South Cheshire Chamber Business Magazine - Q2 2020

C H AMB E R B U S I NE S S

Care champions: We salute you!

South Cheshire Businesses applaud the key workers as they join the fight to beat Covid -19.

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News and views from the South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Q U A RT E R 2 2020

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For a free copy of our ‘Property Focus‘ magazine, call or email the team.

NEW MEMBERS

4-5

CHAMBER NEWS

6 - 11

CHAMBER PARTNERS

12 - 13

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

14 - 15

EXPERT EYE

Welcome

Welcome to the Chamber’s magazine ‘South Cheshire Business’.

On behalf of the business community, I want to begin by thanking the incredible dedication, bravery and courage of the key workers in their fight against COVID-19. These extraordinary times have required an extraordinary response and they have more than delivered.

One of the privileges of working at the Chamber has been to witness our local business community’s response to the unprecedented pandemic. There are too many businesses to mention that have stepped up to support the care sector by producing face masks, shields, sanitiser and other vital equipment.

We know the negative impact of the pandemic will be long lasting, but we have also seen how local businesses have embraced new technologies to become more agile and productive, that will stand them in good stead for their recovery.

We’ve seen innovation in all sectors and our Chamber is no different, as we’ve had to change the way we help and support businesses.

The Chamber has provided help and support for local businesses throughout the pandemic, providing up to date information, advice and support including guidelines from local and national Government. As our Chamber is part of the British Chambers Of Commerce accredited network we were able to feedback the issues facing businesses as they came to terms with the effects of COVID-19 and the shortfalls in the support provided by Government.

Thanks to our member’s feedback, the Chamber network influenced the Government’s decision on the employee retention scheme, extension to furlough, Income support for the self-employed, bounce back loans and many more initiatives. The Chamber also helped businesses access the business grants and discretionary fund support provided by Cheshire East Council.

Being part of the Chamber gives businesses the latest information, promotion of their products and services; and access to knowledgeable experts who can provide advice and the latest best practice. The Chamber has been remote working and embracing technology, by moving events and seminars online. We have held many online events including speed networking, Coffee & Chat, Local Economic Updates, International trade forum,financial support, Cybercrime and health & safety webinars.

The last few months have been extremely tough on our community and it will have a lasting impact on us all, but I recognise that South Cheshire has a strong and resilient economy and we will get through this together and come out stronger.

I hope you enjoy this magazine and if your company has news to share or you’d like to take advantage of the advertising opportunities, please do not hesitate to contact Jon at the Chamber.

May I take this opportunity to wish your business every success in the forthcoming months.

Paul Colman Chief Executive @SCCCI_CEO

INTRODUCTION

Contents

16

CHAMBER PATRONS

17 - 21

CHAMBER PREMIUM MEMBERS

22 - 24

COMMUNITY NEWS

25

MEMBERS NEWS

26 - 32

EXPERT EYE ‘COVID-19 SPECIAL’

33 - 37

CHAMBER EVENTS

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SOUTH CHESHIRE CHAMBER PATRONS

MEET THE CHAMBER TEAM Paul Colman Chief Executive Jon Barnes Operations Manager Jacqui Morris International Trade Manager Madeleine Abbey PA to Chief Executive Angela Wilkinson Membership Co-ordinator Dominic Hibbert Events & Marketing Co-ordinator

Richard Weilding South Cheshire Development Agency Development Loan Director Daryl Williams Event Co-ordinator Anne Xiourouppa Accounts Dianne Parrish Business Connector Cheshire Connect Sara Pomfret DIT International Trade Adviser

The Chamber, or any of its agents/representatives/staff, cannot accept any legal liability for the accuracy of the news items and articles contained in the magazine, which have been obtained and are reproduced in good faith. The Chamber also reserves the right to edit articles submitted for publication or exclude them completely.

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

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NEW MEMBERS

Meet the South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce & Industry

New Members AFEX (Manchester) Ltd

NetVu Ltd

Air2ground Ltd

North West Mediation Solutions Ltd

ASL Group

Orbis Outdoor Adventures Ltd

55 King Street, MANCHESTER, Lancashire, M2 4LQ 0161 827 7963 www.afex.com sowens@afex.com Briar Cottage, 32 Broad Lane, Stapeley, NANTWICH, Cheshire, CW5 7QL 01270 627561 www.air2ground.co.uk des@air2ground.co.uk Unit A1, Trentham Business Quarter, Bellringer Road Trentham, STOKE-ON-TRENT, Staffordshire, ST4 8GB 01782 659314 www.asl-group.co.uk enquiries@asl-group.co.uk

Beacon Psychotherapy & Counselling Cheshire Suite 1, Regents Business Park, 129 London Road NANTWICH, Cheshire, CW5 6LW 079444 18299 www.beaconpsychotherapycheshire.co.uk info@beaconpsychotherapycheshire.co.uk

Bids Partner Ltd

Yew Tree Cottage, TARPORLEY, Cheshire 07740 034589 www.bidspartner.co.uk stuart@bidspartner.co.uk

Brightfinch Ltd

Stapeley House, London Road, Stapeley, NANTWICH, Cheshire, CW5 7JW 01270 440730 www.brightfinch.com claire@brightfinch.com

Export Unlocked Ltd

26 Wellmeadow Lane, Uppermill, OLDHAM, Lancashire, OL3 6DX 07775940842 www.exportunlocked.com richard@exportunlocked.com

Eyebright Ltd

44 Speirs Wharf, GLASGOW, Lanarkshire, G4 9TH 07503 882640 www.eyebrightutilities.co.uk enquiries@eyebrightutilities.co.uk

Green CDL Ltd

5 Annis Road, ALDERLEY EDGE, Cheshire, SK9 7PE 07977 165370 www.greencdl.com info@greencdl.com

Infuse Data Solutions Ltd

Cassidy House, Station Road , CHESTER, Cheshire, CH1 3DW 0333 305 9020 www.infusedata.co.uk accounts@infusedata.co.uk

Malta Enterprise

Malta Industrial Parks Ltd, Gwardamangia Hill, Pieta, VALLETA, Malta, MEC 0001 00356 2542 3133 www.maltaenterprise.com info@maltaenterprise.com

Mid Cheshire MIND

Mid Cheshire MIND, 1a Dene Drive, WINSFORD, Cheshire, CW7 1AX 01606863305 www.midcheshiremind.org.uk office@midcheshiremind.org.uk

Middle Park Projects Ltd

27 The Commons, SANDBACH, Cheshire, CW11 1FJ 0330 010 2357 www.middleparkprojects.com info@middleparkprojects.com

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BUSINESS NEWS QUARTER 2 2020

No 1 Thellow Heath Park, Northwich Road, NORTHWICH, Cheshire, CW9 6JB 01928 706400 www.netvu.org.uk info@netvu.org.uk The Barn, Meadows Farm, HIGH PEAK, Derbyshire, SK23 7EH 01663 719441 www.nwmediationsolutions.co.uk enquiries@nwmediationsolutions.co.uk 60 Lear Drive, CREWE, Cheshire, CW2 8DS 07922 539515 www.orbisoutdooradventures.co.uk info@orbisoutdooradventures.co.uk

Paushe Limited

11 Abbeydale Close, Weston, CREWE, Cheshire, CW2 5RR 07516185923 tallpaul95@gmail.com

PB Recruitment & Training Ltd

45 Nantwich Road, CREWE, Cheshire, CW2 6AW 01270 747 800 www.pbrec.co.uk admin@pbrec.co.uk

QBamboo Ltd

The Chapel, Kettle Lane, Buerton, CREWE, Cheshire, CW3 0BX 07795145445 www.qbamboo.co.uk office@qbamboo.co.uk

Real Life Learning

5 Asquith Close, Haslington, CREWE, Cheshire, CW1 5TX 07794 380601 www.reallifelearning.co.uk info@reallifelearning.co.uk

Star Learners Limited

50 Beam Street, NANTWICH, Cheshire, CW5 5LJ 01270 625619 www.starlearners.co.uk starlearners19@gmail.com

The Bed and Mattress Outlet

7 Earle Street, CREWE, Cheshire, CW1 2BS 07833 493721 congleton26@yahoo.com

Tidy Planet Limited

Tytherington Business Park, MACCLESFIELD, Cheshire, SK10 2XH 01625 666798 www.tidyplanet.co.uk hello@tidyplanet.co.uk

Truly Independent Ltd

Atlantic House, Parkhouse, CARLISLE, Cumbria, CA3 0LJ 01477 760536 paul-hughes.trulyifa.co.uk info@trulyonline.co.uk

Watts Mortgage & Wealth Management

9 George House, Princes Court, Beam Heath Way, NANTWICH, Cheshire, CW5 6GD 01270 620555 www.watts-ifa.com advice@watts-ifa.com

WR Estates Ltd

Weston Centre Business Hub, Weston Road, CREWE, Cheshire, CW1 6FL 01270 250022 Helen@wrestatesltd.co.uk

10000 Donors

TARPORLEY, Cheshire 07980 284711 10000donors@gmail.com

1. FACILITATION RAISE YOUR PROFILE AND CONNECT WITH OTHER MEMBERS

We welcome all our new members The South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce is an amazing place to connect to your local business community, but don’t just take our word for it:

NEW MEMBERS

Why join your local Chamber?

Regular Chamber and member and partner events programme

ANNUAL BUSINESS AWARDS CELEBRATION

“The Chamber has been a friend to my business over the past 12 years and never more so than in the early part of the health crisis when cyber criminals were at the height of their activity targeting businesses working from home. Trusted links and information supplied by the Chamber helped members like myself looking into the various Government packages available.

In the early days, its start up support proved the launch-pad to me leaving journalism to set up my own PR business supplying services to regional and national companies.

2. INFORMATION

I’ve enjoyed meeting businesses and people from all walks of life during my membership as well as supporting the Chamber with its news releases, media statements and quarterly magazines. The team care about what they do. They have the best interests of South Cheshire at heart.”

Jan Roberts Pure PR (Nantwich) For information email jan@pureprsolutions.co.uk

3. REPRESENTATION

“SCCCI is truly focused on outcomes for its members. They put members first, not trying to ‘sell’ services to them, but provide a structure for communication and growth.”

Leon Blair Managing Director, isev

If you would like to share a testimonial, please send it through to jon.barnes@sccci.co.uk

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

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CHAMBER NEWS

Clapping for Carers – the Chamber hails NHS heroes As we ease out of lockdown let’s not forget the role of our NHS heroes in saving local lives.

From everyone at the Chamber and behalf of our local business members, we thank them for their dedication and courage.

Here, Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive James Sumner tells of the challenges faced by his team during the pandemic.

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BUSINESS NEWS QUARTER 2 2020

Coronavirus has been the biggest challenge the NHS has ever faced and has required an unprecedented response from Trusts across the country. Mid Cheshire Hospitals has been no exception.

The last few months have seen us create new wards with the ability to care for higher numbers of very ill patients, retrain staff so they can support our essential services, reorganise routine work to free up clinical staff and set up new systems to allow homeworking for as many of our staff as we can.

Restrictions have been put in place to reduce the number of visitors to the hospital which have been necessary for everyone’s safety but we know the impact this has had on our patients and their loved ones.

So we have worked hard to enable people to stay in touch, supported not just by digital technology but by personal touches such as letters hand delivered to our wards.

Coronavirus has been incredibly challenging and we have seen many patients sadly lose their lives despite the incredible efforts of our staff.

However we have also seen many patients discharged from Leighton Hospital who are recovering after being severely affected by Coronavirus. It’s been really uplifting to read their stories on our social media channels as they are reunited with loved ones.

CHAMBER NEWS Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Chief Executive James Sumner

“Hearing from patients who are on the road to recovery has been the best testament to the hard work of all our staff.”

Whilst Coronavirus has undoubtedly had a huge effect across the whole country, it has not taken away other health care needs.

We have continued to treat those who need care that is clinically urgent or immediately necessary– including all maternity care.

We have switched a lot of our outpatient appointments to telephone and have introduced a video consultation service so patients can still have a face-to-face consultation with a clinician from the comfort of their own home.

We have also continued to provide the majority of diagnostics like scans, endoscopies or cardiac tests which patients need to attend in person; putting a range of measures in place to ensure the health and safety of those patients we need to see and treat.

All our emergency and urgent surgical procedures also had to be prioritised, which has unavoidably meant delays to non-urgent day surgery and non-urgent planned procedures.

However we have continued to run the full range of surgical urgent and emergency services.

Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership (CCICP) have also continued to work incredibly hard during this ever changing situation. With the restrictions put in place, it has been harder for CCICP staff to see patients who need it, however with the use of video consultation technology they have continued to diagnose and treat patients and get them on the road to recovery.

