Surrey Business Magazine Issue 26

SURREY

BUSINESS THE OFFICIAL SURREY CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE MAGAZINE

ISSUE 26 MAY 2020

RISHI SUNAK

The man to save the economy?

Hang on in there, world.

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SURREY CHAMBERS S UORFR E CH C YO M MAEMRBCEER S OF COMMERCE

CONNECTING CPORNONMEO CT T II N NG G NR GE S E N T I N G S U P P O R T IPNRGO M & ORTEI P SUPPORTING & REPRESENTING YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS

C CAAL LLL UUSS TTOODD AA YY A AN N DD JJOOIINN SSUURRR RE EY Y ' S' SM M O SOTS T I INNFFLLUUEENN TT II A RK A LL BB UUSSIINNEESSSS NNE ET TWW OO RK @SURREYCHAMBERSOFCOMMERCE @SURREYCHAMBERSOFCOMMERCE

@SURREYCHAMBERS @SURREYCHAMBERS

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@SURREYCHAMBERSOFCOMMERCE

SURREY BUSINESS @SURREYCHAMBERSOFCOMMERCE

@WWW.SURREY-CHAMBERS.CO.UK @WWW.SURREY-CHAMBERS.CO.UK

01483 735540 01483 735540

@SURREYCHAMBERSOFCOMMERCE

@SURREYCHAMBERSOFCOMMERCE

CONTENTS 4

WELCOME FROM THE CEO

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CHAMBER NEWS

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TRAVEL The Beauty of Belize

GENERATION GIN How the distiller switched its gin making skills to produce essential hand sanitisers

DMH STALLARD Should companies be allowed breathing space when it comes to breach of contract?

NEW MEMBERS

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SURREY CHAMBERS START-UP ACADEMY

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SILENT POOL Hand sanitisers now available to order

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SURREY HILLS Supporting the NHS and local community

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SURREY BUSINESS SCHOOL Risk management during Covid-19

SEEVENT From Phantoms to Plastics.

Focus on the Sussex manufacturer

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CLEANKILL How to cope with unwanted visitors at home

CAXTON FX Don't worry about inflation yet

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GUILDFORD SHAKESPEARE COMPANY The show must go on!

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SURREY POLICE Supporting those at risk during isolation

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HAINES WATTS Keeping your business moving forward

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AVANTIS WEALTH In the midst of the chaos there are still investment opportunities

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GREENSTAR CLEANING The importance of deep cleaning

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FRENCHIC Focus on the Surrey-based eco-friendly paint company

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HURST How the staff and pupils are doing their bit to help during the lockdown

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MOTORING Maarten Hoffmann reviews the Stelvio Quadrifoglio

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KEVIN GREEN How to create an adaptive culture

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THE BIG READ Rishi Sunak has had an interesting few months as Chancellor of the Exchequer!

Maarten Hoffmann profiles Rishi Sunak, and assesses how he has fared so far.

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KNILL JAMES What needs to be done to protect the economy

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QUANTUMA Why cash flow is even more important during the pandemic

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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The Word on the Ground

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fter weeks of lockdown there are some really concerning messages coming from the business community. We have focused most of our time on speaking to businesses about their experiences with the impact of coronavirus so that we can truly represent them to government.

Alongside these calls we have been running a survey which attracted 301 responses from all sizes, sectors and locations across Surrey. The results were quite stark showing 72% of organisations either laying off staff or using the furloughing scheme. 63% said they were at risk of closure within 3-6 months.

The results of our first survey have helped us to inform government just how tough things are and has contributed to some of the measures which have been put in place.

For a summary of the first survey, go to https://www. gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder Obviously within that period of time a number of business support mechanisms have come into play so our second survey will be measuring the effectiveness of these schemes. To take the second survey, go to https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ SCCCOV19V2.

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Grants from Councils Following the delivery of grant funding to the Boroughs and Districts, they have been busily distributing it to their businesses. If a business believes they should be getting a grant and haven’t received it yet they should go to the appropriate page on their council’s website to find out what to do.

These are listed on our website at https:// w w w.surrey - chambers.co.uk /representation/ how-is-your-business-doing/#section3 to try and make it as easy as possible for people to get money into their businesses.

Falling through the cracks?

I am sad to say that I am still receiving many calls from businesses, which are falling between the schemes and are therefore fearful for their survival.

These include start-ups, which have only been operational for less than a year, Directors who are paid in dividends, and businesses in serviced offices who pay rates within their rent but are not registered as rate payers, and therefore are exempt from grants.

These stories, as well as experiences of those trying to access loans, are being shared with the govern-

A WORD FROM THE CEO

ment to try and secure further support. We also continue to work closely with Enterprise M3 and Coast to Capital Growth Hubs, Business South and the Local Authorities to identify additional support for our local economy. Continuing to hear individual stories is really powerful. We are happy to hear from anyone with feedback. Call us on 01483 735540.

Good news stories We continue to pick up the great work being done locally supporting the NHS, including the SurreyDrive initiative to feed NHS workers, as they finish long arduous shifts and our local entertainment businesses coming up with novel ways to keep us amused. Check out Guildford Fringe and Guildford Shakespeare Company for some entertainment.

We have also been running a series of webinars via Zoom, giving people the opportunity to ask questions of specialist panels and although there are too many to mention, I wanted to thank the members who have given us so generously their time and expertise! The

camaraderie within Chambers has never been so evident.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to the team at Surrey Chambers, who have adjusted to our new way of working in such a brilliant way. Their passion to help as many businesses as possible has been a pleasure to see and I believe we will come through this with even more insight into what businesses need from us so that we can support them.

It is recommended that ALL businesses use the official Business Support Finder from the UK government which can be found at https://www.gov. uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder On behalf of the team, board and council of Surrey Chambers of Commerce, we wish you and your company the best possible outcome at this difficult time and hope that you and your families are staying healthy.

Very best wishes Louise and the team

Louise Punter

CEO Surrey Chamber of Commerce

And while you’re here...

Platinum Publishing enjoys the largest circulation of any business magazines in the UK, reaching over 720,000 readers across the South East and this includes 468,000 online readers. If you can’t wait for the next issue then jump onto our social media platforms and join the conversation.

@platbusmag Platinum Publishing Group www.platinumpublishing.co.uk

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national Divorce Bonanza

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news

aw firms are braced for a surge in divorce filings as couples struggle to live with each other during the coronavirus lockdown, Britain’s so-called Queen of Divorce today predicted.

Ayesha Vardag, one of Britain’s best known lawyers, said clients had been contacting her and her team in droves even during the lockdown period, sneaking calls in to the law firm while on their daily exercise or food shopping breaks from the house.

“It’s been amazing how the calls have still kept coming in – two dozen a day,” she said. “They are finding lockdown is forcing their hand, they just can’t stand it any more.”

When the lockdown ends, she predicted an explosion in the numbers. “All those people who have not been able to get to law firms like us will go completely mad.”

Life is like a sewer – what you get out of it depends on what you put into it BUSINESS WISDOM

Partner Appointment

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HS2 Share Jump

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travel restrictions remain tight due to the Covid-19 lockdown, but not everything has ground to a halt. The City is digesting the news that the Government is pressing further ahead with the mega HS2 project, which could provide a well-needed boost to construction businesses.

Europe’s largest infrastructure scheme recently got the green-light, and the Government today issued a “notice to proceed”, marking the formal approval for construction to start. Contractor Costain welcomed the update. The company, led by Alex Vaughan, said a joint venture of which it is part has a £3.3 billion contract on the rail project, which includes creating tunnels in the approach to the London terminus at Euston station.

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HA Carpenter Box continues to invest in ‘home grown’ talent, with the promotion of Chris Reeves to Partner at the accountancy firm. Chris, 33, has been appointed Partner having joined the practice as a trainee in 2004. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACCA) in 2010 and helped to set up the firm’s Gatwick office in 2015.

Chris commented: “MHA Carpenter Box has been a significant part of my life for the last 16 years since joining as a trainee, and I’m delighted to be made a Partner. It’s a great place to work, with brilliant people and I look forward to advising and engaging with clients for many years to come."

In his role as Partner, Chris will help to drive the AAG (Assurance and Advisory Group) department forward as significant changes in the world of audit are expected over the next 12 months.

national

news

Billions upon Billions

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oronavirus has boosted the net worth of American billionaire Jeff Bezos by $24bn (£19bn) as the demand for online shopping sent Amazon’s stock price to an all-time high. The Amazon founder and CEO was already the world’s richest person, but now according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, his fortune is worth $138bn (£110bn). On Tuesday, Amazon’s share price climbed 5.3% as consumers have moved online during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tesla founder Elon Musk added $10.4 bn (£8.3 bn) to his fortune this year, whilst the demand for teleconferencing has seen the fortune of Zoom founder, Eric Yuan more than double to $7.4 bn (£5.9bn).

Walmart owners, the Walton family, also saw a 5% increase in their net worth as consumers have come to depend on the retailing giant for goods during the lockdown.

Covid Kills Cash

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he lockdown has led to a 60% fall in the number of withdrawals from cash machines, although people are taking out bigger sums.

Payment card use has risen with online shopping, particularly for groceries.

Experts say the long-term future of cash could be at risk, before the UK is ready to cope with the change. This could leave behind an estimated 20% of the population who rely on cash, they say. About 11 million cash withdrawals are still being made each week, with £1bn taken out, according to Link, which oversees the UK’s cash machine network. Yet, with many shops as well as bars, cafes and restaurants closed, there is less demand for regular cash withdrawals.

People are going out less, but potentially hoarding more cash.

The average ATM withdrawal has risen from £65 last year, to £82 now.

The elevator to success is out of order.

You will have to use the stairs, one step at a time.

BUSINESS WISDOM

Interruption Insurance Woes

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ore than 100 nightclubs, pubs and bars are planning coordinated legal action against the insurer Hiscox over its non-payment of business interruption insurance claims.

Hiscox sold policies before coronavirus hit the headlines, stating it would pay out when a business was forced to shut owing to a notifiable disease.

Business owners have filed claims to Hiscox and other commercial insurers only to be told their business interruption policies do not cover the pandemic.

Michael Kill, the chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA), which is coordinating the action, said: “Businesses are being denied legitimate insurance claims, many claims are being disputed by insurers based on contrived arguments to avoid sharing the financial burden during the Covid-19 crisis.”

The group is calling on more businesses to join its move against the insurer.

Hiscox said it had about 10,000 companies which had purchased cover for business interruption and had been directly impacted by the government-imposed closures. It said its core small commercial package policies did not provide cover for business interruption as a result of the “general measures” taken by the government in response to the pandemic.

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CHAMBERS Cash is king during the crisis

news Beard breaks ‘vicious circle’ of closures

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imple measures can help protect businesses from the impact of COVID-19, acording to Greg Palfrey of Smith & Williamson. He gives the following advice: “Safeguarding your people and your business may mean making tough decisions. Basing these on sound rationale and good forecasting is important.

“Tried and tested ways of getting through hard times are as relevant now as ever. Cash is king. Forecast your daily receipts and payments over a rolling six week period and then for the next six months identify weekly or monthly pinch points where you may need funding.

“Look to preserve cash and generate it wherever possible by realising value from balance sheets, obtaining loans from funding schemes or using the breaks and benefits announced by the Chancellor. Professional help can be invaluable when building your forecasts and managing working capital.

“Combining your cash flow forecast with trading and balance sheet forecasts can help predict productive trade areas and where to minimise exposure and costs. It can also significantly improve your chances of obtaining a loan “The bottom line is to take control of your cash flow. Don’t leave things to chance. If you think you need professional help, get it sooner rather than later. It can then be so much easier to help you solve your problem.” www.smithandwilliamson.com

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amily-owned construction firm Beard is continuing to operate on more than 90% of its sites, despite the wave of closures that the industry has seen in response to the spread of Covid-19.

Beard has fully implemented the Site Operating Procedures drawn up by the Construction Leadership Council. This ensures that staff and subcontractors working on Beard sites are not exposed to unnecessary risk.

Additional safety measures include lengthening the working day and resequencing work to allow different workers to be on site at different times and minimise the need for contact.

Although operational capacity has been reduced to around 50%, these measures mean that Beard has been able to continue working on as many

sites as possible.

A key issue is the availability of building materials. Beard has engaged with relevant trade bodies to ensure it can continue to source supplies and to identify specific supply bottlenecks.

Mark Beard, chairman of Beard, commented: “The safety of all those working for us, and of the general public, is always our top priority. But when sites close, that results in a fall in demand for materials, and builders’ merchants shutting their doors. This can lead to more sites being forced to shut, due to lack of supplies.

“The Government has given the industry a clear steer that it wants construction work to continue where possible.

We are determined to do our bit to help turn the current vicious circle into a virtuous cycle.”

My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far, I’ve finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already.

