VOX Magazine - issue 7

VOX

YOUR QUARTERLY BUSINESS MAGAZINE CONNECTING CHESTER & WREXHAM

VOX

YOUR QUARTERLY BUSINESS MAGAZINE CONNECTING CHESTER & WREXHAM

Welcome to VOX. Your voice to target the business community across Chester and Wrexham. Whether you are based in Chester or Wrexham, or are keen to reach the businesses that are, our magazine has been specifically designed to reach the people that matter.

Meet the team:

Clara lives in Chester and runs a successful marketing company, Zebra Marketing and Communications (www.zebra-comms.co.uk), that has been operating locally, nationally and internationally since 2010. Clara specialises in strategic marketing, copywriting, media relations and services relating to events, exhibitions and conferences.

01978 437070 | 07702 736763 clara@ezpublishing.co.uk

Vicky lives just outside Wrexham and owns and produces EssentialsMAG (www.essentialsmag.co.uk) – a local monthly community magazine which is hand-delivered through 14,000 letterboxes in and around Wrexham. She is also a successful graphic designer and artist and has been working in the creative industries since 1992 and established her first business in 2003.

01978 855459 | 07740 945795

vicky@ezpublishing.co.uk

Clara Hughes Editorial Director

Vicky Heathfield Creative Director & Advertising

Welcome

Welcome to our latest issue of VOX

We are delighted to bring you the Summer 2023 issue of VOX. So much has happened in the first half of the year and there is still so much to look forward to in the second half.

The end of a memorable 2022/23 football season has seen both Wrexham and Chester achieve great success. After a nail-biting season finale, Wrexham were crowned National League champions, and enjoyed the Hollywood glamour of an open-topped bus parade through the city. Chester made the play-offs in National League North, after having their most successful season in years.

Summer is also a busy time for events and as this issue lands, we are excited about the prospect of Chester’s Green Expo. We’re also looking forward to the Bolesworth International Horse Show, which we were fortunate enough to be invited to the preview of, back in April. If that was any indication, it’s going to be an incredible event.

So, what is VOX? – a quick reminder

VOX is the Latin word for ‘voice’ and this is what we want to provide for local businesses around Chester and Wrexham – a voice and a platform to showcase your work, share your successes and offer help and advice to one other.

What’s in store?

There is lots of interesting business news in our latest issue of VOX. Not only are we celebrating business milestones and charity achievements, but both Chester and Wrexham have exciting new initiatives that have been launched over the last few months. Chester Great and Small (GAS) held its launch at the Storyhouse on 24 March, and you can read more about it – and what it is trying to achieve – on page 44. Meanwhile, Wrexham Business and Community Awards, which we featured in the last issue, also had its official launch on 30 March, at the head offices of this year’s host, Net World Sport. You can read more about the awards and how enter on page 40.

As you know, in each issue of VOX, we also like to gain some knowhow from our local business leaders, and we are pleased to have interviews with Moneypenny’s Chief Technology Officer talking about tech trends on page 18 and Gareth Boyd gives us a tour around Food and Drink in Chester on page 48. We also hear from Guy Fennell about his business success with the multinationals, with a business that only started during lockdown. Plus, you will find lots of business insights and interviews, along with all our usual features, throughout the pages of issue seven of VOX.

Help us raise your voice

Once again, we would like to thank our advertisers and contributors, who have helped us to create our latest issue. And, as always, huge appreciation goes out to our resident artist Emma Gore, who has developed another stunning piece of original cover artwork of Chester's Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre.

We want to make VOX the voice for local businesses – a platform where we can share your stories and experiences of the region, celebrate your successes and be proud to be part of a community uniting two important economic hubs. To make this happen, we would love to hear your views and find out what you would be interested in reading about.

We hope you enjoy reading our latest issue of VOX!

Clara and Vicky

Croeso

Croeso i'n rhifyn diweddaraf o VOX

Rydym yn falch iawn o ddod â rhifyn Haf 2023 o VOX i chi. Mae cymaint wedi digwydd yn hanner cyntaf y flwyddyn ac mae cymaint i edrych ymlaen ato o hyd yn yr ail hanner.

Mae diwedd tymor pêl-droed cofiadwy yn 2022/23 wedi sicrhau llwyddiant ysgubol i Wrecsam a Chaer. Ar ôl gêm olaf y tymor, lle’r oedd pawb ar bigau’r drain, coronwyd Wrecsam yn bencampwyr y Gynghrair Genedlaethol, a mwynhaodd y staff a’r chwaraewyr hudoliaeth Hollywood o orymdaith bws agored drwy'r ddinas. Llwyddodd Caer i gyrraedd y gemau ail-gyfle yn Adran y Gogledd y Gynghrair Genedlaethol, ar ôl cael eu tymor mwyaf llwyddiannus ers blynyddoedd.

Mae'r haf hefyd yn gyfnod prysur ar gyfer digwyddiadau ac wrth i'r rhifyn hwn gyrraedd, rydym yn gyffrous am y posibilrwydd o Green Expo Caer. Rydym hefyd yn edrych ymlaen at Sioe Geffylau Rhyngwladol Bolesworth, yr oeddem yn ddigon ffodus i gael ein gwahodd i’r rhagddangosiad nôl ym mis Ebrill. Os oedd hynny'n unrhyw arwydd, mae'n mynd i fod yn ddigwyddiad anhygoel.

Felly, beth yw VOX? – nodyn cyflym i’ch atgoffa VOX yw'r gair Lladin am 'lais', a dyma beth rydyn ni am ei ddarparu ar gyfer busnesau lleol o amgylch Caer a Wrecsam - llais a llwyfan i arddangos eich gwaith, rhannu eich llwyddiannau a chynnig help a chyngor i'n gilydd.

Beth sydd wedi’i gynnwys?

Mae llawer o newyddion busnes diddorol yn ein rhifyn diweddaraf o VOX. Nid yn unig yr ydym yn dathlu cerrig milltir busnes a chyflawniadau elusennol, ond mae gan Gaer a Wrecsam fentrau newydd cyffrous sydd wedi'u lansio yn ystod y misoedd diwethaf. Cynhaliodd Chester Great and Small (GAS) ei lansiad yn y Storyhouse ar 24 Mawrth, a gallwch ddarllen mwy amdano – a'r hyn y mae'n ceisio ei gyflawni – ar dudalen 44. Yn y cyfamser, cafodd Gwobrau Busnes a Chymuned Wrecsam, a wnaethom gynnwys yn y rhifyn diwethaf, hefyd ei lansiad swyddogol ar 30 Mawrth, yn swyddfeydd y prif westeiwr eleni, Net World Sport. Gallwch ddarllen mwy am y gwobrau a sut i gyflwyno enwebiadau ar dudalen 40.

Fel y gwyddoch, ym mhob rhifyn o VOX, rydym hefyd yn hoffi cael rhywfaint o wybodaeth gan ein harweinwyr busnes lleol, ac rydym yn falch o gael cyfweliadau â Phrif Swyddog Technoleg

Moneypenny yn siarad am dueddiadau technoleg ar dudalen 18 ac mae Gareth Boyd yn rhoi taith i ni o amgylch Bwyd a Diod yng Nghaer ar dudalen 48. Clywn gan Guy Fennell hefyd am ei lwyddiant busnes gyda'r cwmnïau rhyngwladol, gyda busnes a ddechreuodd yn ystod y cyfnod clo yn unig. Hefyd, fe welwch lawer o fewnwelediadau busnes a chyfweliadau, ynghyd â'n holl nodweddion arferol, trwy gydol tudalennau rhifyn saith o VOX.

Helpwch ni i godi eich llais

Unwaith eto, hoffem ddiolch i'n hysbysebwyr a'n cyfranwyr, sydd wedi ein helpu i greu ein rhifyn diweddaraf. Ac, fel bob amser, mae gwerthfawrogiad enfawr yn mynd allan i'n hartist preswyl Emma Gore, sydd wedi datblygu darn syfrdanol arall o waith celf clawr gwreiddiol.

Rydym am wneud VOX y llais ar gyfer busnesau lleol –llwyfan lle gallwn rannu eich straeon a'ch profiadau o'r rhanbarth, dathlu eich llwyddiannau a bod yn falch o fod yn rhan o gymuned sy'n uno dwy ganolfan economaidd bwysig. I wneud i hyn ddigwydd, byddem wrth ein boddau'n clywed eich barn a darganfod beth fyddai gennych ddiddordeb mewn darllen amdano.

Clara and Vicky

Jones Village Bakery on the rise at it triples exports

Overseas sales at the Jones Village Bakery in Wrexham are due to increase from £1.5 million last year to £5 million in 2023. The family firm’s award-winning products are already staple lines for most of the best-known supermarkets in the UK. The company, which has several bakeries on Wrexham Industrial Estate and another in Minera on the outskirts of the town, employs 800 people.

Two years ago, they opened a new 140,000 sq. ft. super bakery, which also houses the company’s HQ, their Baking Academy and Innovation Centre. Earlier this year they installed a new £2 million pancake production line – reckoned to be one of the biggest in the world – that’s created 20 new jobs. It will enable them to increase production to 75 million pancakes a year and give them the flexibility to make a range of different pancakes, from a small Scotch pancake to a large American style buttermilk pancake measuring seven inches across. As a result, they are able to cater for surging demand in the UK and from Europe, particularly France, Belgium and Holland.

The company has also landed a contract to supply bakery products to a large German retailer. All of this is on top of supplying a worldwide network of around 200 M&S stores with crumpets, scones, pancakes, bagels, rolls, Welsh Cakes and pikelets.

Robin Jones said: “We send products to anywhere in the world where there is an M&S franchise, including Hong Kong, Singapore, the Middle East and India, as well as the stores in Europe. We have a similar arrangement with the Waitrose stores in the Middle East and that’s something we have done for about three or four years.

He added: “Strategically, we have taken the decision to grow the export market and we have just taken on a senior national account manager, who is fluent in French and German. Her role will include actively pursuing those markets with pancakes, crumpets and other bakery products. We are continuing to grow and are getting more and more enquiries, so that is creating real momentum in terms of exports alongside our continued growth with our UK customers.

“Innovation is at the heart of our expansion both in the UK and abroad, because our brilliant new product development team are driving the growing appetite for our products. I think the secret of our success is our ability to make high-quality products in volume, whilst staying true to our roots as craft bakers.”

Haswells Chartered Accountants appoints first female partner in its history

Rachel Coles ACCA, manager of Haswells Chartered Accountants on the Wrexham Technology Park, has been appointed the first female Partner in the company’s 150-year history. Haswells began life in the late 1800s and has consistently remained within and around Wrexham.

Rachel started her career with Haswells in 2005 as a Trainee Accountant, quickly qualifying as an AAT in 2008 and ATT in 2013, rising to the position of manager in 2019. Rachel continued to work to ACCA, passing her final exams earlier this year.

Rachel commented: “While the finance industry has moved on apace during the last century, my appointment proves that women can have top roles within firms, even if this has never happened previously. I have worked towards this role for a long time and am honoured that my Partnership cements my place in Haswells’ history and its future. It means a lot to me that the current partners believe I am the right person to take the firm forwards and clients can be reassured that business will continue as usual.”

City accessibility improvements

d/Deaf people’s experience in the city is set to improve thanks to a new collaboration between Chester BID and sensory loss charity DSN. Accessibility for those who are deaf or have lost some or all of their hearing will be greatly improved following a series of new initiatives funded by Chester BID, including a pottery workshop at Pictura and the Women of Chester History tour. Both were delivered in British Sign Language (BSL).

Chester BID has created a partnership with Cheshire and North Wales charity DSN – which will also deliver Deaf Awareness Training sessions for BID members. These sessions include communication barriers and solutions, basic British Sign Language and information on correct terminology and the latest technology.

Luka Morrell, Business Engagement Manager said: “Customer service is at the forefront of our businesses’ minds – so improving the experience for those visiting the city is top of the priority list. The Deaf Awareness Training sessions sold out within a matter of days and there is demand for more, which just shows you that accessibility is also high on the agenda too.”

Deaf with a capital D refers to people who have been deaf all their lives. Being deaf with a lowercase d refers to people who have a hearing loss and/or who have become deaf. One in five people in the UK have a hearing loss and/or are Deaf. Gill Reeder, Executive for DSN, an organisation that has been supporting d/Deaf people to live independent, fulfilling lives for over 45 years, said she was delighted to see the enthusiasm from businesses.

For more information on future Deaf Awareness Training contact luka@chesterbid.co.uk

Kate Hill-Trevor appointed new High Sheriff of Clwyd

The custodian of the historic Brynkinalt Estate in Chirk has been appointed the new High Sheriff of Clwyd. Kate Hill-Trevor, takes over the role from outgoing High Sheriff, Ms Zoe Henderson from Ruthin.

Mrs Hill-Trevor becomes one of 55 High Sheriffs in England and Wales appointed by His Majesty King Charles III to represent the Sovereign in matters of law and order in their ceremonial county. The formal Declaration of Office took place at Brynkinalt on Tuesday 4 April in a legal ceremony conducted by Mrs Sarah Noton, of Swayne Johnson Solicitors in St Asaph.

It took place in the presence of the Lord-Lieutenant, Henry Fetherstonhaugh OBE FRAgS, the Chief Constable of North Wales Police, Amanda Blakeman, Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin, His Honour Judge Rhys Rowlands and Bench Chair North Central Wales Bench, David Gaffney JP. Mrs Noton was also sworn in as Under Sheriff for the next 12 months.

In keeping with tradition, two young Voluntary Police Cadets from the Wrexham Unit, 15-year-old Brooke Blake-Haines and Steffan Lea, were appointed as High Sheriff Cadets and took an Oath of Service as VCPs to assist Mrs Hill-Trevor in her Shrieval year.

Mrs Hill-Trevor’s Shrieval duties will be many and varied. Chiefly, the role of High Sheriff is to lend active support to the principal pillars of the Constitution within the county – the Royal Family, the Judiciary, the Police and other law enforcement agencies, the emergency services, local authorities, and church and faith groups. In addition, Mrs Hill-Trevor pledged to support and highlight the vital work of the county’s voluntary sector.

Kate Hill-Trevor said: “As the role of High Sheriff has evolved and adapted to keep its relevance in today’s society, supporting, promoting and encouraging the voluntary sector has become a large part of the position, particularly those charities involved with crime reduction and social cohesion.

“I want to start my Shrieval year by talking to and understanding the work of the four County Voluntary Councils.

“These umbrella organisations provide advice and information to the county’s dynamic voluntary sector, and I hope to visit as many local charities as possible, to meet the wonderful people giving their time to make a difference to the lives of those they are helping.”

Chester retains Purple Flag accreditation for fifth year

Chester has retained the prestigious Purple Flag accreditation for its evening and night-time economy for the fifth consecutive year. The city first achieved Purple Flag status in 2018. The award recognises areas providing a vibrant and diverse mix of dining, entertainment and culture while promoting the safety and wellbeing of visitors and residents.

Highlights from Chester’s submission included the varied range of events, providing something for everyone, the positive impact of increased pedestrianisation areas and the stunning ‘Once a Desert’ installation at Chester Cathedral.

Councillor Karen Shore, Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways & Strategic Transport, said: "Chester continues to attract attention across the country, the latest survey has placed Chester among the top 10 most fashion-forward cities in the UK. Footfall in Chester showed an 18.5% increase in 2022, with over 16 million visitors recorded. Whilst footfall across the whole country still hasn’t recovered from the pandemic, the counters at Northgate showed a 7% increase in footfall in December compared with 2019 figures, thanks to Storyhouse, the new Chester Market and the Christmas Market.”

Carl Crichlow, Chester BID, Chief Executive Officer, said: “Chester’s night-time economy continues to go from strength to strength, with new bars and restaurants opening and expanding. Therefore it’s important that the city is safe and wellmanaged, to ensure a positive customer experience. To secure Purple Flag status for a fifth year is a huge achievement and testament to the hard work of all the partners involved.”