“The spirit they have shown, supporting the work of Mid Cheshire Hospitals wherever they can, has been extraordinary, either by taking on completely new roles, staffing our swabbing team or being on hand as hospital volunteers to any areas needing assistance.”

As we now move into the next phase of the pandemic we are making sure that we can continue to care for patients with Coronavirus but at the same time we are now starting to carefully restore those services that had to be scaled back.

This means putting significant measures in place to reduce the risk of transmission of Coronavirus and keep our patients and staff safe as we try to increase as many services as we can.

Reflecting on what the Trust has achieved during this pandemic really brings home just what an extraordinary time this has been.

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

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CHAMBER NEWS

A time when the communities we serve have needed us the most and when we really have needed each other.

It has been a privilege to see how our staff have come together, not just as colleagues but as friends during such a difficult time and I am very proud of them all.

It has also been very moving to see the outpouring of support during the weekly Clap for Carers, for key workers not just in the NHS and social care but in our care homes, schools, supermarkets, public transport and so many more who have helped to keep the country going.

“Our local communities have also shown a fantastic community spirit during these challenging times, and have not only been understanding during the various changes we have had to make, but been so kind, compassionate and generous in showing their support.”

Many local businesses and individuals have reached out and supported our staff in many different ways. Whether it’s been a thank you card, a message on social media, or one of the countless donations we have received, they have all been truly appreciated and the support has meant so much to everyone at Mid Cheshire Hospitals.

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BUSINESS NEWS QUARTER 2 2020

A consultants’ experience of COVID-19 Critical Care and Emergency Medicine Consultant, Richard Lowsby has spent the last three months caring for Coronavirus patients in the Critical Care Unit at Leighton Hospital.

As a former volunteer for King’s Sierra Leone Partnership, responding to the 2015 Ebola outbreak in Africa, Dr Lowsby has previous experience of dealing with the outbreak of a highly infectious virus.

He said: “When managing suspected Ebola patients, you rapidly become an expert at hand hygiene and donning and doffing of PPE. We have aimed to make our entire team at Mid Cheshire experts in infection prevention and control and keep them safe with daily briefings, training in use of PPE, simulation and the use of a buddy system.”

With national visiting restrictions in place since early in the pandemic, not having families present within the unit has been one of the biggest changes for staff in critical care.

“The patients we have been seeing are very poorly and have tended to be in ICU for longer than we would normally see. Not being able to sit down with relatives during that time to have, what have often been difficult conversations, face to face with them has been challenging for everyone; both families and staff.”

Richard Lowsby

As the pandemic has progressed the hospital has seen increasing numbers of patients beginning to improve and become well enough to move onto the wards.

“Whilst there have been may patients who have sadly lost their lives we have also seen many patients progress to the point where they can move out of critical care. Knowing that we have played a part in returning those patients home to their families has been a great morale boost for staff at a very challenging time.”

As the NHS moves into responding to the next phase of Coronavirus Dr Lowsby adds: “A period of heightened surveillance followed the peak of the Ebola epidemic and there was a long tail to the curve. We are likely to see a similar phenomenon with Covid-19 and we will need to continue our precautions, maintain our resilience and look after ourselves and our teams.

“I have been humbled now, as I was then, working alongside my colleagues. There have been some dark moments but there will be positives to come, as there were in West Africa, such as innovative ways of working, a focus on health system strengthening and a greater sense of community.”

“We were pleased to see retailers in our local towns ‘back in business’ again and our initial feedback is the public have supported them by coming out to shop while taking heed of social distancing measures in place to protect them and shop staff.

“Throughout the pandemic, the Chamber has kept members and the wider business community informed on the support packages available to them.

“As a member of the British Chambers of Commerce accredited network, our Chamber has been able to feedback the issues affecting our businesses to Government, and this lobbying has seen the introduction of the business support packages including the grant scheme, interruption loans and the job retention scheme.

“These remain extraordinary times and as we ease out of lock down we have to salute the retail sector, in particular small independent outlets, for stepping up to the mark.

CHAMBER NEWS

Statement: Paul Colman, Chief Executive, South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce

“In a short space of time they have changed layouts and installed measures to make it safe to shop and bring our local streets back to life again.”

Chamber adapts to crisis moving events online South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce has supported businesses in the community for many years. Together we have weathered recession and celebrated highs and lows. Never have we encountered the unprecedented challenges of a pandemic.

As a member of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) accredited network, our Chamber has been able to feedback the issues affecting our businesses to Government.

This lobbying has seen the introduction of business support packages including the grant scheme, interruption loans and job retention scheme – an area of Chamber activity critical to protecting the local economy and jobs.

Throughout the crisis, the Chamber has kept members and the wider business community informed on financial support available by circulating trusted links, information and web updates through an e-newsletter and emails.

Like so many, our team members have adapted to a new way of working from home to maintain a high level of support and sense of community that we all enjoy through the Chamber activities.

Our events programme, for example, was swiftly moved online and this has continued to connect local business with remarkable success.

Here’s a timeline of how it was achieved: • Face-to-face events were cancelled at short notice in response to the Government lockdown and subsequent guidelines announced • Informative webinars were introduced to help members overcome the challenges brought about by the sudden and restrictive trading changes • Our regular Chamber events programme was adapted to the virtual world delivering a Zoom version of Speed Networking, Final Fridays and online Maximizing your Membership events to help members utilize all aspects of membership benefits.

• New virtual Chamber Chat, Coffee and Catch up events see members ready to connect with brew in hand!

Chamber Events Co-ordinator Daryl Williams said:

“All events continue to underpin the three pillars of the Chamber – Information, Representation and Facilitation.”

“The adaptations have been well received and it is highly likely that an element of online events will continue in the future and should help those sectors and members who find it difficult to attend events.”

Moving forward into the new ‘normal’ the Chamber will look to reintroduce face-to-face events as circumstances allow.

New dates are being planned for annual highlights such as the Business Awards. We are hopeful that we may still be able to deliver the Chamber Annual Dinner with Simon Weston CBE, now rescheduled for November. _ For more on how the Chamber can support your business now, and beyond the crisis, go to www.sccci.co.uk

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

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THE PRESIDENT’S PAGE

President’s Message from the South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce

It is hard to believe what has happened since I wrote my last article for the Chamber magazine!

The main subject of discussion and the priority at that time, was the challenge facing the Government in achieving a good Trade Deal in order to maximise the opportunities of Brexit.

Although those discussions have still been on-going, they have obviously had to take a bit of a back seat not just for us, of course but for our European partners, who have also been hit hard by the Coronavirus.

As the virus thankfully appears to be receding, and as the deadline for reaching decisions on the Trade Deal is fast approaching, the impetus and momentum of those negotiations will now inevitably increase.

Although timescales are getting tight, my view, that the Government should involve business in those negotiations has not changed nor has my view that the negotiations should be concluded within the original timetable – the last thing that business wants is the uncertainty of further delay.

Getting back to Coronavirus the unprecedented package of financial support provided by the Government has been extremely impressive and I must say that I have also been impressed with the proactive role taken by the British Chambers of Commerce in providing constant updates, advice and information on all aspects of the impact of Covid19 on the business community which in turn has enabled all Chambers to keep their members fully informed.

Equally the Chamber has adapted well to the situation and continued to provide members with a full range of services through the use of video technology and I am sure that our members have taken the opportunity to make full use of the regular information and guidance that we have been able to pass on.

It is not only business that has been severely impacted by the virus, of course, and sport has also been badly affected as I know from my own experience at Nantwich Town and from discussions with colleagues at Crewe Alexandra who we must congratulate on their promotion to Division One. Whilst the immediate future for both clubs is still uncertain, I am sure that they will both adapt and move forward.

As the lockdown is gradually being eased, the enormous challenge facing business is fast becoming a reality and I can assure our members that the Chamber will be working hard alongside all other partner organisations to provide whatever help and assistance it can through the challenging times that lie ahead.

We will also be working closely with our MP Kieran Mullen who has already committed to doing everything he can to help local businesses during the recovery process.

John Dunning President

South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Right: Keiren Mullan, MP

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BUSINESS NEWS QUARTER 2 2020

John Dunning, Chamber President

MESSAGE FROM CHAIR

Restart: Rebuild: Renew If I hear the phrase ‘unprecedented times’ once more, I will give an unprecedented scream. We get it – we have been living with this thing hanging over us for three months now, so it’s time to move on from that feeling of impending doom.

Crucially, it’s what next that counts.

Major crises in history have created the opportunity for change. The end of World War II saw a change in society as more women entered the workplace; closer to home, the Manchester bombing in 1996 revived and rebuilt the city’s fortunes, and we are today living through a major cultural shift as the ‘Black Lives Matter’ campaign challenges deep-seated racism following the tragic death of George Floyd.

Whilst these maybe major societal changes, they have affected people on a more personal level, just as the pandemic we are experiencing has affected every single person socially and economically. We have been taken by surprise and that creates feelings of uncertainty and a loss of control. As we begin to move forward, we must move away from the negatives and take back control.

At the Chamber we have tried to provide you with the information that would enable you to maintain some level of control, by keeping you up to date with developments and feeding back your very specific issues to Government via our membership of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Your feedback via the BCC has resulted in immediate changes in Government policy to support businesses, for example the introduction of the Bounce Back Loan for those who had trouble accessing other support.

The BCC are planning for a positive future by setting out to the Prime Minister their three phases of recovery: • Restart: a phased reopening of the economy • Rebuild: building resilience for firms and households • Renew: returning to prosperity and growth Whilst this is a plan for the wider economy, we can apply this to our own businesses.

There have been many examples of enterprising businesses from the local pub serving take out meals throughout the pandemic, to others using their skills to support the NHS, or their community. This innovative spirit demonstrated by so many can continue into the future, by looking at the new market context that exists for your business. We know this context has changed, and we need to take control and adapt accordingly.

The Chamber Team is here to support your business through this period of recovery and so please continue to be in touch and feedback to us any issues that we can help you with, or pass on to the BCC on your behalf.

Most importantly, embrace the change and take control. I will leave you with a quote from Winston Churchill

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”.

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

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CHAMBER PARTNERS

#GettingStudentsOnline calls for support 13% of secondary school students in Cheshire and Warrington do not have access to a computer or broadband connectivity. This means more than 1 in 8 are unable to participate in virtual schooling.

Research indicates that our young people will be impacted significantly more than other groups and by the time they return to school in September they may have lost the equivalent of a full year of academic progress.

The LEP, along with local employers Storengy, Engie, Influential Communications and AO, have kick-started the #GettingStudentsOnline campaign by donating 138 kit bundles to schools across Cheshire and Warrington to help as many of our students as possible to get online and access online schooling, summer-camps and allclass activities.

We are now asking businesses in our region to help.

It is easy to get involved and all support is welcome. The bundles cost £250 and comprise an entry level educational device and three months broadband access. Businesses can pledge money for a whole or part kit, multiple kit bundles, or provide brand new kit. A business can also specify a school they wish to support.

Sir William Stanier School in Crewe is one of the first schools to receive donations and will receive 23 bundles. Assistant Principal Charlotte Casewell explained: “As soon as we went into lockdown, it became very clear that some students were struggling with connectivity, including slow or non-existent Broadband, or sometimes a lack of equipment to share among the family when parents were working at home.

Virtual Careers Festival hailed a great success Cheshire and Warrington Pledge held the first ‘Paving The Way – Virtual Careers Festival’ over four days in May, using the secure Learn Live platform. With only three weeks to plan, they hoped some 30 employers would take part.

Fast forward to the launch of the festival and 67 employers were ready to deliver careers inspiration, advice and guidance with 20 of those being from Crewe and Nantwich.

One positive of having a virtual festival was that businesses who don’t usually have the time to attend traditional careers fairs due to business pressures and workload – such as farmers, butchers and builders - were able to take part.

Among the South Cheshire business who participated were – • Barnet Jones & Cooke Insurance • AO • JG Creative • Right at Home South Cheshire • KPI Recruitment In Safe Hands

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BUSINESS NEWS QUARTER 2 2020

• • • • • • • • • •

Hybrid Services Chestnut Meats Reaseheath College Cheshire College Perris-Myatt Zoo2U Live for Work Dave Nicholas Solutions Arena Studio Hillside Vets

Overall, the festival was a huge success receiving 76k website hits over the four days and engaging 77 schools and colleges from across Cheshire and Warrington, with really positive feedback received.

“It was a great event to be part of, many thanks for including us. The content was fantastic for the young people and hopefully they all got something out of it.” Jane Jones, Macclesfield College

“While paper-based learning packs have helped to some degree with these students, we want to break that barrier of access to virtual learning and make sure that as many of our students as possible are able use our online tools and get involved with our virtual community.”