BUSINESS WISDOM

Vision Engineering wins Queen’s Award

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ision Engineering, the leading designer and manufacturer of high-quality visual inspection and measurement technologies, has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2020 in the Innovation category, for its high tech ergonomic optical inspection microscope Lynx EVO. The Queens Award is acknowledged as the highest UK award for companies. It is awarded to products or services that have been available on the market, and can demonstrate outstanding innovation and commercial success for at least 2 years.

Lynx EVO is a high productivity eyepiece-less stereo microscope providing market leading ergonomic performance for intricate inspection and manipulation tasks. Based on Vision Engineering’s globally patented ‘expanded pupil’ technology, it was developed to address the issue of operator efficiency.

It allows operators to sit further away from the eye-piece, leading to improved user posture, reduced fatigue and improved accuracy and efficiency.

Lynx EVO has been widely adopted around the world for critical manufacturing operations, by large Medtech, Medical Device, Telecomms, Aerospace, Automotive and other manufacturers and their extended subcontract supply chains.

Careers at the Manor

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efore the lockdown, Reigate Manor invited 20 Reigate College sixth form students to the hotel to learn more about what’s involved with working in the hospitality business.

The students who have shown an interest in working in the industry, learnt about different roles within the industry.

Giles Thomas, Operations Director for Manor Collection, said; “The students were very interested and left with a better knowledge of what’s involved with working in a hotel. They were given talks from our HR Manager, our Marketing Manager and one of the hotel managers who has worked his way up from a waiter to management level.”

Memset connects with Team BRIT

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emset, one of the UK’s leading managed service providers, has partnered with Team BRIT, an all-disabled racing team.

Memset provides businesses with a range of cloud services along with networking, online security and cloud storage. The company has pledged its support for Team BRIT, which enables people with disabilities to participate in motorsports.

Team BRIT is managed from Dunsfold, Surrey, home to the

iconic Top Gear track, and it is here where Memset will be making a real difference – providing the Team HQ with high speed internet access.

This enhanced connectivity will be crucial for Team BRIT’s latest project –eTeam BRIT, made up of all-disabled online sim racers. The team hopes to stage a major iRacing event using first-class racing simulators.

Chris Burden, Chief Commercial Officer at Memset said: “What Team BRIT does is truly inspirational and we’re extremely happy to help. Increased internet connectivity will make an enormous difference to their services, and we look forward to providing more support in the future.”

Team BRIT Founder and Team Principal Dave Player said, “We have some exciting plans for eTeam BRIT but without the right technology and connection in place, hosting online racing events won’t be possible. But now with the help of Memset, we will have the setup we need to make us more efficient and we’re incredibly grateful for support. Information on Memset can be found at www.memset.com.

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A Space to Breathe?

Jonathan Compton, partner at city law firm DMH Stallard and leading dispute resolution and litigation lawyer, explains why Lord Neuberger is both ‘right and wrong’ to call for a ‘breathing space’ for companies facing a breach of contract. reasonable proposal, “the breathing space” is actually both a misconception, and a honeyed trap.

The idea is misconceived because, if we leave the ivory tower of the UK Supreme Court behind us, we can see life at the coal face is more subtle and complex. In the three months to 31.03.2019, there were 467,700 county court claims, [source MOJ National Statistics 06.06.2019].

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ord Neuberger has called for a breathing space for companies facing breach of contract cases during the C-19 emergency. He expanded on this on the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme (27/4/20).

He is, of course, both right and wrong.

His Lordship, a former president of the UK Supreme Court, is one of the most respected lawyers this country has ever produced. He is right in the general thrust of his argument that companies should be afforded what he called “a breathing space” before a claim is brought against them.

Lord Neuberger was not given the chance, things being what they are in a short radio interview, to explain what he meant by a short breathing space.

He did describe the process of mediation which is a means of alternative dispute resolution.

But what looks like a sensible and

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Any lawyer, before simply issuing a Claim Form and Particulars in the county court, will need to follow either a set of formal procedures called “protocols” or a general procedure called “the pre-action practice direction” before a claim is issued. If a lawyer – or even someone pursuing a claim without a lawyer – decides to issue a claim without following one of these set procedures they will need to explain why to the court. There are safeguards within the court procedure to ensure this compliance.

A good lawyer will perform due diligence on a defendant company and get some idea as to the means to pay off the said company. Lord Neuberger’s intervention ignores these safeguards.

Further, Lord Neuberger ignores the fact that his “breathing space” ought to apply as much to people as to corporations. Does his Lordship propose a general moratorium on new claims during the C19 emergency? If so, then he runs the risk of commercial contracts and payments simply stopping.

The effects of this policy are difficult to foresee.

Second, and more fundamentally, his Lordship’s argument will tend to be taken advantage of by companies who will use the article written by him to justify late payment when, in fact, they have the means to pay. The result

LEGAL

ity are well founded or not. may be to encourage litigation rather than to discourage it. His Lordship must also be aware that small businesses, which depend on prompt payment, may be prejudiced by any general rule that paying companies are entitled to a “breathing space”.

Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Services”. The essence of a service is that it

Let the solicitors do the job they have been doing, which is one of triage of cases, clients and defendants, and let the Supreme Court do its job of deciding fine points of legal precedent and authority.

“Lord Neubrerger runs the risk of commercial contracts and payments simply stopping”

Also, we all know that deferring or removing an obligation on one party is simply asking another to carry that burden – sometimes, that is – or can be – a fair result. But to impose a general moratorium, if that is indeed what is being proposed, is unlikely to result in fairness.

The courts in this country are “Her

provides a service. It is suggested by the current writer that he is far better qualified as a solicitor working at the coal face of litigation for 20 years, than is his Lordship, to look at a potential defendant company, undertake due diligence and advise his client on whether the company’s excuses of impecunios-

By his intervention, his Lordship risks that companies will delay payment and actually

www.dmhstallard.co.uk

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JOIN THE CHAMBER “Surrey Cham bers of Commerce is the county’s larg est independ ent, not-for-profit business support organ is businesses to ation that helps connect loca lly, nationally a nd globally in order to gain custom suppliers an ers, d knowledge.”

CAN YOUR BUSINESS AFFORD NOT TO BE A MEMBER OF SURREY CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE? Sitting at the heart of the business community, Surrey Chambers of Commerce connects you to opportunities, skills, knowledge and valuable contacts. We can help you grow and develop, by promoting your business, introducing you to new customers, keeping you informed and representing you locally, regionally and nationally

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ith a membership representing businesses of all sizes across every sector of the economy, the Chamber works hard to ensure that the continued prosperity of Surrey takes into account the needs of business, as well as providing a range of high quality services to help businesses to grow and meet new potential customers, including making introductions into over 40 countries.

Surrey Chambers of Commerce is an integral part of the Surrey business support network and alongside its partners offers specialist advice, knowledge and information on a wide range of issues facing local businesses.

you the chance to enhance your business network, find new customers and meet like-minded and other successful business people.

Expand your network overseas – we provide friendly, professional advice and assistance and help you obtain necessary export documentation. Our relationship with 28 accredited overseas British Chambers means we can introduce you to our global network of experts to make your journey much easier.

We can:

Develop you and your workforce’s knowledge and skills – we run a range of training events throughout the year and can introduce you to a variety of training providers.

Connect you to other businesses – we run over 100 events a year that give

Represent you – we believe it is important that you and your business are fairly represented locally, regionally, nationally and, where appropriate, internationally on issues affecting business. We work closely with Surrey County Council, the eleven local borough councils, district and two Local

Help you to find new customers – raise your profile, increase your brand awareness and generate new business by using our website, publications and database to communicate with thousands of business people.

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Enterprise Partnerships and we feedback and provide input to the British Chambers of Commerce who talk directly to government, influencing policy and strategic decisions.

Support your local community - we are passionate about contributing to the wider community and encourage you to work with us. We support a variety of local initiatives, providing you with the chance to give something back, whilst raising your company profile.

Save you money - we can provide you with a variety of discounts designed to save your company money. As well as national deals you will benefit from exclusive discounts offered by other Chamber members. You too can offer a special member to member deal.

Email: sarah.butcher@surrey-chambers.co.uk Visit: www.surrey-chambers.co.uk Call: 01483 735540

NEW MEMBERS

Surrey Chambers of Commerce welcomes its latest member companies

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hen you join Surrey Chambers of Commerce, your company details automatically get listed on this page alongside fellow new members. What a fantastic way to let the Surrey Business community know you are out there and ready to get those all-important connections.

Surrey County Agricultural Society Tel: 01483 890810 www.surreycountyshow.co.uk Contact: Jim Chetwode

Lello’s Italian Restaurant

Tel: 01483 822225 www.lellos.co.uk Contact: Leandro Giovando

Hardacre Consulting Services Ltd

Tel: 07796 245565 www.hardacreconsultingservices.co.uk Contact: Eian Hardacre

Caxton

Tel: 02070 427617 www.caxtonfx.com/business Contact: Curt Brooker

Momentum Children’s Charity Tel: 07539 835686 momentum-um.org Contact: Nicola O’Donnell

Royal Automobile Club

Tel: 13722 276311 www.royalautomobileclub.co.uk Contact: Emily Goodyer

Tweak Marketing Ltd

Tel: 01372 602615 www.tweakuk.com Contact: Louise Proddow

Projectfive

Tel: 01276 455455 www.projectfive.co.uk Contact: Steve Coburn

If you are looking to join Surrey Chambers, then please do get in touch with either: sarah.butcher@surrey-chambers.co.uk or tom.woods@surrey-chambers.co.uk or call 01483 735540. We look forward to hearing from you!

FOLLOW THE SURREY CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA...

INSTAGRAM @surreychambersofcommerce

TWITTER @SurreyChambers

FACEBOOK Surrey Chambers of Commerce

LINKEDIN Surrey Chambers of Commerce SURREY BUSINESS

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CHAMBERS

GET READY TO START We are looking to the future and recruiting for our Start-up Academy Sign up now so you are ready to hit the road running once we come out of lockdown. Dates are to be confirmed.

IS IT LONELY RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS? Are there some areas you need help with?

The Surrey Chambers of Commerce, supported by projectfive and Eagle Radio, are delighted to bring you our StartUp Academy. By becoming a member of the Academy you can work alongside your peer group and grow your business. By utilising the expertise of our members, we can ensure that you will get the best advice and resources needed to develop your business and increase your network.

The Academy will take place once a month, followed by a graduation ceremony. Key areas of business will be covered in depth, with an informative talk for the first half of the day, followed by an interactive session in the afternoon.

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Running from 10am - 1.30pm, you will be offered the chance to work remotely in projectfive’s office space – a great opportunity to continue getting to know your fellow cohort members and expand your network.

Month 8 - Graduation – Recap of learning, future support options, measure initial objectives.

TOPICS COVERED

- Pre-start or have been trading for up to 3 years - Commitment to attend all sessions - £40 plus VAT commitment fee

Month 1 - Business Planning/Strategy and setting objectives– Richard Butcher, Stratagems Month 2 - How to make a business successful – Mike Turner, youbecome Month 3 - Digital Media & Marketing Strategy – David Evans, Akiko Month 4 - Sales & Negotiation – Paul Glynn, Sandler Month 5 - IT & Cyber Crime – Steve Coburn, projectfive Month 6 - HR & Compliance – Martine Robins, The HR Dept Month 7 - Budgets & Raising Money – Daniel Morgan, Haines Watts Chartered Accountants

REQUIREMENTS

HOW TO SIGN-UP If you are interested in finding out more about the academy and how to sign up, please contact hannah.joslyn@ surrey-chambers.co.uk or call 01483 735547.

Download the application form at https://www.surrey-chambers.co.uk/ wp-content/uploads/2020/02/StartUp-Academy-Enquiry-Form.docx

SILENT SANITISERS

ENTERPRISE

The hand sanitisers produced by the Surrey distillery are now available for local businesses to order.

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ilent Pool Distillers are based in Albury, near Guildford and produce the award winning Silent Pool Gin as well as a range of small batch gins. At the beginning of March - when the Covid-19 crisis really hit hard - the distillery was one of the first in the country to start making hand sanitiser in response to the national shortage.

They had a good supply of the high strength alcohol necessary to make an effective formula, a quantity of practical 3cl bottles and a hand bottling machine - usually used to bottle gin - to fill each one.

Crucially, the team also successfully led a campaign to persuade the government to waive the duty on the alcohol used in the formulation of hand sanitiser so that it could be produced affordably.

The plan was to donate bottles of the 80% alcohol hand sanitiser to those in need within the local Surrey community, and it soon became clear that there was huge demand.

So far the distillery has donated over 2,000 bottles to organisations and individuals including the Royal Surrey County Hospital, midwives, mental health nurses, paramedics and surgeons. They’ve supplied Surrey Police, prison staff, care homes and individual carers, local council offices, funeral directors, refuge collectors and schools.

Charities helped include Cherry Trees UK, the Phylis Tuckwell Hospice and Dorking Food Bank.

Of course, the distillery continues to sell gin and now offers complimentary hand sanitiser with every gin order, as well as selling it online. This has generated both national and local publicity in traditional and social media, and thrown a lifeline to the brand in this difficult period where the closure of bars, pubs and restaurants has hit sales hard, and most export opportunities have disappeared overnight.