Wrexham-based, family-run café wins Best of Welsh Business

Toast Café and Deli, a family-run café in Wrexham, has been awarded a prestigious prize just nine months after opening its doors.

Claire and Paul Wright scooped the Best Café prize at a ceremony in March. The popular eatery has now been named best café at the Best of Welsh Business Awards 2023.

RESPECTED name in the Welsh meat industry carving successful career

Matt Edwards, from Wrexham, is Coleg Cambria’s top Workbased Learning Practitioner for Butchery. A WorldSkills UK gold medallist, Matt began his career at 14 at a local butchers’ before moving on to become an apprentice at award-winning outlets, such as Swans Farm Shop, Treuddyn, Jones’s Butchers in Llangollen, and with Steve Vaughan in Penyffordd. Now on the opposite side of the counter, he is supporting the sector’s new blood, including Adam Jones, who followed in his footsteps by being named Welsh Butcher of the Year while a Cambria apprentice and working at Swans.

Matt is also an Inspiring Skills Excellence in Wales ambassador and wants to promote the trade, through competitions and by visiting schools, to demonstrate the benefits of joining a profession where there is increasing demand for skilled candidates.

“I go out to see the learners in the workplace, carry out observations and assessments and guide them towards an eventual career in butchery,” said Matt. “We have more than 100 food manufacturing learners across North Wales and the numbers are growing, but there is room for more, the demand is there in this region and beyond –we are always getting asked for more apprentices and that has been the case for some time now.

New Chester city centre shop aims to showcase work of local artists

Partly, an independent art, craft and gift shop, has opened on St Werburgh Street, Chester. The shop aims to showcase artisan gifts and homeware made in Cheshire, North Wales and further afield.

It has been set up by businessman Harvey Simmons, who said it was always a dream of his to move from his home city of Winchester to Chester.

The shop stocks a range of artisan gifts, crafts, hand-thrown pottery, jewellery and art. Harvey, who comes from Winchester originally, said the two cities had a lot in common and he was excited to now be living and working in Chester. Harvey, who has previously worked in the hospitality industry, described the shop’s ethos as offering a range of ‘discerning handmade arts and crafts’. The shop stocks products including sculptures, ceramics and jewellery.

Wrexham named as one of Tree Cities of the World 2022

Urban forests help define a sense of place and wellbeing where people live, work, play and learn.

The Tree Cities of the World programme is an international effort to recognise cities and towns committed to ensuring that their urban forests and trees are properly maintained, sustainably managed and duly celebrated.

To be recognised as a Tree City, a community must meet five core standards that illustrate a commitment to caring for its trees and forest.

UK for Good achieve B-Corp

UK for Good is incredibly proud to announce that it has been awarded B Corp Certification, joining a global community of over 1200 certified UK businesses, and 6,000+ businesses around the world.

B Corps are businesses that meet high verified standards of social and environmental performance. To become B Corp Certified, a business must complete an online assessment called the B Impact Assessment (BIA) and score a minimum of 80 points. The assessment, which is independently verified by B Lab, considers the impact of a business across five areas: governance, workers, communities, environment and customers. This is a very proud moment for the company having achieved a score of 109.8, which is a big deal in the B Corp community.

It was only during the pandemic in 2021 that Donna Okell established UK for Good, using the B Corp framework to guide her business ambitions and as a start-up, UK for Good became Pending B Corp (the status for businesses which are younger than 12-months-old). Since then, the company has developed a clear purpose to shape a cleaner, greener, fairer future by helping businesses better understand and improve their impact on their people and the planet.

In short, the UK for Good team works hard to encourage and support business leaders to create purpose beyond profit and helps businesses navigate their B Corp journeys.

The theme of this year’s B Corp Month (in March) was #wegobeyond. The idea of the annual campaign is to raise awareness and to celebrate the many examples of B Corps creating purpose beyond profit. Donna Okell, Founder of UK for Good and B Leader, said: “At UK for Good #wegobeyond by helping our clients and membership community of forward-thinking businesses learn from experts and each other how they too can use their businesses as a force for good.

“We are hugely grateful to so many people who have supported our journey so far and look forward to sharing our progress as we continue to explore how we can do more – and faster – to shape a better world for our children and future generations. This certification is just the beginning and we know there is much more to be done.”

If you’d like to talk to UK for Good about becoming a B Corp, or are a fellow B Corp and want to say “Hi”, please email hello@ukforgood.com.

To learn more about the B Corp Movement visit ukforgood.com or bcorporation.uk

Wrexham

Glyndŵr

University

named as a leading LGBTQ+ inclusive employer

Wrexham Glyndŵr University (WGU) has been named in Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers List for its’ work in supporting LGBTQ+ staff to be themselves at work. The university has also secured a Gold Award, due to its Workplace Equality Index ranking rising from a placement of 47th to 41st , which now means the institution has been placed sixth in the UK education sector. It has increased its ranking by a phenomenal 374 places since its original submission in 2018.

Over the past year, WGU has made significant strides towards fostering an inclusive working environment by increasing community engagement and highlighting the institution’s commitment to the LGBTQ+ community by hosting stands at Pride events in both Wrexham and Chester, and forming collaborative working partnerships with local groups, including North Wales Fire Service and Unique Transgender Network.

New coffee shop and barista school opens in Chester

Independent coffee roaster 200 Degrees has opened in the former Patisserie Valerie premises on Bridge Street in Chester this May. The Grade II listed premises will be able to seat around 90 customers and will even offer a barista school for coffee fans to learn how to perfect the art of the perfect cup of coffee, to make one at home too. It will be decked out in the roaster's signature interior design, including its classic fireplace and cosy armchairs, and brings 15 new full-time and part-jobs to the city.

Alison Bloomfield, Head of Organisational Development and Diversity at WGU, said: “Fostering inclusive environments makes workplaces safer and better for all – not just LGBTQ+ people – and I’m immensely proud of the progress we have made as a university in the past year with regard to this.

“In the last 12 months, we have supported and implemented a range of initiatives within the university and in tandem with the local community, including hosting stands at Pride events in both Wrexham and Chester, co-ordinating a number of awareness days to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, as well as forming strong partnerships with a number of local groups.

“A huge congratulations to everyone at WGU for helping to make the university such a special and inclusive place to work and study, in particular the LGBTQ+ Staff Network.”

Stephen Fern, managing director at 200 Degrees, said: “Chester is an incredible city with heritage and culture in abundance, and if it’s good enough for Hollyoaks, then it’s good enough for us! It’s really exciting that we’re also bringing one of our Barista Schools to Chester, which are incredibly popular in the six other cities they’re in.

"This is the place for coffee enthusiasts and professionals alike to enjoy fun, hands-on courses on how to make a truly great coffee. We also offer teambuilding sessions, for groups to learn and have fun together. But whether in a group or on your own, our aim is to always create a unique and memorable learning experience.”

Educating the next generation of hospitality leaders

Carden Park, the Cheshire-based estate – which includes an awardwinning hotel, spa, and golf course – is working in partnership with Coleg Cambria, as part of its innovative Management Trainee Programme. Apprentices can achieve Level 2 and Level 3 Certificates in Licenced Hospitality Operations with the college – based in Wrexham, Deeside, Northop and Llysfasi –while gaining valuable experience, a competitive salary, professional support and mentoring and accommodation if required.

Among the first learners to have joined the scheme are: Elliot Scragg, 19, from Wrexham; Lauren Nicholls, 18, from Wrexham; Oscar Boulton, 20, from Chester; Niamh Roberts, 25, from Ellesmere Port; Harry Walsh, 23, from Chester, and Laura Thickens, 24, from Wrexham.

As a group they are enjoying the two-year placement and are confident it will provide a springboard to successful careers.

Local business fulfils the search for a treasured model in memory of the Indian Air Forces most decorated pilot

Local hobby shop Chester Model Centre received an unexpected customer enquiry all the way from Bangalore, South India recently. Arun Swaminathan was looking for a specific and rather elusive model plane to add to his collection in memory of his late Uncle – Wing Commander Padmanabha Gautam – a highly decorated Indian Air Force pilot who flew the English Electric Canberra plane during his distinguished career.

Paul Boyland, the owner of Chester Model Centre, says, “We’ve been running our independent shop in Chester for over 10 years now and we couldn’t do it without so much local support. In fact, we've known some of our customers for decades –longer than we’ve been on the high street. Having said that, the modelling community is global and we are really happy to help Arun get his hands on the model Canberra plane that his Uncle Gautam had flown. Arun contacted us initially by email from Bangalore.” Arun is hoping to make a trip to the UK in the future with a visit to Chester Model Centre at the top of his list of places to see.

Paul says, “We are quite a traditional hobby shop I suppose and giving people a hands-on experience on the high street is really at the core of what we do. We have been digital dinosaurs in the past, but we realise it’s important that we evolve as a retailer. We launched our website during the first lockdown (Spring 2020) and are now active on social media. We’ve been contacted by customers from Australia, America, France and Italy. The attention from across the globe has prompted us to think bigger. We’re currently making arrangements to make international delivery available to our customers and hope to have this service up and running in the next few weeks. As a local independent shop, this opens up a big market for us!”

New Chair appointed at Chester BID

Chester’s Giant Wheel

Throughout April, Chester hosted a 35-metre Observation Wheel in Grosvenor Park, offering 360° views of the stunning Chester skyline.

Chester BID, the Business Improvement District (BID) for Chester City Centre, has appointed a new Chair to its board. Neil Hardy was appointed into the role following on from Katrina Kerr, who has stepped down after three-and-a-half years.

Experienced marketer Neil comes to the role with a wealth of knowledge in the commercial tourism, retail and leisure sector, having worked as the Head of E-commerce for the likes of Hays Travel, Co-Op Travel and Icelolly, and as Marketing and Digital Director for Shearings Holidays throughout his career.

Chester is top five for University of the Year

'This Is Chester' highlights City to investors

A digital campaign to highlight some of Chester’s most inspiring people has been launched by Chester BID. Among the names who stepped in to tell the world why Chester is a great place to live, work and play in, have been David Watson, Chairman of Storyhouse, composer and musical director Matt Baker and MP Samantha Dixon. Ian Macdonald, digital channel manager for BID said: “The #InvestChester campaign has truly grown over the last few months, inspiring investors to bring Chester to the forefront of their future plans as a destination for business and much more. As part of our campaign, we thought what better way to showcase the potential Chester has than to highlight the people who have made Chester the fantastic city it is today.”

Chester independent restaurant shortlisted in industry awards

Artezzan Restaurant & Bar has been nominated as a finalist in the Caterer's Catey Awards for ‘Best Newcomer 2023’.

These industry awards celebrate the finest operators and businesses in hospitality, celebrating those who are setting new standards in hospitality.

The winners will be announced on 4 July.

ATfest first for Chester

Chester’s first Active Travel Festival (ATfest) takes place on Sunday 18 June at ‘Festival Village’, opposite Abode Hotel. Walking, cycling and wheeling – what is collectively called ‘active travel’ – simply means making journeys in physically active ways. Aimed at everyone, ATfest will be fun and informative, promoting active travel as the natural choice for short journeys of between one and five miles, whether to school, work or the shops.

Active travel has many benefits, including helping to tackle climate change by reducing congestion, CO2 emissions and improving air quality, encouraging people to adopt healthier lifestyles and ensuring communities thrive, as people travelling into the city using active travel spend over 30% more time and money, which benefits the local economy.

The University of Chester has been named in the top five in five categories including University of the Year, in the largest exclusively student-voted higher institution awards in the UK.

The 2023 Whatuni Student Choice Award results were announced at a ceremony in London in April.

After achieving the joint highest number of nominations of any institution in this year’s Whatuni Student Choice Awards (WUSCAs), the University has been announced as among the best five for: University of the Year; Lecturers and Teaching Quality; University Halls; Postgraduate experience and Cost-of-Living support (submission-based).

It is also the only university in the North West in the top 20 for the University of the Year accolade and overall, has gained a top 10 place in nine categories and top 20 place in 11 – all the categories the University was eligible to enter.

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Chester, Professor Eunice Simmons said: “I am so pleased and proud that the University has been recognised as part of this celebration of the student voice. It means an incredible amount for the University to be placed so highly across the board by students, and for students to choose us as among the best in the UK and shine a light on areas such as the postgraduate experience.

“Thank you to all the students who shared their reviews and everyone at the University for their commitment and work in amplifying the student voice – and offering a breadth of opportunities and support, to continually develop and enhance the student experience.”

David Watson

Samantha Dixon MP

Community Antisocial Behaviour event

The Bushra Ali Group Global Community Interest Company hosted a panel discussion entitled ‘Tackling antisocial behaviour in our communities’ last month at Yellow and Blue (YaB) in Wrexham. Funded by the National Lottery Community Awards for All grant, the discussion saw Mark Pritchard as Leader of the Council, Peter Humphreys from YaB, Alison Watkin from the Council’s Community Cohesion Team, Monique McKevitt Senior District Crown Prosecutor, and Inspector Luke Hughes of Wrexham Police take part in the discussion, answering questions from the community.

The community heard about the Council’s various anti-social behaviour initiatives, including the Safer Streets Project. In turn, the panel were able to hear the community’s thoughts on ‘no go’ areas in Wrexham – where and why they do not feel safe when out and about, and the adverse impact that anti-social behaviour has on the local community.

Bushra Ali, of The Bushra Ali Group Global Community Interest Company which hosted the event, concluded: “Wrexham was described by all in attendance as a place they are proud to call ‘home’. But we all want to ensure that the antisocial behaviour that is taking place is quickly addressed and that people’s concerns are not being ignored. The invaluable ‘lived’ experience shared at the session plays a part in the decisions being made, to ensure our community feels safe, supported and included when it comes to the conversation on tackling antisocial behaviour in our town.”

For further information on the work and events being planned by The Bushra Ali Group, visit: bushraaligroup.com

Bolesworth aims for 250,000 visitors after unveiling star line-up for summer spectacular

Bolesworth Castle has lined up a series of major events to give the region a post-pandemic boost and achieve its target of 250,000 visitors, ahead of a landmark anniversary.

Taking place from June 14-18, the always-popular Bolesworth International has a brand-new look for 2023. Following significant investment, organisers have packed the 400,000 square metre-site with everything from world-class equestrian competitions to entertainment, action sports, shopping and more, to create the biggest and best attraction of its kind, in Cheshire and beyond.

Bolesworth’s managing director, Nina Barbour, and its’ 40-strong team have big plans, having ridden the challenges of the pandemic and emerged with a clear vision for the future. “While the Bolesworth International is by tradition a horse show and its place in the International equestrian calendar is so important to us, we felt this was the year to rip up the rule book and recreate the event, to really take it to the next level,” said Nina.

“Cheshire and North Wales is seeing significant attention and interest, investment and development in recent times, and we want to play our part by creating a major event that becomes a must-visit for people in the area – whether they love horses or just want a great day out with family and friends.”

She added: “We had to scale Bolesworth International down in recent times because of Covid-19, but it’s back and bigger than ever, with the opportunity to camp on-site and bring the whole family – and that’s dogs included.”

With more than 1000 people from Cheshire, North Wales and beyond employed by dozens of businesses across the 6,000-acre Bolesworth Estate, the venue has had a major impact on the economy for generations. And as they begin preparations for the 200th anniversary of Bolesworth Castle in 2028, Nina is aiming to reach a quarter of a million visitors and contribute even more to their community.

For the latest news and information and to book tickets, visit the website bolesworth.com

The Square opens at Chester Zoo

The luxury 200-capacity venue, The Square, has opened at Chester Zoo, following a three-year project to restore a Grade II listed stable block, which has stood at the heart of the zoo since it opened in 1931. The original structures were once home to some of the zoo’s first animals including lions, bears and chimpanzees.