“The students benefiting from this campaign will hopefully see a huge improvement in their learning experience, feeling more engaged, motivated and included.”

Together we can make a huge difference to the young people in our area. We would really appreciate your business being involved, by supporting our campaign. _ Please visit www.871candwep.co.uk/getting-students-online to find out more and make your pledge.

“It was fast paced and great to see so many questions.”

Michaela Lawton, Siemens The aim of the festival was to allow students to experience what it would be like to work in different industries, learn about the vast range of roles available as career options and discover businesses in our region, attendees also gained top tips on how to write a CV, university application and more.

At the end of the week, The Pledge launched their competition to ‘Win a WEX’ - the opportunity to win up to a week-long work experience with one of the amazing businesses from Cheshire and Warrington. This includes, AO, JG Creative and more. _ Businesses can get involved with The Pledge by contacting pledge@871candwep.co.uk

During the current economic situation the Chamber Loan Fund administered by South Cheshire Development Agency remains suspended.

Despite this and our base at the Chamber offices being closed, we continue to work with local businesses, providing assistance in steering SME’s through the many schemes provided by the government to help us all get through.

Certainly the grants, loans, furlough, tax deferral and self-employed schemes have each been terrific in helping everyone survive and we at the Development Agency have been actively involved since the end of March in providing guidance to business owners in accessing each relevant scheme.

We do of course, now move into challenging times as we come out of lockdown and these schemes begin to unwind. However there is still mileage in using both the Furlough Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan offering to their full advantage.

As more retail outlets start opening up again and particularly those businesses in retail, hospitality and leisure, it is worth remembering that the furlough scheme is available until the end of October albeit employer costs will kick in from August. The government has however provided greater flexibility within the scheme which enables shorter term furloughing and part time options for returning staff.

No one expects activity levels to return to pre Covid levels straight away but the refreshed furlough scheme does enable business owners to manage staffing levels with a mix of wages and furlough payments which is surely preferable to redundancies.

We encourage all businesses to consult with their staff not only on distancing issues but also on flexible staff rostering as we come out of lockdown. Have a look at the government guidance and of course feel free to contact me should you need any further clarification.

The Bounce Back Loan Scheme is staggering.

I spent 40 years in the Bank believing that any lending proposal needed full appraisal and risk assessment with many cases being fully secured to protect the Bank’s exposure. Along came Bounce Back and all this has gone out of

the window. Basically, as long as you do have a business and you meet the minimal criteria then you can borrow up to 25% of your turnover up to a maximum of £50,000.

My message is simple. Cash is king in any business. As the next 12 months could best be described as uncertain then you must consider taking a Bounce Back Loan. If nothing else, then take one as an insurance policy. It is free for 12 months so if you don’t need it within that period, you can repay at zero cost. Even if you have used it or indeed feel you may use it, you can choose to repay it over five years at 2.5% pa interest – far lower than any other business lending rate in the market place. Again if you need further detail then feel free to get in touch.

The coming months will be tough. Everyone at the Chamber is working to ensure that businesses make the most of their opportunities and we continue to provide support on a daily basis. _ If you have any queries on any of the above or indeed just want a chat, then please call or contact me, Richard Weilding, by e-mail at richardweilding@scdal.co.uk or phone 07788 268852.

CHAMBER PARTNERS

Make the most of what’s on offer

Challenging Times During these unprecedented and challenging times, Cheshire Connect skill donor facilitation support services have continued to help local charities manage the on-going uncertainty. We have received fabulous skill donor offers from corporate organisations, SME’s and independent consultants. Businesses and professionals are stepping up to share their knowledge and expertise, for example Bentley Motors, the first UK motor manufacturer to publish its Covid-19 risk assessment, is sharing its H&S Covid-19 Secure knowledge by hosting workshops, for multiple local Crewe charities, in partnership with Cheshire Connect. We have responded to the changing needs of our charities and skill donors in a number of ways to carry on a ‘business as normal’ routine, like many others, via online video conferencing.

Many local non-profit organisations that have had to quickly adapt their services to continue support for those most vulnerable during this time. We have matched health and safety professionals to charities, provided business mentors and even matched PPE business professionals to support charities with their strategic response to Covid-19.

Additionally, we have also carried out many key skill donor match offers including: *social media *HR *logistics *project planning *risk management. All to respond to the ‘re-purposing’ of what charities are doing to maintain services during Covid-19.

Here is a typical example of how a local SME business and children’s charity have come together, via Cheshire Connect’s introduction support services Timely Covid-19 H&S skills Central Cheshire Buddy Scheme aka ‘Buddies’ is an established registered charity supporting children and young people with disabilities and complex needs, their

families and siblings through activity clubs, holiday clubs and residential breaks.

Rhino Safety have provided skill donor support over many years and as a result supported many local Crewe and South Cheshire charities, via the Cheshire Connect skill donor introduction services. Even during this very challenging and busy time for the successful award winning Health and Safety consultancy business, Rhino Safety have volunteered their ‘skill donor’ time to check over the ‘Buddies’ new Covid-19 response risk assessment and policy document. The children’s charity now has peace of mind it is fully compliant with risk management assessments completed, recorded and mitigation of risks.

Plus, procedures in place with all staff and volunteers fully briefed with clear guidance for their safety and the safety of their service users where applicable.

‘Please will you pass on my thanks to Simon for taking the time to look at the risk assessment. I really appreciate the feedback, this gives us peace of mind we are fully compliant and feel secure with the approval and input from a professional H&S consultant.’

Stephanie Lawley, Buddies _ Interested in offering your business and professional skills? Please contact the local Cheshire Connect-Business Connector, for Crewe and South Cheshire, Dianne Parrish on 07946 639394 dianneparrish@cheshireconnect.org Or visit: www.cheshireconnect.org TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

13

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

International Trade plays a key role in generating economic growth and prosperity In today’s global trade landscape, exporting, importing and outward investment are key in driving growth, creating and/or safeguarding jobs and enhancing companies’ and our nation’s competitiveness.

How has Covid 19 affected this?

Most of our International traders are reporting business as usual except they are faced with the same challenge that the Chamber of Commerce is faced with - keeping safe whilst trying to go about their daily business.

Products still need to be produced to maintain the income but that is where the challenges start. I’ve heard from manufacturers that they are struggling to maintain the 2-meter rule in their operating plants and assembly lines as factories were just not set up to operate in this way as like most businesses maximizing space increases maximum output.

BIFA (British International Freight Association) has reported that the government is considering introducing a relief for import duty and import VAT for medical supplies and equipment, protective garments and similar goods imported from non-EU countries to combat the impact of COVID 19, under specific conditions. This may be extended to perishable and dried foods as these items are a source of support.

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Our medical product manufacturers are of course seeing an increase in demand for their products around the world. New countries therefore are being added to their sales book and advice is being sought daily from Chamber about the documentation and regulations required to ship to these countries.

Working remotely was a challenge in the beginning as documents still need to be received, completed and returned by post or by hand as not all documents can be done 100% electronically due to the country rules of destination.

Most of the Chamber International traders are being as patient as possible, but ships and vehicles must move at set times. Working closely with our International traders and keeping lines of communication open has resulted in great feedback and 100% success rate in keeping shipments moving on time.

Whilst the world has become a virtual bubble from keep fit, cookery courses, family and friends playing virtual bingo, it proves that we will all adapt when faced with a new challenge.

This is no different for our International traders. Contracts are being bid for virtually, exams and certificates are being sat and marked under strict controls. In the international trade world its actually been an added bonus as its now accepted that businesses cannot travel at the moment to trade shows but can join in virtually. Saving flight and hotel costs, travel time outside of the business and keeping foreign exchange and spending stable, at least for now.

_ For further information and advice please contact Jacqui Morris, International Trade Manager in the first instance.

Jacqui.morris@sccci.co.uk 01270 445406

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Trading Places As we continue to move through one of the most bizarre years in decades and head towards what maybe a hard(er) post EU transition than expected, it is certainly worth exporters and importers to consider more carefully their arrangements.

You may already have the following set up?

The following terms might put you to sleep or keep you awake at night! Apologies in advance..

Customs broker.. EORI number? HS codes?

INCOTERMS anyone?

If you despatch your goods to the far ends of Europe through other member states, you may require a Customs TRANSIT bond to be in place (with a bank guarantee.. arghh! ). Whatever your plans, they will need some patience, good record keeping and a whole lot of gin..

However, hope is not all lost!… Trade has happened for thousands of years, it’s shaped continents, cities and has formed pretty much all the major civilisations this world has ever produced. I am confident that while things might get a bit tricky, eventually solutions can and will be found.

People trade with “like minded” individuals with products that they want to buy at prices that they trust. They are bought from other countries with good and solid supply chains and through modern technology have access to excellent

communication tools. The logistics and customs section is only ONE part in the chain that we need to fix.

The largest containership in the world recently docked at London Gateway port HMM ALGECIRAS (Below) Capable of carrying nearly 24,000 20ft containers (or TEU). I think it clearly shows that International trade is of tremendous global importance still and we are sure that the UK is still well placed to play a very active part in it’s story…

If you want to speak about your post EU transition arrangements or even gin, please let me know!

_ Ian Mallon, Managing Director Neon Freight e: ian.mallon@neonfreight.co.uk t: 01477 668 003 w: www.neonfreight.co.uk

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15

EXPERT EYE

Expert Eye with...

Colin Woodward

Chartered Tax Advisor

VAT – What’s on the menu for pubs and restaurants

By Colin Woodward Colin is a Chartered Tax Advisor at Barringtons Chartered Accountants specialising in VAT, Customs Duties and general taxation. As well as providing consultancy services to other professional firms and businesses, he is regularly involved in appeals, including taking cases through the Tribunal process, and VAT/Tax investigation work. Colin is the author of the UK Chapter of VAT in Europe, published by the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation, in Amsterdam, and circulated worldwide.

Those running businesses are often noted for their entrepreneurial flair, such as spotting ways of diversifying when times are difficult.

An example of this is seen by those operating in the pub and restaurant industry which, when prevented by COVID-19 measures from running their businesses in the usual manner during the lockdown, provided food and drink takeaway and delivery services.

The VAT treatment of food and drink is often subject to a degree of confusion and controversy.

It is therefore useful to consider how VAT would apply to what were for pubs and restaurants quite novel services.

Firstly (and ignoring for the moment the Chancellor’s announcement in his Summer Statement) most food and drink traditionally served at pubs and restaurants will remain subject to the standard, 20%, rate of VAT, whether prepared as a takeaway meal, or delivered to a customer’s address. VAT will also apply to any related delivery charges. There are however a few exceptions to the above general rule: Takeaways: Food items supplied cold, for example sandwiches, salads, cold wraps, cakes

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etc. can be subject to the zero rate of VAT. Any food heated for the purpose of consumption whilst hot, as well as confectionery items, and iced cream will be subject to the full rate of VAT. Virtually all drinks including beverages will be subject to the full rate of VAT. Notable exceptions are milk shakes.

Delivered Food: The general position is the same as that for Takeaways. However, if the food is delivered under a contract, for example to cater for an event, then HMRC take the view that it will always be subject to the full rate of VAT, as it is treated as a supply of catering, rather than one of food. They contrast this with the situation where sandwiches are sold from a catering van, where they have no issue with zero rating.

HMRC’s guidance, as it is written, does seem to infer that delivery of any cold food item on a pre-agreed basis would be a supply of catering and therefore subject to the full rate of VAT (as the buyer contracts for the delivered food).

However, we do not consider this to be a sensible approach as, to take it to its natural conclusion, a domestic milk delivery – or perhaps more topically one’s weekly grocery delivery, for those lucky enough to have a ‘delivery slot’ - would then become subject to VAT! Where a charge applies to the delivery of the food, this will take the same VAT treatment as that of the food being delivered. Sometimes a delivery will comprise items subject to the full rate of VAT and others subject to the zero rate.

Under such circumstances, an apportionment of the delivery charge would be appropriate.

Whilst HMRC have certainly stepped up to the mark in terms of administering the various

Government support schemes during recent times, we cannot expect this to translate into acts of mercy once we return to some semblance of ‘business as usual’ and HMRC resume their VAT inspection and investigation activities. It is therefore essential to ensure that if any doubt exists as to the VAT treatment of a transaction, early advice is sought.

Whilst writing this article, and as mentioned above, our Chancellor has announced an emergency cut in the VAT rate for those operating in certain parts of the leisure industry.

From 15 July 2020 until 12 January 2021, in a bid to support businesses and jobs in the leisure sector, the UK government is cutting VAT from 20% to 5% on any eat-in or hot takeaway food and drinks from restaurants, cafes and pubs (drinks in this context exclude alcohol).

