in its new base.

Guests were welcomed by Phil Hatherley, General Manager at Material Solutions, before being lead on a tour of the new facility. Sharon Smith, CEO at H&W Chamber, and Simon Geraghty, Leader at Worcestershire County Council, were thrilled to be in attendance at the opening.

Following the tour, attendees reassembled for key note speeches delivered by Prof. Juergen Maier, CEO of Siemens UK, and Dr. Markus Seibold, Head of Additive Manufacturing at Siemens Power & Gas. The event provided a fantastic chance to celebrate the investment in a local manufacturer, as well as raising the profile of the county as a whole. www.materialsolutions.co.uk

MIDLANDS BUSINESS AWARDS FINALIST Areca Design is a finalist in the prestigious Midlands Business Awards for its inventive work in digital communications.

Developing cutting-edge Augmented Reality (AR) apps and innovative websites for clients across the region and beyond, the team at Areca Design are quickly becoming the leaders in providing interactive and engaging solutions.

The Awards aim to provide a powerful stimulus in creating a legacy which embraces talent, entrepreneurs and business development.

Managing Director, Mick Hurst, said: After nine years of working hard to ensure Areca Design, and our clients, are at the cutting-edge of marketing innovation, it is fantastic to be selected as one of the four finalists in the Digital Communications section of the Midlands Business Awards.

I must thank everyone who nominated or voted for us, there are thousands of businesses from Herefordshire to Lincolnshire to choose from, and to reach the final is a great privilege from my team.”

Thomas Carroll, the local insurance broking, risk and wealth management Group, has been named Insurance Broker of the Year at the 2018 British Insurance Awards.

The British Insurance Awards are the largest of their kind, with 24 categories covering all areas of insurance including general insurance, SMEs, claims specialists, brokers, underwriters and service providers.

Commenting on the award, Hereford Account Executive Dougie Spencer said: “Being named Insurance Broker of the Year is another proud moment in the history of Thomas Carroll. We pride ourselves on providing our clients with a professional and trustworthy service.” www.thomascarroll.co.uk

www.arecadesign.co.uk

036

January/February 2019

BUSINESSNEWS

LAND ROVER EXPERIENCE EASTNOR IS HELPING THOSE IN NEED THIS WINTER DRP HOSTS TRIUMPH GLOBAL DEALER CONFERENCE

Land Rover Experience Eastnor has been supporting Herefordshire Council’s care workers during the winter period.

drp was pleased to host Triumph Motorcycles’ Global Dealer Conference at the ExCel London from 23rd-24th October 2018. The conference gathered over 1,200 dealers from across the globe with the objective of communicating the ongoing future plans for the brand and future products.

The Experience Centre gave winter driving training to enable care workers to have confidence when tackling adverse weather such as snow and flooding, ensuring vulnerable and elderly people continued to receive the quality, urgent care they needed during the colder months.

drp helped to deliver all aspects of the event experience, from creative positioning through to full execution of production, delegate engagement, and logistics to create an unforgettable event. drpdigital also produced a digital mobile app for dealers to order a range of Triumph products which was heavily used throughout the conference.

Gareth Bright, Global Events Manager at Triumph Motorcycles, commented: “Our continued collaboration with drp has enabled us time and time again to deliver and execute a phenomenal Global Dealer Conference for Triumph dealers across the globe.”

In addition, where possible, the Land Rover Experience Team have been driving carers to patients in remote areas where conditions require a more capable vehicle.

Will Garrity, Venue Manager at the Experience Centre, said: “Everyone in our team is honoured to be supporting such a great cause, and helping make a real difference.”

The Experience Centre, located near Ledbury, hosts off-road driving experiences, bespoke team building days, and provides catering and meeting spaces for businesses. For more information, visit www.landrover.com/experienceeastnor.

POTENTIAL LEGAL CHANGES FOR CORPORATE INSOLVENCY AND RESTRUCTURING The government’s summer announcement that there’s going to be sweeping changes to Britain’s corporate insolvency and restructuring laws has created debate in many sectors. While the detail is still to be set in stone, it looks like the proposals will help companies to restructure more effectively and efficiently when they’re facing financial struggle.

It’s potentially good news which may also see directors faced with greater accountability, and the Insolvency Service handed more direct investigative powers. While the timing of the changes are unknown, it’s encouraging that these proposals will look to safeguard the UK as a place to do business, a country to invest in, and a place where the insolvency regime is fairer for all.

Overall, there’s no doubt that everyone would welcome laws which offer more fluid and management solutions when it comes to restructuring.

Nick Ruffles, Account Director at drp also commented: “Our sole aim was to create an experiential and informative conference that was like none other. We have a fantastic working relationship with Gareth and the Triumph team, and we’re excited for the next event.”

To keep updated on any potential changes to the legislation, Members can contact Sam Pedley at mfg Solicitors through samuel.pedley@mfgsolicitors.com. www.mfgsolicitors.com

www.drpgroup.com

WORCESTERSHIRE AMBASSADORS ANNOUNCE NEW PARTNERS The Worcestershire Ambassadors has named four businesses which have become the organisation’s first ever strategic partners.

Estate agency Andrew Grant and Worcester law firm Lowes Solicitors, together with events specialist DRP and Greenworks Solutions, a facilities management company, all become partners.

The deal will see all four businesses playing prominent roles in fundraising events and each will present £15,000 to four local charities after the charity ball in October.

Kevin Powell, chair of the Ambassadors, said: “Each of the new partner businesses have inspirational leaders who have done so much for local communities over

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

several decades. Taking their support up to the next level is a big milestone and we’re delighted to have them on board.” www.worcestershireambassadors.com

037

ADVERTORIALFEATURE

The clock is ticking on Making Tax Digital for VAT – Are you prepared?

With little time left to prepare for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT, it is important that businesses in Herefordshire and Worcestershire quickly get up to speed with the new way of recording and submitting their VAT returns.

If you’ve not yet done so, then you’re not alone. A survey by the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAEW) at the end of September found that around 20 per cent of businesses with taxable turnover above the VAT threshold (£85,000), admitted they had made no preparations at all.

What is MTD and how will it affect me?

The Government first announced its plans for MTD in the 2015 Budget. Heralded as the biggest shake-up in the UK tax system since the introduction of Pay-as-you-Earn in 1944, MTD was originally intended to fully digitise both personal and business taxation.

The snap general election and the additional workload caused by Brexit has delayed some of the Government’s plans and MTD will not apply to other taxes until 2020 at the earliest.

However, MTD for VAT is still moving ahead as planned and the new way of keeping digital VAT records and submitting them to HMRC will change in April 2019.

The biggest shake-up in the UK tax system.

What does HMRC mean by ‘digital’?

For the purposes of MTD for VAT, you will be required to use a HMRC compliant ‘designated software package’ for recording and submitting your VAT returns.

038

Who will be affected?

VAT registered businesses with a turnover above the VAT threshold– will need to keep digital records and submit VAT returns using HMRC compliant software. This will apply to your first VAT period with a start date after 1 April 2019, while those below the threshold will be able to join the new regime on a voluntary basis.

Are there any exemptions?

Exemptions will be offered to businesses on the grounds of religion, insolvency, or because it is not reasonably practicable to use digital tools. HMRC has announced that the most complex businesses will have until October 2019 before they need to comply.

However, for the majority of businesses who currently file VAT returns, the new rules will apply from April 2019.

What happens if I don’t file my VAT returns digitally From April 2019?

HMRC has confirmed that there will be two separate penalty systems for late filing and late payment under MTD for VAT. Late filing will attract penalty points, which will accrue and after four late submissions, a penalty will be charged for each late submission. Meanwhile, late payments will attract penalties after 15 days, before doubling after 30 days, with daily penalties charged thereafter. A ‘soft landing’ period for late submissions will be in place in the first year, but digital record keeping will be compulsory from April 2019.

How can I ensure my business complies with MTD for VAT? The transition to MTD was never going to be straightforward, but it doesn’t have to be stressful either. Our award-winning team at Thorne Widgery have been working with businesses to help them migrate their records online using the latest accounting technology.

As one of the primary partners in the region for the UK’s leading software provider, Xero, not only can we help you with the transition to digital accounting, but we can provide unique insights and tools that will add significant value to your business by enhancing your decision-making ability. Using Xero’s cloud-based accounting systems we provide solutions for all types of business with differing levels of technical confidence, from full bookkeeping support to cloud accounting software set up and training - ensuring your business is ready for MTD. Our team is highly skilled in consulting with businesses and supporting them throughout their journey by providing advice and a full range of services to complement the accounts production using our portfolio of services, which include bookkeeping, payroll, tax advice and auditing. We are extremely proud of our innovative approach to accounting, which was recognised at this year’s British Accountancy Awards 2018, where we received the Xero Small Practice Innovation of the Year Award.