The project is a credit to the initiative and versatility of the skilled yet small distillery team - currently operating with eight employees - who recognised that they had the necessary resources and then reacted so quickly in these unprecedented times.

If you would like more information please contact sophie@silentpooldistillers.com www.silentpooldistillers.com

The hand sanitiser is a liquid formulation in a handy 30ml bottle that is easy to pop in your pocket or bag to use on the go. This portability will be key when people start returning to work, particularly in those industries where one communal bottle in the office won’t be practical.

Another key feature is that it’s a liquid that is dispensed via a nozzle, rather than gel. This makes it less wasteful to use and long lasting - each little bottle will dispense over 200 sprays.

The distillery is able to take orders from hotels looking for sanitiser to place in each room, waste collection companies, care companies or any other business that wishes to help their staff and customers keep their hands clean.

They have their own in-house label printer and designer to produce bottles with the customers’ own branding too.

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BUSINESS COMMUNITY

INSPIRING BUSINESSES IN SURREY HILLS Surrey Hills has an inspiring range of stories about local businesses supporting their local communities, key workers and NHS staff.

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espite the most challenging circumstances, there is a growing community of Surrey Hills businesses who are collaborating to deliver much needed local produce to families unable to get out, offering online support, wellbeing gifts for loved ones and helping to feed the frontline services.

These businesses have all been awarded the ‘Trade Mark Surrey Hills’, an accreditation and mark of local provenance, quality and sustainability. They are working together to deliver a raft of initiatives including raising funds to ensure NHS workers are fed and supported.

Lavender Catering are working around the clock to make 3,500 meals a week to feed NHS staff on the frontline. Teaming up with other local Surrey Hills businesses such as Hill House Farm they are supplying high quality meals using local produce from the Surrey Hills.

Puremess are sending out a special care gift box of their wonderful chemical free skin care products at 50% reduced price enabling people to pay online and send to an NHS worker.

The Cookie Bar, a social Enterprise

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supporting training for disadvantaged young people are sending boxes of cookies to their local hospitals supported by donations from people ordering on-line. These packages are not only practical but also offer a clear message of support and regard for our frontline workers.

PlantPassion who grow seasonal, scented and sustainable flowers in the Surrey Hills are delivering flowers to their local community and Chimney Fire coffee who roast ethically sourced coffee in the Surrey Hills are sending coffee at cost price to NHS Staff.

If you are too tired to cook, want a treat, feeling under the weather or wish to gift a friend in need, Mandira’s Kitchen have teamed up with Albury Organic Vineyard to produce a special meal delivered direct to your home.

Simon Whalley, Chairman of Surrey Hills Enterprises said, “The Surrey Hills family are working together to support its Surrey Hills business members and I would like to thank our Corporate Partners for their invaluable support that has enabled us to continue to support the amazing local Surrey Hills Businesses.

“Thank you to Charles Russell Speechlys, Wilkins Kennedy, Lexus Guildford, Citywide Financial Services, Kier and Birtley House.”

Wendy Varcoe, Executive Director of Surrey Hills Enterprises said, “Surrey Hills is a very special and unique place and we have equally extraordinary and inspiring local Surrey Hills businesses.

“They have responded to these difficult circumstances in a special way to offer local produce deliveries and to donate goods and services to help the frontline workers. We congratulate all our Surrey Hills Members on their courage and innovation.”

Find out more about the local businesses, local deliveries and about donating to support your local NHS staff - www. surreyhills.org/surrey-hills-businesses-bringing-products-and-servicesto-your-home/ To donate to support NHS staff https://www.rschcharity.org.uk/fundraisers/surrey-drive

RISK MANAGEMENT

THE REAL RISKS THAT

BUSINESSES SHOULD IDENTIFY

By Dr Ann Parchment, Deputy Head of the Department of Strategy and International Business, Surrey Business School.

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raditional risk management thinking is inadequate for the current Covid-19 crisis, and indeed future crises that may inevitably follow.

For years businesses have concentrated on identifying generic risk, which excludes cross-disciplinary risk or multiple interconnected risks.

Business leaders have leant on historical data as an indicator of the size and probability of a possible event, however they now face a combination of diverse risks which are of a magnitude not seen before. Global warming, pandemics such as Covid-19, and so on.

TYPICAL THINKING Historically, the focus for business has been on quantifying risk, but not on the integrated behaviour of risk. The influence of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) proposed by the Committee of Sponsoring Organisations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) has meant that we focus on making sure our businesses can demonstrate: • Governance and culture

• Strategy and objective setting • Performance • Review and revision • Information, communication and reporting However, this approach has distracted business leaders from a more comprehensive and resilient attitude to the identification of risks.

From the 20 principles that COSO propose, only four are important to understand risk identification: • The identification of risk • Prioritization of severity • Implementation of risk response • Developing a portfolio view

WHERE ARE BUSINESSES GOING WRONG? Business leaders may identify the top 10 risks in terms of size; ignoring the potential of other initially low probability risks whose impact changes from week to week, such as Covid-19. Consequently, these lesser priority risks – based on historical size – may have an interconnected behaviour which could result in a catastrophic outcome.

Leaders should not only focus on the number, size or probability but also on the thorough identification of multiple areas of uncertainty, hazards and risk.

THE 5 AREAS OF RISK THAT SHOULD BE IDENTIFIED

and safety, environment, legal etc.

• Interface Risk – risks that occur at the interface of processes or operations.

• Causation Risk – commonly called a chain of causation or cascade where one risk triggers another.

• Accumulation Risk – where several disparate risks occur within a very short period of time.

• Emerging Risk – truly new risks not just previously identified risk types which occur in new areas.

As seen through the current Covid-19 pandemic, our businesses need to adapt and become agile in their approach to risk, focussing on different risk factors as they change week to week, e.g. supply chain risk and customer demand risk. They need to develop a team that can identify these types of risks earlier in the risk management activity.

Firms that don’t take risk identification seriously, may face challenges or even ultimately liquidation due to poor risk identification processes.

The five dimensions above reflect the complexity of the ‘real world’ and facilitates a cross disciplinary approach to the holistic identification of all risks which is auditable. Business leaders who embrace risk identification from the start will be able to provide a more comprehensive understanding of their firm’s risk portfolio and better prepare themselves and their businesses for a climate of uncertainty in the future.

Drawing on our extensive research, we believe that business leaders should consider looking at their operations from five dimensions: • Generic Risk – the current method of generic silo identification e.g. health

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FINANCE

DON’T WORRY ABOUT INFLATION (YET!)

By Michael Brown, Senior Market Analyst at Caxton FX

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s the coronavirus pandemic shows signs of having reached its peak, at least for this infection wave, attention is beginning to turn to what comes next for the global economy; which is undoubtedly now in its first recession in over a decade, and likely in the deepest contraction since the ‘30s.

One question that many are likely pondering is whether the post-virus economy brings with it an inflationary wave.

In the immediate-term, as the world continues to grapple with getting the epidemic under control, disinflation is blatantly on the horizon. In the longer-term, however, an inflation wave is likely to surface, possibly before the year is out.

COLLAPSE IN CRUDE Firstly, let’s look at the current environment. At a very basic level, a recession is naturally a disinflationary environment; the drop, or collapse in this case, in demand caused by an economic downturn instinctively depresses prices. Furthermore, the recent collapse in crude prices – including US oil falling into negative territory for the first time

ever – sparked by a combination of the Saudi-Russia price war, and evaporating global demand, will naturally have a downward impact on CPI. It is, at this point, key to understand that without demand, you cannot have inflation. Until the coronavirus lockdown measures are lifted, there will not be a substantial pickup in demand.

However, looking further ahead, the eventual pick-up in demand, combined with the present expansionary monetary policy environment, should see an inflationary wave return in the medium-term; especially given policymakers’ tendencies to allow economies to run ‘hot’.

A BOUNCE IN DEMAND? While some demand has undoubtedly been lost forever, nobody will be going for three haircuts on the same day to make up for those missed for example, there will be a near certain bounce in demand; especially as those who have been cooped up inside for weeks on end flock to businesses in the services

sector at the first taste of freedom.

Even those who have, sadly, found themselves unemployed as a result of the coronavirus crisis will likely contribute to this demand surge due to the stronger social safety nets implemented by governments worldwide.

Furthermore, it will be difficult for OPEC+ oil producers – particularly Saudi Arabia and Russia – to sustain themselves with oil close to $20bbl. As such, further production cuts remain a distinct possibility which, along with an eventual pick-up in demand, should help prices to recover at least some of the losses.

For markets, an eventual return of inflation may dampen the attraction of bonds in the longer-term, with expansive asset purchase programmes from almost all G10 central banks set to keep yields relatively depressed.

Meanwhile, a solid hedge against inflation has always been gold; while equity market returns will likely outpace that of bonds in the longer-term.

In the FX world, a pick-up in inflation may have a rather muted impact, given the pick-up is likely to be relatively symmetrical across developed markets.

With foreign currency being a fundamental part of business, Caxton are providing a free consultation service to all members, available Monday to Friday 8am-6pm.

Simply email kevin.bottwood@caxtonfx.com to arrange a time to speak or alternatively ask any questions you may have.

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#ATHOMEWITHGSC T

he Guildford Shakespeare Company has curated a special online programme of activities to keep audiences entertained and inspired during the coming months.

Calling on help from the many actors and creative artists GSC have worked with over the past 14 years, and together with their own in-house team, the charity has devised a programme of work that can be accessed online for free, with different content every day.

Released on Mondays and Fridays, #TheseOurActors are short recorded performances by previous GSC actors of favourite speeches, sonnets or songs from, or about, Shakespeare.

Tuesdays shine the spotlight on the GSC Team itself with individual members talking about their role at the charity.

‘A Chat With Matt’ (Co-Founder Matt Pinches).

On Wednesdays is a live YouTube broadcast of a talk on Shakespeare’s life. Split into eight 30-minute episodes, these are broadcast at 7.45pm and include a live chat facility for audience members to ask questions.

Finally, Thursdays see the release of a weekly Podcast, #GSCsRudeMechanicals, which features an interview with

CULTURE

a member of the company’s creative teams, from sound design to choreography, from directing to vocal work.

“Though we are unable to produce any live theatre in our usual way right now, we wanted to be able to stay in touch with our audiences,” explains Matt Pinches.

“Our audiences and our artists are central to everything we do. GSC is a family and in these unprecedented, difficult times it is of paramount importance that we all can find a way to keep in touch.

“We’re indebted to the time and talent our artist friends have donated in this way. Our hope is that alongside bringing a little colour to people’s daily lives, we are also ensuring GSC will continue to inspire and entertain once this is all over.”

Alongside the #AtHomeWithGSC content, GSC have also been working hard to ensure that the busy Education Department continues to provide opportunities for people to stay involved, be creative and in contact with their friends.

All normal classes are running, adapted to run online.

“We’re delighted that our popular weekly primary school clubs, Saturdays and adult evening classes are running next term, and we’ve introduced a new Play-

writing Adaptation course. We’re also striving to ensure the social isolation projects, begun through our Brave New World initiative, will also continue.

“At a time of such uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to offer people some sense of normality, and we are extremely pleased to be able to continue to run these classes.”

For full details of all the #AtHomeWithGSC content and the Education classes visit: guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk

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A message from our managing director: Foxhills and Farleigh are in the hospitality business and they exist to make people feel great.

Right now, they are closed and when they will open is unclear. Many of you will be in a similar position and I feel for you.

Surrey’s businesses are among the strongest and most innovative in the country, we will endure. And when we do, my clubs will be there to greet you. Maybe not with open arms, at first, but with a broad smile and sanitiser.

We’ll be there to help you thank your staff and to spend time with your clients, without a flickering screen between you.

We’ll be there for you to relax with friends and family, without a ‘quiz night’.

Best of all, each club measures over 350 acres so plenty of room to socially distance either with or from your family.

Until then, be safe, take care and we will see you on the other side.

Marc Hayton

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www.foxhills.co.uk

www.farleighfox.co.uk

POLICING SURREY

SURREY POLICE Helping support those at risk during isolation

By Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner David Munro

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t has been an extraordinary last month which is continuing to stretch our health and emergency services to the absolute limit in their efforts to keep us safe from the Coronavirus outbreak.

We continue to live in an unprecedented situation and our police service is playing an important role in responding to the ever evolving effects of the Coronavirus outbreak.

This remains a period of great uncertainty for many communities and businesses across the county and these are testing times for us all with day-to-day life unrecognisable from a few weeks ago.

The lockdown measures are entirely necessary of course to slow the spread of the virus and Surrey Police have been at the forefront of making sure the public follow the government guidance on restriction of movement.

I am pleased to say that the vast

majority of Surrey residents have been following the government guidance and I want to thank everyone for their continued co-operation in what are challenging circumstances for everyone.

The legislation put in place for police is of course new and our officers and PSCOs are being asked to use their professional judgement and common sense which does not always cater for the range of complex lives that people lead.

