Platinum Business Magazine - Issue 30

The widest-read business publication in the UK

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

ISSUE 30. 2016

NEW DATA PROTECTION RULES Are you prepared?

OFFSHORE MONEY It’s time to come clean

EMPLOYER LIABILITY The frightening answer

SHOCK AND AWE

PLATINUM CAR OF THE YEAR

Trump Triumphs READ ALL PAST ISSUES AT WWW.PLATINUMBUSINESSMAGAZINE.COM

Award winning business, tax and wealth advice To find out more about the full range of accountancy, business advisory and financial services that help our clients achieve their business and personal goals, please contact:

Bryan Elkins, Partner, Horsham office T: +44 (0)1403 253 282 E: bryan.elkins@krestonreeves.com Shirley Smith, Partner, Gatwick office T: +44 (0)1293 776 152 E: shirley.smith@krestonreeves.com

Offices across London, Sussex and Kent www.krestonreeves.com

SUPPORTING BRITISH MANUFACTURERS Our dedicated Manufacturing relationship managers are trained and accredited through the Warwick Manufacturing Group, to ensure they understand the opportunities and challenges you face.

With our lending pledge of £1bn per year until 2017, plus an extensive range of products and services, we are committed to support your business ambitions.

To find out how we are supporting manufacturing businesses here in South East, contact Paul Green, Senior Relationship Manager on 07725 068998 or paul.green3@lloydsbanking.com **-7"1 ,)@!-+H+ ,3$ !230',%

Any property given as security which may include your home, may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or other debts secured on it.

All lending is subject to a satisfactory credit assessment. £1bn relates to a Lloyds Banking Group lending figure correct as at 31 December 2014.

Calls may be monitored or recorded. Please note that any data sent via e-mail is not secure and could be read by others. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority under Registration Number 119278. We subscribe to The Lending Code; copies of the Code can be obtained from www.lendingstandardsboard. org.uk The Lloyds Banking Group includes companies using brands including Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland and their associated companies. More information on the Lloyds Banking Group can be found at lloydsbankinggroup.com

Welcome

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THE BIG STORY SHOCK AND AWE What will a Trump presidency look like?

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HOW TO ENTER AWARDS

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SAFE AND SECURE?

30

OFFSHORE MONEY

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PLATINUM CAR OF THE YEAR

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NAVIGATING THE WATERFALL

Jeremy Taylor offers his tips on how to impress the judges

Are you ready for the new Data Protection Laws?

Is time running out for UK tax evaders?

The hunt is on for the Platinum Car of the Year 2016

At a Glance 6 Local News 11 National News 14 NatWest 17 Entrepreneurial Spark 18 Gatwick Diamond Business Awards 20 Days Fleet 22 Rawlison Butler 24 Donald Trump 30 Kreston Reeves 32 Carpenter Box 34 CIS 37 Business Travel 38 Uniglobe 40 Travel - Rio 46 Coast to Capital 48 DMH Stallard 51 IT News 52 Green Lemon 54 Identity - Digital Marketing 56 TSE Productions 58 Neva Consultants 61 Motoring News 62 Platinum Car of the Year 65 Motoring - Volvo V40 66 Mannings Heath 68 Table Talk - And so to Food 70 Review - Hotel du Vin 72 Chef Profile 74 Review - The Cat Inn 77 Wine Masterclass 78 Anger Management 81 Brighton Summit 82 Best4Biz 83 Charity News 84 Chambers of Commerce 94 Brighton Hotel Awards 96 Platinum Style 98 Institute of Directors

Golf review by David Sheppard, Chairman of Sussex Chamber of Commerce

All rights reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions relating to advertising or editorial. The publisher reserves the right to change or amend any competitions or prizes offered. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent from the publisher. No responsibility is taken for unsolicited materials or the return of these materials whilst in transit. Platinum Business Magazine is owned and published by The Platinum Publishing Group.

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Issue 30 - 2016

A word from the Editors And we thought Brexit was a shock result! What is more of a shock is that the first European politician to meet Trump was Nigel Farage.

This would be funny if not so worrying.

What this means for British business is anyone’s guess but best we turn our attention back to a smooth Brexit and ignore the other side of the pond for a while – or until he nukes the first country that winds him up.

We don’t have too much time to worry about that as we launch our four new titles that now affords Platinum 92% penetration of every SME in the South East. Maarten still found time to swan off to Holland whilst testing the new Jaguar F-Pace, which he has voted the Platinum Car of the Year 2016. Dave Sheppard, the Chairman of the Sussex Chamber of Commerce, had the arduous task of reviewing the stunning Waterfall Course at the Mannings Heath Golf Club, Rose was sent off to Rio to see what’s in store for business travel and Amanda was at the Cat Inn in West Hoathly to taste their fare. Ian is still recovering from the Brighton & Hove Hotel Awards.

We hope you enjoy another cracking issue.

Platinum Business Magazine December 2016

BERT & ERNIE

The Team

Maarten Hoffmann – Director maarten@platinumbusinessmagazine.com

07966 244046

Ian Trevett – Director ian@platinumbusinessmagazine.com

07989 970804

Lesley Alcock

Amanda Menahem

Kate Morton

Business Development Director

Food & Drink Editor

Copy Editor

Rose Dykins

Julia Trevett

Lauren Psyk

Amanda Spicer

Travel Editor

Accounts Manager

Event Photographer

Head of Design

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News

LOCAL NEWS BIG BOX BIG SALE

Claire Williams, asb law

asb law has acted for the shareholders of long-term client Big Box Self Storage in its sale to US operator StorageMart for in excess of £100 million. The deal is believed to be the largest-ever single self-storage transaction in the UK. Big Box has 15 storage centres across South East England, totalling nearly 700,000 square feet of storage and employs over 50 staff. The business has been sold to StorageMart, which is the world’s largest privately owned storage company with 189 storage facilities and 12.4 million square feet of rentable storage space in the US, Canada and now the UK. The multi-disciplined legal team at asb law was led by Partner, Claire Williams, supported

by Corporate Finance Solicitor, Nikki Ashfield, and Real Estate Solicitor, Lauren Kelly. Claire Williams, commented: “We are delighted to complete this complex deal for our long-term client, noteworthy for its size and cross-border investment. We’ve been working with Big Box since its inception, supporting continued revenue growth and portfolio expansion across the South East”.

AMEX SUCCESS STORY The economic power of positive private-public sector partnerships was underlined by Brighton & Hove Albion Executive Director Martin Perry when he addressed a packed meeting of The Sussex Property Alliance.

Mr Perry praised the support of Adur District Council in bringing the vision of the club’s training ground to life in Lancing; and the original foresight of Brighton & Hove Council in helping the Seagulls create the AMEX Stadium, which has become one of the city’s economic powerhouses.

“Moving to the AMEX was a 10-year process and was a great example of how private-public sector partnerships can succeed,” said Mr Perry.

“Since our move, we have created 1,000 full time equivalent jobs, contributed £38m to the local economy and entertained three million spectators in the first five years. In Above: Chris Coopey (Carpenter Box), Rob Fawcett (Bennet Griffin), Martin Perry addition, it’s estimated that last year’s Rugby World Cup (Brighton & Hove Albion FC), Scott Marshall (Marshall Regen) and Steve Berrett games at the Amex alone generated £46m for the city”.

(Michael Jones) He added: “Likewise, Adur Council immediately recognised the economic and social benefits of the training centre at Lancing and made it a strategic priority.

Today it is home to all our teams, from academy and women’s teams through to the first team and is a community resource used by 83 local clubs and 33 schools. It has created 100 full time equivalent jobs and added £3m to the local economy”.

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Awards are like piles. Sooner or later, every bum gets one.

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Mr Perry spoke of the collaborative approach of the Adur Council, which it is hoped will result in a mixed commercial and residential development on land adjacent to the training centre which will provide both jobs and housing.

“Together, we are working on a scheme that will create employment, 600 homes, a country park and infrastructure improvements. This type of positive partnership activity creates value for the council, the community and helps to drive the football club forward as we target a place in the Premier League”.

The Sussex Property Alliance, is supported by Carpenter Box chartered accountants, Michael Jones commercial agency and Bennett Griffin solicitors.

News

LIVING WAGE HITS 300

FASTEST GROWING COMPANIES REVEALED

Brighton Chamber has announced that over 300 companies have now signed up to the Living Wage campaign in Brighton and Hove. The latest sign ups include cleaning company Consult Cleaning and Support Services, tech start-up Shuttle On, retailer Modish Living and bicycle mechanics South Coast Bikes. Retail florist Flowers Unlimited were the 300th business to sign up and Matthew Murphy Electrical Services made it 301 businesses to date.

The success of the local campaign was recognised at the recent Brighton and Hove Business Awards, being one of the reasons behind the judges’ choice of ‘Outstanding Brightonian’ won by Sarah Springford, the director of Brighton Chamber. Sarah said: “It is such an honour and an accolade to have received this award from the BAHBAs judges. And brilliant that the living wage and Brighton Chamber have been recognised in this way by the business community.”

Owner of Flowers Unlimited, the campaign’s 300th member, David Costa said: “If we deliver the highest service possible, we can afford to charge higher prices; customers get what they’re paying for and appreciate quality service. As a result, our sales increase; we make more money and can afford to pay our staff more. Paying the living wage and signing up to the local campaign feels good, and it’s also a marker on how you’re doing as a business.”

Launched in 2012, the Brighton & Hove Living Wage Campaign aims to encourage local businesses to voluntarily pay all employees at least £8.25 per hour, the current Living Wage rate for the UK.

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If at first you don’t succeed, take the tax loss.

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New research from accountants and business advisers BDO LLP has revealed Surrey and Sussex’s fastest growing mid-sized companies (£10m-£300m) have continued to forge ahead in their expansion plans, reporting combined sales growth of 27% in the last year to £1.9bn, despite tightening market conditions and the uncertainty leading up to the EU referendum.

The top 20 companies in each county featured in BDO’s Best in Business 2016 are ranked by compound annual total sales (CAGR) growth over three accounting periods. Average sales per company stand at £48m (compared to £38m last year), representing sales per employee of £155k.

The top 10 fast-growing medium-sized businesses in Sussex are: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Envision Pharma Holdco Limited Icon Live Limited Prime Education And Training Ltd C J Thorne & CO Limited Rydon Holdings Limited Wilmoths Holdings Limited Focus 4 U Ltd. Gak.Co.Uk (Holdings) Ltd Cash Bases Group Limited M R Stephenson Limited

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY Kreston Reeves Financial Planning have been declared winners at the Money Management Awards 2016, held by online publication Wealth & Finance International.

The Money Management awards were launched to recognise firms that successfully exhibit innovation, exceptional client service, professional acumen, drive for expansion and overall excellence in the industry that they represent.

David Hurst, Partner and Managing Director of Kreston Reeves Financial Planning commented: “I am delighted that we have been recognised in these global awards, especially in such a competitive industry climate.

Our team is dedicated to providing the highest standards of independent professional advice. We build long term relationships with our clients to ensure they achieve both their personal financial aspirations and business goals, especially important during these changing economic times. I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you to the wider team for their continued hard work. This award recognition is certainly a reflection their unwavering professionalism, strong sector expertise and commitment to client care.”

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News

LOCAL NEWS YOUNG, GIFTED & BACK Young Start-up Talent is looking for young entrepreneurs aged between 16-25 years old with a passion for business and the drive to run their own company, whatever that may be. You could win a prize fund worth up to £50,000 of business products and services donated by both local and national businesses, giving you everything you need to kick-start your business.

Whether you want to apply as an individual, or part of a group up to five people, they want to hear from you! Once accepted onto the process, candidates have the opportunity to meet a huge range of business individuals, including professionals from NatWest, Richard Place Dobson, Thales, Gatwick Airport, Avensys and many, many more. You will be able to use the services of marketing agency, Creative Pod, and PR agency, Media Word Waves, to build up your network to promote your business idea to the local and national community.

Last years winners of the Gatwick Diamond region, JubyLee Bakes - a group of six inspirational young entrepreneurs with the tag line ‘special bakes made by special people’ - have recently obtained kitchens in Horsham, started selling their cakes to a very well-known airline and hotel chain as well as speaking and exhibiting at various trade fairs and business events.

Apply now at www.youngstartuptalent.co.uk/enter/ or contact us to find out more information or email: admin@youngstartuptalent.co.uk. The closing date for applications is Sunday 18th December, 2016.

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Change your password everywhere to ‘incorrect.’ That way when you forget it, it always reminds you, ‘Your password is incorrect.’

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BT RINGS UP £4.47 BILLION BOOST BT has given a massive £4.47 billion boost to the South East economy in the past year, according to an independent study by Regeneris Consulting. It highlights the huge local impact of BT’s activities including its takeover of EE, which has reinforced the communications company’s position as one of the region’s leading employers.

It revealed BT supported around 50,000 jobs in the South East through direct employment, spending with contractors and suppliers and the spending of employees.

The report highlights that BT, including EE, in the South East was responsible for the employment of around 10,500 people and contractors in 2015-16 - with a total income of around £379 million, and provides work for a further 39,500 people through spending with businesses that supply equipment and services, as well as through the spending of its staff.

Openreach – BT’s local network business – which provides services for hundreds of communications companies and their customers, recently announced it had completed the recruitment of around 170 extra engineers in the South East to help install new lines and clear faults more quickly.

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News

CLEANING UP Around 20 volunteers from Guildford-based ecology consultancy Thomson Ecology recently braved the cold wind at West Wittering beach as part of the Surfers Against Sewage Campaign. The team spent the day picking litter and removed several full bin bags of waste, which included food packages, fishing nets, plastics bottles and tin cans.

Over the past decade, campaigns to decrease our impact on the marine environment have increased in urgency and the government and councils are listening and taking action. Awareness campaigns have brought about the 5p charge on plastic bags which is now in effect throughout the UK, and the government has announced a ban on the use of microbeads in cosmetics to come into effect by the end of 2017.

Daniel Sidoli, a senior ecological consultant at Thomson Ecology, who took part in the clean-up, said: “This is the second year we have taken part in a beach clean and we were delighted to be raising awareness for Surfers Against Sewage who campaign for cleaner seas and beaches. Increasing public awareness is key, as is discouraging the use of plastic bags, encouraging recycling, and increasing the public’s feeling of responsibility to look after our environment.”

In spring of last year, 6000 volunteers removed 25 tonnes of waste from UK beaches with similar figures expected for this autumn.

WINERY FOR SALE BTF Partnership is offering for sale Henners Vineyard, an award winning vineyard and fully equipped modern winery located at Herstmonceux, East Sussex.

The vineyard extends in all to about a 16.09-acre with approximately 9.54 acres of vines currently planted and producing 20,000-23,000 bottles per year. Varieties include Chardonnay (40%), Pinot Noir (38%), and Pinot Meunier (22%).

The vineyard has won several awards including five gold and six silver. The winery also has a long term relationship to make sparkling wine for a Kent vineyard, producing 25,000 – 30,000 bottles from their fruit, achieving two gold medals in international competitions for their clients.

The vineyard is established on sandstone soils with a gentle south facing aspect and the low altitude ensures early ripening and consistent quality and character in the fruit.

Richard Thomas, partner at BTF Partnership comments: “This sale is quite unique, as vineyards with an established winery rarely come onto the open market.”

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Never forget that only dead fish swim with the stream.

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For more information, please contact BTF Partnership on 01233 740077 or visit www.btfpartnership.co.uk.

COBB EXPANDS IN BRIGHTON Cobb PR is strengthening its PR division in Brighton. Following a series of new business wins, Cobb PR is now looking to expand its offering further and integrate both the PR and digital teams at its New England House offices.

Sister company Cobb Digital now employs 16 team-members further to its landmark deal with Leapfrogg earlier this year. Heading up the PR division in the Brighton office will be Senior Account Manager, Victoria Archer, supported by Tim Cobb, Managing Director at Cobb PR. Tim Cobb welcomed the appointment and said: “We are seeing significant growth opportunities for our offline PR and marketing services in Brighton & Hove, so this is a natural step for us. I am delighted that we have enticed Victoria away from the warm embrace of London.

She will be a great asset.”

Victoria said: “The Cobb group has a truly innovative approach to marketing. I’m looking forward to growing the business further creating innovative campaigns for the brands we work with.”

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Call Worthing: 01903 234094 Call Gatwick: 01293 227670 Email: info@carpenterbox.com

XERO AWARD WINNER 2016

NATIONAL NEWS SHAPE SHIFTER

FASHION BRAND BUST

The European Court of Justice has ruled that the three-dimensional puzzle Rubik’s Cube is not a trademark and the shape of the cube alone is not enough to protect it from being copied. The shape was registered as a three-dimensional EU trademark back in the 1990s

by Seven Towns, who manage Rubik’s Cube’s intellectual property rights, but in 2006 the trademark was challenged by German firm Simba Toys. Simba Toys claimed the cube’s rotating capability should be protected by a patent, not a trademark. According to NPD Group, the global information company, the Rubik’s Cube became the third bestselling game in the UK this year, after the Pie Face Game and Monopoly.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling has ramifications for the game’s various licensed manufacturers who could face competition from mass-produced, cheaper imitations. Alex Brodie, a partner with international lawyers Gowling WLG, said:“Simba Toys have been successful in getting rid of Rubik’s 3D cube trademark. This judgment underlines the law that trademark registrations should not be used to obtain an eternal monopoly on technical solutions or functional characteristics of products. The Rubik brand still stands but it doesn’t have a monopoly on the shape of the cube puzzle under trade mark law.”

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News

There’s no secret about success. Have you ever known a successful person who did not tell you about it?

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American Apparel has filed for its second bankruptcy in just over a year.

The youth-focused clothes firm, hit by years of losses, will continue trading while it negotiates a potential sale of assets to Canada’s Gildan Activewear. Gildan said it had offered $66m (£53m) for the rights to the American Apparel brand and stock, but did not want the stores.

AA, known for racy advertising and legal battles with founder Dov Charney, emerged from bankruptcy in February. The company said last week that it was winding down its operations in the UK. American Apparel has been looking for a buyer and has had talks with brand licensing firms Sequential Brands and Authentic Brands, as well as a financial company, B. Riley Financial.

NEW MONEY

Firms are being urged to prepare for the new 12-sided pound coin, due to arrive in March 2017. The redesigned coin is being introduced because, according to the Royal Mint, approximately one in 30 pound coins are fake, and the new coins are designed to be harder to counterfeit. “The new coin will be the most secure of its kind in the world,” says David Gauke, Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

All businesses are being told to adapt their cash handling machines to accept both old and new pound coins until the old coin is phased out after autumn 2017, when businesses should no longer accept or distribute the existing pound coin. The new coin will have an outer gold ring of nickel-brass and an inner silver ring of nickel plated alloy. It will feature a ‘hologram’ that changes from a ‘£’ symbol to the number ‘1’ when seen from difference angles, along with micro lettering, milled edges and a hidden security feature, yet to be revealed.

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News

NATIONAL NEWS DREAM CATCHERS

CHINESE TAKE-A-MAY Britain remains committed to its “golden era” of trade with China, Theresa May has insisted as she welcomed talks aimed at bringing billions in Chinese investment to the North. The two-day visit by the Chinese delegation will be seen as an attempt to put the relationship between Mrs May’s government and Beijing back on a level keel, after the row over the Hinkley nuclear deal.

Mrs May welcomed the eighth UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue, saying: “I am determined that as we leave the European Union, we build a truly global Britain that is open for business.”

Chinese contractor CITIC Construction is set to invest £320m in the first part of a £1.7bn London Royal Albert Docks project headed up by the developer ABP. The UK is in turn expected to invest £40m in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in Beijing.

Direct Line for Business has revealed that over 1.3 millions Brits dream of starting their own business in the next twelve months. Almost one in five budding entrepreneurs would like to launch a food-related startup such as a bakery, sandwich shop or cafe. This is followed by retail start-ups, with 16% citing businesses like book and music shops to craft shops as their ideal business venture. More unusual ambitions for new businesses included selling mobility scooters and even Wiccan (pagan witchcraft) products.

Over half cited that lack of capital was their biggest stumbling block, whilst a third admitted that they wouldn’t know where to begin planning a new business. Lack of direction was more apparent amongst women with nearly double (43%) citing this as the main barrier compared to men (20%).

Nick Breton, Head of Direct Line for Business said: “Our research highlights the underlying desire amongst people to start up their own business ventures and it’s clear Brits are looking to turn their passions into professions. Funding is key to starting a business, but good advice and support is just as crucial to help new start-ups launch their business and build for the future.”

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Live as if you were to die tomorrow.

Learn as if you were to live forever.

FAIR FARES Ryanair’s chief executive has said fares in Europe will fall heavily this winter as he criticised Theresa May for having no strategy for Brexit. He said falling prices were good news for travellers, but his shareholders would have to wait to reap the benefits of Ryanair’s growth. Reporting results for the first half of the year, Michael O’Leary said there would be “extraordinary fare declines” over the year.

The short-haul airline’s average fare fell 10% in the six months to the end of September, partly due to the conversion of sterling fares, which account for a quarter of its revenues, into euros. It predicted average fares would drop by 13-15% in the six months to the end of March.

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Ryanair said it cut fares in response to expansion by competitors and that lower fuel prices and cost cuts would help pay for the reductions.

O’Leary said Ryanair would aim to fill seats at whatever price it could sell them to gain market share.

News

JACKPOTASH

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If you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything.

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North Yorkshire Moors potash mine gets £1.7bn go-ahead as Australia’s richest woman, Gina Rinehard invests £245m in the project, situated on protected moorland overlooking Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay. The £1.7bn mine has promised to bring more than 1,000 jobs and aims to produce up to 20m tonnes a year of a potassiumrich mineral. The mineral called polyhalite, is a type of potash fertiliser described by Sirius, the company behind the project, as a “fertiliser of the future”.

Under the deal Rinehart, who owns Australian agricultural firm Hancock Prospecting, will purchase $50m of Sirius shares and pay $250m for a 5% royalty stream on the first 13m tonnes of fertiliser produced by the mine annually. Rinehart will also have the right to purchase up to 20,000 tonnes of product each year for use on her expanding Australian agricultural holdings.

Rinehart said: “The project has the potential to become one of the world’s leading producers of multinutrient fertiliser and could have a life of 100 years.”

CYBER SAFETY

ROYAL ROOMS The Qatari royal family’s property company, Qatari Diar Real Estate, has won approval by Westminster council to turn the US embassy in London into a luxury hotel. The Grade II-listed building in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair has nine floors, three of which are underground. Plans include up to 137 hotel rooms, shops, restaurants and bars.

In 2009 the US State department agreed to sell the building to Qatari Diar Real Estate, to fund a new embassy in the Nine Elms regeneration project, south of the Thames. Estimates put the Grosvenor Square site’s value at £500m before it was made a listed building, which would have reduced the value because of restrictions on development.

Tesco Bank customers are at high risk of letting their accounts be compromised after last month’s cyber attack which led to thousands of accounts being raided, the official online safety group warned. The warning comes as last month it emerged that some £2.5million was stolen from 9,000 Tesco Bank customers with some losing up to £1,500.

Cyber experts have said that this was the first mass hacking of accounts at a western bank and the Financial Conduct Authority has described the theft as ‘unprecendented’.

Qatari Diar, part of the Qatari Investment Authority, has snapped up several high-profile London properties including the former Chelsea barracks, the former Olympic athletes’ village and most of Canary Wharf.

Qatari investment interests also own Harrods and substantial stakes in Heathrow airport, Sainsbury’s, Barclays Bank and IAG, the parent company of British Airways.

Perhaps the sale is being rushed through before it becomes another Trump Plaza Hotel!

It said it is common for fraudsters to exploit breaches like this one to commit further fraud or ID theft and called on customers to pay extra attention. It warned that that the attack is only the latest example of a rising tide of onslaughts against online banking, which seek to exploit any weak spot in web-facing computer systems and their users.

Get Safe Online said that Tesco customers should look out for fake emails, phone calls and texts asking them to move money ‘to a new account’ or ‘confirming their log-in details for security reasons’.

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Care Home Finance

THE COST OF CARE Staff costs in UK’s care homes are at all-time high according to a new report, says Gary Chown, Director, Commercial Banking, NatWest Bank E-mail: gary.chown@natwest.com

A

surprise increase in the use of agency staff within the UK’s care homes has resulted in nursing home staff costs equating to 55% of turnover, according to NatWest’s Care Home Benchmarking Report.

This major cost is felt by over half the nursing homes, where it would be expected due to the shortage of nurses. However the report highlights that the rise in agency staff usage is also apparent in residential homes, with 41% of those surveyed using this service, and as a consequence financial results across the entire sector are being negatively affected.

The report analysed data from 156 care homes, including both SME and Corporate providers, and provides a geographic breakdown to allow for regional comparisons

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and to make it easy for care home owners to benchmark their own business.

The difference in fee rates in care homes

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Given the pressure on service provision, the South East has the highest usage of agency staff

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throughout the UK is becoming more apparent also. With the majority of residents in Northern Ireland and North of England paid

for by the local authority, the average fee rates in these regions are amongst the UK’s lowest.

The average fee among residential homes is £597 and among nursing homes it increases to £730 per week.

NatWest’s ‘Care Home Benchmarking Report’ for the first time includes children’s homes which represent a small but important part of the care home sector. Again, the main cost is staff which represents 56% of turnover. This cost is also reflective in the high fee rates of £3,631 which are unfortunately associated with this highly vulnerable group.

