The Day Centre Club Oswestry

It’s nearly seven years since the first independent day centre for older people in the Oswestry area opened. At that time, there was a severe lack of local support for the older generation and their families.

Sue Jones, Manager and Founder of the Day Centre Club said, “With encouragement from my partner, family, and friends I choose to make a difference to the lives of older people and the Day Centre Club was born out of that vision.

“Previously, I had worked for Social Services and a not-for-profit organization for 30 years, managing their day centre for 15 of those. That establishment closed and moved to new premises to concentrate on nursing care.

“Having experience in all aspects of caring for older people, day care was what I passionately believed in, and still do. Oswestry at this point, had no separate day care provision with the only option being placement in a residential home for the day.”

The Day Centre Club offers a unique experience, which keeps provision personal and familiar with only a small team of staff. This enables those who attend to recognize familiar faces, build rapport and trusting relationships, which is especially important for those who have Alzheimer’s, Dementia, or other forms of memory loss.

Sue also has an activity provider qualification and has a real passion for arts and crafts. By consulting with families and care providers on background information, life experiences, work and hobbies, Sue can tailor activities to the individual or group.

Activities are always fun and enjoyable with the day centre instilling a firm belief that laughter is life’s great medicine. By staying physically and mentally active, it provides a great boost to the mind and body, with improved spatial awareness and motor skills which

Refreshments are provided throughout the day with tea and toast in the morning, a locally sourced homely hot lunch, and a midafternoon treat of tea and cake may prevent trips and falls.

Day care also provides respite for care givers, prevents social isolation and gives a sense of inclusion and self-worth.

“I wanted the day centre to give families and care givers a complete break for the day. Refreshments are provided throughout the day with tea and toast in the morning, a locally sourced homely hot lunch, and a mid-afternoon treat of tea and cake,” Sue said.

“I can’t believe it’s seven years since the Day Centre Club opened. When my friend and colleague Gill retired and Lesley joined the team, I said to Lesley ‘this is the best job ever’ and she agrees. For the past seven years that I’ve been registered, I have agreed contracts with Shropshire Council and in recent years Powys Council, of which I’m so proud.”

“The Day Centre Club Oswestry is based at the Morda and Sweeney Social Club, who I would like to thank immensely for their help and support.

For more information visit www.daycentreoswestry.co.uk

Don’t dismiss taking on a legal claim even if your business may not be awash with formal paperwork as you could still come out with a victory.

That’s the advice of Oswestrybased legal experts after a tenant farmer in England won a legal case against electrical contractors who significantly damaged a field, meaning he couldn’t plant crops due to the damage.

Stewart Smith, a commercial and agricultural property solicitor at Lanyon Bowdler in Oswestry, said the case was a good example of a legal victory despite a lack of formal documentation as evidence.He said: “The case centred around the damage done to a field by electricity contractors who continued to work despite poor weather conditions and drove outside the area identified in the wayleave agreement

“Because of the damage, the farmer was unable to plant the potato and spring barley crops which were planned for that season, resulting in considerable loss of earnings.

“What was interesting in this case was that the defendant argued that the lack of documentary evidence meant the farmer could not prove he was intending to plant these particular crops in that particular field.

“However, after hearing the claimant during crossexamination, the judge found him to be honest and reliable, and was satisfied that he had proved his claim on the balance of probabilities.

“The judge accepted that although the farmer did not have many documents, due to his largely informal and ‘paper light’ business, that did not mean he could not prove his claim.

“The farmer was able to demonstrate to the judge that he knew his business very well, having farmed for 40 years, and was able to explain that a lot of his decisions were based on his experience and local knowledge.”

Stewart added: “The case concluded with the farmer being awarded a five-figure sum for loss of profit, and just goes to show that it’s always worth considering a legal case even if you are worried you don’t have enough formal documentation to prove it.”

For more advice about any legal issues, contact Lanyon Bowdler in Oswestry on 01691 652241 or visit www.lblaw.co.uk

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Company car benefits and exemptions from April 2023

Most employers and employees are aware of the additional costs of providing company cars and the tax implications they create. However, for many employees the attraction of having a company car means that despite any tax disadvantages, this remains a popular option.

Where employees are provided with fuel for their own private use by their employers, the car fuel benefit charge is applicable. The fuel benefit charge is determined by reference to the CO2 rating of the car, applied to a fixed amount. The car fuel benefit charge will increase in 202324 to £27,800 (from £25,300). The fuel benefit is not applicable when the employee pays for all their private fuel use.

Ludlow

Shrewsbury

Wrexham

The car fuel benefit charge will increase in 2023-24 to £27,800 (from £25,300). The fuel benefit is not applicable when the employee pays for all their private fuel use.

The standard benefit charge for private use of a company van will increase to £3,960 (from £3,600). A company van is defined as ‘a van made available to an employee by reason of their employment’. There is an additional van fuel benefit charge for a van with significant private use. The limit will increase in 2023-24 to £757 (from £688). If private use of the van is insignificant, then no benefit will apply.

Benefits that are exempt from tax include:

Cars available for business journeys only

It has generally been established that to qualify for VAT recovery the car must not be available for any private use.

The car should only be available to staff during working hours for employment related duties or to travel to a temporary workplace.

Cars adapted for an employee with a disability

These cars are exempt if the only private use is for journeys between home and work and for travel to workrelated training.

‘Pool’ cars

Employers are not required to pay or report on ‘pool’ cars. These are cars that are shared by employees for business purposes only, and normally kept on the business premises.

Privately owned cars

Employers do not have to pay anything on cars that directors or employees own privately.

What does your mortgage future look like?

By Jon Peatfield,

Mortgage Consultant

The last year has seen cost of living at the centre of many discussions. Mortgage costs are no exception here and we have seen both rate increases and reductions over this time. Homeowners who might have been on a “tracker deal” (following the Bank of England Base Rate or their current lenders Standard Variable Rate) will have seen their monthly repayments steadily increase, almost every month.

However, our clients are still thinking and talking about moving home, extending, or modernising the interior. We are also still helping many young people buy their first home.

What are the next steps?

Understanding your options when considering a new mortgage is key to getting the right deal for you and your future. We continually meet mortgage borrowers who are looking at the next step. We sit down and work out what you can do now and in the future. This will allow you to then either view properties in confidence of what you can afford or to meet builders and architects safe with the knowledge of what your affordable budget is.

Reviewing your current mortgage rate, the same way you review other household finances, could also be beneficial. If you have not reviewed your mortgage deal in the last 18-24 months, we could help reassess your affordability and the feasibility of reducing your mortgage term with the aim to be mortgage-free earlier than planned.

Those who are wanting to help their loved ones onto the property ladder can benefit from joint meetings and are a great way of finding out and understanding what options are available for all parties, especially with the term “bank of Mum and Dad” being referred to more now than ever!

Looking forward to your new home?

Looking for your first home is an exciting step in the adulthood journey. My advice to first time buyers is to discuss your mortgage options before you begin viewing properties with a mortgage consultant who is able to look at a wide range of mortgage lenders to get the very best deal that’s out there for you. Don’t restrict yourself to just looking at banks or a single lender’s options - each lender is different in their approach as to how much they will let you borrow. We can help match you to the right lender and review your budget planning moving forward to ensure you are comfortable with your future costs.

If you would like to know more about your options, then please do not hesitate to call 01978 311611 or email jonathan.peatfield@sjpp.co.uk.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

We offer a comprehensive range of first charge mortgages from across the market, which lenders make available to mortgage intermediaries, for which we will be paid a procuration fee by the lender.

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