Now the historic building offers a unique setting for weddings, with couples able to tie the knot surrounded by 27,000 animals. The venue can also be booked exclusively for meetings and corporate events, while the zoo hopes it will go on to stage important global summits on wildlife conservation.

Featuring a host of preserved original features that tell the story of its remarkable history, the building boasts an impressive, gated entrance, a large private courtyard, exposed brick walls, vaulted rafters and large windows overlooking newly created gardens. Many of the patterns and textures used throughout The Square draw inspiration from some of the endangered species the zoo is working to protect.

Jamie Christon, CEO at Chester Zoo, said: “There’s nothing else quite like this stunning new venue anywhere in the UK. It’s an incredible building that’s stood at the heart of the zoo for approaching a century and, through careful restoration, it’s now been brought to life. It’s a one-of-a-kind space, which not only embodies the zoo’s rich history and character, but offers modern luxuries and comforts.

And what’s more, who wouldn’t want to get married or have a company awayday surrounded by 27,000 animals? Most importantly, each and every occasion that takes place at The Square will contribute to our charitable mission to prevent extinction, helping us to secure a brighter future for wildlife worldwide. That’s what makes our new venue incredibly special and we can’t wait to start welcoming people to it.”

Celebrating women’s achievements and contributions to the transport sector

Back in March, the Women in Transport network held an event at Xplore! Science Discovery Centre in Wrexham, to celebrate women’s achievements and contributions to the transport sector. There were keynote speakers from across the industry, who participated in a panel discussion on this year’s International Women’s Day theme of ‘embracing equity’. The panel shared their unique views, knowledge and experiences.

In their sights –Operation Crossbow

As part of a programme organised by North Wales Police, British Transport Police and Cheshire Constabulary, Uniformed Public Services (UPS) students from Coleg Cambria helped officers take aim at criminals on a day of cross-border police operations.

The joint campaign, Operation Crossbow, is focused on disrupting cross-border criminality. The day began with a convoy of police operational vehicles, which made their way from Chester to Cambria’s Deeside site.

North Wales officers met with the Level 3 cohort to give them a briefing on their plans for the morning. The group were able to keep up-to-date with proceedings via radio, before being given PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and transported to parks across Flintshire, to help perform knife sweeps and ensure there were no weapons being carried. On returning to the college, they were given a debrief by officers and will reflect on the campaign as part of their upcoming studies.

WORK set to begin on groundbreaking £14m health and wellbeing complex at Coleg Cambria

Bodelwyddan-based Wynne

Construction – which also developed the adjoining £21m Hafod campus – is to take on the £14m health and wellbeing complex project at Coleg Cambria, which includes a fullyfurnished, industry-standard commercial spa and juice bar, simulated medical wards and virtual reality environments.

Vice Principal of Technical Studies

Vicky Edwards said: “Health and social care have always traditionally been taught in the classroom, so this is going to be revolutionary for education in this region. The practical skills and experience our learners will gain, in partnership with leading names in the sector, will ensure this is a living, breathing hub of activity, both academically and as a realistic working environment. The medical simulation wards are an example of that.

“They will be like a hospital ward, with a virtual reality setting, so the learner will be dealing with reallife, real-time scenarios and challenges, to see how they cope and thrive – that’s something you can’t pick up from the back of a lecture theatre or by reading a textbook.”

Latest on plans for 'unique' Chester city centre rooftop food and drink hub

A premises licence has now been lodged for a new rooftop hospitality destination in Chester city centre at the top of Pepper Street car park.

Grosvenor’s Eaton Estate is behind the proposed development, which would be operated by iKO Events Ltd. Situated on the top two decks of the car park – Level 8 and 9 – the proposal is for an alfresco, multipurpose social space, incorporating activities and events, plus a food and beverage offer.

There would be a seating provision for at least 180, approximately half of which are covered, and the venue would have an overall operating capacity of 300.

Chester high school thrilled to team up with Grosvenor Hotel

A Chester high school is delighted to announce a key partnership with the Chester Grosvenor Hotel to help propel pupils to get a foothold in the hospitality industry. Queen’s Park High School has teamed up with the luxury five-star hotel located in the heart of the city, which overlooks the famous Eastgate Clock.

The Handbridge-based school is leading the way to provide an outstanding Careers Education and Personal Development Programme for all their students, via a wide range of partnerships with cornerstone employers across the region. The school is working with Chester Hospitality Association (CHA) and Cheshire and Warrington Pledge Partnership on the new Chester-wide venture, whereby schools across the city are to be paired with an associated hotel.

Fearless: Adventures with Extraordinary Women

BBC presenter Louise Minchin launched her new book in Chester on 25 May at a fabulous event at Storyhouse. The evening was an opportunity to share a little bit of some of the 17 extraordinary stories that she covers in the book. Each story explores the lives of the women who are breaking down barriers, smashing records and challenging stereotypes.

Louise explains: “To get to the heart of who these women are, I decided to do it the way that I know best, by taking part, spending time beside them to experience the things they love.”

The official launch was then followed by a questions and answers session.

Image: Planning Application

landscape The changing business

How to make sure AI works for your business

According to 2022 statistics from the government, there are 5.5 million SMEs in the UK, making up 99% of the total business population. They are the backbone of a healthy economy and generate growth and employment opportunities, contributing more than £2 trillion in turnover to the UK. AI has the potential to revolutionise how SMEs, and indeed all businesses, operate. The question is how?

We spoke with Pete Hanlon, Group CTO of Moneypenny – the call and live chat experts based in Wrexham – to find out how AI can help SMEs become more efficient.

being accepted into Forbes Technology Council – an invitation-only community for world-class CTOs. Above all, Pete’s vision of using technology to enhance human interaction continues to grow and will shape Moneypenny’s service offering now and over the years to come, to ultimately do more for clients.

Finding trends in complex data

SINCE JOINING MONEYPENNY IN 2019, Pete has dedicated his time to taking the business’s existing technology solutions and software development to a whole new level, by leveraging new tech such as AI and deep learning. Under Pete’s leadership, Moneypenny has developed innovative products to improve and scale the services provided to clients. It’s this passion for technology that has resulted in him

Pete explains: “There are many ways AI can help businesses of all shapes and sizes. It can help with everything from repetitive tasks to predictive analytics, finding trends in noisy and complex data and pulling out those small nuggets of information that were previously hidden in the noise. Alternatively, it can analyse large amounts of data to identify anomalies, such as identifying fraud or security threats.

“For SMEs however, AI can be a powerful tool in customer experience. From using chatbots, to provide a timely and seamless service, to automated support tickets and order confirmations, AI can help to create a more efficient customer experience, driving growth and loyalty. AI can also be used to personalise the customer experiences by analysing customer behaviour, purchase history and preferences to improve your customer’s experience. In addition to this, SMEs can also use AI to help them to create the content, based on analysis of what performs best, like product descriptions.”

Pete is at pains to note that in all of this, that people are still an essential component of checking the AI and in its potential.

“AI can also be used to personalise the customer experiences by analysing customer behaviour, purchase history and preferences to improve your customer’s experience”

Introducing AI into a business

Before you can introduce AI into your business, you need to start by trying to understand where AI can have the most impact. Look for areas where your business is experiencing pain points around manual and repetitive tasks, where there are high error rates or where processes are too slow.

Pete advises: “Determine if your business has the necessary data and volume of data to support an AI based solution. Be clear on the business objective you’re trying to solve through AI, is it cost reduction, improved experience, or efficiency?

Evaluate AI solutions to see if they can help with the pain points you identified. Once a solution has been identified, create a plan with a clear set of success metrics and ensure your train and educate your teams on the new technology. Often, introducing AI will be a big cultural shift for a business, so it’s important that you take your people on the journey and explain how the technology will help.”

Revolutionising how things are done

“When evaluating AI solutions, it’s easy to get caught up in the amazing things the technology can do, but it’s also important to understand its’ limitations. First, review case studies of other businesses that have used the technology successfully and ideally talk to them about the challenges they faced. Ensure there are no regulatory issues impacting your use of the technology and understand your responsibilities in this space. Make sure you have a robust set of test criteria that you use to test how the technology works for edge cases. If your use of AI is complex, seek out expert advice that can give insight into the technology and ensure it’s right for you.”

How AI will change the way things work at Moneypenny

At Moneypenny, the team answers calls, live chat and digital communication channels for thousands of businesses globally, and have always invested in the best tech available. Pete explains: “We’re doing a lot of work around speech-to-text and conversational AI right now. We’re also working with many of the large tech companies, to implement state-of-the-art conversational AI capabilities into our

product base. Our goal is for our technology to work in synergy with our PAs and to leverage AI to make the next conversation better than the last, to continue to provide gold standard customer service for our clients.”

Business of tomorrow

When asked about the impact AI will have on business in the future, Pete says, “It’s unclear where the AI journey will take us, but what is clear is that businesses that adopt AI now will be best placed to take advantage of new capabilities as they are created. Businesses that are open to digital transformation and are agile enough to pivot and adapt as the technology evolves will benefit the most. AI will help businesses to be faster decision makers, more cost-effective and more resilient to change.”

Security of businesses and their supply chain

AI is already having a huge impact on business security and the supply chain. It is being used to improve threat detection, to identify potential security threats in real-time, such as cyberattacks and data security. Processing streams of data in real-time to identify and classify anomalies, such as sensitive data being accessed which could indicate a security breach. Increasingly AI is being developed to proactively block inbound attacks and to learn during an attack, so that it can better protect a business from a cyber threat.

Pete adds: “AI is also being used to optimise the supply chain, by providing real-time visibility and predictive analysis of inventory levels, shipments and deliveries – helping businesses to be lean while reducing the risk of running a just-in-time supply chain.”

The ethics of AI: having the right checks and balances in place

It is important to take the time to reflect on the ethics and impact of AI to ensure that it benefits everyone. While it is easy to focus on the positive aspects of AI, it is equally important to consider unintended consequences that may arise.

Pete suggests: “Ideally you should have a person or group within your company to oversee AI initiatives. This group should evaluate projects based on a set of principles, including transparency, privacy, fairness, and the potential for discrimination and bias.

They will be responsible for ensuring that any AI initiatives align with the company’s values and expectations, and that relevant regulators are informed and give their approval for the project.”

How do you find the sweet spot between people and tech?

“You can find the AI sweet spot by identifying initiatives that help to remove repetitive and mundane tasks, or help to supercharge your staff through efficiency gains and insight. If the AI is helping your people to work on more fulfilling tasks, or they are performing their jobs at a higher level with the use of AI, you’ve nailed it.

“SMEs need to embrace the potential and see the amazing places this technology could take us. The technology cannot get there without a vital missing component: people. And people cannot get there as efficiently without technology. People will accelerate the technology, and technology will accelerate the people, sending business on a sustainable growth trajectory, whilst at the same time also doing better business.”

About Moneypenny

Moneypenny is the leading telephone answering and live chat provider, providing brilliant customer conversations to over 21,000 businesses. This places them at the heart of UK business and an ideal barometer of the state of the economy.

“Often, introducing AI will be a big cultural shift for a business, so it’s important that you take your people on the journey”

Confl ict resolution

By NIC WAGSTAFF

FROM WHAT I SEE, SINCE 2020 WE HAVE TRANSITIONED SOMEWHAT BACK TO THE WORKPLACE, but there are still residual issues that are plaguing companies. We had a little shake up, to say the least. High stress over a prolonged period keeps us on edge, our behaviour is impacted and it has left many questioning life – and what is important to them.

This has left many people with:

• Lack of motivation and engagement, or low self-esteem

• Purpose/job misalignment

• Conflict and/or feeling of unfairness

• Exhaustion and burnout

• Personal residual situations at home.

These all create financial implications –presentism, workload covering longterm sickness, turnover, HR interventions, mediation or more formal disciplinary or grievance processes, with some resulting in Acas or employment tribunal (ET) claims. BBC Radio 2 recently said workplace absenteeism is at its highest and this all adds to the negative cycle, which wears out managers and is seemingly endless.

Conflict costs the UK £28.5 billion a year, according to the IOSH, and with an increasingly diverse makeup of age, gender, and personality type. Conflict is somewhat inevitable, but costs can be relatively low if caught in the early stages, before issues start to mount.

Getting to the core and drawing out top-down and bottom-up ideas supports a holistic and strategic approach – collectively looking at ‘the way things are done around here’ (Deal & Kennedy, 2000) – to give everyone a voice, whilst looking at the operations and company-level issues.

When it comes to individuals, all our different personalities can dance around our coping mechanisms when under stress. We stick to ‘being right’ or not speaking up and completely missing the point that we are empowered to master our own mind, emotions and ultimately, our experience of life and work. This comes from adopting a solution-focused, growth mindset.

“When it comes to individuals, all our different personalities can dance around our coping mechanisms when under stress”

When this is not highlighted, individuals not only keep spiralling into their own negativity, it also can spread.

So how to approach a seemingly nightmarish situation and turn it around dramatically, before it goes too far?

We own it, we listen and we take inspired action, through conflict resolution interventions.

Courage

Pulling the rug out within the ‘storming’ phase (Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development), means you’re advanced in your own SELF-leadership to lead by example. As much as a negative culture can develop and spread, so can a positive one

Set up an initial conflict resolution session

It’s a conversation starter, not a promise. Here, the situation is exposed, raw and confidentially, with an external expert, and solutions are brainstormed by the team, who agree on what is to be fed back.

• What can the manager do?

• What can the company as a whole look at? How can HR help?

• What can the team do?

• What can I work on myself?

This starts to rebuild trust and team connection. Individuals feel empowered and interested in learning selfregulation tools, as well as being heard and contributing to the solution.

CDP for Teams

Timely follow-up session that focus on self-leadership, while management addresses other tactile and strategic moves, sharing tools that can be applied right now on personality types, resilience, change and emotional management. Plus 1:1 support from the manager

CDP for Management

Session feedback is powerful, along with mentoring, coaching and any other guidance, to develop the immediate action plan and long-term areas to look at, which also brings accountability. We have found bespoke blended training/wellness retreats are very powerful on a leadership or team level.

Continuous, Consistent, Clear Communication Manager leads a meeting to relay immediate decisions and long-term plans with regular checkpoints/sharing of changes being implemented, until the team is back up to ‘performing’.

ROI (Return on Investment)

Working with HR to analyse data (Kirkpatrick evaluation), along with a final checkpoint approximately six months later, to compare the initial session for any changes or further interventions.

'You've changed my life'

This is the best feedback from the manager, after running our conflict resolution session. It’s music to my ears, but it’s a joint effort, and while it can

take time to turn the ship around, there are definitely lots of creative immediate actions that can be taken. Most importantly, the team (and manager) have hope. The journey has begun.

When we change our perception and turn fear of conflict on its’ head, we can really explore the creative solutions that friction can bring. Sometimes conflict is required to accelerate, to evolve, but if we ignore it then it becomes a disease within the business. Let’s move from surviving to thriving!

Nic Wagstaff Founder and CEO of Inspire-Rewire info@inspire-rewire.com inspire-rewire.com

“If we ignore it then it becomes a disease within the business”

Networking

Our second VOX networking for 2023 took place in March at the wonderful Chester Beer and Wine, situated in Handbridge.

OUR HOSTS TREATED US TO A SELECTION OF TASTY WINE AND BEER

– so much so that many of our delegates left with bottles to take home which they purchased at the end of the session. Our guest speaker on the night was Donna Okell from B Leader and founder of UK for Good.

She gave us a fascinating and inspirational presentation on the importance to good business practices – which gives equal importance to the planet and its people, and business profit. She also explained B Corp and Better Business, and how she hopes it

Future dates

Our summer networking takes place at Croes Howell in Llay on Thursday 22 June. As with all our quarterly networking events, it will run from 17:00 – 19:00.