This not only took into consideration our work with online accounting software but also highlighted our creation of effective solutions for clients through our services and use of technology. If you are still unsure of what MTD means for your businesses or you are concerned about your preparations for it then now is the time to act.

Don’t delay, speak to our team today!

To find out more get in touch with us on 01432 276393 or email us at info@thornewidgery.co.uk Hereford 2 Wyevale Business Park, King’s Acre, Hereford, HR4 7BS Ludlow 5 Parkway, Off Corve Street, Ludlow, SY8 2PG

January/February 2019

BUSINESSNEWS

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

039

BUSINESSNEWS

Kinetic Six provided innovative communications and security technology solutions to help protect the most critically endangered species across the world.

What a great year for awards!

After winning the Best Use of Technology Award in the Hereford and Worcester Chamber of Commerce Awards for our unique conservation support agreements and VR training, we were also a finalist in the Hereford Business Awards. Our whole team was honoured to be part of these prestigious events and look forward to the challenges of next year’s categories…as well as winning more awards (hopefully)!

Award winning Support Bridge, Communications and Networks Support This year has also seen the successful launch of our remote monitoring Bridge, based in Hereford. From here we monitor our different communication infrastructures around the world.

This is a first in conservation where communication networks are being constantly monitored in a way that alleviates the pressure on the local project management team.

Kinetic Six provided innovative communications and security technology solutions Ovzon

Ovzon breaking the mould here in the UK, and through hard work and determination breaking the norm to deliver this highly capable solution to UK Government.

040

January/February 2019

BUSINESSNEWS

2019 - Patriot One Readiness preparation for the launch of Patriot One in the UK, with their complete suite of products and services that will be managed by the Kinetic Six team from offices in Hereford and London. The launch is set to take place in an iconic sports stadium with all our products on show.

2019 is going to be incredibly exciting, changing the dynamics of security in the world forever.

We are always looking for new projects and technologies so if you think you could get involved, get in touch! For more information email info@kinetic6.co.uk, or visit www.kinetic6.co.uk follow us on social media : Twitter - @KineticSixLtd Facebook - Kinetic Six Instagram - kinetic_six

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

041

VISITWORCESTERSHIRE

ROMANCE WITH ROSETTES

FOCUS ON YOUR HEALTH & WELLBEING FOR 2019 Modern life can often prove a barrier to achieving our exercise goals. Our family time, work commitments, and social life can put a block on our ambitions in this area, but sometimes it can simply be a matter of re-igniting our passion for exercise or confidence to be publically active. The majority of people appreciate that exercise plays an important role in reducing the likelihood of developing restrictive health issues. Indeed, National Guidelines* support the role of physical activity to improve health, sleep, stress

management, healthy weight maintenance, and ultimately, quality of life.

At the Boardman Performance Centre, we do not solely use our world class facilities to improve the performance of elite athletes, but we also offer packages for riders who are new to cycling or have recently stepped up their biking ambitions. We provide a friendly and interactive environment, where our team of industry specialists can apply their devotion to helping the individual explore their potential on a bike. www.boardmanbikes.com

ENJOY 360 DAYS OUT A YEAR English Heritage cares for over 400 historic places, bringing the story of England to life for millions of visitors each year. Witley Court and Leigh Court Barn are the two sites in Worcestershire that are managed and maintained by English Heritage.

You can explore the dramatic ruins of Witley Court and travel back to a world of lavish house parties. Learn the stories behind the people who once lived and partied here, from servants to royal visitors. Discover elaborate parterre gardens and monumental fountains then find your way through enchanting woodland to the unique adventure play area.

Adjoining Witley Court, you will find, Britain’s Finest Baroque Church.

042

Witley Court

With Valentine’s Day just over the horizon, make sure to treat that special person in your life (or yourself!) to a delicious dinner at a local Rosette restaurant in Worcestershire.

Brockencote Hall Country House Hotel Chaddesley Corbett, Kidderminster DY10 4PY 3* AA rating Colwall Park Hotel Walwyn Road, Colwall, Malvern WR13 6QG 2* AA rating The Cottage in the Wood Holywell Road, Malvern Wells, Malvern WR14 4LG 2 AA* rating The Granary Hotel & Restaurant Heath Lane, Shenstone, Kidderminster DY10 4BS 1 AA* rating L’Amuse Bouche Restaurant The Cotford Hotel, 51 Graham Road, Malvern WR14 2HU 2* AA rating The Manor Arms The Village, Abberley WR6 6BN 1* AA rating The Mug House Inn 12 Severnside North, Bewdley DY12 2EE 1* AA rating

A spectacular historic building which hosts regular Anglican services as well as concerts and other events Many businesses sell annual passes which will give you over 300 days out a year for a one off fee. Invest in your local heritage businesses today. www.english-heritage.org.uk

Stone Manor Hotel Bromsgrove Road, Kidderminster, DY10 4PJ 1 AA* rating The Wood Norton Wood Norton, Evesham WR11 4YB 2* AA rating To view all local eateries, please go to www.visitworcestershire.org

*https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/541233/Physical_activity_infographic.PDF

January/February 2019

VISITHEREFORDSHIRE

www.visitherefordshire.co.uk

CONGRATULATIONS! Visit Herefordshire would like to congratulate several of its members for being recognised with a variety of accolades at the end of last year.

BRITISH CASSIS AND WHITE HERON

WOODSIDE LODGES Woodside Lodges won the Gold David Bellamy Award for the 14th year in a row!

Jo Hilditch, of British Cassis and White Heron, was named as Midlands Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year at the NATWEST Great British Entrepreneur Awards in November last year.

Congratulations to Jo for winning this prestigious award!

Parks earn this badge for consciously managing their land as a haven for wildlife, reducing their use of energy, water and other resources, reducing, reusing and recycling the waste they produce and for supporting their local communities.

CELTIC MARCHES Celtic Marches is delighted to share that it has successfully scooped a Silver medal for its Thundering Molly and Bronze for Lily the Pink, Slack Alice and Cuckoo Penny at the 2018 Japan Cider and Perry Awards!

HEREFORDSHIRE PRESS VISIT Travel Writer and Journalist, Mary Charlebois visited Herefordshire earlier in the year, and Visit Herefordshire was delighted to help arrange her itinerary.

Mary’s second article has been published on the Miles Greek website, where she praises the county for being one of the finest agricultural areas in England, and

perfect for an English country getaway.

The article features Mary’s stay at Wythall Estate, including her visits to Goodrich Castle, Hereford Cathedral and more.

Visit Herefordshire receives numerous requests from Writers, Journalists and Photographers who want to stay and experience Herefordshire, and all that it has to offer. If you are interested in being added to our list of businesses who are happy to

offer a place to stay, a meal or experience, please let us know by contacting Andy Black on AndyB@hwchamber.co.uk

HORRORFORD FILM FESTIVAL RAISES FUNDS FOR ELY MEMORIAL FUND The inaugural Horrorford film festival took place over Halloween evening and early November at two fabulous rural locations, Oakchurch Farm Shop & Oldcastle, late last year.

With screenings ranging from Hocus Pocus to the original The Evil Dead, Horrorford received national funding

from the BFI (British Film Institute) as well as local sponsorship from Celtic Marches Cider and Wye Valley Brewery.

A collaboration between two not for profit companies, Visit Herefordshire and Rural Media Charity and with free stock provided by Tyrrells Crisps towards this community event, Horrorford was delighted to be able to make a donation of £618 to

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

local Herefordshire charity, The ELY Memorial Fund. www.ely-memorial-fund.org.uk

043

WORCESTERSHIREBUSINESSCENTRAL

www.business-central.co.uk

WORCESTERSHIRE BUSINESSES LOOK TO FUTURE GROWTH WITH THE INSPIRING GROWTH: BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ROUNDTABLES Over 60 local business delegates attended Inspiring Growth: Business Development Roundtables at venues across Worcestershire to discuss various aspects of marketing used in lead generation and best practice in converting leads into sales.

The Business Development Roundtable events - organised following the success of the Worcestershire Business Central Inspiring Growth conference in September 2018 - gave businesses the opportunity to discuss barriers to growth with peers and utilise the business acumen shared by key speakers on the day. With the wealth of experience and wisdom from their field, the key speakers spoke on a range of topics to inspire business growth, including: digital marketing, social media, sales pipeline, time management, and procurement.

The inspiring speakers across the four roundtables included: Warren Knight from Think Digital First; Simon Williams from Arrivista; Jack McCaughtrie from Core Tree; Andrew Lavoipierre from Action Coach; Ben Feltwell from Baldur Digital; Mike Andrews from Full Spectrum Sales Limited; Emma White from Real World Coaching; and Alison Atkinson from Worcestershire County Council.