Locality remains an issue for children’s homes as 55% of children are placed more than 20 miles away from their family home where on average they stay for 2 and a half years.

Care Home Finance In producing this report, which for the first time includes Northern Ireland and children’s homes, we have identified a number of norms.

This helps us provide further support to our customers through being able Get to question any outliers to these norms that they may be in touch Whether you’re considering reducing your energy costs, increasing your experiencing.

We are proud to support this important, and growing, fee rates, occupancy levels or bed numbers, our healthcare specialists based throughout the UK and are available to visit you on site to sector and are I was enthused to see that the majority of operators we discuss your ambitions for your care home. visited were extremely optimistic about what the future holds.

Care Home Benchmarking Report 2016/17

business.natwest.com/healthcare-expertise

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nwhealthcarebanking@natwest.com

The difference in fee rates in care homes throughout the UK is becoming more apparent 0800 073 0261

Text talk 18001 0800 073 0261

Monday to Friday, 9am-5.30pm (excl. public holidays). Calls may be recorded.

Important Information

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This document has been prepared by National Westminster Bank Plc and its affiliates (together “NatWest”) for the intended (the “Recipient”).This document has been delivered to the Recipient for information purposes only. It does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale, purchase, exchange or transfer of any investment, loan or asset and is not intended to form the basis of any decision or evaluation by the Recipient and should not be regarded as a recommendation by NatWest that the Recipient should participate in any transaction. The Recipient should seek its own financial and tax advice and perform its own independent investigation research and analysis, and shall rely solely on its own judgment, review and analysis to determine its interest in participating in any transaction. Nothing in this document should be construed as legal, tax, regulatory, valuation or accounting advice by NatWest for the Recipient; all of which the Recipient acknowledges that it should seek from its own advisors.

NatWest has vast experience in helping care home providers develop their businesses across the United Kingdom and know what good care looks like. The content of this document reflects prevailing conditions and NatWest’s views as at this date. NatWest reserves the right, but shall not be obliged, to revise, update or replace such content. NatWest has prepared this document based on information obtained from a number of different sources and assumed, without independent verification, the accuracy and completeness of all such information. No representation, warranty, undertaking or assurance of any kind, express or implied, is or will or has been authorised to be made as to the accuracy or completeness of the document. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, nothing contained in this document is, or shall be, relied upon as a promise or representation as to the achievability or reasonableness of any future projections, estimates, prospects or returns contained herein (or in such other written or oral information provided to the Recipient). The issue of this document shall not be deemed to be any form of commitment on the part of NatWest to proceed with any transaction.

NatWest shall not be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage suffered by any person as a result of relying on any statement in or omission from this document or in any other information or communications made in connection with the matters set out herein. NatWest accepts no liability for the actions of any third party referred to in this document. By accepting this document, the Recipient agrees to be bound by the foregoing limitations.

The publication and distribution of this document may, in certain jurisdictions, be restricted by law. Recipients of this document should be aware of, and comply with, applicable legal requirements and restrictions. NatWest accepts no responsibility for any violation of any such restrictions.

National Westminster Bank Plc. Registered in England No. 929027. Registered Office: 135 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3UR. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.

LONDON AND THE SOUTH EAST Nursing & Residential Homes Care homes in London and the South East are the most modest-sized in England, with an average of 31 and 38 registrations in residential and nursing homes respectively. In a highly urbanised area of the country, that has high population density and keen demand for residential building land, it is not surprising there are fewer larger homes. These homes also have comparatively fewer en-suites than most other regions. Given the pressure on service provision, the area also has the highest usage of agency staff, with 59% of residential and 67% of nursing homes using this type of staffing.

Average spend among nursing homes is significantly higher than the average figure for England. Food cost per bed is marginally higher among nursing homes, with residential homes the same as national averages. As expected, maintenance costs are higher than most areas. Both types of homes have high occupancy levels, possibly reflecting an undersupply of beds across the region. The make up of occupants in the homes, was 50/50 local authorities and private. We had expected the fee rates to be higher than other regions, however they are broadly similar. Altogether, staff, agency, food, heat, lighting and maintenance account for the majority of costs. Against turnover it would indicate this region to be one of the more profitable to operate, which is reflected by the views of owners.

Sentiment among owners concerning future trading conditions nearly match those of England as a whole. A quarter of residential home owners think conditions will improve, while two thirds think they will remain stable over the coming year. In nursing homes, the view was more optimistic, with nearly half of owners predicting an upturn and a further half seeing stable conditions.

Specialist care homes Homes that provide specialist care in this area are among some of the best-rated in England, with 90% receiving good inspection results. Average fees are high, although occupancy levels are at 90%, which may have been influenced by new units still being filled. Agency use stands at 70%, which is well above the national average, yet spend on agency fees averages at £23k, beneath the national average of £28k per year. Staff costs are the highest in England, although these are offset by lower energy and food costs.

15

Clients choose me for the same reason I choose my bank.

Expertise Expert guidance and support for professional businesses Our Relationship Managers are specialists in business banking.

Their in-depth knowledge of the professional services sector means they understand your challenges. From office moves or IT upgrades to supporting expansion, they will work with you, giving you the financial guidance and tools you need to succeed.

Call us 0800 694 0042 Minicom 0800 404 6161 or contact Rachel Cundall, Business Banking directly on 07920 089 199 Monday to Friday 9am-5pm (excluding public holidays).

Calls may be recorded.

Entrepreneurial Spark

READY TO HATCH The second batch of ‘Chiclets’ from Natwest’s Entrepreneurial Spark venture in the South East are seeking investment as they grow their innovative companies. Continuing on from last month, here we hear from two more entrepreneurs on why investors should take notice of their business.

SHUTTLE David Williams, Founder and CEO 1. Please describe your business Shuttle is a secure customer onboarding solution which helps businesses work better with people.

In essence, we have a super secure document repository with lots of features and workflow tools that helps companies reduce their administration time by as much as 70%. Our customers help their customers by giving them an easy to use, safe and quick way of sharing and protecting their personal data. We have a group of development customers with c400 end users in 16 countries, currently engaged with Shuttle.

2. Are you looking for funding or investment and if so, how much?

We’ve raised our first round of funding to get where we are today, but we’re just about to start the next round and are looking to raise a total of £180,000.

3. What would the money be used for?

We’re going to use the money we raise to build more of the features that our development customers have told us will make our tool even better. We’re also going to expand our customer success programme. We’re passionate about helping our customers, employees and colleagues to adopt and use the system to ensure its effectiveness and success. Our programme will have a team of two who’ll educate and reward our customers for successful adoption, with a range of initiatives including instructional videos, work-cards, prompts and incentives. Finally, we’ll be investing in marketing and awareness across our early addressable market, which concentrates on personal and commercial finance to give us a solid footing and robust growth curve.

4. Why should an investor invest in your company?

We’re looking for investors who understand our business, who can join in with key decisions and help us on our journey. Investors who enjoy getting their hands dirty, but not too much or too often, should certainly think about getting involved. Taking us to an exit event in around four years is very typical in our market sector at a strong valuation of c8x EBITDA. A full prospectus is available on request.

CURTAIN CALL Matt Humphrey and John Schwab, Founders 1. Please describe your business Curtain Call is the IMDb plus LinkedIn for theatre - a social networking and jobs platform for all professionals working on or backstage. Our accessible, responsive and award-winning website allows professionals to build and manage their profiles and easily connect with others – paid for through a subscription model. For the first time, the public can see who has worked with who, as well as having access to our exclusive backstage content.

2. Are you looking for funding or investment and if so, how much?

We are looking for funding or equity investment of £150,000. We have already raised £130,000 through a friends and family round of SEIS equity investment, so the next tranche would be raised under the EIS scheme.

3. What would the money be used for?

Our growth plan for this next phase includes the development of an app, as well as extensive Photo: Ollie Boito Photography marketing costs as we build our subscriber base. Ongoing website development and plans include the integration of job and casting opportunities. We will also be expanding our team to include a full-time database manager, taking our full-time team to six members.

4. Why should an investor invest in your company?

Within 18 months we have rooted ourselves within the UK theatre industry as a credible, trustworthy company and have strong relationships with the top producers and theatres in the business. We are looking for an investor who wants to be part of an exciting, disruptive start-up that is changing the landscape of how this booming area of the UK economy works and interacts. Our growth potential is excellent, with global prospects, and our products are attractive and newsworthy – recent national press has included The Telegraph, BBC Radio 2 and Huffington Post.

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E EN N T R TE Y D RB E Y 5 ADL th INE DE EX CE TE MB ND ER ED 20 !

16

SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND As we celebrate the best of business 2017

ENTER T HE GA T W I C K DI AM O ND BUSINESS A W ARD S Now in the ninth year, we have brought together a fantastic group of sponsors and judges to help us find and celebrate the very best businesses across the Gatwick Diamond.

Any business in the Gatwick Diamond can enter and, with 14 categories, there will be at least one Award (if not more) that are relevant to you and your business.

Entry period runs from 6th October to 18th November and judging visits will take place across December and January.

The Awards will culminate in the spectacular Awards Ceremony on 16th March 2017 at the Effingham Park Hotel. Be sure to put the date in your diary for the business networking event of the year!

For more information and to download an entry form, visit:

WWW.GATWICKDIAMONDBUSINESSAWARDS.COM

Business Awards

HOW TO ENTER AWARDS

T

he Entry Period for the 9th Annual Gatwick Diamond Business Awards has been extended to the 5th December 2016. Jeremy Taylor, Chief Executive of Gatwick Diamond Business, who created the Awards nine years ago, offers seven top tips on how to complete an award-winning entry.

1. Treat the Entry Form like a job application or a tender for business If you are going to apply for a job or tender for work them you would research the company to understand their values and ethos. Similarly, the job advert or tender document will have a clear indication of what is required so you would set out how you can deliver that. In completing an Award Entry Form, you should look at the values of the judging business and also make sure you respond positively and fully to the questions asked.

Finally, if the Entry Form has a word count on a particular section then make sure you abide by it.

2. Tell a story & show your passion Most of us are in business because we want to be doing something of value and hopefully you have a passion for what you do. Make sure that your Entry Form reflects your story and shows the passion for what you do. Don’t be shy, show off and mean it!

3. Support your entry & prove it These are business awards. That means that what you do must make a commercial difference to your business, your clients, your suppliers and/or the wider region. So, how can you evidence that the content of your Entry Form demonstrates that commercial difference? Support it with data, testimonials, surveys, retention charts or anything else. And please make sure that in your entry you reference where the supporting data is and why: it’s not enough to merely attach a jpeg, say why it is attached.

4. Check everything And check it again. In our first year we checked and corrected 60% of the entries as there were spilling, and, grammar mistakes (see what I did there?). Make sure your Entry Form is proof read and given a ‘sense check’ by someone who wasn’t involved in writing it, particularly if it was written by an outside agency. The Entry Form is a Word Document and so issues with grammar and spelling will be highlighted.

5. The Assessment Visit In most categories the judges will contact you to arrange an assessment visit. I would suggest you ask what they want to see, who they want to meet and how long would they like. That way you can plan the visit and make sure it is conducted in an appropriate environment.

6. Can you win without you?

Brief everyone in your business that the visit is going to happen and make sure that they are aware of what is expected and that you can match the promise(s) made in the Entry Form on the day. Winners have won purely on the extra point gained by the ‘right’ welcome at reception.

7. Learn from Feedback Every Entry will receive feedback and this is an important part of the process as it will allow you to improve on your future entries. So don’t get mad, get better!

The Awards are open to any business or organisation that is located or working in the Gatwick Diamond. You do not need to be a member of any business group to take part, but you do need to be prepared to be judged!

www.gatwickdiamondbusinessawards.com 01293 813888 - twitter.com/gdbizawards You can also book your table at the Awards Dinner on 16th March 2017. This is the biggest event in the regional business calendar and is always a sell-out.

19

Big Changes are on the horizon

Brexit | Connected Cars | Lease Accounting | Petrol v Diesel Purchase v Leasing | Salary Sacrifice | Vehicle Excise Duty

Confused?

We can help Days Fleet provide a comprehensive range of solutions to private and public sector fleets across the UK. We have the flexibility and the desire to deliver an outstanding service to fleets of all sizes. See how we could help you.

Call us today to find out more

daysfleet.com

0845 217 2608 hello@daysfleet.com

Days Fleet is a member of the Days Motor Group. For more information on our products and services please visit daysfleet.com

Company Cars

CONTRACTED FOR EFFICIENCY Lynda Paley-Hunt, Business Development Manager at Days Fleet, explains why contract hire remains the most popular funding mechanism for company cars their fit with a customer’s fleet.

While there is no “one size fits all” approach when selecting a vehicle funding route, contract hire is the most popular for businesses with mainstream corporate tax and VAT positions. Additionally, those companies are typically: cashflow conscious, averse to risk and, in many cases, have limited in-house fleet management expertise.

The success of contract hire is its simplicity. Companies pay a monthly fee over an agreed period of time and mileage and then return the vehicle at the end of its lease.

What’s more, many companies chose to bolt on a maintenance package to the contract hire of the vehicle. That further aids fleet budgeting as it takes account of all routine maintenance and servicing bills.

Additionally, many businesses choose to rely on their chosen vehicle leasing partner to deliver a range of other added value services.

C

ompany cars continue to be an essential employee recruitment and retention tool and, in many cases, along with light commercial vehicles, are critical to efficient business operations.

In addition to maintenance management that might include a fully outsourced fleet management solution with companies benefitting from the in depth knowledge and expertise of their funding partner in relation to, for example, accident management, short-term rental solutions and work-related road safety management.

However, many businesses may be wasting money because they are not using the most efficient vehicle funding route and thus failing to maximise hard-earned cash.

We look to work in partnership with clients to provide a bespoke solution for their individual needs from our extensive range of products and services with contract hire at the heart of business relationship.

That’s why an ever-increasing number of companies are turning to contract hire to fund their company cars and vans.

For more information on how Days Fleet can help your business, contact Lynda Paley Hunt on 07976 174971 / 01792 224853, or email lyndapaleyhunt@daysfleet.com

Contract hire is the UK’s most popular fleet funding mechanism.

Industry estimates suggest that at least 60% of businesses fund their vehicles via contract hire - exact numbers are not available - with possibly no more than a third opting to outright purchase, the vast majority being small organisations, and the remainder choosing to finance lease, contract purchase, lease purchase, hire purchase or utilise overdraft facilities and loans.

The commercial benefits of contract hire are underpinned by it being acknowledged as a straightforward, smooth and efficient way to run a fleet of company cars or vans, according to Days Fleet business development manager Lynda Paley-Hunt.

Days Fleet, which manages more than 9,000 company cars and vans, is one of the UK’s leading independent vehicle leasing and fleet management companies offering a highly adaptable and flexible approach on fleet funding, servicing, maintenance and repair as well as a wide range of fleet management-related services.

Value for money and not price should be a prime criterion in contract hire supplier selection alongside their ability to deliver, their culture and

The key benefits of contract hire include: • Benefitting from the purchasing power of a leasing company such as Days Fleet • Companies being able to select their preferred lease period, typically three years/60,000 miles or four years/80,000 miles • Fixed cost budgeted monthly vehicle costs • No cash tied up in a depreciating asset as residual value risk is carried by the lessor • Reduced vehicle and fleet administration as that is taken on by the providing partner • VAT registered companies able to make a full reclaim on the finance element of the rental cost if the vehicle is used exclusively for business purposes; 50% on the finance element of the rental cost if a vehicle has dual business and private use; and 100% on maintenance costs irrespective of usage

21

Data Protection

SAFE AND SECURE Rawlison Butler Commercial Partner, Lisa Downs, gives her top tips to help businesses prepare for new EU data protection laws.

W

e all hold personal data about clients, suppliers, professional contacts, employees, and prospective clients (e.g names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses).

Our collection, use and storage of personal data has been regulated since 1998. But the world we live in today is very different to the world of 1998 and our data protection laws have struggled to keep up over the last five to ten years, particularly with advances in technology, social media, mobile devices and targeted advertising.

From 25th May 2018, our 1998 data protection law will be replaced by the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (GDPR). Some similarities will remain but there

22

will also be new and different requirements.

The UK Government has confirmed that, despite Brexit, the GDPR will be implemented into UK law and it will either remain as is once we exit the EU, or remain but with some changes.

So what will the GDPR mean for businesses? Where do they need to start focusing their attention and when?

Although the GDPR isn’t yet in force and won’t be for another 15 months, businesses should not underestimate the extent of changes which they will need to make, the time it will take and the financial costs which are likely to be incurred. It is therefore

important to start the process now.

Here are our top ten tips for businesses to kick start the transition process: 1. Ensure that your senior management team and key people within your business are aware that the law is changing – you’ll need their buy-in and support.

2. Establish a data protection working group to take responsibility for your transition from the old to the new - this should comprise senior representatives from all your business areas (e.g HR, IT, marketing, financial and legal) in all countries where you operate.

Data Protection

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The UK Government has confirmed that, despite Brexit, the GDPR will be implemented into UK law and it will either remain as is once we exit the EU, or remain but with some changes.

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3. Designate someone within your business (or externally) to take responsibility for your data protection compliance and to oversee the data protection working group – they will need to understand the GDPR and your business.

4. Prepare a transition plan and start building a data management policy.

5. Identify what personal data you hold, how you obtained it, where it is held, how long you’ve held it for and who you share it with (again for all countries where you operate).

6. Review your current policies, procedures and systems to identify what areas need to change and how those changes will be implemented – this includes your procedures for handling data subject access requests and data breaches, as well as your privacy notices.

7.

Review your policies and procedures to ensure they cover all the rights which individuals have (the GDPR gives some new and different rights), including how you would deal with requests to delete personal data, or requests to transfer

personal data that they have provided to you to a third party in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format.

8. Familiarise yourself with the implications of ‘privacy by design and default’ and ‘data protection impact assessments’ – these will be essential tools for you to use to promote privacy and data protection compliance within your business.

9. Identify what contracts will be impacted and potentially need amending, including contracts which you have in place with your suppliers, customers and any data processors, as well as your employment contracts.

10. Identify if any of your non-EU based subsidiaries offer goods or services to individuals in the EU, or monitor behaviour of individuals in the EU - they will get caught by the GDPR and so will need to be part of the above.

It is not just the time, effort and resources that should prompt you to start the transition process now. It is the potential fines for noncompliance. Depending on the type of breach,

under the GDPR you could be liable for a fine ranging from the greater of €10m or 2% of your company’s total annual turnover, or for more serious breaches the greater of €20m or 4% of your company’s total annual turnover.

We can help. Our DataPROTECT service will provide you with the expertise and experience you need to help you through the transition from our current data protection laws to the GDPR. We will also help you through the ten steps above and what you need to do as a result of the answers you uncover.

If you would like any further information on DataPROTECT and how we can help your business, please contact Lisa Downs for a free initial chat on ldowns@rawlisonbutler.com or 01293 558593.

This document is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Professional legal advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this document.

23

The Big Story

SHOCK AND AWE

by Maarten Hoffmann

W

e should be used to shock results in the political arena after the Brexit vote but there can be few people that are not shocked to their boots over the US election result. President Trump was just not a phrase on anyone’s lips.

The election of Donald J Trump as the 45th President of the United States is a sharp rejection of the status quo. The political elite have no one but themselves to blame for this as they have taken the public for a ride for far too long, with their cosy fireside deals that stitch up the man in the street, in a laser focussed attempt to retain their positions of wealth and power and ensure that this is passed down the line. Look at Bush 1 and 2 and the brazen attempt by the Clintons to keep it all in the family. The people have spoken and the people have had enough. When that happens, you get someone like Donald Trump ending up as the most powerful man in the world.

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Drumpf, the family’s ancestral name, evolved to Trump during the Thirty Years’ War in the 17th century. Trump has said that he is proud of his German heritage;

❞

Trump was born and raised in New York City and received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. In 1971 he was given control of his father Fred Trump’s real estate and construction firm and later renamed it The Trump Organisation, rising to public prominence shortly thereafter. Trump has appeared at the Miss USA pageants, which he owned from 1996 to 2015, and has made cameo appearances in films and television series. He sought the Reform Party presidential nomination in 2000, but withdrew before voting began. He hosted and co-produced The Apprentice reality television series on NBC, from 2004 to 2015. As of 2016, he was listed by Forbes as the 324th wealthiest person in the world, and 156th in the United States.

Trump is of German ancestry on his father’s side and Scottish ancestry on his mother’s side;

24

The Big Story all four of his grandparents were born in Europe. His father Fred Trump (1905–1999) was born in Queens to parents from Kallstadt, Germany and became one of the biggest real estate developers in New York City. His mother, Mary Trump was born in Tong, Lewis, Scotland. Drumpf, the family’s ancestral name, evolved to Trump during the Thirty Years’ War in the 17th century. Trump has said that he is proud of his German heritage; he served as grand marshal of the 1999 German-American Steuben Parade in New York City.

An analysis of Trump’s business career by The Economist in 2016, concludes that his “... performance has been mediocre compared with the stock market and property in New York”, noting both his successes and bankruptcies. Any such analysis is difficult because, as the magazine observed, “Information about Mr Trump’s business is sketchy. He doesn’t run a publicly listed firm.” Trump’s early successes were partly commingled with those of his father so they omit them, claiming, “The best long-term starting point is 1985, when Mr Trump first appeared in the rankings without his father.” A subsequent analysis by The Washington Post, whose reporters were denied press credentials by the Trump presidential campaign, opined that “Trump is a mix of braggadocio, business failures, and real success.”

The Donald J. Trump Foundation is a U.S.-based private foundation established in 1988 for the initial purpose of giving away proceeds from the book Trump: The Art of the Deal by Trump and Tony Schwartz. The foundation’s funds mostly come from donors other than Trump, who has not given personally to the charity since 2008. The top donors to the foundation from 2004 to 2014 were Vince and Linda McMahon of World Wrestling Entertainment, who donated $5 million to the foundation after Trump appeared at WrestleMania in 2007.

The foundation’s tax returns show that it has given to healthcare and sports-related charities, as well as conservative groups. In 2009, for example, the foundation gave $926,750 to about

❝

Some consumers say they are avoiding purchasing Trump-branded products and services as a protest against Trump and his campaign. Bookings and foot traffic at Trump-branded hotels and casinos fell off sharply in 2016

❞

40 groups, with the biggest donations going to the Arnold Palmer Medical Center Foundation ($100,000), the New York Presbyterian Hospital ($125,000), the Police Athletic League ($156,000), and, ironically, the Clinton Foundation ($100,000).

Starting in 2016 The Washington Post began reporting on how the foundation raised and granted money. The Post uncovered several potential legal and ethical violations, such as alleged self-dealing and possible tax evasion. The New York State Attorney General is investigating the foundation “to make sure it is complying with the laws governing charities in New York.” A Trump spokesman called the investigation a “partisan hit job”. On October 3, 2016, the New York Attorney General’s office notified the Trump Foundation that it was allegedly in violation of New York laws regarding charities, and ordered it to immediately cease its fundraising activities in New York.

In 2016, Forbes estimated Trump’s net worth at $3.7 billion, and Bloomberg $3 billion. These estimates would make him one of the richest politicians in American history. He has often given much higher estimates, sometimes over $10 billion, with the discrepancy due in part to the uncertainty of appraised property values, as well as his own assessment of the value of his personal brand.

On June 16, 2015, just prior to announcing his candidacy for president of the United States, Trump released a one-page financial statement “from a big accounting firm—one of the most respected” stating a net worth of $8,737,540,000. “I’m really rich”, Trump said. Forbes believed his claim of $9 billion was “a whopper,” figuring it was actually $4.1 billion. In June 2015, Business Insider published Trump’s June 2014 financial statement, noting that $3.3 billion of that total is represented by “Real Estate Licensing Deals, Brand and Branded Developments”, described by Business Insider as “basically [implying] that Trump values his character at $3.3 billion.” In July 2015, federal election regulators released new details of Trump’s self-reported wealth and financial holdings when he became a Republican presidential candidate, reporting that his assets are worth

25

The Big Story

above $1.4 billion, which includes at least $70 million in stocks, and a debt of at least $265 million. According to Bloomberg, for the purposes of Trump’s FEC filings Trump “only reported revenue for his golf properties in his campaign filings even though the disclosure form asks for income”, noting independent filings showing all three of his major European golf properties were unprofitable.

The value of the Trump brand may have fallen due to his presidential campaign. Some consumers say they are avoiding purchasing Trump-branded products and services as a protest against Trump and his campaign.

Bookings and foot traffic at Trump-branded hotels and casinos fell off sharply in 2016, primarily driven by a decrease in visits to the properties by women. Following the release of the Access Hollywood tape recordings in October 2016, the value of the Trump brand was reported to have taken a further hit, with estimates of the reduction in the brand’s added value of up to 13 percentage points.

Trump floated the idea of running for president in 1988, 2004, and 2012, and for Governor of New York in 2006 and 2014, but did not enter those races. He was considered as a potential running mate for George H. W. Bush on the Republican Party’s 1988

Trump with Michael Jackson

26

presidential ticket but lost out to future Vice President Dan Quayle. There is dispute over whether Trump or the Bush camp made the initial pitch.

In 1999, Trump filed an exploratory committee to seek the presidential nomination of the Reform Party in 2000. A July 1999 poll matching him against likely Republican nominee George W. Bush and likely Democratic nominee Al Gore showed Trump with seven percent support. Trump eventually

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Not only has Donald Trump taken the White House but Republicans have retained the senate and the House of Representatives.