Thursday 22 June 2023

Join us for networking and fabulous refreshments at Croes Howell in Llay on Thursday 22 June. Wrexham has been in the news a lot recently and has seen a marked increase in international interest. It received City status in 2022 and is currently working on its bid for City of Culture. With so much going on, we have invited Joe Bickerton, Wrexham Tourism Manager, to talk to us about the city's plans.

Thursday 21 September 2023

Our last networking event in 2023 takes place upstairs at Artezzan in Chester on Thursday 21 September. We are delighted to announce our speaker is Louise Minchin, who will be talking about her new book, which she launched back in May.

In addition, the restaurant is offering a 20% discount on the night, for anyone that books in for dinner after the networking, so it’s sure to be a good evening.

Book your place online at: ezpublishing.co.uk/events

VOX at Chester Business Show in May

The VOX team attended Chester Business Show again on 17 May 2023 at the Crowne Plaza in Chester. Great to catch-up with so many interesting local businesses at the event.

NETWORKING VOX

Join

Book

New venue!

As the seventh issue of VOX comes out, we are continuing with our quarterly networking session. Join us for an evening of networking and interesting conversations.

DATE: Thursday 22 June 2023

TIME: 17:00 - 19:00

LOCATION: Croes Howell Restaurant & Bar

PRICE: £15 (includes refreshments)

a Cloud solution partner, we help our clients define, design, develop, deploy and defend cloud technologies 01782 694542 digitaldragonsglobal.com

As Contact us today, we're here to help

Tourism

Eva-lasting peace of mind

Never before has there been such need for businesses and organisations to have secure, effective and efficient document retention, and document management policies and processes in place. This is for reasons not only of compliance, confidentiality and data protection, but also and increasingly for reasons of business efficiency and sustainability.

By BRYN MONK

WITH DATA AND RECORDS OFTEN REPRESENTING THE MOST IMPORTANT ASSETS OF ANY BUSINESS, those relying on outdated, inefficient and questionably-secure filing and storage on their own premises are simply storing up potentially very serious and expensive problems for the future.

Keeping documents organised, safe and secure, but also easily and readily accessible for those with approval, is vitally important for any business or organisation. As companies grow, they accumulate an often-unmanageable mountain of both space and timeconsuming records, files and documents. This inevitably includes some with confidential and sensitive records and important information, and it can be hard to keep track of every one. This is particularly important with GDPR now in force and overreliance on traditional methods of onsite storage, whether paper or digitally based, is neither efficient nor costeffective.

Most worryingly, it can leave businesses and organisations extremely vulnerable with potential liabilities on many fronts, with consequences of possible criminal, civil or financial penalties.

“As companies grow, they accumulate an often-unmanageable mountain of both space and time-consuming records, files and documents”

Importantly, it does not provide the unrivalled security and peace of mind that comes from knowing that your important data and records are in the safe and capable hands of an experienced and trusted off-site document management specialist –ideally one with purpose-built premises and state of the art facilities, complete with features such as 360-degree CCTV, secure monitoring, access control systems, fire-suppression measures and temperature and humidity controlled storage capabilities.

Benefits of an integrated versus ‘piecemeal’ approach

Every instance of movement of – or access to – any document, record, data or information represents a potential point of security vulnerability and risk –especially when these are housed in different locations and require to be physically moved. There is also risk when scanning, shredding or recycling is conducted on different sites, or by different departments or providers, without a centralised document management system to ensure the security of sensitive documents, data and records. Additionally, COVID-19 has served to highlight that without a secure and fully-integrated document management system in place, secure remote/home working by staff or employees is a very remote, if not totally unachievable, possibility.

Employing the services of an experienced ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 accredited professional document

management provider with security vetted staff can help by delivering a comprehensive portfolio of integrated document management solutions in one secure off-site facility. Using stateof-the-art warehousing and industryleading software and hardware solutions, they can minimise the risk of exposure to potential liabilities very cost-effectively, while simultaneously delivering improved business efficiency and productivity, in addition to peace of mind.

Such an integrated portfolio of secure document management, retention and disposal solutions that could be tailored to meet the specific needs of any business or organisation would ideally include:

Storage: Managed document storage, including records management, document archiving, secure vault storage, data tape and media storage, and deed and will storage, with archive cataloguing and audit trails held in secure facilities and readily available on request.

Scanning: Tailored scanning solutions, including bulk scanning, scan on demand and indexing, to meet the specific requirements of each client.

Shredding: Secure scheduled or one-off collection and shredding of confidential waste, either on-site or offsite by vetted staff, in accordance with BS 15713 and BS 7858 respectively, with the relevant certificates of destruction.

Recycling: A GDPR compliant 100% paper waste recycling policy, recycling through UK mills to the highest environmental standards.

Sustainability matters

– in more than one way

For reasons other than security and efficiency, scanning and storing documents, data and records digitally is most certainly the way forward – not just for businesses and organisations to boost their green credentials, reduce their carbon footprint and support CSR declarations, but for the planet. The fact is that both time and space are running out. It is estimated that landfill – of which 25% is paper waste and produces copious amounts of CO2, methane and other greenhouse gases and leaks toxic leachates into the ground and our waterways – is estimated to have reached full capacity within 10 years.

However, sustainability as it relates to the planet is only one side of the sustainability issue with regards to document management – because there is another important side to sustainability for businesses and organisations. The fact is that without a secure and properly-managed integrated document management system, the sustainability of a business or organisation is potentially at stake, due to the risk of data breaches, loss or theft of key business or personnel information etc, and the potential reputational risk and loss of trust which could threaten their survival.

Avoid storing up potentially serious and expensive problems

In conclusion, outsourcing the risk and responsibility of the document management process to an experienced, professional and trusted ISO-accredited document management specialist with integrated capabilities, can be exceptionally cost-effective and deliver peace-of-mind with regards to compliance and data protection issues. It can also potentially deliver improved levels of efficiency and productivity, to help businesses and organisations thrive rather than simply survive.

Bryn Monk Sales Manager EvaStore Ltd 01691 650355 evastore.co.uk

“Using state-of-the-art warehousing and industryleading software and hardware solutions, they can minimise the risk of exposure to potential liabilities”

Caring for your business

Running a small business is a challenge at the best of times and the health of you and your workforce is fundamental to its continued success. Large corporate healthcare firms offer often quite costly and formulaic employee insurance and healthcare packages. The primary care component of these packages is predominantly offered online, rather than in person, and cannot provide the familiar face generally desired by patients and businesses.

LOCALLY, A NUMBER OF SMALL INDEPENDENT, PRIVATE GPs OFFER

A MORE BESPOKE SERVICE TO LOCAL BUSINESSES, providing annual health screening and regular care. This is moving back to a more old-fashioned model of general practice and primary care.

Continuity and quality care

An intimate knowledge of local health infrastructure and a personal touch provides continuity and high-quality care. With the average wait for a routine NHS GP appointment now approaching two weeks across the United Kingdom, there is clearly a need for another way. Access is a key quality marker for primary care and without good primary care, the wider economy suffers. Most small private GP providers can offer face-to-face and remote consulting, with much more flexibility.

By Dr HENRY SEDDON

The best care does not always resort to purely pharmaceutical strategies, but instead looks at optimising every facet of a patient’s lifestyle. Sleep, medicine, nutritional optimisation, exercise and mental health are often not prioritised within NHS care frameworks.

Prompt, knowledgeable assessment

Care for the wider family is also very important for local small businesses. Specialist GP paediatric and older adult expertise allows for the prompt, knowledgeable assessment of children and infants, and older adults, avoiding unnecessary time away from businesses caring for sick loved ones.

A small, private GP service can offer you and your employees healthcare screening, looking at a broader degree of health parameters than is available within NHS general practice.

This allows for proactive and targeted healthcare, which has been gradually constrained within the NHS.

If you are interested in finding out more about how bespoke healthcare packages could provide peace of mind for you or your business, please have a look at the Redwing Independent Medical Practice.

Dr Henry Seddon Redwing Independent Medical Practice 01244 680214 redwing-igp.co.uk

Dr Henry Seddon and Dr Liv Seddon

Leading the way in Secure Document Management Solutions

The Document Management Specialists

Based in Shropshire, and operating from our secure purpose built state of the art facilities, we tailor our comprehensive range of document management solutions to meet the specific protection and management requirements of each and every individual client.

A conversation with Guy Fennell

Owner and director of Pura

Our ‘in conversation’ this issue is with local businessman and father Guy Fennell, who after a successful career leading FMCG companies, was compelled to channel his drive and passion into sustainability when he realised that disposable baby care was harming the planet.

Why an eco-friendly baby care business?

Guy and Abi Fennell had hit the phase of life where many of their friends were beginning to have children – Guy and Abi would go on to have their first child, Ezra, just before Pura’s launch. They began to notice how many baby wipes were appearing around friend’s houses and when they dug deeper, they found some shocking statistics.

Guy explains: “We found out that 90% of wipes sold in the UK contain plastic and take more than 100 years to break down in landfills. And, equally as shocking, three billion disposable nappies are thrown into landfill annually in the UK, each taking up to 500 years to degrade.”

This inspired them to drive change and during Covid in 2020 they created Pura, a baby care brand that meant parents no longer have to choose between caring for their babies or their planet.

The business was set up in Tattenhall, Cheshire, eight miles outside Chester. Guy says: “Pura wasn’t born in a boardroom; it was started in our Cheshire home. As we expanded, Cheshire felt like the perfect location.

Our head office is situated among beautiful fields in a pretty village, but it’s accessible from places like Liverpool, Manchester and Stoke. We get a better deal on rent than we would in larger cities and there is lots of great talent in the area – there was no reason to look elsewhere.”

A national reach

The company has been successful in getting many of the multinationals to stock Pura products quickly.

“Pura has a large addressable market and a competitively-priced product, positioning our wipes and nappies as an appealing option for consumers looking to move away from traditional established brands, to more agile eco-ethical brands.

“We’re also the only baby brand to partner with nappy recycling experts NappiCycle, an innovative programme that collects and repurposes millions of used nappies in Wales. This was a point of interest to many retailers. Asda went on to support Pura NappiCycle’s first ever nappy recycling trial of its kind in England, with a huge awareness drive. This led to Pura and Asda joining forces, to help to tackle the issue of plastic waste by producing the UK’s first instore signage using recycled nappies. The signs are used on shelving selling Pura products in 320 stores, replacing plastic shelving.

“Pura’s products are also highly certified and accredited. We’re the only UK baby brand with a 5-star Trustpilot rating and we have won numerous parent-tested awards, including Made for Mums, Project Baby, Mother & Baby, and Loved By Parents, as well as having a Mumsnet Rating.”

“We found out that 90% of wipes sold in the UK contain plastic and take more than 100 years to break down in landfills. And, equally as shocking, three billion disposable nappies are thrown into landfill annually in the UK, each taking up to 500 years to degrade”

We built our business on Teams “Launching a business in Covid was certainly a challenge. The newly recruited team had to get to know each other while working remotely and we built our business on Teams. Other than that, the business has grown rapidly, and we’ve had to finance that growth.

We invested significantly to get Pura off the ground, and we worked hard to secure £4.25 million in investment, led by Maven Capital Partners in 2022. We’re now just completing Raise B, to facilitate our next phase of growth.”

Supermarket success

“One of my proudest moments was seeing Pura products on the shelves at a leading supermarket for the first time,” says Guy. He is also intensely proud to be offering parents an easy and affordable alternative to wipes and nappies that are harmful to the planet. Pura’s partnership with NappiCycle delivered the first road to be resurfaced with recycled nappy material in Britain using 110,000 recycled nappies in 2022. The company also launched the first Nappy Recycling of its kind in England. “We will keep lobbying for change,” says Guy.

Demand for eco-ethical products is soaring in the UK and beyond Guy shared that Pura is now preparing to launch its entire baby care range into one of the largest retailers in the world, which will create massive distribution opportunities in a new territory. “It’s imminent but I can’t reveal any details just yet,” he added.

“We are constantly innovating and have plans to continue to grow our eco-friendly product range. Other goals include continuing our work to champion nappy recycling as a low-impact, cost-effective alternative to the three billion nappies that are sent to landfill in the UK each year. As a business, we have a goal to reach Net Zero by 2027.”

Get your ducks in a row

Asking what advice he would give others hoping to get a multinational to stock their product, Guy suggested: “Only approach retailers when you have all your ducks in a row, and you know all facets of the business are geared up to cope with a potentially huge increase in demand. This means being prepared and ready from a stock, supply chain, marketing, team and resource perspective.”

About Pura’s nappy recycling initiative

Every day in the UK alone, eight million disposable nappies end up in a landfill, and each one takes hundreds of years to break down. Pura has calculated that if the three billion diapers used annually in the UK were 100% recycled, the impact would be equivalent to removing 72,000 cars from the road each year.

In the same year that Pura launched (2020), Pura began a partnership with Wales-based NappiCycle, a world leader in nappy recycling technology. In Wales, millions of nappies are recycled each year. In the areas where nappy recycling is offered to households, it is a local authority provided service that is financially supported by the Welsh Government.

Unfortunately, this is not a service offered to parents in the rest of the UK. Extending this service outside of Wales means local authorities changing their waste management schedules, central government support and potentially legislative change.

In 2022 Pura led the first nappy recycling trial of its kind in England in a bid to expediate that change. The trial was held in Bristol, England in an attempt to show the government, the benefits of nappy recycling as alternative to sending nappies to landfill or of incineration. Results from the trial are to be released shortly. For more information on this, visit: https://mypura.com/pages/ nappy-recycling

Pura NappiCycle also delivered the first road to be resurfaced with recycled nappy material in the UK. A stretch of the A487 between Aberystwyth and Cardigan in Ceredigion was resurfaced using 110,000 recycled diapers. The Welsh government backed the project with £180,000 funding, Guy Fennell mypura.com

“We are constantly innovating and have plans to continue to grow our eco-friendly product range”

Measuring the metrics

As small businesses and SMEs continue to navigate 2023’s challenging economic climate, it’s more important than ever to ensure that every pound of those increasingly precious budgets is being spent well and driving results.

By HANNAH DAVIES

WHILE MANY BUSINESS OWNERS AND MARKETING TEAMS may be tempted to focus on metrics like social media ‘likes’, ‘comments’, ‘shares’ or ‘page views’, these vanity metrics provide little insight into whether their marketing efforts are actually driving revenue. It's crucial to dig a little deeper and prioritise the measurement of conversional marketing metrics, which will allow you and your team to better evaluate the success of your marketing campaigns and ensure a better return on your marketing investment.

As we are approaching mid-year, it's a great time to take stock and to analyse how your 2023 marketing strategy is performing so far. Shifting your focus to tracking conversional, performancebased metrics will offer you as business owners a clearer understanding of which marketing channels, tactics and campaigns are driving the most value. This also allows you to keep a close eye on areas where your marketing strategy may need to be adjusted, in order to maximise results and stay on track towards those 2023 goals.

Here are just a few recommendations to start measuring month-on-month:

Click Through Rate (CTR): This is the percentage of people who click on a link such as an ad or a call-to-action button after seeing it. CTR is an important metric for helping you understand how effective your advertising or marketing efforts are at getting people to take action.

If you have a high CTR, it means that people are interested in your message or content and are clicking through to learn more or make a purchase.

Visitor Acquisition by Traffic Source:

This refers to the different ways that people arrive at your website (search engine, social media or direct traffic) and how many visitors come from each source. This information can help you understand which marketing channels are most effective at driving traffic to your site and to consider reinvesting your marketing efforts or spend back into these channels for maximum results.