Applying the knowledge accrued from the speakers on the day, delegates were asked

044

Ian Clubley, IC Business Coach, commented: “This was my first event and, therefore, my first opportunity to meet with local business leaders which is really important. Both guest speakers were excellent and Ben’s presentation around PR was particularly useful as I’m a social media novice.”

Kevin Aisbitt, Growth Hub Manager for Worcestershire Business Central, commented: “We are pleased that delegates left the Business Development Roundtables inspired with ideas to grow their business. We very much look forward to seeing the businesses again at our event in February 2019 to discover how they have flourished following their stated actions.” to create actions to act upon within their business, with the emphasis on returning to a final Roundtable in 2019 to discuss the outcome of their actions.

Louise Roberts, from Alimenti, who attended said: “I enjoyed the speakers, particularly Andrew Lavopierre. I have acted upon two of my three actions already.”

To find out more about the Inspiring Growth: Business Development Roundtables taking place in 2019, please contact Worcestershire Business Central on 01905 677888 or email info@ business-central.co.uk

January/February 2019

All your business needs.

All in one place.

CONTACT OUR TEAM TO FIND OUT HOW WE CAN SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS TO GROW 01905 677888 www.business-central.co.uk info@business-central.co.uk @WBCUpdates

want to...

CHAMBERNEWS

MAXIMISE YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE

v8media offer...

FLEXIBLE

SUPPORT & MARKETING

PACKAGES

start with a...

FREE

WEBSITE REVIEW? speak to a member of our team.

[V8Media] 046

01432 268175 INFO@V8MEDIA.CO.UK V8MEDIA.CO.UK January/February 2019

CHAMBERNEWS

To Let

New and Refurbished Industrial Units Pleasant and Convenient Location For enquiries please call

01384 569556 or 01299 822731 Wilden Industrial Estates Wilden lane, Stourport-on-Severn DY13 9JY

enquiries@wildenestates.co.uk

www.wildenestates.co.uk

09:25 - We engage to build audiences that last a lifetime!

Add

03:02 - We help you influence and grow your customer base!

Add

Connect With Us

When we say Be Everywhere, we mean it...

We grow your audience through social media management, engagement and other proven digital marketing strategies.

www.be-everywhere.co.uk e: info@be-everywhere.co.uk t: 0191 5805 990

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

047

MOVERSANDSHAKERS

ARECA DESIGN EXPANDS APPLIED PRINCIPLES ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT AS NEW DIRECTOR Applied Principles is delighted to announce the appointment of Ian Collins as a Director of the company. Ian joined the team in June 2018, and brings with him a wealth of experience.

The company has a very ambitious growth plan, and alongside ensuring the very best levels of customer service are maintained, it has a huge amount of work to do to achieve its goals - and this is where Ian is going to be integral in helping to reach these. www.appliedprinciples.eu

Areca Design has strengthened its team to include another three new members. In order to keep up with demand for the latest technologies – as seen at the recent #WorcestershireHour Festival of Business - they have welcomed Agnès Dangréaux, Social Media Apprentice (right), Liam Young, Senior App Developer (sitting), and James Rushton, App Developer (left).

The team continue to expand and increase their innovative work with World famous sports clubs, international tourism destinations and Local Government throughout the UK. www.arecadesign.co.uk

CHAMBER WELCOMES PAULINE BLUE PRINT DIRECT MAIL WELCOMES SIXTH APPRENTICE KNOTT, DIRECTOR OF SALES AND MARKETING Blue Print Direct Mail has Pauline joins the Chamber recently taken on its sixth team to lead Membership, apprentice, Courtney Events, Training, Marketing Broughton, as Digital Print and Tourism across the two Apprentice. After 24 months, counties and brings a wealth the course will culminate in of experience gained from a a City & Guilds Certificate in number of industries, business Printing (Level 2) NVQ, run sizes and cultures. From being through the British Printing a sole trader, heading up her Industry Federation (BPIF). own consultancy business to Courtney will initially start being a senior marketer for her training on the laser print PricewaterhouseCoopers on the presses, then over the two years international stage, Pauline’s will progress and eventually gain insight will be put to good use. experience throughout the print Pauline adds: “Being client-centric production facility on many of is fundamental to all of my the other processes; such as thinking; I really look forward to folding, hand and automated finding out how the Chamber enclosing and the intricacies of adds value to the membership.” the postal service, to name just a few. www.hwchamber.co.uk www.bpdm.uk

Dennis Evans (foreground) with outgoing Managing Director, Bill Tebay

FORTIS PROPERTY CARE ANNOUNCES NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR EBC WELCOMES NEW TEAM MEMBERS EBC Group is delighted to have welcomed four new members to the team.

HAINES WATTS WELCOMES NEW TEAM MEMBERS

Samantha Craddock and Vinny Sharma have also joined as 1st & 2nd Line Support, helping to grow EBC Group’s established IT Support Centre.

Dennis said: “I have a clear vision of how FPC can continue to develop, building on its impressive strengths and ensuring it thrives as we move into the future. I am proud to take on this appointment.”

Three new members of staff have joined the Haines Watts’ Hereford’s tax teams. Janice Lo is an AAT and ATT qualified personal tax specialist who assists the firm’s large private client base with tax returns.

The R&D tax team has also grown with the recruitment of Jacques Brunsdon and Joe Cotton joining as tax projects assistants. Their role is to prepare R&D tax reports to support claims for R&D tax relief for clients across the country.

www.ebcgroup.co.uk

www.fortisliving.com

www.hwca.com

Martyn Southwick has joined the implementations team, helping to meet the demands of both new and existing clients, whilst newly appointed Project Manager Nick Lee-Wilson (pictured) will oversee all project activity.

048

After a rigorous recruitment process, Dennis Evans has joined Fortis Property Care following the retirement of its former head, Bill Tebay.

Prior to his appointment, Dennis worked as the Managing Director at London & Quadrant, one of the capital’s largest residential property developers.

NEW PROMOTION AT CHARTERED INSURANCE BROKER Hazelton Mountford has promoted one of its longest serving members of staff.

Trinny Gold – who began her career at the firm in October 2010 – has been promoted to the role of Commercial Insurance Account Executive.

Trinny said: “I am thrilled to have been given such a fantastic opportunity to advance my career and technical knowledge of the insurance industry and I look forward to working with Hazelton Mountford long into the future.” www.hazeltonmountford.co.uk.

January/February 2019

MOVERSANDSHAKERS

MOVE UP FOR LAWYERS MARKING PROMOTIONS Four new Partners are celebrating their promotions at lawyers Harrison Clark Rickerbys, with a raft of other colleagues also moving up the career ladder.

New Partners Andrew Morris and Steven Murray in Cheltenham, Suzanne Vercoe in Worcester and Zoe Touhey who works between both offices, are joined by four other colleagues in the latest round of promotions – Tom Kirkhope, Jane Mayglothling, Peter Raybould (becoming Senior Associates) and Joe Mulrenan (becoming an Associate). www.hcrlaw.com

NEW HEAD OF NWEDR IS APPOINTED NWedR is pleased to announce the appointment of Ostap Taras Paparega as its new Head of Service.

On his new appointment, Ostap Taras Paparega said: “I am delighted to be appointed as the new Head of North Worcestershire Economic Development and Regeneration (NWEDR) service. I look forward to joining the excellent NWedR team and working with Councillors, businesses, the two Local Enterprise Partnerships, local communities and residents to build on these strengths and deliver local economic growth and prosperity.” www.nwedr.org.uk

Craig Matthews, CEO of Pracctice Ltd

KEY APPOINTMENTS SIGNAL FURTHER GROWTH FOR PRACCTICE Pracctice Ltd is delighted to announce the appointments of six team members, following a period of further growth and as part of its expansion plans.

Joining the Malvernheadquartered company’s nine-strong Support team are Ros Brooks, Brett Bradshaw and Matt Wood, who will assist Pracctice’s customers with Osprey Approach legal software.

The Sales team has also expanded with the appointments of Tony Hill and Nigel Burton-Power, along with Account Manager, Dave Dingle. www.osprey.tm

COUNTY PR BOSS JOINS WORCESTERSHIRE AMBASSADORS Lorraine Henry, Managing Director of communications firm Henry Pepper PR, has joined the Worcestershire Ambassadors.

She said: “Worcestershire is a county to be proud of and an amazing place in which to live and work. Becoming an ambassador means I can play a wider role in publicising the county further afield, but also to promote success stories, the contribution local businesses make to the economy.”

Lorraine launched the public relations business in 2007 with husband Stuart and has grown the agency extensively with clients locally, nationally and across mainland Europe. www.henrypepperpr.co.uk

NEW APPOINTMENTS FOR COMMERCIAL TEAM AT SJL INSURANCE SJL Insurance Services, Worcester’s largest independent Insurance Broker and only Lloyd’s accredited Insurance Broker, added to its ranks with Robert Waldron (L) and Kris Evans (R) joining the Commercial team as a Commercial Account Executives.

