New Members

Headquartered at Redditch, Hayward Wright offer all the normal accountancy and tax services and have developed a strong professional team who look after a range of clients in several specialist sectors. Hayward Wright’s partnership with Xero allow them to develop internal financial processes for their clients which mean owners and directors can always be on top of their numbers and can rest easy in the knowledge that their own dedicated manager is only a phone call or email away. Once the business finances have been optimised, through a network of professional relationships Hayward Wright are able to ensure that their hardworking clients can enjoy and build their personal wealth. “I’m really proud of both our internal team and external relationships and I firmly believe this uniquely positions us to offer all round professional advice to SMEs across the midlands,” said Alistair Hayward-Wright MD. If you or anyone you know feels they could use some additional support, please do reach out to the team and help them achieve their goal of helping their clients to be the best they can be. www.haywardwright.co.uk

Amcor is a global leader in developing and producing high-quality, responsible packaging for a variety of food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical-device, home- and personal-care and other products. Amcor works with leading companies around the world to protect their products and the people who rely on them, differentiate brands, and improve supply chains, through a broad range of flexible packaging, containers, cartons, closures, and services. In 2018, Amcor announced being the first global packaging company pledging to develop all its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025, directly addressing a major environmental issue with capability, scale, and reach. Packaging is vital to assuring the safety and effectiveness of an extensive range of food, beverage, medical, pharmaceutical, household and personal-care products. It also significantly limits the enormous environmental implications from food and other product waste. The company is committed to significantly increasing its use of recycled materials, driving consistently more recycling of packaging around the world. “Our aspiration is to be the leading global packaging company,” said Ron Delia, Amcor’s Chief Executive Officer. “That means winning on behalf of the environment, customers, consumers, shareholders and our people at the same time, in ways that differentiate Amcor and generate growth.”

Sustainability is important to us and the plastic components that we manufacture are for long term use, such as car parts and underground construction pipe chambers. We strive to use recycled materials where possible in selected products. We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint each year through our Climate Change Agreement and initiatives such as Worcestershire County Councils BEEP and LOCOP initiatives.

Established in 1968, the company operates 24 hours a day from its 52,000 square feet manufacturing facility and warehouse in Droitwich and employs approximately 80 staff. Our 21 injection moulding machines range in size from 500Tonne to 1300Tonne manufacturing components and assemblies from 100g up to 13 KG in weight and are principally Negri Bossi & Borche – further details can be found at www.chessplastics.co.uk. The management team are very excited to become Strategic Members and look forward to meeting up with fellow members.

Worcestershire-based accountancy firm, Ballards LLP, has chosen the Worcester Food Bank as its nominated charity of the year. The food bank provides nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to them in crisis. The Ballards support includes a year-long schedule of fundraising activities, volunteering initiatives and events.

Recently, Ballards employees have attended the Food Bank to help sort and pack food and they will continue to volunteer throughout the year. Partner at Ballards LLP, Ben Allman said, “The Ballards team are very much community-focused, so it was not a surprise to me that Worcester Food Bank was voted by the staff as our chosen charity this year. We all recognise the tremendous pressure local communities are feeling right now, with many having to take the courageous decision to ask for help. “ Worcester Food Bank Operations Coordinator, Ruth Allsopp commented, “We are so grateful to be selected as the Charity of the Year by Ballards LLP employees this year. Currently, we are feeding an average of 1000 people a month here at Worcester Foodbank and we only see this increasing as winter sets in and the effects of the cost-of-living crisis take hold. We simply couldn’t meet the demand if it wasn’t for the support of the local community and businesses like Ballards.”

From left to right: Matthew Clarke, marketing manager at Ballards LLP, Ruth Allsopp, operations coordinator at Worcester Food Bank, Heather Green, duty manager at Worcester Food Bank and Ben Allman, Partner at Ballards LLP

Mr Devlin, who is also a PRINCE2 qualified project manager said, “Ultimately, our service looks to ensure that businesses are making the most of the opportunities that the digital space offers to them. This may be through automation, streamlining processes, improving systems or the introduction of new software.”

Ballards LLP’s IT and Digital Transformation department is the latest in the firm’s extended line of services which also include recruitment via its subsidiary company, Four Squared Recruitment. Chief Executive James Syree said, “Although accountancy and taxation is the core of our firm and underpins all of our relationships, our plan is to be able to support clients in other areas of their business. Specifically with digital transformation, we found that clients often found themselves without advice on how to maximise value in this area and our service can plug that gap. The breadth of opportunity that the digital space can afford to businesses is startling and can improve areas ranging from customer experience to profitability and even staff retention. Ballards LLP has made more than 20 other hires across the business over the past year taking its headcount to over 100 professionals. HR Director, Sarah Stevens said, “It is great to be a key employer in the area for professional services. Sean’s recent promotion to Partner shows the progressive nature of the firm having non accountancy individuals amongst the leadership team. I am sure he will continue to be successful in what is a growing part of our practice.”

Sean Devlin

As a corporate partner with the lifesaving service, your business could benefit from a range of activities and opportunities, which will help increase engagement with your company’s brand and fulfil your corporate social responsibility goals. Ultimately, a mutually beneficial relationship with Midlands Air Ambulance Charity will help save lives. Each year, the charity needs to raise £11million to make its 4,500 annual missions possible across Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, the West Midlands, and Worcestershire. By committing to a mutually beneficial partnership, you can help save the lives of some of the most critically ill and injured patients across the Midlands. There are plenty of ways your business can help make lifesaving missions possible: • Choosing Midlands Air Ambulance Charity as your Charity of the Year • Sponsorship of events • Corporate volunteering • Fundraising • Gifts in Kind donations • Payroll Giving • Donating raffle and auction prizes Pam Hodgetts, corporate partnerships manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity says: “Building strong relationships with local businesses is important in helping to keep our helicopters’ rotors turning. “A corporate partnership with our charity is one that mutually benefits both parties and fulfils corporate social responsibility objectives.”

Please contact Pam Hodgetts via email pam.hodgetts@midlandsairambulance.com and visit midlandsairambulance.com/corporate to find out more.

But the reality is that many older people across the two counties find themselves unable to afford or benefit from the services they require and often become desperately lonely and isolated.

Last year, Age UK Herefordshire and Worcestershire supported 11,000 people over the age of 50 with dementia services, admin, benefit and energy advice, companionship, digital inclusion, help around the home, wellbeing activities, and more.

We can achieve even more with the help of our local business community.

Working in partnership with Age UK Herefordshire and Worcestershire can bring lasting benefits and improve the lives of the older generation and your company. Whether you donate your time or your money, here ’ s how you can support us:

Volunteer for us: Keep someone lonely company with a 20-minute phone call or support us with your expertise in a variety of ways.

As your charity of the year we can commit to helping more people maintain their independence.

Staff fundraising: from a cake sale to a marathon, these donations will help us expand our much needed services.

EasyFundraising: at no extra cost to you or us, shop via EasyFundraising and your favourite brands will give us a percentage of the sale.

Donations: we welcome traditional donations (don ’t forget the added benefit of tax relief). These donations could help supply the refreshments and materials for our Veteran ’ s services.