“these vanity metrics provide little insight into whether their marketing efforts are actually driving revenue”

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hannah@brightmondaysltd.co.uk

Event count: Event count can represent how many times someone has clicked on a button on your website such as ‘subscribe’, ‘download’ or how many times someone has made a purchase through your online store. Monitoring your website’s ‘Event count’ is really useful, because it can help you track the success of specific actions or campaigns and assess the overall health of your marketing funnel – from awareness (social media post/digital or printed advertisement, for example) to consideration (website or email campaign CTR rate) to conversion (website event). This can help you understand what areas are working well and which might need some tweaking.

Which leads us nicely onto…

Visitor to Lead % Conversion: This is the percentage of website visitors who take an action that indicates interest in your product or service, such as filling out a contact form or subscribing to your email list. This action taken turns them from a visitor into a potential lead.

Lead to Customer % Conversion: This is the percentage of leads (people who have shown interest in your product or service) who actually become paying customers. For example, if 10 people filled out a form on your website and two of them became paying customers, the lead to customer conversion rate would be 20%.

Free tools such as Google Analytics 4 paired with regular customer insight from places such as your CRM system, customer feedback, polls, surveys, testimonials and other forms of ‘usergenerated’ content will help you to measure all of the above.

Frequent analysis of your web and social media analytics will tell you WHAT is working – understanding your customers experience, attitudes and behaviour will tell you WHY. A better understanding of your customers’ behaviour and journey will offer you greater clarity and confidence when it comes to marketing. You can then begin to identify new patterns of buying behaviour and engagement, as well as areas of improvement, and reinvest this analysis and research back into your marketing strategy.

Hannah Davies Bright Mondays brightmondaysltd.co.uk

hannah@brightmondaysltd.co.uk

“it's a great time to analyse how your 2023 marketing strategy is performing”

Over 65% of British adults suffer from the 'Sunday night blues'

Unlocking the potential

Imagine having customers who will give you repeat business for up to four years and who are certain to pay you promptly. This isn't a fairy tale.

By RICHARD CARR

THE UK PUBLIC SECTOR, WHICH INCLUDES LOCAL COUNCILS, THE NHS, CENTRAL GOVERNMENT, EMERGENCY SERVICES AND EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS spends over £300 billion every year on goods and services from private businesses. The UK Government wants one third of that spending to go to Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). However, many small businesses are put off doing it by the tender application process and it is easy to see why. It can be time-consuming, tedious and indeed intimidating to those unfamiliar with it.

Long-term opportunities

The UK's public sector procurement offers a large, stable market with longterm opportunities for companies of all shapes and sizes. If your business sells to other businesses, it’s likely that the public sector could also be a potential customer of yours.

Providing best value

UK public sector procurement operates under regulations that promote transparency, fairness and value for money for taxpayers. This allows businesses of all sizes to compete on a level playing field, as long as they can show that they provide best value. Public bodies follow different procedures depending on the size and nature of the purchases. For smaller, one-time purchases it may just be a matter of getting the cheapest quote.

For larger or repeat orders, they typically issue tenders, requiring companies to not only provide quotes but also write about their track records, case studies, service plans, various kinds of contingency plans, as well as evidence of social value, such as supporting the local community and helping the environment. Many businesses already do this, but struggle to put it into the kind of language that appeals to public bodies.

Richard Carr Consultancy Services is a Wrexham-based bid and tender writing company, which has helped diverse businesses, including builders, plumbers, electrical contractors, health and safety operators, occupational health providers, training providers and security service companies to sell their services to public sector customers.

Richard explains: “We offer a free, noobligation initial consultation for local businesses interested in exploring the UK public sector market. By sharing our knowledge and expertise, we aim to help businesses in and around Wrexham seize valuable opportunities and move forward.”

Richard Carr

Richard Carr Consulting Services richard@tendersandgrants.co.uk tendersandgrants.co.uk

“If your business sells to other businesses, it’s likely that the public sector could also be a potential customer of yours”

Tenders & Grant

Insurers are very interested in how you manage risk across your organisation. A business that can demonstrate a positive and consistent approach to risk management is more attractive to them than a business that does little to reduce their exposures.

OF COURSE, NO BUSINESS CAN PREDICT EVERY POSSIBLE RISK SCENARIO, but there are some key areas where it is possible to put risk management measures in place, or enhance the arrangements you already have.

Health and safety — build it into your culture

Establishing a health and safety culture can help reduce the risk of accidents, injuries and complaints – and therefore claims. Training courses are available to help business owners achieve this, such as certified training courses from the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), namely IOSH Managing Safely® and IOSH Safety for Executives and Directors. These courses can help you build health and safety into your everyday operations.

Driving risks — encourage and incentivise safer driving

If your business has a vehicle fleet, ensure your drivers receive the appropriate risk management training.

By TOM JONES

By using eco-driving and defensive driving techniques, drivers can help reduce the number of accidents on the road, while also developing more efficient and sustainable driving habits. Telematics, which involves the use of technology to monitor and track driver behaviour, can also play a part in promoting safer driving and reducing carbon emissions. Some telematics systems can reward drivers personally for safer driving.

Human resources — equip your HR team

Keeping up-to-date with employment law can help you manage and mitigate the risks your company could face, for example, in areas such as discipline and grievance, and discrimination. Knowing how to handle the common relationship issues at work can help prevent a claim scenario arising. In addition, investing in employee wellbeing (which should be intrinsically linked with your health and safety culture) can play a part in reducing the risk of employers’ liability claims.

“Establishing a health and safety culture can help reduce the risk of accidents, injuries and complaints”

Looking beyond the basics

Business continuity — build a robust plan

A well thought out and tested business continuity plan (BCP) can help you protect your business and people, by providing a framework for incident management and decision-making.

Key areas of your plan may include your critical IT staff and networks, your supply chain and your business interruption insurance indemnity periods. Again, evidence of a robust BCP is a welcome sight for insurers, as it demonstrates your ability to keep things moving, should the unexpected happen.

Cyber liability — strengthen your digital armour

A constantly shifting cyber risk landscape demands continuous risk management. Working with a specialist in cyber risk can help you improve your network security and reduce the risk of cyber incidents (either malicious or accidental). The cyber insurance market is challenging and insurers look more favourably on businesses that can

demonstrate they have the necessary protocols in place to help protect their organisation.

Every business is different in terms of its risk exposures, so it’s important to carry out a risk assessment to highlight the actions you may need to take. Then, through implementing and evidencing your risk management approach, you can demonstrate to insurers the areas in which your business might be less likely to make certain types of claims.

This proactive attitude to risk management could also help you to access a wider choice of insurers and ultimately achieve a satisfactory balance between cost and cover.

Tom Jones Gallagher Tom_Jones1@ajg.com

07752 470 406

ajg.com

WBCA Wrexham Business and Community Awards – update

The Wrexham Business and Community Awards (WBCA) officially launched back at the end of March. Over 200 people from local businesses and the wider community came together at the head office of Net World Sports on Wrexham Industrial Estate to mark the occasion.

SINCE THE LAUNCH, THE TEAM ORGANISING THE AWARDS HAS ANNOUNCED THAT WELL OVER 70% OF ITS SPONSORSHIP IS NOW CONFIRMED. There are already some great names supporting the awards, including JCB, Net World Sports, Moneypenny and Wrexham Glyndŵr University, to name just a few!

The awards website and social media platforms are due to go live later in June and the awards will be open for entries until September. In the meantime, the team is organising a series of events over the next few months, to provide further opportunities for businesses and community groups to network.

Easy to enter

The awards are free and the entry process is really simple. The organisers are encouraging written or filmed applications, answering a few straightforward questions, to find out some of the amazing things happening in and around Wrexham.

There are 12 categories and businesses are welcome to enter as many times as they would like.

Summer programme

The next event takes place at Moneypenny's office on Wednesday 28 June, where the team will be announcing the sponsors, as well as unveiling the presenter and some other information about the night of the awards. To register to attend, please email info@wrexhambca.co.uk

Following on from that, a programme of outreach events is being planned to take place over the summer holidays, before a final networking opportunity in October, ahead of the awards night on 10 November

Commented Samantha Jones, founding member, volunteer award organiser and now sponsor: “I am delighted to confirm Moneypenny is one of the sponsors of WBCA 2023.

Personally, I was excited to get involved with the formation of the awards. Celebrating the successes of Wrexham businesses and communities is so important, which is why I encouraged my company to get on board with it too. There are plenty of ways other businesses can still get involved and I think the more people do, the bigger the positive impact will be on the wider community.”

The awards are being organised as a not-for-profit event and the team are all volunteering their time. At least 50% of the ‘profits’ will be donated back to the community, to local charities, to make an impact. Any remaining funds will be invested back into next year’s awards.

Our volunteers are from across Wrexham and all different company sizes: Ian Bancroft, Sian Bostock, Amy Chadwick, Sophies Davies, Spencer Harris, Clara Hughes, Samantha Jones, Alex Loven, Vaughan Schofield and Craig Weeks

If you are interested in sponsoring the awards, or getting involved in another capacity, please visit the website: wrexhambca.co.uk to find out more, or contact the team.

“The organisers are encouraging written or filmed applications”

City Framers is Chester’s leading bespoke framer, for more than 35 years we have been providing high quality frames for homes and businesses.

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brilliant! We are altogether

Now is an exciting time for Wrexham and its’ neighbouring counties, as interest in the area – and investment – continues to increase. As part of ‘North East Wales – Altogether Brilliant’ tourism catchment, the ‘This is Wrexham’ tourism partnership has successfully secured £64,000 of new funding, which will be used to support local hospitality businesses in Wrexham. ‘This is Wrexham’ is a partnership run by tourism businesses in Wrexham county that aims to strengthen the visitor experience.

It is chaired by Sam Regan from the Lemon Tree hotel and restaurant.

WREXHAM COUNCIL IS ALSO SUPPORTING THE PARTNERSHIP BY OFFERING A WIDE RANGE OF TOURISM PROJECTS, via its new ‘Placemaking’ scheme. Over the summer, the first tourism brochure for several years is launching, as well as a new online Ambassador Scheme, which will help staff within the industry understand more about the local area – so they can give a more informed level of information to visitors.

The Ambassador Scheme will also be available to the wider business community, who are keen to help promote the area. It reflects similar schemes that have already successfully launched, or are due to launch, in neighbouring counties.

Strengthening the collective offering

The most recent membership window to join ‘This is Wrexham’ closed at the end of May 2023, and businesses that signed up for the coming year will benefit from a wide range of marketing support. In addition, there will be new promotional films and work with ‘Visit Wales’, to promote Wrexham to overseas visitors who are planning a future trip.

Said Sam: “We’re still facing huge challenges in the hospitality industry through ever-increasing overheads, staffing shortages and stiff competition for business, as we go through the cost-of-living crisis.

“Therefore, re-engaging local tourism operators via the partnership scheme ahead of the summer season and offering the additional support that the funding allows us to do, will only help us achieve more cross-promotion and strengthen our collective offer, as we all shout about why Wrexham is a must-visit destination!”

Shining a spotlight on Wrexham Tourism Manager at Wrexham Council, Joe Bickerton, firmly believes that the continued joint-working with the tourism partnership is key to helping to maximise the experience that visitors receive: “The tourism and hospitality businesses in Wrexham are incredibly passionate about providing a great welcome. Working with local producers to support the economy and the new projects that we have in place for 2023 should really help shine the spotlight on both Wrexham and these businesses further.”

“Over the summer, the first tourism brochure for several years is launching”

All things Great and Small

Chester Great and Small (GAS) launched at the Storyhouse on Friday 24 March, at an introductory event attended by over 200 people. What made all those people come out on a Friday evening to listen to what was said and show their support to the initiative? A common desire to help Chester fulfil its potential.

CHESTERGAS HAS BEEN SET UP AS

A COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY (CIC) by a group of like-minded representatives from all sectors working, living, learning and playing in the city. They feel passionately about their city and want to help make Chester the best it can be – vibrant, sustainable, inclusive, collaborative and ambitious. The CIC is already supported by companies – great and small –across the city, but it wants to unite other local people who live and work in Chester, to come together and support each other in improving the city.

Evolution of a city

The city of Chester has been going through a period of change over recent years, and like many towns and cities across the country, the make-up of the city centre is continually evolving.

Historically, Chester had an enviable reputation for independent retailers –shops and food and drink establishments – but over time many of the big bands moved in, changing the vibe of the city. Again, this shifted and many of the brands started to gravitate to the outlets and regional shopping centres.

With the changes that have happened, coupled with the impact of the last three years, Chester has a unique opportunity to regain its status as a haven for an eclectic mix of interesting, independent shops and restaurants. While the challenges that Chester city centre is facing are not unique to Chester – and there are opportunities to learn from other areas that have done things well – Chester is a unique city and its solution needs to be unique to Chester.

Accentuate the positives

There are all sorts of great ideas and incredible initiatives taking place around the city, including things like the Hydro Hub.

One of the fundamental drivers that ChesterGAS is keen to develop is to help people to find out what is happening and how they can get involved.

Tim Kenney of ChesterGAS explains: “We are not trying to reinvent the wheel. We don’t want to duplicate the brilliant things that are already happening, but we do want to highlight and signpost them, so other people can get involved and help make things happen. With collaboration and working together, the people that live, work, learn and play in Chester can make it better.”

“Chester is a unique city and its solution needs to be unique to Chester”

He goes on to say: “It is these people who best understand what the city needs, and these are the ones that need to get involved and steer the direction of change.”

Plans and initiatives

One of the main initial objectives that ChesterGAS is trying to achieve is ensuring that all the good work – the plans, the research and the project descriptions that go alongside that –are all stored in one place, so that it is easy for others to find out what is going on. Tim says: “Chester’s new One City Plan, for example, is really important because it will set the roadmap for the next 20 years. It identifies many of the key things that need to be developed or introduced in Chester. But how many local businesspeople and residents have actually read it? We are working our way through it and want to share our understanding of it with others.”

There are other plans developed by independent businesses and community groups, as well as the council, and by sharing these all-in-one central location, it should be possible to start to see where there is overlap and where others can contribute to a project or initiative’s success.

When asked what the one thing Tim would change, he explained that what he wanted to see was ‘closer meaningful collaboration between the public and private sectors.’

He continued: “The local authority covers a massive area and has a huge remit. Chester City is just a small part of that, but we want to collaborate closely with the council. We also want to encourage, lead and promote meaningful and deliverable positive change ourselves. It is time to break down the silos that have developed across the city and start taking responsibility and working together. It’s time to turn the dial to ‘yes’.”

What can you do?

ChesterGAS is asking businesses to be part of the ongoing conversation. Chester is an amazing place and if you can reinvest some of your time into helping to improve the city, it will be time well spent. If you would like to get involved and offer help and ideas for funding the project, please visit chestergreatandsmall.co.uk

Tim Kenney ChesterGAS hello@chestergreatandsmall.co.uk

“One of the fundamental drivers that ChesterGAS is keen to develop is to help people to find out what is happening and how they can get involved”

©Nigel Jarvis / Shutterstock.com

thought Food for

Coming up with client hospitality, staff teambuilding days or partner celebration events that move away from traditional activities such as sporting events, black tie dos and outdoor pursuits, can seem a little daunting.

BUT GARETH BOYD, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND FOUNDER OF TOURS AROUND CHESTER, has developed a series of guided food and drink walking tours that are helping put Chester businesses on the map, with something different in terms of corporate hospitality. Working with independent businesses across the city, Gareth’s tours are combining lesser-known facts about Chester and pop quizzes, with an insight into the diverse hospitality offering that some visitors – or even locals – don’t already know about.

Celebrating Chester’s independents

Currently Gareth has developed relationships with around 15 independent venues around the city, offering such culinary delights as Thai platters and Cheshire cheeses, through to Italian-style pizzas, speciality ciders and beers, and even Polish dumplings.