I fully support the Chief Constable’s approach to take enforcement action only where it’s absolutely necessary and continue to police by consent where we can with the trust and help of our communities.

You may have seen reports about the number of fixed penalty notices handed out in the county to those flouting the restrictions – particularly over the

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s well as providing support to Surrey Police wherever we possibly can – my office has also been working hard to provide help to organisations that serve some of the most vulnerable residents in the county.

We have set up the PCC’s Coronavirus Support Fund which has made £500,000 available to help support some of those people, including victims at greater risk due to isolation measures.

In less than a week of it launching, 15 organisations were allocated funding of over £50,000 to continue support for those affected by domestic abuse, homelessness and substance misuse. Remaining funds will be allocated on a rolling basis to existing partners through the fund.

Now, more than ever, I believe it is crucial we help local organisations through these difficult times. I have seen remarkable steps already being taken to deliver services such as counselling, advice and practical help for vulnerable individuals under exceptional conditions. I want to do everything in my power to help the amazing people making this possible to carry on, to be able to work remotely or with the appropriate protection, and to reach more individuals in need.

“The vast majority of Surrey residents have been following the government guidance...” sunny Easter weekend.

A significant number of those issued with fines are not Surrey residents and have travelled into the county from elsewhere to visit beauty spots. The message to those people thinking of coming to Surrey for such reasons remains simple - please stay away while those restrictions remain in place and help prevent the spread of this virus.

For more information about the Coronavirus Support Fund, please contact pccfunding@surrey.pnn. police.uk

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BIG STORY

Rishi Sunak The Coronavirus Chancellor Within weeks of taking on the role of Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak was faced with the biggest economic challenge in living memory.

He has been decisive and calm, winning many plaudits. But who is Rishi Sunak? Maarten Hoffmann profiles the man who is charged with steering the economy through the pandemic crisis

U

ntil February 13th 2020, the nation had little idea who Rishi Sunak was. As l write this on April 20th 2020, he is fast on his way to becoming a political rock star and tipped to be a future Prime Minster. So who is Rishi Sunak - or Dishy Rishi as many of the ladies are calling him?

Sunak was born in 1980 to a doctor father and pharmacist mother in Southampton. The child of first-generation immigrants, his parents came to the UK with his grandparents around 60 years ago from East Africa. He attended Winchester, the private all-boys boarding school in Hampshire with eye-watering yearly fees of £41,709, where he became head boy.

He quickly moved on to another exclusive institution by studying PPE

(politics, philosophy and economics) – the degree of choice for aspiring politicians – at Oxford. It seems that Sunak was adept from a young age at navigating the predominantly white and upper-class establishments that historically thrust the country’s wealthiest into powerful positions.

Other Tory politicians of South Asian heritage have had noticeably less privileged routes into politics – Sajid Javid and Priti Patel both shunned Oxbridge and went to a comprehensive and a grammar school respectively.

The young Rishi, known as Rish to his friends, spoke English at home and grew up passionate about cricket, Southampton FC and its footballing genius, Matt Le Tissier. A practising Hindu, Sunak recalled: ‘I’d be at the temple at the weekend but I’d also

be at the Saints game as well on a Saturday.” He was the target of occasional racism, mentioning to the BBC how it stung when he was abused as a Paki in a local fast food restaurant.

In many ways, Sunak is a cookie-cutter Conservative politician with the PPE degree to match. The main difference is he chose not to fawn over Thatcher with student Tories and became president of the Oxford University Investment Society. Sunak the undergraduate would have been thrilled to see his older self deliver his first budget only weeks into the job – something his predecessor Sajid Javid never got the chance to.

He is also a staunch Brexiteer which was a grave disappointment

“So who is Rishi Sunak - or Dishy Rishi as many of the ladies are calling him?”

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“I’d be at the temple at the weekend but I’d also be at the Saints game as well on a Saturday.”

RISHI SUNAK to David Cameron, who had tried personally to win over the newly elected MP. According to one individual with knowledge of the meeting, Cameron sighed as the implacable Sunak left the room: “If we’ve lost Rishi, we’ve

lost the future of the party”. He is also rumoured to have bombshell views on the future of the United Kingdom.

One fellow Conservative recalls: “I remember discussing the future of the Union with Rishi and he argued that

England should break away. He was advocating the end of the UK because it doesn’t make financial sense to him.

He doesn’t have any love for the institution and I suspect he looks at it, as he looks at anything: what’s the profit?” Sunak’s allies say the chancellor does not recall the conversation and is a staunch supporter of the Union and the shared values it represents”.

Coronavirus has plunged the world economy into recession, but Sunak has already faced one global cataclysm: the 2008 financial crisis. Shortly after graduating from Oxford, Sunak worked at Goldman Sachs as a junior analyst in the merchant banking division.

After studying for his MBA as a Fulbright Scholar at Stanford, Sunak joined the Children’s Investment Fund Management, a London-based firm founded by billionaire Chris Hohn.

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The controversial hedge fund made a name for itself as one of the most successful and aggressive hedge funds of the financial boom. In 2007, the company launched a campaign against the Dutch bank ABN Amro, leading to its purchase by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). A year later, the resulting debt led to the government handing RBS a whopping £45 billion bailout during the financial meltdown.

Sunak’s characterisation as the ‘downto-earth Tory stumping up money to help the country get through coronavirus’ is ironic, mainly because of the extreme wealth in his own household.

At Stanford, he met and subsequently married Akshata Murthy, the daughter of a India’s 6th richest man, billionaire N.R Narayana Murthy who is the co-founder of Infosys, an IT company, and with whom he has two children, Krishna and Anoushka. The couple own at least four properties totalling £10 million across the UK and the US – including a five-bedroom home in London valued at £7 million alone. His wife’s stake in her father’s IT company is reportedly worth £185 million and she now runs her own fashion label, Akshata Designs

When he left finance, Sunak decided to serve the community. After William Hague stood down in 2015 as Conservative MP for Richmond in North Yorkshire, Sunak took a gamble and ran as Hague’s successor. He bet right, and won, becoming the first MP of South Asian heritage for the constituency.

Sunak got there in five years.

He voted leave in the 2016 referendum, aligning himself with Johnson early on, and his only misdemeanour was joining Michael Gove’s leadership camp after David Cameron resigned.

He rectified this two years later, when Theresa May made her ignominious exit, and dutifully returned to Johnson.

“How it stung when he was abused as a Paki in a local fast food restaurant.”

On Political Thinking, Sunak joked that his family represents the sum total of ethnic diversity in the area.

Becoming an MP marked the first step in a seamless political career, in which Sunak consistently chose right. Many politicians spend their entire lives attempting to become chancellor, but

It was a move that paid off: he was rewarded with a Cabinet position as Chief Treasury secretary under then-Chancellor Sajid Javid. He served under Javid, at one point calling him a “mentor” and a “good friend”.

Sunak’s career took an unexpectedly Shakespearean turn when Javid dramatically quit in February,

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though Sunak, the Star Wars fan who dreamed of being a Jedi knight as a child, might better describe this as his Darth Vader versus Obi-Wan moment.

Javid was famously given an ultimatum to keep his position on the condition he sacked all of his advisors. It was the culmination of months of tension between Johnson, his advisor Dominic Cummings, and Javid, in which Johnson and Cummings sought greater control over the Treasury, which traditionally operates separately to No.10.

Javid later said that “no self-respecting minister” could accept those terms. Cue: Rishi Sunak, the minister who could.

“He’s young and a lot more amenable to what the government want to do,” says former Guardian columnist Dawn Foster.

She argues that Javid was a lot more experienced as a minister, meaning

ies reports that two million workers could be left out and unable to access help. The question is whether these are oversights or deliberate gaps in policy.

Reports from people who work with him is that “he reads everything that crosses his desk; he reads the details and he’s a pragmatic political”. The gaps in the package to support workers are not because of an ‘i’ he didn’t dot, or a ‘t’ he didn’t cross. It’s indicative of residual hawkishness of deficit reduction but never forget his true colours, which are deregulation, low tax and low public spending – it’s where his heart is.

He sounds like Gordon Brown at his best, taking decisive and dramatic action to meet the challenge of the financial crash. His approach was inclusive, consulting the Trades Union Congress as well as employers. Presumably, John McDonnell, the shadow

“The couple own at least four properties totalling £10 million across the UK and the US” that he pushed back on government policy – something that is less of a threat with Sunak. “I think Boris needed to get some loyalists into the Cabinet and Rishi is young with no real backstory, and no real history. He’s perfect for the Treasury as they wanted someone to carry out exactly what Number 10 wanted.”

For all the claims of Sunak’s competence, there are flaws with his COVID-19 emergency measures. The fiveweek wait for Universal Credit is still in place, despite nearly a million people applying in just a fortnight. Despite the promised grants for self-employed workers, the Institute for Fiscal Stud-

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chancellor, didn’t want to be consulted, and went on TV within minutes to complain that Sunak hadn’t gone far enough or fast enough.

This partisanship was in contrast with the reaction of Frances O’Grady, the TUC general secretary, who praised Sunak for showing “real leadership”.

Even Len McCluskey, McDonnell’s co-ideologue, said the chancellor had “done the right thing.”

“He is smart, he’s energetic and he listens, which is important,” says O’Grady. She would not normally be a fan of a Tory chancellor, but several days of negotiating with Sunak over

the coronavirus jobs package won her over: “It’s a lot of responsibility on young shoulders. What I would say is that he does have emotional intelligence. It’s a different style, without that sense of superiority that some have.

“He is quite frank in saying he never expected he would be in this position; this is not Conservatism as we have known it for 40 years. Things are happening really fast, judgments are being made fast.”

Carolyn Fairbairn, head of the CBI em-

BIG STORY

ployers’ federation, also became an admirer over cups of tea at the Treasury: “We all just felt that incredible relief. He showed that you can come together and do things that are big and have the potential to change the course of the river.”

“He is rumoured to have bombshell views on the future of the United Kingdom.”

His briefing speeches have begun to hint at the fact that HMRC will work hard on getting this money back. On his April 18th daily briefing, he said that all of the money promised will “need to be paid back at some point”.

side over a second version of austerity – and his public appeal as Mister Spendy Nice Guy will evaporate.

Presumably, that would mean his credentials as the ‘Tory-Lite Politician It’s OK to Fancy’ will take a hit, too.

At some point, Sunak’s image as the kindly ‘printer of endless money’ benefactor will crumble.

For now, Sunak is pretty safe, if not perfectly poised for a future in Number 10.

After coronavirus, there’ll be pressure from Number 10 to claw back the money. If so, Sunak will have to pre-

But if coronavirus has proven anything, it’s that anything can happen in a few months.

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Keeping your business moving forward

By Matthew Farrant, Partner, Haines Watts Godalming Tax Digital (MTD), forcing most VAT registered businesses to use HMRC approved software linked to the internet. The change is part of HMRC’s long term plans to modernise and streamline reporting to them, which started over 20 years ago.

HMRC’s objective is the same as it is for all businesses; to reduce transposition and keying-in errors, avoid the duplication of data entry and have figures readily available to prepare forecasts and make decisions.

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he last few months demonstrate that businesses need to be agile. For some, it will have been impossible, as there was no way that trade could continue while maintaining social distancing. But even these businesses needed to be active with their accounts and records as they grappled with income falling off a cliff.

To survive some found cutting corners a necessary move, however, there is a danger that this method will continue resulting in poor digital governance, and likely to result in increased yearend compliance work as the thread is unpicked.

The introduction of VAT in 1973, caused a monumental leap forward in record-keeping for most SMEs as they were forced to bring their records up to date once a quarter rather than panicking as the Tax Return filing deadline loomed.

Another leap forward happened last year with the introduction of Making

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HMRC was not proficient at explaining to businesses the benefits they will receive as part of the changes. Instead, we have thought of them as Big Brother and complied because there was no alternative.

Although HMRC’s plan has been 20 years in the making, we feel it does not take long to implement a few small changes to your business functions to leap forward in data management and information processing. This in turn will only help to strengthen the communication of information between your team and your accountants.

The COVID-19 lockdown had unforeseen consequences, forcing businesses to re-focus their minds back to driving the digitalisation of their business for resilience and clarity.

The simple process of applying for a Retail Business Rates Grant was hampered with the rates invoice and the required references being stored in the office, a place most of us have tried to avoid. Businesses that had already adopted a digital approach

would simply have tapped a few keys to bring up the invoice on screen.

How many hands does a sheet of paper pass through in a paper-based finance team? Not only are we greening the planet by going paperless, but also reducing the spread of unwanted viruses and bacteria; consequently leading to more efficient, both in time and cost, and streamlined bookkeeping system.

FINANCE

The smaller tasks that often felt like a chore have now become essential to managing the business and getting real-time information and while COVID-19 has emphasised the need to revamp the way we access our data remotely. It shouldn’t take a pandemic to show the importance of moving forward digitally. There are many day to day objects that could get in our way, such as weather emergencies, tight deadlines, and sickness, to name a few.