SJL founder Simon Lancaster, who started the business in 2001, said: “To help fulfil our goals of continued organic growth we need to employ good people. Both Robert and Kris are great additions to the team and offer us both diversity and experience”. www.sjlins.co.uk

THORNE WIDGERY OPENS ITS DOOR TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF PROFESSIONALS Thorne Widgery has announced the appointment of three new junior members of staff.

George Tindale, Amy Pullen and Ben Morgan have all recently been appointed by the firm and will undergoing training in the months and years to come.

George and Ben will study for the Association of Accounting Technicians Level 3 qualification, as part of the firm’s successful accounting apprenticeship scheme.

UNIDOC SOLUTIONS ADD TO THEIR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT John Hooper, Chairman, and Managing Director, Chris Goff, are pleased to welcome Luke Wassell on board as Solutions Support Specialist, to further enhance Unidoc’s advance into Information Management.

Meanwhile, Amy, will be working within the practice’s marketing department as an apprentice, whilst studying Digital Marketing.

Luke said: “Having worked in the industry for 10 years I’m excited to be joining the team at Unidoc Solutions. I have a background in managed print and software solutions and look forward to the new challenges this role will bring.”

www.thornewidgery.co.uk

www.unidocsolutions.co.uk

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

GROWTH FOR WORCESTER WEB STUDIO Local company Worcester Web Studio has achieved significant growth in the last few months, and Director Ray Gillespie has recently welcomed two new team members to support his expanding business.

Joining the team at Worcester Web Studio are Alice Thompson as Graphic and Web Designer, and Ellis Crowther as its Junior Web Developer. www.worcesterwebstudio.com

049

ADVERTORIALFEATURE

THE FUTURE OF CRM - GENUINE INTELLIGENCE FROM AN ARTIFICIAL SOURCE If you jump onto any tech blog or happen to come across some marketing material for IT giants, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the hot topic shaping the marketplace. But the term does seem to get overused and maybe undervalued at times AI is used to describe any type of automation, something which many often get away with due to a lack of detailed general knowledge.

To help clarify what these means in my industry, I’d like to look at some of the key AI advances I expect to see in the CRM market over the next 12 months which may shape the way tasks are performed intelligently on the behalf of you, our user.

LEAD FORENSICS Most CRM systems are based, at their heart, around improving the efficiency of the sales process for a business. For generating new business, this typically starts at the Lead/Prospect stage and for many Sales Directors, the key way to boost efficiency is to prioritise the needs of the highest value prospects.

This is done through something known as lead scoring.

Lead scoring isn’t something that’s new to the market, but it is something which I believe is often wrongly classed as ‘AI’ for purely marketing reasons. Currently, most CRMs score leads on fairly straight forward conditions, i.e if the prospective company size is 30+ or the expected spend is higher than average, give them a high score.

The CRM hasn’t really applied intelligence, it has just followed the rules set out by the administrator.

True intelligence would sit outside these rules, with the CRM using trends of the past to inform decisions of the future.

Soon, we may see systems recommending next steps based on previous results of leads with a similar profile.

An example being leads from a certain industry over the last 6 months are taking longer to close on a deal. So instead of just giving them a medium score, your CRM extends the expected close date and adds a warning to that effect. It may even automatically schedule the a few extra calls in advance to maximise the chances of success.

When it comes to prospects, AI won’t just enable us to build up a score but instead, map out the ideal process which is tailored to their needs to get them over the line intelligently.

050

PIPELINE FORECASTING Almost an extension to the above, pipeline forecasting is used to give a manager information about how many sales are likely to come through in the future and what the revenue of those might be. This allows them to make plans related to hiring and other outgoings.

Soon enough I think we’ll see systems taking historic sales data, mapping it against data of the present, to give us intelligent insight into the future. Giving a secondary forecasting that maybe goes even further into the future.

Let’s simulate a second situation - from historic data, your CRM knows that Construction companies of employee size 10-20 close 50% at an average order value of £3,000. The CRM can then look at the current pool of prospects and, for those that meet the criteria, apply a baseline average expected revenue to give me a forecast of my prospects.

It would then update that on a rolling, daily basis using the newest data available, something a set of simple rules couldn’t do.

CONTEXTUAL RECOMMENDATIONS As the name suggest, we need our CRM systems to help us better understand, manage and maximise the relationships with our customers. Whilst it’s undoubtedly true that they already play a major part in making this happen, with the data at hand and powerful computing, we need our systems to calculate the trends and highlight the issues we just can’t!

regularly engaging with support (and raising lots of tickets) to expand their functionality goes quiet for a few weeks again, the CRM system let’s their Account Manager know something might be amiss by scheduling an activity or raising a warning!

The intelligent thing here is the context.

An automated system rule just wouldn’t cut it as every customer, their needs and their behaviours are entirely different.

Soon CRM systems will be able to track hundreds of individual ‘norms’ and let you know when it’s time to step in!

Whether we like it or not, AI is on the horizon and won’t be disappearing any time soon!

For software organisations, it opens a whole new realm of possibilities and will allow customer the opportunity to transform the way they run their businesses and keep their customers happy!

To talk to a member of the OpenCRM team about how CRM software can benefit your brand, call 01748 473000 or visit the website: www.opencrm.co.uk Graham Anderson, is the CEO and founder of OpenCRM, one of the UK’s leading customer relationship management systems.

We’ll begin to see our CRM systems give us recommendations on next actions based upon the existing relationship with our customers.

Here’s a great example - a normally very satisfied customer suddenly starts raising a larger than average number of tickets with your support team in a short period of time.

Your CRM system knows that, for this customer, that’s not normal and automatically schedules a call activity for their Account Manager to check in.

On the flipside, a customer who is

January/February 2019

ADVERTORIALFEATURE

v

v

Knowing someone has got your best interests at heart and able to deliver what they say.

An efficient vehicle typically used to minimise tax liability when passing money or assets.

We’ve got you covered on both of these.

Chartered Accountants

Worcestershire’s premier tax planning firm

web // ballardsllp.com tel // 01905 794504

IT For the Future of your Business Q6 IT Services offer the complete IT managed services for small and medium-sized businesses across Worcestershire, Herefordshire and the West Midlands. With over 25 years industry experience you can be sure of a friendly professional and unique service.

www.q6it.co.uk | info@q6it.co.uk | 01562 312600

Managed Services - Microso� 365 - VoIP - Cloud Services - Desktop Support - Disaster Recovery Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

051

INTERNATIONALTRADE

BREXIT PLANNING: REVIEWING THE SUPPLY CHAIN Q&A WITH TIM HISCOCK Tim Hiscock is an Export Development & International Trade Advisor from Strong & Herd LLP. He kindly agreed to a Q&A session with Maria Harrison from H&W Chamber of Commerce’s Commercial International Trade team (CIT).

Q: Why is it important to plan for BREXIT? A: The sooner you start to prepare, the more options you will have; and it’s a situation where a business will really benefit from being proactive.

If you understand the issues, take action and find a solution, you can reassure your customers, many of whom will themselves be worrying about what might happen.

Businesses that take the lead in preparations will stand to weather the impact best and may even find that BREXIT will benefit them.

Q: How have you been able to create a course that is relevant and necessary, when there is no factual information to plan around?

A: We base the course on the guidance given by the government. If we do get a deal, we can be sure that BREXIT will mean that trade with the other 27 EU countries will be on the same basis as trade with the rest of the world.

We know that the government is not planning on the country remaining in the Single Market. This means that export and

052

import declarations will be needed, where they weren’t wanted before. For some, there will be additional new requirements such as Certificates of Origin or conformity.

Q: Having now delivered several BREXIT Planning courses, what are the main concerns that have been raised and how did you address these?

A: It’s different for every company really.

Some are very concerned about the tariff costs on imports and exports, for others the potential for delays is more important.

BREXIT can hit businesses in many unexpected ways.

The first step is to research how the business is affected, and from there it depends on the nature of the impact.

Those who may be badly affected by the cost of tariffs on their imports from the EU might consider adopting what are known as simplified procedures, which can at least alleviate the impact on cash flow and avoid ‘double duty’ on goods or components that are re-exported later. There are a lot of other measures available too - they really need to come on the course to find out!

Q: Is there anything else businesses can be doing or not doing?

A: BREXIT has the potential to affect businesses in all kinds of ways and every business will be different. Purely in terms of the impact on trade, businesses need to look at their supply chains, understand where their materials and components are originating and consider whether they need to make any changes.

They also need to look at their standard terms of business; for example if they are supplying customers in EU countries, the terms of delivery might be affected.

Businesses that buy from suppliers in other EU countries may stand to pay more for their future purchases and there may be ways that changing the terms of business could minimise the impact.