Around Chester has recently been awarded Marketing Cheshire’s coveted Experience of The Year award”

The tours are tailored to their audience and vary depending on the day and the timing of the tour – or number of people booked on – with corporate clients already singing the praises of the tours. Tours Around Chester has recently been awarded Marketing Cheshire’s coveted Experience of The Year award. On winning the award, Gareth said: “It’s fantastic to win and to be able to showcase many independent food and drink venues to Cheshire’s fantastic visitor economy.” This is the second award the Chester-based business has received, winning New Business of the Year in 2019, after setting up in 2018.

A different type of client hospitality Many local businesses book the tours for corporate events and teambuilding, and the business has received multiple recommendations.

“Tours

A taste of what’s to come

Since starting Tours Around Chester, Gareth has also introduced Tours Around Liverpool, which has been met with similar levels of enthusiasm and has already been awarded New Business of the Year award from Marketing Liverpool. The business is looking at other locations to introduce new tours.

Gareth commented: “Our goal is to provide you with the ultimate off-thebeaten-track food and cultural experience. Our guided walking tours offer a relaxed unique and memorable food tasting experience through historic Chester and Liverpool. We make it our mission to continually seek out and share the best food and culture that the area has to offer. We leave no stone unturned. It’s a hard job….but someone’s got to do it!”

For details contact Gareth Boyd at Tours Around Chester on 07868 538700 info@chesterrunningtours.co.uk chesterrunningtours.co.uk

RICHARD BURNETT, Commercial director HM3 Legal:

“Gareth is single-handedly responsible for organising the 'go-to' walking tours in Liverpool and Chester. I cannot recommend both Gareth and his tours highly enough. They are a fantastic combination of humour, local history and the best, most quirky food and drink outlets in each city. Equally perfect for intimate corporate entertaining and socialising with friends and family”

PAUL BROWN, Tax Partner at WR Partners:

“I cannot recommend Gareth's food tours more highly – we had a fantastic time on our tour of Chester. The tours provide a great opportunity to spend time with contacts in an informal setting, with the added bonus of some really excellent food as well!”

MATT BREAKWELL, Kimpton:

“An excellent tour with great food and drink in a format that makes it relaxing and easy to entertain guests. Highly recommended!”

HELEN JOHNSON, Head of Marketing at Aaron & Partners:

“Gareth’s Food Walking Tour of Chester was a fantastic teambuilding day out, we learned plenty about the city, as well as visiting some really interesting places we'd never been to before. Planning the event was straightforward too, with plenty of communications between Gareth and me to clarify any dietary requirements, specific expectations etc, and we were well briefed as to how the afternoon would run.”

Branching out in business

Amy Otto is a counsellor who offers therapeutic services for people dealing with all kinds of issues, from abuse and stress to bereavement. At Willow Tree Counselling, her private practice in Wrexham, she offers a warm, non-judgemental space for clients to share their issues, safely and confidentially. She also offers ‘walk and talk’ therapy in a choice of two beautiful nearby locations, or telephone/online counselling, if that’s more suitable.

AMY’S THERAPY SESSIONS ARE TAILORED TO THE NEEDS OF THE INDIVIDUAL, as everyone is unique. Her core beliefs rest with a person-centric approach, which is at the heart of her work. Her introduction of ‘creative elements’ into therapy can help to move away from the logic of ‘left-brain’ processes and into the non-verbal and deeply-emotional ‘right-brain’ processes. Sometimes it is easier to show what something feels like, rather than simply to try and describe it. This creative approach is open to both adults and young people if required. Amy holds accredited register membership of the Professional Standards Authority and as a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), she follows a set of ethical principles and guidelines that underpin her practice. Identifying a therapist that is the right fit is an essential part of embarking on a counselling journey, so Willow Tree also offers a free, short initial session. In order to find out a little more about Amy and her work, we asked her about what a counsellor’s role entails, the kind of issues Amy encounters with her clients, her working methods and what drives her on every day in her work.

What inspired you to become a counsellor?

I did my first counselling course in my early twenties, but I knew I wasn’t ready at the time to go into it. Having had my own counselling, I knew it was something I would go back to, so it was just a case of waiting for it to be the right time. I qualified in 2016 – 15 years after doing that very first course!

What type of counselling do you do?

I work in an integrative way, which means I use different counselling modalities to suit the needs of the client, as I recognise that we are all unique. My core beliefs are within a person-centred approach, which is at the heart of my work. I can also work creatively, if that suits the client.

Has being a therapist changed you? Yes! I think that my work helps me appreciate life and how precious it is, and it makes me want to make the most of my time here.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?

Still counselling I hope, but the dream is to live by the seaside, so maybe in a different location.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?

I feel it is such a privilege to be trusted with someone’s deepest secrets, or to sit with them during their saddest times. I constantly feel blessed to be doing this work and to hopefully be part of someone’s healing or growth.

And the most challenging?

I have been running my own business full-time since last summer when I left my job as a school counsellor. I have had to learn business skills such as marketing, finance and admin, which at times has felt overwhelming, but I am proud of myself for finding my way through. It can also be a really isolating job, as of course confidentiality is paramount. But I am lucky to have really supportive peers who I meet with regularly, which is much-needed at times.

What are your self-care tips?

It is vital that we find a way to look after ourselves, but it is such a personal thing. For me, I love to spend time with my friends and family, or sometimes I need some alone time, so I take myself off to a café for a treat, to sit and read my book.

With AMY OTTO

I enjoy creative writing and am currently working on a poetry book, as I find writing really helps me if I am feeling overwhelmed. I also go to my local women-only gym, which is fantastic –not just for my physical health, but my emotional wellbeing too. I always have to push myself to go, but am always glad I did.

Do you do any professional development courses or training?

I think it is important that I continue to learn and enhance the quality of my work, so I love training courses. I am currently studying my Level 6 Diploma in Counselling Casework Supervision, as I felt I was ready to support other counsellors. I would love to do a master’s degree one day, but with my family commitments at the moment it’s not the right time.

Why did you decide upon the name Willow Tree Counselling?

There is a beautiful willow tree opposite my house and I am drawn to it. One of the willow tree’s traits is its’ flexibility.

We work with a wide range of sole traders and small businesses, offering business support services including preparation of payroll, bookkeeping and VAT returns, from our offices in Rossett, easily located between Chester and Wrexham.

We understand that you want to do what you do best without having to worry about the finances.

The willow tree is one of the few trees that is capable of bending without breaking. I think this is a powerful metaphor for those that are seeking recovery or a spiritual path. The message of the willow tree is to adjust with life, rather than fight it, surrendering to the process. The image of the willow tree is our path to stability, hope and healing – just like I hope Willow Tree Counselling will be for those who need it.

What would you say to anyone considering retraining to be a counsellor?

It is a big commitment in so many ways, but it is an amazing career if you feel it is for you. I am happy to chat to anyone locally that wants some more information on this, as we need to support each other.

Amy Otto Counsellor willowtreewrexham@gmail.com Tel: 07821 189081

“It is such a privilege to be trusted with someone’s deepest secrets, or to sit with them during their saddest times”

I’m talking to you!

Are you wasting your marketing budget on people who aren’t interested in your message?

IN THE 1930S, RADIO WAS THE NEW WAY OF COMMUNICATING WITH THE MASSES. U.S. President Franklin D Roosevelt campaigned on the radio by creating something known as ‘the fireside chat’ to speak directly to voters about the issues that mattered to them. This was revolutionary at the time, as it leveraged a national network of radio stations that carried Roosevelt’s message.

Learning from experience

Roosevelt was the first president to harness the power of radio, which in the following decade became the marketing channel of choice for big brands. In 1960 John F Kennedy went head-to-head with Richard Nixon in a live televised debate. On television, Nixon looked nervous whereas Kennedy seemed relaxed. People who listened to the debate on the radio thought that Nixon had won, but the majority of the population had watched it on TV and favoured the candidate who had performed best onscreen. Brands moved their budgets from radio to television.

In 2008 Barack Obama used social media as a way to engage with voters. He uploaded more, shared more and responded more than all of the other candidates and won more votes. As a result, social media became the marketing platforms for big brands.

A statistical advantage

In 2016 Donald Trump created a marketing campaign driven by data analytics that was able to get vast amounts of data about voters, and then deliver uniquely targeted campaigns to them. He understood that American presidential elections are decided by very few voters. By ignoring all but the swing states, and the marginal voters in those states, Trump was able to deliver his message to the relatively few voters who would decide the election. Data informed every decision about what to say to those people who would elect him to the White House.

Regardless of your political opinion, the clear message from the Trump campaign is that data analytics is as powerful a tool in marketing as it is in accounting. By gathering as much data about people as you can, and then targeting your marketing messages to people based on their preferences, marketing budgets can be invested more wisely.

It won’t be long before every marketing campaign will speak directly to the person who’s seeing it. Today, whatever business you think you are in, you are also a data analytics business.

Unique relevance

Customers want things to be personal to them and that requires data. The

more data you collect now, the more sales you will make. Data is cutting through the noise and connecting with people.

The more data you collect, the less you need to spend on marketing and sales, and the easier it is to make sales and charge what you are worth.

Data allows you to customise and target your message to the right people, in the right place and at the right time. You will no longer have to waste your marketing budget on people who aren’t interested in your message.

Interestingly, consumer trends indicate strongly that people want personalisation and that they’re willing to give up information about themselves to get it. Collecting names and email addresses is no longer enough. Your business must conduct surveys, scorecards and quizzes to have access to unique data insights and create marketing campaigns in which each individual sees what is uniquely relevant to them.

Noel Guilford, BA FCA Chartered accountant, author and business mentor guilfordaccounting.co.uk 07768 350762

Please get in touch to see how we can enhance your workplace.

Bridging the years

On Sunday 16 April 2023, Old Palace Chester hosted a special centennial celebration, to mark 100 years since the Queens Park Bridge Chester was officially opened. The event, hosted in partnership with Chester Business Club and Chester Regatta, was a fantastic opportunity for the local community to come together and enjoy food, drink and live music at Old Palace Chester, which sits on the River Dee overlooking Queens Park Bridge itself.

SAMANTHA DIXON, MP FOR CHESTER, THE LORD MAYOR AND LADY MAYORESS, JOHN AND HEATHER LEATHER, THE SHERIFF OF CHESTER, BOB RUDD, AND THE CHAIR OF CHESTER BUSINESS CLUB, ROY SHELTON WERE ALL IN ATTENDANCE. Adrian Carr, the grandson of A.W. Carr, the former Sheriff of Chester who opened Queens Park Bridge 100 years ago also attended.

About Old Palace Chester

A building with history and charm Steeped in 300 years of remarkable history, Old Palace Chester is today a luxury riverside wedding and events venue, set in the heart of Chester. Whilst boasting a desirable city centre location with excellent transport links, Old Palace Chester is a wonderfully

tranquil space that blends stunning authentic architecture with flawless contemporary style.

Situated on Little St John Street, between the River Dee and historic Roman ruins, the Palace was originally constructed in 1751 to be the home of the Bishop of Chester, Samuel Peploe. Over the years it continued to be home to the Bishops of Chester throughout the 19th Century, before becoming the site of the Chester YMCA in the 1980s. Old Palace Chester was granted permission to become a wedding and events venue in 2017 and since then it has been the backdrop to many unforgettable events.

The perfect setting for luxury events

Whilst the venue is well-known for hosting beautiful wedding days, Old

“Old Palace Chester is a wonderfully tranquil space”

Palace Chester also plays host to many other occasions. It is well-suited to corporate events that require an elegantly neutral backdrop and impeccable service from start to finish. Within the venue, you’ll find many outstanding spaces. The light-filled River Room is perfect for smaller gatherings, or as a breakout space for larger events. Meanwhile, the grand Ballroom seats up to 150 beneath the mirrored ceiling and beautiful chandeliers. The stylish Peploe Lounge serves as an excellent spot for guests to mingle and grab some refreshments, whilst the vast grounds mean that during the warmer months, there is plenty of space for outdoor events. Old Palace Chester also boasts 23 beautifully-designed ensuite bedrooms for overnight guests.

Over the last few years, Old Palace Chester has hosted large-scale charity events, balls, lunches and auctions. The luxurious feel and service that the venue provides makes it an unforgettable setting for such high-end events. The building itself is a work of art, with incredibly detailed plasterwork and considered interior styling throughout. This makes it an obvious choice for hosting art exhibitions. Each of the spaces is extremely versatile and offer a light and airy environment for enjoying the art on display.

High-quality food and drink

At Old Palace Chester, it’s more than a meal – it’s an experience. The venue’s expert catering team use the finest seasonal ingredients, prepared with the utmost skill and care. They work with clients to explore their needs and create dynamic and imaginative menus that are perfectly suited to the event and time of year. Event organisers can work with the team at Old Palace to carefully curate their event menu, with various options including welcome drinks, popup cocktail bars, an open bar, and much more. Guests can enjoy a delicious four-course meal, buffet, canapes, or a combination of them all. Every package will be fully bespoke, designed entirely to suit the event.

Alexander Mottram, General Manager at Old Palace Chester, explains: “Part of what makes our city so special is its’ rich history. We take our role as custodians of this historical landmark seriously and we have found immense joy in carrying out restoration work on the property and rediscovering the building’s charm and heritage.”

Alexander Mottram

Old Palace Chester 01244 564380

weddings@oldpalacechester.co.uk

“The grand Ballroom seats up to 150 beneath the mirrored ceiling and beautiful chandeliers”

Venue finding

Chester and Wrexham have a wealth of great venues of all capacities, for all types of events. If you are thinking of taking your meeting or event off-site, here are some suggestions for venues.

Artezzan is a two-floor, independently run restaurant on Pepper Street in Chester. It takes an honest approach to Mediterranean-inspired food served in a modern, fresh, feel-good way. It offers a unique dining and drinking experience. Its upstairs seating area is available for private hire events, making it the perfect place for networking and other types of business functions, from team building to corporate hospitality. It also offers a pop-up kitchen experience, if your event is being held elsewhere.

While predominantly an exclusive wedding venue, The Old Palace Chester is the perfect location for high-quality corporate events. The River Room is perfect for smaller gatherings, or as a breakout space for larger events. While the grand Ballroom seats up to 150. The Peploe Lounge serves as an excellent spot for guests to mingle and grab some refreshments, whilst the grounds provide ideal picturesque outdoor event space.

Croes Howell, Llay, Wrexham croeshowell.com

New owners took over Croes Howell in 2021, which is a spectacular building with amazing views. It is a family and dog-friendly country pub, offering good, hearty food in a relaxed atmosphere. It is also the perfect location for corporate events, offering onsite parking event space and extensive gardens. The venue also has a dedicated events planner, to ensure you have everything you need in place.

The Hideout, Rossett thehideoutbistro.co.uk

The Hideout in Rossett is a small family run bistro and bar in the heart of the village, mid-way between Chester and Wrexham. It serves fresh, local and seasonal produce for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The venue prides itself on having friendly attentive staff and fantastic food. As an independent venue, it can also cater for private hire events, making it ideal for networking and other business meetings and events.

Do you have a venue you would like to see featured?

If you have used a hotel or other venue for a business meeting, conference, seminar, training or team building event and you think it should be featured in a future issue, please contact us with your suggestions.