This VAT reduction also applies to all holiday accommodation in hotels, B&Bs, campsites and caravan sites. Also announced was the novel and unexpected ‘Eat out to Help out’ scheme, whereby the Government will contribute towards the cost of eating out in August – again, alcoholic drinks are sadly excluded! _ If you have any questions or wish to discuss the above, Barringtons is available to assist.

Email advice@ barringtons.co.uk or call 0800 019 1744

Online electricals retailer AO has opened a new distribution warehouse in Crewe, its third in the town, to make sure its growing number of customers get what they need when they need it.

The new warehouse adds a further 110ksq ft of distribution space giving AO just under 1,000,000 sq ft in Crewe with more on the way as AO actively searches for more warehouse capacity to manage demand for its products and services.

As well as enabling inbound retail sales, this latest warehouse will also help AO to grow its third-party logistics business, which has seen meaningful increased demand over the last two years, as major new clients including Aldi, The Cotswold Company, Simba and Keter benefit from AO levels of delivery service and proposition.

David Ashwell, MD of AO Logistics, said:

“This is a great measure of the confidence that our third party clients have in AO. During the Covid-19 pandemic our amazing team has been delivering safely and efficiently, providing a lifeline for AO.com’s customers which in turn, third party clients have benefited from.”

“As five years of channel shift from stores to online condensed into five weeks, I’m really proud of how the team has adapted to necessary changes without missing a single day of delivery with record net promoter scores over the last three months.”

“We’re proud to share our AO service capability with other retailers and third party clients particularly during this difficult time when, thanks to AO, their customers have been able to rely on them. We’re keen to continue to build long-term relationships with retailers and clients who understand the value of an expert, national two-person delivery network.”

The new warehouse has been named after the late Alan Latchford, a co-founder of DRL which went on to become AO. John Roberts, Founder and CEO of AO, said: “Latchford is named after Alan Latchford, who passed away in March. He was on the other side of the famous £1 that led to the creation of AO. On Christmas Eve 1999, he bet me £1 that we couldn’t use the internet to transform how people buy white goods. Twenty years on, the opening of our Latchford warehouse is a lasting tribute to Alan.”

Crewe is also home to AO Logistics’ head office and two distribution centres, Alpha & Omega. AO acquired the two-person delivery company in 2009, and it now offers delivery seven days a week on all items. _ For more on products go to ao.com

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

CHAMBER PATRONS

AO expands logistics operation with new Crewe warehouse

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CHAMBER PATRONS

Assurant Europe’s Response to COVID-19 Like no other time in our world’s history, when we need more than ever to come together, we are being asked to keep our distance. Our shared experiences, fears, adaptations and inspirations around this new normal are bringing us closer and helping us to navigate during an extraordinary time.

Our values are our true north in everyday business and decision making, but during this time of global crisis, our Assurant values have taken on added meaning…

• Common sense in doing our part within society to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus; • Common decency in how we support our more than 1,400 European employees and each other during these challenging times; • Uncommon thinking in supporting our customers who need us more than ever as we navigate through these unprecedented times; and • Uncommon results in quickly activating our business continuity plans to safeguard our employees and protect our operations.

Since the onset of this crisis, we’ve erred on the side of caution. To support our local communities and stem the spread of the virus, we quickly moved more than 1,300 of our 1,400 employees to work remotely. Within our facilities that remain open in order to perform essential services, we’ve adopted strict guidelines to promote the health and wellbeing of our employees and partners, including social distancing, providing PPE provisions, as well as office deep cleaning and sanitisation. This ensures we can continue to provide the essential services our 47 million European consumers rely on Assurant to provide. We want to do our part within society to stem the spread of the virus.

This current uncertainty only underscores how much we rely on each other. How important it is to stay connected. And how responsible we are to the communities where we live and work.

Together, we’re united with a common resolve that no physical distance can weaken.

And, while we’re all so far apart right now because of social distancing, shielding or working remotely – more than ever, we need to value what it means to be ‘together’.

Christian Formby, president Assurant Europe _

For more on the company go to www.assurant.co.uk

Together: We’re doing our part

Bentley looks to a stronger, safer future

Bentley Motors resumed production with over 1,700 colleagues following the 250 comprehensive and wide-ranging hygiene and social distancing guidelines. This represents the next stage in the company’s ‘Come Back Stronger’ programme, a phased production ramp up following the biggest changes to daily working life in the company’s 100-year history.

Before the restart colleagues received an insight into their new working patterns, operations and environment during socially distanced briefing and training sessions. They returned to a redesigned manufacturing facility that allows two-metre distance between workers, and one-way movement paths and traffic flows.

Even the washrooms across site have been

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reconfigured to reduce the number of people being able to use them.

On each line, production will be running at approximately 50% for a number of weeks as the takt time of each car - the average start time from one manufacturing stage to the next - has doubled. In addition, each production cell now spreads over two stages rather than one, ensuring adequate distance between colleagues.

The remaining manufacturing workers, over 500, are anticipated to return by the middle of June based on current assumptions and government guidance.

Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and CEO, Bentley Motors, said:

“We have a strong order bank, around eight months of customer orders to manufacture, established parts supply routes and patient customers who are looking to receive their extraordinary cars as soon as possible. We will ramp up in a controlled, measured way to ensure we manage this continued demand, and look ahead and in spite of this interruption continue on our journey to lead sustainable luxury mobility in the future.”

The robust measures will ensure Bentley staff stay as safe as possible at all times.

Personal protection equipment – including facemasks, gloves, goggles - are provided as necessary, both to colleagues and in parallel donated to the local care sector, as well as health temperature checks for staff. There is also an enhanced cleaning routine and clear guidance to the workforce on limiting the risk of infection on areas such as meeting governance, site access and travel. _

For more information visit www.bentleymotors.com

CHAMBER PATRONS

College gets full marks from students

If you are interested in studying at Cheshire College – South & West, or for more information, email info@ccsw.ac.uk or visit www.ccsw.ac.uk

Children bring a smile to Crewe’s Pickmere Court residents Guinness Care staff have been coming up with creative and inventive ideas to keep residents living at Pickmere Court, an independent living development in Crewe, entertained while they have been unable to leave their homes due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Staff had the wonderful idea of contacting schools in the local area to ask if children would like to write letters, poems or draw pictures for the residents.

After a fantastic response from the school children and other children living in the area, Carly Sproston, who works as an administrator for Pickmere Court whilst working from home, has put them all together in a book ‘The Book of Smiles’ which has been gratefully received by all the residents.

The residents, just like everyone else, have been feeling the effects of the lockdown measures, so staff have gone above and beyond their usual duties to ensure residents have plenty to do.

Some of the activities that the residents have been able to enjoy, whilst social distancing has been observed, include a zoo experience, rainbows to colour in and put in their windows

to show support for the NHS, a virtual Grand National, learning how to sign with a sign language word search, having patterns to knit or crochet a frontline bear and an activity booklet full of crosswords, word searches, puzzles, and quizzes.

Resident Rosamund Ash said: “Life is difficult at the minute but I have my beautiful garden to keep me busy and I’m knitting items for Leighton Hospital babies.”

Resident Michael Podmore said: “I loved the activity book done by Carly, huge variety and kept me busy.

It was a fantastic idea. Stay safe everyone.”

Carly Sproston from Guinness Care said: “All the staff at Pickmere Court want to make this difficult situation as bearable as possible for our residents and we are so pleased they are enjoying the fun activities to help pass the time. Our residents are coping really well and I would like to say a huge

thank you to all of them and to all the children that sent us letters and pictures.”

Two residents made home-made cakes and pies which they sold in communal gardens, while maintaining social distancing, and to date have raised £600 which they have donated to local Leighton Hospital to help get extra PPE for hospital staff. _ Guinness Care has over 10,000 customers across England and around 800 members of staff, and supports customers living in their own homes and communities. For more information go to guinnesshomes.co.uk

Left: Staff member Carly Sproston.

Above: Pickmere court resident

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CHAMBER PATRONS

New online support series for SMEs Claire Pattison, Project Manager, SMART Cheshire Innovation Challenge, said: “From our work with entrepreneurs, we know that business support isn’t simply about offering technical skills. It’s also about helping people to regain confidence and build their personal resilience. In Getting Through and Getting On, we’re covering both mindset and technical skills.

Although face-to-face workshops are not running at the moment, the team at the Manchester Metropolitan University’s Centre for Enterprise are still offering practical business support for small businesses across Cheshire.

Each week, they are sharing a new, short video, as part of a new series, Getting Through and Getting On. They hope this series helps business owners to prioritise tasks, seek new opportunities, and navigate their businesses through tough times.

Bitesize practical tasks: This series is an opportunity for small business owners to access the team’s knowledge from afar, and work on some of the practical tasks which are typically explored in face-to-face workshops.

Through the videos, businesses are offered a range of practical tools and guidance. They’re designed to help entrepreneurs look at their business positions and the aspects they can influence.

“This is to help business owners create personal and business resilience. Our topics so far include remote networking, why it’s time to increase your marketing, the power of a routine, and three tools to boost your creativity.” _ Are there any topics you’d like covered? Do you have a theme you’d like explored? Email your suggestions to cfegrowth@mmu.ac.uk or get in touch via social media channels: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn

Mornflake makes major donation to Covid 19 charities appeal Mornflake, Crewe’s oldest business, is helping charities to ease hardship during the Coronavirus pandemic.

The company has donated £50,000 to the Cheshire Community Foundation Covid 19 Response Appeal set up as a lifeline to local charitable organisations.

Launched in April, the appeal aims to protect vital charities in Cheshire and Warrington from being stretched to breaking point due to increased demand and fundraising activities on hold.

A collaboration with the Steve Morgan Foundation will see £40,000 of Mornflake’s donation match funded.

The remaining £10,000 is pledged to St Luke’s Cheshire Hospice as part of Mornflake’s commitment to support the Winsford facility.

Managing director and long-standing South Cheshire Chamber Patron, John Lea said: “The pandemic has cast a light on some of the most disadvantaged people in our community who need our support more than ever. The Cheshire Community Foundation is doing a sterling job to raise awareness and cash at a truly critical time.”

Meanwhile Mornflake remains part of a drive to feed NHS frontline staff, food banks and vulnerable people.

The independent family business is backing DEFRA’s national Care Parcel Scheme and so far more than two million packs of Mornflake Mighty Oats have been included in parcels sent to households.

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Among the first to receive support were staff at Leighton Hospital and food banks in Crewe and Nantwich.

Mornflake has stepped up to the mark just as it has before.

Its oats were a dietary staple in the war years and a new factory was built on Gresty Road to cope with the demand of feeding a nation in crisis.

For more on how Mornflake oats can support good health and the immune system go to www.mornflake.com To donate to the Cheshire Community Foundation Covid 19 Response Appeal call 01606 330607. _

For more information on products and heritage go to www.mornflake.com

Will O’Reilly and James Lea load a vehicle full of Mornflake Mighty Oats destined for the NHS frontline, food banks and vulnerable people

Reaseheath College lecturers have been making a difference to the working lives of frontline NHS staff. Using their talents and expertise during coronavirus lockdown, some staff at the Nantwich college have made attachments which make surgical facemasks more comfortable to wear.

Andy Gould, Curriculum Area Manager for Construction, programmed his department’s 3D

so well received that there is a constant waiting list. Staff at Leighton Hospital and the West Midlands Ambulance Service patient transport team in Crewe are among those who have benefitted.

The 3D printer is used to demonstrate design work at recruitment events and will play a central role in Reaseheath’s new Level 3 Extended Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment, which launches this September.

Cara Manfredi, who is Personal Assistant to Reaseheath’s Principal and other senior managers, delivered clips Cara Manfredi collects surgical to both her twin sister, a nurse on face mask clips, watched from safe social distancing by Andy Gould a covid positive ward at Leighton Hospital, and her partner, an ambulance care assistant. printer to make adjustable plastic clips which fit She said: “The clips make a big difference to round the back of the head and have fixings for the comfort of the frontline staff and they are so the elastic loops of the face mask. The design grateful for our contribution.” takes the pressure away from the back of the Other staff have been knitting and sewing wearer’s ears while continuing to hold the mask ear savers, which perform a similar function but securely. are for single patient use.

Hundreds of the clips have been distributed _ to health professionals across Cheshire,

CHAMBER PATRONS

Reaseheath College makes a difference to frontline NHS

For more on Reaseheath College courses visit www.reaseheath.ac.uk

Staffordshire and Shropshire and have been

Stepping up in lockdown Who could have predicted how events would have unfolded over the last few months. It’s proved a seismic change in the way we live and work, and businesses have had to be quick on their feet to adapt - and in some cases, even thrive.

