CONNECTED magazine November 2013

1 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2012

BUSINESS

AWARDS

THE BENEFITS TO

COMPANIES

NOVEMBER 2013

THE OFFICIAL AWARD WINNING MONTHLY MAGAZINE

CAMBRIDGESHIRECHAMBER.CO.UKDRIVING BUSINESS CONFIDENCE

36PAGES OF YOUR BUSINESS NEWS AND STORIES

PLUSPOLICY: BUSINESS INNOVATION FEATURE: BENEFITS OF PRIVATE MEDICAL INSURANCE

FESTIVE EVENTS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

Retailer of the Year

ELY FOCUS: AWARD SUCCESS FOR SPECIALIST WOOL AND

YARN RETAILER

savills.co.uk

01223 347 00001733 344 414

SUMMER 2013 —DUE FOR COMPLETION IN DECEMBER 2013

— 30 minutes from Cambridge SatNav PE28 4WX— 1 hour from London

Alconbury Enterprise Campus Alconbury Weald, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 4WX

CONNECTED NOVEMBER 2013 | 3

5 Chief Executive’s Comment

6-7 Ely Chamber News

8 Fenland Chamber News

9 Huntingdonshire Chamber News

10-13 Cambridge & South Cambs Chamber News

14-17 Peterborough Chamber News

19 Cambridgeshire Chamber News

21 In the Hotseat: Noelle Godfrey

22-23 Out & About

25 Ask the Expert: Export & International Trade

26-27 Events

28 Policy Update

29 Chamber Updates

30 Update from the LEP

32 Charity of the year

34-35 Business Awards

36 New Members

38 Penguins, Pandas and Penalties

39-41 Sector Updates

Inside this issue6

10-13

22-23

CONTENTS |

14-17 19

7

4 | CONNECTED NOVEMBER 2013

| EDITOR’S COMMENT

Chief Executive John Bridge OBE | Editor Sadie Parr | Creative Director Jillian Boys

Publisher methodcreative.co.uk | Ebenezer House, Rooks Street, Cottenham, Cambridge CB24 8QZ | 01954 253060 | Print cambridgeprinters.co.uk

Disclaimer Views expressed in CONNECTED are not necessarily those of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply official endorsement of the products or services concerned. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of editorial content, no responsibility can be taken for any errors and/or omissions. The editor reserves the right to make amendments without notification.

Membership Development Officer Peter Watts 07545 697799 or Bren Coleman on 01223 209811 Cambridge Enterprise House, The Vision Park, Histon, Cambridge CB24 9ZR. Tel 01223 237414 Peterborough 6 The Forum, Minerva Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6FT. Tel 01733 370809 Email [email protected] | www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk

Advertise in CONNECTED and reach more than 7000 potential customers every month! Contact Lorna Hopkins on 01954 253060 or email [email protected]

Prices start from as

little as £75

WelcomeCongratulations to all our members who were winners and finalists at recent award presentations.

If you have won an award recently, please email me with a photo so we can feature your achievements.

The recent Cambridge B2B exhibition was a tremendous success; with over 700 visitors and 100 exhibitors this was our biggest Cambridge Exhibition to date. Photos taken on the day can be found on our Out & About pages.

Angela Gentile, Deputy Conference Services Manager at Downing College, commented after the event: “This was one of the best exhibitions we have been to for some time. It was extremely well organised, plenty of on-site parking and the arrangements for exhibitors loading and unloading were excellent. We came away with over 50 leads which we are now following up.”

We really appreciate your feedback from all of our events; please email us and let us know what you think.

A re-cap of our recent Business Focus exhibition will appear next month.

Sadie ParrEditor, CONNECTED, [email protected]

Do you follow us on Twitter? We regularly tweet Chamber news; follow us at @CambsChamber to be kept up to date with all the latest news.

Contributing this month...

Jo EvansEmerald Frog Marketing

Company Director managing targeted marketing campaigns in the public and private sectors.

Ian MacKellarMacKellar Consulting

A freelance journalist with a background as business editor for a local newspaper.

Oliver HallsMethod Creative

Recent English graduate and journalist working for a local creative agency.

Our editorial panel: We would also like to thank the other members of the Chamber Communications Sector group who will be responsible for shaping the key topics every month and researching these features to better serve the Chamber members in the pages of CONNECTED.

DRIVING BUSINESS CONFIDENCE

@CambsChamber

Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce

Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce


CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S COMMENT |

ONE of the key strengths of the Chamber is the valued involvement of members of our local Chambers and sector groups.

As with many things in life, it is true that the more effort you put into Chamber membership, the greater the benefits that will be returned. Chambers are one of the country’s most genuinely member-led organisations, run by our members for the good of our members. It is partnership working in its truest sense.

A recent Chamber event brought together the chairmen and members of our five local Chamber committees and sector groups to discuss the Chamber’s vision, values and objectives as set out in our draft business plan for 2013-17. We asked them to suggest improvements based on their own experiences and priorities as members of the Chamber. They took to the challenge with conviction and dedication, engaging in round table discussions and debate and sharing their feedback with the room, and we couldn’t be more grateful for their input. We are now in the process of

Partnership

John Bridge OBEChief Executive, Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce

Working in

incorporating their suggestions within our revised business plan - as we see it, the epitome of collaborative thinking and partnership working. We believe that this genuine involvement by our most active members will make us better at what we do as we strive to deliver world-class support and services over the next four years.

If you don’t currently call on your customers for their feedback and suggestions to shape the way your business operates both now and for the future, I would recommend that you do so. After all, they can offer a better insight than anyone into your business strengths and deficiencies. Use their insight as you seek to become even better at what you do.

It’s certainly important for us as a member organisation that we strive for excellence in everything that we do, particularly as we move towards our 100th anniversary in 2017. Perhaps our celebrations will be marked with the commencement of works to improve the A14?

Member involvement will make us better at what we do


Retailer of the Year

| ELY CHAMBER NEWS

A round-up of news and events from across ElyElyChamber of Commerce

ElyChamber NEWS

THEIR achievements also include being a finalist for ‘Small Business of the Year’ and most recently being awarded third place in the Midlands Region for independent retailers in the 2013 British Knitting Awards. Sponsored by a national magazine, these awards are customer led.

Ginette Heard commented: “We are delighted to win Retailer of the Year for Ely and really thrilled to have been finalists for

two other awards. We are particularly grateful to all those customers who voted for us.”

Not your normal everyday ‘wool shop’; Yarn on the Square is friendly and welcoming with a range of classes and workshops on offer. Their popular ‘stitch and bitch’ sessions are held weekly on Wednesday morning and evening - offering the opportunity to come along with a piece of work and network over coffee and cake or wine and nibbles.

Supporting charity and the community is high

on the agenda

YARN on the Square opened its doors on Ely Market Place in February 2010, the brainchild of Christine Brown and Ginette Heard - two neighbours who love a good yarn!

Their aim is to be an inviting, friendly and inspirational place, welcoming knitters and crocheters with all levels of experience.

Their range of products has grown considerably over the last three years with yarns being offered from all over the world and made from different fibres to suit all tastes and needs. Materials include milk fibre, silk, alpaca and bamboo! Find out more by visiting www.yarn-on-the-square.co.uk n

Christine Brown, left, and Ginette Heard, right, collecting their Retailer of the Year Award

Supporting charity and the community is high on the agenda at Yarn on the Square.

“We are passionate about supporting the community and at Yarn on the Square we plan to offer team building sessions to businesses,” said Ginette: “No matter how much expertise someone has, male or female, we can challenge them!”

Charitable projects are a regular occurrence for Yarn on the Square and since their inception in 2010 they have sent over 1,000 knitted jumpers to the Marsden Highworth School in The Gambia made up from donations of wool. “We offer free patterns to download from our website and Facebook page for anyone that wants to get involved,” explained Ginette

“We are currently encouraging people to support the popular Movember appeal by knitting a moustache for us which will be worn, photographed and posted on Facebook and twitter.” Movember is a national campaign supporting prostate cancer. n

WE LOVE A GOOD YARN....

Yarn on the Square, Ely’s specialist wool and yarn retailer, are celebrating being crowned ‘Retailer of the Year’ in the Ely Standard Business Awards.

One of Yarn on the Square’s creations


IN BRIEF

NOVEMBER 2013

New recruits at Labour TechLabour Tech Recruitment has taken on two new members to its growing team.

Rasa Bernotaviciene joins as HR/Accounts Manager. Her role includes helping clients with temporary and contract vacancies, selection and booking interviews, and dealing with employment issues.

Evie Heard is Administration Assistant and the first point of contact for candidate registration. Her role includes CV administration, social media management and customer services.

ELY CHAMBER NEWS |

PA Answer scooped two prestigious honours at the 2013 Ely Business Awards.

Managing Director Chris Grove said he was both ‘amazed and delighted’ to win both the Small Business of the Year and Business of the Year awards: “It was a fantastic night for all of us.

“The business has really grown this year

and I wanted to bring the PA Answer team along to say thank you for all their hard work and to celebrate being chosen as finalists. After winning the small business of the year award, we couldn’t believe it when we also won the second overall award for business of the year; we are all absolutely delighted and very proud.” n

Ely business celebrates double award

The PA Answer team with their awards Rasa Bernotavicience and Evie Heard

ELY Indian eatery, Sylhet Restaurant, was selected as a finalist for three high profile awards at the East Cambridgeshire Business Awards 2013 with recognition in the categories of ‘Business in the Community’ and ‘Customer Service’. Owner Zahid Ahmed was also a finalist for ‘Business Person of the Year’.