Q: Finally Tim, in summary what is your message to businesses in Herefordshire and Worcestershire?

A: Above all, don’t panic and don’t ignore it. BREXIT will affect many businesses, but for some the affect may only be quite minor. It’s really important to find out and take action in advance.

Where a business has serious concerns, it might also consider raising them with their local MP and seeking support from its trade association or local Chamber of Commerce. The worst thing anyone can do is ignore it.

Businesses that take the lead in preparations will stand to weather the impact best and may even find that BREXIT will benefit them.

January/February 2019

INTERNATIONALTRADE

The course raised areas to consider when planning for BREXIT, which otherwise may be overlooked by the business...and is relevant to all aspects of the business.

Halina, Fine Agrochemicals Ltd

The next BREXIT Planning: Reviewing the Supply Chain Impact course will be held on: Date: Friday 1 February - Time: 9.30am-4.30pm Cost: £250+VAT Members / £275+VAT Non-members Due to popular demand, we are currently reviewing new dates for the course to be held in our Worcester and Hereford offices.

To register your interest or to find out more information, please contact Fiona Mclean, Export Documentation Advisor, on FionaM@hwchamber.co.uk

ETL SYSTEMS REACHES NATIONAL FINAL AFTER EXPORT RECOGNITION ETL Systems was successfully named a finalist in the Export Business of the Year category in the National Chamber of Commerce Awards, which took place Thursday 29 November 2018 in London.

The Herefordshire-based company was shortlisted after winning Export Business of the Year in the Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce Awards, and Exporter of the Year in the Regional Chamber of Commerce Awards.

ETL Systems’ clients include eight of the top twelve NATO governments and fourteen of the top twenty global satellite operators, as well as companies across several other verticals, including broadcast and maritime. Recent growth has led to international expansion, with the recent establishment of offices in the USA and Dubai.

Andrew Bond, Sales and Marketing Director, ETL Systems commented: “We are so proud to have been named

INTERNATIONAL TRADE TRAINING JANUARY-MARCH 2019 Surviving a Customs Audit Wednesday 16 January - 9.30am-4.30pm £250+VAT Members / £275+VAT Non-members Basic Import: Documentation & Procedures Thursday 17 January - 9.30am-4.30pm £250+VAT Members / £275+VAT Non-members BREXIT Planning: Review the Supply Chain Impact Friday 1 February - 9.30am-4.30pm £250+VAT Members / £275+VAT Non-members Advanced Export: Documentation & Procedures Monday 4 February - 9.30am-4.30pm £250+VAT Members / £275+VAT Non-members INCOTERMS (2010) Tuesday 19 February - 9.30am-4.30pm £250+VAT Members / £275+VAT Non-members IPR Inward Processing Relief Thursday 21 February - 9.30am-4.30pm £250+VAT Members / £275+VAT Non-members Advanced Import: Documentation & Procedures Monday 11 March - 9.30-4.30pm £250+VAT Members / £275+VAT Non-members Basic Export: Documentation & Procedures Tuesday 26 March - 9.30am-4.30pm £250+VAT Members / £275+VAT Non-members

a finalist in the Export Business of the Year Awards at the National Chamber of Commerce Awards. Customers around the world trust in ETL Systems’ products, reflecting a commitment to excellence and innovation. Our international growth will continue in 2019, as we expand once again with another regional office to be announced soon.”

What’s New – Changes in International Trade, Union Customs Code & BREXIT Thursday 28 March - 9.30am-4.30pm £250+VAT Members / £275+VAT Non-members

National Exporter of the Year is awarded to organisations that demonstrate significant and/or sustained increases in their export activity. www.etlsystems.com

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

053

NEWPEOPLETODOBUSINESSWITH BEWDLEY

DT Studio’s Visual Marketing

Broadly Speaking

Posh Pads Grooming

07803 048540

07759 655910

07891 324128

Visual Marketing & Photography www.dtstudios.co.uk

Business Training & Education www.broadlyspeaking.co.uk

Dog Groomer www.posh-pads-grooming.com

Infinity Homecare LTD

Creative Films Limited

01562 911652

01562 747000

BROMSGROVE

Homecare

Danton HR Ltd

Linden Tree Corporation Ltd

Wholesaler/Importer www.creativefilms.co.uk

07890 325812 HR Consultancy www.dantonhr.com

Quickstep Contracting Services

03333 448020 Payroll Services www.quickstepcs.co.uk

UK HP Marketing

Research, Development & Delivery of Services for Mental Health Recovery www.thelindencentre.org

Nock Deighton

01562 745082 Estate Agents www.nockdeighton.co.uk

GD PR & Media Ltd

01905 670881 Video Production, Public Relations, Graphic Design & Digital www.gd-pr.co.uk

Hussingtree Blends Ltd

07846 178484 Creation, Distillation and Sale of Alcoholic Spirits www.hussingtreegin.co.uk

07788 665559

MALVERN

JNC UK Consulting Ltd

Home Buyer www.ukhomebuyersltd.co.uk

BLOOM.SPACE

01905 947663

DROITWICH

Business Incubator & Co-working Space www.bloom.space

Ian Clubley Business Coach Ltd

01905 778709 Training & Mentoring Coach www.icbusinesscoach.co.uk

SFS Protect

07468 428530 Infection Control www.sfsprotect.co.uk

HEREFORD Albion Computers

01432 800726 Technology & Distributor of Apple Products www.albion.co.uk

Cancer Research UK - Hereford

01432 358646 National Cancer Charity www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/ find-a-shop/hereford

01684 531234

Malvern Occupational Health

07941 283939 Occupational Health Physician www.malvernoccupationalhealth.com

Poolbrook Cafe

01684 574609 Catering (Including Vegan & Gluten Free) www.malvernbuffets.co.uk

Quantum R&D Tax Ltd

01684 252464 R&D Tax Credits Claims with HMRC www.quantumtax.co.uk

PERSHORE Ecrubox Digital Ltd

01386 576109 Digital Marketing Agency www.ecruboxdigital.com

Business Consultancy SAP Asset Management & Compliancy www.jncconsultancy.com

Kuji Drinks Ltd

07413 393987 Health & Wellness (Vegan) www.kujidrinks.com

Midland Automation Technology Limited

01905 888174 Engineering Consultants www.matl.co.uk

Pitt Studio / Division of Labour

07595 397861 Art Gallery www.divisionoflabour.co.uk

RotaHub (uk) Ltd

07392 666853 Workforce Management www.rotahub.co.uk

Skipton Building Society Ltd

01905 29533

Hereford Florists Ltd T/A Beehive Florist

ROSS-ON-WYE

Financial Services www.skipton.co.uk

01432 270970

Social Skill

Smart PA

Florist www.beehiveflorist.co.uk

The Green Dragon Hotel Group Ltd

01432 272506 Hotel & Conference Venue

TRP Polymer Solutions Ltd

01432 268899 Product Development & Manufacturers www.trp.co.uk

Yeleni Therapy & Support

01432 342342 Cancer Support & Therapy Support www.yelenisupport.co.uk

KIDDERMINSTER Care UK - Brook Court

01562 757580 Care Home www.careuk.com/care-homes

054

01562 742004

07792 817916 CSR Strategists www.socialskill.co.uk

Yudo UK Limited

01989 763423 Manufcature of Machinery for Plastic

Components www.yudo.com

01905 831662 PA, Secretarial & Administrative Services www.smart-pa.com

Specialised HR Solutions

07967 170202 Personalised HR Consultancy Services (Eco, Ethical, Organic & Vegan Businesses) www.specialisedhr.co.uk

STOURPORT

Spring Forward Landscapes

Smart Business Utilities Ltd

07966 003903

Landscaping Company www.springforward-landscaping.co.uk

Energy Broker www.smartbusinessutilities.co.uk

Statcom Ltd

WORCESTER

Telephone Systems www.statcomltd.co.uk

07534 228856

01905 761290

Beauty by Tabitha

01905 748877 Holistic Beauty Treatments www.beautybytabitha.co.uk

January/February 2019

MEMBERSPROFILE

PIPPA’S GUARDIANS Pippa’s Guardians provides an exclusive guardianship service for students attending UK boarding schools and whose parents live overseas.

Longlands’ staff, students and Patron, Kit Harington, showing the plans for its new HQ – Photo credit: Paul Lack

LONGLANDS CARE FARM Longlands Care Farm offers alternative educational provision to vulnerable young people who have been excluded from mainstream school.

The charity believes in helping them to fulfil their potential, and sometimes this means helping them to overcome mental health issues that have been holding them back from achieving at school or college. The students work alongside trained staff on the organic livestock farm (on the Herefordshire/ Worcestershire border) and learn skills in animal care, agriculture, construction and horticulture.

Although they study for qualifications in these areas, it is often the therapeutic interaction with animals and the team that provides a solid base for turning their lives around.