Artezzan, Chester artezzan.com

Old Palace Chester, Chester oldpalacechester.co.uk/events

What’s on

A round-up of some of the business events happening in and around Chester and Wrexham from June to September 2023

SATURDAY 3 JUNE

10:00 – 19:00

Chirk Carnival

Fair Events Management

Chirk Recreational Ground, Chirk www.chirkcarnival.co.uk

WEDNESDAY 7 JUNE

10:30 – 14:00

Chester Business Network Lunch

Macdonald Craxton Wood Hotel, Parkgate Road, Ledsham, Chester CH66 9PB businessnetworkchester.co.uk

THURSDAY 8 JUNE

08:30 – 10:30

Round the Table Networking at Costco

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Costco, Chester bit.ly/3NK5HBH

SUNDAY 18 JUNE

Active Travel Festival Chester

An event to inspire local residents of all ages and abilities to make cleaner, greener, healthier and sustainable transport choices in their everyday lives. Castle Square, Lower Car Park, CH1 2DN (opposite Abode Hotel) atfest.uk

FRIDAY 23 – SUNDAY 25 JUNE

16:30 (FRI) – 13:30 (SUN)

The Business RICH Weekend

Three events in one, with the goal of giving you the long-term strategy to create and deliver your business goals. Cheshire View, Plough Lane, Christleton CH3 7PT bit.ly/BusinessRICHWeekend

THURSDAY 15 - SATURDAY 17 JUNE

Green Expo, Chester Riverside, by Old Dee Bridge, Chester greenexpo.uk

TUESDAY 27 JUNE

12:30 – 15:30

Networking Lunch and AGM at Rossett Hall

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

SATURDAY 10 JUNE FROM 10:00

Great Big Green Week

Ty Pawb, Wrexham bobbi@tc-wales.org.ukWednesday

WEDNESDAY 14 JUNE

09:30 – 10:30

International Trade Hot Topic – Single Trade Window

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce Online bit.ly/3Lyt8v4

THURSDAY 22 JUNE

09:30 – 11:30

West Cheshire Women’s Network

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Freemasons Hall Limited (Chester), Plough Lane, Christleton, Chester CH3 7PT bit.ly/421OoAp

THURSDAY 22 JUNE

17:00 – 19:00

VOX Networking

Join us and special guest speaker Joe Bickerton for an evening of interesting conversation

Croes Howell, Croes Howell Hill, Straight Mile, Llay LL12 0NY bit.ly/VOXnetworking

Rossett Hall, Chester Road, Rossett LL12 0DE bit.ly/44yrQc2

WEDNESDAY 28 JUNE

17:00 – 19:00

WBCA networking

Join us for networking at Moneypenny’s head office in Wrexham. Moneypenny, Western Gateway, Wrexham LL13 7ZB info@wrexhambca.co.uk

THURSDAY 29 JUNE

10:00 – 15:00

KCC Business Expo and Networking

In aid of Hospice of the Good Shepherd Rossett Hall, Chester Road, Rossett LL12 0DE bit.ly/KCCBusinessExpo

If you have an event taking place between September and December 2023, please let us know, so we can include it in our next issue. email: clara@ezpublishing.co.uk

TUESDAY 4 JULY

09:30 – 12:00

Sales Club

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Xplore!, 17 Henblas Street, Wrexham LL13 8AE bit.ly/3LDx2TA

WEDNESDAY 5 JULY

09:00 – 11:00

Round the Table Networking sponsored by Equals Money

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Chester Mecure Abbotts Well Hotel, Christleton CH3 5QL bit.ly/3M2FSM6

THURSDAY 6 JULY

17:00 – 19:00

Thursday is the New Friday Networking

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Moxy Hotel, Boughton CH3 5BS bit.ly/3LG0eJo

FRIDAY 7 JULY

09:30 – 12:00

Sales Club

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Xplore!, 17 Henblas Street, Wrexham LL13 8AE bit.ly/3M1A2dS

WEDNESDAY 12 JULY

10:30 – 14:00

Chester Business Network Lunch

Rossett Hall, Chester Road, Rossett LL12 0DE businessnetworkchester.co.uk

THURSDAY 13 JULY

12:30 – 14:30

Lunch at Boughton Cricket Club

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Boughton Hall Cricket Club, Boughton, Chester CH3 5EL bit.ly/42b69gD

TUESDAY 18 JULY

10:00 – 11:00

Round the Screen Networking

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce Online bit.ly/3nxWBNG

WEDNESDAY 13 SEPTEMBER

10:30 – 14:00

Chester Business Network Lunch

The Double Tree by Hilton, Chester businessnetworkchester.co.uk

SUNDAY 17 SEPTEMBER

SATURDAY 22 JULY

10:00 – 16:00

Wrexham Artisan Market Fair Event Management

Queen’s Square, Wrexham fb.me/e/4hvNk1ojQ

SATURDAY 5 – SUNDAY 6 AUGUST

10:00 – 16:00

Wrexham City Fiesta

Fair Event Management Location TBC www.fairevent.co.uk

Farndon Soapbox Derby Farndon village farndonsoapboxderby.co.uk

WEDNESDAY 20 SEPTEMBER

10:30 – 15:00

Wirral and Chester Business Fair 2023 New Brighton Floral Pavilion, Marine Promenade, New Brighton, Wirral CH45 2JS wirralbizfair.co.uk

WEDNESDAY 9 AUGUST

10:30 – 14:00

Chester Business Network Lunch Joint event with South Manchester Forest Hills Hotel, Overton Hill, Frodsham WA6 6HH businessnetworkchester.co.uk

THURSDAY 22 SEPTEMBER

17:00 – 19:00

VOX Networking

Join us and special guest speaker Louise Minchin for an evening of interesting conversation Artezzan, Pepper Street, Chester ezpublishing.co.uk/events

THURSDAY 10 AUGUST

09:00 – 11:00

Round the Table Networking at Brewhouse and Kitchen

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Brewhouse and Kitchen, Love Street, Chester CH1 1QY bit.ly/42aJQI4

TUESDAY 22 AUGUST

12:30 – 14:30

Networking Lunch at Liverpool

Football Club

West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

Liverpool Football Club, Anfield Road, Liverpool L4 0TH bit.ly/3HJOOmT

SATURDAY 23 – SUNDAY 24

SEPTEMBER

10:00 – 16:00

Wrexham Feast

Fair Event Management Chester Street, Wrexham wrexhamfeast.co.uk

WEDNESDAY 27 SEPTEMBER

17:00 – 19:00

The Business Network Chester Drop in An early evening networking for Chester members and businesses from the area Chester Beer & Wine, 20 Handbridge, Handbridge, Chester CH4 7JE businessnetworkchester.co.uk

While every effort has been made to ensure all the details are correct at the time of going to print, it is advisable to check details with the venue concerned

Networking

There is a whole host of networking opportunities across Chester and Wrexham – from groups that you have to join and attend a structured weekly meeting, through to one-off events that you can ‘pay as you go’. Most membership groups offer you the chance to attend as a guest – often for the first one or two sessions – to allow you the time to work out if it is a group that suits you. If you are new to networking, try a few and see if you can find a group that works for you and your business.

If you have an event you would like listed in a future issue, please get in touch.

Networx 4 Business

networx4business.co.uk

Networx offers membership networking at locations in Chester and Wrexham. Membership cost is £600 for 12 months, per venue and includes breakfast. Sessions take place fortnightly at each venue. With just one business type per group, you’ll have the opportunity to talk about your business and what you are looking for.

Network She Netwalking – Chester networkshe.co.uk

Netwalking is free to attend and was set up to help Network SHE’s members with their mental and physical wellbeing, business and personal development, as well as about building great relationships.

West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce

wcnwchamber.org.uk

West Cheshire and North Wales

Business NetWalkers, Chester businessnetwalkers.com

Business NetWalkers helps you improve your wealth and wellbeing, whilst growing your network. It does this by enhancing mental performance and wellbeing, improving physical fitness, talking and collaborating with likeminded people.

It has been documented in many studies that walking while talking has many benefits with regards to mental wellbeing, focus, ideas generation and it’s generally good all round to get to know new people.

Chamber of Commerce is the leading organisation representing the business community across the whole of West Cheshire and North Wales. As an independent, not-for-profit organisation, its’ objectives remain clear: to promote and encourage business for members and others regionally, nationally and internationally to improve commercial growth and prosperity.

BNI

bninorthwales.co.uk

bnicheshire.co.uk

BNI provides a positive, supportive, and structured environment for the development and exchange of quality business referrals.

FSB fsb.org.uk

Tarporley Business Club

tarporleybusinessclub.co.uk

The Tarporley Business Club was set up in the pandemic as an online network for local business owners to generate connections.

Now it’s a purely face-to-face meeting held on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at The Swan in Tarporley from 9:30-11:30 am. It is a not-for-profit group aiming to develop the local business community, resulting in maximising growth and success. Memberships available, £10 fee for first time visitors.

Serving the business community in these diverse regions for over 100 years, the Chamber aims to support every type of business – from sole traders to large corporations. It tailors its' service to suit its' members, developing an enviable portfolio of member benefits, business advice, export knowledge, events and training opportunities to help make your business a success.

Institute of Directors (IOD) iod.com

FSB membership means inclusive support, market-leading benefits and a voice heard in governments at all levels. If you are self-employed or own a small business, membership is built from the ground up, to help you achieve your ambitions. Together, we are stronger.

Join virtual events, including networking and business surgeries at: fsb.org.uk/event-calendar.html

The Institute of Directors was founded in 1903 and within three years was awarded a Royal Charter to support, represent and set standards for business leaders nationwide. It is the UK's largest membership organisation for business leaders, providing informative events, professional development courses for self-improvement, networking and expert advice. IOD is the only institute in the world to offer internationally recognised qualifications designed by directors for directors, specific to the core competencies required of directors and senior leaders.

360 Networking Group

bit.ly/details—networking

360 Networking monthly meetings are run by Wrexham County Borough Council’s Business and Investment team. All meetings, together with annual membership are now free of charge. Each meeting takes place within the Redwither Tower on Wrexham Industrial Estate between 17:00 - 18:45.

Chester Business Club chesterbusinessclub.co.uk

One of the principal activities of Chester Business Club is its’ Speaker Dinners. The aim of these Black Tie events is to provide an impartial forum for leading commentators to speak on a topic of their own choosing, as a positive contribution to increasing public awareness of the important issues of the day.

The Business Network Chester businessnetworkchester.co.uk

The Business Network Chester is a diverse membership group of around 100 companies, sharing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help grow each others’ businesses. The ethos behind the group is "know, like, trust" – a belief in building long-lasting relationships with other senior decision makers. Meeting at lunchtimes, in prestigious venues around Chester, it provides a highly-structured event, which enables attendees to meet senior decision makers in a relaxed and enjoyable environment. Attendees may also attend a free, highly-educational seminar, which runs prior to the event.

Real5 Networking — Chester real5networking.com

Real5 Networking is a business venture focused on local business networking for mutual commercial gains. The idea is that all members agree to give a minimum 5% profit share back to the referee, so there is a real incentive to maximise the network.

VOX Networking events take place quarterly following the publication of each issue.

The two-hour sessions provide the opportunity to meet and talk with other local businesspeople, and each one will have a special guest speaker.

Numbers are limited and tickets cost £15, including refreshments.

Chester Beer and Wine Bitesize

Chester Beer and Wine has been described as a 'true emporium of delights for the lover of beer and wine'.

With all its wines, spirits and miniatures carefully hand-picked by owner Sam Jackson to be the best they can get and all the beers lovingly chosen by its resident beer guru, Dave Calver, that description might well be true.

Originally founded in Hoole, Chester Beer and Wine is now located in Handbridge and has become an essential stop for connoisseurs of fine beverages. Beyond the shop, it now has an Upstairs Wine Bar & Tasting Room too.

Not only can you call in for a delicious selection of wines by the glass and bottle, or one of the huge range of bottled or canned beers, but you can also book the space for private functions. Sam explains: “Since we opened the doors of the Wine

Bar and Tasting Rooms, we have hosted all sorts of functions here, from charity events, book clubs and private parties to networking and corporate events. We are happy to provide the space and bar, or set up speciality-tutored tasting sessions. We have held wine, beer, gin and whiskey tastings so far, but we can adapt these sessions to suit whoever is booking the event.”

The team at Chester Beer and Wine is helpful, friendly, knowledgeable and unpretentious – just what you want when you’re coming in to enjoy a good old browse, or would like some advice on your selection. For more information on booking an event, visit www.chesterbeerandwine.co.uk

How do you switch off from work when you go

on holiday?

“I love to have a few books, something easy to read like a Lee Child or John Grisham. I tend to listen to audio books when I drive to work but I find it hard to make the time to read actual books. Just stretching out with a real good book feels great. I also know that I’ve got a great team back at the office who can handle most things. They would only call me if there was an emergency. So a good book and a phone that isn’t ringing helps me to switch off.”

Pete Hanlon CTO Moneypenny

“I have got better at switching off when I am on holiday. I still check my emails, but generally manage to leave the laptop at home. Walking (it’s hard to concentrate on anything else when you are following a map or directions), reading, eating and drinking are the key constituents of a good holiday for me – and when I am doing any of those, it’s quite easy to remain in the moment! This is of course helped by having a fantastic team back in the office who I trust to make the right decisions!”

Clara Hughes Editorial director at VOX

“On my last family holiday, in November 2022, I decided to leave my mobile phone at home. This is something I haven’t done before but I’d recommend to anyone! It was an absolute game changer and I intend to do it on my next holiday. I packed some Lego and spent uninterrupted time building a race car with my toddler Ezra on the beach. Leaving my phone at home meant I could truly be with my family and have time to truly relax. I came back fully refreshed and recharged and raring to go!”

Guy Fennell Founder and director of

Pura

“On holidays, I put my phone on airplane mode to ensure no calls are received. I do like to check emails at least once a day – respond to any urgent messages etc – and this is a formula that seems to work well for both me and the family.”

Gareth Boyd Tours around Chester

“I find it very difficult is the easy answer – and being organised is the only way it can be done. The way I relax is get all of my ‘big project’ work done before we leave. We produce four seasonal newspapers a year – so I make sure we book our holidays well away from the three-week blocks that they take up.

When I’m away I rarely set my OOO. I do check emails twice a day at the very least, and this gives me peace of mind, which, in turn, helps me to relax for the rest of the time. I don’t think I’ll ever be a person that will be able to switch off completely...”

Izzy Grey Editor at We Love Good Times

“Holidays are tricky as there always seem to be a deadline just around the corner! The simple answer is, our holidays need to be planned around my business. I usually have to work extra hard before going away, to get as much done as possible, so I can switch off from work while away. I do make a point of not working on holiday, I put my phone to voicemail, but I do check and answer emails.”

Vicky Heathfield Creative director at VOX

Charity round-up

Our charity pages are an opportunity to highlight the good work local charities are undertaking, and promote fundraising success and future events.

Chester Duck Race 2023 makes a splash

Over £23,000 was raised at this year’s Chester Duck Race, which took place on 1 April and was once again sponsored by Hickory’s Smokehouse. Local businesses sponsored the 85 ducks that took part, raising money for The Countess of Chester’s Blue Skies Balcony Appeal. Plans are already underway for a ‘quacking’ event in 2024!

Walkers raise more than £20,000 for local children’s hospice

Hundreds of walkers put their best foot forward and took on the 10-mile Llangollen Canal Walk recently, raising more than £20,000 for Hope House Children’s Hospice.

The event saw walkers cross the start point at the Trevor Basin in Llangollen, before heading over the world-famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and following the canal all the way to The Poachers pub at Chirk for refreshments before heading back to receive their special medals. The walk was sponsored by the Principality Building Society and was supported by volunteers and marshals from the Wrexham and Erddig Rotary Club.

If you have been inspired to take part in an event or fundraise for Hope House Children’s Hospices then please visit hopehouse.org.uk/events to see how you can get involved.

Wind2 makes compassionate donation to cost-of-living crisis appeal

A fund supporting Welsh communities with the spiralling cost of living has received a £10,000 donation from Moldbased specialist onshore wind and solar energy developer Wind2. ‘Our Communities Together’ appeal, a collaboration between Community Foundation Wales and media company Newsquest, will lead to the launch of a grant programme, where organisations who need it the most can apply for funding of up to £1,000.

Donations will be used to support a range of initiatives – including keeping community venues open and warm, to support the most vulnerable people – as well as providing access to IT services for job hunting or remote working. Other services which could benefit from the funding and help minimise the effects of the cost-of-living crisis include everything from one-to-one financial advice on budgeting and food shopping, to classes for families on healthy cooking.