Sylhet Restaurant on Market Street in Ely was established in 1991 as an Indian Takeaway and bought by Zahid Ahmed in 1999. The business was extended and refurbished to include a restaurant in 2005.

A number of marketing initiatives, including being the first Indian takeaway in Ely to introduce an online order system,

teamed with excellent customer service and good food in relaxed surroundings has helped Sylhet Restaurant attract visitors from far and wide.

Sylhet has also raised money for a number of local charities, introduced an environmentally friendly ‘EcoBag’ discount scheme for customers. n

Finalist in Business Awards

Zahid Ahmed

Emerald Frog welcome Sonia Emerald Frog Marketing has welcomed Social Media Manager, Sonia Warder, to their expanding team.

Sonia’s role will include social media strategy and day-to-day management for Emerald Frog and its clients.

Sonia has worked in advertising and marketing communications for over 10 years and is currently studying for her Diploma in Digital Marketing which is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

“We are delighted to have Sonia as part of the team”, says Emerald Frog Marketing’s Director, Jo Evans. “Her vast experience will be of huge benefit to our clients to create engaging social media presence that raises brand awareness and increases communication.”

Do you have some exciting news to shout about that you would like featured in these pages? Get in touch.

tel: 01223 237414 email: [email protected]

| FENLAND CHAMBER NEWS

FenlandChamber NEWS

FenlandChamber of Commerce

Award success for FPMIT was a great night for Foster Property Maintenance (FPM) at the Fenland Enterprise Business Awards earlier this month when David Haynes, Director, won Business Person of the Year.

David commented: “This award enhances our profile, and there’s potentially a considerable commercial benefit. There are also advantages in terms of customer reputation and corporate social responsibility.”

FPM was also finalist in the Medium Business of the Year and Apprentice of the Year categories and sponsored the Pride of Fenland Award. n


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A round-up of news and events from Fenland

IN BRIEF

NOVEMBER 2013

B2B Cashflow Solutions expandThree more associates have recently joined B2B Cashflow Solutions taking the total number to 19.

Karl Lanham, Associate, said: “These appointments give us a greater regional coverage and demonstrate the continued growth in the independent commercial finance sector.”

B2B Cashflow Solutions have also been nominated for the third year running for the Business Moneyfacts Awards in the category of Best Commercial Broker.

Small Business Mentor of the Year

QUENTIN Pain FIAB won the IAB Small Business Mentor of the Year Award at the IAB’s 40th anniversary celebrations this Summer. The IAB, whose president is Fabian Hamilton MP, was able to bring together representatives of the association from around the world to mark the occasion including a delegation from Russia.

The Small Business Mentor of the Year Award is awarded to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution as a volunteer business mentor over the past year. Pain received the award at the IAB

ceremony held at the Institution of Civil Engineers in central London.

He said: “I have been helping business owners for the past 25 years so when the Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs was formed via SFEDI and set up the national business mentoring scheme it seemed a natural progression to sign up and take part.”

Pain has now started a new organisation called Legendary Business Owners to inspire and help others to grow their businesses and serve their customers more effectively. n

FPM with their awards

HUNTINGDONSHIRE CHAMBER NEWS |

Personal Development Day

BORNEY UK Ltd acquired your sign company in January 2013 and has now invested in new premises opposite the existing head office which will house the signage team. The new premises will now be the largest of its kind in East Anglia for vehicle graphics and signage.

Borney continues to innovate and grow

with their team expanding from eight to 27 members of staff in a five year period.

Richard Beary, Director, said: “We understand the importance of innovation and continually work on all of the areas of the business to see how we can improve, increase and diversify the products and services we offer.” n

New home for signage team IN BRIEF

NOVEMBER 2013

SOLLA accreditation awarded Adrian Banks, Independent Financial Adviser at Beacon Wealth Management, has been welcomed into SOLLA (Society of Later Life Advisers), an organisation dedicated to ensure that people are better informed about financial issues in later life.

Adrian commented: “SOLLA allows me to show that I am a trusted member of an organisation dedicated to helping these people in particular.”

Adrian Banks

Borney Directors with Huntingdon Mayor Bill Hensley

Andy Bennett, Graham Smith and Richard Tunnicliffe

RECENTLY Hinchingbrooke School suspended their normal timetable and set a series of challenges on developing resilience, teamwork and creative thinking to support the theme ‘determination’ taken from the CBI guidance document ‘First Steps: A New Approach to our school’ which outlines a set of personal characteristics, values and habits to last a life time.

Richard Tunnicliffe, Eastern Regional Director of the CBI, and Graham Smith, Chairman of the Huntingdonshire Chamber of Commerce, attended and were positive about their experience commenting that it was an excellent and unique initiative which reinforced the acquisition of work place related and


A round-up of news and events from Huntingdonshire

HuntingdonshireChamber NEWS Huntingdonshire

Chamber of Commerce

Exam success at George Hay Chartered accountancy firm George Hay is celebrating after a number of its trainees passed their latest professional exams.

Christine Courtman is now fully qualified as a chartered accountant after passing her final ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) exams and Daniel Wisby is not far behind with just two ICAEW exam papers left to complete.

Three trainees have passed their latest Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) exams, with Jack Escobar and Joe Kokotka passing their AAT level 3 papers, while Kristina Grove has passed her AAT level 4 technician exam with just a case study to complete to qualify at AAT level.

personal skills, whilst clearly being fun. Andy Bennett, Head of Information,

Advice and Guidance said: “The school will continue to develop these links with the CBI and Chamber for greater partnership working with local and national businesses and employers, in its provision of Careers, information and work related learning for students.” n


Cambridge & South CambsChamber of Commerce

| CAMBRIDGE & SOUTH CAMBS CHAMBER NEWS

Cambridge & South CambsChamber NEWS

Hats off to Tina as Downing’s first female Head Porter

DOWNING College Cambridge has appointed its first female Head Porter in its 200-year history.

Tina D’Angelico has donned the traditional bowler hat and now heads up the team of 10 Porters at the College who provide a 24/7 service to fellows, staff, students and visitors.

For the past five years, Tina was the College’s Accommodation Officer before being promoted to her new role.

Commenting on her appointment Tina said: “I have always been a team player and working with such a dedicated group is the most satisfying part of my job. Most of the porters have worked in the Lodge for many years and their enthusiasm to share their College knowledge with me has been invaluable.

“Our prime objective is the safety and security of everyone passing through the College. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined being Head Porter here – it is a pleasure and an honour.” n

Kier opens its doorsMORE than 100 people attended the official opening of Kier’s new office at Cambridge Research Park.

Members of the Kier team networked with peers and colleagues from a range of commercial, local government and not-for-profit organisations, reflecting the eclectic mix of industry in the region.

Graham Howe, Managing Director of Kier Construction’s Eastern Business said: “Cambridge is a growing business area for us and we’re proud to be involved with many significant projects in and around the city. We have a huge amount of expertise to offer and are now ideally positioned to take advantage of the construction projects emerging as a result of the significant investment in infrastructure that the area is projected to enjoy over the next few years.” n

Graham Howe, managing director of Kier Eastern with guests at the opening event

Cambridge City Hotel invests in customer experience

CAMBRIDGE City Hotel has made a number of significant investments in order to enhance guest and visitor experiences.

As part of this Quinns, located on Downing Street, has undergone considerable refurbishment.

Cambridge City Hotel has also introduced a new television system across the whole hotel site, adding significant value to the hotel’s in-room offering, in line with guest expectations.

A new television has been installed in the hotel’s Bloomsbury Bar, enabling guests to enjoy watching the latest live Sky sports action from the comfort of the lounge bar.

Ernesto Santarelli, General Manager at Cambridge City Hotel, said: “These latest updates form part of our on-going strategic investment plan to provide a first rate customer experience.” n

Quinns bar

TIna D’Angelico

@RobCollConfrobinson.cam.ac.uk/conferences

01223 332859

In-house tech and

servicesBy Rose McDonald, Head of Sales,

Robinson College Cambridge

A few weeks ago I was asked to present to the entire Robinson College team on the successes of last year’s sales and marketing activity. Whilst I had given many presentations in the past, I always find it daunting to offer something original and engaging to an audience. From my past experience, the best presentations are humorous and interactive which is how I wanted mine to be.

One of Robinson College’s USPs is the number of additional support services available to our clients through our Service+ portfolio. This includes our recently launched Tech+ service, where our dedicated AV team is on hand to offer sound advice to assist customers with all their technical needs including Wi-Fi connectivity and AV links. What better way to show the staff how useful our offerings are, than by getting first-hand experience to show how the Tech+ service can help our clients.

After discussing the key messages and ideas from my presentation with the AV team, a whole new world of PowerPoint applications along with hi-tech support was offered to me and implementing them would be easy to do. The team was on hand from start to finish ensuring that everything ran smoothly on the day and as a result, my confidence was sky high. The team was always available! My presentation was one I could be proud of and I’m sure this came across as I got some great feedback and enjoyed it too.

By utilising the resources already available to our clients, I was able to considerably improve my presentation, the design; look and feel made it visually engaging which enhanced the way I delivered it to the audience. Experiencing the benefits of having an in-house AV and technical support team, showed the staff the strength of our Service+ package, highlighting how our event technology remains some of the best in the conference sector. The knowledge and dedication of the AV team means I need never be intimidated by the prospect of presenting again.

Rose McDonald




CAMBRIDGE & SOUTH CAMBS CHAMBER NEWS |

Hewitsons invest in the futureHEWITSONS law firm has shown its commitment to the training and development of its staff with the appointment of eight new trainees.