Its role is to create a strong working relationship between you as parents, your child, his or her school, and the host family who will be your child’s ‘home away from home’.

Pippa’s Guardians also delivers an exclusive Summer School for overseas students in Worcestershire designed to fully integrate overseas students into the British way of life. Aside from English language lessons we include trips to Harry Potter World, Eastnor Castle, Worcester Cathedral and Oxford University whilst welcoming local English children to join in the programme to learn more about the Chinese culture and to mix with Chinese children between the ages of 7 and 14.

Pippa’s Guardians is always seeking host families for our overseas students so please get in touch should you wish to learn more. www.pippasguardians.co.uk

SOCIAL SKILL Social Skill works with organisations to develop and deliver strategies to boost the social responsibility and PR profiles of businesses through the support of charities.

Organisations are focusing more and more on social reputation than ever before to ensure that their operation positively impacts their community. Developing and implementing a strategy with Social Skill results in companies gaining from their commitment to society on so many levels.

Companies showcase their ethos and core values, boosting business reputation and increasing customer confidence. Employees are more engaged: working together for the benefit of others enhances employment and increases job satisfaction. Everyone wants to work for an employer with a heart!

Matched-funding programmes, payroll giving, volunteering initiatives and events are just some ways we can work together to support charities.

Longlands are looking to forge links with businesses that might be able to support the charity in its valuable work. Longlands Care Farm has a high PR/CSR profile: its Patron is Kit Harington from Game of Thrones, Princess Anne visited in 2017, and its CEO won BBC Countryfile’s Farming Hero Award in 2016.

Do call for an informal chat to explore how your business can benefit whilst helping others - best win-win outcome ever! www.socialskill.co.uk

www.longlandsfarm.org.uk

BIG IDEAS, SIMPLY EXPRESSED management and promotions, PR and social media support have been added to a focused skill set.

The M Partnership was founded in January 2000 with the aim of providing the very best creative, photographic and marketing solutions, together with the highest standards of effective and reliable project management. Since then, event

Creative Director, Mandi Doyle, explains: “Our approach is simple; by utilising a wealth of experience and breadth of creative thinking we can distil a brief down to a clear and beautifully-crafted solution.

More than 40 Approved Creative Partners

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

work with us on projects big and small, supporting a unique business model. We are fully resourced, but unlike traditional agencies - only utilize those skills our clients need, when they need them.

This ensures that we are dedicated and adaptable, highly-skilled and supportive; whilst working to low overheads.” www.thempartnership.co.uk

055

ADVERTORIALFEATURE

INTELLIGENCIA TRAINING RAISE INTELLIGENCE SKILLS WITHIN LOCAL AUTHORITIES Specialist training provider, Intelligencia Training Limited, have successfully completed a programme including delegates from Hertfordshire County Council, Suffolk County Council, Luton Council, The London Borough of Hackney, The Royal Borough of Greenwich, Peterborough and Central Bedfordshire Councils.

This mixed cohort of local authorities utilised the Apprenticeship levy funded Level 4 Apprenticeship in Intelligence Operations and represented the UK’s 1st public sector organisations to take advantage of this cutting edge programme. Previously this level of intelligence training was only available within military intelligence settings and the ability to take advantage of the latest skills and techniques available received excellent initial support from department managers.

The Level 4 Apprenticeship in Intelligence Operations represents the UK’s highest level of vocational training available for intelligence and analytical personnel and delivers significant skills within specialist sectors that have not previously benefited from formal, professionalised training.

The mixed local authority cohort was championed by Hertfordshire County Council who invited a number of their neighbouring local authorities and strategic partners to participate in the programme. Andrew Butler, the council’s Head of Protection (Business) said: “It is more important than ever before that we make the best possible use of the intelligence that we have to ensure we are directing our resources in the right areas.

“The course will help our people detect fraud and assist trading standards teams in taking forward prosecutions in what are often complex cases.”

The programme included delegates from a range of departments including Trading Standards, Regulatory Services, Counter Fraud, Housing and Intelligence Teams.

The ability to work together, utilising a collaborative approach to the way in which intelligence and intelligence led decision making processes are offers significant benefits to public sector department and Government agencies.

Alison Brown, Trading Standards Officer, Public Protection, Central Bedfordshire Council commented, “I would like to say how much I enjoyed the apprenticeship in Intelligence Operations which I recently completed. The tutors were very knowledgeable and approachable. I found it particularly beneficial to meet up on a regular basis with fellow apprentices, as many of them were full time Intelligence Officers whereas I am new to the role. We participated in lots of group exercises so I

056

was able to tap in to their expertise as well as that of the tutors. The assignments we had to complete during the course were very useful as they required us to apply the techniques we had learned to our own organisation. I have been using my newly learned skills more or less since the start of the course, to better inform the work carried out by my Trading Standards department, and to provide intelligence to colleagues to assist them in carrying out their roles. Looking to the future, I believe I can use my new skills to help other departments within my organisation.

“I’m hoping to use my new knowledge to help my department work smarter, finding out the real issues affecting local residents and businesses and taking effective action. I would also like to help other CBC services that have traditionally been reactive to be more intelligence led in their ways of working.”

“I would say to any employee looking to upskill through an apprenticeship to “go for it”. It will give you a new lease of life, especially if you have been in the same job for a long time like I have.”

Joanne Smith, Senior Trading Standards Enforcement Officer, Luton Borough Council commented “Since undertaking the course, I have moved jobs to one where I now oversee intelligence gathering and analysis, I am showing members of my team, and other teams, how they can utilise intelligence to help make better informed operational decisions. We are use trend and pattern analysis regularly to assist with target identification, as well as using some of the other techniques to help inform enforcement operations direction and to seek partners to assist where wider intelligence means there are cross boundary and remit interests.”

Jordan Frances, Intelligence Officer, Hertfordshire County Council, commented, “From completing the intelligence operations course our 3 Intelligence officers have gained a good insight into how many avenues intelligence can be used in the work place by showing us techniques that we did not know before which can be applied within our role. It also taught us ways to think critically about how we can

make better use of information given to us and how to get the best intelligence out of it. What made the course very beneficial were the scenarios they used for us to try out these analytical techniques which made the techniques easy to understand and carry out in a work like situation; having us present the work to the class also gave us confidence in being able to present to work colleagues in the future. The delivery team were very knowledgeable and able to assist us with any query we had on the task at hand. This level 4 qualification will come as a huge benefit to all of us, we now have evidence to show for our knowledge regarding intelligence.”

Nick Atkinson, Intelligencia Training’s Commercial Director, advised that this mixed local authority cohort “gave us the opportunity to showcase how this rewarding apprenticeship programme could be utilised by public sector departments to develop the intelligence skills of key personnel. We have identified that previously this type of training had only come from within organisation’s own skill set without access to the latest skills and techniques.”

Nick pointed out that “as a direct result of the initial feedback from this programme we are now engaged with over 35 local authorities now taking advantage of this programme with the vast majority involved in inter-organisation, mixed cohort delivery models to promote the regional and sector use of intelligence. The apprenticeship programme has also been adopted by a number of Government agencies from, law enforcement and custodial sectors as a method to formalise and professionalise their intelligence processes. We are also very proud to be operating within the private sector with the apprenticeship programme being utilised by many high profile organisations within the banking, insurance, utilities and retail sectors.

These certainly are exciting times for our organisation and the opportunity to participate in cross sector engagement, promoting the effective use of intelligence is very rewarding, we consistently receive positive feedback from both our learners and employers. The ability for public sector departments and large organisations to make cost effective use of their significant Apprenticeship levy payments is obviously a huge advantage!”

You can read more about Intelligencia Training and the programmes they currently offer at www.intelligenciatraining.com

January/February 2019

be local. be national. be everywhere.

ADVERTORIALFEATURE

www.be-everywhere.co.uk www.facebook.com/beworldwideltd

www.twitter.com/beworldwide

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

www.linkedin.com/company/be-everywhere 057

BUSINESSNEWS

LOCAL BUSINESSES SHOW SUPPORT FOR THE LITTER PLEDGE Herefordshire Council is delighted to share that its Stop the Drop litter campaign has reached a milestone with over 500 businesses signing up to the Litter Pledge.

PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCED BETWEEN COVENTRY UNIVERSITY AND WORCESTERSHIRE’S TECH ACCELERATOR BETADEN

With the many issues that litter can cause, it can also put customers off approaching a venue or business. The Litter Pledge is an advantage to all businesses to ensure that their premises are kept clean, tidy and welcoming.

We all need to take responsibility for our waste, and by signing the pledge and displaying the certificate, local companies can demonstrate their commitment to keeping Herefordshire clean whilst raising awareness of the issue of litter.

An agreement to support the 5G and cyber security sectors in the Midlands has been signed between Coventry University and technology business accelerator BetaDen.