A recent survey of businesses found that most businesses using cloud bookkeeping software are connected to their banks, but only 11% of SMEs asked reconciled their records monthly. This is a minimum

requirement for data governance.

To be agile with your information, there are two key elements to emphasise and improve; firstly having real-time data at your fingertips and secondly reduce the processing time by entering data once.

some of these, but at Haines Watts, we feel there is always more to be gained from your business information.

If you would like to discuss any of these tools or how we can help you and your business on your journey, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Now is the time to make better use of technology including:• Digitalisation of invoices received • Invoice automation of sales invoices • Credit control • Financial planning • Payment integration • Live bank information You may already be implementing

T 01483 425 724 E mfarrant@hwca.com www.hwca.com/accountants-godalming

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WEALTH MANAGEMENT EXECUTED BEAUTIFULLY

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www.pmw.co.uk

We pride ourselves on our ability to provide independent, sophisticated and bespoke financial advice.

Aissela, 46 High Street, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9QY 01372 471550 SURREY BUSINESS

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All is Not Lost Challenging. Unprecedented. Crash. Uncertainty. The new trending phrases of despair. The once dreaded ‘B’ word seems like sweet relief right now.

Good news! Adding to the seemingly all-encompassing gloom is not my intention.

By Aaron Phillips, Senior Investment Broker, Avantis Wealth national duty. There are considerable profits to be made.

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y message for investors is one of calculated optimism.

Most investors, at this moment in time, will be going through a recalibration of objectives and strategy to take them forward. On the tip of many investors’ tongue could be something along the lines of ‘look for opportunities’; however, most will be trying to sit tight in their bunker until ‘something’ happens.

The current position of the property market and why we believe that UK developers can hold the key.

Avantis has spent the last ten years selecting investments from global providers to deliver diversification for investors. We look for exceptional value for investors while helping companies improve their cash flow and fulfil projects.

It has never been a better time to be involved in helping maintain UK businesses and UK jobs. But it is not all about being altruistic or a sense of

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We deal in corporate bonds and loan notes. If you are unfamiliar with these, please contact our office for a more in-depth understanding. They are a necessary means for micro and SME’s to raise capital to fulfil projects and increase cash flow. Without a second glance, these can be immediately flagged as high risk. But if you look at the security involved in a lot of these projects, it will surprise you. Unlike many assets, you can choose to invest for income or growth, and perhaps best of all, the rates are fixed negating any volatility. Investors invariably get the luxury of a first charge over assets to secure their investment.

The problem facing us is that traditional asset classes have failed investors over the last 20 years. Stocks and shares, for example, have failed many.

Using the FTSE 100 index as a guide, the previous peak was at the turn of the millennium when it topped 7,000.

On April 1st, it stood at about 5,500, a fall of 1,500 or roughly 22% over the period. Investors generally assumed that the stock market would show an average annual return of 4%. If this had continued over the past 20 years, the FTSE 100 index would now stand at 15,000, almost three times the actual value.

The importance of the housing market to the FTSE100 has been evident recently as large developers pulled up the index by its bootstraps.

Government Gilts and Savings Accounts. This latest series of rate cuts, concluding (for now) at 0.1% have slashed any income that investors would have been counting on. Gold is far from stable, and it’s probably best to not even mention oil right now.

Diversification among these asset classes alone is not diverse enough.

UK Property: From 1975 to 2018, a period of 43 years, the property market has delivered an average capital growth

INVESTMENT

from £100,000 to £220,000, leaving an unimpressive annualised rate of 1.85% a year. The data shows that timing is everything. However, it is essential to remember that these figures are far removed from the 20-30% profit benchmark for developers.

If you analyse the purchase price of UK property market over the last 40+ years, you will see that it has not all been plain sailing but investing into a contract with the developer negates the risk of lower resale values on the investors part. Your returns are secured against the asset.

The property market renaissance, February 2020 The UK property market released from the shackles of the ‘B’ word, experienced a period of sustained growth in

all but one region. Analysts believe we were in for a bumper year. Why? Because demand outstrips supply, and it continues to do so. If we remember the manifesto pledge of the Conservatives, 200k new homes a year for five years and the extension of the Help to Buy scheme, only 170k were built which is still a good number, but under what is required.

The good news keeps bouncing into the construction industry, with many of the UK’s biggest house builders re-opening sites whilst continuing with social distancing restrictions. Most smaller developers have managed to adapt and kept sites 60-80% operational, so there has been reduced disruption. Developers are willing to pay up to 18% pa for the top part of their funding stack to complete or to fund a project entirely.

“It is not all about being altruistic or a sense of national duty. There are considerable profits to be made.”

We are also noticing the draw of the UK property market combined with the weakened pound enticing a host of global investors into the marketplace.

I

f you feel that your once brightly shining goal is now fading into the distance, remember that there is hope. A realisation that there are opportunities out there and that lost profit can be regained.

Whatever your investment strategy, it has never been more important to look for diversity in a portfolio. That will mean veering off the well-trodden path, but that is where you can find the hidden gems.

M: 01273 447 299 | T: 01273 022 039 | E: aaronp@avantiswealth.com 8 The Drive | Hove | East Sussex | BN3 3JA www.avantiswealth.com

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How to Create an Adaptive Culture

By Kevin Green, former CEO of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation and HR Director of Royal Mail.

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hy do 87% of people say that they are not engaged at work?* We know that when people are engaged in their work they are happier, more productive and don’t change jobs. All leaders want their organisation to be a great place to work because they know it has an impact on the business’s performance. We know culture matters, but few organisations know how to review, modify or change their organisational culture.

If we look at organisations with winning cultures, it’s not the football tables, free fruit and away days that people value, it’s how they are treated every day. Does your business define, communicate but most importantly live its values? One of the tests I use with leadership teams is to ask them to name 10 examples in the last three months when their values have been used to help with a business decision.

Have they been used to make a hiring decision, or to decide who gets a promotion or pay rise?

Adapt or Die As markets get disrupted by new competitors and new technology, businesses need to be able to adapt to their changing environment. Often it’s the ability to pivot at pace which is the precursor of business success. This is why creating an adaptive culture is so important today.

The science of developing an adaptive culture shows it’s not a quick or easy process. A culture describes how an organisation behaves every day, how it gets things done, the DNA of the business.

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Adaptive organisations will have some common traits: they will be innovative, they will constantly be experimenting to explore different ways in which they can provide customer value, they will always be looking for better ways to do things.

This quest for continuous improvement will be a core, repeatable behaviour. Adaptive organisations also have strong leaders who define the purpose of the organisation, as well as the goals. In my experience, most organisations are over-managed and under-led.

Leaders empower and motivate, managers control and direct.

COMPANY CULTURE

Shifting culture There are some key building blocks in moving towards an adaptive culture.

The science shows that organisations with clarity of purpose, that live their values every day and allow people direct control over their work are more responsive and agile. This agility enables them to adapt to customers’ changing expectations and so out-perform their competitors on every financial metric.

“Leaders must protect the business purpose and values, the very essence of the culture and thus avoid it being degraded.”

Leaders focus on culture

Those leaders that consistently deliver great results, regardless of how the world around their business changes, will understand how to develop, enhance and then reinforce a culture that gets the most from their people.

The great value in purpose and defined values is that they are guides, they allow the people within the organisation to have the freedom to make decisions and on occasions, correct their course.

But importantly they also encourage people to be as self-directed as possible - adaptive cultures create trust.

You don’t need layers of managers and bureaucracy if you provide leadership guidelines (purpose and values) and allow teams to make their own decisions.

An ongoing challenge A culture isn’t static, it evolves over time but it can be destroyed quickly.

Leaders must protect the business purpose and values, the very essence of the culture and thus avoid it being degraded.

Leaders love to claim their organisation is nimble – in fact this means an organisation with decentralised decision-making. No business with a top down culture can be nimble or adaptive - it’s that simple. The adaptive and nimble have a clear purpose, a set of unique values and then get out of the way of their people as they respond to customers wants and needs. *Gallup, State of the Global Workplace, 2017

­

Kevin Green has written a new book entitled Competitive People Strategy: how to attract, develop and retain the staff you need for business success, published by Kogan Page

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national Colossal Increase

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he UK’s budget deficit is set to see “an absolutely colossal increase to a level not seen in peacetime”, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said.

The economic impact of coronavirus was likely to push the deficit to as high as £260bn, Paul Johnson told the BBC. He was speaking after latest figures showed that the deficit hit £48.7bn in the 2019-20 financial year. But Mr Johnson said those figures were “the numbers before the storm”.

The deficit last year - the gap between the government’s income and its expenditure - was £9.3bn higher than in the 2018-19 financial year and equivalent to 2.2% of GDP. The Office for National Statistics, which released those figures, said they did not capture the big spending announced by the government to cope with the virus.

“The coronavirus pandemic is expected to have a significant impact on the UK public sector finances,” it added.

news

Trouble for Virgin

V

irgin Australia has confirmed it has entered voluntary administration - making it Australia’s first big corporate casualty of the coronavirus pandemic.

The country’s second-largest carrier cut almost all flights last month following wide-spread travel bans. It was already struggling with a long-term A$5bn (£2.55bn; $3.17bn) debt.

The airline is now seeking new buyers and investors, after failing to get a loan from Australia’s government. Meanwhile, Sir Richard Branson - whose Virgin group is a part-owner of Virgin Australia - has offered his Caribbean island as collateral to help get a UK government bailout of Virgin Atlantic. Necker Island is likely worth only £10m, so a way to go there then.

Virgin Atlantic has announced it is to cut more than 3,000 jobs in the UK and

end its operation at Gatwick airport.

The shock announcement comes after rival British Airways said it could not rule out closing its Gatwick operation. Pilots' union Balpa described it as "devastating".

The airline currently employs a total of about 10,000 people. Virgin Atlantic, which is in the process of applying for emergency loans from the government, said that jobs will be lost across the board. "We have weathered many storms since our first flight 36 years ago but none has been as devastating as Covid-19 and the associated loss of life and livelihood for so many," said Virgin Atlantic chief executive Shai Weiss.

I always wanted to be somebody, but now l realise l should have been more specific.

BUSINESS WISDOM

Empty Threat

T

he boss of Ryanair says the airline will not resume flights if it has to keep middle seats empty to fight Covid-19, calling the idea “idiotic”.

Michael O’Leary said he was hopeful 80% of flights could resume by October if travel restrictions are eased in July.

But he said empty seats did not ensure safe social distancing and were financially unviable. He added that if the Irish government imposed the rule, it would have to pay for the middle seat “or we won’t fly”.

Like most other big airlines, Ryanair has grounded flights

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as countries around Europe have imposed travel restrictions to contain the pandemic.

national Tax Havens

D

news

enmark has told companies that they will not be eligible for bailout funds to help them through the coronavirus pandemic if they are registered in tax havens, prompting calls for other countries, including the UK, to attach similar strings to their own financial support packages.

The Danish government also said companies that access government support must not use profits to buy back shares or pay dividends to shareholders in 2020 or 2021. Earlier in April, Poland said its bailout funds would only be available to companies that pay tax in the country.

The moves have reignited debate over tax avoidance and come as Sir Richard Branson faced criticism after asking the UK government to bail out Virgin Atlantic with a £500m loan.

Electric Power Station

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ork has started on an electric vehicle charging forecourt that will be able to charge 24 cars at once.

It is being built on a 2.5 acre site at Great Notley, near Braintree, Essex, by sustainable energy company

Gridserve.

The company hopes the roadside forecourt, which will use solar power, will “solve the challenge” of where to charge electric vehicles.

Chief executive Toddington Harper said it was “updating the petrol station model for a net-zero carbon future”.

It is set to open in the summer and is due to be the first of more than 100 similar sites around the country.

Bloodbath

T

he UK pub sector could be hit by a “bloodbath” if they are not given breaks in rent payments, an industry expert has claimed.

Chief executive of UKHospitality, Kate Nicholls, called for government intervention “as a matter of urgency”.

She told the Treasury Select Committee some landlords were facing legal action over not being able to pay their rent.

She also said a third of the sector would be “put at risk” if lockdown measures lasted until Christmas.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove confirmed at the weekend that pubs would be among the last businesses to re-open when measures are reduced.

A spokesman for the Department for Business said they urged owners of pubs “to act in a responsible way, exercising judgement and discretion with their tenants”.

The government introduced a lease forfeiture moratorium for three months as part of its response to the coronavirus to stop people being kicked out of business premises if they miss rent payments.

But Ms Nicholl said it was not taking effect “across a large swathe of the hospitality industry”.

Age is of no importance unless you’re a cheese BUSINESS WISDOM

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FINANCE

Protecting the Economy Knill James believes that further support is needed urgently to prevent an additional 830,000 unemployed in the South East

N

ew research that we have conducted during April shows that 830,000 people in the South East are at risk of unemployment. This is a stark and worrying number, but this is the reality of what the UK may be facing.