SG World has stayed fully operational throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Our regular customer base includes many essential businesses such as logistics, manufacturing, food production and the NHS. As long as they needed our Health and Safety products to keep them on the go, SG World wanted to be here to support them, so we had to move quickly to make our own manufacturing facility safer for our staff.

Straight off the bat, we reviewed and adapted our production processes and reduced onsite staffing in line with government advice. We also changed our business hours, introduced extra hand sanitisation units, maximum occupancy limits for certain areas as well as departmental zoning. An enterprising employee even figured out a way to create our own internal supply of hand sanitiser every little helps!

We also began to design and print internal COVID-19 signage to promote safer working practices such as 2 metre social distancing, one way systems, visual reminders to hand wash thoroughly and sanitise. Signage rapidly became

a key tenet of government COVID-19 workplace guidance and SG World were in a unique position to develop and offer a wide range of signage and clothing solutions to the business community. Of course, our understanding of COVID-19 is evolving all the time, for example the NHS recently updated the official COVID-19 symptom list and we were able to react quickly enough to have updated solutions available online within hours of the announcement.

Looking back, I’m extremely proud of how quickly and efficiently SG World have adapted to the COVID-19 landscape. Social distancing is routinely observed on our site, new hygiene

practices have been well integrated into the working day and we’ve introduced new ways of flexible working, allowing many staff to work from home. Over the next few months we will all be balancing the return to business as “unusual” with the safety of our colleagues and community.

Stay alert and stay safe.

Mark Haase – SG World CEO _

Visit www.sgworld.com for more exciting updates from SG World as we help make a difference to the productivity and safety of you and your customers in 2020.

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CHAMBER PREMIUM MEMBERS

Recruitment brand reflects growth Since 2003, the Absolute Solutions Group in Crewe has grown and evolved over the years, now offering a wider variety of recruitment services than ever and assisting hundreds of clients and candidates daily.

Dan Marshall Group CEO said:

“We have grown to become one of the largest independent recruitment companies in the North West; we’ve developed a lot, and we thought it was time our brand did too! Our previous logo’s lower-case A has evolved into a bold capital A; its geometric foundation represents each facet of the Group coming together to form a solid, multi-faceted, fullyfledged recruitment solution.”

treatment of our clients, workers and colleagues and has been the foundation of our success over the past two decades. But, during Lockdown, we’ve taken time to reflect on what makes our service truly unique and have identified seven key characteristics that encapsulate what we offer.”

Absolute Clarity: The company is transparent and crystal-clear in all its dealings believing working relationships should be built on trust and clarity in order maximise success.

Absolute Loyalty: Consultants have been with the company for an average of seven years, meaning that they get to know their clients, so the recruitment process gets smoother each time they work with Absolute.

Absolute Honesty: The company is results and not commission led. Putting the wrong person into the wrong job is not a sustainable

business model, so honesty is paramount to getting the job done.

Absolute Dependability: There’s a 99.6% vacancy fulfilment rate and attrition of less than 3% with key clients.

Dan added: “We believe in collaboration: We don’t tell – we listen and we learn. And because we work in partnership with our clients, we get to understand their businesses properly. We love what we do, and this is reflected in the results we achieve.

“People are brilliant, complex, individual and unique. Adapting our approach to individual clients and candidates shapes every aspect of how we work.” _ For more on Absolute Solutions Group go to absol-group.com

“But re-branding is about much more than just logos. It’s about culture, philosophy and attitude. Our ethos has always been centred around our commitment to ethical

Accountant Daniel adds new qualification Alextra Accountants are celebrating the success of one of their production staff members who recently qualified under the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

Daniel Large (pictured), with the firm since 2018, has been supported throughout his journey in becoming a fully qualified accountant. Alextra provide apprenticeships for accountancy and administrative staff members allowing individuals to learn whilst gaining practical experience. Daniel has now completed his professional Accountancy & Taxation apprenticeship, showing real commitment and effort over the last two years.

Alextra Director, Shawn Gallimore commented: “It is always great to see the hard work of our staff members pay off when they pass exams and achieve the qualifications we all know they are capable of.

“Dan is great lad and a valued member of the team, who has shown real competence over the last two years and it is a real pleasure to congratulate him on becoming fully qualified under ACCA.”

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As well as a celebrating ACCA qualifications, the team is also going from strength to strength ensuring all staff members are up to date with the latest cloud accounting certifications.

In recent years the cloud accounting market has exploded, with a vast array of options now available. Some of the main players in the market are Xero, QuickBooks Online and Sage Business Cloud Accounting.

Alextra are certified partners in all three of the above cloud accounting software providers whilst also being Gold Partners of Xero. Mr Gallimore added: “We pride ourselves on making sure our team is up to date with the latest certifications made available through providers such as Xero and QuickBooks.

Currently all of our production staff hold these certifications.” _ If you are starting to think about cloud accounting and which product could be right for you, get in touch with Alextra – www.alextragroup.co.uk

Construction Linx adapted to the health crisis by ensuring the business not only remained in operation, but services provided to clients continued.

Forward planning enabled Construction Linx to expand its service offering, particularly within cleaning and prevention solutions.

The company launched ultra-low volume spray cleaning to disinfect all surfaces within a premise, followed by the installation of polypropylene workplace screens into contact centres, schools and many businesses with customer facing staff.

To date this has been a significant success in the readying of a large number of businesses premises and implementing of social distancing measures.

In additional to their cleaning and prevention solutions, Construction Linx offered site-specific COVID-19 risk assessments carried out by DipSM, FIIRSM & OSHCR registered consultants.

Construction Linx Managing Director, Gareth Williams said: “Since March, small businesses have been under a significant level of uncertainty and pressure, only left to feel as though they must await the latest guidance and information shared by Government. What was critical for Construction Linx, was to ensure we remained proactive. We adapted to the circumstance by providing dynamic and dependable solutions to our existing and new customers.

“As a Project & Facilities Management organisation we understood the importance of continuity of service for our clients, but critically as important that we had to adapt our service offering to help our clients return to work safely.”

CHAMBER PREMIUM MEMBERS

Cleaning services support return to work

Although this period of time has been a test of business resilience, Construction Linx ensured they remained positive and proactive, not only by bolstering their service offering but also updating and preparing new processes internally. _ For more information go to constructionlinx.co.uk/cleaning-and-prevention

Legat Owen Build The Team Legat Owen are strengthening their Nantwich office team to help serve the ever expanding commercial property market in South and Mid Cheshire.

Andy Butler, Matthew Pochin and Karen Kilcourse each have over 20 years experience in the region and the company is able to offer advice and expertise in all sectors of the commercial property market to include: investment, development, agency, management, professional, valuation, rating and building surveying.

Now Hannah Baker and Sam Davis from Legat Owen’s Chester office are bolstering the team bringing additional expertise in Management, Agency and Building Surveying.

The Nantwich office is headed up by Andy Butler who said, “I am proud of the team that we have in Nantwich and the expert and personal service we are able to offer to clients from Funds to individual landlords and tenant. We may be living in challenging times but interestingly we have seen a steady demand for commercial property in the last few months across all sectors to include retail, industrial and offices” Recent deals concluded by Legat Owen include the letting of a 238,000 sq ft warehouse at Crewe Commercial Park to Boughey Distribution (a wholly owned subsidiary of NWF) where Legat Owen acted as joint agents for Panattoni.

Above left: Sam Davis, Hannah Baker, Mark Atherton, Karen Kilcourse, Andy Butler, Mark Percival, Debbie Potts, Matthew Pochin and Karen Clarke

Matthew Pochin said, “Since the turn of the year we have let 350,000 sq ft of industrial space to two major national businesses. Boughey and AO are both well established in Crewe and their further commitment to large facilities in the town under pin the key credentials of Crewe as a logistics and industrial hub for the North West and Midlands”.

Andy Butler added “ We have also seen an increase in activity for office lettings and sales in and around Crewe Business Park. We believe the region is now well placed to move on with continued success which is only to be enhanced with the arrival of HS2 in the future” _ For more information contact Andy Butler on 01270 621001

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

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CHAMBER PREMIUM MEMBERS

Getting back to business ...safely

Premium members Rhino Safety Limited have been busy helping companies get back to business safely since the Government published its ‘Covid-19 Secure’ guidance for businesses on May 11th and the lockdown restrictions have started to be lifted.

Director Cate Walter said: “Due to our industry affiliations and accreditations, we were in the fortunate position of having access to the draft guidance for nearly two weeks prior to the official publication, so we were

able to be proactive and prepare relevant and practical documentation and support for companies who were eager to reopen as quickly as possible.”

Fellow Director and Senior Consultant Simon Walter continued: “It was important to us that we supported our clients to reopen as soon as they were legally and safely able to do so, and decided to create a package that provides businesses with everything they need to be Covid-19 Secure compliant.”

Cate was interviewed by several BBC radio stations including 5Live and on the BBC News to discuss the Health & Safety considerations businesses need to be making regarding reopening their workplaces during the pandemic.

“The Government guidance is very helpful, but it still places a huge responsibility on business owners to ensure the safety of their employees in a situation that still has many unknown factors. Clients have expressed concern that whilst the financial pressures of lockdown cannot be ignored, they were unsure of the implications of the guidance.”

One of the main requirements of the Covid-19 Secure guidance is for businesses to write a specific Covid-19 Risk Assessment, and communicate the details with employees. The team at Rhino Safety decided to go further, and have created a comprehensive, yet easyto-use Covid-19 Safety Pack for workplaces, including policy and procedures, first aid guidance, safety memo for employees, weekly check sheets, and essential signage.

It is available to purchase for £119+VAT, with a 10% discount available for South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce members (please quote ‘SCCCI 10’ when ordering). _ For more information contact Rhino Safety on 01270 440341 or email info@rhinosafety.co.uk

Health and Safety doesn’t need to be painful.

Our services include: • Health & Safety Policies & Procedures • Fire Risk Assessment • Environmental Policies • Audits and Inspections

• • • • •

Risk Assessments Method Statements Online Training PAT Testing Noise Monitoring

For a free, no obligation quote get in touch today.

Health and Safety doesn’t need to be painful.

Call: 01270 440 341 email: info@rhinosafety.co.uk Our services include: or visit: www.rhinosafety.co.uk

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• Health & Safety Policies & Procedures

• Risk Assessments

• Fire Risk Assessment

• Training

• Environmental Policies

• PAT Testing

• Audits and Inspections

• Noise Monitoring

• Method Statements

BUSINESS NEWS QUARTER 2 2020

Crewe Town Council is set to welcome a new Town Clerk.

Pete Turner (pictured) took up his role on July 1.

Mr Turner is currently Town Clerk at Macclesfield Town Council, where since 2015, he has taken the young authority through its initial development. Immediately prior to this, he was Deputy Town Clerk and Operations Manager with Sandbach Town Council.

His previous career brings wide and varied experience, including seven years within principal councils in Shropshire and Staffordshire, marketing manager in the private sector and he has also operated his own consultancy.

Jill Rhodes, Leader of Council, commented:

COMMUNITY NEWS

Crewe welcomes new Town Clerk

“I am extremely pleased the Council managed to make this appointment before the lockdown. Pete will bring with him some excellent experience and I look forward to working with him on the council’s ambitious agenda.”

In addition to his BSc Pete, who lives in Biddulph, holds the Certificate in Local Council Administration.

Companies get behind cycling mission for hospital

By Jan Roberts, Pure PR (Nantwich)

Well-known brands have thrown their weight behind a businesswoman in her bid to raise money for the hospital that saved her life.

Michelle Vorel-Adams, owner of international sports and commerce firm Sphere Connect, galvanised support for her cycling marathon, RIDE2020, and found big names keen to join her in saying ‘thank you’ to NHS heroes at the Royal Stoke Hospital.

Amid the lockdown, she and her partner Phil Fortun, notched up a staggering 2020km over a month as their ‘one form of exercise’ a day using the picturesque grounds of JCB at Rocester as their starting point each morning.

The company was one of several big names backing their effort including Mornflake breakfast cereals in Crewe, online brand Sweet Spot, Fox’s Biscuits, the Francesco Group and Pro Vision sports clothing.

Publicity was by Jan Roberts at Nantwichbased Pure PR. They offered support in cash and kind

Above: Michelle and Phil on a photo-shoot in Nantwich celebrating the end of their charity ride

towards a £2020 fundraising target for the hospital where Michelle, 50, received emergency treatment for deep vein thrombosis in her leg which struck despite her active lifestyle and love of cycling.

That figure has now topped £2,800, thanks also to the support of friends, much to the delight of Michelle who remains forever grateful to the paramedics and doctors who saved her.

She said:

“Last October I passed out with severe leg and pelvic pain which turned out to be a blood clot which was caught in the nick of time. I wanted to repay the hospital and lockdown gave me the time to do something about it.”