❞

dropped out of the race due to party infighting, but still won the party’s California and Michigan primaries after doing so.

Trump’s run for president has received an unprecedented amount of free media attention. Many of the statements Trump has made during his presidential campaign

The Trumps and Clintons best of friends.

have been controversial. Others have been described by Politico as “mischaracterisations, exaggerations, or simply false”. Fact checking organisations such as PolitiFact.com and FactCheck.org have singled him out as having made a record number of false statements during his campaign compared to other candidates, based on the statements they have analysed. At least four major publications – Politico, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times – described Trump statements as lies, whoppers, or falsehoods. According to journalists James Oliphant and Emily Flitter, Trump’s penchant for exaggerating to voters has roots in the world of New York real estate where he made his fortune, and where hyperbole is a way of life; Trump refers to this as “truthful hyperbole”.

Lucas Graves, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Journalism & Mass Communication, says that Trump often speaks in a suggestive way that makes it unclear what exactly he meant, and Graves adds that fact-checkers “have to be really careful when you pick claims to check to pick things that can be factually investigated and that reflect what the speaker was clearly trying to communicate.”

Trump has stated that the media has intentionally misinterpreted his words. The New York Times reported in August 2016

The Big Story Trump with daughter Ivanka

that journalistic standards normally prevent mainstream, non-opinion journalists from becoming oppositional against a particular candidate, but says that the Trump campaign is not normal.

So here we have a man proven to be a stranger to the truth who says what you want to hear at the time you want to hear it. Not only the first ever President never to have held any form of public office but also not supported by the very Republican Party on who’s ticket he ran.

And what of his campaign promises.

• To build a wall between the US and Mexico

The combover begins

He will find that most of these intentions will come to nothing as the headline grabbing statements are not grounded in any form of reality. But if he doesn’t fulfil his campaign promises, he might well find a mob of angry rednecks with flaming torches at the gates to the White House.

In a conciliatory speech Mr Trump added: “We will get along with all other nations willing to get along with us. We will deal fairly with everyone. We will seek common ground, partnership not conflict.

America will no longer settle for anything less than the best. We must reclaim our destiny.”

• To ban Muslims from entering the United States • To reignite the coal industry • To bring back the production of American steel • To reduce the corporation tax rate to 15% • To abolish estate tax • To abolish the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) • To abolish Obama Care • To treat global warming as a hoax • To withdraw support for NATO • To reverse the reestablishment of diplomatic ties with Cuba • To dismantle the nuclear arms agreement with Iran • To support torture of terrorists • To recognise Crimea as Russian territory and lifting sanctions on Russia • To deport 11 million illegal immigrants • To jail Hillary Clinton

Farage is now looking for a job

27

The Big Story

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Not our circus, not our monkey

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ON A POSITIVE NOTE...

I

gnoring the hyperbole and rhetoric, we have a very successful businessman running the USA. Misogynist, casual racist and, probably, slightly unhinged but how long have we all been thinking that politics needs a dose of real world reality? How long have we all been thinking that if only a successful and highly competent CEO could get hold of the country, things would be different?

Up until now, that has been an impossibility as it has never been possible to run for the top job unless you had previously run for elected office and what CEO in their right mind would be prepared to expose themselves to the viscous media scrutiny of the political circus.

There is a scintilla of a chance that he might actually do something good. Might he strengthen Americas trade balance; might he get a grip on illegal immigration; might he reawaken middle America and get the rust belt factories back to work; might he curb the Chinese industrial march; might he actually take on ISIS and defeat them once and for all.

Probably not but there is a chance he will accidently trip over a good idea and then, with no fear of the liberal elite and a pair of cojones the size of Manhattan, he might actually make something better.

And then Farage popped up – God help us all.

28

The Big Story Political expediency will always trump the truth and how positions change when it comes to that most divisive of figures - from joker to the most powerful man in the world.

THERESA MAY

BORIS JOHNSON

BEFORE: “I think we all agree that the comments Donald Trump made in relation to Muslims were divisive, unhelpful and wrong. I just think it shows he does not understand the UK and what happens in the UK.” AFTER: “We have a long history of shared values and I look forward to that continuing in the future.”

DAVID CAMERON BEFORE: “I think his remarks are divisive, stupid and wrong. If he came to visit our country I think he would unite us all against him.”

AFTER: “I am clear that we will work with whoever is president of the United States,” NICOLA STURGEON BEFORE: “That is really misogyny at its worst and I think we have all got to stand up against that. I hope Donald Trump doesn’t become president of the United States and I expect the people of the United States will have the good sense not to elect him.”

BEFORE: “Donald Trump’s ill-informed comments are complete and utter nonsense. I would welcome the opportunity to show Mr Trump first-hand some of the excellent work our police officers do every day in local neighbourhoods throughout our city. Crime has been falling steadily in both London and New York - and the only reason I wouldn’t go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump.”

AFTER: “People should focus on the opportunities... and not the problems. We should snap out of the doom and gloom surrounding his election.”

JEREMY CORBYN BEFORE: “I decided to invite Donald Trump on his visit to Britain to come with me to my constituency because he has problems with Mexicans and he has problems with Muslims. As you know, my wife is Mexican and my constituency is very, very multicultural, so what I was going to do was go down to the mosque with him and let him talk to people there.”

AFTER: “Trumps election is an unmistakable rejection of a political establishment and an economic system that simply isn’t working for most people”.

AFTER: “I will engage positively and constructively with the American administration” SADIQ KHAN ALEX SALMOND BEFORE: “Most American presidents don’t send you ‘green ink’ letters, often capital letters. Usually couriered overnight with press articles attached to them, ‘READ THIS!’ Underlined, three times. If I’ve got any small role in this matter, it’s to say to Scots Americans: under no circumstances make this man President of the United States of America.”

AFTER: “The President Elect’s policy on the Cold War with Russia has potential to make things better”.

PROF ALAN WINTERS, UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX, 2016: “The turbulence to global trade caused by putting an out-and-out mercantilist in the White House may force the UK to hit pause on Brexit.”

MARGARITA SIMONYAN, THE EDITOR OF THE RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT’S ENGLISHLANGUAGE RT TELEVISION CHANNEL, 2016: “Today I want to take a ride around Moscow with the American flag in the car window. If I can find a flag. Join me. Today they deserve it.”

STEFAN LOFVEN, SWEDISH PRESIDENT, 2016: “I would have preferred Hillary Clinton to win, for a number of reasons. But it is also the case that Sweden will strive to have good relations with the US, no matter who becomes president. We’re living in new times and populism is

BEFORE: “I think it’s important for those of us who are foreigners to stay out of the US elections. I hope the best candidate wins and I hope she does win with a stomping majority. I think to suggest that somehow Muslims aren’t welcome in the USA, to suggest somehow that being a Muslim is incompatible with being western, unintentionally plays into the hand of Daesh and so-called Isis.”

AFTER: “I think it’s important that the USA maintains her role as a beacon for tolerance, respect and diversity.”

spreading.I’m saddened and very worried. There’s a big knot in my stomach right now. That they managed to throw up to such useless candidates scares me a bit - Who would have thought?”

HASSAN ROUHANI, THE PRESIDENT OF IRAN, 2016: ”Iran’s understanding in the nuclear deal was that the accord was not concluded with one country or government but was approved by a resolution of the UN Security Council and there is no possibility that it can be changed by a single government.”

VLADIMIR PUTIN, 2016: “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know there will be a degree of satisfaction in Moscow this morning. I express my hope for joint work to restore RussianAmerican relations from their state of crisis, and also to address pressing international issues and search for effective responses to challenges concerning global security,”

SÉGOLÈNE ROYAL, FRANCE’S ENVIRONMENT MINISTER, 2016: ”Trump cannot, contrary to what he has said, denounce the Paris accord”.

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, GERMAN DEFENCE MINISTER, 2016: ”This is a big shock and raises questions over the future of NATO. The world won’t end, but it will get crazier”.

NORBERT ROETTGEN, HEAD OF THE GERMAN PARLIAMENT’S FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, 2016: “We’re realising now that we have no idea what this American president will do if the voice of anger enters office and the voice of anger becomes the most powerful man in the world.”

POPE FRANCIS, 2016: “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”

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Money Matters

OFFSHORE MONEY It’s time to come clean, fair or foul says Bryan Elkins, Senior Private Client Specialist and Tax Partner at Kreston Reeves

T

ime is running out for UK tax evaders as revenue gathering authorities around the world prepare to share data on an unprecedented scale.

But how fair is The Common Reporting Standard (CRS), which has been agreed by more than 100 countries, including the UK, and comes into force next year? And does it mean a massive exchange of privacy rights for a relatively modest take of money?

The money question is easier to deal with.

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) estimates that its collectors brought in £26.6 billion in 2014/15 alone from turning the screws on evasion and aggressive avoidance; and it has got back £2.5 billion from offshore tax dodgers since 2010. More unpaid tax might reasonably be expected to flow as people take advantage of a window currently available

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to declare hidden wealth before the CRS is in place.

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We may just have to accept that a basic erosion of privacy has taken place and learn to live with it

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The CRS is certainly game-changing in terms of how national authorities work together and should not be underestimated. But there are concerns around the routine sharing

of confidential financial information about people who manage their affairs legitimately, given the other reasons to shelter wealth abroad with a degree of anonymity.

For example, the CRS is so sweeping in scope, and somewhat indiscriminate in application, that it will embrace swapping information about trusts and foundations, many of which are set up for minors or other vulnerable individuals. Some feel this intrusion flies in the face of what trusts and foundations exist to do.

The CRS also has disturbing echoes of other, wider data privacy issues now being played out between institutions, notably the row between Apple and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation over what information can be reasonably requested from corporations.

Unfortunately, we may just have to accept

Money Matters

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The CRS certainly cannot be avoided. It emerged from the G20 richest nations deciding to crackdown on evasion and is now part of UK law

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that a basic erosion of privacy has taken place and learn to live with it, such is the pressure to eradicate aggressive tax avoidance.

Meanwhile, there is now just a short while for UK ‘taxophobes’ to come clean with HMRC.

No place to hide There is no guarantee of exemption from fines and prosecution this time around for anyone who does come forward, unlike with previous disclosure schemes. But there is the promise of mitigating some consequences. The absence of much incentive is itself a warning: the measure of an HMRC so confident of receiving a mass of data from October 2017 that it is scarcely bothering to sugar the pill for advance disclosure.

The CRS certainly cannot be avoided. It emerged from the G20 richest nations deciding to crackdown on evasion and is now part of UK law. Essentially, it requires tax authorities in signatory nations to collect and review accounts held by individuals who live in any other country signed up to the CRS. High net worth individuals will be affected if they hold any financial assets elsewhere within the CRS zone, which is ever-expanding to absorb most traditional, reliable, tax havens. This means being aware not just of bank accounts held offshore, but also share portfolios. The standard also embraces any interest in a trust where at least half the income derives from financial assets.

UK residents who are settlors, beneficiaries or protectors of offshore trusts, may well find that their account information is caught up and reported to HMRC if there has been any payment made. The same, of course, applies in reverse: high net worth individuals who are not tax resident in the UK, will find details of

any holdings they have here reported to their country of residence for tax purposes.

In advance of next October, HMRC has proposed a statutory ‘requirement to correct’ for taxpaying individuals and institutions.

Those affected would need to notify HMRC and then get their affairs in order by the end of September 2018.

Bryan Elkins is Senior Private Client Specialist and Tax Partner at Kreston Reeves and a former Inspector of Taxes with HMRC.

Please contact Bryan and his team on 01403 253282 or via bryan.elkins@ krestonreeves.com if you would like to know more.

Given this opportunity to set the record straight - they should take it. The penalties for evasion are now harsh, for advisers as well as taxpayers, as we enter a new year when evaders face having fewer corners of the world in which to hide their financial assets.

This material is for general information only and does not constitute investment, tax, legal or other form of advice. You should not rely on this information to make (or refrain from making) any decisions. Always obtain independent, professional advice for your own particular situation.

Kreston Reeves LLP (Registered number in OC328775, registered office: 37 St Margaret's Street, Canterbury CT1 2TU) is registered to carry on audit work and is regulated for a range of investment business activities by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. A list of members’ names is available at our registered office and details of the licensing bodies for our insolvency practitioners can be found at our website. Kreston Reeves Financial Planning Limited (Registered number 3852054, registered office: 37 St Margaret's Street, Canterbury CT1 2TU) are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. All of the above addresses are registered in England.

31

Accountancy

REFRESHINGLY GOOD This month Carpenter Box Partner, Chris Coopey, provides an insight into how the firm is able to support its clients, and announces an important new development for the company.

Words and actions Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s BBC programme ‘Hugh’s War on Waste’ broadcast in July this year, focused on the immense amount of waste generated by our love for the takeaway coffee. These innocuous (and seemingly recyclable) paper cups by which our caffeine fix is mostly delivered are, by and large, not recyclable. The result is that we use around seven million paper cups a day, the vast majority of which cannot be recycled.

For anyone who is a fan of big numbers, that

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adds up to a staggering non-recyclable 2.5 billion paper cups a year most of which go into landfill!

Cue Pokito The Pokito cup, designed by Andrew Brooks and manufactured in England, is a new ultraportable, durable and environmentally friendly cup designed for hot drinks on the go. When Andrew, a Carpenter Box client, came up with the idea of this cute reusable cup we were really excited and Kevin Blake, who leads our Business Services Group, did everything he

could to keep the momentum going.

The challenges in developing an easily carriable cup that people would want to use over and over again were considerable. It had to be washable, it had to be scrunchable to fit in a pocket or handbag and most importantly, it had to be made of something that didn’t ruin the flavour of your Peruvian medium roast! Fortunately, the design of Pokito ticked all of the boxes.

Turning a great idea into a tangible product is difficult enough, but then taking it all the

Accountancy

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We think it’s more important to say loud and clear that our mission is to help our clients to grow their profitability by giving good tax and business advice.

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way to market can be an even larger challenge. Pokito’s journey is well underway now with a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to support their international debut. We certainly hope to see this revolutionary new cup appearing in ever larger numbers to help to reduce the massive environmental challenge that the paper cup poses.

The refresh of our branding is then more of a catch up than a departure. The new logo just means that what you see is what you get!

From our point of view, Pokito serves as a great example of where we can add so much value to our clients. Not only are we able to deal with the stuff you’d expect - accounting, tax, payroll etc, but more importantly, our approach means that we can play a part in making sure that the whole growth journey is as smooth and cost efficient as possible. Our service includes taking care of such things as research and development, tax credits, capital allowances, grants, and the Enterprise Investment Scheme to name but a few. All are areas that we routinely get involved with along with corporate structure planning and wealth management for directors and executives.

So what is MHA?

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Turning a great idea into a tangible product is difficult enough, but then taking it all the way to market can be an even larger challenge

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Our signposting and knowledge of the Alternative Funding options (such as Kickstarter) as well as the contacts we have with all the major banks, means that we can save our clients time and stress when it comes to finding the funding to take an idea to the next level.

We’re really excited that Andrew’s idea has hit the headlines and that he has crashed through his fundraising target. In many ways our involvement with Andrew and his business explains the rational behind another important development here at Carpenter Box.

Refreshing times We’re very excited to announce that as of January 2017 Carpenter Box will start to trade as MHA Carpenter Box. We helped to found MHA back in 2010 and since then it has gone from strength to strength. Although it’s a small change on one level, it does allow us to demonstrate that whilst we are an independent firm, we have a massive national resource at our fingertips. Our new brand identity also reflects the way in which our business has developed over the past few years.

As you can see from the new logo, for the first time we will include the words ‘Business Advisers’ as a descriptor. Whilst we remain Chartered Tax Advisers (which will disappear from our logo to make room for the change) we think it’s more important to say loud and clear that our mission is to help our clients increase their profitability by giving good tax and business advice. After all, this is what we have been doing for many years and is the reason that the firm has grown to a headcount of over 140, between the Worthing and Gatwick offices.

MHA is an association of some of the best independent regional UK accountancy firms. Founded in 2010 on an invitation only basis, the concept works on the principle that the member firms’ knowledge and resource share at every level.

MHA has established national sector teams whose remit is to deliver advice tailored specifically to the needs of a business operating in a specific area. This approach is much more granular and is aimed at giving industry specific advice rather than a general accountancy and tax service. Being a part of MHA therefore gives our clients a totally scalable solution, from 50 locations across England, Scotland and Wales; MHA Carpenter Box is capable of delivering advice and support whatever the size of the client.

Local relationships, national expertise and global coverage MHA also brings with it UK membership of one of the premier global accountancy networks – Baker Tilly International. That means that where a client has global aspirations, we are able to seamlessly connect them with advisers in any of over 140 countries which is a great asset in itself.

As ever you’ll find plenty of information about Carpenter Box and the way in which we do business at our website www.carpenterbox.com

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Security Case Study

SECURITY WITH A SMILE Keeping staff, premises and company property safe and secure is an essential requirement of any business. Your security officer is the most visible element of your security facility and is likely to be the first point of contact for clients when visiting your company. Carl Palmer, Executive Chairman of CIS Security explains why the customer experience offered by a security company really matters.

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he security industry is undergoing an exciting phase of renaissance.

Looking at the privilege that front of house security staff hold as the custodians of the building experience, it becomes clear that officers are a key touchpoint in the customer journey in most organisations.

Often the first person a customer or employee will meet as they walk in the building, and loaded with a split second performance opportunity to display a number of key indicators the person they are engaging will use to decide things like the quality of the institution, how they treat their staff, how safe the building is and how they will be valued as a visitor.

At CIS, we recognised that there was a huge opportunity to stand out from peers by developing our customer experience to an outstanding level. The rationale for change was clear – investing in the customer experience will improve our business and our clients’ businesses. Our clients tell us that happy staff are more productive and visitors who feel welcome and attended to will come back and do more business with them in the future. Security and front of house personnel can be empowered to help in new ways to be seen as a ‘force for good’ through the eyes of those we serve.

CIS Security - Inspiration in HR

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This customer-centered approach has the elegant, yet far reaching ripple effect of impacting positively on security perceptions and deterring crime

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Some time ago, we set ourselves the challenge of raising the customer service standards, adding further value through innovation, to ensure what was being offered was a truly professional service with a culture of continuous improvement that makes end users notice the security team for all of the right reasons. Gone are the days of a security officer being seen and not heard. We encourage positive engagement in our staff through a number of internal initiatives aimed at raising confidence levels and bringing out personality. This goes hand in hand with a specially devised customer service training programme akin to a five-star hotel. This customer-centered approach has the elegant, yet far reaching ripple affect of impacting positively on security perceptions. Proactive efforts toward improved customer experience in Guarding Security is one of the best tools we have for deterring crime and terrorism at client premises. In order to do this we sent out a mission statement and made all stakeholders aware of our objectives.

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CIS Security - Guarding Company

CIS Security - Customer Care Initiative

Security Case Study Our aim is to deliver enhanced customer service for our clients and end users in order to position CIS as the sector leader in customer experience with a security focus. We traced visitor journeys to identify areas where security personnel can make a difference. We ended up with a robust customer service culture plan which was implemented from board level outwards. Staff told us that they appreciated the investment we were making in them and gained confidence in sharing ideas on how they can make a difference in their roles.

At the heart of every successful business partnership there is a great working relationship built upon mutual respect, honesty and openness and regular and clear communication is a key part of our approach. We have flexed our methods as we progress through the information age, a time when the opportunities we can create for our customers become greater. Outstanding customer experience is the keystone of our aspirations for the security function, built upon a bedrock of rich staff engagement.

CULTURE – THE CATALYST FOR CONVERSATION CIS has responsibility for security at a number of world renowned cultural locations in the UK. From art galleries to landmark universities, from luxury fashion stores to high level creative technology hubs. CIS has a reputation for retention and Carl Palmer puts much of this down to the rich engagement delivered on site.

“Some of our sites have amazing works of art and sculpture, or a rich history that most visitors would be totally oblivious to until they are told about it. We facilitate the sharing of this knowledge by giving it to our Officers in the form of “Top Pocket guides”, empowering them with the tools they need to initiate conversations with occupants and visitors.”

Recently CIS and clients worked together to create the first ever security focused end user survey, designed to gauge the experience of the end users. The survey was taken directly to people served by the security team on tablets and on smartphones, allowing them to provide

feedback in real-time in the location where they are approached, rather than after their visit or out of context.

Complete Integrated Solutions (CIS) Security Limited was founded in 1969 by two former Police Officers. The company initially operated as a security management and commercial investigation specialist, advising clients on matters relating to best security practice, and providing a loss prevention and investigation service. In 1972 the Company entered the guarding industry and is now ranked within the Top 20 Guarding Companies in the UK. This year, CIS was a finalist in the British Institute of Facilities Management (BIFM) Awards, and they are also finalists in no fewer than five categories at the Security and Fire Excellence Awards.

Over the years, the Company’s growth has been achieved through a combination of recommendation from existing clients and new opportunities. Achieving over 80% growth over the past five years, our contract retention rate remains high and is a focal point of our business strategy.

As a London based company with national coverage, CIS Security’s continued success is reflected in its varied client portfolio of professional, public sector, financial and commercial organisations throughour the UK.

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DELIVER BALANCED GROWTH FOR BRITAIN A second runway at Gatwick will give airports across the UK greater opportunity to grow, which means more competition and balanced growth for the whole country. Let’s make it happen so all of Britain can get the benefits.

gatwickobviously.com @LGWobviously

TRAVEL SUPPLEMENT

PLATINUM

Rose went long-haul for this issue with a trip to the land of carnival and the recent Olympics - Rio de Janeiro.

Rio underwent an incredible transformation for the Olympics and many new venues, hotels and restaurants popped up. Can this famous City maintain and build on this legacy and truly become a world-class business destination?

PLATINUM

THIS MONTH:

Rio De Janeiro

Travel

TRAVEL LIGHT Welcome to Sandwichgate

by John Burroughes Managing Director, Uniglobe Preferred Travel

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e all know that both Brexit and President elect Trump have been a seismic shock to the political establishments, global stock markets and commerce in general. But nothing prepared us for the crusty backlash that emerged when British Airways announced it was to end its inclusive food offering on its short-haul economy class.

Meldrew, the only thing that has stopped mass protests of people pitching up at runways across the country is the fact that British Airways have very cleverly partnered with another iconic British brand, namely, M&S.

offerings are truly British, both in production or contents, what would Victor classify as a truly British sandwich? Let us turn our attention to a much bigger revolution of which “Sandwich Gate” is but a ripple on the shore.

A stroke of marketing genius from British Airways, but extremely off putting for the Victors of this world who really wanted to yell, “I don’t believe it.”

Judging by comments I have read, by what are clearly genetic mutations of Victor

But rather than get embroiled in the intricacies of whether the contents of said

I use the word revolution, for this is what the travel industry is currently engaged in.

BA’s recent change is but a very small step towards its ultimate streamlining, which it must undergo to keep ahead of the fierce competition within the industry.

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Travel

Strange that if you go to a mainline railway station in the UK, you either have to use a machine to buy your paper ticket, which will only give you the best price for your journey on page 26 of its menu, or you have to queue up in the 21st century ticket offices that are manned by incredibly knowledgeable and friendly people. Compare this to the fact that you can book, check-in, collect your boarding pass (electronic) and deposit your bag at the fast bag drop, to fly from one side of the world to the other, and all you have on you is your mobile phone.

British Airways are what we in the trade call a ‘legacy carrier’, they are an amalgamation of different airlines and brands that have been cleverly crafted into one. In achieving this, BA have inherited many customs and practices which the new boys on the block, such as the no frills carriers, don’t have to wrestle with.

And yet BA have to compete vigorously in this marketplace hence the need to change.

Within the airline industry there are still three different main operating systems that distribute all of the airline content and inventory, namely Amadeus, Galileo and Sabre - without these systems nothing would move.

One of the issues is that in essence they all use slightly different languages to achieve the same end.

If you’re an airline that wants to distribute a new product or service, potentially you have to write code in multiple ways in order to deliver it. British Airways, along with other leading airlines, are at the forefront of a huge investment programme in a system called NDC, which stands for New Distribution Capability.

NDC is a new uniform set of standards, which will govern how their products,

information, schedules, fares and other personalised offerings will be communicated and distributed. It is envisaged that NDC will do everything the three existing systems do today but quicker and smarter, as well as being scalable for tomorrow’s requirements.

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Before you travel, you will be able to order your choice of film, your choice of meal, choose a Wi-Fi option and, if economy is getting full, you could be offered or bid for an upgrade whilst en route to the airport.

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As a leading global travel management company, we currently have under development our parallel systems and once fully integrated with NDC, it will be a game changer in end-to-end worry-free business travel.

Before you travel, you will be able to order your choice of film, your choice of meal, choose a Wi-Fi option and, if economy is getting full, you could be offered, or bid for, an upgrade whilst en route to the airport.

waiting with a photo of him - nice and secure.

While you’re in the car, our system has informed your hotel that you’re en route, you’re checked into your hotel room and will receive your electronic door key to your phone, (no more trudging back and forth to reception trying to get your door key to work).

You exit the car and go straight to your room.

In the meantime, we have sent your corporate risk manager communication to say you have arrived and our systems will pinpoint on the world map precisely where you should be.