31% of the 1,793 SME businesses who participated in our research believe they could close permanently if the lockdown continues beyond June. Given there are 16.7 million people employed by SMEs according to the government’s own statistics released in 2019, this could result in over 830,000 in the South East being made unemployed and 5 million in total across the UK. Kirsty Wilson said: “This is not what anyone wants. Clearly therefore one of the most important issues that the government needs to focus on is to rebuild the economy. SMEs, who account for a significant proportion of the UK’s economy and workforce, need to be a priority.”

Together with the other member partners of the UK200Group, Knill James has written to Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak highlighting the 3 key areas of concern for SMEs that the research has identified: 1. Access to bank funding to preserve their business; 2. Help rebuilding their business once the pandemic eases; and 3. More support for the self-employed to tide them over.

In our letter, we have called on the government to prioritise support for SMEs and in particular, we have highlighted the following measures that will help address SMEs current challenges: 1. Removing some of the administra-

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tive hurdles of the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

2. Continued support for furloughed employees, rather than a hard end to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

3. Refining the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to ensure it is well targeted.

We are delighted to see that the government has announced a 100% government backed loan facility for SMEs to borrow up to £50,000. We will find out further details on the likely terms of these loans as well as further information on eligibility criteria over the coming days and weeks but this facility should complement the main CBILS scheme.

The ability to defer capital repayments for 12 months will be a key aspect for some business owners, giving them time to re-structure their business and the confidence to accept the loan.

But we also know this is not enough in

itself. More support and more measures are needed; we know that many businesses need to see an end to the lockdown but are also worried about the impact on any ongoing social distancing measures. That’s why we will keep lobbying the government on behalf of SMEs.”

Concluding, Nick Rawson said; “In these unusual times we need to Stay Focused; Protect the Economy and Save Jobs. We are committed to doing our bit to support our clients by raising issues with the government on SMEs behalf and by collaborating with the government and others to achieve these goals.”

Nick Rawson, Partner 01273 480480 nick@knilljames.co.uk Kirsty Wilson, Corporate Finance Director 01273 480480 kirstyw@knilljames.co.uk www.knilljames.co.uk

FINANCE

Keep cash flowing COVID-19 is dire for cash flow: Maxine Reid from Quantuma on how businesses can wring as much cash generation as they can from available sources

T

he current impact of COVID-19 is so unprecedented and for many businesses, the speed with which it has played out has left many feeling helpless.

It follows that one of the first questions that business owners will be asking is ‘how long can we survive until the worst (hopefully) passes?’ Simply, the answer depends on how much cash the business currently has in order to keep current operations as “whole” for as long as possible.

In reality not many businesses, especially in the SME space, will have sufficient cash reserves to simply wait it out and fund inevitable losses unless they operate in one of the designated essential sectors and may actually experience increased demand.

What we have been seeing at Quantuma is that for most businesses the immediate response to the crisis has been to look to pare back operational cost drivers by furloughing employees; reducing number of shifts etc. but also stretching supplier credit terms (perhaps predictably) even more.

In many cases the above measures will not be enough and stretching creditor days past breaking point is a risky, if understandable strategy at present, for some businesses.

However, business owners and directors should ensure that as well as looking at the obvious strategies they also explore less obvious avenues. Summarised below are some additional cash preservation strategies businesses should consider: • Approaching all customers (especially the larger ones) to request that all overdue sales invoices are immediately brought up to date

• Temporary suspension of the offer of credit terms (i.e. request customers put you in funds first if requiring urgent production or supply) • Approach financial stakeholders, utilities and landlords to explore payment holidays etc.

• Last but not least ensure that constant attention is paid to the evolving nature of the Government’s raft of announced measures to support UK business and ensure that where your particular business qualifies for help the application process is prioritised The most important document that any business should have right now is a cashflow forecast.

Whilst small and medium sized businesses may not need to provide one to some banks when applying for CBILS backed loans a business owner, regardless of business size should have one. It will not only help to show where the pinch points are and how long the business can continue without additional support but if your bank does need one, they’ll be easy to produce.

Whilst banks are changing their lending criteria in line with Government guidelines they are still lending cautiously. Where banks won’t require sight of cashflow forecasts or business plans, the lenders will instead rely on their own information to assess credit and business viability.

The above suggestions are clearly not exhaustive and some will only apply to certain situations but we hope that this article will help emphasise that an obsessive focus on cash generation and preservation should be a constant preoccupation for business owners during this period of uncertainty.

www.quantuma.com

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Phantoms & Plastics

Q&A with Neil Gates, Managing Director of Seevent Plastics When was the company founded?

Seevent Plastics was started by Ken Fisher in June 1987 at a single unit in Peter Road in Lancing. In those days Seevent Plastics were manufacturing a bomb carrying device for the MOD which fitted under the wing of the Phantom Jet. We certainly don’t do that anymore but we do have units 2-9 on the same Peter Road site. Ken retired and sold me the business in January 2014.

What sector does the company now trade in?

Over the last six years, we have developed the business in Pharmaceutical, Animal Feed, Solid Fuel and Aggre-

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gate packaging and by continued research and development, have enabled our customers to reduce their packing costs by up to 25%. In 2016, we wrote and had published a parliamentary review on sustainability and the environment well before the Blue Planet programme some years later.

What are you doing about sustainability within your industry?

The challenge for all manufacturers in Plastic is creating the closed loop supply chain. At Seevent, we are already successfully using a minimum of 30% post-consumer waste in many of our products and making all our products 100% recyclable. This

LEGAL

is ahead of Government legalisation which is currently proposed for 2022. Nearly all our factory waste is recycled and we have less than 1% going to Landfill.

What sector is your largest customer?

Our largest market sector is now Pharmaceuticals and we have recently been appointed Global Supply Chain partner to GSK and we have a lot of product development going on for this particular market sector. This is being developed by our sister company, Polyplus Packaging in Reading who now specialise in Antistatic and Pharmaceutical markets.

How has the global pandemic affected your sector?

The current Pandemic crisis has affected us like nearly all businesses in the UK. Many of our customers in

“We are now heavily involved in the supply of aprons to hospitals and nursing homes.� the retail sector have had to close and we have had to diversify as quickly as possible. We are now heavily involved in the supply of aprons to hospitals and nursing homes. Unfortunately, body bags are another product we are now turning our skills to due to the demand.

We have had to furlough a number of staff but hope that we can open for business as usual very soon without losing any staff.

How has your bank assisted during these difficult times?

Natwest Bank have been one of the great partners to Seevent over the years and their continued support at this time has been truly magnificent.

When we started on our expansion

plan in 2015, Natwest put together a package enabling us to increase our production by 30%.

They believed in us and it paid off. They have allowed us to develop and experiment without onerous restrictions and have been a true supporter in everything we have done. When the pandemic hit, Natwest were the first to get in touch and secure a CBIL loan for us.

Seevent Plastics Ltd 2-7 Peter Road, Lancing, West Sussex, BN15 8TH Tel: 01903 755877 Email: 07740 411056 Web: seevent.co.uk

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Distilling the ethos of Community Spirit How Generation Distillers switched their gin making skills to produce essential hand sanitisers

Claire Kentish Barnes and her husband Ed launched their distillery near Lewes two years ago. Their vision: to create a portfolio of drinks that are beautifully made, transparent in their making and marketing and made using locally sourced ingredients. Their business also supports other local enterprises by sourcing as much as they can from other local independents.

PHOTO BY NIKKI GOODEVE PHOTOGRAPHY

Usually at this time of year, the pair

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would be preparing stocks for summer trade, showing the gin at events and trade shows and developing new business; but they are not doing any of that – they are making hand sanitiser in their distillery instead.

‘The week before lockdown, orders dropped off a cliff,’ says Ed, ‘we were lucky that we are not hugely exposed in on-trade businesses (pubs, restaurants and hotels), but all of our customers were anxious, unsure of what the next weeks would bring and understandably reluctant to tie up capital in stock that they may not be able to sell.’

‘I had heard of some of the bigger distilleries making hand sanitiser from the alcohol that we have stored and make in our distilleries’ says Claire. ‘We thought that this was something we could do, but were unsure of the need for it in our local community’. Claire posted on a few local social media sites that they have the capability and wanted to gauge whether there was a need for the product - the response was overwhelming! ‘We didn’t even think about making an alternative choice after that, we were straight into planning mode – how are we going to make this happen’?

With a background in product sales and marketing, Claire was experienced in managing projects and getting product to market, and Ed’s experience as a master brewer and FMCG consultant gave them operational expertise; but the pace of

SURREY BUSINESS

this project and what this small distillery have achieved in the time is what sets them apart.

Claire and Ed delivered their first batch of hand sanitiser two weeks after receiving the online response. There were a number of very important aspects to this project that we needed to get through before we could launch the product. We needed to protect ourselves and our existing business, but alongside this we wanted to get the product to market as soon as we could. We engaged with HMRC, HSE and trading standards initially to ensure that we were working within the guidelines.

‘There was confusion as to whether

PHOTO BY PHOTOGR APHY FIRM

T

There has been so much written about two specific types of business during the last few weeks. Those that are on the edge, support for which may or may not be enough to keep them afloat; and businesses that are thriving, those that fit well into the #stayhome lifestyle – conferencing apps as an example. But some businesses are doing something completely different and using their vision and their capability to try something very different from the norm, and being hugely successful.

COMMUNITY BUSINESS

we could denature the alcohol ourselves, thus removing the duty liability on the product. Spirit duty is £28.74 a litre and needs to be paid on everything leaving our bonded warehouse. To make hand sanitiser, we need to denature the alcohol, but we didn’t have a licence for that.

Being part of a trade association meant that we had a direct communication link with HMRC and via the lobbying of the British Distillers Alliance, we soon had the news that we were after, that those with a bonded warehouse were able to effectively denature the alcohol and make hand sanitiser without the duty liability’. This came with

a number of caveats, in particular the use of the World Health Organisation formulation for alcohol based hand sanitiser. This was great news, and gave them a very clear focus – the recipe and methods were prescribed.

frontline workers. For every 1L that they sell to the public, they give the same away in donations. At the time of writing, they have made and sold/donated 500L and we have another 800L on order.

“Leaders must protect the business purpose and values, the very essence of the culture and thus avoid it being degraded.”

But moving from being a distiller to being a biocide producer threw up lots more questions - did they need to be registered as a producer to bring the product to market? Did they need to have the product independently laboratory tested in order to launch? Would anyone buy it from them if they just followed the formula and didn’t get it tested?

Other more practical issues almost halted their ability to press on – plastic is scarce at the moment, mostly coming from China, plastic bottles and containers were near impossible to source on the open market. A call to a local warehouse and a call from a company who had bottles in stock and were looking to free up some warehouse space meant that they had their first and second consignments covered.

One of the main drivers for delivery is to make hand sanitiser at an affordable price so that it is comparable to the standard cost per unit that organisations have become accustomed to paying. The pair also decided to sell the hand sanitiser to the public as well as producing bulk for care homes, and

Although Ed and Claire have worked tirelessly and continue to do so to get the hand sanitiser to those that need it, the project has a real community feel about it. ‘Right from the start we involved our own community in this project by asking them about their needs.

We have had so much contact from local councils, NHS trusts, care homes, schools, charities, volunteer groups, food banks and individuals all congratulating us on our efforts and supporting us to ensure that the product gets to where it is needed most.

We have had great support from the Sussex Innovation Centre, and had exposure through local press and local business forums, there is a real community spirit from the local business community as we come together at this time of crisis and it is humbling to be able to be a small part of that’. www.generationdistillers.co.uk Claire Kentish Barnes clairekb@generation11.co.uk www.generationdistillers.co.uk @generation11gin +44 (0) 7747 848764

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PEST CONTROL

Home Invaders Unwanted visitors can trigger mental health issues during lockdown, says Paul Bates, Managing Director Cleankill Pest Control people are spotting furry intruders and insects that would often go unnoticed.

W

orking from home and spending more time at home generally has become the reality of the lockdown for many.

For Cleankill Pest Control this has resulted in an increase in calls from residential premises as people are spotting furry intruders and insects that would often go unnoticed.

Cleankill Managing Director Paul Bates says the mental health implications of having an infestation during lockdown when you can’t leave your home can be quite serious for some and affect the ability to focus on work.

He explains: “It’s bad enough having a pest problem during normal times, but usually people can get out of the house or go off to work and can escape the problem. The lockdown has resulted in an increase in calls from residential premises to Cleankill as

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“Hearing constant scratching or pests running about in your roof space is really stressful along with the worry of not knowing what damage they are doing and whether they are gnawing through cables. Rats are also appearing in people’s gardens especially in urban properties as there is less food being discarded in the streets. This means the rats are having to explore new territories to find food.”

As well as rodents, people have been calling about clothes moths which they might not otherwise have spotted if they weren’t in their homes 24 hours a day. People are also finding time to tidy cupboards and loft spaces and uncovering textile moth problems that have been hidden.

It’s also the time when pigeons and gulls are starting to arrive and nest on balconies or enter roofspac-

es, presenting a health risk to residents who are forced to spend more time in their own outside spaces during lockdown.