“Every company I approached immediately said ‘yes!’ to supporting RIDE2020 and Phil and I now look forward to visiting the hospital to hand over the proceeds so they can spend it on kit, equipment or whatever they need.”

Sphere Connect provides a range of products and services from running professional sports events to commercial consultancy for organisations within the sports, health and leisure markets.

Michelle combines running the business with her role as UK & Ireland President for ACES Europe, the European Capitals and Cities of Sport Federation which promotes physical activity and healthy living across more than 500 destinations. _ For more on #RIDE2020 go to Facebook and for Sphere Connect see www.sphereconnect.co.uk _ For raising your company profile with PR, photography, copy-writing, newsletters, social media and more call Pure PR on 0770 9977629.

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

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MEMBER NEWS

6M€ Grants for Zero Defect and Agile Manufacturing Last year the Chamber highlighted the multimillion ZDMP – Zero Defect Manufacturing Platform project. The Chamber supports both ZDMP and a sister project, EFPF on Agile Manufacturing. Find out how you can participate in bidding for 6M€ (5.4M£) of subcall grant funding to stimulate your business in these fields. These innovation projects run under the EU H2020 program (see inset) and are led by Cheshire SME Information Catalyst (ICE – www.informationcatalyst.com).

SCCCI is a proud supporter of the projects – why? Not only are we pleased that one of our members, Information Catalyst, is providing leadership in these fields, we are partnering with them to encourage you, our members, to bid in the open calls to acquire EC funding for experimentation and nurturing innovations.

These are tough times for manufacturers and all organizations, yet grant funding can provide between 70-90% of the investment that you needed to make anyway. As a grant you do not need to pay it back and all the work you do can be kept by you! Thus, to keep South Cheshire companies competitive think of the possibilities.

The only catch is that Manufacturing SMEs must be in the driving seat either as users or technology organisations.

Find out about the project, H2020, the subcalls and whilst you will see these calls are not open yet, we hope this pre-information can help you prepare and seek further information as necessary. Be sure to register your interests on the relevant project websites which will then allow them to broadcast material directly to you.

Whilst we cannot guarantee you win, we hope you can put your best Cheshire foot forward and get success. As a supporter, SCCCI will be publishing further articles close to the calls to remind you of what is on offer.

ZDMP (www.zdmp.eu) is a H2020 project in the field of ‘Factory of the Future’ running from January 2019 until December 2022. It engages 30 partners (Users, Technology Providers, Consultants and Research Institutes) from 11 countries with a total budget of circa 19€. ZDMP aims at providing an extendable Industry 4.0 platform for supporting manufacturers to reach a goal of zero defects both in terms of product and process quality. In this context, ZDMP will allow end-users to connect their systems (eg shopfloor and ERP Systems) to benefit from the features of the platform. The main ZDMP objectives are to ensure/provide: • Quality of the product by advanced modelling, detection, inspection, and predictive techniques • Quality of the process through equipment, resource, and energy efficiency • Runtime platform including marketplace, APIs, and ZDMP Applications for use by developers • Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology including: Data acquisition, interoperability, and analytics supported by orchestration, monitoring and autonomous computing • Demonstration of results in multiple sectors (eg automotive); other sectors added through subcalls.

What might you do in a ZDMP subcall?

The open calls will allow SMEs and start-ups to produce, or adapt, technical solutions and conduct pilots using the ZDMP environment; for example: • Software developers can respond to specific manufacturing user demands to design, build, and publish new software components and applications in product and process quality • Zero-defect technology companies can provide the marketplace with drivers and APIs to access their technical equipment and applications • Users companies can validate and use and applications and components in their own environments • Users and Universities can work together on solutions in the field of image processing, energy efficiency, or product inspection.

Horizon 2020 is the biggest European Union Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money attracts. With 80B€ you can imagine its field is huge, covering everything from ICT, Circular Economy, Health, Energy, Transport, BioScience, and Factories/manufacturing of the future. See https://ec.europa.eu/ programmes/horizon2020/.

Its aim has been to be a blueprint for smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth and job creation. It has the political backing of Europe/UKs leaders who agreed that research is an investment in Europe’s future. Horizon 2020 is open to everyone, has high funding grants, and a simple structure that reduces red tape so participants can focus on what is really important. One of the innovations in H2020 is the so-called cascading subcall grants to incorporate SMEs into large projects and is the topic of the main article.

What about BREXIT? Under the terms of the famous “Withdrawal Agreement” the UK can continue to participate in EU programmes including H2020.

Concretely UK organisations can participate equally in the programme at the same terms as they were before BREXIT. Thus, any activity started such as ZDMP and EFPF will complete naturally and in their cases in December 2022. Interested to find out more and how you can participate – Contact Stuart Campbell, CEO of Information Catalyst and author of this article:-stuart.campbell@informationcatalyst.com

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BUSINESS NEWS QUARTER 2 2020

• Selecting tech start-ups/SMEs for acceleration or incubation purposes • Supporting pilots and experiments on innovative technologies • Integrating more participants to a project to extend its scope The bidding procedures is typically simple, perhaps 5-10 pages, detailing what you would like to do although it would be in the context of, for example, Zero Defects Manufacturing with ZDMP. Once submitted they are neutrally evaluated according to public funding ethics and the winners announced.

After some preparation you begin the work, deliver your promises, fulfil the conditions and keep the results. Grant terms vary, but are generally are very favourable at 70-100% + overheads

EFPF (www.efpf.org) is also a European Commission funded project in the field of ‘Factory of the Future’ running from January 2019 until December 2022. By coincidence it also engages 30 partners with a similar range of Manufacturing Companies, SME associations, ICT Providers, Consultants and Research Institutes. These are from 10 European countries with a total budget of circa 16€. The EFPF project has established a federation of digital manufacturing platforms and smart factory tools with an aim at supporting the digitalization, shop-floor connectivity, data analytics, business intelligence, workflow automation, matchmaking and supply chain management needs in the modern manufacturing domain.

The main EFPF objectives are: to establish: • Open federation of existing digital manufacturing platforms and smart factory solutions to support advance manufacturing scenarios such as lot-size-one manufacturing • Enable interoperability between different solutions in the digital manufacturing domain • Support experimentation, integration, and adoption of EFPF solution in real-world scenarios • Open APIs and other mechanisms that support the inclusion of new entrants in the federation • Demonstrate in Furniture, Aerospace, and Waste Management domains with subcalls • To support the creation of a federated ecosystem, the EFPF project will provide subcall grant funding for those who are interested to perform the following types of experiments: • Development, testing, validation, or utilisation of digital manufacturing applications and services.

• Enhancement of EFPF ecosystem through the integration of innovative solutions • Integrating 3rd party applications in the EFPF federation under open licencing schemes • Integrating 3rd party platforms and their user communities in the EFPF federation

Summary Call overview (Details are subject to change):

ZDMP (2 Calls)

EFPF (1 Call)

Total Value

€3.2 million

€2.5 million

Funding per project)

€50 – 150K

€50 – 150K

Call Launch Date

January 2021 & January 2021

October 2020

Call Close Date

March 2021 & September 2021

February 2021

Project Start Period

June 2021 & January 2022

September 2021 – August 2022

Project Duration

9 months

6-12 months

Further information

www.zdmp.eu

www.efpf.org

MEMBER NEWS

• Subcalls are a European Commission mechanism to widely distribute public funding to assist organisations. It targets start-ups, scale-ups, SMEs, and/or midcaps, in the uptake or development of digital innovation. It aims at simplifying administrative procedures and creating a light, SME-friendly grant application scheme. It allows some EU-funded projects, such as ZDMP and EFPF, to conduct open calls for further funding beyond the initial project partners.

Funding is typically in the range of €50,000 to €150,000 and project is duration 6-12 months. These open calls are competitive, have a European/UK dimension and aim at:

Lockdown leads to new online learning platform After winning the Dabbers Den business award, Insight to Impact Consulting created a new membership website for its governance improvement product Shaping Governance.

Company founder Su Turner said: “Due to be launched in the spring, Shaping Governance was ‘shaping’ up, nicely and then the Pandemic hit and schools closed (to most children). This has presented many challenges for businesses across the country, but especially for those that work with schools. Overnight 70% of our business disappeared!”

“Shaping Governance is different to other governor training and its USP is that it’s a faceto-face whole-team development session, that helps governors to learn, share and improve their practice in just two hours - a fantastic USP - but not in lockdown!”

“I’ve been privileged to support 100s of governing boards to improve, helping to boost the confidence of one of the largest volunteer forces in the country.”

Shaping Governance has gained a solid reputation and is loved by schools. Su has been humbled to receive many video messages of support from headteachers.

She added: “The lockdown, despite its restrictions, has actually allowed us time to develop the business - spending time ‘on’ the business instead of ‘in’ it. Obviously alongside parenting and home schooling my two children!”

“Zooming has become the new way to hold meetings and is now an everyday tool for governing boards, seeking to support headteachers. So, we thought how can we adapt and use this technology to benefit and broaden the reach of Shaping Governance, with 27,000 schools there’s plenty of scope.”

A new online learning platform that can be used alongside videoconferencing, without losing the essence of the Shaping Governance USP, is now under development. _ For more information go to www.insighttoimpactconsulting.co.uk TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

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MEMBER NEWS

A new way to work in Crewe As we plan our staged return to pre-Covid conditions, many of us will be faced with a new way of working. Corspace offers flexible office solutions as social distancing becomes the norm.

In the early 1990’s the Local Authority, anticipated job growth in Crewe and addressed the need for a purpose-built business park in a green environment. As one of the first buildings to be constructed on the park, Electra House has served small and growing business well.

Roll forward 30 years and working behaviour has undergone significant transformation. In 2018 PAGG Properties Ltd, the owners of Electra House, recognised how on-going innovation and investment was needed to keep office solutions at the cuttingedge of business evolution. They began with a study to identify the potential for co-working at Electra House.

The outcome of the report overwhelmingly supported the requirement to provide a high-quality environment, dedicated to the professional support of many businesses, large and small, looking for a flexible space.

Brian Reay of PAGG Properties Ltd, said:

“Corspace provides a professional space for a wide range of business to work from when needed. Whether you are a night owl or an early bird, split time working from home, like to work at weekends or prefer the work-a-day week, the range of usage options at Corspace offers a perfect solution. Corspace is open to members 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

“We have invested heavily in technology, from secure smart phone door entry to stateof-the-art boardroom webinar and meeting facilities. As you can imagine in light of the current social distancing restrictions, we are seeing strong levels of interest in these options, especially for remote business and training companies looking to operate in a professional and safe environment.

“Our mix of dedicated desk space, private offices and workstations for space hoppers (our super mobile members) to work from when needed, together with chilled break out areas and complimentary refreshments, are all COVID-19 compliant, meaning that we can keep you and your Company looking and feeling great whilst you run your business.”

Members can expect to step into a dedicated business space, designed to compete with the latest in city centre service provision.

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Jayne Ford, Head of Commercial Development for Corspace, added: “We are strengthening the effectiveness of the business community around us with the provision of a dedicated tech-driven solution with personality. Members can easily manage their Corspace activities in real-time whilst benefitting from a diverse range of complimentary resources to help support, share, learn and connect with a wider business and social network. Simply by logging in to the Corspace portal at any time.”

Facilities include: Space Hopper: Purpose-built hot desk areas. Providing business buzz and creative energy while you work or meet with clients and contacts.

Space Capsule: Your own dedicated desk in a brand-new co-worker office, to use at any time. With secure door entry and lockable storage, you can leave your work essentials in-situ and ready for action when you are.

Own Space: Private office or studio with a view for up to three people. With your own door entry system, great WIFI connectivity and plenty of natural light.

Space Centre: A new, high quality, fully serviced Boardroom. With smart AudioVisual, superfast WIFI and the latest Video Conferencing facilities, this room sets the bar for a productive day.

Space Out: An ultra-modern event space set in the heart of Corspace. This high-quality commercial environment is ideal to promote your business activity or event professionally and effectively.

Head Space: Situated on the first floor of Corspace, the area offers comfort, calm, a touch of luxury and lots of natural light for you to re-charge your batteries, gather your thoughts or simply relax for a while. _ For a trial session or to join up contact Jayne Ford jayne@corspace.co.uk or call on 07951 926 229 or 01270 270201

Above: Brian Reay, PAGG Properties Ltd

Picturesque Inland Marina of the Year, Church Minshull Aqueduct Marina has received further industry recognition.

Following the global marina assessment conducted by The Yacht Harbour Association (TYHA) it was announced that the Shropshire Union Canal-based family marina has maintained its fantastic five gold anchor accreditation.