John Dix, Managing Partner, said: “I am delighted to welcome our new trainees to Hewitsons. High calibre trainee solicitors play a valuable part in our client service, while benefiting from varied and extensive hands on experience whilst training.” n

New trainees

Victoire raise over £300 for charity

VICTOIRE Print held a coffee morning in aid of MacMillan on Friday 27 September and raised over £300.00.

Customers and neighbours were invited and Victoire were also interviewed on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

There were competitions taking place on the day including

‘Star Baker’ in true British Bake-off style. Everyone who attended was asked to vote for their favourite cake on the day. The winner was Dominic Summers, Victoire Account Manager, with his take on a Victoria Sponge called ‘Victoire Sponge’!

Victoire thank everyone for their very generous donations. n

Cakes on offer at Victoire’s coffee morning


| CAMBRIDGE & SOUTH CAMBS CHAMBER NEWS

A round-up of news and events fromacross Cambridge & South Cambs

Cambridge & South CambsChamber of Commerce

Cambridge & South CambsChamber NEWS

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Air ambulance charity welcomes new Director

of FundraisingA life saving charity has appointed a new Director of Fundraising following its recent development in operations.

The East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) has welcomed Melanie Nightingale to the role now that fundraising targets have increased following the Charity’s recent development in to night flying.

On appointment Tim Page, Chief Executive of EAAA, said: “Now that we have implemented night time missions, naturally the cost of running the service has increased and we find ourselves needing to raise around £7.6milion a year.

“Melanie has a wealth of experience in charity fundraising and I believe in her we have found someone who will lead a dedicated team of fundraisers who will take the Charity to new heights.”

Melanie joins the air ambulance following 13 years as a consultant where she helped charities, including those in the health sector, to establish significant development and growth. She said: “I know the East Anglian Air Ambulance is valued by its community and is a service that makes a huge impact on people’s lives. I value it greatly.

“My aim at the air ambulance is to create financial stability that allows the service to develop and respond to changing demands in both health and emergency services.” n

Rugby club scores with new branded vehiclesCOMMERCIAL property consultants Januarys and its sister company Bradshaws have provided key personnel at Cambridge Rugby Club with two cars to cement their 2013/2014 partnership.

Craig Newby, a former New Zealand All-Black and Leicester Tigers player and now head coach at the club, was presented with a Januarys branded Nissan Juke. Director of rugby Rowland Winter will be driving around the city in the custom Bradshaws’ vehicle.

Colin Brown, Managing Director at Januarys, said: “We have been strong supporters of rugby in Cambridge for many years and have consolidated our relationship with Cambridge Rugby Club. Transport is important to Rowland and Craig and we are only too happy to help them with this.”

Januarys also supported Cambridge Rugby Club at its four course charity black tie dinner in aid of the Matt Hampson foundation. n Rowland Winter and Craig Newby with the Januarys team and the new vehicles

IN BRIEF

NOVEMBER 2013

New Voting system available at Møller CentreThe Møller Centre has just launched a brand new voting system which allows delegates to vote on questions put to them by the speaker, at a touch of a button.

This new product offering is available to all clients wishing to enhance their events and is easily integrated into powerpoint presentations.

New market research division at Prospect Research

CAMBRIDGE business development consultancy, Prospect Research, has launched a dedicated market research division headed up by Director Beth Walthew and Account Manager Graham Mines.

Their main area of focus is helping companies gain a better understanding of their customers and target markets. Research can explore areas that can help to refine their product and services to make them fit for market, and enhance their customer service and marketing strategies.

Beth Walthew, an Associate Member of the Market Research Society, states: “Market research has been an offering from Prospect Research for a long time, but with the launch of the new division, we are able to offer

It’s 21 years of ongoing success for the Gonville Hotel New Appointment

Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) have recently appointment Robin Hutton, as Cluster General Manager, for their Managed Hotels, in East Anglia & Essex.

Robin previously managed Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn properties for the group and will now be based at the Holiday Inn, Impington, Cambridge.

GONVILLE Hotel’s General Manager Roderick Watson is to retire after 21 years to hand over to his deputy for the past seven years Christopher Ogston.

Roderick joined the family owned hotel in 1992 and has overseen a transformation

of the hotel, including a recent £2m redevelopment.

Christopher has worked alongside Roderick to bring about many of the changes and became Operations Manager at The Gonville Hotel in 2006. n

Christopher Ogston and Roderick Watson


CAMBRIDGE & SOUTH CAMBS CHAMBER NEWS |

Graham Mines and Beth Walthew

Voting system



many more research services than before. Understanding the relationships you have with customers and prospective customers is central to growing your business.” n

Robin Hutton


PeterboroughChamber of Commerce

PeterboroughChamber NEWS

| PETERBOROUGH CHAMBER NEWS

A round-up of news and events from across Peterborough

IT’S not what you thought, look more carefully!Local dog rescue centre Animal Helpline is always looking for

volunteers to take their ‘previously loved’ residents for walkies while awaiting their new homes. Members of DSM staff are frequently to be found there on a Friday lunchtime having a stroll through the woods with a canine buddy combining a much needed fix of exercise and fresh air with doing a bit for a worthwhile cause.

To find out more about how you can help with exercising the dogs, or even choosing one to add to your family, visit www.facebook.com/pages/Animal-Helpline-Dog-Rescue/83733529058 or www.homes4dogs.co.uk n

DSM goes DOGGwalkING!

CRIGHTONS Hydropool was featured in the new series of Grand Designs on Channel 4.

Crightons Hydropool became involved with the Grand Designs rebuild almost two years ago when Gwyn and Kate first visited the showroom looking for a Swim Spa to finish off the garden in their renovation project. After testing the showroom model, they settled upon a 19ft Hydropool Aquatrainer Swim Spa to be installed during the extensive project.

Iain Crighton, Chairman of Crightons Hydropool, said: “It was an honour to be part of this

amazing transformation and seeing our product taking an integral role in the garden was definitely a satisfying feeling. It was certainly no easy feat getting the Swim Spa in place though. Gwyn and Kate had already started the block paving, which meant that we had to (very carefully!) crane the 19ft Aquatrainer over the garage and a 6ft wall. It was nerve wracking to say the least!

“We really hope that the whole family have many years of enjoyment in their long awaited dream home and plenty of fun in the Swim Spa!” n

Local company involved in ‘Grand Designs’

Hydropool Aquatrainer Swim Spa in position

DSM staff on a lunchtime stroll




PETERBOROUGH CHAMBER NEWS |

IN BRIEF

NOVEMBER 2013

Investors in the Environment award for local firmHegarty LLP has achieved the iiE bronze award by completing a plan in relation to the awareness, usage and monitoring of the energy they use.

The firm has been working on ways to reduce their energy usage and particularly their paper consumption which is typically high in any law firm. Lynne Owen, Office Manager at Hegarty LLP, who spearheaded the campaign comments: “I am delighted the firm has received recognition by earning this award. This is the first step on the road to further reducing our energy and paper consumption; we will continue to work smarter with the environment and ultimately aim to achieve the Green award in due course.”

Growing from Strength to Strength

Keep Britain Tidy Neighbourhood Award

FOLLOWING a period of significant growth, accountancy, tax and advisory firm MHA MacIntyre Hudson is delighted to announce the addition of three experienced professionals to its ranks - Malcolm Lewis, Ruth Bradley and Ian Jarvis.

With over 30 years experience in Audit and Due Diligence, Malcolm will specialise in the Care Home, Property and Education sector giving significant support to what is a demanding area of expertise.

Ruth originally joined MacIntyre Hudson in 1999 and completed her accountancy qualifications with them back in 2003. She is responsible for a varied portfolio of owner managed businesses and delighted to be back where it all began.

Ian has specialised in the audit of Agriculture and Manufacturing based businesses alongside the Charities. Having been brought up in St Ives he is very much enjoying being more on home territory.

Stuart Manning, Senior Partner at MHA MacIntyre Hudson, commented: “It’s easy to recruit new people but very difficult to recruit the right people. However, having been thorough with our recruitment process I am delighted with our three new members of staff who I know will make a significant contribution to the office.”

MHA MacIntyre Hudson has also recently been awarded Investors in People status.” n

Businesses get social with RoythornesLocal businesses and charities listened to experts from Roythornes and Peter Storey, Communications Director of Peterborough based Kidney Research UK, about the use of social media and how it can present issues to businesses.

The event started with Solicitor Maz Dannourah talking about the legal issues of social media and why a policy is a good idea. This was followed by Peter Storey who explained some of the ways in which the national charity uses social media to engage with their supporters and donors. The final slot was taken by Roythornes Partner Julie Robinson talking about the ‘social’ side of social media and how it’s very important to get the tone right in your presence.

Mark Dodds said: “We had a great turnout with 60 companies represented, which I suppose goes to show how social media is so present in our businesses.”

CROSS Keys Homes have been awarded at the highest level possible – Platinum. The housing association was able to demonstrate all the positive work that has happened at St Mary’s Court to make it earn this prestigious accreditation.

A neighbourhood within itself due to its high density; St Mary’s Court is the only mixed-tenure, social-sector high-rise building in Peterborough and is surrounded with three low-rise residential blocks, comprising 139 properties in total.

Now benefitting from new cladding, PV solar panels and external wall insulation as well as a new security gated system, an on-site caretaker and recycling ‘nodes’; a significant reduction in anti-social behaviour and a cleaner, safer and greener

neighbourhood has been able to flourish.Cross Keys Homes’ Director of Operations,

Claire Higgins, said: “This accreditation is a real testament to all the hard work of those staff and St Mary’s Court residents who have been able to transform this site and make it a place to be proud of.

“To be recognised in this way showcases the tremendous work we are doing to improve local neighbourhoods and communities.”