We have reassessed any risks and updated both you and your company on any change in status. This is the travel that is just around the corner.

So move over airline food we never wanted!

Victor has been consigned to the garden centre coffee shop with his gnomes…“Can you believe that.”

Together with our enlightened and forwardthinking airline and travel partners we are offering you a glimpse of tomorrow’s worryfree end-to-end travel experience, today.

If you’re as excited as we are, we should be talking so give me a call or email me on John@Uniglobepreferred.co.uk

As you board you’ll receive a text to confirm your bag is loaded, as you disembark you’ll receive a text to tell you which carousel your bag will be on, your driver will receive a message to say you have arrived, and the system will tell you exactly where he will be

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Travel - Rio de Janeiro

Shake hands in...

RIO DE JANEIRO Rose Dykins takes a look at the Olympic promises that are yet to be fulfilled in the Brazilian city, and asks which ones will benefit its poorest people.

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here is so much noise. The boxy sound systems blast heavy waves of it into the air, each one emitting a different anthem ranging from samba music to power ballads. I’m wandering through a warren of multicoloured homes stacked upon one another like Lego cubes in the favela of Vila Canoas, one of Rio’s “ghettos”. Ricardo, my guide, explains that for the inhabitants living here in the densely occupied favela, aside from

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their passion for music, playing loud tunes is a way of having some privacy from neighbours, especially when they want to make love. And, quite often, when they want to make it seem like they are.

On this warm Saturday afternoon, children chase each other through tight alleyways and over graffitied steps, while a jolly group of men are well into a large bottle of deep red wine. We then explore Rocinha, Rio’s largest

favela. Swarms of thick, black electricity cables criss cross above me, where people have pilfered power from the mains. I’m surprised to encounter a sushi bar and even a ballet school. We stop for a cup of icy, indigo-coloured acai dessert, topped off with hundreds and thousands and peanuts. I’m struck by the vibrancy, and the fun, benign atmosphere of somewhere I had anticipated being much more downtrodden.

Travel - Rio de Janeiro

Ipanema Beach

“People in the favelas are really happy,” says Ricardo. “But now, all the governmental money that was supposed to be helping the favelas and getting poor people in education is being cut.” Soon after Rio won the Olympic bid in 2009, an $8 billion government initiative was launched called Morar Carioca. It promised to upgrade each of Rio de Janeiro’s favelas within the following decade, by improving sanitation systems and transport networks; installing water drainage systems, street lighting, road surfacing; and creating green and recreational spaces. All in all, the idea was to change the lives of the people who call them home — roughly a fifth of Rio’s entire population.

Morar Carioca was meant to be integral to the social legacy of the Olympic Games.

The other Olympic promises for Rio are yet to be fulfilled. There are plans to convert Rio’s Future Arena into four schools for the Rio neighbourhoods of Barra, Jacarepagua and Sao Cristovao – the stadium’s roof, panels, poles and even it’s plumbing will be dismantled, transported to these

neighbourhoods and re-assembled into schools. And the aquatic stadium will be repurposed to form two public swimming pools. Unlike Beijing’s ‘Bird’s Nest’ stadium, which generates around $11 million in maintenance costs annually while standing mostly unused, at least Rio’s plans for its

Unfortunately, over time, the project was dismantled gradually, and Morar Carioca has been described as the “greatest unfulfilled promise” in Rio de Janeiro.

There was an encouraging start, with police seizing back control of Rio’s favelas from drug gangs and traffickers. However, during the run-up to the Games, the programme lost its place on the political agenda, and the favelas returned to being largely ignored. Ricardo reports a worrying resurgence of crime to the favelas, and at one point, while Ricardo and I are driving, we hear a sinister boom echoing from a favela across the valley that can only have been made by a grenade. “The gangsters understand that these pacifying policies are dismantling, and they are occupying the favelas again,” Ricardo says.

Steps in the Vila Canoas favela

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Travel - Rio de Janeiro Olympic infrastructure are centred around sustainability.

The Barra Olympic Park will be converted into public parks and private development; it was initially hoped that, as with Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, the space would be used to tackle Rio’s housing crisis.

Around seven million more housing units are needed — to the point where even inhabitants in Rocinha favela are paying around $1,000 per month to live there, according to Ricardo.

The controversy surrounding the Olympic Park is well documented. The favela of Vila Autodrome was demolished in order to build the 4,200 sqm park, which led to the resettlement of some 350 families into purpose-built complexes — most of whom fought hard to save their homes. Now that the Olympics is over, the 31 skyscrapers of the Athletes’ Village will indeed be converted into housing. However, instead of providing accommodation for the area’s original residents, these towers will become luxury residences, completing developer Carlos Carvalho’s vision of transforming Barra into “a city of the elite, of good taste.” Driving through Barra in October, I see the cranes stationed all over the place, ready to build and welcome Barra’s “new crowd”.

It’s easy to be pessimistic, without acknowledging that some aspects of Rio’s Olympic plans were well-intentioned, but perhaps dashed by a crippling recession and volatile political climate. Following a period of strong economic growth, the BRIC nation was hit hard by the fall in oil prices (black gold accounts for more than 30% of its GDP) and today, its state-owned energy corporation, Petrobras is currently battling to save its reputation after allegations of corruption.

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Rio de Janeiro’s lure as a city is undeniable, and, as a first time visitor to the city, it was everything I hoped it would be — full of warmth, beauty, honesty and fun

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Times have been tough, but despite this, Brazil’s business potential remains strong. The Brazilian real became the best performing currency this year, increasing 23% since January. The country’s growing middle class presents plenty of opportunity for overseas

investors, and certain industries — particularly the motor, aviation, and oil drilling sectors — retain their key place on the world stage.

According to the latest reports, it’s anticipated that Brazil will be one of the beneficiaries of Trump’s presidency, as trade ties with Mexico will potentially be diminished, and investors look for other markets with natural resources (every cloud…).

Finally, the Ministry of Tourism in Brazil reports that the number of international events taking place in Brazil has increased by a whopping 400% over the past decade, meaning its assets are being showcased to more foreign business professionals than ever before. Rio de Janeiro’s lure as a city is undeniable, and, as a first time visitor to the city, it was everything I hoped it would be — full of warmth, beauty, honesty and fun.

“We have this seductive culture,” says Ricardo. “Everywhere in Rio, you sense how easy going it is. You can go to a place where you don’t know anyone and in ten minutes, someone’s bought you a beer. It’s just so alive.” Whether you’re soaking up the glamour of Ipanema and Copacabana Beaches, swaying in a samba club in Lapa, or sipping the “best caipirinha in the solar system” from a plastic cup in Vila Canoas, it’s only a matter of time before you fall under Rio’s spell.

The Olympic Stadium

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Travel - Rio de Janeiro

TOP FOUR EVENT SPACES BELMOND COPACABANA PALACE This landmark Rio hotel stands proudly across from Copacabana beach, and its elegant Golden Room is the venue of choice for well-heeled weddings. There’s an atmospheric wood-panelled library for meetings, while the restored 1920s casino makes for a special event for 1,200 people. belmond.com

➠ GRAND HYATT RIO DE JANEIRO Opened in time for the Olympics, this five-star hotel is situated in Barra de Tijuca, 45 minutes from Copacabana. The hotel has 1,850 sqm of conference space, including sleek boardrooms with views of Marapendi Lagoon, and a team of warm, dedicated staff. riodejaneiro.grandhyatt.com

➠ M GALLERY SANTA TERESA HOTEL A stone’s throw from the artist galleries and bohemian bars of the hilltop Santa Teresa district, this upscale boutique hotel has an inviting pool terrace with incredible city views. sofitel.com

➠ MAMA SHELTER RIO DE JANEIRO Opened last month, Rio’s outpost of the boutique Mama Shelter brand is also located in Santa Teresa. Littered with modern, quirky decor and social areas, it has meeting space for 20 people and a lush terrace. mamashelter.com

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Travel - Rio de Janeiro

Zazas

Where to Eat and Drink

Occupying a pretty blue ‘casa’ in Ipanema, this characterful bistro offers organic Brazilian fare. Choose an upstairs seat so you can take off your shoes, recline around a low table and admire the fairyworld-inspired ceiling. zazabistro.com

Fogo de Chao Botafago Tuck into succulent meat sliced directly onto your plate at this sophisticated churrascaria steakhouse with twinkling lake views. Prepare to be stuffed. fogodechao.com.br

Scenarium Party long into the night at this multi-floor nightclub, where you can peer over a balcony on the second floor to watch the samba dancers and band below. A word of warning: you don’t pay for drinks until you leave, which can make you throw caution to the wind… rioscenarium.art.br

Fasano Hotel The rooftop pool bar of this luxury Philippe Starck-designed hotel in Ipanema is the perfect place to grab a cocktail and watch the sky turn pink as the sun sets over the iconic Hill Brothers rocks. fasano.com.br

Fasano Hotel rooftop

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6103

Coast to Capital

THE FUTURE WORKFORCE Senior Enterprise Coordinator, Georgina Angele welcomes three new Enterprise Coordinators to the team

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he Enterprise Adviser Network has been extremely successful in its first academic year. We have welcomed 20 schools and colleges into the EA Network, and matched over 25 Enterprise Advisers and senior business leaders with local schools and their senior leadership teams.

The Careers and Enterprise Company have released the required funding to support the upscale of the EA Network to a further 80 schools and colleges in the region. Coast to Capital LEP has match funded this investment, showing our commitment to the EAN initiative and to the engagement of local businesses in informing the talent

pipelines of our future workforce.

This funding has enabled Coast to Capital LEP to recruit three new Enterprise Coordinators who will commence their new roles from the 1st December. Each of the Enterprise Coordinators will be supporting a cluster of 20 schools and colleges, and recruiting volunteers from the local business community to become the essential Enterprise Advisers that form the foundation of the EA Network.

Here it gives me great pleasure to welcome our New Enterprise Coordinators:

REBECCA TONKS Beki has worked in many disciplines including recruitment, training, enterprise and management throughout Sussex and across the South East. In particular, her time within Sussex Enterprise (now Sussex Chamber of Commerce) and Young Enterprise focussed on skills training and careers information support. In recent years she has run her own business and is now delighted to be able to bring all of these experiences together to support Coast to Capital and the Careers and Enterprise Company, in delivering this innovative work in Coastal West Sussex. Beki is also the EA at Oakgrove College and is a member of the Young Enterprise South Downs Area Board.

PRU ROWNTREE Pru’s background is in teaching and has worked for many years in secondary education in Sussex and South London. She specialises in Careers Education and Guidance and works hard to spread the word about apprenticeship opportunities.

She is keen to address issues affecting local communities, particularly younger people. She has two sons working in London, and lives in Lewes, East Sussex where she is chair of a community land trust whose aim is to secure affordable housing. Pru will be supporting the upscale of the EA Network in the London borough of Croydon.

FAYE RUSSELL Faye has been working in community engagement roles in Sussex for over 10 years, both in the private sector with Family Investments and most recently at Sussex County Cricket Club as part of their Cricket Foundation. Her experience of developing and embedding CSR strategies, along with an excellent understanding of managing stakeholders of community engagement project, stands her in good stead in her role of Enterprise Coordinator for Brighton and Hove. Faye has long been involved in Girlguiding UK and is also the EA at Brighton & Hove Pupil Referral Unit and The Connected Hub. We are still in the process of recruiting a fourth Enterprise Coordinator. In the meantime, I will be concentrating on the Gatwick Diamond area of Coast to Capital in terms of school engagement and the recruitment of Enterprise Advisers to match to the schools in Mid Sussex, Horsham, Crawley and East Surrey.

We are actively engaging with the business community and inviting

businesses to participate in the EA Network. If you are interested in becoming involved in this excellent careers and enterprise initiative, either as an individual or as a whole organisation, please do get in contact with me!

You can call me on 07879 980444 or email me at georgina.angele@coast2capital.org.uk

To find out how you and your business can join the Enterprise Adviser Network and inspire the workforce of the future, contact Georgina Angele, Senior Enterprise Coordinator on 07879 980444 or georgina.angele@coast2capital.org.uk

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Coast to Capital

SOUTHERN WATER Encouraging the next generation

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t Southern Water our aim is to put customers at the heart of all that we do. We need the best people to deliver our business plan which is why Southern Water is part of the Enterprise Adviser Network in the Coast to Capital LEP. This innovative scheme pairs employers with education organisations to advise on student employability skills. This ensures all students leave with great qualifications and the skills needed for the workplace and life!

Our Head of Communications, Corinna Allen is an EA for Steyning Grammar School and has been supporting their leadership team.

“I’m delighted to be working with Nick Wergan and his team to use my skill set to support Steyning Grammar School. I believe it’s vital that local employers invest time in their local schools. It’s about making the business real to students in terms of the kind of attitude we look for in employees and ensuring that

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It’s about making the business real to students in terms of the kind of attitude we look for in employees and ensuring that we’re on their radar

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our school, has the skills to reach their true potential in their next steps in academic study and the world of work. We are delighted to be working with local businesses such as Southern Water to support this approach.”

Graduates: Are you an innovator, passionate about protecting water quality and the environment? Now’s an exciting time to join Southern Water https://www. southernwater.co.uk/Graduates

we’re on their radar as a great place to work in the future.”

Headteacher Nick Wergan said: “Employers complain that students leave school without the skills needed to be successful in the workplace. Our focus on Learning Character shows our commitment to bridging this gap and ensuring every student that leaves

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Legal

AN EVENTFUL YEAR! DMH Stallard looks back on a busy 12 months

The American Express Elite Football Performance Centre

What a year 2016 has been.

Rustom Tata

Political upheaval in the UK, turmoil, conflict and terrorism in so many parts of the world, tensions between East and West and one of the most divisive US election campaigns in history.

The DMH Stallard corporate team has been consistently busy throughout 2016 managing multi-million pound mergers, acquisitions, flotations and placings.

It’s been quite a year at DMH Stallard too, albeit a peaceful and prosperous one.

The unchartered political and legal territory that we journeyed to as a result of Brexit meant that we’ve been busy responding to businesses, individuals and the national and international media with our assessments of what the future holds.

In print, on the radio and on television, Rustom Tata, Chairman of DMH Stallard, has been in high demand discussing the implications of Brexit, explaining ‘that’ legal challenge, demystifying the High Court judgement and clarifying the relationship

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The year has included more than a few high profile areas of work.

between the Supreme Court, Parliament and the Lisbon Treaty.

Rustom said: “Little did I know that when Gina Miller and others challenged the government’s ability to use the Royal Prerogative as a means of avoiding a Parliamentary vote on the triggering of Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, I would soon be sat in a BBC TV studio in Broadcasting House being interviewed about the ramifications in front of a worldwide audience of 270million!”

Brexit certainly hasn’t slowed this sector, as Abigail Owen, Corporate Partner, confirmed: “After a lull pre-Brexit the legal market has bounced back with a bang. We have seen a continuous stream of transactions and there seems to be lots of money around for the right proposals.

Abigail Owen

Legal

The planning department has also been leading on numerous developments that are making the news.

DMH Stallard is well known for the work the in-house team of solicitors and planning professionals undertake on major building projects in the UK. One such scheme is 2,750 new homes in Horsham. Working on behalf of the Liberty Property Trust, the firm is orchestrating plans that include a 500,000 sq ft business park, new schools, transport links and other community infrastructure.

Peter Rainier, Principal Director, said: “The submission of this major planning application is the culmination of six years’ work, which included the incorporation of the site into the strategic allocation of the Horsham District Planning Framework, adopted in November 2015.”

Peter Rainier

venue as, ‘one of the finest football training and academy facilities anywhere in the world’.

“The plan will provide housing, schools, employment, commercial opportunities, leisure facilities and the new transport routes needed to support them.”

“The economic data now coming out only reflects what we have seen on the ground - a very active market with lots of buyers and sellers fuelled by a cheaper pound and increasing overseas interest.”

Heidi Copland, Head of Planning, also went in front of the media when news broke about the government decision to opt for Heathrow in the battle with Gatwick over airport expansion.

Peter Rainier and his colleagues were also award winners in 2016 when their work on the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre in Lancing, the new training base for Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, was recognised as an exceptional example of planning in the South East.

Heidi Copland

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Heidi’s mobile was red hot with journalists keen to hear her expert insights, not least her assessment of the legal costs the government faces in defending its position on Heathrow.

As numerous groups lined up to challenge Theresa May’s decision, Heidi’s mobile was red hot with journalists keen to hear her expert insights, not least her assessment of the legal costs the government faces in defending its position.

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The £32million centre in Lancing won the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) South East top award for Excellence in Planning for Community and Well-being. The centre boasts a ‘category one status’ under the Premier League’s new Elite Players Performance Plan and ranks alongside any of the training grounds built by the biggest Premier League clubs.

She said: “The total legal bill is impossible to accurately estimate, suffice to say costs of all sides in this planning process will be considerable.

“The Treasury will have employed sophisticated financial modelling to gauge costs to the taxpayer and while we don’t know what the outcomes of this are, a complex legal dispute running over many years will mean a far from insignificant bill that the public purse will have to pick up.

Speaking about the performance centre, Paul Barber, Chief Executive at Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club, described the

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Indicative North of Horsham masterplan showing existing edge of Horsham.

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Masterplan and illustrations for illustrative purposes only.

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1

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3 1 Mix of new homes 2 Business park 3 Neighbourhood centre Education campus 4

with secondary school, primary school, ‘early years’ and special education needs

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Primary school and 5 local centre

6 Nature park 7 Sports hub 8 New parkway station 9 A264

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Horsham planning

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Legal “Combined with the fees for private actions, the costs will certainly run into seven, or even eight figures.”

With rapid growth across each of the firm’s offices in Gatwick, Brighton, Guildford and London, the HR department has also been busy making sure the very best talent in the sector chooses DMH Stallard when considering their next career move. This work has led to a number of high profile partner appointments in 2016.

James Martin

Intellectual property (IP) and technology solicitor James Martin joined in the spring from City law firm, Fieldfisher. James’ track record in IP law has made him a regular speaker, lecturer and contributor in the media.

In September, his standing in the industry resulted in James being part of a UK delegation at the International Bar Association Annual Conference in Washington DC. He was invited to speak at the conference by the Government’s Ministry of Justice spokesman in the House of Lords, Lord Keen of Elie QC. Lord Keen said: “I am determined to assist UK law firms and UK lawyers succeed across the globe and develop business opportunities created by their world class reputation.”

Following the appointment of James, Mark Harden joined DMH Stallard as a partner in the firm’s London office.

Mark joined from Thrings and specialises in corporate and commercial transactions with particular emphasis on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, corporate and project finance and all manner of commercial agreements.

Mark Harden

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Two more partners soon to arrive at DMH Stallard are Michael Nixon from Downs Solicitors who joins the real estate department, and our award winning corporate team will be expanding in our Guildford office with the arrival of a new partner.

The success of the firm in 2016 hasn’t gone unnoticed. Three renowned publications that benchmark the biggest and most successful law firms in the UK have recognised DMH Stallard as being among the best.

The firm secured a Top Tier rating in seven categories in the Legal 500 with over 20 individual recommendations and two partners recognised as ‘leading individuals’ in the legal sector. The Lawyer magazine officially ranked DMH Stallard in the Top 100 law firms in the UK after posting revenues of over £24m last year, while Chambers and Partners cited 19 members of the team as ‘leaders in the field’.

Richard Pollins, Managing Partner at DMH Stallard, said: “It’s been a great time for the firm and these rankings mirror our growth trajectory across London and the South East.”

Richard Pollins

In addition to the ‘day job’, DMH Stallard supports a number of good causes and charitable initiatives. We’ve highlighted two of many below: Lucy Cory-Wright Earlier this year, BBC South East TV interviewed Lucy Cory-Wright (pictured top right), a solicitor on the dispute resolution team, about her voluntary mentoring role working with IntoUniversity.

IntoUniversity helps young people from less affluent families go to university and is working in Moulsecoomb.

With far fewer young people from disadvantaged families progressing to university than those who are not, the charity raises aspirations, assists with extra A-level study and helps students navigate their way through the university application process.

Lucy said: “Being from Brighton, it’s extremely rewarding to be part of a scheme that is doing such great things in the city.”

Claire Carberry Claire Carberry is a Partner who specialises in the legal aspects of elderly care. She is also a Dementia Friends Champion.

Claire’s family has been significantly affected by dementia. Her grandma had it, her aunt has it and Claire’s mum now has late stage dementia and is in a specialist dementia nursing home.

In her role as a Dementia Friends Champion, Claire runs awareness sessions for anyone interested in knowing more about dementia and how to help people who have the condition.

Earlier this year, during Dementia Awareness Week in May, Claire was featured in numerous news articles and on the radio, talking about living with dementia and the legal steps families may have to take.

Claire said: “I was lucky. I’d managed to eventually persuade Mum to grant me a Power of Attorney so the legal side was in place. I do this for a living, so although I didn’t know all the answers, I knew where to go.

“If possible, have that difficult conversation with your parents now. It might be a tricky conversation now, but it will be a lot trickier when ‘in theory’ becomes reality.”

If you are worried about a member of your family you can get in touch with Claire on 01293 585610 or email claire.carberry@dmhstallard.com Claire Carberry

DMH Stallard is an award winning law firm providing strategic and operational legal advice to clients, enabling them to protect and grow their businesses. For more information on their services, please go to www.dmhstallard.com.

Technology News

CLOUD TALK OFFICE 365 INTRODUCING OUTLOOK CUSTOMER MANAGER Microsoft is rolling out a new tool for business owners using Office 365 and Outlook called Outlook Customer Manager, a lightweight Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) tool for companies that need to track their customer interactions and history, but aren’t yet ready for a more robust platform like Dynamics 365. The new tool lets businesses track tasks and deals in progress directly from within Outlook.

SME’S UNDER ATTACK FROM RANSOMWARE Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face serious threats from ransomware after the number of attacks rose by a factor of eight in the past year.

The Kaspersky Security Network division revealed that it detected and blocked 27,471 attempts by hackers to infect and encrypt small firms data between Q3 2015 and Q3 2016. The firm noticed just 3,224 attacks the year before.

Kaspersky warned that SMEs need to be aware of ransomware and make sure they have preventative measures in place. One of these measures is to warn employees not to click on any dubious looking emails, as ransomware commonly arrives in the form of a phishing attack.

The firm also said that companies and their employees should be clued up on how to make back-ups of critical data, how to update software on devices used for work and how to implement high-end information security solutions.

Kaspersky warned that businesses that aren’t prepared for ransomware attacks will have a pretty rough time, claiming that 55% of businesses surveyed said it took several days to restore access to encrypted data after being attacked.

A report released in August revealed that over half of UK businesses have been hit by ransomware, and that the money-grabbing attack left almost 10% “entirely unable to operate”.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT MICROSOFT ACCESS A good IT support provider is flexible in its approach and will assist you in fixing problems, while also acting as a source of advice for improving your IT environment so you can meet technology demands and satisfy your customer’s needs. Does yours?

INTERIM IT DIRECTOR SERVICE If you need help with your IT Strategy why not consider an Interim IT Director? Our Interim IT Director service is cost effective providing a bespoke and personalised service for SMEs that cannot justify the cost of recruiting and retaining a full-time IT Director. To find out more check out our website at http://thecloudconsultancy.eu/interim-it-director/

Microsoft has announced that it is bringing Access to Office 365 Business and Business Premium plans. The database management software is already included in the ProPlus, E3, and E5 subscriptions, as well as consumer plans such as Personal and Home.

There will also be new enterprise data connectors coming to users on the ProPlus, E3, and E5 plans. These include OData Feed, Dynamics CRM, Salesforce, and Amazon Redshift. They will be delivered through an update in early 2017.

For those on Business and Business Premium, Access will be included in the next client update which will roll out between the beginning of December and the end of January. Customers that are on the deferred channel will have to wait until June 2017.

The Cloud Consultancy Europe are authorised Office 365 resellers

If you would like help and advice with your IT infrastructure call me. t: 00 (44) 1342 716873 e: jamie.shaw@thecloudconsultancy.eu w: www.thecloudconsultancy.eu

uk.linkedin.com/in/shawjamie

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Information Technology

RAPID RESPONSE Low-Code Rapid Application Development – so what’s it all about? Jon Idle, Director and Chief Operating Officer at Green Lemon Company explains.

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hen the choice is to build custom applications, many organisations find that a rapid application development (low-code) platform meets many if not all of their requirements. In traditional app development, programmers write every line of code manually (hand-coding). In contrast, using a low-code platform requires very little code. Instead, platform users make visual models of an app’s business logic, integrations, and user interface using an intuitive, drag-and-drop editor. A full-featured low-code platform uses this model to generate, compile and deploy the necessary code automatically.

Low-code automation allows users to create

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and deploy high-quality web and mobile apps significantly faster - typically in weeks rather than months. In addition to enabling IT departments to meet the growing demand for rollout of new apps, platforms also streamline app maintenance and updates, a crucial consideration given today’s rapidly changing business needs.

A robust low-code platform can also integrate readily with existing IT infrastructure, minimising concerns about migration and allowing developers to leverage existing enterprise systems effectively. In addition, integrations can be managed for easy access and replication, resulting in ongoing efficiencies.

When to consider a low-code platform: Key needs and objectives The benefits of using a low-code platform are compelling enough to merit serious consideration for most IT departments. To gauge how useful a platform could be for your organisation, consider whether any of the following statements apply in your case: • You need to rapidly build and manage multiple apps for your business.

