Associated Chambers

DORSET BUSINESS FOCUS / NEWS Associated Town Chambers

Tracy digs in for the Queen’s Green Canopy Project in North Dorset

Bridport Business Chamber of Trade and Commerce

www.bridportbusiness.org.uk Our mission is to ensure that Bridport provides the ideal environment for businesses to thrive and to supply the goods and services that the town and surrounding area needs to remain economically vibrant.

Dorchester Chamber for Business

www.dorchesterchamber.co.uk We play an active role helping to promote local business and enterprise, representing a wide range of businesses both large and small. Our priority is to help our members work together to boost trade. In addition, we are also working with community partners on our Retain & Retrain campaign to promote apprenticeships and similar initiatives to further enhance employability in Dorchester.

Gillingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry

www.gcci.co.uk Gillingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been around since the 1930s. Many of our members come from outside the High Street where diversity encompasses old family firms, industrial estate Units and new modern work from home and digital businesses. We are very much involved in local initiatives and other groups such as Town Council, Gillingham School, Gillingham in Gear, Dementia Friends, Town Team in particular. www.shaftesburychamber.co.uk The Shaftesbury Chamber has around 100 members from its two business parks and independent High Street businesses. They hold monthly networking meetings and are very active in the development of the town’s economy. Unlike many other towns, Christmas lights and activities are entirely run and paid for by Chamber members

Sherbourne Chamber of Trade and Commerce

www.sherbornechamber.co.uk The Sherborne Chamber of Commerce exists to promote its members’ businesses and the wider business community. It has a membership in excess of 150. The Chamber is involved in just about every event that takes place in the town, supporting the Sherborne community, attracting media interest and creating a memorable experience for visitors to the town.

Swanage & District Chamber of Trade

www.swanagechamberoftrade.co.uk We have many ways of helping to promote all businesses in Swanage, the most popular of these is the Swanage Map. This is provided to tourists free of charge through all local hotels and the tourist information centre. As a member, you will be taking an active part in helping develop business opportunities in Swanage.

SturBiz - Sturminster Newton Chamber of Commerce

www.facebook.com/SturBiz The Sturminster Newton Chamber of Commerce was set up in 2018 and named SturBiz for simplicity. Its Mission is to promote and enhance Sturminster Newton and surrounding area’s economy and its businesses and support a thriving and effective business community

Weymouth & Portland Chamber of Commerce

www.wpchamber.co.uk The chamber has been supporting businesses for over 100 years, encouraging and inspiring businesses of all sizes. We’ve helped many people to find their feet in the local business community, by providing an environment where they can connect with likeminded people. In recent years we’ve represented the concerns of businesses to the local councils, contributing to a significant cut in the cost of car parking charges. We played an important role in the establishment of the Weymouth BID, in whose operation we take a keen interest.

#GetBusinessDone

Tracy Neal, Joint Head of Agriculture & Rural Property, at Battens Solicitors has planted trees as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy Project on her land in North Dorset. 60 new trees have been planted including Oak, Beech, Chestnut, Field Maple, Alder, Walnut and a mix of 120 hedging plants such as Hawthorne, Blackthorne and Dog Rose.

The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the United Kingdom to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”.

Tracy is delighted to be part in a national scheme which will benefit the local environment for generations to come; “Having been bought up on a farm in New Zealand rural matters, and in particular the environment, has always been important to me. As a custodian of the land, I want to ensure that I do all I can to help preserve the flora and fauna. Taking part in the Queen’s Green Canopy project in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year is exciting. These trees will be mapped, and I hope that planting them will leave a legacy for many generations to come”.

Battens specialist Agriculture & Rural Property team has seen an increase of new and existing clients buying land to plant trees to offset carbon and move towards net zero. Purchase of land with established woodland is also on the rise.

Anyone considering buying land for woodland creation, or to simply enjoy established woodland, Battens Agriculture & Rural Property team has the local expertise to assist with the conveyancing process. www.battens.co.uk

Emma Stainwright, Partner & Head of Residential Development & Victoria Jarmolkiewicz, Residential Property Solicitor at Steele Raymond

Highly experienced residential property solicitor joins Steele Raymond’s rapidly expanding Residential Development Team

Since her arrival at Steele Raymond in 2019, Victoria Jarmolkiewicz has been working predominately in residential conveyancing and offered critical support to the team during the unprecedented rush for completions as a result of the UK Government’s Stamp Duty Land Tax Holiday (SDLT), which closed on September 30, 2021.