The Keep Britain Tidy Neighbourhood Award is part of the charity’s campaign to improve local places, providing a framework for housing providers who are assessed against a range of criteria to drive improvement in their activities and enable recognition of their achievements to date. n

Malcolm Lewis, Ruth Bradley and Ian Jarvis

Think Peterborough is a joint partnership between PeterboroughRegional College, University Centre Peterborough and Anglia Ruskin University with the aim of providinglearning solutions that local businessesneed to thrive.

With Think Peterborough, you cangain:• Accredited qualifications • Accelerated staff development• A flexible, earn-while-you-learn

approach• Access to academic expertise

Having Think Peterborough as one initial point of contact means that staffacross the 3 organisations will work together to identify the most appropriate solution for your business,responding with an integrated solutionto meet your business’s needs.

An end-to-end solution Think Peterborough can offer access toaccredited staff development coursesfrom Level 1 (NVQ) right through toLevel 7 (postgraduate). We can help

equip your workforce – and your business – with the skills to prosper.

We are able to help plan the development of your staff at whateverstage they are in their career. Beingable to offer learning solutions across arange of levels will help your organisation with its talent management strategy, supporting youto attract and retain staff.

Whatever the level, each course focuses on real workplace issues,meaning employees can continue toadd value to the business while theyare training – and we specialise inareas of key strategic importance tothe region. Our courses have been designed to meet the needs of staffworking in variety of organisationsacross the public, private and voluntary sector.

Each partner is fully committed to respond to the region’s needs and wecan offer bespoke learning in additionto a full range of accredited courses.

Our courses include:• Online courses• On campus courses in Peterborough• Courses in the workplace• Apprenticeships

Think Peterborough and talk to ustoday…

We look forward to discussing your organisation’s requirements.

Welcome to Think PeterboroughEducation for Business

www.thinkpeterborough.anglia.ac.uk Call: 0845 966709 Email: [email protected]

To find out more about theFoundation Degree (FdA)Management (work-based)and other work-based coursescontact Think Peterboroughon 0845 196 6709 or visitwww.thinkpeterborough.anglia.ac.uk.

Education for your Business

A flexible earn-while-you-learn

approach

With Think Peterborough you can gain:• Accredited qualifications for your workforce • Accelerated staff development • A flexible, earn-while-you-learn approach • A freshly motivated team • Access to academic expertise

From NVQ through to Masters courses, we can help equip your workforce - and your business - with the skills to prosper.


PETERBOROUGH CHAMBER NEWS |

PeterboroughChamber of Commerce

PeterboroughChamber NEWS

A round-up of news and events from across Peterborough

NEWLY renamed settlement agreements, early conciliation and the latest changes to employment tribunals were in the spotlight at the annual employment law seminar hosted by Anne Corder Recruitment and Hegarty LLP Solicitors. Over 150 delegates were talked through the new rules which were introduced in July this year in a bid to cut the number, and cost, of employment tribunals.

Employment law expert Tim Thompson from Hegarty LLP set out in detail the changes and the implications for employers. Martin Bloom talked through issues surrounding tribunal fees while Emma Carter discussed a number of case studies giving the HR professionals present an insight into how the law is interpreted in real life scenarios.

Martin Bloom, partner at Hegarty Solicitors, said: “Legislation on employment matters is an ever-evolving area of the law. This year, the Government has introduced some important changes, particularly to the employment tribunal process.”

Anne Corder said: “We were delighted to once again welcome the city’s HR professionals to our annual update. Those who attended were able to take away some useful tips on how to implement the latest changes into their businesses for the better.” n

Topical employment law legislation revealed at city seminar

Emma Carter, Martin Bloom, Anne Corder and Tim Thompson

KARL Hick, Chief Executive of Larkfleet Group, has been accepted onto the exclusive Leadership Programme run by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

Karl commented: “It will be extremely useful to learn more about how decisions are made in the corridors of power and how businesses can influence those decisions to deliver continuing economic and employment growth.” n

Larkfleet boss joins exclusive CBI leadership programme

FROGLIFE, the wildlife conservation charity, has hopped to a new head office in Werrington, Peterborough. Froglife now has a large meeting room and plenty of storage for wellies, pond dipping nets, papier mache frogs and other tools of the trade!

The meeting room is available for other local charities battling to find space.

Froglife’s social enterprise, Froglife Ltd, is also flourishing. Offering ecological consultancy services to developers to protect amphibians and reptiles, all profits from the company are gift aided to the charity. n

Local charity leaps and bounds

Mural painted as part of the Green Pathways project

Karl Hick

| CONNECTED MAGAZINE


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CAMBRIDGESHIRE CHAMBER NEWS |

Chef cooks up another accolade

Wedding favourNEWMARKET Venues is giving an engaged couple a helping hand towards the cost of their big day.

Matthew Spooner and Chantelle Elliot from Ely have won free hire of the King Edward VII Memorial Hall on Newmarket High Street for their wedding reception – a prize worth more than £400!

Newmarket Venues Events Manager, Kay Dawson, said: “The light and spacious Memorial Hall lends itself to large social occasions, so we’re glad to be giving Matthew and Chantelle the chance to hold their reception in such a unique venue.” n

CambridgeshireChamber NEWS

A round-up of news and events from Cambridgeshire

Claire Willet receiving her Graduate Award

IN BRIEF

NOVEMBER 2013

Another AIM listing for KISSCreative communications agency KISS has successfully completed a strategic, digital and marketing project to help prepare IXICO Limited for its proposed reverse takeover of Phytopharm Plc and admission to the Alternative Investment Market (‘AIM’) of the London Stock Exchange.

KISS won the integrated marketing project following a three-way pitch and the project kicked off with a series of three KISS strategy workshops, including re-positioning of the brand, strategy, proposition, and products. Following these, KISS is involved in a two-phase website project. The first phase consists of the development of a fully responsive corporate site that went live in September with other projects and developments in the pipeline.

Kate McLeish, VP Technology, said: “KISS has impressed us throughout the journey and we look forward to an on-going relationship with the KISS team.”

The happy couple, Matthew & Chantelle

CLAIRE Willett, chef at Wyboston Lakes, has become a graduate of the Craft Guild of Chefs, the leading chefs’ association in the UK. Its annual Graduate Award scheme is an examination of culinary theory and skills for working chefs under the age of 23, testing their knowledge and practical abilities in high pressure environments.

This year Claire faced competition from 60 entrants across the UK. After a series of eliminating events, the final examination took place at the University of West London in September. It involved an eight hour cook-off, which required finalists to demonstrate everything from fishmongery to fine dining dessert making.


Agency shares fruits of success with local charity

NEWMARKET lettings agency Lemontree Properties is celebrating securing its 200th managed property by making a donation to a local charity.

The agency has donated £200 to Newmarket Open Door’s ‘Cook4a£’ programme, which assists young adults to shop and cook on a low budget. Lemontree Director Beth Barnham said: “I am very proud to have secured our 200th property and as a team we are keen to share our success by giving something back to the community. We want to support Newmarket Open Door in their mission to help vulnerable people to get their lives back on track.” n

Lemontree team present donation to Open Door

Executive Chef Fergus Martin said: “The standard is so demanding that Claire’s success is probably her greatest achievement of a highly successful year and we are very proud of her.” n

75th Anniversary celebrationIn August Cocksedge Building Contractors Ltd celebrated 75 years of trading with a Hog Roast, Disco and Raffle at The Pit, Lakenheath.

Martin Rogers, Managing Director, welcomed everyone and then handed over the microphone to two former company directors, Ted and Robert Cocksedge, who came along to join the celebration and were happy to regale all with the history of how the company started by their father, Frederick William Cocksedge in 1938 and had progressed over the years. A charity raffle raised £2615.00 for the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA).

WE VALUEYOUR

BRAND

Innovative brand communication experts. Get in touch to share ideas on 01954 253060.

@method_creativemethodcreative.co.uk

SPECIAL REPORT |

In theHOTSEAT

Noelle Godfrey

IT’S no secret that internet quality across Cambridgeshire is particularly poor. In fact, it’s got to the point where many businesses are making decisions about whether to stay in the area or whether to relocate somewhere else; they just can’t do business! In this day and age, it appears you can’t run a business effectively and efficiently without a strong and reliable internet connection.

However, such discord has not gone unnoticed. Both Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council have recognised that having good connectivity is crucial in order for businesses to be competitive in an increasingly tough global market. Therefore, in 2011, Connecting Cambridgeshire was established with the aim of propelling the region into the digital age by implementing widespread, superfast broadband.

Time Is Of The Essence“Speed is important, in every sense of the word,” says Connecting Cambridgeshire’s Programme Director, Noelle Godfrey. “Our main aim is to ensure that this is achieved as quickly as possible. We’re recognising that, with every month that ticks by, it is getting more and more difficult for businesses to function simply due to a lack of connectivity, so it’s essential that we act fast.”

Over 25,000 individuals from across the region, both commercial and domestic, have registered their interest in improving connectivity since the programme began, which is more than any other project in the country. “We are currently getting cracking with the deployment planning,” says Noelle. “The expectation is that the first set of premises will benefit from this scheme before the end of the year, with the overall view to completing the project by December 2015.

“Geographically, the scope for this project is the whole of Cambridgeshire, which includes Peterborough. The target that we have set is to deliver fibre coverage to approximately 98 per cent of premises, both business and residential.”