Whilst celebrating its most recent milestone, Herefordshire Council would like to encourage even more businesses to sign the pledge at www.herefordshire.gov. uk/business-litter-pledge.

In this partnership, BetaDen – launched earlier this year with ambitions to support the launch of 100 tech start ups by 2021 from its base in Worcestershire – will open up opportunities for Coventry University’s entrepreneurial students and staff to apply to be part of its future cohorts.

Schools, Parish Councils, community groups and individuals are all able to sign the pledge too. To find out more information about the Stop the Drop campaign, please visit www.herefordshire. gov.uk/stopthedrop.

Linda Smith, CEO at BetaDen, said: “This partnership with Coventry University marks an important stage in BetaDen’s evolution, not only giving our cohort access to leading specialists, but also vital research and finance. We are looking forward to opening up opportunities for enterprising staff and students at the University, via BetaDen in the future.”

To find out more about the BetaDen programme, visit www.beta-den.com.

REFLECTING ON FUNDRAISING SUCCESS FOR 2019 North Worcestershire Business Leaders (NWBL), a not-for-profit business support organisation, has been reflecting on its fundraising success for local charities across the county and beyond.

Now in its fourth year, members of NWBL have raised over £3,500 for a variety of charities and causes, including; Young Enterprise, Help Harry Help Others and more. A recent fundraising project helped to support a campaign which sent three students to Peru to work on an important rural community project.

The charitable contributions have not stopped there, and many of NWBL’s members also volunteer as business advisors in schools to help deliver the Young Enterprise company programme, and regularly sponsor prizes and awards at events held across the year.

Contribution is at the core of NWBL, and the business is proud to partner with NWedR, Business & Innovation magazine, and Kidderminster-based Hogarth’s Stone Manor. www.nwbusinessleaders.co.uk

BUSINESSES FLEX THEIR BRAIN MUSCLE FOR CHARITY The combined brain power of 18 business teams raised £950 for Worcestershire charity Murray’s Muscles at a quiz night held recently by SME Solicitors.

Teams from local businesses including Clarity Solutions, Ormerod Rutter and Hills joined SME Solicitors in the Graham Hick Pavilion at New Road, to answer different rounds of general knowledge questions. Guests enjoyed food and refreshments to aid their performance. The winning team was from Robert Fearon and Co, with Andrew Grant in second place.

058

Quizmaster for the evening was Guy Salter, Head of Employment and Data Protection at SME who also devised the questions.

“We were very happy to have had such enthusiastic teams this year, and to have welcomed Mark and Jane from Murray’s Muscles to introduce the charity’s work supporting those affected by muscular dystrophy in Worcestershire and the bordering counties.” www.smesolicitors.co.uk

January/February 2019

CHARITYNEWS

SADDLE UP FOR CHARITY AT HEREFORD RACECOURSE St Michael’s Hospice has teamed up with Hereford Racecourse for the final fixture of the season on Tuesday 26 March for the inaugural St Michael’s Hospice Charity Raceday. The highlight of the day will be a Charity Flat Race to raise funds for the local charity, in addition to a 100m Charity Dash.

Restricted to 12 riders who must each pledge to raise a minimum £1,500 for charity, the race is a climax to the day which includes a Charity Lunch all aimed at raising funds for St Michael’s Hospice which cares for people in and around Herefordshire with life limiting illnesses.

HEREFORD CHARITY WELCOMES THE DOWAGER COUNTESS OF DARNLEY AS PATRON

Local charity the Oakland Foundation, which supports children in Redditch and Bromsgrove and the surrounding area, has relaunched its website to make it easier for people to find information.

Foundation Trustee, Luke Attwell, commented: “The new website is easier to navigate and provides improved functionality, which put simply means it’s easier to find the information you need and to apply for funding. We are extremely thankful for all the support we receive from the local community, either through individual or group donations, or from businesses choosing the Oakland Foundation as their chosen charity, each and every donation makes a real difference to children’s lives.” www.oakland-foundation.com

www.st-michaels-hospice.org.uk

Rebecca Davies, Executive Director of Hereford Racecourse, said: “We are very proud that St Michael’s Hospice has chosen to partner with us, it is a charity that touches the heart of many Herefordians and beyond.

OAKLAND FOUNDATION CHARITY’S WEBSITE RELAUNCH ATTRACTS FUNDING APPLICATIONS

The website’s new clean look means individuals, groups, youth organisations, community projects and schools can easily donate, become a Foundation partner and apply for funding, and since relaunching the uptake in funding applications has increased.

Paddy Nugent, Community Fundraising Manager for St Michael’s Hospice, said: “The opportunity to partner with Hereford Racecourse on such a significant event is something that excites us very much.”

NHS LEADER TO RUN THE LONDON MARATHON FOR DEMENTIA UK As most of us look forward to cosying up in front of the fire this winter, spare a thought for Sue Harris who will be embarking on a gruelling training programme ahead of competing in the London Marathon in April. Sue, a Director at Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, has been a keen runner for over 20 years but this will be her first marathon.

Dementia UK is a cause close to her heart. The Health and Care Trust provides specialist dementia care across the county and count Sue’s dad among its patients following his diagnosis this year. As well as raising money for Dementia UK, Sue hopes her efforts will help develop greater awareness of local support.

Hereford-based Yeleni Therapy & Support is pleased to announce it has recently joined Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce. The local, independent, cancer charity offers free complementary therapies and ongoing support through self help groups and classes, to anyone with any form of cancer.

In 2016, the charity was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and in 2018 it received the Macmillan Quality Environment Award meaning that it is a nationally recognised centre of cancer care excellence.

Last year, the charity was delighted to welcome The Dowager Countess of Darnley as a Patron, joining its other Patron Jesse Norman MP. Both Patrons consider the charity’s work with cancer patients to be outstanding, and feel privileged to be its local community champions. www.yelenisupport.co.uk

Sue commented: “It is so important to talk about what changes when someone you love develops dementia and knowing what support is available locally can make such a difference”.

To support Sue visit: www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SueHarris13

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

059

BUSINESSNEWS

OVER 400 COMPANIES ATTENDED WORCESTERSHIRE LEP’S 2018 ANNUAL CONFERENCE THE DM LAB CELEBRATED AT HOUSE OF LORDS

BY SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY The DM Lab has been recognised as one of last year’s Small Biz 100, for its contribution to both the UK economy and its local community – which was recognised on Small Business Saturday in December 2018.

Lord Young of Graffham, former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and Government Adviser on enterprise and small business, hosted the event, supported by card reader start-up Square. The event was attended by other special guests, including Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Rt Hon Greg Clark MP. Lord Young of Graffham said: “Small Business Saturday is a vital campaign to highlight the critical role that small businesses play in fuelling the British economy. They are the true backbone of our economy, helping to drive growth across all areas of the country. Hosting the impressive businesses in this year’s Small Biz was a huge pleasure, and it is only a small part of the recognition they deserve for their entrepreneurial spirit shown day in, day out.”

The Conference took place on Friday 30 November at the Chateau Impney in Droitwich. BBC Reporter and Radio Expert, Kate Russell, hosted the Conference while keynote speaker, Tiffany St James, gave an insightful presentation on the innovation of digital tech, with plenty of actionable ideas for the audience.

A total of 19 speakers shared their knowledge on the latest innovative developments led by the LEP, and how these projects are helping to boost productivity, tackle the skills shortage and strengthen connectivity. The Conference covered topics ranging from inward investment, to 5G, BetaDen and the LEP’s 2040 vision for the county.

The Conference also launched the ‘Creating our Future Workforce’ campaign, with the aim of supporting business to tackle the skills gap and shape the skills development of the county’s young generations. The event also revealed the new ‘Worcestershire’ brand that will showcase the county as the ideal place to live, work, visit and invest.

Businesses interested in finding out more are encouraged to get in touch at www.wlep.co.uk.

www.thedmlab.com

PROMETHEUS MEDICAL LTD WINS INVESTORS IN PEOPLE AWARD 2018 Prometheus is delighted to announce that it was awarded the ‘Silver Employer of the Year 2-49’ last week at the prestigious Investors in People Awards 2018.

The Investors in People Awards recognises the people and teams that make a difference every day, highlighting excellence from across the Investors in People global community.

Dr Malcolm Russell MBE, Chief Executive Officer of Prometheus Medical Ltd, said: “This award is a reflection of our amazing workforce and is every bit about them as much as it has anything to do with leadership of the organisation. Winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation in 2015 was a major milestone for us, and I believe the Silver Employer of the Year 2018 award this year will be similarly important, reflecting the people behind the Prometheus Medical brand.” www.prometheusmed.com

WORCESTER INDEPENDENT CONNECTIONS PROVIDER SURPASSES EXPECTATION WITH NEW ELECTRICITY SUPPLY Rock Power Connections has finalised the installation of the electrical supply to Glenmore Business Park, a new development of 14 industrial warehouse units based in Langford Docks, Kidlington.