Squirrels are starting to breed and are expert at gnawing through soffits and fascias and accessing lofts where they will nest while potentially damaging wiring and rafters.

There has been an increase in calls about stored products infestations as people try to use up old ingredients at the back of cupboards, or sort through packets of dried goods only to be horrified to find the contents inside moving on its own.

Cleankill recommends using a professional pest control company to tackle problems particularly where rats, mice, birds or squirrels are concerned.

“Rats and squirrels can be quite aggressive and getting rid of the creatures requires a lot of knowledge and expertise. A trained professional should be able to get rid of the problem safely, humanely and quickly. But if you buy off the shelf products it is hard to know without training the correct dosage or the best location to use them in. You could also endanger children, pets and wildlife. It’s also more likely that the problem will return and cause further stress,” Paul said.

Go to www.cleankill.co.uk or call 0800 056 5477

CLEANING SERVICES

Cleaning up after

Coronavirus

With the increased need for sanitisation, the pandemic has created opportunities for innovative cleaning companies Nicki Hesketh & Dean Clark

required both now and once life returns to normal is sanitising cleans, to make sure companies’ premises are safe and stay that way.

“We had carried these out in the past during the SARS virus, so we knew what we needed to do. We retrained staff in how to carry out the cleans effectively and began doing the cleans for clients who are still operating and want to ensure that their offices are Covid-19 free.” says Dean.

“We realised that this could also be an opportunity for an additional revenue stream. In many countries companies have regular scheduled sanitising cleans of their premises as a precaution and we believe that this something companies should be doing here going forward.

“As you can imagine premises that haven’t been open for several weeks will definitely require a general clean once they are open again to get rid of dust build-up and goodness knows what else. But for peace of mind we are also suggesting a sanitising clean.”

N

ot surprisingly Coronavirus didn’t feature in the business planning for Greenstar Cleaners this year so when it hit, they had to react quickly in order to secure the future of the business.

Greenstar Cleaners have been fortunate enough to receive a grant from Coast to Capital’s Backing Business Grant Scheme.

“We are absolutely delighted to have received this. Amongst other things this will enable us to purchase additional specialised equipment to carry out sanitising cleans on a large scale in the future and help build this arm of Greenstar.”

Based on Manor Royal, it has a number of clients related to the airport, from airlines to duty free suppliers, and these were some of the first companies to close offices.

With fewer offices to clean, this commercial cleaning company had to think of a new revenue stream.

Dean Clark, Managing Director, comments; “We have been in operation for more than forty years and in that time have weathered a number of recessions. In our experience it is best to secure what you are currently doing and then look to the future.”

They did this swiftly, deciding that what was going to be

Greenstar Cleaners is a sustainable commercial cleaning company operating throughout the South East. For more information contact info@greenstarcleaners.co.uk.

Tel: 01293 534643 greenstarcleaners.co.uk

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Queen’s Award for Frenchic Paint S

urrey based eco-friendly chalk and mineral paint brand Frenchic are thrilled to announce they have been awarded a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category for 2020.

The prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise recognises outstanding achievement by a UK business, and is testament to the incredible successes achieved by Frenchic and its Founder Pam Gruhn in just over five years since their standing-start launch.

Granted the award for Innovation, Frenchic are now proven to have brought the UK’s first unique chalk and mineral paint with a wax infusion to market, known as their Lazy Range. This one-ofits-kind wax infusion totally eliminates the need for a top-coat or wax to seal the paint and saves the customer more than half the time at a third of the cost.

Since Dec 2014, Frenchic have offered a huge range of high-quality paint which perfectly coincided with the up-cycling revolution, helping DIY enthusiasts give old or unused furniture an entirely

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ENTERPRISE

Frenchic Founder Pam Gruhn: “We are so honoured to receive the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category. We pride ourselves in continually creating unique paints in must-have colours, so to be highly recognised for our Lazy Range is an incredible achievement.

I started Frenchic when I grew frustrated with being unable to find a paint that ticked all my boxes, so I am thrilled with how quickly we’ve grown to become one of the UK’s market leaders and a British brand exporting across the world.

Everything we produce has the customer and environment in mind, combining exceptional quality with ease of use and eco-friendly ingredients.

It has been a true labour of love - a start-up with humble beginnings, no exterior funding, but simply a pure passion for paint!

What drives me is the community we’ve created and the wonderful stockists we support around the world. To have this accolade really is a dream come true – truly a special moment for Team Frenchic.”

new look, without skimping on style or substance.

Their rich and creamy paint is incredibly easy to use, with the range including Al Fresco Inside/Outside Range, Washable Chalk Wall Paint, Trim Paint, Waxes and accessories. The paint has no added VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) and is also proudly EN:71-3 certified, so it’s perfectly child-safe.

the independent retailer on our high streets with over 550 stockists on four continents.

This period of isolation has jump-started an up-cycling craze which has been building for 18-months, and Frenchic have been a major part of this. Earlier this year they recorded a 300% uplift in sales, and this month alone sees a 487%

increase. They are currently shipping 6 tons of paint per day and in 6 weeks have taken delivery of 115,000 tins of paint. Winning the unrivalled Queen’s Award for Enterprise will only further cement their status as one of the decorative paint market leaders.

www.frenchicpaint.co.uk @FrenchicPaint

Frenchic continue to go from strength to strength championing

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EDUCATION

Supporting NHS Heroes The Hurst College community members work hard, do good and engage with NHS heroes

T

Gate College, Chester and who has been working with the Countess of Chester Hospital A&E Department to develop the design.

Chief Operating Officer/DT teacher Dan Higgins and his daughter Beth - who was due to take her A-levels this Summer - have made over 160 visors for NHS staff. The visors were based on an original design shared by a friend of Dan’s who works at Abbey

The Hurst-made visors have been produced from two methods, 3D printing and laser cutting, using PLA, PP and acetate - some also have foam and elastic stitched on by hand. Thirty-six visors have been made using two small 3D printers, which take around 90 minutes to print. The other laser designs, which are quicker to cut, require

he Hurst College community – teachers, pupils and parents – continue to support our NHS heroes by making visors and face masks, running a marathon and producing a fundraising t-shirt.

Amelie

more assembly time.

More than 100 visors have already been distributed by Beth following requests for assistance from a number of parents and staff. She has delivered the PPE to the Brow Medical Centre in Burgess Hill, the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton, Hurst and Hassocks GP surgeries, and SE Ambulance services. The remainder will be delivered when more elastic has been sourced, and once further supplies of all the materials are delivered, then more visors can be made.

“It’s been a real iterative process where we have changed and simplified the design to make the production as fast and easy as possible, using the kit and stock we’ve had in the DT department. We have now exhausted all the materials we had left and have had to stop production for now,” said Dan. Senior Nurse Sarah Barker started making facemasks over the Easter holidays after receiving an email request from her GP practice. News of Sarah’s handiwork quickly spread via Facebook and other organisations also requested her mask-making skills. She has made around 120 masks in total for local GP practices, pharmacies, care homes and community nursing teams.

“My hobby is patchwork and as I had a huge stash of fabric I was happy to help out and put the fabric to good use, before I returned to work for the NHS on a temporary basis,” said Sarah.

Year 6 pupil, Amelie set herself the challenge of running a marathon with her pet dog in less than two weeks to raise money for NHS Charities Together. She began her quest last week, running between three and four miles

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“Dan Higgins and his daughter Beth - who was due to take her A-levels this Summer - have made over 160 visors for NHS staff.”

every day and fittingly completed her 26.2 miles on Sunday, which should have been the day of the London Marathon. So far, she has raised £880, just £120 short of her target, and is still expecting to hit her fundraising target.

“When I was clapping the NHS workers on Thursday evenings I was thinking how brave they are and wanted to do more to help, so I decided to run a fundraising marathon. This is something I can do from my front door during our daily dog walking slot and online PE lesson time,” said Amelie.

During the Easter holidays Housemistress Jami Edwards-Clarke and the girls in her care designed a t-shirt, with a little help from some friends, to raise

The NHS charity T-shirts.

Inset: Paediatric Radiographers at the Royal Alex wearing Hurst-made visors

funds for the NHS. Using the girls’ drawings as a template, a Welsh friend of Jami’s produced print-ready artwork and a local West Sussex printer produced the finished article. Inspired

by Jami’s Mum, who is currently working as a nurse in a make-shift Covid-19 hospital in Pembrokeshire, the house had hoped to raise at least £1000 for the NHS – that total has already been passed with more than 200 t-shirts sold and £2500 raised.

“The work that every single doctor, nurse, cleaner, porter (the list goes on) has been doing made us think, what we could do to help. So, we decided to produce this fundraising t-shirt to support our amazing NHS teams, wherever they are, and my Mum!”, said Jami.

The first donation of £1000 has been sent to Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust for their staff wellbeing fundraising campaign which will ensure staff have the resources and support they need to fight coronavirus whilst remaining healthy, energised and well-rested over the upcoming weeks and months ahead.

hppc.co.uk

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national IR35 Postponed

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news

he government has postponed the implementation of reforms to IR35 tax rules in the private sector by one year in a bid to protect the economy against the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking recently at the Budget debate in the House of Commons, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Steve Barclay announced the reforms to IR35 off-payroll working rules would now come into effect on 6 April 2021. Last month the Treasury confirmed it was to push ahead with changes to the rules, which would see every medium and large private sector business in the UK become responsible for setting the tax status of any contract worker they use from April 2020. Previously the rules had only applied to the public sector.

Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring BUSINESS WISDOM

Netflix Boom

T

he grimly fascinating feature of the coronavirus era is the Darwinistic way one company’s disaster is another’s fortune.

So, while restaurants and bars furlough hundreds of thousands of staff as their clients are stuck indoors, supermarkets enjoy record sales. While retail property landlords suffer floods of tenants unable to pay their rents, warehouse owners make fortunes storing unsold shop goods.

The winners can’t believe their luck. Some talk vaguely of how a reckoning will come their way sooner or later but that’s mainly because it feels wrong to crow.

Netflix’s Reed Hastings —the biggest Covid winner after Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — tried to act sombre to investors today. Having just put on a record 16 million new subscribers, he grimly intoned that next quarter could see only 7.5 million. Get out the world’s smallest violin for a man whose shares have surged 30% this year.

Hogs Back Collection

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urrey-based Hogs Back Brewery is finding new ways to keep its beers flowing to customers through the coronavirus ‘lockdown’, as people heed Government advice to stay away from pubs and bars and work from home.

The brewery, in Tongham near Farnham, has introduced a new Drive Through service for its draught, bottled and canned beers, including its flagship TEA, Hogstar lager and Surrey Nirvana Session IPA. Customers simply drive up to the Brewery Shop, place their order - from a safe distance - and the beer is loaded into their boot by shop staff, without needing to leave their car.

Customers can also ‘click and collect’ by going online to www.hogsback.co.uk with orders ready for collection after 10.00 am the next day, and for those waiting for orders, beer will be served to socially-distanced tables in the open canopy area.

For customers unable to leave home, Hogs Back will home-deliver orders within a 15-mile radius of the brewery, and further afield for orders of £40 or more.

The Brewery Shop remains open for business, with new social distancing measures in place and closure on Mondays to allow for deep cleaning.

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The Beauty of Belize My home for over six years and a country l still love to this day - and one day l will return. As a PADI Master Instructor, l have dived just about every site in the country, spent weeks in the jungle and climbed a wealth of the Mayan ruins. I could not recommend it strongly enough.

By Maarten Hoffmann

B

elize is a former British colony in Central America, sandwiched between Mexico to the north, Guatemala to the west and Honduras to the south, and enjoys a 239 mile long coastline on the Caribbean.

It should also be noted that the country boasts the second largest barrier reef on the planet, after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.

Belize is a hidden little gem that is largely ignored by many except those in the know - and those in the know, know what everyone else is missing.

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The country is full of friendly English speaking people who are welcoming and warm and the Barrier islands, or Cayes as they are called (pronounced keys), of which there are over 200, are some of the most beautiful you will find anywhere in the world. White sand, waving palm trees, aqua blue waves lapping on the shore, fantastic food and a laid back life that we might have all thought had gone from the modern world.

Most of the islands are above sea level by just inches and all have a slightly different feel to them

dependant on how far south you go.

Belize is not an expensive country to visit with an abundance of affordable accommodation alongside some exclusive beach resorts populated by the rich and famous. Homes are owned

by Tiger Woods, Harrison Ford, Leonardo DiCaprio, Ivanka Trump and Francis Ford Coppola.

Over the following pages, I will describe some of the many ways you can experience the beauty of Belize...

TRAVEL

GLOVERS CAYE Named after a famous pirate, this is a group of five small islands surrounded by a vast expanse of coral reef. It is also close to one of the deepest underwater trenches in the world making for some superb diving with Hammerheads, Bull Sharks and rays. The accommodations are very affordable which makes up for the cost of spending half your time underwater.