According to Noelle, this figure is a combination of what is scheduled to be provided by the commercial rollout and what is to be rolled out as part of the intervention contract, which was signed with BT in March this year. “When we first started looking into this area in late 2011/early 2012, one of the things that we looked at was what kind of coverage there would be if we didn’t go ahead with this project. We found that about a third of premises wouldn’t get coverage by the commercial rollout, which is a huge gap.“

No Small TaskSuch a project is clearly not a simple, nor a cheap, endeavour. “We’ve had £6.75m from central government funding to support the broadband infrastructure rollout and BT are putting funding into the delivery as well,” Noelle explains. “However, Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council have amassed the majority of the funds by inputting £23m, which is a really bold commitment, particularly in times of such austerity. It’s also important to mention the support we’ve had from the wider public sector and the Cambridge business and

academic communities.” It may seem like a lot of money to spend on just improving internet services, but it’s a small price to pay when you recognise that our future prosperity really rests on having this kind of infrastructure available.“

Supporting BusinessIn addition to the funding used to provide the infrastructure, we have also sourced funds from both European funding sources and central government to provide a ‘Support for Business’ scheme, starting in January 2014.

“The Government’s Urban Broadband Fund will provide around £3m for businesses in the Greater Cambridgeshire area. What that provides is one off, individual grants to SMEs who want to improve their connectivity. The grants will cover the initial installation costs, so for small businesses that haven’t had good connectivity until now, it will be a great opportunity for them to take on some of the new services available. The funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)will provide a further £1m to enable us to provide a certain amount of consultancy and specialist advice to SMEs across the county. In addition, there is also a certain amount of match-funding available for businesses that wish to invest in new technology.“

“The technicalities of the programme can seem complicated at times, however I can sum it up in a sentence,“ concludes Noelle. “Our aim is simply to ensure that the digital infrastructure is available for businesses, communities and the public sector both now and in the future, and that we make sure that we’re able to exploit it and make the best possible use of those digital opportunities.“

To find out more about the programme and the ‘Support for Business’ scheme, visit: www.connectingcambridgeshire.co.uk n

In recent years, Connecting Cambridgeshire has been working to implement superfast broadband in the region. Spearheading the programme is technology and IT specialist, Noelle Godfrey.

Programme Director, Connecting Cambridgeshire


Our target is to provide fibre coverage to 98% of

the region by 2015


| OUT & ABOUT

Out&AboutEnjoy our monthly montage of events and

happenings across the local area with this colourful

round-up of gatherings. Make sure you send us

your photos each month and we’ll include the best

of the bunch! Email images straight to the creative

team: [email protected]

Champagne PresentationsChamber members Gonville Hotel, SafeBox and RealVNC were recently presented with champane by John Bridge OBE, Peter Watts and John Longworth from the BCC.

An evening with The LionsJanuarys celebrated its relationship with Cambridge Rugby Club by sponsoring a four course black tie dinner in aid of the Matt Hampson Foundation in October.


OUT & ABOUT |

Beacon open The Old ChapelBeacon Wealth Management Ltd officially opened their new offices with two very successful events attended by local MP Jonathon Djanogly and John Bridge OBE.

After two years they eventually moved in during July this year.

Cambridge B2B ExhibitionWith over 100 exhibitors and more than 700 visitors this year’s Cambridge B2B held at Cambridge Airport was our biggest exhibition to date.

BCC PresidentIain Crighton, President of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce and Nora Senior, President of the British Chambers of Commerce with John Bridge OBE at a recent event where Nora was asked to talk about strategic vision including the three main aims: Membership, International and Skills and the changing nature of communications.

Ask the expert:Export and International Trade

Margaret Chadwick, Director of Chadwick Export Services, answers some common export questions


ASK THE EXPERT |

Q I recently undertook some consultation work in Finland and

invoicing their UK branch for the work. Should I should charge VAT?

A VAT applied to supplies of service follow specific rules which are different

to VAT applied to movement of goods. With regard to tax, there are four types of transaction: supply of goods, intra-sommunity acquisition of goods, supply of services and importation of goods. With supply of services, new rules were introduced on 1 January 2010 to ensure that VAT on services will better accrue to the country of consumption. The place of taxation is determined by where the services are supplied. This depends not only on the nature of the service but also on the status of the customer receiving the service. A distinction must be made between a taxable person acting as such (a business acting in its business capacity: B2B) and a non-taxable person (a private individual who is the final consumer: B2C). So whether you should charge the UK branch and apply UK VAT or not, or whether you should charge the Finnish branch and apply their tax to this invoice or whether the Finnish business customer should use the reverse charge procedure will depend on many factors. Further information can be found in Public Notice 741A, which is available to download from www.hmrc.gov.uk

Q We recently presented an insurance certificate to the bank under a Letter

of Credit, but they have declared this as discrepant because we only insured to the value of the goods. Surely this was correct?

A Unless the L/c states otherwise, the insured value shown on the insurance

document must be for 110 per cent of the invoice value. UCP600 Article 28fii states ‘A requirement in the credit for insurance coverage to be a percentage of the value of the goods, of the invoice value or similar is deemed to be the minimum amount of coverage required. If there is no indication in the credit of the insurance coverage required, the amount of insurance coverage must be at least 110 per cent of the CIF or CIP value of the goods. The CIF/CIP value includes the cost of the goods, the freight and the insurance.

Q I have Approval for Inward Processing Relief Suspension, but our returns

department are overworked and I frequently find that the unit sent to us for repair may take some weeks and my customer becomes impatient. I hold stock of the same unit, am I allowed to export one of my stock to the customer?

A When approved for IPR Suspension, you are only permitted to export a

different item from the one you imported if you are specifically approved for this. This means you have stated that you use ‘Common Stocking’ and that you wish to be approved for ‘Equivalence’. When approved for these specifics you are permitted to export from your common stock the same item (for example an interchangeable item, a customer would accept unit A or B, and has no preference for either) and once the imported unit is repaired you put it into your common stock. This is further described within Public Notice 221 which is available to download from www.hmrc.gov.uk

Q We have our own Insurance Policy for imports. When importing goods into

the EC under CPT London Heathrow Airport, how do I add the insurance element to the value for the purposes of assessing customs duty and VAT?

A You can apportion your insurance costs by following a simple equation. Take

the Annual Set Premium for your Insurance and divide this by the total value of imports in the previous 12 months. This can then be expressed as a percentage and the percentage used to calculate the insurance costs for individual imports made during the following 12 months. n


| CHAMBER EVENTS

CHAMBER EVENTS

Please visit the Chamber website for full details of all future Chamber events www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk

Your essential business calendar for the next month

DATE Tuesday 5 November

TIME 9.30am-1.00pm

LOCATION Skills Funding Agency, The Business Centre, Histon, Cambridge, CB24 9LQ

PRICE Free to attend - Chamber members only

CONTACT [email protected] or telephone 01733 370809

Our NEBOSH qualified tutor will talk you through the latest developments including a detailed look at the consequences of not complying. We’ll take an in-depth look at the risk assessment process, including top tips for putting pen to paper and some of the most common mistakes made. n

DATE Friday 22 November

TIME 8.30am-1.00pm

LOCATION SmartLife Low Carbon Centre, Cambridge Regional College, Kings Hedges Road, Cambridge, CB4 2QT

PRICE Free to attend but advance booking necessary


People are your greatest asset. Employing and developing the right people is crucial for sustainable growth. This event will help you to Grow your Business through People.

This interactive workshop will promote exemplar businesses, examine the challenges that businesses face and help to identify what support, advice and training is available to enable your business to achieve it’s growth potential.

There will be time for delegates to network with the event sponsors and other support organisations. n

DATE Wednesday 6 November

TIME 11.30am-1.00pm

LOCATION Peterborough Greyhound Stadium, Peterborough, PE1 5BJ

MEMBER PRICE £10.00 (plus VAT)

NON-MEMBER PRICE £17.00 (plus VAT)

CONTACT Daisy Rivetti on 01733 370809 or email [email protected]

Ladies, here’s an opportunity to gain feeback and bounce ideas off others over a networking lunch. n

Business Brainstorming Lunch

Networking Events

SPEED NETWORKING BREAKFASTDATE Friday 8 November

TIME 7.45-10.00am

LOCATION The Moller Centre, Storey’s Way, Cambridge, CB3 0DE

SPEED NETWORKING BREAKFASTDATE Friday 29 November

TIME 7.45-10.00am

LOCATION KingsGate Centre, 2 Staplee Way, Parnwell, Peterborough, PE1 4YT



CONTACT [email protected] or book online at www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk

Informal Networking Evenings November 2013

Wed 6, 20The Quality Hotel, Peterborough

5.00-7.00pm

Thurs 7, 21Holiday Inn, Impington, Cambridge

5.00-7.00pm

Mon 11 The Lamb Hotel, Ely 5.00-7.00pm

Wed 13Waterfront Bar, Wyboston Lakes

5.00-7.00pm

Tues 19The Old Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon

5.00-7.00pm

Wed 27 Oliver Cromwell Hotel, March 5.00-7.00pm

Grow your business through people

Health & Safety Risk Assessment Seminar


CHAMBER EVENTS |

Rani Viknaraja

DATE Thursday 5 December

TIME 11.45am-2.00pm

LOCATION Orton Hall Hotel, Peterborough, PE2 7DN




Guest speaker Rani Viknaraja has previously worked for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister before setting up her own business, K8 Data Protection Consultancy. Rani spends her time juggling working and looking after her grandchildren and is delighted to be able to share some of her experience.