However, during this time Victoria has also been involved in a number of significant new build development and social housing development projects, including work for local charitable housing association BCHA, who are successfully delivering new properties for the homeless under the Government’s Next Steps Accommodation Program (NSAP).

Victoria brings a wealth of experience to Steele Raymond’s leading residential development offering, having acted for both local and regional developers on the acquisition and disposal of land and with her intimate knowledge of all aspects of leasehold and freehold transactions.

Speaking on her move between teams and on her work with social housing providers, Victoria said:

“My time in residential property has been great and I am pleased to have been able to provide much-needed support during such a busy and challenging time.

“Now that I have made the move, the chance to do more work on special social housing and affordable homes projects for the likes of BCHA and Landspeed is something I am looking forward to and was one of the reasons that residential development was really attractive to me.” She continued: “Steele Raymond’s Residential Development Team is really expanding, with some highlyspecialist lawyers having recently joined the firm; the future is incredibly exciting. This is a fantastic opportunity for me to further expand my skillsets and to evolve as a residential development solicitor.”

Victoria’s appointment comes shortly after a number of key appointments for team, including the appointment of specialist landowner development solicitor Alison Bailey , highly experienced residential development solicitor Christine Kessler-Robinson, as well as Kayleigh Ryan and Sammy Hacklett, new homes coordinator and legal assistant respectively .

Partner and Head of Residential Development Emma Stainwright welcomed Victoria’s arrival, saying:

“We have experienced such rapid growth in the past couple of years, both as a team and as a firm, and it is great to see so many talented lawyers joining Steele Raymond and developing their careers here.

“Victoria has been an incredibly important part of our residential conveyancing practice during a very busy and indeed stressful time. I am delighted to welcome her to residential development and look forward to the continuation of her work with local and regional social housing providers; this type of work is so important and is our way of giving something back to the community.” Emma closed by saying: “It’s an exciting and interesting time to be at the forefront of residential development. Covid and the pandemic created a bit of a ‘boom’ in the housing market by encouraging people to reevaluate the way they live. With changing attitudes to hybrid working, inner-city living has become less desirable and so the need for new homes continues to drive developments.

“More importantly, however, the pandemic further highlighted the issues around homelessness and our basic human right to have a safe place to live. We build affordable homes in this country for this exact reason and, in addition to our work with landowners and developers, Steele Raymond are committed to this endeavor.”

FOCUS ON finance

with Peter Harding In uncertain times, ensure you’re in good financial health

The Covid pandemic has reminded us all how unforeseen events can rock the lives and financial foundations of many families. One thing is clear, as we emerge from Lockdown, repaying the high costs of the pandemic is paramount in the mind of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak. Tackle rising taxes Taxes are predicted to increase significantly, some allowances to remain frozen, with others expected to disappear altogether to help begin repaying the government’s mounting debt accumulated in tackling the pandemic. Top tip: Look carefully at how to make the most of the current tax and pension saving options, as by not doing so, many of these tax allowances can so easily go unused and become lost to you forever. Combat low savings rates: With interest rates remaining at a record low, keeping large amounts in a bank or building society leaves your savings exposed to being severely eroded over time by inflation as well as taxation.

Top tip. Explore the many other ways available to help manage your money, but be careful, don’t leave yourself open to undue risk. Protect family well-being:

The past 2 years has served as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and with it, the need to protect ourselves and those around us to ensure well-being and peace of mind.

Top tip: Check to ensure you have the right levels of life/critical illness protection in place and are taking the appropriate measures to preserve your hard-earned assets from the financially devasting impact Inheritance Tax can sometimes have on the legacy you wish to leave to your family.

If any of these 3 points resonate with you, it’s worth acting today.

To receive a complimentary guide covering wealth management, retirement planning or inheritance tax planning, contact Peter Harding Wealth Management on 01202 830730 or email peterhardingwm@sjpp.co.uk. Peter Harding Wealth Management is a trading name of Peter Harding Practice Ltd. www.peterhardingwm.co.uk