Managing director Robert Parton said:

“This industry acknowledgment is great proof of the teamwork that goes into keeping the high standards of our marina to provide the best experience for our boat owners and users.”

“The accreditation was achieved through a site assessment of specific items across several evaluation categories: Ambience, Planning, Policies & Procedures, Customer Service, Environmental and both on and off-water facilities and infrastructure. A berth holder survey is also conducted as part of the process and this is the most rewarding feedback for us, to know that our customers are happy with the marina and services they receive.”

Once the Gold Anchor Assessor has completed an evaluation and report an accreditation recommendation is put to either TYHA or MIA Gold Anchor Standards Panels for approval. Mystery shopper checks are used during the three-year validity period to ensure the accreditation remains valid as well as providing valuable additional information to the marina.

The marina was established in 2009 by husband and wife team Robert and Andrea Parton - based at one of the best inland locations in the UK in the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, five miles north of Nantwich.

MEMBER NEWS

Marina retains Five Gold Anchor Accreditation

_ For more information go to www.aqueductmarina.co.uk

County Group helps taxis get into top gear during pandemic Taxi drivers are steering a drive to support frontline workers amid the coronavirus crisis after an extension of their insurance policies backed by one of the country’s largest brokers.

InsureTaxi, part of the County Group based in Crewe, have moved to allow taxi drivers to carry out voluntary work giving ‘rides’ to small parcels, takeaways and shopping destined for NHS staff and vulnerable people.

Many are providing their services free of charge and took the opportunity to put a smile on faces delivering Easter eggs to their local communities.

Gary Fennah, County Group head of taxi sales, said:

“We have negotiated with our panel of insurers to extend policies. Many insurers have made these changes free of charge and it has been heartwarming to see the response of taxi drivers as a result.”

“Thousands are now doing their bit to ensure people in their local communities have access to essentials.

“They are picking up and delivering ‘Click and Collect’ food orders, parcels and prescriptions. Others are carrying out voluntary tasks for the NHS such as delivering medical supplies from one hospital to another.

“Our aim was to support the country while keeping taxi drivers on the road. We are hearing great stories of resilience and resourcefulness amongst the taxi driving community and salute their efforts as unsung heroes.”

The County Group has developed lasting relationships with insurers which allows great prices to be found on a range of different insurance solutions ranging from taxi breakdown cover to taxi replacement vehicle insurance.

The company, which employs more than 70 people at its Crewe Business Park headquarters, caters for all types of personal and business insurance including taxi fleets, couriers and minibuses as well as private and public hire and breakdown.

For taxi drivers who can’t work or are choosing not to during the crisis, there are different payment options, payment holidays or reduced level of cover.

The County Group, founded in 2003, is one of the UK’s Top 25 Insurance brokers with 29 branches across the UK providing quotes and policies for customers but also taking an active part in the communities they serve – local charity fundraising being key.

_ For quotes and more about the company go to countyins.com Advice can also be found on working from home, combating loneliness and managing care-giving responsibilities during the crisis.

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

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MEMBER NEWS

Networking thrives during lockdown Businesses are defying the challenges of lockdown by joining NetworkIN Cheshire to offer each other mutual advice and support.

Since lockdown NetworkIN Cheshire membership has grown because businesses are using it to stay connected online, with virtual meetings and training sessions providing members with essential updates and advice on everything from furlough to government grants.

NetworkIN Cheshire, run by Pam Allen (pictured) owner virtual assistant business PA Today, celebrates its first birthday this month. Its ethos of building relationships and reciprocity across all its groups in Nantwich, Crewe and most recently Sandbach, means more than 40 businesses now use it to grow their business.

She said: “As a business owner I became involved because I knew it was essential to get out there and network, because you have to tell people you’re there otherwise they can’t buy from you. I discovered I was good at it and I love helping other businesses work together and seeing them grow.

“The lockdown came just as we launched Team Sandbach and our first challenge at NetworkIN was to recreate all of our business meetings and training sessions online.

“This new format has proved to be a success, and as we approach our first birthday,

I’m delighted at how members are coming together and supporting each other through these tough times.”

To mark its first anniversary, NetworkIN Cheshire hosted the South Staffordshire Chamber May Final Friday online meeting, and the groups continue to fundraise for their chosen charities – The Donna Louise and The Wingate Centre.

New members are welcome from across all sectors, with existing businesses including mortgage advisors, solicitors, software designers, digital marketers, insurance brokers, financial advisors, website designers and garden maintenance.

_ Businesses interested in joining NetworkIN Cheshire can contact Pam direct on 01785 291129 and find out more at www.networkin.uk/teams/ cheshire-teams/

New service offers peace of mind Right at Home South Cheshire is launching a new service, known as Right at Home Lite, to support even more people across South Cheshire to continue living independently in the comfort of their own home.

It adds to a wide range of services to adults including companionship, personal care, medication support, transportation, hospital to home services and 24/7 live-in care.

Right at Home Lite service will give families peace of mind in between their loved ones’ care calls, and be a stepping-stone for those considering homecare. The service will be especially valuable at this time, when the Coronavirus has restricted so much movement and more people need to self-isolate.

The service is being offered in partnership with Alertacall, providers of digitally enhanced daily contact that confirms health and safety, detects changing needs and improves customer care. The company already provides services to tens of thousands of older people, and other individuals with higher needs, across the UK. Customers are given a specially designed device with an OKEachDay button, which they press once a day, or more often as required. This sends a signal to Alertacall which confirms the customer’s contact and that they are able to receive information and prompts. Customers who choose not to engage digitally will receive a call

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BUSINESS NEWS QUARTER 2 2020

from a trained adviser from the Alertacall team and the trained adviser will talk and exchange information with the customer.

Ben Selby, owner of Right at Home South Cheshire, said:

“Embracing technology has always been something we’ve been passionate about and now we are in our 4th year, we have the solid foundations and team to enhance the service we offer. We’re particularly excited about the “Right at Home” button which will enable users to contact our office team during office hours at the touch of a button, so they can easily request an extra Care Visit, or just speak to someone in the office about their service.”

Martin Cutbill, Director at Alertacall, added:

“The Right at Home Lite service will operate 365 days a year and will be a valuable safety net when additional support is wanted outside of the times when in-home care is provided.” _ Right at Home South Cheshire, Rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, has scooped many awards including South Cheshire Chamber of Commerce 2019 Large Business of the Year, 2018 Excellence in Customer Service and 2018 Start-up Business of the Year.

MEMBER NEWS

Celebrities help welcome Alpha Omega to Crewe Business Park

Alpha Omega owner Ken Lawton and Operations Director Andy Taylor with celebrities Ross Kemp and Joe Egan and business representatives at the official opening of the new Crewe Business Park premises. Picture taken before social distancing.

Famous faces joined the many people who turned out to celebrate the official opening of a security firm’s new premises on Crewe Business Park.

Alpha Omega Securities welcomed businesses from across Cheshire as well as TV star Ross Kemp, fresh from his latest ITV documentary series in HMP Belmarsh and former boxer turned Hollywood actor Joe Egan who has just finished filming his latest movie, Vengeance 2 with Vinnie Jones.

The company, founded by former kickboxing champion and Nantwich man Ken Lawton 22 years ago, provides security guards, door supervisors, mobile security, CCTV monitoring and key-holding services for big name South Cheshire companies and business parks as well as VIP body guards for the rich and famous.

Alpha Omega’s suited and booted door supervisors and security personnel are a familiar sight outside nightclubs, pubs and shops across the region as well as at big events such as the Royal Cheshire Show and Nantwich Show.

Ken said:

“I was touched to see so many people turn out to the opening in particular Ross and Joe who have very busy filming schedules. It’s always

a very humbling experience to welcome so many business associates who have become friends and hear their kind comments about the way we operate. Over the years we have employed over 2500 security personnel and it has been my mission to give the industry a better image by always employing the smartest and most courteous individuals.

“Our services, which protect people and their premises, have become more and more in demand. With despicable acts of terror sadly commonplace these days, we offer only the most well-trained and highly-skilled individuals.

The opening marks a new era for Alpha Omega in 2020 as we expand into new areas and need additional space to run the entire operation. My thanks go to the team and Operations Director Andy Taylor for our continued growth. We already take care of a number of sites on Crewe Business Park and look forward to working with more.”

Alpha Omega has taken over an empty building opposite the Ibis hotel. Now completely refurbished it will act as a base for admin staff while the original premises on Lawton Street in Crewe will remain open as an operations hub employing more than 300 security personnel.

Ross Kemp described Alpha Omega as a ‘second line of defence’ after the police force.

He spoke about the tragic rise in knife-crime, his interviews with young people drawn into gangs for ‘safety’ and his latest TV documentary where he spends time in the maximum security jail speaking to convicts. He said: “Ken is a ‘son of Crewe’ and he champions the area, employing local people. I like the ethos of the company, its integrity and empowerment of local individuals.”

Boxing legend ‘Big Joe’ Egan spoke about childhood experiences that created his ‘fighting spirit’ and led him to the ring. The Dubliner, now a pal of A-list celebrities, was one of several boxing legends who appeared at Alpha Omega’s charity boxing night at Nantwich Civic Hall last spring.

He said: “Sadly security has become essential in this day and age. Alpha Omega is a credit to the area as local employer and big supporter of local charities. Ken has been key to its success. He has the mind of a warrior and encourages employees to take initiative and give their best.” _ For more information on services and positions at Alpha Omega call 01270 258881 or visit www.alphaomegauk.com

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

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MEMBER NEWS

Accountants add support to Milk Your Moments campaign As an accounting practice with a dedicated Farming and Rural Business team, employees at Howard Worth wanted to show their support for their dairy clients, as well as local and national businesses in the industry by supporting the Milk Your Moments campaign.

A film featuring members of the Howard Worth farming team was produced, to show how everyone enjoys consuming milk and dairy products on a daily basis. Cups of tea and coffee featured along with cheese, ice cream and even some ‘cow cameos.’

Farming Partner, Richard Barnett, said:

which is to help increase milk consumption and protect the livelihoods of so many people across the UK.” All staff were invited to a virtual tea break, recognising the importance of connecting with people and links with the practice’s responsibility for its employee’s mental health and wellbeing – a key element of the Milk Your Moments campaign, which is also raising awareness of mental health during lockdown as well as money for the charity Mind.

One of Howard Worth’s Mental Health First Aiders, Jo Hamilton, added: “Working from home can feel isolating for people, especially if they are not used to it, so to know that people are still there and that we can still connect during these difficult times is very comforting.” _ You can view Howard Worth’s Milk Your Moments film here >

“I had heard about the Milk Your Moments campaign and wanted the practice to show its support for the dairy industry, which has really suffered over the last few months. We have many dairy farming clients and some of my colleagues also have family farms.”

“As the Coronavirus pandemic took hold and the days and weeks of lockdown passed by, we have worked with our clients to help them overcome some of the challenges they have faced due to a reduction in milk consumption. Through making and sharing this video we hope to help raise awareness of the campaign and its purpose,

Company helps young people reach their potential In unity with 22 schools across Cheshire, Safe Opportunities strives to give young people who require additional support, opportunities in the workplace that provide real life skills to add to CV’s and increase employability.

Established six years, the company has worked on projects such as the ‘Springboard project’ delivered by Springfield School where three students successfully moved into paid employment within a few months of starting.

Their success was marked at a celebration event at Cheshire College attended by Crewe Mayor Ben Minshall.

Projects on the horizon include setting up an online marketplace for young people to sell homemade products as well as a Step16 programme for young people leaving school choosing not to go to college.

The company is no exception to the negative impact of Covid-19 and has adapted accordingly due to apprenticeship plans on hold, supported internships being delayed and unfortunately students move to paid work been stopped. Most importantly young people have suffered from an increase in mental health issues and a decrease in confidence due to the lockdown.

During lockdown, students have been encouraged to access the online portal ‘workplace online’ where they can find helpful resources developed around local employers.

Despite the crisis the company has and will continue to support and work with students encouraging them to explore the ‘Paving the Way’ virtual careers festival resources, supporting with transition and Aim Award qualifications as well as carrying out safeguarding/welfare phone calls and offering reassurance to schools.

Safe Opportunities would love to hear from employers looking to recruit and engage with schools so we can help the younger generation during this difficult time. _ For more information go to safeopportunities.co.uk

Crewe Mayor Ben Minshull joins the Safe Opportunities celebration event

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BUSINESS NEWS QUARTER 2 2020

Expert Eye Top Tips with...

Dan Marshall Absolute Solutions Group

EXPERT EYE

COVID-19 SPECIAL

Recruitment post COVID-19 Dan Marshall is joint CEO of the Absolute Solutions Group, a leading North West Recruitment company with the HQ based in Crewe and serving Cheshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire.