Delegates will be on the move during each course so ensure you bring along plenty of business cards! n

Business Women’s Christmas Lunch

Christmas Events

DATE Friday 6 December

TIME 11.45am-2.00pm

LOCATION Doubletree by Hilton Cambridge, Mill Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1RT




A variation on our normal Safari Networking, this event includes afternoon tea of festive sandwiches, scones, cakes, tea and coffee. n

Festive Afternoon Tea

DATE Friday 13 December

TIME 12.00-3.00pm

LOCATION St Johns College, Cambridge, CB2 1TP




Join the Chamber in the festive setting of St John’s College Cambridge for our annual Christmas Lunch

This popular event includes mulled wine on arrival, a three-course Christmas lunch followed by coffee and mince pies.

The event will include a charity raffle in aid of Shine. n

Sponsored by:

Christmas LunchSt John’s College 2012

photo by Mike Brown Photographic


| POLICY UPDATE

Innovation

Keeping you informed, representing local business

PolicyUPDATE

WE hear a lot these days about innovation, the government even has a department to promote Business Innovation and Skills, but what constitutes innovation?

One definition states, ‘innovation is the application of better solutions that meet existing or new requirements and can take the form of new or more effective products, processes, services, technologies or ideas’. Not to be confused with invention, the creation of an idea or product; innovation refers to the notion of doing something different.

Some local businesses splendidly demonstrate innovation. One example is the award winning grill produced by Active Food Systems based near Huntingdon. Synergy Grill is a chargrill designed for commercial kitchens. Unlike other chargrills this grill uses unique ‘fat atomising’ technology eliminating the need for a fat tray. This feature makes grilling much safer and virtually eliminates the task of cleaning yet produces tasty and succulent food. Amazingly this technology reduces energy consumption by around 50 per cent; a considerable saving for a business and gives the grill first-class green-tech credentials.

Another equally innovative solution solves a transport problem in rural communities and uses resources more efficiently. Huntingdon Regional

College (HRC) serves a large rural community where public transport is, to say the least, limited. The

College realised that if they wanted to support more students from across the area they

needed to provide a reliable and cost effective means of transport to and

from the College. Their innovation was to utilise the spare capacity of a local bus company that transports children to school. This idea has enabled the College to negotiate very competitive rates with a coach company and to provide students, from outlying rural villages, with reliable, free transport to College.A completely different example

of innovation is a Fenland couple who, finding it difficult to get work,

kept themselves busy doing odd jobs and chores for older friends and relatives

and realised their skills could be turned into a viable business. They discovered a huge

demand from people needing a variety of help and support in order to remain independent, more like a family member might provide. Not innovation in the conventional sense but certainly a fantastic example of doing something different and an idea that can be replicated.

Business innovation comes in many shapes and forms; please share your business innovation with us and help to inspire others: [email protected] n


CHAMBER UPDATES |

ChamberUpdates

An overview of news from your Chamber

BEACON Wealth Management Ltd has won the East of England’s regional Most Promising New Business Award for 2013

The company was set up in 2010 when research found a gap in the market for the type of advice/wealth management usually only found in cities. Taking on more advisers to specialise in particular areas such as Long Term Care and Mortgages has helped Beacon distinguish themselves from other practices..

They go forward to the national finals taking place on 28 November in London. n

Beacon takes Chamber Awards 2013 Success

#ChamberNetworkTO help Chamber members find other Chamber members on Twitter we’ve launched a new Chamber Network hashtag.

Simply search for #ChamberNetwork online and click on the twitter names to follow other member companies. n

BUILDING BUSINESS CONFIDENCE IN YOUR AREA

PeterboroughFenland

Ely

Huntingdonshire

Cambridge & South Cambs

✓ Promote Your Business

✓ Protect Your Company

✓ Get Involved

✓ Succeed Internationally

✓ Reduce Business Costs

01223 237414 www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk

John Bridge with Tony Larkins from Beacon

Keeping you informed and up to date

LEPFOCUS

Charities & social enterprises in need of support

A new report has uncovered the shocking state of the voluntary and social enterprise sector in the local area, warning that many charities lack the skills and funding required to survive.

The report, carried out by Big Society Funding CIC on behalf of the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership (LEP), surveyed 50 different charities across the LEP area to find out what was really going on behind the scenes.

It concluded that over half of charities and social enterprises (54%) needed help and support to raise the funds they needed to stay in businesses, but lacked the resources to do anything about it. Furthermore, nearly a third (31%) of respondents said they had few or no plans or ideas on how to raise the funds they needed in the future.

Grahame Nix, Chief Executive of the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough Enterprise Partnership (LEP), commented: “As a LEP we have always been aware of the important role that the voluntary and social enterprise sector plays within our community. The support many organisations provide to get people into work and to learn new skills is an important part of the economic landscape of our area. This is why we created the LEP Prize Challenge to provide local charities and social enterprises to put forward their ideas

European Funding Strategy

EARLIER this year the Government asked Local Enterprise Partnerships to create European Funding Strategies for their local areas and we wanted to update you on progress to date.

The first draft of the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP area strategy was submitted to Government on 7th October. The draft strategy will now be reviewed by Government and further refined before a final version of the European Funding Strategy is agreed by January 2014.

You can find out more by visiting yourlocalenterprisepartnership.co.uk


30 | CONNECTED OCTOBER 2013

for helping local people to become work ready and get a job. We have shortlisted a number of projects and will be announcing the winners later this year.”

“It is important for our area to have a vibrant and effective voluntary and social enterprise community who contribute to the economic productivity of our area, and we believe that many of our local businesses have the skills and expertise to help our charities to thrive,” Grahame added, “We would therefore encourage businesses that have the knowledge and desire to help their local communities to contact their local charities to offer their professional support – be it in marketing, accountancy or project management – to help our charities and social enterprises thrive.”

You can find out more about the LEP’s work with the Voluntary and Social Enterprise sector by visiting www.yourlocalenterprisepartnership.co.uk/yourlep/our-groups/vse n


CONNECTED MAGAZINE |

Future Business Centrethe new home for social and environmental businesses in Cambridge

The Future Business Centre will be an enterprise hub that combines good business practice with the business of doing good. It will support start-up and early stage social and commercial businesses that deliver social or environmental benefits.

• A different kind of incubation hub• Specialist business advice• Flexible and affordable workspace• Cambridge Cleantech on site to assist start-ups• The place to grow ideas and make a

difference – locally and worldwide

CAN YOU HELP US

REACH OUR GOAL?

Donations and sponsorship are needed to get

the centre off to a great start! Add your logo or

picture to our community art project and get

recognition for your support.

INTERESTED IN

BECOMING A TENANT?

Easy-in, easy-out terms allows you to

try out your idea without committing to a

lengthy contract plus we’ll be supporting

you every step of the way.

Find out more at futurebusinesscentre.co.uk

T 0845 456 2432 E [email protected]

@ftrbusiness futurebusiness.co.uk

OPENING AUTUMN 2013 on Kings Hedges Road

THERE has been plenty of discussion around the Pension Auto-Enrolment legislation which is being introduced in phases, depending on the size of the business in terms of employees/workers at 1 April 2012 and will be complete by April 2017.

The ultimate goal for the Government is to encourage more people to save for their retirement, which is sensible of course, but there are clear implications for small business owners.

First, be clear about your ‘staging’ date and then develop your plan – ideally 12 months before the date, but within six months if the changes are minimal.

If you have an existing scheme you’ll need to check it meets the criteria and if implementing a new scheme, take time to select one that will give your employees a good return on investment rather than just the cheapest option.

Communicating with your employees is a vital stage in your plan, around six months prior to rollout is advisable – maybe through email updates, noticeboards, team briefings and info leaflets. Most people do not get pensions and so will switch off as soon as you mention it, but by keeping the messages simple and positive this will improve engagement. Getting the communication message right from the start may avoid a big switch off! If you’d like any advice on managing this process feel free to give me a call.

There are clear implications

for SMEs

T 07725 659039 E [email protected]

kjhrconsulting.co.uk

Monthly HR insight...

The pension puzzleBy Karen Williams, Director at KJ HR Consulting Limited


| CHAMBER CHARITY OF THE YEAR

Kissing Under The Mistletoe (10cmx21cm)

Bright Doves (15cmx15cm)

Praying Angel(15cmx15cm)

All Too Much(17cmx12cm)

The Christmas Gang (21cmx10cm)Going To Church (12.5cmx12.5cm folded)

O R D E R N O W l O R D E R N O W l O R D E R N O W l O R D E R N O W

Payment (Please tick/fill in your preferred method of payment and complete your name & address details)

Cheque/Postal order made payable to Shine enclosed

VISA Mastercard

Card no.

Expiry date

Security code

Registered charity no. 249338

Start date

£

Please send me: Qty Price per pack Total (£)Kissing Under The Mistletoe £4.00Bright Doves £4.00Praying Angel £3.50All Too Much £3.50Going to Church £4.00The Christmas Gang £4.00Number of packs Postage 1 £1.00 2 £1.50 3 £2.00 4 to 9 packs £2.50 10 £5.00 Over 10 packs FREE

Total order (inc. postage and packing)

$

Shine Christmas Cards

To order your Shine Christmas Cards, please complete the order form below or call 01733 421310

We have six wonderful Christmas Card designs for you to choose from. Each pack contains 10 cards with envelopes.

Thank you for supporting Shine this Christmas.

Signature: .....................................................................................

Name: ...........................................................................................

Address: ....................................................................................... ........................................................ Postcode: ............................

Tel: ..........................................................Date:.............................

Email: ...........................................................................................Please return the completed order form together with your payment to: Shine, 42 Park Road, Peterborough PE1 2UQ

Christmas cards 2013.indd 1 16/10/2013 15:42


| SPECIAL REPORT

Business Awards

Awards Focus

Ian MacKellar reports on the benefits of entering business awards

It’s cheap, it’s cheerful and it does you good. No, not genetically modified rice, but entering business awards.