• You currently have a backlog of mobile or web apps to build.

• In-house IT development can be slow and/or prone to errors.

Information Technology • Company leadership is mandating the use of mobile apps as a competitive advantage.

• Your apps need to work on all major mobile platforms.

• Lifecycle management, iterations, and changes are important considerations.

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The benefits of using a low-code platform are compelling enough to merit serious consideration for most IT departments

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Top benefits of a low-code platform

1. Greater stakeholder engagement and satisfaction. Because low-code platforms allow you to build and update apps so quickly, developers can share fully functional, testable features with stakeholders in days or even hours.

Maintaining a short, dynamic iteration cycle fosters more active engagement and provides a clear, ongoing sense of progress and responsiveness.

2. Lower risk and higher ROI. With a low-code platform, all the ‘plumbing’ level programming - security, cross-platform support, data integration capabilities - has already been built and can be customised easily. This level of abstraction allows developers and stakeholders to focus on solving business problems rather than mundane, error-prone technical requirements. As a result, the risk of ‘catastrophic failure’ is minimised.

3. Elimination of the IT skills gap. The intuitive, visual editors in low-code platforms do a lot to ‘level the playing field’ in terms of developers’ skill sets.

The need to know specific languages or possess closely relevant experience is minimised, expanding the range of developers who can contribute to a given project. In some cases, even non-technical stakeholders can learn to build their own prototypes, eliminating the need to wait for IT support.

4. Scalable governance of multiple apps.

When IT backlogs grow, business leaders may explore outsourcing work to external vendors. This approach may address shortterm needs, but it often creates longerterm challenges, with multiple IT teams

and projects that can become increasingly difficult to manage. By shortening the delivery of mobile and web apps and leveraging common infrastructure, lowcode platforms can enhance transparency, security and compliance.

5. Building once and deploying everywhere. The best low-code platforms offer an advantage that can be gamechanging for organisations accustomed to traditional methods: building apps for multiple platforms simultaneously. With a robust low-code platform, developers can build, test and deploy an app for several platforms in a fraction of the time required to hand-code an app for just one.

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The advent of new and innovative approaches to app development is driven in part by the need for mobile apps

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6. End-to-end lifecycle maintenance. App development doesn’t end with a successful launch. Every app will require updates, feature improvements, and bug fixes periodically. With a low-code platform, handling complex updates and rolling out new features (such as integrating data from a third-party SaaS app) can often be accomplished in minutes, with minimal impact on other projects in the development queue.

7. Innovation and impact. By deploying low-code, much of the time-consuming, labour intensive work involved in handcoding an app is no longer necessary.

This allows developers to focus their expertise on areas with greater impact,

such as creating innovative new functionality or customising features to suit stakeholders’ exact needs. In addition to its direct benefits, this shift tends to keep top performers more engaged and enthusiastic, which can help with retention.

Low-code Platforms vs.

Coding The advent of new and innovative approaches to app development is driven in part by the need for mobile apps, which is rapidly changing the architecture and languages of the traditional and modern development stacks. While hand-coding can still be effective in some cases, more organisations are finding that custom-coding (i.e. Java and .NET) has become too slow to develop and deliver the applications companies use to win, serve, and retain customers.

At Green Lemon Company in Brighton we help our customers accelerate and deliver their Digital Transformation road map. To facilitate this, we research and partner with innovative technology companies. In the low-code space, OutSystems is our chosen solution. OutSystems is the award-winning low-code development platform for delivering enterprise-grade mobile and web apps. In a recent independent survey, 74% of OutSystems customers improved their speed of software delivery by 6x or more. They are recognised as leaders in their field and endorsed by the likes of Gartner, Forrester and Ovum. Source: OutSystems If you’re looking to accelerate and deliver your digital transformation programme, Green Lemon Company would be delighted to see how they can help. For more information, please contact one of the team.

For details visit www.greenlemoncompany.net

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Digital Marketing

HOW TO MAKE YOUR NEXT EVENT MORE SOCIAL Social Media Marketing For Events, Exhibitions & Conferences

by Shea Bennett, Head of Digital Marketing at Identity

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ocial Media has revolutionised almost every type of business in almost every sector, and the world of events is no exception. Studies have shown that almost nine in ten (87%) business to business (B2B) brands now use social media to promote events. And with good reason, too - it works!

In this article we will look at how to use social media marketing for events, exhibitions and conferences.

Facebook When it comes to the business of social media marketing, there’s Facebook, and then there’s everybody else. Facebook has 31 million users in the United Kingdom alone – 96% of all UK online adults use Facebook, and 50% of all social media users in the UK just use Facebook and no other social network.

All of this connectivity in the UK and around the world has given birth to what Facebook calls its social graph. This is essentially a giant matrix of data that links all of us together by everything from our age, gender and location, but also more complex protocols like our interests, behaviours, values, intentions and beliefs.

Information that feeds the social graph is collected off of Facebook, too, through its partner affiliations (such as Spotify), the 50 million websites around the planet that incorporate some kind of Facebook functionality (for example, a Like box or Facebook login button), and Facebook’s tracking and audience building tools (which includes Facebook Pixels and Custom Audiences).

The Facebook social graph is so rich that its ad manager platform has established itself as the most powerful digital marketing tool that we have, allowing us to broadcast relevant content to vast numbers of targeted consumers in an almost limitless number of ways.

All of this makes Facebook the premier social media platform for events marketers looking to generate awareness, boost registrations and drive footfall in the months up to an event.

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Twitter Of all the major social networks Twitter is the clear market leader for real-time news and information, and this includes the world of events and exhibitions. Twitter has established itself as the social networking tool for live events, and attendees will use Twitter to post about speakers and sessions, share content and engage with the event hashtag.

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A Twitter Wall is almost obligatory at the larger exhibitions

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way to encourage the use of Twitter to drive additional engagement and reach.

For best results, one or more members of your team should be consistently tweeting content out over the duration of the show, live-tweeting the event. Content to be shared includes photos and videos, announcements, general information, session updates, speaker quotes and more. Be sure to retweet relevant content from others and actively engage and answer questions and queries.

LinkedIn LinkedIn has 450 million users worldwide, with 20 million people actively using the platform in the United Kingdom. LinkedIn is the business social network and has established itself as a powerful tool for networking, recruitment and sales.

While Facebook is the preferred choice for social media marketing leading up to the event, Twitter will play an important role in ensuring that engagement and reach are maximised during the show itself.

Make sure that your company is established on LinkedIn and that you update regularly with content about your event. Consider a LinkedIn Group specifically for the event and invite key people to join.

A Twitter Wall is almost obligatory at the larger exhibitions today and these large TV screens, which feed out tweets from the event, attendees, speakers and exhibitors over the course of the day, are a very effective

LinkedIn’s advertising platform does not boast the social graph of Facebook but it does have some advantages, specifically when it comes to targeting. Because LinkedIn is a business network, events marketers can

Digital Marketing

target users by a number of relevant factors, including industry, job title, seniority, income and more.

You can also sign up for LinkedIn Premium, which gives you a number of advantages over the free account. This includes InMail, which allows you to reach anyone on LinkedIn with no connection required. Moreover, InMail is guaranteed - you won’t use up any of your credits unless the recipient actually reads your message. This can be a very effective way to connect with high-profile speakers and potential sponsors for your event.

Hashtags Hashtags play an important role in social media event marketing, particularly on Twitter.

As such, you will need to create your hashtag well in advance and immediately begin circulating it across all of your digital marketing channels.

Your hashtag should ideally be the name of your event. However, because it will primarily be shared on Twitter (which has a 140-character limit in tweets), it must be as short as possible. If your event has a long name consider abbreviating it to initials instead (for example, Identity Marketing Conference 2017 could become #IMC2017 or even just #IMC17).

Your hashtag also needs to be as unique as possible. Attendees will be using this hashtag to closely follow news and information about the event and as such it needs to be as isolated as possible. A good tip is to use Twitter to look for hashtags and find one

that’s as unique as possible for you. Pay careful attention to spelling and think about how the hashtag scans in terms of use of capital letters to distinguish between words (for example, #EventsMarketing reads better than #eventsmarketing).

When you have created your hashtag be sure to encourage all sponsors, speakers and other key delegates to share and use the hashtag in any content they create about your event.

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You will need to create your hashtag well in advance and immediately begin circulating it across all of your digital marketing channels

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Live Video More and more event marketers are utilising live video as part of their arsenal, often with incredible results. Live video isn’t a fad: it’s a rapidly growing trend that is here to stay.

With low start-up costs and almost limitless possibilities, it’s a fantastic way for businesses of all sizes and in every sector to reach and

connect with customers and peers.

While post-show video marketing still has tremendous value, there is a huge advantage to live streaming an event while it is taking place, as it allows people not able to attend to engage and interact with content right in the moment.

Facebook’s Live video product is finding increasing usage at exhibitions and events around the world, and Facebook users spend three times as long watching live video than they do watching video content that is no longer live. Snapchat, Instagram and Periscope also offer live video functionality.

After The Event Once the event has concluded be sure to use social media to thank everybody who has attended. Use standalone posts to thank important sponsors, key speakers and other notable delegates, but make sure to also thank all attendees.

Write blog posts about the event summarising the day(s), including commentary on speakers and sessions, images and video.

Consider creating an infographic that captures key data from the exhibition. A time-lapse video showing how busy the event was over the course of a day can be very effective.

Make sure that you create content that is appealing to non-attendees – it’s excellent for marketing purposes and will go a long way to encourage people to sign up for next year!

Biography: Shéa has managed the digital campaigns and marketing solutions for both B2B and B2C brands across a variety of industries, including retail, finance, education, healthcare, charity, sports and events. A recognised authority within the digital space, he has published two books and written thousands of articles about social media, and his work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post and the BBC. Identity specialises in the manufacture and implementation of corporate branding, with over 30 years’ experience in the industry. A major supplier of digital marketing, events management and commercial signage across the UK and Europe, Identity is a multi-award-winning company with a very experienced team of industry-respected individuals.

Email: sb@identitygroup.co.uk, Web: www.identitygroup.co.uk

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Event Management

WHY EVENTS ARE A POWERFUL MARKETING TOOL Holding an event can boost profitability and profile, says Samara Stanton, Managing Director at award winning TSE Productions

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s a business owner you may be thinking what can I do next to further promote my company? You might have got your social media working well and your print and web marketing sorted, but what about your physical presence in the marketplace?

How can an event give my company more exposure?

Many businesses are taking advantage of the potential an event creates in promoting their business. It’s a highly effective way of gaining exposure, especially to new customers.

This will be your event, which means you can promote and market your business and services in person, creating a more personal touch, without appearing like you are going in for the hard sell. The more tailored the event is to the identity of your brand, the more impressive the event will appear and as a result your company will be remembered. Use your event to make you stand out from your competitors.

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How can an event help with client interaction?

There is something very important and beneficial about meeting face to face with your customers and potential clients. You have an opportunity to gain feedback about your product or services and to gain important information that will be invaluable to you in terms of marketing to your customer base directly.

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You may be thinking that quality events are too expensive or something that only larger companies can do.

Think again!

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Why not plan a product launch to make your new product available for customers to experience and interact with? If you are interested in becoming a leader in your field

why not plan a conference with a twist, share your industry knowledge and have like minded business people sharing information and networks?

Be creative and always ensure you have thought about finishing touches. Choice of venue, AV, staging, event management and artistic direction can add just the professional touches you need to command people’s attention and ensure customers walk away with a strong impression of your business.

Will an event be too expensive?

You may be thinking that quality events are too expensive or perhaps you see them as something that only larger companies can do.

Think again!

Events are actually much more economical than you may think and can be more beneficial to your longer term business aims. It doesn’t have to be lavish – just professional.

Work out your objectives for the event and how many clients you are looking to engage with and the potential income those numbers

Section Text Here could generate for your business. This is a good starting point for setting yourself an event budget. You may find that your objectives are not purely about income generation but about building a reputation and projecting your business identity. It might be helpful to talk to an event company about your objectives and how best to spend your budget. They will be able to come up with excellent ideas and new ways to deliver the event. After all nothing speaks louder than customers seeing your product with their own eyes and meeting the face behind the business!

What if I don’t have the time to put on an event?

There are lots of options to be able to prepare and deliver an event which also allows you to continue with your workload and commitments. Consulting with an event company can be the solution for your event requirements and can also provide more specialised services that you may be looking for. A good company will be able to tailor an event for your business and offer creative advice about bringing your brand to life.

They would ensure every detail has been thought about and will take the stress out of the event preparation and delivery, which leaves you time to network with clients and enjoy the event.

Capture the event Finally, make sure you capture the event with photos and video footage. Documenting the event can be great for your social media channels and can feed back into your other marketing campaigns. It looks great to have fresh and exciting content for news updates on your website or the monthly newsletter. It gives a positive and active impression of your business whilst showing you interacting with real customers.

With so many possibilities on offer, start planning an exciting event now to get your business recognised.

www.tseproductions.co.uk @TSEproductionUK

57

Company Car Policy

DRIVE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE LAW Are you liable when employees use their own cars for work? The answer is quite frightening, says Graham Prince of Neva Consultants

W

hen I speak at business events, I often ask the audience: “Did you drive to this event today?” Virtually all the delegates raise their hands.

Then I ask” “Did you use your own car?”

Most hands remain up.

Finally, I ask: “Does your car insurance policy cover business use?” The most common response is usually a look of slight alarm!

If a member of staff drives to a conference, visits another site, goes to a sales meeting or picks up some leaflets from the printers, they are using their vehicle for business purposes.

And if you are the employer, this becomes your responsibility.

Drivers who use their own vehicle for work (we call these ‘grey fleet vehicles’) are more likely to pose a road safety risk than company car drivers, according to new research (an independent study commissioned by Lex Autolease).

The study found that “grey fleet” drivers are more likely to engage in illegal behaviours while driving, including using a hand-held mobile phone.

The research, involving more than 1,000 drivers, also found that grey fleet drivers are more likely to drive without correct insurance or a valid MOT, or whilst knowing that the vehicle needs some attention.

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According to results from the research, 20% of grey fleet drivers have driven while using a hand-held mobile and almost 5% of grey fleet drivers have, at some stage, driven under the influence of recreational drugs.

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A third of those surveyed believed that there was no significant risk to the organisation from an employee using their own vehicle for work

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Apart from the clear road safety risk that this type of behaviour poses, many UK bosses are unaware that they are ultimately liable for these drivers when they’re out on the road for work purposes.

The study also interviewed nearly 300 company decision-makers with responsibility for managing business vehicles. A third (33%) of those surveyed believed that there was no significant risk to the organisation from an employee using their own vehicle for work.

More worryingly, 40% were not fully aware of the employer duty of care regulations within the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and how they impact the grey fleet.

Under current health and safety laws, employers owe the same duty of care to employees driving their own private vehicles for work as they do to employees who drive an organisation’s owned, leased or hired vehicles.

Employers have a legal and a moral responsibility to ensure that their drivers and vehicles meet all legal requirements. So what can you do to ensure you meet the legal requirements?

When dealing with Company Vehicles, it is a natural process to educate, inform and instruct drivers to be diligent. Company car drivers must ensure their car is serviced, MOT in date and the vehicle in acceptable condition.

However, Business owners must recognise that this Duty of Care extends to any employee driving any vehicle for any business purpose and The Company Vehicle Policy MUST include all vehicles driven on company business regardless who funds or owns them.

This must include :• Driving License Checking • Vehicle Inspection rules and time frames • Mobile Phone use • Monitoring hours the vehicle can be driven without a rest • Checking drivers are medically fit to drive – eg eye tests

Company Car Policy

• Ensuring the vehicle is both fit for purpose and legal According to figures from the Department for Transport, tragically almost 2,000 people are killed on our roads every year. Of these, it is estimated that around 25 to 30 per cent are due to accidents involving drivers on work journeys.

The stakes are high. Up until March 2015 any offence under the HSE Guidelines had a maximum fine of £20,000. Now it is an unlimited fine and could even include a jail

sentence for the Directors if they cannot demonstrate competence around the Duty of Care Policy for all of the vehicles driven on

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Grey fleet drivers are more likely to engage in illegal behaviours while driving, including using a hand-held mobile phone

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company business regardless who owns/leases them. Ignorance is no defence for a Company Director.

If you are at all concerned regarding any vehicles that are driven for Company Use then Neva Consultants can offer you free advice around managing your risk For more information on creating a comprehensive Company Car Policy, contact Neva Consultants on 01825 720900 and speak to one of their Key Account Managers Neva-Consultants.Com

Sometimes using a private car is not the best way to represent the company

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FORD EDGE, £324 per month on Ford Personal Lease Edge Titanium 2.0 Duratorq TDCi 180PS AWD with optional 20” alloy wheels.

Advance rental of £7,776. 35 monthly rentals of £324.

Birchwood Ford

Lottbridge Drove, Eastbourne, BN23 6PX 01323 407099 Eastbourne Road (Nr Uckfield), Halland, BN8 6PS 01825 700737 Sedlescombe Road North, St. Leonards-on-Sea, TN37 7SQ 01424 230865 www.birchwoodford.co.uk Official fuel consumption figures in mpg (1/100km) for the Ford Edge: urban 43.5-44.1 (6.5-6.4), extra urban 51.4-52.3 (5.5-5.4), combined 47.9-48.7 (5.9-5.8). Official CO2 emissions 152-149g/km.

The mpg figures quoted are sourced from official EU-regulated test results (EU Directive and Regulation 692/2008), are provided for comparability purposes and may not reflect your actual driving experience. You will not own the vehicle at the end of the agreement Finance subject to status. Guarantees/indemnities may be required. Subject to availability for vehicles with finance accepted and vehicle contracted between 1st October and 31st December 2016. Excess charges of 9.60p will be applied in excess of 9,000 miles per annum. Excess charges also apply if car is not serviced and maintained in accordance with industry recognised standards. For full terms and conditions and specifications please refer to your agreement or your Ford Dealer. Ford Personal Lease is provided by ALD Automotive Limited as Ford Lease, BS16 3JA. Promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other Ford promotion or discount (Privilege, Ambassador or Advantage).

Motoring

MOTORING NEWS FIAT TURNS 50

GHOSTS

The iconic Fiat 124 Spider turns 50 this year and in celebration the company has produced the all new 124 Spider. The United States had always been the target market of the 124 Sport Spider: not by chance the new Fiat 124 Spider was presented at the Los Angeles Motor Show last year. Following in the wake of tradition of its legendary namesake, it has set out to appeal a new generation with its Italian style and performance. The 124 Spider is the authentic roadster experience. Packed with thrills, technology and safety, rolled up with all-Italian flair, it turns 50 this month and l get my hands on it January.

Unscrupulous “ghost” insurance brokers selling bogus policies is the latest fraud to hit motorists, police have warned. These ghost brokers work in a variety of ways. In one case, which led to the culprits being jailed, the fraud entailed setting up a bogus call centre. Customers were attracted by adverts on the internet offering policies about 15% cheaper than those offered by legitimate companies. If it looks too good to be true, it usually is.

GT4

SALES BOOMING

Mercedes-Benz’s AMG performance division is planning to unveil a uniquely styled and engineered, 600bhp-plus four-door saloon as part of its extensive 50th anniversary celebrations next year.

Nearly 1.5m brand new cars were registered across Europe last month, representing a 7.1% increase on 2015 and the strongest September for a decade.

Set to make its debut as the Vision concept at one of a series of celebratory events next year, the new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8-powered super-saloon is expected to carry the name GT 4 when it reaches showrooms in 2019 at a likely starting price of around £120,000. The GT 4 will become AMG’s third dedicated series production model line, following on from the SLS and the existing GT Anyone else think this looks like the Porsche Panamera?.

All but three European markets reported an increase in new car sales. Romania, Hungary and Latvia saw the biggest leaps of 62.7%, 31.1% and 29.2% respectively. Ireland, the Netherlands and Greece each saw new registrations fall by between 1% and 10%. The UK saw a modest 1.6% increase, the fourth weakest in Europe.

BRAWN IS BACK Ross Brawn is set to take over the helm of Formula 1’s sporting regulations, according to reports.

Auto Bild Motorsport claims that the former boss of Ferrari and Mercedes’ racing teams has signed a deal with F1’s owner, Liberty Media, to run the sporting side of Formula 1 in future.

The German report suggests that the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, has approved the appointment, but offers no timescale on when he will take up the role. Brawn and current FIA boss Jean Todt worked closely together during their time with the Ferrari team.

Last week Brawn said he was interested in a return to F1, but not with a team.

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Motoring

PLATINUM CAR OF THE YEAR

Jaguar F-Pace

By Motoring Editor, Maarten Hoffmann

I

t’s been a long time coming. We have longawaited the DNA swap between Jaguar and Land Rover although it’s been going the other way for quite a while. JLR have long offered a four wheel drive with the luxury of a Jaguar with the Range Rover but we have never seen it go the other way. That is, a Jaguar with a dose of the Land Rover and, finally, here it is in all its party frock and fancy knickers.

The traditional German manufacturers outsell the likes of Jaguar by a million a year against Jags 100,000 but the F-Pace is designed to change all that. The company’s concern is that this car will simply steal sales from its own stable. If you want a Discovery, you might be tempted by the F-Pace and therein lies the problem of nicking sales from yourself. But at least the profit remains within the company, l guess.

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Beautifully designed and styled from every angle and the nose is one that l could look at, in the right colour combo, all day long.

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Firstly, this is a very handsome car.

Beautifully designed and styled from every angle and the nose is one that l could look at, in the right colour combo, all day long. The interior is an equal delight with a great 10.2 InControl Touch pro screen with a 10GB hard drive for music storage and a sound system that goes from the standard 80W system up to

the mighty 825W Meridian surround system.

As usual on recent Jags, some of the interior buttons and surfaces are a tad low-rent but that can forgiven as the general feel is superb and did l mention that sexy nose?

The seats hug you, and, if you go up the spec sheet, you get 10-way adjustable heated seats that work so well that you really do feel like your’ve lost control of your bladder.

There’s a general Range Rovery feel to the whole thing and that aint no bad thing. The only really annoying item here is the location of the window controls. Just as you get comfy with elbows where they should be, you have to rearrange yourself to operate the windows as they are high up on the door and in a very silly position. I am sure you get the point - if that is all l can think to complain about, things are going well.

Motoring

But, what about the all-important drive. I really wanted to stretch the cats legs - so l drove to Holland. Well, you would, wouldn’t you?

Having mentioned this to Jaguar, they efficiently supplied the car with a European up-date of the SatNav system that was so damned efficient, l think the car could of got there without me. I loaded the family onboard and headed for Folkestone and that other marvel of engineering, the Chunnel. It is easy to take this for granted but what a bloody marvel of engineering it really is.

I headed to Amsterdam first to take the girls to Ann Frank’s house and although l have no time to sound off on that subject here, if you haven’t cried for a while, go and the tears will flow. The car just wafted us all there with little drama apart from the stares of people wondering what this car was. It is still novel enough, and beautiful enough, to make folk stare. It has superb road manners, corners flat for a high rider

Future World Heavyweight Champion, Anthony Joshua

and will sit up and go when required. The diesel engine is pretty good, against my hatred of the damn things, and once it gets going, it is quiet enough. The volume sales might head toward the frugal 2.0 litre diesel for those watching the costs but really, move up to the 3.0 litre V6 and you will want for nothing. Based on the fact that the world is FINALLY

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Flatten the rear seats and you are left with space enough for a double bed, a couple of bedside tables and the kitchen sink.

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waking up to the shocking damage that diesel engines cause, l would also recommend going for the petrol version thus avoiding the ban on dirty diesels entering our cities that is coming soon. The petrol version does have a drinking problem but then, don’t we all?

I did expect the handling to suffer the normal compromise of high riding SUVs, but there’s little evidence of it due, in part, to the lightweight aluminium bits and the torque vectoring system that helps you aim into corners by braking the inside rear wheel. It’s the way it flows through fast bends that impresses most; it may be lighter than most of its rivals, but this is still a 1.8-tonne SUV, and yet it genuinely feels as agile as many hatchbacks.

There will be few issues with interior space as there is plenty of front leg space and rear headroom and with the panoramic roof, light floods

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into the cabin. Jaguar claim the boot space beats all its sector rivals at a whopping 650 litres with the rear seats in place although it is roughly on a par with the BMW X3 or Disco Sport but flatten the rear seats and you are left with space enough for a double bed, a couple of bedside tables and the kitchen sink.

There are bundles of options but the range topping S and Portfolio would be the ones for me that come with everything fitted although

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I really wanted to stretch the cats legs so l drove to Holland. Well, you would, wouldn’t you?

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you will pay the price. You could get an Audi Q7 for less but it doesn’t drive as well and is a lumbering old beast. The Q5 and Porsche Macan are competitors but this gives them both a good run for the money. Reliability is one aspect that Jaguar needs to look at as they finished a disappointing 30th out of 37 in the recent What Car reliability survey.

In conclusion, Jaguar have produced a world class SUV with all the style and panache you could want. So much so, that it is the Auto Express 2016 Car of the Year but far, far more importantly; it is time for me to announce the Platinum 2016 Car of the Year.

Last year, the barnstorming Audi RS6 Avant was my car of the year and that is a tough act to follow and with so many great cars on the market, this really does require the engagement of the old grey matter. In the end, it is quite simple.

The Jaguar F-Pace is the Platinum Car of the Year 2016 and it is well deserved.