The Worcester based firm were appointed following a successful tender process, which resulted in Rock Power Connections providing a full design and installation service for the new development.

Kev Sankar, Commercial Director for Rock Power Connections, said: “The Rock Power Connections team boasts extensive experience in the complete design and

060

installation of a new electrical supply to a vast range of development sites, ranging from large commercial through to residential properties.”

“We were delighted to have won the tender for the Glenmore Business Park site, where the team successfully energised the power supply in advance of the required date, helping to speed up the construction project. Overall, it was a very straightforward job with a trouble-free installation, thanks to great communication with the developer, IKON.” www.rockpowerconnections.co.uk

January/February 2019

MEMBERSSERVICES

LAST FEW SPACES REMAINING FOR NEW LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT SERIES Last year, the Chamber was delighted to reveal its brand new Leadership Development Series in partnership with 3WH. Aimed at businesses of all sectors and sizes, the six-part personal leadership development programme will allow delegates to learn more about what it takes to be an exceptional leader, build high performing teams and lead change with confidence and conviction.

Working within peer groups from local organisations, each session will enhance your leadership skills and provide you with key learning points to try back in your own office environment.

Facebook group and bi-monthly webinars to encourage peer to peer learning and interaction between the events.

When starting the six-part programme, delegates will receive a FREE DISC leadership style analysis worth £99*. On completion of the series, attendees will have created a detailed study portfolio to takeaway, and receive a certificate.

There are now limited spaces remaining for the course series. If you would like to find out more, please contact events@hwchamber.co.uk

Throughout the sessions, attendees will also have access to an exclusive

SUCCESS AT THE FINANCIAL GROWTH FORUM, SPONSORED BY EBC GROUP Growing businesses from across Herefordshire and Worcestershire enjoyed a morning at the Chateau Impney Hotel as part of the ‘Growth Forum’ series in association with EBC Group.

This particular forum surrounded the highly requested topic of finance and was the last of its series in 2018.

Our informative speakers were Chris Walklett from Bishop Fleming, Mark Dodwell from NatWest and Giles Cross from FOLK2FOLK. The discussions were around how to secure finance to grow your business to how “adopting the right mindset at individual and organisational level” is the key to opening doors to finance and wider growth.

This was followed by an insightful case study from Rod Spollen, Managing Director of the Chateau Impney Hotel, (Greyfort Group). Rod explained they had purchased the Chateau back in 2012 and made many financial decisions to change the model of the business and grow. They have invested and successfully grown their “Hill Climb” project which now has over 200 competitors and 16,000 visitors!

to growth and to offer practical advice on innovation, skills and access to funding. The event covers a range of topics identified by growth businesses as critical to their success and speakers include inspiring experts who will share knowledge covering a range of topics.

We will return in 2019 with topics such as Sales & Marketing, Technology & a repeat of Finance following this topic’s particular success.

If you are a high growth business or are looking to grow and would like to hear more or be a part of the Chambers Growth Forum please contact Simone Rose or Hayley Giles on 01905 673 600 or email: SimoneR@hwchamber.co.uk or HayleyG@hwchamber.co.uk

BREXIT SUPPORT OFFERED THROUGH CHAMBER NETWORK Herefordshire & Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce has been working closely with the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) to ensure Members have access to resources to help businesses prepare for the change and ongoing uncertainty.

Whilst many companies are already planning for the challenges and opportunities ahead, Chambers of Commerce believe that all firms – not just those directly and immediately affected – should be undertaking a Brexit “Health Check” and a broader test of existing business plans.

Whilst the final settlement remains to be agreed within the UK government [at the time of publication], the BCC has circulated a Business Brexit Checklist that will help companies plan at both operational and Board level.

In addition to the Brexit Checklist, the local business community also has access to a risk assessment for firms of every size and sector to use in order to gain clarity, make decisions, invest and prepare for the future.

Both the Brexit Checklist and risk assessment can be found online at www.bit.ly/HWCCBrexit.

The Chamber is collating Member feedback to send to the BCC to help advise how companies across the country feel about the latest Brexit updates. Additionally, Members can access a useful Withdrawal Agreement FAQ to ensure they are kept up to date with factors that may affect their business.

The Chamber will continue to update the local business community with resources available on our website at www.hwchamber.co.uk.

The ‘Growth Forum’ series is FREE to Members and Non-members and includes complimentary breakfast and refreshments.

It was established by the Chamber to provide a platform to share best practice, to provide support to overcome barriers

*DISC profile is FREE when booking on to the complete series (all six sessions).

Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

061

LASTWORD

WORCESTER STANDS TALL WITH ST RICHARD’S HOSPICE To end our charity themed edition of Business Direction, we spoke to Tricia Cavell, Fundraising Director at St Richard’s Hospice, to discuss the popular arts trail that brightened the streets of Worcester last summer.

Worcester Stands Tall was part of a Wild in Art event that raised the much needed funds to support St Richard’s Hospice’s Build 2020 Campaign.

The campaign is a £5.3m expansion and redevelopment to support more patients and families in Worcestershire, and Worcester Stands Tall arrived as a fantastic initiative to help raise the final £1m.

As the region endured blissfully high temperatures that finally rewarded us with a well-deserved summer, it seemed that St Richard’s Hospice’s new project could not have arrived at a better time.

Over 30 businesses and schools from across the county joined forces to sponsor the event that welcomed 57 giraffe sculptures as part of a six-mile route across the city, embracing the High Street, parks, schools, shops and open spaces.

“We wanted to give back to the city and residents of Worcestershire who continue to provide so much to help the hospice”, says Tricia. Whilst all of the hospice’s fundraising events engage with local businesses and residents, Worcester Stands Tall was the one project that captured everyone’s imagination.

The giraffes attracted visitors from far and wide, and not only touched the hearts of

It was incredible to see the business community be so actively engaged with the arts trail. All of our sponsors were fantastic at generating interest online, and some businesses even went as far to hold giraffe themed CSR activities.

062

the patients at St Richard’s, but everyone who enjoyed the journey in person or online.

Families of the patients got behind the project too, and St Richard’s was delighted to have been presented with two of the sculptures, Snowdrop and Touch the Wishing Star, to place in its garden for all to enjoy (kindly donated by Dave Graesser and John Sheen) – a lasting legacy of the campaign.

The 10-week arts trail helped the hospice to connect with people that they had not done so before, and the charity learnt a lot about the community throughout the process.

Unfortunately, three of the giraffes were damaged throughout the summer months, but the charity was overwhelmed by the public who rallied behind them to put a stop to the vandalism. Because of this support, a local fibre glass repair company, JMB Polishers of Pershore, came to the rescue and repaired the giraffes that were then able to return to the trail.

Whilst the people in the city were brilliant at promoting Worcester Stands Stand, it was also local companies who showed much support for the project.

“It was incredible to see the business community be so actively engaged with the arts trail. All of our sponsors were fantastic at generating interest online, and some businesses even went as far to hold giraffe themed CSR activities”, said Tricia.

The initiative culminated with an auction on Thursday 11 October at drp’s HQ in Hartlebury, which saw businesses from far and wide bidding on the 30 giant giraffes and 27 calves – a night that raised a whopping £210,400!

Speaking of the auction, Tricia said: “The funds raised will make a huge difference to our project to expand and redevelop the hospice – ultimately allowing us to extend our care to more patients and families.

“To all of the buyers, artists, sponsors, partners, supporters, schools, community groups and public who helped make this project possible – we would like to say a sincere thank you for your immeasurable support. Together, we have truly stood tall for Worcester and beyond.”

To find out more about the project, please visit www.strichards.org.uk.

January/February 2019

WE ONLY CONNECT YOUR BUSINESS TO PEOPLE WE KNOW

Our international service operates from five hubs across the world where our legal, commercial and government connections are extensive and deep. We work with individuals that we’ve personally known for decades, enabling us to help you run and grow your business almost anywhere in the world.

Nicolas Groffman, Partner, Harrison Clark Rickerbys

Talk to us: 0118 911 1206 | Website: www.hcrlaw.com Harrison Clark Rickerbys Ltd is authorised and regulated by the SRA Business Direction published by Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce

063

CHAMBERNEWS

www.wcg.ac.uk

SKILLS Get the

WORKING WITH

1100+

EMPLOYERS NATIONALLY!

your business needs

We’re one of the UK’s leading providers of apprenticeships. › Tackle your skills shortages and grow your own staff › Reduce staff turnover and improve productivity › Upskill your experienced staff to take on new roles

› Funding available for your staff development

CURRENTLY TRAINING

2500+ apprentices

76% apprenticeships success rate

far above the national average

For high-quality training and business support visit www.wcg.ac.uk/employers

064

January/February 2019