We are now well into the 2013 awards season in Cambridgeshire, and all manner of hitherto unheard-of organisations are demonstrating beyond a peradventure that they are really rather good.

Make no mistake: you don’t reach the finals of any of these prestigious events by pulling the wool over the eyes of the judges – they have been around for too long to be taken in by fly boys. So, even if they don’t win, you can be sure that the finalists are companies of substance and sometimes considerable flair.

A common complaint is that it is always the same companies that win awards – an assertion usually put forward by businesses that think they are better than the winners. I tested this theory a few years ago, crunching the numbers of the Huntingdonshire awards, with which I was involved at the time. It turned out that the attrition rate for repeat winners was just seven per cent in the first 10 years of the awards.

I can understand where the theory comes from on two counts: first, the awards are designed to reflect sustained development, if it is actually delivered, and secondly some companies are actually so outstanding in their own fields that, year after year,

they set the benchmark that other firms have to exceed.

A new company might win a ‘new business’ category one year, followed by a ‘small business’ category the next and even a ‘business development’ prize in a third successive year. It has happened, though it’s quite rare. What it says actually is that the judgment of the category judges – different people for different categories – looks pretty sound and consistent.

In some categories – particularly those relating to employee relations and innovation – it is hardly surprising that good employers and inventors set benchmarks. It is for others to exceed them to win.

Also, in some categories, such as small or new businesses, the judges could be called upon to compare a nail parlour with a heart valve manufacturer – on pure business criteria.

Those who do prevail are pretty consistent in their message: it doesn’t cost a lot to enter (it’s usually free, but involves management time), though it can make you examine your business model and business plan pretty fundamentally, and winning is great not just for employee relations but as a low-cost route to positive PR and marketing.

What is surprising, however, is how reluctant some of the eventual winners seem to be to start the process, even though they acknowledge that it ticks all the corporate boxes.

Last month, Ely-based corporate support

an award win is great for employee relations but also a low-cost route to

positive PR and Marketing


SPECIAL REPORT |

services provider PA Answer became East

Cambs Business of the Year. Yet owner Chris Grove admits

to being sceptical about the process, in spite of acknowledging the

commercial benefits.“For a small outlay it’s a marketing

exercise that can bring a lot of exposure to the business locally, and we’ve already got a couple

of new contacts as a result,” he said shortly after the awards were announced. “Seeing how the team

reacted [to the win] showed how delighted they were to have this accolade from outside. The awards ceremony

was also a very enjoyable night out for the 10-strong team, although that’s something we do regularly – and it comes back in loyalty.”

Yet he was reluctant to concede that PA Answer would enter the awards again next year. “It would be important to

find a suitable category.”Fenland’s Business Person of the year is David Haynes, a director of Wisbech-based Foster Property

Maintenance, who believes the work involved in constructing an entry is worthwhile.

“It makes you look very carefully at where your business is going and at the positive things you are doing,” he said. “It enhances our profile, and there’s potentially a considerable commercial benefit. It’s good for the staff to see that

they are working for a company that’s having success, and there are advantages in terms of customer reputation and corporate social responsibility.”

Regionally, one of the pinnacles of achievement lies in a converted chapel in Kimbolton, new home to three-year-old Beacon Wealth Management Limited, which won the East of Englands’ regional Most Promising New Business Award in the Chamber Awards and will be in the running for the £25,000 national award at the end of November.

Tony Larkins, a former public sector finance manager who founded the firm three years ago, is another reluctant hero.

Having won Huntingdonshire’s small business and business development awards in the past, as well as having his office manager recognised as employee of the year in 2011 and personally receiving a Business Person of the Year accolade a year earlier, he told me a year ago that he probably wouldn’t enter again. So why are we here? “I own the business; I don’t micro-manage it. If my marketing manager tells me we need to enter, I take her advice.”

It seems to have been good advice, since Beacon also became top financial adviser for the region last January and continues to attract new clients on the back of its awards successes.

He also recognises the impact award wins have on morale of his 23 employees [there were just two three years ago]. “There’s a definite kudos in winning, and we’ve just taken on someone who applied because of hearing about the awards.”

So, why the reluctance – apart from his natural caution as an accountant? “We’re normally not good at blowing our own trumpet.”

That’s not a trumpet voluntary, then. n


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NEW MEMBERS

THIS MONTH

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NEW Members Would you like to become a Chamber member?

Get in touch today and find out the many benefits.tel: 01223 237414 email: [email protected]

Novacomwww.novacomcorporation.com

Novacom brings high performance marketing skills to promote global corporations to their smaller, but equally important clients meaning smaller clients get the same level of leading edge web, email and social marketing success as our world-class enterprises. As volume is scaled back, costs are therefore massively reduced.

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Wingsnap Solutions help align, strengthen and enhance the cohesiveness and culture within your business, directly reducing your costs and improving the bottom line.

They have developed a cutting edge methodology that rapidly captures, analyses and measures business culture and cohesion. They provide a detailed report and suggested recommendations for improvements, plus follow-up review.

Newmarket Venueswww.newmarketvenues.co.uk

The centrally located King Edward VII Memorial Hall and Severals Sports Pavilion in Newmarket are unique but affordable venues available to hire for a variety of events. The recently restored Memorial Hall seats up to 190 guests and there are also three smaller rooms which are ideal spaces for business meetings, fitness classes and private functions. Newmarket Venues is a dedicated and committed enterprise from Newmarket Town Council.

Trial MembersOUR two month free trial offer has now come to an end, with over 130 companies joining us to experience the benefits of membership first-hand absolutely free for two months.

All trial members are listed in the online directory in the members area of the Chamber website. Find out who they are by logging-in and searching by ‘Trial Offer’ in the drop down box for business type.

Keep an eye out for our trial members at future Chamber gatherings as they take advantage of being able to attend our many events and seminars that are running between now and Christmas.

If you need a refresher on the benefits of your Chamber membership we run regular induction sessions for new and exisiting members where we offer you a tour of the complete benefits package with the opportunity to find out more about the elements that interest you most. Whether you’re looking for new ways to reward your staff, cut ongoing business costs, promote new products or services or raise your personal profile within the business community, Chamber membership really does offer it all.

Further details of these induction events can be found on the Chamber website or event pages in our magazine. If you prefer we can arrange a visit from our Memebership Development Manager.

For more details or to arrange a visit please give Bren Coleman a call on 01223 209811 or email her at [email protected] n


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Special Feature

It Pays to Invest in a Healthy Future for your Staff

LATEST figures from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Absence and Workplace health survey 2013 show that in 2012 staff absence rates, at an average of 5.3 days for each employee, cost the UK economy £14 billion. These figures are down from an average of 6.5 days of staff absence in 2010 which was costing the economy £17 billion per year. This new low in absence rates has been attributed to increased investment by employers into staff wellness management.

Debbie Jones from independent insurance broker Anglia Healthcare, said: “We know from our own client feedback that companies are finding it increasingly important to arrange an all encompassing wellness package which results in reducing absence in the workplace, with the use of early interventions.

“Even though the past few years have been tough many companies have continued to invest in healthcare packages for their staff. It makes sense financially, as private medical insurance is often cited as the number one benefit for employees and a helpful tool in minimising the time employees are away from work due to illness.”

Anglia Healthcare work with the full range of major providers and have saved many companies and individuals substantial

amounts of money. They also carry out an annual comprehensive market review for every client, to ensure the benefit level fits with each company’s needs at the most competitive price available from the insurers.

They recently launched a specialist service for companies looking to opt for a self funded healthcare scheme headed by Victoria Wright, Debbie’s daughter.

Victoria said: “Some larger companies may benefit from a self-funded scheme. We offer specialist advice to these organisations on the option of Healthcare Trusts which are

the recognised alternative to traditional PMI schemes. They operate in an almost identical manner, except that a business can set the benefit rules, providing a high level of control on costs as well as ensuring employees are appropriately covered. The saving over the cost of corporate PMI premiums for eligible businesses is typically 10 per cent.”

Anglia Healthcare advisers are fully trained and qualified through the Chartered Institute of Insurance (CII). For more information, please visit www.anglia-healthcare.co.uk or call them on 0844 412 5943.n

Debbie Jones and Victoria Wright

to those working at Google. Penguin’s main diet however, is finding ‘unnatural’ links to websites. Any links that have been artificially created with the aim of improving search engine rankings are Penguin food.

In May this year, Google rolled out its second version of Penguin, a much hungrier and aggressive animal than its previous relative. Being pecked by the Penguin 2.0 algorithm can be devastating to your Google search engine rankings and your business. Whilst recovery from a Penguin bite isn’t considered to be totally impossible, it’s certainly a long, slow and drawn out process.

| SPECIAL REPORT

Penguins, Pandas and Penalties

IT Focus

YOU may think of penguins and pandas as cute or harmless creatures, but when trying to drive traffic to your business’ website, they’re fearsome beasts to be avoided at all costs.

In the last couple of years Google has unleashed new algorithms on its search engine that aim to increase the relevancy of their results and to penalise websites that contravene their guidelines. Since their release, Penguin and Panda have struck fear into the heart of many businesses. D-d-d-don’t pick up a PenguinWhen Google was originally founded in 1998, the search engine ordered pages with the aid of a revolutionary technique called ‘PageRank’. The basic concept behind PageRank was to assign a value to the links each page had received from other web pages. More simply, each link could be thought of as a vote in favour or an endorsement of value of the page being linked and up the rankings your site would go.

In the early days of the World Wide Web, this system worked well. But, as the internet became more commercialised and webmasters quickly became savvy, PageRank became a target for manipulation.