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TECHNICAL STUFF Model tested: F-Pace S AWD Engine: 3.0 litre diesel turbocharged Power: 300 bhp Performance: 0-60 mph 5.8 seconds Top Speed: 150 mph Economy: 47.1 combined Prices from: £35,020.00

The petrol version does have a drinking problem but then, don’t we all?

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As tested: £59,665.00

Motoring

The Swedes are Coming

VOLVO V40

By Motoring Editor, Maarten Hoffmann

V

olvo often splits opinion. Some find it the best and safest car on the road and are ferociously loyal to the brand whilst others find it a dull and staid lump of metal.

I am split although the V90 estate cannot be ignored for its carrying potential, safety and the de rigueur mode of transport for every antique dealer in the land.

So, after many years of non-Volvo reviewing, the V40 lands on the drive in Passion Red and looks pretty damn good. The V40’s lineage can be traced back through the 1995 Mitsubishi-related car of the same name and even as far as the PV51 of 1936 — Volvo’s first attempt at an affordable but practical car. The V40 is an important car for the company and the premium compact sector is crowded with crackers and it will have to go head-to-head with the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and VW Golf - quite a challenge.

Climbing aboard, the first thing that strikes me is that this is as close to a Germanic car as you can get without being produced in Stuttgart. Solid, well put together, well laid out and everything where it should be. The leather seats are excellent and l do like the dash. No superfluous dials just a rev counter with a large digital speedometer in the centre as opposed to the continual pile-on of features that are starting to get in the way. And along with the TFT screen that controls everything, there is a rather daft eco meter that tells you how much power you are using but most of us have a right foot for that.

There are four trim levels to choose from - Momentum, Inscription, R-Design and R-Design Pro that l have here. I don’t have space here to tell you what you get with each but hit the Volvo website to learn all as l would rather get on with driving it.

I really quite like it. It is quite quick enough to get you up the road and handles really well. It is solid and well planted and affords you a good degree of confidence. As it is based on the Ford Focus platform, l guess we would expect that but it is solid and surefooted and exceptionally smooth and efficient. This really could give the Golf a run for its money and they both start at almost the same price. They also offer a 4x4 option in the Cross Country version and have managed to keep the bonnet low with an underhood pedestrian airbag.

I like this car and with my well-known love of German engineering, this is as close as you’ll get and well worth a look - you will not be disappointed.

I like a Volvo - who’d have thought!

TECHNICAL STUFF Model tested: V40 D3 R-Design Pro Engine: 1969cc Power: 150 bhp Performance: 0-60 mph 7.9 seconds Top Speed: 130 mph Economy: 70.6 mpg combined Price from: £20,255.00 As tested: £35,130.00

65

Golf

NAVIGATING THE WATERFALL David Sheppard, Chairman of Sussex Chamber of Commerce, reviews the spectacular Waterfall Course at Mannings Heath Golf Club

D

escribed as a luxury golf course and with a new owner, I wondered what to expect as a golfer visiting Mannings Heath for the first time. Positioned between the A23 and the A24 to the south east of Horsham, this golf club nestles wonderfully in the Sussex countryside with seemingly only the birds and the Gatwick arrivals overhead for company.

Penny Streeter, a South African entrepreneur with interests in wine, hospitality and healthcare bought the club from the Exclusive Group (owners of South Lodge in

66

Lower Beeding) this summer with grand plans of converting nine holes of one of the two 18 hole courses into a wine estate and improving the club’s existing facilities. Planting starts in the spring.

Two courses are now attached to the club, a nine hole course (Kingfisher) and an 18 hole course (Waterfall). On this occasion myself and two more competent golfing partners played the Waterfall course, although only 14 holes as it it was cold, dark and we wanted to get back to Hove for the fireworks.

The clubhouse is a beautifully appointed (pink) faced Georgian manor house overlooking the first tee of the Waterfall course. Prior to teeing off, one of the golf shop’s pro’s took great pleasure in showing off the changing rooms, lounge, restaurant and bar together with the compact but cosy conferencing facilities upstairs. The shop was well fitted out and the clubhouse had a friendly warm feeling to it with a gentle hubbub of conversation around those 19th hole drinks. Although also used for functions and weddings, one didn’t feel this would be

Golf intrusive and take away the golf atmosphere which had a feel much like a gentleman’s club.

But what of the golf? Two buggies were ready and waiting and the fact that holes one and two on the Waterfall course were called Sodom and Gomorrah should have given me a hint about the level of difficulty they were going to present. As it was the course is beautifully laid out and kept, with trees, parkland, water hazards and lots of creeks and valleys to negotiate. In most cases there was always an easier option on the holes, however, for the better golfer, there were testing short cuts and challenges.

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The fact that holes one and two on the Waterfall course were called Sodom and Gomorrah should have given me a hint about the level of difficulty they were going to present.

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Even in November the course played well and was only “squishy” in a few places. Two holes of particular note (both of which I miraculously parred) were on the “home” nine holes. The ‘Waterfall’ 10th par 3, from which I presume the course takes its name, has a wonderful view from the elevated tee and staggered terraces all the way down to the green, with water to catch you if you err. Then the par 4 ‘Valley’ 11th - a hole which Gary Player put in his imaginary world 18 holes! Thank goodness we had the buggies, as this is a long and tiring course particularly in the winter. The 14th takes you back to the clubhouse and for us an opportunity to warm up with hot a toddy or two.

Membership costs £1550 for the seven day individual membership plus a £750 joining fee with visitor rates on the Waterfall course between £35 and £75 per round depending on the time/day, with booking essential. The pay as you play Kingfisher course is a more affordable £12.50 to £20 for nine holes again depending on time of day and day of the week. I was assured the holes on the Kingfisher course were every bit as challenging as the Waterfall course. All details can be found on the website www.manningsheath.com.

This a lovely facility for golf and conferencing or just to come for the bar and restaurant. It is quite a way out from the coast and the golf is a bit pricey, but then this is described as a luxury golf course and the membership packages are apparently under review. To my mind Mannings Heath is definitely worth a visit and there are membership places currently available.

David Sheppard with golf partner Fiona Anderson, Entrepreneur Development Manager at NatWest

67

Table Talk

And so to food

By Amanda Menahem

Hotel Alfonso

O

ctober was all about the croquetta.

is without doubt the most glamorous hotel

I became a bit obsessed with them.

I have ever stayed in. More stunning than

adjoining tapas bar (Ena by Carlas Abellan),

What’s not to like about a hot crisp

anything you’d find in London (including my

that I tried the best croquettas I’ve ever

favourite, Claridges) but at half the price. The

had. They’ve ruined me - no others could

shell encasing various molten, gooey cheese and meat combinations. Perfect with drinks to kick off an evening or as part of a wider Tapas extravaganza.

I did both in Seville this month. What a city.

Already a fan of Barcelona, I wasn’t expecting to love Seville as much as I did.

Firstly, it is stonkingly beautiful. Home to the largest cathedral in the world (did you know that? I didn’t), as well as a plethora of

ever possibly match up. Biting through the

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Of course I also ate plenty of jamon and manchego, which are virtually the equivalent of getting nuts with your drinks in Spain

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grand churches, palaces and museums adding a dramatic, gothic feel to the central old town. With pleasingly narrow cobbled streets

It was here, at their fabulous and funky

hot crisp encasement revealed dense, gooey shredded roast chicken with the most intensely chickeny flavour. A welcome departure from the ubiquitous jamon and cheese varieties. I also tried a simple but innovative dessert of chocolate mousse with olive oil and salty crisp croutons. It shouldn’t work but it really does!

On another occasion at the excellent Bar La Azotea, I tried the croquettas of the day (imagine that, a different croquetta for each day!), which on this occasion were salt cod.

where locals drink and dine outside, to some

Sunday brunch is a must, with bottomless

These were a close second in the croquetta

of the most beautiful lush green parks I have

(top quality) Cava and an impressive never-

league table, the filling slightly sweet against

ever seen in a city. It’s less ‘in your face’ than

ending buffet of everything you can imagine.

Barcelona and ignited my regular fantasy of ‘I could live here’.

I totally fell in love with Hotel Alfonso. This

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Set within palatial surroundings and with the added ambient tinkle of the live pianist, it’s pretty hard to leave.

the salt cod and served with a homemade chilli jam.

Eventually, at the Mercado Lonja Del Barranco, a huge indoor food market

Table Talk

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I discovered the holy grail a dedicated croqueteria.

Oh my, I had no idea such things existed

and street food emporium, I discovered the holy grail - a dedicated croqueteria. Oh my, I had no idea such things existed. Staying all

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Sunday brunch at Hotel Alfonso

evening, I also indulged in some excellent tortilla (so underrated), a trio of three different paellas and some slow roast pork (I had to get some pig of course) with string fries. Of course I also ate plenty of jamon and manchego, which are virtually the equivalent of getting nuts with your drinks in Spain.

The culinary offerings of Seville provide a range of styles; from traditional dark holes in the wall full of locals, to super modern and chic offerings (such as the bar of the EME cathedral hotel with views of, you guessed it, the cathedral).

There were so many other places I wanted to try, Seville really is a food lover’s dream. I vowed to return. Until then, I am trying to perfect my roast chicken croquettas.

Roast chicken croquettas

Chocolate mousse with olive oil and salty croutons

Mercado Lonja Del Barranco

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Table Talk

HOTEL DEVINE

By Maarten Hoffmann

I

am sure l am not alone in the realisation

swivels every which way and two baths in the

that although l spend so much time in my

bedroom. This is a recent fad to put the bath

but l think an estate agent wrote that line.

home town, there are places that l have not

in the room and l guess it works if you order a

What is it they call it – oblique? It is there but

seen. This often happens when a foreign friend

double but would hate the thought in a twin.

could not exactly be called a full sea view but

comes over and says ‘show me the town’ and

Imagine if you take your Mother!

nevertheless, good to see it anyway. There is

you see things never before noticed. And so it was when l booked a friend into the Hotel du Vin in Brighton and decided to stay the night too and made the realisation that although l have been knocking around HDV for years (great bar and restaurant), l have actually never even seen a bedroom.

I love the building as it looks a little gothic

I didn’t take my Mother but my wife thought it hilarious and immediately ran a bath and then lost the next hour in a haze of creams and lotions, whilst we fought over which way the TV was to be swivelled. The room is very well equipped and try as l might,

The suite is mentioned as having a sea view

a fabulous old seafront telescope in the room and this was great fun although half the time was spent looking at people in other hotels rather than out to sea. I guess the ‘Voyeur Suite’ does not have the right connotation.

And so to dinner. Always one of my

and l tried, l could not think of anything l

favourites in Brighton, and Amanda’s too

needed that was not there. The mini fridge

l know, as we often dine together here,

and have always loved the courtyard in the

was well stocked (when we arrived) and we

but l had not eaten there since the total

summer, but felt like a virgin as l followed the

proceeded an onslaught. The bottle of HDV

refurbishment and was keen to see if they had

very efficient staff member up the stairs to my

house Champagne was very good indeed – too

changed it for the better. My wife is a gluten

room. The Gossett Suite is a revelation with its

good, as it magically disappeared, therefore

free vegetarian so it is normally mung beans

huge sleigh bed, humungous plasma TV that

forcing us to attack the second bottle.

with a side order of dust for her, but no, her

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Table Talk

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I didn’t take my Mother but my wife thought it hilarious and immediately ran a bath and then lost the next hour in a haze of creams and lotions

eyes lit up as she spotted Aubergine Caponata and grilled Halloumi

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We slept like contented and, slightly inebriated, logs in a divinely

which she said was one of the best dishes she had eaten in many a year.

sumptuous bed and after a scan of the complimentary papers, we

Praise indeed. I plumped for the Chicken Liver Parfait with Hazelnut

decided we should saunter down for breakfast. To me, always the

brioche and tomato chutney followed by Navarin of Herdwick Mutton,

final test of a good hotel. Disappointment was hiding that day as the

braised for eight hours with Heritage baby vegetable. It was sublime.

breakfast was fabulous. I am not a creature of habit but l tend always

Soft, full of flavour and beautifully presented. All of this was eased

to order Eggs Benedict in hotels as if not cooked just right, it is terrible.

down with a non-stop conveyor belt of Kir Royals and at £10.75 a pop,

No fears here. Perfect ham on an impossibly soft muffin and two soft

this cost us dear.

and running poached eggs, a pile of toast and gallons of tea and I’m anyone’s.

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We slept like contented and, slightly inebriated, logs in a divinely sumptuous bed and after a scan of the complimentary papers, we decided we should saunter down for breakfast.

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By the end of the main course, my belt had shrunk and was feeling a

smidge tight and the Kir was taking effect, so we decide to retire to the

We were surprised to look out and see that the weather was shocking – rain, wind and dull dull dull. Another good indicator of a great hotel is that you just do not see outside as with all the cossetting, it matters not what the normal world is up to.

We really enjoyed the evening and the staff were wonderful and this, l would venture, is down to the recently arrived General Manager, Ben Haynes. Ben has put his shoulder to the wheel and worked hard to raise the standards, retain and train new staff, refurbish the restaurant and return HDV to the forefront of great hotels in Brighton.

Bravo Ben – job done.

suite but missing pudding was not an option, so we ordered a Chocolate Bombe with white chocolate ice cream inside a hollow chocolate ball and a lovely tiny copper pan filled with hot salted caramel. The waiter was very concerned that it would not reach the room at the right temperature and, with the aid of several Kirs, l responded that running would therefore be the order of the day. We arrived to the suite and within 5 minutes a panting waiter, who had indeed run, arrived with the delightful confection. Pour the hot caramel over the bomb and watch the drama unfold as it melts away the bomb and reveals the interior.

Yummy although a tad nervous as my wife was carrying this out on the

HOTEL DU VIN 2 Ship St, Brighton BN1 1AD Tel: 01273 855221 www.hotelduvin.com/ brighton

crisp white sheets!

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Table Talk CHEF PROFILE

Michael Bremner

By Amanda Menahem Best Restaurant in the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Awards in 2014 and 2015, Best Restaurant in the Brighton Top 20 Awards, and being voted number 36 in 2014, 24 in 2015 and 16 in the 2016 National Restaurant Awards Top 100 List.

Michael Bremner, chef patron is the man behind the success. Recently Michael appeared on the Great British Menu reaching the finals and the dishes that wowed the judges can now be found on his menu (but not for long!).

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We’re excited to be pushing forward, we’re not thinking about awards, rosettes and stars, we’re thinking about execution and the dining experience of the guest sitting in front of us

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Originally from Aberdeenshire, Michael trained locally before moving to London to train at various top establishments including Michelin starred Orrery and Marco Pierre White’s Quo Vadis. After travelling and

working abroad Michael decided to settle in Brighton. Before launching 64 degrees, Michael worked at various venues including the highly regarded Due South and Food for Friends. Recently I caught up with him just after he’d finished a busy lunch shift.

WHAT IS IMPORTANT YOU? My family; my other half and my daughters. After that it’s 64

Having recently made the finals on BBC’s Great British Menu, chef Michael Bremner can be found cooking up a storm at his award-winning Brighton restaurant, 64 Degrees.

I

’m sure you’ve heard of 64 Degrees - the now famous, tiny local Brighton restaurant that has done much to put the city firmly on the UK foodie map. Opened in October 2013, the restaurant delivered on

a key food trend; social dining, where people can order several plates to share with an open kitchen allowing diners to sit at the pass and catch all the action.

The menu is ever-evolving, with the aim of being engaging, never stagnating, but most of all being accessible to everyone. Since its opening, 64 Degrees has gone from strength to strength, winning

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Degrees. We’ve survived because of the staff, they’re the most important thing in my working environment. Some of these guys have been with me from the start, Sam, our head chef and Josh my souschef, have been with us since we opened. Our close partnerships and friendships in the business are really beneficial.

THERE’S LOTS OF SPECULATION REGARDING 64 DEGREES GETTING THE FIRST MICHELIN STAR FOR BRIGHTON – WHAT’S YOUR VIEW? We’re not ready yet. It’s definitely something that I would love and if we were in the position to get that, it would be amazing. But I’m not reaching for it. We’re more excited about simple things rather than trying to win stuff like that. We’re excited to be pushing forward, we’re not thinking about awards, rosettes and stars, we’re thinking about execution and the dining experience of the guest sitting in front of us.

WHERE DO YOU GO OUT TO EAT IN BRIGHTON? The Little Fish Market in Hove blew me away, I thought it was

Table Talk

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I’m not the kind of person who’s snobby about food, I couldn’t eat adventurous food every day, I’d get bored of it

fantastic. I absolutely adore The Chilli Pickle.

Burger Brothers and Meat Liquor, I don’t think

The Oxtail Madras is in my five best dishes I’ve

you need many more than that and there’s

ever tasted, it’s amazing. I love Meat Liquor

probably 50 other ones. I think people just

for their Chicken Buffalo Burger. We often

need to be original, which is extremely hard to

go to Pho, I love that, just a simple broth and

get but I think Brighton needs more of that.

noodles. I like food done simply.

WHAT DO YOU COOK AT HOME? My favourite meal that my missus makes at

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF? I’m extremely proud of my kids. My youngest has just started school this year and

home is spaghetti bolognese. I’m pretty easy

my oldest does all these ballet and dance

going, I could sit and have anything. I’m not

classes which she’s great at.

the kind of person who’s snobby about food, I couldn’t eat adventurous food every day, I’d get bored of it.

GUILTY PLEASURES? I actually did really like KFC, but I had one recently and it wasn’t as good. I’m a big fan of spicy Flamin’ Hot Monster Munch. I could definitely have a packet of them!

YOU CHANGE YOUR MENUS QUITE REGULARLY, WHERE DOES THAT INSPIRATION COME FROM? Everyone has a say in what we do and make at the restaurant. We find out from the suppliers what’s coming into season and, Sam and Josh and I will come up with a plan.

Work wise, I’m really proud of the team, from where we’ve come and where we’ve got to. Who’d have thought that we’d have done the things that we’ve done in three years.

We’ve got a Bib Gourmand, two rosettes and we’re number 16 in the best restaurants list in the UK at the moment, which is a great achievement in itself.

WHAT’S NEXT? We’re launching a food offering in the Bison Arms, which will be different to 64 Degrees but it’s not going to be gastro-pub food. It will be food aimed to compliment beer, but with a fresher angle.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR

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EXPERIENCE ON THE GREAT BRITISH MENU. WHAT DID YOU TAKE AWAY FROM THE EXPERIENCE? It was very intense and the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but extremely enjoyable – it’s like doing seven stages in a week! We’ve had a great response at the restaurant because of it though. I saw some amazing dishes; it’s plain to see that the highend chefs are moving away from gimmicky presentation and are focussing more on the food.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED? I think probably the failure of 64 Degrees in London; it grounded me a lot more, it gave me something that I needed. It’s easy to assume that because you’ve got something that’s working you can replicate it easily, but when you open somewhere different it doesn’t always go to plan - it taught me a lot about business and about relationships.

Like everything I take on, I felt it was my responsibility to make it work, and it didn’t.

I learnt a lot from that - it was definitely a valuable experience for me.

I don’t think there’s any one inspiration, we work very well by bouncing off each other.

We experiment with new techniques and I’m very much focused on flavour and taste, now more than ever. Those things are extremely important to me. I think food is such an exciting thing to work out. There’s no rules here, we’re very conscious that we can do whatever we want.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS MISSING IN THE BRIGHTON AND HOVE FOOD SCENE? I think people recognise something that works and a lot of people then saturate it. Like burgers! We only really need Troll’s Pantry,

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Table Talk REVIEW

The Cat Inn

By Amanda Menahem

T

he Cat Inn in West Hoathly won the 2016 Sussex Eating Experience of the Year, and so of course it’s been on my

list of places to try for some time. Maarten and I were well overdue for a catch-up so we decided to enjoy a long and leisurely lunch at this acclaimed venue.

Regular readers know of my love of country pubs. The Sussex Ox (Polegate) and

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butternut squash’. Blimey. Perhaps they were

Perhaps they were expecting a coach load of vegans that night.

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The menu is extensive (a worry) with most

expecting a coach load of vegans that evening.

I was clearly in a squash mood as I settled for the butternut squash soup. Maarten went for the Curried Lamb Scotch Egg with Mango Chutney, Coriander and Red Onion Salad (£7).

Things started well. I rarely order soup in restaurants as its, well, boring isn’t it?

Horseguards Inn (Tollington), are both fine

of the dishes sounding promising. I really

And can often be disappointing if a venue is

examples of ‘ye old English pub’.

fancied one of the mains for my starter;

trying to do it on the cheap (by filling it out

Autumn Squash, Zatar Spiced Bulgar Wheat,

with potato) But I fancied it. I have to say I

The Cat Inn has many traditional elements

Pomegranate, Whipped Goats Cheese (£13.50).

was impressed. The squash flavour was rich.

- the original part of the building, which is

I asked if the chef could do me a starter size

Parmesan may well have been used to enhance

antiquated and pleasant enough, as well as

version. No, I was told. I politely asked why

the dish, and the use of cream made this a

being a ‘proper pub’. Unfortunately we were

not, and was told “because the butternut

luscious delight. The accompanying focaccia

seated in the other part of the establishment

squash is large”. So I asked if it could be

was good quality but could have done with

– a rather ugly modern extension. Never mind.

portioned and made into a smaller dish. I was

being warmed up. Maarten’s Scotch egg was

Hopefully the food and service would redeem…

told ‘No, because then I’d be left with half a

excellent. Crisp on the outside, the curried

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Table Talk

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The ice-cream that came with it was good, but not good enough to rescue the dessert

lamb mince flavoured with cumin and coriander, and the egg in the middle perfectly cooked with an oozing yolk. A new take on a pub

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Scotch Egg

classic, perfectly executed.

For mains I chose Roast Rump of Sussex Lamb, Parmesan Gnocchi, Crushed Peas, Charred Onion, Runner Beans and Hazelnut Gremolata (£18) and Maarten went for Steak Mushroom & Ale Pie, Chips or Mash, Sussex Vegetables (£14.75). My lamb was overcooked but otherwise this was a nice dish, well presented. The Gnocchi was a bit overcooked and rigid (I think they had been pre-cooked and heated up – you can always tell). The accompanying ‘jus’ was rich and lifted the dish. Maarten’s pie was great. A good hearty size with a puff pastry top and crisp sides and base which Maarten thought too ‘hard’ but which I felt was just right. The inside revealed a suitably rich filling

Rump of Sussex Lamb

with meat falling apart and all the right flavours in the dense gravy.

The accompanying vegetables could have done with sprucing up a bit - they were simply boiled and plonked on the plate. It might have been nice to have sautéed a bit of Savoy cabbage with some chestnuts or something similar. Maarten felt the mashed potato was over-salted (but then he has a ‘thing’ about salt in mashed potato). I thought it was fine, if lacking butter.

What followed was disappointing. We waited over half an hour for our mains to be cleared. They weren’t busy. We couldn’t get any attention. We were lucky we didn’t have meetings to get to. We were finally brought dessert menus. I asked about the special of the day, Fig, Frangipane and Chestnut Tart, and whether it was puff or

Steak, mushroom and ale pie

shortcrust pastry. The waiter replied that he didn’t know anything about the dessert and would need to ask. He later returned and confirmed ‘puff’. I asked whether he would recommend that or the plum crumble. He didn’t have a view. I went for the special. I regretted it.

What came out was possibly one of the worst desserts I can remember. Almost raw puff pastry, with no chestnut, no discernible frangipane (though I could detect a smear of tasteless gloop) underneath figs that had not been basted with sugar or butter and so seemed very bland. The ice-cream that came with it was good. But not good enough to rescue the dessert. What a disappointment.

So in summary, the food at The Cat Inn was good in parts. Would

Fig, frangipane and chestnut tart

I say that this was the eating experience of my year in Sussex? I think you know the answer to that.

It is pretty good pub grub. No shame in that.

The Cat Inn,

North Lane, West Hoathly, West Sussex, RH19 4PP Phone: (01342) 810369 Email: thecatinn@googlemail.com

75

Charity News

GOING FOR GOLD Rockinghorse Children’s Charity reveals its 50th anniversary plans

L

ast month, Rockinghorse Children’s Charity launched its 50th year plans during a special event at the Hilton Brighton Metropole hotel. Guests including representatives from local businesses, schools, community groups, trusts and individual donors, were invited to find out more about the charity’s plans as it prepares to celebrate its Golden Jubilee next year. Guests were greeted outside with the newly launched Rockinghorse bus, in partnership with Brighton & Hove Buses, to mark the charity’s forthcoming anniversary and pays homage to Dr Trevor Mann, founder of Rockinghorse, by bearing his name on the front.

Ryan Heal, Chief Executive of Rockinghorse, launched the charity’s fundraising appeal in celebration of their anniversary year; Sussex Giving for Sussex Children. The charity aims to provide £500,000 worth of funding which will be split between 10 children’s centres and paediatric services in Sussex, to help them improve, refurbish and develop their environment for the young people benefiting from their work. They include The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton;

The current Rockinghorse team (L-R: Simon Gregg, Analiese Doctrove, Cheryl Piper, Ryan Heal, Hannah Seltzer, Rhian Walsh, Liz McCluskey and Louise Bartha). the Trevor Mann Baby Unit located within the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton; the Special Care Baby Unit based within the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath; Bluefin Ward at Worthing Hospital; Chailey Heritage Foundation in Lewes; Chalkhill Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit in Haywards Heath; Finches Short Breaks Centre in Burgess Hill; The Bungalow in Eastbourne; Tudor House in Brighton and The Connor Saunders Foundation based in Brighton.