Sarah Smith, Managing Director at Wind2, said:

“We contributed to the Community Foundation Wales appeal because we know the donation will be in safe hands, as the organisation is experienced in identifying where the money is most needed. Whether our contribution goes towards keeping community venues open or giving families advice on budgeting, the cost-of-living crisis is a very real issue in Wales and we want to help in any way we can. We hope that our donation can have a positive impact on the lives of those who need it the most across Welsh communities.”

Award-wining ‘Buddy’ for people suffering with mental health issues

Emilia Zietara, a pupil at Ysgol Rhosnesni, Wrexham, has been successful in the National BTEC Social Enterprise Competition run by learning group Pearson and the Peter Jones Foundation. Emilia is on the School Link Programme at Coleg Cambria and was entered for the project she delivered on a BTEC Level 2 Certificate in Business.

Her idea – a ‘Buddy’ made from soft, recycled material, to be used as a stress reliever and support system – was lauded by judges, who “Loved the thought process and the research that had gone into the Buddy, as well as the creativity and engaging presentation that Emilia showcased as part of the competition”.

Peter Jones Foundation CEO Bill Muirhead added: “Emilia won in a very hard Key Stage 4 category and beat hundreds of entries, so huge congratulations were in order.”

A delighted Emilia came up with the concept – which is now being trialled in local primary schools – during the pandemic, as students across the UK were forced to learn from home in lockdown, away from their friends and in isolation. After carrying out research she received a positive response, with many saying the Buddy relieved tension and anxiety, making them feel comforted and calmer.

Emilia said: “The idea was originally intended to be a memory bear for people who had lost someone or wanted to have something to hold to keep a memory alive, for any reason really. However, shortly after researching more into the increase of mental health problems in the UK and the instant smiles from those who held the first Buddy I made, it got me thinking about how this could be important to support those who really needed it.”

SHARE the fun this summer

SHARE is very excited to announce its Summer Charity Dinner on Friday 7 July at ABode, Chester. Sponsored by Staff 86, the evening will include a drinks reception, dinner, raffle, auction and disco to dance the night away.

There will also be a special guest speaker. Money raised from the event will help continue the charity’s work with the homeless in Chester and refugees everywhere.

Tickets cost £45, or a table of 10 is available at a discounted rate of £400. Email judith@shareaid.co.uk for more information.

Groundwork North Wales wins Employer of the Year at The Great British Awards

Groundwork North Wales, a charity organisation dedicated to supporting communities in need, is thrilled to announce that it has been named as Employer of the Year at The Great British Awards Business and Community.

The Great British Awards recognises companies that demonstrate excellence in business performance, as well as a commitment to giving back to their communities. This year’s awards ceremony took place on Friday 21 April 2023, and Groundwork North Wales was honoured to be recognised alongside other outstanding organisations.

“We are incredibly proud to be recognised as Employer of the Year at The Great British Awards,” said Karen Balmer, CEO of Groundwork North Wales. “Our employees are the backbone of our organisation, and we are committed to providing them with a supportive and fulfilling workplace. This award is a testament to their hard work and dedication, and we are honoured to be able to celebrate this achievement with them.”

As a charity, Groundwork North Wales is deeply committed to its employees, who play a crucial role in helping the organisation to achieve its mission. Groundwork North Wales offers a range of benefits and personal development opportunities, to support their employees’ growth and well-being.

The judges were impressed by Groundwork North Wales’s close-knit staff teams working in an environment which empowers and encourages them to thrive. “Their financial results demonstrate resilience, growth and sustainability,” the judges of this category noted. “The ‘feel good’ factor of this employer is truly evident”.

Charity round-up

Chester-based Residential Estates kicks off its’ year of fundraising for local hospice with a hike up Snowdon

Chester-based property company Residential Estates has chosen Claire House Children’s Hospice as their charity of choice for 2023. The company is organising events throughout the year to help raise both money and awareness for this amazing organisation. Claire House looks after children suffering with terminal illness and their families, providing not only support, but memories and wonderful experiences, to bring back a sense of normality to their lives.

On Thursday 20 April a team of six from Residential Estates took to Snowdon. It took just under three hours up and several hours coming down, but the team completed the challenge, with Natalie Smith, Residential Estates, stating, “Although it was an exhausting endeavour, reaching the top and looking out to a gorgeous view was worth every second. Overall, we’re so proud of each other for successfully tackling this challenge and hopefully making a small difference to the Claire House charity. We’re looking forward to the next event in a few weeks, possibly one of the other peaks, although the three-peak 24hr challenge may require some training.”

Over £30,000 for local children’s hospices at Spring Ball

A Wrexham-based business has raised a massive £30,500 for charity as its inaugural Spring Ball. Eco Ready Mix, a concrete, mortar and screed supplier, has been raising money to support seriously ill local children at Hope House Children’s Hospices for more than a decade. This year, to raise funds for the charity, the company decided to hold its first-ever ball at Carden Park. Nearly 300 people – including suppliers, customers, staff, friends and family from across the UK and Ireland – came together in their finest tuxedos and cocktail dresses for a fabulous night of fundraising.

Paula Billington, director and wife of managing director Gary Billington, said: “It was so great to get everyone together for this wonderful night of fun and more importantly fundraising. We have been supporting Hope House for many years now. We are so grateful to everyone who attended on the night for their amazing generosity, which has helped raise such a fantastic amount of money.”

If you would like to see how your business can get involved and support Hope House Children’s Hospices then visit hopehouse.org.uk/corporate

Carnival of colour returns

It was one of the brightest, messiest and most colourful family events of the year and was attended by more than 850 people – many representing businesses large and small from across Wrexham and Chester. This year the Foamtastic Colour Blast event will be making a welcome return: bigger, better and messier than ever.

It takes place at Chester Racecourse on 13 August in aid of the Hospice of the Good Shepherd and is expected to attract more than 1,000 participants who will literally be negotiating the course with flying colours. The untimed fun run around the racecourse kicks off at noon with a huge paint throw, before participants of all ages make their way through various paint stations and a fun foam bubble pit and then crossing the finish line to collect their medal.

“This is one of the biggest and most enjoyed events of the hospice fundraising calendar,” said hospice director of fundraising, Caroline Siddall. “It really does add some colour to the proceedings and will brighten up everyone’s day. There will be people running on their own, as a family or with friends or work colleagues, but all with a shared purpose: to support the fantastic work that the hospice team does in caring for individual and families when they are at their most vulnerable and frightened.”

Caroline added: “Like everyone else, we’ve seen our costs and bills increase phenomenally over the last few months. It’s only thanks to the kindness and generosity of local business and the public in supporting events like these that we can keep our doors open and make the difference that we do for so many.”

To register or to sponsor the event, visit www.hospicegs.com or telephone 01244 851811. All tickets include a Foamtastic Colour Blast t-shirt and medal on completion.

Wrexham charity recognised as National Changemaker

TCC (Trefnu Cymunedol Cymru/Together Creating Communities) based in Wrexham, North Wales, has been recognised as one of 100 Future Generations Changemakers at a recent awards ceremony at the Millennium Centre in Cardiff. The Changemaker list consists of 100 individuals and organisations large and small, that are seen to be making a positive difference to the world which surrounds us.

TCC was founded in 1995 and is the UK’s oldest community organising group. It tackles social injustice by supporting diverse communities to gain the power they need to enact change. This is accomplished through community organising – bringing together local groups, so they can set their own agenda, take action and improve their communities.

Future Generations Commissioner Sophie Howe stated: “This event is about recognising just some of the people demonstrating what happens when we put wellbeing first, work together and consider the long-term implications of our actions. It also highlights the need to support changemakers, so that they can improve society for everyone. The Future Generations Changemaker 100 is merely a snapshot of Wales’s brilliant changemakers and we want others to share the people who inspire them, to keep the momentum going for now and for future generations.”

Golf Day raises over £3000 for hospital

The Countess Charity Golf Day took place on Thursday 18 May at Macdonald Portal Hotel and Spa and was sponsored by invoice, finance and back office support specialists Zodeq. 14 teams took part and the players enjoyed a twocourse lunch at the hotel once they had finished playing.

Over £3000 was raised on the day, which will go towards the hospital’s Blue Skies Balcony Appeal. This is an appeal to build a balcony onto the Intensive Care Unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

Fundraisers club together for Stick ‘n’ Step’s 21st birthday charity golf day

152 golfers took part in Stick ‘n’ Step’s annual golf day on Monday 1 May at Pryors Hayes Golf Club in Cheshire. With donations still coming in, over £26,000 was raised for the cerebral palsy charity, which is celebrating its 21st birthday this year. 38 four-ball teams took part in the event, with players coming from all around the UK. Sporting stars including footballing legends Derek Mountfield, Arthur Albiston, Stuart Pearson, Alex Stepney, Frank Stapleton and Alan McInally took part, while the winning team was led by Paul Rawlinson. Sky Sports commentator Rob Palmer organised the day once more in his role as Stick ‘n’ Step’s ambassador.

Players competed in vain to get a hole in one on the 9th to win a Honda CBR650R motorbike, courtesy of Smiths Honda. The event was followed by the traditional evening’s entertainment and auction to boost Stick ‘n’ Step’s fundraising efforts still further.

Stick ‘n’ Step Interim CEO, Sarah Smithson, said: “Every year we are bowled over by the wonderful support we receive from everyone involved in this remarkable event. I would like to say a very big thank you once more to everyone who took part to help us fundraise for the amazing children, who attend our centres, and their families.”

The event was supported by St James’s Place and its Senior Partner, Stephen Ogilby, from PFPS Wealth Management, commented: “We are so proud to be supporting such a fabulous local charity, helping children with cerebral palsy. We know that the cost-of-living crisis is affecting every one of us at the moment and it’s more important than ever to support local charities, such as Stick ‘n’ Step, which are working hard to continue to give free services to those who need them so much.”

Are you a keen golfer? Is your golf club captain looking for a charity to support? If so, Stick ‘n’ Step would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact Stick ‘n’ Step’s fundraising team on fundraising@sticknstep.org

We want to hear your charity

news

If you have any charity news you would like to see included in the next issue, please send details to clara@ezpublishing.co.uk

Milestone

years

From reaching your first month in business, through to achieving a centenary and beyond, businesses should take the time to celebrate their success. Here are just a few of the local businesses celebrating milestone achievements this year. To them – and every other company celebrating a milestone birthday this year – congratulations and happy birthday!

Celebrating a decade of DMR Plumbing and Heating DMR Plumbing & Heating LTD was established in June 2013 with one man and his van – Daniel Roth from Wrexham. Daniel’s hard work, customer commitment and business drive has grown the plumbing and heating business, which now celebrates its 10year birthday. The business has worked in partnership with Worcester Bosch for many years and has now become a Worcester Accredited Partner.

Chester-based Highstream Solutions celebrates sixth anniversary

Highstream Solutions, specialists in IT problem-solving for businesses and based on Bell Meadow Business Park in Chester, has celebrated its sixth anniversary. To mark the occasion, Highstream Solutions treated the team to an afternoon tea party. Paul Williams, managing director, said: “We are proud to have achieved this milestone anniversary, having begun in shared offices in Deeside and now settled in our permanent home at Bell Meadow Business Park for just over a year.”

Wrexham’s Redwither Business Park, the accounting and business advisory firm’s growth has included acquiring two accountancy practices, through The Uncommon Accountants arm of the business, and taking on five apprentices from Coleg Cambria.

Chester Wine School turns 10!

The Wine School of Cheshire turned 10 years old in June. Widely considered to be the county’s foremost authority on wine tasting and wine knowledge, with a wealth of expertise in the industry that spans more than a quarter of a century, the wine school was set up when its founder, Richard Smith, noticed Chester and the wider county of Cheshire lacked an enjoyable form of wine education from an independent voice.

Zebra celebrates 13 years with a move to a new offices

20 years exploring science Xplore! Science Discovery Centre celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Through science-themed exhibitions, shows and workshops – including 10 new additions to the programme in the past year – 16,000 school learners have engaged in its outreach activities and more than 6,000 pupils have visited, returning the numbers to pre-pandemic school admission levels.The charity has strengthened its partnerships, including new combined science and faith events with St Giles Church, as well as a continuation of its work with the Principality Building Society, to boost financial skills in youngsters.

Essentially 18!

Local community magazine, EssentialsMAG, celebrates its 18th birthday this year. Hand-delivered to 14,000 homes each month across the local Wrexham area, the magazine is Wrexham’s longest running and most trusted hyperlocal community magazine.

Celebrating 10 years at NFU Mutual Wrexham

Wrexham

owners celebrate successful year

One of the town’s newest professional service providers, The Uncommon Practice, has announced its’ turnover is up 70% over the last fiscal year, while staff numbers have doubled. Based at

Rossett-based Zebra Marketing and Communications celebrates its 13th year with a move into new offices. Staying in the lovely village of Rossett, mid-way between Chester and Wrexham, the company has moved to larger premises to house its growing team. Maggie Austen, Account Director at Zebra commented: “Rossett is a great and convenient location for us, and we are delighted to have found something that meets our growing requirements. What better way to mark our 13th year than moving boxes!”

Mark Roberts marked his 10-year anniversary as NFU Mutual Agent recently, and was joined by all the staff to celebrate at the offices on Yale Business Park. Mark began working with NFU Mutual in 2013 as an Agent at the Wrexham agency.

Lightfoot Cleaning Services is the first and only Trading Standards Approved provider of professional Sanitisation, Carpet, Hard floor, Upholstery and Deep Cleaning services in North Wales and Cheshire.

SafeContractor Approved, and on the procurement list of several Councils, our business and private clients include Schools, Solicitors, Hotels, Property Agents, Nurseries and Care Homes, Car Dealerships, Food Production and Manufacturing.

Based in Flintshire and serving North Wales, Cheshire and the Wirral, we are an independent family owned and managed business and we have built a reputation we are very proud of for honesty, reliability, attention to detail and customer service with both our commercial and our domestic clients.

For a quotation, call Colin Lightfoot on: 01244 811933 or 07900 667415 Lightfootcleaningservices.co.uk

Across

Take five

Grab a cuppa and clear your mind of work for a short while with our puzzles.

1 Collected or stored (8)

5 Capital of the Ukraine (4)

8 States to be the case (5)

9 Passing around a town (of a road) (7)

10 ___ the pill: made palatable (7)

12 Where you sleep (7)

14 Letter (7)

16 Small bunch of flowers (7)

18 Topmost (7)

19 Metal spikes (5)

20 Mediocre (2-2)

21 Sailing vessel (8)

Down

1 Bite at persistently (4)

2 Had a strong smell (6)

3 Relaxed in manner (4-5)

4 Selfishness (6)

6 Confine as a prisoner (6)

7 Show to be correct (8)

11 Continuous slide of musical notes (9)

12 Air passage of the lungs (8)

13 Customary practices (6)

14 Believer in the occult (6)

15 Eg from New Delhi (6)

17 Russian sovereign (4)

If you would like to showcase your business by offering a competition prize for future issues, contact us to discuss options

vicky@ezpublishing.co.uk

Check your answers

Crossword Classic Sudoku

Coming up next issue...

Issue eight will be printed at the start of September, just in time for the end of Summer and back to school. Our Autumn issue covers September to November and forthcoming features in issue eight include:

• A conversation with – Craig Weeks, General Manager at JCB Transmissions about his 25 year journey with the business in Wrexham

• Summer fun – from the Green Expo to Wrexham's Feast, check out a review of the summer events in photos

• Autumn action – check out the latest diary dates for networking, conferences and events this autumn, including our VOX networking in September.

We will also be including interviews, articles and advice from local businesspeople, along with more business news and charity updates.

in touch

copy deadline 4 August 2023