With over two decades’ Recruitment experience and six brands within the Group, the Chamber asked Dan for his Top Tips on recruitment in the post COVID-19 environment.

“Business owners need to focus more than ever on revenue and profit. That’s the bottom line; to re-grow their businesses to previous levels as an immediate objective.”

Good people will be more important than ever to help achieve this. However, if labour market forecasts are correct, we’re likely to see a disproportionately high number of candidates applying for roles. So how do you recruit the best people from hundreds of applications (whilst also observing the new rules of social distancing in the selection process)?

Of course, pre covid-19, we were already living in an evolving digital world but now many companies - who have been forced to shut offices and work remotely - completely trust and believe in digital technology like Zoom, Skype and Team (e.g. it doesn’t crash, works well, can share screens etc) and will rely on these to help recruit their staff.

The traditional face-to-face interview is far from obsolete and I would hope to see a return to n person interviewing as we return to some sort of normality. But, in the meantime, but here are my tips…”

Top 3 tips 1. Flexible working is the new future A mixture of working from home and working within the office may become more common and companies may downsize office space and premises as a result. A lot of our work - attracting, screening, recruiting, onboarding, training and developing - can all be done remotely, and we have used this to open up new markets to us and to increase our geographical capabilities.

2. Use virtual interviewing technology more Tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams can be used to interview candidates whilst maintaining social distancing. Telephone interviews are fine, but virtual meetings allow you to gauge much more about your Candidate from their body language and seeing the whites of their eyes! Features like screen-sharing, which allow for presentations to be delivered online without the need for delegates to meet at centralised locations, are also helping companies to reduce costs. These tools have been designed more for work collaboration and meetings, but I’m predicting swifter development of other tools such as online HR tools for testing will also accelerate quickly.

3. Huge Opportunity to attract top talent There will be some brilliant people that are unemployed through absolutely no fault of their own. If you need crucial and experienced people, post COVID-19 will be an opportune time to pick up people that might previously have been unavailable. By all means, seize the moment to get the best talent to help grow your business back to previous levels and beyond, but ensure that your Recruitment process is robust enough to identify real talent. Use a trusted Recruitment partner who knows their market wherever possible to ensure that you get the best results from your recruitment strategy.

_ There will be a lot of talent on the market but a huge number of candidates. If you’d like to focus on your core business and use the Absolute Solutions Group’s Recruitment expertise to get you an excellent shortlist, please call us on 01270 509266 or email info@absol-group.com.

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

33

EXPERT EYE

COVID-19 SPECIAL

Expert Eye Top Tips with...

Shawn Gallimore Alextra Accountants

Shawn Gallimore of Alextra Accountants offers advice to businesses in these difficult times

Top 6 tips 1. Review processes and change where possible to maximise efficiencies.

2. Make use of technology. Face to face meetings can be replaced with video calls, information can be shared electronically etc.

3. Innovate. Change the way goods and services can be provided, adapting accordingly to observe the governments social distancing rules.

4. Awareness of all the help and assistance available. There are grants for businesses with commercial premises, furlough schemes for employers with staff who have no work available to be completed, a taxable grant for the self-employed, access to funding under the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

5. Review and careful planning of cashflows. Regular reviews of accounting information and planning and amending of budgeted cashflows are vital during these uncertain times.

6. Communication. Keep in contact with customers, suppliers and staff and let them know what plans are in place as to how you will maintain business practices during this period.

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BUSINESS NEWS QUARTER 2 2020

Expert Eye Top Tips with...

Gareth Williams Construction Linx

EXPERT EYE

COVID-19 SPECIAL

Build on solid foundations Chamber members Construction Linx offer advice for anyone in the construction industry over the coming weeks and months.

Managing director Gareth Williams said:

“The construction industry along with many others such as the hospitality sector, has been one of the hardest hit over the last few months during the coronavirus pandemic. We’re slowly starting to see building sites grind back into action, and people returning to work.

Here’s our top tips for the construction industry and others.” _ If anyone would like to discuss how Construction Linx can help get their workplace Covid safe, including risk assessments and deep cleans, call 01270 848700.

Top 8 tips 1. Reprioritise jobs to focus on those that can be done outdoors or with fewer workers to maintain social distancing.

2. Carry out a COVID-19 risk assessment.

3. Organise a deep clean of the workplace & make sure site is displaying social distancing signage & sanitiser stations.

4. Keep good records of who is on site & when to aid with ‘track & trace’ should a member of the workplace test positive for coronavirus.

5. Make sure any new contracts entered into now allocate the potential direct & indirect impacts to projects arising from COVID-19 on productivity and time & costs.

6. Prepare for closures by creating a site shutdown or demobilising plan.

7. Make sure where possible that workers use their own equipment or tools. Where this is not possible, make sure they have access to sanitising and cleaning equipment that can be correctly disposed of.

8. Liaise with your insurers to check what will be covered in the event of damages, especially if worksite is closed. Understand where the COVID-19 pandemic falls for insurance purposes.

The company specialises in construction, building maintenance, refurbishment and facilities management across Cheshire, Staffordshire and North West.

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

35

EXPERT EYE

COVID-19 SPECIAL

Expert Eye Top Tips with...

Legat Owen Building Surveyors

Legat Owen’s expert building surveyors are available to advise on all commercial property matters – there’s even a free initial consultation.

The company’s professional and highly qualified Nantwich team can provide expert advice on all aspects of building consultancy.

Director – Mark Atherton said:

“We pride ourselves on being able to deliver a bespoke service to ensure our clients’ requirements are fulfilled.”

Top 5 tips

1. Surveys A robust building survey can assess the condition of your building’s assets – at acquisition and beyond. Be sure to seek advice to avoid any hidden issues.

2. Leases Ensure your position as landlord or tenant is properly managed with early consideration of lease liabilities, preparation, and negotiation of schedules of condition and dilapidation. Schedules of condition in particular, can significantly limit your end of lease liability.

3. Insurance It is important to ensure your building is adequately insured should the worst happen. An insurance rebuilding cost assessment prior to renewal is sound advice.

4. Asbestos Be safe - asbestos was banned in 1999 however it still remains in buildings throughout the country. Obtain an asbestos management survey to report, locate it, manage it and ensure compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

5. Project Management and Monitoring Ensure your project works are properly managed, of quality, completed on time and good value.

“Our building surveyors are familiar with the full range of commercial property sectors to include industrial, office and retail premises and have assisted on a great range of construction types from large complex buildings to small simple ones. Our team has worked on hundreds of properties across the region and give support from start to finish.”

Checklist for Protecting and Managing Your Business Premises Today’s commercial property environment demands the highest standards. To maximise the potential of your property, you need to take steps to ensure it is compliant, comfortable and fit for purpose. _ If you require our assistance call Legat Owen on 01270 621001 or e-mail markatherton@legatowen.co.uk or samdavis@legatowen.co.uk

Sam Davis, Building Surveyor, Mark Atherton, Director, and Mark Percival, Surveyor of Legat Owen.

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BUSINESS NEWS QUARTER 2 2020

Expert Eye Top Tips with...

EXPERT EYE

COVID-19 SPECIAL Rhino Safety

Top Tips for Health & Safety management during the Coronavirus Crisis from Rhino Safety

Top 3 tips 1. Can we keep our business open / reopen?

First of all, follow government advice and check regularly as things are changing frequently. If you can continue to work whilst following the Covid-19 regulations, then do so!

Secondly, you need to risk assess the situation for your business; can your staff work from home? Do you have any employees who fall into the vulnerable/high risk categories? If the work cannot be done from home, can you implement control measures to adhere to government advice? Remember that you are likely to be implementing changes to your usual working environment and conditions, so your usual risk assessment will not be adequate.

2. How do I assess the risk of Covid-19 for my business?

Firstly, think about the changes you have made to your working environment; have you implemented a 2-metre zone around workstations to enable social distancing at work? How have these changes affected the layout of your premises? Have any new or additional risks been created?

Then look specifically at the risks posed to your staff as a result of potential infection; your risk assessment needs to demonstrate that you have informed your employees of the need to follow social-distancing measures, what to do in the event of showing symptoms, and how you will deal with any instances of Covid-19 within your workforce.

Covid-19 has been added to the list of RIDDOR-reportable diseases, so it is important that you and your staff know what to do in the event of infection or possible infection.

Make sure you consider whether you have employees undertaking tasks and activities that are not usually part of their role; does this create any new risks for them specifically?

We have created a free template Risk Assessment specifically for Covid-19, so get in touch if you’d like a copy.

3. My team are all working from home; do I have any specific H&S obligations for them?

YES! Some people work from home regularly (or even permanently), but for many, this is the first time they have had to work from home. There are some specific issues you need to address, again via an appropriate risk assessment.

Do they have access to an appropriate workstation? You don’t need to go out and buy desks and chairs for everyone to use at home, but you should advise them to sit at an appropriate desk surface with a supportive chair. Lying in bed with the laptop is not recommended! That being said, it is obvious that for some, this situation will call for some ‘making do’, so if the best they have available is a dining table and chair, then that will be ok in the circumstances.

Your risk assessment should include telling them to take regular breaks to get up and stretch/ move if their workstation is not ergonomically optimal.

Your employees should complete a new DSE Assessment form for their new working environment and return them to you; if there are any issues that arise as a result of them, you will need to implement any possible control measures to mitigate them.

Implement some sort of system to maintain regular contact with your workforce whilst they are working from home.

Having standard ‘checking-in’ procedures will ensure that everyone knows what is expected and when, and will also help to reassure your staff during uncertain times.

TO JOIN TODAY GO TO WWW.SCCCI.CO.UK

37

CHAMBER EVENTS

South Cheshire Chamber Events Programme How to Maximise your Membership

Held monthly Whether you are considering joining the Chamber, have been a member for some time, or have employees who may not be fully aware of all the benefits of Chamber membership, this event will enable you to fully utilise your membership. This event is open to members and non-members.

Virtual Speed Networking

10th August, 21st September and 16th November Speed Networking events are now a regular and efficient fixture for meeting other Chamber members. This structured event for a maximum of 25 delegates enables you to meet all delegates in addition to offering guidance and tips on making the most of your networking. This event is open to members only.

Final Friday

Held on the last Friday of the month Hosted by a Chamber member, this event offers great networking and regularly attracts over 50 different businesses. This event is open to members and non-members (non-members by invitation only and subject to capacity). This event will resume as soon as social distancing guidelines permit.

Local and Economic updates

Held quarterly January, April, July, October This event features an update and comparison of the local, regional and national responses to the latest British Chambers of Commerce Quarterly Economic Survey. In addition the event will feature a second speaker who will provide an update on local project activity e.g. HS2 , Crewe Town Centre. This event is free to members. Nonmembers may attend subject to capacity and will be charged an attendance fee.

International Trade Forums

Held three times per year With a range of expert speakers, this event provides an excellent source of information, knowledge and contacts for any business that is currently, or plans to, trade internationally. This event is open to members and non-members

Chamber Let’s Talk

A series of webinar’s offering advice and information from Chamber Members. Each session will include a Q&A section to allow attendees to ask questions to the panellists.

The webinars will include PowerPoint’s packed with useful information. This event is open to members and non-members.

Chamber Share

Held bi-weekly A series of webinars designed to share best practice, knowledge and skills across the Chamber Membership Community. Members will have the opportunity to share their ‘Top Tips’ on a range of topics. This event is open to members only.

For further details and dates of forthcoming Chamber events visit www.sccci.co.uk/portal/event/

For more information and event listings or if you wish to promote your own event please visit the Chamber Member Portal: www.sccci.co.uk

Our Mission Statement

“To be an asset that is integral to the success of the local business community and influential in promoting the future prosperity of the area”.

Networking / Representation / Crewe Signposting / Events / Nantwich / Knowledge Hub / Export Training / Sales / International Trade Awards / Facilitation / Support Mentoring / Voice of Business / South Cheshire Seminars / Start-Up Advice / Local Economy Interactive Portal / Promotion / Information

For more information on how the Chamber can help your business please contact Angela Wilkinson on angela.wilkinson@sccci.co.uk

We welcome your feedback and ideas for Chamber events. A short feedback questionnaire is available on www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/972R6KN and we would encourage you to complete this to assist us with event planning for 2019 and beyond

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BUSINESS NEWS QUARTER 2 2020

Next Issue due out Sept 21st 2020.

Editorial and advertising deadline August 21st 2020. For advertising Sales and Articles, please contact Jon Barnes: 01270 445409 or jon.barnes@sccci.co.uk

We’re getting through this together.

Let’s continue to take care of each other and support our businesses in Crewe and Nantwich.

Photography: Pete Robinson, Crewe Photographic Society

THANK YOU

NHS & Key Workers