Ryan Heal said: “2017 represents our Golden Jubilee, a time for celebration and continuing to make a real impact on the lives of local children. By supporting services across Sussex, we can continue the legacy of the work of Rockinghorse, enabling us to support children and young people for the next 50 years.

Lady Mary Mumford DCVO, Lady-in-Waiting to HRH Princess Alexandra and Rockinghorse’s one and only Patron, sent a message of support to the charity. She said: “When Dr Trevor Mann invited me to become Patron of Rockinghorse 50 years ago, I never envisaged celebrating our Golden Jubilee. It has been an honour and a privilege to be the charity’s only Patron for every one of those 50 years. I wish everyone involved with Rockinghorse a very special year and here’s to the next half century of extraordinary work helping our sick children.”

To find out more about the charity’s 50th year projects and how you can get involved, please visit rockinghorse.org.uk.

“Time moves on, but for 50 years our message has remained the same. As the late great Dr Trevor Mann said: ‘We can’t always stop children getting sick, but with your help we can make them better.’”

Founded by Dr Trevor Mann in 1967, Rockinghorse has had a huge impact on

(L-R) Ryan Heal (Rockinghorse CEO), Dr Nick Mann (Dr Trevor Mann’s son), Susan Mann (Dr Trevor Mann’s daughter-in-law), Victoria Garcia (Brighton & Hove Bus Company), Adam Pyart (Brighton & Hove Bus Company) and Louise Bartha (Rockinghorse) with the new 50th year Rockinghorse bus, featuring the late Dr Trevor Mann’s name

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thousands of local children, having been created following the recognition of a shortfall, and restrictions around paediatric care in Sussex. 50 years on, Rockinghorse is best known as the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital (The Alex) in Brighton. The charity has provided The Alex with the best cutting-edge medical equipment, and is often cited as the difference between good care and great care for our children.

Rockinghorse CEO Ryan Heal, presents Dr Nick Mann with a commemorative silver salver in memory of his father and founder of Rockinghorse, Dr Trevor Mann.

All Photos: Stephen Johnson Photography

Table Talk

Wine Masterclass WHITE CHRISTMAS… OR RED

by Jonny Gibson

W

e drink more alcohol during December than any other month in the UK, quaffing 40 per cent more than the annual monthly average. The only question for many people isn’t whether to drink, but what.

In our family, Christmas Day starts with smoked salmon. That smokiness needs something with high acidity and the classic choice would be champagne which works beautifully. I might choose a grower champagne from somewhere like The Secret Cellar or Quaff Wines, or maybe a classic house like Ruinart or Louis Roederer. English sparkling wine works really well too.

After the bubbles have been polished off and presents opened, Christmas lunch appears and it’s time for the next bottle. Most people will be having turkey, ham or maybe goose. These white meats are subtle, so you don’t want a dry, tannic red. My default variety is pinot noir. Burgundy is the classic region but you could also do something from Central Otago in New Zealand, or a soft sensual pinot noir from Chile.

Oregon in the United States is another good place.

Germany also has cracking pinot noir as does England - try the likes of Bolney and Hush Heath. Barbera d’Alba is the other place I might go. It’s quite soft and works well with goose and turkey.

For those who want a white rather than red

Christmas, I think the obvious choice is, love it or hate it, chardonnay. The classic would be a white Burgundy. You could go with a Chablis or Macon Villages, or push the boat out with a Pouilly-Fuissé or a Meursault.

New World choices include Margaret River in Western Australia or the Casablanca region of Chile or even South Africa. Go for a subtle, cool to moderate climate chardonnay.

If you’re swapping white meat for a rich rack of venison or a full rib of beef you’ll need a different wine, something with tannin to cut through all that protein, especially if you’re roasting. One option would be a red Bordeaux.

An alternative is to try an Italian wine with beef or venison, a really top-notch Sangiovese, like Chianti Classico or Brunello di Montalcino. If you wanted something New World, I would go with an Argentinian Malbec or a good quality cabernet sauvignon.

Once mains are out the way – crackers pulled, bad jokes told and paper hats donned – attention turns to dessert.

Christmas pudding and mince pies are dark, spicy, rich and sweet and the best wine to pair with this is a sweet fortified wine, and there are a couple of options. The first is a ten or 20 year old tawny port. These deliberately oxidised ports have flavours that go brilliantly with Christmas pudding. Try Warre’s ten year old Otima, or you could go for a fortified

Muscat from Rutherglen, Australia, or a fortified wine from Rivesaltes in France.

Once you’ve slept off all these Christmas Day delights, it’s time to get up and go all over again! We often have bubble and squeak on Boxing Day. We fry all the leftover sprouts and get a ham with some pickles and cheese out. These are lovely with a dry or off-dry Riesling from Germany, particularly from the Mosel region in Germany or Clare Valley in Australia.

Sussex Wine School is holding a Christmas wines and food pairing evening at Hotel du Vin Brighton in December at £35 per person. To book visit www.sussexwineschool.com

Jonny Gibson is the head tutor and owner of Sussex Wine School, an independent company that runs regular tastings and courses including WSET Levels 1-3 in Brighton, Lewes and Tunbridge Wells.

www.sussexwineschool.com

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Anger Management

ANGER MANAGEMENT

A MORAL OBLIGATION

by Maarten Hoffmann

W

hy is it that when certain corporations sniff money, they can move heaven and earth but when it comes to integrity and morals, they fail to lift a finger.

I speak of Google. It is fascinating to see how they track my every move. As l spend a lot of time researching an eclectic array of subjects every month to aid in the writing of our editorials, l see how l am tracked. I recently researched sharks for a piece l am writing and hey presto, within an hour the ads on my Google home page changed to offers of Sushi,

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Googles motto is ‘Don’t Be Evil’ but along with Facebook, Twatter and YouTube, they seem to be able to turn a blind eye to all sorts of evil if there is no profit in it.

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shark diving vacations and a new book of sharks. They track my every move.

Facebook, for example, collect 98 separate facts about every single user. They can track every website you have ever visited and every single purchase you have ever made on-line.

They know where you went to school, how much you earn, your credit rating, when you go on vacation, your political affiliation, and even where you stood on Brexit.

I have never understood people who want to post every dull and dreary facet of their lives on-line, from their latest bowel movement

Anger Management

to when they go away so that burglars can raid their house at leisure. Look at the number of imbeciles who commit professional suicide by posting nude images and abusive comments on Twatter.

Googles motto is ‘Don’t Be Evil’ but along with Facebook, Twatter and YouTube, they seem to be able to turn a blind eye to all sorts of evil if there is no profit in it.

Radical Islamic Jihadis get a free lunch across the airwaves and have so many evil sites set up that you lose count. These sites not only spout revolutionary garbage but they have, as we have seen, managed to radicalise young minds to commit all sorts of heinous acts of terror.

Search beheading videos and an entire library of them pop up followed, no doubt, by an ad from John Lewis trying to flog you a hat or a nice cravat to keep your neck warm. If the tech giants are able to pinpoint who purchased a pair of pink cotton knickers in Haywards Heath to within a few square centimetres, why the hell can’t they pinpoint who is posting this vile stuff and shut them down.

They could shut these terror sites down immediately if they had the will to do so or they could assist the security services in sending a fatal virus, or tracking software, down the line. But there is no profit in it so why should they bother. They should bother because the free world gave the tech giants the opportunity to thrive and therefore they should not be aiding and abetting the enemies of freedom who want to destroy our hard-won liberties.

The same thing applies to peadophile sites. I have three daughters and nothing, absolutely nothing, gets my blood boiling as fast as dirty little ingrates who prey on children. Not only do l wonder why they allow sites that feed their depraved thoughts and positively encourage

them to act out their fantasies when they could track them and kill the sites within minutes but, and l fear l am angry now and going off track, when will we get a government that has the balls to pass a law that castrates every convicted nonce. Once the tackle is cut off, the problem is solved in that particular individual forever. But I digress.

Every company has the right to trade and make money, Equally, every company has a responsibility within their given sector to police themselves in staying on the right side of the law. If l were to stand in Crawley High Street with a large image of a naked 6 year old girl, l would be beaten to a pulp by passing pedestrians and then carted off to the cop shop and prosecuted. But Google can offer us all 1,897,000 images of underage children at the press of a button without barely a hair raised. I read last week that a 12 year old boy repeatedly raped his 6 year old sister after watching rape porn on his computer.

The tech giants have a responsibility and it is about time they stepped up and stopped this filth from reaching vulnerable children, depraved ingrates and Islamic wannabes. Until they do, this incredible invention called the world wide web will more and more become a force for evil and not a force for good.

Don’t Be Evil - they said it and it is about time they stepped up.

“I would rather be a little nobody, than an evil somebody.”

– Abraham Lincoln

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Direct Debit Processing Donor Development Campaign Planning Marketing Resources

www.charityline.org.uk

Call us on: 0800 368 9701 or email: info@charityline.org.uk

Brighton Summit

REACH THE SUMMIT

Business dreams are created at the Brighton Chamber’s annual conference

T

he Brighton Summit, Brighton Chamber’s big annual conference, took place on October 14th and was a huge sell out success with over 300 businesses attending. The energy was palpable, the feedback was fantastic and social media went mad (#BrightonSummit trended twice).

MC Kathy Caton, co-founder of Brighton Gin, opened the Brighton Summit. She had to fly to Spain on business in the afternoon and so her co-founder Helen Chesshire took over.

Susan Beckingham from Sussex Copywriting Services and Lindsey Pickles from Bright Dials Digital Marketing discuss the importance of goal setting to succeed in business.

Lindsey said of the Summit: “a very useful session during a very enjoyable day”.

Marc Koska OBE was the final keynote session and had the room spellbound with how he had invented the K1 auto-disabling syringe which went on to save hundreds of thousands of lives across the world. Marc has also set up the Safepoint Trust charity.

The Brighton Summit brings together the city’s diverse and expert business community. It’s a chance to learn from and with successful business leaders and hear extraordinary speakers. Here’s a look at some of our favourite photos from the day:

Luke Johnson, the second keynote speaker, talked about working successfully with business partners, making and losing large sums of money, the importance of family for keeping you grounded and Brighton Pier.

Jay Cooper from Campus Plus speaks on ‘The power of our mindset’ with fellow panellists Dr Lynda Shaw and business coach Susan Carroll from Scala Advance.

For more information about Brighton Chamber’s events, please visit www.businessinbrighton.org.uk/events Follow us on Twitter: @brightonchamber Look out for the Earlybird tickets for next year’s Brighton Summit!

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Best4Biz

IS YOUR BUSINESS IN DENIAL, DIGITAL OR DISRUPTIVE?

By Emma Pearce, Marketing Consultant – marketing planning, outsourced marketing and social media training www.pearcemarketing.co.uk The keynote speaker at the East Sussex Best4Biz Conference was a real hit. If you missed it, here’s the digital marketing to-do list from international speaker, Allister Frost

T

he East Sussex Best4Biz Conference is only in its third year, but has earned a strong reputation for delivering an impressive line up of international business speakers, a Question Time style panel discussion with local MPs and business leaders, along with useful breakout seminars on a range of topics.

DENIAL - remember Blockbuster? They were offered the opportunity to buy Netflix in 2000 but refused. Netflix offers a monthly subscription and provides streaming media and video on demand online and DVD by mail. There are no late fees. After years of success, Blockbuster went bust in 2010.

This year’s conference at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea had a packed agenda and keynote speaker, Allister Frost, was very well received by local business owners. He was Head of Digital Marketing for Microsoft and now advises companies all over the world.

DIGITAL - a business that is embracing the new digital world. For example, even in retail, John Lewis has screens in store where you can see every piece of furniture with any of their fabric options. They can’t hold all that physical stock - but they can digitally.

He asked: Is your business in Denial, Digital or Disruptive? Allister gave examples of companies that are in three distinct categories - which are you in?

DISRUPTIVE - a business like Uber. A disruptive innovation is where there is a fundamental change in the way business is done. An Uber customer uses an app on their phone that integrates with Google Maps, can pay by credit card and choose to play their Spotify music playlist in the cab.

Allister Frost

Your Digital Marketing Checklist Allister Frost’s ‘takeaways’ for East Sussex business owners were: • Build your business on solid ground - have a website with strong clear messages that answers people’s questions. Don’t build your business on a Facebook page. You are a tenant on Facebook.

• Mobile first - everything must work on mobile devices. (You will drop down the Google search rankings if you are not mobile optimised.)

• Email Excellence - it may be seen as old school, but it works when it’s done well. It can be read anytime, forwarded to others, have targeted messages to segmented lists at specific times and create and build a long term relationship. (You can also see who has opened and clicked on email links so you know who to follow up first.)

• Be easily found - search engine optimisation (SEO) is vital - included voice activated search. (Is your website invisible in search results?

Good local SEO means your website is working hard as a lead generation tool by appearing high in Google search results.)

• Laser targeted social media posts and advertising - target your posts to specific segments of your existing fan base for free and new potential customers via the paid marketing options. (Let me know if you’d like more detail on the targeting options available on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter etc.)

Best4Biz was delivered via East Sussex County Council and ACES, the Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex. www.acesalliance.org/events

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Charity News

GLORIOUS GALA

Sussex Children’s hospice raises funds at Amex charity dinner

A

round 90 guests and celebrities attended the end of season Chestnut Tree House FC gala dinner on Saturday 8th October at the American Express Community Stadium. The event was organised by Jamie Westley from G4S and founder of the Chestnut Tree House football team. The team was set up initially by staff members of G4S to raise vital funds for Chestnut Tree House, but now the team has expanded with players coming from right across the county.

The evening started with a drinks reception followed by a three course dinner and was attended by ex-Brighton and Hove Albion player, Kerry Mayo, Gogglebox stars, Chris and Stephen, together with Big Brother 2016 winner, Jason Burrill. The event was hosted by Juice 107.2 FM presenter Guy Lloyd whilst guests were entertained by DJs Phats and Small. Jason Burrill led the Heads and Tails fundraising game where guests had the opportunity to win a Land Rover Evoke for the weekend, courtesy of Harwoods Sussex.

Jason Burrill with Guy Lloyd

Photos: Dave Mason facebook.com/DMMImage

With the evening raising an amazing £4,500 for the hospice, Corporate Fundraising Manager, Terrina Barnes said, “We are so grateful to everyone involved with Chestnut Tree House FC and over the last two years the team have raised an amazing £30,000. It costs £3.5 million every year to provide all Chestnut Tree House’s care services, both at the hospice and in families’ own homes, and with less than 7% of our funding coming from central government, we rely heavily on events like this and the generosity of our local community to continue providing this vital care.”

Jamie Westley added, “I am so passionate about the charity and really want to help make a difference to the lives of children across Sussex who need the support of Chestnut Tree House. I am always thinking of new events to help raise money for the charity”.

To be part of the team or support Jamie with his fundraising activities, please contact Jamie Westley on 07958 577936 or jayblue50501@yahoo.co.uk

Kerry Mayo, Stephen Webb and Chris Steed

BIG BREAKFAST Our next breakfast is at Sussex County Cricket Club in Hove on Thursday 26th January 2017. Tea, coffee and pastries will be served at an 8am arrival followed by a full English breakfast. Our guest speaker is retired ex-professional Sussex County cricket player, Lewis Hatchett. He was born with a rare condition, Poland Syndrome, and will talk about how he overcame adversity and faced challenges to succeed.

Our breakfast events are a chance to hear inspirational speakers, meet great new contacts and find out how your business can benefit from charity partnerships and involvement. We will have a variety of inspiring speakers across the series, as well as giving you the opportunity to hear about the latest developments at the children’s hospice from our team of medical professionals.

Please share with a colleague, bring along a guest and bring plenty of business cards.

Tickets cost £10 and places are limited so booking is essential. www.chestnut-tree-house.org.uk/breakfast

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ACES

O

A VINTAGE CHRISTMAS

nce again, Stagecoach South East are dusting off their beautiful vintage buses and running them each weekend in the run up to Christmas. The buses will connect the Christmas Market at the Bandstand, Meads Village, the amazing Town Hall Light Show, Neon Noel and the Arndale Centre. The buses will run from 4pm to 7pm to link up these Christmas events every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from the 3rd to the 18th December. The suggested donation is £1 a ride and all proceeds will go to the Eastbourne Lifeboats charity.

Richard Tandy, the Operations Manager for Stagecoach in Eastbourne said: “We are delighted to support the Chamber of Commerce again this year and

CHAMBER NEWS

all the retailers in Eastbourne. The events put on last year were terrific and we are pleased to be able to support the Eastbourne Lifeboats charity once again.”

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“We are so grateful to Stagecoach for their generosity in running these buses. They are maintained in great condition and it is a chance to step back in time and visit all the sights Eastbourne has to offer, including the amazing light show Neon Noel, the Christmas market full of handmade gifts and delicacies and the Arndale and Meads Village – a new stop this year,” said town centre Manager, Chris Ewbank. “It is also very generous of Stagecoach to donate 100% of their fares to charity,” she added.

For more information visit EastbourneChristmas.com

NEON NOEL

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fter last year’s spectacular light show celebrating Eastbourne’s 700th year anniversary, due to popular demand the local Chamber of Commerce and Eastbourne Borough Council are bringing back Neon Noel to celebrate a year at the seaside. The display will be projected onto the Town Hall every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in December. It starts during the Little Christmas event on Friday 2nd December and can be seen up to Sunday 18th December at 4.30pm, 5.30pm and 6.30pm. Last year 20,000 visitors came to see the show so don’t miss out this year!

Battle Chamber of Commerce www.battlechamber.org.uk

Bexhill Chamber of Commerce 01424 842892 www.bexhillchamber.co.uk

Crowborough Chamber of Commerce www.crowboroughchamber.co.uk

Eastbourne UnLtd Chamber of Commerce 01323 641144 www.eastbournechamber.co.uk

East Sussex County Council 01273 481570 www.eastsussex.gov.uk

Federation of Small Businesses 01424 754686 Reg Office: 01323 482018 www.fsb.org.uk/eastsussex

Hailsham Chamber of Commerce 01323 310531 www.hailshamchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Hastings Chamber of Commerce 01424 205500 www.hastingschamber.co.uk

Heathfield Chamber of Commerce 01435 865858 www.heathfieldchamber.co.uk

ACES

MUDDY MARKETERS

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CES members, Pearce Marketing, raised £1320 for the Now! Charity Group in a muddy teamwork challenge to help the local East Sussex community. The Pearce Marketing & Friends team took on the Tough Mudder event near Crawley, and completed an 11 mile course with 21 epic obstacles, including the aptly named Kiss the Mud, King of the Swingers, Arctic Enema, The Blockness Monster and Electroshock Therapy.

Emma Pearce, MD at the Marketing and Social Media Consultancy said: “Special thanks go to everyone who donated, as well as Cale Sinfield from the RSE Group and Sarah Hinks who joined our team. It was a unique event that made us face our fears, enjoy enormous camaraderie and embrace the mud!”

She added: “We wanted to fundraise for our local community, and The Now! Charity Group is perfect because it supports over 35,000 people in East Sussex every year. It’s also a great resource for local businesses to donate and buy office furniture.”

The charity’s main activities are Training Now! - a service that helps those in need with free workshops and courses to build confidence and skills to get into work in Hailsham and Eastbourne. Furniture Now! offers everyone low cost new, second-hand and refurbished home and office furniture. There are stores in Hailsham, Eastbourne and Lewes giving special extra low prices for those receiving benefits.

Petrina Mayson, Chief Executive of Now! Charity, commented: “This was a very daring fundraising exercise - the Pearce Marketing team are quite mad! We are so grateful for their efforts and glad everyone survived.”

For more information visit www.pearcemarketing.co.uk and www.nowcharity.org.uk

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EASTBOURNE IN DETAIL

id you get this great gift last Christmas? If you did you will have enjoyed the 340 colour pictures and the fascinating text enriching our understanding of Eastbourne’s history. Who might you give the book to this year? And if you don’t own it, tell someone you’d like it for Christmas!

The publisher, Edward Dickinson of AVES Press, is very grateful to the many generous sponsors who made it possible for this book to be produced and sold for just £20. This remains the price while stocks last but sadly, the book will probably not be reprinted once it has sold out. Janet Coles, the previous Mayor of Eastbourne remarked at last year’s launch event, that based on her previous involvement in the book trade, she would normally expect a cost price of between £30 and £40 per copy for a book of this quality, so £20 represents excellent value for money.

Based on the book, the Eastbourne Heritage Centre has created a high quality 2017 calendar with different Eastbourne images for each of the twelve months with a choice of three different cover designs.

The Eastbourne in Detail calendar and book are on sale in Eastbourne at the Heritage Centre in Carlisle Road, at WH Smiths, Barley Sugar Cornfield Terrace and Teas and Interiors in South Street, Little Chelsea.

The Institute of Directors 0207 766 8866 www.iod.com

Lewes Chamber of Commerce 07919 382316 www.leweschamber.org.uk

Locate East Sussex 0844 415 9255 www.locateeastsussex.org.uk

Newhaven Chamber of Commerce 0800 107 0709 www.newhavenchamber.co.uk

Peacehaven Chamber of Commerce 01273 586222 www.peacehavenchamber.co.uk

Seaford Chamber of Commerce 0800 881 5331 www.seafordchamber.co.uk

South East Local Enterprise Partnership 01245 431469 www.southeastlep.com

Uckfield Chamber of Commerce 01825 722607 www.uckfieldchamber.co.uk

Wealden District Council 01323 443322 www.wealden.gov.uk

CHAMBER NEWS

Last Christmas Eastbourne in Detail was a bestseller locally. It is the best illustrated book about Eastbourne and makes a great present to give to overseas clients and suppliers. 2016 may also be the last Christmas you can buy this book brand new. Exchange rates are affecting the cost of printing and so the book is unlikely to be reprinted.

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ACES

ONE WAY TO SPARKLE special occasion. Your event can be held in the beautifully designed Winery, with its elegant Tasting Room, set in the heart of the estate with panoramic views across the vineyard and the South Downs; or in the newly restored Flint Barns, a historic landmark in the Cradle Valley, whose wonderfully characterful courtyard and delightfully informal arrangement of rooms is very much a ‘home away from home’.

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athfinny Wine Estate near Alfriston, has been created with the intention of producing some of the world’s best sparkling wine. Rathfinny occupies a perfect south facing slope, just three miles from the sea, and its climate, chalk soils and aspect make it the perfect place to produce wine in a region that is already producing some of the best, award winning English sparkling wines.

Rathfinny’s first 50 acres of vines were

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planted in April 2012 and they eventually expect to have up to 400 acres of the 600 acre estate under vines. Planting includes the three principal grape varieties used for the world’s finest sparkling wines – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

Rathfinny Wine Estate is the ideal location to host a special event, whether you wish to host corporate delegate days with full meeting facilities, or a private party for a

CHAMBER NEWS

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It has been seven years since all non-domestic properties in England and Wales were nationally revalued. The 2017 revaluation is based upon rental levels at 1st April 2015 and will form the basis of your business rates liability for the next five years. Draft listings were issued on 30th September 2016 and you can now view your new liabilities. Early indications show that many ACES members will be facing a substantial rates increase.

• You must act now if you want to ensure your business rates payments are kept to a minimum, and here’s why: • You may need to challenge your previous rates bills before you lose the right.

ACES The official magazine for the Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex

• You may need to challenge your future rates bills.

• You may be able to reduce your business rates early before you have to start to pay.

• Your estimated rates bill for next year will change - we can calculate this for you.

The rates challenge process is also changing, with the emphasis being placed on the ratepayer to provide detailed information from the outset. Initial indications are that much of the process will require the submission of information online within rigid time frames. Failure to comply will result in the challenge being unsuccessful.

Contact us now to see how ACES member, Auditel and their partners at Rates Recovery can help or just upload a copy of your current rates bill here: http://ratescheck.co.uk/auditel/bhp/

ussex Issue 1. 2016

AMBER RUDD Hastings’ own Secretary of State

WHAT CAN THE CHAMBER DO FOR ME? Christina Ewbank explains Profile of

SOVEREIGN HARBOUR AMSTERDAM

What’s in store for business travel

PROFILE: Tim Cobb PR

PUBLICATIONS

For more information visit www.rathfinnyestate.com events@rathfinnyestate.com or call 01323 871031

BUSINESS RATES REVALUATION

he government has embarked on a comprehensive review of business rates, with the aim of producing a more streamlined and efficient system, designed to reduce the vast number of entirely speculative appeals raised each year.

PLATINUM

Estate Tours take you to the new Winery, where you can enjoy a Winemaker’s lunch or afternoon tea in the gorgeous Tasting Room.

Alternatively walk the Rathfinny Trail or visit The Gun Room, the Estate’s Cellar Door, situated on The Tye in Alfriston where you can enjoy the wines.

ACES

The official magazine for the Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex

We are very proud to announce the launch of our brand new magazines for ACES. The new magazine will be distributed all over East Sussex. Make sure you pick up your copy.

For more information about advertising and editorial sponsorship, contact info@platinumbusinessmagazine.com or call 07966 244046 and we have discounted members rates. The first issue will be out at the end of November and then bi-monthly and will be in general distribution around the region.