The exact workings of Penguin will only be known

Panda-moniumGoogle’s Panda is perhaps a more thoughtful and analytical creature, but equally stubborn. Once you find yourself on the wrong side of a Panda it can be difficult to change its mind.

Panda’s main function is to examine web pages for similar signals to those found on websites already known to be of a high quality. Any websites or pages that have very little content, or similar/duplicate content to that found elsewhere on the internet may also be at risk of falling foul to Panda.

As sites deemed to be of a lower quality are pushed further down the results by Panda, well written, high quality and authoritative sites should automatically rise to the top.

Ultimately, the advice is simple. Concentrate on your visitors and aim to provide them with an exceptional experience every time they visit your website. Fresh, up-to-date content, informative blogs and

a website designed in an engaging format to encourage visitors to look around. Avoid companies that promise better rankings through link schemes, as these may actually penalise your site. If the quality of your website is high enough, people should, in theory at least, link to you ‘naturally’ and better Google search rankings should follow. n

Provide web visitors with an exceptional experience.


SECTOR FOCUS |

Updates from Chambers Sector Groups

SectorFocus

For any feedback, general information regarding the Sector Groups, or to contribute,

please get in touch with Helen Bosett.tel: 01223 209815 email: [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL

Terrified towards Terrific workshops were organised by the Chambers’ Communications Sector with the end goal to be comfortable using social media in a positive way.

Social Media Trainer, Ian Gibbins, with support from Sara Drawwater of Something Beckons, took delegates through the process to create their profiles on Twitter and LinkedIn with a following session that concentrated on using these platforms as a business tool.

The final session demonstrated the safer element of using social media, safeguarding your company, creating a social media policy and protecting your data with presentations from Maz Dannourah of Roythornes LLP and Rani Viknaraja from K8 Data Protection Consultancy. n

COMMUNICATIONS

Terrified towards Terrific


Cambridgeshire Export Club meet and learn from your peers

SEASONED exporters claim to learn more about markets and successful strategies by talking to other exporters than any other form of learning.

The Cambridgeshire Export Club was set up earlier this year to provide an opportunity for business people interested and involved in international trade to drop in at the end of the day and mix with others to exchange ideas, ask questions and proffer advice. It’s open to all levels of experience and takes place on the last Monday of the month, alternating between Peterborough and Cambridge venues. There’s no structure or

agenda, very informal and those that attend can stay for as long or short as they wish.

You may be considering exporting for the first time - what better way to learn than to hear from those already doing it!

FORTHCOMING DATES: Monday 28 October The Moller Centre, Cambridge 5.00-7.00pm Monday 25 November Park Inn, Peterborough 5.00-7.00pm n

Ask the ICT ExpertsComputers, technology, servers, the cloud, telecoms – is there something you don’t understand in an IT world or need to get to grips with?

Our ICT Sector committee members will be on the road at our informal networking evenings across the county to give impartial advice and answer any questions you may have to make your ICT life a better place.

When we say questions, it could be something like :‘How do I get a business email service?’, ‘How can I reduce the amount of spam I get?’, ‘What is the cloud?’ or even ‘Why is my red light flashing on my computer?’ No question is too silly to put to the experts and they promise

not to speak jargon too!Pat Kilbey of Lease our Cars took advantage at an earlier

session and comments: ”This was a really useful session. I had several different queries and was able to get answers from the experts that really worked for me. Well worth attending!” n

ICT

Rani Viknaraja, Clare Hickey (ARU) and Maz Dannourah at University Centre Peterborough

| SECTOR FOCUS


BUSINESS WOMEN

Meet Kathy!

Q What do you do in business?

A I am Chief Executive of the Froglife Trust. Froglife is a national wildlife

conservation charity with a specific focus on reptiles and amphibians. I also manage a Limited company that operates on a social enterprise basis. The company provides a wide range of ecological consultancy services and all profits are gift aided back to the charity.

Q What are your top three tips for running or working in a business?

A 1. Have clear objectives and that everyone knows what they are.

2. Good communication across the organisation.

3. A no blame culture.

Q What do you do to unwind?

A Walk the dog and swim.

Q If you could pick anyone to sit next to at a dinner party, who would it be and why?

A Tolstoy because he was a fascinating man with some very conflicting views

such as being religious but also an anarchist. I wonder what he would make of the world today.

Q What value do you get from being a Chamber member?

A I like the networking and opportunity to meet business people from different

sectors. It is important for different sectors to come together and share experiences, each can inform the other substantially. n

This month we hear from Kathy Wormald, Chief Executive of Froglife

If you would like to feature here, contact Helen Bosett, Sector Co-ordinator, [email protected]

Kathy Wormald

Enlightening and Powerful“THESE are the words that spring to mind, as I reflect back over the women in business training. I’ve had a great opportunity, to mix with other like-minded women in a fun and thought provoking way, yet the message delivered has packed a punch.

“It has given me the understanding to consider how I view myself in my

multiple life roles. I have acquired a new self-awareness of my strengths and weaknesses, a new compassion for my flaws and a drive to use my strengths fully.”

Feedback received from Sara Collins of Buckles Solicitors who attended the Women in Management workshops. n

Fashion WorkshopANIMAL prints and berry colours are in fashion this autumn and was demonstrated at the recent fashion workshop, organised and hosted by John Lewis Peterborough.

Volunteers from their shop floor bravely took to the catwalk to show a vast range of outfits and styles taking in smart casual, business dress and how to carry your look from the office to evening.

Anne Green of Graham Construction was the lucky winner of a fabulous John Lewis handbag. n

John Lewis models

Sara Collins, centre, from Buckles Solicitors


SECTOR FOCUS |

Does Data Protection apply to my organisation?

LEARNING & SKILLS

IN short the Data Protection Act (DPA) applies to an ‘activity’ not an organisation.

Virtually every organisation holds personal data of some kind. In other words if your organisation collects, holds, discloses, retains or destroys information about a living individual you have to do so in line with the DPA. Whether it’s your clients, staff or your service users, anyone who has access to that information is legally bound to protect it.

The common questions are:• What is personal data?• Do I need to register with the

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)?

• Is protecting data not the IT departments, or CEO’s or Corporate Director’s responsibility?

• Do we need procedures on processing personal data?

• Our business is overseas. Do we have to comply?

• We have out-sourced our HR duties to a provider, are we still responsible?

So what happens if we don’t work according to the DPA? The ICO can:• Serve Enforcement Notices • Conduct assessments or ‘audits’• Issue monetary penalties of up

to £500,000!

Keeping staff aware of the DPA and performing health checks on your procedures is essentially like having an ‘insurance policy’ to help to comply with the law and protect your ‘brand’! n

Traineeships Programme

THE Government has recently introduced an exciting new programme called Traineeships, which is designed for those aged 16-24 and in need of some work experience, in order to help them move into paid employment.

Peterborough Regional College has developed a programme that embraces all the opportunities offered by a Traineeship, and is able to support eligible individuals to participate on an 18 week programme that will provide up to 15 weeks of work experience placement, along with Functional Skills in Maths and English.

The Maths and English taught are an essential part of the Traineeship programme, and are integral to various other types of follow on qualifications, including Apprenticeships.

To participate on the Traineeships programme, you must not be currently in education or training and you must be looking for work. In addition, if you are aged 16-18 years old, you must be qualified to below Level 3 and if you are aged 19-24 years old you must be qualified to below Level 2 (equivalent to 5 GCSEs at grades A-C).

If you are up for a challenge that can get you essential work skills and can also help boost your CV, then contact Sharmain on 01733 863068 or email [email protected] n

Essentials for employmentIT is not a legal change to the school leaving age and there is no requirement to stay on at school or to attend college. However, the government has placed a legal duty on young people to ensure that they are positively engaged in some form of learning OR work with training. This means that all 16 and 17 year olds are entitled to FREE training even if they are employed.

Stella Cockerill of Peterborough Regional College comments: “Here at PRC we are working hard with employers to ensure the right training programmes are in place for this age group. We would welcome the view from employers as to what your 16-18 year old employees would like to access.” n

Peterborough Regional College stand at Business Focus

HR & RECRUITMENT

Autumn CollectionEMPLOYMENT Law changes and topics were presented at the latest workshop, organised by the Chamber’s HR and Recruitment Sector.

Topics included Disclosure and Barring, Settlements and Agreements, Pensions update and how Mediation can be used as an alternative dispute resolution.

Delegates were able to learn more on their chosen subjects at round table discussions.

Thanks to our presenters Tony Larkins of Beacon Wealth Management, Jason Duff of Keeping HR Simple, Katherine Holliday of Buckles Solicitors and Deborah Scales from Hunt and Coombs. n

Jason Duff advising on mediation



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to enable small to medium size businesses to work in partnership with UK universities and colleges.

What can it do for my company?

This programme offers both capital and revenue funding towards the eligible costs of collaborative projects between universities and companies.

How does it work?The company and university recruit an experienced graduate to work full-time at the company on a specific project with agreed timescales. The graduate is supported by a specialist academic from the university who

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What could a typical project look like?A Low Carbon KEEP project could address resource efficiency within a business, development of new products or

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What is the Low Carbon KEEP Innovation Voucher?A The Low Carbon KEEP Innovation Voucher scheme allows SMEs to purchase standalone academic expertise from

the region’s Universities to support innovation and business improvement. The Innovation Vouchers cover 40% of the costs of purchasing specialist support for a value from £1,000 up to £5,000, which will provide up to 12 days of

bespoke assistance.

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29284_bs194263-BMWi-CorporateMaterials-Elms-303x216.indd 1 30/08/2013 10:00

CONNECTED magazine November 2013

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Transcript of CONNECTED magazine November 2013