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TRAVEL

A Beach Vacation Fly into Belize City (and then get out of BC asap) and jump on the island hopper plane run by Tropic Air to Ambergris Caye, just a 10 minute flight. Ambergris Caye is named after the oil that was extracted from the whales that used to be caught and processed here many years ago but is the largest of all the Caye’s and my home for many years. The centre is the town of San Pedro, with sandy streets and no cars allowed, we would go everywhere by golf cart or bicycle with everyone shouting good morning at every turn.

There are many cabana style hotels in town and a short boat trip north, takes you to a range of first-class resort hotels that will rival any in the world. From Ambergris,

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you can dive, snorkel, windsurf, kayak and jet ski followed by lunch of some of the freshest fish you will ever eat as the distance to your plate will often be less than 50 metres.

To the back (west) of the island is the lagoon where Cayman crocs hang out along with a host of other wildlife, and the bird watching is excellent.

Further north, you will find the Bacalar Chico Marine Reserve where, in season, you can see hundreds of turtles hatch from the sand and make the perilous charge to the sea.

Offshore, you will find the Hol Chan Marine Reserve with such a myriad of coloured tropical fish that your head will spin.

The Jungle If island hopping is not for you or you would like to mix it up, inland you will find some of the most wonderful virgin rainforest jungle to be found anywhere. Over half the country is covered by tropical rainforest, much of it unexplored. There are 4,000 species of tropical flowers, 250 kinds of wild Orchids and 500 species of birds. You will also encounter Jaguar, Puma, Ocelot, Armadillo, Tapir and Crocodiles along with raging rivers, waterfalls

and limestone caves. Keep exploring and you will also come across Mayan ruins. Once home to over 2 million Mayans, there are sacred temples, pyramids, palaces and awesome structures - many totally undiscovered.

And don’t be too surprised if a bunch of British soldiers suddenly pop out of the canopy as the UK still use this jungle to train our soldiers in jungle warfare and survival techniques.

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Island Life If you really want to get away from it all, you now have the choice of hundreds of islands - some exclusive resorts, some cabana shacks and some totally deserted for that Robinson Crusoe experience.

CAYE CAULKER (above)

So laid back it is almost horizontal. The old Hippy island that still has that vibe and the backpackers paradise. It is known as the ‘go slow’ island, which is slightly ironic as none of the islands are exactly hectic!

TOBACCO CAYE (right)

This is a budget dream with little houses to rent on stilts into the sea, BBQ’s every night and singing around the campfire.

ST GEORGE’S CAYE (BELOW)

This caye is a national treasure and celebrated each year during St. Georges Caye Day that marks the day that the Baymen drove away the Spanish invaders.

Many private dwellings owned by some of the wealthiest Belizeans with a small selection of cabin resorts.

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TRAVEL

LAUGHING BIRD CAYE

One of the most beautiful islands in Belize that gets it name from the laughing gull that comes to the island to breed. As it sits on an elongated piece of the reef, it has an abundance of marine life and is part of a Word Heritage Park. No overnight stays are allowed but it makes a fantastic stop-over for snorkelling and diving.

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THE BLUE HOLE Not an island but a giant sinkhole, or a Cenote, 43 km from the mainland and one of the most exciting dive sites in the world. The Hole is 318m wide and 124m deep and was formed during the quaternary glaciation period some 153,000 years ago when the sea level was much lower and it was a dry cave.

As the oceans began to rise again, it was flooded and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Discovered for diving by the famous Jacques Cousteau, who placed his exploration vessel, the Calypso in the hole to fully discover this incredible site. Cousteau, the Discovery Channel and millions of divers agree that this is on the list of “The 10 Most Amazing Places on Earth’. Easily reached from the islands but also available as a day trip from the mainland.

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Sightseeing

CARACOL (below)

CAHAL PECH (below right)

LAMANAI (above)

Although one of the most challenging Belize ruins to reach, the trip to Caracol is also one of the most scenic drives. It is the largest known Maya centre within the country and holds “Canaa” (Sky Place), the largest pyramid or man made structure in Belize at 140 feet tall. A large part of Caracol is still being discovered, but numerous carved monuments populate the area, and the main reservoir is an engineering masterpiece.

Research in 1988 found ten mounds.

Excavations show that Cahal Pech was inhabited from 1000 B.C. to around 800 A.D. The central part of the ruins provides a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding area. Thirty-four structures, including temple pyramids, two ball courts, an alter and five plain stelae fill the 2-acre site.

Lamanai is the Maya word for “subme crocodile.” The site’s name – “Lamana or “Lamayna” was recorded by Franci missionaries in the seventeenth centu is one of the only sites retaining its or name and is among one of the larges ceremonial centres. Most visit Laman road through San Felipe or Orange W rather than by boat. A “jungle cruise”, trip, is an excellent chance to see bird plants and crocodiles. Lamanai has m 719 mapped structures, including two century Christian churches as well as 19th century sugar mill.

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erged ay� iscan ury. It riginal st Maya nai by Walk, , the road ds, exotic more than o 16th s an intact

TRAVEL

Adventure

CAVE TUBING One of the oddest, and most fun, things to do in the jungle is Cave Tubing. Sounds daft but you start, with a guide, at the mouth of a cave with a river running through, and launch yourself off in a large rubber ring to float through the mountain. With a torch strapped to your head, you see amazing limestone formations and stalactites as you lazily float through the mountain with the occasional terror of the cave floor dropping away and your rubber ring picking up tremendous speed - and all in the dark. Eventually, your group floats out the other side into sharp jungle sunlight with Toucans, Herons, Macaws and Parrots all around.

Belize is a fascinating country with so many facets that it would take hundreds of pages to fully explore. From the mid-nineteenth century it was called British Honduras by the English invaders, until 1973 when it was officially named Belize by the British colonial office. One of the few former British colonies that actually benefitted from the Brits being there, the Belizeans are a warm, friendly and beautiful race of people who will welcome you to their stunning country.

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STELVIO QUADRIFOGLIO

By Maarten Hoffmann

A

s the mantra goes “If you have never owned an Alfa Romeo, you are not really a petrol

head”.

Silly mantra really as they used to be stylish Italian models that were totally rubbish, broke down on a daily basis and rusted in front of your eyes. The regular joke was “Why do Alfas have heated rear windows? To keep your hands warm whilst pushing it”. I have to admit to owning a GTV back in the day and when it went, it was great - it just didn’t ‘go’ very often - but l had very toasty hands!

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So that was the 70’s and 80’s but it is a very different proposition today. The Fiat Chrysler Group purchased the brand in 1986, along with Lancia, and things started to change. Having been founded in 1909 by Alexandre Darracq, the company struggled for many years but following the acquisition, reliability greatly improved and they retained a fair portion of the Italian style that made Alfa what it was.

The Stelvio, the first SUV ever produced with that famous badge, is named after one of the best driving

roads in Europe - the Stelvio Pass in Italy. It is a very competent car but with so much competition in this sector, it took the adding of the Quadrifoglio badge to set it apart. Quadrifoglio means four-leaf clover and has adorned many of the company’s historic racing cars over the years. It aligns with Audi’s RS, Mercedes AMG and Jaguars SVR as the hot version of the standard car - and hot it certainly is.

Porsche have dominated the small SUV sector for a while with the Macan

MOTORING

Turbo having not been too worried by the Audi SQ5 or the Mercedes GLC63.

It is often said that small SUV’s lack panache and character but once ‘souped up’, they do tend to take on a different personality.

Taking a regular Stelvio, itself one of the few SUVs with some character a driver can engage with, Alfa Romeo’s engineers, led by Roberto Fedeli, whose resume includes Ferrari’s 599, F12 and 458 Speciale, and the Giulia Quadrifoglio, set about developing not only a rival to the Macan Turbo, but a class leader. With 510bhp, a sub four-second

“I have to admit to owning a GTV back in the day and when it went, it was great - it just didn’t ‘go’ very often.”

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0-62mph time and a 7min 51sec Nürburgring lap time, the Stelvio Quadrifoglio has all the tools required to take down Porsche’s junior SUV. Beneath the Stelvio QV’s aluminium bonnet is the 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6 as found in the Giulia Quadrifoglio. Power is the same, at 510bhp, and the eightspeed ZF gearbox has been recalibrated to suit both the increase in kerb weight over the saloon and the four-wheel-drive transmission. It’s the first time this engine and gearbox combination has been offered with Alfa Romeo’s Q4 driveline.

The Stelvio QV is rear-wheel drive by default, and it’s only when the system detects an angle of slip or a loss of traction that it will direct up to 50% of the engine’s torque to the front wheels through a carbon-fibre propshaft. A rear limited-slip differential, active torque vectoring and Alfa’s Pro-DNA switchable drive mode system are all standard.

The car also comes fitted with standard brakes, although carbon-ceramics are SURREY BUSINESS

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an option but they do take quite some time to warm up and become truly effective.

Much work has gone into making it as light as possible with aluminium double wishbones, suspension components, bonnet, doors, wheel arches and the engine resulting in a total kerb weight of 1830kg and therefore 95kg lighter than the Porsche.

The drive is very Italian. Lots of stylish features and an exhaust note that screams Italy. The gear changes are pretty much seamless and l tended to drive in Dynamic or Race mode most of the time, to not only get that rasping roar from the pipes but it also significantly sharpens the throttle, suspension and gearbox response.

It’s a highly evocative soundtrack as it charges from corner to corner with no lack of enthusiasm or grip. In Race mode the ESP is totally off and if the rear end steps out, it is supremely easy

to correct. With 510bhp on tap, there is plenty of oomph to get you into, and out, of trouble. It’s a fun and exciting drive and that is not the first phrase that rolls off my tongue when driving an SUV. The interior is well laid out and offers everything you need but l do like the little touches, such as the retro arched dash above the dials, the beautiful aluminium paddle shifts and, of course, that iconic badge in the centre of the wheel.

Overall, the Stelvio QV is an impressive bit of kit. Steering, brakes, chassis and that engine combine to deliver a welcome slice of enjoyment. It masks its weight well, has impressive body control and can really be manipulated by the driver. It may well be fast, but it’s not simply a fuss-free point-to-point machine – it’s far more fun than that. If an SUV is unavoidable in your garage, and until now only Porsche’s Macan Turbo was on your radar, you’d be missing out by not adding Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio Quadrifoglio to your wish list.

TECH STUFF Model tested: Stelvio Quadrifoglio Engine: 2.9-litre bi-turbo V6 Power: 510 bhp Speed: 0-62 3.8 seconds Top: 176 mph Economy: 28.8mpg Price from: £69,500

“With 510bhp, there is plenty of oomph to get you into, and out, of trouble. It’s a fun and exciting drive and that is not the first thing that rolls off my tongue when driving an SUV.”

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Please continue to visit www.platinumpublishing. co.uk/awards for further updates.

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NOVEMBER 19th, 2020

DECEMBER 3rd, 2020

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public sector, our team has over 15 years of experience to create a winning formula for any type of business.

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charges may be payable. 2. Payable if you exercise the option to purchase the car. 3. Includes optional urchase payment, purchase activation fee and retailer deposit contribution (where applicable). *Orders/ edit approvals on selected E-Class Saloon models between 1 July and 30 September 2019, registered by 1 December excluding Mercedes-AMG models. Guarantees may be required. Offer cannot be used in onjunction with any other offer. Some combinations of features/options may not be available. Subject to vailability. Over 18s only. Finance is subject to status and provided by Mercedes-Benz Finance, MK15 BA. Sandown Group is a credit broker and not a lender. Sandown Group is authorised and regulated by he Financial Conduct Authority in respect of regulated consumer credit activity. All New and Approved sed cars sold by any Sandown Mercedes-Benz Retailer is subject to a purchase fee of £129 inc VAT. Prices orrect at time of going to press 07/19. Images for illustrative purposes.ww

The Sandown Group Here at Sandown, our customers are our main priority. We have over 35 years experience in the Mercedes-Benz brand, so we’re proud to call ourselves experts in the field.

Our dedicated team are here to assist with your every need. Whether you’re looking for your next new model, or need a little help maintaining your current pride and joy, we are committed to providing you with the best service possible. We are just as passionate about your vehicle as you are, so when you choose to visit a Sandown retailer, you can rest assured that your experience will be nothing short of first-class.

We have seven retailers throughout Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire located in Basingstoke, Dorchester, Farnborough, Guildford, Hindhead, Salisbury and Poole, each equipped with a friendly and knowledgeable team. So if you’re in need of a service, are searching for your latest vehicle upgrade, or are on the hunt for a fleet of business cars, we’re the people to visit.

We look forward to welcoming you with a smile at your local Sandown Mercedes-Benz retailer soon!

0330 1780038 Mercedes-Benz of Basingstoke Mercedes-Benz of Dorchester Mercedes-Benz of Farnborough Mercedes-Benz of Guildford SURREY BUSINESS

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www.sandown-group.co.uk Mercedes-Benz of Hindhead Mercedes-Benz of Poole Mercedes-Benz of Salisbury