BRIGHTON AND HOVE

READY TO TAKE OFF? Insights from our ‘High-rise debate on high growth’ by Miranda Birch, Miranda Birch Media

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f your company is growing fast, it’s exciting but it can also be a mad scramble. So it’s important to do what you’re least likely to do: stop, take stock and think strategically. Brighton Chamber’s High-rise Debate on High Growth did just that. Sponsored by Barclays at the BA i360, the four experienced panellists tackled three high-growth issues: company culture, systems and funding.

Systems are also vital, particularly during a growth spurt. James Dempster, MD at Cobb Digital, saw his headcount grow from seven to 13 in 24 hours, thanks to a merger with another agency: “With the recent merger, we effectively doubled in size, revenuewise, overnight, so it would have been easy to stop looking at our own pipeline. But throughout we have maintained the processes of our own marketing and making sure the hopper of leads is filling up.

You can’t take your eye off the ball.”

“You have to prepare very carefully, because your investors are investing in your promise to achieve ‘bigger things’. Typically you need to think about a five year plan. You might be taking a business with a turnover of one or two million and seeing how they can get to 20 million in five years’ time. That depends on the robustness and the reasonableness of their financial plans.”

Of course, there’s always the fear that outside investors will change the culture of the company they are buying into, damaging the very thing that makes that company distinctive and brought it growth in the first place. Richard Heggie, Head of the High Growth and Entrepreneurs Proposition at Barclays, summed up: “Everyone on the panel talked a lot about retaining the power in the founder, so it’s about being selective in who you partner with; being very selective in who you get funded by and making sure they can add value.

“It’s also about maintaining your authenticity and being very clear on what you are trying to achieve. Think about the deeper values. The world is changing. People really want to work most with companies that have a purpose.”

Photos by Vervate.com

CHAMBER NEWS

Nikki Gatenby is MD at Propellernet, a search engine and website optimisation consultancy. Since 2012 her team has grown from 15 to 50 people and they’ve kept their clear sense of purpose: “You need to have a strong culture and ethos to start with. You need to stand for something - beyond profit and growth. Our values are innovation, creativity, and adventure. When we recruit I say to people, ‘show me your sense of creativity and your spirit of adventure’. If you see their eyes light up when you say this, you know they will be aligned to start with. If you see fear or alarm bells, they are not right in the first place.”

Then there is funding. As joint founder and MD at Plus Accounting, Paul Feist has years of experience helping businesses to grow via venture capitalist investment:

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SUSSEX CHAMBER

WATER TIGHT Southern Water is counting down to competition writes Ana Christie, Chief Executive of Sussex Chamber of Commerce

CHAMBER NEWS

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From April next year, competition aims to stimulate innovation and deliver choice to non-household customers such as businesses, factories, shops, churches, charities and public sector organisations like schools and NHS trusts. Local water companies, like Southern Water, will continue to look after the pipes and infrastructure for all customers.

Southern Water and Business Stream will work together to ensure every customer involved experiences a seamless transition to Business Stream, which as part of the Scottish Water Group, has been at the

forefront of a competitive retail market in Scotland for more than eight years.

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ork on the smooth transition of Southern Water’s non-household customers to specialist retailer Business Stream, is well underway as the industry prepares for market opening.

Around 100,000 non-household customers in the Southern Water area will be affected by these changes, although the vast majority will not need to take any action unless they are directly contacted.

We are looking forward to offering Southern Water’s customers the service levels, innovations and competitive rates that our other customers have benefited from over many years.

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Southern Water’s Head of Retail, Mark Field said: “Our market reform readiness programme is well under way to deliver the business changes needed to meet the challenge of a new market and continue to deliver our customer promises.”

Southern Water will continue to serve non-

household customers until April 2017 when Business Stream – a leading expert retailer which has helped businesses across the UK save more than £133 million and conserve more than 24 billion of water - will take over.

Jo Dow, Chief Executive of Business Stream, added: “We are looking forward to offering Southern Water’s customers the service levels, innovations and competitive rates that our other customers have benefited from over many years.”

The Sussex Chamber of Commerce will also be inviting Business Stream to several of its events over the next few months so that businesses have the opportunity to understand the changes and to ask questions. Please contact the Sussex Chamber on 01444 259259 to book yourself onto these events.

For more information, please visit: www.southernwater.co.uk/ countdown

EASTBOURNE

ABOUT FACE Eastbourne welcomes new aesthetics clinic

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ringing 20 years of experience as a qualified aesthetician and laser technician, Brenda Pedder has relocated her ‘About Face Laser and Body Clinic’ to Physio Plus in Gildredge Road, Eastbourne. After a successful year in Polegate, Brenda is looking forward to a more dynamic environment in the town centre and brings with her the advanced Fotona laser.

The beauty of the laser treatments, both medical and cosmetic, is that they are simple, mostly none invasive and very effective in treating many conditions such as common skin imperfections, veins, rosacea, chronic nail problems (the most effective treatment available) all achieved with the unique use of the Fotona laser scanner. To keep up to date with all the latest procedures, Brenda is a regular attendee of the Fontana conferences which bring together medical specialists from around the world, collating the latest knowledge, innovations and scientific research to advance the use and scope of laser treatments.

For appointments, please call 01323 430803 Email: brendapedder@gmail.com Web: www.aboutfacelaserandbody.com Laser Aesthetics Clinic, Physio Plus, 18 Gildredge Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 4RL.

Brenda Pedder

ACROSS THE CHANNEL Glorious sea views and worldly wines

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thechannelrestaurant.co.uk Join Eastbourne unLtd Chamber of Commerce from as little as £59.00 plus vat, per year! This will give you the opportunity to include news items on this page about your business without charge. You will also have access to 4,000 other members via ACES, the Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex which gives you a loud voice with policy makers locally, regionally and centrally.

Can you afford not to join??!! www.eastbourneunltd.co.uk

CHAMBER NEWS

erving more than 50 wines from around the world, the Channel Bar is situated on Eastbourne’s Grand Parade in the West Rocks Hotel. It welcomes local residents and visitors as well as hotel guests for drinks, cocktails, bar food and functions. The bar has a separate entrance off Grand Parade facing the sea and is family and dog friendly. Enjoy friendly service and delicious food at the bar or at The Channel Restaurant which specialises in seafood as well as locally sourced meats.

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WORTHING

THE BETTER BUSINESS SHOW 2017

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he Better Business show will take place on Thursday 2nd February at the Assembly Hall, Worthing.

This event is collaboratively delivered

by Worthing and Adur Chamber and Adur & Worthing Business Partnership and supported by this year’s headline sponsor, Chandlers BMW. With a strong focus on ‘buy local’, it is a must for all businesses in Worthing and Adur, both large and small.

Be part of the exhibition Showcase your business, network with the best organisations locally, get involved and get noticed. To promote your business at this unmissable day, book your stand now as there are only a few left. There is a choice of two metre and three metre stands from just £129.00.

What can you look forward to as a delegate?

• B2B Exhibition - With over 60 stands, meet, network and introduce your business.

• Support - Free business support for start up and growing businesses including information about grants and finance.

• Growth – Opportunities to meet buying teams from Adur & Worthing Council and some of the areas larger companies.

• Advice – This year’s Expert Zone will feature drop in sessions on finance, legal, branding, PR and more.

• Connect – Network over a light lunch at the Sussex Food Court.

CHAMBER NEWS

• Promote – Meet, network and share experiences at the B2B Exhibition with both new and established businesses.

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• Inspire – This year’s keynote speakers are a truly inspirational trio with a Secret Millionaire, an ex Apprentice star now MBE and an international deluxe hotelier from TV show Hotel in the Clouds.

Gillian Fielding Chamber Patron, financial entrepreneur and ‘Secret Millionnaire’ Gillian Fielding, will talk about how she started from humble roots in London’s East End, and discovered and used her own resources to eventually achieve financial freedom. She is a qualified chartered accountant, runs several businesses and has held several high profile roles in the city.

Shaa Wasmund MBE Shaa is one of Britain’s most highly regarded female entrepreneurs and international speakers, and was recently named by The Sunday Times as one of the UK’s ‘Top 20 Most Influential Entrepreneurs’. Whilst at university, she became the world’s only licensed female boxing promoter, working

alongside Don King. Shaa then started working with Sir James Dyson and helped build Dyson into one of the most recognised brand names in the world. In 2015 she received an MBE for her services to business and entrepreneurship and today runs her own successful online educational businesses.

Darren Gearing Darren was an international deluxe hotelier working worldwide for the Marriott and award-winning Shangri-La Hotel groups. Most recently he was based at the Shangri-La at the Shard as Executive Vice President, where he oversaw 16 hotels globally, including the development and opening of the Shangri-La as depicted in the tv show The Hotel in the Clouds.

Darren now has entrepreneurial interests in a Sussex based plant hire business, in Worthing’s Beach House and Corner House pubs and an active hotel consultancy with large investors.

Last years’s events saw companies such as Ricardo, ETI Limited and Southern Water come together MAIN SPONSOR and network with both new and established businesses. This year’s show will be bigger and better with the addition of a larger B2B exhibition, networking opportunities, drop in expert zones, empowering business stories and much more.

For further information or to book a stand, buy tickets and keep up-to-date with the developing programme, visit www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk or call 01903 203484

DATES FOR YOUR BUSINESS DIARY: 7th December – Christmas Social at the Ardington Hotel 11th January – Chamber Hub Networking 20th January – Networking Event 25th January – Chamber Chat More info www.worthingandadurchamber.co.uk

CHICHESTER

MAKING TAX DIGITAL What a revolution says Nicki Paddy, Board Director, Chichester Chamber of Commerce & Industry and owner of Nicki Paddy & Co.

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he Conservative Government announced in their March 2015 Budget that they are changing the UK tax system through digital technology. Finally!

However, despite the significant impact the changes are going to have on individuals and businesses, many are unsure of what the proposals will actually involve. I’ve attended several seminars on this topic already and the changes are still not entirely clear, so I will try and shed some light on what is likely to happen and the impact this will have.

the annual return will still be around for some time to come, although it may not be in the format we currently recognise. But the changes are more than a simple superficial overhaul; they will have a direct impact on limiting costly errors. We in the UK will have one of the most modern and up to date tax reporting systems across the globe. As it stands, HMRC receives data from a range of sources, which are currently held on standalone systems. This is incredibly inefficient and it is not uncommon for taxpayers to have to carry out a Self-Assessment tax return form, with information which has already been provided, simply because HMRC has the information on another system. The new digital transformation should put an end to inefficiencies such as this.

The revamp was intended to be rolled out

and functional in 2016, however, only about two million small businesses are currently using HMRC’s digital accounts. Unsurprisingly, this delay highlights the difficulty in administrating and implementing this kind of reform on such a widespread scale. However, the Government is planning on releasing draft legislation in the coming weeks to potentially change and amend a number of their original plans. There has already been talk as to who will and will not have to move over to the new system and when… so watch this space!

Despite the difficulty the Government is facing trying to transform the system, once people understand the changes and start using their digital accounts, I believe they will recognise the vast improvements that technology can play in managing their tax affairs.

It’s an exciting transition and one which I believe, provided it works and does what it’s supposed to do, will have positive ramifications for years to come for both individuals and businesses.

Join Chichester Chamber of Commerce and Industry from just £99 Membership benefi ts include: • Events and networking • Policy and public affairs • Workshops and training • Business advice and services • New business opportunities For further information please visit www.chichestercci.org.uk

CHAMBER NEWS

Essentially, taxpayers will have a complete digital financial picture of their tax activities in their new online account, which is supposed to enable them to better manage their liabilities. The need for uploading some information will also allow individuals and small businesses to directly communicate with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) online.

HMRC has recognised that more can be done with the technology already available, and more should be done to avoid mistakes made by both HMRC and taxpayers. So this has to be good news!

What I like about the new plans is that HMRC will be able to process data as close to real time as possible, so that taxpayers do not receive any nasty last minute surprises.

Will it mean the end of the annual SelfAssessment return? Initially not and I think

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CRAWLEY

SOMETHING NEW

by Dan Sibley CeMap, Cert.BFM, Senior Relationship Manager, NatWest Commercial Bank

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he UK economy may be on the cusp of receiving two new

Employment growth has been strongest in London

little growth boosts. Firstly, the Chancellor signalled an adjustment in fiscal policy to free up cash for investment. Second, the recent fall in sterling may do what the crisis-driven fall in sterling couldn’t: help generate a sustained export improvement. Both would certainly be welcome.

New direction?

The Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Party conference speech gave a number of hints as to what to expect in the Autumn Statement later this year. His predecessor’s commitment to turn the deficit into a surplus by 2020 looks set to be abandoned. The desire seems to be to funnel a bit more resources to infrastructure, housing and education. But deficit reduction as a

That reached £8.3bn in August or £93bn over the past 12 months,

whole is not being consigned to history. Public spending is likely to

equal to c.5% of our GDP.

continue to be pressed down on, just at a slower pace. So maybe not quite an entirely new direction, but an important nudge nonetheless.

CHAMBER NEWS

Little mixed. The first week of a month brings a raft of Purchasing

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Mangers’ Index (PMI) surveys, allowing us to take the pulse of economies. In the UK, growth continues at a moderate rate and the post-referendum fall in confidence increasingly looks like a blip.

Indeed, the manufacturing PMI is at its highest level since 2014. The effects of sterling’s depreciation – down 15% this year and 10% since the referendum – are evident in two areas. Firms report strong growth in export orders, which is welcome. Second, input costs are rising, squeezing margins. Not so good. Higher consumer inflation beckons.

Ouch! If improved export performance is on the way it would certainly be welcome to the UK’s trade deficit with the rest of the world. It widened to £4.7bn in August. It’s not quite a record but has been surpassed on only one occasion before. Exports barely budged but imports rose by £2.6bn, entirely accounted for by a rise in imported goods. What is a record is the goods deficit with the EU.

A small step. It doesn’t dominate the headlines but productivity, how well we work, drives long term prosperity and by and large shapes our economic destiny. So it matters when productivity growth is weak. Since the 1970s productivity has risen by c20%-25%% each decade, but in the last ten years it’s barely moved, up just 2%. So it’s welcome news that a decent spurt in Q2 means our output per hour worked has finally returned to its pre-downturn level. But if it had continued its previous path, productivity would be one-sixth higher than it is. There’s still a mountain to climb.

Enterprising. The number of businesses in the UK has grown by 4.3% in the last year. Sector-by-sector, the pattern is uneven.

Growth has been strongest in a range of services – information and communication (+7%), business administration (+7%) and health (+6%) – while manufacturing and retailing were little changed.

Employment growth has recently been strongest in London.

077686 4769 / daniel.sibley@natwest.com

UPCOMING CHAMBER EVENTS Chamber Christmas lunch Sandman Hotel – Friday 9th December – £20 per head email jose@crawleychamber.co.uk to book your place or visit the website www.crawleychamber. co.uk

The Platinum Publishing Group are proud to announce the launch of four new titles across the South East. Along with the largest circulation business publication in the UK, Platinum Business Magazine, we now have a 92% penetration of all SME’s in the region and are the only publication that can boast this coverage.

ACE S The official magazine for the Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex

ussex

Issue 1. 2016

AMBER RUDD Hastings’ own Secretary of State

SURREY CHAMBERS OF COM MERCE

WHAT CAN THE CHAMBER DO FOR ME?

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The Official Surrey Chambers of Commerce

SOVEREIGN HARBOUR

PROFILE:

Tim Cobb PR

PLATINUM PUBLICATIONS

ACE S

The official magazine for the Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex

ISSUE 1. 2016

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Is it on the move?

Better Business 2017 showcase Worthing’s best Entrepreneurs What does Brexit mean for Worthing?

AMagazineZ

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THEO PAPHITIS Exclusive profile of the Weybridge Entrepreneur

The official publication for the Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex. Launches November 2016

Profile of

What’s in store for business travel

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ACES

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Christina Ewbank explains

AMSTERDAM

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LOUISE PUNTER on Business in Surrey

UNIVERSITY OF SURREY Business working with Education

FOXHILLS

SURREY CHAMBER BUSINESS

The official publication for the Surrey Chambers of Commerce.

Launches January 2017

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Reviewed

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WILKINS KENNEDY Focus on Corporate Finance

PLATINUM PUBLICATIONS

PLATINUM

WORTHING CONNECT

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The official publication for the Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce.

Launches January 2017

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PUBLICATIONS The official magazine for the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce

BRIGHTON MARINA

Development at last

THE BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

DEBRA HUMPHRIS Vice-Chancellor University of Brighton

Sarah Springfield

BRIGHTON BUSINESS

The official publication for the Brighton & Hove Chamber of Commerce.

Launches March 2017

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WIRED SUSSEX

Brighton’s digital revolution

THE BAHBAS

How to win an award

INTERVIEW

LUKE JOHNSON Why did he purchased the Pier

PLATINUM PUBLICATIONS

To get involved with any of these publications regarding advertising or supported editorial, contact info@platinumbusinessmagazine.com or call

07966 244046

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Business Awards

A BIG NIGHT FOR BRIGHTON’S HOTELS Hilton Metropole, Jurys Inn Station Hotel and Blanch House are the big winners!

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he Brighton and Hove Hoteliers Awards are now firmly established as one of the most important events for the city’s tourism after a highly successful evening at The Grand Brighton Hotel. Approximately 400 guests joined together to celebrate Brighton and Hove’s hospitality industry.

This year’s event was organised by The Grand Brighton Hotel, working with the Brighton and Hove Hoteliers Association, and was compered by Heart FM’s Jack the Lad. The nights big winners were the Hilton Metropole (who picked up four awards), Jurys Inn Station Brighton and Blanch House. Jurys Inn and Blanch House both won two awards, including the Property of the Year titles for branded and independent hotels respectively.

Other category winners included Drakes Hotel and Resturant and Strawberry Fields.

RBS

Gemma King, Nick Poyner, Ian Trevett and Rachel Regan

Brighton Harbour Hotel

FAB guests

The Charm and Blanch House

Lastminute.com

Bob Ryder & Judith Berrill Designers of Snow Dogs by the Sea

Sponsors and Partners– Christie & Co, Platinum Business Magazine, HIT Training, British Airways i360, Booking.com, RBS, Brighton Visitor and City Cabs, The Argus, lastminute.com, Handelsbanken, Visit Brighton, Unity Talent DJS, Brighton Gin, Eclipse

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Business Awards

THE WINNERS

1. The Award for Best Breakfast Winner: Jurys Inn Station Brighton Finalists: Blanch House, Drakes Hotel and Restaurant 2. The Award for Cleanliness Winner: Strawberry Fields Finalists: The Cavalaire Hotel, Nineteen 3. The Award for Warmest Welcome (Branded) Winner: Hilton Brighton Metropole Finalists: The Grand Brighton, Jurys Inn Station Brighton 4. The Award for Warmest Welcome (Independent) Winner: Blanch House Finalists: The Cavalaire Hotel, The Charm Brighton Boutique Hotel

5. The Award for Unsung Hero / Heroine Winner: Hilton Brighton Metropole – Nicky Menzies Finalists: The Kings Hotel – John Neil 6. Ambassador for Best Customer Service Experience Winner: Drakes Hotel and Restaurant Finalists: Blanch House, Artist Residence Brighton 7. The Award for Charity and Community Winner: Hilton Brighton Metropole Finalists: My Brighton, Limehouse 8. Outstanding Manager of the Year Winner: Hilton Brighton Metropole – Richard Hopton Finalists: The Grand Brighton – Sandra Flanagan; Jurys Inn Waterfront Brighton – Catherine Holmes

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9. The Award for Property of the Year (Branded) Winner: Jurys Inn Station Brighton Finalists: The Grand Brighton, My Brighton 10. The Award for Property of the Year (Independent) Winner: Blanch House Finalists: The Claremont, Artist Residence Brighton

Photos by Sarah Walker-Bennett (www.artemiphotography.com)

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Style

FOR THE LOVE OF GLOVES (AND HATS, TOO) Samantha Wilding Tel: 07833 084864 Email: Samantha@styleandgrace.eu Website: www.styleandgrace.eu Twitter: @alwayschicUK

No winter wardrobe is complete without a hat and gloves, here’s how to wear them with style

W

inter is upon us. I don’t know about you, but I love this time of year. There’s nothing like wrapping up in cosy knits and lots of layers, topped off with a fabulous coat to ward off the

elements. Keep in mind that the items most on display from now until March are your coats and jackets, along with winter accessories such as scarves, hats and gloves. Careful and considered selection of these can work wonders in pulling together your overall look, and updating them is an easy way to refresh outfits without revamping your entire wardrobe.

In this article I’m going to focus on choosing and wearing gloves and hats – two items that are generally not given much thought these days.

Gloves: status and power Historically, gloves were symbols of status and power worn by royalty and the aristocracy. Wealthy gentlemen would wear them as part of their everyday attire, taking them off when entering a building. In the 20th century, it was women who began to wear gloves more frequently.

Screen sirens of years gone by sported glamorous elbow length evening gloves in silk, satin and lace. And 80s pop icons had a brief flirtation with them; who could forget Michael Jackson’s single white diamante encrusted glove or Madonna’s lace fingerless versions?

Choosing gloves: men and women When buying gloves, firstly consider the weather and when you’ll be wearing them. I’m still mourning the loss of a pair of red leather gloves that I bought in Rome about six years ago. They were buttery soft, lined

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with a hint of cashmere and fitted perfectly – great for crisp autumn

Style weather. Leather of course is just one option. Suede, knitted, lined or unlined, mittens or fingerless – there’s a wide range to choose from.

We haven’t had a really cold winter for a few years now, so you may be warm enough in leather with a fine cashmere lining. Wool, fur or sheepskin-lined options may be too hot, unless we get a cold snap.

Consider your phone use too – you may want a pair of knitted, fingerless gloves, which make texting and calling much easier. I would, however, keep these as your casual option.

Other details to consider are stitching, buttons, quilting and other embellishments that can elevate an ordinary glove into something special. I love leather driving gloves, they evoke mid century cool. They have an opening on the knuckles to allow mobility for gripping the steering wheel, and a wrist fastening. They are generally unlined with external seams, and are a great choice for less chilly days. If you’re keen to give them a try, have a look at Dents or Aspinal of London.

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Screen sirens of years gone by sported glamorous elbow length evening gloves in silk, satin and lace.

❞

Hats for men

style PLATINUM

Men stopped wearing hats on a daily basis by the 1960s and now it’s really only gentlemen of a certain age that you see sporting a fedora or trilby. This is a shame, because it can be an elegant and distinguished look. Choosing a hat can be a minefield as you should consider your face and head shape, along with the size of the hat’s brim and height of its crown. It’s best to seek out a proper milliner, (such as Lock & Co) for advice.

Some other hat styles to consider: Beanies: knitted and fitted, these are warm and easy to wear. Stick to plain colours or stripes.

Fedora: choose wool or fur felt for the colder months. These look great worn with sharp tailoring.

Trapper hats: these give you more warmth and coverage but beware, don’t wear them with checked shirts or you will look like a caricature.

Flat caps: to keep this look modern and urban, stick to denim and unusual fabrics (not tweed and corduroy).

Baseball caps: much to my dismay, these are still ubiquitous, due to fashion’s ongoing love affair with sportswear. Try suede or checked wool for a new twist. And no logos, you are not batting for the Yankees.

However you accessorise this winter, do it with style and panache! Hats and gloves can be fun to choose and wear, and can give your look a unique twist.

This is my final Platinum Style column. It has been a pleasure writing for you and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it. You can continue to read my blog at www.styleandgrace.eu

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Institute of Directors

HOW RESILIENT ARE YOU?

By Dean Orgill Chairman of Mayo Wynne Baxter www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk • www.iod.com

“R

esilience is accepting your new reality even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good” – Elizabeth Edwards.

Somehow this message has resonated with me of late, and it is not hard to think of various reasons why that might be. We certainly do seem to be living, in accordance with the supposed Chinese curse, in “interesting times”.

Mark Carney would appear destined not to enjoy the periods of dull stability that his predecessor Lord (Mervyn) King had indicated as his goal.

The hysteria surrounding our current woes is of course magnified by the availability of instant world-wide communication. I wonder what 24 hour rolling news and social media would have made of the Cuban missile crisis, the three-day week, and so on. Perhaps if those media had been available for those events, the hype and panic about current

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events would be somewhat less heightened, as we might all have become somewhat immune to the spread of instant fear and panic that is being shared at the moment. Which is not to say that recent events are not seismic in themselves, just that they are not unique in being so, no matter how much we portray them as such.

What recent events do highlight (if not ram home) is that nothing stays the same, and all businesses need to react to the changes in political and economic landscapes to stay relevant, viable and hopefully increasingly profitable. Adaptable businesses, those reviewing – and preferably anticipating – changing markets will still have good prospects of surviving and flourishing. That will mean focussing on what the trading conditions are and how they will likely be, regardless of what we would like or prefer them to be.

Similarly we all need to react to how the customer wants to buy our goods or services, not how we want to deliver them and adapt accordingly. In doing that we also need to

take into account that those preferences in modes of consumption are inevitably going to change, and that this change is probably going to come sooner rather than later. What is more, it is going to be followed by another change, then another, then another and so on.

If a business can anticipate these changes then clearly it is going to achieve a market advantage. However, it is unrealistic to think that every business can anticipate every change. What is not unrealistic is to say that where a business cannot be proactive it must at least be reactive in order to remain in the market, certainly in the medium to long term.

Short term fads can come and go, but trends are ignored at the peril of any business which wishes to remain sustainable for the future.

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